THE SWANS CAME or why we have no bread in the house

For my birthday, I got a zoom lens for my camera. I'm still learning all the techno-jargon - I just know I can get really close up pictures that come out looking really, really cool!

Yesterday morning, I noticed that the swans were on our side of the river. There are four of them that travel together - two older ones and two younger. You can tell the youngsters because they still have some of the browns & grays of their baby feathers and their beaks have yet to turn orange. I crept downstairs and into the yard trying to get pictures without disturbing them.

I should worry!

See how his feathers are still a little mottled? They help camouflage him. It's all part of the wonders of nature.

Here's an adult with the full orange. When I first downloaded the pictures, I noticed that the camera was focusing more on the fence than on the birds in some of the pics, so I decided to try to get some more, this time shooting over the top of the fence, which would require me getting a little closer.

Rather than be upset and swim away, the swans came right up to the edge of the water. They obviously wanted something and were used to people giving it to them, immediately I might add.

Feed me human, NOW!

Why isn't my imperial stare working? Stop clicking that thing at me and get me something to eat! Really, do you think she speaks English? Does she not know I'm hungry!

So I went in to check to see if we had anything that swans would want to eat.

By the time I got back outside with some rolls, they'd invited all their friends. The seagulls were not a good addition to the party. They swooped in and stole the bits of the bread away from anyone they could get close to, and were all round very rude guests. The poor ducks got the short stick since they were too well behaved to fight back. But that's okay since they're the only ones that fly into our yard so I put out lots of seeds for them. The swans were happy with my offering and promised to come back again. Unfortunately, I'm usually at work during their visiting hours, but maybe I'll catch them one morning, if I'm not too late!

And off they go, to find another sucker who won't mind parting with a little bread. They didn't take their friends with them, however. The seagulls are still hear, trashing the dock!

The cat just walked across my keyboard and the entire screen went black. I pressed a few buttons, including the on/off switch, but nothing happened. I was going to tweet and beg for an answer, but - oh, yeah! MY SCREEN IS BLACK!!!! After a few minutes of complete & utter panic - how do you feel when the tried and true method of "turn it off and back on again" doesn't work! - I realized that she had stepped on the dimmer key and just turned off all the lights to the screen. When I found the antidote, kindly depicted by Apple as a brighter sun, I fixed the problem with the computer. However, the cat is determined to get me away from the machine and reading my book! Enough of this "work crap!" It is a federal holiday, after all.

THE KITCHEN

In my family, the kitchen is the most important (and most used) room in the house. In most of our houses, it's usually painted a cheery yellow. And it's where everyone congregates, whether you want them to or not, which I learned much to my chagrin at my sister's graduation party. After helping my mother clean (and I mean deep clean) the rest of the house, we didn't get to the kitchen. Guess where everyone wound up?

And why not? You can guarantee it's going to be warm, what with the oven going. All the action happens there if you're serving any type of food, which you will get first dibs on if it's leaving the kitchen. And it's a place where pets of all kinds are welcome. There are no worries about fur on the furniture or scratching of rugs. Everything is more relaxed in the kitchen.

This got me thinking - what are some requirements for a good kitchen? This will differ for everyone but mine are:

• there has to be lots of room because, as I mentioned, people gravitate there
• loads of comfortable seating because you want to be comfortable
• a table big enough to sit a group, with room for accoutrement - in our case, laptops since at least two of us have them going at all times
• lots of lighting including natural lighting, so lots of windows/doors

On the cooking end, I would like:

• counter space up the yin-yang! I never have enough, especially around the stove
• speaking of which, while I love my parents' Aga for the warmth, I want a gas stove to work with, especially when I'm baking

So, if anyone has a spare kitchen lying around that fits the bill, let me know and I'll move right in. Oh, and if it comes with a staff of elves to clean up after I'm done cooking, that would be awesome! What about you? What do you need for the perfect kitchen?

ONE DAY YOU'RE IN AND THE NEXT DAY YOU'RE OUT

I've been feeling a little schizophrenic at work recently. There are days when I'm sure I'm about to be called into the VP's office and told that my services are no longer required. With the economy, building is down and banks don't want to lend money to construction companies. I've learned that no one uses their own money.

In our office, there are some jobs that need to be filled. Someone's got to answer the phones. Someone has to send out bills to General Contractors, even if it takes a lot to get them paid. Someone has to estimate new jobs in the hopes that we will get something - anything! The one position that is really a luxury in these times is .... my job. If we don't have enough work for a Project Manager, having an Assistant Project Manager is almost excess.

Then there are days where I think the powers that be are ready to give me new responsibilities and that my job is about to get a lot more exciting. Veiled hints are dropped, but nothing comes from them. And unfortunately, those days don't happen often. I still have my job, thank goodness, but there are days where I wish I didn't have to deal with the TENSION - oh my god, the tension - that just seems to be taking over everything! I've even started looking on job hiring sites to see if there's anything open because, when I'm really honest with myself, I am not well suited for this business. And I'm not sure if there's anywhere I can (or want) to go, career wise.

But then, everything changed. Last week we signed a contract for an $11 million Medical Center job. Suddenly, everyone is happier. The head of the office actually laughed - not just smiled, but laughed out loud! And I have stuff to do again (which I should be doing right now, instead of writing this). So, it looks like I'll be employed for a bit longer. And I can continue to play ostrich about my future. Look, there's a nice hole right there to hide my head. It's under all the submittals I have to find. I'm off to figure out which brand of sheetrock is best for a medical center. Yeah, I know ... you really wish you were me.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Today is my birthday and, since I've been fairly miserable at my job lately, I'm taking today and Monday off and having a lovely long weekend. I have use-it-or-lose-it vacation days to use up so why not? Before I left yesterday, I made sure my two key responsibilities (handing out the mail and changing the tape in the server room) were covered. Hence why I' am hating my job. But today is about doing things I like to do. I'm going to go for a walk and take pictures of Fall things, including Fall oceans; I'm going to spend lots of money; I'm going to start a new knitting project; and I very likely will take a nap with a cat or two.

I AM ADDICTED TO BEJEWELED BLITZ ON FACEBOOK

There, I said it. It's a problem. I'm admitting that I have an addiction. It's not stopping me from playing - at all time, some of them completely inappropriate times, like when I'm at work. And I'm supposed to be working on work stuff. Blah, blah, blah - I'd much rather be blowing up little jewels.

There are times when I wonder what the behind the scenes gnomes are saying to each other. You know, the gnomes that line up the jewels to drop every time you clear a group of gems? THOSE gnomes! And if you don't think about the gnomes, then you have a severely under-developed sense of whimsy and really, I pity you. Besides, it's not as if the gems fall in a random sequence. There's order behind that chaos!

Anyway, I think the gnomes are beginning to question my ability to play the game properly. "We just lined up a super-sweet 4 in a row for her and she missed it completely! I mean, does she even want to win?" "You're looking around for a move and it's RIGHT THERE in front of you! Do you think we should suggest she get her eyes checked?" "Really, I don't know why we bother setting these things up for her. Look at that! LOOK AT THAT! She just passed up a star jewel! That's it, I'm done! She's on her own now!"

You're right. I have to stop playing this game because it's affecting my brain! I think I'll try the Breaking Bricks game. I heard the elves over there are much nicer.

Oh My God! I thought I'd finished and just went to play another game of Blitz. It really is an addiction. I need help!

HALLOWEEN SMILES

Some pumpkins I carved this weekend.

We have this one ...

and this one on the table in our backyard so we can enjoy them from the two rooms we use most in the house - the kitchen & the TV room.

This one is in the front yard surrounded by a circle of ghost lights. The fairy lights coming down the back of the picture are attached to a string of large plastic spiders, something that looks kind of freaky in the daylight but not so much when you can't see them any more.