Dragonfly

I almost didn’t see it.  It was late at night.  The door is dark.  The “porch” light isn’t very bright. 

I’d gone out to get the mail and on my way back in, I saw something sticking out from the number plate on our door.  It almost looked like a little twig or something, and then I noticed the wings.

I didn’t think dragonflies were nocturnal, and maybe they aren’t, but this little one was making itself at home on my door.   

It was just something sweet, and it reminded me of shortly after we moved in, and a butterfly decided to say hello. 

 

The Meaning of Dragonfly Symbolism

The Meaning of a Dragonfly: What Does a Dragonfly Symbolize?

Dragonfly photo courtesy of: http://www.valdosta.edu/~sljennin/topic1.html

We Now Return

Can you imagine how hard it is, for a man who has chronic back pain, to shop for chairs?  All that getting up and sitting down!  Agony.  And then I saw his face when he sat down in one particular chair.  That chair should arrive at my home tomorrow and if I get the same look on Darc’s face that I got in the store, it’ll be so worth it. 

I know a chair is not a cure-all, but I am hoping it’s a step in the right direction for his back pain. 

We also picked up some of those plastic mats to protect the carpet under your chair and the smell is killing me.  It’s an intense combo of plastic, vinyl, and rubber.  It has an almost skunk-y kind of smell.  I’m hoping it’s done off-gassing or whatever it’s doing, soon!

In case no one noticed, (bahahaha!) I haven’t really done any posting over at the “new” domains pretty much since we got them.  Setting up the site was fun, but posting over there is a royal PITA.  My husband was much more dedicated to it than I was, but even he gave up.  We can’t switch hosts until March, so I’m here at WP until then, at least.  After that, well I guess it depends on what kind of hosting we find. 

My husband, the keyboard diva, feasted his eyes on yet another keyboard over the weekend that he had to try out.  I swear, we have a veritable keyboard buffet here now!  LOL  He practically has one for every mood.  Honestly though, I don’t mind much because to me they’re like the tools of his trade.  A mechanic needs wrenches, a butcher needs knives, a painter needs brushes, and a writer needs keyboards.  I have to be careful for my own sake though.  I’m not too far behind him when it comes to being a diva about keyboards myself.  I found one that made my fingers itchy when we were at the store so I went ahead and picked it up.  So far, it’s pretty nice.  It’s a lot like the one I was using before, but it has that ergonomic curve to it so it fits my hands better.  Fewer typos, yay!  It’s amazing, really, how much having a keyboard that fits makes you actually want to type.  I’ve long had a thing about collecting pens too, so I guess it goes right along with my own writerly inclinations.  I have the heart for writing fiction, just not the talent. 

I made a theme for my computer desktop.  You’d think with the 150+ themes I’ve got that I’d find one to fit my mood, but no.  So I made my own.  Hundreds of pictures, all having something yellow about them.  I was craving some cheerful, sunny, happy yellow and now I have lots.  My eyes are happy now.    Yes, I admit I have a theme obsession.  Way back when we had Windows 98, I found this one program that had a ton of themes and would actually change them on whatever schedule you chose.  That was pretty cool. 

Still no apparent change since talking to management about the neighbor’s dog.  I haven’t even seen the lady who’s supposed to live there, just her daughter and the baby, and now it seems the daughter’s boyfriend – or baby-daddy I guess – seems to have moved in.  The dog still makes a lot of noise, and I don’t know if management has even found the opportunity to talk to the lady.  *sigh* 

Also got little posts up on both my Faith blog, and my Political blog. 

So … how have you been?

Weighsted

So I’ve heard anyway, what kitteh says.  *ahem* 

For the record, I have to say that being on the Atkins diet has been pretty painless.  I mean, sure, I get the craves on sometimes.  But I like how I feel.  I haven’t had the usual heartburn troubles I’ve had in the past.  I don’t feel all bloaty and swelly and my joints don’t have that annoying achy feel to them.  And my clothes are slowly but surely getting looser. 

I am convinced that High Fructose Corn Syrup is the devil. 

Just sayin’! 

I have made just 2 concessions with Atkins.  Because I’m battling that yucky skin thing, I take a daily dose of cranberry juice and yogurt like medicine.  And I gotta say, it’s working!  My skin is improving to the point the infection is almost totally gone.  Woo!  I was just reading how some skin conditions can take several weeks, up to a year to get better.  Because the juice and yogurt is so high in carbs, I try to stay carb-free on everything else I eat, and know what?  I’m still in ketosis.    That’s fat-burning mode for you folks not familiar with Atkins. 

So when I weigh the carb-crave against the feeling-better thing, feeling better wins and I can shrug off the carbs.  Also, I think I’m getting a little bit of Help, like I did with the quitting smoking thing.    I still keep a ton of carbs in the house for the kids, and I’m not anywhere near as tempted as I thought I would be.  Plus, it’s easier with both Darc and I doing it together.  I’m not a short-order chef anyway so we all eat the same stuff.  It works well.

And I have to say, that Black Forest yogurt from Yoplait is totally awesome stuff.  Yum! 

©DarcsFalcon All rights reserved

This Week’s Thoughts

In the first study, Cambridge scientists found for the first time that red blood cells have a 24-hour rhythm. This is significant, they explained, because circadian rhythms have always been assumed to be linked to DNA and gene activity — but, unlike most other cells in the body, red blood cells do not have DNA. "The implications of this for health are manifold. We already know that disrupted clocks…are associated with metabolic disorders such as diabetes, mental health problems and even cancer," said Akhilesh Reddy, who led the study. "By furthering our knowledge of how the 24-hour clock in cells works, we hope that the links…will be made clearer." via Scientists Find the Tiny 24-Hour Clock in Every Living Thing – FoxNews.com.

I thought this was interesting.  I remember reading a study years ago that claimed that when people were denied access to sunlight, say by being in a cave or something, and denied access to TV and newspapers so they couldn’t tell the day, that humans naturally revert to a 36 hr cycle; i.e. up for 24, sleep for 12.  This seems to fly in the face of that.

4. Be nice. Even if you disagree with someone, it’s never appropriate to use insults or other offensive language. Rude comments don’t add any value to a discussion, and only divert attention away from the author’s work. It’s perfectly fine to offer constructive criticism, just be polite. If you see others writing disrespectful or incendiary comments, or you receive such comments on your own blog, ignore/delete them. Acknowledging them will only encourage the aggressor, so don’t waste your time. via Are you well-versed in comment etiquette? — Blog — WordPress.com.

This sort of made me chuckle.  Straight from WP’s own “mouth,” ignore/delete the “incendiary” comments.  Having a post that’s received it’s fair share of incendiary comments over the years, it goes without saying that I delete such comments.  What’s frustrating is that there are those who want to be critical of that, to accuse you of not being open to comments that disagree with you.  Such is not the case.  I have several comments on my particular post that aren’t in agreement with me.  What gets deleted is the troll-type stuff.  I call it drive-by hate: people with no blog of their own, using a fake email address, that only spout hateful comments.  People can disagree without being nasty.  Nasty gets deleted.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Christchurch, New Zealand.  And to the families of those slain by pirates on the Quest.

The new broiler is a definite upgrade, but we’d like to ask BK R&D to please get back to the drawing board and invent something—anything—to alleviate that sinking feeling that sets in about 20 minutes after eating Burger King. Thanks. via The Taste Test: Burger King’s Secret Weapon: The Q: GQ.

That one’s for my husband, who has mentioned that “sinking feeling” on more than 1 occasion.  See Babe?  It’s not just you.

Those are my thoughts – what are yours?

Check out my husband’s latest book, available for download!

A Moonlit Stroll [Amazon Kindle Edition] A Moonlit Stroll [Amazon UK Kindle Edition] A Moonlit Stroll [Smashwords Edition]

This Week’s Thoughts

Keeping it All in Perspective… Yeah “don’t sweat the small stuff”!  That’s putting it mildly!

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Now THAT’S What I Call A BOAT, Baby – Maybe it’s just because I’m a mom, but my 1st thought on seeing these was, “Where’s the doggone safety rail?!”  

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6 Rose Colors and Their Meanings – I always thought silly stuff like this was kind of fun.  Still do. 

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American Towns – This is pretty cool.  Find out about your town.  All kinds of facts and events.  Interesting stuff there!

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Flatforms: the new “it” shoe for spring – Shoes!  I love platforms, I love flats – they go together like chocolate and mint.   

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A Reservist in a New War, Against Foreclosure – This is so very wrong, in so many ways. 

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So I was going through some old gmail recently.  Haven’t really had much of a chance to do that in almost 2 years, what with the terrible connection and not being able to get online for long and all.  Stuff built up in there.  I was pretty alarmed to see there were almost 900 emails.  *thud*  Some of them are keepers, like registering for websites and things like that.  Some were old chat conversations with friends and none of those were less than 2 years old.  Why did I still have all that?  And some were notes and letters that touched me so deeply and made me freshly aware of just how much you mean to me.  Thank you.  You matter to me. 

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And that’s what’s on my mind this week.  What’s on yours?

This Week’s Thoughts

Unbelievable!  Ever been in a car accident?  So was this kid, lived to tell the tale.  Asleep at the Wheel… Pedal to the Metal… and Real, REAL Lucky

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Bring on the fear!  Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie in Your Bed Can Kill You  I once knew a woman who kicked her boyfriend out of bed because he didn’t leave enough room for her Labrador to sleep next to her.  

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20 Companies That Cratered in 2010  Oriental Trading Co?  Say it ain’t so!  I love that place! 

Where You Might Not Shop In 2011  But I like Quiznos!

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Goodness!  The things people will write for “news”!  Your Handbag, Your Self  Yep, I’m a “multitasker” but heck if I’m paying $600 for a freaking purse!  Are they insane?   🙄

Pillow Talk: What Does Your Pillow Arranging Style Say About You?  It says I have too much time on hands and obsess over silly details too much.  It also says I’m romantic, and traditional with a twist. 

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Ha!  Vindication on the salad dressing!  75 Surprising Expiration Dates

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First Person: How We Cut the Cord and Now Enjoy (Almost) Free TV  This is a good article, and I thought some of the comments at the end were interesting – which is saying a lot considering it’s a Yahoo site.  At least there was no “FIRST!” jerk there.  Cable companies really need to start reevaluating their service.  We used to pay nearly $200 a month just for TV and Internet, no phone service, and that wasn’t even for top tier services, just mid-line stuff.  Darc talked to AT&T and they wanted hundreds right off the bat, for installation and equipment.  Just for Internet service, no TV.  Now I’m at the point of checking into seeing if there are any local providers so I can bypass both Comcast and AT&T all together.  I’m sick of both of them and their rip-off policies. 

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Don’t piss off Taco Bell! 

Some of my fast food favorites are on the block.  I guess giving up fast food had a bigger impact than I realized. 

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FaceBook – how to piss off all your customers and stay in business.  Facebook to let advertisers republish user posts.  Fight back!  Stealth Mode: Making Yourself Nearly Invisible on Facebook

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Can I just say that I really really really hate chicken breasts?  I am a dark meat girl to the core.  And don’t go making any dirty cracks about that either!  Perverts.

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Monday Mundanity

For some reason, I am not prepared for the week to begin.  I mean, I’m prepared in the sense that things are done: shirts are ironed, lunch is made, stuff like that.  But it feels like the weekend wasn’t long enough.  I need more Saturday! 

One cool thing – a friend of mine from high school found some pictures taken of the 2 of us back then.  That was fun to see! 

The cold here was brutal over the weekend.  But at least the oil is changed in the car now.  Whew! 

My daughter was so upset that both green teams didn’t make it into the Super Bowl.  She was especially glad the blue team lost, because she hates blue, because her brother likes blue.  Remember when all of life was that simple?  LOL  Yeah, me either, but I still miss it. 

So what’s on your agenda for the week?

©DarcsFalcon All rights reserved

Get your copy of my husband’s books!

Buy J Dane Tyler’s Fiction now!