Exceedingly Mundane

You know that old line from the movie “Field of Dreams” – “if you build it, he will come”. Well, that’s what I’ve been saying about the squirrel feeder I bought the first week of January. We have a squirrel that likes to come eat out of my bird feeders, so I thought to myself … self – buy the squirrel his own feeder. So, I got one after the holidays at Walmart, a plain little thing that you mount to the fence and put a corn cob on. It looks like this (and note the date, that’s the day I got it, January 6, 2006):

And so, day after day, I watched for my squirrel, or any squirrel for that matter, to come eat from it. Days passed and turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Still, it sat there untouched. I had even gotten desperate and started pulling off the ears of corn on the corn cobs (I bought a big bag at Walmart), and laying out corn kernels on my deck railing for my birds. After all, I hated for them to go to waste and I had seen a bird or two trying to nibble on the corn on the squirrel feeder. The cardinals loved them, and would clean off my deck railing of a dozen or more kernels in under an hour. At least someone was eating them!

And then… finally — my patience was rewarded. Wednesday, we saw a squirrel on the fence, and he went straight to the feeder and started eating corn. Hooray!

Click on the extended entries to check out some pictures I took from inside the house… I knew if I opened the back door to go out and take pictures of the little scaredy-cat, he would run off. So the pictures are a bit blurry (full zoom, no tripod and looking through some slightly dirty windows!)

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Today’s questions were suggested by Christine.

1. How do you decide to read a book by an author you haven’t read before? Usually from a recommendation from a friend or family member. I have been really lucky lately with finding book recommendations at a message board I frequent, as well as several blogs I read. I have found others who read similar books and genres that I do, so I like to look at their reading lists and see what other authors they read. Helps me branch out and find something new.
2. What sort of recommendations count most highly in making that decision? Well, if I’ve heard of the author or read them before, that’s a big plus. Or a personal recommendation (see above!) Otherwise, I tend to look at books in the bookstore or library and read the synopsis on the book jacket, as well as sometimes flip through and see if it looks like a book I might enjoy. It helps that I get about 95% of the books I read from the library, as opposed to buying them in a bookstore. I don’t feel nearly as bad about picking up a book or new author to try, and if I don’t like it, then I just return the book to the library. No harm, no foul, and no money out of my pocket. That helps me branch out and try new authors more often than I would if I was funding it out of my own wallet. 😀

::New Car Smell::

Onesome- New: What’s new in your life? New car, new house, new job or new person, or even just a new toy you bought for yourself? Golly, same ole same ole around here, I think. We just got new Razr cell phones for our anniversary, so those are cool. I got my new digital camera for Christmas, and I still play with it a lot… and my iPod too! I heart all my gadgets

Twosome- Car: What kind of car do you drive? What kind of car would you like to drive if you could? We got me a new Explorer late last year. I had one years ago, and loved it, and wanted one again. I want a vehicle where I’m up above a lot of the traffic and construction. We’ve been living with a highway widening project here for nearly 3 years now, and not being able to see around or over the barrels is a nightmare! If I had a choice, I’d get an SUV hybrid. We were going to get an Escape Hybrid last year, but they didn’t have any on the lot, so we got the Explorer instead. Hopefully, by the time I’m ready for a new vehicle, they’ll have more hybrid choices, in larger SUV’s.

Threesome- Scent: Scents are great at bringing back memories. Is there a scent that any time you smell it you flash back to something in your past? Coffee reminds me of Tim. Opening a thing of Oil of Olay night creme smells just like my grandmother. Smelling a lily in a bouquet of flowers reminds me of being in the hospital, when Tim brought me flowers and the smell of the lillies made me sick. Probably more, but those are the first that come to mind 🙂

What a relief…. my dreaded first quarter chore of doing the taxes is over. I did the federal and state and Tim checked them today and we e-filed tonight. What a relief… I’m so glad to have that weight off my shoulders. Now, to wait on our refund! Yippee!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – what a difference grout makes!!! I’m still amazed at how different, and how much better, the ceramic tile looks after you lay it, once you add that grout in between the actual tiles. It really makes all the difference in the world!

We’re in the downhill stretch now. Tim has done really well with our bathroom – and I must give him all the credit. He’s done every bit of this room by himself, from start to finish. I had helped with all of the other rooms, but this room is just so much smaller, that there really is not enough room for two people to move around at all. So, he’s taken the lead and done every bit of it himself, and he’s done a great job.

Click on the extended entry to see the pictures of what he’s done lately, and how it looks now…

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I just spent a happy hour or so browsing my local library, and checking on some books I wanted to check out. I have started reading the same series that Gail just finished, the “Redemption” series by Karen Kingsbury. I got the first two books with no problem, but have had trouble getting the third. First off, they seem to be very popular books and have trouble keeping the copy/copies they have on the shelf. Mostly, for this third book, there is only one copy left for all branches, so it stays checked out. I got on the waiting list though (there’s one or two people ahead of me), so hopefully I will get it in a month or so.

In the mean time, I had no problem finding other books to check out! On the contrary – I spend time finding tons of books, then have to sit down and narrow down which ones I want to get today. I try to limit myself to 3, and that is usually plenty for me. We can check them out for three weeks, so that’s an average of one per week. Sometimes do-able, and sometimes that is pushing it. 🙂

OK, I’ve updated my sidebar, but in case you’re interested in the books I got, click on the extended entry to read more about them.

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I finished another Karen Kingsbury (contemporary Christian writer) book last night, called “One Tuesday Morning”. This book is a fictitious account of a firefighter and a businessman on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, in the World Trade Center. It centers around their families and friends, and the events leading up to, during, and after 9/11. While I enjoyed this book, I found it harder to read than most of the other Karen Kingsbury books I have read. This one was harder to believe, more far-fetched, in light of the actual events of that day. That said, it was a good book with a great message, as always. I’ll try to get a review up in the Reviews section of Hambones soon.

That makes book #13 so far this year, with a total of 4,605 pages read. I have finished all the books from my last library trip, so I’ll be headed back out this afternoon, more than likely, to get more. Look for new books in the sidebar soon, and I may post again as to what I get and will read first. Going to the library or bookstore is always sort of a rush for me. I think I have a book addiction!

Tim and I finally got to meet our great niece Katelyn Ray on Sunday afternoon. Her parents, Kathryn and Jeremy, brought her from their home in North Carolina back down south to meet all of her family on both sides. We were so glad to finally meet her, and see in person what a beautiful, sweet baby she is!

I took quite a few pictures, and they are all loaded on the main Hambones site. So, for family members who are registered at the site, you can go check them out on there. For everyone else, I’ve included a couple of pictures on the extended entry here.

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Monday, March 20, 2006

How about some ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ this week? Thanks for playing, everyone! =)

1. When driving in my car, my radio station is usually tuned to 102.9 – Miss 103.
2. When I turn my television on, even if I’m not really paying close attention to it, it’s usually on channel 13 or 4 (CBS or ABC).
3. If I owned a pet, I would own a golden retriever, because I’ve had them most of my life, and they are hands-down the most wonderful dogs on the planet. Loving, patient, happy, very easy to train. I want one again soon!.
4. I own an HP all-in-one printer. I bought it because I wanted one unit to replace the separate printer and scanner I used to have on my printer stand – takes up less space. An added bonus to this one is that it has a media card reader as well.
5. You can find all kinds of books in my bookshelves, but mostly this type: women’s fiction and all of John Grisham’s books.
6. I take about a truckload of pictures every month.
7. I blog about 30 or more times a month.
8. I’ve been really busy reading and hanging out with Tim and family lately.

Haven’t done this one in several weeks…. I’m a day late, but let’s give it a whirl anyway:

I say … and you think … ?

Sugar rush:: lots of chocolate 🙂
Chemical:: reaction
Suspension:: bridge
Defending:: freedom
Conference:: call
Dance:: Garth Brooks, The Dance
Weather:: dreary
Fuel:: gasoline
Heartbreak:: Hotel
Insult:: be mean

No blogging today… it’s been too busy of a weekend, and I’m too tired. 🙄 Back to your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow (hopefully, with baby pictures of Miss Katelyn!)

Very busy weekend… Tim’s parents came over Friday afternoon after his mom’s doctor’s appointment and stayed with us. We went out to eat Friday night, then shopping at Lowe’s and Home Depot. After that, we took them to one of our favorite local spots, Cups. We had coffee and the guys played checkers till it was time for them to close and they ran us out! We showed them one of our new favorite games (Sudoku) and had a great visit. Today, we all did more shopping and out to eat a late lunch before they needed to leave to head back home. We really enjoyed their visit!

My dad stopped by on the way home from Indianola, where we are headed tomorrow. Kathryn, Jeremy and Katelyn are here visiting from North Carolina and we’re anxious to see them and meet Miss Katelyn. Fred got his visit in today, and stopped by for just a minute on his way home. We’ll be on the road tomorrow afternoon (Sun), to see everyone. I hope to get some pictures, and will try to post them soon.

This week’s assignment from my fellow Chris Daughtry lover, Kristine:

The Letter “C”

Click on the extended entry to see my otherwise boring (and exceedingly mundane, hehehe) pictures…

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St. Patrick’s is not a big holiday in our house. Years ago, I used to occasionally go with friends to the Mal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade downtown. I even went to one when it was held at George St Grocery, before Hal and Mal’s got really involved and it got to be as big as it is now (I read in the paper yesterday that it’s now the 4th largest in the country!). Before the emergence of Jill Connor Browne and the Sweet Potato Queens, that is. I have only seen them a couple of times, and not since they’ve gotten so popular. Anyway, I haven’t been in years, and we won’t go this year. One year, when Tim and I were first married, I wanted to go to Fenian’s pub around St. Patrick’s Day and eat something Irish. We went, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what we ate or even if we enjoyed it! I just know we haven’t been since.

So… it’s not a big deal for us. The main thing I do is wear green – a throwback to my childhood, where you didn’t want to show up at school without green on – because you were sure to get pinched! So, a green shirt with my jeans will be the wardrobe choice du jour.

Happy St Paddy’s Day to all!

I found this meme last week, and failed to notice that the one I did was from the week prior. So, I’m going to post last week’s and this weeks, and try to catch up!

This week’s question:

1. Have you ever read a self-help book? Nope, not that I can think of
2. What do you think about self-help books in general? They’re ok for some, but not really for me
3. Would you ever recommend a self-help book? I’d have to read one first… I am semi-interested in some of the Oprah-inspired medical books by Dr’s Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen (sp?). I might check one of those out of the library one day, but it’s not high on my list at all

And last week’s, that I missed!

1. Do you have any books that are signed by the author? No, but I wish I did. They often have book signings at Lemuria here by John Grisham, when he comes out with new books. But, I’ve heard and read in the paper that it’s a stampede, and I think they may even limit the number of people who they allow to stand in line. I’ve just never gone that extra effort to go line up and try to get his autograph. There’s a new smaller bookstore that has opened up in Madison, called YellowDog Books, and I’ve seen listings in the paper of local authors doing book signings, but again, I haven’t gone.
2. Do you have a story behind the autograph? See above, wish I had one to have a cool story about!