29 November 2008

december.already?!?!

Oh hey! The forecast is calling for snow tomorrow night and Monday. Here! in Mississippi! wow!

I think seven years ago it snowed on the farm, the falling snow would melt as soon as it hit the surfaces so we didn't even have ground cover, but still all the schools and most of the businesses shut down and the county tried sanding the roads (but since we are not in the snow zone, we don't have snow removal equipment and the county and all its peoples always freak when it even LOOKS like we might get snow). Hell, someone spits out their window and the car behind them thinks it's raining and swerves to miss the drop of wetness, crashing into oncoming traffic. Yeah, we're that much fun.

Five years ago, I woke early one morning in Tupelo and watched it snowing while it was still dark. I woke Scott up, crowing like a child, "it's SNOWING, it's snoWING, it's SNOwing". Then the sun came up and the snow was no more. Pretty while it lasted in the air, tho.

28 November 2008

i did it, i did it, yea me

Between all the cookie baking, bread making, birthday celebrating, wine tippling, friends & memom visiting, thanks giving, hot pad crocheting, new laptop customizing, resuming counseling, car fixing, gift giving, card writing, package sending, nap taking, book reading, tea drinking, and other activities that have kept me busy this month; I wrote, wrote, rewrote, edited, and wrote some more, here, there, and everywhere.

tah-dAHHhhh

now to resume my giddy giggling.

*wink*

ah mizhertz thet

as i was puttering about the kitchen, fixing a spot a tea; my attention snagged on what i thought i heard from the tv's commercial:

"...so next time you're at the doctor, request this simple cleaning; it could save your life!" then there were the listing of consequences of colon cancer, including the stats regarding death.

my brain went, whaaa...? "simple cleaning" and "colon cancer" don't really belong in the same sentence said by a chirpy smiley upbeat couple.

then i realized, simple screening. they said, simple screening.

go straight to the garage. do NOT pass go. prepare to spend two hunnert bucks

This morning, the Fix-it Dudes sent someone to pick me up and retrieve my car around 8. Once the accounts were settled and I gave thanx many times to many people, I pulled my newly tanked tank outta the fix-it dudes' pitted pavement parking place. I noticed my "low fuel" light was on and my indicator was down past the "E" into the get-gas-get-it-now-do-not-pass-go-prepare-to-spend-two-hundred-dollars area. I live dangerously so I drove to the grocery store to pick up pudding mixes cuz I hadda craven'.

After Piggly Wiggly {i like that name, it's fun to say, it's fun to hear, it's fun to type/write}, I drove toward home, knowing that there are several gas stations between PigglyWiggly and the edge of town. I pulled into a place where I've gotten gas plenny o times and put in about five and a half gallons (cuz that was ten bucks worth. today, definitely not yesterday's price, and probably not tomorrow's, but it was today's). As I was pulling out from the gas station's pitted pavement parking place, I noticed my my "low fuel" light was on and my indicator was down past the "E" into the get-gas-get-it-now-do-not-pass-go-prepare-to-spend-two-hundred-dollars area. STILL.

Now, that's not right {I said to my Self}. And then my car s.s.s.s.s.s.stuttered and did the herky jerk and I thought {to my Self, cuz dude, who else do you think to?}, "if it were gonna happen, best it happen now" and I headed back toward the fix-it dudes. It was touch and go for some time, and I thought I was gonna have to call their tow truck to come get me {and the car} but fear not! for it made it there.

The fix-it dudes put it into their fix-it area and I fell asleep in the waiting area under the magazine rack and awoke to find two small children eye to eye with me (that's not as difficult as you might think what with them having four eyes and me having two; theirs are small). One child was slightly awed, slack jaw and all and the other was solemnly slurping on a lollipop. After it became clear that they thought I was the troll guarding the magazines, I granted their request for Hot Rodz in Hot Dames (hey, parental discretion is not my duty when the parents are staring at me stupidly) or whatever the glossy was called.

Looooong story somewhat shorter, I was home about noon with instructions to return with the car on Monday morning cuz dude, chittichittiBANGbang I am not.

{{dude! my word verification is: butfuhx}}

i was over there commenting on a friend's post when i was momentarily stumped by how to fun.net.tik.lee type those infamous Law and Order sounds. since i can never decide exactly what they are and how they sound, i went with --->{duhn.DUHN}<---

then i collapsed in snickers when i realized what the verification word for that comment was.

chortle.snort.choke {yes, i can be that juvenile}

27 November 2008

and then came the winged monkeys

This getting up, dressed, and to the store by 3a is ridiculous and I can say that I have never joined in the Black Friday shopping craze. Nor have I ever been tempted to do so. In fact, I think that I don't even know any one who does. At least, not knowingly do I know anyone who feels the need to strap on their magical shoes and sally forth to do battle with other crazed zealous hunters of marked up bargains.

There are a few folks I know who are mavens of fashion, bargains, or both. I myself must be of a particular mindset to engage in the storm of sales, and that mindset doesn't occur often. Certainly not when I know the entire retail world is primped and posed for action, much like a strumpet strolling on a Saturday night, pitching her wares to the eager beavers quick to snatch perceived buys, Buys, BUYS!!

So I'll be snuggled down in my cozy comforter, dreaming of sugared plums, yellow brick roads, flying pigs, and other elements of legends tomorrow at 3a.

Happy Thanksgiving

and to all a good nap!!

the snake in the dog house

No, I'm not speaking of some man who erred, forgot your birthday, or attempted to give you a drill set for your anniversary. Not that sort of snake, and not the figurative dog house. No, I'm speaking of a slithery slow moving cold blooded snake who as taken up residence in the MSU engineered, designed, and architecture built dog house with carpeting and slotted walls to allow for extra ventilation with the shingled roof sitting in my yard.

Every year, the architecture department's grad students must design and build dog houses, which are then auctioned off with the proceeds going to the local humane society and animal shelter. A few years back, I came home to find one sitting in front of my gate. It turns out that one lady who bid rather aggressively for this particular dog house that jack built didn't actually have need for one as she didn't have a dog. But she had been friends with my landlord's parents, who are very active with the animal shelter and humane society, and knew that my Shaddow didn't have her very own home where she could go when she wanted to escape my home and have her own space. I digress.

This morning, I glanced out in my yard and did a double take. Curled up along the one inside wall of the dog house was a lump of something that was sluggishly uncurling itself and rearranging coils and curls like a vain sorority girl. My brain s.s.s.s.s.tuttered and my eyes fluttered a few times while my mouth dried up and my heart sped up and my mind expanded and then shrunk into a lil critter trying to scurry and find safe haven.

The dogs did not seem at all concerned about their guest. For all I know, they might have gotten it drunk on eggnog and decided to let it sleep off its hangover. Come to think of it, that may have been what happened to the quart in the fridge.

Cuz I know I didn't drink it.

25 November 2008

there's a hole in my bucket, dear liza

Dudes! there is a hole in my gas tank. I know we all feel that our wallets have holes, that the gas tanks are siphoning gold straight from our pockets. But when I say that I gotta hole in my gas tank, I meant it literally.

So after only putting five or ten dollars worth of gas into my tank, keeping it well below the half-way mark, and doing this for weeks; I finally took my car to the fix-it dude and held my breath.

One thing that I really like about these fix-it dudes is that they take care of me in ways that are very courteous and never make me feel like I'm imposing. So the one dude boosted me into his truck's cab and drove me home cuz they didn't want me sitting in the hard plastic chairs and cuz I wanted to revisit my snuggly bed before the sheets lost the warmth of my snoozing body. Then, right as I was waking up, the other fix-it dude called to tell me what was what and how much it'd be to fix-it.

It's a huge lot. It's gonna take more than a straw to fix the hole, an axe to cut that straw, a stone to sharpen the axe to cut that too long straw, and water to wet the stone to sharpen the ax to cut that too long straw to plug the hole in the bucket, dear liza. One way or another that gas tank just sucks the money up. But! as memom points out, it'll cost less to fix-it than to buy another car.

it's all in how ya look at it.

23 November 2008

sharing the chucks from my email


My dear family and friends,

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, but Christmas is tight this year. I
will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.
Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.
The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.
Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.

Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:
* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe
* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

22 November 2008

it's ALLlllllllllllllllll goooooooood

Memom is leaving tomorrow morning. This visit was so good; well most of our visits are~~it's just that this one went so fast and was jammed packed with all sorts of activities and friends and chit chats and wine and cookies and pumpkin breads and pumpkin rolls (o.m.d.g~~oh my droolin' gawdah). The pumpkin roll is similar to a jelly roll, but filled with cream cheese and other creamy goodness that makes your eyes roll into the back of your head with creamy bliss.

Yesterday, mom made a chicken in the crockpot with steamed veggies and that was good. The pickings went to the furrbees and they thought that was good. Then today mom used the rest of the chicken and made a creamy soup with lots of veggies and some angel hair pasta and (say it with me) that was good.

Now my freezer is just as jammed packed with all sorts of goodies as our week's visit was. So, I'm pretty much ready for the holidays. Folks will be receiving plates of cookies, creamy pumpkin pies, and lovely pumpkin breads {as per usual}. I'll also be including crocheted lapghans, hot pads, washclothes, dishclothes, scarves, hats, and such with gifts as I go visiting or entertain folks here, at my home.

I think that my friends realize how very special all of those homemade items are; but I have noticed that many folks who have no idea what all goes into them don't really appreciate them. My own observation is that because I crochet items quickly and move from one project to the next with seeming ease, that Scott never really "got" what handmade custom articles are worth. I know he never understood how cookies, breads, cakes, and pies were not only suitable but that most folks are smitten with these items to add to their festive tables. As a result, he would often degrade my efforts and dismiss my activities.

Oh well, his loss; on soOOOoooooo many levels.

*grins*

21 November 2008

hot pads! hot pads! gitcher one piece hotpads!

I've been whipping out these one piece hotpads which are nice and thick and double-sided for mom before she leaves to return to her home. These are all different sizes, different densities (as I used different sized hooks to see what was what), and different stitches. Rather, it's the same stitch (single crochet) but I chose to show the "wrong side" and the "right side" on different hot pads so that I could decide which I prefer.



The brown one turned out especially well, as I love the associated coffee and chocolate warmth that comes to mind. You can see both the front and back of that one, as I wanted to show the details. This is the seamed side, as you can see the raised diagonal line on the "front" (with the "wrong side" of the single stitch showing). The "right side" of the stitch is actually on the inside of the hot pad.



This pic shows the "back" of the same pad as shown above. These are quick and easy; fun to make!

A few folks may be getting these as Holiday gifts!

{wink}

20 November 2008

who's who? me, that's who!

It started while I was still in high-school. Continued thru-out undergrad. Then again during my master's program. And you got it! When I was working on my PhD. So now, I am not surprised to get on of these again.

Who's Who has lots of subdirectories that focus on specialized segments of the population. When I received my very first letter of invitation to apply for approval, I was so very excited. It seemed to be the crowning glory for my academic achievements as a senior and I was thrilled.

Then I started to read through things a bit more carefully and realized that not only do you have to pay to be included, but then you have to actually buy the book! What sorta honor is that? It smacks of ego stroking, sorta like vanity publishing; folks don't have to like you, cuz dude, you like yourself enough for all of us!

The one I received today takes the cake and provided for more than a few snickers and snorts; afterall, I got an entire entry's material of capering and jeering, whilst thumbing my nose {ala Tom Hulce's Mozart in Amadeus, if only I could imitate his hideously horrid high-pitched screeching giggles}. Cuz the opening line was too rich to keep to myself.

{ahem, *clearing throat* read in the most lofty accent *sniff.sniff*}

"You were recently appointed as a biographical candidate to represent Starkville, MS in the 2008/09 edition of Who's Who Among Executive and Professional Women" {emphasis theirs}.

I think it is safe to say that I am many things, but at present? Executive and professional are not among suitable titles. Oh, those silly money-grubbing ego-stroking panderers. sigh, when will they learn that folks of true worth don't need to pay to see their names in print.

19 November 2008

curiouser and curiouser

Dorothy Parker said that the cure for boredom is curiosity and that there is no cure for curiosity.

I agree. I cannot remember there ever being a time when I was bored. I'm sure there was. But I had to have been confined and unable to exercise my own curiosity.

There is ALWAYS something to do. I never do nothing. Even if my only activity is breathing, I'm alive. And that, that is doing something.

I could never understand when folks whine about being soooOOOooo bored. I think it's more likely they are boring. And lazy.

And that's pathetic.

yer'n class, our'n class, their'n class

After groggily stumbling thru a shower, I joined my mother in the kitchen before we left for the day's activities. We drove into town, to the new coffee shop "The Little Building Cafe", for a pear preserve muffin and some brew. The cafe is very eco friendly and quite innovative in some nifty ways. All the foods they use are grown within a hundred miles of here, so the coffee? Alabama beans!

Then, we went to Adria's stamping class. We made some pretty nifty gift boxes and frames and visited with the lil girls. The eldest sold all her cookies so she has some money toward her camping trip and feels pretty proud of herself {and well she should!}. The lil'st was sorta cuddly and curled up in mom's lap for awhile, and then climbed up into mine. Her mom told her that they came to our class yesterday {the girls are homeschooled and with all the measuring and such, it was a fun filled field day for them}, so now we came to her class today. The lil'st thought that sounded good and so she asked what we all were gonna do tomorrow, mizz debRAH?

I don't know about all y'all, but I'm gonna sleep in!

girls' day with the girls

Well, yesterday was a full whirlwind of a day but one of the best afternoons yet. In the morning, Adria brought her girls out and while I went to town for an appointment and to run some errands; Mom helped the two lil girls measure, mix, and bake their cookies. When I returned home, it smelled so good with warm sugar and melted butter and melted chocolate chips. The girls were jumping about and smiling and bragging and crowing and talking over each other and mizzzz debRAH have one, have one, try one of mine first!

Kids are so fun, and it takes so little to make them happy and their burbling bubbling bursting giggles makes ya giddy just being around them. After a few hours of us all sitting on top each other, and moving around as tho we were executing some elaborate dance; the little snug space of my home began to seem too cramped for three visiting adults and two busy children. Just when I didn't think my home could be any more cozy, my friend Jacki came in with lots of ooooh and ahhhs and the girls got to share the cookies and the whole baking experience all over again.

Soon afterward, Adria and the lil girls left. The lil'st one was asleep before she was properly strapped into her seat. The eldest didn't last long after the tires began to sing on the pavement. Adria said that they both woke long enough to fill their dad in on all the fun before zonking out for the night.

Jacki had not met mom before, but she has wanted to for years; so she was thrilled to finally visit with her. We opened the remaining bottle of plum wine that Mom'd made and before long, we were all telling so many stories and laughing so hard that the dogs glued their noses to the window to gawk at the noisey capering women within. After Jacki left, mom and I settled into our jammies and made pizza and watched "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and an old episode of Law and Order. Both of us were up way past our bedtimes.

Now that I'm an aging woman, I gotta back off on the partying.

17 November 2008

cookies! and pies! and breads! oh! my!!

My friend, Adria, is an arts instructor. She teaches children and adults in a variety of materials and methods. She herself does commissions for others, mostly preferring charcoal and pencil sketchings as her most beautiful and meaningful work. She is an amazing person, godly woman, wonderful wife, fantastic mother, and extraordinary friend.

She is bringing her two lil girls out to the farm tomorrow morning. The eldest of the two girls is nine {and a half, mizz debRAH} and she will be making a soft oatmeal cookie that will be complex enough to challenge her, but simple enough for her to make the dough and bake them with minimal assistance. She will be able to use the cookies in her own attempts to raise funds so that she can go on a week long camping trip next year. Also, cookie baking is a requirement for one of the modules she is completing for her group (which is like girl scouts, but I think is called "path finders" or some such). She's terribly excited, and memom and I have already prepared a small area for her, set aside the ingredients and got all the cups and spoons and things ready. Everyone's kitchen is their own, so she can't very well be expected to know where I keep the vanilla and the oatmeal, y'know?

Her lil sister, my lil'st friend, is four {and a half, mizzzzz debRAHHHHH}. She is very inquisitive and does not want to be left to the side on anything (and really, who can blame her?) but I want each girl to do their own cookies, so that they each have something that is really THEIRS. For my lil'st friend, I've decided on a simple recipe of three ingredients. She can open and mix all the ingredients because there is NO measuring involved. She can take her time and DO it all by HERSELF!! Which is important, y'know? Cuz she's a big girl now. Her cookies will be a soft vanilla cookie with chocolate chips. Yum! Fun to make, fun to bake, and fun to EAT!!

Memom and I have already baked pumpkin breads, soft butterscotch cookies, soft chocolate cookies with dark chocolate chips, and peanut butter oatmeal cookies with raisins. I've mixed up a batch of pina colado cookies and a double batch of soft chocolate chip cookies ready for baking in the morning. At the moment, we are listening to Alice in Wonderland and mom is tracing quilt blocks for me using a cabbage rose pattern. I am about ready to call it a night and hang my apron til the morrow!

some virtue is only skin deep

It's not just what you do that counts, but what you would do if you were sure that you wouldn't be found out.

16 November 2008

cute lil butt

He just casually strolled along, in no rush. I could tell he knew I was watching his lil butt twitch, agape and s.s.s.s.tuttering as I tried to draw my friend's attention to him. "Quick," I finally spit, "turn around! Look behind you!" I jostled chairs outta my way, bumped into memom, and then he was gone. No one had seen his saucey smirk as he sauntered outta sight, taking his cute lil furry mouse butt with him. No one, but me.

I've been running a bed and breakfast lodge for extended friends and families of entire societies of mice who've settled in with me and the furrbees for the winter. This particular one probably is bragging to his buddies how he strutted past not one, but THREE aghast females. Yeah, he'll probably be scoring free drinks for weeks on that one.

There's a slightly larger emboldened free-ranger that's been scampering about across my shoes, up over the body-sack project I have ongoing (hi, nutella!!), past the ballarina bear (thanks, sweet anne!), sniffing the candle (thanks, memom!), before dodging past my box of pencils and things (waving frantically at bonny). Ranger Rick has nothing on this dude! I don't know why I lunge for the mice; it's not like I'm gonna scoop one up in my cupped hands and set him free outside. He'd just run around to the special entrance around back, and let himself in; pissed that I made him go outta his way.

And I don'wanna go pissin' off the mice.

julia sez, drink the sherry for the cook!

Memom got here yesterday late afternoon, early evening. It was dusk and the wind was picking up and she kept saying that it was too cold to be Mississippi. We got everything unpacked and put up and then we went out to eat at my favorite chinese restaurant and that was my HAPPY BIRTHDAY dinner {yea! thanks mom!}. Then we went to WalMart and got some baking supplies and came home, where we made up the bed with freshly laundered linens and quilts and got in our jammies and snuggled down. Then we kept each other up way late with chit-chat and catching up and then somewhere along the second cd of the audio book for Alice in Wonderland, I fell asleep.

This morning, before I got out of bed, mom gave me my gift bag of special birthday surprises. A corkscrew to go with the two bottles of wine she'd made me. Wine glasses to go with the corkscrew to go with the two bottles of wine she'd made me. A very special card, a batch of muddy buddy, and my very own recipe box with recipes!

Then while I cleaned and rearranged and cleaned some more, mom made breakfast of eggs and bacon with toast and we decided it was not too early for wine. While I cleaned up breakfast pans and plates, and impersonated Julia Child's tippling; mom copied over more recipes for me.

Soon we will begin baking and friends will join in. First up: triple batches of chocolate chip cookies. Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday than with love, laughter, chocolate, and wine!

15 November 2008

yea! you let me be myself! {peter}


Family Guy cracks me up, Stewie (the baby) is the best! Every now and then, Peter (the dad) will say some funny shit. Brian (the dog) delivers some great lines with such dry wit that I end up tittering long after the scene has moved on. Cleveland (friend) is so droll, unintentionally.

My fave Stewie line: I feel right, Brian; I feel right.

14 November 2008

memommee's comin'!!!


My mom is coming tomorrow and staying thru next week! I'm so very happy! She's gonna be here for my birthday! We will bake! Cookies and Cake! We will sew! Hats, crochet, embroider, quilt blocks, bobbins, oh! my!! We will make baskets! I will speak with exc!a!mat!on po!nts no more.

promise!

*wink*

onehundredunderonehundred and then some

This afternoon, I went to the Greater Starkville Development Partnership's artists' reception for the show "100 under 100" {100 pieces of art, priced under 100 bucks}. There were wonderful people and wonderful artwork and wonderful food. I never ever thought I would say this and those of you who know me well may be shocked! beyond endurance, but...I think I had way too much sugar and ended up tossing my plate with a few cookies {literally; there were some pfeffernuss remaining on my art deco plastic plate that were just too much powedery sugar, I mean, I coulda choked on all that dustiness}. My fave foods were the chocolate dipped strawberries and the carmel and chocolate drizzeled prezels. I am only slightly less fixated on food than I had been. Progress is pithy.

The artwork was wonderfully diverse. There were sculpture, photography, oils, acrylics, multimedia, pencil, charcoal, etc. I met some of the artists; but the most fun I'd had were with my friends' little girls. Adria takes great clean lined pictures and then sketches based on them. Since her subject material tends to be children, this makes sense. One of her sketches shows a little girl holding her hat on her head so it wouldn't blow away while she is looking down while skipping across a puddle. That little girl is now nine and not so lil anymore. Another was of lil tiny feet with corn pebble toes sticking out from under a blanket. The feet {and toes} belong to me lil'est friend (showcased in many entries here) who is now not the baby with the tiny toes, but is four (and a half, mizz debRAH).

One artist had such cool perspective that it was great to sit and talk with her. She uses her kittens as her inspiration for her pen work. Of special note was one piece drawn as tho from a mouse's perspective, looking out her home's hole at the portion of the cat's face and eye while Kittye sat waiting for the mouse to venture too close, within paw's reach.

But my fave was a grouping of work by a woman (who was not present) whose name I've forgotten {sigh. i think it was jeanette, or janette, lorman, or norman. ratz} but whose subject matter included some of my favorite objects: trees, leaves, tea cups, and swirls. Very simple, with lots of rich colors and wow! were they wonderful! I will get her name right, next time I'm in town. I thought I'd remember it.

musta been the sugar talking

13 November 2008

eureka!


the webcam, i successfully installed it! wahootee-hoot

now if only i could figure out why and fix the damn problem with not being able to use it on AOL/AIM. which ya know, is sorta the purpose for a webcam. mostly i use mine to take still shots of my projects, cuz most everything i make i give away and i'd like to at least have a pic in my own file of my creations!

to tessellate...

...is not naughty; tho it certainly sounds like something that you'd flirtatiously engage in with a rather intimate partner.

It actually is the fitting together of repeated shapes to form a solid pattern. Triangles, squares, and hexagons fit nice and neat with their own shapes.

However, octagons don't fit with other octagons. They do fit with squares in the spaces left as other octagons don't have the right angles to fit into the spaces, without leaving gaps.

So, I've decided to make an afghan of large hexagons. I've already used a rose skein, which made about 20 rounds, a nice size. The finished afghan will look something like this:

i'm im'ing

Well, I finally made it to a coffee shop downtown where to my delighted surprise, I discovered yet another wunnerfullest thing about my rebuilt laptop...it has the wireless chip! So I can connect without yet another pesky ol' wire {yea! i'm all about saving the ports}. Whatta jaw-dropper, eh?

After I caught up with the proprietor (again, i apologize for letting so many months go by without coming in to read my reads and write my writes and drink my drinks and haunt my haunts; please accept my sorries! puhleeeeeeze. i beg of you {obviously, but here lately, i like stating the obvious, tis soooooooooooo reaffirming. and validating. and all that other self-talk stuff}) , I met the new barista {Andy, and he was just so very charming when called me "Miss Debra" with such respect, either I'm a great Domme, or a great Dame} and got my swe'tea wit a shot of blackberry and no ice kthanx.

Because I have dialup here at home (no digital nor broadband services are avail out here on the farm, I shit you not), I could not successfully download and install the software for the two instant messaging services I use. So since I was planning to visit with a friend and type her responses to some of her required paperwork (I type faster than I can talk, and that, my friends, is pretty damn fast) so that she won't get so confused and overwhelmed later, I thought to myself, "Self, whyn't I stop by the ol' coffee shop and download some stuff zippittee-zap fast?"

So, that's exactly what I did.

Yahoo! anci47 (cuz Anci was my name for years, and when I first signed up for Yahoo! Messenger I was working on my PhD and my student ID was dkb47, cuz dkb are my initials and i was the 47th dkb at MSU~~in hindsight, wasn't the best screenname cuz I'm not 47 nor was I born in 47 and that there 47 tends to confuse folks. but come to think of it, anci47 is a good screenname if for now other reason than it weeds out the morons. not all of them, but some)

AOL/AIM: dkb11161970 (cuz dudes, dkb are my initials and the numbers refer to my birthdate: 11/16/70. which means that this sunday i am another year older. well, that's not exactly true, cuz aging that year was gradual, like it took a whole year. not as tho it happens just all of a sudden, like POOF! ya were 37 and now, yer 38. no, what it really means is that I will have completed my 38th year and am about to embark on my 39th. and i think that is the pluperfect tense. i will have completed this coming sunday. ya just never know what sort of feats you'll find ri'icher on debra's dose)

come by and see me sometime {*wink*}

learing at the pussy


ding-ding-ding! thanks for playing along! the children's poem to which the previous post refers is Edward Lear's "The Owl and Pussycat". he's a very solemn looking man, unless he is dancing, and then let's face it, we all look a bit fey.

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.


Egads! I just now discovered that The Children of the Owl and Pussy-cat starts off:

Our mother was the Pussy-cat, our father was the Owl,
And so we're partly little beasts and partly little fowl,

11 November 2008

sharing the chucks

check it!! yournamehere shares his wit, in all its sticky goodness. {yum}

"For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note: Thanks for the sticky cock."

delving in the original debra's daily dose

My friend, Brenda, whose birthday is today; had copied for me some of my old journal, the very first one I had, Debra's Daily Dose (which predates the old Debra's Dose {which is the predecessor to this one, but whose entries have been transferred and posted here}). She just sent the document to me and I was scrolling thru the old pages and dude! have I got a lil sumpin-sumpin to share with ya!! but first...

what children's poem includes these lines?

'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month...and other hours too

In addition to being Veterans' Day, today is also the birthday of two very good friends. One friend is Jacki, the pamperer of the last entry. So today, after I went to my first counseling appt since August (she's back from maternity leave); I stopped by a new coffee shop and picked up some sweet potato muffins and coffee for Jacki and me and spent the afternoon visiting with Jacki. I will most likely see her tomorrow to help her complete some paperwork (dastardly government agencies.damn.sigh.doubledamn. that'd be damn.damn.). My other friend lives about six hours away, so I don't see her often. We've known each other for over twenty years, and have managed to keep up thru lots of changes, children, drama, drugs, diagnoses, disabling conditions, dudes, and ya know, other life happenings.

My father is a Viet Vet. It's been about two years since I've seen him, as I've not been out there (waving westward) and he hasn't been here recently. Altho I don't see him, I do think of him often. He has a long history with the VA, one of love/hate I'd say. He's a proud vet, even if he's not always proud of his government's actions (of comission &/or omission).

08 November 2008

kickin' it, southern style

Today was such a good day! Lemme tellya alllllllllll about it. mmK, first, I woke up and drove myself down to the clothing give-away at my counselor's church. You'd think since I got there at 6:35am, only five minutes past the start of the event, thaat I'd've been one of the few there. You'd think wrong. There were so many people there that I just stood in the corner for a few minutes, gawking at several not-so-subtle fights, tug-o'-wars, and hissed fits. I refuse to scrabble amongst garments (or anything else), snatching them from the claws of others. If they want the articles that badly, I concede; no contest.

Since I do have an adequate closet at the moment, I mostly went thru the dresses, skirts, and dressy things. I did find a few things that just screamed "debRAH, ohhhh, DEBraaaa...you want me, you know ya do". After chatting with a few friends who organize the bi-annual event, and holding the lovely cute baby (who was the recepient of one of my baby mats), I drove to visit my friend Jacki for the required fashion-show.

One dress that I absolutely love was surprisingly long (I'm about 5'6"ish or 5'7"ish), puddling over my shoes and making me wonder if I had eaten any Alice cakes (or was it the drink she sipped that shrunk her down?). I mean the dress was sorta hippy-ish (go ask alice, i think she'll unnerstant) and that's part of its charm that captured my attention in the first place. Also for some odd reason, my breasts were smashed, overflowing the square cut bodice in an amazingly abundant display. Perhaps the designer made this dress for a tall willowy thin no-chested woman. I got curves. But I still like the dress.

There were a few denim tops that are very cute on me and one of them goes with a long rayon dress that is summery, but I'd worn it this afternoon when Jacki and I went out to eat. Another find was a very nice wool-blend navy fitted skirt. Very sophisticated.

I also did something which I've not done before: got second-hand shoes. My feet are not tiny, but they are small, with very high arches. I have trouble finding shoes that fit. I like shoes that have a bit of a heel on them, they make my pelvis/hips and lower back feel much better (odd as that sounds). But usually, I can't find dress shoes, or sandles, or actually any sort of footwear, that allows room for my high arch to fit into the shoe/boot without being so wide or several sizes larger. SO imagine my surprise when I found a great pair of leather Naturalizer's that fit perfectly!!! wahoo!

So while I was at Jacki's, we got to talking and she remembered that the other day I'd been complaining about my upper right shoulder crimping and spasming. While I was in and out of various outfits, I'd grimaced a few times. Jacki got her oils and her pallet and discovered that my entire right side from the waist up is knotted and knurled and in spasm. Alternatively, my entire left side from the waist down is in the same condition. So after a wonderful massage, she buried me under lots of warm swaddly cuddly feather ticks and cotton sheets and I slept the blissful sleep of a happy baby.

I woke wonderfully refreshed and my day continued to be fabulous. Jacki and I went for a lovely chinese dinner, with great conversation, laughs, and fabulous friendship. She treated and I drove.

Now, I'm home, freshly showered with a hot mug of tea at hand. All the clothes are put away, the shoes are scrubbed clean and treated. It's been a great day, whatta way to spend a Saturday. Grins.

cock grease, devil's delux, swagger cream, high life, lucky tiger, and layrite


Pomades, in case you aren't a Dapper Dan Man, are so plentiful that it makes me glad that I'm a woman with fewer decisions to make about grooming products. I read recently that on average women use 25 (that's twent.tee.five) products every morning in their ablutions routine. At that astonishing news, I was once again confirming that I am not the average woman. According to that, I'd be way less than the average woman. Cuz I use toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, and...what else, nope. I think that's it. Less than a handful. So, that'd actually mean that I am way more than the average woman cuz it means that I don't need to make me over in order to be presentable to the rest of the world.

Now, I add another product to my morning or evening routine. Well, really, it's more like the "whenever i happen to think about it" routine because it's that time of year when my skin starts to suck all the moisture from the air and since the air is drier about now cuz the heater takes it all before my skin gets its fair share. In fact, the heater tends to suck all the air moisture and then robs my skin of its moisture too. So that means I gotta add moisture, besides just using a humidifier (cuz my lungs need some moisture in the air that is breathed, too).

I love Paradise Gold's Cocoa Butter Premium Cream with Shea Butter & Vitamin E and Elastin and Glycerin that is available at Walgreen's for a few bucks. My skin sucks it up and sighs before bursting into glorious song. It's thick and buttery, while being non-greasy; it has a lovely rich cocoa scent that lingers without being overpowering; and if I liked it anymore than I already do, I'd be doing some amazingly indecent sorts of things with it and then posting pictures.

Oh, right. *blush*

07 November 2008

free yer mind...the rest will follow

En Vogue's "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and "Free Your Mind" are two of my favorites. So I was especially delighted when they guest starred on "Don't Forget the Lyrics", singing for three fabulous charities, including St. Judes and two other children's cancer foundations. One of the things that I have always liked about this group is that the girls can be extremely down-to-earth and very modest, and yet as women are so very self-confident and sexy. I've been borrowing a page from their book these past weeks, and it's been wow'ing my peeps.

{grins} *winks*

I Wrote a Good Omelet

One of my favorite poems is Nikki Giovanni's "I Wrote a Good Omelet". See if it doesn't tickle your innards, too!

"I wrote a good omelet...and ate a hot poem...after loving you
"Buttoned my car...and drove my coat home...in the rain...after loving you
"I goed on red...and stopped on green...floating somewhere in between...being here and being there...after loving you
"I rolled my bed...turned down my hair...slightly confused but...I don't care...laid out my teeth...and gargled my gown...then I stood...and laid me down...to sleep...after loving you"

ALERT: Feed me, Seymour!

Now, I've tinkered with GOOGLE Reader over the recent years and have not been able to easily access it with reliability. I think it's cuz of my dial-up. So I had also started a FeedBlitz account so that I could get my alerts from those folks that didn't use AOL/AIM journals after the whole ad-banner debacle back a couple-few years ago. Over time, I'd forgotten I had that account cuz sometimes I don't really pay much attention to certain eMail. Oooohps.

So when all of us fled AOL/AIM journals and jumped onto the blogger/blogspot bandwagon, I poked about the service and discovered that not all the folks' new entries that I followed would show up in my dashboard. Eventually, we figured out that those employing the adult content filter were left off the dashboard all together. Damn, damn, and double damn. sigh. That means that all those adultly tart sites that I keep up with are left off the radar. Sorry, pear-dude.

There are all sorts of ways to go about fixin' this. The author can add your eMail address to their list. But they can only add ten addresses to that list and for folks that have a readership more than that, well, it'd become a pesky lil popularity contest that most of us would disdain on principle. You can subscribe to various feeds &/or other services that act as a faithful Rover without the slobber on your newsprint. You can remember to actually make the rounds, going to visit the blogs you like to follow. And I'm sure there are other options that I've not yet heard or thought of. But let's ignore those, shall we?

Which made me think of...hey! I already have an account with a service that will notify me of any new entries as they are posted! I will open my eMail's inbox and Poof! there the alerts will be. Gosh, I coulda had a V8 *slamming a virtual hand to my forehead*

Just in case ya didn't know, here is the link for FeedBlitz. It's free. It's fabulous. It's freakilicious.

Well, ok. Not freakilicious. It has no taste what so ever. And I like that.

{next up: i will change my linkees to a different shade so that ya can tell when i've activated a word instead of treating my entries like a freaking treasure hunt of sorts. or not. hint: click on the word FeedBlitz.}

06 November 2008

'tis a nonagram comin' atcha


I thought I'd share a portion of my latest crochet piece. It only took a few hours, this evening, cuz I was tinkering about with it. Since my webcam is not working, I scanned it in and selected just a bit cuz dude! my scanner is not indefinitely large enough to show the whole thing. It's a simple pattern, using double crochet as the predominate stitch. I used thread, instead of yarn. Perhaps it will make a good washcloth, dishcloth, or even a doily of sorts.

I'm fond of this pattern and have adapted it to various sizes and yarns/threads and number of sides. I like the solidness of this versus clusters like a traditional granny square technique. Image this as a larger size, with bernat's softee chunky, and you have a wonderful baby blanket which can be spread on the floor and used as a baby mat instead. Easily washable and the perfect size/shape for an infant not yet crawling but able to push themselves up far enough to scruch about some. Since babies are popping out left and right, my friends are finding these to be just the ticket. I can usually kick them out fairly quickly and so have been making a kabillion of them all summer and fall.

This one is the focus of the last entry.

Tying myself in knotty nots

Thinking my thoughts and crocheting myself into circles, octagons, hexagons, and nonagons (which is an octagon with an oohps! {which in my case is when I've added an extra cluster of stitches at the center so now I have an extra panel} such that the shape is now nine-sided instead of the standard eight) has resulted in some rather odd notions and arriving at some conclusions which I'd been considering as alternatives instead of admitting them to be the ruling reality.

I've been slowly coming to terms with some things that I'd been letting percolate in the back of my mind, but not really letting myself directly examine. Last week, I admitted that I realize that even if Scott were to be someone that I could trust again; well, truth be told, there are so many other reasons why I would not ever want to be with him again. I was settling and I deserve so much more.

Asking myself if I could ever trust him again was the wrong question. The issue of trust is huge, yes. But even more so are all the other things to consider. Old habits die hard, and after all that time of holding myself back so that I didn't leave him too far behind; after having made all sorts of excuses and explaining reasons and giving defenses for that him...well, I realize that all those things were to talk myself into being with him. It is very hard not to continue to pull out all those explanations and excuses I've made for him and not buy into them myself anymore.

Cuz let's face it, there is no reason for me to do that. There never was.

It's taken me some time to get there, but it is a very obvious conclusion that just smacks me about the head. Repeatedly. The best part is that I'm getting there, to that realization, on my own. So it's not like I feel like someone else is persuading me.

Realizing that for myself, admitting that allows me to let go.

Which brings me to the next point, which is seeing me as me and not defining myself as fulfilling a supporting role. There is lots to see and lots I don't know about me and some discoveries to make. There are lots of unknowns and it can be overwhelming, and scary; but also very exhilerating and freeing. Not holding myself back so that I don't outshine and outsmart him is so very liberating.

While coming to terms with what is not is not quite the same as coming to terms with what is; I do feel that I am less constrained. Now, I can breathe.

Thanks for being so accepting, supportive, encouraging, and understanding as I continue to go thru this transitioning from who I tried to be for someone who never deserved me to being me.

05 November 2008

04 November 2008

donkeys...

...the official asscot!

from my newbie post in the "book chat" group on Shelfari

newbie, me!

hi! i recently discovered shelfari and am glad to be here! i do not remember a time when i didn't read, altho i'm sure i was not born doing so. as a child, i'd read the cereal boxes, aloud. i'd read the road signs, aloud. i'd read ev.ree.thing, aloud. mom eventually got me to understand that she'd trust that i really could read, and didn't have to read aloud to convince her. i do love to reread certain books, and i don't really own as many books as i'd like to (but then again, who does?). i don't really understand how it is that someone could not like to read, altho i do know quite a few folk that fit that bill. bookmarks? well, it depends on what i'm reading and where. sometimes i use greeting cards or postcards that friends have sent to me. for awhile i used wallpaper strips, but some of those have gummy adhesive and that's not a great idea when paper is involved. sometimes i use the public library's check out list of due dates. there is a book of quotations that i have on the washer, in the bathroom, and i've been using a sheet of toilet paper (unused of course, cuz ewwwwww). i read everywhere. i used to read while commuting, but eventually i stopped doing that cuz it scared my passengers. grins, debra

03 November 2008

do yer duty!

Whilst visiting with my Friend and her girls, and some other friends, we adults got to talking about tomorrow's vote. The general consensus seemed to be: can't wait til the damn day is over and the relentless campaigning goes away, dammit. One rather self-important man was waxing about how we all each and ev'er one of us'ns ought to do our duty and get out there and vote, after all it's a gawdah given right. I was actually beginning to hear extremely patriotic music as his speech began to take on the thundering proportions that only the self-righteous can manage to carry off with such penache; when all of a sudden a lil four (and a half, mizz debRAH) voice piped up, "do yer doody? why's that man talkin' bout poop, mama?"

Why, indeed!

where my stitches be at

My webcam is not currently working, so I am unable to take a pic and show you the loveliness that these here lil hands hath wrought. But I can describe the rather humorous cat-fight resulting from my presentation of a huge queen-sized {that'd be queen sized mattress, not a slight regarding anyone's size...cuz tho they be queens, they be svelte} octagonal deep dark purple with light soft lavendar trim afghan, but I won't.

Let's just say that I was feeling the love.

me & my mantourage

Yeah, so I've always felt that certain men put me on a pedestal {in order to gawk up my skirts} and today I received confirmation that indeed, I do have the power! Fellowette bloggeire Kathy over at Flamingo Row sent me an audio card with the righteous message and strong beat along with lovely soothing chamomile tea and a very special issue of Crochet Today. And best of all, she sent this for no particular reason other than I rock!

And sometimes roll right off the pedestal.

Thanks so very much, Kathy; you the woo-wooman!

02 November 2008

shelFARi

Oh, blame it on Nutella, tis all her fault. She introduced me to Shelfari and that was days ago. I've been going thru my bookshelf here next to my computer, and then going thru my leaky memory, and then going thru a posted list and then...well, I may have been going overboard with it, but if you go peak at Shelfari, you might fall in love too.