what else do you do when you can't sleep ...

but post pictures of ducks and feet??? seems reasonable to me...

It's been a while since the ducks have made an appearance here, so I finally let this one come out to visit....the 29,000 Floating Duck Journal project is still underway and I believe they're in Texas at this point...go visit and say hello to the ducks

This was an abandoned Illustration Friday drawing...actually a pretty good likeness....does this qualify as blogging naked?

Sunshine and Flowers

that's what my life has been about this week...puppies and kittens...balloons and ice cream....sweetness and joy....pureness and light...chicken and waffless...fish and grits...okay maybe not those last two, I just like the way they sound

a four day weekend could not come at a better time!

what's this doing in my house monday??????

WHAT IS THIS DOING IN MY HOUSE MONDAY??????

This is almost as bad as the rollers in my mind....a couple of the nieces have had obsessions with Barbie over the years and I believe that they have all out grown them at this point....I don't remember where this came from or which niece it was for specifically, but I'm sure I was against purchasing it when we did....because not only is it Barbie, but it makes noises....I like kid toys that make noises in other people's houses, not ours....

now that I've admitted I have a Barbie book, by all means post something that's in your house and you just can't figure out why, let me know you and I'll stop by to take a look...please help me through the embarrassment :)

Auction observation

I worked an estate auction yesterday....the first in a while... it was the contents of a woman's home whose family the city I live in was named after...(got that?)

she died a while back, I think the house had been unoccupied for at least six years....family issues over the estate or something....

it always makes me wonder - especially after seeing that the US is months away from the 300 million population mark - how much stuff is really out there....

I've been around businesses that sell stuff on the secondary market in one way or another for over 20 years...and it really is just amazing what people hang on to and why...what's more interesting and often a little sad - is how little value things have to people other than the person that has kept them...

Stuff Portrait Friday - the game nobody plays ;)

and the wedding countdown continues for Kristine and Shaun....go check out her space bags...do they make those things body sized????

Your Drinking Glasses: these are our favorites....we picked them up at a thrift store a long time ago...however, we don't really use them that much b/c we hate washing dishes.....so (and I don't mind admitting it) we use alot of throw away cups for everyday....maybe one day we'll realize our dream of living in a house with a dishwasher and can return to the grown up practice of using real glasses



My Address Book: I think I've mentioned this before...maybe not here...but our address book(s) have been a source of disagreement between J and I for almost 16 years...my method of recording addresses is typically by first name - when I actually put them in the address book - more often than not I just stick the scrap of paper or envelope with the info on it into the address book...or in the vicinity of the address book...this doesn't amuse J



Something New: Lucy the mondo dachshund's anti-seizure meds...35 mg of phenobarbital 2x day...see posts from earlier in the week for details...we always seem to have an animal with some chronic health issue that involves ongoing treatment...we're just lucky ;)


alright who played? and I'm still more than willing to discuss Bosom's and the Bosom Hall of Fame...

the things we do for love...

J really enjoys watching Texas hold 'em poker tournaments on tv...I could care less...so when she said that a celebrity match was on last night, I was like - yeah, whatever....but then she said..."and Jennifer Tilly is playing"

well that's an entirely different situation now, isn't it?

and as they're introducing the players...out she comes in this orange, 40's style, diva dress with her boobs breasts, I mean, just hanging out...in fact, I'd have to say her breasts were quite tastefully displayed (picture above is not from last night because I couldn't find any of those, but this gives you the idea)

and it occurred to me that Jennifer Tilly's breasts should indeed be added to the "Bosoms Hall of Fame".....my grandmother referred to breasts only as bosoms because saying breast was indecent....as I've grown older and wiser, I've realized that not all women can achieve a bosom as it has as much to do with attitude as it does presentation....truthfully I'm not sure a lot of folks even appreciate the sometimes subtle differences in boobs, breasts, and bosoms...

(short definitions, without shades of gray referring to trashier, more guttural descriptions)

boobs = anyone can have, nothing wrong with them, can be great and often are
breasts = more functional, what you tell your kids to call them
bosom = typically only gained after 40, lots of cleavage in a tasteful way, not shown to entice but rather to control and never is the nipple part of the equation

now to save this post from being mistaken for a drooly, letcherous, dirty old-woman sort of thing - let me say I think there is great precedent for bosom respect in this country....and to the women that can carry it off I think you should be recognized for the geniuses that you are....any other suggestions for the "Bosoms Hall of Fame"?

Scout on her big adventure

hopefully today will be our last trip to the vet for a while...Scout needed her yearly shots so I took her this morning and Lucy is back to herself and starting the daily phenobarbital to regulate the seizures....

FYI - Scout likes to ride in the car, it's the getting out that seems to give her problems....

as for our vet being incredible for taking Lucy home to watch her Monday night...yes she is...not only that but they didn't really charge us for it either...amazing, we love them

and also I promise no more pet blogging this week....I know it's been enough/too much when I start thinking I should submit things to cute overload...

lucy's home :)

and everybody can rest easier...thanks for all the good thoughts!

dog drama

it wasn't enough that I woke up in a bad mood, or that it was Monday, but then I talk to J around 4 (after she's gotten home from work) and Lucy the mondo dachshund was having seizures....now she's had the occasional seizure from time to time over the years, nothing our vets have felt was serious enough or frequent enough to medicate....

yesterday she had a cluster seizure...where over the course of a few hours, she would have a moderate to mild one, come out of it for a while then have another over and over....we got her to the vet a little after 5, they gave her valium and the vet took her home with her to watch her for the night....no phone calls in the middle of the night so I'm taking that as a good sign....hopefully J will be able to pick her up after she gets off work and we'll be able to get her on meds for maintenance..

because her little sister, Scout is lonely and missing her buddy...



edited at 9-ish to say....the vet said she responded well to the Valium, had a good night and is very alert this morning...J will get her this afternoon...:)

life in a time warp

redneck neighbor story....

leaving for work yesterday around 8:00 a.m., I was suprised to see daddy RN sitting in his swing, smoking a cigarette...."hey neighbor" I say, noticing he had a coffee cup and a beer sitting on the ledge next to him...we chat, he's taking the day off, I notice he has various lawn equipment out, I say goodbye and go to get the bag of trash I was going to take out and he says, "oh I got that for you already"...not only that he put it with his trash....this from a man who frequently takes his trash to other houses....I get home yesterday afternoon and the yard is trimmed and more strange he has the sprinkler on...in 2 years I've never even seen him use a hose.....and we did get 8" of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday...but at least he's trying....

best thing overheard at the $11.00 haircut place this morning...

"just trim the mullet and make it a lot shorter on top" said by the mother of a 3 year old boy about how she wanted his hair styled...also said by the same woman in reference to her husband, "no daddy's not getting his hair cut, he wants a full ponytail"....

going on down the street today...

“A Revolutionary Event”

Join the

Cayce Historical Museum

In celebration of the 225th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Granby

Saturday, June 24th

10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

1800 12th Street, Cayce, South Carolina

Meet General George Washington and Lord Charles Cornwallis

A rare opportunity to see these two renowned actors together for the first time

Presenting…

Howard Burnham as Lord Cornwallis

James Manship, Sr. as George Washington

AND…

Charles B. Baxley and David Reuwer

Editors of “Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution”

will provide riveting presentations on the Revolutionary War

Other events include

Revolutionary War relics on display

Period Music

18th Century Children’s crafts and games

On-going tours of the Cayce Historical Museum

This event is free to the public! Food and refreshments will be available

on the Museum grounds for a small donation.

don't everyone move to SC at once....

Stuff Portrait Friday

time again for Stuff Portrait Friday from Random and Odd ....it's been a long, strange week and I couldn't go on any early morning picture taking adventures so these are all fresh off the camera....

1. Your Puzzle - it's quite puzzling to J, how all these random, half empty water bottles keep winding up back in the fridge....aliens? thirsty cats? who knows?...;)



2. Your Best - these are my best colored pencils, even though I haven't used them all that much lately they have the deepest color of any set I have....



3. Something “Old” - and something I can recite almost word for word....it's a Thanksgiving ritual every year...J has been trying to download stuff off of her albums so we can get rid of them and this one just happened to be on top of the stack....Arlo is kinda old these days too....anybody want to sing a few choruses with me?????



well, there we have it....who played? and who was born after albums stopped being produced? no, nevermind....I don't want to know that....

Illustration Friday - Jungle

very late Illustration Friday....this has been one hell of a suckity week...I really couldn't get into a jungle frame of mind until a few days ago and this is what happened...it's taken forever to finish but one good thing I'm figuring out about digital color is that I can change the original over and over...like an erasable coloring book...this just makes me want to paint freak show and carnival posters even more...

here's the link to the big size, I think it looks better bigger

what's this doing in my house monday??????

WHAT IS THIS DOING IN MY HOUSE MONDAY????????

I'm runing late this morning....I hate Mondays and we didn't attack any boxes (or monsters this weekend)....but...I got this....my runt bike....I picked this up a few years ago and while I can ride it (yeah, I really can) it's not like it's practical...J wants me to give it to one of the nieces or nephews or skateboarding teenagers but I just can't do that....where else would I find one? and I may just need an 18" bike one day....right....I know, I need help...help me by showing me what you've got in your house that just defies all reason...tell me you've posted and I'll stop by to check it out....



none of this would be an issue if we could live in the great house my friend Lou photoshopped for us...then we could have more boxes and stuff we don't need...

look, it's the perfect size and has Palmetto trees already planted....who wants to help us move? Thanks again Lou!!

pointless hot Saturday afternoon post

here's another little peek into what makes me love the South...there is not a road side produce stand worth a good god damn anywhere in this area during the summer that doesn't boil its own p-nuts...slow cooked in a big pot over a burner for hours and hours...there is a secret to getting the brine just right that only gets passed down in certain families - like barbeque recipes....and really, some secrets are okay....as long as it leads to the perfect boiled p-nut I'm alright with it...

when I was a kid, we enjoyed p-nuts of all shapes and sizes....they were versatile...you could put the dry roasted ones in a coke, we'd get the shelled ones at the circus, there were the fancy kinda greasy ones with their husks on at special events, but nothing was as big a treat to me as going to the State House on a Sunday afternoon and getting a bag of boiled Cromers P-Nuts from the wandering p-nut man...

see...it was a big day out to go feed the pigeons and squirrels that lived in the trees and on the grounds around the State House...we'd buy a bag of roasted p-nuts for them and a bag of boiled for us...when the bags were gone, we'd wander around look at the statues and try to find all the stars marking the places where Sherman's cannons fired on the capitol from across the river and chipped pieces of the granite off...

anyway...when I was a teenager, there was a guy who always boiled p-nuts when he'd have a keg party, and truly that is the most perfect combination in the world...beer and boiled p-nuts...I cannot resist those places on the side of the road that have those spray painted signs on used plywood sheets advertising their boiled p-nuts $1.00 a scoop...

I know a lot of people are grossed out by them...J with her Holy City of the (New) South roots...will not touch them...she says it's a texture thing....but, really that's just as well cause I can eat a whole bag by myself....

Stuff Portrait Friday - aperture

It's finally Friday and this has been a really long, tedious week.....only a few days until the full moon, think that's got something to do with it?

Anyway, Kristine (who gets married in 29 days) gave us a potentially pornographic definition of the word aperture and then forbid any questionable shots....like we couldn't be trusted...so in the spirit of following directions (unlike last week when I showed my inability to read) and used "shiny" instead of "sparkley" I'm cutting and pasting the topics so I don't screw up again...

on to the pictures...

1. A wide open space - this is the lot I took a picture of being cleared about a month ago...looks like grading is in progress now....I have no idea what's going to be built here but it is a big wide open space full of red clay...don't be jeaulous of our soil...



2. Brightness - An old A.M.E. church that has long been empty downtown is the site for an art installation from a bunch of students from Universities in Columbia....there are big, bright, colorful panels where the stained glass windows should be...really beautiful (lots more pictures of the windows on my flickr if you're interested)



3. In the dark - SC's State Mental Hospital was founded in 1822...this is building where patients used to be kept...while it was only the 2nd facility in the country at the time specifically designed for people with mental illness, it actually offered little in the way of treatment...the surrounding grounds were later used as prison camp for Union soldiers....many of the buildings on the campus are abandoned now and the site has been designated as a future intown residential community....I wouldn't want to live seems like a dark place to me...and the light in the portal kinda creeps me out...



Now.....who played??

trust me on this

this is what lives in boxes that remain unpacked and unopened for years....do yourself a favor and nip any potential box monster attacks in the bud...once they're loose, they're hell to regain control over...

vacation lantern

this was the lantern on the porch at the cabin where we stayed in May....I want/need another vacation...except this time - sitting on a beach, listening to Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley while drinking pina coladas...oh and with a cabana boy named Cody...that would be excellent....

25 years

thanks to more media coverage than ever existed when AIDS was recognized by the CDC - I've learned over the past few days that this is the 25th Anniversary of AIDS...how can that be?

I came out during the mid 80's...I came out surrounded by a group of gay hairdressers that adopted me as one of their own....I started going to the bars before I came out so I grew up with a bunch of older, queeny dudes in a lot of ways....and then in the midst of the partying we started seeing little blips in the gay magazines brought in from Atlanta and Charlotte that something was making gay men sick...pneumonia, weird skin lesions, death....nobody took it seriously, we still didn't exist, what could possibly be targeting gay guys....but then in Columbia SC, those older, queeny dudes started disappearing - and not coming back....it was here and it was real...

Big Daddy Reagan turned a blind eye for a long time and then only begrudgingly gave a nod to what was going on...oh, we protested, we screamed, we yelled, we made visible political statements to shock people into paying attention...but still 25 million people are dead and looking into the future the projected death rates make me want to puke....

sure there's great progress in prevention and disease management, but how did this happen?....we're more concerned about a mystery pandemic that may or may not ever happen than a disease that is still killing a staggering number of people every second of every day....

I'm part of the first generation who had to deal with AIDS as part of our sexuality...my nieces and nephews have never lived in a time where that disease didn't exist...I've lost friends and family - some whose names I can't even remember now....cried at the quilt, cried at bedsides, just cried because it sucks so bad to see people fade away....but it's still here...still scarey, still daunting to have an HIV test no matter what your sexual history...

I don't have any answers....I don't even know if I'm still angry...but I do know remembering the 25th anniversary of AIDS is something that never would have occurred to me...

what is this doing in my house monday?

WHAT IS THIS DOING IN MY HOUSE MONDAY?????

First let me say, I am not normally proud of my trash, but after the number of boxes that were addressed this weekend I don't mind showing this mountain as evidence that much was accomplished....there's actually some more in the backyard that I'll bring to the street when I get home this afternoon....

there were things that got trashed (see above), things that will go to the auction, things that got kept, and even things to burn....we still have some more boxes to sort, but they're all in one place now and that place is neat and organized....

anyway....

I found one of the most absurd things I've ever owned and while it is in a "get rid" of box I did take a picture for this week....



yes those are electric curlers and again - yes they're mine.....

absurb because it's just so not me, absurb to have them now because my hair isn't even long enough to go around the smallest one.....just crazy

so who else is gonna share something that just doesn't seem to make sense, but is in your house anyway??? let me know...I need support after all the cleaning out this weekend!

edited to add...I've needed curlers over the years...cause hair like this doesn't just happen and frankly 1985 was hard on everybody

sometimes

it's hard to remember who I am and who I've been...we've gone through at least 20 boxes today...setting things free, throwing things away, deciding what's important...easier said than done...

Friday at last....even though it was a 4 day week, it felt much longer...

Most importantly here's to a better June for Kristine!!

Shiny...this building is so shiny, you can see a reflection of the sky...cleaning it must suck...one of my favorite little Main St. spots is in a courtyard right next to here...great place to sit and take a dip in the pondering pool...

Colorful...portulaca in the flower bed...sorry if you've seen this on Flickr this week, but I do so love the colors in these little guys...they are like paper but so tolerant of heat and drought...little and strong....good combination

Dull...SC politics...the local elections ended recently and now the County and State ones are in full campaign swing....like there are going to be any suprises here...stages of conservatism that's what we got...

Did you play, don't you want to?...peer pressure anyone?