Drip, Drip, Drip

Meghanisms

Recently, a co-worker told me that I am the only person she knows who has such harsh rules for tiny things in this world that are right and wrong.  Not only that, but I take it a step further and labels certain animals "Not Right In The Head".

I was asked what this list included so here it is.

Think of it as a lovable, quirky part of my personality.

Things that are not okay

Clowns

Sea Meat (fish, lobster, crab, etc.)

Leashes for children (easy for parents, poor lesson in self regulation)

Saying "aks" instead of "ask"

Friends who email me a video that is of a cute little bunny until a scary screaming face pops up.  If you do that, be prepared for an UNFRIEND!

The word Staycation

Elmo (Note: don't tell a room full of 2 year olds and their parents that you don't like Elmo's irritating way of only talking in the third person. "Elmo likes chocolate!"  "Meghan wants to cut Elmo's head off!"

It doesn't go over well.)

Animals that are not right in the head

Ostriches (and Emus for that matter)

Monkeys and Apes in all forms

Things with more than 8 legs

Taking The Long Way Around

I will be heading out for Tahoe later today.  I will be gone for a week, but the blog will be on autopost so you have nothing to worry about.  As you can see, I posted the January blog header early since I will be out on New Years Day.  I will return on the 4th with many many fabulous photos.

My Man, Late Afternoon

No Animals Were Harmed In The Making Of These Socks

But Elmo was skinned alive.

Arrow Lies In Paint

Helping Me Wrap Presents

Etsyholic

I was asked recently about my love for Etsy.

I have to say that if you asked me a year or so ago, I would have had no idea what Etsy was.  A dessert topping maybe?  Skin fungus?

But, alas, I discovered Etsy.  I am a happier person for my discovery and my wallet has lost weight.

These calling cards were just one of my recent purchases.  This year I purchased 5 or so Christmas gifts from different areas of the site.

And I recently purchased this Alice in Wonderland light switch plate.  I just love the original artwork from the book.

And I got this tooth fairy pillow for the Caterpillar.

(No, Abby is not the Caterpillar's name, this was the photo on the seller's page).

This necklace will go to someone special for Christmas.  (Again, not the names I used, but the sample on the site.)

The creator of this necklace made it the night I ordered it and shipped it the next day. (THE NEXT DAY!!!)  This is why I love Etsy.  It's people selling to people.  Not corporate robots shipping packages.  

This stamp was a birthday gift for my friend Mel, who loves snails.

I really cannot say enough positive things about my experiences on Etsy.  I find that the products are affordable, of good quality, and always above and beyond what I expect.  

If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it. 

View Through A Knot Hole In A Fence

Are We Paying Attention Yet?

Today the CDC released a new study which estimates that 1 in 100 American children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).   This is up from their previous estimate of 1 in 150.

Are we paying attention yet?

Please, do your research before vaccinating.  Whether you choose to vaccinate or not, you will have the power of knowledge.  I know this is a touchy topic, but I don't feel that I can keep quiet on this.

Here are a few books that I can recommend if you are interested in Autism, its causes, prevention, and treatments.

Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy. by David Kirby

Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and other ASDs. by Chantal Sicile-Kira

Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds.  by Jenny McCarthy

Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey Into Healing Autism.  by Jenny McCarthy

Animals in Translation.   by Temple Grandin

Knowledge is power.

Go claim yours.

Yup, I'm A Freak

I love freaky medical shows on Discovery Health or crazy shows on TLC about people that are really tall, or really short, or really missing all of their limbs.

These shows are my guilty pleasures.

So when my mom walked through the room while I was watching one I wasn't surprised by the conversation that ensued:

"What's wrong with this one?"

"Why do you assume something is wrong with her? Seriously!"

"....."

"Legs fused together."

"Uh Huh.  That's what I thought."

See, I have a freaky ability to retain information.  I have an eidetic memory so when I see something, it is pretty much branded into my brain.  I seem to have a particular knack for medical information.

Child with congenital hydrocephalus?

When was the shunt placed?

Bilateral deafness?

Are you considering cochlear implants?

Diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta?

Are you for or against rod surgery?

Cerebral Palsy patient?

Hypotonic or Hypertonic?  I hear Botox can help.

Trisomies? Tetrasomies?  Chromosome Deletion Syndrome?

I'll give you life expectancy and cause.

Child born prematurely?

How long in the NICU? Any IntraVentricular Hemorrhages? How about PDA ligation? Retinopathy of Prematurity? Sensory Integration Disorder? Reflux? What about a Nissen Fundoplication?

I really like this stuff.

I'm that big of a freak.

The Many Ears Of Arrow

Sometimes I threaten to cut off his ears, put them in a pita pocket and eat them with a little hummus.

Living In Wine Country

"I had a really disturbing dream last night."

"What was it about?"

"I was in a wine shop, looking for this Zin we had in San Francisco a few years ago, remember?"

"Oooh, that big jammy, sweet one?"

"That's the one, it was from South Africa.  Anyway, I was in the wine shop and I kept trying wine after wine and they all tasted just awful.  The Cabs were too thin, other Zins were not sweet enough.  Nothing was working.  So they poured me a flute of the most delicious champagne ever."

"And what did you do?"

"I got pissed.  I was like damnit!  I'm looking for a Zin here and you are getting me sidetracked with an $800 bottle of champagne."

"How dare they!"

"Totally.  Anyway, I never ended up finding the wine I wanted and just took home the bottle of the champagne.  It was cool how I could taste the wine in my dream though."

"Only you could have a dream like that."

"Yes, well.  I'm just that cray."

SNOW!

Last week we got a little dusting of snow that ended up accumulating about half an inch and staying on the ground for a couple of days.  Snow is possibly my favorite thing in the world.  I love the way it dampens sound and everything seems muffled.  I love the way that even the most ordinary objects look beautiful with a dusting of snow.  I love the way that the flakes float to Earth so calmly, as if nothing could make them rush.  I don't know if this love for snow comes from growing up in Texas where seeing snow was rare and meant traveling out of state or if it is just a part of me.  There is something magical about snow.  It has the ability to make even the most serious adults become children again. This was evidenced by me standing outside with my tongue out trying to catch snowflakes.

Arrow loves snow.  However, he was not impressed by the snow here.  He is used to the snow we see when we go to Lake Tahoe, the huge mountains of snow that he can frolic through.  He gets so excited when we pull onto our street in Tahoe.  He immediately knows where we are and starts running back and forth across the back of the car from window to window trying to get out.

We will be heading to Tahoe for a week after Christmas and I can't wait.  I'm sure there will be much frolicking in the snow by everyone.  Here is a picture of Arrow from a couple of years ago in Tahoe that demonstrates his love of snow pretty accurately.

A Recent Etsy Purchase

I bought these calling cards on Etsy recently and just had to share them.  The seller let me choose the artwork and placement to create a truly personalized card.  I just fell in love with her antique camera picture and decided to have it be the artwork for my card.  I had gotten tired of writing out the full blog address when people asked for it, so this is the perfect solution.  They cost $12.50 for 50 cards, so they are definitely reasonable.

Accidental Close Up

I'm sorry about the absolute lack of posts lately.  There has been a sickness going back and forth through my family and I have had it for the last week.  It's a lovely mixture of sore throat, body aches, chills, headache and sinus issues.  Anyway, your regularly scheduled posting will resume soon.

Perfectly Arrow

Dusting

The Creek

This is the creek that runs through our property.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  I was able to get a shot of it during one of our morning walks.  One of the adjacent properties has a bridge over the creek which is a lot of fun.  The problem with getting near this creek is that those plants you see on either side of it are blackberries.  Incredibly thorny blackberries.  Blackberries that when you pick them have an equal mixture of juice and your blood in the bowl.  I will leave you with that appetizing thought.

Lookout

A Walk In The Woods

I have been incorporating morning walks into my weekends lately, and I usually take my camera along.  The Queen of Hearts and I recently joined Weight Watchers and have been really enjoying our hour walks.  Plus, I am down 12 pounds in one month.  Yippee!!  I highly recommend the program.  It has been easy and by no means do I feel like I am starving myself.

Anywho, we needed to drop the Netflix in the mailbox in town and this row of Sycamore trees was on our way.  I just love how many trees there are in this town and how little cement and asphalt there is.

He Likes To Move It Move It

The last photo has been edited so as not to offend more sensitive readers.

Mom, Arrow and I walked down to town to pick up a few things at the store.  Since the store frowns upon hair in the ham like chunks section, I stayed outside with Arrow while mom went in.

We found a stick and had quite a bit of fun.

(Oh, you want to know what ham like chunks are do you?  Well, the town I live in is run by the Seventh-Day Adventist church.  Many residents (like myself) are not Adventist, but enough are that the store caters to them.  Adventists do not eat meat, drink alcohol or use tobacco products.  As a result of this, in our grocery store you will find "ham like chunks" and "beef like granules" along with tofu hot dogs and soy bacon.  Luckily, we are only 10 minutes away from a "real" store.)