T-223 : Home Values

What I value most about my current home is the fact that it's so much more than a house.  It certainly has a lot of curb appeal and niceties inside and out.  But it's the work that we've put into it since moving in almost exactly 3 years ago today that makes it our home.  What would it be without family?  Tara has done a masterful job in the lawn and garden department; even delegating tasks to us and the kids.  My normal job is to drive around every square inch of green once a week or so with my blades down.  We've also managed to establish some routines and traditions that are part of the glue that holds us together.  What do you value most about your current home?

T-224 : Snollygoster Slangers

I watched a TED talk today about the term "snollygoster", which is a politician who lies, if I caught the gist.  I might need an attitude adjustment and/or education from someone who knows better than I but I think of the terms "politician" and "liar" as often synonymous.  Help me understand better if you can.

Anyway, later today I read this article from Mental Floss - one of my favorite websites - with 19 other words and phrases not normally heard.  I'll add my 2 cents to the article by using each word/phrase in a sentence.  You can either laugh, argue, or sit idly by:

1. In the ketchup: Operating at a deficit
   Sometimes I fear that our budget is in the ketchup.  I'm glad that Tara keeps track of these things for us.
2. John Hollowlegs: A hungry man [hobo use]
   There's not many times during the day that I'm not John Hollowlegs.  Luckily I've learned the value of eating the right things and exercising.  I'm still working on losing those last 10-20 pounds but at least I'm not 50 pounds overweight anymore.
3. Lobbygow: One who loafs around an opium den in hopes of being offered a free pipe
   I suppose times are different now since I think it's generally agreed that opium dens are harmful to long-term health but I wonder if I'd have had the tendency to be a lobbygow if I'd been born back in the day.
4. Happy cabbage: A sizable amount of money to be spent on self-satisfying things
   Who wouldn't want happy cabbage?
5. Zib: A nondescript nincompoop
   Do you think I'm a zib?
6. Give someone the wind: To jilt a suitor with great suddenness
   I don't think I've ever given someone the wind.  Unless I'm mistaken it's a female thing.
7. The zings: A hangover
   I've never had alcohol -- unless that rum ball I ate by accident at a Signal Mountain Lodge party counts -- so I've never had the zings.  Could one possibly get the zings from something besides drugs or alcohol; like sugar, or even an overabundance of any substance?
8. Butter and egg man: A wealthy, unsophisticated, small-town businessman who tries to become a playboy, especially when visiting a large city
   I like to think I've never been a butter and egg man.
9. Cluck and grunt: Eggs and ham
   I do like green cluck and grunt!
10. Off the cob: Corny
    My sense of humor could often likely be described as off the cob.
11. Dog robber: A baseball umpire
    Dog robbers don't get much respect but I'd hate to see the day when we abolish them totally in favor of technology.
12. Happies: Arch supporters [shoe salesman use]
    My fallen arches react better when I have happies in my shoes.
13. High-wine: A mixture of grain alcohol and Coca-Cola [hobo use]
    I've always been taught to avoid high-wine.
14. Flub the dub: To evade one's duty
    It's taken me a long time to learn not to flub the dub.  I still sometimes resort to the behavior but feel like I've learned a great deal about doing my part over the years.
15. Donkey's breakfast: A straw mattress
    I'm thankful I don't have to sleep on donkey's breakfast.
16. George Eddy: A customer who does not tip
    I'm rarely a George Eddy but I do shave percentage points if I don't sense a concerted effort by my waitperson.
17. Wet sock: A limp, flaccid handshake
    When someone gives me a wet sock I do my best to encourage them to try again.
18. Gazoozle: To cheat
    I'm confident neither Tara nor I will ever gazoozle on each other.
19. On a toot: On a drunken spree
    Again, aside from alcohol, could one conceivably go on a toot from another substance?

I can't wait to hear from you.

T-225 : Pressure Popping

Tara canned green beans today.  At dinner when I heard the "pop" indicating that a jar was pressurizing to form a vacuum seal I remarked to hear what a good sound that was.  It's pleasing in that it's indicative of the work that went into turning a seed into a plant into a harvest-able item that can be preserved in such a way as to be available for years to come from a shelf in the pantry.  What simple sounds give you simple pleasure?

T-226 : Postop Plankton

I had my second surgery in 7 days today.  Apparently it was successful.  I was anesthetized again, of course.  So, the only thing I remember after being wheeled to the operating room is opening my eyes in my prep/recovery room.   The first thing I saw was Plankton, a character on the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon television show; which Tara had supposedly just turned to right before I was wheeled back in.  I was also told that I was wheeled in sitting up, having been roused to some state of awareness in a room between the operating room and the final recovery room.  I remember none of that.  I stand by my claim that I was roused to final consciousness by an imaginary sea creature and/or the show in which he appears.  If nothing else, it makes an alliterative title for this blog post.  Anyway, the rest of the day was spent almost entirely at home recuperating.  I feel much better than I did last week.  I felt relatively OK then but did get nauseated enough to throw up twice.  Today, so far at least, I've managed to keep everything down and have felt little to no pain.

T-227 : Free Surgery!

I went back to the doctor today for the first time since my surgery last Wednesday to see how the toe was healing.  After x-rays he said he didn't see any change at all.  In other words, the surgery failed.  I'm going in the morning to have a pin inserted lower into the bone than the attempted pin from last week.  He abandoned the attempt hoping that the bone would just stay in place on its own.  Since it didn't, he's going to resort to inserting it in a lower place in the bone that will damage more cartilage but it's the best remaining option.  If this doesn't take, fusing the end 2 bones in the "great toe" is the next best option.  I'm optimistic. The good news is that the doctor was disappointed enough that it didn't work that he actually said he failed me and that he wouldn't charge me for either the first or the second surgery!  Every toe has a silver lining...or something like that.  Wish me luck!

T-228 : Captcha Indexing

If you've never indexed names at www.FamilySearch.org I realized the other day that it's a lot like typing a "captcha" on a website that wants you to prove to them that you're not a computer by requiring the user to type letters or digits from a distorted image that appears on the screen.  Try it out today at https://familysearch.org/volunteer/indexing/.

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T-229 : Reunion Aftermath

We just spent a long weekend in Montana at a family reunion with about 75 of Tara's relatives from her dad's side.  I knew most of them from past reunions and events.  There was some talk of sharing pictures and videos in Dropbox.  I'm up for it but need a little momentum from other folks.  I've got some of the videos I took -- including Jacob's Talent-Show Winning Snowman Song, Tara's Rindercella, and some fireside memories uploaded on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/tonyderricott?feature=guide.  It got me thinking about reunions on my side.  When is it time to switch from the Grandma/Grandpa generation to the Mom/Dad generation?  I don't think there's any one answer that will fit all.  Anyone out there in the Sharon/George-Elsie or the Delmar/Wayne-Grace camp care to comment?