Smart Kid

Oldest daughter was in the bathroom. The 3-year-old--will turn 4 in September--was jumping up and down on the scale. She turned to her mother and said, "You know, when you jump up and down you get a higher score!"

Like I said, smart kid!

You Want Me To Wear What?

We are leaving in the morning for another road trip--this time we are going to see 'The Lion King.' (YAY!!!) And, once again, I don't have a clue as to what I am going to wear. Okay, before you start screaming 'JUST BUY SOME CLOTHES ALREADY,' I have to tell you the story.

I have been looking through the catalogs for months--since we got the tickets--trying to decide what I wanted to buy. Finally, about three months ago I found the cutest top and pants imaginable and figured those were what I was going to get. A month ago I put in the order--I didn't order them earlier in case my fantasy of dropping 30 pounds overnight would happen to come true and the clothes wouldn't fit anymore. Of course, it took more than two weeks for the order to get here. (I refuse to pay the extra postage for rush delivery unless it 'absolutely, positively, has to get here' faster.) I was really excited as I opened the package because I was ahead of the game, for once. First, I tried on the pants. I'm not quite sure WHAT I was sent, but they were not what I expected. They fit quite nicely and I would have been happy to keep them except for the fact that they were too short. Granted, I ordered the 'petite' length, but petite is supposed to be for women 5' 3" or 5' 4" or shorter--I am BARELY 5' 1" tall, so I figured there would be no problem. WRONG! They looked like 'flood' pants--and they definitely were not short enough to be cropped or capris. So, those had to be sent back. I figured, fine, I can find pants to go with the top--I just might have something in the closet that will do. Then I tried the top on. Frankly, I don't know what they did to make the top look good in the catalog, but when I saw the thing on me I wanted to take a pointy stick and poke my eyes out! It was horrid! Back that went.

My trying to get clothes through a catalog didn't work, so I tried to get something locally. HA!! There is NOTHING out there to be had. EVERYTHING is so damn ugly that I just wanted to cry. Now, I know I am age, weight, and height challenged, and that WILL cause me to have problems finding clothes, but the clothes in EVERY size are ugly. I even went into the part of the stores that carry the Nicole Richie/anorexia sizes and the clothes were not any better there. (As an aside: are there REALLY healthy people that can wear a size 2? There is not enough material in an article of clothing that is a size 2 to cover my right thigh, much less anything else!) If something is a cute shape, then the material is ugly. If the material is exactly what you want, then the cut is disgusting. Just a vast wasteland of ugly clothes. I was astonished at the materials/patterns there are--the kinds of material we used to call 'old ladyish.' I just don't get it. And WHEN are the manufacturers/designers going to realize: if a woman is big enough--with a big enough bust--to wear certain sizes, she PROBABLY needs a little bit of a bigger cut in the torso/stomach area. She IS NOT LOOKING TO WEAR FORM-FITTING CLOTHES!

All of the trouble I have in trying to get clothes that I like could be solved if I went back to making everything myself. Good idea, except we have NO PLACE TO BUY MATERIAL. When JoAnne's closed, we were left with WalMart as pretty much the only place to buy material. Have you checked out their selections lately? Laughable. I used to decide on the spur of the moment to make an article of clothing--which was easy to do when we had a store where all of the 'raw materials' could be bought. That ship has sailed.

I know I will find SOMETHING to wear to go to the play--and it isn't as if anyone is really going to be looking at me anyway. But, still, it is nice to have something new, that you like, and that fits well, once in awhile. I can only dream.

Falcon Update

On May 9, I posted about the peregrine falcon nest's K's company has at their power plants. And I posted this picture:


Today I went to the site to look at the pictures and here is what they look like:




Amazing how big they have grown in such a short period. They look as if they are very close to taking flight for the first time.

Awesome

Jack Bruce has said that he has agreed to get together with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker to do one or more concerts later this year. Cream together again--how awesome is that! Even K looked interested. I don't think I would have much of a problem getting him to go to the concert, but I doubt if they will be anywhere close to us. And that is if they even decide to do an extended tour. To go to a Cream concert would be almost as exciting for me as the Clapton concert was. I can't even imagine how amazing the night would be. Dreams that might come true?

Heat, Kittens, Pregnancy...AND a Little Hockey

Damn but is it hot! This is the third day we have had temps in the 80s and I am not a happy camper. I am hot--in more ways than one. K came home from work early yesterday to put in at least one of the a/c units--we have three--and I will give you three guesses as to how many he took care of. And your first two guesses don't count. You got it, he didn't put in any. We are well on the way to a record temp for the day--something that thrills me to no end. At least I have tomorrow to look forward to: temps are supposed to be in the 60s and continue that way for the next week! Happy days for me.

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Youngest daughter called last night and she is caring for a foster kitten. She CLAIMS she is only babysitting for a friend who is a foster 'mother' and I hope she is telling the truth. She has three cats and two dogs already--she doesn't need any more animals. The two older cats ignore the kitten, as does the male dog. The female dog thinks the kitten is her baby--wants to constantly be cleaning and taking care of and protecting it. Which is a little disquieting as the dog weighs at least 60 pounds and the kitten is only the size of a normal cat's head! And the youngest cat can't even be within eyesight of the kitten and she is hissing. Not surprising as she is IS the baby of the household and now this CREATURE has come in and usurped her territory. Well, at least my youngest now has a taste of what sibling rivalry is like for when she has kids.

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Well, the youngest is officially trying to get pregnant. This MAY be a hard battle for her as she suffers from polycystic ovarian syndrome. Yup, her sister is able to get pregnant just by thinking about it and now youngest will have to go through all of the tests, etc, in order to have kids. Life can be so cruel.

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Oldest gets to see her doctor on Friday for her first OB visit of this pregnancy. I hope he has nothing but good news for her.

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Last night was the season finale of Lost--I have watched the finales of 24, Veronica Mars, Heroes, and Supernatural. What else...can't think as they all start running together after awhile. Right now, I'm kind of TV'd out, so I don't have much to say about the finales. I am on the fence as to if I will be watching some of them come fall. Have to wait and see.

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I just finished reading all of the books in the Hannibal Lecter series. After reading four books of his exploits, I am definitely in the need of some light summertime books. I think first on my list will be Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and all of the sequels. The stories just make me laugh. And Janet Evanovich has the next book in the Stephanie Plum series coming out in a month or so, so I will be happy to get my hands on that one. Might be a good summer of reading.

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Just got an email from Barnes & Noble with a 15% coupon good on the highest priced item in my shopping cart. Hmmm, might HAVE to get the third season of Farscape. I wish they would put the series on sale once in awhile--it probably is the highest priced series I have ever seen at over $100 per season! Well, that overtime money has to go SOMEWHERE, might as well be B&N! :)

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Two days after the last game the Wings played and all of the 'experts' are out talking about next year. Granted, Ken Holland has it on his mind all of the time, but geez. And I can only add my two cents worth.

--I do believe I have to get on the bandwagon and say: get rid of Lang! They pay him way too much for what he does--or doesn't do--on the ice. At $3.8mil a year, he should be producing MUCH more. His time has passed, let him go.

--Hasek. What the hell can you say about a 42-year-old goalie? Especially one who plays as well as he does? This year he was healthy, but last year he only played 43 games. How long can his groin hold out? A VERY tough call. Maybe it's time for the Wings to get a 'young'un' up to speed in the net--but if they want another good run at the Cup next year, they might need to keep Hasek. Hmmm.

--Thank goodness they locked up Datsyuk and Holmstrom and Zetterberg won't be up for renewal for another year or two. I still think Lidstrom will retire as a Wing, so they don't have to worry about him for a couple of more years. But at 37-years-old, he might not be around much longer. After all, EVERYONE can't be playing at the level Chelios is at 45!

--Bertuzzi is another question mark. I would say, if he doesn't want too much, sign him. He wasn't back 100% after his back surgery and I think he could be a big asset next year. It all depends on what he might want--and if he can fully heal. $5mil is way too much, though.

--Then there is Schneider. Is he worth a substantial increase in his current +$3mil? Hard to say. I think a lot depends on who else they might want to pick up.

--At least I don't have to worry about my 'baby boy' for a while. He won't be a free agent for a few years, at least. He showed some of what he is made of during the season and especially during the playoffs, so I think the Wings will do all in their power to keep him on the roster when the time comes. I still think people will definitely have to learn how to pronounce the name Valterri Filppula in the years to come. He WILL be a star. And, hopefully, a star for the Red Wings!

WHAT Life?

I had to chuckle to myself as I was looking over this blog. On the sidebar I noticed there are 189 posts labeled 'my life.' There are 117 labeled 'hockey.' As the title says, 'WHAT life?' :D

Mister Rogers

I didn't appreciate Mister Rogers when he was alive, but my girls liked him when they were very young. I think his quiet ways were very soothing to them. Since his death, I have read different things about him that make me realize how truly a good man he was. mental_floss did a really nice 'tribute' to him today and I thought I would share it. Here is where the original post can be found.

The following are 15 things everyone should know about Fred Rogers:

1. Even Koko the Gorilla loved him

Most people have heard of Koko, the Stanford-educated gorilla who could speak about 1000 words in American Sign Language, and understand about 2000 in English. What most people don’t know, however, is that Koko was an avid Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fan. As Esquire magazine reported, when Fred Rogers took a trip out to meet Koko for his show, not only did she immediately wrap her arms around him and embrace him, she did what she’d always seen him do onscreen: she proceeded to take his shoes off!

2. He Made Thieves Think Twice

According to a TV Guide piece on him, Fred Rogers drove a plain old Impala for years. One day, however, the car was stolen from the street near the TV station. When Rogers filed a police report, the story was picked up by every newspaper, radio and media outlet around town. Amazingly, within 48 hours the car was left in the exact spot where it was taken from, with an apology on the dashboard. It read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.”

3. He Watched His Figure to the Pound!

In covering Rogers’ daily routine (waking up at 5; praying for a few hours for all of his friends and family; studying; writing, making calls and reaching out to every fan who took the time to write him; going for a morning swim; getting on a scale; then really starting his day), writer Tom Junod explained that Mr. Rogers weighed in at exactly 143 pounds every day for the last 30 years of his life. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t eat the flesh of any animals, and was extremely disciplined in his daily routine. And while I’m not sure if any of that was because he’d mostly grown up a chubby, single child, Junod points out that Rogers found beauty in the number 143. According to the piece, Rogers came “to see that number as a gift… because, as he says, “the number 143 means ‘I love you.’ It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’ One hundred and forty-three.”

4. He Saved Both Public Television and the VCR

Strange but true. When the government wanted to cut Public Television funds in 1969, the relatively unknown Mister Rogers went to Washington. Almost straight out of a Capra film, his 5-6 minute testimony on how TV had the potential to give kids hope and create more productive citizens was so simple but passionate that even the most gruff politicians were charmed. While the budget should have been cut, the funding instead jumped from $9 to $22 million. Rogers also spoke to Congress, and swayed senators into voting to allow VCR’s to record television shows from the home. It was a cantankerous debate at the time, but his argument was that recording a program like his allowed working parents to sit down with their children and watch shows as a family.

5. He Might Have Been the Most Tolerant American Ever

Mister Rogers seems to have been almost exactly the same off-screen as he was onscreen. Despite being an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first. Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead reply, with sincerity to them, “God loves you just the way you are.” Often this provoked ire from fundamentalists.

6. He Was Genuinely Curious about Others

Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he’d often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to sincerely check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn’t concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others. Amazingly, it wasn’t just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with him for the rest of his life.

7. He was Color-blind

Literally. He couldn’t see the color blue. Of course, he was also figuratively color-blind, as you probably guessed, as were his parents who took in a black foster child when Rogers was growing up.

8. He Could Make a Subway Car full of Strangers Sing

Once while rushing to a New York meeting, there were no cabs available, so Rogers and one of his colleagues hopped on the subway. Esquire reported that the car was filled with people, and they assumed they wouldn’t be noticed. But when the crowd spotted Rogers, they all simultaneously burst into song, chanting “It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood.” The result made Rogers smile wide.

A few other things:

9. He got into TV because he hated TV. The first time he turned one on, he saw people angrily throwing pies in each other’s faces, and immediately he vowed to use the medium for better than that. Over the years he covered topics as varied as why kids shouldn’t be scared of a haircut, or the bathroom drain (because you won’t fit!), to divorce and war.

10. He was an Ivy League Dropout. Rogers moved from Dartmouth to Rollins College to pursue his studies in music.

11. He composed all the songs on the show, and over 200 tunes.

12. He was a perfectionist, and disliked ad libbing. He felt he owed it to children to make sure every word on his show was thought out.

13. Michael Keaton got his start on the show as an assistant– helping puppeteer and operate the trolley.

14. Several characters on the show are named for his family. Queen Sara is named after Rogers’ wife, and the postman Mr. McFeely is named for his maternal grandfather who always talked to him like an adult, and reminded young Fred that he made every day special just by being himself. Sound familiar? It was the same way Mister Rogers closed every show.

15. The sweaters. Every one of the cardigans he wore on the show had been hand-knit by his mother.

(Sorry the editing of the post is so funky--don't know what happened to the format. Oh, well, at least it can be read--it just looks crappy! :))

NOT Real Excited--And Here Is The Reason

Last night I announced that my oldest is pregnant. Those of you who have read this blog for any length of time probably understand why I'm not terribly excited, but for those who think I am horrid, I will now give my explanation.

Before I continue I have to say this: I don't care how many children my girls decide they want. How many kids they can take care of and handle is their own decision. If they each want 24 kids, so be it--they won't be MY problem, I won't have to take care of them. God knew I could only handle having two kids, but that doesn't mean I think everyone should limit themselves to only two. To each his/her own, I say. Now, on to my explanation.

This is C's 7th pregnancy. Yes, I said 7th. And she doesn't do pregnancy well, to say the least. Here is the history:

My first granddaughter was born in July 1996. She was only 29 weeks and weighed 2lb, 7oz. She was brought to our town--we have the only regional medical center and NICU in the area--by ambulance, a trip of 100 miles. I was sure she was going to be dead by morning--I had never seen a baby look as sick as she did. She was released from the hospital before the date she was supposed to be born and is healthy, beautiful, and tremendously smart today.

My second granddaughter decided to stay in the womb longer. She was born in March 1999 and was 35 weeks and weighed 4lb, 13oz. She was an absolute giant compared to her sister! This one, too, is perfectly healthy, etc--but then, no problems were expected because she was only 5 weeks early.

Several years passed and C divorced her first husband. In November 2002, she gave birth to her third child--her first with her second husband. He was only 27 weeks and was stillborn.

Ten months after her stillborn child (September 2003), C gave birth to number four--a girl. She was born at 32 weeks and weighed 2lb, 7oz. While she was the same weight as her oldest sister, she WAS three weeks older and didn't look like a sick baby at all. She was just very, very small. She spent her time in the NICU, like her oldest sister did.

July 2004--10 months later--brought C's second boy. She managed to carry him to term. He was 7lb, 4oz. By this pregnancy, the doctors had decided on her problem: for some reason, the placentas would become full of clots and this would cause a 'failure to thrive' of the babies. For this pregnancy, she had to inject a blood thinner daily to counteract the clotting of the placenta. Problem solved, right? Wrong.

October 2005--15 months later--C gave birth to her last child. (C, once again, had to have daily injections during this pregnancy.) This was a girl and she was born at 34 weeks, weighing 3lb, 11oz. The ONLY reason the baby wasn't born earlier is because C was here in the hospital for about a month before the birth. Her water broke and, being a high-risk pregnancy, C was rushed to our hospital by ambulance. She was on complete bed rest for the month she was here. During this pregnancy, C had contracted viral meningitis and the doctors THINK this is what caused the early labor.

All of C's children--except for the stillborn, of course--are healthy and fine. She has been blessed and lucky that everything is okay. And here is where part of my not being happy comes into the picture: How long do you toss the dice and expect to keep winning? WHEN does your luck run out? Is THIS going to be the child that has severe problems?

Also, during and after the last pregnancy, C had her own problems. I still don't think the doctors figured out just what went wrong with her. I know she had trouble with blood clots, but beyond that, I don't know what else was wrong. And the doctors don't have an explanation for any of it. Here is the other reason I'm none too happy: What is all of this doing to C's health? What if she should have chronic health problems from this many pregnancies? What happens to all of her children if she died? (Yes, she has a husband, but kids need a mother, too.)

Over the last year and a half, C and I have talked about her health and pregnancies. She is well aware of my worries, as I haven't kept my mouth shut. I have tried to be as non-confrontational as possible and only told her of my fears in terms of my loving her and wanting everything good for her. She told me this 'probably' is her last pregnancy. I pray that this isn't the end of God smiling on her and that all goes well.

For any of you who pray, I ask that you remember C and her unborn child when you do. The next few months are going to be extremely hard for all of us--and, of course, hardest on C herself.

It Is Finished

The Wings are done. And to top it all off, they lost to a team named after a Disney movie! I am not only disappointed, I am more than a little bitter.

That being said, I could go on and on with 'coulda, shoulda, woulda,' but there is no reason. Others that are much more knowledgeable than I am will do all of the analyzing--and it will be to no avail. The season is done. The guys can go and play golf.

I will not be watching any more hockey this year. The thoughts of having to see Pronger's smirk just makes me more than a little ill. The only thing that could get me to watch any part of any of the Cup finals is if I get to see a clip of someone from Ottawa taking Pronger out--and having him be out for an extended period of time. THAT I might watch. I hope Ottawa wins in four straight games--and while they are winning, I want them to take out a couple of Niedermayers, a Perry, and most definitely, a Pronger.

It was a good ride this year, guys. THANKS! It is a very good feeling that the team did as well as it did, considering all of the 'experts' predicted a mediocre--at best--year. Four months and we get to do it all over again! I, for one, can't wait.

No Title

C called me earlier today to tell me she's pregnant. I can't even talk about it--I have to digest this news before I can even comment.

Cold Hearted SOB Award

Can you say 'cold hearted bastard?' Well, here is a local story that defines that term:

A Menominee County landlord faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for evicting the wife of a U.S. serviceman. It happened back in December of 2004, but it's just reached the federal court system.

Randall McLeod, Sr. pled guilty to a charge of unlawful eviction of a service member's dependents.

Federal prosecutors say the wife went into labor in late November of 2004 and, as a result, did not make her rent payment on time. The next month, authorities say, McLeod removed the family's belongings from the mobile home and changed the locks.

The soldier was away from home, training at the time.

McLeod will be sentenced on August 28. He'll also be required to pay restitution to the family.

Bats In The Belfry? Not Exactly.

Considering we don't have a belfry--what is that, by the way?--we don't have any bats in it. BUT, we DO have other wildlife living in our space. And so begins another summer.

The other night I could hear something chewing/digging in the ceiling of the pantry. This ceiling is right under the space occupied by the basement entrance. So, I took the flashlight and went to look in the window of the basement door and there it was. A HUGE grey squirrel. And I SWEAR the damn thing snarled at me when the light hit him! I'm not sure if there is a nest--didn't wait around long enough to find out. K is just going to have to figure out a way to put out the live trap where the squirrel might actually go into it. And then, WE HAVE TO FIND OUT HOW THEY ARE GETTING IN! I just don't want the thing to get into the basement--THAT would be a heart attack waiting to happen, believe me.

Once again, we have a nest of birds in the eave over the sewing room. The racket the babies make is just incredible. I'm sure they aren't anything more interesting than starlings--and I would REALLY like them gone. We will have to investigate this, too, to see how they are getting in. It is SO much fun living in an old house! (sarcasm is heavy in that last remark :))

Anaheim 2, Detroit 1

Today I may have seen the play that helped end the Wings' season: Anaheim's tying goal with less than one minute left in regulation. Very pessimistically, I had no sense that Detroit would win in overtime. The Wings would need to win the next two (final) games in order to win the series and move on to the Cup finals. While Detroit COULD win the games--they ARE that good--I have my doubts as to whether they actually will. Hockey season could be over for me in two games or less. I am depressed.

NBC Screwed Up--Big Time

Okay, so the world doesn't revolve around hockey. I get it. And I really don't care if someone doesn't like the sport--you can't please everyone. But today, NBC screwed with a significant portion of the population and THEY. ARE. PISSED. I do believe there are enough hockey fans around to cause NBC a bit of grief.

The NHL, in their infinite wisdom, contracted with NBC to air hockey games. Not ALL hockey games, just the ones that NBC wants to carry. AND NBC can determine what time these games air--at their convenience. So, you have Saturday afternoon hockey games, which is okay unless you live in Canada where Hockey Night in Canada is not only a tradition, but an institution. This means that the CBC couldn't air night time playoff games because NBC wanted the games played during the day.

Not only has NBC screwed with the times of the games, they also have decided that the majority of the games will be broadcast on VS--a network that they own. What's that you ask? What's VS? Exactly. There are many cable systems in the US that don't carry VS. There are a lot of people across the country that have never even heard of VS. I believe the only reason that we have VS on our cable system is because there would be a rebellion if we couldn't get every conceivable hockey game broadcast to our area that is possible. We also are lucky because we get the CBC on our system--which I do enjoy watching because their announcers at least understand the game of hockey and aren't airheads spewing a bunch of nonsense just to hear themselves talk.

And so we come today and NBC's big screw-up. Ottawa and Buffalo played today. The series stood at 3 wins for Ottawa, 1 for Buffalo. This game had the potential to be the end of the series--Ottawa could become the Eastern Conference champs and get into the Stanley Cup finals. The teams played 60 minutes and were tied at 2-2. The game was going into overtime. And NBC decided to stop broadcasting the game and go to the pre-race coverage of the Preakness--which was under a rain delay. And those hockey fans that didn't have anywhere but NBC to watch the game missed the overtime period, the SUDDEN DEATH overtime--which Ottawa won to become the Eastern Conference champs. They got to miss the end of a playoff game so that NBC could have a bunch of talking heads describe how muddy the racetrack was, how the weather was, and how much longer it would be before the race started FOR 75 MINUTES! (I was able to see the rest of the game--as I said, our cable system is good for hockey fans.)

I went to the message boards at NBC Sports to read the reactions. People are not amused. I think there will be A LOT of emails to be read on Monday morning. I hope someone gets fired for this.

What Did I Do?

My daughters have a complete and total lack of respect for me and I don't know what it is I did to deserve this. Here is the story.

The other night, I needed to stop at Shopko to pick up a few things. Not much, but enough to be a little unwieldy just to carry. As I passed the Coke coolers, I decided to pick up a couple of bottles to go along with dinner. I couldn't carry any more stuff, so I went to get myself a shopping cart. I guess I must have been struggling with the cart I was trying to extract from the rest, because a young girl--late high school, early college age--came rushing over to help me get the cart. 'Here, let me help you,' she said. Her tone of voice and the look on her face I knew very well--I have used both many times in my life. She looked at me and thought (I'm sure), 'I MUST help you. You remind me so much of my frail, very old, grandmother.' At that moment, I knew I had joined the ranks of 'little old ladies.' ACK!!!!!!!!! Of course, the first thing I did when I left the store was call my girls and tell them what had happened.

The oldest answered the phone and I told her, 'I am officially a little old lady now.' C answered, 'NOW what embarrassing thing did you do!' (See, total lack of respect!) After I told her the story--which she laughed at--she said, 'Well, at least you didn't pee yourself!' (Total lack of respect.) And then she said, 'Why are you surprised at this? You aren't exactly young anymore.' (This last thing was said with a grin in her voice. But still, total lack of respect.)

I called the youngest next. I said, 'I am officially a little old lady now.' A answered, 'NOW what did you steal!' (No respect.) She wasn't QUITE as bad as her sister, but she did tell me I'm not quite as young as I used to be and I should expect these things to happen more and more often. Nice kids. As for the 'NOW what did you steal.' remark, here is the story.

Last year, just before Christmas, a friend and I took advantage of the annual 'shop downtown' event we have here in the city. As in so many other places, our downtown area is a bit overlooked by shoppers who find it so much easier to go to the malls and strip malls that we have sprinkled around. So, the downtown merchants have these events to try and get more traffic and, hopefully, get more people to shop their stores. We went from store to store, filling out raffle forms and stuffing our faces with cookies and candies. At one point, we found ourselves in our local Christian bookstore. And here is where it gets interesting.

B was looking to add some figures to her Nativity set, so she was asking the owner if they still make the size she needed. A discussion about Nativity sets, and other things, began. As we were standing by the cash register/counter, I began looking at all of the 'impulse buying' stuff that most stores have at the check-out. The display of the Bible devotional booklets 'The Daily Bread' caught my eye. I hadn't had one in quite awhile, so I picked one out of the rack and put it in my bag. B looked at me like she wanted me dead. I couldn't figure out what her problem was and then it occurred to me that she didn't realize that 'The Daily Bread' was a free give-away booklet--we used to have them in our church free for the taking. After a few minutes, the conversation was over and we left the store.

As soon as we were outside, she said, 'WHY did you take that without paying for it?' I told her I didn't have to pay, that they were free. To which she answered, 'Then why did the sign say $1.00?' I almost died. I HAD to go back into the store, apologize, and pay my $1.00. This is, after all, a small town and I couldn't be remembered as the woman who stole something right in front of the owner! And the man didn't even smile or even try to make me feel better when I apologized to him. Jackass. (In my defense, I spent a lot of time in the store when it was owned by the people he bought it from. At that time, the booklets were free to whoever wanted one. The publishers STILL give them for free, but this store owner decided this would be a way for them to raise some money for the non-profit company that distributes the booklets. That is the reason they now charged for them.)

This incident took place about six months ago. I haven't been back to the downtown stores since. My girls said my picture and description is probably posted in all of the stores. They told me I should probably not go there again. Total lack of respect on their part.

Ducks 5-Wings 3

Don't REALLY want to talk about it. The Wings SHOULD have won tonight, there is nothing else to say. (The final score looks worse than it was because Anaheim got an empty-net goal just at the end.) Now it's back to Detroit on Sunday--they still have to win two in order to go to the finals. It's now the best of three--with home ice advantage. I still have faith.

Why Do I Blog?

So, burg tagged me with a meme: Why Do I Blog? I am supposed to list five reasons and then tag five people to do the same. As usual, I won't tag anyone--just invite anyone who wants, to participate!

1) I need to talk. If I had enough people to talk to during the day, I probably wouldn't blog, but since I am a stay-at-home, I don't talk to that many people on a daily basis. Thus, I blog and read other people's blogs.

2) I have always wanted to write. While I have thought--in the past--that I am a decent writer, I now realize I am just passable. With all of the really good writers I read every day, I don't feel as if I measure up. But, still, I try.

3) Sometimes, I just have things that I have to say. And this can be broken down into two different things: a need to express oneself and a need to say something. Expressing yourself implies a creative, artistic endeavor. Needing to say something is much more basic: like NEEDING to say what my true feelings about Oprah are.

4) I have many years of stories and wisdom--real or imagined on my part :)--that I want to pass on. When I write things in this blog, there is always a chance that someone, somewhere, might take away something useful from reading it. I have always felt--whether through this blog or in my personal life--if only one person in the world remembers me as someone who helped, then I would have lived my life well.

5) There really is no other outlet for my eclectic thoughts. I have no one else to listen to me talk about hockey, Eric Clapton, funny commercials, bad TV shows, good books, lousy celebrities, pet peeves, bad jokes, computers, etc., so I come here and let loose. So, if you are entertained or if you are bored, what you see is what you get. And tomorrow's post/s will probably be much different than today's.

And because I don't want to steal one of burg's 5, I will add one more reason for me to blog and that is because of all of the people who come here. I appreciate every one of you and every comment that is left. I am grateful for the support that is given when things are not going so well and the happiness that is shared when all is right with my world. Without all of you, I would be a very lonely blogger!

One Game?

So, for that horrid hit Pronger made on Holmstrom last night, he got suspended one game. I guess it was better than nothing--I actually expected them to let him get away with it. I do believe one of the reasons--besides the fact that this is Pronger we're talking about--that he didn't get a longer suspension was the fact that Homer took 13 stitches to the face and CAME BACK TO PLAY THE REST OF THE GAME! Way to go Homer! If Holmstrom would have been sent to the hospital, maybe the suspension would have been longer. One can only hope.

I still cannot believe how the analysts are making excuses for what Pronger did. Or, if not making excuses, NOT condemning what he did. For crying out loud, a hit like that could practically take a man's head off. This was intentional and it should be condemned as such. I'd love to know what the motivating factor is for these 'analysts' to soft sell the whole 'incident.' I don't get it.

Now, before anyone gets at me for feeling the way I do just because this was against my team, I will say: WRONG! Pronger has taken cheap shots at other players for years and pretty much has gotten away with it. And that is due to the fact that he is a 'good' player. As far as I can see, he is tall and has a long reach--nothing else about him appeals to me.

I am not naive enough to try and say every other team has players that do 'wrong' things and Detroit is the only snow white team out there. I know better than that. Yes, I see Chelios slash at another player when the ref isn't looking. I see the hooking and tripping that doesn't get called. I see the little shots to the other players, the hits and 'bumps'--I'm not blind. But, these are the same types of things that all--well, almost all (sometimes I think Datsyuk doesn't know HOW to trip, hook, slash, etc.)--players on all teams do as often as they think they can get away with. And these are the kinds of things I don't mind seeing and don't mind having called as penalties. But the kinds of things that Pronger and several other players do--Tootoo is another one--are just plain wrong. For the most part, a trip here, a hook there, even a slight slash, is not going to do any permanent damage to another player. Bumps, bruises, and even a little blood are part of the game. When you hit someone with your elbow in the back of the head, forcing their face into the boards, THAT can do some pretty bad, and sometimes permanent, damage. That is not what hockey is, or should, be about.

What a Game!

I will restrain myself, cause I could go on and on about how good tonight's game was, but I won't. It WAS only one game, the Wings still need to win two more to get to the Cup finals. But, damn it, THEY SHUT OUT THE DUCKS 5-0! AND they did it with the Ducks--namely Pronger--playing a dirty game! I still can't think in a level-headed manner about the cheap bashing that Pronger and Niedermayer did to Holmstrom. Even though he needed help to get off of the ice and got TWO cuts that required stitches, Homer came back and finished the game. He is one tough player and doesn't get nearly enough credit for what he does on the ice. We'll see if there are any suspensions handed out--which I highly doubt. It was nice to see the Wings win on the road--now they STILL have the home ice advantage. And to top it all off, my 'baby boy' got the fifth goal of the game--and he did it beautifully. I AM a happy camper tonight.



--Detroit Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula, of Finland, scores past Anaheim Ducks goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, of Russia, as left wing Shawn Thornton looks on during the third period of their NHL Western Conference finals hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The Red Wings won 5-0. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)--

And To Continue...

We have another celebrity post today, people! God, I can't STAND this woman!!!!!

This was on TMZ.com today:

Oprah Winfrey wishes her beloved grandma was still around -- to see the "good white folks" that are under her domain.

The media queen told a group of graduates at the Howard University commencement Saturday that her grandmother's wish was that Oprah would someday work for some "good white folks." How the tables have turned, said Oprah, now that those "good white folks" are working for her. Oprah's grandma worked as a servant in Mississippi in the 1950s, and the younger Winfrey has often invoked her as an inspiration and a guiding force in her life.

Not only do I dislike her as a celebrity, but I feel she is the most racist person on TV today! If a white person would say anything that came even CLOSE to her statements, that person would be put in prison for 'hate crimes' and never be let out! I guess the 'Oprah religion' is as strong as ever.

Monday Meanderings

Last week, I finally called the cable company and asked them to send someone over to set up the new TV with a high-def receiver. Of course, the earliest they could get here was today between ten and noon. They called this morning to say they wouldn't be able to come because they don't have any receivers available--they are expecting some to come in today and we will get one of them. AND they CAN'T come tomorrow, so they had to make an appointment for Wednesday. GAHHHHHH!!!!!!!! This is now the SECOND time we were willing to pay them more money and they didn't have what we wanted. (The first was a few months back when we were going to get a DVR from them.) No wonder the company--or at least the stock prices--are going into the shit-hole. What a way to run a business.

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We got our bill from the cable company today and they have increased our internet speed for no extra cost for the next year--as a trial. This means that, instead of download speeds of 3Mbps, I'm supposed to get speeds of 5Mbps. I'd like to know in whose world this is a reality! I've never even gotten close to the 3, so I am sure I won't get in the neighborhood of 5! Bah, humbug. But, I'll take the free trial--just because it is 'free.'

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Last night and all of today we have had thunderstorms off and on. And they are supposed to continue into the night tonight. I'm not a big fan of thunderstorms--especially when I'm by myself. Just another one of those pesky problems of summer that I have to put up with! :)

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This week is what is called the 'Network Upfronts' for TV. All of the networks will announce the new programs they will have for the fall. NBC announced their shows today and if THIS is what will be on next 'year,' then I will be watching a whole lot more movies and a whole lot less of network programming! Vast wasteland, indeed. They actually are going to put on a remake of the series 'Bionic Woman!' As if there are no new ideas to be had. But, then, when was the last time a network had a REALLY GOOD new idea.

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Today I will continue the celebrity bashing--because I CAN and because it is just SO easy to do! Paris Hilton was sentenced last week to 45 days in jail for violating her parole. This has made her so very upset--so upset, in fact, that she is not able to appear in court for another matter involving her. Here is the story according to TMZ.com:

Paris Hilton's delicate state of mind is keeping her out of the courtroom ... for now.

According to a declaration filed by Dr. Charles Sophy, a psychiatrist who has seen Paris "off and on" over the last six months, Hilton is "not capable of any meaningful participation" in a civil trial brought against her by diamond heiress Zeta Graff. In a $10 million lawsuit filed in 2005, Graff claims that Hilton spread "vicious lies" about her that were printed in the New York Post.

Paris' shrink claims that Hilton is "emotionally distraught and traumatized" from the May 4 hearing where she was sentenced to 45 days in jail for breaking probation in her DUI bust, and asked a judge to allow her sufficient time to recover. In the document, the head-doc goes on to explain that Hilton "Cannot effectively respond to examination as a witness or provide any significant input into her defense." In fact, Sophy claims that forcing Paris to participate on May 21 would "exacerbate her current mental condition." The horror!

As a result, the judge has postponed the trial date until August 22.

PLEASE!!!!!! When is she going to be put out of my misery!!!!!!

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And finally, because I have done nothing but bitch in this post, I leave you with this video. I swear, if I EVER get another animal, I will teach it to respond this same way!

Really, I'm NOT A Sore Loser, But...

For quite a while now, the message boards have had comment after comment about how 'they' don't want Detroit to be a powerhouse team and do any more winning. After all, Detroit has won so many Cups and have been so dominant during regular season play for so long, that other teams just don't get the chance. Sooooo, Detroit has to be punished any way possible. Let's see, how about if we place a salary cap! That will cut Detroit's payroll by 50% and they won't be able to get the quality players they are known for! And, let's make sure Detroit gets left in the Western Conference and has to do all of those long road trips--games starting on the west coast at a time when they would normally be ending in the east. Is this the way 'they' have been thinking? I always thought this was a load of hogwash--to a certain extent. I DO think the powers that be would like to see the glory spread around a little more among the teams. But, despite what has happened to be a negative for Detroit, they still have prevailed and are now in the semi-finals for the Cup.

That all being said, I DO believe the Wings got robbed of a win tonight. Even though I don't believe the first reviewed goal should have counted--the ref NEVER should have let the play continue as long as he did without blowing his whistle--I'll let them have it. Fine. But the second reviewed goal NEVER should have counted. Whether you think the whistle blew before the puck 'crossed' the line or you think Hasek was pushed into the net, THAT. GOAL. SHOULD. NOT. HAVE. COUNTED!!!!! The Wings would have won, there would have been no overtime, and they would be leading in the series 2-0.

All in all, this was only one game. Now it is on to Anaheim--where the Wings can take at least one on the Ducks home ice and then come back and finish them off. I still am a believer!

For All Mothers

HAPPY

MOTHER'S

DAY!

Hope your day is grand!

1 Down, 7 To Go

The Wings beat the Ducks tonight 2-1. It definitely wasn't the prettiest game they have played and they made some ugly goals, but the win was nice, nonetheless. I must say, Anaheim is one of the dirtiest teams I have ever seen play. They didn't have many penalties called on them, but I don't know if it was because the officials didn't want to or just didn't see what was going on. I mean, come on, there is NO REASON to slash at the opposition goalie's throat or punch him in the face several times after the whistle blows. Detroit has to come out and be a bit more physical in the rest of this series--Anaheim doesn't care how much hurt they put on the other team and Detroit has to start thinking like that, too. Even though this wasn't the best played game that Detroit has had, they were able to keep Anaheim from doing too much good. That being said, if it wasn't for Hasek and how good he has been playing, the Wings would have lost big time. Dom made 31 saves and Giguere only had to make 17. (Granted, he let two in, but still.) Shots on goal, guys--come on, shoot that puck!


--Shawn Thornton (R) of the Anaheim Ducks fights with Danny Markov (R) of the Detroit Red Wings. The Detroit Red Wings converted two power-play goals for a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and the early edge in the National Hockey League Western Conference finals. (AFP/Getty Images/Gregory Shamus)--

Does This Woman Ever Make Sense?

In an interview with Reader's Digest, Angelina Jolie had this to say about her biological child:

"Before I met Brad, I always said I was happy never to have a child biologically. He told me he hadn't given up that thought. Then, a few months after Z came home, I saw Brad with her and Mad, and I realized how much he loved him, that a biological child would not in any way be a threat. So I said, 'I want to try.' "

A biological child a threat to your adopted ones. Astonishing. Quite a reason to give birth to a child, hey?

And she said this:

"As kids get older, it's harder for them to be adopted. ... Something changed for me with Shiloh. We had Mad and Z, and neither looked like Mommy or Daddy. Then suddenly somebody in the house looked like Mommy and Daddy. It became clear to us that it might be important to have somebody around who is similar to the other children so they have a connection. Mad's very excited that his brother is from Asia."

What a good reason to buy another child--just so the one you already have will have someone who 'looks like him.' Does this woman ever stop to think how ridiculous she sounds? And yet, countries allow her to continue to buy more kids. Unbelievable.

A Little Full of Yourself, Huh?

Cameron Diaz told Meredith Viera when asked about the public's interest in her and Justin Timberlake's relationship:

“It's like high school, isn't it?” she told Viera. “We as celebrities are like the popular kids. People want to know our business.”

Really? So you are one of the 'popular kids' and my life is spent being curious about you cause I'm NOT popular? Get real.

And she said this to Jeanne Wolf about not wanting to be asked if her success comes from being beautiful:

"If a woman who's a successful actress weighs 300 pounds and has warts, nobody ever asks her, 'Do you think you made it because you're ugly?' So why should there be prejudice against someone who's had some success in films and looks a little better than average. It's all in my genes, so don't hold it against me."


Please, will someone shut her down and put her out of my misery! Talk about an ego!

7 Things Meme

Cindi, at Over The Rainbow, tagged me with this meme. I am supposed to come up with seven random facts/habits about me. Here goes....(and believe me when I say THIS WAS HARD. I just am not very secretive about my life.:))

1) My mother's first cousin was Miss Michigan--way back in the 1950s. She also was a semi-finalist in the Miss America pageant. Because of her status as a semi-finalist, she got several (small) movie roles. She left 'the business' because she couldn't stand the phoniness. Today, she holds dual Finnish/American citizenship and lives full time in Finland. She is one of only two members of my family that I regularly have contact with.

2) I have never put gas in a vehicle. (I have stated this before, but there is a reason for me to mention it again.) However, I am the only one who hangs pictures--or anything else--on the walls in our house. I also put together most of the 'assemble-it-yourself' furniture that we have bought. If we had more power tools, I know I could do most any remodeling necessary in a house.

3) My high school boyfriend never married. I believe his mother blamed me for that. In some way, it is flattering to think so, but I do believe his drug and alcohol habits had more to do with it than I did.

4) A few posts back I mentioned the fact that my father was in the hospital for a year when I was very young. He was thought to have tuberculosis and was isolated until he had surgery. He had an ulcerated lung and not TB. I am the reason this all came about and I have lived my entire life feeling guilty about it. When I had to have my TB test/shot in kindergarten, I was so terrified of the needle that I pulled away. Of course, I showed a positive reaction and then my entire family was tested for TB. My mother also tested positive. (We both had been exposed, but never had TB.) My father was the one to get put into the hospital--my mother and I took medications for a year. I KNOW my mother blamed me for my father's hospitalization and it has been a huge burden I am finally overcoming. Even though I remember hearing my mother say it was my fault, she denies it to this day. Just another reason for me to not feel very good about her. (She was VERY young at the time and said things without thinking. It happens. I just wish she would own up to it.)

5) As everyone knows, I am a HUGE hockey fan and an even HUGER Red Wings fan. But...when I first started to watch hockey, I was a fan of the Boston Bruins. Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson, Gerry Cheevers...couldn't get any better than that! I fell away from watching hockey for some time and came back as a Red Wings fan--because I couldn't go against the rest of the household. :)

6) The company my husband works for bought out the company he started at. The original company sponsored a photo contest for the employees and their families every year. I won the contest twice. My first win came with a picture I took of my niece at her birthday. She was nose-to-nose with the clown that was there, staring in his eyes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot. The second picture I won with was of a squirrel eating from our bird feeder. The extraordinary thing about this was: the squirrel was hanging onto the roof of the feeder by his back claws and was eating upside down. It was a pretty cool shot.

7) I was once a dental assistant. That isn't very unusual, but the work I did WAS. I never had any formal training, but I took x-rays, took impressions, instructed people on the proper care of their teeth, evaluated their teeth cleaning, did some hygienist-type cleaning, and applied temporary fillings. I broke the law by putting in temporary fillings--and maybe by doing some of the other stuff, too. Thankfully, I left the practice before it was busted.

There you have it...7 things I don't believe I ever mentioned in this blog before. It was one of the hardest memes I have ever done, so I will not tag anyone specifically. I hope everyone tries it, though--puts your brain to work for a while, that's for sure!

Crabby Today

If you want to know how to make me crabby, wonder no longer. Here it is: make it 70 degrees or warmer. And if you want to put me over the edge, make me go out shopping, too. I'm sure I wouldn't mind the warm temps if I could wear little halter tops and shorts that are so non-existent that my ass eats them, but that ship has sailed. So, I have to cover up the top 2/3 of my arms and most of my legs--otherwise, I would be arrested for endangering the eyesight of those who might look at me. So, warm weather and shopping do not make me happy. And, dammit, I HAVE to be happy: THE WINGS WON!!! (HAD to repeat that! :))

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The company that K works for has this big environmental thing that they are doing. (I don't pay much attention--just as long as it doesn't affect K's job.) One thing they have done is put peregrine falcon nesting boxes on the smokestacks of several of their power plants. They have installed web-cameras so that people can see what is going on. Of course, our local plant doesn't have a nesting female--yet, anyway--but several of the others do. One of the nests has two babies that hatched a week or two ago. And now we get to the reason for me even mentioning this: the picture. Here is a pic taken today of the babies and mama.


The next time there is a nice picture of mama--with or without the babies--I will post it. They are beautiful birds. Every once in awhile, both adult birds are in the box. I am just assuming that every time there is only one adult, that it is mama. I could be wrong!

I Need Help

Now, before anyone makes any snide remarks about the title, I will just get going with this post. Oldest daughter turned 29 last week. (Before you try to guess my age, I have to tell you that I gave birth to her at the age of 6. It was in all the papers! :)) Anyway, she is having an age crisis--already. I told her I will be relentless in my teasing when she turns 30. (She IS okay with this teasing.) And this is where I need help from all of you. For the 30 days leading up to her birthday, I will be sending her a little gift. Each of these gifts will be something that is connected with 'old people.' So far, I have the following items on my list:

--Depends
--glucosamine
--Ben Gay
--Preparation H
--an AARP magazine
--Polident
--support hose
--wrinkle cream

Please, give me suggestions! The more I have, the easier it will be for me to gather all of the items together. I am going to start my purchases ASAP--much easier than waiting till the last minute. Thanks!

To The Conference Finals

Detroit won tonight 2-0 against San Jose. It was beautiful. Thank goodness they didn't have to go another game--it would have been too nerve-wracking! There really was very little doubt already in the first period that the Wings would win. The Sharks just weren't playing as good as they are able. Only 8 more wins and the Wings have the Cup! But first, the conference finals start against Anaheim on Friday. Another tough series. But until then, I will be smiling!


--Dominik Hasek #39 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates after defeating the San Jose Sharks in Game Six of the 2007 NHL Western Conference Semifinals on May 7, 2007 at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California. The Red Wings defeated the Sharks 2-0 and won the series 4-2. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)--

Scattergories Meme

I found this at burg's blog and decided to try--it was fun.


SCATTERGORIES... Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question... Now Go! This is a lot of fun, but harder than you might think!

Name: cmk

1. Famous singer/band: Clapton (like THAT was a surprise?)

2. 4 letter word: Crap (HAD to be a naughty word--and I wouldn’t write the OTHER ‘c’ word)

3. Street name: Cleveland (the street behind mine)

4. Color: Chartreuse (or Carnation pink--do they even HAVE that color anymore?)

5. Gifts/present: jewelry with Citrine stone/s (the November--and my--birthstone)

6. Vehicle: Cavalier (LOVED my Cavalier, until I got my Jimmy)

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: cards (as in ‘post’)

8. Boy Name: Christopher (no reason)

9. Girl Name: Caroline (again, no reason)

10. Movie Title: Crash (not worth watching a second time--wasn't worth watching the first time)

11. Drink: Cosmopolitan (yum!--especially pomegranate ones)

12. Occupation: Carpenter (I could be one--I love power tools)

13. Flower: Clematis (very pretty)

14. Celebrity: Chevy Chase (has been funny on occasion :))

15. Magazine: Consumer Reports (haven’t subscribed for years--and don’t miss it)

16. U.S. City: Chicago (as in ‘Sweet Home’)

17. Pro Sports Teams: Vancouver Canucks (defeated by Ducks in playoffs this year) or Montreal Canadiens (didn’t even make it into the playoffs) OR Calgary Flames (beaten by Detroit in the playoffs) and I will now stop!

18. Something Found in the Kitchen: Coffeemaker

19. Reason for Being Late for Work: Car crash

20. Something you throw away: Cardboard (actually, we recycle)

21. Things You Shout: Cowabunga! (?)

22. Cartoon Character: Wiley COYOTE (I know, that’s stretching it!)

23. Animal: Cougar (or cat, same difference)

24. Favorite Thing To Do: Computer (I know, ‘computer’ isn’t an activity, but you know what I mean :))

25. Food: Cake (or cookies or chocolate or candy—but no cantaloupe!)

So, I won't tag anyone, but this is--as burg said--a good filler for when you have nothing else to write. Enjoy!

Sunday

In our town, the city workers will come by in the spring and take whatever household junk that is put curbside and haul it away. It is absolutely amazing to watch the people riding around doing 'dumpster diving.' Tomorrow our junk is supposed to be picked up and K and I will have to work at getting some stuff out to the curb. It is hell when he has been working so much--just no time to do any spring cleaning. I guess I will only get the stuff I KNOW has to go--won't be able to do any digging, so the majority of junk will stay in my house. Oh, well.

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It is extremely dry here, so we are under a wildfire watch. With the dry air, dry conditions, and hard winds, if a fire starts, a whole lot of the UP could go up in flames. Last weekend--while under the same conditions/watches--the DNR (in all its intelligence) decided to do a 'controlled burn.' It 'got away' from them and managed to burn over 1100 acres before they got it under control. I am not a fan of the DNR. I wonder why?

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All of the teams are in place for the the conference finals (Stanley Cup semi-finals)--except for one team. And that team will be either the Red Wings or the Sharks. The Wings can put the Sharks away tomorrow night--or they can go onto a seventh game to end it all on Wednesday. I hope it ends tomorrow. If the Wings win, they will then have to play the Anaheim Ducks. Another team that has a player I JUST. CAN'T. STAND. (Chris Pronger) Sadly, Schneider broke his wrist during Saturday's game and is done for the year. He will truly be missed. Maybe Lebda will be back tomorrow night--one can only hope. The Wings only need to win 9 more games and they will have the Cup!

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Spoke with the youngest daughter tonight and I finally found out what all the commotion was the other night. Turns out, the cops were at the neighbor's doing a raid on a meth lab! We figured it was drugs, but didn't think it was THIS serious. She isn't sure how many people were taken by the cops, but she DOES know that some of the tenants are still in the house. For whatever reason, the house wasn't shut down and everyone wasn't hauled off to jail. Thank goodness they have a neighborhood watch and the police are on alert. The joys of living in a city--and she lives in a GOOD city!

It Was Sweet!

The announcers bad-mouthed Detroit's play at the start of the game, but I thought they came out with a lot of energy. Granted, they didn't score the first goal, but they DID win the game 4-1. They outhit and outshot the Sharks and it paid off. The Wings now need one more game and they win the series. I'm glad to see some of the Wings stepping up and hitting more than usual. If only they could get Datsyuk to do a few of the hits he is able to do--THAT would keep a few of the opposing players from hanging all over him. The element of surprise and never quite knowing what's going to happen can go a long way.



--Detroit Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom of Sweden celebrates his goal against San Jose Sharks' during the third period of an NHL hockey playoff game on Saturday, May 5, 2007, in Detroit. The Red Wings won 4-1. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)--

Baseball Goalie

This video had me in tears, I was laughing so hard! The last scene is classic. Hope you enjoy!

RIP

--Wally Schirra, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, died at the age of 84 on Thursday. He is the only astronaut to fly on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights and was the fifth American into space. The rest of the article is here.



--Actor Tom Poston died at the age of 85 on Monday. He is known for playing the 'clueless everyman' on television shows such as 'Newhart' and 'Mork and Mindy.' Poston made his Broadway debut in 1947 and had numerous roles on Broadway, in films, and on television. His more recent movie roles were in 'Christmas With the Kranks,' 'Princess Diaries 2,' and 'Beethoven's 5th.' He was married to Suzanne Pleshette, his third wife. Here is the rest of the article.

I Didn't Know This!

For those of you who own dogs, I have a question. Has your dog ever smelled like popcorn? As we all know (right?), dogs sweat from the pads on their feet--as opposed to sweating from the pits as humans do. If you find that your dog's feet smell like popcorn, that is normal. The popcorn smell is just the smell of a dog's sweat! I thought that was quite interesting. (Here is the post on mental_floss, where I got this fact from. Gotta love the site--gotta love the magazine!)

Un-freaking-believeable!!!!!

Halfway through the game tonight, I told K, 'Well, I guess it is all over, hey?' He agreed. The Wings were down 2-0 and they just weren't playing well at all. Holmstrom--playing his first game back after getting his eyelid cut during the last game with Calgary--got a power play goal just seconds before the end of the second period.

Halfway through the third period, I was positive it was all over but the crying. I even told K that I had half a mind to turn the game off and watch something else. Well, would I have been a fool if I would have done that! With 33 seconds left to the game, the Wings were down 2-1. And then Lang got the tying goal. I was totally speechless. And I had to tell K, because HE changed the channel! Amazing! (And 'my boy' got the assist, as he fed the puck to Lang--YIPPEE!!)

On to overtime. It was white-knuckle, nail-biting time through the overtime. At 16:04, with one hell of a wind-up, Mathieu Schneider let loose and scored the winning goal! The Wings won it and will play again on Saturday. With the series tied 2-2 and the Wings having home ice for two of the next three games, there is still the potential for them to win the series. I can only hope and dream.


--Detroit Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg, left, of Sweden, and center Johan Franzen, also of Sweden, congratulate defenseman Mathieu Schneider (23) after he scored the winning goal to defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in overtime during Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, May 2, 2007. The series is tied 2-2. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)--

Are We Spooky...Or Just Women?

While I was out shopping tonight, youngest daughter called to tell me about some drama she was witnessing. Turns out, the neighbors' house was surrounded by police cars and there were all kinds of cops in and out. One even got his dog from the vehicle to do a little sniffing of the place. She had NO idea what was going on--we figure it was drug related--and she was a bit uncomfortable because she was alone. I sure hope she finds out what happened--it could prove to be an interesting story!

Well, the reason I am mentioning this is because A said she never 'felt right' about the neighbors from the first time she saw them. (They moved in only a couple of weeks ago.) She said they never did anything that would make her feel this way. And she said she has had these kinds of feelings at other times in her life, too. So, we discussed.

If I meet a person and don't like him/her immediately, I will ALWAYS be proven right at some point in time. I have NEVER disliked a person on first meeting and then had to change my opinion of that person at some later date. A said she is the same way--and she was wondering if it is some kind of 'woman's intuition' or are we just spooky people. Believe me, we are slightly spooky people who come from spooky people. A few stories follow.

When my mother and I were close, I could pretty much read her mind. When I was growing up, we didn't have many department stores in the area where I lived. So, for Christmas, my mother would do a lot of her shopping from catalogs. In the town where we lived, we got our mail delivered to the post office and I would bring it home when I came from school. Of course, whenever a package came at that time of year, I knew it was a Christmas present. One day I brought a package home and badgered her to tell me what was in the box--in a teasing way. She wouldn't tell me--DUH!--and out of my mouth came the words, 'I know what it is! It is one of those stuffed animals with a radio in it!' I don't know how my mother kept her composure, because, as it turned out, I was right! I had NEVER said I wanted one! The only time I may have even seen one was when I looked at the catalog when it first came into our house. My mother had never mentioned one of these to me, ever. How did I know? I haven't a clue. But this is the kind of connection I always had with her.

I am able to recite a conversation--word for word--that has taken place in my mother's kitchen, even if I have not been there when it occurred. Is this because I know the participants so well, or is it because I'm spooky? My daughter's were never able to lie to me, because I always knew the truth. Of course, I couldn't PROVE they were lying, but I found out a couple of times after the fact by doing a little light 'snooping.' There just are some things that I 'know' with no explanation.

I don't know exactly how far back this spookiness goes, but I know my great-grandmother knew things, too. One day, my mother told her of an awful dream she had. In the dream, my mother was painting the walls in her house black. And she said the smell was gaggingly awful. My ggm told her the dream meant my mother was going to experience some kind of tragedy. In less than two weeks, my father was put in the hospital for a year and my mother was left with two kids--ages 4 and under 1--to raise by herself at the age of 22. (My father was diagnosed--incorrectly--with tuberculosis. The standard of treatment at the time was a hospital stay to localize the TB, followed by surgery. He DID have surgery, but it turned out that he had an ulcer on his lung, not TB.)

Another of my ggm's stories: One day she was in her kitchen. Three butterflies flew in and dropped dead in front of her. When she told this to my mother, she said this meant that J was dead. J was fighting in Korea at the time. They found out a few days later that he died in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill.

So, I guess A gets her spookiness legitimately--we have some strange women in my family. And believe me when I tell you, I may be the strangest! :)

What Happened?

Yup, the Sharks won last night 2-1. The Wings scored first and played very well through the first period and halfway through the second. And then the Sharks scored. The Wings seemed to lose the momentum they had and, finally, lost the game when San Jose scored with less than 7 minutes to go in the game.

I can go on and on about the bad officiating--which there was some of--but why. It doesn't change the outcome and doesn't change the fact that they MUST win tomorrow night so that they can have home ice in order to win the series. I just might be watching anything but hockey next week. Pessimism follows me around like a cloud of doom-and-gloom hanging over my head. Just the way I am. :)

Heaven Help Us

According to Time magazine: 21% of people ages 18 to 29 cite The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live as regular sources of their election news.