Taken To The Cleaners (059/365)

 
“This shirt is dry clean only. Which means...it's dirty.”

Mitch Hedberg (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

TIME:  5:00 PM
PLACE:  W. Main Street
SUBJECT:  Dry cleaner’s sign

Yesterday wore me out.  I did not feel like doing anything today and I accomplished that goal.  I even took a nap early this afternoon.  HandsomeHusband picked up dinner from a fire department BBQ so ravioli will wait until dinner tomorrow night.  After we ate, I needed to go to the grocery store to pick up things for the kids’ lunches this week.  I pass this dry cleaner’s sign almost every day.  I played around with the picture on Photoshop to give a more retro feel – like an old Kodachrome photo.

Ravioli Day (058/365)

  
“Meatball, Meatball
Spaghetti underneath.
Ravioli, Ravioli
Great Barrier Reef!!”

"Imitation Krabs." SpongeBob SquarePants. Season 2, Episode 24b. December 28, 2000.

TIME:  3:29 PM
PLACE:  M--- Community Center
SUBJECT:  Ravioli

Today was our family’s (the paternal grandmother’s side) big ravioli making fest.  Between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm we made, spread out, turned and boxed up approximately 4,000 ravioli.  It was a lot of work, but very fun.  The first batches that were rolled out took a little bit longer than expected - we hadn’t made these in some time, so there was a relearning curve involved.  By lunch time we had only four batches or so completed.  Or maybe that could be because the wine was uncorked at 10:30am – really, who can say?.  But after we ate, oh baby did we hit a groove.  We knocked out the rest in record time.  Now, I’m tired.  I’ll make some sauce and we’ll eat our endeavors tomorrow.

February Tree (057/365)

 
"Late February days; and now, at last,
Might you have thought that
Winter's woe was past;
So fair the sky was and so soft the air."

Morris, William. “The Earthly Paradise.” New York: Longmans, Green & Co. 1896.

TIME:  3:09 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Red Sunset Maple tree

Well, here is the tree for February.  Not much of a change from January, huh?  Who would have thought that I would have the same type of weather on the 26th day of the month for both January and February?  One difference I can see it that the sky is a much deeper blue today than it was in January.  I am looking forward to posting the next picture of this tree…because that will mean it is SPRING!

Put A Cork In It (056/365)

 
“Some weasel took the cork out of my lunch.”

W. C. Fields (American Comic and Actor, 1880-1946)

TIME:  8:48 PM
PLACE:  My brother’s kitchen
SUBJECT:  Wine corks

My sister-in-law hosted a Signature Homestyles show this evening.  That meant I got to get out of the house by myself!  If I had the funds (& a remodeled kitchen) I could have easily spent a whole lot of money.  But, since I don’t have either, I only purchased two items: a divided caddy for when we have get-togethers (no more silverware in plastic cups!) and a mini organizer basket which I plan to use at my desk.  

My SIL has collected wine corks and placed them in the bottom of a hurricane candle holder on the kitchen island.  While the representative was tallying up orders, I was taking pictures.

Dirty Birds (055/365)

 
“‘We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,’
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.”

Oliver Herford (1863-1935), poet. I Heard a Bird Sing (l. 5-8). . . New Treasury of Children's Poetry, A; Old Favorites and New Discoveries. Joanna Cole, comp. (1984) Doubleday & Company.

TIME:  3:52 PM
PLACE:  The alley
SUBJECT:  Birds

Sunny, but very cold again today.  These birds were splashing around in the water-filled depressions at the end of our drive.  How these birds can stand being in the ice cold water is beyond me.  I get the shivers just thinking about it.  I am about done with winter.  To give me an incentive to get out of bed in the morning, I keep telling myself that each new day brings springtime a little bit closer.

Watching (054/365)

 
“'Tis sweet to hear the watch-dog's honest bark
Bay deep-mouth'd welcome as we draw near home;
'Tis sweet to know there is an eye will mark
Our coming, and look brighter when we come.”
      
Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron), Don Juan (canto I, st. 123)

TIME:  3:32 PM
PLACE:  By the front door
SUBJECT:  Oreo

If it isn’t too cold, I like to open the front door and let the afternoon sun spill inside while waiting for the kids to walk home from school.  Since it was pretty sunny today, I left it open after they came home.  When the door is open, Oreo likes to lay in the sun and watch the goings on through the full view storm door.  Occasionally she will get up and bark at the kids in the neighborhood or another dog going by our house.  Consequentially, my storm door is usually covered with dog nose prints and dried doggy salvia.

Smelly (053/365)

 
“You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be led.”

Stan Laurel (English, Comic actor, Writer and director, famous as the first half of the comedy double-act Laurel and Hardy, 1890-1965)

TIME:  8:23 PM
PLACE:  My desk
SUBJECT:  Smencil (Black Cherry scented)

I’m sitting at my desk tonight, trying to gather enough “umph” to work on taxes.  While I’m sitting here, I notice an odor wafting from my pencil cup.  It was my Smencil!  I’d forgotten all about it.  The children’s sold them at school through their Junior Optimist club for Valentine’s Day.  MonkeyBoy brought me home a Black Cherry scented one.  Mmmm…”Gourmet scented pencils, Made from 100% recycled newspapers, Saving trees…one pencil at at time.”  They are very smelly and I mean that in the nicest way possible. *And* it provided me with a photo for today.  What a good pencil.