Back to work

Well, DH is cleared to go back to work this weekend. Yippee. I adore the man, but boy... for his sanity - go back to work! He's starting to pace like a caged lion. He likes his job. He's good at his job. He makes a difference. He helps people. It's a good thing.

C had her first b-ball game tonight. They lost 40 to 6. The other team had clearly played together before, unlike C's team who'd only had one practice before the game. Their uniforms hadn't even come in yet! Crazy. And what's up with no women's basketball sneaks in stores?? I had to go by her current shoe size and order from Lady Footlocker online. Now we have to wait. and wait and wait. They shipped, but who knows... coming by mule? tap tap tap... and then hope they fit. She's in adult sizes, what can I say.

Bindi is cracking us up at every turn... Who can resist this...

European Holidays

Yes. I am on this subject again. The house is still not cleaned and we're having a crowd here for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Shocking. Ha ha. It's 40 degrees here right now. It's not 40 degrees out in Spain. It's 68 degrees in Ibiza, Spain. That means short sleeves and no coats. I wonder if I could get dh to consider planning one of our winter holidays in Ibiza. I'm not too hopeful. At least, not now. It's still too close on the heels of summer. Wait until February, when he hasn't been able to work on his cars, and we're up to our ears in snow. He'll be a lot more receptive to planning a vacation on an island somewhere warm. Good thing there are so many sites out there that offer last minute travel arrangements without breaking the bank!

Besides... I've been watching these shows on some obscure TV station (thanks to the dish) on photography and photographers. It's really inspiring me to get out and shoot. Seems like there's not a whole lot around here that's interesting to shoot. I feel like I need to get away and shoot something new. Dublin would be amazing. Then we could take Cait to see some dancers in pubs. Hmmm. Wonder if I could get him to agree to THAT? I'll find the right place and the right deal and he won't be able to resist.

I'm Not Going and You Can't Make Me!!

My 20th High School reunion is coming up at the end of the month. Snort. I'm not going. You can't make me. I didn't like the people then... why would I want to pay to go see them now? Ok, so I'm 'local' - only about 45 minutes from the scene of the crime... but still...

They've been planning it for a while. They've set up websites. They took contact info. Hmm. Might be fun to show off this great hubby and laugh over my last name.* I was considering it. Even registered at that darned classmates site. But then... the emails started. Apparently, the person who was supposed to be collecting the contact info never shared it with the person sending out the invitations. Thus began the mass-email, reply-all email fight. He said/she said... it was all so very... well... high school. Decision made. Not goin'. You'd think they would have grown up in the past 20 years.

So here's to 1987. When Def Leppard was "heavy metal". (Check out the video Hysteria. It has 'special' meaning to me - the outdoor scenes were filmed on the way to and at the resort I worked at summers (86-89). If you check out seconds 51 through 55... you can see the lake where I was a lifeguard. Teehee.) Girls had big bangs and skinny jeans... Not me... spiked hair and Chucks. Acid washed jeans. Depeche Mode, the Cure... Ah... the crappy old days. Life is nice now. (tho I wouldn't pass up a good pair of Chucks! High tops, thanks)


*My worst teacher was Mrs. M. Ick. Math. She was nasty and always had lipstick on her teeth. When I met dh in college and discovered that he shared the same last name, I would not go out with him until I made sure that there was no relation. Even then I knew we were meant for each other, and that there was no way in hell I wanted to run into that beast at a family reunion. Phew. No relation. Would've been sad to miss out on the love of my life over a stupid math teacher.

Landscape Rocks

I love rock walls. We have tons of these in the northeast, and dh is building several as part of our landscape. We have lots of rocks! Tons of rocks... we're right in the middle of what used to be coal company land. The rocks, however plentiful, are just plain rocks. I found this site that sells artificial rocks that have address plaques in them. They look pretty good on the site. The photos they have of their products from the Artificial Rocks Factory look very realistic.


I know how heavy rocks can be- at least those that I've had to move via wheelbarrow just to get one small patch of grass... There are plenty of times when I wish that they were TV rocks - the kind you can just pick up and move! These artificial rocks are mostly between 50 and 60 pounds. We had a rock in the yard in our old house... that beast was heavy! We moved it once, and that was it!! We found it in the house when we remodeled. It appeared to have been a large hearth stone. When we ripped the kitchen apart (and found the floor rotted and in need of replacement) the stone ended up in the basement. Not our doing. It just kind of ended up there. We had to pull it out with a winch and a car! It was a great rock, but man... I would have much rather had a 50lb rock to move!

Oh... and what a great idea. Photo props. These would be great to use for taking 'natural' shots in the studio. They have tree stumps. I'd love to create a woody 'fairy' set, and a tree stump would be perfect for that. I have wood all over the place in the yard, but that would get a bit messy, I think.

I may have to tell my brother about this site. He'd like a big rock for his front yard, but doesn't want to pay for a huge bolder to be brought in. This might be the perfect solution.

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All melted

Well, I'm glad I took pictures of the lovely snow yesterday morning... 'cause it's all gone. back to the lovely brown leaves on the ground. Actually, the tree outside the dining room window (where I'm currently hangin' out with the laptop) still has leaves on it. Such is the way of things in November. Come January if we get snow, it's here to stay.

rant I am currently in the midst of a hissy fit over the news of that poor girl that was driven to suicide by the parent of one of her former friends via a fake MySpace account. Unbelievable. I asked dh the cop - because I just can't believe that there are no criminal repercussions, but he said that they should file a civil suit because there are different criteria for proving "guilt". That an adult created a fake account with the sole purpose of targeting a child should have consequences! How is this any different than an adult that goes into a chat room to target kids? IMHO, that woman should be prosecuted and have her life just as ruined as that of the family that she set out to deliberately destroy. /rant

Hopefully, I will be going to shoot photos of some new babies today - human and Yorkie! A dear friend just had her 5th baby the first week of November, and her Yorkie had 2 pups last week! If I do end shooting them, I'll post shots!

More living space

B was just complaining the other day about how we have all this land and this great wrap-around porch and no one ever comes to visit in the summer when we can use and enjoy it... The back porch is small, and it's taken a back seat to finishing (ok, starting) the garage for the Mavericks. We want to do what my father has done, and maybe even a step further.

Dad has a great 3 season porch. They spend most of their time on that porch from spring to nearly winter! If he'd just figure out a way to do glass panels to replace his screens, he'd have a 4 season room. Conservatories make me drool when I see them in magazines. I have all these wonderful plants and I need a better place to put them. Poor spidey is just not happy where he is right now. While it's nice to have the gas grill out on the back porch, I'd rather have someplace with lots of windows, some comfy furniture and hooks for the plants! I saw this one online. I just love the way this conservatory looks. Guess it's better know as a sun porch around here. Same thing! Bring a little of the outdoors in all year round. Dad's is the best place to curl up and read (or in his case... nap). No TV out there!!! The cats would love it, too. More windows. More sunbeams. More birds to watch and stalk. Guess I'd better get my request in B to build one when he finishes the garage.

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Thanksgiving

My favorite holiday is upon us again. Of all the holidays, I think I like Thanksgiving the best... yes, even better than Christmas. I love the cooking and the family, and that it's fall... but we might get snow. I love getting up early to get the bird ready for the oven... to make the stuffing... having stayed up late the night before baking pies. Apple, pumpkin and B's specialty from his Pine Knob Inn days - the Inn Keeper. (A pie crust, filled with a white cake batter, with melted chocolate drissled over the top of the raw batter, then topped with slivered almonds. The cake bakes inside the pie crust, and the chocolate makes its way through to form a fudgy bottom... yummmm) Or maybe even his Sawdust... lots of graham crackers, eggs and coconut. Delicious.

And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the traditional playing of Alice's Restaurant. Several playings. I usually get the first in early when I'm all alone prepping the bird.

This year we may be hosting a friend of my Mom's husband. He's supposed to be coming home from Iraq, and his family is on the other coast and he won't be able to get home in time for the holiday. I hope he is able to come. What an honor that would be for us to be able to share our holiday with him.

Well, on to the least favorite part... gotta go clean. Blech.

Cop Gear for Chirstmas

Last year dh got gift cards to police supply stores for Christmas (my dear, smart ass brother also included a gift card to Krispy Kreme... haha, very funny... B doesn't like Krispy Kreme... he's a double D man) Anyway... I may do that same thing again this year. He's looking at getting a new gun, and if he does, he might need a new galco holster to go with it. Maybe one of these cool undershirts. I got him his gloves when he started this job. Gotta love Kevlar gloves! He's very fussy about gloves when he goes in to any situation. Guess it's the EMT as well as the Cop training. So much gear to think about. It takes him forever to get dressed for work. He's itchy to get back to it, even though he's enjoying the time with the family. It's not just a job for him. I think being a police officer is a calling. Do I worry? Sure, but it's who he is...


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First Snow of the Season

First snow - yippee. It's so pretty. The girls are thrilled. (Both the two and the four legged ones!) L has already been out to play, and back in demanding hot cocoa! What else. Can't play in the snow without hot cocoa after... and no fair skimping on the marshmallows!!

New Garage... well the floor anyway

Hubby has completely lost track of time being out of work for this gall bladder thing... He sat at his computer the other night looking at the weather forecasts and got all excited that the weather might hold for a concrete pour next Thursday. Hmmm. "Honey, check the date on that..." He just hadn't realized that Thanksgiving was coming up so quickly.

He's dying to pour this concrete garage floor so he has a place to work on his cars. I just know he and his brother will have matching garage floors. My brother in law treated his floor with that special paint, and even did the flecks in the paint. It looks great and he loves it! He's really particular about his garage. You could eat off his garage floor. That paint he used makes it easy to keep it clean. Of course, he doesn't do as much work in his garage as B will be doing. B plans on putting his Mavericks in there and actually working on them! I wonder what color he'll choose - there are actually different colors of garage floor paint and the paint chips that you sprinkle! Pretty cool.

Well, I guess if the weather holds and he gets the last rocks into the framed area, he'll pour... otherwise he's in big trouble!

Bindi the Jungle Kitty

If I could have gotten a shot of her stalking us through the leaves of the spider plant when it was still on the dining room table (after being brought in from its summer home on the back porch) I would have... she learned fast, though, that she was not supposed to be playing in the plant and ran when ever I got the camera. She is now in LOVE with the window bird feeder, as are the rest of us. We've had a sudden onslaught of female goldfinches. Bindi loves to sit on the windowsill and watch. I'm sure she just knows that if that darned glass wasn't there, she'd be snacking on bird... and a mourning dove to boot. She's just so cute!

And now... it's snowing.

Digital Cameras

I admit it. If you were to open my fridge, you'd find a roll of b&w film on the door. I still have the old Pentax K1000 that made me love photography. Of course, there have been a string of 'lovers' after that dear, old camera... the Fuji FinePix from work, the Sony Cybershot... and now, my beloved Nikon. I got suckered into it May of 2006. I was going to upgrade the Sony to another Sony - one with the anti-vibration technology. I wanted to be able to really capture the stepdancers... The camera shop didn't have it in stock. I was actually walking away from the counter, the $500 burning a hole in my pocket. (Inheritance from my dear Grandmother, who left it with the stipulation to "have fun"). Something took me back to ask what else they had in my price range... I mean... I'd researched the DSLRs but didn't think I could afford one. She brought out the Nikon D50. Love at first sight. Once that baby was in my hands, I knew I was done for! I ended up spending nearly $300 over... but wow. I took it home, charged it up and cracked the manual. Easy to use! Oh, it was JOY! Took it to the festival the next day. (did I mention that I tend to be a bit impulsive... nothing like deciding the day before the festival where you kid is dancing that you need a new camera!)

This is what I got - first day out!
So now, I do all of the pictures for the dancers, and I'm selling photos... woohoo. Last year I did a hard-cover book of photos as a gift for my Dad and R. This year, I'm considering digital picture frames as gifts. I'll be able to email updates throughout the year instead of printing one book at the end of each year. I'll have to think about it, but that's how I'm leaning. Guess I'd better decide soon!!

I don't even have the D50 any more... I've been sucked in so far that I now have the D80, and I'm drooling over the D300. Gotta get some portrait clients to help support my habit!!

It's always something!

Well, I've been playing nurse for two weeks. Darned hubby had a gall bladder attack and ended up in the hospital for a week getting it removed. What an ordeal (for all of us!!) Happily, he was able to have the bellybutton surgery, so he has one "big" (haha - 2.5") scar under his belly button, and 3 tiny ones on his right side. Stitches underneath, then super glue to hold it together! The glue has worn off, and he's healing well. If he wasn't a cop, he'd be back to work, but he can't chance having to get into a scuffle with a kid... so he'll be home driving me insane for the next 2 weeks. I'm glad.