Happy New Year, Goodnight and Good Luck

Here's hoping everyone has a safe and happy new year, and best wishes to all for peace, happiness, health and prosperity in the coming decade.



Time to put this blog to sleep. It's been fun and educational for me, at least.

Peace out.

Snowball fight!

(courtesy of the Peas!)

Big snow!

It started snowing at about 11pm last night, which sent the card players home early. We've got 12-15" so far and it's still snowing. It's just beautiful! The feeder birds are happy, there are robins, cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, juncos, titmouses and woodpeckers. Yesterday the red-shouldered hawk was around for about an hour in the late morning. I wonder if she knew the snow was coming and was looking to get a squirrel to feast on. I'm watching the juncos on the suet feeder outside my window, not four feet away. I love watching the little birds.

So does Ebony. Whenever birds are on tv, she runs to the foot of my bed and sits and watches them intently. She'll continue watching for several minutes after they are gone, no doubt hoping they'll come back. She's one of the cats who would be very entertained by those videos made for cats.

Queenee is wrapping presents and PopPop is gearing up to give his new snowblower its maiden voyage up the driveway. The air is filled with anticipation!

What do you want for Christmas?

A cave would be nice. Or maybe a hippopotamus...

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas - Gayla Peevey

She was only 10 or 11 when she recorded this!

Miss P's surgery

They really cleaned up her ankle and took all the spurs, growths, etc. off, and are very proud of the "Perfect" alignment and precision of the replacement. The inside ankle bone did crack under the pressure of moving the foot after so long during surgery, so they had to put some extra hardware in there to stabilize it - they actually wanted to strengthen that bone anyway due to it having been not in shape to hold in long run (I don't mean run).

She is still on the lower leg block and out of pain. The PA said his main concern now isn't the draining, but pain management after this block wears off. She still cannot feel or move anything below the knee. Thank goodness for that! 6 1/2 hours in surgery, but she looks great and is feeling good, for now.

• two weeks wrapped up in bed
• four weeks in a cast no weight bearing
• two weeks in air cast no weight bearing
• then begins very gradually putting weight on the foot and very slow movement/therapy
• about a month after that, then begins the constant therapy on it...

All the while being checked up on in Miami. Baptist Health Doctors Hospital is I think the best facility I've ever been in. Wow is all I can say!

Good luck tomorrow, Miss P!

Polly is scheduled for her ankle replacement surgery tomorrow morning. Everyone here sends their very best wishes for a perfect ankle!!

Miss P, I hope your recovery goes well and quickly - remember, don't push too hard, but do all the exercises they give you, it really makes a difference.

Happy birthday Elder Pea!

She's not a teenager anymore! Twenty years old today - Happy Birthday Miss C!!

The Twisted Sistahs have been busy!

We've been busy helping raise funds to get daughter/neice Miss Polly a new ankle!
Please stop by the website and check it out!!!

Ankle4Polly

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy eating day, everyone. I heard that most people who celebrate the day will consume about 5000 calories.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WWABBIT!!!

I consider today the day you are now older than me................ Hope yesterday was a wonderful day for you!!! Now we begin the process of me catching up again. Hope you had cake and icecream to celebrate. Love from the Krew!!!

ZENYATTA!!

I know I wasn't the only one watching at home who was on my feet when Zenyatte came down the stretch. If she doesn't get Horse of the Year, all the voters should be investigated. There is no way Rachel Alexandra, good as she is, deserves it more than Zenyatta. RA's connections have avoided every opportunity they had to run against Zenyatta, and that says it all for me. She doesn't like the surface? Too bad. She's only had eight weeks off? wtf? She's 8 for 8 and has beaten the boys three times this year? Great, fantastic, but not good enough. Zenyatta's people took a chance yesterday, risking her perfect record to give her the chance to prove she really is all that she seems. She would have won the Distaff without question. They put her in the Classic, a race at a distance she had never run, against a loaded international field of colts and stallions she had never run against (and that RA will probably never meet). Despite some drama at the start, she mowed them down. She beat Gio Ponti, a colt who has been getting some HotY support. If that isn't Horse of the Year material, I don't know what is.

With Zenyatta out of the race, her stablemate Life Is Sweet got her chance to shine, and she won the Distaff. The little filly She Be Wild, who's owners kept her when they were unable to sell her for $19,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales spring 2-year-old in training sale, won the Juvenile Fillies and may end up as the 2-year-old Filly of the Year.

Goldikova scored her second victory against the boys in the BC Mile. Her trainer, Freddy Head, won this same race two years in a row as a jockey on Miesque, a filly who was the first to win the same race in consecutive years in the BC. I don't usually pick favorites to win, but I had the exacta in this race, with Courageous Cat as my place horse.

It was a good year at the Breeder's Cup. No horses were injured, discounting Quality Road cutting himself a bit at the gate for the Classic and being withdrawn. The Sprint had a four-way photo finish, with 25-1 shot Dancing in Silks getting the win. Dancing in Silks was one of three geldings to win a big race. Favorite California Flag won the $1 million Turf Sprint, and longshot Furthest Land won the $1 million Dirt Mile a year after being claimed for $35,000 at Belmont Park. Never underestimate the eye of a handicapper when he decides to put his money down to actually buy a horse!

C'est l'homme!!

Never let it be said that lack of a corkscrew got between a man and his bottle of wine.

Poker Stars!!

So, here is some background on this YouTube video. My friend Edie, the famous traveling vet from the Keys, has won a chance (top ten online texas hold'em player) to invite two friends to make a video and possibly get to fly (expense free) and compete for some "real" BIG money!!! Why I got in on it??? Hey, I was invited and I can play pretty good!! Mia is a pro for sure and plays online a lot, as does Edie. I guess I best get started at some point, I'm good at in person play for sure, but should practice online I guess if she will need any advice from me.

They came after work to me meet me and we had a cocktail (can you tell?) and made this from a camera phone of Edie's... Pretty good, first take... LOL...



Watch the video, comment on us, and wish Edie GOOD LUCK!!!

Вивальди "времена года" Лето-3часть

WOW. He's playing an excerpt from Vivaldi's Summer from the Four Seasons. Excellent.

The instrument is a Russian 'Bayan' Chromatic Accordion called a Jupiter Lux. It costs about $17,000 US fully-loaded.

Happy birthday, PopPop!

Even though PopPop will never see this, it's still fun to say Happy Birthday here. The D's and P's came over in time for most of the Patriot's game. Damcat made an excellent lasagna and we all pigged out bigtime! Queenee picked up a small cake and we sang Happy Birthday. Everyone was tired, so we called it a night early.

I had a great time in AR, C&S are fun people! I'll post about it (with photos) later in the week. For now, I'm hitting the hay!

Happy Birthday Sistah!!

I'll probably be on a plane when you read this, but I wanted to wish you a very happy Birthday! I hope you get a chance to relax and enjoy the day — at least it's not a work work day, though I know you have your hands full at home. Have a glass of wine and catch your breath!

WABBIT

Have a wonderful visit this week, we hope for good traveling, safe journey. We know you'll be in good company from what you've told us, relax, sketch, chat, enjoy! We look forward to hearing all about your Southern escape! Hopefully business will take a back seat and this will be an early Bday present to yourself.

Miss P will have her day!

When is the final question.

Dr Thomas Sangiovanni, MD Orthopedic Foot / Ankle Surgeon Miami, FL, has submitted to Miss P's insurance a request for an overdue surgery that is needed. Her appointment with him was wonderful by all accounts. She has absolutely no cartilage in her ankle (which has practically fused itself these past years). The good news is that she was thought to only walk for a "few" years after her last surgery and she has lasted longer than that, although not pain free. She is a trooper in that department and the long awaited approval for the FDA approved ankle replacement has come just over 2 years ago and has proven remarkable in its results. This doctor not only has performed about 40 of them, he teaches the technique as well to other surgeons.

Miss P went to the office knowing she had all the factors against her; age the most significant. He informed her that no matter what factors were involved, she needed it now. We have found out that her insurance will cover 80 percent of the hospital costs. That is significant! She will need to be off her feet in a cast for approximately 6 weeks (weekly visits for check ups and recasts). Then another 6 weeks in a boot (more than half of those off her feet as well). Then after about 3 to 4 months in physical therapy for unknown time. All this resulting in her being able to walk normally (depending on degree of movement he can provide in the ankle) and without pain. A limp without pain is wonderful I'm sure, no dancing etc. and results may last up to 10 years depending on how it goes. Good news is that it can be "re-done". Bad news is that this will be the 3rd surgery on the ankle and that her heel is in bad shape and cannot be fixed, but the ankle is what is most needed. AND HE CAN FIX IT!!!!! Being the great/talented doctor that he is, he asked her to most certainly consult other ankle replacement surgeons and find the person who she feels most secure with and whom she feels would best fit her needs. She told him that she is MOST comfortable with him and his talents (he is the best around from what everyone has said) Baptist is a wonderful hospital and best rated. He would do the surgery at Doctors Hospital. So.................

The other patient is Mr. B.. He is recovering perfectly from what the doctors are telling him. He goes for follow -up again beginning of November. Vision is not improved and there is still some scarring preventing perfect clarity, but until the cornea fully heals they say that is normal. We wait. He is miserable. We wait.

Mr. L passed on the opportunity to travel as an ambassador with people to people in Australia to the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, the Outback with the Aborigine peoples. Flying isn't his thing, and money isn't ours! So it all worked out, but definitely a missed opportunity!

Mr. R.... hmmmmmmmm Mr. R.

Me, my knee is killing me, my eyes are hurting, my brain has melted, my wrinkles a bit deeper, and my true hair color a mystery.

Sorry for the long wait on this info...... I'm tired.... so tired.

We are scrambling.

FOUR!!

There are FOUR foxes!! This is the first time I've seen four together, but it's possible there have been four all summer. In the beginning, I only ever saw one fox at a time, though at two times in an evening, which made me think there might be two. Eventually, I saw two together — hence, I began calling them the 7 o'clock and 8 o'clock foxes. Later in the summer, I saw three at the same time and was thrilled to think the pair had successfully raised a kit. Now, it seems, what I was actually seeing may have been one adult with two kits, because tonight I saw four foxes. One is fairly large, which should be the female. One is a bit smaller, and the final two are smaller still. It looks like we have a family of four!

They come earlier in the evening these days, as the daylight leaves earlier. For now, I can get food out by 6:30pm and be safe, but I'm having to move my time table up. Soon I'll be leaving them leftovers from the previous night at 4:30pm, instead of fresh leftovers like I'm giving them now.

I'm trying to get them used to eating under the deck. They are less than pleased about this now, but come winter it will be a useful habit. Meanwhile, they *do* eat what I put out (they much prefer their dog food mixed with something tasty and wet), and they race around the yard like crazy beasts having a wonderful time.

If I'm right about this being a pair with two youngsters, they'll stay together through the winter. In the spring, the kits will move out and be on their own, but hopefully the adult pair, having established themselves, will stay.

And as I'm writing this, I can hear a Great Horned Owl hooting from somewhere down toward the pond.

Dianne DeVanna benefit

Queenee, Barbara and I went to a benefit dinner/show for the Dianne DeVanna Center last night. Dinner was buffet-style and wasn't bad. The show itself was good. The speaker volume was a bit loud for the room, which wasn't designed for acoustics, but it was fine. Billed as "Roy Orbison and Friends", the show was a group of impersonators, starting with Buddy Holly, then Dionne Warwick, Elvis, Tina Turner, Celine Dion and finally, Roy Orbison. The Warwick, Dion and Orbison singers were very good, and Elvis was really funny. We had a good time and the place was sold out, ten to a table and at least twenty tables. None of us won anything in the raffle, but that was ok. We really don't need another basket of stuff.

We saw Janet LaBerge there, dancing away and having a great time. She managed to get Queenee up and dancing, along with a slew of other folks. She is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, kind, thoughtful and generous - and just a lot of fun to be around. Queenee did a fair bit of dancing throughout the evening!

After dinner, the plates and leftovers were collected to be thrown away. It seemed such a waste and I mentioned to the young man clearing our table that I would usually ask for a doggie bag to take home leftovers for the foxes. He said they really weren't set up to do that, since then everyone in the room would be wanting a doggie bag, but he'd see what he could do. Bless his heart, about twenty minutes later he tapped me on the shoulder to let me know that there was a bag of leftovers under my chair. The foxes will have a feast tonight, thanks to him!

Queenee's excellent colonoscopy

Now there's a headline for you!

Queenee got a clean bill of health for yesterday's colonoscopy — no polyps, no problems, no need for another colonoscopy for ten years!

Her friend Bev was not as lucky. She had surgery to remove her lung cancer, but it is wrapped around many arteries and cannot be completely removed surgically. The doctors got out what they could, but she'll have some serious chemo and radiation to go through. Fingers crossed.

Wizard of Oz

Thank you, Elder Pea!

She bought tickets weeks ago for the one-night-only digital showing of The Wizard of Oz and we saw it last night. The D's and Peas, Queenee and I all went. We had dinner at the Olive Garden to start, which was a small adventure in itself. The D's had never eaten at an Olive Garden and they both enjoyed their meals. We had an apprentice waiter, his first night, and the poor thing dumped a tray of drinks on two women sitting in a booth behind us. DamCat and I both assured him that it happens to all waitstaff sooner or later, and it was probably a good thing that he got it out of the way on his first night. He seemed fine when we left to head to the theater.

The movie was preceded by a short introductory piece narrated by Robert Osborne (of TCM) and Angela Lansbury. Then on to the movie, which looks great. You can see Judy Garland's freckles on the big screen, something I never noticed on tv. The remastering has really enhanced the image and brightened the colors. The sound has been remastered as well, and it sounded great to me (through my earplugs).

I was surprised that the movie wasn't sold out. Queenee was surprised that nobody showed up in costume. EP and I considered going in full costume, but I wouldn't have had time between getting home from work and heading out to dinner. We had a great time anyway!

Happy Birthday Queenee!

Happy Birthday to our Queenee! We'll raise a glass and toast to you! xoxoxox

Happy birthday Dawg!

It's Dawg's happy birthday today! Best wishes drift your way through the ether - hope you enjoy your day of fishing!

Enjoyed Family

Well, I'm home in the Keys again after my visit "home" in New England. I always get so excited to get there and tearful to leave. Everyone is healthy and after I left I"m sure went on diets and read up on Betty Ford. We had a feast for the holiday, and wined and dined the other days. Pop Pop and I did get a project done and the rug we all worked on is beautiful and will be more so once it is inside! The rest of the time I was at leisure. Queenee is the other half of my soul and it is hard to leave her when the time comes to fly back. I always leave feeling that if we had just one more day.... one more hour, the time away wouldn't be so hard. I want to pack her up and take her away with me to some foreign land for a week, month, year or more. But, I'm just one of many that feel that way.

I'm one of those folks that believes in past lives and always feel a connection with Pop Pop when we get together and easily step to the same beat when working side by side. Reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho on the plane home didn't help either! It left me feeling that I found my personal legend here in the Keys and should move back home where the heart of the family is. Can ya'll make the cold go away??

All and all, seeing everyone did my heart good, and coming home to open arms and the occasional bitch that I was gone was the usual riot act. The Cats have a bit more white hair and the turtles scramble to exit the pond when seeing me, but all are just fine. The ants parade about the counters, and will receive a special potion from me after I get to the store tomorrow!

We all look forward to Mr. B's new cornea and Miss P's future news on her ankle.

It was a thrill to see the foxes in person. Right there in front of me! You can set a clock by them, first one, then all three... the seven o'clock feeding then the 8 o'clock. Beautiful, gray with some chestnut in the head area... and long fluffy tails that help them disappear as if in a cloud of mist. Pop Pop and I caught view of a single large deer behind the stonewall, and during a walk out back with wwabbit I watched a well fed cottontail rabbit hop through the grass into the woods. Birds galore, great weather and the smell of grass.

We even caught the space station pass over the clear sky one night. What can I say. I love the moon rise here in the Keys, and it was just as magical seeing it rise up over the lake.

I could spend every night sharing time with Mom, and getting hugs before bed. And our excursions shopping are the only time I ever go anymore. Shopping without her just isn't the same. Miss P is too busy to go, but she is all I can compare to our Queen, with the fun and the hunt of it all! I tried on clothes that were rack pretty and even came away with a few.. I need to loose weight because those lights in dressing rooms seem to be getting worse as the years and weight come on faster. Why not just have older women dressing rooms with fun-house mirrors for cripes sake! Maybe then we could laugh louder at ourselves while entertaining fellow dressing room customers.

Logan went spearfishing this afternoon with his friend and brought one of the hogfish he caught for dinner.... he left the rest with his friends mom since Hogfish is my favorite but the one that will land me dead and buried if I eat it again... Ahhhh they are eating it now,,, simple lemon on it, rice and black beans.... HEAVEN ON EARTH let me tell you... I can still imagine the flavor in my mouth! It was and is the best fish to eat in the Keys. .... .... , Logan has stated that other than Yellowtail as his favorite Hogfish could beat it due to a bit sweeter flavor and nice texture much like Yellowtail. He is a fan of our lobster here only if it's steamed.... and we all love the candy of Yellowfin Tuna. The KW Pink Shrimp are cheap right now and maybe we'll have that tomorrow. Cheaper than burger and much preferred.

The drive home with my friend the Bonster was wonderful, the weather rain in Miami but the sun shone bright in the Keys... we arrived here; relaxed a bit, had coffee and she headed home to KW to unpack and relax fully. We had the house to ourselves, the guys were at Bahia Honda swimming and arrived back an hour or so later. Should I explain the man smell in the bathroom? Nahh... no need.

Have I rambled? Yeah, and I'll ramble again soon. A big thank you to Wabbit from Mr. R for the CD... He is on it now. And from me for driving the crazy daisies around! Send me a picture of your bottle when finished.... I know you think I'm nuts with all the crazy projects I come up with... but if you paint on that hurricane bottle.... I think we'll really have something!

Hugs to everyone!

A week with Key Dear

She should be in Miami by now, or maybe on her way home, but we had Key Dear here for the whole week! She brought great weather, as promised, and Queenee especially loves having her around. We had bbq last weekend with the D's/P's and Halifax crews, then a fab dinner at DamCat's on Tuesday, where we all ate way too much but couldn't help ourselves and regretted nothing!

Key Dear painted the deck and got my big Afghan rug out of the barn and cleaned with EP's help. She taught us a new dominos game that is a lot of fun, we'll definitely be playing that again.

Key Dear finally had a couple hours with Queenee to herself yesterday before leaving to spend the night at Logan to catch a 5am flight with Bonnie and the small dogs. Queenee misses having her next door!

Old dog walking

I saw something really nice on my way home from work today. Someone was out walking his old dog. The dog may have been a Boxer, or a Pit Bull, something along those lines, but was obviously very old — he had a grizzled muzzle and was overweight, swaying and shuffling along slowly, taking small old dog steps. He was wearing a clean bandanna and seemed to be smiling and happy, just out for a small walk and getting a bit of fresh air.

The impressive thing was the 20-something young man walking with him. He wasn't in a hurry, content to walk very slowly with the dog, and he was pulling a wagon. The wagon wasn't a metal wagon, but a nice wagon with good wheels and wooden slat sides that came up about ten inches. Clearly he brought the wagon along knowing that at some point the old dog would need a ride. But how wonderful, to see that young man barely walking, allowing the old dog to set the pace, waiting patiently for him to be tired enough to need a ride home.

It's good to see there are still real men in the world. Most of those afflicted with a Y chromosome are merely guys.

One Love

Jersey Boys

Queenee and I saw Jersey Boys Thursday night at the Shubert Theater in Boston. If you were a fan of The Four Seasons, or like me were too young to be a fan but enjoy the music now, and you aren't offended by profanity (iTs haow dey tawk in Jerzee), you'll enjoy this show.

The story is told by each of the four original members of The Four Seasons, starting with Tommy DeVito, who formed the group and recognized Frankie Valli's voice as something different. Bob Gaudio wrote many of the group's biggest hits and is still a financial 50/50 partner with Valli today. Nick Massi takes some of the shine off of the stories told by DeVito and Gaudio and is the only original member no longer alive. Finally, Valli gives his impressions of the rise, fall, and continued success of The Four Seasons.

It's funny, sometimes sad, and very musical. I was one of the younger members of the sold-out crowd and people were swaying and singing along throughout the show.

If you get the chance, see it, you won't be sorry. It's worth it just to learn where Joe Pesci (yes, *that* Joe Pesci) really got his start.

A side note for those in Beantown - the Shubert has tiny, cramped seats. The man to my right and I were relieved to have an empty seat between us so we could get our knees out of the seatbacks of the row in front of us. Row E, Mezzanine level - those are the primo seats. Believe me. We were in Row D.

But the show was worth it.

Three foxes!!!

The 7pm fox came tonight, and about five minutes later, I spotted TWO more foxes coming along the stone wall. This is the first evidence that the pair may have successfully raised a pup!

Sadly, tonight's meal offering was meager and the 7pm fox got it all. I'm going to start buying bags of dog food and getting them used to eating that for the winter.

People To People

Today's mail brought a wonderful invitation for Logito. He has been invited to travel and study in Australia summer 2010 with High School students from the Miami area with People to People, an educational exploration program founded by Pres. Eisenhower. He was identified as eligible by his participation in College Board Student Search Service (SAT/PSAT). Unknown to us, three letters of recommendation were sent as well. It sounds like a wonderful program that gives scholarships too. I guess mid-October we'll have a meeting to find out more about all this, per the letter. I've never heard of this Student Ambassador program and I'm happy he was invited/picked to participate. More on this later folks.

I guess a student can also fill out an application for review to be accepted, if they were interested. Glad he was picked out because I'd have never known! It sounds like the jump he needs for his senior year and future.

Moreover.... I hope he is interested!!!!!!!

Alex Trebek

End of August

There is some news from the Krew. Mr. Bill has his appointment for cornea transplant on Sept 17th. He is so ready for this. We'll be in Miami for two days due to the follow up the next morning to make sure all is well immediately. Miss P wants to go with us and and taken the two days off to do so.

Miss P has bigger news though. She just received her raise at Margaritaville, but also found out that her insurance will cover an ankle replacement. So she has been busy getting the proper scans/xrays that will be needed to evaluate her ankle. On October 2nd or 3rd she has an appointment with the doctor in Miami to do the meet and greet. She has been told over the phone already that the youngest candidate that has received what she will need is 36 and doing great. The office also told her that a 17 yr old from Canada has an appointment for the surgery next month though (I do not know the girls circumstances). She was told that her age is a major factor for rejection unless she is INactive, and also that she must not be too overweight or forget it, it will not last even if inactive. She is so excited she is peeing her pants. She will diet as much as possible without the starving diet to have a chance that way. Inactive is the problem I see. Keep Miss P down? Doubt it, but she will get all the poop on this in her meeting. These are just a few of the questions. Her ankle was crushed, that may be the biggest problem.

Anyway, we are all positive and excited for her. The doctor she is talking with is in Miami and works at Baptist/Doctors Hospital so that is a huge plus. His office thought she, as most of the patients that come to him are, was from out of the country. Coming from KW was a plus for her, so arrangements can be made more easily. Please everyone keep a positive outlook for her, anything negative will crush her spirit. I've never heard her so excited!!!!

So, moving on.... I'll be seeing the New England Krew next weekend. I guess I have to come up to do some witchy stuff to keep that weather from getting any worse!!! What the heck is going on up there. We've had fabulous weather this year, better than any I remember these past 30 yrs - KNOCK ON WOOD.

I'll be there Sat the 5th and leave the 12th. So, I'm excited as well. The next 30 days are jam packed.

Mr. L has been in school and all good. Mr. R comes and does his music stuff then off he goes again.

C Howard's Violet Mints

OMG!! I used to get these when I was at SUNY Purchase and they quickly became my very favorite candy. I haven't seen them since, not anywhere, until it occurred to me to search Amazon. And there they were! I will need to be careful eating them, because I could go through these 24 little packages in two days with no problem at all.

They really do taste like violets. SOOOO yummy!

Free tunes

Instead of making a new thread everyday on Free MP3s, i'll make one big thread with daily updates. Some MP3 are only free for a limited time.

Thank you Goldenchild!

How to parallel park

Damn!

Weekend in PA

The ride out to PA was leisurely and we ended up driving through rain again, but it tapered off and the weekend weather was fine, if humid. Cousin Charlie came with us this trip, which worked out very well.

On Friday, Queenee, Uncle Ed and I went to see cousin Regina's exhibit at the Darlington Arts Center. What a nice arts center - some young children were singing while we were there, and there are many different classes offered. It was worth the drive, Regina has some beautiful work up — drawings, watercolors and linoprints. Uncle Ed bought two watercolors and a drawing, and has a request in for three linoprints! We spent about 45 minutes at the DAC, then had a long drive home. DB arrived early evening and since we were all tired, we got a good night's sleep.

Saturday DB and I went to Lambertville. I was looking forward to going to Phoenix Books, a used bookstore I used to frequent, and was delighted to find them still in business. Klein's Art Supplies was no longer there, having been replaced by a music store and coffee shop. Oh well. Poor DB was stuck in the bookstore while I drooled over the art books, and I managed to escape with only about ten books. Believe me, I could have bought a lot more.

From Lambertville, we went to New Hope to see if Sharon might be home. Nobody was there but Ringo. Poor Molly was sick, so Sharon was with Laura and Erica had gone home. I'll try to get together with them in a couple months. I sure hope Molly is feeling better.

Finally we went to Uncle Max and Aunt Flo's, where Shirley and her family had gathered for a bit of bbq and conversation. Keith and Dawn have a mastiff!! I had a good talk with Jeanette and Shirley, at long last! Poor Shirley is always so busy and I haven't seen Jeanette since M&F's 50th anniversary party, back in 1991 or 1992. It just doesn't seem possible. I really need to make a better effort to stay in touch with folks (and that includes YOU, dear Anhaga), I have become a terrible correspondent.

Sunday morning Charlie came early to spend some time talking with Uncle Ed. Sometime in the wee early morning, Andrew had arrived. I'm sure he and DB were asleep about five minutes after we left! We got back from PA at about 4:30pm yesterday, having made great time coming home. It was another fun weekend in PA and I am reminded how much I miss living down there. Oh well. At least we can visit.

Flight of an Eagle

This is beautiful, with the flutes playing, very soothing. The song playing is The Vanishing Breed, a Native Indian flute song. Just wanted to share.

Harry Potter VI

YP was good enough to accompany me to see the latest Harry Potter movie yesterday afternoon. We had planned to go into Boston to people-watch, but it was hot and humid and we were off to a late start, so we opted for air conditioning. She isn't into HP so much, but was very kind about agreeing to sit through it anyway.

It was better than I expected. The special effects are very good, which is unsurprising, but some of the characters are a bit flat or underused. Professor McGonagall and Hagrid are barely in this movie, which is focused on the students. Lavender Brown is annoyingly good, and Luna Lovegood is a wonderful character. Draco finally gets fleshed out beyond just being an arrogant meanie, and Professor Snape is up to something on both sides of the wizarding world. Only Dumbledore seems to have a real handle on what's going on and what's coming up and he isn't sharing much...except perhaps with Snape.

There are things the film does well. The relationships between various students is made clear. We've suspected Hermione and Ron have mutual crushes, along with Harry and Ginny, and those ties are finally established. Draco turns out to be more than a bully and we see him focusing on learning how to use a Vanishing Cabinet, not always with success. Most importantly, as a lead-in to the two-part finale, we hear about horcruxes, what they are and why they are important. While the general overview of horcruxes is fine, without having read the books or seen the other movies, you would miss that flicker of doubt from Dumbledore, who wonders if Harry might be a horcrux.

Watching the first five movies, you could get away with knowing little about the background story. However, knowing the backstory is very helpful, almost necessary, for this film. There is no exposition about who Belatrix Lestrange is, or what happened to Draco's father, and in one scene, a bedraggled Lupin appears with Tonks. Without having read the books or seen the previous movies, you would have no idea who they were or what they were doing in the Weasleys' home. And the Room of Requirement, which is important here, is left unexplained.

Fans should see it. Non-fans should either invest the time in watching the previous movies, read a synopsis (which also relies on previous knowledge), or get someone to try to catch them up. I enjoyed it. Not sure about YP, but I hope it wasn't too boring for her.

We had dinner at Olive Garden, which is always good, and lucked out with a very charming waiter, who has two parrots and wouldn't mind being reincarnated as a koi. He was fun.

It was a good way to spend the afternoon! We'll shoot for our people-watching day again next week, and hope for lower humidity.

Fun furs

Happy Birthday Miss P!

Happy birthday, Miss P, I hope you have a great time today! I have a card for you...sadly, I still have it. Sorry.

Foxy fox

Our gray fox has decided it's better to arrive early rather than late. Perhaps she is competing with the skunk, but regardless, she has started arriving at about 7pm, an hour earlier than her aforementioned usual time.

I'm noticing some likes and dislikes. She likes spaghetti well enough, but only if it has some sort of sauce, preferable Alfredo. Plain pasta is left for the squirrels. Baked beans are also left behind, though any hot dogs or meat are carefully extracted. She'll eat tomato and onion, but not lettuce. She likes bread, cheese and graham crackers.

Tonight she is having a good maow on a small chicken carcass. There are a few smaller bites of meat, along with a few tater tots, and having set the larger carcass aside, she is eating them first. She tends to do that. If there is something big enough to carry, she'll set it aside and eat whatever else is available, then carry the big piece of food away. Sometimes she returns at her more usual time of 8-8:30pm for seconds, or to take away whatever she left behind from her first foray.

She is a beautiful fox.

Slow Loris

As with other primates, they should not be kept as pets, but slow loris are very cute — and seem to enjoy a good tickle!

Back to a partial

Thank goodness we have patience. It was a long trip once again, arriving home around 9:30pm Thursday. The great minds got together and suggested Mr. Bill see Dr. Sonia Yoo. She is Dr. Alfonso's top laser specialist at Bascom. She reviewed his records and ordered a couple more tests (sonogram & topography). Examining the scar and health etc., she feels he is a candidate for the newest type of corneal transplant - partial - which thrills us..... it's what they all started out wanting. We've come full circle.

They will send in the insurance forms and such and we'll get this thing rolling again! Dr. Yoo says there is a 90 percent chance at success. It will involve 2 to 3 laser operations on the eye, but the recovery is faster than a year. It could involve no stitches, 3 stitches or more... it all depends on how it goes. His vision will be better, she feels, and she says that with this partial, it can be redone, so he'll have more options in the future with the eye. If all else fails, he can still get a full cornea transplant, which the odds of rejection for Mr. B are high.

So, with all that said, he has decided to go for it. He decided not to do the full transplant because of all the risks in his case. We now wait for the phone call for the date. Hopefully the tissues they get that day will be good ones!

Here is a link to Images, a publication from Bascom Palmer with current articles on corneal transplanting.

Doing it your way

While I may be done with marriage, I enjoy that most people are not. It's good to have faith, which I have lost, and hope, which I still have.

I found this video in the NY Times and smiled. Here's to a couple who did it their way.



I've said for years that NIN's Closer was my idea of a wedding march, but of course, it would have to be a very different kind of wedding to pull that off.

Small Updates

Mr. Bill and I will be doing the drive again tomorrow to Miami for his appointment at Bascom.

It's Mini-Season now in the Keys. Locals and mainlanders are here with boats to ravage the waters to collect their 6 lobsters before the fishermen drop their pots. Hemingway Days went well, another Ernest look-a-like was crowned. The Today Show was here doing their bit on vacations. The weather held up and from what I've heard around the islands they stuck to the western side where all the weirdo's and weird stuff is. Did we look like clowns? HAH... All peaceful everywhere else. Jimmy was on tour so they did the substitute music thing.

Mr. R cooks eggs everyday. Hmmmmm is that weird?

Mr. L went out the other day to scout out areas to find lobsters ahead of season and saw just about nothing. We're thinking that there are those out there that are way ahead of season. He went with friends to spearfish while checking out honey holes. Didn't even have fish big enough to spear around the coral heads. But he always brings me home a goodie... tee hee... a Cowrie Shell.... perfect condition and a large one at that, sitting in 20 feet of water. He spots everything, a true treasure hunter. Speaking of treasure, the teams working for Mel Fisher are doing really well now, finding a hoard that is still lost out there. Word on the islands is they are ON IT NOW.

Miss P is doing her thing. Working, enjoying swimming everyday in her pool. She has a perfect wonderful roommate in Anna. She is a treasure and they are true pals as well as co-managers at the M-Store. Her ankle looks so huge and swollen it bothers me but she shusshes me away when I mention it.

Claude Buhler, the travel writer/journalist, along with a fabulous photographer, Kathleen Dodge, came to Louie's for a piece he is writing for a Swiss zine and several mag's. He is gracious, very intelligent, and everything you'd expect of him. It was an honor to have him ask to do a piece on us due to requests from his crowd. We were one of two restaurants in town he did, Blue Heaven was the other. More on that later when the article comes out in France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, I guess. I set them up for a lunch and introduced them to the chef and the owner, and they thoroughly enjoyed the food, atmosphere and view. It is nice to get great comments.

Been busy, although it's been fairly slow. Weather has been up to 90 and wow, that's strange.

We are on candle number 3 for Brownie, they are lit day and night, and the next lit before the prior burns out. He is thought of daily, first thing in morning and last thing at night. The cats are done wondering I think, but I'm sure much more bored than when they had the duty of watching him.

More Later Gators....

We're back

Queenee and I had a very nice weekend in PA. The drive down sucked — we hit heavy rain and fog in western MA, but once we got into NY, it wasn't too bad. Not much traffic, thankfully. Then in NJ, I somehow managed to go west on Rt. 22 instead of south on Rt. 202, adding more time to the drive. Regardless, we got to Uncle Ed's in one piece.

DB is staying with Uncle Ed for a while. I was trying to give Queenee a little privacy with her brother, and DB was great company for me; smart and interesting, and we were both surprised at how much we have in common considering the age gap. Some clever and lucky girl is going to snap him up.

Friday we met Aunt Dottie at Aunt Flo's. It was good to see them both, especially Aunt Flo. She's lost a lot of weight, but she is as feisty as ever. We went out for lunch at a local eaterie, then got to say hi to Shirley before heading out to meet Uncle Ed and DB for dinner.

Saturday was the cousin's party at Gerald's house, where we met Aunt Dottie again. What a fun time we had! Lots of food, a lop-sided volleyball game (no, I did not play), and good company and conversation. We're going to try to organize a bigger reunion next year, hopefully in July. More on that later.

Sunday the four of us went to see Sharon and the girls. Erica had D with her and Laura brought M, who is just past two months old and is a gorgeous baby (no surprise there, right?). She smiled and gurgled and snoozed the whole time we were there, nary a whimper or cry. She's such a good baby! Laura looks great, but she always does, just like her mom and sisters. I missed seeing Em this trip, but hope to see her in a few weeks. One of the cousins from Saturday's party has a painting show opening in mid-August and I want to drive down to see that.

We ate at the Pineville Tavern Sunday night. It's very different from the last time I ate there, which is several years ago. Much more rah-ha-tra now, but they still make a good pizza.

The ride home was much better and we were back in MA in six hours flat. We hit a couple traffic jams and were unlucky enough to get behind a funeral procession crossing the Tappan Zee bridge.

I've got photos, of course, and will get them edited and add names (once I know how to spell everyone's name) eventually. For now, you can see the raw images straight out of the camera.

Ebony kept me up most of the night last night, very happy to see me and looking for love, petting and songs. She's becoming quite a singer. The fox seemed happy too, she came early last night! PopPop said he didn't feed her at all while we were gone, but hope springs eternal and she came by anyway — this time she wasn't disappointed!

Flight of the Bumblebee

Oleg Sharov - The flight of the bumble bee - not quite Lady of Spain, but still...

RIP Brownie

Brownie was euthanized this morning. It was an extremely hard decision to make. We will miss our Brown-Town terribly. It hasn't been easy for him these past couple years. Rap & Milky took their last walk with him this morning and just seemed to "know". We hope we did the right thing for him.

1969

“That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” - Neil Armstrong

I remember sitting in the kitchen late at night and watching the moon landing on a b/w tv. The Eagle had landed sometime mid-afternoon (my memory could be wrong), but we were waiting to see a man actually walk on the moon. PopPop and Queenee were transfixed; as kids who had grown up with the space program, we were less so. Putting a man on the moon never seemed out of reach to us. Looking back, I realize what the enterprise took, technically, financially, and the courage or recklessness of those early astronauts. It's far more impressive to me in hindsight than it was that night. And it's amazing that nobody had the foresight to protect the original tapes! Do the conspiracy theorists really need help?

The NY Times has a good 1969 timeline - it's fun to see what all happened that year.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to Peter!

Sheep LED Art

These guys stay up all night counting sheep!

Tub & Tile Cleaner

Can I vent?

What's on my to-do list today... Let's see. Perhaps I'll be boiling water several times to put in a pail to wash my fairly new, all over the house wood floor. Why you ask? Because my dear husband decided to do me a wonderful favor (after my bitching about him doing nothing, while I'm at work). The saying goes, you get what you ask for.

Coming home Wednesday, kicking off the shoes on the porch, walking in found me sticking to the floor. I drop my purse, keys, gallon of milk and look around. Things seemed to be orderly, dishes done, but looking down wondering what the hell I just stepped in. My mouth opened to a big O like a cartoon character. The floor was a complete smear of stickiness. My husband was on the chaise watching Cash Cab, and asked, what's wrong? "WHAT'S WRONG!! What did you do to the floor???!!!"

"I washed it" was the reply. - "WITH WHAT"??? - "The cleaner" - "WHAT CLEANER?" -
"What is your problem? You come home yelling and I worked all afternoon washing the floor for you." - "WITH WHAT DAMMIT?" - "What is your problem? How about a thank-you"...

This is when I started my search, under the sink etc. Also when he got up and now being mad at my negative response to his wonderous cleaning activity, and stated, "It's in the trash, I used the whole thing." - "WHAT THING" - I open the trash to see a large spray bottle of some foaming tile scrub liquid completely empty. Yes the entire "new" bottle for the outdoor shower was empty. and where was it? ALL OVER MY BEAUTIFUL WOOD FLOORS.

I asked, "Can't you feel this under your feet?" He's feeling a bit confused now, and said, "Well, now I do, I sat and waited for it to dry, this is the first I felt it." Okay, I'm tired and I look at him.... OMG.... I look at him... We all know the look. I state the fact.... "It's tile cleaner," (lowering my voice) - "oh, I didn't know" - " OMG, Thanks for nothing" (Oh, boy,,, I'm thankless now).

I go to the fridge to get my glass of wine I've been saving in the 1/4 full bottle for a few days, which is probably corked but who cares right? and that's gone! Someone from the "ghetto" came up the night before and helped themselves to it.

So, okay, are you feeling me? I start stomping (not really) but actually unsticking my feet as I walked around to access the damage. Yup, he did the first thorough job of his lifetime... Yup, he actually moved the furniture out onto the porch to really clean the floor. Are you kidding me????? "OMG!" - "What did you expect me to use to clean the floor?" - "HOT WATER! We have to get this off the floor NOW" (peeling my feet off the floor at that point) - "Do you want me to go get you some wine at the store and you can go out and relax and I'll re-mop with hot water to get it off?" - "FORGET THE WINE" - I go out to control myself..... I can't even look at it now... I hear him grabbing the mop and running the kitchen sink... 5 minutes later, he calls, "I've washed it off" -- I cool off and come back in, pretending none of this ever happened. Oh yeah, you guessed it... stick stick go my feet.... now it's even more smeared. I about hit top blood pressure trying not to say a thing. He went on and on from there about how I don't appreciate him and anything he does...sound familiar?? Now, what could I say? I opened my mouth, "If you want to live like this, I just don't care anymore, I won't mention all the other sticky surfaces in the house that I never bring up because I know your trying to do a cleaning job" (gone wrong), and put my OCD or ODC or whatever it's called that I'm thinking I have at this point aside.

So what if the toilet bowl inside is clean but, the sides look like a public restroom, so what if the kitchen counter looks clean but a continent of flies could live off it for months, so what if the lights are left on all night if I go to bed first, or that something on the floor is to be stepped over rather than picked up. Argh..... so what!? Today will have me spending a few hours on the floor. What used to be a simple hot water mop job for me is now more than I can imagine. Okay, if he had his own blog he could rant on me I'm sure, but he doesn't.

Enough for today, I feel better now, and need to get more coffee and empty out the room to start the process. I'll put on some good music, get in the zone of happiness and do the deed.

One last thing... On the bright, positive side, I'm sure the floor will be the cleanest it's ever been.

If the shine is still there!

Living with dinosaurs

Seriously, they do look like something that hasn't physically evolved much since the Cretaceous period.

Our group stands at eleven members, six hens and five toms. Of the toms, one is the dominant male and he looks like he's been through the wars. Two of the other four seem to try to push at him for control, but so far, he is still the big bird. We think they are roosting across the street, but they have been spending a great deal of time here in the yard the past few days. I can get fairly close to them, but I keep my eye on the toms. The females are freakish and will run away with the slightest shift in the breeze, but they don't move far from us when we're out in the driveway or yard.

The hens split up from the toms today. The toms went across the street early this afternoon, while the hens lazed around under the ironwood tree and mozied back and forth from the back yard to the bird feeders. They finally decamped across the street just before 6pm.

The Uniform Project

I'm really enjoying this blog. Sheena Matheiken and designer Eliza Starbuck came up with a fairly basic, reversible (a huge help) black dress, and Matheiken is wearing it every day for a year as a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is trying to educate slum children in India. It's a good cause and should put the incredibly corrupt Indian government to shame (that won't happen, of course).

I expect she'll end up with a closet full of very cool shoes and accessories. Maybe she'll have a huge fund-raising eBay sale at the end of the year!

Vista ?

Wabbit, honestly, it's not that bad... actually I"m THRILLED .. today is the first day of being back online and WOW. Thanks for finding the right laptop for the job. I really appreciate your research and finding one that will get me Windows 7. I know all these posts are short and sweet. I'll have time on the weekend to catch up with all your posts. but i did notice.... WHERE ARE OUR COMMENT PEOPLE????
Hope we have readers. So, until the weekend kiddo's! oxoxoxoxoxooxoxox

Haircut Anyone

    
So, I've become the "Cutter". I'm getting really good at it and "they" are coming from miles just to look better!! Pop Pop,,,, I"m cutting better than ever now... you too wabbit.... I'm ready!! BTW, this is L's friend who was the last hold out on the long hair. They are all done now, L, Frenchy, Zac, Chris, and Chris.

June 30th Party

Our anniversary the 30th for 30 had us at MissP's for a family cookout. Mr. B played Shamu in the pool with Pip, Anna (Miss P's roommate) P and Mr. B were crazy silly. R, L and myself stayed dry!!! i CAN'T tell you how silly this cookout was... after 30 years it's not surprising to me though!!!

Cornea Man

 
So, as wabbit said... five cornea's and none were any good for Mr. Bill. It was a long long day, he sat in his PJ's till 3:30 or so with a big L on his face waiting. Much has happened since this day, and I'll fill ya in on another post. For now he's seeing 3 specialist one of whom is Dr. Eduardo Alfonso of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Thankfully! We go back on July 27th for another consult on what he wants to do.

The Clean up Man

 
During the Nan & Pop Pop visit we missed many photo ops... but we got this one after a long fun Friday night bonfire. The cleaner was out early Saturday.

Years of Togetherness

So, I'm back aha, tee hee, tra-lah...

Here are some faces from the far past of 33 years for me and 35 for Mr. B... still coming down to visit! Only face missing in this group is the Godfather Rudy.

Stupid Vista

I'm still having computer problems, so posting here will be slower than usual.

D's and P's were here yesterday for an impromptu BBQ. Sausages, hot dogs, corn on the cob and plenty to drink made for a very nice afternoon-evening. They got here early enough for YP to take over mowing the lawn from PopPop, who got off to a late start thanks to the riveting men's final at Wimbledon. YP's friend Hillary is visiting and got here in time for a late bite to eat. It was a fine day. Even the weather cooperated for a change — we were beginning to think we'd never see the sun this summer, but yesterday was sunny and warm, with a good breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

I hope everyone had a fun 4th!

Happy Anniversary, Key Dear and Mr. Bill!

Congratulations to Key Dear and Mr. Bill on your thirtieth anniversary!!

I messed it up last year, but I know this year it's thirty years, quite a milestone!

So what's the appropriate gift for a thirtieth anniversary? Can you guess?



Yep, it's pearls! Honestly, I can't picture Mr. Bill in pearls, but I can imagine you two chowing down on a plate of oysters. The best I can do is virtual oysters, but the sentiment is there — congratulations!

And best wishes to Mr. Bill for a successful surgery tomorrow — please keep us posted!

Happy Birthday, YP!

It's the Younger Pea's birthday today, 17 years old! Time sure does fly — she'll have her driver's license soon!

I hope you have a very Happy Birthday today and enjoy the summer - you'll have a great senior year in high school next year!

Chicken Dance

Hmmmm… I see a Gorilla Dance video appearing on YouTube sometime in the near future…

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to PopPop. The Pantooset gang came over to give PopPop cards and some very nice golf clothes (trousers and two shirts) — he'll be styling now! We went to JJ's for dinner and were joined by Dawg and Fluffy. JJ's needs another waitress, but the food is good. After dinner we came back here for cake and ice cream, though it was late for PopPop and he was too full to have any dessert (but breakfast was looking tasty).

The Cooper's hawk made an appearance, eyeballing the small birds at the feeders. When we were having cake later, a skunk showed up to help the gray fox clear away the food I had thrown out earlier in the afternoon. That's a shame, really. I don't want to stop feeding the fox, but I don't want to encourage the skunk either.

My day got off to a sucky start. Chubba had brought a chipmunk in the night before and try as we might, PopPop and I couldn't catch her. She'd have to take her chances overnight with the cats. Amazingly, she survived the night and the cats seemed to have forgotten she was in the house. She was running around under the baseboard. After cleaning up her pee and poop from the far corner, PopPop and I made a plan to shoo her out the door. Unfortunately, I couldn't get her out of the baseboard. Unbeknownst to me, she had her head over the pipe, so when I flipped the baffle up to see where she was, I snapped her and killed her. I was sick, it wasn't what I had wanted to do at all. Stupid me.

Fox at 8 o'clock

She's a machine, our fox. She is always here at dusk, right at 8pm most nights, though a couple nights ago she was a bit late.

Last night I decided to try to get some video of her. I had a feast laid out — pizza crusts and a pork chop. I was just getting set up at the dining room window, turned on the camera to focus, and there she was.

She started off eating pizza crusts. The crusts were all close to the arborvitae, so I was trying to get video through a tree branch (which will be cut down later today). She had eaten probably two or three before she noticed the pork chop. She chewed on the chop for a short time, then left it and went back to the pizza crust. Curious behavior, right? I kept filming her through the branch, hoping she'd go back to the pork chop before it got too dark. She ate every single pizza crust, she didn't leave a smell, then went back to the chop. She picked it up, got a good grip on it, and headed off. I'd like to think the meat was going back to the pups, who should be a decent size by now.

Queenee was coming down the stairs just as the fox was finishing off the pizza crusts, but I didn't dare move or say anything. By the time she got to the dining room, the fox had just gone. Queenee has never seen a gray fox. She'll have to stay up some night and wait. It won't be a bad wait, our fox is very punctual.

The eyes of Mr. Bill

Mr. Bill is having his eye surgery today. Everyone here is thinking of him and wishing him well, hopefully he'll be back to normal quickly! I'll report the news as soon as I hear from Key Dear. (see comments)

The past two weeks have seen a baby boom of birds here. We must have had close to 100 baby sparrows hatch, no kidding. I haven't spotted the bluebirds with their babies yet, but I have seen what appeared to be a youngster. The baby robins are now pretty much indistinguishable from the adults. I've seen the young hummers, too; there is a juvenile male and what I believe is a juvenile female. The three adults are all still here, one female and two males. We've got more catbirds than a month ago as well.

There are a few hawks hanging around in the yard, taking advantage of the increase in small bird population. I've seen Cooper's hawks and what I think is a sharp-shinned hawk. Two redtails were circling overhead yesterday afternoon. Last night I saw what I think was a young Cooper's hawk (maybe a female sharp-shinned hawk) in the cherry tree. She flew down to the apple tree and I ran for my camera. Naturally, by the time I got back, she was gone, but it was just coming up on 8pm and when I turned to have a word with Little One, who was on the lower back deck, I saw our resident gray fox.

She was moving up to the spot where I toss leftover pizza crusts and whatever else. Last night it was a bit of spaghetti. She is very consistent, within five minutes of 8pm each time I've seen her. I'm guessing it's a female, no way of knowing for certain. I got a few photos of her this time. None are good, there isn't a lot of light that time of day, but she's easily seen and identifiable.

Juvie Baltimore Oriole

I heard an unusual bird call early this morning and finally spotted the singer during the late morning. It was a young Baltimore Oriole, still sporting his head fluff and singing for his parents to bring his breakfast. Both adults tended to him all day. He spent several hours in the arborvitae directly under the nest in which he was hatched. I didn't see another juvenile, so he may be the only one, though there could have been another one perched out of sight.

Not a good photo, but good enough for an ID. I shot this through two panes of dirty glass (one of which is old and rippled). I didn't want to go outside and risk him flying off, or disturb his attentive parents.

It's almost 7pm and he's still singing for food. I can't see him, but he isn't far off.

Foxy fox

As I was coaxing the furchildren to come into the house for the night last night, I spied a gray fox. I haven't seen a fox for a while, though the neighbors have. I toss leftover pizza crusts, veg and stale bread off the end of the deck and have long thought I was feeding the local raccoons. It seems the fox is the lucky scavenger. She looks good, not too thin and not at all mangy. I suppose it could be a red fox, I didn't get a look at its legs, but it was quite gray and not red, and on the small side height-wise, which makes me think it is a gray fox.

edit 6/14/09 8pm: I had a very good look at the fox tonight and it is definitely a gray fox!

Belmont and D-Day

She picked him in the Kentucky Derby, and Key Dear stuck with him for the Belmont and won! Summer Bird, the other son of 2004 Belmont winner Birdstone, beat Dunkirk and his half brother Mine That Bird to win the Belmont Stakes.

For a brief moment as the field rounded the turn into the stretch, Mine That Bird, who ran in last in the ten-horse field on the backstretch, made a sweeping move to vault into the lead past pacesetter Dunkirk with nothing but open ground in front of him. Dunkirk, however, dug in and did not let Mine That Bird run away uncontested, giving Kent Desormeaux and Summer Bird a clear lane on the outside to drive past the leaders to the line.

Summer Bird covered the distance in 2:27.54 on a track rated as fast for trainer Tim Ice, who picked up his first career graded stakes victory and only his second stakes victory in 15 months on his own following 15 years as an assistant trainer.

The win was sweet redemption for Desormeaux, giving him the Belmont victory he desperately wanted. Last year, he won the Derby and Preakness aboard Big Brown, only to have to pull up the colt in the Belmont. In 1998, he brought Real Quiet into the Belmont for a Triple try only to get beaten by Victory Gallop by a nose in a heartbreaking defeat. He was roundly criticized for his ride in that race.

Key Dear had Summer Bird picked to win, with Charitable Man, Chocolate Candy and Dunkirk. PopPop went with the D-Day theme and picked Flying Private, Brave Victory and Dunkirk. Mr. Bill had Chocolate Candy, Luv Gov and Dunkirk, and Logito had Miner's Escape and Flying Private. I had picked Mine That Bird and Dunkirk as my locks, with Chocolate Candy and Mr. Hot Stuff as my longshots.

The final order of finish was:

1. Summer Bird (4)
2. Dunkirk (2)
3. Mine That Bird (7)
4. Charitable Man (6)
5. Luv Gov (5)
6. Flying Private (8)
7. Brave Victory (10)
8. Mr. Hot Stuff (3)
9. Chocolate Candy (1)
10. Miner's Escape (9)

Key Dear had first, second and fourth, I had second and third — well, we all had Dunkirk doing well, and he did. Chocolate Candy was a disappointment, I thought he would do better. I still love Mine That Bird, but have to admit to a wee bit of schadenfreude about Calvin Borel. There's a difference between confidence and arrogance and he just got bitch-slapped by the fickle finger of fate.

Thanks for the mammaries

Today Queenee and I celebrated the annual squashing of the boobs. I scheduled us for the same times, since we see the same oncologist. I also still see the boob surgeon, since he's the one who does the exam. The radiologist wasn't there yet, so we left without our results. The nurse thought Queenee's images looked fine, but wasn't so eager to make a determination on mine. I'm sure it's just that the usual calcifications need a doctor's eye for dismissal. They'll call if either of us need more pictures taken. If not, we'll do it all again next year. Oh, joy.


Great news from PA — cousin Laura had a baby girl! I need to get down there to see them. I would have gone with Queenee two weeks ago, but my left elbow is having fits and I didn't think it wise to do the drive. Maybe in another month or so.

Windows Vista

Having just gone through three weeks of crap with Windows Vista, I thought I'd share my experience in case someone has a similar problem.

First, let's accept that Vista is the new ME. I'm hoping for better things with Windows 7 (but no, not holding my breath). If Adobe ever writes their software for Linux/Unix, I suspect a lot of folks besides me will stop using MS for our OS.

Three weeks or so ago, Vista suddenly started to randomly blue-screen on me. I hadn't installed any new software or hardware for the previous two months, so you wouldn't think that would be the problem. I could boot into Safemode with networking with no issues. I ran the usual programs - CrapCleaner, HijackThis, SmitFraudFix, VundoFix, ComboFix - all to no avail. No viruses, no malware, nothing evident. I have a Windows Vista repair disc, which also solved nothing.

I really, really didn't want to go through a reinstall of Vista. I would have opted for RC1 of Windows 7 first. However, I decided that maybe the issue was something to do with my profile. I created a new profile, copied anything over that I wanted from the screwy profile to the new one (which has taken the better part of six hours), and then deleted the bad profile.

So far, so good. No problems booting, no crashes (I hope I am not jinxing myself here), everything seems to be working.

It pays to do regular backups, which I do, but moving profile info from one account to another takes a bit more tweaking. Nothing major, mind you, just time.

Bottom line is, if you must use Windows, and have Vista, and haven't had any major problems yet ... do yourself a favor and back up anything you value, like your Bookmarks, email profiles, any sounds/fonts/photos/etc., and you will be ready if/when this happens to you.

Blue screen of death

My computer has decided, for whatever reason, to start blue-screening. It's been going on for at least a week now — I get logged in, start doing something, then the computer reboots and freezes. No viruses, no trojans, cleaned out the malware I could find, ran HijackThis and things look clean, but still having problems. I just spent the last 4-1/2 hours backing up everything on my hard drive. If I have to do a full reinstall, I think I'll go with Windows 7. I have RC1 and have heard good things about it (most people hate Vista, and I'm not crazy about it as an OS myself). We shall see.

Queenee is back from PA, where she went to two family get-togethers: one for the Hamilton family (Uncle Donald's family) and one for her cousins. She said she had a great time at both and was glad she was able to go. We'll get the updated health reports on Uncle M/Aunt F soon. Uncle Ed is doing well and went to the cousins' party with Queenee and Aunt D.

There are three young robins hanging around this corner of the house. They like the arborvitae and the redbud tree and are still learning to fly. They keep their parents busy with regular feedings. It's fun watching them. I have photos and will get them linked in asap.

Orioles

Late afternoon yesterday, our neighbor, Steve, was mowing his lawn and I was wandering through the yard trying to spot the Painted Turtle I had seen earlier in the day. We stopped to have a chat about the birds we've seen so far this year.

He is especially excited about the Baltimore Orioles, and had spotted a nest in one of the trees between our houses. He said it is very visible from his yard and that I should get a photo. I'll post one as soon as I can. By my count, there are at least three male Orioles and two females, though there may be four males. I have a brief video of the males arguing over breeding rights.

He said he has seen one of the local hawks eating the sparrow eggs/babies in the arborvitae. I know there are several sparrow nests in there. Evidently one of the hawks got an oriole nest on the other side of his yard last year (or maybe the year before). The orioles have not rebuilt there.

I have counted two male Ruby-throated hummingbirds and one female so far. Sadly, we seem to have only one pair of bluebirds, but they are nesting and I'll watch for their first clutch. If this is the same pair we had last year, they'll have another clutch before heading South. The one male cardinal is still feeding his female, though I'm seeing her less frequently of late. Eggs have been laid and babies have hatched!

Stop drive-through mastecomies!

I'm not much for signing petitions, because so many I get in email are specious at best. However, this one is different.

Having health issues myself, I know the machinations insurance companies go through to cover as little as possible, as cheaply as possible. For all the complaining people do about the cost of health care in the US, it cannot be blamed on doctors. I blame lawyers, insurance companies, drug manufacturers and especially Congress. Why do our Congress critters have no-expense-spared no-deductible for-life healthcare, but when the rest of us think we deserve the same, the "OMG IT'S SOCIALIST MEDICINE" song starts? Why are they more interested in what lobbyists have on their agenda than the needs of their constituents? At least the insurance companies and lawyers are transparent about being all about the Benjamins.

Our Queenee had a modified radical mastectomy several years ago. She was fortunate to be in the hospital for a couple days (thanks to her doctor raising hell and refusing to release her), and really could have used one more. Even then, the insurance companies were fighting to get women in and out the same day. Obviously nobody pushing for drive-through mastectomies has ever had one, or has ever had to tend to someone who has had one. As the saying goes, if men could get pregnant, the right to a safe abortion would have been written into the Bill of Rights. A reasonable recovery time from a mastectomy is in the same ballpark.

Please, if you are reading this, sign the petition. I actually used my real name and address, which those of you who know me will appreciate is something I *never* do, ever.

My comments were as follows:

My mother had a mastectomy and was lucky enough to be in the hospital for two days - three would have been MUCH better for her. There is absolutely NO reason other than financial for major surgery being designated as an outpatient procedure. For the men, and I'm willing to bet it is men, making these decisions, imagine losing your testicles to cancer and being told you have to go home the same day. Swelling, pain, drainage? So what. You deal with it.

How many people think that scenario would ever happen?

My ex is a veterinarian. He would never send a female dog home after a mastectomy, not a chance in the world. Why should women be treated with less regard than that?

Where are the "compassionate" conservatives now? Counting their tax-break money? Looking for reds under every Shrub?

Oh, and for the *holes who whine about how men get breast cancer too, go have a look at the statistics. Then tell me how society values men for their breasts. Then justify your ignorance.

Sign the petition for yourself, or your wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, niece, cousin, friend or lover. Send a message to the lawyers and insurance company actuaries and Congress that we want what we pay for.

Memorial Day

Queenee is in PA this weekend. There is a party with her cousins on Sunday, and another with her sister's inlaws' family on Monday. She's a busy busy bee!

Uncle Max is having a recurring bout with shingles, a nasty reappearance of the virus that causes chicken pox. In shingles, it affects the nerve endings and can be very painful and debilitating. Anyone who has seen the British series The Singing Detective starring Michael Gambon (yes, Dumbledore v.2), or the American movie version starring Robert Downey, Jr., will know what shingles is. We're not sure what the status of his heart is, but may know within the week.

Aunt Flo has been told she does not have pancreatic cancer, which is excellent news! She is losing weight, though, and will see the doctors at Jefferson Hospital next week to see what they think is happening. Both Aunt Flo and Uncle Max have all our love and very best wishes for good news and speedy recoveries!

My thoughts are also with cousin B and her daughter M, who is serving in Iraq. I hope they are well and that they will return safely very soon.

Queenee will fill us in when she returns next week. Meanwhile, may we all appreciate our good health and have a happy Memorial Day!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bill!

Oh no, it's another birthday for Mr. Bill! Have a good one, and here's to many more!


Also, good luck with your eye appointment today. Please keep us posted!

Rachel Alexandra wins the Preakness

Unsurprisingly, we did much better picking horses for the Preakness. I had Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird, and had Musket Man as my 3rd/4th pick along with Pioneerof The Nile, who is not doing well. Mr. Bill had Musket Man, Flying Private, Big Drama and Papa Clem. Key Dear had Rachel Alexandra, Luv Glove, General Quarters and Pioneerof The Nile. She had been leaning toward Papa Clem and Freisan Fire.

I'm loving Mine That Bird — he would have really pushed Rachel Alexandra if Mike Smith had been able to stay on the rail. Smith got caught in traffic on the turn for home and had to check the horse around the 3/8-pole, but the little gelding dug in. Just watch the stretch run. When Big Drama lived up to his name and was freaking out in the starting gate, Mine That Bird stood like a rock, calm and collected. I just love that horse. Eddie Arcaro once said that about 70% of race horses don't want to win. Mine That Bird may not always get there, but he doesn't quit. And while he may not be the straightest horse, he is beautiful.

One statistic that came out of the Derby was that Mine That Bird's final quarter was the second fastest final quarter time for a Kentucky Derby, second only to Secretariat, whose Derby performance will, imho, never be equalled. No horse before or since has run each successive quarter faster than the last. But it puts Mine That Bird's Derby into perspective. Too bad the TV coverage continues to suck. And I'm getting tired of Calvin Borel and his, "I wish my parents were here to see what I've accomplished in my life." Yeah, Calvin, we get it, we got it the third or fourth time you said those exact same words. Enough already. Go learn to read.

Is Rachel Alexandra a super horse? Maybe. She's certainly a standout in her filly crop, and she's in a year where there are no standouts in the colts. Many of the early Kentucky Derby favorites pulled out, and there wasn't a Seattle Slew or even a Smarty Jones. So is she all that? I'm not convinced yet. Another Ruffian? I think not.

Musket Man continues to do well. While not winning, he has never run out of the money, with a record of 5-0-3 for his eight races. After finishing last in the Derby, Flying Private finished fourth. Big Drama, despite his temper tantrum in the gate, managed to finish fifth, his first finish out of the money. The rest of the finishers were Papa Clem, Terrain, Luv Glove, General Quarters, Freisan Fire, Pioneerof The Nile, Tone It Down and Take The Points.

On to the Belmont.

I vaguely remembering liking Birdstone in the Belmont. I think I picked him for second or third, because my heart was with Smarty Jones. I was just looking at Birdstone's pedigree and hadn't realized he went back to Mr. Prospector (too far back to matter, but still...). He also has Secretariat's dam, Somethingroyal, in there. Pretty impressive pedigree. Mine That Bird has Mr. Prospector as his great-grandfather on his dam's sire's side. That one may actually count. That's about as far back in a pedigree as I figure should matter. jmho, ymmv.

Happy Mother's Day, Queenee!

It's a beautiful Spring day, warm, sunny, windy (can't have everything) — have a nice relaxing day! Everyone loves you!

And Happy Mother's Day to Key Dear, DamCat and Fluffy as well!

How about a little night music?

Well, maybe not night music, but music.

Ever hear of David Ng? No? He's an applied mathematics (in his case, finance) professor at Cornell. He has penned and recorded a ditty about mitochondria. Seriously. Check it out. In its way, it reminds me of The Philosophers Song by Monty Python:

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant
Who was very rarely stable.
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Who could think you under the table.
David Hume could out-consume
Schopenhauer and Hegel,
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as sloshed as Schlegel.

There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya
'Bout the raising of the wrist.
Socrates himself was permanently pissed.

John Stuart Mill, of his own free will,
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.
Plato, they say, could stick it away
Half a crate of whiskey every day.
Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle,
Hobbes was fond of his dram,
And Rene Descartes was a drunken fart:
"I drink, therefore I am."

Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed,
A lovely little thinker but a bugger when he's pissed!

A few weeks ago I discovered the wonders of cigar-box guitars. Very cool. This is Keni Lee Burgess playing Muddy Water's "Baby Please Don't Go" on his cigar box guitar.

Mine That Bird!

I missed the entire racing season up to the Kentucky Derby. Usually I will have seen at least some of the early races, but I saw none this year. I'm not sure it would have mattered much.

Key Dear and I were on the phone doing our usual Derby race picks. We put on our hats and made our selections. I had Dunkirk, Desert Party and General Quarters, with Musket Man as my fourth. She had Friesan Fire, General Quarters, Advice, and Summerbird as her fourth. PopPop decided to play this year, picking Hold Me Back and Flying Private. Mr. Bill had Chocolate Candy, Dunkirk and Papa Clem, Mr. K had Papa Clem, Mr. Hot Stuff and Flying Private, and Logito had General Quarters and Join In The Dance.

Unfortunately, while ESPN and NBC were interviewing celebrities and having fun, they weren't giving us any useful information about the horses. We got a couple stories about entries: 75-year-old Tom McCarthy and his one horse stable, consisting of $20K claimer General Quarters; and Friesan Fire's connections, trainer Larry Jones and jockey Gabriel Saez, who endured last year's tragedy with Eight Belles. But overall, I thought the pre-race coverage sucked bigtime.

How they missed pint-sized Mine That Bird's story is a complete mystery to me. He was a $9,500 bargain yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October; Canadian 2-year-old Champion last year, winning 4 out of 5 races in Canada; had never won a race on dirt; had never even been in a Grade I Stakes race. His trainer drove him from New Mexico to Kentucky. He was off to a poor start this year and wouldn't have been in the Derby at all had so many of the early entries not dropped out. Old Fashioned, Quality Road, Win Willy, Take The Points, Square Eddie, among others, moved Mine That Bird up to 17th place, qualifying him for the Derby. Finally the favorite I Want Revenge was scratched the morning of the race.

Calvin Borel had been scheduled to ride Beethoven, who ended up being another withdrawal, and trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr., a former bareback rider and Quarter Horse trainer, asked him to ride Mine That Bird. Borel had never ridden the horse before the Derby, and the only instruction he got from Woolley was, "lay the horse back and be patient." Borel won the same way he had on Street Sense, by laying back and then threading around and between other horses and hugging the rail. It was a great ride. And the little horse didn't just win, he won by a bigger margin than Barbaro. He seemed to like the mud just fine.

Pioneerof the Nile was second. Musket Man was another nose back in third. Papa Clem was fourth, followed by Chocolate Candy, Summer Bird, Join in the Dance, Regal Ransom, West Side Bernie, General Quarters, Dunkirk, Hold Me Back, Advice, Desert Party, Mr. Hot Stuff, Atomic Rain, Nowhere to Hide, Friesan Fire and Flying Private.

So even though none of us were close to picking a contender, the little horse who could made us all smile and cheer. On to the Preakness!