Chore Boy

My dad is finally able to get out and enjoy the good weather. His cataract surgery left his eye inflamed for a couple of weeks but finally it is better and he can get out and do a little work. He told me tonight he forgets how old he is (93) when he is out raking. He raked for about 3 hours on Saturday - finished around dark. Tonight he raked for a couple more hours.

I told him though that he is "on vacation" while living here, for the first time in his life. He can sleep as late as he wants and only has to work if he wants to. He has peeled lots of veggies for me which is a great help when I'm cooking. The pic I took tonight of him and Coco enjoying the warm breeze on the front porch really looks like he is on vacation. He's happy here and we are happy to have him with us.

Left: Jenna

Left: Bailey's Eye (I think)

Above: Coco

My 7 year old grand daugther Jenna has been busy taking pictures with her Mom's cell phone camera. She has come up with some really interesting shots and I thought I'd share them. I'm thinking that she needs a digital camera so we can further this interest of hers. In my (unbiased) opinion, she has quite the eye for photography.

My "blob," I undeleted it but have completely neglected it....oh well. Too much happening these days for blogging. It will ebb and flow I supposed.

I'll post the Friday joke here...something at least and a photo to enjoy. Let's see what I come up with. The pics are from a Jenna visit recently - she came and spent an afternoon with us - she brought her laptop and played with that a bit but spent most of her time playing hide and seek with Coco. Coco always managed to find her.

It is Friday! I'm hoping you have a safe and restful weekend. Enjoy these beautiful spring days! Enjoy every minute!

Here's my warm-up act!

What Do You Call Four Bullfighters In Quicksand?

Quatro Cinco.

What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?

Spoiled Milk.

What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?

Frostbite.

What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?

A Nervous Wreck.

Tax day -- April 15 - An elderly woman showed up at my desk at the IRS. She said she required a thick stack of tax forms. "Why so many?" I asked."My son is stationed overseas," she said. "He asked me to pick up forms for the soldiers on the base.""You shouldn't have to do this," I told her. "It's the base commander's job to make sure that his troops have access to the forms they need.""I know," said the woman. "I'm the base commander's mother."

***********

Recently, a man walked into my barbershop asking how much for a haircut. "Eight dollars," I answered. "And for a shave?" "Five dollars.""All right," he said, settling into the barber chair. "Shave my head."

Last night as I was heading to bed I saw the big white full moon outside our bathroom window to the east. I decided it would be a good night to sleep with the blinds open to let some moonglow shine on me.

When the alarm went off at 6 am - I groaned but rolled over and look out the window (to the west now) and there was the beautiful full moon. I read that the April moon is the "Pink Moon" because of the wild phlox that bloom early (not around here - I won't see my phlox till July). But it was a beautiful moon and I was reminded I need to study my camera manual to see if I can get better moon shots. Makes me a little sorry I sold my 35mm when I see these sights.

This picture does not do it justice but gives you an idea - think of the moon much bigger and closer as you look at the picture. Hope you got to see it...if not I'm happy to share my view.

OK, so I just couldn't resist the "undelete this blog" button. Now, it's back. I'm not broadcasting it (well I guess I did mention it to Theresa) and it will be interesting to see if anyone takes note of it. It's my "blob" and I can do whatever I want, I guess.

Today I offer link to a neat article I read in last month's Vanity Fair about a "grafter" who sold potato peelers on the streets of Manhattan. He passed away earlier this year. http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2009/04/postscript200904

I went to their website as they mentioned an earlier article about him as well. It's a fascinating story and can teach us all to "never underestimate a small amount of money."

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2006/05/grafter200605

Hope the links work for you and you can find time to check them out.

Yesterday my B/P was 179/93 at my dr appt after a stressful morning (I even rushed around shopping before the dr appt). Today after a walk on the mt with Coco (we saw two deer) B/P was 117/78 - Coco is my chosen blood pressure medication.

I need to know if anyone is reading this these days. I know I have not posted much due to lots of reasons (excuses) but some tell me they are having problems getting into the blog etc etc. So if you read this please leave a comment or email me at jandw2@frontiernet.net
I'd like to know if we have a problem or not.

It really feels like spring in the Adirondacks. Coco and I are getting out every morning, especially since I have lots of birthday cake and pie to work off. I'm getting back into our walking routine and it feels good. Things are not as slippery so less chance of falling which is a great thing.

These shots I took on the mountain behind the house. We saw two deer the other day on our trail. The pictures on the left are our "rest areas." I have a tree stump I relax on while we listen to the birds and watch for deer. That is the top of our property near a little "roundabout." The bottom left photo is our rest area on what David named Ridgewood - he made a nice log bench for us to relax on. Behind the bench is a stand of cedar where the deer often hang out. We usually leave some coins for the grandkids to find on the bench - they enjoy that. The photo on the right is one of my favorite spots on our trail. In the summer it is very shaded and cool - well this time of year too I guess, that's the only place you see ice now. But the cliffs there are really nice and lots of moss and little animal caves and I always imagine there are trolls living there too. Haven't seen one yet but they know enough to hide from me and Coco.

We are blessed to have our own hiking trail. David has done a great job blazing the trails and we are happy to share them with the deer and other critters. We've talked of putting a lean-to up there. We'll see if we get to that.

As I mentioned last week - not much time for blogging. Having two volunteer pursuits is a real challenge - then there's everything else. But so far so good. I finished the press release for the IWMF Educational Forum in Memphis at 12:30 am last night and sent it on for editing. I don't remember (brain damage ya know) if I mentioned on this blog that I have signed up as a volunteer with IWMF so if you want to check them out - here's a link. http://www.iwmf.com/
A very dear friend is being treated for this rare disease and I want to help find a cure.

Other news... SNOW!!! Just when I was getting ready to garden we awoke to 10 inches of snow this morning in our part of the Adirondacks. It seems a bit much for sugar snow but hey, Coco loved it!














APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!