Friday, July 25, 2008

Random Friday

We have been having the weirdest weather the last couple of days. Very eerie weather, dark, foreboding and humid. Yesterday we had tornado warnings which is a very rare occurrence in these parts. As the police say there was a 'hinky' feeling in the air. I bet I put the horses in and out four times. I got soaked several times including when I was grilling hamburgers out on the back deck! Nick spent most of the day in the barn even though he could go out other then the times I put them in their box stalls. He's a wimp when it comes to rain but yesterday I had that funny feeling too.


We lost our power in the morning about 8:30. The outage stretched for miles which included 190,000 customers. We have a huge hulk of a generator out back which came on immediately. I guess lightening had struck a hydro junction. I dislike the generator as it looks like a small apartment out back but when we need it I change my mind quickly. It keeps everything up and running in our house and my parents apartment.

I had several appointments to go to so called ahead to my hairdressers to see if she wanted me to come in or not. I was just having a haircut so she said she could do that, no problem. Hummmmmm....a haircut in the semi dark, that was to be a new experience. Also called the chiropractor and they were signing people in with a flashlight but they also said to come in. Don't need electricity to have an adjustment.

Do need electricity for a pedicure but by the time I got there the power was back on and my toes are now Keys To My Karma Red. Where does OPI come up with the names of their colors??? The salesclerk suggested that they smoked some wacky-tobacco before they started thinking up the names. Hey, you never know. What OPI colors do you all use?????

When OPI first came out I thought it was pronounced Oppie like the kid on the Andy Griffith Show. DUH! Would you have admitted to that?!


The guys are here to put up the new swing set for the grandchildren. It's pouring cats and dogs out so hopefully it will stop before long. This is what the swing set looks like now. I'll put in the finished product next post! :0)


Big news in Maine this week! A lady opened her washing machine and found a snake six feet long in there! She hurriedly put the cover back on and called the police who called animal control who called the exotic pet guy. They are saying this thing came up through the pipes but according to my plumber there is no way under the sun that that could happen. With all the traps and small pipes it's just not possible.
Sooooooooo...........I wonder how it got in there????? I think someone played a joke on her but what do I know. We don't have pythons here in Maine so they think someone had it as a pet, got sick of it and just let it go. Not a very responsible thing to do!

My mother was going through some pictures yesterday and found this one of my grandfather when he was going into World War 1. He was 19 years old at the time. He has been gone for many years but if he were alive he would be 108 as he was born in 1900.

This is my porch swing. I LOVE my porch swing and call it my Walton's Swing after the show the Walton's which is a favorite of mine. I had this swing specially made and it is long enough to take a nap on and wide enough so you don't fall off if you move. I have rocked my grand kids to sleep on this swing many times when they were babies and sat there with them while they napped. They still love the swing and are usually on it about every time they come over. Now they are more adventurous and like to go fast and hit the house if at all possible! Also they like to stand up on it like they are surfing...........I don't like that as I don't want them to fall. We also like to blow bubbles out there and have Noodles chase the bubbles. Another thing I like is to sit out there during a storm and watch the lightening. I used to do that with my son so that he wouldn't be scared of thunder storms and it worked. We get some pretty good lightening as we are right beside the Penobscot River and it seems to follow the river. Everyone should have a swing. We had a swing on our porch when I was growing up and we loved it. That's my advice for the day, if you have a place anywhere on your property put in a swing for you kids or grand kids! :o)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! :o)

18 comments:

Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander said...

The weather has been wacky here too. Last night we had tornados out and about. The temps are creeping into the triples with heat index and it's just been so darn HOT! I am so ready for fall!!

Hmm, I have several OPI favs! My favorite is a red, but I can't think of the name of it at the moment. I also like, "I Don't Do Dishes", and "I'm A Princess, You're Not".

I love swings and would also recommend that everyone have one! Have a great weekend!

Dawn said...

I have an admission - Ihave no clue what OPI is! I have no desire to draw attention to my ugly nails, either hand or feet!

I finally found a swing the rigtht size to go over lout ridiculously huge window well in front of the house - I love to sit there with the kids, too, but it's not long enough for my 5'10" body to take a nap.

We had a terrible tornado only 15 miles away from us in early Junje - very eerie and bazaar. It destroyed our youth leader's house. Scary stuff!

Linds said...

I bought a swing like that for my doll's house. The one i have had waiting for me to construct for oh, 9 years or so.....

I have always loved American houses with their porches and swings. They would look rather odd here though! Unless I actually realise that dream and build my wooden house with porch and all the rest! You never know.....

Have a great weekend, and I really hope no tornado arrives.

Carole Burant said...

Oh dear, I do hope the tornadoes stay away from you! Our weather has also been weird but not as ominous as yours...it's just that we keep getting cloud bursts where the sun is shining and there's blue sky in between the clouds and yet it's pouring rain! lol Today it started out sunny but now it's clouding over and we are expecting some rain. We need a good solid rain for a few hours, things are pretty dry.

I had never heard of OPI nail polish until my daughter in law asked for some at Christmas time...I had no idea what it was until she told me. I couldn't find any in the stores around here. I love soft pink nail polish, it's what I always use:-)

You do realize that the next time I have to do laundry, I will be scared of opening up my washing machine?? lol Geesh, imagine finding a 6 foot snake in there!! As you said, though, makes you wonder how it got in there if the plumber says there's no way a snake that big could have come up the pipes.

What a wonderful picture of your grandfather. I love old pictures like that and hearing the stories behind them.

I love your swing...wish I could go sit on it with you while we share a glass of cold ice tea and chat:-) I have a swing on my back patio and I love spending time on it, it's so relaxing.

Hope your weekend is a terrific one my friend! Love you! xoxoxo

Donna. W said...

Wow, a padded porch swing! That looks so comfy.

I never heard of OPI in my life. Never had a pedicure, for that matter. With feet like mine, it would have been a waste of time. Now that I don't have toenails, it's out of the question.

palmtreefanatic said...

love love love the porch swing!!!

How long was the power out?
I had to chuckle at cutting your hair in the semi dark...ever watched SHEAR GENIUS! I loved the episode of them cutting hair blindfolded! CRAZY!!!

I am in love with the OPI color in the new summer India Collection! It is called INDIA MOOD FOR LOVE It is a purpley pink, yet very pink! I just love it so much I had to have my own! ;)

our weather has been cloudy I wonder if we will get what you have? Have a great weekend!

Susie said...

I love your porch and swing! How I love to sit out there for a nice chat with you :) I'm too lazy to run upstairs and see what my OPI shade is, but I always have polish on my toes (never on my nails)
Hope the storm is short lived and the swing set is able to be installed. I think they'll have more fun that hitting the house with your other swing!
It's hot here and the boys are gone for the day. Yay! it's the weekend and we can have some time to relax. Hope you have a great time too!
love you!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Love the post.Looks like fun,but hope the weather isn't to bad.
Love the old picture.

Mama said...

I love this post! It reminds me of the fun The Cowgirl and I have reading the OPI bottles when I go for a pedi (I only go rarely; don't want to sound like I'm a diva or anything. lol).

But I also love this post because your grandfather's pic reminds me of some of my own grandfather. He was born in 1895, I think, and also served in WWI. Had a very similar uniform as your grandfather.

Wish I had his pics scanned. A good activity for me to plan!

Linda said...

Dirty snake! I've never heard of OPI either but do love my one concession to femininity, PINK TOENAILS! My porch swing has padding to besides that which I provide.

Nancy said...

Our electric was off a couple hours the other day, but they are really good about getting it repaired rather quickly.

My parents sold their hotel when I was in high school and then bought a huge 3-story house and started a hunting lodge. That house had a porch swing, and we..loved..it! I was pregnant for my first baby at the time, and I could swing there for hours. As a youngster, I had played at that home when the previous owners' three granddaughters would be there for their summer vacation. So I guess you could say I grew up with a swing. We bought a wicker swing for our sunroom in the last home we had built. There really IS something about a swing! Your swing is beautiful, and I LOVE your porch!!!! Verrrrry pretty!!!

I've never seen OPI polishes at nail salons around here. They use Sation or something like that. I'll have to check my stash of colors out next time I get them out. I like the corals for my toes and I had the French Manicure done for about 10 years and then quit last year. I was too hard on the nails when I laying ceramic tile! LOL May get them done again one day, I'm not sure. I just hate to go the nail salon, even with an appointment! Just can't sit still that long!!! LOL

Know the grands are going to love the new swing set!!! Kids really do need to play outside in the fresh air and not in front of a TV or Game Boy, unless the weather is bad.

A generator is what everyone should have. A lot of people in another city lost all their freezer foods and meats last week due to a big power outage. Hope they had some kind of insurance to cover it.

I saw that snake in the washer on our local news here, but I didn't catch that it happened in Maine! It was pretty scary!!! I would have died myself!!! I think they did it themselves just to get media attention or maybe to get rid of their own snake! Poeple do the craziest things!!! LOL

Hope to get the pie dish shipped Monday. Will let you know when I do.

Have a great weekend!

(((((( HUGS ))))))

Renie Burghardt said...

I'm glad the weird weather didn't develop into an actual tornado. Animals can feel weird weather coming on. My dogs get restless and want to hide long before they actually hear the thunder.

My nail color is usually champagne frost, and definitely not OPI. Just Revlon. LOL.

Yikes on the huge snake in the lady's washer. How scary is that? I had a blacksnake in one of the bathrooms last summer, and I still don't know how he got in. And getting him out wasn't easy either, since I didn't want to kill him.

I love the picture of your grandfather. My grandfather was in World War I as well, and was a prisoner in Russia for 2 years. Somehow, he managed to escape.

Your porch swing looks so cozy inviting. I don't have a porch, only a couple of decks.

Despite the weird weather, I'm glad you finally got rain.

I enjoyed this post, and the one below it. I'm behind visiting, but will be catching up with all my favorite bloggie friends this coming week. Have a lovely Sunday.

Hugs,

Renie

Dawn said...

Hey, glad to see your edited title - didn't want to mention it! Hee-hee.

kdwhorses said...

Love the swing! I would love to have a hammock! I remember sitting and swinging for hours on end with my Nannie!

Snake in the machine! HUMM..Sounds like someone is trying to scare her to death!

I don't use OPI, but I do love to paint my toenails a bright pink!

Callie said...

Cool photo of your Grandpops! I love your porch swing. I would camp out there as often as I could in the summer! Good thing you have a generator!

Mozi Esme said...

I could use a spell in that swing right now - it looks so relaxing!

I'm really out of it, I still don't know how to pronounce OPI.

My baby really likes her snake books at story time, but I admit to getting shivers everytime I look closely at the photos. There are way too many poisonous snakes around for me to be attracted to any of them. So far the only live snake I've seen here at home was a harmless brown one in our swimming pool, but I'm getting shivers again right now thinking about it. So please keep them out of my washing machine! Bugs - OK, Snakes - NOT!

Train Wreck said...

OPI!! Crazy names I know!! I was a nail tech a while back. I love their polish! They names are funny, My favorite was "I'm Not Really A Waitress!" A really pretty red!
I lOve your porch and swing!! I want one for my porch! I would love to sit in it in the evening. Of course I will have to get a lap top to keep up with blogging!!

Needled Mom said...

Do you mean that OPI isn't pronounced like that???? I always thought it was.

Love the front porch. It looks so inviting. I sat in a swing this weekend that was aerodynamically designed to swing by itself for 40 minutes. Talk about comfortable, but I would have been asleep before it stopped swinging.

A hair cut and an adjustment without power? Hmmm. Of course my hair looks like that right now.

We heard about that snake. I agree with you that someone was playing a bad joke on that woman. I cannot imagine one getting through those narrow pipes.