Yee Doggies! Got Myself a Tractor!

Of course that's what we all say here in the deep South when issuing a statement of excitement/exclamation! (*wink)

 I AM excited because a recent blog amigo, affectionately named Kimosabe, or Ken (Happy Canada Day, BTW!), as his family would know him, over at ken-inatractor held a question/challenge/give-away.  He was working towards his 10,000th view and took questions while approaching that milestone.  When he reached it, he was giving away this:

Every time a reader asked him a question, he would enter them into the drawing to win.  Aaaaaannnnd.......

I won!!!  It's quite crazy because I don't think I have ever won anything in my life.  It is one of the reasons why I never tried the lottery or gambling - I'd be broke and homeless.

The little tractor will be a great addition to my office that, after a year, I have yet to move into completely.  I have best intentions of doing that some time soon (when no one else is there to be nosy).  Maybe that will be one of the first things I bring in to decorate the shelves.

So yay!  Thanks again, Ken!  I am conjuring up some sort of give-away contest of my own.  Hopefully a post will follow about that.

He was also kind to include me in on a list of recipients for an award -

I like the idea of being irresistible!  Sweet?  Well, depends on who you ask, but thank you for this award.  You can check out his post about the give away and award here.  His most recent post, a letter to his son, is truly one of his best posts to date.  Go check it out.

Now for the necessary evil rules:

  The rules for this award are to list 7 random facts about yourself and pass it on to 10 other bloggers.

Here goes:

1.  I like to drive fast.  Really fast.  On my road trip in '09 there was a speed limit sign somewhere out the middle of nowhere that said 'Speed Limit 80' and I thought I'd died and gone to Speedway heaven.

2.  I love wind - breezes, cool and warm, the intense gale force variety...and yet, I CAN NOT STAND the feel of the ceiling fan on me during the night.  In our ongoing Compromise, Hubs endures my white noise and I tolerate the overhead fan.  I build this tomb out of two layers of blankets so I don't have to feel the air bristling any part of my skin.  

3.  I quite like white household things/accessories: dishes, towels, sheets, all linens... In other words, yes, I could pretty much abide in a hotel the rest of my days and be content.

4.  I have a weakness (confession here) - I can not help laughing when people trip or fall.  Before you get all judgy Mc judgepants on me, I do my fair share of 'turn about's fair play' by offering plenty of clutz material of my own.  I don't ever want anyone to get hurt.  I will pick you up and ask you if you're ok.  Just understand that I can not help that I am about to turn beet-colored from stifling a guffaw.  Thought you might enjoy this video and see what I mean:

5. I don't necessarily love to wash my car if it involves dragging the hose out, the bucket and all the accoutrements.  I do, however, enjoy taking my car to the car wash place and pull into those sprayer/scrubber stalls.  Pop in some quarters, fire up the water nozzle and lather the hood easily.  Bonus that this song arises from the recesses of my 70's childhood every time I go:

6. If you and I ever eat out together somewhere, I am warning you now, I will probably nearly bus/clean the table myself before we get up and leave.  It is a habit that was established after I spent my college/early married years waiting tables.  It floored me at times, the disgusting mess that grown adults would leave after a meal, and don't get me started on those that dine with little cherubs and leave the equivalent of an entire loaf of bread in crumbs under the highchair, along with all matter of lumpy goo that I could not identify.  I will save that rant for my Parenting post when I work up the nerve.  No, I will pile all dishes neatly close to the end of the table, put all trash and silverware on top, replace all salt and pepper and condiment bottles, and wipe up excessive crumbs or spills.  I also tip very generously most of the time.

7. The pesky perfectionism that used to dwell more on the surface of my being rises every now and then whenever I approach the doors of places of business.  Push? Pull?  Use which door?  Will I get it right?  Nothing like feeling like a dork yanking on a door that clearly says 'push'.  

Now to pass this award along, gladly.  I hope to either pass this along to newer blogs I have found, or to ones that are like old friends, that I haven't bestowed an accolade on them yet.  I have to say, I have spent the last few days scouring through the old A-Z Challenge list, and it has made me even more appreciative of my newfound friends in this blog community.  I would also like to give a round of applause to all of you that made it through the whole thing and continue to blog.  It seems that Challenge has effectively taken out many a blog, as so many either never finished the challenge, or stopped blogging shortly after it was over.  I can relate.  Most everyone talked about 'surviving it' and it rings true.

On to the Blogs of Note:

In My Mind It's Always Funny

A bozo's abbozzo

Heather-Stretching My Wings

Mel:The Positive Pessimist

Write, Rinse, Repeat.

think.stew - Happy Canada Day, btw, dbs!!

The Chubby Chatterbox

Clay Baboons

Swinging Like a Rusty Gate

Pinklea