fidlmath

Diana the Spider Wrangler

Another oops.  I was really tired when I wrote the earlier post and didn't wake up to something very important until I was emailing someone about this past week.  I am really very fortunate in that I don't really have a completely empty nest - there is a nearby one with my first daughter, J in it.  She is totally awesome - beautiful, talented, loving, bright and creative - and always there for me.  She is the one who planned and orchestrated my surprise birthday party the other day - and she is always finding little and not so little ways to show me how much she cares.  I don't know what I'd do without her. 

posted by: mafidl at July 30, 2006 19:35 | link | comments (3) |

Oops - forgot I can't switch to mediablog and come back to post.  Oh well.

For the past week my nest has been, mostly, unemptied.  Now it is empty again - sob - but it was fun.  Friend K left to return to Utah this morning - had to be at MIA at 6 - we made it!  Then daughter the younger, L, and I drove over to Miami Beach to swim - but it wasn't light yet - so found a nice place for coffee and bagels [Big Al's Bagels on 5th by Collins] then it was light enuf - to  Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Park where we could park [pardon the pun] free [!!!] until 9.  Few people and water was great.  Then to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden where we visited the Rain Forest area and all 4 [count 'em] lily ponds - which L loves.and here is one of the blooms that was in one of them.  Then we drove to the 94th Aerosquadron Restaurant for lunch to meet daughter , J, and her friend K, only to find it was Sunday brunch - with free champagne - way too much, but very good food - and close enuf to MIA to get L there by 1:30 for her 2:45 flight.
Here's another blossom from Fairchild - don't know what it is, but they were lovely. 

posted by: mafidl at July 30, 2006 17:30 | link | comments (4) |

birthday continued

I really thought my birthday was over - but my daughters and some friends pulled a fast one on me last night.  Daughter the older, J, was cooking dinner with L and K - and told me to not come before 7:15.  I never twigged to the fact that she was organizing an impromptu birthday party.  She had invited a couple of my close friends, Ed, Amy and Mike as well as the whole W clan, who are extended family.  Had a lovely time and wound up staying over there.  Today we fiddled around, so to speak, long enuf to be too late to go to Fairchild Garden - but can go tomorrow, probably.  If I hadn't re-broken my bass it would have been a perfect day.  Wonder if Mitch will shoot me when I take it back to see if he can re-glue it.  Oh well  - I knew I shouldn't have cleaned the house!

posted by: mafidl at July 28, 2006 15:32 | link | comments (3) |

Key West

Here are a couple of the pics I took in Key West.  Also the squall Wednesday that kept the girls from parasailing

and in case you missed it in my comment after yesterday's post here is the website for the blues group
http://bulletproofbluesband.com/ Moose was the main singer and bass player - both he and Michael, the guitarist, play reeeaaaly well.  I tried to put a somewhat brief movie of them playing and singing on here, but even tho' it seemed ridiculously short, it was too long [13.9 mb] and I don't know how to handle it.  I'll try to put it into photobucket and see if that works - but right now it is down for maintenance.  I'm also wondering if there's another way to manage it. 

posted by: mafidl at July 27, 2006 08:35 | link | comments (5) |

birthday

Today's the big day - and I won't say how many.  My daughters,J and L and their friend K and I drove down to Key West Sunday.  Well, we didn't actually get that far until yesterday, because we stayed, first on Marathon Key and K and L went scuba diving Monday morning.  Then we drove down to Looe Key - stayed the night there and really enjoyed the music - a blues combo called moosebulletproofband - guitar and bass and they were great.  Then Tuesday we drove on down to Key West, where we planned to stay for a couple of hours, only, but decided that wasn't enuf time, so managed to get a room on Duval Street not far from the main action [and for a very reasonable price].  Had drinks at Fat Tuesdays, then dinner at Monty's, where we were able to swim in the pool and drink, then watched the sunset from Mallory Square, then to Sloppy Joes.  I was going to stay for a couple of drinks, then head back to the hotel so the girls could go on barhopping - but the band there was sooooo good that it was 1AM before L and I finally went back to go to sleep.  The name of the band, believe it or not, is Emily's Toybox.  My daughters decided to play games - the band kept asking for song requests - and it was obvious that they are, primarily a heavy rock band.  So J requested, first, a Beegees song - which they acted outraged about, then preceded to do one with their own style - J said afterward the lead singer sounded like Alvin the Chipmunk on crack.  Then, later, she requested a Michael Jackson song - they came back with an abbreviated and very funny version of Beat It.  Finally, she sent them a note saying it was my birthday, which they acknowledged, then did their own version of Sweet Emotion, by Aerosmith, which I had requested.  Fun, fun, fun.  Today the girls were supposed to parasail, but the weather intervened, fortunately or un - and considering the rough water and hangovers it was probably just as well.  I took several pics, which I'll probably add tomorrow.  All in all it was a great way for me to spend my birthday - and I almost didn't go, expecting a barhopping evening like last night started out, but without imagining I'd have so much fun.

posted by: mafidl at July 26, 2006 23:21 | link | comments (11) |

LOVELY DAY

What fun it is to spend the day with friends and family.  Daughter the younger, L, and her friend, K, are visiting from Utah.  First we had lunch with 3 other friends and J, then to Everglades with N, then to J's house and finally, drinks and appetizers at Black Point Marina.

So here are 2 of the many of these [locusts?] that were almost the only critters along the Anhinga Trail yesterday.  The water plant was taken by daughter, L.

and the sunset was at the Marina, where we ended the lovely day.  BTW it rained buckets on the drive down to the Everglades National Park [I shouldn't say just Everglades, since, technically, all of Florida from, maybe Lake Okeechobee or further north is/was in the Everglades] then sprinkled all the time we walked - lovely.

posted by: mafidl at July 23, 2006 11:08 | link | comments (6) |

Thought y'all might enjoy this, from my friend, Linda who has started a blog

  LOOLOOS FOR LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS):
 
1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
2. A will is a dead giveaway.
3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your 
    count that votes.
6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
7. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat 
    miner.
10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum
 Blownapart.
13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
14. Local Area Network in Australia: The LAN down under.
15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
16. A calendar's days are numbered.
17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large

22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the 
end.
23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd 
dye.
26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.

posted by: mafidl at July 20, 2006 17:51 | link | comments (6) |

Tools

I wish someone would remind me not to buy simple implements that require assembling.  I couldn't find the directions to put the bathroom tub, etc cleaning mop thingee together, so thought [or not] this should be easy.  It only took friend, N about 15 minutes to undo what I'd done wrong and re-assemble it correctly - all the time with me pitching a hissy fit [at my incompetence and, as usual, trying to do something too quickly].  Anyhow, we did manage to clean the big bathroom upstairs, now taking a break, then I must finish cleaning and straightening up that bedroom.  I wonder if it's true that if one cleans regularly, it takes less time - LOL  Maybe this time I'll do that - heheh.  At least, after having my blood tests, I went to get breakfast and brought back a large portion of really excellent spaghetti with meat sauce - that is, large chunks of sausage and ground beef and everything else sauce should have.  It's the only spaghetti sauce that I prefer to my own.
Tomorrow I get my nails done - relaxation - inbetween bouts of cleaning.  Non sequitur: I've decided to try to sell my dining room set that I got from my parents.  It has a rectangular table with drop leaves at both ends, heavy pads to cover it all, 6 chairs and 3 other pieces - all solid oak with veneer added.  It needs some work and I'd thought about donating it - but my cousin, friend and income tax preparer said I'd undoubtedly do better if I can sell it.  I've always loved it, but planned on selling it when I moved here nearly 5 years ago.  As a result I have something like 5 or 6 boxes piled in a small closet and in a corner of the dining room with dishes, etc, that would have gone into the china closet, server and 3rd piece.  I will probably have to sell some of the other stuff, too, but my lifestyle doesn't require any of it and my daughters don't want it. I am tired of having to deal with clutter. So, have to figure out how to go about selling it.  I still have the thought of donating it in the back of my head.  Not that I'm wealthy - not by a long shot - but someone could fix it up and put it to good use.  So, as usual, I will have to make up my mind at some point.  Middle name: procrastinator.

posted by: mafidl at July 20, 2006 16:58 | link | comments (2) |

I HATE HOUSEWORK

 But sometimes it's necessary. If I didn't have invited visitors/houseguests, I might never clean the place.  It's started, at least but I have 2 bathrooms to go + trying to clear some closet space and some horizontal space - like the bed where they'll be sleeping.   Right now it is piled with clothes to put away, guitar and bass study books, computer parts, etc.  My ex believed that all horizontal spaces automatically got filled, so living spaces should be designed with more of them  He also believed that houses should be built with everything plastic, no rugs, so that the place could be hosed down periodically - or something like that.  He hated housework more than I.  While we were married he helped me. twice.  The first time we were expecting another couple for dinner, and I needed to be cooking, so he took over vacuuming.  After awhile I wondered why he was still working on the living room.  He was on his hands and knees with the hose attached directly to the brush, cleaning the rug inch by inch - claimed it was the only way he could get it clean.  Trust me, it wasn't THAT dirty.  The other time we were in Oz with 1 1/2 kids. I was cooking hamburgers, not feeling too well, he walked into the kitchen, noted that I was as white and as healthy looking as cooked egg white. "You go into the living room and lie down, I'll finish cooking supper." he said.  Turned out I had type A flu, my first bout of flu.  I was laid low for about 10 days. Fun.
So after I have my blood tests, I have to go, quickly, to the store - problem is which store - to see if I can find a decent mop.  I have never liked any that I've had and the latest 2 - one self-destructed yesterday and the other is a pain in the gluteus maximus.  So off I go.  Whooppee   Later, maybe.  My guests [younger daughter and friend] will be here for a week and we're off to the Keys Sunday - Tuesday.  So after they arrive it will be fun.  'Til then - oh well.

posted by: mafidl at July 20, 2006 09:55 | link | comments (3) |

I spent 2 hours in the Aviary this morning, mostly watching the head keeper and 2 others move this huge rock to where it could be dumped into the lake.  It took quite an effort to get it this far - then, finally, it went into the lake - actually rolled in.  The worst part was getting it up the ramp to this level, which I didn't see.  There will be 5 or 6 other, smaller rocks added, much easier to move, I'm told, and then they'll be turned into planters - with small trees and shrubs - coral rock adapts to that quite nicely, I guess.

posted by: mafidl at July 18, 2006 23:02 | link | comments (1) |

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