Cindy Nowlin

Want to see some fantastic photography? The link below will take you to Cindy Nowlin's webpage. It's full of her wonderful work. She is a wonderful talent!!


http://www.eyetoeyephotos.net/e2emainpage.htm

Game Night

Some of the usual crew showed up for this game night. And it was a complete surprise to me. If I had known ahead of time I would have done up some good snacks. I always have good snacking foods when given a little warning.

So this time I had about 10 mins warning that a game night was planned and shortly afterward they started arriving.

The games this night were new to me....the first one being called "Buzz Word" and the second one "Smart Ass". They were both very good games. In Buzz Word you play in teams and one person picks a card; the other person has to guess the answers. The card has a word on it that is your buzz word. That word is in the answer. Clues are read out and the other person has to guess the phrase (with the buzz word in it) for each clue given. It was funny as hell watching them struggle to come up with a phrase when others at the table are desperately trying to hold back the answer they think it is. You're inclination is to just yell it out but you can't. And it's interesting to find out how many common phrases aren't quite as common as you think they are. Sometimes I had answers that I thought everyone knew and no one else did...and vice a versa. And it's equally funny to hear the wrong answers blurted out and the groans that came out of the other players. Oh and did I forget to mention that each partner is timed? Each person has about a minute to answer all the clues. That adds that certain extra spark of panic to your thinking process. (which accounts for the screwed up versions of the phrases that came flying out of our mouths) And sometimes you're just laughing so hard you can't spit it out in time!

Most of us did take breaks to "work our farms" (Farmville) which is another game we are all playing on line together. It's a game where you have a farm of your own; with crops you choose; animals; different types of trees, etc. Your crops are chosen for the amount of money they will bring in and the amount of time they take to mature...same thing with the animals and trees. Each of us is a "neighbor" to the others and we have the ability to send gifts and earn extra money by working on someone else's farm. It's a very engaging game and quite a lot of fun as well as a challenge to see how quickly you can advance to each level.

And now I'm forced to deal with Lily (the furry little idiot that lives in my house). She sleeps all day and spends her nights getting into trouble. I just heard a loud noise that sounded like something was trying to get through the screen on my porch. Within seconds I realized it had to have something to do with her and I yelled LILY! She immediately answered me with a plaintive yowl from the general direction of the porch. (I knew it had to be her!) I soon discovered that Lily had launched herself at the screen in a bizarre attempt to attack some imaginary prey. Luckily she didn't break through the screen but she was very agitated...determined to get that unseen creature. I didn't see anything (and didn't smell skunk) with my flashlight so I hauled her silly fuzzy butt into the house. That's enough shenanigans for tonight. Lily will have to find some other form of entertainment for the evening.

Grocery Store Etiquette

Friday Night Dinner

Tonight I asked some of the family over for dinner. The picture above is NOT the dinner I prepared...but it does look good doesn't it? I made what's commonly known in my family as simply chicken and rice. It's long grain brown rice with an Asian flavored sauce with strips of green peppers and chicken in it. It tastes great but tonight I couldn't get the sauce to the right thickness...irritating but not a disaster. The last step is always to thicken it with corn starch and tonight I just couldn't get it to thicken. I think the problem was that I made it in a pot this time and doubled the amount. It's usually made in a large skillet but when my family comes to dinner it's always best to have more than you think you need. Nothing worse than running out of a favorite dish with these guys around....they are not above gnawing on a table leg to get their point across.
Mark didn't make it to dinner tonight. He wasn't feeling well. Too bad...it's always gratifying to feed Mark. He's not fussy and he's very appreciative. I do most of my best work when I have an appreciative audience!

I really just consider myself a basic cook. I don't do anything that is really fancy for the main meal. Hell, in my house you only see gravy at Thanksgiving and that's because there would be a revolt if it didn't appear on the table!
My real love is making decorative and tasty desserts... although I think I'm the only one that gets a thrill out of it. Everyone else spends a token amount of time telling me how pretty it is while cramming the goodies in their mouth. I used to decorate cakes with real flowers but found that my family thinks I know the difference between edible and non edible flowers...while I assumed they would admire the presentation and then place the flowers to the side of their plate. Imagine my surprise when a sister came to me with half a flower hanging from her lips saying I thought these flowers were supposed to taste good but these suck! I choked on my drink while laughing at that one.
I've tried using small plastic decorations only to have a brother complain that these little things are stale! Obviously we have no brain surgeons in my family.

Ahhh but I have to love them. They all will soon be asking me if I'm going to be making my famous "Buckeyes" for Christmas. Buckeyes are balls of a peanut butter mixture hand rolled and then dipped in chocolate and they actually look like a bucks eyes if done correctly. They are labor intensive and a little tricky. If the texture of the peanut butter mix isn't just right...you've got trouble. Can't tell you how many times I've been totally frustrated by losing my balls in the chocolate! (insert grin here)

First Attempt at Set Back

I thought it might be fun to play set back. I thought everybody knew how to play set back. I thought it would be a snap to teach "the kids" to play set back. I don't know what I was thinking!
Here's my version of our card night:

Game night was arranged and all the high rollers were invited. One Eyed Jack (Jake) and his personal dealer, Slippery Sue (Stacey) were the first to be seated at the big table. They were joined by Mr. Hollywood (Justin) and his moll Candy Cards (KC). A fresh deck was brought out; the players were tense...waiting for Abby the Ace aka Cat Woman (Bunny) to appear. She likes to make an entrance so I wasn't surprised she kept us waiting.
Slippery Sue handed drinks around while I slipped into my persona...my paparazzi cover. In the dirty underworld of dice and cards I'm known as Panama Jane; card shark and notorious trouble maker. I'm not trusted in this crowd and the feeling is mutual.

One Eyed Jack and Slippery Sue are making polite conversation with Mr. Hollywood. Sue offers him a drink. He accepts while Candy Cards is shooting daggers with her eyes at Sue. I'm not worried at this display..it's the same at every game. Everyone denying the nerves that are twisting through their gut. Nobody trusting anybody else.

Finally Cat Woman arrives in a whirl of activity; all conversation stops...just the way she likes it. The cool eyes of Candy Cards are on her..as are the rest of us. Now the game can begin. But before the dealing can start there's another arrival..an unexpected attendee...part of Mr. Hollywood's entourage, Krystal Kate (Sara). Krystal Kate doesn't play cards. Krystal Kate doesn't speak. Krystal Kate just watches. She's Mr. Hollywood's muscle and she's a weapons expert. You can cut the tension with a knife when she pulls up a chair and sits down. I catch One Eyed Jack's eye and he smiles..a hard brittle smile. He's not happy either.

The game begins, Slippery Sue is dealing from the bottom of the deck and talking nonsense to cover, but I know her game; I know what she's up to. One Eyed Jack won't meet any one's eye and Mr. Hollywood keeps his sunglasses on. Candy Cards is muttering under her breath while I pretend not to notice. And Cat Woman is smiling...that sly smile that spells trouble for the evening. Stakes are high and the alcohol is flowing while hand after hand is played out and Candy Cards is pulling in the dough. Can it be that Slippery Sue and Candy Cards are on the same side here?

It wasn't long before tempers flared. Mr Hollywood slammed his hand down and accuses Slippery Sue of cheating while One Eyed Jack stares at him in stony silence. Candy Cards begins to sneeze while Cat Woman's mask is slipping. Krystal Kate is slowly reaching down to her lower leg..I imagine she's packing but I don't want to find out first hand. It's time for Panama Jane to stop the fire storm before it begins.

In a calm, cool voice I suggest a change of game...winner take all. The room goes silent. Slippery Sue is nervously sweating; Cat Woman is softly chuckling, her eyes lit up with excitement. Candy Cards looks interested and One Eye Jack is smug. Mr Hollywood is angry and not so willing to let go of that anger...but slowly he agrees. Krystal Kate eases back in her chair and we all breath a sigh of relief. More drinks are handed around...the players drink deeply. The game is to be Truth or Dare!

All these cut throats are in this game..each selecting truth. Secrets are revealed...explanations are blurted out; some are surprised; others are red faced; all are amused....until Mr. Hollywood chooses Dare. I don't have to tell you the evening turned dangerous at that point. And I won't tell you there wasn't some hesitation on his side when he heard the dare. But he stepped up for his dare and completed his task at hand. With his quarter tightly clenched and determination written on his face...he dropped his...guard, and minced his way across the porch floor. And all I can say to Mr. Hollywood is....I would have picked Truth dude! I would have picked Truth!

Lobster Night at Mark's

Friday night was lobster night at Mark's house. The gift certificate for one free 10lb lobster was given to me by my friend Carol. She is the same Carol that worked with me as a volunteer at Philip's bike run last weekend. She won two of these certificates and being the great friend that she is, she gave me one. She said I deserved it for working so hard at the event. I certainly wasn't going to say no!

The lobster came from Country Diner in Enfield. The owner, Joe was one of the friendliest people I've come across in a long time. They brought out the lobster and I was shocked at it's size. Somehow when you hear 10lbs you know it's large but when you see 10lbs it's HUGE! It took two of the cooks to tie up one of his loose claws and bag him up for me. I was told that earlier one of the cooks had been "bitten" by a loose claw and that I should be careful. (no teasing the lobster allowed) His claws were massive of course but the smaller legs...the ones that usually have tiny claws on them...well, they were pretty dangerous looking too. I took my prize and headed home.

I had already purchased some steamers; little neck clams; corn on the cob; potatoes and a glazed apple cake to round out the meal (and our bellies no doubt). When I got home I called Mark to confirm dinner time and picked some fresh tomatoes for Kaylee on my way out the door. At the time I bought the rest of the food I had no idea what the lobster looked like. Once I saw his size I had a feeling we weren't going to need much else.

Once the potatoes were started we took time to take pictures of the lobster. In the video you will see Mark holding it up and later when it was cooked you will see it in a bowl. That bowl is a really huge bread bowl but it doesn't look very big because of the size of the lobster.

When we were taking pictures of the beast I started to feel sorry for the damn thing. (Elaine, don't start that crap now!) I kept remembering another lobster many years ago that fought to get out of the pot and let out a scream when we put him in. I have not cooked a lobster again until this night because of that memory. And if this is the last time I have lobster it will be ok with me...because I just feel sorry for them. I can't help it.

The evening progressed...everyone had lobster of course and the steamers and clams were scarfed down pretty fast too. The lobster was good but a little on the tough side. We may have over cooked it slightly...but it was still delicious. I actually enjoyed the steamers and clams more because there is no guilt associated with them. And I even allowed myself to have a potato and some cake!

After the feast was over and the kitchen wasn't looking like a bomb went off in there anymore; it was time to start thinking about going home. Maggie (choc. lab) was scouting the garbage to see if there was any lobster available for her. Justin had become a zombie in the chair. KC was once again coloring with Kaylee (every time Kaylee sees KC you'll hear a tiny voice asking KC will you color with me? So cute!). Sara and I were watching a pre-recorded episode of Ghost Hunters and Mark was happily wrapping up the left over lobster for tomorrow. I could feel the sugar from the cake and the carbs from the potato fighting for first position in the race to see who can make me drunk acting first. (adrenal fatigue issues folks...sugar and carbs make me drunk!) I knew it was time to go home. A half hour after getting home I was passed out in a chair.

You know you've had a good evening when you can wake up out of a drunken stupor with memories of a great meal; good conversation; lots of laughter; pictures of all the fun and best of all, no hang over!

Philip's Memorial Bike Run 2009

Every year a memorial bike run held in Philip's name. The money raised is donated to the Young Marines..an organization that Philip was deeply involved with before he became a Marine. It's a wonderful event that allows us all to participate in keeping Philip's memory alive and to honor him for his sacrifice, while at the same time contribute to an organization he loved and that helped mold him into the dedicated and honorable Marine he became. Phil loved being a Marine. And we loved Phil for his dedication to his country. But we also loved Phil for his warm, caring, loving personality and the hell raising fun streak that was always just beneath the surface. (little scamp!)

This year I volunteered to run the registration and raffle table. It was a lot of work. There is much more to pulling off a large event than I had anticipated. And having come in on the tail end of it (I volunteered a couple of weeks before it took place) I was missing a lot of information. There are always lots of small things that go wrong at any event..hopefully they can be handled easily or you've prepared for some of them. Almost from the start we thought we had a disaster because a woman came to me to say the toilets weren't working in the ladies room. (You are kidding me, right?) An attempt was made to fix the problem but that didn't work. The ladies room was shut down. I had visions of what kind of a party this would become if you had women sneaking into the men's room all day. As it turned out there was another ladies room upstairs that was made available. Definitely dodged a bullet there!

The flow of people coming in to pay and "get banded" became very busy very quickly. Seemed like everyone got there at the same time. We were taking money; making change; slapping a band on people and pushing raffle tickets like our lives depended on it. I must say the crowd was very patient and polite, everyone waiting for their turn and we appreciated that. Until one guy showed up that really shook me up. He was dressed like a biker with a military haircut but he hadn't done the bike run with the rest of them. He seemed either somewhat drunk or slightly "out there". He got upset with me when I told him it would be $20.00 to get in..started giving me a hard time about it. He wanted to know why he was paying so much just to have a beer. I explained to him that it was a charity event, etc but it didn't impress him a bit. Then he asked to use the men's room before he left. I said fine. Several of us were waiting quite some time for him to come back out and then wondering what we should do if he refused to leave. Luckily he decided to leave when he came out. He gave me a salute and left. (Ahhhh I still got it)

We worked long and hard at that table most of the day (myself, Carol, Kim and Ann) spelling each other when we could but it was exhausting just the same. The intense heat outside didn't help either. Not every problem that came up could be handled within the building. Often we had to go in search of specific people for specific problems and that often entailed running outside to find them if a building search didn't turn them up.
Toward the end of the party I finally made time to have an over cooked hot dog and even later a glass of wine. Eventually some friends snagged me for a couple of crazy dances and I ran into other friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. And I even had a chance to speak with some others that I hadn't had contact with in a long time. That felt good. But I never really went out of "on duty" mode.

When it was time for the raffle I realized that some of the prizes were going to require multiple drawings from the same bucket and others didn't have the gift inside at all. We had decided early on that some things were too "portable" to leave out on the tables. And it wouldn't have been possible to watch the raffle table all day with such a huge crowd and everything else we were doing. So I had a number of the gifts in my possession. And I had no faith that Kathy or Carrie would understand the notes that were left on the buckets. We had used a sort of short hand that would have been a mystery to them. So I grabbed the stuff I had and helped them do all the drawings. Aside from a minor problem with the microphone it went pretty smoothly but it still took about an hour to get through it.

The bands that played were fantastic as usual....especially Quintera..but I'm not partial at all! ha ha The food (I'm told) was very good. The alcohol never seemed to stop flowing and everyone was having a great time. Overall it was a very successful event but I'm not sure at this time how much money was collected for the Young Marines. There were a couple of guest singers that took the stage. One was Jessica (Phil's sister) and the other was Jordan (Phil's best friend).

Now I know from experience that when Jess gets up on stage I'm going to end up wanting to cry. And this day was no different except for the fact that I was joined by so many other people in the crowd. I figured if I busy myself taking pictures while she sang, I'd be fine. That plan worked for all of 1 minute. Jess really knows how to belt out a tune and I don't for the life of me know how she can sing such a sad song without breaking down herself..but she does it every time. I don't know the name of the song she sang. I should know it by now but I don't. It's about a soldier going away to war and not coming back. The song itself is sad enough but when you've been a part of the heartache that inspires her to sing it, well it takes on a whole new dimension of pain to hear it. And the crowd went wild with applause when she finished. I'm so proud of her!

Jordan's turn on stage was just as gut wrenching to the crowd with a little extra twist thrown in because he wrote the song especially for Philip. It's a lovely, heart felt tribute to his best friend and the regrets he has that he's gone. It's entitled simply and beautifully..."Phil". It's a song that pays homage to the pain of losing your best friend and yet touches on the love that still remains. It reminds us that we all have pain from Philips death but we don't all have the same pain, each of us holding our own personal agony inside while keeping the love alive and carrying on with life.

Needless to say when I made my rush to the patio after listening to Jordan's song, I met quite a few people out there with wet faces and shiny eyes all trying to choke back emotions they don't want to show in public. I did manage to get some pictures of Jordan before I lost it. (Let's move on shall we?)

The pictures I took (and there were a ton of them) aren't all good ones. Some of them had to be deleted but others I kept because even if they were out of focus, or not someone's best look, (some large guy in a wife beater t-shirt kept showing up in a lot of the shots!) it still helped contribute to the "feel" of the day. So when you watch the video I made of the pictures please understand that I am by no means well versed with my camera yet but I can only get better from here...and not every red eye can be fixed. ha ha As a matter of fact I think some of the people there must have been vampires because no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get the red out. I tried to put the video shots in some kind of order but eventually gave that up too out of complete frustration. I have a lot to learn about photo shopping pictures folks. But to be completely fair I even put pictures of myself in there that I wasn't crazy about either. No matter what I do I always seem to have that "deer in the headlights" look on my face. Do I look like that in person??

It is my belief that if Philip is watching us from somewhere beyond he would be proud of the work we did in his honor and the love we carry for him always. I hope you enjoy the video. Comments are very welcome.

X-Rays and Fish

I canceled my physical torture session for Friday. I knew I had a busy day a head of me for Saturday and I couldn't afford to run the risk of having yet another "recovery weekend". Wednesday's session went great. They used the electro-stim and hot packs on me (lovely!) followed by some kind of strange finger tip massage technique done by Kierstin.(or as I know her, Magic Hands) This was exactly what I needed...relax the muscles (and possibly that pesky nerve that's getting some action in there too) and don't irritate anything by trying to build it up. I left happy Wednesday.

Friday was the day I was to have x-rays on my back. That little guy that lives in the back of my head keeps telling me that x-rays are not necessary; that the problem is all muscle and a little nerve involvement. But what the hell does he know? So I went for the x-rays.

When I got there the room was full. Don't any of these people work? I knew I'd have to wait. (we are not a society of people who like to wait are we?) I took a chair next to a fish tank. Lots of doctors and dentist have fish tanks..usually the really big ones...the kind I look at and say to myself (there's that little guy again) how do they clean these things? I immediately capture the attention of a few very brightly colored fish. They must have been as bored as I was. But I also noticed quickly that other fish came over and every one of them seemed to be acting aggressively to all the others. Like they were all trying to stake out the same area to watch me and were resentful that it was getting crowded at that end.

One poor fish was being picked on unmercifully by every other fish in there. He was too small to be in that tank with so many bigger fish. Poor little guy! One side fin was stubby and ragged and his tail was even worse. He kept dodging to get out of the way and hovering towards the surface. He looked like he'd been in a fish bar fight and didn't come out the winner. I don't think he was going to live much longer. He had all the signs of a fish that was going to be checking out soon.

So I kept watching all these fish and eventually I started thinking that it was odd to have so many fish in this one tank. I leaned forward to see the long side of the tank and realized it was a HUGE tank but almost all the fish were down my end jocking around to get a good position to look at me! The only ones that seemed to be immune to my charms were the huge catfish looking guys that live in the bottom for the most part. One of them had white eyes so maybe he was blind?
I got up to get a magazine after I'd been waiting for some time. Other people were coming in..every one had that look of "oh crap" once they saw how full the room was getting. When I got up and walked by the long side of the tank to get the magazine...all the fish followed me! I saw this and slowly turned (now I'm watching them) and walked back to my seat, then back again to the magazines. I'm not even pretending to get another magazine at this point I'm just watching these freaky fish. All the bright colors; stripes and spots followed me every where I went..watching me and moving when I did!!
I sat back down in my chair and the crowd came back to their positions. What the hell is wrong with these fish?!

Then I glanced over at a guy that was directly across from me. He's laughing! He looked at me and said you're aware you are being stalked by fish, right? I started laughing too..he'd been watching the whole time and saw it all. I asked him if he knows anything about fish, why they would do that. He said no, only that they aren't very good at stalking because they are being pretty obvious about it.

Soon after that it was my turn to go in for a healthy dose of radiation. That went fairly smoothly..a little uncomfortable in one position they put me in but no big deal. On my way out the guy was still there. As I opened the door to leave he asked if I was going to take my stalkers home with me. They were all at the opposite end looking at me again! I laughed and told him no, they know how to find me!

My day wasn't done by a long shot. I had to get over to Sun Valley to help set up for Phil's Memorial Benefit. I soon forgot all about my adoring fish fans.

Kayak Special Olympics

KC went kayaking today. I think it must have been her first time; lets hope so....because an experienced kayaker shouldn't look this awkward getting out! ha ha She's really making a project out of it. And of course instead of getting any help she gets her picture taken instead! Beautiful!
Ok, I'm picking on her for sure. I've not used my kayak yet either so who knows, I may look like this too. Or I just may tip the whole thing over on my way out. But I WILL make sure there are no camera phones around when I do that! ha ha
I think we've got a candidate for the kayak special olympics! You go girl!! (We're so proud of her)

Missed the boat

I'm feeling kind of bummed today. For about a week or so I've been working on getting an Irish Setter puppy from a shelter. I had lots of questions (why is the whole litter of pure bred setters in the shelter?) and a streak of basic, full blown fear running through my stomach every time I thought of getting another puppy. It's not that I don't want a puppy. I really do. It's the thought of replacing Allie, which my mind refuses to do and a fear that I will end up with a sickly dog.

For those of you that knew Allie, I don't need to explain. For those of you that didn't know Allie, well I loved her with my whole heart but she had so many medical issues that I formed my whole life around taking care of her. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her...and precious little I didn't do for her. I learned a great deal of medical knowledge and I credit her for all my knowledge of herbs. It was Allie's medical issues that pushed me in the herbal direction. I didn't want to keep her on the medications that the vets were pushing...knowing that they would shorten her life and they never took the symptoms completely away anyway. It just wasn't a good enough trade off. And I shutter to think of the money that I spent on her for vet bills; grocery bills (I made all her food); allergy injections; testing; medications; and tons and tons of herbs. She was a money pit but she was my best friend. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't cut corners anywhere. Her love for me was far and away payment enough for everything I did for her.

HOWEVER, I don't think I would willingly take on another dog with that many medical problems and once I take a dog from the shelter bringing them back is not an option. It's a commitment I take very seriously. So of course, I'm mildly terrified on more than one level!

I had conversations with the shelter lady, sent her my application, and now I haven't heard back from her. I called again and got a message that made me think she has gone on vacation. I checked the website and the pups are not up there anymore. Sounds to me like I missed the boat. There was only two pups left...a boy and a girl. I was interested in the girl.

Part of me is saying you blew it...and another part is saying it wasn't meant to be. Somewhere inside me I have this feeling that when it's right, it will happen. I probably won't be prepared no matter when it happens (at least not emotionally) but I sort of expect this puppy to come to me in a way that will trip that feeling in me that says "of course I'm your mommy".

But all is not lost anyway. I still have a woman in Vermont who breeds very high quality Irish Setters. I've talked to her and I put an application in a long time ago with her. The only problem is that her dogs have refused to go into heat and she doesn't know why. She was supposed to have bred one dog in June for pups to be ready to go sometime in October. That didn't happen so now we're playing a waiting game. If they go into heat too late there's a problem with the pups being born in the middle of winter. Do I want a small puppy in the middle of winter? (hell yes and no way are fighting for position on that question) My first Irish, Charlotte was a very young dog in her first winter...that wasn't pretty when it came to potty training. But if that should happen I will probably totally cave and take a pup. (how bad can it be?) Potty training doesn't last forever.

The pictures above are not of my dogs. But every Irish Setter is the same and yet they are all different. If you look at enough of them you will find your dog there. I hope I find mine soon.

Jasmine, Rescue Dog

Meet Jasmine, the rescue dog who has become a surrogate mother for the 50th time. By Daily Mail Reporter

Perfect mum: Jasmine the greyhound with Bramble, the roe deer she is currently caring for.

When Jasmine the abandoned greyhound arrived at a wildlife sanctuary shivering and desperate for food, she needed all the love in the world to nurse her back to full health. Now it appears the kindness and patience shown to her has rubbed off - for the rescue dog has become a surrogate mother for the 50th time.
Seven-year-old Jasmine is currently caring for tiny Bramble, an 11-week-old roe deer fawn found semi-conscious in a nearby field. She cuddles up to her to keep her warm, showers her with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur. In short, the perfect foster mum. But then again, she has had plenty of practice, having cared for five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and even 15 rabbits.

Jasmine was brought to the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary by the police in 2003, having been found dumped in a garden shed.
She was cold, filthy and malnourished. It took a few weeks for her to fully trust staff at the centre but with tender loving care she was nursed back to full fitness.
Five years on, Jasmine is now the one looking after stray waifs.
Geoff Grewcock, who runs the sanctuary, said: 'She simply dotes on the animals as if they were hers, it's incredible to see. 'She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings. 'As soon as an animal is brought in, she walks over takes a sniff or two and then licks and cuddles them. 'It is quite amazing, particularly as she is a greyhound breed and they are usually quite aggressive, That is why they are used for racing.

Jasmine with another one of her 'babies'. She has cared for 15 rabbits in total.

'Jasmine was abused when she was younger, the police brought her to us after discovering her whimpering in a garden shed.
'She was very nervous around us, she was caked in mud and dust and very thin. It took a while but gradually she got used to us and has been at the centre ever since. 'Having been neglected herself, it's a real surprise to she her show so much warmth and affection to other creatures.
'It's not just animals, she is great which children too, she is such a gentle, big-hearted dog.'
Bramble the fawn arrived at the centre two months ago after a dog walker came across her in a field dazed and confused.
Until she is old enough to be released back into the wild, she will continue to be cared for by Jasmine.
Geoff added: 'They are inseparable at the moment, Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other.

Happy family: Pictured from left to right are Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl, and Jasmine.

'They walk together round the sanctuary. It's absolutely marvellous. It's a real treat to see them.
'But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits which greyhounds usually chase down the track.
'I remember we had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line, one was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross.
'They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. 'Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.
'She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose.
'It's very touching. Her maternal instincts take over all the time.'

Deck Daze

Today I paid a visit to Kathy and Lou's deck. They have "Deck Daze" almost every Sunday. I haven't been in awhile and I missed those crazy people so off I went. Today the party was a little thin...mostly family and a few friends. I'm "extended family" so no one was a stranger to me...that's not to say that some of them aren't strange...but I know them all. So I sauntered right in and was greeted by Jake, their dog. He's large and wonderful but currently suffering from a pinched nerve in his back somewhere. (I feel for you buddy and I know what you're going through)

The first stop was to hug Lou. Lou always gets the first hug. The second stop was to hug Kathy. I thrive on hugs and it's been too long since I've seen these guys. It was nice to know I still fit right in. In my family, once you're in, you're in for good. Seems like Kathy and Lou live by that rule too. Ahhhhh extended family is great!

I greeted everyone as I came upon them and whipped out my camera with this blog in mind. Kathy informed me that Joe would be leaving in a half hour to go to bootcamp. I got here just in time to take some pictures before he left. I didn't realize he was leaving today! I took a few pictures, talked to everyone and got caught up on what they've been doing, and before I knew it Joe was preparing to leave...saying his goodbyes....giving out hugs. I got a picture of Joe handing everything in his pockets to his mother, Lori. Empty your pockets, boy!

There was a chorus of good luck wishes and last minute reminders to stay in touch and he was gone. I had a teary eyed moment as I watched him leave...remembering the party at the German Club with Philip before he left for bootcamp. Nobody said it, but I think we all harbor a little fear for Joe. Everyone is proud of him but still the fear is always there.

The next thing I did was check out Kathy's garden. She was complaining that her squash is putting out blossoms but no squash. Sound familar? If you've been reading my blog all along, you'll remember my garden (of mostly squash) was very gay for awhile. Seems the squash end of Kathy's garden is currently singing show tunes too! I looked at each blossom and every darn one of them is male. So I explained to her the difference between girl blossoms and boy blossoms and that if the bees aren't doing the job you have to "diddle" them yourself. She looked me straight in the face and said "I am not diddling my garden." (I think it's important to note here that Kathy knew immediately what I meant by diddle....I had a big grin on my face.) She then extended to me an invitation to diddle her garden myself any time I want. And of course I will do that for her. That's what extended family is for!

The video above are the pictures I got that weren't blurry. It's harder than I thought it would be to take pictures of people that suddenly become camera shy. What's with that??

Heath Ledger

Health Ledger was one of my favorite actors. I was truly upset when he died. I saw him as a good looking (of course!), up and coming, extremely talented actor. I think he had a great deal of talent and was moving his career in the right direction...by taking on different and more challenging roles as his fame grew. I fully expected him to mold a career to rival Tom Hank's career...another actor I admire and respect.

Most people that are called actors are really nothing more than entertainers. Julia Roberts; Richard Gere; George Cluny; Brad Pitt and yes, even John Wayne are examples. That doesn't mean we don't enjoy them, we do. What I mean is they seem to portray the same character in every movie. One gets the feeling that they are selected for a part not because they play that part well but because the part plays them. All they have to do is show up and play themselves with small variations in each movie. Most of the popular actors fall into this category for me. Not many seem to have the ability to make you believe the story or identify with the character. Almost none of them have the skill to play both comedy and drama or a love story and a serial killer. That's the kind of actor Tom Hanks is...he can do it all. That's true acting. And I believe that in time Heath Ledger would have impressed us with that ability too.

He was thoughtful about the roles he played. He quickly grew tired of the easy roles he played in his early movies...even though most of us loved him in them. One of my favorite movies of his was A Knight's Tale, where he played a peasant squire that takes the place of the nobleman he serves when that nobleman dies between jousting tournaments. Heath did a few period pieces besides this one. I enjoyed them all but they weren't a real challenge for him. Another period movie he did was The Patriot (with Mel Gibson) that was of a more serious trend. Yet still he wasn't satisfied to let himself be known as a pretty-boy leading man with a little talent. I do not own all his movies and I have not seen them all. I haven't loved all his movies either but I tried to appreciate the work that went into them or the humor they were designed to inspire. I watched him in Casanova and thought it was cute...and he played it well...but there was no real work to it. It was just a nice, funny story...a chick flick...and it was fine for what it was.

But the movie he really excelled in, the last movie he made before his death, is reportedly The Dark Knight. I have not seen that movie. I can't yet watch it knowing that he's dead; knowing that it was probably his best work so far and that he would have had the world by the tail when it was released. All the awards and accolades that were rained down on him for that movie...(the first to receive the best actor award posthumously)....and he missed it all. He'll never know the heights his acting career could have reached. And we'll never know just how much talent he really had or see him stretch his talents to meet the next challenge and hone his craft from movie to movie

But the worst part of it all is that he will not be here to raise his little girl, Matilda. She was only 2 yrs old when he died. The world lost a brilliant budding actor but little Matilda lost her Dad...a loving father. How tragic that she will only know her father from photos and films.

It was reported that Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. He was found dead in his bed on January 22, 2008. He was only 28 yrs old. I cried that day... for the loss of Heath and for the little girl who will never see her father again. Being the adults we are we learn to expect deaths and other losses in our lives..but not like this, not this young, not while there is so much ahead of him and so much to lose. This kind of loss can never be accepted. It can only be endured because there is no other choice.

Heath Andrew Ledger - R.I.P.
4/4/1979 - 1/22/2008

Gumby on the Rack

The picture above is of a rack used in Medieval times for torture. Or is it?? Could it really be a picture of the contraption currently being used on unsuspecting people in the physical therapy world?? Something about it reminds me of the physical therapy session I just went through and I'll tell you why. They put me on the rack folks! They put me on the rack! And I hadn't even mouthed off or anything..I swear.

Actually my therapist is very nice and she certainly isn't out to hurt me. Between her and the owner, Peg, they are doing everything possible to fix my back and give me some relief from this pain. Unfortunately it's not working. When I first started they had me doing balance and strength exercises..thinking my main problem was that I have weak back muscles (otherwise known as being Gumby instead of Poky. Poky has a strong back. Gumby is a mess). When the exercises were mild ones the pain was better. Once we started to increase the difficulty of the exercises (barely) the pain came back in force. On average it takes me two days to recover from my therapy sessions. (Crap!)
Realizing this approach wasn't helping (Gumby don't want to play like that no more) they tried another approach. They hooked me up to the lovely electro-stim machine (I pleaded for it) and an ice pack on my back (not my idea of fun but I'll accept it if I have to). This was followed by manipulation and resistance exercises done by no less than three people. (proof that whining gets you more attention). Once again, at first it felt good. I thought we had a winner...until about 2 hours after I got home. Two hours after going home Gumby is fast becoming Grumpy.

So today's session started with Gumby refusing to try the bicycle..even with no resistance. Instead I was put on the table again but this time with lovely lovely heat packs. My back loves heat. I was left in this wonderland for about a half hour I think. It put me into a dreamlike state so you have to forgive me for not knowing the actual length of time I was there.
The good part about laying there is you get to watch the side shows going on all around you. There is very little that is private in physical therapy. I watched other people doing many different versions of torture that I had never seen before. And I had the immense pleasure of listening to the barrage of muttered complaints; mild pleading and fruitless bargaining being done by the other "contestants" in this game of fitness or die.

After the fun was over...it was time to try something else. This is where the rack came in. They refer to it as "traction"...probably so as not to scare people away. But the method is exactly the same as the rack...it stretches you out. The modern version is a deception to the eye. It looks like an ordinary padded massage table. They have some strange looking girdle like harness that goes around the hips and gets buckled or snapped on tightly. (made of brown canvas and leather. If it comes in black I could wear it out for a night on the town!) I loved it. It felt so good to have something tight encasing the lower back and hip area! Then there is another piece that isn't as much fun. It also holds you tightly and gets buckled or snapped on but it's placed on the upper ribcage...and it does not make any accommodations for breasts..you have to make whatever adjustments you can yourself. The only issue I had with this piece is that it's not possible to take a deep breath while wearing it. That gives Gumby a feeling of being claustrophobic...Gumby no like!

Once I'm all strapped in Kiersten asked me my weight. She said this is important so I had to tell her the truth (like I wouldn't tell her the truth! ha ha) because the machine is going to stretch me and it has to be set according to my weight. I weighed myself this morning and I was 126 lbs. She took that info and did some magic behind me with the settings (even Gumby can't see behind in this contraption) and the motor is turned on. Slowly I could feel the middle of the table moving and hear the girdle making stretching noises. And as terrible as it sounds it actually felt good. I felt no pain at all. But I did have to do a little internal talking to myself because of the restricted breathing issue. (I can breath...they won't leave me in this...I can breath...where did they go?...I can breath...are they getting ready to go home?...I can breath...someone will miss me if I don't go home...get me out of this!)

Eventually time was up, the traction was turned off, the straps were loosened....and I could finally breathe. I was told I had to just lay there for 5 mins more to let the muscles and bone adjust to the effects of the traction. No problem...I can breath now....but I would like some ice cream as a reward...anybody got any ice cream?
When I was ready to leave I felt good. But I always feel good when I'm leaving...ha ha. Peg, stopped me on the way out to ask how I feel and to show me on an "example spine" exactly what I just had done and what they hope it will do for me. Very informative and it's obvious that she cares about my treatment...but I don't think she had ice cream either so I wanted to go home. She did tell me to try to keep my back as straight as possible tonight...no bending in any direction...so as not to irritate anything in there. (you know, no Gumby stuff).

As usual I felt good for about two hours after getting home. Then the pain started in my lower back and started to spread to the upper back. I laid down on the couch and just let it rip...I swear if it's possible for pain to echo, that's what it did. It echoed from the lower back up to the shoulders for about 20 - 30 mins while I laid on the couch. Eventually it subsided to an ache in the entire lower back..deep in the hip area. And that's where I am at now.
I just took some Kava (this Gumby is well versed in herbs) and some fish oil capsules. Aside from the known benefits of fish oil I read today that it helps a lot with inflammation...so fish oil it is. I'm trying not to do chemicals these days if I can avoid them. They are taxing to the adrenal glands and that's another issue Gumby is dealing with.

So on Monday I will call them and tell them the bad news....I wonder when their bag of tricks will be empty? They have mentioned a few times that I may need an MRI to determine if there is some unknown issue at work here. If it comes to that so be it....because the goal is to be Poky not Gumby! But I do still want some ice cream......

Flasher

Bad banana!

More Veggies

The garden is working over time now! I love it. But the problem is I can't seem to catch all the zucchini when it's small. As you can see by the picture some of them have Olympic aspirations! But nothing goes to waste in my house. If I can't eat it now, I rough chop it into chunks and freeze it to be roasted on a cold winter day. I sometimes roast a big pan of veggies alone and other times I'll pop a beef roast or a whole chicken in the middle of them. Either way it's delicious; good for you and a darn good reason to have people over for dinner. And now it will be even more satisfying because I grew it myself. (big smile)

The tomatoes have finally joined the production line. Maybe they felt left out, not having been planted in the garden this year. I put them in huge pots instead. They took forever to get going but I can't complain now. They are small tomatoes but they are coming. I don't remember what type they are...the tag just says "tomato"..duh! Judging by the size they are either overblown cherry tomatoes or severely stunted large tomatoes. Either way, my granddaughter loves them and she's the reason I planted them anyway. When she comes to visit...tomatoes beware!

The cucumbers are dragging their feet thus far. They are just now starting to get near a length that I could consider picking. I'm not surprised. I've had problems every year growing cukes. And this batch is no different. They all have an attitude!

The lettuce is completely out of control. I've eaten as much as I can, I've given a lot away, I just can't handle it all. Now it's starting to look like a jungle. That's fine with me. It will be rototilled under at the end of the season and that can only help the garden next year.

I have made a decision for next years garden. (I learn slowly but I do learn eventually) Next year I am planting more variety of veggies and less volume. No more than two squash plants of each kind and I'm going to add onion; potatoes; carrots; broccoli and kale...there has GOT to be kale! I've eaten it for the first time this year (yeah, I know...it's about time. My life is full of firsts these days) and I love it. I already have mint (once you've got it you can't kill it with a stick) so next year I'll add basil and whatever other herbs might do well. (except Rosemary...I hate her!)

So overall I'm happy with the garden this year. I haven't had to do much work with it and once it got over teasing me, it has really come through like a champ.

There has been a snake spotted in my garden, but not by me. If I see it him he's gonna get his picture taken. I have nothing against snakes. They don't bother me at all...spiders are another story. As long as I don't catch any snakes eating my frogs....all is good in my little garden world.

The Newest Addition

These are pictures of my Mom visiting with Danielle and her girls..Samantha and Brooke; Brooke being the newest addition to the family. Isn't she cute? I had a tough time getting a "normal" shot of her. Danielle had just given her a bottle and she was busy working up some belly gas. The faces she was making made her look like a very discontented little old man! Very funny.

The pictures were taken at Taunya's house before going to the Lobster Fest. Taunya is actually the grandma of the little girls...which makes my mother the great grandma...and honestly I'm not sure what that makes me...possibly the great aunt??

This was the day before Mom's 79th birthday. Taunya cooked up the plan to take her to the Lobster Fest for her birthday....which she loved. Both my sisters and I went too. I was the driver on this trip and after seeing the town of Essex I think I'd like to come back to poke around the shops and act like a hillbilly in front of the rich people. ha ha

Lobster Fest in Essex, Ct

These are some pictures of us at the Lobster Fest in Essex, Ct. As you can see, my family loves their food! And my mother has had a love affair going on with lobster for as long as I can remember. Mom is like a little kid when she gets lobster in front of her and she doesn't waste a single bit of it. She was a little upset that she had forgotten to bring her "tools" for eating lobster but she got over it fast. The lobsters were all pre-cracked for us. (you don't need no tools lady!)

The meal consisted of lobster, roasted red potatoes (unfortunately mine were raw), a salad, corn on the cob (yummy), and a roll...with all the butter you could handle. Mom was generous enough to share her potatoes with me. (I was really jone-sing for potato!) Bunny became some kind of corn on the cob fiend and Taunya was stealing rolls from unsuspecting family members. It was a BYOB affair with a package store right across the street. More than one bottle of wine bit the dust that day and the lobster didn't fare much better. Lobster shells were flying everywhere!

At the end of the feast there were extra lobsters being offered for $10.00 a piece. I was dispatched to buy 2 for Marie and 1 for Mom. (I guess we know what they had for lunch the next day.)

There was some talk of ice cream being offered after the meal but none of us went for it. They started the raffle and it was everything we could do to keep track of all the tickets Mom had bought. We didn't win a single thing but we still went home happy.

Bunny's Museum Pictures

These are some of the pictures that Bunny got at the museums the other day. She managed to get really good pictures of some of my favorite paintings. How she did that, I have no idea. Every time I tried the photo had something wrong with it. (back to photo taking 101 Elaine!)

I think Bunny understands her camera much better than I understand mine. In fact I am barely aquainted with this camera of mine. It's only been a little while since I stopped using my old film camera. I'm sort of a technology hillbilly I guess. But I'm being dragged into the modern world (kicking and screaming all the way) and using my digital camera is just one more thing I do now. You should have seen how hard I resisted getting an ATM card and I've worked at a bank for over 20 yrs! And don't even get me started about the DVD player.... a new fangled contraption that has forced me to stop using my precious VCR! (the VCR just gives me dirty looks now, along with the tv that was replaced by a flat screen tv.)

So my sister must have learned how to turn off the flash on her camera when taking these pictures. I haven't learned that yet. I'm lazy, I admit it. But hey, I'm using the camera...you can't expect me to actually read the directions too!!

My favorites are the first and last pictures. I think the first one is Niagra Falls by moonlight. Which one is your favorite?