The New Era starts here.

My first blog was 49-forever. We all know that's a misnomer, so I started this blog, in honor of the "other side" of the hill. It's time for a change again. I'm now entering a New Era. I'm a double-nickel, a great-aunt, I have less than ten years to retirement, I'm farmer Pete, I have cats, I'm going to have a dog and a burro. I get senior prices at the movies and I drive a bright red car.

Blogger's changes also caught me. My archives are still around, but hard to reach. There has always been a bit of a problem with the underscore in other_side, causing some folks to have trouble accessing the site.

My friend Deb showed me where this cool barn and silo were located on Grand River, near Portland. A little backstory on New Era potato chips is here. I think it is a good symbol to use for a switch of blog sites.

Trouble is, I always like to give challenges. My new blog is listed in the blogroll. I'll give you 'til Thursday to find it. You'll know you've found it 'cause this silo will be there too. Julie already accidentally did. If you find it before I post its new location on Thursday, and send me your snailmail addy, I'll send you a "finder's prize". (And I know, Julie, I still owe you some books.)

The Other Side will stay up. It's where I've met so many of you. We've shared so much: love and babies and vacations and work and loss and life. I shirley hope y'all join me in the New Era!

Just finished an interesting im with an old friend.

What is art?

note: comments says archived, but it is a glitch. Comment away, they will be recorded.

Contentment: playing on the computer while a storm threatens outside. Sierra in her basket atop the computer desk hutch. Snuzzles in his basket by my feet. Tummy just right after a light lunch, followed by one perfect Godiva chocolate.

And it's time for the Unconscious Mutterings!

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

1. Soldier :: On
2. Lipton :: Tea
3. Reason :: for the Season
4. Terms :: of Endearment
5. Positive :: Negative
6. Example :: "for instance"
7. Legacy :: "gift" to the future
8. Solo :: violinist
9. Instrument :: Violin
10. Later :: 'gator

I made bird treats today. The cats were hoping they were for them.

Edit: oh great! I was so sleepy when I was posting this that I somehow didn't add the picture. Sheesh!

A Different Outcome.

This old house has the same layout as the farmhouse in which I live. It makes me realize what a blessing I have had, being able to live in the home my great-grandparents built.

We're waiting on another possible winter storm tonight. *sigh* I thought that was the end of that. Silly me.

Sending prayers for Susan and her mom today.

Anyone who

has never

made a mistake

has never tried

anything new.

~~Albert Einstein

According to experts, my personality type is : Village Idiot Other people like me display these traits. They smell like cucumbers They have 6 fingers on each hand They suffer from road rage They have webbed feet Take the Ink Blot Personality Quiz at JokesUnlimited.com

There you go. An honest ink blot test.

You are most like: You are Brown
Earthy and humble, you are often mistaken for being plain, when you are actually quite interesting. Your gentle spirit causes you to be very attractive to others who are searchng for genuine friends.
Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
Visit Toys For Your Blog.com for more blog quizzes

It's time for some more favorites from flickr. I am in awe of the talent I see over there every day. Click through to get the links to the photographers represented here.

What would you

attempt to do

if you knew

you could not fail?

~~Dr. Robert Schuller

Whoa! Awakening to temperatures above freezing: now there's a thought!

It's funny. I keep my house temperature between 68-70 F. It is so comfortable at that temperature this morning, but when it is 0 out, it is so chilly! The cold seeps into the walls, I think. Anyway, I'm glad.

This is Fat Tuesday, and happy celebrating for those who do so. It's Paczki day here in Michigan. The boss has ordered enough for TWO for each of us. Yikes!

And a Happy Tuesday to you all!

Heat Wave!

We actually may get above freezing today. It seems like it has been forever since we've seen that temperature, though I think it probably is just since January.

Julie asked about the movie Music & Lyrics. Now, I tend to be a sentimental sap, so I absolutely loved it. Adjust your expectations according to your own personal sap factor. Hugh Grant is pitch perfect as the over-the-hill, one hit wonder, aging pop-star. Drew Barrymore plays quirky and vulnerable better than just about anyone going right now. And their chemistry works.

My new favorite restaurant is the Red Cedar Grille. Menu here. Deb and I ate there for the first time after seeing Music & Lyrics yesterday afternoon. Now, we like to gab when we get together, so we were enjoying our soup (she had the tomato, I had yesterday's blackbean) and chatting. The waitress apologized that our food was late coming up: Deb's steak salad came up first, then got cold while they were waiting for my Cubana sandwich to come up. We didn't care, we were relaxing. Next thing we know, the waitress is apologizing again, and says: "I've talked to my manager about this wait, and he said we could do one of two things. Either you can have dessert on the house, or I'll take the price of the soup off your checks."

Dang, but we felt almost guilty! We hadn't realized anything was amiss. Minutes later, the manager came over and introduced himself. We decided, after our wonderful entrees, to continue with the carrot cake dessert. It's a shared dessert. Ha! It's a baby carrot cake! We each had ample servings, and half was STILL left over. Deb took it home for her husband Joe.

What a place. It's been years since I've felt so pampered at a restaurant. If you're in the mid-Michigan area, I heartily recommend it. There is one at the Lansing Mall and one in Williamston. You're in for a treat!

Deer Crossing.

If you've come to the other side for any length of time, you may have picked up that I like deer, and I like to photograph deer. Out here at the farm, there are deer, but they live in the woods to the east and west of me. During this cold spell, they have hunkered down in the woods, and I haven't even seen their tracks in my backyard. What to do? What to do? I needed my fix of deer. I know, I said to myself. I'll go to Fenner Nature Center on my lunch.

The south-east side of Lansing has an abundance of interconnected parks and golf courses, which abut the Michigan State University farms. This has created a huge "no-hunt" haven for deer. I have counted up to 33 in an evening in a two mile stretch. Chasing those deer around to get their pictures helpmed me to understand how much much I love the outdoors, and how perhaps I could handle life in the country. So I have a very special feeling about this area, about these deer.

The deer didn't disappoint. I saw three as I pulled into the parking lot. (They were on their way to the birdfeeders, I think.) They faded back into the woods as I got out of my car, which was fine by me. I headed up a trial where I was pretty sure I would find more. However, something made me look back as I hit a small rise. The rascals. There they were, behind me. Got 'em!

and now, let's Unconsciously Mutter:

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

1. Threshold :: Door
2. Jason :: Argonaut
3. Suspicion :: Suspect
4. Tender :: Love me
5. Tempted :: and tormented.
6. Crimson :: Red
7. Repulsive :: Ogre
8. Bulldog :: Winston Churchill
9. Garage :: I leave my door open
10. Racket :: Tennis

Blog Post 4000.

Why I blog: For the love of it.

Thank you all!!!!

Tuesday's storm.

We had a snowstorm Tueday night that brought winds from the north-east instead of our prevailing winds from the south-west. Boy, did that cause me grief out here at the farm. Michigan farmhouses tended to be built in stages. The one I live in is no exception. There is an upright section and a flatter section that were built in 1908. The kitchen and laundry were added on to the east side in the 30's. In the 60's, what had been the woodshed was turned into a "breakfast" room.

These back rooms don't get as much weather exposure, so when the winds came, chinks and cracks were exposed. I put a blanket over the far back door in the breakfast room, and put a rolled towel at the floor. In the laundry room, I duct-taped the north door. Though that door isn't used now, the wind was seeping right through it. There is also a cute little window in the laundry room: icy! I duct-taped newspaper over that.

Mom put in new windows in the kitchen. There is still a little seepage on the north-one, so a rolled towel also went there. There was also a lot of seepage from the kitchen door, even though it faces south. I think I had a wind tunnel going, or something. Also, the door has about a 1/2" gap at the top. So I stuffed newspaper into all the gaping holes.

It still was mighty cold, but we made it through the night. And the furnace kept on chugging. Oh yeah, I forgot I was going to tell you about that, too! I had trouble with the furnace a couple of weeks ago, and a wonderful technician from the HVAC company I work for came out and cleared the intake duct of ice and debris. Well, the darned thing did it two more times! Fortunately, I knew what to check for, and sure enough, SNOW had packed the intake enough to keep the furnace from igniting. (The intake is on the left.) One time it failed at 4:00 a.m. in the morning. It was 0 degrees out (that's Fahrenheit). Being the farm woman I am, I pulled on my boots, threw on my coat, grabbed my spotlight, and headed out to fix the situation. The world I headed out into was a wonderland. The hoarfrost was just beginning to form: each tree had a hundred or so little diamond points on it. The sky was clear, and the night stars were shining like bigger diamonds. It was incredibly beautiful. So wonderful to have such a blessing as I was on my furnace-fixin' mission.

Sheesh. Another long post. This is getting to be a habit!


Happy Saturday!