Monday Misc.

A camera spends 15 months drifting around deep sea currents, and turns up in a fisherman's nets. Finally it's returned -- to a South African couple who lost it while on a 25th anniversary cruise aboard the QE2. (It fell overboard when he accidentally jumped up too fast.) The memory card, including nearly 200 photos and a dozen videos, was intact. What a story -- read it here.

And the International Space Station gets a new picture window: the Cupola. (Gee, what I wouldn't give to see this view!) And the Challenger made it back before the next round of storms hits the country. Normally, I'd say this was weird (all the storms, that is), but we often get our heaviest snows in February and March. Which means another month of this would not be uncommon, at all.

A Get Rich Slowly reader's story on how she fought 'lifestyle inflation'-- and won. (A prime reminder that living on less than you make is soooo important...regardless of how much or little you earn.)

And some very apt comments on how to keep going when the going is tough. (This one started the thread. Thanks for sharing, Frugal Babe and Frugal For Life.) This is especially apt, considering Frugal For Life sees a layoff coming in April. We've been through this ourselves -- especially when Husband began as a bus driver, after leaving engineering, and my business was just getting started. We ate a lot of chicken noodle soup and macaroni and cheese, not to mention stuff from the garden. I learned many of the tricks then that I still use to keep our household expenses down. In spite of it being busy (and good for biz) the next few months, we have a $1000-plus auto repair bill hovering on the threshold. Good stuff to remember.

And finally, Mrs. Accountability's story of her frugal grandma. Inspiring.

Back to work...

Snowball Fight

This one, from the recent blizzards back East, looks like so much fun. If you tried it around here, you'd get as much dirt as snow, though the mountains have gotten more than their share.

No matter -- storm clouds are lurking on the horizon. We're supposed to have a fresh coat of Colorado white, starting later tonight.

Fence, Sweet Fence

A lacy chainlink fence?

Yep, with the help of some extra-large lace motifs, and a nearby exhibit on lace. (Thanks for mentioning this, Dirt Ju Jour!) See the ShelterPop link for more.
 

I thought the profile of a guy who turned a fishing trawler into a London home a nice one, too...

A Great Valentine's Day Prez for the Guys??

This video (a present from a daughter to her obsessed dad) might be perfect for that male character in your life.

It sure made me think of two treasured guys: Husband (who will roll his eyes at this), and my dad.

I (Heart) Valentine's Day

Yep, that's right. It's coming.

I have some boxes to ship today. (Hope they get there in time...this is the first day I've felt up to actually thinking about it.) In the meantime:


Frugal Upstate has 20 frugal-and-fun suggestions for celebrating.

I enjoy riffling through Like Merchant Ships' archives, too -- she is especially good for stuff done at the last minute. (Not that I would know what that felt like...)

Or -- design and make your own Valentine's Day e-cards...free.

Got some ideas to share?

A Half-Baked Approach

Apologies...I didn't meant to be so quiet.

I've just not been feeling absolutely up to par, though it's back to regular schedule. That means I start something, get it half-done, drop it and go sit down for a while, pick up something else...

Half-finished really means half-baked. Today, I plan to CONCENTRATE and make piles disappear. Even if it means slogging through one task at a time.

We have snow, but not to the level of you-all back East. These newscasters have a snowball fight on-camera to celebrate...looks like my cousins, growing up!

Ah well. Back to it.

Monday's A Commercial One

The cold light of Monday morning reigneth...and it's still snowing.

Actually, I feel very snug, typing and watching the flakes eddy past the window.

Thought about it more, and there were two types of Superbowl commercials that were worth watching --

The Denny's 'Chicken Warning' commercials: advertising for a free Grand Slam breakfast Tuesday! (Good from 6 a.m. - 2 p.m.)

And I STILL like the E-Trade kid commercials, though other people say they're sick of them. The girlfriend version's a prime one.

The Daily Beast thought these were the best 15 commercials of Superbowl.  (Naaahhhh...)

And Husband laughed like crazy at the Dodge Charger commercial...I didn't get it.  (We did see a very similar car in Steve McQueen's Bullitt a few nights before...but it was driven by the bad guys! McQueen drove a Mustang -- so did Husband when I first met him.)

Back to it...hope your work is starting out swimmingly.

Treasure Found!

There are lots of 'lost treasure' stories out there -- but the best ones are those that actually have been rediscovered.

Like Ernest Shackleton's abandoned cases of whisky. His 1909 expedition was forced to leave some of their supplies, including at least two cases of whisky, behind. Those cases were accidentally rediscovered, frozen deep into the ice underneath the expedition hut, when it was being refurbished in 2006. No one could get to them, however.

Now, thanks to Whyte and Mackay, the company who now owns Mackinlay's Rare Old Scotch, they've been salvaged -- by drilling into the ice around the wooden cases. Only it's actually 5 crates! (3 of whisky, 2 of brandy)

Yes, at least some of the crates are good 'ol Mackinlay's...but company execs are especially curious, since this type of spirit is not made anymore. (The original recipe apparently was lost some time ago.) Whiskies back then were "quite heavy and peaty, as that was the style," according to Whyte and Mackay's master blender. Apparently, that's not currently a favorite taste...but I wonder if things will change. People are intrigued with anything that's 'old' --and new, at the same time.

Not everything was salveageable. According to the drillers, the ice around the cases smelled of whisky. Most probably some of the bottles inside have broken or cracked, or the corks are defective. But the cases also made sloshing sounds, suggesting there is some left. (Apparently, they were under instructions to bring the cases Home Without Looking. Wouldn't you have cracked them open to find out??) We'll have to wait for more info. In the meantime, here's another article on the whole business.

When asked what the old stuff will taste like, Richard Paterson, Whyte and Mackay's master blender, just says:
    "Cold."

Post-Superbowl

Spent a snug afternoon by the fire...and Husband. Who trudged off to church today, taking care of our responsibilities, so I could rest. What a wonderful guy.  After watching the Superbowl together, he said, "Well, the commercials weren't that great...but the game was terrific!" Then he realized what he said, and looked sideways at me!

He's right. The commercials were 'ok.' One of the best was the 'NCIS headslap.'  The CareerBuilder 'Casual Friday' spot is a winner, too. In general, though, they just seemed to be a tired reworking of past years and ideas. Emerald Nuts -- SuperFlyMan and people acting like Sea World dolphins? Stupid is not necessarily wonderful! GoDaddy (and sex) -- enough, already!!!

But the game, especially fourth quarter, was more tahn worth it. Wow, Nawlins, you wanted it...and you got it! Congratulations!!

For those of you little dears who didn't watch the Superbowl:

*Denny's is offering a free Grand Slam breakfast on Tuesday, Feb. 9 -- 6 a.m. - 2 p.m.
*Dockers has a new contest to win one of thousands of a free pair of pants
*Campbells is giving out a bunch of great coupons for Chunky soup.

Without the Big S, I wouldn't have known about a fascinating new series: "Undercover Boss." This new series puts CEOs of major companies at starting positions in their own corporations...starting with Larry O'Donnell of Waste Management. His face is priceless -- especially when he gets fired on Day #2! (The man just can't pick up papers fast enough.) Don't miss this show...now if only big bosses everywhere would try it, and take the lessons learned to heart. I wish mine had...

Free Valentine Scrapbooking Patterns!

Here's a huge batch of Valentine-themed paper-pieced scrapbooking patterns -- 17 total! (I thought the mailbox one especially cute...now can I translate it into fabric??)

They'd make wonderful motifs for cards, too.

Bits and Pieces --

--while I continue to recover. The 'fellas' are starting to pack up and go away, but I still don't feel that great. Planning to keep a very low profile this weekend, which won't be bad. I've got lots of quilting to get done, and a snowstorm is supposed to move in Sunday, anyways.


*Marilyn Monroe new photos out there:  Nine months before her death, Marilyn visited Carl Sandburg, and another friend took some photos. They show a friendly girl with glasses and subtle dress who is anything but a sexpot. (Anybody else wonder why this supposed birdbrain is visiting people like Carl Sandburg?? Because she wasn't, that's why!) Take a look, and you'll see what I mean.


*A new approach to storage -- and clearing away. A good practical one too, I thought.


*Ten Oscar shockers: no nomination for Clint Eastwood (poor baby!), a bunch of kids movies are noted, and the movies that got the most nomations -- I saw hardly any of them. My own favorites apparently are not Oscar-worthy...how about you? Take a look here.

Off to go lay down for a while. Back soon.