Blogging lull....yes.....working lull....no..

I've been 'advised' that I need to update my blog. Seems my friends can only tolerate me not blogging for a month max, anything over that time frame.....I better get typing FAST!!!!!

OK...here's my excuses for not keeping up with the blog, as of late.

I was diagnosed with 2 bulging discs in my neck. This is a result of when I was rear ended waiting to pull into my driveway nearly 2 years ago. Because of this, I have not finished the windows (glazing/painting). I need to paint them, then install them, and THEN glaze them. This will allow me to look straight ahead instead of bending my neck and looking down. OK...everyone say...'poor thing....we feel your pain.'

It keeps raining so the weeds keep growing (flower beds) so I have to continually weed and cannot make any progress on anything else. OK....everyone say....'poor thing.....I feel your pain....I'll come over and weed for you.'

I fertilized the lawn and now it grows grows grows so I mow mow mow. But it's green.

R and I have been busy with the excessive paper work needed to retire. YES...you heard it right RETIRE!!!! R will retire in July. I will retire January 1st, 2009. He keeps counting down the days. I will continue to work 6 days 10 hours until the very end. Grrrr.

I am appalled at the volume of paper work needed to retire. Rollover papers, termination papers, pension papers, birth certificates (retiree and spouse), marriage certificates, social security card, and drivers license.

R has already decided he wants to volunteer at the March of Dimes. I'm not committing to anything until the house is done. We will have plenty of time to volunteer at a later date. R is 56 and I am 53.

R has been rebuilding the fountain area. He temporarily has installed the fountain just for measurement purposes. I can't wait to see it completed. Here's a photo taken about a month ago. He's made great progress since then.

Here's a photo taken more recently. May not look like there was a lot done but take my word for it.......there was.

We were just finishing up with the mowing on Sunday when the sirens went off. 4 minutes later the wind was blowing a constant 50 mph and branches/leaves were blowing every where. I was shocked at how constant the wind was. It carried on like that for at least 20 minutes without letting up.

After the storm I headed to the Torrey Rd address. I was driving down Baldwin Road when I saw a car parked on the opposite side of the road. A police cruiser was pulling up behind it with it's lights on. On closer inspection, I noticed a power line or cable vision line wrapped around the driver's side mirror. Egads!!!!

My son and daughter in law were without power for a day and a half. They live in Fenton, the town that was hit by a tornado last fall.

I have also been busy planting heirloom tomato plants. We will be up to our ears in tomatoes by August. Red ones, yellow ones, white ones, green ones, black ones, pink ones, orange ones, stripped ones, round ones, pear shaped ones, ox heart shaped ones, big ones, and little ones. I feel like that guy in the Forest Gump movie......coconut shrimp, fried shrimp, raw shrimp, etc. LOL.

You say tomato, Dan Quayle says tomatoe!!!

I have been reading blogs from bloggers who are out in their yards and gardens preparing for this years crops of flowers or veggies. Well to you bloggers I say....#@&%! and the lawn tractor you rode in on.

This winter has really been...to say the least...stressful. We have had an abundance of snow and when it is not snowing, it's grey and windy. So when I read a blog from a blogger in a warmer climate (which is anywhere but here) and they have proclaimed that winter is over and summer should be starting in two weeks....well it's depressing.

First of all lets clear one thing up. Winter is not the 1 week of the year when you had to turn on your electric heat. Winter is when you turn your furnace on in October and it doesn't quit spinning until May at which time you turn on the air conditioner to remove the excess humidity from the air. That is winter.

Winter is not counted in weeks. Winter is counted in months or 1/2 years if you live in the extreme north.

Winter is not designated so just because you had to wear a coat. Winter is when you wear a t-shirt, sweatshirt, hoodie, topped with a triple down coat and you still complain that you are cold.

Winter is when you get hoodie hair instead of hat hair.

Winter is when every pocket in every coat, sweater, and pair of jeans you own are filled with wadded up Kleenex. Yes, Kleenex...here in the north we don't say tissue. OR...TP..sometimes it's easier to carry a roll than a box. No really. I'm woman enough to admit it.

Winter is when you reach into your pocket for change (coins) and when you open your hand you find, a wadded up Kleenex or TP, a Hall's cough drop, pocket lint (from when you washed your jeans with a wadded up Kleenex in the pocket), and 4 pennies (economy is bad).

Winter is the time from when your nose start dripping in October (allergies from moldy leaves) until it finally stops dripping in April. Summer starts when your nose starts dripping in June because of allergies and stops when your nose stops dripping in September when the flowers die back. Only to start dripping a week later when winter starts again.

If you have proclaimed your 'winter is over', all I have to say about that is.....we here in the north probably would have wore shorts and flip flops through your entire winter. Winter indeed!!! Pshaw!

Those of us in the north wear our winters like a badge of courage.

"I remember when the snow was so high you couldn't read the stop signs."

"I remember when it was 20 below and you had to get up out of bed and start your car in the middle of the night, to make sure it would start in the morning."

"I remember when it was so cold Fido wouldn't go outside to pee and just held it until spring."

"I remember when my mother would bundle (yes bundle) us up and send us outside to play. But we couldn't move so we just stood there."

"I remember when we had to rake the roof because the snow was so deep."

"I remember when it was so cold my eyeballs froze." No...really sometimes you can hardly blink it is so cold.

I know what you are saying..."What the heck does this have to do with a tomato and Dan Quayle?"......I'm getting there...don't rush me, I'm on a rant.

So that brings me back to tomato, tomatos, tomatoes, whatever. One of the places or events I would like to attend one day is the Tomato Fest in Carmel, CA. You know the place where Dirty Harry was mayor at one time. I'd like to taste some of the more obscure heirloom types tomatos.

So anyways I was at the Tomato Fest website and found this poster.

I thought it was a hoot. I may have to order it for my kitchen. "Let me see, I know I have 4 pennies here.......somewhere.

Gene wrote...I remember when it was so cold, they canceled school (our school district was always the last to close for snow so we didn't have too many 'snow days', but I do remember the 'cold day' or two.