Another Use for a Good Fence

Posted on January 11, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

Everyone knows that good fences make good neighbors, and I sincerely hope the loony behind us is enjoying the 6-foot chain-link fence we constructed just for her.

Puppy Cody is enjoying her fenced in yard, both in summer and winter, and shows no inclination to try to jump the 4-foot chain link on the other sides of the yard.

I’ve discovered to my delight that the fence serves yet another purpose:  it gives me something to hold onto when negotiating the icy sidewalk between the car and the side door.  I’m so glad we opted to start the fence at the end of the porch:

Cody has no trouble, however, hopping down those steps and traversing the icy sidewalk:

Oh, and for those of you who noticed the slight gap between the fence and the edge of the porch, and worried about escaping pups, rest assured that Cody can’t quit fit through that gap:

Anyway.

Today was very sunny, so despite the cold (12 degrees Fahrenheit at 1:00 pm), I decided it might be a great day to stroll through Walton Woods Park when there would be few, if any, people there.

The two or three hardy souls I encountered seemed eager to complete their exercise, and no one was taking any breaks on the benches.

Damn, it was cold, and it was hard to see the trail:

Naturally, I was hoping for some wildlife, and I did see lots of tracks:

Looks like someone was having fun on that fallen tree, doesn’t it?  All the tracks were along the trunk of the tree, none on either side of it.

After about 20 minutes, my chin was frozen and I could no longer feel my lips.  The path was beginning to get icy, and I didn’t want to fall so I headed back towards my car.  A young lady was approaching, and I stepped to the side to let her pass.  She noticed  my camera and said, “Oh, I don’t know if you saw it, but there are four deer by the empty building.”

Say what?  I didn’t see any deer!  Well, heck, now I had to backtrack to try to find them.

Still no deer, but I kept my eyes peeled.

Omigod, is that a BEAR?

Now, anyone with any sense who sees a bear in the woods ahead of them would surely turn and go the other way.  But, of course, photographers (and photographer wannabees) have no sense.

So, slowly I approached, step by step …

Well, heck (again), I should have recognized that stump from the last time I took photos in that area!  I guess the snow confused me.

At that point, I could no longer feel my feet, so I called it a day.  The deer can wait for warmer weather to pose for me.  ‘Cause I know they want to.  Why else have they been making it so easy for me?

Hope you all had a good Friday.  Stay warm!

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Images by Cordelia’s Mom

 

Posted in Pets, Photography, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Come to Buffalo! (and maybe meet Cordelia’s Mom)

Posted on January 7, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

Teddy Rosalie needs to grow a little taller to be a proper photography model.

Here’s your chance of a lifetime!  Oxford Pennant in Buffalo, NY is running the Warmest Cold City Contest, in which you can win an all-expense-paid trip to my hometown.

(click on image for link and allow time to load)

I saw this contest on Facebook and then checked out the Oxford Pennant’s website.  It is a legitimate company and a legitimate contest.  Check it out (it takes a few seconds for the video to load, at least on my computer, just so you know).

So jump on in and enter!  If you win, Teddy Rosalie and I will make arrangements to meet with you during your stay.  That’s not noted in the contest information because apparently not everyone in the world (nor even everyone in Buffalo, darn it) has heard of Cordelia’s Mom.  Just consider it an extra perk if you win.

The Corridor at the Hotel Henry, Buffalo, NY

I can vouch for the Hotel Henry and its 100 Acres Restaurant, having dined there recently.  While I can’t attest to the quality of the guest rooms, I can state that the food in the restaurant was awesome and that the building’s architecture alone is worth a tour.  Heck, I may enter the contest just so I can go back for a nice staycation.

The Buffalo Zoo has bison!

There are so many places to see and things to do in Buffalo.  While Teddy Rosalie visited the History Museum and the Buffalo Zoo in summertime, they are open year ’round, and she and I would love to show them to you.

The only drawback to the contest, as I see it, is that the airfare is paid only from a city within the continental United States, which pretty much leaves out my international readers – unless, of course, you’re willing to pay your own way to the States.  I’m worth it, right?

Go for it, people!  When you win, let me know so we can start planning the party.

(Note the entry deadline is February 1, and that the trip must be taken between February 8 and March 10.  You all have a few vacation days available, right?)

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Contest logo by Oxford Pennant (click on image for link); other images by Cordelia’s Mom

 

 

Posted in Road Trips & Cars, Teddy Rosalie, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Musings of a Non-essential Federal Employee

Posted on January 7, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

I feel I owe an apology to furloughed federal employees for being an insensitive jerk with my last post, in which I bragged about my job. President Trump says the unpaid workers “will adjust, they always adjust.” In Trumpville, I believe that means that Melania might have to settle for a $40,000 dress instead of the one she really wanted. As noted in this post from Nowhere Tribune, “adjust” means something a little different to the people actually affected by the furlough.

(Comments are closed here – leave comments over on Nowhere Tribune.)

Posted in Re-Blogs, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

2019 Starts Off Clean

Posted on January 4, 2019 by cordeliasmom2012

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am glad the holidays are over.

Not that it wasn’t a great time for everyone, but it’s nice to get back to the daily humdrum.  It’s comforting to know I don’t have to go anywhere (except to work), buy anything (except for groceries), or do much of anything in my off-time (except for reading, playing videogames – and of course, playing with Puppy Cody).

2018 ended on a good note, and 2019 is starting off well.

First off, one of my daughters discovered a manufacturer who offers scented glycerine soaps at a reasonable cost, and for Christmas she gave me a whole case of assorted fragrances.  I love my glycerine soap but had stopped buying it when I could no longer find it locally at a price I could afford.  The last time I looked, our local Wegmans was selling one bar for nearly $8.  I had switched to Yardley, at $2 a bar, but then Wegmans stopped selling the lemon scent (my favorite) – and I’m really, really tired of lavender.  24 bars of assorted glycerines has gone a long way to starting off my New Year right.

I’m very easy to please.

On another note, it turns out my bank had, in fact, miscalculated my real estate tax burden and thus miscalculated my monthly mortgage payment.  That has been now been corrected, and my payment will be going back down to what it should have been all along.  Yay.

Finally, I made the last payment on all that furniture I bought a couple of years ago.  One less financial obligation each month.  Yay.

My boss gave out year-end bonuses, which I wasn’t expecting.  At the same time, he indicated that I will be getting a salary increase on my work anniversary in February!  It’s almost too much to absorb after so many years of working for skinflints who believed neither in raises nor bonuses.

I still have 3 vacation days that I must use up before my work anniversary.  I’ve decided to take 3 consecutive Thursdays in January, to go along with my normal Fridays off, thereby giving me extra long weekends for three entire weeks.  As it turns out, my office is closed on Martin Luther King Day, and so I will have a very nice 5-day weekend, followed by a 2-day work week, followed by a 4-day weekend.  I can live with that.

I’m becoming very spoiled very quickly.  February will be a bit of a rude awakening, but I’ll take what I can get while I can get it.

Which, apparently won’t include winning the lottery.  I had received a scratch-off at Christmas, which won $2.  So I turned it in on a new ticket – and because it was New Year’s Eve and I felt lucky, I bought 5 more of the same.  Those gave me $8 in winnings, so I turned around and got 4 more tickets, on which I won $6.  Turning that into 3 more new tickets, got me exactly nothing.  Each ticket cost $2, so had I stopped with the first one (a gift), I would have been ahead.  Instead my optimism cost me $10, but at least it was a fun run while it lasted.  These days it’s hard to find any fun in anything costing only $10.

I suppose I could have bought an $8 bar of glycerine soap at Wegmans and been ahead $2, but as much as I love my glycerine soap, once it’s gone it’s gone, unlike a lottery scratch-off which, theoretically, could turn into a much larger win.

But apparently not for me.

I did win the lottery, however, with my family.  My loved ones are wonderful people who actually listen occasionally when I say I want something. In addition to my glycerine soaps, they gave me wine, chocolates, and gift cards to my favorite restaurants and stores – and even though he was feeling a bit under the weather, Hubby took one of his New Year’s holiday days to paint the downstairs bedroom.

Look great, doesn’t it? Yes, it really is blue, but the white furniture and white trim (and gray/white rug) tones the blue down.  I just couldn’t get a really good photo as I still need to hang curtains and pictures, and didn’t want to show you the unfinished aspects of the room.

Two rooms done!  Only five more rooms and two hallways to go.  We’re moving right along.  I’ve decided I no longer want a yellow kitchen, so now I can enjoy looking at paint samples again.  Something to look forward to.

Hope your 2019 has also started off with a bang, and that it’s a good one for all of us.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom

 

Posted in Holidays, Household Items, Relationships, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 34 Comments