the snow is as high as a dachshund's eye!

Digging out today.  We received about 12" with drifts much deeper in places.  It'll be months before my back patio melts.  A shout-out to the son-in-law for coming over and snow-blowing this morning.  He doesn't want anything, he's just good like that.  I wanted to give you an idea of the depth of the snow.  I thought the Doxy would be a good reference point.  Yep, the snow is as tall as she is.

Alert, alert-I think Roxy sees something......

Her superior hound dog nose smells something....a buried tennis ball?  coyote poop?  a favorite fetching stick?

 There it is.....she's pointing to it.  What is it??

What...what?  Is that it? A piece of.......

Ice?!

No, Roxy-Doxy.  You don't need to lug the big ice chunk to me.  No, no, it's cold.  I don't want to throw it.

It's not a tennis ball.

It's not a fetching stick.

It's ice!  OK, if you insist, I'll throw it just once.  Ice makes a lousy tennis ball or fetching stick.  What?  What's that you say?  Yep.....carpe diem to you, too.

the aftermath

Prepare for Snowmageddon 2!

I layed in supplies from the local walmarts.  Milk, cheese, pie stuff, vegs, steaks and other various meats.  Snowmageddon 1 was last March (2009).  About 6 inches of snow with winds of 50 miles per hour.  It looked like this around my casa.

Bad weather is supposed to start with ice Wednesday night and then turn to snow on Thursday.  The weather gurus are saying 8 to 12 inches with winds of 30 miles per hour.  We won't starve.  Saying there could be power outages.  We've got the wiener dog to keep us warm.  Good luck to all. 

Have I mentioned I don't much like snow?  Where others see glistening beauty and the uniqueness of each precious snowflake, I see frozen fingers and a prime opportunity for a broken hip.









I'd rather be golfing, or riding my horse.  I'll fool this dastardly weather... I'll be thinking about this.

Spicy fun in Meh-hee-coh!

View from balcony..looks like God lives here.

The Texan and the sprouts frolicking.



 Fun Cancun beach.

A good reminder to wear sunscreen and chapstick while in the Mexican sun.

Yo quiero Taco Bell..or that cookie in your bag!

Colorful macaws in the Yucatan jungle.

We loved this restaurant....shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp!!

Wet N Wild.....oh yes........I did it!

Do you know what a cenote is?  I didn't either!  I'll show you some great cenotes soon.

Christmas tragedy-woman's brain explodes over Android phone!

Technology.  I'm determined to keep up.  Don't want to be one of those middle-aged losers who throw up their hands in confusion over the rapid advances in our world.  Keurig...check, laptop....check, LED hi-def TV....check, blu-ray player....check, android phone....check and mate.

I never had an iphone.  Until recently I just had a 'regular' cell phone-it sent and received calls.  That was pretty much it.  Before Christmas, the Big Man bought me an HTC Hero 3G Android phone.  Gotta love the Big Man.

From what I hear, this phone is the major competition for the iphone.  Don't misunderstand, I LOVE this phone, but the learning curve for this techno-impaired nerd has been pretty steep.  Can anyone explain to me what a 3G or an Android is?  Not understanding these terms hasn't kept me from having big time fun on this little enticing phone.  Here's what I can do on my new phone:

1.  Confidently drive anywhere.  It talks and tells me exactly where to turn in a calm, soothing voice.  It doesn't scream or curse when I take a wrong turn, the voice stays steady as a rock.
2.  Engage in social networking.  I stay in touch with all my Facebookians and fellow Tweeters.  It keeps me abreast of what everyone had for breakfast.
3.  Download fun apps.  With one touch of the 'market' icon I can have a way to keep up with grocery lists, Borat can speak to me about Kazakhstan, I can fool folks with the fart app, and when I'm feeling depressed I can even press an applause button to lift my spirits.
4.  Take a decent photo and send it to you in a split second.
5.  Keep track of NFL games and even watch them on the screen!
6.  Play music on my Pandora radio app, watch Youtube and keep up with my checkbook.

My phone has also taught me I tend to mistakenly 'butt dial' random folks and I hear 'hello, HEL-LO!' coming from my pocket frequently.  I learned my fingers are a little clumsy when using the touch pad (practice makes perfect!).  I learned there is not an app that will have a cup of cappuccino from my Keurig waiting for me when I get home.  I discovered strong bifocals or thick reading glasses are a must when interacting with the phone.  I finally understand why so many folks leave their phone out during meetings and lovingly and constantly gaze at it.  I used to curse them, 'why can't you put your idiotic phone up for one second?...hello (hands waving)...you are annoying me!'

But now you see, something this wonderful must be in my hands at all times.  The conversion is complete.  Who the hell cares about G's...2,3 or 4? Or the funny androids?  Grab your bifocals, exercise your fingers and try one.

what does this mean?

Devastation.  Vast and epic in scope.  Human suffering beyond anything I can remember in my lifetime.  The incredible suffering of our neighbors in Haiti leaves me troubled and speechless.  I heard the average Haitian lives on less than $2.00 a day.  Two dollars?  Today, like millions of kind-hearted Americans, I will pray for Haiti and contribute to the Red Cross.

What cosmic lotto did I win to have been born in the US and not in Haiti?  Making my plans and assuredly declaring, 'I am going to do this or that....I am traveling there' blithely operating under the illusion of my superior planning and control.

I'm trying to imagine the landscape of my life lying in dust, flames and rubble.  One moment I am surrounded by the familiar and in the next moment the earth violently belches and swallows up my precious, little treasures.  I'm left bloodied and dirty with empty hands looking to the sky.  What the hell is going on?

In the midst of confusion, I will continue to pray.  I will not complain.  Not today.

domesticated doxie fearlessly hunts for own food!

did she sees me clims on de tabl an gets de pnut budder??keeps lookin away, away, away...

 uh-oh..eye contacks.  no be good.  i ownlee liks it far az noze wud go

c..i b kute an sits up....u wan some to?neks time cuds i hav xtra kreemy?

10 questions....is it love or obsession?

Don't cry for me-I'm too far gone.  Please save yourself before it's too late.  Are you obsessed with your new Keurig single serving coffee maker?  Take my quiz to find out.

1.  Is the Keurig your first cognizant thought in the morning?  Can't take time to kiss the spouse, pet the dog or even relieve yourself before sleepily shuffling to the Keurig?

2.  Do your fingers recoil in horror as you realize they are caressing the sexy lines of the Keurig 'one more time'?

3.  Do you wear shades in the house so as not to damage your retina as you contemplate the rare beauty of the blue light?

4.  Feeling ashamed and embarassed that during work hours you visit websites having sales on K-cups?  To avoid discovery, have you quickly closed a web page as a co-worker came near?

5.  Do you have the shakes in the afternoon because your caffeine intake has increased times 10?

6.  Does the time spent in the bathroom have you thinking about taking Vesicare?

7.  Have you labored over the decision of ordering a K-cup display stand?  The one perfectly  projecting your cutting-edge coffee coolness and matching your specific kitchen decor?

8.  Have you perused the phone book for a Keurig 12 step group?

9.  In the grocery store check out line, do you glance at the National Enquirer to verify your name hasn't replaced Tiger's in the sleazy headline, "_________ caught in phone sex affair with Keurig-see the X-rated transcripts!"

10.  Do you keep a breathless, watchful eye out your front window.....anticipating the swift return of your heart's one true longing and desire....the UPS guy delivering more K-cups?


ready.......yeah, I'm ready...........

Sunday

One of the Scriptures used at my church this morning.  Isaiah 43:1-3:

But now, this is what the Lord says-he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel: 
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior".

I am grateful.  Hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

the art of shaving

Acceptance.  It comes with age.  Over the years I've claimed that I tend to like many of the same things guys tend to like......golf, the great smell of a leather chair, remote controls, football, cursing, and suits. I'm all about the menswear trend in female fashions. Give me a great looking pinstripe suit and some saddle oxfords and I'm set. I'm eccentric enough to even think the look is sexy on me. I dressed up as 'Napoleon Dynamite' for a fundraiser in my town and did his famous dance. A dynamite Napoleon Dynamite.

My latest foray into 'man-dom' is shaving. Nope, not talking bikini waxes or shaving legs. I'm talking full on face shaving. I know....gasp!......are women supposed to do such things? OK, here is the evolution of my face shaving. As a woman of a certain age (I won't mention the 'M' word) I started noticing peach fuzz on my face and neck.  The stubble was offensive and I submitted to painful waxing about once a month. My redheaded, freckled-faced skin was not partial to the procedure and protested with lots of redness and swelling. Not wanting to endure the waxing, I began slinking around the shower and bathroom furtively grabbing my razor to conquer the fuzzies. I felt guilty and ashamed. What if my peach fuzz turned into Blackbeard? What if an unsure hand cut my face and left a disfiguring scar?

The major milestone in my female shaving acceptance came with my husband's Christmas gift- The Art of Shaving shaving cream. Made with sandalwood essential oils.....mmmmmmm, yu-mmy. It is the most intoxicating concotion of smoothness, scent, and softness I have ev-ah applied to my fuzzy visage. Honestly, I can't wait to lather the stuff all over my face and neck (legs and armpits included) and have a good shave. Smiling at myself squarely in the mirror, hair pulled back, warm water running, razor in hand, I proudly and confidently have at myself. Afterwards, my skin looks radiant!  Embracing my new beauty regimen, I love it every bit as much as the smell of leather and the classic look of pin stripe suits. Now, as for Blackbeard.......well matey, I'll let you know.