The Week at a Glance & Stuff About Me

I haven't blogged as much as I would've liked to this week, but it's been a busy week; I've been working hard to launch my Etsy shop (not quite ready yet), tidying up for weekend guests, gathering paperwork for taxes, plus all the regular stuff I do every week. On top of that, I've been mildly sick with a cold and Wednesday we got over a foot of snow, and both our tractors were not working. We have our driveways plowed by the professionals, but there are certain pathways that Sweetie plows with the tractor. Luckily, after a modicum of shoveling and maximum cussing and fussing (by me) one of the tractors was going. Good thing, too; they're predicting another big storm for Tuesday.

I've been tagged several times on Facebook this week for a "25 Random Things About Me" meme. Since I spent a lot of time thinking about it and writing it yesterday, I thought I'd share it with you. I'm not going to tag anyone. You can play if you want or not.

1-7. I borrowed from a previous blog post.

8. I love music... listening to it and playing it. I play clarinet and djembe drums. I tried to play keyboard with very limited success because I have a hard time making my hands work independently. Lessons would probably help. I got a vintage German concertina for Christmas which I hope to learn to play. I'm interest in trying a didgeridoo sometime.

9. I have a fear of falling since I fell off the gym rings in 6 grade onto my back. My whole body tingled for a few seconds. I'm not afraid of heights; I can be at the top of a tall building comfortably as long as I feel firmly planted, but a step ladder can terrify me if it feels precarious.

10. I never wanted children until I was 34, which coincided with my marriage to Sweetie. I didn't think I'd be a good mother... that I'd be patient enough. Now, Pipsqueak is the best thing in my life. I can't imagine life without her. I loved infancy, toddlerhood and I love her present age. She's just plain fun to be around.

11. I love to cook, but I don't like planning what to make. If someone would just hand me a recipe and all the ingredients, I would be really happy. My cooking has evolved from standard meat and potatoes to actual cuisines: French, Mexican, Asian, and my new love, Moroccan.

12. I'm am so glad I live in a place where nature resides. I just came inside from putting food for the deer under the apple tree. I love seeing deer, wild turkey, beaver, hawks, owls, blue heron and the occasional moose or bear. I love to watch Pipsqueak catch frogs, salamanders and newts. I love hearing the coyotes and owls at night.

13. I wear a nightguard at when I sleep because I clench my teeth.

14. I smoked cigarettes for about a year when I was in my early 20s. It was an accompaniment to drinking. (My mother never knew, so if you see her, don't tell her.) I decided one New Year's Eve that I wasn't going to smoke anymore because it was too expensive and not healthy. I never had another one. But I would smoke the occasional cigar until...

15. The night before Sweetie's cousin's wedding, we were smoking Cuban cigars. I smoked too much, and I felt rotten the whole next day. Food tasted horrible. That was my last cigar, and it was 7 years ago.

16. I still remember my first French kiss. We were at his house with a couple other kids playing spin the bottle by his swimming pool. He was a very good kisser for a 13 year old. His mother had just been raspberry picking, and we'd eaten quite a few. I can't eat raspberries to this day without remembering that moment.

17. I started writing a novel a couple of years ago. It's a suspense in the style of James Patterson. I did the outline for the whole thing and wrote of few chapters including a really steamy sex scene, but I've put it away for now until inspiration strikes again. It's a pretty daunting task.

18. I love thrift store shopping. It's relaxing and invigorating all at the same time. I buy most of my clothes at thrift stores now. I get really good brand name stuff for next to nothing, like Gap jeans for $3.00, an LL Bean fleece for $2.50, and a Coldwater Creek dress for $0.10.

19. I used to drive around with my SLR camera taking photos on the weekends. The other day, I was thinking that I miss doing that. I took a few years off from taking photos at all and left it to Sweetie. I got a digital camera about a year ago, but I use it for my blog and selling stuff on ebay. I need to make the time for photography just for the fun of it again.

20. I've eaten of few strange things: alligator, pigeon, frog (they all taste like chicken), and sea urchin (skip it; it's nasty). I'll try anything once unless it smells bad, or it's still moving.

21. I never drank coffee until I was about 30 years old. My former boss got me into it. He drank Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and would try different flavors. It always smelled so good. I tried iced coffee first. It was all down hill from there. Now I drink a 1/3 caff cappuccino every morning made with our vintage La Pavoni machine, but it's still made with GMCR coffee.

22. The things that bring me the most joy: the sound of Pipsqueak's laughter or her saying, "I love you, Mommy," the feeling of her arms around my neck and the sight of her snuggled in her bed asleep.

23. Things that peeve me: people that think it's ok to wear "dress" jeans to a wedding, people that plunk their cell phone down on the restaurant table next to the plate like it's a piece of silverware and leave it there throughout the meal, and people that don't heed the turn off your cell phone and no flash photography requests at events.

24. I am never completely satisfied with anything I do. I always evaluate and over-analyze it, looking for ways I could have done it better. (I've come up with other/better ideas for some of the 25 things since I posted this on Facebook yesterday. I'm hopeless.)

25. I was surprised at how difficult it was to come up with 25 things that I was willing to share with everyone. Maybe I'm not the open book I thought I was.