Arthur Abbott: Iris, in the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend.
From the movie, The Holiday.

I'm the best friend. You?

How unusual! Doing the Unconscious Mutterings in the day, rather than at 3:00 a.m. in the morning!

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

1. Resolution :: Resolve, Ending
2. Happy :: New Year! Birthday!
3. Bubbly :: Champagne
4. Kiss :: at midnight
5. Leather :: and lace
6. Fancy :: Dress, party
7. Pages :: of time
8. Stupid :: to waste time on regrets
9. Apologize :: quickly
10. Secrets :: we all have them.

I do love my slippers. I live in an old farm house, and the floors can be kind of cool. I just got some new pink fuzzy fuzzy ones, and oh, I am in heaven.

How do you pamper your feet?

Nephew tall Paul's 20th birthday is today. Yikes. That was a fast 20 years.

And any resolutions for the coming year?

"I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers."
~~Gerald Ford

Sad News. Leslie Harpold, a wonderful writer and creator of beautiful Internet Advent Calendars, has passed away. A great loss.

One of the grand things I had forgotten about pets was that they are a joy to have waiting for you. Christmas night, I unloaded the car to the back porch, as is my habit. I took the trash bin out to the roadside. I turned on the porch light so I could find my key, and saw two pair of eyes watching me.

It was good to come home to an unempty house.

And so it was Christmas. It was good.

This is the first angel of my angel collection. We did "Christmas Angels" my first year in college, where you draw names and you have to do things and be kind to the person whose name you drew for a week. My Christmas Angel gave me this little gold angel. A collection was born. (Wow. And a collection that is over 35 years old now. Wow) I think I'm going to count them this year. The number is somewhere between 100 and 200, I believe. Want to venture a guess now?
Add your comment

My friend Judy gave me the lovely little book Two Cats and the Woman They Own, by Patti Davis. This quote is from that book

It's true that love can lead to sorrow and hurt, but avoiding love is never a good solution. Hearts are meant to be open and full, not kept safe behind walls. Pascal said, "When one does not love too much, one does not love enough."

Oh let's mutter away on Christmas Eve Day.

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

1. Terrify :: Scare the dickens out of
2. Month :: December
3. Throat :: Sore
4. Invasion :: of the Body Snatchers??? Where did that come from??
5. Nail :: Hammer
6. 12 :: Disciples
7. Bicker :: Squabble
8. Thomas :: Doubting
9. Sibling :: Brothers and Sister
10. Delude :: False pretenses

Nihil declarandum

Rocky Balboa: What is it you said to the kid? The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very rough, mean place... and no matter how tough you think you are, it'll always bring you to your knees and keep you there, permanently... if you let it. You or nobody ain't never gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit... it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. If you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit.

Can you handle the truth? The truth is, I love the Rocky movies. Oh, four and five were dogs, but 1 and 3 are on my top ten list, two was fascinating in that it picked up seamlessly from number 1, and now #6, Rocky Balboa, completes the set. Yes, I was there for opening night. And I'm glad I was.

This is a cute puzzle.

Hallelujah! Bryn has returned, at celestialofferings.blogspot.com. Welcome back, dear blog buddy! I swiped this from her:

You Are a Blue Flower

A blue flower tends to represent peace, openness, and balance. At times, you are very delicate like a cornflower. And at other times, you are wise like an iris. And more than you wish, you're a little cold, like a blue hydrangea.

What Color Flower Are You?

oh that Susan! The stories she tells!

In 2007 I plan to get a farm dog and I'm seriously considering adopting one of these.

Of course, if you don't use a tripod, and you deliberately wiggle the camera, your Christmas tree could look like this. (And no, I had not had too much eggnog. Really.)

and now, before I go to bed, the Unconscious Mutterings:

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

1. Hardball :: Tough
2. Sleepless :: In Seattle
3. Graduation :: June
4. Presents :: Christmas
5. Toe :: Jam
6. Lotion :: Soothe that dry skin
7. Snicker :: Candy Bar
8. Eve :: Adam
9. Investment :: Counselor
10. Pain :: Hurt

Victory!

The tree was felled, as reported. It was brought into the house, introduced to the cats, and then had adornments lavished upon it.

I promised a picture, and thought I should continue the hat tradition. Man, do you know how hard it is to set the timer on the camera and then hop down in place, all in ten seconds? I tried to get the cats to come too, but we couldn't get our timing quite right this time.

You Are Most Like Charlotte!

You are the ultimate romantic idealist You've been hurt before, but that hasn't caused you to give up on love. If anything, your resolve to fall in love is stronger than ever. And it's this feminine optimism that men find most appealing about you. Romantic prediction: That guy you are seeing (or crushing on)? Could be very serious - if you play your cards right!

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

Vixen . . . ha! Actually, I never saw Sex and the City. Swiped this from the lovely Lynn!

Just saw the power of boingboing.net in action.

I went to my flickr page, and recent activity showed 4543 hits for this picture. That's unbelievable for my little photostream. My highest viewed pic has had 350 views. So I knew something was up.

Turns out boingboing.net had a post about a 7-legged deer killed in Wisconsin, and someone gave this link of my deer as a sample. Most activity I'll ever see on my photostream!

Update: We are now up to 8083 views!

Kim has arrived in Nevada! Looks a LOT warmer there!

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Swiped from Patti. Patti recently had some serious news. I am in awe of her ability to process this news and write so well about it. Here's to you, miz NANO winner!

Mission Accomplished!

Standing in the corner of the living room is a tree, lit, decorated, and so far the cats haven't tumbled it down!

If you're going to cut a tree down, get a BOW saw, not a hack saw!

Whee! The inventory is done, all the computer adjustments are made, the backlog of work has begun to move forward, so I have a day off!!

This morning I slept in. I fed the kitties at 5:30, then went back to bed. I awoke at 10:00 with them snuggled around me. Now they're playing with an old pop-bottle and some bubble wrap I left out for them. I'm reading blogs, flickring, with Rachel Ray on in the other room. (So, are you a Ray fan or not?) I'll do some laundry, start the Christmas cards, (I know, I am so late!) until Young and the Restless is over. Young and the Restless started on a Christmas break from college back in the early 70's. It's the only soap I have ever watched. Remember the good old days, with the original Snapper, and Tom Selleck in a small role? It has changed a bunch since then, but if I'm home, especially at Christmas time, I try to catch it.

Then it is on to ACE Hardware to fetch me a tree-cutting saw. After that, the grocery store, to get cookie fixings and some food gifts for the basket at work.

So how are you spending your day?

Oh, and if you have a moment, I do have to recommend the wonderful photographs of Kim Foos, over on flickr. She lives in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and her pictures are just fantastic. They'll take you back. Tell her Aunt Owwee sent you!

Do you ever wonder?

I left for work yesterday a little early. I drove down to the corner, then east on Mount Hope. I looked back at the farm, and it looked like the brace for the yard light was purple. Purple? I knew it was a reflection, but something compelled me to turn around and go back home to check out what I was seeing. It was the way the halogen light was reflecting on the pole, nothing more. So I started for work again.

As I approached Mt. Hope and Lansing Road, I could see a bevy of emergency vehicle lights at the intersection. Two emergency vehicles passed us to join the group. There had been a serious accident at the corner where I usually turn. If I had been there a few minutes earlier, it could have been my red car in the middle of the melee.

I had to wonder. Coincidence, or an angel dancing in the halogen light, catching my attention, slowing me down?

More Eccentricities of Shirl

Help! I'm afraid of my garage!
I've never had a garage in my entire life. Now that I have one, I find that I am afraid of it. Reasons: It smells like a barn (duh, Shirl, the granary is attached to it, what should it smell like?), it has a hole in the upper wall that could allow critters in, it doesn't have electricity so it is DARK when I open the door. However, it IS very solidly built, and it does provide protection in the winter. What to do, what to do.

This is what I do when I get home: I open the door, I shine a spotlight into all the corners, and then I drive in. I leave the door open. Yep, that's right! I leave it open all night. That way, there will be no throwing the door open to find critters staring at me. I'll startle them instead, when I turn my spotlight on them in the morning!

This learning new things is quite exhausting *smile*.

okay, you can all stop laughing about the hat now. Remember, I live where hunters roam, and I would HATE to be mistaken for a deer, or worse, a TURKEY!!!!!

I fought the tree

and the tree won. So it's off to ACE Hardware Monday to get a saw that REALLY saws.

And now, on to the Unconscious Mutterings!

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

1. Research :: Laboratory
2. Chuck :: Throw
3. Insert :: the money card into the ATM machine
4. Bang :: Gun
5. Lousy :: Rotten, no-good
6. Rehearsal :: Musical
7. Critics :: Choice
8. Memory :: Card
9. Squid :: EWWWWW
10. Remove :: tonsils

Five things you May Not Know about Me.

The lovely Kathryn has tapped me to tell five things you may not know about me. I'm quite a transparent person, so you probably know all this, but:

1. I was named after my Grandpa and initialed after my Dad. My Grandpa's name was Cornelius, but for some reason he was called "Shirley". Hence that part of my name. My initials are SEP, which are my dad's. This makes me the junior in the family.

2. I have a birthmark on my right wrist. It looks like Africa viewed one way, and like South America if I twist it.

3. I love to say GO GREEN, but I actually attended three colleges. My freshman year was at Taylor University, in Indiana. Sophomore year was at Lansing Community College. Junior and Senior (plus some additional credits in the 90's) were at Michigan State University.

4. Some of the exciting things I have done: driven the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana, walking the outer loop of the CN tour TOWER, doing the sauna then running into the snow thing.

5. I was raised Baptist. I don't attend church much right now, which is due to my shyness and insecurities, but I would self-identify as a Baptist, or as a "Mere Christian" ala C.S. Lewis.

There we go! Now, I open this to all, and I'm tapping: Susan, susan, Julie, Lynn, Patti, and Gail.

For the cat who has everything, how about a catgenie?

And here's a talking bird feeder!

Morning chores are done: One load of laundry, move the furniture in the living room so there is room for the tree, bring down the tree-holder, choose tree, and refill the bird-feeders. In addition to deer, I also have birds out here on the farm. Woodpeckers, bluejays, nuthatches, finch, and chickadees hang out at the feeders near the kitchen and pantry windows. I feel like I live in my own personal park!

I'll leave you this morning with this little quizzie that I swiped from Roscoe:

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Whew! It's good to be home for a whole day, with no place to go. Seems like it's been rush rush rush since before Thanksgiving. Mom is doing better now, and that is a relief. The inventory adjustments will be complete Monday, and that will be a huge load off my mind. My Christmas shopping is close to being done. As I knew we wouldn't have bonuses this year, I started my shopping back in August. I'm glad I did.

Today I can play with the cats, clean house, decorate and CUT DOWN MY CHRISTMAS TREE! Mom planted a bunch of trees about ten years ago: this year four of us are going to use farm trees. They're misshapen and untrimmed, but that's my favorite kind, anyhoo! This should be a hoot. The only saw I could find yesterday at the store (at 10 p.m.) was a hacksaw. I'm thinking I'll set up the tripod and put the camera on timer to record this debacle for posterity!

So what are you up to today?

eek! Dang! I was tied up with inventory, and missed pointing to Lynn's birthday!! Lynn has had a real up-and-down year, and things are really up now, so this is a happy birthday!

I mean, I'm so far behind I haven't even started opening my advent calendar: and there is chocolate behind each date!

Guess whose farmhouse is pictured?

oh my! Fires are burning in Australia, and Julie has pictures of the smoke in the Melbourne area. Wow! Looks like Montana in the summer of 2003.

Okay, see if you can guess the answer to this question:

What's the minimum number of individual grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem - a swath of land that covers all of the Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Swans and lands along the Divide from the Canadian border to nearly Ovando.

The answer is here.

Four more days, kim!

Kim is leaving the cold of Michigan for the warmth of Nevada on December 10th. I assume and hope he'll resume his blogging there. I'll miss knowing that he's down in Kazoo, getting the weather first, but I know the heat of Nevada will be much better for his health.

Good luck!

Have to hurry to work this morning, for a benefits meeting. We'll find out how they are going to be reduced this year. *sigh*

So what were you doing at 1:25 a.m. this morning?

Something awakened me about that time, probably the cats. I got out of bed to get some water, and looked out all the windows. There have been a lot of deer tracks in my backyard, and a couple of days ago I had seen deer in the field right behind my backyard, so I've been keeping my eyes out for more of my favorite critter. (Don't tell the cats I said that, 'k?)

Nothing out the west window. Nothing out the south window. Nothing out the east . . . wait, there's movement. A deer was strolling down the northeast side of the backyard. She saw me, and ducked behind a big pine tree. I thought I had caught a glimpse of movement ahead of her, so I went to the north window. Yes! Another deer, grazing in the cut field of court not more than ten yards away. She caught movement at the window, started to run, then stopped, and started towards me. She was mighty nervous, but finally calmed down and resumed eating.

I shirley slept good after that sighting!

So what were you doing at 1:25 a.m. this morning?

Patti, I can't BELIEVE my results!

Once again, the seasons change.

Katspaws has coordinated Art Every Day Month in November for the past three years. She and Kathryn, two of my great blogroll friends, have posted their work. Go see!

The trouble with falling asleep at 8:00 a.m. is that 8 hours wakes you up at 4:00 a.m. Sheesh!

Our winter storm was much milder than other parts of the country. We had sleet, freezing rain, and snow, but only a couple of inches of snow. Yesterday was a sunny day, and everything just sparkled!

My mom has bronchitis or pneumonia, the doctor couldn't quite determine which. (What's up with that???) She was fine Thanksgiving, and then, boom! She's on antibiotics, and I stayed with her Friday night. She had one bad spell yesterday, but she's feeling better now.

As it's Sunday, it's time for a little Unconscious Mutterings. This is the 200th week of it. That's a mighty long-running meme!

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

1. Hello :: Goodbye
2. Flintstone :: Fred
3. Corn :: Deer, the fields outside my windows
4. Interview :: Looking for a job
5. Deviant :: Art
6. Concept :: Idea
7. Bridge :: over the River Kwai
8. Karen :: in Utah *waves*
9. Encounter :: Close
10. Biological :: Parent

Happy December!

Struggling to surface here. Got snowed under with inventory at work figuratively at work, getting snowed under tonight literally with a winter storm warning. Sheesh.

I sank at doing NANO this year. Shout-outs to Ali, who started four days late and still finished, and Patti, who also hit the mark! You both rock, and I'm doing a happy dance with you.