Merlin, King of the Jungle!!!!!

Palm Tree

This is the tree in it's full glory!!!!! Yes, it does take up half of the dinning room..... but I was smart, and put it on wheels, so I can move it if I want too. Since without the wheels, I need 2 men to move it!!!!




At first Merlin thought it was a monster!!!! And stayed well away from it, but looked at it like it was going to eat him!!!

Then he worked up close enough to sniff the vines coming off of it....... pretty sure they were going to reach out and STRANGLE HIM!!!!

Now, he's the KING of the jungle. He lays beneath it like he owns the whole world!!!!

Going to Barbs

Going to Barb is always an expedition! GIGGLE I try not to let her know I'm coming too far in advance.... and this trip is why!!!!


I had to let her know I was coming because Matt was going down on a Friday to pick up his transcripts at East Brunswick High School..... so Barb was prepared for me!!!!!!


This is all that came back home with me!!!!!!!:


1. Smoked glass sofa table (WOW DID I NEED THAT!!! It's perfect!!!"
2. four cup coffee maker (?????? well, I might use that)
3. Two 12 packs of soda (LOTS of soda!!!)
4. A LARGE POT filled with 2 HUGE PALM TREES!!!!!! (MONDO HUGE!!)
5. A large box of snacks and such for Matt, including her famous Zucchini Bread, coffee and filter for the coffeemaker, and a HUGE box of pita bread snack crackers!


Ohhhhhh we are NOT done yet!!!


6. A hanging 4 tear stainless steel basket thingie
7. A wet sand play kit for the grandkids.
8. A Christmas gift for me!!!! YIPPIE
you know those heating packs that are filled with herbs and such, that you microwave???? Well this is one of those, but it's the size of a blanket you would put in a crib!!!!!!!!!!! You can heat that sucker up and wrap yourself in it!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh sweeeeeeeeet!!!!!!
9. An EXTRA BIG HUGE jar of Artichoke hearts!!!! YUMMY!!
10. One large green wicker basket (you can see it on the other blog with my fall leaves in it!)


I THINK that's all of it.... but Matt stayed there till his friends picked him up, so she might have passed off more things to him.... I'm hoping not, but you never know.


You know what I LOVE about Barb??? She hears me!!!! She actually hears me!!!! Everything I got was something I mentioned I wanted or needed over the last YEAR!!!!


She remembered, and got them for me! Of course, like the sofa table and coffee maker, they were a use, and reuse product.... We love to pass stuff back and forth, like furniture.... why buy new when you can re-use????



A little cleaning, sometimes some spray paint, and you have a wonderful new piece of furniture!

Getting my Fall on

This is my Fall tote. I have every thing I need in it for Fall decorations.... and Halloween. Though I refuse to do the Halloween decorations till Oct. 1st.... I still put out all my fall leaves and tablecloths!






I put my pretty fall tablecloth on, and a nice cornacopia centerpiece.... plus something for the coffee table. And leaves on the bookshelves, and all over the house.... Even the Goddess in my bedroom got decorated with fall leaves!!!!

SUFFERING!!!!!

I'm usually OK, not good, but OK with this allergy crap, but sometimes it gets the best of me.


Last night Matt came home with a HUGE cheese danish!!!!!

Now I'm jonesing for sweets!!!!!!


Not candy but cake shit.


And as you know, I can't eat flour, or eggs.... so that leaves...... well, fucking nothing!



Then the little shit made French Toast for breakfast... with maple syrup. AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!



So I tried to toast my "tapioca" bread.... couldn't put egg on it (not ready to die just yet) but I put Cinnamon sugar and maple syrup on it.....


JUST NOT THE SAME!!!!!!


So now I'm suffering...... I know the cravings will go away... they have to since I can't eat anything I'm craving.... but when???????? I wish it would hurry up.


Isn't it a shame I don't crave salads?

Sex

The Seven Kinds Of Sex



The 1st kind of sex is called: Smurf Sex. This kind of sex happens when you first meet someone and you both have sex until you are blue in the face.


The 2nd kind of sex is called: Kitchen Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for a short time and you are so needy you will have sex anywhere, even in the kitchen.


The 3rd kind of sex is called: Bedroom Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for a long time. Your sex has gotten routine and you usually have sex only in your bedroom.


The 4th kind of sex is called: Hallway Sex This is when you have been with your partner for too long. When you pass each other in the hallway you both say 'screw you.'


The 5th kind of sex is called: Religious Sex, Which means you get Nun in the morning, Nun in the afternoon and Nun at night.(Very popular)


The 6th kind is called Courtroom Sex. This is when you cannot stand your wife any more. She takes you to court and screws you in front of everyone. And; Last, but not least....



The 7th kind of sex is called: Social Security Sex, You get a little each month. But not enough to enjoy your self.

Barb's Moose!!!

I had to show you this! It's totally cool. Barb's father in law built this Moose for Barbara!!!! It's huge, and she has a wooded lot, so it looks really good peaking out from behind the tree's.

Hope it doesn't cause any accidents on the road in front of the house!!!! People are going to be pretty startled to see a moose in New Jersey! GIGGLE







UPDATE: It seems Barb has caused her own problems! GIGGLE Twice now she's been scared by her own MOOSE!!!!! GIGGLE

Did this this morning

This picture is of a small section of the work, the whole trench is over 12 feet long!!!!

This is what I did this morning. Now, I'm sure your going to be sarcastic and say "wow, she dug a 12 foot by 6 inch trench for her plants! She must be exhausted! "


But you don't know the story. That 12 foot trench was covered by 10 inches of heavy gravel!!!! I had to dig the gravel away with my hands, roll back the fabric barrier, and cut it, and move the gravel to other places in the yard!!!!!! It was a BITCH!!!!


All I wanted was a little space to plant the iris's that appeared in the cauldron, and some other bulbs that I had planted in the wrong places. But it took me almost 4 hours to clear enough space for that!!!! FUCKING GRAVEL!!!


I DID pick a lot that was graveled, so I didn't have a lawn to mow.... but I never intended to MOVE the gravel for my plants. I was ONLY going to do container plantings!!!


But you see, one thing always leads to another..... the area past the stairs, on the patio, had a drainage problem. Water wasn't draining away from the patio, and was building up, causing mold, mildew and this black gunky crap. So early this summer I dug a very small trench on the other side to drain the water.... AND IT WORKED!!! But I had this tiny trench through the gravel that looked stupid. Hence, widening it up, and using the area for planting!


My mind works in weird ways.... and not having anything to do... DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!


It worked though, and now I have a nice bed for iris's and some tiger lillys, and the peony that decided to bloom this year... I think I'll add some other iris's (to apease the Goddess) and maybe some Russian Sage.

Mystery Plant

This is the mystery plant. I got it at wal-mart, and it was in a box that said Honeysuckle, but it sure doesn't look like any honeysuckle I have in my yard... so I don't have a clue what it is????? ANYONE have an idea???????? HELP!







UPDATE: I wrote to an expert in plants, and her answer was that it "looks like a big weed" but she suggested I leave it go and see what happens... I'm pissed at wal-mart!!!! who knows what they are trying to sell!!!!!

Cranking away!!!

I'm doing pretty good for September. I have a lot of my Christmas gifts done.

Ty and Steph..... Done

Jamie............ Done

some stuff for the kids, but they aren't close to done!!!! I'm thinking topping it off with a gift certificate to toys-R-us, instead of racking my brain trying to figure out what they have, and what mom's gonna get them. Let them pick out what they want!

Brenda and Alan got their gift early.... so they are done

Barb finally gave me some idea's for her gift!!!!! So, I'm on the hunt.

Got my Aunt Harriet something nice

And since Eileen doesn't seem to be talking to me for some strange reason,
(Don't know, and not gonna ask why) I don't have to worry about getting her anything! Besides she would just be pissed off that I'm not going to her house for the holidays anyway!


So that just leaves a few more, and I should have enough money by next month to finish up. YIPPPPPPPPPIE!!!!

Listing winter chores

I do a lot of things these next few months to get ready for winter.

I know, I know, most people wait till November to get ready..... but to tell you the truth.... I HATE THE COLD!!!

One of the first things I do is go to the storage, I have a shed so it's easy, I grab all my fall decorations, Christmas stuff, winter clothing..... and put them in the FRONT of the shed... where they can be reached without digging around. Same would go if you store in the attic or basement. Anywhere it's unheated, and you just want to go, grab, and get back to the warmness. GIGGLE

Then the inside of the house things.

I rather check the weather stripping on the doors, when it's still nice and warm, then to do it when I'm freezing! And stuff like weather stripping has to be done with the door open..... so freeze, or keep warm? I'm getting it done now.

First I close all the doors on a sunny day and then look at them from the inside. If I can see light from around the frame, "weather stripping time!" Very cost effective, the self adhering weather stripping is very, very cheap, and will save you hundreds all winter long!

Usually people will get out the glass inserts for their storm doors, clean them and get them ready.... but I find that I open my doors quite a few times in the winter (shore winters tend to be milder) so I only get the glass up on the one door that I don't usually use. I leave the screens in the front door, so that if the weather is nice, I can open it up and still get some air. But the side door is only used during the summer, so the glass can go back up for the winter.

Then the windows. I have high energy efficient windows, so not a problem, but you have to open the windows, and clean out that strip where the window fits down too. After a summer of open windows, all kinds of dirt, bugs and shit have built up there.... and if the window isn't closed right because of them..... you got leakage!
Even if the window seems closed tight, those bug bumpers will allow some air to get in, so I clean them out!

I also get out my winter sheets.... those flannel or t-shirt ones, wash them, and get them ready to put on the bed. I also wash all my winter blankets, and put them where I can reach them. No digging thu closets on cold nights. Nope, I have them handy and ready.

Now, I won't do my major winter house cleaning till late October, after I do the windows and cleaning, I'll re-enforce my cleansing spell, and clean my crystals for the winter ahead. Good way to remember to renew your cleansing spell in your house is to always do it in October, and in May. Never vary, or you might forget to do it.


This October I'll do a mild spell, since it's been a pretty good summer, and I don't feel that horrible build up of bad things in the house's aura, that sometimes happens. No arguments, or people of questionable aura's have been in my house all summer.... just good people and peace.

So just a quick cleaning of crystals, and re sprinkling of salt should do just nice.

STRESS!!!!!!!

TRUE BLOOD

This here picture is Sukey and Bill



When HBO announced that "true blood" was a new show in their fall line up, I was interested, but not having HBO...... well who cares!


Then I saw a preview of the show, on the Sci-fi Chanel, and realized that the show was all about a series of books that I've been reading for years now!!!!!


Sukey Stackhouse, and her group of vampires, shape shifter, werewolf's, and fairy's and much more..... set in the down bottom half of Louisiana. Sort of like hicks meet Count Dracula.... but his name is Bill! GIGGLE


When I found out it was about the books, I fought with myself for like a month...... I can't afford to add more to my bills, and HBO costs...... but the closer to the premiere, the worse I was fighting with myself.... till finally I said.... WHAT THE FUCK! and ordered HBO


I figured if the show sucked, well next month I could cancel HBO, and only be out a few bucks........


GUESS WHAT?? THE SHOW DIDN'T SUCK!!!! IT'S TOTALLY TRUE TO THE BOOKS!!!!!


Except for the nude sex .... not in the book, but pretty cool on HBO.


So true to the books, that I knew what was going to happen, when, and with who. It was like reading the books out loud. Pretty cool!!!!!

The end

As she slid beneath the waters
Her tail tightly curled.

The mermaid watched in sorrow,
the end of the world.

Soft sea's, again, claimed her.
And In her tears, and sorrow deep,

flowed the salt of all the Oceans,
as she saw the world weep.

But the mermaid's secret power once again
calmed her soul, and let her be.

for in the cold deep oceans
spring the tides of eternity

JO

How does your garden grow?

Yesterday, before the rain, I went out and gave both blueberry bushes a heavy shot of acid fertilizer.... they are going to need it to produce huge berry's in the spring. The rain helps putting the fertilizer into the soil, better then just watering it in.


Then I went out today and planted two pots full of spinach. Spinach makes a good fall crop. It takes warm weather to germinate them, then cooler weather to keep them producing. So in late September and October I'll have tons of spinach salad!


Next thing to do is trim the rose's.... but they are still blooming, so I'll wait till the end of October or November to trim them down. A heavy pruning gives them renewed growth in the spring. I'm going to get rid of the miniature rose, it didn't do well this summer, though it did survive the winter.... I just didn't like them.


This spring I'm thinking of adding a nice dwarf tree to my lot of stuff. I'm not sure what kind, maybe a fruit tree, I'll think about it during the winter, and decide in the spring.


The Gooseberrys have doubled their size over the summer, and next year I should get a good crop of them.


That also goes for the beach plums, they have grown and survived (no watering or fertilizing for them, they like the beach soil and no care at all) so next year I should be picking and eating plums. Beach plums are small, but really strong in taste.

And of course, I'll pick some rosemary, and hang it in the kitchen to dry for next year. I used a lot this year and my stock of dried is almost gone. Thank the Goddess the rosemary LOVES were I planted it, and grows like a giant weed!!!! The smell is FANTASTIC!!!

I'll also go out today and put some water fertilizer into the earth around the front bulbs and plants. When the soil is wet with a recent rain, the fertilizer is absorbed more slowly into the plant.... and that's what you want!

UPDATE:

I gave up on the dwarf tree after seeing what was out there, instead I decided on a bought a "Wegilia" commonly called the "Cardinal Shrub". It has pretty red flowers that the hummingbirds love, and when trimmed stays small.... also it was my Mom's favorite shrub, and her favorite bird, at the same time. My little memorial to her.

Big Storm

We're expecting a big storm tomorrow, part of the hurricane that's hitting the southern coast.

Living in N.J. I'm used to the, as we call it, "the tail end of the hurricane", so today I got ready for it.

1. checked my supply of candles, and lighters


2. went outside and brought in, placed in the shed, or covered up, ANYTHING that could blow away or be ruined by the wind. (And that included the canopy on my outside swing, damn thing acts as a sail in high wind, and tips over the swing, maybe damaging it!)


3. tonight I will fill my newly cleaned bathtub with water. Great for flushing toilets, and for drinking water if the power goes out. (I have gas for cooking so that's never a problem.)


4. usually I buy a supply of books, cause if the power goes, so does the TV, but I didn't have money for books this time, so I'll just read over some old ones.

And there you are, I'm ready for anything. Thank the Goddess we aren't in a flood zone, and this place has NO BASEMENT.... so no pumping water out!!! Yippee!!!!

And tomorrow during the storm, I will sit and sip my tea, and eat my cheesy poofs, and re-read some good books, and enjoy my nice cozy rain day!!!!!

UPDATE


Storm? What storm? No high winds, just some rain, and not even tons of rain, just mostly drizzle.... ahhhh well, they were wrong again..... but I still ate my cheesy poofs. GIGGLE

HAPPY!!!!

I'm very happy to announce that my son Matt.... who by the way is in his FORTH YEAR OF COLLAGE, finally got his High School GED Diploma!!!! Good Job Matt!!!!!

Work in Progress

The living Room is a work in progress. With the sofa broken, I had to rearrange the furniture, and it seems to be working out. I want to do the WHOLE back wall in bookshelves, but I could only afford to get two of them this month. So I'm going to live with them, check it out, and see if I really want to add two more. But I think I'm going to have to add them, since the two of them are filling up rapidly!

Also I need a REAL sofa table!!! The tiny table to hold my lamp is not doing it!!! It's kind of wobbly and doesn't look just right, so I'm going to have to think about this some more. GIGGLE

Unexpected Company

As you can see from the photo's ... Jamie, Brian, the girls and the baby, Josh, all showed up on Sunday to go crabbing!!!! Just a spur of the moment trip down to the shore. Unfortunately, crabbing sucked, and all they caught from two days was like 6 small crabs!!!!!









I think there were just too many "Bennies" crabbing over the last few weeks, and crabbed them all gone, or it could have been the colder evenings.... but all in all we had a GOOD TIME!!!!!