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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
View From The Outhouse Door! My Dedication To Bre...
Here are a couple of nice scenery pictures...kinda pretty huh?
So here's the story...So many people tell me about their camping trips and Moosehead Chalet's and how they "rough it" and have a pretty good time. Well, these same people refuse to go to the bathroom in an outhouse! How can you call it Roughing It if you still need the luxury of indoor plumbing? Outhouses aren't all that bad. Yes, you get the occasional spider (which I hate immensely) and sometimes a mosquito will take a chunk out of your butt and the smell isn't the most pleasant smell in the air (stick ups help!), but it's another one of those cases where it's all in the way you look at the experience. Take these pictures above for instance. This is the view from our own outhouse on the Carrabasset River. Crystal clear water running and beautiful rock formations from years of water pounding against them, the calming sound of waterfalls not too far away, and you might even see a cute chipmunk run by from time to time. I don't think the whole outhouse experience is all that bad. You certainly don't get a view like this in your own bathroom at home do you? NO! I didn't think so. So, the next time you are out in the woods roughing it or visiting a camp ground or even hanging at a friends home away from home, and you need to go potty, close your eyes, open that outhouse door, and picture the view that I get every time I use ours...It really does help if you look at the beauty in the experience!
Friday, July 22, 2005
High's and Low's
It has always amazed me how life can be so up one minute and then so down the next. This summer has been no exception. We have had some wonderful high points in life here...a couple of great weekends camping, a smile on my daughters face almost every day, money matters seem to be at an even keel, been in touch with some old friends, really awesome sex lately...well, I'm sure you get the picture. Then life has dealt us some pretty intense low points...Trouble with vehicles, an upset at the mill and we are still wondering if his job will last much longer, death in the family, Mom hasn't been doing to well lately, and other family members have problems I just can't help them with. I just don't understand why life can't just go along at a steady pace. What force of nature creates all the exceptionally good times for us that have us on cloud nine and then slaps us in the face with tragedy and grief and worry? If it us ourselves that unconciously create the problems? I don't know. Take yesterday for an example...Woke up in a great mood. Two hours later we were in it up to our asses tearing apart rotten wood from a deck at camp and dodging a nest of bumble bees in the process. When we finished we were all sweaty and dirty and just plain feeling miserable. Things started looking brighter on the way home. Daughter had a good friend to keep her company and when we got here I made an awesome supper that hit the spot of all our bellies. Swam for a while and then hubby and I engaged in some of the best sex we've had in quite some time...just like we were young lovers again. Then everything came crashing down when I went to check on my ailing mother only to find out she was in so much pain that she couldn't even walk. This just killed the mood created by good food and great sex. Now we were all in constant worry and that feeling of helplessness overwhelmed us all. We did all get a good nights sleep and the day started off pretty good today, with a nice kayaking adventure and a trip to the seafood market for lobster. Then we get home and mom is in even worse shape than the night before. Nothing I could do for her as she sat there in tears as Dad changed her bandages. With all these High's and Low's that we deal with every day it's no wonder we are all stressed right out. I dream of a place where problems never find you. Beautiful Landscaping everywhere and the sounds of nature all around you. No phone to answer and hear bad news from. No computer where you find out other people you care about are having the same high's and low's as you are. Sunshine most of the time and cozy beds for tremendous night's sleep. No worries over jobs and teenage drama. No stress over the dirt and dust in your home. Is there such a place? I doubt it...so tonight I think I'll dream about it. Maybe we all should. That's it til next time everyone...hopefully that dream will come true and the next post will be pure bliss. Peace to everyone!
Monday, July 18, 2005
For A Good Time...Call Mel- 555-2345
Ok, Trying to be a little humorous here. And I bet you thought it was one of those things you see on the bathroom wall at the airport!
Seriously though, I'd like to use this post as a heart-felt thank you. We spent the last four days at Mels camp on Moosehead Lake and we all had such a good time. I can't even discribe how grateful I am to her and her family! They never skipped a beat all weekend. It's like they knew when to just lay low and relax and they also knew when it was time to have some serious fun. We kayaked, swam, boated, tubed, enjoyed a great fire at night, ate terrific food, had super conversation, and just enjoyed getting closer to them all. The Weather Gods decided to smile down on us the entire weekend and aside from being a little tired, burned and beat up from tubing, I wouldn't a traded a minute of the weekend for anything. I hated to see it all end.
For a little background here, Mel's husband is my husband's brother. We have always been friends, but not the closeness we've had with each other lately. About a year and a half ago I broke down and let my husband spend money on a computer. I'm a hard ass when it comes to spending money so I didn't want to have anything to do with one. Boy was I WRONG!!!! The computer has brought me very close to people I never thought I could have a relationship with. And I am so glad I was soooo wrong. I've developed a relationship with Melody that I've longed for for a very long time. She knows the story so I'm sure she won't be surprised when she reads this. Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a long mushy story...I just want to tell Lloyd and Melody that we all truly enjoyed every part of the weekend and can't wait to spend more time together. I'll be blogging again soon about the weekend...IF the pictures come out good and if I can figure out how to post them. Luvs to all!
Question things are great!
Ok, I love these question thingy's. Really makes us stop and look at who we really are! Hope you find my answers interesting.
10 years ago: I was a mom of a two year old baby girl and really doubting myself taht I had what it takes to raise a great kid. I had just rekindled a friendship that had gone sour a few year earlier and she had a baby just about the same time I did and I watched every day as she seemed to know exactly what the next step would be in her parenting. I felt very inadequate and unsure that I could do this thing. Another thing that made this time in my life a bit difficult was a bad flu bug that left me at about 82 pounds and extremely weak. For six weeks I did nothing but watch as my mother, God bless her, took care of my family and me. She did all the parenting stuff not only for me but took on my roll too and it really bothered me. I felt so useless. I was so weak for two of those weeks that my sweet husband had to lift me up to set me in the tub to bathe. I watched as everyone around me did MY jobs and much better than I did them I might add. We survived this time in life and today we (meaning me) are a different person because of it in many ways. You get to do a lot of thinking laying flat on your back in bed for six weeks.
5 years ago: Substitute teaching and learning how to be a pretty good mom. Overly dedicated, but not as bad as I thought I was five years earlier. Trying to get over the awful feeling everyone in my husbands family always made me have. Totally involved with my niece who thought it was appropriate to run away from home and make it all more MY problem than my sister's. Again Survived this time in life with much more than a scrape. Resiliant that way are we not?
1 year ago: Summer vaca with my daughter and hubby for most of it. With daughter growing up so quickly the summers seem to come and go so quickly.
Yesterday: Camp with incredible family members. Brother in-law tried to kill me tubbing behind that damned boat and I was feeling quite "hurty" all over. Again seem to be surviving.
Today: Packed up and came home in the oppressive humidity. Ready to be at home but already missing the great time I had.
Tomorrow: Taking the truck to the garage since the check engine light came on. Why do these things always seem to happen on vacation? Going to get pictures developed from the greatest weekend I've had in a long time.
5 snacks I enjoy: Popcorn, oreo cookies, grapes, ice cream, and chex mix.
5 Bands I know most of the lyrics their songs: Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Reba, Prince, Micheal Jackson
5 things I would do with $100,000,000: Buy a new home, give my daughter half of it so she can have a good life on her own, Take my husband to Alaska, adopt a child, open an animal shlter of some kind.
5 locations I'd like to run away to: Hawaii, Africa, The Outback, The Caribbean, Aspen
5 bad habits I have: Skip words as I am reading a good book just to get through it faster, open mouth insert foot syndrome, Can't seem to leave those pimples alone to heal on their own, lack of self confidence, and according to everyone else I worry about everything (I think they are all a bunch of ding dong's cuz I don't worry about anything!)
5 things I like doing: Kayaking, bubble baths, volunteering, gardening, bird watching
5 things I would never wear: bikini, china flats, turtle necks, black lipstick, nose or tounge ring
5 TV shows I like: House, Surreal Life, The Cosby Show, As the World Turns, Little House on the Prarie
5 movies I like: Gone With The Wind, Where The Heart Is, The Substitute Wife, Dances With Wolves, Dirty Dancing
5 famous people I'd like to meet: Keeping this to those who are alive... Micheal Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Maury Povich, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres
5 biggest joys at the moment: My daughter, My Husband, My animals, Certain Family Members, The breeze coming gently through the window.
Keep up with the Question Blogs...We should all open up and get to know each other better like this!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
The Dreaded Trip!
The day has come...You get up with a sunken heart knowing what lies ahead for you.
Day starts as usual, Breakfast, shower, clothing...you know it can't be all that bad right! Off you go...you get there and wait for what seems like hours. They call your name. You follow the girl into a small room. "Have a seat" she says politely. She asks a few simple questions then the process begins. First things first though, open mouth insert very large piece of cardboard that you have to bite painfully down on. Two on each side...this totally sucks so far. That process over you think to yourself, "Ok the worst is over". You are so wrong! The chair is getting sticky under your legs now. The anticipation is geting you all hot, and not in a good way either. She straps the so attractive little bib to you, sits gently on her stool next to your chair and tells you to open. Comes at you with what looks to be an etchin tool of some kind. Picks around every tooth with it. Hey, this isn't too bad! She says they look pretty good and you have a small sigh of relief. She turns then turns back to you with the monster hook..."Ok, now lets get started" she says. Your fingers clench around the arms of the chair. She starts to scrape, slowly at first, then more and more forcefully. Feels like she is trying to rip the enamel off each tooth. Oopps...she picks into your gums and as you sit there in agony she simply says,"Oh, a little sensitivity there huh?". DUH!!!!! She sits you up and asks you to rinse. When you spit blood fills the little bowl beside you. You think to yourself, "Is this some kind of slow torture chamber?" You lean back and she doesn't waste a minute to dive back in. She does each tooth carefully. You lay there thinking this can't take much longer. When she gets to the front teeth you start to cringe. You know the feeling is coming. Way worse than fingernails on a blackboard is about to happen to you. With the monster she starts to dig at your bottom front teeth. Oh the pain! With every scrape you feel like every nerve in your body is being picked at by that monster. Will it ever stop! "Oh Dear, it looks like a little Gingivitis has set in here. You really should floss more that you do you know!" With hook still protruding from mouth you try to tell her that you floss at least once a day and most of the time more than that. What does this girl know anyway? You were taught oral hygiene in grade school. You take care of your teeth properly and now this witch tells you you aren't doing it right! The nerve! Literally! THE NERVE! She just had to scrape one last time and as she did she hit the mother of all nerves. Your whole body feels like it does when you bump your funny bone or jam your knee into the hitch on the truck. OMG will you EVER get out of here? She sits back and asks what flavor. Mint of course...you outgrew the bubblegum years ago. YUCK! This is not your trusted toothpaste from home! Kinda tastes like that mint jelly served on those crackers at the inlows Christmas Party last year. And it is so gritty you feel like you are on the beach and some kid ust kicked sand on your lunch and you didn't know it. "Come on, let me spit!", you think to yourself. Nope, that would rinse off the good stuff. Yeah Right! She pulls out a strand of floss and says "Now when you are at home, don't do as I'm doing now." (Wait, didn't she just tell you to floss more?) "You should always floss BEFORE you brush" she says. She proceeds to show you a new way to brush your teeth. Instead of holding your toothbrush lengthwise along your teeth, hold it upright and then gently do each tooth individually. You are thinking this girl is a nut case. You don't have time to brush this way every day. Yippee! She's finished! Oops, she pushed the button to call in the big kahuna. In he comes, looks over your charts and sits on that blessed stool. Tells a few stories...VERY DRY SENSE OF HUMOR HERE! You roll your eyes back and think to yourself "will this experience ever end?" He does his thing...a little more gently than the girl did. "Hey they look great. Keep up the good work!" Off he goes. Feeling relieved you take the bib off yourself...you can't bleieve the girl forgot it and was going to make you go out into public with it still on your neck. The idiot! And You are Paying her Good Money For This! You get out as quickly as you can, get to your vehicle and sit there and enjoy a sigh of relief. It's over. Yes your teeth feel smooth as glass but your gums are still bleeding a little. You have a massive headache from all the tension. Now on with your day. Hell, you only have six months to go before you do it all over again.
I am off now to see if the visit to my dentist will be as I remember from my last journey there. Wish me luck and if I don't post for a while you'll know that they sent me to the chamber of doom this time. Live well All!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
For Cat Lovers Everywhere!
Which would you lean towards?
I heard something on the radio this morning somehting I found interesting...
The following is a list (I wish I had pictures to go with this but I don't so please visualize) of the perfect man for you...100 women polled on which one they'd choose...
Man dressed in...
1. Tight jeans and a sexy t-shirt
2. Dockers and a pink polo shirt
3. cargo shorts, short sleeved shirt and Teva's
4. Lounge pants with match t-shirt
5. nice business suit with a buttoned pinstripe shirt beneath
6. dickies and a work shirt
7. Nike shorts, muscle shirt, and basketball sneakers
8. Flat front Khaki pants and dress shirt unbuttoned a few buttons
9. wetsuit
10.baggy jeans hung so thier crack shows with a metallica shirt and chains
Out of the 100 women polled, a little more than 75% chose the business suit. I find this interesting...business attire makes it look like the guy has big bucks...is that all we are attracted to anymore? Money? Yes it would be nice to land a rich guy but I prefer the tight jeans and tight white t-shirt...with a killer smile and dimples of course! What do you all think?
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Personals!
Share! It Does A Body Good!
Ok Melody...you wanted me to share so here it goes...
1. At what age and under what circumstances did you lose your virginity? Was it disappointing, or all you'd thought it would be? At the age of 16, fell head over heals for a guy named John. He and I, His two brothers and their girlfriends (which were also great friends of mine) used to hang out in the upstairs of his Dad's garage. Very comfy place with a couch and sound system. We did it on that couch the first time and it hurt like hell but he was very gentle and made my first experience with "going ALL the way" a pleasant one. I see him on occasion and he's married with kids just like me and we can still give each other that secret look and remember those younger days upstairs in the garage.
2. What guilty pleasure do you indulge in that no one else knows about? No guilty pleasures and no secrets...I'm pretty much an open book with nothing to hide.
3. Do you have a birthmark, and if so, where is it and what does it look like? I have a birth mole on my face, but it sure isn't like Cindy Crawfords!
4. What's the saddest thing you've ever seen? The next door neighbor blew herself in the head with a gun and I was there to lend help with CPR...It was disgusting and sad and as I looked at her husband and one year old child my heart broke. I knew this girl wasn't going to make it.
5. What is the WORST book you've ever read? Romeo and Juliet. Ok, I know it's one of the greatest stories ever told but come on...None of you out there really understand the wording!
6. What is the most delicious food you've ever tasted? Any of you that know me knows that food is my passion. There is so many delicious combinations out there I can't name just one.
7. Have you ever had or BEEN a secret admirer? Details, please. Ok, do I have a story for you! My Junior year in high school, I started recieving these great letters with wonderful poetry from a secret admirer. He even signed it "Your Secret Admirer". I recieved about two per week every week for about four months and got so excited every time I opened my locker or my note book and there sat a new one. The poetry was taken from Frost and other great poets and every letter made me all tingly inside. I couldn't imagine this corny of a guy and how sweet he really might be in Madison High School... Most were idiots! After a while the letters got fewer and fewer and eventually my secret admirer was long gone...just a memory. I still puzzled as to who it might have been. I'd search for a silly grin in the faces in the corridor. It wasn't until just before I graduated the following year that my secret admirer came forward. Cathy Sensenig was her name and NO she wasn't a lesbo...she did it as a very cruel joke and even when I saw her again at my 10 year reunion she was still giggling about it. I've grown since then and although I can't see the humor in it still, I have put it behind me and have vowed to NEVER let my daughter or one of her friends get away with something so mean!.
8. Describe yourself in 10 words or less. Everything a woman should be...Some good/Some bad...Still Beautiful! (ok, it was 11 words but I'm such a complex person how can I possibly describe me in ten or less?!)
9. If you could spend an hour with anyone, anywhere, doing anything, who would it be, where and what would you do? Why? Stevie Nicks...I think she is an amazing artist and I'd love to just sit and talk with her...she's my idol...I know, idols are for teenagers, but I really connected with her when I was in high school, not just her music, her life story too, and I think it would be a gas to just sit and chat with her.
10. What is one thing you are ashamed to admit you know nothing about? I've made it a point to know a little something about everthing. I honestly can't think on one particular thing that I am ashamed of not knowing. I'm not saying I'm a know it all...I'm so far from that it's pathetic...I think that we all know a little about everything and nothing about all of it. Life is a learning experience from start to finish and people should be ashamed of the things they don't know about, they should just keep on learning!
Answer one, or some, or all of the questions. Of course you also have the option of answering none. But I hope you won't take that option. After all, isn't it kind of fun to just BARE your soul once in a while?
Ok Melody, there it is in a nutshell! Boring I know, but the truth. I love questions like these and anyone that wants to post different ones, MORE PERSONAL ONES, go for it! I'll bare my soul to anyone.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Successes Instead of Setbacks
Every day, you do something...more than one thing!...right. And whether they're big things or small things, or things somewhere in between, celebrate them. Give yourself a pat on the back. Allow yourself to feel good about who you are and what you accomplish. Sure, there are things you wish you did better, things you wish turned out differently...that's natural. But why focus on them? You deserve recognition for what you do well. And that's a lot!!
Monday, July 04, 2005
Kayaking, Sunburns, and the Fourth Of July
So, let's tell you about the weekend. Another great one weather wise. Saturday was pretty uneventful. We tried twice to take the kayaks out and the awater on Embden was just too choppy. It was disappointing to say the least. Hubby worked nights all weekend so he left at 8 and babe abd I went to bed fairly early. Sunday was a much more fun day. Morning started same as every Sunday...mowed the lawn and did yard work while babe did her lawn care job. Hub got up early and we struck off to kayak...finally. Embden was a booming place. Many boats and sea doos and the water was perfect for a nice paddle around. Off we went...before even entering the kayaks, hub and I both were injured. He cut his hand on a sharp part of the housing on his craft and I tare up the side of me ankle when I stepped down between the cement platforms at the boat landing. Didn't even realize I was bleeding til I was out in the middle of the lake. got it all over my water shoes and kayak but survived it. We paddled for a good two hours and it felt great. Babe was tired but all in all I think everyone had a good time. While paddling around old wishes started to surface. So many beautiful camps and oh how I'd love to have one. The one we have is good but you are limited to activities when you are on the Carrabassett. Fishing Wading and Campfires is all there is to offer there. Maybe someday the wishes will come true. That camper idea is looking better and better all the time...can be on a pond, lake or ocean if we went that route. Anyway, kayaking ended with a very tired child, injuries, and a pretty bad sunburn on my already tanned legs and arms. But it still felt great to get out there. Can't wait to do it again. Came back home for a simple bbq with the folks. Ended the day with a magnificent display of fireworks at Wings Farm in Industry. Awesome as usual. About 40 non-stop minutes and I have to say it was the best we've seen there yet. Never had a bad display there but this year they went above and beyond. Hubby missed it and that sucked a little...babe loved it and parents seems to enjoy themselves too. Got home really late and off to bed. It was a very rewarding day. Now I hope for many more like...Today will be a lazy stay at home day unless hub comes up with something fun to do when he wakes. I expect Babe to sleep til noon...she's wiped. 11 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!! I can't wait! I need so much to get out of here. Although the weekend was close to perfect the same old shit we deal with is still here. Mom is still moaning and groaning, and she has every right to, and Dad is still acting like an idiot. Kids are still bouncing off my walls every day and I get interupted every time I'm on the computer. (Even this post has been interupted about ten times already) I so look forward to a nice relaxing few days on Moosehead with great company and rays of sunshine. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates. If I can set up the tent without getting wet I'll be happy. Do you think 11 days is too early to start planning the meals and the packing? I think not...just adds to the excitement. I so hope it goes as well if not better than the last time. Had a blast and look forward to doing it again. I wish I were Samantha so I could just wiggle my nose (which I have no idea if I can even do) and fast forward to the 15th. Will post again soon...maybe something funny next time. Smile People and Enjoy Life To It's Fullest! CHOW!!
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