somewhat relevant ramblings

Just a few collected ramblings, again...
- The stunning news this morning when I finally got around to going online... which was more like after lunch but anyway... My oldest niece-  She-Who-Bounces-And-Sparkles-AND-Just-Turned-6... that one.

This one- on the right. (pix swiped from my sis, cake pic with permission, even, from the decorator! Thanks Lynisha!). Well, first of all, her bday just happened to fall on the day after the movers packed up their household; on the day the van with everything in it headed north north north with all their stuff (except, I'm assuming, what they need for a few more days). 

The cool pink poodle cake? Done specially for her? See it? Look closely. Because no one is seeing it at all right now. Nor did they see it when it came time for the bday party. Apparently, the movers... yeah... packed it and shipped it north with the rest of the household. I'll have to admit- I was just sort of stunned. Do movers really not think or ask questions as they ruthlessly move through your stuff and box it up? Do they really imagine that a cake this special is meant to be boxed and shipped? Or did one of them secretly have a real yearning for Pink Poodle Cake and take it? I'll have to admit to laughing in stunned awe at it all... Dear Lover-of-Pink-Niece-of-Mine: You are a special little girl for smiling through it and afterwards and for bouncing along. We do love you. And we have for a long long time- 6 years and 9 months, in fact! Happy Birthday JM!! xo Oh and Ps- I hear there's another cake in the making so that you will, eventually, have your cake and eat it, too. In fact, if Cake #1 survives, this might just be the year you get 2 really cool cakes!!

- Riding the train back to our city last Fri. It was about 10 pm, I reckon. A nice early 30's type couple across from us. They were going to the end, so were making up their beds. We were only going about 2 1/2 hours, so just sat and read... and people-watched. ;) Mr Husband puts on his coat and heads down the corridor to the space between our wagon and the next- the used-to-be-accepted place for smokers to, well, to smoke. Used to be. See, it's always been 'not allowed' but never been enforced. I'd heard that they were enforcing it. There have been a lot of police, doing patrols in 2 man teams but I hadn't stopped to think about the why's and wherefore's. So- takeabreath- Mr Husb goes off to smoke. Mrs Wife is sitting there diddling with her phone. S is reading. I'm reading. The police stroll by at a fast clip. A half a heartbeat later, I twitch forward fast because I've just realized what's going to happen. Mrs Wife has the same slightly delayed reaction and twitches just a tiny instant after I do. Only her twitch is violent and frantic. She tries to call her husband but alas, we're in a no reception zone. She slumps back and just sits. There's nothing to do. And sure enough, another 60 seconds, and here comes Mr Husb looking more than sheepish with his police escort... only there are 3 policemen now. They all cram into our small space- I'm being hedged and hovered over. After a very short and very low exchange of words, Mrs Wife goes off with her purse and the 3 policemen to the conductor's cabin. She comes back a long time later. I didn't have the heart to ask them how it all went down or just what happened. They were either fined and given a receipt for the fine (somehow, I'm guessing that's what happened) or they paid a bribe and didn't (haha) get a receipt. The fact that they went down to the conductor makes me think it was the legit route. 

ok- I'm sorry for them. And I was amazed and amused at my instinctive lurch forward to go rescue not-my-Mr Husband from the 'Bad Guys'. Commoners around here really band together against the 'enemy' and my response came as a surprise. I can't stand having to breathe all the smoke that comes through the vents from the smokers. It stuffs me up, makes it hard to breathe and generally makes the train just that much less pleasant. And, I'm really glad that they are enforcing this ban. And yet, I really felt sorry for that guy. I really did. And I would have stuck my head through that door and warned him if I'd been between him and the cops. Odd. 

- It's been above freezing and thawing and slopping and melting and raining/drizzling (off and on) for nearly 36 hours now. It does feel better, a lot easier to stay warm. ;) 

- We are now on the upward swing of daylight hours!!! Really- even before my Darling Niece graced Dec 21 with her presence, the 21/22 has always been one of my favorite days of the year. You just can't help love a day when the days, however minutely (haha) start getting longer! Or at least stop getting shorter.

- See this cup? One of them was hand delivered to me yesterday! I love it. In memory of this. :)

- On the same topic as above- Carbon Monoxide poisoning is the number 1 cause of death by poisoning in the world. It's a problem in every country. Every one. In developed nations and not so developed. Ok- I'm not sure the remaining African tribes have much of a problem with it... but...