Hot Tub Time Machine

Once upon a time I was going to write a blog post about the odd phenomenon of abandoned shoes found lying on our streets, county highways, and interstates.  I mean, it’s weird- right?  Because it’s not even pairs of shoes.  It’s single shoes.  And most disturbing, sometimes it’s a toddler shoe.  Like, what even happened here?  How did some baby just randomly lose a shoe on the interstate?  And it’s not like you’ve only seen them once or twice – IT’S ALL THE TIME.  Anywhere in the US, you can hop in the car, drive down your local highway and find at least one shoe within the first 10 miles.

That alone is enough to call Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Machine – time to bring in those meddlin’ kids.  But my discovery this morning really takes the cake.  And you know how I feel about cake.

On my way to town, I noticed a large, round object in the ditch.  I was running late (shocker, I know), so I only glanced at it, thinking it was a big spool of construction wire or maybe a big new cement culvert or something.  But on the way home, I was driving at a much more sedate pace (translation: speed limit), and noticed that what I had originally thought was a culvert, was actually an abandoned hot tub.

Wait.  What?

A hot tub?  How does one go about littering a hot tub?  It’s not like chucking an empty pop can (or baby shoe) out the window.  This is a fricking hot tub.  A HOT TUB PEOPLE.

Abandoned Hot Tub Time Machine. 1986, anyone?

This is by far, the weirdest, random, piece of trash I have ever found on the side of the road.  Like, whoever threw this out deserves a 5 million dollar littering fine, and maybe a medal because how did they even lift it out the window.

Okay, I’m sure it was on the back of someones pick up truck but still.  “Gee, I don’t want my hot tub anymore.  I think I’ll just go leave it on the side of the road.”   Who does that?

Just to prove I really did find it on the side of the road, here is a photo taken a little farther out.

Seeing it reminded me of the movie, Hot Tub Time Machine – a predictable but somewhat funny movie where 4 guys get drunk and go back in time to 1986 via faulty hot tub and bizarre Chevy Chase cameos.  It was tempting to make a “FREE- HOT TUB TIME MACHINE” sign for it and con Dave into sitting in it with me just for the photo-op.  But then we’d have to haul over some booze bottles, make the sign, fill the tub with water, find Chevy Chase….  Plus, maybe it really is a time machine?  Did I really want to chance 1986 hair?

So I just snapped this plain old boring photo and you will all just have to be happy with that.

Hot Tubbingly Yours,

Sue

PS- this post is in participation of Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge.  Click on the icon to join the fun!

 

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit

Do you see what I see?

“What’s this bean thing on the floor?”

I didn’t pay much attention when Dave said this the first time. My husband is the king of asking the unanswerable question and I have learned to tune them out over the last 30 years. Which in turn has taught him to ask them again until I finally say in exasperation “How would I know that?”

I will admit this particular question might have been fairly easy to answer if I had gotten up off my lazy butt to go look at it but I was reading and why does he always have these pressing issues when I am trying to read or watch TV? I left my butt firmly planted on the couch and mumbled “No clue, honey,” and turned the page.

He threw whatever the bean thing was into the garbage and continued with his morning puttering – tidying up our already tidy house, wiping off counters, lamenting over the dogs dirty nose prints on the window he just cleaned.

“When are you walking the dogs?” he asked, suddenly standing over my shoulder.

Dude. I’m reading. Can you not see I am reading? “I don’t know – why?”

“Because I want to get the floors mopped and it’s easier to do it if they aren’t walking all over it at the same time.”

“Yah, yah, I know,” I said. “I’ll take them as soon as I finish this chapter. I have about 2 more pages.”

Dave began walking across the living room on his way to the basement to do some sort of manly man thing while he waited, when he stopped and bent over to pick something up from the carpet.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s another of those bean things. What the heck are these things? And why are they all over the house?” He walked towards me with his hand outstretched, until it was under my nose.

I put my book down and peered into his hand. Uh oh. Finally this man had my attention. And I finally had a question of his that I could answer, only I didn’t want to give it because I wasn’t too happy with it.

“Oh yuck. I think that’s a _____”, I said.

“No way. Really? How can that be a _____?”

I got up off the couch and Dave and I walked into the kitchen, so we could look at it in the sunlight. Sure enough. That wasn’t a bean.

“Yup, that is definitely a ____. That’s how they look after a few days on a _____.” I said, grimacing.  Dave looked horrified and he dropped the “bean” on the table.

“Why do they get like that? Is that because they are full of ___?”

“Yup.”

“That’s totally disgusting.  You know what this means, right?”  I knew what he was thinking.  He was thinking these things could be in other places in our house.  Like our bed.  The chairs.  The couch.  The blankets.  Anywhere the dogs could go. We both looked at the bean now crawling across the table and shuddered.

We had to burn down the house.

*******

I decided to put a fun twist on my entry this week for Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge, and write a story to go with my photo.  Then I decided to make it “more funner” by having you try to guess what our mysterious “beans” were.  If you care to take a guess, put your answer in the comments below.  I have nothing to give away, but will gladly ship you some of our ‘beans’ if you would like them.

The photo (a clue) is one of our lamps in the living room, taken when the sun is shining thru the shade in the morning.  It gives me a nasty jolt every time I see it, until I remember it’s just a shadow of the lampshade parts.

Until next time,

Creepy Crawly Sue

PS – for more entries in Cee’s challenge, click here and check out the other entries in the comments section of Cee’s blog.  Way more fun than “beans”!!!

Igloo Odd Ball

I know I like to complain a lot about winter.  It’s the fun part of living in the frozen tundra.  In reality, I actually like winter.  Well…aspects of winter.

I get tired of the deep deep cold and the short days, but with the advent of daylight savings and some unseasonably warm weather, I’m remembering some things about summer that I’m not too fond of…like bugs that inadvertently fly in my mouth.  Or maybe they are suicidal and do it on purpose – I don’t know.  I only know it grosses me out.

A couple of weekends ago, we had an absolutely gorgeous winter day – temps in the mid-teens, blue skies and a brilliant sun.  Dave and I grabbed the dogs and headed up to Potowatami State Park to tromp around in the snow, knowing it would be one of the last weekends before the crowds of people, mosquitoes, and wood ticks hatched.

It’s been a great winter for ice, so we decided to hike out along the shoreline to the boat landing, and then come back on the Ice Age Trail thru the woods.  This gave us a chance to see the park from another vantage point normally reserved for boats and spend some extra time under the sun.

Along the way, we came across this mini igloo erected by some bored ice fishermen…or maybe bored ice fishermen’s children.  I hadn’t been taking too many pictures because it was cold enough to shut my phone down if I had it out too long, but the minute I saw this, I knew I had to grab a few shots for Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge.  

Hey, I think this place has cable!

Seems a bit cold, don’t you think?

Wow – who was their builder? I hope they didn’t pay them yet!

With all the melt and the mud, the dogs and I are stuck pounding the pavement until early summer, when it will at least dry up enough for chemically aided woodland hikes (translation: my body parts slathered in OFF and Front Line on the dogs).  I guess I’ll just have to console myself with sunshine and bike rides.  Oh darn.

Sue

 

Sue the Oddball – Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge

Welcome to Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge Week 6!

I took this picture a few summers ago when Dave and I were on our way to Gatlinburg, TN on vacation.  We had just gotten into the Smoky Mountains and stopped for gas (and probably soda, candy bars, Combos and a potty break).  I looked up on the way back to the car and spotted what appeared to be an abandoned ferris wheel just randomly sticking out of the trees.

Unlike those crazy kids in slasher movies, our first thought was not “Oh, let’s go find out what the deal is with that creepy-ass abandoned ferris wheel.  Boy, I hope we don’t get murdered by an ax wielding clown!”

No, our first thought was “Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here and I hope it’s not as creepy in Gatlinburg.”

 

I am happy to report it was not, but had it’s own level of scary. Like, fried Twinkies, moonshine, and the Hollywood Star Cars Museum scary.  For my Wisconsin peeps – imagine the strip in Wisconsin Dells on steroids.

We did have fun though.  Here are a few more oddballs from the Hollywood Stars Cars Museum.

 

We picked up a weeiiirdooo!

 

Oddly yours,

Sue

Sue the Oddball – Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge Week 4

A few years ago I took my first trip to Boston for work.  While I was there, I went on a duck tour (not a tour to learn about water fowl, but a tour of the city on a restored WWII amphibious army truck).   Now, I’m no stranger to duck rides having gone on them a few times in Wisconsin Dells, but I was totally new to Boston and the duck tour was a fun, quick way to have my first lesson.

I took several photos on the tour (most of them fuzzy) but this is by far my favorite, because it’s ME!  In my yellow duck!  I took this photo of our reflection in one of the buildings.  You can see me – I’m over the word “Boston” with a camera in front of my face.

Such a tourist!!

Besides snapping photos of dubious value, I learned a bit about the history of Boston and we drove past some amazing looking downtown shops.  My rep had to physically restrain me as we passed a window filled with gorgeous handbags.  Which I’m kinda still mad about but whatever.

Have you ever been tempted to leap from a moving vehicle for a snazzy handbag?  Do you like to say “snazzy”?  If you say “snazzy” over and over again, does it start to sound weird?  Of did it sound weird to begin with and you think I’m a freak?

Check out more fun “odd balls” over at Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge – other entries are in her comments.  🙂

Until next time,

Snazzy Sue

And The Answer Is…

Just thought I would let you all know what my picture is from Cee’s Fun Foto and Oddball Challenge:

I think it’s an aerator.  But to be honest, I’m really not sure.  I tried to google lake aerators, and nothing like this shows up.  So maybe it’s something else?? Anyone?  Bueller?

Here it is in black and white:

Aerator or convenient place to hide a body? You decide!

Until tomorrow…

Sue

Cee’s Fun Oddly Industrial Foto Challenge

Hellooooooo!

This week, I am mixing my challenges together for one supreme entry!

Below is something both oddball and industrial, so this is my single entry for two of Cee’s photo challenges – Fun Foto and Odd Ball.  Maybe I should have made it in black and white and then I could have added it to three of them!  You know, I just tried it in black and white and it looks kind of cool….

Anyway, here is my entry – this was taken a couple of summers ago at one of our small local lakes.

WHAT THE HECK AM I????

I think I know what it is, but if anyone wants to take a stab at it’s true identity, let me know in the comments!  Be sure to check out the other entries by clicking here and here.

Meanwhile, I will be snuggled under a few blankets, dreaming about this warm summer day.

Sue

Life Is Messy: A Twinkly Oddball

This photo is my entry for both The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Twinkle and for Cee’s Oddball Photo Challenge Week 41.

I love this photo – something about the barely controlled chaos.  It aptly describes not only a typical work day, but a lot of what Christmas has become.

Can someone help me find my desk? Anyone? Bueller?

Happy Almost Monday!

Sue

Sue the Oddball: Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge

Every couple of years I get to travel to Massachusetts for my job, to visit customers and hang out with my field reps.  One year, I stayed a few extra days to sight-see and I spent a day in Salem.  Salem seemed like a logical choice for the history buff in me, being home to the House of the Seven Gables, the Salem Witch Trials, and probably the oldest cemetery in the US.  Okay, not the oldest, but still pretty old and I like cemeteries even though they sometimes creep me out.  Plus, it seemed like a fairly easy town to get to on my own without having to do anything really scary, like driving in Boston.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the entire area dedicated to the occult, witches, Halloween and the just plain weird.  In honor of the season, I share my “Odd Ball” photo of the week:

Who knew?

For the record, I did not go in for a fitting.  I figured I was weird enough without fangs.

Check out the other entries in Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge Week 35.

Vampire-ly yours,

Sue

Sue the Oddball: Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge Week 33

I like to take pictures of my feet.  I really don’t know why.  I’m not a fan of my feet in particular, although I do love shoes.  So for my odd ball entry this week, I am entering myself.  Or at least my feet.

My feet love to be comfortable, so I am always in search of fun but comfy shoes. I found this pair of Keen’s over the summer.  Love them!

 

New shoes!

Once every couple of years I get to travel to New England for work, to hang out with my reps and hob nob with customers.  My second trip out there, my friend, the Divine Miss J, took us on an adventure to the Sea Ketch restaurant in New Hampshire, where we learned the correct pronunciation of the word “haddock”, sang loud renditions of Adele’s “Someone Like You” and hung out in a biker bar.  Oh and bought fried bread on the boardwalk.

My feet in the Pacific Ocean, on the beach in New Hampshire.

Right before Dave and I went on our vacation to Tennessee a couple of summers ago, I needed a pedicure so bad, that I took a picture of my feet afterwards to record the momentous occasion for all posterity.

Pedicure! Pretty feet ready for vacation!

My feet BEFORE the pedicure.

That same year – my feet spent a lot of time riding on top of our kayaks.  It was a delicious summer.

My summer feet kayaking. Hope I get to go next summer.

The picture below is the first time I took a picture of my feet.  Those are virgin feet right there.

My spring feet – taken by the Boynton Chapel.

Not my feet here, but still in the spirit of the oddball.  When Brett Favre went to the Vikings, many members of my family were bitter and angry.  Except my brother.  He remained a Brett fan, and was rewarded with this Christmas present that year.

My brother’s traitorous feet.

My friend Kay and I rode in the “Race the Lake” bicycle race in 2013 – 90 miles around Lake Winnebago.  Lots of new experiences, including drafting in a large group of about 100 riders.  I was feeling pretty full of myself when I took this picture.

My sweaty leg and foot in the middle of Race the Lake (bicycle race).

In the winter, I love to wear wool socks.  Alpaca wool socks are my absolute favorite.

My winter feet all snug and cozy in my alpaca wool socks.

Of course, in the winter, I tend not to keep up with my grooming…

My feet before shaving.

Not my feet again.  These are my son’s feet, taken in the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower).  I was not amused to receive this text.

My son’s feet trying to scare the crap out of his mother.

My friend Meghan and I ran in the Run or Dye 5k last fall.  This is the aftermath.  My socks turned colors for weeks afterwards.