Son of a Witch

Ok, so I just finished reading the Gregory Maguire novel, Son of a Witch. It takes off where Wicked left off. I have to admit that I am more that a little annoyed by the ending. There are too many questions that are not answered but then again that could mean that he wants to write another book to follow it up. Read Wicked first and if you were a fan of the Wizard of OZ, you will probably love this adult version of OZ...the behind the scenes version of what really happened, the politics, the relationships....it was all quite interesting.

We have something scary living in our living room. He keeps watch over my Halloween decorations in the front yard. Don't mess with him, he's 7 ft of pure kick-butt.

LiveJournal Haiku!
Your name:	netterkaster
Your haiku:	wanted to steal one of raines cats the big grey bear with his round tum-tum
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Created by Grahame

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, I wish to save my pumpkin from squirrels tonight!

Ouch...that had to hurt.

Ok, I built a crash witch and attached her to one of the trees in the front of the house. I'm still working on those tombstones...but the spooky graveyard sign is hung up and waiting for the stones to arrive. Soon, hopefully after the weekend. 

The moon looked huge the other night as it rose above the bay. HUGE and pinkish orange. It kept me company while I grilled a little steak on the deck. At one point the reflection of the moon on the water was breath taking...just lovely, especially when two swans swam through the reflection. There is nothing like a big bright moon. Remember as a kid in the back seat of the car, how the moon appeared to follow you as your parents drove you home. I always thought that was neat but then again, I was a strange child. 

I choose to to hook my Jack-o-lantern up to an elecrical source and give that little fur ball a perm when he tries to chew the design off of my pumpkin this Halloween. After Halloween he can have a party and cart the entire pumpkin away...but before that, its off limits.

more Shannon pics

Shannon sent me some of her pics and I was playing around with them, cropping them, sharpening the color, blurring out less interesting backgrounds....fun stuff. when you put them on picture piles like this it cuts down all of your pics..but you can get an idea. 

Cousin Shannon...
Just one of the pictures she sent to me. I cropped it down and made it a black and white, then let the color of her jeans show. Can you guys believe that she is a senior? I'm old. I remember babysitting her and the ordeal we had to go thought just to get her to pick out an outfit.

When will they ever learn?

Ok, lets see....what are the odds that Jesse can stay out of the State Pen? He just got his 5th offense DWI last weekend. So, when he goes to the Pen...do you think they will keep him out of the Tecumseh site...where he was once a guard? Hmmm, things could get interesting. He went to see a lawyer today. Why do the men in this family have such issues with booze?

I got this postcard in the mail today from Raine...the back reads, "Net- He must be the only sightseer here....not much to see! -Rain"

WHAT!? Not much to see in Nebraska? Nah! There is a ton of things to see and do in good old Nebraskie....a ton. Why, just last summer I traveled to Red Cloud, NE to visit the home of Willa Cather. They have tons of state parks to tour, including Indian Cave State Park. Nebraska boasts the largest hand planted forest in the world. It's where Kool-Aid was invented. You can still see where the Oregan Trial cuts across the land because in many places the wagon wheel ruts are still visible. You can fish the Missouri River or if you want calmer water, the Platte River where you can take a ride in a stock tank. Yes, they do that, don't ask me why, I think bordom perhaps. We boast on of the top ranked zoo's in the country. On Game days, Memorial Stadium becomes the third largest City in the state....if you count it as its own population...a giant see of red Cornhuskers. Who could forget watching the Whooping Crane migration? Oh, there is more...oh so much more...but I don't want to keep mentioning all the good stuff because we'd never be able to keep all those tourists away then. I mean, they built the Interstate thorough the boring flat areas for the purpose of keeping people moving though....

Mutts feels my pain...and pours salt in the wound.

Squirrels! They are sneaky little guys. If you don't know what I am talking about...see my blog entry titled, "SON OF A!!! AUGH!!!"

Another postcard...

Kim aka the Madwoman....sent me a post card of Grizzly Falls in Sequoia National Forest. She went Camping in Kings Canyon National Park and was going to Death Valley this last weekend. I'm jealous. I have always enjoyed visiting national parks. I guess if it turns out to be a sunny day I will go to Jones Beach for a walk....that is as close as I can get today. Thanks for the Postcard Kim! 

Thank you Sally!

I got a package in the mail today from jolly old England. Sally's cat Harry has been ill so I sent him some tuna flakes and a cozy pad to perk him up. Sally and Harry sent me these cute things as a thank you. I don't know if you can see him or not...but that is Harry in the little frame, all curled up and looking so cute. I'm a cat person, what can I say....I always have been, I always will be. I'll give you a qoute out of the book. Paul Gray wrote,"Cats are kindly masters, just so long as you remember your place." How true! 

I got to see Katie today, I got to see Katie today, I got to see Katie today! Yeah!

I had lunch with Katie today at Roosevelt Field Mall. We were eating at Johnny Rockets when she blew me this kiss. We managed to purchase a new pair of sneakers for Katie and she found a great sale on a new purse for the fall. I bought my waffle mix and then we headed home. She told me some naughty stories in the van. Ah, the adventures of Katie....she has a reputation for being hilarious....and let me tell you, she is, oh yes indeed, SHE IS

I get to see Katie today...I get to see Katie today...I get to see Katie today!

BEWARE! I have finished my Halloween directional sign post. I'm going to add some cobwebs and glow-in-the-dark paint to the lettering for effect. I'm starting on my tombstones next. Thanks to everyone that sent me ideas. I'm working on picking a few fun ones. Sam shot down a couple that I really liked though. You know me, I'm a real cornball sometimes so its probably best that he axed my goofy ideas.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Pops...Happy Birthday to you! I hope you are having fun on your Elk trip....riding up in the mountains with pack horses in tow.

Make a wish...

I was sleeping on the train today and I had a dream about making a wish on a falling leaf and it came true. Did you ever do that? Every fall, you stand in the yard under a big tree that is shedding its colorful leaves and you have to pick a leaf as it is falling, make a wish, then catch it before it hits the ground. If you catch it, it may come true. I wasted more time as a kid making wishes like that. You can also use whirly-gigs.(we called them helicopters)..you know those seed pods from maple trees. That was always fun. Then there was blowing all the seeds off of a white dandelion in one blow, blowing all of your candles out in one breath. We picked one side of the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey or a Sunday chicken and pulled. The person that got the larger size was supposed to have their wish granted. Who could forget the wishes made on eyelashes that you find on your cheek. You put them on the tip of your finger, close your eyes and blow it away. If you don't find it..you may get your wish. There is the necklace wish...when the latch twists around to the charm. You hold the charm and make a wish as you twist your latch to the back of your neck. Just imagine the amount of wishes we have wished for in our lifetime. I wish that just one of those wishes I wished had come true. Maybe tomorrow, huh.

Sometimes you just need a good chat...

A few good chuckles are always a good way to lift your spirits. Every once and a while you just have to pick up the phone and call a friend in a far away city. You have to! They keep popping into your mind and if you don't just pick up that phone you are going to keep missing them until you do it.

When your friends have children its always a hit and miss kind of deal...either its a good time to call...or shall we say as good as its going to get...or its a really sucky time to call. There is a lot of grey area there. A LOT..lol. The good thing about me is that it never really bothers me when the kids are distracting them from our conversation. That is part of life. I actually get a kick out of some of the things that are said to the kids during such distractions. For example...I was talking to Tami earlier and she said to her 2 1/2 year old daughter, "Meredith, don't kill the cat! Put it down. Put it down! Meredith put the cat down!" I guess she was holding it upside down with the its butt in her face. I'll never forget when Tami started yelling at the dog, "Elvis, don't lick the baby!" For some reason it just struck me as funny. I thought it would make a good title for a childrens book. Somewhere I have half a written draft of the adventures of a dog named Elvis. I should dig that out and work on it some more.
You know, it could be quiet for an hour...the phone rings and kids will bang on everything in the house. They will ignore you and want to play by themselves and as soon as the see you on the phone....they want your attention and they want it NOW. That is when you hear, "Go play in the other room!" or "Keep it down!" or "QUIET!" It never works for more than 2 minutes even if you have just given them "the look" and all Mom's have "the look." I'm not a Mom but I have "the look" down pat. Years of being a Nanny, I guess, helped me achieve it. I was at the Leaches once, long after I stopped working for them. Katie was doing something I didn't approve of...I don't remember what...but I didn't have to say a thing. I just shot her the look and she knew....she hunched up her shoulders and said, "WHAT?" You don't have to say anything to that...just keep looking at them like that and then you get, "OK, OK!" Works everytime. They know...kids are smart little devils.

Its still raining!

Yes, its nasty out there right now. I'm staying inside and relaxing.

"BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
332 PM EDT FRI OCT 14 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON NY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
KINGS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.
NASSAU COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.
QUEENS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.
SUFFOLK COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.

* UNTIL 730 PM EDT.

* AT 326 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
BAND OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTH SHORE OF LONG
ISLAND INTO BROOKLYN AND QUEENS. RAINFALL RATES UP TO AN INCH PER
HOUR ARE OCCURRING WITH GROUNDS ALREADY OVERSATURATED. AN
ADDITIONAL ONE AND A HALF TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THIS WILL WORSEN THE FLOODING CONDITIONS
ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

MANY ROADS ACROSS THE AREA ARE CLOSED DUE TO THE HEAVY RAIN.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN UPTON
NY.

LAT...LON 4056 7407 4057 7354 4079 7241 4108 7249
4095 7354 4083 7379 4075 7398 "

Postcards from the edge...

We don't know what edge that is...but it is an edge none the less. As usual, OSirLucas did not follow instructions and instead of sending me a POSTCARD he sent a regular card and a cute little otter magnet. OK, this time he used good judgement. Afterall, if you are not going to listen then by all means send a present to get on my good side. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I reserve judgement for a prior date. I have to tell you...looking in that eagles mouth kinda freaks me out. I don't know why...its just gross. Yeah, yeah, I know its the national bird...blah blah blah. I didn't say I didn't like them, I do, I think they are lovely birds but I just don't want to look inside thier beaks. A few years ago when I was home on a visit I saw several Bald Eagles sitting in some dead trees by the Missouri River. It stuck out in my mind because I had never remembered seeing a Bald Eagle in that area before. Anyway, thanks for the effort Lucas.

Oh I wish, oh, how I wish...Wouldn't it be fun to have a schedule like that? Yeah, but we all know that the first thing we would do would be to create a "to do list" a mile long in our head. We'd put fun things on there and feel guilty if we were just doing what we really wanted to do instead of what we needed to do. Then we would let household chores sneak onto the list and we would find ourselves in the yard trimming bushes. No, I refuse to allow that to happen...be strong...resist the urge. Wouldn't it be much better to just lay around and read all morning. Yeah, curl up under your big puffy comforter and read until you get hungry. Get up, take a shower and wash the stink off of you...debate whether you should get dressed in real cothes or PJ's again....hmmmm. Oh hell, put on the PJ's and go to the movies. It's dark in there so nobody will care that you are wearing flannel bottoms with mittens and snow caps all over them. Eat popcorn as your main meal of the day. I can smell it popping already. Hell, see two movies unless it is really nice outside, then go for a walk at the beach. After that, you are on your own...I've got to go get a manicure/ pedicure and finish reading my book. I'm tired just thinking about it...after all, I couldn't resist the urge to run some errands while I was out and about.

Snapple "Real Facts #2"

You know, I like that...I really do. Why didn't they keep it? I think the US Mint should work that back into our coins. Of course, that doesn't mean that we will indeed, mind our own business. I'm not even really sure that that is possible. What is the fun in it? Anyway, let me know if you think I should start a petition online to have the motto put back on the pennies.