K9 Krazy (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

It has been a long week and I've got stuff to get done so today will be a photo blog with some favorite pics of my Krazy K9 fur kids.  I love 'em! Have a great weekend everyone!



Abbie

 


Missy



Remi (<------KRAZY)

Jello (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

When asked for a J word, my husband came up with Jello. We proceeded into a lengthy conversation about the different colors of the jiggly stuff and some childhood memories.

 

First off, I love jello. I love it plain. I love it with shreds of carrots or fruit in it. I love it layered with whip cream, and I even love it with cottage cheese. When I think of jello, the first thing that comes to mind is a funeral potluck.  Right?  Come on. You know it's true. Have you ever been to a wake where there wasn't some kind of jello dessert?

 

Jello dishes fall into two categories. Take orange jello with shredded carrots and celery in it.  Would that be a dessert or a salad?  These things are important when you look at the flyer for a potluck and your last name falls into the category of DESSERT or SALAD. I'm such a rebel that sometimes I use my first name and take whatever I want. The world can always use more desserts, wouldn't you agree?

 

When I was a young mother, my mom taught me to feed warm jello to my son when he was sick with the flu. It was the one thing that would actually stay down when he was throwing up. She suggested I not use red just in case it came back up. Good advice. I hadn't thought about that until I sat down to write this post. She had a lot of home remedies that I'm sure my doctor would have poo poo'd.

 

I'm a jello connoisseur. When I see a fluffy, orange jello-looking batch of stuff sitting on the potluck table, I simply cannot resist trying it.  Did you ever notice nobody brings jello dishes to a potluck in the winter?  It's spring/summer thing. I'm going to a potluck this Sunday night where the main dish is sloppy joes. I'll bet you lunch that the jello dessert I'm taking will make someone very happy.

 

I hope something about this post has made you happy and that you have a great childhood memory from it. Jello has been around a long time and I don't think it's going to go away anytime soon. 

 

What's your favorite jello flavor?  Got a great recipe?  Share it with me, will you?

 

love, susan

 

Ideas aka Brain Dumping (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

I've been plagued with ideas my entire life. I say plagued because sometimes it is difficult to function in daily life with so many ideas swirling around in my mind. I daydream and have constant ideas running through my mind like the ticker tape at the bottom of CNN news. 

 

Yesterday I wrote about riding motorcycles. One of the things that happens when I'm out there on the road is my mind will switch to idea overload. I am conscious of this and have to reel myself in constantly when I'm driving. Same thing can happen in the car.

 

There are times, too, when I feel stuck for ideas. That's when I pull out some tools I've learned along the way. Mind mapping, for example.

 

According to Wikipedia, Tony Buzman coined the term mind map. I learned it while in high school English class for writing stories.  It can be used for any word or idea that you have where you feel stuck. 

 

It's easy and free! I recommend that you get a blank piece of paper and sit down at a table that has been freed from any clutter. Write a word in the middle and place a circle around it. Now here comes the hard part. You must resist thinking that any idea you have is a bad one. Whatever comes to your mind, WRITE IT. Use lines to branch off that idea and keep writing. When you feel like you've had a complete brain dump, you're done. Now, wasn't that easy?

 

I used a mind map to write this post. So from my map, you can see that I was trying to think about where my ideas come from.  In linear form (which is kind of boring, in my book) my ideas look like this:

 

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM?

• photowalking, scavenger hunts
• talk to strangers, talk to neighbors
• coffee w/friends, drive down a different street, try new recipes, visit library, do SOMETHING
• motorcycling, riding in the car, walking the dogs, in the shower
• life experiences

How about you, where do your ideas come from? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment if you feel inclined.

love, susan

Honda Girl (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

  

I've been riding for about 8 years now and have about 15,000 miles under my butt. We ride on the weekends all summer.  A 200 mile ride is about perfect for me. I went on my longest ride ever summer of '12. I think growing up in Alaska made me a little tougher than I would have been had I not endured 60 below zero winters, mosquitoes and lack of great fresh fruit. A long day on the bike can really tear up the body. When you're out there, a hundred-plus miles from home you just gotta make your mind over-ride your body and push on. I try to pace myself. We make it a habit to stop every 50 miles, even if it is just for 5 minutes to stretch.

My favorite rides are when we pack a lunch and stop somewhere along the road to kick our feet up. We have been all over eastern Washington and some of Oregon. The closest I've been to riding in a big city is Vancouver, Washington. I'm not crazy about city driving, even in the car.

Most of our friends have Harleys. We are budget riders so I bought a used Honda and my hubby has a Kawasaki and a Yamaha. So far, I've only had to replace tires.

I'm not a religious person but I always say a little prayer to the motorcycle gods to help keep me focused and safe from distracted drivers while we're out on the road. So far, so good.

There are a few things that will keep me from getting on my motorcycle to ride:

Having too much on my mind (sad or pissed)

Inclement weather

Too tired

Holiday weekends

 

It's spring now and my motorcycle brothers and sisters are on the roads now. Please take extra care and watch for us on the road. Please give us space.  Please don't text and drive.

 

Do you have a summer thing you've been waiting all winter to do?  Leave me a comment if you feel inclined.

 

love, susan





Google, I Love You (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

My first full moon pic with my
new camera

Google it.  This last year it has been the phrase that is most likely to come out of my mouth when I don't know the answer to something.  Google it.  Google what?  Yeah, Google "what".  You will receive 33 definitions and uses for the word what. Who knew there were so many?  You can Google that too!

This leaves me wondering ...

Who invented Google? Was it just one person?

Where did they go to college?

I wonder if I can learn to play guitar by Googling it?

Can I Google questions about my new camera?

How do you train a dog to walk who hates the leash?

Is there anything you can't find on Google?

 

How did we ever survive before Google, I'll never know.  And, then there is YouTube. Don't get me started.



Do you love Google?

love, susan



 

Fifteen Minute Fix (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Give me a fifteen minute deadline and I can accomplish more than I can all day without one.  Have you ever been overwhelmed by all the to-do's on your list, whether you actually have a physical list or one in your head?  Have you ever looked at your mounting housework or weekly, monthly, yearly chores and just didn't know where to start ... so you didn't start at all?

 

I have a solution. It is tried and true. 

 

Get yourself a timer or use your cell phone. Look at the area you are wishing to clean up or bills to pay or whatever it is that's dragging you down. Survey what you have in front of you. What is it you wish to accomplish? Picture it in your mind quickly.

 

Set the timer

 

Go!!!!!!

 

Just do it

 

When you have just a couple of minutes left on the timer, you'll have to decide how you want it to end.  But my rule is, you must stop when the timer goes off.

 

My fifteen minute fix has worked well for tackling jobs I hate with a passion.  You know what I'm talking about.  Who likes to clean the bathroom?  Ever found yourself spending two hours cleaning the bathroom?  No wonder we hate cleaning.  It should not take you more than 15 minutes. Seriously. Try it!

 

Got a couple of rooms that need picked up?  Use my 15-minute method for each room and let me know how it works for you.  I used it to write this blog post.

 

love, susan



Energy (A to Z Blogging Challenge)

 

Today, I just didn't have the energy to write without the aid of some synonyms. You should try it!  Choose a word.  Google the synonyms and see what happens!  Leave me a comment with your words.

 

en·er·gy

Synonyms:

vitality, vigor, life, liveliness, animation, vivacity, spirit, spiritedness, verve, enthusiasm, zest, vibrancy, spark, sparkle, effervescence, ebullience, exuberance, buoyancy, sprightliness;  strength, stamina, forcefulness, power, dynamism, drive; fire, passion, ardor, zeal; informal: zip, zing, pep, pizzazz, punch, bounce, oomph, moxie, mojo, go, get-up-and-go, vim and vigor, feistiness   I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying this moment and that your life spirit and enthusiasm sparks a fire that will keep you buoyant and full of passion and zeal.     May you have enough moxie and mojo to zip zing through your life with enough punch and vigor so that your effervescence and exuberance drives you to get up and do it all over again. love, susan

Dog Day (A to Z Blog Challenge)

Are you a dog lover?  Me too!

 

I've had dogs my entire life except for a seven year stretch when we lived in the deserts of Arizona. In the summers, it's hard enough to be a human being in the 100+ degree weather let alone wearing a fur 24/7. Seems too cruel to keep a dog there.

Now that we live in eastern Washington, I've made up for lost time by rescuing 3 beautiful animals that are family to us. My husband is more of a cat person and for that we have one fat, lazy tabby cat.

I'm a supporter of the local  Humane Society but my husband won't let me go visit anymore. We never come home empty-handed and it has caused a lot of dog hair in every corner of our place. Our third dog is an adoptee from a friend who was moving.

 

It has been a tough year in adding our third dog. She is the smallest but definitely the bitchiest and there has been a lot of adjusting to do. There is a pack mentality that lies just under the surface of our fur kids that never goes away and we've become keen at watching and listening for the bad behavior. Fur has flown and blood has been drawn.

 

We only invite dog people to our house these days. If you are one, you totally understand this statement. If you're not, we have a nice sticky rolling lint brush for you in every room of our house because we know dog hair drives you crazy.  I keep a roller in the car and work. I have a couple of friends who are allergic to dogs and I feel bad that I can't have them over.

 

Enough talk ... let me show them off!

 

Remi, small in stature
BIG in attitude!



Abbie
Can you say OBSESSED with anything
thrown?



Remi is not happy until she has
all the toys.



Missy, the old girl.
She is faithful and sweet!

 

 

Come Closer Please



I was sitting at my desk yesterday, pretending I was working but really I was trying to think of topics for the rest of this month's A to Z blogging challenge.

Closer: as in my friendships with people.

I have a wonderful close-mouthed friend who gave me some advice I have heeded over the last couple of years which has served me well. Perhaps it will for you, too.

In order to have meaningful relationships with people,

the friendship must be developed.

Now, I am formerly the kind of person who meets someone and will open my arms and invite them into my world, no questions asked. When the crap hits the fan and I'm left standing there with a stinky crap bag, wondering what happened and resentful as hell, I have a part in that. 

My good friend gave me a visual that I'd like to share with you in hopes that if you have experienced the same trouble with relationships, you'll give this a try and see what happens.

A = acquaintance
B = better ... I'm getting know you better
C = I'm going to ask you to move in closer now

The time it takes to move from A to C is important. My friend suggested to give it at least a year. Seems like a long time but trust me when I tell you I have tried this method and it works.

Some suggestions for getting to know someone at the acquaintance level are meeting for coffee, enjoy a movie together, go thrift shopping, or send a card if you are developing a long distance friendship.

I'll leave my suggestions at that because this could turn into a post that is far too long to hold any one's attention. If you are reading this and you are in my A, B, C's, please know that I care about you and want to keep you.

How do you develop your friendships?  Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

love, susan

 

Push My Buttons

I'm going to be learning a lot about my blog in a more technical way during this A to Z Challenge. In a private group I belong to there has been much chatter about buttons and gadgets and other techy words I'm not all the familiar with.   I just want to write.  And more than that, I hope for a few comments.

 

The thing is, I've got to get with the program and keep my blog sharp and up to date with the latest buttons. I haven't fine tuned it in quite a while so here is my chance to learn.

 

Last night I added a g+ button and played around with the gadgets. It's not quite where I want it yet but I'm not afraid to keep tweaking it. If you've read this far, I hope you push my buttons and check out some of my past favorite posts.

 

I've been blogging for over 2 years now and covered all kinds of topics but with this challenge I'm thinking I need to reel in it and work on the technical side of things for a bit and get myself up to date.

 

If you have any helpful tips or advice, I am all ears.  Please leave a comment with your ideas and tell me ... what is your favorite button?  What button should I absolutely have on my blog?

 

love, susan

A is for April Fool's Day

Today is the first day in a month long A to  Z blogging challenge.

 

April Fool's day is among my favorite days of the year. Nobody suspects a nice girl like me to play tricks. That's what makes it so joyful when I can pull one over on somebody. I wait all year for this day!

Among my favorite past deeds was a trick I played on my sister-in-law, who is now a most excellent, experienced hair designer but back then she was early in her career.

She had a knack for getting perm solution on my delicate skin and sometimes I would get a little chemical burn. No big deal to me but it always made her feel bad.

Being the opportunist that I am, I took advantage of

her sympathy by starting a little white lie

that left us all laughing.

It started a couple of days before April 1st that year. I had visited her shop to have my hair permed. She splashed a little perm solution on the tip of my ear and it burned to a blister. I'm not sure when the idea formed in my mind to run with it but I decided to tell her mom (my wonderful mother-in-law) that I had to go to the doctor for antibiotics because it got HORRIBLY infected (a big fat lie). Oh, and I said specifically to my wonderful mother-in-law, "please don't tell Jo".

People! I knew exactly what I was doing and my plan worked like a beautiful marriage. My mother-in-law immediately called Jo and the fun began.  I'm pretty sure Jo wasn't happy with my foolery at first but from then on my in-laws were on their toes when April Fool's day came around. I would go on to fool them again and again.

Do you play April Fool's jokes?  I sure could use some fresh material.

love, susan