Scientific expedition

Mr. Gadget and I will be jetting off to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow for the start of one of our semi-annual fact-finding missions. You may think this is just a cruise with nothing but fun, but you are mistaken.

We'll be doing some important research....with scientific experiments and all. In fact, I'll even be taking my sketch book. It will be handy when I'm doing field work. There might be some flora and fauna that could best be captured with pen and paper.

If you're wondering, I learned all of these terms from my brother-in-law who is a real-life bird scientist. I want to be just like him--observing my surroundings, analyzing it all, and taking notes. Except without the bird poop. And no spread sheets either.

Some of my scientific research will be investigative in nature. I'm gonna find out once and for all if there are sardines in Sardinia.

Other research will be strictly observational. I've heard that tower is still leaning in Pisa, but I wanna see it for myself.

I'll be doing some migration studies too. I'm determined to find out where that chocolate buffet wandered off to. And when I find it, there'll be lots of taste-testing.

I'll be back sometime after May 5 with a full report of my findings, so stay tuned. Maybe you could all knit up a little something while I'm gone......

Toyland

Reminds me of the old sandbox.....but with back-up beeps and bigger boys. Near as I can tell, they're moving dirt over to the area in front of the new garages. Paved driveways can't be far behind.


Tech Guy had some of these toys back in his day. But the lure of the computer was stronger than the attractiveness of dirt. His washing machine hardly ever gets kicked up to heavy duty. I like that expression his washing machine. Kinda has a nice ring to it....

So yesterday I walked down to the condo clubhouse because I'd been told there was a Tuesday afternoon gathering of ladies who knit. They were there alright, but so was their knitting teacher. It's a knitting class....where money changes hands. I'm not sure if I'll join up, since I'm pretty comfortable with my level of knitting knowledge, considering my preference for simple patterns. Then again, maybe I could get some help with the red pest--the cardigan sweater that vexed me one too many times, forcing me to banish it to the closet of lost causes.

And here's a little advice for those of you who might be having dual-controlled electric blanket issues. If you find that you're waking up in a sweat a gazillion times during the night and throwing off the blanket, even though your side is off, and hubby is requesting that you look for a long-sleeved shirt for him next time you're at the mall because he's cold and his side must be malfunctioning because he's set it on 10......you may have accidently, in your rush to get on to more fun things like crafty stuff, flipped the blanket over while changing the bed.

I just like to pass this information on, you know, to be helpful....

Oldie but a goodie

I took this picture early this morning as Mr. Gadget and I were heading out to do some work at our old house. This elderly barn is just down the street from our new condo. I don't know how old it is but it has character, and I love old buildings with character. The setting appears serene but it's deceiving. The barn sits between a busy two-lane highway and a new bypass that is currently under construction. This may well be a treasure that just squeaked by.

So when we arrived at the old house, we noticed that the septic guy had refilled the hole he dug to replace the broken pipe, and thoughtfully planted new grass seed.

"Do you know what he did with the old, broken pipe?" Mr. Gadget asked me.

"I'm assuming he hauled it away in his truck," I said.

"Nope," said Mr. G. "He buried it right alongside the new one. No muss, no fuss, and no need to pay annoying disposal fees."

"Too bad he didn't bury the top of that toilet tank too, you know, the one the plumber forgot to cart away," I remarked.

This got me to thinking about the people I've known who've buried statues of St. Joseph (the patron saint of real estate) in their yards to hasten the house-selling process.

"What if instead of burying St. Joseph, we bury the toilet top?" I half-jokingly suggested to Mr. G. "It might be worth a try. Weirder things have happened, right?"

"Couldn't hurt," replied Mr. G. "The garbage man sure as H*&@! isn't going to take it."

Easter shoes

I decided to make my Easter shoes this year. Just kidding. These are for an angel doll I'm making for a friend who needs a little extra watching over at the moment. The white one is coated with gesso, which acts as a primer to cover the fishnet print. It's much more fun, not to mention faster, to paint doll shoes than old walls with dermatological issues.

Just a little randomness today, since I can't think of any good stories worthy of a blog post.

Mr. Gadget is over at our old house where he's had a delightful meeting with the septic guy. He reports that the broken pipe has been replaced, and fortunately no further septic problems were detected. They are now awaiting the arrival of the health inspector to sign off on the project, but he has been delayed....most likely getting one of those sweet coffee drinks and a chocolate donut.

I had my hair cut yesterday and I've decided that my hairdresser, a new grandma, is the most obnoxious new grandma ever. I hadn't been sitting for more than a few seconds before she foisted a whole packet of baby pictures into my lap. I oohed and aahed...to be polite....but really, don't new babies all look pretty much alike? Well, maybe mine were especially photogenic.....

It's snowing in my neighborhood. Isn't it spring now? Yesterday the grass was looking noticeably greener and the flowers were popping up. They're really gonna be confused. I know I am.

Big City Girl got a new job. I hadn't mentioned that she'd been out of work for 4 months. She got a raw deal at the old place. I won't go into it. But the new place seems happy to have her, and very lucky to have the experience she brings. The other day she went on a business trip to the Bronx Zoo. Funny. Where I used to work, I had a zoo right there at my fingertips...

A few minutes ago, an older gentlemen in a large car pulled into my neighbors' driveway. He knocked on their door and soon they came out with suitcases. I wonder just where they think they're going? I'm thinking of starting a sign-out sheet, so I can keep track of the folks around here. One benefit of living in a small condo complex is that I can now use my binoculars strictly for bird-watching.

Mr. G and I will be leaving on our cruise at the end of next week. We were feeling rather smug about the great deal we got on our flight home from Spain. Then we noticed the part about baggage charges and thought maybe we should have just bought a seat for our suitcases.

Tomorrow morning we are having an awning installed on our back deck. It will be a nice green awning, as are all the awnings in the condo complex, and it will extend and retract by remote control. Very soon Mr. Gadget and I will have a whole battalion of remote controls and we'll have to hoist the white flag of surrender because they will be in charge....

Wordsmithing

I've been pretty busy lately, what with this big painting job I've taken on. But I did take a break late yesterday to make Mr. Gadget a delicious dinner for our anniversary. Grilled cheese sandwiches. I checked the list of traditional anniversary gifts....you know, the one that says the first year is paper and the 25th is silver. And right there, in black and white, it said the 28th was grilled cheese....

So I was browsing through some of my old blog posts the other evening, and I noticed that Mr. Gadget's propensity for wordsmithing is rubbing off on me. He has an unusual ability to invent new words faster than I can drive to the fabric store. Did I ever mention that at one time I entertained thoughts of publishing a Mr. Gadget Dictionary?

Here, then, is a look back at some of my own wordy inventions:

chipmunking - The system I use to decide whether or not to take on a big project. This is based on the system used by a backyard chipmunk visitor who circles repeatedly....sometimes till he's silly dizzy.... around a dish of sunflower seeds before homing in on it for a big feast.

dustmop knitting (as in dustmop sweater) - The act of knitting a wonderful garment for one of your children that eventually becomes a dustmop because it will most likely live on the floor.

spinish - The language spoken by those who spin yarn. This can also be what a slightly tipsy person would call a green, leafy vegetable.

stickerectomy - The process by which annoying stickers are removed from fruit and vegetables, or, in some cases, the front page of your daily newspaper.

curmudgeonism - The doctrine subscribed to by certain senior citizens who like to make rules for everyone else, but even more importantly, to enforce said rules.

nunisms - Funny little sayings....although only funny in hindsight.....uttered by nuns in Catholic school classrooms. These can also refer to certain actions performed by nuns, such as striking naughty little hands with a ruler.

Plant Protective Services - That agency of the government responsible for citing, and sometimes even taking into custody, those persons who neglect to properly care for their house plants.

buffet-line interruptus - The abominable act performed by some folks who batantly barge into a food buffet line, with total disregard for those who have patiently waited their turns, because they deem themselves more important than everyone else....or are just afraid they'll miss out on the tapioca pudding.

Moving on..... Mr. Gadget was ever-the-understanding one late today when he took into account my aching body from all of the step-ladder climb-uping and ceiling-painting hair highlighting sessions I endured over the weekend, and he suggested we order a pizza. I believe pizza is actually the traditional gift for the 29th, but no matter. And I've decided that tomorrow I will enjoy an entire day of paint-fume gaposis....