Celebration!

Drinks are on me! I completed my taxes earlier today and they are e-filed and out of my hair for another year. It took over 2 hours but some of that time did include breaks to keep my ever so fragile sanity intact. Now if we can all keep our fingers crossed that I don't get audited I can truly relax until this time again next year. I would like to make a comment on how time consuming this whole process is,first of all you have to keep track all year of anything that you will need to prepare your taxes,then when you actually sit down to do the act they insist on asking the same questions 20 different ways...do they think that you are going to change your mind on the answers? Then in the case of this year I had high medical expenses to deduct so I have to worry over an audit,do the people holding political offices have these same worries? Maybe before they get elected,but afterwards? I really doubt it,and they certainly make more money than I do with my pension. I am not complaining this year,that is if I actually get back what was calculated that was due back to me,we will see how it plays out.

Kindred Spirits

I am currently reading a book by J.D. Robb,aka Nora Roberts. The books she writes as J.D. Robb are set in the future and have many cool devices that would come in handy now,like the Auto Chef,it is a appliance that you program what you want into it and it pops it out,from coffee to complete gourmet meals to cat kibble. The vehicles have various features that most anyone would love to have,you can simply hit vertical and go over other cars,the other gadgets in the cars are not that far from what you would see in a police vehicle from this era. The showers are voice activated and you tell it how hot you want the water,and when you are finished you step out into a drying tube. But I digress,what I enjoy most about the books are the main character Eve Dallas. She is a lieutenant with the NYPD and is one hard ass broad,and here comes the kindred part,she is a fashionotsa just like yours truly! If it wasn't for her handsome husband and his good taste and making occasions that require her to get dressed up,she would appear in jeans and shirts much like myself. You got to love it when you see a reflection of yourself in the future.

Crazy Things

Strange things happening locally,last night a man had a shootout with the police in a motel just down the hill from me,and no I didn't hear the shots. Then preceded to have a high speed chase down the coast.
Earlier today after leaving my Zumba class they had the main drag taped off with yellow crime scene tape,right in front of my bank (the one that likes to leave its doors open). I just got back from my walk and they still have the main thoroughfare blocked and are detouring traffic to another through street,which must be rough for the trucks with trailers as there are right angle turns to make and no real room for them to do it. I ran into a friend from Curves and she said it was a fatality,which fits with what I saw earlier which appeared to be a bundle of rags in the road. She said the victim was dragged for ten feet,more than likely she knows what she is talking about as her husband is a state trooper and her daughter works in the D.A.'s office.
If the saying holds true that bad things happen in a series of three,that leaves one thing left to happen before this sleepy little coastal town can resume its slumber before tourist season starts.

Pussy Willows!

For some people it is daffodils or crocus,but for me  pussy willows have always been the harbinger of spring. I saw my first of the season a day or two ago,and I am excited to think spring is nearly here.
What I didn't realize is they are used for spring religious decorations on Palm Sunday as a replacement for palm branches,which don't grow that far north. The Chinese enjoy them as a symbol of growth and coming prosperity.

Tamarin or Tamarind?

Tamarin is something I had on a quiz on my trivia site and wanted to learn more about them. It is surprising what a difference one letter can make,in this case between a monkey and a pod like fruit.
A Tamarin is a squirrel sized New World monkey. Tamarins range from southern Central America through central South America. They inhabit tropical rainforests and open forest. Tamarins are omnivores,eating fruits and plants as well as spiders,insects,small vertebrates and eggs. Births are normally twins. The father primarily cares for the young,bringing them to their mother to nurse. They are also known to be monogamous.
Tamarind fruit pulp is edible,the hard green pulp of a young fruit is sour and acidic,but is often used in savory dishes. The ripened fruit is sweeter and less acidic as it matures. It is used in desserts,blended into drinks,sorbets and ice cream. In Western cuisine it is found in Worcestershire sauce and HP sauce.
 Tamarind tree with pods
 Tamarin monkey

More on Superstitions

In a book I am reading it was mentioned that peacock feathers brought into a home were bad luck. I had never heard this before so I had to investigate.
In several places around the world it is considered extremely unlucky to have peacock feathers in the house,they are believed to bring loss,misfortune,and even illness and death. Another superstition says peacock feathers in the house makes old maids. Other thoughts on these feathers are that the beautiful eye-shaped markings on them makes them associated with the evil eye.
In yet other cultures they are considered protective.
I ran across several blogs claiming they had been given peacock feathers and had bad luck until they disposed of them. I have never had any first hand experience with them,but after reading about them I don't think I will decorate with them any time soon.

A Conundrum

Today's blog is about a dream again,first I will describe the dream then list what the dream dictionary suggested was meant by it,then I will get to the conundrum part.
The dream itself was pretty basic,I was with several other people and we had placed the planets of our solar system into jars,and were trying to decide on the next step and I woke up before that was figured out.
Jars mean control,organization especially pertaining to orderly or logical thinking. Keeping things in mind. Planets mean new experiences,adventures,or new situations.
I was troubled when I woke up from this dream as I didn't know how if we had the planets in jars,why wouldn't we be in the jar with the Earth? And if we were in that jar how were we going to be able to put right whatever we were trying to do? I know it sounds like I take my dreams to seriously but when you wake up in the middle of the night things often take on greater importance than they are due. I just thought someone might have an answer to this riddle,if so let me know.
This montage shows the eight planets,plus 4 of Jupiter's moons.