STRATSGARDEN.COM

Some More Of This & That

Strats Garden — 2010-03-05T01:46:00Z

The snow is almost gone!! Mostly because they are replacing a water line that runs down the alley next to the house; so they had to haul away the piles in the alley. I came home one day and it was all gone!! Then the sun and some warmer temperatures is handling the rest. Hopefully, they'll be no more.

Mickey went outside this evening for about 45 minutes. We're going to try to start with little trips as it's getting harder to keep him inside, but the first trip out went well.

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"The Bachelor" ended Monday and Jake picked the girl everyone hated. Well, I didn't hate her (I don't know her personally so I can't make that call), but the other girls on the show hated her and most of the posters on the forums were disappointed. I actually think he made the right choice. I didn't really care for any of the "ladies" (and I use that term loosely) this time around; so it made no difference to me, but when it got down to the final two - Tenley and Vienna; well it was quite obvious he preferred Vienna, so the choice should never of been a surprise. I do have some advice for Tenley though..... Tenley - before you are truly ready for a relationship, you need to get over your ex-husband. I know you're not over him because you mentioned him and that marriage at least 4 times an episode with tears..... it's one thing to let someone know you've been married before and to even explain what happened; but if you constantly tear up about it and have to keep mentioning it over and over again....well you win the sympathy vote, nothing more. When you can talk about it without it tearing your heart out, then you're ready to move on!! A new relationship won't make that go away...you need to get rid of those feelings first. GET OVER IT!!! And also...quit being so agreeable, you must have opinions of your own and totally agreeing with the man all the time, may be cute at first but at some point he'll get sick of it. Trust me on this, I've been there.

If you missed this season, go to the "Fans Of Reality TV" board and read the recaps - they are actually more entertaining than the shows!!!!

And speaking of the "The Bachelor", the first ever wedding to come from this show will take place this Monday!! Jason & Molly will be tying the knot. Y'all remember Jason, he's the one that chose Melissa and sent Molly home only to come back on the follow-up show, dump Melissa and proclaim that he really loved Molly!! This made him a jerk in bachelor-land and won Melissa the sympathy vote....but, since I always thought he should of chose Molly anyway, and Melissa went on to find fame and a husband...let's wish them well!!
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And that's been my exciting life since last post.....

This & That

Strats Garden — 2010-03-01T02:07:00Z

The snow is slowly melting....we still have a lot up here on the hill; but when you drive down it gets less & less...it's a different world on the hill almost. Oh, don't get me wrong, we have a whole lot less than we had, but we've still got quite a bit.

Saw "Shutter Island" and "The Crazies" this past week. "Shutter Island" was very good, though I had figured the main point out just from the previews - but there was more to it and the movie played out well. "The Crazies" was so-so. If you're expecting a zombie flick, you'll be hughly disappointed...but if you're not, you'll probably like it. I'd save that one for a rental.

Mickey has been with us for 3 weeks now. He'd love to go outside, but we haven't let him yet and this is the first time that he hasn't become a pest wanting out. So things have been going well this time around.

And other than that, not much more is going on.

A Worthwhile Afternoon

Strats Garden — 2010-02-20T23:54:30Z

I go to A LOT of movies. All kinds, some blockbusters, some not. And though, I see LOTS that I love and highly recommend, there are a small few that are just so very worth it.

Back when I was single, living on my own....my landlady gave me "The Shawshank Redemption" to watch. I don't particular like prison movies but I took it because I didn't want to hurt her feelings and one Saturday, while I was doing something that I no longer remember, I popped it in the VCR. Whatever I was doing, never got done - I LOVE that movie. It's one of those fine pieces of art you find rarely. And like I said before, I see lots of movies that I like, but few that leave an "impression".

My favorite movie from last year was another "impression" movie and that was "District 9". Not a high budget movie, no big name actors....but so worth the watch. It's a movie that you really have to pay attention to at the beginning; I see lots of forums where people are constantly stating that there are "plot" holes in this movie - all those "plot" holes are answerable if you were listening in the beginning. I bought this movie for my Dad for Christmas and he and Mom finally set down to watch it last week - they loved it. My mother likes very few movies and she isn't a SciFi fan at all; but she admitted it was a very good movie.

Today, I called CC to see if she'd like to go to the Chambersburg Mall for shopping, lunch and "Shutter Island". Unfortunately, she had other obligations and couldn't. So instead, I headed to the Hagerstown Mall. I bought a new purse, new shoes and then decided to eat lunch. I go to this mall rarely and was surprised that the food court was so sparse. McDonald's and Subway had huge lines as did the pizza place. The burger and boardwalk fry place was now replaced with a wing joint and the only other thing was a salad place. I decided to go see if the Arby's was crowded....well, the Arby's no longer exists...so it was then I thought I'd walk down to "Garfield's" and see if my niece's boyfriend was tending bar...if so, I was just going to sit at the bar and eat lunch there. He was, and my other niece and her fiancee were sitting there as well. After lunch, I decided to go to the movies. Oh, not "Shutter Island" that's a movie to see with CC, but I decided to go see a movie that CC won't see - "Avatar".

Before "Avatar" ever hit the cinemas, we would see it previewed at every movie we saw...previewed to death as we put it. Once out, everyone kept telling me how great it was.....it's a pretty good bet, that if everyone is telling me a movie is spectacular...I'm probably not going to like it - it takes a lot to impress when you see as many as I do.

So I walked into "Avatar" expecting good special effects, mediocre storyline and hopefully not a waste of the whole afternoon. What can I say? I LOVED IT!!! It's one of those "impression" movies, right up there with "District 9" and "The Shawshank Redemption". It's a must see movie!! And yes, I could sit through it again!!!

Dirt & Poop & Snow

Strats Garden — 2010-02-14T23:56:00Z

I'm actually very filthy at the moment....today, I decided to clean the upstairs which houses the rabbit & guinea pigs and the computer. I started on the animal side - dirt was expected...then I headed to my computer room. Things were piling up....I ended up with 4 garbage bags full of trash and well there was dust and stuff EVERYWHERE. Glad it's clean, but I really can't let it get that bad again - YUCK!!

Since Mickey's been home and he is due for shots; I opted yesterday to take him to the Luv My Pet vaccine clinic at PetCo. I got up early so I could be in the front of the line (you wouldn't believe how long the line gets). Mickey was easy to get into the crate. The PetCo is like a 1/2 hour drive and well Mickey WHINED and HOWLED the entire way. He nearly went nuts ripping up the carpet on the bottom of the crate and acted like it was life or death while in it. It wasn't until we arrived at PetCo and we were sitting in the parking lot, that I realized he had pooped in the crate!!! No wonder he was mad! We moved to the back seat, where there was more room, and I fortunately had some old newspapers back there that could help get somewhat of a clean up done. I let him out of the crate, not realizing he had the poop on him and he immediately tracked it across me and through the car!!! None-the-less, I cleaned up the best we could, popped the newspapers into a nearby trash can and we went to the clinic...course I did have to explain the odor to everyone - well, not that anyone asked, but just in case - I offered. Despite the cold weather, we had to drive home with the windows down and then I had to clean the car!!! Oh and yes, Mickey HOWLED the whole way home as well. But at least THAT is done for another year.

Snow is melting slowly, but of course we don't want it melting fast or we'd be dealing with flooding. A few inches more is expected this week. I really wish spring would get here.

It's Been A LONG Two Days

Strats Garden — 2010-02-11T21:56:00Z

The County was closed for 2 Days - which is totally unheard of!! Just to give you some idea of how much snow is out there:







And there's lots of icicles:

And It Keeps On Coming....

Strats Garden — 2010-02-10T15:30:00Z

The snow stopped being pretty a few days ago....now we've added more:

Fortunately, the County Government closed down and I didn't have to go to work...and it does take an act of God for them to shut down....and well, that's what happened!!

And It Snowed And Snowed And Snowed......

Strats Garden — 2010-02-06T23:18:00Z

Snow does create a big mess and hardwork BUT it is very beautiful (that is before all the dirt from plowing and such takes over):

So because essentially you can't really go anywhere....we're all lazy:

Hubby and the "boys" in what I call - "No Lap Is Too Small"!

Spunky doing what she does best!

Cooper bored because no one will play with him!

Mickey, looking very healthy & clean for a totally outside cat - makes me think that someone in the old neighborhood is making him their own! He's being somewhat of a bully here; but I'm hoping to keep him around to get his shots updated.

And then there is me (minus the photo) doing what I do best - sitting at the computer! Oh and Sebastian is being camera shy as well!

Snow, Snow, Everywhere!!!

Strats Garden — 2010-02-06T00:34:00Z

Winter hasn't been very kind to us this year. Oh I know, I know...there are others who have it allot worse, but when you've had a few years of mild winters, you can never be prepared for snow!

Last Saturday was my birthday. We got snow. This was the surprise snow as we weren't suppose to get any and ended up with 3-4 inches. So I didn't get my birthday dinner out with hubby - we postponed to today.

Ummmm, yeah......guess what? It's snowing, and not just a 3-4 inches....we're expected anywhere from 24-30 inches!! Let's hope *that* much really doesn't happen. So my birthday dinner again was postponed to whenever....

With the forecast giving such a huge amount, I began to worry about Mickey. Remember him? He's the cat that insists on living at our old house with the new owners. Though they take very good care of him, they don't allow him inside due to their own cat...but he doesn't seem to mind. However, I do...and though it's been months since Mickey has been with us, I began to worry anyway. What if his shelter is under a shed / out building and it snows feet and he's stuck under it unable to get out?? <Yeah, I tend to start at the worst most possible thing> They let us leave work early today so once I got home, I drove over with Keyser's old crate and asked that if they saw him to capture him and call us; they willingly agreed.

When hubby got home, we realized we needed some stuff from the grocery store (yeah, it's a nightmare there when they call for these storms). We avoided Martin's and Walmart like the plague and headed to Food Lion which, for some reason, wasn't busy at all and was very well stocked. Since we were on that side of town; we opted to drive by the old house - but no Mickey. So we headed home.

We weren't home 20 minutes when the phone rang and well, you know...Mickey was ready for pick-up. So back out we went. He's now home under the dining room table sleeping; and though I know he won't stay forever, I do think he's glad to be in where it's warm and dry and there's an endless supply of food.

And with him home, I'll sleep a whole lot better tonight.

Diets, Diets, Everywhere

Strats Garden — 2010-02-04T02:09:00Z

During the weird mess at my blog I wrote about last time, I found some comments that never posted. One was for my posting in regards to choosing a diet, where I suggested that it wasn't necessary to PAY for an online diet due to FREE options being available.....

Tricia at the Ediets Community left the following message:

I know that it sometimes seems like a waste of money to pay for a diet program when there are free options available on the internet. But when I look at all the angles, my conclusion is that health is valuable. We often invest in less meaningful things, when good health really gives us the fuel to gain wealth and live long meaningful lives.

Ediets.com offers a very cost effective program that provides a total package to its members. Support from Accredited Nutritionists and Fitness Experts is available to help guide users on the right path to achieving and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

My hope is that people will look at the long term benefits of good health, and make the right decisions now, to invest in their future. I encourage you try eDiets, and maximize on all the wonderful tools, resources and support that they offer.

There's some very good advice in this comment; especially the part that states we often invest in less meaningful things. It's a true statement.

I'm doing a post on this comment as I think it's important when choosing an online diet that you make the right choice for yourself and the post shows what Ediets has to offer. I actually did Ediets many years ago as well as Weight Watchers Online and Change One Online. All very valuable diets with many tools and support available.

I chose SparkPeople this time around not just because it's FREE; but because I've been dieting long enough to know the ins and outs and just wanted to use the tools they provide. SparkPeople does have a wealth of information at their site, a community and some well educated people. It cost nothing to give a trial run; it cost nothing to continue with it, and you've lost nothing if you decide not to continue.

However, by choosing a free option I in no way meant to say that the PAY diets weren't worth paying for...I just made a suggestion that it isn't necessary to pay for one. The economy is bad - sometimes FREE is good.

Weird....

Strats Garden — 2010-01-29T01:32:00Z

I hadn't realized that it has been so long since I've posted. Thought I should catch up.

The blog was weird today. I receive comments to my post via email and I've been receiving some that though are not offensive in anyway; they come across as comments to just try to pull traffic to their site. A lot of the comments are in regards to posts that are very old and not the current stuff. During a down time at work due to a computer "upgrade" glitch...I thought I'd log in and delete the comments out and block the site they were coming from. I logged in, chose to manage comments and realized there were TONS of them. As I began to weed through them, I then realized that the Post Titles the comments were associated with were not mine. At some point I caught a glance of a dotcom and it didn't say "Stratsgarden" - it was something else entirely. I realized I was in someone else's blog!!! I logged out and started again. First page - it's me!! But as I go to manage comments...I'm in someone else's. Just as I started to copy/paste the pages to send to support, everything went to my blog. The comments were all mine and the comments I wanted to get rid of were all gone!!! Very, very strange. It has not happened since. Hijack or Go Daddy Glitch????

I had to come home today and drink....yep, work was that bad!