Currently Listening If It's Not One Thing... see related

It would seem my daily blog is becoming a weekly thing.

You can thank me later.

Phase 2 is underway.  There is not much to see at this point....a few poles planted in the ground and the long support screwed into place.  Actually, there isn't going to be much to see because Phase 2 is small in comparison to Phase 1, plus the lumber company backordered the long 2x6's that we need for framing, so things are pretty much at a standstill unless dh can find them from another source.

Who killed Cousin Itt?  Our poor little tree started to bud about a month ago, then the frost came.  I hope it recovers....it is not showing signs of regrowth at this point.

The boat is in the water.  We've been able to use it twice.  Springtime in Hoosierville is so very fickle, 75° one day and 45° the next several days.

The checkered lilies had no chance to recover.  As soon as one load of lumber was gone from on top of them, dh replaced it with another.  I showed him where I planted the Indian lilies (at the edges of the existing deck steps) because I knew he was going to do some work in that area and I wanted him to be aware.  He trampled them anyway.  He also advised me that he's planning on digging up another area along the deck where I had planted a whole bunch of other perennials last fall.....fuck landscaping.  I'm going to give away the flat of impatiens I purchased.  I also have 40 lily bulbs enroute (they shipped before I could cancel) that I will probably let rot in the box because planting them will only prove to be an additional waste of my time.  If they're going to get killed, I want the pleasure of doing it this time.  Maybe next year we'll have some flowers, if he plants them.

We've given up hope on repairing/replacing our existing dilapidated seawall.  After contacting the DNR we received our "application packet" which consisted of a several page application and a two-inch thick instruction book explaining how to fill it out.  Now we need an instruction book to explain the legalese in the instruction book.  Like I always say, if it weren't for bureaucracy, there'd be no work for lawyers.  We can't afford the lawyer, nor to hire the work done by a company which could secure the permit.  We did, however, find a loophole where we will not need a permit.  As long as whatever we put in is temporary, we can do what we wish.  So a temporary dock it will be.  We'll leave the rest crumbling at the whim of Mother Nature and the muskrats.  My apologies to the neighbors that have to look at that eyesore.

We're celebrating Mother's Day tomorrow instead of Sunday.

Happy weekend.

Happy blogging. 

 
      pw

Currently Listening In the Middle of Nowhere By Modern Talking see related

In the news this morning:

HOUSTON - Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said Thursday record crude prices helped its first-quarter profit climb 17 percent to $10.9 billion _ the second biggest U.S. quarterly corporate profit ever.

Big Oil gets richer as we all starve lining their pockets.  Thank you, George.  Your war for oil made this all possible.

From the "If you can't do the time" department:

I read that the frontman for the group Nickelback was sentenced fined for drunk driving, his blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.  What did his lawyer have to say?  The charges and trial have been an intrusion into Kroeger's life. 

Soooo sorry for the inconvenience.

And in local news:

Last night my job took me to North Liberty, population 1300.  Nested on the crossing of two state highways, if you pass through too quickly (as there are no stoplights to slow you down)  you may not notice the cluster of 8 or10 buildings and gas station that make up the heart of downtown.  (Some go so far as to call it a suburb of South Bend, but it is incorporated in its own right.)

When the assistant band director arrived at the meeting, she informed us that there were three (count 'em! three!) county brownies (sheriff) cars AND the Liberty patrol car parked together down the road.  This could only mean that something big was going down in a town where nothing ever happens.

Since everyone knows everyone in a town that size, she started making phone calls and soon we had the scoop:  Obama was coming to the VFW, and due to arrive at any moment.

The absurdity of all this made me laugh out loud.  That Hoosierville, with our whopping 72 delegates, (and who, in the past, has been staunchly Republicon) has suddenly become such a power piece on the chessboard of the election process, that the two Democratic candidates continue to chase each other up and down the state (each in their own way, of course) and that Obama couldn't have picked a more podunk town if he tried.  (I actually wonder who told him this one was there....he couldn't possibly have known about it without help.)  It was also amusing, after his comments in Pennsylvania about small town America clinging to religion and guns, that he picked a totally rural burgh like North Liberty in which to stump.  Wasn't he afraid of getting shot?    *smirk*

Did I get to meet him?  No....I was stuck at the school and by the time we were finished, he was long gone.  (A school, I might add, where I attended first grade.  I do not use the term podunk without knowing it from personal experience.)

I will always remember last night as the night I was in the middle of nowhere, and almost met a presidential candidate.

Happy weekend.

Happy blogging. 

 
      pw

How do you measure success?

In our case, one plank at a time.

Phase 1 is complete.  On to Phase 2.

Happy blogging. 

 
      pw

(Thanks to LaChatte for helping me fill empty blog space today with this little questionnaire....because I'm just too lazy to come up with anything on my own)

What is in the back seat of your car right now?  An old towel and tree debris, because I've been driving this week with the top down and the trees are blooming.

When was the last time you threw up? A couple of Saturdays ago, when I was suffering from a root canal and doing waaay too many painkillers.

What's your favorite curse word? Shit.  Shit is a family word, and works equally well as a verb, noun, adjective and adverb.  Versatile word, shit.

Name three people who made you smile today? I haven't seen anyone yet today to make me smile.  Yesterday it was my two grandgirls and their dad....when he finally got home from work and relieved me from babysquatting.

What were you doing at 8 am this morning?  Sleeping.

What were you doing thirty minutes ago?  Pouring coffee into my cup.

What will you be doing three hours from now? Accounting and clockwatching.

Have you ever been to a strip club?  No.

What is the last thing you said aloud?  Goodnight

What is the best ice cream flavor?  Chocolate and more chocolate.

What was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee

What are you wearing right now?  Bathrobe

What was the last thing you ate? Dinner last night. 

Have you bought any new clothing items this week?  No

When was the last time you ran?  Yesterday, after grandchildren.  Only at my age, it's not really considered running.....at least not in the fashion that children do it. 

What's the last sporting event you watched? Ummmmm.....hmmmmm.....

What is one thing you could totally live without doing? Cleaning the litter box. (I'm totally with LaChatte on this answer.)

Who is the last person you emailed? My ex-officemate 

Ever go camping? In my young married life.  We primitive camped in almost every state west of the Mississippi on various vacations.

Do you have a tan? I have a slight farmer's burn on my arms from Adventures in Deck Building.  Does that count?   Unless you fake bake, you actually need sunshine in order to get a tan.  Hoosierville doesn't officially lift the ban on sunshine until May 15.  It's hard to tan under permacloud.

What is your guilty pleasure? Dark chocolate.

What kind of foundation do you use?   Cement.   Not that kind of foundation?  Bras by Bali.  Oh..... you meant makeup?  I don't.....it doesn't agree with my skin.

Who is your cell phone service provider?  Verizon.  And despite their commercials, I get NO bars out here at the lake.  Well, we do have bars here at the lake, but not the kind that allow cell phone reception.  Glad I cleared that up.

Do you drink your soda from a straw? Generally I drink it right from the can.....sometimes I use a glass.  It doesn't seem like a straw would hold much.

What did your last IM say?   "I don't want to talk to you ever again."  Needless to say, I don't IM much anymore.....I get thrown underthebus often enough without it.

Are you somebody's best friend?  Yes, dh's.

What are you doing tomorrow? Adventures in Deck Building.  We want to finish Phase 1 this weekend.

Where is your mom right now? Marietta, GA.

Look to your left.  OK....  Is this some weird form of Hokey Pokey?

What color is your watch?   Gold.  It lives in my jewelry box and has a dead battery.  If I want to know what time it is, I consult my cell phone, if the battery isn't dead....as it often seems to be.

What do you think of when you think of Australia? 'On The Beach'.   Great book!  "This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang, but with a whimper."

Would you consider plastic surgery?  Sure......I consider it stupid.

What is your birthstone?  peridot

Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?  I drive by.

How many kids do you want? No more of my own, that's for damn sure. 

Do you have a dog?  NO.  Done with dogs.  Ranks right up there with more kids.

Last person you talked to on the phone?  The bookkeeper at Covert Public Schools.  Her name was Kim and she was searching for lost invoices.

Have you met anyone famous?  Define famous.

Any plans today?  Get through the day and let the weekend begin!

How many states have you lived in? Two.  As you can tell, I'm the adventurous sort.

Ever go to college? Yes.  Never actually attended classes, but I've been to several.

Where are you right now?  In my heart I'm on Big Beach on Maui.  Physically, I'm in my home office in front of my computer.

Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Ringing phones.  The sound of them jangles my nerves, rattles my teeth, and occasionally makes me wish I owned a gun.

Last song listened to? "Back Home Again (in Indiana)" as interpreted by Art Tatum.  A man ahead of his time.

What do you wash first in the shower? I start at the top and work my way down.

Are you allergic to anything? Not that I have discovered.

Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Black Reeboks. 

Are you jealous of anyone? What good would that do? 

Sweet foods or salty? I can't choose.  I can't live without either one.  Depends on my mood.

Is anyone jealous of you? Lumpy said she was, but I think she was just being nice. 

What time is it? Almost time to go to work. 

Do any of your friends have children? Yes.  Grown children, but I think they still qualify.

Do you eat healthy? Is that a brand?

What do you usually do during the day?  Accounting.  Clockwatching.

Do you hate anyone right now?  Hate is a destructive force that I refuse to indulge.  I do, however, use the phrase "I hate when that happens" frequently.

Do you use the word "hello" daily? Only when I answer the annoying ringing phone.

Favorite time of the day? Quitting time.

How old will you be turning on your next birthday? Never ask a woman her age.  Someone smart said that once.  I have surpassed the half-century mark, and that's all you'll get out of me.

Have you ever been to Six Flags?  No, the last amusement park we went to was Cedar Point.  People die at Six Flags.

How did you get one of your scars? Childbirth, and it wasn't from a C-section.  (Aren't you glad you asked?) 

If, like me, you are struggling for blog fodder and are so inclined, feel free to copy and paste.  I'd appreciate it if you came up with your own answers.  Mine are copyrighted under bloglaw.

Happy weekend, everyone.

Happy blogging. 

 
     pw

Currently Listening In Search of Dr. Seuss see related

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In other, unrelated news:

Who would have ever guessed that an old woman such as myself, could be so ahead of her time, so cutting edge?

Happy blogging. 

 
       pw