Good Morning Pioneer Valley

There was a beautiful sunrise here this morning. These pictures were taken at 7:10 AM. And this time I was not driving my car down the Mass Pike as I was shooting. I was riding my motorcycle.

The sky reminded me of that saying my mother used to always quote - "Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight". It works better for this post than my sister's saying "If red, raise the head. If pale, raise the tail". My sister has a sailor saying but I can't repeat that here.

And as I'm sure you guessed, I was kidding about the motorcycle. I took these pictures from my back deck while having my morning martini.

Ok, ok, I stumbled out of bed and took these while I was still half asleep. No motorcycles or martinis involved. Happy Friday!

Coffee Haiku

My coffee cup had an invitation to Haiku. So, taking the lead (ok, maybe stealing) from Chewy, I decided to give this a girl twirl. Here goes:

River on my desk

Coffee spill flows towards papers

Swears echo through room

Right Place, Right Time, Wrong People

I did something yesterday at work that I have never done before. I walked into my standing 3:00 Monday meeting and took my place at the conference table. A few of the regulars filed in along with a few not so regulars. Oh well, special guests I thought. Within 15 seconds of the start of the meeting, I knew something was not right. "What are we talking about", I said to myself. When it dawned on me that I was sitting in a meeting to which I had not been invited, I put my head down and began to take notes. Image is everything. Since I was peripherally associated with the topic at hand, I pretended to show interest while I jotted down bits and pieces of the discussion. I imagine the organizer was thinking to himself "Why is she here, I didn't invite her." I made it through, no questions asked. I got back to my desk and threw away my notes.

The First Pain Of Christmas

Tree is up. Got that out of the way today. My quads are killing me from going up and down the steep, rickety, pull down stairs that lead to the storage above the garage where the ornaments and decorations are stored. I have scratches on my arms from pulling down and straightening the fake branches. I broke at least 4 ornaments that I either dropped or that fell off the tree. The garland smells like it is made of hazardous chemicals. And the plastic tree needles leave some sort of residue on my hands, again probably something that is going to poison me. Can't wait to string the outside lights.

The Stove Guards

Left Guard With Strong Biceps: "Keep CJ away from the stove. I hear she only knows how to make crackers and cheese."

Small But Wiry Guard: "Don't worry, I ran her over with my walker. She's flat on the living room rug."

Guard With An Attitude:"Would you video my son already?!"

Lost Turkeys

Has anyone seen the turkeys that used to roam my property here in Western Mass? It's funny, they just disappeared all of a sudden.

Be Careful What You Write

--"Why don't you want to video my son?"
--"I don't even have a camcorder yet. What are you talking about?"
--"I saw your blog about the camcorder."
--"You read my blog? I thought you just read it when I asked you to."
--"I read your blog all the time."

Oh, oh. My niece, who shall be known as SJ for this post, noticed a previous post which contained the following reference to her son, my great nephew:

Don't film boring things and then attempt to share them with friends. The great nieces and nephews may be cute, but no one wants to see two hours of them opening presents or eating cake. I don't even want to see that.

Geez, had I known you read my blog so much, I would have posted this picture sooner. Remember the 80's SJ? Are those my glasses? I wonder if you'll see this?

Well, You Asked

In addition to the tag email mentioned in the previous post, I also received a message from another buddy that requested I send along my favorite recipe to her, one other person listed in the instructions, and 5 other individuals. In return, I would receive all sorts of interesting recipes sent from folks all over the country. Sounds like fun. Here's my contribution:

One half box party pack cracker assortment
One 4 ounce block Sharp Cheddar cheese
One 4 ounce block Smoked Gouda cheese
Two bottles Truro Vineyards White Table Wine, chilled

Open box of crackers and remove from package. Place crackers on plate. Open cheese. Cut cheese into slices and place on plate next to crackers. Open first bottle of wine and pour into glasses. Enjoy! Serves 2 - 3, depending on how much fun you are having (or want to have).

Another Game of Tag

My friend Stiffy One-Two emailed me another tag game. I'm sending this out as a general tag to anyone who is interested. This is a little long so feel free to edit and answer as you like.

Two names you go by (besides your given name):
1. CJ
2. Schwetty (don't ask)

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Jeans
2. Winnie the Pooh unmentionables (not as sexy as Stiffy's thong but still cute)

Two longest car rides:
1. Drive to Montreal - worth the trip, a fun city
2. Drive to Florida - remind me not to do that again

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Ride my Motorcycle
2. Blog

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Purchase a camcorder (hopefully today)
2. My mother to stop driving my sister crazy (will never happen)

Three animals you have or have had:
1. Yorkies - Coco and Cierra
2. Cats - Bustapher, Gertie, Biff
3. Hamster -Chippy

Three people who will (hopefully) fill this out:
1. Chewy
2. Ronia
3. Cristina

Three Things you ate today:
1. Nothing
2. Nothing
3. Nothing - it's still early

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Housework
2. Going to Opa Opa I hopa hopa

Two favorite holidays:
1. Halloween
2. July 4th - Nothing beats PTown on July 4th!

Two favorite beverages:
1. Water
2. Sam Adams

Tag! You're it! Your turn!

Lights, Camera, Action

After weeks of research and deliberation, I have finally decided on a camcorder to purchase. With this purchase however, comes a certain amount of responsibility. So, before my camcorder arrives, I am publicly announcing the ground rules for the aforementioned item.

1. Don't film boring things and then attempt to share them with friends. The great nieces and nephews may be cute, but no one wants to see two hours of them opening presents or eating cake. I don't even want to see that.
2. Everyone must be fully clothed in all videos.
3. Rule 2 can be ignored on Friday and Saturday after 9:00 PM.
4. The camcorder is to be safely locked away in situations where alcohol may be consumed.
5. Rule 4 can be ignored if Rule 2 has been bypassed.
6. Permission should be asked and granted before filming unsuspecting individuals.
7. Rule 6 can be ignored if it makes for good video that would be a big hit on the Internet.
8. No one is allowed to borrow the camcorder. If I'm going to get caught on tape doing something that is immature, illegal or embarrassing, it is not going to be captured on something I bought and paid for. I shouldn't have to worry about this unless Rules 2 and 4 are not being enforced.
9. Co-workers will not be informed of or granted access to my YouTube account.
10. Rule 9 can never be ignored.
    

Boston Bird

If I can just hide behind this tree for a week or so, I should be all set. Meow.

Move In Condition!

Newly listed! Sunshine abounds in this one birdroom condo on quiet street. Easy flight to gourmet bird feeders and public bath. Newer construction with only one previous owner. The high ceilings and open floor plan make this a must see! Open House this Saturday, 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM. Call Robin at Cardinal Realty for more information.

Working For A Living

I was whining to myself today about having to go back to work tomorrow after a long weekend. Then I remembered about some of the jobs I used to have.

I once worked in the women's clothing department in a large discount retail store in Springfield. I never got to announce a blue light special, but I could frequently be heard over the intercom saying "Housekeeping to the women's dressing room with a mop". Apparently not having a bathroom in the store was not about to stop some people from relieving themselves. Luckily I had my wisdom teeth ripped out that summer and it gave me an excuse to call in frequently.

I also worked as a counselor at a sports camp. I had always been athletic, but swimming and gymnastics were not two of my strong points and they were both big events at this camp. My favorite game to play with my group of precious darlings was Campers Lie Still. The kid who could lie (or is it lay - I can never remember that) quietly on the grass without moving for the longest period of time was the winner. Parent's Day was always fun, especially when it came to my group and gymnastic equipment. Love the expression on Mom when her kid lands flat on her face while attempting a penny drop from the uneven bars. Oops. No tips for CJ.

Done whining now.

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

Does anyone remember Jarts - that lawn game where you had those giant darts that you tossed from one end of the yard to the other, trying to land your Jart in the little plastic yellow ring that you set up on the edge of your parent's grass? I loved that game. I saw today that it was number one on a list of 'the 10 most dangerous playthings of all time'. Sure it was dangerous. And yes, I know it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Then it's just fun. I'm fairly certain this game is banned in Massachusetts. Too bad. Seems like it would be great to play after a martini or two.

And what happened to Loony Balloony (also known as Super Elastic Bubble Plastic)? I remember needing to have a note to buy glue for my model airplanes yet I could buy this stuff at the corner store. I would slap a wad of it onto the red straw that came in the package and create awesome psychedelic colored balloons. Or maybe the balloons were clear, and I was too stoned from the polyvinyl acetate polymer benzene that was used to make the stuff to really know the difference. Lasting side effects? Maybe. Not any worse than having a Jart stuck in your head.

Ahh, good times.

Porn Star

The Book Cover Tag from the previous post reminded me of another name game. Take the name of your first pet and the name of the street on which you grew up, and you've got your porn star name. My official porn name would be Cuddles Lachine.

If I take my different pet's names and the street I was living on at the time, I can expand my list. I would have, in no particular order, the following names from which to choose:

1. Biff Englewood
2. Cierra Ventura
3. Gertie Raymond
4. Bustapher Rodman
5. Coco Ellswood

I think these are way more creative than some of the names the porn stars of today are using. Not that I know any of these names. Except for one - and no, she is not a relative. I will leave it at that.

Book Cover Tag

From what I can see, Pijush tagged Chewy and Chewy sent out a tag for those interested in playing. So here goes my attempt.

Only one rule:
Go to the Amazon Advanced Book Search and type your first name - or - your screen name into the "Title" field, and post the most interesting/amusing cover that shows up.

Here's what I found:

Thanks Chewy and Pijush! Nice to know there are a couple of manuals out there for me if I need one!