Back due to high demand

Apparently, my pithy commentary has been missed for the last 7 months, so I will try to post something regularily from now on. Today I just wish everybody a Very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years!

Tulip festival in Washington Park

It was a lovely overcast, but warm day, so I took my camera out to the park to see all of the lovely tulips that were planted for the festival next weekend. After I got back I realized that I left my camera on the close up photo setting for most of my pictures, so the landscape shots didn't turn out so well.

hurah!

My computer has been returned to me, much to Mayhem's delight. Her two favorite places to sleep are on the computer bag or directly on the keyboard itself... I was amused that the both the bag and the computer returned from the repair facility minus cat hair (and working properly, too)!

computer may be dying

Contrary to popular believe, I have not fallen off the face of the earth! My computer is being repaired and so I have been relying on school internet access to get my work done. Hope to have things up and running soon.

Better than chocolate

I love flowers, especially the ones that don't require too much care, since I lack a green thumb. So I just can't resist helping myself to the eye candy in the floral department of the local grocery, and a sale price only sweetens the deal! Here are pictures:

Reason # 37 why I am glad I don't live in Malaysia

There are certain news headlines that just catch your eyes and you cannot help but investigate further. The one that got my attention today was "Woman mistaken for monkey shot out of tree!" Wow! Apparently, this Malaysian woman was picking fruit in her neighbor's sapodilla tree (yum, I just love a sapodilla every now and then), and had failed to ask her neighbor for permission to do so. He returned home from work, saw the branches "rustling" and assumed it was a monkey. He shot into the tree and heard her screaming and thankfully stopped firing. The woman is now in stable condition at the hospital with a gunshot wound to her abdomen, in case you were wondering.

Now there are several life lessons to be learnt from this sad tale:
1. Always ask for permission before "borrowing" your neighbor's fruit
2. Always identify your target before you fire a gun

and...

3. You can not only climb a sapodilla tree without a ladder, but you can eat its fruit too! (see link below)
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/523694/sapodilla

Looking forward to spring

As I sit with my "tiny" lapdog Nikka lounging on me (what is so bad about 60 lbs of dog when she adores you?), I think that it is time to add another post to my blog, but unfortunately I haven't been out to take pictures lately. It is the time of year when the robins are returning from more exotic locations, the snow is retreating and everything takes on a general mucky shade of brown. Not very picturesque in my opinion. It is at this time I especially miss living in the cool evergreen forests of the northwest coast.

But soon, the tips of each branch of the maple trees that line the streets will start to turn red as the promise of buds appears. The ginkgo trees in the park will sprout small fan-shaped leaflets, and the catawba trees will unfold their huge leaves. Petaled flowers of the crab apple and catkins of willow will spring forth, the warm breeze will sprinkle pollen and sepals to the grass turned a delightful shade of light green. The air will be alive with the calls of birds, from the loud demands of blue jays, trills of warblers, the occasional song of a cardinal, and flashes of color from their feathers will adorn the tree branches that are their refuge. Squirrels will again tease Nikka from beneath the trees, and cause her to chase after them as she forgets momentarily that she is still attached to me with her leash.

Ah spring! I await your pleasant embrace.

Living up to her name

About a week ago, I received a very lovely Valentine's gift from my dear husband. He purchased an ipod for me so that I have something to listen to when I am working out indoors. I had been listening to a few songs before going to bed to drown out the cacophony that the kids downstairs call music. I placed the ipod next to my bed (I sleep in a loft so the lamp, books, etc are all placed next to my bed) and woke up in the middle of the night to Mayhem playing with the headphones. I removed the ipod from her possession and promptly went back to sleep. In the morning, I grabbed the ipod without taking a close look at it and went to work. I didn't use it all day and returned home, but as said neighbors were again listening to something that can be most closely described as screeching combined with a single loud bass guitar note , I tried to use it in an attempt to retain my sanity. I then discovered that Mayhem had done more than play with my headphones, she had CHEWED on them. Just enough to almost completely sever one headphone from the wire to which it is attached.

Fortunately for me, there is an apple store in the mall which replaces headphones for free, no matter what has happened to them. I can't wait to tell them who is responsible...

Woodpecker

I also spotted a little friend while walking around Saturday. Nikka desperately wanted to catch him, but he wisely stayed far above our heads in an old snag.

Long awaited pictures

Here are a few shots of the lovely snow storm on Friday night. Nikka and I LOVE playing in snow. As you can see, it gets rather deep by Lake Ontario! I was so happy to be feeling better to enjoy the bounty. I took about 120 pictures total, but it would take far too long to up load those into blogger. Enjoy!

under the weather

I have been sick with something that is best described as a cross between strep throat and the flu for a few days. I also try very hard to write only funny/cheerful posts on my blog, however tempted I am to discuss things that I find really stupid or irritating. This is why it has been a week since I have written. I can't help but discuss the latest newsworthy item. I have been "captivated" by the story of the woman that had octuplets... which is fine in itself except that she is unmarried, unemployed, and has 6 other children that she supports with student loan money, social security, food stamps and help from her parents. While I agree with her decision to have all 8 babies once she was pregnant, I have a hard time understanding her justification for having her children in the first place, since she had to have fertility treatments in each case, combined with the unmarried, unemployed factors. I honestly believe this woman may have a mental health issue!

Ooooh! even better!

"An Australian traveler was caught with two live pigeons stuffed in his pants following a trip to the Middle East, customs officials said Tuesday."* And you thought you were having a bad day! "They found the pigeons wrapped in padded envelopes and held to each of the man's legs with a pair of tights, according to a statement released by the agency. Officials also seized seeds in his money belt and an undeclared eggplant."* They also found two eggs in a vitamin container! This offense could end up costing him close to $70,000.

Now the only question I have is, what exactly was he going to do with the eggplant?

*Source: The Associated Press, 2009

Dangerous behavior

After a particularily stressful day, I like to sit back and relax with my laptop and read weird news stories. One of the gems from today's gleaning: Apparently consumer reports took a survey of "risky behavior" with products and I was a little amused to discover that I could be considered a rebel (usually without a cause). For example, apparently 3 out of 4 Americans put Q-tips in their ears to clean out wax, which may lead to perforated ear drums. I am guilty of this one, because I actually like hearing what is going on around me! In addition 4 out of 10 people eat raw cookie dough, at the risk of catching salmonella. Please tell me what is the point of making cookie dough if you aren't going to eat some of it (or all of it) deliciously raw. Yum. I think I need to make some tonight. Also, I fail to have a rubber mat in my shower... I hope I am capable of remaining upright in the shower at my age. I do however have a carbon monoxide detector, through no effort of my own; my apartment came with it. And I do not drink beer while using power tools! Snort. Natural selection at work? I also wear a bike helmet, not because I think my riding skills are poor, but because other people's driving skills ARE. And I do try to wear sunscreen, but sometimes I forget and everybody needs a little vitamin D now and then.
I am really surprised that nobody surveyed how often individuals drive with their knees, own a tarantula, eat day old sushi, and do back flips on a trampoline... activities that I consider much more dangerous than simply cleaning ears with Q-tips.

A little bit of snow

My dear friends and family are always asking me to post a few pictures of my home, pets, random stuff on line, so here are a few that show the little bit of "lake effect" that we get in Upstate NY (and Nikka of course). I promise I will add more beautiful, artistic ones when I get the chance to take more!

Oh, and another note, I started taking French lessons from a tutor today... so hopefully by the time I go to Cameroon this summer I will be able to ask for directions to the airport, bathroom, hospital, etc. Keep checking for French words and phrases of the week!