No bluebird on my shoulder

This story is not timely, nor relevant, in any way. I just kind of feel like writing a little something, and since I know the beginning, middle and end of this one, it seemed like a decent place to start. Oh, it also makes me laugh, at myself no less. I realize this introduction is not exactly making you grab a snack and a comfy seat, wild with anticipation, but let's get to it nonetheless...

It was the summer of 1989 and I was fast approaching my twenties. I had just wrapped up my sophomore year of college, so I was pretty much ready to take over at least some small section of the world. The plan was for me to work at my father's office in Manhattan for six weeks. Despite the fact that I was most certainly bursting with knowledge, I am sure someone owed him a favor. 

I had a great deal of experience riding the trains and subways of New York City, always with my father by my side, in arm's reach. The first few days of my mini career he was right there as always, but was offering words of wisdom to prepare me for my solo expedition. Phrases like "You do NOT want to end up on THAT train" and "Don't walk on that side of this street" were dutifully noted. Truth be told, one of my main concerns at the time was keeping track of my commuter train ticket for the month. I could do this.

The time came for me to set out on my own, braving the mile walk to the train station, Metro-North, Grand Central Station and the subway. My purse carried only my train ticket, no more than ten dollars and appropriate shoes for the office. I may have been a rookie, but knew to put some decent sneakers on my feet for both form and function. 

The sun was shining on Fulton Street, as I rose from the depths of the underground, after successfully navigating my path in. With just a couple of blocks to walk, I mentally patted myself on the back as I approached the curb. That is when I heard his voice. I turned and saw an Asian businessman saying words in my general direction and pointing at me. I was wearing my favorite gold earrings and being unable to understand what he was saying, assumed he found them beautiful and wished for me to surrender them. Yes, at 8:30 in the morning, surrounded by a throng of commuters, my best guess was that a well-dressed man was attempting to rob me of my earrings.

I did not want to get involved in much of a conversation with him because that did not seem like the best way to handle a burglar, plus the whole language barrier thing. Nobody else showed any signs of concern for me...jerks. The man's smile obviously had them all fooled. "Woman show" is the closest I could come to understanding his heavy accent. I was not providing a show, nor was I handing over my earrings! Why was the light taking so long to turn? 

Finally, his determined pointing made me glance down at my shoulder...at the worm-like caterpillar thing that must have fallen out of a tree on my walk to the train station, and hitched a ride in with me..."worm on shoulder". Fantastic. I do not know what Emily Post would have said was proper etiquette in such a situation, but am pretty sure forcefully flicking the caterpillar causing it to fling onto the gentleman's pant leg was not the winning answer. The light finally turned green, and I carried on with my brave ridiculous* self.

*I remember feeling slightly defensive when my step-mother questioned my logic, believing that a hold up was certainly a plausible scenario...oblivious then to how ridiculous I was.

Bark, bark, bark!

Woof! Bow-wow! Arf! I am trying to alert everyone, in case you did not understand that. There is something going on that I most certainly, absolutely, positively did NOT authorize!

 

I know it may look like I am trying to help, but am actually trying to figure out how and where to hide his clothes. He can't go back to school if he doesn't have anything to wear, right?

Just a flake of random

My daughter and her friend told me that these "clowns" in our spare bedroom were creepy.

Poor Ann and Andy! They may be raggedy, but rarely mistaken for clowns!

Looking for a serving suggestion for angel hair pasta?

Apparently winding it up into mini volcanoes is a plan? Mmm...appetizing!

We have a hanging/inverted snowdrift of sorts that collects near the front porch every winter. (It is way better than the barn swallows.) Yesterday's blizzard started this collection...

We grew more fascinated as the day went on.

Seriously!

Today I had to get a shot of the remaining angle.

How much longer could it possibly hang there? Oops...

And now I must ponder how that part stayed there.

I found a way to get my daughter to eat pancakes...

...and also found a way to "appropriately" satisfy a morning chocolate chip cookie craving!

It's about that time again when I try to restore order to our little section of the universe. I am pretty sure this part of the galaxy has more potential to drive me insane. 

I blame two days of being pretty much snowed in for making this seem like a good idea. I am going to find all of the pieces for the Orient Expedition hot air balloon set from 2003. Stay tuned!

Oh, that reminds me, the roller coaster engineers did manage to make a closed loop. We watched, in awe, and now the pieces are all back in the bin where they will patiently wait to see the light of day once again...hopefully in someone else's home!

Foz Flake

I was barely done celebrating the new year, when winter finally came. We went from our regular lawn to about a foot of snow overnight. While I am relieved that the paparazzi lets me conduct my outdoor business in private, the fact that it waits just inside the sliding glass door for my return is a bit unsettling at times. So I like to stick my face in nearby snow once I have found the perfect spot? Big deal. This is nothing new, and therefore I fail to comprehend why we still need documentation of such.

Go ahead, try to show the people my snowy face. 

Whoops, too slow.

 Profile wasn't what you were after?

 Sheesh! Blurry is your fault this time.

 Do you even know where I am standing?

Seriously, are you going to get me a towel or anything?

Writing Random (or Roller Coaster)

My husband and I used to call our son Michigan J. Frog when he was a baby. Do you remember that character from Merrie Melodies?

He would do all sorts of "fascinating" baby tricks for the two of us, but then cease performing when new audiences came. 

I feel like blogging is taking on a similar shade for me these days. The amount of material swirling around in my brain during active moments nearly requires a traffic cop. Would that not be awesome? Having some order to the chaos? Unsavory thoughts escorted right on out? Some sort of way to keep things in line, a signal of some sort if we lose our train of thought. DING, DING, DING! Oh, thanks...I was headed somewhere to draw a parallel to an animated frog, wasn't I? Well, when I sit down and open the computer, it's like my mind goes blank. I guess the major difference between the frog and me, aside from our complexions, is that I want to blog with at for you. I want to write...about everything and nothing at all.

There is some small delight in the comforting sound the pencil makes when I craft the grocery list. I try to throw some ten cent words into text messages every now and then. The safety net spell check offers is greatly appreciated, until the moment it completely messes with whatever I am trying to say, thereby negating any attempts at flowery prose. Some conversations find me trying to hash out words aloud that would be far more fine tuned in print.

The more I think about the current state of affairs, I realize that it is not so much that my mind goes blank. Rather, my ability to focus has wandered off. I am not going to change what I wrote up there a ways because that would be very distracting and seemingly counterproductive. Nothing like a good old fashioned random ramble, right?

Right now I cannot drag myself away from what is going on here. 

This rollercoaster set from Christmas, over a decade ago, migrated up to the family room. (One "perk" of being a pack rat.) Are the kids are now old enough and skilled enough to have better luck than we ever did before with assembly? Such suspense! How could I even consider dividing my attention? I need to be RIGHT HERE*. What if they need my help? Based on the shushing and "no we do not need your help" it seems safe to say that their young minds recall how inept I was with this construction project. They must realize that I have not done anything in the past eight years that would elevate my skill set for this task. Look at them with their physics classes and engineering courses. Conquering broken pieces. So showy.

Sadly, those broken pieces were essential and made for challenging foes, as did what were deemed to be design flaws. The directions were thrown aside and creativity is about to take over. I know who I am rooting for!

Are you still reading? Wow! Thank you!

*I did actually move to the kitchen where I could be more of a less conspicuous and casual observer, who still wandered in to take photos every now and and then.

Brrrrrrrrandom

Some snow came and some single digit weather came...meh. Maybe it was too little, too late. Instead of it making me feel all jolly and festive, I am just cold! There is some joy in fuzzy socks though, I must admit.

It seems as though my husband may have made a resolution to go on the elliptical every day. Go. Him. I too am planning to get back to what was working, what seemed best for me. Yes, I am saying that it is time to stop eating so very many cookies...

 ...and to start reconnecting with pure chocolate. This is a mere sampling of the current snack shack offerings. I may have even cropped this to make it seem less overwhelming. 

"Overwhelming" now there's a word for ya. The holidays may have passed, but in their wake left all of those shards of things that didn't get done because - holidays. The fragments of stuff that weren't terribly appealing when there were actual numerous hours of productive daylight.

Perhaps I do need something beyond the usual. What does this say?

"Iron Goddess"? Well she sounds pretty kickass. Wait, does that say "of mercy"? There is no room for mercy in tackling this to-do list!

A celebratory trend?

(The New Year's Edition)

Another Friday, another reason to celebrate...me! Perfect, I mean, I like toast, but don't understand the glass clinking at all.  Should auld aquaintance be forgot? That depends. There are a few minor discretions from this past year that I might rather not have brought to mind. Mostly I just plan to increase my nap frequency in 2016, or at least until I make up for the hours lost yesterday.

Happy New Year!

(Me. Last night. Post ball drop, obviously.)