Lafayette Park

Headed to Lafayette Park to catch a Javier Mendoza show! Brought a bottle of wine, a blanket, and some great weather for an evening in the park!




Darrin doing his thang!



The ride in...

Cous cous recipe

Here's the recipe! I don't add raisins or feta to mine as they're not a favorite in this house! Feel free to mix up the ingredients to your taste.

Can-Am

Saw this in the parking lot of CB today! Sweeeet!

Just Chillin'

Cous cous is good good

Whipped up another big batch of cold cous cous salad. Yummm! Nearly 100% organic ingredients.

Super easy to make and even better the next day! Post a comment if you want the recipe!

Javi Trackside

Headed out with friends to celebrate DH's birthday! Dinner at Dewey's Pizza then headed to Illinois to Fairmount Park Horse Racetrack for their First Hispanic Festival and to see Javier Mendoza play!




Javi Trackside...

In Memory of Linus

One year ago on this day we said goodbye to our dear dog, Linus. The end of 13 years of memories of our "play dog", Linusaurus Rex. It's been really hard not having his little personality around anymore. I can't believe it's been a year. It still seems like just a few months ago.

How he came to be our dog...

It was a year or more after my childhood dog, Honey had passed away that Linus came to us. He was a stray that had "shown up" at my parents home in Gerald, Mo. Dad called and said he had a dog for us, so we drove out to take a look. He was about 5 or 6 months old, lanky, and a bit under the weather. He had a very expressive little face and we loved him immediately.

He rode on Darrin's lap all the way home, a bit lethargic but still cute.

We took him to the vet ASAP and got him all fixed up, wormed, shots, neutering, etc.

That "puppy stage" was so trying! He had a penchant for chewing plastic. CD cases, cheap shoes, one of every pair of my dress heels! Oh, and how dare the mailman bang on our mailbox every day! Yep, Linus busted out the front window glass one day prompting a stern letter from the USPS about controlling our dog. We promptly replaced the 50 year old windows.

He loved to chase a toy down the hallway, and walks were a favorite although we regret not taking him as much as we should have. Tennis balls were the only toy that survived his attentions. He loved the soft, stuffed, squeaky toys...but a little too much as it only took a few minutes of play for the stuffing to suddenly appear on the outside of the toy.





The Melanoma...

In 2008 I took him to the vet for an abscessed tooth. They put him under and did a good cleaning and ended up removing 3 teeth! Then in June of 2009 it appeared that he had another abscessed tooth. However, when they took a look it turned out to be a tumor. On June 30th it was removed and we had it sent off. The news was not good, Melanoma which in dogs is terminal, he had 2 to 6 months at best. We looked into several options and finally took him to The University of Missouri - Columbia. They did a full workup and approved him for a clinical trial of Interleukin. Wasting no time we brought him back the following week, they treated him with the trial meds and after 2 days sent him home. He promptly spiked a fever which resulted in a midnight run to our local vet for an IV, then an early morning ride back to Columbia. It was almost two weeks of the staff trying various treatments to get his platelets to normalize...they never did. I was amazed at the extent of the treatments but in the end Melanoma, or rather a complication called DIC due to Melanoma that had metatasticized was the final straw and we were forced into making the decision to let him go. It was one of the saddest times in my life.

Closure...

About 2 weeks after we said goodbye, we received the package from Columbia. It had his collar, paw imprint, and a card signed by all the caregivers, veterinarians, and vet techs. I opened the box in the kitchen by myself and cried my eyes out. Darrin came in from outside and I showed him what came and we cried together.



About a month or so after, we got a call regarding his Melanoma. They confirmed that it had metasticized to his lungs. There was really no way for him to survive. We did the best thing we could do, we gave him a chance, contributed to science through our participation in the trial, donated his tissue for the tissue bank, and allowed a necropsy...that's more than a lot of dogs get to contribute and we can feel good about that even while we miss him every day.

Rest in Peace, Linus.

Javier Mendoza @ La Gra

We're baaaaack! Back in the Javi Fandom again!

Bird Babies! Again!

Super Supper

Homegrown lettuce and cukes along with some store bought peppers. Tossed with some fresh ground pepper and Himalayan sea salt! Yum yum!

Fried green tomatoes?

No, I think we will wait until these grow a bit more and get ripe!

Weeeeeeee!

For Sale

Beautiful, oak curio cabinet. Curved glass, mirrored back, and lighted. Shelves feature a groove for plates to rest for display.

We also added an extension cord for additional lighting or electric needs inside the cabinet, easily removed. Great for those Holiday displays!

Pick up in Union, MO.


Update...
Width @ widest: 30.5"
Depth @ deepest: 14.5"
Height @ tallest: 63"

Almost here!

D's new ride!

Just picked her up from the dealer! Putting on the temporary hand controls now so we can get her home!

Potential Purchase...

IOS 4 - Love IT!

Updated my iPhone to IOS 4 today! Love it! I was able to get my pages down from 8 to 2 using the new folder feature. Finding all my fav apps will be another matter. I'm sure there will be some adjusting to do with regard to the layout & organization.

Also, the new unified mailbox seems pretty cool, haven't had much time to play with it yet.

I also want to take a look at the iBooks app.

The 5x zoom on the camera is ok. Probably not a feature I'll use too much on this unit but perhaps on the new one I will since it has a better camera.

Just for a laugh...

I wish I had the patience to train our dog to act!

Bird Condo Living

Those little suckers!!! I did not get rid of the nests and now our porch light condo and our under deck ledge condo have been sublet! Not sure who is in the porch light but there are 2 nearly full grown robins under the deck...I expect them to leave in the next few days as they barely fit in the nest anymore!

I just discovered a wren fluttering around back there this morning plus I heard some chirping under the deck so I went to investigate. Sure enough they appear to have taken up residence via a hole at the corner of the header board for the deck and are in there between the siding and the aluminum header board cover...yet another hole I need to eliminate!

Wait for it....

Ordered and now just waiting...possibly arriving on July 15th! Now to sell the old ones...any takers?

Roadside stop - Smoky Mountains

Got this shot after climbing into the river bed at a roadside parking spot.

Great vista!

This is one of my fav photos from our trip...and I took it myself! It's at Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains National Park. It's part of a site that was a farming community in the 1800's. We had to drive about 22 miles to get to the Cades Cove loop which is a drivable road that winds through and passes old cabins and primitive churches. On certain mornings it is only open to bicycles. It was a beautiful day when we took our trip there!

Inside the Cabin

Here's a little (grainy) video of the inside of the cabin.

Carribbean in Kentucky?

Who knew you could get Carribbean food in Kentucky! ?! Cocos Lokos in Louisville rocks!

http://www.cocoslokos.com/Home.html




Best mojito I ever had! Also DH loved the Pollo Guisado and the croquettes we shared pictured above were so good with a spicy sofrito and cream sauce on the side. I had the coconut shrimp pasta with some tostones (mashed fried plantains), very good. DH's entre came with rice, beans, and some maduros (slices of plantain marinated in citrus juices then fried).

It was a really unexpected and tasty dinner...in Kentucky!

Laurel Falls Aka: Trail From Hell!

Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! WTF were we thinking???!!! The trail sounded doable; 1.3 miles, paved, ok not ADA grades but a 300 foot climb to the falls. Labeled as an EASY hike by the National Park guide book. What the heck, right? So we decide to give it a go with a guy in a wheelchair plus 20 pounds of camera gear, plus friggin 90 degree heat, plus a light lunch, and did I mention the 300 foot climb in elevation? Oh, and that paved trail? Yeah that sucker has seen BETTER DAYS. OMG! Most of it was crumbled away at the edges. Oh yeah the edges, the ones right next to the ridge that plunged down hundreds of feet. The path, that slanted TOWARD those ridges. The path, the guy on WHEELS is trying to use! The guy who sometimes has a problem with HEIGHTS!!! Oh MY God, what were we thinking??? These Falls better be the most amazing thing ever!

At some point, delirium kicked in and the decision to keep on going was made. The people passing us on their way back down would encourage us. They said it was beatiful and cool and refreshing up there. And that did sound nice, no matter that the wheelchair guy's left arm was giving out, or that the rubber feet fell off the tripod, or that I was having second thoughts...about having enough life insurance!!!

So on we went, stopping every 30 feet or so to rest DH's arm, catch our breath, and wipe the sweat from our brow. Now the people were passing us by telling us that there was a bear on the lower Falls and if we hurried we might see it! Oh boy! What a photo op that would be. So we kept going. Then, a group came toward us at a pretty fast clip. THE BEAR WAS ON THE TRAIL AND HEADING OUR WAY! DH and I had spent the last hour climbing to that point...WE WERE NOT TURNING BACK! So we stopped and waited and another group of people came through and made a big racket to scare the bear up the ridge from the path. As we continued on we looked up to see the bear moving along the ridge ABOVE US!

At this point DH is starting to freak out a bit, between the height, the crappy trail, and the bear...but we are so close...we keep going.

And finally...We get there! And it is cool and refreshing! Only there are A TON of people there. It's like it's Disney World or something. People are taking pictures of each other. They're sitting on the rocks, climbing all over. All the little kids are in the falls, slipping and sliding around and having a good ole time. Yep, just what we wanted, a picture of a bunch of ugly kids lolly gaggin around in water that a bear probably peed in! Where's the natural setting? My nature shot of Laurel Falls?!?!? Effed up in a major way, let me tell ya! We did manage a few pictures, but all in all, the amount of effort was not worth the view. Two thumbs down!!!

And speaking of down, that is exactly where we headed! It was easier than up but I had to play brake pedal for DH...oh my aching legs, back, neck, arms, and DH didn't fare much better! He got blisters on his hands, I got them on my feet! Mamma mia, where is the hot tub! The 10 mile drive to the cabin never felt so long!

Here are the pics:

An ad for Deep Woods Off!

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Originally uploaded by Lacubrious-One

Forest Primeval

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Originally uploaded by Lacubrious-One

Look at that Escargot

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Originally uploaded by Lacubrious-One

Stumbled onto this little guy at Sugarlands Trail. Thank goodness DH was there to help me with the camera settings. Adding the flash made all the difference!

Smoky Mountains Sugarland Trail

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Originally uploaded by Lacubrious-One

After hitting what we thought was the right trail and dead ending at the Park Ranger HQ, DH and I hit the one ADA "trail" at the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was called the Sugarlands Nature Trail. It was a one half mile loop of sidewalk through the forest with a stream/river running along part of the path. I took the video below with my iPhone as I was "off trail" down near the river taking pictures of some butterflies. Check it out!



Saw lots of these guys around!


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Originally uploaded by Lacubrious-One

So disappointed over having to miss the Roaring Fork Drive AND Clingman's Dome due to ROAD MAINTENANCE!!! Arg...everywhere we go on vacation seems to be under construction or maintenance. We will try to hit Laurel Falls tomorrow. It's not ADA but it is supposed to be paved and just 1.3 miles.

Tranquility Point is amazing!

Day .5: Got here around 6:00pm EST. Unloaded the car. Checked out the cabin...AMAZING! DH said it's the nicest place he has ever stayed! This place has everything! Unpacked. Freshened up. Got the Baby settled. Made a grocery list. Went shopping. Came back & made some food. Chilled. Got in the hot tub. Heaven. Got out of hot tub...slowly. Changed clothes. Chilled with some tunes in the living room. They have an iPod dock compatible stereo! Awesome. Read a book. DH took some cabin pics. DECOMPRESSION in progress...



Day 1.5: It is truly peaceful here. Woke up early to the sunrise. Took care of Baby. Snoozed. Got up and made breakfast. Took a nap. Woke up to rain. Took Baby out. Checked out all the area brochures we found in the coffee table. Thought about another nap after all that work. Considered having lunch. Thought about getting in the hot tub...all in all, perfectly peaceful so far!

Vacation Plans...

We've booked a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It's called Tranquility Point and I think it will be marvelous!



Not sure if the weather is going to cooperate, but we shall still have a great time just getting away. The place is pet friendly, so Baby is going with us!

We're gonna check out Smoky Mountains National Park, and just meander around a bit, relax, and enjoy the views.

Outward Hound!

We picked up this dog backpack for Baby at Petsmart yesterday. Need to get a picture of Baby on here!

We are trying to use it as a tool to drain her energy on the walk as well as for carting her own water, poop bags, snacks, etc. It should come in handy when we're hiking around the Smoky Mountains this coming weekend!

Going green!

Tomato, lettuce, basil and cilantro...all a growin' nicely!

Un Vargas on the deck

> First had this red wine and lemon soda concoction in Cordoba, Spain.
> Tried to recreate it with Pepperwood Cabernet plus Italian soda.
> Yum! So refreshing on a Monday evening out on our deck.
>

Bowling Chic

What Lies Above...

House Finches have taken up residence above our front porch light! Here's a shot of that nest. We've also discovered a Wren's next in the garage. It's like our house is a bird condo building!!!







-- Post From My iPhone

What lies beneath...

Our deck! Robins have built a nest and moved in the family. We also have a house sparrow with a brood above our front porch light!


-- Post From My iPhone

Spring Lilacs

I love seeing our lilac bush in bloom again!



-- Post From My iPhone

Walk in the Park

-- Post From My iPhone

Evening at LaGra

We were able to head out of work early today for 6 games of bowling practice! Bucket o beer plus pizza ended up being our "late lunch"!

Then after a quick run home to take care of Baby dog and freshen up we headed to Dogtown STL to catch a Javier Mendoza show at LaGra. Yes folks this is our FIRST Javi show of 2010! We are in jeopardy of losing our groupie status!!!

Awesome show and great way to be reminded of why we love Javier's music so much!

-- Post From My iPhone

Multitasking...YES!!!

Apple's iPhone 4.0 software to deliver multitasking support

Check out this article on AppleInsider.

I'm nearly 100% happy with my iPhone, but this would be a great improvement. Almost as good as when they added Copy/Paste!

I'm Jacked

Well, I made the move...to a new, heavier ball! After bowling with my 12# Hammer Psycho for nearly a year, I was beginning to notice some deflection and decided with the help of LacubriousToo to move up to a 14# ball. I was happy with the Psycho but thought it would be lame to get the same ball (just heavier) so we looked at what was available and the Jacked was it. So I ordered the 14# and LacubriousToo ordered a 15#, both with fingertip grips! Yep, you heard right, LacubriousToo is moving to a fingtip to improve the rotation and reaction. He's really happy with it!

We had a pretty good lesson with the Pro shop guy, who also fitted and drilled our balls. He gave me some suggestions for improving my approach, which I am still trying to get implemented. Change is so hard! Plus, I'm not all about the sports so the whole muscle memory thing takes a while with me. I had a good practice session but totally freaked when I tried to use the ball in league on Wednesday. I managed to pull it out by the 3rd game, thank goodness. And we are still in 1st place!

LacubriousToo got some suggestions for his swing and release. He's an avid practicer and has bowled nearly every day since he got the new ball. I hope he doesn't overdo it.

We're going to try to get some practice time in this week and weekend so I can get my form back. We're looking forward to joining a summer league with some friends!

Calls from +63 63 884 399

So I've received 2 calls from +63 63 884 399. I missed the 1st one on 2/17/10 but picked up the 2nd one. It was a man with a really thick accent asking for my DH. When I asked who was calling he said Discover. I told him that I already instructed them to take us off their call list as I had been getting several calls from another number 866-290-4961 where the person calling identified themselves as with Discover.

Based on the country code, these calls are coming from the Phillippines.

I did some googling of this type of call, and these are most likely scams. I have not found this specific number referenced anywhere so I'm putting it out here on the off chance someone else googles the same issue.

63 63 884 399
63-63-884-399

507 and all I got was...

...this fridge magnet!!!

Blackberry Wheat

I am ready for Spring!!! In spite of this winter weather!

Remake Alert!

Tron: Legacy

Cluttered?

On Unclutter.com I found this post about how disorganization may be affecting your job performance!

Haiti

Read about this blog post on Dooce and wanted to repost a link on here.

Whenever I hear about a disaster on the news I tend to feel like doing something but often feel helpless. I like that this blog poster gives some accessible actions that anyone can do. While it's certaintly no "heavy lifting" in the volunteer department, I believe every little act can add up.

Amazing Vegan Ice Cream

Whipped this up tonight as a snack. Tossed frozen bananas into the
food processor and ran it for 5 minutes. I added a tablespoon of
peanut butter. Dished the result and sprinkled with crushed walnuts.
Amazingly creamy and delicious!