Oh, How I Love Snowmen!

Today, my snowmen collection are coming out of storage and they will keep me company through till mid-February. I love them so much and they aren't Christmas related, so I am comfortable enjoying them through the winter (Dec/Jan/Feb), but I make myself put them away before St. Valentines day every year, or we might just be eating our Easter ham off of them.  Yes I have snowmen decorations, glasses, dishes, salt & pepper, etc. I told you, "I love snowmen."

Do you remember Calvin and Hobbes?  Well, in the 10 years that Bill Watterson published his hilarious strip about the exploits of C&H, he shared with us some of the best snowman humor known to man.  Looking back at a few of my favorite wintertime C&H cartoons, it makes me wish I had a yard full of snow, so I could recreate some of Calvin's snow masterpieces.  Here are three of my favorites:

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   *    *  For more of Calvin's snow art, go here.  
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Artist of the Day

Tracy Rocca - Oil Paintings

Are they scenes through a frost covered window, images from a cataract lense, or an impressionist's view of the world?  I'm not sure, but I like them.

Check out more of Tracy's work at thru the link above and let me know what you think. ;- )

Disaster + Time = Comedy

If you'd like to become more aware of issues affecting our oceans, please check out this water warriors website.

I've got the travel bug ~ Ready, Set, Go!

1. Paris, France


2. Nice, France


3. Ferndale, CA, USA


4. South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA


5. Pacific Grove, CA, USA


6. Newport Beach, CA, USA


7. Santa Barbara, CA, USA


8. Santa Cruz, CA, USA


9. Saint Augustine, FL, USA


10. Chicago, IL, USA


11. Denver, CO, USA


12. Palm Springs, CA, USA

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Great vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

Make a Difference & Vote Today!

July 4th, 1776 and August 20, 1920

Who can tell me the significance of these two dates and why I might post them today? Read my comment to get the answer.

Today being election day, I thought this would be an appropriate topic.

Besides deciding the party candidates for the state Governor's race and several other state offices, today Californians will be voting on several important propositions. Please take a moment today and exercise your right to vote!

Prop 13

LIMITS ON PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT.
SEISMIC RETROFITTING OF EXISTING BUILDINGS.
LEGISLATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

I'm for prop 13 because one's property taxes shouldn't rise because one has repaired earthquake damage or retrofitted a building to make it safer following earthquake preparedness guidelines.
Prop14

ELECTIONS. INCREASES RIGHT TO
PARTICIPATE IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS.

I was torn on this proposition because I think the 2 party system has limited our choices and has put a financially backed stronghold on our government. The only reason I am against the proposition is because it would not allow voters to see the party affiliations of the candidates on the ballot.
Prop 15

CALIFORNIA FAIR ELECTIONS ACT.

Prop 15 is not real election reform as it still allows politicians to receive special interest funding for their campaigns.
Prop 16

IMPOSES NEW TWO-THIRDS VOTER APPROVAL REQUIREMENT FOR LOCAL PUBLIC ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

I'm for Prop 16 as it keeps the decisions regarding electricity purchase and sales in the hands of the people and out of the local governments limiting their ability to spend or borrow public money to enter the retail electricity business. In tough economic times like these, taxpayers should have the final say in how government spends our money.
Prop17

ALLOWS AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES TO BASE THEIR PRICES IN PART ON A DRIVER'S HISTORY OF INSURANCE COVERAGE. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

I'm for Prop 17 as insurance companies should be able to discount potential new customers ~ driver's with a good history just as they can penalize drivers with a poor record.

How are those New Year's resolutions going?

Here are my 2010 resolutions:

1) Eating healthier and exercising more. This is a continual quest for me and my Honey Sideways Sam. I am definitely guilty of not getting enough sleep which adds to snacking in the middle of the night, poor digestion during the day, and not enough body "down time" to maintain a healthy fired-up metabolism. If this is one of your resolutions then you may want to view this slide show of 24 tips on how to loose weight without really dieting.

2) Selling my Mom's Barbie collection on eBay. Haven't started this one yet. No, I don't have the Barbie dream house in the photo. I never had a dream house when I was little because they didn't exist yet back when I was playing with Barbie. (Yes I had one Barbie and one Skipper and they dated/married my blond haired scar faced GI Joe with the orange jump suit, not Ken!)

3) Having exchange students live with us. We had our first student, May from Tokyo and she couldn't have been sweeter, more fun, or smarter. We really lucked out with May as our first resident student. Our second student, Ipek is from Turkey and we will meet her later this week. We are really looking forward to it!

4) De-cluttering our home. We make strides on this front all the time, but I'd still like Nate Berkus from the Oprah show to to tackle our garage for us. Pleeeease!

5) Complete those pesky "What if one of us dies?" plans; like our Medical Advance Directive, updating the deed on our properties, buying life insurance for me (Sam is already insured) and making sure both of our names are on all of our bank accounts and not just as beneficiaries. Well, I did order the Five Wishes forms back in January, but they have yet to be filled out.

I'll check back with you at the end of the year and we'll see how I've done by then.

What are some of your resolutions?

Celebrate the Irish in Everyone

Saint Patrick
The Patron Saint of the Irish and one of my favorite Saints.

Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti

The Holiday of St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorites.
Did you know that the symbol of the shamrock was used as teaching guide by
St. Patrick to represent the Holy Trinity?
The Father, Son & Holy Spirit

Green Chicago River

Chicago is famous for a somewhat peculiar annual event:

dyeing the Chicago River green.

The tradition started in 1962, when city pollution-control

workers used dyes to trace

illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green dye might provide

a unique way to celebrate the holiday.

That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river

~ enough to keep it green for a week!

Today, in order to minimize environmental damage,
only 40 pounds of dye are used, making the river green for only several hours.


Patchwork Quilt of Green Velvet

As a child of 7, I flew over Ireland in a propeller plane
while on our way from England
and I remember it looking like a velvet green patchwork quilt.


This photo makes me think of Gulliver's Travels.
The scene where the people of Lilliputia tie
Gulliver down with ropes and pegs.

Do you have any St. Patrick's day traditions?
We like to eat corn beef & cabbage
and drink Guiness.