fears

As I mentioned before I have a fear of heights. 

I will never be willing up here.

 or here

But I also suffer from thermaflushaphobia.

That is the fear that, 

while in the shower, 

someone else in the house flushes a toilet, 

thus changing the water temperature from nice and warm to scalding.

Moriah air drums

I was not able to upload the view to the blog
but was able to set up a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqg8XI8KSHM


My granddaughter Moriah air drums with the help of her mother

snow kidding

now that is an entrepreneur

cheeky - very cheeky

 my granddaughter Isabel when she was one day old

a random squirrel

another cool picture

the bear necessities

wooden you know it?

that is real punny

birds of a feather

I saw this feathered friend in the backyard the other day.

Would like to know what type of bird it is.

Anyone out there know??

oh dear

oh dear 

no time to be creative so...

oh deer

are you stairing at me?

 what a lovely idea to use stairs to their most usefulestness

another cool picture

way cool

ants and no uncles

another cool picture 

because I have already spent 

my word quota today with talking and 

I only had just so many words in my brain today 

they have already fallen out

you've got mail

quotes from one of my favourite shmaltzy movies
(hardly know if shmaltzy is a word - nor what it could mean - but it sounds right)

Joe Fox: Hmm. You've... got mail.
Kathleen Kelly: Yes!
Joe Fox: Some very powerful words.
Kathleen Kelly: Yes...

Joe Fox: Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.

Kathleen Kelly: [writing to "NY152"] Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one! It got on at 42nd and off at 59th, where, I assume, it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are.

Joe Fox: The Godfather is the I-ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question. What should I pack for my summer vacation? "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." What day of the week is it? "Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday."

Kathleen Kelly: [writing to "NY152"] Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void.

Joe Fox: Brinkley is my dog. He loves the streets of New York as much as I do, although he likes to eat bits of pizza and bagels off the sidewalk and I prefer to buy them.

Joe Fox: I could never be with someone who like Joni Mitchell. "It's clouds illusions I recall/I really don't know clouds at all." What does that mean? Is she a pilot? Is she taking flying lessons? It's probably a metaphor for something, but I don't know what.

Joe Fox: [refering to Kathleen Kelly] Oh, no, she's beautiful, but she's a pill.

and I quote some more

From one of my favourite books Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

One summer I read the complete book - unabridged - and it was a doozy. 

Long parts about politics and revolution but 

hidden within is a most wonderful story of redemption.

Bishop: Now Don't Forget, Don't ever Forget, you've promised to become a new man.
Jean Valjean: Promise? What, Why are you doing this?
Bishop: Jean Valjean my brother you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I have bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God. 

Wow

Oh Brother about Oh Sister

QUOTES ON WOMEN BY ULYSSES EVERETT McGILL

“Believe me Delmar, woman is the most fiendish instrument

of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man.”

“Deceitful, two-faced she-woman.

Never trust a female Delmar,

remember that one simple precept and

your time with me will not have been ill spent.”

Oh Brother

I thought I would share some quotes from one of my favourite movies.
We watch it every so often and always get a kick out of it.

Blind Seer: You seek a great fortune, you three who are now in chains. You will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek. But first... first you must travel a long and difficult road, a road fraught with peril. Mm-hmm. You shall see thangs, wonderful to tell. You shall see a... a cow... on the roof of a cotton house, ha. And, oh, so many startlements. I cannot tell you how long this road shall be, but fear not the obstacles in your path, for fate has vouchsafed your reward. Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation.

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Pete: Wait a minute. Who elected you leader of this outfit?
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well Pete, I figured it should be the one with the capacity for abstract thought. But if that ain't the consensus view, then hell, let's put it to a vote.
Pete: Suits me. I'm voting for yours truly.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well I'm voting for yours truly too.
Delmar O'Donnell: Okay... I'm with you fellas.

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Pete: You miserable little snake! You stole from my kin!
Ulysses Everett McGill: Who was fixin' to betray us.
Pete: You didn't know that at the time.
Ulysses Everett McGill: So I borrowed it until I did know.
Pete: That don't make no sense!
Ulysses Everett McGill: Pete, it's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.

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Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!

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Delmar O'Donnell: Oh, George... not the livestock.

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Ulysses Everett McGill: I'm not sure that's Pete.
Delmar O'Donnell: Of course it's Pete! Look at him!

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Ulysses Everett McGill: You two are just dumber than a bag of hammers!

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Ulysses Everett McGill: I detect, like me, you're endowed with the gift of gab.

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Pete: Do not seek the treasure!

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Delmar O'Donnell: Well that's it, boys. I've been redeemed. The preacher's done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting's my reward.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Delmar, what are you talking about? We've got bigger fish to fry.
Delmar O'Donnell: The preacher says all my sins is warshed away, including that Piggly Wiggly I knocked over in Yazoo.
Ulysses Everett McGill: I thought you said you was innocent of those charges?
Delmar O'Donnell: Well I was lyin'. And the preacher says that that sin's been warshed away too. Neither God nor man's got nothin' on me now. C'mon in boys, the water is fine.

too cute

and sometimes you just want to look at cute
so here it is

my solution

My solution to the problem that I had.
I get cold feet in bed.
I like microfiber or fleece sheets.
Martin likes cotton sheets.

My solution was to take one set of each.
Spilt each in half and sew them together up the middle.
(I made my side slightly wider : )  )
Boy am I smart.

three stories about basking

Story #1
Last week I went with Anne to the doctor to help with the twins who were getting their 6 month needles. While in the waiting room there was a lady who asked questions about the babies - names, how old, how big when born etc. I answered some of the questions and Anne answered the others. The lady then asked a question that Anne answered and she looked at me and said, "You are not the mother - she is (indicating Anne), I thought you were the mother (indicating me) and she was your helper." Well, that was quite a boost to my ego. I wanted to ask her if she was getting her vision tested soon but thought the better of it and decided that I would have to just bask in the compliment. 

Story #2
A number of years ago I was standing next to my father at church and the new pastor walked by. He had met my dad but had not yet met my mother. The young man stopped and asked my dad (indicating me) "Chuck, is this your wife?"
Maybe one shouldn't be too quick to bask in anything - particularly a compliment.

Story #3
 In the fellowship hall at church on Sunday Martin was talking to an old friend who he hadn't seen in a couple of years. Jack had been asking about our kids because Anne and Andrew had performed a song with some others during the offertory and Jack asked if any of our other kids were there. He looked over towards me and saw that I was talking with Tena. He asked Martin, "Is that your daughter Karen talking with Anita?" Jack had thought my friend who is less than a year younger than I am if she was my daughter. Yikes. Bask away, Tena.

no particular reason

 Somebody saw a used light bulb and thought
...hmmm...
maybe I should use this as a vase.

There are some brilliant people out there.

There is no particular reason that I put this picture up
except that I do not feel creative enough to write something clever.
And I sort of promised myself that I would blog more often.
I was going to commit to every day but some days will just not work
so I put the bar low enough that I can leap over it with ease.
I can put up some random stuff and that will have to be good enough.
It is not like the blogging world is begging me to produce wit and wisdom.

speaking about bucket lists

As mentioned the other day that I have a bucket list.
It is a bit fluid at the moment and I really should do some updating.

But one thing on it is possible, if somewhat unlikely to achieve.
At least if you hear my Mom tell of it.

You see, my mother does a wonderful impression of a female moose endeavouring to capture the attention of a male moose. This information was gained by watching a nature show ( a favourite pastime of my mom's )
The female moose does a sort of stomping with her hind feet which will send all sorts of mating vibes all over the wilderness to attract the bull of her dreams.

When my mother first saw the nature show she attempted to describe this activity to us. We played dumb and got her to show us how it was done.
Up stands my mother and a frenzied sort of dance ensued.
It really it quite the spectacle to see. 

Now for the item for my bucket list.
I would like to capture forever by a video recording my mothers moose dance.

She is on to my plot and will not co-operate.
Not for a family member and not for a stranger.
Not in the fellowship hall after church.
Not when people in Connecticut ask her if she will do it.
     Please, they said, we have only heard about it and
     would love to see such a thing.

I told her the other day that I will wait, if I have to, until she gets a little loopy in her old age and I will have the video camera ready. 

Dance Momma Dance

Acrophobia

I don't much like heights.

When in Toronto I quietly freaked out while standing on the glass floor of the CN Tower.
The fire tower in Dorset was only scalable to a certain height and then no one was going to get me to go up further.

I usually find going up easier than coming down, but I would just as soon keep my feet in level ground.

I think the worst part of being around heights is when someone is near the edge and plays fearless.

I have on my bucket list - the dream of spitting into the Grand Canyon.

Don't know why. I just do.

Maybe one day.

sounds like I am not the only one

or so I have been told 

but say it ain't so

rebellion

I never thought of myself as a particularly rebellious child. Most teenagers rebel in ways that completely freak their parents out. But, except for a extremely brief attempt at smoking cigarettes, I had never thought that I had tread the oh-so-dangerous waters of rebellion.

Then again, there was an instance I recall, back when I was in high school. I had heard that it was possible, and even sort of expected, to pull pranks on your neighbours on the night before Hallowe'en.
Pranks were to be of the toilet-paper-strung-through-tree-branches or the soaping-of-windows variety. I chose the soaping of windows one because we were not allowed to waste toilet paper at our house. So off I went with my bar of Zest gripped tightly and criminally in my hand. I do not know what excuse I offered to get out of the house but there I was walking down the street - free to pillage at will.
The problem was was that I liked my neighbours. We liked the girls next door and I had started babysitting for the family behind us and Bill from next door was a real nice guy. Nope, couldn't do that sort of thing to my neighbours - they were too nice. But with the soap in my sweaty little palm I had to soap somebody's window. So I snuck around the side of our house . The garage window was mostly hidden by greenery and so I didn't feel quite so evil. I began soaping away.
I can't remember what I wrote or too much else about the incident save for the fact that the next spring we were cleaning up the garage and Mom noticed the soap marks on the window. She asked me to clean it up and so I did. Thus ended the evidence into my brief foray into the crime of graffiti-ing.

bananas

that reminds me

I have to go to the store to get bananas