Friday, November 2, 2007

Highlights from the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro

Why's everybody always picking on me?
Am I clean yet?
Mommy, aren't you done already?
Come on mom, the other kids will think I'm odd!
Yeah, that's it. A little bit lower and too the right.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Temporarily Distracted

Just wanted to let you guys know that I have not intentionally stopped blogging.

There's been a lot of activity the last couple weeks here on Cemetery Road and Blogger is currently experiencing a soon to be fixed technical glitch. Due to the glitch, I haven't been able to share any of my latest meanderings as they are all photo related. It seems computers can be just as tempermental as children at times!

No, honestly I'm just ignoring you. Just kidding, though I have been busy working on my thesis and writing some articles for Associated Content. If you miss me, the link to AC is on the page here too.

If you haven't been in this neck of the woods in awhile then you missed the grand South Central fair which was here at Cemetery Road two weeks ago. I have an awesome photo I can't wait to share that has its own personal Cemetery Road flair, yet alas this silly Blogger photo glitch is holding things up. It is certainly a view of the fairgrounds that I've never seen in any traditional media form. So, yours truly feels obliged to share what's really behind the scenes, so to speak. That, and of course it amuses me so I do try my best to return the favor.

My latest adventure last weekend was taking the children on their first official zoo trip. It was a family affair as I think every monkey in the family jungle decided to come along too. Seriously though, it was a lot of fun. We saw giraffes (upclose), elephants, monkeys, zebras, and lots of other animals. I have some great photos to share from the zoo as well.

I'll post again as soon as Blogger fixes the glitch.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The South Central Fair at Cemetery Road



The South Central Fair at Cemetery Road

Each October, the fair coming to town is such a monumental event. Literally.


I simply had to share my favorite view of the fair. Sadly, I don't think I'll ever see this particular view in any of the local newspapers, but it is nonetheless, my favorite view.


I can just imagine all the souls desiring undisturbed rest in peace, that are annually invaded by the week full of noise, music, and wonderful smells. I'm sure there's nothing worse than lying there craving some cotton candy, popcorn, and candy apples, while trying to decipher if that's a side of cow, pig, or chicken wafting alongside of the aromas.


If ever there was going to be a great time to wake the dead, I think the fair would be the ideal situation. However, even ghosts might be rudely awakened at today's five dollar price tag to ride one little silly ride. Instead of the "you must be this tall to ride" signs, they should read, "you must be a broke fool if you spent five dollars on this here thirty second expensive thrill."


Well, I don't really have much room to talk. I spent my five bucks on a virgin strawberry daiquiri and a funnel cake. Best five bucks I've spent in a long time, and now I have this nifty blue and hot pink plastic glass in my cupboard. When it's been a hard day, I refill the glass with whatever I have on hand...kool aid, water, tea, rum and coke, whatever. It really doesn't matter.


Then, I imagine I'm helping to wake the dead. The dead people walking that I wish would just wake up to what's going on around them. The dead brain cells in my head that obviously aren't getting enough oxygen flowing to them. The dead relationships that abound in the distant past. The dead silence that is really haunting. The dead funeral processions that come and go along the roadway. The dead leaves falling off the trees. The dead day. The dead night. The dead romances that sparked on the ferris wheel and smoldered by the time the colorful lightbulbs were turned off well after midnight.


I raise my glass to commemorate a time for every season and I know, the fair will be back next October. Alive with more funnel cakes and strawberry daiquiris.






Saturday, October 6, 2007

The First Tiny Moon Flower

The first tiny Moon Flower plant has officially arrived at Cemetery Road!!!

It is hard to believe that the full moon was only 10 days ago. So far this little guy is the first seedling to peep out and say hello. He is certainly a bit ahead of the 14-28 days normal expectancy, and I hope this is a good sign that the second batch of young ones will fair better than the first.
The weather has been warm and sunny and the forecast predicts next week will reach upwards of 90 degrees again.
Feel free to send some moonbeams our way or even turn on the new TV series "Moonlight" to help keep the tiny plant company.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Full Moon: More Moon Flowers?

The Full Moon was absolutely gorgeous tonight!

There's nothing quite like staring at the full moon on a still, quiet, and crystal clear night. The photo was taken around 11:30pm and the moon was high in the sky. Simply mesmerizing.


I hope the moon flower seeds think so this time too as even if they are picky, they had absolutely no reason to complain tonight.

If you weren't moon gazing tonight than shame on you! No excuses. A clear black sky. A huge luminous moon and not a star or a cloud in sight.

A beautiful night, no matter how you look at it.

If there is such a thing as a perfect night for planting moon flowers, tonight would certainly have been it. I was in such awe of the moon, that I even forgot to sing and chant. I planted seeds.

Then just stared in silence.

There are few nights that take my breath away. Tonight was one of them.

The weatherman said it was going to be in the low sixties tonight, and there was a rustling breeze and just a hint of a chill in the air.

You can certainly tell Fall is well on her way.

I wish there were more nights like this, especially since the addition of the full moon compounds Mother Nature's peaceful lullaby at least by a hundredfold. I will try to make a point to visit the evenings outside a bit more. I had forgotten how invigorating it is to just quietly "be" in the dark silence.



The Man in the Moon, me, and the Moon Flower seeds.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

It Only Takes a Spark

It only takes a spark to get a fire going.

I see you little red dots on Clustr Map. Tiny little sparks. Even if I can't hear you, I still see you.

Don't forget...the full moon is tomorrow night too.

Jiffy pellet peat pots, jiffy pellet peat pots, jiffy pellet peas in a pot!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Blogger Play

As I watched a few of the constant stream of images that people are out there uploading, Blogger Play reminded me of playing Hide and Go Seek as a child.

"It" would count a bit too quickly, 1... 2... 3...

Ready or not, here I come!

Then I'd duck behind a tree and pray "It" couldn't see me before I had enough time to reach base safely.

Time after time. The game never got old.

Unfortunately, I could only ever run but so fast and I was lousy at hiding.

Only today, my computer runs slower than molasses, but nevertheless you cannot hide from me. You there. Hiding behind that no longer existent tree...

Tag! You're it!






Thursday, September 6, 2007

Death of the Moon Flowers

After much denial, it is with sheer brute force that I have finally come to the conclusion that the moon flowers are dead. Here along Cemetery Road, I am admittedly finding it slightly ironic that the blog's official flowers are simply dead. I haven't written in awhile because I was off diligently keeping watch, watering them, cursing the moon and my silly moon chants, and an assortment of other denial-like activities that urged, "just give it one more day."

I can only procrastinate the inevitable though, for so long. Four to six weeks has dragged on in upward of eight to nine weeks so I believe it is a fairly safe bet that the moon flowers are not going to sprout. Unless, they are invisible and have wings.

Ghost Moon Flowers?

Boo! Boo hoo!!

Well, I am nevertheless determined to try again.

A quick check on the calendar says that the next full moon will be on September 26th. In the meantime, I will be preparing a second attempt to wake the dead!

You're welcome once again to come out and make some noise with me if you'd like to!

This time, in the spirit of Jiffy popcorn (the self contained popping pan of popcorn that can even be used outdoors) I am going to try using a package of Jiffy pellet peat pots.

Now, say that really fast five times....Jiffy pellet peat pots, Jiffy pellet peat pots, Jiffy pellet peat pots, Jiffy pellet peat pots, Jiffy pellet peat pots...

Yeah, I know, I laugh hysterically by the fourth and fifth time as it sort of runs together and I want to say pees in a pot!!! Or toilet seat pots!! Then I get this fantastic image in my mind of moon flowers, except the plants themselves are now flowering bare gigantic naked butts! A sort of full moon, moon flower!

Well, perhaps the moon flowers will prefer to propagate themselves in their own individual little pees in a pots.

I hope so. Sure would be nice to see some actual moon flowers around here.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Doncha Just Hate It When...?

Doncha just hate it when you put money in the soda machine, hit the button for a Grape soda, and then you get a Fruit Punch?

Then, of course that would have been the very last quarter you had left in your purse, and that annoying red light on the machine is blazing and screaming right back at you "exact change only." Even though there's a single crisp George Washington uselessly sitting there in your wallet, you probably wouldn't bother wasting it again in the same machine anyway.

Steal my quarter and keep my grape soda once, shame on me. But, take my dollar, keep the change, and still give me another stupid fruit punch...well, that means war and we already know how Washington would handle cherry fruit punch!

Yet, that twenty-five cents war is not nearly enough of a hassle for me to visit Walmart's customer service center and complain. Thirty minutes later, I may or may not have my quarter back, but by then I would be more parched than a piece of parchment paper and still not have my cool, refreshing grape soda!

There's a bunch of disgruntled drink machine refillers out there just laughing their butts off about this, and I imagine that maybe even a few, after having a particularly crummy day on the job, do this intentionally. They pull a soda switch-a-roo, then rush back and hide in the truck just to watch! Seriously, have you ever clocked just how long some of these trucks appear to sit in the parking lot? They're having loads of laughs, however, they don't have to worry about quarters and they can just open up the truck and pick out whatever they want! Since I don't apparently miss a grape soda for a fruit punch, who's going to miss if they want a cola and have a cola?

And you gotta admit. If you were the one doing that same exact job, doesn't that sound even the slightest bit fun? Pepsi tick you off today? Well there, now take that Coke and shut up! That will teach you a lesson! One morning, I might wake up and decide that I don't like the Sprite in you. You need a Mountain Dew instead, ha! Or I might decide that you've already had more than you share of caffeine for the day, so I'll just cut you back to anything else that's caffeine free! Or hey, did Dr. Pepper give you the news? No! Joke's on you as it's a Fanta, Fanta, who wants a Fanta?

If I had a dollar for every drink machine that I've ever wanted to kick box somewhere into next week, I'm certain I could at least have built and patented my very own miniature soda machine that could dispense Grape soda inside my own car without my ever having to bother with quarters again. Now that's a novel idea that I'd be willing to pay money for. A bright flashing GPS button that stands for GraPe Soda! Yet, the one in my car would have to come with sweet tea too. That way, even if I wanted a grape soda, I could settle for a sweet tea without having a fruit punch induced nervous breakdown.

Yeah, I just hate it.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Did Ya Bring Yer Shovel?

We returned from the shore, though I am still trying to finish laundry, unpacking, and getting rid of the ton of sand that somehow followed us home in toys, swimsuits, and shoes! The weather was beautiful and hot. A bit unbearable a few days as it was over 100* but the breeze from the ocean made it harder to really care about the extreme heat.

Below is my toddler playing at the beach. Yeah, we take shovels everywhere! Did ya bring yers?

This is "Carolina Moon" - absolutely gorgeous and oceanfront! If you're ever in the Holden Beach area this is certainly a lovely vacation home. The children fed seagulls from the upstairs balcony while pelicans flew overhead, ferociously rocked in all the rocking chairs along the porch, and loved the child sized Belize chairs around front!


It was beautiful, but I won't pretend that it wasn't an exhausting week for me. I don't think mothers ever really get a true vacation. Vacation generally just means all the extra work of piling everyone into the car and lugging stuff and yourselves somewhere else to continue your daily responsibilities. Though it is hard to beat looking out at the ocean. It's nice to drift away somewhere where you can just sit and bury your feet in the sand.

For a short while, it was also nice not to worry about the heavy machinery digging in the dirt across our street.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Chicken Noodlin' All the Day - At the Shore

The Chicken Noodles and I are off to the shore! With the car loaded down with enough paraphernalia that will hopefully get us through Friday we are officially headed to the North Carolina shores. Whoever said "Life's a Beach" apparently didn't have two little ones that he was trying to pack up and take there, lol!! Anyway, hope everyone has a great week and I'll post again when we get back.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Thank God for good directions...and Hardee's tea.

Today it was 96 degrees outside in the shade, not to mention humid. It was one of those sweltering muggy days where a person is much happier just sitting inside in the air conditioner. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury to sit and soak up the AC.

After being outside much of the hot morning and early afternoon, I happened to drive by Hardee's and read the lettering on the marquee. "32 oz. Sweet Tea - $1" glared at me in large uppercase black letters. Hmm...now that was a thought. However, a quick glance at the long drive-thru line persuaded me to tuck the tired and perspiring dollar bill back into my wallet.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for driving with all four windows rolled down and letting the wind blow through my hair so I really do look like I never brushed my hair this morning, yet sitting in the stale heat in rush hour traffic, motionless? Nah, I had to pass. That tea sure would have been nice and cold though.

As soon as I had I driven by the small ENTER sign, I regretted my hasty decision. The marquee sign seemed to be calling my name, screaming come back, and it instantly felt ten degrees hotter. Then, Billy Currington started singing "Good Directions" on the radio. As I sat at the stoplight, waiting for it to turn green, Billy sang:

" She went way up yonder past the caution light
Don’t know why, but somethin’ felt right
When she stopped in and asked Miss Bell for some of her sweet tea
Mama gave her a big ‘ol glass and sent her right back here to me...."

Yeah. It didn't help.

An hour later, I flipped country music stations only to hear Billy Currington crooning about that big 'ol glass of sweet tea again. Damn it!! The only cloud of dust that I had disappeared into was the one related to cleaning lake houses in the 96 degrees heat and fifteen miles farther away from that sweet tea! I just hate it when I'm more hard-headed than Hollywood!

What seemed like an eternity later, the kids went to grandma's so my husband and I could enjoy our first "date night" in almost four months. He suggested a movie. I told him I'd fall asleep in a dark theater within the first twenty minutes. He suggested a nice dinner and listed off a few choices. I started to laugh. He wanted to know what was so funny about going out to dinner. I tried to explain how a 32 oz sweet tea for $1.00 at Hardee's had been calling my name all day. He reluctantly gave in to my request but he wasn't happy about it.

Since neither of us really wanted to run into anyone we knew in our small town, we actually drove 20 miles to the next town over to have dinner! As we pulled into a completely vacant Hardee's parking lot at 7:30pm on a Saturday night, I started to laugh again. With a buy one, get one free Thickburger coupon in hand, we waltzed into a quiet and empty Hardee's and ordered. Burgers, curly fries, and two big 'ol 32 oz glasses of sweet tea.

We sat down and waited for our order to be brought to our table. We sat there. In silence. Complete silence. For once, I had absolutely nothing to say and I didn't care. I felt so completely giddy on the inside as I waited in anticipation of that big 'ol glass of sweet tea. No children screaming. No laundry to do. No dishes to do. Just silence. And tea.

When the burgers arrived, I didn't even care that somehow the burger maker had screwed up. I laughed hard at my two bottom buns and my husband's two top buns. I joked that the burger guy must have been entirely too busy to know what he was doing particularly since he was so overwhelmed with customers! It didn't matter. I switched him a bottom for one of my top buns and that problem was easily fixed.

We ate in silence. The best $8 and some change that we've spent in months! The only thing that made it better was the 32 oz free refill of sweet tea I stopped to get on the way out!

Thank God for good directions...and Hardee's tea.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

An ABC Friendly Dilemma

The three day hiatus also presented a bit of a moral dilemma. What would you do? Comments are certainly welcome.

Friend A and Friend B have been best friends since they were children. Enter Woman 1. Friend A and Woman 1 have a child together but never married. They went their separate ways for a number of years by their own mutual choosing. Out of the blue, Friend B runs into Woman 1 and tells Friend A about it. Friend A then starts talking to Woman 1 again, mainly because she was brought back into his attention by Friend B. Woman 1 plays hard to get with Friend A, while in the meantime sleeps with Friend B. Woman 1 and Friend B mutually decide never to tell Friend A about their "relationship" as it would really hurt him. However, Friend B brags about Woman 1 to friends C, D, and E...who also happen to be friends with Friend A also. If you were friend E, what would you do?

XYZ, PDQ ?

Monday, July 30, 2007

Moon Flower - Seeds Sown


It seems that even the Full Moon has a sense of humor.

I had intended to sow the moon flower seeds by the light of the full moon at precisely midnight...then, at 8:30pm last night there was an overabundance of severe thunderstorm warnings in my area. So, instead the seeds were sown by the light of the hidden from view full moon at 9PM.

The thick black cloud cover made it impossible for me to admire the full moon, however, the full moon was there. It's the effort that counts as even though I couldn't exactly see the full moon, I know that the moon flower seeds "sense" that the full moon is there encouraging them to grow! grow! grow!!!!!

Nestled safely in their small Jiffy greenhouse, the moon flower seeds are preparing to germinate themselves into this great wide world! After all, the culmination of my meticulous moon flower meditative efforts was a brilliant rain dance complete with explosive thunder claps and magnificent lightning displays!

I have no doubt, that last night's full moon was indeed a fitting and splendid night for sowing moon flower seeds. If the tiny hopeful seeds weren't impressed with the unseen full moon, than by far the booming thunder and crackling lightning should have them leaping out of those seeds if only due to having the begeezuz scared out of them!

I planted a total of 16 seeds to start with in regular potting soil. I hope to see some tiny moon flower plants peeping out within the next 2-4 weeks. The Jiffy greenhouse is in a warm sunny spot on my front porch and I plan to keep the soil moist, but not overly damp.

More photos and information about growing Moon Flowers will follow in the upcoming weeks so keep checking back to see how Cemetery Road's official flowers are progressing! Or, click on the Moon Flower label for past posts.


Sunday, July 29, 2007

The Case for Lowercase L

I recently came across the blog lowercase l. Until reading a few of the entries, the case for lowercase l had not previously crossed my mind. However, while on my three day hiatus what did I happen to meet? Well, nothing short of my very first lowercase l sighting!!! I'm so excited that of course I had to share! Would you like to buy some lowercase l pot?

Do check out the lowercase l blogspot to explore some more lowercase l sightings while you're at it. And don't worry- I'm forwarding my own lowercase l sighting to their blog as well! What's that? Up there on that sign? It's a bird? It's a plane? It's an alien flying in a ClAY POT? Why, no...it's uh....a lowercase l!!!

Lowercase L sighting by the side of the road outside of Pamplin, VA.
lG pots $3.00. SM pots $1.50




Moon Flower Seeds Soaking it Up

The Moon Flower Seeds are currently soaking it up!!
They have been happily swimming in their water dish since midnight last night! As the full moon is quickly approaching, they are quietly awaiting their planting ceremony which will commence at midnight tonight, of course, by the light of the full moon!

As a reminder, moon flower seeds should be soaked prior to sowing. If you haven't soaked yours yet you still have time to do so before tonight!



Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Moon Flower - Preparing Seeds

Preparing Moon Flower Seeds:

For more successful growing, Moon Flower seeds should be soaked in water overnight before sowing. To honor the sacred plant's heritage, it is also strongly recommended to plant seeds on a full moon. If you would like to wear a white dress, chant, run around screaming at the wind, or meditate skyclad, go right ahead and feel free to do whatever puts you in the mood to encourage these beautiful aphrodisiac plants to begin life off to a healthy start.

The full moon is Sunday, July 29th. My seeds will be soaking on Saturday night and I will have them ready to plant on Sunday evening.

More info and photos of the planting ritual will follow as I begin growing my own Moon Flowers!


The Chicken Noodle Escape

I am soon to be escaping from the land of Chicken Noodles. I am excited. Who am I kidding? I'm jumping up and down, fighting to contain my excitement! Now that's more like it!! I am heading out into the real world of grown-ups with one infant in tow. After dropping the toddler off at grandma's, I am boldly going where I have not been able to go for at least the last eight months. First, I have a meeting with my thesis advisor and then I'm off to visit my sister and a couple of my fabulous single girlfriends whom I have not had the pleasure to really "visit" with since baby number two arrived. My three day hiatus is largely due to some timely house repairs. So, tonight I am thankful that when I turned on the air conditioner back in June some little plastic thingy-a-ma-bob cracked, water leaked, and chunks of drywall came plopping down into the bedroom. It was certainly not funny at ten o'clock at night, but on the eve of my welcomed departure I find it incredibly fantastic! The only vacation I'm taking this year is because the bedroom ceiling has to be fixed before it caves in! Since things generally do tend to come crashing down on me here lately, I have decided that I should not press my luck. Anyway, the hiatus, no matter how short, is indeed a good thing. I will miss cemetery road probably until the end of the week, but it will be in my thoughts.


Friday, July 20, 2007

Moon Flower - Sacred Plant

I have the Moon Flower seeds in hand!! More to come soon...

Monday, July 16, 2007

Revenge of the Refrigerator

1 crying (hungry) + 1 sneaking (thirsty) = Revenge of the Refrigerator.

Since I couldn't factor in two additional seconds or at least another 1/2 of myself, the results of today's equation equal one small disaster. Or today, revenge of the refrigerator. Yep. It only happens when I clean.

Did you know this little fella could get the refrigerator door open and pour his own cup of juice? Nope. Neither did I. Learn something new every day. I don't understand- how did absolutely NOTHING end up in his cup?

Oh, by the way, grape juice was in "his" pitcher. The purple can soda is not his, nor is he allowed to drink it. The crawdaddy has to have caffeine every now and then. Yes, he does have one shoe off and one shoe on. Yes, the shoe is on the wrong foot. No, I don't let him run around naked. I dressed him earlier. Twice. He then decided to redress himself, obviously according to his own taste- grape.

Diddle diddle dumpling...

Baby Think It Over...Really!

Last Sunday, I commented about the Baby Think It Over Program by Reality Works.

Today, I have another thought to add. Below is two days worth of laundry at my house. With an infant and a toddler, welcome to reality.

Hmm... Reality works?

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Warning: Refrigerator Refreshment

Tonight's Tackle Box: The Refrigerator

I could lie and say this happened a week or so ago, but I'll be honest...it happened more than a month ago. My toddler decided to help me fix breakfast one rather chaotic morning, so more than a half dozen eggs ended up in the bottom of my refrigerator.

Like me, you know you're guilty. Something spills down behind the crisper box and after a quick swipe at the bulk of the mess, you think I don't have time right now, so I'll clean it thoroughly later.

In the meantime, one child is crying, the other needs to be changed, the phone rings, there's a knock at the door, someone needs to be changed again- wait a minute, didn't I just change you? And then, cleaning out the refrigerator ends up way down at the bottom of the day's to-do list, right along with the growing collection of spills, gunks, and goos.

Then you definitely know it's time to clean the refrigerator when there are sufficient amounts of green and blue stuff growing down there behind the crisper drawer getting crispy! Anyway, tonight is the night! My beautiful squeaky clean refrigerator is proudly modeling her intimate areas for your viewing pleasure. You can see that she even brought her own strawberries and whipped cream, just for you! There's just something really sexy in its own right about a clean refrigerator. If you don't have children yet, don't worry. You'll know what I mean some day.

Since cleaning the refrigerator is certainly not on my top 100,000 favorite things to do list, I was far from amused while tackling this task tonight. However, that was only until I realized that my own little refrigerator comes equipped with a sense of humor.

As I squatted down to put the crisper drawer back into its place something caught my attention. There were three lines of capital letters written in bold face type across the bottom of the crisper drawer. Maybe because I put food down in there or because I just open the door, get what I need, and shut the door, but I had never thought to actually read the drawer's writing.

So, I had to share...

"WASH IN MILD SOAP AND
WARM WATER
DO NOT WASH IN DISHWASHER"

If that don't beat all! Someone out there hated cleaning their refrigerator so-o-o-o-o much that they actually tried to put the crisper drawer in the dishwasher!! Come on now! Even I can see that there's no way a crisper drawer that size would fit in a dishwasher, and I don't even have a dishwasher!

At times, I wonder...how stupid do manufacturers think we really are? Then, I think about that question carefully, and I realize that the warning wouldn't be there if it weren't for that one very "special" SOMEBODY who sincerely needed it to be. After all, it only takes one to make a manufacturer decide that a warning needs to be there, just so the rest of us don't get any more wise ideas.

But, if the person who tried to put the crisper drawer in the dishwasher would care to step forward, I'd certainly love to shake your hand! The refrigerator said she'd share her strawberries and whipped cream with you too! Oh, by the way, the refrigerator would also like to know if you own a car wash? She really needs to take a shower but only if it gets her hinges and her feminine components clean too!


Chicken Noodlin' All the Day - Again!


Guess who went Chicken Noodlin' again?
Yep. Pretty soon that old crawdaddy won't have any more dental floss left!


Sunflower Sunday

Have a Happy Sunflower Sunday!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Moon Flower - Sacred Plant

During a recent visit with relatives, I inquired about a flowering plant that I thought was absolutely gorgeous! Due to the inquiry, I recently discovered the "Moon Flower" or Datura inoxia.

Datura inoxia - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is such a fascinating plant! The Moon Flower's white trumpet-shaped blooms start to open at night and they are about the size of your hand. Absolutely beautiful and extremely fragrant!

The Datura is also revered throughout many different cultures as a medicinal, magical, or sacred visionary plant due to its
aphrodisiac attributes. All parts of the plant can be poisonous, so care should be taken when growing it, as it is not child or pet friendly.

I have been so enthralled with this plant that I cannot wait to try growing it on my own! I'm a symbolism geek at heart, and to me, this wonderful discovery combines symbolism from Freud, Jung, mythology, and also the tarot.

The High Priestess is my favorite tarot card as to me, it has always been my "self" card. The High Priestess is a card of knowledge and intuition- that which is known but not revealed. Mysterious. The High Priestess is about the things that are hidden but not necessarily seen, told, or discussed. There is much duality in the meaning of this card as the High Priestess is both a seeker of knowledge and record keeper of the truth. On her throne, she sits, almost somewhat precariously, between pillars of light and dark, good and evil, with the crescent moon at her feet and the moon crown on her head. The scroll in her hands is an archive of information which she may or may not share with you. Pomegranates, symbols of traveling to and from the land of the dead, decorate the curtain behind the High Priestess' throne. The curtain itself acts as a shield which almost protects her from the troubled emotional waters which are flowing freely behind her. What hidden secrets are in these waters? Will she choose to share her secrets with you or not?

There is also a Black lotus flower atop the black pillar and a white lotus flower atop the white pillar. Yet hey, I kind of think a "Moon Flower" is simply much more clever!

So, the Moon Flower is hereby instated as the Official Blog Flower of Cemetery Road 101.

In the future, check out the Moon Flower label on the right for other posts about my Moon Flower growing endeavors. The seeds are scheduled to arrive in another week or so!




Chicken Noodlin' All the Day

Well, it's been a busy week around here. It rained much of Tuesday and Wednesday. The thunderstorms fretted the DSL modem too so I'm behind on my blog because I was "under the weather." Sorry. But now I can catch you up to speed on what I've been up to!

I've been working with my toddler on potty training. We occasionally have some luck, although the only potty he seems to have mastered is the one below.

Yeah, I know. Not the greatest "toy" to have your child playing with but he seriously loves it! He has this fixation with buttons and beeping noises so it does keep him entertained for hours. That, and as long I can hear the beeps I always know exactly where he is!

Of course, today's great adventure took us back once more to Chicken Noodlin' - wanna know what's biting? Well, after some big crawdaddy left the dental floss out in the bathroom, the toddler found it and apparently decided that he needed some fishing line.


Now I know exactly why Johnson-Johnson calls it "REACH" as the stuff "REACHES" from one end of the house to the next!!!! The toddler's catch of the day was literally a whole whole lot of Fish-er Price! An impressive stringer even for a toddler!

I would've loved to post some more pics but the crawdaddy didn't find this too funny! LOL!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Roads Less Traveled

Here's a few photographs of actual road signs for you to enjoy:

Shades of Death Road

Fucking (Austria)

This Way to Dildo

We couldn't survive without Wikipedia now could we?

"Yeah."

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Babies Gone Wild

In the same spirit as Okie Noodling and "Girls Gone Grabblin," wouldn't you like to see videos about "Babies Gone Wild?" If you think that wouldn't be entertaining than you certainly haven't seen my sugar deprived toddler immediately after someone says MARSHMALLOW! Now that's a baby gone wild!

Another of my toddler's greatest new tricks is the infamous spinning himself in circles until he gets dizzy and falls down...only this baby gone wild screeches "BOOM" at the top of his lungs and then gets right up and does it again- over and over again as it never gets old. Wild, huh?

Some time ago, I had the pleasure of working with a group of teenagers who were participants in the "Baby Think It Over" program, by Reality Works. The program is designed in part to help teenagers seriously think about what it means to be a parent as they care for an infant simulator. The infant simulator gets hungry, needs to be changed, and cries. The simulator records how long it takes the teenage "parent" to respond to the baby's needs as well. Though it is interesting to watch a group of teenagers pretend to be parents for a week, my experience led me to have some doubts as to the effectiveness of the program, despite what some of the research might say. Granted, I was also observing a group of troubled teenagers who already had a great deal of issues to work through to begin with. For instance, I recall a promiscuous fifteen-year-old who wanted a baby and the infant simulator did little to convince her of anything besides the fact that she would certainly receive an "A" in parenting. She was more convinced than ever that she wanted to have a baby, but really all she was capable of doing was inserting a key in the back of a simulator and holding it there until the baby stopped crying.

As a parent of two Babies Gone Wild, both under the age of two, I would really like to know where the damn key is at midnight, 1 AM , 2AM, 4AM, 4:30AM, and 5AM when both are up and bouncing off the walls around here! Shoot, I'd settle for a skeleton key! Wow, now let's do some market research on that little product, shall we? Of course, where's the infant simulator that allows the teenager the opportunity to experience the joys and challenges of breastfeeding? Or is there an infant simulator for multiples? Twins? Triplets? Or the toddler and the infant sibling variety?

Don't get me wrong, I love being a parent. I also firmly believe there is no greater more important job in life than parenting. I'd also be lying if I said there haven't been times that if my joyous little infants had keys in their backs to time how long it took me to respond to their cries, I would probably have received at least a "C" if not a lower grade as sometimes no matter what, a person simply doesn't have enough hands to do everything simultaneously. However, an infant simulator doesn't move nor does it have another infant simulator to contend with. There's not a simulator program available that can prepare you for what it's like to keep up with two mouths that are hungry at the same time, two bottoms that need new diapers at the same time, and loads of laundry, diapers, and dishes that need to be done, and oops! the cup of milk and bowl of spaghetti that was just dumped on the floor too!

Maybe there should be a postpartum "Mothers Gone Wild" segment instead, starring my toddler! Lately, he could pass as a simulator as you can ask him any question you want and his answer is always, "Yeah."

Are you hungry? "Yeah."

Do you need to go potty? "Yeah."

Is the world coming to an end? "Yeah."

Is mommy crazy? "Yeah."

Am I turning into my mother? "Yeah."

Does this outfit make my butt look fat? "Yeah."

The new toddler simulator! It always agrees with you no matter what! In stores soon!
Not to mention, the new toddler simulator already comes playing with it's very own set of keys!! You don't have to put a key in the toddler's back as the toddler can take the keys and put them into every single keyhole in your house while you chase after him! Don't worry! If you lose the keys, the toddler will always be one step ahead of you and FIND them too!

I know, it's nearly as bad as someone asking you what the words are to the Smurfs theme song. "Years ago I could sing the whole song by heart, but right now I'm just drawing a blank...."

(Still trying to remember the words? You know who you are...)

La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La....

"Yeah."

Alas, it seems I'm not the only one who thought there should be a Babies Gone Wild. Check out the video. Funny or Die? I'm not sure, but is it definitely a good waste of 3 minutes and 17 seconds?

"Yeah."

Do you really have anything else more important to do?

"Yeah."

Did four grown men really do that?

No they didn't!! LMAO!!





Dead Polls of the Week

Be sure to stand up, roll over, crawl, shake your booty thang, or what not and be counted in the Dead Polls of the Week.

What is your preference regarding your own funeral?

What is your favorite type of Noodles?

(Psst...if you have an answer that's not available, but certainly should be, shoot me a quick email and I'll try to add it for you!)

Friday, July 6, 2007

More Oodles of Noodles

Have you ever realized that in Elmo's World he ALWAYS talks to Mr. Noodle in the window?

So, reading my blog, is well, like you listening to an imaginary Mr. Noodle. Only, some days my noodles are overcooked, fried, a little underdone, or maybe even a bit too soggy :)

Well, I came across Video #10 Chicken Noodle Soup and just had to share it today!

Enjoy, with a soda on the side!

Oodles of Noodles!!

Once again, PBS fails to disappoint me!!

I spent an hour of my time last night watching a documentary about "Okie Noodling!" For those unfamiliar with the term, Noodling is basically hand fishing, or catching flathead catfish with your bare hands! This ain't your every day okie dokie noodlin' all the day either! This so made me want to jump in the car and hop on over to the Oklahoma waters for their annual Noodling Tournament. Alas, I seem to have just missed it as the 2007 tournament was held on June 30th! Darn, who'd a noodled it?

For additional information, check out the following:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodling

A Field Guide at Cabela's (Outdoor Sportsman gear - great catalog!!)

Noodling for Catfish: The Ultimate Thrill in Fishing by Keith Sutton


The Okie Noodling Tournament Link


Oh, and for those who like to check out the latest "Girls Gone Wild" there's now apparently such a sport as "Girls Gone Grabblin" - http://www.catfishgrabblers.com/


If you'd like to see me participate in the next "Girls Gone Grabblin" please place your comments and vote for me now! For certain this should be some sort of Simon Cowell sponsored competition for the next greatest "American Grabbler." Simon's already had some practice as here he is grabbing some fur, at Celebrity Dog Watch. Look at that grip! He's a natural! Dog. Cat. Catfish? I mean, this sport is brutal, isn't it?

Now, this whole Noodling notion has my macaroni brain all excited! I'm thinking for sure that here around Kerr Lake this has got to be something crazy for me to just rush right on out and try! Right? Especially, since the first fish I ever caught in the lake was a catfish...and well, I ran all the way home line in tow screaming because I had never seen or heard a singing gurgling fish with a twitching mustache and I sure as hell wasn't going to touch it! But, since then I've been a Future Homemakers of America and I know quite a few Future Farmers of America, so perhaps a venture in joining the Future Grabblers of America wasn't that far fetched of an idea.

Then I started talking to some of the locals who catfish at the John H. Kerr Dam. Now, there are certainly some sizable cats in these here parts. Yet, the whopper of all tales that I've recently heard recounted has to do with a plane crash that occurred a number of years ago near the dam. As I was told, after the plane crash they sent in some professional divers to look for wreckage and human remains. The divers didn't stay down there long. When they surfaced the divers stated that they weren't looking for remains anymore and that the wreckage could stay at the bottom for they had seen catfish large enough to swallow a human whole.

If you think that there's no way that's possible, be sure to check out the Giant Catfish from Thailand (article courtesy of National Geographic) - Giant Catfish May Be World's Largest Freshwater Fish


Anyone still up for grabblin' at the dam?
Or are you Chicken?
You...you...Chicken Noodles, you?

Well, I'm slightly more hesitant. A number of the reliable town elders recall reading about the giant catfish story in our small local newspaper, and they certainly don't give a dam about trying out grabblin' anywhere near John H. Kerr!

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the "noodling all the day" that I've recently been up to in addition to the only noodles that I could find in my house...lol!

My toddler and I have decided that it's much safer to be a "Chicken Noodler." For those of you interested in learning how to Chicken Noodle, see the photos below.

First, find yourself a good fishin' hole and climb on up!
















Next, always make sure ya know where the fish are bitin' at.
















Then, go grabblin' on in there with yer bare hands and git dat sucker!




















"Chicken Noodle" tournament - same time next year, okie dokie?
Ya'll come back now, ya hear?




Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Sesame Street - The Ladybugs' Picnic

Hey, anyone else out there remember this?

Thanks brooks for reminding me too!

Go, Dog Go!

My toddler has discovered a new favorite book. P.D. Eastman's "Go, Dog Go!" For that reason, I have been a bit behind on my blogging the last couple of days. In case you're wondering, yeah, my house is overflowing with all these stray dogs everywhere! I know, literally, that I have read "Go, Dog Go!" at least 50 whopping times since Sunday...and it's only Tuesday! So, P.D. - when exactly do the dogs get run over?

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Horoscope? Horrorscope?

Thought I'd share my horoscope for Saturday, June 30:

Longing for the past? Those 'might have beens' are so seductive, but you have to get past the illusion and deal with the reality of where you are now. Leave memories where they belong and pay attention to the present.

Well if that doesn't make you want to just jump right into my reality world than I don't know what on earth possibly could!

Oh, by the way, can anyone tell me where exactly it is that memories belong? My neighbors across the street weren't paying attention and asked for a bit of clarification. Thanks!


Thursday, June 28, 2007

License to Die Laughing Outloud

Seen on a license plate today while driving in Virginia: "I EMBALM."
Yeah, I know...just seeing the words doesn't really give you the full effect. So, here ya go...


The holder surrounding the license plate was black and inscribed with the words, "MY OTHER CAR IS A HEARSE."

This is legitimate. The license plate holders can be purchased online at the following link:

http://www.undergroundhumor.com/


I'm not lying...I laughed 'til it hurt! Seems I'm not the only person with a sense of humor in these here parts of Virginia.

In honor of today's magnificent occasion, I decided to grant everyone who reads this a few extra licenses to die laughing outloud. However, do keep in mind that there is someone already driving around with this on a vehicle in Virginia so you won't be able to as well. I know, I'm trying to contain my disappointment too.

Anyway, here are my ideas and contributions to the cause:

Although I like the whole from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam thing that my fellow Virginian had going on today, my car would have to be color coordinated with the seasons.

I'd also have to put a few flowers on the graves.

Please recognize that death is indeed a tragedy.

Be an organ donor - save 7 lives. You might have to consider this one though before you are embalmed.
Drive Smart...or else you'll be coming in for a quick visit. (See above for more details.)

Of course I'm animal friendly! Pets are people too!!

Hunters are welcome too! (Hello! Am sending a big shout out to duck in his new habitat!


(*Note: some Virginia plates must use fewer characters than others. The shortened version is already taken too. Sorry!)

Isn't it great to be "living" in the land of the free, and the home of the embalmed?

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Yesterday's Venerate

Dictionary.com's word of the day for yesterday was venerate.

venerate
\VEN-uh-rayt\, transitive verb:
To treat someone or something with deep respect, reverence or deference; to revere.

Welcome to Cemetery Road - a place where bubbles are venerated.

Graveyard Bubble Bursts in China...and on Cemetery Road




Have you ever thought about the many layers to how we all seem to live in our own little bubble worlds? Hmmm....

Below is a link to an interesting article about China's Graveyard Bubble by James Reynold, BBC News. Seems pine boxes are the least of China's issues as they have more pressing issues with bubble bursting.

China's Graveyard Bubble Bursts

Is it just me, or are there more people worried about what's going to happen to them when they're dead vs. what's going to happen to them today when they're living?

Here's a newflash: when you're dead, do you really think you'll be around to care?

It's not that I'm trying to be disrespectful, but is it possible that the living are more worried about these issues than the dead?

Recently, a woman I know admitted she told a friend of hers that she couldn't possibly purchase a particular plot in a local graveyard, because her deceased husband would then be lying alongside a publicly known child molester! Now this particular Christian woman also realized that the comment was completely unnecessary on her part, yet she still struggled with the idea of having someone she loved residing next to a known criminal for the rest of eternity.

Oddly enough, this sort of reminded me about going to church...is it really all that important who you are sitting next to in the front pew? The back pew? In front of your television at home?

"All around heaven's gates, the monkeys chased the weasels...the monkeys said get out of our graves! POP! Goes the bubbles!"

Well, since I obviously won't be buried in China anytime soon, let me say once again that I want to be cremated - cheaper route to go and takes up less space. Psst...hey China, may want to consider that. If not, it probably won't be long until someone figures out how to eBay Chinese plots. Sarcastic and a bit distasteful, yeah sure, but is really all that far-fetched? Internet auctions have expanded to include real estate so tell me how cemetery plots are really so far away from that? Ok, now just stop it. There goes at least a half dozen busy real estate agents rushing off to figure out if that really is something legal to sell on eBay. You know who you are. You house that small inner hope that maybe just maybe that get rich quick scheme won't bust your bubble!

I can almost hear George Strait singing:

"I've got some, ocean front plot-perty in Arizona.
Bid on your headstone so you can eBay the sea.
I've got some, ocean front plot-perty in Arizona.
If you'll buy that I'll throw in Paypal fees for free."

Then George Strait asks, hey what happened to the Golden Gates? Sorry George, guess they moved to China and we didn't get the email. Seems that Spam blocker picked a lousy time to actually start doing something, didn't it?

Here is another bubble to check out:

Another blog on Blogger.com: The Bubble Death

I hope you've enjoyed today's bubbles on Cemetery Road, for here a bubble is more than what meets the eye! I'm waving my magic bubble wand good-night to you too!


The Pine Box Arrives

As you might recall, last Thursday I was lamenting about what kind of Pine Box I would have preferred five years ago in comparison to today. As the perfect synchronicity of the universe has reminded me once again, there are no coincidences along Cemetery Road.

I received a phone call on Sunday from an ecstatic relative who asked if it would be okay to deliver a gift to my house.

The Pine Box arrived late Sunday night.

For awhile, I wasn't sure exactly where to put it and what to do with it. Yet, it seems sometimes someone else can find just the perfect home and the perfect use for such a Pine Box.

Gee. What a difference five years makes, doesn't it?

Google
Support This Site
Join Associated Content
Powered By Blogger

The bouquet residence

The bouquet residence
delivery from the other side of the fence
Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape