Expression or Junk?

There is a house down the street from where I live that has a front yard that is "decorated".  It's more than the usual grass and shrubbery (a herd of pink flamingos would be tame in comparison). 

I could call it the OMG yard because the first time you see it, that is what you say!

I have lived in my house about 7 years now and pass by it almost every day.  It makes me smile because it is so over the top.  The pictures don't do it justice.

One eared donkey.

                                      Little cabin with miner and donkey and trees.

 

Wolves in the bushes.

Mushrooms and frogs.

Swinger and blue bird in the tree.

Miner, donkey, western wheel, logs, rocks and antlers!

Butterflies.

Horse drawn covered wagon.

Skull and eagle. 

Miner looks like he is whispering sweet nothings in the donkey's ear!

Red nose deer and windmill.

Howling coyotes.

Swinging bear.

Cowboy, cowgirl and dog.

 

There used to be more plastic horses along the fence line but they are gone. 

I get excited when I see excessive Halloween decorations or Christmas lights but I know those are just temporary (except for the Christmas lights my husband didn't take down for three years).  I'm not sure how I would feel about living next door to a house like this. 

 

So what do you think?

 

P.S. When my husband was in the Navy I went to a few wives-club meetings.  Anytime one of the group moved to a new house, the wives would get together, go to the new house in the middle of the night on the first night in the house and "decorate" the front yard with all the flamingos and yard gnomes we could get our hands on. 

Of course the next morning they would wake up to a crazy yard and all the neighbors would wonder how crazy their new neighbors were.  Good times!!

Bike riding list

It's cold and raining, there is lots of residual gravel in the road from the storm a few weeks ago so it's not exactly motorcycle riding friendly right now.  The sun came out for an hour yesterday but there was lots of rain and fog.  I miss the road and riding but I can say I turned in some requests for time off for long weekends.

Actually that is one of my New Years Resolutions - take more overnight motorcycle trips! 

In preparation for trips, I have become a list girl, just like my Dad.  When planning a trip, it is easy for me to get excited about the route and the stuff we are going to see, and without a list I might forget my cell phone charger!

I think each person's list is a little bit personal.  If you are a photo person you will include lots of photo gear.  If you are mechanical, you might bring lots of tools.  I'm a nurse so I make sure to include medications in case anyone in the group needs it.

So here is my trip list.  You can see I added some blank lines to include extra stuff.

I have some pretty big saddle bags and keep a small first aid kit along with my registration and insurance card.

What else do you include in your list, and why?

Happy riding!

Motorcycle Trip List

Bike Stuff                                                                              ____Hairbrush/Comb

____Spare Key/battery                                                     ____Toothbrush/Toothpaste

____ Insurance Card                                                           ____Tissue/T.P.

____ Registration                                                                ____Glasses

____Chaps/Riding Pants                                                     ____Sox & Underwear

____Neck Cozie                                                                    ____ Medication

 ____Tie Wraps                                                                    ____Jeans

____Gloves X2                                                                     ____T-shirt

____Boots                                                                             ____Sleep shirt

____Tire gauge                                                                    ____Pocket Knife

____Cardo Unit                                                                    ____Cash

____Tire Inflator kit                                                            ____ Sunscreen

____ Electrical tape                                                            ____ Post card list

Personal Items                                                                     ____________________________     

____Wallet                                                                          ____________________________

____ Camera & charger                                                     ____________________________

____ Phone & charger                                                      ____________________________

 ____Tennis shoes                                                               ____________________________

 ____ Sandals                                                                       _____________________________

 ____Bandana                                                                      _____________________________

____  Laptop & Charger                                                     _____Bike Meds(Motrin, Aspirin,Tylenol,Benadryl,Tums)

____ Medical Kit

____ Chapstick

____ Bungee cord

____ Flashlight    

                                                                

 

 

 

 

 

Antioch

This morning started out cold and foggy and I couldn't imagine it getting warm enough to ride today, but I was wrong.  This afternoon it actually got above 54 degrees so off I went!  I enjoy riding on Antioch Road south of Rainey Corner but decided to go North on my ride today.  It was pretty curvy and there was a lot of gravel still on the road but I also found snow and ice on the road on the dark side of the hill.

I found a cool barn and then the road ended.  I wasn't sure how the road would be around the corner so I found a place to turn around and head home.  The sun was in my eyes around some corners and flashed through the trees on other corners.  It's a good thing I'm not prone to seizures because that flashing was annoying!

 

Despite the scary parts in the road, it was a nice ride!

New Year's Eve Ride

12-31-13 It has been so dreary with the weather inversion.  There has been freezing fog nearly every day since the storm right after Thanksgiving.  High temperatures over the last several weeks has been in the 30's and the freezing fog has made the roads too dangerous to ride.

It was supposed to get warm over the weekend but the freezing fog persisted till well into the afternoon.  Suddenly the sun came out and the ice melted from the trees which made it "rain" in our yard.  Too cold for me.

Today the sun finally came out and I could see it through the window at work.  I got off work at 3:30pm and the sun was still out.  I got to my car and the temperature was 47 degrees.  That is my cutoff temperature for riding!  I had a singular idea - get my ass home and get on my bike for a short ride!

I got home, put on my boots and took off!  I planned on a short ride so I didn't put on my chaps.  I was pretty warm at first but it was already late afternoon and the sun starts to set at 4:30pm. 

It was getting cold fast and my legs got cold - until they went numb!  I took the freeway home and may have fractured the speed limit just a little (HaHa!) 

The sound of the roaring engine made my heart beat faster!  Already looking forward to my next ride!

Slipping & Sliding

12/10/13 Tuesday

The big winter storm is still in effect.  People were spinning out on the ice in front of me on the way home.  I had errands so I took a different way home and drove down a stretch of road that I haven't been on since my last motorcycle ride.

I felt a longing for the road and I miss riding!

Pictures of a scary ride to Phoenix, Oregon on Saturday.

Biggest icicles we have ever had at our house!

Thinking warm thoughts about my next ride!

Schooooools Out!

12-4-13
I just turned in my very last assignment for school.  I can't believe I'm finally done with my Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN).  I been taking classes for many years now and have wondered about the courses and what they contribute to my nursing skills.

There hasn't been much patient centered classes and they have all been full of writing papers.  I wish there had been more about patient care, you know, anatomy, physiology, etc.  Nope, none of that!

So, I'm reading my last posts from fellow classmates and one of the guys actually points out that he could do more with his certificate as a paramedic than he will be able to do with a bachelors degree in nursing - unfortunately true and so sad.

He said the BSN is worthless. 

I told him I thought he had a HUGE pair of balls for saying that - but I agreed with his statement.

I got so much out of my associates degree.  I learned a lot about how to care for people and the different diseases and how they are treated.  But the last two years have all been writing papers.  Sure I learned a lot but I don't feel it improved my nursing skills.  I did learn about the importance of using evidence based practice.

I'm proud of myself for finishing my degree but I have felt that it hasn't added anything to my nursing skills (except for writing and research) for a long time.  I'm not sure if that was the point or not.

If you know me, you know I'm not done with my education.  For my next classes I'm going to do stuff that will actually contribute to the care of my patients.

Post T-day ride

Thanksgiving is over, the family is headed home and there is snow in the forecast.  Today is a beautiful day though and I must ride!

I took this picture up in Rogue River.  It looked so fresh as if the paint was still wet!