Pondering Day

For several years now I have used some questions posed by Jamie Ridler of  Jamie Ridler Studios as a help to evaluate the past year.  The questions examine both the good and not so good, along with what parts you'd like to keep and what to discard.

Her questions include:
What was the highlight?  
What was the low point?
What are you proud of, what was fun, what has changed, what did you say "yes" to, what challenged you?

Who are the new people in your life?   What will you be glad to leave behind?

There are more questions including one that reminds me of Barbara Walters interviews-----if this year was a painting, what color would it be?

These questions also help me plan for the new year because I can think of what I would like to say next year at this time.  (If the Lord tarries, as my Mom used to say.)

In addition, this site offers great creativity resources.

Speaking of which:  I bought a journal in April in Dubuque at River Lights Bookstore which challenges the reader to commit to making something 365 (or 366, as this Leap year) days a year.  The author is Noah Scalin, who made a skull out of a different medium for a whole year.  Strange, yet interesting.  and funny....

I'm leaning toward letter writing or mail art.  If I have your snail mail address----beware.

Also, I need to address "comments for a cause".  I haven't been begging for your comments in my usual shameless manner, because we have commitments that come due in the fall that money has already been promised for.  Suffice it to say, that comment money will go to South America and provide tuition money for a certain little third grader, and the leftovers will go to Heifer International and Doctors Without Borders.

I do cherish your comments.  I thank all of you who make yourselves known to me.  And I wish you all a wonderful new year.  May all your good dreams come true.

Winding Down

  

Christmas comes but once a year, and when it comes it brings good cheer.

And so many happy memorable moments.  Family Christmas was yesterday with my two sisters and whatever family members who could be there and there was much laughter and love----and plenty of food.

Today, after I go to Weight Watchers, Good Guy and I are headed for Green Bay to watch some basketball and visit Barnes and Noble with my new Nook.  (Technophobe that I am, I need a short course.) 

We will be watching the University of Wisconsin---Green Bay women's basketball team in action.  They are a real powerhouse and we follow their progress all year, even though we only get to a few games.

Another thing I need to tell you about;  Older Daughter and I went to the early Christmas Eve service, and there were little children in attendance.  During a period of silent prayer (much longer than I needed to confess my personal sins) ---- a little voice piped up,  "Wake up!  Wake up!"

The pastor looked out over a full house of chuckling parishioners.  Another child intoned, after every musical number,  "All done!"   I've decided the early service is for young families, and old folks who don't want to be out carousing around at 10 PM.  Good clean fun.

So have a jolly day, finding places for all your new treasures, and finish off those cookies so you can put that canister back into the cupboard.  Just trying to help!

Merry Christmas

Growing up in a household of Swedish folk, I never got to be much of a Santa fan. Our big holiday was Christmas Eve, when we got together, opened gifts, ate ourselves silly and had a wonderful time. So I didn't have new stuff on Christmas morning and I don't recall being upset about it, either. All that by way of background. Today, in my mind, is the Holiday. Have a Happy Day. I have to go and mix meatballs and clear off the tables. Thanks be to God for His Unspeakable Gift! And thanks to you for your part in my wonderful year!

The Shortest Day

Turn on the lights. Light those candles, open the blinds, cheer for the sunshine we have today!

I get to spend much of today with my quilting friends, so that will be a treat to savor. We haven't met for a few weeks, due to travel, illness, and such, so I'm looking forward to this time together.

I have to scrounge around for something quilt-like to do. My Christmas knitting has been my crafty output for the past month(s), so not much is happening on the quilting front. Make that NOTHING is happening on the quilting front.

I see that Blogger is making it uncomfortable for anyone who hasn't switched to the "new interface" voluntarily. The only icons on my New Post bar are the spell check icon, the picture icon and the preview option. Gone are all the other editing tools that used to be there, and there's no way to link. Hmmm.

Consider the truth of the matter, Annie. It's free, isn't it? Quit whining.

Maybe it's a good day to switch my header picture to a shot from Hawaii, just to escape the short cold days. Nah, I'll do that when I get really sick of January. It's still the festive Christmas season!

Hope your pre-Christmas is fun for you. And thoughtful, and thankful.

Just in Case...

I know that not all of you live in a land of snow. I also know you aren't that broken up about it, but----in the spirit of the season and all, I have a little gift for you.

Friday Again

Yowsa! Where did this week go? It is the day we all anticipate with glee---filing fragments and linking up with Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissin' Time.

Birthday remnants: We finally had weather suitable for travel to a fine restaurant to celebrate my birthday with an excellent meal. I left the bread basket alone to make room for a margarita,( love those limes for avoiding scurvy), shrimp tempura, linguine with clam sauce, and a tasty dessert. I sort of split the dessert with Good Guy, but he didn't eat half by a long shot. It was all delicious and the service was wonderful!

Yooper remnants: Yesterday I posted a video someone took of our town. It depicts a very small rural town in its selective choice of views to include. Of course, if it showed Wal-mart, K Mart, Shopko, Wendy's, Arby's, Home Depot, etc.--it would look like every other town in America.

But, the town and environs have a about 20,000 people rather than the 2,000 you might expect from viewing the video. (It's a great place to live, especially if you're really fond of winter.)

My dear friend since middle school days translated a letter for me this week. I'm thankful for the internet and being able to keep in touch with loved folks far away. But I digress. I got a letter in Spanish from a seven year old, and she got the translation back to me in a flash. This little girl is attending a school, now located on the site of what used to be an orphanage where two of my sons lived as small boys.

I am thinking my learning for 2012 might be learning Spanish as spoken in Colombia. That should keep my brain limber.

Good Guy says his travel sites are promoting Colombian travel. Hmmmm......

Our Christmas tree is up, and is quite simple and beautiful, if I do say so myself. It is short and squatty---not our usual Charlie Brown emaciated stray. White light and balls of gold, silver, and frosted white. Very pretty indeed.

In a spirit of inclusiveness, I polished up the menorah too and loaded the candles. If the Lord could keep the oil supply up for the event that Hanukkah celebrates, I can celebrate, too.

In my twenties, I lived in a four unit apartment building in Skokie, Illinois. We were the only Gentiles in the building, and we were very frugal. We didn't decorate for Christmas because we were packing up and heading up here to be with our families, plus we thought we were being sensitive to the feelings of our Jewish neighbors. They bawled us out for not bringing some Christmas cheer to the building.

They were very excellent neighbors. Wherever you are, Happy Holidays, Marlene, Marty, and Rose!

Karen got a Kindle for her birthday---and I've decided I'm jealous. I guess I'll have to put one on my list. Good Guy is shopping for a new TV set. Is that a hint?

In spite of the fact that I have knitting to finish and send, I am nursing an aching shoulder and limiting my knitting time. It's driving me batty. What did I do all the time before I resumed knitting? Played spider solitaire, probably. I wasn't scrubbing floors, I'll guarantee you that!

I think that about sweeps up all my fragments for this Friday. I hope you are joyful in your preparations! Hope and joy, that's what it's all about!

If you have Fragments to contribute, please join us. We love scraps and left-overs.

A Short Tour

This morning on Facebook I found that my little brother posted a link to share with you. (He's sort of an adopted brother, having once been married to my sister.)

I don't know why I feel compelled to tell you that, except that I try to be honest always, and try to tell the truth even when nobody else gives a rip.

This video was shot in my town and has some awesome footage of Pine Mountain Ski Hill. It's toward the middle of the video. Hope you're amazed. (muffled laughter.)

Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzCwJ_cZp4M&feature=share

Let me know what you think, too. Please.

Wednesday Flurry Report

Yesterday morning I hied me hence to do some last minute shopping to fill the box headed for Florida. I sneaked the bags into the house because there were some things for Good Guy, too, and when I hadn't heard him after an hour of wrapping, I called upstairs.

No answer. No car in the garage, either. He was out shopping too.

So we got the boxes off to Florida and Royal Oak. I can't send the Minnesota box until I finish another mitt, but that's OK. If the box gets there early, it'll get opened too early anyway. I won't knit at all today because my shoulder is too lame. Moderation in all things----sometimes your body has to remind you.

In spite of the wise eating plan, I'll get to do some baking today. Because I have eight granddogs, and many niece and nephew dogs as well, I can bake dog treats. They aren't as much fun as cookies, but I'm not (quite) as tempted to snack.

Just a word about our weather. Since the slush that arrived on Monday, our temps have hovered just above freezing which results in a weird, cold fog. I'm glad I don't have to go out in it much.

Oh, and GG got our Christmas tree yesterday. It is short but very chubby. Today we'll decorate and set the cats into a flurry of excitement. Ahh, the Christmas spirit! I'm looking forward to the lights on the tree.

Only one week until the winter solstice. Hooray! (I'm not saying that as a sun worshiper, only as a scientific observer of the need for sunlight for my cheery mood.)

!

Happy Wednesday

Tuesday

This entry is the antithesis of "Wordless Wednesday". I actually was trying to make a new header out of previously taken pictures with Picasa.

They have changed Photobucket again and it is even more difficult (for me) to use than before. Someday I may have time to learn it, but it won't be in December.

This picture is of appliqued letters which will go on a Words Quilt. My sisters helped me put the squares up on a design wall a few weeks ago when we had time together in Young Sister's basement fireplace and sewing room. (It is a wonderful room full of light and comfortable chairs.)

Anyway they gave me good ideas and I'll add more squares and sometime before my NEXT birthday, we will have a big, big quilt on our queen size bed. The weekend we spent dog sitting made me covet our hostess's big, big quilted bedspread. She has made all the quilts and wall hangings in her home, and believe me, they are beautiful!

I had a lovely birthday today, full of greetings, phone calls, and flowers, and presents. We even had a beautiful snowfall which appeared to be big fluffy flakes. They landed as slush balls though, and we decided to have a birthday supper at home and save the special occasion restaurant meal for a night with dry roads. That's just how we geezers roll, folks.

Cozy and Contented

You know the Christmas cards you get that wish you peace and joy?

Well, this morning of my birthday is just that. It is majorly peaceful here with Good Guy still sleeping, kitties watching out the windows, and the furnace running to keep our cottage warm.

The coffee is hot and delicious, and the moon is still almost full, while the temperature is hovering at freezing. (Outdoors, that is.)

My daughter and I attended the choir concert last evening which was very lovely. The church was beautifully decorated, with a stately tree and about a zillion poinsettias.

We have all we need, and some extra to share. No cars are in the repair shop. Saint Bev is recovering from her surgery and no additional treatment is needed.

My younger daughter, on the Virginia Tech campus, was always safe last week. (As was almost everyone else, as it turns out.)

I am happy, I am very blessed, and I pray the same for you.

Happy Preparations Week!

Friday

Thanks to Mrs. 4444, for continuing to host our weekly tidbit dump. I always look forward to seeing what trivia is floating around among her friends and followers. Check her out at Half Past Kissin Time.

She posted a small tutorial earlier in the week on the use of punctuation marks---and that it isn't necessary to put an apostrophe after every word that ends in an S. Good work, Mrs. 4444.

It seems like a curse to know the correct usage of so many words. My own aggravation has to do with the use of Less. I also cringe when I hear the car ad which claims that if it weren't for curiosity, the world would still be flat. Yoo-hoo! The world never WAS FLAT. Bonehead!

I found the coolest website, which is promoting kindness in the new year. It will warm your heart, just reading about it. Look for the Kindness Challenge 2012 Toolkit.

Good Guy saw the surgeon again on Wednesday. All is well and she never wants to see him again. (Surgeons aren't famous for "bedside manner".) Insert laughter here: I'm not picking on anybody.

Since walking outdoors is pretty treacherous, we've walked at the mall a couple days this week. Just like any other exercise, we are finding it is more tolerable if we do it together. Today there's a craft fair in progress, so we'll try the other mall, or even outdoors, if it ever warms up.

My car doors froze up and it made me wonder why people continue to live in this weird climate. I concluded that since my house is paid for, that is reason enough.

This week is my birthday. And my daughter-in-law's birthday. And two sons, two cousins, plus a wedding anniversary. We never get a Christmas tree until this week is over.

Visitors to our bird feeders this week: Cardinals, sparrows, juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, blue jays, mourning doves, and Stubby the Squirrel. (His aunts, cousins, and other in-laws have been dropping around, too.) We saw a deer in the back yard as we were leaving the front driveway last night, too. He was cautious, but didn't get scared away.

Have a great TGIF.

They Said It Couldn't Be Done!

My dear husband, ever indulgent of my enthusiasms, did extra duty as an admiring spouse while I knit these podsters. This is sort of a maiden effort, since the real deal will be knit in black yarn and on needles one size larger.

I was so excited to manage knitting these successfully, that I nearly broke my arm patting myself on the back! It was something akin to home made marshmallows----which I was amazed to discover Could Be Made At HOME! (But why would you bother?)

I've never tried gloves before but Glenna's pattern is very clear and helpful---and even free. Check it out here. That will get you to her blog, and the pattern is for podsters.

What fun to accomplish something new!

Right on Schedule!

Having set a deadline for mailing out my Christmas cards kept me on task and except for a couple that require special letters or pictures or something, they are all ready to be mailed on December 6th as planned.

A great many of the presents are on hand and wrapped already. A couple of them are still not assembled, which in Annie-talk means that I have the knitting needles and the pattern, but I still have to find the yarn! That is Really Not Assembled!

Glenna of Knitting to Stay Sane has offered a wonderful glove/ mitten combo for people who have smart phones, or who have to get their fingers free to text. It has the thumb and partial finger gloves, plus a flip over mitten, and a little hatch to get your thumb loose, too. I have never knit anything like this before, but as my Pop used to say, "You won't learn any younger!"

The college bowl games are becoming a bit clearer after the past weekend. The mighty Badgers of Wisconsin managed to outlast Michigan State in the first Big Ten championship game. So they'll play, once again, in the Rose Bowl game. The one I'm torn about is that Michigan will play Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl (at least that's what Good Guy said. He might just be yanking my chain----but that isn't his style). He attended Michigan, my daughter is at Virginia Tech. Who do I root for?

I got my granddaughter's hat, mittens, and scarf finished. For years everything had to be pink or magenta, but she's taken a fancy to teal.

Do you think this will do? I'm hoping the color will turn out something like the way it looks in daylight. I had a lovely all teal cabled cap done for her and it just wasn't warm or tight enough. So I ripped it out and made a simpler, more useful cap.

Good Guy is mending quickly after his hospitalization last Tuesday. Today he went out to grocery shop and he went to the library to read the newspapers from all over the place. He thinks not feeling up to snuff is pretty boring, and he seems to be doing fine. Thanks to all of you who expressed concern about him.

Well, I have time to scan through a book again before our book group meets on Wednesday afternoon. I read the book once, but kept getting the characters mixed up. Maybe a little refresher will help me. We wanted something simple and heartwarming for December, and settled on Friendship Cake by Lynne Hinton. It filled the bill admirably.

In spite of having my cards ready to mail, I feel like everyone else is rushing the season. Perhaps that's because we don't get a tree until after the family birthday clump of the 11-14th. We still get a cut tree if there is still one to be found by mid December, but with all the lights and decorations in our neighborhood, I'm wondering. I have an advent wreath and some Swedish decorations up, and that's enough for us. The Fuzzies look forward to having greens up to rearrange. That means a lot of sweeping for someone else.

Happy Tuesday! Savor the season.

Life Rules, again

If you come here often you know that I am a big fan of Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project.

Of all the thought-provoking and helpful things I've learned from her is this rule: It's so simple and obvious that it shouldn't be a big revelation to me. Yet it has been so helpful.

The rule is Identify The Problem. I used it yesterday morning when I started to write my Christmas cards. Other years I can't keep my materials together. Pen, stamps, return address labels, cards, Christmas letters from the printer, lap desk, (yadda-yadda-yadda.)

So this year I gathered everything together in on box (pretty simple solution, no?) and stashed it in the room where I'll do this task along with my address book. I have a deadline on my Christmas stuff calendar, so I have to keep at it to keep up.

Beth Ann had an excellent post about Advent this morning. It is all about hope and expectation, and I will hold that positive thought in this season of preparation. (If I were a good person, who wasn't in a hurry, I'd have a link to Beth Ann Chiles blog. Maybe later I can come back and do right by her.) Try this.

I am getting a rare opportunity to cook, while GG recovers and the good smell of beef stew and fresh bread are in the air. I had to bake potato bread in the bread maker this afternoon because I had a failure the last time I tried. I have had so many successful loaves in a row, I was drunk with power. I couldn't fail. What do the Proverbs say about pride? So I was humble in success when I got a beautiful loaf out of my efforts today.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

Friday, Friday

Greetings from the Dark Side------of the day, that is. Technically it is morning, but I'm counting the days 'til the solstice and the days begin lengthening.

Mrs. 4444 of Half Past Kissin' Time hosts this weekly gathering of like-minded hoarders of bits. So we each sweep up the scraps and link up together to share.

1. I had an alarming (to me) Skype interruption yesterday while I was reading blogs in which an automated voice warned me that my firewall had failed and I should go directly to the address he kept repeating in his creepy voice. Good night, charlie! I was off that machine and shut down so fast it made my head spin.

2. Our desktop seems to be on it's last legs. That one keeps shutting down and restarting unbidden. It's old and not much is demanded of it, but it's unnerving, anyway.

3. Reading-----Night Ferry by Michael Robotham. A tenacious heroine and main character.

4. I'm finally securing the pockets of the nutmeg colored vest I started in October. It'll be nice and big now that I've lost almost 30 pounds. (That's two fragments right there.)

5. As Mrs. 4444's said in her fragments, we had a nice visit at the hospital when she stopped by to feed me baked potato chips, and distract me from pacing the floor. I wasn't really worrying for the first two hours of his one hour surgery----but I was anxious after the third hour and counting. And she's just like her blog---thoughtful, funny, thinking, curious, and cool!

6. I'm not worrying about how many days until Christmas. I'm counting the days until the solstice and the days begin getting a bit longer.

7. Which is not to say that I don't celebrate Christmas. I surely do. I celebrate everything. My son spotted our menorah one visit and said, "I didn't realize Good Guy was Jewish!" Good Guy is a skeptic after being raised a Baptist. But he celebrates Christmas, too.

8. I was so pleased by my grandson's reaction when I proposed that I should spend the Christmas present money on Heifer, International. " That'd be awesome, Grandma!" How heartening! He'd learned about HI at school, where they had drawn T-shirt art to promote it.

That's all I've got, folks. And it's 2 degrees, F. and I've got to feed birds.

Eureka! It's winter!

I'm sure this isn't a revelation to most of you, but our inches of sticky snow this morning made me think of changing scenes in a play.

December 1 ---- scene loaded with snow. Actually it was perfect snowman snow. And if I had my druthers I'd have found my boots and mitts and gone right out and whomped up a snowman.

Instead I updated all the kids and sibs on Good Guy's recovery status. (He's doing okay.) And then I finished knitting projects, and went to Weight Watchers to discover that I lost more than two pounds over the Thanksgiving holiday. I consider that a major victory!

I also spent a little time shoveling. It didn't take much effort, but I thought I'd give the porches and steps a head start, since some melting was evident by noon.

I can't tell you much about Good Guy's experience--nor can he, since he was under anesthesia, but I was very impressed with the convenience and comfort provided for families by Bellin hospital in Green Bay. The waiting rooms are spacious and comfortable, and beepers are supplied so we can wander and return to the outpatient surgery when summoned.

An unexpected treat was a visit from Mrs. 4444 which broke up the afternoon with a pleasant visit and many chuckles. Wasn't that thoughtful and kind of her?

My son and his family came through for me, by feeding me some supper, and entertaining me in the evening, and providing transportation so I could just leave my car in the parking lot. I didn't fancy getting lost. As my daughter-in-law says, "I can get lost in a shoe box!"

We got to go home on Wednesday before the snow began. I feel blessed, to not have to drive two hours in snow.

So that's about all that's happening here. I'm wondering what I should do in place of Christmas baking. Baking isn't that friendly to weight loss. I love sweets and do better when I can be an Abstainer, rather than a Moderator. (Gretchen Rubin says there are two kinds of people---some of whom can do moderate amounts of "whatever" and others who have to give it up cold turkey.)

I can make granola to send to my son who requested it last year. I can bake dog biscuits, because everybody has dogs I have to give presents to. After that? I guess I could bake presents and send them off. I'll keep you posted.

Excuse me while I eat an apple.

Busy Week Ahead

Our fun weekend is over, and the only people leftover (snicker) are my sister and Daisy. They are staying across town with youngest sister, so we're at home, alone, preparing ourselves for a medical week.

I get to visit my dentist tomorrow----a routine, not an emergency. So aside from getting there on time and keeping my mouth open, there isn't much preparation. Except I have to remember to take antibiotics for all dental work since I had a knee replacement.

But Good Guy has surgery in Green Bay on Tuesday afternoon. He's classified as an outpatient and we will probably be released by evening. But we'll stay in a motel there overnight, so he can sleep off his anesthetic in peace and we'll drive home in the morning. So I need all my entertainments around me. Netbook, knitting, book, stationery so I can catch up on letter-writing. You'd think he was having a two day procedure done. But you never know what you will feel like.

That's all the medical stuff, but our week is built around it. I'm supposed to have a bunch of quilt squares done by December 1, and I should have been working on it this weekend, but I was just hanging out with my family instead. Lucky me.

In an entirely unrelated subject, the weather has turned wet, windy, and cold. Going out to walk takes real will power---or a frisky puppy. (Daisy got me out for a while this morning.) My walking partner has had a house full of company, so our usual time hasn't been convenient for her. I am pretty dependent on her for getting me out, and vice versa.

I will return and all will be well. Hold that thought.

The Annual Thanks-Fest

Ahh, tomorrow! The annual favorite holiday of many! No presents to buy, just food, family, and football.

While my kids were growing up, the feast took second place to the fact that it was the beginning of the firearm deer hunt in Wisconsin. Our hunter couldn't wait to get down to his deer camp---the tiniest little shack I've ever seen.

But after staying out in the cold watching for deer from dawn til dusk, it was comforting to touch base with family and have a big carb loaded dinner. The very one we are all looking forward to tomorrow.

I will forgo my favorites, which would be dressing, green bean casserole, and apple pie. But there are a great many other delicious things to look forward to.

I have hopes that the Pack will beat the Lions, but I am not confident enough to place any bets on the outcome. Anything can happen.

Of course, the main event is really is in the title of the holiday. Giving Thanks. And I try always to count my blessings, which adds immeasurably to my happiness in life. I have a very long list of things for which I am grateful, and my good friends are close to the top of this list.

My family and faith, friends, health, are just the beginning. I hope you have some quiet time to reflect on the many reasons you have to be grateful tomorrow. (You can even start early---or extend the thankfulness beyond the holiday if you wish.) I'm pretty sure the Lord is pleased with our gratitude all the time.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

The View From the Couch

Our fun day with kids here is over and we are recuperating. But there will be more mischief afoot with youngest son returning for Thanksgiving week accompanied by his nephews (who are also my grandsons, of course), and the East Coast Girl is still home until she leaves on Wednesday.

Above we have a blurry shot of my grandsons with East Coast girl, and the parents of the grandsons. (The dear DIL, who brings baked goods with her.) This time she brought pumpkin pie, a pan of brownies, and a banana bread. She's a keeper, for sure.

Our "view from the couch" concerned a full Sunday of football. Our team is the darling of the talking heads. They have won 15 straight---and they are bound to lose a game because the defense is porous at times. Yet, they keep on winning. So we listened to that game, the Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the same time we watched the Detroit Lions finally defeat the Carolina Panthers. Ugly, but effective.

After that----well, you get it. I could go on and on. I have to laugh at the McDonald's ad where the girlfriend confronts her boyfriend with the choice. Face the facts, girl! It's the truth.

McDonald's: Sundays Are For Watching Football? - YouTube:

The day wasn't wasted though. I'm almost done with some Christmas knitting, and I sat with my Christmas lists on my lap trying to think of clever and useful gifts. Perhaps I thought it would get filled in by osmosis. Since some of my giftees occasionally check in here, I won't divulge whether I had any brainstorms. I do think I'll knit some more lined mittens. I do have people who have to be out in the cold.

Another place I visited over the weekend was the beautiful gift shop at our local Rainbow's End alpaca farm. Their shop is just beautiful, well stocked with yarn and finished items, both hand knit and manufactured. (When I win the lottery, it's at the top of my list to visit.) I could make a big dent in my Christmas list there.)

But not today, I think. I'd better toddle off and fill the washer instead. Hope your day is a happy one!

Friday Again

You know how this works:

You sit down and ponder what trivia has passed through your mind and been discarded as a possible blog subject, then you recapture it and link it up to Friday Fragments. Our friend and hostess, Mrs 4444's hosts this link every week. (Thanks, M4)

Good Guy has been sick this week with a really bad cold. Saint Bev had surgery in Marshfield last Friday and hopefully will be back home today. She said they would keep her about a week. My walking partner's mom who is in long term care, and quite elderly is failing. I feel surrounded by medical crises.

I feel lucky that I was born in an era with so much medical care available---even if it isn't much help with a cold.

We loaded up our bird feeders this week and were promptly invaded by squirrels. We have a neighborhood senior citizen squirrel named Stubby who has lost a good portion of his tail. He was "first on the scene".

It is hunting season in Michigan, but its a treat to see six venison denizens on the hoof on Wednesday at Kay's for quilting. Kay's guy placed some corn outdoors for "bird feeding", clanked on the flower pot three times, and as soon as he came indoors the deer appeared. Magic!

Weight Watchers has a program in place called "Lose for Good" wherein money gets donated to food pantries for every pound lost by members. In addition we have been collecting non-perishable food items to donate locally. (It's a good way to redirect our food obsessions.)

Quite naturally, the meeting subject yesterday concerned strategies for dealing with holiday eating, leftovers, etc. Our leader gave us some point values for some of the "standing temptations" of Thanksgiving----dressing, gravy, pie, green bean casserole! (I'm allowed 29 points per day. Her meal added up to 62 points...............(burp!)

I've been writing to my adopted soldier who is a career Army person and was delighted to get a letter back! It's so much easier to write when you know something about the person!

I'm looking forward to reading Other Fragments! Have a great weekend!

Curb Your Enthusiasm

I am so excited and pleased.

My Out East daughter is on her way to her homeland (here) as I write this and we are using this occasion to round up as many family members as can get here for Saturday and a nice big (but easy) feed-for-all. My other DD is close by now, so she can be here, and the Green Bay Group will come after my grandson completes his band performance.

We will even have over nighters, which doesn't happen very often. We have a hide-a-bed which gets used for one guest at a time, but we don't have groups unless they are very understanding and can make do on air mattresses. Fortunately these guests are kind and understanding in capital letters.

So maybe I'll have Good Guy take some pictures and I'll show you some of my beautiful descendants. It could happen! You never know!

Oh, you want to know the menu? Shredded porketta on crusty buns, calico beans, tossed salad, and whatever delicious dessert my daughter-in-law brings. She is a World Class baker!

I am hoping that your weekend holds some happy times too!

A Lovefest

Once upon a time, in the land across the border, I was a wife to a nice man who was the father of my children. He had two equally nice brothers, and was the cousin of a family of a Great Many Children.

Now this nice man wasn't particularly sociable or gregarious, and as time went by, I was the person the cousins came to know. Many of these cousins who were about our age, had dear wives who became my close friends.

Yesterday I attended a family event just because i love this family dearly, even though I don't see them very much anymore. It was very gratifying to be welcomed and hugged by so many old friends.

It was fun to see the younger generation----and see who resembles which parent. It is helpful if their faces still resemble the children I remember them being, but that's not always the case. They have grown into lovely, gracious people and I love to see that, too.

So, you see, it was a love fest all around. As we get older, and begin losing our old friends, it's important for me to maintain these old connections. We can never have too many people who love us. Don't you agree?

End Of Innocence

Weeks ago my sister told me I had to watch a program on TV which aired last night. This is noteworthy because, first of all,she never tells me what to, and secondly she doesn't recommend television shows very often.

But this show was on Point of View on Public Television was done by a local film maker about local young men who joined the National Guard---for something to do----and to get an education paid for. The film follows them from the decision making through deployment in Afghanistan and their "safe" return home again.

No more happy-go-lucky young guys returned. Even though they returned with all their limbs, and their eyesight, they were profoundly changed by their experience.

For many of us, it takes decades to become adults with a realistic point of view about the way the world works. For these young men, all that and more was accomplished in a matter of months. We may have more sophisticated ways to fight wars than lining up in ranks and marching straight for the enemy, but there are wounds anyway.

I wonder if there was ever a conflict where the participants were not thinking, "Why are we going through this again? What will this prove?"

However, in honor of Veterans everywhere of every age, my heartfelt thanks for your sacrifice of time. Thanks for putting your life on hold to do whatever they asked you to do for your country. I pray that you will or have regained enough equilibrium to be happy again in our society, or that you have the will to help us remedy its many problems and flaws.

God bless you real good.

Food for Thought

Good Guy was just sorting through jackets and coats in the front closet and he came upon an old notebook in the pocket of a trench coat.

These are always great finds for me, since I tend to write a lot of stuff down so I don't forget.

Today I found these old gems: None of them are original with me, though I don't have any way to attribute them to the witty folk who thought them up.

"Lottery: a tax on the math impaired."

"We have enough Youth: How about a Fountain of Smart."

"Consciousness: that annoying time between naps."

A motto for the IRS: "We've got what it takes to take what you've got."

And on a more serious note, this was attributed to Buddha:

"What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now."

Hold that thought.

Snuggling into Wintertime

Unknown Mami hosts a Sunday party known as Sunday in My City. Which I'm not linking up to, since I don't have any pictures to contribute, but after I read them it got me to thinking.

It is possible that it seems more like Fall/Winter today because of the end of Daylight Saving Time this morning, but suddenly it feels as though winter is staring me right in the eye. Most of the leaves are down, and the city has swept up the leaf piles left at the curb. Every morning while we're walking we can see migrating flocks of geese.

Our yard squirrels come up on the railings and peek into the kitchen window above the sink. What's up? Why no seeds out here?

We haven't suffered any snowy indignities that other parts of the country have experienced, so we are fortunate in that regard. But we have had some cold, cloudy, blustery weather nevertheless. Mornings are frost-laden and we wait to walk until nine o'clock, when there's some chance that it's a bit warmer.

We are finding, though, that when you get outdoors every day, you do get accustomed to the cold. Sort of. So far. What we won't get accustomed to is walking on slippery surfaces, so we are trying to plan ahead. We talked about exercising at the Y, and perhaps it will come to that. Yet we do have exercise equipment lying about unused, so we are going to do that together.

But for the time being, we are still good with walking in the great outdoors.

News from the Knit Wit

Just a quick peek into the knitting baskets to bring you knitter(s) up to speed. Observe the progress on the nutmeg colored vest. I should finish that before Sunday . There isn't much "finishing that has to be done, except some pocket sewing. ( I love that it has pockets. I have to lug a lot of stuff around.)

The green and white sweater is the Puzzle Project for which I got the pieces. It is mostly sewn together, but I'll have to knit a button band and collar---somehow.

And the red/blue thing is a mitten---the red part is mostly done and I'm adding an alpaca lining so they will be super warm. Once the thumb is done for the inner mitten, it is pretty easily finished.

I'd linger longer, but it's time to walk. I'll need some layers this morning since it's just barely above freezing. BUT the sun is shining and the skies are blue. No snow yet.

The Pain of Fandom

Can you remember early elementary band concerts? It's no place for a music lover to hang out, believe me. And early sports are a little bit like those band concerts, I think.

Tonight I went to a seventh grade post season girls' basketball game. As a parent, I've watched lots and lots of basketball, and I went along with my sister to watch a game.

It amazes me how much kids improve each year, particularly when they are highly motivated and they practice on their own. All these kids pass the ball a lot and want to play way faster than they have the skills for yet, but they will be tons better next year. And we must have a lot of faith in that happening, because we're both talking about getting softer seats to fasten on the bleachers.

Thursday Fragments

I won't be around tomorrow to link up my scattergories to Mrs. 4444's gang of mischief-makers. Nonetheless, I need to post something before I head off into the Land of No Wireless Service.

My two sisters and I have an annual weekend of quilting together, which began when we all went to a retreat conducted by Jane's local quilt shop. It was great fun and we enjoyed that for two years, and then Jane agreed to house and dog sit for the lady who was doing the organizing for the retreat.

Then we had our own Sister's Retreat at her home, with her encouragement and permission.

1. This year Youngest Sister will come when/if she can because of work and family complications.

2. The Fuzzies will have to house sit for me with Good Guy gone to NYC, and

3. Cooper, my dog friend , is recuperating from hip surgery. So dog sitting may be real work.

Life keeps getting complicated, doesn't it?

Our lovely warm fall weather has become more seasonal with wind and rain. It's still above freezing in the mornings but sometimes it isn't warming up to 50 degrees all day. It is entertaining to watch all the leaves blow into the yards of the folks who have cut their trees to avoid having to rake. (Bwa-ha-ha)

I don't think I will haul my quilting project with me to my "Quilter's Retreat". I am on the home stretch of my vest and have some more work to do on the little green and white sweater project. I got the pieces of it, already knitted, and I'm sewing it together-----and maybe adding a front button strip and a collar. I will have to make it up as I go along because I didn't get any pattern with it. Nothing like a good puzzle!

Plus I want to knit some aqua colored warm hats and mitts for Christmas presents. I don't expect to get to that, but you never know! Knitters seem to be incurable optimists in that regard.

Have a great weekend.

Weekend Recap

Appropriately named----for a cabin where our family members gathered for a visit this weekend.

You may recall that my uncle requested that his wife bring his ashes to rest at this bible camp in Iron County.

I want to sing the praises today of family, and the value of gathering together, and of the wonderful facilities and hospitality of the camp staff.

The camp director is a pastor and has some marvelous people skills. He took us out in the pontoon boat on a blustery day so we could complete our mission, and conducted a brief, respectful committal service.

The campground itself has been upgraded to an all season facility, and on this weekend they were conducting an event for grade school kids. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the food was GREAT! They have groups of cross country skiers there during the winter, too.

Our cabin was a three bedroom affair that could house six people, and was equipped with about as many appliances as my home. We had a place to hang out and visit, plus a place for us to stay overnight so we could visit late and not have to drive 50 miles back home late at night. Good Guy stayed home and I visited with my dad's side of the family.

Good Guy is presently on the first leg of his New York City trip. So the Fuzzies and I are "at leisure" until Thursday after weigh-in time. I really have loads to do while he's away, so we aren't really as indolent as I'd like to be.

I am beginning a massive de-junking project while he's away. You heard it here first. Hold me to it, people!!!

Almost Wordless Friday

Please pardon the quality of this picture but obviously I was tippy-toeing around trying to get a picture without scaring them out of the yard.

No fresh venison for supper here. It's more than a month until hunting season----not to mention that nobody here hunts, and only one of us like venison.

Rest easy, Bambi.

Knitting Peek

I am lucky I took a picture quickly of the leaves on the lawn, because The Gardeners have already mowed and mulched them into invisibility! BUT......

Here is a look at the nutmeg colored vest I'm working on. I am doing the two fronts at the same time on a straight needle---which I had to borrow from Saint Bev, because I don't have size 9, straights.

I must have 20 size 8's. What's up with that?

This is an ideal project for football season. I can be a couch potato, yet feel like I'm accomplishing something. Plus it isn't too boring to work on, if I keep switching from back to front.

I'm easily bored and I'm blaming it on hanging around computers. (Even if it isn't their fault.)

I finished Cutting for Stone and I enjoyed it very much---in spite of having to read it off my computer screen. (Insert sad face here.) I loved it for all the grisly medical stuff, so I have to admit it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Good Guy is busy planning for his annual trip to NYC and I have a busy week planned here in his absence. He has a great time, and I enjoy being here and spending a few days with my sisters at a quilting retreat while he's away. When he returns he's such a welcome sight!

Yesterday I was checking his cell phone, deleting old voice mails, etc. when I came upon a voice message from my Uncle Earl who died in June. I couldn't bear to delete it. He was just "checking up" and I'm happy to listen to it once in a while and think he's still keeping track of me.

I'm looking forward to spending some time with his family this weekend when they come to deposit his ashes where he requested they be placed. There is a bible camp where he was both a camper and a staff member years ago, and I understand that it is also where he learned he was a member of the family---when he was a teenager. (My grandmother died when he was an infant, and my grandfather had his hands full with six older children. So he was adopted by family friends who were childless.)

Anyway, he was a wonderful part of our family, full of fun, loyal, kind, patriotic, conservative, loving and usually pretty healthy. We all miss him and believe him to be in a better place.

In an abrupt segue, I must confess that our amazing warm fall weather has given way to rain. Actually, we are happy to have some because the fire danger was pretty high over the weekend and it was scary when the winds came up, too. But we had a nice rain and it's still cloudy. It isn't cold, though.

I wish you a happy Wednesday.

Local Color

After yesterday's winds the tree is my yard bare and so is the maple tree across the street. But I took these pictures on Thursday morning. A great many leaves are just turning now and there will still be some color for a while. But these colors are among my favorites.

On US2 there is beautiful color each Fall between Crystal Falls and Iron River. And I'm not just saying that because it's my home country. There are a great many maple trees there and some of them turn that pinky-orange color that is so rare and pretty. During the peak of high color there, it looks like the sun is shining---no matter what the weather.

Allow me a paragraph of jubilation here. I'll preface it with the assurance that I have spent a lifetime picking losing contenders. If I bet at the races, you know my nag will bring up the rear.

But, the Tigers, Brewers, Packers, and Lions are all winners. Even Wisconsin and Michigan are doing well. It's a rare treat for me, I'll tell you!

I hope your Saturday in autumn is as beautiful where you are as it is here. We are enjoying the most wonderful weather! Happy Saturday!

Friday Again

Time for the weekly accumulation of bits to be put down in black and white for inspection. Thanks for giving us all a place to gather, Mrs. 4444, at Half Past Kissin' Time.

Weight Watcher progress. (I know this isn't the most fascinating subject----face it, if you wanted fascinating you'd be somewhere else!) I've lost 22 pounds and am in my psychological danger zone where, when my clothing becomes comfortable or too large, I tend to get lazy and quit. I am hoping that being aware will prevent that problem this time.

On the needles: I finished all the caps, mittens, prayer shawls, and socks that were in progress and I cast on a nutmeg colored warm vest for myself in washable wool. It isn't in any shape to take its picture for you, but it'll be great when it's done. I'll take a pic next week when it looks more like a real project.

Good Guy went off on an overnight with Brotherbob to golf and brought me another project to finish. I have five pieces of a child's sweater to assemble into a wearable garment. Plenty of leftover yarn came with it, but no directions. My favorite thing! A puzzle!!! (Wish me luck.)

Reading this week is on my computer. I downloaded Cutting for Stone from the Great Lakes Digital library. I am not that crazy about that mode of reading, however the book fascinates me. I love all that grisly medical stuff and the characters are very interesting. Plus I'm learning about Ethiopia---a previously unknown country.

The older I get, the more I realize that I'm extremely ignorant about a great many subjects. (Head is shaking.)!

The other commodity we have in abundance since Good Guy went off golfing is produce from the farmers market. Peppers! Pears! Cauliflower! No excuse for not getting enough fruit and vegetable helpings in this next week....

That's about all I can think of except I need to bring the cat carrier upstairs and make it an attractive place to play before I make the vet appointments for the Fuzzies. I need to hose it down because it's been a dust collector in the basement for awhile. They are so gullible and will enjoy having a new place to explore, especially if it's liberally laced with catnip for a week or so.

Have a great weekend, and if you're in the UP, or Wisconsin, have a great fish fry tonight for supper. Chow.

Not What You'd Expect

OK, we've established that the reason for our trip to Canada was as theater loving play-goers. Well, cameras aren't allowed in the theaters, of course, which is just as it should be.

We are multi-taskers in the tourist department and Ontario also produces a plethora of pork products. (I apologize!) I should also explain that Good Guy never, hardly ever, met a sausage he didn't love. So we made a pilgrimage to this shop in Shakespeare.

This is entirely unrelated to either the theater or pork, but we are coming up on the anniversary of one of my happiest memories. My oldest child is about to celebrate her birthday and the day she was born was one of my lifetime's happiest days----so far. (I can't count them all, lest you think I'm depressed.)

It was a gorgeous fall day in Chicago, and the air smelled a certain way that you can only smell in the city in the Fall. She was early, it was easy, and she was such a lovely little baby! I was on Cloud Nine! Even now, several years later, I get a chuckle out of remembering. We won't go into how I begged to go home early, and the stitches, and the cracked nipples, and sleep deprivation. I've forgotten all that. She always was a great kid, and she still is a lovely lady.

As a woman of a certain age, I have decided that mothering was the most important job I've done. I'm not claiming any particular distinction at doing it, but they are all paying taxes and nobody's in prison, so I guess we did OK.

Well, my time is up and you have gotten your dose of porkiness for the day. Hope you are enjoying Fall as much as we are. Happy Tuesday!

Oh, Canada!

I have way too much to say to enter Friday Fragments, but I'll have to read everyone's Frags when I get home and have time.

We have spent this week on the road. We visited with good friends in Troll-land where Good Guy taught school. That was a fun time catching up on all the news.

Then we left the country, via the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario, for several days of enjoying plays at Stratford, Ontario, and visiting with our good friend in London.

We saw Grapes of Wrath, Camelot, and The Homecoming. All of them were well acted, and beautifully staged and we enjoyed them. All were thought-provoking and have held up well over time.

We have experienced some unsettled weather. As we traveled on Monday we were warned of upcoming wind, cold, and raid. But mostly it held off until today, Friday. Today we had a rough crossing on the ferry to Manitoulin Island with all three predictions coming true. We were lucky with the rest of the week, though.

My baseball team begins post season play tonight meeting the Mighty Yankees. Que sera, sera.

I will post faithfully when we return home. Cross my heart. Thanks for dropping by.

Friday Fragments

I guess if I can't get my act together enough to post a proper cohesive entry, I must be a good candidate for entering Friday Fragments hosted by Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissin Time. Thanks Mrs. 4444.

I love the ads for the Venza, which feature the dull kids worrying about their parents who are out having fun. I especially love the daughter who moved away. " What are they doing? I'm their only child------except for my sister."

I have no idea why that cracks me up, but it makes me laugh out loud every time.

Do you remember the month you commented so I could send a goat via Heifer International? I get mail from them now telling stories of the livestock and the education Heifer International provides, plus the policy of having the donation paid forward to others. It is very heartening to me to read of the success stories. Part of the Kiva loan has been repaid already too.

Since no two economists seem to agree, I am happy there are grassroots movements to give help to people we will never meet. Our economic picture seems pretty bleak if you look at it from the point of view of the world scene.

I can not believe the number of people---even men I thought quite sensible, who sit all day in front of the TV watching the stock tickers. People!!! The stock market will do what it always does anyway. Fluctuate wildly! It's all a shell game. Go outside, take a walk, plant some bulbs. Get a life!

Our leaves are finally showing some lovely colors. As soon as it quits raining, I'll venture out with my camera. Note to self: Don't forget.

Another job I have to do today is find the travel alarm clock that begins to beep at midnight every night and continues for about a full minute. Not long enough to find it, in my groggy return to consciousness------just long enough to rouse me from a good dream.

I am excited and delighted that one of my kids is moving closer to where we live. We haven't lived near one another for a couple of decades. Now to the task of finding lodging that will accommodate her critters. Hmmm.

What cartoon character used to say, "That's all, Folks!" That's my message. thanks for the visit.

Ennui

I guess it's a good thing----when real life is way more interesting than virtual stuff. And that's where I am right now.

It's fall and many changes are afoot that aren't mine to share, so I don't have much to tell you about. Plus it's Fall (in 48 hours) and it's grand to be outside, rather than inside tapping away on a keyboard.

No commenting for charity this month, since many charitable "obligations" came due already this month.

Hoping for the best in blogland. Thought I'd better post something so you weren't worried about me.

Books, Books, and More Books

I spent the afternoon with my reading friends and I can officially report to you that we unanimously agree---and we do not encourage you to run out and read our latest book.

It is a good book, and it is well written, and thought provoking----and it even won a Pulitzer Prize.  However in our experience, we tended to nap during the middle of our reading sessions.  Unanimously.  

Shhhhh,  our book was Gideon by Marilynne Robinson.  It is a fictional memoir written by an elderly father to his son, who is a child.  It is not a page turner.  

Our next book will be "Cutting For Stone", which was highly recommended to me by a reader I respect very much.  (Stay tuned.)  Another feature of our afternoon was a nice book grab when our hostess found an armload of books for us to read for fun and then swap around.  

My library books this month and last have all been knitting and craft books.  I enjoy them but there isn't much plot.  I will fall far short of my goal of reading 100 books this year.  I can't claim to have "read" a book a sock patterns, for goodness sake. 

For once, Good Guy is way ahead of me in reading at 74 books already this year.  (But, on the other hand he hasn't knit anything at all!)

So, my dears, if you have any good recommendations for our reading group, don't hesitate to suggest them.  The worst I can do is ignore you, and the best I can do is love the book and hope everyone reads it!

Spending Time With the Shredder

Yesterday morning I tackled one of those jobs just slightly above oven cleaning on my hate to do list. Did you know that once you relegate papers to a file cabinet you are unlikely to ever look at them again?

Well, at some point the whole thing gets so crammed with stuff that you can't fit one more "dead papers" file in there, and somebody has to cull. (I'm not complaining that it will have to be me, but Good Guy would just go buy another file cabinet.)

So I situated myself in there with a mug of coffee and the shredder, and a timer and I shredded old check registers, and a couple hours worth of useless papers. I probably could devote another morning to going through the rest of the stuff. I got a little sidetracked in looking at old pictures I found, and reading letters from people no longer among us.

Gone, the warranties and directions to appliances long gone. Gone, duplicates of pamphlets of wise advise about retirement. Gone, old dental bills and insurance info from years ago.

Now I will feel that the job is completed when I drop off the bags of paper and shredded stuff at the paper recycling center. Indulge me with a pat on the back. Please.

(About the header------I fiddled around endlessly making a new collage, which turned out to be a tiny thing instead of a full across the top header. Back to the drawing board, or Photobucket, as the case may be.) I must be a very slow learner......

I'm Hopelessly in Love

This handsome creature is my new friend, Cooper, the Bernese Mountain Dog. They are bred to be handsome, sturdy, affectionate, good-natured, and gentle. And Large. Quite large.

He was one of the pack that Jane was tending at her house/dog sitting gig at her friend's house. He's also the youngest and most recent of her friend's dogs. He would wrestle with little Daisy, who's about the size of his head, and he was so gentle and sweet with her. When they were done "fighting" they'd lie side by side and his put his leg over her side and they'd take a nap.

We had great weather all weekend-----though somewhat warm, and I got to visit with my nephews and see their kids, and dogs, and hamsters, etc. So I had a grand visit, but headed back home this morning because I was missing Good Guy and the Fuzzies.

I missed you too, since I didn't have much chance to connect up and read what you've been up to. Are any of you having Blogger troubles? I got the question about why comments wouldn't post. I've never blocked anyone that I know of, and wondered if anyone is having the same issue.

That's all for now because the yarn arrived for Carole's Knit along, and it is seriously gorgeous! Thank you, Kim of the Woolen Rabbit. (I paid for it and am not receiving any remuneration. It is just plain beautiful and I can't wait to work with it.)

What did you think about the tributes on 9/11? I was very moved by almost all the remembrances I saw.

More tomorrow.

Friday Fragments

Fascinating (facetious) Friday Fragments. I was really going to call this collection by this title and then thought of all the typing to link it..... Nahhhhhh! No way.

But, if you would like to write down all stray snippets of this and that, and link up to Half Past Kissin' Time with them, you could do it too, by just clicking HERE.

This was a busy week for me beginning with a visit from my son and his family. Samuel is now taller than I. That's always a big milestone for kids to get "taller than dad" or taller than grandpa.

School started this week, so our morning walk is now 45 minutes later. We had one cool morning but the rest of the time we were almost too warm in sweatshirts. By the time we got back home, anyway. (Yes, I know that's a sentence fragment. I don't care.)

My nursing classmates reunion was great fun and good eats. We heard the exciting tale of Maria frightening a large bear away from her bird feeder using her voice and a fly swatter. Her husband told us this with a wry smile on his face. We aren't sure if she's brave or crazy. Sometimes they coexist, I suppose.

I finished a mitten and a prayer shawl, and am trying to decide what to bring along for the weekend with my sister. She's house and dog sitting and craves company so it's a good chance for us to hang out and talk. Her dog, Daisy got a short clip at the groomers and her skin spots are showing through. Jane said she looks like a dalmation (in the shape of a teddy bear.) Sound like a photo op to me.

And the NFL real season has begun. Woot! Talk about an offensive treat to watch those two teams last night!

Good Guy has golfed three days this week. It's hard for him to fit in the testing his doctor thinks he should have. I consider that a good sign. Let him get some exercise, doc.

Please go wander around and read other fragments. There are a great many interesting and funny folks there.

A Great Yarn

Once upon a time in a happy valley not far from here, there lived a sedentary grandmother who yearned to do kind deeds for others.

In her little home, she had every nook and cranny, every drawer and shelf crammed with yarn, and at every opportunity she purchased still more. "You never know..." she would intone, shaking her head wisely, as her husband would roll his eyes.

When she decided to join her friends at the prayer shawl ministry meeting, what should they present her with but a monstrous bag of yarn ? And she decided that "this time" she wanted to make something lacy and not just a long rectangular fringed thing.

(Behold the result. There is a crocheted loopy edge on the lower triangle edges which doesn't show until I wash and block it. I was just anxious to show you.)

Wordless Wednesday

Our Neighborhood

First off, I need to explain that we had frost warnings last night. This is quite a dramatic change from the 50 degree weather we have had most nights. And I was quite startled to hear the furnace running when I got up.

We have changed our time for walking from 7 AM to 7:45 AM, hoping to avoid the school buses. This morning by that time, the pea soup fog had turned into this romantic hazy stuff that you can see above. We could walk in our sweat shirts, with the hoods down because there wasn't any wind to speak of. I wore my fingerless mittens that I made last spring and the temperature was just right for them.

The big maple tree in the picture in the left hand corner is in the yard directly across from our living room. There are only a few yellow leaves on it now, but I will keep you up to date on its progress through the season. It is a lovely big tree, and I watched it from my hospital bed the first year we were here and I was healing from my fall.

There isn't much color to photograph in the neighborhood yet, but I promise to do it. Our hazy damp morning turned into a glorious sunny day in the 60's, perfect for golf and for the first day of school here. School, the surest sign of the changing seasons.

I finished a lacy prayer shawl today too. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Tonight I need to start another project to take along to the reunion tomorrow. (Busy hands are happy hands. I need something to do, so I don't talk too much.)

I will get to do the driving tomorrow. We don't have a long journey, but we do need to carpool. One classmate and her husband are here from Sacramento, CA, and another is meeting us from about 15 miles west. After we meet we need to drive north for about an hour, but there's no traffic to speak of, so it's an easy drive.

And, of course, it goes without saying (like everyone else who drives a car), I'm an excellent driver. Isn't that funny? That everyone thinks they are an excellent driver? I'm actually just an ordinary driver, and I hate to drive in heavy traffic. So I'm a timid driver too, I suppose.

See you soon.

My Camera and I

I need to record the changing seasons with some records of what's what in our neighborhood. We have already had our morning walk today, and leaves are falling (a bit) but they aren't colorful or beautiful. They are brown and dried up because of our dry, hot summer weather.

My friends have changed their headers and it's months since I took the peaceful lake pictures that have been up all summer. In spite of carrying my camera all over Chicagoland, and while my son and his family were here yesterday, I have nothing to show you. Nothing. Nada.

We may have drawn some stares last night at the pizza joint when we were prepared for a long wait with a game of Uno, and a ditty bag of other games too. No impatient sighing for us! They warned us at the outset that our pizza would take 40 minutes, which was good of them. But that was no problem for us. Especially when I actually won a game!

I solemnly promise you, I will make the effort and get out to record some of the UP. Let me write that down. (I also need to clean out my car, since I have to drive to a nurses' reunion on Wednesday morning.)

For once, I have a busy week. Happy Labor Day. Take a rest today.

Friday and Home Again

I have only one subject today, and so I won't link up to my favorite party, Friday Fragments.

For we have just returned from Chicago's northern suburbs where we attended a wonderful concert at Ravinia , featuring Mandy Patinkin and Nathan Gunn.

Ravinia, for those of you who aren't in the know, is a beautiful acreage in Highland Park, which has an open air venue surrounded by picnic grounds, and people can watch concerts from the roofed area, or can picnic with their friends on the grounds and still hear the music.

You may know Mandy Patinkin from his long and distinguished career as a baritone on Broadway, or as one of the grim profilers on Criminal Minds on television. In person he is energetic, funny, and talks and sings Yiddish. His son was in the show, too.

I didn't know Nathan Gunn at all, but keep an ear out for him. He's got a voice well suited for opera, but lucky for him, his wife is his pianist. Because he is drop dead handsome and could have been mobbed by females----in a less sophisticated environment. He is really something special. Google him and see for yourself.

The Chicago weather was unseasonably HOT, but not too bad for the audience by evening. But the performers were really hot under the lights. Mandy put a bandana headband on to catch the sweat, but Nathan just kept on sweating in his suit. (I guess opera singers are used to sweating in those big fancy costumes.)

In addition to the concert, the other noteworthy event was the purchase of a new laptop. I have done everything I do online on this little Netbook for more than a year. The sound on my Skype doesn't work, and I want to be able to talk to my grands and have the sound work.

We did get lost a few times, but that is Good Guy's worry. We are safely home in good time and the Fuzzies are happy to see us. And we are happy to be home. 'Nuff said.

I will post this and add the totals for the charity of July and August to the top header. Thanks for commenting. We did great!

Happy Labor Day weekend!!!

A Lofty Ambition

On Friday I gathered some tidbits about kind deeds that are being done by individuals in my circle of friends, and today I want to tell you about a truly huge ministry that is being performed by a more organized entity.

Earlier this month, when I had the chance to visit Keetha of the Eclectic Company, she was volunteering at The Shepherd's Loft. The church she attends in Wisconsin Rapids has turned an entire church basement into the most complete clothing outlet I have ever seen.

On well arranged racks clothes are sorted and labelled, and townspeople can sign in, and fill two stand up grocery bags with clothing of their choice free of charge.

It boggles my mind that they have so many clothes to re-purpose to others and the scope and amount of stuff is just amazing to me.

Keetha herself has devoted an excellent post to this subject complete with fine pictures and I urge you to check it out. Just click here.

Our church with four times the members cooks and serves one meal per week for the community. I am humbled by the ministry of the Baker Street Community Church.

A Couple Questions on Sunday

Since I'm just as Fragmented on Sunday as on Friday, I'm stealing this meme while I take time out from my knitting project.

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?

Not this week, but the yarn and the ball winder I ordered last week arrived in the mail from KnitPicks, and they are wonderful. It's amazing that an old woman can get such joy from rewinding yarn bits into usable balls of yarn. Never underestimate the power of a little machine.

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

This is extremely difficult to answer, because my music loves are many and eclectic as heck, but today I'd vote for a show by John Pizzarelli, with his great group which includes his wife, Jessica Molasky, his dad, Bucky Pizzarelli, his brother and a few others. Great fun and great music!

3. What is your most/least favorite house chore?

I like to bake yeast products, and I like to do laundry. Dusting? Not so much.

4. Would you prefer new appliances or new clothes?

I'll pick appliances. I don't have to go into a little room and look into a three-way mirror for that, do I?

5. Do you prefer Miracle Whip or Mayo?

I was an adult before I realized they were two different things. My mom always stocked Miracle Whip, and my favorite thing to eat on toast was that sandwich condiment they used to make with MW and pickles. (It's probably tartar sauce----but what did I know?) I don't eat it anymore, because they don't market it anymore.

Well, now you know still more useless information about me, I have cobbled together a post for the day, and I will return to the project of the day.

And praying for my people on the Eastern seaboard.

Friday Fragments

Friday is the day that we gather together, bow our heads, and shake out all the bits and pieces that are needing expression. Mrs. 4444, at Halfpastkissin time is the hostess (or joker in charge) depending upon how well you know her blog.

Link up and join the fun.

This has been a week of observing random acts of kindness, and the the groups I know who foster this behavior.

One of the website I never really sign out of is one called HelpOthers.org. I've probably mentioned them before at some point, because it's a good collection of stories of good ideas people have had and observed for spreading kindness in the world. You never know how much a kind word will mean to someone.

Some of the ladies I meet with on Wednesday mornings have been sewing tote bags---really beautiful tote bags----which will be for sale at a fund-raising tea which happens annually to benefit a local nunnery. Another is making favors for a women's district meeting of her Lutheran synod.

Tonight at church I talked with the knitters around me who contribute their time and talent to make prayer shawls. Two of them have been instrumental in spreading the word to many communities and churches. Many people who have suffered illness or bereavement have been comforted by the gift of a prayer shawl. Many pray-ers have been blessed by connecting with families and many have been touched by the thought that others would devote so much time and care to make something that will comfort them.

There are still many knitting 8" squares to ship to South Africa to make warm covers for the orphan population there. There have been thousands given away, but the need continues.

American citizens who don't have any family members deployed, are writing letters to strangers in the service and sending boxes of much appreciated, hard to get items.

Mrs. 4444 serves as the advisor to a group of Difference Makers in the school in which she teaches. These kids are full of ideas and enthusiasm.

It is obvious that governments here and abroad can NOT solve the problems of the population, and the citizenry will have to mobilize themselves. Our governments can not afford to be compassionate, but there is much we can do that doesn't even involve cash. Just caring and redistributing our extra stuff to where it can be put to better use. (I'm preaching to myself here, too, folks.)

This isn't quite fragmented enough, but it's certainly long enough. Have a great weekend!