Friday

tip-o-day

It's a good idea to carry some paper towels and a small plastic bag in your car. Stick them in the trunk or under the seat out of the way. This way you are always ready for the unexpected to happen.
You never know when you may need to wipe up a spill, and you be totally prepared if say... a passenger succumbs to a little motion sickness.

Just waiting for the phone to ring

I just posted signs around the neighborhood.

As soon as I can get this cat off my lap perhaps I can post more pics of the whole story.




For now... here's just one more... for Val. :)

meow

It's a good thing I don't have a job yet.

For the last couple days my attentive wife and I have been hearing a cat meowing somewhere close by. It's not our feral ... she makes absolutely no sounds. If you're feral - that's just smart.

Today I sighted the cat.
He is in a tree in our neighbors yard.
o dear.
I think he may have been up there for days.
And its been below 10 degrees at night.
o dear.

I've called the police. I hope they show up soon.


UPDATE:
I got the cat out of the tree.
He was VERY hungry.
He is in my kitchen now.
eek.

Friday

tip-o-day

Today in New England we are having a mini January thaw. It's just the one day, so we'll have to make time to take advantage of it.

Try not to miss these little gifts. Be sure and get outside on days like this to soak up your fair share of vitamin D. Even if you happen to have a job... where you might have a busy work day, take a walk to get your lunch - or if you have a luncheon meeting - steal 5 minutes from your afternoon to step outside the office and walk around the parking lot.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how much better you feel after just a short time in the sunshine.

a new economy

So what would you do if you had no job and alot of time on your hands?

Home improvment?
Well, that's what I would do of course.

Current projects include, but are not limited too, revamps of our basement and attic.
You know... keeping your basement and attic spaces free of clutter and organized is good for your Chi. When these areas are not kept tidy it can have an effect on your mood, your attitude and your well being. These in turn affect all aspects of your life.

Also - I am doing my part for America. Its important in these hard economic times to keep the economy moving along. To pull our weight I am internet shopping today for major appliances. These include (and are also not limited too) a refrigerator, a laptop, a shopvac, and a sewing machine. (If anyone has sewing machine advice - please let me know. This is uncharted territory.)

Now I've got to go apply for unemployment. I mean... somebody has to pay for all this stuff.

One man's garbage... is still really garbage.

Sometime back in the 70's there were these ad campaigns to get dumb Americans to stop tossing their trash around. I am sure you remember the commercial made famous by the single tear rolling down the weather beaten face of a Native American.

Personally, I never really understood why people would toss around trash in the first place. Why is it we need to be told not to be slobs?

Anyway... it was around that time when I read an article about the dangers of those plastic ring things which hold a six pack of soda cans together. These were invented because Americans are evidently too lazy to purchase individual cans of soda. Well these items of 'convenience' were wreaking havoc out in the Nature. Animals were becoming entangled in them or even strangled by them. The plastic was too strong for them to break free of. And of course - plastic lasts forever.
This broke my heart.

Since that day, if I ever encounter one of those little nasties - I cut them into several pieces. Granted - it's still evil plastic, but at least little animals won't get hurt by playing with it.

Ok.. so now here we were last month setting up our Christmas tree. And it was wrapped in that ubiquitous tree 'netting'.

This netting totally freaked me out.
I mean just look at it.
This is clearly some dangerous stuff.

I kept thinking of the baby animals.




















I had to save the animals.


And so I started snipping... and snipping... and snipping

Until I had a pile of teeny tiny little plastic bits.

The bits were everywhere. They were all over the table, stuck to the chairs, spilled onto the floor... they were on my socks and my sleeves. They were very tiny bits.

I am still finding them -a month later.
But the baby animals are safe.
So I feel better.

when endings can be beginnings or beginnings end up as endings...

Yeah... I quit the new job.
Now I need another new job.

Really I think I just preferred being unemployed. Hey - I am married now, so my wife has to support me... right?

...and endings

We lost this huge birch in the ice storm last week.

We actually sorta 'stole' this tree from some field somewhere. We had just moved into our house (about 20 years ago) and really wanted a birch tree. So we plucked a little sapling and took it home. Over the years my green-thumbed wife has moved it around the yard a couple times.
It finally ended up in on of our favorite spots in the back yard. We had a bench there, placed so strategically that you could sit naked and not be seen by any or our neighbors.


Looks like our spring projects are starting to line themselves up.

new beginnings

no no no... not about the marriage.
We've been at that a long time, remember.

Oh, but ... thank you all very, very much for your well wishes. And know that we want to have a celebratory cocktail with each and every one of you. Seriously.

ok... about the beginnings.
I am totally wiped out tonight. Why?
I started a new job today.
whew.

My head nearly exploded by the time I came home this evening. My legally- married wife poured me a glass (or glasses) of wine.
I am sipping that now.
I am decompressing.

And I am very, very behind on all your blogs... going to catch up now.

It's all about the beni's

When I lost my job in November... hmm, "lost" - I didn't technically 'lose' anything.
I mean..you 'lose' your keys, you can 'lose' weight...but if I lost my job -- wouldn't that mean I might find it again.

Anyway... I digress.

Technically, I was an employee until Friday, January 2nd. Which means that our health benefits were good until that date. Years ago when I started with this company they were very progressive in their support of domestic partnership benefits which even allowed us to have Ferris on the plan.

So, the week before Christmas my hard working wife inquired at her job only to find that since Connecticut laws have changed - companies now require same sex couples be married to be eligible for benefits.

Hmm, ok - no problem. We'll visit the town hall sign some papers and hey... what the heck we'll take the kids out to dinner to celebrate.
It would be our 'marriage of convenience.'

Welp... when our dearest friends Betsy and Sammy heard of our plans - they would have none of that.

With a week to plan and organize and acquire - these two warm and wonderfully amazing people, with artistic help from Sue (and accomplices Kate and Karen) turned our home into a veritable marriage wonderland.

We then contacted our oldest friends in the world, Elaina and Alan, who knew us when we were first falling in love - back in the 80's with our big hair and parachute pants. Elaina is a Rabbi and we wanted to know if she would be able to marry us in a civil ceremony.
After some legal investigating - she left a simple message on our machine days before the wedding.
"Yay, yay, yay!"


And so on January 2nd, 2009 in front of our families and a small group of friends-
we were married by a Rabbi

In our home - made magical with tasty food, stunning flowers and love
























put together by

Sammy

and Bets.









We love them more than we can express.





We exchanged ALL of the rings we have given each other over the years.

Our kids helped out by holding all the rings...
























And we took turns telling the story of each one.



And now... finally, when I speak of my many-adjectived wife - she really is, legally and binding, with all the benefits...
my wife.






the special, stunning, sexy, sultry, silly, seven

in birth order no less...
sue, my wife, weese, karen, bets, kate, sammy

maybe later in the week I will tell you about the beer pong game...

Happy Happy Joy Joy

oops...did I forget to wish everyone a happy holiday?

eek. we've been a little busy.

more on that soon.

Didja hear the one about...

News comes to me slowly, and my main news source is conversation, so I don't blog about it much.

But did you hear this...

"Pope Benedict was accused of stoking homophobia today after a speech in which he declared that saving humanity from homosexuality was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction."

source: Philippe Naughton

I think Mr. Pope-head is forgetting that the biggest driving force behind saving the rainforest is those damned tree-hugging gays.

Friday

tip-o-day

We're getting alot of snow here today. Perhaps some snow tips are in order.

If you're shoveling a big storm, go out several times to clear the snow. While this may sound like more work, its much easier in the long run.

It's best to clear snow off your porches and decks. While these structures are built to withstand all weather conditions - letting snow sit on them for long periods of time will definitely shorten the life of your finish and your wood.

When clearing the walks and driveway, clear the snow back several inches onto the lawn. This server two purposes - when the snow melts it will melt into the yard and not out onto the driveway where it may likely just freeze in sheets. And it gives room for future snows to come and be pushed back off the walks and drive.

Try to avoid using granular de-ice products if you can. They can be harmful to the environment..but also to your rugs and floors (see this post for more info on those products if you feel you need them). Natural kitty litters can give you traction, tho it too will make a mess - its less damaging.
(we rarely use any of these... so if you're visiting be careful, walk slowly).

And finally, grab your favorite cocktail and enjoy the show. For us that's watching the snow fall gently and settling on the trees creating such beauty and peace... or watching people spin out on the road in front of our house.

cheers!

Learning curve

Earlier this week I had even more fun gathering stuff from the yard to decorate for Christmas.
I made this:


I was so proud.

Today I took half of it down.
Evidently, only certain evergreens stay 'fresh' after being cut.
I have discovered two that don't.

I suppose even Martha had some early failures.

Fear

Is your dog afraid of the vacuum?
Our FREE dog is. Very.
She will do anything to get away from it once we power it up. Her fear is so deep rooted that she cowers when I just carry it through the room.

So we came up with this great idea to solve the problem of her sleeping on the sofa.

Fear can work as a motivational tool.

We used to call the vacuum the Storm Trooper, now we call it Our Sentry.

First time homeowners

I am a little behind in posting this - mostly because we have been so ridiculously busy.

We are so excited and proud for our daughter and her handsome beau on the purchase of their
very
first
home.


couple other shots





So you know where my energetic wife and I will be for the next several weekends.

Friday

tip-o-day

Every so often give your shower head a good cleaning. It's often overlooked when doing the regular bathroom scrubbing. Think of it, water sits in there all the time with no air flow to help it dry out.

You can take them down and soak them or even take them apart. You can also use a little trick I learned waaay back when we were apartment dwellers.
Take a small baggie and add some ammonia*. Fasten the baggie over the shower head with a twist tie or elastic band and leave it over night.
Rinse it well the next morning and be SURE to let the water run a bit before jumping in for your morning shower.

* remember NEVER mix ammonia and bleach or bleach products.

Hmm...

This year, with so many things going on in our lives - we are getting out the Christmas stuff a little later than usual. Yesterday's 'Martha' moments - led to today's acquisition of our tree. Which will lead to nog and stringing lights and hanging ornaments.

Last evening when my observant wife came home from work, you know work... it keeps you out of the house all day, she complimented me on my swag - and also noted that we still had a couple fall/thanksgiving gourds on the table outside by the door.

I planned to get rid of them today...
Apparently, word must have gotten around about that.


I wonder where the other one is?

Just call me Martha...

The interview went swimmingly. Mostly because of my smashing suit.
I got stuck in traffic on the way home. Like crazy traffic. The kind of traffic that you can't get out of by exiting the highway. The kind of traffic that is everywhere on every road as every one tries to get away from it... to outsmart it. Ha.

It's been a long time since I have commuted to work - this predicament reminded me of the commuting basics. Most importantly - pee before you leave. Also at all times in the car you should have: a bottled water, a snack, a good book, and a cell phone charger. Oh, and gas in the gas tank is always smart. I missed a couple of those last night - but I survived. I will be ready next time.

I decided to take a little time off from my job quest to get all Christmasy.
Since we are watching our pennies - I simply went outside and gathered cuttings from around the yard.

I made this nifty swag for the porch.


I used some of my leftover materials to make this little arrangement for the table.


Hung wreaths on the front windows (its pouring out...so you get an inside picture).


Popped a tiny little hat on David...


And yes... in case you are wondering - of course I am wearing a Santa hat too.


Ho. Ho. Ho.

Big day

I have an important interview this afternoon.

But in even bigger news...
Amanda pooped today!

It's important to keep your priorities in order.