Seals, Sharks and a Bear

There's a bear under there.

Under where?

Haha, made you say underwear!

Have you heard the news? Yes, there is a bear on Cape Cod. Now, that is no easy feat since Cape Cod is essentially an island. Many moons ago, someone smartened up and decided that it was way too far to sail their boat around Cape Cod and that there should be a canal of sorts to cut off some traveling time. A canal was built and then 3 bridges; one for trains and the other 2 for cars. 

Thank you Wikipedia for the photo

These bridges can cause many a traffic problem and often leave people in longs lines trying to get "onto" the Cape on a Friday evening and "off of" the Cape on a Sunday afternoon. I feel lucky to live here just so I don't have to sit in that traffic. 

Anyhoo, there is much debate on how a BEAR got onto Cape Cod since we just don't have any bears. We have raccoons, deer, coyotes, lots and lots of bunnies, seals and even possums, but no bears. Some say the bear swam across the canal. The canal is 540 feet long. Some say he walked across one of the bridges. Some are guessing that he hopped a trash train to the Cape. This is big news down here. Everybody is talking about it and it only became news yesterday. 

I left a bag of trash out on my patio all day hoping to catch a glimpse of the big furry thing, but no luck. And before all you bear loving radicals come after me for teasing a bear, I happen to know as of this morning it was about 25-30 miles away from my house. I didn't think it was going to high tail it to my door. I was just hoping to shoot it. WITH MY CAMERA SILLY! Wouldn't that have been cool if I had a picture of a real live bear hanging out in my yard. Well, maybe a little frightening, but I don't foresee myself trekking through miles and miles of forest  to see one.*

The Cape Cod Beer company has already made a shirt just for this news. You can pre-order them here.

Evidently a "growler" is what they call the biggest jug of beer that they sell. Fantastic, right? They are capitalizing on the bear faster than Chatham capitalized on the sharks. 

Hmmm, how much do you want to bet our bear friend is going to hop a ferry and head to Nantucket next?

No bears were harmed in the writing of this post.

*Camping? So not my thing!! Unless we are talking about a 5 star hotel.

Frag'n Friday

Fridays before 3 day weekends are perfect for fragments! I mean who can think full thoughts with a 3 day weekend coming up?!

*If you read yesterday (and you should), I do not have any results other than that my x-ray was normal.

*K was in a horse show last weekend and did extremely well!

*It's not every day you can do a handstand in front of a windmill.

*Photos for 2 weddings this weekend!

*The tourists have arrived! I almost hit a handful of them downtown this afternoon. I guess tourists have an aversion to walkways when crossing the street.

*P only has one month left with us :(  Poor thing, her friends in Chile keep sending her photos of the snow on the ground there. (She lives in the south of Chile where they are entering their winter.)

*My brother is going to be a dad in less than a month. This thought just keeps me giggling.

*Thanks to all the men and women who served and do serve to protect our country.

*Have a fantastic weekend!

Life as an 85 Year Old

The past 2 days, I have had a sneak peak on what it will be like to be 85 years old.

I am a little scared. (If you are at all queasy or don't want me to share too much, please stop here and come back tomorrow.)

I had been putting off going to the Drs for a few things because I like to believe in the power of, "Things will fix themselves if you wait long enough". Well, sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. I also like to get my $25 worth.

Dr: What's going on?
Me: A few things, first I need to refill a prescription.
Dr.: No problem.
Me: Then there is this little problem with my hip.
Dr: What's going on with your hip?
Me: I don't know. Perhaps an "itis" arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis.... It hurts.
Dr. Okayyyyyyyy. What else?
Me: Well, I also have this problem in my throat, acid refluxy thing...

He goes on and checks me out and asks if my ears feel full. Yes, actually, they did feel pluggy (made that one up, Dr. was impressed). He tells me to keep an eye on that because it may turn into an ear infection. Of course, he asks how long these things have been going on and I said, "months". No need to rush into anything. So he gives me a lab sheet with about 12 things circled on it, 4 prescriptions and an x-ray slip.

Today I get up chanting, "Do not eat anything, do not eat anything". For some people, I realize it is not a big deal not to eat first thing, but I have usually eaten a handful of m&ms by 7am. Drop the girls off at school and start my foray into all things medical.

First the lab. Get at least 6 vials of blood drawn (no problem), pee in a cup and then am handed a brown paper bag. Thinking I won the prize of the day at the lab, the nurse assured me that no, it was what I needed for a stool sample. Icky.

Then I go to the x-ray place. I am told to sit, they are taking people with appointments first and they will buzz me when I can come to the desk. I thought they only used those buzzer things in restaurants! After a 1/2 hour of reading my book, I went back to the desk to see if my buzzer was broken. That wasn't broken, the printer was. They told me to come back later. Thankfully I didn't have a bone sticking out somewhere.

Came home to work on part 2 for the lab.

Hoping the printer was fixed at the x-ray place, I stopped back in at the lab where the lady turned her nose up at my sample in a clear bag. Whoops, forgot the brown paper bag.

The x-ray place was up and running and I went in with only a minimal wait. The lovely technician took 2 xrays all the while probably wondering why I wasn't limping. After looking at the x-rays briefly, she asked me if I had had a traumatic blow to my hip. Hmmm, no, I think I would have remembered that.

Then I went to the grocery store, because it does not matter that my hip hurt or my ear was pluggy or my foot hurt (right, didn't want to overload the Dr so forgot to mention that one....) people still needed to eat. Picked up my prescriptions then dodged every senior citizen on Cape Cod that had decided to shop in the middle of a beautiful day.

Believe me when I say, I was about the youngest person at all the places I stopped today. However, my youth was being challenged by every needle and x-ray. Now I will just sit in my rocking chair with a crotcheted afghan covering my knees and my tea and wait for a phone call.

Facebook- Like

Are you surprised that Facebook stock went down yesterday?

Do you care?

Did you buy any?

I did not buy any, but maybe if it keeps going down and gets to my price range ($1-$5), I might buy some.

I love Facebook. I mean I love the idea of it. I love looking at people's pictures and seeing what they are up to. Where else can you see what your friend from elementary school is doing? People might ask, "Why do you care what she is doing?". That is a valid point, but I have always loved a good story. OK, and I am nosy. Curious might be a better word.

Already today, I got to look at pictures from Paris, pictures from China and a cool video from Naperville North High School. I learned that chocolate martinis are not good to down like candy on a first date, that Caroline is enjoying retirement, that a friend has a sick puppy and 4 of my friends put up new blog posts. I can connect to stores, companies, blogs and private groups. Plus, I am playing 5 games of Words with Friends all at the same time!

What surprises me is all the people that are NOT on Facebook. I think that Facebook is such a common social media site that everyone should be on it. Why not? Why not find out about what that guy from HS who you had a crush on is doing now? Why not share what you are doing? Maybe people are curious (yes, like me)? It annoys me to no end when I want to see what a ghost from my past is doing and they are not on Facebook. Or how about the single guy that I see every night in the gym? He is not on Facebook, nor his teenage daughters, nor his ex-wife. Ok, maybe that is a little stalkerish, but I want background! In a world of information, I want all the information I can get.

One of my best friends is not on Facebook. I am not sure why. She would be fun on it. I think that she has poopooed (what? yes, that is a word) it for so long that if she had an account it would go against her principle of making a point. Sure there are the people that abuse Facebook. Seriously, the world does not need to know the details of a hot night out with your husband, or listing what you did each day like it is a diary or trashing/bullying people. I worry about my daughters on it sometimes because kids can be mean. It's hard to read into words on a page without facial cues or speech inflection.

However, the pluses for me, outweigh the negatives at the moment. That does not mean I might change my mind some day, but that's a woman's prerogative, right?

If you are on Facebook and want to follow my blog, you may do so here.

Sundays in my City

Chatham celebrated Spring Fling this weekend with the Blessing of the Fleet, a "tour de Chatham", lots of activities downtown and tours of the lighthouse. I had never been up in the lighthouse before, so I dragged P and my nephew J with me. (K was working, B was at MIT making robots). The view was fantastic and I really wish I had more room to move around up there. As a bit of advice, do not wear a skirt when you are climbing up a lighthouse ladder. I am sure I gave the retired Coast Guard man a peek along with a few other tourists. (You are welcome or I'm sorry).

This is Lighthouse Beach.

This is a picture of the actual light in the lighthouse.

P is now very used to me saying 'stand over there and smile'.

This is another lighthouse in Chatham (Stage Harbor Lighthouse) and you could see it from our bird's eye view.

P's down there at the bottom. Should have brought the other lens so I didn't have to stand across the yard just to get this picture.

I know that they have tours often in the summer, so if you are down, head on in! Remember, just don't wear a skirt.

A Twist On 25 Things

My sister has started a blog, yes you can go see it here, and she's ready to go public. Going public in the sense that she's ready for more than 5 people to read it. Go ahead, go check it out..., I'll wait......

Back now? Great. Well, she tagged me to write 25 things about myself in a post. For my 100th post, I wrote 100 things about me over 4 days, here, here, here and here. So I thought I would spice things up a bit and write 25 things you need to know about me if you want to date me.

1. I am very allergic to furry animals.
2. So, that means that the only pet I could have is a fish or maybe a crocodile.
3. I am funny. At least I think I am.
4. I am independent.
5. I love my girls and my family more than anything.
6. Mutual respect is key to a relationship.
7. I love taking pictures.
8. So my Nikon is like my 3rd kid.
9. I like white wine.
10. But on a hot summer's day, I like cold beer.
11. Music is more important to me than TV.
12. I know how to use a hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, etc.
13. I like to write. (There's a surprise, right?)
14. I love being outdoors.
14a. Ticks scare me.
15. Showing affection is a good thing.
16. Too much PDA is not a good thing.
17. I am generous (to a fault sometimes).
18. I love the entire state of Maine.
19. Disney World is my favorite place to vacation.
20. I love exploring new places.
21. I am a planner.
22. Love the beach, love the ocean.
23. I don't smoke. Have never, will never.
24. I am a good cook and an even better baker.
25. I can be very sarcastic.

Maybe I will print this out and start passing it around at the grocery store?

Love Flowers? Love The Farm!

In my new quest to achieve blooming flowers all summer long, I have become a big fan of The Farm in Orleans. My sister and my mom have been big fans about this "farm" for a long time. They never would invite me to go with them because they knew the thought of planting something made me break out in hives. My sister asked my mom to go there on my mom's birthday a few weeks ago and I asked if I could tag along. After they got up off the floor, they agreed.

They have all sorts of trees, bushes, flowers and even FAIRY GARDENS there.

What fairies wouldn't love to rest their little wings on these chairs?

 See what I mean? LOOK at all these flowers! And that's only one greenhouse (they have a bunch!).

 So many different types of flowers.... I could have taken pictures all day.

Taking pictures of flowers has always been "my thing", way more than planting and growing flowers. This year, I am trying both. That's right, when my plantings start to bloom, watch out, there will be an explosion of flowers on this page! If you want your own flowers, then go check out The Farm, they are very helpful to newbies like me!

I wrote this on my own free will because I love my new found hobby and how it adds to my photo hobby. And one of the owners' name is Sassy.  Fantastic, right? The only thing that would make the place better was if they had money trees for sale. 

Cute Baby Phat

My niece, R, is the cutest baby around. I can say that because I am her aunt. And you can believe me because I have never led you wrong!

When I was asked if I would review an animal print ruffle tank from Baby Phat in a 3T, I couldn't say yes fast enough!

Cute top + cute baby = AMAZING ADORABLE BABY PICS!!!

This top is light and soft polyester, a little shorter in the front than the back and has a fantastic animal print. Baby R is a solely cotton girl so when we first put the shirt on her, she reacted in not the most favorable way. (Think crying baby in cute top not equaling adorable baby pics). So my sister put a tank underneath it, which made her happy and quite honestly still makes a cute outfit.

Baby Phat makes all sizes of cute clothes and even shoes! Go check them out! You can also see a cute hoodie that I reviewed for them here.

As always, these opinions are mine! I recieved this top for compensation.

Junk for Sale

Every house has a junk drawer or closet.

I liked to say that I did not have a junk drawer. I liked to believe that everything had a place in my home, but I was wrong. (Yes, even the mighty are wrong once and awhile.)

Yesterday, I tackled that drawer, aka "crowded drawer", but really was junk drawer. Once I got it open, I emptied it on the kitchen table.

Let's play ispy. I spy some candles, some purel, a stamp, an oven thermometer, markers and a tape measure.

I also found this.....

 I have no idea what that is. Do you?

Also, my girls have adopted my cheap sunglasses addiction. 5 pairs in that drawer alone. Ooops.

Now I have a drawer that is organized and half full.

Yeah, give it a week.....

Kentucky Derby: It's Not Just About the Horses

When thinking of the Kentucky Derby, one might think of horses first.

In our house, we think: HATS.

Not necessarily beautiful expensive hats like these...

We like to make our own and add our own flair.

First you need to hit up your local craft store, um, maybe a few times, and lay everything out on the table.

It's helpful to call all your friends before you start decorating.

Let's just say things can get crazy and some people get competitive. B and I were going for height. (and color...)

My sister went for the garden effect... Baby R thought we were all nuts, nothing new there.

It is important to give your sister an A+ for effort for attempting to make mint juleps. (They were yucky, all that good whiskey down the drain.) And a pat on the back to mom who made tacos to go with the Cinco de Mayo sub-theme. And a thumbs up to the extra guests who were part of the family by the time the sole man at the party (poor dad) took this keeper on the deck!

And wasn't it just perfect that the horse who won the race was named "I'll have another....".
Ole!

Happy Birthday to K!

K's 15th Birthday was yesterday.

All weekend we were crazy busy with activities surrounding her birthday including Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby and B's swim banquet..... On the girl's birthdays I usually write a post about them. Last night at 9:30 having just gotten home from the swim banquet, K says, "Hey, you didn't write my birthday post". It's funny when something is important to them and you truly have no idea.

So K, here you go....

Dear K,
You are growing up to be a beautiful young lady. You are gorgeous, unique and smart. (For once, just read these things and believe them ok?) I know how hard it is to be a teenager because I once was one in the non-techie dark ages. You want to like yourself, but it seems cooler and more natural not to like yourself. You will come out of the teen years liking, if not loving, yourself. Promise.

I imagine that it must be hard having so much technology at your fingertips. It makes you need to know everything immediately which is good, but sometimes it is good to wait. Don't ever forget that it is nice to actually smell flowers or cake baking. (Something you cannot do on your iphone.) Also, feeling the sun shining down on your head or running through rain drops is nice, too. Actually speaking with people face to face is more effective than texting.

I am not here to lecture you on your birthday, just giving you some gentle reminders that real life happens while you are on your iphone and I don't want you to miss it.

The passion that you show while you sing makes me cry. I know that is embarrassing to you, but you will understand when your own child is standing on a stage belting out a song or scoring a goal playing a big game. And, yes, I am a little jealous because I would love to stand on a stage and sing like that and I think we all know that I cannot. (Talk about embarrassing!)

So, my little fiery red head, I am blessed to be your mom. Yes, we disagree about some things, but try to keep in the back of your mind that I have reasons for my decisions. Sometimes they will not make sense to you now, but later (hopefully) you will appreciate them.

I could go on and on, but I am crying already and I don't want to pick you up with puffy swollen eyes. (More embarrassment.) I love your Wish, Hope, Dream motto.

Love you gabillions <3

Who Knew My Daughter Could Take Pics?

I am up early on a Saturday, nothing new there.

It is K's birthday Eve and we are having a Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby/Birthday party tonight. I was looking for a pic to put on K's FB wall and found this one

We were at Disney and she took a fancy to Mickey's? car. Almost time for her to drive. Seriously?

I took the picture of the picture with the camera that she took on her solo trip to Florida over vacation week. When I downloaded the pictures, I realized that she took 2 amazing photos of the space shuttle flying over the Cocoa Beach area. Had to share, they are really cool!

Time to go make some cupcakes! Have a great day/weekend!

What To Write About?

All bloggers have those days where they want to write, but have no idea what to write about. Well, at least I am assuming this happens to all bloggers, not just me. Gee, what if it only happens to me?

So I sit and stare at the screen and look back on previous posts to spark some creativity. I get nothing.

I think I should be cleaning something, doing something and yet, I sit here waiting for inspiration.

What I really should be doing is updating my resume, but that excites me as much as deep cleaning the living room.

I thought I had a post going about grocery shopping. I seem to buy 2 of everything. Why is that? I don't know, but I couldn't think of an amusing excuse.

Maybe I am stuck because there is a lot of stuff I would like to unload and write about, but it would/might hurt people's feelings. I am really about being amusing, not hurtful.

I could write about the conundrum of teenagers......but they read my blog.

I could blame my lack of inspiration on the weather. I always seem to use the weather as a an excuse for something. But, hello, it has been GRAY all week. Gray is not a good color for me.

So, how do I get out of this lack of writing inspiration without leaving you all depressed?

I'll just stick in this adorable picture of a little girl who is going to be 15 in 3 days.

Oh, and hey, if there is anything YOU want me to write about or if you have any questions I could answer, just leave me a little message :)