Wednesday Update

Yesterday was a long day. Worked one hour OT. Yes, Old Tony is back. I am also going in an hour early this morning. I have to cut short my blog time to get ready. But, the rest of the week is mine. No work Thursday or Friday.

50 Extraordinary Billboards

Johnson Koh, an art director for a Singapore gaming company, collected his 50 favorite billboard images for his Photoshop tutorial blog 10Steps.SG.

Tuesday Update

Nothing much to write about today. Did nothing yesterday except work, wash the dishes from Sunday and watch our Monday night shows; Top Gear, Two & a Half Men, Big Bang Theory and The Leno Show.

I am happy that I have only two more work days this week. I am taking vacation Thursday and Friday. I would like to go to the family weekend at St Katie's, but the struts are bad on Puck, Blue is a bit questionable with the smoke thing happening at random times and Gordon is small for a long road trip.

Okay, I want Mao to beg like this next time he wants cheez.

Sunday Update

Yesterday was a busy day mostly for Doug. I made a Zucchini Coffee Cake according to Doug's recipe. Doug made Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup which turned out delicious. He also made two difference kinds of Beef Enchiladas, one batch spicy and one batch not as spicy. I tried both and they were very tasty. Wanda brought the 7 Layer Dip which is always great with tortilla chips.

After supper we sat around and chatted for a while and then we watched Dexter. It was the beginning of the fourth season and already there was a cliff hanger ending. It is going to be a really good season, as always.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Sunday Update

We had a busy day yesterday. We cleared out the dining room and cleaned the floor with Murphy's Oil Soap. It definitely needs refinished or polyurethane, it just soaked up the soap. We also went to the grocery store. It went pretty smoothly and I did not have any complaints about the bagging.

Thomas and Diedre are happy to have carpeting in their bedroom. However, it looks like they will have to wait until Tuesday for the windows.

Today we are having Chicken Tortilla Soup and Enchilada Bake. Chloe will be here for supper. It should be a fun time.

Cats are strange creatures.

Free Fleece Jacket for Teachers - Complete the survey and receive a free Fleece Jacket from Science Kit (for teachers)

Saturday Update

Yesterday was a fairly smooth day at work, not too many crazy customers. It was a bit slower than I would like on a Friday though. Next week I have both Thursday and Friday off for vacation, so I am looking forward to that.

Ross and Chloe stopped by last night for supper and a short visit. We had turkey burgers and tater tots, yummy. I think Ross had three burgers. We stepped outside shortly before they left to watch the ISS go by. Ross said a few weeks ago he had watched a meteor shower. We also watched all of the Onion News videos on Tivo with them. Chloe's favorite was Is Using A Minotaur To Gore Detainees A Form Of Torture?

Friday Update

I am excited about Chloe's visit today. We have not seen her since her birthday in July. She was supposed to call and let us know what she wanted for supper. She had not called by supper time last night, so Doug and I discussed it and decided we should thaw ground turkey for turkey burgers just in case. A little later Chloe called and said she would like turkey burgers for supper. I guess we know our Bobo pretty well.

It is supposed to rain several inches today. It makes us a bit nervous about the basement since what happened during the last big rain fall. So far we only have a little puddle of water in one corner down stairs.

Weird, True and Freaky/Cat Circus

Thursday Update

Not a lot going on in the Howe household. We did finally get our main computer back yesterday. The motherboard arrived yesterday morning by UPS. Doug saw the UPS truck pull up next to our house and I guess the driver threw the box from his truck to the doorway of our entry way and then came out of the truck and gave it a big kick to the front steps. I'm glad it wasn't something more sensitive than a motherboard.

Doug also told me that he had gone out to look for the delivery earlier in the morning and one of Mao's cat friends was relaxing on one of the chairs we have in the entry.

We had a quiet supper of leftovers and watched Glee at 8. Glee is becoming one of my favorite shows this season.

This is amazing!

Planet 51 - Trailer

Wednesday Update

Once again there is not much to write about. I did more training with the new employee at work. I was kind of slow on the phones, but we have lots of customer service e-mails to answer.

I was tired when I got home, so after supper I washed dishes and then dozed off and on the rest of the night. Nothing really good on TV. Sometimes I think Leno and/or his writers don't think it through when they put some things on the show. Like the video from Laugh or Die about a drug to help you grow longer eye lashes. It ended up making the womens eyes pop out. Kinda gross.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

AMA Patients' Action Network

AMA Patients' Action Network

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Tuesday Update

Not much to report from yesterday. I helped train a new employee. She seems to be pretty good. She will be working tech support and helping with customer service. She said she wanted to find something less stressful than her previous job. Not sure this was a good career move if less stress is what she is looking for.

We had a nice talk on the phone with Chloe last night. It sounds like classes and work are keeping her pretty busy.

We had yummy leftover pulled pork for supper. We watched the Top Gear season finale. We also watched the new Two & A Half Men and Big Bang Theory. What a hoot. Not much else happened yesterday.

This is why we call him Chairman Mao.

The Chairman taking a nap in one of his favorite spots.

This one of Mao's friends that come around to visit and hunt rabbits. Could this be what is making the noise outside in the morning?

Bunnies Come From Tomato Patches

Monday Update

The last three days went very quickly. We accomplished quite a bit though. And now I'm back to work for a full week. Not too excited about that.

Yesterday we had pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, calico beans (Wanda), chips, zucchini bread and lemon poke cake (Wanda). It was a delicious meal. After supper everyone went inside and we watched the Emmies. Neal Patrick Harris did a very good job of hosting.

I hope everyone has a good Monday.

GIBRALTAR AIRPORT

Gibraltar Airport is a very unusual airport. It is the only one where the runway actually intersects with a major highway. When a plane has to take off or land, traffic is shut down.

Gum Art

Italian artist Maurizio Savini creates the most amazing sculptures out of pink chewing gum exhibiting them all throughout Europe. He even sold each one of them for at least 40.000€.

The rest accidentally ended up on the bottom of art patron's shoes.

Sunday Update

Yesterday was a busy day. I went grocery shopping early, in fact Wanda and I arrived at Hy Vee at the same time. We walked in the door together. Since we got there early we were able to find all the specials we wanted without any trouble.

After lunch Doug put some chicken, rice and dehydrated zucchini in the crock pot for supper. Needless to say supper was very good.

After mixing up supper Doug and I went about cleaning the carpet in the living room. It went pretty smoothly and it did not take as long to dry as we had thought it would. It was a lot of work moving the couches and cleaning behind all the furniture that had not been moved in a while. The living room is looking very good now. Thanks to Wanda for loaning her carpet cleaning machine.

Now we need to move on to the dining room. Hopefully the new motherboard Doug ordered will get here in a timely manner and we can move all the computer bits and pieces out of the dining room soon.

Saturday Update

The cat outside was going crazy again this morning. I'm not sure what he is doing out there in the dark, but is sure is noisy. It also concerns Mao.

I plan to go grocery shopping early this morning, they are having a 6 hour sale at Hy Vee and you know they will run out of things if I don't get there early. I think Wanda is planning to do the same. Doug said we should take plastic guns with us and pretend to shot each order around the corner in the aisles. What a crazy idea, they would take us away in those shirts with the wrap around arms and then we would never get the specials.

We are also planning to clean carpets sometime today. That should be fun since it involves moving couches and other furniture. I think I am feeling up to it though.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday.

This is why you keep your turtles inside!

Turtle injured in raccoon attack gets new lease on life with prosthetic devices.

Happy Birthday Lance

Friday Update

I am happy to be home today. I slept in until 6:30, probably because I stayed up a little later than normal and Mao did not wake me up.

I can tell it is almost Fall because Thumper is shedding his scales. It is so cool, the pieces of shell that fall off almost feel like thick pieces of waxed paper. Before I know it Thumper will be in hibernation mode and stop eating until next Spring. Right now he is still eating pretty steady.

Today I plan to clean out some of the dead plants from the garden. I also plan to bake some zucchini bread. I have been saying I would bake the bread all week, but I really do plan to today. I also think Doug wants me to go with him to the Habitat for Humanity Store today as well.

Dispatchwork

Jan Vormann restores crumbling architecture with what he calls dispatchwork with the emphasis on the patchwork. Instead of plaster or stucco,the German artist mends cracks,holes and fissures in buildings with Lego blocks. He's left his mark on the streets of Amsterdam,St. Petersburg and Tel Aviv,among other places.

Thursday Update

Yeah!! Today is my Friday, I have another vacation day tomorrow. It is a good thing too. Yesterday was another crazy day at work. We started with more insane callers, my crazy guy from the day before called again and got one of the other reps. Then our order system slowed down to a crawl, it took at least 3 minutes for each page to load, way too slow. Then after lunch my phone went crazy and I wasn't getting incoming calls. The help desk could not figure out the problem and I had to use the phone from our conference room.

I was glad to get home and find Doug had made another zucchini lasagna, it smelled so good when I walked in the door. It was very delicious as well...

We watched Glee and the Leno Show. I loved the Ghosting segment.

Wednesday Update

Yesterday was a nutty day at work, lots of crazies calling in. It makes me laugh the ideas that people get into their head.

After work I felt really lazy. We had PB&J sandwiches with chips for supper. I washed a few dishes and then lounged on the couch the rest of the night. I watched part of a show about meteors hitting the earth. We also watch The Leno Show again. Still not real impressed. It's not that bad, but it also isn't any better than what he did before.

OOOOOOOH!

COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN® and National Geographic Kids Establish a New Guinness World Record for the largest collection of clothes to recycle.

This reminds me of Mao.

Tuesday Update

Not much to blog about, yesterday was a pretty boring Monday. Steady, but not too busy at work. When I got home I checked the garden for zucchini and found another 3, I am now back to 7 more. I am going to find some time to bake zucchini bread this week.

We watched Top Gear at 7. They had a race between a bugatti and a plane. The bugatti won. Between Top Gear and the Leno Show, I washed dishes and Doug went to borrow Wanda's carpet cleaner. We will finally be cleaning carpets this week. The carpet in the living room really needs a good cleaning.

I didn't think The Leno Show was anything special. Seinfield was okay and Kanye West is just plain a jerk. And what's with the crop circles in his hair?

Monday Update

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day around here. In the AM Doug and I made one more trip down to the basement to finish up a few things. The ping-pong table needed another wipe down. We also had not cleaned the inner underside of the extra washer and dryer. Mao still won't go all the way down stairs and has to be coaxed to come as far as the bottom step before the landing.

Wanda and Mark came over for supper. We had 1/4 lb. hot dogs, brats and smoked sausages. Wanda brought her famous black bean and corn dip with chips (also the brats). We had the fixings for junkyard dogs; cole slaw, crackers, relish, chili, cheese, ketchup and mustard. They were messy and delicious.

After supper we just watched TV and talked, mostly talked.

Spider...

Very cool, yet very creepy spider found above our front bushes on Saturday.

Marion Swamp Fox Parade

This is one of my favorites in the parade every year.



These are being pulled by the big tractor.



Followed by these.



The last one pulling the flag is so tiny, you can hardly see it.



Ella, Breckin and Ella's friend Chloe.

Old cars from the parade.

I thought I would post the pictures Doug took when the city came to pick up our flood trash.



Not a lot of stuff, but it was still some work bringing it up from the basement.





I think they like to watch people's things get crushed.



We certainly did not have enough stuff to fill those two big trucks.

Saturday Update

Yesterday was a good day at work, although it seemed a bit long.

Thomas and Diedre's house now has new siding and will have new windows by next week. The siding looks really nice. He posted pictures on his blog. I am happy for them, I like the gray better than white.

Last night we swept out the entry way to the house and cleaned it up a bit. It was getting cluttered from bringing everything up from the basement. We also watched the ISS go by again. It was very clear. We thought we may have missed the shuttle, but we found out later that it was landing about the same time we were watching the ISS go by. It has been fun watching the sky the past few nights, except last night the mosquitos were very thick.

Green Tip of the Day

Green Window Wash

To clean those panes, fill a spray bottle with a vinegar and water mixture to make a DIY wash. If you've used conventional glass cleaners in the past, add soap or detergent to the mixture to cut the wax buildup left by commercial products. Scrub with newspapers to avoid streaking.

THE BEST WINDOW CLEANER
Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and spray on your windows!

Friday Update

Mao got all shook up this morning. Something was making a cat really yowl outside our house. I am afraid I will find it's carcass outside, like the rabbit earlier this summer. At one point I could have sworn I heard an owl.

Last night we watched the ISS and shuttle go by again. We were talking with Ashley on the phone the whole time, she saw it as well. Doug says tonights view should be much better.

The contractor was at Thomas & Diedre's house yesterday tearing off siding and putting on the insulation. Today they should have some siding on.

or, Create a Petition

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Green Tip of the Day

AIR FRESHENERS

These deodorizers are safe for pets and wildlife (eventually, every product we use ends up back in nature). They're better for your health - conventional fresheners contain ingredients such as zinc chloride, which can irritate your eyes and skin.

Mix 3 parts fabric softener to 4 parts water in a spray bottle, shake it up, and spray; or leave a bowl of white vinegar in a smelly room for 24 hours to absorb odors. Classic fridge maneuver: Put an open box of baking soda in there to neutralize smells.

Thursday Update

Back to work today, at least it is only a 2 day work week.

I feel good because we have finished cleaning the basement and it now smells rather disinfected. I just hope we don't get any more rainfalls like a few weeks ago. I am tired of cleaning the basement. At least if it happens again, the basement is empty.

We watched the space station and Discovery go by in the sky again last night. Thomas has a little video on his blog.

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Green Tip of the Day

Biodegradable. It’s a term that’s thrown around a lot these days. And with items ranging from disposable flatware and diapers to bags and balloons now available under the auspices of “biodegradability,” it is important to get the facts on what it all means.


Products carrying the term "biodegradable" are only compostable in a commercial composting system. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com

Wednesday Update

Yesterday was spent getting almost completely caught up on laundry. We bought replacements for cleaning supplies that got damaged cleaning up the flooded basement; broom, rag mop and sponge mop. We also canned 4 qts. & 3 pints of hot pickles.

At about 8:15 PM we went outside to watch the international space station and Discovery shuttle go by. It was very clear when they came over the horizon, they were pretty close to each other and moved very quickly. It was very cool to watch. They are supposed to come around again this evening at about 8:38 PM, tomorrow at 9:05 pm and Friday AT 7:54 pm.

Tuesday Update

Yesterday was pretty quiet around here. Thomas left around 10. He did forget one important thing, he did not say goodbye to Mao. Doug and I came inside after seeing him off and Mao was crying near the door. A little later Mao went tearing through the house with his little growling noise. He slept a good share of the day.

After Thomas left I mowed the yard and did a little cleanup in the garden. The afternoon was spent mostly washing laundry and folding it. We had a quiet supper and spent the evening watching TV; Top Gear and History Detectives.

Monday Update

Yesterday was a quiet Sunday. I washed dishes after breakfast and watched part of Wild, Wild West with Thomas. He left with Diedre about 3 to got to the cookout at Kersten's in Springville. They had steaks, shrimp and other goodies. They will be leave back to Eldora sometime this morning.

I also started dehydrating some of the zucchini yesterday. They take quite awhile to dry.

Yesterday afternoon Doug and I went to the basement for more cleaning. The last bit we had was around the laundry area. Doug lifted up the washer and dryer so I could spray and mop under them. Everything is still working, so that is good. I was afraid I may have lost my washer or dryer. I was even able to wash a few loads of clothes before bed. Today will consist of laundry and yard work.

Ashley got moved in at St. Kate's yesterday. She seems to like her apartment. They only have three girls in the apartment although it could accommodate a 4th. She has an extra bed in her room and an extra dresser. She is happy about the extra dresser, but is going to see if they can put the extra bed in storage.

Sunday Update

Yesterday was a busy day. We started the day with driving Thomas over to Deidre's parents. Then we stopped at Sam's Club on the way home. We picked up a Chocolate Cake and bottle of wine for Doug and Scotty's celebration. When we got home I went to the basement and wiped down storage tubs with bleach water and mopped down the entire first room.

We went to the wedding celebration for about an hour and then came home to prepare for our gathering. We had a very good meal with grilled chicken, mashed white/sweet potatoes, zucchini lasagna, pasta salad, cole slaw and Wanda's home-made chocolate mocha ice cream. It was nice having Thomas , Diedre and Amber her. I wish all of the kids would have been here.

Saturday Update

It is nice to have Thomas in the house. He had supper with us last night, we has Zucchini Lasagna. It is still so good every time we have i. A have been reading about dehydrating zucchini and I have decided that is what I am going to do with the over abundance of zucs we have.

After supper Thomas helped me take some of Doug's computer stuff out to the garage and then we went to the grocery store. We saw Wanda at Hy-Vee and had a nice chat with her. The rest off the evening was spent talking and watching TV. There were some shows on The Beatles on. We watched Paul McCartney play in St Petersburg, Russia.

This morning we are giving Thomas a ride over to Diedre's parents. They will visit her grandmother in Williamsburg, she recently broke her hip. Later Doug and I will go to Doug and Scott's celebration. And this evening we will have a "Soup Saturday". Homemade KFC and many other goodies.

We'll see everyone there!

Friday Update

Friday at last, 8 hours at work and then I have 5 days off!

I am very happy, Thomas will be home tonight. I haven't seen him since the middle of July. At least I know he will understand about our flood mess, after all they are still recovering from the hail storm. He says new windows will be installed early next week. One of the windows received was the wrong size, so installation was delayed.

Have a happy Friday everyone and drive safely.

Compost your next phone?

Much-anticipated 'biodegradable' phone by Samsung hits stores next week.

Thursday Update

Doug had a very busy day yesterday. He called the city to schedule a trash pickup for things that were damaged in the basement from the flood. We thought it would be next week on our regular trash day, it always has been in the past when we scheduled a large pickup. However, they scheduled it for this morning due to it being flood damaged items. Doug had all of the large items we had carry up out in the street when I came home. They told him to make sure everything was at curbside in the street. All I had to help him with was the smaller items.

Now it looks like were were evicted or something. Although I would hope we would have nicer things if we ever were being evicted. We still have some moping and spraying to do in the basement. We also have to check out the washer and dryer for damage, move them to clean under them and wipe them down. It will be nice be finished with this whole mess.

I can't wait for the weekend.

Sometimes when watching for danger you look in the wrong direction

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Wednesday Update

This week is moving slowly. Last night was pretty busy. After supper we did more cleaning in the basement. We brought up the old mattresses that got wet and some old computer monitors. Doug also did a nice demo on the old dresser, which made it much easier to carry up the stairs. The bleach is making everything look fresh and clean. We will need to go over Thomas' old room another time and we are now concentrating on the front basement room. I hope the spare washer and dryer are okay and will not need to be moved out.

Keep your classroom clean and your students healthy. Click here to register for your free canister. >>

Tuesday Update

I am looking forward to next weekend. It is the long Labor Day weekend followed by two vacation days. That makes it five days off from work in a row. Also Thomas and Diedre will be here. This will be the first time we have had a chance to see them since the hail storm.

We are gradually getting things settled in the basement. It is lots of work, but we will have a nice clean basement in the end. It will be much easier to manage next time. Although, I'm hoping there will be no next time. I guess this is what comes with living in a house built in the 40's.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Green Tip of the Day

10 Uses for Carpet Scraps

1. Move Heavy Furniture

Slide pieces of carpet pile-side down under-neath the legs of a bureau, bed, or dresser, then push it across the floor—much easier than lifting.

2. Get Your Mower Going

Does your riding mower get mired in the spring mud? No problem. Wedge scraps of carpet under the front edge of the trapped wheel, which will provide traction to dislodge it.

3. Cushion Your Knees When Gardening

Roll up a scrap of carpet and kneel on it when spreading mulch, planting flowers, or weeding.

4. Keep Fido or Fluffy Happy

Line a dog house with old carpet to make it cozy, or make a scratching post for your cat by gluing scrap carpet to a 4x4 post.

5. Insulate Your Compost Pile

When it's cold outside, place a large scrap of carpet over your compost pile to keep heat and moisture in, which will speed decomposition.

6. Protect Your Car Doors from Damage

Attach strips of carpet to the wall of your garage so that you don't ding your door when you open it.

7. Scrub Window Screens

Dip a clean piece of carpet into warm, sudsy water, and rub the pile side onto screens to get rid of gunk, dust, and buildup.

8. Clean a Scraper While You Work

Scrapers and putty knives quickly gum up with residue as you remove paint with a chemical stripper. Wipe yours on a carpet scrap from time to time to keep the working edge clean and sharp.

9. Muffle Your Washer and Dryer

Place scraps of carpet underneath the feet of laundry machines to dampen thumping noises.

10. Keep Your Sink Scratch-free

Place a piece of carpet pile-side up in the basin when working on the faucet so that your tools don't damage the bowl.