“I Already Know”

I guess I never thought about this until I heard it a whole bunch of times in different settings this Thanksgiving weekend.

I saw myself doing it, and also heard it done to others. First, let me say all the social media outlets CAN BE wonderful when used as a means to give many “friends, family and acquaintances” the same bullet point information at one time. A way to create a page not yet colored in that person’s life.

Let’s say you graduated or had a baby or an exciting time at _______,  it is to share an extremely tough time or the passing of a person that you would never have known about, or a way to type in a verse or 2 about the loss you have endured. It is something, some time had it not been shared on f.b., twitter, or any of the others outlets to communicate.

It is a great way to share photos of a gathering many attended, or maybe that perfect moment you stumbled on. Those times when without sharing on social media, well it would never have been experienced in a very 2D way.

Looking at this picture- one that was probably on a facebook post, it shows a wedding, but without the personal touch, the conversation, the painting done with words, there is so much more that can fill in the outline of a “wedding”

If, however, someone starts face to face- or voice to voice on the phone- about something- well that is the beginning of an opportunity to converse. They want to make that 2D, quick blurb into a 3D moment. Voices, faces they add expression to the time they are referring to, or to the sad or happy moment captured and shared. That person wanted to put color into the social media bullet point. We ( and I can not count the times I did it) can stop the conversation, we can keep that moment just a bullet point in time, we can portrait we do not really care by interrupting- or making our first ( and often our last) response by saying ” Yeah , I already know” or “Yeah,I saw it on f.b.” .

Now if the same person starts the conversation and mentions they also had it on Facebook, ( or whatever media they put it on) we need to stop and listen. That conversation you are about to be blessed with, well it adds the personal component.

Or if you see that person, you could always start the conversation with that tidbit of their life they shared. An opportunity to bring a personal touch to a moment they shared on facebook. That can be a great time to show you care and want to hear more.

We will never ever know what we missed if we close that opportunity to have color added to social media bullet points if we stop the conversation before the colors fill in the moment in their life.

My mission for today and going forward is to let the other person not only bring up the topic but to let them take that outline, that bullet point, and add their words to it, their nonverbals, their feelings.

Until later, Mrs. Justa/ alias Cindy

 

Winter and getting through it

Winter time in upstate NY is like other areas in the country, we all have our special unique situations. Some have more rain then not, some have hurricanes, some have ice, some have tornados. We, well we are among the many folks with snow.

Somehow, a very long time ago, I started counting the actual days per winter that driving was beyond horrendous when the wind was whipping the snow around so bad that visibility is zero,. My in my brain counting is 7 really super bad days a winter. I mean really bad. I have experienced some drives where you are driving along and POOF all of the sudden you can only see your windshield. Some days it is snowing 2-3 inches an hr. Those are the days that I am telling myself- “One day closer to Spring”

Often though, in our winter months, the road is snow covered and you just have to drive carefully. Anticipate stops from way back, don’t make sharp turns, and hold the wheel with both hands, and focus.

In the fall I would choose designated roads, and those I would look for any type of landscape or landmarks that could help me know where I am. Often a straight road, ( but those aren’t always possible, but whatever road it was, as soon as I knew I was on it, I felt like I was home. Like one road has different areas with large pine trees, and just after them a curve. I would carefully look for those trees when the roads were not plowed or visibility lousy, and know what to expect as far as the layout of the road.

Another thing I would do is keep the radio off, and hum “The Lord’s Prayer” if it was really bad the humming went to a more vocal version.

The other thing I would do is not travel the interstates if I did not have to. I knew ways to and from home that I felt comfortable on, and no matter what- the speed limit on dry roads is 30 or 40, so I knew I would not have any idiots driving 65 mph, like they do on the interstate. Some people think because they have 4 wheel drive that they are indestructible, and they do not seem to care about who they are pushing out of the way. And not that I wish anyone bad fortune, but I more than once mumbled “KARMA” as I went by them as they were off in the median or snow bank.

Yeah, the winters bring on steel nerves, a tad anxiety, and a major appreciation of Spring.

So for those in the upper snow areas, be careful, and remember ” One Day Closer to Spring”

Until later, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

 

 

Mrs Justa and driving in the snow and wind

Frozen precipitation, all shapes , size, blown here and there , often impossible to see more than a few feet in front of your face…

WELCOME WINTER in CNY.

We are tough in this neck of the woods- people in this area put up with all kinds of weather. Thank God we do not have tornados or hurricanes often!! I do not mind snow when it is gently falling. But the zero visibility, the snow blowing and drifting…the ice roadways… ummm not crazy about that.

For the life of me I can not understand how ANYONE could live in this area and not have  4 snow tires on their cars. It is the difference between night and day. Oh sure you can trek through is it with all season radials—if you do not mind that ass end of your car swaying some, or wheels spinning… but really folks… SNOW tires are for SNOW… which we have plenty of !!.

This is a snow tread….

see how it has tread that will grip the snow and give you traction.

This is really really helpful when you are driving on snowy roads.

It is worth the $$$$ believe me/

If you go on all seasons ..well you will find this …

 

I got this off of google images…

See the difference in your safety ..It is more than stopping. When you are trying to drive – you feel a whole lot more in control with good winter treads.

We were driving the other day in white out conditions. There were times when we could see, and we really could have done 35-40 mph..but instead we get behind people with regular tread..going 25 mph—flashers on..scared to death. They could not speed up because their car started swaying.

I can not believe how great it felt to me when I initially felt the difference between snows and summers or all seasons.

So spend the extra money..and relax a little on those yucky days… you will be GLAD YOU DID…

Hang on too…. tonight thru Tuesday—LAKE EFFECT SNOW Again!!!.

Love to all. Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: snow,tires,snowtires,life,choices,challenges,scared,skid,sliding

 

Mrs Justa and the full moon weekend…

The full moon has been at it’s best this week.. Man oh man. The strangest things seem to happen. This afternoon we were heading home from a quick errand, windows and sun roof open, the sound of the wind whishing all over the place..all of the sudden I am feeling a burning sensation  in my arm..I mean a super whammy burning..I look down and  yellow jacket had come into the car and was stinging my arm. It took a minute for my brain to get beyond the “Hey dummy..your arm is hurting” to “YIKES there is a bee stinging you!” I made some sort of unusual prehistoric type noise, kinda of a growl, started shaking my arm out the window… the bee left… but not without his signature… Dang that hurts…

We went camping this weekend.. man did it rain Friday night. Wind, rain, 49 degrees… THANK GOD we have a bathroom in the camper…I remember camping with pup tents and air mattresses, and if you had to pee—you would have to slow the mattress down from floating in the water that seeped into the tent… somehow get from floating to standing without have the water soak your sleeping bag… and than waddle and shuffle to the bathroom… DO NOT MISS THOSE DAYS!!!..

As we were setting up—we were talking about the hot water heater plug, the one the repair guy had forgot to put in when he dewinterized the camper… -and wondering if it was leaking… we bought tools to tighten it… hmmmm tools???? where the heck are the tools?????    so that led to us looking kinda dumbfounded over where these tools were… So.this whole weekend… we have been pondering  over what the heck we did with the very small tool bag and few tools we bought after our last camping adventure. Each of us was looking at the other , under our breaths saying “What did YOU do with it..” I remember we were together for buying the tools and bag, I remembered Mark staying in the car and putting the tools in the bag when I went in and  got a few groceries a couple weeks ago.. … but that is all I remembered.. Now for Mark..I think he was remembering me doing something with it.. I just kinda got that feeling from his quick glances to me. Heck I was already from the super sleuth mode to “someone must have stole it” . But instead  I started having my one on one with St Anthony..asking please for some assistance AGAIN..and for one of us to come across it… we joked about maybe it was in the pick up truck..nope… how about my car…. nope..than Mark opened the shed—we looked /.nope….. than we looked in the side compartment of the camper…NOPE…. he opens his trunk..and there it is.

 Saturday I had sewing to do, I was making some gifts for someone, and figured if it is gonna be raining –why not sew at camp. So during the afternoon, Mark read some, took a nap and listened to the Yankees game… I cut material, pinned stuff together and sewed away… Than it got drier, and we were able to enjoy the campfire that night. … YES!!

It was a nice hot fire… S’mores highlighted the evening…

AHHHAA –full moon syndrome over come… ( my arm still hurts… )Hope you had a good weekend.

Love to all Mrs. Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: camping,life,fire,lost,tools,wondering,St Anthony,relaxing,sewing,bee pain

 

Mrs Justa and a night without heat…

Yeah, go figure…the furnace is not working, the winds are whipping..THANK GOD it is not in the zero temp range! When I came home I noticed the house was getting a little cool. I went and turned up the thermostat and it sounded like it was gonna kick on.. humming…. than silence… So we did what the furnace sign says… shut off gas, shut of electricity… wait 10 minutes and try again . Try 3 times and call for help if not working….

I looked at the thermostat during our little trials of fixing it…one time the thermostat was flashing the word “LEAVE” …now that is kinda nerve racking !!!. What the heck is that supposed to mean !…. We stayed… I looked thru the manual for the thermostat—nowhere is a section on what the messages mean… uggggg so I gave it some time to get it’s manners back and a little while later it was flashing the words “RETURN” …. so now I am thinking… if the thermostat tells you to leave… How do you know after you left that it has changed it’s ways and is now flashing “return”??? Just wondering… ????

I figure I am smart to be getting my hot shower tonight… that way I can zip out of the electric heated mattress pad bed in the AM, and slither into my work clothes , heat some coffee and get to work. I hate being cold.! We are fortunate this house is sound, wind does not creep in through spaces in windows or doors… it is just the house will not stay at 65 all night…. not when it is 40 outside!.

Now if we had the camper here..we could have that furnace on..but alas it is being kept held hostage at the storage area…

So I think about things to be thankful for…. 1) that it is not a blizzard out and the furnace would be broken…2) That our propane service has a 24 hr /7 day a week emergency line.. and there is a repair guy who can fix it…(he would have come tonight but it really is not such a horrible night that we felt he needed to do an emergency call) .3) That Mark and I seem to thrive on our lives together filled with “Mark and Cindy’s excellent adventures”….. 4) That this did not happen when we had house guests over….5) That we have electricity , electric hot water, and a coffee maker…. at least!

I remember a long time ago, January1993 to be exact….I had just had knee surgery , it was my first night home. Jeff was young… he had gone to bed, and well I was starting to feel pain from the knee surgery. I heard the furnace come on and the flame started..but the blower would not come on. I remember after a while…smelling the warm aluminum smell..and had no idea what to do. I am uncomfortable as all get out… Jeff was sleeping… Mark was on the road….and I just wanted to cry. I called the 24 hr propane help line  I remember trying to talk to him..my voice was quivering as he was asking me to check things… finally I said I was just fresh post op, could not walk… and was unable to bend and twist the way he needed me to to check everything….  the guy came out in the winter storm…. . Until he got there he told me to keep turning the fan on manually to circulate the heat each time the furnace recycled. This meant that each time the thermostat noted the temp was low, the burner kicked on..and if we did not click the fan on—the furnace did not force the air to warm up the house……so it kept the burner on. … I was scared, felt so darn helpless… Jeff woke up and helped me keep the fan on… It was too cold out to not have the furnace going… ugg what an awful night!

The guy arrived after what seemed like forever, he was there a good hr, but left and we had a working furnace again. I remained feeling pain, and bumming over feeling helpless… but at least I could wallow in my self pity in the recliner and not suspending on my crutches in the hallway.

SO that is our excitement for tonight.. It is chilly in here… 62ish right now…I looked over at Mark at his computer—he had these heavy ass gloves on…. he was mocking me !!But I just might take those gloves to bed !!. HA HA…So a wonderful adventure is starting tonight. Hope you have a peaceful night…. Love to all. Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: cold,heat,furnace,broken,depend,life,electricity,propane,uggg

 

Mrs Justa and record breakers..bing bing bing

Okay folks.. this is great… We never had to move to be SNOW BIRDS!!

 

Nope—today was the 5th day of record breakers…rumor has it 80 degrees… the geese are in the plowed corn fields, the skeetters are out..those darn little gnatty bugs that like to fly in your nose and eyes are out..our flag is back out…. THIS IS WEIRD!!!  I

 

 

We have already gone to Lake Ontario and had our Tim Horton’s coffee and watched the sunset… t is unbelievable.Mark just got the rider tuned up for summer and he thinks he is going to have to MOW on March 24th !!

Now I am really sorry for those folks who are digging out snow and stuff..the ol jet stream has just moved a bit..and well we are really getting VERY unusual weather.

Now naturally this would get me to wondering things… Like…

If the geese fly south for the winter time..and instantly they know to head north in April or May… than how do they get word that it got warmer sooner up here? HMMM..Is there like a dunce flock of geese—they have to stay up here and watch..and than when it gets warm they start to head south to tell the southern geese to come on back north?

Or so they watch a weather station … or do they never really leave????

And what about the garden?? Do I start planting now? Will we have a longer growing season? Like could I get 2 full cycles of gardening –because I normally do not plant till Memorial Day weekend..so If I start now..heck we could have zucchini before the end of May..than start over again…

And what about the Maple syrup people… it needs to be below freezing at night and above during the day for the sap to flow… so is it over than??Or if it comes back to normal temps will it start up again?

My snow tires came off the car last week… the mowers are gassed and ready to go… the garden will be weeded this weekend…the bugs are out…. people are wearing short sleeved shirts and shorts….Kinda nice…. The south moved north… we did not have to pay for fuel to go , travel expenses…

BUT what will summer be like??? What will next winter be like??? Now the south can keep the tornados, the bigger bugs, the hurricanes… we will just enjoy the warmth…

I HATE being cold…. Love to all, Mrs Justa ..alias almost sweating Cindy

Technorati Tags: warmth,seasons,life,winter,Springtime,summer,gardening,mowing,weird,jet stream

 

Mrs Justa—ugg a winter storm…

Winter is still around us. It is amazing how much we have gotten off the hook. It is a GOOD winter when you have to start the snow blower just to run it every once in a while instead of to clear away snow. But being we live in the “
lake effect “line… we are about to potentially get hammered…

“By Mike Brookins – Updated 2/24/2012 3:44 PM

Tonight – Windy

Hi 45° | Low 30°

A High wind warning has been issued. Increasing winds overnight with SW to W 20-30 MPH with gusts to 50-60 MPH. Colder air begins to arrive overnight and a spray of snow moves in regionwide. Some heavier lake effect snow squalls developing east of the lake. A large area of 1-3" of snow is likely nearly everywhere with areas north of Oneida Lake 4-8" with isolated 8-12" amounts on the Tug Hill Plateau tonight. Blowing and drifting snow likely by morning. “

 Fortunately I LOVE to shovel snow..so clearing it up is FUN for me….

The winds are whipping, we can hear it beating against the house I want to pretend like it down not bother me, but it does—cuz I really dislike getting dumped on with snow. Makes me want to climb into a bag and wait it out.I just hate the thought of high winds and possible power outages…

But alas—the bag will be the warm bed tonight. We will take down the extra comforter incase the power goes out..and we will prevail.

I am so thankful we do not have trees around our house now.… there is nothing more scary than realizing a branch could have gone through your roof…. The was an ice storm and I can not believe how lucky we were that the rest of the crack in the branch did not let go… the damage it could have done was enormous—but instead- the branch dropped and rested on the house- hanging onto the tree by a thread.

There is a commercial on about going to myrtle Beach… hmmm… do not temp me !…

Where do we sign up!!

There is a woman and her husband who hopped on a train Thursday morning, heading to Florida for a week at her sister and husbands place. Another person  was telling me that as she was growing up, there were people who lived in Florida in her family- so as kids and adolescents- they just had to get to Florida and than lodging was not an issue.

We talk about that sometimes- but for now—we are here… Many people from the north are “snow birds” and head south in the winter and come north for Spring, Summer and Fall. Maybe later in our life that might be an option… but not right now. I do not know if I would want to go as far south as Florida—but maybe on the Carolina coast might be nice.

I will take pictures tomorrow if the snow does hit.. Stay warm out there, remember to be thankful for all you have, see you tomorrow…. Love Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: winter,storm,life,photos,challenges

 

Mrs Justa and the fine line has been crossed !!!!

Okay, remember yesterday..and my looking at the fine lines in life… WELL

seems we got on the other side of the fine line last night.

This morning at about 6 we had maybe 6-8 inches of snow. Mark drove me in , he had an MD appnt not far from my work. Well let me tell ya!! from the time we left –till he got back around 11-ish—there was 2 1/2 to 3 feet of snow that appeared!

The fine line between rain and snow HAS BEEN CROSSED.This photo was on one of the internet sites for a local TV station.

We have had a season of rain—little bits of snow—but nothing like what we get every year for 3-4 months. Well today… this is a good old lake effect snow storm. There was a fine band of snow, and our house and Fulton NY seemed to be in the firing range.

But it is 1-20-2012..and I thin this will make our season snow fall at least double. I find it amusing when ,at work, people look at me like I have 3 heads, when I say how much snow we got..and they got maybe a couple inches. And we are not the heaviest area-..sometime the Tug Hill Plateau and Pulaski get nailed. All depends if the wind is blowing south east off the lake ( than we get hammered)..or directly east… than they get nailed.

And just a few feet difference—you can be getting nailed..or have the sun out..       Totally weird..

This was not today..but this is a lake effect storm.. just.. and I mean just north of us…

Weather is always fascinating..it puts me in my place. It makes me see how I have absolutely no control, I am a dot in the scope of the Universe.

Now I have to ponder about the storm rolling in tonight, wonder if the storm will bring us the predicted 4 inches tonight.. or if the lake will change the outcome. Today’s was supposed to be 6-8 inches… yeah that was the intro to it !!.

So I am off…. be safe… if you are in an area of heavy snow..drive carefully… pay attention to the road, and hopefully we will meet again.. Love to all, Mrs. Justa..alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: lake effect snow,snow storm,seasons,fineline,surprises

 

Mrs Justa and hang onto your hat!!!

Tonight is a night that I remember how insignificant we are in the whole scope of things.  The wind is whipping against the house, a little while ago the wind gusted so strong it set off the car alarm. We can hear the rain hitting against the windows, and very very thankful it is just above the temp for snow!

There is a prediction of snow , and I hope it waits for the wind to die down, or we may be finding drifts of 4 feet !.

Man… have you ever been stuck walking in really strong wind. I do remember once as a little squirt, I decided to take my umbrella out in a windy rain storm… and it looked like this in a few seconds after I got our the front door.

The lights are flickering on and off and the scanner is just inundated with tree down calls and sparking at electric poles.

Uggg… not an optimistic way to end the evening.

I had a rather involved report to do for work, and came in to the office and did it as quickly as possible, got it sent off… phew.

I wanted to pop on and get my post done before the cable goes out. We fortunately have all underground elec and cable… but somewhere down the road… they have to surface at some point…and THAT is when there are problems with wires getting whacked by trees and branches.

There was a call about a BIG tree totally across a road in Phoenix. The caller stated they were a volunteer fireman, and that someone was going to kill themselves hitting it, unless it gets cleared up lickety split.

Can you imagine driving at night, in the rain, that weird glare on the windshield and not realizing you are about to hit a humungous tree across the road. Dang… that stretch of road is 55 mph… oh I hope they get people there quickly to set up detours, warnings and save some poor soul form a terrible accident.

Yes this wind , the rain… it makes me realize that in a blink of an eye…. our insignificant selves… ( in the whole scope of the universe) can get blown all over the place.

Hang on … be good, and be safe… Love to all… Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: wind,weather,scary,snow,winter,insignificant

 

Mrs Justa and lake effect snow

This is LAKE EFFECT snow..

It comes in bands and one spot will have sunshine, the next spot will be next to zero visibility.

It is unpredictable and kind of nerve wracking.

I went to the gym about 6 miles north of here and at the gym it was snowing…than 1 1/2 miles later –bright sunshine and blue skies. Than 1/4 of a mile from here..snowing till I got home.

All day it has been different depending on the minute.

This shot really shows the dramatic difference between the snow and the not snow line.

It is fluctuating, and depending on which weather person we listen too, we can be expecting over a foot before morning. Oh I really hope not… I am just not in the mood for the shaking and shivering of snow removal and wind blowing snow crystals down my neck… the frozen finger feeling… nope just not ready…

My one brother is a snow plow driver and my son a police officer..Both have to head out on roads untreated and their job requires them to be in the storms no matter what.Mark used to drive a tractor trailer too … he had to drive in whatever the weather was. I could not do any of those jobs.. nope..me I am okay going from here to where I have to get to..but than that is kind of it.. I need to try to focus on work or home… and I do not venture out again till I have to.  Mark had millions of miles under his belt, so I am blessed to have his nerves of steel available when the weather is really bad.

I am a good winter driver..I believe I am.. and have driven through really NASTY storms.. just winter driving is tough at times, because people in this area need to have  1) common sense… 2) snow tires  …3) patience..

There are people who swear that we do not need snow tires..but unless you have all season that have new tread every year… I think you will find out there is just more control with snow tires. We have snows on the front and back of the cars and a pretty aggressive tread on the pick up..

This year we have the pick-up—it does have 4 wheel drive…so we might find out how that works out too. I personally have never had a 4 wheel drive vehicle..but people who have swear by them.

So I am off… to go and chill.. and get ready for the unknown in the morning… I will let you know if we were spared the snow or not tomorrow… love to all. Mrs Justa…alias Cindy…

Technorati Tags: weather,lake effect snow,bands of snow,accumulation,stress,life,challenges

 

Mrs Justa.. can you say snow !

I just got done making Rice Krispy treats for a retirement party tomorrow. I forgot how sticky they were… but alas – they are cooling in the fridge—than it is the cutting through them.. If I remember correctly they get pretty hard.

HMMM>.. sometimes the thought is much nicer than the task. But it will be a nice treat for them.

The snow is in the weather forecast, slushy roads a possibility tomorrow, and here I sit trying to convince myself I do not care about the snow coming, but I do.

It is very hard to drive in the deep white stuff at times, it is really pretty once home and safe- to watch it out the window, it is really  tiring to clear the snow for 4 months or more. And yet—it is life as I know it. Life is full of challenges, if I lived somewhere where it never snowed, never changed colors , well I think life would be boring , in a way. Living somewhere with high humidity and HOT temps—naw… not so much.. So this is an okay place to be.

There is a saying that I think of…
There’s No Place Like Home”

Someone asked me where is the best place to live… and after I hemmed and hawed… I had to say.. here is wonderful. Other places are nice to visit, and than give us somewhere to look forward to. We are already talking about returning to OBX next year, oh my goodness, that was so awesome. But to live there year round… hmmm I am not a fan of hurricanes..and where we were—the roads were totally washed out…SO hopefully they will be back to normal by next spring… and we can visit again.

How about the south.. nope— not full time…. maybe a short stent…. the bugs grow bigger there, too hot…. need AC …. sweat…. hurricanes and tornados….

I am tempted to be a snow bird in another 20 years..but by then I will probably not be up for the trip. So I am snowbirding it in my mind… and facing the fact the snow will come, snow will go….and spring will be here in no time !. I guess for me, I feel lucky enough to love where I live, to realize that each season comes and goes, and with it brings challenges and special moments…and that some of the challenges are hard to anticipate—but once here—they are what they are…and than they go….

Enjoy the weather..whatever it may be… I am off to chisel the rice krispie treats out of the pan, and settle down for the night. I hope this finds you in good health, in good spirits. Love to all, Cindy Alias Mrs Justa.

Technorati Tags: snow,seasons,times,life,challenges,fears,tornados,hurricanes,visiting

 

Mrs justa and time passing by…

I have been working some long hours these last couple of days and by the time I get home- well it is pushing 7:30 or so. When I am getting out late, I do not stop at the gym too… ugg if I did it would be Than last night was a special time… I got home at about 7:45 and than we went to Denny’s for dinner, and headed to bring Jeff a cup of coffee. It was a nice night to take a drive..and anywhere from here is a drive.

I was thinking today on my way to and from work, as I watched the sky open up and welcome the day….how I must really be entertaining to passer-byers. As I have mentioned before- when I am working on a song for soloing in church- well I do not want to learn it here… I want to have kind of perfected it somewhat before I sing in front of anyone. So for the past 3 or 4 weeks, every chance I get, I replay and replay the track ..belting it out over and over again. Than the week or 2 before I am signed up  to share a special music with the church, I start practicing in the house.

So today- it was the last day of practicing in the car- and I sang the song over and over again all the way to work. Tonight-I brought the CD in here- and practiced . It is a tough song because of the message. It is a song title “What If”….It is a song that asks the question of what if there is nothing more…but what if there is ….  I am determined to get it ready for Sunday.

I am already getting the nervous anticipation of WINTER.. UGG> this is when the south sounds REALLY good. One of my co-workers is retiring this Friday, and another in 2 weeks. We are looking at the various issues.. and well retirement is gonna be well deserved by the time it gets here for me!.

But reality is on my dashboard— staring right at me…. saying DEAL WITH IT!

Have you ever had things you were anxious about..for no real sensible reason? Well that is me and the anticipation of snow. Once it is here, I find myself calm cool and collected. I do spend a lot of time singing the “Lord’s Prayer” as I grasp the steering wheel, squint to see ahead of me, and go the 30 miles to work. After the first snow fall.. it does get better for me… just gotta get to that point.

I am off for now… kinda pooped again. Peace to all… hugs and wishes for goodnights for you!. Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: winter,time,anxiety,nervousness,life

 

Mrs Justa and the winter jitters

The farmers are cutting down their fields, the hummingbirds have left town, the squirrels ( GRRRGRR) are gathering food for the cold winter months, the garden is almost all weeded and ready for Spring and on my way home tonight is the familiar sign at the baseball field… the one I watched through blowing snow and ice storms…it read today 192 days left to opening day 2012.

That sign gave me encouragement as the grips of winter held tight on this area. So in 192 days we will have made it past Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Ground Hogs Day and be seeing snow disappearing. Somehow in a warped sort of way, I feel like part of the journey through the snow is gone.

The skies are beginning to have the lower clouds as cold fronts tease us with their presence.

We took out the air conditioners this past weekend, and Thursday the summer statues and blinking solar lights will be safely tucked away , for 192 days. Windchimes come into cover, the grill back to the shed, and in 2 weeks the camper will be winterized and the snow tires will be put on the car.

Even though the snow is pretty, and when it gets here, it becomes a part of life… the anticipation of it gives me nervous stomach. Than once it is here… it is just another day in CNY.

This winter we are equipped with a 4 wheel drive vehicle—something we have talked about often, but never had.. supposedly if you drive them carefully , they can bring you comfort on lousy days. ..So off I go tonight,,,, feeling a displaced comfort by the baseball sign… tired from a weekend with not enough sleep… I am off for the night.. rest… Yankees, freeze pop and bed time. Peace to all, and thanks for stopping by. Mrs Justa  alias Cindy

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mrs Justa and not able to change the weather

How horribly scary… floods and wild fires… hurricanes and tornados… things that happen that make a statement how we are a speck on the journey of life.

Locally , within an hr from here, there is terrible flooding. Roads closed, thousands of people evacuated from their homes, roads totally under water, houses with their basements, first and maybe second floors  filled with water… like a bathtub filled to the brim…. and nothing you can do, but wait for it to leave. ( clip art from free clip art .com)

Appliances will not work again, cars will be destroyed, no way to get your things, photos, computers, clothing…. I can not imagine how much pain the people are going through. One moment your life seems to be in check, the next…the only thing in check is the knowledge that you have no idea what you are going to do !

The employer I work for has a satellite office in the area of the flooding and from what I hear, there are the majority of the people who work there are affected by the flood. A couple of people have their homes flooded out.

Last week it was the entire east coast, this week it hits again. And than there is Texas, parched and burning. We have lots of water up here… too bad we could not get a huge pipe and funnel it that way.

Life is so unpredictable, we take so much for granted , really we do , as a whole. I personally need to stop and look at the little things, appreciate the moments, not get wrapped in worry or discontent… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm( that is me meditating)……………. Ya just never know what will be lurking at the door of life…

Peace to all, Cindy alias Mrs. Justa.

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Mrs Justa and getting back to REAL life…

The internet and technology offers many things we would never have been able to almost feel, back in the days of just Newspapers, magazines and black and white TVs.  We can travel around the world from our chair in front of our computer.

We do not need to go to a stormy area to see it, nope there are weather and traffic cams all over this world.  We can travel 1,000s of miles and never leave our home. There are web cams in AFRICA—in the jungle ! I have gone on and starred a at the darkness, every once in a while a few elephants or a lion walks by… there are always crickets chirping in the background… I am fascinated by the fact the we have even invaded the jungles with cams.

We can converse with loved ones without picking up a phone. As we evolve,  I feel that we are also becoming more to ourselves and less personable as a nation. We have a president who needs a teleprompter to know what to say, we have millions of people who are more concerned with what their mobile device is doing than the person they are walking next to. When we were at the fair, everywhere I looked there were people walking next to other people, but in MANY cases, they were staring at the messages coming through them on their phones.

We rely on Facebook to contact our family, and our friends. Heck we could go on skype and have a cup of coffee with someone and feel like you are there… but it is not the same.

This country has a lot to offer each of us, but I think we need to get our noses off our various electronic devices , and be where the other people are.  People do need people… it was a song from years ago…but it is true…

there is something special about :being able to look into another persons eyes as you talk: to be able to lightly touch their arm for support :  to see their eyes water as you laugh with them : to feel the emotion : to have a child come running to you because they are glad you are there, : to have a child climb on your lap to cuddle…..… in the world of 2 dimensional world we are creating, we can miss so much… we can misinterpret situations, we can be taken incorrectly, we can be looked in a totally different light than we intended.

Life is so much more, in the 3 dimensional world we were born into.

Love to all.. Mrs Jsuta alias Cindy..

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Mrs Justa and creepy week

And the hits just keep on coming.man what a week of stuff!

My computer died  a couple days ago… well it just would not boot up 100%, so Mark and I discussed what worked in the past for him… recovery…. … well system recovery was another way to say…. clear everything out of the computer and start over again. When it was done reloading…. it said… “Welcome to your first time on your new HP!” Well I gotta tell ya… I was less than thrilled. My photos gone, my professional Windows  7 gone, my greeting card program gone…. my patience went out the window with the programs…

So I have pieced together some stuff… and still need to load the windows 7 back on . I am feeling overwhelmed with work stuff, friend stuff, the gym, camping, family stuff , life stuff. It just seems life happens so fast.

I know people whose husbands are dealing with some significant health issues, friends who are dealing with their own health issues, a special person who is dealing with not one..but 2 deaths this week… and a few folks who are dealing with life stressors.

People are freaking out over the weather, some people seem worried about the doom and gloom that the world seems to be shoving down our throats. I am consumed over the Hurricane that is coming up the east coast.

We had gone to the outer banks last April and to think about these poor people who have rented a home on the outer banks for an awesome vacation… dang the houses rent for thousands a weeks. Where we were it was arrive Saturday afternoon and leave by Saturday morning. We went at the off seaon, but the same house in August would go for 49995.00 this week— it was 995.00 the week we went. I hope these houses withstand the storm.  

this is one of the larger homes on the ocean , in the town we were in.

 

 

 

 

This is the one we were in…

I can not imagine sticking it out, and thinking it will be okay.

From the deck we looked out at the ocean. TO think of 12-20 foot waves coming at that house…. oh I hope it makes it through.

 

SO the next 24 hrs will tell how the island held up.   Prayers for  everyone in the hurricane path…. thankful I am not there…. had I been younger and more foolish… we might have stayed there for life. It was fabulous. Love to all…. Mrs Justa alias Cindy  

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Mrs Justa and the season’s changing

It is getting darker earlier,—literally and figuratively….

the tomato plants are dying, the zucchini plants seem to be thinking about maybe retiring for the season and there is less humidity in the air. It rained all day today, tomorrow maybe it will stop, and I wonder what the fall and winter will bring. And this weekend we saw red leaves lying on the ground

We had what has seemed to be an ongoing summer, warm, HOT, humid, and parching at times. Sun seemed to shine forever, air conditioners humming us to sleep…. uggg I really hate the hot humid temps of July, I feel impatient and easily frustrated… but I think I hate more the fact that as we had our breakfast dinner at 7:30… it was getting dark.The hummingbirds were there, but hard to see.  Hummingbirds…..I find them fascinating, these tiny little birds, flitting around, they come and go so quickly and they love red sweet liquid.

Mark asked a good question … “How did someone figure out that hummingbirds would be attracted to red sweet liquid?” That is a great question… I have no idea. But I do know they like the red syrupy liquid….

As the darkness starts to creep in slowly, it seems there is a proverbial black cloud over many people I know and care about. People with some significant health challenges, people with emotional issues, people with insecurities, people with  misfortunes. Their names I will leave out, they know who they are, but I am thinking of them each, and hoping they each have the strength to get through the challenges, the wisdom to not panic, and the acceptance that they have people who care.

So to all, I wish each person peace, and hope that the blue skies come back and the darkness fades away.

Love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa miserable as my mom was

Welcome to a “shut –up” day , as I so fondly referred to them SILENTLY ..in my mind… as I was growing up.

Notice I stated SILENTLY and IN MY MIND!!! That is because my mom… ( May she rest in peace) transformed into a not so timid , not so tolerant person when it was this hot and humid.

She became down right MISERABLE. I think if I tiptoed through the house, she would have asked why I was not making noise. If I had looked at her, she would have wanted to know what I was looking at.

She sighed a lot, she SWEATED… ( my mom did not sweat often , so when she did… I would look for a place FAR FAR away..)

She would try to get through it, and the first few hrs were not so bad.. but by high noon— ugggg… we had better have headed off to the Bayberry pool. She would have no patience for comments, talking, being… it was more like we stayed out of her way and let her have some ME time. I do not blame her.. I feel the same way when it is so dang hot and humid. I could not stand living permanently in a place with weather like this… People would remember me as days became hot and humid after I was long gone.

My mom, she had a tone, a tone of frustration or maybe totally discomfort. She would become really annoyed, and would tell us way before sunset how miserable she was. (news flash.. she did not have to tell us !!!!)

Me… I am not a fan of the humidity either. I get really sweaty, hate feeling sweat trickling down the center of my back and into my undies… or when my chest sweats, my hair, I feel all sticky… and than I get DIARRHEA. I am not sure why that happens- but it does… like my gut has to give its 2 cents worth in heat humidity or BAD snow storms. Living in the NORTHEAST- I am amazed I am not a twiggy.

SO here I sit.. fans blowing on fans, curtains trying to flail in the artificial wind, my sweater top it feeling itchy ( I have nto changed from work.. so yes—in this 100 degree house I have a fricken sweater top on!!!), my legs are sweating in my dress pants, I thin my eyeballs are sweating… yuck…. I am off to take my very hot shower- and that way the house will feel cool.

Drink water still…. dress so your body can breathe  ( I have not done that yet) and look at the days ahead… pretty pathetic I am looking forward to an 80 degree day !.I am so thankful I live in a time with electricity, with fans, and the A.C. in our bedroom…..  Until later.. I am going to get out of these winter clothes !!!> Love mrs justa alias Cindy

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Mrs. Justa taking my mind to a different place and time

As I sit here, feeling really almost suffocating from the humidity, fans blowing humid air into my face, but nothing really cooling the air…    I have to go to another place in my mind…

Ahhh..now we are talking. My toes are stinging from the bitter cold..my shoulders remembering the stiffness from heave hoeing snow…by nasal hair frozen together, cheeks aching from the wind… yeah… it is cooler already.

This evening it was 96 degrees… and the gym- even though it is air conditioned- the ceilings are probably 30 feet high, and it is filled with sweaty bodies… it was worse than standing by a stove at 90 degree humid weather and boiling pasta !.

I worked out, and I got the sweatiest I think I ever had. I tried to not focus on it, but when I could feel the sweat beads trickling down the center of my spine, (heck I think my socks were even absorbing sweat off my calves!.)..it was really hard to play mind games and think snow, blizzards and cold fingertips.

The mind is a wonderful thing really… if you give yourself permission- you can go to “happy places” while you are doing things that are difficult. Tonight the elliptical was a little tough because of the heat. The music was not doing it for me… cuz the sweat was soaking my ear plugs too.. So I unplugged my music and tried to focus on the 6:00 news, the weather, even the commercials. Judge Judy was verbally walloping people ( HEE HEE I love when she kicks their proverbial butts with her words…)  and every once in a while… my mind went into winter..snow banks, blustery wind, walking through ice, pellets feeling like they are going to drill into my face, hurting toes and fingers from the below zero temps….( Let me tell you..it I hard to go to that cold memory bank in my mind with sweat running through my bra!..) but I did.. I made it …and I got about 55 minutes into that work out…. now…I am going to go take a REALLY HOT shower..and than the rooms will feel cool.

When we were growing up in suburbia..alias no windia…no air-ia…. alias sticky summer nights when no skin can touch another part of skin,,, and mosquitos would get in the house and find our ear drums to buzz in while we were trying to go to sleep…well..I would gather my 2 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters and we would go into the bathroom..close the door and stand on the floor as I ran totally hot water in the bathtub. we would let the bathroom get super steamy and when we could not stand the steam any longer- we would open the door..ahh now the house felt cool-cuz the bathroom was so hot !!!/////so we would all zoom to our beds and try to fall asleep really quick- before our brains processed that it was NOT COOL in the house.

Hey anything to get some sleep… now as an adult—I would kick someone’s butt if they ran our  hot water like that…

so I am off.. a hot shower.. a zoom to bed… and than off to work tomorrow.

Peace to all.. Stay cool somehow…

think SNOW!!

Love Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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Mrs Justa and country living

The drive is worth it.. it really is.

Oh some folks say we live far far away, and some folks live a lot closer to the city, but it takes them longer than it does me to get to work because of the traffic in the suburbs and outskirts of the city.

This weekend I came to realize that roosters NEVER stop cockle doodle doodling! Man…

This little guy has a lot to say. He has a buddy that walks around with him , across the way from us, and dang if all day was not cockle doodle doo as I was working on the stuff out front.

We learned too that you can not shoo a rooster out of your yard !. Mark had gone kinda toward the rooster a few weeks back, saying shoo and go on home.. and the rooster kept coming towards him… as if to say.. “ I rule where ever I can be heard”
At lunch today and one day last week I heard some really nasty hollering from a duplex next to work. Last week I thought they were just having a bad day.. today… I am thinking more a bad life !

So it got me to thinking about living in the various places I lived and people arguing from different homes or apartments…and it made me really really appreciate living in the country. I love being able to sit still and hear nothing ! Silence.. and the sounds of a battery operated clock ticking….

Sure it is a trek to work.. but at least I am moving as I am taking the time to get there, and not in stop and go traffic.

And yes we have a big yard, but we have a rider and Mark is able to mow it during the week. He says it really wipes him out… but I can assure you, if I was pushing it every week- I would be beyond wiped out ! That flower garden in the front would probably be my grave !.

And we did move to the SNOW BELT !!

But winter seems far away right now… and it is a challenge to get in and out of here in the winter… but I still think we like it here! And how I look at it, ya have to have really snowy winters to appreciate spring summer and fall.

It is so nice to not have street lights, to know if we hear a siren something must be really wrong somewhere. That an unusual sound is a plane, and if we hear a helicopter—it is probably “AirOne” and there must be a pretty serious medical reason for them to be hovering .

Yep , I will take this over the alternative of a walk to work and living in the hustle and bustle of the city life…. it is just me…. I am a country girl… playing in dirt, picking weeds, country music, sipping ice tea, …. guess I am a RedNeck !! Love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

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