1.7.10

"Noodle Soup for the Pissed-Off Soul"

If I were ever going to write a book, that would be the title. One of  the selections would be a "Gender Quiz." Have you ever marveled at the behavior differences in the male and female of our species? Fascinating, isn't it?

Take the "Gender Quiz" and see for yourself:


Gender Quiz


 1. What do you do when you need to throw something away but the wastebasket is full?

A. You replace the bag in the wastebasket and take the full trash bag out to the big green garbage container.

B. You throw your trash in the general direction of the wastebasket. If it goes in you get two points.








2. What do you do when the pan you want to use is dirty?
 ?
A. You wash the pan, use it, then wash it again and put it away.

B. You use another pan. One's as good as another and so what if there's two dirty pans instead of one sitting around?






3.
What do you do when your cat is hungry and his food dish is empty?
A. You feed the cat.

B. You keep walking past the cat dish. Eventually food will magically appear in it. This really works.






4. What do you do when there's an unsightly pile of dirty dishes in the sink?

A. You wash the dishes.

B. You pretend you are really busy on something of great importance to world peace.






5. What do you do when the sheets on your bed are all wadded up and the bedspread is on the floor with the dog sleeping on it?

A. This situation disgusts you. You wash everything and put the bed back together nice and neat and clean, tucking in the sheets just so, the way your mother taught you.

B. You sleep on the mattress pad.






6. What do you do when it's late in the evening, you haven't eaten supper yet and you're really hungry?

A. You scrounge something up and fix enough for everybody.

B. You get in your car and go someplace where they will ask, "Do you want fries with that?"






7. What do you do when faced with a problem?

A. You immediately focus your attention and efforts on solving the problem before it gets any worse.

B. You don't worry. Things have a way of working out.






8. How do you prepare to go on vacation?

A. You make all the neccessary arrangements for the trip and for your home while you're gone. You shop and pack and double check everything.

B. You get in the car and drive. Whatever comes up there's stuff in your wife's purse that can handle it.






9. When the tension rod that holds up your shower curtain falls down, how long does it take you to put it back up?

A. Five seconds.

B. Six weeks minimum. What do you need a shower curtain for anyway?







10. What do you do when you see an empty toilet paper roll?

A. You get out another roll from under the bathroom sink where you have thoughtfully stocked them to make it convenient for anyone to reach. (Apparently yours are the only arms that do.)

B. Toilet paper? *snort* You just shake.







11. What do you do when the kids are screaming and yelling and running through the house making a mess?

A. Always mindful of the teachable moment, you corral the kids, quiet them down and organize a fun way to clean up the toys.

B. You turn up the volume on the TV.





Recognize anything?!
Amazing, isn't it?

24.6.10

Here's what's blooming in the yard...



  





 

















































How many can you name??!

26.4.10

The West Side Market

The West Side Market is the place of dreams for foodies and the curious. As the oldest publicly owned Cleveland market, it’s more than just aisles of groceries…it’s an experience not to be missed. On a Saturday morning, Nana’s sister J took us to this fabulous market in Ohio City, a Cleveland neighborhood and we fell under the spell of…
A Byzantine inspired building with ceiling decorations that bid us look up

Come hither and buy called out vendors selling crips greens
And a pyramid of artichokes

A whole pig staring eerily from the back of the meat case

Fruit display artistry...plantains fanned about a grapefruit

Crusty, fresh  breads in rounds and rectangles

A smiling fish monger

And oh the cupcakes, hundreds of the tiny cakes in so many colorful flavors

Strawberries dipped in chocolate and bright shiny candy apples; a joy just to look at

And the shoppers...delighted smiles, happy patrons milling through the aisles of goodness experiencing the West Side Market in Cleveland.

The West Side Market in Cleveland cannot be missed, it's a wonderful experience.  Check out their website for more information. 

Can't wait to visit again. 

14.4.10

Spring



Let's see what's blooming in the yard:



 

daffodils...



 
I don't know what this is...some kind of little flowering tree...


 

another flowering tree...this one is huge...


 

baby maple leaves...



 

peach tree...


 


peonies...




 
groundcover...




 
forsythia...




 
hyacinth...



 

primrose...


Finally! Spring really is here!



17.3.10

Something Important

There was something important I had to do this morning even before taking a shower. I woke up with an inexplicable urge to put nesting materials out for the birds. 



Hurrying to the basement, I harvested handfuls of dryer lint and wads of old used fabric softener sheets from the little trash can I keep in the laundry room. For once I was grateful that my husband never fully completes the job of taking out the trash. I found several week's worth of lint and dryer sheets... 






...then to the studio to raid my stash of left-over cotton yarn balls too little to make anything with but too good to throw away.



I sliced up strips of dryer sheets, cut strands of yarn, and fluffed up the lint to make it easier to be carried by beaks. Grabbing a sweater I rushed outside in pajama pants and slippers carrying the new home construction materials, all the while planning their easily accessible placements.


The deck table provided a good spot for a basket of soft white strips.




A basket of lint was placed on a post...



...and another found a home in the peach tree.


Colorful yarn strands were hung on the boxwood....


...and on forsythia branches.


Don't think I didn't go unnoticed. The birds saw me in their territory right away. One yelled in a staccato voice, "Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!"

Another asked, "What-Cha-Do? What-Cha-Do? What-Cha-Do?"

A bright red cardinal perched on the birdfeeder must have approved because he cocked his head and chirped, "Pretty! Pretty! Pretty!" before flitting away.


Now I wait, wait, wait, wait.
What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?
I'm going to take a shower and feel pretty, pretty, pretty.

Nana