tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69457134043560720502012-01-30T04:54:40.739-05:00you are what you eatzillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.comBlogger5651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-36151840802044512042012-01-29T04:43:00.003-05:002012-01-29T05:06:52.995-05:00

I feel sad.An hour or so ago, I told you that you have better things to do with your life than comfort drunks.You smiled. You laughed it off as if it were nothing.When you are a child and your mother's a drunk, I suppose the only thing you know how to do is hold her hair back from the vomit, undress her, put her to bed. To you, doing the same thing for a near stranger your own age is really no

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-27669246240110328162011-10-12T21:46:00.005-04:002011-10-13T09:58:46.282-04:00

[I'm still around. Sometimes I write some words. Sometimes people like them. This email, for example, I'm told, got stuffed into a "folder" called "best emails ever." Better'n being published, if you ask me.]***Hi ian-Bray,Not to brag, but I own a 1996 Dodge Intrepid. If its body style doesn't date it, its color does: it is the most grating shade of ... teal. Condition-wise, though, the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-56919339715748446362011-09-30T22:41:00.002-04:002011-09-30T23:04:25.803-04:00

I've got a kid in the eleventh grade who doesn't know what the fuck she wants to do with her life beyond, you know, the whole eyeliner and boys thing.I've got another who is a freshman at a very good state university, studying environmental sciences, thinking perhaps the world can still be saved; but, she's had a bad week, overslept the alarm a couple of times, got rear-ended to the tune of $6300

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-52128127101844973372011-05-15T19:08:00.005-04:002011-05-15T21:00:46.086-04:00

During dinner (jackburgers: 100% whole grain wheat circle-shaped flat bread buried under a truckload of colorful spring greens topped with a circle-shaped slab of grilled, pasture-fed, hormone-free ground beef, then melted pepper-jack, then sliced avocado, then slivered red onion, then a squirt of this a dab of that for the others but not for me, blah blah blah; MrZ's & mine open-faced, the Eenas

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-83630010060996198412011-01-30T23:37:00.003-05:002011-01-30T23:42:50.893-05:00

Foolish Person I never Should Have Friended on Facebook:What Is The Difference Between a Harley And a Hoover?The Location Of The Dirt Bag.about an hour ago · Like · CommentJennifer Florence Yeah, the Hoover's dirt bag is inside of the Hoover and the Harley's dirt bag is being escorted out of town by the Patriot Guard. http://www.patriotguard.org/58 minutes ago · Like

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-7148156140767882612011-01-19T22:58:00.002-05:002011-01-19T23:02:04.694-05:00

Poorly chewed corn is to humans as _____ is (are) to dogs.A) KibbleB) BitsC) Table scrapsD) An Eena's underwear(I pity the people who do not read this blog.)

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-19611047550398274182011-01-18T12:30:00.007-05:002011-01-18T14:35:01.222-05:00

As much as I like the idea of karma, I'm not sure I could ever be persuaded to believe in it, at least not the "instant" kind to which so many of my friends make reference. For example, I don't think cussing out, or otherwise failing to appreciate one's sister, will cause her to fall dead from a heart attack or a brain-bleed within the month. In fact, I believe that notion is silly, so silly

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-92221101627477611642010-11-22T07:34:00.005-05:002010-11-22T10:17:05.855-05:00

Just when I think I'm nearing the end of my rope, believing she would be so much happier, so much better off, housed with a human pack whose individuals do not come and go so frequently without her, and does not confuse her with mixed messages and conflicting commands, Zenzi gives me one good day -- one really good day, and then a not terrible day, and then a pretty good day -- and I think, "

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-6713536801230565282010-11-09T07:18:00.000-05:002010-11-09T07:19:09.758-05:00

I will be traveling today, on a mission to relieve my mother of some porch furniture she no longer wants. I'll be listing a few items, including Fido's old dog crate, with my local Freecycle group, in order to make room.I feel reluctant to go but I do need to get out of this town, out of this house, away from this dog, if just for a day.Blameless, blameless, innocent dog. And she's still so

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-60986052438669268662010-11-07T14:45:00.000-05:002010-11-07T15:03:03.960-05:00

Some things have changed, some have remained the same.First, at the request of Eena the elder, our custody arrangement has been significantly altered. For years -- nine years, I think -- during the school year, the Eenas have been with me only from noon Fridays through 8am Mondays, with an occasional weekend off, and during all school holidays and all but a couple of weekends during summer

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-75216929260862046892010-08-06T22:04:00.002-04:002010-08-06T22:07:53.091-04:00

Uploads for mom, originally uploaded by mybunnyrexieArtwork by Younger Eena and Moose; photo by Elder Eena.Shark week brings out the best in all of us.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-65918987211541124612010-07-16T18:28:00.005-04:002010-07-16T20:14:33.286-04:00

I'm answering Ange, who asked, via comment, how things are with The Z a month after her acupuncture treatment.I don't know whether I feel more "A month? Already!?!?" or more "Only a month? Not three, or six months?"Doesn't matter how I feel.Zenzi is doing very well.She has had zero symptoms of inflammation since her acupuncture treatment. No redness, no hot-spots, no swelling, no diarrhea, no

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-29306082334661762852010-06-11T12:12:00.002-04:002010-06-13T08:05:19.931-04:00

Zenzi had surgery four weeks ago, to remove a histiocytoma from her face. That went well enough; I was glad the pathology did not show cancer.After three weeks of healing time we were finally able to remove her cone-collar, and what a relief that was! She had adapted to it quickly as far as eating and sleeping while wearing it, but dogs are so unlike cats -- they have no built-in "radar" with

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-81399900777814889972010-05-17T00:12:00.005-04:002010-05-17T00:39:14.947-04:00

Gina & WyattThose cats were fast as lightning.I really like this guy.So, between Zenzi's surgery, Gina's prom, and Ella Moon's first birthday party, it's been a busy weekend.I stole these pictures from Gina's FB friends. I haven't had a minute to upload any of my own. I might get to it tomorrow.My ex told me today that I should start making art again. I said I would start on Monday. It

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-91406140825840393552010-05-14T10:10:00.000-04:002010-05-14T10:41:47.927-04:00

It's been dark when I go to bed and dark when I get up.Mr Z makes the bed. That's the deal, see: last one up makes the bed. This arrangement has saved me from making the bed on half of all mornings since I've been sleeping with him.Not that I mind making the bed. Making the bed is one way to ensure a good day. If you haven't already done so, get off your okole and go make the bed. It'll turn

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-53779737607529955972010-04-03T23:48:00.004-04:002010-04-04T00:07:28.602-04:00

On each of the last three days I've left a comment on the negative-toned status update that has bothered me most. For example, my sister in-law bitched about annoyong cell phone ring tones at work so I wrote "Are you feeling irritable?" To a grad student "friend" who bitched about what a bitch her grad school schedule is I wrote, "Go to California or maybe even Hawaii. Surf a little. Eat some

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-20309149676185836742010-03-25T08:51:00.002-04:002010-03-25T09:02:31.387-04:00

by Miquel BarceloMadrid, Spain

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-84171610744497182492010-03-20T12:29:00.002-04:002010-03-20T13:00:08.797-04:00

Gaudi was a trailblazer, a pioneer.What was this, 1885 or '90?And to think he was ever ridiculed...amazing.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-20488063356774632612010-02-12T10:49:00.005-05:002010-02-12T15:40:17.411-05:00

My husband, the one-dish-wonder who can't grill his way out of a wet paper bag, decided, around Christmastime, to expand his culinary repertoire.On Christmas afternoon he gave me a book of 200 really easy recipes entitled, "200 Really Easy Recipes." I thought this was a little weird until I read the pale green Post-It note he'd stuck to the inside cover:Honey - Choose a few that sound good, and I

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-6814269722625010552010-01-26T18:28:00.002-05:002010-01-26T20:12:56.543-05:00

I've been saving them, all of them, in the freezer, since the beginning of the year. I hadn't really thought about the economics involved; just wanted to be more consistent in my respect for the lives that feed me.Free-range chickens, heritage turkeys, and quail -- impulse-purchased quail whose lives on the quail farm I do not want to investigate because I already know more than I want to know

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-83567772104530006012010-01-23T23:40:00.002-05:002010-01-23T23:50:59.599-05:00

(also posted to Facebook)Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food LifeBarbara Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp, Camille Kingsolver***Warning: Barbara Kingsolver is a way sweeter, way more mannerly person than I am.In my imagination, Barbara rolls over in bed at three am, wide awake due to jet lag after her trans-Atlantic flight:BK: Steven? Are you awake?SH: Yes.BK: Steven, did you remember to write

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-17589255364934024932010-01-03T12:18:00.000-05:002010-01-03T12:19:11.792-05:00

Dear Al Gore:Well, hello there, over in my Facebook side bar! I'm so excited to see your picture and the caption about working toward a "clean energy future!"I'd like to make a suggestion kind of along the same theme: let's start working toward a "clean food future," too.It's becoming more and more difficult to ignore that over 70% of the "food" on the shelves of a typical American grocery store

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-77136385979610938992009-12-30T23:14:00.004-05:002009-12-31T00:38:00.692-05:00

My sister is one of a small handful of people I know who might possibly be able to drink me under the table.Not bragging; that's just a fact, in the same way that I'll be 48 years old on my next birthday is a fact.So, today, a Christmas package from my sister arrived at my front door. I felt very excited to open it: one never knows what my sister might send.She collects freebie stickers from

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-87344931467901959822009-12-29T23:13:00.000-05:002009-12-29T23:14:12.487-05:00

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-20455039374461186892009-12-29T07:41:00.003-05:002009-12-29T08:51:56.745-05:00

A lesbian I know is boycotting Burger King, and for all the wrong reasons.A right-ish reason might be that food from Burger King, like food from most fast food establishments, is toxic, nutrient-deficient, fiber-free crap laden with sodium, sugar, and saturated and trans-fats. The lesbian I know, though, has little interest in nutrition; she is merely offended by BK's recent advertising campaign

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-58424813454443456782009-12-25T22:05:00.004-05:002009-12-25T22:36:18.831-05:00

So.I was short of a few items while prepping Christmas dinner.For the butt-of-the-midwest-joke known as "green bean casserole," I was short a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. Worse: the only mushrooms I have on hand are shiitakes.Where one finds shiitakes, one might also find kudzu root, a popular Asian thickener.I buy mine from the local food co-op's ethnic section. It ain't cheap.I

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-91542046577371880902009-12-23T21:32:00.002-05:002009-12-23T21:57:42.171-05:00

Okay, so, if you're sitting in the passenger seat of your husband's hybrid vehicle outside of PetSmart because Christmas just is NOT CHristmas if the dog doesn't receive a brand new fuzzy yellow squeeky football, and the heat in the car is turning the moist lining of your nasal passages to adobe, do NOT pick your nose, because if you do, the screen of the iPhone belonging to the woman seated on

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-3606638209393756532009-12-18T12:43:00.006-05:002009-12-18T12:53:16.453-05:00

Years and years ago, between husbands, I had a brief tryst with a very tall, exceedingly slender red-head whose arms were covered with freckles in fabulously thick clusters. His over-all appearance was that of a reticulated giraffe.There is no accounting for my taste in men.Well, that's not true.I just like 'em smart's the thing.So, this guy was an artist and a businessman and he was becoming

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-77237654839226827652009-12-07T13:54:00.004-05:002009-12-07T14:17:58.007-05:00

I promise, when I return from my trip (a short one, just a couple of days on the road) I will stop in to visit all who've visited here.Takin' Beanpole's mom to a bigger city for pre-op appointments before she has part or all of her something-or-other removed and biopsied.As much as I despise attention whores on Facebook or Blogger or ... doesn't matter the venue, they're everywhere ... I want to

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-70673529704658861302009-11-30T09:48:00.004-05:002009-12-03T13:09:20.794-05:00

Don't ask me why I bothered to invite these messages to my inbox; I don't know. Here, though, is the daily tarot card I received on Thanksgiving morning:The King of Chalices card suggests that my power today lies in emotional availability. I inspire, protect and nurture with reliable compassion, respect, and affection. I am a master in the art and am secure enough in my role to connect to,

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-18629978867379851722009-10-30T16:35:00.001-04:002009-10-30T16:35:22.673-04:00

my wedding day, originally uploaded by alpharat.Happy, happy 10th wedding anniversary to Alpharat and The Fabulous Nicole!

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-1033405269345698932009-10-11T16:40:00.002-04:002009-10-11T16:41:37.684-04:00

Dear Mr Presi-DON'T-ASK-DON'T-TELL-dent,Well, it turns out that banks aren't the only entities needing strict regulation: my washing machine is out of sych with my dryer, which means I have fifteen minutes in which to congratulate you on last night's most moving speech to the HRC. I wept. Honestly, I don't know how you made it through your own speech without weeping.That was some damn good

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-61057002650891010972009-10-10T18:01:00.001-04:002009-10-10T18:06:07.933-04:00

Dear Mr Presi-DON'T FORGET ABOUT EXECUTIVE ORDER-dent:I'm really sorry for not writing yesterday. I was in such a bad mood, though, that I temporarily lost all ability to spell or punctuate and my syntax was all like, whoa, so I thought I should just sit tight for a day while my mood (and the fall-out about you-know-what) settled.Dude! Peace Prize! You GO!That's all I have to say about that.Plus,

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-82224090644568040842009-10-08T19:28:00.004-04:002009-10-09T00:11:09.242-04:00

I won't bother to look back for confirmation, but I can guess that my falling-off with blog posts probably started, if not in practice, at least in my subconscious mind, around March of this year.March is when Paula friend-requested me on Facebook.Paula came into my life when I was in the second grade. She and her family moved into the Woods's old split-level, across the street and kitty-corner

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-78025848168400872452009-10-05T18:17:00.002-04:002009-10-05T18:36:53.533-04:00

Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-1424807964965800752009-09-10T20:46:00.001-04:002009-09-10T20:51:22.398-04:00

Dear Mr President: First, health is not analogous to transportation because health, whether it's good or bad, is simply a function of having been born alive, and nobody asks to be born. Nobody. Thanks to human ingenuity, those of us who were born alive and live to the ripe old age of 16 years can choose to learn to drive a car, and then procure a driver's license. In many cases, we can do this

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-84073651469499944082009-08-22T09:23:00.002-04:002009-08-22T11:17:43.476-04:00

I was recently asked, via email from Al Malekovic to write a review of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. Always game, after a quick look at Country Bob's website, I agreed to write a review in exchange for a sample bottle.Having been formerly married to a food service broker and distributor, one thing I understand is that the recipe on the back of the box, bottle, or can, is designed toward broad

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-82820121707917781542009-08-18T12:25:00.005-04:002009-08-18T20:29:10.930-04:00

Oh, I so wish that I could say that I have spent the last near-fortnight gagged and hog-tied and left to rot on the hard, damp, concrete floor of the crawl space under the home of the Neighbor Who Frightens me.I sometimes stretch the truth here, the way one might stretch yeasty flour and water into a thin and crispy vehicle for tomato and basil and whole milk mozerella, or I might dress it up in

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-6770777953445820402009-07-29T13:23:00.002-04:002009-07-29T13:55:49.790-04:00

The Neighbor Who Frightens Me has left a message on my telephone voice-mail "inviting" the Eenas and me to "coffee" next week.Here's how determined she is that we will come: the message included no set day or time, simply "Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday afternoon; or Thursday or Friday morning." She makes it difficult for me to return her call armed with a veterinary appointment or a

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-44058837886449264252009-07-27T19:34:00.001-04:002009-07-27T19:57:41.097-04:00

You will need a recently graduated stepson. Mine came with MrZ. Where yours comes from is entirely up to you.Allow your stepson and his father to schedule his graduation open house late in July, when most everyone has moved on from all-day open-housing to sleeping late, beaching, and part-time jobbing (if they're lucky). If possible, plan the party for a foul weather day so that most of the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-28574524280323268852009-07-20T21:08:00.006-04:002009-07-22T21:47:40.424-04:00

The Eenas and I arrived home yesterday, just before lunchtime, from a trip to northern Italy. MrZ saw the three of us to our security checkpoint before checking in for his trip to Scotland, where he will be until Saturday or Friday.My lips were thin and taught for the parting kiss because I was pissed.I was pissed because our mostly Italian-speaking (except for the absolutely necessary scripts)

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-85407587515324900622009-06-09T11:23:00.003-04:002009-06-09T11:49:52.319-04:00

The nerve!She actually sent a "carpenter" to my door!Zenzi, who had been snoozing at my side, was so suddenly full-tilt hackles-up growling as she glanced off the light to the left of the door, I accidentally hit the publish post button before I finished explaining my reconnaissance and data collections.But this is more interesting.I quickly scooped up the dog, holding her at about eye-level so

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-38348291251564744342009-06-09T10:11:00.004-04:002009-06-09T10:50:30.036-04:00

My schedule has been rigorous -- so rigorous that rumors of my voluntary commitment to a twenty-eight days program of rehabilitation are circulating. On the contrary, I have discovered the near-perfect ratio of caffeine to alcohol to make my already keen powers of observation even keener. I say "near-perfect" because Diet Coke makes me burp and spiced rum makes me crave carbohydrates. My body

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-13631710614304482342009-05-31T21:44:00.001-04:002009-05-31T21:47:02.898-04:00

July 4, 1996 - May 31, 2009May his memory be for a blessing.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-49435609394502730892009-05-27T09:38:00.002-04:002009-05-27T09:40:49.512-04:00

This just in, via email, from MrZ, who has been working in China this week:I did not tell you at the time, but when we landed in Beijing last week they told us that someone would "come on board to shoot us in the head" to take every passenger's temperature and make sure nobody with Swine flu was coming into China. We passed, but somebody on board flunked, and so every passenger within three rows

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-78390287545845167422009-05-25T15:35:00.000-04:002009-05-25T15:39:23.154-04:00

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-78842139939538266052009-05-20T13:01:00.003-04:002009-05-20T13:17:48.360-04:00

In the main floor powder room,Ella made her entrance.I would have slept through the delivery if Dad hadn't been using a blowdryer on steroids to inflate the birthing pool. I went downstairs to see what the horrible sound was.The pool was never fully inflated, never saw a drop of water.He said, "Her water broke. The midwife is on her way."Figured I had time for a cigarette out on the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-77556149566122307842009-05-14T11:11:00.001-04:002009-05-14T14:33:56.239-04:00

Sometimes I make bad decisions.Sometimes I fail to look at an issue from every angle, fail to consider the points of view of all concerned.It is true that I considered the opinion and sensibilities of The Neighbor Who Frightens me when she approached me about the removal of the two 70 ft tall, 150 year-old white pines residing on our joint property line. Valuing peace and harmony with my

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-61400242164405096872009-05-11T00:25:00.002-04:002009-05-11T00:25:01.067-04:00

No casualties yet.That I know of.This afternoon, she introduced me, formally, to her husband. I refused to shake his hand. My hands were thickly coated with garden soil. At the moment of their ambush, I was sneaking tomato plants into my front flower bed. I've become some kind of nightshade zealot. Eggplant is next.The lawn weeding continues, but, as of this morning, it continues with a

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-91384045956677839042009-05-08T12:25:00.003-04:002009-05-08T12:32:17.439-04:00

It's happening.Zenzi is currently at the window on the south wall of the family room, barking and growling, attempting to keep her and her minions at bay, but her small army of men just keep trudging along, just keep hauling all manner of boxes and furnishings into the house next door.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-33415820305201688942009-04-29T17:33:00.009-04:002009-04-29T20:27:01.721-04:00

That's me.Mostly just tired and happy, though.So.The neighbor who frightens me will be moving into the house she killed a thousand trees to build, on May 8. With any luck, GBabyE-Z will decide that's the day to be born. That way, I can vamoose to Myrt's house and assist the midwife or assuage any anxiety GSonZ might be feeling about using such fancy scissors on such thick human cells.Have you

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-83333823155774503812009-04-24T08:47:00.002-04:002009-04-24T14:34:13.729-04:00

Tank top weather!I am head-to-toe grimy and quickly wearing out my nail brush, each and every fingernail broken down to the quick. I'd like to know how to get pine sap off the bottoms of my naked feet. I've been putting on shoes on my way in the door in order to save myself from scrubbing floors which I don't have time to do.The crocuses are past and the hyacinths are currently at their least

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-67806459734036300672009-04-22T20:37:00.001-04:002009-04-23T12:30:45.420-04:00

This was posted by a friend of mine on his Facebook wall. I couldn't not share.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-5746998105264705412009-04-19T06:55:00.005-04:002009-04-19T07:44:08.758-04:00

This 42-degree morning, in bare feet, finally, and over my first cup of too rapidly cooling coffee in the treehouse, which has no roof and therefore does not provide shelter from the very light rain which still falls, I heard two of the four calls of the common loon (Gavia immer).The common loon offers four basic calls: the hoot, the tremolo, the wail, and the yodel. Each call carries a different

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-7333376155310614922009-04-16T16:45:00.008-04:002009-04-16T18:26:01.540-04:00

I'm sorry.I've been painting. It's not just that I'm rusty; it's that watercolor is one of the most difficult media to master. Even since I reminded myself, after the initial over-worked, too contrived, extremely academic attempts, that making art is 90% observing and 10% doing, the results have been no better than toss-worthy. Trust me: I am no perfectionist, but I do know what I'm talking

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-91049076374592704422009-03-29T21:39:00.002-04:002009-03-30T01:42:14.878-04:00

Day late and a dollar short, but here it is, regarding the several weeks-old (incredibly stale and perhaps even moldy) controversy about the remake of the movie Footloose, WHICH Zac Efron (High School Musical, whateverthatwas) has recently (apparently, I guess, whatever) dropped out of...Sorry, couldn't help it.According to Moose: So they're remaking some movie you and your friends thought you

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-1261374130952611692009-03-28T13:33:00.003-04:002009-03-28T13:49:43.367-04:00

Hi.I am not "glowing."I am a grimy, slimy ball of filthy, stinky sweat.But I have big news:Barbara, the neighbor who frightens me, will be moving into the giant yellow house she built next to mine, very, very soon.I know this because she appeared yesterday while I was pruning from the coniferous saplings along my property line miles of dead grapevines left in the wake of Barbara's tree slaughter.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-63551508326117529482009-03-22T22:25:00.002-04:002009-03-22T23:56:05.070-04:00

Once, a young Jewish man I'd had a few dates with (seriously, this happened: I went out with this Jewish cartoonist wannabe even though I was mildly distracted by his inclination for reciting Marx brothers lines at any random moment) was obviously having trouble focusing on getting into my pants with all those thoughts about his parents intruding.He stroked the bridge of my noseduring what could

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-53342501010285840002009-03-19T19:09:00.002-04:002009-03-19T21:20:14.609-04:00

You know what?Never mind.Not going there.Going here:If you're angry or scared or hurting, just sign the damned petitions already. Stop being lazy or stubborn or all oh-what's-the-use, or, I-just-can't-deal, and just make those few little adjustments to your lifestyle and personal behaviors. Pick up the phone and give your state representative an earful. Eff-bomb that smirky untouchable jackass

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-64984707517250541052009-03-19T07:59:00.002-04:002009-03-19T09:34:57.435-04:00

I am actually now healthy enough, can breathe well enough, feel energized enough, to have given myself the most welcome and appreciated case of shin splints I've ever had.Most of my recent bloggy-time is spent reading posts rather than writing posts. I just don't feel like typing out the minutiae. Everybody washes windows or rakes the grimy detritus winter leaves behind, and whatever fleeting

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-47207441563623509862009-03-12T07:41:00.002-04:002009-03-12T08:32:46.487-04:00

I turned the corner, finally, yesterday morning, and just in the nick of time, too: for days I had been on the brink of ordering a double-cheese deep-dish pizza, just so that I might rediscover this little thing called pleasure.Onward.MrZ returns late tonight from where he was, and where he was is a place where big brother blocks access to the types of political commentary-oriented websites with

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-11804319191993898802009-03-06T21:54:00.002-05:002009-03-06T22:31:50.580-05:00

I applied the Breathe-Right mentholated Vapor Strip to my nose according to package instructions and made careful note of the time, just knowing, in my heart of hearts, that if air-flow in my right nasal passage improved by 31% I would have a difficult time parting with it after only twelve hours of blissful breathing.Couple of items worth mentioning right off the bat:decimal points are important

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-15307392593482416342009-03-06T21:06:00.001-05:002009-03-06T21:08:07.668-05:00

Bob Strampe, my hero.Not kidding. Ask MrZ.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-61681293678200394782009-03-06T15:19:00.001-05:002009-03-06T15:21:22.371-05:00

Honestly, I had NO idea:Rush Limbaugh's birthdate was ranked as 175 in the Vietnam War draft lottery. No one was drafted above 125. He was classified as "1-Y" (later reclassified "4-F") due to either a football knee injury or a diagnosis of Pilonidal disease.In other words, Limbaugh got out of the draft because of a giant, festering, hair-filled boil in his ass-crack.Good day!

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-26587127217533407412009-03-05T11:44:00.005-05:002009-03-05T19:52:23.865-05:00

The rabbits will just have to nibble more slowly.The other mothers are keeping me hopping today.I'm all erranded out, and that's just from running to the frightening western medical clinic with a copy of some immunization records in order to procure a sign-off on a sports physical, and then sliding all those records and forms under the doormat at my girls' other house because their stepmom does

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-33899934926259685342009-03-05T06:41:00.004-05:002009-03-05T09:02:51.215-05:00

Oy.I've been meaning to write.It's okay if nobody wants to get pregnant. I was being selfish again. The smell of an infant's head is the cure for everything.So, Tuesday, after being prodded and kneaded and otherwise manipulated, I was paying Witchdoctor's bill, and he gestured out the window, at the wall of a snow bank across his tundra of a parking lot, and he says, "Look at it. Look at the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-32006889425596235722009-03-04T15:55:00.005-05:002009-03-04T16:33:33.824-05:00

Plus, stick is easier to spell than my first choice, the shellalagh.S - T - I - C - KCan't even center a pic, fercryingoutloud.But you can make yourself a superhero here.Okay.There.I posted.Now everybody get pregnant, please.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-75062647122191567582009-02-25T09:02:00.002-05:002009-02-25T11:54:17.499-05:00

During the wee hours, when Sunday was making way for Monday, the coughing started in earnest.I'd had a funny little tickle until then. I'd chalked it up to the arid environment, the altitude, the cloying odor of the often used, seldom cleaned, natural fireplace in our casita -- or maybe just too many hours since the last cigarette. I'd attributed some mildly annoying aches to the too-soft

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-62679319257241512432009-02-22T14:13:00.003-05:002009-02-22T15:38:34.227-05:00

Different is meaningless.Different than what?The air at seven thousand feet in New Mexico is thinner and cleaner than the air in New York City, that's for sure. It's warmer, and it's thinner (I doubt it's cleaner, but I could be wrong) than the air where I come from. At the moment, it's less crowded with snowflakes, and the wind is merely gently cool, rather than aggressively razor-toothed.During

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-2219906108939428532009-02-19T22:52:00.003-05:002009-02-19T23:24:36.903-05:00

If the weather cooperates, I'll be boarding a plane for Santa Fe in the morning. MrZ has a day or so of work there, and I'm tagging along to get out of the unpleasant residue from our most recent winter storm.Apologies for being so dull.I:feel terrificdislike packingam anxious about five days of having to scrutinize restaurant menus for dairy, and wheat and other troublesome grains, not to

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-91402278695313551672009-02-14T15:02:00.003-05:002009-02-14T15:07:53.893-05:00

You just know that when your husband walks in bearing a Valentine's gift just as your iPod shuffle coughs up Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love," whatever happens next is going to be painfully, pathetically hilarious, and that it's probably going to make you want to keep your gift for him in its hiding place.Happy Valentine's Day, folks!

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-63362091425162990952009-02-10T20:01:00.008-05:002009-02-12T22:59:48.611-05:00

I don't remember exactly what I've said already about the therapy I'm on, but it's like this:Long, familiar list of foods to avoid, including all grain products and all dairy products.So many dietary supplements to swallow that I don't miss any of those foods anyway.First thing each morning, on an empty stomach, I swallow 5 ADP tablets, with a full glass of water. ADP is emulsified extract of

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-46049532483173360632009-02-09T21:31:00.003-05:002009-02-09T22:34:13.471-05:00

My little sister, who's kind of off on her own wild ride, having fairly recently left Vermont and her unpleasantly drunk husband for another state with another man without (quite yet) the tidy benefit of divorce, sent me a tee-shirt for Christmas. It's blue. Royal blue. The white lettering says, "Because I can."She enclosed a note that said, "This is empowering." Only she said it in no fewer

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-78888632232563311322009-02-06T14:10:00.006-05:002009-02-06T19:47:42.531-05:00

Everybody saw this one, right?Cracked me up.Many thanks to Jonathan, the king of Spread a Little Sunshine.So, MrZ comes in.I say: Hey, wanna see something cute?:No, not especially.:Excuse me?:I'm not especially in the mood to see something 'cute' right now. I thought saying so was better than looking at something and not thinking it was cute.::cancel, cancel, cancel, sign off, shut down:::I'm ..

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-55682973148830540872009-02-01T20:23:00.004-05:002009-02-02T12:15:41.971-05:00

Sunday, we felt 34 degrees.It was breezy -- strong breezy, the kind of breezy that gets Zenzi all confused and anxious. She spent her first twelve weeks in a barn. Machinery sounds, she handles well. Breezes have her yawning and twitching and flapping her ears frantically about her head, then running in circles, not quite knowing where it's safe to pee.Thirty-four degrees is a godsend.Sunday,

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-48350985213751817732009-01-30T20:59:00.000-05:002009-01-30T21:00:03.335-05:00

I don't care how desperately inappropriate this might be. I just don't.Everyone is either celebrating the small miracles President Obama has accomplished in the first ten days of his presidency, or they're criticizing him with no more than a not polite enough nod to the shit-heap that the not apparently sorry yet man has agreed to scale, and all I'm wondering is, has the First Couple had

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-53611247686038349322009-01-28T05:26:00.002-05:002009-01-28T05:40:03.093-05:00

Monday was younger Eena's birthday.Yesterday was my father's birthday. He would have been seventy-two.Yesterday, oddly enough, sadly enough, my first favorite author, John Updike, passed away.Yesterday was also Zenzi's birthday. She is now two.Today is my mother's birthday.I'm going to make some coffee now.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-75598625520039159552009-01-23T08:33:00.005-05:002009-01-23T09:39:54.894-05:00

The Eight of Chalices card suggests that my power today lies in space. I am true to myself and will only regret the chances I don't take to seek or follow my heart's desire. I turn away from or make a clean sweep of that which does not honor or sustain my passion and love, and in this, I am not afraid to be alone. I am empowered to move forward or make space and my gift is letting go.In other

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-27798707971747244522009-01-19T21:09:00.003-05:002009-01-19T21:45:17.931-05:00

Anyone on half the emailing lists I'm on knows that today was a national day of service; the Obamas promote, and demonstrate, volunteerism and community service as a means to strengthen and unify our country.Which is terrific.Except.Monday...is myday off !!!I drop the Eenas at school before 8am on Mondays. After that, I keep my cell phone on while I take care of my errands. An Eena who's

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-42037184966584548642009-01-16T19:07:00.001-05:002009-01-16T19:18:13.374-05:00

I actually like the Realist painters' paintings, and I especially like some of Wyeth's. Every square inch, up close, is an abstract waiting to be born, you know.Just kidding.(Not really.)You know how I got interested in art?I was very frequently sick as a kid.A sick kid can watch only so many reruns of Dick Van Dyke or Mayberry RFD. My mom gave me scads of art history books, mostly from the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-12488036160033716762009-01-16T15:22:00.002-05:002009-01-16T15:37:46.660-05:00

My dog thinks she's a cat.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-7641648491598171692009-01-16T09:45:00.000-05:002009-01-16T10:23:50.027-05:00

I'm still laying low with the headcold from Hell. I'm not thinking clearly when I think at all, and if I speak, a coughing fit ensues. After the coughing comes the sneezing. After the sneezing, my ears pop. It's big fun, really, especially since I discovered that Thera-Flu is a performance enhancing drug. Doesn't do a damned thing for cold symptoms, but, when I finally dosed up yesterday, it

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-84992347109144881692009-01-14T14:57:00.004-05:002009-01-14T19:28:48.919-05:00

This is my Christmas wreath.Isn't it delightfully gawdy?This is my house at 2:30 this afternoon.See that monster icicle in the upper left corner?Here's another look at the icicle.(Pray for my roof, please.)Kind of reminds me of Alpharat's kitty in a bowl.Or Pablo's mean rabbit.Izzy is nice, she's just pissed off, because it's very, very cold again today.This is Izzy, one of our two Jersey Woolly

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-57349174615359441482009-01-13T22:32:00.002-05:002009-01-13T22:40:51.232-05:00

Shhhh.I totally ripped this photo off from Beanpole's mom's ace-fay ook-bay. She's five miles north of us.June? GITCHERASSOVERHERE!It's not that I want sympathy; although, if I'm cranky, a little understanding would be appreciated.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-74453997981836329162009-01-09T20:37:00.010-05:002009-01-11T19:05:20.796-05:00

Tough times are over.There's plenty for everyone.Shelter, food, energy, water, -- it's all readily available, in staggering proportions.The glitch is, it's all in Las Vegas.The construction of thousands, thousands of rooms, in Vegas, is currently underway. I personally saw the Village People, who, because we're living in plentiful times have put on a little weight, operating the earth-movers

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-86743507722328733412009-01-05T06:35:00.002-05:002009-01-05T06:48:48.223-05:00

Elder Eena: Ange sends the best gifts.Younger Eena: Yeah, and she writes the best note cards, too.***Moose: Aren't you the one who always says "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference?"Zilla: Yes. Yes, I am.Moose: So how is saying you want to let the dogs kill each other having a good attitude?Zilla: Letting the dogs kill each other indicates I have an admirable willingness to

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-39029304567401486432009-01-01T19:21:00.006-05:002009-01-01T21:58:43.219-05:00

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, there were a couple of tragedies playing in the background that I was reluctant to share, not wanting to dampen anyone's spirits more than absolutely necessary to maintain my own sanity.First, Moose's good friend, Tay, the one whose father had been accepting his life would be cut short by brain cancer while living several hours away from here, suffered the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-87481885364940236262009-01-01T12:02:00.005-05:002009-01-01T13:46:42.914-05:00

Moose fetched some black-eyed peas for me. I had him grab some collards, too. Beautiful, beautiful collards; they go so nicely with Hoppin' John.I realize I hoard quite a variety of beans, and I'm not such a superstitious person, really, although I did place a penny on the sill, but, it still didn't seem right to substitute anything in a traditional dish like the New Year's Day batch of Hoppin

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-47232783967452148582008-12-31T12:12:00.000-05:002008-12-31T13:29:16.612-05:00

***WISHING YOU ALL EVERY HAPPINESS IN THE NEW YEAR***Here I was looking forward to a brand new beginning, and those dirty rat-fink-bastard official keepers of time are throwing one full second extra onto the atomic clocks tonight. As if that's not enough to flatten one's spirit, I seem to have misplaced my black-eyed peas. Either that, or they've been stolen. It's time (I think) to set the

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-40521934553716656192008-12-30T22:07:00.003-05:002008-12-30T22:38:53.079-05:00

Koko, sleeping on my only clean t-shirt,which I placed on top of some basket-contained clutter,next to some clutter not contained in a basket,near a plastic bag optimistically half full of potatoes,by a phone jack-type thingy,and an empty drinks carrier from (gasp!) McDonald's.The only reason the t-shirt is (was) clean isthat FedEx delivered it yesterday.I've been very busy, up in my room, trying

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-47232975017004831532008-12-29T20:40:00.001-05:002008-12-29T20:40:27.574-05:00

costarica 038Originally uploaded by coff33hous3rI just thought I'd take a moment to remind everyone how absolutely stunning I am.

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-45126454221283677322008-12-29T10:00:00.003-05:002008-12-29T10:08:13.460-05:00

I think perhaps that blogging, much like worshiping the impossible-to-prove, works best when one comes to it voluntarily, with an open heart, and without expecting anything in return -- anything in return like a million dollar book deal with Simon and Schuster, or even just anyone's approval.I've got more "forced" posts in my drafts folder than I have pores on my frown-creased forehead. It's all

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-64900763282470716562008-12-24T22:01:00.002-05:002008-12-24T22:29:56.534-05:00

Myrt, Snowman, GBabyZ, MrMyrtChristmas Eve day, at Zilla FlatsSometimes a granny just can't wait, so GBabyZ opened one gift early.This Quadrilla marble set provided hours, hours of fun, for the entire family.MrZ helping GBabyZ to assemble the first configuration of the marble railway.Between the adults and teens here, I think four different configurations were built.Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-49171189423766103172008-12-24T00:12:00.002-05:002008-12-24T00:12:00.955-05:00

I used to teach Catechism on Sundays, to first graders, so one thing I am sure of is this: the Christmas season is about waiting for our Saviour, and on Christmas day, we celebrate the arrival of that Saviour.But, what is a "saviour," and what does it mean to be saved?I rarely ask that question and I do not have the answer.What I have, though, is this favorite passage from a favorite book -- a

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-46843903397646492692008-12-22T12:14:00.004-05:002008-12-22T21:06:15.460-05:00

I've been mostly quiet because I've been mostly reading a book. I've been mostly reading a book because I've been mostly holed-up in my room. Mostly, I've been keeping Zenzi company so Fido can sleep peacefully at MrZ's feet in the living room, where MrZ is mostly analyzing finances and selecting fantasy baseball teams.I'm reading Learning to Bow, by Bruce Feiler. I'm reading this rather than

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-42058810809293898772008-12-22T10:37:00.003-05:002008-12-22T11:13:13.257-05:00

Fido, currently, is on the front porch, apparently awaiting Santa. Santa usually brings him something squeaky to disassemble. Santa used to bring something tuggy, too, but the old pup doesn't tug so much anymore.Beanpole opened a few gifts last night, before leaving for Iowa. Fido seemed so sure he was going to get his squeaker early, too, but MrZ is making him wait, because it's not Christmas

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-13346312133894310692008-12-19T19:24:00.006-05:002008-12-20T19:50:43.206-05:00

Fido was out of syringes. Walmart's ethics allows diabetes supplies to be offered as a loss leader. Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know, but it seems to me that nothing, these days, comes at a simply fair price, so Walmart is where we go for insulin and needles. It's typically an in-and-out deal, hitting the Walmart pharmacy and avoiding everything else in the store, from the dirt cheap

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-26041141236940492432008-12-17T21:20:00.002-05:002008-12-17T21:25:48.885-05:00

Sunday, Elder Eena asked to be taken to the craft store. She's been making scarves and hats for her friends for Christmas and had run out of yarn. Even though I had misgivings about her ability to complete multiple knitting projects and finish her school work with just two weeks before winter break, off to the yarn store we went.While she was wandering among the aisles of skeins, looking,

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-62303482493833477082008-12-13T23:17:00.002-05:002008-12-13T23:22:43.584-05:00

sometimesbecause we can't help itwe tease her aboutlooking likeTina Faywhich onlymakes her chewon our shoessoreally we shouldknockitOFF!

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6945713404356072050.post-7554938669297099452008-12-12T06:45:00.002-05:002008-12-12T07:06:05.830-05:00

I was out of Dryel Dry Cleaning Sheets, a must-have item for all agoraphobics and those who simply want to put their local independent dry cleaner out of business. I am neither agoraphobic nor trying to put anyone out of business. I don't love running errands, I don't love the smell of the dry cleaner's shop, and I think dry clean-only fabrics should be illegal, but they aren't, therefore

zillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802695378617927299noreply@blogger.com6