Random List: Profound Thoughts

Thoughts that seemed profound after two homemade margaritas in the sun:

pixabay.com

• The breeze is gone...where did it go?
• That black jeep has such noisy tires.
• Is it 'cicada' or 'katydid'? Just exactly what did Katy do?
• Clouds are so messy.
• My dog is snoring.
• What great things could I be accomplishing if I wasn't spacing out?
• The laundry's not going to get off the line by itself, but it could try...
• I like tequila.

Random List: The Nose Knows

It's still top-down time in the convertible!

Recently I kept a list of odors I encountered on the way home from work, door to door:

by Hans   / pixabay.com



• Stinky Juniper Shrub (just outside door)
• Cigarette Smoke (co-worker)
• Lemon Car Freshener (co-worker's car)
• Carmel Corn (factory across the road)
• Car Exhaust (entire business park gets on the road)
• Cigarette Smoke (multiple drivers)
• Mulch (fresh, unspread pile)
• Potpourri (floral shop with open doors and windows)
• Diesel Fumes (delivery truck)
• Cigarette Smoke (delivery truck driver)
• Apple (my drive-home snack)
• Cooked Meat (fast food burger joint)
• Freshly Cut Grass (probably some cigarette butts in there somewhere...)
• River Water (tiny section of lower Little Miami)
• Woods/Greenery (you know, that earthy smell when you pass through a heavily wooded, shady area)
• Campfire (life in the woods)
• Smouldering Charcoal (what's for dinner?)
• Fresh Air (close to home now!)
• Sleepy Dogs (official home greeters)

Random List: Items purchased from CraigsList

Items purchased after viewing them on CraigsList,

the 8th Wonder of the World (in my opinion):

• steel door w/window
• split rail fencing (5 sections)
• saddle 
• hot tub
• parts for hot tub
• (2) small desks 
• horse trailer
• (2) motorcycles (Suzuki and Goldwing)
• Sleeper sofa
• Disc (tractor)
• Stove, fridge, and microwave (all from same seller)
• (2) Saab convertibles (his & hers)

Random List: Winter Sound Effects

Sounds I hear only in Winter (and a couple I imagine):

• sleet rat-a-tat-tatting on the metal barn roof
• icicles shattering into oblivion after falling onto the walkway 
• boots punching through ice-crusted snow
• tv/radio droning on with school delays & closures
• cacophonous bird shrieks as they swarm seed-filled feeders
• full length zipper on snowsuit growling up and down
• heavy hush inside snow-covered greenhouse
• crackle of ice coated branches as they shiver in the wind
• hollow thump of snow plow knocking mailbox off post
• whir of electric meter spinning wildly

Random List: Noise Pollution

From left to right, sounds I could hear today while taking my lunch 

break at the employee picnic table in the warehouse: 

• Tech's van radio (pulled into shop bay, rock guitar)
  
• Shop Manager's boombox (hip-hop)
• Testing equipment (powerful metal-on-metal strike, intermittent)
• Fire extinguisher having pressure leaked off (piercing, loud hissing)
• Shop tech's radio (sports "talk" radio--more like shouting)
• Equipment cart with uneven metal wheels being pushed around on concrete floor
• Shop Manager's desk radio (different talk radio station)
• Shop tech and customer laughing
• Different tech's van radio (in other shop bay, pop rock)

Can't wait for better weather so I can go outside for lunch and hear myself think!

RANDOM LIST: Small Moments, Big Payoff

To help ring in 2014 on a good note,

here are some of the little moments that make me happy (in no particular order): 

• Getting a tight jar lid open without asking for help
• A rare glimpse of one of my zebra finches taking a bath in their enclosed water feature (cage accessory must-have)
• Waking up for a moment, then slipping away again on the gentle waves of breathing sounds from my husband and doggies
• So many of the fabulous images on Pinterest
• When my best friend calls me out of the blue because she needs someone to talk to
• Seeing a baby smile (actually I just threw that one in, because it seems mandatory on a list like this)
• Trying on a new pair of shoes and they fit JUST RIGHT
• When my husband tells me he's impressed with something I did or made
• Hanging on to the saddle horn while my horse is careening down a hill
• That first sip of champagne
• Really, really soft things (I may have to do a post on all the super-soft things I love)
• When I remember somebody else's birthday on time.
• Wearing boots and walking through puddles
• When someone answers a 'yes or no question' with just 'yes' or 'no'. (This is actually quite rare--start paying attention and you'll see)
• Things that spin. Especially if they're shiny! 
• When Edgar, our male sheep, answers me back after I've called to him (in his own language, of course)
• When I hit 'publish' on a blog post
• Any comment I get on any of my blog posts. No matter what it says, or how long it is. Any comment is welcome. Anything, any time, any subject... (is this thing on? testing, testing, onetwothree)
• Bite into a PERFECTLY ripe nectarine, and all is right in my world

I'll stop for now; I'll start building a new list during the new year!

Random List: Differences at Work

Out of (9) female & (12) male in-office staff where I work,

I am the ONLY one who: 

• drinks decaffeinated coffee
• brings a packed lunch with an ice pack
• drinks diet soda 
• goes for a walk at lunch
• speaks well of her husband

I am one of only 2 or 3 who:

• wears makeup to work
• keeps a box of tissues on my desk
• doesn't have children
• prints envelopes on the printer, not on the typewriter at the front desk

I thought it was supposed to be cool to be a non-conformist...

Random List: Baby Steps

List of super easy steps to start working out again when you've lost the habit, and/or have fewer and fewer clothes to wear... 

It's easy to find exercise lists written by fitness experts. I made this list up myself, though, because getting started is the hard part, and "experts" usually gloss over it. I have done this or something similar in the past and it works. In fact, with the holidays looming, I will need to follow my own advice ASAP!

Day 1:  Find a 10' x 10' area of clear floorspace in your home to be your workout area. (This will need to be a pet-free zone: pets are cute and very distracting.) Walk away, you're done for the day. That was SO easy!

Day 2:  Put down an exercise mat or beach towel in your area, even if it's a soft, carpeted spot already. (The mat is a symbol of commitment.) Walk away, you're done!

Day 3:  Sit or lie down on the mat, for 10 minutes. No activity necessary, just relax and think about what your first exercise will be tomorrow. (situps, leg lifts, etc). NO digital or electronic media allowed (they still make clocks with a big hand and a little hand...)

Day 4:  Go to your mat, take a moment to relax, then do up to 10 repetitions of your chosen exercise. Stop. Sit or lie down until 10 minutes is up, and think about how easy that was, and what tomorrow's exercise will be. Don't do anymore today unless you REALLY want to, but the goal is a baby step so you have no excuse to feel burned out or stressed by a new routine.

Day 5:  Go to your mat, and repeat day 4's exercise. Then add a second exercise, then relax for the remainder of the 10 minutes as on Day 4.

Day 6:  If you've fallen easily into the routine, it will be easy to progress from step 5 and continue on at your own speed. If you are still avoiding or procrastinating, go back to step 1, choose a different area that may work better, and begin again. 

Good Luck, and be strong.  ~  Remember: Baby Steps!

Random List: Tinkering

Things I cannot stop tinkering with on my blog:

• page elements layout

• image placement

• colors of this

• colors of that

• paragraph break

• text size

• fonts

• html code in general (good thing there's a template back-up feature since I am completely untrained and just poking around after doing "research" on the internet!)

Random List - Hint Hint

Helpful hints I would like to pass along from recent experience:

• Make SURE it's just a crooked stick before you pick it up in the woods...

• Same goes for a brown rock in the horse pasture...

• Never walk away from your rain barrel hose while filling a watering can for the garden, because you may become distracted doing something else and drain hundreds of gallons of precious rain water right before a 4-week dry spell with temperatures in the 80's and 90's...

• Spray the wasps and their nest with wasp killer, not just standard insect spray, so they don't live long enough to seek revenge...

• Using roofing tar paper in a campfire is a good way to let the neighbors know you're having a campfire...  

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Random List - Say Cheese (over and over and over)

Items in the company vending machine that (allegedly) contain CHEESE:

Without mentioning brand names, here are the cheesy descriptions screaming from the chip & cracker packaging:

• cheddar cheese
• natural cheddar cheese
• cheddar and bacon
• cheddar and sour cream
• harvest cheese!
• tomato, basil & feta
• nacho cheese!
• 4-cheese crisps
• cheese danish
• berry cheez pastry

I may update this list after my next trip to the breakroom (breaks are not allowed here, so I'm not sure why there's a room...) in case I missed one.

Random List: Switch It Up

I found a special switch in my car. If I hit this switch at any point in my commute, one of the following things will happen:

• The car in front of me will slow down
• An emergency vehicle will fire up its siren and need to get by
• A dense fog will form
• A state trooper will become visible in the median

That's correct. If I hit the cruise control switch, one of those things will happen. Try it on your next drive!







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Random List: 5 Minutes of Sound

For 5 Minutes: Sounds I Hear While Sitting Outside

in the Back Yard...Starting...NOW!

• leaf blower (neighbor)
• crickets
• dogs barking (not ours)
• cicada rattle
• scratching (cat in litter box in greenhouse)
• bird chirping
• rooster crowing
• other rooster crowing
• horse snorting
• sheep ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-a
• whoosh of car driving by
• slap (my hand on my arm on a mosquito)
• horses hooves (running to the barn away from flies)
• me grunting (lifting heavy cat)
• dog bark (ours)
• siren (in distance)
• whoosh of wings (flock of starlings leaving tree tops)
• click-click (dog nails on greenhouse floor)
• dog panting
• oven timer (dinner!)

Random List - Commutes

Vehicles and Routes I have used to commute to work

1. Bicycle......A few miles from my family's house in Ohio to Pleasant Hill Lake......3-4 miles mostly downhill on the way there, which made for a long, difficult ride home.                                                 *****Moved*****                                                                                      
2. Bicycle......BGSU dorm room to Aquatic Center......1/2 mile, flat roads and sidewalks.                                                 *****Moved*****                                                                       
3. 1976 Impala......College-town apartment to local restaurant......short trip, big car.                                                 *****Moved*****                                                                               
4. Seattle Metro Bus mostly/sometimes the Impala, my legs, and an antique elevator with multiple gates and a human attendant......Apartment on Alki to umpteenth floor of Smith Tower downtown......Long trip [I don't really remember, maybe 1-1/2 hrs port to port?].
5. Seattle Metro Bus mostly/sometimes the Impala......Apartment on Alki to clothes retailer warehouse/sweatshop......8 miles, 20-30 minutes.                                                 *****Moved*****                                                                          
6. Impala......Apartment in Renton to Redmond WA......About 20 miles, and LOTS of serious traffic.                                                                                        *****Moved*****           
7. Impala/1983 Subaru Wagon......Apartment near Tukwila WA to downtown Seattle near Pike Place Market......About 15 miles and 30 minutes.                                                                     *****Moved and got married at this point, so different vehicles to play with*****          
8. Subaru Wagon usually/Impala and 73 Ford F150 rarely/then Cutlass Cierra mainly......House in Des Moines, WA to downtown Seattle......about 20 miles and 40 minutes.
9. Cutlass Cierra mainly/Subaru or Ford F250......Des Moines to just up the street......about 10 minutes, finally a short commute again!
10. Cutlass Cierra or Subaru or Ford F250......Des Moines to Federal Way......about 12 miles and 20 minutes.
11. Cutlass Cierra or Ford F250......Des Moines to just up the street......about 10 minutes
12. Cutlass Cierra or Ford F250......Des Moines to Kent......8 miles and 12 minutes                                                                 *****Moved*****                         
13. Ford Escort or Ford F250 or Corvair van......Home in Auburn WA to 10 miles away in Auburn......about 15 minutes.
14. 2001 Honda Accord mainly/1987 Volvo Wagon or Ford  F250 sometimes......Auburn to Kent......10 miles and 20 minutes                                                                                                                                                      *****Moved*****                       
15. Honda Accord mainly/Volvo Wagon or Ford F250 sometimes......Twp Rd 49 to Galion OH......6 miles and 12 minutes
16. Honda Accord......Twp Rd 49 to Bucyrus......17 miles and 30 minutes
17. Honda Accord or Pontiac Vibe......Twp Rd 49 to Ashland......25 miles and 40 minutes                                                                              *****Moved*****               
18. Honda Accord or Pontiac Vibe/then Hyundai Elantra Wagon or 2006 GMC Envoy/1999 Saab occasionally/now 2005 Saab Convertible mainly......Pleasant Plain OH to Sharonville, 26 miles 45-70 min to my job of the last 4+ years.

Please tell me if this inspires you to make your own list!

Random List - Pocket Buddies

Unrelated items I have found together in a pocket

Robe Pocket:
(2) Lids from 2-liter Coke products
(1) folded lottery ticket (not a winner, obviously)
(1) dog flea-med sticker
(1) large crumb (toast? I hope)

Jeans Pocket:
(1) scribbled note on torn envelope: "three doz"
(2) hairpins
(1) dog whistle

Random List - Morning Colors

Vivid colors I noticed this morning in the back yard

Yellow-Orange

Marigolds, in garden (tomato buddies)

Dark Orange

Gladiolus bloom, in container by greenhouse

Royal Blue
Stellar's Jay, in tree by greenhouse
Orange-Red

Canna bloom, on mound
Dark Green-Burgundy

Canna Leaves, on mound
Cardinal Red

Male Cardinal, on bird feeder under tree by greenhouse
Pink

Rosa Rugosa blooms, along split rail by bridge
Fuschia

Dahlia bloom, on mound
Purple-Black

Ripe Blackberries, along split rail by garden
Bright Yellow

Goldfinch, on thistle sock

Sunflowers, several spots

By the way, I think this list is a prime example of just how easily distracted I am, since I have a limited time to get ready for work in the morning, and DO NOT have time to wander around and look at all the pretty colors!

Random List - $h!t Happens

Excrement I Have "Handled" All on the Same Day

• Dog
• Cat
• Horse
• Chicken
• Mouse
• Human

Some days it feels like I should have a PhD in Manure Management.

Random List (new blog feature!) - Gel

Things I use that are filled with gel

Gel Pad: for my saddle (actually, more for me than the saddle)

Gel Pad: for my lower back in my work chair
Gel wrist rest: when I am running tapes on my adding machine (yes, people still use those)
Gel hair product
Gel hand sanitizer
Gel pens
Gel shoe inserts
Gel pill capsules
Gel toothpaste (only in a pinch because I still prefer good ol' Crest Original)

Good grief, how did the pioneers travel on those horse-drawn wagons without GEL PADS?!