I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

Well, home from work.

Grabbed a quick lunch of ham and cheese on rye (with lots of spicy brown mustard) and some crisps, and now here I am.

I've loads of chores to do around here, and I suppose I'll get off my arse in a bit and go do them, but really what I'd like to do, is either take a nap, or take a trolley into Lake George and go play some crazy golf...but, I'll be a good girl and do the chores.

Flame's a happy little camper right now--I just gave her some shaved ham. She's such a begger! When it comes to table scraps, the boys are just, meh. They sometimes like a piece of meat or a bit of cream or whatever, but Flame--she NAGS. She whinges, she sits on top of my computer tower and waves her paw at me, she gets on the back of the chair where I'm sitting and stands with her paws on my shoulder, watching every morsel of food on my plate like a hawk--untill I shoo her off, which is sort of a lost cause, 'cos then she'll just sit on the floor and put her paws up on my leg. She's insane whenever I go in the kitchen or eat any food--following me around meowing her head off. And she'll nag me to death--even if it's something she wouldn't eat in a million years, like a cookie (biscuit), or crisps or something like that.

It's not like they're not well fed, either. Blimey, taken in perspective they usually eat better than I do! Two tins of their favourite cat food (usually sliced chicken or beef in gravy) daily, and a constant supply of the best dry food I can afford--usually Purina "One" or "Naturals." Which they do like. She gets wormed regularly, so it's not that. I think she's just addicted to eating...which is strange, 'cos she's the skinny one--in fact, if Charlie gets much bigger, I think he might explode one of these days. He likes eating, and like Flame, knows what the word "eat" means, but..wow, Flame has some sort of food physicological problem, methinks.

Boots is snoring at the moment. Charilie got swatted at by Flame, for getting to close to her--those two are every bit like argumentive siblings. Charlie likes to tease Flame, Flame swats charlie. Flame attacks Charlie in play, but then gets mad at him, when he tries to play back, and swats and hisses at him again--and poor Charile, he doesn't know what he did wrong (or manybe he does), and goes sulking into another room, crying pietously, feeling sorry for himself 'cos Flame basically gave him the feline two-finger salute.

Ah well, I love them anyway. They're good company.

So, I suppose I've go to go and do the lunchtime washing up, and my other assorted chores. Still rather be somewhere else...one of the ironies of adulthood--you spend your childhood resenting (or at least partly resenting) the chores your parents make you do, and swear that when YOU grow up, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Ha! Big larf that turned out to be. It's like what they call it over here, when you see the TRUE price sticker on a new car or other major purchase--"sticker shock." When you wake up one day, no longer a youth, and realize that not only can't you do anything you want-anytime you want, and, that you probably won't have that privildege ever again. "Adult shock."

"Madam, Martha here tells me you've been doing something very naughty and very kinky with this futuristic screwdriver. I'm applalled! I thought I was the only one who did that..."

For the first time in quite a while, I've woken to a cloudless day. Bit chilly now, but I suspect it shall warm up considerably later on.

I am a little better today, than yesterday, 'tho extremely sleepy at the moment (8:25am). I don't know why.

Had a really, really strange dream, before I woke--almost like a little film, rather than a dream. I was in it, but I wasn't me in the dream--which is very odd, you must admit. I was this little blond-haired girl, and I somehow made this connection to the ghost of this other little girl, who'd been murdered 200 years ago--through her doll. It was in this old colonial style house, in this quaint town somewhere. The scenery kept changing from summer to winter--also very strange. People were driving both cars and carriages. In the dream, I kept seeing the doll--which came to life whenever I was around, but couldn't speak--and would tell it that I would find out what happened to the dead girl. I (as this mysterious little girl) began investigating, but this adult guy--whom I think, in the dream, was some kind of guardian--kept trying to make me stop, and was taking me to see a shrink, and telling all the other adults that I was bonkers...yet in the dream, I began uncovering clues as to the identity of the murderer--who in a portrait that I found, over some fireplace while exploring the rooms of this old house, and he looked just like my guardian--who came into the room and began shouting at me--then the clock radio woke up...suspect the blaring of an advert was really the shouting in my dream.

How's that for a long and complicated dream? Usually, I don't remember a lot of details of my dreams, and ususally my dreams are pretty straight-forward...but this was really probably one of the strangest and longest dreams I've had in quite some time. It was almost like having a little film, playing in my head, ha-ha.

Checked the morning paper online. Not much going on in Glens Falls, so a lot of the news items are from the city of Saratoga Springs, some 15 or 20 miles to the south.

Track attenence is down this year, at the August Saratoga race meet. Wagering is well down as well. Track officials are blaming a combination of the poor economy, the high cost of gasoline--which is still over $4 a gallon, and the rainy weather, for the poor handle this year.

A man who owns a posh B&B near the racetrack in Saratoga Springs has two small bronze jockey sculputres stolen from his inn's front porch last night. The sculptures are reproductions that he's had made in Thailand last year.

A shop that sold new and used maternity clothing in downtown Glens Falls, will be closing its doors forever on Friday, after 14 years in operation. The owner says she's tired and wants to move on to something else. In the past 14 years, the shop has changed location no less than 5 times, and is presently located in the heart of Glens Fall's downtown.

A major area employer--a tissue/toilet paper manufacturer, has announced a planned 20 million dollar expansion.

Three local men, employed at the Target department store's regional warehouse, were arrested for theft. It is alleged that on two seperate days, the trio stole some $3000 worth of un-named items from the location.

The city's Crandall Public Library--in its temporary location in an old meeting hall building/former furniture store, downtown (while its building is undergoing massive renovations), set a brand new record for the number of visitors this summer, possibly because of its promenant location right on the main street.

Details about the funeral arrangements for the city's mayor, whom passed away earlier this week.

A city man was arrested for drink driving last night, after a police officer observed him drifting into a parking lane, and pulled him over. After pulling the man over, the officer the observed an open can of beer in the car. The man was arrested for DWI (driving while intoxicated) and violating the state's open container law (no open containers of alcohol allowed inside motor vehicles).

Unsettled weather is expected to prevail for the rest of the week, with a slim to moderate chance of thunderstorms every day. There is a slight chance of severe weather later this afternoon or evening. Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid to upper 70's (23-24 C) until Friday or Saturday, when they will rise to the low 80's (27 C).

I tag in turn, anyone who wants to be tagged.

1. What time is it where you are?

10:22 pm US Eastern Standard Time

2. What day is it?

Still Monday--I think? After this weekend, I am never really going to be sure, ha-ha.

3. What is the weather like outside where you are?

Well, it's dark, but there's been light to moderate rain showers around all day, have one of those whirly weather fronts hovering over northeastern New York today, and it's been unseasonably cool--almost autumnal.

4. What did you do today?

Went to work, came home, grabbed a trolley bus to the store, came back, put my shopping away, fed the cats early, blogged, made my bed, cleaned the stovetop and kitchen counters, blogged some more, read the online papers, watched Dr Who, heated a skillet and grilled a small piece of boneless chicken marinated in BBQ sauce, steamed an ear of fresh locally grown corn and slathered it with butter and a pinch of salt, also boiled some spuds and made some homemade mashed potatoes. Now I'm sitting here doing this meme. In roughly 30 or 40 minutes, I'll be off to bed--providing the three people who live next to me, don't have another knock-down, drag-out fight on the other side of my bedroom wall tonight.

5. What are you wearing?

Slate blue tee shirt, with a moose on it, that says: "LAKE GEORGE" above, and "ADIRONDACK Mountains" below. Also my favourite pair of Rider's boot-cut dark wash indigo ladies jeans, salt & pepper colour thick cotton boot socks, my old blue wireframe eyeglasses, and underwear.

6. Your favourite three objects in the room you're in?

I should say family photos--but I couldn't pick just three, as they all hold a special meaning for me, each and every one. So I'll go with non-photographic items:

The western oil on board painting "Colorado Roundup" by an amateur African-American artist named George Hoose, that my late, great-aunt gave me as a 7th birthday present--I truly have, and always will, treasure it.

Also, (it's hard 'cos my living room is chock full of knick knacks and things), my late mum's "Boyd's" limited edition doll that was one of the last birthday present's I'd bought her, that she was truly fond of. I guess the third thing would be...hmm--you see, I had to sell off so many possessions after mum died, to help pay funeral expenses, and also to stave off the mortgage people, that I only mostly kept those object which had the most meaning to me....so it's hard to look around here, and just pick three!

Okay, third one...Probably my antique German (or rather, as the painted stamp on the back claims, "Saxony") decorative wall plate. It's quite large (about 8 or 10 inches in diameter) and extremely heavy--whether thick porcelain or merely ceramic, I've no clue. It's been all hand-painted, probably pre-1900's or early 1900's, it's a man and a woman in Victorian-era fox-hunting gear, jumping their horses (she riding sidesaddle of course) over a fence with a hound following--it's very colourful--very bright vivid colours and excellent detail--got it for $7 at a yard sale out in the middle of nowhere, up near Lake Champlain. I don't imagine it's worth a whole lot--but I've never seen another like it, and have become quite attatched to it.

7. Do you belive in UFO's?

Well, you know, I like to keep an open mind about it. But honestly, I haven't a clue. I don't know whether there's UFO's, or whether these things all have logical explainations. Maybe we'll never know for sure, maybe some day we will. We'll see what we shall see, I reckon.

8. Do you believe in astrology?

No. But I sometimes read my horoscope anyway--it's silly, I suppose, but really it's just a habit--like reading the comics and the "Dear Abby" letters.

9. Do you belive is ghosts?

Yes.

10. Do you belive in God? (don't have to answer if you are not compfortable about it)

Yes.

11. Do you believe there's an afterlife?

Yes and no. I say that, because my personal belief is that for some people there may be, and for some, probalby not. It's really too complex a topic for me to go into here.

12. Do you believe in fairy's, gnomes, and other "little people?"

No.

13. Have you ever had a strange experience in a cemetery?

Yes.

14. What is the last "creative" thing you did?

Began a new short play last night.

15. If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you like to live?

Somewhere in the UK, or the Netherlands. Or, if in the US, somewhere in rural Washington County, NY, or Vermont, or back to the mountains up north of here, like I was before.

16. If you had to live in a big city, any city in the world, which one would you choose?

I'm not really a city person, truth to tell. I can think of some cities that I might enjoy living in, but no one place really stands out to me: London, Boston, Edinburgh, Calgary or Leeuwarden.

17. Whether you have pets or not, do you like animals?

Yes.

18. Last time you went on a picnic? Where?

2005. Top of Prospect Mountain with my mum, about three months before she passed away.

19. Last time you went on a trip with a friend or family member? Where did you go?

2005. Went in April to an overnight trip to an enormous antique carriage and coach (wagon, stage coach, etc.) auction in Pennslyvia Amish country, with two friends.

20. Have you ever been a collector of anything? Where you evern an expert collector?

*asterisk notes current collections

Antique bottles
Antique saddles
Misc. antique equestrian-related items*
model horses*
Antique books
Star Wars paperback novels
Dr Who stuff
Louis Lamour paperbacks*

I was almost an expert bottle collector at one time-could date a bottle, knew many manufactuers trademarks, and could even sometimes tell by the colour of the glass, where the bottle was probably made.

I'm more or less an expert on antique western saddles--tho' not as much as I used to be, alas, because like with the bottles, I've forgotten quite a bit of my knowledge. My knowledge of US military saddles wasn't too bad, but my knowledge of other types of antique/historic saddles, spurs and other equipment is/was only moderate.

AUTUMN IN NEW YORK:

ADIRONDACKS

CENTRAL PARK

HUDSON RIVER/HUDSON VALLEY

THE FINGERLAKES (CENTRAL NEW YORK STATE) REGION

NEARBY WASHINGTON COUNTY

Tonight's cool and cloudy weather, is heralding in the annual "false autumn" which generally happens for a few days in early August, 'round these parts.

I love the autumn--not just the colours of the leaves, but, for me, as a young person, it was the time of changes--a step up in school grade, new clothes (for school), perhaps a new teacher--tho' in a small school, there were seldom "new" teachers, just a different one, perhaps. The days were getting shorter, Halloween was coming, you were seeing classmates you might not have seen during the long summer break (mid-June to 1st week Sept.).

I love the crisp air, the gathering gray rolling clouds, the frost lacing the fallen leaves and grass, the last chirruping of crickets, the early morning fog on the Hudson River, the tang in the air, the rising winds, the sounds the leaves made skittering along the ground, the wild, strident and beckoning call of the Canadian geese heading south for the winter.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Canada Geese that you hear in this video, are "honking" for a purpose: They are actually encouraging the "leader" to keep going, just like you or I might do, with a friend or family member at a sporting match! This is a proven scientific fact.

While not a Sinatra fan, by any means, I do love this song. It really captures my "autumn mood."