The view from my kitchen window this morning. It looks alot like winter doesn't it?

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Eden

Good morning.

It is fun to see the dogs & cat photos.

Eden's picture of looking out her kitchen window this morning (brrrrr!) reminded me of the elk photos I couldn't upload a few days ago. I tried again this morning and was able to upload a few.

This is what caught my eye, out my kitchen window, while making my lunch a few days ago.

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and a few more

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I then went to the dining room door and took these--same elk just they had walked a bit further along the tree line.

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Eden, do you see the little calf? Whenever our dog decides to head towards the herd, the calf runs into the midst of the herd and they surround it. Seiko does NOT get close to the herd, they would run him down and stomp on him (truly) if he got too close.

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We have quite a bit of water puddling (ponding?) behind the shop building from the recent rains and the summer land sculpting. DH is going to try to make a drainage ditch using the excavator (he tried using a shovel but the job is far too big). He is going to make a horrible, muddy, rutted, awful, nasty.......did I say horrible???????? mess when he does this but there is no way around it. The amount of water that is sitting/gathering there is enough that he is concerned that it will undermine the foundation of the shop. There are many, many (MANY) days where I wished we lived in town. I hate this place today--maybe I'll like it tomorrow.

Good Afternoon everyone,

Well Im good and exhausted today. Thanksgiving was a great day but the funniest thing has happened to me. I used to just LOVE the whole feast thing and this year I found I couldnt care less about all that food. We had lots of fun with friends and endured the usual family garbage that always seems to intrude on holidays. My DS irritated me to pieces again and I really need to get over it and stop letting her push my buttons. DB is not happy with me because I apparently didnt invite him soon enough even though he has been invited every year and every year I tell everyone that they are always invited (weve done T Day dinner for the last fifteen years) but because I didnt get a hold of him until the week before Thanksgiving he went to his in-laws. Mom wasnt happy about that and I feel like just giving up. Grrrr.. Anyway, other than that, dinner was lovely and I really did enjoy myself when I wasnt irritated with my family. Thank heavens my two best girlfriends and their families join us for the day and we had a great time. We are also really enjoying our new tradition of having champagne with Thanksgiving dinner. That is a treat.

Yesterday I made the mistake of thinking I could run out and get some new black hose for my class reunion. Well I went to the mall and it was insane! What was I thinking? There were over 100 people in line waiting to check out Kohls and I decided that Id just wear an old pair I had at home. I wasnt going to wait an hour to buy a pair of panty hose. I guess the economy is alive and well here in southern NH.

Class reunion was a BLAST! Doug, MJ and I had a terrific time. We danced from about 8 to midnight. What fun! I dont know if I ever mentioned this but MJ and I used to live across the street from each other when we were in high school and we graduated together. Since MJs husband died ten years ago she doesnt have a significant other in her life so Doug got to have two dates for the party last night. He thought that was a great idea. LOL Here are MJ and I just before we left for the party. We clean up pretty good for a pair of 53 year old ladies. (Our birthdays are only ten days apart)
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So it is snowing here today also. It now officially looks like winter here. We got about five inches of snow on Thanksgiving day and Doug actually got out the snow blower. Hard to believe the week before was in the 60s. Last night was 18F degrees out and that is just a bit too cold for me. Im not acclimated yet. Wednesday evening Doug, Heather and I had to run around and finish getting all the tender plants out of the garage and down to the basement because it went down below 20 that night as well. The plants might not have made it if Id left them out so that is finally taken care of as well.

T Im always amazed with your elk photographs. I just cant picture looking out the window when fixing lunch and seeing a herd of elk in my yard. Amazing.

Eden, It looks just like that outside my windows right now also. Bummer we dont have any Bellas first turkey day pics. Oh well I KNOW well have her first Christmas pics. ~~ Im currently not feeling much like getting Christmas decorations out because all I can think about is having to put them all away in January. Ill probably be in a better frame of mind next week when Im not still tired from Thanksgiving. ~~ Love the snoozing furbies. It looks like that at my house today also. Rahjii thinks its better to be inside on days when there is no sun and it is just too chilly to have a good snooze.
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Brenda, I sure wish youd remembered to grab some pics of your Thanksgiving gathering. Id have liked to see all those chocolates you made as well. That is so great that you package up dinners for your Mom and Aunt. They really must appreciate that. LOL about your sister showing up with bags of unpeeled potatoes. Id asked my youngest DS to put together a couple pickle/relish trays and she decided to send flowers instead because it was easier. Go figure? This is the DS who had Christmas dinner at her house last year and I cooked the turkey, whipped the potatoes, made the gravy baked the pies and MJ brought squash, green beans and cookies. This year we are going to have Christmas dinner at MJs because if we are going to cook anyway it is easier to do it in our own kitchens. LOL. ~~ Congratulations on lowering your cholesterol. That isnt easy to do. Good for you! I got the results of my blood work back yesterday and all my levels are looking great especially my triglycerides which are down to 45!!!! That number is supposed to be under 185 so 45 is off the charts good. I think that is the one that aerobic exercise improves. I guess it works!

Lovely landscape photo EP. I have Grand Cats as well and it makes me laugh.

Sue great pics of the puppies. Love that Nickster. Ive spend several hours today in Moniques favorite chair with my lap top. I did some laundry and cleaned out a couple dresser drawers that I hadnt looked in for a while then decided Id done enough for the day. I might play with my plants later as a couple of the cuttings need to get potted up already. ~~ Really happy to hear you are getting better. Sorry for the downer at work. That kind of thing can be very upsetting.

Martie, great story about your customer. Good karma. Youll have to show us pics of your 5 wreath in place.

Marian, youll have to show us pics of your roaster baked pies. That cranberry apple one sounds scrumptious.

Marie, lots of great photos. Keep them coming. I love the Charlotte in the snow one. She is such a cutie.

Chelone, your Thanksgiving table was just beautiful. It makes me want to sew again when I see those lovely place mats you made.

Cynthia, I thought Montys foot was getting better? Sorry he still isnt better. That is a bit of a pain in the neck your having to soak his foot in betadine. I dont remember how he injured it or didnt you know? Youll appreciate this, Doug has to soak his foot in Epsom salts and Luke decided he ought to have a nice drink out of the foot bath. That cat never seems to be happy with the fresh water in his water bowl. It always has to come from an alternate source like the dripping sink or the toilet bowl after he splashes a lot of the water on the floor. I did discourage him from drinking the Epsom salts water as I dont believe that would be the best thing for his digestion. ~~ LOVE the Cats Rule photograph. But you knew I would because George is my favorite.

V Love your lighting of the square. Im the same way. Christmas carols and choirs make me cry.

Hi Mary, Michelle, Eileen and Taryn! Drema how terrific to hear from you. OK I think Ive caught up. Please forgive if Ive omitted anyone. It is really tough to catch up when youve not read or posted in a couple days.

Have a great Saturday evening all,
Deanne

My view outside is much like Edens today. Shane on right with a couple of pals. I dare not ask what exactly they are doing building ramps off the deck for their snowboards. Or how my wheelbarrow fits into the equation.

The patient today:

Got my boxes wrapped for the fake presents but then ran out of steam last night. Hoped to be decorating as I type, however DH is taking a nap and needs to change the lightbulb in the garage so I can find everything. Not complaining, since he got up and kept the kids quiet so I could sleep in. :) Think I'll write out my Xmas cards instead. Have to go pick up Devin and buddy Sam from the school in half an hour, where they are tubing. Hard to believe it's supposed to be 43F tomorrow and 53F Monday and all this will be gone!

Relieved to see my plants in the greenhouse still look fine, though pots are frozen already. It is 2 degrees warmer in there than on the north side of my house, so hoping they will keep another few weeks until I decide where they reside for the winter.

Enjoying the pets, snowy squirrel homes and wildlife shots, as well as EP's pretty pond. Enjoy the day...

Taryn

Deanne, you and MJ look FABULOUS! We must have been posting at the same time. My Doctor's office phoned and said they want me come in to discuss blood test results with my doctor, but no urgency, so not to be alarmed. He's away until Thursday next week so I have to wait on that.

Just picked up Sam and Devin from tubing. They were suitably impressed at the doughnuts I couldn't resist doing in the empty parking lot. 9 year olds are easily amused, lol!

T

It's a lazy afternoon after a morning of hard work. We recruited a crew of 5 young people to help us clear buckthorn, honeysuckle and burning bush from the front woods. We made great progress with many hands helping out and it will be interesting to see in the spring how much of an impact we made.

I also pulled out some select pieces of buckthorn to use to make a trellis. This is what happens when you have a few days off and catch up on reading your gardening magazines

I do have to clean up in about an hour and go out to do the children's sermon at the Saturday evening service. The sermon will be easy; it's the getting off the couch part that will be hard.

DH is on his laptop and was trying to reserve a book at the library. He couldn't understand why he found the book in the library catalog at the library but couldn't find it on line. DOH! He was browsing Janie's local library in Ontario and not our town's in Illinois!

Martie, I enjoyed your story about your loyal customer.

Deanne, MJ looks great and no slight to her, but you look OUTSTANDING! Glad you had a good time.

Okay, I think I have to help DH reserve his book.

V.

So. While I was in DC with Rippie, the gutter people came!!!size> That means that I had no chance to hand them new lightbulbs and a $20 and ask them to change the bulbs in the floodlights as long as they were up there. Drat! But YES the gutter people came!!!! And they didn't miss a gutter. I've checked all 7 and they are spiffy clean. And somehow they managed not to mangle rose bushes up against the house or plop the ladder on top of the hellebores foetidus that are just pushing out buds on the retaining wall.

Deanne you look terrific, that is a great dress! And MJ looks marvelous too!

Have to find some supper and back later to catch up.

I thought I had posted this afternoon but I guess I forgot to hit 'submit'!

I've been enjoying the pet - and elk - pictures. Also, the snowy pictures - it looks pretty white outside our windows today too.

For those of you who enjoy words...:

There was an interesting article in our local paper yesterday - an interview with an editor for the Canadian edition of the Oxford English dictionary. She talked about unique Canadian words and expressions that recent immigrants and non-Canadians might find confusing. Some examples were:
- apartment listings in a paper with bachelor for rent
- newspaper boxes saying loonies only
- a headline reading Murderer declared a dangerous offender
- "Election candidate nominated by riding association"
- forms asking for your SIN
- children playing "midget basketball"
(Did you understand all those?)

Some differences with American English were noted: bale referring to cotton in the US, not hay; mitt defined only in terms of a baseball glove; scraper referring to mud and nothing to do with driving in winter and her favorite, toque (pronounced toke) referring to a Tudor womans small velvet hat.
The funniest difference to UK English was shovel only referring to an implement used to scoop coal and only used as a noun - so Im going to shovel the driveway would make little sense to someone familiar only with the British dictionary.

She said butter tart is a Canadian term - that surprised me. Apparently the Canadian dictionary made changes to 96% of the original British definitions in the dictionary.

Interesting Woody! I understood all those. :) See link below for more Canuckisms (is that a word?)

Taryn
(impatiently waiting for porkloin stirfry to be ready!)

Been thinking of traditional and special things. Remembered this sandwich loaf I made over 35 years ago.. searched for it and found the directions.. It was always appreciated and was part of the food at our daughter's wedding reception. The ingredients are similar to what I have used. Thinking of those of you with frozen gardens.. I have been in and out all day. In , I was crocheting a hat and out, I was cutting back the sweet autumn clematis, honeysuckle, and silver lace vines in the north corner. Been really pleased with that area which has become an 'overflow space' for divisions of perennials such as iris, day lilies, stoksia, ajuga, and hesperis matronalis planted among a variety of shrubs including flowering quince, photonia, forsythia, nandina, and mahonia. All of this is growing happily below black walnut and oak trees. Also had some balsam and petunias mixed in. It's full of star of bethlehem and daffodils in spring and lycoris radiata in late summer. We don't put lights on 'high up' places any more so partner has them strung across the deck railing and in the 2 large China hollies down below the terraces near the fence and in the weeping yaupon holly in the door yard. I went out tonight and sat on the garden bench on the middle terrace to admire the lights above and below. Thought of all of you and pretended you would all be 'coming over' during the holidays and I would make the sandwich loaf (link below). I am going to be continuing creative things and thinking about getting together some tamales while you bundle up children for tumble tubbing and enjoy the birds in the snow. I found a cardinal nest in the honeysuckle vine. Deanne, you and girl friend are 'something glowing'. You are the same age as our daughter who visits every Friday evening, has 3 cats and a lab, and works as an accountant... so we 'talk idyll talk'.. and partner 'smiles' at a lot of it. T... those elk are intimidating.. thanks for showing us what the 'wilderness' is like... how far are you from town.. or nearest nieghbor?EP

Here is anothe link with filling variations. I usually included egg, ham, and chicken. EP

A quick hello and then off to eat dinner.

Thankfully unexpected help showed up today when DH was trying to get the standing water to drain. They had picks and shovels and seemed to get the water diverted.....just wish it hadn't been diverted to the lower backyard. I don't even try to understand the 'why' sometimes....

Our unexpected visitor and helper:

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We did have some trouble keeping him focused and on task.

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But inspite of the enticements of splashing.....the job did get done.

We heard numerous "I stuck! I stuck!" and "I fall down" and lastly "I wet"......... Wet? Ya think?

Hope it was a 'good' day for all....

I'll be back later to read, catch up and actually talk about something other than me. ;o)

My My! That sandwich Loaf is a beauty! I'd need Babs to come on over to decorate it for me!

Yes Deanne, you and MJ must have been a real show on Doug's arm at the reunion. I'm so glad the long anticipated event was a great success!

Woody's post reminds me of a long list of funny news headlines that some of you might enjoy. Here they are:

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Eye Drops off Shelf
Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim
Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66
Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax
Reagan Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead
Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter
Two Soviet Ships Collide, One Dies
Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years
Never Withhold Herpes Infection from Loved One
Drunken Drivers Paid $1000 in '84
Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
If Strike isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Ban On Soliciting Dead in Trotwood
Man Minus Ear Waives Hearing
New Vaccine May Contain Rabies
Deaf College Opens Doors to Hearing
Arson Suspect is Held in Massachusetts Fire
Enfields Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
Air Head Fired
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge
Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board
Deer Kill 17,000
Old School Pillars are Replaced by Alumni
War Dims Hope for Peace
Steals Clock, Faces Time
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge
Some Pieces of Rock Hudson Sold at Auction
Stolen Painting Found by Tree
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy
Include your Children when Baking Cookies
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
British Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply

Some of those headlines are fun to visualize- like the waffles all over the coast of the Falklands, or the replaced pillars.

Last night we got together to speak French with new friends. I noticed that DH and I were pulling out all those old stories that we've told many many (too many) times for our new audience. ;-)

Although it was very beautiful with puffy snow everywhere today, we expect freezing drizzle tomorrow, NOT good gardening weather. The birds are really crowding the feeders- fun to watch.

EP would love to join you and other Idyllers for sandwich loaf! Will have to do it via cyberspace though. I don't know that recipe but it looks very festive, thanks for sharing..

T

Martie, don't get a big dog! LOL!

GRANNY WITH A BIG DOG

I'm bored, can you tell? Xmas decorations up and Leaf game nearly over...3-3 against our archenemy Montreal...

T

Dinner is eaten, leftovers taken care of, dishes washing in the dishwasher, ice cream consumed (Peanut butter cup--yum!) and the rest of the evening is mine....I hope.

Deanne, you & MJ look lovely! Glad to read that you 3 had a great time. What are the chances that you & Doug were able to try out your new dance knowledge at the reunion gathering?

Chelone, I thought your table looked very nice and I liked the placemats going over the side---clever!

Marian, I hope you've had a great day with Tim. I'll trade you some cat food for some cat litter......yep, I forgot to buy that when I was in town. Always forgetting something!

EP, we don't live far from town......about 12-14 miles and our neighbors are pretty close by. We're not isolated, we are just fortunate to have enough land that we were able to situate our home where we'd have maximum privacy. I can see one home from my front porch and I can hear people talking (if they are talking loud) in some of the other homes nearby.

Michelle, your town sounds just as picturesque and great as V's does. Homemade cookies at the bank? Meet you there next Friday!

Cynthia, glad the gutter people showed up and did their usual thorough job. Disappointing that you didn't get an opportunity to have the bulbs changed. Hopefully they'll last one more year? Did you take Rippie to see a particular family or was it a group gathering for prospective forever homes to be introduced to the greys? I missed what the diagnosis was on Monty's foot. Soaking in betadine won't be any fun at all! That is what we were injecting into Lulabelle's knees last winter (the goat that went lame with abscesses & had to be put down). I had betadine speckles all over my 'chore' coat and jeans. It stains....but you probably already found that one out.

The snow photos are fun to see but I'm thankful that we don't have it here. :oD Taryn's boys & friends look like they are being ingenious and having fun. Eden, does Bella have any thoughts yet on the snow? Does she find it interesting to touch the snow or catch the snowflakes? I'm trying to think if we had snow last year and if Jamie got to play in it. I cannot remember.

GB, enjoyed reading your list of headlines. I took 2 years of French but remember nothing of it. I wish now that I had continued with a language....but of course that is the way of it. I wish I had continued playing an instrument, continued to practice/learn another language, wish I had taken more art classes.........I wish I had looked at the big picture of life with mature eyes instead of with the eyes and brain of a 17-18 year old. ;o) Oh well.....never too late to teach an old dog? Yes, I think it is too late for many things.

Sue, Zoe's position on her daddy's legs was wonderful and Nick looked very comfortable on his bed....in front of the fire, I'm guessing. I hope your cold is easing and that you are feeling better.

Woody, some of the Canadian terms you shared had me wondering what they were. Fun to read and to hear what they really are.

Brenda, you are impressive in the kitchen! It all sounded wonderful.

I know I'm not commenting on all I mean to but this is getting so long......too long.

Thinking of all....

T. --- (the other one) ;oD

Thanksgiving is officially over! Just got back from MIL's. The fried rice was a big hit, and I may be allowed to cook a meal over the Christmas holidays...we'll see. Jim's sister comes home from Texas for Christmas, so it's usually 4-5 days of constant eating. Too much rich food and sweets. Lol, maybe if I get to do a meal, I'll just make it a giant salad bar. Of course, that would probably be the last time I was allowed to do a meal ;)

Deanne, you and MJ look stunning! Lookit how your eyes sparkle!!

The snow pics are great-our snow has come up missing. It's pretty pleasant out now, almost 40. Tomorrow is supposed to be pretty decent, too. Maybe I can get all my windowboxes and stuff stashed away for the winter.

T-what an adorable little helper ya got there!

Wow, EP-that's a pretty impressive looking sandwich loaf. That would be fun to make.

I think we've got MIL's brain clicking on some stuff to do to pass her time when she retires in February. She'd really like to come and clean my house. We're opposite ends of the spectrum on that. So, in the hopes of maintaining at least a civil relationship, I declined the offer ;) She's got tons of dishes and stuff packed away, and SIL told her she should learn to sell some of it on Ebay. It would be a good thing for her to do to pass her time. I told her in the meantime, she can hunt some of it up on Ebay, and watch the auctions and see what stuff is going for. I'd really like to see her find a new hobby or two. She seems to have trouble doing something that's just for her and just for fun. She's worked hard for years, and it would be nice to see her enjoy her time and money after retirement.

Yuk--I just heard a sick dog noise. Guess I'll go deal with that and call it a day.
G'nite all!
Brenda

Belated Happy Birthday to Marian.

and

Belated Happy Birthday to Jane.

I hope you both had lovely days. A toast. I raise my glass of alcohol free purple grape juice to you and wish you many many more, and thank you, Marian and Jane, for the pleasure of your company.

Yeona

Good Morning everyone ~

What a lot of good reading this morning. From EP's sandwich loaves to Canadian dialect. Words and usage are always fun. We do actually have hay 'bales' here in US though, not just cotton bales. I had to look up 'Loonies', as I had no idea what that meant and found there are Twoneys too.

T, Rippie and I went Christmas shopping for monkeys :). We bought an orange one for Katie and a duplicate of the brown one we already have for Rippie. Monty gets custody of the original which has taken a beating because he and Rip play tuggie with it. I like seeing and hearing about your little visitor. And especially like those yellow boots he's wearing! Keep those Elk photos coming too! I enjoy watching them through your camera.

Sue, Zoe looks like a floppy stuffed animal in that photo. It made me smile.

I checked the weather because I think Taryn mentioned it was going to warm up. Sure enough, temps predicted in 50s and 60s for the next few days. And rain, not snow will be coming too. Eden and Taryn's back yards look just fine in snow, but I'm happy not seeing it in mine yet.

Think I'll do some more gift shopping while waiting for the sun to come up here.

Later, Cynthia

She's ba a a aak. I met my brother yesterday morning and we handed off Grammy. Her hair has gotten really long! I made an app't. for her to have her hair cut and her nails trimmed and shaped on Wednesday afternoon. More ominous, though, was the decline I noticed in her mental capabilities. She may simply have been confused about leaving one place and going to another, but she basically answered nearly every question with an automatic, "I don't know". I'll keep an eye on her today, but it's becoming clear to me that we will have to look into extended care for her. I was thinking about Just T's comment about looking at things in the big picture... makes me wonder how I might have reacted to Mum's health in summer '03, knowing what I know now. Feeling grim, and resentful that so much of time is once more "spoken for". I'll get over it.

Deanne, you and MJ look great. Nice that you had a good time at the reOnion. I've never been to one of mine!

I had 6 years of French (Jr. and Sr. high) and scored high enough on an Achievement test to be automatically given 4 college credits and fulfill the language requirement. More of that hindsight stuff... I mentioned to my HS "guidance councellor" (waste of payroll) that I loved language and wondered about becoming a translator... "Oh, there's no future in a language studies!" (this was the math/science '70s mindset). I followed his advice, afraid to question the expert. :) I wish I was close enough to practice my French. None of my friends speak it. But here'a a funny "aside"; I was on the flight home from Paris in the summer of '93. The movie on the plane was "Groundhog Day". I sat next to a charming French guy and I actually was able to explain the jist of the "holiday" to him IN FRENCH. J'ai cherche mes mots...

Man! you guys are already putting up Christmas stuff and I haven't even gotten outdoors to clean up the gardens. Ugh. Maybe I'll do a little of that today, and force Mum to get outside and walk around a bit. She will be crabby about it; but that will be TOUGH. If she can't walk reliably on her own she can't remain in my home. Simple as that. (Imagine your worst day with a toddler and then imagine it goes on, day after day... with no end in sight.)

I took Wrecks out for a quick walk yesterday. We're working on off leash stuff now and I allowed him to mess around in the small field across the street, calling him back periodically and requiring him to sit down directly in front of me. He did really well. We'll continue with that for some time before graduating to off leash work on the golf course. He has a dominant personality and he is attracted by movement of ANY sort, so it's key to keep him within the comfortable voice control range and be on alert for distractions. His favorite "rewards" really help, too.

Time for more coffee.

Morning all,

I have to really give all you lovely people a huge THANK YOU!! I could not believe that not one person at my class reunion said one word about the fact that Ive lost 120 pounds since my last class reunion. I had to get out my old pics to remind myself that yes, I really do look different. So thanks for your kind words. They are very much appreciated. Maybe it is against the rules or something? LOL The good news is that I had a great time anyway with Doug and MJ and we danced the night away and the lack of response only bothered me for about 2 seconds or so. (Well maybe two minutes) You guys will get a kick out of this, there were a few women in the rest room who were part of the in crowd way back when talking about another of their cronies whod gotten a face lift and having a good laugh. Then they started saying some pretty nasty things about the lady who was the captain of the cheerleaders in our senior year (she wasnt there) anyway, I was in a stall and when I walked out I said "MEOW, you guys are having quite the cat party in here." And then I left the ladies room. I guess some people dont change.

EP that sandwich loaf looks yummy. I love that you were imagining that we were all coming over for lunch. Wouldnt that be fun? Your gardens sound like they are overflowing. I love your descriptions.

T, I love your unexpected helper. Too funny. Ill bet he got soaked.~~ RE the dancing lessons, we tried but couldnt make foxtrot work with that music at the party. Maybe after another couple lessons well be more proficient. I needed Chelone and her helpmeet there to show us how.

GB that list of headlines is hysterical. I read it to Doug last night and we hooted.~~ I still havent gotten my bird feeders up and need to do that today.

Brenda, your Christmas food extravaganza would be a nightmare for me to deal with. Id probably gain 20 pounds in four days. ~~ My Mom works for the senior center here in town and has quite an active group of friends she travels with and plays cards with every week. Does your moms community have a senior center.

Chelone, so sorry it looks like your mom is declining. Id have a difficult time walking in your shoes. ~~ I grew up speaking French but no longer can. I wish I was somewhere I could practice and relearn the language. I keep toying with the idea of taking a conversational French class at our local university.

Cynthia, interesting information on the cranberry juice. I made a whole cranberry sauce for turkey day that used Splenda and was very yummy. Im probably going to make it more often as there was no sugar in it.

OK time to get motivated and get to the gym. Ive got to exercise off the excesses of the last couple days. Tonight is turkey vegetable soup night. I got the bird boiled down and stripped yesterday so all I have to do today is add the vegetables. Yum.

Later all,
Deanne

Good morning. 62 degrees F and still hoping for rain.
The sandwich loaf is also good made plain with a loaf of french bread without the cream cheese 'frosting'. Smaller ones can also be made using slices of bread stacked with the fillings.
Chelone, the sharing about your mom has been very educational. I am sharing a link in regard to medical billing. Have been encountering some of those challenges. I did ask for an itemized statement and found profound errors. Confronted the billing department and found on the next statement of beneifits that the charges had multiplied. Our insurance and medicare are covering the charges other than annual deductable... but... where does that leave the consumer...???? I do try to avoid 'personal health', 'religious',and 'political'
'discussion'....but sometimes things need to be shared for awareness.
Cynthia... been there done that with the wrist ganglia.. corrected surgically with complications from an anesthetic (which is now no longer used) used to numb my entire arm. Took 6 months to 'recover' from the nerve inflamation. This was 'years ago'. More options available now.
Always get as much information as possible re procedures and billing practices. Be aware. Peace to all. EP

Good Morning, Not much going on here today, just a quiet day of working around the house and on the decorations. I also have to work on a project I'm doing for Bella. I'll try to explain it for you. When my children were young my mom made them an advent calender that we would hang on the door and I would put their names and a chocolate kiss in each of the 24 pockets, Bella won't be participating in the chocolate part this year though. They took turns so each child would have 8 gifts over the season. Every morning who's ever turn it was would find on the breakfast table a small wrapped gift that one of Santa's elves had dropped off during the previous night and they would collect their choc kiss from the calendar. They always enjoyed this tradition so much that I'm continuing it on for Bella. I've been collecting gifts for her, things like a Christmas ornament, Christmas bib, little toys, a stuffed bear, a Christmas book, cds and dvds, all sorts of things. There will be 24 in all so I need to go out today and finish up finding a few more things for her. I hope she has as much fun with it as her mom, aunt and uncle did.

Deanne, WOW, Doug was a lucky man to have you and MJ as his dates. Bet you were the best looking girls at the party. I have to say also that the healthy lifestyle your living is really showing. You just glow with a look of good health. Your eyes just sparkle.

T, that Jamie of yours is just the cutest little guy and I always love his little outfits. He always looks like such a little man.

I have lots more to talk about but Brad's calling me for coffee and backgammon so I'll be back. Hope you're all having a good morning, especially you MARIAN. How's the visit with Tim going? I bet you're cooking him breakfast about now.

Eden

Ahh, Deanne... no one mentioned your weight loss because (in their eyes) it would mean acknowledging that they actually thought you were fat then! I'd be willing to bet there were several people there who didn't even recognize you. I'm impressed you'll go to them, at all! A great foxtrot is the Steely Dan song "Time Out of Mind"... we used to use that one to practice a lot. And the Eagles' "Saturday Night" is a nice waltz (and a very pretty song). It's pretty easy to "cha-ify" a lot of tunes, too (try Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love"). Once you get some more moves and practice a little more it will get easier.

Mum is feeding right now. She managed to get a bra on, all by herself this morning (impressive), but she forgot to put something on under the (low) V front cardigan (lol)... I asked her if she was going for a decolletee look, she looked down, chuckled and headed back to the drawer with her tops in it. Time to see if she's taken her pills and if it's time for an egg and some decaf. coffee. After that I'll tactfully suggest we go outdoors for some fresh air and exercise.

Time for laundry, too (dishes are done, catbox is mined, and I've paid all Mum's bills and am preparing to address our's next).

Back to the grind. It ain't the work, it's the monotony of it all. It's that aspect of caregiving that is the hardest of all for me. My personality is not suited to ministering to others on such an intimate basis and every day is a struggle for me. Witness the fact that I prefer cats to dogs and never wanted kids... . But we play the hand we're dealt, and try to do it as skillfully as possible. Good thing I have pretty decent sense of humor.

Tell me some funny stuff straight from the world of you... :/ OK?

Hey, the sun was just out and now it's gone. What the heck? At least we're promised 40s F today so maybe I can get more of the garden cleaned up between other errands but truth be told, it's not high on my priority list anymore.

Deanne, you and MJ look fabu all decked out for the reunion. I've been to all my reunions but one and have always enjoyed myself. My class was 650 people and we only get a fraction of that at the reunions but at the last one there were a bunch who I was in school with from first grade. Those are the people you tend to remember the best even if you haven't kept in touch otherwise. Our next one won't be til 2008.

Last night I tried on a few outfit combos and decided on the winner for the company Christmas party on the 9th. I solved the being cold in a sleeveless dress problem by ordering this silk and cashmere wrap from of all places, Victoria Secret. It's a silver/gray color and goes perfectly with one of my old cocktail dresses.

I'm watching the birds at the feeder this morning-mostly Chickadees and Tufted Titmice with some juncos and the ever present sparrows. So far titmice have flown into the windows of the patio doors three times. Maybe I should move the feeder further away from the house? I know certain birds are more prone to doing that than others but it's never been a problem before. I'd hate to start finding dead birds on the patio.

The Christmas decorations are getting better but are still in disarray. This year we decided to take all the stuff we aren't using anymore and donate it to the Salvation Army. Since I redecorated the LR and our BR last year some of the things just don't fit or the colors are garish together. My biggest problem is our large main tree (artificial) doesn't fit in the livingroom anymore without moving out some of the furniture. When decorated, this tree has been one of the central holiday features in the house so I'm not keen on giving up on it easily. It doesn't fit in any of the other rooms either but I'm thinking it may look good lit up out on the patio if we can figure out a way to anchor it.

OK, time to make the best out of the last day of a 4 day weekend. Where did all the days go?

Sue

I'm back. Lost at backgammon but the coffee was good.

EP, I'm saving your sandwich loaf recipes. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all meet for lunch in your garden. I would love to do that.

Sue, a tree on your patio would look so pretty at night. Good idea! It does take awhile to get everything out and in place, doesn't it. That's why I start as soon as possible. The way time flies, by the time it's all decorated it's time to take them all down again. Are you having your annual Christmas party this year? Oh and did you know if birds are crashing into your windows it means your windows are too clean, lol. I read that someplace.

Chelone, I'm fine with babies and children but I would have a hard time caring for an adult. You have a tough job there.

Hi Yeona, what's going on with you and your family?

T, I do see the little calf in your picture. Isn't it neat how the herd is so protective of him? Peanutbutter cup ice cream is my favorite.

Cynthia, I was thinking I might have to send Brad to clean your gutters but I'll tell him he's off the hook now.

I loved seeing all the pet pictures yesterday. We have a great group of furballs here don't we? The snow is really melting here today but it's very gloomy. wet and messy out there. A good day to stay in.

Where has Babs gotten to now???? Time for her to check in. Babs?

Be back later, Eden

Thinking of you ALL, even the ones who are no-shows, like Saucy.

I just posted our morning dog walk pictures, hoping Chelone's Mom will enjoy them. I suspect that in a few days your Mom will be back to her routine at your home and perking up. You are a terrific caregiver, providing the extra push that is sometimes needed. I have seen this in other relationships and admire it. Many are afraid to demand alot of a patient, but it can make their lives fuller if you can do it.

Yes Deanne, I think just as some folks have a hard time apologizing, others have a tough time with compliments. True, it is difficult to praise how fabu-fabu you look without admitting that once you did not look as spiffy. Then again, if you hadn't posted the Katty Chat, we could have assumed that they were all above the exterior look and found you still charming in other ways...with great conversation and humour. I bet you are different in those ways too though, more confident and happy as you are now.

Yes Cynthia, too bad about the light bulb task. I wish my Polish cyclist guy could come back for another round here, but I can't afford anything at this time and wouldn't you know, he started a full time job for the city nearby. SHUCKS!

All the little ones photographed here are so cute in their boots and hats and colourful attire- just being kids! It is easy to believe that they all have perfect parents and grandparents, unlike the frazzled parents I sometimes hear at the grocery store or in a parking lot.

It is hard to know what day it is this weekend. Snow and holidays...It was easier when I taught school and had to write the date on the blackboard each day. So happy today to you all, whatever day it is!

Hi Marian, Nolon and Tim! Enjoy your family time together.
'bug

I forced myself to clean out the beds along the front of the house. I cleaned out the windowboxes. It looks a lot better than it did before and I'm feeling a little bit better out the general state of things around here. I tried to take a shot of it, but the battery was out of oomph, so I hung the load of laundry and gave the kitties a snack. Maybe I'll tackle another couple of beds after wrestling the detritus out of the Gahdenway.

It hardly seems that it's time to begin thinking of Christmas decorations! The helpmeet reports that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find roping; it would seem the people who were willing to make it are getting older and aren't willing to suffer pitchy fingers any longer. I love roping, but have never used it very much. I'm trying to come up with a more interesting mix of greens for the windowboxes; I tend to be a reactionary decorator and therefore never really pull off the "martha thing" with panache. I'm actually looking forward to making the Williamsburg inspired pediments this year... but not for a couple of weeks yet!

Sue, hope the cold is on the wane and Monday won't be too traumatic. Anyway, it really IS small potatoes in the big picture of life. I think a tree on your lovely patio would look terrific, esp. at night! Could you wrap the stand with some of that "tube sand" you can use for weight in a pick-up?, maybe come up with something to cover it (say, one of those blue tarps.? ;) ). You could really have a blast decorating it with little yummies for your avian friends. I've been toying with the notion of wrapping the canopy frame with lights this year, dunno.

OK, it's time to deal with the garden "waste". I did find a little frog, frozen stiff and quite blackened; poor little guy didn't follow his instinct and burrow into the mud. Made me sad. :(

Shoot. As I was replanting bulbs that had to move and raking the patio, I thought 'well at least I'm ahead of Chelone.' I see that's no longer true. It's just right for working outdoors today, and my three supervisors didn't care that I was slow as their pillows were in a warm spot.
Just in for turkey soup and hope to make more progress with the daylight that's left. That's about 3 hours now right?

I vote for the tree on the patio too Sue! As for the shawl, Victoria Secret's pornalogues will now be in your mail box way too regularly. Mine usually come the same day as the latest AARP solicitation.

Look what I found while hunting for greens!! I must've planted it, stuck it in the woods to acclimate, and foogottabouttit. I'll save this for all the folks who panic about lavenders in pots :-) (The other stuff, I think, is dianthus -- we'll see.)

{{gwi:186436}}

Thought of you, Marian, this morning while I was making Kyle breakfast, which hasn't happened in a looooooong time. Nice way to start the day!

Deanne: Drop Dead Gorgeous. I wouldn't be at all upset about no mention of weight loss. According to girlfriend who's in the same "place" as you, she looks at it as "maybe they didn't see me as fat, then." I like the attitude. As one who can't Gain weight and is forever eating protein bars and stuff, I'll be the first to line up for fat transplants that will work. I actually envy people who have to lose weight and no, it isn't a disorder, it's a Type A personality with low blood pressure :-)

The kids are tooooooo cute! Let them get wet, dirty, cold, muddy -- all the things we wish we could do and get away with it.

Don't worry, Taryn, I won't get a big dog. And, the "Ebay" song has been going through my head for three days -- remember that revenge is sweet. LOL

Cynthia: Ran into a friend this morning at the grocery store who rescues greys and was very involved when the track in Plainfield, CT shut down. She *justifiably proudly* reports that almost all 120 of the foster dogs from there have potential forever homes, and I told her about you. I'll bet you guys meet at some point, somewhere ....

EP: May I come for lunch, too??? This is a great recipe and I'll bet that with appropriate decoration, could be used anytime. A keeper.

Chelone: Could you guess that I really, really like Williamsburg motif in gardening???? And the fact that since pineapples are in season this time of year they don't cost a fortune??? I emphathize with you for the caring of your Mum. I took turns with my Mom and Dad with my Grandmother and have decided that I love people too much to do that, again. It's hard to stay level -- I give you all the credit in the world for not giving up and letting her lead a dull life.

Very interesting list, Marie!! I laughed to the point that Ky came in and started laughing, too. "Kids Make Nutricious Snacks." For the soul :-)))))

Am on my way to visit a friend who has mulled cider ready. Everyone have a great day -- especially those I didn't have the chance to mention .

Martie

Her Highness decided (all on her own!) to venture forthe for a stroll arounds the grounds (here's to you, Mrs. Robinson). I heard the slider that leads from her room to the great outdoors open... surprised, I peeked out the window. She was all "suited up", trouble was... she was wearing her summer windbreaker with her gloves... LOL. I grabbed her winter coat, met her on the driveway and helped her into it. I zipped it up for her since taking OFF her gloves might've ruined the moment. I will put the windbreaker "away" and make sure only her warmer coats are "handy". See what I mean?!

Marty, I'm with you (I loved you shot of the pineapple in the snow, BTW). I LOVE the formal stuff and I always have. On my list of things I really want to do before I keel over is a visit to Colonial Williamsburg at Christmastime (along with the Lippizan Stallions performing in the hall of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, crossing the Atlantic on a ship, and watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean). I've had a dickens of time finding imitation pineapples of adequate size for the pediments; they're always TOO SMALL! Finding nice quality imitation fruit has been a real challenge.

I grew up in an area steeped in Colonial history and Mum was really big on making it "come alive" for my brother and me. Dad was more intrigued by Civil War history, but they both took us to really interesting sites/museums over the years and "history" figures prominently in many of my most cherished memories of time spent with them both. Was I lucky, or what?

I have to get moving or I'll not get the basics done today... (like it would matter?)

:)

Hi everyone

Hope you are all enjoying a peaceful and/or productive weekend after the Turkey day festivities.

Deanne - you and MJ look gorgeous!!

Eden - Annie and David always have a paper Advent calendar to open in the lead up to Christmas. We always had one growing up that my paternal grandmother would send us, and my Mum does the same for our two. Annie particularly enjoys looking at fine art paintings so she has one from the National Gallery in London. Bella's gifts sound lovely and a lot of fun for her to open. I love the continuity of tradition.

I shouldn't really be here as DH and I are redecorating the room we call the mud room, giving it a make over for the holidays to act as a temporary guest room for Mum who arrives on the 8th. We've painted the walls a lovely carmel color with white ceiling and trim and are in the middle of laying tile. The pets and my light stand have been relegated to the basement and we're putting in a futon chair that opens to a single bed. Our house has proved to be remarkable for accomodating all the extra family, and it looks as if we can make a nice private room for one more.

Need to go before DH realizes my bathroom break is over. Photos should follow.

Hi to everyone else

Mary

Cold and gray today, no real staying snow yet thankfully. I guess it will be warming up and raining later this week.

Yesterday I drove to visit my friend who lives about an hour northwest of here, and they actually had snow on the ground, and more falling down. The roads were a little slippery when I was leaving her place - I'm not ready for this - I didn't even have the snow brush in my car! I'd much rather enjoy the snow from the inside of the house, not be driving in it! Thankfully once I got on the highway the roads were fine, and it was barely snowing here when I got home.

I'm currently reading "Scarlett", the sequel to "Gone with the Wind". It was not written by Margaret Mitchell, the original author, but by Alexandra Ripley, who was chosen by Mitchell's estate. Scarlett is desperately trying to win Rhett back, but has not succeeded yet.

Where do these long weekends go? My kids even lost track of what day it was this weekend, to me that is a good vacation.

I potted up some of my cuttings in the basement, it is nice to see something still growing. The coleus are doing well, some have even put up new leaves. The brugs have some roots, but I think I'll leave them in the water a bit longer. One abutilon cutting still has leaves, and the main plant is still trying to grow even though I cut it back. One shop light in the basement, Sue, that's all it takes!

Christmas decorations will have to wait a little longer, not going to happen this weekend. The kids are not asking for it yet, so I'll wait until they are enthusiastic helpers.

Taryn, I know what you mean about the magic of Christmas for the kids. My DS who is 8 still believes in Santa, but I'm sure he'll either figure it out or be told by some kid soon. Hopefully there will be one more "magical" year. DD figured it out herself when she was about 5, we took her to the local spot to see Santa, and she refused. She stated to us "That is not Santa, it is some man in a costume, the beard is fake." (She has an uncanny talent for spotting men in drag too.) She asked us straight out if Santa was a real person or do the parents do it. We tried to give her all the usual lines about Santa's helpers and such, but no go. She does an admirable job of keeping the myth alive for her brother though. DS loves the story "The Polar Express" (the book, not the movie) - maybe Santa will bring him his own bell this year.

Deanne, first let me say that you guys look great all dressed up for the reunion. Doug must have been in his glory with one of you for each arm! I went to one of my class reunions, and was discouraged at how much people didn't change - the catty were still catty. I haven't been to a reunion since.

Eden, the advent calendar you are making for Bella sounds really cute. My kids loved the advent calendar when they were small.

T, loved the pics of your little helper. My son was a tool-magnet when he was that age, he always came running when any job with tools involved is being done; in fact he still does. Wish he had the same enthusiasm for cleaning his room!

Chelone, I admire you for taking care of your mother - what a hard thing to do! Be sure to take care of yourself too, make time among the chores to do something for yourself. BTW, I believe that high school guidance counsellors are hacks. In larger high schools they can't possible get to know everyone, and they know you only on paper really. My DH was sent the college route when he probably would have been happier learning a trade. It seemed that the student's opinions were not valued, because after all we were only kids.

Have to go plan the week's dinner menu now, and make a shopping list accordingly. DH is home for dinner since he started the day shift, expecting meat & potatoes. Can't get away with omelets or soup and salad anymore! At least he does the grocery shopping, and cooks sometimes too.

Enjoy the rest of the day!

-Wendy

I took the huge dog for a "ride-ride in the car-car" today. We went to the store to buy a few items, then we stopped by the nursery to see Daddy. It's COLD in the car with the back windows down so the damn fool can stick his head out the windows! (I wear gloves and set the heat to "vent" at moderate temperature to increase my own comfort). Dogs are such a PITA. (that's why I hate them)

Rex was thoroughly thrilled to go to "work". I had a hard time keeping him from peeing on the Christmas trees. :) But Daddy ( already thoroughly sick and tired of the heavy-duty yuppie/maximum size SUV crowd with the entire familial entourage) encouraged him to wee-wee on the 12' trees. He's a very bad boy, that helpmeet o' mine.

Mary, I endured years of teasing about "Mum" and "Mummy". I've never, ever called her "MOm" and I never will. We always had an Advent calender, too. Now, we have a small, artificial tree on a base with drawers in it, that replaces the more traditional calender. Every day you open the drawer with the date on it and add that ornament to the tree. A "countdown"! We always used to put candles in the windows, too... adding one to the display as the Sundays ticked by on the countdown to Christmas Day. How "WASPy", is that, lol?! Can't wait to see your pictures. How long will your Mum be with you? how old is she, and how often do you get to see her? Over Thanksgiving dinner we were talking about dead parents... the helpmeet's mother was Welsh. She could be "tough", but I really liked her (even when we clashed); never had a problem with a "battle axe"... milktoasts, though... that's another story, lol. One day she was with BIL in the supermarket... in the produce department there was a man slavishly working on the refrigeration. He was flat on his back, hidden from his waist up. There was a lot of "noise". MIL stood stock still, listening. In a conversational tone she said in Welsh, "You ought to be more careful of your words, you never know who'll be listening..." the body emerged, a wide smile on his face. He was delighted to find someone who spoke Welsh... so far away from "home".

Hope Marian's visit with her Tim is wonderful.

Politics, religion, etc., all are perfectly fine topics as far as I'm concerned. But that's because I'm not afraid to "agree to disagree", and I pretty much believe that whatever keeps YOU fortified and vital finds its way into your "on line" persona and ultimately keeps my interest piqued. With that sentiment in mind, I'm reminded that EVERY day is "thanksgiving". You know?

It's still grey and chilly outdoors. The remainder of the week is supposed to be pretty much the same. Oh well, at least the prospect of starving or freezing to death isn't immediate... ;)

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That's why it's called the "present"."

Let's all adopt the attitude of gratitude... even when we don't feel like it.

GB, we were all howling with laughter at the headlines:-) Thanks for sharing!

I'm glad everyone had good times and good food shared with family. Things are not always perfect but we try to remember this may be our last opportunity to be nice to each person. Our company is all gone. DD and SIL had to leave 4 hours sooner than expected because her book store called (she is manager) and someone's car had broken down and they couldn't make it to work so she had to go and work tonight. They live 3 and a half ours from us. I was very sad about that as I had patiently listened to DH's sister and mother go on and on and on and on about the problems they were having with the two kids sister is taking care of. All the while, I'm thinking that they would leave soon and I could have a good visit with DD and SIL, then they had to leave early:-(

I enjoyed everybody's stories, comments and pictures, that I could see. Hope you all have a good , relaxing evening.
VG

I ventured out shopping for a while and it wasn't too bad, just a little crowded. I got new lights for the tree, colored ones. I've used just the clear lights for years so thought I'd try something different. The rest was Bella shopping, a Miss Spider Christmas book, baby socks, a snowman sweater, a cd of Shel Silverstein reading Where The Sidewalk Ends and a Sesame Street dance dvd. I also got her a couple of cute Christmas outfits. She's having her holiday pictures taken Tuesday. It's so much fun shopping for her.

Chelone, I like your attitude of agreeing to disagree. I think everyone deserves to have their own thoughts on every subject. What a boring place it would be if everyone had the same opinions. Our differences are what make us interesting to one another. I have to admit that I'm quite opinionated though. I believe what I believe strongly and don't change my mind easily. But that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy hearing or learning from different views on a subject or a good debate. That's what keeps life interesting. I don't like arguing though and that's what seems to happen when certain subjects come up on the forums unfortunately. People can get nasty really quick. I'm thankful that everyone respects each other's views and opinions here on the Idylls. This is a very special place.

Oh, my mom has always called her mother "mum" too.

Mary, can't wait to see pictures of your new guest room. What a very creative use of space.

Wendy, now that you mentioned the plants in the basement I'm reminded that mine could probably use some tending. They are very neglected this winter. Poor things.

Martie, your lavendar looks no worse for the wear. I don't have good enough drainage in my clay soil to grow them well here. They just tend to hang on and look bad year after year until I yank them. I wonder if I could overwinter one here in a pot left outdoors?

Marian, drop in and let us know how your visit with Tim went. Hope it was a good one!

Have a good evening everybody, Eden

Here's a few pictures of the exterior Christmas decorations, not the clearest but the best I could do. I wanted to show them to you with the lights on...

{{gwi:186437}}

You can kind of make out the grinch on the right in this one.

{{gwi:186438}}

In this one can you see Brad's train and track? It smokes and says "All Aboard" and makes a chugging sound as it goes around. He loves it and puts it out on the deck every year.

{{gwi:186439}}

Eden

Thank you Eden! Now I'm in the mood to decorate. Not a lot though - just candles and wreaths. I take out fewer decorations each year. Was it Deanne that said all she could thing of was having to put it away in January lol. I love the swag on the fence! Your house looks beautiful and festive. I did put strings of lights in the gh this spring when I was in some kind of mood. I leave them on all the time and I like 'em. I like the Advent calendar tradition. Sounds like Bella Bop is going to have a wonderful holiday season.

Mary, nice colors on the guest mud room. Great idea to put the futon in there, I can see it turning into Clousseau's room after your mum goes home :-)

Martie, You've probably heard that Plainfield will open up seasonally in 2006. They'll take the dogs from another track when that one closes for the season so shouldn't have the same serious issues going forward. But there's always a track shutting down somewhere. West Virginia and Wisconisn at the moment.

Wendy, sounds like your cuttings are doing well! My cuttings it in water for months. I just change the water weekly. I usually don't pot up cuttings until February or so. But I start seeds right after Christmas.

Oh that reminds me, I have my Agave seeds! I could start those before Christmas if I wanted to, looks they germ pretty quick, but will be slow growers - perfect for winter entertainment :) Cyclamen that I started late summer 2004 are popping up well. 24 when I counted on Friday, but lost a pot to the gutter people. Not bad. Think more are still in progress. This might be a good year to do more hellebores, they're a nice long term project too. The 50 or so from 2003 are really putting on size. Some bloomed this spring. Discovering things in the garden and remembering when I started them is always a nice surprise. Seeds are amazing.

Katie is NOT getting this coat:

{{gwi:186440}}

Oh! Brad would have LOVED the train at our French Club dinner the other night! It had several tracks and lots of houses, trees, a church, a station, etc. It was made in Germany and the guy had several engines too. None of it had plastic parts. A really old beauty! It brought back memories of my brother's set long ago. Now he loves REAL trains. When he visits here he always comes by train. The best part was the trip he gave me on the Orient Express where we started in Venice and went to London together. :-)

This afternoon we went for a drive to the mall. I needed OUT of the house. We went to a book store where I got 3 mysteries, a garden book and a magazine. All junk, but wonderful. DH bought a book on "singing for dummies". I was amazed. He got a coffee and I got chocolate dipped orange peel, something I adore. The fellow at the counter said "eeeeeeeeeeew" when I told him what I wanted. FUNNY!

Tonight the piano tuner finally called (it has been a year and a half!) and is coming tomorrow morning! That means our piano should be OK for the Christmas carol singing in French in 2 weeks. Now, should we decorate a tree for that event, or (schemer that I am) get THEM to decorate it that evening "en français"? What do you think?

We ate leftover shepherd's pie by the fire tonight. Both the food and fire were good.

Good Night all!
'bug

Good evening everyone.

Dinner is finished, the kitchen is cleaned up and the dishwasher is doing the magic that it does so well. DH is watching football and I've been re-organizing my sewing/computer room.....again. It is a never ending battle to keep things neat & tidy in here. Never ending!

Mary the painting and changes that you are making sound very nice. I'm eager to see photos of the finished renovations.

Eden, your home looks so inviting! I especially like the swag on the picket fence (I love picket fences!)and the lights hanging from the eaves. Your Grinch looks like fun and the train would get squeals of excitement from Jamie. He is entranced with trains!

Cynthia....now why doesn't Katie get a lovely red coat like that grey has in the picture? She would look gorgeous!

'bug your evening sounds nice......dinner in front of the fire. Romantic.

Fires? Oops! I guess I'd better go put another piece of wood in the stove.

Good night everyone!

Yes, Eden, I'm having the party this year. It's on the 17th-anytime after 6 PM. You're all invited. So far the idylls in attendance will be Deanne, Monique and Martie. Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way I can start working on the menu and agenda for the party.

We went tree shopping today and I came to the conclusion that furniture will be moved out of the livingroom so I can have my usual tree setup although I still may get a smaller one for an empty corner of the breakfast room. All the fake trees come pre-lit now which was a huge selling feature to Tom but I just couldn't get excited about forking over $200, $300, $400 for something perfectly fine that we already have.

Deanne, I think people tend to hold back compliments when they're jealous and based on your catty bathroom experience that may very well be the case.

No garden work got done here today but I did buy a bag of peat moss at Lowes so I can start packing away the canna and dahlia tubers I still have in the garage. Maybe I'll drag myself out to do that some night this week.

Martie what does low blood pressure have to do with being thin? The reason I ask is because although I don't try to gain weight, I've always been on the thin side and also have low blood pressure. Recently I've lost about 5 pounds just by eating better and exercising. Since I don't need to lose any more weight I probably should watch carefully to make sure I don't.

Cynthia, lol on the Victoria Secret pornologues. It's too late for me though. One of the reasons I started ordering stuff from them was because they offer just about every pair of pants they sell in a 34 inch inseam and a few of their styles fit me perfectly right off the rack. At first I was skeptical but I've been shopping their sales and promotional offers and so far everything I've ordered has been decent quality and well fitting. Years ago I tried their underwear and that never fit me well at all so I don't bother with that part of the catalogue.

I always enjoy reading dialogue from people who agree to disagree but rarely have the time or inclination to participate. Composing a respectful, well organized message for an on line debate of sorts just takes time and brain power and energy that I don't have I guess. Being raised in an environment where everyone avoided confrontation and rarely expressed an opinion surely doesn't help.

Wendy my cuttings did well in water all winter last year. So far this year I've let the water dry out a few times already so that certainly doesn't bode well for the months to come...lol.

I can't believe this weekend is gone already. Back to work for me tomorrow, for better or worse. Time will tell.

Sue

Hi again

Eden - very festive. You must be a fun neighbor to live next door to! David had an HO train set for his Christmas present last year. We got track that snaps together and can be easily assembled. He has set it up many times over the past year and enjoyed doing all the "details" as he calls them. This year I've already purchased more track and buffers for a siding and he's hoping for another train. Its a really fun toy.

Chelone - my Mum is 72. We see her over the summer when we visit Engalnd, and she comes out to the States once a year for a month. In the past she has split that time between upstate NY and New Orleans but this year she'll just stay here. We're very close, and as the only Grandparent for Annie and David she is very special to the kids too. I can't wait to see her.

So you have Welsh in-laws! How cool! My other sister in England married a lovely Welsh man and they live near Swansea. They have 3 boys: Hywell, Caradog, and Aneirin (great welsh names) and they are all fluent in Welsh and England. We all get together when we go over and I love hearing them speak in Welsh. It is impossible to understand a word!

The mud/guest room floor is making good progress. We're doing the stick on tiles as we have neither the money, time or experitize for ceramic or wood flooring at the moment. However, they are looking fab - much better than I'd imagined and doing a nice cover up over the ugly chipped ones below. Cynthia, Clousseau might have competition for the room after Mum leaves - David's already told me he likes the color so much he'd like to try sleeping in there.

Katie looks very festive in red - was she posing for a Christmas card shot?

GB - shepherds pie is a great favorite here. Decorating a tree to French carols sounds a lovely way to spend an evening.

Wendy - you sound very organized making a menu the week. I buy whatever looks good or is on sale then wait for creativity to strike. It sounds as though you all had a nice holiday.

Hoping everyone has a good night and start the week refreshed.

I'm meeting DH in the hot tub at 9.30 so I need to finish here and find my cozzie (English slang for swimming costume aka swim suit).

Mary

Too windy to work outside today. I smiled at Marian planting her daffs. Daffs are 'forever' flowers. Some here were left behind by 'the Dutchman'. For those who haven't heard everything about us (over and over) 'the Dutchman' was the man who built our little house and did the original terracing and left behind the tiger lilies, phlox, daffs, periwinkle, and day lilies. His ashes were sprinked over his flower beds. I love it when his enduring flowers pop out in the spring time. Still have some narcissus I need to relocate to a larger space. Tried to get a space ready until the wind took over. We have several kinds of narcissus. They are some of my favorites. The glue that holds us together is our gardens. Even in winter we are out any time the ground isn't frozen or it isn't too windy. We see where the birds have hidden their nests and the shapes and colors of the tree bark, the varied tans and browns of the winter dormancy. We appreciate hearing of your lives. EP

Thanks for asking, Eden. We're doing okay, but would be doing much better if my DS hadn't attempted suicide last Thursday morning. Things are feeling very grim to me right now, as you can imagine. She (my DS) is 52 years old and has struggled with the depths of despair, due to bipolar for her entire life. This is the second time she attempted suicide. The first time it was also just sheer luck that she survived. We came home from a camping trip a day early and got her to the hospital in the nick of time. I was just 12 then, and she was 16, and I'll never forget seeing her lying there, still as death on the couch, with my xmother's empty heart pill bottles all around her. This latest attempt was at our other DS's house. I'm caught in between many extreme emotions right now. I'm feeling relief that she survived, deep fear that she'll try again and succeed, grief that she wants to die so much, and raging blazing anger with her, as she chose to try to kill herself with two children in the home. I know she is totally incapable of caring about others, but that doesn't help when one of my precious nieces could have found their aunt dead! Their mother, my non suicidal DS, woke up early for some reason and found her and the empty pill bottles. Rather than wait for the ambulance my DS bundled her into the car, and drove top speed to the hospital. Again it was in the nick of time. Help me to not strangle my demented DS for her illness. I'm sorry to blight your day, but I'm so upset over this.

Yeona

Yeona: I wasn't planning to post today (time constraints) but I'll be a few minutes late for work to empathize with you ....

It is hard, hard, hard to separate the person from the illness, and so often mentally ill people are manipulative enough that it's hard to tell what is their "reality" at any moment. Bipolar is so tough, yet so well controlled by proper medical supervision. FINDING that supervision is next to impossible if there is family willing to be involved.

I feel for you, and hope that the Canadian medical system provides for an inpatient period of stabilization, at least, so you can all breathe for a few weeks. See if there is any way that someone can at least come to where she lives to ensure proper medication administration after she is discharged.

It took my brother (4 diagnosed mental illnesses and borderline retardation to boot) three self-mutilation episodes and throwing my elderly father across a room, holding another patient hostage, and decking a psychiatrist to be able to get him permanent inpatient status.

ALL supportive thoughts are sent your way.

Martie

(((Yeona))) my thoughts and prayers are with you and your DS. A very difficult situation for all.

M

Good Monday Morning, Are we all rested and rejuvenated after the weekend? No Bella here today so I'll try to get all the things done I can't do when she's helping me. It's supposed to be warm today, 60s and a little rainy, but I'll take it over the snow.

Yeona, I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. It must be so hard watching her go through such misery. I hope the Drs. can find some way to help her.

EP I loved hearing about the Dutchman. I wish I knew more about the people that lived in my house before me. I do know that we're only the 2nd owners.

Mary, I liked hearing about David and his train. My David had some trains when he was younger too but never liked them the way Brad does. Will your David put his train around the tree for Christmas? We would do that but the cats don't allow it, lol. Brad would like to make my garden into a train garden with tracks running through it but I'm not so sure I would like that.

Sue, sending good thoughts for your day at work today. I hope it goes smoothly. I wish I were closer and could come to the party. What fun it would be to visit with you all!

Marie, I love spending the afternoon at the bookstore and do it whenever I get a chance. I'm so glad you had such a nice day "out". The shepherds pie sounds so good. I can just picture you all around the piano sing carols in french. Sounds like it will be lots of fun. Will you bake Christmas goodies for the event?

Cynthia, I love it when you chat about your seeds with us. Very inspiring to me. Is that Katie's holiday picture? The coat is very elegant. She's such a well dressed girl.

Well I had better get this day started as I have MUCH to do. Have a good one everybody, Eden

Morning everyone!

Yeona, as sorry as I was to hear about your sister (hugs to you), I was greatly relieved that the S in DS was not your son! I admit to being frequently confused by internet acronyms which use the same consonants for entirely different relationships, and avoid them for that reason. Please come back here and release some more when you need to. I am so very sorry.

The dog in photo is not Katie. If it were Katie she would be in Santa's lapping or spinning with excitement as she does over every human being. Somewhere in her genetics is a Shih Tzu. The clothes-hound already has two red coats!

Warm 51F here already, and yep it's back to work. Drat. Have the best day that you can :-)

Yeona...I'm so sorry to hear about your sister! It's just an awful situation and I can only imagine the sadness you feel and the anger and frustration over the disease that is controlling your sister's life right now. How traumatic for your sister, your nieces *and* you. I hope that your sister will be able to get the help she needs and that you will be able to find some peace of mind. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers with wishes for brighter days soon...my sincerest cyber hugs Yeona. Wish I had a Star Trek transport...I would be there in an instant to give you a real hug...Ei

Chelone.. loser girl? No way!!! You're not only a 'winner' but you are very talented, creative, and supportive. I do understand the challenges that everyone is sharing tho... That 'goes' for everyone. I always wanted to learn to dance and swim well... and learn to paint flowers... Ended up being a good 'floater and walker' and admirer of flowers... Never learned to sail a boat either...or speak French... or sing in a choir... oh well... I can crochet a pretty good hat... Have enough hats now and have given away quite a few...The children have grown up and the pets are memories.... is it time to 'walk around and hum?' duh.... I do that 'a lot'. Also pretty good at giving and recieving hugs. Thanks T... I needed that. Here's one back....I sometimes 'skim thru' especially on weekends because we would hate to miss any of the chit chat. We care about everyone and everything that is shared. Where else can anyone sit down at any time of day or night and listen to a conversation. Sometimes I 'sit in the corner and listen'. Partner just commented "The juncos are here" so that means winter is here too. It's 35 F and still windy. I want to get those narcissus bulbs into the ground. The originals were given to me by someone special. Something must have tunneled underneath them and heaved them to the top of the ground. When I found the bulbs on top of the ground I picked them up and got them into the refrigerator. Then had to decide where to replant them. Decided on the corner of the bed around the black walnut stump beneath the west windows where I can see them. They had been along the sidewalk above the south terrace. Hope they will always stay where ever I put them if they ever get there... Taryn.. that author reminded me of years ago when I read the books of Sinclair Lewis and Thomas Wolfe. They lived in worlds so different from mine.. reading expands the mind and perception. Interesting to read about what all of you are reading... Mary.. good luck to your sister.. And yours too, Yeona... Hope all goes well for all.. EP