Stonecrop Sedum

Fall color
 

Closing Up the Pool and Spiders

Today was the day to finally close the pool at 45 Pines.  For anyone who's ever done this, you know what a pain in the ass it can be.  This is only the second time I have done this, but it's the first time I have experienced the spiders in the pool.  I think there must have been a total of 10 or 11 in the pool and about 10 in the filter basket.  We're not just talking your average garden spider here...we're talking wolf spiders.  HUGE wolf spiders!  AND I HATE SPIDERS!!!!

V and I were kind of at a loss for how to get rid of them since she really didn't want to put them back in the yard.  They don't drown because they create a sack of air around them to sustain them in the water and they mostly float.  GROSS!!  She finally decided to fill a bucket half full of water and skim the spiders out and put them into the bucket.  Once we got them all, I sprayed killer spray on them to stun them.  She then took the bucket to the field across the street and tossed the contents out there.  I was successfully CREEPED out, but I did manage to be brave enough to take some pictures along the way (nightmare to follow, I'm sure).

 

Not a close up shot...too freaked out at first.

 

Close up shot.

 

 

Some of the spiders balled up around each other for some reason...YUCK!

 

 

 



Candy Corn

One of my fall indulgences.



The Burning of Candles

I love lighting candles.  I don't do it in the summer because it doesn't seem like a summer thing, but once fall sets in, the candles start burning.  I took pictures of the newest candles in my life last night.  The bottom picture was taken with the effects camera on my phone.  I like the texture of the ripped paper look.

Autumn Tree Digital Blasphemy Style

One of my favorite fall pictures...even though it's not real, it's still beautiful.

Fall is Here - Yay!

Fall is my favorite season and I am welcoming it this year whole-heartedly!

One Year And Still Not Done!

Dear Roofers:

Congratulations! You have just managed to stretch the roofing project at the warehouse out for an entire year!  You have called work off on days when it has been beautiful because you thought it was going to rain somewhere in the country...you have made the fall of 2011 and the spring, summer and into fall of 2012 just miserable for me with my allergies to all your dust (if I've sneezed once, I've sneezed 20,000 times)...you have caused a lot of water issues with roof leaks where you have already replaced the bad roof with "good" and you have been in the way of day to day operations for what seems like FOREVER! You guys are awesome!

Thanks and Much Love,

Beth



I Am One of the 47% and I'm Pissed Off!

I sometimes like to peruse other blog links from blogs I read daily. Today, I stumbled on a blog (Brilliant at Breakfast) of a woman who has posted about the now infamous video of Romney telling his (millionaire) donors what he really thinks of 47% of Americans.  I have been struggling with whether or not to post my own opinion of this obnoxious, piece of shit man who wants to become our President, but instead, I will link to this post that sums up how I (and probably 47% of Americans) feel very adequately.  Thanks to Jill! 

Greetings from one of the people Willard Rmoney just labeled a moocher:  here

Sidenote: I have always paid my taxes, I do not feel that I am a victim, I am not "dependent" on the government and I do not believe the government has a responsibility to take care of me, but I do feel the government has the responsibility of taking care of our country as a whole (I mean, isn't that really what the elected American government is actually for?) and not just the wealthy people that Williard wants to represent...VOTE OBAMA!

Old Woman Painting Restoration Fail (Part 2)

Taken from Yahoo news:

A Spanish woman who made headlines worldwide for her botched attempt to restore a 20th-century painting of Jesus Christ says she has hired lawyers and wants royalties from the fees church owners are charging visitors, according to the daily Spanish-language newspaper El Correo.

The local artist, 80-year-old Cecilia Gimenez, initially defended her volunteer work saying she was restoring the decaying "Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man") portrait because no one else would. The before and after pictures went viral across the globe and tourists began arriving in droves -- but very few were leaving donations.  The sanctuary's owners, the Santi Spiritus Hospital Foundation, reportedly made $2,600 in four days from visitors wanting to see "Ecce Mono," or "Behold the Monkey" as it's now called, Ars Technica reported.

The church has hired lawyers of its own to protect its revenue, Ars Technica said, "Luckily, though, Gimenez is not charging the millions of Internet users who have shared and spoofed her painting all over the world with copyright abuse."

Town officials have planned to undo Gimenez's work, but almost 18,000 people have signed an online petition to preserve the post-restoration painting. 

Note:  I can't imagine destroying a 102-year-old painting and then demanding royalites from people who come to see the painting and are leaving money, whether donation or fee...this woman must be off her rocker! 

Checking My Employer's Official Blog from Work

From a Penske computer at work: The Penske Internet Proxy Service is blocking content on the Penske Official Blog...astonishingly ridiculous!

Happy 40th!

The gang of the 4077th

40 years ago today, a little TV show based on the movie 'M*A*S*H' premiered and went on to become one of the longest running series on TV winning 14 Emmy Awards and 8 Golden Globes.

Greers Ferry Lake and Dam, Heber Springs, AR

Pictures taken Labor Day Weekend, 2012

 

Sarcasm - Because Actually Pushing Someone Down A Set of Stairs is Illegal

I think about one special person at work when I read this...it rings so true!

Cemetery Tree

Sculpted Tree?

E, L and I went on vacation in Heber Springs, AR over the Labor Day weekend to visit with E's family and to attend his sister's 50th wedding anniversary party. While we in town, we decided to visit E's parent's grave. Pulling up to the area where the grave is located I saw this piece of wood that I thought was a sculpture of some sort. When we got up closer to it, I could see it was an actual tree with some dead pine needles at the top. No way to know if it actually grew this way or if someone set it up after it had fallen off a tree. It looked rooted, so I'm just not sure. I do know it's pretty unique looking.