New Year the Chinese Way

Posted on February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 by Dusty Roads

It’s the Chinese New Year but unlike Western New Year the Chinese New Year lasts much longer. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year’s Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Boston’s Chinatown is holding it’s festivities on Sunday Feb 9, that is if it doesn’t get snowed out.

It seems every time I go to write about something we get another storm. We just finished our 2nd snow storm of the week and if we get the storm on Sunday it will be a trifecta. I know, I live in New England and it snows in New England. Suck it up cupcake! But seriously, I’m getting worn out from this winter that has hit us with one storm after another. Granted they haven’t been blockbusters, but at the rate things are going the next big storm could be right around the corner.

Back to The Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Horse. I thought that was really cool. I like horses but the Year of the Horse doesn’t really have much to do with horses at all.

The Horse is one of 12 symbols in the Chinese Zodiac. The Year of the Horse starts from Jan. 31, 2014 (the Lunar New Year / Spring Festival of China ) and lasts to Feb. 18, 2015

So what can you expect from the Year of the Horse? This is the description provided on the astrology page about the Year of the Horse: The spirit of the horse is recognized to be the Chinese people’s ethos – making unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able. Ancient people liked to designate an able person as ‘Qianli Ma’, a horse that covers a thousand li a day (one li equals 500 meters).

Strengths
People born in the year of the horse have ingenious communicating techniques and in their community they always want to be in the limelight. They are clever, kind to others, and like to join in a venture career. Although they sometimes talk too much, they are cheerful, perceptive, talented, earthy but stubborn. They like entertainment and large crowds. They are popular among friends, active at work and refuse to be reconciled to failure, although their endeavor cannot last indefinitely.

Weaknesses
They cannot bear too much constraint. However their interest may be only superficial and lacking real substance. They are usually impatient and hot blooded about everything other than their daily work. They are independent and rarely listen to advice. Failure may result in pessimism. They usually have strong endurance but with bad temper. Flamboyant by nature, they are wasteful since they are not good with matters of finance due to a lack of budgetary efficiency. Some of those who are born in the horse like to move in glamorous circles while pursuing high profile careers. They tend to interfere in many things and frequently fail to finish projects of their own.

Interesting. But I’m only a Rabbit

lost in the Year of the Horse. 🙂

The Red Red Robin

Posted on February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I saw another flock yesterday. I hope they found someplace warm to roost before the storm hit. Silly Birds…don’t they know they are supposed to migrate south for the winter?

WHEN THE RED, RED ROBIN COMES BOB, BOB, BOBBIN’ ALONG
(Harry Woods)
When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob Bobbin’ Along
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along, along
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head
Get up, get out of your bed
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red
Live, love, laugh and be happy
What if I were blue, now I’m walking through, walking through the fields of flowers
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours
I’m just a kid again doing what I did again, singing a song
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts a throbbin’ his old sweet song
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head
Why don’t you get up, get up, get out of bed, cheer up
Live, love, laugh and be happy
What if I were blue, now I’m walking through fields of flowers
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours
I’m just a kid again, doing what I did again, singing a song
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along
Along, along, along, along, along.

Superbowl

Posted on February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Wow, who would have thought that the Superbowl would be such a blowout?! Peyton is a better QB than that. Once the rout was on, the first play? why bother to keep watching? I’ll tell you why…The Commercials!

Yup they are what I watch for every year. Remember the Darth Vader car commercial? That was the cutest little Darth Vader I’ve ever seen and when his Dad started the car so Darth would think he’d done it… precious!

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=superbow+darth+vader+commercial&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=494706FA021771D4F724494706FA021771D4F724

Budweiser commercials with those gorgeous Clydesdales are always my favorites.

Last year was the one about the foal bonding with the farmer and the reunion after the little horse had all grown up. This year it was horses and puppies. How can you miss with that combination? It’s my favorite from this year.

http://msn.foxsports.com/super-bowl/commercials?related=1ca04d67-3524-48a5-8fcf-04bfeb62eae2

Ok I admit it. I also laughed at the Bud Light commercial and the Tebow is Back (T-Mobile) commercial. I even chuckled over the Geico commercial with the pig at the registry. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there!

I thought the Muppets commercial was a let down but maybe you disagree.

What’s your favorite?

http://mashable.com/2014/02/02/super-bowl-2014-commercials/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link#gallery/super-bowl-2014-ads/52ef10b3b05f9d222a000e2c

About Rocky and Me the Selfie

Posted on February 3, 2014February 3, 2014 by Dusty Roads

By now most of you have probably seen Thursday’s Photo of the Day, that “Selfie” of Rocky and me.

I have to share the story behind it. I really wish I’d had a video camera to capture what led up to it. This may turn out to be one of those.. .well you had to be there… kind of stories.

I’d been playing with the idea of doing a “selfie” for one of the daily photos. It’s not the type of picture I normally take so I thought it could be a nice stretch for me. No matter what I came up with, I just wasn’t comfortable. I don’t like being in front of the camera even when someone else is taking the picture but for me to take me? Well it just seemed wrong to me somehow. But I couldn’t let it go because it’s a pretty common practice these days, especially with the advent of Cell phone cameras. Why, whole ad campaigns are built around people taking pictures of themselves.

That in mind I decided that for me it would be easier with a “co-star”, one of the cats would be perfect.

I set the camera on a tri-pod and aimed at the top of the empty cat tree and took a few practice photos for exposure and focus. (Love digital) Then I set the camera to remote release and looked around for a cat.

Smokey and Rocky were both on the multi-level cat tree and Buddy was in the bedroom asleep by the window.

Smokey was asleep but Rocky was in the middle of an ambitious grooming session under the heat lamp. He paused long enough to look at me so I said…come on, you look fine.

Ever so slowly he stood up. It was more like he uncurled and stood up, then he stretched. It was a long, slow stretch. I swear it was like watching slow motion. Then instead of just jumping down he slowly stepped down, one paw at a time stretching each leg and his back as he did. I couldn’t believe it. Was he for real? Talk about stalling!

Now I had to watch the whole stretching process again as he covered the short space between his cat tree tree and the one I had set up.

Once at the bottom of my cat tree he had to give himself another “groom” before climbing up to the top. All I could think of was “What a primadonna!” But like any star, once he was on the set he was all business. He looked at the camera, he looked at me, he cuddled my hand and even tried to do head bumps.

(unfortunately those suffered from motion blur and couldn’t be used).

In less time than it took him to get his silly butt over there, the photo shoot was done and I had a keeper or two for the project. As if he heard “Cut” and “That’s a Wrap” he calmly stood up and hopped down. After a brief stop at the water bowl he resumed his favorite place, under the heat lamp.

And that’s a Wrap!

Will He or Won’t He?

Posted on February 2, 2014February 2, 2014 by Dusty Roads

It’s February 2nd and the question on everyone’s mind is…will he or won’t he…see his shadow that is.

According to tradition if it’s cloudy when the ground hog pokes his nose out of his burrow today, he’ll be pleased and go about his business BUT…if he peeks out and it’s sunny, he’ll see his shadow and it will scare him back into his den and with his retreat winter will again close her icy arms around the land for another 6 weeks.

That’s a lot of pressure on a rodent. Let’s face it, no matter what they say in Gobbler’s Notch , PA Punxsutawney Phil is no Mickey Mouse.

If you want to join in the fun remember, statistically the ground hog has only been right 37% of the time. On the other hand, how often are the meteorologists right?

Happy Ground Hog Day. 🙂