Wow! It's hot, especially for Northerners. We topped out at 96 today, and I'm not talking dry heat. Whoa!

Time for a little Monday Madness.


I'd like to thank you ALL for playing! I hope you enjoy these because I'll be typing them as I think of them! =) Have a great week!

1. Do you have a photo blog? If so, feel free to share the link with us! I just have a flickr account, and you can get to it by clicking on the pictures.
2. How many pets do you own, and what are their names? If none, have you had a favorite pet in the past? I have two cats, Sierra and Snuzzles
3. How many times a week does the carpet in your house get vacuumed? No carpet? How many times a MONTH do your floors get mopped? I have carpets and mop floors. Once a week and once a week.
4. Which room in your house do you spend the most time in? The front porch!
5. Have you read any good books lately? Yes. Yiddish with Dick & Jane. Catherine Jamieson's book on photoblogging.
6. What is your biggest source of news? (Newspaper? Television? Radio? Other?) Internet, then Newspaper.

Down a foggy country road.

Time for week 182 of Unconscious Mutterings.

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

1. Italy :: Rome

2. Honk :: your horn

3. Shades :: Sunglasses

4. Tool :: Hammer

5. Modern :: Post-Modern

6. Tension :: Stress

7. Conservative :: Liberal

8. Weight :: Too high!

9. Insurance :: Glad it's paid up until fall

10. Political :: Election

I'm back! I had storms and power outages Wednesday and Thursday, then went "upNorth" Friday and Saturday, and so . . . but now I'm back!!!!

As you can see, the milkhouse IS in need of a paint job.

Cas has been to North Carolina, and has LIGHTHOUSE pictures! Yum!

My new favorite colour: thistle. And boy, do the yellow finches look pretty on them.

What's your favorite color? Doesn't have to be your all-time favorite color, just your top-of-mind favorite today.

My brother Boo and his youngest daughter Rose came over yesterday to power wash the milk house (another thing to paint) and the old shuffleboard court.

Jump, Rose, Jump!

"You use a glass mirror to see your face: You use works of art to see your soul."

~~George Bernard Shaw

It's still Monday, so let's do theMonday Madness!

Hello, fellow bloggers! I hope you all have a great week and I also want to thank you for playing Monday Madness! Now, for this week's questions...

1. I won't eat past _____ o'clock in the evening. oops. Is THAT the reason I have these extra pounds????
2. My favorite subject for photographing is _____. my nieces and nephews.
3. I use _____ most often to edit my photographs. Photoshop Elements
4. If I'm having trouble sleeping, I usually _____. Read or surf the internet
5. When I'm hungry for a snack, I usually eat _____. chips.

Frank Paynter is putting together a Memorial for Mandarin meg on Friday, July 28th. Details are at his site.

Farmer question of the week: Is it hay or straw? and why?

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."

~~Thomas Edison

Gonna get the Unconscious Mutterings in just in time!

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

1. Requirements :: Needs
2. Pizza :: Pie
3. Dating :: Game
4. Issue :: Magazine
5. Sharp :: Grandpa
6. Distinguish :: Choose between two
7. Remote :: Control
8. Felony :: Crime
9. Exercise :: Bike
10. Choose :: Life

You Are 16% Control Freak

There's no way you're a control freak. You're totally laid back - and able to take life as it comes. While you definitely have a healthy mental attitude, don't get suckered into letting someone control you.

Are You A Control Freak?

That's 4% more than Gail. Hmmm.

"You can't wait for inspiration; you have to go after it with a club."

~~Jack London

For several years my family held "firefly days", which consisted of challenges and funky food combinations. One of the challenges was a quiz. How well would YOU do?


Another name for firefly is:

A. Arson Bug
B. June Bug
C. Lightning bug

Grammy’s middle name is:

A. Marlene
B. Darlene
C. Carlene

Haiku is:
A. A Japanese Fish
B. A Japanese Island
C. A Japanese Verse Form

The seventh president of the United States was:

A. Andrew Jackson
B. James Knox Polk
C. Bill Clinton

The capital of Montana is:

A. Great Falls
B. Butte
C. Helena

The R.R. in J.R.R. Tolkein stands for:

A. Ronald Reagan
B. Ronald Reuel
C. Ronald McDonald

H20 is the chemical symbol for:

A. Salt
B. Sugar
C. Water

The fifth book of the old testament is:

A. Deuteronomy
B. Joshua
C. Luke

Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in:

A. 1765
B. 1770
C. 1785



The firefly signals to:

A. Help people find it at night
B. Attract a mate
C. See where food is




The eleventh president of the United States was:

A. Andrew Jackson
B. James Knox Polk
C. Bill Clinton

The capital of Florida is:

A. Tallahassee
B. Disney World
C. Orlando

Haiku consists of:

A. Eight lines of rhymed verse
B. Three lines of unrhymed verse
C. 14 lines of iambic pentameter


The light from a firefly comes when Luciferin in the body of the insect combines with:

A. Oxygen
B. Hydrogen
C. Helium

Legolas last name is:

A. Greensleeves
B. Greenspartan
C. Greenleaf


The syllabication for haiku is:

A. Seven/Three/Seven
B. Three/five/three
C. Five/Seven/Five

(Also, how do you pronounce syllabication? This has turned into one of those running arguments.)


A species of firefly in Asia performs in sync with others in the area.

A. True
B. False
C. I want out of this dumb game


The capital of Ohio is:

A. Akron
B. Toledo
C. Columbus


Which firefly sits in the grass?

A. Male
B. Female

The capital of California is:

A. Los Angeles
B. Sacramento
C. San Diego

The northernmost state in the United States is:

A. Alaska
B. Montana
C. Michigan

The 18th President of the United States was:

A. James Knox Polk
B. Ulysses S. Grant
C. Rutherford B. Hayes

Which of these books is also written by J.R.R.Tolkein?

A. Silent Planet
B. · "The Silmarillion"
C. The Cyclone

East Jordan is known for making:

A. Man-hole covers
B. Tires
C. Soap

Luciferin, the lighting agent in fireflies, is also used in:

A. Street lights
B. Plant Food
C. Glow Sticks

The capital of Alaska is:

A. Juneau
B. Nome
C. Dawson

Which president followed McKinley:

A. Teddy Roosevelt
B. Taft
C. Woodrow Wilson

NASA may use Luciferin to detect if:

A. Any seals are leaking
B. Astronauts have colds
C. There is life on other planets

In Lord of the Rings, Orlando Bloom plays:

A. Frodo
B. Legolas
C. Paris

Good evening!

Ack. This time comments didn't load for me. I want to know what y'all have been saying today. I'll try reloading the page.

Double ack!! No one has said anything today. **sob**

We spent the day at my oldest niece's new house. It's south of us about an hour. Great old house, and they have an outdoor swimming pool. She and her hubby, back from Iraq last December, are now expecting a wee one in January. We are very grateful!

good Saturday morning!

Julie Roo from Australia has jumped on the beach challenge. She has lovely pictures of her beaches. And those beaches have whales, which Michigan's don't. However, I stand by my original statement! *smile*

Blogging may be light for the next month or so. I just bought wicker furniture for the front porch . . . I may never come in again! I have a chair for Snuzzles, a chair for Sierra, and a loveseat for me and ???. Last night farmer Donny was mowing hay across the way. Much better than any TV.

Do you have Prince Albert in a Can?
Yes.
Shouldn't you let him out?

Old joke. Very old joke.

A spot of rain last week.

Favorite 5 Fotos Meme.

Whoops1 I'm late. Sherle's Favorite 5 Foto Meme requests that you post your "favorite 5" photographs from the previous 30 days. Posting date is the 15th. Geez. I think I'm a little late! My favorite 5 are here.

Ptooey!

Note to self:
Do not put marshmallows in the same cupboard as the scented trash bags. Ewww.

What would your note to self say today?

Still on the same connector line, with cats leaving it alone. Hurrah for ali and Grannicks Bitter Apple.

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

What's Your Personality Type?

Hmmm. Usually I'm INFP, so I guess this is probably pretty close. Thanks to Patti!

ho
hat
hen
here, and most importantly
hy

well, a little Monday Madness:

I thought we'd try something a bit different this week... Here goes!

What comes to mind when you think of the following colors?

RED: blood
BLUE: water
GREEN: Michigan State University
YELLOW: Sun
PURPLE: royalty
PINK: roses
ORANGE: Jack-o-lantern
BLACK: cat
WHITE: purity

Fun Reading.

I like James Patterson's books. He's all over the map in style and genre, and he's a good quick summer read. The winged kids series is my favorite. I'm reading the paperback version of Maximum Ride right now. I peeked ahead . . . the story picks up on a blog! Yikes! The cute part is, it's a blogspot blog. Yay!

I'll put Michigan Beaches up against any in the world. Any. Bar none.

And now I guess we're technically at day 6!

Let's Unconsciously Mutter.

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

1. Video :: Cassette
2. Fantasy :: Island
3. Homework :: I am SO glad I don't have to do that anymore. Housework is enough.
4. Crush :: "My heart went thump"
5. Late :: Night
6. Husband :: Wife
7. Soccer :: Mom
8. Wine :: Fine
9. Before :: After
10. Romantic :: I'm in the mood for love, simply because . . .

Whee! Day 5! (See post below.)

"There's a long and winding road that never wearies me, a road I often travel when old friends I wish to see. That road is called Sweet Memory, so old yet ever new. And I oft in fancy wander there to laugh and talk with you"

Day 4!

If you've stopped more than once in the last month you've probably heard me fuss about Snuzzles, my black cat, eating the phone line and knocking me off line. I think he's done it about four times. Several of you suggested putting something obnoxious on the line. I couldn't figure out what would work. Ali from Quantum Tea to the Rescue! She had used Grannick's Bitter Apples spray with her cats.

I found the stuff at our local Meijers. I like that it is just foul-tasting, you don't have to worry about calling the poison center if you touch it. It's kind of pricey, but if it works, it is worth it!

So far, so good!

If you've ever been in love, you've probably at least considered classifying the feeling as an addiction. And guess what: You were right. As it turns out, scientists are discovering that the same chemical process that takes place with addiction takes place when we fall in love.
Love is a chemical state of mind that's part of our genes and influenced by our upbringing. We are wired for romance in part because we are supposed to be loving parents who care diligently for our helpless babies.

More on love here.

My Hummingbird Feeder

I have a hummingbird feeder on the north side of the house. The hummers were attentively coming to it until sometime last week. They decided to go to Mother Nature's feeder, the big trumpet vine that cascades over the corncrib.

They are so mean to me. I'll hear their deep humming beneath the higher drone of the bees, and follow it. As soon as the birds spy me, they fly over or around to the other side of the corncrib. Yikes!

So . . . what is this? Guesses, please?

We miss blogging voices when they are silenced. We shirley do. From MandarinDesign comments:

At 4pm Pacific time (GMT minus eight hours)on Friday July 28 there will be a Freenode IRC chat and a face-to-face gathering in San Jose memorializing meg. This will be a non-sectarian memorial and all are welcome. We will gather in the manner of Friends... sitting in silence and sharing through voice and keyboard, our memories of Meg. email me for more information and I will continue to update these comments as the day approaches.

Frank Paynter
fpaynter@gmail.com

Frank always anchored the top left corner of the Mandarin quilt.

Just to let you know, I saw this as I logged on at blogger.com:

Blogger Status
Monday, July 10, 2006

Tomorrow we will have an outage of 90 minutes from 4p to 4:30p 5:30p (Pacific Time) as we perform some hardware upgrades. At the beginning of this outage (the first five minutes), blogger.com will appear completely inaccessible. Following this, a status message will appear for the remainder of the 90 minute outage during which time users will be unable to update their blogs.

Whee! I'm not too late for the Monday Madness.


Good Monday to everyone! Now, for this week's questions.... and thanks for playing!

1. What is your favorite framed object in your house? I have a picture of the farmhouse I live in, that was taken about 1915. It'z fun to see the changes and the similarities.

2. If you had a choice of being a carnivore or a herbivore, which one would you be, and why? Probably carnivore, because I could give up salad easier than steak. However, corn on the cob or potato salad is a whole other proposition.

3. Who do you think should have won the FIFA World Cup? Or, don't you care? Um. Don't hate me. I don't care.

4. What's your feelings on stormy weather? Love it! The lightening displays, the heightened wind, wow! Makes me want to shout! Or do something

5. Do you believe in "time out" chairs? Yeah, but my cats won't stay in them.

6. Have you ever bought or sold anything on Ebay? Yes. Purchased beanie babies, a camera, some artwork, and some guitars.

This is It!

After two days of stalking those hummingbirds, this is the best I can do, a profile of one cut from a much larger picture. Sheesh.

When I DIDN'T have a camera in my hand, they would come up within ten feet of me, turn left, turn right, face front.

Sadistic little rascals.

See ya!

Utoh. I've got myself TOTALLY off schedule. Guess I'll do the Unconscious Mutterings.

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

1. Face it :: Do I HAVE to????
2. Healthy :: Heart
3. Cartoon :: Character
4. Device :: Tracking
5. Raider :: Football
6. Closer :: Nearer
7. Admission :: 7.50
8. Culture :: Shock, Wars
9. Stakes :: Poker
10. Heartbroken :: Me

Raising Sparrow

This is Gertie. Gertie came to visit me last weekend when the nieces stayed all night. The oldest niece had found s/he when she was leaving work Monday. Gertie was bald and helpless. Glory and Tulip took turns feeding with a coffee stirrer and getting it to drink from an eye-dropper. The food was a mix of catfood and bird seed that they smashed up. They made a "nest" with leaves and branches and an old towel in one of their mother's plant pots.

Gertie thrived under their care. The day after this, s/he was taking short hops. And the day after this . . . Gertie flew away with another band of sparrows.

Now my nieces have empty nest syndrome.

Farming in the Genes?

It doesn't appear that farming is in the genes. My peas keep getting attacked by critters, even though I do have chicken wire up and around. I had sunflowers coming up, but something got them. Grandpa Oscar and Grandpa Cris must be SO disappointed.

Hmmm. Maybe farming is in the jeans. I think I'll go shopping.

Only first, I need to paint the latticework frame and shoot some hummingbirds. I have my red hat, kim!

Down on the Farm.

They're Cute, But Naughty

I'm out of internet service again. Snuzzles, the black cat, ate the connector wire again. I know, I know. The duct tape worked well, I just didn't carry it all the way out, and he found the weak spot. Dang!

More farm news: I saw my first coyote the other day. Cute, eying the deer, but figuring they had him outnumbered, I guess.

And even more farm news: Something ate my sunflowers. Lop, lop, lop, they were all about 8 to 10 inches high, with big wide leaves. Now they are sticks. I need to set up a remote camera to see what's going on outside while I'm not looking.

And another farm tidbit: Eventually, poison ivy stops itching. I thought it would take FOREVER to get over this stuff, but there is hope in sight.

How are you doing?

Okay. I promised the story of my wonderful car salesman. Two weeks ago, on a Wednesday, my old (1994) car's battery light came on as I went to work. Oh phooey, I called hunky Sam, my mechanic, and took it in. He got me going again, but he said "it's time". *sigh* So on my way home from work that night I thought, hey, I'll stop at Sundance and gather some information. I had never bought a new car, and wasn't really sure I would buy one now, but it wouldn't hurt to stop.

I've stopped at automobile dealers before, and frankly, they scare the crap out of me. I don't look like a car buyer, and I've felt overlooked before. I kind of get lost in the shuffle. I figured maybe I'd wander around at Sundance, and if possible ask a few questions.

Well, I didn't even know where to park!! I pulled into a spot behind another car, but I think that might have been the employees' lane, I have no clue. I got out, and started toward a lot. A salesman was parting from some other folk, and he noticed me. Surprise, surprise, he didn't look through me. "May I help you?" he asked.

My inner dork exploded at that time, and I mumbled something idiotic. George was gracious. (His name is George Berry.) "What are you looking for?" he asked. I like good sales people.

I knew I was interested in the Cobalt, as I had driven one last year as a rental, and had subsequently heard good things about them. "Oh good," George said. "We have those. What color were you thinking about?'

The car I had rented was red, and I had enjoyed all the comments I got about it, so I was able to say red. "Why good, we have red," George said, and showed me one. "Do you have a preference for interiors?"

I didn't really care. I wasn't even sure I could afford one. "Okay, no problem," George said. "And how about power windows?"

Well, now power windows are nice, but they're a pain when they act up, and a pain to roll up when a storm is coming and you've left your window down in the parking lot. Hmm. I guess it didn't really matter to me.

"And 4-door or 2-door?"

Oh, that one I did know! "Four-door!"

George looked, and there was my car! Wow! He then took me inside the dealership and led me through the applications, and forms, and getting my old car appraised (hahahahahahaha) and then he said, "Well, would you like to drive it home tonight?"

I was floored. I could DO that? There was another flurry of questions and test drive and then, I decided. Why not? George had made everything easy, and I knew that was the car I wanted, so why prolong the event.

So if you're in the mid-Michigan area (or even if you're not) and you're looking for a new car, call George Berry at Sundance. I know he'll treat you as well as he treated me! Thanks, George!

Happy 4th!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Monday Monday.

We were scheduled to be open this Monday, but at the last minute the boss decided it would be better to close. Eeks! So this is a relaxing Monday, lolling about, catching my breath after an awesome weekend with the nieces!

The nieces are 16, 14, and 12. The 16 year-old had to work during the day Saturday, so the younger two came out to the farm with me. Our big project for the weekend was creating a menu and meal for their parents, grandma, and uncle on Sunday. Rose, the 12-year-old, wants to own a restaurant, and she's in her glory with recipe books and menu planning. (She would like to study in Paris, but thinks she'll probably opt for Grand Rapids . . . she might get homesick. Life is tough, isn't it?)

We gave Rose few constraints, other than that she had to factor in options for Uncle Crits' allergies. Here is her menu:

Appetizers

• Fruit tray with two dips
• Cracker, Cheese and Meat tray
• Spicy Mexian Pizza

Salad

• Fruit Salad Parfaits
• Spring Tossed Salad with choice of:

• Vinagrette dressing
• Ranch dressing
• French dressing

Meat

Steak cooked to order on the grille. (That was my job.)

Dessert

• Blue Moon Ice Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Cherry Truffle Squares

So of course we then had to go shopping after we picked big sister Glory up. What a hoot! Rose had made a shopping list on several sticky notes, so we divided the lists up. Glory and sister two, Tulip, were one team, and Rose and I were the other. The lists took us all over, as we needed exact ingredients for the three recipe items. Glory and Tulip almost got stumped on the chorizo sausage, but they went through every meat rack and finally found it. (What's up with these kids not wanting to ask? *grin*) Tulip and Glory also beat Rose and me, which gave them an inordinate amount of pleasure.


. . .

hmm. Now THIS is weird!

You Belong in 1980

If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Not even close! *grin* Swiped from Roscoe.

I'm still in time to Unconsciously Mutter! Yay!

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

1. That :: Girl. uhoh, that dates me
2. Fishbowl :: Life in a
3. Church :: Sunday
4. All about :: Eve
5. Fist :: Clenched
6. Tagline :: Life without confetti is only an existence
7. Agree :: Disagree
8. Leak :: Gas
9. Jessica :: Simpson
10. Superman :: Christopher Reeve

The nieces have come to stay for the night and play! I must turn the computer over to them, so see you soon!