Jigsaws and so many Puzzles

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Do you do puzzles? I don't. Can't remember the last time I ever did one. But, in our house someone here really loves jigsaw puzzles. Even the great big three thousand puzzles are no match for him!



The puzzles form beautiful pictures. That's for sure. Sometimes we've even hung them on the wall.

But, what I find very puzzling indeed is where to even begin a puzzle. Do you begin at the edges? In the middle? Maybe just do little bits at a time? What's really the purpose of a jigsaw puzzle? Most times it can take days, weeks even, to finish a large jigsaw puzzle, and then you just break it up and dump it back in its box!




I much prefer to deal with puzzles that I can understand and that don't get broken up once they have been solved.

What's for dinner tonight? Hmm. That's a puzzle. And once the puzzle is solved, we can gobble it up. How to research your family tree? Now, that is a HUGE puzzle! It's a fun one. And once you're done you'll know lots of things about your great, great grannie.



I guess jigsaw puzzles aren't any different from other puzzles. Once they're solved, then that's that. It's time to go onto the next puzzle.

Turkeys in the Backyard

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Our backyard is a very splendid affair. You never know what's going to wander in from the woods!

The other day it was turkeys who meandered in. Can't imagine what they wanted. Guess they were looking for food? What do they eat, anyway? Gosh, I never really thought about it before.



We've had several inches of snow. And the temperature is only in the teens. Now, if I were a huntery type of person I'd get myself a gun and shoot these poor turkeys. Cook them for dinner tonight! I bet you there are people who would do that.

I don't like guns and I don't think the public should have them. So, as long as these turkeys are in my backyard, they're safe.



But, who knows what will happen to them when they saunter off?

Honey?

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Does anybody call you 'honey'? Who? Waitresses? Sales assistants? Your hubby, or loved one?

I don't think I want to be a honey, nor do I like to be called 'hon' or 'honey'. I hate it when salespeople address me as 'hon'. After all, I don't call them 'honey' or 'hon'. Nor do I call them jam, or butter, or cheese, nor any other food item. Why would I? And why would they take it upon themselves to call me or anybody else, a complete stranger, 'hon' or 'honey'? Is it supposed to be a compliment?! Why don't they call us 'strawberry jam', or 'cheddar cheese'? Might as well, for all the good it does.

I much prefer to eat honey. I got a gift from my son of two little bottles of honey. They came from someone who has her own bees and who infuses the honey with different flavours. I received a spicey one and a vanilla/lavendar one. Absolutely delicious! I feel quite regal as I pour the delicious nectar on my morning toast!



Next time I'm in Target or the local supermarket and someone calls me 'honey' I'll smile sweetly, knowing that I have my very own secret supply of special honey. And they don't. After all, everybody can be called 'honey', but not everybody can produce such delicious infused honey. And the person creating all this delight happens to live about half an hour away. As soon as my little bottles are finished up I'll drive over and get myself some more!

Who's Exercising?!

Did you make any New Year resolutions? One resolution that just about everybody makes is to lose weight. Well, actually, what they resolve to do is to eat less and exercise more. Idea is that by doing both, you should become thinner. Right?

Now, I like to walk. In fact, I love to walk. Swimming? Nope. I'm scared of the water. I'm doing well to gently slide down the steps of the pool, all the while hanging on like grim death to the railing. Then, I crouch down and hold on to the steps as I totter over to the wall. That's where I remain, all the while hoping that nobody can guess that I'm a great big scaredy cat. I'm even good at faking that I can swim. I hang on to the wall and kick my legs out. My legs can swim. It's just that my arms can't, not at the same time as my legs, that is. Sometimes, I'm really crafty and I crouch down and swim with my arms. Of course, my legs are still on the floor!

So, for me to lose weight, I stick mainly to walking. I usually attend exercise classes at the local gym two or three times a week. It's good to sweat, isn't it? Gets rid of all the impurities, including that third glass of wine you had last night!



Another way to lose weight, besides exercising, is to eat less. Gulp. Who loves chocolate? Who doesn't?! I guess I could eat just a couple of squares instead of the whole bloody bar.

The important thing is to burn calories. Doesn't matter how you do it. Doesn't chewing on food burn calories? Preparing a meal burns calories. Gazing at the food doesn't. Might as well gobble up!!

Big Eyes and Snow in Winter

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Can you see four big eyes in the photo?! Guess who they belong to! Deer. They're way out back close to the woods. I sneaked out on to the deck to take the photo. Their ears are so sharp that can hear every teeny tiny noise. It's really difficult to take photos of them.

We've had below freezing temperatures for days now. Fortunately, there hasn't been too much snow. Yippeee! This is our deck covered in snow, but it's a soft powdery snow that you can maybe even blow away.



Through the deck railings you can see the woods way out back.



In this photo you can see the deck and our back yard that meanders on down to the woods.



It's so much work trying to maintain the backyard! Many times I think about moving to somewhere that has a teeny tiny yard. But, maybe we wouldn't be able to enjoy the privacy that we have right now. And maybe we wouldn't be able to watch deer strolling around, nor the wild turkey, bunnies, chipmunks. Hmm. Well, there is definitely one thing that I would not miss if we were to move - the horrible black snakes. They slither all the way from the woods up to our house. I think if a door was open they'd actually wander in. Gives me the heeby jeebies!!

But at least for right now, midst the freezing temperatures, the black snakes are not to be seen. Very clever of them - they're snug as a bug in a rug, hibernating, escaping the cold weather.

The New Year, Time and Resolutions

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How do we say the new year? Twenty eleven or two thousand and eleven? I've been hearing both ways lately. What's more to the point is that the first of January is really just another day. As was the thirty first of December, despite all the festivities throughout the world at midnight. The squirrels on my deck don't know what day it is, nor do the birds, nor the deer, nor the chipmunks. And they all get by quite the thing. These Highland Cows probably never think for a moment what day it is, let alone what year it is.



So why do we humans have this need to know what day, month, year we are in? As if Time doesn't go by on its own without our measuring and defining it. Time really doesn't need us to validate itself. I guess we're the ones who need to be validated.



And what about our attempts at making new year's resolutions?! We should be making resolutions all year long, not just on the first of January. Don't you agree?

Excuse me whilst I jump up and down five hundred times, clean the floor, polish the furniture as well as my teeth and my scabby feet. I may even take up ironing again! One resolution I made a few years ago was never to iron again. I guess that's one nice thing about a new year - we get to change our minds, make up our minds, and then change them all over again!

What to do on Boxing Day

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That's Christmas over for 2010! The presents have been opened and already the empty packages are now in the garbage.

So far, there aren't any unwanted gifts. How could that be?! Normally there's always a couple of gifts that get returned. I don't mind in the slightest returning them. I always volunteer gladly. Guess what I do with the in-store credit I get? Go on a spending spree for myself!! LOL.

I didn't make it to the shops this year on Boxing Day. That's the best time to return things, even items that you purchased months ago and have no price tag. The shop assistants are so busy with long queues that they'll give you in- store credit without any problem. It was just too cold for one thing. Then, there was nothing to return. I'll go another day soon, however. Just stop me from rummaging through the goods on sale!



The local news was full of images of crowds of people mingling at the stores on Boxing Day. It got me to think about other things people can do on Boxing Day besides go to the shops.

1. Don't discard the wrapping paper that people ripped like crazy as they opened their presents. Instead, fold it neatly and keep for next Christmas. It'll come in handy for wrapping stocking stuffers.

2. Take a nice hot bath with the shower gel you got for the man in your life. It's normally more potent than the gel made for women. Guaranteed to keep you aglow with fragrance.

3. Skype your family and friends. Just remember to place your computer camera as far away as possible so that they don't notice your bloodshot eyes.

4. What made your eyes bloodshot? Oh. It must have been that good bottle of wine you were going to give your cousin twice removed. Was that what you drank last night?! Don't worry, your cousin twice removed will never know.

5. Eat the pecans from the chocolate pecan pie you made. They're not that rich in calories. Honest. Definitely less calories than eating the rest of the pie.

Did you go to the Boxing Day sales?

Christmas at Home

Christmas Lights in Edinburgh

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The Christmas lights in Edinburgh were cheery and enticing. Too bad about the snow, the ice, the slushy mushy stuff, and the frigid temperatures! Actually, if you bundle up in layers the cold isn't too bad. You've got to keep walking, of course, before icicles form in your nostrils!



Actually, the nice thing about the rather odd weather in Edinburgh was that it was easy to take photos. Although there were people out and about there weren't the usual crowds. So, nobody inadvertently meandered in front of me just as I was about to go snap.

There was an ice rink down on Princes Street Gardens. Much as I was tempted to run down the steps and get a better look, I refrained from doing so. What if the steps were icy?! I could slip and stumble and roll all the way down like a giant Humpty Dumpty. People might think I was just a drunken bum, a bag lady, of no importance, and leave me lying in the frigid air.




I still got a nice photo, so that was good.

How lucky not to be travelling to the U.K. right now! Heathrow Airport has had umpteen cancellations and delays the past few days, as had many European airports, including Edinburgh.

I can sit back and gaze on my photos and not worry about lost luggage, closed airports, cancelled trains and other annoyingly annoying events. Mind you, the trip was indeed an adventure. Who doesn't like adventures?!

Edinburgh, Scotland

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What an adventure last week was! Snow, ice, frigid temperatures, public transportation coming to a halt, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a challenge.

The above photo is of the hotel we stayed in. It looks old, but it really isn't. I think it was built in 1990. The architecture blends in with the other buildings on the Royal Mile, making it very inviting for tourists and locals alike.

In the photo below you can see the street outside the hotel. Slushy mushy icy stuff coats the road and pavements.



There was a bum sitting outside the hotel, all bundled up with blankets. His hand held out a plastic up and he'd ask for spare change. Any time I came by he started to smile and laugh. Why? I think he was astonished at the way I was walking! I was so scared that I'd fall on the ice. I ended up taking these teeny tiny steps. Well, it worked, for I didn't fall!

This fellow below must have felt the cold in places nobody wants to! I was so surprised to see a piper on such a cold, frigid day.



Down on Princes Street the Christmas lights were shining, and the carousels and the big wheel were beckoning. Believe it or not, there were lots of people out and about. Their boots probably didn't leak. Mine started to. At first I thought I was just cold, but then I realized my feet were damp as well. Do you know how long I've had these boots? Years and years. I hardly wear them, not even where I live in the United States. That's why I never knew that they leaked.



I was really glad we had a newspaper in the hotel room, for as soon as I got back, I shoved the pages into my boots, hoping that they'd somehow dry out. Why didn't I bring another pair of shoes with me?!

Have you ever encountered really bad weather on vacation?

Snowed In!!

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Have you ever been snowed in? Has the weather been so bad that you don't really want to go out?

It happened to me just last week. I was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Turns out they were having the worst weather in forty years! The airport was closed for a total of four days. Buses and trains were cancelled. People were stranded in their cars for hours and hours as the snow fell and ice accumulated.

I was in a hotel, right down on the Royal Mile, the old part of Edinburgh. At least I had a good view from my room. You can see the roof tops in the first photo. And in the next photo you can see Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano that overlooks the city.



I still went out for a walk. There were tourists braving the weather as well, up by the castle. Edinburgh always has tourists! There were some local people out and about too, doing Christmas shopping. But there weren't the usual crowds that you find.

I'm so thankful I didn't have to drive, catch a bus, or train, or plane. Travellers simply weren't going anywhere for the first few days of my trip. And I was lucky that I arrived in Edinburgh with just a short delay. The day before my arrival and the day after, the airport was closed due to bad weather.

What a cosy hotel room I had, with nice views.

What's your favorite view?

Who said we love the Four Seasons?

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Did I hear the word 'snow'? Snow way. We've jumped from falling leaves to luscious snow.



Now, instead of raking leaves we're into shovelling snow, slipping, skating on ice, trying not to go down with a thump, hoping the car will get out of the driveway.

And we tell ourselves that we love the four seasons. Ouch! Roll on the Spring!!

Here's some inspiring music to help us through the winter. Vivaldi's Four Seasons

The Red Lobster-La langosta roja

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I'm not a lobster person. No, not I. I do go red, however under the Spanish sun, or any sun for that matter. Twice a year we get live lobster which we cook in boiling water. "Ouch!"

I hear the lobsters scream in pain.

Ever wondered why the words in 'La Vida Loca' end in 'a'? Probably not. But, just in case you have, it's because 'vida' is feminine. The article and the adjectives have to agree with one another in Spanish.

La langosta roja. The red lobster. Similarly, the noun is feminine, therefore the ajective is also feminine.

Who cares, right?

I cared when people would tell me that I was as red as a lobster. Never have had a tan in the whole of my life, despite living along the Mediterranean coastline of Spain.

Which is worse, do you think? Looking like a red lobster or a glass of milk? Yes. In the winter I'd be told I looked like a glass of milk. It's nobody's business what we look like. Is it? Well, maybe if we're so horribly ugly that people get offended by our funny face, then perhaps we should hide. Come to think on it, being as red as a lobster is rather odd-looking. I should have buried myself in the sand, or better still, used more sunscreen!

As for the lobsters? They were gobbled up, not by me, however. The people who ate them liked the appearance of the lobsters, all chunky and wriggling, and devoured them ferociously. Maybe appearances are important? Maybe the lobsters would still be alive if they hadn't looked so enticing, if they had been smaller and insignificant?

We'll never know.

How important do you think appearances are?