the wrath of grapes...

8:19pm: the latest on the pixie-doodle...
pixie had her surgery yesterday...

we took her in at 7:30am, surgery was at 9am, and they called us to pick her up at 3:30pm. she's here in the living room resting in her carrier with a heating pad to lay near as wanted. she recovered very well from the anaesthesia by this morning....since yesterday she's ben dozing, drinking, eating her regular crunchies now after just baby food last night, and pooing/peeing. ;) we're having to keep an eye on her to make sure she's 'clean' after the latter two. ;) she's taken a few short wobbly walks around, but we're taking it slow.

they ended up having to take off nearly the entire leg, she has only about the upper thigh left, sad to say. about 1/2 her tail was taken as well. her front foot is doing okay, they debrided some of the dead skin on the toes and hopefully that foot will continue to heal and improve.

she's on pain meds/anti-inflammatories for the next few days and antibiotics for the next 10 days. barring any complications/fussing with the sutures, we take her in for a recheck in a week, and then back in another week for the sutures to be removed.

she's a lucky little weasel and all the staff there at beaver brook just love her. she had/has a lot of people looking out for her. :)

thanks to everyone who offered support and concern; it all goes a long way toward her healing. :)

6:00pm: the latest from pixie central, and...submitted for your holiday shopping consideration!
*******************************************************************

really, these 2 things are related.

so, here's the pixie-update for any of you reading who are weaselly-inclined (or just pet-people in general who've been following this drama)...

she's doing really well, all things considered. the swelling has pretty much gone down to almost normal in her back foot, but about the top front half of it (including her toes) is pretty black and dry/dead-looking. it's basically like a giant scab, and we're just keeping an eye on it to see how much skin continues to regenerate/revascularize under it. her front foot is still a bit swollen, but that's gone down in size, too, so hopefully it's fully on the mend. about the last 1-1/2" of her tail is going to have to be removed; there's no 'coming back to life' for it. :( but at least tails are pretty much cosmetic on these guys. all in all, she's one lucky little weasel.

she's getting bored staying in the carrier and wants to get out and run all the time...pushing and biting at the bars when i put her back; the little rascal! i give her very closely supervised 'out time' since there are so many places she could possibly get herself in trouble/stuck since her mobility isn't back up to 100%. she's still a bit wobbly. yesterday burleigh and shay got to get out for some light playtime with her as well, but carefully supervised in case they got a bit too rough.

she goes back to the vet for another recheck friday and we'll see what the vet says about the foot's progress. that's all we can do is be patient and support her. i can't help but think that everyone's prayers, blessings, good wishes and healing energy have played a big part in her recovery in these last 2 weeks, so thank you to everyone who sent those along. :)

she's not out of the woods yet, especially if part of that foot does need to be taken off, but she's got such a good attitude that i think/hope if that's what has to happen, she'll come out of it okay. (crossing fingers, toes, and eyes)

and now...the second part!

i've got a bunch of my wonderful knitted caps up on my etsy site to help pay for pixie's vet bills; i've sold a few already with glowing reviews; they're super warm (and many are super-cute!) and gee, they make great gifts!

so, won't you, kind and gentle readers, consider taking a look and seeing if an awesome new cap is in your future? (or someone you know's future?)

www.loominginsilverplume.etsy.com

yes, i'm shamelessly begging. i admit it. but times is tough, folks.

thankyew, thankyewverrrymuch.

---edited to add: here's a quickie pix of the pixie-doodle...

9:22am: without bad luck...
*********************************************************************

yeah, that old saying. but right about now, it's true. i don't post for almost 2 months, was too giddy from my bestest friends' visit to even post about it, and now it's over a month past then, but now...well, it's grim. figures...can't have the highs without the miserable lows, eh?

i reckon most who are on my or mr grey's f-list know about our current employment (or lack of) situation, and now, and to add to the troubles, we're in the midst of a ferret-crisis here...

we found pixie hanging from her hind foot from one of the hammocks in the ferret-cage tuesday morning...seriously thought she was dead. cold, clammy, but somehow still barely breathing. we got her to the vet and brought her back from death's door; her body temp was 90 degrees, she was comatose. she's somehow miraculously pretty much back to normal; eating-and-drinking, pooing-and-peeing (important for ferret-folk to monitor), still wobbly and has a front-paw twitch (neuro damage), but the really bad news is her hind foot is grossly swollen from being twisted and hanging from it, (like at least 5 times its normal size) and we've got her on anti-inflammatories, painkillers and antibiotics, soaking it and gently manipulating it, hoping the swelling subsides and we can save her foot. otherwise, she's going to be a tripod-ferret the rest of her life, if she survives that procedure. so we've been back-and-forth to the vet for the past 3 days, and it's about 25 miles away, and we're in the middle of a frigid blizzard here. :(

this week's been shot as far as trying to do anything work-related...i've not slept much and am in constant emergency stress-mode. :(

so, please spare a moment to think of pixie and wish her speedy healing...that's my biggest priority right about now.

11:33am: fall is in the air...
******************************************************************

nothing really new round here in the land-of-wonders-where-others-come-to-vacation, and yet like the leaves, things are evolving and changing around here, but it's all for the good. yessirree...

in a mere 11 days, my bestest buddy and his lovely wife are going to be here for a whole week! :::cue fanfare:::

how time has flown...it was 4 months ago when the plans were laid, and now it's almost here!

last-minute-ish details are being worked out, mad quantities of work-hours being put in to have some extra moolah, and now, it's just a matter of tearing the days from the calendar and watching the clock. tick...tick...tick...

but for those in the viewing audience, here's a lovely example of autumn right in the palm of your hand.

how's *your* aspen?

10:02pm: wandering in the wild(flowers)...
*************************************************************************

okay, so instead of our usual history/mining-hike nearby, the week-before-last we decided to do a 'nature' hike and went to a 'conventional' trail a few miles up the road. we wanted to see wildflowers. and we did! to spare all of you, i've kindly put these behind a cut. :)

the very few flowers i recognized i identified in the caption. the others? if anyone can help until i get myself a decent lil' wildflower book, just let me know. and so, i present:

( the nature hike )

so, there you have it. a nature hike without leaving your armchair. :)

i'm glad i left mine; 'twas indeed a lovely hike. ;)

8:15pm: the latest (mis)adventure...
pictures from saturday's hike. don't try this yourself, kids, we are highly (un)trained-and-(un)skilled amateurs with death-wishes. behold the snowdrift mine. this was not quite the tailings-pile of doom (referenced in mr grey's journal), but still a trailblazing, bushwacking, zany and madcap venture. we have the scratches, bruises, and strains to prove it. and a touch of sunburn to go with our insanity.




^the prey as seen from above^




^the prey reached^




^another view, with ore chute^




^yet another view, and check out those skylights!^




^tiny nearby slope-roofed building (powder house, perhaps?) no taller than ~4' at front, ~7' at rear, and perhaps 4' wide and deep^




^very cool pipe boiler with brick housing partially intact^




^boiler again, imprinted "woodbury, booth & pryor, rochester ny"^




^strange piece of equipment, dated 1886, stamped chicago, cannon and some-other-name-i-was-too-stupid-to-write-down-and-the-photo-didn't-come-out-clearly-enough^

i have a few other photos of all this, just more of the same from different angles or whatnot, but i reckon i've clogged up everyone's f-list enough. thank you for viewing. ;)

4:15pm: apropos of nothing...
***********************************************************************

...while getting ready for work this morning i saw a sparrow picking dandelion seeds out of the fluff-heads. she was keepin' it real; eating 'natural' instead of the seed in the nearby feeder.

then, i had two ladybug encounters...one flew onto my desk at work, so i took it outside and placed it in the flowerbed. then, i went outside for lunch, almost sat at one table, but didn't like the view, so walked to another, and the seat i spotted turned out to have a ladybug on the back, seemingly waiting for me.

omens? portents? or just everyday life in the natural world? :-/

inconsequential silliness or too much thinking, but it put a nice little fillip on the day. and a lovely summery day it is.

ummm, so, how are all of you?

9:54pm: big trip today...
****************************************************************************

not the first time up this trail (ok, but only the third), but a lovely one all-the-same.

i gathered coin-sized chunks and larger slices of glittering mica while mr grey bouldered up a previously-espied stutter-staggered rockface in his new climbing shoes; an avocation gained gleefully.

then, we continued upward: mr grey, his daughter, mili in her new pack, and i. lovely weather; warm and sunshine-y, with occasional gusts and howls of wind in the higher reaches, just to remind us who's boss.

pretty exhausted now, so i don't feel like sharing a lot more details, but:

on the way back down the trail:



monument from beyond:



brown's gulch runoff with old boiler from mine:



runoff down brown's gulch:



more awesome old pipe-boilers left to clog the runoff course...technology (old) clashes with nature (older):



on the way up: runoff from one of the mines, flowing down either side of the trail:



got home, had crockpot moroccan chicken dinner with sides started earlier in the day so no exhausting dinner to be made. barely 10pm, we're nodding off over deserved glasses of wine.

a lovely and rewarding day.

trite moment: life is good.

3:08pm: major *w00t!
***********************************************************************

thru cunning and creativity i have overcome the reluctance of my dear buddy and his wife and i've convinced them to procure airfare. they are flying here from the hideously over-infested lands of san diego to visit us this september for a whole week!

these are the same friends i wrote about several years ago who came to visit, only that time the trip was filled with massive quantities of alcohol consumed and commensurate amounts of money spent at nightclubs and such dens, and valuable visit-time lost due to hangovers and recovery. that shall not be the case this time, as much recreation and tourist-ing shall be had, with more pleasant nights at our home moderately imbibing and reminiscing.

i am quite beside myself with giddy at the prospect.

oh, the fun we'll have!

the scheming has begun, as has my further impetus to complete my guest cottage, as we are indeed going to have guests.

1:52pm: because last time was sad news...
*************************************************************************

nothing groundbreaking to post, but figured i was due for something new and more uplifting.

:::humming tune, inserting paraphrased words:::

"i'm baaaaaaack to working on the railroad, all the live-long daaaaaaaay..."

okay, not all day(s), i'm also at the winery part of the week, too. fringe benefits all around.

and everything is blooming up here; turning green, smelling absolutely paradisiacal. (i think that's a real word, strange tho it appears.)

the lilacs haven't started blooming here yet, but have a few miles down the road. i raided the bush at the radio station for a branchful to have in the house. (sssssshhh...don't tell anyone).

once they bloom here in town, i'll just wander around and sniff everyone's bushes. (hey! getcher feeeeelthy minds outta the gutter! that's not what i meant at all and you know it!)

i can hear the rushing and splashing sounds of the creek...it's been steadily rising with all the rain we've had, but i think the worst has passed and we'll be safe; at least on our side of the road...hope our neighbors in the lower-ground of town fare all right. :-x

thus begins another late spring/early summer in the high country. it's so short and must be enjoyed to the fullest. hikes, wandering walks, cocktailing, grilling, picnicking, music fests, home tours, museums, and just being *out-of-doors*. maybe even playing tourist a few times, or acting as guide. (i do that a lot).

here's to warm sunny days and cool peaceful nights. :)

3:10pm: sadness.
had to take max to the emergency vet today to have him put to sleep. (of course these things happen on weekends...)

got home and got him prepared for cremation tomorrow at his regular vet. included 3 of his favorite chicken treats so he'll have something to eat on his journey across the bridge.

he was a slender little silver-mitt boy with black freckles on his nose who would follow me around like a puppy, standing on tiptoe looking up at me endearingly, waiting to be picked up, and would give endless kisses.

he is survived by his sister pixie, and the 2 big boys i adopted last fall; burleigh and shay.

farewell and safe journey to my 'puppy', "'!smax!", 'noseyus maximus', my kissy-face boy, my little sweet boy.

i am heartbroken. crying, questioning, wishing...feeling sick to my stomach.

those who have fur-children, hug them all close. you never know when they'll have to leave.

6:38pm: postcards from the blizzard...
*********************************************************************





^snowy creek and rocks with ~18" of snow on top of them^




^snowy caliber^




^neighbor's car during dig-out^




^blown icicles on the bull's head (look closely)^




^path stomped thru backyard to sheds ^ (snow was back-high on mili...big fun for her leaping and chesting thru it)




^snowy cruiser^ this was a couple hours earlier...there was more snow a couple hours later...i dug out and decided to see if i could get out...as seen in next shot.




^dug-out driveway^ (45 minutes work); i blasted up out of there onto the street, just to prove i could. boo-yeah!



^snow on fence, and cruiser hood^

so, there ya have it...4-5 hours later, and it's still coming down. and to all those who live in the city...see what yer missin'? ;-D

10:26pm: here i go again...
*********************************************************************

...nothing new to say, but filled with the compulsion to post.

so, around here, thursday is friday; yay! the weekend yawns ahead. maybe busy, maybe not, based on the weather. sleep in tomorrow (finally!), have plenty of wine and food on hand, so provisions are taken care of; nothing to worry about there. cocktail hour in the adirondack chairs on the lawn, perhaps? tomorrow and saturday? heedless of aforementioned weather...if so, bottle will chill nicely in the nearby snowbank.

and say, speaking of weather, how about that snow? 'bout 6" so far, and still falling. almost pretty, but i really kinda wish to see flowers blooming already. *sigh*

oh, well. small price for living in paradise, eh? ;)

there'll be flowers soon enough...

11:39pm: :::tap-tap-tap::: is this thing on?
************************************************************************

ok, 5 weeks...guess i'd better say *something*...

so, um, this past weekend, we bought snowshoes.

yep. 'strue.

*wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!*

9:25pm: no news is...
*************************************************************************

well, now. it's been a couple weeks since i posted, hazznit?

yep. sure 'nuff.

golly-gee, that's 'cuz there's nothing too much new to report.

weather's been getting warmer/windy/colder/windy/warmer/not...

however, days have indeed undeniably been getting longer. *yay*

have made the first small steps towards a small but mighty housey-improvement project (actually something apart from the house to make a part of it more inhabitable.)

otherwise, just enjoying living...well, not where i used to. yep. much much more wondifferous here. hiking, discovering, adventuring, or just sitting in lawn chairs in the snow drinking cocktail-hour wine in the fleeting afternoon sunshine. yep. nice...mighty nice.

'scuse me now, gotta go stir the fire.

9:52pm: time flows like a river...
coming home westward after closing up the winery tonight, i was struck that the mountain-tops were still visible; deep blue contrasting against the bare-indigo of growing night. i was cheered at the sight, knowing that brief (2-mile long) vision assured me that the days are indeed getting longer; bit by bit, and so quickly day-by-day. oh, it made me so very, very happy.

it was mild enough today my zen coworker and i had the breezy back-creekside, southeast-facing door open doing spring cleaning and what-not, and i was verily heartened by the memory of tasks performed in the warmth of the sun. how it warmed my heart; the memory. the winter (our first) here has been beautiful and magical in many ways, but as a sol-soul i am more-than-ready for the true light and warmth of spring. (strangely enough though; a cold day up here still seemed more bearable than one in the city, incidentally. oh, the paradigm shifts.) but still, my pulse quickens at the thought of evenings in the back yard filled with barbecues and tapas, chilled wine and hammocks, brunches in adirondack chairs and bathrobes, easy hikes and picnics, sarongs and sandals, wandering the dirt streets be-bottled (that 'open container law', you know), front-porch relaxing, and possible gardening and/landscaping...so much to do in the long days. ahhh...so near and yet so far....

on a side note: upon arriving home, i found it had been warm enough today that the furnace had not kicked on due to dropping below its thermostatic low-point: another first and oh: happy, happy day! any day not paying xcel is a happy day!

it gladdens my winter-chilled heart and soul that warmer, brighter and cheerier days are nigh.

9:30pm: because you know, i so love begging for help...
************************************************************************

looking for someone with accountant-skillz who would be willing to help mr grey and i with our taxes, now that our respective w-2s and all other relevant ppw has arrived.

for the record, in the past i've been an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy single 1040ez online filer. now, we're:

*filing jointly (as opposed to singly, which i understand offers mad quantities of benefits to filing singly)
*have a mortgage (read: mucho interest to claim, plus any other hidden benefits to being homeowners)
*including the 'blood money' he received upon the death of his father's mother (which he already paid taxes on upon cashing out, but i wanna make sure we're not screwed again now that it's tax-time.)

several well-meaners have suggested turbotax, but we're both leery...he had a *very* bad (read: expensive) experience with it, and i don't like using an 'impersonal' online program when we have so many seeming variables.

even e-filing the 1040ez for years gave me a migraine, and the mere thought of attempting this on my own is making me break out in hives besides.

any accountants out there wanna work for cheap? anyone already gone thru this and wanna offer good, decent, legit advice? anyone wanna point and laugh and say, 'oh, you poor bastards'?

bring it on.

10:40pm: i do loves me my many and varied boots...
i am so very wicked. but...but...they *needed* me! (and i'd been dreaming about them for over a year!)

shameful retail therapy follows...



old gringo brand victorian boots...they just arrived today and *weeks* ahead of schedule...what a happy day! *swoon*...they fit like they were made for me. i've not bought myself an expensive pair of boots in 20 years, since my wonderfully unique (never ever seen another pair, nor had anyone who ever complimented me about them) larry mahan black suede and silver inlay 'heavy-metal-bimbo-boots' that i've worn to death (and need re-leather-sole-ing...anyone know a *good* cobbler?)

for years i've been buying cheap mass-produced polyurethane platform-sole-and-heel or now-unstable impractical needle-heeled goth-y boots 'n' shit...*shrug* they served their purpose and are...nifty, but now...? here...? not so much.

these beauties are all leather, all handmade, and alllll miiiinnnnne...vaguely practical but also individualistically, eccentrically, wackily, funkily (anti?-)fashionably perfect for a rustic-old-mining-town-dwelling, uneven-dirt-street-walking, mountainy-rustic-yet-girly-girl like... moi (if i do say so myself, pat-pat). and mmmmmmmmmmm...the *smell*.

(and check out that cheeky purple star-flower!)

can i rave and drool anymore over their sheer perfection? possibly not? okay. i'll stop.

boooooot-luuuuust fulfilled.

12:28am: wow...3 in one day! (posts, that is...)
*************************************************************************

even tho it's after midnight, so it's not the *same* day, but, hey, time is an illusion...lunchtime doubly so (sayeth the late, great douglas adams)

um...:::clearing throat:::...anyways:

"it is the fire that lights itself
but it burns with a restless flame
the arrow on a moving target
the archer must be sure of his aim

it is the engine that drives itself
but it chooses the uphill climb
a bearing on magnetic north
growing farther away all the time

can't stop moving
can't stop moving
can't stop...

you may be right
it's all a waste of time
i guess that's just a chance i'm prepared to take
a danger i'm prepared to face
cut to the chase

it is the rocket that ignites itself
and launches its way to the stars
a driver on a busy freeway
racing the oblivious cars

it's the motor of the western world
spinning off to every extreme
pure as a lover's desire
evil as a murderer's dream

you may be right
it's all a waste of time
i guess that's just a chance i'm prepared to take
a danger i'm prepared to face
cut to the chase
what kind of difference can one person make?
cut to the chase

young enough not to care too much
about the way things used to be
i'm young enough to remember the future
the past has no claim on me

i'm old enough not to care too much
about what you think of me
but I'm young enough to remember the future
and the way things ought to be

cut...
cut...
cut...
cut to the chase
you may be right
it's all a waste of time
i guess that's just a chance i'm prepared to take
a danger I'm prepared to face
cut to the chase
what kind of difference can one person make?
cut to the chase..."


carry on, all...

8:22pm: om nom nom nom...
************************************************************************

not like me to post a recipe, but if you're into this sort of snack, it's like heroin. i've been back to visit the baking sheet like 5-6 times before it's even cooled. *ouch! burns!* but soooooooo gooooooood... *swoon* (and not even that bad for you!)

like nuts? *check*

like spicy-sweetness? *check*

like low-carb option? (me! me! but can do either way) *check*

like easy and quick?

'k, then read on:

curried nutz

3c mixed nutz (we buy bulk raw unsalted from vitamin cottage...buy what you will)
1/2 c unsweetened finely shredded/crumbed coconut (not that sweetened 'bakers' shit)
2 egg whites, beat 'til meringue-like (whip it! whip it good!)
1/4 c sugar (i use 4 packets of stevia since sugar is baaaaaaaaad)
3 tsps curry powder (hot, mild, plus-or-minus whatever your preference)
dash cayenne pepper (or more, again preferentially)

mix spices/sweetener/coconut in small dish

have nutz ready in large bowl. beat egg whites until very hard, fold into nutz, then fold in spice mixture. spread on lightly greased cookie/baking sheet. bake at 300 degrees ~12-15 mins, stir as needed, bake longer until dry and slightly browning. remove from sheet and cool on parchment paper if available, or it cools fine on a baking rack left on the sheet if not sticking (i don't use sugar, so that might be the difference). store in tightly closed container. um...if they last that long.

om nom nom nom....

4:53pm: well, well...here we go...
**************************************************

two months ago we vociferously and fervently made our wishes known. now, today, merely a few hours ago, we begin to eagerly and somewhat-apprehensively hold our collective breaths to see if those wishes can be brought to fruition by the one we have placed our ultimate and utmost faith in.

best line:

"we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

damned near brought me to tears.

post-obamapalooza (kudos to mr grey for that), here's hoping. :::clink of glass:::

10:40pm: invertedsky is sooooo my hero!!!
he remoted into the poor sad infected system and ran the necessary scans and malware removal and got the lil' laptop running again.

you so rock, invertedsky ...we owe you, big time. much wine and fine food upon our next meeting...oh, oh yes. much time and mucho dinero was saved by your generous help...not to mention me having no resources to even find anyone up here who *could* help, let alone have that mucho dinero to hire some unknown to fix it...

so, as of now, (touch wood), all is well in laptop land.

oh, and hackers still need to be kneecapped. and then gut-shot. and then....um...just stand over them and point and laugh as they slooooooooooowly dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

5:40pm: follow-up/plea for help...
since i'm not that computer-savvy (as we have already established...)

i found this program log/instructions on a site dealing with search engine hijacks... can someone tell me how to actually 'load' this on my computer? (the point being made on the site is that the infected computer can't seem to visit any website/download/run any program that could fix the virus...it seems to be too clever). i'm afraid i don't understand the directions given. could i go to the command prompt ('dos' prompt)if so, how? and paste these instructions somehow?

here's the site:

http://forum.kaspersky.com/lofiversion/index.php/t84617.html

here are the instructions:

"just copy the program to a stick (a *stick*??? what the hell is that?) , rename it to something random (such as 1234.exe), copy it back to the infected pc on the desktop and execute it, post the created log."

and here is the script:


begin
SetAVZGuardStatus(True);
SearchRootkit(true, true);
QuarantineFile('C:\WINDOWS\sxmaokgf.exe','');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\sxmaokgf.exe');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\ayadd.bak1');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\dcbeg.bak1');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\hhhkj.ini2');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\jjkmp.ini2');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\pqtwa.bak1');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\pqtwa.bak2');
DeleteFile('C:\WINDOWS\system32\pqtwa.ini2');
BC_ImportDeletedList;
ExecuteSysClean;
BC_Activate;
RebootWindows(true);
end.


(it would appear to be in command-line language, but i still don't know how to make it work.)


heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!?



thanks to anyone who can...

8:51pm: %^$#&*^ virus removal info...
...does anyone have any info about a browser/search engine hijack? it seems i erroneously downloaded a bogus firewall virus and that's what seems to happen. i can access sites, but if i do a search via, say, google or yahoo, i get real search engine results, but when i click on a link, i get a redirect to any number of bogus search engines. it even seems to have infected my firefox. obviously i can access websites (but i'm not sure what vulnerabilities i've opened myself up to by doing that), but i can't do any searches. via firefox, when i was able to access microsoft and tried to download their malicious software tool, i was unable to...kept getting an error message. i accessed microsoft's website via ie, and when i try to download the software, i get another window opening, which loads blank and says 'done' on the status bar.

am i.....hosed? anybody do troubleshooting/disaster recovery cheap? as in *free*?


am i the only one who feels hackers should be shot on sight? right up there with car thieves?

i fucking hate hackers and feel the location and eradication of them should be a higher priority than p'ert-damned-near anything the gov't is doing. instead, they find them, and in exchange for prosecuting them, they're hired for six-figure-plus incomes. kill them...kill them all.

1:37am: okay, so it's a repeat of last year...


but hey, that's because it's a repeat of last year!

only...just...um...one year older. *sigh*

so, to state the inevitable...happy birthday to meeeeeeeeee!

oh, well. helen hayes' quote once again springs to mind:

"how old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"

(cash is always welcome. gift cards are nice, too. winning lottery numbers? step right up!)