A Slight Change

I realise there has been a very large delay in my posting here.  I did continue to take a lot of photos last year (2011), but I didn't make one a day.  Somewhere in the autumn, as I was beating myself up for not taking pictures every day, I decided that I needed to give myself permission to slack off.  When I thought about it or felt there was something in a day worth taking pictures of, I did.  But otherwise, I have a lot of blank days.

Honestly, 'a lot of blank days' kind of describes my life this past year, as well.  Time goes by, and I have no idea where it disappeared to.  There are many, many days where I can't find anything beautiful, interesting, distinctive, or inspiring.  I haven't wanted to document most of my time, because it is frustrating, sad, and I feel like a waste.  I'm struggling to find a way out of that dark place, where I spend far too much of my time (against my will), but so far I'm finding that very difficult, if not impossible. 

Also, I was out of upload space here, and I didn't want to pay Google for more room.  Probably that was more stubbornness on my part, but I simply refused to pay even a paltry amount for more room.  I decided I'd figure out another way.  But I got sucked into the black hole, and never got around to figuring anything. 

Now I have, though.  I have a Shutterfly share site that I have started, just to put my blog photos into.  I'll have one album for photos over on True Aim and one for here at ViewFinder.  And if I feel like posting other things there, I will.  It's my site, after all.  I can do what I want. 

So I'll be trying to get around to posting my ones from last year that I missed, and keep on with my intermittant photo-taking this year.  So far, I'm not doing very well on that front.  But I am trying to catch up on my blogs, so stay tuned! 

Finally!

I spent all day fighting with this freakin' router.  I plugged and unplugged, started and restarted, set and reset.  Nothing worked.  There's a place for the wireless to broadcast, but no light.  No matter what I did.  Finally, when mum got home, I got her to call her ISP.  The guy walked me through enabling the wireless, because they just automatically ship out the routers with it disable.  WHAT?!  Why in the world would you do that, when the way it's set up you can't access the broadcast unless you have the SSID and all from the bottom of this particular router?!  I mean, seriously.

Finally, though, I'm online on my own lappy for a change.   Thank you, Jesus, for small miracles.

New

Mum got a new fridge over the weekend.  I know Jen'll be jealous, so I'm posting the picture.

The ice maker and all isn't hooked up, but still.  It's nice.  It's supposed to have more room than the old one, with the freezer on top, but I'm not convinced.  Especially in the freezer part, because half of it (it feels like) is taken up with the ice and water dispenser stuff.  But still.  It's nice, and it was free.   Which is even nicer. 

Cherokee Steak House

I went out to see dad and Candie again tonight, and we ate at what used to be the very best steak place around: Cherokee Steak House.  It's right on the lake, next to the marina, just past Reba's place.  It was good, but not quite as good as I remembered.  We got steak, baked potatoes, salads, and yummy yeast rolls.  And dad and I split a key lime pie, which was more like cheesecake but still tasty.  I forgot to take a photo while we were there, so I stopped on the side of the road to snap this one on my way home later that night. 

It's worth a visit if you're in this part of the world.  =)

Tennessee Roads

I went to hang out with my dad tonight, out in Gallatin.  It's a decent sized town, but between there and here-- not much.  This was my view on the way home around midnight, as I'm just about to cross the river (you can just barely see the green sign announcing the bridge coming up).

It's weird to be driving again here.  Some places haven't changed a bit, like much of this drive along highway 109.  But other parts have changed so much that even though I should know where I am, I get totally lost.  It's mental. 

Wee Treat

Mum and I ate at Wendy's tonight, and it was yummy.  Especially the fries and Frosty, which are eaten together, obviously.  The lady working the counter wasn't quite on top of things, but it all worked out in the end.

I even got this year's wee Frosty keyfob, so that I can get a free Jr. Frosty whenever I buy anything there.  Which will be fries, of course, to dip in the Frosty.  Duh.  I should have gotten a free one for paying the buck for this, but like I said, she wasn't too on top of things.  Oh well.  I'll get enough free ones to make up for it then year... I hope. 

Not So Green

I guess compared to what it's been all winter, this probably looks pretty green.  But Scotland stays vibrantly green all year round, so this is looking a bit dreary to me.  I'm sure spring and it's blooms are just around the corner, but for now, I'm missing my back garden in bonnie Scotland.

Happy Hour Indeed!

It's a Route 44 lemon-berry slush.  For a buck ten.  And the sun is shining, and I have the car to run errands.  Yes, indeed.  It's a happy hour!

Getting To It

I've started off on the sewing part.  Luckily mum has a new sewing machine I'm getting to break in.

I've discovered that the right tools really do go a long way to making a job easier; now if only I had a seam-ripper....

Sewing Project

I learned how to sew in Girl Scouts, and from my mum and grandmas.  I don't get to practice it very often, not having room or a sewing maching... but I've had this project in mind for a while now, so I figured this was the perfect time to start it. 

I have accumulated, over the years, loads of t-shirts from various places and events.  I love them, but the more I wore them, the more they were deteriorating.  So I decided to stop wearing them and turn them, instead, into a quilt.  A few years ago, to save room, I cut out the designs on them and stored them.  Today, I've started piecing them together to form a large blanket-sized piece.  It's been challenging, like a jigsaw puzzle, because I didn't think to always leave myself a lot of extra border to work with... but in the end, I got something that I think is workable.  Next step will be to start sewing the blocks together.  I think it'll be neat when I'm done, and even if it's only passable, it'll be mine. 

I actually have even more squares, so I'll eventually wind up with another.  Nice. 

'Fraidy Cat

My mum inherited my sister's youngest cat, Captain Jack Sparrow.  He was peeing on everything (including the bed, right next to where I was asleep at the time!) and Jen couldn't take it any more.  So she shipped him off to mum's. 

Luckily, he hasn't been peeing on anything he shouldn't.  But he is the most scaredy cat I've ever known.  He runs if you even shift in your seat.  He's mental.  He'll play occasionally, and he will sometimes sit on the sofa near me.  And very rarely he won't startle and bolt if I move.  But mostly, he's a big ole chicken. 

Bwok bwok!

Noisy Neighbours

They've put this in across the street, which has changed in many ways since I was a kid. 

Once, it was just an empty field back to the tree line, and then pretty dense woods behind that for a ways, with the creek running through it.  There were rock cliffs, caves, old barns and houses, lots to explore, until you finally reached the gravel road.  You could follow that up and around the lake, or further in to the old farmhouses, or eventually out to the interstate way, way out. 

Now, the trees have mostly been cleared.  The old things have been torn down, and the new school built.  The road is paved, and I don't know where it goes or doesn't go now.  It's a change, for sure.

At least the 'Bark Park' is better than letting all the dogs run wild through the area, which is what happened when I was a kid. 

I Think I Can...

This whole crate of books I am giving away.  Really. 

And you said it would never happen.  Well, I showed you! 

(Granted, this isn't even a tenth of the books I have, but it's something.  Right?)

Legal

Mum drove me out to Lebanon today so I could get legal again.  My driving license expired last May, but since I hadn't been back in the States, it hadn't been renewed (they wouldn't let me renew it without a new photo, since my last one was taken in 2000).  So we waited there for a while, and got it done (quicker than I expected, to be fair). 

My New Dream Job

I have discovered a few shows since I've been back.  Some we watched religiously whilst in the hotel in Buffalo, like Dog the Bounty Hunter and American Pickers.  Some I've run across thanks to both having cable at mum's and my sister talking about them, like Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters.  I'm sure you're all surprised that I love the ghost shows.  Admit it.  =D 

Seriously, though.  The UK has some great ghost hunting shows, as well, and I always watched them whenever I could catch them.  But here, these cable stations run marathons of back-to-back-to-back shows like mad!  So today, I watched the TAPS guys do their thing. 

I like them in part because they go in to debunk as much as to prove there is weird stuff going on;  they aren't just looking for any little thing to call it proof.  But boy, when they get something they can't debunk, they are well pleased.  It's excellent fun.

I wonder if any of these groups'll give me a job? I could be Dog and his crew's chaplain, or spiritual advisor to the ghost folks... seriously, y'all, I'm in the market!  I'd be an asset!  =D 

After a couple hours of shows, I had to leave the Ghost Hunters... because I went out to get dinner and coffee with high school friends Jenny Ward and Jennifer McQuiston.  We totally closed down the Panera, we sat there talking so long.  It was awesome, and way better than sitting home watching even the best tv.  I hope there is much more of that in my future! 

Reading Material

I borrowed Hearts in Atlantis while at my sister's, because she is a big Stephen King fan and has most everything in hardback.  Nice.  I enjoyed that, and when I got back here I discovered in with my books one that my mum had bought for my sister years ago.  I vaguely remembered that I had started reading it when in Tennessee on holiday, and even though I left it out, it must have gotten boxed up with my stuff after I'd gone.  So I decided to finish it before sending it on. 

I almost always enjoy his short stories, and this was no exception.  Some, of course, were better than others-- but it was a great read.  One a night before bed was the plan, but I found myself reading a lot more during the day.  I couldn't help it.  I love a well-crafted story, and when they are bizarre?  So much the better! 

Well-Organised... So Far

I have dishes and such on the shelves (risky, perhaps, but I'm doing it), holiday decorations and kitchenware and housegoods in front of that, keepsake-type stuff in the tubs to the back corner, and then books.  And more books.  And, what's that? Even more books. 

Looks good, though, doesn't it?  Well-ordered. 

I Just Ran Out of Room...

and I'm too cheap to pay for more space for my photos from Google.  I thought about moving this blog here, but honestly I can't be bothered right now with keeping up blogs on two separate sites (not that I'm very good at keeping up with more than this one, and even that... well, you know.  You follow.).  So instead I decided to take the plunge and make my first blog book.  Thanks to my friend Becky, I knew that Blurb does them... so I checked them out. 

And I loved them!  It was so easy!  They imported everything for me, and then I could tweak it.  There were lots of choices, and I think it's gorgeous.  See for yourself, if you like, right here. 

So I think I'm going to just keep doing this every so often, as I run out of room and as I have some spare money.  I've already deleted the old posts from my first six months, because really, who goes back and reads those on here?  I don't even do that.  But in a book, I'll not just have them but actually look at them.  I really recommend Blurb, and not just for blog books.  =)

(Although I'm going to post this in the place where I ran out of space in my dated photos, it was actually 24 March that all this happened.  Because yes, I'm that far behind.)

The Office

Not in the funny UK tv show way, or even the US remake way.  Just the plain old everyday way:

This is where I get online, because even though there is a wireless router, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it to broadcast.  And I'm usually pretty good at this kind of stuff.  So, instead, I sit here.  And use mum's desktop.

It's a hard life, people.

Childhood Memories

Most of the house has been redone in the past several years, including new laminate flooring in every room except the kitchen (which has new linoleum) and the baths (which are basically the same).  However, I found in one wee closet a bit of old carpet left, and it made me smile. 

Yes, this used to be in every room of the house, except the kitchen and dining room.  Nice stuff, no?