I just ran across this in my email and thought I would share it here...

What's Right

Think about what's right with life. Think about the good and valuable things that you sometimes forget to even notice.

Think about the positive possibilities that are real and present in this very moment. Think about all the worthwhile things you can do with this day that is yours right now.

Think of how you can take action and cause good things to happen. Think of how you can set an ambitious goal and work with persistence to reach it.

Think of all the good people who quietly and reliably work to make this world a better place. Think of how great you feel when you give of yourself to others.

Think of the opportunities you have to live a life that is filled with richness. Think of how fortunate you are to be able to experience and appreciate the beauty in this world.

Think about what's right, what's good, what's valuable and fulfilling. For the more you focus your thoughts on the good things, the more abundant they will become.

Good morning,

Martie, I need some of your 'get up and go' this morning. I've got to get cracking and get a magazine article done today and I can't seem to pick up my brushes. No sparkles here as the sun still hasn't come up yet. ~~ So sorry about your brother. It is heartbreaking and there is nothing you can do to fix it. I know the feeling.

Sylvia, Can you keep that indoor pool for the fish pretty cold? That will keep them dormant so you don't have to feed. I'd recommend you getting a book with more detailed information than I gave you on keeping your water quality in good shape for the fish. I'd be particularly concerned about water changes over the winter to keep it healthy for them. Also be aware of the whole ammonia spike thing that happens to a new tank set up.

Eden that is probably why your neighbor loses her fish. The ammonia levels can get to lethal levels before the bio-filters kick in and start working well. You are right, goldfish are pretty hardy souls but they can only take so much ammonia in the tank. They can also get sick from the ph dropping too low.

Yeona, nice to hear from you and thanks! The calorie increase didn't do anything but make the scale start upwards again so I've nixed that idea and cut back again to 1,500 cal per day. My blood work came back and said my thyroid levels were normal but that has happened every time they are low, they wind up being right on the border line of normal/low. Ive got to make an appointment and discuss things with the doc again.

Monique, congratulations to you and Oliver. That is a terrific accomplishment. You must be so happy. ~~ I can't believe you still have a flower to photograph outside. All is frozen here now.

Sue, your walk sounds like it was fun. I agree about the time it takes to stay fit. Some things have to go. I never finished my fall cleanup here either and it just is going to have to wait for spring. Que sera sera...

OK must run and get to work. Have a great day everyone.
Deanne

We've gone into the deep freeze this morning at -2F. Someone told me that it's a record low temperature. I don't recall it ever getting below zero this early in December.

Yesterday is being erased from record. It was NOT a good day. I hit my husband's car. :( :( :(

At least he was nice and hugged me and told me it could be fixed. There's a triangular piece of the front fender that's no longer there. Since it's a plastic body, the piece cracked right off, so there isn't a dent to pull out, just a hole in a piece of the car. Can't wait to find out what that will cost to replace. :(

But since yesterday really didn't happen, let's talk about Saturday. DD and I went into Chicago to the "One of a Kind" show and sale - think craft fair big city style. I had two free passes so the admission price was right. It was an interesting show because of the wide price range of the items on display. Everything from serious art at serious prices down to fun rings, earrings, notecards. And they had some very pleasant live music. We bought a little jewelry and I got a cute litte item for a future hostess gift ( so I won't be dusting off a bottle of wine at the last second!)

After the show, we went to lunch at an Italian restaurant. DD has to do a restaurant review for an English class writing assignment, so she photographed everything we were served and made lots of notes. We had a pleasant ride home until we were 10 miles from home and found the snowstorm. That last 10 miles was just a little tricky, but we made it safely.

Sylvia, glad to see you posting again. I can't offer you any fish advice but I can wish you best of luck with them!

Martie, glad to hear the brunch went well. I had an uncle who had an undiagnosed mental illness and was an alcoholic to boot. He could be a wonderful man at times, but he also ruined many a family gathering with his rantings. One of my cousins who was a policeman had to remove the uncle from my brother's wedding, and thank heavens Joe was willing and able to do that! DH was upset with me once when I refused to invite my uncle to a family gathering because my uncle was in one of his heavy drinking cycles, but I held my ground and insisted I had seen too many bad scenes in my lifetime and I didn't need to inflict that on my kids. I think some folks who have not gone through this don't understand just how difficult it can be when you are holding your breath all day, hoping that no one says the one innocuous thing that sets off the person off.

Deanne, back to your brushes right now, girl!

Eden, I emailed your "What's Right" to a friend of mine who is having a hard time staying positive right now.

Cynthia, the math trick is fun!

This post has been sitting here for a while so I'd better post it before I lose it. Stay warm!

V.

Can you see my eyeballs zinging around in their sockets?

: )

I'm so way behind I don't know what I've read! I am missing info on the new leaf Taryn & Glen are turning,and what has happened to Yeona's DS...it sounds like she's battling depression?Hugs to you-I've missed you. I also didn't catch that Mary(her DH?)won a trip!....ugh I'm not being a good idyller.sorry.

Sylvia with all that you've endured it's a hard road coming back from family loss and dealing with depression. I hope day by day you find yourself inching back to all that you enjoy. Keep plugging away.

My heart also goes out to you Martie with what your brother is going through. The holidays really are hard even for those who aren't having serious issues so I can only imagine what it's like dealing with his situation.

Yikes and I wasn't here when Marian needed me most-for uncorking her bottle of vinegar!(lol) Michelle had a good idea-I've used that one. I suppose if you have a drill you could drill a hole into the cork...where there's a will there's a way. ANyway-I'm mostly glad that you don't need the wine now-good that Tim is doing better. How scarey though especially when you couldn't just hop in the car to be there....my biggest suggestion is to spring for the new bottle of wine even if it's a twist-off cap; )...get a corkscrew too lol. We've corrupted Marian!

Chelone hope your mom's fine now-that isn't fun by any stretch of the imagination.
I can't even remember what you asked me back an idyll ago. I will only be doing the construction part-the pattern maker cuts out the garment and I just zip the things together.

Everyone pause now and digest this....MY HOUSE IS CLEAN. ; ) All four of us cleaned like fiends on Fri. night-both boys cleaned their room and I even could see FLOOR in there. The party was nice. The turkey (if I do say so myself) was succulent. I may ditch traditional roasted turkey from now on. Marinating the cut up turkey made it SO juicy my mom is still talking about it days later. Eden yes,I have a pic of the cake which I'll try to get up soonish.

Busy day/week. After school today we have to take the tree we cut for my mom to her house. We put our Norweigian spruce up yesterday and we got her a Canaan(sp) Fir. Tomorrow Aj has a band practice for a band festival concert and it's two hours long,He's got no school though so he's happy. I imagine myself a puddle of tears on Sat. for his first concert. First because beginners sound so cute with the squeaks and dissonant intonation but also I so wish his musical grandpa was with us physically to enjoy Aj's accomplishment.Must not wear mascara that day.

I'm hoping I haven't broken my toe! I think because I'm not sure it means I probably haven't. A music cabinet door fell square across my toe knuckles(good term eh?)when I was cleaning before the party. I have a black toe. Now I can't do my power walking for the next couple days-I was hoofing out two miles at a shot too. When the snow gets too deep I'll likely start back on the bike trainer(walking's more fun)

Because I cleaned so much I haven't been able to find a *thing* around here: )

HI to Michelle,Taryn,Deanne,Ep...well everybody.

~B

Good Monday to all...

Dear little tyke 'fixed' Gramps' alarm clock and Gramps woke 2 hours after he should have been to work. Oops!

The day holds promise.....it has to get better, right?

;o)

I like 'What's right.' Think that's why I'm stupid happy most of the time, even though winter can be a notch down on the scale. Who doesn't prefer sun and warmth to chill and darkness? But there's so much richness in life that you can hand to yourself just by recognizing the mundane as a privilege. And there are always opportunties to change things (not just 'our' things) for the better.

So Chelone, when did cars become part of the food chain???Knowing I can't change you :-) but wishing your cats long lives free of poison, cars, and wild animals.

The sentiments of Eden's 'What's Right' don't work for me. This depressed person cannot make that work. It looks like idiocy to me, sorry. The bad so far outweighs the good that I hardly recognize good. I feel a part of the bad. Ignoring the evils and walking around chirping seems lunacy. I'll get over it, partly. But it will return.

Here's an amazing show. It takes forever to load for me here in the boonies, but may not for you. Patience. Don't have the volume at off- nor at high!

was I missed? LOL...life has gotten horribly busy here. I changed my shift for last week and got absolutely nothing done. BUT my shopping for Christmas is almost done!!

Quick post but I just wanted to say to Marian...my mom had the same clots in her lungs. They developed about 5 years ago after many repeated bouts with pneumonia. She ended up in the hospital for about a month and we were very scared as mom was a horrible shade of purple. Now, we must be really careful that we stay far away when we have colds and she isnt allowed to get over-tired. Mom was back in the hospital last Christmas for 2 weeks again. She takes anti-clotting meds .and that is fun stuff too.

Anyhow, I gotta fly..time for a walk around the block with Holly! Besides, my computer is on the fritz!

Hugs to all!
Jane

My holiday homograph: stocking

{{gwi:188181}}
If you're a Harry Potter fan you might be ale to figure out this cake sports a magic wand-chocolate of course; ) and the red swirling is a spell(according to AJ). Where did I get a chocolate wand? I made it! Foil and a wooden spoon handle shaped the form and melted chocolate chips poured into the form makes a nifty wand. I've found the right shade of purple is difficult to make with ordinary food coloring but black cherry Kool-aid works pretty well and it makes the frosting taste fun.

Marie I think you NEED a piece of this cake...fast.

Good to see you again Jane.

~Babs

Babs, What a cool cake. Your are SOOOOO creative. How did you think of all those creative touches down to making the frosting color with the KoolAid. I'm impressed.

Hi Jane, How's Holly settling in? Glad you found time to check in.

If anyone's interested in an Isabella overdose I'm posting a link to the proofs of her Christmas pictures below.

Eden

Afternoon,

V, thanks for reminding me. OK Ill get back to the brushes as soon as I post this. Te he. ~~ Bummer about the car but neat that you had a great day with DD.~~ Please come and help me clean my house as the cleaning desire has completely abandoned me and I need to get things in shape here.

T,,, Oh dear about Gramps alarm clock. I hate it when things like that happen. Hope the rest of the day is better.

Eden, I like to try to focus on the positive and deemphasize the negative. Im not always successful but I do try. I like your Whats Right post. Thanks. ~~ Those pics of Bella are as cute as it gets. I love her expression in the first one.

Hi Babs!!! How terrific to hear from you. I love your cake! You always have so much creativity in everything you do. Thanks for posting the pic. ~~ Did you have any problems over who was going to get the magic wand??~~ You can come and help V clean my house too LOL

Jane, great to hear from you.

OK V, Im off to exercise my brushes.
Deanne

It's a cold day here in PA, and more snow tonight..More later but this is for Deanne since we can't seem to trade emails...Do you really think I'll get an ammonia spike since nothing has changed except their location? All the water in the pool is the pond water they came from ,and I have more to add. They are acting dormant. It's very cool down there and the water temp is 50. I had a real tragedy last night which exacerbated my anxiety. I periodically went to basement to check them using a flashlight since I didn't want to whip on the big over head light on them. I saw my favorite of my 2004 babies..Little Pinky(her mother is my favorite big one..Big Pinky) laying out of the pool on the floor. I haven't a clue how long she was there but I almost discarded her body but put her back in the water. I saw brief gill movement and began uprighting her and "swinmming" her around the pool. The others flocked around her. She tipped upside down and I'd repeat the "swimming". I didn't go to bed till almost 5 because I made 8 trips down and this morning she was still alive"hanging w/ the others. Koi are jumpers altho I never had one do it before. This baby eats from my hand and lets me pet her like her mother does. Others aren't as tame. Vic is down rigging a light thing up w/ extension so I can give them darkness for 8 hours and still keep pump running. he's also rigging up a net over the pool....More later...Sylvia

Eden, the pictures of Bella are absolutely adorable.

Babs, the cake is very cool.

V, we are in the deep freeze too.

Michelle

Hi everyone

Can't stay to chat as I have to lead a Cub Scout meeting tonight (the boys are making a bird feeder from a soda bottle and garlands of cranberries and popcorn).

Just wanted to throw an idea out for Sylvia and wish her luck with her fish. A local water garden center here breed Koi and they board fish for owners who are away (in their tanks an ponds). Would this be a possibility in your area? Otherwise it sounds as if you are doing the best you can - I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Babs - fantastic cake!!

GB - thanks for the FEMA link. You sound very down at the moment, I wish there were an answer to feeling depressed. I'm sending you the biggest hug.

Marian , so glad Tim is doing better.

V - bummer on the car. I did the same thing myself, a tiny bump getting out of the garage, but hundreds of dollars to fix. Glad your DH is so understanding - mine was too.

Gotta fly, waving to everyone else.

Mary

I love the colors on that cake Babs. You are just a well-spring of creativity :-)

Eden, my favorite Bella photo from the proofs is the one with the profile of her chubby cheek and no sign of a nose. They're all wonderful, but that's my fav.

GB, Sorry you're feeling down. Maybe the french tree trimming party will give you a lift? I agree, we can't ignore evil, but important not to ignore good things either.

V, did you exchange drivers licenses with your husband or just hugs :-) Bummer!

Yes, Janie of course we missed you. Hope you're enjoying that garage assuming that you have snow now?

It's snowing here, and there were too many 'shakes' to do much walking with the dogs tonight. With three of them it was constant stop and shake and not much 'go go go.'

Sparkles to you too Martie - I like that ! Hope your class was worthwhile.

Deanne, I've missed what you're working on at the moment. Always enjoy looking at your work in progress - if you get a chance to share.

Ok - I have the Chiltern's catalogue to enjoy.... and a warm bath. And yes, I did get all of the candles in the windows yesterday just in time for snow! It was pretty to be outdoors tonight.

Hi to everyone that I've missed! Cynthia

Cake... a subject near and dear to my heart. Above all else I prize "baked goods" as the most sumptuous of treats. It doesn't matter how great the cake LOOKS (and your's looks great, Babs.!), it's the TASTE that matters. I want to hear about the frosting... buttercream? ;)

I called the insurance company and the now defunct Taurus is off the policy. I have retained the registration to redeem the "unused" portion of it for the "new" car. (I'm so "tight" I squeak when I move). The auction is tomorrow and I'm hoping my "broker" will turn up something decent for short dough. No call from the donation site today. If there is nothing by tomorrow afternoon I will call the toll-free # and take agressive strides to get the parking area cleared out... snow season is coming. :/

Have all but one windowbox filled with greens. I'll do the last one tomorrow afternoon. I still have to get the greens for the pediments into some water and "conditioned" before the assembly of the pediments. BUT, the helpmeet didn't drag out the frames, so I'm not feeling too guilty today.

Ahh, Cynthia, I AM incorrigable. I really like being outdoors and having "the pride" gravitate to my side. Within minutes of pulling into the driveway any kitty who happens to be outdoors magically appears to greet me. I really like that. I also like seeing 2-4 voles outside the doors to the house. I really "dig" calling "kitty, kitty, kitty... where are Mummy's kitty-kitty-kitties?" in a sing-song lilt and having them come running within minutes. None of our neighbors have ever complained and I've thought it was pretty cool that a neighbor's cat (Elvis) came over and rubbed against me while I was gardening one day. I was stunned to find a "strange" kitty next to me... but he became a regular, too. I was sad when he relocated to Cumberland. I guess I'm OK with cats, dogs (even though I hate them), kids (hate them, too) in my yard. Cars are part of the "food chain", too... the mechanized one, it's nice to know there's another smart-a-- out there...

'bug, this is a technical question. I was thinking about negations in French while I was working. I have a dim recollection that whenever a negation is used the plural is dropped in favor of the singular. I posted, "Je ne sais pas LES autres."... but reflection makes me think I ought to have posted, "Je ne sais pas L'autre." Could you offer your insight, please? I also want to know "pinecone" and "bird's nest"! Aides-moi, s'il te plait.

After dinner I have to spend some time in "the lab.", cleaning.

Oh! I received the call that the mantel is ready to be picked up!!! I am so excited. It will really be the last detail to finish the chimney. After that, it will simply be a question of hanging the artwork and "accessorizing"... . I'll put up some pictures when it's done, PROMISE (you had doubts?).

Later, dudettes...

Evening all .

Latest reports from Tim is that he is apparently doing okay .I had the shot giving wrong . It is every 12 hours , for 5 days . The home care person didn't show this morning ! He was supposed to be supervised on the injection . He went ahead and 'played it by ear ' . He was waiting to hear from the doctors ...both the 'family' dr. and the heart dr. , and planned on going in to work . ( I hope he didn't . It's an hours drive just to get there . )
Thanks again to all for your good thoughts and prayers .

LOL , Babs ! Yes , where were you when I needed you ? LOL , again ..." We've corrupted Marian " ! Nah , it's okay to take a little wine for infirmities . Could I use my 'vinegar ' for cooking ?

I went to the funeral of the 32 year old this morning . It wasn't a sad event . She is now free of her afflictions .

The wintry precip is in our forecast for Wednesday .Low tonight to be around 14F. I'll have to keep the home fires going at a good pace . Sweats feel good in bed !

Sorry about the setbacks some of you are suffering . This is a bad time of the year for many . Marie , I am espacially sorry for your depression . I hope you can keep your thoughts on good things .

It seemed like there was a lot of disgruntled people in town today . I went to 3 differant stores , and didn't see much 'good will' . For a small town , the traffic was horrendous . I would like to not return until after the first of the year .

I don't remember if I mentioned that my only brother was being treated for cancer . He has been given a clean bill of health . I am very thankful for that . ( He lives in Portland , Oregon . )

Marian

Good Evening, It's so quiet here tonight. I'm all alone and loving it. The house is clean, the laundry done and I'm considering cracking open a bottle of chardonnay, on a Monday yet, and just sitting and enjoying the Christmas lights and music.

Marian, I'm so glad Tim's doing ok. Also that's great news about your brother. I'm with you on not going out until January. What ever happened to peace on earth, goodwill toward men?

Cynthia, I like that picture of Bella too. I meant to mention that the red dress with the lace color that she has on in some of the pictures was my oldest daughter, Jenni's, first Christmas dress 26 years ago. My mom made it. Thanks for the nice comments Deanne and Michelle too.

Mary, when I was a Girl Scout leader we decorated a tree for the birds at Christmas time. It was lots of fun. Have fun with the Cubs tonight.

V, what a bummer about the your little accident. At least hoping that it turns out to be little. When David first got his license, I was backing out one car so he could get his out of the driveway and I had to stop because a car was coming down the street. He wasn't looking at all and backed right into me. The horn on my car wasn't working and there was nothing I could do but sit there and let him hit me. I guess home car wrecks are more common than one would think.

I'm going to go and enjoy my solitude now. Hope you're all having a nice evening too.

Eden

Most likely won't be having a lot to comment about . Oklahoma cold and dry. Our (big) 'little darlings', near and far, have their trees up and doing thier best to become healthy, wealthy(?), and wise. I'll be snuggled up (somewhere) with yarn, paint, cloth and thread, a book , or Partner. If I'm not 'visible it don't mean I'm not lurking so y'all behave. EP

I forgot to comment on the 'cats in other folk's yards ' . I have never had any problem with that , except when it is a tom cat that choses to attack our cats . Our 2 house cats are former 'neighborhood' cats . I am so proud to now own them , espacially Tommy . I have had much more problems with dogs , and children (Me too , Chelone ) . I even had a problem with a pet rooster !! lol .
Of course we now live on our own 20 acres , but we lived in town several years . It was there that we had the most dog and child problems . Now it is racoons , deer , armadillos , opossums , etc. etc . Either you learn to live with them , or you rant and rave all the time ! I prefer to live with them . By the way , the raccoons get more birds than any cat , and so do some predatory birds . Some of the guilty birds are not ones you would think of . Snakes get a lot of birds , also . It is a cruel world out there !

Marian

Chelone-"Je ne sais pas LES autres."... but reflection makes me think I ought to have posted, "Je ne sais pas L'autre." Could you offer your insight, please? I also want to know "pinecone" and "bird's nest"! Aides-moi, s'il te plait.

Both phrases make sense. 'Les autres' for more than one, 'l'autre' for singular.
nest is 'nid'
evergreen tree is 'sapin'
You see, I'm fudging because I don't remember.
When you give a command, the final 's' usually disappears. So "Aide moi" would be fine.

I don't seem to have any of my text books. All my dictionaries are French only. Maybe I should remedy the situation soon, unless Google has a translation system to offer.

Marian, I do remember worrying about your brother. Amazing that he has done so well so quickly! Good going! As for good thoughts, there are of course some, but I'd feel very badly if I ignored the difficult subjects that need addressing. (I've already wolfed down three pieces of AJ's birthday cake!!!!What I want to know Babs is how did you arrange the zillion red sprinkles...one at a time by hand?)

Mary, RIT phone interviews this week...and maybe more later. I suspect not much will come of it, but we could be neighbours, you never know.

I forgot to tell you , Babs ....that is a very 'neat' and lovely cake !

Marie , yes , I agree , there are lots of difficult subjects that need addressing . Many of them can not be mentioned here . I agree wholeheartedly , "Ignoring the evils and walking around chirping seems lunacy " . It's like the perverbial ostrich burying it's head in the sand . It would be good if we could face them all , and conquer them , but many will never be conquered .It's rather like the wild beasts that surround us here , you have to learn to live with them . Good and bad comes and goes , I just pray that the good will overshadow the bad , but then ...I believe that eventually the good will prevail .
I am sending hugs your way .

Sorry about the various car woes . Chelone , you have the same attitude about cars as I do . Mine came through a car auction . In 8 more months it will be paid for , and I hope it lasts a good many more years . It's not a fancy , rich person's car , but it fits in with the average person's around here .

Marian

My ancient Larousse provides the translation pomme de pin.

Bird's nest has to be nid d'oiseau...

Merci Blue Bird. Come visit us here 'at our feeder' more often!

'bug, when you post vocabulary please make sure you include the gender.

"Nid", c'est masculine ou feminine? et "sapin"? Je n'ai pas d'une dictionnaire... aidE-moi, s'il te plait.

"Pomme de pin", ahhh.. c'est ca.

Merci beaucoup, Bluebird! :) (I LOVE French, it's such a pretty language).

Un nid
Un sapin

'Mon Beau Sapin' est une chanson que nous chanterons pour Noël ce vendredi soir. [Chelone will translate that for you I think. ;-)]

Hi Guys! I'll have to keep this brief as I'm going to bed, but wanted to check in to see how Marian's Tim is doing (glad to hear he's doing okay)and that I'm so flattered about you having me on your screen, Marian!:-) Some day someone will have to tell me how to do that. Oh, and wanted to tell Babs I *loved* her cake! And Deanne your card to EP is just stunning! And I'm still not 100% certain that that is a painting and not a photo! You are *so* talented! And to tell Chelone how much I admire her spirit and her humor! And to say Hi to Yeona and to tell her she is in my thoughts. And to tell GB how I loved the music/light show and to tell everyone how much I enjoyed reading everything they have to share.

Stuff going on here with mom that I don't want to get into, but I'm sure it will all work out, so no worries. Just may take me a few days to get back here. In the meantime I'm thinking of you all.

Oh, also wanted to mention a movie I just saw the other day...March of the Penguins...it was *so* beautiful! The nature photography was fantastic (I have to admit I was especially thinking of Deanne, Babs, and GB when I saw that photography). I was thinking how good you guys would be at that and wouldn't that be a fun life? Anyway, it was a fascinating story about their trek and I was so touched by the tenderness and affection the males and females show each other during courtship! :-) And the penguins are *gorgeous*...the white of their fur? skin? is pearlized and just glistens. Definitely worth a couple hours of my life to watch that! :-)

Well, I gotta go...have a wonderful night all...
Oh and P.S. Taryn I loved your Balsam pic....is that also called Touch Me Not? I think I had that once (not varigated like yours), but I remember how fun it was to touch the seed pods and watch them burst! :-) Oh...and two more things...EP your corn husks dolls are just beautiful. Admire how you find so many creative and crafty ways to wile away the hours...good for you! :-) And Mary, in my excitement over your trip to Hawaii, I forgot to say Congratulations to hubby on winning the prize! You all must be very proud and excited. Will you be able to share the pic with us sometime?

Okay, forgot one more thing..."Hi Lily" good to see you, but sorry to hear about the pond. And Martie...thinking of you too and wishing good things for your brother.

Okay, gotta go now...Good Night All! Ei

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

Stars shinin' bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singin' in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me

Say "nightie night" and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading but I linger longer
Still craving your kiss
I'm longin' to linger together
Just sayin' this...

Sweet dreams till someone finds you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me

Seems like the deep freeze has hit us all altho we aren't too cold yet...about 32 now. But for awhile that will be the high for the day, so winter came quickly. I think it was just last week that one day it was almost 70...Does anyone think that this was the freakiest weather year ever???There is still a hurricane out there and I forget the number but it long ago broke the record...We didn't get the snow tonight that was predicted..I am not in a holiday mood this year and am not doing my usual newsy thing I send w/ a family picture. Figured it would make everyone as depressed as I am reading it....
Babs..What a delightful cake..Too pretty to eat..
EP..Your cornhusk creations are quite good. I took a class once w/ a neighbor and I must say I was a tad slow in getting the drift. I did manage to make two which I still have. The stupid thing I did was cut up my daughter's smocked dress for the fabric..~~
The fish situation will drive me bonkers. It's a little ironic that I will eat grilled salmon for dinner and then stay up till 5 AM to try and revive a baby koi...You need to have them to know how attached you can become to a fish. They are clowns in the water..distructive to plants but fun. I really hope I can keep them for 3 months . I have the window open in that room to keep it cold, and he rigged up an extension cord so I can turn off the light and not turn off the pump which can't stop running. It pumps 250 gallons a hour thru a filter. I'm getting too old for all this nonsense..time to downsize.......Time to go..Phoebe is walking the keyboard...Sylvia

"My Beautiful Evergreen" is a song for Christmas we will sing on Friday evening." Oh, I miss being able to speak French! it's such fun to work at it.

Years ago, I worked in a store and there was a charming Italian couple shopping. I asked if I could help them... nervously, they waved their hands, "No English". I smiled at them and asked, "Parlez vous Francais?". BIG smiles, and enthusiastic nods... . I didn't have what she wanted but I knew exactly where to send her to find it. Language shrinks the world and make it a warmer, friendlier place. Sigh.

I hope Tim is doing well, too. Is he injecting a blood thinner, or what, Marian? and he has to do that for how many days?

I want to enlist your good thoughts today... I'm really very tired of not having my own car (how spoiled am I?!), the logistics of two working people and one set of wheels is tiring. :) Mostly, though, I just want to get this problem solved and the junker out of the yard. It's getting "old", if you know what I mean.

I'm running a little late this morning. Don't you hate it when you oversleep? always makes me tense. Anyway, I've simply decided to proceed at my usual pace and get to work a little late. This was urostomy change morning and that eats up my few moments of "alone time" in the morning. I can be very crabby without adequate "alone time". With that thought in mind, I don't know how those of you with kids manage!

I want to see "March of the Penguins", too. And the one with George Clooney that is about Edward R. Murrow and that idiot, Joe McCarthy. I have a CD that features Count Basie playing "Dream a Little of Me" on the Hammond organ (unusual for him) with the vocal by Ella Fitzgerald. It's one of my favorites. Lovely tune.

EP and Marian, I was thinking of you two yesterday. Diane Rheme (sp?) interviewed a man who's just written a book about the Dust Bowl in the '30s. It was absolutely rivetting. I'll have to pull up the NPR website to get the title (and learn how to spell Diane's name, lol!). Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas panhandle were just "toast" for years. One of the dust storms actually hit Washington DC and NYC!

OK, I have to go now. Make it a great day, my friends.

Good morning!

I was unable to sleep so I got up around 1:45 and have been looking at quilt magazines and twiddling my thumbs. I don't know what is up with the 'not at all sleepy'...but I sure hope it doesn't stick around. Only problem is that I don't have a blanket set out and I'm bundled in a microfleece jacket, trying to stay warm. I can't go get firewood to stoke the stove without waking all the dogs & cat (concerned about them barking & caterwalling) plus the woodstove door creaks loudly. If I get firewood I might as well grab a big metal soup ladle along with a big soup pot and beat it to wake DH.

Besides, if I sit in the dark, awake, feeling very cold....well, that just makes a better story, okay, better whine, when I tell him how rotten of a night I had. :oD

One does have to think of these things (good stories & whining).

Okay, so I'm a wuss and I gave up.....turned the furnace up a tad. I couldn't turn it up much as I don't want to roast the poor SLEEPING fellow who is under the down comforter SLEEPING now would I? Would I? Nah....

So.....what has everyone else been up to? :oD

Wow! T is up very early. I'm just finishing up my "alone time" this morning (I'm with you on that one,
Chelone) although I'm not too sure how alone it is with the two dogs wandering about.

I thought I was so smart this morning as I stood out there in the bitter cold, blowing on the clip of the dog lead to unfreeze it. It worked, I clipped Mystic outside and ran for the warmth of the house. A few minutes later when he was ready to come in, guess what? The clip had re-frozen even worse than before. Solution? Pull the dog's collar off, beat a hasty retreat for the warmth and let DH deal with it later today!

Time to hit the shower.

V.

Good, serene morning, everyone.

Very quick stop in to wish everyone a plus-side day with a reminder (originated by Sue) that the days will start to get longer, soon. If I had my druthers, I'd curl up somewhere and go right back to sleep. No such luck as work beckons, as do the bills it will help pay.

Here, winter has officially begun as pics of roses are now pasted to windows. It's a tradition I started years ago and sometimes I can trick my brain into thinking it's June :-)

Thanks for all thoughs re: my brother. It is an ongoing saga and I feel d*%m lucky every single day that our situations aren't reversed. My thoughts to out to everyone who deals with/has dealt with the same thing. "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger". Wish I could believe that 100% of the time.

Best to all -- hope to drop back in for comments later. A lot of Good stuff is happening in this group, too!

Martie

Chelone and Marie.. good for you for practicing your French. Chelone, I hope you will eventually read 'Aristocrats' which includes some French vocabulary, being a very profound personal history of a French/English/Irish family. I read it twice before passing it on to our daughter who lives in England and has visited some of the significant areas. I don't want to think about the 'dust bowl' or 'depression' but agree there are a lot of unpleasant things that we all have to learn to deal with at some point in life. There is nothing worse than pathological depression. Have been thru the 'no car of my own' challenge too. Also the 'no home of my own' challenge. Growing up the parent's home was a place for just about anyone to 'hang thier hat' and find temporary shelter. Privacy and self determination means a lot. So does reinforcing friends. It is going to be a cold week here. I'm grateful I can soak in a tub of hot water or snuggle under an afghan or have a choice of a hot drink or a nice hot bowl of soup. Previous winters have been milder than 'normal' and this one might result in having to replace a lot of plants in the spring... if so... probably with annuals that will grow fast and give color. EP

A quick good morning,

Sylvia, I don't know if your indoor koi pool will have an ammonia spike or not because I'm only familiar with keeping goldfish in an aquarium with the filtering set up I have. I think your pool/koi situation has gone beyond my ability to advise as I don't have experience with your filtering set up. I'd forgotten about the jumping fish thing. My recommendation would be to put a netting over the pool so they can't jump out. A couple years ago we had a fish jump out of a 1.5 inch space between the hood and the filter. Go figure? We put him back in the aquarium and he was OK within a few days.

Martie, what windows do you paste the photos of the roses in? I'm intrigued. My lights keep me 'in the pink' during the winter months. I had another little success story yesterday. I'd dug out an ipomoea tuber and it was the 'Sweet Carolina Bronze' variety that I especially wanted to keep (Thanks Michelle for recommending that one)so I potted it up. Well it just sat there since but yesterday it had a new fat sprout coming out of the pot!!! Woohoo!!! So now, how am I going to keep that vine happy all winter??? I crack myself up.

The UPS man already knows me by name and thinks it amusing the amount of packages I get. (I order all my business supplies on line). Anyway, I can't wait to see his reaction when the Christmas packages start arriving. I'm thinking of leaving the garage door open and have him leave them in the garage. I told Doug I was going to open up one of my folding tables and making a 'staging area' to open the packages and recycle the cardboard.

Eileen, thanks muchly! Yes that is a painting. Speaking of which - time to paint. Later all.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Deanne

Just a quick jump in here. It's only 11F outside this morning. Too cold!

Deanne, my ups guy delivers so many plants and seeds to my door that he asks gardening advice of me, lol. How great to have all your Christmas shopping come to you. Good news that your Sweet Carolina Bronze lives, Plant Mama, lol. I really like that one too. Hope we get to see the new painting.

Martie, Tell us more about the Rose pictures on the windows. What a great idea.

T, I was having problems waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. That was pre-Bella though. Now days I sleep like a log thanks to her.

Marie, my four years of high school French is very rusty. I can read it better than speak it. My favorite french memory from school was reading The Little Prince en francais. Just from reading the little you've written here on the Idylls it does start to come back to me "un peu". I've had fun figuring out what you're saying. When David was taking French a couple of years ago we would play Scrabble using french words. That was fun too.

Ei, it's so good to have your bubbly self back. I really want to rent March of the Pengiuns. Thanks for the review.

This has taken longer than I planned so hi to all until later...Eden

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Santas run off to the Caribbean
He's dreaming 'bout boat drinks and fun in the sun
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Just a quick clip from my current favorite CD-Jimmy Buffett's Christmas Island. Play it while covering your windows with rose pictures. Usually I don't go away to warm places in the winter but a quick trip to an island in January or February may be in my future this year. Anyone care to join me? It sounds like a few of you could use it.

OK, back to reality-statements and budgets. At least we don't seem to be getting the snow that was predicted last night (just the usual weather geeks whipping people into a frenzy with their 'noreaster speak) but can you midwesterners keep your frigid cold out west please? Supposedly that comes next.

Sue

Brrrrrrr! A cold Good morning to you all . It didn't get quite as cold as predicted , and is presently about 22F .

V , do you have a portable hairdryer? Use it to thaw your dog's leash clasp . Or take a very warm , DRY , cloth to wrap around it .

Ei , the way I save pics is by right clicking on the pic and clicking on 'save picture as ' in the little box that comes up . Another box opens and I click 'save' . That puts it in my 'pictures' folder , in 'documents' . Then to put it on the screen , I right click on the computer screen and a little box comes on . I forget what the bottom word is , but I click on it and another box opens . It has all the pictures ( In the 'picture' folder ) that can go on your screen . Scroll and click on each one until you find the one you want ...then click 'okay' . That is how it works on my computer ...maybe differant on yours .

Sylvia , I agree . It has been a very freaky year ...maybe not the "freakiest ever" , but very freaky ! Sorry about your fish problems .

Chelone , The injection Tim has to take is Lovonex or Levonex ( depending on what you Google ! ) . It's to be injected twice a day , for 5 days . Then he will (presumedly ) go to oral meds only . Coumadin is the one he will be using , as of this time .
I find the history on the 'dustbowl' years very interesting and have reasearched it quite a bit . We who lived in Idaho at the time , and farmed , were not too affected by it as far as I know . I was too young to give it any thought . We were affected much more by the rationing in WW2 . An awful lot of people in Arkansas ( and other neighboring States ) moved West during the Depression , and never returned .

Teresa , sorry about your sleeplessness . I understand about the wood in the stove thing . It doesn't bother Nolon any . He has a separate bedroom and it is the farthest from the livingroom where the stove is . I have learned to wear warm enough bedwear to not freeze when I get up to stoke the stove . ( Sweats , and socks ! ) Aren't you fortunate to have a furnace to turn up !

All these French lessons have left me completely in the dark ! LOL . I don't think there are many French speaking folk in this area , nor were there in Idaho .

Ooops , time to get ready to go to the Golden Year's class .
TTYAL

Marian

EP's post reminded me of another book suggestion. Almost French is a memoir by Sarah Turnbull, an Australian journalist who married a Frenchman and moved to Paris. It's an interesting story of how she learned to cope with a very different culture, and it has just enough French scattered throughout to keep those French brain cells working. I was pleased that I was able to translate Marie's sentence all by myself at a very early hour this morning!

The little brain spasm in the driveway Sunday night will cost $900 to repair. Ugh! And as Chelone can tell you, even more than the cost will be the inconvenience of being without a car for however many days it takes to repair. And DD's car is going in for brakes tomorrow. What is it about the Christmas season that brings out the car problems? It was this time last year that I found out my car needed major overhaul work.

Marie, the website below offers free translation, but it helps to have some understanding of the language as Babelfish has a hard time handling idiomatic usage. My husband tried to translate something into French for my daughter but he used the verb "get" a lot (as in "you need to get this done") and Babelfish translated all of the "gets" as the verb "to obtain". Also, he referred to my son's room and it came out "la piece de DS". If you re-translate that on Bablefish you get "the part of DS". You must say bedroom, not just room, to get a good translation.

On an another topic, Marie, I sympathize with your comments about severe depression. I agree that this is not something that you can work yourself out of with "happy thoughts". But some of us have a tendency to be worn down by the little stuff of life and tend to forget that in the long run it is just little stuff. (for a good example see my very own whine about cars above!) We're the ones who need to remember what's right every once in a while.

On that very topic, I just got an email from DH. We are trying to work out plans for the end of the year with another couple, and it looks like we will be able to spend two nights at the Drake in Chicago courtesy of DH's Hilton points. While it's not always fun to have him gone so many days, it is nice when we can enjoy the benefits of his travel once in a while.

Babs, I forgot to tell you how cool your cake was! Great work, and I love how you created the wand. Did you remember to put a phoenix feather inside?

Like Eden, this post has taken too long, so I'd better post before I turn into a babelfish myself!

V.

This joke was in my email this morning and I thought I'd share it since we've been discussing this topic of late...

Little Nancy was in the garden filling in a
hole when her neighbor peered over the fence.

Interested in what the cheeky-faced youngster was
doing, he politely asked,

"What are you up to there, Nancy?"

"My goldfish died," replied Nancy tearfully, without
looking up, "and I've just buried him."

The neighbor was moved by the little girls emotion.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. But that's an awfully big hole
for a little goldfish, isn't it honey?"

Nancy patted down the last pile of earth and then
replied,

"That's because he's inside your **** cat."

Eden

Sue, name the island and the date. I'm busy the first three weekends of January but could do something after that!

V.
not joking - who else is in?

I'm in! What island? Must be warm, tropical, have those chaise lounges on the beach where a girl can order a pina colada from an attractive wait person.
Deanne

-14.6 this a.m. Thats right 14.6 below 0! That is abnormally cold for the beginning of Dec. Although, they are talking 30 for Sat. a real heat wave. The unbelievable part is that it is still fall.

Deanne, I have Sweet Carolina in the house as well. Last year it never looked very good, in fact I thought it dead. I kept watering and in spring it really took off. Don't give up if it doesn't look too good.

T, you really are a dear wife ;o)

Ei, thinking of you and mom. Its a difficult time of year to adjust to a loss.

The guy I used to work with that has the brain tumor is deteriorating fast, he won't make Christmas. Just turned 42 with 4 children ages 13 and under. A very difficult situation.

Eden, Bella wearing her aunt's Christmas dress is so special. I'm so sentimental, I just love stuff like that. I took a picture of Kenzie this summer wearing the dress that I had my one year picture in. I think I posted it here.

As for cars, I am quite happy yet with my 8 year old VW Passat especially with the higher fuel prices. I get close to 50 mpg. You don't have to go to the gas station very often either.

Stay warm
Michelle

Michelle, so sad about your coworker. I've heard too many stories lately of parents with several young children passing away. The latest one was a mom of four who had strep throat, got an antibiotic from her doctor and died of an allergic reaction. (Can I spell anaphylactic shock?)

And here comes my sermon for the day. One of the reasons that she could not be saved is when she realized something was wrong, she called a neighbor who was a paramedic. Yes, a paramedic but an off-duty paramedic with no lifesaving equipment at hand. He called 911 but by the time they arrived, too much time had been lost and they were unable to save her.

So please, friends, if there is an emergency don't hesitate to call 911. And remember before you try to drive someone to the hospital that the ambulance is equipped with all sorts of life-saving equipment that isn't in your car.

Sermon over. Now for the happy news! Can't believe I forgot it earlier!!!

DD received acceptances from 2 more colleges yesterday! She is now 3 for 4, and the 4th college will not make a decision until she auditions in mid-January. But this is a load off her mind, because at least she feels like she has a place to go. One of the 2 from yesterday has invited her to apply for the honors program and possibly a full scholarship! (The sweetest words a parent can hear!)

Sorry, Babs and Drema, but she has decided against Oberlin. She would rather stay closer to home. These two schools are both within a three hour drive.

Okay, back to work where I am slaying dragons, well, at least slaying network support guys. I have officialy canned one this morning and am cleaning up his messes myself. No, I'm not a tech guy but my rate is affordable. ;)

V.

Shucks! I'm saving my pesos for Idyllunion, a new mower and spaying the cats. Otherwise I'd be there pronto. I wonder if our medical plan would pay for it as an emergency....

Deanne...back to the dungeon woman! (What is the painting this time? Show us!)

Thanks V, you are on the right track there with depression. While for some of you not having wheels is a big nuisance, I, who have never owned a car, am frantic about the disposal of the old vehicle in environmental terms, about families with more than one car, etc etc. The issues are huge in my mind. We have friends with EIGHT cars and only 2 drivers. It makes me panicky. Imagine the things that drive me wild. No, I don't sleep. The basic issues of lack of resources for an increasingly greedy population, not to mention the disposal of crud, is ever so frightening. You've all heard of battles over fishing rights and lumber between US and Canada, but things we take for granted, like air and water, will be causing wars in the very near future. I think I had children before having brains and experience. I couldn't have children in today's world.

Sunday DH got $300 from the bank machine. The problem? The receipt said he received the amount, but he did NOT. So he tried again. Same result. Life is certainly full of challenges.

Saw March of the Penguins over a month ago. Good and beautiful and incredibly sad to me. All that effort and heartbreak FOR A ONE YEAR RELATIONSHIP. I suppose a study of any animal, human included, would have its very sad aspects too.

Chelone, je prépare une soupe aux tomates et légumes pour mon dejeuner. Bonne journée tout le monde! Gros baisers pour toi et le frère de Martie- de Charlotte.

{{gwi:188183}}

"Chelone, I made tomato vegetable soup for my lunch. Have a good day all. Big kisses to Martie and her brother from Charlotte."

A+ Deanne!

Marie , you are depressed over the lack of interest of future life on this earth . I am depressed about the lack of interest in the hereafter . At least you are allowed to discuss your concerns .

Are 'legumes' any vegetable , or just those of the bean family ?

Charlotte looks too zonked out to be interested in kissing anyone ! LOL

Marian

T..I have the same problems w/ sleep. I have fibromyalgia and that is part of the problem..Marian..Does this affect you as I know you have fibro too?..My doctor prescribed Lunesta but I hate taking meds. I might take one tonight because I have gotten very little sleep and then I doze off watching Law and Order....Chelone..Saw Good Night and Good Luck..It was very good in black and white..I want to see the other Clooney movie this weekend. ..Bug..I too fret about the immoral consumption going on today. My cousin has 5 cars for 2 drivers and lives in a Mc Mansion which has absolutely NO appeal to me..Too cooky cutter But then she probably thinks my place is "quaint"!!...Deanne. husband did build a contraption to fit over the kiddie pool. He fitted the netting w/ wood strips and laid it over in 2 sections. I put two baskets upside down and they seem to huddle there together. Pinky is still alive. I salted the water and might again tomorrow...V..You know I agree w/ you about the small stuff..I do tend to get thru major bad events but it's just daily living that gets me down. When you live in a big white elephant that was built 165 years ago, and have pets and ponds and 1/2 acre and two other outbuildings to deal with, something is always going on. Monday it was the sewer backing up in the basement because of the massive tree roots. It needs rotor rootered every year at $165 a pop and it would be $375 if they used a camera..But what's the alternative? I have lived in a house since the day I was born,(except for college) and only lived one year in an apartment when I was first married. Bought first house at 23..Something to worry about..downsizing which I can't see happening...Keep warm..Sylvia

Good morning, everyone. I'm tired; it just dawned on me that it's probably the cumulative effect of about 2 hrs. of sleep last Saturday, dealing with Mum, duh.

I solved the car problem yesterday afternoon. The auction turned out to be a bust. The cars were all high mileage and many of them were actually quite old (10 yrs.) so Mike decided there was nothing he was interested in bidding on. The few that caught his eye didn't meet the reserve. So, I went to the local used dealer and purchased a car I'd already tested. Paid more than I wanted to for it, but it is in nice shape, drove nicely, has new brakes, and new skins. Has some power "toys", and the bottom line is, I don't have to juggle one car with the helpmeet. Like it or not, I have to have wheels. It would perhaps be different if this was a one income family, but it isn't (I could commit a felony if I had to remain here with Mum all day long... ;) ). Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in an area with public transportation? I will drop the big rig off with Daddy this afternoon and then walk down to the dealership to claim "the prize". Any bets on how long it will take me and Rex to crap the interior up?

I received a call from the car donation place last night. Seems they don't have anyone in my area to tow the car away. So, it's back to the drawing board on that count. I'm less than thrilled, but this too shall pass. It really IS small stuff. Essentially, so was the death of my car. A PITA, but beyond that. I was thinking of terribly fortunate I really am. I have lived frugally, saved responsibly, and have worked hard for good credit. It all makes things like this less stressful. Would that it was so for many others.

The helpmeet put the hydrangeas to bed yesterday. They have wire cages around them and they're filled right up with oak leaves. It ISN'T how I was planning to handle them, but he had a bee in his bonnet to get some outside stuff done yesterday, so I was "overridden". Not sure how I quite feel about that, but right now I have bigger fish to fry (sorry Sylvia), so I'm lettin' it go. (How mature of me).

Time to go wake Sleeping Beauty. I have to give her a lot of credit, actually. She gets up with me and goes to bed when I do. Occasionally, she gets a little crabby, but usually she's fine; more interested in talking to the cats and the dog. And remarking how nice it is to see the sun wake up.

I picked up the mantel yesterday. I went to the bakery and purchsed some cookies for the guys. They put the soapstone in the car for me and then they ALL came out to thank me for the cookies (8 of them). I was interested that they suggested I rub the stone with mineral oil to deepen the color and really accentuate the veining. I'm not sure, though, I really want to do that. I'll try to get a shot of it up soon so you can see for yourselves. I still have to find a hook and get the helpmeet to install it, so I can hang some artwork over it. It's all about accessorizing, ladies! :)

I know I've missed things I wanted to comment on, but I really have to skeedaddle now. The chilly air will be spilling into our area today and tomorrow. Winter is here. I noted the sunset was 4:14 yesterday afternoon, but soon the back of winter will be broken, friends!

That one is for YOU, 'bug... :)

Good frigid morning. Not below zero yet but it's coming ...

Marie, thanks for the kisses from Charlotte to my brother. And thanks for being forthcoming about how you feel. There are so many "levels" of depression that the AMA is considering renaming degrees of the illness to differentiate them. A good idea.

Roses on Windows: When Kyle was about 5 he got a really severe case of the flu and had to stay in during a wonderfully kid-friendly snowstorm. All his friends were out and he was understandably bummed about not being able to join them. We decided to pretend it wasn't snowing, but was a sunny, warm day with flowers blooming.

I pulled out my Wayside Rose Catalog (remember when they did one separately?) and had him cut pictures out. Then, we took clear contact paper, cut that to size, and adhered the rose pictures to the windows. It was enough for him to feel better about being "in". It took a while to detach the pictures from the windows some weeks later, but it was worth it.

The tradition stuck the next year when we had an ice storm that paralyzed our area of Connecticut. Kyle found the Jackson and Perkins catalog and away we went. Believe me, it is nothing but humorous to look out a window, see a picture of a rose, and then realize that everything is snow-covered. Just some winter whimsy ....

I don't speak any other verbal language well, though I can ask people to "wait a minute while I get someone who speaks Spanish", in Spanish. Also am fluent in American Sign Language which comes in handy at the most unexpected moments.

Glad Chelone got a car. We couldn't live without two. Rich needs his for his work, I need mine for my work, and Kyle needs his to do the school/work/home thing. It irks me that the donation site doesn't tow ......

Also glad Tim is receiving good care. Hope you can exhale, soon, Marian.

Sue: I love the chanty. Wish I could join you on the island but new job, new garden bones to install, and a college tuition bill make it not doable. I will be with you in spirit, though -- someone bring a laptop for pics!!

Did I miss her or has Taryn not been around? I'm interested to know if her sellers agreed to the deal ....

V: Thanks for the book suggestion. I'm a biography nut and have read most credible ones (and auto--s) of prominent women. Haven't heard about this one and will find it. A storm is coming this weekend -- perfect excuse!

Cynthia: I, too, have a propensity for being "up" even when I feel like crap. I'm so grateful I have that power, in recognition that many others don't. Was thinking of you yesterday when I realized that two years ago Ky and I went to U of Maryland where it snowed 3 inches and shut down the state, thus eliminating his bonus points of attending an info session. The stupid things that run through one's mind .....

Have thoroughly enjoyed all pics of cakes, kids, and rooms. Traveling with "the boss" today so must get my professional act together and move it.

Stay Warm, Everyone!!!

Martie