Watching The Neighbors

There are two apple trees in the yard behind the main part of my property. (I have a lot and a half, which my house sits on.) One of the trees is completely dead and the other is half dead. It is my belief that the Virginia Creeper vines are what killed the tree, but I'm not sure. But, that really is beside the point. Anyway, these trees have been at one stage of dying off for quite a few years. They are on the other side of the fence and don't really bother me...they are of no hazard to me or my yard. Actually, I like having them there because they provide a place for birds to sit and they get an awful lot of activity from woodpeckers. A couple of days ago, I heard a chainsaw...

When I'm in the computer room, it is difficult for me to figure out what direction a noise is coming from. (It doesn't help that I have hearing loss and don't wear my hearing aids at home, usually. 😆) Once I got to the kitchen, I looked out and saw that the dead apple tree was being trimmed/taken down. As I watched, it occurred to me that the person doing the cutting probably wasn't very qualified for the job. He was a young guy, no older than early thirties. He was wearing shorts, but had 'chaps' on, covering the front part of his legs. He was wearing sneakers. He had no gloves on or goggles...nothing safety-related, unless the chaps were. He had an extension ladder to climb up into the tree, but had problems with it. At one point, he took the two pieces of the ladder apart, but the remaining section wasn't long enough for him to get to where he needed to be. Then he tried to put the pieces back together, but I really don't think he knew how to do it...it didn't go together properly, but he still was determined to use it to climb on. He continued to try and place the ladder so that it wouldn't shift once he was on it...but he wasn't having much luck. When I saw him go up the ladder while holding onto a chainsaw, I had to leave and go into the other room. I got far too nervous seeing what was happening...and I thought he probably was going to get hurt very badly. By the time I ventured back into the kitchen, the guy was done with what he was doing. I'm not sure if he was okay. However, only the limbs of the tree are gone and the trunk remains. Is he done? Did he HAVE to stop because something went wrong? Will the other tree be trimmed? It all is a mystery. But I'm not too sure he won't be back:  the ladder is still propped on the tree trunk.

Another eventful day in my life. 😁

Going Postal

I know that it is very easy to complain about the post office, but, REALLY?...

I do my voting by absentee ballot and have done so for a couple of years now.*  While there are a few 'rules' and instructions to follow, it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to vote, put the ballot in the envelope, and mail it.  This I did a couple of weeks ago for the upcoming primary election.  Done and done.  Except...

Two days later, the envelope that I had mailed was delivered to our house.  It was canceled, it was addressed properly, there was the proper amount of postage on it, but it was returned to me.  NOT, however, as a 'return to sender,' but as a 'here is the envelope that was mailed to you.'  I cannot for the life of me understand the glitch that happened.  It. Makes. No. Sense.

The Husband took the ballot envelope and went to City Hall to deliver it to the clerk's office, as the post office had already delivered it and wouldn't deliver it again.  He explained to them what happened.  They looked at him as if he had grown another head.  No one has been able to explain this snafu.  The clerk accepted the envelope--after making sure there had been no tampering--and will add it to the absentee ballots to be counted.  And, I suppose, that will be the end of it.  Still, I DO continue to wonder what happened...


*When you have the chance to vote by absentee ballot, do so.  It is SOOOOOO much easier than having to go to the polling place.  You get your ballot weeks in advance and have a considerable amount of time to fill it out.  You can take your time and decide on how to vote without worrying about being rushed.  I don't believe I will ever NOT vote absentee again!

At Least I Thought It Was Interesting...

Quite an interesting article here.

The first time I heard/read of hair receivers ^ and human hair jewelry was when I was much, much younger.  I'm sure they were referenced in some Victorian-set novel that I read.  I found the whole thing rather fascinating, probably because I--like anyone else my age (males included)--had very long hair at the time.  It has been years since this subject crept into my mind, but with the interwebs at our fingertips, strange and intriguing subjects are always just a click away.  And for some reason, this subject came to me a couple of weeks ago.

Hair receivers were a common item on a woman's dressing table during the Victorian era.  Most women never cut their hair at the time and hair was considered a woman's crowning glory.  Also, women were taught to brush their hair 100 strokes every evening, so there was quite a bit of hair floating around.  All of this led to hair receivers--a place for a woman to put the hair she removed from her brush.  The hair was then gathered up to make 'poufs' (rats) for hairstyles, stuffing for pillows, or jewelry.  By the Roaring Twenties, this fad had pretty much played itself out--most likely because women were bobbing their hair and there wasn't product to use anymore.

The most interesting part of all of this 'saving of the hair,' is the hair jewelry.  Human hair watch fobs, necklaces, bracelets, brooches were all commonplace.  (Hair also was used in 'mourning jewelry'--a way to remember a loved one who passed and keep a part of him/her with you always.)  Today there are collections in museums showing some of the work that was done with hair in the past--such as here.  (There are quite a few articles to read, should one be interested.  As usual, do a Google search.  ;))

Human hair necklace that is part of the collection at the Minnesota Historical Society.

For some reason or other, human hair jewelry creeps me out.  I understand and have no problem with human hair wigs, but the thought of wearing jewelry made out of someone's hair just doesn't seem right.  While some the examples I've seen are quite lovely, I don't want any--even anything made from my OWN hair would give me the willies.  And, of course, there are people trying to bring back the craft--again, search Google.  OR you can go here to see what is happening in the world of hair jewelry today.  I did find the prices that people were selling their hair for quite amazing--hundreds of dollars, as a matter of fact.  However, when/if I cut my almost waist-length hair again, I believe I will just donate it to Locks of Love or something of that nature.  I most definitely don't need to be selling my hair for profit just so someone can wear it on their wrist.

Far Too Early

I don't agree with the statement that only old people read the obits.  While I may be old now, I have read the obituaries for many, many years.  And since the paper 'back home' came online, I have read THOSE obits daily, also.  This is the only way I find out things, as I don't have  anyone to let me know any other way.  The last few days of obit reading in our local paper have been very disturbing, indeed.

On Monday of this week, among some very elderly people, there were five very young (and 'young' is a relative term) people who passed.  Their ages were 24, 50, 54, 58, and 59.  On Tuesday, four more young people were listed.  Their ages were 21, 50, 53, and 58.  Today we found three more.  The ages were 32, 59, and 59.  At least each day has less than the day before and we can only hope that by the weekend there will be no deaths reported of anyone under the age of 60.

I'm not obsessed by this deluge of early deaths, but I find it very strange.  It will be interesting to see if it continues.  Hopefully, it won't.

Today: Animals

We have far too many chipmunks that make our yard their home.  And it isn't easy getting rid of them.  We can't shoot them, because you can't use firearms of ANY kind in the city limits--and that includes BB guns--and our neighbors actually feed the little rodents, so we have to be careful that they don't find out we ARE trying to eliminate them.  K doesn't want to use poison, because we still have neighbors who allow their cats to roam and he is afraid we might kill THEM inadvertently, so we try and deal the best we can.  While observing the chipmunks, it has come to my attention that one branch of their family tree has short tails.  I'm not sure if it is a genetic mutation or if one of the adults chews the tails off of the babies, but they do have short tails.*  This doesn't even make me give a second glance to the tailless ones any longer, as I have gotten used to seeing them regularly.  However, I DID do a second, third, and even FOURTH glance at this the other day:

Yes, we now have a tailless grey squirrel in our yard.  I am assuming he found himself caught in a trap or got taken down by a cat and was left without his tail.  Either way, he doesn't seem any worse off without it than any of the other squirrels WITH tails are.  The only problem is that I think he may be considered undesirable by the rest of the squirrel clan:  I watched one of our other guys chasing him out of the yard the other day.  It will be interesting to see if he is with us all winter.

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I have always loved dogs with loose skin.  Bloodhounds, basset hounds, shar peis, all at the top of my 'would love to have' list.  However, since working in vet clinics, The Youngest has curbed my desire for loose-skin dogs.  She said that they have the tendency to smell bad--the skin folds hold moisture and bacteria and give off an odor--and are very prone to getting bad skin infections.  That kind off turned off my wanting one of these dogs in my home.  However, I can't help but think they are the cutest things ever.  And then I saw this picture:

This little pup is a shar pei/basset hound mix and about the most adorable thing I have ever seen!  He doesn't seem to have quite as many wrinkles as either breed does on its own, but it isn't fully grown yet.  It would be interesting to see how well his skin fits when he is an adult.  Still, I could hug that face for DAYS and not get enough of this little guy!



*The reason I consider the 'chewing off of the tails' scenario is the female cat The Mother had when I was in high school.  For some reason, the cat would chew off all of the whiskers of her babies--and she KEPT them chewed off as long as they were with her.  Weird.

You CAN'T Make This Stuff Up

This did NOT happen here, but I found the story in our local newspaper.  I will put up the story with no comments--and you can come up with your own jokes.  ;)

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP)--A 50-foot-long bridge in western Pennsylvania has been stolen, and its owners say they're baffled by the crime and have no idea who took it.

New Castle Development spokesman Gary Bruce said Friday that he "couldn't believe it when they told me it was gone."

A state police report says the 20-foot-wide span in North Beaver Township went missing between Sept. 27 and Wednesday. 

You can find a little more on this story here.

 

 

 

In The News

We've had a couple of strange news stories these last couple of weeks.  One was strange/silly and the other was strange/horrifying.

The first story was from a week or so back.  One afternoon, our lights 'blinked.'  The power wasn't off long enough to affect anything other than the clock on our ancient microwave, but it blinked nonetheless.  Within five minutes, the lights blinked again.  This really had K and me puzzled.  At first, we thought it was only our house--I do worry about our wiring, as it needs a total overhaul--but nothing more happened, so I forgot about the incident.  Until the next day.

The headline on the front page of our paper read:  "Errant Squirrel Blamed for Power Outage."  Yes, a squirrel got into a substation and caused several thousand people to be without power for upwards of an hour.  (We were lucky, but we are in an area that rarely loses power for some reason.  I guess it's the way the grid is laid out.)  The article didn't go into detail as to exactly WHAT the squirrel did to cause the power outage, but it did mention that the little rodent died.  I guess justice was served.

A couple of days ago, the front page had this headline:  "Man Dies in Chainsaw Accident."  The article went on to say that it is assumed he slipped and fell and the chainsaw killed him by cutting his throat and chest.  It also said he was wearing protective headgear and a face shield and that the chainsaw somehow slid under the shield and cut his throat.  Police don't suspect foul play.

Now I am not saying that the police are wrong in this case, but how many cop-dramas would let THIS go by the wayside as 'no foul play suspected?'  'Law & Order' would not only make this a major case, but it probably would use at least TWO episodes to solve it.  Strange, strange.  I have never heard of anyone getting killed by a chainsaw--accidentally or otherwise--here before, so this is very unusual.

You have to understand just how prevalent chainsaw usage is here.  At one time, we owned TWO of the things--one gas powered and one electric.  Early on, we used to heat our house--well, as a supplement to the furnace--with a wood-fired stove.  Many people still do.  In an area of the country where firewood is very easy to get, it is a viable alternative to heating with any kind of fuel oil/gas/propane.  During the summer, we would get a load of LOGS dumped into our yard and then K--along with anyone who wanted to help--would cut the logs, split the pieces, and pile the wood in preparation for the winter.  And during all this time of cutting, splitting, and piling, K only hurt himself once.  While he was cutting a log, the chainsaw 'bounced' on him and nicked his cheek.  It wasn't a terrible injury, but it could have been much worse.  However, he wasn't even close to death with this accident.  AND he wasn't wearing any safety gear of any kind, so it must have been a very freaky accident that killed this man.  Horrifying, indeed.

Ridiculous, Bizarre Fear

I am a neurotic--I freely admit that.  I probably should be in therapy five days a week--I freely admit THAT.  However, for the most part, I don't think I'm much worse off than most people are--except, possibly, when it comes to my fears.  All I have to do is THINK about stinging insects--bees, yellow jackets, wasps, etc--or being in the middle of a lake/ocean and I can cause myself to have a full-blown panic attack--a panic attack that makes my heart race, my blood pressure go up, my breath to become rapid, my stomach to start churning.  JUST by thinking about my fears, I could make myself faint.  But still, I don't think I'm all that different than a lot of people--until I admit to one very ridiculous, bizarre fear.  For years, whenever I'm near my washing machine when it goes into the spin cycle, I worry that the agitator--or another piece of the machine--will break off, fly through the side of the machine, and cut me in half--killing me in the process, of course.  THAT is bizarre.  (This doesn't keep me from doing laundry, however--I just suck it up and stay away from the washer during the spin cycle.  :D)

Penis Envy

(Now that title should get this blog some hits!  :D)

This isn't about penis envy in the way that Freud meant it.  This post is all about how convenient 'penii'* are when it comes to peeing.  How many women really never envied men for being able to pee standing up?  I think the entire process is so much more simple and easy for men than it is for women, so in that aspect, I have penis envy.  And, it seems as if a lot of women are like me.

 

GoGirl is a product that has been designed to allow women to pee while standing up.  Wow.   It is supposed to be for women who camp--not me--women who travel to third world countries--not me--women who spend a great deal of time outdoors--not me.  I would think of using this product when in some of the public bathrooms I have used, but I am very choosy about where I go, so it isn't that much of an issue for me.  I just can imagine how other restroom patrons would react to a pair of feet standing TOWARDS the toilet in the stall and not away from it, as is the usual practice.  (Let's face it, we do spend WAY too much time glancing under the stall doors when we go into a restroom.)  I wonder if security would be called because someone thought a transvestite was in the women's?  I could see using this in an airplane bathroom--or what I think an airplane bathroom is like.  All of the times I have flown--not THAT much, actually--I have never used a bathroom on a plane.  I just can't make myself do it.

The number one (no pun intended) time I would want to use this device is when I have to give a sample in the doctor's office.  After all of these years--and two pregnancies--I have not mastered the technique of how to pee in a bottle without showering my hand, wrist, and lower arm with pee.  I just can't do it.  The biggest problem, though, is the sample has to be sterile and I don't think the GoGirl can be sterilized.  Bummer.

While this isn't a TERRIBLE idea, I don't know how much usage I would get out of it.  I AM a klutsy person, so I would probably wind up having to change my clothes after using this thing way too often.  For the time being, I think I will pass.  What about you?

*I know that isn't the proper plural of 'penis,' I just like the word better than 'penises.'  :D

Strangely Wal Mart

We all know that strange things can be found at Walmart--go here to see some of the strangest--but in China you can find things that we would NEVER see here in the US.  Now, this doesn't mean these things are BAD, per se, just different and strange in our way of thinking.  I don't know of anyplace in the US where you will find crocodiles or dried reptiles sold in a Walmart.  But then again, I COULD be wrong.  Here is an article titled 16 Items They Only Sell At Chinese Walmarts.  After you click the link, come back and discuss.

A Bit Strange

I don't hide my pride over my Finnish heritage at all--and I probably show TOO much pride in being a Finn.  So be it.  While the Finns have done much for me to be proud of, as in any culture, there are some strange things happening as well.  And here we go.

Many places around the world have sports that are different than what we follow here in the US.  And some of them are a bit odd.  Finland happens to have two of the stranger sports.


WIFE CARRYING

The sport of wife carrying started in Finland and this is where the world championships are held in the month of July.  Men race an obstacle course while carrying their spouses/significant others and the first to reach the end is the winner.  The grand prize?  The woman's weight in beer.  Read more about it here. 

I had to laugh at this one.  I told The Oldest that, not only couldn't K and I WIN this, he wouldn't even be able to pick me up to attempt carrying me.  The Oldest said HER husband wouldn't even be able to run the obstacle course WITHOUT carrying her!  :)  I guess all four of us need to get into shape.


SAUNA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

One of the best parts about being a Finn is the sauna.  Now, I have regularly been in saunas where the temperature is in the 175*+ range, but I DON'T do extreme sauna-ing and I don't know anyone who does.  But in Finland, they have the sauna world championships--and I would think that ONLY true Finns could come close to winning.  (However, there HAVE been non-Finnish women who have won.)

To begin, the temp in the sauna starts at 230*.  Then the contestants go in and sit. Every 30 seconds, water is sprayed on the hot rocks, which causes steam.  And the contestants try to wait out all others, in order to become the winner.  The championships have been going on for 10 or so years, they are nationally televised, and no one BUT a Finn (in the men's competition) has ever won.  And ambulances are at the ready, for those who literally bake to the point of blistering.  Frankly, I think anyone who tries this is more than a little crazy, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.  For more on this, go here to read an excerpt from Rick Reilly's (a national sportswriter) book, in which he describes his attempt at this contest.  (A VERY good read, by the way.)  I STILL cannot believe anyone who is not used to a Finnish sauna would actually attempt doing anything this stupid!

As I said, I probably never have been in a sauna hotter than 200*.  I prefer a temp of no more than 150*--and even THAT can be too hot if you add steam.  When the temp in the sauna is very, very hot, throwing water on the rocks and creating steam can literally take your breath away.  For anyone familiar with the practice, a wet washcloth placed over the mouth can help breathing.  While you feel rejuvenated and cleansed beyond anything you have ever experienced, it isn't something I did on a regular basis.  I liked the long, slow sweating process of sitting in a lower temp.  It is beyond me how anyone can sit in a sauna that is 230* or hotter.  That is crazy.

You Would Think You Could Trust McDonald's, At Least

Even though it probably won't ever happen, I have had thoughts and dreams of traveling the world.  However, one of the big problems with that is my finickiness when it comes to the food I eat.  Actually, it has more to do with foods I WON'T eat.  I am not an adventurous person when it comes to food.  I like what I like and it takes a lot to get me to try something new.  K has gotten perturbed with me on more than one occasion because I order the same things at the same restaurants when we go out.  But, when I go out to eat, I'm usually hungry, so I want to order something that I KNOW I will eat and like.  Period.  So shoot me.

McDonald's has a presence all over the world.  Actually, there are McDonald's in about 124 countries around the world--and there are more than 31,000 individual restaurants.  I always figured that if I traveled, I would have at least ONE restaurant with food that I would eat.  Not so fast.  While I'm sure the same things are served in all McDonald's, there definitely are some strange things served in other parts of the world.  Ah, beer anyone?  Germany serves that.  How about rice and beans?  Costa Rica is where you will find that.  To find out more strange McDonald's menu items, go here to read the rest of the story. 

So, I can't travel and stay in my own little protected shell as I thought I could.  I just might have to stay closer to home.  But then, I LIKE it here in my own little world.  :D


(Come back soon for a different look at Wal-Mart!)

Okay, This Is Creepy

I'm not sure who actually decided that clowns should be marketed for kids, but I think it's time that this practice stops.  Most clowns are NOT kid-friendly--actually, they are rather creepy and scary.  And for anyone who ever saw the movie 'It,' then they are REALLY scary!  This is why this story just baffles the hell out of me.

mental_floss posted a story of 'Evil Clown.'  Evil Clown can be hired by parents to stalk and threaten kids for the week leading up to their birthdays and, at some time during the seven days, smash a birthday cake in the kid's face.  If the kid avoids the cake-smash, it is given to him/her as a birthday gift.  (The entire story, along with a picture, can be read here.)  And this is supposed to be fun, because "most kids absolutely love being scared senseless."

I will have to take exception to the previous quote.  I don't know about you, but I never would consider being stalked, being sent threatening emails/texts, receiving prank phone calls, and having traps set in my mailbox as fun.  And I'M an adult!  I can't imagine what a kid would think if these things were happening to him.  I would imagine psychologists would think this is a great idea because there are going to be MANY kids needing therapy if this catches on.  Good grief--the things people think of.

The Octopus

Very, very, very fascinating article and videos on octopi at National Geographic. It shows an octopus carrying around a coconut shell to use as a shelter when needed. The octopus seems to be an even smarter creature than chimpanzees when it comes to using tools. Quite interesting and the video is just great.

The full video is at the National Geographic site.

How Things Have Changed

With all of the talk about health care and reform, my thoughts will go to health practices of the past more and more. And, of course, my family has been in the middle of some of the weirdest.

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My great-grandmother never learned to speak English. I really don't remember how much she understood, but I usually communicated with her in my limited Finnish, so I'm sure she understood as little as she spoke. As is very common in my family, my GGM had blood pressure issues, so she had to see a doctor on a regular basis. And because none of the local doctors spoke Finn, The Mother had to go with her to her appointments. During one of her physicals, the doctor noticed that GGM didn't have any tonsils. Considering she was born at the end of the 19th century, it was a bit unusual, so the doctor asked when and where did she have the surgery. The Mother translated back that she said she was given turpentine to drink and that she swallowed them because of it. Of course, the doc asked The Mother to ask again, as he was quite aghast at the answer and was sure she didn't understand the question. Upon further questioning, my GGM insisted that she swallowed her tonsils after drinking turpentine. The doctor told The Mother to 'let her believe what she wants.' Actually, turpentine WAS used as a folk remedy for several things--one of which was for sore throats. :)

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Back in the 1950's, one of the secrets many housewives had was their addiction to speed. But then, it wasn't a secret from anyone but the menfolk. The Mother, along with her aunts, cousins, and friends, were all using 'diet pills' on a regular basis. Each of them would go to the nearest Dr Feelgood, get a prescription for amphetamines, and then distribute the pills among the rest of the group. When everyone had gone to one doctor--and it was too soon for them to get another prescription--they would find out through the grapevine who the next liberal doctor was and make their appointments accordingly. This went on for quite some time. The Mother was so wired, that she would be up at 3:00 AM, cleaning the UNDERSIDE of the kitchen table with a toothbrush. One day, The Father had enough and took her pills and flushed them down the toilet. Other than her having a major meltdown, she somehow managed to get through the withdrawal on her own.

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Smoking, of course, is the biggest bug-a-boo to continue to haunt some people. (As an ex-smoker, I would beg everyone NOT to start. However, I feel everyone has a right to smoke if they want and I'm sick and tired of the witch hunt against smokers.) This hatred for smoking hasn't always been the case. After The Mother gave birth to The Brother, her obstetrician pulled out his cigarettes, lit one for himself and one for The Mother, and they shared a quiet moment together. This was in the recovery room of the hospital! Talk about different times. Actually, when I gave birth to The Oldest, smoking was still allowed in our hospital. While I wasn't allowed to smoke in my room, I was able to go to the father's 'waiting room' and smoke to my heart's content.

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When I was in 9th grade, I had plantar warts. I'm not talking one--the entire ball of my foot was covered in them. It was so bad that I was limping. And because we weren't allowed in the school swimming pool if we had plantar warts, I wound up in the doctor's office to have them removed. (I was pleased to not have to swim, but as swimming was a requirement for my phys ed credit, I needed to get back in the pool.) As my infestation was so bad, the doctor could do nothing in his office. At the time--and probably still to this day--the standard way of handling plantar warts was cutting them out. The doctor said to remove the warts from my foot would require surgery and THAT would require removing a good part of the ball of my foot. (Was this true? Who knows.) So, the recommendation was x-ray therapy. (This wasn't such a far-fetched idea. At the time, acne was also taken care of with x-ray therapy.) I went in once a week for a month and got my warts zapped with x-rays. It worked. After a couple of months, the warts just peeled off of my foot--and I suffered no amount of pain because of it. However, I wonder how much damage has been done to my body over the years because of x-rays. Between the chest x-rays I had as a child, the x-ray therapy, my working in a dentist office (where I took x-rays), and all the rest, I'm sure I have been exposed to more than what I should have.

More New Sites

It has been a good few days for new websites--or, I should say, new websites for me. Here are some that are good for a laugh--or a shudder.

--Awful Library Books

A couple of librarians run this site. It is all about library books that should be in NO library. It is quite fun to look at the outdated stuff that some libraries keep on the shelves.


--Lovely Listing

This site has property listings that are, shall we say, a little less than great. Actually, the properties are a bit strange. I am amazed how much people are asking for piece-of-shit properties, but I guess location might be the reason. This site is interesting, to say the least.


--peopleofwalmart.com

This site really needs no introduction--the title says it all. Be prepared, when you go there, to see things you NEVER wanted to see. It is all pictures taken of people who shop at Wally World. I don't think I will ever go back to WalMart--I'm afraid I may find MY picture there some day. :D

Pictures!!

The other day I posted the police log about an assault on a man in an apple suit. Toady I SAW the man in the apple suit--and got some pictures! I'm sorry they aren't the best--we were driving, I only had my cell phone, and I couldn't find my glasses fast enough. Anyway, we were driving down the street which goes through the downtown area of our city and there he was! He was advertising for our local farmer's market--while wearing an apple suit. I LOVE living in this town!

OOOOOOO-EEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO!!

A couple of weeks before I had my LASIK done, we purchased a Tomtom GPS system. It was one of the best purchases we ever made. It got us to the clinic where I had the surgery done with NO trouble at all and has gotten us everywhere we wanted to go with only one exception. The Tomtom didn't have directions for us when we went to my family reunion, but that isn't a real surprise. It was held in an EXTREMELY rural area which recently had its roads re-named for fire safety purposes.

Today--for the second time since we got it--the Tomtom turned itself on and announced, "Turn left now!" (We don't keep it in the Jimmy for fear it will be stolen.) K was in the kitchen when it happened and really had a bit of a startled look on his face. The first time it happened, I was home alone and I don't think he completely believed me when I told him the story.

After a great deal of thought, I have come to one conclusion as to why it turns itself on like it does: Our house-ghost wants to cross over and doesn't know the directions--the Tomtom is just trying to help. :)

Frightening Knowledge

There are times that I realize I know things that are a bit scary. I didn't go looking for some of this knowledge that I have and I don't know where I got it, and that is also a very scary thing. That being said, I know what this is:
Yes, that is a picture of a sex swing. (Can't WAIT to see how many hits I'll get with this one!) Now, I don't own a sex swing, have never used one, and until yesterday, never seen one. That is where the story comes in.

Yesterday I went to get my hair 'done.' (I feel like one of those little old ladies when I say that. :)) Anyway, my stylist told me that she would walk me out of the salon because there was something I needed to see. When we got outside, she pointed to the house across the street. There, big as life, in a big old maple tree, in the front yard, was a sex swing. And it has been there for about a month. And the street is one of the busiest in our town. Now the question is: Has it been used since it was put there? And just what time of night do they use it? And... I can't go on--my mind just won't let me continue.

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!)