A bucket list... things you want to do before you kick the "bucket"...

Raising Sand...

Thinking about buying a good album this weekend. Check out this clip about Raising Sand by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant. It looks like a winner.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss share the stage performing their own classics as well as songs from their new album, Raising Sand in the next all-new episode of CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss premiering Monday, February 11 at 8:00pm (EST)/7:00pm (CST).

You can listen to the album HERE.

Source: http://www.thurbroeders.nl/wordpress/

Rona Barrett from Hollywood...

Three things old people need to remember...

• Never pass up a bathroom
• Never waste a hard-on
• Never trust a fart

Those were was the funniest lines of the movie we saw this evening, The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Oh my, I haven't seen so many 60 something people in a movie theater in years. They came in droves, which only goes to show that baby boomers really love going to the movies, they just need a reason to go.

The critics weren't too kind to this movie, and while it was a bit cheesy, it was an absolute treat. Of course, Nicholson is always the self-parody, but Morgan Freeman was mesmerizing to watch. He was so handsome and so polished, he's one of our great actors and just seeing him on the big screen was worth the price of the senior citizen ticket.

And the most profound line of the movie...

The measure of a life is when others measures their lives to yours...

A goodie for you, tonight...

I grew up watching Amos 'n' Andy. They weren't racist, they were just funny... Oh, this brings back memories... I wish the quality were better, it's scratchy, but it's a good anyway, girlfriends...

Camera Info...

My camera that I told you about last night is a Canon Powershot A720 IS. It's an 8 MegaPixel with a 6X Zoom for under $200. Hooterville held my hand and walked me thru setting it up. She absolutely detests when people set their camera on "Auto" so she helped me program mine, and of course she's right, the pictures I take with it on the "P" setting, are a vast improvement over the "Auto" setting.

My favorite thing about this camera, other than it is ridiculously easy to operate, is the LCD screen. I always take pictures using the "Brownie Finder" but no more. The LCD screen is really large, and really clear. It's great.

There is one downside to the camera, and it's the recovery time after you take a flash picture. There isn't much lag at all when you take the picture, but it takes the camera five seconds to recover before you can take another picture using the flash. Jean explained that since this camera only uses 2AA batteries, that's why it's not faster. But it's such a little thing, and of course if you are shooting outside without the flash pictures are instant.

So anyhoo, take a walk over to Steve's Digicam Website and check this little beauty out. Here's the CLICK.

I ordered mine online from Newegg.com, it came in two days. I also ordered the 2G memory card, and I'm a really happy camper. Here's the CLICK for Newegg.

I learned a few things last night....

I was watching Larry King last night with hubby, and Dr. Laura was on for the last half hour. Now whether you like this woman, or you don't, after watching her, I thought she had some really profound, thought provoking views. Here's part of what she had to say...

On politics:

Women came out in droves in New Hampshire to vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a female, masses of people have been voting for Obama because he is black, and religious people are supporting Mike Huckabee because he is a good Christian. This is HORRIBLY stupid.

When you are electing the leader of the free world you need to look at what the person stands for, what the values are, and what they can do for our country, and not vote for them because of race, gender or religious affiliation.

On relationships:

Marriage in this country is in trouble because people are selfish. It's all about what I need, what I want and how I feel. When you marry someone you are commited to them, and every morning when you open your eyes and look at your spouse lying beside you, you should ask yourself, "what can I do for my partner today to make him/her glad that they married me?." If you do that, focus on what you can do for them instead of yourself, then they will be happy and because of that, you will be happy, too. Everybody wins.

On sex:

One viewer called in and said that they had been married for seven years and wanted to know how often they should be having sex. Dr. Laura said that you should set aside fifteen minutes each and every day, a minimum of fifteen minutes, to kiss and cuddle and hold each other and then see what progresses from there.

That was pretty insightful wasn't it? She has a bestseller, The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage, now out in paperback, and I'm thinking that an old dog like me might just learn a few tricks by reading it, so I'll be checking this out from the library.

And I'll be honest here, you may be thinking just how does what she said affect you? Well, first of all, I'm an only child, and I'm the first to admit that I'm selfish. I want things my way, just ask my kids, they will tell you in a heartbeat that Mom is selfish. I'm goodhearted about it, but I grew up not having to share, and we all know that everything we are is rooted in childhood. LC watched this program with me, and this morning he got up and made me breakfast. He hasn't done that in a long time, he didn't ask, he just did it. And did that make me happy? OF COURSE IT DID, DUH IS A HORSE A HORSE, OF COURSE OF COURSE!! I was absolutely estatic, and even more so when he cleaned up the kitchen. So maybe Dr. Laura has a valid point about this.

And as for the political agenda, I admit that I like the idea of Hillary being President because she is a woman. I remember being a little girl in school and my teachers saying that we would see a woman President in our lifetime. I've also always been a Bill Clinton fan. A certain friend of mine says that it's because I think he is "hot" but that's not entirely true. I have always thought he was attractive and charismatic, but I also happen to believe that he was a good President, despite his dalliances in the Oval Office, and that our country prospered during his terms as President. But that's no reason to vote for Hillary, because I would like to see a woman President in my lifetime or because I like her husband. I'm going to take Dr. Laura's advice and study the candidates and their beliefs and make my decision based on that.

And finally the sex... Well, we're older now, I seriously doubt if you will see us kissing and cuddling for fifteen minutes a day. Hooterville is coming to visit next week, somehow I don't think she would enjoy us snuggled in on the couch every evening for even five minutes. I think I'll leave this portion of Dr. Laura's advice to the younger generation, and settle for him making me breakfast.

You can access Dr. Laura online HERE and you can read about her book HERE. She's been around for years now, maybe that's why what she says lends a little credance. Check her out and see if she gives you any insight...

~ jan

Why the sudden obsession with pictures???

Well, if you must know, Hooterville, the camera/digital queen, bought a nifty little camera recently and she has been raving about it nonstop. John called me in December, saying that Tonia had been wanting a little camera she can put in her purse, and he wanted me to ask Jean aka Hooterville which one was best. She said to get the Canon that she bought, and he did, gave it to her for Christmas, she loved it and I loved it, too. In fact, I loved it SO MUCH that I bought it after the holidays.

I normally don't take a lot of pictures, because cameras are bulky, and awkard and heavy and they have all these little contraptions that you have to slide to make it work, it spoils the moment for me. We have a fairly new digital one, but it's such a hassle that I rarely use it. But this little camera is an amazin' raisin, girlfriends. It's so little and lightweight, I can whip it out, push a button, click the zoom and take a pictures with one hand in a New Yawk minute. I just tuck it into a sock, just a regular sock that I've tied a knot in the end of, and throw it in my purse. Works for me... I'm all set with a 2GB card, those things are so cheap anymore, it's only $14 for that big card. I can take hundreds of pictures, even at a fine setting, without running out of memory.

Of course when I got it, Hooterville wouldn't hear of me using the AUTO setting, she absolutely DETESTS auto settings and says that if you are going to take pictures, you need to set it manually. So she walked me thru it, and I'm actually doing it the RIGHT way, no AUTO for this girl, I'm PROGRAMMED...

So, if you're in the market for a new camera, I'll tell you all about this one tomorrow. I'm snapping pix like crazy, mostly of Maggie, because she's so darned cute... Here's one more for you, taken just five minutes ago while she was playing with her toys. Now if I can just figure out how to get rid of that pet red eye, I will be a happy camper. Poor Munchie, she has green eye shine, so when I take pictures of her, both her eyes have these big green circles, she looks like a little alien. I'm working on it though, there has to be a way to remove it, normal red eye removal in Photoshop doesn't work on puppy dogs like it does on people...

Some green in January...

I'm a big fan of jade trees. They thrive on neglect, needing little water, and if you can provide them with a bright sunny location, you're in business.

Jade Trees can last for decades, in fact Veronica and I were nosing around in a greenhouse a couple of years ago, and they had one, it was ancient, it was HUGE, and it was wonderful.

I bought mine at Lowes that same year for under ten dollars. They usually have them in the spring in the tropical section.

I take it outside in the summer, then bring it into the sunroom in the fall, throw some water on it occasionally and it's doing really well. They are known for being slow growers, but I think mine has gotten much larger since I bought it. It probably measures three feet tall now, sitting in it's pot. They flower, late winter, but so far I haven't seen that happen, who knows, maybe this is the year.

It was in an plain, terra cotta pot, so today I enlisted Trisher's aid, and we repotted it this afternoon. It was a warm, sunny day in Heavensville and we both had a touch of spring fever as we worked on the patio, playing in the potting soil.

So, if you are lacking a green thumb, but want something green and alive in your house this winter, try a jade tree. Buy the largest one you can find, and take it home and neglect it. It will thrive. ~ jan

I'm linking you to a site with a wonderful specimen, after you link to the page, click on the tree so that you can view it full size. The shape of it is amazing. No doubt it's had some pruning over the years, something I need to do more of, I'm always skeptical about cutting on a healthy plant.

Click here for the site...

Today....

Hi, bank teller, I'll have a Milkbone dog biscuit please, and not one of the green ones, I only eat natural foods, could you please give me one with no artificial coloring? That's okay, I have plenty of time, dig thru your stash til' you find one...




Do you like my purse? I think it's called French Tapestry. It has lots of paisleys on it, plenty of pockets, too. I'm stylin'..... oh wait...

It's not really a purse. It's my Sherpa tote. I zip Maggie Moo up in it, it has mesh around the zipper to ventilate it, and we go all over Heavensville. Mags has been in all my fave restaurants, in the grocery stores, you name it, she's been there, and since she's such a nester, she just snuggles down and goes to sleep. She never makes a peep... Nobody has a clue that there is a dog in there, even though the devil on my shoulder wants to tell them. What a good dog she is...

Finally, someone with common sense...

It always seems like the hollywood set flaunts their bodies, regardless of how old, how fat, how saggy they are. They wear tight, provocative clothes when they are YEARS past their prime, and look downright stupid in them.

Here is a pix of Kim Cattrell on the beach this week in Malibu. Hey, she's older now, and at least she's wearing something "age appropriate" - I think she looks pretty damned good.. You can click the pix if you want it bigger so you can see all the, ummm details. Well, she does look like she has some duck lips going on, but I'll forgive her those because she actually wore something that looks nice on her.

And check out her her dog - it's a YORKIE!!! Smart woman, sensible bathing suit and the world's greatest breed of dog...

It's a beautiful thing...

I'm such a fan...

I just think Whoopi Goldberg is 'da bomb' - I really do. I always enjoyed her work, but after watching many episodes of her now on The View, I enjoy her maturity, her wit, her intelligence and ability to stay sane and take control of the situation when the rest of the women on the show are acting bat shit crazy.

Myself, among others, are not so much fans of that rude Elisabeth Hasselbeck with her smug little know-it-all smirks , and her inability to see anyone else's opinions other than her own. But Whoopi is able to put Elizabeth gracefully in her place when she starts her babbling, she's a wonder to watch in action...

She's on equal footing with Joy when they good naturedly spar back and forth, she's respectful to Barbara, and interacts well with Sherri, she's just so much fun to watch, I'm actually enjoying morning television because of her....

I've got just a bit of Whoopie trivia for you this rainy Tuesday evening -

She was born in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in 1955 as Caryn Elaine Johnson and Her stage name was taken from "whoopee cushion", which she initially used as her stage name; she stated that "If you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, 'You're like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came from."

I love the fact that, now in her mid 50's, Whoopie beats to her own drummer, and lives life on her own terms. In her jeans and her sneakers, with her trademark dreadlocks and gravelly voice, she is like a breath of fresh air on that show and a delight to watch. She's a jewel, that Whoopi, I enjoy her "Views" thoroughly...

~ jan

I'm seriously warped...

We had toronado warnings this afternoon in Heavensville. The sirens were going off, local weather type people cut in on television programming to say that the "toronado" could touch down within 1/2 mile from where we live.

So, it's time to go somewhere safe. Now my idea, and hubby's idea of somewhere safe is vastly different. My theory is the backseat of the car, in the garage is safest, because you are surrounded by steel, and if windows are shattered, it would more than likely be the front seat that would take the impact, whereas if I were in a closet, surrounded by 2x4's, duh, there wouldn't be a lot of protection... We have had many arguments about this, he insists that the closest is safest, so if he were home, no doubt he would have been in the closet and the dogs and I would be in the car... Yeah, the dogs go where I go.... They don't know any better...

And now for the warped part, so I watch the news, I hustle off to the backseat of the car with.... are you ready... the M&M's, of course, gotta take my furkids, they are the most important thing, and then did I take family pictures with me, or jewelry, or some of the wonderful mementos in my house that I am so fond of. Hell no, I took the dogs, my cellphone and MY EXTERNAL HARDDRIVE...

See what I mean, my harddrive with my computer's info on it is one of the most important things in my house to me???? Oh, I am SERIOUSLY warped.... For real I am....

Boy, is this appropriate today...

And why am I in such a funky mood.... Well, it's not that I'm lonely or have the blues, it's because I CAN'T PUT A STUPID BORDER ON THIS PAGE, that's why!!!. Holy Schmoly, girlfriends, trying to insert the correct html coding is driving me absolutely NUTS!!! I have done nothing for two days but sit with my face in this screen and accomplish absolutely NOTHING... The laundry is piling up, the bed isn't made, the M&M's haven't been brushed or played with, and hubby is eating leftovers... What a nightmare!!!!!!!

Talking to myself and feeling old
Sometimes Id like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin around, nothing to do but frown
Rainy days and mondays always get me down

What Ive got they used to call the blues
Nothing is really wrong
Feeling like I dont belong
Walking around some kind of lonely clown
Rainy days and mondays tuesdays always get me down

x

United States in the Year 2008.

For those of you who would like a choice for President, we have a solution:
It is probably time we have a woman as President.
One choice is a very special lady who has all the answers to our problems .

PLEASE give it a thought when you have a moment...

MAXINE FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!

Dinah Shore was always a fave - I remember this car, actually, I've ridden in this car!!! Yikes, this was over 50 years ago!!!

This just doesn't happen...

It's the 7th of January and I still have fresh herbs in the garden. Admittedly, they are a bit ragged, but the thyme, rosemary and parsley are still going strong.

I picked the last of the sage over the weekend to put in a pork roast I cooked yesterday.

I just had to share. It's just unheard of to have fresh herbs in Heavensville this time of the year.

~ jan

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (On the side of a hill in the deep forest green) Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground) Without no seams nor needlework (Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine (Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Washes the ground with so many tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
(War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

P. Simon/A. Garfunkel, 1966

It's time to call it a day night...

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

childs bedtime prayer, 18th century


This was the prayer I recited nightly as a child,
we're all Gods children,
it works for puppy dogs, too...

~ jan

arughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The page may look a little squirrelly today, i'm working on it.. having a wonderful time, too. Yeah, sure I am.... Oh, how I hate this coding stuff!!!!!