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March 31, 2008
March 30, 2008
It Snowed On The Coast.
I woke up to big fluffy snowflakes this morning. They lasted just long enough for us to wake up our neighbors with the news. Mr Wyrd and I had already planned on a morning galavant, so this fluffy snow thing just inspired us more. We drove up Highway 101 towards the Seven Devils Road. The scenery looked like a Christmas snow forest. Gone wild. Something about snow on the coast is just really magical. Because it is so rare. And because of the vegetation here that is quite jungle like. Large firs and cedars and spruces all mixed up with crazy, wild alders, and tons of salal, huck, blossoming salmon and blackberry bushes and grasses all providing the thick undergrowth.
Unfortunately, I cannot share this with you because I forgot to bring the cameras when I ventured out this morning. Instead, I shall try to console you with the cinnamon rolls I made yesterday while trapped indoors by the cold.
I'll give you the recipe later this week when the cold drives me back inside the warm and cozy kitchen.
March 28, 2008
Earth Quake
4.2 off the coast of Oregon. 128 miles W from Barview.
Earth Hour
That will be 8:00 p.m., that's 8:00 p.m. YOUR TIME, no matter where you are. It's when you can make a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for an hour. Of course a more dramatic statement can be made by using as little electricity as possible. Are you in? I'm SO in!!
A Pretty Brookings Princess.
A picture for Vanita. I don't know who the curly haired doof-ass is, but I am most fond of the other one. I wish her well.
March 27, 2008
LolSpring
This is what I get for laughing at you Klamath Falls people.
March 23, 2008
I'm Not The Easter Bunny and That Ain't Chocolate.
Easter will be a cuddle at home with the neighborhood day. After a week of appointments and kitty nursing, the Wyrd family is tired. A vast pile of bread was baked yesterday for todays Easter feasters. A mound of strawberries and a lovely ham await my attention.
Kitty is much better, thank you, as is demonstrated by her incessant nagging to get out. The first day she was home was really rather horrible. She wouldn't drink or eat and just looked very sad. I tried to pick her up to hold her, which made her cry, and practically everyone in the house as well. My first thought of, oh maybe she didn't need her pain meds after all was soon replaced with frantic dosing.
Yesterday she was much better, but just like a human, seemed to get tired and hurty later on. Today she seems a little more interested in licking her stitches. Not. Good.
March 21, 2008
Terrible Times For a Certain Kitty
The past three days have become part of THE KITTY DISASTER. Two days ago Miss Kitty was moping around, clinging to me, looking at me with those emotion filled eyes, willing me to understand her plight. Whatever that was. When the boys came home from work/school, I mentioned this day long kitty phenomena to them.
"Oh it's probably that lump she has on her tummy, you felt it right?"
*WHAT*??!!??!!!
Exit, to the vet, stage left.
Kitty had a rather large umbilical hernia. I asked the vet, "could it have been from falling off the fence perhaps?" Because kitty is an accomplished acrobat. "More like she got punted over the fence," mumbles the vet. She paused to behold the frozen look of horror on my face. "People are horrible", she says.
Yeah, no shit.
So the surgery happened yesterday, it went fine, and I know kitty is ok at the vet hospital because everyone adores her there. If you must know, I take her to Hanson's, infact, I have taken my animals to Hanson's since I was a teenager, and they have always done me right.
So this morning, within the hour, I shall go to fetch her kittyness, and she will be the most cared for kitty in the whole world. I swear.
March 20, 2008
It Sure Doesn't Feel Like Spring
Rain, wind and hail. And lots of it. Outside it's still winter. Outside it is FROZEN this morning. Inside, spring is definitely happening in. The living room is gutted, walls washed, panelling re-oiled. Spring cleaning is happening here folks.
In between rain/hailstorms I dash to the greenhouse and start a few more of this seed or that seed. So far there are different kinds of geraniums and coleus planted. My purple orbit geraniums are popping out after only two days! Mixed lettuce, curly and flat parsley, night blooming jasmine (thank you Pril), mixed dwarf snapdragons, heinz tomatoes, early jalapeno peppers, great burdock, pink pokadot plant, henna, wild indigo and, probably some stuff I forgot already, all waiting to become, something other than seeds, nestled in their soggy little dirt beds, lounging in the backyard greenhouse, not to be confused with my beside-the-house greenhouse, which is filled with other exotic houseplant starts. And that is just the beginning.
March 18, 2008
Another Day, Another Pile of Contaminated Fish.
Just a few news updates from The Oregonian:
Bass in Columbia highly contaminated tests find.
"New tests of smallmouth bass from the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam found fish with concentrations of industrial chemicals up to 26,000 times higher than what state officials consider safe for human consumption."
My. God.
It would seem that the contamination comes from "historical" dumping of old electrical wire. Or so they say. You would think they would have tested said fish before now. Of course, they are starting to test clams and all sorts of other aquatic food stuffs. But you know, the fish don't just STAY in the river. They actually do leave and go other places.
Yeah, now we are getting the bigger picture here.
Tests find SOME pesticide in lower Clackamas River
In 119 water samples they found 63 pesticides and herbicides. But you know me, I'm an environmental drama queen. Pesticides and herbicides are perfectly safe to consume, why, they are practically vitamins!
March 16, 2008
No Home Depot and Other News
That's right folks. No Home Depot after all. Concerned with falling profits, Home Depot decided to go over their contract with a barbie comb until they found themselves a legal out to their contract with us Wild West Folk.
Sad. But not as sad as when we lost Lowes. We like them better.
In other news, we had two earthquakes off the coast of Oregon. A 5.9 and a 4.2. WheeHaw.
On the home front, I finished a massive pile of paperwork this week. M-A-S-S-I-V-E. Paperwork is now replaced by gutting the living room, and gardening. I potted up copius amounts of exotic geranium seeds. I was reminded of how much I hated the word copius so I had to use it. Today there will be sowings of varieties of Coleus. Along with peppers and tomatoes.
Greek Grrl aka NayborGirl and I tried to pretend to be social animals and ventured out into the city yesterday. We looked for garage sales. I think there were three. All closed. Because it was rainy and cold. So we perused by the Goodwill. I think I can truthfully say that I will never go there again. Their prices were horrible. When I go to a thrift store, I expect items to be at least half price. Not only were they not half price, but they were often TWICE full price. As was demonstrated by their many from-the-dollar-store items marked up to 1.99. Next we went to hospice, which I have always cursed in the name of too expensive, but they are nothing like Goodwill, so I shall stop whining about them. For now. (I was rather grossed out by their coughing and hacking sick cashier though...). Really, the best commercial non-profit thrift store is still the Salvation Army. Bar. None.
March 13, 2008
Saving the Wrecks
I am right at this moment watching a fox news clip that is blah blahing about our Oregon beaches and wrecks. They are talking about how efforts are being made to save the wrecks. I don't see any of those efforts being made myself.
Last weekend we stuffed the parents in the 4-wheel drive and took them to behold the George L. Olsen. This was our third trip. Each time we go, we see more damage to the ship. Chunks of the outer hull are missing, revealing the unbleached wood underneath. I would suspect people are taking souvenirs, which is rather sad.
The ocean is taking its toll as well.
This is a previous picture I took of the shipwreck.
This is the same side of the boat as the previous picture. I took this last weekend. You can see how close the sand is to covering up the portholes now. As for the back of the boat, which is still partially buried in the sand, people are being allowed to climb all over it, up and down the sea wall. And trust me, everyone is touching the boat. Oh sure, the cops are there, but they only seem to be interested in people who are going over 25 miles an hour. No effort is being made WHATSOEVER to keep people from touching/climbing on/destroying the wreck. And don't even get me started about the stupidity of destroying the New Carissa.
A reef for fish, a perch for the birds, and a wondrous site for human beings. What's not to love? Can our city fathers/mothers actually make a decision that makes sense? Why tear up something that has attracted so much attention, that has provided so much entertainment. Not to mention how much money destroying the Carissa would cost. I just don't get it.
March 10, 2008
Another Eclipse Picture.
My daddy took this picture. The eclipse the one of the most fantastic sites I have ever seen. At the peak of the eclipse, the moon was just a boiling dark red. I can see why an ancient type person might have thought the world was going to end.
I'm Standing on My Excuse.
My excuse for neglecting all that I am responsible for. I'm blaming my big fat ingrown toenail. I know it sounds like such a little thing to you. But when it happened to me and my big fat toe was pounding and hurting, I thought, hmm, a little like bad labor.
When it first started hurting I kind of soaked it here and there, and just limited my wearing of hard shoes unless absolutely necessary, which I kind of do all the time anyway. I was probably born in a barn too. But then one day after abusing said toe, it started hurting bad enough that I knew a remedy was soon in order.
So I did what I always do when I have a question. I searched the web. There I found a list of standard home treatments. Half the people said, soak your toe, dig out your toenail and stuff crap underneath of it. The other half said especially don't do anything I just mentioned. Then if that didn't work go to the doctor.
So I searched for information on what doctors did to you. They cut off the side of the toenail a few times. Then when that doesn't work they rip off the whole thing. Then when that doesn't work they rip off the whole thing and treat it with napalm or some such shit so that it NEVER GROWS BACK AGAIN. After all this lovely information and the joy of looking at pictures that make Freddy look benign, I decided to take matters into my own hands. If all else failed I vowed to see the doctor.
So.
My house became a toe hospital.
In the bathroom I had witch hazel, cotton, soaking solutions, a tub, and a variety of surgical implements (metal files). By the couch, I had vitamins and ibuprofen. I arranged things so that I did not have to walk very far to accomplish my TASKS.
And you know what? I was lucky, so far it has worked.
What worked for me was:
1. keeping off my feet as much as possible
2. absolutely no shoe wearing, only loose sandals and socks, or just socks.
3. If my toe didnt hurt too bad, I pried up part of the nail, after soaking my feet, and gently pushed a small twisted wad of witch hazel soaked cotton underneath of it. Three of four times a day is a really good idea. Sometimes I used a goldenseal tincture. I bet an essiac tinture would have been good as well.
4. Soaking my feet at least 4 times a day. Though less was better than nothing, soaking them more kept Mr. Fat Toe healing faster.
5. Just in case, I ordered this strange thing on the web. It's a rectangular piece of something technical that you glue to the top of your toenail. It has a memory, that makes it want to flatten back out, so it pulls the sides of your toenails up slightly. They say you get immediate relief and 80% of people were cured. Whatever. I didn't have to use it so I don't know.
6. Oh yeah. I also put a bandage on my toe, only on the underside, as if I had cut the bottom of my toe. You apply it right up to, but not on, the edge of your toenail, and wrap it around the back, and slightly pointing towards your heel. My bandage was pretty big so I wrapped it clear around the other side of my toe, and stuck it on the top of my foot. I realized, that you could pull it tight enough to jam the OTHER side of your toenail into your toe. Potentially causing an ingrown toenail problem on both sides of your poor sad hurting little toe. So don't do that.
7. By the way, and I know this will come as a surprise to all of you, but, I am NOT a doctor.
March 07, 2008
The Old New Carissa
I still remember how we could smell the burning napalm. I shit you not. Wikipedia has a rather nice little historical piece about this ship wreck. And if you are good little boys and girls, I will soon show you some old pictures of the new carrisa. You won't be sorry.
March 05, 2008
Guardians
On our way towards the George L. Olsen and the New Carrisa, we pause briefly by the old Coast Guard barracks for a picture.
March 04, 2008
I Found A Little Greek Girl On The Beach
I told her a tsunami was coming. She did what everybody else does when that happens.
March 02, 2008
Local News Flicker
Sometime this afternoon Mr. Wyrd and I were sitting on our porch enjoying the puddles of sunshine, and the many birdies, when we noticed there was a big cloud of smoke floating about. We pondered that it might be this or that, the average trash burning scenerio or something. Well it must have been a whole lot of something because about an hour later 4 or 5 firetrucks and the Northwest News SUV were heading up the hill here in Englewood land. Let's hope nobody was hurt.
