I know it was here just yesterday! Wasn't it?

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This is a picture taken when I was – I dunno 15 or 16 maybe.  It was the day I was cutting off my hair to just above shoulder length and getting it feathered on the sides.  Remembered feathering?  Yeah, awesome. 

The picture is a little worse for wear, something got stuck to it and left paper attached – but you can see a few things from my teenage years.  The big console TV (that didn’t work) with the little one (that did) on top of it.  Both black and white.  Standard in a lot of homes.  The red velvet Grand Marnier bottle (empty) – just because it was cool and alcohol related.  Oh – and see the yellow plastic ladder that held my earrings?  Yeah, we all had something similar, and just to the left of the poster is a little “Love is ..” cartoon.  Wow, I was a walking teenage stereotype apparently!

But there is one thing in this picture I miss, something I would love to have back if I had any idea where it went or how to find it again.

That butt!  Will you look at that?  Amazing, if I do say so myself.


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Memorial Day

We remember and honor those who have died ..

.. and say THANK YOU.


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Maxine Monday

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My neighborhood gas station - not such a friendly place.

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Listening to the radio the other day, the show was being broadcast from Los Angeles.  The news guy came on and starting talking about local gas prices, as he said “the highest in the nation” at $4.12 a gallon.

EXCUSE ME????

Need to see that a little better?

Welcome to Illinois, a state deeply in debt, where the government is so irresponsible with our money, taxes were raised 67% this year to cover expenditures.  You read that right.  67%.  And this is considered legitimate government? 

They all ought to be in jail.

Have a nice day.


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I’m in love with an object. Don’t judge me.

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Yes, I bought this phone on eBay.  Isn't it great?  It didn't take much cleaning up and disinfecting and I am crazy for it!  

I plugged it in and it works - at least as far as a call coming in goes.  That ring!  Geez!  Amazing with all the ring tones we are exposed to now, how we forget the loud jangle of the old desktop phones.  Dialing out, well, my service must not accommodate a dial phone because the dial tone never goes away and then it asks me if I need help.  Well maybe, but not with the phone.  


But I don't care if I can dial out!  And actually, it's not plugged into a phone line where it is right now.  Makes no difference to me, I didn't buy it to use it, silly!  I really just wanted to dial it.  I did.  It has a very satisfying feel and a very satisfying sound when you dial it.  I'm sure I could get something close in an app somewhere but there is just something about putting your finger in there and moving that dial around.  My son was kind of amazed.  "It would take you a whole minute to dial 9-1-1!"  


"Um yeah, probably."  I said.  "But - we didn't have 9-1-1 back then."  


What did we do, anyway?  I can't remember.  Didn't we just dial zero and ask the operator for the police?  That wouldn't have taken very long.

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Maxine Monday

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Who’s the jerk now?

My backyard is ugly.  There are pine needles all over and bare spots everywhere.  The patio is the size of a postage stamp and spiders tend to gather there for a smoke and a beer.  Or something.  So .. the backyard isn't used that much, it's just not.
 
But every once in a while my daughter comes over with the grandpuppy and likes to let Rue (aka the puppy) out to run loose in the yard since she does not have anywhere fenced in to do that at home.  Besides the fact that if Rue is not let outside every 20 minutes the cats will have heart attacks.  Every single one of them.

So it was really annoying when it became obvious that the neighbor who has a much bigger and nicer house, yard, and car than I do, was running a little pipe straight from his house to the fence between our yards.  Ahem.  Straight to my yard, in other words.  And the puddles and lakes in my yard that the ducks would visit after a good rain - were thanks to my neighbor with his nice house and basement with a sump pump.
 

Never said I could dance!

So I called the village.  Had to leave a voicemail about my neighbor, fences, sump pump drainage and ducks.  I got a voicemail back saying they would look into it.  Didn't know if they would just take care of it or if they would let me know what they did.

Today I got a letter.  Very official and all that, documenting the claim that that neighbor was dumping sump water in this neighbor's yard.  It included a conclusion that that neighbor was indeed running his sump pump water directly into this neighbor's yard and a letter would be sent instructing that neighbor to direct his drainage pipe elsewhere.

The best part?  They sent pictures!  Two 8x10's printed on computer paper, one taken in that neighbor's yard - and the other taken in this neighbor's yard.  Wh-h-e-e-e-e-e !!!!!!!!!!!

Another happy dance down - no idea how many more - to go.


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