Faith, Trust & Puzzle Dust

February 9, 2013March 23, 2020 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

WHILE working on a jigsaw puzzle with her husband, she was asked whether or not she had got all the puzzle pieces with blue on them together into one pile.

She replied: Yes.

WHEN it was pointed out to her that there were about 20 more puzzle pieces with blue on them that she had not put into the pile, she thought hard about this.

Then she said: Some is like All, only Less– and Easier.

AND then, having faith that she had explained herself clearly, she walked away from the dining room table, trusting that she had done her bit for this project. Needing to put distance between herself and those 1000 dusty puzzle pieces. Wondering why she said that she’d help with this stupid puzzle to begin with.

[Images of puzzle from Jig Zone. This particular puzzle is here.]

No Razzamatazz Here

January 15, 2013May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

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Today, instead of talking about pulse-pounding razzamatazz, I’m going to talk about the exact opposite, yawn-worthy dullness.

This current dullness has manifested itself in what I believe is a most ridiculous way. You see, here at Chez Bean we are experiencing a dearth of twisty ties. Yes, we have almost run out of those little wire doodads that you use to close plastic bags.

In fact, we only have FOUR unused twisty ties in the house. That’s it.

We used to have about four hundred thousand million of those things floating around in various kitchen drawers. But now they are so rare [and precious] that I even know what color they are: 3 beige and 1 orange. I watch over them as if they were made of gold.

This is sad. And dull. And would not be worthy of note here except that it allows me to ask you, gentle readers, a question:

what kind of yawn-worthy dullness are you currently dealing with in your life?

I’ve fessed up. Now it’s your turn to do the same. In the comments below. If you please.

My 2012 Yearlies List

December 29, 2012December 30, 2012 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

[H/T to Chris at the Rude Cactus for this idea. His list is here.]

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The Yearly Top Gardening Success: Our in-ground sprinkler system for our lawn. It took us years to have one installed, but now that we have one our yard remained green all summer– and I didn’t have to drag a hose + oscillating sprinkler anywhere on the property. Not even once.

The Yearly Top Absurdity of Life: Even though I didn’t go to Canada, I have a traffic violation from that country with a fine to pay. I owe the Canadian Dept of Transportation 37¢ Canadian. You see, Canada has a photo of a vehicle registered to me doing something illegal in their country. The miscreant in this story is Z-D [or maybe one of his lawyer buddies] who went on his [their] annual ~~camping~~ cabin trip and somehow missed paying a toll along the way. Because of this, I’m left holding the traffic violation. And a bottle of maple syrup.

The Yearly Top Duh! Moment: Cutie oranges. Who knew these little clementines were so tasty? Not me. I thought they were only for kids, but thanks to J at Thinking About… I got some for our party, tried them and am now hooked.

The Yearly Top Annoying Term: Guru. If you believe yourself to be one, then you are not one. This term is trite, hackneyed, pointless, stupid– and most of all, overused. Don’t be a business guru; you can do better than that. Aim to add value, not gibberish, to the conversation.

The Yearly Top YouTube Video, Cat Angst Category: Henri 5, The Worst Noël. If you have ever been around a cat, then this series of videos will make you laugh more than you should. Paws down.

The Yearly Top Expression Of Gratitude: From a shy 10ish y.o. Boy Scout who came to the front door and sold me caramel corn + cheese corn. A few weeks later when he delivered the products, he included a typed-out thank you note on a strip of paper, hand signed, which thanked me for helping him achieve his goal. Very thoughtful kid.

The Yearly Top Home Improvement Project: New light fixtures in the kitchen above the island & table. Good-bye large weathered copper light fixtures with dingy uneven glass shades. Hello sleek antique brushed nickel lights with etched white alabaster glass shades that spread the light evenly across the surface. Such an improvement.

~ • ~

So, what are your yearlies? Care to share?

Three Changes I’ve Made During The 2012 Presidential Election Campaign

November 7, 2012November 7, 2012 / Ally Bean / 12 Comments

1. I’ve started watching CBS news. I used to watch ABC, but our local affiliate could not shut up about the national election. It was weird.

So I clicked over onto CBS and discovered that our local affiliate talked about [get this] local news & weather & traffic. And that CBS This Morning with Charlie Rose, Gayle King & Norah O’Donnell is a delight. No sales pitches. No silliness. No crowds of onlookers. Just [get this] news & intelligent discussion & quiet humor.

In other words, my kind of people.

2. I decided to boycott a business because this small, local business put up way too many political signs in front of its store. While it is a right for any business to do this, it is also my right to stop frequenting an establishment because of it. There are consequences for extreme partisanship– and one is the loss of customers who believe that politics is a personal matter, not part of a business plan.

[In fairness, I cannot take credit for this idea. A friend pointed out to me that she had stopped going to her doctor because this doctor had become so blatantly political outside & inside her practice, that my friend walked away from the practice.]

There is a time & place for all things.

3. I have learned to drive more slowly and with much more awareness. Those darned lawn signs obscure who or what might be darting out from behind them. Small children & pets are drawn to those signs, and more than once I’ve hit the brakes while driving through suburbia because I’ve noticed suspicious movement around the signs.

I understand that to many people political signs are a right… a need… an important way to make a difference. So if you do put them out in front of your property, please consider putting them up close to your house instead of by the street. I know they’ll be less visible, but doing such might avert a horrible accident.

Just saying, no offense intended…