Thursday Thirteen 441: To-Do List

This week's to-do list (or at least one side of it) -- I have actually crossed off a couple more items since I scanned this. For example, I had over 13000 steps yesterday (6-1/2 miles!) and started a new book. . . .

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Thursday Thirteen 408: Birthday Review

For lack of time or other ideas this week -- what I received for my birthday:


01. Cricut Explore One -- For the non-crafters, this is a die-cut machine. You can buy a variety of dies, or -- with the version I have -- you can go online to their website. You can use cardstock, vinyl or even fabric for your designs.
02. DVD -- Ever After (replaces favorite movie on VHS)
03. DVD -- The Christmas Card
04. Small Box of Chocolates (truffles)
05. Bag of Ghirardelli -- Dark Chocolate Raspberry
06. Christmas Cross-stitch Ornament Kit -- and yes, people already picked which one they want, LOL.
07. Gift Card for Cheesecake Factory
08. Gift Card for Barnes & Noble
09. Kindle Fire Tablet
10. Gift Card for Amazon
11. A Mickey Mouse watch -- the band on the one I usually wore to work broke the week before my birthday.
12. Dinner and dessert (Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake)
13. Mystery gift -- a friend left me a present at another friend's home, but friend forgot to bring it




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Thursday Thirteen 407: Pisces

Last week I picked up a book in the used book stores clearance section for only $1: The Secrets of Your Birthday by Alicia Thompson. Here are a few things it had to say about my birthday, which is this weekend.


01. First, I am a Pisces, which probably doesn’t surprise people who know me well. Pisces are born between Feb 20 and March 20 and, being a water sign, are ruled by Neptune.

02. "Represented by two fish, Pisces is the ultimate water sign, which means that just like the ocean, girls born in this period have many hidden depths. Guided by dreams and intuition, they are completely uninterested in staying on the surface of life.

03. "Creative and extremely sensitive, they can be excellent friends but also difficult to get along with, and their passion for privacy makes a Keep Out sign look welcoming."

04. Fruit they most resemble: Star Fruit: Exotic, sweet, easily bruised.

05. Strength to play on: Artistic: in touch with the universe

06. Pitfalls to avoid: Illogical, out of touch with peers.

07. "They say it's better to be alone than in bad company, and you’d almost always prefer the company of a good book, a movie, or a sketch pad." (Nailed that one, didn’t they?)

08. Independent and self-directed, you don’t mind rolling solo and find it freeing to be away from the crush of the crowd. (Yup, usually true as well.)

09. That doesn't mean you go Quasimodo, though; a few close friends keep you connected to the world outside your bedroom. Just make sure you’re not putting too much pressure on a narrow social pipeline. Take a lesson from the trees: If you want to grow, you have to branch out.

10. Plus/Minus: Do not let fears about new situations and people keep you from following your dreams. You may be a wallflower naturally, but you’ll bloom much quicker if you are willing to step into the spotlight every once in the while. (I generally hate being in the spotlight!)

11. Friend match: You have a tendency to withdraw, but a fun-loving Aries can help break you out of your shell. Her natural sociability helps put you at ease in large groups, but her sensitivity to your feelings will guarantee that when you feel ready to flee, she will help you make a getaway.

12. Incidentally, the profile for my best friend’s birthday, an Aries, recommends a loyal Pisces as personal cheerleader. "Deeply connected to the world around her, a Pisces can help you build more pasting connections with the people you meet."

13. Love match: Air-signs. "Unfortunately, air signs are notoriously impatient. If you want someone who doesn't mind taking it slow, look for a shy but oh-so-adorable Scorpio." Alas, I know no male Scorpios, to my knowledge.



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Thursday Thirteen 402:

01. While much of the country braces for a major winter storm, my area is breathing a sigh of relief that the system is giving us a miss — fifteen states and more than 50 million people are in the storm’s path, with some areas expected to see two feet of snow by week’s end.

02. We were rather spoiled by Mother Nature with a mild December that saw above normal temperatures that included a new high of 60 F one day. Alas, since NYE, we have had more "seasonable" temps, with below freezing and even sub-zero temps this past week.

03. That does not mean the ice on the lakes is one hundred percent safe. While some areas are thick enough to support people, the ice is not thick enough for ATV's or snowmobiles, as one ice fisherman found out the hard way early Wednesday morning. Luckily, his ATV had flotation devices, he was seen going into the water, and was rescued in a timely manner. He is recovering at home from hypothermia.

04. Sadly, you don't need to fall into a lake to suffer hypothermia, as there were at least two incidents in this week's news of people freezing outside homes. One person was found in time and survived; one young woman was not so lucky. In below freezing temps with extreme windchills, frostbite begins to set in within minutes.

05. Speaking of weather, Groundhog Day is fast approaching, and the nearby city of Sun Prairie is still searching for a new groundhog, as well as an "understudy," should they not be able to obtain a new Jimmy in time. Last year's groundhog was released from his duties after he bit the ear of the former SP mayor.

06. And speaking of holidays, while the extra money was appreciated, I am so glad "holiday" hours are over. I have actually had time to make cards and do some stitching this month, and have already completed several ornaments and pieces for another small project in the works.

07. I have also had more time for books, and have already read more than 800 pages this month. Of course, 610 of that was from the same book.

08. As I'm sure you've heard, this year's Oscar nominations were announced last week. As you may have also heard, there is quite the hullabaloo over the lack of "diversity" and claims of racism among members of the Academy, with many actors and other performers declaring they will boycott the awards. The Academy has announced coming changes that may expand the nominees for acting categories from five to eight or ten.

09. Personally, I do not feel that this is a reflection on the Academy or a lack of opportunity, so much as the type of movies being made. I am constantly amazed by the tripe that ranks among top movies each week, but as long as people continue to patronize these low-brow offerings, they will continue to be made. The same applies with television. Stop watching garbage and they'll stop making it.

10. On a higher-caliber note, the century old Al Ringling Theater in Baraboo, WI is scheduled to reopen in February after major refurbishments. The historic marquee was relit this week.

11. Scientists believe they have found a new planet to replace the demoted Pluto at the edge of our solar system. Nicknamed Planet Nine, it is 10 times the size of Earth.

12. The next presidential election is ten months off and I am already tired of it all. I especially wish Trump (and his new best friend Sarah Palin) would go away. Why can't we pass laws in this country as they have in others to shorten the election cycle? Imagine how much good all those millions of campaign dollars could be put to were it not for years of running!

13. A "final jeopardy" clue on this week's Jeopardy! has been making headlines for the simple fact that all contestants bet everything they had, and every one of them guessed the same wrong answer. I can honestly report that I got it right. The clue: "A 1957 event led to the creation of a national historic site in this city, signed into law by a president whose library is now there too." Can you guess the correct city?




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Happy New Year!

This week is a bust for me as far as posts are concerned. I have had little time to do anything lately, and it doesn't help that I am still currently without home internet connection. So, enjoy the new year celebrations, whatever you have planned, and I'll see you in 2016.

Things That Annoy

If you follow this or any other blog, but do not have a Google account, you may soon be blocked from visiting and following your friends. You can read all about the change HERE. The change is supposed to take affect the week of January 11, but Blogger users are already reporting a loss of followers. First the demise of Google Reader (for which I and a multitude of others still resent them), now this . . . . 

New Playground

In early September, I was walking around the neighborhood for a change from the local bike paths. My wandering took me past our neighborhood park -- and a bit of a surprise. Here is what the park used to look like.

And here is what it looked like on September 9th:

I walked by there a couple times during the month of September, but there was no change until the end of the month:

I passed by there again late last month to find that the new playground is finally completed and open for fun. Not only is there all new play equipment, they have paved a path from the sidewalk to the playground -- I just can't help wondering why they did not take the path all the way up to the shelter, to make it more handicap accessible.

Thursday Thirteen 390: Thoughts While Walking

I wrote this out freehand with the intention of posting it last Thursday, but never got the chance to type it up — which is why I was absent last week. This started out as thoughts while I was out walking one evening two weekends ago.

1. I’ve had many long walks lately, more than all of August. The same was true of last September and October. I think the motivating factor this time of year is the sudden realization that days are getting shorter and we won’t have many more “nice” days left.

2. People can’t believe that I have walked from where I live to the Capitol Square a couple times the past two years. It’s only 4.1 miles, taking about an hour and fifteen minutes. The hardest part is the two block steep incline at the end. I’ve also walked to Target many times this summer, again a distance of around four miles via bike routes. And, as with the Cap Square walk, the hardest part is the steep uphill climb at the end.

3. In recent weeks I’ve rescued three woolly caterpillars from being smooshed in the middle of walkways, while a fourth and some small fish flooded out of a nearby pond were not so lucky.

4. I hate encountering dead critters while walking local trails. Last Tuesday it was a dead vole in the Arboretum. The following day it was two smooshed frogs near a pond — most likely victims of bicycle hit-and-runs. The worse was a dead squirrel earlier this summer, also a bicycle hit-and-run victim, and so recent the blood was still bright red.

5. Perhaps even worse than dead animals are the number of people who leave pet waste lying along the sides of the bike path. The city put up new “rules” signs this year, among which is listed “all pets on a leash.” It should also say, “Pick up after your damn dog!”

6. This time of year, you have to watch your step along the local bike paths, especially after it rains, due to all the nuts littering the ground. In this area that’s primarily acorns and walnuts, both of which can easily result in a turned ankle. You also might want to keep an eye turned upward, as squirrels love to pelt unwary passersby with their bounty.

7. I like watching the changing of the seasons along the bike/walking trails. Some of the trees are already starting to change and drop their leaves, and there’s always a variety of plants growing. To many, it may be no more than weeds or brush, but if you actually pay attention, you notice a dozen or more species of wildflowers at any time during the summer. The sunflower family is heavily represented, with various sunflowers, daisies, goldenrod and coneflowers. The mint and bean families are also well represented, as are other plant families. I like being able to name most of what I see.

8. If you are mindful of your surroundings, it’s amazing what one might see. There are a lot of squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks in our area, but I have also seen deer, groundhogs, garter snakes, a muskrat, and a coyote. There are often hawks reeling overhead, and this time of year there are a ton of geese and other migratory birds. Recently, we’ve had a pair of cranes feeding at a local park in my neighborhood, and it’s not unusual to see wild turkeys wandering about, either.

9. Unlike many trail users, I do not listen to music or walk with a cell phone glued to my ear. For one, I like listening to the soughing of the wind through the trees, the rustle of critters in the brush, and the chorus of birds and frogs.

10. I also want to hear anyone coming up behind me, which you can’t so while chatting or listening to music. It’s important to be aware of one’s surroundings at all times, even on city bike/walking trails, and I do not walk the trails alone after dark. I also try to remember to pocket ID, but do not carry cash or credit cards with me. Best not to tempt the few bad seeds out there, you know?

11. Sadly, this point hit home two weeks ago, when a young woman on the east side was attacked on a major city trail. She was dragged into the bushes, savagely assaulted, and left for dead while walking at night. Luckily, she was able to crawl back to the bike trail, where a bicyclist found her.

12. They believe there may be a connection to a similar attack in the same area a month earlier, when another woman was attacked, but managed to flee her attacker. There is a large reward for his capture, and these incidents serve as a grave reminder about how important personal safety is.

13. Prior to this incident, I did not know that lights on some bike trails do not stay lit all night. Apparently some home owners with properties abutting trails have complained about too much light at night. My advice: buy heavier, room-darkening drapes. I don’t always like the over-abundance of street and building lights in my neighborhood, either, but I’d rather hang heavy curtains over my windows than give up that added layer of security.



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In Memorium

She's the one on the left in this group photo.

My apologies for being so absent lately. Some of you may recall that my baby sister, Holly, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in January 2014. She had been doing well at Christmas, but passed last week. So while it was not a complete surprise, it was sudden. While we were never that close, particularly the past few years, it by no means diminishes the loss, and the family is still in the process of making arrangements.

Rest in peace, Holly.

TO ALL WORDPRESS USERS

For COLLEEN and all users of WordPress: Apparently, WP suddenly thinks I am spam. Please check your spam/junk files for posts by myself and other poor, hapless folk sent to purgatory and rescue our comments. We cannot post further comments on your blog until you do.

And if you know of any way to get me OFF their spam list, your help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Thursday Thirteen 333: To-Do list

THIS WEEK'S TO-DO LIST


1. Upload Wordless pic
2. Upload Friday Sky pic

Toothwort

3. Fix windchimes
4. Update "2014 Books" page on blog
5. Identify white Arboretum woodland flowers
6. Sweep
7. Vacuum
8. Dishes
9. Clean bath
10. Send boxtops to P.
11. Start next group read
12. Laundry
13. This week's T13



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Thursday Thirteen 332: Norwegian Scrapbook

This week's T13 was inspired by Shelley's post from last week on trolls. This Saturday being Syttende Mai, it seems an appropriate topic for the week.

When I was in high school, I spent a summer in Norway as an AFS exchange student. If I had it to do over again, I would take more photos — a lot more photos! — and not be afraid of doing so. Here are a few pages from my paltry Norwegian scrapbook. Please forgive the quality of the photographs. At that time I had a cheap 110 camera, as many of us did back then (because — hello! — they were cheap), and did not get my first 35mm until I was in college. Plus, these are photos of the actual pages, not scans.

Prior to leaving, I received a packet from my host family, with photos of the family
and a map showing where the village of Hellvik is. There were four of us staying
with families in Hellvik (including a boy staying with my mother's parents), and
another girl in nearby Egersund.

Our first couple days in Norway were spent at a school in Bygdøy, just outside Oslo,
where we learned some basic Norwegian such as the alphabet, how to tell time, how
to count money, and some helpful phrases. We also visited the Norsk Folkemuseum,
where we saw this stavkirke. There used to be hundreds of these across Norway
(and thousands across Europe), but now there are only about two dozen.
Three days in Oslo were followed by an all-day train trip to the western coast.

The first week with my family was spent on vacation. We made a
daytrip to the Lista Lighthouse in Farsund, dating to 1836.

We also visited Loshavn. English vessels were lured into this harbor, where
they then broke up on the rocks. Boards from the ships were used to
build some of the original houses. Now there are a lot of summer homes here.

On another day, we visited Dyreparken, a zoo and amusement park in Kristiansand.
It is one of the most-visited attractions in Norway. This is one of the places I wish
I had taken more photos. There were amusement rides, a circus, a place to pan for gold
(my little brother didn't want this medal and gave it to me), trolls, gardens, and animals.
And yes, as you can see from the photo, people could feed the giraffes.

My host parents, Kari and Jostein, dressed for a christening.

One blustery, cold summer day, we visited a beach at
Ogna — just up the road from Hellvik — with our neighbors.

Yes, that is a picture of me, right after I killed my right knee on a boulder —
you can see the tear in my jeans. My host father had called me over to show
me what he called a "troll kettle" — a depression in the top of the rock
filled with water. It was a tall boulder, so I took a running leap at it —
except there was a low spot in front of it, vaulting me up into
instead of onto the rock. Yeah...ouch! The result was a large, ugly bruise.



Postcard of Egersund, the nearest town to us, where we did our weekly shopping.
My maternal host-grandmother had a bookstore here, sold some years ago.

One of the best-known buildings in Egersund is the historic Egersund Kirke,
a wooden church dating back to 1623. The detailing on the inside is amazing.

A family friend is a pilot, and one day my host father, the youngest two children and I
had the chance to go up in a little four-seater with him. I was allowed to take photos
of the surrounding country, but not of the airport (and this was long before 9/11). You
can see the old Hellvik Skole, our house and grandparents family farm in these photos.
After, I had the chance to experience a helicopter simulator, which was pretty cool.

Later in the summer, we spent a day in Stavanger, a lovely old harbor city. This
is one of those places I'd like to revisit, and take hoards of photos. Unfortunately,
I had forgotten my camera in the car, for which I was kicking myself all day as
we walked the narrow, cobblestone streets in Old Stavanger and visited the
Old Cathedral. The hand-carved pulpit is an example of exquisite craftsmanship.

As much as I loved seeing historic Stavanger, my favorite part of the day was
our visit to the Iron Age Farm (Jernaldergården), just outside Stavanger.
Timeless story — farmer goes out to plow his fields, and unearths an ancient
artifact. There are three reconstructed buildings on site, as well as burial mounds
from the Bronze and Viking Ages. Many of the excavated artifacts are on exhibit
at the Stavanger Museum. From the hilltop here, you can see all the way down to
the North Sea and the Sverd i fjell (Swords in Mountain) monument, commemorated
by King Olav V of Norway in 1983. The monument is a tribute to King Harald Fairhair,
who brought Norway under one king in 872. The swords being planted in solid rock
symbolizes peace.

Our last few days in Norway were spent with families in Oslo. We had one
afternoon to wander around the city. My friends and I ran into a couple
other girls from our group on the steps outside Slottet, the royal palace,
where we learned we had missed seeing King Olav V by mere minutes.

LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen 330: Good Humor Me

At a loss for time and ideas, I am borrowing again from a recent Sunday Stealing.

1. What’s your favorite frozen treat on a stick? Good Humor Chocolate Éclair bars.

2. When you passed notes during class in high school, who was most often the recipient? Angie and/or Suni in Mr. P’s class (True scenario— Annoying Male Classmate: Mr. P, they’re passing notes. Mr. P: As long as they’re paying attention…)

3. Who among your high school friends was the first to get his or her own car? I honestly can’t remember, but probably Angie.

4. Who is the black sheep in your family? That would be an aunt, cousin, and one of my sisters.

5. Who is the family historian? Me.

6. What was the last thing you sprayed from a spray bottle? Water

7. What was the last thing you sprayed from an aerosol can? Scrubbing Bubbles, to clean the thick layer of black scum one of my neighbors keeps leaving behind in the washing machine (not kidding). Sometimes it's more disgusting than others, and heaven forbid people actually clean up after themselves.

8. When did you last make reservations for something? I have reservations all the time, but I don't necessarily make them in advance. *G*

9. What’s your next upcoming appointment? Nothing in the near future, though I probably should make an eye appointment.

10. What store’s departure from your preferred shopping mall most saddened you? The bookstore. We lost at least half a dozen bookstores around the city in a short span of time.

11. What’s good to eat at your preferred shopping mall? Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and Auntie Anne’s pretzels (unsalted, with cheese sauce - since they don't offer chocolate the way Hot Sam's used to).

12. What did you most recently purchase at an office supply store? A carton of invoices for work. Which reminds me, I need to order ink.

13. What did you most recently purchase at a book store? Is this a trick question? If you want to know the specific title(s), you should say so.



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Thursday Thirteen 327: Slipper Socks

My feet always seem cold, especially during winter. Living above an unheated basement does not help. There were times during those endless below freezing days this past winter when I was actually wearing two pairs of slipper socks -- sometimes over a regular pair of socks. Here are thirteen pairs of slipper socks from my vast collection.

The pair I'm wearing right now.

A favorite pair, these are loose enough to fit over other pairs, and have a nice cuff.

A not so favorite pair, these were a gift I rarely wear.

My favorite style, these are more like booties than actual socks,
but the style is impossible to find anymore.

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