Okay, everyone seems to be posting some of the old cartoons that warped............errrrr SHAPED our Boomer lives...

Messin' with Its Mind Warning, Bad Language Used (not by me)

I got an interesting IM a little while ago...

rose_m12345 is currently not in your Messenger List. Add to your Messenger List (Ctrl+Shift+A) Report as Spam (Alt+Shift+R)

rose_m12345: Hello,I'll be glad to inform you that I have a part time job going on,we are looking for a Male or Female representative,who can be working for us as a partime worker and get ($300) on every work u do. and we are happy to inform you that this would not affect your present state of work. you can im me for more details..BUZZ!!!

(Me): hello
where are you from?

rose_m12345: I am Rose M Mark 26 female,I am the Deputy Personnal Manager of rose-household Manufacturing Company in Accrington,UK. here,and am looking for someone I can trust with my money to be working for me as a payment collector from my customer over there in state
rose_m12345: Are you interested in the part time and would need more INFO about it??.

(me): where are you from originally?

rose_m12345: UK

(me:) I teach English as a foreign language and your writing/grammar patterns are not those of a native English speaker

rose_m12345: what do u mean?
rose_m12345: are u intrested or not that's the question??
rose_m12345: not here to lament

(me): It means, even if you are in the UK, you are not a native British citizen

(me): lament?
(me): uhmm that word means to morn, to regret, to look behind with sorrow

rose_m12345: why u said that
rose_m12345: ?

(me): you said that you were "not here to lament", so, where are you from?

rose_m12345: is it where I am from u want to know abt or to work with me
rose_m12345: I am of south african origin but based in UK
rose_m12345: that's all

(me): why would I want to commit fraud and have fraud perpetrated upon me?

rose_m12345: ok bye
rose_m12345: no need to talk again
rose_m12345: bye

(me): true
(still me): I could report your id to Yahoo and tell them of your attempt to commit an illegal act of fraud..
(me again): that would get at least this account blocked forever

rose_m12345: FUCK OFF U BITCH

(me): tsk tsk, such language

rose_m12345: WHY NOT REPORT BIN LADIN
rose_m12345: U ASHOLE
rose_m12345: MORON

(me): oh, are you affiliated with him as well?

rose_m12345: GET LOST

(me): why?
(still me): you contacted me, not I you..

rose_m12345: IF U TALK MUCH I WILL RAIN BOMB ON U

(me): oh?
(still me): how interesting
(and again me): now it's a case for Homeland Security? the CIA?

rose_m12345: If u are not intrested why are u reply me
rose_m12345: U useless thing

(me): because this way, you cannot speak to anyone else

rose_m12345: it's big lie
rose_m12345:
rose_m12345: I don't have ur time

(me): so I waste your time that could be used to defraud someone......I consider that a worthy endevour

rose_m12345: get away

(me): no

rose_m12345: I have good thing to do here ................U ashole

(me): yes? others to try to defraud?

rose_m12345: as old as u are u are still doing porn film

(me): how.........banal
(me): my my
(still me): how you flatter me

rose_m12345: I don't know what that handsome man see in U Fat ashole

(me): by the way, it's spelled "asShole"
(me): two s's.

rose_m12345: ur moma regret giving birth to U
rose_m12345: Get Lost

(me): no

rose_m12345: grammar is not my language

(me): you mean, you speak with poor grammar even in your native language?

rose_m12345: U look like scarery movie 2

(me): ah? a movie star, why how nice of you to notice

rose_m12345: does grammar brings money?

(me): and by the way,

rose_m12345: lol
rose_m12345:

rose_m12345: by the way what are u doing online by this time

(me): grammar brings me my living
(me): I teach.
(me): I earn money
(me): legally.

rose_m12345: oh want to fuck
rose_m12345: I can play with u if u want
rose_m12345: I lick ur wide pussy

(me): which, I understand, you have a limited comprehension of..........working legally I mean..
(me): tsk tsk

rose_m12345: I can suck ur big breast

(me): such ambitions you have......

rose_m12345: hmmmmmm
rose_m12345: are u shave?

(me): you can only dream...poor you

rose_m12345: what's ur fav position on bed?
rose_m12345: do u anal?
rose_m12345: wow

(me): and there you are, stuck at a computer screen, lying for a living...
(yep, still me): and you probably don't even get much of the money

rose_m12345: I can give u a nice doggy style

(me): tsk tsk tsk
(me): poor child

rose_m12345: God will judge U
rose_m12345: I am using my brain to get wat I need

(me): to be so incapable of anything productive, you must be a slave to someone.. and commit crimes for your masters
(me): tsk tsk tsk

rose_m12345: (I'm guessing it musta run out of words?)

Nancy France: so,

rose_m12345: (still speechless ya think?)

(me): how many people have actually taken your offer of the putative employment?

rose_m12345: U american are so foolish

(me): and therefore been defrauded?
(me): and yet

rose_m12345: get lost ..I have better thing to do

(me): you are still talking to me...

rose_m12345: u are going to my iggy box now

(me): no
(me): I see you have nothing better to do

Oh well, I guess I didn't end up wasting QUITE as much of its time as I wanted to... but every moment counts, yes?

Disney Vacation Villas

I've written before about wanting to go to see Micky Mouse in Florida. I've also said that I'd like to go in style, staying in a nice Disney vacation home, where there would be all the comforts of home and better...

Online, it looks pretty easy to set up renting a town home, condo, or a larger house. Some of the homes even have pools. Just like staying at home...only a lot prettier and fancier.

Jimmy Buffett

I have a secret. I like Jimmy Buffett. I'm not a Parrot Head, but I can probably sing a somewhat embarrassing number of his songs. I've never seen him perform live, though I would like to, someday. There is a site that sells Jimmy Buffett tickets and promises to get you some great seats.

His songs remind me of when I lived close enough to the coast to drive down for dinner or a walk in the sand. There is...or was...a bait shack called "Jeff's on the Jetties". Best hamburgers and onion blossoms available anywhere, and he's right on the intercoastal canal. Sometimes, I could sit there and watch people and ships going by, sometimes headed out to deeper water. One very lovely afternoon, I even got to enjoy some dolphins swimming by and jumping out of the water. Why the acrobatics? I'll never know...but it's a nice memory.

My Dad

Somehow, I put the day my dad died out of my mind. I missed the anniversary of his death. I think, I just didn't want to remember the day he left. I just want to remember that he was here.

This is for you, Daddy

My Dad

A warm beating heart easing ear’s hurt,
Hand patting gentle and slow
Till we both half slumber
cuddled in one chair,

Deep voice rumbling and thrumming
With song half said and half singing,
With my aching head and kid-sticky sweat
Gluing us both to a half dreaming sleep.

I wonder if you knew sometimes
That my ear did not ache so much as
My dreams made me cry and need
A warm beating heart and rumbled story
to ease my aching mind.

And now, with your heart beating
(But now my heart breaking)
Your mind is the aching
And too full with the invader’s reach.

That I fear that too soon,
My dreams will tear at me,
And my ears ache once more,
But there will be no more smokey hand,
Nor heart with thumping ease
Nor mind to tell stories to drive out
Errant thought and fear.

And your children will be alone.

Your wife will be alone.

And we will only know ease as we know
There is One is large enough to hold you
On His lap,
And pat gently on your back
As you lay your head on His loving heart.

Me

Boats and Birthdays

One of the most memorable birthday presents I've ever been given was the one my mom gave me, my brother T (whose birthday is a week and a day after mine) combined with a Father's Day present for my dad. She sent all three of us on a fishing trip with a guide.

For me, this was a big deal. I'd never been able to go on one before. We caught a lot of fish, had a lot of fun and came home exhausted. One of the most appreciated parts of the trip was that the guide and a helper even cleaned and filleted the catch.

The boat was a little...primitive. It was a flat bottomed boat, perfect for the shallows we were fishing. When we were crossing the open water of Matagorda Bay on the way home however, the wind had picked up, the water was choppy, and our boat slammed up and down with some spine jarring BANGS!

Now, you need to know something about me. I get motion-sick on elevators. Boating was not something I did without a lot of forethought. My only concern about the trip was the possibility of me ending up chumming the water.

Turns out that I'd chosen my dramamine carefully, used it judiciously and effectively. I didn't chum the waters. My father and brother, on the other hand got a leeetle green around the gills now and again.

Thinking Blog Awards

Well, what a nice surprise to find after an afternoon spent outside weeding and trying to reclaim my herb bed from the wicked cross vines (pretty flower, pretty foliage, pretty invasive and dang near impossible to kill), that Walrilla tagged me with this meme and I’m Pleased As Punch. Of course, I suspect some who come here are only thinking “what in the WORLD?” but any thinking at all is good thinking. It’s like exercise…no better than that. It’s like chocolate. ‘Cause I can think of a lot of exercises I don’t never wanna do no more ever again, but I don’t recall ever regretting any chocolate I’ve ever eaten, nor time I’ve spent thinking.

According to this meme from this place I’m supposed to nominate 5 blogs that make me think, and they are supposed to name 5 more blogs… and this one seems to have a real good chance of making it all around the blogsphere!

My Five Thinking Blogs:

Linda and Denny are traveling around the country in their RV full time. Linda’s pictures make me think hard about wanting to do the same, as they’ve been to some wonderful places. Linda’s a little down now, as her bum knee is acting up, so please go by and wish her well.

Guusjem is a school librarian who works with all her heart and considerable soul to bring the love of books to some kids who others might have overlooked…or dismissed. I do so love a brave educator’s heart, and she’s got that. Thank you Guusjem. What you do is so important, and so full of love.

Soul Knitting is one of the first blogs I read regularly. She has a wonderful sense of healing and a Perfect Puppy named Luna. I think Luna and Brain would have been good friends. She also has a desert tortoise neighbor who feels free to open her sliding glass door and visit. She is also a healer, in many different levels. She has poetry, music, knitting and recipes all in their place.

Herself is a new read, she’s a recently transplanted to Houston gardener, who is busy transforming her suburban garden into a truly green space. She is very knowledgeable and takes good informative pictures as well. She’s given me ideas…

Knitting Painter Woman aka Journal to A Muse, is also a long time read of mine. She is an artist and shares her works in progress. She is a Survivor, and I am pleased to be able to celebrate her life and her talents.

There are so many other blogs I would have chosen too. Mostly, if you’re on my blogroll, it is because you have a talent I admire AND you make me think. Or, you make me laugh so hard I have to clean up my screen occasionally. Sometimes, it’s BOTH. Y’all are pretty multi-talented that way.

If I named you for a Thinking Award, please post the award button on your blog and link back to the site who started this meme, then, tag five more Thinkers!

Shall We Go A'Walking?

Prepare yourself for a walk through my garden....a LONG walk!

Goody, Goody, Goody!!!!!

I got to go to one of my favorite nurseries. I got some herbs and some flowers and some pretties. Pup even chose one! They're even going to order me a lemon verbena and hold it for me, and they're going to try to get me a stevia as well.

'Pup and I also went to Sandy's and bought some roobious chai tea, as 'Pup loves chai, but really shouldn't have that much caffeine. We also got some dried stevia leaf and it's good in the tea for sweetness with no aftertaste and no calories. It's one of the only non sugar sweeteners I can use. I've been looking for a lemon verbena for almost 3 years when mine just up a DIED on me for no particular good reason. They're perennials! They should live longer than a year and a half.

'Pup was responsible for picking out this one. It's not like I resisted very hard...lol

The Asiatic Lilies are beginning to bloom. The big pink ones always seem to be the first to be in full bloom. However, some of the lilies I planted this year are blooming before they really got some good growing in. Next year they'll be even better.

Spitty doesn't like to be held, or stroked, but whenever I'm outside in the back, she's somewhere nearby.

The Confederate or Star jasmine is in full bloom. The scent is so strong, you can smell them before you actually walk towards the trellis. These just get better and better each year. They've climbed into the Ash trees, but I don't think they're hurting anything.

The tomatoes are growing so quickly that the sunrise is being covered up. There are several tomatoes on each bush, so we can look forward to some fresh tomatoes in the not too far future.

Monster is setting blooms. So far, it's produced at least five. They've not opened yet. When open, they look rather phallic, with a stiff white stamen? inside the outer sepals.

I'm suspicious of these little fellers. A LOT of the plants in the back yard have been severely munched. I think slugs are doing the worst of the damage, but I'm thinking the snails are having an all-you-can-eat buffet moment as well.

The arch is being covered this year with a combination of the wild passion flower vine and the ham and eggs lantana. These double impatiens are looking good, putting on some new blooms.

Yeeee gods! Look at these Pinata rose blooms. Within a single stalk, the roses can be a variety of vibrant colors. This is becoming a showstopper. I like Spring so much better than Winter.

This is a canna bloom. The rest of the canna are a little slow this year. They'd started to grow out of dormancy and then the cold weather later put them back into sloooww gear. Oh well, later is good too.

A Very Lovely Lady who shall be nameless, shared some of her bounty of fire lilies with me. Gloriosa Rugosa. Not all of the ones she sent are sprouting, but those that are are doing very well indeed. Keep your fingers crossed!

The bougainvillea is doing well, and the sprouts are loving the heat we've been having. The days have been in the mid to high 80's for the last week or so and I think you can almost see the dang thing growing. Who knows? Maybe this year it will BLOOM too!!




I have some volunteer sweet allysium and it is soooo sweet smelling. Some of it is even in the bed by the front door with the peppermint. I like the mix of scents there. Don't worry Livey, the mint is exactly where I want it to take over...lol.


I'm not sure what variety of day lily this is. It is a rescue. I like the colors in it and it is putting out a bunch of blooms. I'm hoping it will be one that blooms for most of the summer.


The snapdragons and Stella D'Oro day lilies are being beautiful. It's their job and they do it well.
This geranium is better this year than last. It's grown, even during the coldest part of winter, under it's plastic and wood protection.

And finally,


the Apple Blossom Yarrow is magnificent this year.

Drug rehab

It’s become very popular for celebrities to enter rehab for their addictions. Of course, it would be better for them if they’d been able to NOT mess up their talents (large or small) with drugs that have so aptly been known as “dope”. As in “only a dope would do them! Oh! I suppose it is easy for me to say that, you say?

My father was addicted to alcohol. It was not a pretty addiction and he never really addressed it, so much as he died unable to drink. I wish he’d had a good place to recover from his demon.

I’m a little skeptical of most rehab places that cater to celebrities. I wonder just how much rehab is going on, except for the rehab to their careers. So many of them get out “clean” and then go head first right back into the self-destructive behavior they showed before.

When I take pain medications I have to face that specter of addiction too. If I have a pain med that is really effective, I have to be sure I only use it when I need it, not when I want it. Which means, sometimes, I just go ahead and let the pain win.

The Disappearing Fountain, a "How To"

So, You Want to Build a Fountain.

I've had a lot more hits for disappearing fountains from g00gle, so I thought I'd repost these "how-to" pictures.

First, the Good Sr. M dug us some holes. One for the pond and finished the one for the fountain (I started it).
.

Then, we lined both holes with some nice soft sand. I think we tried for a good 5 to 6 inches, as the soil we were digging in had a lot of stones, and clay. Let me repeat: A LOT of stones and A LOT of clay. Which probably explained why nothing, and I mean NOTHING I ever tried to grow there actually grew.

I think now, that we should probably have dug so that the plastic insets were closer to flush. However, I knew that I needed to be a little above ground so that when we got a lot of rain, the flooding would be minimized. This area was also where water often stood after a hard rain. Hey, if it's gonna hold water anyway....might as well be pretty!

I filled both the pond and the reservoir. Then the good Sr. M laid us a path to walk past them.


Then, we worked on covering the round reservoir for the disappearing fountain. I wanted to get some quarter inch mesh made with a thicker and stronger gauge wire, but two layers of the mesh cloth worked pretty well too. We attached the mesh on the plastic bowl with a washer and a short screw.



By the way, if you're ever at Walmart (I think that's where we found these), and see a little power screw driver like this one, do what we did and buy four of them. We gave two away and kept the other two for ourselves. They're lightweight, but have a surprising amount of torque available.



Then I had Sr. M trim around the bowl. Now that I've lived with this for a while, I'd recommend leaving a half inch or so sticking past the reservoir. I've covered the mesh with rocks and a slight ledge would have made it easier to stack rocks under and over, hiding the mesh edges. On the other hand, there are no sharp ends sticking out this way, and that's a very good thing.

Then, we placed some stones we'd gathered from 'Pup's dad's "farm" near Wimberly. We got married in the backyard of that farm and there was a pond there too.

A few plants decorate the area.

I made my own pot for the disappearing fountain. We'd found a Cuban pot, with one flat side, and with a drainhole. I threaded a water hose through the drainhole and silicone calked it into place. On the other end of the hose was the pump. I let it dry overnight. A little longer might have been better.....

After that, it was a matter of threading the pump into the reservoir, (I had to cut a small access hole for this...) and arrange the pot on some rocks. Oh, I'd put a half cinderblock in the reservoir to act as a base for the pot. It was a little tricky, but I got everything balanced.

After we filled it with water, I plugged in the pump and it worked quite nicely. I finished with a lot more river rock and was very pleased with both the pump and myself. I still am, in fact.

And it still WORKS!!!