*rant*

I don't watch Grey's Anatomy anymore. I find the show to be terribly bigoted. The case that sent me to the off switch: There was a 17-year-old female patient who had spinal problems that left her walking bent at almost a 90 degree angle. The beautiful blonde doctor felt she could be helped by Dr. McDreamy. He felt he could help her, but the surgery was risky. The patient's mother didn't want to give permission, but the patient said, "Mom, there are worse things than dying." Slam. Bang. Take that, you handicappers of the world. You're better off dead.

So I don't watch Grey's Anatomy anymore.

*end of rant*

Bears or Colts?

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Anything worth taking seriously - is worth making fun of

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

I've been meaning to ask, but I keep forgetting:

What are gas prices in your area?

We recently were down to $1.81 per gallon, but I see we're back up to $1.95 today. Howsabout you?

I posted this on January 21. Since then, our prices went back up to 2.15, but they're down this weekend again (and on the weekend, no less) to 1.91.

Here were some of the comments from around the world on the first post:

$0.81 per litre... better then .97 as it has been, but still WAY too high. Canada
about $1.10 a litre. That works out at about $3.50US per gallon. Approx. Australia
$2.71 a gallon here in the Bay Area, sometimes a little lower or higher. California
It was 90p ($1.80) a litre back in England at Christmas (or $6.66 a gallon), but St Louis is around $1.89 a gallon. It's good to be home! UK & Missouri

What are the rates in YOUR area?

And a morning Unconscious Mutterings today:

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

1. Limit :: "The sky is the limit", actually, that really isn't true. We all have some limits.
2. Voice :: Music
3. Change :: of clothes
4. Expression :: on your face
5. Tailor :: Suit
6. Lemonade :: Stand, pucker
7. Thought :: process
8. Phoebe :: Aunt
9. Impression :: dent
10. Sister :: Nancy, best friend

Folks seem to be doing quizzes, so Monkey see, Monkey do.

Found these at Julie's:

Your Ideal Pet is a Cat

You're both aloof, introverted, and moody. And your friends secretly wish that you were declawed!

What's Your Ideal Pet?

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

And Julie, just because your life is way more valuable than mine, don't let it go to your head *grin*

Your Life Is Worth...

$298,500

How Much Is Your Life Worth?

Found this one this time at bryn's, but I've seen it as Roscoe's also:

You know the Bible 100%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Thie one is nabbed from Roscoe:

What Your Dreams Mean...

Your dreams seem to show that you're a bit disturbed... but nothing serious. You may have a problem you're trying to work out in your sleep. Overall, you are very content in your life. Your dreams tend to reflect your insecurities. You have a very vivid imagination and a rich creative mind. You secretly want to hide your dreams from your waking mind.

What Do Your Dreams Mean?

One problem with January is that I go to work in the dark and I come home in the dark. My office is an interior office, so I seldom see the light-of-day. (How I envy you your view, susan-on-the-other-side-of-the-world!) So on clear sunny days I've been taking myself to the Nature Center on my lunch hours.



Of course, the one drawback is that clear means cold here in mid-Michigan. It was 10 degrees Fahrenheit today. Brrr! (Might have slowed the birds down, though. There's always a bright side!)

I saw a wonderful picture of marbles on flickr earlier today. Did you play them in your younger days? How about jumprope, and four-square, and . . . what is the one where you make the circle in the snow and then make wedges . . . is that fox and geese or something? What do kids play these days?

Hump Day Hump Day. YAY!

Oh, now isn't THAT intelligent????

Okay. Now you all know how much I love living out here at the farm, right? Well, I do. It's the best place on earth for me. However, Paradise Farm is not without its trials. The biggest one? The basement cellar.

The house was built in two parts. The first part has a cellar that is lined with field stone. The second part's cellar has cut stone lining, but it is still dank and dreary. The two are connected, and the furnace is situated close to the opening between the two. It scares the heck out of me to go down there, but I'm a farmwoman now. So: Sunday morning, before I even got dressed, I put on my long mucking boots over my pjs, turned on the lights in the pantry and kitchen, turned on the cellar light, and proceeded down the tumbly rickety steps. Fortunately, there is a hand rail. I replaced the decon, changed the furnace filter, and put another 50 pounds of salt in the water softener. I looked around, a little bit, because each time I go down there I try to get more familiar with the place. And then I scurried back up the stairs.

We farmwomen are brave. Yeah, right!

Close enough:

You Should Drive a Saturn Sky

You're sleek and smooth, and you need a car to match your hot persona. Besides, sometimes you want your top up - and sometimes you want it down.

What 2007 Car Should You Drive?

Saturday was such a sunny day! We don't get a lot of sun in mid-Michigan. Being surrounded by big lakes on all sides can sometimes create cloud pile-ups. But Saturday, oh Saturday! Sunshine, clear, cold, but a great day for a walk!

There are woods at the back of the farm property. Deer hang out there, so down the cornfield I went. So bright!

I've been meaning to ask, but I keep forgetting:

What are gas prices in your area?

We recently were down to $1.81 per gallong, but I see we're back up to $1.95 today. Howsabout you?

Good Sunday Morning! Let's Unconsciously Mutter!

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

1. Audition :: American Idol
2. Urgent :: Request
3. Lunch :: Hour
4. Adult :: Bookstore
5. Mug :: Shot
6. Awful :: Terrible
7. Comics :: Roscoe
8. Damage :: Storm
9. Kicks :: Boxes
10. Experience :: Good

This week's Newsweek has an adaptation from Sara Davidson's book LEAP! WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE REST OF OUR LIVES?, due out in February. Davidson was a successful television writer who, at 57, found herself alone and without work. The book describes the transition that many make in their fifties. It's an interesting exceprt, but I'm bummed in that her blog has two entries. Two?! Hmmm.

I am surrounded by lightness.

There is snow on the ground and there is sunshine on the snow. Acres and acres of light.

Flickr'ing is kind of like blogging. It's fun to upload your own pictures, and it is even more fun to travel around flickr, sampling other folks' pictures. If you click through on this, you will get the links to the individual photographers.

For those of you in summertime, maybe this will help you cool off?

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, whether they're on the finger or dangling from branches.

Swiped this from Julie, who swiped this from http://www.fondofsnape.com

1. I enjoy ... more than anything else.
2. Blogging satisfies my need for ... .
3. When I look at a full moon, I feel ... .
4. I like to listen to music when I'm ... .
5. My favorite ... of 2006 was ... .

I enjoy being home more than anything else.
Blogging satisfies my need for blogging. Blogging is one way to reach out, to share pics, to share parts of me.
When I look at a full moon, I feel hopeful. I also think of Johnny Cash. We went to a Michigan Fest concert years back where he was performing. It was an outdoor concert, and a big full moon was coming up over the MSU campus. He had us all howl at it. Cool.
I like to listen to music when I'm driving.
My favorite day of 2006 was June 17, when I watched 8 kids chase the fireflies down the cornfield to the woods.

Okay, first things first. I'm home this morning, because the window man had to come and adjust the kitchen window which was installed last October. It wouldn't latch. He was able to fix it just like that, so now I have the rest of the morning to play. Yippee!!

But as I said, first things first. Kevin Costner is 52 today.

Winter cometh

Every other Friday night my brother Chris and I go to my Mom's for the 9:00 p.m. movie on the community college television station. They are old movies, and I'm getting quite an education. This past Friday night was the 1950 movie Rocketship X-M. It is billed as the first of the space movies. Fifty-seven years ago, space exploration was all conjecture. The "pilots and scientists" were giving a secret press conference fifteen minutes before liftoff. You could hear the count-down in the background. At six minutes, they headed aboard the spaceship. They had lab coats as uniforms, and they did strap themselves into bunkbeds for take-off. I can't tell you more, because I'm sure you're going to rush right out and see it. Right?

One thing that I thought was cool is that the spacecrew did include a woman. Here is a sample from imdb.com of the dialog she had to endure:

Dr. Karl Eckstrom: With that differential of six over N to the thirtieth power the halfway check result is two hundred and sixty-two thousand to three hundred and forty-one thousand both using tangent E, correct?
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: That isn't the result I have.
Dr. Karl Eckstrom: They must be the same. There is an error there.
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: [defensive] I have made no error, Doctor Eckstrom.
Dr. Karl Eckstrom: I have to say that you have made and error and to discard your figures. I'm sorry.
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: [sarcastic] Don't be.
Dr. Karl Eckstrom: Surely you are not going to let emotion enter into this?
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: [dejected] Certainly not.
Dr. Karl Eckstrom: We will continue computing using my results as a basis.
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: Yes, I... Except that I feel very strongly I should say we should try both.
Dr. Karl Eckstrom: We can't. To complete either calculation would take six to eight hours; we can't afford the time. It's either one or the other, Doctor Van Horn.
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: [pleading] But it doesn't have to be. You can't be arbitrary about imposing your will when these people's lives are at stake, don't you realize that? And you speak as calmly as if you were saying 'Pass the salt.' Aren't you human? Are you made of ice?
[brief pause as she collects herself]
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: I'm sorry, I apologize.
Dr. Karl Eckstrom: For what? For momentarily being a woman? It's completely understandable, Miss Van Horn. Now shall we go ahead?
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: Yes Doctor.

Added: I forgot! Lloyd Bridges, Hugh O'Brian, and Noah Beery are three of the stars!

Kathryn tagged me in December, and somehow I missed it! Eek! Anyhoo, here are the rules.

“THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

So, six weird things about me.

1. I'll eat almost any vegetable raw, but the only cooked vegetables I like are potatoes, peas, corn, and beets.

2. I have seven nicknames: Shirl, Pearl, Shirts, Speters, Spud, Owwee, and Farmer Pete.

3. I know all the names of the Presidents of the United States in order. (Not sure if that is weird, but it does seem odd.)

4. I bought my first NEW car at 54, and it is a bright red!!!!

5. This isn't weird yet, because I haven't done it, but I aim to get a burro this year.

6. To connect to the internet I have to string 50' of cable through the office, dining room, kitchen, laundry room to hook into the phone jack. I then connect on dial-up at a very SLOW minimum rate. Now THAT is weird.

Okay, I'm going to tag Susan and susan and Julie and Roscoe and Diane and bryn.

Introducing Caleb Jeffrey.

Well, let's do some Unconscious Mutterings, shall we?

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

1. Episode :: Star Wars
2. Source :: Code
3. Jerk :: Steve Martin
4. Introduce :: Bring together
5. Ralph :: Jeffrey
6. Stare :: Glare
7. Cast :: of thousands
8. Scenario :: Possibility
9. Flu :: Cold
10. Mad :: Cow disease

Lynn has received some serious news. If you know her, please stop by and give her a hug or three.

Well happy Saturday afternoon! We were supposed to have crappy weather today, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get to Jackson to see my brand-new great-nephew. However, the weather held, and my brother and I drove down to see the next generation. He is adorable! I'll post pictures later, however, I have to apologize now. They're blurry! I guess I was TOOO excited. As further proof of my giddiness, as I was backing out of the driveway, I ran into the fence around Andy & Bryn's tree. It was a gentle bump, but STILL! And just now, for supper, I put a D'Giornio pizza into the oven. Sad thing is, I didn't take it off its cardboard tray. It was a wheat crust multi-cheese pizza, and the whole thing fused into one gloppy mess. So excited? Who me????

How's your Saturday been?

The Next Generation!

It seems like not so very long ago that my first niece was born. She's a honey of a girl. She's had some extraordinarily bad things happen to her through the years, but she somehow has always landed on her feet.

Yesterday something very very good happened to her and her husband. Their first son was born! Welcome, C. J. (Can you tell that this is my first time being a great-aunt???) I'll see the little shaver this weekend!

Coming home last night, there were two deer playing in the field JUST north of my house. What a good ending to the day!

Ack! I need to change the header picture! We had a green Christmas. *sigh* There were actually a few dandelions sprouting. However, January is back to normal. Temps below freezing, white stuff on the ground.

Playing with Photoshop. I never was too good at cutting.

No Sunshine?
Here's a suggestion. Take pictures of an orange. Then eat the orange. Instant sunshine! (For the 26things project for January. The picture, that is.)

Monday Monday!

Haven't had a work Monday since December 18th. Haven't had a five-day week since the week of December 1st. oohboy.

In the year 2007 I resolve to: Eat more boogers. Get your resolution here.

Not really, of course. I just saw it over at susan's and had to swipe it. The first one that came up was that I would get the chick next door pregnant. Uhhhhhh....

True resolutions:
Lose weight. (here we go again)
Continue enjoying the farm and expanding my horizons. (Funny how going back to the past has been so opening and so freeing.)
and a few others.

Why, Patti! . . . I'm the Nile too!

Which Extremity of the World Are You?
From the towering colossi at Rum and Monkey.

This and the previous Yin/Yang have been swiped from Gabrielle:

Capricorn - Your Love Profile

Your positive traits: You are serious about relationships and ready for a commitment. You tend to help your partner attain the success they dream of. You are a rock. Relationship problems don't seem to phase you. Your negative traits: Sometimes it's very hard for you to accept your partner's past. You are emotionally reserved, and difficult to connect with. You expect your partner to take care of you - and make cheat if they do not Your ideal partner: Is incredibly powerful and well respected. Is often older than you - and could be a superior at work. Has a good amount of money... or the ability to be rich someday. Your dating style: Practical. A "get to know each other" coffee date is just fine by you. Your seduction style: Bossy - you like to be the one in charge in the bedroom. Slow and patient. You know that good sex takes time. Calculating. You'll use sex to get ahead, if necessary. Tips for the future: Open up. A little emotional expression is a good thing in relationships. Leap before you look. You don't have to run a cost benefit sheet on everyone you date. Enjoy the now. No need to worry about marriage on the first few dates. Best color to attract mate: Dark green Best day for a date: Saturday

What's Your Love Profile?

You Are More Yin

Feminine,Devoted, Forgiving, Fall, Winter, Afternoon, Moon, Time, Passive, Metal, Honey

Are You More Yin or Yang?

Unconscious Mutterings! Maybe I'll be first this week!

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

1. Incomplete :: No resolution
2. Bobby :: Kennedy
3. Chopstick :: Chinese
4. Trauma :: Damage
5. Hesitate :: Stutter
6. Leap :: Year
7. Magnify :: Enlarge
8. Yards :: Lawns
9. Alexander :: Graham Bell
10. Fracture :: Break

What would the world be like if there were no children? If the youngest person in the world was 18?

Yes, I saw Children of Men tonight. A very thought-provoking movie. Edit: It also stars Clive Owen.

And it was my first night using a Senior Discount. Saved $2.

My Farmer's Almanac says that January in my region is supposed to be snow on the first, then cold through the sixty. Today we were in the 50's. Oops.

If you have ever done a 26 Things photography hunt you know how much fun they are. Tracy has a flickr site for them now. Here is the January list:

Happy hunting :)

# photography
# soft
# small spaces
# light
# dance
# opposite
# blur
# fruit
# travel
# 2
# in the sky
# mirror
# keys
# season
# sports
# remote
# chocolate
# in my bathroom
# temptation
# still life
# round
# everyday
# water
# red
# newborn
# a bridge

Hallmark still does know how to say it. My friend Janet got me a birthday card that said this:

If fireflies are as magical to you now
as they were when you were four, then you
are very lucky.

Very.
Happy Magical Birthday

And so begins the "Double-Nickel" year!

At least, that's what Roscoe called 55, and I liked the term.

I'm from Michigan. The television is turned on to the news from the Grand Rapids station, which is about 45 miles west of me. Sixty thousand people are in line to pass by President Ford's casket. The wait may be up to eight hours.

President Ford represented Michigan as a congressman. However, he retired to the western part of the country. It is interesting that he is now coming home to Michigan.

Saying good-bye to Christmas. The tree is coming down this afternoon.

Lake Superior State University, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, presents its 32nd Annual Banished Word list here. I have to agree with them.

Funny EBay Auctions collects weird auctions. Fun read.

Happy New Year!!!!


It's a different New Year's Eve for me. Normally, I'm anxious to dump a year and get on to the next, but 2006 was very good to me. This year, for once, I am excited about the New Year, but am reluctant to close out the old.

Sending you all good thoughts, and hoping that this is 2007 is your best year yet!

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.