ICE STORM 2009

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive but not out of the woods yet! We have been without electric, heat, phone, internet, and t.v. since Tuesday night. We have electric now but that is all. The rest is still out and we don't know how long we will have electric and heat. My cable line is laying in my yard behind my house. The electric line has a limb on it which makes me think it can go again at anytime. I am using a friend's computer to do this post.

If you click on the picture on the left that tree is beside my house. You can see where the big limb broke and fell into the pine tree on the right just skimming all the branches off the pine tree as it went down. It is above freezing today and I have limbs still in the top of trees that have to come down. They are saying the trees may come down when it thaws. Two guys are working right now cleaning up the mess in my yard.

I am very fortunate to have heat and electricity this soon. They are telling some people it may be another week or longer.

I have more pictures and will write more as soon as it is possible for me to do so.

Thanks to Rachel at Sliding through life for commenting and letting some people know what is going on here in Kentucky. There has so far been a total of 700,000 without electric. I miss you all and hope to be back online very soon. Love, Judy

I AM LIBRA!

I was born on September 27 and my astrological sign is Libra, the Scales.


You may or may not know anything about astrology and horoscopes but for years I read mine faithfully and thought if I missed reading my horoscope each morning the whole day would be lost.



I would go into work, turn on the computer and read my horoscope. If it said I was going to have a bad day, I usually had a bad day. If it said I was going to have a good day. I had a good day! I am sure I let this influence my day to be either good or bad.



According to astrology, some of Libra's good points are: You are neat and have a desire for peace. Attractive surroundings are necessary for peace of mind. Libra is very fair and just and tries to maintain a proper balance. Libra is artistic, musical, level headed, sympathetic, perceptive and generous. Manners and other niceties are important to Libra. You have a strong need to share with others. The negative aspects are that I can be critical and very moody.



Most of these things are true about me. Usually, I am either way up or way down. There is not much in the middle and I am more up than down if that makes any sense. I try to see the glass as half full and always taught my children to enjoy life, be kind to others, work hard, believe in God, and learn all they could about many different subjects.



Astrology is not a religion but the study of planetary motion and the correlation of those to our life here on earth. So, I do not believe in astrology but I find that many times my horoscope
has told me something that turns out to be true.



What is your sign? How do you feel about astrology? Do you read your horoscope every day?

DO YOU REMEMBER?? BURMA SHAVE!!

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and '40's. Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.
They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet......and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.
Here are more of the actual signs:
DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR

IT MAY GO HOME

IN ANOTHER CAR.

BURMA SHAVE

TRAINS DON'T WANDER

ALL OVER THE MAP'

CAUSE NOBODY SITS

IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP

Burma Shave

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH

BY MISTAKE

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS

HER HUSBAND JAKE

Burma Shave

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD

TO GAIN A MINUTE

YOU NEED YOUR HEAD

YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT

Burma Shave

DROVE TOO LONG

DRIVER SNOOZING

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

IS NOT AMUSING

Burma Shave

BROTHER SPEEDER

LET'S REHEARSE

ALL TOGETHER

GOOD MORNING,

NURSE

Burma Shave

CAUTIOUS RIDER

TO HER RECKLESS DEAR

LET'S HAVE LESS BULL

AND A LITTLE MORE STEER

Burma Shave

SPEED WAS HIGH

WEATHER WAS NOT

TIRES WERE THIN

X MARKS THE SPOT

Burma Shave

There were hundreds of signs like these along the highways. Do these bring back any old memories?

SUNDAYS WITH NANA

Thomas Wyatt, my 19 month old only grandchild, spent Sunday afternoon with me. He is such a little doll and his Nana thinks he hung the moon!

We watched cartoons on t.v., ate animal crackers and homemade cookies, played with blocks, rocked and read children's books and had a great time just being together.

TW cracks me up when he wants to share his animal crackers and sticks one in my mouth. Then, he shows me his teeth and grinds and clicks them together like he is showing me how to chew the cracker.

He has lots of toys to play with at my house but seems to prefer an empty box or egg carton, loves looking at himself in the mirror and likes to look out my backdoor at birds, or dogs or an occasional cat that passes by my house.

Thomas Wyatt's mom and dad say they have a hard time getting him to drink juice at home but he loves Nana's orange juice and had three big glasses during the course of the afternoon. Everything tastes better at Nanas!

Nana can't wait until spring when we can go for walks and I can pull him in his big, red wagon.

I can't believe he is already 19 months old. It seems like only yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital.

LET'S GET HIGH TOGETHER!

This post is about "natural" highs. I'm sure we have all heard the phrase, "Different strokes for different folks!" Some people get high off drugs but some of us get high off just everyday things that make us feel good.

Natural highs come from the release of endorphins, body chemicals that are known as "feel good" chemicals. Endorphins give you a sense of well being and there are many healthy ways to get a natural high.

Some people use caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs to get this feeling but others can achieve this state of well-being by balancing pleasure and happiness.

For instance, you might get a natural high from going out for a jog.















I like to take a bubble bath with lots of bubbles and a glass of wine.


Some people enjoy giving and receiving hugs.



I love going to the beach and listening to music!




Watching the sunrise. A good conversation. Laughing till my face hurts. Playing with my grandson. Hanging out with my children.

Natural highs make us feel good and put us in a blissful state or a state of euphoria. I read somewhere that you don't age during this time.

What are some things that give you a "natural" high???

DIET AND EXERCISE TIPS

TIME TO CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER!

"Out of clutter, find simplicity."
- Albert Einstein


Did you know that January is National Get Organized Month?


Being organized and clutter free means you have more time, more space and more energy for family, friends, and the things you want to do most in life.


I think of myself as an organized person but I can always improve.


My biggest fault is collecting things. I collect pottery, clocks, mugs, and books. The past several years, I have downsized a lot and given many items away to friends, family, or charity.


It is so easy to keep something by telling yourself, "I might use it someday!" I read somewhere that we use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time. This leaves a lot of things not used very often and probably cluttering up our homes and our lives.


Since it is the beginning of a new year, I am trying to go through closets, drawers, cabinets, etc. I have always heard if you have not worn it in a year, get rid of it. That is what I am doing.


Getting started is the hardest part for me. Just preparing myself to get RID of things I have not used in years. Once I have accomplished this task, it is a very freeing feeling.


Some ways to know if you have to much clutter:


You have to move a pile off a chair to have a seat.
You own scissors, but can never find them.
You have several years issues of several magazines.
You have cards and letters from twenty years ago.
You still have your high school prom dress.


Do you have too much clutter in your life or home or are you a very organized person?


Are you hanging onto stuff you will never use or don't need?


Ask yourself, "Why am I keeping that?"


Time to confess. Are you a "clutterbug" or a "neatfreak"?