Nesting

Since I was a kid, I have strived to create the perfect sleeping environment. My parents tell tales of me as a kid so snuggled into my self made nest created from blankets they couldn't see me and wasn't sure I was in there at all except for a sighting of a stray arm or leg poking out.

I have no clue why I did this. I do know that I still like to be snuggled into my bed especially in the cold months. My dog has this great bed where it rolls up on the sides so she can snuggle in and the roll of the bed keeps her back warm. If they made these in a queen size - I would have one. But part of the Dog's job is to provide warmth to ME on a cold night. Snuggle in and fill out a side of the nest. A one dog night. The cats are unrealiable as to where they decide to burrow in at any given night. I can't count on them in the nesting process. Dogs reliable. Cats not so much.

The winter months are challenging for the nest. I don't like to sleep in an overly warm room. I prefer the room to be a little chilly so that I can benefit from the layers of blankets. A down comforter is too hot. My house is 1920's so a little drafty comes with the territory. Over the years, I have added curtains and a headboard which help with the window drafts by my head. (picture below of curtains & head board. And unreliable Cat #1.) I don't like it when my nose freezes. It is a fine line to achieve the proper balance of comfort. I have been working towards the perfect environment for years and it is just trial and error to get the balance right.

In need of a blanket and a new mattress cover, I headed to Linens n Things yesterday. I stumbled upon a thickly padded matress cover that promissed me a spa experience. I added a blanket with electric wires to my basket too. I hated these as a kid because they were too hot but I was certain in 2007 they had come a long way. I hate that initial freezing once you crawl into bed and the sheets are cold and suck away body heat to break the frost. Thinking that a giant heating pad was just the way to solve the problem, I headed home to build the nest.

First I layered on the thick mattress pad that won the heart of the bedroom kitty aka unreliable Cat #1 - immediately. Then I added the freshly laundered sheets. The electric blanket was next. The quilt was added and followed by the dog blanket (really a person blanket but used when the dog is up there on the quilt). I tell you immediately I knew I had struck gold. There is a low setting on the blanket that worked like a charm at not only preheating the bed but keeping it just right all night long. I know it is early in the season but I am feeling good about it.

Leslie tells me that an electric blanket will take off 2 years from my life. I have read that a dog adds 7 years. I figure I am still 5 years ahead. And for the perfect nest, I am fine with those numbers.

The Perfect Brown Food

I have in the oven a baked potato. Technically it is still just a potato baking but soon it will be dinner. I was going to make tortilla soup but I lost my senses and got to the grocery store without looking at the recipe. I plead coma nap. The rotissiere chickens were still cooking. It was then that I heard my name and turned to see a potato from Idaho beckoning me over to his bin.

I love potatoes. I believe potatoes are a perfect food. I am particularly fond of potatoes in the baked form. I like them as a side but often it is just too much food. So from time to time, I indulge in the baked potato as the center piece of my meal. I have lite sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese and scallions (no chives to be found) to top it. And of course - sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

The smell is wafting through the house now. Oh, My Gosh! I had planned on having a little pinot with dinner but I have just discovered that the bottle I thought was in there is not. Sunday. No wine purchasing.

I am off to set the table and get ready from my potato enjoyment.

Cans & Cans

I am just going to tell you that you should go check out moisten manapkin for a great piece on can crimes - Check out it. Funny stuff.

While you are there - you should also watch some episodes of Simpson & Snatch. When you get to the site - the 'play' on the picture will work. not here though. Just there. play it there. go now. go on. NOW GO!

thanks, mary for letting me steal.

The Cutest Thing I have Seen in a Long, Long Time.

Monk in space.

thanks, amber, for the quote.

thanks, bill, for the photo.

thanks, duke, for being duke.

Waiting

I am waiting for Lowe's to call and tell me when they are going to deliver my washer & dryer so that I can wait for them to deliver the machines. Hurry up so I can wait some more. And then do a lot of laundry. It is chilly today. I know because the dog has told me. Suddenly the floor is too cold for her and she is at the end of my bed. Now I need to do laundry more than ever.

So I stumbled upon a blog with some stuff that if fun to read and stuff you probably don't know and you probably don't need to know...but what the hell. It is something fun to read.

The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary,is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.The only other word with the same amount of letters ispneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

The longest place-name still in use Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwenuakitanatahu, a New Zealand hill.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly button.It was eliminated when he was sewn up after surgery.

Donald Duck’s middle name is Fauntleroy.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

The Ramses brand condom is named after the great pharaoh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children.

There are more but you can go to the site yourself and keep reading. I am too busy waiting to just keep cutting and pasting.

More ARGGG!

I woke up after a restless sleep. I knew that I would be shopping for a washer and possibly a dryer too. I started my coffee maker trying to get my wits about me before the great search for washers/dryers. I don't like shopping for that sort of thing because I know that I get sucked into unnecessary things - luckily the doorway dictates a lot of my choices - so no fluff.

After starting my coffee, I ripped opened my mail from yesterday including my latest water bill. My bill was 4 times the usually amount! Now I will be dealing with the water company on the $170 bill. I have searched and see no evidence of a leak.

I dressed and went to grab my morning coffee to discover that my coffee maker had leaked all over the counter top, down the cabinet and onto the floor. Naturally I had cleaned the floors yesterday! Luckily enough I did get a cup of coffee out of the pot. The coffee pot was 9 years old so I knew it was time to say goodbye.

Today - I purchased a new washer and dryer and a new coffee pot. Tomorrow I will brew some strong coffee and chat with my friends at the water department.

ARGGGGG!

my washing machine has stopped spinning. I have already had my washer AND my dryer EACH fixed one time already this year (not to mention the previous fixes.) I said the next time one of them broke, I would replace the broken machine.

So, now I am searching. Aside from it being a chore to decide which features I need or don't need - I have the joy of also having to have one that fits through the door.

water water water

Here in Atlanta, the headline news night after night is about the drought and the water wars. The entire south is facing problems with the water reserves. At this point, Atlanta is in real danger of dry reservoirs in 80-90 days. And this is not a new problem or one that will resolve itself over the next few months. This problem has been around for several years. During the summers, we have cut back on lawn watering and when the fall hits, we find ourselves not worrying so much about the water. But this year the water shortage is going to follow us into 2008. And now we are national news.



Unfortunately, there is no plan for what happens now that we are in the danger zone. The Army Corps of Engineers is in a tough spot and unable to just cut off the water supply that flows to Florida for the power plant and the mussels due to federal law. But it seems that NO ONE has really ever investigated how much the amount of water to the power plant and mussels in Florida can be reduced. I am suprised that no one has taken any efforts for a back up plan before now. In my mind - which might be oversimplifying it all - why can't we ALL cut back some? Not just us humans - but the mussels too?

The courts are now involved. Alabama is mad because they have said for years that Georgia gets too much water. And Georgia is mad because we are sending our water to feed mussels and power plants. I don't mind sharing. I have learned a lot about how I can cut down on my water usage. I don't mind conservation at all and am sure my water usage is forever changed. And again - I am oversimplifying - but why can't we all share and work together on a solution. UNITED states.

The Atlanta Watershed has been a disaster for YEARS. There are so many leaks in the water system in the City of Atlanta that they cannot keep up and repair them. They openly admit it. Furthermore if you have a leak that is on the City side - you are not allowed to have it repaired by anyone but the City of Atlanta. The water system is old and desperate need of repairs. And in spite of all of the construction and growth of the past 15 years, it has only been since Mayor Franklin took over that any action has been taken to actively repair the problems. And with problems that are decades old they are not quick repairs. Changes are happening but we are loosing every day GALLONS of water to leaks.



My friend bought a new house in July of 2006. She has never had a water bill. She has made several phone calls and several trips to the City of Atlanta Watershed. They have told her that until her meter is entered into the system there is nothing they can do. They are in no hurry and have no plan to get that metered entered anytime soon. In addition to this, one of our new construction projects hadn't received a bill for over 2 years. This was a high density project. After investigating for almost a year and with the help of the Mayor's office, it was discovered that the water for the entire project had been hooked up to the fire hydrant lines. No bill or money will ever be collected for those 2 years of usage. Several reports I have read state the water usage in Atlanta has not changed significantly in several years. And my reply to that would be - how does anyone really know? There are not accurate records. And with people continuing to move into the City, how can our water usage stay the same over the past several years? And why with the problems we have had over the past several years with low water levels - why is there no contingency plan?