love nesting

I've been away for a few days doing an assignment for school on the design and production of high-end washing machines.  Sheesh, as if I don't have enough washwomanery in my life!

But it's all done, crisp and clean, so I dropped over here to the blog and... look at all the updates on my bloglist!  Oh, I must get to reading something other than moldy door seals!

Meego and I went to the nursery over the weekend so he could do a little landscaping refurb on the toad vivarium.  He wanted some more ground cover for them other than the moist soil they usually do their thing on.  And "their thing" is pretty much toad sex.

Have I mentioned that we don't know the sex of any of the toads?  We've sort of deduced that they're all guys, though.  At first, we just watched to see who took which position in doing "their thing", and they all ended up interchanging.  Okay, nothing wrong with that.  It's still possible that they're all girls, or some mixture.

But I digress, this is about the landscaping.  Meego ended up getting this little Blue Star Creeper plant.  I'd like to put some in our neglected backyard, but we'll test it on the small scale for now.

Here it is, freshly rooted in the upper left corner:

The toad threesome hung out in a tote during the extensive yardwork

The tote proved to be a total mood breaker.

But once they were back in their natural environs, they seem to really like the new plant.  Broke it in in no time!

So, let's play "I Spy".  Can you find him/her?

Who can resist these bedroom eyes?

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Silver Liningness Sunday

Greetings and salutations on this final Sunday of September.  We've been enjoying a lovely start to fall, that doesn't really feel like fall just yet.

This was a good and productive week.  My tutoring calendar has cleared somewhat, and it's nice to have that breathing room.  Another couple of weeks and it will clear even more, settling into a gentle schedule of "just enough".

This time of year, the deer start getting more active - looking to score.  So they move around more than usual and have been popping up in several areas.  It always makes me wonder where they are the rest of the year?

A friend of mine got this shot near her house:

SOURCE:  Abby's friend

Last night, Magnum and I were out walking China after dark when we came upon a good-looking buck behind our house.  A few steps later was another larger buck.  They both just looked at us curiously while China planned her escape.  I wondered where Cat Napolion was.  He's taken out quite a bit of the bunny and gopher populations.  I wouldn't put it passed him to try the buck challenge.

I've seen them on the bike path, too, thankfully off in the vegetation instead of while coming around a blind corner.  I've decided that I'd much rather be stung by a bee - especially since that's going to make me look like Kate Middleton - than be in a collision with a deer.  Last week, a woman walking her dog gave me a warning, "Careful, there's a doe just ahead", and I had that "Doe, a deer... " song playing in my head the rest of the ride home.

But at least it wasn't the lesbian sauna song, right, LottaJoy?

In movie news, Magnum and I watched The Robber,  an interesting movie based on the true story of a bank robber who was also a renowned runner in Austria.   I like a foreign film now and than as I get tired of Hollywood and I've never really traveled. If it had just been a movie, it wouldn't have been as interesting, but since it was a true story... this one was okay.  Left a lot of questions, but a nice little escape.



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flex-time Friday

Magnum's been working some longer days lately to build up some hours to get a few flex-time Fridays in.  Today was one of them.  Yay!






We took advantage of the sun and warmth - it doesn't feel like fall at all here yet - and hit the bike trail.

Neither of us has been on this stretch of trail before, and it was a  nice ride through mostly boonies.  There were a few areas of what I might call "technical" with some steep grades, rocky rutties, and loose sand, but for the most part it was very manageable.  Bella and whatever Magnum's neglected bicycle is named handled it all just fine.

It was a beautiful day for it.  For a while, we paralleled the interstate, watching as the poor slobs sat in commuter traffic.

Pizzas for anyone who can name the Colorado attraction in the photos.  Anyone?  Guano??

Soon enough, we decided we'd better turn around.  It was  another 5 miles or so to the next town up the trail, and if we'd had more time, we would've just continued.  But I had some homework to finish and felt I should do the responsible thing...

and blog...

future queen

Bless me, blog.  It's been six days since my last bee sting.

Okay, I really don't want to beat this dead bee to death, but this bee sting business has been on my mind lately.  At least I can say that the frontal gelatinous pudge has nicely abated.  There is still some lingering frontal pudge, but I think I must now accept the fact that it's not from the bee venom.

From ShadowRun's reminder, I decided to check to see if there were any positive aspects to being bee stung.  While the evidence is inconclusive if it helps pain of arthritis and symptoms of MS, it does seem that be venom is good for something.  It's good for making people less sensitive to bee venom!  Yay, so, each time I get stung, it's like getting a booster shot to make me less sensitive!

Judging from the latest gelatinous pudge, and my weekend spent mostly hugging an ice pack, we're not quite there yet.  I need more inoculation.

But at least I'm not dreading further stings.  I feel like I actually welcome them now.  Maybe I'm just getting loopy from it all, a strange addiction forming?  I happily ride along now, sending my message of love to the trail bees:

"BITE ME!"  (okay, I know they sting instead of bite, but that phrase has a nice ring).

Plus, in my extensive research - about 10 minutes of googling - I learned that Kate Middleton and Gwyneth Paltrow use the bee juice to make them purdy.

hell to the no

Maybe it's my calling.  "Princess of the Bees" or something.  Although, "Lord of the Flies" seems more fitting, and that wasn't nice at all. 

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Silver Liningness Sunday

The autumnal equinox is scheduled to hit tomorrow night.  I'm ready!

In the meantime, this was another lovely and productive week.  I mentioned giving some much needed TLC to bicycle Bella, so I want to give a shout out to Youtube.  Gosh, it makes such things cheap and easy.

I particularly like the Global Cycling Network for their thorough and informative videos.  But honestly, I just love their accents.

We also got Meego's new computer, Potato, up and running.  This will certainly help propel his education into the 21st century!  As I glance over my shoulder to see what he's doing.... it appears to be some race car video??  Well... TOMORROW!

Speaking of technological progress, we watched The Machine and liked it.  It's a bit dark and creepy, but well done.  It could happen.

At P.E.O. this week, we had a nice visit from our state prez.  I realized that I've learned quite a few of my new sisters' names now.  I also got a decent job repping Cottey College, a women's college that P.E.O founded and still owns.  I'll be the Cottey rep at one of our local high schools.

I am still dealing with the after effects from the latest bee sting.  It's like the bee venom causes this buildup of jello-like substance underneath my skin that just goes wherever it can.  I've had this nice gelatinous pudge between my chest and belly button for most of the weekend, and it seems to be abating some now.

It still itches, and I'm using mind-over-matter techniques to deal with the burning.

Spongebob knows how I feel!






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the (un)great outdoors

AAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!     (Or however that's spelled)


At the risk of being repetetive...

I got stung by a  [censored]  bee yesterday.













This one got me square in the chest.  Right between the...  Where once there was a paltry excuse for a cleavage, there is now a third boob.  I swear, I can cup the damn thing.

I don't know what's going on.  What's gotten into these bees?  And why are they using me for their suicides?

There are other regulars on the bike path that I've come to expect.  We share familiar "hello"s and such as we pass each other, but that's it.  I don't know any of them personally, but I'm really curious as to if any of them have been similarly suffering this summer.

Well, I may never know.

In the meantime, I do want to express a bit of apology.  This latest violation occurred as I was happily travelling on the goose poop course.  So I'm sorry for any sullying of virgin goose ears that occurred during my uncensored response.

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Jean's bench

There are other parks.  There are other benches.

But Jean's bench, in this park, is currently my favorite.

Jean's bench sits toward the east end of the park, facing west, encircled by large trees that provide the perfect amount of shade.  

From Jean's bench, I can see activity along the path that borders the west side, activity within this section of the park, the view of the mountains to the west.  

The main path branches off and travels just behind Jean's bench.  Babies in strollers and dogs on leashes wander by, their moms and masters enjoying the area of Jean's bench too.

I don't remember precisely when I found Jean's bench.  I suspect I was just looking to take a quiet break, and Jean's bench called to me.  

A small weathered plaque is bolted to Jean's bench.  It reads:

"In loving memory of 

Jean C. Brown.  

A very special lady, friend, and neighbor 

who often walked these trails.

Deeply loved and sadly missed by her 

family and her many friends"

Jean's bench is a pleasing, quiet contemplation.  A nice place to ponder.

About Jean.

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Linking up with Mama Kat again this week for the prompt:

1.) Show us where you go for quiet.


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