Did you miss me?

I took a break from the blog. I would love to say it was because life was too busy. But that was not the case.

Mostly I've just uninspired. Plus I've been on Facebook.

Here's a bullet list update:

Health:
Only one major attack - diplopia - double vision. It sucked. I was off work for a week. Had to use up vacation time.

Hair
Got a haircut - nice and short. With face framing high lights

Home
While Tom was on vacation for a week I got new carpet throughout the house. Berber. I'm quite happy with it.

Vacation
Tom went on vacation to Wildwood for a week in July with his family. I stayed home. It was heaven on earth.

Reunion
July marked my 20th High School class reunion. As usual, the drama I concocted in my head was non-existent.

Family
While I was down for the count with the diplopia my sister came in for a flying visit on her way back from a trip to Washington State. She was jet-lagged and I was sick. Not our best visit but it is always good to see her. In May, my Cousin Heidi gave birth to a dumpling of a baby named Josephine or Josie for short.

Friends
My best good friend Sanna is getting married in October. I couldn't be happier for her. She has a good man in Dave.

Marriage
Life is going swimmingly with Tom. We celebrated 16 years of marriage this July. Woo-hoo!

Age
I turned 38 this past April. I'm getting old and my neck is showing it. I swear it is starting to turn crepey. Tom got me a lovely wooden bench for the front porch.

Household projects
I'm not a big project girl, so the fact that I took time out of my weekend to stain the jelly cupboard I've had for over 5 years is worth remarking about.

Library
I've started going to the library again. I put going on hiatus while I finished reading all the books I've gotten as gifts. I'm reading Dick Francis right now.

Netflix
As always I'm watching my movies from my queue. Right now I'm watching NYPD Blue and Barney Miller.

And now it is fall and I'm feeling the need to write again. Let us see if I can keep up the blogging!! Wish me luck.

the end

I've been tied to this NaBloPoMo during this, the shortest month of the year and I am so tired of thinking up new ideas.

Next month the topic is "strange(ers).

You'll be delighted to know that I most certainly am not committing myself to the challenge.

Jen out.

teeth

Have you ever tried pulling a loose tooth by tying a string to the tooth and to a door knob and then shut the door?

I think I may have tried that when I was young and stupid.

Classic Tie Knots #4 - Prince Albert

Shorter men often have to fight with silk neck ties that are too long. No matter what they do, the ends always dangle way too far over the buckle belt. For them it helps to wind around the broad end several times. This method of course has a name - it is called Albert. Someone who prefers a big, but longish knot, - as the Italians do – should know how to tie the Prince Albert necktie knot. The procedure is almost identical with the one of the Four-in-hand knot.

dress

When I was a little girl, my mother oftern made my clothes. She would make dresses with ties in the back and if I wasn't paying attention when I would go to the bathroom, the ties would fall into the toilet and get wet.

There is nothing worse than walking around with a wet tie slapping your bare leg.

apron strings

Although my husband has given me a lot to complain about over the years, I can say that being tied to his mother's apron string was never an issue.

After he graduated high school he left home to go into the Marines and he really never went back.

His mother married an unpleasant man and Tom never got along with him so it was easy to stay away.

She did have a hold on him, but it was really one of obligation and guilt more than anything else.

She could wish with all her might, but Tom would never be a Mama's boy.

CLassic Tie Knots #3 - Bow Tie

The origin of the bow tie dates to the 17th century when Croatian mercenaries fought in support of Louis XIII against Cardinal Richelieu. As the Croats walked the streets of Paris, their brightly colored scarves caught the attention of the Court. The upper class began wearing creatively tied versions of the scarves around their necks and the bow tie was born.

Railroad

This memory is compliments of my Mother


When we moved into our new house, the front of the house was landscaped using railroad ties as borders for the shrubbery. Shortly after we moved in, Mum planted tulips out front and one spring something ate the buds off the tulip stalks before they ever had a chance to bloom? She thought there might be a little varmint of some kind that was biting them off so Dad decided to flip over a railroad tie and there was a little cache of the missing tulip buds! They were not sure what did that but suspected it was a mole. They speculated that it could have been a chipmunk but they had never seen one around.

It will always be an unsolved mystery.

Classic Tie Knots #2 - Four-in-hand

Also known as a simple knot, the four-in-hand is believed to be the most popular method of tying ties due to its simplicity. The knot dates back to England in the days of the coach-and-four where the men driving the coach knotted their ties in this manner to help prevent them from flapping in the wind. The knot produced by this method is on the narrow side, slightly asymmetric, and appropriate for all occasions. It works best with wide ties made from heavy fabrics and should be worn with a tab, button-down or regular spread collar. It's a classic knot for any occasion and is most widely used.

a little information

Because I'm running out of interesting things to say about the word "tie", I'm cutting and pasting the following information. I can't wait until this month is over. I don't know what possessed me to do a whole month about "ties"


Tie clips serve a very important function along with being decorative. Men’s ties are intended to cover the button of the dress shirt and also provide a line of contrast and interest. Many fashion experts often suggest that a properly selected tie conveys the personality of the wearer. Unfortunately, even the most expensive silk tie cannot compete with wind and gravity and can easily blow out of place with a quick gust of air and unsecured tie can also find its way into a paper shredder or other machine. A tie clip places approx two thirds of the way down the front of a neck tie and keep it secured through most situations.

Now you know!

A song

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

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tying shoes

My Dad taught me how to tie my shoes. I practiced over and over again until I got it just right.

Then when I was in sixth grade I got a pair of sneakers with velcro. They were gray and pink. I loved them dearly.

Now of course I wouldn't be caught dead with velco sneakers.

But I wear sneakers every day. Because of the MS I can't really feel my feet and sneakers are pretty much the only shoes that don't fall off my feet.

Who taught you to tie your shoes?

Classic Tie Knots #1 - Windsor

Falsely named after the Duke of Windsor, the Windsor knot (also known as the full Windsor or double Windsor) is a wide triangular knot that is usually worn for formal occasions. This type of knot looks best worn with a shirt collar that is considerably cut-away.

drunk as a skunk

To tie one on - intentionally get drunk.

I can honestly say....I've tied one on. On more that one occasion. That's what you do in college.

Only I don't think I've ever deliberately used that phrase. But I have definitely tied one on. Tequila.

It'll do it to you every time.

a joke

Q. What did the necktie say to the hat?

A. You go on ahead, I'll just hang around.

remember

We've been watching the Olympics tonight and I very nearly forgot my post for today.

Perhaps I should have tied a string around my finger?

Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree

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bungie tie

My father is a world-class bungie-tie spotter.

He can see a rogue bungie-tie on the road from a speeding vehicle. I can't count the number of times, while we were growing up, that he would suddenly pull over to snag one.

I'm not exactly sure what he does with them.

It might be part of my inheritance.

Hair tie

Today I would have given my kingdom for a hair tie, ribbon, rubber band, barrette, bobby pin, ANYTHING to get my hair up off my face.

I'm growing my hair out and the bangs are just too MUCH!!

In another month or so it should be long enough to tuck behind my ear, but right now I have to suffer with it flopping in my eyes.

I feel like an English sheep dog.

Woof!

Tie game

FYI - With the exception of the play-offs and the Super Bowl, NFL games can and do end in a tie.

They say a tie game is like kissing your sister.