Out like a Lamb

(Thank you, www.woodtv.com, for image)

Yup, that's right, 70! 70!!! Wow! March really is going out like a lamb!

So, here's what I did this morning:


How did you start the day?
~~~~~
(unrelated...)
This is a great blog, just found it!

Grumpy

It's not that it's Monday, it's not that I didn't sleep well ('cause I didn't - I never sleep well), I'm just grumpy today. I'm worried about money, about Mr. Handsome's job sitch, about MY job sitch, about being out of shape (but too damn lazy to do anything about it), about Spring Fashion, about not having any cute shoes.... It just goes downhill from there. Got something you want worried about? Send it my way, I'll worry about it for you. I could market this as a new service! "Give yourself more time and energy, let Homebody take care of worrying for you, for the low, low price of only $19.95! BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Order within the next 11 minutes, and we'll worry twice as hard for the same price!!!"

I'm just grumpy.

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So as to not leave you with a grumpy 'tude like mine, I suggest reading this. It will make you smile, unless your heart is a hard, cold stone.

Literary plants

Talk about crafty! These are GREAT! I wanted to embed the images, but am not savvy enough to do so. Click on, my friend, click on!

An indoor planter that's a real page-turner | MNN - Mother Nature Network

clothes

I love clothes, hair stuff, make-up. Girly-girl stuff. But I'm not really all THAT girly. I like cars and motorcycles and hockey and soccer. And beer. I really like beer.

Anyway, I loooove these clothes!

Check out the bag in the middle photo. Covetousable.

I'd pull into this joint

(picture credit)

sweet

(Click image for big)

So, several weeks ago, this woman (Nice Mom) and her toddler (CutiePie) came into the bookstore and they were really nice and the kid was aDORable. Well, Nice Mom accidentally locked her keys in her car and we all hung out until someone could come to open up her car. She wrote to Book Doctor to let her know how grateful she was and IMMD!

BTW, you can't see very well, but I'm wearing a cute as hell thrifted turquoise wool fitted jacket and sh!t-kickin' boots with straight jeans and I can't remember what top. Trust me, it was a good outfit! Woo hoo!

Oh, Hugh

What can I say? I love Hugh!

And the sun came out

I seem to be in a Yard Phase, showing you lots of pics of our yard. hmmm...

Well, the sun came out yesterday and melted all the snow! After I finished IMing with Sis, Mr. Handsome and I sat outside for a little while (it was still cold, so we didn't stay long) and enjoyed the sunshine.

While I was IMing, Bubba joined me and eventually fell asleep on my lap. I wonder what he dreamt of?

Mr Handsome has succeeded in growing carrots indoors! They are delicious, both bitter and sweet and very tender. We're hoping the tomatoes will do well, too.

So, this morning is bright and sunny and pretty warm, sweater weather, no big, heavy coat necessary! YEA!!!! I've got lots of errands to run but we're going to go see "Green Zone," too. It promises to be a great day! I hope you have a good one, too!

Sunday Snow

The snow really is pretty. And if it must be gray out, at least the snow brightens things up nicely!

Happy First Day of Spring

A local baby crocus, buried in snow.

Well, we got snow today. About 3 inches, judging by the cars that have driven by the bookstore. It's not THAT cold, so most of the snow has melted, though there is some sticking to the ground and roofs. I knew, having been born and raised in Michigan, that we'd get more snow. Doesn't mean I'm happy about it. It's very pretty, but it doesn't compare to the sunshine we've had for the past week.
Anyway, it can snow all it wants. It's MARCH! It'll melt!
(picture credit)

Barbie, the Middle-Ages

cars cars cars

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/personal/03/16/modern.classic.cars/index.html

Interesting article for those of us who LOOOOOOVE oldies but goodies.

At least look at that video. There are some true beauties in there.

Happy Irish Day!

I just couldn't resist posting something for St. Patrick's Day and so offer this pic of Irish writers for you!

(credit for idea, picture and list)

• James Joyce (1882-1941)
• Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
• John Millington Synge (1871-1909)
• Oiver Goldsmith (1728-1792)
• Samuel Beckett (1906-1989)
• Sean O'Casey (1880-1964)
• Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967)
• George Bernarn Shaw (1856-1950)
• Flann O'Brien (1911-1966)
• Brendan Behan (1923-1964)
• Johnathan Swift (1667-1745)
• William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

Have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day!

(credit for cutsie demand for comments: http://thedesigngirlstudio.blogspot.com)

Mar 16

It is so WARM out today and the sun is so STRONG that I sat outside reading for hours. I can feel my body thanking me and I can smell the sun on my skin. Man! It is NICE! 63F, tons of sun and no wind. The birds were singing so loud that they drowned out the traffic! The kitties came out and joined me, enjoyed the sun, and had some catnip. Mr. Handsome came out, too! It was just really nice and felt like Summer. I even did a little gardening. Of course, now I don't want to go to work tomorrow!

Backyard is snow FREE!

That's where I did a little gardening, on the side of the driveway. Doesn't look like much, I know.

I did laundry, too, so I earned my beer.

Bubba loves the sunshine!

The over-wintered catnip

Still potent! Bubba loves the 'nip. Cleo came out and indulged, too. I should have gotten a pic!

Mr. Handsome enjoys a break from working on his hydroponic system.

It got pretty hot! I loved it! Did I say the backyard was snow free? I sure am snow white. geez. Maybe I should re-think my prejudice against fake tans and get sprayed. And do some push-ups. Geez, my arms look like mashed potatoes.
Look, this was a DAY OFF - I'm scruffy.

(credit for cutsie demand for comments: http://thedesigngirlstudio.blogspot.com)

well, it's true

(picture credit: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/)

This middle-aged guy came in the bookstore yesterday and I think he wanted me to cut him a deal on something (something that was only $5, give me a break, fella) and he had a fake tan. I just couldn't respect him. He's probably a super guy, volunteers at God's Kitchen, tithes regularly, blah blah blah, but that fake tan.....

I have a certain shallowness, sometimes. And fake tans (and bad dye jobs) just stand out as being judgeable. ah, well. We all have our prejudices.

Geez, I need to get onto a more positive wave!

Anybody got a positive thought for me? I could use it.

youth

ZG (the other bookseller) is young. 20. I remember being 20. The energy, the optimism, the vibrancy of every breath. I'm certainly not old, solidly midde-aged I am, yet I feel none of those things. I'm happy being serene, content, comfortable. * sigh * I just want to sit around and read, or watch a video, maybe order in a pizza. THAT sounds great! PIZZA!


Nothing much happening, really, but Spring is here or at least her herald is. All the snow has melted and I've even seen some crocus leaves cutting their way through the soil. YAY! The kitties are well and enjoy torturing me in the mornings so they can get fed. I can't blame them, really; I love breakfast, too. Especially eggs and bacon. mmmm....


obviously, I'm hungry. I got home from work, changed into jammies, Mr Handsome is baking pumpkin bread (because he is AWESOME) and we're going to have pizza and watch District 9. We lead a quiet but satisfyingly sweet life here at Chez Middle-Aged.

Apparently, I like videos

Remember OK GO and their awesome treadmill video? They've got a new one!

OK GO remains awesome.

And, in the spirit of loving Rube Goldberg stuff, here's an article about how the video was made, complete with, yes, MORE videos.

(picture credit)

Everybody wants

Thank you, C. Parker, for your wonderful site. I visit his site pretty much every day. I think I was born in the wrong time. I love the old-timey pics of movie stars.

So PROUD!!!!!

I am SUPER DUPER proud of "Papa!" Look at this! And this! So smart, so creative, such a hard worker, a truly inspiring person... my "Papa" is a GREAT guy and I love him!

Don't ever have that third Manhattan

My title for today's post comes courtesy of The Blonde's mom. A woman I admire greatly and wish to pick her brain about parties in the 1960's. That title is her sage advice for all kinds of things in life, but also means what it says. But that's for another time....

The latter part of this week has been good! Very sunny, lovely and warm, and I've read two books. Graceling and it's companion Fire. I enjoyed them! Straightforward fantasy/adventure for young adults. I also read A Good Dog, which is a good book, and will totally break your heart. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I get to IM with Sis and I hope Bro and hopefully Sis#1, too! We'll see. It'll be great if my tribe can pull together. I would love it. And if Spymaster and The Nephew joined in, I'd love that, too.

After that, Mr. Handsome and I are going to see a movie with some friends. Should be a great day!

sunspot

The sun was soooooo nice yesterday afternoon, I scraped about a foot of snow off of the top deck and sat outside and read. I figure I earned the right to goof off: I did lots of laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, delivered a whole trunk-load of stuff to Goodwill and mailed off some crafty stuff at the post office. Not all yesterday, mind you, but what the hey.

So, back to the reading.... I'm reading Fire, by Kristin Cashore right now (among other books; see my Shelfari sidebar on the right over there).

You can see the book, a cup of mocha-coffee and an empty container of blueberries on my chair/table combo. You can also see our dried-up pot of catnip! Bubba loves to come out and rub all over it. I was REALLY surprised that he didn't come out and join me; he loooooves the deck. But he was snoozing comfortably on the bed, ensconced in a fluffy down comforter. I should have gotted a picture!

This is the view I had, at first. There were tons of birds singing and flying around, chowing down at the birdfeeders. Chickadees, goldfinches, cardinals and sparrows. There's a goldfinch on the wire, very close to the post. Hard to see....

I had to move with the sun, though. Here's my second position, closer to the porch door. I kept hoping Mr. Handsome would join me, but he was busy.

I was a little concerned about the iceflows on the roof. I bashed some of them down, taking some roof tiles with the ice. oopsie.

I needn't have worried. The space I chose was iceflow-free above me!

Ahhhh, comfort. It was nice and warm in the sun!

Sun!

YIPPEE!! The sun is out! Today WILL be a good day! My dear, dear friend, Mom is coming up for the day and we'll go to brunch and maybe hit some thrift stores. Later, Mr Handsome and I will be going to see "Alice in Wonderland" because the bookstore scored some free passes. It will be a good day and I WILL shake off this black dog that hounding me.

I wish the black dog that hounds me was as cute as this pup. One day, I WILL have a dog, I will, I will....

(picture credit)

~~~~UPDATE~~~

Well, unfortunately, Mom had to cancel. I'm really disappointed! But the sun is still strong and I'm going to take myself to brunch. What the hey.

Maybe I'll go to the post office and send off some of the stuff I've got for people, too. Like these:

They turned out really cute! Potholders. Yup. Boring ol' potholders. Or, better yet, face cloths! Yeah, that's it! Face cloths! The colors are much more vivid in real life - the lovely bright sunshine has washed them out in the picture. Can you see the little terrycloth hearts I appliquéed on the centers? Everything is 100% cotton, so I think it'll wash 'n dry nicely (maybe shrink a little). They really are cute! I made them 'specially for someone special. She better use them and not just keep 'em around, taking up space! ;-)