I am just tired...

It's been a good weekend and all - just tired...

Thank God for good friends.

:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

And since I will be busy cooking all day today and tomorrow, here is another famous chef to amuse you.

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving dinner doesn't fight back. : )

Epiphany!

I just had one while cleaning upstairs.

You know why we call baby goats "kids?"

Truth in advertising, my friends. Truth in advertising...

I live with "kids."

Winter wonderland....

Stress, of course, on the word winter...

I had no clue it was supposed to snow last night! And while I giggled at the girls' scramble to see if school had been canceled (it wasn't - hell, we only got 2 inches or so...) I wasn't excited at the prospect of breaking out the shovels.*


And then there was this guy....

Couldn't help but compare to Christina's blooms. There is obviously something to be said for "winter" in Texas. Heh.

*And I didn't shovel - the weather guy said that the sun will be coming out later and it will all melt... Delusion Optimism is my friend right now.

Colors!

Hey - works for me!

The Ultimate Color Test

When you are at peace, you are: Deeply stable When you are moved to act, you are: Giving and warm [edit - Hey, I try...] When you are inspired, you are: Spiritual and humble When your life is perfectly balanced, you are: Philosophical and expressive [edit - and surprised as hell. What is this "balance" they talk about?? I have been running uphill on roller skates for some time...] Your life's purpose is: To live a passionate life [edit - Yup. That about covers it...]

The Ultimate Color Test

Found over at Roses place. :)

Corraled!

And hey - in my own defense, I grew up in Wyoming where if you needed something - a solution, a tool, a device - often times there was no place to go *buy* it, and sometimes what you needed didn't exist in the first place.

So, you either learned to do without and just deal with the problem continuing OR you came up with a plan and design and built it yourself. My Dad is a master at this to this day.* The man can fix and/or improve just about anything. He's great at problem solving.

So while he was here, recovering from treatments, I told him about an idea I had. See, the wind blows like crazy in this area. New neighborhood = no trees. And no windbreak. And the wind just howls around here.

The part that drove *me* crazy was the fact that I was forever either chasing down the trash cans before they made it to Oz OR losing my spot in the garage to said trash cans so I wouldn't have to chase them down.

Pissed. Me. Off.

Especially when it got cold.

There'd I'd be.... First thing in the morning. Cussing. Scraping frost off the windshield so I could take the girls to school while the damned trash cans were happy in the garage. (And yes - I imagined the stupid things enjoying their relative comfort while I was freezing my ass off. So sue me.)

But those days are gone. Over. Kaput.

Behold! The trash can corral....

And frankly, I think it came out pretty okay! Interesting what one can do with a few 4x4 posts, some shelving materials and a bunch of decking screws. All in all I think I spent $30 and two hours on the project - not too bad. It's a four sided "corral" and heavy - I think those cans will finally stay put. Ha! I win!

WxMan seems to think that it looks a bit "rustic," but what the hell. I don't need it to be especially pretty so long as it does the job and the trash cans don't end up in Oz. And if it ever gets above freezing again I can always paint it, right?

White. In case you were wondering. It's all good...

* Seriously - Pop once developed a cooling system for our house one very very hot summer armed with nothing more than the already present heating system, a car radiator and a soldering iron. It was literally cool.

It's just one of those days...

Hey - consider yourself forwarned at least! ;)

Oh yes....

Nothing says that the holidays are on the way like the big honking end cap display of Everclear at the Wall-Mart liquor store.

Everclear. Holy crap.

Company's coming - stock up...

Shit. I haven't thought about Everclear in a VERY long time... Not that I would remember much anyway, let's face it. And because I am me, I just had to ask the chicky-poo behind the counter what was up with the holiday Everclear display. I explained that I hadn't grown up here, and even as a bartender never had any real use for Everclear. So really, WTF?

Her response?? "Oh yaaa - around here it makes some really popular holiday drinks! Perfect for those family gatherings!"

Holiday Everclear. Who wouldda thunk...

Anyway, I figure we will be all good around Casa deRich, though. It's just going to be the four* of us, so far. I am thinking Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, macaroni and cheese, peas or green beans almondine, and rolls. Oh - and pie. Pumpkin pie...

Throw in Monopoly and a movie and I think that will make the day... And I'll just have wine, thanks. Good grief...

*Naturally the next day I will be bringing lunch in to my hubby's employees. All 150 of them. Black Friday goes so much better when those kids are fed... The Menu? Soup, sandwiches and macaroni and cheese... Without the mac-n-cheese there would be mutiny I am told... Heh.

Buttoning up...

It's time.

We are supposed to get to a high (and I use that term loosely) of 33ish today but with the winds it will be in the 20's. And snow - it's supposed to snow - oh goody...

So unlike last year when I discovered in freeking FEBRUARY that one of the windows in the guest room had been cracked (ever so slightly - from the top, no less!) for God only knows how long... I am going to do a recon mission through the house today and make sure we are well and truly buttoned up.

Buttoned. UP.

And then inform the girls that they are not allowed to so much as touch a window until Spring...

I know - it sounds harsh - but nothing incenses me more that throwing money out a window so to speak.

(Except maybe Christmas music being played the day freeking after Halloween.... What the hell is that all about?!? No Thanksgiving this year?? Sheesh, people...)

Uhhhhhh.... Okay....

And strangely accurate.

The Part of You That No One Sees

You are compassionate, caring, and soothing. You like other people to depend on you... In fact, you don't feel right unless you are helping someone out. Underneath it all, you feel the burden of everyone's problems. Without your guidance, you fear that many people's worlds would fall apart. You like to feel in charge, even if it brings you a lot of stress.

Though this one was a CLOSE second...

The Part of You That No One Sees

You are powerful, passionate, and dominant. You have a vision of how things should be, and you do your best to make things happen. People rely on you for your strength. You are a rock to many. Underneath it all, you aren't so sure about your passions. So many ideas spark your interest, it is hard for you to get behind a select few. However, you see indecision as a sign of weakness. So you pursue your goals full force - no matter how foolish they turn out to be.

What's the Part of You That No One Sees?

Hmmmmmmmm.... Found via Leslie.

Alrighty then. Back to watching The Godfather... ;)

Well hell...

Apparently I felt the need to ensure that I look like death warmed over tomorrow...

"How can you ensure that, Rich??" some may ask. Well, I can cry. At length. Sort of on purpose, but not really...

See? I don't *like* to cry - so in general, by in large, I DON'T.

Really.

It's relatively controllable - like deciding pain doesn't hurt and cold isn't cold. (No BS - pain and cold are negotiable. As for crying... You can just choose *not* to. It's not that hard, really...)

Unfortunately for me - arriving this week from my movie queue - P.S. I Love You**. And it has been awaiting my attention. And I am a complete sucker for sad movies and happy happy joy joy TV shows. Best watched alone, IMO...

Holy shit.

Can you say cry?? Good gray grief - I am surprised a flotation device didn't appear. But seriously - that movie goes in with the likes of Extreme Makeover Home Addition. Unless I buy stock in kleenex first... Ugh.

Meanwhile, will someone hand me a paper bag?? I am going to need it tomorrow... I look like hell...

**And just for the record, the ending wasn't bad. Nice ending. Very nice ending. And fairly good acting throughout. Loved Kathy Bates and they guy who played Denny on Grey's Anatomy (nice ass there!!). Regardless though. No more of that weepy crap...

Hey...

I am just happy it's Friday.

Yes - I am boring. I know. Maybe it is just because I am older today...

It is what it is - and really, boring can be kind of nice...

Wine...

'Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams . If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered.

Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.'

~ Jack Handy

Word up. I agree...

Veteran's Day

Thank You. Thank you all...











Later today I have a few calls to make. If you have any veterans in your life I recommend that you do the same. Saying thank you is an easy thing to do - and if anyone deserves a thank you it's a Veteran.

So again - Thank you. Have a good day.

Blonde Joke

Because really, why not... Made me giggle.

Two bowling teams, one of all Blondes and one of all Brunettes, charter a double-Decker bus for a weekend trip to Louisiana The Brunette team rode on the bottom of the bus, and the blonde team rode on the top level.

The Brunette team down below really whooped it up, having a great time, when one of them realized she hadn't heard anything from the Blondes upstairs. She decided to go up and investigate.

When the Brunette reached the top, she found all the Blondes in fear, staring straight ahead at the road, clutching the seats in front of them with white knuckles. The brunette asked, 'What the heck's going on up here? We're having a great time downstairs!'

One of the Blondes looked up at her, swallowed hard and whispered. 'YEAH, BUT YOU'VE GOT A DRIVER!?!'

And why not...
35.5 miles per gallon

Created by The Car Connection

And swiped from Mrs. Who. :)

Okay - here we go...

I have a confession to make.

Hi! My name is Richmond, and I read junk...

Hi, Richmond!

Oh yes. I read escapist, ridiculous, silly assed junk.

And I like it.

A lot.

I am just now resurfacing after having completed a whole new (to me) series of complete and utter junk... And it was wonderful.

So, what was it?? The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Holy crap. This was really really good... Meaningful? Nahhh... Socially redeemable?? Nope. But escapism in it's purist form. And man oh man - I needed some of that. Finished it today, as a matter of fact.

Is it wrong to finish a series of stories about teenage angst and true love within the framework of a "family" of vampires combined with a tribe of werewolves just before going to church??

Not if you are me, apparently.

Loved. It.

Loved it all...

But now it's done.

And since I dove into these four books with the abandon of a starving man diving into a sack of skinny cheese burgers, I think I may have to re-read the series immediately. If not sooner...

And then go looking for another bit of junk to fill my psyche...

Good junk, though. Anybody have some suggestions? I am all ears....

Mmmmmmm... More literary skinny cheese burgers for me, please. I'm starved.

Well, that's it...

It's snowing.

**sigh**

Regardless of what the calendar says - winter is here...

Boo.

Ahhhhh.... Time to relax....

I think Miss Molly could teach a class on the subject. Leading by example, of course.

I wish I could sleep so soundly...

Though she gives the "Jeez Mom - do you have to take pictures??" face too...


And yes. Yes I do... Good girl.

Well....

At least it's over.

And my good friend Oddybobo has summed up my feelings nicely.

America First. Congratulations, Mr. President.

Oh please?!?!

I just heard a political analyst on TV** that sounded exactly like Milton from Office Space...


I would LOVE it if he were doing all of the political commentary for the rest of the day!! It would be perfect!

Or maybe I am just weird that way... Stay away from my stapler. Heh.

**Local station, but still! Damn funny...

Vote!

Found via Leslie...

You Should Be Allowed to Vote

You got 14/15 questions correct. Generally speaking, you're very well informed. If you vote this election, you'll know exactly who (and what) you'll be voting for. You're likely to have strong opinions, and you have the facts to back them up.

Should You Be Allowed to Vote?

I certainly intend to... It's a beautiful day - and this election will be historic no matter the outcome.

And just for the record - I will *not* be voting "present." I have made my choice...

Monday again...

And it's going to last all day long too...

Here's hoping I don't get lost, eh?

(And thanks Roses for the funny - makes me giggle for sure!)

You know the kids have been out of school long enough when...

Your eldest comes downstairs and asks, "Hey Mom - it's Sunday right?? Whew!"

Oh yeah. And they're off again tomorrow too...

At least at this stage they both enjoy sleeping in. So there's that.