My Hillbilly Name Is.......

As promised.......thx barb......

Your Hillbilly Name Is...

Shelby Lynne Harley

Hillbilly Name Generator

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween all you fellow Blogger scary people (need not apply...hehe).

While searching around the Web, I found some cool links to share with all ghosties and goblinies around the world.

Ben and Jerry's Flavor Graveyard

Halloween Origins and Customs

The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows

All Recipes

Even Google got into the Halloween act..........now how about that?

My Halloween was most excellent. After a little last minute decoration shopping, courtesy of Home Depot and Canadian Tire, we gave out 95 of our 100 goodie bags. BOO!

Not The Post That I Thought It Would Be

This was a slow post day for me. Work is kind of busy, and I guess that life in general is also kind of busy. I had the idea to post some pictures of the lovely birthday gifts that I received. These pictures are here as you can see. Then, the infamous light bulb came on in my sometimes tiny head.

These two gifts were from two very special people in my life.

Of course, a little background.

It was back in 1981. We were newly engaged. It was September, and we had travelled to Toronto to meet my future mother-in-law. We had driven in on Friday , and arrived quite late. My future Mother-in-law was preparing to move, and we were going to help with the packing, and introduce me to her. For sleeping arrangements, My Sweetie had a bed, and a room. I was to sleep on the living room couch. I remember not being able to fall asleep right away, because it was new surroundings, and I couldn't quite get settled. I finally did fall asleep, but I also remember waking up in the middle of the night to a pair of big green eyes staring up at me from the floor. It was Minnie the cat. I was a little taken aback, and wondered if this animal would jump on me, and attack. But no. She just wanted to check out who this stranger was asleep on the couch.

When I awoke in the morning, there were two people sitting on the chairs that were facing the couch. In one of the chairs sat my future sister-in-law, and in the other my future mother-in-law. Now, you might think, what a way to meet your soon to be married family. But in retrospect, it was quite comfortable, and natural, and certainly not pretentious, formal or strained.

Now, back to the pictures. Those two gifts were from those two special ladies, and I consider myself fortunate to have them in my life.

Fallic Boy

My Sweetie and I will be married 25 years next year. We've experienced so many wonderful things during that time together. Also during that time, we've collected (there's that word again) a number of plants. Some of the plants are more recent acquisitions, such as the huge palm leaf from my Mom's funeral, but we have some others that literally have been with us since our marriage and before (as shower gifts).

One of these little babies we refer to as Fallic Boy (I changed the spelling to save my poor blog from the AdSnoops....so it should really be p-h-a-l-l-i-c), a little cactus (now no longer little). Named Fallic Boy because this particular cactus had no other limbs except for one.

Of course, a little background.

Fallic Boy has been around for between 20 to 25 years. He was a gift from my Mom and Dad (notice it has a gender) has moved with us from Montreal to Toronto to our present location, and he survived. Well, he survived, but not without a few accidents along the way. If I remember correctly, he may have been dropped, at least once which would have resulted in a major damage to his little limb. What once was one not-so-little fallicy, ended up being a number of smaller fallic type shoots.

So Fallic Boy ended up with brothers all co-habiting in the same pot. I think the pot may have changed form time to time to accommodate the Fallic family growth, expansion, and sproutation. Sort of like kids outgrowing their cribs, and moving into big-kid beds.

So, exactly where was I going with this? Probably nowhere, but I doubt if anyone who has a cactus will ever really be able to view it the same way ever again.

I really want to visit the desert.....hmmm.

My iPod

I am a techno geek. There, I said it. I wish all women were, then I'd have something in common with at least some of them, because I find a lot of women are not quite into this kind of thing (that goes for computers too). I love to tinker with HTML code, and experience the cause and effects of code changes. I love to be in touch with the latest technology (luv BlackBerry).

Last year, My Sweetie bought me a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) which was meant to replace my old VCR. At first I was hesitant about it, but it quickly became My Beloved PVR. This year, My Sweetie bought me an iPod, Again, I initially looked at it with trepidation (since I had an MP3 player a few years back, and never mastered the darned thing). So, the new gadget has now been named My Beloved iPod, because I have, so far, my favorite music on it....my Dave Matthews, my Norah Roberts, my Peter Gabriel, oh.....and Maneater by Nellie Furtado.

The best thing about this new giftie, is that My Sweetie also purchased a car adapter kit for My Beloved iPod (I don't have a CD player in my car, hence I rely solely on the mercy of a good radio station). This kit will amplify the contents of my iPod throughout my car.....woo hoo!

So my day so far has been spent doing the following (and I suspect that the remainder of the day will continue in much the same fashion):

playing with iPod

doing laundry

playing with iPod

picking up around the house

playing with iPod

having lunch

playing with iPod

changed the bed

playing with iPod

cuddled with the cat

playing with iPod

The Creep Who Came To Visit

Did you ever meet someone who literally gave you the creeps? I did. Today. And I wasn't the only one who noticed it. The feeling was so strong, it was almost as if the vibes were emanating from this person's pores.

As usual, a little background.

A nameless establishment contacted us about a complimentary service for our home. Since we had used this company before, we decided to have them come to do what they do, and then we would decide later what we would do.

The Creepy Person arrived, and since I was busy with work, My Sweetie handled the appointment. Not long after, I came to get a cup of tea. The Creepy Person turned to say hello, and introduced himself. Even before he opened his mouth, the creepy crawly feeling slithered over my skin. I kept looking at My Sweetie who remained expressionless, and I wasn't sure if he was picking up the same vibes or not (although later, I learned that he was).

When the inspection was over, the Creepy Person went to the kitchen table, and sat down, and he looked like he was making himself comfortable for lunch, and said as much (he was probably joking, but it didn't come out that way). My Sweetie and I exchanged glances as if to say 'what the f*** do we do now???'. The Creepy Person inquired if we wanted a follow-up to complete the actual work, and My Sweetie said no and that we would decide later. The guy was all but shoved out the door, to take his creepiness with him.

This was how we were affected by this visit, but the strangest part is next.

Now, when the Creepy Person walked into the house, our sweetie kitty, CoCo, had an absolute fit. She is a calm, good natured kitty. She doesn't bite or scratch. Doesn't growl or hiss. Heck, she hardly ever meows. She will, at times, come out to visit with company. But when the Creepy Person walked into the house, she had been in the kitchen, and she hissed and spat, and slithered upstairs, and sidled along the railing into the safety of our bedroom, to take cover behind our headboard. She later buried herself under a blanket, never to be seen by the world. She even felt the creepiness. Now, for CoCo, coming from an abusive home, My Sweetie had wondered about CoCo's behaviour toward the Creepy Person, almost as if he might have sounded like her old owner, or maybe WAS her old owner. Or maybe she sensed that he was evil, or an axe murderer, or whatever.

Whatever the case, it was creepy and spooky, and the Creepy Person, who didn't even need a costume for this, will never again be allowed into our home.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Many thanks to those thoughtful friends and family and blog family who remembered my birthday. I really appreciate the kindness. My Sweetie (xxxxx) spoiled me again this year, and treated me to a little technology......an iPod...so now I can put my Def Leppard, Dave Matthews, Norah Jones, and CSNY, all in one place.

Oh! And I also decided to give myself a new Blog template for my birthday. They had the Harbor template, and I thought that most represented me (I especially like the little lighthouse that accompanies each post). Now all I have to do is customize the sidebar to my liking.

I hope you all like the new look.

The Day Before My Birthday

...and not a creature was stirring...not even a mouse (sorry tg)....Ho hum.

For the past couple of years, my birthday seems to have come and gone, like a spring snowstorm. This year, I am probably going to be pooped by the end of the big day, due to work demands. That's okay though. Can't have it all, right?

Temprarily, also, I disabled the Comment moderation function, since I can't really monitor things well enough this week....so feel free to comment away. I won't mind. I think it's jmai who says, me likey the comments. Me do!

How Do You Thank Someone Who Is No Longer Here?

Back in July, I wrote a post For My Honorary Sister, Pat. Our families became interconnected through my late Mother, and so we are, in a way, extended family.

We had just started our vacation, and we were on our boat, in the middle of Georgian Bay, when we had learned this very sad news. Unable to return in time for the service, I wrote the post.

It's now been 3 months since Patricia left us, and it is still very difficult, but we are all trying to adjust to her absence, trying to move on, especially Her Hubby.

But, it seems that Patricia is still guiding and helping Her Hubby. He might find little notes or reminders, just as I found little notes after my Mom passed away. But, there have been some odd things happening also. Her Hubby told me that he found something - a wrapped gift in an air conditioner box. Pat had bought, and wrapped the gift, and placed it in the box, knowing that the air conditioner would need to be stowed away after the summer, and before the cold weather set in. Little did I know that there was another gift in that box.

My birthday gift. A gift from the past. Eerie, yet comfortable, and special.

Even though she was going through so much at the time, she had lovingly and thoughtfully, bought, and wrapped, and placed that gift, knowing that it would be found, to be delivered in time for my birthday. And, for anyone who knows me as KittyLady, the gift was everything about cats; so typically Pat.



So, exactly how do you say thank you to someone who is not here anymore? Well, I guess, yesterday was that thank you, with the lovely time spent with Her Hubby, and knowing that I always have my private thoughts and prayers, sent to my angels who are never out of my thoughts.

They say it is not about the end but about the journey that takes you there. Well, there was a journey, and there was an end, but there is another journey waiting to unfold.

It's All About Food...Or Is It?

My Sweetie does not eat. He is the only person that I know who can go for an entire day without food or water. He doesn't get hungry, and he simply gets busy and then forgets to eat.

Not me.

I eat many times throughout the day....not copious amounts of food, but frequent foraging. I think I left a comment about this in Miss Daday's blog. From the time that I get up in the morning, it's all about food. My measuring cups are used religiously to portion what I eat. My scale is forever in the counter. My WW books are always nearby for consultation. My journal and pen are poised for me to track. My water jug is always ready to go (as do I, but that's too much information).

And so, throughout the day, I eat breakfast, then elevenses, lunch, then mid afternoon coffee break, dinner, and the after dinner surprise.

Okay, okay, sometimes I don't always do it perfectly. Sometimes I fall off, and struggle to get back on. But I like to eat.

And I never forget!

Calabar's Tag

Then I was tagged by Calabar Gal2......(getting tired here).....

FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE
1. Programmer
2. Clerical
3. Camp counselor
4. Analyst

FOUR FICTIONAL JOBS YOU WISH YOU HAD
1. Mascot
2. News reporter
3. Travel agent
4. Cruise entertainer

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN
1. Beetlejuice
2. Dirty Dancing
3. Ghost
4. Pretty Woman

FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN
1. Montreal
2. Toronto
3. Brampton
4. Barrie

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH
1. Survivor
2. The Amazing Race
3. America's Next Top Model
4. The Apprentice

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION/TRAVELED TO
1. Mexico
2. Dominican Republic
3. Prince Edward Island
4. The North Channel

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY
1. cnn.com
2. cbc.ca
3. canoe.ca
4. mirror.co.uk

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS
1. Chicken Katsu
2. Indian Nan bread
3. Tapanyaki
4. Sticky Fingers wings and ribs

FOUR THINGS YOU WON'T EAT
1. Oysters
2. Rare Steak (I prefer my meat well done – Thank You.....ME TOO!)
3. Capers
4. Olives

FOUR THINGS YOU WISH YOU COULD EAT OR DRINK RIGHT NOW
1. Ice cream
2. Lemon meringue pie
3. Chocolate
4. A milk shake

FOUR THINGS IN YOUR BEDROOM
1. Bedroomm set
2. Rocking chair
3. Cedar chest
4. My late Mom's sewing machine

FOUR THINGS YOU WISH YOU HAD IN YOUR BEDROOM
1. A TV
2. A fireplace
3. A stereo
4. A couch

FOUR THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW
1. T-shirt
2. Track suit
3. Socks
4. Jewelery

FOUR PLACESI'DD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. England (anywhere there)
2. Mexico
3. Hawaii
4. Italy

FOUR PEOPLE YOUÂ’D REALLY LOVE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
1. Belinda Stronach
2. Hillary Clinton
3. Yoko Ono
4. Donald Trump

FOUR THINGS YOU ARE THINKING RIGHT NOW
1. The upcoming week
2. The next answer on this list
3. How I should get ready for bed
4. Where is the chocolate?

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS
1. My cats
2. My computer
3. My PVR
4. My gym

FOUR PEOPLE YOU TAG
lattegirl, barb, Miss Daday, jmai

I've Been Tagged.....Again.....Wah!

I've been tagged by Skittles on this one, so here goes:

I have to list five things about myself that I think are weird.

1. I like dunking my potato chips in my glass of Coke.

2. I can bend the thumb on my left hand into a horizontal flat position.

3. I took a Calculus course as a pleasure course...Seriously.

4. I like to keep my my food from touching adjoining food on my plate.
(I'm a real treat at a pot luck I can tell you).

5. I can sit with my toes bent under my feet.

Note: There could be other very odd things about me, but you asked for 5, and 5 it is.

And now I tag the following.......
lattegirl, terry, Miss Daday, jmai, Calabar Gal

Yesterday, All the Boat Got Tarped in Just A Day

That subject line, for best effect, should be sung to the tune of The Beatles' ever famous 'Yesterday'. That is also how we spent our day yesterday....tarping the boat. Sounds like an easy enough task, right? Perhaps. But it always ends up taking longer than it should. And it is always a lot of work. Where are those dock boys when you really need them?

Just Hangin' Out

We started the day by visiting the storage to pick up the framing, and loading it into the car. The plan was to (1) remove any remaining important things from the boat....freezables, clothing, paper contents, and then (2) we would frame the boat so that we could get the cover on at a later time. Well, we, did all that stuff, and then the plan changed, because it was supposed to rain today (which it certainly is doing as I write this). Once the dodger and enclosure were removed, the cockpit was exposed to the elements, and we don't like that. So, we took the time to re-visit the storage place in order to pick up the winter cover (it's a heavy sucker). We arrived back at the boat, and started to sort things out. Because the cover weighs so much, we had it altered last year into two pieces. We then unroll the thing and figure out which is the fore piece and which is the aft piece (always fun). Once we got that done and got the thing up onto the boat, My Sweetie spent the remaining 5 hours adjusting, tugging, taping, tying, oh, and swearing I am sure (although I didn't exactly hear any of it).

The long and short of it was that the boat is snug for the winter. There are a couple of minor things to take care of (yeah right), but the biggest tasks are complete.

I missed my bloggie friends, although, if I had thought of it, I should have brought the laptop...there's wireless at the marina....duh!

Captain Peek-A-Boo

A Light and Fluffy Post

CoCo got da recyclin' blues

Introducing one of the loves of and in our lives - CoCo our "faded Calico". Isn't she a sweetie? But then I am biased of course. She is a true lap cat, though not in this picture. Apparently, she wants to be recycled.

CoCo is roughly 8 years old, I say 'roughly' because she was about a year and a half, when we got her in 1999 (I think). In any case, she was one of three siblings - Pepsi, Coke, and Sprite. She was Coke. When she was at the Pet store, she was with one remaining sibling, Pepsi. Sprite had already been adopted. We always understood that these little pookers had been the receivers of verbal abuse (the owner would literally scream into their little faces. So, because of that, they all had behaviours resulting from that verbal vomiting. At the Pet Store, Pepsi remained at the back of her cage, huddled in a blanket, looking totally frightened. Coke, on the other hand, came over to the cage door, and wanted to be petted so badly, and would rub along the cage door and purrrrrr so loudly. We fell in love, and brought her home. Hence was the introduction of CoCo into our home.

Our home, every inch and crevice of it, belongs to our kitties (we have 2, and BJ has been in some earlier posts, and is due for updated recognition). CoCo is notorious for finding many and varied spots for resting in.....

CoCo in her basket

CoCo on top of the world

CoCo with fleece

CoCo got such a rough life....yawn....and hey! Throw some more recycling paper over me will you? It's bright in here!

Got Allergies? This Could Be You!

Interesting picture eh? Maybe you've seen this before, or even had this done (but, I don't want to know about it okay?....too much information). I certainly haven't been fortunate enough to partake in this, so seeing this was a first for me. It's called Patch Testing (gosh I hope this doesn't start showing up in my A-D-S!).

Well, this is My Sweetie's back. My Sweetie's back has this big patch across the top with 62 numbered little dots. Each dot means something to the important people, but means absolutely nothing to us.

What exactly My Sweetie is being tested for, we don't know, and we might not know for days, weeks, heck could be years (kidding). In the meantime, he is not allowed to shower, or sweat. I leave that to you to figure out what he can and cannot do. Anyway, I thought I'd share this little gem with you.

Oh! The thing on his left ear? That's his blue tooth (otherwise known as the borg non-implant.

Have a good night chickies.

Do You Drive Like A Guy Or A Girl?

That first quiz was so much fun, and I really deserve a break today (but alas no McDonald's for me), so I decided to try one of the other little quizzes, and here is the run-down........

Your Driving Is is: 43% Male, 57% Female

According to studies, you drive both like a guy and a girl. This means you're a pretty average driver, with typical quirks. Occasionally you're frustrated and or a little reckless, but that's the exception - not the norm.

Do You Drive Like a Guy or a Girl?

My Career Type is Investigative

Thanks to Skittles' Place, for posting this on her blog, and thanks to me for actually going to the link and filling out this shorty.

If you want to, you can try the quiz via the link at the bottom.

Your Career Type: Investigative

You are precise, scientific, and intellectual. Your talents lie in understanding and solving math and science problems. You would make an excellent: Architect - Biologist - Chemist Dentist - Electrical Technician - Mathematician Medical Technician - Meteorologist - Pharmacist Physician - Surveyor - Veterinarian The worst career options for your are enterprising careers, like lawyer or real estate agent.

What's Your Ideal Career?

PTS and Sundry Info

1. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to be involved in my friend's PTS (Personal Training) practical exam, which she passed with flying colors (Congratulations, Lutador!). She had to develop a program for a case client, Gail. Yesterday, I was Gail, and my friend was my Personal Trainer. We did some cardio, we did the bench press, the overhead press, push ups, tricep dips, cooldown. Once the session was complete, the examiner provided her critique, and also providing the passing grade. Our reward and treat awaited us at Williams Coffee Pub for a hot drink and to share a yumyum waffle.



2. Today was our first cleaning session with our lady. After we worked out some logistics, we got started, where basically I shadowed her. That worked well. The house smells, and looks amazing. It's almost a shame to have to use the bathrooms now! Wow. She is a hard worker, very thorough, she does a lot, she works fast, and taught me a few things as well. I am so glad that we decided to go ahead with this.



3. Tomorrow, I might be able to finish the book that I've been reading. I am so close to completing The Lovely Bones, and so far I have enjoyed it. Not quite sure yet what I am going to select next from my bookshelf, but when I know, you'll know.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Skittles, and she was kind enough to explain what I had to do, since I am a newbie at this. So here goes:

MOVIES
1. The last movie you saw in a theater.
Pirates of the Caribbean Part 2

2. The last movie you rented/purchased for home viewing.
Purchased Harry Potter

3. A movie that made you laugh out loud.
??

4. A movie that made you cry.
Lord of the Rings (all of them)

5. A movie that was a darling of the critics, but you didnÂ’t think lived up to the hype.
??

6. A movie that you thought was better than the critics.
??

7. Favorite animated movie.
Monsters Inc.

8. Favorite Disney Villain.
Randall Boggs

9. Favorite movie musical.
Mary Poppins

10. Favorite movies of all-time.
Beetlejuice
Dirty Dancing
Edward Scissorhands
Ghost
Gone with the Wind
Imitation of Life
Lord of the Rings (all)
Pirates of theCaribbeann (both)
Psycho
The Birds
The Breakfast Club
The Wizard of OZ
......many more


To the following 5 bloggers.....TAG....you're it!:
lattegirl, terry, Miss Daday, jmai, Calabar Gal.

Boat Has A BooBoo

Yesterday was haulout day, a cold and blustery day, but our boat was hauled. However, while it was hanging in the slings, we noticed a big crack fore and aft of the keel (this is starting to sound vaguely reminiscent of 1999, which is another story entirely). But before jumping to conclusions, like how water wouldn't cause a fracture like that, you're right. It wouldn't. But a submerged article would and could. And that is now our confirmed suspicion.

Let's travel back in time.

It was July 24th, and the third day of our summer vacation. We had already spent two days traveling on Georgian Bay, and were on our third day. This day would have us sailing for 7 hours to our ultimate destination, Killarney. The weather was overcast, it was windy, and we spent much of the trip motor sailing through rain bursts. We were in about 240 feet of water, when we heard a loud THUD and felt the boat shake. My Sweetie and I looked at each other in shock, trying to make sense of this (since water doesn't THUD). Now, sometimes when sailing, wind from the stern can be flukey, and cause the sail to jibe and make a hard snapping sound. Seriously, that is what we thought it was. It had crossed our minds to have the boat lifted once we go to Killarney, but they were still dealing with the after effects of a huge storm that had passed through there the previous week, and the travel lifts were not operating (in fact most establishments were still trying to resume power and re-engage docks that had floated away. It was not an emergency. We were not taking on any water, and so we dismissed any idea that we could have possibly hit something, and continued with our holiday. From time to time, we would discuss what had happened, but that was all.

Fast forward to yesterday.

After witnessing the cracks in the hull, we certainly have different thoughts about the whole thing. That bad storm in the area must have dislodged something....a huge log or tree or a picnic table or even, I cringed, a dead body (but that's too gross to even consider).

So now, we play the waiting game.

Wait until we can talk to the insurance people about this.

Wait until the boat can be inspected.

Wait to see if any of the ribs are cracked, because if they are, they are not easily repaired, and the boat could be considered a total write-off at that point.

So, our season has now come to a crashing end, and our minds are swirling with what-ifs. But despite all of that, we can still look back on last summer, and know that it was a pretty good sailing season. We visited some splendid places, linked up with old friends, and made new ones.

Now if we could only put a big band-aid to fix the booboo, we would be very happy.