Two Years Ago I was a D+

I simply MUST become more aware!

Your Observation Skills Get A C

You tend to notice the big things in life... But the details aren't exactly your forte

How Observant Are You?

Fall Gardening

My sister is such a sweetie. Not only did she give me canna bulbs, she came over Sunday and dug them for me! I think she knows I need a little nudge sometimes. That did inspire me, so after she left I dug the glad bulbs out and started spading a larger area in that bed. I have iris from my mother to plant, and as I can't use the old iris bed just yet(due to the poison ivy problem) the iris and the glads will be sharing a bed this year. I got half the iris planted too!

Unconscious Mutterings

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

Las Vegas :: Tom Selleck. But I fell asleep during that show Friday night.
Linus :: Pauling, Charlie Brown
Struck :: Moon
Movie :: Cinema
Anxious :: Nervous
Bandit :: Robber
Picks :: Guitar
Lasso :: Rope, outWest
Dinner :: Supper
Bargain :: Sale

Flickr Photographers

Once a month I like to share some of the pictures I've really liked on flickr. This is by no means ALL of the pictures I have faved, just the last 36.

Orionids Tonight

Meteor shower should peak tonight.

Thanks!

Thanks for the good wishes. I'm feeling better today. I had signed up for a lifetime ed class at MSU on grant-finding. I thought my friend Deb wanted to take it; she thought I wanted to take it. Fortunately, it was very interesting and we both got a lot out of it. If you know a non-profit looking for a grant in the U.S., or an individual looking for one, there is a great resource here.

Dropped by the Nature Center to see how the Apple Butter Festival was going, then did a little grocery shopping and came home to watch Michigan State give Ohio a little bit of a worry before losing 24-17. (Ohio State is the school to beat this year.) Our showing there should scare the heck out of UofM. It was good to just relax with the kitties. (They're getting used to me hollering during the games now.)

When I cough I hurt. I think I strained some muscles the other night.

The weather was perfect fall today, and wonderful sunlight. The same expected for tomorrow.

And how is your Saturday?

Here I am

Last night I had dinner at the R Club with a friend. Every time we eat there we have nasty windy weather. I got home, lay on the couch watching TV, and the storm reports started showing on TV. Yikes. Tornados and high winds, two separate batches passing over us.

I dozed off, and woke about 11, not feeling well. Oh great. The next two-and-a-half hours were spent in and out of the bathroom. The tornado warnings were still sounding, but if one were to hit during that period, I guess the toilet and I would have blown away. Yuck.

So I didn't go to work today. But I'm up now. I've had some diet rootbeer as I'm out of Vernors. (If you're from Michigan, you probably know someone who believes in Vernors Ginger Ale as the cure-all for all tummy problems.) I've had some stale potato chips, as I'm out of crackers. And I think I'll survive.

I had one big branch down in the backyard, with more broken but stuck in the tree. I think I need to get the tree-cutters here. Sierra has been on the back porch for an hour-and-a-half, watching the leaves be tossed about by the remnants of the wind. Snuzzles says that is too boring for him, but my little warrior girl cat would love to be stalking today.

And the tornado did touch down on the other side of Lansing. I am so sorry. A couple were killed when their modular home was tossed into a man-made pond. It was their first night in their new home. How terrible.

Thursday Thirteen (on Friday)

Thirteen Y words I like.

1. You!
2. yellow
3. yelling at football games
4. yesterday
5. Yule
6. Yellowstone National Park
7. Yoopers
8. yes
9. yarn (that you knit with)
10. yarn (a good tale)
11. Yucca plants
12. yawns
13. youth

Just a couple quick thoughts

1. I just cleaned my purse out. Wow! I feel so organized. I should do that once a week.

2. Did you know what FWB stands for? I just found out.

3. Have a good day

Happy Birthday, Trykemom!

My oldest longest running friend, Sheryl, tried blogging for awhile, but then found flickr! It's her birthday today, so why not treat yourself to a visit to her wonderful photo stream, and wish her happy birthday!

Have a Good Day

Lansing has too many road projects going this year. It is very hard to get from one place to another without seeing the great orange signs.

But Have a Nice Day!

And another meme, this time from Susan

Borrowed from susan, who borrowed it from Tien:)

I am a cuddler - true
I am a morning person - false
I am a perfectionist - false
I am an only child - false
I am Catholic - false
I am currently in my pajamas - false
I am currently single - true
I am currently suffering from a broken heart - true
I am okay at styling other people’s hair - false, hahahahahaha
I am left handed - false
I am addicted to my myspace - false
I am very shy around the opposite gender AT FIRST - not very, just a little
I bite my nails - false
I can be paranoid at times - false
I currently regret something that I have said - false
When I get mad I curse frequently - not really
I like someone – true
I enjoy country music - false
I enjoy jazz music - false
I enjoy smoothies - true
I enjoy talking on the phone – true
I have a pet - true
I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal - true
I have a tendency to fall for the “wrong” person - true
I have all my grandparents - false
I have at least one sibling - true
I have been told that I am smart - true
I got higher then C’s in school - true
My GPA is higher than 2.5 - Yeah, but that's kinda old history
I have broken a bone - false
I have Caller I.D. on my phone - true
I have bathed/showered with someone - false
I have changed a diaper - true. Even though I have no children, I am the oldest of six, and changed many a diaper in my day. I wonder if that is why I have no children.
I have changed a lot over the past year - myself no, my circumstances, yes
I have done something illegal - true
I have friends who have never seen my natural hair - false
I have had surgery - true
I have killed another person - false
I have had my hair cut within the last week - false
I have had the cops called on me - false
I have kissed someone I knew I shouldn’t - true

A Book Meme

Swiped from Julie

The books listed below are the top 106 books most often tagged as being unread by LibraryThing users (as of October 3rd).

The instructions are simple: Bold what you have read, and italicize books you have started but couldn’t finish. Add an asterisk* to those you have read more than once. Underline those on your TBR list.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: A Novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveller’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales (I read bits for school many moons ago.)
The Historian
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-Present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake: A Novel
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

And it is time to mutter

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

Illicit :: Love affair
Go :: a Japanese Game
Jacket :: Autumn
Blow :: the candles out
Coach :: Football
Effort :: Try try try
Leadership :: Skills
Snore :: Grandma
Fearless :: Valiant
Network :: Television

a challenge

Am-I-Dumb.com - Intelligence Test

Thursday Thirteen on Saturday

Things I like that begin with W:

1. Words
2. Wind
3. Water
4. Wordsworth (my favorite poet).
5. Watermelon
6. Windmills (a nod to my Dutch heritage)
7. Washington, George
8. Walker
9. World-Wide Web
10. West
11. Westerns
12. Walks
13. Wonderment

Julie did an awesome X this week, but I'm going to skip right over to Y next week.

Still Kicking

Just checking in. Busy weekend. Fall Island Festival in town, then visit Auntie N for dinner at the Independence Village. Will catch up with you all tonight!

Chocolate is Good for your Heart

Check some of these out!

Autumn is beginning to show

No Smoking

I guess the farmers of the early 20th century were more concerned about their barns going up in smoke than they were about being polite.

Egad. There's a song!!

Poison Ivy

Artist: The Coasters (peak Billboard position # 7 in 1959)
Words and Music by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller


She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
She'll get you in Dutch
You can look but you better not touch

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

She's pretty as a daisy but look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in
If you let her under your skin

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!

You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around

Poison iv-y-y-y-y, poison iv-y-y-y-y
Late at night while you're sleepin' poison ivy comes a'creepin'
Arou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound


la da la da la da
la da la da la da
la da la da la da
la da la da la da

This is why

Why do you blog? I think that's something we all ask ourselves. I blog to create an online presence, to accentuate the positive (most of the time) of my days, to meet great people, and to read their stories. We follow each other through the ups and down, the moves both blog and physical. Susan-on-the-other-side-of-the-world and Ihave been blogging/flickr friends for many years now. She's had her ups and downs and her wonderful up post of yesterday was just fantastic! {{{hugs}}} Plus, she has a picture of the elusive Julie!

The project and the problem

My October project WAS going to be to dig up the 50-year-old iris that reside next to the field north of the house. They have been there so long that weeds have grown up in and around them. I was going to make the bed nice.

Well, I've got to back up a few steps now.

Some of the weeds are poison ivy, and I'm again nursing welts and sores.

The life of a farmer. It's tough.

Cheeriness From Sydney

Fall is probably my least favorite month. I do like MSU Spartan football, and the colors are great, but the loss of daylight is kind of a downer. I mean, in June it is light out until almost 10:00 p.m. Now the yardlight comes on at 7:30, and it will only get earlier.

I've also been a bit bummed about my knee acting up. It appears that old arthuritis is making an appearance there. I've had a spot of it in my hands for years. I just never thought he would appear in my knee. The knee is much better now, thanks, but it was a downer.

So I've been a little down lately. But this is where blogging and bloggers can often bring me back up, thank you all very much! I got home from work on Tuesday, and there was a package in the mailbox. I hadn't ordered any books. What could it be?
I pulled it out and noticed the postmark. It was from the other-side-of-the-world.!!!

Susan and I became blogging friends due to the lovely little ladybird or ladybug, whichever you say. She had sent me some new ladybugs to keep me company, plus a stitched goosie, and a book on Sydney, showing where she works. (Except that a teaser on her site says she has a new job. C'mon, don't keep us hanging!)

So thank you, my dear friend, for the lovely gift and for the boost. Much needed, much appreciated.

Unconscious Mutterings

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

Cluster :: group
Announcement :: Public Service
Respect :: Aretha
Incident :: at Nuremburg
Accordion :: Uncle Her
Drunk :: Lots of folks at the football game
If :: only
Dexter :: Poin
Wedding :: Song
Gambling :: Las Vegas

Happy Birthday, Young'n!!

miz Susan, she of EasyBakeCoven and SusanJayne fame, is having a birthday!!! Welcome to the double nickels, girl!!!

Spotted at Chicken Scratch

Who Should Paint You: Gustav Klimt

Sensual and gorgeous, you would inspire an enchanting portrait.. With just enough classic appeal to be hung in any museum!

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

Well!!

I had planned a long post for this morning. I had lots to write about, with pictures. I received a wonderful package from susan-on-the-other-side-of-the-world. I had pictures of both the poison ivy in the yard and the poison ivy spots on my arm for kim. However. At 1:30 a.m. this morning the alarm went off. Not the alarm that someone was breaking in, or the get-up alarm. The alarm that said the alarm system was on battery back-up because we had a power outage. Said power outage continued until 7:30 a.m. this morning. *sigh* So now I'm peeking at work. And I probably won't be able to catch up with everyone until Saturday night. But party in the comments!!!

Oops

I think I got into the poison ivy again.

Challenge time

I Scored a 93%!

JustSayHi - Free Personals

Happy October!

Unconscious Mutterings

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

Crook :: Shepherd's Crook
Career :: Life Path
Freckles :: Red-Head
Scramble :: Eggs
Mistake :: Error
Telephone :: Connections
Thank you :: Polite
Obstruction :: of Justice
24/7 :: our service department
SciFi :: Asimov (I didn't spell that right. No, wait. I did.)

First Loss

Well, my keeping quiet about Michigan State Football didn't work today. We lost a very close one to Wisconsin. We're still having penalty troubles. *sob*

APS

Are you a member?

Michigan Shut Down

The great state of Michigan has been having budget problems. An impasse between the legislature and the governor has resulted in the state shutting down Monday. Eek!

Kim, I guess it's a good thing you're in Nevada.

Thursday Thirteen (on Friday)

Thirteen words that I like that begin with V:

1. Violins
2. Violas
3. Vacations
4. Virginia (the State)
5. Valor
6. Vinyl
7. Vanilla
8. Vim
9. Vigor
10. Virtue
11. Views
12. Violets
13. Vinegar

Who is NANO'ing?

Anyone doing it this year?

No Change since 2005

I taste like Peanut Butter. I am one of the most blendable flavours; I go with sweet, I go with sour, I go with bland, I go with anything. I am practical and good company, but have something of a tendency to hang around when I'm not wanted, unaware that my presence is not welcome. What Flavour Are You?

Good-Bye Summer

Battle Cry! One needs one for Monday morning

What Is Your Battle Cry?

Zang! Who is that, running on the mountains! It is Shirl, hands clutching two hardened pitas! And with a gutteral howl, her voice cometh: "Blood and souls for my dark lord! No flesh shall be spared!!"

Find out! Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?

created by beatings : powered by monkeys

And so, the seasons change

Julie's phone is having more fun that I am!

Whispering Softly

Go Green! We are now 4-0. It's been a long time coming. Next week could be tough though.

Happy Birthday, Diane!

I want to wish my good blog buddy Diane a belated birthday! You Go, Girl!

Unconscious Mutterings

Happy Fall and Autumn!!! Time for the Unconscious Mutterings

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

Singles :: Bar
Blaze :: of Glory
Sandwich :: BLT
Outside :: Inside
Gooey :: Roasted Marshmallow
Industry :: Automobile
Exclusive :: Only
Warranty :: Guarantee
Magical :: Mystical
Heels :: Click three times to go home

Thursday Thirteen (on Friday)

Julie makes me do the T13 over here now. I used to do it in her comments *grin*.

Thirteen things I like that begin with U:
1. umbrella (especially when it is raining)
2. uvula
3. underwear
4. UFO's
5. Uniforms, men in
6. ukelele. It harkens back to a much simpler time
7. Uncle Herb
8. unusual anything
9. us
10. up
11. unicorns
12. Utah
13. understanding>

Tuesday Wednesday Report (the pain must have addled my brain)

I went to a marketing seminar today. It was interesting.

I sat too long. My knee was aching, and just now I twisted it and something popped. Ice, please. Sheesh. I am getting old.

So THAT's Why I'm not attracted to Johnny Depp

You are The Pirate
Do you remember the last time you took a chance? It was when you decided to leave the security of your mother's womb and headed for the bright light. It's time to head for the next bright light, my friend. Creativity is not your strong suit. You are good at doing what you are told to do and that, in itself, is a gift. It's not a gift to you, mind you, but a gift to those who will be there to tell you what to do. You like long walks on the beach and cuddling, but would never admit that to your pirate pals who think you are okay but can't always remember your name. Tapioca pudding seems a bit extreme for someone such as yourself, what with all the bumps and stuff. It's a good thing you are on a pirate ship, otherwise, you would be walking because you are positively pedestrian. Have a nice day.

What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Roscoe pointed to Talk Like A Pirate Day. then I saw it in the old archives. I'm sorry I took the test! Arrrrr!

Dreaming?

Need to know what the symbols in your dreams mean? Look here.

September Babies

My bloglist has been blessed with the addition of two babies: Kathryn's daughter Claire and Susan's grandson Phoenix. I was just looking at old Other Side archives for September 2003. There was a post pointing to Mandarin Meg's welcome of a grand-daughter that year.

September 21, 2003

"Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again every time a child is born."
George Bernard Shaw

Baby Abby Elena, you lit a new fire today so unlike we imagined. Gentle and precious, with long blond hair and eyes that shine bright blue, defying the brown of the mother and father. A September baby. We went to welcome you into our world today and instead you welcomed us into your heart. May your tiny tears always be so sweet as for the want of of the Gardenia that bloomed for you today.

May we pass this along to the 2007 September babies.

Cats

My cats are nuts. Normally they get along very well, cuddling and grooming each other. Sometimes they fight, which is more a sparring thing. I usually wait for them to break it up naturally, but this morning we were all out on the back porch and I had had enough, so I tossed Snuzzles back into the house, as he appeared to be the aggressor. It wasn't 30 seconds later that Sierra was crying to go join him.

Unconscious Mutterings

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

Rita :: Mae Brown
Comedy :: Club
Polar :: Bear
Idiots :: NumNums
Perception :: Reality
Infected :: Sick
Fake :: False
Relating :: Pertaining
Distraction :: Nuisance
Gamble :: Bet

This Makes Three

Three wins for the MSU Spartans. Go Green!

Swiped from Julie who nipped it from the Snapery:

01. If you could have super powers what would they be and what would you do with them? (Please feel free to be selfish, you do not have to save the world!).
Healing. I really would like to be able to heal people.

02. Were you to find yourself stranded on an island with a CD player...it could happen...what would your top 10 bloggers island discs be?
hahahahahaha . . . here I expose myself. Wait, no, I don't think I will. I take the fifth.

03. If you were a smell what would it be?
Vanilla

04. What bird would you most like to be?
A hummingbird or an eagle

05. If you were a bird who's head would you poo on?
O. J. Simpson. (He's in the news again.)

06. Are there any foods that your body craves?
Are there any that it DOESN'T crave?

07. What's your favourite time of year?
Spring

08. What's your favourite time of day?
I'm not sure.

09. If a rest is as good as a change which would you choose?
I rested for many years. Now I change.

10. If you could have a dinner party and invite any 5 people from the past or present who would they be? (Living or deceased.)
Teddy Roosevelt, Einstein, Sacajawea, Shakespeare (will the real Will please stand up), Marie Curie

Tag yourself if you feel like playing along.

Four Seasons - The abandoned barn on Gresham

I had two sites that I tracked through the four seasons. This is the second of the two, an old abandoned barn. Time to pick the coming year's seasonal project.

Good Saturday Morning!

Okay, a few years back Susan-on-the-other-side-of-the-world had told us about Australian burgers. They have things like beets and eggs and stuff on them. Julie found a picture.

And speaking of Julie, I did my Thursday 13 on paper, but forgot to post. So here we go:

Thirteen things I like that begin with T:

1. Toddlers
2. Tigers
3. Truth
4. Talent
5. Tongues
6. Turkey
7. Trees
8. Today, tomorrow
9. Thursday
10. Three
11. Thistle
12. Tapioca
13. Telephones!

Susan, you are such a wonderful Grandma! Phoenix is one lucky little boy!

And Kathryn is back home with her treasure, Claire.

I think the hummingbirds have gone.

Reminders to self

Burros.

Michigan Barn Preservation Network.

Flickr Photographers!

Once again, presenting the last 36 favorite pictures from flickr. Click through to visit these photographers.

up from the Other Side archives

What Planet Are You From?


this quiz was made by The Autist Formerly Known As Tim

31.25 %

My weblog owns 31.25 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?

Alone

It's a funny thing. I never felt very lonely when I lived in my apartment. It wasn't that I was surrounded by people. It was more that my life was so boring that I couldn't envision anyone else hanging around. (Do we call that depression?)

Now that I'm at the farm, I'm having more fun than I've had in years, and I find that occasionally I feel lonely. Go figure.

I Do like Hands

I hadn't heard this reading at a wedding before. I like hands, so of course I liked it.

The Hands of the Bride and Groom
Maid of Honor

Bride's name, please face Groom's name, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. Bride and groom should be facing each other, his upturned hands resting in hers.

These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb.

These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.

These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief rack your mind.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

Best Man

Groom's name, please hold Bride's name's hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. Bride should now place her upturned hands in the Groom's hands.

These are the hands that are smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurts, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it's time to let go.

These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings, after you've both had a long hard day.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and chrish you through the years,
for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope, each time she tells you that you are to have another child; that together you have created a new life.

Perhaps these are the hands that will comfort you when you are told you cannot have a child, and will convince you that together you will create new life in other ways.

These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Priest

Dear Father, bless the hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted to reaching for your perfection. May Bride's name and Groom's name see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter, and guide.

We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you now and forever, Amen.

Another blogger baby!

Oh man! Susan at EBC is now a Grandma! She's welcoming Skyler's Phoenix on her blog today. Hurrah!Hurrah!!

Second Win!

Snopes says no

Daddy Long Legs abound out here in the country. The swimmer girls said: Oh, the daddy-long-legs are the most poisonous spider in the world, but its mouth is too small and it can't bite humans. So of course I had to check it out in Snopes.

Strange Movie

It is "military month" for some reason on the Community College old movie channel. The movie we saw was The Big Lift. Made in 1950, starring Montgomery Clift . . . well, I expected more. However, it was an interesting period piece.

Escape Hatch

This archaelogical finding in Jerusalem is fantastic!

Unconscious Mutterings

Whoa! This has been a busy weekend. Friday night I stayed at my Mom's on our every-other-Friday-night movie night. We saw a reallllly bad movie on the Community College channel, but sometimes bad is fun. Saturday I had a wedding to go to at 1:00 p.m., with the reception at 5:30 p.m. on the other side of town. And I came home to the Lansing EV girls swim team camping in my backyard. (My three nieces are on the team.) They were playing Sardines until 2:00 in the morning. (They were up longer than that, but that was when I conked out. They're gone now, and it is time to mutter:

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

Dork :: Goofus
Refurbished :: Redone
Basket :: Apples
Mousse :: Chocolate
Studio :: 54
8 ball :: in the pocket
Masking tape :: Painting
Love :: Affection
Wilder :: Gene
Lindsey :: Lohan

Welcome, Claire

Kathryn and hubby have just introduced their new little girl, Claire, to the world.

Claire is gorgeous and sweet. She makes cooing sounds and little chirps. She loves to nurse and within an hour after birth was at my breast (while I was in the recovery room).

Congratulations to Mom, Dad, and the newest littlest blogger!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I like beginning with S:

1. Susan and susan
2. Sincerity
3. Snow
4. Saturday & Sunday
5. Sunshine
6. Smiles
7. S'mores
8. Salads
9. Sugar
10. Shopping
11. Sister
12. Spartans
13. Soap

This is me

You're Waiting for Godot!

by Samuel Beckett

Many people think you're extremely dull, but you're just trying to
patient. Really patient. Patient to the point of absurdity, quite frankly. Whatever
you're waiting for isn't going to just come along, so you can stop waiting. I promise.
Move on with your life. Change of scenery might do you good. Heck, any scenery might
do you good. In the meantime, you do make for very interesting conversation.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Now this is an accurate test. *grin* Saw it at Susan's!

That's a run amok nasturtium on the left

For Tien

A Gladiolus, known in the vernacular as a Glad.

Honey Bees or Yellow Jackets

While I was painting yesterday I kept hearing a droning noise. Finally I looked up.



The bees were going in and out. That's a behind over to the right there. Now the question is: are they honey bees or yellowjackets? Very different procedures for each type.

Never a dull moment down here on the farm.

Peacock Orchids are Out!

They're not really orchids. They're related to the gladiolus family. One of the great things about gardening is how people love to share! My sister is the root gardener: she gave me cannas and these peacock orchids. I planted the peacocks in a semi-sunny area, and wasn't sure they would make it . . . but they did!



Back to work today.

Were They the Last Ones?

Whew. Busy day. After getting home from my visiting, I had about an hour of yard work left to do. Got it done, then came in to sit on the front porch and ponder and cool down.

I wondered: have the fireflies gone? In mid-summer, the fields would have been undulating with light at that time. Tonight, they were quiet. And then, a twinkle. Not once, not twice, but seven times, out in the middle of what had been an oat field. The last one?

No. An answering response came from the trees on the south side of the porch. Three times. From high up. That was the male call.

I hope they found each other.

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

The Silver Lake Sand Dunes. If you're from mid-Michigan, chances are you've visited Silver Lake. It's entire west side is dunes. These dunes cover about 1.5 miles to Lake Michigan.

The dunes are divided into three parts. The north part is for the dune buggies. You need a state park vehicle sticker, and a vehicle that will go up in sand. This picture is of the north side. On both the left and right ridges you can see specks that are actually vehicles lined up ready to take the plunge down the dunes.

The middle section is for hikers. The southern section is leased by Mac Woods dune scooters, the people who took us on our dune ride.

Click through for larger size (you can tell the ants are vehicles) or to see pics from the dune ride.

Happy Labor Day

It's Labor Day here in the states, and so, I labored! Saturday I went to Lake Michigan . . . perfect day. Yesterday family picnic . . . perfect day. This morning I painted the two back porch steps I hadn't painted, finished painting the south garage door, and painted the north garage door . . . perfect day.

Now I'm reporting in, and then I'll get left-overs from yesterday's picnic. This afternoon I'll visit Aunt N, who lives at the senior center about six miles up the road. She's progressing quite well. Most of the time she knows me. Then I'll visit Mom. She couldn't come to the picnic yesterday. She's recovering from pneumonia, and she doesn't have a lot of gumption yet. Plus, she has allergies, and while I've removed most of the ragweed from the near backyard, I've got way too much of it out here for her to be comfortable.

And how is your day going?

A nice name explanation

What Shirl Means

S is for Smooth H is for Hilarious I is for Ideal R is for Relaxing L is for Loving

What Does Your Name Mean?

Found at Kathy's.

It is Hard to Explain about the Great Lakes

They're big. They show up on almost any world map, they are that big, defining Michigan's mitten shaped lower peninsula and the UP shaped upper peninsula. I swiped this from here:

From the westernmost tip of Lake Superior at Duluth, Minnesota, to the easternmost tip of Lake Ontario at Watertown, New York, the five lakes stretch a thousand miles across the heartland of both the United States and Canada, creating nearly 9,500 miles of ocean-like shores. The lakes also contain an estimated 35,000 islands.

Officially dubbed "the nation's fourth seacoast," the U.S. Great Lakes shoreline alone totals more than 4,500 miles -- longer than the U.S. East and Gulf coasts combined. As seen from space, the Great Lakes constitute one of the most identifiable features of the North American continent as well as our planet Earth.

The North American Great Lakes are unique among the world's large lakes in that their basins are linked together and form one continuous drainage basin. Together, they constitute the greatest freshwater system on Earth, covering an area larger than Texas and about half the size of Alaska. Starting in Lake Superior, the water flows out the lake's southeastern tip down the St. Marys River into Lakes Michigan and Huron, which actually are two halves of one lake. From there, the water flows southward from the southern tip of Lake Huron down the St. Clair River through "little" Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River to Lake Erie. Leaving Lake Erie, it flows north via the Niagara River and over Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario. It then flows northeast down the St. Lawrence River -- the last link in a 2,000-mile-long waterway that ultimately connects Minnesota to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Lakes support most ocean size vessels. They do often freeze over in winter, though, as they are fresh water, and this curtails the shipping a lot.

Most people, when seeing one of them for the first time, cannot believe their size. I guess we just don't do a good enough job selling them!

Where I Was Yesterday

Little Sable Lighthouse, Oceana County, Michigan

Michigan, with its borders on 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, has the most lighthouses of any of the states in the United States.

MSU wins, UofM Doesn't

I forgot to say "Go Green" yesterday with the start of Michigan State University's football season. Perhaps I'd better not say it this season . . . we won!

And in a stunner: University of Michigan, our nemesis to the south of us, lost. Wow. I hit a link from Susan's blog and got an eyeful on that game from the winners' perspective.

Unconscious Mutterings

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

Scrabble :: a fun game
NyQuil :: cold season
Roadtrip :: Traveling
Idiot :: Num-num
Bandages :: Blood
Series :: World
Summer :: Winter
Prompt :: Cue
September :: Try to remember, those days, in September
Chicken :: Chook

Holiday Weekend!

We have Monday off for Labor Day! Hurrah! Tomorrow I'm going up to Silver Lake where my brother is camping to hang out for the day. Sunday about 14 family members will gather here at the farm for a picnic. And Monday . . . I need to Labor! I have 3 or 4 projects that need finishing.

How are your weekend plans shaping up?

In the Back Yard

I came home yesterday, came around the corner of the garage to throw some stuff in the trash . . . and there were two deer in the backyard. They scampered away as soon as they saw me, but I'm thinking my apple tree might be a big draw.

New photographic hunt!

Thursday 13

Julie is doing words that begin with R that she likes, and so am I!

1. raindrops
2. reindeer
3. Roscoe
4. Robert Redford
5. the color red
6. restaurants
7. rivers
8. Rocky movies
9. Roses
10. Refrigerators!
11. Radio
12. rings
13. Rocky Mountains!

Hmmm. Oral Fixation Indeedy!

Your Kiss is Black

Your kisses are amazing. You put a lot of effort into your kissing technique. You are a perfectionist, and you never leave any kissing detail to chance. When you're kissing, you like to be in charge. You don't enjoy someone else taking the lead. You know you're the best kisser. In fact, you're often disappointed by how other people kiss. Kissing Type: Thoughtful People See Your Kisses as: Amazingly unreal You Kiss Best With: A Pink Kisser Stay away from: A Green Kisser

What Color Is Your Kiss?

Orally Fixated? That would Explain a lot!

Freudian Inventory Results

Oral (36%) you appear to be stubbornly and irrationally against receiving help even when it might be the more intelligent option. Anal (46%) you appear to have a good balance of self control and spontaneity, order and chaos, variety and selectivity. Phallic (40%) you appear to have a good balance of sexual awareness and sexual composure. Latency (56%) you appear to have a good balance of abstract knowledge seeking and practicality, dealing with real world responsibilities while still cultivating your abstract and creative faculties and interests. Genital (53%) you appear to be somewhere between a progressive/openminded and regressive/closeminded outlook on life.

Take Free Freudian Inventory Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Average is good.

You are an average on-line user. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage. Find your internet addiction score here. Spotted at Gail's.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Your Life Path Number is 3

Your purpose in life is to express your unique self. You are a creative and artistic person with an interesting view on life. Witty and outgoing, you enjoy sharing your crazy ideas with anyone who will listen. A total social butterfly, you're the life of any party. In love, you inspire and enchant your partner. You are often an object of fantasy and desire. While you are very talented, you sometimes lack the ambition to put your talents in play. And while your wit carries you a long way, you occasionally use it to mask your true feelings. Your natural abilities can bring you all the success in the world ... if you let them

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Diane and Julie did it, so me too.

Runner Beans

I grew runner beans for a vine in the wall garden, but now I'm thinking I should eat the beans. Found a good looking recipe here. And several good recipes here.

I Missed the Eclipse!

Did you see it???

Becoming Jane

Becoming Jane is the story of Jane Austen before fame. It is a wonderfully filmed tale that leaves you wanting more. Anne Hathaway has become such a great actress. Princess Diaries has launched a terrific young actress.

I have to admit, I haven't read Jane Austen. The movie made me want to read her, or at least rent Pride and Prejudice. I understand I've been missing a lot by not seeing Colin Firth play Darcy in that movie.

After seeing Becoming Jane I had to stop and think what books we did read in English Lit. Boy, that was a long time ago. Excerpts from Beowulf and Canterbury Tales. Dickens, both Great Expectations and Christmas Carol. Thomas Hardy, if I remember correctly. Return of the Native. I bet that was it.

Now, I'm curious. If you took lit classes, what books did you read? I'm going to try to remember the Am Lit and World Lit selections also, but it is too late tonight.

Anyhoo:

Shirl's Rating: 3.5/4

This concludes the summer season of movies.

Summer Movie Review - Chuck & Larry

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Hmmm. Somehow, this movie didn't work for me on much of any level. It played for too broad of laughs at the expense of various groups for my taste. That watered down the effect they were going for, of making people think positively of same sex marriages. At least, I THINK that was the effect, but I couldn't be sure. At some level I think they just liked to use the "fag" word.

Shirl's Rating: 1/4

Monday, Monday

Well, I doubt if it could be as bad as last Monday!

Whew!

Busy weekend. Nieces have gone home. Finishing cleaning the kitchen. Great weekend! and you?

Unconscious Mutterings

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

Uneven :: Parallel Bars
Wonder :: Woman
Spider :: Man
Emma :: Jane Austen
Swing:: Set
Orbit :: Moon
Flirt :: Tease
Donation :: Bequest
Veil :: Bridal
Atmosphere :: Air

Destruction Pictures

My 15-year-old niece, Em, posted pictures of the aftermath of the big storm. They are here.

Visit Kathryn!

Kathryn is in the final stages of her pregnancy. Her chroniccles of this special time of life have been joyous and wonderful to read. Today's post is funny, and a necessity for any pregnant women to read.

Tornados!

We usually have quite mild weather here in mid-Michigan. Yesterday was one of the exceptions. Tornadoes ripped through the area. Four miles south of me, homes were destroyed. In South Lansing, tornadoes or high winds cut a path along Miller Road. My old apartment lost several roofs. My mother has two very large branches down. Wow!

Sunday Dinner

My nieces are staying with me tomorrow night, for a craft night. Sunday one of them wants to earn some money, one of them wants to read, and the youngest, Maddie, is going to cook a 4:00 o'clock dinner for her parents and us. She just IM'd me the menu:

Spo** [9:15 P.M.]: good ur on
Spo** [9:16 P.M.]: okay... drinks watermelon and strawberry lemonade and shirley temple 2... a different recipies than a shirley temple
Spo** [9:17 P.M.]: the for the appatizers fruit salsa and cinnamon chips... made out of tortilla chips
Spo** [9:18 P.M.]: then mini weenies and tarragon chicken salad
Spo** [9:19 P.M.]: and for dessert summer cherry jubilee sauce over nonfat frozen yougert
Spo**[9:19 P.M.]: yogurt**

Going to be interesting!

I don't Think So!

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

and now I'm Hungry again!

Everything Pizza

Diverse and adaptable You enjoy the full buffet of life It's hard to you play favorites with friends... or flavors There's very little that you dislike!

What's Your Pizza Personality?