Gas Prices Up~~ the CDs Play On

I had just declared that I was cutting down on my fuel consumption when all kinds of trips, meetings, and opportunities came up. I'm using just about a tank a week, but at $4-Plus per gallon, that is way too much. I'm not buying a scooter, but I've dug out my tunes, and am enjoying my spendthrift ways.
The music is only partly the reason for my fantastic mood lately, but for this post, I'll talk about the music.
This pretty much started with the debut of the self-titled, Lady Antebellum CD. I liked the first release, and even went to see the group when they played at a local sports bar. They were bright, all of them good-looking, and more than personable. I seem to really gravitate to music with a heavy bass or drum-beat, and this CD is full of pieces like that. The opener, Love Don't Live Here is great. The words are good, too, especially if you have an ex who comes to mind when this plays. It's a "feel good" song for having been done wrong. "I'm over you, and you lose!" The rest of the music: Lookin' For a Good Time, All We'd Ever Need, Love's Lookin' Good on You, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, etc are all written by members of this group in any number of combinations. The music, the lyrics, and the spirit of this group just bounces out of the speakers, making this a wonderfully enjoyable CD. Track One is particularly great if you need to get tension out. On a scale of 1 to 10, this one is a 15!
Another winner, if just a few months old, is Gary Allan's Living Hard. This one starts out with the recent hit, Watching Airplanes. Other tracks of note are We Touched the Sun, As Long as You're Looking Back. When I first listened to this collection, I thought it might be a sort of healing piece after Allen's wife's suicide. But, listening more, I have decided that while there may be some dealing with that past, Gary is really stretching his music muscles with this. He sounds like the good-looking bad boy every girl wants to try out. I first became aware of him with his Smoke Rings in the Dark. His very sexy, almost growly voice in that one got my attention so many years ago, and when I got the chance to see him in person at the American Indian Summer Festival a few years ago, I wasn't disappointed. He's wildly sexy, and his constant reminders of his wife and children were as much a turn on as if he were actually stripping onstage. The growly, raw sexiness of Allan's voice comes through on each track as if it were standing alone. Half the songs beg the listener to crank the volume (especially if you're cruising down the highway with the sunroof open) and the nearly tribal drum beats don't hurt at all. My favorite of the entire CD is Like It's a Bad Thing. The play on words, as well as the wording itself just catches me right: "They say I drive fast; Say I like to push the limit; Everyday I'm living like it was my last -- I was put here to live and love; so, what if I don't do it like everybody else does".... that one is heard best at #11 on the volume dial.... I do believe I just about have that track worn out -- can CDs wear out?
I'm also playing some more Jimmy Buffett (only about 7 weeks to the concert!), and a couple of old Toby Keith CDs--can never get enough Toby Keith. Now I'm looking at Blake Shelton. He just redid Michael Buble's Home and I love it! Hope you give some of these a listen, I think you'll like them whether or not you like Country -- these are outside the country realm. Check out Jango.com -- you can pull up anything you want to play FREE! Enjoy!

CAMPAIGNING FOR LAKE GENEVA SUNSETS

I really dislike politics, and read what I have to in the quest to elect the CORRECT candidate for President. Yuck.

But, I am perfectly willing -- nay, enthusiastically cheering for the world to recognize the beauty and splendor of sunsets over this notorious body of water in the southeastern corner of the State of Wisconsin.

I've been to Key West, where at the very least, hundreds of visitors and residents jockey for an unobstructed vantage point from which to watch the sun slide into the sea. The daily sunset celebration ceremony at Mallory Square, including fire-eaters, jugglers, and various and sundry street entertainers. It is said that if you see a green flash just as the sun melts into the sea, (an occurance that happens about as often as you see a comet or a shooting star) you've seen the "10" on the list of "Best Sunsets".

In Door County, Wisconsin, everything comes to a screeching halt as people park their cars, drag lawn chairs to the shore, even delay the start of Summer Stock Plays to savor the sight of Ol' Sol going down for the count. Some clap, some sigh, everyone appreciates.....

There are more to report, I am sure, but I am not very widely traveled, and I've come to love and cherish this sleepy/crazy burg called Lake Geneva. I love clouds, I watch birds, the water ever fascinates me. I have come to really appreciate our sunsets. Clouds make things more interesting for my lens. Different atmospheric conditions offer colors, streaks, and interesting designs. I will forever try to capture the beauty and delight that I see and feel with each sunset here.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of peers on this shoreline. People drive past and try to see what I am photographing, and never slow the car down. Others are rushing to the nearby bars to catch up with buddies and down more beer. People who flock to the local eateries vie for position, demand window tables, but never glance outside. In summer, boaters are coming and going at the dock, and in winter, I can only wonder what the ice fisherman are thinking as they sit on the ice, bathed in the colored glow of a spectacular sunset. I seem to be the only person looking up....

Witness these few images and tell me you will start to check it out, too. Just look. And appreciate..... Thank you.

I SWEAR THE SUN WAS TRYING TO COME OUT!

Today is Good Friday -- the sacred Friday before Easter. It is also the day after a wondrously sunny First Day of Spring boasting 45 degrees. It is the wonderful Friday when we are sent home after working only half a day.

Well, today would have been a half-day of work ANYWAY because of the weather! The boss's ski trip might be cancelled because of snow! And the above are photos I snapped on the way home from work. Enticing, eh? (By the way, they ARE in color!)

"Welcome to Wisconsin"

You have to realize that I jest. No, not about the weather. The weather is happening, exactly as pictured above, as I type. What I'm joking about is the disgust in the weather. As Wisconsinites, we have been griping about the lack of snow for several years. I have active dogs, and we spend a lot of time outside, year-round. Without snow, I have nearly no grass left by Spring. I then spend the next four months trying to get grass to grow again. With the heavy snow cover we've enjoyed this season, I am certain to find grass just raring to be cut whenever the snow goes away. The real joke is the complaining so many people are doing these days about our winter. This year, we have finally seen winter as it used to be: cold and snowy days, again and again. I probably sound cocky because I finally have a decent car and it has a heater and it starts every day. I confess, lately, the dreary days have been getting the better of me, as well. But we have forgotten that Easter has come very early this year, and it is still the Month of March. We must lighten up!

No, I couldn't "go out and play" when I arrived home today, and I had to shovel the snow off the dog when I brought her in, but Spring will get here! I am getting my kayak gear ready -- just wait until the ice melts on the lake!

IT'S 30 degrees OUT, AND MY COLD IS STILL HANGING ON....

But I firmly believe that Spring is in the air!

Now that the days are getting longer, I can catch the sunsets after I get off work. There have been times that I snuck out into the parking lot to snap a few shots over the trees when the sky has been an incredible color, but now, I can take my time and go where I need to go to catch a shot like the one above.

Funny thing on the shot above; I had been driving east toward home, after Canoecopia on Saturday, and as it grew later, the sky just became grayer. Suddenly, I was nearly blinded by something in my rearview mirror. It was this sunset!!!! And the weird thing was that it was a well-defined round ball. I was afraid to wait until I got down to the lake, so I pulled over on the highway, and got out of the car to shoot. Other cars pulled over into the far lane, and most slowed down -- I imagine they thought I was some kind of lunatic and had no clue what I was photographing. This wasn't the most scenic composition I could have done, but I was afraid to lose that ball. I snapped several views, then proceeded down to the lake to see what I could get. As I'd guessed, it was grey and lifeless down there, so I continued on and headed home. As the road wound around and up, I caught another glimpse of the sun!

I turned down the next side street, and headed for the lakeshore. There, as I watched, the sun proceeded to sink QUICKLY! I sat on the street, and shot through my window, and barely caught anything I could use. It was astounding! The sun was gone!

If you see a crazy person slide suddenly to the side of the road, and jump out with a camera in her hand, it's probably me -- indeed I've probably spotted a hawk, an eagle, a great cloud formation, or a wonderful tree. I've got the beginning of a dream to produce a book of trees. I love trees! You'll have to keep an eye out for my book....

DID I EVER TELL YOU MY CAT DOES IMITATIONS?

SOMETIMES I FEEL I'M PADDLING

On the Whitewater of Life, and sometimes I hear Banjoes.....

COMPUTERS: CAN'T LIVE WITH THEM, CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THEM!

As you can see, I am up and typing once again. One day last week, as I paid my cable/internet bill, I saw that it was larger and there were items on it that I hadn't ordered. My phone call revealed that they had done an "upgrade" and my old tier now included some extra things that also cost extra. Lucky me. When I "opted out", they had to take down the service for a short time, and that took down the internet, as well. Turned everything back on. Oops..... not everything came back up -- my wireless router didn't know me anymore.

I called back to complain/ask for help. Was sent to tech support. Tech support took me through a whole bunch of hoops, all to no avail. I must say, that I needn't have worried about lack of exercise on THAT day! I had to unplug the cable box (the plug for that is behind the entertainment center which is snug up against the window seat and the wall); then unplug the modem box for 30 to 60 seconds (that plug is behind the computer desk, only reachable by standing on your head and squeezing between the chair and the side of the desk); unplug the wireless router (that one was easy, but I had to stand on the recliner to reach across the desk and the bookcase to where it was so the cat wouldn't toss it on the floor). I wondered if the guy on the phone could see me, because I had to repeat that exercise a few times before he gave up. He was nice enough to give me a phone number for tech support for the router company. Yay.

Of course, I wanted this resolved, so I dialed up the new tech support. I was greeted by a very young-sounding woman who didn't seem to understand me too well. EVERYTHING I said, she responded with "Uh-huh" "Uh-huh"... I kept feeling like she was just waiting for me to stop talking so she could say "Uh-huh" and feel that she was indeed helping me. The woman would be great as a psychotherapist. She had me unplug and plug things, then took me for a spin several times around and into the menus to flip switches and change readings. We chatted away about 30 minutes before she said: "I can't seem to help you, let me give you a number for one of our techs"!!!! I thought I was talking to a tech! Seems I really did get into some Big Guy's home phone and I apparently was talking to a 10-year-old! Oh, I thanked her for her help, and begged off -- I'd already been on the phone and been playing around with this for nearly three hours. I was tired, irritated, had to go to the bathroom, and was dying of thirst (forgot my trusty, rusty, ever-at-my-side water bottle in the other room). I was giving up.

The next day at work was rough, and I had no energy to call up Tech Support when I got home. Then, the weekend happened, and I had no time to play with wires. Finally, on Monday, I planned to spend at least three hours on the phone. I called the cable company, and it only took about twenty minutes to get everything working as it should through the cable. I had internet, but I couldn't unplug my laptop until the wireless was working. I called the wireless company, and this time was immediately connected to a woman who sounded like she knew what she was doing. We hit a snag when she wanted me to hook the laptop to the modem, hook the modem to the router, and hook the router to the laptop. I'd run out of wires. Glitch. Write down my case number, go buy a cable and call back later. Grrrrrrrrr.......

TUESDAY, after work ("No ma'am, my life really doesn't revolve around playing with computer equipment!"), I bought the cable, had my supper, then braced myself for some more computer abuse. I dialed in, gave my case number, and was immediately connected to a live tech. English-speaking, calm, knowledgeable. She ran a couple of tests, then had me hook up this wondrous cable monument (looked like I was playing Cat's in the Cradle with electronics--thank God, the cat was busy elsewhere!) We checked the connections, unplugged the extra cable, and....(drum-roll) it worked! I checked my email, answered a few queries, then shut the thing down. I didn't have the energy to do much more. Whew!

You know, for this same reason, I resisted buying a car with electric windows for many years -- when these things don't work, you're up the proverbial creek without a paddle; heck not even your arms to operate the paddle!

PADDLE YOUR CARES AWAY!!!

This past weekend, I spent two days at Canoecopia, a Paddler's dream! Now, for you perverts who think this is something quite different, try turning your imagination to the water, and all "silent" sports thereof. There were canoes, kayaks, and even surfboards in evidence, as well as a full roster of lecturers on subjects complete from paddle methods to cooking in the woods.

I spent the entire last year with absolutely no energy for my kayak. It sat in the yard, looking lost and forlorn, and all I could do was glance at it guiltily once in a while. This year has to be different. It's hard to believe that it's been nearly two years since I dumped my kayak in the sand cave up on Lake Superior. It was cold and frightening, but the group I was with boasted some pretty experienced kayakers, and two of them were able to get me back into my kayak, towed me out of the cave, bailed out the boat, and got me back on track. It was three miles back to the mainland and, as I trembled from the overuse of adrenaline, I figured if I dumped again before we made it back to shore, they could just tow my lifeless body back.....

Anyway, this year, things are going to be different. For starters, I attended two lectures on rolling a kayak -- this is one skill I want to master this year. Of course, this class was taught by a red-headed guy with an accent (not sure if it was English or Australian), and I have no idea why that appeals to me so, but I was ready to follow him into heavy seas. I picked up a new set of tie-downs for transporting my kayak, and a new cockpit cover. I also found a portable deck light, so I don't have to race home as the sun goes down -- I can stay out on the water after dark!

I've been chasing the sunsets with my camera, and have heard the sandhill cranes' return, although I haven't spotted them yet. With the flip of the "Daylight Savings" switch, I am beginning to feel the sap of spring movement. Now, if the snow would just go away!

BOREDOM, EXCITEMENT - IT'S ALL THE SAME

Sometimes my own thinking scares me. With the Winter dragging on and on and on, my dog and I both feel that we're prisoners in our own home. She's dying to get out and play soccer, take long walks by the lake, and just plain kick up her feet. Unfortunately, she's landed on her butt at least twice as many times as I have, and she's all too ready to come inside when I admit that the wind is just too damned cold to fight any longer. I signed up for a health club about the same time the record snows began to fall. Just after that, I came down with the world's longest-term cold-turned-to-bronchitis-turned-to-asthma. Haven't stepped foot in the health club since.... Talk about cabin fever!

I've gotten some knitting done, organized some of my photographs, am starting to learn to use my Photoshop program (found the Red-Eye tool!!!!), the last week, I've put in at least six hours on the phone with various techies to restore my internet after my cable company screwed it up. I think I've caught up with almost all of the past episodes of Two and a Half Men (can't seem to get enough!) and now I'm obsessing about the Gene Simmons series. I've never been a Kiss fan, but that guy rocks! Love it!

Soonly, as daylight takes hold over dark, maybe all this snow will begin to melt, and there will be solid ground beneath. At that time, my quest resumes to get this place packed up and find a real house in which to live. Wish me luck!

Another Day....Another Day

Today is the eighty-third day of Winter here in the upper Midwest. As of Sunday, I have quit chastising others for complaining about the snow and cold. Winters here used to be like this. We had snow day, days without power because of crippling ice storms, and snow piled higher than a car EVERYWHERE. Sounds a lot like today, doesn't it?

The difference is, we were able to stay home from school, build snow forts, and go ice skating in the backyard. Now, the agenda entails making the sidewalk navigable, clearing the nearest fireplug, shoveling the driveway so I can get in and out for work, trying to walk the dog in all of this - particularly hard when the temperature makes it difficult to bear being outside. Sure, we can still build the snow forts and ice skate, but after a full day at work, and then the fight to keep a status quo at the homestead, who has the energy?

Times like this, I argue that Man is a creature who was meant to hibernate like the bears. Face it, we start putting up for the winter -- lay in the wool sweaters, get out the boots and comforters. A lot of us seem to have the tendency to bulk up at that time of year, as well. And with the shorter days, snoozing away the winter is a mighty tempting notion. As a positive person, I look forward to winter because I can pull my turtlenecks out of storage, and all the items I've been knitting get some use. True, when it's REALLY cold, I don't like to go outside, and when it snows a lot, I can't walk the dog ANYWHERE. But, Christmas is coming, and the chill in the air is invigorating, and I have high hopes. I rejoice on December 21st, the shortest day of the year, and then watch the skies each evening for later and later sunsets. It has worked for my state of mind for many years -- until this year. Up until Sunday, I was also enjoying the photos I was getting of the many faces of this fabulous winter.

This year is the year of weather records. The first January tornado happened just a few scant miles from my own abode. The temperatures haven't seen 30 degrees for more than a day or two since sometime in December, or was it November. We are counting a record number of inches of snowfall -- somewhere around 80 or 90 inches, last I heard. Yes, despite all that, I was still reveling in WINTER up until this past Sunday morning. What happened Sunday?

I was dog-sitting for some friends this past weekend, and I'd gotten up early to run over there and take care of the dogs. I was dressed, ready to go, and just had to take my own sweet dog out for her morning constitution. As we opened the door, I saw the wooden steps were clean, and the cement patio below them was also free of snow, but had about 1/2" inch of water pooled because it was pouring rain. No problem; I was dressed warmly, even had a hood on to keep the water off my head. I told the exuberant dog at the end of the leash to be careful because the piles of snow all around the patio were probably very slippery (you know, rain on top of snow in the cold = ice). She made it off the steps and into the snow without a problem. Turned out the ice at the bottom of my steps was incredibly clear and slick. I went from step off--straight to flat on my back in the aforementioned 1/2" of very cold rainwater. The shock of it all allowed enough time for the freezing water to soak into my down vest, cotton sweatshirt, turtleneck, jeans and even my socks! My shoes were the only things that stayed dry because they were in the air!

Of course, I couldn't get up fast, because I had no footing. My poor dog stood at the end of her leash hoping that she hadn't caused me to fall. Once on my feet, I couldn't go straight into the house -- if you tell a dog she's going out to potty, it's not polite to change the rules on her.

I changed my clothes then, and went on with my day. The dogs I tended were well-enough behaved so that I was able to let them go out into their yard while I watched over them. I was so "ice-shy" by this time, I was willing to walk around with a bucket of ice-melt the rest of the day. The cold, pouring rain continued until about three o'clock, when the temperature dropped back into "bitter cold" regions. All of the water that had fallen from the sky since morning was turning into ice. I was back to take care of the dogs twice more that day before I was able to go home, put on a bathrobe and curl up with my aches and pains.

Turned out, I wasn't terribly hurt, in fact I think the fall put my chronic hip problem back into place. But my body ached and I must have hit my shoulder good when I went down, because that started to hurt about Tuesday. I have been achy, out of sorts, and yearning for sun and warmth every waking moment since.