Grumbleeze

Happy Halloween!!!
So it really wasn't Mozilla. I think it was just because of how I copied and pasted my entry yesterday. I do have something that looks a bit funkier than it did with Explorer but overall I've decided to abandon Explorer because I was duped into downloading Explorer 7 for Yahoo! Didn't realize what I was doing and I can't find it to get rid of it so now I'll be using Mozilla all the time on this computer.

I promised a kitten picture. Here's one I took Sunday when I cleaned the fish tank. When I went to bed Saturday night I had 5 goldfish - when I woke up Sunday I had 3!!! Had a toilet funeral and decided to change the tank out and clean it up!

The cover on this bowl has holes so the fish are getting air but I put it there for their protection. As you can see, Miss Kitty is relentless in her pursuit of whatever she is pursuing at the moment - in this case my remaining three goldfish!

As you can see these fish are humungous - almost as big as Miss Kitty! Got loads of photos of her with the fish but this was the most precious one of all - and as a bonus it didn't show as much of the mess I was ignoring while cleaning the tank.

I'll be back later with some cute kitty pictures. Got a busy day ahead of me cuz I was able to move into my bedroom this weekend. Thanks to Dave for finishing up that room! Thanks to Emilio and Dave for risking hernias to move that big heavy furniture into the room! I'll be back to fix this too! Was using Mozilla instead of Explorer and haven't the foggiest idea what happened!

This week's questions are, once again, from fellow participants! Thanks to all of you for your questions, AND for playing! Have an awesome week! =)

1. From bev:
Small town or big city? Small town – actually not in the town but near it. I grew up in a city and moved to the small town to raise our children.

2. From turtlemoonwave:
Do you have a favorite childhood memory, and if so, would you share it? I remember my mom took us ‘up north’ for vacations sometimes. When we went we stayed in a borrowed cottage with lake access. Sometimes she couldn’t take us ‘up north’ and we would go to Wenonah Beach in the neighboring town on Saginaw Bay – where there was an amusement park. It even had a wooden roller coaster and I loved to ride on it.

3. From cat:
How do you calm down when something has really upset and/or angered you? Do you swallow it? Call a friend and rant? Go in the bathroom and cry? Punch a wall? Walk around muttering to yourself, complete with scary hand gestures? I guess I just sit down and write about it… usually in a blog and save as a draft. Then, depending on circumstances I might discuss it with somebody. Sometimes, after I’ve calmed down I delete what I wrote; other times I just leave it in there as a draft I no longer use ‘sign language’ toward other drivers though… ever since a guy actually stopped his truck in the road in front of me! I got out of that one by driving in the opposite direction – even though my blinker told him where to ‘wait’ for me!

4. From dna princess:
What attracts you to memes?' It started as a solution to writers’ block but then – well I guess I just like the challenge and reading how others feel about the same subjects.

5. From mads:
How reliant are you on computers to get through your day? Since I’m retired I don’t have to rely on a computer – but I do! I depend on my computer to google answers to things I used to look up in the dictionary or encyclopedia. I use my computer to look up phone numbers of people and businesses instead of the paper phone book. It’s so much faster and complete! I also use the computer to relax – usually with a quick game of Spider Solitaire – and of course I use it to communicate! If I really need to get a message to somebody I find it quicker to send an email because snail mail is so slow and I usually think to phone somebody at odd times when they are probably at work or whatever.

6. From tizzie:
In a crisis, are you calm or do you panic? I guess in a real crisis I go into ‘automatic drive’ and only get all emotional about it when the crisis is past. This seems to be a built in mechanism and I thank God for it.

Natalie, your family sure knows how to put on a great party! Good food, good company, fun music and I even danced half of the night away!!! I haven't had so much fun in literally years!

For Monday Madness... Otto says - 'This week, 5 more questions from our fellow participants! Thank you all for playing, AND for offering suggestions. Have a fabulous week! =)'
1. From: cassie:
Dramas or comedies?
Even though I enjoy a really good drama, comedies are on top of my list. Laughter is essential for a healthy life. I believe this with a passion!

2. From: nutmegnine:
Your neighbor has frequent noisy parties on nights before you need to get up early. Do you confront him directly, call the police, call your landlord, join in the debauchery, or seethe quietly and do nothing?
Thank goodness I don't have a neighbor like that!!! I guess I would first confront him. If that didn't work I would call the landlord in to intercede and if that didn't work, I would call the police!!! If I was renting and it was an apartment, and the parties were really frequent, I'd probably move!

3. From sherle:
Are you more comfortable in big crowds or small groups?
Definitely small groups! Had a great time at Carolyn and Miguel's wedding however. It was a big enough crowd for me... and I enjoyed the small group I was with within the bigger crowd!

4. From zeno:
Do you prefer Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox?
I use them both actually. I think I'm working myself into going with Mozilla because at this point it's safer than the Microsoft product. I already use Mozilla Thunderbird for my mail and am sure I will go 100% Firefox when I'm forced into it by Microsoft.

5. From briar:
They say you learn something new every day. What new thing did you learn today?
Wow! I just woke up an hour ago! I guess already today I've learned that I was right once again. My recent 'injury' was only a pulled muscle! It feels much better today after following the advice of the 'ask a nurse' feature of my health insurance!!!

I'm actually watching the Tiger/Cardinals game on Desperate Housewives night! Not to worry... I'm gonna watch the naughty ladies; but gonna check on the Tigers now and again! Tigers just got their first run while I started this post! Yay!!!!!! Go Tigers!

How many ways can I say Blogger is p***ing me off!?!!!?? I've been trying to replace the photo in my Blogger profile... and keep getting the message that the photo must be 50kb... so I went back and made it smaller in PhotoShop Elements 2... This photo is now downsized to 38.5kb and 500px in size!!!

...and yet Blogger refuses to let me use it on my profile!!! What does blogger do? - convert to a bigger size? Must be a guy thing, eh?

Well I'm not giving up that easy!

Here I was - all set to blog something funny and share a cute little photo of the kitten - and all you got was this goofy picture I took of myself in a funny mirror on Father's Day 2005!

This week's challenge comes from trista. Thank you, Trista! Have fun with this one, and let's make it our goal to MAKE more time for ourselves to have fun! Thanks to all of you for playing! =)1. Name 10 things you would do if you had more time.

1. Blog every day.
2. Visit all of my kids more often.
3. Spend more time with my siblings.
4. Update my salascove.com domain.
5. Play with my oil & watercolor paints.
6. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
7. Get back to scrapbooking - working with the old family photos & my heritage book first.
8. Get out and meet new people.
9. Attend an occasional play or musical performance again.
10. Schedule regular vacations.

Heard it on the tv news... here it is on Yahoo! News. Actually the latest news says it's downgraded to a 6.3. Okay, talk to me!!! Should I be worried? Jan, you've experienced earthquakes... how will this affect a donkey ride in Molokai for instance? Should we do something else instead? For some reason a donkey ride along the side of a cliff does not worry me... but earthquakes do!

Googled this map... Click on it to read it better... or go here to see the original.

Totally in another direction... did I mention? Yesterday Miss Kitty was liberated. Yes, the kitten was 'in isolation' - a tiny entrance area with a glass door where she could see but not spread any disease or earmites or fleas to the rest of the kitty family.

I've been bringing her out and holding her! Well yesterday when I let her walk around on my computer desk she got behind some things... knocked them down... scared the heck out of herself and ran off!!! Then and there I decided to release her from her tiny prison... even though her doc wants her separated from them for another week & a half! So I'm bad, what can I say? Sorry Janet!

Miss Kitty is her name - forget that foofoo stuff Sharba suggested. When I hold her and talk to her, Po'Paree just doesn't do it. Her doctor suggested Miss Kitty and was delighted when I told her my decision. Seems she is a big Gunsmoke fan! Remember Miss Kitty? What could be more country than that, eh?

OH! I just posted a photo to sherle's photos. Check it out.... and don't forget to choose 5 of your favorite photos to share at Favorite 5 Fotos!

They are both painted and carpeted. Yes... that is pink, isn't it? I absolutely love the colors already! So what's the hold up? It's my job to stain the trim so Windy's hubby can install it. It's my job to paint the radiator covers (pink of course) and I can put them back... I'm the one who took them off. Really shouldn't put furniture in the rooms until that finish work is done because the furniture is really really heavy - like solid oak... and the drawers don't come out of the dressers... duh! Who's dumb idea was that anyway?

Activity room (or will it be the living room?) needs trim stained and painted too! Not only that, the carpet guy said he could carpet the hearth but it would not look good and would not last. He recommended I have it tiled - so it's not done. (It was tiled originally and I must agree it would look better than carpet.)

My electric fireplace insert is available at a reasonable price at Home Depot but Windy's hubby told me to wait until he caps off my old fireplace chimneys. Meanwhile I have to keep it covered ( notice the old ceiling panel in the insert spot?) so the cats won't spread soot all over the house... and they would if they could get in there!

Then there's the matter of that tile job... will it be done or will it not? I wish people would be straight up with me. I've spent my whole day waiting for two separate people to show up at my house. Guess what!!! Neither showed. Dave tells me what he will and will not do and then he follows through. So does Matt... matter of fact he will be back next week to finish up.

...and finally, I got volunteers!!! I will have helpers next weekend - after the big wedding wingding - or maybe before - to get furniture moved back into my bedroom. Not saying names but it's my other family from the other side of the state. Thank you girl!!! You are my motivation to get my part of the job done this week.

Wow! That sounded harsh! Didn't mean it to sound that way... and as I look at the big beautiful empty rooms I'm thinking I could use an extra brain too! I'm thinking how nice it would be for the yellow room to be the living room instead of activity room. Seems my current living room is more of a Great Room - sort of surrounding the kitchen and including the dining area.... perhaps better suited for the activity portion of my life???

Well, don't have to decide today, do I? I think I'll sleep on it. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm not! Maybe I should be. Today I had my carpet installed in two rooms. My furniture is in the rest of my house. I guess now all I need is a set of muscles to move it.

Have a nice weekend. ;-)

..and in a safe place. Thank you Sharba & Kevvy for making the big trip over here just to get it out of the water!

OttO had her rummage sale finally this weekend! Was able to get over there Sunday to help out. Not so sure she really needed me but we had a great visit! I think she did pretty well... getting rid of some big items and gaining space in the building where she had it all stored! I even came home with a few books - but she wouldn't let me pay for them... because we pretty much have a book exchange going in our family and this just made it easier for me to choose.

Had my Ranger detailed this weekend too! Otto's stepson did a beautiful job!!! It's something I've wanted done for years and now it's nice & clean - inside and out! It was my Christmas gift from Nat & Emilio & a great one! (My fault it happended so long after Christmas... not theirs! I had to get stuff out of it so he could clean it.)

D day (D for delivery) is approaching for my new carpet. I chose different colors than originally planned... and that's a good thing. I love the colors! They were special order and expected to arrive withing 10 days of ordering - around next Saturday. Guess I can then get another big bed. Do you realize how inconvenient a single bed is for a big adult? It's comfortable but I can't roll over in it without waking myself up!

Okay... here's my Monday Madness:

More great questions from our fellow Monday Madness members! Have fun, and thank you all for playing, and for the questions!! Have a great week! =)

1. From amaranth:
Name three people you would pick (and why) if you could choose who to be stranded on a deserted island with. Wow! Tough one - haven't thought about since much younger years... Tony Bennet for art & music, John Lithgow for humor and Brian Williams from NBC News - for mental stimulation... ;-)

2. From julie:
What is your favorite genre of film and what is your favorite movie from that genre? Old fashioned musical extravaganzas like 'Oklahoma' and 'Sound of Music' are always fun... my all-time favorite is 'Fiddler on the Roof.'

3. From tiffany:
Which country would you like to visit and why? Hmmm. No big desire to go so far because there is so much I have not yet seen in the United States... but I guess Mexico might be fun because we share the continent and I've been to Canada several times.

4. From wil:
What are you driving these days? What's it's (their) good and bad points? Would you buy another one, and why or why not? I drive a 1998 Ford Ranger 4x4 pickup truck with a cap. It is a stick shift and everything else is 'power' so it's economical on gas. I would buy another but my next vehicle will be a small SUV - most likely the Ford Escape and still 4x4. It's a good idea here in Michigan. The only thing I don't like about my Ranger is there is only room for one passenger... unless they are very small adults or children... because the extended cab just has tiny 'jump benches' for sitting. The Chevvy van was Frank's & it's a gas hog. I use it only to take the boat in and out of the water...

5. From cindy swanson:
"Lost," "24," or both? I've not watched '24' but I might begin... I've been hooked on 'Lost' ever since it began!

6. From lady starlight:
You've been very good this year. What should Santa bring you for Christmas? (the sky is the limit) Santa, I sure would like to have a new bank account with a few million dollars in it... collecting interest of course!!!

..I'm guessing this topic grows old if you're not the kitty-'mommy' so I promise to slow it down after today.

Been feeling so guilty keeping her segregated and there's still a whole week to go so I gave her this toy. It's just a weighted base with a fuzzy ball at the end of the wire spring but she entertains herself literally for hours!!!

She started playing before Survivor came on and was still going during Grey's Anatomy! See? I have an exciting life... just try to phone me during one of these shows and you'll know... you'll wonder if I'm home cuz I won't answer the phone.

Right now I'm almost ready to give her a name... been thinking about Sharba's Poe Purree name... not just because she's my daughter (honest!) but because she has a diabolical viewpoint! Decided I could still go country by naming her after a famous person... ya'll know - that Paree` Hilton chicky! Decidin' since my kitty's a po' little stray I might'n jest call her Po'Purree` and it could be referrin' both ta the Paree` Hilton gal an' that thar smelly stuff fancy folk puts in bowls around the house insteada snacks! Then there's the fact she's all mixed up in colors - kinda like that smelly stuff!

AmyLou loves to watch her... she watches right back!

I need another cat around the house like I need a hole in my head. (You don't suppose I have a hole somewhere inside my head???) You knew I was gonna keep her, didn't you? I think she and Amy will get along just fine. Not so sure about some of the others - especially Goober - but we'll see. The tough part is keeping her away from the others for a whole two week period!

My mom & sister stopped by today... and of course they think she's adorable! Each of them has one spoiled rotten cat. See, I can't spoil 'em cuz I have so many... sort of like when the girls were all home. Mom, Gerry & I went out for lunch at a local place. Enjoyed both the food and the company!

Gerry says her youngest son does ceramic tile work!!! Hooooray!!! This has been heavy on my mind - having all those tiles and paraphenalia in the basement... but nobody to install it. She will talk with him about it and I expect to hear from him soon. Another of her sons will check out the work needed at the lake this weekend and hopefully will finish the drywall/insulation job there!

I finalized my order for carpet today... and it should arrive in about ten days. Getting the ceramic tile versus vinyl flooring problem out of my head sure made this job easy!!!

Okay, here's just one more picture of my baby! Still looking for more names... I kinda like SadeyMae! (Thanks Cas!) Sharba, I suppose you've got some high-falutin' musician's name in mind? That might be kinda nice... but probably not very country! Can you believe - I sort of considered Baby Girl, but gee! I call each of the other three that on occasion... so...

..Today I took the kitten to the veterinarian. Amazingly, she showed no worms - really not normal in kittens that get dropped off or abandoned. She is being treated for ear mites and fleas... passed the feline leukemia blood test... and is being given an antiobiotic 'just in case.' She's already an expensive little critter! I took more photos but haven't put them on my computer yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Taking suggestions for her name. Keep in mind I have a little 'country' theme going here. We have Goober, DaisyMae, EllieMae and AmyLou Mae.

Went back to Home Depot to make some changes in my carpet decisions... trying to get down to something more realistic in price. Was there a couple of hours... I'm happier with the colors I chose... and they are all a bit less expensive. Still don't have a 'bottom line' price. Why should this take so long? Unbelievable!

Jan is back from Alaska... but needs some impetus to get her to put photos up!!! Welcome back, Bug!

Monday Madness!!!

1. From amanda f: What do you do when somebody complements you?
a. Smile and say Thanks
b. Ignore it and change the subject
c. Complement them back
d. Turn red in embarrasment at the attention and look around to see other people’s reaction
e. Take it as your due! I smile and say thanks!

2. From shelly: What color are your eyes? brown

3. From kia: What do you like most about yourself? What I like most about me is that I know and enjoy the company of a diversity of people.

4. From julie: How do you spend Christmas? Actually I spend the day rather quietly. I like to have a big after the rush family party the week after Christmas, though.

5. From wide imagination: When do you normally blog? Day or night? Usually I blog in the morning... when my mind is numb.

6. From rach: What song can you relate to your personal life? Share a line or two of that song. ...a really old song - I think the title is 'Side by Side' and the beginning phrase goes... 'Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money. Maybe we're ragged and funny, but we travel along, singing our song, side by side.'

7. From sherle: What is your favorite color for a sleeping environment? I have a lovely deep pink wall in my newly redecorated (almost) bedroom.

This morning I saw a rather scraggly & pitiful cat run across the back yard. I'm thinking it could be the mother of the little squeaker I rescued yesterday. When I rescued EllieMae a few years back, she had come to me for food & drink... then when I brought her & the kittens into the garage, she hid one, the calico who we later named AmyLou Mae. Do you suppose this latest little calico was moved by her mom? hmmmmmmmm! We had loads of bad weather - rain & cold - since yesterday morning. If that poor mother had more kittens, I doubt they are living now. Why are some people so irresponsible? I can hear thunder rumbling even now as the sun is shining!

Friday afternoon I received a phone call from Home Depot, where I purchased a quote for my new flooring. She told me it's ready for me to come in and discuss. When I asked for the current quote, she gave me an exhorbitant price!!! It was more than double what Sharba's actual price was for a similar sized area. I think the choices I made were based on my inexperience along with the inexperienced (new at the job) employee in the store. Hopefully the same employee will be in the store & we will 'learn' together!!! I've learned a lot all ready.

Tomorrow the kitten will go to the County Animal Control in Midland. I choose Midland because there is a new group called SOS. I'm sure they would not take the kitten from me... but they claim to rescue animals from Animal Control that are scheduled for euthanasia. Kittens usually have a pretty good chance, don't they? I cannot keep this little baby - my four cats will not allow it!

Next week my boat comes out of the water... I hope. Took it for a ride only once this summer... well, I was pretty busy. Part of summer was broken foot recovery time... and part was filled with getting the old remodel project finished. I'm almost there by the way... and tired of sleeping in a single bed off from the kitchen!!! I will get that carpeting in soon... for sure in the bedroom.