Author: Marcia

This is not fair

So last spring/summer we had the back door open for fresh air, a lot.  A mouse came in, so we got traps and caught it in just a couple days.

This fall another mouse dared to enter the house.  We set the traps again, and it was caught with-in the hour of setting.

We had one still set along the wall, just waiting in hopes that we would not catch another.

We went out of town for a week, and the trap was empty.

The temperatures dropped, a mouse came in for a snack.  It died.

We went to pick up more traps (because even though it says reusable, let’s be honest here, I am not un-clipping the mouse and using that nasty thing again!) just in case we need them.  The temperature outside keeps dropping, and I don’t want to be outside!

The price of the traps this time was $6.88, I think-once I find the receipt I will know for sure.  This evening we were at the store getting other supplies in that area of the store, and passed the traps display, and this is what I saw:

IMG00315mouse traps

It is the original price again.  It makes me so stinking mad!!!!!

We figure that because the outside temperatures dropped, many people were having trouble with the mice coming in, and the store (or rather the people who run it) decided that they might as well make extra money off the people who already have enough problems in their lives.  And now that the traps are in less of a demand, the price has dropped back to the original rate.

Now, if I can just think of how to make this work to my advantage….  Any ideas?

Quiz 83

This is a piece of a bigger picture. I welcome one and all to guess at what it is. In one week, or so, I’ll give the answer, and post a new one. Good luck and may the guessing begin.

quiz83

Esta es una parte de la foto grande. Hay que adivinar lo que es. En una semana mas o menos regreso con la respuesta y otra foto. ¡Suerte!

Canadian Thanksgiving

Here is the answer you all have been waiting for…

answer82

On October 12th we had dinner at Jacob’s parents’ house with the missionaries, Elder Pickett and Elder Drake.  Elder Pickett is from Canada and that happens to be Canadian Thanksgiving.  So using our super internet abilities, we found his family.  Jacob called his parents and talked to his brother and his mom and asked about any traditions.  We discovered that Elder Pickett has tried many new foods on his mission. The plate above is his clean plate.

Here he is loading up his plate:

IMG_2951

Here he is trying new foods:

IMG_2952

He liked it so much, we sent leftovers home with him:

IMG_2955

What can be the issue?

Problem:  I am cold.  All of the time.  I can not warm up.  I sit in a room that is 88 degrees, and I need to put on a sweater.  And a stocking cap.  And gloves.  And wool socks.  And house slippers.

Maybe it wil result in comfort.  Not always, especially if all those things limit my mobility.

At this moment the temperature is -9 with a wind chill of -19.  I hate strongly detest this time of year.  The only redeeming quality is that when blowing bubbles outside, they freeze.  That is the ONLY redeeming quality.

Does anyone have a house they would like to donate to us that is in a tropical region, or at the very least that never has temperatures that drop below 74 degrees farenheight?

Eight dollars and sixteen months

We went out to Idaho (15th-21st) with Jacob’s Parents for Erin’s and Adam’s graduation.  We stayed with John and Tinell (she also graduated) Broadbent (they have two very adorable little girls, and stinking smart too).  John may be responsible for our potentially thinking about purchasing a Wii in the future.  We had a lot of fun in Idaho.  Not so much fun the four days in the car to get there and back. The trip was good; physically sitting in a confined space for four days is not so pleasant.

We were very lucky with the driving conditions.  We did see lots of tire marks where cars had gone off in the snow before we got to those points.  We are happy that the weather cleared up for us to make it there and back in safety and with out too much worry.

Now for the fun stats I know everyone is waiting for, knowing that I am mee and I do these things on car trips.  Just remember FOUR days of travel.

December 15th:

I counted up 30 places where cars had slid off the road in the earlier bad weather, not including cars still there.
There were 2 cars still out there, one was a mini-van and looked like it may have collided with a car not there any more.
There were 6 semi-trucks, 3 of which were flipped on the sides.
I just hoped and prayed that everyone was ok.

Watched Indiana Jones:  Raiders of the Lost Arc and Horton Hears a Who ( the newer one, I still prefer the older one).

Now for the Alphabet searches:

Start time 7:50am (finding the words in order)
Avenue Burlington Club Dane Equipped For Golf Hiring It’s Junction Kawasaki Lockridge Melrose National Orlando Peterbilt Quarter Right Stop Travel USDOT VanWyk Wisconsin Xpress (as in U.S. Xpress) Yanke Zooming
Stop time 9:44am

Start time 9:46am (finding the letters on license plates we passed)
668WWA SB3P2M  989CMQ  126TDX  490MLE TF4209  G598107  237SJH 894NIP  790JJA  KTYAHWK  206ALZ  CWM 995TLN 188WDO PS4404  951RQZ  6FBR122  795ESC  896TJY  U1462O  OVF776  435EWX  835RMX 726SYK  013NQZ
Stop time 12:10pm

Start time 12:56pm (finding the words randomly)
Airport Beatrice Class Downtown East Federal Grand Harley Icy Jery’s Knight Lincoln Mack Nation Oak Park Quest Ramada Sale Then University Vehicles Warning Xtra York Zoo
Stop time 4:05pm

We stayed the night in Laramie, Wyoming.  I did not make any lists the next day (the 16th) because I was too busy whining about the lack of data service on the phones as we drove through the rest of Wyoming.  I was also taking lots of pictures of the scenery.  It is beautiful even if there is not a single person who lives there to enjoy it!!!  We decided to stop briefly in Salt Lake City so we could take Jacob’s parents to see the new Conference Center.  It was a fun tour.  And wouldn’t you know it, the first person we see as we are rounding the corner to park the car was Brother Maynard.  He and his wife were serving a mission here in Macomb, and just left in August.  Driving through the mountains was very pretty.

We headed back early the morning of December 20th:

We watched A Christmas Story and Back to the Future I, II, and III

Alphabet searches:

Start time 8:55am (in  order)
And Blackfoot Comfort Diabetes Exit Fort Gas Highway (9:00am) Indian Just (9:19am) Kehoka (10:28am) Lots Miles North Ogden Price Quizno’s Restaurant Subway TechnaGlass Unleaded Villiage Watson Xtreme Yard Zone (no passing zone)
Stop time 12:54pm

Start time 2:42pm (finding the words randomly)
Area Benson Cross Draw Express FedEx Georgia Halliburton Interstate John Keystone Lays Marten Number Only Parking Quick Richfield Sswift Trading Ursus VanPack Winning Xpress (Ad Xpress) Yesco Zone (Auto Zone)
Stop time 5:10pm

We stayed that night in Ogallala, Nebraska.

December 21:

We watched Rigoletto and we stopped about 1:30pm in Omaha for lunch at Jimmy John’s in hopes of meeting up with a couple of friends.  Unfortunately, neither of them were able to make it.  Maybe another time.

Alphabet searches:

Start time 9:22am (finding words randomly)
Ants Bridges Coleman Drive Eagle Food Golden Hershey Inn Join Kearney Lodging Minimum Nebraska Oversized Penske Quit Road Simon’s Transport Utility Veterans Wallace Xterra Yourself Zumstien
Stop time 12:15pm

Start time 12:16pm (finding the letters on license plates we passed)
325OYA 421PAB PCO648  PGD520  8-E2706  18-F585  RGW007  917HLC  200PII  RDJ634  73682K PLW453  XGM676  17-N188  POM896  PVF7849  OYQ634  RCO658  584TTS T865260  HU51693  PV6347  OXW366  PXB761  14-Y427  66055HZ
Stop time 2:40pm

Start time 3:13pm (finding words randomly)
America Buckle City DesMoines Elk Ford Go Horn Immigrant Johnston Kum Limit Malibu Nissan Oldsmobile Pontiac Quality Ram Sunrise Town Up Value Wings Xtra Yukon Zeitner
Stop time 4:33

That is enough of my obsession for now.  Give me a day or two for pictures and holiday reporting.

I admit I can not spell

I can’t spell.  However there are people all around me who can spell.  I always end up feeling like such  a dunce when I learn a new spelling after I know I have typed it for the whole world to see, and not a single person has corrected me.   It really does some damage to the self-esteem.  Now I am not talking about the difference between their, there, and they’re or here and hear.  Those I understand, I do admit that sometimes (often) I can’t remember if a work has “ie” or “ei” or any double letters.  I do not know why I have such a hard time with spelling rules like that, but I do.  And I wish people would point out when I have some letters mixed up, or missing, or extra.  This does not go for commas, I like to use them.  Please help, and please be gentle about it.  Thanks.

Halloween, or my favorite holiday

I seriously need about 12 of these dress up days a year, one a month would be a lot of fun for me.  Jacob on the other hand would not really enjoy costuming once a month.  In fact, I was unable to get him to dress up, even to be a butcher and carry a fake meat cleaver…to go with my swine flu (I was so excited about this one!):

meeswinetailflu

Sitting outside to hand out candy (what was up with only 30 minutes of trick or treating?):

meesitting

And my tail closer-up (it may very well be my favorite part of the costume):

curlytail

With out my snout (like when I had to get a drink or eat):

meenosnout

My eyes, simply because I like this picture:

myeyes

The scary (lunging) monster that made a little girl cry:

scarry

It also got a “What the fff…?” by a boy about 12-13 years old, that caught himself, and then I told him he should not know that word.  And I think Loana Deveraux had to go change her drawrs after her encounter with the monster….  Here she is, or was?

ghostofloanapast

Here are cookies I made using the cookie press (for the first time ever) that Jessie gave me because she never used it:

cookies

Quiz 82

This is a piece of a bigger picture. I welcome one and all to guess at what it is. In one week, or so, I’ll give the answer, and post a new one. Good luck and may the guessing begin.

quiz82

Esta es una parte de la foto grande. Hay que adivinar lo que es. En una semana mas o menos regreso con la respuesta y otra foto. ¡Suerte!