shoe addict alert

*Fluff piece alert!

OK I was reading the August 27th issue of the National Enquirer. I came across an article "A Sole-ful Divorce case" of a women in the midst of a nasty divorce case who happens to own 1,200 pairs of shoes.
The soon-to-be-ex-husband figured this shoe collection, which includes 700 pairs of pricey Louboutins , safeguarded by an electronic keypad safe-closet , is worth some big bucks in the divorce settlement.
When I saw the photo of "the closet", I thought to myself, "WOW! At least I'm not that bad !"
Or am I?
I cleaned out a bunch of shoes in the beginning of the year that were A) uncomfortable B) outdated C) looking kind of scrotty D) I had changed my "style"
And of course, despite my 2012 New year's resolution of "not buying any more shoes", I've replaced the 25 or so shoes I "recycled" for new ones.
Of come on!
They were on sale!
I never pay retail.
I strategically wait (like a loin in the bush watching the gazelle) til the shoes go on sale. If I can hold out a little longer (like that loin watching the gazelle in an open field to go for a drink of water) for an additional coupon I can usually  get that treasured pair of high end shoes for a song. It's easy prey so long as you wait and observe patiently.
Believe me, I don't buy crappy lame ugly-ass shit shoes either.
My sweet-heart of a husband bought me a gorgeous pair of Jennifer Lopez  purple and tangerine with gold trim platform suede sandals. They are absolutely yummy AND they match everything. And of course, I snuck in a pair of lemon coloured JLo spike heels and apricot coloured Steve Madden chunky heeled open toe platforms for good measure.
My husband thinks it's funny and finds curious whenever I go somewhere wearing a pair of my beautiful shoes. He will notice other women giving me the 'look over". Many times I will get compliments from other admiring ladies (and I do the same thing when I see a lady wearing a hot pair of shoes) He doesn't really "get it" but he knows it happens and finds it amusing.
The same things happens with hand-bags too.
I don't think I am as bad with hand-bags although my mother, long time friend, sister, husband, will debate that fact.
Oh well..

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 80

* I couldn't resist posting a photo of a pouter pigeon that I found on the internet.

As soon as I step out my car in the morning  at least 50 pigeons fly off the roof tops and follow me.
It kind of freaks out a few of the morning tourists when they see this huge flock of pigeons swooping down. I've seen people run.
 I haven't seen "Homer". God knows where he is.
This year's hatchlings-the "Snowflake twins"-I recognize in the bunch.
When I go to the beach in the afternoon I'll watch the pigeons and their interaction with the human crowd. Little kids are the ones that notice and are delighted by the pigeons. They are the ones who will throw a french fries or pizza crust to the birds. The pigeons, I swear, put a show on for them similar to the street performers you see at bus stops. They will toss a crust about like Harlem globe trotter basketball star with such purpose by flipping it on their back and over to another bird.
Two of the fire-house pigeons routinely visit my back deck.
"Craow Dum" is still hanging in there. No real change in his health except for the frontal sinus lobe is getting larger. There is nothing I can do to prevent this. I just keep his nose, eyes and mouth clean of booger and debris. After his morning debridement, he seems to smile at me afterwards.
I was sick for a few days and he jumped on the couch to join me. He gives me a "hip check" in order for me to move over for him. He snuggles close to me, falls asleep and snores. Meanwhile, "Patches" will serenade me with his whistling rendition of "Winchester Cathedral". The visiting jardine parrot will try to follow suit but is a bit off tune. "Linus" doesn't give a shit and sings his own made up off-key  song. Sadly, he would be booted off the American Idol auditions. I will then hear "Whook" muttering, "Jesus Chhhrist...Jeeesus.....bahhhhh...STINKS...you STINK....f*&^ing pain......ha ha ha ha...bruuup...JeSUS!"
Never a dull moment.

dive #873 August 26 2012

*As I was searching for a photo of a north Atlantic crab on the internet I came across this photo.
The photographer credited for this photo is our dive buddy Janet MacCausland!

Dive#873 August 26 2012
I can not believe it is the end of August already.This has been a banner summer so I can not complain. The weather has been great and my maladies have been for the most part manageable.
The sun was shining with the wind coming from the south. We had Fred, Chris and Pete running the show. Lareint as usual, giving us a hand. Jackie K, her pal, Sandy and Za za were out for a day of diving. It appears everyone was out for their "coming to the end of the season' bang up dive. The 'other" dive boat was chock-o-block full of divers as well.
On our ride out, Lareint and I spotted a lone seal in the river. What the heck was he doing there? We first thought "it" was a bit of trash floating by EXCEPT for he had a whiskered face!
We anchored at "naked man' beach. I just did one dive despite the decent temp of 57F on my guage. The viz was, at best, was 6 feet with a bit of surge. I was easily disoriented even though I did not venture away from the boat. There were many crabs, some big lobsters, a good sized skate and one lone small striper in my path.
"Newby' Zaza did very well in her skills.When she 'lost' Chris due to the poor viz she did the right thing and came to the surface to look for her.She also tried out my BCD vest for a different variation of vests. She did A-OK.She seemed comfortable in the water.
I'd say we all had a good day! :-)

really REALLY BAD ART!!!!!

This was one of those 'internet stories" I just had to read about involving an elderly woman who took it upon herself to "restore" an 19th century religious iconic painting "Ecce Homo" at Borjanos in Spain.
OMG I thought I was going to pee my pants laughing.
My long time pal and fellow artist has an uncle who did restorative painting for a living. I remember "Uncle Ernie" way back when I was a mere brat of six years old. Restorative work is difficult, precise and meticulous in so much as replicating the exact paint and materials used in the original.It is done in pain staking  detail.
Of course when I saw this internet article I had to email it to my friend.
The person who "attempted' "to fix" the painting looked like she used poster paint (like the kind kids use in finger painting)
The end result no longer looks like Jesus but more like Mr. Bill.
My friend was aghasted and like myself, we both found this to be a bit sacrilegious but at the same time, hilarious.

Southwick

hyacinth macaw

pouter pigeon

African tortoise

I took advantage of one of those internet "groupon' deals by purchasing two mid-week half price tickets to the Southwick animal zoo.
I've  wanted to go there to check out their budgie exhibit.
My husband took a vacation day off to join me.
Their budgie exhibit is similar to the one at the Franklin park zoo where you  walk in this large enclosed area with free flying budgies and cockatiels. You buy these little millet sticks to hand feed them.
I never get bored of the antics of these funny little parakeets.
I really enjoyed their "bird talk" show. They had an interactive "show" with different and varied species of parrots.Parrots for the most part love interaction and something to keep them busy.And like dogs (and people as well) they like a routine and something to do.The birds looked healthy and happy.
They had some unusual birds walking around free. They had a beautiful white peacock strutting around like the boss.
I was interested in their pouter pigeons. The male strutted around "busting a move'. Pouters are odd looking pigeons. They have a large puffed balloon-like chest and long legs.They are traditionally a "show pigeon". I've seen pouter motifs in Edwardian art.
My husband for some reason enjoyed looking at the pygmy goats. I have to admit, they are cute little things.
I like the big tortoises.And of course, without fail, two tortoises started to bonk. They are really "randy "creatures!
I refused to go to the chimp exhibit.
Seriously, I am scared shit-less of primates so I stayed clear of it.
The animals had nice clean spacious free roaming areas.
I was impressed.
Yup, we had fun.

dive # 872 August 19 2012

Dive # 872 August 19 2012
Today was cooler than it has been weather-wise. No blasting sun nor a hot August  rain-storm.
Wind, however, was a little funky blowing from SW.
We headed towards the east side to Bemo's ledge. The captain made a call that this spot may be too choppy so we headed to Kettle island instead.. We tucked in on the south side of Kettle to avoid rough water.
We had Fred, Chris, Pat and Pete as crew. Linda G and Myanna were present as well as Linda from Connecticut out for a day of diving.
Chris and Pat stayed aboard the boat. Both ladies had "squishy ear" problems so they played it safe by not diving today.
A customer aboard yesterday had lost his lobster bag in this area so I was on a mission to search for it.
BillL lost his camera in this spot a month ago so I was in "search-dog mode" for his camera as well.. Within five minutes into my dive at 30 feet I found the lobster bag. Hooray!
The water was a chilly 52F at 30 feet. Oh my God it was Frickin' coooold!
The viz was about 17 feet. There were some really big cunners, a small skate, a good sized tautog and some big lobsters under the ledges. I was poking around the  ledges and the sandy area edges where debris gathered in hopes of finding Bill's camera.
 I was at the end of my dive and at this point, really shivering making my last circle at the back end of the boat.  As I turned, I almost crashed into a very large torpedo ray!
I would say he/she was at least  5 foot in diameter. I was hoping I could nab a fellow diver to see this beauty. It is a real treat to see this ray.
This IS the time of year (end of August/ early September) when we start seeing them.
One dive was good enough for me today.
I had fun.

happy as a sunflower

Check out this (above) photo. I took this photo with my camera phone on Salisbury beach. It is a seahorse kite! How cool is that!??!
The beach has kite flying displays and I'm guessing the kite clubs have competitions on occasion.
Isn't summer time on the beach the BEST!?!?
I've been to the beach just about every single day AND swimming in the ocean. I am certainly getting my exercise  because I take my bike to the beach to go swimming.
Everything about the summer is awesome!
The food.
Blueberries, watermelon, peaches, dairy queen ice cream, beach pizza, hot dogs, potato salad, tomatoes, and fresh herbs...OH BOY!
The clothes.
Bathing suits, high heeled platform sandals, linen and cotton fabrics,  tank tops with bright BRIGHT colors! Oh how I love bright happy colors! Lime green, tangerine, lemon yellow, bubble gum pink, aqua and lavender!
No socks and bulky coats.
And of course all the activities.
Scuba diving, bike riding, jogging, swimming, bird watching, boating, BBQs, exploring outdoor antique markets, vegetable gardening, and afternoon tea on the patio.
Isn't it great when it is light out in the morning at 5:30am? Fresh air blowing in the window? Hanging your clothes outside?Seeing ducks with their babies? Checking out  pretty flower gardens? Rain on a hot august night?
When I am not sick, I enjoy every day in the summer as if it is my last.
Eat those chocolate chip cookies slowly to savor the flavor!

Fifty shades of....... WHAAAAAT!?

OK I'll be the first to admit that I am an uptight stuffy snotty prude
I mean, after all I am a saint!
I never smoked pot in high school like everyone else.
I didn't do it for a couple of reasons.
First of all: The fact that everyone smoked pot. Quite frankly, I'm not a follower. I could not give a flying turd to be a part of the "in' crowd.
Second of all: I am a major germ-o-phobe. It totally grossed me out seeing everyone pass a "roach" around and sucking on it.
How disgusting.
I remember attending  a "Prince" concert and this nasty bit of reefer was being passed around for everyone's "enjoyment". I could barely touch it with my fingers in order to pass it over to the kid sitting next to me. It was all dripping wet with saliva. Ewww!
Third of all: I considered myself as a fine tuned piece of machinery and I wasn't going to (potentially) contaminate myself.
Just recently in passing conversation I was asked if I had read the new "hot" raunchy novel "Fifty shades of Grey" by E.L. James.
NO, I did not.
 Nor do I have any interest in it.
I don't like "dirty stories".
I had read many years ago (during the 1980's) the popular novel, "Rage of Angels' by Sidney Sheldon.
A year(or two) ago I had read the historical fantasy  best seller's list, "Outlander" by Diane Gabaldon.
These two books are not considered "dirty', but these two books were my absolute limit on the "raunch-o-meter". Stuff written in these books were waaaaay too intimate.
Sure, I'll chuckle at a ribald joke and crack up watching "South Park" but I do have my limits.

Books that I WOULD recommend for summer reads are as listed:
"The gerbil farmer's daughter" by Holly Robinson
"The Glass castle" by Jeannette Walls
And right now I am reading "the Hunger Games" series ("The Hunger Games"," Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay") by Suzanne Collins. These books were listed for my nephew's summer reading assignments.
That is more my speed!

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 79

Different ones come and go. For the most part, they are healthy and fat due to all the discarded french fries and pizza. I haven't seen "Homer" nor any of the other recognizable regulars.
 I did notice up on the Christie's pizza sign ledge two youngsters sitting there patiently. They are of a snow-flake coloring. I know they are youngsters, not for their size because "squab' are the same size as adults, but for their beaks. The young pigeons beaks are bulkier. They are most likely fledglings still occasionally eating from their parents but at the same time learning to eat on their own. I saw them both today gingerly picking at the seeds with the adults.I would guess that they about 7-8 weeks old.
I had taken a break from reading my pigeon chat-line because there were just too many sad stories. However, just recently there was a happy story about a successful hatchling story. This couple from the UK rescued a couple of pigeons a while back. They set up a "pigeon hotel" for them. (It was a carpeted kitty castle) The pigeons became a mated pair and had babies.Horray!
Craow Dum is now officially a year old.He eats good and poops perfectly. He had his first feather "molt". Since he can not properly groom and break the newly emerging  feather sheaths, I do it for him. I still clean his nose and mouth daily. So far, he is still hanging in there without any noticeable discomfort or emerging problems.
He is a funny bird .Tonight, he will watch a movie with us and I will make him some pop-corn to enjoy.
How spoiled is that!

following Father Damien

Father Damien of Molokai (Hawaii) passed away at the turn of the century. He dedicated his life reaching out to destitute lepers that were banished to the small volcanic island of Molokai. He, in turn, contracted leprosy and died.
The leper colony still exists even today.
It's located in a steep valley surrounded by a treacherous reef formation surrounding the island making it difficult to go in as well as to leave. Lepers were put on this island (or should I say chucked overboard to fend for themselves) because of how isolated this island is.
Leprosy,  is now treatable with antibiotics. The 'politically correct" term for this disease is now called "Hanson's disease". Generations of families who had contracted the disease who had been cured still live there.
* There is a movie out on DVD titled "Molokai: the story of Father Damien" 1999 .

You are probably asking yourself, how do I even know about this?
Well, it is because my sister is there.
 She hopes to set up a clinic there for folks with addiction issues.(She has her doctoral degree in psychology)
She had been back and forth to Hawaii for work related conferences. She had embarked on a "spiritual journey" as well  finding herself following Father Damien's foot-steps.
On a personal level, she has dealt with her share of failed soul-sucking relationships and found that the search for "Prince Charming" is just a cruel fairy-tale hoax. This would be one way of rebooting her life by making a move.
On her last family visit she seemed more balanced and focused, putting her energy in the hopes of establishing herself in Hawaii.
I hope it will work out for her.
She always has a story to tell.

turtle rampage

This week I am taking care of a turtle.
In the past when I was on call for the turtle, I'd checked on him and fed him every other day.
 Lately, the owners were concerned about "Scooter' because he has been trying to climb out of his enclosure ending up on his back.They requested that I check on him every day to make sure he was not on his back.
After diving on sunday, I made a stop-over to check on Scooter. I knew once I got home, especially after eating a nice meal, I would be in no condition to get back in my car to drive anywhere. I'd be in a bucket after a long day of diving and being in the sun. Anyways, I had the house key with me to stop over to feed "Scooter".
The turtle was in the corner of his large faux tropical housing. He peered out of his shell to see me with this look of determination. He then galloped down his ramp stampeding after me!
YES, the turtle took off after me like a son-of-a-gun!
Seriously, it was hilarious!
He jumped in his little "pond" and pooped in it standing up on his hind legs. I cleaned out his pond and got his dinner of lettuce leaves and peaches ready for him.I do not know what has gotten in to him. He seemed like he was trying to jump out of his tank.He was marching around the rim of his tank on his hind legs.
My guess is that he might be at his "mating age" and he is acting like a fidgety teenager.
Well, I got to go and take a ride over to his owner's house to check on "Scoot's" now.

dive #870 & 871 August 5 2012

Hot, hazy and humid. Perfect day to be in the water.
I was sick on saturday. The migraine monster grabbed me out of nowhere and took me down. I wasn't sure if I was going to get up out of bed, never mind being on a boat in the bright light and heat.
A double dose of zomig and two seasick pills got me up. I figured a cold water submersion would help pull me out of the haze.
Dive #870 August 5 2012 -Gulley point.
Fred, Chris and Pete were in charge. Larient onboard as helpful as always. We had Jackie K, Gary from the froggies and Zaza as Chris's student.
 I followed Chris and Zaza as a back-up. It was a nice and relaxing dive. The water was cold, shockingly cold, at 52F at just 20 feet. It was jolting because of saturday, the shallow water temp at Salisbury beach was a comfy 64F. However, this what the doctor ordered. Thankfully, the migraine slipped away.
Zaza did A-ok. She seemed comfortable underwater. We came up to refresh her tank and a bite to eat. I brought a pile of extra sandwiches which was a good thing. Everyone was hungry and even the spinach sandwiches tasted like heaven.
Dive #871-Gulley point
Since it was a long boat drive out to Gulley point, the captain made the call to stay here since the viz was pretty decent. I was perfectly happy staying here. Chris reviewed skills underwater and I followed suit-even though my teeth were chattering from the cold.We saw a tautaog, star fish, crabs and a monster lobster in a trap.It was most likely a female.
Boat traffic was pretty heavy. Everyone and their mother had the same idea to be out at sea. Yup, that is what summer is all about.
Good fun.
*I found this photo on the internet. I am guessing the lobster we saw had claws that big.

Mickey's mouth

Mickey has been a delight. He is really funny and friendly. He seems to fit right in.
He is also very talkative.
I find myself watching what I say in front of him because he picks up words fast.
His owner had passed away a week ago and you could tell she was very sick.
Mickey will imitate a cough and follow up by saying ,"It's Ok".
It's really sad.
He also says, "where's George?" "I'm just joking" plus an array of whistles and songs.
As I said before, he picks up words and sounds very quickly.
He was imitating 'Patches" Adams Family whistle song. He also laughs.
I also heard him say, "what are you? retahhhhhded!?"
Oops.