New Addition to our Family

Candy chose to join our family on 12/20 after visiting with us at the Baltimore Animal Rescue league. She's about a year and a half old, a German Shepherd mix and is very gentle, although she can get rough when J.D. gets too close.

An actual email from my boss

Darlene,
Someone bled all over some of the documents in this file. Could you recopy them and get rid of the icky part?

Thanks!
Shellie

Ten Days in Ireland - Part 3

It rained on our trip to Blarney Castle, but it didn't dampen my spirit. Glenn and I climbed the 120 narrow, spiral, stone, wet steps with just a vertical rope to hold onto. Once at the top, I was laid on my back and shoved upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone.

Our guide, Dominick, told us this story of the Blarney Stone. The King of Blarney was walking along the river one day and saw a woman fall in. He jumped in and saved her from drowning. She was so grateful that, being a witch, she told the King about a special rock down by the river that would cure his stutter if he kissed the rock. With the description she gave him, he was able to find the rock. Once he kissed it, his stutter disappeared and he was given the gift of eloquence. Being a selfish king and not wanting his enemies to have access to the rock, he had his men move it to the very top of his castle and place it so it would not be accessible to anyone else.

Glenn next to a plant (don't know it's name) that grows wild by streams. We were told that it is poisonous.

In a cathedral we stopped in, there was a tomb of a rotting corpse. He has a frog sitting on his stomach.

Ten Days in Ireland - Part 2

These pictures may not be in the order of our trip, but they are close.

After leaving Dublin, we went to Waterford and toured the crystal factory. The "masters" were excellent in showing us how they blow and cut the crystal. The cutters have memorized over 40 patterns that they cut into the crystal pieces. Waterford makes the trophies for basketball, golf, football, etc. They made the crystal bat given to Derick Jeter at the final game in Yankee Stadium. When they make a trophy for a tournament, they make three identical ones. Two go to the ceremony (the extra they call the "oops" replacement) and one is kept at Waterford. Here are a blower, finisher (he was putting the lip and handle on a pitcher) and a six-foot tall crystal grandfather clock. The crystal ball is their extra of the new year's ball used in New York. They wouldn't let us take pictures of the cutters.

Then on we went to Glennalough (pronounced Glenda-lock). We toured the remnants of St. Kevin's Monastery. One of the better preserved round towers was on the grounds of the monastery. It is thought that it was used for a bell tower, but no bells were even found. Another theory is that they climbed to the top of the tower and rang hand bells. Because the round towers were so tall, they were beacons of safe haven for christian travellers. It also served as a lookout tower and a place to store valuables from the invading Vikings. The door of the round tower is about 12 feet above ground level. The monks would put a ladder up to it, climb in and pull the ladder in behind them.

Most of the older stone grave markers were in the shape of the Celtic cross. This one must have been about 10 feet tall.
This is what is left of the alter area of St. Kevin's church.

Did I mention it was cold and rainy on our visit to St. Kevin's? That's probably why I didn't get a lot of pictures.

TEN DAYS IN IRELAND

Just a few highlights of our first day in Dublin. I'll post more highlights over the next few days.

After ten days in Ireland, it is good to be back in the USA. Ireland is really the emerald isle. Everything is so green. That's probably because it rains 4 days out of 7 and the tropical climate. I didn't know Ireland was tropical. There are palm trees and some exotic plants and flowers.
Our Guide, Dominick, was fantatic. He filled us in on so much Irish history, and utlimately, US history. One story he told was how the Catholic church would not let miscarried or stillborn babies be buried in a Catholic cemetary because they had not been baptised. These babies were considered to be in limbo and could not enter Heaven. (Not a great story to start out with, but follow along.) These babies were relegated to unmarked graves out in the country. Because the families did not want to forget their babies, they planted a blackthorne tree to mark the area of the graves. Legend has it that the fairies come out at night and dance around the tree to entertain the babies. I saw this tree on our visit to a farmhouse for tea and scones. I can just imagine the fairies dancing around it for the babies.

We visited Dublin Castle--Ireland's version of our White House. Much of the original castle was burned down during some rebellion, but the stone perimeter survived and the interior was absolutely stunning.

In Dublin, Ireland's capital, we saw the Ha'penny Bridge (so named for the fare it cost to cross it). We also went on a tour of Guinnes and to Trinity College where the Book of Kells is stored. We couldn't take pictures in the library where the book is housed. The Book of Kells is the books of Matthew, Luke, Mark and John written by monks in an elaborate script.

Grand-Kittens

They were born August 1 and are 25 days old in these pictures. I'm such a proud Grammy!

What a face!

Millennium Quilt

A project I started in the mid- late-90's was a cross-stitched quilt. I was real ambitious back then. I named it my millennium quilt because I thought I could finish all 49 squares for a queen quilt top by the year 2000. Didn't happen! Life got in the way and the project was put away for 8 or 9 years. When I finally brought it out again, I realized there was no way I could do 49 squares in my lifetime. SO, I decided to make each of my grandsons a twin size quilt using 6 squares. My Aunt Louise put the squares together into a quilt. My grandson Tony received his quilt on his 10th birthday. I am on the third square of Joshua's quilt. After that, I'll start on Bailey and James' quilts. Hopefully, arthritis won't set in before I finish. And, hopefully, I'll find a kindhearted relative who can quilt it together for me.

GIANT LADYBUGS!!

Finally, all of my ladybugs found their way to their new home in Maryland. They will soon be joined by some giant bumblebees.

Going Home - Part II

The four remaining Murphy siblings
Heather, Bailey, James, James Jr., and Debbie

Shed Glenn built

Lady Bug bowling balls pictures to follow. :)

Going Home Again

A vacation in WV with Glenn and two of my grandsons. They had a great time. So did I. Growing up, I never imagined I would be bringing my grandsons to the place I grew up.

I walked the boys out to their great-great Aunt Polly's. Along the way they saw cows, chipmunks, squirrels, mud puddles, plants. On the way back, we spotted two fawns. Joshua tried to sneak up on them. He got pretty close.

They had fun blowing bubbles in the yard The next day I took them to see their great-great Aunt Louise. They ran around outside and had a blast. The following day they went with Glenn, my friend Linda and I to Lambert's Winery.

This is the main building

Breezeway between the main building and the storage area.

Waterfall. The boys loved it.

Underground storage area where the vats of wine are kept.

Then off to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Neat old building but the mold was really bad. Had a headache for two days after the visit.

Stopped outside the gates to take this picture.

From the inside looking out

The room where the Ghost Hunters confirmed seeing a spirit.
The next day I took them to the WV Wildlife Center (formerly the game farm)

They liked the horned owls

With their cousin Justin
The really liked the bald eagle, even though their expressions don't show it

Then their parents came and the fun ended. The next day was the family reunion. Pictures to follow in another posting.

All week I worked on turning bowling balls into ladybugs. And Glenn worked on building a shed. Pictures to follow in another posting.

Choose Civility

Choose Civility was kicked off in Howard County, Maryland in 2007 as noted in the following release:

(Columbia, Maryland) -- Respect, empathy, and tolerance. People caring and getting involved. These are wonderful characteristics for any community. But is basic civility alive and well? One may wonder as we encounter apathetic neighbors, enraged drivers, disrespectful youth, snippy store clerks, and belligerent customers.
Something can be done to enhance civility, and that's the focus of a kickoff forum called “Choose Civility: The Art and Skill to Live Well Among Others,” to be held on Thursday, February 22, 2007, from 7:30 am to noon at Howard Community College. As part of an on-going community initiative in Howard County, "Choose Civility” is a project led by Howard County Library to promote respect, empathy, consideration and tolerance.

Many residents of Columbia, Howard County, have the green "Choose Civility" bumper stickers. I see them mostly on cars that cut in front of me in traffic, flip high beams at me to move over before darting around me, drive on the shoulder of the road when traffic is backed up, and use the exit/entrance ramps to go around slow traffic.

They may have bought the bumper sticker, but they certainly don't adhere to the principles of the forum.

It's not an issue . . . Part II

For years the rental car industry has been charging outrageous prices for refueling cars upon rental return. Complaints basically went on deaf ears. UNTIL a state Attorney General gets hit with the high price. Since it affected him, it's an ISSUE. See article below. Maybe more politicians should get out among the "regular" people once in a while to see what the real world is like. I would like to see one of them go to the grocery store and try to feed their family for a month on minimum wage. Maybe prices would be better. But for now, it doesn't affect them.



HANOVER, Md. (AP) - Major rental car companies in Maryland have agreed to reduce refueling fees by as much as 40 percent, Attorney General Doug Gansler announced Thursday.
The agreement was reached after an investigation by Gansler's office found that refueling fees can be as high as $8 a gallon at rental car companies at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
"Marylanders are already hurting at the gas pump, and paying $8.00 per gallon is just salt in the wound," Gansler said.
The companies, including Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo and National, agreed to make prices reflect prevailing prices for full-service fuel. They would also charge a refueling service fee averaging 135 percent to 142 percent of the per-gallon price, or a flat rate of up to $10 a vehicle.
"In light of soaring gas prices, this is certainly good news for motorists and travelers and just in time for summer travel," said Mahlon Anderson, director of public and government affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Craigslist Postings

Here's a couple of "free" ads I found today on Craigslist.


Decapitated dolls (Close-in Mont Co)
Reply to: mailto:sale-707239142@craigslist.org?subject=Decapitated%20dolls%20(Close-in%20Mont%20Co)Date: 2008-06-04, 10:54AM EDT

My daughter likes to pull the heads off of dolls. The therapist says we should let her, so we do. We have lots of headless dolls. Some of their heads my be retreivable; most probably not. Free to a good home.

Location: Close-in Mont Co
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 707239142


Remember DJ on Roseanne? He used to saw the heads off Darlene's dolls.



And another odd ad:


Craigslist Karma (MD)

Reply to: mailto:sale-707572775@craigslist.org?subject=Craigslist%20Karma%20(MD)Date: 2008-06-04, 2:58PM EDT


Today is Wednesday June 4th, 2008, a special day. It will only be here once, and then it will be left behind in the sands of time, memorialized only by the events that transpired during its time of glory. This means that you and I only have one chance to make the best of it. I don't have much in my life to offer people today, no money, no fancy material objects of wealth, and no immediate cure-all for our world's many woes, but I do have a well-intentioned, good heart and a means to use it. So, for today I offer what I can, a simple favor within my capabilities (a ride, an errand, etc.) to any person truly in need of that favor or friend. Please be honest and only ask if you are truly in need, and for those who are, you need only ask. I will be available after 5pm when I'm done with the daily grind. Love today as if there's no tomorrow, for that love will cure somebody's sorrow.


Location: MD
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 707572775




Doesn't say, but I wonder if his name is Earl??

My First Artisan Bread

My neice visited last month and brought some of her homemade bread and the artisan bread cookbook. The bread was so good, I bought the cookbook that weekend. Today was the first time I have had a chance to make it. It turned out pretty good. I still have some dough in the refrigerator and can't wait to make more later this week.

Cats

Cats regard people as warm-blooded furniture - Jacqueline Mitchard

The birds have invaded

These black birds have invaded the neighborhood. It looked like a million of them. I tried to catch them in flight, but it was hard to do.

I would do anything for. . .

. . .my grandson, Tony. He asked me to climb up into his under construction treehouse. He said it was only scary the first time. I promised him I would. So, after work yesterday I fulfilled my promise and climbed up the ladder to the platform. I don't know if the ladder was a little shaky on its own, or my shaking made it that way, but it was really moving. But I did it. After the treehouse is is finished, there will be no girls allowed, so I won't be allowed to climb that ladder again.

Black Forest Cake

For the past several years, I've left hints (recipe card taped to cabinet) that I wanted a Black Forest Cake for my birthday. Never got one. Not even my daughter, who has four years of culinary school, made me one. Well, this year I decided to make my own. But instead of making my own birthday cake, I decided to make it heart-sharped for Valentine's Day. Glenn, who is not much of a cook, made the cake--with my supervision. He did pretty good. He even split the two layers into four layers and cooked up the cherry filling while I whipped up the cream for the frosting. This is the final result. Pretty good for a team effort. I may make it again, for no special reason.

An "A" in Math

This is what my grandson received for getting an "A" on his math test--grapes, pineapple stars, and strawberries (bare and chocolate covered).

It isn't an issue . . .

. . .until it affects you. I said these words to my significant other as he was complaining about washing the pet food dishes. You see, our cat and dog have their own mis-matched plates. Being fed twice a day, this adds up to four dirty plates a day. As we only run the dishwasher a couple of times a week, we run out of plates before the dishwasher is run. So, the pet dishes need to be washed by hand every other day.


It isn't an issue until it affects you.


The more I thought about these words, the more I thought of situations where these words would ring true.

If your neighbor's electricity is off - oh well can't do anything about it. But if your electricity is also off, it is an issue.

We give a passing thought to those people in the midwest who have suffered tornado damage. Then the thought is gone. But what if a tornado hit our home?? It would be an issue.

We see someone on the side of the road broken down or with a flat tire. How many miles does it take to forget about it? What if it was you on the side of the road. It would be an issue.

There are many other scenarios when it would be an issue.

Something to think about.