Goodness, it's Thursday!

Snowflakes, or Leucojum aestivum

 Whoo, I haven't posted in a while. It's true that I came down with a nasty cold and was down for the count for a while....but even so, I spent a lot of my down time on my computer. So....what else kept me from posting?

In January, believe it or not, fuchsia "Gartenmeister Bonstedt"

Oh, I got a new I-phone and spent a lot of time figuring our how to make it work.

Or I've been following the New Hampshire primaries and am too flabbergasted by the clown-car circus show to focus on anything else?

Or work has been insane - when I go there between bouts of fever and sinus infections?

A scented geranium

But wait. Here's something nice.

All the photos are what's blooming in my front yard right now.

Early spring crocus

Here's what's baking in my oven.

Whole wheat and oat bread, left; bread with shallots and thyme, right.

There's a three-day weekend ahead, and we're looking forward to it.

FAD Friday - and some news

F**k a Duck! My tummy-ache has turned out to be a bigger adventure than I thought. Blogging will be relatively light, but I'll keep you up to date.

Meanwhile, share your week's nasty surprises and how you feel about them here.

Note to Early Pink Saturday visitors - FAD Fridays are a tradition allowing folks to let their end-of-week gripe flags fly - all language is allowed. It honors a dear old lady whose favorite phrase, used while playing Scrabble, was "Fuck a duck!" Please don't take offense!

And I WILL have a Pink Saturday post, so tune in tomorrow.

FAD Friday

One of the best newspaper headlines ever written appeared in the sports section of the Seattle Times in 1990:

"Husky Women Subdue Ducks"

when the University of Washington women's basketball team beat the University of Oregon.

Okay, gals. Let's persevere offensively and survive defensively! Take it down the court and sink a three-pointer, despite the personal fouls.

What's got your duck this week?

FAD Friday

Rubber Duck
Osaka 2009
10 x 11 x 13 meters
Inflatable, pontoon and generator
Florentjn Hofman

Sometimes having a safe place to vent your frustrations is a REALLY BIG DEAL!

It's Fuck-a-Duck Friday! Named in honor of Mrs. G's departed Aunt, whose favorite phrase was "Fuck a duck!"

What's got you all blown out of proportion this week?

FAD Friday

Diving Duck by Ohara Shoson (1877 - 1945)

Oh fuck! I almost forgot it's Fuck-a-duck Friday! Sometimes I just don't know which end is up!

How's your week been?

FAD Friday

"Ducks in Snow" 1935 Japanese woodcut, Ohara Koson

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface but paddling like the dickens underneath." - Michael Caine.

In honor of Mrs. G's late, great Aunt, FAD Friday is the day we can let loose our frustrations in the comments section. Feel free to tell whatever's bugging you to "Go fuck a duck!"

What's making you paddle like the dickens this week?

FAD Friday

Guess some folks don't always appreciate ducks. This is a sign in the Venice canal neighborhood, where ducks roam free - too free, it seems.

But don't you worry. Nobody's goose is going to get cooked here. Let everyone know what makes you want to say Fuck-a-duck!!!

FAD Friday

Did you know that Venice, CA has an ordinance to protect the ducks in the canals from undue molestation and harassment?

Here at FAD Friday (Fuck-a-Duck Friday!!!) we should feel equally protected. You are free here to express whatever you might want to tell the world to GO FUCK A DUCK! you can vent your feelings here.

Let's get it on, friends! Let 'er rip!

FAD Friday

If you quail at fowl language, beware! This post might just ruffle your feathers!

In honor of the doyenne of Derfward Manor, and her beloved aunt, it's Fuck a Duck Friday!

Brooding over something? The world driving you cuckoo? This is where you can grouse if you need to, squawk about something, or cackle at the bird-brains in your life! Don't be a silly goose, let loose!

I have a confession to make - I started Weight Watchers again on Monday. I'm using the online version. I did this about 8 years ago and successfully lost 15 pounds, but eventually it crept back on me. So now I've started again. But Fuck a Duck! it's hard! It's tough to resist all those little nibbles and bits, and how about cheese on sandwiches? And I really need that glass of wine at the end of the day - I force myself to earn 4 activity points to pay for it. It's been less than a week, too! Fuck a Duck! How am I going to survive?

FAD Friday

Thanks to Kate in Michigan for the ducky image!

Once again, we soldier on without Mrs. G, but we keep up a tradition she started. It's Friday, and after a long week, it's not surprising that some of us are ready to let loose and vent our frustrations.

In the words of Mrs. G's late but not forgotten Aunt, it's time to say "Fuck-a-duck!"

As for me - I'm back at work after a great mini-vacation to New Orleans. But after riding streetcars beneath live oak trees, strolling on the shaded sidewalks past charming houses, and sipping sazeracs in the French Quarter, I have to come back to budget spreadsheets and performance evaluations? WTF? FAD!!!!

What makes you want to say "Fuck a duck!" this week?

FAD Friday

Thanks to derfwad Kate in Michigan for the duck image!

Mrs. g has taken down the screens, put away the loungers, wire-brushed the barbecue, latched the shutters closed, and dust-covered all the furniture over at Derfwad Manor. She is graciously retiring from the bloggy-blogg world.

But one tradition she began begs to be continued. It's FAD Friday - or Fuck-a-duck Friday.

Based on the signature phrase of Mrs. g's late, favorite Aunt, FAD Friday is the day women can throw caution and propriety to the winds, let loose, vent their frustrations, and tell the world it can go fuck itself!!!

Feel free to weigh in! What happened to you this week that makes you want to say Fuck-a-duck??