I have to give equal time to both cats. This is Sierra. She's not enjoying her reindeer hat. *sigh*

Any thoughts on morphic resonance?

I can do quite well at Scrabble, but this two-against-one just is unbeatable!

Until May 15, 2006, I had lived my adult life in apartments. Living in a house has afforded me a chance to have a lot of "firsts" that people normally get at a much younger age. Today was another one of those "firsts": I changed the filter on the furnace. This is a good thing for a heating and air conditioning person to know how to do.

I just learned about Sugar Beets harvesting over at Pandora's! Great lesson, ma'am!

Good Sunday morning! It's Unconscious Mutterings time!

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

1. Rhyme :: or reason
2. Substantial :: amount of money. (which I don't have)
3. Instant :: Coffee
4. Greed :: Selfishness
5. Brad :: Pitt, who else
6. Season :: with salt, tis the season
7. Accomplished :: Made it happen
8. Invite :: Party
9. Sparkle :: Confetti
10. Rainbow :: A promise

"Hunters'" Turkey.

We've had incredible weather up here in Michigan for Thanksgiving. Temperatures in the high 50's, sunny, can this be November???? It's especially interesting as we broke all records with our first snowstorm of the year coming back on October 12th.

The guys in the family do this "hunters'" turkey thing, where they pack a turkey in salt and cook it over an open fire for two hours. The weather was perfect for such an endeavor. The full picture show is here.

oh dear. Poor Snuzzles just tried to jump up on the computer top, fell off the side, got stuck between the desk and the wall and had to walk out backwards from that spot. He's fine, but his pride is sure shot. Poor baby. (Snuzzles is my big black cat.)

And it's a Happy Day After Thanksgiving, here in the States!

A few months ago I moved into an old farmhouse that has been in the family for 90+ years. This makes my home the natural place for family gatherings. (Except Christmas. Christmas we MUST go to my mother's.)

So, this was my first year hostessing and boy! It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. It is also why I haven't been on-line for a couple of days. My upNorth brother's family was visiting, and I had to let the kids run the computer for that period of time.

What have you been doing while I've been gone?

Sherle started a Favorite Five Foto Meme. Each month, mid-month, you look at the pictures you've taken over the last 30 days. You choose your favorite five, put them in some spot, (I put mine here on flickr), and post to the group where they are. It is always interesting to review the past month.

Saw this at susan's, over on the other-side-of-the-world. It's a long quiz, so make sure you have time before starting. I'm still thinking about the results.

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||||| 50% Stability |||||||||||| 50% Orderliness |||||||||| 40% Accommodation |||||||||||| 50% Interdependence |||||||||| 36% Intellectual |||||||||||||||| 70% Mystical |||||||||| 36% Artistic |||||||||||||||| 70% Religious |||||||||||||||| 70% Hedonism |||||||||| 36% Materialism |||||||||||| 43% Narcissism |||||||||||| 50% Adventurousness |||||||||||||| 56% Work ethic |||||||||||||| 56% Self absorbed |||||| 23% Conflict seeking |||||||||||||| 56% Need to dominate |||||| 30% Romantic |||||||||||||||| 70% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 70% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 50% Wealth |||||||||| 36% Dependency |||||| 30% Change averse |||||||||||||||| 63% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||| 63% Individuality |||||||||||||| 56% Sexuality |||||||||||| 43% Peter pan complex |||||||||||| 43% Physical security |||||||||||||||||| 76% Physical Fitness || 10% Histrionic |||||| 23% Paranoia |||||||||||| 50% Vanity |||||| 30% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||||| 63% Female cliche |||||||||||||| 56%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Found at Roscoe's, where we also matched on a couple of the mutterings!

My blog is worth $20,887.98.
How much is your blog worth?

My brand name is: frequentia

My name is Jennifer Humphrey.
Take The Manhattan Socialite Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

State Tree of Michigan

The Friday before Thanksgiving is "Silver Bells in the City" up here in Lansing. The shops stay open until 9:00 p.m. There are performers on every street corner. There is an electric light parade, lighting of the State tree, and fireworks over the Capitol afterwards. It's a family tradition to attend. This year there were eight of us. A good time was had by all.

Up for my 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning posting. And doing some Unconscious Mutterings.

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

1. Teacher :: Mr. Burdett, Julie, my brother and sister-in-law
2. Fifty :: A GREAT age!
3. Crossword :: Puzzle
4. Stuffed :: Animal, Beanie Baby
5. Family :: Reunion
6. Purr :: Cat, Sierra, Snuzzle
7. Toad :: Mr. Toad (a store)
8. Cocktail :: Waitress
9. Insecurity :: Nervousness
10. Magical :: Christmas

Love words? You might want to visit Away With Words.

My Apologies!

I was going to post this on Thursday, but ran into a little snow problems. I wasn't on-line yesterday, so there went another day. Anyhoo, here are the
Ten things I've learned in the last six months from living on the farm.

1. Quiet is nice. And expected out here in the country. Last night I spent the night in Lansing. On my way from the Silver Bells in the city celebration to my mother's house, I counted two ambulances and five police cars going full-tilt. I've not heard one siren out here in the country.

2. I can build fires all by myself. I have to use a lot of lighter fluid, but I can do it!

3. Two cats are more than twice the fun.

4. Driving a red car is fun. (And I haven't got a ticket . . . yet.)

5. Many people love farms. I have had more company in the last six months than I had in the last ten years at the apartment.

6. I can dispose of snakes.

7. Painting jobs on a farm are never done. Milkhouse is complete, porch trim finished, next the back steps, next the garage doors, well, you get the idea.

8. I am convinced that it is the wavy windows of old houses that have given life to so many ghost stories. There are reflections upon reflections in those crazy old windows, and I've startled myself several times. Though, I'm still not sure how to explain the front door opening by itself the other night.

9. Country deer are much shyer than city deer. That's probably for good reason, as the area abounds with hunters. Two buck were taken from our woods just in bow-and-arrow season. However, there are lots of droppings, tracks, and half-eaten apples in my back yard the past few weeks, so I'm thinking I may catch the rascals eating one of these days, and get some more deer pictures.

10. It IS possible to drive in fog. This sounds really really stupid, but I've never been able to drive in fog. I think, even though I knew in my head it wasn't true, that I believed that the fog was a static thing, that you would drive into it and it would swallow you up. Weird, I know. And perhaps a metaphor for my life. If I couldn't see a clear path to follow, I would just stay put. That gets mighty boring. There's a lot of fog out in these parts, and I've learned to drive in it without great discomfort. And moving to the farm, trying new things, pushing out of my "fog" zone, has opened up my life.

On to the next adventure!

I'm a Lifer!

To you, a job is what pays the bills. You put in your hours, follow the rules, and then go home. Occasionally, you consider quitting, but then you think of how bad the job market is and you reconsider. Whatever happiness you get, you get from your life outside the workplace. Relationships, family, hobbies, and outside creative pursuits are what really matter to you. You're probably taking this test at work because you don't have anything better to do.

Talent: 31%
Lifer: 62%
Mandarin: 46%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

oh great.

If my life were a high-concept movie, it would be Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) meets Porky's (1982).

Take the What Is Your High-Concept Movie? quiz.

Yikes! This must be short post week! Coming tonight: a long post, on the ten things I've learned since I've moved to the farm. It has been six months now. I daresay, the six most happiest months of my life.

Good morning!
Today should probably be a holiday in Michigan: it's opening day of gun deer season. About a third of our installers are gone today, out in the woods chasing deer. We wish them all a safe time. Also, dudes . . . don't shoot us farmer types!

Spotted this at Roscoe's:

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Good morning! Not a lot to say over here. How's your day going?

Oh dear. My cats are shuddering. From "The Art of Looking Sideways" by Alan Fletcher.

Strap a piece of toast -- buttered side up -- to the back of a cat. Throw the cat out of the window. Will the cat land on its feet or will Murphy's Law apply?

It's all over but the final weeping.

We were at Michigan State University's football game yesterday. Things started out well, at 9-0, but then . . . we lost. There is one more game to play, but it's at Happy Valley, with coach Joe Paterno returning after missing his first game in 30 years. We have NO chance of winning that one.

We'll have a new coach next year, but things aren't looking so good for the Spartans. After three coaches in six years, it is getting a little tough to build a program.

But we shirley do love to tailgate!

The torrential rains out west have also struck Glacier National Park, my favorite vacation place.

Found at Roscoe's.

One problem: I'm from General Motors Land. Don't tell.

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

A little Unconscious Mutterings:

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

1. Nick :: St.
2. Focus :: Camera
3. Police :: Officer
4. Miles :: "to go before I sleep"
5. Earn :: Wages
6. Twice :: baked-potato
7. Razor :: blade
8. Personality :: Disorder
9. Dumped :: Tossed Out
10. Reliable :: Good old stand-bye

did your blogger edit window just change?

What to do, when you have a chicken coop and no chickens? Why, you hang up a bunch of pictures, that's what you do.

Now if I can just find a geeky, yuppy, redneck. Hmmm.

What type of person do you attract? Your Result: You attract geeks! Your stunning intellect and love of sci-fi and video games allures the geeks like nothing else. Maybe it is the sparkle in your eye that makes them want to text you, who knows. Geeks make good partners, but tend to be arguementative. If you are a TRUE geek magnet, you will know if that was spelled correctly, and actually care. If it is a bad-boy/bad-girl you are seeking, you are barking up the wrong tree, unless they are just 'bad' behind a PS2 console.
You attract Yuppies!
You attract rednecks!
You attract artsy people!
You attract models!
You attract unstable people!
What type of person do you attract? Quizzes for MySpace

Patti, who is doing VERY well on her NANO, has this quiz, which is RIGHT on the money.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Butterflies should be happy.

Update: If you click through, you can see the two elves that people have associated with this picture. It's been kind of funny.

Due to family responsibilities, bryn can't blog right now. However, she ALWAYS keeps us posted on the full moons (which I'm looking at outside my office window right now.
From the comments:

November 5th
Full Hunters Moon
7:58 am
With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have come out to glean.


bryn

And now, a little Unconscious Mutterings:

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

1. Theft :: Grand Theft Auto
2. Storage :: I have lots of storage space now
3. Pick :: and Choose. Guitar pick.
4. Los Angeles :: California
5. The one :: the only
6. Accent :: British
7. Rivalry :: University of Michigan
8. Process :: Life is
9. Streets :: of Gold
10. Museum :: I live in one *grin*

Copied from the comments:


**sigh**

Well, the good news is that we have a decent field goal kicker this year.

The sort of good news is that the defense created several cool turnovers.

The bad news is that the offense wasn't able to capitalize on those turnovers. At all.

Final score: Purdue 17 / Michigan State 15

When I'm on the internet (which is a slow, country, dial-up connection) I keep Alan Fletcher's book The Art of Looking Sideways handy for reading while I'm waiting for pages to load. Today's page is from the section on chance, and it talks about art techniques involving chance. A few are:

Ecremage. Float pigment over an oily liquid and draw a shape on the surface with a stick, or whatever. Drop a sheet of paper on top, and lift off to expose the image it has picked up.

Decalcomania. Spread ink or paint over a non-absorbent material, such as acetate, porcelain or glass. Cover with paper, massage or rub or draw on the back of the paper, lift to reveal an unpredictable transfer as with ecremage.

Fumage. Create residual and unimaginable effects by passing paper or canvas or a plate over a smoking candle. You could also try a firework!

Froissage. Screw up paper, smooth it out and immerse in colour inks. The creases absor bhte ink and generate haphazard wrinkles, trackks, threadss, webs and gossamer.

Coulage. Pour molten metal or hot wax or chocoalte into cold water. Watch it solidify into fantastic shapes. Hold your own sculpture exhibition.

Good Spartan Morning!

I am a Michigan State Spartan Football fan. Now, we've been beleagured by problems for many a year, but there is still nothing like going to a game at the Stadium. Today, my sister's family and I are going. Next Saturday we have our annual Tailgate party. Win or lose, we'll have a great time.

Go Green!

Last night I had dinner with my two great friends, Deb and Carol. Carol had recently been to New York City, and Deb had just returned from the Austin Film Festival. And me, well . . . I had been to East Jordan, Michigan. But they let me hang around with them anyway. Deb regaled us with stories about pitching her screenplays, and Carol shared all the secrets of sidewalk shopping at NYC. While NANO is still stuck at 300 words, I'm not worrying, as the evening was such a positive event.

I was tired as I drove home, but got a jolt of adrenalin as I passed the line marking my mother's property. Farmer John was out harvesting! It was 9:30 p.m., but there was the tractor (is that what they call those huge rigs?) moving down the field rows. The moon is heading toward full, so there was light from that as well.

I hurried into the house, fed the cats, turned up the heat, then got my winter coat out and walked down to where the vehicles entered the field. The harvester had pulled over to the side, but the big truck was sitting idling. Darn, I had missed the show. However, I introduced myself to Farmer John (it really was him, not a helper). Hopefullly I can watch more of the show, but tonight is a swim meet for the nieces.

I love living out here at the family farm. Lots of times I don't really think about the history of the place. I'm busy doing normal stuff; eating, sleeping, going to work, playing on the internet. But at times like last night I felt part of something bigger. I thought of Grandpa Chris and Great-Grandpa Oscar and Great-Great-Grandpa Bentley, using the means of their time to tend these fields. Pretty cool!

Good Thursday morning!
NANO is starting out with a whimper. Three hundred words. Oops. And meetings and football games and family gatherings for the next five days. Hmmm. Looks like you're right on course, Patti! Good for you!

Julie wants to know what this stands for:
100S549A3100F4E621T0028Y2167. I want to know also.

MSU's Football Coach, John L. Smith, is gone after this season. This is probably a wonderful thing.

Hope you all had a great Halloween! I had no trick-or-treaters, except that I had left a pumpkin full of candy on the porch in case I got home late last night, and when I did get home . . . all the Reese's peanut butter cups were gone.