Pink Carnation (038/365)

 
“The flower in the vase smiles, but no longer laughs.”

Malcolm de Chazal (Mauritian, Writer, painter, and visionary, 1902-1981)

TIME:  4:19 PM
PLACE:  Bed of Roses Bed & Breakfast
SUBJECT:  Dianthus caryophyllus

My sister-in-law, Emily (my brother John’s wife) is in town for a visit.  Her sister had a luncheon today from 2-4pm at the B&B she operates.  The only problem was that my kids had their honors brunch today as well.  That was at noon, so I wasn’t really hungry when I went to Em’s luncheon.  That’s ok…I was more interested in seeing and catching up with her than eating. 

Duel Master (037/365)

Yugi Moto: Now I will go on the attack with Mammoth Graveyard, Polymerization, and the Living Arrow card.
Seto Kaiba: What's a Living Arrow card?
Yugi Moto: I tell you. Normally, I make a fusion with my cards but for a change, Living Arrow allows me to fuse my cards with my opponent's cards opening up bold new possibilities. Now I will use the magic of the Living Arrow to fuse my Mammoth Graveyard to the heart of your beast. However, since my Mammoth Graveyard is an undead type monster, it can't properly fuse with your living Ultimate Dragon. Instead, it will cause your dragon to rot and decay from the inside out and since Mammoth Graveyard has a total of 1200 attack points, that means your Dragon will lose 1200 attack and defense points each turn until even my weakest monsters can destroy it.

Kazuki Takahashi, Yu-Gi-Oh, Perf. Dan Green & Eric Stuart, Toei Animation, 1998-2006.

TIME:  10:33 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  StellaDella’s trading card game

I went to a home jewelry party tonight at my friend Denise’s and SD and DramaQueen came with me.  SD brought a stack of old fundraising tickets with her from our house and the first thing she did when we arrived was to ask Denise for some markers to use.  Then she made her way downstairs to the playroom.  She was occupied the entire time we were there making her own Yu-Gi-Oh type card game.  She even recruited Denise’s son to draw a couple of characters…“Light-no Man” is one of them.  All the others are done by SD.  She named the characters and gave each of them specific attack and defense powers, which she noted by initials on the back of the card.  There are 28 cards in her deck right now.  She told me that tomorrow she will be making more, so would I please find her some markers.  I am just amazed by her imagination.

Snowdrops (036/365)

“A lot of people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”

Carl Reiner (American, Actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian, b1922)

TIME:  9:02 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Freezing snow on branch

We are supposed to get hit with 2-4 inches of the white stuff by tomorrow morning.  I went out to take some photos and I was shaking so much that most of them turned out blurry.  I know, I know…I should use a tripod!  But, I was lazy and just didn’t feel like hauling that outside with me.  Right now, we’ve got a mixture of snow and rain going on.  I wonder what it will look like outside when I wake up tomorrow morning.  Should be interesting.

A Rough Day (035/365)

“We do not live an equal life, but one of contrasts and patchwork; now a little joy, then a sorrow, now a sin, then a generous or brave action.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882)

TIME:  9:24 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Oreo

Today we said goodbye to my Aunt Dolores.  During the church service and at the gravesite, I though a lot about Mom.  I hope Aunt Dee wasn’t offended by that – I’m pretty sure she would understand though.  After the services, we went back to the church for a luncheon and family visit.  I returned home about 1:30 and laid down on the couch until HH and the kids arrived home at 3pm.  DramaQueen had a basketball game (they lost 25-5) and a Cadette meeting tonight.  She also lost cell phone privileges for 24 hours due to her smart mouth being disrespectful to her mother.  *SIgh*  Here’s to a better day tomorrow.

Pajamas (034/365)

 
“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.”

Groucho Marx (American Comedian, Actor and Singer, 1890-1977)

TIME:  9:35 PM
PLACE:  By my computer
SUBJECT:  Pajama pants

Oy, what a day.  At work today, my PC froze up, then the monitor would not work.  So I switched out the monitor…still didn’t work.  Called the outside computer vendor we use and they came by the office and took the unit in to see what’s up.  Here’s hoping it’s just the video card.  Apparently, 2010 is not looking to be a good year for me and computers. ~ This evening was the wake for my Aunt.  I just hoped I could get through it without falling apart and I did fine.  I arrived at the funeral home about 4:30ish.  HH brought the kids with him in a seperate car.  DQ, MB and SD found the food spread in the lounge area and were thus occupied.  HH took the two younger ones home a little after 6 and DQ stayed with me until 8pm.  I will be going back tomorrow for the procession to church for mass and then to the cemetery.  It will just be me, the kids are going to school and HH will be going to work. ~ When I returned home tonight, I changed into a huge sweatshirt and my comfy PJ pants.  I put my feet up and am sitting at the computer to relax a bit before I head off to bed.  Goodnight.

3-2-1 Contact (033/365)

“Competence, like truth, beauty, and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.”

Dr. Laurence J. Peter (American "hierarchiologist", Educator and Writer, 1919-1990)

TIME:  7:46 PM
PLACE:  Bathroom
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen’s contact lens

DQ received her contact lenses at the eye doctor today.  She was very excited.  She was supposed to get them yesterday, but the doctor’s office was down to a skeleton crew due to sick employees, so they asked to reschedule for today instead.  THAT was a major disappointment to DQ, let me tell you.  You might have even heard the loud wail of angst around 4:05 yesterday afternoon when she got home from school and I told her that her 4:30 appointment was cancelled.  I tried cheering her up by telling her that she was going to be able to leave school early (1:45 pm) today.  That helped ease the pain a little bit.  In any event, the sun still set last night, rose this morning and she was able to make it through the day until her appointment.  Now she has her contacts.  All is well with the world…for now.

Casting Shadows (032/365)

 
Geoff Carter: Got a match?
Bonnie Lee: Say, don't you ever have any?
Geoff: No, don't believe in laying in a supply of anything.
Bonnie: Matches, marbles, money, women.
Geoff: That's right.
Bonnie: No looking ahead, no tomorrows, just today.
Geoff: That's right.

Jules Furthman (1888-1960), U.S. screenwriter, and Howard Hawks. Geoff Carter (Cary Grant), Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur), Only Angels Have Wings, Geoff Carter's philosophy of life (1939). Based On A Story By Howard.

TIME:  7:28 PM
PLACE:  The kitchen
SUBJECT:   Cast Iron Match Holder

This match holder used to reside by the stove at my parent’s lake house in Carlyle, Illinois.  The pilot light on the stove’s gas burners didn’t work.  So we used a match to light the gas ring when cooking.  Dad sold the property a few years ago and when we were clearing out the house, I laid my claim on it.  I got dibs on the holder because I had originally purchased it for Mom from an antique mall back in the late 1980’s. Nowadays, replicas are easily available from many merchants on the web, but this one is an original.  It hangs in my kitchen, but I don’t have matches in it…yet, I’m waiting until StellaDella is a little older.  I’m paranoid that way. 
~*~*~
My Aunt Dolores passed away last night.  She was 78 years old and was married to my Dad’s brother for 53 years.  Her youngest daughter Kathleen & I are good friends as well as cousins.  Rest in peace Aunt Dee.  I’ll always have fond memories of the fried bologna sandwiches you would make when I spent the night at your house.