Water, Water, Everywhere

Though it is raining out, I was referencing the graphics, not any flooding at my house.  You all know how much I love to make water move and I just couldn't resist.  I had to play with these and share:)  I love they way they came out.

 

I want to, once again, thank you all for the support and nominations of my journals for the Vivi's.  I haven't made the rounds completely to the other nominees, but I will.  So many great picks.  Just wish there was a way to have everyone be nominated and win, you are all winners!

 

The normal Sunday morning silence was broken a short time ago.  As I sat and read about the shake up with the Philadelphia Flyers (their coach was fired and the GM resigned - which really isn't surprising), I heard the scratch of metal and the roar of motors running.  When I looked out the window there were several dump trucks, claw and bucket/scoop trucks (or whatever the hell they are called! lol).  There in the rain, workers are cleaning up the debris in my area.  Yeah!  All the limbs, trees, and branches are off my front lawn!  It's still a mess with leaves that were left behind, but I can see the street and when the rain stops we can rake up the last of it.  It's almost back to normal in my neck of the woods, but I hear some are still without power.  I'd have long since lost mind if I had to go without power for over a week!!

 

Some other noise around my house is my son.  Not sure if I even wrote about this, but he and his buddies decided to move someplace bigger.  They will be moving in Nov 1.  Turns out the month to month lease at the old place was up on the 15th and to avoid any further rent there, they all moved home temporarily.  This was obviously in the works but to hell with telling me.  Oh the joy!!  Actually, I love it.  I've missed him not being here, and though he isn't here a whole helluva lot anyway, it's nice to have him around.  The other night he and his friends went to a haunted house.  He told us the story and laughed all the way through it. I won't do the story justice, but behind them in line was a large, very built man.  He went on to say he looked like he could have been a football player, and had a very gruff voice.  He was last in the line of his buddies so this man was behind him.  It wasn't far into the house that he felt these large hands grab him by the shoulders and a voice squeal.    The man was so scared he was directing my son by the shoulders as to where to go and how fast.  It took him several minutes to break free after asking the man to stop on several occasions.  Now his buddy was last and the man grabbed him too.  At one point they were in a room with sheets hanging and the chainsaw going.  The man about had a heart attack, my son said.  He was actually pushing his friend and using him as a shield to protect himself.  By the end of the story my son was in tears.  Guess it's true, the bigger they are the harder they fall!  Then a bit later this morning he let out a gasp 'Mom, kill it'  When I turned and looked he was laying on the couch almost in the fetal position.  Blanket pulled right up to his chin as he stared at a huge hairy spider walking on the floor, closer to me mind you!  I grabbed my camera thinking I could get a picture and use it as part of a Halloween graphic but he then went into 'sailor' mode and cursed up a storm for me to just kill the damn thing.  As I went to get a shoe he screamed, 'hurry!'  Like it was going to get to him before I could get the shoe.  What did he want me to do, pick it up with my bare hands?  Stomp on it in bare feet?  I grab a shoe and he yells at me not to use his.  ROFL!!!  I'm gonna kill the spider with the bottom, not put it in your shoe.  He didn't care, he wanted me to use another one, I grabbed mine.  I wonder what he did when he was in a house with his buddies???  LOL   Oh I have missed him!!!  And yes, the bigger they are the harder they fall!

 

Well, I'm off to watch the Bills get throttled by the Pat's, will be back later no doubt.  I hope everyone has a great Sunday! 

hugs

~d

 

         

 

       

~ Crazy Day and some Fall Snags ~

Day was a little off the wall.  Started out slow and chilly.  I was lazy and really didn't feel like getting my arse moving.  I sipped coffee, read the news on the net, and played with a few graphics after going through mail.  Like my Saturday morning should be, not like last weekend!  Before I knew it was after noon and I hadn't even gotten dressed.  Now that IS lazy!!  LOL

 

So I decided I better get moving before the whole day was gone.  I started going through the mountain of laundry that had accumulated while I was without power.  Holy shit!  I didn't realize I had so many clothes.  Why when I look on normal days can I find nothing to wear?????  After I got the first load going I ran to the store to pick up a few things.  When I stepped outside it looked slightly foggy, then my nose tingled and I realized it was smoke.  The neighborhood was full of a light smoke and the air was filled with the scent of burning wood and leaves.  It actually smelled good.  Like I was back camping on a chilly day.  I tugged my fleece around me a little tighter as I got a full blown shiver.  The events of last weekend flooded back, and the sadness of all the lost trees was realized once again as neighbors burned some of their debris.  How unfair to have the sweet memory of a fire be turned into a memory of such devastation!

 

When I got to the store it was the oddest thing.  A week later and the shelves were still showing signs of the mad dash of stocking up.  I didn't go to a super store or anything, but I'd have thought canned goods, soup mixes, and toilet paper would have been restocked.  It was not my lucky day!  Thank goodness my sister boys are back home and I have a couple rows of TP to get us through.  Please, no smart ass comments about all the leaves outside!  I grabbed a few things and went on my way. 

 

I'm still a bit behind on journals, but I am trying to get things caught up.  If I've not commented it doesn't necessarily mean I wasn't there, but I had missed so much while without power it was impossible to comment on each entry on each journal.  I'd never get through them all!!

 

Sharing a few Fall graphics before Fall is gone.  Some were done before the storm, some this week.  The boy fishing is actually a picture Betty had taken and posted in her journal a bit ago.  She gave me permission to snag.  Stop by and check out her work, it is awesome!!

 

I'm a bit tired now and thinking I'll call it a night.  Just want to shout out to the boys on another great game.  Can we all just say in unison... 8-0 Baby!!!  Thank you! :)

 

G'night folks!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.

hugs

~d

 

     

 

      

 

     

 

       

YEAH BAAAAAAAAABY!

                  

I've been pretty quiet about my 'boys' with all that has been going on lately, and I sure as hell hope I don't jinx them with this, but I am stoked!!  Seven games into the season and they are unbeaten.  The cardiac kids have found away to win each of their games.  Some may not have been pretty, but they got the mark in the win column.  Amazing thing is, I don't think they've even played their best yet.  It's a long season, and I know they can't win them all, but the teams they have beaten were playoff teams last year.  They've beaten the Stanley Cup Champs of last year, the Carolina Hurricanes, twice already.  Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit, the New York Rangers, and Philadelphia have also felt the speed of these guys.  They don't quit!  I don't think they even know the word.  I don't like that they start out a bit slow, but so far they have been able to come back and grab the two points.  Except when they played Philadelphia.  Sorry Flyer fans, but that game was just too good not to mention.  A 9-1 thrashing is something I'm proud of.  It will never be enough of a pay back for us losing in '75 but I will take it.

 

Anyone interested can view some of the highlights.  If you do, watch 'my Maxie' skate end to end and score.  Gotta love him!  LOL

 

 

~ Snags ~ Making up for lost time

                            

        

      

                           

Yeah yeah, I do remember what I said about one entry, but I'm making up for lost time.  LOL  Five days with no power after Mother Nature's visit I have an itch.  :)

I'm off to bed, everyone have a great evening.  Stay safe and warm.

Hugs

~d

Just Thinking.........

Why do folks do what they do?  What makes them act a certain way?  This always baffles me.  I could pull all my hair out trying to figure it out, it's already gray so that would be the next step.  But alas, no matter what you say, no matter how you try, some folks just have things in their head a certain way and can't or won't see it any other, the blinders block so much.  Sad really, don't you think?  Life in black and white, or would that be 'my' way or the wrong way? 

 

Things are picking up here.  Some of the smaller towns have begun the task of picking up all the fallen trees and tree parts.  I know they have I see some missing, but there is so much still there.  One town said it could be December.  December??  What are they going to do when the plows need to clear more snow?  What are they thinking??  I think they are down to about 55,000 still without power.  They waited to do the worst hit areas as it would take the longest.  Clearing debris still hanging from trees and wires so they can get to things.  They are also dealing with underground wires that have been damaged.  The temperatures never really got cold and this week they were in the high 50's low 60's.  Mother nature could have helped a bit more and kept the rain away one more day.  It came down in buckets today and all I could think of was flooded basements and no power. 

 

I played with this graphic and couldn't decide which or what.  Thinking I like the glow effect, it kind of reminded me of him sitting in front of a fire and the roaring flames only flashed across him occasionally.  Then I liked it without.  So even all the thinking didn't help me decide so I will let you.  :)

 

                        

 

The Vivi Nominations are up.  I'd like to thank all those that have supported me both here and at my tag journal.  I do appreciate it.  Please stop by and see the nominations.  The committee has posted links to the nominees in each category.  Try and visit and start thinking about who will get your vote.  Voting begins Nov 2.  Congrats to all the nominees!!  So many winners in J-Land :)

hugs

~d 

Howdy!!

      

Can I just say once again it is good to be back, and of course thank you for all the warm wishes!  Today was a good day.  Getting up to the normal sounds of my alarm blaring, the lights coming on when I hit the switch, the computer booting up, the sounds of the electric coffee pot, and the hum of the fridge were absolutely wonderful!  Ok, so I didn't like the sound of the alarm as it meant I had to go to work, but having it go off when it was supposed to was good.  Work wasn't even half bad.  Ok, fessing up again.  I left a bit early.  I had to do some things that weren't done over the weekend and I was running out of clean clothes.  Going commando at work is not my style, so whites most definitely had to be done!

 

There are still a good 100,000 folks without power, but they are working on it.  So many crews from out of state have come to assist.  If you know any of these folks please give them a hug for me!!  Their help is so appreciated words can't even describe.  I've seen trucks from Ohio, PA, MA, and even Montreal Canada.   It's so odd looking around now.  The temperatures have been in the mid 50's to the low 60's since Friday so all the snow is gone and has been.  Again, it was not the snow, though it came earlier then ever, it was the effect of having all that wet snow on the trees and them falling over that led to this disaster. 

 

I've heard different estimates on how much debris has to be removed.  One report was 300 million tons of branches, limbs, and trees.  How much is that?  How does one even compute that?  Then I heard 10,000 football fields might be able to handle it.  WTF!? 10,000?  I can't even get an image of that!!!  The image I do have is all the crap laying on the side of streets.  Then there is the cost.  OMG!!!  Some homeowners are being told they have to pay for things that were disconnected from the house, as well as bringing things up to codebased on the towns rules, costing as much as $3000 or more.  It's so sad too, we boast about the community and how neighbors always come to the aide of each other.  Offering a helping hand, an extension cord to the generator, food, whatever.  Today however we saw an ugly side.  The politicians fighting!  It's become a turf war between the city, the county, and the towns.  It's a freaking joke!  Disgusting actually!! 

 

Oh, and FEMA.  Now, what a waste that whole thing is.  We've all heard the horror stories from New Orleans, but being part of the process now I am sick to my stomach.  The bureaucratic red tape and forms that have to be filled out is nonsense.  The representative that was here had no clue where he was, if the city was in the county, or what actually would be covered.  News reporters were able to get some answers simply by looking in the book, yet this guy hemmed and hawed and never even answered.  How much do you suppose he gets paid yearly?  In my eyes, way to f'in much!!  I know the idea of FEMA is good, but it's been 7 days and folks still have no answers, no forms to fill out, and have to wait.  Wait?  For what?  Are they freakin blind?? So believe it when you hear folks in the hurricane region had to wait for months.  How can that be?  And some aren't even grants, but rather low interest loans.  Sorry, but this country goes out of it's way to help areas all over and yet they can't help the citizens that pay taxes, that live here?  WTF!!!   :::heavy sigh:: Enough on the rant...... for now. 

 

I played with a photo today.  Just curious what you all think.  I am showing the original, then I edited it taking out the wires and signs, then I did one with snow falling.  I can see some imperfections, but all in all thought it was ok.  Thoughts?  It's pretty obvious which is which.. LOL  

 

I'm off to bed, hope everyone is doing well.

hugs

~d

 

          

 

     

Wednesday!

I made coffee in the electric coffee pot and when I opened the fridge the light came on!!  It's pretty empty but the light came on!!   It is a GOOD DAY!  LOL

 

Some shares that I wanted to post over the weekend but the 'powers that be' kept me from it.  No pun intended... or maybe just a little :)~  Enjoy I have a few more I will do soon.

 

Thanks again for all the warm wishes and have a great hump day!

hugs

~d