Don't make eye contact

When will I ever learn not to hit enter after the title of this thing so there is now a post of just a title! Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
Now back to my blog! Just got back from a short trip to New York State to see the foliage so I thought. My husband has a friend with a cabin that I have been to once years ago and since I found myself on vacation with no trips planned(yes I know that is a great shock but it did happen) I said yes to a trip to the cabin! The cabin is very nice but we weren't in the door when my husband had his hunting gear on and calling the dog to see if he could find some grouse. Now it became all clear to me this was a hunting trip under the guise of a fall foliage, apple country trip. Now I didn't mind but again just like hitting enter instead of tab on this computer when will I learn. The weather and the color of the foliage were spectacular so even though I was in the dark about the real reason for the trip I enjoyed myself!

My Eyes, My Eyes

I have previously told you we have 14 guinea hens and boy are they stupid! We let some of them out each day so they can eat the ticks and insects in our yard(the reason we got them). We only let some of them out and not all because if all are out they tend to roam further distances and if only some are out they stay pretty much in our yard. They have their own large pen with a hen house with Andersen windows and door(lock included just to keep the fox from knocking). Yes they have a double and two single Andersen windows with screens to keep the bugs out of their pooped house! Don't ask I don't know why?

My husband knew it was time before winter sets in to clean the hen house so he got in there and removed the chips that had been there all summer and replaced it with wood shavings that his brother had given him. These wood shavings were light in color compared to the usual wood chips we had been using but we never counted on the guinea hens being afraid of the wood shavings and fleeing their home and refusing to re -enter it! They will sleep on top of the cage or house but not inside. So we are trying mixing the light color wood shavings with the dark color chips to see what happens. Wish us luck! If anyone whats to know what guinea hens look like here they are.

Costco

Now that I am back into blogging you might never stop me!!

I like a lot of women I like to shop but as I age the people in the store start to scare me!! I just got back from Costco (looking for the 6th season of Monk on DVD) and while I was there I noticed several types of people! The group that go for the free samples and wear clothes that used to fit, the group that haven't eaten in years so I don't know why they are at Costco buying in bulk(probably cleaning products) and a large group of about to be in the need of medical help! I don't know what group I fit in but I don't eat the samples, I live to eat, and God I hope I am not in the last group!!

Back to my original thoughts Costco. Before our trip to Alaska I bought a camera package from Costco because everyone said I needed one. I think my smaller point and shoot did almost as well but my eyes are aging. We are using this new camera with it's telephoto lens and it just decides to stop working on day 2 of our trip!! Now I don't want to point fingers but my husband was using it when it stopped and he is not known for his photo/camera expertise! The next day we are on the way to Denali to see Mt. McKinley without the "good camera" so I say lets stop at Costco in Anchorage on our way there. To make a long story short they took the camera back with me promising to mail a few books I had left home and sold us the newer upgraded model even though I had had the camera more then 90 days. I must have looked really sad or scary you can pick one. Thank You Costco

Lost and forgotten

Sorry I haven't blogged in a long time but I have been so busy living! Or do I mean working? Since my last post I have been to Alaska for two weeks. One week we rented a car and toured around Alaska on our own hiking and fishing! Mainly we would hike to fish so Frank really liked that. We got to see Mt. McKinley really well which we hear is not that common so we were lucky. I feel God decided that I deserved a break!

Frank loved Alaska because there was so much fishing.

I even stopped by VP candidate's place in Juneau but she wasn't home

I tried on a few new hats to see how they fit.

There were tons of glaciers and Frank got to hold one back!

It was a trip filled with wonderful views and adventures.

Crazy Bird Lady

Now I must start with how I have become the Crazy Cat, Bird, and Dog Lady. When my son was in 8th grade some 6 years ago he worked in a pet store! He is very knowledgeable and good with animals so he some how convinced me to allow him to get two love birds. Two turned into many and even a white parakeet showed up! We gave away many and figured out how to stop the mass procreation by buying separate cages for the love birds. No one said we were bright!
Years have gone by and I am left with two love birds(in separate cages) and one white parakeet. When I was a child we had parakeets but they didn't last more then 2 or 3 years but some how our white one has last over 6 and much to my chagrin have found out that love birds live 15 years or more!
I have 8 0r 9 more years to go before I am bird less!!! I will be around retirement age according to the US government before I am bird less! Now my husband has come up with a solutions for the bird situation but just opening the cage doors while I am cleaning the cages on the back deck seems cruel. As this would work for two of the birds one has been hand raised and won't fly away. You ask how do I know this, well he sits on my shoulder and I have gone running down the street after the dog and this lady is staring at me and when I pass her on the way back she says to me "Are you aware you have a small parrot on your shoulder?" He thinks I am his mother and won't fly away!!! This is how I have become the Crazy Bird Lady!
I forgot about the 15 or so Guinea Hens that come running when I step to the backyard but that is another story

Gone Missing

I have not been abducted but just working and traveling! I have been out west visiting ALF, and college buddies! It was Nurses Week and ALF was planning a nursing fair as part of her job so of course I came out to volunteer to show what goes on in the Operating Room. I think it went well but I am the mother of the organizer so I might be bias!
After the fair ALF and I went and met two of my college buddies in one of Northern California's gold mining towns. I think we laughed from 4:30pm Saturday to 2:00pm Sunday continuously!
It is something we need to do regularly!
I now am back at work counting the weeks until my next vacation! I usually vacation every other month but we have a maximum of two weeks from Memorial Day to Labor Day so that makes the summer a long haul for me! I actually don't have a vacation for 13 weeks since my last vacation and then I will be going to Alaska for two weeks so I guess it is worth the wait! I look at work as a means to make the money to vacation. Since my job is extremely stressful it is the best way to keep your sanity

gone missing