Two-faced :-( :-(

This was always one of my top pet peeves.  So many people of my generation felt it necessary to try and be all things to all people.  reality check.... that doesn't work so well. Usually you end up ticking off everybody and end up a pretty lonely gal or guy. I never had to play that game as I've pretty much always said what I think rather than what you think I should think (or say)... (not always the best policy but you remain pretty true to yourself ) People usually knew/know that if they ask my opinion... that's just what they're gonna get!
I decided I'd look up the term two-faced and see what Noah Webster thought it meant....Instead, when googled, the Urban Dictionary was first on my search..I actually think I enjoy these definitions better than what Noah may have penned.

two-faced is when someone is nice to you in person but when not in person talks shit behind your back...



a person that smiles in your face and then turns around and talks bad about you


To say one thing and do another. Also to act one way on Saturday, and flip a bitch on Tuesday.

I think I've known a few two-faced people.......in fact, I think I know a few now... I take them with a grain of salt ( in my bloody mary) and go on about my business. This morning though, I actually saw what being two-faced looks like.....

                                                    kind of creepy---eh?                It does make talking out of both sides of your mouth a bit easier :-)

Get that plate #

Well, I'm convinced I was hit by a truck. Yesterday was the pits.... Slept little the night before and did NOTHING yesterday except pop pills, blow my nose (to no avail) and whimper a lot.  I could be an addict... if something makes me feel good, I take it... and sometimes I take something before I feel bad just so I won't.  Seriously, I could be a candidate for the Betty Ford clinic.... Thankfully, I've never needed the really good stuff....and I'm probably smarter than that...just sayin'    but.... I can see how feel good things can get you!  It probably is a good thing to read the pamphlets that accompany drugs of any sort....and when it says do not take this for longer than ? days...I think they mean it!!! I'm not really sure which med made me feel better. It could have been the tiny sinus and allergy pill or it could have been the NyQuil....or the Tylenol..  My best guess is the custard Jess made me last night....My only sustenance for the day and the best custard anywhere....even better than Mom made....Today I'm using laughter.. I hear that works too!!!!

Sinus...sucks

I am not positive if I am suffering from a crappy cold or a sinus infection....or both but last night I felt like there was something inside my head pushing on my eyeballs, my nasal cavity and my teeth. Unless I am in need of an exorcism, I have a sinus infection.  I just returned from Kinneys where I purchased nearly one of everything in the "cold aisle." Of course, the one staple that I have medicated with for MANY years is no longer available.. of course not....but my friendly, local pharmacist pointed me to the next best thing.  So far....not so good:-(  I've taken that pill, netti potted, washed my face with the hottest water I could muster and wasted 1/2 a box of Puffs Plus. I hate to double dip but I'm thinking when it comes to drugs...more might be better...My chair is calling and the rain has arrived so there will be no guilt when I recline, eat some homemade custard Jess made me and watch a few soaps and TiVo'd shows from last night. I'm hoping I feel a wee bit better by lunchtime tomorrow... Our monthly gal's luncheon is in Skaneateles at the Sherwood Inn. I hope to go and reminisce a bit.... Not only did I work there, but I lived there....waaaaay.......back in the 70's. Come on drugs... cut me a break!

Just wingin' it!

If it's unusual, it'll happen at EIEIO.  Started yesterday morning off my perusing the front yard where a deputy sheriff crashed her cruiser in the wee hours.  Going nearly 100 mph around a horrible curve notorious for deer crossing might just facilitate such a "mishap!"  After all, it must have been a minor mishap as there was no reporting of it in the local papers.  It seems that 2 deputies were headed to a possible burglary at a local coffee shop in the village.  Hold on, that's life or death...well it damn near was and I presume took a back burner after.....the mishap.  Left a nice mess in our yard and the neighbors but of course, we'll take care of it...no problem...along with our share of the insurance cost as I believe the county Sheriff's Dept. is self-insured....which means we help pay for that too.  Bitter.... just a bit.  I see NO NEED for high speed anything....it's never safe and usually ends in another disaster.  Case closed...heck it was never open!

Unusual event # 2.... While working in the yard yesterday, Lee found a red-tail hawk wing laying on the smoke house roof.  He got it down and we saw where it had been freshly disconnected from it's owner.  We scouted the area and found a couple stray feathers beneath the smoke house but no sign of the victim.  A bit later, our CSI team set out to find more evidence. We crossed the bridge to the north side of the creek thinking maybe the perp had attacked the victim while it was roosting. We spotted a few feathers and continued to track.  Soon we came upon what we believe was the scene of the crime.  A pile of white under-belly feathers that were believed to belong to the victim.  To date we have found no skeletal remains and assume much of the victim was consumed.  It still remains a mystery how the wing wound up on the roof. If you have any information about the crime, please call CSI-Aviary Division @ 315-946-4847 (wingtip).  All possibilities will be pondered!!

Aaaa...utumn!

At 5:04 this morning, yes I was awake, I welcomed in my favorite season! My chores were finished by 6:00 and I got to enjoy day #1 of this magnificent fall season. On my way home from breakfast this morning, I noticed a marked changed in the landscape. The color change has begun....I was always under the impression that the color change was due to a temperature change...The Farmer's Almanac enlightened me to the fact that color change is affected by light change....


Several factors contribute to fall color, but the main agent is light, or actually the lack of it. The amount of daylight relates to the timing of the autumnal equinox.
As the autumn days grow shorter, the reduced light triggers chemical changes in deciduous plants causing a corky wall to form between the twig and the leaf stalk.
This "abscission layer" eventually causes the leaf to drop off in the breeze. As the corky cells multiply, they seal off the vessels that supply the leaf with nutrients and water and also block the exit vessels, trapping simple sugars in the leaves. The combination of reduced light, lack of nutrients, and no water add up to the death of the pigment chlorophyll, the "green" in leaves.Once the green is gone, two other pigments show their bright faces. These pigments, carotene (yellow) and anthocyanin (red), exist in the leaf all summer but are masked by the chlorophyll. (The browns in autumn leaves are the result oftannin, a chemical that exists in many leaves, especially oaks.)Sugar trapped in autumn leaves by the abscission layer is largely responsible for the vivid color. Some additional anthocyanins are also manufactured by sunlight acting on the trapped sugar. This is why the foliage is so sparkling after several bright fall days and more pastel during rainy spells. In general, a dry fall produces the most-vibrant color!

The reduced light also triggers chemical changes in me too.  I sometimes become blue..... the only downside to fall. So I will try very hard to look at all the positives that accompany this season.(and there are many).. the beauty, the birthdays, the holidays and the harvest!  Welcome Fall, I'm happy you're here!

Concessions

It's the last day of the summer of 2011!  It was kind of a strange summer...like one I've never encountered in 59 years.  I am a child of "The Lake."  My pontoons never hit the waters of Owasco. My body never hit the waters of Owasco.  I did however, thanks to Chuck and Gail's moored pontoon boat, get to take a ride around the "horn" (Cascade down the west side to Ensenore, across the lake and back down the east side returning to Cascade) as we've always called it when my cousin Jack was here for a visit. Lee only took his boat out once and that was to show it to a prospective buyer.  I'm not a huge fan of change but it appears to be joined at the hip, in some instances, with aging..... Maybe they're really not so much changes as concessions.  I concede to the fact that we no longer have property on the lake....I concede to the fact that putting boats in and taking boats out of the water for an occasional float is laborious and just plain a pain.  I concede to the fact that people's pleasures change. Lee now enjoys the sport of trap and skeet shooting and the social changes that accompany it.  I continue to enjoy Bailee, my reading, my sports, TV and EIEIO...As I said in an earlier epistle, if he's happy, then life's not crappy!  Shooting for Lee relieves his stress.....Stress and a compromised heart don't travel well together and I'd like our journey to continue....so, I concede to the fact that I can accept some change after all....and tomorrow will be bring me Fall and a time full of my favorite changes.. (except that nasty darkness)  I need to find a way to change that!!!

An article to "remember"

The article featuring Alzheimer's, Mom and Walden Place was in the Cortland Standard last night. They did a wonderful job!  We had our photos splashed across the front page and it was very informative for the public and exciting for us.  We were even in "living color!"  Today is also National Alzheimer's Awareness Day so Bailee and I are wearing purple...the ribbon color for Alzheimer's.  I was reading the article to Bailee and Jess last evening and when I finished Bailee looked at me quizzically and a trifle miffed and  said, "They didn't say anything about your younger granddaughter!!" She usually joins us on our visits to see Great Grandma but that darn school thing is "messing up everything."  It really is a good thing that she is aware of the disease and it's effects.  It sounds like the numbers will be rising ... to the tune of 11-16 million by the year 2030.....she will only be 24:-( and hopefully not dealing with it as Jess is....(from my lips to God's ears).

She remembered

Yesterday we had a photo session at Walden Place.  There will be an article about Alzheimer's in tonight's Cortland Standard about the disease, it's victims and it's effects on families.  Also, Walden Place is planning to feature it's memory wing residents, one at a time, and the job(s) they held during their life. Mom will be their first resident showcased.  She attended nursing school the Auburn School of Nursing after her high school graduation in 1939. She received her R.N degree in June of 1943.  I believe she only practiced full time for a little over a year as she married in August of 1943 and had my brother Steve in 1944.  She did; however, continue to volunteer for blood banks, vaccination clinics and was also a member of the Auburn Memorial Hospital's Board of Directors.  Medicine was a bit different in the 40's and often we were treated by our in-house nurse in a varied assortment of old school elixirs, poultices and concoctions.  Prune juice was one of my most unfavorites but it was trumped by an enema.  I remember getting one of those just after I had behaved poorly at my cousin Tom's wedding rehearsal where I was to serve as the flower girl. (she swore it would get the "nastiness out of me" as it did..and a lot of other "stuff" too)  I later assumed she was a pretty skilled clinician as I was one happy flower girl the next day and performed to the expectations of all......Usually, Mother knows best:-)

Monday, Monday

Monday Monday, so good to me,

Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be......As you know, I ♥ Mondays.  and me, being a Mama and Lee, being a Papa makes us love it even more.  Cool temps, bright blue, sunny skies, Jet's and Bill's wins and a visit to Walden Place have started the week out in good fashion.  and... if that isn't enough, tonight starts TV premiere week!  We'll get answers to the spring cliffhangers, glimpses of our McDreamys and McSteamys and we can dance the night away with the Stars. This is the time of year that if the Emmys gave an award for Technology favorite, my TiVo wins hands down!! If you don't have a TiVo or a DVR...you don't know what you're missing.....or maybe you do... all your favorite shows that happen to be on simultaneously or past your bedtime. 
So, we're off for a little photo-op with the Cortland Standard, then home to get ready for our Monday night, family pork chop feast and and a date with my recliner....
Monday, Monday so good to me!!!

Camping

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.....and that place would be firmly settled in "Jerome."  This afternoon we're off to spend a nice cool, sunny "almost" fall week-end on Lake Ontario.  We missed the week-end last year and are happy that our schedule allows for it again in 2011.  It's a fun crew and always relaxing.  Lee needs R & R way more often than he used to.  We have a little twist to the saying, "a happy wife is a happy life!"....ours goes....... If the husband's happy, the week-end's not crappy!"  We have heat, the frig is full,a comfy bed and a campfire for the evening...I've come to the conclusion that thinking is occasionally overrated...This would be an occasion....See ya Monday!

 

Mini Hamm :-)

A "Mini Hamm" in both senses of the word.... She loves to have her picture taken and she appears to enjoy soccer (Mia Hamm...soccer star) Moravia has a great youth soccer program and the fields at the Glen (local state park) are filled on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with players, coaches, parents and grandparents and even aunts and uncles.  In a small town, sports rally the troops.
I remember being a part of the inaugural year of youth soccer. We ran a raffle that facilitated my keeping a chart of ticket holders and watching the daily NY lottery's daily number.. Ticket- holders could win with the number or it's reverse. We raised a nice sum of money and along with Mary Ellen Buhl... brought soccer to our youth.  Little League baseball had always been a huge sport in town therefore turning out championship teams at the high school level. Football is an expensive sport and was limited, generally to boys. ( I know, I've heard of Title 9 and have extolled it's virtues for years.... after all, in the 60's there were no competitive sports for girls...heck even in intramural basketball....you only made it past the center line if you were lucky enough to be a roving forward....Once again, I concede to being old)  Now, nearly a generation later, soccer is a thriving community and school sport.  I am happy that Bailee is interested..... my only athlete of sorts was Jeffrey and that involved oodles of $ and broken bones....one of which we had too much of... the other too little!  It's raining now but expecting the sun to shine later for B's first real game.... It will be fun hollering Go...NO, this way!!!!

Germ Warfare.......

I spend the majority of my day in my den.  In my den is my TV, TiVo, old fashioned record player (yes, one that plays vinyl records), my printers, modem, router, computer, large leather recliner, Bailee's table and book shelf and "my" desk... ( a prized possession that belonged to my Dad, his Dad and his Dad (who was also a state senator).  It's called a partner's desk as it's large enough to be used by 2 people. It's equipped with multiple drawers on both sides facilitating file and office supplies and any other need that may arise. I'm assuming this type of desk is intended for 2 male users as I, being female, have filled all 21 drawerers and most of the surface.  I inherited this desk after my Dad passed away and have since used it in my Locke home and now in our new home. Yesterday, as I was hunting for a particular paper on my desk, I found an article that explained what else was lurking somewhere on my desk..............Your desk contains 400 times more germs than a toilet !
Gross, huh? Well, I am just getting warmed up. The skin sheds ten million cells a day. Many of these get transported by our hands onto keyboards, push buttons for telephones, faxes and photocopiers. EEEeeewww
When you use your computer (or someone else's) and then unwittingly put your hand in your mouth without realizing it – you’re effectively eating dead skin. EEEEeeeewwww...I'm quite thankful that only my family uses my computer :-0
The office desk is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which feast all day on leftover crumbs from desktop diners, and peak in number after lunch. The desktop effectively becomes a “bacteria cafeteria”. EEEEEeeeeewwww I usually eat at least one meal (or snack) at my desk......
Cold and flu viruses can survive for up to 3 days on surfaces such as telephones, desktops, photocopiers, printers and other high-touch surfaces.Germs transmitted from a sneeze or cough can travel up to 3 feet. Also, only 17% of Americans wash their hands after shaking hands — yet 51% wash them after sneezing or coughing. It’s part of the misconception that germs are spread in the air rather than by hand contact. Kissing transmits far less germs than shaking hands!!! ♥

Today I cleared my desk, cleaned it with warm water, lysoled it, lysoled it again and the swept the floor for any "dead skin" I may have inadvertently brushed on the floor....somehow walking in dead skin doesn't trip my trigger any more than eating it does!  I have decided though that I may indulge in more kissing and less handshaking....I have an interview tomorrow morning with a reporter from the Cortland Standard who's doing a piece on Alzheimers and Walden Place.  Won't he be surprised when he wals in, extends his hand..... and I kiss it!.... (you just never know:-)

Not so funny

Laugh you may... but.. when those of us going to visit seniors who live in the Senior Center and need these friendly (Burma-Shave) (you must be fairly old to know what these are..) reminders, it's not so funny.  I wake up some mornings, walk bent slightly over until the message reaches my brain that I'm a primate and can, indeed, walk upright!  I blink rapidly to adjust my eyes to daylight and realize that I could blink all day and won't get focused until I put on my glasses. That's great, now where the hell are they?  That's when the realization hits me that repetition could be my best buddy.  I now put my glasses in the exact same spot each night upon retiring so I can blindly reach them in the morning.  OK, I've risen, staggered to the bathroom, managed to get on my clothes without tipping over and now I'm headed to the kitchen to take my ONE pill for the day (That is an accomplishment...the one pill..not just the getting there).  Lee now takes 6 pills a day:-(  My next stop is the den to check my email and Face Book. I place my hands on the keyboard and think...."who the hell's hands are those?"  The veins are popping, the skin is wrinkled and there are a few brown spots that look like the liver fairy had paid a visit to me overnight!!! WTH.  This is really not the routine I had hoped for upon waking each morning.  But, trying hard to be a glass half full gal, I rejoice in the fact that I woke up..... and then try to find my way through the rest of the day and maybe even to the Senior Center......

Shine On

Shine On Harvest Moon....up in the sky :-) That's tonight
The full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox (September 23 this year) is called the Harvest Moon. This Moon, which is tonight this year, is not just the full Moon that occurs at the time of the harvest, it's the full Moon that actually helps the harvest by providing more light at the right time than other full Moons do.
In years when the Harvest Moon falls in October, the September full Moon is usually known as the Corn Moon or Barley Moon.
Moon Lore has been handed down through the generations.The full Moon has always intrigued humankind. Old-time farmers were convinced that the full Moon aided in healing. They believed that medicines and tonics simply worked better during the full Moon and that circulation was stronger. The romantics among us still think that you ought to plan your honeymoon so that it occurs during a full Moon. This will ensure a prosperous and happy marriage—or so the saying goes. But, say the same proverbs, be careful not to sleep in the moonlight. It will bring bad luck.

And if you can help it, never—ever—be born under the direct light of the Moon. After all, where do you think the term loony came from?  Just ask public servants such as policemen and hospital employees.  They'll tell you they know first hand when the moon is full....as so are the jails, "loony bins" and maternity wards....!!

"PHPH"

PHPH (Pretty Happy Papa's Home) !!! ♥♥♥  Lee arrived home safely and boy was Bailee a happy camper.  She pretty much became his shadow for the evening.... He brought home gifts for everyone.  She got the neatest hat and a rock that had been carried to the beach by a bald eagle (Alaskan beaches are visited by bald eagles as ours are visited by seagulls).  Uncle Jeff sent her home a neat rock that when "hammered" opened to show thousands of crystals.  Her first collection, other than toys and books, will now be rocks!!! It could be worse.... like something that crawls, eats or poops! Uncle Jeff also sent home a pirate eye patch which immediately gave her a new "character" to portray.  "Ahoy matey" was echoed loud and clear.  We enjoyed a nice homecoming turkey dinner complete with fresh beets and beet greens from the farmer's market.....who doesn't just love Fall!  Lee is back at the shop this morning. Jeff is back to work this afternoon and Bailee is back to school today too.  Everything's back to normal... Whatever the hell that is!!

Raindrops keep falling on my head

No shortage of rain here... Over 4 inches and that's a good story..... Tompkins County and points south are having unprecedented flooding.... Schools closed (not here), Cornell closed, Tompkins County in State of Emergency and Binghamton is waiting for the river to flood....only inches from that and possibly a foot more to crest.  Our lower falls are spectacular. I can't imagine what Parson's Falls ( 140 feet) must look and sound like. I walked as far as I could to the lower falls last night... I could have stayed there all night.... It was awesome.  I slept with the bedroom windows wide open!!! Friends on Long Hill have water seeping into their basement and they are directly above us.  The ground is completely saturated.  The sun is out now but  creeks in Moravia and Locke are at the top of their banks and still receiving water form Groton and points south.....Some of the videos on Face Book are amazing.  Natural disasters are mesmerizing and seem to have magnetic powers....we're drawn to them which can be dangerous, deadly and dumb! Nonetheless, it's not dangerous here and I just may drag out a chair and sit by my personal, relaxing sound machine....... Oh yeah... and Lee comes home this afternoon :-)

FIRST, first day of school.....

You only get one, first, first day of school and today is perfect if your name is Noah!!! It's raining buckets and a flood is eminent w/ 4-6 inches predicted for just today.  It's a good thing Bailee wore the skirt and sweater outfit yesterday as today called for khakis, sneakers and the umbrella.  All's well and, outfitted with her backpack, lunch bag, umbrella and her Mom.....off she went ... all the way across the street.  I'm hoping she has a wonderful start to some of the best years of her life♥

My men are headed southeast.  They got a late, early start (there's an oxymoron for you). They were delayed a 1/2 hour and left Anchorage at 2:15 a.m. their time.  It'll be a l-o-n-g day. Jeff said there is another flight into Charlotte a bit earlier than they are scheduled and he may try to get them on that one.  Thankfully, Lee's staying over and will get a good night's sleep at Jeff's. I hope they had a wonderful trip despite the little hiccup in the middle and will have beautiful pictures to share and awesome stories to tell.  I think they're both ready to home.....my favorite place !!

Meet your Teacher........

http://www.kodakgallery.com/video/play.jsp?videoId=6830310290105&key=1844308&sourceId=969909816903&cm_mmc=Share-_-Video-_-shareCopyLink-_-Sharee-_-View

If you copy and paste this.. you should get to enjoy what I enjoyed this morning....I tagged along as resident photographer of great events....Meet your Teacher Day !!!  Bailee was so excited she could hardly stand still... It's not easy you know to be a "little one" one day and have all the skills, emotions and  patience of a mini adult the next.  You go from needing help cutting up your meal  to winging it in the cafeteria on your own... Hey, I have trouble opening those milk containers!  I think it will be a good year for Bailee.  She has a wonderful, young, enthusiastic teacher whose inaugural year in Kindergarten will be as much a learning experience as will Bailee's.  Many of her classmates were in UPK (Universal pre-K) with her last year.  Today was just a meet, greet and find your seat kind of day.  You could visit the classroom for as long you liked.....we stayed until 10-0-0 (ten, zero, zero). Miss Conway has prepared a kid friendly and cozy learning environment while Mommy has taught Bailee important life rules and started a great school year schedule and Grandma has instilled a love of reading.  Hopefully, this is the beginning of 13 wonderful years....possibly some of the best of her life ♥♥♥

You "gotta" be kidding......

You "gotta" be kidding.... an earthquake in Alaska and a tsunami warning to boot... of course !!!  Tsunami warning has lifted and earthquake was downgraded from7.1 to 6.8.  I haven't heard from my weary travelers yet this morning. It's only 7:30 a.m. there.  Obviously they weren't rocked out of bed!!! but.... then again, Lee could sleep through an earthquake......  Jeff wasn't feeling too hot yesterday but they did manage to go on their scheduled seaplane ride.  The enthusiasm wasn't quite as high so I'm thinking they were pooped and Jeff was still not up to snuff.. :-(  Today they were planning on the train ride to Denali.... It's a long ride so they may put it off until tomorrow.  They still have 4 days left so can head up tomorrow. It looks like they'll be having rain for the remainder of the trip... That too, sucks!  Denali is supposed to have the grand views and wonderful sightings of Alaskan wildlife.  I'm hoping they are are happier campers today.
On a brighter note, we had a great supper and birthday celebration at Kehoe's last night for Gabby's 11th birthday.  I'm quite sure Danielle could prepare seaweed and it would taste amazing......
Bailee is here while her Mom visits the dentist so we're off to practice some printing...Staying in the lines is our goal before Wednesday's first day of Kindergarten!!!!

Biting off more than you can chew:-(

Got a call from Lee bright and early this morning (6:30 AK time).  I thought they were getting an early start to their seaplane adventure this morning....NOT.. they were just returning from a night in the ER:-( :-(  Jeff had gotten a piece of steak caught in his esophagus and as he "got it back up and out", had irritated his throat.  I think the blood scared him as well as having some difficulty breathing and pain.. Dad made an executive decision and off the hospital they went... Sounds like they were there all night but were taken care of well.  They're sleeping now and may be putting off their scenic, seaplane ride scheduled for today.  I thought it was bad being 700 miles away when your child is hurt! I'm really not liking being 4,196.54 miles away !!! (but who's counting??....ME!).... Thankfully, they have 6 more days to recover, regroup and re-plan.....Hope he wakes up feeling much better.....