Cicadas are not fun!

It is the year of the Cicadas.  I have all my life called these things locusts, but apparently I have been wrong.  I have no idea what the difference is but I guess there is one. 

Anyway, here is one of the lovely creatures.  Please notice the red bulging eyes.

Here are several of the shells on one of our trees.  The one in the middle is hatching. Or whatever you call it when it comes out of its shell.

Cicadas come visit in droves once every thirteen years depending on what article you read. Some say seventeen years.  We have lived here for almost 6 years and this is our first experience with them so time will tell.  I have seen some here last year but only a few.  Now there are MILLIONS!  I am not sure that I am exaggerating.  They fly around and land on you.  They are very annoying but I don't think they bite.  If I understand it correctly they come out of the ground as nymphs when the ground temps reach 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  They crawl up and tree and shed their skin.  I have always called these shells. 

Here is another picture of some of the shells.  We have many large trees on our two acre property.  They are this thick on every tree and fence.

After they come out of their shells, they are everywhere.  They fly around, they sit on the deck rails, and they make lots of noise and mess.  Here are some on the tree.

Then, they mate.  The male cicadas make a sound to attract the females.  This sound by itself is not very loud but when you get the hundreds and hundreds of them together it can reach up to 85 decibels.  In case you don't know, that is very loud!!  Louder than a jet airplane. They only make this noise for about 10 hours a day.  The mating period lasts about four weeks.

After they mate, the females lay their eggs in trees and then they die.  Oh my, do they die.  They land dead everywhere.  I sweep hundreds off my front deck every day.  They are all over the yard and guess what?  As they decay... they smell!  It stinks so bad.

The cicadas in this picture of my front deck are alive.  They crawl back and forth down this rail all day long.

About six to ten weeks after the eggs are laid, they hatch into tiny nymphs about the size on an ant.  Then they crawl underground and live for thirteen years until the cycle starts all over again.

I have just the last couple of days been noticing a decrease in the number of cicadas on my porch and also a slight lowering of the decibel level.  I am hoping they are on their way back underground.  I will be marking my calendar for May/June of 2024 so I can go on a long vacation!!

Tina

2011 E-Book Challenge

Wow, I just found this E-Book Challenge.  It is great since I just got my Kindle a few months ago.  I'll use this post and list the e-books I read here.  There are seven levels of the challenge and I think I will fall somewhere between obsessed (read 20 books) and possessed (read 50 books).  Some e-books are short so I'm going to go for Possessed and hope for the best.  Here we go....

1. The Amersham Rubies by Rhys Bowen
2. The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding
3. Chief Cook and Bottle Washer by Rita Hestand
4. Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware
5. Divine by Karen Kingbury
6. Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson
7. Matchmakers 2.0 by Debora Geary
8. Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell
9. One True Love by Barbara Freethy
10. Sweet Baklava by Debby Mayne
11. Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
12. A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight
13. Wild Desire by Lori Brighton
14. Bring on the Blessings by Beverly Jenkins
15. Don't Make Me Come Up There by Kristen Welch
16. Stingray Bit My Nipple by Erik Torkells
17. This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson
18. The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty
19. Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley
20. Life, Love and a Polar Bear Tattoo by Heather Wardell
21. Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith
22. American Idol: The Untold Story by Richard Rushfield
23. Bootscootin' Blahniks by D. D. Scott
24. Dear Cupid by Julie Ortolon
25. Ex on the Beach by Lisa Scott
26. Facebook Fairytales: Modern Day Miracles by Emily Liebert
27. The Girl who Couldn't Say No: Memoir of a Teenage Mom by Tracy Engelbrecht
28. How to Dump Your Boyfriend in the Men's Room by Sibel Hodge
29. My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer
30. My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter
31. Oprah Down Under by Brian Lawrenson
32. Seven Exes are Eight too Many by Heather Wardell
33. Sisteen Brides Stephanie Whitson
34. Too Big to Miss by Sue Ann Jafarian
35. A Boyfriend Before Christmas by Caedem Marquez
36. Cake Icing, Butt Budder and Tea Lids by Renee Andrews
37. Christmas Wishes by Debbie Macomber
38. Colby's Child by Patricia Watters
39. A Dixie Christmas by Sandra Hill
40. A Fair of the Heart by Donna Marie Rogers
41. For Time and Eternity by Allison Pittman
42. The Journey Home by Michael Baron
43. On Sparrow Hill by Maureen Lang
44. Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler
45. Raising Abel by Carolyn Nash
46. Safe Harbor by Judith Arnold
47. Saving Katya by Sandra Edwards
48. Sweet Heaven by Kate Watts

Let the summer begin!

School is out!!!!

Yesterday I worked my last day of the school year.  Actually, I worked a couple of more days than the school year required but I was asked to help with an extra project and that made up for a couple of snow days from earlier in the year.

I will be spending this holiday weekend catching up on some cleaning, shopping and relaxing.  Also there will be a couple of trips to the airport.  Wednesday we dropped a relative off at the airport.  Today we drop another relative off there.  Then on Monday and next Saturday will will pick up the returning travelers. I wish I was going on one of those trips.

Next week I also get to spend some time with this guy while his parents go have some fun.

I am looking forward to seeing him.  He will keep us busy and tired for a couple of days.  He loves to play with his motorcycles and the guys that ride them.  He also loves to take rides on our 4 wheeler with Grandpa.  There will probably be a couple of trips to the park.  I hope there will be a few naps too.

More summer plans include a family reunion, a 4 wheeler ride, a trip to visit my daughter and her family and hopefully a lot of time on the back porch with my kindle.  There are also some projects that I hope hubby and I get started.   Summer always seems to go so fast and I never get everything finished that I want to do. 

Let the games begin!!

Tina

What's on your nightstand ~ May

What's on Your Nightstand is a monthly carnival at 5 Minutes for Books.


Here is what is going on at my house as far as books....

I finished reading Jane Auel's Land of Painted Caves this month.  It is the 6th and last book in her Earth's Children series.  The first book was Clan of the Cave Bear.  This book has been a long time coming.  The first book in the series was published in 1980.  I have read all of the other books but it had been a really long time so I went back and re-read books 4 and 5, and then read the new one.  I read then one after another and I think that was a mistake.  I have always enjoyed the books very much but I was really disappointed in this last one.  It seemed to drag on and really didn't have as much of a plot as the previous ones.  These are huge thick books and I think I might have enjoyed it more if I had taken a break between books.

In other book news,  I am thoroughly enjoying my Kindle.  I have downloaded over 100 free books and have read a handful.  Several are short and don't take very long.  I love that you turn it on and it is at the page you left off.  No losing your place when your grandson pulls out your bookmark.  It is easy to put in my purse or lunch box for those few minutes I manage to steal for reading at work or the waiting room, etc.

I did take a break the other day and read a few magazines that are starting to pile up again.  Several months ago I did a nightstand post about my magazine problem.  I have let several subscriptions expire but my drawer was getting full again.  I made a small dent in the pile.

I am looking forward to school being out next week so I can delve deeper into the Kindle list and hopefully clean out that magazine drawer.

Tina

And the winner is.....

3G

I had decided to buy the Kindle ereader but the hard part was deciding whether to spend the extra money to get 3G or to just get the wi-fi version.  I don't have wi-fi in my house so that played a part in the decision.

I went to one store, I went to another store.  I knew I wanted a Kindle but I couldn't make up my mind.  3G or not.  I looked at wireless routers for our home computer.  It would cost a little more but would the benefits outweigh the cost? I couldn't decide. I came home empty handed.

I discussed it with my husband.  Now, this husband of mine is not a big spender.  He can easily pass up things he wants if he thinks the price is too high.  I was not expecting him to tell me to spend the extra money.  But, he did.  He encouraged me to buy the more expensive 3G one because it made more sense.  We really don't have a need for a wireless router at this time.

So the next day we stopped and made the purchase.  I love it!!!!  I'm glad I went the the 3G but if you have wireless at home you probably don't really need to spend the extra money.  I have had the Kindle for a couple of weeks now and so far I have only downloaded free books.  There are tons of free books in all genres.  I only download ones that I really think I will enjoy and I have probably got 40 on my Kindle already.  I have read 4 books and it is great. 

I subscribed to an email newsletter called Pixel of Ink that keeps me updated on free and bargain books.  I get an email every day or so with the latest free releases for the Kindle.  They also list books that are $1.99 or less.  They are not always books that I am interested in but sometimes they are and I have a new book or two on my list.

I am looking forward to warm weather so I can sit on the deck with my Kindle and loose myself in a good book.

Tina

Three G or not three G... that is the question

I have decided that I want an e-reader.  I have resisted for a long time thinking that I really love books.  I love to turn pages and I love to browse through books at the library and book store.  But I have decided that I have enough love to go around and an e-reader would be a great tool to have for reading in the car, on the beach (lol, I never go to the beach), in waiting rooms and many other places. 


Now for the decisions.  I looked at many e-readers online and lots of them look good to me.  I have decided to go with the Amazon Kindle because a few of my friends have them and have recommended them highly.  One friend is excited to try out the new book sharing feature with me.

Now the next question is 3G or not.  The regular Kindle comes with wi-fi built in.  It is a great way to browse and purchase books anywhere there is a wireless connection.  For $50 more you can get a 3G connection so you can use the browser anywhere, any time.  My problem is that we do not have wireless internet at our house.  So..... if I get the wi-fi only version, I would have to go somewhere else to use that feature.  That doesn't sound very convenient.  I think I have decided to go with the 3G but I really hate to spend that extra money.  I wonder what it would cost to buy a wireless router for my house?

Tonight, I am going to the store that sells the Kindle locally to try one out and ask lots of questions.  We will see if I can resist bringing one home or not.  :)

Tina

Happy Blogoversary to me!!!!

Well, here begins year three.  I had hoped to write a wonderful anniversary post but life got in the way.

Year two was lots of books.  I was successful in completing the book challenge I signed up for.  There were also lots of family photos.  I missed October and August but managed a post or two every other month.

Had the craziest day ever yesterday at work.  There was broken glass, lots of sweeping, an aide's big fall, accident report to fill out, vomit, bus issues, and traffic issues.

After work was a long drive for a funeral visitation, hours of sitting in funeral home chairs, late dinner at Applebee's and a long drive home in the pouring rain.

Today includes a baby shower for a great friend and hopefully some shopping afterward. 

I hope to post in every month this year and hopefully more frequently. 

Tina

Reading updates

We have had lots of snow days here in the Midwest so I have been able to get several books read.  I am a very bad book reviewer, but here is my attempt.

I finished The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King.
From Library Journal:  For 20 years, Willodean (Dean) Lynch has been molded into what her ambitious, upwardly mobile minister husband and his congregation consider to be the perfect preacher's wife. Then she meets Augusta Holderfield, a free spirit who encourages her to break loose. The more her husband and his too-pious congregants try to smother her, the more liberated Dean wants to be. Unfortunately, she learns the hard way that freedom can come at a very high price. Told in the first person and heavy on Southern atmosphere, this novel is peppered with Dean's wry observations. All aspects of institutional religious hypocrisy, intolerance, ultraconservatism, and general self-righteousness are fair game as Dean discovers who she really is.

I  liked The Sunday Wife but didn't love it.

I read Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer
From Booklist:  Becoming the schoolmarm in tiny Walnut Hill, Nebraska, in 1882, fulfills Edythe Amsel’s dream, although she regrets leaving Missy, her youngest sister, back in Omaha with their brother. But Joel Townsend and his nephews, Johnny and Robert, together with her landlady, Luthenia Kinsley, make Edythe welcome. Soon she is caught up in town life, her happiness marred only by one student’s malicious pranks and by the suspicion with which many parents view some of her innovative teaching methods. When Missy arrives during a bad storm, having run away from Omaha, and proves to be sullen and demanding, Edythe finds herself turning more and more to scripture with Luthenia’s support and guidance. Sawyer’s first-rate, stand-alone Christian historical prairie romance moves rapidly. She sets the stage, then allows events to play out over the course of the school year as Edythe attempts to broaden her students’ perspective while introducing them to suffrage and current events around the world.

Courting Miss Amsel was a cute story.  Predictable in places but I expected that when I started it.  I did enjoy it.

Waking Up in Dixie by Haywood Smith

From Publishers Weekly:  Smith shakes up the midlife marriage renewal subgenre with the emotionally complex tale of Elizabeth Whittington, who has accepted that her marriage to Howe Whittington, the wealthiest man in their small Georgia town, is a sham. Howe cheats, has grown hard over the years, and is less than present in their marriage, but after a stroke lands him in a coma, he wakes up, six months later, a changed man. Suddenly, he wants to work on repairing their marriage and helping others fix the problems in their lives. That, naturally, proves to be difficult, and Elizabeth, meanwhile, must decide if she can trust her husband while he tries to right some wrongs, and, in the process, reveals a trove of town secrets.

I really liked Waking Up in Dixie.  I enjoyed the characters and the way they developed.

Bad Girl Creek; Along Came Mary; Goodbye Earl by Jo-Ann Mapson
From School Library Journal:  When her aunt dies, Phoebe DeThomas finds herself the owner of a 40-acre flower farm, complete with debts and only one farmhand. Having to deal with her bad heart, her life in a wheelchair, and the financial problems brought on by the inheritance, she takes in three boarders who assist in running the farm. The women form strong bonds that help them all through the joys and heartbreaks of their lives. Phoebe finds love but has to battle pneumonia along with her other problems. Ness, the strong-willed, protective black farrier, discovers that she may be carrying the AIDS virus. Beryl has been in prison for murder, and Nance struggles to recover from her relationship with a boyfriend, even as she falls in love with Phoebe's brother. The setting is a picturesque area along central California's coast, where the weather and environment become major factors in the success or failure of the flower farm.

The description listed is for the first book of the Bad Girl Creek trilogy.  I really enjoyed these books.  Each book is told from the voice of several characters.  It really helps you get to know each of them. The second book took a little longer to get into because it started out with new characters but after a chapter or two I figured it out.

Lady Luck's Map of Vegas Barbara Samuel
From Booklist:  With her rhinestoned, cat's-eye sunglasses, traffic-stopping figure, and smoldering sexuality, India's outgrageous mother, Eldora, drives her nuts, so she's not exactly looking forward to driving her to Las Vegas, where the recently widowed 63-year-old is determined to revisit the scenes of her wild-and-crazy youth. Their Thelma and Louise-style road trip in Eldora's vintage '57 T-bird has another, more pressing mission, however: India's schizophrenic twin, Gypsy, is missing. As they follow Gypsy's nomadic wanderings through the Southwest from one homeless shelter to another, Eldora unburdens herself of the shameful secrets of her past with a capital P, but the more Eldora reveals, the harder it is for India to conceal a secret of her own. Her long-distance romance with the dashing Jack Shea has encountered a serious complication, and India's newfound insights into her family's past threaten her future happiness.

I liked Lady Luck's Map of Vegas a lot.  It really made me want to visit the southwest.

TBR~
The Atlas of Love Laurie Frankel
Overexposed Susan Shapiro
Maybe This Time Jennifer Crusie

**All links are through Amazon Associates.  I put these links on for convenience. 
If you click through and purchase a book then I would earn a few cents. I am not asking for you to do that. 

Tina

January - The First Half

• Had a nice New Year's Eve.  We started out planning a quiet night with just the two of us.  Daughter and Boyfriend decided to come over to play games.  Cousin and Wife decided to come also.  Ended up having a spur-of-the-moment game night party.  It was really fun and we ended up staying up till 3 a.m. 
• Back to school on the 3rd.  Also Granddaughter's 6th birthday.  So sad that she is so far away and I can't see her on her birthday. 
• Home sick on the 5th.  Stomach flu that is going around.
• 50th Anniversary party for cousins of mine.  Took my mom.  We had a nice lunch before and enjoyed the party.
• New kids scheduled to start on the 11th.  Everything prepared and ready for their arrival.
• Snow Day on the 11th.
• Snow Day on the 12th.  Also my Mom's birthday.
• Back to school on the 13th.  New and old kids ready to be back to school.  Parents ready to drop them off for a few hours.  It was a good day and all of the new kids were happy to be with us.
• Off to my Mom's on the 15th to celebrate her birthday a few days late.  I was having a very grouchy day and couldn't figure out why until the cold symptoms started appearing.  Ended up feeling very sick before the day was over.  Spent the night at Son's house and slept most of the morning on Sunday. 
• Feeling better today (17th).  Glad it is a school holiday so I can be back to normal by tomorrow.
• Have finished reading The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer and Bad Girl Creek by Jo-ann Mapson.
• Currently reading The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King.
• TBR ~ Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer and Waking Up in Dixie by Haywood Smith

1.1.11

First post of the new year.  No resolutions here but I would like to post more often this year.

We had a great New Year's Eve.  Daughter and her boyfriend came over and also some good friends of ours.  We played Wii golf, guess who and a new game I got for Christmas, Phase 10 Twist.  It is a lot like the card game but with some twists that make it even more fun.  I hadn't got to play it until now because we didn't have enough people but it was really fun last night.  We ended up staying up until 3 am. 

Our friends spent the night so we got up and had breakfast and more laughs before they went on their way.  Hubby and I plan to spend a quiet day at home with a couple of naps on the agenda.

In other news, I read my last book of 2010.  The Christmas Secret by Donna VanLiere was a nice little Christmas story.  It was kind of predictable and a little over the top.  But it was nice and Christmassy and I enjoyed it.

The first book of 2011 is The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer.  I actually started it a couple days ago but will finish in 2011 so I'm counting it for the new year.

Also on the pile are Bad Girl Creek by Jo-Ann Mapson, and The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King.

I got a new portable DVD player for Christmas so I hope to watch a few movies in the next few days as well.

Well, I have today and tomorrow before I go back to work.  I had better get to reading and watching.

~Tina~

Scenes from the Holidays ~ 2010

Merry Christmas 2010

A Santa Story...

One little girl in my pre-k class recently had her two front teeth removed at the dentist.  At our class Christmas party, Santa came and after a photo op., he took time to talk to each boy and girl about what they wanted for Christmas.  When this particular girl sat on his lap his first words were, "I'll bet  I know what you want for Christmas.  You want your two front teeth!"  She replied, "Nuh Uh, I want a horse."  HaHaHaHa

I took each child's picture with Santa to make an ornament for their parents.  Several children were not so sure about sitting on the Jolly Old Man's lap but I encouraged each one that was afraid, to just come and stand next to Santa for the picture.  Some of the moms and dads were amazed that I was able to get their child to stand there or even to let Santa touch them (handshake or put his arm around them).  I was able to get all but one to take the picture.  For some, it is the first Santa picture they have of their child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twas the night before Christmas and....

• It's SNOWING!!
• I finished my last day at work and am ready to enjoy a few days off
• the presents are wrapped and under the tree
• The wrapping supplies are tucked away
• the groceries are purchased and waiting for me
• Two pans of fudge are almost gone
• I'm going to make one more pan and that is it!
• Hubby and I will spend a quiet Christmas eve here together
• tomorrow, we will open gifts with Daughter and her boyfriend
• have cinnamon rolls for breakfast
• head out to the Christmas celebrations

I hope every one has a wonderful Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2010

Make The Mantel Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Thank you Shutterfly for making Christmas card design fun and easy.  This is the one that I picked.  It was a hard decision with so many to choose from.  I am happy with the result.  I can't wait for them to arrive.

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