365.43 TWD

Just wow! 

That's how you do a season finale! 

365.42 Shiloh turns 9

I can't believe Shiloh is nine years old already. 

We get so many compliments on how healthy he is for his age, and trust me, it's in his genes because I'm not doing anything different for him.

I hear at his age he should be showing signs of hip displaysia. He doesn't. 

He should be showing signs of arthritis. He doesn't.

He has always needed a front end alignment. Ive said that since he was young because he looks crooked when he runs.

I think it's all the raw deer and wild hog and steak trimmings he gets. That and the aspirin and Benadryl he gets everyday. 

He's just a happy, handsome easy going old puppy who lives his man.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAYShiloh! I hope we get to share lots and lots more with you!

365.43 One week no shampoo in pictures

 

I don't know how much you can tell from these grainy pictures, but my hair is not suffering at all from a week of no shampoo. And no! I do not dye or bleach or highlight or anything, my hair. It just can not decide on a color.

Keep in mind, in that weeks time, I would have only washed my hair with shampoo twice normally anyway.  

Sometimes I think my hair feels weighted and heavy, but then I just go grab my air brush and brush it out and it fluffs right back out.

As far as the BBB brush, I don't know how often that will get used, maybe once a week before a good WO wash out. It makes my hair feel like a helmet. I still have to get the air brush out afterwards to loosen the hair back out. It does, however, work great for spreading the love around my head and down to the ends.

The waves are starting to come into play too. That makes me happy. Usually this is how wavy my hair is before I brush it, once I do they disappear and turn into frizz. These pictures were taken just after brushing it, and they are still there. 

Not quite sure if you can tell, but I promise, they are there. 

When I decided to go the whole no poo route, I was already three days away from the last time I had washed my hair and this is how the first week went.

Thursday: 2 tbls. baking soda wash

Friday: No wash

Saturday: after being in the yard and sweating all day, I opted for another BS wash, 1tbs this time.

Sunday: No wash

Monday: No wash

Tuesday: 1 tbs BS wash

Wednesday: WO wash

I don't plan on doing anything to my hair again before Sunday. 

I think my hair is liking the whole process pretty well. 

It's not as crunchy on the ends as it used to be, and that's with the BBB brush, which I thought would just frizz out my hair so bad I would have to ditch it. But it didn't.

All in all, so far, my hair still has some frizz to it, but nothing like it used to. The waves are coming back and I haven't had too much of the grease ball issue to deal with. 

But then again it's only been a week. 

Let's hold judgement until you see the pictures from next week.

See ya nerds! 

365.42 OMG I think that's a gray hair!

Woop woop! 

What do you think Trebor? I think I see some gray!

And this is a water only wash.  So far my hair is enjoying the change. 

But look!!!! Gray!!!!!

365.41 a few days from 49!

I have never been one to freak out about my age. Even this close to 50 doesn't bother me. I have too much shit to do for my age to be a "thing" 

What does bother me?

The fact that I can not, no matter how much I want it, get gray hair! 

Weird right?!

Yes, I know! 

But that is what bothers me more than my age. Maybe my age doesn't bother me because I don't have gray hair yet, I don't know. 

And now that I am no poo my hair is getting darker brown! Wth!

It feels better, is not as weighted down, but the color is getting deeper. 

I give up, I'm never going to have the silver gray hair I have wanted since I was like, six. 

Everyone says I should just color it but it's not the same. 

Have you ever seen someone try to go from from deep chocolate brown to light airy gray? No. It would not work. Naturally is the only way I am going to get the kind of gray I want. *sigh* 

Maybe 59 will bring me what I want. 

365.40 How I am handling the transition period.

Last week I posted about jumping on the no poo bandwagon ( I've been jumping on a lot of those here lately haven't I?)and stopping the shampoo and hair stuffs altogether. 

This wasn't a hard thing for me because I only shampooed every three or four days anyway. I don't dye, perm or otherwise mess with my hair much more than shampoo, conditioner and, about when the mood hits me, a flat iron. 

I had already decided to only iron my hair straight every blue moon or so simply because my hair was just too dry and brittle, no matter how cheap or expensive the products I was using were. 

I had already seen a change in my hair for a little over a year as I slowly push closer and closer to fifty. And the iron wasn't helping at all. So I decided that would be for special occasions only. 

So it's been five days since I've done anything more than baking soda in my hair. And I am giving that up for water only. The baking soda makes my scalp feel better but the rest of my hair is like  " why don't you just use the blow dryer and the iron at the same time, you'll get the same results" that's when I opted for water only. I will probably do the BS once a month just for deodorizing and deep cleaning purposes. I don't know, we will see when we get there. 

I am now in that "transition" stage (I hope it's just a stage) so this is how I'm handling that 

 

Luckily when I was younger I had a friend who taught me how to french braid brat #1's hair. 

It doesn't look too bad.

Yes it's a sloppy braid, but I like it that way for everyday wear. I do underhand when I need to dress it up a bit. 

A lot of people I've read about have gained waves and curls after going no poo, I am assuming because the weight and coatings are not pulling the hair down anymore. And most won't admit it, but come on ladies, we have all known our hair was easier to style when it was, what we were taught to think, dirty.

I have ringlet curls when my hair is short, I'm hoping doing away with the heavy soaps and conditioners will help me have a little curl while its long. 

We shall see! 

I did break down and buy myself a boars bristle brush to help spread the love around my head.

You know when you think about it, it makes plenty of sense. 

Back in the day folks didn't wash their hair everyday. Even now some of the older generation only wash their hair once a week. And I've never smelled one or seen someone and thought,"Omgosh that person doesn't wash their hair"

I don't care about the science of it all, I am not doing it to save waste in a landfill ( sorry my friendly tree hungers) for me it's all about wanting my hair to look good with as little fuss as possible. ( yes, I'm that damn basic) 

See ya nerds!

 

365.39 Morningside

Morningside

Just a little morning conversation.

See ya nerds!

365.38 dreaming of friends who have passed

I used to hate to dream about my Dad or Grandparents because it would just make me miss them so much. 

I would wake up and just be down and depressed for a few days.

Then I saw a post from my niece on FB about how God had let her spend time in a dream with her son Mathew that she had lost a long time ago, when he was very young, and how happy that made her.

I never thought of it that way but once she pointed it out, it made sense and helped me feel a lot better about those dreams. 

Last night I dreamt about my uncle who passed away almost two years ago now.  And I woke up this morning smiling. The disease that riddled him was gone and he was happy and smiling and laughing and it was great to "visit" with him again.

Of course, being a chronic nightmare sufferer, we died together in a fiery crash. 

And if you knew Darius McMahon you would know how ironically funny he would find that.

See ya nerds!

365.37 Jumping In The No Poo Wagon

I remember when we were growing up, how much I loved my BFF's hair.

It was blonde and just curly enough to give it enough volume and make it look awesome.

Even today, she has the color I want and short or long it always looks good.

When I saw her post today about no poo and just rinsing with baking soda and how her hair is getting her natural look back, I had to try it.

I messaged her and asked how she made up the rinse she uses and that's what I did.

We will see how it all works out. 

See ya nerds! 

365.36

I have finally figured out what makes old people smell like old people.

It's all the lotion they have to put on.

How did I find this out? Because that's what I smell now when I get out of the shower.

I have lotion for my face, lotion for my legs, lotion for my feet, lotion for my elbows and lotion for my hands. 

Yeah, that's a lot of lotion. 

And when you get done? You smell like old people! 

Now you know!

See ya nerds!

365.35 A boy and a fall

We had a great weekend last with Kendall and Kate in their new house.

We went to Ruby Falls and visited with Kate's parents.

It was great to spend some time with Boy #2

We had a great time at Ruby Falls

It was great time, but if you want to see more you will have to check out my picture blogs Lens End

See ya nerds!

365.34

Wow! What a long weekend of wonders to see! 

I know I haven't posted for a couple of days but long trips and lots of picture taking tend to make for not enough time to get on the computer.

We went to Tennessee last weekend to see boy number 2. He had a new wife and a new house and life is really looking good for him right now. We are very proud of that kid! 

I will have pictures galore to show in a few days.

See ya nerds! 

365.33 Do you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia

I only realized about twenty minutes ago that today is Friday the 13th.
Now I am not a superstitious person but I know there are allot of people who are. So I decided to go on a Google hunt for the origins of this day.
First of all, did you know there is a name for it? The fear of Friday the 13th? I did not, and even if I did, there is no way in hell I could ever pronounce it: Paraskevidekatriaphobics if you can pronounce that, you are a better person than I.

Here's an interesting little tidbit from David Emery Urban Legends Expert.

 LEGEND HAS IT: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, one will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (e.g., Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy, and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names). There are 13 witches in a coven.
  More of his article can be found at: About Entertainment

I personally like this explanation in so  much as, I do believe in God and believe he is the Almighty but I do not believe in organized religion as it has become more business than true religion, and, I believe that when the books of the Bible were chosen, by men, and re-written by a King, that women, one specifically, Mary Magdalene, were vilified to suit the times. (but that is a whole different blog post, for a later date)

Anathema
Still other sources speculate that the number 13 may have been purposely vilified by the founders of patriarchal religions in the early days of western civilization because it represented femininity. Thirteen is said to have been revered in prehistoric goddess-worshiping cultures because it corresponded to the number of lunar (menstrual) cycles in a year (13 x 28 = 364 days). The "Earth Mother of Laussel," for example — a 27,000-year-old carving found near the Lascaux caves in France often cited as an icon of matriarchal spirituality — depicts a female figure holding a crescent-shaped horn bearing 13 notches. As the solar calendar triumphed over the lunar with the rise of male-dominated civilization, so did the "perfect" number 12 over the "imperfect" number 13, thereafter considered anathema.

I have heard of people being so scared of Friday the 13th they won't even leave their homes as stated in this article by John Roach for National Geographic.
Though written in 2004 I don't think much has changed as far as this superstition is concerned.

Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History

And it doesn't help much that we are already at the 2nd Friday the 13th for this year. 

Friday the 13th: What you need to know

There are apparently even medically related articles written about it: 

Popular Belief Meets Surgical Reality: Impact of Lunar Phases, Friday the 13th and Zodiac Signs on Emergency Operations and Intraoperative Blood Loss

 

And here, a few more interesting tidbits for you: I thought the bit about the Apollo 13 was interesting.

Myths and History of Friday the 13th

 There are tons and tons of links and articles about it. Just thought I would share a few with you I thought were interesting.
As for me, I'm taking a 6 hour road trip, on a wet rainy day, with clouds so thick it looks like night outside.

 

 

365.32 I have a Highlander crush

Outlander has me completely  and utterly hooked!

I have a crush on a highlander. Not one, the whole damn clan. 

The way they talk and dress and the knitting! Don't even get me started about the knitting.

Don't you think it would be awesome if all the good looking guys in the world wore kilts? You know it's a great idea.

Anyway, I'm one episode from caught up until next month. Which gives me time to stay up with Black Sails and The Walking Dead.

Yeah "my name is Leah and I'm a serial addict" 

See ya nerds!

365.31

Very boring day....you don't  even want to know....

See ya nerds! 

365.30: My own mortality

I was awake at 3:30 this morning thinking.
I don't know what makes this crap pop into my head, but I laid there thinking about how much time has passed in my life, and how much time I might have left.
Then that got me thinking about my mortality.
When you die you barely have one generation after you who might, if they are close to you, remember you. Your smile, your laugh, what you liked to eat, how you liked to wear your hair. Everything about you that makes you........well......you.
If you don't invent something life changing, create a mass murder or do something so totally dumb that it goes viral, you pretty much will be forgotten about by the time your grandkids are grandparents.
*Poof* Gone! Like you never existed.
That to me is a very disturbing thought.
I am probably half way through my life span. At the most, I might live to be a hundred and I think, "well look how long it took me to get here, that's a long time from now."
But time starts to fly, FAST as you get older. 
I think the internet and social media have made it a little better as far as the common people, such as myself, having a lasting reminder to the fact that you actually did exist once.
I read once that in a hundred years Facebook  is going to have hundreds of thousands accounts for dead people. And as funny as that is, it's the truth.
Are you going to remember to delete your Facebook account before you die? I can guarantee you I won't think about it.
And OMGosh how funny is that going to be, twenty years from now when Facebook is full of 90 year olds sharing jokes and recipes and crude memes?
Even with all the social media, the rules still apply, if you don't do something horrendous or mind boggling you will, in the course of a few years, slip into oblivion.
I wonder, would anyone go back through my posts after I'm gone, just to see what a goofy person I was? Will any of my family miss me enough to scour my photos and posts just to be reminded what a total nut their mother/wife/sister/ friend was?
I remember all four of my Grandparents and even one of my great Grandparents but my kids never met them, their memories start with their Grandmother, my mother, nothing before that besides the occasional story from me about how much we loved spending time at my mother's mother's house.  How she spoiled us and no matter what happened or got broken, it wasn't our fault and Daddy was never allowed to get mad at us about it.
My children have a Grandmother that they never even had a chance to get to know that well. They were five and six when she died. They loved her and she loved everything about them. They would curl up in her lap and watch t.v. and listen to her oxygen machine whistle through her nose when she talked, they laughed and smiled and played with her all the time.
Neither one of them remember much about  her. Only what they hear in stories from me and their father. How sad is that? She was funny and smart and soooo tiny. She couldn't have been four foot nine. She had a little round face and a quick sense of humor. Everyone who knew her loved her and she must have known half of Moss Point Ms when she died. I know this because they were all at her funeral. They had to open up three rooms to hold all the people that showed up to pay her last respects. It was a sight to see.
But my children know very little about her.
And one day, sometime in the future, one of my great great grandchildren will be sitting at a table somewhere, lamenting about her own mortality and she will never know the woman who had the same thoughts and worries as she does.


Well that was deep!
Glad I got that off of my chest
See ya nerds!

365.29

What a weekend! 

I know I didn't post yesterday and I honestly thought I would get a chance. 

But Omgosh these kids have worn me out. 

I did get some really great pics of all them.

We spent Saturday running around and posing for pictures. Then Tristan reminded me that the last time they stayed I told him the next time they stayed I would take them skating. 

Damn kids are like frikkin elephants! 

I tried to act like I forgot but the brat wouldn't let me slide! So skating we went.

I thought about putting on a pair of skates. Normally I do, but they had worn out so much I just couldn't make myself put the skates on. 

So I watched as, slowly they dropped off one by one. By the time we left only one was still skating. When we got home it was pajamas, kisses, hugs and bed. 

One episode of Black Sails and I was down for the count.

See ya nerds!

365.28 Wow! They sure are loud!

We ended up with only four of the grandbrats so far. One had a prior engagement and another didn't want to leave his DA. 

Even two short they sure like to make their presence known. 

We got home and after they ate they decided pitch black dark outside was the best time to play hide-n-seek.

I tried a few times to calm them down. The way they squeal and holler I'm sure our neighbors are thinking "oh lord, she has those kids again" but it does no good. The scary dark is just too much fun! 

They really do make me laugh. They think the most simple thing is funny. 

Here's hoping everyone else is having as much fun as I am! 

See ya nerds!

365.27 Almost Friday

Pb and I decided it is time to have all the grandbrats. 

6 little pairs of fingerprints all over the glass doors. Six little pairs of feet running, laughing, screaming and playing.

These kids keep me moving all weekend long. There's no real downtime with my group. 

They are funny and happy almost all of the time and we can usually find something to laugh about all the time. 

It's harder in the winter time because we can't get in the pool. Our summertime favorite thing to do.in the summer it's breakfast then swimming until lunch, then usually back in the pool until nine or ten at night. They love to swim at night. I think only because they get to stay up later if they are in the pool. 

I don't get them all the time anymore, but when we do , it's always fun and tiring at the same time. Maybe I will be able to get some decent pictures for this weekends posts. 

See ya nerds! 

365.26

I wish everyone could have a BFF like mine.  

She will cuss me out, tell me I'm full of shit and listen when I  tell her she needs to shut the hell up.

We have been friends since we were 12 years old, we are now pushing 50. 

We have spent years apart, and years inseparable. 

But I have always known that no matter how pissed off  at me she was, one phone call and she would move  mountains to be by my side.  

I wish everyone could have a BFF like mine.

It's comforting as hell knowing there is always someone who has your back. 

No one else in my life can go as far back in my life as she can. She knows the good, the bad and the ugly. 

I wish all of you could have what I have  with my BFF!  

If you  don't you need to find one. 

See ya nerds! 

365.25 Family Visit

Late post today.

My big sissy and family came for dinner tonight. It was really great seeing them as we don't get to spend a lot of time together. Of course as it is with sisters, sometimes it's a good thing we don't. 

Besides that and chatting it up with the BFF, today was pretty ordinary. So really not that much to talk about. 

Hope everyone has a great evening! 

See ya nerds!!

365.24 An EBay Kinda Day

I have got to clean out my closets. I have way to many clothes that I don't wear. So I decided when I got home from work today it was time to pull out some stuff and start listing it on EBay.

Normally I would just bag it all up and dump it off somewhere but I got to thinking, I buy a lot of things I only wear once or twice, then find a good sale rack and buy more stuff. 

Almost everything I buy comes from the sale rack. That way I don't feel too bad about not wearing it more often. :0) 

Yeah I have a weird way of looking at things, but it works for me.

But since a lot of it is still on the newer side, what the hell, may as well!

Mainly jeans and skirts right now, but later I have some awesome dresses that I no longer can fit in that have to go. 

My skirts Nd dresses are getting longer nowadays so no reason to hang on to the other stuff.

Plus it has been so dreary icky outside there really wasn't much else to do today. 

So that was my day, how about yours? 

See ya nerds!

365.23 Lazy Day

Not much happening today. Spent time with the family for Sunday dinner. Then back home for some serious down time. 

Got some knitting done and watched the race.

Now it's Walking Time. 

Here's to a quiet night for everyone! 

See ya nerds!!