Easter Supper

Something in my email from my mom... she got it from my aunt

Why Easter is Greek to Me: Xristos Anesti! Once every few years, Greek Easter falls the same week as “American Easter,” as it was called when I was growing up.In order for “Greek Easter” to be celebrated the same week as “American Easter,” Passover has to have been celebrated already. We Greeks don’t do Easter until after Passover, because how can you have Easter BEFORE Passover. Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, after all. Unless it is one of the years when the two holidays align.Here are some of the things that non-Greeks may not know about Greek Easter: We don’t do bunnies. We don’t do chocolate. We don’t do pastels.We do lamb, sweet cookies, and deep red. The lamb is roasted and not chocolate, the sweet cookies are called Koulorakia and are twisted like a braid, and our Easter eggs are dyed one color only: blood red. There is no Easter Egg hunt. There is a game in which you crack your red egg against someone else’s red egg hoping to have the strongest egg, which would indicate you getting a lot of good luck.Holy Week, for a Greek Orthodox, means you clear your calendar, you don’t make plans for that week at all because you will be in church every day, and you fast. Last year, in addition to not eating red meat and dairy before communion, my family also gave up sodas for the 40-day Lenten period.During one particularly stressful moment, there were many phone calls amongst our kids as to whether or not a canned drink called TING, made with grapefruit juice and carbonated water was, in fact, a soda and not a juice, which our then 10-year-old decided it was, so we had a Ting-less Lent.No matter where I find my self in the world I never miss Easter, or as we call it, Pascha. I have celebrated in Paris, London, New York City, Los Angeles, and in Salinas, California at a small humble church that was pure and simple.When we were kids, our parents would take us, and now as parents ourselves we take our children to many of the Holy Week services including the Good Friday service where you mourn the death of Jesus by walking up to the Epitaphio, which represents the dead body of Christ, make your cross, kiss the Epitaphio, and marvel at how it was decorated with a thousand glorious flowers, rose petals and smells like incense.Some very pious people will crawl under the Epitaphio. I have always been so moved to see this. There is no self- consciousness in this utter act of faith. There is no embarrassment to show symbolic sorrow at the death of our Saviour.At a certain point in the Good Friday service, the Epitaphio is carried outside by the deacons of the church, as if they are pall bearers, followed by worshipers carrying lit candles protected from dripping on your clothes and on others by having a red plastic cup that sits below the flame to catch the wax drippings. Every Greek person knows all too well the smell of burning hair.One time, in London, I smelled something and turned to look at where the smell might be coming from, only to be horrified that it was coming form me and my head was on fire. But I digress.It is somber and quiet as we follow the Epitaphio, in candlelight, from the altar to the outdoors, in order for it to circle the church before it returns back to the altar. We sing beautiful lamentations that make your heart break with their pure expression of sadness and hope.One of my favorite services during Easter is Holy Unction. This happens on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Holy Unction is a sacrament. It is for healing of our ills, physical and spiritual. It is preparing us for confession and communion. This sacrament has always been so humbling to me.When you approach the priest for Holy Unction, you bow your head and as he says a prayer and asks you your Christian name, he takes a swab of blessed oil and makes the sign of the cross on your forehead, cheeks, chin, backs of your hands and palms. It is a powerful reminder of how, with faith, we can be healed in many ways.The holy oil is then carefully dabbed with cotton balls provided by the church so you don’t leave there looking as if you’re ready to fry chicken with your face, and before you exit the church, you leave your cotton balls in a basket being held by altar boys, so as not to dispose of the holy oil in a less than holy place. The church burns the used cotton balls.There have been times when I have left church with my cotton ball and have panicked when I am driving away. At home I take care of it. Imagine a grown woman burning cotton balls in her sink. But that is what I do.Midnight Liturgy on Saturday night, going into Sunday morning is the Anastasi service. We will arrive at church at around 11 p.m., when it starts, and listen to the chanter as he chants in preparation for the service. My kids, dressed in their suits and having been awakened from a deep sleep to come to church, groggily sit and wait holding their candles with red cup wax catchers.As the service progresses, the moment we have all been waiting for approaches. All the lights in the church are turned off. It is pitch black It is dead quiet. The priest takes one candle and lights his one candle from the one remaining lit altar candle, which represents the light of Christ’s love ( I believe).From this one candle, the priest approaches the congregation and using his one candle he shares his light with a few people in the front pews. They in turn share their light with the people next to them and behind them. In quiet solemnity, we wait until the entire church is lit with only the light of candles, the light that has been created by one small flame has now created a room of shared light.And at a moment that can only be described as glorious, the priest cries out, “Xristos Anesti!” “Christ is Risen!” We respond with “Alithos Anesti!” “Truly, He is Risen!” We sing our glorious Xristos Anesti song with the choir. That moment, which happens about an hour, to an hour and half into the service and seems as if the service is over, actually marks the beginning of the service. The service then continues for another hour and a half.When I was a kid, after the service was over, we would go to the Anastasi Dinner that the church would throw in the church hall, where we would break our fast, drink Cokes at 2:30 in the morning, dance to a raucous Greek band and not go home until our stomachs were full of lamb, eggs, Koulouraki, and we saw the sun rise. Or was it the Son rise?But usually now, after Midnight Liturgy, we drive home with our still-lit candles. I always love seeing the looks on peoples faces as they pull up to our car seeing a family with lit candles calmly moving at 65 m.p.h. down the highway. When we get home, we crack eggs, eat cookies, drink hot chocolate (so not Greek) and I burn a cross into our doorways with the carbon from the candle smoke to bless our house for the year.There have been many times when painters touching up the house have wondered why there was this strange black cross burned into our doorways. The next day is usually followed by a late sleep in, then getting up and doing the same thing you just did but in the daytime at the Easter Picnic, usually held at a local park.I have to say, the Greeks know how to do Easter. Make no mistake. This is the most important holiday in our church. It is a beautiful week. I haven’t even begun to touch on what the week is really like. This is a sampling of a sampling of what it is like. It is so much more deep, so much richer than I have written here.But one thing is clear. It is a powerful, beautiful, mysterious, humbling, healing and moving week. It is filled with tradition and ritual. It is about renewal and faith. And even though it is still too early to say, Xristos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

Actress Rita Wilson, whose mother and father both were born in Greece, is widely credited with landing Nia Vardalos a movie deal for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Wilson and her actor husband Tom Hanks had their own "Big Fat Greek Wedding" in 1988. They have two children.

Source- The Washington Post

Why is Greek Easter on a Different Date? (With a FAQ!)

"How is Greek Easter calculated?"

This is the fun one - the day is governed by these three main conditions:

It must be based on the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian one;
It must be after the Jewish holiday of Passover;
It must be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which for this purpose is fixed as March 21st.

Every few years, "Western" (Catholic and Protestant) Easter and Greek Orthodox Easter coincide; these years are indicated by (same) following the date.

2008 - Easter Sunday - April 27th

2009 - Easter Sunday - April 19th

2010 - Easter Sunday - April 4th (same)

2011 - Easter Sunday - April 24th (same)

2012 - Easter Sunday - April 15th

2013 - Easter Sunday - May 5th

2014 - Easter Sunday - April 20th (same)

2015 - Easter Sunday - April 12th

2016 - Easter Sunday - May 1st

2017 - Easter Sunday - April 16th (same)

2018 - Easter Sunday - April 8th

2019 - Easter Sunday - April 28th

2020 - Easter Sunday - April 19th

2021 - Easter Sunday - May 2nd

2022 - Easter Sunday - April 24th

2023 - Easter Sunday - April 16th

I got this off a FAQ travel page. It gives you the gist, and also has great pictures.

The Red Hot and Smokey Thumb Project

Lot's done today! Cut, clear and burn day. Even though us mouses put a full day in, more needs to be done tomorrow. For some reason, the burning ban was lifted- so a serious amount of choked yard areas got chainsawed and dragged and cleared and burned. I soaked for about an hour and a half in a bubble bath tonight and I still smell like smoke. I was filthy! the fires are out and ready to be relit tomorrow! I feel so much better we got so much done! It was going to be a very long wait until next burning season and frustrating because it REALLY needed to be cleaned up. I am SO glad to be able to accomplish this! Woo Hoo!!!!!! And the rest will be completed tomorrow. PHEW! I'll get some pics too, if I remember! Lol! I was a bit busy today.

Off The Shelf

This is out of my personal library. Just thought I'd share what I'm reading now and then and also get a couple shots of my bookcases.

Some people dream of a gourmet kitchen, but my dream bonus room is a library. With atmosphere.

"The Shelters Of Stone", Jean Auel. I've read this before, many times. I'm the type of person who keeps their favorite books and authors and goes back to visit them often. A second reading often turns up things I have missed, or brings new meanings to light. A third and more re-visit is just to settle into the comfort of a favorite book- like watching a favorite move over again. I read very fast (no formal speed reading class) and retain what I read. It has been said that I devour books. If SS gets a new book I'd like to read, she just hands it over because she knows she will get it back the next day. Lol.

I need more shelves. Like floor to ceiling shelves.

But any who, this is what I am reading at the mo. I love her series and the real attention to detail she uses in her stories. I do tend to skip over them when I pick up the books for the third or fourth time. Auel is a detail rich author (Tom Clancy is another.) and she has mucho research under her belt. I'm waiting on the next book she promised in the series and it's taking lot's of time. She has said she's tired of writing it, lol, so I just have to wait. Pick up a book you have enjoyed and revisit for a while.

Spring Shots

The Green Thumb Project

Unconscious Mutterings 272 is MIA!

And I looked in the archives too!!! I think it's just a misprint. But it's going to mess everything up!

Unconscious Mutterings 273 (really, it's #272)

1. Questioning :: nosey


2. Immunity :: vaccinate


3. Online dating :: so-so


4. Calcium :: carbonate


5. Dressing :: wishbone


6. Bucket :: hole


7. Stain :: of cain


8. Advanced :: IP


9. Dramatic :: diva


10. Self-medication :: zzzz...

The Green Thumb Project

Before and after (well, during... So not done.) pics today. What went into the bed are Pinks in the front, lavender in the middle and some tulip bulbs to the left up against the brick. Way in the back is Solomons Seal, and just in front of it I planted some lily bulbs. I made sure I left plenty of room for everything to fill in. I know I'll add another lavender plant and possibly more bulbs. I need to mulch it as that spot gets fierce sun during the summer and we have a well. Need to think of water conservation all the time. The screen house is up now. Need to set it up to eat out there. Got to bring the mini-fridge out and the tables and chairs and some storage bins and the grill moved closer (this time positioned so you can SEE what you are freaking grilling after sunset). I think M and the mouses will do that. I don't have much more that I can do without some money. Burning season is prematurely over due to a sudden dry spell. No, not a drought, a dry spell. *SIGH* Hello early brush fire season, good bye to getting the rest of the brush cut/cleared and burnt!

Today I also got some branches cut down from over the fish ponds. It's a damn Choke Cherry- messy trees. They get crap all over the place in various stages of growth during the season. My advice? Cut them right down. Unfortunately, The ponds need shade and that's it. But I pruned the hell out of it.

Then I watered and fertilized the new stuff, picked rocks and roots and witch grass, changed the birdbaths and puttered. And got crisped by the sun. Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day. NOTE: hat, sunblock, t-shirt that covers more skin and get into the shade. More pics coming soon. I'm pretty much done for the night.

Commercial Break

$90 ticket to the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game.

$25 for parking.

$6.50 for a sausage roll.

$4.00 for a pretzel.

$3.50 for a bottle of water.

$4.00 for a bag of cotton candy.

$5.00 for a program.

$2.00 for a bag of chips.

Ogling Jason Varitek's ass all night?

Priceless.

For SS, this song just popped into my head when I was talking to you...*LOVES YA!*

For SS and her Moo Moo.

GO SOX! Red Sox/Yankees Game 04-13-08

Went to the Red Sox vs Yankee's game last night. Was REALLY cold. Everyone was in snow suits and no less than 4 layers. At least the smart people were. I actually got some great pics this time. We had the best seats I personally have ever sat in before. Gate D off Yawkey way, section 15, loge box 112, row AA, seat 6. They were walkway traffic seats. No matter.
We were right behind the Sox dugout and a clear view of Dice-k and V-Tek.

I must say. Tek has one heck of an a$$. And thighs like sequoias. He's so hot.
Of course I got Manny being Manny...
And Youk...Remember I told you it was cold?

The BC Eagles Hockey Team were honored on the field for winning their championship...We saw Wally... And I got a ton of other pics. To many to post here. (: All in all, it was a good time. I'll more than likely post my Sox pics on my Myspace if I remember how! OH! LOL! Boston won, 8-5.

Unconscious Mutterings 271

Silence :: peace

Wall :: blocked

Killed :: wasted

Wishful :: thinking

Poodle :: ugh

Sullen :: grumpy

Do not disturb :: shhhhhh

Philadephia :: story

Anticipation :: carly simon

Sidewalk :: chalk

Unconscious Mutterings *270*

Stuffed :: mushrooms
Gills :: I wish
Distance :: far
Panties :: undies
Checkered :: flag
Fill in :: the blanks
Taunting :: Monty Python
Diner :: Betty's
Pizza :: Greek
Best friend :: Sara

Feeling Peevish

Grumble, mumble. It's NOT pouring out. I see BLUE SKY. Wtf? I just sat out on the front step sipping tea and pondering the weather. Saw the people who must own the property across the street doing clean up. I want to go over and pick their Daffodils. I'd have to be sneaky about it. Wait 'til night, put on cammies. It's just a field with a barn, no people live there. An old house foundation peeks out of the ground next to the barn. But nosey neighbors abound. I know since I'm one of them. But still, I might just go help myself to a few flowers. SHUSH! Like you haven't gone and picked someone elses flowers before!

Trying to figure out if I really am just kidding or not.

Auntie KK has me feeling really guilty. The leaves were whispering louder at me to please rake them out. Nope, IIIII CAN'T HEAAARRRRRR YOUUUUUU!!!! *SIGH* I'm going to borrow SS and J's leaf blower for that.

Auntie KK, get the "Cape Cod Special" grass seed. Run to the hardware store on Main St, Ace Bradfords, and ask for the hardy type grass they use on Cape. (they still employ people who know what they are talking about) It's a mix I think, tough as anything and easy to grow. SS's J could even tell you -he is working on his lawn tomorrow.

Just scratch the ground and throw it down evenly and keep it watered. Don't walk on it. There you go. Auntie KK will have a lawn! Every time I've seeded, and mind you- not a professional, I've just thrown it down and done the above. Comes up like a miracle. J can give you tips on fertilizers and such to keep it going. Ohhh... I hear thunder. Good. I hope it pours. I have Design on a Dime on( My fav HGTV show!), a cup of tea next to me and guilt sitting on my right shoulder.

I'm doing a pretty good job of ignoring it.

Wow, ending on a crash of thunder!

How cool is THAT!

It's pouring out now.

I feel much better!

E>~*SATURDAY*~<3

I am torn.

I really need to tear my room apart.

I need to wash some dirty laundry and put away a lot of clean laundry.

I could dust and vacuum.

Put the room BACK together.

Store some stuff in the closet.

Neatly.

You know- "C-H-O-R-E-S".

Hmmm.

Here's the rub.

It's going to pour.

A VERY crappy, non-green thumb day.

This sounds like a day to grab a well loved book and chill on the bed with HGTV on kind of day.

With a hot cup of tea next to me.

And some snack type food.

I feel guilty already.

Plus I may want to actually blog something that might actually be interesting instead of blah, blah, blah. And best of all? It's a day to myself. NO-ONE will be home. Peace and stillness in the house. No other people noises, no having to make conversation or helping out, nothing. I could just sit and do nothing.

Hmph.

I feel the guilt nibbling away at me already.

I'm not even Catholic.

*sigh*

Now I just might have to actually DO something!

Anybody else have Saturday dilemma's out there?

The Green Thumb Project (Thursday)

It was a beautiful day! Unlike Auntie KK, I was not lured by the siren's call of leaf raking. It is my most hated thing. That and picking sticks. Puh-lease. Those are for child labor... But no kids around here to pay! Any who. I went to Lowe's. I picked out some of the dark-purple-light-swallowing pansies, some pinks (they smelled sooo good!!!!), some rose/flower feeder/bug killer type stuff, some lily bulbs and some gladiola bulbs and a huge bag of Miracle Grow Moisture Hold Soil. or something like that.

So, I planted the pansies. I just couldn't resist. We are still in frost danger. They're on their own. I was dying to plant the pinks. And the glads. And the lillie's and all the rest for that matter. It's killing me not to go plant everything yet!!! I don't even have the garden bed dug and enriched. *SIGH* Plus I know we could get a killing frost or two feet of snow at any moment. I really just kind of puttered around. I fertilized my roses and sprinkled anything else with new growth on it with the stinky stuff. I weeded a little here and there. The hated Witch Grass plucking is a never ending battle. I also moved the decorative fencing around a little more to suit myself. I forgot to take a pic of that. You'll see it soon. I mooned over the pit that is to be the "big" fish pond. I played in the bone chilling water of the small pond. I bought fish food too. My mom tells me don't feed the fish until the water is consistently over fifty degrees. Um. I fed the fish any way. I cleared some more trash up.

I basically just enjoyed the warmth and puttering. I did put some old screens over the pansies. I don't want them to be pummeled to death by the torrential rain we are supposed to get. We need to do some slash and burning around here! And all it does is rain and be freakin' windy as heck! GRRR! Ah well. Hopefully before the burning season is over. I can't wait for the end of frost season. I have seeds and seedlings to get dirty!

Gift Wrapping With Ferret's

Clear large space on table for wrapping present.
Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and shut door.
Open door and remove ferret from closet.
Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper.
Go back and remove ferret from cupboard.
Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc...
Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed.
Go back to drawer to get string, remove ferret that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string.
Remove present from bag.
Remove ferret from bag.
Open box to check present, remove ferret from box, replace present.
Lay out paper to enable cutting to size.
Try and smooth out paper, realize ferret is underneath and remove ferret.
Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight.
Throw away first sheet as ferret chased the scissors, and tore the paper.
Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting ferret in the bag the present came in.
Place present on paper.
Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize ferret is between present and paper. Remove ferret.
Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape.
Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from ferret with pair of nail scissors.
Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible.
Look for roll of ribbon. Chase ferret down hall in order to retrieve ribbon.
Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn.
Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to ferret's enthusiastic ribbon chase.
Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper.
Decide to skip steps 13-17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of paper.
Put present in box, and tie down with string.
Remove sting, open box and remove ferret.
Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for locked room.
Once inside lockable room, lock door and start to relay out paper and materials.
Remove ferret from box, unlock door, put ferret outside door, close and relock.
Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear ferret from outside door)
Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best)
Discover ferret has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because ferret helped with this last year as well.
Return to lockable room, lock door, and sit on toilet and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable.
Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas.
Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job.
Unlock door, and go to kitchen to make drink and feed ferret.
Spend 15 minutes looking for ferret until coming to obvious conclusion.
Unwrap present, untie box and remove ferret.
Go to store and buy a gift bag.

-Author Unknown

I don't deserve My Innergeek score. *TOTAL GEEK*

I just learned how to hyperlink a word.

By myself.

I am so proud of me!

I had asked a geek-type friend of mine to teach me, but I got tired of waiting.

So I googled it.

Yes, you heard me!

I GOOGLED IT.

I *HEART* GOOGLE!

And I lucked out at finding a very simple "How To".

WOOT!

Now I'm just showing off.

*roflsnorting*

Just highlight the word/words in your blog first, then click the hyperlink button and paste the link.

*BTW: "total Geek" is a low score.

Jeezums!

Beep Beep!

Clutch the pearls kids! My Jeep is road legal! Woo Hoo! Now it still needs work done, but it's a step closer! YEAYYYYY! And even better was putting the Firefighter Memorial License Plate's on. Getting the tires mounted and balanced on Thursday.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Nutritious :: fruit


2. Graduate :: congrats


3. Tonight! :: boredom


4. Located :: where?


5. Weapon :: hmmmm...


6. Jumper :: cables


7. Collectibles :: ferrets


8. Dennis :: town of


9. Hostile :: me


10. Vivid :: color

Next Time You Are In China Town...

Pick this tea up. I have no idea what the name is or where you get it in China Town (Boston). My mom picked it up a while ago. It is super de-lish! Just sharing since it's a tea kind of day. I don't do coffee unless I'm desperate. Tea's my dealio. I'd love to get to another cook shop and browse some teas again soon. For now, Christmas Tree Shop teas will have to do!

Ramble for the Moment *No Green Thumb Today*

So what was I just doing? I was playing Bejeweled 2 and thinking about a late lunch. NASCAR is on, we watch the Sunday races. *NASCAR : Not just for Rednecks anymore!* I had been surfing for blog fodder. *Found some good stuff* All is quiet out on the front step. I did sustain two minor injuries due to gardening yesterday. I somehow lightly sprained my R middle finger. Is someone trying to tell me something? (I might have done that bringing wood in for the stove though, who knows.) And, stupidly, I moved a barrel last night in the dark that was supporting 5 metal gardening fence pieces. *sigh* I forgot they were there and I didn't see them. I lifted the damn barrel and they CRASHED down onto the top of my R foot, taking some skin off and leaving me with a hell of a welt and a good bruise. DUMMY! Sheeshes! Hmm. my finger won't bend, and hurts, so maybe more than a slight sprain. It won't kill me. It will just annoy the hell out of me. It's freezing cold and drizzly out. I'm mad since I thought it was going to be "nice" out and I had a ton of things I wanted to do. GRRR! Anyway. I am pleased to say my new Byeta dose is really bringing my sugars down. I had the shakes really bad @ 4 ack-emma and had to go down to get a bowl of cereal! It's also cut my appetite way down. I really have to keep an eye on my sugars now. Never had to worry about being so low before. kinda scary. Hmmm... What else, what else? The cat's are all passed out on the bed. OH! I scrubbed the bathroom last night. Good old fashioned on-hands-and-knees scrubbing. Took down the shower curtains and washed them. I'm supposed to paint a color sample on the hall wall today. We will see if I get to it. I'm feeling lazy today. Any way. There is your ramble for the moment! I need a sammich!

The Green Thumb Project

This spot is by the back door. Only some Solomon's Seal against the house there, the rest are weeds. I've already gotten at some of the weeds and loosened up the soil. The plan here is going to be some kitchen herbs. And, I interrupted the blog and went out when it cleared up and did some more work on it. Now it's really late, so this is just about all I'ma gonna do for this blog! I raked more weeds out and added some good soil I recycled, put the birdbath in there and a brass froggy on top of the rock. Night Nights all!

The Green Thumb Project

I have several works in progress around the homestead here in Really Rural Land. I have the general yard clean up-this consists of not only raking and picking sticks, plus getting crapola and trash/junk into one managable out-of-the-way pile. Burning season ends May 1st, so we have to cut and clear brush and get that all burned up. Weather permitting. Not the fault of the rent-in-laws it's gotten away from them. I have a veggie garden in the planning. So far only the spot has been picked and cleared and a rough sketch of what and where plants are going to go. *SIGH* I have to hold M back... she seems to have a very large mouse in her pocket named "We". I know due to their summer commitments and age/health, I (the REAL mousie) am going to be the one taking care of said garden as well as building it. So I have reeled her back a time or two during planning. This is where the garden is going. A nice sunny spot behind the old dog pen. I have gardening ties i can use and I just need to get the ground dug up and add some good soil and plants.

The Whiner made a comment that the ponds were her and M's project (SPECIAL!). Yeah, well, screw you. I haven't seen any work done on both ponds... not since I met this family. They were clogged, almost bone dry and filthy. When I asked Whiner to water the garden and keep the leaky pond filled while we were away and M&D were away... I may as well have saved my breath. The pond dried to within an inch of it's life and I was lucky to save the poor plants in the parched garden. But that's another bitch for another blog moment. The mouse(s) named "WE" poked holes into the prefab liner and drained it and popped that sucker out. Next is to clean the gravel and stones out of it. Get some contractors sand, round out the sides, make it a safe fish depth and buy a new liner and get the pond going. The small pond is going to be for baby fish /hospital pond. Water Hyacinth's and lillies will go in for shade for the fish (as well as food and places to lay eggs)

Well, those are but two projects I am working on. Good enough for now. At least I remebered to get before pictures! Can't wait to get my green thumbs into the dirt.

'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'

I was a big Blondie fan way back when... But did you ever really know the dang words to this one?

Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

In between
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
Love is so confusing there's no peace of mind
If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good
You teasing like you do

Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

Lost inside
Adorable illusion and I cannot hide
I'm the one you're using, please don't push me aside
We coulda made it cruising, yeah

Yeah, riding high on love's true bluish light

Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out to be a pain in the ass
Seemed like the real thing only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

Congrats S&M!

I heard it through the grapevine. But my personal wedding song pick is this...

Paw Sox Season Opener: Police and Fire Edition!

"(Pawtucket, RI) - The PawSox rode the right arms of Bartolo Colon, Craig Hansen, Dan Kolb and Lee Gronkiewicz to a 3-0 win on opening night at McCoy Stadium. Colon tossed 5 shutout innings, striking out five and allowing one base hit. The single by Adam Boeve was the only Indianapolis hit of the night. Colon looked sharp, with good command of his pitches. The burly righty touched 96 miles an hour on the radar gun. Hansen, Kolb and Gronkiewicz shut down the Indy offense the rest of the way. The PawSox scored all their runs in the third inning as Jonathan Van Every lined a homerun into the home bullpen to make it 2-0. Brandon Moss added an RBI double to cap the scoring. Joe Thurston had a pair of hits for Pawtucket in the win. Chris Carter and Jeff Bailey had the other Pawtucket safeties. The series continues on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. David Pauley faces Indy's Ty Taubenheim."

We were lucky enough to get the tickets from my policeman type brother-in-law. It being Police and Fire Appreciation night. (I noticed the cute cops and fire guys strewn throughout the stands. Plus you can always tell where the red and blue are by how loud and drunk they are, lmao. doh, I'm in trouble now!) It was a "Family Thing" though a few couldn't make it due to work, and we had to leave by 8:45p due to work. IT WAS FREEZING! It was FUN! I had tears in my eyes in the opening ceremonies. Yes, I am a sap. They had like 10 different police and fire color guards, a bagpipe band (of course!) Once they struck up Amazing Grace, I was done for. Plus they honored fallen RI military personnel and fallen police and fire brethren. Took all I had not to bawl! They had cannons firing and two Black Hawk helicopters do a flyover. Such tradition! Honor, Baseball and Bagpipes! These guys are trying for the Major's or had a taste of the Majors. They really play hard and play well. I think a lot of Major League players should get rotated out once in a while. Show 'em what's what! Bring them back to their roots!

"Word Verification" (Do they have an ointment for that?)

Word Verification. It's a bitch, I hate it.

It's like fighting to open a jar of pickles. You KNOW you can't open it with your bare hands! Yet you fight and twist and strain until you remember to get out the rubber thingy from the bottom of a drawer (that's dried to little crumbly pieces because you haven't used it in a millennium) to wrap around the lid. You use the biggest crumbled piece of the thingy to crack it open- only to get pickle juice all down your front.

It's like suddenly fearing the last step on the stairs because you're unsure of your balance and you don't want to fall, so you hesitate. And fall on your face anyway as soon as you step down.

It's like threading a very tiny needle with thread the diameter of a piece of hair. Try as you might, with one eye closed and tongue poking out with your face scrunched up so you look like Igor from Frankenstein's lab, it takes umpteen tries. You end up wanting to poke your own eye out with said needle and strangle yourself with the thread.

*SIGH*

Word Verification has me wanting to set up the handicap programs that came with my computer. I mean, really. I'm dead serious. I AM an intelligent adult. Yet nine times out of ten I can't get the damn thing CORRECT! All I want to DO is make a STINKIN' comment! YEESH! But NO! You have to go through stinkin' WORD VERIFI-FREAKIN-CATION! Sample of one of my recent tries to comment on a blog below:

"getbimebiotch"

Okie. Tapitty, tap, tap. Oops. I missed a letter? Hmph.

"sukr"

Okayyy. Tap, tap, tapity-tap...

WTF?! Not again!?

"faquretrdad1"

HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! Are those words? Those are words! WTF??? Those are ALMOST WORDS! And where the HELL did the numeral come from?!? Well fa-qu too! Freakin' frackin' sucky website, grrr, grumble, growl. So I end up hitting enter a few hundred times to get to (ohhh, ECSTASY!) A four letter word!

"assht" My teeth grind and my hands shake.

I start talking out loud to my computer now.

"You callin' ME an asshat?"

"Where are the freakin' four freakin' letter words!!!!!!"

STAB, STAB, STABBING at the keyboard now.

YESSSS!

A four letter word!

I get giddy!

Relief washes through me.

I can finally make my freakin' comment!!!!!!!

PLEASE TYPE YOUR VERIFICATION HERE:

"losr"

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!