Just looking at the pictures from Katrina at various sites. Wow.

Swiped from bryn, but I really think I must have clicked on the wrong thing, 'cause this is NOT me!

You are sexy, powerful, and bold. You're full of passion and energy... Sometimes this passion has a dark side. You feel most alive when you're seducing someone. You never fail to get someone's attention. Quick minded, you're also quick to lose your temper!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Monday Madness. Yep.

Another week of potpourri....... Have fun!

1. Do you own a dishwasher (and if not, do you even want one), or do you have to do your dishes by hand? Do the dishes by hand.
2. Do you put your dishes away immediately after washing them? Nope, let them airdry.
3. In the warm weather, do you like hanging your laundry out on the clothesline to dry, or do you prefer a dryer? I love clothesline drying, but alas, as I live in an apartment, there's no clothesline.
4. How many loads of laundry are done in your household each week? Six
5. Do you own a pet? If so, do you buy them presents for holidays? Do you consider your pet(s) spoiled? If you don't own one, do you think you will one day? No pets, and probably won't until I'm retired.
6. It's Friday evening and you're planning your weekend. What's on your agenda? Movies/walks(if the weather is nice)/cleaning/scrapbooking (if it's rainy)/browsing at the mall/visiting friends/visiting family

Okay, I don't usually do this kind of meme, but I must be in nostalgia mode. Thanks, LDH.

A. Go to http://www.musicoutfitters.com.
B. Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function.
C. Bold for the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don't remember (or don't care about).

1. Aquarius, Fifth Dimension
2. Sugar, Sugar, Archies
3. I Can't Get Next To You, Temptations
4. Honky Tonk Women, Rolling Stones
5. Build Me Up Buttercup, Foundations
6. Dizzy, Tommy Roe
7. Hot Fun In The Summertime, Sly and The Family Stone
8. I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Tom Jones
9. Everyday People, Sly and The Family Stone
10. Get Together, Youngbloods
11. One, Three Dog Night
12. Crystal Blue Persuasion, Tommy James and The Shondells
13. Hair, Cowsills
14. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby, Marvin Gaye
15. Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet, Henry Mancini and His Orch. *sigh*
16. Crimson And Clover, Tommy James and The Shondells
17. Grazin' In The Grass, Friends Of Distinction
18. Suspicious Minds, Elvis Presley
19. Proud Mary, Creedence Clearwater Revival
20. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love), Jr. Walker and The All Stars
21. It's Your Thing, Isley Brothers
22. Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond
23. Jean, Oliver
24. Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival
25. Get Back, The Beatles
26. In The Year 2525, Zager and Evans
27. Spinning Wheel, Blood, Sweat and Tears
28. Baby, I Love You, Andy Kim
29. Going In Circles, Friends Of Distinction
30. Hurt So Bad, Lettermen *I was such a geek. I really really REALLY liked the Lettermen*
31. Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival
32. My Cherie Amour, Stevie Wonder
33. Easy To Be Hard, Three Dog Night
34. Baby It's You, Smith
35. In The Ghetto, Elvis Presley
36. A Boy Named Sue, Johnny Cash
37. Baby, Baby Don't Cry, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
38. Only The Strong Survive, Jerry Butler
39. Time Of The Season, Zombies
40. Wedding Bell Blues, Fifth Dimension
41. Little Woman, Bobby Sherman
42. Love (Can Make You Happy), Mercy
43. Good Morning Starshine, Oliver
44. These Eyes, The Guess Who
45. You've Made Me So Very Happy, Blood, Sweat and Tears
46. Put A Little Love In Your Heart, Jackie DeShannon
47. Do Your Thing, Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
48. I'd Wait A Million Years, The Grass Roots
49. Touch Me, The Doors
50. More Today Than Yesterday, Spiral Starecase
51. I've Gotta Be Me, Sammy Davis Jr.
52. Lay Lady Lay, Bob Dylan
53. Atlantis, Donovan
54. Traces, Dennis Yost and The Classics IV
55. It's Getting Better, Mama Cass Elliot
56. This Magic Moment, Jay and The Americans
57. Run Away Child, Running Wild, Temptations
58. Hawaii Five-O, Ventures
59. Galveston, Glen Campbell
60. I'm Gonna Make You Mine, Lou Christie
61. Gitarzan, Ray Stevens
62. Can I Change My Mind, Tyrone Davis
63. Time Is Tight, Booker T and The MG's
64. This Girl's In Love With You, Dionne Warwick
65. Color Him Father, Winstons
66. Black Pearl, Sonny Charles and The Checkmates, Ltd.
67. Indian Giver, 1910 Fruitgum Company
68. Mother Popcorn (Part I), James Brown
69. Twenty-five Miles, Edwin Starr
70. Things I'd Like To Say, New Colony Six
71. When I Die, Motherlode
72. That's The Way Love Is, Marvin Gaye
73. Everybody's Talkin', Nilsson
74. Worst That Could Happen, Brooklyn Bridge
75. Chokin' Kind, Joe Simon
76. Smile A Little Smile For Me, Flying Machine
77. Polk Salad Annie, Tony Joe White
78. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
79. Games People Play, Joe South
80. You Showed Me, Turtles
81. Come Together, The Beatles
82. Oh, What A Night, Dells
83. Something, The Beatles
84. This Girl Is A Woman Now, Gary Puckett and The Union Gap
85. Tracy, Cuff Links
86. Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon, Paul Revere and The Raiders
87. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, Diana Ross and The Supremes
88. I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Marvin Gaye
89. Gimme Gimme Good Lovin', Crazy Elephant
90. Hang 'Em High, Booker T and The MG's
91. Your Good Thing (Is About To End), Lou Rawls
92. Baby I'm For Real, Originals
93. You Showed Me, Turtles
94. Love Me Tonight, Tom Jones
95. Ramblin' Gamblin' Man Bob, Seger System
96. Laughing, The Guess Who
97. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me), David Ruffin
98. Soul Deep, Box Tops
99. Hooked On A Feeling, B.J. Thomas
100. Sweet Cream Ladies, Box Tops

Now which was the favorite. Hmmmmmm.

Unconsciously Muttering:

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

1. Girlfriends::Share with
2. Here to stay::The internet is
3. Call me::if you need me
4. Frustrated::Upset
5. Public school:is where I went
6. Glitch::Hitch
7. Cheese::Mouse
8. Director::Movie
9. Pivotal::Focal
10. Exclusive::Only

Okay, People type question of the day:

Jennifer or Angelina?

Just finished The Psycho Ex Game. A very funny book and unique format.

Update:

oh duh! Now that I've finished the book I look at the authors. It's written by Andy Prieboy and Merrill Markoe: Letterman's old girlfriend. Double-duh. No wonder I found it so funny.

When they got ya, you've got no more chance than a road rabbit...You're walkin' along, not a nickel in your jeans, you're free as the wind. Nobody bothers you. Hundreds of people pass you by in every line of business. Shoes, hats, automobiles, radios, furniture, everything, and they're all nice loveable people. They let you alone...Then you get ahold of some dough and what happens? All those nice, sweet, lovable people become heelots. A lotta heels! They begin creepin' up on ya, tryin' to sell ya something. They get long claws and they get a stranglehold on ya and ya squirm and ya duck and ya holler and ya try to push 'em away, but you haven't got a chance. They've got ya. The first thing you know, you own things - a car, for instance. Now your whole life is messed up with a lot more stuff. You get license fees and number plates and gas and oil and taxes and insurance and identification cards and letters and bills and flat tires and dents and traffic tickets and motorcycle cops and courtrooms and lawyers and fines - and a million and one other things! And what happens? You're not the free and happy guy you used to be. You've gotta have money to pay for all those things. So you go after what the other fella's got. And there you are - you're a heelot yourself.

~~Meet John Doe, Frank Capra movie from 1940, speech by Walter Brennan as the Colonel

The Last
Firefly?

Sure enough,
there
was the green
luminescence
of the
luciferin

Last night I saw one. I wasn't sure at first. It had been nights since I saw them twinkling. There was a flicker to the left of the sidewalk, then a flicker to the right. I tracked where I thought it would appear next. Sure enough, there was the green luminescence of the luciferin twinkling. Was s/he the last one?

This year it seems important to notice the last one. (Can anyone say OCD???) I'll keep you updated.

The Pull quotes, the special colors, the layout are all . . . you guessed it . . . swiped from MandarinDesign. Meg is making a comeback. I am glad.

It's Still Summer, But . . .

• The cars have a film of condensation in the morning.


• The streets in East Lansing are clogged with returning MSU students.


• I saw my first orange leaves yesterday.


• Labor Day is less than two weeks away.

But, it is still summer.

Today, I must remember to:

Looking around at Stampington. Some neat calls and challenges here.

Hmmmm. A day that started out well, but ended way short of perfect.

Oh, such hyperbole. Into each life a little rain (or snow or hail or bs or whatever) must fall.

Good Wednesday morning!

Blogger finally let me on. Hopefully this will post.

Feeling much better now, so Monday must have been just a technical blip. Thanks for all the good wishes!

For Orange Lovers:

Knocked out!

Whew. I dunno what hit me. I got home last night around 6:30 and thought I'd lie down for a little while and read. Oops! Woke up at 10:00 p.m., was up for 45 minutes getting things ready for bed, and back to the zzzz's I went. I'm not sure if it was the weather change or a cold bug or allergies or what. Feel pretty good this morning. And how are you?

Monday Madness.

This week's questions are totally unrelated to one another; just a 'pot pourri' of randomness! Have a great week and thanks for playing!

1. When putting groceries away, do you rotate your food so your newest items (cans and such) are in the back, and older food in the front? Umm. Nope.
2. Do you own a digital camera? If so, how long have you had one? If not, do you plan to purchase one soon? Yes, this is my second digital. I've had digital cameras since 2000.
3. How do you store your precious photos? Okay, here's the deal. I love to scrapbook, but . . . there's this thing about time. (Plus I take a lot of pics.) So, I have several scrapbooks, plus 6 boxes (sorted by my siblings) of photos waiting to be scrapped, plus a carrier with photos prepped for scrapping, plus a bag of photos to sort.
4. It's 6:00 a.m. and you've just lost power due to a severe thunderstorm; they say it will probably take at least 12 hours before power will be restored; what do you do? Go to work.
5. How many times a year do you (or does someone dear to you) wax your automobile? Once
6. Gas prices; what can we say except they've reached an all-time high. How are you dealing with this? I'm frustrated. And I think they'll get higher yet.
7. Have you ever purchased a book or cd twice, forgetting that you already had it? Oh sure.

Survivors Ready?

Yep, September 15 is the kick-off. We are up to Survivor 11 now. Time sure flies, eh?

Sunday Morning, so it is time to Unconsciously Mutter.

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

1. Fan::There's a nice one right by my computer.
2. Scum::of the Earth
3. Lily::of the Valley
4. Humid::It definitely was yesterday, and has been so many days this summer.
5. Ghetto:Student
6. Remember me?::I remember you.
7. Polished::Suave
8. Compose::Create
9. Squish::a bug
10. Future::is now.

New Toy on the Block:

If you Flickr, make your own Magazine Cover here.

How do the bugs always find the right plant?




Kim has beautiful bugs and bees and butterflies and . . . hummingbirds. Oh yeah!

Oh wow! Patti points us to Trevanian's website. I absolutely LOVED Shibumi. Remember, Sheryl?

Utoh. While I was googling Shibumi, I found the end of the internet. Oops.

Guess it's time to call it a night.

Night!

Oh good!

My Cyber-bro Jeeem (who is now 50, hahahaha) is blogging from Thailand this week.

I'm stealing this beautiful large Cap from MandarinDesign, of course.

So P. Diddy now wants to be just "Diddy". Oh boy.

Gonna stop this post and start another one as we're now in Saturday!

It's still summer, but . . .
Sunsets come earlier,
The robins and redwing blackbirds have taken off for the south,
The apples are turning color,
The fireflies no longer guide us in the evening,
The birds start their singing much later in the morning.

But it is still summer.

Bryn and I are quiz twins!


Your easy-going personality is best represented by
the bow and arrow. You probably dont like the
spotlight too much, and would much rather be
backstage making sure everything is working
right. You have a cool, level head and a broad
perspective on life. This combination makes
you an excellent advice-giver.


What sort of Weapon best Represents your Personality? (anime pics!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible

Fun, funky, and a little bit euro. You love your summers to be full of style and sun!

What's Your Summer Ride?

Hmmmm Found this over at LDH's. He's a Mustang convertible. I'm jealous.

Finally caught a monarch.

Question of the week:

When showering, do you face the showerhead?

Okay, you've all been patient.

#1 is true . . . I did attend those three schools before finally earning my degree.

and . . . #3 is true. I totally believe in the power and value of the one-room schoolhouse situation.

#2 is false. Well, actually it's an obfuscation. Patricia and David guessed it, but for the wrong reason. I've been to Montana 8 times, not just seven. I left off the 1989 trip. Would the number of times matter actually? Nope, unless I was before a senate confirmation hearing. (And this would be any confirmation of any particular senate, I'm not pointing fingers at this one.) Then it would be: And why, miz Peters, did you say you had been to Montana seven times when in actuality you had been there eight times? What were you doing there the eighth time? hmmm? **peering over half-glasses**

Thank you all for playing, and sorry for being an obfuscater. Oh well, at least I can spell it this time.

Okay, I know you're ALL waiting for the false answer in Obfuscations.

I'll get back to you tonight!

Waking up to a little Monday Madness:


This week's questions are all about you! Nothing personal; just for fun...

1. On what day of the week were you born? Thursday
2. Do you look forward to birthdays? Not particularly
3. How do you usually celebrate your birthday? Family dinner
4. Do you like surprises? Love 'em
5. Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party? Yes, I've had two. One was a going away party that Sheryl gave me when I went off to college; the other was a fantastic 40th birthday party.
6. How many family and friends' birthdays can you remember right off the top of your head? 40-50
7. Do you send cards to your family and friends on their birthday? well, I send 'em but not always on their birthday *grin*
8. What kind of cake do you like? Butter brickle with butter brickle frosting
9. What kind of ice cream goes best with it? Butter pecan
10. When is your birthday? (You don't have to share the year with us if you answer this question.) January 3rd.

Up? Yes I am.

And so, I shall Unconsciously Mutter:

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

1. Idiot::Matthew 5:26. Or something close to that. My father would never let us call anyone a fool or idiot, and we always had to go look up this verse when we of course did.
2. Rocket::Launcher
3. Liability::Insurance
4. Harmless::Insignificant
5. Stringy::Hair
6. Gwyneth::Paltrow
7. Use it or lose it::Uh. Ummm. Well now.
8. Theater::Classical
9. Sonic::Boom
10. Pucker::up!

Oh, and remember! It's not too late to play Obfuscation. (I'm so proud of myself that I'm spelling it right this year.)

Yum! That was a nice day off.

Yesterday's "day off" plans shifted about three times. I finally ended up going to a "crop" at the new Scrapbook Store just down the road. This was the second crop that I've attended at this store, and once again, surprisingly, I enjoyed myself.

I say surprisingly for two reasons. First, I'm not very good at going alone to things where there is interaction with people. Second, I don't fit the typical "scrapper" profile: I'm not a Mom or a Grandma, I'm an aunt.

I've attended crops at other venues with friends but when this store opened I decided, as it was so close to my home, that I would wing it. It's been a good success. I completed seven pages the first time, six last night. I think last night out of 31 scrappers I was the only one there alone, but it was fine. The owners are kind, I dug right in and worked on my projects, and as the evening progressed I chatted with some of the other croppers. The facility has extremely good light, which is so helpful for crop work, and *giggle* Wonderful bathrooms!

Okay, here they are. The nieces and nephews.

Yehaw! I have today off! Yay!

Two truths, one lie. Guess the lie in the comments; I'll report back Monday.

1. I attended three different colleges/universities in my trek to get a bachelors degree in elementary education. (Taylor University in Indiana/Lansing Community College/Go Green Michigan State University)

2. I love the state of Montana. I have visited the "Last Best Place" (with Michigan being the second to the last best place) seven times. (1968/1988/1994/1996/1998/2000/2003)

3. I took first and second grade together. It was at a one-room school, and when we were done with our lessons we could listen to the other kids' lessons. Great education.

There are only two ways to live your life . . . one is as though nothing is a miracle, and the other is as though everything is a miracle.

~~Albert Einstein

Swiped this one from LDH (again). I think this could flip-flop depending on the day. Wednesdays must be right-brain days.

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Okay, anutter butter.

Dear J.R.

Been thinking about you lately. Started when Elsie brought me some blueberries. I ate a couple and bam! There you were, looking on, saying "that would make a fine pie". Of course, it was just a couple days before your birthday. You would be 52! Imagine that. I still see you as the shaggy-haired 35-year-old, going a bit gray, going a bit bald. Now the younger brothers, grizzl and boo and crits, are all so bald that they shave their heads in summer to be done with the guessing. And baby boo . . . he's 40 now! Sheesh! Grizzl is 49 and having a fit about it. Wish you were here to set his mind at ease . . . he doesn't quite trust me.

Thought about you a lot Saturday. Your #2 daughter was married. She has your coloring and your height. Tall, thin, black-haired, brown-eyed. She was a real beauty. All the little girl cousins (there are four more, Boo had three and Grizzl had another one) wanted to look like Kea. (Two of them do.) It was an interesting wedding, held at her new husband's family farm. And surprise, surprise: they are bikers! Yep. However, the bridal party dressed in formalwear, not biker colors.

Your #1 daughter was the matron of honor. She proudly wore her husbands tags. She was married TWICE last year. Yep. Her husband knew he would be shipping out to Iraq, so they had a civil ceremony in June and a religious ceremony in August. Fortunately, he didn't leave until late September. She's doing well, but she doesn't listen to the news anymore. She waits to hear from him personally. She was going out to the cemetery yesterday to visit you. I think she'll draw strength from that visit.

And Jakers. oh man. Your baby boy is quite the young man now. No longer a teen-ager, hitting the 6' 5" mark. He gave Kea away. Did a great job. Then he brought down the house when he did the father/daughter dance with her to the music Sweet Baby James. Not a dry eye to be seen as we watched him singing the words that you used to sing to the kids in her ear. You are not forgotten.

Love,

Your ol' sis.

All right, it's been a busy wedding weekend, but I'm back and I'm doing the Unconscious Mutterings!

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

1. Complexion::Peaches 'n Cream
2. Teach:: A high calling
3. Back to school:: Soon soon soon
4. Months:: add up to years add up to lifetimes
5. Nominate:: Propose
6. Favorite curse word:: Dagnabit
7. Concerned::Worried
8. Better::Best
9. Escalate::Rise
10. Unveil:a work of art

Our City Market was founded in 1912, but I'm not sure it will survive for it's centennial birthday party. Before it's too late, take a walk through some of the displays with me.

We can stop for sweet and sour chicken at another vendor's stand when we're done.

Following Sheryl and Kim's leads:



and thinking of bryn.

Thanks, Diane!


You're living the movie The Shining!


?? Which Horror Movie Are You Living ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Oh dear. Comments are acting up again this morning.

According to Cassie-B, today is National Mustard Day. Mustard: tasty, spicy, and lower-cal than the alternatives. Have some today!

I've been remiss. I missed Cyber-brother Jeeem's birthday, which was July 27, if I'm not wrong, and which was his 50th, if I'm not wrong. (Now understand, quite often I am wrong.) Anyhoo, happy birthday Jeeem!

From my Feng Shui calendar for yesterday:

Do use a phoenix figurine in your bedroom to improve your relationship luck.

Hmmm.

Time for another Deer.



Walked at arboretum yesterday, and saw this doe placidly chewing her cud beside the trail. Needed the walk. Just learned that my third cousin went in for "minor" surgery 11 days ago and has been in a coma since. Life. So fragile.

Take the Star Trek Quiz

Looks just like me too!

Monday Madness

1. If you could be on the Amazing Race, who would your partner be? Someone who was VERY physical!
2. On a priority scale of 1 to 10, how do you rate trust in a relationship/friendship? As susan said, 11.
3. Do you trust your spouse/significant other completely? Don't have one. Probably a trust issue.
4. Do you trust others easily, or does it take time? It takes mucho mucho time. *sigh*

26things July 2005 was an international photo scavenger hunt hosted by Tracey at sh1ft.org. I was able to complete it this time *whew* and my results are up here.