Musings and Mutterings

All Kinds of Feelings – 262

Posted on October 8, 2012October 8, 2012 by Sharon

I’m having all kinds of feelings today. I’m frustrated, antsy, exhausted, sad, happy, blessed and distracted and my mind is racing hither and yon, so today will be a mish-mash kind of blog…

First off, a site I’ve been on since 2007 is going dark in a few months, so I’ve been working on moving my content off that site. Sadly, they weren’t offering a way for blogs to be imported to WordPress, but they were doing so with Blogger and Tumblr. I do have a Tumblr account I messed with before I found WordPress, so I decided to try exporting to that format. The tool they have successfully exported my blogs from 2010 to now, but everything from 2007-2010 is still in limbo. And nothing has a photo attached to it anymore. I’m downloading the media I had on file with Multiply, but what a pain to have to go through and figure out what photo I had attached to what blog. Le Sigh…

Today is… gray. Blah.

Hubby pointed out to me that it’s almost been a year since we looked at the house we eventually bought. Although the official Camp Nini anniversary isn’t until March, we first visited at the end of October. Strange how that point made me realize the progress we made in less than a year’s time. Somehow, I get it in my head that all things must be done within a very small and finite time frame, and when it doesn’t occur, I feel as though I’ve achieved nothing. Well, that’s just horse hockey, but try telling me that when I’m in the middle of feeling inadequate because I haven’t completely gutted and redecorated, landscaped and painted the whole place in less than 6 months! But then, every now and then, I have a head-slapping moment and realize that it’s ok and we are on track and progress *is* being made. Duh.

Our annual Harvest Dinner is fast approaching and I’m looking forward to having at least two kids home for a bit. Even with the reduced children, we’ll still have a nice household full of people. I think the current head count is over a dozen. Makes me happy to just think about it. New this year; people will be contributing a few things here and there. I’m hoping this will expand the culinary delight and reduce some of my frantic freaking that there won’t be enough for everyone. Trust me, you could feed an army with what I provide, but don’t try to tell me that while I’m in the throes of prepping and cooking. Better for me to see a menu in advance and then realize I don’t have to make that one extra gallon of gravy or supplement dessert with 15 different kinds of cookies.

Preparations for France are still underway. I got a confirmation for concerts in La Madeleine, Notre Dame de la Riche and the Normandy Memorial (on July 4th – AWESOME!), as well as participation in a Mass at Notre Dame. I guess it’s time to start the count down, since there are only 262 days left until we leave. This time I’m taking a whole cadre of familiar people with me. I’m excited knowing Jenny, #4, B, and Nancy will all be going. Should be fun!

Musings and Mutterings

Where in the world will #900 be?

Posted on October 5, 2012October 5, 2012 by Sharon

I currently have 899 views of my blog consisting of the following countries. I wonder where number 900 will come from!?Let the drum roll begin… Country	Views
United States	253
Indonesia	16
Brazil	15
United Kingdom	14
India	6
Taiwan	5
Canada	5
Australia	4
Italy	4
Colombia	4
Nigeria	3
Venezuela	3
Germany	3
France	3
Hong Kong	3
Philippines	3
Argentina	2
Nepal	2
South Africa	2
Thailand	2
Republic of Korea	2
Malta	2
Turkey	1
Greece	1
Ukraine	1
Switzerland	1
Mexico	1
Panama	1
Kuwait	1
Sri Lanka	1
Albania	1
Pakistan	1
Azerbaijan	1
Bulgaria	1
Russian Federation	1
Bahrain	1
United Arab Emirates	1
Spain	1
Benin	1
Syrian Arab Republic	1
Egypt	1
Israel	1
Sweden	1
Uruguay	1
Trinidad and Tobago	1

Musings and Mutterings

Hometown Homecoming

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Sharon

Not the best photo, I admit, but I wasn’t expecting a parade either.

Last night I went to O’Lordan’s for their Happy Hour Blarney Burger. Trust me. It’s a good burger, and for $5.50 it reaches into the AWESOME category. A big, juicy burger topped with bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato along with a side of asparagus and applesauce; it’s a deal! For those of you who like those nasty things called onions, your burger would have onions and your sides would be waffle fries and cole slaw, but since I can’t eat that, my typical burger night treat is alongside fruit and veggies. Hubby added two black and tan’s to his meal and we were still out of there for less than $25.00. Sweet!

Still being relatively new to the area, we’ve tried to find different ways to get around town. Last night we decided to explore the alleys. After having driven through Baltimore earlier in the day to get home from a downtown meeting, and being led through some dicey spots by my adventure seeking GPS, I couldn’t help comparing the two. Alleys in Westminster are… well… cute. They run behind houses and have little garages or small buildings you would have never guessed existed. For example, we found someplace called the “Blessings Building”. It’s a place you can go if you are in need. Glittering on the street in front of it was a shiny dime. I felt blessed!

After dinner, we drove past the “Liberty Building” where a debate party was being held and then got re-routed by the police department through the center of town. It was then that we started to notice people sitting on the curbing and wondered what was up. We parked the car and headed back to Main Street in time to catch the local high school homecoming parade. It was short and sweet, but the air was charged with excitement and the kids were cheering and having a blast. I’m sure some of you are used to this kind of thing, but to me, it was a true treat. This kind of small-town homey stuff is EXACTLY why I moved here.

Musings and Mutterings

Let’s go O’s

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Sharon

Cheering on the Orioles to reclaim their first place status.

Musings and Mutterings

Lifesaver Rabbit

Posted on September 14, 2012September 20, 2012 by Sharon

Admit it. He’s cute. In a strange egg-shaped way, he’s adorable. So what if he doesn’t have arms or a tail, his smiling little face amuses me.
I have yet to name my bunny, so I’m open to suggestions.

I had read all kinds of articles about how sitting for long periods of time just isn’t good for you and realized that while I’m the picture of good health, I wanted to stay that way. I tried to look online for widgets and desktop alarms that would jolt me from my work-time clickety-clack stupor and remind me that I had functional legs, but couldn’t find anything that worked just the way I wanted. Just the way a simple kitchen timer does. Trust me… I can sit if I’m focused… or on an airplane. Fyi, even though I’ve been across the country a couple of times and over the pond 3 times so far, I’ve NEVER used an airplane’s facilities. NEVER. People, do you hear what I am saying here? I can sit on a plane for 8-9 hours and NOT MOVE from my seat.

So I decided I would find a cute kitchen timer for my office and set it to go off every hour or so. Or, like now, for the 15 minutes I have before I go to work. That way, when my timer went off with a brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg, (yepyepyep, unhuh, unhuh) I would get up and do something. Sometimes I’d go get a drink, sometimes I’d run up and down the steps, sometimes I’d just stretch. This part of my plan has worked out wonderfully, I must admit.
But what was tough, was finding a kitchen timer that you could stand to look at on your desk day in and day out. The mechanical ones are really boring and the more “kitchen” (kitschy) themed ones didn’t seem to fit. I’m not big on ladybugs – besides, I might try to put it in my bucket of doom, which is reserved for any little leggy things that invade my office. Since I like bunnies, I thought for sure it would be simple to find one that I could look at forever.

Not so much. This guy took me a few days of hunting on amazon and ebay (more sitting) and ended up costing me $14.00, since he is a fine Swiss-made time piece, I’ll have you know.

Since he’s been on the job, I find I’m more focused and I’ve danced around my office more than I had in the past. Because when the bunny brrrrinnnnggsss… and the music is moving you… the easiest thing to do during your break is to dance joyously about your office!

(I dare those of you who work in an office cubicle to try this. No one will ask you for much anymore.)

Musings and Mutterings

Happy Birthday Grandaddy

Posted on September 5, 2012September 5, 2012 by Sharon

My Grandpa would have been 100 today. I’m pretty sure he still lurks around now and then. Being the huge, vibrant and strong personality that he was, I have no doubt his energy is zipping around and having a ball. You go Grandaddy.

Personally, I just had a birthday as well and while not quite half of Grandaddy’s age, I’m on my way. I know my last blog talked about how nice it is to have someone think you look younger, but youth is more about how you think than how you look. (of course one of the kids at orientation last night thought I was 25… she’s my new favorite!)

In my head, I’m still in the 16-22 range. I don’t really think I’ll ever leave that area. That’s when I *felt* right in my skin in many ways. So, even when I finally am wrapping it up for my time on this chunk of rock – which will be when I’m 113 – I’m sure I’ll still be thinking I can do anything, because I can.

BTW, I had fantabulous birthday. Lots of good wishes, a day off work and a stroll through Gettysburg and this past weekend, friends over for a small party. Oh! And my front gardens weeded. Let me tell you, THAT was a huge gift.

Now, here’s another cool thing, though. I had been shopping for a certain wall hanging ever since I’d seen it and stupidly decided not to get it. I’d looked all over for it but couldn’t find it. I also had been hunting for an African violet, since I had the perfect place for it to no avail.

In walks Jenny, who hands me the plaque I’d been looking for, which no one told her to get! She just saw it and said, “Sharon”. And then B shows up with an African violet. Again, no one had told her I was looking for that, but yet, there it was. FREAKING AWESOME!!

Maybe it was Grandaddy going around and whispering in their heads. If so, thanks Grandaddy. In any case, much love to all.

Musings and Mutterings

305 – Around the World in a Casino

Posted on September 5, 2012September 5, 2012 by Sharon

Hubby and I went to a Casino about an hour from where I live. I’d never been there and thought it would be fun to check it out. Heck, I had a few bucks in my pocket, so that should last a good, mmmm, ten minutes, right?
Pretty much for me, however Hubby did much better. If you want to know what I mean, keep reading. If not, skip this next part and catch up later.

We entered Hollywood Casino and took a look around, trying this machine and that. We typically scan them all for a favorite of mine called Hex Breaker, but that seems to be gone now. My other favorite was Luck Fortune, but that one is probably obsolete as well. Seems the newer machines won’t let you play your chosen increments of money anymore. They dictate combinations for you. You used to be able to decide if you’d like to play 1, 2, 3, or more monetary pieces per line. (1 cent, 2 cents etc..) Then you got to assign how many lines you wanted to play. Some machines only had 12 lines or so and others had 99+. This meant you could customize your play to you could round off your winnings to even numbers, or play that last penny on one line.

Now you only have a choice of what predetermined coinage you will play on your choice of predetermined lines. ( 2 cents for 30 lines, 2 cents for 60 lines, etc.) This meant two things. First, your money went quicker and second, you had odd change leftover on your ticket that you couldn’t play! In my world, .36 cents is still good money!!

As we scanned the room, I noticed a few themes in the slots. Tons of wolf and buffalo games, but what stood out to me where the ones that touched on all the areas we’d traveled. First there was Michaelangelo, then there was Moulin Club, then Stonehenge and one called Lady of Spain. Well heck, we’d either been there or seen the site, so why not go with what you know?

So, after making the rounds, I decided I was going to play on the Breakfast at Tiffany’s game because it had a cute orange kitty that reminded me of my old cat Scamper. I sent Hubby off to play the “around the world” games. While I was spinning away, a guy who was in his mid thirties came up and sat next to me. He rubbed my machine to bring me luck and started flirting. FLIRTING! I’d hit the jackpot, but it wasn’t on the slots.

Now a little flirting is ok, and I wasn’t being too responsive because I am easily distracted by shiny, noisy, sparkling, spinning things and a cute kitty, but this guy wasn’t taking the hint. Enter Hubby. You’d think he’d see some guy with is wifey-poo and be just a touch interested, but no. He told me he’d won some and then lost some. I suggested that the next time he won some, he should cash out and bring me the ticket. And off he went! Just like that, with this guy sitting next to me. Fine!

When he’d left, the guy asked me if that was my boyfriend, to which I said, “No, that’s my husband.” I would have thought that would have made *some* impact, but I guess not. Realizing that my game was not as distracting anymore now that I was losing money, I cashed out my ticket much to the chagrin of my admirer. He asked why I was limiting myself. (DUDE – it’s gambling… and self-control!!) When I flippantly said I had to save some pennies to feed the kids, he wanted to guess their ages.

Guess what he came up with…….. 2, 4, 8 and 10. PAHAHAHAHA!!

I looked him square in the eye and said, “Ready? 31, 27, 25 and 23.” You could have scooped his chin off the floor. Truly dumbfounded he sat and calculated for a few minutes and asked me the year I was born. When I told him, he just shook his head and ran his hand through his hair and said the words that were the equivalent of the mega millions for me.

“Man, I thought you were a few years younger than me.” DING DING DING DING DING!

I thanked him for the birthday present and said I had to go find my Hubby.

In the meantime, Hubby had gone off and won on every slot machine on his ‘around the world’ tour and handed me a ticket for almost $100.00. Woo Hoo!!

Musings and Mutterings

Clothing Optional

Posted on August 23, 2012August 23, 2012 by Sharon

I had the decadent delight of having a clothing optional weekend. Why is this of interest you ask?

Well… it was just so sensual.

I don’t mean sexually sensual – although clothing optional can lead one down that merry path – but I mean it was SENSE-ual.

I’ve always loved laying across my bed to air dry after a hot shower and feeling my fan curl eddies of air currents over my skin, but this past weekend went beyond that.

I think this is the second weekend since I’ve moved into this house where the only inhabitants were Hubby and I. No complaints here, since my home is typically full of laughter, sound and love, but once in awhile, it’s nice to have peace and quiet last ALL day.

I woke up without really being awake on Saturday, and ended up dragging Hubby in bed with me so he could spoon me while I slept a little longer. That in and of itself is a miracle, since he normally falls asleep before I can and he snores, so I never get to sleep. Anyway, this time I got to sleep and it was fantastic.

When it finally sunk in that we were well and truly alone, we felt the only natural thing to do would be to take off all our clothes! We’d always warned everyone that if we got a house out in the sticks they should call ahead for better service, especially if we’d decided to be clothing optional that day. So unless they wanted to be terrorized by seeing us nekkid, then they’d better phone in a request! It had been an empty threat for too long, so hubby and I stripped bare and began to live in our house in the buff.

And forgive me, but what better way to enjoy being in the buff than to take a dip in the pool, right? Out into the silky water we went. The water was cool and the sun was hot and the sensation from the water across my skin was something that is hard to explain, but was awesome. But, EVEN BETTER was when I climbed out of the pool and lay on the deck in the sun. Oh my!

I’m not going to become a nudist, but it was amazing to me how different everything was with the simple removal of a few bits of cloth! The sun on every part of my skin was glorious. I couldn’t stop smiling. It felt decadent and…. natural.

We’d recently had guestw stay after a party and needed to deflate one of our queen-sized mattresses. Problem was, we couldn’t find where our friend had hidden the bed. Eventually, it occurred to us that it might be in the playhouse. Sure enough, it was there, and while Hubby was bringing it back to the main house, he passed by the pool, paused, and then pitched the bed into the middle of the pool. Huh??

This isn’t a small bed, it’s actually quite tall, so it was a good 32 inches above the water line. Hubby lined it up, took a step back and then launched himself so he landed square on the bed. He rolled over, quirked and eyebrow and me and crooked his finger. Hmm, in order for me to mount the bed, I was going to have to take a flying leap from the edge of the pool and hope I made it. I did, but almost ended up wetting the darn thing since I was laughing so hard. Then Hubby and I rolled onto our backs and looked up at the setting sunlight reflecting in the gathering clouds. We picked out pretty pink doggies and orange ladies and commented on the brilliant oranges the sun made against the foliage that surrounded us. As night continued to fall, the gentle lull of the bed on the water would have been soothing, if the dogs would have stopped barking….

But they didn’t, so we brought in our make-shift raft and put on our clothes and returned to the regularly scheduled program… which was already in progress. Sigh…

Musings and Mutterings

Moulin Rouge

Posted on August 21, 2012August 21, 2012 by Sharon

Never knew I could feel like this
Like I’ve never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Every day I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time

Come what may
Come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
And there’s no mountain too high
No river too wide
Sing out this song and I’ll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather,
And stars may collide
But I love you (I love you)
Until the end of time(until the end of time)

Come what may
Come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Oh, come what may, come what may
I will love you, Oh I will love you
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place

Come what may
Come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Musings and Mutterings

Summer Flight

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Sharon

You know, you wait for summer to come along and you think of all the stuff you’d like to do and then you plan all the stuff you’d like to do and revel in the thought of all the stuff you’d like to do and then you start doing all the stuff you’d like to do, but all the stuff you have to do tends to interfere with all the stuff you’d like to do and even if you make time for all the stuff you’d like to do, by the time you do that stuff your summer is almost over and you still have a bunch of stuff you have to do and a bunch of stuff you’d still like to do.

What’s up with that?