"Bits and Pieces" (ad infinitum)

This is just a little bit of this and piece or two of that, adding up to nothing very significant!  The first  part is really just a test to check out how this new template sets up postings.

*** I saw the Easter Bunny...uh...er...our bunny again today!  It had been several days since I saw him last.  I was afraid that the recent visit by the landscapers had scared him (her??) off.  (They are awfully loud!)  But he's still here, making himself at home.   Yay!   When first he appeared in the yard today, he seemed very cautious, looking around and sniffing the air.  We passed muster I guess, because before long he had stretched himself out up on the deck, back legs extended to the side, looking the very picture of "just lounging around".  He is a fairly small, brown bunny, with little ears that perch right on top of his head, a real cutie as bunnies go!!  As we can see the deck from our back windows, we have a ringside seat for whenever he comes to visit!  Soooo cute!!

*** Birthdays in our family never seem to celebrated just for one day, we regularly have "extended" birthdays.  Right now we are still celebrating M-t-G's extended birthday.  You may recall we had her family party on Easter Sunday, her actual birthday the following Wednesday, that Friday was cupcakes for her class and again for her softball team (with singing twice), her Daddy (T.A.) returned from Finland on Monday and Tuesday was the at home celebration, and tomorrow, fully 9 days after her actual birthday, she is having her "kids" party.  She and 5 or 6 (I think) of her friends are going to the Pottery studio where they will each make something that strikes their fancy with ice cream afterwards.  And then, at last I think, that's it till next year!   Just to clarify, extended birthdays are not because we are obsessed with birthdays!  It's just that trying to juggle schedules in this family to try to get everything done all at once seems to be beyond us.  So we do this instead.  And, actually, when all is said and done, no one ever feels left out and we pretty much all get a birthday that seems to go on forever!  It's kinda neat when it's your turn!  So M-t-G's 9th birthday will soon be over, and well before her 10th birthday is due!!!

*** I'm sure everyone has seen the news about the volcano erupting in Iceland and the voluminous cloud of ash and "stuff" that is now floating over England, and most of western Europe.  According to the experts, the volcano could go on erupting for several more days continuing to spew out more ash and "stuff".  One article I saw said that this particular volcano has periodically had lengthy eruptions, once spreading over an entire year!!  Yikes!!  The most immediate problem being caused by this is the closing of air space to airplanes in the affected areas.  That means flights are being cancelled all over the place.  People are camping out in the airports with no way of getting to where they were going for the duration, at least not by air.  A couple of things struck me:  first, I have never really thought of Iceland as much of anything but a lot of cold and ice....not what you get typically associate with volcanos;  secondly, a lot of those folks stranded in airports and such were on business trips and they missed deadlines, meetings, and opportunities. There were many who had completed the initial part of their trip, but  now can't get home.  But the ones I really felt badly for are the people who missed a wedding, or a funeral, or a graduation, or a reunion.  How sad!   Modern air travel has become such an integral part of life that  you just kind of take it for granted (except for the few, like me, who stay off airplanes on general principles).  Nevertheless, when the air space is closed, there's not a thing to do but wait till it opens up again!  And if, by some horrible possibility, this volcano keeps erupting for a YEAR again, well, I cannot even imagine what chaos this would cause.  And there's not much we could do about it!  Somewhere Mother Nature (or whomever) is sitting and laughing....she wins again!

***  The whole idea of a new fun design for my musings was originally so that maybe somewhere in the  process I could end up getting my own "button" that readers could "grab" and possibly extend my audience a bit....not that I don't love the readers I've got, I do.....but wouldn't it be fun to have a few more new friends??  Well, as you can tell, the button hasn't evolved yet, but other things have happened.  Things that I really had no intention of happening!  For instance, somewhere along the way, all of the bloggers that I follow have disappeared from my page....sigh!  Believe me it was not intentional!  I'm proud to display the blogs I enjoy and hope it sends a few new readers their way.  I will be putting them back under "Other People's Opinions", but I can only add one at a time.  Its a slightly tedious operation, but never fear, all of you will be back where you belong very soon.  I apologize and don't want you to think I don't love you anymore!!  Now, does anybody know how to make a "button"??

And, as the saying goes, "that's all she wrote"!!