2nd Monday and Stuff

Today felt like Monday all over again. After having the day off yesterday for the Fourth (funny how we almost never call it Independence Day), getting up for work was like getting up on a Monday morning. 2 Mondays in one week, yikes.

Not that I'm complaining...

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Maybe I watched too much of the 'Twilight Zone' marathon yesterday. One episode I saw was about a man who went back in time to the day of Lincoln's assassination. He wanted to stop John Wilkes Booth from completing the deed, but he couldn't do it.

Ever wonder how the world might be different today with just one small change in history? Imagine what would have happened if Benjamin Franklin had decided to remain loyal to the throne of England. He moderated much of the angry debate in Philadelphia prior to the Declaration of Independence, he persuaded many to join the fray, and he was the tie to our important French allies at the time of the war. He was a diplomat's diplomat.

Where would the US today be without Ben's influence on our history? What if he had used his considerable intellectual powers on behalf of Jolly Old England? Cricket, anyone? Would there ever have been a George Bush or a war in Iraq?

All questions, no answers. Like I said, too much 'Twilight Zone.'

Phew!!!

I know it's been quite awhile since I posted. I'm glad to see that the Room was still here waiting for me!

The home purchase I was planning back in April didn't pan out, and that's a good thing! I've found something I like much more, and I'm expecting to sign contracts this afternoon. Cross your fingers for me, I'm really hoping this one will stick. Sure, this house costs more, and the interest rates have gone up, but at least the taxes are lower...

The house is new, and it's in the woods. It's quiet and private, everything I want in a home. It's an American classic in style: it's a bilevel. I knew I wanted the home the first time I stood on the patio. There is lovely swirled design imprinted into the cement. Shortly after they poured the patio, a turkey (a big one, judging from the size of the tracks) came by and wandered up to the doorway to take a peek inside. Hey, people pay big bucks to have their cement texturized. This design was donated by mother nature. Hard to beat that!

Hope the turkey is a frequent visitor. And DON'T get any funny ideas about Thanksgiving dinner!!!

Earth Day

The time has come to pay attention to our Earth and her needs. Check out the Earth Day website.

Mercy!

Mommanator over at Grannie's Ramblings told me today that it was time to dust off the Room. She told me she needs some new reading material, so here it is, fresh off the presses just for you, Mommanator!

I signed a contract to buy a home tonight. The sellers have agreed to my offer, and, if they sign the contract as expected, then I'll soon find myself in the midst of the maelstrom that accompanies real estate purchases.

The home in question is modest but relatively new. It's in a neighborhood, but the lot is large (1.5 acres). It needs some landscaping, so I'll be calling on all of my gardening friends for advice in that realm! I enjoy yard work, but I don't have much expertise when it comes to proper planting techniques, purchasing stock, etc.

In other news, my Mom has been in and out of the hospital and nursing care. She's home now, but we're working on setting up assisted living for her. She's not too good about taking her medication, and she's not particularly interested in eating. My siblings and I are doing our best to keep her well, but she needs a little more help than we can give her.

My office moved a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, I have less than a 10 minute drive to work right now. That will change if my plans to purchase the house go through.

The new digs are nice, though moving was a major effort. I have a nice cubicle with a window. It offers a lovely view of some sort of maintenance yard, complete with trucks, piles of stuff and a warehouse. The view should improve when the large oak trees on the office property leaf out. No matter what, it's nice to be able to see at a glance what the weather is like. I see birds from time to time, too.

All in all, I think it's fair to say that my life has been a little bit crazy lately. Sorry for the long absence from posting; hope some of my blog friends find their way back for a visit soon. I'll try to be a little bit better about posting from here on out. With a little luck, I won't be touring real estate anymore, so I should have more time available. So, welcome to anyone who finds their way back to the Room. It's nice to have this virtual real estate to return to as my real life accommodations shift and change!

In Stitches

Heard a reporter (think it was on CNN) the other day talking about a violent event somewhere in the world. She described the group behind it as having a wonton disregard for human life. Yep, she pronounced it just like the name of your favorite Chinese dumpling. I howled.

Time For Tea

I had the pleasure of the company of two of the best friends a girl could have for a dining adventure last Saturday. We took our afternoon tea at The Vintage Rose Tea Room in Millville, NJ. My friend Zelda described the outing over at her blog, Garden of Eden.

The fare at The Vintage Rose was sumptuous. The ambiance was elegant and peaceful, but not at all haughty. The tea sandwiches were a dream, the scones were perfect, the desserts were heavenly and the tea selection was impressive. Clotted cream and lemon curd accompanied the scones, of course. The tableau was charming, with floral table covers reaching to the floor, silver service, and Royal Albert Old Country Roses china to hold the delicacies. The gustatory delights were presented on china plates on a three-tiered silver server. Cloth napkins were provided, of course. We dilly-dallied over our repast, enjoying the finest tea, food and company available.

I wish Virginia Gal lived nearby; I'd love to take her there for a treat one Saturday soon! I know she loves tea, and she is a bit of an Anglophile. I'd enjoy a chat with her over a cuppa.

It seems that Millville has played a prominent role in the more posh of my (admittedly limited) outings recently. I described a chic meal out at Winfield's in Millville in a post in December. These venues really are a surprise and a delight, tucked away in unpretentious little Millville. Will wonders never cease!

Noisy Neighbors

I'm not talking about the folks upstairs, although they ARE noisy. That's a story for another day. There were quiet mornings around here for the last couple of weeks. The pond had frozen over and the wildlife had deserted us for greener pastures, errr... wetter waters. All that ended late last week when the deep freeze eased. I was awakened shortly after dawn by the calls of the ducks who had returned to the pond. They are joined from time to time by a small flock of Canada geese, who give new meaning to the word noisy! I've even heard the geese in the middle of the night, honking just outside my (first floor) bedroom window.

Yesterday morning I was up early and sat down to check my email. I heard the oddest noise, and I wondered just what the neighbors were up to now. I peeked out my window to behold three enormous turkeys parading around on the lawn just outside The Room; another voice had been added to the daily cacophany of nature sounds to be heard here, unexpected in such a populated location.

As loud as my feathered friends can be, their noise never disturbs me. Human noises often annoy me to no end, but most of the sounds found in nature are comforting to me. Guess that's why my current home search is focused on more rural settings. Wish me luck!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

...allow me, please, to introduce the multi-talented (dare I say ingenious?) Evil Chicken. The name is deceptive, because EC is actually one of the kindest people I know, and he has a degree of moral courage that would put most of us to shame.

In any event, stop by his place, Chicken Scratch, from time to time. You never know just what you'll find there!

Fave Foto Friday

Here's a little something for FFF. I know I've been woefully AWOL lately; sorry! Life's been coming at me fast. I'm on my way out the door in a few minutes, so I don't have time to reply to any comments right now. I hope to have a chance this evening or tomorrow. Hope everyone is well!

Stretched Out

Some Days

(today was one)

I feel like a used paper clip

-form slightly skewed

-less useful than before

I can still function to handle the big things

(for a short while...if I must)

but smaller things

elude my grasp.

Ducks and Drakes

OK, here they are, finally, the real decoy, errrr... McCoy. Anywho, these are the ducks who inhabit the pond outside The Room.

Not the greatest photos, I know. I'll get better ones at a future date.

Allow Me to Introduce...

...my very good friend, the Mommanator! Her blog is up and running, and it's ready for prime time. Stop by and show her the love!

Room With a View

The windows here at The Room overlook a pond occupied by a small flock of Mallard ducks. Recently, a group of Canada Geese has been in residence, as well. Here is a link to the sound I wake to each morning. The pond is just outside of my bedroom, and the ducks seem to favor my side of the water at sunrise. They take a morning stroll across the lawn at about 7:00 am every day; I suspect that one of the neighbors throws out some seed at about that time each morning.

One poor drake has a backwards foot. I don't know whether this is due to a birth defect or an injury. It makes him a bit of a pegleg, and he hobbles when he walks. The social worker in me wants to connect him to services. I wonder if there is a local nature group or veterinarian who might be able to correct his defect. He's still pretty functional, but I wonder how well he will be able to evade the cats lurking around if he's caught any distance from the water when one appears. I guess that's natural selection, but I don't have to like it.

I don't have any photos of my ducks to share right now. I'm posting this at night, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to try to take a picture. I'll shoot for an image of the ducks for Fave Foto Friday this week. Here's an image of a Mallard I found online:

Melting

Photo found at Komo TV website

Global warming is a topic of great interest to me. Frank at iFlipFlop posted recently about the unprecedented high temperatures we're experiencing this January. While one warm January does not a melted planet make, there seems to be an overall trend toward warm winters in the eastern US that is hard to ignore.

An article at cnn.com dated January 4 adds fuel to the fire. According to the article, an ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields snapped free from Canada's Arctic 16 months ago (August of 2005), something scientists consider to be an alarming occurrence. Global warming is considered to be a, "major contributing factor," and this is seen as evidence that we are, "crossing climate thresholds." Earthquake monitors located 155 miles away picked up the collapse.

Fave Foto Friday

This is a photo of my sweet little Maxine at about age 1. I wanted to end the year with one last remembrance of her.

5 Things You Don't Know About Me (and Maybe Didn't Want To)

OK, here goes with the, "5 Things," meme. I was tagged awhile back by Frank at iFlipFlop to do this meme, but the holidays and Mom's illness slowed me down a bit.

1. I love to travel, but I'm a terrible homebody. Coming home from somewhere (the mall, a party, a vacation) is one of my greatest pleasures.

2. I'm in a bit of a transition period right now, so home doesn't exactly feel like home. I'll probably buy a house sometime in 2007.

3. I'm generally pretty quiet. When I'm home alone, I don't often have the TV or the stereo on. I love music and I love entertainment (I'm going to see Trans Siberian Orchestra in AC tonight), but it usually just doesn't occur to me to make noise. Can't someone invent a truly quiet washer/dryer/dishwasher/heater that's affordable to the masses? One thing my new home is likely to have is a separate laundry room, hopefully far from the main living area!

4. My current digs won't allow dogs, but cats are allowed (for an additional monthly fee). I love all animals, and I had a chance to adopt a kitten on Christmas Eve, but I'm allergic to cats. Another reason to buy a house soon!

5. I doubt very much that I will live in New Jersey after I retire. New Jersey has become crowded, traffic-jammed and noisy since I was a child, and has lost far too much of its woodlands and wetlands, in my opinion. The wide-open spaces of the Midwest beckon.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. Christmas was odd for me this year, with Mom sick and the family a bit hectic, but I survived.

I had a lovely dinner out with a friend last night. We dined at a fine restaurant in Millville, of all places! Winfield's is surprisingly chic and urban in decor, and they have quite a martini menu. I had a tartini, which was delicious, and included muddled raspberries in the mix. I also had a nice glass of merlot with my steak au poivre (one of the specials last night), and (the ladies will appreciate this) I had creme brulee for dessert.

Well, time to gear up for the New Year. Here's to a spectacular 2007 for all!

Oh! Christmas Tree

I've been tagged by Frank at iFlipFlop to do a 5 Things You Don't Know About Me meme. I'm working on it, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, here is glimpse of Ms. Merci Humbug's Christmas tree.

Who's A Humbug Now?

The lights are on the tree, following a moment of inspiration on Saturday morning. There are ornaments and candy canes decking her boughs, as well. The garland has yet to be bought and applied, but I'm confident that another moment of inspiration sometime very soon will result in a glorious, finished product.

Now there's more shopping to do, and gifts to wrap, and cards to write, and Christmas dinner to plan...

Who's A Humbug?

Ok, so there's been a fresh cut Christmas tree in my living room for close to a week now. It has a tree skirt at the bottom (which needs to be ironed before anyone actually sees it) and an angel on the top (yeah, I know that should go on last; tough). That's it. I've bought lights to put on it, but so far I've lacked the motivation to start the tedious process of winding them around the tree. I have ornaments (still in boxes), but I haven't purchased any garland yet. I'm not taking any bets as to whether or not there will still be garland available in the stores by the time I get to the point where I need it.

Christmas seems to sneak up on me every year. I'm finding it hard to comprehend that the Big Day is just a little over 2 weeks away. I haven't done any baking yet, and I might not. I still have some shopping to do, and I still don't know for certain what I'm doing on Christmas Day (though it's sure to involve family in some way, shape or form).

Underneath it all, I'm not sure that I care that much. It'll all get done. Or not. In the long run, what difference does it make?

Fave Foto Friday

Here's another photo from my visit to Grounds for Sculpture:

Looks like my posting has pretty much been limited to FFF lately. I've been on the run, with Mom in a nursing/rehab center following a few weeks in the hospital. I've completely lost track of the holiday season,though I hope to shop for a tree this weekend. A Merry Christmas Season to all!