The Days Of Wyrd

It's been such a great vacation, I just don't know if I can ever take life seriously again.  Tomorrow we will have a bit of company.  Friends and family.  Couple of pizzas, bunch of finger foods.  Easy shmeezy.  Caution:  fireworks may or may not be involved. 

Here's some points of interest I have discovered while trying hard to do nothing:

1.  Gallagher will be making his first appearance on the South Coast at LTOB January 11-12.  Seating is reserved so call and get yours early:  541-756-4336. 

2.  I stole this neat little map site from a fellow Oregonian. 

3. Get a check-up for your political views here. 

4. Go play with your birthdate.  Alex Baldwin shares my birthday!  I find that very creepy considering I had a nightmare about him the other night.  I was running around in my bathrobe and towel, herding children and he kept trying to mack on me.  I MUST stop watching late night TV. 

Posted by Wyrd at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It told me how it has enjoyed spending our time together over the years and how it would be nice to see each other more often, for longer periods of time.  I feel like the ocean likes me, because I don't do anything stupid to it.  I don't throw garbage into it.  I have a healthy (scared to death) fear of it.  Years of running, swimming, and fishing in it, of sitting next to it and talking to it, of digging clams and prying mussels from its rocks, have taught me how powerful, and how unpredictable the ocean can be.  Even if you aren't messing up, just BEING there is hazardous.  Most importantly, always watch the ocean, like you would a young child running unleashed behind you.  Because at the most absurd and unknown time it can run away with itself and misbehave.  Just like any wild thing.

But I do SO love the ocean.

Posted by Wyrd at 06:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One.  Day.  At.  A.  Time.  But not using any tongue.  Thinking, I will never see you again December 30, 2007.  Farewell my old friend.  Putting to rest one busy, busy year.  A year, that I will never experience again.  *sniff*.

That's my Pisces Moon talking. 

My Aries Sun says, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY 2007.  I can't WAIT for 2008 to start, WOOHOO!

In other news:  They canceled my high surf warning, those bastards.  My dad called and said that as the tide came in, he could see some surf.  So I will go look later anyway.  

It's been pouring and hailing and cold and miserable.   Perfect weather for baking, cleaning and piddling.  Not so great for running around on the beach.  WHICH I MUST DO AND SOON.  I really need my ocean fix.

Posted by Wyrd at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May you have everything you really need.  Of course this means chocolate.  Which there is always a total overabundance of at the Wyrd house. 

As I continue on my obsessive pie cooking mission, I ponder the words of those I have spoke with over the last few days/weeks.  I am reminded that Christmas is not all happy joy joy, but it's sadness as well.  Missing those people who aren't around for one reason or another.  All problems seem magnified.   Christmas is like the putting away of the old year, and contemplating, getting the ground ready, so to speak, for the new year.

Obviously.  I have not drank enough yet.

 Merry Christmas everyone!

Posted by Wyrd at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Oregon/California border that is.  We didn't get rolling on the highway until about 9:00ish.  It was drizzling when we left, and just steadily became worse and worse until we were enveloped by a drenching, blowing rain.  Visibility : not good.  Instead of staying the whole weekend we decided to blow down the coast then back up in one day.  Kind of a mistake really.  Driving in that kind of weather is tiring.  Plus we like to take our time and that just wasn't possible with a short time schedule.

Nonetheless we packed in quite a bit.  We pulled over randomly and beheld the ocean.  We stopped, dropped and rolled at the Casino.  I bought cheap (16 bucks a cartoon roughly), though slightly raspy smokes there.  I ate a mushroom hamburger (I get stuck in a rut don't I) there.  Good enough.  But really.  I hate Casinos.

So I left, and went to see my brother.  Who is getting old and was snoring in his chair so I had to beat on the door VERY HARD to wake him up.  Poor old brother.  Then I messed up his house, drank his coffee, touched his stuff, and left.

We loaded up at the liquor establishment as we headed home.  Brandy, scotch, vodka, liquers oh my!  I purchased a lovely Chocolate Hazelnut liquor, at the insistance of the owner/manager.  Everyone had elf and Santa hats on.  They helped us pack the sleigh/focus. The load gave us stability.  Or so we told ourselves.  The way home was rather calm, weather wise.  So we just enjoyed the view.  Of all the trees that had fallen down.

Posted by Wyrd at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

DAMN STRAIGHT they would, that is, if I actually ate all of it.  My mommy brought me over her traditional Christmas candies and breads.  Luckily, I have enough will power to pick at the too-lovely-to-eat piles of Christmas joy until Mr. Wyrd and Derek devour the bulk of it. 

It has also delayed the next phase of my goodie making.  Which will start tomorrow.  Derek is already on vacation and Mr. Wyrd starts his week off Saturday.  I don't have to cook anything for Christmas dinner persee, but I am in charge of bringing PIES.  It's truly the least a person can do.  Mommy and Daddy are hosting Christmas dinner this year.  YAY!

This cold weather makes smelling up the house with hot meals most pleasing.  Meats and gravies and stir fried veggies.  Soups and stews with big crusty home made breads.   I peruse recipe blogs such as this little gem for inspiration.  This girl cooks much like myself.  Screw the artery clogging bacon grease and butter, lets go for the gusto.  For tomorrow I cook, but Saturday, I will be ON THE ROAD AGAIN.  For a big trip down over the border.  You know.  The Christmas booze run.  Oh yeah, and some frolicking on the beach in the rain.  High winds woohoo!  And I shall be stopping  by to pester my oldest little brother.

Posted by Wyrd at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We took off with our convoy of immediate family and parents last weekend.  The weather was not bad but the road to HippyTown was in some pretty bad shape.  We took the Reedsport/Drain way. 

We met up with the our traveling buddies at the Saturday Farmers Market.  A fun place to behold, but very yuppified and spendy.  We coffied and listened to grade school children carol away.  The kids suffered many a giggle fit, which contagiously infected the adult population.  Other visitors shared their stories with us.  One of them was very familiar with the model of digital camera that I had bought Mr. Wyrd for Christmas.  He showed him how to do all the fun stuff with it, which made Mr. Wyrd VERY HAPPY.  The visitors told us of family members they had down our way.  Of course!  Coos County IS the center of the universe.  Everybody knows that.

After the Hippy Market we ventured off to Best Buys, so Derek could spend his early Christmas money on his electronics of choice.  Mr. Wyrd got bling for his camera.  The kids that worked there were mega savvy, and helped us get everything we needed.  Derek wanted to live there.  Contact with cute, young smart computer chicks was simply more than he could bear.  I would have liked to have hung out longer but we had many things to do and basically that one day to do them, as our itinerary for the next day was already full.  It didn't take us long to ravage the place and despite the very long line of people checking out, we managed to get through in a very timely fashion.   

We secured our motel room, where for some strange reason after talking me into a queen size bed and a roll away, they figured we needed two full size beds.  That.  Will.  Never.  Happen.  AGAIN.

Bastards.

Next we stepped into the shopping vortex.  The men battled the ever heavier traffic and managed to deliver us from place to place with out too much cursing. 

Off to Pennys so the mommy person could look for some pants.  The place was a mess.  Had tons of people.  No one to help, and the lines were incredibly long and tedious.  The workers were busting their asses, but they were just understaffed. 

We went to Trader Joes next, which I had never been to before.  The young workers there were running around pressing people to try their samples.  The only thing Derek said was, "These are really good cookies Mom".  Only with a mouth full of cookies so it sounded like some strange Clingon verbage.  The store was soon so packed that browsing became annoying.  I did manage, however, to buy a years supply of exotic vanillas, and dipping chocolates, candied ginger, capers, and shampoo because I FORGOT to pack some because the motel always has tons, only not THIS motel.  Which is ok. 

The rest was rather a blur.  Beds and Baths and Bullshit and Beyond.  Malls and cigar stores (I have many fabulous cigar boxes now) and Target (which was NOTHING like it was last year at this time, last year their sales kicked butt, this year they sucked) and Ross.  Oh yeah, Ross.  My biggest bitch.  The floor was littered with rugs and sheets that had just been pulled out by shoppers and left on the floor.  The line was horridly long.  I managed to secure a spot behind only one person.  Except the stupid cow who was waiting on them took about 45 minutes to check them out because she was slow, and paused between each item to leisurely chat with a co-worker.  Either she didn't really work there or she was the bosses daughter.  I have never beheld such incompetence in my life.  Well ok, maybe the first 15 times I talked to a Dell tech, but only then!

The next day we had only two goals in mind.  Cosco and the Picadilly.  I do love the Picadilly, I am a flea market girl at heart.  It's like a giant garage sale!  I can't tell you of all the prettiness I got there because too many gift recipients read my blog, just know I have much coolness in boxes.  One word of advice however, bring your own coffee/water/drinks.  These items are outrageously spendy, and though the proprieter was sweet, the area was rather grimey. 

And THAT my lovelies, was my mini before Christmas vacation. 

Posted by Wyrd at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So after the storm I weathered my own personal overcast system.  I lost my keys.  Found em.  Lost .. a bunch of other rather important stuff (debit card).  Found em.  I had some difficulty thanking my lucky stars after a week with kind of stress.  I blame the teenager.  He's probably sporting the family poltergeist.  ALWAYS appears when there's a teen in the house.  Or so I'm saying.

All that excitement put me a week behind my schedule.  But that's ok.  Derek has just started his two weeks of Christmas vacation so he can help me decorate/cook/spread christmas gleeful insanity.  We started by taking boxes of stuff to the Coos Cycle Supply, for the Toys for Tots Drive.  Which is this weekend.  I am only playing Santa behind the lines.  Someone else will do the personal delivering, as I am off with the family, including the elders, for a joyous weekend of tourism in HippyTown, U.S.A.  Aka Eugene.

Posted by Wyrd at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The updated word from my mommy is that this morning there were hurricane warning flags up in Charleston.  Then they took one down which put us at storm warnings.  However.  The winds are blowing harder than ever right now.  Gusts over 80 easy. 

The parents drove to Shore Acres to behold the waves.  It was blocked off.  So they parked and walked in.  They said there weren't any big waves because the insane winds were knocking them completely flat. 

School was closed today of course.  So Derek is tending the home fires with me.  The flats out by the dike are dotted with shallow lakes.  My husband called to check on us, saying he heard that the wind was so strong it was not allowing the tide to go completely out.  So when is this to end?  Who knows.  As you can see, we still have power.  And until we don't, you can get your little Coos Bay newslet here. 

Posted by Wyrd at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Yes Indeedy.  The winds of 75 mph have definitely hit.  The wind is whistling and screaming most gloriously. The rain makes running veins of water everywhere, just EVERYWHERE.  There is no dry place outside.

I spent an hour or so just playing phone tag with friends and family, checking to see who had damage and how the storm was playing out here and there.  Marshfield High School has a ticker tape on their home page stating that school is closed tomorrow.  Of course, the children are just heart broken.

Posted by Wyrd at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wind gusts up to 100 mph and a foot of rain.  So they predict.  We have had gusts up to 80 already, and lots and LOTS of rain.  Whee!  Still no loss of power.  Well, not in town anyway.  Soon we will drive out to the beach to behold the wonderous wave action. 

Yesterday we drove to Bandon.  We wanted to walk on the beach, but declined because of mass wind and rain.  Instead, we visited the book store, and the art museum.  Ron Looby, whom I believe is an ER nurse, AND a damned good one, has an exibit there.  Clay leaves, fired in pretty metallic colors.  Go see!

We lunched at Loyd's.  I am always amazed at their great food and very reasonable prices.  We had mushroom burgers, which were much better than the steak we ate the night before in Charleston.  Go figure. 

Posted by Wyrd at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)