Holiday Feastings

I have figured out why I love the holidays.....It's the food.  I love to eat....hence my overweightness.  No I'm not making excuses for it....I....am....a....FOODIE.  Food is wonderful.   Crunchy, chewy, spicy, savory, salty, sweet....even a little sourness is good, Oh what the heck it's all good.  My next blog I will go in to more detail....until then, read a book, make love and eat chocolate....oh yeah I LOVE Chocolate....what foodie wouldn't.

Still Crafting

I have a feeling that until I get my Christmas presents done, this is what my blogs are going to be like, especially today.  So I'm back to crafting will write more later. 

Until later, read a book (who has time), make love (this I will make time for) and eat chocolate (of course!)

Craft Day

Today is the 3rd of December and I need to finish my homemade Christmas Presents, so this sentence is my blog and I will write more next week....LOL, I really, really, really, really need to get cracking.

So until later read a book, make love and eat chocolate. (and in my case get to work!!!)

Homemade Frenzy

It's my favorite season, Christmas.  I LOVE Christmas, the parties, the music, the great feelings of friendship and OH Yeah, my birthday.  Even though every year I keep getting older, I just can't seem to stop feeling younger.  Oh, not my poor body, but my mind.  My body is not aging well and I have health issues, but my mind keep expanding and my thirst for knowledge is increasing.  I bet that is why all of the great people in history were old when they made their mark. So there is hope for us oldsters to leave some kind of mark in history, instead of just passing time and gas like we tend to do. Yeah, me included.

I try every year to make something for my family and friends as a gift for Christmas.  Since I make jewelry, I have been giving earrings, necklaces and bracelets.  I think some of my gift recipients may have jewelry running out of their ears by now.  So this Christmas I am doing something different I am crocheting hanging kitchen towel for everyone.  They are useful and look nice in a kitchen.  My wonderful friend came over the other night and taught me a shell stitch......I LOVE IT.   So now my towels are a little bit fancier then they would have been.  I am enjoying this, even though my hands do hurt a little at night, my friend told me that this happens to her so I'm taking it, and as everyone knows you have to suffer for your art (or kitchen towels) for it to really be a creative endeavor.

I also am in a baking mood.  I don't know if this Mood will pan out but someone somewhere may or may not get some goodies for Christmas.  Heaven knows I don't need the extra calories......even though I want them.  A friend wrote on their face book page "Food such as cookies, candies, cakes and other assorted goodies eaten between Thanksgiving and New Years do not have any calories because they were eaten in the spirit of friendship and were eaten during the Christmas Holiday."  Gotta love that women. She came up with a "get out of jail free" card for us foodies who love to munch on all of the Christmas goodies.

So off I go today to stitch or bake depending on my mood.  Wish me luck and I promise (kinda) not to sample to many of my treats, even though you know I will.

So until later...read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

It's Cyber Monday

Today has the dubious title all around the world as Cyber Monday.  This is the day most of us are supposed to be chained to our computer, spending thousands of dollars on Internet orders of wonderful and stupendous Christmas gifts, that supposedly are being offered at great deals not offered anywhere else.  OK, this is great, except that trying to get onto any Internet site this am is IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

I must not be the only one trying to get online today.  But unlike others I am not shopping, I am just passing time waiting for a better weather report to pass on to my hubby at work, so they can decide wither they are going to open or close.   With 60 mile an hour gusts, I am in favor of closing, but  that's just me, I am a wienie when it comes to bad weather.

Getting back to Christmas shopping, and I mean Christmas, not Xmas.  People, put the Christ back into Christmas and you might just start enjoying the season.  I saw on the news this morning that most people are going to spend between 600-800 dollars on Christmas presents this year.   Are they for REAL!!!  Who has that kind of money????  Not anyone I know.  I guess I am cheap, I am making my Christmas presents this year.  They don't have the flash and fancy bling that a store bought gift might have, but mine are made with love and care and I guess that is what makes them special to me.  I know that whoever receives one of my homemade gifts will appreciate them even more knowing that I was thinking of them when I made them.  I have a friend who is painting pictures for each of her children.  WOW....now there is a family heirloom in the making, not only will her children get to enjoy this gift, but it can be passed on through this generation and on to the coming generations where it will also be a cherished gift. 

That is what people used to do for Christmas.  They made special gifts for their loved ones and friends.  Nowadays, people say they don't have time to make something.  I say that they don't take the time to do it.  A gift doesn't need to be something elaborate, it can be something as simple as a batch of cookies (even if they are store bought) wrapped up in a pretty reusable basket or a gift of time spent over coffee and doughnuts at the local doughnut shop (you buying of course!)  See simple things, heartfelt things....This is what Christmas is all about.  So I am not shopping on Cyber Monday and I am not really going to be shopping for much this year.  Yes there is something I want that can't be made at home....but I think I'll have my hubby wait until after Christmas for the sales to get it for me.....I can wait. 

Christmas is about spending time with family and friends,  not waiting to see what you got under the tree.  I am not saying that I don't love to get a present, I do.   But I would rather sit down and talk with my mom, my good girlfriend (she knows who she is) bake with my daughters and spend quality time with my hubby then receive a gift.  Yes a gift may last until your next rummage sale.....but people are only here on earth for a short while and memories last forever. 

So until later read a book, make love and eat chocolate and call your mom, a friend, your hubby and arrange time to get together and spread some that real Christmas spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is today, and today I will break my diet (what diet) and stuff myself with turkey (which is good for you) potatoes and gravy, stuffing, pie and anything else that is not nailed down.  It is a glorious day, when we are given free reign to indulge our inner glutton.  Tomorrow, I will suffer eaters remorse (kinda like buyers remorse, except your stomach really, really, really hurts) and probably won't eat all day (right). 
To everyone out there from my home to yours - Happy Thanksgiving!

It finally snowed!

I can't believe it, it snowed last night.  It is almost Thanksgiving (4 days away) and we had our first real snowfall.  It is beautiful out fluffy white, shiny and new.  I love the first snowfall, it is the ones that come after it I am not to keen about.

The first snowfall, brings to mind the holidays, sledding and all sorts of winter fun. But all to soon the reality of more snowfalls brings the slipping, sloshing, crashing and the mess melting snow brings and worst of all the cold.  Oh, you wonder about the crashing....that is the sound of the stupid car drivers who seem to forget how to drive on the snow the first time it is snowy and icy out.   

These are the same people that grew up in South Dakota and have driven on the ice and snow all their lives, but when that first snow hits they seem to forget their roots and drive like they have just moved here from Florida.  When it is slick out you don't drive 80 miles an hour on the streets, (yes, I am exaggerating) or slam on your brakes at the stop light.  Do these dunder heads remember this....nope, they don't and because of their mindlessness, they are being the cause of many accidents that wouldn't have happened if they would have remembered their driving smarts.

Hopefully, by the time I need to go out in this cold and snowy weather, the "Florida" drivers will have remembered that they are from South Dakota, and will be driving sane again.  One can only hope!

Until next time, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

It was an ugh!!! day

Yesterday and today were perfectly awful days to have fibromyalgia.  It was cold, rainy and then it snowed.  So having said that This Is My Blog for today.  I'll endeavor to write a longer and more interesting blog on Friday.  So until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

Yummy Peanut Butter

I Love peanut butter, especially crunchy.  I think I have always loved it, even when I was a small child.  It is sweet, filling and very versatile. 

You can eat it on crackers or between 2 pieces of any kind of bread you choose.  Peanut butter can go on a cookie, in between pieces of chocolate, use it to make candy and cookies and you can cook with it.  I was watching a cooking show the other night where the host went to different restaurants.  In this show they were comparing chili's made in different restaurants, one of the chef's said that their chili was the best because they put peanut butter in it ( not crunchy) and that made the taste really extreme.  The host was doubtful but after tasting it he said that it added an extra punch and was great.  Now you know that I just have to try it in my next batch of chicken chili.

I have eaten lots of things made with and from peanut butter.  But to be honest with you one of my favorite sandwiches is really kinda weird.  Yeah, I know I am kinda weird, but it is a great comfort food.
The recipe is:
Toast 2 pieces of white bread and spread with crunchy (not creamy) peanut butter immediately after it pops up.  In the meantime fry an egg just so the whites are cooked and the yolk is starting to cook.  Place egg on peanut butter and smooch the two slices together, till the yolk start to run a little out the sides.  Take a big bite and then tell me if it isn't the best sandwich you have ever sank you teeth into.   YUMMY!!  It is one of those comfort foods I can really crave sometimes.

Yep, peanut butter is one of my favorites, in fact I think I need a quick fix of some on a few crackers....so until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate. (which really does go well with peanut butter)

TGIFS: Thank Goodness It's Finally Sunny

I crave sunshine.  I think one of the main reasons that I don't like winter as much as some is because of the shorter days, cloudiness and the lack of sunshine.  I don't like the short days we now have because of daylight savings time.

Who the heck decided we had to have daylight savings time anyway.  I don't like it.  I don't like to have it dark at 4:00 in the afternoon and dark at 6:00 in the morning. What IDIOT decided to do this!?!?!?!

I bet it has something to do with the light bulb industry.  They want us to burn more bulbs, so hence they lobbied to get the hours shortened in the winter so we would have lights on longer, which means that they burn out quicker, and then we have to buy more, which burn longer, burn out quicker and then we have to buy more bulbs...... It becomes a vicious circle in which the only winner is the light bulb manufactors. 

But I fooled them.  I went to the store and got those new florescent bulbs that burn longer.   HA, HA and HA!  Now let them make a profit on me.  I don't think so.  Score one for the little gal.

Yes, I know that this won't make a dent in their cash flow, but it does make me feel better, and besides I am also helping the environment by not using so much energy, which means that it must balance somehow with all of the other energy I waste (computer, cell phone, TV......) on other appliances.

So, if it ever comes to a vote....I will vote against daylight savings time.   A vote for the sun is a vote for  Mother Nature...and we all want to really keep her happy, so she won't send a hugh snow storm our way.

So until next time, read a book, make love, and eat chocolate..... and also buy new florescent bulbs and stick it to the Man!!! 

It can't be November, It's 74 degrees outside!

I am having trouble believing that it really is the 8th of November.  For the past three days the weather has been beautiful, sunny, warm (70's) and simply gorgeous out.  I have really enjoyed it, but I am waiting for the other shoe to fall.

I know that Mother Nature is somewhere on a warm and sultry beach, drinking a Mi Ti with one of those little pink umbrellas in it, when she will suddenly jump up and exclaim "Crap!  It was supposed to be snowing in Rapid City last week".  She will then grab her suitcase, jump on a passing cloud and start blowing her way up north to South Dakota.  Our nice weather will be a distant memory to take out and fondle as we fight our way through another round of 50 mile hour wind, rain. snow and a lot of grumpy and crabby people.


The last weather report I heard, according to the weatherman today, is that the bad weather, (AKA, a pissed off Mother Nature, who is mad because she had to quit playing and get back to work) is going to happen tomorrow.  I know that it was going to happen soon, but come on I'm totally spoiled by the great weather.  No pain, fibromyligia is keeping quiet, and I can get some things done.  Hopefully, the snow will come in quick and stop.  I don't mind bad weather if it is only for a day or two, but I love the sun and hate when bad weather drags on and on and on and on and on.....it just becomes redundant.

Well, all I have to say is keep warm, put the tea kettle on and stay inside if you can. 
Until next time, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.  (today might be a good time to make that chocolate run before it storms!!!)

I Think I Should Write a Book

I am thinking of writing a book.  But for the life of me I can't think of what kind to write. 

I could write a neck-bitter.  These kind of books seem to be in style right now, but when have you ever known me to be a slave to what everyone else is doing.  I love Scottish romances set back in the 1500's, but that would entail a LOT of research, and right now I am feeling kind of lazy.  OH, OH, I could write a tell all book about my life....but besides putting the reader to sleep,  it would probably read like....Kandis was born, she lived, paid taxes and then she passed.   Yep, there is a million seller for ya!  If I did write a book I probably should stick with something I know about.  Don't smirk.....I do know about a few things. 

One of the many things I am a kinda of expert on is family home daycare.  I could write a tell all book about that.  How it can be very rewarding field or how to start a family home daycare.  I could also write about the many funny things that can happen in a daycare, how kids love to spit out their food, write on walls with markers, kick you when they are angry or how parents go to the bar first then remember they owe you for 2 weeks of daycare.

It might be an interesting book.  But then again I don't think they can still burn people at the stake, which could happen if I really told the world what daycare is like..Not really I'm joking, in a semi-serious way.  I loved doing Family Home Daycare and I was really good at it.  I think there are good and bad providers just like there were good and bad daycare parents.  I was really lucky, I seemed to get mostly good parents but every now and then a bad one snuck in.  I think I could write a book about how to do a daycare, forms, advice, information and some funny quips thrown in for good measure.

Writing a  book could be fun, but it also would be a lot of hard work.  So I'm thinking about it.....possibly for a good long time......you never know when the world will need another good neck-biter book.  I think I had better do some more research and hit the library for a few more of those romance and neck-biter books.  You never can do too much research.

Until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

What has happened to Halloween

What has happened to Halloween?  Good question.  Last night was October 31st, officially Halloween.  The night when ghouls, ghosts, witches, fairies, PAC man and other factious creatures come to life in our homes and spill out onto the streets of our towns and nation.  Even the President gave out Halloween treats. White House M & M's, cookies and dried fruit (You knew there would be something healthy in those treat bags).  He probably is really in on the Halloween festivities since he has two young daughters who are at the right age for trick or treating.  I wonder if the Secret Service Men have to go in costume.....they probably could go as the Men In Black, since they would only have to wear their black suit instead of their blue one.

The holiday has really changed since I was a child.  Now a days people are scared to send their children out by themselves.  It isn't safe, not with all the wackos and degenerates that are just waiting to catch an innocent kid in their grips.  It's too bad that a fun kid holiday should have to be so guarded, just to make sure that no one gets hurt.  Thank goodness that there are churches and city organizations that are willing to go the extra mile and provide fun and LOTS of candy for our trick or treaters. 

My hubby and I didn't stay at home last night (shame on us) but decided to take a drive around town just to see what was going on.  We took our police scanner hoping to maybe to hear something exciting going on during this Halloween.  We stayed out for probably hour and a half.  We did see some parents taking their kids around their neighborhoods and I did see very cute ghost with his little fairy sister running off some of the candy they had eaten earlier.  But not once, not once did we hear of an car egging, a house being toilet papered or anything that would construe Halloween mischief.  We did hear of a call in the Valley of three kids smashing a couple of their neighbors pumpkins on his porch.  But being the stupid kids they were the neighbor saw them, knew who they were and was reporting their names to the cops.  Well Duh!  Don't smash your neighbors pumpkins, or better yet if you just have to be destructive, buy one of your own, put it on your porch, sneak around and smash it.  Same thrill.....except you probably will end up cleaning the mess up, which is what I bet happened to those kids when the cops found them.

Times are a lot different now. Back when I was growing up  it was a lot safer to go out trick or treating.  Kids could go out by themselves, without their parent. My family lived  in a small town and everyone knew your family and your family knew everyone. You planned out your Halloween route weeks in advance.  You knew who gave out the best cookies, popcorn balls and treats. People gave out homemade treats and we loved them. You also knew which house to stay away from because that crabby old man lived there and he never gave out good treats, if he gave out any at all.

 My father was a reserve police officer, and loved to work Halloween.  He loved to catch kids egging cars and toilet papering houses or doing other mischief.  Why because he usually new the kid's parents and loved having to take the kids home and rat them out to their parents.  It didn't help that these kids were friends of mine and he knew them all.  He wasn't mean about it, he just said that this was how he pulled his Halloween pranks.  To be fair, he did warn all of us that he and others would be out and about, so we had all better be good and stay out of trouble.  Yeah right.  I did pull a few pranks, mostly innocent ones, but I did have a few friend (mostly guys) who really went above and beyond what they should have.  These few usually deserved to get caught and ended up cleaning up their tricks.  So the trickee usually had the last laugh instead of the tricker.

Yes, Halloween is a lot different today, which is too bad.  The world has gotten to be a very dangerous place.  But there are still a lot of us that are trying to make it a better and safer place for everyone.  Halloween isn't the same as it was but neither is the world.  Pretty soon, kids won't even have to leave their houses to go trick or treating, they'll be able to stay safe and warm, having their own party at home while their robot goes door to door for them.   Wow, that will sure save the feet of a lot of tired, shivering parents.  But it also could take away from the fun spirit of Halloween.  Maybe or maybe not.  Reports coming in from my kids and nieces, states that a spooky scary fun time was had by old and young alike last night.  So I guess no matter what, the spirit of Halloween just might persevere and continue on in this brave new world we find ourselves living in.

Until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.  (the only bad thing about growing old and not having grand kids yet, is that there aren't any Halloween baskets to raid, so no chocolate!!!)

I Spent The Day Outside

Yep.  Because the past week was so terrible, windy and cold, I decided to spend most of my time outside today.  It was a great decision.  The temperature hovered around 70 degrees and it was sunny with hardly any wind.  I took a romance book, a glass of raspberry iced tea set out on my deck and let the afternoon drift away. 

What a great day.  I loved it, the birds loved it, the squirrels loved it, and my dogs loved it because they could bark at the birds and squirrels.  A great day was had by all.  So because of my laziness my blog is short.  So until next time - read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

The Wind Ate My Shed!

When you have lived in South Dakota for as many years (50 + and counting) as I have, you come to expect many strange and wonderful things to occur when Ma Nature is going through PMS.  Why the weather seems to be her major focus is a mystery all its own. 

On a clear winter day with nary a cloud in the sky, it has started to snow.  We don't know where the snow comes from, but my hubby has a theory that it is snow that is falling in Wyoming and the wind blows it here to South Dakota.  We usually have great weather.  Warm and sunny in the summer, cool and sunny in the fall, some snow and a few cold days in the winter and usually a sunny and sometimes slightly rainy spring. All in all usually nice sunny days.  But that only occurs when Ma Nature is calm, cool and collected.

We like to remember the good weather not the weather when she is having a hissy fit.  This statement brings me to this week.  The wind has been blowing for 3 days straight.  Not just a slight, I love to feel the wind in my hair breeze or maybe I should put a coat on it is a little chilly breeze, but a full - out hang on to the door, tie a rope around the kids and dogs, and put weights on your feet to keep you on the ground type of wind.  The howling and moaning is horrible, not just the noise from my complaining, but the actual sound of the wind.

I read a book one time that was about the era of the "Dirty Thirty's".  The woman being written about complained about the constant blowing wind.  She said that the moaning and unrelenting wind noise about drove her crazy.  I understand.  It has only been 3 days and this wind is getting on my nerves in  the worst way. The wind makes it hard to walk outside and keep my gate shut.  The wind noise is causing me to wake up at night.  I just want it to STOP!!!  Yes, I'm having a spaz attack, and if I could get my hands around Ma Natures neck about now, I might try and shake some sense into her before I strangle her. 

The wind has made a terrible mess in my yard.  But the biggest mess in the yard is the smaller metal shed that used to sit beside my house.  You notice that I said used to.  The wind has pushed it off its foundation, and has crumpled it into bite size pieces, which are butting up against my large wooden storage shed.  What a big ugly mess.  I know when my hubby gets home we will have a big laugh about the crumpled shed but right now it is a big NOISY, UGLY, crumpled shed.  Every time the wind gusts (which is every 5 seconds) the old shed rubs against the large shed, the ground and my poor lilac bush, making a grinding, whining  and squawking noise.  It is really getting on my last nerve.  (The wind has done away with all the rest of my nerves, and I was saving this last one for my birthday.)

Yes, when the wind blows here in South Dakota, it really blows.  But when Ma Nature decides to interfere in the weather, we usually have more "weather" than we want or can handle.  Thankfully, the weatherman informed us that this wind is supposed to be gone by later tonight.  I am holding him to his promise.  I can find out where he lives if he is wrong, and would love to give him a lesson in weather reporting!!!

So until tomorrow (which I hope is wind free) read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

I did not break your gun!!!

Yesterday, Sunday, was one of those beautiful fall days that poets write about.  It was cool, sunny, no wind and absolutely wonderful. 

My daughter got married  a year and a half ago to a very caring, handsome, hard working and personable young man.  I couldn't have been happier for her choice.  He would be someone I would have picked  out for her, except he, like my husband, his best friend and a dear friend who is no longer with us is a Gun Nut.  Now I mean that in a nice way because I grew up hunting and fishing.  My whole family was really into guns and hunting.  But my son-in-laws family is really into hunting and target shooting. 

Ever since they got married, they have been after my husband and I to go down to Custer State Park, to his Grandfathers land, and go shooting at someplace called the "Range".

I imagined  a place out in the prairie where they would sit up tin cans and bottles and take pot shots at everything until it was all destroyed. That's what my family used to do.  BOY was I wrong. We followed the kids from home, down through Custer and down to Pringle. This wasn't the parie, we were going up into the Black Hills.  We started driving on gravel back roads through some of the most beautiful timbered country I have ever seen. After driving for awhile, we turned into a long driveway, went past a bunch of horsed and corrals, and WOW!!!!!  What a site. 

I couldn't believe my eyes.  We drove up to a very professional target shooting place.  There were outhouses, campers, a cooking area, and rows upon rows of metal professional targets laid out just waiting for a shooting contest.  The contestant area was covered with benches and shooting rests.   I was very impressed.  But the coolest thing I saw was a hugh pistol barbecue.   It was about 10 feet long and 5 feet high and looked just like a pistol.  One of the shooting club members had made it and it was very realistic. All this was sitting in some of the most beautiful land God had ever made. 

It was wonderful just to be there.  Quiet, peaceful, relaxing.  I got out the book I brought and hunkered down in my seat in the pickup and started to read.  Then......Bang, Pow, Ker bang.....Oh yeah, the real reason we were here.  The guys were going to go target shooting.  OK, I can live with that.  I was far enough away to not get my ear drums exploded, but still close enough to be included in what was going on.  I read for awhile, but that got boring when I saw all the fun everyone was having.  So I decided to walk down to the shooting area. 

 I meandered down to the shooting area and my daughter gave me a pair of ear plugs.  I was very glad to have them, because up close those Pows and bangs can really hurt your ears.  They got me a chair and I sat down to watch.  But you know me I can't sit still and not do anything, so I got the big idea that I would like to try shooting. It has been many years since I shot a gun or pistol.  Since having fibromyalgia, my arm strength isn't what it should be and I have trouble holding things up.  But not to worry.

My son-in-law being the ever helpful person he is, gave me a 22 rifle to shoot.  Great, it was light and easy. After a few misses at a metal squirrel, I started hitting it.  Cool!  I wanted to try something else.  Well he thought I could possibly handle his 22 pistol.  Here is when my trouble started.  I popped off a bunch of rounds, actually hitting the target I was aiming at, then I pulled the trigger and nothing. Oops, he said "bad ammo", (right) I tried some more rounds.  Nothing.  My daughter took the pistol and tried.  Nothing.  He took the pistol and looked at it, "Oh here is the problem the Firing Pin is Broke".   My daughter and hubby started laughing, "Mom broke the gun".  My son-in-law being the nice person he is said "no it could happen to anyone it wasn't her fault."  Bless him.  But the rest of them kept on giving me a bad time about it, and I even thought I glimpsed Mr. nice son-in-law trying to hide a smile. 

That ended my shooting.  I wasn't going to take the chance of something else going wrong.  So I sat back relaxed and watched the clouds go by.  Which was what I really wanted to do anyway.

The moral of this story is next time we go to the "Range".  I am going to take earplugs, a good book, ice tea, a reclining chair and some chocolate.  Let them shoot their brains out.  I am going to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and relax.  So yes, I probably did "injure" his gun....I'm not admitting to anything....but if I ever do go shooting again, I am going to have my own gun, and if I break it, then  "oh well", it's nobodies fault but my own.

Until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.  ( and keep me away from guns)

Time is slipping away!

I can't believe that it is already the end of October. Time has been getting away from me lately, so I have decided that I'm going to write on this blog, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  If I get any time in between I will write any and all ideas that pop into my head.   

Tomorrow I will write a full blog.  I also want to start including a recipe with my blog.  So if any readers out there have any ideas ( you know who you are) let me know, leave  your ideas in the comment section.

So until tomorrow read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

Thank God My Hubby is a Computer Geek!

I did something really stupid today, which doesn't mean that I am stupid, but that I unknowingly accessed a Web site that wasn't safe.  To make a long story short.

 DON'T WEB SURF WHERE YOU DON'T KNOW OR YOU WILL WIPE OUT LIKE I DID. 

It took my hubby 5 hours to unlock and fix my mess up.  Well I'm done on the computer till tomorrow....I'm almost afraid to touch it in fear of breaking it again.

Until tomorrow....Read a book, make love and eat chocolate (or in my case tonight LOTS of chocolate!!!!)

I am not ADDICTED to coffee!

It is Monday morning, and I am on my third, Yes Third!!!!, cup of coffee.  I just can't seem to get going today.  It just maybe the Monday blahs, the I was up to late last Sunday night blahs or just the plain blahs.  I choose all of the above.  But no matter what the cause of my blahs, I just can't seem to get motivated today.

I got up at 5:30 AM with my hubby, made him breakfast and had cup of coffee number 1 with a couple of waffles.  My hubby left for work at 6:10 and I messed around until 6:30, reading the paper, sipping my coffee and greeting my father-in-law as he dropped off his dog Peggy for the day.  I couldn't seem to stay awake so I finished my coffee, poured another one and turned on the computer.  I checked my daily reviews, authors blogs I follow, my two (yes two) facebook accounts and checked my email.  Cup of coffee number two was gone and it was good to the last drop.

 I need to clarify to everyone, the actual size of my coffee cup.  It is not a standard coffee cup, but a large white cup you would get at a coffee shop.  So it is probably equal to 2 regular coffee cups. 

Now back to my morning.  Since I was yawning and struggling to keep my eyes open, I decided to try and go back to bed for awhile.  To anyone else out there this would probably seem like a good idea.  But to me the problem lies not in my ability to go to bed and sleep, but the ability of my bed partners to allow me to sleep.  Bed partners you query,  "I thought your husband went to work this morning...Kandis what are you into?!?!?!?!?"  Not to worry.  My bed partners are of the four legged kind, Smokey, Buddy, Luna and Peggy.  Four rambunctious, furry hounds that would rather turn bedtime into playtime.  After alot of loud barking and howling (most of it from me trying to get them all to settle down) I gave up.

I returned to the kitchen poured another cup of coffee, which by this time needed to be heated up in the microwave, and proceeded to make a list of daily chores.  Not exactly the thing I wanted to do, but instead of just sitting and doing nothing I decided to get something done. 

My blahs, having a hold of me by the neck, weren't going to have anything to do with me getting active.  I ran water in the sink, but instead of doing dishes quickly and getting them out of the way,  my blahs said "Ah, it's better to let them soak for awhile, I'll just watch a little TV."  A half hour later and my coffee was done but my dishes weren't.  I got up and finally washed my dishes.  Then I got a spurt of energy, (must be the coffee finally working) and swept the floor, cleaned off the counter, wiped the table and picked up the living room.  Whew.  Time for another cup of coffee.

Which brings me to this point in time, to not my third (as I finally realized) but fourth cup of coffee that sadly is now also gone.  I will now make a determined point to stop drinking coffee or else I will end up either going to the bathroom all day or have a bad case of jitters and excess energy.  The excess energy doesn't sound bad, but I don't want to be shaky all day, and I certainly can think of better things to do than run to the Pot every few minutes.

Do I think I have a coffee addiction, probably.  But I think it mostly occurs on Mondays and Sundays.  Mondays because of the blahs, and Sundays because that is just what you do when you sit around Sunday morning, reading the paper and drinking hot yummy coffee.  I'm not the only person that has this problem.  My hubby, my best friends E & C (you know who you are) and lots of others are just as bad, if not worse.

At my age, the Doctors have taken away many of the guilty pleasures I loved, fattening desserts, alcohol and greasy foods, that coffee is really the only guilty pleasure that I can safely indulge in.  So to this end I say, Coffee Lovers of the World Unite. Indulge in one more cup of your favorite cup of JOE. Inhale that steamy aroma and savor the rich, mellow taste of that third cup of coffee.  Who knows coffee may even be good for you, in fact I think I read somewhere where coffee can cure what ails you or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

Til later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.  (I wonder if they have it in coffee flavor.)

What Did You Make For Supper?

I am in a terrible rut.  I can never figure out what to make for supper.  You think it would be an easy task.  I've watched hundreds, if not thousands of cooking shows over the years.  I also have a few cookbooks (10 or 20) and I also have access to the Internet where there are millions of recipes just bouncing out in la-la land, waiting for my magic fingers to bring them to my computer screen.

You would think that with all this information it would be a snap to figure out what I want to make  for tonight's supper.  Not So.  I just get more confused, more unsure and more irritated with the more shows I watch, the more cookbooks I look at, and the more info I download.  It is a real pain in the behinder.

When I had my daycare meals were a snap.  I had menus and lots of ideas on what I wanted to cook.  Maybe it was easier because I had more people to cook for, husband, daughter, nieces and their friends.  We usually had a houseful.  It didn't matter if we had leftovers, someone would always eat them within a few days. It also might have been that I was a lot younger then and more willing to try new things.  I didn't mind all the mess that came with cooking and cleaning up after a big meal.

 But now with just the hubby and me,  I don't want leftovers because I'm the only one who is around to eat them.  Who wants to eat spaghetti three days in a row?!?!?!?  Well, I guess the only thing to do is go to meal plan M..........M as in McDonalds.  Yep, it is a good night for two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun and if you know what that is you are just as old as I am and I probably will be seeing you at McDonald's tonight too.

Until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate ( they have chocolate shakes at McDonald's too!)

Why Do Dogs Climb Trees?

What a concept.  A dog that climbs a tree.  If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed.  But I'm getting ahead of the story.

I have a beautiful backyard, trees, grass, lilac bushes and lots of space to run around.  It is a very enjoyable place for human and furry friends to relax in. 

Last May, on Mothers Day, my family gave me a gorgeous big birdhouse that I put on a pole in my backyard.  All summer I waited for some bird family to move in and stake their claim on my birdhouse.  No such luck. Then I figured out what I was doing wrong.  You have to provide an incentive for the birds to come into your yard and eventually move into a new birdhouse. 

This idea sounded great.  I got a small bird feeder and filled it with a wild bird seed mix.  I waited and waited.  Finally yesterday I saw some cute little finches up on the birdhouse. Then they flew down to eat the bird seed from the feeder.  I was ECSTATIC.  But unbeknownest to me the trouble was just beginning.

It started out softly yesterday afternoon, with a small yip and yap.  "Darn squirrels,"  I thought, "getting the dogs all riled up again."  I ignored them.  The barking kept getting louder and more frantic, and I noticed that it wasn't coming from the fence but right next to the house down by my hugh lilac bush.  I went out to see what the commotion was all about.  Here were two of my crazy dogs frantically barking at the lilac bush.  I thought I would have to call the vet....they were barking at nothing.  But wait, the branch moved, and out popped a little cute grey finch.  Oh, how sweet I thought.  A dear little finch.  I told the dogs to shut up...but they kept barking.  I told them the finch was gone.  But they kept barking and circling the tree.....here is where the story takes on a whole new slant. 

Smokey, our female corgy mix, decided that enough was enough, went to the bottom of the lilac bush and launched herself up and started to climb up the tree.  I was AGHAST and ran over and pulled her out of the bush.  At that point in time, the bush exploded and millions (well it seemed like millions, but probably was only 50 or 60) tiny, frantic finches burst out and flew to the surrounding trees.  This caused mass confusion.  The dogs (all  four of them) ran from tree, to tree, to fence, to bush, yapping, howling and barking at the top of their lungs.  I don't know what the neighbors thought, but I turned around, walked quickly up my ramp onto my deck and hustled into my house, closing the door behind me.  I don't know about you.  But if anyone asks what was going on.....I am going to say that I was taking a nap and didn't hear a thing.

So, dogs can climb trees.....believe it or not.
  
Until next time read a book, make love and eat lots of chocolate.

It's a short post today

Today has been a very painful day, so all I am going to say is that Fibromyligia sucks. Period. End of Discussion.

I Love Wally World

Yes, I am in love with Walmart. Where else can you go and buy everything including a kitchen sink, be entertained for nothing, and have dinner at a  - 4 star restaurant.   I don't know about anyone else's Wally World, but ours here in Rapid City is probably one of the busiest in the world.  How do I know....They have said so.  No I don't believe everything their PR guys put out, but I have gone to shop at midnight and it is still as busy as it was earlier in the day

I love and hate shopping there.  I love the bargains I can get, and love the money I save.  I hate the empty shelves, long checkout lines and what I hate most of all are the bratty kids that try to run you down. 

Maybe its a game...."Let's get the old fart in the handicap cart."  I know the rules by heart. 

1.  No manners.  You (the bratty kid) are allowed to run in front of said cart, causing the driver to slam on the brakes.....but wait they don't have brakes.  This is where they get their first big score ( probably worth 20 points) and their first laugh.  The old fart (me) frantically lets off of the gas and with no brake is slamming their feet on the floor trying to get the cart to stop before they careen into something or someone and have a huge wreck (10 bonus points for a semi-messy crash). 

2.  Screaming at your friend while you are beside an old fart, rendering them deaf or deafer, whichever the case may be.  This is worth 15 points.

 3.  Ramming your cart into the back of a handicap cart.  This is a high scorer of 25 points.  It takes a certain talent to run down a cart that is only going 3 miles an hour at its max speed.  I don't know how they do it, they come out of nowhere, swerving, and sliding until they SMACK right into the back of the cart.  You (the old fart) are thrown forward and sideways, while trying to stay on the seat of the cart.  You valiantly hang on with one hand while shaking your fist vigorously in the air, and yelling at the young punk " Watch where you are going Stupid!!!"  But do you think this witty remark is sinking into those puny brains?  No!!!  All they can think of is the 25 points they just got for ramming into you. 

I am sure that there are more ways to score....but just thinking of those brats at Walmart has got my blood pressure pumping.  I wonder if I could mount a shotgun full of birdseed on one of those handicap carts.  I bet that would stop their little game fast...  "Hey Stupid come here and meet my little friend, Pepe....I've been waiting to run into you tonight....BWAHAHAHA!"

No, I wouldn't really do that, but a large ice water filled squirt gun would be really nice to have at my side when one of those kids starts to play the game.    Pow - Kerr - Splash!!!!....."What do you think of me now.....The old grey haired lady ain't such an easy target."

I bet we could start our own game....."Drown the Rude and Sassy Punks"   I bet we would have lots of joiners, we could branch out, go nationwide, no wait world wide.  I can see it now shirts with a  large squirt gun on them, hats with squirt guns on them, decals for your trucks and trailers.  Yeah, I know I am not being politically correct, and someone will label this as child abuse....but darn it....what about my abuse.

I think it's about time we old farts stand up for our rights.  And as soon as I can get a handicap cart (I've been waiting for one for 20 minutes, sitting calmly here on this bench in the entrance of Walmart),  I'm going to drive on in to Walmart, at 3 miles an hour, pedal to the metal and full speed ahead. The first kid that tries to take me out had better watch out cause I'm bringing in my butterfly cane.  I'm primed for beer - no I mean bear....ready for action.  I can and will cry......Whiplash.....Let's see how soon Walmart puts a stop to the old fart game, once they have had to pay for an ambulance ride, hospital bill and a hefty lawsuit.  Until tomorrow....read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

Why Do I Like My Yard?!?!?!?!

My yard is my escape.  I can sit on my covered deck and watch the world go by, read a book or just lay back and relax.  I like my yard. Most people going by don't even know that it is there hidden, behind that huge, tall, brown wooden fence.  I love the fact that only the front half of the yard, along the sidewalk and road, is concealed by my fence.  The rest of the yard is woven wire and my neighbors driveway runs along side of it. 

Hidden on my porch behind the fence I become a observer of life, a voyeur if you think about it. No, not like a dirty old man ( and no I am not a dirty old women).  I like to observe life, watch it unfold naturally around me. 

There are many things to observe from my porch.  They are building a hugh building across the street, and it has been really neat to see it go from a school being torn down, earth moved and pushed around, to the steel going up and taking the shape of the building it is now.  It has been fun watching all of the coming and goings of the different crews that have been working across the street.  Yes, there have been lots and I do mean lots of guys working over there.  So in that respect, the eye candy has been great most of the time.....though sometimes there were wider cracks over there than there are at the grand canyon. (Think of plumbers pants and you will get my drift.)

One of the best things about my yard, is watching my dogs playing, wrestling, and chasing each other.  The yard is big enough for all of them to wear themselves out.  There also are the sneak attacks that my dogs love to pull on unsuspecting passerbys.  The dogs can see out the fence cracks and will wait until a jogger, walker or someone with a dog walks by and gets really close to them.  Then they start attack barking, you would think that a pack of rabid dogs was coming over the fence after you.  It is hilarious,  people jump, scream or take off running.  I know my dogs are rolling on the ground laughing and high fiving each other, each and every time they do this.    I know I should feel bad and make them stop, but it is just to darn funny!!!!  Yes, I  do the token "You guys need to stop that", but I'm usually laughing to hard to be serious.

Yes, my yard is great.  It doesn't matter the season, time or day, I enjoy being outside.  Big shady trees, green grass and lots of entertainment.  What more could I ask for......well, maybe a box of chocolate now and then.  Until tomorrow, read a book, make love and eat lots of chocolate.

Don't Do Dishes In The Tub!!!!

Weird tittle  - Yep, well it has been a couple of weird days.  Last week was a wash.  I didn't write in the blog because I usually ran out of time during the day, and I was to sad to write anything.  But today is a new day and the second day of a new week.

I bet you are wondering what the heck my tittle is talking about.  Well, let me tell you.  It all started late Sunday afternoon.  Here I was minding my own business, trying to finish a load of laundry.  I was sitting at the kitchen table when, you know when you hear something thing that isn't quite right and it tickles the back of your brain. I couldn't place the weird noise I was hearing.  It sounded like a fountain.  I don't have a fountain in my house,  at least I thought I didn't have one.  I followed the noise and BEHOLD.....the fountain.   Coming out of the drain at the back of my washer was a stream of soapy water, bellowing and frothing up and out of the drain all over the floor, the washer and down the wall.  Well Heck!!!!

Keeping my calm, I did think to turn off the washer (barely) and headed down the hall (to grab towels to soak up the mess) bellering  and screeching at the top of my voice "David I need You!"  Well, he comes running from outside thinking that I'm dieing or I have caught the house on fire....It only happened once, and I wasn't entirely to blame - he skidded  to a stop, gasping for air, eyes bulging, looking around for what ever the emergency was.  Here is where men and women think and react differently to things.  To me, my house flooding is a problem....to him, it is a minor inconvenience.....I'm in panic mode and he just calmly looked over the situation. 

To make a long story short.  Plugged drain.  After he and a friend worked 4 hours trying to unplug it without success.  The snake (weird name for a unclogger) they tried to use was only 20 feet long and was to short to reach the plug.   I called a drain guy, actually he was a drain girl. She and her crew worked for only 15 minutes, used a 26 1/2 foot long snake and charged  $69.00. 

So the moral of this story is that I had to do my dishes in the bathroom tub, because men still try to say their "snake" is this long _________________________  when in reality it is only this long ___________.
(Just joking Honey) And that is why I had to do dishes in the bathtub. 

So until tomorrow, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

Reflection Day

This is a recap of a blog I wrote a week ago.  I felt that I needed to change it somewhat and write just a little bit more.

I know when I decided to write this blog, that I wanted to be informative, light hearted and humorous.  But with life a little sadness seems to leak in now and then.  I'm sitting here at my desk trying to compose my thoughts while the world is moving forward, cars going by my house are headed to work, and a dear friend has died.

Life can come at you like a knockout punch. It is always changing.  Sometimes for the good, the bad and in this case the sad.  If you are a Christian like me, death is something to look forward to. We get to go to live with God.  What is better than that? 

I think that we all hang onto those we love, not for their benefit but maybe selfishly for ours.  I hate saying good-bye. It seems so permanent.  But it really isn't.  We will get to be with all of our friends and loved ones that have gone before us after we die.

I don't really think much about death.  Like most humans, I love it here on earth and want to hang around for as long as I can.  I'm not ready to die.  There is so much more out there that I want to see, learn about and experience. But who's to say that soon, God maybe ready for me. It isn't our decision to decide when we are going to die.  God has his own agenda. When he calls you, you can't ask him to wait till tomorrow.  You can't tell him that I've got to clean the garage, do the laundry or take in a movie.  You just answer his call and go. 

I guess that I should celebrate the life of my friend. Mr. Roy.  His humor, wisdom, and graciousness are traits that I should strive to copy.    My friend was a man of God.  His faith has been tested a few times, but he always has held strong in his beliefs.  He was a true western cowboy, from his white straw hat, his slow country drawl, down to his scuffed cowboy boots.  I have always enjoyed his warped sense of humor and the gotcha jokes that he loves to catch you with.  I will miss that. 

He was a true gentleman, in a time when manners and consideration seem to have been forgotten.  An avid hunter, he loved to swap stories or guns.  He was a devoted husband, father and friend. Patient and kind, I don't think he ever met a stranger. He was always ready with a handshake and a hearty hello.  I know he sounds like a saint and I am sure that he had some bad points, but right at this moment in time, I'm having a hard time remembering them. 

I sat tonight at the funeral home and listened to some of Roy’s friends and family tell stories about him.  Some of the stories made me laugh, some made me cry, but all of them made me remember.  They made me remember that even though Roy isn’t here in body, his spirit, his “joy of life,” will live on in all of us forever.   God broke the mold when he made my friend Mr. Roy.

Monday Blahs

It has been a very up and down weekend.  The up was we had fun at the rummage sale we had.  We didn't sell a lot, and their weren't very many shoppers, but we got rid of a lot of junk ....OOPS.......I mean treasures.  The down was a good friend passed away early Saturday morning.

It was a very long day because at 4 am we got the call that a very dear and close friend of our had just died.    I think everyone was shell shocked for the rest of the day, and in some ways we still are.  How do you accept the death of a man who meant so much to us all.  Not just his family, but also to the friends who knew his so well and considered him family.  How do you say good-bye.

Mr. Roy was everyone's friend.  You just couldn't help but like and respect him.  I think that is the word that brings to mind one of his characteristics.  Respect is hard to come by and usually must be earned.  But once in awhile there comes along a person that just naturally gets respect from everyone.  He also was a Godly man and had a close relationship with the Lord.  If there is just one thing that I have learned from him is that the Lord is here, within us all.  You just have to reach out and he is there.

I know I will cry some more the day of his funeral.  We all are shedding many tears for him.  But we all need to remember....He is with God.  He isn't in any pain.  He is free.  I know that the Lord had his hand out reaching for Mr. Roy on Saturday morning, and in his other hand he had a pair of golden wings. 

We Love you Mr. Roy and will miss you at our card games.  Until Thursday.....read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

Rummage Sale Race

Today we are getting ready for a rummage sale.  It is a madhouse here.  Will post results Monday.

Today was a very Dark and Gloomy Day - Till Noon -

Yep, today started out to be a very ugly, cloudy, rainy and dark day.  How bad was it you ask?  Well, I usually have to fight my way to the front door to let my dogs out to go potty.  But not today,  I asked "Who has to go potty?"  Man you should have seen the looks I got.

Not only did they not want to go out, but I had to literally grab a couple and push them out the door.  Did I mention it was pouring cats and dogs out at the time.  I guess they thought that meant that they would be some of the dogs that went pouring down.  Anyway the rest of the morning went like that.  They acted like they were dead to the world.  I couldn't get a response out of any of them.

But wait.  What was that?  A ray of sunshine.  One ear perked up.  Uh, Oh, the rain stopped,  a couple of eyes started to open.  Hey the wind stopped, I saw movement on the couch.  Holey Moley, the sun is out. 

OMG,  how did they know.  You thought they had just won the lottery.  What a commotion.  Barking, yapping howling....."Let me out, Let me out!"  I had to again fight my way to the door.  The way they went out the door, braying, howling, tails up, feet skidding, all of them going about mach 20.  You'd think that Jack the Ripper was in the yard after their balls.   It was a sight to behold.  Yeah, I'd like to behold it in someone else's yard.  

Dogs are a funny sort of people.  You can't live with them, and you can't live without them.  They are funny, endearing and there when you need a good lick on the face.  I love the mutts, so I guess I'll put up with their quirks a while longer.  I know that they always put up with mine.  Till tomorrow, read a book, make love and eat lots of chocolate.

I Thought Taking Pills Was For Old People

When did I get old.  I don't remember it happening.  I just seemed to wake up one day last week, and really looked at myself in the mirror.  WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED.  Who was that old lady looking back at me?

Where and when did the grey hair come from?  And OMG the bags under my eyes.  It looks like I don't have any eyebrows or eye lashes unless you get up close and WHOOP There They are.....solid white.  Where did the lush, long black and flirty lashes go?   And I don't want to talk about my BOOBS...... they have really gone south.  I used to laugh at pictures of old women and the sagging long boobs. No longer.....those boobs are mine.

I don't feel old.  I still like to look at hot men (especially my sexy husband). I don't dress as nice as I used to, but who has to dress up just to vacuum the floor.  I still like to go fast in cars, but thank God for those hand rails on the side of the doors.  I guess if I really sat down and thought about it, I would realize that all of the changes in me, have been gradually coming on.  Some changes on the other hand are coming on like gangbusters.

Yes, I am talking about the one thing all of us women dread to see coming....MENOPAUSE!!!!!  I used to laugh at my mom when she would have hot flashes in the middle of winter.  Here she was on the back porch, in her robe, fanning herself as it was blizzarding out.  What a hoot.  Boy did I laugh at her.  Well, the shoe is on the other foot, just last January, here I was out on the deck, 10 degrees below 0, hotter than a pistol, wishing for more snow.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

When I was younger, I would visit my grandparents.  I used to get a big laugh out of them and their pills.  Six with breakfast, two at lunch and more at bedtime.  I told them they didn't have to ever eat, all they had to do was keep taking their pills.  My grandmother looked me in the eye and told me not to laugh to hard because someday this would be me.   Well she was right.  Someday is now and oh boy, do I have to take a lot of pills to take every day just to keep going.  Pills for high blood pressure, pills for thyroid, pills to make me feel good, pills to make me poop good and the list goes on and on and on.  Who knew that my life would revolve around taking a bunch of pills every day.  I bet my grandparents in Heaven are having a great big laugh right about now.  I think they call this poetic justice.

What it comes down to is this.  You do what you have to do to make your life better.  If I have to eat handfuls of pills to survive...so be it.  If my boobs are sagging, the only man who is going to get to see them is my hubby, and he still thinks I'm beautiful.  As for my wrinkles and white hair, I think of them as character points.  It points to the fact that not only do I have a lot of great characteristics, but that I am still somewhat of a character.  Which is good, because that means that I don't take myself that seriously, and I can still see and appreciate the wonders of life. 

Age is just a state of mind.  Even if your body is old and decrepit,  your mind can be young and free.  Like my grandmother Esther used to say, " I may be 88 years old and creak a lot, and I may not be able to outrun a 20 year old, but I still can out think them and that's all that counts."  So I'll be like grandma, slow to the finish, but fast on the draw.  Till tomorrow, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.

Today is a Fibromyalgia Day

Today is a painful day.  My Fibromyalgia is really kicking my butt.  Fingers swollen and painful, so until tomorrow when hopefully I will be able to type......Have fun, make love and eat lots of chocolate.  Eat alittle extra for me.

Nothing At All Happened Today!

Today is Monday.  It was Monday all day today.  Since it was Monday and the first day of the work week, you would think that something would have happened to start off the week on a good or bad note.  But NOTHING happened.  It has been a very boring and disgustingly, unusually bland day.

Oh wait, there was something that did happen today, the wind blew. But that probably doesn't count as a happening because the wind blows alot most days. Except today it was  a little stronger then most.  Not a gale or hurricane force, even though some out -of -staters think that a 30 mile an hour wind is a strong gale.  Boy is that image laughable. 

A 30 miles an hour wind is just a slight breeze around here. At 40 miles an hour we might bring in the laundry off the clothes line. A 50 mile an hour wind, well  maybe we won't have that outdoor barbecue, that is a slim maybe.  A 60 miles an hour wind, is getting a might breezy.  Just breezy enough to comment on.  Now 70 miles an hour that is getting a little stronger, and most of us might think about raking leaves or mowing, just in case it might cause the dust to raise just a tad bit.  A wind at 80 miles now that is kite flying weather, makes for some mighty fine dips and dives, providing your string doesn't break and the kite decides to fly away.  At 90 miles an hour it might be time to start thinking of battening down the hatches, and taking stock of anything that might just be light enough to blow away.  Finally at 100 miles per hour or more, Now  we have a real windy day,  breezy enough to lift a youngster off his feet, and whip umbrellas off of their bindings. 

There you have it in a nutshell, what windy days are like in South Dakota.  I don't know what those folks on the east coast are complaining about.  If your tree fell over, It probably had a bad or weak root system and your roof coming off....well, it must have been time for a new one.  As you can see, us South Dakotans are a hardy breed,  it takes a lot to frazzle us and a gentle 90 mile hour breeze isn't going to do it.  Till tomorrow, have fun make love and eat chocolate.

BARKOLOGY-The Science Of The Dog Bark!

Ok, I know that barkology isn't a real science, but it should be.  I mean have you ever wanted to know just what your dogs are barking about?  I have four dogs.  One I originally got from the pound and three others I inherited from my daughter and son-in-law. 

The grand dame of the dog pack is Jade.  Jade is a 11 year old Burmese Mountain / Rottweiler cross.  She is gorgeous, black and white with lovely soulful brown eyes.  She is one of the original, meaning that I got her, from the pound, when she was just a  pup. Buddy is the only boy in the group and has become my husband's dog. Buddy is a full blood Beagle, and he is just full of piss and vinegar. Being a true Beagle, he is a scent hound.  I think he would follow a smell to Timbuktu and he still wouldn't stop until he was exhausted.  Next on our list is Luna.  Luna's full name is Luna-tic.  My husband named her that because, well she is a lunatic, no pun intended.  Luna is just a year old and is a Cocker Spaniel/blue healer cross.  Long legged, wiry and "Boy Howdy" can that dog run.  She will chase anything that moves including rabbits, crickets, balls, grasshoppers and laser lights.  ( Hence the name Luna-tic)  Smokey came to our happy pack because her owner was going to put her down, and my son-in-law, being the dog lover he is couldn't let that happen.  She is a Corgi cross and we don't even know how old she is.  I would guess she is around 5 or 6 years old.  This dog is starved for attention and is so very loving.  Why anyone would want to get rid of her is a mystery.

Oops I forgot the fifth dog of the pack, Peggy.  Peggy is my father-in -laws dog.  She is a hyper, yappy Boston Terrier.  Don't get me wrong she is a very loving dog, but when she gets excited......Yap-yap-yap....she never stops.  When Harold goes out of town to deliver a car for his job, I get to babysit little Miss Peggy.

Now that you have a background on the pack of dogs I have at my house, just imagine what happens if -
1. A stranger, friend or ghost comes to the door.
2. Lord forbid a strange person, dog on a leash or a ghost walks by on their sidewalk.  Or
3. A squirrel, Robin or cat just happens to come into their line of vision.

Oh My Gosh!!!!  You have never heard such a racket......You think the world was coming to an end.  Thus, I would love to know just what the Heck they are barking about.  I remember seeing a Dexter cartoon where he finds a dog and invents a pill that will enable the dog to speak English.  "It's a thing, it's a thing, I don't know what it is but it's a thing"  I can see my dogs saying that.  I also watched the movie "UP. " The dogs in it wore collars that enabled them to talk.  Boy, did that movie hit the nail on the head about how dogs must think.   "My master made this collar for me so that I could speak....SQUIRREL......Hi there."  Man my dogs could have been in that movie.  It is just like them. 

We are kinda mean to the dogs.  Just for fun, when it is totally quiet in the backyard, one of us will blurt out - "SQUIRREL."  It is hilarious, all the dogs fly to the fence, barking like idiots and they don't have any idea what they are barking at. 

But just maybe I don't want to know what my dogs are saying.  I don't want to know what another dogs butts smell like,  I don't want to know that dead meat smells the best and I don't want to know what they really think about me. In this case ignorance is bliss. I am perfectly happy dishing out lots of pets and praise which makes all of us happy.

 So hug your pets, and be thankful you have them.  Until next time, have fun, make love and read a book.

Facebook DOES NOT Rule My Life!

Well, maybe I am a little addicted to the site.  I'm a snoop.  I like to see what everyone is doing, especially  family and friends that are far away.   Yeah I know I could call them or write a letter.  But in today's world why bother when you can have instant gratification when you can go online and email someone.  I want to know what is happening now.  Not two weeks from now when it's old news.  I love to get the latest updates.  I want to know how sick your dog was last night, and how he puked all over your expensive carpet that you've been saving for two years to get.  And how about the blurbs that tell us who partied all last night, is hung-over and  that they are now pucking all over their expensive carpet.

It's not just the news that holds me spell bound to the site.  It's the games.  I am a farmer, which is funny, because when I was growing up I hated to get behind any kind of tractor and plow a field.  But this is different, my hands stay clean.  If it's hot, I just adjust my computer chair, turn up the house air conditioning and plow acres, and acres of cabbage.  I don't even have to feed livestock,  I just click on them and instant money.  Why can't scientists figure out a way for this to happen in the real world.  I bet there wouldn't be a shortage of  farmers then. 

Facebook also lets me live out my fantasy of being a young, vivacious, voluptuous college student.  (yes, I know that I am 54, overweight and have grey hair.....I said that this is a Fantasy!!!!)  I don't have to pay a huge tuition bill, housing costs or even attend classes!  But what I get to do, is go to parties and spend money on lots of clothes, cars, purses and shoes.  I even have a very sexy boyfriend.   I love my real life just as it is, but wasn't it Sigmund Freud who said that a vivid fantasy life was important for a healthy mind, Id and Ego. Or maybe it was Dr. Oz.  I don't know, but I know someone said it, so it must be true, and I'm only doing what is best to keep my mind healthy.   And no I don't want to buy that piece of swamp land you have for sale in Florida!!!

Some people who blurb on Facebook amaze me.  Why are you telling everyone what you had for dinner last night.  Like we really care.   I want the dirt....Who are you dating, what sister is mad at what cousin and one of the most important things, who is reading my Blog!!!  Yes, I need  and want to know what is going on in everyones lives.  As I stated before, I am a snoop, have always been a snoop and will die a snoop.  So get used to it.  With all the information that is available with just a click of a button, nothing, that's right nothing about any of us is sacred anymore. 

Facebook is fun.  It's a way of  keeping in touch with the world that's far away or the friend that maybe right down the block.  Don't take it or yourself to seriously, have fun farming, exploring or gaming.  But remember that there is a whole wide world waiting for you right out your front door. So have fun, make love and eat lots of chocolate and turn off your computer.

Garage Sales Are My Life!

I LOVE garage sales. No, I mean I really do LLLLOOOVVVEEE garage sales.  I bet I am the "Queen" of the bargain hunters.  I get this tingly feeling when I read the ads in the paper and know that I am going to go to garage sales the next day. 

I love to bargain hunt and to get the best and cheapest price . Yes, many have tried to get the best of me. But when I am in my haggle mode, no one can score a win on me.  I come by the haggling talent naturally.  My mother is a champion haggler, and so was her mother before her.  I bet if I could go back in time, I would find that all of my matriarchal relatives were great hagglers.

I learned the fine art of haggling at an early age.  My mother loved to go to sales.  It didn't matter if it was at the grocery store, clothing store or car lot.  She looked at the price and tried to get a better deal. Even if it was only a few cents cheaper, she wore the seller down until I think, just to get rid of her, they agreed to her price. 

Yes, there is a fine art to haggling.  One must convey the image of the bored, and I don't really want this thing but I'll do you a favor and buy it.  Another tactic that I have used is " You know I'm getting this for a friend and I'm not sure she'll like it."  "Could I get it just a little bit cheaper, just in case I get stuck with it?"

I'm cool, calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside I am frothing at the mouth.  I want the thing I am trying to haggle for, I need it, I may not have a use for it, but I HAVE to have it.  Sometimes there isn't any real logic in haggling.  But in my defense, I have gotten some really great things cheaply.  I got a $100 diamond necklace for $5 from a girl who just broke up with her boyfriend.  Some well placed men slams worked wonders on her.  Another time, I got a great upright piano for $30.  I guess I have a great puppy face.

I was blessed when I met my husband.  He is a kindred soul when it comes to garage sales.  He loves to find things and then sic me on the seller to get a better price.  It is a marriage made in heaven.  He scopes out the things he wants and I get to haggle to my hearts content.

My daughter, when she was younger, used to get embarrassed by my haggling,   But now that she is older, married and on a budget, will find an item at a sale and send good ole mom over to haggle for a better price.  But she is learning to haggle too.  I've caught her, now and then, working on a seller to get the price down.  Wow, it brings a tear to my eye to see her score a win....like mother, like daughter.  It's got to be in the genes.

Hopefully, next summer will be full of new garage sales to conquer and more bargains to find and haggle for.  I am really looking forward to it.  Till tomorrow........ Make love, read a book and eat chocolate.

It's a Traumatic Tuesday

I know when I decided to write this blog, that I wanted to be informative, light hearted and humorous.  But with life a little sadness seems to leak in now and then.  I'm sitting here at my desk trying to compose my thoughts while the world is moving forward, cars going by my house are headed to work, and a dear friend is laying in a hospital bed dieing.

Life can come at you like a knockout punch. It is always changing.  Sometimes for the good, the bad and in this case the sad.  If you are a Christian like me, death is something to look forward to. We get to go to live with God.  What is better then that?  I think that we all  hang onto those we love, not for their benefit but maybe selfishly for ours.  I hate saying good-bye. It seems so permanent.  But it really isn't.  We will get to be with all of our friends and loved ones that have gone before us after we die.

I don't really think much about death.  Like most humans, I love it here on earth and want to hang around for as long as I can.  I'm not ready to die.  There is so much more out there that I want to see, learn about and experience. But who's to say that soon, God maybe ready for me. It isn't our decision to decide when we are going to die.  God has his own agenda. When he calls you, you can't ask him to wait till tomorrow.  You can't tell him that I've got to clean the garage, do the laundry or take in a movie.  You just answer his call and go. 

I guess that I should celebrate the life of my friend.  His humor, wisdom, and graciousness are traits that I should strive to copy.    My friend is a man of God.  His faith has been tested a few times, but he always has held strong in his beliefs.  He is a true western cowboy, from his white straw hat, his slow country drawl, down to his scuffed cowboy boots.  I have always enjoyed his warped sense of humor and the gotcha jokes that he loves to catch you with.  I will miss that.  He is a true gentleman, in a time when manners and consideration seem to have been forgotten about.  An avid hunter, he loves to swap stories or guns.  He is a devoted husband, patient and kind. I don't think he has ever met a stranger. He is always ready with a handshake and a hearty hello.  I know he sounds like a saint and I am sure that he has some bad points, but right at this moment in time, I'm having a hard time remembering them.  God broke the mold when he made my friend.

God Bless You, Mr Roy, we all love you and are praying that you get well fast. 

MONDAY MOMENTS

As you can tell by the number of posts, this is going to a be a Monday through Friday Blog. I thought I might try to do it seven days a week but trying to get a free moment to myself on weekends is down right impossible. So thinking on Friday that I would have time to blog a few words, I started to think of ideas. BUT do you think that I had time, Ha-Ha, very funny.

It seems that for some strange reason I can get more done, get more accomplished and yes even (GASP) take some time for myself during the week. Weekends come around and forget it. I think it is because my husband is home and 1. I want to spend some time with him, 2. He wants to spend time with me, 3. I just want someone to chauffeur me around or 4. all the little projects I save for him, I also end up helping with. Just pick one of the above and you will probably be right.

So with that said, I will only be doing a Monday through Friday Blog. And even though I feel that I have a lot to say, it may be a fact that there aren't a lot of you out there that really want to read what I blog about. (As astounding as that may seem).

I do want to say a few words about fibromyalgia and food. In this case, my body's reaction to pork. I LOVE pork. There really isn't a more perfect food than pork. It is simply delicious. But my body doesn't like pork, and has a very nasty reaction to it when I eat it. I didn't really make the connection between pork and my body aches until I was complaining to my rhumatologist. She asked me what I was eating, specifically how much pork. I told her we ate a lot of pork, because it was cheap and I loved it. She informed me that people with fibromyalgia and arthritis have trouble with pork because it causes swelling in joints, aching joints and body aches. She didn't really have a scientific reason for this occurrence but it seems to be happening to a lot of us out there.

Well you know me....the doubting Tomas. I decided to experiment. I didn't eat pork for 2 weeks and my body aches were less severe. But being the idiot I am, after the 2 weeks were up, I didn't try just a little piece of pork, but went whole hog and had 2 HUGE pork chops. Well to make a long story short, Pork 10, Kandis 0. Man, did I hurt. For me this was a hard lesson. Doctors do know what they are talking about, and just maybe I should take what they say at face value. So for anyone out there that has fibormyalgia or arthritis, you just might want to try to cut back, or stop eating pork just to see if it helps decrease your aching. Have a great night, blog at you tomorrow.

Friday Is Not Always FUN Day!

Today is Friday.  Or at least I think it is.  For some reason the day started out really great, and went downhill like a bullet after that.  I'm not sure what happened but as you will note, I usually try to blog earlier in the day not in the evening.  Needless to say it has been a semi-busy, semi-windy, semi-painful and semi-lazy day. 

Physical therapy was today, and as everyone knows I JUST love physical therapy.  It is not that it isn't doing me any good, it is, but sometimes it can be just down right painful.  My therapist, Sonya, is great.  She really knows what she is doing, and tries not to cause any pain.  But because my body likes being a large pain in the ass, it doesn't matter.  It thinks " Aha, physical therapy, lets make Kandis as sore as possible, and make it last all day....mawwwhwhahahaha!!"  Yep, and that is just what happened.  Muscles stretched, pulled and prodded and my body rebelled all the way.  OUCH.  But like always, pain medications are a WONDERFUL invention.  Pop a couple in my mouth and the world takes on a rosier glow.

Because of my car accident this summer, I have spent a lot of time reading.  Yes, I am addicted to Scottish, 19th century English and futuristic bodice riper stories.  My card at the local library is about worn out.  But I have read some great books.  I have a few favorite authors, who's new books are a must buy for me.  Christine Feehan is one of my all time favorites.  She writes 5 different series, and I love them all.  Cheryl Brooks also is a favorite.  Her Cat Star Chronicles are sexy, funny and very well written.  Kate Douglas, writes erotic books that are based on a wolf theme.  But her new mass release series, Hellfire and Demonfire, have become favorites of mine.  I could go on and on and on and on about sooooo many authors.  I love stories that have strong females, sexy caring hunky males and loads of humor.  I also like a who-done-it, which all of these authors have as a story line.  I am finding that I lean toward female authors more than male, but I have read some great book from the male point of view.  I hope to (if I can figure out how) to add links to some of my Fav authors soon.  And if I happen to read a really great book, I will try and give some kudos to the author. 

Garage Sales tomorrow, depending on the weather.  I love those garage sales. 

Today is over, and I think , no I know it is time for bed.  Keep reading, loving, laughing and eating chocolate.

Lists, Lists and More Lists!

Yesterday my husband had the day off. It was warm and sunny, hardly any wind, so we decided to partake of our morning coffee out on our deck. The dogs (we have 4 plus a visitor) were chasing each other and their tails, when he decided to get out his to do notebook.

I don't have a honey-do-list. I tell him what needs to be done and out comes his notebook and it's written down, in ink not pencil, waiting for that magic moment when there is time to get it done.

My husband has not just one list, but three. One for now projects that have to be done quickly or all hell will brake lose, one for the semi-immediate future, projects that kinda need to be done but we can put them off just a little bit longer, and a project wish list. This last list is my favorite. It is a list of projects that we would like to do, don't know if we can do, and don't have the money now to do but sure wish we could do. It is a dream list.

We talked for awhile, then started going over list one. Deciding, prioritizing and adding up how much each job would cost. Then it was on to list two. This list is for the near future. It is a list of projects that will be done as money becomes available. Painting the house and remodeling the bathroom are a few of the projects that will be done in the next year. The first two lists we go over fairly quickly, agreeing or disagreeing on what is needed to be done first. The dream list takes a little longer to discuss.

I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes and imagined the large, beautiful raised bed garden that I want to do in the backyard. I could taste the peas, spinach and tomatoes that would be grown in this magic garden. I could see my friends and family oohing and ahhing on the bounty of veggies that this garden would produce. Then poof my husband says the magic words "and just who is going to take care of this garden?" Well, I'm going to have to rethink the size and depth of my magic garden.

It's not that I'm lazy per say. But with my fibromyalgia there are days I can't do much. I also don't like to be out in the hot, burning, scorching sun. OK, I also can be a tad bit lazy when I want to. But, I do like veggies. Maybe a very small raised garden will give us a few tasty vegetables for our summer table and what the heck, we do have a great farmers market here in town.

So nothing has been decided yet. I have all winter to make a plan and design a garden. Who knows by next spring I may have come up with a brilliant idea or two for a raised bed garden that can water itself, weed itself and pick its own produce. I did say that this was a DREAM garden didn't I.

Hump Day is NOT what you think!

Today is the 1st day of the rest of your life. What a load of crap. Today is just a day and what you do with it may determine what happens in the rest of your life. It's like a bowl of ice cream. You eat it and it tastes great, and it's gone in a flash. But if you slowly savor each lick, drip and spoonful, it's still will be gone but the memory will linger longer. Also if left out on the counter for a few days, weeks or months....it melts, hardens, gets fuzzy, smelly; starts to grow legs, talks about politics and finally drives you out of your house to seek food asylum at your local grocers.

As you can tell it has been a long day for me. Pain, pain and more pain. I have Fibromalygia. Whew, what a long name for "We don't know what to call this disease BUT if we give it a fancy name people might give us money for research." I make jokes about my disease, but really it isn't a laughing matter. For the thousands of us who every day fight the aches, pains, and crippling tiredness, we just need to laugh at ourselves or we will become so down that all we want to do is crawl into bed, curl into a ball and cry. Not a pretty picture. But this is what it comes down to every day. Medications will help and do take the edge off, but you never are really totally free of some kind of pain, and the pain is NEVER in the same spot. One day it's in a shoulder, next your ankle, now your lower back and the next day your left pinkie finger. It's a guessing game. Along with this disease you might have arthritis, thyroid and myriad of other things wrong with you. I for one have fibromyalgia, osteo arthritis, thyroid problems and a warped sense of humor. I WILL survive this disease. I have bad days and good days, and sometimes days where I'm not sure what the Hell is going on in my body. But such is the life of someone with fibromyalgia.

We all are born, we grow up, we pay taxes, we live, we laugh, we love, we grow old and then we die.

Did I also mention that I have started Menopause!!!!! But that is a whole different Blog. Eat some chocolate, make love and read a good book. Till tomorrow ---Ta,Ta!

It's ONLY Tuesday?!?!?!?!?

This is the first of many times that I will try to relate my ideas, views and general whatevers to anyone who cares to read it.

Wow, what a summer I've had. I kid you not it probably has been one of the worst summers I have ever had and boy have I had a lot of summers.

I'm not an old women. Although to someone 20 years old or less I am probably on my last leg and going downhill fast. But I firmly believe that you are only as old as the amount of pills you take daily. Wow, I never thought that idea out......I must be going on 116 by now!!!!

It never fails. Everytime I go to see my Doctor, she is always changing a pill dose, taking more blood or finding something else wrong with me. Maybe it's because she is only in her 30's that she doesn't see the vital, sexy, energetic person that lives under the grey hair, sagging boobs (yes,they are really going south), wrinkley skin and walks with a sexy flowered cane.

Who knew that when you get older your mind will play tricks on you and delude you into believing that you still can dance the monkey, drink all night and get up and go to work the next morning, fresh as a daisy. Well, that never was me, I still can't dance the monkey, I am still a lightweight drunk, and boy do I get a hangover from just 2 drinks......sucks doesn't it. But life goes on and I will too.

Now, back to this summer. The month of June started out great. My husband and I started a list of all of the things we wanted to do this summer. We checked the local travel blogs and listed the events that we wanted to go to. All was going great, then wham.... a 15 year old learners permit driver decided he wanted to cross out into traffic and drive in the same spot my husband was driving in. He hit us (my side of course) spinning us around like a top and causing the car to slam into the curb almost going over. To make a long story short, he got a ticket, the car got totaled and I got a trip in an ambulance. I will note here that I did have some great looking firemen helping to rescue me...hey, I'm married but I can still look. After many x-ray's, a cat scan and lots of poking and proding...the diagnosis.... severe contusions, bruising, spraining and a lot of pain. So the rest of summer, I have spent going to the Doctor, going to physical therapy, and taking pain pills.... whoop de do, this was not how I wanted to spend the summer. But I am doing better and have been doing a lot of reading while I have healed.

In my next Blog I will talk about some of the great authors and books that I have read this summer. Talk to you next time.