In which our heroine attempts to adjust to life in exile.
January: Cool Cornell. Sharks and Energy Domes. Film Noir Fabulosity.
February: Water bill weirdness.
March: Long-awaited license plates.
April: Bad day. Great week. Blog birthday (7!). Breaking and entering. The beginning of the Florida Fiasco.
May: Middle and end of the [...]
My brother came over to my sister’s house before I left and took the helm at the stove, making pancakes with the huckleberries that didn’t fit into the Christmas pie. Just add pure maple syrup and leftover apple wood smoked ham, and you have the real breakfast of champions!
While we ate, he told us that [...]
There was a power outage during the transition from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. I’m secretly convinced it was Santa, protesting the total lack of cookies and milk and carrots for the reindeer. He did drop off Jessica’s gift on the front porch, though. I guess by the time he gets to Albion, [...]
My sister’s Christmas tree
Seems the weather was terrible nearly everywhere in the country on Christmas Eve, and here was no exception. It was rainy and cold as I set off for my brother’s and sister’s. The traffic rivaled the weather for unrivaled awfulness. It took more than half an hour just to [...]
My tree through the window
Usually, I close the blinds once the afternoon darkness sets in, but now the tree is up, I’ve been leaving them open enough that passers-by can enjoy my minimalist tree. And now you can, too, without ever setting your well-shod foot in Oakland. You’re welcome again!
I wonder if the [...]
It’s definitely the best time of year for mail, what with cards, letters, and presents stuffing my mailbox. Every day, there’s something new and fun, instead of just bills. Today’s mail was best of all, with a brand new shiny gold check card!
Before you think that’s nothing to get excited about, especially considering [...]
Hello, my name is Suzy, and I’m an Etsy addict.
Not a day goes by that I’m not checking them out, adding items to my favorites, and sometimes even buying one or two. It’s online window shopping – all the fun and none of the crowds. With the new austerity, it’s nice to know that [...]
This morning’s arrest…
…was right outside my window. I was getting ready to go and visit Henry in his new and improved quarters on the back porch when I heard the siren. It stopped right outside my house, as you can see from the photo above.
Neither rain nor hail nor policemen can keep me [...]
Hello, my name is Suzy, and I’m an addict.
Like many of my fellow afflicted, I didn’t realize I was one until my drug of choice was taken away from me with no warning.
The microwave died a sudden and inexplicable death. One moment, it’s merrily reheating coffee, and the next, it’s a giant useless metal [...]
Now, that’s free-range!
It also has nothing to do with this post. But I was so fascinated by seeing a chicken wandering around this urban wasteland (less than a block from my house) that I just had to share it with you.
You are so welcome.
Now that you’re all taken care of, here’s what I [...]
The cold weather does make it seem more like Christmas than usual. I know that those of you who live where there’s real weather are shaking your heads as I whimper and whine, but it’s a frosty 40 degrees out there (or 4 degrees, for the metrically inclined) as I shiver at my drafty [...]
My street in today’s hailstorm
I may have jinxed the weather by posting those sunny pictures, because it’s been cold and rainy ever since. Some of you may think that it’s always warm and sunny here, but that’s the southern part of the state. The northern part can be (and is), as the late, [...]
The calm before the storm
It turns out that getting tree and Self out of the creepy crawlspace relatively undamaged was the easy part of the process.
In addition to forgetting how challenging it is for the challenged to put the branches in the slots, I had also forgotten that I don’t have a tree stand. [...]
I could use an elf or two. Any volunteers?
I thought today would be a good day to put up the Christmas tree. I ventured into the creepy crawl space* under the house, found the battered old Gimbels box, and hastened up the stairs, convinced that mice and spiders were pursuing me. Since [...]
Joy asked for more Schatzi photos, so here they are. Again, I apologize for the complete lack of skill on the part of the photographer. You can see the adorable star on her chest, her French manicure with the white tips on her paws, and the affectionate look in her eyes. She’s [...]
Schatzi, with the sun on her fur and love in her eyes.
My sister pointed out that there have been, to date, no pictures of her beloved dog, Schatzi, on my blog. I endeavored to redress this egregious wrong by taking some pictures at Thanksgiving, but, alas, the sun was too sunny and the photographer [...]
