So I looked up my blog to see, you know, if it was still up there after six months of inactivity and low and behold it was. So I goofed around gmail and actually managed to guess my username and create a password that I swear to God I won't forget. So I'll do a little update here. Hopefully by the end of April I will have some new pictures to share through Shutterfly. I have been doing a lot of holing up and writing this winter so the photography has fallen largely to the wayside. Despite some breathtaking winter scenes, they were never on a day I had off and while I had beautiful commutes, it wasn't like I could stop and take pictures.
I still use the bread machine with some regularity. Andrew is actually heartbroken if I make a pot roast and don't make onion rolls to go with them. He got me this awesome Hamilton Beach nesting crock pot set with three sizes of crocks that are fairly easy to clean. I've been making lots of pot roasts on Sundays and my secret is two cans of beef gravy, a can of tomato sauce and when I put in the vegetables I also put in a can of whole tomatoes...delicious.
I've been making small changes to the guest bedroom which is my writing room. It's coming together nicely.
And...NO BABIES!
Tweeker and Molly are doing great. Molly is smaller than Tweek but is heavier and loves to chew things, jump on top of the kitchen cabinets and cuddle at night. Tweeker's latest thing is sitting in between the shower liner and curtain when there is a shower going on.
So this weekend is Easter. We have Easter at our house. It's nice because I have more easter decorations than Halloween and Mom is still busy with tax season. She's bringing a honey baked ham and cheddar scalloped potatoes---are all scalloped potatoes cheesy? I wouldn't know anymore being ragingly lactose intolerant. She's also trying out a new green bean casserole recipe. I am doing baked potatoes, creamed corn casserole, a raspberry cobbler and...you guessed it...onion rolls.
So Saturday I'll spend cleaning cleaning cleaning.
Andrew is in fire school. He's like one of the oldest students but he didn't go before because he's more interested in the medic side of things. He is however, interested in a full time job.
We are ready for weather to be over. Our lawn could use some serious fertilizer and patching. I'll have 8 new pine trees to water this summer and who knows how many orchard trees.
Okay Reader's Advisory Corner:
I got to meet Anne Lamott two weeks ago. She signed my print, audio and video documentary of her Bird by Bird and I cried. Like a flake. She was very gracious and held my hands.
There is a sequel to mistress in the art of death. It's read by Kate Reading instead of Rosalyn Landor but it is still very good and got me through a hellish 48 hours of that mutated cold that was going around in February.
A Dog's Breakfast it's a movie directed by my latest obsession by three degrees, Daid Hewlett, who is on Stargate Atlantis. Andrew prefers Stargate SG1 but I love atlantis. A Dog's Breakfast is a really cute movie. It's kind of hard to find but worth it.
David Attenborough. Oh isn't he adorable when he's like 76 years old and in the middle of a jungle with a critter of some kind. I'm watching all the documentaries of his I can get my hands on. I read his memoir Life on Air and it was interesting, humourous and just a great read. I sent him a fan letter and asked for an autograph. I am still waiting. I'm not giving up. He's very busy and just finished a documentary on cold blooded animals. Besides I got a an autograph from THE Doris Day so why not?
Looking forward to:
From Dead to Worse by Charlain Harris. I'm starting to twitch I want it so badly. If you have not started the Sookie Stackhouse series. DO. Start with Dead until Dark. I have half a dozen colleagues at the library hooked on it.
The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir--her second foray into historical fiction. Innocent Traitor (about the Lady Jane Grey) was fab. So I am looking forward to this.
Bill Bryson's got another dictionary coming out. His Shakespeare Biography was cute enough but I'm more than ready for another travel book from him. Hope to it Bill!
Okay well, there you go, maybe I'll blog next month.
Jules
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Saturday, September 01, 2007
I have no clever title.
A few weeks ago I decided to revive the blogging only to find out that I now needed a gmail account and afer much circling around with google password assistant, can now get into this again, honestly how does one end up with so many ridiculous accounts on the web? I should nix some of my emails and consolidate but general laziness prevents me. Let me say gentle readers...and not so gentle readers, that I miss you all and in quiet moments at home wish for your visits but the idea of actually scheduling a visit in advance that works for both or several parties gets to be as daunting as consolidating emails and instead I quietly water the trees, take care of the cats, hang out with Andrew and work on my various hobbies, most occupying, photography.
I hope you like the most recent round. I spent like 100 bucks at Cord Camera this week because they were having dirt cheap 8X10s and 5X7s so I tried to catch up with prints of my pictures. I still have some wonderful fledgling robin pictures from this spring to put up so bear with me.
Another recent interest is my continued obsession with our bread machine and now our food saver. I have been making soft onion sandwich rolls, cinammon rolls, and even biscuits (which I don't use the bread machine for but am lumping together anyway.
It's now gotten to the point where Thursday night, while we had the daily show and colbert report on, that I bustled about the kitchen making the dry mixes to several receipes and then food saving them (www.foodsaver.com) shut in ball jars. Seriously. I try to do one new recipe a week. If andrew and i both like it, or if I like it, the recipe goes in the book or not, gets trashed.
I've also been using my foodsaver on sweet corn. Even though raccoons came by to "test" our ears on two different evenings, we managed to evade the raiders and supplemented by Mom and Dad's excess of corn have a couple dozen neat servings food saved away in the freezer.
I know what you are thinking. And I have an answer for you. NO BABIES!!!
Except of course, for our cat babies, Tweeker and Molly who get along very well. Molly still refuses to be picked up but takes to cuddling at night and most of it. One of her favorite activities is to jump on the edge of our oak dining room chairs, the one closest to the kitchen counter specifically, and after a few seconds of balanceing and stretching out one leg then another, she leaps onto the kitchen counter, trotting as far as she can before we catch her. It's hopeless. Rest assured friends that if you eat anything I make the counter has been disenfected and I bake on wax/parchment paper to be sure.
Andrew has nearly finished laying his own hardwood floor in his room. It took him a couple days to get into a groove I think, but using an air compressed power nail gun helped and it's now a bad job at all. He didn't have quite enough boards stained but can stain them now that they are laid. The next project, I will participate more in, we are getting some cabinets for our laundray room wtih counters etc. To stain and place. We will probably go tommorrow and pick them up as Lowe's is having there buy so much no interest deals.
Lately I have been obsessed with Doris Day. Seriously. You may remember one of my earliest blog postsrecommending the book the Thing About Jane Spring. Well I've recommended it to folks at the library so much that I thought I should meet Doris myself. I've watched Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back. I am watching Send Me No Flowers but don't like it as much.
Other books I have listened to and loved:
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
AustenLand by Shannon Hale
Con Ed by...oh I forget and am, too lazy too look it up.
I haven't had a satisfying print read in a while. I read Connie Willis' Passage but found the ending deeply unsatisfying. I read Stray by Rachel Vincent, but it was just okay. I've been spending most of my evening reading learning about North American mammals, trying to become quite the naturalist I suppose and white tails are my preoccupation right now. Dad is letting me go up in treestands with my camera and last night I saw a doe and two fawns, the doe caught my fidgeting though and they did not stay long.
I hope this give you a feeling of being caught up. No more pictures for a while, except for maybe the robins. I have high hopes for some decent deer pics between now and hunting season.
See ya, Jules
I hope you like the most recent round. I spent like 100 bucks at Cord Camera this week because they were having dirt cheap 8X10s and 5X7s so I tried to catch up with prints of my pictures. I still have some wonderful fledgling robin pictures from this spring to put up so bear with me.
Another recent interest is my continued obsession with our bread machine and now our food saver. I have been making soft onion sandwich rolls, cinammon rolls, and even biscuits (which I don't use the bread machine for but am lumping together anyway.
It's now gotten to the point where Thursday night, while we had the daily show and colbert report on, that I bustled about the kitchen making the dry mixes to several receipes and then food saving them (www.foodsaver.com) shut in ball jars. Seriously. I try to do one new recipe a week. If andrew and i both like it, or if I like it, the recipe goes in the book or not, gets trashed.
I've also been using my foodsaver on sweet corn. Even though raccoons came by to "test" our ears on two different evenings, we managed to evade the raiders and supplemented by Mom and Dad's excess of corn have a couple dozen neat servings food saved away in the freezer.
I know what you are thinking. And I have an answer for you. NO BABIES!!!
Except of course, for our cat babies, Tweeker and Molly who get along very well. Molly still refuses to be picked up but takes to cuddling at night and most of it. One of her favorite activities is to jump on the edge of our oak dining room chairs, the one closest to the kitchen counter specifically, and after a few seconds of balanceing and stretching out one leg then another, she leaps onto the kitchen counter, trotting as far as she can before we catch her. It's hopeless. Rest assured friends that if you eat anything I make the counter has been disenfected and I bake on wax/parchment paper to be sure.
Andrew has nearly finished laying his own hardwood floor in his room. It took him a couple days to get into a groove I think, but using an air compressed power nail gun helped and it's now a bad job at all. He didn't have quite enough boards stained but can stain them now that they are laid. The next project, I will participate more in, we are getting some cabinets for our laundray room wtih counters etc. To stain and place. We will probably go tommorrow and pick them up as Lowe's is having there buy so much no interest deals.
Lately I have been obsessed with Doris Day. Seriously. You may remember one of my earliest blog postsrecommending the book the Thing About Jane Spring. Well I've recommended it to folks at the library so much that I thought I should meet Doris myself. I've watched Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back. I am watching Send Me No Flowers but don't like it as much.
Other books I have listened to and loved:
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
AustenLand by Shannon Hale
Con Ed by...oh I forget and am, too lazy too look it up.
I haven't had a satisfying print read in a while. I read Connie Willis' Passage but found the ending deeply unsatisfying. I read Stray by Rachel Vincent, but it was just okay. I've been spending most of my evening reading learning about North American mammals, trying to become quite the naturalist I suppose and white tails are my preoccupation right now. Dad is letting me go up in treestands with my camera and last night I saw a doe and two fawns, the doe caught my fidgeting though and they did not stay long.
I hope this give you a feeling of being caught up. No more pictures for a while, except for maybe the robins. I have high hopes for some decent deer pics between now and hunting season.
See ya, Jules
Friday, June 29, 2007
So Jules, what the crap have you been doing?
Well working, and working and working. And other stuff too.
Basically Summer Reading is in Full swing at the library and I've had a crazy schedule there. Plus since we have had very little rain in the past two months I spend a lot of time watering our trees. Our sycamore totally didn't leaf out on the limbs and is starting new limbs around the trunk so basically we are just trying to keep him alive. The pine trees are growing like gang busters and so are the crab apples. I find taking care of the trees very satisfying. It's a real stress reliever to quietly water them after 8 o clock whenit has cooled down a little. I like being able to see them physically grow and they don't have the temporary aspect of flowers. Most likely these trees will outlive me or at least some of them and I find that very cool.
Our garden is doing well. It's just watermelons and sweet corn this year and I am growing two onions in a pot. Andrew's orchard is up to six trees now and they are doing well.
We adopted a kitten from the Union County Humane Society about a month ago. She's a little tortie and very fiesty. We are keeping her in the guest bedroom until she gets a little bigger and take her out to play at night. If Tweek doesn't think we are getting her out soon enough he cries at the door.
We got a grill a couple of weeks ago and use it pretty often. After 4 years I've broken out the bread machine and am quickly becoming obsessed with it. It just smells so good when it's baking and I can control the ingredients. So I've made Italian Herb Bread and Cinammon Raisin and I have like 6 cinammon roll dough recipes that require little or no butter. We have an electric knife too which is like essential otherwise (or at least in my case) the sliced bread looks hacked off. Actually an electric knife is kind of like a chainsaw, only for bread.
I've been taking some pictures and doing lots of laundry. Andrew is well. He got a punching bag and stand for his birthday so is building up quite the home gym.
That's really all the news that's fit to blog, and maybe not even then.
Jules
Basically Summer Reading is in Full swing at the library and I've had a crazy schedule there. Plus since we have had very little rain in the past two months I spend a lot of time watering our trees. Our sycamore totally didn't leaf out on the limbs and is starting new limbs around the trunk so basically we are just trying to keep him alive. The pine trees are growing like gang busters and so are the crab apples. I find taking care of the trees very satisfying. It's a real stress reliever to quietly water them after 8 o clock whenit has cooled down a little. I like being able to see them physically grow and they don't have the temporary aspect of flowers. Most likely these trees will outlive me or at least some of them and I find that very cool.
Our garden is doing well. It's just watermelons and sweet corn this year and I am growing two onions in a pot. Andrew's orchard is up to six trees now and they are doing well.
We adopted a kitten from the Union County Humane Society about a month ago. She's a little tortie and very fiesty. We are keeping her in the guest bedroom until she gets a little bigger and take her out to play at night. If Tweek doesn't think we are getting her out soon enough he cries at the door.
We got a grill a couple of weeks ago and use it pretty often. After 4 years I've broken out the bread machine and am quickly becoming obsessed with it. It just smells so good when it's baking and I can control the ingredients. So I've made Italian Herb Bread and Cinammon Raisin and I have like 6 cinammon roll dough recipes that require little or no butter. We have an electric knife too which is like essential otherwise (or at least in my case) the sliced bread looks hacked off. Actually an electric knife is kind of like a chainsaw, only for bread.
I've been taking some pictures and doing lots of laundry. Andrew is well. He got a punching bag and stand for his birthday so is building up quite the home gym.
That's really all the news that's fit to blog, and maybe not even then.
Jules
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Vacation that is sort of a Vacation
So I took this week off from work to help Mom at the Tax Office, today (Tuesday) is a lot less hectic than yesterday with the calls but I'd like to think I am still helping Mom quite a bit. Because I just took five days off with the sore throat and infected tonsils from Hell, I am still trying to keep up with the most critical things at work through email and I think doing okay.
There really isn't any interesting or earth shattering news but in an effort to blog remotely regularly I am now typing. It is really really cold here but like 90% of my readers--yes all 6 of you, probably already know that. It's snowing now. Dad picked me up with Mom this morning so I will mostly stay through the late evening with them. We shouldn't get asm uch as Cincinnati at least. Tweeker continues to get fat and the other night slept with me when I had the mattress pad turned up enough.
I have most of our old pictures in antique frames hung up in the family room. I think it will look pretty cool when it is done, I have as few as three and as many as four left to hang. Last week we got a picture of Andrew's grandparents scordato wedding picture and it is really, really cool so I am going to put it in an antique frame that matches our wedding frame.
I moved great grandma perdue's trunk underneath the pictures and put on of our older quilts on top so I think it will look quite nice when it is done.
Not much else to post really, I hope to have some pictures to post once it gets a little warmer. Jules
There really isn't any interesting or earth shattering news but in an effort to blog remotely regularly I am now typing. It is really really cold here but like 90% of my readers--yes all 6 of you, probably already know that. It's snowing now. Dad picked me up with Mom this morning so I will mostly stay through the late evening with them. We shouldn't get asm uch as Cincinnati at least. Tweeker continues to get fat and the other night slept with me when I had the mattress pad turned up enough.
I have most of our old pictures in antique frames hung up in the family room. I think it will look pretty cool when it is done, I have as few as three and as many as four left to hang. Last week we got a picture of Andrew's grandparents scordato wedding picture and it is really, really cool so I am going to put it in an antique frame that matches our wedding frame.
I moved great grandma perdue's trunk underneath the pictures and put on of our older quilts on top so I think it will look quite nice when it is done.
Not much else to post really, I hope to have some pictures to post once it gets a little warmer. Jules
Thursday, January 25, 2007
um you know that Sore Throat...
Hi, that sore throat turned out to be
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tonsillitis/DS00273
And it sucked.
Last week I took a whole week off work.
And my tonsils were really really gross.
I couldn't even swallow a tylenol.
Andrew took really good care of me, I ate jello, scrambled eggs, soup and drank a lot of gatorade. I watched 5,000 movies, read 4 books and generally felt sorry for myself.
that is all
jules
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tonsillitis/DS00273
And it sucked.
Last week I took a whole week off work.
And my tonsils were really really gross.
I couldn't even swallow a tylenol.
Andrew took really good care of me, I ate jello, scrambled eggs, soup and drank a lot of gatorade. I watched 5,000 movies, read 4 books and generally felt sorry for myself.
that is all
jules
Monday, January 08, 2007
With the Ice Cream Maker we are Unstoppable
Well it's nothing but appliance joy at the Scordato household. We finally busted out the bread machine (yes that one we got at the wedding) and made some bread last week but are going to what on major production until we get an electric knife. So far we have made like 10 quarts of ice cream and sherbert. So far the strawberry I have made with lactose free whole milk is my favorite. I've ussed my kitchen aid mixer twice and have started experimenting with my digital camera. I can take pictures in black and white and sepia tones.
Not much else going on--oh wait yeah, I was really sick last week. What started as a sore throat...
Not much else going on--oh wait yeah, I was really sick last week. What started as a sore throat...
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Santa Clause came to the country
Wow is Christmas over for another year? On Christmas Eve mom and dad came to the house to see our tree and how well Tweek can climb up it. They brought a venison roast with them and we had an early dinner before Andrew went to work. I watched a movie with the cat and stayed up late reading. Andrew came home about 8:30 and after a quick breakfast and shower it was off for presents. I took out booty to Mom and Dad's.
Andrew liked all his presents I think. I went to Urbana University a few weeks ago and they were having a book sale and had just weeded the roman history section so I got him a half dozen books on Rome and Italy history etc. He also liked this gadget Mom and Dad got him that opens wine bottles. He was also careful not to leave his candy keg* when he went to work in the late afternoon.
I got an ice cream maker so I can try to make ice cream with my lactaid milk and various frozen treats. Breyers has a lactose free ice cream but I am suspicious I picked up some and will try it later.
I also got the latest homestead longaberger basket and mom picked out the cutest liner for it. It's on my nightstand now, another Christmas present from Andrew, matching nightstands for our bedroom. He put them up in no time and they make the bedroom so much nicer.
The big surprise though was hidden in the back of the tree (because Dad told mom to hide it from me)
Inside the big box was a classic kitchenaid mixer!!! The stand kind!! The "now I can make any baked good on the planet kind!" It is so cool. I'll be breaking it out this week.
And last Friday I finally got my camera out of the box and it is just about, but not quite completely beyond me. I hope to take it outside on Thursday--the weather is supposed to be fairly nice. I've taken a lot of pictures of the cat so far. There is a lot to learn on it so I will be spending a lot of time experimenting. There is the ability to change a lot of things on my own when I am ready. For now though it's about mastering all the basic settings.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
* A Candy Keg is a Perdue family tradition. When my Dad and his four brothers were little my Grandma Perdue would keep and empty quaker oats canister for each of them, wrap it in wrapping paper and fill it with their favorite candies. So each keg had the same candy with favorites mixed in. I imagine there are few unbreakable rules in a house with five boys but one was never touch another's candy keg.
Grandma doesn't do the candy kegs anymore, Mom does and Andrew gets one too and guards it ferociously around Dad and Uncle Barry.
Andrew liked all his presents I think. I went to Urbana University a few weeks ago and they were having a book sale and had just weeded the roman history section so I got him a half dozen books on Rome and Italy history etc. He also liked this gadget Mom and Dad got him that opens wine bottles. He was also careful not to leave his candy keg* when he went to work in the late afternoon.
I got an ice cream maker so I can try to make ice cream with my lactaid milk and various frozen treats. Breyers has a lactose free ice cream but I am suspicious I picked up some and will try it later.
I also got the latest homestead longaberger basket and mom picked out the cutest liner for it. It's on my nightstand now, another Christmas present from Andrew, matching nightstands for our bedroom. He put them up in no time and they make the bedroom so much nicer.
The big surprise though was hidden in the back of the tree (because Dad told mom to hide it from me)
Inside the big box was a classic kitchenaid mixer!!! The stand kind!! The "now I can make any baked good on the planet kind!" It is so cool. I'll be breaking it out this week.
And last Friday I finally got my camera out of the box and it is just about, but not quite completely beyond me. I hope to take it outside on Thursday--the weather is supposed to be fairly nice. I've taken a lot of pictures of the cat so far. There is a lot to learn on it so I will be spending a lot of time experimenting. There is the ability to change a lot of things on my own when I am ready. For now though it's about mastering all the basic settings.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
* A Candy Keg is a Perdue family tradition. When my Dad and his four brothers were little my Grandma Perdue would keep and empty quaker oats canister for each of them, wrap it in wrapping paper and fill it with their favorite candies. So each keg had the same candy with favorites mixed in. I imagine there are few unbreakable rules in a house with five boys but one was never touch another's candy keg.
Grandma doesn't do the candy kegs anymore, Mom does and Andrew gets one too and guards it ferociously around Dad and Uncle Barry.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Since I put out blog address on the Christmas Cards
I figured I better but something up here during the mont of December. I managed to take a somewhat wintry picture for the cards and even though we haven't had much snow it has been very cold all week. I have been working at the bookstore 5 to 10 hours a week. It's fun to help people find gifts for the chilren and teens in their lives and I get a bit of Christmas shopping done myself.
Andrew and I have spent some time working on things around the house. Glamorous thinks like changing light bulbs, water and furnace filters, and general housework. Even with a new house there is always something to do.
Tweeker who hasn't been a vigorous eater--he has never been one to hound us in the morning to get up and feed him, has been cleaning his dish and crying for more. Part of the winter chill I guess. He is starting to get too fat to jump through the stair banister spokes.
Last weekend we went to winterfair and saw many neat booths. Wildlife photograpy, pottery and wood turned items were my favorite spots.
All for now, J
Andrew and I have spent some time working on things around the house. Glamorous thinks like changing light bulbs, water and furnace filters, and general housework. Even with a new house there is always something to do.
Tweeker who hasn't been a vigorous eater--he has never been one to hound us in the morning to get up and feed him, has been cleaning his dish and crying for more. Part of the winter chill I guess. He is starting to get too fat to jump through the stair banister spokes.
Last weekend we went to winterfair and saw many neat booths. Wildlife photograpy, pottery and wood turned items were my favorite spots.
All for now, J
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Christmas at the Scordato Grotto
Well last night I put up the tree, an artificial one Mom and Dad used to use that we inherited. I am pleases because I actually know how to put it together. I put on 300 clear lights and to my pleasure, found a box of ornaments I hadn't been able to find in years lik ecookie monster, strawberry shortcake and snoopy. I got an ornament every year so the tree looks okay. We got some blue and silver bulbs at Target, some wiht snowflakes and there are a few presents under the tree.
When I put the tree up and turned my back on it, Tweek promptly climbed 3/4 of the way up. I don't know how since he doesn't have any claws, but he was so scared that when I plucked him out he didn't seem to have any interest in doing it again. He likes to bat at the ornaments of course.
Tonight I will hang a light up wreath on our cleaned off front porch, put out a new welcome mat, and do some other house-y things.
The good news is that Andrew has accpeted a job offer with Doctors West. He starts January 8th in their ER and we will actually be able to commut together during the week.
When I put the tree up and turned my back on it, Tweek promptly climbed 3/4 of the way up. I don't know how since he doesn't have any claws, but he was so scared that when I plucked him out he didn't seem to have any interest in doing it again. He likes to bat at the ornaments of course.
Tonight I will hang a light up wreath on our cleaned off front porch, put out a new welcome mat, and do some other house-y things.
The good news is that Andrew has accpeted a job offer with Doctors West. He starts January 8th in their ER and we will actually be able to commut together during the week.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The Amazing Adventures of Tweek Or, How Our Cat Nearly Caught Fire
I love candles in the wintertime. I love how they add a cozy touch to a room and their subtle fragrance that fills the area. I know that candles cause all kinds of house fires but I am very, very careful or at least I was until Tweeker.
By the time we got Tweeker I was pretty much done with candles for the season. Last night I had one burning on my new old dresser (maybe you've seen a picture?) I left Andrew reading in bed, asking him to keep an eye on Tweek (who has been known to jump up an said new old dresser).
Apparently while I was in the bathroom, a fly (did you know Tweeker is the number one stalker of flies in Champaign county? Known to jump 6 feet off the ground in pursuit of one) caught Tweek's attention. The fly landed on the wall above the dresser. So Tweek jumped on the dresser.
This is where the recollection of events gets murky. I don't know if Andrew noticed immediately that Tweek was on the dresser or if it was only the bitter smell of burning hair that pulled him away from his Clive Cussler book. The long and the short of it is that the candle singed about a a baseball size area of Tweek's fluffy hair.
Now, do not be alarmed. We are pretty sure Tweek has no idea it even happened. Andrew yelled at Tweek so loudly that the cat immediately jumped down from the dresser. It's not that Tweek has no hair it's just that it is flat and short where the rest is fluffy and now our bedroom smells like burnt hair. So no more candles. I killed the fly.
By the time we got Tweeker I was pretty much done with candles for the season. Last night I had one burning on my new old dresser (maybe you've seen a picture?) I left Andrew reading in bed, asking him to keep an eye on Tweek (who has been known to jump up an said new old dresser).
Apparently while I was in the bathroom, a fly (did you know Tweeker is the number one stalker of flies in Champaign county? Known to jump 6 feet off the ground in pursuit of one) caught Tweek's attention. The fly landed on the wall above the dresser. So Tweek jumped on the dresser.
This is where the recollection of events gets murky. I don't know if Andrew noticed immediately that Tweek was on the dresser or if it was only the bitter smell of burning hair that pulled him away from his Clive Cussler book. The long and the short of it is that the candle singed about a a baseball size area of Tweek's fluffy hair.
Now, do not be alarmed. We are pretty sure Tweek has no idea it even happened. Andrew yelled at Tweek so loudly that the cat immediately jumped down from the dresser. It's not that Tweek has no hair it's just that it is flat and short where the rest is fluffy and now our bedroom smells like burnt hair. So no more candles. I killed the fly.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Okay so make it November
Friends and Family,
Most likely you have seen the online photo albums first and that pretty much sums up my excuses for not posting or writing in ages. Andrew has his paramedic card and is in the process of following up on a couple of job prospects and in the meantime putting in lots of part-time hours. I love, love, love, my job as teen services specialist and have enjoyed some early challenges and successes. That keeps me pretty occupied but so far I have been pretty good about not bringing a lot of work home. We have our lawn in and trees; We now have four prairie fire crabapples lining the lane. I guess in the spring they are a jaw-droppingly bright pink so we will see. We also have a sycamore, a green mountain maple. We have 7, count em 7 adorable blue spruce pine trees and Andrew has quite the little orchard in the back.
I spent most to the late summer out at the club taking pictures. I am immensely proud of the deer shots but that was about as good as I was going to get with my trusty easy share and just a couple weeks ago I got a Canon Powershot 3. I can't make any promisies when I will get out into the field with it because of weather and other um, pursuits. In the meantime I have been trying to keep up with house and reading loads, I mean loads of outdoor photography books. I come home from the library and Andrew says, "Did you leave them anything?" Of course I did.
That's really all the news fit to print. Tweek is pretty much done growing I think. He will always be a small cat. He is starting to really snuggle with us at night now that it is getting colder.
Hope you liked the photos, will try to post before say, April :0 Jules
Most likely you have seen the online photo albums first and that pretty much sums up my excuses for not posting or writing in ages. Andrew has his paramedic card and is in the process of following up on a couple of job prospects and in the meantime putting in lots of part-time hours. I love, love, love, my job as teen services specialist and have enjoyed some early challenges and successes. That keeps me pretty occupied but so far I have been pretty good about not bringing a lot of work home. We have our lawn in and trees; We now have four prairie fire crabapples lining the lane. I guess in the spring they are a jaw-droppingly bright pink so we will see. We also have a sycamore, a green mountain maple. We have 7, count em 7 adorable blue spruce pine trees and Andrew has quite the little orchard in the back.
I spent most to the late summer out at the club taking pictures. I am immensely proud of the deer shots but that was about as good as I was going to get with my trusty easy share and just a couple weeks ago I got a Canon Powershot 3. I can't make any promisies when I will get out into the field with it because of weather and other um, pursuits. In the meantime I have been trying to keep up with house and reading loads, I mean loads of outdoor photography books. I come home from the library and Andrew says, "Did you leave them anything?" Of course I did.
That's really all the news fit to print. Tweek is pretty much done growing I think. He will always be a small cat. He is starting to really snuggle with us at night now that it is getting colder.
Hope you liked the photos, will try to post before say, April :0 Jules
Monday, October 09, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
yeah yeah I know
It's been forever. And, it will be a little while longer. Look for blog updates and photos in the album in September...
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Time ticks by
Tweek grows fat and sassy, I finish up laundry from ALA, Andrew works, and it rains.
Started new job this week. A lot to do and getting settled but I think I'll like it fine.
We repotted our pine trees waiting till fall to plant and my dresser project falls to the wayside as I work on other things.
I am listening to "In the Company of the Courtesan" and am absolutely fascinated. It is a really good audio book. I read Janet Evanovich's number 12 and was pleasantly surprised. It seems like she is going back to the earlier novels and while I am fed up with the whole morellir or ranger bit, I liked how it ended, I think Stephanie is deciding despite herself.
In the YA world I read Whatever HAppened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles and liked it very much. Gail's writing is so taut--not one word is wasteful.
I have loads of books in the too read bin of course and I have started doing Yoga again and even worked out this morning. As thirty barrels down upon me I realize I better start getting in shape...
Started new job this week. A lot to do and getting settled but I think I'll like it fine.
We repotted our pine trees waiting till fall to plant and my dresser project falls to the wayside as I work on other things.
I am listening to "In the Company of the Courtesan" and am absolutely fascinated. It is a really good audio book. I read Janet Evanovich's number 12 and was pleasantly surprised. It seems like she is going back to the earlier novels and while I am fed up with the whole morellir or ranger bit, I liked how it ended, I think Stephanie is deciding despite herself.
In the YA world I read Whatever HAppened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles and liked it very much. Gail's writing is so taut--not one word is wasteful.
I have loads of books in the too read bin of course and I have started doing Yoga again and even worked out this morning. As thirty barrels down upon me I realize I better start getting in shape...
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Back from New Orleans
Andrew and I got back on Monday and I've spent the past couple of days wrapping up things at the branch and doing laundry. Poor Tweek, he has separation anxiety and cries away when I am out of sight. Mom and Dad fed him up I think he gained a pound over the weekend.
Before we left for New Orleans, Dad and Andrew got the tiles all trenched in and a larger turnaround in the driveway cut out. Also Dad hauled in some dirt and graded our front yard out nicely. The front yard clover is rounded up and turning brown and we'll wait to plant grass seed in August.
New Orleans was okay. It was nice to enjoy quiet dinners with Andrew in the evening after a day of running around and getting professionally developed. Many restaurants and shops are still closed and one thing that struck us was the eerie absence of people. We saw the floodline where the water settled on the freeway sound barrier. We also saw a couple dozen abandoned cars below the overpasses.
Andrew went to Cafe Du Monde, the Audubon Aquarium, Jackson and LaFayette square and a few other places. One night we ate at the buffet at Harrah's and I lost five bucks to the slots. It was hot. Our hotel was pretty darn comfortable and it was nice to be back in the room by 9 each night.
ALA was satisfying in terms of contacts and development but I won't go into it here as it would bore some readers.
That's it for now, more soon--probably, Jules
Before we left for New Orleans, Dad and Andrew got the tiles all trenched in and a larger turnaround in the driveway cut out. Also Dad hauled in some dirt and graded our front yard out nicely. The front yard clover is rounded up and turning brown and we'll wait to plant grass seed in August.
New Orleans was okay. It was nice to enjoy quiet dinners with Andrew in the evening after a day of running around and getting professionally developed. Many restaurants and shops are still closed and one thing that struck us was the eerie absence of people. We saw the floodline where the water settled on the freeway sound barrier. We also saw a couple dozen abandoned cars below the overpasses.
Andrew went to Cafe Du Monde, the Audubon Aquarium, Jackson and LaFayette square and a few other places. One night we ate at the buffet at Harrah's and I lost five bucks to the slots. It was hot. Our hotel was pretty darn comfortable and it was nice to be back in the room by 9 each night.
ALA was satisfying in terms of contacts and development but I won't go into it here as it would bore some readers.
That's it for now, more soon--probably, Jules
Monday, June 12, 2006
I got the job! I got the job!
I start July 3rd, as the Teen Services Specialist at main library across from grant hospital. In this position I will be responsible for teen services at Main but also be looking at several system wide initiatives and projects. I am really excited and will post more soon, with pictures in the album.
I found out thursday the 8th which was the same day Andrew graduated from paramedic school so a big day for us both!
I found out thursday the 8th which was the same day Andrew graduated from paramedic school so a big day for us both!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Good bye, Kitten
Today I write this with a heavy heart. The past few weeks Kitten had been very ill, losing weight, continuing to get sick once or twice a day, not grooming herself and crying at times in what I can only assume was pain when we picked her up. Last Sunday, the 21st Andrew and Dad planted a nice golden delicious apple tree and dug the hole. Andrew made a poplar box and on Thursday Kitten visited the vet for the final time. I am very sad and miss her terribly. Tweek is lively as ever and while he does not sleep with us all night, he pops up to visit and likes to cuddle in the morning. There really isn't anymore to say I suppose.
Moving on to things less sad, Andrew is less than two weeks away from graduating paramedic school. At the end of June we will be going to New Orleans for the America Library Association Conference. This weekend Andrew worked on his term paper while I got serious about refinishing and oak dresser Dad picked up for me last summer. The drawers inside are disgusting, mildew-y and dirty. I wanted to completely redo those drawers saving only the solid oak fronts but because the drawers are dovetailed, Andrew worries about damaging the joints. He’ll be sanding those. The dresser still needs a lot of cleaning on the inside (grooves of wood hold abandoned wads of spider webs) and the dresser top needs quite a bit of sanding. I will send pictures out soon.
For not “blogging” in a while I guess I don’t have that much news. We’ve hung more pictures and things and the house is really starting to come together. Once Andrew is out of school we’ll begin working on the yard in earnest. I’ve been doing more non-professional writing this past month and in April but now outdoor pursuits will be calling.
As for Reader’s Advisory I am listening to Wendy Wasserstein’s Elements of Style, which would be just another Upper East Side elite love fest if of course, it was written by someone other than the late and very talented Wasserstein. The characters will rarely likable except for a couple, are much more real than the usual New York Society books so popular right now. I read a really great YA book last week called Dead Connection by Charlie Price. It’s kind of a murder mystery set told through the eyes of several characters with a sixth sense like twist. I am also listening to the captivating yet very dark “Geek Love” told by a 38 year old albino dwarf about her childhood in a traveling carnival. Her parents intentionally experimented with all kinds of harmful substances to produce natural geeks like Siamese twins who play the piano and a boy with flippers instead of limbs. I have Ladies in Lavender in the DVD player—it’s pretty cute but also a little sad.
Moving on to things less sad, Andrew is less than two weeks away from graduating paramedic school. At the end of June we will be going to New Orleans for the America Library Association Conference. This weekend Andrew worked on his term paper while I got serious about refinishing and oak dresser Dad picked up for me last summer. The drawers inside are disgusting, mildew-y and dirty. I wanted to completely redo those drawers saving only the solid oak fronts but because the drawers are dovetailed, Andrew worries about damaging the joints. He’ll be sanding those. The dresser still needs a lot of cleaning on the inside (grooves of wood hold abandoned wads of spider webs) and the dresser top needs quite a bit of sanding. I will send pictures out soon.
For not “blogging” in a while I guess I don’t have that much news. We’ve hung more pictures and things and the house is really starting to come together. Once Andrew is out of school we’ll begin working on the yard in earnest. I’ve been doing more non-professional writing this past month and in April but now outdoor pursuits will be calling.
As for Reader’s Advisory I am listening to Wendy Wasserstein’s Elements of Style, which would be just another Upper East Side elite love fest if of course, it was written by someone other than the late and very talented Wasserstein. The characters will rarely likable except for a couple, are much more real than the usual New York Society books so popular right now. I read a really great YA book last week called Dead Connection by Charlie Price. It’s kind of a murder mystery set told through the eyes of several characters with a sixth sense like twist. I am also listening to the captivating yet very dark “Geek Love” told by a 38 year old albino dwarf about her childhood in a traveling carnival. Her parents intentionally experimented with all kinds of harmful substances to produce natural geeks like Siamese twins who play the piano and a boy with flippers instead of limbs. I have Ladies in Lavender in the DVD player—it’s pretty cute but also a little sad.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Lawn and Garden
I write with a very heavy heart. Kitten has been ill all weekend and especially ill this morning. I think very soon we will have to make a decision about her, you know, THE decision. While a blood test last week revealed nothing amiss, the vet agrees she is a sick cat and told me we could spend $1,000 looking for the source and never find it. Kitten walks with a hunched back and rarely relaxes into a little ball anymore. Sometimes when I pick her up she cries in discomfort. Yet other times she acts like herself. But cleaning up after her is exhausting and being gone 50 hours a week and Andrew even more, it is getting hard to care for her. If I didn’t brush her, her coat would be tacky. She is only 6 years old but eats without gaining any weight. She is down to 7 pounds. It is hard to see her compared to Tweek, who is eating like a horse and playing like one too. He wants nothing but to play and be loved and Kitten is just not Kitten. I am very sad.
What I was planning on writing about came from our activities yesterday. If you take a look at the phrase Lawn and Garden and the phrase Julie and Andrew, well, I would be the lawn and Andrew would be the garden.
I spent the morning picking up ancient half buried trash from the front yard. Pepsi cans circa 1985 that my mower has revealed, bits of chip bags and even a light switch plate I am sure fell out of our electrician’s pocket last fall.
I also marked with flags a half dozen rocks missed last summer. Then picked them up or had Andrew shovel a couple up. I also weeded the south end of the house, where I plan to transplant some poppies, plants that were once Grandpa Perdue’s this fall. Andrew meanwhile planted tomatoes, herbs and more herbs in the raised bed. He retiled his garden and planted our sweet corn, sunflowers, and watermelons. I think cucumbers are the only thing at this point. Other than picking and cleaning, I am not that interested in gardening. I think I could get into container gardening but even then, I have a feeling plants may feel like they are on death row. So far though the pansies, violas and phlox I bought nearly a month ago are surviving so I must not be that bad.
A lawn though, I want a nice lawn. Might take a few years to get it, but walking on Mom and Dad’s lawn is like walking on carpet. Walking in our yard is like walking in a mown field, field being the operative world. Or, in a baked wasteland full of rocks. But this will change I just have to be patient.
Andrew is basically indifferent about the lawn. He looks forward to having grass, but I will be the one mowing in a zen like state with the roar of the blades in my ears and the gas fumes in my nose while Andrew is in his garden.
I started scraping paint off the oak dresser, refinishing project number one. The first layer flips right off and I figure why waste the stripper? If it is warm enough this weekend I will start stripping the dresser drawers in earnest.
Andrew is exactly 4 weeks away from his Paramedic final. He still has 60 hours of ride time to do and has already done 60 hours. We are on the home stretch.
What I was planning on writing about came from our activities yesterday. If you take a look at the phrase Lawn and Garden and the phrase Julie and Andrew, well, I would be the lawn and Andrew would be the garden.
I spent the morning picking up ancient half buried trash from the front yard. Pepsi cans circa 1985 that my mower has revealed, bits of chip bags and even a light switch plate I am sure fell out of our electrician’s pocket last fall.
I also marked with flags a half dozen rocks missed last summer. Then picked them up or had Andrew shovel a couple up. I also weeded the south end of the house, where I plan to transplant some poppies, plants that were once Grandpa Perdue’s this fall. Andrew meanwhile planted tomatoes, herbs and more herbs in the raised bed. He retiled his garden and planted our sweet corn, sunflowers, and watermelons. I think cucumbers are the only thing at this point. Other than picking and cleaning, I am not that interested in gardening. I think I could get into container gardening but even then, I have a feeling plants may feel like they are on death row. So far though the pansies, violas and phlox I bought nearly a month ago are surviving so I must not be that bad.
A lawn though, I want a nice lawn. Might take a few years to get it, but walking on Mom and Dad’s lawn is like walking on carpet. Walking in our yard is like walking in a mown field, field being the operative world. Or, in a baked wasteland full of rocks. But this will change I just have to be patient.
Andrew is basically indifferent about the lawn. He looks forward to having grass, but I will be the one mowing in a zen like state with the roar of the blades in my ears and the gas fumes in my nose while Andrew is in his garden.
I started scraping paint off the oak dresser, refinishing project number one. The first layer flips right off and I figure why waste the stripper? If it is warm enough this weekend I will start stripping the dresser drawers in earnest.
Andrew is exactly 4 weeks away from his Paramedic final. He still has 60 hours of ride time to do and has already done 60 hours. We are on the home stretch.
Monday, April 24, 2006
What a busy Sunday
Andrew had the Sunday off and boy were we busy bees. We went out to breakfast with Mom and Dad and then stopped by the Penney's sale and picked up a dining room rug. We moved that into the kitchen. Dad helped Andrew get started tilling the garden and I mowed the lot...well the part of the lot that isn't mud and rocks. It was a beautiful day and fun to be out and about. Our strawberries in the raised bed that Andrew made are already blooming. In the afternoon I ran errands in town while Andrew finished the back bedroom for the cats. They now have a bed and more space to spat. I picked up some black mulch. We are going to mulch some grass bald patches at the end of the drive-way to put our rocks on...that won't happen for a while though. Let's see, did some laundry and sundry cleaning. We watched our last sunday night of free Sopranos and now into the week ahead.
For those of you not in the immediate vicinity, the spring here has been really beautiful. We didn't have a late or killer frost so the flowering trees are especially full, crabapples, cherries and magnolias are really showing their stuff.
reader's Advisory, I am still working on Fareed Zakaria's Future of Freedom, what a clever guy. I am also listening to A Perfect Union, and interesting biogrpahy of Dolley Madison. I am also listening to nickeld and dimed that is a few years old but still very relevant about the working poor.
I am also reading the second in the enjoyable Djinn series by scholastic starring John and Phillippa Gaunt. I am also super pleased that Brian K Vaughan has decided to extend his teenage runaways stories and plan to read volumes 5 and 6 tonight.
I have already gotten the much anticipated Charlaine Harris book, Defintely Dead on audio even though the print version doesn't come out for another week. It was wonderful with lots of twists and bombshells so now I have to wait another year for the next installment...sigh.
I'll try to post pictures of our landscaping endeavors soon...
For those of you not in the immediate vicinity, the spring here has been really beautiful. We didn't have a late or killer frost so the flowering trees are especially full, crabapples, cherries and magnolias are really showing their stuff.
reader's Advisory, I am still working on Fareed Zakaria's Future of Freedom, what a clever guy. I am also listening to A Perfect Union, and interesting biogrpahy of Dolley Madison. I am also listening to nickeld and dimed that is a few years old but still very relevant about the working poor.
I am also reading the second in the enjoyable Djinn series by scholastic starring John and Phillippa Gaunt. I am also super pleased that Brian K Vaughan has decided to extend his teenage runaways stories and plan to read volumes 5 and 6 tonight.
I have already gotten the much anticipated Charlaine Harris book, Defintely Dead on audio even though the print version doesn't come out for another week. It was wonderful with lots of twists and bombshells so now I have to wait another year for the next installment...sigh.
I'll try to post pictures of our landscaping endeavors soon...
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Meeting Chris Moore
Well I managed to leave work early yesterday and go down to the wonderful book store, Books and Company in Kettering to meet Chris Moore. I was so excited he was coming to Ohio after all this time because he rarely rarely appears this far East. I got there and hour early thinking I would have time to work on the laptop but there were so many people already waiting, I was lucky to get a seat in the very last row. By line number was 40 but by the time it was all said and done one of the latest to arrive got a line number of 98. Chris Moore was really funny and down to earth and with the kind of fans he has, there was a bit of improvisation and banter. It was a lot of fun, especially when he held up a Las Vegas newspaper article about him and his latest book and on the back of the page, was ads for escorts. Chris is now on the bestseller list for the first time and about time I say. He's one of my favorite authors and if you start reading him I suggest reading them in order of publication even though they are not a series.
I saw a buddy from Columbus, got my picture taken with Chris and AND won a cool little t-shirt. Got home at 11 exhausted and the cats fought for about an hour over the bed and neither ended up sleeping in the bed. I think Tweek just wants to cuddle with Kitten. He is perfectly happy sleeping at the foot of the bed until she jumps on the bed and then he is all over her. She hates it of course. Tweek is gaining weight now.
In other news, I will be meeting Laurie Halse (pronounced Haltz) Anderson this afternoon to get Prom signed and maybe get a picture. Later, Jules
I saw a buddy from Columbus, got my picture taken with Chris and AND won a cool little t-shirt. Got home at 11 exhausted and the cats fought for about an hour over the bed and neither ended up sleeping in the bed. I think Tweek just wants to cuddle with Kitten. He is perfectly happy sleeping at the foot of the bed until she jumps on the bed and then he is all over her. She hates it of course. Tweek is gaining weight now.
In other news, I will be meeting Laurie Halse (pronounced Haltz) Anderson this afternoon to get Prom signed and maybe get a picture. Later, Jules
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