Things I like about Japan

Some of the things I like about Japan are that the people are nice and the cities are clean. You never find any trash, litter or graffiti anywhere and there are no homeless people. But one of the things I like best about Japan is the restrooms. They have the neatest toilets!

They have toilets that spray your behind and the stream of warm water is very accurate. They have toilets that spray your front and they’re very accurate, too. They have toilets with heated seats.  They have toilets that have a blow dryer (and they aren’t for your head!) to dry yourself.  They have toilets that play music. They have toilets that make a flushing sound in case you’re doing something that makes noise. They have toilets where you can adjust the pressure of the sprays. They have deoderizers for smelly people.  I have to say that the Japanese know how to design toilets. You will never find one that won’t flush like you do in Europe. I guess being an island makes for good water pressure!


The Japanese also have some conveniences for when you use the toilet. They have a built-in baby-holder where you can stick your baby (and the baby can’t get out!) when you’re busy doing your job. They have sanitizers for the toilets.  On our day trip to Kyoto we stopped at a truckstop where they had a child-size urinal & sink for little boys.

The Japanese also know how to design the hand dryers. They make them so you don’t have to rub & rub & rub your hands under the blower. They make them so POWERFUL that your skin moves around when you have your hands under them. They also make them with a tray underneath so water doesn’t get splashed all over the floor. Imagine that! A tidy hand dryer.

Why don’t other countries design their restroom essentials like Japan?

Another Congress successfully completed....

Can you believe this year was my 9th JCI World Congress!  My how time flies. 

Every year when registration slows down I become the complaint and information booth. I don’t know the answers to most of the questions people ask and some of the questions are just plain stupid. One man from Nepal came and waited in line and when it was his turn he said, “I lost my friends.” I just looked at him, not knowing what to say and finally told him that they weren’t with me. Another guy from Syria came to ask me for a program because he lost his. When I told him that I didn’t have any extras he asked if I could just copy the next two days for him. I told him I didn’t have a copier with me.


Communication can also be a problem. There were over 6,000 Japanese registered for Congress and the Japanese Organizing Committee who we have been working with took care of their registrations but there are several Japanese registering on-site, too. There were these three that came up to me and started speaking in Japanese and when I asked them if they wanted to register they gave me a blank look. I said, “do you want to pay with cash or credit card?” They all started bowing and saying, “thank you very much” and walked away. I couldn’t help but laugh. Needless to say, they came back. I have some sign language I’ve developed. I hold up a business card in order to get a name. If they don’t have a business card I point to the paper & hand them a pen to write their name. When they write it in Japanese I say, “English”. It’s even difficult to get them to write first AND last names. Most of the time the words “cash or credit card” are understood--I guess they’re pretty much universal. When the communication gets to the point where there’s a standoff, I have to summon a young girl who comes out to interpret for me.

I’m happy to report that I didn’t need to use my sign so I’ll be saving it for next year. We’ll be in Brussels, Belgium and I’m sure it will come in very handy!

I'm a big girl now

The first day of registration was yesterday and it wasn't too bad.  Luckily, I had Pedro helping me and there weren't all that many on-site registrations.  It did get a little hairy at first because the credit card system wasn't working but Leandro got it fixed and it worked the rest of the day. 

There are always new challenges every year and I have learned to go with the flow and not get too worked up.  I was under the impression that the weather (and I checked weather.com) was supposed to be in the 60's and sunny.  Nay, nay reindeer!  Although I don't know what the temperature was it felt pretty cold because it was very windy.  The registration area is in front of the Grand Cube and although it is covered, it is still outside.  It was like a wind tunnel with very strong gusts.  You should've seen how we had to hold onto everything to keep things from being blown away.  The delegates weren't too happy about having to stand outside either.  Anyway, I made it through and didn't cry but nobody really yelled at me either.  It makes a big difference when there's a man sitting next to you because people treat you differently.

I am on my second day of registration and there are not too many people coming so now I'm the compaint & information booth.  I really don't know answers to many of the questions so I send people along to the "real" information counter inside.  One man came up to me earlier to "give me feedback" about how he was treated yesterday.  Basically, he was calling me a bitch but with a smile.  I didn't really remember him but I discovered that he had a problem with the wire transfer he sent that we hadn't received.  Unfortunately, he came at the very busiest time and I may have been impatient (imagine that) with him.  Anyway, we solved the problem a little later and everything was fine but he felt compelled to come back and give me his "feedback" today.  I apologized and told him that sometimes I get stressed because people harass me.  After he left I looked up his name in our system and discovered that he was from Austria.  Well, when we had our congress in Vienna some years ago, the Austrians were some of the crabbiest, most sour-pussed, unhappy people (sorry Butch!) I had ever met so I say screw him!  And to prove him wrong I'm being extra, amazingly nice to everyone now.

It's not as windy today but it's pretty cold so I have a heater sitting by me.  You'll have to excuse me now because my lips are very chapped from yesterday and my chapstick ran out so I'm having to dip my baby fingernail in it to get anything out.  Until next time.....sayonara!

Hello from Osaka the second largest city in Japan

I am happy to report that after being awake for almost 24 hours to get here, I was able to sleep all the way through the first night. Granted, I didn’t sleep on the planes & I didn’t go to bed until midnight after arriving but still it’s an accomplishment for me to sleep all night upon arrival. I have been able to sleep every night since and am feeling good. Registration hasn’t started yet because the JCI World Congress officially starts tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov 2 but we’ve had several Board meetings & many committee meetings. I found out the other day that registration will take place outside in the courtyard of the Grand Cube Convention Center where the Congress is being held. It is a huge place and the courtyard is equally huge. There was a typhoon warning (but not in Osaka!) for a few days and it was rainy & windy but it has cleared up and the temperature for the rest of the week is supposed to be sunny/partly sunny and in the 60’s so I’m not complaining too much about having to work outside.


The food has been a challenge. A lot of my co-workers love sushi so they’ve been in heaven. I’ve been to MacDonald’s for lunch twice and the Hard Rock Café for dinner once. There was a big Halloween party at the Hard Rock and it was pretty neat to see everyone in costume. There were many unique costumes based on Japanese characters and also a lot of American costumes like Michael Jackson and Mario, Luigi & the princess (who looked like a transvestite). We all were taken out to a Japanese barbecue restaurant where they bring you the raw meat and you cook it at your table. I sat with Edson & two other Japanese which may have been a mistake as they were eating a lot of things raw. They raved over the raw liver which disgusted me! The beef & chicken we grilled was good but I didn’t like the pork which was 80% fat and I wouldn’t even try the intestines. I had it when I was in Japan in 2004 and I didn’t like it then so I refused to try it again. There is a cafeteria in the Cube where we get lunch and several co-workers have gotten the box of sushi which also has octopus testicles, oh, I mean tentacles in it. As Eduardo put it “that looks nasty in many different ways!” I got the egg salad sandwich today which was pretty good. It was crustless white bread layered with egg salad, bread, potato salad with a little wasabi, bread, cheese, bread and ham. Not exactly the way I make an egg salad sandwich but I liked it. Luckily, I got about 8 potato chips today which was more than the three I got yesterday. You should’ve seen me trying to spread those out to last through my sandwich!

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Preparations for Osaka

I will be leaving tomorrow morning for the JCI World Congress in Osaka, Japan.  As you all know from my posts from previous years while working at Congress, I usually cry at one point or another.  Normally it's because of my being emotional from lack of sleep and people getting angry while registering.  This year I'm prepared with a sign:

                      Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.

                      L’ impolitesse est la pretension du force de l’homme faible.

                      La rudeza es la imitación de la fuerza del hombre débil.

I have this printed on cardstock in three of the official JCI languages - English, French & Spanish.  The final official language is Japanese but I decided not to write it in Japanese because they usually aren't mean or rude.  I already have permission from my boss to wave it in front of anyone that yells at me during registration.  I'm determined to be a big girl this year....                      

The Armadillo

After Mom’s funeral the whole family came back to my house.  Some of the kids were playing shuffleboard when they came upstairs to tell us that there were maggots on the table. I told them they were crazy because it wasn’t like we had raw meat down there or anything that maggots would be living on & I blew them off. The next thing I knew Jim came traipsing through the house with the shop vac and by the time I got downstairs to check he had vacuumed them all up. Everyone was freaking out and trying to figure out where they had come from. As I looked around, I spotted the armadillo that Janice had sent to me 2 or 3 years ago. It was a real (dead) armadillo that lay on its back and held a bottle of Lone Star beer to its mouth. When I got it in the mail & opened it up, it scared me. It had wiry hairs on it and it was real ugly. My first reaction was to throw it away but I knew that when Janice came to visit I’d have to produce it so I put it down on the bar. I figured it would be a good conversation piece and it was. I grew to like it.

Anyway, as I was looking around trying to figure out where the maggots came from I remembered that there had been some mysterious dust around the armadillo that I had cleaned up a couple of weeks earlier. As me & the kids looked closer, the kids exclaimed that there were maggots on it! So I got some bags out and pleaded with Morgan to put a bag on each hand, pick the armadillo up & place it in the third bag I was holding. We brought it upstairs and put it in the trashcan in the garage which should’ve been the end of the story. Nay, nay, reindeer. I got the brilliant idea to play a trick on Jim. I asked Morgan & Madison to take the armadillo to the back yard and put it down on Jim’s new path he made in the woods that he’s so proud of. I thought it would be funny for him to find it the next day. I made them promise not to say anything because he needed to find it on his own or the joke wouldn’t work.

Well, it took him a week but he finally saw it. We were under the deck & he was on the ladder getting a few of my wind chimes down for repair when he spotted the armadillo. He didn’t know what it was and started making comments to me about it & I had to turn away so he wouldn’t see me smiling. I ignored him & talked about other things. He kept looking & trying to figure out what it was until he finally walked up to the beginning of the path to get a closer look. He was freaking out thinking it was an animal and he even said he thought it was something growing. Then he realized what it was and started to get mad until I joked that the kids must’ve thrown the armadillo there as a joke. Then he spotted it. A Natural Light beer can right under some flowers at the top of the path. Ronnie! He said there was proof that Ronnie had done the dirty deed!

We went back up to the house just as Angie & Brian were pulling up. Jim told them the story and as they were in on the joke, they went along with accusing Ronnie. Jim proceeded to call Ronnie who denied ever having put the armadillo there and said that I knew all about it. Brian told Jim that Ronnie was just trying to cover his ass by blaming me. Jim called Scott next and ended up getting a good laugh out of it.

Barb said in her blog about Mom, “our family has a great sense of humor and so did she”.  This just goes to show you that even when we are grieving, we never miss the opportunity to play a good joke on someone. Mom would’ve loved it!

Bakers Junction Railroad Museum

Jim & I met Ron, Janet, Joyce, Scott, Devon & Madison at Lake Monroe in Indiana for the Labor Day weekend and visited a very interesting museum while we were there. On the way to the place where we stayed we passed the Bakers Junction Railroad Museum which was located on the corner of Fairfax Road & East Scott Lane in Smithville, Indiana. What a coincidence, huh? When Jim & I passed it I commented that it looked like a good place for American Pickers to shop because there was a bunch of junk lying around. There was also a haunted train that would be open on weekends in October. It looked pretty scary, too!


After we got to the place we were staying and Ron & Janet arrived Jim asked if they had seen the museum on their way in. They said yes and I suggested we go visit sometime. I was shocked when Ronnie said he wanted to go see it too. I asked Janet if he was serious and she said that he was. I still wasn’t convinced so I asked Ronnie again until he yelled at me that he wanted to go. When the Smiths got there they agreed to join us.

We went Saturday morning and we joked that we were afraid it might be closed and we weren’t sure how much the entrance fee would be so we decided to just wing it. When we got there we were a little leery because there was nobody there. We started walking around, afraid that we were trespassing until we saw a sign that said we should take a look around but the haunted train would not be open until October. We proceeded to tour the area and what a sight it was! We couldn’t decide if it was a junkyard or a train museum. There was crap everywhere. There were a lot of grave headstones and we wondered where they came from because they certainly aren’t cheap. Janet suggested that maybe they were headstones that had mistakes on the names or dates and John Baker had bought them cheap. There were several railcars, cabooses, train depot stations and railroad crossing signals. And let’s not forget all the concrete skeletons and other gory stuff lying around.

There was a box that said free on it so we took a flyer and learned more about John Baker. It seems he was a disabled veteran with bone cancer that had bought the property & started his railroad museum back in 1976. He worked on the museum for nearly 20 years when a new neighbor moved in across the street and vowed to get his museum shut down and his property cleaned up. John proceeded to have problems with the “Commmie planning & zoning pinheads” and he spent $100,000 and nearly lost everything in auctions he was forced to have to make money in order to finance the ensuing court battles.

You can read his rambling story at http://www.bakersjunction.com/ and even though he seems pretty eccentric, after reading his story I felt sorry for him. It seems to me the new neighbor should’ve found another piece of land because there’s plenty around there. Anyway, leave it to us to find such a unique place to visit. Hey, at least it wasn’t another cave!

P.S. In case you’re interested if you visit the website, John Baker has a human finger for sale.

What is it?

While Jim & I were taking a stroll through our gardens last week we came upon a strange growth. It wasn’t standing up but a day later when I went out to take the picture it was erect. I gave it a nickname. Pencil d--- (fill in the blanks). Does anyone know what it is? I guess it’s some sort of fungus. I’ve ordered a book through Missouri Conservationist on mushrooms & other fungi so maybe I’ll find it in there. If not, I’ll just chalk it up as another mystery at the Miller’s.

A Mystery

I was out of town last week from Thursday until Sunday morning on a scrapbook retreat with Barb & Janet and when I got home I noticed something unusual in the refrigerator. There was a blue Shop N Save bag crumpled up with something inside. When I opened it up I discovered a small, half-sized baggie with 2 eggs in it. I asked Jim where they came from and he had no idea. We’re not sure how they got in the refrigerator or for that matter, when they got in the refrigerator. We had a poker party with several family members the prior Saturday night so there were a lot of people in & out of the refrigerator.

I rapped one of the eggs lightly on the counter to see if they were hard-boiled and they weren’t. I pulled our carton of eggs out to put the 2 inside and hesitated because everyone in the St. Louis area knows there’s been a massive recall on over ½ billion eggs recently because of a salmonella outbreak. I suggested to Jim that maybe someone left tainted eggs for us because they want us to get sick and possibly die. I’m hoping nobody in my family feels this way towards us and if they do, please come forward so we can clear the air.

Chachachachanges....

I went to visit mom after being gone for a week and found sometimes things do change. She had made a pink & white baby afghan for one of my co-workers who lives in Paraguay. Eduardo & Rocio were very happy & thankful when I gave them the afghan and they even sent me a picture of the baby wrapped in the afghan. You wouldn’t think it got cold in Paraguay since it’s in South America but they are in their winter season now. Granted, their winter lows are probably in the 50’s, but it’s cold to them! Anyway, they sent a gift for mom and when I brought it to her we started talking about the afghans which led to her telling me that she made a new friend at rehab. Yes, you read right, mom made a new friend! She said the lady was real nice and they discovered that they both were crocheters. The new friend asked mom to make her a baby afghan and gave mom her phone number to call when it’s complete. Although mom is finished with the rehab, the lady said it would be a good reason for them to go out to lunch together.


Mom also informed me that Oak Tree Village has been sold again and under new management. You might think this isn’t a good thing but it turns out the preacher cook that the residents didn’t like quit. Now they’re all happy and hoping to get a real chef.

The new administrator decided to take control & have the library reorganized so mom was fired from her volunteer job. She’s not happy about it and I can’t believe that the ladies in the office didn’t speak up. Why wouldn’t they like having an organizer taking care of the library? I guess mom ruffled too many feathers or something.

Jim had his birthday on August 4 and I was surprised that he didn’t get a card in the mail from mom. She usually sends a card that’s blank inside & writes a few lines about wishing you a happy birthday and many more. When I mentioned it to her, she said she wasn’t sending cards anymore. She said she ran out of cards and did I know that postage was going up again?

As I said, some things do change…but some things don’t. We went out to lunch and mom proceeded to complain AGAIN about the hard time she has using her credit card on the gas pumps. It seems she gets cut off or something and she doesn’t know why. She complains to the attendant but gets no satisfaction. When I told her to go to a different gas station she says it doesn’t matter which station she goes to. So, on the way back to her house after lunch we went to her usual station & I used my credit card instead of my debit card to see if I had a problem. Guess what? I didn’t have a problem. Go figure.

There were several other things she complained about regarding her villa and I’ve started a list for big sister, Barb’s visit!

What I did on my second summer vacation.....

I’m lucky enough to have had two summer vacations this year and I’ve already reported on the first with family. On my second summer vacation, Jim & I went to Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was a beautiful resort and the food was the best of any all-inclusive that we’ve been to. We met a lot of people from all over the U.S., Canada and England. We also met a couple from Northern Ireland and another one from Switzerland.

The first night as Jim & I walked to our room there was a bunch of whistling noises in the air. I thought it was coming from frogs or something but I couldn’t see any. The next day when I asked about the “whistling noise at night” I was told it came from crickets.

We went snorkeling and scuba diving which were included in the package. There were beautiful fish and one in particular that I liked was dark blue with neon blue dots. We also saw a sea snake that was white with white spots. The reef we snorkeled & scuba dived at was Wieden’s Reef and there was a sunken ship called the Christine but we were disappointed that the reef itself wasn’t more colorful. There was no comparison to the reefs with purple, yellow, orange, pink, etc. corals we’ve seen in Mexico. The only thing I can think of is that in Mexico we always had to wear a wetsuit but we didn’t in Jamaica so maybe the water is colder in Mexico and maybe that has something to do with the colorful coral. Anyway, it was still fun.

In between the Bob Marley shots, Red Stripe beer, Absolut and Jamaican rum drinks, we managed to go on a couple of excursions. We went to a place called Dunns River Falls which was a waterfall that we walked up 960 feet to the top through the rushing water. It kind of reminded me of Johnson’s Shut-Ins but not flat. I thought it was fun but Jim didn’t like it too much.

We also went tubing for 3 miles in the White River Valley through the jungle where we saw giant bamboo trees and some of the biggest rubber plants I’ve ever seen. The tubes had hard, plastic bottoms in them because some of the rapids got pretty rough. There were 2 guides who helped along the way so there was “no problem, mon”! After tubing for a couple of miles, we stopped at a snack bar in the middle of nowhere and ate some excellent jerk chicken. We finished tubing with a big splash as the last rapids were real dunkers. I hung on & didn’t get flipped but Jim did. No problem, mon – the guide was right there to grab the camera and tube.

After tubing we went zip-lining. This was the first time either of us had done it and it was awesome. We only had to walk up to the first platform and then zip lined 3 times from there. When I stepped off the first platform it was pretty scary and I screamed the whole way. I got going really fast and I had to remember how to slow myself down to land on the second platform so I didn’t flatten Junior, the guide. Anyway, it was a lot of fun.

We took a catamaran ride with Oneil, ate, drank, we went kayaking and rode in a glass bottom boat over the reef. We watched crab races, ate, drank, we swam in the mineral pool, listened to the band by another pool in the evening, rode bicycles, hired Orville to drive us into town to go souvenir shopping, ate, drank and walked up & down a million steps. We quickly dunked into the freezing mineral grotto, enjoyed the Gala, ate, drank, talked to Crackers the parrot and relaxed on the beach. And did I mention that we ate & drank?

It was another great vacation and we got home just in time to quietly celebrate Jim's 50th birthday.  Oh and for me to go on my annual float trip with my girlfriends.

What I did on my first summer vacation

I will try to recall the events of our family vacation but it's already a little fuzzy.  The Smiths came to town at around noon Saturday, July 10 which began the vacation.  Some other family members (don't remember exactly who) came over for barbecue & poker and I know it was too many for regular poker so we played Texas holdem. 

Sunday morning we (Smiths, Jim, me, Ronnie & Janet) left bright & early for our drive to Jennifer's property in Salem where we were meeting Jennifer, Matt, Sharon, Scarlett, Jessica, Mike & Max.  From there we drove about 1/2 hour to Akers Ferry where we went on an 8 mile float down the Current River.  I've floated the Current before but it's been many years and I forgot how cold the water is.  It never warms up because it's spring-fed.  Mike & Jessica didn't go on the float because they felt Max was too little and Ronnie & Janet didn't go because Janet had back surgery recently and she couldn't so they stayed behind.  We all rented canoes & Jennifer & Joyce rented a raft but we all switched around throughout the day.  It wasn't all that sunny but it was hot enough.  Everything went well besides when Jim & Devon were in a conoe together not paying attention & they crashed.  Oh well, we needed a little excitement!  When we were about 1 mile from the takeout point it started raining.  Then it started pouring down.  I didn't mind but Joyce & Madison (the ones with no fat on their bodies) were freezing.  The Akers Ferry bus picked us up at an earlier take out point which worked out well.  We went back to Jennifers where Matt had a fish fry & we played poker and spent the night.

The next morning we drove back home and went to the funeral parlor for Maggie and went to Ronnie & Janet's afterwards for more poker.  Tuesday morning we went to the funeral mass and just hung out at our house. 

Wednesday morning we drove to Mark Twain Lake and rented a cabin for the night so Janet could sit by the pool because she couldn't go boating.  Angie & Brian came along & we spent the day on the Lake.  It was 96 degrees so we all got alot of sun.  Devon & Madison went knee-boarding for the first time and they both did really good.  They also went tubing and jumped off a cliff with Brian.  It was a beautiful day and for once we didn't get rained on!  We went back to the cabin & walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner before Angie & Brian left to go back  home.

Thursday morning we drove to Hannibal which is not far from the lake.  We walked around the town a little before going to Mark Twain Cave.  It's a standing joke in the family about all the caves we've toured but this is my all-time favorite.  I love the stories about Mark Twain, Injun Joe, etc.  We hung around for a little while & went to a couple of gift shops before driving back home.

Friday we played demolition ball, laser tag & went to the Omnimax Theatre and saw Hubble which was about the space telescope.  Not really my cup of tea but Scott wanted to see it.  Pizza & another poker party rounded out the evening. 

The Smiths got a late start driving home Saturday as Scott wasn't feeling too good.  I was sorry to see them go and can't wait to see them again at Lake Monroe on Labor Day weekend. 

My second summer vacation starts tomorrow morning when Jim & I travel to Jamaica for his 50th birthday & a second honeymoon.  Will report on that when we get back next week.

Nope, not gonna

JCI's Mid-Year Executive meeting was this weekend so I had to work.  Everything started Friday morning when we had our Audit Committee meeting and I had to present a proposed budget for next year.  Unfortunately, the budget came out with almost a $600,000 deficit which was unacceptable but we presented it that way to prove a point.  JCI has been asking for a dues increase for the past few years because it's getting impossible to provide the services & travel required.  JCI hasn't had a dues increase since 1999 and at that time it only went up $2.00.  Edson even prepared a power point presentation to play at General Assembly a couple of years ago to compare our membership dues with other organizations.  The increase was voted down and the GA passed a deficit budget that year. 
The Finance Committee meeting was held Saturday morning and the outcome:  my task was to find $450,000 to cut from the budget because they couldn't live with showing a deficit of $600,000 but they could live with showing a $150,000 deficit and they would push for a dues increase.  Therefore, the pressure was on.

I was on my way home Saturday evening when I got a text from Jim asking if I wanted him to make dinner.  Since it was already going on 7:00, I replied, "yep, on my way home".  When I got home, nobody was in the kitchen preparing dinner but somebody was in the family room playing an army game on Wii.  When I said , "where's my dinner, I thought you said you were going to make dinner?" somebody said, "nope, not gonna". 
After I changed, I poured myself a big glass of wine and went out on the deck.  The temperature said 89 but it didn't feel too bad so I sat in my favorite chair to drink my wine & unwind.  Somebody came out and said I was crazy because it was so hot out and when I mentioned about my dinner I was told, "nope, not gonna" again.

I ended up making myself a grilled cheese.  I was in a hurry to get down to my scrapbooking because I had a project due Monday morning and Sister Richard Maureen takes no excuse.  As I was walking through the family room somebody told me Wipeout was on the DVR.  I couldn't resist.  I love that show!  I laugh so hard in that show.  I sat down & watched and the rest of my stress was laughed off - well almost the rest of it.
The outcome:  I finished my scrapbooking project and gave the Finance Committee a budget. 

I was supposed to go to Edson's house Sunday evening because he's having the Board, Japanese guests & staff over for barbecue but I decided not to go.  Jim always pushes me to participate in these kinds of things because he says it's PR.  For some reason he's always afraid I'm going to get fired or something.  When I got home Sunday afternoon and he asked if I was going to Edson's, I told him, "nope, not gonna!" 

Update

I just wanted to update everyone regarding Jethro and his trapping of raccoons. The night after he trapped the first raccoon, I went out on the deck at just after dusk when it’s dark but not all the way and I saw two animals run from the deck to the woods. I strained my eyes to see what they were and there they were looking at me from the edge of the woods. They were going to wait for me to go back inside so they could come back and raid my bird feeders. I took a step down the stairs to get a better look when they turned and casually walked into the woods. They probably only went a few feet, just far enough to hide behind brush so I couldn’t see them. Jim wasn’t home at the time but when he got back I told him there were TWO raccoons out there. So he baited the trap.

A while later, I was upstairs reading before bed when Jim came rushing up to give me the play-by-play. He was freaking out because he said he went downstairs to look out the window of my scrapbooking room where he could see the trap from inside and lo and behold there was a great big possum out there sniffing around! Now, we’ve seen a variety of different wildlife at our house but never a possum. Jim concluded that we were drawing animals with the scent of our bait in the trap. So that was the end of the game. We decided not to set the trap because who knows what else we’d attract. Ya know, dar are coyotes in dem dar woods….

It's Official

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and it seems that I’m falling apart and I didn’t even know it. Besides a knee thing that’s been bothering me for a month or so, I feel fine. “Nay, nay, reindeer”, says the doctor. I have really high cholesterol and my bone density is not good so now I’m on medication for both. I decided that maybe I need to get healthier so I quit smoking June 1 (I hope telling everyone doesn’t put a hex on me!) and Jim got my bike down for me last night. I think it’s been at least a year since I rode it. I even offered to give it to Angie last year when she said she needed one because she & Brian were going to start riding because he has really high cholesterol. Anyway, Jim & I went riding last night. We hadn’t even gotten up to the first cross street which is about maybe 200 yards from our driveway and I told Jim that I was already tired and I didn’t know if I could make it very far. You have to give me a break because although it isn’t a steep hill, there is a definite incline. I persisted and we rode up to the entrance of the neighborhood and back. I think we were riding for approximately 3 minutes and 55 seconds. I told Jim I’d have to work my way up to riding further. The problem is that the road coming into our neighborhood (Jacobs Station) has a huge hill and there’s no way I will ever be able to ride all the way up that. I’ll have to push my bike and then I’ll really feel old! I guess we’ll have to ride the opposite way going out of the neighborhood but it’s supposed to be private back there. Oh well, I may be old but I’m still a rebel!

Pictures of A & J

Angie & Johnny were the best man and maid of honor in their friends' wedding last Saturday night and I told Angie to take some pictures for me.  I 'm still a little bothered that I wasn't invited seeing as both my kids were in the wedding.

I'm so proud!

Pictures

This is a picture of the peony I got from Janet a few years ago - it's finally starting to get alot of flowers.

The ferns are taking over!  Does anybody need some?

My double knock-out rose bush that got me into a fight with the b---- at Koenig's.  Can you guess where Angie got my Mother's Day gift of hanging baskets from?

These are pictures of mom's front porch with the new bench/glider.  It looks real "homey" don't you think?

Rundown of the weekend....

Jim & I and Debbie & Mike went to Alegria, a Cirque du Soleil show at the Chaifetz Arena Saturday night.  This is the 4th Cirque du Soleil show that I've seen and I love them all.  Debbie is hooked after going to our first one Quidam which was under the big top on the parking lot of Riverport Ampitheatre some years ago.  Angie is hooked too, after we saw Cirque de la Mer at Seaworld in San Diego which is an act mostly on water.  We also saw Saltimbanco last year at the Family Arena.  Each one is different and I love all the costumes and am amazed at the acts.  I told Jim that some of the characters in Alegria were almost Pink Floydian - pretty creepy - but those kinds of characters are in every show.  There was a particular act involving two Asian girls - I don't know if they're sisters or twins, but they looked alike.  They were also in the Saltimbanco show last year.  They are extreme contortionists and the way they can bend their bodies is amazing.  I bet every guy in the audience was having fantasies as they watched the performance!

After the show was over and we were driving home talking about it, Jim & Mike didn't disclose any fantasies they might have had but they did proclaim how the girls would have terrible arthritis later in life.

Before we went to the show, Jim & I went over to Mom's to set up her mother's day present.  Barb & I pitched in on a bench/glider and flowers that I potted up.  I also got some cedar edging to block the mulch from getting on the concrete which I think really put a finishing touch on her porch.  Matt & Sharon had taken her out for dinner so we put everything up while she was gone so as to surprise her.  Jim & I went over Sunday and she was thankful.  When we left, I invited mom to our house and told her I'd be barbecuing.  Of course she said she was afraid of driving in the dark but I told her we'd eat early and it stays dark late now.  Anyway, I really didn't expect her to come but when I heard the doorbell ring at about 4:30, I knew it was her.  It made me happy that she came over.  She really is doing much better and is starting rehab 3 times a week now.  She's reorganizing the books in the library at the big house and playing bingo again.  I think she's really trying....

Trapped!

The raccoon, that is.  Jim & I went back to Rural King to buy another finch feeder like the one I had gotten there before so now I have spare parts on hand.  While we were there, Jim came upon a 2 for 1 deal on animal traps.  A large one and a small one.  We set it last night under the deck with a paper plate of semi-fried bacon & grease in it.  Shortly after dusk, we heard the raccoon on the top deck already going after my new finch feeder (which, by the way, I secured to the hanger with some straps) and Jim scared him off.  I went to bed & was reading when Jim yelled up that he caught the raccoon in the trap.  He asked if I wanted to come down to see it and I told him no because I'd feel sorry for it.  Not that I like the raccoon, especially since it's been messing with my stuff, but I thought I'd feel bad that it would have to stay in the cage all night until Jim took it to be released on his way to work this morning. 
He released it at the Family Arena area and he said when he opened the door it shot out of there really fast.  When he bought the trap I told him it would probably be a continuous job because more than likely there are several raccoons back in the woods.  He said he knew this and it was okay.  I think his dormant, Daniel Boone is surfacing...

Those Pesky Raccoons

I had bought a new finch feeder at the Rural King in Wentzville and loaded it with thistle seed.  I enjoy watching the gold finches come to the feeder and was hoping to finally see a purple finch.  It is my understanding that the other birds & wildlife don't care for thistle seed so I didn't think I'd have a problem with the raccoons.  Well, no such luck.  Yesterday morning I noticed from my master bathroom window that the finch feeder was totally gone.  I started cussing the raccoons.  When I went downstairs & outside to get the feeder, I was hoping it wasn't ruined because it's a long drop from the top deck where it was hanging.  So I go down the steps & see the mesh cylinder tube and the bottom part laying on the ground.  I looked around for the top part of the feeder and couldn't see it immediately.  It was kind of rainy & I didn't want to get my shoes wet by traipsing around looking for it so I figured I'd find it after work. 

I got home from work and went out to put my feeder back together and cannot find the top part.  I looked everywhere!  It's bright yellow so it shouldn't be that hard to spot!  It's gone.  I can't believe that the raccoon took it...it's not like it can be used for nesting or anything.  And no seed stays on the top of the feeder.  Why would they want it? 

I told Jim maybe someone else in the neighborhood had problems with raccoons getting their finch feeder and they needed the top part so they took mine and made it look like it was the work of raccoons!

Buzzing across the USA

Last month the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets Buzz tour stopped at JCI. The Buzz Tour rolls in a converted school bus powered by waste vegetable oil and solar panels. The bus went to cities across the U.S. to raise awareness for the insecticide treated bed nets used to prevent malaria in Africa. In 2008, JCI created JCI Nothing But Nets in partnership with the UN Foundation. Through JCI Nothing But Nets, members take action against malaria through education and fundraising in their communities. A bed net only costs $10 and can be the difference between life and death for many children.

Although we found the mosquito’s get-up quite funny, he was a good sport and posed for many pictures.

The rug hoarder

Okay, first off I typed the story in Word and copied & pasted to the blog and I do it all the time but this is the first time the copied text was underlined and in blue.  I got it back to black but can't get rid of the underlining...go figure!

 
Before Jim & I could get new carpeting we had to tear out the old carpeting & pad and remove all of the furniture in the family room. I helped with moving all of the furniture except the aquarium and TV stand which are very heavy. He had to drain about ¾ of the water from the aquarium before it was even remotely possible to be moved. He had asked Patrick to come help him because I told him I refused to do it. Well, everything worked out good because he took my suggestion of sliding cardboard under the legs of the aquarium stand in order to slide it off of the carpeting and onto the floor in the hallway. I felt sorry for the fish. They were not happy.


Anyway, Jim & Patrick tore the old carpeting out IN ONE PIECE and drug it out to the garage where they plopped it onto the trailer that normally holds the 4-wheelers that we are selling to Jennifer. The next day I called Jennifer and left her a message saying that the old carpet was now part of the deal. When she called me back we joked around and I told her she could find a place to dump the carpet in Salem. I also told her JOKINGLY that Jim would probably use it to carpet my garage.

A couple of nights later, Jim was outside cutting the carpeting up on the driveway when I got home from work. I went inside to cook dinner and when I came back out, Jim had put a big piece of the carpeting in the garage. I just looked at it and rolled my eyes at him. He proceeded to say how he spoils me and nobody else has carpeting to park on and isn’t he so nice. I just shook my head and when I walked out of the garage, I tripped on the stupid carpeting. It had only been about 5 seconds and I already tripped! I didn’t fall or anything but I was aggravated so I went straight back in the house.


When the family came over last Saturday night for a poker party, I took Jennifer out to the garage to show her that although I was joking, I was right about what Jim would do. I’ve already blogged about Jim’s obsession with rugs in the garage so now I have one more huge rug to add making a grand total of NINE rugs in the garage. Jim has a new nickname – Lord of the Rugs.

The Honeymoon's Over

A few weeks ago I bought a new painting to hang above the fireplace in the family room. I got it at Kirkland’s and it was called the Amalfi Coast and it reminded me of Italy. When I brought it home Jim liked it, too. It was too big for me to hang myself, especially since it wouldn’t work on the same nail as the one I was replacing since it had two hooks on either side of the frame. I asked Jim to hold it up there for me & I was going to pencil a little mark on the wall on one side which I could use to hammer the first nail and just eye up the other one. Nay, nay, reindeer….not a good idea to Jim.


He proceeded to get out all kinds of tools & measuring paraphernalia while I was growing very impatient. I thought that something I could do in a few minutes was going to take 10 times as long because of him and I couldn’t believe it when he marked the wall with the pencil just like I was going to do. After he completed his measurements and everything, I told him that I was going to be very upset if it wasn’t perfect. Well, he did good and it was perfect.

I commented to Jim that we used to work really good together and asked him what happened. He said, “We got married”!

What's Up at the Miller's

 

What a way to start a post, huh? Needless to say, the pictures are all messed up as usual & the story is below.

Jim decided to clear out some of the woods behind our house so that our backyard will seem bigger. Not that we plan on hanging out back there or anything because it is on a significant slope. He’s been working on it for the past month or so and has gotten all the rocks to edge his path off the land. It’s been back-breaking work but Jim loves hard work. He also boxed in an area with chicken wire for me so I can start a mulch pile. If you look closely you’ll see a creepy, gargoyle creature peaking out from inside the tree. I will be splitting some of my perennials--decorative grasses, hostas, ajuga, etc. from our other gardens so he (or probably, me!) can plant them along the path.

I’m also posting a couple of pictures from the garden in front. I bought the 2 bleeding hearts last year towards the end of the season, planted them and they immediately proceeded to die. I was disappointed because I never had a bleeding heart before & I was looking forward to them growing and covering the pipes from the sprinkler system. When I saw them come back this spring I was thrilled! There’s a picture of my front porch decorated with potted grape & pink hyacinths. And there’s a picture of a frog giving his/her friend a piggy back ride. Jim said they are different colors because one is a youngster. I guess that'd make the older one a cougar...whatever…they didn’t look very happy to me – not that I know what a happy frog looks like.

And finally, a picture of Jessica with the beautiful lemon-raspberry cake she made for Easter and the coconut cake I made.

I’m happy to report that I’ll finally get new carpeting in the family room. We’ll been in the house 4 years come June and I’ve always hated the Berber carpet in there. We’re getting a pretty good tax return that will come in handy....