Happy New Year

Happy New Year every body!!!

My Aussie friends are already celebrating and tomorrow is our turn.
Happy 2009 and good by to sad old 2008 may it rest in peace.

Some truths about life

I got this award from Merle, thanks Merle.

I'm suppose to award to it to someone;
Ms. Menozzi--she an American that blogs in Italy where she teaches English, and writes romance stories in her spare time.

I got this from my friend Lisa Griffin, but she doesn't have a blog.
LIFE! You will love this!
'Laugh like no one is listening,
Love like you've never been hurt
and Dance like no one is watching.'

Summary of Life
GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge..mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

SUCCESS:
At age 4 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . having friends.
At age 17 success is . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . having money.
At age 70 success is . . .. having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . not piddling in your pants.

Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.
Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

Thursday's thirteen: Fortune cookies

Thursday’s thirteen: Fortune cookies!

I love fortune cookies saying, and I collect them. So while everyone else is doing the Christmas thirteen, I doing fortune cookies. Yay! Which probably shows how screwed up I am.

1) You will hear pleasant news. (Sure.)

2) You can fix it with a little extra energy and positive attitude. (Uh-huh.)

3) (I love this one) You are protected by silent love and friendship near you. (I am? Cool.)


4) You will take a chance on something in the near future. (Hum, maybe I’ll sell a book.)

5) Happy events will take place shortly in your home. (They must mean Christmas.)

6) Your life will be happy and peaceful. (No visitors or in-laws. Maybe I won’t get a call from my mom either.)

7) Be prepared to receive something special. (Yeah, my husband bought a car and I had to figure out how we were going to pay for it.)

8) Tomorrow will be lucky and memorable for you. (That’s good because I usually have only bad luck.)

9) The person that’s good will infallibly become better. For virtue & time are two thing that never stand still. (I have no idea what that means.)

10) Take some time and really listen to your own inner wisdom. (I am wise? I had no idea.)

11) All the troubles you have will pass away very quickly. (Um, unless the passing is my husband and most of my family and his, I don’t think so.)

12) He who takes notes listens well. (A good memory doesn’t count?)

13) (My favorite) It’s over your head now. Time to get some professional help. (My daughter got this one. He he.)

My Uncle's wake

A wake for my uncle Arnold

was held at his son

David's house in Granite Bay, CA.

"Do not pray for me and don't sing any hymns. I don't want a memorial service. Just have a party and remember me."

~Arnold Seagraves~

Arnold was in WWII as a cook.
He cooked for generals, and at the end of the war he was in Germany when Hitler fell.

After he came home he worked at Sears repairing appliances for twenty years, and raised his family.

After his retirement his mother (my grandmother Hattie Seagraves) became ill. He and his little sister Regina decided to take care of her. They at first worked as apartment managers, taking turns taking care of their mom. Then later at a mobile home park. Regina was the manager and Arnold was the assistant manager. Both remarried, but Arnold second marriage was not to last.

His mother passed away in 1985 and he retired fully.

Later he married his high school sweetheart Vi
and settled in the city of Pleasanton.

He is survived by his wife Vi and his four lovely children (2 girls and 2 boys) several grandchildren and a few great-grandchildren.

His last words were to his oldest daughter Suzy's husband, "You better take care of my little girl."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~The trip to Granite Bay~

My husband Dave, my daughter Sarah and I got a late start from Madera because of the fog. It's a three hour drive from my house when the weather is nice.

The Google maps got us as far as the
American river bridge, that we crossed this on the way

to David's house.

And then we completely missed their house.

We finally stopped when we realized we went too far.

I looked across the street saw a deer in some one's yard.

My Daughter took it's picture.

This is were we stopped when we realized we went too far and called Dave.
"Hi Dave, I'm your cousin Janice. We're lost."

He gave us the names of two streets to look out for on the way back.
Thank goodness he did. I think we were at least ten miles off course, if not more.

Dave's house is in a very scenic area.
Pretty.

Lovely houses were on every side of the road.

A cement flume crossed the road.

We finally got there and here's my nephew Brian posing with my hubby Dave (yes another David).

~

I don't know the exact number of guests, but when I arrive (almost two hours late) the place was filled with such a buzz of voice I had to lean close to someone just to hear them speak.

My daughter Sarah, Brian and Dave again.

Eli and Mike Seagraves (Uncle and nephew).

Deanna (My sis) Seagraves-King, Eli Seagraves and Robin

Deanna and Brain sharing memories with Tukey (Dave Seagraves's wife).

Suzy Inman and Dave.

Sarah and Suzy.

All of Arnold Seagraves wonderful children.

They are, everyone, just as sweet and wonderful as he was.

Eli Seagraves, Anny Randal, Suzy Inman, David Seagraves.

Eli and his wife Thea.

Eli and family had to leave early.

Eli, Thea and his daughter Rabbit (online name).

Deanna and Anny.

Thursday's Thirteen: what I learned from my cat

I'm getting this off kind of late today mostly because I'm distracted tomorrow I have my uncles wake to go too. I ran around yesterday trying to make sure my car was ready to take the three hour trip to Sacramento.

Today I have thirteen things I learned from my cat:

What? You learned something from me?

1) If you have an itch, scratch it.
2) Listen to your body and lay down when you're feeling tired.
3) If you don't get what you want, just whine a little bit, and you can get anything.
4) Why do something yourself when you can get someone else to do it for you.
5) There's always time for a little cat nap.
6) Always find a good patch of sun to nap in. Nap often.
7) When in trouble, just purr and look cute.
8) Life is hard, and then you nap.
9) Curiosity never killed anything except maybe a few hours.
10) When in doubt, cop an attitude.
11) Climb your way to the top; that's why the curtains are there.
12) Variety is the spice of life. One day, ignore people; the next day, annoy them, and play with them when they're busy.
13) Always give generously; a bird or rodent left on the bed tells them, "I care".

Time for jokes

Time for a couple of jokes

Life savors

A teacher was doing a study testing the senses (taste) of
first graders using a bowl oflifesavers.

The children began to identify the flavors by their color:

Red......... ......... .....Cherry
Yellow...... ......... ...Lemon
Green....... ......... ...Lime
Orange...... ......... .Orange

Finally the teacher gave them all HONEY lifesavers. After eating them, none of the children could identify the taste.

'Well,' she said, 'I will give you all a clue. It's what your mother may sometimes call your father.'

One little girl looked up in horror, spit her lifesaver out and yelled, 'Oh my God!! They're ass-holes!?
~*~*~*~*~*~


$20

On their wedding night, the young bride approached her newhusband and asked for $20.00 for their first lovemaking encounter. In his highlyaroused state, her husband readily agreed.

This scenario was repeated each time they made Love, for morethan 30 years, with him thinking that it was a cute way for her to afford newclothes and other incidentals that she needed.

Arriving home around noon one day, she was surprised to findher husband in a very drunken state.

"During the next few minutes," he explained, "that his employerwas going through a process of corporate downsizing, and he had been let go. It was unlikely that, atthe age of 59, he'd be able to find another position that paid anywhere near what he'd beenearning, and therefore, they were financially ruined."

Calmly, his wife handed him a bank book which showed more than thirty years of steady deposits and interest totaling nearly $1 million. Then she showed him certificates of deposits issued by the bank which were worth over $2 million, and informed him that they were one of the largest depositors in thebank.

She explained that for the more than three decades she had'charged' him for sex, these holdings had multiplied and these were theresults of her savings and investments.

Faced with evidence of cash and investments worth over $3million, her husband was so astounded he could barely speak, but finally hefound his voice and blurted out, "If I'd had any idea what you weredoing, I would have given you all my Business!"

> > That's when she shot him.< <


You know, sometimes, men just don't know when to keep their mouths shut.

Sad news today

I have very bad news.

I just got an e-mail from Anny the youngest daughter of my uncle Arnold. She told me that her father and my Uncle had passed away peacefully in his sleep today, Thanksgiving day, at @ 12:3o.

I believe his eldest daughter Suzy was by his side. She has been faithfully sitting by his side for a while now keeping him company while his health declined. He was in the hospice hospital at the end.

Please take a moment and say a prayer for Arnold's family and his wife Vi during this time. Or if you like spare a good thought or two, or maybe light a candle if that is your belief (This link goes right to a virtual candle lighting site.)

Thank you everyone and God bless.
Janice~

Happy Turkey day!

Happy Turkey day everyone!

Thursday's thirteen: my shopping list for Thanksgiving

As most of you know (those of you who live in the states anyway) next week is Thanksgiving.

If you don't, well its when we all gather together for a big meal, make pigs of ourselves and give thanks that we here for another year, so we can do this again.

And now I am now going to show you my shopping list:

1. The turkey of course. If your a vegetarian sorry but me and mine are all carnivores. Except my sister she's a sea vegan, but now she is occasionally eating meat so . . . I guess she isn't so much now?



2. Salad fixings. My husband is the gourmet of salads makers, but this year I will have to remind him not to add mushrooms because our daughter has decided that she despises mushrooms. Yuck pout, no likie. And she is seventeen.



3. Two bottle of salad dressing. We're a two bottle family; I like blue-cheese and my hubby and everyone else like ranch.



4. Corn; and that's on the cob no canned for us, no sir.



5. Two boxes stuffing mix; the top of the stove stuff. I add heart, gizzard etc. from the turkey to one for my mom, and the other I make plain for my husband.



6. Yams; what Thanksgiving without yams? My daughter love them by themselves too.



7. Potatoes; I mash them. I know too much starch but it is Thanksgiving after all.



8. Old fashioned sausage gravy mix; after lots of searching and making the homemade verity too, I at long last found a gravy mix my husband loves.



9. Real butter.



10. Brown and serve rolls; a family classic.



11. Whipped cream; the kind in a can.



12. Apple pie



13. And ta ta da pumpkin pie; my hubby and daughter's favorite.

So did I make you hungry yet?


What's your families tradition?

Thursday's Thirteen: You were a little girl in the 70's if:

YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 70's IF:

1. ...you wore that rainbow shirt that was
half-sleeves, and the rainbow went up one sleeve,
across your chest, and down the other.

2. ...you made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake
Oven. You washed them down with snow cones from your
Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.

3. ...you had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a
stethoscope that actually worked. After training with
these tools you became an expert at the game
"Operation".

4. ...you owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a
basket. In the early 80's you moved onto the ever
popular 10 speed. Gosh that seat hurt.

5. ...you ever owned roller skates with metal wheels and learned to skate on the sidewalk in front of your house.

6...you had rubber boots for rainy/snowy days. Your
shoes actually fit inside the boots (with a little
help from your Mom and some plastic bags).

7. ...you wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.


8. ...you spent hours out back on your metal swing
set.


9. ...you wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really
bad; you wore that Little House on the
Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high
neck in at least one school picture; and you despised
Nellie Olson!

10. ...it was a big event in your household each year
when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on TV. And make
popcorn in a popcorn machine that you had add oil too and to shake occationally.

11. ...you ever asked your Magic 8-Ball the question:
"Who will I marry, Shawn Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or
Rick Springfield? "

12. ...you used to tape record songs off the radio by
holding your portable tape recorder up to the speaker.

13. ...You made flattsies in the a mold in the oven.

Kearney Park Renaissance festival

We went to the local Renaissance fair that's usually held at Kearney park, but this year it at a place I've never heard of before--Sycamore island.

~

It's more of a fishing hole along the Fresno river. Kind of dirty with gravel strewn all over the dirt roads and its was located in the middle of no-where and I had to get google maps just to locate the place.

It's some where between Madera and Fresno.

This is a great horned owl.

~

We made it too late to watch the shows though there was a couple still going on; belly dancers and two juggling acts that we had seen before. Mostly we just walked around and visited the booths that sold every thing to rings to swords and armor to puppets of all kind. My daughter liked the puppets and spotted pandas and dragons. When she was looking at the above owl I thought it was another puppet until I took a closer look

and it blinked!

~

Its a rescued bird that they show to the public to bring awareness of the endanger predator birds located in our area.

We came too late for shows and didn't wear our costumes, but my daughter Sarah did get a couple of pictures for me to share.


This is the sunset just as we were leaving if you look closely you'll see a tent from the fair.

~*~

My arms are sore from doing yardwork on Saturday, but I keep writing even though I felt like a T-rex with weak arms.

I'm at 21,066 words on my nano story Dragon's heart.

Thursday's Thirteen: Nano procrastinations

I doing the NaNoWriMo and here are thirteen things that keep me from working on my nano WIP or story.

1. I'm hungry, I think that candy in the candy bowl is calling my name.


2. I'm thirsty, I think I have one soda left way in the back of the fridge.


3. I need to use the bathroom, even though it's the tenth time in the last hour.


4. I want to pet the cat she seem lonely; "here kitty-kitty. Ow, don't bite me."


5. Is it lunch or dinner time yet?


6. Did some one email me? It has been two hours since the last time I checked.


7. Is that show I want to watch on? I better check.


8. I'm cold I better get a sweater on. Ooh, better yet I'll change into pajamas, even though its only seven o'clock in the afternoon.


9. Did I hear the UPS truck outside? I think my package I ordered from Amazon is due.


10. Time to update my word count.


11. I better check what's going on in the nano forums.


12. Hey, I better do my Thursday's thirteen!

Day After Halloween: Rain

Don't be alarmed this is still Lady Jan's blog I just did some revamping. Do you like it?

It's the day after Halloween, and my daughter's party was a huge success. All her guest arrived, though two came late and had to leave early. They all loved the Chucky movies, but unfortunately one was too badly scratched to play.

My husband saw his cake yesterday morning after he got home from working the night shift. He walked into the kitchen saw it and I heard him laugh. He said he "Loved it."

He's such a good sport, but I bet he'll get me when I turn 50 in a few years.

I found little ghosts for his B-day candles. If I got 50 candles it might have set the house on fire, lol.

Dave with his cake and my daughter and one of her guests in the back ground. We sang "happy birthday," and he blew out the candles.
He ate a slice, and took a whole pizza that I had bought for him to work for his lunch.

I had already given him his B-day gifts on Wednesday his real B-day; a movie Cloverfield, and two packages of Pistachios (he likes nuts, that's why he married me).

Today is the first day of the NaNoWriMo aka national November writer's month. This is when all us lunatic try madly to write a 50,000 word novel in a months time, starting November first to midnight November 30th.

It anyone want to do it I think the sign up is still going on just log into the website.

I'm all signed up for the Nano as Lady Jan, and I might not be posting very much this month with all the writing I will be doing.

But please keep checking back, because I will be posting my word count, and you can cheer me on.

And at long last its raining!

Not just the sprinkles, but real rain.

I had to go out and get wet. Its so cool and smells so good.

Don't you just love the rain?

Thursday's Thirteen: Halloween

Here's what we'll be doing this Halloween:

1. Getting B-day cake for my husband; he's B-day is the 29th just a couple of days earlier. This year he turned the big five-o, and here will be a tombstone on his cake. I can't pass that little dig up can I?



2. Getting treats.



3. Getting snacks.



4. I've already rented the entire series of Chucky movies for my daughter's horror marathon/sleepover. So if you wanted to watch one of those your too late, Baw-hahahah.



5. I'm buying lots of different kinds of soda for my daughter's fiends I mean friends.



6. Pizza; what's a all night horror movie marathon with out pizza?



7. Popcorn; after all there will be movies being watched.



8. Salad; some of my daughter's friends requested salad. Salad on Halloween? Teenage girls I tell ya.



9. Candy apples; there is something to this old favorite. It makes Halloween seem more traditional.



10. Fake webbing.



11. Fake spiders; what's Halloween with all that fake stuff I tell ya?



12. A spooky door bell that plays scary organ music, and shouts beware at you. I going to print us signs that say, "For God's sake don't touch the button." Because when you see that you just gotta.



13. Black light; I had to go to three stores, but I was finally able to find a black light bulb that actually had the wattage to eerily illuminate my daughter's bedroom, just enough to satisfy her.

Happy Halloween, Baw-wa-hahhahahahha!


Cough cough, that laugh hurts the throat.

Graveyard . . . . Shift

The name Graveyard shift, especially this time of the year, congers up images of ghosties and ghoulies and things that go bump in the night.

.

But in this case it also the work shift my husband is on.

.

He still working the night shift or graveyard shift at the local winery here in town. He is the night foreman and that carries a lot of responsibilities.

.

But my husband has one thing on his mind when he come home.

.

You see . . . after working all night long he really hates to sleep alone.

.

I will lay back down with him for a little while, but not all day long.

But don't worry, the cats have it covered. ;)

Thursday's Thirteen: The worst horror movies of all time

1. BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA (1952/Realart/Jack Broder Prod.) 75mins. BW. US.Aka: THE BOYS FROM BROOKLYN; THE MONSTER MEETS THE GORILLA (UK).Credits: Dir: William Beaudine; Prod: Maurice Duke; A.Prod: Herman Cohen; Sc: Tim Ryan; Ph: Charles Van Enger; Ed: Phil Cahn; Art: James Sullivan; Mus: Richard Hazard.Cast: Bela Lugosi,


2. Robot Monster (1953), Directed by Phil Tucker.


3. THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955/American Releasing Corp./San Matteo) 78mins. BW. US


4. THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956/Nassour/Peliculas Rodriguez-SA./UA.) 80mins. US./Mexico.Aka: LA BESTIA DE LA MONTANA.Credits: Dir: Edward Nassour & Ismael Rodriguez; Prod: Edward & William Nassour; Sc: Ismael Rodriguez, Robert Hill & Carlos Orellana; Ph: Jorge Stahl Jnr.; Ed: Holbrook Todd & Maury Wright; Art: Jack DeWitt; Sfx: Jack Rabin & Louis DeWitt; Mus: Raul Lavista. From an idea by Willis O'Brien.


5. THE BAT (1959/Liberty/Allied Artists) 78mins. BW. US.Credits: Dir. & Sc: Crane Wilbur; Prod: C.J. Tevlin; Ph: Joseph Biroc; Ed: William Austin; Art: David Milton; Mus: Louis Forbes. Based on the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart & Avery Hopwood.Cast: Vincent Price,


6. Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction/horror film written, produced, and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr.. The film stars Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi. The film also claims to posthumously star Bela Lugosi through use of archive footage and a brief scene of the actor shot by Wood just before Lugosi's death in 1956, although Lugosi's character is primarily portrayed by chiropractor Tom Mason.


7. THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS (1961/Cardoza-Francis Film Prod./Crown) 60mins.Aka: THE ATOMIC MONSTER-THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS.Credits: Dir., Sc. & Ed: Coleman Francis; Prod: Anthony Cardoza


8. Orgy of the Dead (1965) Directed by Stephen Aspotolof, written by Ed Wood.


9. THE BEAST THAT KILLED WOMEN (1965/Mahon)Credits: Prod: Barry Mahon.A giant gorilla runs amok in a nudist camp.Not even mildly funny.


10. 5. Manos, the Hands of Fate (1966) Directed by: Hal Warren.


11. BEWARE! THE BLOB (1972/Jack H. Harris) 88mins. Shooting title: SON OF BLOB. Sequel to: THE BLOB.Credits: Dir: Larry Hagman; Prod: Anthony Harris.


12. BILLY THE KID VERSUS DRACULA (1966/Circle) 84mins. (73mins. UK.) US. Credits: Dir: William Beaudine; Prod: Carroll Case; A.Prod: Howard Koch Jnr.; Sc: Carl K. Hittleman; Ph: Lothrop Worth; Ed: Roy Livingston; Art: Paul Sylos; Mus: Raoul Kraushaar.Cast: John Carradine


13. BATMAN FIGHTS DRACULA (1967/Lea/Fidelis) Philippines.Credits: Dir: Leody M. Diaz.Cast: Jing Abalos, Dante Rivero Vivian Lorrain, Ramon d'Salva.Batman, (Abalos), fights Dracula, (Rivero).

Edgar Allen Poe--rest in peace, today is the anniversary of his death

Today is the aniversery of Edgar Allan Poe's death.
Photo taken when Poe was 39 a year before his death.

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.

Edgar A. Poe~

Poe was an American poet, short-story writer, editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.[2]

Born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts, Poe's parents died when he was young. Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia, but they never formally adopted him. After spending a short period at the University of Virginia and briefly attempting a military career, Poe and the Allans parted ways. Poe's publishing career began humbly, with an anonymous collection of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), credited only to "a Bostonian".

Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals, becoming known for his own style of literary criticism. His work forced him to move between several cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City. In Baltimore in 1835, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. His wife died of tuberculosis two years later. He began planning to produce his own journal, The Penn (later renamed The Stylus), though he died before it could be produced. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in Baltimore; the cause of his death is unknown and has been attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, and other agents.[3]

Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields, such as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work appear throughout popular culture in literature, music, films, and television. A number of his homes are dedicated museums today.

When I think of Poe I always think of the Raven.

Here in its entirety is the Raven (I hope I sectioned it off right);


Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven
[First published in 1845]

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
.
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door
-Only this, and nothing more.
.
'Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought
its ghost upon the floor.
.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;
- vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow
- sorrow for the lost Lenore
.
-For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Nameless here for evermore.
.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me
- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
.
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door
-Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;
-This it is, and nothing more,
.
'Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
.
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
.
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -Darkness there, and nothing more.
.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
.
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word,
`Lenore!
.
'This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word,
`Lenore!'Merely this and nothing more.
.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore
.
-Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;
-'Tis the wind and nothing more!'
.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door
.

-Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door
-Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
.

`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said,
`art sure no craven.
.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore.
-Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
.
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
.
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door
.
-Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'
.
But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered
-Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before
-On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.
.
'Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'
.
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
.
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore
-Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'
.
But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
.
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore
.
-What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'
.
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
.
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
.
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent theeRespite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
.
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
.
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
-Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
.
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted
-On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore
-Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
.
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
.
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil!
- prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us
- by that God we both adore
.
-Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore
-Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?
.
'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
.
`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!'
I shrieked upstarting
-`Get thee back into the tempest and the
Night's Plutonian shore!
.
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!
.
'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
.
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
.
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
.
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!
~*~

Of course now I hear Bart Simpson say the 'nevermore' part, ah-well.

Just another Sunday

Just another sleepy Sunday.

Yesterday we went to Fresno my family and I, and ate out at the Fresno Fish Market. They have a diner in the back, and it served excellent Korean style food.

I bought my roasted green tea there, that's the only place I can find it.

Then we went to Best Buy and my husband and daughter bought some anime. My husband has been following Gundam wing (I think I spelled it right?) and my daughter got another new anime Galaxy Angle AA (at least to her).

I'll have to watch it with her later to see what its about.

Right now she is finishing up with Ranma 1/2 that a friend loaned her, and she giving it back tomorrow.

I viewed some of it with my husband before he went back to sleep. He's doing the night shift again at the winery, and he's once again the crush season foreman. I wish he could stay foreman, but that is up to his boss.

*Sigh*

It would be nice through, it pays more than his usual position.

I'm still writing, and working on some thing I've named Alien heart. I'm about two thirds of the way through. I thought it would be a novella but it don't want to be. I need to finish it so I can get back to work on Dragon heart, but I can't until this one is finished. Its demanding my time, lol.

I hope everyone had a nice Sunday.

Harvest season

It's harvest season once again, and this is the first year that my landlord is harvesting the almonds on the baby almond trees.

So I guess there not babies any more?

Last weekend at five in the am I heard; varoom, varoom, click-click-click, grr-rrr, varoom, varoom, click-click-click, grr-rrr.

It was the machine that attached to the trunk of the almond tree, and shook the bajesus out of the tree and all the nuts fell out.

They did it to each and every tree on our 80 acre parcel that we live on.

Oy vey.

Then yesterday, my husband came home about six thirty am. He gets into bed with me and whispers in my ear, "Their harvesting," and I hear; varoom, varoom, swish-swish-swish, varoom, varoom, swish-swish-swish, varoom, varoom, swish-swish-swish.

It was the machine that puts the nuts in neat line down the center of the rows, and the machine that picks them up.

Great.

We both tossed and turned.

Then my hubby said, "I can't sleep."

Me, "I can't either."

"Let's go to Fresno and I'll buy that MP3 player for you."

"Okay, just give enough time to take a quick shower."

"Alright, then I'll wake the daughter."

He grabbed up a pillow and threw it over his back like it was a bag. "Ooh, Sarah," he said going into her room, "time to wake up."

Whack, whack, whack.

I think my daughter got him real good.

Quick finish; we went and had a terrible meal out at Carl's jr. Went to Fresno and hubby bought me a Zen, and spent way too much on manga at Bounders for our daughter, bought anime at Best buy and then came home.

Then when we were about a mile or so from our house we saw this huge plume of smoke.

Guess what?

It wasn't smoke, it was the dust that the harvest machines were kicking up.

Today I went outside there is dust was every where, on the trees bushes, on everything in my garden, and my car is looks like it hasn't been driven in a year.

But the good news is they're done.

Phew!

9-11-01 A Day We Should Never Forget

Tomorrow for us the US it will be the seventh year anniversary of that terrible day 9-11-01.

.

Some one once asked me why I wanted to remember 9-11 with my poem.

He thought it should be forgotten.

.

Did we forget Perl Harbor?

Did we forget the Nazi's and all the horrors of war.

.

No.

.

We should never forget the ones who died, or the heroism that was born on that day.

Some people found courage, and some people patriotism.

The old red white and blue still carried a lot of weight in this country, and it blossomed and flowed turned our sorrow to our national colors.

.

This poem is a tribute to the dead as well as the living.

***
About my poem; I don't write a lot of poems, but it took me six months to process the tragedy of 9-11, and the process gave birth to this poem.
***

911
In God's Name


Allah –they yelled!
ramming our planes into our towers.
lost to the flames the buildings fell,
with few survivors.

Oh my God! We cried;
as we watched horrified,
trying to save them
many brave people died.

Jesus, thank you! That they live!
As people walked with feet of lead,
dusty tracks of tears they shed,
for what they suffered and fled.

Christ almighty! We did swear.
When the smoke then did clear;
our stunned senses not prepare,
titans once stood-- nothing a nightmare.

God there's more?
We learned---four planes
went out with evil intentions.
The pentagon succumb to mutilation!

My God! What happened?
A field in Pennsylvania was reshaped;
the ruin of flight 93 over the landscape,
passengers and crew---no escape.

Allah —thank you!
Prayed He from a cave in a hill.
For helping me to hurt them
where they feel it still.


In God we entrust.
flight 93 loved ones informed;
heroes they were transformed,
together the cockpit they stormed.

Showing us courage in all of us inborn.
***

\
To all of you who have read my poem,
God bless you.
**

Thursday's thirteen: life with a temp. cap

Thursday’s thirteen: thirteen rules to live by when you have a temporary cap on your tooth.

1. Don’t even think of chewing gum, and bubble gun is definitely out! It’ll pull your temp. cap right off!


2. Don’t eat potato chips, popcorn and rolled Gold pretzels are definitely out. I just ate one on the wrong side, ow.


3. And on the subject of junk food; stay away from anything hard and crunchy, like jaw breakers. They break your teeth more than your jaw.


4. Eat soft food like creamed corn, cream soup or really well cooked potatoes.


5. If you nuke your food; a baked potato is okay, but just don’t put any soy bacon bits on it or you have a new experience in pain. Crunch ouch!


6. Forget ice cream or anything too cold or too hot.


7. And don’t forget to eat on the other side of your mouth from the temp. cap.


8. Good oral hygiene is your friend right now, especially if that’s how you got in this mess to begin with! Hey, not now! I was only bad about brushing when I was a kid.


9. Using sensadine tooth paste really helps.


10. Be careful when you floss, you can pull your cap right off, especially if you forget to slide it out to the side and pull it straight out like normal. Believe me this has happened . . . to me (an earlier cap).


11. Don’t grind your teeth, it hurts.


12. For Goodness’s sake don’t use a tooth pick. It not good for your gums and might flip that cap right off.


13. The thing I want to leave you with is this; your teeth are meant to last a life time, please take care of them. I didn’t when I was a kid and I’m paying for it now!

Back when I was a bad little girl and didn’t brush my teeth I ended up with huge fillings, which are now breaking my teeth, and causing me to have caps.
.

This is my fifth temporary cap, and will be my fifth crown when I go back to the dentist next month.

Here the link

Here's the link to my new website though it really four webpages I linked together. I think that qualifies as a website?

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Thank God I got my blog back

I've been trying to work with Google and make up a nice website that was connected to my main blog.

But I think Google ate my blog.

I couldn't find it on Google apps or the site or in documents or any where.

Poof!

My lovely Lady Jan's home blog was gone.

But with much work I figured it out and now I have it back.

Yay!

I'll publish a link in a day or to and then you can check out my new site.

Aftrer "D" day Post

I'm all done at the dentist for three weeks, then I go back for my gold crown and a filling on the other side. More drilling yuck!

I still taste powered tooth and burned flesh in my mouth, and I ate and brushed my teeth since then. Double yuck!

BTW my dentist isn't denizen of hell, lol, he is a very nice man, about my own age but he looks younger than me--darn him.

A couple of years ago my husband told him I had a crush on him. I was so mortified. Could any thing be more embarrassing?

I could have strangled my hubby. I almost didn't go back because of that.

Well I almost forgot about my dear ol' hubby when the dentist talked to me for a while to help me calm down, and then gave me the novacaine.

I didn't feel a thing, thank God.

It's not his fault I just have this overriding fear of the dentist left over from childhood. I'm also a big baby when it come to needles. *shiver*

The only problem was the goo they use for the mold. I gagged making an ugly noise and had to yank it out of my mouth. Luckily I didn't sprew but I think I gave my dentist and his assistant a surprise.

LOL, I know they both jumped.

The mold was good so they didn't need to do it over.

I guess I was still thinking when I yanked it out and didn't pull so much yank as opened my mouth and lifted it off my teeth . . . very quickly though.

It wasn't a bad taste that made me choke (it tasted like plastic), but the feel of it near my gag threshold. It's moved up since I had a baby seventeen years ago and I still gag easy.

"D" day is tomorrow!!!

I have "The" dentist appointment tomorrow for my crown prep. and I have been nervous all day today.

I finally calmed down a bit when I sat down and read a book written by a friend of mine Brenda Weaver called Dragon Lord of Kells. That was a good way to while away a couple of hours.

Then at dinner time when I was cooking I took my time and made everything from scratch so I didn't have to think about anything but food prep. It was just steak, potatoes, carrots gravy (that was from a mix, okay not everything was from scatch), and some diced bell peppers and garlic to pour over the meat.

It come out pretty good, and there is plenty potatoes leftover so I can something soft to eat tomorrow after the dental work.

Ooh, I don't want to think about it.

Thursday's Thirteen: More on School Daze.

I know I already did a list of things for School, but tomorrow is D-day the first day of school. So I am doing a list of things I have to do to get my daughter off right for the first day of school.

FYI I have a teenage daughter.

1. Make sure she has a showers the night before school starts so I'm not banging on the door yelling, "Get out of there you going to be late!"



2. Get her in bed early so she won't drag for the first day of school.



3. Get some kind of breakfast food to temp her taste buds with, so when she's dosen't want to eat that early. I don't hear the words; "Mom, I'm not hungry yet."



4. Set alarm clock so I can get up, even though she has an alarm too. This way I can make sure she dosn't sleep through the alarm and I hear the famous line "The allarm didn't go off." Ha!



5. Make sure I go to bed at a dencent hour too.



6. Get up get dressed and get the daughter up.



7. Say, "hurry up" a hundred times.



8. Say, "Your going to be late" a couple of dozen times or more.



9. Say, "Did you remember Cell phone?"



10. Say, "Did you remeber your lunch money?"



11. Say, "Did you remember to pack everything you might need in your back pack?"



12. "Eat your breakfast!"



13. Then finally get the kid out the door in a timely manner so she isn't late to school. My husband will be taking her after spending the night on the graveyard shift.



14. Bonus: I can relax.

I blog a book for a friend

I blog a book for a new friend of mine, Brenda Weaver.

I blog it on my lady Jan's Library blog.

Go check it out.

Thursday's Thirteen: School Daze

Today's Thursday's thirteen has to do with getting my daughter ready for school. She will be a junior this year at high school. She was a transfer student to the new state of the art high school, but because she didn't do well in one subject she's back to the old school that I and her dad graduated from.

You know school sucks when . . . .

1. You have to buy new clothes that have to be on the okay'd list.
2. You have to buy school supplies; ie paper, folders, backpack, because there is no way your teen is going to wear the same backpack, etc from last year.
3. Getting a letter that our daughter either didn't turn in either; a. a text book, b. a library book, or c. a school item of some kind but they can't tell us which one that's for us to call the accounted to find out.
4. You call and account isn't there for two weeks, or just every time we call with in business hours.
5. Being told to be sure to register our daughter at school by the old(new) school, and being told by the new (old) school not until July 28th.
6. We called again and we find out registration is August 6th for the juniors, which we did today. Phew!
7. Then my husband finally got in touch with the accountant today, and had to do it face to face.
8. He found out one of my daughter's teachers was sick at the end of the school year, and we don't owe $50. after all.
9. Then the bad news is it's been so long since the end of the school year that we can't get her last grades that they were holding for the $50. dollars.
10. Paying for gym clothes when the ones last year still fit, but there from the other high school.
11. Writing a check way ahead of time for photo day, and praying you have the money in the bank by then.
12. Finding out that the year book is $70.00 and you need to buy it right now or the price will go up.
13. Realizing you just can't afford the $70.00 for the year book, on top of the new clothes, on top of the new school supplies and on top of everything your shelling out right now.

Ani-Jam '08

My daughter made this costume for the Anime-Jam.
It's Kon from the anime Bleach.

She worked real hard and made the whole thing by hand without a pantern, or a sewing machine.
Can you see her eyes?

There is a small round patch in the black that is screen over with toule, she can see through.

She won thrid place in the cosplay contest.

We're very proud of her.

I LOVE MY JOB . . .

(I found this on a forum, Jan~)

If you don't laugh out loud after you read this you are in a coma! This is
even funnier when you realize it's real! Next time you have a bad day at
work think of this guy.

Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. He
performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs.

Below is an E-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to radio station
103.2 on FM dial in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who was sponsoring a worst job
experience contest. Needless to say, she won.

Hi Sue,

Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother.

Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down
lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it's not so bad after all.

Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few
technicalities of my job.

As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the
office. It's a wet suit. This time of year the water is quite cool. So what
we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel powered industrial water
heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea. It
heats it to a delightful temperature. It then pumps it down to the diver
through a garden hose, which is taped to the air hose. Now this sounds like
a darn good plan, and I've used it several times with no complaints.

What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose and
stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm
water. It's like working in a Jacuzzi.

Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my butt started to itch.
So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few
seconds my butt started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done. In agony I realized what had happened.

The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit.

Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't stick to
it however, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate.

When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the
jellyfish into the crack of my butt.

I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His
instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other
divers, were all laughing hysterically.

Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression stops totaling thirty-five minutes before I could
reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression.

When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet. As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt as soon as I got in the chamber.

The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my butt was swollen shut.

So, next time you're having a b ad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a jellyfish shoved up your butt.

Now repeat to yourself, "I love my job, I love my job, I love my job."

Now whenever you have a bad day, ask yourself, is this a jellyfish bad day?

May you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day!!!!!