Can It Be?

Thursday already? Wow.

And, sigh, once again I didn't do NANO. I guess the one time I finished was kind of a fluke. *sigh*

The Obligatory Orange Hat Shot

Once hunting season starts, the orange hat goes on whenever I'm working in the yard. Laugh all you want!!!!

Black Friday

I didn't think I was going to do it this year. I was a bit tired from the Thanksgiving preparations, and my leg is still bothering me from the fall. But brother Boo called Thursday and said, "are you going?" And niece Violet asked at the dinner if I was going. What can an old aunt do?

So Boo called at 3:37 a.m. Friday morning and we rolled out. Three cars converged from three different directions at the mall. We've never done mall stores first, but Jacques Penet was open at 4, so that was the first hit. It was so busy, with such long lines wending through the store, that Opal left her pile of stuff for later. We then got in line at Old Navy. They were giving MP3 players with $20 purchase. They finally came out and gave wristbands, which eased that line. Boo and two of the girls went to get in line for the Mall goodie bags. Violet and Glory got the best of that deal, with gift cards, freebies and other good stuff.

We left the mall about 7:30 a.m. and stopped for breakfast. Ruby had to work at the pharmacy at 9:00, so Boo dropped her off. We continued to Target, and found some more good deals. By then, old auntee was getting kind of pooped, so I bid the merry crew good-bye and came back for naps and clean-up before heading to my mother's for the evening's get-together. One of Boo's girls had been up for 24 hours before she quit. Yikes!

The economy, while nasty here in our one-state depression thingee, can't stop the shoppers. It looked to me as if the post Thanksgiving turn-out was strong. I suspect that's a good thing.

and so it was Thanksgiving!

This was my second year of hosting our family Thanksgiving dinner. I still need a LOT more practice. Martha Stewart I'm not. My mother I'm not. Dinner was 37 minutes late (dang potatoes) but my dear family puts up with old aunt Owwee, and I do believe a good time was had by all. I hope yours went well.

We had two babies at this celebration. One was 4 weeks old, the other ten months. Don't you think babies add a lot to a party?? Caleb, the ten months, got on very well with my Snuzzles cat, even using him as a pillow for a little while.

Great memories.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Filthy :: dirty rotten
Therapist :: analyst
Duck :: Goose
Slant :: handwriting
Artist :: creator
Lease :: rent
Wish :: list
Doormat :: Welcome
Global :: Warming
Apartment :: complex

Things are starting to slow down a bit now . . .

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Just popping in to wish all of you who celebrate a Happy Thanksgiving, and those who don't have a great day! I've got two birds in the oven, gotta finish cleaning and then start peeling spuds. Thirteen adults and two babies coming. Yay!!!

Do you Apron?

Some Vintage ones here. Do you use them?

I don't know who this is?

Sets to Visit on Flickr

The creativity and skill shown on flickr impresses the heck out of me. Three of my flickr friends are doing one object/one day projects.

VFM4's Ele the Elephant Set is here.

Phone sex

Phone sex
Originally uploaded by jsarcadia

And another must see set is the adventures of Julie's phone.

Gallagher

Gallagher
Originally uploaded by dianeofarcadia

The Delightful Gallagher files are a must-see when you visit flickr.

Another Silver Bells in The City!

c

Touchdown, MSU!!!!

New Year. New Coach. New WINNNING season! I was at the game. Penn State v Michigan State, two venerable old land-grant colleges. Always a great game, always cool to see old JoePa pacing the sidelines. Penn State has great fans, fun fans, and one year, the dude ahead of us was funny and looked like Mel Gibson. (My nephew doesn't remember that, but I shirley do.) We were down for most of the game, but came back in the end to win it.

Look out next year Big 10!

I am hoarse today.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Toasty :: warm
Allegations :: charges
Herb :: Uncle, spices
Bacon :: breakfast, bring home the
Neck to neck:: close
Simon :: says
Heels :: shoes
Fundamentals :: basics
Middle :: of-the-road
Seasonings :: spices

Watch Those Steps

Public Service Announcement:

With the cold temperatures, watch those steps! There could be ice or slippery stuff on them.

Tuesday morning was cold here. I stepped out onto the back steps. I smelled a whiff of skunk, ick, so I did a visual check to make sure the critter wasn't around. Seeing no sign of the critter, I took a step and found myself sitting down, my left leg caught underneath me. The steps were slick with frost. Having been recently painted *sigh* didn't help their slippery factor.

Ended up with what I'm calling a pulled muscle in my leg. Caned it around work on Tuesday, rested it Tuesday night, and we're doing fairly well now. Have to, because tonight is Silver Bells in the City and tomorrow is the Penn State football game, for which we have tickets. Oh yeah. Better put those in my purse now.

Be careful!

Burnished Autumn

Going to Market

There is a large Amish settlement in the township southwest of me. Saturday I was out driving, and I found an Amish farmer working a field with a team of six, but I got bashful about taking the horses' pictures. *sigh* So I had to settle for this horse. The intersection of M-43 and M-66 is a busy corner, and all through the summer and early fall there is an Amish baked-goods stand here. Yummy. I bought some molasses cookies. Old fashioned, soft, just right.

The Bread Box

The breadbox belonged to Grandma, and she passed it down to her grandkids the year we lived with her on the farm. We used it in our clubhouse, which was the milkhouse.

My brother had kept the breadbox, but brought it back to the farm earlier this year. I think it fits well in our newer clubhouse, the chicken coop.

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Treadmill :: Exercise, rat race
Stroke :: Swim
Exclusively :: Only
Lash :: Tie-up
Red carpet:: Treatment
Credit card :: Too handy
Points :: Finger jab
Domestic :: Goddess
21 :: 18
Inject :: Give a shot

Can I be first???

Susan found a lot of Lolinator Stuff!

From susan-on-the-other-side-of-the-world I snagged the Lolinator, which looks at your blog and, well, this is how my heading would look:

i moved 2 country . . . where grass iz green… snow iz whiet… coyotez howl… soil iz rich… wind always blows. come along wit me as i settle in2 paradise.

Go check out susan's place for the links!

Tien Made Me!

List out your top 5 birthday presents you wish for:
1. Grandpa's Tractor (It's down the road a mile.)
2. New Camera DSLR
3. Outdoor camera with sensor so I can get night shots of the critters at my apples
4. A puppy (and someone to train it)
5. Money!

The person who tagged you is?
Tien, Legend of Miracles

Your relationship with him is?
Blogging buddy for a good many years now.

Your 5 impressions of him:
1. Smart
2. Creative
3. Caring
4. Great Writer
5. Egalitarian

The most memorable thing he had done for you?
Sent me a Christmas card last year. And I didn't get mine out!

The most memorable words he had said to you
a poem he wrote after another blog friend passed away

If he becomes your lover, you will?
be long distance, and December - May

If he becomes your lover, things he would have to improve on will be?
teleportation?

If he becomes your enemy, you will?
That would never happen

If he becomes your enemy, the reason will be?
That he had a complete personality change

The most desired thing you want to do for him now is?
Send fond wishes that he will do very well on his exams.

Your overall impression of him is?
Kind, caring, funny, a writer, talented

How you think people around you would feel about you?
uhhhhhh. uhhhhh. What's she gonna come up with next?

The character I love most about myself is?
I like people

On the contrary, the character you hate of yourself is?
I get my feelings hurt too easily

The most ideal person you want to be is?
a farmer. I guess I'll have to settle for a wannabe

For people that care and like you, say something to them:
Come visit me at the farm!!!

For people whom I’ve hurt:
I'm sorry.

Pass this quiz to 10 people whom you wish to know how they feel bout you:(In no Order of Merit)

Can't do Susan-on-the-other-side of the world, because Tien also tagged her. Hmm.
1. Diane
2. Julie
3. Susan in NC
4. Roscoe
5. Kim
6. Patti
7. Kathryn
8. Cindy
9. Bryn
10. Frank

1.Who is no.6 having a relationship with?
Her Wonderful Husband Buck

2.Is no.9 a male or female?
Female

3.If no. 7 and 10 are together, would it be a good thing?
They would make a good match.

4. How bout no. 8 and 5?
They both have wonderful artistic eyes, so I would say yes.

5.What is no.2 studying about?
She studies everything. And she reads everything. And she teaches.

6.When was the last time you had a chat with no.3?
We check blogs back and forth several times a week!

7.What kind of music band does no.8 likes?
you know, I don't know. I do know she likes Dancing with the Stars!

8.Does no. 1 has any siblings?
Yes

9.Will you woo no.3?
as a good friend!

10.How bout no.7?
Same answer.

11. Is no.4 single?
Yes. The way he likes it *smile*

12.What is the surname of no.5?
Walker

13.What is the nickname of no.10?
I do not know.

14. What is the hobby of no.4?
Chess, Comic Books, Photography, Writing

15. Do no.5 and 9 get along well?
Unless they have telepathy, no.

16.Where is no.2 working at?
The best bookstore in the world!

17. Talk something casually bout no.1?
Super-Mom to five, amazing photographic and writing skills, big heart, still hurting, but getting stronger every day

18.Have you tried developing feelings for no.8?
Yea, it’s call friendship

19.Where does no. 9 lives?
Nova Scotia

20.What color does no.4 likes?
Black

21.Are no.5 and 1 best friends?
Not best, but they are good friends

22.Does no.7 like no. 2?
Yep!

23.How did you get to know no. 2?
The Kevin Costner Yahoo Group *grin*

24.Does no.1 has any pets?
cats

25.Is no.7 the most sexiest person in the world?
Why sure!

Okay, this was quite the quiz, Tien. But I'm up!

The Legend Lives on

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee'
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T'was the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'.
Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya.
At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it's been good t'know ya
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
May have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral.
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call 'Gitche Gumee'.
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early!

Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Green Up Your Sex Life????

From the Boomer Chronicles, we follow a link to How To Green Up Your Sex Life.

Gives new meaning to "Go Green!"

November Depression

I have a little trouble with November Depression. This is a lifelong thing. I remember the first episode when I was twelve and decided to give up reading because I thought it was making me depressed. (That didn't last, hahahahaha.) When I was sixteen, my folks dosed me with geritol because I was lethargic in November. (Do they still make Geritol? Why, yes they do! And as I follow those links, did you know that Geritol had been touted in the rumor world as an aid to fertility? I saw it in some of the google listings, but GlaxoSmith specifically denies that rumor here.) As an adult I still get shades of it. Nothing serious, just lethargy. I visited y'all, but I was just too pooped to comment much or to post here. But it appears it is fading now, so here I am!!!

I googled November Depression, and found this delightful blog, which isn't being updated much, but still gave me a smile.

I'm off to visit you, and if my silly dial-up will allow, make comments. Susan, I am so jealous of you!!!!

A Bit of New England in Michigan

Sigh. I'll Never Get Rich!

My blog is worth $9,597.18.
How much is your blog worth?

And I Hope I Can Find the Holiday Jones Sodas!

You Are Smoked Salmon Pate Soda

Tasting like fish ain't so bad!

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

And For Thanksgiving:

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Oridnary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

What Part of Fall I Am

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Country Church/School

Kingdomality

Your distinct personality, The Discoverer, might be found in most of the thriving kingdoms of the time. Your overriding goal is to go where no one else has ever gone before. Regardless of the number of available natural problems to be solved, it is not unusual for you to continually challenge yourself with new situations or obstacles that you have created. You are an insatiable explorer of people, places, things and ideas. You thrive on constant change and anything new or different. On the positive side, you can be creatively rational as well as open minded and just. On the negative side, you might be an impractical and indecisive procrastinator. Interestingly, your preference is just as applicable in today's corporate kingdoms.

This was a cool little personality test, found by way of Kwizgiver.

My Little Town

I was tagged by Julie: of course there are rules: answer the questions, tag 5 people and then go off on your travels to their hometowns. The hardest part is that you can only give one answer for each of the questions. No ties, which sucks.

At first I was going to do Lansing, MI, but then I thought, no, let's do Grand Ledge:

Best place to eat. Sweet Linda's Cafe. Sit in the window and watch Main Street, or sit at a table and admire the photography.

Best shopping mall. Lansing Mall is the closest. Part of it was originally the farm where my grandpa grew up, so it is the sentimental favorite.

Famous Landmark. The Ledges on the Grand River, for which the town was named.

Best tourism attraction. The Ledges and the three parks that showcase it: Fitzgerald, Climbers Ridge, and the Islands.

Best place for kids. Fitzgerald Park's Skate ramp.

Popular outdoor activity. Farming. What can I say?

Breathtaking view. The big tractors out in the field harvesting!

Let's see. Tag five, eh? I would like to tag Roscoe and Kathryn and Kim and Tien and Ali!

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

Assets :: Bank
Concern :: Care
Over the top :: Exuberant
Supplies :: Office
Mustache :: Facial Hair
Doug :: my cousin
Coach :: Football, Mark Dantonio
Bleachers :: Football
Stripes :: Helmets. Oh. I think I'm stuck on Football here. MSU lost to UofM yesterday. *sigh*
Assortment :: Halloween Candy

Saturday Morning

I spent Friday night at Mom's for our every other week old movie night. This week was The Call of the Wild. Sad movie.

I headed home about 10:00 am this morning. Gorgeous fall day, so did some sight-seeing.

On Line for Caroline

Caroline Kennedy was in town Friday at the Schuler Book Store to sign copies of her new book, a collection of Christmas stories. She was there from 11:00 to 2:00. I really wanted to see her. Hmmm. How could I pull this off? And then it hit. I exchange gifts with the boss's wife. (I used to housesit for them, and we got in the habit.) Last year she gave me Kennedy's collection on Freedom. I would get this for her for Christmas, if the boss would let me go. And of course he did say go! In fact, when I hadn't left by 10:25, he said . . . get out of here.

So I got to the bookstore at about 10:45. Ohmygoodnessgracioussakesalive. The line was out the door. It went to the corner of the store. It went along the east side of the building, to the end, and snaked around the back. What had I got myself into?

What indeed. It turned out to be a wonderful time on line. The mother-daughter behind me were a lively pair. The daughter had been named Jacqueline, after Jackie Kennedy. She was born in 1964. I could relate. My brother Dan, born in 1965, would have been Jacqueline if he had been a girl. We spent a lot of time chatting about the powerful visual images of those awful days in November 1963, and about the strength Jackie conveyed.

We were told that there were already 250 people INSIDE the store. Oh my. I called my boss, but he said, have fun! And as my line companions were so interesting, I stayed the course.

There was a couple ahead of us. The man would bring his wife Starbucks, would go check on the line, things like that. He came back sheepishly after one excursion. He had sat down on a bench outside the front of the store. Security approached him. What are you doing? Um, sitting on the bench, isn't that what they are for, he returned. Security wasn't amused. Apparently there had been threats against Caroline. They asked him what was in his pocket (he had a sweatshirt with a front pocket) and he had to slowly remove his cell phone. Yikes!

The bookstore staff plied the line with cookies and mulled cider from "The Kennedy Cookbook". The question came up: do you think Jackie baked cookies with the kids?

It was 1:20 before we entered the store. The doorwatchers said we were 35-45 minutes away. Would we make it? We had been told she had a fixed 2:00 p.m. quitting time as she had a plane to catch. I hadn't purchased my book yet (you had to get them there) but we were told they were up by where Caroline was signing. The bad news: as they were trying to push the most people through, those of us who had not purhased a book could only get one. Oh well, that's all I really needed. However, the wonderful mom/daughter duo actually offered to GIVE me one of theirs. See what sweeties I had met? And Jackie did invite me to her cookie exchange.

Caroline looks very fragile and frail, though I'm sure she is not. She was very gracious, even though we were among the last to get our books signed.

And coincidentally, "Camelot" had just opened at the Wharton Center in East Lansing.

Okay, this was way too much, but I wanted to mark the moment.

See ya!