I found this while wandering the internet this morning. The forecast for tonight doesn't look promising but I am going to keep checking in. I am betting there are some spectacular shows.
[url]http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/auroramax/connect.asp[/url]
Enjoy, ju

[url]http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/01/05/53-of-chris-hadfields-photos-from-orbit/[/url]

I honestly don't know if I would go if given the opportunity.
but it sure is beautiful.
ju

I did not want company. I was in no mood for company all I wanted to do was chill.
Turned out we did each other a world of good.
I couldn't say no when she called but I was resenting it at the time. Now I am thankful that I couldn't.
A few loads of laundry, some dishes, 2.5 movies, lots of silence and a dog and a cat in cuddling mood as well as a few beers and what started off being stressful for us both ended up being a very relaxing evening.
You can't manufacture silence but you can enjoy it when it presents it self. And that is just what we did.
Silence alone can be more stressful than insanity all around. Silence shared can be most therapeutic.
'cause I'm already standing on the ground...
ju

but in some ways they stay the same just differently.
We got the tree Friday, it was put in its stand and there it stood.
Sat. the lights went on but no one was in a rush to decorate.
Sun. I got annoyed and started to decorate but was disheartened doing it alone and gave up after a short time.
Today is Wed. and I have found all the fav decorations all over the house they way they have always been.
There is still a way to go but even if we don't get there it's just part of the evolution. Kids don't stay little forever but they don't forget the joy they got from the simple things that used to get them super hopped up excited either.
Tradition evolves.
Evolving with it,
ju

[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/12/ditto-christmas-lights-display-arizona_n_2283796.html[/url]

like I live in a petri dish lately. Pink eye, strep throat, pink eye again. Coughs, colds. The Christmas money my mom sent going towards meds needed but not covered.
A little down for sure.
Then this morning as I was packing k2's lunch he said ****** is here and in my mind I though oh know what now? Because she was the one requiring some help a few weeks ago.
I got my pessimistic ass kicked tho. She said she had meant to invite us for dinner Sunday but shit hit the fan for her again but she hadn't forgotten.
She handed me containers and containers of her yummy cooking and said here is your dinner for tonight!
I got my temporarily negative ass kicked and it felt good in my tummy.
Looking on the brighter side again,
ju

Kids are a challenge at the best of times but when you have a disabled child your brain better be super enabled especially when you aren't exactly seeing eye to eye, never mind speaking to your ex.
After 3 days and one evening in tears of frustration I have hit upon the solution. It doesn't matter what the arguement was what matters is a moral dilemma has been solved. I have given him a huge hug and told him how proud of him I am for making the right decision and he has said his tummy feels so much better because he was so confused and is glad to be able to do what is right.
I remember a mom of 5 kids saying to me when my first child was an infant, and she was balancing her 5th. "If all I have to do all day is make sure she doesn't fall over while she is learning to sit I have had a good day."
Things do get far more compicated than that but the premise is the same.
Heaving a sigh of relief and extremely proud of my bud,
ju

being a conundrum I guess. The more that is going on in my life the less I want to talk about it. When I have little going on the more idle chat I am able to babble.
Stressed at the moment but tis the season and all that shit.
No doubt I will come out smiling and babbling again in the next few days.
You have been warned,
ju

on tv this morning and loved it.


tis the season, almost...
ju

Last Christmas a Jamaican friend of mine made jerk chicken. It was so bloody hot my glasses were fogging up on my cheeks but damn it was good! We just couldn't stop nibbling at it. I asked for the recipe and she said she would give it to me but then shit happened, one thing after another. Her year has been hell and I never did get it so the hunt was on. I have finally found a recipe that I have altered somewhat that tastes just like I remember hers tasting. It has been a favourite with friends and family including the cat.
The first time he drove us nuts begging for it so K1 finally gave him a piece. He gobbled it right up then sat there with his mouth open, tongue flicking in and out looking anything but dignified but has that stopped him?
NO!
He really doesn't go for people food except for licking tuna and salmon tins until we are having jerk chicken and then he goes nuts. He seems to have gotten used to the heat because now he just licks his chops for a minute or 2 and then is back for more.
Cats are strange, that isn't news but I have never known one to enjoy the heat of habanaro peppers!
Anyway, here is the recipe I hope you enjoy as much as the cat does

Jerk Marinade

1 white onion chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 whole scotch bonnet or habernero pepper seeded and chopped (or more if you like hotter)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

Blend in a food processor or blender until a slurry.
Put skinned chicken pieces in a ziplock bag and pour marinade in. Let marinade for at least 24 hrs then cook at 375 uncovered until chicken is no longer pink.