Friday Happies 7/30/10

Today is my son's 27th birthday, and that's a good reason right off the bat to be happy. He has a lovely wife, a great job, and a new house--he, and we, are very blessed.

We just returned from a family reunion/vacation. First stop was Hershey, where we met with many members of my mother-in-law's extended family. Naturally, we also toured the chocolate factory, and took advantage of the many activities Hershey has to offer. Here's a picture of my grandchildren having fun at Hershey Park:



Then, we headed for Gettysburg with just our daughters and grandkids to continue our vacation. Definitely less interesting to the younger set! But an important spot in history. It is indeed a somber place, with so much blood spilled everywhere.

We learned as much as we could before going, so we would understand what we were seeing. Some highlights included the Pennsylvania monument:



and my favorite monument of all, with an Irish Wolfhound on it:



It was terribly hot and humid, which pretty much knocked the stuffing out of me. I spent mornings doing various touristy activities, and afternoons hunkered down in the air conditioned hotel room.

The trip home was long but uneventful, and we're all happy to be unpacked and back to our normal routine. Especially happy is Koko, to be ransomed from the bird boarding facility and back in his own comfy cage!

Now it's back to work, but with many good memories to think back on.

Hope you have a fun trip planned this summer!

Friday Happies 7/16/10

I was thinking about skipping today's Friday Happies, since I'm not too happy. Have been sick all week with a virus in my inner ear, making me dizzy, nauseous, running a fever, etc. But then I saw this video on another blog and couldn't resist sharing it. If it gave me a laugh in my current state, I should pass it on.

Signing in the Waldenbooks

It's hilarious, yet all too true. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. (sigh)

So I've made a promise to myself. If I'm ever in a bookstore and there's a book signing going on, and there is NOT a big line at the table, I'm going to buy a book--even if I couldn't care less about reading it. (Naturally, I won't reveal my true motive.) No author should have to go home without making at least one sale.

Anyone want to join me in my promise? Authors everywhere will thank you!

I Write Like...

I found a fun website for writers and wannabe writers. Go to I Write Like and paste in a few paragraphs of your writing, and it will analyze it and tell you which famous writer your writing style resembles. Obviously, it's not scientific, just for fun.

I pasted in a blog entry and got this:

I write like
Margaret Mitchell

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

And then I pasted in a few paragraphs of my time-travel romance novel Lady of the Two Lands and got this:

I write like
Dan Brown

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Hey! Two of my favorite authors. Maybe there IS something to this analysis after all. Let's make it three for three. I'll paste in a few paragraphs from my paranormal novella Restless Spirit and see what I get.

I write like
Stephen King

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Woo hoo! I guess I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Friday Happies 7/2/10

If you...or I...just look around, there are always happy things. Sometimes we have to dig to find them, but they're there.

I was able to knit a whole, long row on my shawl last night without pain. That makes me happy.

The sun is shining and it's a comfortable 74 degrees. That makes me happy.

Koko the parakeet is getting braver, talks and squawks (if only he would enunciate!) and is very amusing. Another happy thing.

I have two shawl kits coming in the mail. A VERY happy thing! Yes, I am haunting the mailman.

This weekend I'll see my daughters and grandchildren for an Independence Day celebration, complete with food, fun, and fireworks. Oh, and the annual Pots and Pans Parade! Good thing I don't plan to sleep till it's over. ;-)

I have good friends and lovely family, and right now they are all relatively healthy and happy. That's a fine thing indeed.

Oh, and way back when, someone developed chocolate. That is definitely a happy-maker!

So, what makes YOU happy today?

Monday Gripes 6/28/10

Today has been humid. Moist? Sultry? At any rate, it's been hot. As I often say, "It's hotter'n Tophet."

But what just is Tophet, anyway? Why are there so many mysterious sayings and words of wisdom featuring words we don't know? Is the wisdom intended only for the initiated few? I mean, I have a suspicion about what "Tophet" means. So why not just say, "Hotter'n hell?"

Well, Liz, just go look it up. So, I did.

According to Wikipedia, "Tophet is believed to be a location in Jerusalem, in the Valley of Hinnom, where the Canaanites sacrificed children to the god Moloch by burning them alive. After the practice of child sacrifice was outlawed by King Josiah, the valley became a refuse site where animal carcasses, waste and the bodies of criminals were dumped, with fires permanently burning to keep disease at bay. Tophet became a synonym for hell." Read the rest of the article here.

I really did not want to know that. Geeze. Yeah, too much knowledge can be...um...depressing.

Well, off now to ruminate on all the possible interpretations of "forbidden knowledge."

Friday Happies 6/25/10

Well! I'm back. It's been a wild week. I received a call Monday that there was a cancellation Tuesday morning and I could go in and have my x-ray guided cortisone shot. With great trepidation, and a spark of hope, I said "Yes."

The shot went well, if you don't count my anxiety beforehand. Oh, and if you don't count that two nurses couldn't find my vein for an IV, and where they eventually placed it turned out NOT to be in a vein, so I ended up with a big bulge of fluid under the skin of my arm. (sigh) But, my veins are notoriously hard to find.

I do think the shot is helping, some, and I'm hoping for more as I'm only now at the beginning of the time period when I might notice the full effects. They've set me up for another shot in three weeks, which I can cancel if I'm doing great. Otherwise, that will continue the healing process.

So I am cautiously optimistic and a teensy bit happy for my Friday Happies. Keep your fingers crossed for me that soon I'll be once again working in my office...knitting...shopping...sleeping comfortably...and all those other things I haven't been able to do since this debacle started. Here's hoping!

Monday Gripes 6/14/10

Okay, I've missed a few gripes and happies. Sometimes life interferes.

So I'm set with a cervical cortisone shot. That's the happy part. (And the worry part, as I try not to think about needles. Oy.)

It's not till mid-July--that was the earliest opening they had. That's the gripe. Another month to hang on and try to fight the pain. But at least I'm on track for getting some relief in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, I'm bonding with Koko, my parakeet. He's a little nut. He loves to imitate whistles, and he's trying hard to talk. He's quite an acrobat, hanging upside down from the roof of his cage and climbing everywhere.

Lately, when I take out his seed cup in the morning to refill it, he jumps on and comes along for the ride. To make sure I fill it properly, I guess! Here's a photo of him.



Okay, I guess he pretty much looks the same in every photo. Maybe I should tell him to put on a different suit or comb his hair differently next time...

My biggest gripe, connected to the wait for the shot, is that I can't knit. And that's just a sample of the things I can't do right now, because of the pain. I can't go grocery shopping (luckily I have a terrific husband who's jumped in to do it), can't drive any great distance, can't even stand up or walk for long due to the pain. Sitting on the couch with my arm resting on my middle and my wrist resting on the laptop is the only comfortable position.

Well, no, I lied. There's another comfortable position, but that's with my right arm draped over the top of my head, so it's not good for much!

Anyway, I hope this will all be over after the shot, and then I can think up new things to gripe about. In the meantime, wishing you all a gripe-free day.

Monday Gripes 6/1/10

Ah, June. The month for weddings. At least it's OUR anniversary this month...32 years. Nothing to gripe about there! I'm married to my favorite person in the whole world, and I treasure every moment together.

Mostly, these days I'm griping about my shoulder pain. Not much can be done until I see the neurosurgeon in a week. I fear surgery will be what he suggests, and that definitely scares me.

First, the idea of an IV freaks me out. I get panic attacks over them...probably because my veins are small, or roll, or both, and thus are hard to pin down.

Next, anesthesia frightens me. The idea that I won't be breathing on my own makes me wonder, what if my body "forgets" how to breathe and won't start up again? I know that's extremely rare, but logic always gets squashed when in a fistfight with panic.

Then there's the surgery itself. When working on or near the spine with sharp, pointy objects...heck, what's NOT to worry about?

And, what if I go through all that and it doesn't fix me after all? What if I can't ever be back to normal and work at my desk comfortably, knit without pain, sleep easily?

Oy.

I'm trying to tell myself the surgery is what I WANT, to fix the constant pain. And I know once it's over, and I feel better, I'll be terribly thankful. But right now, I'm just in the "terrible" part, scaring myself silly. Sheesh. What a wuss...

So, what scares YOU silly?

Friday Happies 5/28/10

Well, I'm definitely happy that yesterday is over. Had two MRIs, one on my neck and the other on my shoulder. The shoulder one was flat-out torture, and made me realize the Spanish Inquisition would have loved to have an MRI machine...

But now the diagnosis part can begin. I hope to receive a call from my doctor today if I'm very, very lucky (or Tuesday if I'm not) with word on where we go from here. One step at a time is the best we can do...as long as there are no steps back, I'm happy.

I'm delighted it's such a lovely day here today, lower 70s, sunny and gorgeous. Perfect weather for me, not too hot and not too cold.

Our tomatoes are hanging in there after surviving a late frost. They still look a little peeved, but I hope they get past it and prosper. The zucchini and basil has sprouted, nothing yet on the oregano. That might be a bust.

A lovely three-day weekend to look forward to, and that certainly makes me happy. I can use the rest and relaxation!

I'm able to knit despite the shoulder pain, though usually only one row at a time. But one row is better than none at all. And if I work with the laptop on my lap while sitting on the couch, I can get my work done as well. Another thing to be thankful for.

And I guess I'm just happy to be alive. Things could be a lot worse than they are now, I keep reminding myself. Hard to see the silver lining through a haze of pain, but it's definitely there.

What are you planning for the Memorial Day holiday weekend? Something fun, I hope!

Friday Happies 5/21/10

Well, let's see what I'm happy about today. I'm happy the doctor visit is over. No diagnosis yet, just a shot, some pills, and an upcoming MRI. At least I'm on the road to feeling better.

I'm excited about the two hour finale of Lost on Sunday. Not happy it's ON Sunday, mind you...I would rather they'd put it in the regular time slot. And I'm not happy the series is ending...though it has been getting more and more confusing as time goes on. But I've hung in there. I just hope they finish things up somehow, with if not concrete answers, at least big, huge hints. ;-)

How many of you have followed Lost since the start? Show of hands. Okay, one, two, three, four... Fine. And now, how many understand what the heck is going on? Hands? Anyone?

Uh huh. I thought so.

At the start, when Lost was a show about plane crash survivors trying to figure out a way to live until rescue came on what seemed to be a mysterious, possibly dangerous island. And that story was compelling, and almost believable. The characters and their interactions were the focus, and I really enjoyed getting to know them and see how their relationships developed.

But the farther we went, the more bizarre and unbelievable it became with many added characters, story lines, and time lines. And while I feel I've come to know who the people are for the most part, and some of their background, and even though I'm a fan of anything paranormal, I don't get the bottom line: why is this island so terribly weird? Why are Jacob and the smoke monster there, and what does this dang piece of tropical real estate have that requires it to be protected at the cost of so many innocent lives?

Anyone with answers, please post. It would make my Friday even happier!

Friday Happies 5/14/10

Once again, I skipped my Monday gripes because I was in a very happy mood and Monday was a lovely day. However, TODAY I have a gripe! Naturally. It's my stupid shoulder and the ever-increasing pain it's giving me. I'm seeing the orthopedic doctor the first week in June, and in the meantime, sleeping is getting increasingly difficult. So I'm likely to be grumpy all the time until then. Fortunately, during the day I can find ways to work with it or ignore it.

But I do have a fun weekend to look forward to, and that's my happy for today. I'm headed up to my sister's house tonight, and tomorrow we're going, along with two of her friends, to the WEBS Tent Sale.

If you're not a knitter, you won't know what WEBS is. Well, it's the biggest yarn store I've ever seen, with a huge main room stuffed full of gorgeous yarn, and then an even larger warehouse with yet more yarn...I think you could fit a 707 in it. They have an annual "tent sale" that attracts knitters from everywhere, with special sale yarn, books and equipment in the parking lot under tents, as well as the usual supply inside.

So despite the fact that I was in yarn nirvana last weekend from going to the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival with my daughters and reveling in all the gorgeous wool, silk, alpaca, bamboo and cotton yarn there, I'm definitely ready for more yarn!

In case you're a knitter (or even if you're not) and curious about WEBS, you can check out their website here. Yes,the fact that their website URL is yarn dot com tells you just how big and how popular the store is.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...yarn shopping!

Friday Happies 5/7/10

Today's happies are easy. Tomorrow I'm going with my daughters to the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival. Every year, it's our outing for Mother's Day.

We'll have a great time watching sheep dog trials, visiting sheep and llamas and other fiber-producing animals, watching spinning demonstrations, and catching up with friends.

But the best part...the very best part...will be checking out all the yarn vendors. Oh, there is so much lovely, soft, colorful, gorgeous yarn to ogle and fondle and dream about and take home!

It's an event I look forward to every year...so much so that I went one year when it was pouring rain, and my foot was in a cast. This year it will be rainy again...but no cast, so I figure I'm ahead of the game.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I hope you enjoy your special day as much as I will!

Friday Happies 4/30/10

Today is a gorgeous spring day, sunny, warm, flowers blooming. It's hard to NOT be in a good mood on such a day. Even with all the shopping I had to do and errands I had to run.

And after yesterday's shopping debacle (looking for jeans and shorts and...um...certain unmentionables) and not finding anything I liked that fit me, and going into a grumpy fit of depression--well, today was indeed a glorious day as I found some of everything! Jeans ordered online, shorts and the other item purchased in-store. So I'm a happy camper.

I brought Koko home a new toy and he was playing with it within minutes of putting it in his cage. That's very gratifying--have had pets in the past that look at the toys you bring them, then look at you as if to say, "Are you nuts? You expect me to play with THAT?" So I'm happy Koko is easily amused.

This will be a working weekend, but it IS a weekend so there will be relaxation also. And NEXT weekend, Mother's Day weekend, I'll go with my daughters to the annual Sheep & Wool Festival, and come home with much new yarn to fawn over. Whoopee! Can't wait. It's my favorite yearly Mother's Day activity.

For all you mothers out there...how do YOU like to celebrate your special day?

Monday Gripes 4/26/10

Today the gripes involve pain. After all, what's more gripe-worthy than being in pain?

I had surgery on a torn rotator cuff back in 2006. Once the doctor got in there with his scope, it didn't look as bad as he thought it would, so he just cleaned up loose and frayed ends and left it at that. You see, apparently if a rotator cuff is only partially torn, the only way to fix it is to cut it completely loose and then sew it back. You can't just sew the torn part, and since there was less tearing than he thought, he hated to cut through still-good tissue.

So. It's been good for some time now, but in the past two months, it's started to bother me again. And I'm afraid surgery on it, again, will be the only thing that will help.

In the meantime, I'm trying to do what I can to ease it, maybe even figure out a way to live with it. But that's difficult, because the pain is there every moment of every day, to one degree or another.

The worst times are when I'm working on the computer (naturally!) and when I'm trying to sleep.

On the computer, I've discovered that sitting in my office chair and stretching my arms out for the keyboard is what does it. Now, my main computer is a laptop, so I can move it around. Thus, I tried sitting on the couch with the computer in my lap. That is SO much better for my shoulder...

...but it's worse for my back. (sigh) I can't sit on the couch all day unless I want to be a cripple when I get up.

So I've tried an alternate solution, sitting in the recliner with the computer in my lap. That works better for my shoulder and the back is okay...but there's no electrical outlet within reach, so I can only work here for as long as the battery holds out.

As for sleeping...there is NO comfortable position. So I flop around every minute or two, until I finally pass out from sheer exhaustion. Once it go to sleep, it either eases up or just isn't enough to wake me, as I do manage to sleep all night. Go figure.

I tried taking Aleve for two or three weeks, but that only upset my stomach and didn't fix the shoulder. The heating pad is nice while it's on, but doesn't have any lasting effect. So, what's next? If it doesn't clear up, I fear a visit to my friendly neighborhood orthopedic doctor may be in store...

Hope you're having a healthier week than me!

Friday Happies 4/23/10

There! That should make anyone happy. :-)

Koko is getting more comfortable in his new home. He moves around easily in his cage now, and has even figured out how to swing on his swing. He plays with his toy now and then, either ringing the bell from underneath or by shaking the colored pieces of wood the bell is attached to.

But his favorite activity seems to be watching the birds outside. We've placed one of the four hooks in the house in front of a glass door, where he can watch the wild birds at the birdfeeders outside. He seems to enjoy it, and chirps and squawks, trying to enter into the conversation.

As for talking to ME...well, he hasn't learned to do that yet. But he does seem to listen intently when I talk to him. I hope soon he'll begin repeating things back...not that he'll know what they mean, but at least he'll know we're communicating.

Hope you have lots of healthy, happy communication with your loved ones on this beautiful spring day!

Friday Happies 4/16/10

Despite the fact that it SNOWED last night (huge, aggrieved sigh) and despite the fact that it's cold and gray and nasty outside, I do have a happy. And here he is:



Koko! He's still getting used to his new home, still a bit flighty (ha, ha) but I think he'll settle in. I'm just happy to have some company again in this lonely house.

Monday Gripes 4/12/10

I guess my first gripe for today is that I seem to have fewer gripes than I thought I would! But I guess I shouldn't complain about that. Should I?

My second gripe is with someone...the town officials, state head honchos, whoever is in charge of deciding what to do to fix the landslide up the street from us, so the road can be reopened. 'Cause, nothing is happening!

We're lucky that our driveway is on a side street that's still accessible. Unlike our neighbors up the street, who have to drive to the cones, get out of the car, move the cones, drive through, get out of the car, put the cones back, drive away; then reverse when coming home.

The biggest inconvenience for us is that the mailman won't deliver. According to the post office, he is not allowed to exit his vehicle in order to move cones. He can only get out for approved purposes...like bringing a box to your door or something that needs to be signed for. I guess moving cones to go up a closed road doesn't count as approved!

So for the duration, we have to run to the post office daily to get our mail. This wouldn't be bad if this is what we preferred...some people like having a post office box. But we don't have a box, so we can only pick up our mail at the counter, during the limited hours they're open.

Still, it's not much of a gripe, I guess.

My biggest concern today is a worry, not a gripe. Koko the parakeet has been home for 24 hours now and is just sitting in one spot in his cage, not eating or drinking or chirping. I know the move from bird-filled pet store to bird-free new home and new cage is stressful. I just hope he recovers soon! Because I'm not sure how long a tiny little bird can go without nourishment. Do send soothing thoughts Koko's way.

And if any of you out there have parakeets, do you have any tips or tricks for getting him over the adjustment period quickly? All thoughts gratefully accepted!

Friday Happies 4/9/10

I didn't write my usual Monday Gripes this week because Monday was such a beautiful day...warm, sunny, flowers blooming...that I just couldn't think of anything to gripe about! And that's a good thing, something to mention on my Friday Happies page.

Today, alas, is rainy, misty and gray. But that's what makes all those flowers bloom, I keep telling myself. I just hope it doesn't cause another landslide on our road...which has been closed for a week or two since the last one. Sheesh.

Yesterday was Grand Central Station at the bird feeders. I've kept the feeders filled all winter, but rarely saw any birds there. Well, spring has changed all that, apparently.

During the brief two-hour period where I was in sight of the feeders, I saw: pigeons, grackles, starlings, a blue jay, woodpeckers, a goldfinch, juncos, a purple finch, mourning doves, and brown-headed cowbirds. It was a real food fest! They went through the entire block of suet that was out there, and half the seed in the seed feeder.

Also, I've noticed the house wrens have returned to the birdhouse on the side porch and are busy screeching while building this year's nest.

And as if that weren't enough bird news, Koko may get to come home this weekend! When I visited him on Tuesday, they said he had begun to refuse the liquid baby food, so as soon as his weight stabilized on the regular bird food, he could come home. I'm certainly excited about that!

So all this happy bird chirping and watching can't help but make me happy, even on a gray spring day. What spring events cheer you the most?

Friday Happies 4/2/10

This is Koko. Is he not gorgeous? He's going to come home with me in a week or two, when he's fully weaned. In the meantime, I'm visiting him as often as I can, to get him used to me. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and I'm off to another Koko visit. What more could anyone ask?

Hope your weekend is happy, too!

Monday Gripes 3/29/10

Rainy, misty, damp days make me grumpy. And it's been raining all day, with a repeat of the same tomorrow.

People who go postal on me over nothing make me grumpy, especially when they're sweet as pie one second and nasty the next. And they do seem to come in bunches lately.

Not enough money, quite, to ever achieve all of our goals makes me grumpy. How hard and how long do we have to work to have "enough" instead of "not quite enough"?

Rudeness makes me grumpy. Fanatics of any stripe make me grumpy. Bullies make me grumpy. Too many commercials in my favorite TV shows make me grumpy. Dropping a stitch in my knitting makes me grumpy. Burning my toast...well...I guess you could say, "that really burns my toast." Another way to say, it makes me grumpy.

And--you knew it was coming--grumpy people make me grumpy.

So that means I make myself grumpy! Sheesh.

I think it's time to go to bed and just let tomorrow be a new day...