Kingfisher Cove

Good Clean Fun, Serial Killers, and Fairies

All kinds of activities — some fun, some not one bit — these last few days. Thanksgiving was nice. Met up with Dad and his lady friend and my brother and his family at the Keg steakhouse up north of Seattle. I was pretty blown away at how busy it was! Apparently lots of people had the same idea we had. (I guess I really figured we’d be the Only Ones There! heh) John didn’t have to work Thanksgiving after all, so it was great that he was able to come along. Except for my dad and Cathy (who had the traditional turkey dinner) the rest of us had steak. (I had a filet to die for. God it was delicious!) The only down side was that it was pretty noisy and difficult to talk. But we made the best of it and really had a nice time. It was especially nice to not have to clean up the MESS afterward!

                         Me and my 9-year-old niece, Michelle

                                    Dad and my brother, Dave

                                                 Dave and John

                   Michelle, Julie (Sister-in-Law), and Cathy

I should have asked our waiter to take a picture of all of us, but my iPhone wasn’t happy about the restaurant’s dimness. I doubt it would have turned out. The only bummer about the day was I didn’t get to Skype with Nate or even talk to him on the phone. He spent the day with a sailor friend and his family at their home in Chicago, which I think was very cool. (First home-cooked meal Nate’s had since June!)  He called yesterday while I was in the bathroom (of course) and we still haven’t connected. I’m sure hoping we have an opportunity sometime today. (I miss my kiddo).

Friday, my friend Helen from Oregon came over and we had a blast making soap, drinking crantinis, and yapping our lips off. The time goes so fast when we get together! We exchanged Christmas presents (and opened them!) and I also had her open her birthday present (it’s this coming week). I gave her the stained glass garden stake I just finished. Yes, she was pleased.

 

Today was totally not fun. I cooked John and I an abbreviated “Thanksgiving Dinner” since we didn’t have turkey on T-Day, I guess mostly because I figured John would enjoy it (since he has to work all weekend), and also so we can have some Thanksgiving leftovers that we all covet. But in the midst of it all, my kitchen sink plugged up in the worst possible way! Even on a small scale, a turkey dinner is a difficult meal to cook (in my opinion) and having the sink full of water and not draining was a real drag. Drano did nothing. John finally took the P-trap apart (prepared with a bucket) and a shitload of hardened soap plus potato peels plus the overflow from the bucketful of water came splashing out onto the kitchen floor. Amazingly? I actually pretty much kept my sense of humor. With a few choice cuss words thrown in the mix. The dinner was pretty good. But I’m thinking it really wasn’t worth all the effort for just the two of us.

So. I’ve been reading a very interesting book series, and I’ve also been watching “Dexter” DVDs that I’d given to my brother for Christmas last year and he gave them back to me on Thanksgiving so I could watch them (he and Julie loved them and are now hooked on the current Showtime episodes). I’d read the first Dexter book some time ago and was so intrigued, but we don’t have Showtime so I hadn’t seen any of the episodes. Wow! I’ve been doing the marathon thing, totally engrossed! The idea of a serial killer who has controlled his “desires” (under the mentoring of his foster father, a cop, who recognized what Dexter was at a young age) to only kill people who are “deserving.” He’s cute and innocent-looking (like serial killers tend to be) and he’s definitely not normal (has a hard time feeling anything, being in relationships, connecting with people). But he fakes it really damned well and when he hauls some asshole child molester into a plastic-shrouded prepared space and dons his rubber vest and pulls out his sawsall, you find yourself rooting for him. Or at least, I do. What does that make me?

                                  Mojo, the serial (rat) killer…

The books I’m reading are the “Fever” series by Karen Marie Moning. Anybody familiar with them? “Dark Fever,” “Blood Fever,” “Fae Fever,” and “Dream Fever.” The fifth and final book is due out sometime next year. Each of these books end in killer cliffhangers which would have driven me nuts to have to wait for the next book (I’m on the 4th one now and I know I’m going to be frustrated when it ends to have to wait for the 5th one to come out). But I’m hooked! I have to preface this by…admitting…that I enjoy some fantasy fiction (Lord of the Rings, The Golden Compass trilogy, Harry Potter, etc.), all with the common denominator of being exceptionally well-written (plus awesome stories). While I doubt that this series will be held in quite as high esteem, I’ve sure been enjoying them and they are well-written (unlike that “Twilight” author — yuk). The main character, a 22-year-old pampered, shallow, snarky southern belle who finds herself smack-dab in a nightmare in Dublin, Ireland is very much like Stephanie Plum meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  There is a lot of humor (which I especially enjoy), a lot of “action,” and also a lot of sexual tension. (In fact, there are certain aspects that are downright erotic!) All with very dimensional (and mysterious) characters, and twists and turns that are eye-popping.

Today I really need to take a break from serial killers and fairy slayers and start decking the halls for Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Break Time

I’m in the midst of a cleaning frenzy (not because of Thanksgiving, but mostly because the house really really needs it, plus I’m having company Friday! Hi, Helen!) I’m also planning to “deck the halls” this weekend and it’ll be nice to just focus on that. It feels good to be attacking what has needed to be attacked for a while, or at least the result feels good. The actual attacking part of it, not so much. Next up are the floors, but first I’m taking a lunch break. And mopping my brow!

Good news on the Nate-front! He’s close to finishing up this portion of his schooling (basic electronics) and he finally knows for certain that he’ll be able to fly out from Chicago on December 18th to head home for Christmas. Things were up in the air (typical Navy military) because there was a good chance he’d have to report to San Diego before Christmas and therefore have to change his flight tickets which would have cost him a butt-load of money. Plus, no guarantee that he could even get a flight out of San Diego since things were booking up and he had no definitive dates to work with. He’s so relieved to know for sure, and also to know he doesn’t have to waste all that money to change his tickets. I believe he’s also very relieved to be close to finishing up this schooling. He says it’s been a real drag (computer/self-pace, which really isn’t his forté). After New Years he’ll fly back to Chicago for just a couple of days before heading down to San Diego (where he’ll be until at least March or April for more schooling in sonar). Good timing to be getting out of cold and windy Chicago!  I’m hoping to be able to Skype with him tomorrow night — not entirely sure what his Thanksgiving plans are. He’d talked about checking out one of those “Adopt a Sailor” families in the Great Lakes naval station area.

OK. Soup’s gone and it’s time to hit the floors. And yes, there’s another puddle of blood on the stair landing — from yet another rat…*

*No, not an infestation, but there is a lot of ivy and other bushes around that rats tend to like and Mojo knows it.

Blowing in the Holiday Season

I’ve lost count how many windstorms we’ve  had this week. I believe we’re now experiencing #5. Maybe #6. They sort of blend together. It’s not particularly unusual for November; I remember a few Thanksgivings in years past when the power went out due to the wind and people  had to either BBQ their turkeys or else throw them out!  It’s been on the wild side, but thankfully, not on the damaging side. And we haven’t lost power (yet).

And so, weren’t we just at Nate’s Navy PIR (graduation)? Wasn’t it just August? I can’t believe how fast the time is passing since I was laid off from my job (the end of July, and it was 108 deg. that day!) It’s mind-bending. And now we’re looking at Thanksgiving just a few days away. What are we doing? Well, we’re going to a Keg restaurant north of Seattle! I think it’s gonna be fun. We’re meeting up with my dad and his lady friend, and my brother and his family. And it turns out that John will be able to join us since he doesn’t have to work on Thanksgiving Day after all! (He does the three days afterward, but not Turkey-Day itself).  We’ve done this before and it’s a fun and special outing. And strange as it sounds, I won’t miss Nate as much as you might think because he’s generally spent Thanksgiving with his dad anyway. I’m not sure what his plans are in Great Lakes, IL. He’d talked about joining an “Adopt a Sailor” family. I’m hoping to be able to Skype with him that evening.

The day after Thanksgiving, my friend Helen and I are getting together (as usual!) to make soap! For me, it’s probably a little silly since I still have a lot of leftover soap from last year (and probably the year before).  But it’s so fun to do! It’s kind of mindless but extremely enjoyable, especially when Crantinis are involved, which they will be. I have ordered (and received) a few new fragrances that I’m excited about, plus a new mold. We will have a ball, like we always do!

I also plan to start decking the halls for Christmas next weekend. We bought a new (yes, artificial…) tree at Costco that comes with 1,500 lights! Wow! I have to say that I’m excited about Christmas this year. I don’t have to stress about work; I don’t have to stress about lack of time; and I have the luxury of some energy (for a 53-year-old woman)! The past several years I have been extremely abbreviated with decking the halls, but this year I plan to go for it. Why not? It’s true that it’s never fun to take it all down and put it all away, but this year I. Have. Time. Of course, it’s all about Nate being home. When he left for Boot Camp last June, I honestly assumed that there was NO WAY he’d be home for Christmas. So this feels like such a gift! Especially when I really do have to assume that he won’t be home next year. He’ll likely be on a ship who-knows-where.

So, remember this? It’s finished!

I’m relatively pleased with it. (Especially since it was pretty much a bear with all those wee pieces that did not want to fit together well!) I think my next project will be something modern. Some sort of geometric-but-pleasing pattern. Hmm.

One With The Weather

We’re looking at our 4th wind storm for the week, due in sometime tonight. It’s been pretty wild, although not nearly as wild as points north of here. We live just south of Seattle and the storm pattern hasn’t hit us straight on like it has up north, but it’s still been Dark and Dreary and Wet and Blustery. Very November. (Although…4 storms in a week?) Have I mentioned lately that this is my least favorite month? (heh, probably a dozen times or so). Thankfully, we haven’t lost power or had any trees fall on our house. We also haven’t been to Harstine for several weeks, mostly because it would just mean hunkering down inside that camping trailer for the entire weekend. There are times when that’s totally fine, but you have to be in the mood for it.  We have some neighbors there that didn’t fly the coop to Arizona for the winter, and they keep in touch with us via Facebook so we know nothing dire has happened from all these storms. We pretty much doubt we’ll head down this weekend, either, because it is November after all. More “crap” on the way!

But I’m really not all that “down in the dumps” like I tend to get this time of year, mostly because of going to work in the dark and driving home in the dark and dealing with work and all the stress and worrying about holidays and….well, you know. This year? Not so much! I wake up about 8:00 – 8:30 in the mornings, and by that time it’s as daylight as it’s gonna get. I spend time on my computer at the dining table in the mornings and I watch the water roil and the trees bend over from my vantage point, if it’s not too foggy. And drink lots of coffee. There is tidying, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. but it’s certainly not particularly taxing. And I can’t get over how quickly the days go by! Before I know it, John’s home from work and the dogs are hitting him up for their bacon treats. Yes, I do know this won’t/can’t go on forever, but I’m savoring it for the time I can.

After doing some serious pouting over my stained glass mishap I created a new pattern with my pattern-making software and today I got as far as actually cutting MOST of the glass! This one is more challenging (more pieces, and several of the pieces are quite small and oddly shaped). MAN I hope I’m happy with the outcome (and don’t drop the damned thing on the floor). The goal is for it to be a Christmas present! Maybe. OK so here’s the pattern:

The outside color won’t be quite like that because I didn’t have that color on hand. But otherwise that’s how it should look, once again in a round wrought iron frame.

The OTHER reason I’m not so down in the dumps? Nate is due home in ONE MONTH. Actually, one month from YESTERDAY. My arms are itching to wrap around him and not ever let him go!

Gah!

I dropped my latest stained glass project and it BROKE!

Crap.

I’m a Blog Award Winner!!! :o)

Noooo, it’s not a Pulitzer or Blog-Nobel, but I’m tickled! I really appreciate it when fellow bloggers award others. The vast majority of us are all small potatoes and totally fine with that. We blog because we really get a kick out of it, not to necessarily make a serious mark in the world. It’s a personal thing. But being “awarded” is always uplifting. And it’s also a lot of fun to spread it around to those who make an impact on us, in whatever special way.

Thank you, DogMomster, for awarding this to me!  Karen is One. Amazing. Lady. She’s the mom of two extraordinary daughters, one who is pursuing her PhD in geology and another who is studying to become a forensic anthropologist (So cool!) She was laid off from her job about 6 months ago and has since put the petal to the metal to earn her nursing degree. She is also recently back to work part time, so she is the queen of juggling these days! She lives in Michigan and has seen firsthand the horrific effects of the economy in probably the hardest hit area of our country. (Wall Street was rescued, but the automotive industry is hurting Big Time. Blue collar just doesn’t count, I guess…) I am always uplifted by her uplifting way at looking at life. It has handed her some lemons, for sure, but she has certainly mastered that lemonade-making thing. I need to take lessons from her.

Rules go along with this award: Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog. Share 10 honest things about yourself. Present this award to others whose blogs you find brilliant in design or content.

So, first, some special blogs that speak to me for whom I bestow this award:

Northwest Lady Bug
Stargazer
Oh, My Stars and Garters!
Milk and Cake
Verbatim

And now (argh!) 10 honest things about me! (Did I mention argh?)

1. I was laid off from my job last July and I have to admit that I am TOTALLY ENJOYING NOT WORKING (although I’m aware it’s not a permanent thing). Sigh.

2. That said, I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up.

3. I am very proud of my son, Nate, who is in the Navy.

4. Regarding being proud of Navy Nate, I am pretty strongly liberal-minded and have many conflicting feelings about the military.

5. Normally I hate this time of year (so dark, so gloomy, so dark). To the point where I have a S.A.D. light. But this year I’m kind of digging it, I know because I’m getting enough sleep and not having to deal with the dire stress of my job. I haven’t had to use the S.A.D. light yet this season. For the first time in several years, I’m looking forward to Christmas, mostly because Nate will be home! Plus, I have time to think about it and not have to panic at the last minute in the midst of work deadlines.

6. I worry a lot about being able to afford the retirement house we want to have built at Harstine (which is modest, but nice). I hate the idea of having to contend with a mortgage when we’re retired.

7. I love our 2 weenie dogs, but I absolutely hate their potty habits. There is nothing more stubborn about that issue than a dachshund.

8. I LOVE to dance. I don’t get to do that anymore these days. I think that’s why I enjoy watching “Glee” so much. (I got an A+ in a college jazz dance class once, how ‘bout them apples?)

9. I enjoy the craft of stained glass. I’m not talented in any sense of the word, but I keep working at it. Sometimes I’m pleased with the result, other times it’s a major eye-roll.

10. I not only love my husband, but I really really like him. It’s so important to be with a soul mate who can bring on the roll-on-the-floor giggles!

Utterly Grossed Out

This morning I was greeted with HALF a disemboweled rat that Mojo left upstairs, followed by the mangled other half and the entrails along with a HUGE puddle of blood on the landing. I can’t begin to tell you how disgusting it was. (One little disgusting tidbit so you get the idea: I found the severed whiskered snout in the vicinity of the entrails). That cat is a character from a Stephen King novel, I swear!  It’s not enough to simply kill a rodent; he has to MASSACRE it.

Could this possibly be the face of a brutal killer?

Oh, you betcha.

“I could disembowel you.”

(When that video ended? He PEERED BEHIND THE MONITOR LOOKING FOR THAT POOR LITTLE CARROT-EATING CRITTER!)

He was exhausted after all his, er, dismembering:

(And Peanut was understandably a little nervous…)

It’s a “Bright” Day

(From Nate’s Facebook post).

Kickin’

Yup, I’m still here! Just not a whole lot to say lately, unless you want to hear about our stormy weather (it’s actually been quite impressive). Mojo has not been happy about it. He’s been threatening to climb the walls.

So, I’ve been reading, contemplating another stained glass project, following the health care bill in the House via Twitter/C-Span, and otherwise just hanging out here at home. No complaints, really! We opted to stay home this weekend because of the weather and we’re sure hoping John’s last “leak-proofing” on the trailer roof has held. Especially over the bed!

I’ve also been following this blog, which is fascinating! A 16-year-old girl from Australia is sailing around the world in her pink boat, “Ella’s Pink Lady” all by herself and she blogs about her progress just about every day. I am totally hooked, and if there’s a day she doesn’t blog I get worried about her! She seems to be quite a mature 16!

The darkness, change of season, and the weather make me sleepy. (I’ve always said I was some kind of hibernating creature in a previous life).