Hand in Your Book Reports!

OK people. Listen up!

I'm just doing my impression of the drill instructor therapist on the Geico ads. That's the kind of therapist I'd be, probably.

I'm here today to tell you that even though listening to books is better than nothing, I still prefer reading a book. In the first place, it's faster. Even if I don't speed read, but take my leisurely time, even re-reading things I especially enjoy, it's faster than listening to another person read.

Secondly, I don't visualize the setting of the book as well as when I READ descriptions, as opposed to hearing descriptions. So my imagination isn't in play as much while hearing the book. I miss that aspect. My imagination can always use a good work-out.

On the other hand, I quite enjoyed hearing Janet Evanovich's books read. Lorelei King (if I remember correctly) is the person who reads, and she can do "voices" wonderfully well. These books are populated with characters who are "real characters" and she can do dialects, and accents, and expressions that make me laugh out loud! I don't listen to these books for the clever plotting, but they are peopled by the funniest folks!

Our book group read Fanny Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and we all enjoyed it very much. I had read it before and enjoyed the re-reading. Fannie writes about people we know and like, even with their eccentricities, and about people we'd like to know, because they are so kind, good, and odd. She has a real talent for finding names that tickle the funny bone, too. The heroine of this book is named Elner Schimfissle. I don't hear that name every day!

On the stack to read are two Anne Tyler books, a book about power of attorney, a book about bookbinding, Laura Bush's book, a gardening book, and Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna.

I have given myself a deadline for doing a tedious task of giving my survivors some guidance about where to find my important papers, and other business matters. These are decisions I'm trying to avoid by playing card games on the computer. I'll feel happier when I stop procrastinating, I suppose. (That's why I have the simplified Power of Attorney book out of the library.)

Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Thankfully, today is the Day of Rest. LOL So I'm baking bread instead.

Chin up! It's Spring Somewhere!

I am not wishing my life away or expecting an early spring. I'm not even WISHING for an early spring. February is winter here, and March is winter too, in my experience.

However, one of the fun things about reading other people's blogs is that I can get to enjoy their spring weather. Or their holidays taken to warmer spots. Or even living all the time in warmer places than I do.

For a time, my oldest son lived in Lexington, Kentucky and it was a treat to visit them in the spring. He said they would have a week (or more) when all the blossoms would be yellow, and then a week of lavender, followed by another pastel color. How pretty.

But here it is still in the 20's most days, and though there isn't the usual amount of snow just now, there will surely be more. In fact, someone told me the frost is really deep because of the lack of snow cover----our natural insulation.

In the meantime, we'll continue to enjoy our winter pursuits. I could begin walking outdoors while the roads are clear of snow, and there is plenty of yarn on hand for another project. Who am I kidding? There's enough yarn on hand for at least twenty projects. There is still cocoa mix to finish, books to be read, (six on hand at last count), and two movies from Netflix to be watched.

My goodness, I'd better get to work. See you later.

Ta-da!!!

The sweater is done, and it fits and he likes it. While it was drying after being blocked into the size and shape I wanted, the cats had quite a time, trying to stay away. Wool posesses animal magnetism, I guess.

You may suspect that GoodGuy has the same enthusiasm for being in pictures as I have for taking them. A perfect match.

I am still supposed to insert a long separating zipper along the front edges. This may or may not happen, since he thinks he'll never use it, and I will have to send for, or travel to find a long jacket zipper.

I guess it's a good sign that once he puts it on, he wants to leave it on. Finally, I have made something for him that he will wear.

What is Fun For You?

One of the books I'm reading is Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, and I'm enjoying it very much.

She's set up a very thoughtful and systematic way to examine her values, her life, and what others say about what constitutes and promotes happiness, and then reported on her year-long experiment.

She has a chapter in which she explores the subject of play, and suffers from the same malady I do. She's "fun-impaired" and she really struggled to figure out what she would do; what was true to who she was.

She lives in New York City, where there are unlimited ways to be entertained. She says she'd like to be a person who goes to the opera, or loves jazz clubs at midnight. That somehow they must be having more fun, or that that must be "better fun", but she just doesn't like to do those things.

I won't tell you what she discovered about herself, but I will tell you that she really started me thinking about my own fun impairment. In my own defense, I will admit that I'm easily entertained, and find a great many ordinary things amusing. That I laugh easily and often and that I already consider myself pretty happy.

But fun? Help me out here. What do you do for FUN?

(Another thing she said was that when she started a blog, she discovered it's best to write every day or almost every day. I think she's right.) Tomorrow there will be pictures of GoodGuy wearing his sweater. I have to run yarn ends in and wash and block it today. But if it's all dry tomorrow it'll be ready to face a camera.

Happy Monday!

In a Fog

Perhaps today I'll write about something that has to do with our actual place. Since I use UP as a moniker, I suppose it would be appropriate to mention it occasionally.

Compared to the rest of the country, our winter has been an easy one. We have had blizzards to the north, south, and east of us, while we made do with moderate snowfalls. We did have plenty of snow for the Ski Tournament, but as I mentioned before, the air was still and the temperatures were very mild.

Those pansies on the header are planted in New Orleans, and I'm not that into snow pictures. It's sort of like my lake pictures-----they are flat and blue----and here they are ubiquitous. The only time in my life that I was far from a lake was while living in Virginia and I desperately wanted to see a lake. Desperately!

But this morning our ground temp/air temp conditions are such that we are surrounded by a dense fog, predicted to last until 11 A. M.

Another feature of life in our neighborhood this week has been frequent sighting of deer herds, or portions thereof. At dusk last Friday, I spotted seven deer walking single file between the two houses across the street from us. On Monday they were sashaying straight north on our street. Yesterday morning they were foraging in the yard across the street. It seems logical to me that I'm seeing the same six or seven deer at each sighting. They are the group that systematically empty my bird feeders, too. (Fertilizing as they go.)

Other "wildlife" sightings include the neighborhood feral cat who sits out in the back yard occasionally, and our resident bunny, and of course the birds. My run around town car sits beside a huge cedar tree which houses about a dozen mourning doves. When they fly from this perch they fertilize my Toyota. When the fog dissipates, I need to visit the car wash---and maybe find a tarp.

Actually, it's probably easier to wash the car than clean off a tarp. Scratch that idea.

Marquette, north of us on the coast of Lake Superior, has upcoming ski events and endurance dog sled races scheduled pretty soon. I hope they have a good snow base established already.
We usually have a thaw each month, but this one is a doozy. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but it's hard on the snow bunnies.

Have a great Thursday!

Ski Tournament Results

Before this big event, I predicted the outcome, to my friend's amusement. I rest my case.

This is always a weekend for GoodGuy to hang out with his brother at the ski hill and here, chatting about the things guys talk about. Such as the upcoming golfing season, books, funny things from the past, sports, books, cars, gas mileage of the same, books. You get the picture.

Sister in law and I haven't spent visiting time together since last summer out at the lake, so we talked about the things gals talk about. Family stuff, the grandkids, books, work, retirement, blogging, grandkids, books.

Man we are some boring folks. But we really enjoy being together. I feel so blessed to be able to look forward to family get-togethers in which you don't worry about people hurting each other's feelings, or somebody being boorish and embarassing everyone. (Perhaps we are so blase that we are beyond embarassment. But I doubt it.)

The other interesting thing, to me, is that I fixed barbecued pork for dinner on Saturday night with my own recipe, (as opposed to using Grandma's excellent recipe---a family tradition.) It was pronounced well worth the effort. The recipe I use is one of the first things I ever cooked successfully as a young bride, and the delicious aroma lured a friend down our driveway to check it out.

We are enjoying a February thaw, and the snow is really taking a beating. The skiers didn't have very long jumps due to the still, humid air and the sticky snow. The sport is highly dependant on the weather conditions! I guess that's true of all outdoor sporting events, isn't it?

If you're keeping score, though I knitted a long time yesterday, I still have about 35 rows to go before the sweater is completed. So I couldn't finish it in just a month. Tsk, tsk. I didn't work on it all the time at the library, since I had to find new books, help another knitter, and meet an interesting lady who's a fellow quilter. She's a very interesting and creative person and I look forward to knowing her better.

Hope you are all recovering from your wild and crazy valentine's day celebrations! Going to Walmart and buying rubber bands, indeed! Such wild behavior!

Quick Update Plus a Woo-Hoo

Well, my friends, meet the sweater project as of five minutes ago. The fronts are complete and I have the back arm shaping portion to finish this weekend. And then my Favorite Part! Sewing the project together. (NOT)

I started this on the 14th of January and it could be done in a month! I have astonished myself.

It's ski tournament weekend and we will have company by supper time. We have all decided to celebrate by having Thai food for supper. Our Thai chef has been in her homeland due to the death of her mother. We are delighted that she is safely back in her kitchen; her husband/employer took advantage of her absence to remodel her kitchen. I hope she loves it!

Our cold snap is supposed to turn into a thaw by Sunday. That would slow down our ski jumpers I think. The most dangerous weather for them is wind and the jumps have often been delayed or cancelled due to wind.

We are looking forward to our company. It seems like months and months since we've been together.

Have a great weekend, too.

In one word

Last summer I was part of a group that tried this experiment together. First, we tried to describe ourselves in just one word.

And after we spent some time visiting we took a break and tried to describe someone else in just one word. Fortunately, I drew someone I had prior knowledge of, so I had something to go on. She was "organized", and she wasn't that pleased about it.

I described myself as observant. I don't seek out crowds and when I'm there I don't say much. But I'm a heck of a listener. Part of that is trained, because nurses are supposed to observe and document.

But two of the compliments I treasure the most come from the one word description exercise. One friend called me honest, and one called me spiritual.

One of the guys who was part of our family life (my sisters and I) had to construct a little remembering exercise to keep the sisters straight. I'm the eldest----but I was designated the funny one, sister two was the pretty one, and the really young one was designated the smart one. The funniest part was that we each wanted to be another trait.

Needless to say, the poor guy got no end of teasing about that, and we still refer to it every time we can. He says now he never should have told us! Thirty years of teasing is about as much as any guy can take. He's going to designate us all as the Mean Ones.

Have a great Tuesday.
From the funny one.

Happy Dance!

Unless you've been in a coma the past twenty-four hours you've probably heard about the outcome of the Super Bowl game----unless you are reading this in Finland, or Bogota, or someplace away from the fray.

I am a Packer fan. I am overjoyed that the team I root for has won the Big Game and goes home with the Lombardi trophy. We can brag and strut until the next football season begins when the angst starts all over again. I am especially grateful to my sister, Jinx Jane, for not rooting for the Packers.

All together now, at the top of your lungs! Go, Pack, Go!! And congratulations to them, and to all of us who love to see them do well. Long live Lambeau! (My Packer flag is flying proudly, and I don't need to get discouraged again for months!)

Life is good, all the time.

Pondering "Influence"

Yesterday word reached me of Angie's death and I was surprised that I was so shaken by learning of it.
She and I were online friends only, but I felt that she was a good friend of mine even though we had never met in person. This led me to think about the influence we can have on others through the writing and sharing, and the encouragement we give one another.
Fairly recently, I got an e-mail from an old friend of GoodGuy's, an accomplished and educated man. He told me that he went on to get more education because of the encouragement he got from my husband when they were young, hanging out in California together.
My dad, an MS patient, died very young. (At this stage of my life, 57 is young.) Yet at his visitation, I was amazed----and delighted that so many young adults came to offer comfort, because he had touched many lives in support groups.
It all reminds me of this. "Wherever you go, there you are!" Whether you are touching people in cyberspace, or in line at the grocery store, be your best self. For your own sake, and for the sake of those who respect you. (And laugh. It's good exercise.)

Thanks for everything, Angie. I'll miss you like crazy.

Any excuse for a party!

And our excuse for today is that our animal companion, Sweetie, has been living here with us for five years.

She was living out in the cold on her own and took shelter in our garage, finally. I would see her out in the alley when she took shelter in a window, soaking up the sunshine at noon. She was an adult, but a very scrawny one.
Finally we got her into the house, so thin and tiny, and we couldn't get her to eat or drink. After she spent a couple of days at the animal hospital, getting checked out, she was rehydrated and declared amazingly healthy. Just needed some food and water. Wherever she was before, she'd been well taken care of, and had been spayed.

So nowadays she's still a small cat and she's supposed to be, I guess, because her paws are very tiny.

There's another cause for celebration, for those of you who are keeping track, and it is the progress I've made on the sweater project. I have no idea where "blogger" will decide to put this picture, but I'll have to rely on you to figure out which thing is the cat, and which thing is GoodGuy's sweater. Good luck. One sleeve is finished, the other is right next to it, and the body is knit as far as the pattern says to go before starting the 'above armpit' portion. He wants it much longer....

That's about all the mischief I can dredge up for today. But the day is young.

Hope yours is a good one!

Hooray, hooray! It's the first

Oh, yeah, it's only the first of February.

But that's OK, because somehow January flew past! We, here in the banana belt of Michigan don't have the snow accumulation of the beleaguered east coast, or the (shudder) Dakotas. Even Minneapolis, where I have some descendants, has had months now with no place to put the snow they shovel.



Is there any frustration quite like "trying new tricks with the computer" frustration? My sister and I had an hour of grumbling as she tried to make Skype work.



I see you but I can't hear you. I hear you but I can't see you. Fiddle, fiddle. Lose the screen completely. Feedback screeching in your ears. Use the phone instead. All this and she has a guy in the house who works with computer systems all his working life.

We weren't using it for ourselves. Her daughter is living far away and they would love to be able to chat using Skype. It'll happen. Somebody will help.

I never expect to be able to make things work. My "Brotherbob" is my computer "vendor" and when he set up our last desktop computer he named it The Great Unknown. Aptly put. Thanks to my mom, I can touch type---after a fashion. She insisted that I take typing and bookkeeping, in spite of the fact that I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I didn't excel at it, but I don't have to look at the keyboard and type with two fingers, at least.

But doing anything with the computers had to be learned as an adult. And GoodGuy suggested that I play with an Apple computer he had 23 years ago. It didn't do much compared to what computers CAN do, if you have a clue what to do with them. But it kept me off the street corners. Kids wouldn't even believe those glowing green screens of the past.

They are amazing in the hands of the experts. I suppose. Probably.....