Deborah J. Martin's Blog, page 26
March 31, 2011
April Fool's!
Okay, I'm a day early. So sue me. (On second thought, don't. I'm not worth the effort.)
Now that the last of the tax sh** is off to the CPA, I'm starting my celebrating today. You see, I realized my lifelong dream of working for myself from home and started my accounting/bookkeeping business on April 1, twenty years ago. My former boss didn't think I'd last a year. What he didn't (and still doesn't) know is that I had an ace in the hole – magic!
I've said it before and I'll say ...
March 28, 2011
In Memoriam – Again
36 hours shy of three months later, Nick's brother, Ivan, passed on.
Both my boys are gone but I know they're back together and Nick is giving Ivan a good bath … something they both enjoyed when they were on this plane.
March 24, 2011
In Vino Veritas
In wine [there is the] truth. Given that wine was the alcohol of choice in the early days (distilled spirits didn't come to the forefront of drunkenness until probably around the 12th century CE), it makes sense that this adage was coined rather than in booze there is the truth. Most folks lose some or all of their inhibition(s) while imbibing spirits. Tacitus (56-117 CE) tells us the Germanic peoples always drank wine during councils, as it was thought no one could...
March 17, 2011
Ahhh, Maui!
Nope, you didn't miss something last week. I was on vacation on Maui, thanks to a trip my husband won through work. Although it was really the wrong time of the year for an accountant to take off, who could pass up an almost free trip to the Hawai'ian Islands?
With a couple of exceptions, we had a blast. 11 hours flying time plus 2.5 hours travel to/from the Atlanta airport is no fun. But once we finally arrived, it was everything the travel brochures tell you, and more.
We...
March 3, 2011
World Book Day
It's amazing what pops into the forefront of your brain when wasting time on Twitter. I just happened to notice the trend #worldbookday and a lightbulb went off – great idea for a blog post!
If you haven't yet noticed, I'll tell you – I'm an avid reader, as is my husband. Between the two of us, there are in the neighborhood of 500 books scattered around the house – some still in boxes from our move 7 years ago because we don't have enough shelf space. There are currently 6...
February 24, 2011
Yarrow: A Staunch Plant
I said I was going to take a walk around my garden last weekend, and I did. I also walked around what passes for a yard in these parts and noticed some plants starting to green up. I hope they don't get too eager: we'll probably still have a cold snap or two before Spring is finally sprung!
One of the plants that's starting to wake up is Yarrow. A few years ago, I was at the garden center and chuckled when I saw Yarrow plants for $6. I want to know how I can get in on that...
February 17, 2011
Spring Fever Strikes!
This has been the snowiest winter on record! Well, my record, anyways. I've been keeping track of the weather since we moved here seven years ago and thus far this winter, we've had 16 inches of snow – 'way more than twice any other year and the season isn't over, yet. It's Georgia not Minnesota. I'm supposed to be able to go outside & play most days! Not only has it been cold & white but if it hasn't been snowing, it's been raining. The ground is saturated to the point of...
February 15, 2011
Herbal First Aid Kit
Many people know that I am a technician for the sport of fencing. I love it … I get to play with tools but most of all, socialize with friends at tournaments. However, as I've mentioned before, I'm a klutz par excellence. I volunteered at the National Championships over the weekend and after three days, I'm going to take my own advice: make up an herbal first aid kit to put into my tool kit with the bandaids I normally carry. Yes, each large tournament has trainers who can...
February 14, 2011
Pretty, Deadly Lady
An online friend was inquiring into Belladonna last week and I told her I'd dig into my files to see what I could come up with. While I remembered some of what I found, I didn't remember other information and found it so interesting, I thought I'd share it with 'the world'.
Belladonna Atropa belladonna is native to central and southern Europe and because of cultivation, is naturalized in both England and the US. It likes calciferous soil (read: calcium/lime/chalk) and to be i...
February 10, 2011
I'm A Spunky Old Broad!
Wow, February is National-Something-Month par excellence! Just a sampling:
International Boost Self-Esteem Month
International Expect Success Month
National Care About Your Indoor Air Month
National Laugh-Friendly Month
National Time Management Month
Pull Your Sofa Off the Wall Month
and my favorite
Spunky Old Broads Month
I've long known that quite a few holidays were created specifically by the greeting card industry and at times, I do my part to increase their business. Others were ...
