Monday Mystery

Well, this is a good one---right before Halloween!

On Saturday, we were heading over to Stephanie and Nicky's for a craft project and football. As we were walking through the garage, Butch said, "Where did this come from?"

I replied, "I have no idea! I thought you brought it home!" 

We started trying to figure it out. None of the family has been by this week. My garden girls were not here. We finally concluded that perhaps the lawn people found it in our yard--maybe it blew in--and they just stuck it in the garage. That seems like a stretch, because I don't really see them being concerned about something like this. But there's really no other explanation.

Considering Halloween is right around the corner, it seems like an appropriate mystery. Now the next mystery---what am I going to do with it? Hmmm, I suppose I could stick it in a planter out front. But, then, if the neighbor who it belongs to sees it, they might think we stole it!! I guess I'll have to pay attention and see if anyone near me has some sort of gravestone display and drop it by. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Monday Mystery

So. Stephanie, Mindy and I went to The Rolling Stones concert on Saturday night (more on that later). 

Steph and Mindy bought a carafe of wine.

It's really a cool container. I called "dibs!" It's plastic because, of course, you can't have glass in the stadium.

It fits perfectly in the cup holder. 

A little while later, it was gone! Seriously! Gone! The people around us were helping to look for it. We couldn't find it. It hadn't rolled under the seats or fallen to the seats in front of us. It was gone! The only people that moved past us were the ones right next to us. When they returned, it was pretty suspicious that they had a carafe. We're pretty sure they stole ours! 

When Stephanie returned to the concession stand to get another, the lady asked what happened to the carafe she had already given her. She told her that she just doesn't know. It was gone. 

Honestly, we couldn't believe they stole it--especially since they were right next to us. But in the end, the joke was on them! It was empty!! 

Still, it's a pretty neat container for traveling. We would have liked to have a second one. 

Monday Mystery

Where did this grill come from? It's a mystery for sure! 

When we were at the beach in August, there was this random grill out our back door. Someone either forgot it or left it.

Butch says that a lot of people buy stuff when they get down there and then just leave it. Well, this grill has become a topic of conversation on the Gulf Place Caribbean Facebook page. This week, someone was going to remove it. As it turns out, several people--including us--want them to just leave it. In fact, my brother was down there this week and used it. Since I'm going on Wednesday, I'm going to just move it off to the side. 

It will be interesting to see how long this mystery grill lasts. Will the owner reclaim it? Will the maintenance people remove it? We'll see. For now, it's not causing any problems.

Monday Mystery

So! I've started the "big" clean out to get ready for our upstairs renovation/remodel. Earlier this week, I came across this wad of wires in the drawer of the guest bathroom.

Now,  mind you, I have all of our wires clearly marked in clearly marked ziplock bags. Of course I do! There's nothing worse than not knowing what random wires are for! Do I keep them? Do I get rid of them? About the time that I do, then I'll discover what it went to. That's why mine are clearly labeled.

This mess contains 5 random wires. The white one on the right came out of the Enclave. When I brought the black tangle down, Butch added it to the mix. He was trying to remember the last time anyone rode in that with him. That would be his 70th birthday. For sure, that cord belongs to either Greg, Mindy, Nicky or Justin. 

I took this picture and sent it to the family to see who would claim them --or at least a few. Right in the middle is a FitBit! OMGosh! Who would not be missing that? 

No one claimed anything. Steph said that if no one claimed the FitBit, she'd take it as a back-up since Nicky seems to keep losing his. Hmmm. Butch and I had already speculated that it might be his. On the left, we're pretty sure that is a shaver cord. Okay, that narrows it down some, since only a couple of our menfolk shave. Still, no one claimed anything. 

Then after much consternation and trying to remember who's visited us, Butch and I decided they must belong to Mitchell. You might remember he lived with us for 6 months--two years ago. So, I sent him the picture. He replied, "nope, not mine." 

Now we were really stumped. I shot back, "there's a FitBit in the mix!" To that he replied, "Oh yeah, that might be my old one." I asked about the shaver cord. He still said "no."

The bottom line here is that we're pretty sure they belong to Mitchell. At any rate, I've labeled the shaver cord as such and put it in it's own ziplock. I've added the other cords to our existing bags of Kindle and ear bud cords. That's the best I can do.

Now if anyone needs a cord--for any reason, they can come to us. I'm pretty sure we can hook them up! Oh, and we have another baggie full of usb plugs. We could just about open a shop!!

I guess this is one mystery that will remain unsolved!

Monday Mystery

These mysteries are for you because I already know the answers.

While we were in France, these utensils were placed on the table:

It took us a minute to figure it out. Butch, Stephanie and Nicky ordered escargot. 

You use it to hold the snail and pick it out with the fork. We had never seen them before. They actually were a bit awkward and didn't work that well. I guess it just takes practice. 

And then there were these in Monet's house:

I'll give you a hint. It was inside the door in just about every room. Give up? It's a light switch! I've never seen anything like this before either! And I've toured a lot of old homes!!

I have to admit, I love good mysteries and am always fascinated by the solutions!

Monday Mystery!

As I've mentioned before, I don't like Kroger, but I needed to go there because Butch wanted me to use some online coupons. So, I spent more time than I wanted to---hunting for things in that huge store--another reason why I don't like it. 

Anyway, while I was shopping, I heard the following announcement: "Attention all departments! It's time for your top of the hour conditioning."

What??? What is that?? I had a picture of all the employees lining up in the back of the store doing jumping jacks or something. 

Really, what does that mean? Anybody? It's a mystery for sure!

Monday Mystery

Well, strange things continue to happen around here. Even though we were never able to solve the mystery of our critter visitor by the garage---what it is and why it goes to that particular spot--we thought we had deterred it/them. I guess they got used to the motion light, because they are back (you have to expand the picture to see up close).

I guess we need to set up a camera if we hope to solve it.

But now, another mystery has been added. When we returned from South Dakota, Butch was checking on all of our flowers on the patio. That's when he noticed this:

The plants are completely gone!! Not just dug out---but gone! We think of the chipmunks right away, but the plants would have been too large for them to carry off. I'm starting to wonder if we have an entire army of them or something. What else could it be? And to add further to the mystery, here's the planter on the other side of these steps---totally unharmed!

I just don't get it. But I do have a thought. I use Osmocote--a time release fertilizer---that I love. I suppose if those critters are after that, then they could be huge. Stands to reason if it makes plants grow big, it could make critters grow big! Seriously, if it is chipmunks, then the plants are as big as they are. And why did they just destroy the one planter when another was right there? 

All this wondering is going to drive me crazy!! Maybe we need cameras all over our house!

Monday Mystery Update

I've already reported about this mystery:

The animal droppings right outside the garage. Butch came up with a good idea that seems to be working. He moved the solar motion light from our pond (where the raccoons wrought so much havoc last year to the garage doors. That did the trick. Whatever it is has stopped. I have a strong suspicion that it's chipmunks! They have been tearing up my pots. But, the mystery still remains--what is it about this spot that attracts them? That we still don't know. There's just nothing there!

Oh well, I hope the light deters them. We'll find out when we get home tomorrow whether it worked or not. 

Monday Mystery

As you might recall, I was at the beach last week with my sisters. Well, I noticed this:

See this placemat? Well, I had two of them. 

If you blow up this photo and look at the dining table, you can see that I was using the two of them as a sort of table runner under the candles. One is gone. I searched everywhere. I cannot imagine what happened to it. 

It's not a big deal. I only paid a buck for it--found on clearance at Bed Bath and Beyond. But still, a mystery. 

Mystery Monday

This is actually a mystery carried over from last year. We never did solve it. 

Some sort of animal droppings. They are too big to be mice. I hope it's not a rat! That really freaks me out! Plus that's a lot of droppings. Not only is it a mystery as to what it is, it's a mystery that the droppings are in the exact same location as last year! They are right in front of the garage. There is nothing around here. It's right outside my car door--which is why I even noticed it in the first place.

I just don't understand it. And I don't understand why all of a sudden, my text here won't line up right . No matter what I do, I can't fix it. And yes, I know where to go to align the text. It is just not working! It's like it's stuck on the center options! Just another mystery! 

Oh well.

Monday Mystery

I met Connie for lunch one day last week. We were meeting at Pei Wei. When I go to this particular shopping center, I park in the back. I was a few minutes early, so I was sitting in my car listening to the end of a song. Can't let a good song go to waste! While I was looking out the window, I saw this:

I did a double-take when I saw these lamps on the side of the building. I was a little confused and said to myself, "Where am I?" It took me a second to get my bearings. Then I realized that this was another building on the same lot as The Lamp Store---that went out of business several years ago. I bought so many lamps there. I was on a first name basis with Marty, the owner. I met him 30 years ago when I was fund raising and soliciting for donations for the many organizations I volunteered with: church, school, symphony and the local chapter of the American heart association. Once, I went in and asked Marty for something on behalf of 3 of them all at once!! I used to joke that people would see me coming and say, "Oh no, what does she want this time?" But with Marty, he never turned me down. Not a single time. Thus, I was more than happy to give him all of my lamp business. I'm sorry he's gone. I don't even know what's there anymore. I need to drive by the front and see.

Then on the other side, there was this. I guess it's some sort of power plant---for what I don't know.

I need to figure out what's in front of that too. I've never seen this before. It's amazing to see what's behind what you usually see. It's a mystery. And makes me realize that things aren't always as they appear. There might be something hidden in the background. Kind of like life, I guess. I'm going to pay attention more often.

Monday Mystery--Solved!

Okay, let me start with me. I have been having some dizziness for nigh on 3 years now. It was mostly sporadic and only when I looked up--like to hammer a nail or get something off of a high shelf. 2 1/2 years ago, my doctor gave me antibiotics for an inner ear infection. That didn't really work, so basically I forgot about it. 

In recent months, it has gotten worse. I actually went to the doctor for something unrelated, but while filling out all the pages of pre-information, I was reminded of the dizziness. I checked that box. That started it off. Suffice it to say that despite a couple doctors and a little scare along the way, I have finally been diagnosed. 

I have BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo). 

As it turns out, Sandy had this years ago. She told me about it before I even saw the ENT. She said, "Mom, don't you remember? My crystals were out of line?" Honestly, I didn't remember that. She said that she had to do some physical therapy and that fixed it. Well, lo and behold--that's exactly what I had to do. Only one treatment with instructions to do it a couple more times at home has completely solved it! 

It's such a crazy thing. there are these "crystals" (of course there's another medical term a little difficult to pronounce) deep in the inner ear. There are a few things that cause them to get out of whack like a head injury or--my reason--age! 

It's been a pretty simple procedure to get them back in place. I do go back to the doctor in a month where they'll test me again. After that, I've been told that it might never happen again. But if it does, I'll know exactly what to do.

I swear, our bodies are the ultimate mystery of all. Every time I turn around, I hear about something I've never heard of before! 

Monday Mystery

When we got to the beach last week, I found this in the refrigerator:

Apparently, Sandy had left this after their week at the beach. 

Here's the back story: I've had recipes that call for a tablespoon or two now and then--not very often--maybe twice. Butch was opposed to having to buy a big bottle for that small amount. They don't sell small amounts. I knew that Sandy used it, so I asked her how long I could keep it. She said that she didn't really know because they went through it so fast! Now that blew my mind. It's really hot! Now, I can't handle very hot things. 

Anyway, after using it, we gave it away to Stephanie and Nicky. I guess we're the only ones who don't use it.

But the mystery here to me is: how can ONE person use this much sriracha sauce in a single week? And on what? I'm making a presumption here that Sandy, Elizabeth and her friend would not use it. 

That's a lot of hot sauce. I just don't get it. Definitely a mystery. I guess I'll have to ask Sandy about that!

Monday Mystery

Not only is this a mystery, it really bothers me!

Honestly, how can someone forbid people from enjoying the beach just because it's in front of their house? I don't understand it. It really bothers me. How do you "own" the beach?? It's a mystery to me. 

Monday Mystery

I'm sure you remember my "rock project." Well, little did I know that my rocks would reproduce!! Apparently, the two rocks I left must have been a male and a female! The one on the left with the rainbow and the little one in the center with the turquoise flower with the pink center are the ones I left behind. 

This just makes me so happy! I think the kids who live in this house are having a good time too! I did go ahead and pick up a couple of theirs to deliver around the neighborhood. I just have to remember to bring a couple of mine to replace a few. 

This has been such a fun project for me. And, there's no mystery about that!!

Monday Mystery

Last week, we did a little geo-caching. More on that tomorrow. 

As we were strolling along, seeing the sights and learning a little history, I came upon this:

My immediate thought was "no way!" How could there be a single red maple leaf amidst all the brown ones. I actually had to touch it to assure myself that it was fake. But the mystery is: where did it come from? I looked all around. There were no other artificial plants anywhere--not a wreath or floral garland. There was nothing around. I guess it could have gotten caught up in some wind and blew here from---who knows where. But what are the odds that it would land amidst other maple leaves? Now that I think about it, I wish I'd have looked at the book page it rested on a little closer. If it mentioned leaves, that really would have been something!

Makes me wonder. It's a mystery.

Monday Mystery

Actually, this post about things that were mysteries that we never even knew were mysteries. Now if any of this shows up in a trivia contest, you'll know ALL the answers! Enjoy!

Monday Mystery

So! While we were out of town and missed the snow, Stephanie and Nicky came by to see if the television we ordered before the bad weather had arrived. They snapped several photos for us so we could see the snow we missed. This one was the mystery---an somewhat eerie!

This is where I park. Now remember, I came home on Sunday. My car did not move until Wednesday morning. Wednesday night is what the 4" of snow hit. How in the world could the pavement underneath my car remain warm enough to repel the snow? Makes no sense. We left at 7 a.m. That spot had the whole day to chill down with our frigid temperatures.

It's almost like an invisible ghost car is sitting there--insert Twilight Zone music here.

Monday Mystery

I saw this a few weeks ago in Stephanie's neighborhood.

What??? It looks like the neighbors here tried to create their own "round-about." The painted circle is all janky and what's up with the flower pots? 

The mystery is: can you even take it upon yourself to make a "round-about" on public roads? Did one person do this on his own? Or did all the neighbors agree? Plus, a "round-about" is meant to keep traffic moving. You don't stop, but just keep moving. There are still stop signs on every corner! 

I don't get it. It's a mystery to me!

Monday Mystery

This is more of a question than a mystery. But on the other hand, I guess every mystery is actually a question. 

For about 17 years, Margarita has cleaned for us once a week. We love her. She's willing to do anything--and does. Most things we don't ask her to do---she just does it---like, blowing the leaves off the patio and porch or shoveling out the ashes in the fireplace, or occasionally wiping out the refrigerator. She'll even do laundry. But, we learned very early on that we don't want her to do the laundry. She's just not good at it. She mixes up everything, no sorting involved. I definitely don't want cleaning cloths washed with my sheets! So, we do our own laundry. We do it on Sunday. Since there's just the two of us, it's only a load of dark and a load of whites. 

So, on Monday, when Margarita gets here, there might be a couple towels from that morning's showers. Right away, I noticed this. Now I understand that everyone folds towels differently, But don't most people have a preference and then fold them all the same way? Not Margarita. She just folds them any which way. 

Here's how she did these two towels this week. Exact same towels, just folded completely different. Of course, I had to re-fold them. I'm particular like that. I fold towels exactly like my mother did.

1. Fold in half.

2. Fold in half again.

3. Fold one side to the middle. Then fold the other side to the middle.

4. Presto! A beautifully folded towel. I've seen them done all different ways, but I think the way my mom did them look the best---especially when stacked up in the linen closet. 

What about you? How do you fold your towels?