Spring is for experiments

Okay, I've done a woeful job keeping up this blog.  But my friend Maria has inspired me to write more (go read her blog-http://spanishviews.blogspot.com/2015/04/bookstores-i-miss-you.html), so I figure I have to start somewhere....

After a miserable winter, it would seem that spring is finally upon us.  That means sunshine, plants in bloom and birds, at least for my backyard.  Every year I aspire to have some form of a garden (or at least a weed free area for plants to grow) and bird feeders.

I love the variety of birds we get in this area.  Back home in Boston, I usually only saw pigeons and seagulls.  Here in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, I am visited by robins, sparrows, mourning doves, grackles, starlings, blue jays, cardinals, finches, and the occasional hummingbird.  As much as I love birds, I don't want them nesting on my house, which is something we battle every spring.  This year, we had a problem with sparrows perching on the fan on my back porch and using my patio table as a toilet.  I came across an article on the internet that claimed that gardeners and farmers used CD's on their fruit trees because birds don't like reflective objects.  So I decided to give that a try.  I taped a CD to each blade of the fan (reflective side up, of course) with double sided tape and waited.

  Three weeks later, it's a success!  No one has seen any birds on my fan and my patio table is grateful.  Of course, my husband thinks once we turn on the fan, the CD's will fly off and decapitate someone.  I think that's a bit extreme, but I'll let you know....

Experiment #2 involved growing plants from seed.  I have always enjoyed trying to grow different plants from seed.  When I am successful, I don't enjoy trying to transfer seedlings to the ground or a pot.  Big box stores do sell mini pots that you transfer to the ground or a bigger container, but I thought there had to be a better way.  Solution?  Eggshells.  Most everyone has eggs in their house.  You either compost the shells or throw them away.  So I saved a carton and filled them with rinsed half shells, put some dirt in them, some sunflower seeds, and water.  And waited.  After a week, I was rewarded with this:

Once they get big enough, I'll plant them in the ground.  Here in this area, I've always been told to wait till Mother's Day to plant anything in the ground.  That is usually when we're past the danger of frost and hopefully that holds true.


Experiment #3 started this morning.  Again, I've read online (probably on Pinterest) that it is very easy to grow root vegetables from cut ends.  I was cutting up some celery for chicken stock and ended up with an end from the bunch of celery.  So into a clear custard cup it went with a little water.  I will keep you updated on how this experiment goes.

Have any experiments you've tried around your garden or home?  Let me know how they have turned out!

For Your Amusement

The above is a photo of a feminine hygiene spray.  If you look closely, you will see that it is scented.  The name of the scent?  Tahitian Sunset.  This confused me.  Tahitian Breeze I could understand, maybe.  But isn't a sunset a visual thing?  Why would you give a scented product a visual adjective?

I have never been to Tahiti.  I have heard many wonderful things about the island.  I have never heard anything about its wonderful smelling sunsets.  Europeans have been to this island since the late 1700's.  They have written many things about Tahiti.  I would think fresh smelling sunsets would have made the top of the list.

Also, I have sprayed this product (yes, I bought it; don't judge).  I would expect something labeled "Tahitian Sunset" to smell exotic, like coconut, pineapple, tropical beaches.  It smells nothing like that.  If anything, it smells faintly like peaches.  Which would make it more of a Georgian sunset, in my opinion.

I would love to meet the crackerjack marketing team that decided on this moniker.  The only thing this adjective describes is possibly the color on the front.  Which would be fine, if this were lipstick or hair coloring.  But it's not.  It's a spray.  Which is generally experienced with your nose, not your eyes.  

Summer's Eve.  Let your ladyparts smell like a Tahitian Sunset.  Which is impossible.

Vegas baby!

My husband and I just came back from our first trip to Vegas.  It was a lot to take in and we had a really good time.  I'm trying to think of the best way to write this post-I think I may just condense it a bit.

VEGAS IS ABOUT......money

More specifically, it's about separating you from your money.  And there are plenty of ways to do that.  The most obvious is the casino.  We visited quite a few casinos, mostly to look around.  We aren't huge gamblers, but we played some penny slots-won a little over $30 twice-that was good for us :)

Then there are the stores.  Alot of the stores in the resorts are high end, like Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, etc.  I don't have much interest in products like that.  The set up of some of the stores is pretty amazing.  At Caesar's Palace and Paris, their shopping areas are designed to look like streets in a villa, with storefronts, street lamps and other landmarks, and the ceilings are painted to look like the sky, complete with clouds.  The Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood go around in a circle and have some more down to earth shops.  The Linq Resort has it's own side street dedicated to shops, restaurants, and even a bowling alley!  There's a little of something for everyone.  We bought a few souvenirs for ourselves and our kids.

VEGAS IS ABOUT......walking

If you are going to Las Vegas, make sure you have a good pair of walking shoes, because you're going to need 'em!  Just to get from the check in counter to your room is a haul.  Most resorts are designed to make you walk through the whole casino to get to the elevators to your rooms.  We were very fortunate-we stayed at the Signature Towers at MGM Grand, which we booked through a third party, Airbnb.  I had read horror stories about people waiting up to an hour to check in, then trek through the casino to the elevators.  The Signature Tower is connected to MGM, but we didn't have to go through all that rigamarole.  Took less than 5 minutes to check in, the elevators were right near the front desk, and we went right up to our room.  We witnessed many people going through the long check in process though.

Many of the resorts on the Las Vegas Strip are connected by walkways, with bridges stretching over the streets.  There are escalators and moving walkways to speed things along.  The resorts themselves are pretty spread out, with casino areas, bars, clubs, sports bars, restaurants, food courts, and event arenas contained in each resort.  We walked through many of them.  Luxor was very interesting inside-kind of dark, and you felt like you were in a pyramid with the slanted walls.  Caesar's Palace was very opulent, the Aria was very modern looking.  My favorite was the Cosmopolitan.  All of the ceiling and light fixtures were made of crystals and glass and everything just glittered.  

VEGAS IS ABOUT......food

Let's face it-Americans have a love affair with food.  In Las Vegas, the choices are overwhelming.  There are places to eat everywhere-from fast food to fine dining.  There are plenty of buffets-we ate at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan.  We chose it because we had seen it on the Travel Channel before booking our trip.  It cost $41 per person.  Even though I thought the stations could have had a few more choices, the food was very high quality.  I would go back just for the dessert station!  We also ate at Hash House A Go-Go, which has a few locations in different resorts.  We went to the one at the Linq, after one of the shows.  Hash House is known for their breakfast and their portions.  My husband and I both decided to get the chicken and waffles.  

We should have gotten one and split it!

We also ate at Guy Fieri's restaurant at the Linq.  The food was very good-just huge.

There were, of course, plenty of places to drink as well.  At Fat Tuesday in the Mandalay Bay Shops, we got a 32oz margarita slush for $15, which I thought was pretty good.  You could refill it for $11, which we did :)

VEGAS IS ABOUT......entertainment

There is a plethora of shows to keep you entertained in Las Vegas-concerts, musicals, burlesque, comedians, magic, etc.  We saw something each night.  The first night we were there we saw Guster in concert at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.  The concert was general admission, which means you had to stand.  Doors opened at 7pm, which we thought meant when the concert would start.  The warm up act didn't get on the stage until 8:15 and Guster didn't get onstage till after 9pm.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper having to stand that long.  The irritating thing was that there were tables scattered around the concert area-which you could sit at IF you paid a $100 upcharge and agreed to a $100 bar tab!  and my husband had to pull this information out of someone-it wasn't readily given.  Needless to say, I don't think I'll go to another concert at the House of Blues again.  However, Guster was fantastic-they are definitely one of my favorite bands to see in concert.

The next night, we saw Elton John at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace.  The concert was simply fantastic.  Elton is a great performer, playing a lot of his hits.  He was very engaging with the crowd, telling stories and jokes.  There was a video show that went with the performance which was pretty good.  His band is incredible, especially percussionist Ray Cooper, who at 72 years old, is full of energy and a true professional-look him up.  The venue itself was huge, very nice.

My husband is a big fan of Penn and Teller and he really wanted to see them perform, so that's what we did the following night at the Rio complex, which is off the Las Vegas Strip.  The venue itself was pretty well laid out and the seats were very comfortable.  Penn and Teller are true performers and their magic is pretty amazing.  However, they tend to push their rhetoric a bit much at times in the act.  (They seem to be Libertarian atheists, if I understood them correctly.)

Our last night in Las Vegas, we decided to go with our favorite genre, comedy.  Carrot Top's show had gotten great reviews, and though I wouldn't have thought we would see his show, that's just what we ended up doing.  His show was at the Luxor-nice small theater.  His comedy is very prop oriented and fast paced.  He uses music and video quite a bit.  Some people might be put off by the language and some of the content, but overall, we enjoyed his show.  He is very self-effacing and seems to crack himself up the most :)

We also saw the fountain show at the Bellagio, which I highly recommend.


and lastly.....

VEGAS IS ABOUT.......people

Oh, the people!  Every nationality, color, creed, every walk of life, male, female, short, tall, old, young, all mashed together in such a small area.  I saw 5 bridal parties.  We saw parents pushing their children in strollers; we saw children pushing their parents in wheelchairs.  We saw a convention of hairdressers and a mini high school reunion.  We saw people, like us, dressed comfortably, and people dressed to the nines.  Las Vegas is heaven for people watchers.

On the strip and in the casinos there are people constantly trying to shove tickets in your hands for something.  There are the people on the strip who try to hand you escort trading cards with pictures of naked women.  There are the street performers dressed as various characters who want money for a picture with them (and some of the costumes were pretty shabby).  And there are the panhandlers that hang out on the strip and on all the connecting bridges between the resorts.  There are very few places you can go in Vegas without bumping into someone wanting something.  But then again, it is Vegas.

All in all, we had a really good time.  There was a lot we didn't get to see, but that's what another trip is for :)

2015 Reading Challenge

Around New Year's Day, someone posted a reading challenge on Facebook.  52 categories of books to read.  Now that's my kind of challenge!  I thought it would be a good idea to blog about the books I chose to read as well; hopefully others will take this challenge and share what they've read.

I decided that one book can fill a few categories.  Here is the list that was posted on Facebook:










My first entry is a trifecta-a book my mom loves, a book that can be read in a day, and a book that made me cry.  That book is The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.

I first read this book a little over 10 years ago.  My mom was visiting at the time and she knew I would love this book.  I knew Mitch Albom as a sports reporter and I knew he had written Tuesdays with Morrie, although I have never read that book.  This is a short book, perfect for those who want a quick read.  But don't let it's simplicity fool you-it packs an emotional wallop-it did for me, at least.  It's the story of a carnival handyman who dies and the five people he meets in heaven.  It's a story that makes you think about life and everyone you come into contact with during your life.  I would definitely recommend it, and if you're like me, have the tissues handy-I needed them halfway through the book!

New Beginnings

Happy New Year!  I did not write much in 2014.  I am hoping, once again, to change that.  Starting today :)

Looking back on the year gone by, I had much to be happy about.  I got to travel a bit, going to Dallas in January and Denver in September.  It had been 16 years since we had last been in Dallas.  We got to visit my wonderful friend Gretchen and her husband Clay and see their beautiful new home.  It was so nice to see Gretchen-hoping another 10 years doesn't go by before we get to visit again!  While in Dallas, we got to see the Bruins play the Dallas Stars at American Airlines area, which was phenomenal!  We also got to tour AT&T Stadium, which was a lot of fun.  Dallas certainly knows how to do sports!

We had been to the Denver area in 1996, but all I really remember is having a hard time adjusting to the altitude.  I had no problems this time.  We stayed north of Denver, towards Boulder.  I really fell in love with this area of Colorado. It was so clean and beautiful.  The scenery was gorgeous and the people were very friendly.  We went to a Colorado Rapids game, walked the Colorado State campus, shopped and ate in Boulder.  If I could survive a winter, I think I could live out there!.

There were a couple of low points as well, most notably the death of my father. The hardest thing about it for me has been the finality-knowing that I can't just pick up the phone and call my dad anymore.  My father used to drive me crazy, but he was still my dad.  The fact that I have to refer to him in the past tense is still odd to me.

I was also officially diagnosed with diabetes this spring.  I take Metformin for it, which I hate.  One of my major goals is to get off this medication.  If I have learned anything from my father's example, it's to take care of my health.  My dad had heart disease and diabetes, and he mismanaged his conditions terribly; there is no doubt in my mind that caused his death.  His ill health was entirely his own doing-getting well was very much in his hands.  I know the same is true for me and it's something that needs my full attention.

Many people make resolutions on January 1st-they usually are forgotten by January 10th.  Mine is fairly simple.  I resolve to love myself.  Over the years, I have hated myself for various reasons and my life has reflected that.  The times that I have loved myself have been very rare.  That is just so wrong.  When you love yourself, you treat yourself with respect.  You build yourself up and surround yourself with good people and good situations.  You leave the past behind and feel no need to dwell on it.  When you love yourself, that love radiates outward.  There is no need to criticize or judge people; you are too busy living your life and seeing the beauty in your surroundings to worry about what others are doing or what they think of you.  When you love yourself, you savor life, live in the moment; there is no need to rush through anything.

So that is my resolution-to love myself.  And I hope that 2015 is a positive year for everyone!

The Art of Listening

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(Found on kushandwizdom.tumblr.com) via Pinterest


I saw this quote on Pinterest some time ago and it really resonated with me.  It occurred to me that listening, truly listening to someone, is really an art form.  One that many of us try to practice but few ever master.  As someone who has been constantly interrupted throughout my life, having someone really listen to me is amazing.  By listen I mean they just listen to what I have to say, whether I am explaining something, venting, or just relaying information.  There is no attempt to jump in with their opinion, no need to offer their experience, no changing the subject to something they would rather talk about.  To be truly, unselfishly listened to is a joy.

This does not mean that someone has to be the victim of a greedy talker.  A greedy talker is someone that just wants an audience-it doesn't matter who.  They can just get so absorbed they go on and on about themselves, their problems, their accomplishments.  Greedy talkers don't care if you are busy, if you don't feel like talking, or if maybe it's not appropriate for you to be hearing what they have to say.  At one time or another, many of us have been guilty of being greedy talkers, just so we can unburden ourselves of gossip, secrets, or because we feel we have things that we want to talk about but no one special to tell them to.  The seatmate on the airplane that goes on and on about their family, the person in front of you in line that complains about the store and the employees, the relative, friend, or neighbor that calls you on the phone to tell you all about everyone else's problems and their own.  These are greedy talkers.

People who half listen are just as bad.  These are people that agree to listen to you but constantly look at their phone, absently say "mmhmm" to everything you are saying, or quite obviously tune out. This could be because you are an actual greedy talker and not aware of it ;)  But it could also be because these people make a half assed attempt to care and just fall short.  This is just as maddening as being interrupted constantly.

We all want to be heard; we all want people to listen to us, at least occasionally.  Conversation should be 50/50.  Someone that asks you, "How are you?" or " What did you do today?" or something of that nature and just sits and listens as you reply without feeling the need to add anything, compare anything, or challenge anything, is truly a blessing.  I hope I have been that for some people-at least I aspire to be that.  And I have had some people do that for me and I am thankful.

That Day

That Day starts out as Someday....a day far in the future that you know will come, but you don't know when.  A day that stays tucked in the back of your mind, that you don't want to think about...to worry about.

When That Day comes, it arrives like any other day....ordinary, mundane.  You live your life, more or less, like you do any other day.  

But when That Day comes, it is anything but ordinary.  It is the Day when things you took for granted suddenly become special.  It is the Day when the future hazes over a little and the past comes sharply into focus.  It's a Day when you start making wishes-"I wish I had called more often....", "I wish I could tell him....", "I wish he could have seen...."

On That Day, you remember the hurtful times a little less and the happy times a little more.  On That Day, you realize you won't hear the same stories over and over; you won't hear the same complaints again and again; you won't get the teasing, the criticism, the opinions, the subjective facts.  Neither will you get the laughter, the gratitude, the occasional words of praise, the love.

On That Day you realize you are a little more of an adult, and a little less a child.  You suddenly have responsibilities you never dreamed of or wanted.  Nothing prepares you for That Day-it doesn't matter if there was sickness, infirmity, old age.  Even if you were expecting it, knew it was coming, you are never really ready for it.  It always seemed far off, a little down the road.  

You never expected That Day to be Today.


Goodbye for now, Dad-I love you.