Surviving Murphy

Butterflies @ the St. Louis Zoo

2011-05-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

high water downtown Evansville

2011-04-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

365 Week 21

2009-05-25T11:51:00.001-05:00

May 21
Wow, it's going to be a fun filled summer around here....not!

May 22
A squirrel hiding from another squirrel as I was getting in my car to leave work.

365 Week 20

2009-05-24T23:53:00.007-05:00

May 14
Downtown Main st.

May 15
The best place for margaritas and chips and salsa.

May 16
Deaconess Hospital ER.

May 17
My friend Jeremiah :)

May 18
Sonic drive in.

May 19
Neighbor's kitten making faces at me.

May 20
Roberts Stadium concert venue.

365 Week 19

2009-05-08T23:02:00.008-05:00

May 7
The neighbor's kitten playing in my flower bed.

May 8
A squirrel crossing the road at the park today.

May 9
View of downtown.

May 10
Dad's old John Deere that doesn't run anymore.

May 11
Some solar lights I just added to my yard. Maybe I'll get those leaves cleaned out too. LOL

May 12
Boston ferns hanging in my back yard.

May 13
A coffee shop called Penny Lane.

365 Week 18

2009-05-08T22:39:00.005-05:00

April 30
A fountain at a local downtown hotel.

May 1
A church I passed while driving around at lunch.

May 2
Waiting on a train.

May 3
Hostas in my flower bed.

May 4
A bird laid her eggs in my fern.

May 5
City bus.

May 6
Jasper and Toby.

365 Week 17

2009-04-28T19:43:00.004-05:00

April 23
Welborn Baptist Hospital in the background.

April 24
The neighbor's cat in my birdbath.

April 25
A friend's new Mustang.

April 26
A hair salon located a couple of miles from my home.

April 27
Things were a little batty at work today :)

April 28
A hanging basket of petunias, I just bought.

April 29
Near my house, clearing out for the new road.

365 Week 16

2009-04-16T20:22:00.008-05:00

April 16
A Japanese maple tree in my front yard.

April 17
A disco ball, where my friend's wedding reception will be held.

April 18
Today was my friend's wedding and this was her wedding cake.

April 19
A stray 3 legged dog that comes around my mom's house.

April 20
The neighbor's kitten that needs a home.

April 21
Some trees I passed on the way home from work today.

April 22
Formerly General Foods Evansville, IN.

365 Week 15

2009-04-12T15:57:00.006-05:00

April 9
A store called Digital Graphics.

April 10
Katie, my only girl.

April 11
We got winners, we got losers
Chain smokers and boozers
And we got yuppies, we got bikers
We got thirsty hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like movie stars

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

April 12
Pink flowering crab apple tree from my front yard.

April 13
Humongous clouds during my drive to lunch.

April 14
Apparently another mouth to feed.

April 15
The neighbor's kitten. Her new owner is calling her Cali.

365 Week 14

2009-04-05T18:17:00.005-05:00

April 2
A local hamburger joint that is supposed to have really good burgers and fries.

April 3
More flowering trees, which are pretty much gone now.

April 4
Spring tulips.

April 5
My neighbors kittens.

April 6
Me and Murphy

April 7
A local bar downtown called Woody's.

April 8
Just someone's red barn.

365 Week 13

2009-03-26T19:50:00.006-05:00

March 26
My red bud trees are starting to bud.

March 27
Toby and Jasper looking out the back window.

March 28
Some flowering trees.

March 29
Flowering bush at my mom's house.

March 30
First street downtown Evansville.

March 31
A flowering tree near my work.

April 1
Some piles of wood chips along the road that I live on.

365 Week 12

2009-03-22T09:23:00.008-05:00

March 19
Our city flag, United States flag, and state flag....down near the river front.

March 20
Widening the road I live on.

March 21
Draft beer at a bar.

March 22
I got this from my neighbor's yard this afternoon.

March 23
Those pretty flowering trees that are out right now, that I don't know the name of.

March 24
Downtown merchants along 6th St.

March 25
A clock downtown, in front of Central Library.

365 Week 11

2009-03-15T19:42:00.007-05:00

March 12
Downtown Evansville entertainment district.

March 13
A lake in front of a business complex at Cross Pointe.

March 14
A sign at the bar.

March 15
Railroad tracks near my mom's house in Pike County.

March 16
Some flowers I saw when I went out for lunch today. I think it's called a forsythia bush.

March 17
Trees are beginning to bud. Spring must be here.

March 18
Some old house downtown, probably vacant from the looks of it.

365 Week 10

2009-03-08T21:34:00.007-05:00

March 5
Garvin Park

March 6
Evansville Museum Transportation Center

March 7
The little neighborhood bar .

March 8
A beautiful spring like day with a high of 72º.

March 9
Turoni's Pizza...best pizza on the planet.

March 10
A road sign....that's all.

March 11
Per it's website.....
Built in 1916, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Colisuem has several thousand seats and has featured matches by legends like Jerry Lawler and Hulk Hogan and now serves as the home of Colisuem Championship Wrestling.

365 Week 9

2009-03-01T20:54:00.014-06:00

Feb. 26
A flag standing in front of Arby's restaurant.

Feb. 27
Willard Library....this places even looks spooky on the outside. Apparently the oldest library in Indiana according to this web site. Did I mention it is haunted???
http://www.libraryghost.com/

Feb. 28
Road construction.

March 1
My mom's cat, Pandy.

March 2
Not sure "I WAS LOVIN" IT", but this is where I ended up at for lunch today.

March 3
The lake that you can't fish in.

March 4
Old water tower, reminds me of the one at the House of Blues.

365 Week 8

2009-02-22T20:23:00.008-06:00

Feb. 19
Bringing the kittens back home after they went to the vet to get neutered. Toby sat behind me, and Jasper hid behind the seat.

Feb. 20
This where I buy Katie, Murphy, Toby, and Jasper's food.

Feb. 21
We had a Mardi Gras party today.

Feb. 22
Me and Toby...our self portrait, because I didn't leave the house today.

Feb. 23
I might work for that place, but not at that place.

Feb. 24
A local Best Buy store...when you got to have it today, instead of ordering it on line and getting it cheaper.

Feb. 25
Yum!!! From the Dairy Queen drive-thru menu.

365 Week 7

2009-02-12T20:03:00.008-06:00

Feb.12
Tonight's sunset.

Feb. 13
I pulled up to take a photo of this goose and they all came running over, for food I guess.

Feb. 14
Woo...hoo...it's that time again. NASCAR schedule hanging on the wall at the bar.

Feb. 15
Today I finally washed my truck. My windshield as I was going through the car wash.

Feb. 16
Local pizza joint that I have not eaten at in many years.

Feb. 17
Toby and Jasper are going to the vet for a little snip-snip.

Feb. 18
Gas is cheap!

365 Week 6

2009-02-09T21:29:00.013-06:00

Feb. 5
The Women's Hospital, which is where my Dr. is.

Feb. 6
Newburgh is located on the banks of the scenic Ohio River, a few miles east of Evansville, Indiana.

Feb. 7
Ok, this isn't really Bud Light. It's White Zinfandel wine, because I don't drink beer.

Feb. 8
Winslow Elementary, I went to school here kindergarten thru 5th grade.

Feb. 9
Approaching the Expressway, on my way home from work today.

Feb. 10
Just another photo of Jasper.

Feb. 11
Downtown Evansville Main St. walkway.

365 Week 5

2009-02-09T20:32:00.007-06:00

Jan. 29
St. Mary's church, which is across the street from my work.

Jan. 30
The sun rising behind my house.

Jan. 31
A water tower near my mom's house.

Feb. 1
Since my power went off during the ice storm, this was my only source of heat for the last several days......a kerosene heater.

Feb. 2
Schnucks, my favorite grocery store.

Feb. 3
Greyhound Bus Station, Evansville Indiana.

Feb. 4
Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library • 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. • Evansville, Indiana

365 Week 4

2009-01-22T20:26:00.013-06:00

Jan. 22
This Bud's for you......

While at lunch today, I saw this Budweiser truck sitting in the parking lot.

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Jan. 23
Casino Aztar's Riverfront Pavilion is designed to reflect the turn-of-the-century charm of downtown Evansville.

Jan. 24
Today is my birthday. I was trying to get a self portrait, while driving, without people staring at me. And this was the best I could get.

Jan. 25
Mom and I drove up to the lake on the way back from lunch today.

Jan. 26
This hotel called The Executive Inn is a block from where I work. It's kind of run down, but some company just bought it and hopefully will renovate it.

Jan. 27
This was the view, looking out my windshield when I left work today. Since it was a snowing/sleeting/raining mixture, we closed at 3:30 pm.

Jan. 28
This was the second day of the ice storm.

365 Week 3

2009-01-15T20:17:00.007-06:00

Jan. 15
I pass by these buses everyday. And everyday they turn right in front of me.

Jan. 16
Have you bought your copy yet???

Jan. 17
This house, down the road from my house, is being moved. And a Menards is being built.

Jan. 18
Toby or Jasper......your guess is as good as mine.

Jan. 19
It snowed this morning. I left extra early, not knowing how the roads would be. As I was waiting to go inside, I snapped this shot of a tree in front of my work building.

Jan. 20
Evansville's Old Courthouse is a beautiful, historic venue for small gatherings, meetings, even wedding receptions. Located in the heart of Downtown, the Courthouse features elegant Victorian décor and high ceilings with 2,329 square feet of space, unrestricted catering, and a kitchen. The Old Courthouse is within 15 minutes of Evansville Regional Airport, 5 minutes of The Centre and close to many Evansville attractions.

Jan. 21
Some old blue building on Main St. The sign says Jerraco's Bar. I can't tell if the place is still open or not.

365 Week 2

2009-01-08T20:45:00.010-06:00

Jan. 8
I see this car everyday at a car lot across the street from where I work. One of these days.....

Jan. 9
From Wikipedia, Vectren Corporation is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. The company provides gas and electricity to nearly one million customers in Indiana and Ohio.
All I know is I give them lots of money every month so they can build nice buildings like this on the river front.

Jan. 10
Empty beer keg .

Jan. 11
My mom today at the Pike State Forest in Indiana.

Jan. 12
The neighbor's cat was sticking it's tongue out at me as I pulled up this afternoon. Ha ha, not really. She wouldn't do that because I feed her everyday.

Jan. 13
Nothing like coming home and finding your tree cut down....an oak tree at that!

Jan.14
Looks like I am not the only one getting their trees cut down. Got to make room for that new road coming thru. Yay :(

365 week 1

2009-01-05T19:36:00.008-06:00

I can get a different photo everday for 1 year. But how interesting it will be is another thing.

Jan 1
These are some berries that are on a bush near my back door.

Jan. 2
This is an Amish restaurant called The Black Buggy a mile from my home.

Jan. 3
A sign in a bar .

Jan. 4
My dad's old Minolta camera, that I have yet to use.

Jan. 5
Signature School clock located on Main St. in Evansville IN.

Jan. 6
Lic's Ice Cream & Deli in downtown Evansville IN. They have grilled-cheeses that are out of this world. And also they serve chocolate covered ice cream balls called Choco cremes. Yum!

Jan.7
This is what I see when I pull out of my driveway. Normally just some houses, some trees, and a lake. But this morning there was about 1 inch of snow on the ground. Our first snow this season.

Mesker Park

2008-07-04T01:07:00.002-05:00

St. Louis--Missouri Botanical Garden

2008-07-03T19:17:00.004-05:00

My Backyard Flowers

2008-07-03T19:02:00.004-05:00

Where the Hell is Cabazon, CA?

2008-02-18T21:15:00.025-06:00

I didn't have a clue where it was, but I was pretty sure we would find it. My Cali adventure continues here.

I am not from California, so of course I have never heard of Cabazon. Seems it's near Palm Springs and also the next stop for me, to see INXS. It's been 4 months.....and it's about time. I missed the Indio show in Dec., and I wasn't missing this one.

So, it's day 4 of my vacation and the day I have been waiting for. We were headed for the desert, which was a good 2 hours away from El Cajon....where I was staying.

Let me just say, when you are from Indiana...the freeways in California....are just a little different. We don't have FasTrak, we don't have HOV lanes, nor do we have express lanes. We have 2 lane highways and 3 lane interstates and we don't ever car pool. We can have 1 person or 4 or 5 in a car...or whatever on any street or road and at anytime of the day. And we call hills, mountains. But then again, Indiana is definitely not California.

We finally arrive in Cabazon after every twist and turn imaginable. Damn that was alot of turns driving up there. The Morongo Casino is where we are going for the show, which is the tallest building in the photo above. Apparantly there is a huge outlet mall near by. We chose to go to the smaller one, next door to the casino....nothing much there though. And we also made a stop at the Hadley Fruit Orchards. Although there were lots of yummy stuff there, I was not in my usual shopping mode. I wanted to get to the casino.

Finally inside the casino, lots of people everywhere. We went to to check out the Key Club, where INXS would be playing. People had already lined up to get in. We didn't plan to get in line until we grabbed some food from the food court.

After we ate, I found a bathroom and proceeded to "stuff the camera". There was going to be some discomfort for awhile. My camera is huge and I just ate. OMG, this was not good, I could hardly walk. We had to stand in line for 1 hour with my camera down my pants.

Did I mention how huge my camera is. LOL I had to hide it because they are not allowed in the casino or the club venue. And I planned on taking many pictures of INXS.

We finally got thru the line, and inside. No problems getting my camera in. No searches. That was a major relief. Next we grab a spot, which was probably back about 8 rows. Not the most ideal, but I am not fighting my way to the front row. I remember, oh so well how these shows are (my last California show). Anyway now we wait for the show to start...and wait ...and wait. 90 minutes of waiting to be exact. And still to this day, I don't know why. WTF??? All I know is I am tired, my feet hurt from my 3 inch heels, and the show hasn't even started.

Then there it was, Suicide Blonde. My feet were no longer there, atleast I could no longer feel them. But I didn't care about that anymore. JD had hit the stage. After several months of wondering what his hair was going to look like, there he was in person....on the stage....right in front of me. Wow! He had been letting his hair grow, and I was loving it.

They played Perfect Strangers and God's Top Ten. I love Perfect Strangers, and it was the first time I had heard it live. Also, on the set list was Not Enough Time and Heaven Sent. I consider myself very lucky to have heard these songs, because they were rarely played after this night.

The casino as we were leaving.

I was taking pictures all thru out the show, and only got this small clip of Pretty Vegas.

This was a really good show. Why did it have to end??? If you are fan, you know what I mean. More photos from this show are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisatodd/sets/72157600648795034/

Until we meet again.........Milwaukee is freakin' hot in July.

How Beautiful La Jolla is

2008-02-17T17:07:00.006-06:00

Now that's an under statement. And beautiful it was. This is where I left off...my Cali trip continues.

We didn't do alot while there. Since La Jolla isn't really very big, and there wasn't that much going on this time of year. We mainly just drove around. We looked at the sights and took lots of pictures.

Downtown La Jolla.

Sunset on Coast Blvd.

Can you imagine living in one of these ocean front homes with a breath-taking view of the Pacific Ocean???

Or these?

After much looking around, we went to Birch Aquarium at Scripps. Situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this beautiful complex contains more than 60 tanks, a demonstration tide pool, and an interactive museum. The aquarium introduces sea life from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the creatures that inhabit the tropical waters of Mexico. The outdoor tide-pool plaza offers visitors a close-up view of sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars, and more. Visitors can touch these animals at the aquarium's new tide-pool touch tanks. The south wing contains the Scripps Hall of Oceanography, featuring "Exploring the Blue Planet," the largest hands-on oceanographic exhibition in the country.

Since it was closing time, we looked at fish, and more fish, and all kinds of marine wildlife....in 1 hour.

We were about to leave and call it day, but I couldn't resist getting my picture taken inside the shark's mouth.

On the way back to El Cajon, we drove up to look at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial cross. The 822-foot-tall hill lies between Interstate 5 to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is mostly within the community of La Jolla where the northern and eastern slopes form a sharp escarpment along the Rose Canyon fault.

After a busy packed day of fun in the sun at Coronado, La Jolla, and Mt. Soledad we were off for Mexican food and maragaritas.

I'm Going Back to Cali

2008-02-17T15:00:00.006-06:00

California in March isn't quite as much fun as California in June. It wasn't cold, but there would be no swimming or no going to the beach. That was fine with me. I love to go to San Diego regardless of what time of year it is. And besides, I was getting to see my favorite band again so all was good.

I arrive a few days early, so I can spend some time with my brother and his new wife that I had not met. It's evening by the time we get from the airport, back to my brother's house in El Cajon. We decide to just hang out around the house and grill some carne asada and have some margaritas. Yum! My brother makes the best strawberry margaritas. Apparently there is better tequila out there in SoCal/Mexico than Jose Cuervo, and he found it.

So the next day we went to Coronado Island.

The view of downtown San Diego from Coronado Island.

From the offical website http://www.coronado.ca.us/
Coronado is a small “island” town in San Diego Bay, approximately 7.4 square miles in size, connected to the City of San Diego by the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and to the City of Imperial Beach to the south by State Highway 75.

San Diego-Coronado Bridge

The legendary Hotel del Coronado is located on 28 oceanfront acres on Coronado Island. Built in 1888 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977, The Del has played host to celebrities, presidents and dignitaries from around the world.

Here I am standing in front of the famous Hotel Del Coronado.

The beach was closed for swimming, but like I said...it's March.

The beach was supposed to be closed....that is. If you look closely you can see someone in the water.

The Hotel Del's gorgeous swimmming pool. There were a few people sitting out by the pool, but I didn't see anyone in the water.

We went inside the hotel for a bit and looked around. Beautiful chandeliers and flowers in the main lobby. I didn't see any ghosts, so we left and headed to La Jolla.

Did You Get Flowers?

2008-02-15T19:37:00.008-06:00

So yesterday was Valentine's Day. A few of the girls at work got flowers. I didn't and I wasn't expecting any. Did you get flowers?

Slip Slidin Away

2008-02-13T20:36:00.006-06:00

Freezing rain created a layer of ice on top of 4 inches of newly fallen snow. The roads were treacherous, which lead to multiple wrecks during the morning commute. Power outages were widespread with dozens of power lines brought down by icy limbs falling from trees overnight. All schools in the area were closed, and will possibly be all week. This all started on Monday afternoon. I left work early, but it took me 3 times the normal time to get home.

Tuesday was just as bad. I made it to work about 2 hours late, which was better than nothing. Again, I came home early to avoid rush hour traffic and posssible collisons. But when I pulled in my driveway, I got stuck. My wheels were just spinning. Finally I went to the garage to get some pieces of wood to stick under my tires so I could get some traction. After several efforts, I was unstuck.

And then there was the mailbox to deal with. The snow plow didn't just knock it off once, but twice. I got pissed and just threw it back up in the yard. It's not like I am expecting a big sum of money...in the mail.

Hit by plow...#1

Hit by plow#2

So this is my mailbox for now, until I feel it is safe to slide it back on.

Valentine's Day.....is tomorrow and we are expected to see a pretty good meltdown. No more precipitation is expected in the area until......Friday. Yay! Can't wait.

Still in Cali

2008-01-01T16:49:00.000-06:00

Next stop.....Seaport Village a beautiful waterfront setting right along the San Diego Bay. I love love this little place. Restaurants, shops, and live music entertainment all in one. You can spend alot of time here, and maybe a little bit of money too. It's the perfect place to pick up your favorite San Diego souvenir. Lots of gift shops and eateries as you walk down many stone paths. Even if you aren't there to eat or shop, it's just a really cool place to hang out, if just to watch the sailboats. Although it was really busy and touristy, it's a must see if you are ever in downtown San Diego.

California Here I Come

2008-01-01T12:03:00.000-06:00

I hadn't seen my brother in several years. I hadn't seen INXS in several weeks. It must be time to fly to San Diego. But first I have to get on the plane. Well, not so easy. I have been informed that I had an expired driver's license. Man this sucks. I am held a side. I must be special because I getting very special treatment. They search every single piece of my luggage and my purse. And then I get the wand and a pat-down. Enough already. I just want to get on the damn plane! And I finally did, after all of that. Then they tell us there is rain causing delays in Detroit. This is gonna be a long day, I am thinking.

So I finally arrive in California at 10:30 PT after all the weather delays. I had left my house at 12:30 CT earlier that day. 12 hours to get to Cali WTF??? It's just a good thing this isn't a concert day. The next day is though. I don't have a ticket for Pala. Damn, I could see INXS 2 nights in a row. Although I could buy a ticket, I refuse to be in like row 18 or something like that. No go for me in Pala.

I am there for a week. No plans. Well except for one...to see INXS at Embarcadero Marina. My brother is working during most of my days there. My trip wasn't planned too well, and he only has a couple of days of vacation to spend with me. That's ok. I am on vacation all week in the beautiful sunshine. I went out by myself a few times. I am much more familar with the downtown area more than any. My brother works downtown, and one day I was killing time and driving up and down all the streets looking around. Yeah I know my license was expired. They didn't like that so much at the rent-a-car place.

This is what I did more than anything the whole trip. Laid in the pool and hung out with the dogs. Oh the life.....

I did a few more things, too.....

My brother took me to a really cool fair in Del Mar, the San Diego County Fair. (I think it was called the Del Mar Fair before). It was about 30 minutes away. So much yummy food. The fudge itself was worth going back for. Lots of rides in the The Fun Zone, but we didn't ride anything. We walked around for a couple of hours and then we were off to do something else.

Some really unique things the vendors were selling. Building after building with all this cool stuff. My brother picked up a couple of um' different lamps.

Don't I look like your typical tourist? ha ha

I Let The Dogs Out

2007-12-31T23:06:00.000-06:00

Yes, it was me. I let those dogs out. They wanted out, they wanted in that pool. It was probably 95° that day. Hell, I wanted in the pool that day too. Not my pool. This was at my brother's house in San Diego, June 06.

INXS was on tour. So I went to see my brother and INXS at the same time. The whole week was a blast. Let me tell you about it....next time of course.

This is Molly

This is Hannah

Murphy + Water = Trouble

2007-12-25T20:03:00.000-06:00

Most cats don't really like water. But then, there's Murphy. He likes to put his butt under the water.

And I swear he would turn the water on, himself, if he could.

I think he loves water. Maybe loves is a strong word, but he definitely is facinated by it. It's really nice that I can give him a bath without him putting up a fight and scratching the hell out of me. But his liking for water creates sort of a problem, when I take a bath. He walks around the edge of the tub, curiously wanting to atleast stick a paw in. He slips, he falls in...twice this has happened.

He is not your usual cat. Maybe it's the fact that my other cat is 10, and I don't remember how kittens are supposed to act. But he is into anything and everything.

After the bathing, comes the drying off. This is the part that will get you bitten or scratched. He doesn't like towels, nor does he like blow dryers.

Almost all dry now, until the next bath..........

I Had Raccoons

2007-12-24T23:31:00.000-06:00

I wonder how long I have been feeding wildlife. One evening I looked outside and seen this little guy chowing down on cat food. He was making himself at home, as if it was his home. I tried to shoo him away, (I am calling him a he) Anyway, he wouldn't budge until he got the last bite.

So a couple nights later, I see him again. Only this time he has brought his friends. I guess the food was so yummy he decided to spread the word.

The raccoon is a common backyard "bandit" that is easy to spot with its black facemask and bushy, ringed tail. These animals are nocturnal. (That means active at night.) They spend the nighttime hours searching for food in cities and countryside. The raccoon is very good with its front paws, using them like hands. Its scientific name, Procyon lotor, means "a washer." Raccoons often seem to wash their food in the water.

How can you identify a raccoon?

Besides their mask and bushy, ringed tail, raccoons are covered with 1-2 inch-long fur. They weigh an average of 14-24 pounds — but they can grow to 40 pounds! Their fur is a grizzled gray color or sometimes black with silver tips. Raccoon fur can range from a light brown to reddish, to a dark black color. Look for their broad head, pointed nose, and black eyes. Their ears stand straight up and are about 1 ½ inches long. Raccoons make a variety of sounds including purrs, whimpers, snarls, growls, hisses, screams, and whinnies.

It does seem as if this one was smiling for the camera.

It's been a few weeks since I've seen anymore raccoons. Hopefully they're gone but I doubt it.