Dber Ha Orelle

This is now a blog in a box with a new spiffy layout. It's still where I come to post news, thoughts, and whatever. To return to my main page, click here.

The road trip is a distant memory. In a way that is good. Fred's wife, Alice, got sick and blamed my cooking. I enjoyed hiking in the desert. Herman and I even went on a moonlight hike. We saw antelope and we also got a bit sunburned. My boarder, Kim, was very concerned about that. I figure I have lived long enough that a little sunburn (and I'm not talking sun poisoning) doesn't really matter. I put aloe cream on the sunburn, and it felt much better.

The support office hasn't yet found me a student to tutor so I am at loose ends. I am just not the type who can sit at the computer and get my social life through a screen so I am going to need to find something to do. The question is what. Most of my volunteer work has largely been tutoring.

The lady at the volunteer office suggested I try something with computers. I told her that I was no programmer. She said I knew a lot more even than many younger people and what I don't know I suppose I can learn. She said she will look for something for me and I'll hear from her early this week. That should be exciting.

Kimberly, our boarder, is studying hard this summer and had to quit one of her jobs. This makes her mopey and poor. Actually she is poor not only because she does not have much of an income but because she also lets water run through her fingers just like water. This puts her in a foul mood. Now the weird part in all this is that Kimberly is not a gambler. She does, however, take her poverty and lack of thrift out on her boyfriend which means Herman and I have witnessed some very uncomfortable fights. I hope things calm down soon.

Saphira, our cat, caught a bird the other day and Kimberly accused me of being cruel for letting her finish it off. I reminded her she is talking to a woman who feeds live mice to her snakes. I was surprised Saphira could still catch birds at her age.

And yes, I'm glad I have my t-shirt on the silk purse. I agree with Haldis. It was about time.

Hey I guess it's time I spoke up. We are going on a road trip. I am of a mixed mind on this but we are doing it any way. Herman's friend, Fred, has a four wheel drive vehicle which means we are driving from Elko to Winnemucca on desert back roads and we are doing it this weekend!

I went out and bought the groceries for the road trip. I got Kimberly, our boarder, to put the cool packs in the freezer and sort the ripe from the unripe fruit and go check for ripened fruit in the big bowl on the dining room table. Kimberly was not raised in a home with a proper kitchen. There was a kitchen there I am sure. It was just her parents did not know how to manage it. I have to be very specific when I order Kimberly to do tasks. She can boil potatoes for salad. She can now make cole slaw. She can prepare sweet potatoes and apples for casserole. She can even prepare one or two types of macaroni salad. She also helps with the soup.

Now her latest complaint is carobhydrates. We eat too many carbos. I'm always making potatoes or pasta or sweet potatoes or rice. She leaves out the barley, kasha, corn bread and other grain based foods I also make. Don't we know carbos will make us fat. I remind her that her Uncle Herman, my husband, does not eat meat. I remind her that bread and jam is the traditional snack for children if they don't have a piece of fruit. It is all to no avail.

Lately I found energy drink in the fridge. The stuff is supposed to help build muscles. I asked Kimberly if she wanted muscles like a man. She told me about her abs which must mean abdominal muscles. I have a bit of a paunch. At my age, it's to be expected and I doubt it was all from having Masada. I have a scar from that and a lot more.

I told Kimberly that if she wanted a bloody red steak I would cook her one. I might even eat some myself since I have nothing against beef. Herman could be out of the house when we ate it. Kimberly blushed. She feared the fat content in meat. Go figure on all of this. At least Kimberly is studying regularly and living quietly. She does not come home drunk or stoned. She brings the boyfriend around on weekends. She's about twenty so if she wants to take the boyfriend to bed she is free to do so. I don't inquire what the two of them do late at night but I don't find him around in the morning.

Anyway, I made my way across town to the healthfood store that stocks soynut butter. I'm making up sandwiches. There are bags of rice cakes. There is a bucket of rice salad along with paper plates. There are raw veggies that will get sliced and go in plastic bags. You get the idea. We are going to do some hiking during part of the trip. I still have to do my laundry so I have clean underware and shirts for the trip and the same for Herman. No, Herman will not do laundry. He is out with Fred who is getting his RV (Fred's RV of course) checked out so we don't have a breakdown during the trip. Wish us luck.

Oh and one more thing. I applied to join the Royal Surivival Prowl, a kind of a nonvote exchange site fight. I think I have a good enough site to compete and I can hold my own with young people if my two nieces are any indication.

It's good to be blogging again. I promised Eileen that I would do this more often. It's important for her that Thadea, Haldis, and I all blog. Eileen is proud of us as her friends and family and Eileen wants to show us off. Eileen has also created a web board where we may all gather with others and talk to our hearts content.

Eileen is really a wonderful person. She got kicked out of a community called Brainstorms (I won't give those #%&%@ a free link!) because she has us as her friends. Well that's just plain WRONG!. Eileen was there for us on Brainstorms so we are there for her on our blogs and on her board. Expect to see a lot more of us! You go Eileen!

The baby snakes all have new homes so it is quiet around here except that Kimberly, the poor boarder is taking summer courses to catch up. She is not happy about that. I even agreed to make her a skirt for her job and she still is unhappy. It's a money thing. Kimberly can never have enough and she does not have a lot which makes things worse.

Herman and I got out to the desert. We stayed overnight and hiked an entire day. I came home sore but oddly fulfilled. There is something about walking in the desert near Elko that is a religious expeience. We have friends with a four wheel drive vehicle who have talked about driving the road from Winnemucca to Gerlach. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Walking gives one peace. Bombing around in a car is quite another matter. Herman, however, seems fascinated by the idea. Go figure.

It's been forever since I've blogged here and so much has gone on. In March twenty-nine baby garter snakes were born in the vivarium. Feeding the snakes became a round the clock job, fun but exhausting. I tell you I am getting too old to do this kind of thing. Gracie produced seventeen young while Hannah had twelve. Twelve is an average size clutch. Gracie is my phenomenal breeder. Those people taking Gracie's babies home got some snakes with excellent genes. Gracie for those of you who don't know was a rescue snake. There really are such things. She has no papers. She is domesticated because she is aseasonal. This is not a good trait for snakes in the wild but an excellent one for snakes one breeds at home. I was able to get Gracie impregnated (Garter snakes bear live young.) in the fall. A summer or winter breeding with her would be chancey but she can be bred either spring or fall.

This is the tenth or eleventh time I bred my snakes and the first time I've ever bred both of them at once. I usually have one or two. Meanwhile, the tunicates have not died. Our boarder, Kimberly, likes to show them off and explain what they are. Saphira, the cat is doing well. I finally took down the bird feeders and washed them. They were a mess. I am looking forward to my first vacation day hiking. The tutoring season is pretty much over.

These days I am doing a lot of sewing. Haldis, one of my nieces has an office job in the deep south and she needs three skirts. She ordered the material and I agreed to contribute the labor. Haldis wears her skirts long so these will be 23" skirts. One is rose colored. One is blue, and one is olive drab, Haldis' favorite color next to avocado. Kimberly watches all this with resentment. Here is Haldis getting special treatment. Haldis is brilliant and besides Haldis will work hard at her job and quite frankly, Haldis does not live to be entertained or entertain herself. There, I said it.

Kimberly has a boyfriend and it was very cute the way she acted so shy with him. She is twenty years old. She uses birth control or she better. Snake babies are one thing. Human babies are another. I don't mind feeding little snakes sardines packed in water, but I do mind changing human diapers and warming bottles. Anyway, my point is she's a consenting adult but she was real shy about the boyfriend and I finally told her just take him in the guestroom if that's what you want. The poor boarder blushed. I said I'd make up a bed for him on the couch in the den and then he could go where he wanted in the house if it was too late for him to go home. I would pretend not to see. Kimberly blushed more. Finally, I said to her: "Look I'm seventy-four years old I still do it. I do it more now than I did when I was younger because I'm retired and Herman and I have more time. Sometimes we just got too busy especially when Masada was young or school got busy or we were taking courses." She turned redder still. How did this young generation get so repressed? I don't think this is a good thing at all.

I'll write more. Anyway, I think everyone but Ithamar and the little girls are all caught up to date. Do you think we ought to get a web ring for these blogs? Just a thought....

Yikes! I've been tagged. Now I don't know what to write. My email lists are more active than ever. I also have a second student to tutor so I am getting out more. The snakes are still pregnant. The birds are busy at the feeder. I went to buy suet for them today. We used up our first cake. Those must be some awesomely hungry birds, or maybe the word has just gotten around. Do birds gossip?

We have decided to keep Saphira housebound for the sake of the birds. Herman is behind me on this.

Our boarder is taking algebra and I am helping her. So too is Herman. She will not learn to code and even though she pays for our HBO which she watches late at night (Yes, the boarder studies in front of the TV) she still rents videos. She got new boots for Christmas and wore them to schul. She looked wonderful. I wish I were twenty years old again. I tell myself I would not make the same mistakes. Of course I think it is better to be twenty in 2004 then in 1954. I think 1984 would have been better than either of those years as long as we are choosing times. Forget the Orwellian connotations. That's happening now anyway, with all the surveillance and databases. It's painless, our erosion of privacy.

One of my tutorees is doing trigonometry so I've been brushing up on that. This tutoring keeps me busy and keeps my mind alive. Herman and I plan to go winter hiking this weekend. We'll just do a day trip. I don't mind leaving Kimmie, the boarder, in charge of the house. She is fairly responsible. Her mother called and gave me all kinds of dire warnings about her which so far turned out bogus. Maybe Kimmie was worse when she was younger.

OK, Thadea tagged me so I guess that makes me
it. This whole house smells of varnish. Why does it smell of varnish and stain? Herman, my dear husband and his friend, Roger are starting to finish the table that will hold Herman's new toy, the salt water aquarium. Saphira, our cat, goes in the living room and tries to bury the torn up newspaper that is still covered with sawdust. Herman has promised to help me clean the living room when the table is moved to the study and the aquarium installed and set up.

Herman found the suet in the unmarked container when he wanted a snack before supper. He stood over the sink nearly gagging and then he asked me why I was so inconsiderate. I told him that the house is a wreack because of his hobby. I don't wreack the house because of my hobbies. I know, there is nothing more boring than an old couple squabbling. What can I say?

Herman is a vegetarian who is repelled by animal flesh in any form, even cold cuts. The list is small. I made sure I posted to it yesterday and I will make sure I will post to it today. Here is the list. I have more email right now than I can handle. That makes me sad.

Tutoring is going well. I have a student who actually shows up prepared. Herman and Roger are making noises about going out for lunch and taking me with them. That means we will go to the health food bar. I like carrot juice. Then maybe we'll mall walk. Herman is talking about getting new pulls for the dresser in the bedroom. I'm not sure if I am up for any interior decorating. It is sort of the wrong season for that.

Saturday is Simchat Torah and I am trying to convince our boarder who was raised Jewish but not taught anything to go to schul with us. I drag Herman to schul too. Poor Herman.

Well there it is, short and sweet as they say. At least it is getting more frequent.

We're tagging each other's blogs and I got tagged. Thadea, you're next!

OK, I have lots of big news. First Gracie and Hannah, my two garter snakes,
are pregnant and due to live bear a whole bunch of baby snakes in March. That means Herman is going to get a saltwater aquarium, complete with genuine tunicates. Tunicates are sea squirits. They are primitive cordates and sessile organisms. For some reason Herman likes these and wants them. Well I like garter snakes. Why shouldn't Herman like tunicates?

Item #2, I am now a list owner. My list is called Blue Corn Kiva and I set it up due to a magnificent and burgeoning spam problem on Makingfriendsonline. The list owner is absentee, left a huge security hole that allowed hidden subscribers, and then the spam came. People on the list only get upset about the porn spam. All the spam bothers me and there is no reason for any of it if a list owner and membership do what they are supposed to do.

I also joined a list called Schmartz. I think I am the only female there and the boys there play for keeps if you know what I mean. I spoke up against an atheist. I wonder if I'll get ground into dust under the mean males' heels. I'm not sure I can take that. If it gets ugly, I'll just leave. It's nice to hear something other than kitties and puppies and the weather.

Then there is the back fence list. It's over on Topica. I joined it and found out someone there supports Schwartzenegger. Yuck! My sisters would vomit. I just hold it in. I wrote to all my lists today and I am blogging and I decorated the Blue Corn Kiva page. That all feels pretty good. I usually don't have everything so complete and under control.

My boarder is still suffering from prickly heat. She gets it due to night sweats and a habit of sleeping all bundled up. She says she can sleep no other way so awakens drenched and now itchy from sweat pores that are blocked. Her back is one big sad prickle. She is bathing sometimes twice a day to open those poor blocked pores. The night sweats defeat all her attempts at clenliness. I know all of this sounds disgusting but that is what is going on.

In other news, we have new light fixtures in the guest room and garage. They have rheostats on them. Herman put them in. He enjoys doing electrical work. All the bird feeders, including the suet feeder, are fixed for the winter, but only the seed feeders are out yet.

I am seeing about tutoring algebra this winter. I've done this before and it is pretty rewarding. Sometimes I tutor college students, but more often it's high school kids and people working on GED's. Sometimes there is work. Sometimes there is no work. Sometimes the clients don't study. Sometimes the clients could care less about what they get for free. Such is the lot of the volunteer, but I figure I'll try again.

OK, Haldis, you're next!

It's been forever since I last blogged. How do I start this. I think I have wandered into a list where every one is trying to be too nice. The list is called makingriendsonline@yahoogrops.com It has an invisible owner and it just drifts. People come on line earnestly introducing themselves and then they pass around time worn stories and jokes that are less then funny. Sometimes they make light conversation. Sometimes they tell sad stories.

I don't like sad stories. I usually don't tell them until way after the fact. I almost died giving birth. It was scarey. I decided no more children after that and the doctor agreed. If I had known giving birth would almost kill me, I would have had my tubes tied right after college. There, that is as much of that story as you are going to get. I am glad Herman is alive, kicking, and in good health. I am glad I am in pretty good shape too though I try to eat right and take exercise to stay that way. I don't like talking about my health or any one else'.

I wish we could talk about current events or something with a bit more depth, but I don't know where to start. I suppose I could tell the list about feeding the snakes. Gracie and Hannah are lovely handsome garter snakes and they get two live white mice to eat ever two weeks or so. Herman and Kimberly, our boarder, want no part of the snake feeding.

It is my job to procure the victims and put them in the cage. I could walk out and let the snakes eat undisturbed, but it feels somehow hypocritical so I stay and bear grim witness. Sometimes I have the computer on. Sometimes I read a book. It's all over for the mice in less than an hour. Snakes eat mice. That is why snakes in the wild are good creatures. These mice were raised as snake food. Most Americans eat meat but they don't like to think of how it gets from the hoof to the supermarket. My feeling is if you are going to keep snakes you had better watch them be fed.

Herman by the way does not eat meat. Even the sight of it repels him. He would not hunt or fish. I admire his moral consistency. I am perfectly happy without meat. I like keeping snakes. I watch the snakes eat.

OK, as a person with a now-complete web site I guess it is my duty to blog regularly. Thadea says if I blog so will she and we'll rotate the entries. Haldis, the youngest member of our informal collective, uses a web board for her blog. She says she will blog too.

OK, so what is this collective. I know you are dying to know. It's called Hopefulviper. We don't have any web site stickers though I guess we could. We all have web sites on hopefulviper.us That's our shared domain. Thankyou Sweetpea. It is good to have nephews. Thadea, Haldis, adn I all code html and we try to code it responsibly and well. That means we work from scratch. That means we don't deal with pop-ups and we shun malware. It also means no Outlook for email since that is a conduit for viruses. If everyone coded responsibly, the net would be a better and safer place.

Aside from that, we can code whatever we please. Thadea competest at The Golden Elite and Haldis is a team manager at Webleagues. I don't compete anywhere. I'm not sure I want to though I can feel my nieces trying to push me in that direction.

I am the oldest member of our collective. I was born in 1930. That makes me ancient. What does an old lady do with html? What does she do on the web? Well an old lady, especially a retired school teacher, has time on her hands to be creative and also I was a chemistry major in college. I figure I can learn anything technical. HTML is easy.

I know people younger than I have trouble with it, but I believe they just aren't trying. HTML is lovely and elegant. Even beginners can create clean easy-loading code that makes pages that are a pleasure to view. Of course this blog and most of my site is a bit fancy.

HTML forces those of us used to thinking only in words to think visually and graphically. Web page design makes artists of us all.

OK, this is a test to make sure this blog still works.

I still feel very new and uncertain about this. Blogging as a daily ritual is hard. Sometimes I feel I just have nothing to say at all.

My online life is not particularly rich. I am a member of a group called Shadowdancyrs. I read their email but most of what I read is just members saying hello to new members. That is OK. I suppose somebody greeted me though for the life of me,
I can't remember. I would just hope that when I came into a group I would find them with something to talk
about other than just me. I mean, I am not that interesting. There is lots of other stuff going on in the world.

There is a potential war in Iraq. Here is an interesting web site with links to all sorts of articles on the subjects of war and peace. It's a clearing house of sorts and it takes a while
to load. Give it a try.

Our border, Kimberly, started school this week. She is taking chemistry for nonjajors, English, and some advertising courses. She is also taking sociology. I had to lend her money to buy her books. She said she was short and will pay me back in three days. We'll see. The apples from the midwest aren't in stores yet. The ones from Washington are old. I am craving winter fruit in the worst way. No, I don't like to bake pies. No one around here can stand to gain any weight except the snakes who got fed last night. Kimberly says not to tell her about this because it gives her nightmares.

Herman and I may go on a drive to the hills this weekend. We used to camp out a lot. Nowadays, we just day hike. That is good enough. We'll leave early Saturday morning and come back around 10pm Saturday night. Whoever is not driving will be sleeping on the front seat. Pleasant dreams.

OK, I just redid the layout but have no idea what it looks like. This is very scarey indeed. I decided to go for a sort of African/international motif. It feels a bit heavy but that may be OK. It takes a while before one really gets the hang of blogging. It's hard just to write down your thoughts. Oh well, something's here now.

OK, this is a test post. I realize not much is here yet. I want to do something to fix up this blog. I'm not sure what I want to do yet.