The Non-Resolution Resolution

Dec 312011
 

I do not make New Year’s Resolutions.  Haven’t since… well, I don’t remember when, but it’s been quite a long time.

Why you may ask?  Well, 2 reasons:  1) I don’t like to set myself up for possible failure; and 2) What would I resolve to do?

– Lose weight?  Umm… no thanks, still trying to keep my weight steady (thyroid problems and all).

– Make more money?  Well, unless a) I win the lottery (which I don’t play); b) I get a raise (bwahahahaha); c) my jewelry sales take off like wildfire (mildly possible), I’ll just be happy to break even at the Casino on date night.

– Quit smoking?  Sure, anything’s possible, but I’m not going to announce it to the world when I do.  I don’t need the pressure from others when I have enough of my own.

No, I think that I will resolve the same thing I do every day of the year:  To be the best “me” I can be.  If those other things happen (minus the weight loss), then bonus points all around!

Have a wonderful and safe New Year’s Eve, everyone!

Ponder This

Dec 302011
 

Yesterday I spent the day putzing… cleaning this and that (you don’t want to know the details because I don’t want to describe them).  My days are ticking down on my vacation calendar and I just want to accomplish… stuff.

Part of that stuff happened to be unexpected.  It didn’t have anything to do with cleaning or laundry or jewelry making.  It was social networking.

Now, I’m coming up on my 1 year anniversary of launching this blog, and I have to say that I really haven’t promoted it all that much.  Sure, I’ve posted links to some of my favorite sites and commented on other peoples blogs.  Heck, I even reluctantly started a Facebook page to let friends and family know what I’ve got going on.

You all know that I don’t have a whole heck of a lot of time to really say “Hello world, I’m here!  Look at me!”.

Actually, I’m not that bold of a person.  I kinda like to stay in the shadows and hope people just find me.  For a blogger, that is pretty lame.

Anywho, the one thing that I did accomplish with my social networking was to link my Northwoods Woman Facebook page with my personal Facebook page to make it easier for me to work on both of them.  Yeah, I should have done this at the beginning, because it was a pain in the backside (I’ll spare you the details once again because, well, they’re boring).

Now let me get to the meat and potatoes about why I am boring telling you all of this:  pondering from a friend.  Yes, friends can make you sit and think about what you are doing and why you are doing it.  It’s a good thing.

So this friend asked a very legitimate question about my Facebook page:  Where am I going with it?  And I happened to remember when I started the blog I wrote about what my intentions were.  Pretty simple actually, and I think that I have covered them quite nicely.

Or have I?

I think back to when I was just a little sprout and what I would say to people when they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up:  Nurse, teacher, architect.  Normal, everyday answers, which changed as I grew and evolved as a person.  (By the way, I never answered Mom, accountant or blogger… I probably would have gotten laughed at.) (And try to explain what a blogger is 20 years before the internet appeared would have landed me in a padded room hugging myself.)

So my answer to my friend was simple:  I’m going to take it wherever I can.  If I want to talk about the traditions of the Ojibwa whose reservation I live on, I’m gonna do it.  Those pesky squirrels that cause me headaches and hours of entertainment?  Got it covered.  My gardens, kids, grandkids, husband and cats?  But of course!  I’ve taken you ricing with me, boiling sap for maple syrup and camping on Lake Superior.

And in the coming year, who knows what else will grace the pages of this blog.  There are still tons of interesting people that I’d like to introduce you to and things I want to show you.

Do I have a plan of where I’m going with it?

Nope.

And I like that just fine.

3rd Time’s the Charm?

Dec 292011
 

My new Kindle arrived today.

Now, now, I can already hear the choruses of “But Sandy, you already have a Kindle.”  And you would be right.

But do I have a Kindle that works?  The answer would be a big, fat NO.  Instead, I have had 2 – count them 2 – Kindles that went pfttttt on me.

All within a year.  Less than a year.  The first Kindle started acting up on me after 6 months, doing little freezes and restarts whenever it felt like it.

I though maybe it was just fickle.   Or didn’t like my choice of reading material.

The first replacement that was sent to me lasted the whole 20 minutes it took me to register it and download one of my books and sync it to the correct page I was reading (which, by the way, is a pain in the backside).  After I went through all of that hassle, Thanksgiving rolled around and then the Christmas shebang started and who had time to read?

Answer:  not me.

So when I decided that I would take one of my vacation days and escape to another world with the book that I spent time downloading and searching for the page where I left off, it was frozen.  Solid.  No budging.  Out to lunch with no chance of returning.

After another phone call with Amazon to explain my situation (again) the overly sweet helpful gal on the other end of the line asked me if I wanted it replaced.

Well, DUH!  For a split second I wanted to say “No, I just wanted to let you know that your product is a piece of crap.  Have a nice day!”

Instead, I politely answered yes, I would like it replaced, and even threw in the suggestion that perhaps they would upgrade me to the newest addition for free to make up for the pain, suffering and frustration that I had to endure (which she wouldn’t do…grrr).

So, here I go with Kindle number 3.  Should we take bets on how long this one lasts?

Shredding is Therapy. Who Knew?

Dec 282011
 

I am in the middle of my Christmas vacation.  Every year, the college closes down at the end of December for the holidays and the staff (including yours truly) gets time off.  Throw in the weekends, and that totals 11 days that I need to accomplish something or drive myself crazy bored.

You see, even though I desperately needed the time off, extended periods like this can make me go completely bonkers from inactivity.  I have to find my motivation and do something.

And what a better time to do Spring cleaning than at the start of Winter!

As the halfway mark of my vacation has approached, I have accomplished the following:

– De-ornamented the Christmas tree and vacuumed up 3,692 pine needles.  (The tree is now being used as starter tinder for the garage woodburner.  We recycle.)

– Created 2 dazzling necklaces and 1 pair of earrings.  (Yes, I said dazzling.)

– Semi-defrosted the freezer.  (It’s a long story.)

– Shredded bank statements/registers that date back to 2001.  (I have no excuse.)

– Succeeded in jamming the anti-jamming device in the shredder.  (I’m talented that way.)

– Spent 1 hour un-jamming the shredder with a tweezers.  (Cheap aggression therapy.)

– Cleaned out 2 drawers from my desk that harbored the bank statements/registers.  (Hey, I need the room for more junk I won’t use for 10 years.)

– Discovered the entry point of the House Mouse and his pals.  (Which has been a steady stream of catch and release since Friday.)

– Consumed 6,000 calories of sugary sweet goodness from Eva.  (And I don’t regret one single bite.)

Today I finish defrosting the freezer and take on the bedroom closet.

I’m such a party animal.

Bring on the Cookie Monster

Dec 262011
 

We have some absolutely fabulous friends.

Take for instance the ones that live down the block, left down the road a ways and hang a right.  You know, Eva and her family.

Every Christmas, they present us with the most delicious treats that anyone with a sweet tooth could ask for.

Guess I could have turned the tray around, but I was fighting the urge to just dive in and not come up for air until I had succumbed to most delightful sugar high on earth.

See those chocolate beauties right there?  The ones with the chocolate sprinkles?  OH MY GAWD, are they fantastic!  Hidden inside is even more pieces of creamy chocolate.  Mmmmmm… chocolate…

And the fudge?  Silky, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness!

I don’t know how this woman does it.  Really, I don’t, because she turns her kitchen into an assembly line of baked goodness every year and delivers these masterpieces (along with help from her children) all over the neighborhood.

And as a personalized treat for Rick & I, she included 10 pounds of commod cheese (which is the best in the world).

In the spirit of the season and being the thankful people we are, we reciprocated their lovely gifts with some of our own:  Wild Rice and Maple syrup.

Thank you Eva and Roy for the wonderful gift.  Our sweet tooth’s have never been happier.

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