STOP SAYING LIKE, LIKE ALL THE TIME, LIKE CONSTANTLY, LIKE SHUT UP

I’m going to try to stop using “like”.  Ok, I don’t use it like I’m a Kardashian or anything, but I’m 63 years old for crap sakes, I shouldn’t be using it at all, except for the correct usage.  When I was a teenager everyone said “you know” all the time.  I don’t remember people saying “like”, I wonder when that started?
The correct usage of “like” is enjoyment and similarity.
LIKE similarity and enjoyment Ginny 4-22-11 (2)
When trying to analyze when I say it the most I’ve determined that I use it mostly to approximate.  “It’s like 3 miles to the dentist’s office”.  Instead of “It’s about 3 miles to the dentist’s office”.
I’m not even going to start on “stuff” and “actually”, one word is enough for now.  I’ve read that one way to stop saying it is to just totally cut it out of conversation all together.  Don’t know if I can go that far but we’ll see.
It’s funny, I don’t write using those words, wonder what’s up with that?  Well, that’s like it for now, so I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES


I’ve had this chainsaw carved bear in my yard for many years.  I’m good about taking him into the garage in the winter, but he does get hit with the sprinklers and an occasional summer rain (it poured last Saturday). 
He was getting pretty beat up, broken ear, his bark fur was coming off, he lost his eyes.
So, repair time.  I squirted a bunch of wood glue between his fur and his body and tied a string around him and twisted it with a pencil to make a clamp (should have taken a picture of his bondage).  I should have used Gorilla Glue since it’s weather proof but my bottle was completely dried up.  I painted his black parts all fresh and new and he is wearing doll eyes.
Here’s his photo shoot.

HARVEST MOON

Missed the official harvest moon two nights ago as I was out running around and didn’t have my camera.  By the time I got home it was too high.  So, the next night we went out to find a nice flat rural spot to catch it rising.
Got some “just ok” pictures, but there’s nothing a little Photoshopping can’t fix.
Here’s the moon Thursday night 9-19-13 with Kim Klassen charmed texture.

Here are the originals that made up the above picture.
Copy of Harvest moon best one bEFORESKY BEFORE

STINKY MCSKUNKINGTON

How can someone so cute smell so bad…
Photo textured with Kim Klassen's Isobel texture.
sam profile with butterfly on nose kk isobel copy
My poor boy Sam got skunked the other night.  I let him out to go potty around midnight and I heard him knock at the door like he does to come in.  I looked out and he was rubbing his face on his outdoor bed.  I wondered what he got into but opened the door and let him in, tooo late.  The smell came in with him.  Of course he ran right away to my rug to rub his face.  I yelled at him and he ran to the runner in the entry and proceeded to give his face a good rubbing.  I grabbed paper towels and wet them and started washing his face, then I used dish soap, then I used vinegar then I threw him out and Googled what to use.  The thing I found most was peroxide, baking soda and dish soap.  Luckily I had those items, well a little, a half bottle of peroxide, about a quarter box of old baking soda in the refrigerator and some Dawn dish soap.  Mixed it up and added some warm water and grabbed a rag.  There we were outside at 12:30 a.m. getting doused with the mixture.  Since he mostly took it in the face I had to be careful about not getting it in his eyes so was toweling it on and also trying to get his chest and as much as I could with the small amount I had.  Let the mixture sit awhile and then washed him with Dawn and warm water.  Had to put the rugs outside and covered his bed with a towel.  The next day I went to Petco for some Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover.  Bath time again, full strength with the odor remover.  Washed all the towels and dog bed cover and clothes I was wearing the night before in the washing machine with some of the odor remover.
After the remover set for awhile, again washed him with Dawn.  I think he smells worse than he did the night before with the peroxide mixture.  Did his face again.  Yesterday, did another skunk remover bath, and another Dawn bath.  Washed the floors and sprayed the skunk remover on my area rug that I’m not going to throw away because I just got it and it was spendy. 
Ok today, another remover bath, still stinky face.  Went shopping and out to eat and tonight another peroxide, baking soda bath, followed by another Dawn bath.  Trapped him in the small bathroom so I could use the hair dryer on him without him getting away.  Still smells but I actually think the peroxide mix is better than the professional stuff.
Poor guy is traumatized with all the baths. 

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF

I was just reading one of my favorite blogs “The Art of Doing Stuff” and Karen posted about using a single word to describe yourself.  That’s harder than you would think.  I came up with dependable and organized.  Actually I’m controlling and cheap.  How f***ing boring.  Hey maybe that’s it BORING!  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  I kind of like boring, I don’t care for excitement or adventure.  I like sameness and predictability, it’s calming.  So there you have it, I’m predictable, dependable, controlling, cheap, organized and boring.  As Lisa Simpson would say “Meh”!
stay-normal-and-be-boring

CONFESSIONS OF AN OBITUARY READER

Funny-headstone
Yes, I’m one of those people.  I read the obits every day, not just to make sure my name isn’t there, but to count how many people are younger than me.  The older I get the more there are.  Well, a couple of days ago it was a really strange read.  There was someone I went to high school with, not totally strange, it’s happened before.  But, there was someone else.  I recognized the last name (not a common one), but not the first name so I read on.  It listed the deceased man’s parents, there was the connection, his parents had been friends of my parents, I remembered them.  So what’s odd about this occurrence you may ask?  The deceased was 90 years old.  What the???  How is it possible that I remembered his parents and he was 90, and on the same day someone I went to high school with died.  I don’t know why this creeps me out so much, it always makes me feel old when people my age or younger are dying but the whole “knew the 90 year olds parents” thing was just to much.

WHAT IS THIS PLANT?

Took this picture a couple of weeks ago in the Niles District of Fremont, CA. when I went for the big yearly flea market, antique sale, yard sales.   The red balls look prickly but they weren’t.  The plant is pretty large, over 6 feet high and just growing by the sidewalk.
IMG_5915
Here’s another shot textured with a Kim Klassen texture called cherish at multiply 70%

Anybody know what this is?