KnitKnacks

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September 30, 2004

What IS this?

There is all sorts of packing. Packing is sooooo vehicle dependant! I like driving in the car for the simple fact I can take my pillow and a whole bag of shoes! Flying is obviously a tad bit restricting and flying out of the country tends to make me really scrutinize just what I really cart around without thinking.

So, in light of making light..I decided to go through my purse and all the little zipper pockets and bags. Hmmmm, I found this really great key, I'm sure it's important and it's certainly in a very safe place. I hope when someone asks me for this key that I recognize that I do indeed have it and know where I put it now that I have removed it from my purse for this trip. God, it's fun getting old.

So nighty night all....see you next week maybe from Brazil, maybe when we get back. All I know is *I* won't be taking my computer with me.

Posted by frani at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2004

Thoughts of Rod Stewart..

Didn't Rod Stewart sign a song about "Jean"? Update: Nope Rod McKuen. At anyrate, this morning we are experiencing what is left of Hurricane Jeanne. I must say I can appreciate the severity of the real deal when I can see first hand what leftovers can do. Debris all over...buckets and trash cans rolling around out in the street. The wind...hhhmmm..I don't think these gusts are anything to write home about compared to a hurricane but it's loud on occasion. I think this is enough for me thank you.

I'm supposed to be packing to go home today. Ok, so I've packed some and played some, packed, played. I can't put stuff in the car in this weather! We've finally decided to leave my car here and travel together. For me the draw was certainly not having to make the drives by myself to and from VT today and back down again. I might start to hyperventilate at having only one car home but geesh, we'll only be there a couple of days either side of the trip to Brazil! I think I can handle that.

Brazil......we leave friday evening. Go to Dulles where we get a direct flight to Rio. Business class, thank you. Thank you FF miles as well. We'll arrive in Rio Saturday morning and stay here over night. then sunday we'll journey by buses to Hotel do Frade in Angra dos Reis. I think I'm excited..I think at this point I'm at the anxious stage and will remain that way until we are actually underway; by that I mean on the plane to Rio not Dulles. Packing will be a pain; So will I want long pants for that horseback ride to the falls even though it will be warm? shoes...I'll need one bag just for shoes! aaaaggghhh!

In the meantime...I need to quit playing and get packed for home....I need to remember to pack things we will need to repack for Brazil. ta ta for now...rats...dumb playing...here's a break in the weather and I don't have the majority of stuff packed.

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Posted by frani at 08:31 AM | Comments (3)

September 28, 2004

Rainy day in Connecticut...

Somehow that doesn't quite have the syntax it needs for song lyrics...

The nice windshield installer people are supposed to come by to replace my windshield today...hhhmmm...I suspect I might be having to wait until I get home to Vermont to have it done. We don't have the option of having them work under a carport or in a garage here. I doubt my holding an underbrella for them would suffice. I am also worried though, that one more good crack to said windshield would have it in my lap, resulting in my having to pick bugs out of my teeth for the remainder of the drive home. ppsssttt...that is sort of why I wanted it done down here...well then, Fran, why didn't you do something about scheduling this work before yesterday morning? Damn, that inner voice can be such a smartass. Update: yea! Windshield installer guy calls & asks if I can go to his shop at 10am. Yes...no glass in lap, no bugs in teeth.

Maura called me yesterday. Yup, Morgan and Nora came over and brought her and Kieran a wagon that was Great-Granny Morna's. Daddy is going to give her a ride in it after Kieran's nap. It's kind of dirty but they are going to check it out anyway. Show and tell is the next day and she is going to bring Daddy's special syrup and tell about how it's made. Hehehe, I suspect there might be interesting dinner table talk at Miss Morton's if Maura starts out with hanging buckets from a couple of hookers on the trees in the backyard. snort.Gee I wonder if Daddy had any influence with what Maura has chosen to take to her very first show and tell.

Her Daddy's first show and tell (nearly 27years ago, yes some things remain quite vivid even in one's sometimes diminishing memory)went something like this:

Demian: This is my baby brother, Morgan. Mommy went to the hospital to get him a couple of weeks ago and I had to stay home with Daddy and eat hotdogs a lot. Then I went up to the hospital to see him with Daddy...

Teacher interrupts with Question: So Demian, Tell us what your baby brother eats.

Demian annoyed with interruption of his prepared speech says in a disgusted tone: He doesn't EAT anything. Now when Daddy took me...

Teacher interrupts agains with: Well, tell us why doesn't he eat anything, Demian?

Demian with even more annoyed scowl but also look of why is my teacher a moron?: He doesn't eat anything Because he doesn't have any teeth! He drinks milk!

Me leaning over to whisper to teacher: I think we could get into more touble here if we don't let him finish his prepared text..I've heard it and I dont think we have to worry about the content.

Me also wondering if teacher was a moron opening up alllll sorts of cans of worms concerning eating habits of infants....

So Maura, about those hooks....

Posted by frani at 08:13 AM | Comments (2)

September 25, 2004

Weekend in New London

Coffee(s) of the day: we started out on a high with Jamican Blue Mountain and didn't step down much with the Nicaraguan Maragogype. Bet you are thinking I must like that one...yup. The JBM was especially tastey this morning as well.

Morgan and Nora are coming to visit this evening and over night...Yea! yippee! We haven't had many visitors to our apartment here so this will be a treat. Guess we haven't even spent a whole weekend and or Saturday here for that matter. Maybe we'll actually take Morgan's kites he lent to me down to the beach and give them a work out. Stay tuned...there might even be pictures.

We spent some part of the day looking in thrift stores and antique stores for Coffee accoutraments...found nothing for the most part. We found an Enterprise#2 coffee grinder but it's top piece was missing; not worth it even it was about a third of what the going rate is for one.

We hit the local coffee roasters/coffee bar and ordered up a couple of double espressos..blech blech...amazing how awful someone can screw it up! blech blech. Then we thought we'd try some other coffee place and although it had a decent cafe Mocha, it was really an upscale restaurant. Yum....good clam chowder! I now know where to go for lunch/dinner with friends.

The rest of the afternoon was spent reading, napping, making apple crisp and getting dinner ready to start.

Love technology...Morgan text IMed from his phone...they are on their way. Have a good evening all

Posted by frani at 06:18 PM | Comments (1)

September 23, 2004

I maimed and/or killed a squirrel on the interstate this afternoon. It made me physically ill when I noticed I didn't kill him outright. Poor thing had to suffer.

I was going slow enough to keep the VT State troopers in their semi-concealed spots but not slow enough that my heart rate didn't go up a notch or two when I finally saw them.

I've decided to construct a sign to carry with me in the car...sort of a flash card type thing that I can put in my side window as I am forced to pass someone on the right who is hanging out in the left lane..." Keep Right except to Pass"..I think I won't add ", Moron!"

I used my cell phone to call 911 while traveling on I-91 in MA. Someone just sort of careened off into the median right in front of me...kicking up all sorts of dust and debris. There was quite a dip in the median...I mean geographically of course, but the car managed to stay upright. Maybe he had fallen asleep...maybe he just got stuck too far left and lost control. There is always the chance he just nodded off or zoned out while driving..the car had NJ plates so he had a long way to go yet BUT there was also a chance he was physically impaired. I only thought for just a split second that I was actually Tattling on a left lane hoggin' New Jersey driver. Hey he could have had a heart attack or a stroke...the troopers HAD to go check it out! Really...I did a good thing...right?

The trees are beginning to turn.......it was a beautiful sunny day so the golds, reds, oranges, yellows were popping out nicely...along with lots of green still. Next week's trip home could be quite pretty as well. Maybe the camera will have to travel up front with me for a change.

I forgot to mention yesterday that some truck kicked up a rock that hit my windshield on the way home. Actually there must be something about the aerodynamics of this car that makes it susceptable to flying rocks...I'm always hearing things hit my windshield and I have quite a few chips anyway. Looks like I'll be getting a brand new windshield though...a finally noticed a crack in the lower right corner after a particularly hard hit and now the crack it has traveled a fair amount across my windshield...sort of the Ivan of windshield cracks...it's starting to turn on itself.

Speaking of Ivan...I met a guy in the petfood store today who, when asked if he had a food saving cards, stated he didn't live here and when pressed to sign up, stated he was actually homeless..having once lived until recently in Pensacola, FL. He mused he didn't really care if Ivan returned since Ivan got everything he had the first time around. I mused that maybe our snow and cold wasn't looking so bad afterall. Yes, I'm sure you all will remind me of that fact when I'm complaining about the snow and cold in a few months.

In the meantime...have a nice sleep all...

Posted by frani at 08:40 PM | Comments (2)

September 22, 2004

Open wide....

Mouth please. I drove back home today for my root canal. Now I have to say the procedure isn't all that bad except for well maybe the numbing and the clamping and such. The office got backed up too so I was there for a while....I like the nitrous though. Good people and they take good care of me. At least I also know that this wasn't a result of anything I have done or failed to do since I've had all the (expensive) work down in my mouth. whew.

The trip home was fine...Not too many left lane huggers...only one State police in MA who was really only pulling out to check on a motorist on the side of the road up ahead. Had me nervous there for a second.

I also go home in time for my "moms Lunch"..well 10 minutes late but I made it. Hehehe I think our "children" are past the age of worrying about our having lunch together and now want all the news we can remember.

Dolly's little girl Bella is pretty darn cute!, Michele is a nurse ( finally) at Dartmouth medical center (Shaggy is at VT law school) and could have sworn she saw Chris Smith there recently (I thought that that was certainly possible). Patti has taken up trap shooting and got a 20 gauge...um something repeater(?) for an anniversary present. Mona thought she'd stick to baking and making lasagne, thank you. snort...we need to have lunch again real soon because we din't nearly have enough time to catch up fully. Of course we made a scene at the restaurant and everyone wanted to be sitting with us because we were obviously having a good time.

I had such a good time that the root canal is nothing....I think...but then again I haven't fully denumbed yet.

Have a nice evening all......

Posted by frani at 06:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2004

Cat lovers

Calling all Cat people! Don't know what to get that cat lover for Christmas this year? How about a calendar featuring The Cat Brothers. My friend's brother took the photos of his two cats and made this calendar for next year......go help him out if you like cats...need a calendar...whatever. It's awesome; I love it!!

Posted by frani at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2004

You know me..........

The banner read "Giant Fireworks Show Here September 18th". We couldn't see anything more about it and said we'd go back to check it out. We didn't. Saturday night while hangin out in the living room, I could hear the start of the "Giant Fireworks show" the next town over. Hhhmmm...and it continued. ...and continued...and continued...and I lay there on the love seat and listened...20 minutes, 25 minutes...30 mintues. The Phone rang...I told Greg to tell Liz it's still going on; I knew it would be her ready and willing to console me. Yup..she called to ask if I had starting twitching yet. yup..Twitch twitch. The Grand Finale lit up the sky and I missed it. I could see the red glow from our home but not little else.

sigh.

So, we drove back down to New London this afternoon. The Connecticut drivers were out in full force alll the way down the interstates hogging the left hand lane. Keep Right except to pass!!!!!!!!!!!! Please! The homeland scrutiny folks were out in their usual place; this time they just looked at me and said thank you, have a nice day. Racial/ehtnic profiling?

More sighing.

All unpacked and ready to go get a movie and see what's for dinner.

Posted by frani at 05:35 PM | Comments (4)

September 17, 2004

More tests.....

Extroverted (E) 72.73% Introverted (I) 27.27%
Sensing (S) 56.1% Intuitive (N) 43.9%
Feeling (F) 51.61% Thinking (T) 48.39%
Perceiving (P) 62.86% Judging (J) 37.14%

Oh yeah...that's me alright...wanna play? hehehehe...ya think?

Posted by frani at 04:55 PM | Comments (1)

Observations....

Yesterday I had an opportunity to have lunch with my mother-in-law and some of her new friends at the Residential Living facility where she now resides. While listening and conversing with all of them who are probably in their 80s, I came to realize just how pleasant the conversation was...words like refined and gentile came to mind. Yes, maybe I did sit up a little straighter and paid attention to my own grammar and manners. Nothing wrong with that.

Today, I heard my neighbor's grandchildren visiting next door and I remembered I had been asked if I could hunt up some photographs of our pet pig to show them someday since Owen ( the 4 year old) was quite facinated that someone had a piggie in their house. So I got down the box and found some photos of Dan and brought them over...we had quite a discussion about how he had grown soooooooo big and how we used to go for walks with his harness and leash. For a second, something else caught Owen's attention, (a passing bug I believe) but as we were sitting on the steps, he put his hand on my should and said " Fran, thank you very much for showing those pictures of your pig to me".. I'm not kidding! I was floored and told him it was certainly my pleasure to find them for him.

Sigh...just when I thought we were doomed as a society..where the f* word was as common place as ..as...whatever, here's a little boy who not only has been taught well, but uses what he has been taught without prompting. I'm impressed. I also might point out that this little boy has been through the wringer in his young life as well, with an illness that has had him in and out of hospitals and chemo and Lord only knows what no child should have to go through. I'm even more impressed...

Maybe this next generation will bring us back from the brink afterall!

Posted by frani at 12:03 PM | Comments (1)

snort.....

I have issues with...

religion health patience fame walls

Take Word Association Test

Posted by frani at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2004

Clean Living.......

Ok....I must be doing something right somewhere! What looks like our driveway is in reality a right of way owned by the city of South Burlington. It's dirt/gravel and whatever else anyone has ever dumped and we've driven on over the last 20 plus years. since it's dirt, however, it tends to get some "depressions" in it from time to time...water pooling and such. Over the years the city has been very good about responding to my mentioning that it may be time to fill in some of these potholes before we lose the exhaust systems on our cars...not to mention the danger to small children and family pets. I just happened to flag down a city maintenance truck yesterday and mention that it just may be that time of year again to fill in before the snows fly.....Lo and Behold...holy moly and all sorts of awe...they were just here dumping some stuff! Less than 24 hours!

hhhmmm.don't know how long it will last though..I like it better when they dump leftover hot gravel/asphalt mix in there. Oh well, better than nothing at all! We'll see if they come back and add anything to it over the next few weeks. Thank you, thank you!

(snort, I'm not even going to make any cracks about the guy leaning on the shovel...at least he doesn't have 5 others supervising him!)

pppsssttt........reminder:

To comment: Click on Sign in link, After signing in, go back to comments and right click on the "sign-in" link and then click on "open in new window". THEN you should get the comment window!

Posted by frani at 01:35 PM | Comments (1)

..of coffee and microsoft....

Coffee of the day(s): Sulawesi Toraja Grade 1 ("deep toned character, syrupy body, buttery, carmelly when it cools")It's not my favorite but it's growing on me.

I've been having one of those weeks where I have all week to get something(anything)accomplished and it just going to take me all week to do just that! Well, I've been distracted by hurt pain and suffering..root canal will be in order for me next week.

I've been playing with the information gathering for the Microsoft class action suit..hhhmmm $12 for each license you can prove you own for win 95, 98, 98 2nd ed, and me and then $5 for MS-DOS, win 1.0 to 3.2, Win for Worgroups, Win NT workstation, Win 2000, Win 200 Professional, Word Excel and Office bought between March 1995 and december 2002........yup we have thos; allll of those...many licenses of those. Yup, I have actually found some of the licenses..now then just how much of my time do I want to invest in order to receive these vouchers. Yes, Vouchers, for more MS products and some restricted to being used in conjunction with another computer purchase. hhhmmm...THEN all unclaimed settlement money in VT will get divvied up at the local school levels for school with qualifying students for the reduced cost meals program. Now please tell me, who thinks these things up??? Guess someone had it in for Microsoft huh? YYSSW...fine the bastards for their monopoly and holding all computer purchasers/maunfacturers hostage. Do I really want $60 worth of vouchers to buy a keyboard or something? I'd be willing to let the State of VT educational system divvy up all the 9.7 million VT has been allotted in the settlement...pul--eeze.

I suppose I could also get into a mighty big discussion with my techie family members over this issue anyway. Ya know what? I don't even care that Microsoft had a monopoly...someone was going to..someone HAD to! I can't imagine how nasty it all would be if there were random operating sytems and noncompatible software running amok on everyone's PCs. Please..I find the dynamics of my machine from day to day operations to be frustrating in themselves ...how the heck could I deal with compatibility issues in general! Speaking of which..I have two sons...both of them have installed Mozilla Firefox on my computer at one time or another. Now the first time really didn't have a huge impact on me...none really and since my blog looked nasty on Firefox, I uninstalled it. However!! The second installation is another matter......it pops up when I'm using links from outlook which I don't like and now my gaming sites don't work. you know...just little things like Boxerjam, and pogo and aolgames! now if a browser issue can drive me crazy, just how would a whole operating system issue bug me..or text incompatibility..nope I don't care. (pppsssttt...and I really don't care that my sons put stuff on my computer because in truth they are helping me more by doing things for me I've asked for like my blogroll....;-D...now what I really need is a program that will automatically correct my typing of the word B-E-C-A-U-S-E!)

Maybe I'm being naive.......

Posted by frani at 08:27 AM | Comments (1)

September 11, 2004

Saturday musings

I've had a couple of those weird whacks to my self image this week; you know the ones where you don't see yourself as maybe others see you or think of you? For instance, a blogger mentioning a parent's birthday...I'm thinking ahhh they must be 70 - 80...the "parent" is 57 (close to my age) My husband calls his mother every weekend...she's Granny Morna. Our son and grand-daughter (our Grandson doesn't talk much yet)call us most weekends.....calling Grandma Fran and Pop Pop Greg...hhmmm...how did that happen? Gotta stop referring to those old people on the road as Gram and Gramps!
At any rate, I don't feel much different than I ever did...just sort of just like myself, but every once in a while I see my mother in the mirror looking back out at me.

So this brings me to the reason for the conversation...we are going to the neighborhood block party in a little while. We've been in this house for 21 years and yet we really don't know a lot of the people in the neighborhood any more. Oh sure, there are a bunch of old timers like us but there are more new ones down the street and there is even a new street! Most of the new families have young children...or children in general....I'm not going to meet them at school functions or scouts anymore; I'm just not there! Sigh..some kids stopped by the other day to sell the proverbial wrapping paper for the school fund raiser; they could have been bussed in from some other school district for all I know. I'm just the soft touch "older lady" who lives behind the hedge now. But at least the kids commented that they liked my front door

One of those random emails going around: Wonder why someone sent it to me???????????????

Have you been guilty of looking at others your own age and
thinking...surely I cannot look that old? You may enjoy this short story.

While waiting for my first appointment in the reception room of a new dentist, I noticed his certificate, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered that a tall, handsome boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30 years ago.
Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought.
This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he had examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended the local high school. "Yes," he replied. "When did you graduate?" I asked. He answered, "In 1971. Why?" "You were in my class!" I exclaimed. He looked at me closely, and then the son of a bitch asked, "What did you teach?"

Posted by frani at 04:20 PM | Comments (2)

September 09, 2004

Randomness....

Frances has come to Vermont...as much as I hate rain, I guess I won't complain about her presense considerating what all she did down south. You know, I just don't think I would live in a mobile home in Florida...or anywhere else, thank you. Maybe I'll just stay in Vermont where all I have to worry about is subzero temps and a few feet of snow on the roof from time to time...and maybe a pesky ice storm. Leaf Peepers .....

Five minutes before my hair appointment this morning, I was still in my PJs and 2 miles away. I could have jumped the fence and got there sooner but somehow I just knew I'd lose a bunny slipper on the way over. Sure glad I had that appointment in my palm pilot...next time, I ought to add the alarm to the entry.

Coffee of the day is some more Panama stuff. It does seem as though there is a huge difference between brewing with the Black and Decker in new London and our super automatic at home...sigh..gotta adjust the settings on the superautomatic I think.

Had to buy 4 new tires for the "new" car yesterday. Tey don't give those boys away and Costco doesn't carry them in stock. HOWEVER, since we will need to do this again next month for snow tires for it, Ithink we'll have Costco order us up some of those ahead of time. I think it probably cost us a couple of hundred extra to just walk into a place yesterday that had tires in stock for it.

Next to Cstco, I like eBay! I've been able to satisfy all my little obsessions with a little click on search in there and have lots of fun things to choose from. ..and then I get to open packages! A fun time had by all. ahem..only 12 more purchases ( from unique sellers) and I get a new colored star level!! ohhh I'm so excited...it's right up there with the different SRA reading levels in elementary school! Hrumph...and I do remember I should have been moved up a level too and I wasn't!

Socks......today is a jeans and sock day. I love finding my socks again after all the hot and humid weather. I am NOT however, ready to put my summer stuff away just yet.

I did notice the tree at the end of the street had changed colors already and dropped most of it's leaves. Well it is the tree that does this just so the kids don't feel bad about going back to school while it's still summer, docha know.

Hope you are having a fine day where ever you are......

Posted by frani at 12:39 PM | Comments (4)

September 06, 2004

Yes!

A friend sent this to me:

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,

shouting

"...Holy S#$%...what a ride!

I don't know who wrote that orignally, but I sure do like it!

Posted by frani at 05:08 PM | Comments (1)

Laboring....sort of.

Coffee of the day is Misuku Hills Malawi which had been roasted yesterday by using a new method: heat gun over the green beans while they were swirled around in a metal dog bowl. Yes, for this experiment we went all out and bought a new dog bowl. No we haven't had a dog for many years..

hhmm..switched to some Nicaraguan Segovia roasted last week...

Happy Labor day! I've been laboring under the guise of being a slug the last couple of days but things are looking up. The sun is out and although it's kind of cool, it's still quite pleasant out there. Guess that is what Autumn in New England is all about..especially northern Vermont. (I can't help but feel for the Floridians...they have been having a nasty time of it lately with a potential for another storm Ivan to come! yikes!)

So I've finished a book...started another...read some blogs..cleaned up picked up around here a bit. Reclaimed some cabinet space vacated by the contents of the pie safe. Actually it's a little like moving things from least desirable places to less than desirable places; the end result is reclaiming my counter space. I've never really liked a cluttered counter top.

Shaw's is having a lobster sale with their reward's card so I trotted on over to grab a few (10). There was a limit of 4 but she gave me the 10 I wanted and told me to get creative. I was going to pay for 2 bags then come back in for the other two BUT in the end I just used the self checkout counter and... voila! I checked out! I didn't ask myself just how many lobsters I had in those bags! Geesh..it's so hard to get reliable help these days.

I also made some "snow" pudding...a lemony whipped geletin and egg white snow with a vanilla custard sauce to pour over it. Ahhh...I like working in my own kitchen with my own "stuff" as well. Well except for the pitcher to put the custard sauce in. I claimed that from the move my MIL made to residential care....she always served up the sauce in this pitcher and since I'me the one who is likely to carry on this family dessert more than anyone else, I get to use the pitcher. snort...actually, my MIL won't even make the snow anymore for fear of the "raw" egg whites. (Call 911 if you don't hear from any of us in a week or so.)

I then called my neighbors and complained I had too many lobsters and dessert for just the two of us and invited them over to help us out of our dilemma. They have been so great helping out with the cat feedings and mail gathering and pie safe delivery signing while we were away longer than expected....they are good people.

Hope you are all having a pleasant day..hhhmmm dont' know whether to go for a walk or "read" my book stretched out on the couch...maybe both.

Posted by frani at 08:34 AM | Comments (1)

September 04, 2004

Pie safe closed..........pie safe filled

Posted by frani at 09:19 PM | Comments (3)

Home Sweet Home

I didn't mind the repaving "they" were doing on RT 85 (secondary road and one of the main paths to CT beaches) yesterday morning ..the first day of the Labor Day Weekend. Are they freakin' crazy????? I left early enough and was traveling North but I think I saw more than a few people turn around to get out of the line going South.

I didn't mind all the crazies "traveling", none too quickly, I might add, in the left lane..well unless they were a CT vehicle such as an RV or camper, or SUV, or...ok..maybe I minded them when they didn't move over to let me by.

The point is, we're home and I like it here!

Within 5 minutes our Greg getting here, we uncrated the pie safe and carried it into the kitchen. Well, maybe we had to inch it up the stairs through the den and into the kitchen a little at a time, but it's there. I am impressed with how well it matches the rest of the kitchen...one would have thought Leo/Eldon had built it for us. It looks very much like the cabinets he built and the duration to delivery was comparable! (Photos to follow when we get it really together ie, filled)

The cats weren't too angry with us for abandoning them the last 3 weeks although ~Elmo did scream for me and track me down on the neighbor's deck where he sat outside the screen glaring at me and daring to get out of his sight. Ahem..there was also a pesky incident very early this morning when he had a food dish emergency as well and thought maybe I would solve the problem.....

At any rate...we're totally unpacked including all the delivery items..some I had even forgotten I'd ordered like toothpaste. I'm happy to report the boxes are flattened and the packing peanuts and assorted other packing crap people dispose of in the name of shipping is dealt with as well. However the shipping crate for the pie safe is a whole other issue; I don't know how I'm going to dispose of that!

ahhhh..if you need to find me in the next 2 weeks...check Vermont!

Posted by frani at 09:04 AM | Comments (2)

September 02, 2004

G-Mail

Oh yeah, I have 6 ( count them!) Six G-mail invites to give away...anyone want one? Since soooooooooo many of these are out there, I suspect anyone who wants one has one BUT just in case..here ye here, git your g-mail account here.

To comment: Click on Sign in link, After signing in, go back to comments and right click on the "sign-in" link and then click on "open in new window". THEN you should get the comment window when you scroll down.(BTW...I have also just right clicked on sign in and opened a new window and received the comment window even after I have shut my browser...I never sign out.)

Posted by frani at 11:53 AM | Comments (2)

some stuff...

Coffee of the day: Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto
Book: Bet me by Jennifer Crusie (same author who sent me off to eBay looking for Carton Walking Ware while reading Fast Women. What? you expected something deep?

Today's agenda:Packing Yes, it's true; after 3 weeks we are finally going home tomorrow. My plan is to even have most of my car packed today so I can just scoot on home tomorrow morning...umm...after cleaning out the fridge and taking out the trash. Well, my kitties miss me and I need to get some groceries. I'm sure the milk I left there 3 weeks ago has turned ugly and holding the jars of condiments hostage by now.

Then there is the accumulated mail; separating it all into piles. Total junk (advertising), semi-junk (advertising that might be worth looking at), catalogs (his and mine), bills(household and company get separate piles), personal correspondence (wait, do we even get personal correspondence anymore?)

Packages! Besides the pie safe in the garage, I um..have a few things "won" from eBay...ordered from Talbots and Amazon..I looove packages. Hey, I know I'm not the only one whose name is on an address label. fun fun fun!

And it's Labor Day weekend...the Champlain Valley Fair will still be going on. Still have a chance to get some Maple cotton candy at the Sugar shack. My favorite and probably still the best value at the whole fair. They give out a huge cone of it for $3...puny pink and blue stuff isn't nearly as big. pppsssttt...they also have sugar on snow at the sugar shack. Actually we had more than our fill of sugar on snow at my MIL's place the beginning of Aug. She had the forsight to collect a huge pan of "sugar snow" last winter for just such an occasion. Yum....urp...ate too much.

Guess I better get on with it all..have a find day all!

To comment: Click on Sign in link, After signing in, go back to comments and right click on the "sign-in" link and then click on "open in new window". THEN you should get the comment window when you scroll down.(BTW...I have also just right clicked on sign in and opened a new window and received the comment window even after I have shut my browser...I never sign out.)

Posted by frani at 08:33 AM | Comments (1)

September 01, 2004

Coffees of the day..

I've neglected my coffee of the day reports.....

We ahve been roasting new cofee about every other night lately; so far this week we have enjoyed Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto (very good) According to Tom of Sweet Maria's fame "A bittersweet "island profile" cup with creamy, buttery body". Panama Auction Lot 2004 "#2 Panama in competition, from Leridafarm, milledb Ruiz = "leru" At City+, clean Lively citric brightness with complex raost bittersweet, floral aromas, sweetens in finish" and today's contender is another Nicaraguan Organic/Fair Trade Segovia; "Great body with soft chocolate bittersweet notes, mild brightness, excellent balance."

Yup, I thought it was tasty. Somehow or another I'm not as articulate as Tom yet.

To comment: Click on Sign in link, After signing in, go back to comments and right click on the "sign-in" link and then click on "open in new window". THEN you should get the comment window!

Posted by frani at 09:50 AM | Comments (4)

Comments

I miss having comments on my blog. I know it's a PITA to sign up for typekey and then have it "fail" to open after. The trick to it all is after signing up/in, you then go back and right click on the sign in and click on "open in new window" and THEN it will give you a comment box to use. I think I need to come up with a simple instruction to use with the comment box.

Damn you Bob whatever number.com you are!

It's interesting to see the different tactics employed by various bloggers to keep from getting spammed. Some employ "type in the word you see in the box above the comment"...some have passworded sites.. today my own comment was emailed back to me with a direction to go back to the site for approval. Some use MT blacklist but I would think that would be hard to deal with "Bob". ...and then I see casino/viagra spam on blogs anyway. Sigh...

So what's the payoff for the spammers anyway? Come on, does anyone actually use the links to the sites they are hawking? Someone must in order for them to remain profitable for engaging in the spamming.

There is "someone" out there who does all those things that perpetuates the existance of all the things I find irritating. Like reality TV...like slutty clothes for preteens (or anyone for that matter)...like driving in the left/travel lane..

oh oh...I interrupt my rant for a travel update. On our Sunday drive back from MA on RT 395 there is actually a big old yellow-orange sign instructing motorists on the proper usage of the lanes. The three lanes are mapped out and in the far left it reads "passing lane", in the middle, it reads "travel lane" and the far right reads "slow lane". So there! Keep right except to pass!!!

Ok...I'm over my rant but if I ever find that "someone", I'm just going to have to have a little chat with them........in the meantime I like comments on my site...really I do...and at the risk of offending my good friend Risa...if Risa can manage to leave comments, ANYONE can..right Risa???

Posted by frani at 08:33 AM | Comments (6)