Of Mud and Muck

TGIF!! (even though I am not of the 9 to 5 population)

 This weekend marks our adventure into the Mudathlon.

It sounds crazy that anyone would want to do this but sometimes you have to be a little crazy to have fun! 

This is going to be one of many (I hope) family activities/adventures upon which we will build memories.  Hopefully they will all be funny (not sorry) moments we will recall. 

Some of us don't like mud.  This is where I raise an eyebrow.  You see, I am hoping that somewhere along that slippery slope, that sticky pit, that soggy path, I will conjure my dad and he will be laughing loud enough for us to hear it and be proud that we, like no other, embraced the family name: Muck. 

It's a skewed way of looking at it but for me it's just part of the frosting on the cake.  Imagine growing up with 'Muck' as your last name.  Thank God we didn't move much because there are a LOT of Mucks from my hometown and surrounding area.  I never realized just how local it was until I moved away.

Anyhoo, I am a little excited and a little anxious.  I know I have to duct tape my shoes on, but I am wondering about my shorts.  :O

I will let you know.



Messy

Hello again!

  It's been a busy couple days for me.

Monday's duty was to go with my daughter see my mom in Michigan .  Mom has recently been moved to a nursing home.  She's got a few health issues but is still mobile; she is just a bit frail. And trust me - she is still quite vocal.  If some of the things she says weren't so funny I think we'd (my siblings and I) be depressed about her.  It's those remarks that are the barometer of her cognitive abilities.

Tuesday was the first of four Watercolor painting classes, followed by a long lunch which was followed by a long phone call.  It was a day for catching up with friends!

Yesterday was a celebration of my older sister's birthday.  We sure can have fun doing a whole lot of nothing.  And, in case you are wondering, the answer is, "Yes.  My sister's DO talk as much as I do."  I will leave you to your comments/thoughts about this fact (that you wish I could hear....or maybe not).

Today brings me back around to the Picture of the Day!!!

I love this and whine to myself when I am not on top of things enough to make this picture and verbal vomit happen.

Anyway, when I looked up today's word I didn't have to go far to capture the picture(s). The word is "messy".

I do realize that I should just refer to this area as "My Mess" instead of "My Desk".

Some of you aren't surprised by this and none of you should be. 

  I know (pretty much) where everything is in this space.  The rest of the house is tidy, which is kept as such for others.  However, this is my space.  It's where I hang out a whole lot and clearly 'let my hair down'. 

Above said mom would just be shaking her head and saying something about leading a horse to water.

Oh yeah - it's like that.

A rainy Saturday

I was just looking at my comments and followers.  Ha!  Funny in a way because it almost makes me more bothered that several people look at it instead of one or two.  While I love being with a few, many tend to make me crazy.

I missed yesterday's picture post, but I am getting in today's just under the wire.  Here it is....  Someplace I sat.

This is my desk chair.  Most days you will find me hanging out here off and on throughout the day.  I enjoy using my computer to look things up, keep in touch,find recipes, shop,  even play games.  (My new habit is Ma Jong) 

We just got back from a Rib Festival here in town.  We didn't stay too long because the weather is rotten and we are currently under a tornado warning.  And, yes, I am at my desk. 

I am not one to go running to the basement at the first warning.  Tornadoes and I have a small history.  I'll get off here in a minute, but right now the storm is just winding up.  Hey - I'm still connected, right?  Actually, I have to close up the garage and the pedestrian doors leading in/out of it.  It was so hot today that the garage became the boiler room of the Titanic.

Plus I need to go floss....ribs will do that to you. 

Hope you enjoyed my little post.  It's flighty - like me.  My choo is chugging around the bend lately so if I seem a little off, please be patient.  I'll get back to my version of normal soon.

One

Today's photo prompt is "One".  This word sent me off in a million directions but I kept going back to a picture I took a couple days ago. Maybe going back to a previously taken photo isn't in the spirit of all things Photo A Day but I have decided that I am not that concerned about rules or parameters.

This is  a cone flower called "Paprika".  Pretty isn't it?

My gardens ( or "beds" as I usually call them) are things that always bring me joy - especially when all I have to do is look at them instead of weed, trim, or clean them out for fall.  They certainly are a big part of my life in the warmer weather.  Many times after a run in the morning or after dinner at night (can you tell I don't like hot weather?) I will take a slow walk around the house, stopping and looking at each bed's blooms and searching for weeds or bugs or other signs of growth or trouble.

Which reminds me that I have not seen a single toad in any of the beds this year.  I know it sounds a little silly, but I LIKE the toads!  I want them in my flowers.  They eat a lot of bugs  - many of which I am not a fan.  Yes, I will work in the beds with bugs and all (though spiders usually send me inside) other creatures.  Once I spent an entire summer with small rabbit playing hide-n-seek with me in the garden just outside the master bedroom.

Oops!  I am off on a tangent.

I will let you go in a second.... just one more thing to add....

This is the other "one" that came to mind.  Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes in Hawaii.  Now that is a one I can appreciate from all angles!

When I get so old that I need to go in a home [because no one will shoot me instead] you will only have my blessing if the place has amazing food.  Amazing.  Not mediocre. Not pretty good.  Amazing. 

 ...and yeah, it will be like that!

Outside

Okay!  I am off to a good start. I suppose having a prompt makes blogging easier.  It seems to be that way for me. 

The prompt for today's picture is "Outside".  I have many photos suitable for this  title.  I love to be outside, though I am a fair-weather outdoors woman.  

 I am not a fan of HOT.  There are several people like myself who would love to live in a climate that ranges around between 65* to 75* with that happy medium of 70* in the middle.  I haven't found that place yet.  If you do, will you let me know?  I want to get there before it gets too crowded.

Anyway, here's my version of Outside.

Nothing like a trail canopied in green to make you want to take a walk in the woods. 

My evil side just revealed itself in thinking that if it was cleared and filled with store fronts I'd be thinking that there's nothing like a smooth, clean sidewalk lined with stores to make you want to go shopping.

True to it's reputation, my evil side sometimes causes trouble!

Yup - you know what I mean.

Have a great day!



Here I go again.

I know that I said in my last blog that I was going to post more often.   I never should have said that.

 As soon as I closed the blog window no one, not even me, should have gone away looking forward to my next post.  I know better than that and now you do too.

I am the Queen of Good Intentions. I should be the Queen of Good Deeds instead, but by now we both know that it isn't going to happen. Let's just take this one little blog post at a time. Ok?

This picture is of the moon last month that was the biggest and brightest moon of the year.  It was really beautiful and very unique. 

Sometimes I want to be like that moon.  While I know I am unique - just ask my family and friends - I am hoping that something I do in this second half of my life is something really beautiful.  I am not sure what it will be but I have been thinking about it for a while and keeping my mind open to possibilities.

 I am also going to try to be on here a little more with the help of my camera.  (Hey, now I have said this [in print] twice.  The odds are getting better!)  I love taking pictures and a friend of mine sent me some subject prompts for "A picture a day".  Turns  out that my friend and my daughter are doing the same list.  Small blogosphere?  Anyway, I plan on posting them here. 

Cross your fingers and hope I keep up! 
 (And I know what your'e thinking - Yeah, it's like that!)

Laugh - it's a good thing!

Although I have no real followers (yet), except family at this point, I am going to try to post on here more often.  My daughter has provided lots of inspiration for me to do so with her blog.  I love to read it.  And since she is not around here like she used to be, it has given me some insight about her and that makes me feel a little more in touch.  How good is that?! 

So here's something that has been going on in my life -  This week I have had two seperate conversations with friends that have made me laugh so hard that I cried.  I won't relate the stories because they are too long and won't be as funny without the back-stories.

But my point is that every time I laugh that hard I am reminded that laughing is good for the soul.  Laugh with someone and your spirit soars!  Laugh at someone....well, you better have on shoes you can run in or else be very good at apologies.  No matter.  What hearty laughter does is creates a memory that will often live through the ages. like this one below. 

A surprise party I will never forget.  SO much fun!

One of my college roommates at my daughter's wedding.  It was a blast - both the wedding and the photo booth!

  As you can imagine, I just got lost in a bit of nostalgia remembering those events. So why not think about something you laughed about once a day?  Or at least a couple times a week?  Not only does it make you appreciate the people around you, it might just change the course of your day.   ....all because you laughed!