Happy New Year! is one way to say it. If you keep on typing it will wrap around.

And so we end the year, stealing from Mandarin meg. Shhhh, don't tell, eh?

Best wishes to all of you, and we'll see you tomorrow, with a brand-spanking new year.

Escape!

There is something to be said for a slow connection. I made it to 39.37 seconds!!

You're Babar the King!
by Jean de Brunhoff
Though your life has been filled with struggle and sadness of late,
you're personally doing quite well for yourself. All this success brings responsibility,
though, and should not be taken lightly. Life has turned from war to peace, from damage
to reconstruction, and this brings a bright new hope for everyone you know. These hopeful
people look to you for guidance, and your best advice to them is to watch out for snakes.
You're quite fond of the name "Celeste".


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

and from Susan at EBC:

In the year 2006 I resolve to: Fly a kite. Get your resolution here

Pandora of Montana has tagged me:

Guiltiest Song: "Lose Yourself", Eminem. Only you folks know *grin*.

Guiltiest TV: Hmmm. Desperate Housewives.

Guiltiest Food: Hmmmm. Big hmmmmmm. Uhhhhhh. Candy bars from the snack box at work. I really just shouldn't.

Guiltiest Drink: The margaritas at Texas Roadhouse. Strange things happen when I drink those.

Guiltiest Crush: Well, first it was Robert Redford, then it was Kevin Costner, and now, it's Brad Pitt. And I'm soooo happy he's with Angelina.

Let's see, now who shall I tag: I'm gonna say, anyone who wants to play!

It's Friday again! Yay!

I had a couple of vacation days in December, so this is my third four-day week, with one more to go next week. I could get used to this!

Whoa!

Now Randy had quite a Christmas!

Okay, in this post we're going to discuss the various grays/greys there are in the world. Discussion in the comments. (I think mid-Michigan has to be one of the grayest parts of the world.)

H O M E

Things I learned (or relearned) over the holidays:

• Twenty-four people can still be squeezed into Mom's living room. Twenty-five cannot.
• Opening presents before dinner is still more fun that opening them after.
• Fifteen pounds of ham will feed 25 people, with lots of leftovers. Thirty pounds will make for meals of leftovers. (What was Mom thinking?)
• Even if it's a giftcard in the package, it's more fun to unwrap presents than open cards.
• It can be white ALL December, and still end up being a green and white Christmas.
• There's no place like home.

And what did you learn?

Nominations are Open:

For your hero of 2005.
Can be a famous person or a not-famous person or an infamous person.

Well, hello everyone! I'm back from a lovely Christmas. If you celebrate the holiday, I hope it was a good one for you.

I didn't unconsciously mutter yesterday, so I'll mutter today:

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

1. Virus::Computer
2. Poop::dood (poop upside down, a long-standing family joke)
3. Smart::Aleck
4. Agent::Secret
5. Wrap::those presents
6. Brass::Bad
7. Waste of time::oh, a lot of things that are also a lot of fun
8. Suspicious::minds
9. 360::degrees
10. Dummy::Charlie McCarthy

Merry Christmas Eve Day!

Taking a quick break from a massive gift-wrapping session!

Ut-oh.

I have one gift that I purchased back in October, and I can't find where I put it. Have you ever lost a gift before you gave it?

The Slut-o-Meter is here. Might want to find out your score.
Thanks to Patti for finding it. And wow, girl! Impressive numbers!

Yikes!

After snow all December, we now have possible rain in the forecast for Friday. Wouldn't it be funny if we DIDN'T have a white Christmas after all???

oh sure.


Tarzan!


What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Holidays.

So often they have "other" sides.

This Christmas, our family is sad as my brother entered detox Sunday. Sad that it came to that, sad that he won't be with us for Christmas, but happy that he is taking steps now to get a long-standing problem under control.

This Christmas, our family is ecstatic that Niece #1's husband is home from Iraq, for good! Their company returned to town this morning. My mom and brother and I couldn't stay for the whole thing (as they were delayed) but the pulsating excitement and joy in that auditorium was a wonder to behold.

Holidays. They do have "other" sides.

"Mary, did you know?"

This Christmas song caught my attention this year. I've been thinking about it a lot, and looking for nativity scenes at churches. So far I've only spotted two stationary ones, one lighted one, and one tableau. (The tableau was quite cute. It was teenagers on a Saturday afternoon, with three live goats, and the goats were soooo cute and cold.) The blonde Marys are kind of a jolt. My favorite so far is the Mary at Cristo Rey.

Some years we've been in danger of not having a white Christmas. That is definitely not the case this year. We've had snow throughout the month, and the forecast will keep us in the white stuff.

I've liked the wno this year. (Don't hit me, otto!) It's made me think of the old-fashioned Christmases of years gone by.

And be sure to ask me how I like the white stuff come February. *smile*

Fake blizzard. Actual picture over on flickr.

spotted at a couple of different places, and the quizzie finally worked for me.

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Stretch, yawn, oh lovely! I love having a Monday off. Now I'll catch up on all the things I've needed to catch up on: mailing my cards, finish wrapping packages, finish decorating, finish finishing! Plus napping. And . . .

A Little Monday Madness:

Since I haven't received any emails from my faithful participants, offering questions (hint, hint), I will have to come up with my own... =)

1. Name 1 toy you owned when you were younger, that meant a lot to you. My sewing box that my grandparents gave me when I was ten. I still have it.
2. Name 2 games you enjoyed playing as a child. Hide 'n Seek. Monopoly.
3. Name 3 foods you didn't like as a child, but do now. Mushrooms, coconut, and green peppers
4. Name 4 foods you didn't like as a child, and still don't like. asparagus, cooked cabbage, can't think of a fourth, but the third would be, and I bet you guessed it bryn: brussel sprouts!

It appears that there have been problems accessing both this blog and the comments. Sorry about that. We're in the holiday season now, so anything can happen, I guess. (That's what I get for using free tools.)

It was the deer. Those beautiful animals with their big dark eyes, their white plumelike tails, and their ridiculous Vulcan-like ears. He had tried three times in the four years they had lived in Long Ridge to have a vegetable garden, and each time the deer had devoured it.

~~Before You Know Kindness, Chris Bohjalian

Up with the 3:00 a.m. whatevers, so, we shall mutter:

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

1. Replenish::Refuel
2. People::Person
3. Trend::Fad, chart
4. Girlfriends::Sharing
5. Spirit::Moves Me
6. Banshee::Howl like a
7. Oasis::in the Desert
8. Thrills::and Chills
9. Fountain::Chocolate. They seem to be in this Christmas.
10. Boxes::Gift wrap.

I would have said pumpkin:

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional Those who like you crave security

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Lifted from Knit-Together, where Kathryn is the sumptious Mud Pie

Argh!

I picked up a sandwich for lunch yesterday. It was a chicken barbecue thingee, and it tasted a bit off. (I didn't finish it, which is rare for me.) Within an hour, I was raging sick. Ewww! So came home from work, slept three hours, got up and had some soda and crackers, slept three hours, got up, had some more soda, slept three hours, had some chicken soup, went to bed for the night.

Feeling better this morning, and the scales say some weight went bye-bye.

A new weight-loss program.

Great Grandmothers.

Today would have been my Grandma Bea's 99th birthday.

Today my mom is being a Great Grandma and my nieces and nephews are being Great Grands.

My mom is quite conservative in her tastes in books, movies and television shows. Bad language, violence, and sex are issues. Her grands know her tastes, and work within that framework. Nieces #2 and #4 went to all of the Lord of the Ring movies with her, and would tell her when to not look if things got too intense.

On Thanksgiving, Niece #2's new husband went over to Mom. "Grandma," he said, "there's a movie coming out and we'd like to go to it with you." He was speaking of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

So the program mushroomed, and this evening two nieces and three nephews are gathering for Chinese with Grandma and then going to the movies. And I don't think they'll have to tell her not to look at all.

They're all great.

Needmore Church. Yes, that's it's name, taken from the highway that it sits on. This is the church where Grandma Bea taught Sunday School for many years, the church where she played the piano for many many years. It's where she married Grandpa Larry after being a widow for six years and living with us.



That's US at the wedding.

Behind the church is the cemetery where many of our relatives are parked. We take wreaths out in the winter, fill urns on Memorial Day.

December 16th was Grandma Bea's birthday.

ooh boy. I'm making an Orange Clove Pomander and it smells great! However, I'm a bit challenged in lining up my rows of cloves. Any ideas?

It's the last day for the Weblog Awards, but you might want to take a gander over there and check out some new places.

The sweep of the fields in the old chicken coop's window.

HOW
doYOU

Blog?

It's a textual thing. Pure text with some inline CSS. No graphics required.

Okay, meg asks How Do You Blog?

Tool: Blogger. I've been on it for over four years now.
Initial attraction: ease of use.
Current attraction: It's become quite stable. Except for holidays. And certain other outages. *smile*

How:
1. If I have something to say, I open the tool, type the stuff in, and hit publish.
2. If I'm surfing, I leave the create window open and make notes as I go.
3. If I have a picture I want to share, I grab the link from flickr.

Thanks, meg, for the CSS above!

Eek! A Happy belated birthday to Cybertoad, down in Texas!

The photographer as "split" personality.

I confess: I've been tagged by Gail.

Hmmm. What can we confess?

I confess: that I cheated on a music theory test in 8th grade.
I confess: that I later confessed to the teacher. (I was such a nerd.)
I confess: that I ate some cupcakes at the grocery store when I was seven. And didn't pay for them.
I confess: oh, you don't really think I'm gonna confess the juicy stuff right here in public do you?
I confess: that I weigh too much. *sigh*
I confess: that I have wayyyy too many scrapbooking stickers and pieces of paper in my hobby closet.
I confess: well, here's another one I'm not gonna type aloud. Hmmm. I yam a coward. (My mother surfs the net. Wouldn't want her to accidentally find anything too intense, ya know.)
I confess: that I talk to myself. (And once in awhile, I answer. Oops.)
I confess: that I still like Neil Diamond.
I confess: and this is a big one, don't hate me, but . . . I never really cared for Bob Dylan.

Okay, I'm going to tag the following: Susan and susan and Roscoe and kim and meg and Kathryn and sheryl and otto and sherle and Karen and bryn and LDH and Pandora and . . . well, anyone else who would like to play along.

Your results:
You are Batman

Batman 65% Robin 65% Hulk 60% Spider-Man 60% Superman 60% Green Lantern 55% Catwoman 50% Supergirl 48% Iron Man 45% Wonder Woman 43% The Flash 40%

You are dark, love gadgets and have vowed to help the innocent not suffer the pain you have endured.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...


Haven't done a quizzie lately, so swiped this one from LDH's.

Good Tuesday morning!

Didn't make it back here last night. My friends Deb and Carol gave me an early Christmas/birthday gift: a gift certificate to Coldwater Creek, a women's clothing store that I had never gone to because I thought their clothes were too nice and too small for a big person like me. Nah, they said, so we went there and they helped me shop, and we had a blast!!!! And I got home late.

And how was your Monday?

And it's another Monday Morning. Not very manic. Not very awake. How are you?

Out in the country today.

To Lucy Barfield

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and boynd you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather,

C.S. Lewis

~~Preface to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Link via SusanJayne.

Survivors Ready? The final is tonight.

My boot order is in the comments.

Mutter Mutter.

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

1. Stalker::Night
2. Outrageous::Outlandish
3. Carrying::Case
4. Spirited::Horse
5. Oh!::My!
6. Grid::Iron
7. Country::Singer
8. Karen::Carpenter
9. Candles::Burning bright
10. Relationship::*sigh*

Hey Santa! I got a B+ on the Nice test. So there!

oh great! Somehow I lost my Saturday morning post, which isn't bad because it was just a good morning, but I lost Cassie's and bryn's comments. Eek! I am so sorry!

I've been to Narnia. It was a good thing. *smile*

Okay, so THIS morning didn't start out well. I was driving merrily along to work, made the corner from Aurelius to Mt. Hope when suddenly thunkawumpabumpakapoeey! Sheesh. I pulled into the cemetery office's parking area, got out, and looked. There it was. A very flat, falling off the rim tire. And it was 8 degrees out. Sheesh! So I called Shroyers to come and change the tire, but of COURSE it would be an hour. Everyone has car trouble on cold mornings.

The wrecker came, but then HE had problems with the lugnuts and had to call in a backup. The back-up got there, and he was going to use a pneumatic thingee, but they couldn't get that fired up. Finally, old-fashioned man-handling worked the charm. They got the spare on, and I took off for Discount Tire.

I took a few pictures of the cemetery offices and buildings while I was waiting.

So how was YOUR day???

So

Survivor. Who will be booted?

Still working on the November 26things. (I know, I know, I'm late.)

A question came up. What, to you, is the difference between under and underneath?

Mandarin meg asks: How do you blog?

Anyone blog with their feet?

Six degrees Fahrenheit! And it's only December 8th! Cold winter coming.

(and lots of furnace calls for HVAC companies. Busy busy!)

Got a caption for Scott's Caption game?

Wonderful!

Leslie Harpold has her Advent Calendar again! I've played with it every year, and I'm glad to see it's back. Now, I'm only seven days late, so I can have fun catching up!

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

If you have a moment, go wish her one. She's over here on the "other side". *smile*

Yikes! Blog*spot sites were down yesterday, that was a bummer. All appears well now! Work is still horrendous this week, so posting shall be spotty. Y'all carry on!

A little Monday Madness to start the week off:

This week's questions are all about moving... Have fun, and thank you so much for playing! =)

1. When is the last time you moved? December, 1982
2. How many times in your life have you moved? 9
3. In your opinion, what is the worst thing about moving? packing
4. What is the most exciting thing about moving? setting up a new household
5. If you've lived in the same place all your life, do you plan to move in the future? yes, moving this June
6. Do you WANT to move somewhere else; if so, where? Same town, different address

Tomorrow's December 5th. Are you going to have a bathtub party day??

Snowball Fight!

Yay! One of the big perks of living in snow country is snowball fights! Had a great one last night with brother Boo, two nieces, and two nephews.

We were out in the garage, getting out of our wet snowy stuff, when the doorbell rang. An old family friend had stopped by. Sheesh! Way to make an impression after 30 years, wet hair plastered to head. Well, that's the real me!

While looking through my archives for the link to the cyber-snowball fight, I found this:


Aww...you are the plant of love! You are the
mistletoe! You are a loving, romantic person
who likes to do what is best for the one or
ones you care about mostly. You are very
affectionate and enjoy being close to people.
You believe that love brings you together,
which is a wonderful thing. You are most likely
going to have a very nice and marvelous season.
Your inventive mind could come up with anything
interesting to do. Merry Christmas =)


What Christmas Figure Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

And that hasn't changed from last year!

Okay, here's the snowball fight! (Made it to level 4 on the first try. How did you do?)

Unconsciously Muttering along:

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

1. Amazing:: Race, Grace
2. Delights:: the heart
3. Inspired:: to great heights
4. Disgusted:: turned up nose
5. You:: and me
6. Vagina:: Monologue
7. Palm:: Sweaty
8. Sweetheart:: Let me Call you . . .
9. Guilt:: Penance
10. More to come:: The best is yet to be

Aha! November is over! (I know, I'm a day late.)

Shout-outs to Kathryn and Kat on their Art Everyday Months, and to Ali for completing her NANO-book! You all rock!

Doesn't EVERYONE alphabetize their refrigerator magnets???

Gargoyles are interesting.

Whoa!
Monday sucker-punched me. We're always busiest at the end-of-the-month/beginning-of-the-month. (Sheesh, let's make that easier. Our busiest times are from the 25th of one month to the 5th of the next.) We also have the dreaded I word to contend with this time: INVENTORY. Worked from 7:45 to 6:45 yesterday, did a few errands, came home and dropped to the bed. For good, as it turned out. Yikes!

And how are YOU faring?

A report on Saturday:

Why is it that I'm always a couple of days behind? Goofed off most of the morning. (Tummy had issues.) Went for walk with deer in the afternoon, then drove over to Old Town for a little more shopping and visiting this exhibit. Oh my.

Ulp! I don't really want to go to work today. Big, hectic week coming up. Oh well, nothing to do but meet it head on, I guess!

Monday Madness:

1. I've always been afraid of ________. Roller Coasters. Though I did go on one. Once. That's what love will do to you.
2. People should not talk on cell phones while ________. driving. Except I have. It was a straightaway.
3. The one thing I look forward to every day is ________. Visiting my blogfriends.
4. My first meal of the day usually consists of ________. cereal and juice. However, today I am out of milk, so I had a peanut butter sandwich on multi-grain bread.
5. It seems like ________ is a never-ending job. laundry

Six and seven don't really apply, as I live in an apartment.
6. The last time I painted a room in my house/apartment was ________.
7. The next time I paint, I'd like to paint my ________(room) ________ (color).


Happy Monday!

This was what leaves looked like on Saturday.

Weather keeps hopping around.

We had snow for Thanksgiving, but we had rain today, and tomorrow we should be in the 50's. Therefore, I felt there was time to take one last autumn/fall quiz.

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Black Friday Report.

Yes. It's true. I participate in Black Friday. What can you do when the phone chirps at 5:00 a.m. and it's your fifteen-year-old niece saying "are you ready?" You simply must get up and join the family for the fun.

We're really laid-back shoppers. We met at Meijers and spent an hour checking things out. The big sales seemed to be the 27" televisions and $25.00 bicycles. We picked up a DVD/VCR combination unit for Mom (don't tell her) and some smaller gifts. SIL introduced me to silicone bakeware!! Honestly, I had no idea!! That's why I participate in these things, to get an education.

Then it was on to Sam's, where they had a continental breakfast that saved us having to stop at Mickey D's, then Target, and then Kohls. Again, this was for edumacation for me. I tend to shop at the same old places. It was my first time at Kohls. They have good stuff and good prices, but . . . their lines extended to the back of the store. They were doing the thing where for every $50 you purchased you received a $10 gift card. Funny how that works so much better than a discount, even though it is. We decided we didn't have time to wait, as SIL had to be to work at noon, so we headed over to K-Mart. Must have been a supposed to happen thing, because SIL saw one of her friends there that she hadn't seen in two years. The spirit of Christmas works in mysterious ways.

I was home by 1 and taking a nap by 1:30p.m.

One nice thing about winter: with the foliage down and the snow on the ground, I can get pictures in the woods again!

Up for a few minutes, so I'm going to Unconsciously Mutter. You can too!

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

1. Stuffed::obviously in the USA, Turkey
2. Armstrong::Lance
3. Bruise::batter
4. Content::at peace
5. Musical::Carousel, Music Man, Oliver
6. Assistance::Aide
7. Scrambling::Eggs
8. Battle::of the Bulge
9. Extended::Hours, Courtesy
10. Discount::Dave (a place here in town)

You are a young-earth creationist.


What Type of Evolutionist/Creationist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanksgiving Report:

Fourteen were at Mom's table on Thursday. This was down from the 25 of last year, but you know how it goes. The Boyne bunch had planned to come, but their furnace died and the new one can't be installed until next week so they had to stay home and feed the wood-burner. That probably turned out for the best, as the northwest side of the state got hit with a blizzard. Boo-boo and crew were with us last year, but this year it's the "other side's" turn to have Thanksgiving with them. And last year my cousin Charlie and his family shared Thanksgiving for the first time since we were all kids and went to our grandparents for his Christmas.

We hadn't expected niece #1, who lives in Ann Arbor (yes, it's true, but she doesn't go to school there) to make it through the weather, but she arrived first. You should have seen Mom glow. The good news for me: her power had gone off, so she didn't bring her brussel sprouts. (Thought of you, bryn *smile*, especially as her name is bryn also.)

The reduced numbers meant that our youngest participant was 18. They're growing up so fast. Niece number #1, whose husband is in IRAQ, had the best news. He'll be home home by December 22, barring any complications, and things look good as their replacements are already in place. Yay! And there was a lot of "baby talk" between nieces one and two. I think the race may be on!

So next year, who knows? We may be up to 27!

NANO revelation.

I've been doing the Nanowrimo thing this month, working on a novel about a 13-year-old girl. I had planned on parking my seat in front of the computer this weekend and trying for the 50,000 words. Wednesday night I had a revelation.

A friend had emailed, wondering if we could get together Friday night as her husband and son were out hunting. I thought, oh no, there goes my word count. I was stressing about it, when it suddenly dawned on me, and please don't laugh:

I didn't need to finish the book in November. I could continue into December and January and however long it took.

Somehow, I had relegated writing to the month of November. The other eleven months, nada. Well, it doesn't need to be that way. I can write twelve months of the year, if I wish.

This sounds so simple, and it is, but sometimes it is the simple things that elude me.

So I am very happy to have been a NANO participant, and I'm enjoying family and friends this holiday, and . . . the writing shall continue.

Just thought I'd share.

Hmmm. Well, now I know.

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Sneaking in another one:


You are glucose. People feed off of you. You are
sweet, caring, and a source of energy for
everyone around you. You can inspire others
with your creativity and depth, and you can
keep people alive when in times of famine.
People love you...or at least the way you
taste.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


And I couldn't find the Jones Soda this year. Dang!

You Are Corn on the Cob Soda

Like sucking on a stick of butter

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

As bloggers, we become attached to our fellow bloggers and we care about them and we share their joys and sorrows.

Susan of EBC and SusanJayne go back many blog years. Through Susan, I was introduced to her delightful sister Robin.

Robin lost her battle with cancer yesterday morning. Losing a sibling is one of the hardest losses. Brothers and sisters are keepers of our history in special ways. They are the people most closely related to us blood-wise. They are our "other" selves.

My heart breaks for Susan in her loss.

Hersheys kiss that is awesome: the Cherry Cordial.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Added at 8:30 a.m.
In the comments we'll be playing the alphabet game. I'm thankful for:
First person uses A, second person B, and so on. Let's go!

Big BIG congratulations to Ali, who has finished her NANO project! YEA!

Thanksgiving Exercise.

Utoh. I'd better start walking now. Gail gives us the link to "walking off" the Thanksgiving calories. I have miles to go before I sleep.

I am so confused! Happily so! It's a Wednesday night, but it's the start of my four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Yes!

Oh, NANO!

Still nipping at the NANOWRIMO project. I am wayyyy behind, but I knew I would be, and that it would all boil down to Thanksgiving weekend. We have a small family Thanksgiving celebration this year, so it appears I will have time to park seat in front of keyboard and type away.

This has been a fun project this year. I have based my character on my 13-year-old niece "Tulip". She has been a willing research project. However, I was told not to use Devin as the name for the 8th grade boyfriend. All right, Alex will do. *smile*

Quiz nite:

From Roscoe:

Erotic Thriller

You've made your own rules in life - and sometimes that catches up with you. Winding a web of deceit comes naturally, and no one really knows the true you. Your best movie matches: Swimming Pool, Unfaithful, The Crush

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Oops. How did THAT happen????

Secret: It's Mandarin meg's birthday today. Tell her Elvis says "happy birthday".

Otto's Monday Madness:

It's that time of the week again! Enjoy! =)

1. I have little or no patience when it comes to ________. people not taking responsibility for their own actions.
2. I wish I could spend more time ________. doing one thing at a time, instead of multi-tasking.
3. The most productive thing I accomplished this past weekend was ________. getting ready for our tailgate party.
4. The most enjoyable thing I did this weekend was ________. It was a weekend of enjoyable things. My brother's family and my sister's family and I did the "Silver Bells In the City" thing on Friday night, then had a tailgate/football game party at Michigan State University Saturday. A good time was had by all!
5. I've always wanted to learn how to ________. play the flute.
6. If money wasn't an issue, I'd buy ________. a top-of-the-line computer and digital camera. (Ha. Did you see how I stuck two wishes in there?)
7. I blog because ________. I can.

These are the Sunday Unconscious Mutterings. I suspect you can guess what I did yesterday by my answers.

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

1. Heads up::Be aware!
2. Kicker::Michigan State University needs one, badly, before next season
3. Aggressive::Behaviour
4. Getting ugly::The Penn State/Michigan State game yesterday
5. To be continued::Hopefully, John L. Smith's football coaching career
6. Twist::Oliver
7. Form::Drew Stanton's was terribly off last night. What happened?
8. On the road::MSU didn't do well on the road, but we also lost two at home. One was yesterday. We were there in the stands to cheer them on, but, it didn't help.
9. Import::Maybe we can import some talent for next season
10. Flowers::Roses. And Lilacs. And Lilies-of-the-valley!

Please join us for a brief walk through the Silver Bells in the City last night?

Timely, I think:

...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?

Found at Roscoe's, where he is the same.

Here it is, the first snow of the season. We have our family tailgate/football game party on Saturday. Fortunately, we'll be back up in the 40's by then.

LDH is taking quizzes, so I wanted to play too:

You scored as Mrs. Wormwood. You are Mrs. Wormwood. Don't worry, you don't really smoke, Calvin just thinks that. The best and only teacher in the whole comic, Mrs. Wormwood has had alot of experience dealing with Calvin. By now, you should know to send Calvin up the the principal's office before he does something outrageous, to save the time and yelling. What Calvin & Hobbes character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

And this is absolutely NO surprise!


Golly Gee!! You are NORMAN ROCKWELL.
You are a painter of simple, everyday happenings.
You tend to avoid the outrageous and stay well
within the guidelines of society. Your friends
count on you for your loyalty and
level-headedness.


Which famous artist most reflects your personality?
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First Snow. Ahhh.

Hump Day! and November has finally shown up. The winds are howling, the sky is gray. Now maybe I'll get more of my NANO done. Or not. *smile*

“Although the forms of costume are often determined by changing styles of fashions, other factors--most notably climate and geography, materials and technology, sexual attitudes and social status, migration, and the inertia of tradition or habit--have been just as influential; the basic determinant is climate.”
~~Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia

What's your favorite costume?

Of course, if you live UpNorth in places like Michigan, today should be a legal holiday. You DO know what day it is, don't you?

Well, found this at Karen's *grin*.

What Your Underwear Says About You

You tend to throw out your underwear after a few months. It gets used and abused! You're comfortable in your own skin - and don't care to impress anyone.

The Underwear Oracle

well. ahem. cat's got my fingers, or somethin' like that. See ya tonight!

Here's the Monday Madness:

It's been a while since we've done this; I ask each of you to choose a letter of the alphabet and answer each of the following with a word/group of words that begins with the letter you've chosen... And as always, thanks for playing! =)

Okay, I'll take the letter R.

1. Name one color. Red
2. Name one song. Ring Around the Rosie. (Sheesh, now where did THAT come from?)
3. Name one movie. Rainman
4. Name one vehicle. R E O
5. Name one food. Radishes
6. Name one household item. Radio
7. Name one book. River Runs Through It. (Okay, okay, I cheated. It's actually A River Runs through It.)

Saturday was an exceptionally warm, beautiful day here in mid-Michigan. (Well, kind of dark when MSU lost bigtime to Minnesota, but other than that . .. ) Everyone was at the park, it seemed, so I didn't see any deer, and most of the color was gone, but the reflections on the pond were nice, and I believe that's a Tamarack in the distance.

Well, NANO number is increasing, but still WAY below were it should be. I'm heading towards 11,000 words, and by Tuesday I should be at 25,000 to be on target. Whoops! However, I always did like cramming at the last minute, so we'll see what we can still get done.

How are YOU doing?

We've had one of the gentlest autumns I can remember this year. So gentle, in fact, that the geraniums are going for yet another blooming. However, a cold wind blew in during the night.

Let's get the morning going with some Unconscious Mutterings:

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

1. Mighty:: Fortress
2. Gotta find time to ....:: Stop and smell the roses. Well, the roses are dead now, but you know what I mean.
3. Statistic:: I hate being a statistic
4. Midnight:: Time for beddy-bye
5. Thaw:: Ice
6. Hips:: Too big
7. Reader:: Writer
8. Related:: nieces and nephews0
9. Brilliant:: Mind
10. Posture:: Poise

This sentence starts with a drop cap in the hex color #008000. Mandarin meg is asking for favorite colours. In return she'll give you a drop cap.

You Are 33 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Pulled up again from October 24:

Let's Do It!

One of my oldest and dearest blogging friends is Susan at Easy Bake Coven (EBC). Susan also has a personal blog at SusanJayne. We've gone through several years visiting via the internet. Susan brings us entertainment and political news at EBC, and shares the joys and sorrows of life at SusanJayne. We've laughed and cried through trips to Montana (mine, both real and imaginary), trips to Tennessee (hers, to visit family), weddings, school events, and so much more. She has shared her love for her sister Robin often through these years. Two years ago Christmas Robin was critically ill. It was a scary, bleak time, but Robin pulled through. Now Robin is facing another crisis, and I quote from October 9:

Just a quick note to say I'm still in Tennessee taking care of Robin. We came back from Vanderbilt University Medical Center with the diagnosis of liver cancer and it's also in her lymph nodes. Chemo alone won't help much, so she may decide on a surgery in conjunction with chemo. Doesn't look very good and we're all in the middle of just trying to deal with the news. She already had cirrhosis and HepC.

Robin is in a lot of pain, and could use some cheering up. Susan has given us the following information:

Robin's Email - We can use her Yahoo email which is mzdobber@yahoo.com

Home Address

Robin Swinks
501 Golf Course Drive
Elizabethton, TN 37643

Check out Robin's blog here to get a sense of the indomitable spirit of the lady, and let's see what we can do to give her a smile or two! All right? All right!

utoh! I'm behind on NANO, and now otto mentions there's a 26things going on in November! Yikes! (Thanks, otto!)

Crash!

SHIF!!

SO Happy It's Friday!!!!!

A couple of shout-outs.

First, on the NANOWRIMO project: Ali is at 20,000 words. Her husband is doing the project this year, and his word count is even higher. YAY!

For the third November, Kat is doing what she calls "AEM", Art Every Day Month. Check out her site for her work, and as a jumping off place for other bloggers who have caught that bug!

Whew. It's Thursday already. Time shirley flies, whether you're having fun or not in some cases!

Any Survivor watchers out there? Who's going down tonight?

Copying Cindy Loo:

Your Fortune Is

7/5th of all people do not understand fractions.

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

susan over on the other-side-of-the-world found this:

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	5.7
Mind:	6.5
Body:	5.2
Spirit:	7.9
Friends/Family:	3.8
Love:	2.1
Finance:	7.5
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

You are Rerun!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
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Transplanted Alamo

We have a replica of the Alamo in Old Town. It was built a few years ago as a Mexican restaurant and the facade was supposed to have been the size of the Alamo. Unfortunately, shortly after it was built, the restaurant closed due to tax issues. The building sat unused.

After a lengthy neighborhood battle, the "alamo" is now being remodeled as a church. The big issue in that neighborhood was that it is close to the entertainment district in Old Town, and there was concern that the church would lobby against the local bars. (There are local ordinances about distances between drinking establishments and churches.) The church signed off on that issue, and work is now proceeding.

The ironic part to the whole story is that the closest bar, The Temple Club, was originally . . . a church.

Cycles.