Thinking of Summer

I've never been an outdoors person. Mostly because for me to actually want to go outside, the weather has to be perfect; Low 80's with low humidity and calm winds. That doesn't happen that often in Vermont...or anywhere!I also have to have something specific to do outside. Mostly I enjoy lounging outside if the weather is nice.

If the kids are home, I have to force myself, to avoid the guilt of being a lazy ass mother, to go outside to play with them. I'm proud of myself that today I did just that. I went outside with Tony in the snow storm, walked around, measured snow inches, made a snow angel and sat inside our tree house a bit. Little time passed and I returned inside and started drinking wine. (Still drinking, so forgive my grammar and spelling errors, please!)

Occasionally I also get these creative ideas which bring me outside. Today I thought I should take pictures of the bright red male cardinals against the sparkly white snow, but when I finally brought the camera outside, the cardinals had departed. I did get this photo of an English Sparrow (actually I took it from inside) perched on our "thingy hanger" on the porch.



And a picture of fluffy Summer sitting on the porch. He was outside less time than me!

Once, when Em was a baby, I decided it would be a wonderful idea to take pictures of her outside surrounded by all of Hus's flowers. It worked out while she was on the porch. Soo pretty! ( I think those larkspur are poisonous, oops)


But then I decided I would put her, still in her bouncy seat, on the hillside in an actual flower bed. Well, of course she started screaming, and then bouncing and then flipping herself over...

I managed to snap this photo before dropping the camera and throwing myself down to catch her before she landed face first in the flowers.

I felt like such a horrible mother that day, thinking, OMG, how could I have been so careless? She could have died! Over a silly picture!

Now I think it was pretty funny.

I Am Crossing Over a Fine Wrinkly Line

I've been feeling old lately. I've been forgetful, tired, clumsy and achy more than usual. My Carpal Tunnel is worse than ever and I am getting Zits like a teenager. I suppose it could have something to do with lack of sleep, poor diet, lack of, or non-existent exercise, besides walking 4 miles at work each shift, but I am blaming it on age instead.

I've crossed some fine wrinkly line where elderly men try to flirt/talk to me wherever I go, and I think of young men in terms of them being my son.

One day last week T asked me what was for dinner. I replied "hot dogs". It was meatballs. I quickly corrected myself, but I seem to do shit like that all the time!

I covered the dirty brownie pan with Saran wrap instead of the actual brownies. I noticed right away and fixed it.

Last week while grocery shopping I was scooping up mixed nuts to put in a plastic bag and instead poured them on the floor, missing the bag entirely!

Tonight while grocery shopping, I dropped a jar of real VT Maple Syrup and it exploded all over me, my cart and the floor. Seriously,they are not going to allow me to shop there anymore if I don't stop it!

I really think a lot of this has to do with my mind being a few steps ahead of what my mouth or hands are doing. For the most part I laugh, but I do have a doctors appointment scheduled for a check-up.Heh Heh

It could be worse; I could have fallen on my head like my friend Suzy. Go visit her and give her some love please.

Poor Suzy.

More Life in Vermont

1. Lainey-Paney mentioned in her comment on my first "Life in Vermont" post, that people in Texas have guns. This is true in Vermont too. Mostly people just have rifles or shotguns for hunting, but I do know some people who have handguns. I even know a woman who carries a handgun with her when she goes on a walk with her kids through the woods near her house. Ya, I think she is crazy, I only carry my pepper spray.


2. People out in the Boonies of Vermont can still be robbed. The house in the following photos was just burglarized last week. It happened during the day while the woman who lives in this house was away. Allegedly the thieves stole guns and prescription medications.I took these photos from my porch.


Six months ago another woman, who lives on this same road, was robbed. That time the thieves took a coin collection and prescription medications.
I now take my "good" meds with me when I leave home.

3. Some roads in Vermont change the speed limit willy-nilly every mile or so. The speed limit can be 50mph then 35mph, back up to 50mph, down to 25mph then up to 40mph,all within a few miles. Of course there are police who know this.

4. I can drive 36 miles home from work at midnight and only see one other car on the road. However, while speeding seems like the thing to do at that time, there are occasionally cops waiting to catch me or the other car!

5. Dirt roads are not just for poor people. This house is my favorite house in our town and it is located on a dirt road. New houses are also being built on dirt roads. This house is on the market for just under 2million. I think it's a bargain because it comes with a huge barn, garage with apartment, over 100 acres of land and a beautiful view. There was a new house for sale for over 2 million in my town, but it burned down in a fire.

If I win the lottery, I'm definitely going to buy this house.

6. People in Vermont can get really really, kick your ass colds, like I have had for the last 16 days! I didn't even get out of bed until 1PM a few days and even then, I didn't want to.

Poor me.

Life In Vermont

Some things I've learned about life in the country while living in Vermont.

1. There are people, mostly men, in Vermont who grow beards in winter and shave them off in Summer.These beards have confused me more than once. I moved here in the winter so most of my neighbors looked similar to this photo of the actor of Tom Welling. Scary if you ask me.

The WINTER Look

In the spring, I would run into the same neighbors and not have the foggiest idea who they were. Several times I would argue with Hus when he would try to convince me that the clean shaven fairly good looking man we were just talking with was our neighbor! "But that guy looked like a troll." I would protest. (below photo also of Tom Welling)

The SUMMER Look

No I don't have any neighbors as hot as Tom but since I don't find beards of any kind attractive, any clean shaven version of a person is better than the bearded one.

I met Hus in the summer and thank goodness he does not grow a beard for any reason!

2. There is no automatic trash pick up, cost covered in taxes, in Vermont. You need to either bring it to the dump yourself or pay a small fortune for a trash removal service. Or, you can do like I did in the beginning, and bring really small bags of trash to work with you and put them in the dumpster on your way in.

3. There are people who live in the boonies, like us, who have Septic Tanks. Gross.

4.Some people (my neighbor) walk their dog, cat and turkeys all at the same time.

5. If your neighbor owns a goat, sometimes it will come over for a visit and steal your child's sock. Of course it will be an accidental theft because the sock will stick to the goats beard when they smell your child's carelessly thrown on the porch shoe.

6. You can not hide in the country. My neighbors knew more about my husband before I did. My farmer neighbor noticed future Hus's red truck in my driveway when he picked me up for our first date, and before the date was over, my neighbor knew exactly who my Hus was. He knew where he came from, where he worked and whether he was an honorable man. Ha! (He was worried about me) Somehow via a crazy country neighbor grapevine, word had traveled an hour away to Killington, where my future BIL Dave, identified my future Hus to my farmer neighbors friend, who worked with Dave, just by his truck! I know, hard to follow, but true.

7. If you tell people you come from a family of pig farmers, they will believe you. Above BIL told my future FIL Chet, that I came from pig farmers. During our first meeting, Chet, with a straight face, asked me how it was coming from a family of pig farmers. I was just a little surprised and confused then noticed Dave cracking up in the corner. Dave had to explain to poor sweet Chet that it was a joke. OINK. We still laugh about that one.