This Perfectly Imperfect Life

See this article from todays NY Times? Well, its about a place in SoHo that gives groups of 5 to 15 people equipment to make their own short films. My 1st thought was of our nephew J who just came bk to the area and will be living in NYC soon - a very creative and talented fellow on many levels and in many forums - and my next thought was of my friend M, a talented artist. I THEN HAD THE URGE TO CUT OUT THE ARTICLE SO I COULD SHOW IT TO THEM!!! I realized this is what my Mom does on a regular basis and it drives me nuts! (My Aunt does this to but only once in a blue moon and the topic is usually something I am interested in so I am ok with her doing it!) This was a scary and disappointing moment for me this morning! But at least I never picked up the scissors and started cutting! What a way to start my day!

well, i've added another 'slideshow' over to the right of here with pics from this past weekend ~ it snowed! finally! about 8 inches but it didn't last very long since it changed to rain late friday night. i also added the rest of the valentines photo's to the other slideshow which includes a photo of a hardcover book called "boone" and a packaged birdsong indentiflyer (a hand-held gadget that identifies birds not only by name/picture, but also their calls & songs) ~ these were our valentines gifts to one another! i got hubby the book "boone" by robert morgan and he got me the birdsong identiflyer cause i'm always trying to figure out what the birds are out in the back yard!!! (i know, sounds odd but it works for us!) he also got me a dozen roses and a card that brought me to tears! as you can see, i've uploaded a video! i've tried to do this before, but this is the first time it's worked!!! i've got some things to take ca

This was the view we had from our cozy table at breakfast this morning! How wonderful! (See previous post) We stopped at the library on the way home. I already made hubby a batch of chocolate Cook and Serve Jello Pudding (a surprise!) now I am baking a banana bread and getting ready to have a cup of tea on the couch with Hubby! (Both tired from shoveling and snowblowing!)

This is 1 of my fav breakfast / lunch spots in town! Vintage aprons, kitchen wares and pictures decorate the restuarant and every table / chair set is a vintage dinette set! All the food is fresh and made to order every day! (Very organic!) Delicious!

Feeling a tad under the weather today! Ok, so I have a slight hangover! (It really is slight! Feeling very tired! Never got hangovers in my teens or 20s! Had way better tolerance back then too! Better 2b a cheap date when ur married and out with ur husband than when ur single!!!) Anyway, I changed up the books on the back of the couch this morning, from left to right - Sex and the City Kiss and Tell, Wonder Woman The Complete History, Zen and the Art of Making a Living, Girl Sleuth Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her, Enchanted the works of Stevie Nicks (cd set), Kiss The Early Years and From Star Wars to Indiana Jones The Best of the LucasFilm Archives. Part of the reason I did this today is 1 of our nephews may stay with us 4 while he gets bk in2 the NJ NY are - he is a graffiti artist (pro not vandal!), rock band photographer and writer (not yet published)! I am as eclectic as he is, but our home is cozy country and not very eclectic looking! I feel so old and stogey!

Actually, once I used the 1040A form (federal), things went smoothly! The state forms are more tedious than complicated. Well, both state and federal are done! Off into the mail with them this week! (Truth be told, I was annoyed at Hubby when he called to bug me about seeing if I could do them or if we would have to go to the library for their free tax assistance - taxes are 1 of the few things he is anal about!)

This was the only seed vendor! And there were only 2 bulb vendors! And 1 selling potted flowers! There were a few fresh cut flower vendors, but the rest were mostly non gardening related (like jewelry, chachki / gift items and food) and landscapers. The 1st year we went, I came home with a bag full of gardening and flower catalogs! This year, not even 1! Ah well! Least in the future I will know I am not missing out on anything when we do not go!

I was good and this book did not come home with us! I had seen it in Country Living magazine in December. I am glad I saw it today and I am still in love with it after flipping through its pages! Next 30% off coupon I get from Barnes and Noble has this books name written all over it!

Truly a disappointment overall, the displays and vendors included! Glad we went when half price admission started! (That was intentional! Full price adm is $14 per adult!)

this is me, in our living room, facing a large mirror hanging over the couch. not the most flattering picture i've ever taken of myself, but when you're trying to take it 1 handed and that hand is shakey, this is what you get! the angle's not so good - i'm not really that wide ~ i think! (i know i've lost weight recently ~ i need to wear a belt with all of my jeans now!) today's treatment went ok ~ only a little itchy & slightly headachey this time around! my left hand (the one with the needle in it) doesn't feel too good this time around! 1st treatment, i had no pain in this hand with the needle going in, during the treatment or after it was out. i didn't swell or bruise either. this time, it hurt like hell going in, hurt most of the time through the treatment, hurt coming out & i bled a lot! and my hand hurts now! robert (my nurse) said "we're going to have to go elsewhere with the iv next time - this hand's done!" which means

This is the Amarylis I mentioned in my post yesterday, but it appears to be more red than pink! The box this bulb came in indicated the blooms would be bright pink! Ah well! Another beauty regardless!

This beauty opened up yesterday! (1 of my absolute favorite flowers! The Amarylis!) Another 1 should be open by morning! (Perhaps pink!) They are amazing to watch really! It has gotten so cold since this afternoon! Dropped nearly 30 degrees, lake affect snow squals and that wind is just roaring! I really do wish we would have a substantial snow fall. My soul misses snow! It does for me what my gardens do during the warm months of the year! Wow - 5 below is cold for here but that has to be a heatwave compared to 30 below in the Windy City of Chicago where 1 of my wonderful best friends is!

I think Booper is trying to tell me I am not spending enough quality time with her!

I have family in Tennessee, (a scene from Jackson on tv above) though thankfully in the Knoxville area at the opposite end of the state from the Memphis Metro area (northern TN) - Tennessee is also a state we very seriously considered moving to (still on the table though achingly on hold) and it hurts my heart to see all the damage done to those good people! (And in Arkansas & the other 2 states where they also had deadly tornados).

This morning I finished a journal! Probably the 1st one ever! Seriously, my whole life I have always gotten bored with journals before I get even a quarter into them! So in 2004 I came up with an idea after buying an autumn themed journal - 1 journal for each season! I bought 3 more journals in the same line and since fall of 2004, I have only written in each journal for that season! The journal pictured above is my winter journal - the tree on the front of it is bathed in snow and pink and purple light. I got to page 200 in this journal on January 25th of this year! (Another milestone!) 220 total written pages! That may not sound like a lot over 4 winters but it is amazing to me!

My pretty little Primroses! Got this little pot of flowers wk before last at ShopRite. The flowers started out a bright pink, then came out in the lighter more pale purple pink you see here. If you look at the tiny flower opening to the right, you can see that the next flowers coming in will be off white! This is on my dresser. Wow. I am in a lot of pain tonight! All over, not just in 1 area of my body. Horrible! Horrible! Horrible! Hope I can sleep some of this off! Until tomorrow!

I miss this park so much. I wish I had spent more time there and taken pics in the fall like I always planned. I lived so close for 12 years! I was surprised at how busy the trails were. A little saddened too. This state is getting so over crowded! There are 2 wooded county parks within about a mile of where we live now. They are so different from one another and from Cheesequake. All are beautiful.

Same park, same lake as in Part 2, just another view!

This is the big lake at Cheesequake State Park only a mile or so from where we used to live. (I miss the park so much - one of the few things I miss from living in that area!) What started off as a bike ride on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon was quickly kabashed by me because the sandy soil trails were still very wet from all the rain we had Friday and I was not happy struggling to bike my way through the muck when everyone else was walking! (I HATE bike riding since I gained all this weight! I have never really been in shape, but it was a hell of a lot easier peddlin my arse around when I was skinny! I have told Hubby I would rather walk!) That bike almost ended up in the marsh cause I was so frustrated!

Hubby and I took a ride up to the Hackelbarney State Park and Black River area this Sat just for the heck of it! He wanted to take me to the cider house but I was sure it was closed - sure enough, it was! But the ride was so nice! We stopped at the Tewksbury Inn which used to be a great little tavern in an incredibly old house - now, of course it has been given a total frou frou make over! (My 1st and last time there!) Ah well! That is NJ for you!

Friday, February 01, 2008 12:50:10 PM on wednesday (1/30/08), i had my first at home remicade iv treatment. as explained to me by my nurse robert, it's a biological med that hopefully at first confuses my t cells and b cells so that they'll stop attacking my immune system and then in the long run re-trains them to attack the things they are supposed to (viruses ~ bacterial and virual). i was very nervous about starting this med for a few reasons. first off, when i got the delivery of supplies - "lab in a box" - i freaked out a bit! ok, it scared the hell out of me! as my nurse robert said "don't let all of this scare you! you probably thought 'what the hell am i getting myself into?!'" but, it did. i put off my first treatment from 1/9 to 1/30! (told him i had a sinus infection and then the next day i got whammied by a nasty sinus infection!!!) second of all, i thought this would supress my immune system completely and