Almost Forgot

I was just lying in bed, almost asleep, and remembered I hadn’t posted anything to my blog. Wow, after my promise too! Well, it’s still before midnight so I guess I’m okay.

I sorted through Mom’s jewelry today and decided to take it and her punch bowl over to Dickie’s tomorrow. He’s going to take it to a consignment shop for me. We’ll probably go to the Horse and Jockey for lunch. I’m also going to try to get a set of shelves in the back seat of my truck for him.

Today, after getting an eBay item ready for shipment, I went to see Get Low, a movie produced in 2009 but just released with very little fanfare.

Mike Huckabee interviewed Robert Duvall on Fox over the weekend. This is where I first heard about the movie. Besides Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray were the only folks I knew in the cast.

I’d say it’s a story of redemption. Duvall plays a hermit who has lived in a self-imposed “jail cell” in the woods. It’s not until the end of the film that you know why. He’s getting toward the end of life and decides to hold a live funeral party. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil the movie for you. I’m sure most everyone who sees it will enjoy it.

Well, I’m nodding off and don’t want to fall asleep at my computer.

Until next time…

The Switch

Today, after getting my eBay packages ready to ship and adding the 14 other books on to eBay, I went down to AMC and watched the movie The Switch starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman It made me laugh, it made me cry and I loved the whole story.

I then ran a bunch of errands, including getting gas, going to the bank, going to Office Depot, going to Radio Shack and going to the post office. Wow, I’m out of breath just talking about all of that.

Did you all hear that Kyra Sedgwick finally won an Emmy for The Closer. Finally, a few people with good taste. Her show is on tonight followed by Rizzoli and Isles. I try not to miss these programs and tape them so I don’t.

I talked with my cousin Ethelyn for a while today. She’s all packed and ready to go on her trip to El Paso to visit her daughter Susan. Boy, are we ever different! She doesn’t leave for a couple of weeks and already has her suitcases packed. I usually wait until it’s time to leave and then pack.

Well, it’s getting close to time for The Closer.

Until next time…

Goodwill and Good Food

This morning, I bagged a bunch of blankets, sheets, pillowcases, etc. that were lying loose in Mom’s bedroom to take to Goodwill. I pulled five or six bags of clothes, quilts, pillows, etc. from the hall closet and stuck them in the truck also. Of course, before I’m done, I’ll probably make many more trips there in order to free my house and myself from all of this stuff I have no idea what to do with.

Karen rode along with me and we visited a restaurant I read about in one of Plant City’s local magazines. The magazine, which reviewed the food at The Cowboy’s Steakhouse and Saloon, had nothing but praise for the fare. I must say I agree with them.

Karen and I shared an order of Jalapeno Poppers for an appetizer. They were delicious. The salad that was one of my sides was huge, but so good that I ate EVERY bite. The Flat Iron Steak was cooked a perfect medium rare. Smothered in their special “cowboy butter,” the steak was tender, juicy and flavorful. I’m pretty sure that garlic was a part of the cowboy butter, but couldn’t tell you what it was comprised of besides that.

Accompanying my steak was Bourbon sweet potato mash. I’ve been trying to eat better and do not generally like sweet potatoes. These weren’t too bad and I ate most of them. I’m not sure these particular potatoes were that much better for me since I think they had a lot of brown sugar and some Bourbon.

For those of you in the area, the address of the restaurant is 108 State Road 60 East, Plant City. Coming from Brandon on Rte 60, it’s on the left just after you pass through the Rte 39 intersection. There’s a western wear store on the property also.

This afternoon, after a short nap, put a bunch more books out on eBay that I scanned this morning. There are 14 more that have been scanned and still need to be put out. I’ll probably do that tomorrow.

I have 7 items to ship tomorrow already and will probably get more tonight.

I’ll sure be glad to close this store. It’s a lot of work.

Well, I have some serious TV watching to do.

Until next time…

Restoring Honor and The Black Robe Brigade

This morning, after going to Publix for a few groceries (when I got home my eggs fell out of truck – 3 survived), I got on Facebook and watched the 8/28 Restoring Honor rally in Washington, DC. Eventually, there were 130,363 people watching it on Facebook to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands watching live and who knows how many watching on C-SPAN. I hope you all had a chance to watch.

It was a stirring rally and let everyone know that those of us concerned for our country are not alone. There was a mixture of singing and speeches, including Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. Glenn told the story of slave boat captain John Newton who eventually realized what he was doing and turned to God – he was the fellow who wrote Amazing Grace.

Sarah Palin was there as a mother of someone serving in the military. She introduced three heroes who suffered great loss in service of their country. She gave a stirring tribute to those who put their lives on the line for their country and for out freedom.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s niece, Alveda King, introduced a number of singers and speakers and gave a great speech, talking about the dreams she has. She emphasized King’s call to look at people not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Glenn instituted Medals of Merit for Faith, Hope and Charity, based on the Badges of Merit that George Washington started and which eventually became the Purple Heart.

The Faith badge was given to C.L. Jackson, a black pastor who stood at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial on the day 47 years earlier when M.L. King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.

The Hope badge was given to Albert Pujols (Jose Alberto Pujols Alcantara), an unapologetic Christian and baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals. Besides his work in the community through the Pujols family foundation (dedicated to making life better for children and adults with Downs Syndrome), he apparently works tirelessly to make his community better.

The Charity badge was given to John M. Huntsman for his charitable work. He has given away hundreds of millions of dollars throughout his career and has stated his life goal to die broke.

At the end of the rally, after a terrific speech by Glenn, a group of 250+ pastors stood on stage indicating their willingness to be part of the Black Robe Brigade and representing many more in the audience who could not fit on the stage.

I believe, as Glenn does, that the answer to this nation’s problems is spiritual. Pray for our country, pray for our nation’s pastors, pray for our military warriors. May we seek His face and may God forgive us our sins and heal our land.

Until next time…

Glenn Beck’s America’s Divine Destiny

This morning, Karen and I went to see Nanny McPhee Returns. It was a great movie. I laughed, I cried, I was completely entertained. You’ve heard that before, I bet. It’s a delightful film about a mother with three children trying to keep the her husband’s family farm going while her husband is fighting in a war. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying it.

Right now, I am watching and listening to a wonderful gospel group singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic. This is part of Glenn Beck’s Kennedy Center program called America’s Divine Destiny. I am so fortunate to be a Glenn Beck Insider Extreme member so I can watch this event on-line.

Glenn and his wife Tonia bought out the Kennedy Center and gave away all of the tickets for this event. This evening is a prelude to tomorrow’s Restoring Honor rally to be held at the Lincoln Memorial. I think it would be fair to say that Glenn Beck believes the problems with our country are more spiritual than political, that Faith, Hope, and Charity are the answer, that we must RESTORE HONOR in this country.

If you are interested in watching the Restoring Honor event, I think C-SPAN will be covering it. Or, if you are an Insider Extreme member, you might get to see it on the Internet. Glenn’s Facebook page will be streaming it live.

I think Glenn is looking to found or foster a Black Robe Brigade or Regiment like they had during and before the American Revolution. Did you know the British specifically blamed this Black Robe Brigade for the American Revolution.

I don’t know if Glenn is familiar with David Black, who gives a good explanation of what a Black Robe Brigade/Regiment is, you might want to look at: http://www.daveblackonline.com/pastors.htm 

Included in Black’s article is a call to pastors to join The Black Robe Brigade

“Pastor friend, will you join this patriotic host? Are you willing to say, “I will fight for the truth. I will be beholden to no one (whether a Democrat, Republican, or Other) except Jesus. I will stand up to the despots who are seeking to enslave us all by sending our children to their deaths as they build their New World Order and as they tax us into poverty. I will seek to bind our politicians with the chains of the Constitution. And I will do this for the glory of God and the advancement of Christian liberty.” Yes, the dues are high (radical obedience), but your treasure in heaven will more than amply repay.”

There were a number of speakers and musicians. Miles McPherson, pastor of one of the largest churches in the country, was one of the best speakers. His church is well-known for working in the community.

Chuck Norris and his wife were there. Chuck called his wife his prayer warrior. He read from George Washington’s First Inaugural Address and his Farewell Address to the nation, from Benjamin Franklin’s call to prayer at the Constitutional Convention when the delegates were at an impasse, and from a speech by Samuel Adams.  The words where extremely powerful. Would that we had leaders like this in our government today!

Gloria Copeland spoke about raising the shield of faith for America – II Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” What a promise! Let’s take Him up on it.

Dave Roever, a Viet Nam war veteran and survivor, spoke of Glenn as a voice crying in the wilderness. He used humor to make his point: “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” We have to go through the valley of tears to get

A number of black gospel groups sang some inspiring songs and Dove award winner Twila Paris sang a song called “True North.”

Glenn talked about American being at a crossroads and how we are all here for a reason. We need to find out what that reason is. The answer to all of our problems is not politics, does not rest with one person, but with all of us. “Stand where He wants you to stand; do what He wants you to do.”

J.E. McKissic of Cornerstone Church sang God Bless America as well if not better than Kate Smith ever did. Pastor John Hagee spoke some stirring words about soldiers then gave the closing prayer.

We need a Great Awakening in America. Glenn says he thinks it will start tonight. Pray for our troops, for the American people and for the USA. If God is with us, who can stand against us.

Until next time…

A Delicious Lunch and Some Great Company

Today, after taking garbage to the dumpster, I straightened out my camper, including sweeping up the grass I had tracked in. I brought back my Sweeper Mop and will clean my kitchen floor tomorrow.

By the time I had packaged up a number of eBay items for shipment, my cousin Richard arrived and we set off immediately for lunch. Olde Town Pizza in Plant City was our destination. Dickie had never been there before.

For appetizers, we had:

1. Italian Sausage with peppers and cheese – It was scrumptious
2. Garlic Rolls – they weren’t as good as usual – a little underdone and not enough butter.
3. Corn Fritters with Butter for Dunking – absolutely the best corn fritters I have ever had…a little smaller than a golf ball, they were crispy on the outside and had real corn kernels on the inside … I’m ready for more anytime I can get them.

Dickie had spaghetti with meatballs and sausage for lunch. He probably took 2/3 of it home.

I had a very tasty strawberry-walnut salad with their homemade red wine vinaigrette dressing. It could have used a few more nuts, but there were plenty of strawberries. You can see more info about this place at http://www.oldetownpizzeria.com/ (I brought home about 1/3 of my salad, but it’s gone by now.)

I always enjoy my cousin’s company. He’s got a great sense of humor and we laugh a lot. Being about the same age and growing up only a few miles from each other, we have a lot of memories that surface and give us a lot of pleasure as we’re talking. His mother (my Aunt Ruth) was one of my favorite people. His sister is my cousin Ethelyn (yep, the one I talk about a lot who was named for my mother).

I’m halfway through a David Baldacci book (The Simple Truth) and hope to finish it tonight (but probably won’t). It’s about the workings of the Supreme Court and ?justice? in general.

Tomorrow, it’s to AMC Regency to see Nanny McPhee II – I really enjoyed the first one. Karen has the day off and she’s going along also. I tried to get my friend Joan to go along, but she has an appointment with her eye doctor and can’t make it. I’ll let you know how the movie is.

Until next time…

Dream, Dream, Dream

Today, after getting several packages ready for shipment, I set out for the post office under dark and cloudy skies, expecting any minute that the heavens would open up and the rain would drench the earth as it has during the last few days. I got the packages mailed and headed to Brandon to the AMC Regency Theater to see Inception, A movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, and a cameo appearance by Michael Caine.

This movie, which lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes, was an extreme thriller. I was often on the edge of my seat. It was all about dreams and sometimes dreams within dreams and even dreams within dreams within dreams. I think it would be beneficial to see it again. Many times during the movie you don’t know it the players are dreaming or if it’s reality.

Leo D. is a little heftier than the last time I saw him (I think it was in Titanic). I was not a fan of Titanic. In fact, I spent the last 3/4 of the movie thinking, “Sink, baby, sink!” I think my distaste for the movie Titanic translated into a distaste for Leo. I’ve changed my mind – Leo did a good job on Inception. If you get a chance to see this film, I’d be interested in your opinions.

Tonight it was chicken wings at Kazbor’s with my friend Karen. They never disappoint – they were crispy and pungent and filling. O course, they may have tasted so good because, except for some popcorn at the movies, I didn’t have a thing to eat.

Nothing much on TV tonight so I watched Covert Affairs, which I had on tape. Talk about thrilling!

I think I’ll go to bed early tonight since I am exhausted from another mostly sleepless night.

Until next time…

Rain, Rain, Go Away…At Least, During the Day

Today, it rained yet again. In fact, it poured for much of the day.

Up early again (4:00 am) and watched Lie to Me and Rubicon, both of which I had taped previously. I also made my way through a couple of bins of Mom’s stuff and threw most of it out. She had a lot of costume jewelry, though not as much as she had a year or so ago. She broke a lot of during the last six months before she passed away. I’ve kept what was left and will try to distribute it to family members, though I have no idea if anyone wants any or not.

Mom loved pretty things. In the bins, I also found some collectible plates I didn’t even know she had. One was a Disney Snow White plate and the other a Walt Disney World 25-Year Anniversary Plate. These will probably sell fairly quickly and for a pretty good price on eBay.

After taking care of this stuff, I got my eBay packages ready to ship and went to the post office. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining too bad when I went, but by the time I got to Sam’s, it was pouring.

I stuck my hat on my head and draped my Rehabilicare jacket over me and went in anyway. Contrary to what you all might think, I’m not so sweet that I melt when I get wet. :)

Once I got home, I took a short nap, then worked a little more.

Kind of a dull day, huh? Just think – you only had to read about it; I had to live it!

Until next time…

Lots Done; Lots Still To Do

Up at 4:00 am and started my laundry; had it done by 7:30. I was glad to get that out of the way.

It took quite a bit of time to wrap up 7 different eBay items. Then, I had to take them to the post office, along with a box for my brother Jeff and his wife Kathy.

Before it began raining, I cleaned out my bird feeder.

After I got home I decided to tackle the last shelf of Mom’s books. Thankfully, that takes care of that.

I’ve been steadily working on that mess of stuff in Mom’s bathroom. This afternoon, I tackled some of the duplicates.

Can you think of any reason anyone would have so many nail clippers and manicure sets? I decided to keep the small set on the top left, since it has everything I need and won’t take up much space in my camera, but what on earth will I do with the rest? I hate to throw it all out. I don’t know if Good Will would accept something so personal.

The next thing I tackled was the first aid supplies. Check this out:

I ended up combining most of the band-aids into the biggest box. I kept a couple of things to put in the medicine cabinet and stored the rest of the stuff in a plastic box which I will put in the camper.

I’ve been reading off and on today and now I’m watching The Closer. Gotta run!

Until next time…

Charlie St. Cloud – A Movie Worth Seeing

Today, Karen and I went to see Charlie St. Cloud, a movie starring Zac Efron with a cameo appearance by Kim Basinger. This movie meets my three important criteria: it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it entertained me. I won’t spoil the show by telling you what happens, but if you get a chance, go see it if for no other reason than the scenery. There are some really beautiful panoramic views of the Puget Sound.

After eating at Anthony’s, I came home and tried to take a nap – to no avail. So, I got up and started putting out some more books on eBay. I have only one more bookshelf of Mom’s books to do and all of her books will be done. I had to throw away a couple today because someone (I think we know who) tore pages out of the books.

I am currently watching a PBS special on Niagara Falls. Did you know that 1/5 of the fresh water IN THE WORLD flows over Niagara Falls? Wow! It’s certainly one of my favorite places in this country. I’m just sorry I didn’t make it up there while I was in New York. After all, I did get my passport so I could go there.

Next time I’m in New York, I hope to visit there. One of my favorite Italian restaurants is on the Canadian side: Mama Mia’s, where they make their own pasta. At least it was there the last time I was there. Who knows now?

Can you believe people used to go over the falls in barrels … deliberately? Nothing I would ever do!

Until next time…

No Movie Review Today

Sorry, folks, I know you look forward to my movie reviews, but I didn’t go to the movies today. It’s been a kind of quiet day because I woke up feeling kind of punky – my nose was stuffy and I felt kind of tired. I’m sure the tiredness was due to staying up late last night reading David Baldacci’s thriller called Simple Genius. I just finished it and was heading for bed when I remembered my promise to write in this blog every day.

Speaking of genius, if you’ve never read anything by David Baldacci, you’re really missing out. I also keep his book The Christmas Train in the car for times when I have to wait and need something to occupy my mind.

I hope I didn’t give the idea that all I did today was read. I finished putting the second shelf of Mom’s books out on eBay – only 2 more to go. I also did some more sorting of the stuff in her bathroom. I’m keeping the good stuff that I might actually use, like H2O2 (that’s hydrogen peroxide for you who are chemistry-challenged), the fragrance-free body lotion, the 10 or so boxes of band-aids (at least the ones where the stick-um still sticks), the alcohol swabs and so on.

I also shipped 3 packages to eBay customer (the Seffner post office is open on Saturdays, at least for now), went to Publix, and to Ace Hardware for some spackle, but ended up getting some popcorn paint repair instead. I’ve got a crack over my shower in the main bathroom. I just hope the ceiling doesn’t fall in when I go to repair it. Just to be safe, I’ll wear something over my nose; I don’t want any more episodes of not being able to breathe.

Tomorrow, Karen and I are going to see Charlie St. Cloud. I think it stars Zack Efron. The movie isn’t on until 11:15 am, so I’ll probably clean my kitchen before I leave. Believe me, it really needs it.

Until next time…

Out of Touch…

I’m either out of touch with American culture or out of my mind. After working on the shed for a while after I first got up and then posting some more books on eBay, I went to AMC Regency and saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – I never did figure out what was happening. I think it might be based on a video game.

There was a lot of really loud tuneless music. Kieran Culkin, all grown up, played a gay guy who chased and usually caught every guy in sight except Scott Pilgrim. Man, Kieran is a handsome dude, much nicer looking than brother Macaulay (who incidentally is now 30 years old… Kieran is 28 this year).

The only other person I recognized in the movie was Mae Whitman, who is on the tv show Parenthood and she was only in it for just a few minutes.

I should have left after the first fifteen minutes, but I kept thinking something interesting would happen. It didn’t meet even one of my criteria for a good movie: I think I might have laughed a total of three times, mostly in disbelief. I never cried and I was certainly not entertained.

At least, this was a day when I got a ticket from Moviewatcher for a free large popcorn and large drink – another good reason for not leaving, but a great reason for having a Moviewatcher card.

Until next time…

A Sleepless Night, but A Good Day

Last night, I had a lot of trouble sleeping. In fact, at 2 am, I got up and watched a couple of 1-hour programs I had on my DVR. I finally went back to bed and eventually gave up and got up for good around 7 am.

I packaged up some more tapes for eBay then loaded up the gardening pots I was taking to my cousin. After that, I really needed a shower – it was so hot and muggy this morning. How refreshing a shower can be!

My cousin and I had a great lunch at the Horse & Jockey British Pub on Pasadena Ave. in St. Pete. The fish I had was just as good as I remembered and, I don’t know how they make their fries, but they are wonderful too. As an appetizer, I had a cup of spicy chicken and mushroom soup – it was delicious and very SPICY.

After I got home, I took an hour nap, then got to work on scanning the rest of Mom’s books. Altogether, I found 88 books to scan. After scanning the images, I reduced the size of the files so I can use them on eBay.

After dinner, I sorted through some of the stuff in Mom’s bathroom, then put the first shelf of books out on eBay. I had to toss out a couple of books where I found my Mom had ripped out pages. Imagine getting through the end of a book and not having the last page or pages. In one book, page 80 was ripped out, but still in the book. I decided to try to sell that one, but wrote about it in the ad.

Last night, Lewis and Clark were talking about catching fish in one of the rivers that ran into the Missouri. Can you believe they caught 800 (YES, EIGHT HUNDRED) fish? I think they fashioned some kind of net to do this. Almost seems too easy, doesn’t it?

Until next time…

Not Quite So Productive, But Still Fun

Today, my friend Joan had to go to the Edgecomb Courthouse in downtown Tampa and, since she doesn’t like to drive downtown, I drove her. We left the house about 8:45 this morning and did not return until after 3:30 this afternoon. Before she arrived, I did move the stuff off the shelves in my bathroom to my mother’s so I could eliminate duplicates and decided what to save.

AS you can see by the picture, this is going to take a while. For example, between the two of us, we had 4 large containers of Vaseline, I don’t know how many bottles of shampoo, enough band-aids for an army and so on.

After finishing with the bathrooms, I also got my eBay stuff ready to ship, but there was little time to do more than that.

We were at the courthouse until about noon and then started for The Olive Garden in Brandon where we were going to have lunch. I mentioned to Joan it was too bad she was so hungry or we could head down to Sarasota and eat at Pontillo’s. She’s another Pontillo fan. She said we should go ahead, that she could wait to eat.

Needless to say, that was all I was waiting for. … Off we went!

And it was just as good as it was on the weekend. joan asked the guy making pizza how he happened to open a Pontillo’s in Sarasota and he answered that he was a Pontillo. They sure do know how to make the BEST pizza. Joan agrees that it’s just as good as what we got in New York. So do her grandchildren who finished the leftovers after Joan took them to their house.

When I got home, I started scanning the covers of the books on Mom’s shelves. There are four shelves and I’ve scanned two of them. Tomorrow and over the next couple of days, I plan to:

1. Finish scanning the rest of the books
2. Change the size of the scanned images so I can use them on eBay
3. Add them to my spreadsheet
4. Post them on eBay

For outside work tomorrow, I’ll do what I planned for today but never got to because it was pouring when I got home: pack my gardening pots into a container.

I’ll also go through some of the stuff in Mom’s bathroom and throw out what is out of date.

It’s been an exhausting day so I guess I’ll get to bed early tonight – just as soon as I finish watching my DVR recording of Unnatural History.

Until next time…

Work Really Works!

Yep, you heard me right. Work REALLY works. When you work, you get a lot done. This morning, after packing up a CD and a book to ship to eBay customers, the plan was to gather together the gardening pots and clean them up so I could take them to my cousin’s. Here they are, all cleaned and drying. But, notice the dirt/algae on this part of my home.

 

The next picture shows the dirt/algae a lot better. Isn’t it disgusting?

So, even though this task was not on my list, I decided to get my scrub brush and hose and clean it up. After all, I was already soaking wet anyway and still had a little energy.

And, I have to say it was worth it. Doesn’t it look great now?

It’s funny, the rest of house gets a little dusty, but this part that never sees the sun builds up with algae and dirt.

After i finished getting soaked, I decided to get even wetter and took a shower then began putting another 1/2 shelf of VHS tapes on eBay. On my way to see another movie, I stopped at the post office and shipped my packages.

The movie I saw was The Other Guys with Will Ferrell (not one of my favorite actors), Mark Wahlberg, cameo appearances by Samuel L. Jackson and Duane (The Rock) Johnson, and Michael Keaton. This movie could have been called “Movie for Schmucks” and I could be called one of the schmucks who went to see it. The only problem is, like almost all of Will Ferrell’s movies, this movie was beyond stupid. In fact, it was so stupid, it was unbelievably hilarious. I know I’ve told you I’m easily entertained. Now you know it’s true.

I’ve moved some of the stuff from my bathroom to my Mom’s and will finish the rest before going to bed.

I also hope to be awake enough to read a little more about Lewis and Clark. In last night’s reading, they spoke about seeing writing on cave walls. Lewis also gave an amazingly detailed description of a badger.

Until next time…

Another Productive Day

Wow, it’s amazing what you can get done if you just do it.

Today, I started out by posting 1/2 of a shelf of VHS tapes on eBay. I did the others after dinner.

Thinking it would be cooler before 9 am, I went outside and picked up the wood left over from my ramp. I stored them on my front porch, but will throw them away once the park brings in the dumpster used for that purpose. I also pulled the weeds and plants around my bird feeder. I wish I had thought to take before and after pictures, but I didn’t.

The next outdoor thing I’ll probably do, depending on the weather, is to gather my gardening pots and clean them up. One of Richard’s friends is an avid gardener and can use these pots. Once I get them cleaned up, I’ll probably visit my cousin and drop them off. This will give me a good excuse to have lunch at the English pub over on Pasadena Street in St. Pete.

I also had to get 4 items ready to ship and take them to the post office. I did this after I went to AMC Regency 20 to see Dinner with Schmucks. I was very afraid this would be a movie for schmucks, mainly me, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I doubt the movie would have been as good as it was had it not been for the talent of Steve Carell.

After I got home from the movies, I decided to start going through the stuff in Mom’s bathroom. As you can see, she had THREE cabinets filled with a variety of items. There were a number of expired non-prescription drugs, which I threw out. I probably threw out 3/4 of what you see here.  

The following picture shows that she also had a bunch of stuff in her bathroom closet.

What you see here is what I kept. Tomorrow I plan to add all of the stuff from my bathroom that I don’t throw out. You will probably notice there are multiple containers of Vaselilne, body lotion, shampoo, and hydrogen peroxide.

 

Mom also had some little knick knacks that she’s had for years and years. This man and woman are on their way to the outhouse (which I cannot find). The moon (in the front) hung over the outhouse. Mom made these at her ceramics class – probably sometime in the 1970’s when she and Aunt Lana and little Ethelyn used to do ceramics.

For the last few decades, she also had these fish with the bubbles hanging in her bathroom. I know she had them when she lived on Taylor Street in Gang Mills, but I don’t remember them from when we lived on Beartown Rd. Aren’t they cute?

I’ll be packing these figures up and sending them to family since they won’t fit in my camper.

Remember my surprise and sorrow at Lewis and Clark giving one of their Corp of Discovery 100 lashes? Well, during my reading last night, I found a place where they talked about one guy that got 400 (yes, FOUR HUNDRED) lashes for falling asleep during guard duty. But, not to be cruel or inhumane, they gave these lashes over a four-day period. Wow!

Until next time…

An Unusually Productive Day

Yep, that’s what it says. Today, I have accomplished the following:

1. Changed the batteries in my atomic clock and the sensor that is fastened to my back porch.
2. Washed my bedding and remade my bed
3. Scanned the more than 60 tapes and 2 DVDs that were on Mom’s shelves
4. Modified the scanned photos to fit on eBay
5. Posted 21 of those tapes out on eBay

The only problem with doing all of that is I didn’t get time to take my nap – oh well, maybe I’ll sleep better tonight than last night.

I decided today that I would close my eBay store as of 9/30/2010. I’d like to sell as much as possible before that. I hope to begin getting rid of the excess furniture around here ASAP, including dressers, lamps, my player piano, and other stuff I won’t be able to take with me in my camper.

The only way I’m going to get this done is by doing it. How profound! But it’s very true. I’m using the method of deciding the day before what 3 things I will do the next day. Weather permitting, at least one of these 3 things will be something outside, such as putting sealant on my ramp, installing my new window box, cleaning up the junk around the outside of my home, cleaning out my shed, and on and on and on.

Tomorrow I plan to:

1. Post the 40 or so remaining tapes on eBay
2. Clean up the area under my bird feeder, including picking up the boards I had left over from the ramp repairs and pulling the corn stalks that grow under and around the bird feeder from seeds the birds drop
3. Spend at least 1/2 hour packing up the stuff in Mom’s bathroom

If I can keep this up, I’ll be done before you know it.

By the way, last night in the Lewis and Clark journals, they were both talking about salt springs that apparently occur naturally in creeks and rivers that empty into the Missouri River. While I had known there were salt deposits inland (such as the salt deposits under Watkins Glen), I never even thought salt springs might naturally occur in rivers and creeks. To my surprise when I looked salt springs up on Google, I found a lot of references.

Another interesting item last night was the reference to punishment wielded for various missteps of the crew. Two people were assigned 25 lashes each on their bare back; one was assigned 50 lashes. I was glad to hear that those assigned 25 lashes were able to avoid them by good behavior, but saddened to read that one was punished by the application of the 50 lashes.

There must have been a lot of game along the area where they traveled since there were several reference to multiple deer and even bear killed. I don’t know if I mentioned that when game was plentiful, most of the men ate as much as 9 pounds per day. Yes, NINE pounds of meat per day. Think of what Mayor Bloomberg and the rest of the food police would say about that. The Corps of Discovery would probably have been locked up.

How much different life was in 1804.

Until next time…

The Expendables and A Trip to Sarasota

This morning, my friend Karen and I went to see The Expendables, the action-adventure film starring Sylvester Stallone (he also directed the film), Jet Li, Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Terry Crews and cameos of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I just saw on the Drudge Report (www.drudgereport.com) that this film beat out Julia Robert’s Eat, Pray, Love movie, which is kind of ironic because The Expendables also stars Julia’s brother, Eric Roberts.

It was action-packed, included car chases, lots of fights, several instances of knife skills in use. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

After the movie, we decided to hook up Homer (my Tom Tom GPS with Homer Simpson’s voice) and see if he could lead us to Pontillo’s Pizzeria. The GPS said it was about 52 miles from the theater to the restaurant. It was a beautiful day for a ride – for once, the weatherman was right and there was no rain. We went down via Rte 75 and came back via Rte 41 and 301 to Parrish, then back on I-75.

Well, I’m glad to say Homer found Pontillo’s and it was just as good as the one in Canandaigua. In my opinion, they have the best pizza and wings I’ve ever had, although Anthony’s rates right up there and their pizza and wings are so different, you might call them a different type of food. On the wall there, there were pictures of the various Pontillo’s in the Rochester area and yes, the one in Canandaigua was pictured there.

The fellow making pizza (I think he was the owner) was surprised we had come so far. He jokingly said he was glad he didn’t know about how far we had come before he cooked our food, that he would have probably botched it because of the pressure. A very friendly place to eat.

I plan on scoping out attractions in the Sarasota area and combining a trip there about once a month to eat at Pontillo’s and go sightseeing. First on the list will probably be Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium. Second may be Sarasota Jungle Gardens.

I can hardly wait until September.

After I got home, I did 3 loads of laundry and took a nap. I really needed the nap.

I haven’t planned what I’ll do tomorrow yet, but I think I’ll probably just stay home. Of course, it’s my prerogative to change my mind.

Until next time…

And Again

Today, after Jackie the pest control guy was here, I decided I’d better go to Sam’s and get some padded envelopes for shipping books. I’d used up all of the small size which I use for single books. I stopped at the post office on the way so I could ship a book I sold last night.

I had listened to the CBS weatherman this morning and he said there was a 20% chance of rain. Well, he wasn’t where I was. Where I was there was a 100% chance of rain. In fact, as soon as I left the Seffner post office, the skies opened up and the rain began to fall.

When I got to Sam’s, it wasn’t just raining. I think I saw animals in pairs walking toward a big boat. Not wanting to get drenched, I decided to wait it out, but after 45 minutes, I donned my hat and jacket and sloshed through the water to the door where other brave souls were also going in the store.

By the time I finished shopping, the rain had mostly stopped. In fact, the sun shone brightly, even though little drops were still falling.

Tomorrow, the plan is to see The Expendables with Bruce Willis, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, etc. From the ads, it looks as if it will be a funny, exciting, action-packed film.

Sometime this weekend, I want to go to Sarasota and see if the Pontillo’s Pizzeria there is as good as the ones in New York.

Until next time…

The Weatherman – Wrong Again

This morning, after watching the weatherman tell me there was little chance of rain, I decided to go to Busch Gardens. I wanted to:

• See the new show that I heard had replaced Katonga (incidentally, Katonga is still on)
• Spend some time at Busch Gardens before I cancel my pass
• Try out some of the photographic techniques I’ve been studying

I arrived at the park before the gates opened and left about 12:45. While there I took 96 pictures, but don’t worry, I won’t subject you to all of them.

I decided that I would not use any auto programs on my camera, but instead used first aperture priority and then shutter priority. I took the first two pictures while waiting for the gates to open. This little flower added some real color in the middle of a lot of green leaves

The lines of this next picture intrigued me. I think the row of posts draws your eye to the tippy umbrella. And the umbrella tips the right way – well, not politically, but creatively.

This is a picture of a very quick squirrel that was hanging around the bakery tables. Yes, I know you can’t see the squirrel – I told you he was fast. I kept the picture because of the interesting pattern.

The flowers in the next picture were in a big pot opposite the bakery

I’m sure most people familiar with Busch Gardens are aware of their wonderful orchid collection. They’re located across the sidewalk from the alligator pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The big crocodile that used to be in the pond as you enter Nairobi has been replaced with some playful, very active otters. When I saw the first otter, I toyed with the idea that Busch Gardens had created an extreme exhibit with otters as food for the crocodile – not really.

I took several pictures of the Aldabra Tortoise, which was brought here from Madagascar. The ducks give you an idea of how large these things really are.

I did manage to get a pretty good picture of an ibis -->

 

and a duck --

 

I call this “My Little Rebel Flower.” 

I took the “Topiary Sundial” picture so I would know what the picture after it was. With my memory, I was pretty sure I’d forget. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough sun to cast any kind of shadow. I’m glad I had my watch for backup.

Here’s another picture with where lines converge and draw the eye.  Of course, there’s nothing there to draw your eye to, but you can’t have everything. It’s still an interesting picture of the train and station.

Lights like this hang from the ceiling of the train.

Montu was traveling beside the train for a while and I managed to snap this picture. It goes upside down 7 times. The train doesn’t even go upside down once.

One of the first things you usually see when starting across the Serengeti Plain is giraffes, such as the one here.

 

Imagine having to bend over like this to eat – kind of awkward, isn’t it? Note the vehicle in the background ostensibly feeding the giraffe.

What do giraffes eat? Poor, defenseless, naive tourists? The next picture makes it look that way, doesn’t it? But I think giraffes are vegetarians. Still, I won’t be joining that safari ride any time soon. :)

As we were riding through the Serengeti, I noticed the sky getting darker.  In a short time, it began raining and then pouring. Thanks a lot, Paul Delgado, weatherman at Fox 13, for making me think it was going to be a beautiful day.

These lucky people had rain gear with them I didn’t and since I was sitting on the outside, I got soaked. In fact, my clothes were still damp when I got home.

  

As I was taking a break on my way out, I noticed this scene above the Marrakesh Market. I have no idea what purpose those bits of cloth tied up there serve, but apparently it doesn’t keep the birds away.

In short, I had a very pleasant day. When I got home, I put about 20 more books out on eBay.

Lewis and Clark

By the way, last night I was reading The Lewis and Clark Journals. Lewis was still writing about his trip from Pittsburgh to the Missouri River. He mentioned Charlestown and Wheeling as being in Virginia. Funny how things change.

He also mentioned the Grave Creek Mound near Wheeling. I don’t know how Mark and I missed hearing about that the times we went to Wheeling to see the WWVA Jamboree. It reminded me of the time Esther and Dawn and I went across the Mississippi River from Wisconsin to Iowa to visit the Effigy Mounds. I’ve put the Grave Creek Mound as a place to visit when I’m in that area.

Speaking of Wisconsin, Lewis used the French spelling when referring to the Ouisconsin River. Neat, huh?

He also talked a lot about his dog catching the squirrels that swam in the Ohio River. Apparently, he was very adept at catching them – Saved a lot of ammunition that way, didn’t it?

Until next time…

Rainy Day Activity

Today, due to the extremely weak tropical depression number five, I knew we would have a lot of rain and possibly wind. In view of that and the rather sleepless night I had, I decided to pretty much goof off today. I know, I know, you’re wondering how that is different from any other day. :)

After getting 4 packages ready to mail, three of which went to eBay buyers, I left the house and went to see Ramona and Beezus, a wonderful film you could take your kids to without any regrets. The story was enchanting, the characters endearing and like all great movies, I laughed, I cried, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t believe I almost didn’t go see it. Since I went before noon, I only had to $5. Since I had to go to the post office and Best Buy anyway, I consider the cost almost free. John Corbett of Northern Exposure and Josh Duhamel of the TV show Las Vegas were in it, but I didn’t recognize anyone else.

As I told you yesterday, Verizon did not send an adapter cable that goes between my 3G card’s external antenna and the modem. I was sure Best Buy would have it; they didn’t, but sent me to the Verizon Plus store in Regency Square mall, right around the corner from the theater and Best Buy. To my great surprise, they didn’t have it either, but assured me the Verizon Wireless store would have it.

The Verizon Wireless store is located where Rio Bravo/Johnny Carino’s used to be. Jonathon, the salesperson I spoke with, checked and they didn’t have it either. In fact, Jonathon told me there wasn’t one in a store within 500 miles of the place. He very kindly took my money and ordered it for me. He didn’t give me an idea of when it would be delivered.

While waiting for the movie to begin, I read more from The Journals of Lewis and Clark. Fascinating stuff. If you have even the slightest interest in history, I think you would be intrigued also.

The part of the book I was reading today took place before the Corps of Discovery left the St. Louis area. It outlined Lewis’s trip down the Ohio River from Pittsburg. The river was very shallow at that time of the year and they had a lot of trouble getting their boats down the river because of the riffles. They would get hung up on these riffles and often had to hire horses or oxen to help get them through. However, they did manage to travel between 10 and 15 miles a day. Yep, that’s right – 10 to 15 miles a day. I’m sure we who are used to traveling that far in less than half an hour can’t really appreciate the tough time they had. I expect it’s only going to get worse.

Tonight, the electricity went off in the middle of The O’Reilly Factor. It was off so long, I took a little nap and woke up a little after 9:30.

If it’s not raining tomorrow, I may head over to Busch Gardens for a few hours.

Until next time…

eBay, The Last Airbender, and the 3G Modem

This morning, while waiting for Fed Ex to deliver my 3G Modem, I added about 20 more books to eBay. The Fed Ex guy got here early for him so I decided to go see The Last Airbender. After arriving about an hour early, i went to pay for the movie, expecting to pay a lot of money because it was after noon (AMC has movies for $5 if you arrive before noon). To my great delight, Carmela, the ticket person, told me it was only $5 because it was Senior Day. Sometimes it really pays to be so old.

When you know that The Last Airbender was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, you know the movie was a little strange. The intriguing story was enhanced by the incredible special effects. The only person I recognized was Dev Patel (though I couldn’t remember his name) He was made famous in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It’s well worth the time and money.

This morning, I started reading Robert B. Parker’s last novel, Blue-Eyed Devil. Virgil Cole and his sidekick Everett are featured in this book as they were in a number of other novels Parker wrote about the old west. I expect I’ll finish it before I go to sleep. I can’t believe there won’t be any more Spenser, Jessie Stone, Sunny Randall, or Virgil Cole novels.

Tonight, I finally tried my 3G modem. It works great. In fact, it even seems a little faster than mu DSL connection. I was missing an adaptor cable for the external antenna, so I expect once I get that it will be even faster.

By the way, I was reading the Journals of Lewis and Clark last night and discovered that Thomas Jefferson gave them very detailed instructions about what they were expected to accomplish. What I found most interesting was that Jefferson wanted them to take copious notes and to use birch bark when they could instead of paper since it was not so susceptible to water damage.

Then, I got to thinking about how difficult making those notes must have been. They didn’t have fancy Bic pens, but probably had to use a quill and inkwell. I’m of an age before ballpoint pens, when you had to use fountain pens. Using quills and an inkwell must have been a real challenge.

Until next time…

A Change of Plans

This morning, I received an email from Verizon that indicated my 3G modem would not be delivered today, but tomorrow instead. Since I didn’t have to stay home to greet Fed Ex and since I had to mail a couple of books at the post office, I decided to drop off my packages and then get groceries at Publix.

Next to Wegman’s supermarkets, Publix stores are my favorite. The stores are always clean and bright, the produce is fresh and excellent, and NOBODY beats their bread – even Wegman’s.

I was able to post around 20 new books, etc. out on eBay by using my desktop PC. and a flash drive to keep things up-to-date on my laptop. It takes a little longer than doing it on one computer, but it gets the job done.

Currently, I’m watching my last recorded episode of Burn Notice. I can’t imagine watching programs in real time again. Fast-forwarding through commercials really enhances the TV-watching experience. Oh well, I guess I could just tape everything before watching it.

It’s been raining here off and on all day, but the temperature hasn’t been affected too much – it was still in the 90’s.

I was reading about Lewis and Clark again and discovered some very interesting info. Did you know it was thought that the journey would take them about a year, not the 2 years, 4 months and 10 days it actually took? And they thought the Rocky Mountains were about the same elevation as the Appalachian Mountains. And that they calculated it would take about one-half day to portage from the headwaters of the Missouri River to the headwaters of the Columbia River, that is, to bridge the Continental Divide. What a surprise it all must have been! 

Did anyone hear Karl Rove sitting in for Rush Limbaugh today? I thought he did a pretty good job for someone who had never hosted a radio show before. Rush will be back tomorrow.

Until next time…

Only 12 Hours To Go

After an exhaustive day of watching Covert Affairs, Psych, and a couple of episodes of Hot in Cleveland (I just couldn’t stand to watch any more – how inane), I had to take a nap. Time for a pity party for me?

As it stands right now, I only have 12 hours of recorded programs left to watch, including episodes of Burn Notice and Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napalitano. I’ll probably watch the rest tomorrow when I have to wait around the house for Fed Ex. Tonight, I’ll be watching the Food Network: a couple of Challenges and tonight’s episode of The Next Food Network Star. I’ll probably skip Iron Chef America since it’s on so late.

I’ve decided to try a 3G modem for access to the Internet. I’ll need something reliable when I start camping full time and this seems like the best idea I’ve heard yet. In addition to the USB modem, I’ve ordered an external antenna for it which should increase the range and the reliability of the signal.

My sister-in-law Margie has a 3G card and it apparently works really well. In fact, it should work wherever my cell phone works. I’ve got a month to test it. If it turns out to do the job, I’ll cancel my home phone, use my cell phone for phone service, and the 3G card for Internet service. That should save a few bucks each month and be more reliable than most campground WiFi. The Verizon rep I spoke with said about 1/4 of all American homes now use cell phones exclusively.

My only concern with the 3G plan is that one is limited to 5 GB per month. It should be enough, but we’ll see.

I actually started out this morning with my camera, etc. to go to Lettuce Lake Park. I was going to try to take some exciting photos, using some of the techniques I’ve been studying, but as I was leaving the house, I noticed the dark sky -- it has rained several times today so it’s a good thing I changed my mind.

I also had a frustrating time today trying to upload some pictures to eBay so I could put up some more stuff for sale. I think my Internet Explorer settings on my new laptop are messed up somehow, because I can still upload pictures okay with my desktop PC. I did make some progress, but need to make a little more.

Until next time…

Flying Straight

Today it became clear that the sore on my head (no, I haven’t been a sorehead) was finally healing. My head itches like crazy. And it’s not because it’s dirty. I’ve washed my hair almost every day this week.

Early this morning, I spent some time cleaning my porch. I still have a few things more to do out there.

During the rest of the day, I worked a little in the house, tried to list some stuff on eBay but couldn’t, studied some hints on photography, and went to Kazbor’s for wings. I guess I didn’t get enough wings yesterday and definitely didn’t want to fly crooked, so Kazbor’s supplied me with a number of wings equal to what I had eaten on Friday.

I’m finding the photography study very interesting. Today, I learned how to photograph mosquitoes and other objects close up, how to photograph lightning, and how to make portrait photos more interesting. Now, I just have to practice some of this.

I also watched several episodes of Memphis Beat and The Next Food Network Star. Believe it or not, I still have a number of other programs to watch.

Oh, and I had a short nap.

Isn’t my life exciting?

Until next time…

Quaker Steak & Lube

Today, I picked up Esther and she and I drove over to St. Petersburg to Quaker Steak and Lube where we met my cousin Richard for lunch. He had the buffet, Esther had the Low Rider Chicken Salad, and I had Parmesan Pepper wings and magna-fries (French fries smothered with cheese and bacon). Of course, we also had a large order of onion rings – they have some of the best I’ve ever had.

The rest of the day, I simply goofed off, including taking a nap, reading, studying an on-line digital photography course, and trying to catch up on my recorded tv shows. I watched 5 episodes of Leverage and a couple of episodes of Unnatural History.

Have I mentioned how much I love begin retired?

Until next time…

A Long, Long Trip

Today, the most exciting thing I did was to make a long, long trip from my driveway to the dumpster… and back. Normally, I would walk or use my tricycle, but it was so hot today and I had FIVE bags of garbage, so I decided to use the truck. Aren’t you jealous that you couldn’t ride along with me? We could have listened to the title, author and name of the person reading a book on tape. Or, we could have listened to a radio ad. Just know that I would have loved to have any of you who read this post tag along with me.

Now, five bags of garbage gives you a little idea of how I spent some of my day – straightening up and cleaning – my most favorite activities :).

I did open my eBay store this morning and have already sold 3 books. Only 3 million more to go (a little hyperbole there to make my point). I think these books are reproducing. I know I have more than I did when I left: my brother Ray gave me a pile to sell and my sister-in-law Joyce gave me a big box of them also.

I did get my scanner hooked back up so I can start scanning the book covers before putting them out on eBay. I may start that tomorrow, depending on what else I’m doing.

I also spent a lot of my day thinking of and praying for those involved in laying Floyd Conklin to rest. I don’t care how old you are; losing a parent is tough. I don’t know how people who don’t have faith can stand it. For those of us who trust in Christ, we can see the true picture: our loved ones are now at rest in Jesus’ arms, safe from worry, sickness, pain, and hurt. We are the ones who suffer the loss.

As Colossians 1:13, 14 says, “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins.” You can’t beat that.

Until next time…

Now That’s More Like It

Today, I decided to cool down at the movies. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice started at 1:35 pm. I arrived at the theater at 12:45. Now, that is more like it. I’ve also decided that I am not paying any attention to reviewers (even my friends) ever again. I’d heard the movie was not very good, but I have to say I was very entertained. It was kind of a non-cartoon version of the earlier Disney movie where Mickey Mouse played the sorcerer’s apprentice. There was even a scene where the brooms, mops, sponges and such got out of hand – it was very funny.

Why Two Days In a Row?

After hitching up my travel trailer at Camping World and spending some time unloading it at home, I backed it into a spot in the storage area (with very little difficulty, I might add). From a fellow resident, I found out there was no water for another shower. Hence, the decision to go to a movie. Can you think of a better place to cool down?

Simple History

It’s funny. There are several dates I have learned over the years that still stick in my mind. For example, 1492 - when Columbus discovered America, 1620 - when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, and 1803 - when the famous Louisiana Purchase took place.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory (that huge piece of land drained by the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers) from the French in 1803 for a total of $15 million, or for about 3 cents per acre. Stated so simply, it sounds as if Jefferson just decided one day to buy the territory, went to the French, offered them $15 million and they took it.

In reality, if I had thought about it, I would have realized there was much more to it than that. In fact, Jefferson and his friend Meriwether Lewis had been considering exploring the territory for well over ten years. They had been actively planning the exploration for a year before the purchase was completed. Lewis was even there when the ceremony marking the purchase was celebrated. His signature is on the documents transferring power.

If it had happened a few years earlier, the purchase would have had to be made from the Spanish, because they owned it until 1800. At the ceremony, the Spanish flag had to be lowered, then the French flag raised, then the French flag lowered, then the American flag raised. It must have been really weird and extremely exciting.

In any case, with that one purchase, Jefferson had effectively doubled the size of the United States and provided the country with a border on the Pacific Ocean even though no one had yet traveled to the Pacific over land.

And imagine the Corps of Discovery would soon be launching an expedition into the “great unknown.”

Think about it.

Until next time…

A Glad Reunion

Today, I had an email from my sister-in-law Rose that a dear friend passed away Monday. Floyd Conklin was 97 years old and, according to his obituary: “with the knowledge and assurance of eternal life through his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, entered his eternal home, Monday, August 2, 2010.

Throughout his life, Floyd was a wonderful example of how a Christian should live. His wife Mary was a skilled organist/pianist and a terrific, thought-provoking Sunday School teacher. Mark’s family has had close ties to the Conklin family for as long as anyone can remember and I had the privilege of getting to know them through Mark. Floyd and Mary had three daughters: Mary, Margaret and Helen, great people in their own right. Floyd will be greatly missed and those left behind will be sad at his passing, but, as I told Rose, imagine the glad reunion going on right now.

My Nikon D70

For many, many years I have been an avid picture-taker. I say picture-taker as opposed to photographer because there is still so much I don’t know and can’t do.

My less-than-perfect pictures cannot be blamed on my camera. Many times, it takes acceptable pictures because it is such a good camera and has many built-in helps. This is in spite of the person operating it, not because of it.

The Nikon D70 is a digital, SLR camera. It has interchangeable lenses and can be set up for every possible shot. Quite frankly, I have been kind of overwhelmed by so many ways to do everything. For example, there are 7 vari-program modes, including Auto, portrait, landscape, sports, close-up, night landscape and night portrait. (I may not be calling them by their exact name, but you get the idea.) There are also four standard camera modes: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Full Manual. A number of settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, whether the flash goes off, etc. are defaulted based on the mode you chose.

Sorry to drone on and on, but I think you can see my dilemma. Today, I happened to come across a video on the D70 that I’ve had since I got the camera. I’ve watched it before, but that was before I even used the camera. The introductory portion of the DVD made so much sense today. I think I’ll watch at least part of this video every day for the next month or so—at least until I’ve mastered what is on the DVD. After a month or so, I’ll just have to find some talent for photography around somewhere.

Camping World

Camping World called to say that they had repaired my camper. I’ll pick it up in the morning and then will face the challenge of backing into my designated parking spot here at the park. DON’T WORRY! – THERE ARE NO ELECTRICAL OR WATER HOOK-UPS TO BACK INTO. After that, I’ll probably have to spend a half day unloading some of the stuff still in there. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Until next time…

I Laughed, I Cried, I Really Enjoyed

Today, I paid some bills, took care of some paperwork and then decided to drive to Brandon to see Toy Story 3. Anyone who knows me knows I like to get to movies  at least 1/2 hour early. Well, today, I arrived about 10 minutes after the previews started … but I still enjoyed the movie … a LOT. This didn’t leave me enough time to get any snacks, but somehow I survived.

The movie was funny and sad and exciting and clever and intriguing. I loved trying to figure out who was playing the voices of all of the characters. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen and John Ratzenberger were easy, but some of the others were a bit elusive. I should have known Joan Cusack played Jessie. I sort of figured out that Wallace Shawn was Rex the dinosaur and recognized Bonnie Hunt as Dolly. I never would have guessed that Stretch was played by Whoopi Goldberg.

I think the story was as good if not better than the first. It was certainly just as exciting. See it if you can.

After the movie, I went to Bank of America and Wachovia Bank. I was a regular banking fool.

This afternoon and tonight, I did some more catching up on watching what I had taped.

My head’s better and so is my back. I’m less lumpy today than yesterday. – Isn’t that great? Tomorrow, I expect my head to start itching… won’t that be annoying?

Until next time…

Just Call Me Lumpy

As I told you all yesterday, I fell and cracked my head open again. Besides the puddle of blood left at Camping World, by the end of the day, my t-shirt collar was full of blood, my hair was matted, and there was a big lump on my head. However, I never really got a headache, never experienced double vision, was able to eat and not feel any nausea and feel just fine – except for my back. Actually, even my back is not that bad. It only hurts when I try to turn over in bed. I can walk and sit and move around pretty well with no pain.

This morning, I was up at 5:30 and started my laundry. Esther called at about 6:30 – I was glad she didn’t follow through on her promise to call me every two hours. I slept pretty well, but did get up about 3:30 to go to the bathroom. I half considered calling her at that time, but didn’t. I was able to shower and shampoo my hair this morning without getting it bleeding again too badly.

Karen and I went to see Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. It was a scream. Bette Midler was the voice of the evil cat and she did a terrific job. With the skilled animation of her kitty character, Kitty Galore was the “purr”fect villain. Chris O’Donnell of NCIS LA was one of the human characters; Jack McBrayer of Thirty Rock was another. If you get a chance to see it, I think you would enjoy it.

I was pleased to see that Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza had not gone out of business while I was gone. Their pizza, wings and salad were just as good as I remembered.

It took me all afternoon to go through the mail (with the exception of an hour for a nap). I ended up with a garbage can full of paper to dispose of and lots of “to-do’s” to do.

I am making some progress watching the TV programs I taped while gone. I’ve watched 3 episodes of The Closer, 2 of In Plain Sight, 5 of Ace of Cakes, 3 of Bones, and several of Pawn Stars.

I’ll probably go to bed in an hour or so and read for a bit – Babylon Rising: The Edge of Darkness. Tomorrow, I have to go to Camping World to discuss the work I want done on my camper, then to the bank to deposit a check. My house is a real mess and I need to spend some quality and quantity time getting it in order. Oh, as you know, it’s my most favorite thing to do.

Until next time…