Whew, It's Over!

I guess you can tell I'm glad Christmas is over. I'm kind of a bah humbug person. I do not decorate or put up a tree. Christmas is way too commercialized and really turns me off for the season. I bought presents for my grandchildren and my son and daughter-in-law, and I went to their place for Christmas morning. As soon as gifts were opened and they had to leave to go to my daughter-in-law's mother's house, I went home (I was home before 10:00 a.m.) and took a long nap and just vegged out until 6:00 p.m. I then left to go to John's house for the night.

I guess I pretty much veg most of the time since I am not working. I need to get more active and find another part-time job. I haven't found homes for my cats yet, so I haven't made the move to John's full-time. I guess I'm spoiled. I have no objection to service jobs except that I'm afraid they will want me to work weekends. I could go back to work for Subway, but that would require me to drive too far and over the back roads to get to Dryden, and I just don't feel it's worth the hourly wage. I'd rather work from home with my computer, but I don't want to get into any kind of sales or marketing gigs, or sending voluminous unwanted emails to people. I want to do creative work with my computer. I got to do some fun creative work this week--fun work. I scanned several old family photos for a project my niece wants to do with her scrapbooking. I will share a few with you.

These pictures are of my deceased sister and deceased brother, as well as my two living brothers and another sister when they were children. The boys pictures were taken in 1966. My sister's picture was taken the year she died--I'm not sure what year, but somewhere around 1949. She was 5 years old when she died. According to my mother, she died from spinal meningitis, and I also had it. The doctors told my mother I survived it because I was a baby and babies have stronger immune systems than 5 year olds and I was better able to fight it off. Her name was Evelyn, and she was named after my grandmother--and it turns out my grandmother's real first name was Agnes and Evelyn was actually her middle name. Harvey is my deceased brother. He died a year ago on December 17th. My mother died on December 17th also, in 1995. The brother with the bolo tie is Elwin, named after my father's brother. The last boy pictured is my youngest brother. He lives in Kuwait now. And this last picture is my sister, Pat. She is two years older than me.

Guess I'll go get dressed now so I can head back to John's house. I'll try not to be so long in updating next time. No promises, however, even if New Year's is coming up!

Time Flies

It's hard for me to believe it's been so long since my last post. Guess I'm getting lazier. I'm still taking pictures with my new camera, but I still have so much to learn. I don't get the results I'm looking for when I take the pictures. I tried to take some pictures last night of my son's new dog. I had a lot of difficulty because three grandchildren were too rambunctious and kept getting in the way or getting the attention of the dog so it kept turning its back to me. The ones I did get were not focused as clearly as I would have liked. Nevertheless, here are a few pics. The parakeets are my grandson's Christmas present. I don't know the birds' names, but the dog is named "Clifford" (named by my 3 and a half year old granddaughter). The dog belongs to my son, so I'm not sure it will remain named "Clifford."

Earlier today I wanted to print some photos on my inkjet printer, but I got a message that the paper wasn't loaded properly. Upon investigating I discovered the reason the paper didn't load correctly...there was a dead mouse in the paper load area. Guess my cat, Mrs. Whiggins, must've tossed it in there when she was playing with it. (See photo.)

I took a lot of pictures of windmills and other scenic areas over the weekend also. Sunday was a beautiful day in the high country around Niles.

Photos and Paintings

A few weeks ago, I captured some images on my way to John's house in Auburn. One shows a prism in the sky, taken from the parking lot of the Ford garage in Ithaca. I took the sunset pics between Genoa and Scipio Center. It took me at least a half hour longer to get to Auburn because of my frequent stops to take pictures. The sky and the clouds fascinate me.




I spent this past weekend with John and his family, beginning Thanksgiving day. I went to John's house and he and his two sons and I went to John's brother's house in Fairport to have dinner with a houseful of relatives. It was very nice. The following day was bright and sunny, so we took some of John's art collection outdoors to get photos of them because I didn't want to have to use the flash because it washes out parts of the pictures. The only problem with that is the sun sparkled on the paintings and makes them look like there are small white spots on them.

Sunday, we drove around and found some cool scenes to capture. I am still learning about the camera. I have found that some of the ones that look fantastic on the camera screen don't translate as well onto the computer screen and also don't print as well as they look on the camera. I hope to get better with trial and error--in addition to reading. I think the lighting has a lot to do with it. I hope you can see the "two faces in the water" in the pictures posted here. I just wanted to take a picture of the water in the creek; but the lighting and shadows ended up forming a "sleepy-eyed jaguar" and also a man's face to the left and kind of tucked into the jaguar face. I often "see faces" (Oooooooo Oooo Ooooooooooooooooo!) in other images and textures.


This next picture is at 12X optical zoom. For some reason, the pictures I take at extreme zoom look hazy to me. Maybe it is the filters on the camera that cause it. I will try taking the filters off next time. These other pictures were taken around Owasco area. Hope you enjoy looking at them. Maybe tomorrow I will post some more art by John's artist friend "Jak WRobel".

Second Entry Today

I decided to come back and post some additional photos. This is my motorcycle; and it is for sale. It's a 1997 800cc Honda (Pacific Coast). As you can see by the photo, it has 24,242 miles on it. It has been garage-kept except when it was parked outside motels when I took it to places like Prescott, AZ, Athens, GA, Canaan Valley, WV and other places I've traveled. I need to sell it to pay back the loan I had to take out to pay my property taxes--one of the not-so-fun realities of living in New York State!




Be sure and check out my previous entry for today (below).

I Didn't Get to Vote

I didn't get to vote this year. I had planned to, but it just didn't work out. I had to drop my car off Tuesday morning at the Ford garage for it's 55,000 mile checkup. It had a broken rear spring and it needed new front brake pads and rotors, but was supposed to be ready at the end of the day. My sister picked me up from the garage and I worked with her for a couple of hours and then she dropped me off at home. I would have had her take me to the voting place if I had known my car was not going to be ready to be picked up by 5:00 (I figured I had until 9:00 P.M. to vote). The dealership called me and said it would not be ready Tuesday, but would be ready this morning. My sister came over again, intending to take me to pick up my car, but I had not received a call that the car was ready, so around 2:20 I called them and was told they had not gotten the replacement springs yet for the car. I was not very happy. I only took the car there for the work because I thought I had to because I had the extended warranty. Valuable lesson learned. The car is only three years old and I have had to put (by the end of the current repair) almost $1800 in repairs on the car. I got totally screwed when I traded in my husband's 4x4 pick-up truck! I will never buy another vehicle from them and I will not have any further work done on the car by them!

Well enough of my rant. I move on to more enjoyable topics (once I think of them!). Well I guess one of them would be the fact that even without my vote, my would-be choices for the most part won their election.

Here's another more enjoyable topic.... I scanned in this old photo of my sister when she was a young child (around 5 years). I don't have any photos of myself at that age, but surmise I was probably almost as cute--ha ha. I also scanned in photos of my grandfather (as an adult) and my grandmother (as a child). I love photos. Maybe I'll come back later and post more photos.

More Fun With My New SONY DSC-H5

I've been having more fun with my new camera today--and also with Photoshop.

I decided to experiment with a portion of the sky in this picture and ended up with "cloud monster(s)".

Fascinating results! So much fun I had to go back and try another section of the sky which included a small portion of a tree, so in the final picture, the tree becomes part of the "beard".

Early Birthday Present

Lucky me! I got my birthday present (and Christmas too!) a week early. John got me a new SONY DSC-H5 digital camera and extra lenses. I have a lot to learn about the lenses. The UV lens, I already knew about because I had one on my old Nikon. I have to learn when to use which ones and how to use some. He got me a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens. The camera is extremely light until you attach the telephoto lens or the wide angle lens. Once I learn to use it, I will be able to get great shots of the wildlife down back of my house. The camera has 12x optical and then adding the 2x telephoto lens will give me 24x zoom! He also got me a 2GB card for the camera. My old laptop is only 4GB!!! I've experimented with a few little movies with it. With the 2GB card, I can actually film for several minutes. I will upload a few of the pics that I've taken so far (I've taken about 130 pics in the last two days).

1. My grandchildren, Matthew and Jaden, dressed in their Halloween costumes. The camera's "no red-eye" seemed to work appropriately--Jaden's eyes didn't turn red in the pic, but notice Dracula's eyes!
2. Jaden posed and asked me to take this picture of her. Too bad she stood in front of the garbage can...
3. My friend's long-haired mottled fur kitten. The kitten is adorable--as long as she/he stays at my friend's house.
4. The same friend's granddaughter, Kelly, showed me "peek-a-boo". Hasn't she got the bluest eyes?! Actually I have another picture of her where her eyes are much bluer looking. Will go back and find that one to show you all next time.

The pictures were very easy to download to the computer. And you can even zoom in and "trim" the pics as copies (doesn't change original photo) and size them to VGA (web) or bigger if you want right on the camera! I love it.

Women On Wheels(R)

If you're looking for a great organization for women motorcycling enthusiasts, check out: Women On Wheels(R)

Freedom...for the Chipmunk

Good morning! Oh, I just remem-bered...I have a cold cup of coffee somewhere in my kitchen. I had just finished preparing it and had not even tasted it yet when my two cats walked into the kitchen from being outside. When they came in, the chipmunk in my pantry chirped. Ahah! He/she was still alive and in residence! I decided to investigate more closely. I made sure my Hav-a-Heart(R) trap was set and ready at the doorway. I positioned other items in the doorway on either side of the trap doorway and then started moving a couple of plastic bags that were on the floor that had "garden stones" in them. Lo and behold, the chipmunk sprang forth and entered the trap! I grabbed the cage and my camera and took them outside on my deck to get pictures before taking him out to the pine trees to let him go. I wanted a picture of him coming out of the cage, but he wouldn't cooperate. When he finally fled the cage, it was at the end away from my hand and he was gone like a flash. I couldn't even tell which direction it went. Anyway, I am happy he is alive and free. Hope the winter isn't too rough on him.

Christmas comes earlier and earlier!

I just have to share with everyone my "Christmas cactus". It's more like a pre-Halloween cactus! But I don't care. It's beautiful to look at. Christmas does seem to come earlier and earlier though. Someone sent me a cartoon that was a combination of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I post it here for your enjoyment, but please note I am not the author.

Update on the Chipmunk in My House

Last night I discovered the chipmunk is still in my house and apparently live and well, if not frightened! He/she is/was in my pantry. My cat, Mrs. Whiggins, was in there nosing around and I heard the familiar chirp, though I did not see it. At least Mrs. Whiggins did not have it in her mouth! I baited my small Hav-A-Heart(R) trap with cheese crackers and left it at the open doorway of the pantry. The chipmunk is still loose somewhere, but hope to come home in a couple of days and find it alive inside the trap. I am assuming it would want to be outside free, though it is sure to be behind in nut-gathering for the winter. I'm off to Auburn in a few minutes for the weekend. John is playing again with the Sons of the Bunkhouse band at the Red Rooster Pub in Skaneateles Falls, NY, at 4:00, so I'd better scoot to the shower so I will be ready to travel.

I Need a New Loving Home for My Cats

Today was a pleasant surprise. I had expected a drizzly wet day, but it has been partially sunny though somewhat windy and cool. When the sun shines, it makes my day!

A couple days ago I was cold and had no heat in my house, but after investigating what was up with my furnace I was able to get the heat back on. For some reason the pilot light was out. After a few tries, I was able to get it lit and now have heat. I cleaned the filter as best I could (I should probably get a new replacement filter) and cleaned the dust and dirt from the furnace door. Now it looks good AND works good.

I have kind of decided to move in with my boyfriend and try to rent out my house. I have found my land and school taxes for the year are too much for me.

In order to rent my house and move I will have to find a good home for my two cats (together or separately). They are both somewhere around twelve years old and are pretty spoiled. They are both very loving. They would make a wonderful companion for senior citizens. Onslo is a neutered male with no front claws. Mrs. Whiggins is a spayed female and is a small build (close to maybe two-thirds the size of a normal cat). She has all her claws and likes to hunt. She has brought lots of mice for me to see and a few birds and chipmunks. Actually, this past Tuesday morning I awoke to a chipmunk sitting on my open palm in my bed. I felt something on my hand and opened my eyes to see a chipmunk scamper off. I was not frightened or startled because I knew the chipmunk was somewhere in the house as I had heard his/her chirps for the past couple of weeks. I have not heard it since then so I am hoping he found his way out of the house. (I haven't found any dead body yet.) Both cats are accustomed to going in and out on their own through a small-animal door, but have also used a litter box at times. They need a home in the country with someone who will love them as much as I do.

It's Cold in My House!!

Guess I'd better make a phone call and have my furnace serviced. I turned it off when I no longer needed the heat and only used the air conditioning a week or two this summer. I had the temperature set to about 62 degrees F. but discovered this morning that the furnace wasn't heating. I can live with it now, but soon will have to worry about freezing pipes. Can't afford that fiasco, so will get someone here to check it out for me. I will take a look at it in the meantime in case it's just a case of the pilot light being out.



This past weekend, John played again (as part of the "Sons of the Bunk-house") at the Red Rooster Pub in Skan-eateles Falls. They sounded great--not that I'm at all prejudiced! It's kind of a small space for them though, but the really good thing about it is that it is early and they get out by seven. There was a good turnout of people that came to hear them, so the bar's owner asked them to play an extra half-hour. They will be playing there every Saturday in October and every other Saturday in November.

Why Tanning Isn't Good for Us...

Just a quick share today. I found this at http://coolshade.tamu.edu/gallery/pages/pigs.htm

I Came Across Some Memories Today

The full moon picture was taken from my deck on September 8th (this year) at 2:21 a.m.
The flower letters were taken at 7:23 p.m. the same day. I was on my way to John's house and decided to stop and take this picture. Why, you say? My friend Cindi will understand. I'm not really sure who gave me the name originally--probably Cindi. The story behind the name "BW"... For several years, several of us "Women On Wheels(R)" members got together at Americade(R) (the world's largest motorcycle touring rally) in Lake George, NY. For several years, we rented a cottage for the week and shared much more than the cost. I'm sure this is where our friendships became cemented. We were a group larger than could be accommodated by the bedrooms (3) in the cottage so some of us slept in chairs, on couches, and on the floor in the main room of the cottage. I was known to be a loud snorer (later to be remedied by a CPAP machine). I tried to warn everyone and maybe even offered to sleep on the porch (I can't remember that clearly). One of the ladies that was new to sharing the cottage (Betsey) said my snoring would be no problem--she could sleep through anything. Guess who we found sleeping out on the porch the next morning! I felt badly, but I couldn't help it...and I did warn her. Anyway, we ended up having a lot of fun and laughter over that. There were two of us in the cottage named "Wendy" and the other Wendy was quiet and sweet and studious, so to differentiate between us, the snorer got nicknamed the "Bad Wendy" and the other was nicknamed the "Good Wendy". Bad Wendy got shortened to "BW" in the WOW chatroom and among my close motorcycle friends I am still "BW". The "BW" in the picture actually stands for Borg Warner, but I couldn't resist.

So now I have to explain to you the pic of the woodchuck. The quality of the photo isn't great because I had to take the picture quickly and knew I couldn't go outside to get it because he(or she) would be gone in a flash if I made any noise. I took the pic through my livingroom window, which also has a screen in it...and it was raining to boot. "Woody" broke through the mulch and plant fabric that I had laid down to keep the wood chips from tracking into the house. I have since found the entrance to Woody's abode. Woody has burrowed under the cement pad of my garage. Guess he thought he was hidden behind the long stems of the Golden Glow flowers planted at the backside of my garage. My sister and I were doing some clean-up work after the flowers had pretty much died off, and she had cut the stems down to just a couple inches revealing the entranceway. I am assuming the woodchuck will remain there into the winter and perhaps I will see him/her again in the spring.

Life Since Last Monday

Thanks, Cindi, for not getting after me about being behind on my blog! Love you.

My sister came over Wednesday and we spent a few hours together. We shopped at Lowe's because I needed some materials for the renovation of the roof on my back deck. The original roof was not properly designed and built, so I had a lot of damage due to wind and the snow from the last couple of winters. The other days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) I spend a lot of time on the computer editing and printing photos (and sleeping in, of course). I did spend one day (Tuesday, I think) with my three-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Jaden. She entertained herself quite well with some marker pens and an old packet of dollar-store inkjet photo paper (which doesn't give me the print quality I prefer, so that is why I let her use it). She had fun with my cat Onslo and "playing" my piano. After all that fun, however, we went outside in the sunshine and she had fun jumping on my trampoline. When she arrived, she informed her mom and me that she was staying until tomorrow. But after about six hours she decided to go home after all. Mom had to come pick her up because I didn't have a car seat for her. I was actually relieved not to have to make the trip (even though it's just a few miles), because it was early evening and I was feeling tired (not having the energy I had when I was younger). Oh the joys of being a grandparent! You get to have all the fun with the kids and then send them home. When mom arrived to pick her up, she also had one of the family dogs with her (Shady Lee). Their dogs are almost grandchildren too, so I had to get a pic of her before they left. It took a few shots to finally get a good one, but finally got it.

My weekends are spent with my boyfriend, John. He is gigging with an additional band now. Saturday night was their first gig together. The gig was at the Red Rooster Pub in Skaneateles Falls. The band is an acoustic instruments band (two guitar players, a bass player, and a mandolin player). John is probably the main singer, although another guy in the band also sings a few songs. The gig was also in remembrance of a friend and member of the band who passed away recently. After the gig was over, John and I went to Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles for dinner. Then we drove back to Auburn and spent several hours at the Bunkhouse (home of our friends Dave and Sheila). The guys jammed and we girls sang some harmony and had fun with some percussion toys (spoons, tambourine, an old cheese and veggie grater). It was a fun evening. Jasper was a big source of entertainment as well. He is smart, fast, and seemingly tireless as well as being extremely gentle and friendly (one of the nicest dogs I've ever seen). He kept playing with all of his toys...bringing them to someone to throw for him to fetch or to play tug of war with.