Coffee Nurse

2009-06-05T17:53:00.001-07:00

Originally posted 5/21/09

I guess I just don't get it when it comes to blogs. I've tried a bunch of times to get into my blog but until today I just couldn't find the magic password. Now I have completely forgotten what it was I wanted to blog about.

I'm very excited about going to Amy and Jason's for the birth of baby Audrey and spending time with Easton and everyone. I plan on taking Easton for walks around the neighborhood in his wagon.

Today..I said TODAY.. I will pack. Normally I throw stuff in my suitcase the day I am leaving but this time I have the urge to plan ahead.

Mike and I have been walking on the treadmill at the gym alot lately. One would think that walking in the country would be more fun.. IT IS NOT. We have mosquitoes out here that sound like cropduster planes so walking in a gym is way better.

We are looking forward to school letting out for summer and spending more time with the grandchildren. They like to play here. There is room to run, ride bikes , explore and just be a kid.
Have a happy day! Melody

Sweathogs and THE BIRDS

2009-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

Although I am happy to know that I am not the only one to sweat like a friggin race horse ( I have used that line more times than I can count- though I knew not from whence it came- sometimes I like to use real snazzy English...I'm versatile that way) I am sorry if you too are afflicted. Yes, I AM truly a sweathog ! hehehe

The only sweat reference I use more is the dainty "sweatin like a French whore in church" ....don't know where it came from but probably a western.

Seriously, it has not felt like much of a winter.Today will be the blessed exception. High of 33 degrees (that was at 6:30 when I got up), winds howling and temps dropping like a rock!

Yippee! I may get my "snow day". I am off work today and plan on spending the day at home with the only outing to be one to the woodpile and to refill the quail feeder.

The most memorable mockingbirds have been the ones in the spring nighttime ..almost always from 3 to 5 am. The little birdies were singin' their sweet song and it sounded like a jackhammer outside my window. When I have mentioned the mockingbird relocation project most people look at me like I have just threatened to blow up a nunnery or something....guess they must be sound sleepers or else sleep with windows closed year round.

I interrupted this post long enough to make biscuits and gravy. The kind others refer to as pie-dough gravy....actually mine is almost thick enough one can eat it with chopsticks.....mmmmmm.

The air was oozing itty bitty moisture particles that started to freeze on the porch. Mike and I brought in firewood and fed the critters, put the Jeep in the barn. We are all set.The moisture prompty ended just as we finished , but I have hope for more throughout the day.

Speaking of birds, I remain terrified of the movie by the same name. THE BIRDS. I must not have been very old when I peeked around the recliner to watch that movie as a kid.

It was one of the most horrifying things I ever saw (probably mild and hokey by todays standards). I still strongly censor the movies that I watch so as not to be frightened or shocked by what I see. I am a Wonderful World of Disney fan to the core.

Kill a mockingbird

2009-01-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

What the crap is wrong with our country? My yard is terrorized by a mockingbird. He chases away everything with feathers, dives at the cat and rabbits, and when the weather is warmer this spring will certainly serenade me at 3:00 am just like his kind always does.

I waited for several weeks for birds to eat from the feeder. Normally they empty the feeder about every 3 days. There was no activity at the feeder. I sat and watched out the window and saw that the nasty mockingbird was chasing everyone else away.

I went to the Magic Box--computer----to look up sugestions for ridding the yard of a nuisance mockingbird. This is the BS that I found.www.wild-bird-watching.com/singing-at-night.html

Don't get me wrong, I love birds as much as the next person. But dang, the stupid bird has all the rights and I should just change my habits to accomodate him....I don't think so!!

Hackberry Flat

2009-01-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I recently decided to take advantage of a typical Oklahoma winter day (70 degrees...not exactly my idea of winter) and check out the local wildlife area. We loaded up on the four wheeler and headed south.

Then we returned home before we had barely gotten out of the driveway. Four wheelers and dry winter days with contact lenses are not a good combo so I changed into my glasses and we headed out again.

Within just 3 miles of our house is the Hackberry Flat Wetlands Area. There we encountered a snag. Who knew that wildlife management areas don't allow four wheelers? ..not even on the roads. We didn't know the rules... but the friendly, smiling ranger-dude nicely informed us without ever losing his very broad smile. So we went home, got the truck and went back to Hackberry.

Millions of dollars have been spent returning this farmland to a "marsh for the sanctuary of waterfowl". Hubby and I wanted to see what that entailed.

We saw a bunny, some red-winged blackbirds, geese, cranes, ducks and a few other birds. And acres and acres of grass. We listened to the wind blow thru the tall grasses. We listened to geese and cranes honking overhead. We watched a dazzling sunset while looking at the full moon glowing overhead.

I walked out onto a long pier to an "observation station" - a wooden structure open on two sides with small openings in the enclosed sides so one could observe wildlife without being seen. I listened. I observed. I appreciated....all the wonderful things that I already see and hear every day at home.

Then I knew what all the fuss was about. This was a place for people not as fortunate as me to be able to go and enjoy all the awesome things that I was blessed to be able to enjoy everyday from the sanctity of my own home.

Today I drank my coffee and watched thru the window while the bunnies played tag in the front yard. I saw a huge hawk land on the branch of my cedar tree, and listened to the wind chimes in the always-blowing wind.

Nature...it's a great place to visit......but even more wonderful to live there.

Password is a nasty word

2008-12-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

Do you have a hard time trying to remember your passwords?

For months now I would have posted on my blog but I couldn't sign in because I had forgotten my password. I also wanted to comment on other blogs but if ya can't type your password, ya can't comment either.

My friend Ralphy the Paramedic showed me a brilliant device....a
flash drive that will remember your passwords for you. It is from Quill Office Supply. He bought this 8GB FlashDrive simply for the amount of info it could hold and then found it had a Password Manager on it. Awesome!!!! The only problem is that it is smaller than a piano so I would probably misplace it.

I had hoped that today would be dreary, dark, cold, snowy and blowy so that I could enjoy a snowday at home. Lots of people long for lovely weather on their day off. Not me..... I want an occasional nasty weather day so I can huddle up inside by the fire all cozy and warm and just goof off. As luck would have it, those are the days I end up at work instead.

Today is Blood Mobile Day in my little town. I guess I'll go and see if I can bleed fast enough for them. Last time they almost didn't use my blood because I didn't fill the bag fast enough. I would have been very disappointed. I like to give blood...it's the charitable thing to do.

Peace out and happy snowday to you.

Summer Days

2008-07-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today will be a busy day. Already we have fed the dog, cat and fishies and 2 grandchildren and 1 spouse.
We slept 10 hours last night due to sleep deprivation the day before. We took daughter and her darling boy to the airport so they could fly back to far away. We miss them already.
We are waiting on the sun to heat the splashy pool so we can play in it. In the meanwhile we are building a tent behind my chair. We had planned a surprise visit to the tiny local airport to check out the vintage plane but the temp outside is already hotter than a pleasant visit to the plane hangar warrants.
After lunch we will take Poppy to the cardiologist. His heart was ticking too slow and we had to take a ride in the ambulance on Tuesday after he suddenly got so weak and dizzy he couldn't stand up.
The 8 year old will babysit the 3 year old in the doctor's office today. I offered 5 dollars, she agreed to do it for 6. She drives a hard bargain... Seems she has talent for raising money for her piggy bank.
Life never gets boring with little ones around.

A Day Off Work

2008-04-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last night my friend Krista called from the hospital and said " we only have 4 patients, so tomorrow you get low census" (an unscheduled day off).

"No way. Are you sure? My husband will work me like the 4th son he never had. Can't I just come in for half the day or something?"

"Nope, you get the day off. Enjoy, babe."

And I did enjoy it....really I did...right after I got done with a panick attack.

We spent the day outside...in 35 mile an hour wind...and blowing sand.....lots of it. A total of 9 yards of it. I had no idea how much 9 yards was ...but just let me tell you that 2 yards fills up the bucket of a front end loader.

I also rode in a 1960 model 2 ton Chevrolet dump truck without being able to roll the window down. But there was plenty of ventilation...the floorboard had holes in it. It was a bone-jarring ride but kinda fun.

Our sandpile has been piss-anted around the yard to level stuff up for sidewalks and patios. So far, we've put in concrete sidewalks on the east and south sides of the house. Friday we will have a new patio and sidewalk in front of our house!

Yep, just another day off from work.!

2008-04-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. After months of my spouse drooling over big flat screen TVs in Walmart we finally bought one and brought it home.

Each visit to Lawton for the past six months has involved him going to the electronics department to compare/drool/check out/contemplatethe purchase of a bigger TV. For months he has been attracted to/lusted after a Polaroid LCD TV.

The long awaited day had arrived. We were ready to make a purchase. We had checked out TVs at most of the TV selling stores in town and his mind was made up. Yup, that's the one he wanted. Never mind that it was pouring down rain....he was not going home without his big prize!

Guess what...just because the TV had been on display for six months did not mean that the store at any time had ever had an actual Polaroid TV in stock.Oh, my gosh...this was too cruel. Now we had to go thru the whole process. No way..." just buy the one next to it...it'll be okay." I said to my spouse of 20 years. Him being a man and way different from me, said. "Ok, we'll take the Phillips....and the glass table to set it on".(never mind that we are in a Jeep Cherokee filled with car seats and Grandma junk and it's RAINING.
This is the scene at our house when we get home with our prize.

Happy Man with TV!!!!!!!

The Emporer's New Clothes, Daylight Saving Time and other myths

2008-03-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there lived an emperor who hired two swindlers to make him a suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they told him, was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position. The Emperor was nervous about being able to see the cloth himself so he sent his ministers to view it. They saw nothing, yet praised the cloth. When the Emporor was notified that his suit was ready, he allowed himself to be dressed for a procession through town. During the course of the procession, a small child cries out, "But he has nothing on!" The crowd realizes the child is telling the truth and begins laughing. The Emperor, however, holds his head high and continues the procession.

Once upon a time Benjamin Franklin pointed out that delaying the nominal time of sunset and sunrise reduces the use of artificial light in the evening and increases it in the morning. Lighting costs are reduced IF the evening reduction outweighs the morning increase, as in high-latitude summer when most people wake up well after sunrise. An early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity. NEWSFLASH.... HellOOOOOOO! Actually there is no way to make more or less daylight. It can't be bought and sold. It IS what it IS.

Ask any American today if he enjoys messing with the clocks twice yearly and I beg you to find one person who admits it's a great thing. WHY, then, are we continuing to follow this outdated practice? Why can't we move the clocks thirty minutes tomorrow and forever leave the darned things alone?

Winter and summer, fall and spring, we have sunrises and sunsets at varying hours of the day. In winter, we have as much dark as we do daylight. In summer, there is already way more daylight than in the winter months. Why then, do we need to jack around with the clocks?

Once upon a time on September 11th, gas retailers sold consumers gas at over $3.00 per gallon. They were considered to be taking unfair advantage of fellow Americans. Now the same retailers are considered socially acceptable.

Find me a presidential candidate that will leave my clocks alone and lower gas prices so Average Joe can afford to spend his paycheck somewhere besides the gas pump and I'll show you someone who is smart enough to tell the Emporor he is NAKED!!!!!.

Floppy Cushions

2008-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

I've known for over 25 years that I do not like sofas with floppy cushions on the back. You know, the kind that has all the fluff filling that always sags down to the bottom of the cushion and leaves none at the top. I learned this little life lesson when a couple who were very good friends of mine bought some floppy backed furniture.

I've bought several sofas since then; always I remembered to avoid the floppy cushions.......til this time. In September I got a bigger house. Bigger house needed more furniture. Old sofa was perfectly fine with me, but I wanted some new stuff to go with it. New stuff is kind of exciting...til the new wears off. Then it's plain to see.....I am the proud new owner of a

sofa with very floppy cushions. BLLLLEEEEECCCCHHH.

Please learn from my mistake. Just because it is newer, it does NOT make something better. I miss my old couch. It suited me. It was firm in the right places and soft in some places and gave me many years of enjoyment.

Maybe couples could learn the same thing about relationships.

I think I'll go give hubby a hug...maybe even a little smooch.

LOST!!!

2008-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Since the death of my mom a few months back, I keep having a repeating theme to my dreams. I keep finding myself LOST. In my dream, I search and search for a place I've been to before (last night it was Falls Creek) but the harder I search for it...the farther away I become. I meet the kindest strangers along the way, but still I find myself worried and weary because " I just can't get there" no matter how hard I try.

When I meet people in my dream, they are always helpful, but they never manage to give good directions. Most of the time they have never been to or heard of the place I am trying to find.

Usually I go in circles, often times I can sense that the ones I am supposed to be with are searching for me. I always awaken from "LOST with feelings of loss and despair.

Come on, dream readers, how come I keep getting LOST?

Jonesin' for Java

2008-02-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

Wow! I just discovered the more politically correct version of the "Special Brownies" from the 1970's! And SSSOOOO easy to make: coffee beans dipped in dark chocolate. That's it, the complete list of ingredients.

These little gems are very addictive and pack a caffeine jolt like you wouldn't believe. Moderation , man, MOD-ER-A-TION. My friends can keep their ciggies for afternoon breaks...... just give me my Coffee Crunchies.

Actually, I discovered the recipe while I was avoiding getting my paperwork together for the "Tax Lady". It's kind of like when I was doing my college classes.

I would go to great lengths to avoid sitting down and studying or writing compositions. Suddenly, I would decide to clean out the closet, wash my Jeep, scrub the toilets, shovel out the dog pen, pull weeds out of the flowerbeds....anything at all to keep me from doing the dreaded deed that I had proclaimed I just had to get done TODAY.

I'm a "WAIT TILL THE ABSOLUTE LAST MINUTE" kind of girl. Without the pressure of a deadline, I just can't quite commit to the task at hand. I mean, why do NOW what you can put off till tomorrow?

I want to get my taxes figured. Really, I do. It's kind of like an extra Christmas at tax time cuz I always way overpay. I just don't like getting lost in all that paperwork and I can never really remember what the 'Tax Lady' needs to prepare my return.

Well, better run. I think I can hear dust settling on top of my refrigerator.

Stalling for Time

2008-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is my 2nd of 3 days off work. I made myself a list of things I wanted to accomplish (in no particular order).
-Bake bread
-Make bumpy Jello stuff
-Send Valentines to my 3 sweet dumplin grandchildren
-Sit in my jammies in front of the fire drinking coffee
-Balance my checkbook
-Catch up on laundry
-Take a nap
- Post my first blog
-Get all my income tax stuff into a packet to take to the tax lady
-Hem my white scrubs (if I can find the sewing machine)
-Put elastic in my scrub pants that have tie strings so I won't have to fight a knot when I finally get to the potty with my bladder about to burst.

So far I've managed to do all but the last 3 things. I had to place a call to the ladies at the hospital cafeteria to ask,
"Can I have your recipe for Jello?"

"Who IS this?" asked a voice I didn't recognize." and why you don't know how to make Jello?"

"Um, er, this is Melody. Where are my friends, the lunch ladies that I know?"

"Aye, carumba, there is a crazy lady on the phone that wants a recipe for Jello."

"Hello, Melody, can I help you? Yes, I know you like our ambrosia, of course I will give you the recipe. You are welcome for all the times I have saved you some of the "Bumpy Jello" as you call it. Start with 5 cups of boiling water........"

EEEK. I don't want bumpy jello for a crowd...just for 2 people....but I'm good at math (at least with small numbers) so I finally got the recipe and whittled it down to size.

I don't like gathering info for the tax lady. I always feel like I should do my own income taxes, but all the numbers and stuff just make me crazy so each year I gather my info and drive 30 miles to the same tax lady.

I REALLy don't want to sew either so maybe I'll just drink more coffee or take another nap.