Losing A Sole

Being thrifty is a relative thing.

Like, I'm pretty thrifty. I recycle, I reuse plastic bags, I've been known to wander yard sales and thrift stores for bargains, and I don't own a lot of big gawdy jewelry or designer clothes. I've made birdhouses out of plastic pop bottles. Well, one, anyway. I have other birdhouses, too. Probably too many around here. We are switching to something called "chicken scratch" instead of bird seed because it is getting expensive to feed the birds, and that certainly is not being thrifty. Day old bread torn up and thrown outside would be the thriftiest choice, but I digress.

I pitch things or donate things I don't need. And I don't ask for a receipt either. To me that is not really "giving" just to give. I just give because I'd rather someone be using it than it taking up space here.

But on a scale of thriftiness I'm not, say, an extreme coupon clipper or someone who buys 10 of something to get a deal. I do own about eight pairs of tennis shoes but they have been justified (at least till now) as too good to throw away but something no one would want. I could "garden" in them or do really dirty jobs where you get muddy, and throw them away if they get too bad. Besides I have two other "good" pairs to wear in public. Muddy jobs have been few and far between for a few years. I'll be ready though.

Talking to neighbor Al today I got a better picture of where I stand on the scale of thriftiness. Al was wearing his "good" tennis shoes (I can relate) and mentioned that one of his other pairs (gardening type) lost a sole.

Huh? How do you lose a sole? I pondered the Zen-ness of this for a moment and then kept listening. Yeah, one day he was walking, and it caught on something or another and the sole got separated from the shoe. Just like that.

My first thought was, I wonder if they were made in China, but instead I said, well, you threw them away right? No.... the shoe part is still good, he said. But it felt too strange to wear them with one sole on and one without, so he ripped the sole off the other one and still wears them as "garden" shoes.

Mom suggested he wrap them back onto the shoes with furnace tape. I'm not even sure what furnace tape is, but I know she was kidding him.

Can you keep your sole by wrapping it with furnace tape? Zen again...

I glanced up at him.

For a split second, I think he considered it.

Decorating at Home

A small manger set on an accent table. One of the three wise men are missing. Mom says he ran away. I think it was probably the one with the gold.

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I found a water candle to plug in. It is a cheap kind. Not sure if he works, or if it is so old it could

burn the house down if it does work. I'll plug it in where I can see it for now. My infamous oil candle collection lies in boxes...unopened for many years. Long ago I lived in a little house with a closed in porch that had these wonderful long shelves and was all windows. I had them all lined up out there. I've lived several places since then and never anywhere that I could display all of them. They do tend to smell from the kerosene...even the stuff that is not supposed to smell.

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We have four spinners left. They look like little plastic bird cage ornaments with metal spinners

in them that spin when they get warm. My grandmother had them on her tree long ago. We put them on the tree every year. I don't have many items that belonged to Mu. I think I have one of her candy dishes and some Finnish table runners and a blanket. Oh and her God-awful fake fur hat. I'll never wear it, but I'll never part with it.

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I put up these vintage plastic bells on either side of the garage door. They are easily 1970's, and they aren't anything special. Probably someone would throw them away, but I put them up every year somewhere. My mom had a step uncle....or perhaps he was her father's cousin, we were never sure...who married a woman who lived up on the hill. I never met the woman until she was 95 years old, and I was searching out people who may have photographs of my relatives from mom's side in Poland. Her name was Anna. And she did have plenty of photographs from her late husband's side which no one would want, and happily gave them to me. Pictures of my grandpa and his cousins during World War I. Sadly, I didn't get to spend more time with her. She was ailing...and she thought she would die before Christmas so she started giving me her Christmas stuff. Thus, the bells. She lived to see another Christmas, but not much longer after that. I was very grateful for the photos.

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Ironically my own baby picture was among them.

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Well, I better get back to work.

First Snow and Other Thoughts

The state is getting it's first snowfall today. I have my thoughts on that, which anyone who knows me will likely be able to guess. But I'll not whine and drink wine instead. Later because it is still morning.
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Mum turns 81 years old today. Survived one year at home on my cooking. I looked up the newspaper from her birthdate, and must say the local paper was far more diverse and entertaining back then. On the front page the headlines ranged from WORKMEN INVADE SILENCE OF EMPTY CLOCK CHAMBER IN STEEPLE...to KIDNAPED(sic)BANKER RETURNS HOME.Also on the front page is a list of "Old" people who got hunting licenses. Among them a 90 year old man.It could be a record, but the paper didn't go as far to check. Just pointed it out to people that it might be so. They also list the "tallest" hunter being from Ellwood. (You had to put your height on your application.)Under a separate heading of GIANT GETS LICENSE we find that the poor gentleman was 6 feet 5 and a half inches tall. "Several" women got licenses, too and that was a big deal because all of their names were printed.
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The clock story is a gem. The biggest church in town got their new clock on this day in 1930. It can be seen from Everywhere.....it's still there. Now I have to see if it is still keeping good time...It cost $5000 dollars back then.

Obligatory Steve Jobs Post

Too young to die. We hear that phrase all the time. Somehow it means more when applied to Steve Jobs. If he had lived another ten years...another twenty? What crazy/practical/fun/innovative/marvelous things still in his head would the world see?

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The future doesn't seem "safely dreamed of." People with great imaginations are the energy that propel us all forward. Now we have this great technology thanks to Steve, and hopefully more people can share their great ideas. I see him as someone, like the story, who didn't give us fish, but taught us how to fish. His creations will enable humans to expand knowledge exponentially...

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And it sounds all great. If all people had noble motives. Therein lies the problem. The technology that brings together great minds and caring people, also unites the ego-driven idiots and zealots.

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But it all comes down to this. We either fear the world or embrace it. There is no other decision, really.

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Waiting for the Beer to Chill

I feel for the people in New England who have had no power for almost a week.

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I barely lasted 24 hours. I have power....but I first noticed the fridge was broken when I took some beer outside yesterday and noticed it didn't have quite the chill it should have for being in the fridge since last weekend.

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Nah...probably didn't shut the door tight enough....things are jammed in there. Got all those groceries...

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Thoughts of rotting food, spoiled weekend, no milk for coffee....Sheesh... better check closer.

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Went back in and sure enough. Fridge was broke, but freezer was working. Plenty of ice, too. Hmmm.

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100 dollars and a faulty defrost sensor later, I'm waiting for the beer to chill.

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The poor victims of the hurricane have a lot more than a fridge to do without. I feel guilty for just mentioning it now.

Summer in the City

A Tree (limb) Falls and No One Hears It

The two trees in the back yard are twins. They were planted at the same time about 20 years ago...I think they are locust trees. Well, they are twins no more. A huge limb came down yesterday in the rainstorm and the right tree looks so sad. I have to look for a picture of them taken in the fall with beautiful leaves. They were striking.

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A lone Ginkgo tree stands between them. Straight and tall. It's the only tree the cat claws. There is a ring around it as high as the cat can reach. I remember when dad planted the Ginkgo many years ago. Mom actually grew if from seed. I think it will outlive both locusts.

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There is a redwood tree on the near hill. Another locust tree split during a recent storm and sort of clipped it. I think the redwood will be all right. I've seen pictures of redwoods with big holes in them that Volkswagons could drive through. It's not mine though. My uncle planted it probably

40 years ago. He is long dead, and the property will no doubt be sold again to someone who doesn't care enough to save it. I'll plead a case, and hope the tree stays another 40 years. After that I'll be dead too, so it won't matter much.

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For now, I can try to save the damaged locust in my backyard. It may make it. There is probably gunk I can put on the wound to help the tree heal once I figure out how to get the cracked limb down and dragged off.

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It's worth mentioning that my neighbor actually jinxed the tree. Literally the day before we were outside drinking beer talking about other people in the neighborhood who have huge trees

that have come down recently or were in danger of coming down. He pointed to my twin locusts

and said it will be expensive when those come down.

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I scoffed that they will be there awhile yet. Not to worry. Then the very next day we lost

a good third of the tree.

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It was odd. Really.

Happy July 4th!

Phones and Data and Pictures, Oh My

I don't text, I don't Twitter,I don't surf the net or send photos through it. My current phone is like four years old, thus it is a dinosaur, something Edison could have used to get ahold of Watson in the other room.
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All that will change next month when the shackles and chains come off and I am out of my Sprint Contract with all it's dead zones and frustrations, and onto a hopefully better telephone experience.

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The world is mine. Free to choose. Free.

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Freedom has it's price for sure. Not sure if I want to spring for all the bells and whistles. Not sure if I'll ever really want to send tweets, though it would come handy in a revolution.

Time to start shopping around.

Getting Ready for the Super Bowl

I got my numbers on the Super Bowl Square and they don't look good. One and Nine. I checked online and I had to go clear back to 1980 to have a winning pair. The Steelers beat the Rams that year 31 to 19.

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A more optimistic person would say they are "due" to hit. Me, well, I'd say the probability of a win is woefully against me.

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Nothing else new.

Nobody Home

On a list of phone calls you never want to get, pretty high on the list would be one from the police saying someone may be breaking into your apartment when you are not home. Under normal circumstances that would send waves of emotions: Anger, fear, frustration, helplessness, each grounded in some kind of violation and loss.

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Under normal circumstances.

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But right now, I'm ten days from being completely moved out and am literally ready to give away my bedroom suite and livingroom couch and chair to whoever can haul it because I can't sell it. So my first thought was... Hell, I hope they take the furniture and be done with it. There is nothing else in there!

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Called the neighbor upstairs. Yup, he thinks someone is down there. And he ain't going to go look. Scared. I'm not there, so he called the police. Police called me.

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Hmmph. I strapped on my set of... I mean, I put on my coat and out I went into the cold night, to go up and see that was going on.

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Buy the time I got there the police were "on the scene" as they say. No footprints around, checked the sides of the house.

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Went in and looked around. Nothing.

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No one around. Don't know what the neighbor heard.

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Couch intact.

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Sigh. I guess it's a happy ending.

Leftovers Problem....Solved!

At least someone who lives here isn't picky. This is my new garbage disposal. He eats rather well. Leftover roast and potatoes yesterday.

Why Not Just Buy a Truck?

So here's the dope on the new snow blower. For that price, it should come with a man to run it.

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Losing Track

New Year, new slate, open book. Blah, Blah Blah. 2011.

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Really? Ten years of the 21st century gone?

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My mother "lost track" of the years after the "19's" she said. I was sad when she said that. (She's 80.)

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But now I'm not doing so well at keeping "track" myself. I used to keep track of decades by music. I worked in radio all those years and could win a lot of bar bets with music trivia. Now I'm pretty much defeated in the mid 90's. I gave up on music then. No longer listen to anything new, unless it is old artists doing something new, or an indie group I hear on public radio. But nothing earthshattering. Nothing that defines a decade.

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I digress.

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So tomorrow night I'll go to bed early. Wake up to a new year that I hope in some way will be better for us all. A few more happy times, a few more friends, and maybe even some new music.

Even if I have to make up the songs myself.

Day of the Zombie

I saw a zombie today in the parking lot of the grocery store and I almost ran him over. The zombie was moving very slowly and was completely oblivious to traffic, people and crosswalks.

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As I approached, the zombie never deviated from his path, looking neither right nor left, head hunched down, fingers on his cell phone.

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I hope it was an important "text."

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He didn't even know it could have been his very last one.

When You Drink to Health And Happiness

.....really mean it. Because Health and Happiness are everything. Christmas is cancelled at my home this year. It seems I've contracted a bug of some sort, and my friend who helped me is now sick with it, my mom is in the hospital with it, and the doc himself wasn't looking so good.

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Here's hoping things look up.

Pre- Earthquake San Francisco from Trolley

This made the rounds this year, but it is worth looking at again. Surreal. 1905? Turn up the volume of your speaker and listen to the music while you watch.

Back in the Saddle Again

In celebration of my return to the blogosphere, I am reposting some things that I put up before that I really liked. One of my faves of all time....The One Semester of Spanish, Spanish Love Song.

Apartment Life- Cat Lift

from Cat Ladders Blog

My Favorite Apple

This is a subject of which I never gave much thought. But some people do. I can remember a guy I worked for 15 years ago who told me his favorite apple is Granny Smith. I can't remember his name as quickly as I associate him with that apple. Strange.

Some people like certain apples to cook with, or make pies or tarts with, but I don't do any of those things so it comes down to an apple I really just like to eat.

As of today, my favorite apple is called Empire. It's a cross between Macintosh and Red Delicious. I am not a big apple eater, and by virtue of the fact I ate three of them in the past few days...this apple is special. Last year I went through a Honey Crisp phase, but it seems the word is out and this apple sells pretty fast and is only available a short time each year.

Empire is not too small, and not too big. It's crisp... but not juicy or messy. It cuts well. You can chew the skin without feeling that you have to spit it out.

I have to get more.