there's a ladybug...
crawling all over my monitor... just thought I'd share...
wander with me...

Happy Hallowe'en...
my friends.
and to my wandering brethren, a very merry new year. The Oidhche Shamhna is upon us... there is darkness enough in this mortal coil, let this year's door open upon a world of brightness and beauty for the coming turn...
peace be upon you, my fellow wanderers... may you always wander in light. and don't eat too much candy!
be well.
wander with me...

I thought Sunday...
was supposed to be a day of rest...

Got up at 4 AM... damn this stupid clock change... went grocery shopping... did laundry... cleaned the bathroom tub... baked 6 dozen witch finger cookies... made up fifty goody bags for Tuesday... cleaned the kitchen... made a huge bowl of macaroni salad... made apple stuffing chicken breasts for dinner... suffered through seven Belvedere martinis... (with jalapeno stuffed olives...)... had a heart to heart conversation with Tiger the Cat about peeing on the laundry room floor...
scared the shit out of a woman while grocery shopping today; I was in full goth gear and seemed to end up behind her every time I turned down an aisle in the store... she kept looking at me over her shoulder and when she saw me, took off running with her cart... When I got done shopping, I went into the natural foods grocery store next to the regular grocery store, and she was in there, too... they were playing Halloween sound effects recordings and I was standing behind her at the check out when there was this really loud recording of wolves howling... I went into the Bela Lugosi "Ah... the children of the night... what music they make..." thingy and I thought she was going to start crying... the kid at the check out had a good laugh at it...

And so Sunday went... I've got a serious buzz on and it's warm outside, so I think I'm going to go a-wandering in the woods tonight...
Fare thee well, fellow wanderers...
wander with me...

calm during the storm...
weather-wise, the past twenty four hours have been interesting, with constant heavy winds, almost violent at times, with bouts of light to torrential rains. By five o'clock this evening, the rains finally tapered and the sky broke out in fits of sunshine and alternating black clouds, but the wind has not yet subsided... my trees are pretty much stripped bare, but the shrubs seem to be holding out for a leaf drop on their own schedule, or perhaps the wind at ground level is not quite what it is in the treetops. I have days of raking ahead...
This adventurous weather did reveal to me the fact that my roof repair on the bathroom is not sufficient to hold up against this sort of onslaught... I awoke this morning and when I padded into the bathroom, there was a nice little puddle on the bathroom floor, and a soaked spot about the size of a softball in my new sheetrock. So much for my obviously ineffective attempts at roof-sealing... I think it's time to call in the professionals. Problem is that this is not the time of year to be doing roofing and I will probably have a hard time finding someone to come out and have a look. Either that or I live with it until Spring, when I can rip the entire roof off and do what I wanted to do in the first place, which is build up the low end of the roof line to be even with the high point, put up regular rafters and create a gabled roof, which will shed water in the proper way. I shall need to ponder on the for a while. I can assume, although probably mistakenly, that this problem was brought on by the unique weather conditions of the past few days, as regular rainfall, even heavy, did not produce any leaks. It is obviously being driven in somewhere by the winds. That is an impossible leak to find. It's best to regroup and do it right. I have to say, too, that finding that little pool of water, even after all the work I've already completed, didn't have the usual result, as far as my oft time ill tempered manner goes; I took it rather calmly. It was just one of those "oh, well..." times in life. I do think that, once the roof is done and it's to re-sheet rock the bathroom ceiling again, I will call in a pro this time. Taping and spackling is not my forte. I've managed to learn to be very good at many aspects of home building, remodeling, decorating and general carpentry, but that skill has eluded me...
Well, my dear wandering ilk, it is time for me to attend to the onset of the evening... the candles need be lit to take the edge off the gloom that hangs on the walls of the Manor this time of year, when the Sun takes such early leave... and time to mix a martini or two, although I shall have to rough it tonight - I'm all out of olives...
Also time to attend to my current sinus infection. Seems to be a yearly event anymore... Be well, my friends, enjoy the night. Wander in light and fare thee well...
wander with me...

I know it's only Thursday...
but I couldn't wait... new Song of the Week... and no, it ain't Hendrix!
wander with me...

..?

..!!!
wander with me...

I'm alive...
if you can call this living...
Here's a quick wrap-up of the week past...
The bathroom ceiling is almost done. Thrilling...
I was cleaning out the cactus bed last Saturday, it's overgrown itself and was spilling out onto the back sidewalk. In the process, I managed to sit on a pile of pads I pruned and set aside to distribute to cacti loving friends. ouch...
Once again, the chance to have a martini with The Chicken has been foiled by work... one of these days...
I'm older, but none the wiser... go figure...
I haven't seen any of my friends in weeks... I suck...
I am definitely falling prey to SDD in my old age... I usually don't start with full on depression until November, at least...
I'm going to go make myself another Belvedere martini and sit in the dark and brood... no wandering tonight.
I'll be back soon. Be well...
wander with me...

I'm jumping in here...
just to share this, so read this, fuckers...
wander with me...

ok...
I'm really, really, really going away now! See you next week. Behave yourselves...
wander with me...

MWAAAHAHAHA..!
Ok, this is what I look like on the weekends... much more interesting company!

wander with me...

ok, ok...
I know I said I was taking a break, but I saw this on Yorkshire Soul and I couldn't resist! All I can say is there's still a lot of work to be done on facial recognition software...

Lars Ulrich..??? *gack*

Gary Busey..? Maybe...

Johnny Depp..? Get in line, girls..!

Kirk Douglas..? That's really more like it..!

wander with me...

I'm taking a break...
I'll be back next week. This bathroom project is killing me. Play nicely amongst yourselves, and if you can't do that, go wandering. Don't forget about the meteor showers this weekend, best time is midnight Friday to dawn Saturday. If it isn't cloudy out, I'll be watching along with you. Have a drink or two in honor of my birthday on Thursday. I'm getting plastered... if I have the energy.
Be well. See you soon...
wander with me...

I took today off from work to do some scary electrical things in the Manor, as I had to shut off the mains so I didn't electrocute myself in the process, and everyone else was out at work. It actually only took a few minutes, much to my surprise. When I threw the main back on, I was expecting something like the last scene in Frankenstein; sparks, lightning bolts and fire engulfed manor falling in on itself, but, so far, all is well. I put up the last piece of sheet rock in the bathroom ceiling and started taping and spackling. I'm always enthused about getting to that point, but once I start, I remember how much I hate doing it. It's the one task that I never really mastered to my liking and it takes forever to get it just right. I go very, very slowly and methodically with it. I don't like bumpy joints... unless they're the kind you roll yourself and... oh, never mind, you know what I mean.
After I cleaned the blobs of spackle from the bathroom floor and out of my hair and off my general person, I mowed a goodly portion of the grounds, then went autumn leaf hunting for Antisocialite - I promised her a box of New Jersey Autumn leaves. Of course this year they seem to be withering on the stem before they reach peak color, but so far I have quite a nice collection going that I'm hoping I can add to tomorrow, as we're expecting the first frost of the season tonight and they're sure to turn like crazy after that.
Well, I have to clean up the mower and put the yard tools away. I'll probably post a new Song of the Week later, so stop back in.
Frost on the pumpkins tonight, friends! Perfect weather for late night wandering!
wander with me...

"Dr. Strangehair..."
or "How I learned to stop worrying and love the fact that every available conventional and nuclear weapon in the Pacific Fleet is aimed at my kim-chee farting ass..."


not to mention the fact that, if there is an inkling that he is going to do something stupid, like start hurling missiles around South East Asia, or gets caught giving away nukes to Iran or Al Queda, there's going to more than a 4.5 burp on the worlds seismographs as the PRNK is turned into glass... This guy is a dangerous lunatic who needs to be taken out in a most vicious manner in a most public place, so when the dust settles, his generals and like minded politicos won't play the same stupid game. It's time to take off the kid gloves and send in the SEALS, with a good helping of Australians on the side to kick some North Korean ass and get on with cleaning out the Middle East. He's got to go...
wander with me...

this old lair...
so, since it seems that the annoying little leaks in the bathroom roof have been eliminated. I ripped down the rest of the stained sheetrock and old insulation from the ceiling, put a few nailer strips, re-ran some wiring, added a new electrical box in the center of the room and now I'm ready to put up the new sheetrock tomorrow. I'm trying to get the room in some state of finality for Thanksgiving. Still have to order the flooring, but everything else is ready to go. More tomorrow.

It's the Harvest Moon tonight, friends. A perfect night to go a-wandering. The forest calls...
Here's something to tide you over... enjoy.



See you tomorrow.
Fare thee well.
wander with me...

it's Thursday...
but I posted a new Song of the Week anyway, don't know if I'll be in the mood tomorrow night. I think this is going to be a busy weekend; the annoying little leak in the bathroom ceiling seems to be fixed, so it's time to rip down the old sheetrock and put up the new. I hate working with tape and mud, especially overhead, but I guess there's no escaping it. Once all that's done, I can sand the walls and prime them and the ceiling, then decide where I'm going from there.
Well, even though it's early, I think I need a big sleep tonight. I'll check in over the weekend, so please feel free to wander on your own.
Be well.
wander with me...

gotta have fun...
All work and no play makes Gregor an even more sullen old bastard than he usually is..
if you click the picture, you can make your own cassette - go ahead, you know you want to...
send them to me, I'll post them on the Song of the Week page! Aw, come on, it'll be fun! What were you going to do tonight, anyway, hmmmm...? Uh, on second thought, hold it, I really don't want to know that. We're not that good of friends...


wander with me...

a real hobbit house...

Check out this super little Hobbit House, built by a chap in England. Just fantastic.
wander with me...

weekend update...
well, I managed to get the bathroom roof done and it got a good test last night during a few good downpours. No evidence of the little, drippy leaks that have been plaguing us, so I guess I can move forward with the damned bathroom renovation.
I also bit the bullet and bought myself a truck; a 1999 Chevy Silverado 1500 - it's used, but it's in primo condition, super low miles, well kept. All power in the cab, a full bed liner and a super cap on the back that will help with the gas mileage. Metallic silver with a black and grey interior. No excuse now for not being able to pick up building materials, huh? I'm keeping my Buick for the time being, until I see how the gas prices go and get a handle on the truck's mileage, as I commute about a hundred and twenty miles round trip to work five days a week. Besides, it's tough to give up that nice Buick ride on that long haul.
Ok, now I'm really going to go outside and have a jar and a smoke and commune with the beautiful moon.
Be well, fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.
wander with me...

it's Emeril LaGothy..!

Well, it's Sunday, which means more scullery hijinks - tonight's dinner: Harvest Meatloaf!
Well, the meatloaf is ordinary, but the rest celebrates the bounty of the harvest season!
Whip up your favorite meatloaf recipe; I made a massive three pounder, equal amounts of ground veal, ground pork and very lean ground beef. (I intend to be eating it for lunch all week, so that's why I made such a massive loaf!) I did the usual couple of eggs, freshly made bread crumbs, chopped tomatoes, some tomato juice, a dash of Worcestershire, salt, pepper. Mixed it up good, formed a nice size loaf in a large roasting pan, coated it with Dijon mustard and sprinkled on the rest of the bread crumbs for good measure. Poured a bottle of Sam Adams Octoberfest beer into the pan, then stuck it in a preheated 375 oven and set the timer for a half hour.

While it started baking and filling the kitchen with the aroma of meatloafy goodness, I washed and quartered a half dozen smallish red potatoes, put them in a bowl; peeled and quartered four small yellow onions, threw them into the bowl; did the same to four medium size Golden Delicious apples; also added a half bag of baby carrots. I then added about a quarter cup of olive oil, some salt and pepper and a dash of thyme. Tossed it until everything was coated, then stuck it in the fridge.
When the half hour timer went off, I put the veggies and apples in the pan and set the timer for another half hour. Oh, I also added about another quarter bottle of beer, just to make sure everything stayed moist.

When that timer went off, I tossed in a dozen or so stalks of asparagus and two good handfuls of grape tomatoes. Stuck it back into the oven again for another half hour, until the potatoes were soft when pierced with a fork and the meat was 160 degrees by the meat thermometer.
I let the meatloaf sit on a platter for about fifteen minutes, covered with foil, before I carved it. A couple of slices on a warmed plate, covered with the other stuff really hit the spot. Maybe next time I'll throw in some diced yams and butternut squash instead of the potatoes.
Well, friends, I can barely move after enjoying that, let alone wander tonight, so I'm going to waddle outside for a jar of beer and a smoke or two and enjoy this beautiful early Autumn evening. There's a waxing moon just over the western horizon, which is getting competition from some late season moon flowers on the back trellis.
Fare thee well, my friends, be well.

wander with me...