This Stop Willoughby

....because it also happens to be my anniversary.  Mr. Willoughby and I were married 21 years ago, on April 22, 1989.  Honestly, at the time, I had never even heard of Earth Day, so we didn't choose the date for that reason.  It is kind of nice, though, to think of people making the world a more beautiful place by planting trees and flowers on the anniversary of the day we began our life together.  100 years from now, after we're long gone, this day will still be celebrated.  I think that's pretty special even if it is just a coincidence.   Willoughby *If you're curious what Mr. Willoughby and I looked like 21 years ago (unlikely, but possible), you can click here to see my anniversary post from last year.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that..... "Mom, is my cheese supposed to be glowing?" Ever since my last post, I've been thinking about that mysterious radioactive kitchen utensil.  I wondered if I could be using it in my kitchen or if you could be using it in yours.  Since I don't have a Geiger counter, I embarked on some extensive research (which means I spent 2 seconds Googling it) to find out what this mysterious utensil was. It turns out that it is a cheese grater.  For the full story, click here .  A Few Personal Notes To the teenage boy driving past my street this morning - Slow down!  The speed limit in residential areas is 25.  If I had pulled out of my street a second sooner, you would have hit me. To the teenage boy at the intersection near the elementary school this morning - Learn right of way.  It was my turn to pull out and I had to slam on the breaks to keep you from hitting...

It's spring, so of course that means I've been doing a lot of spring cleaning.  I've found that while I'm doing menial tasks like dusting, vacuuming and washing windows, my mind tends to wander.  Here are some not necessarily cleaning-related things I've been pondering. Flea collars and miscellaneous flea prevention products - If they work to repel fleas and ticks on animals, would they work for people?  Let's say, for example, that you wanted to go for a walk in the woods.  Instead of tucking your pant legs into your socks to keeps ticks from getting on your legs, could you put flea collars around your ankles to repel them?  Or could you rub the liquid flea and tick preventer on your jeans?  If you're wearing shorts, could you rub it on your legs?  It's safe to use on your cats and dogs, after all. Vacuum cleaners - My vacuum cleaner has a great habit of shooting debris back out at my feet after it's passed through the rotating b...

Spring is such a wonderful time of year.  The birds have returned and greet each morning with their lovely songs.  The tree branches are covered with green buds ready to burst into life.  The grass has shed it's yellow/brown pallor in favor of a lovely emerald.  The air is warm and breezy.  It's all so lovely except for one thing.  The bugs. Because of our nearly uninhabitable climate during the winter months, we don't see many bugs from late October through early April.  I almost forget how much I hate them until they come back.  And they know I hate them so they taunt me.  Ever since the thermometer hit the 60 degree mark, we've had flies congregating around the back porch.  I can't sit out there and enjoy my morning coffee without having them buzz past me. Now, flies I hate, but spiders I absolutely loathe.  Friday morning I walked into the bathroom to dry my hair and spotted what I thought was a bumble ...