A Picture and A Jar

This is the picture that hangs next to the french doors.  I believe it is of Multnomah Falls in Oregon, the falls are along the Columbia River Gorge.   Far Guy and I have been there.  There is a beautiful stone bridge part way up and you used to be able to walk over it..not anymore.  Our daughter Jen got to walk up there one year before it was closed.  The stone bridge which was built in 1914 is not in this picture, nor is the log bridge that was there before the stone bridge.  I purchased this picture at a garage sale, my cousin from Washington was clearing out some of her "stuff"...it is slightly damaged..and I thought about repairing it.  I stopped myself..I decided I like it just the way it is.  Like I said..I believe it to be Multnomah..it might be someplace different.  Whatever.. I thought it was worth two dollars.  One day I had a hammer in my hand..and a nail and I hung it up.   It kinda sticks out like a sore thumb next to the door..until I find a better spot for it..I guess it will stay there.

This is an old cookie jar made by the Hocking Glass Company.  It was my maternal grandmothers and I am sure that it used to have a silver colored label that said "Cookies" ..my parents inherited it..and they gave it to me one year for Christmas.

I used to collect Depression Glass, one year when we were visiting Far Guys sister in Indiana..we drove over to Lexington,  Kentucky and visited Gene Florence's shop..he is like the premiere authority on depression glass in the United States.  We got to meet his Mother that day.. she was a doll!  I have some of his books.  I have been out of the depression glass loop for a long time.  I still pick up a piece from time to time..as both Far Guy and I have our favorite sets which we collect and they will someday go to our daughters..Mine to Trica and Far Guys to Jen.

What is in the jar?  I figured that someone would be curious..my Mother gave me these socks, they were knit by my paternal grandmother for me before I was born.  I put them in the jar along with a note.  One day I went wild with post it notes and wrote the who and what of some of my "stuff".  I should find a photo of me in these warm socks..and put that in the jar too.  So the old jar is kind of a double memory for me, a grandmother that loved me enough to knit me a pair of socks..but who died before I was old enough to remember her, and another grandmother who lived a long life who I visited with often:)

All sewed up!

That is correct..I finished the blankety-blank curtains. Far Guy did such a great job upstairs finishing the window trim..I told him I would have the curtains sewn by Thanksgiving..well that didn't happen..but I did get them done in time for Christmas. They are up..it was a struggle. I designed them..they are lined..I will never line another thing in my entire life. I got better using a seam ripper..I got to be a better measurer. Jo came over and offered suggestions... about hems ..etc..she sews. Far Guy even helped me one day..I worked for ten minutes trying to get my bobbin filled with thread..I began to bawl and he came to my rescue. I finally admitted defeat, my sore shoulder just would not allow me to work with the heavy fabrics anymore. I asked Far Guy for help and he measured and trial fitted and I sewed and he helped to hold the heavy fabric and we got it done.

I had just enough fabric..my in the ballpark guess was pretty close. I think I need some decorative round tension rods..I just used a couple of older rods that I had lying around. The fabric is heavy..it is upholstery fabric. Why did I use upholstery fabric? Because I liked the print!

I designed the curtains for the French Door upstairs. French Doors are a pain in the butt. I did not want curtain rods..I just wanted something simple. So one day when I was in a Designers Challenge mood ..I thought up my design and sewed it up in my head.  It is so much easier to sew in your head!!  When I was reasonably sure it would work..I gave it a whirl. I wanted something that looked sleek with no rod. So i just sewed a panel..note I did try to match the horizontal seam.. the left curtain is perfect..the right curtain is way off..but life is not perfect all the time. My sewing skills leave much to be desired.

The panels look nice when they are down and when you want the panel up..you just roll it up and use the tabs to hold it in place. I still need to take them to Jo's one day so she can serge the edges for me..I just want a serged edge. The top and bottoms are hemmed nicely..and the curtain is held in place with Velcro..the kind that is glued on! If I could have glued the entire curtain together I would have. Many times during this project..which took six weeks to finish..no I did not sew everyday..some days I would just sit there and imagine it sewed.. ..I wanted to quit. I bellyached and bitched..I just do not have the tolerance or the talent to sew. At times I thought that I would never finish them, at times I hoped I would just be struck dead so I could be put out of my misery.  Far Guy wanted out of my misery too.  The tabs that I sewed together for the french doors were supposed to be simple.  Just strips of fabric sewn together and then turned right side out..the material was so thick I had to turn it with a strong pin..thread by thread.  Finally I got them done and attached the Velcro..and the glue was not strong enough to hold..I tried to hand sew them on..the residue from the  glue made it so difficult that Far Guy had to use a pliers to pull the needle through.   I am sure that there are lots of you gals that sew that could have whipped these together in an afternoon.. I procrastinated way too long with this project..I am really glad it is all sewed up:)

Wistful Wednesday: Milk Pails

This is a photo taken at Far Guys Grandparents farm.  Left to right: Far Guys Dad( Marvin), Grandpa ( James). and  Uncles (Jim) and (Ron)  I believe that this was taken sometime around 1927..in that year the boys would have been  13, 6 and 9.  It looks like they were all helping with the milking.  That is what I would call a cream can ( because of it's size) being carried between the Father and his oldest son.  I would guess and this is just a guess that they only had a few cows..perhaps three or four..as they have three milk pails and three of them could have milked at the same time...perhaps a few of their milk cows were in the process of drying up before they freshened.  You cannot milk a dry cow..and they all dry up four to six weeks before freshening or the birth of a calf.  It is like a mini vacation for the cow and for the farmer too..if you rely on milk everyday like I am sure this farm family did then you want to stagger the breeding of your cows so they don't all dry up at once.   So much for milk cow info deep inside this old brain!

I think that this photo is a wonderful example of teamwork and farm families that worked together everyday:)

The BIG Tree

The "Grands" and my handsome and handy Son In Law Andy..helped put up the big tree. The children were impressed with it's tallness and they all helped decorate it the evening before Christmas Eve. Andy is very TALL..he began by lifting the children in the air to hang ornaments..finally he just took the tree apart at the top and held onto it while the children decorated. Noah got to put the Angel on top, because he was the first one that asked me if he could do the honors. When I took out the ornaments I ran onto the Angel..I believe we purchased it in Florida in 1973 or Minnesota in 1974..whatever.. it has been around a long time. I thought the children did great..they kept me busy going through boxes and bags, attaching the little wire hangers until I ran out ..my entire collection never made it on the tree due to a hanger shortage..maybe next year! The antique bell ornaments seemed to be the children's favorites.. everyone wanted to hang a bell..luckily I had enough to go around. They held all the ornaments very gently and oohed and aahed the entire time. I believe that we made a memory.

It was interesting seeing these ornaments on the tree for the very first time. I have been collecting these ornaments since about 1987..one by one. Sometimes lucky enough to find an entire box! I need to purchase some ornament caps and wires..I will have to keep my eye out at garage sales.. I also discovered that I am heavy on the gold and silver, okay with red, purple, blue and pink. Very short of green and orange..I only have two each of those colors. I am particularly smitten with the orange for some reason... I don't quite know why, but I simply must find some more of those.

I did purchase one box of the new Radco Shiny Brites at Menards..I just got the small bulbs a set of twelve multicolor. They are interesting. I explained to the grands about them..they probably won't remember that they are reproductions..but someday they may be collectible in their own right.

What a great place to sort ornaments..on the bed upstairs. Chance came by once and rested his head on the edge of the bed.. but settled on the twin bed nearby for a nap whilst I sorted and thought..I need a Christmas Tree Skirt..and next year perhaps I should take off the huge tags that identify it as sections A, B, C and D. I should also buy more tissue paper to wrap my old shiny brites in..as I stuffed the last three boxes full of ornaments all touching each other..those boxes are an improvement from the old bread sacks that most of them were in previously.

When Far Guy had this huge tree in sections in his cart I should have had him go right over to the huge fifty gallon totes..instead I just walked right by them. When I went back to Menards in DL the other day they were all sold out. I purchased two smaller totes that will have to be returned..but that's okay..I can go by the antique shop! The Tall tree is down, one of it's sections measures 48 inches..so we will have to build a wooden box for it next summer.. I am thinking something out of pine..on casters..that might possibly go someplace upstairs....maybe it could be a coffee table..or a bench with a cushion on top.. shh..no one tell Far Guy that I have another vision:)

A Lost Art

Last summer I had the unique opportunity to meet someone who practices a lost art.  I met her before I found out that she had a blog, she had been taking a little time off from her photo blog..but she is back again.. she is a very talented photographer too!

I took some photos the day that I met her at The Lake Itasca Pioneer Farmers Show. I was amazed at her handiwork. One of the things that is on my list of things to do is to call my local Community Education Program and request that she give a class.  I spoke to a few of my cousins, they are all quite interested in attending a class..I just need to find an old wheel now..

Faylin weaves round rag rugs on a wheel.  She was giving a demonstration. I do not begin to remember everything that she told me. I do know that she made it all look fairly simple and it is an art that I am sure that I would enjoy learning. She lives in North Dakota.. and her blog is called Picture The Promises. Pop on over to her blog and say hi you will be glad that you did! :)

Florida Thoughts

It was 36 below zero this morning.. just another chilly day in the state of FROZEN. If you are dressed in layers, and resemble a polar bear..you will survive. Have you ever been so cold that your tears freeze on your face, so cold that you can't feel your fingers anymore, and your feet feel like chunks of wood, heavy and cumbersome? You shiver, but shivering is good because because it generates heat. When you are so cold that you stop shivering..you have a big problem. If you look all glamorous in a skirt and some fancy boots with heels you are gonna be sorry if you car stalls today. Luckily anyone that lives in Minnesota will have a heart today..and stop for your sorry frozen butt.

Ah Florida..how I miss your oranges...and your warmth. Far Guy was stationed at MacDill AFB back in 1973, MacDill is in Tampa..we spent a fair amount of time at Clearwater Beach. Disney World had recently opened..we made trips over there to Orlando when we could afford it. I worked at the Base Day Care Center usually in the toddler room..children aged 2 to 5...sometimes I also worked in the Nursery..lotza babies. Trica was just little..she was one. It was cheaper for me to hire a nanny to take care of her..so I did. A young gal and her husband Frankie who was an Air Force Fire Fighter lived across the street from us, her name was Kathy and she was from Tennessee. She was a wonderful mentor..and taught this northern gal all about preparing for hurricanes. They had a little girl almost the same age as Trica ..her name was Tina..Trica called her Tee Wee. Kathy would tote the two little girls around..her husband worked 24 on and 24 off so on days when he was home sleeping she would camp out at our place..she also took care of our dog "Snuffer" and the four little pups that appreared after a secret rendevous with a neighbor dog..must have been a quickie.

Trica named those pups.. Flower who she called Flowie, Blackie, Brownie and Fatty. She was just little, I thought she did wonderful with the original names! Flowie and Fatty went to homes with children, they were raised under my gentle hand..but also with the hugs and kisses of a one year old..so they were not afraid of children. Blackie became "Baby Snuffer" and when she was old enough to be put on an airplane she made the trip to Louisville and became Far Guys Sisters dog. She was a marvelous little pup and looked exactly like Toto in the Wizard of Oz.. she lived a long and pampered life in Indiana. Far Guy gave away Brownie one day when I was at work. He just knew I was going to keep that pup for myself. Wouldn't you know it..an elderly gentleman just happened to come by one afternoon and he was lonely after his old faithful dog died. Well..it was a good sob story..but it didn't stop me from bawling, and I was pretty ticked off too.

June 1973 we were on leave between Lowry AFB and MacDill AFB, this was taken at my parents farm in front of the picture tree.

I went to work in Florida because we bought a new car a 1973 Gremlin..white..but we couldn't go very far..because there was a gas shortage that year. The rest of the country may have been fine..but I waited in line that year (winter of 1974) for gas..sometimes for hours. The car payment was sixty dollars a month. Not much by today's standards..but back then it was quite a chunk of change.

Florida was better than Germany..that was where he was supposed to go..back then you could trade assignments...within your specialty..remember me telling you how brilliant the Armed Services are..and remember they would have issued my husband a wife, child and dog if they had wanted him to have them. Germany..and yes we could go..but we would have to pay for it ourselves..I would have to live someplace and save up for the trip..the dog would have had to go into quarantine for six months ..Far Guy traded with a friend who was single he wanted to go overseas but he got MacDill. ( The powers that be are all idiots! ) The next day we could have had Mountain Home, Idaho and 100 dollars.. life is just not fair sometimes. But Florida was better than Germany..but not as much fun as Mountain Home. We loved the mountains when we were stationed in Colorado.

Far Guy took part in a program called Palace Chase..it took active duty people and put them in The Air National Guard for a six year commitment.. so he joined up and picked Hector Field in Fargo, ND as his base. Thus began a career that spanned twenty six years (1972 to 1998) . In essence I was a single parent..never knowing where he was going or when he would be back. Every chance I got, the girls and I would go south to Florida or Mississippi where he was TDY ( temporary duty).

When Far Guy was retired from The Air Guard in 1998, we began building here where we live now. We had to clear the land of trees and carve out a spot for the Greenhouse business..we bought a camper..let me tell you living in a camper in Minnesota really sucks in the winter..we escaped to Florida (Tyndall AFB, Panama City Florida with twelve miles of private beach) for the worst months.. Far Guy absolutely hated being in Florida..I absolutely loved it.. we made a deal..we would build a small tiny little house and we would live six months in Minnesota and six months in Florida..it was a great plan..except we built a much larger house than we needed in Minnesota..so we are stuck here.. actually Far Guy said that I could go to Florida anytime I want..but I wouldn't leave him behind..or would I? Mornings like this make me wonder:)

Jeanne asked me yesterday about the time we spent in Florida..thanks for the nudge to write about it!  If you haven't visited The Raisin Chronicles..now is your chance!

It is a little chilly

It was 27 degrees BELOW zero this morning..that is -33C for my Canadian friends. I just get cranky when it gets this cold, okay that is untrue..I get crankier. Luckily just like yesterday, I do not have to go out. The cupboard is full of groceries, Chance has lots of food..if I learned how to bake bread and if Far Guy would use powdered milk on his cereal..or if we got a cow ..but a cow would mean that someone would have to go out and do chores..besides that we have no barn..and farm animals need a barn. Anyway we could hibernate inside longer if I baked bread and if Far Guy didn't drink milk.

Chance is valiant..he heads outdoors with great enthusiasm..after about five minutes..he begins the great paw exchange, holding one paw at a time in the air to warm it up. We play ball indoors on days like today..I wish I could get him to walk on the treadmill...

I have to make a list..one of those dreaded list of things that need to be done around here. Some of the projects are just down right boring like cleaning the oven. However there are a number of very organizational things I will do this year, I tend to like organizational type projects and actually look forward to them. Far Guys Mom kept every obituary from every funeral she ever attended. Likewise I have kept some for many years. Every time someones dies..I put their obit in my white Bible that my Grandparents gave me when I was confirmed. Since I am now getting older, lots more people die every year and my Bible is plump. So de plumping my Bible is on the list..I have a photo storage box and should be able to alphabetize them.

Years ago one of my cousins and I volunteered to make a family cookbook. We have collected recipes. I have been looking at Cookbook Software. Some of it is very high tech and confusing. I just need a simple program, we will print it out ourselves on something heavier than regular paper and bind it together..one of us cousins has a machine that does that. We will have to come up with a front and back cover design too. Does anyone out there have any suggestions for software? I found one called Mathilda's Fantastic Cookbook Software. It will create an address book too..and a birthday calender. It looks simple to use. My cousin is now milking hundreds of cows twice a day( I am sure if she had her druthers she would just rather be a farm wife working on the recipe book with me instead of helping her husband milk everyday..she is doing what she has to do...when are the farmers going to catch a break anyway?) So I will have to recruit other family members to help with the typing.. I have all the recipes..in a big yellow folder file..just waiting for organization...there are already a few family stories in there too. It should be a delightful family project. "The Cousins" want to have this project done and ready for sale by the family picnic in August. Yes, we will sell them but only to recoup the cost of paper, ink and bindings. It is a big project. And even though I don't like to cook..I do like to read recipes..strange isn't it? Far Guy says "I think you read recipes so you can cook in your head..and that is good enough for you."

I have cooked twice recently..he really appreciates it when I cook. One night I threw some salt and pepper on a couple of Catfish Fillets and then dredged them through some flour and then fried them up in a little butter..dumped some lettuce in a bowl..viola.. supper fit for a king! We both love good Catfish..I know not everyone likes them..but we lived in the south long enough to learn to appreciate the delightful flavor! I would have purchased some crawdads..but they only had fancy crustaceans. We both like crawdads too.

Fish houses down on the lake.

Why do you suppose I think of Crawdads and fresh oranges right off the trees this time of year? It must be the cold weather, and they are comfort food to me on a chilly Minnesota day:)
Update:  My brother just stopped by..he gets up earlier than us!  He had 39 BELOW ZERO at his house this morning..but we do live just south of him:)

Once in a Blue Moon

We went to a hobby shop yesterday, and Far Guy met a bunch of other "train people" ..it was rather funny.. You see Far Guy has O scale trains..someone was asking a question about them and the store owner said well do you know Far Guy?  Of course they didn't ..but they do now.

It was cold yesterday,  and this morning it was -12 degrees F or-24 degrees C  way to cold to go out.  So we will stay at home today.

Yesterday on our way home, I took a photo at the end of the drive..actually I took several.  There is a sun-dog off to the right under the two small camera flares.

Then I took this photo..honest it is straight out of the camera..I would not pull your leg..I consider it one last gift from 2009.   I will have to consult with one of my camera friends for an explanation..was it too cold..maybe Ed or someone else will know.. maybe it was just equal camera flares.

Around five o'clock I took off with my tripod to see if I could capture the blue moon.. I did.  The moon is not easy to photograph especially once it gets dark.

I walked down to my brothers..eight children under the age of five were there..I got to feed the new baby..a room temperature bottle..she seemed to like it..I would have warmed it up but her Mother ( my niece)  said..that's the way she gets it all the time.   Of course I gave her a load of what for about that..she knows me well so she just ignores me.  This newest baby isn't showing any inclination to scream when I enter the room ..yet...however my niece did a fairly good impression for her.   When I walked back home the moon was obscured by clouds..good thing I had my trusty ugly yellow flashlight.


Far Guy was still laying  down when I got home,  I did rouse him to listen to some music with me.  I let him listen to some Judith Durham ( former Seekers), I picked the Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody"  for a quick little belly rubbing slow dance around the living room.  Then I progressed through some of my favorites by Roy Orbison "Pretty Woman",  Abba "Dancing Queen"  and one of Bob Dylan's old songs sung by Adele " Make you feel my love" , and "Smile" by Uncle Kracker  ..oh yeah and Meatloaf.."Two out of Three Ain't Bad".  I am pretty fussy with my music..if I like it I listen to it forever..rarely adding new songs.. this years big add was "Smile".  Here's to more smiles in twenty ten:)

2009 In Review

This is a big day..it is one of those "Blue Moons" ..that's what it is called when we have two full moons in the same month. The next time it happens will be December 31, 2028 and I will either be deader than a door nail or 87 that year. There will be a minor lunar eclipse in Europe..lucky ducks. I hope to bust out the tripod and get some full moon shots..hope it isn't below zero..or overcast this evening.

Last year I wrote about intentions instead of resolutions.. Quote " How about some one word intentions ..Like mine! Laugh, Smile, Hug, and Dance. Easy to remember, easy to do, I can have that accomplished a few seconds after midnight, and be free the rest of the year. Easy..peasy!"--Far Side December 30, 2008.

This year I will add a word to my intentions..exercise.  This one may just require a bit of a commitment beyond the few minutes after midnight.  I am bound and determined to have firm fat,
Lets do a check up: 2008 in plain type    2009 In BOLD

The children are all employed, and reasonably healthy. Trica our oldest daughter still struggles with Pancreatitis. Ditto..Trica is still struggling..she might just be a tad more cranky too. She has pancretitis from a Gall Bladder surgery years ago.

We still struggle with Doctors and Far Guys Trigeminal Neuralgia. We are comfortable with Dr. P. he seems adequate. There are no miracle cures..Trigeminal Neuralgia is a rare disorder that you must just learn to live with...easy for me to say..Far Guy is the one with continual pain.

No new Grand-babies..No divorces..a few deaths (two cousins and a very dear friend) This year five friends died.. Rhonda, Jim, Sam, Charles and Pat. Two family members, my Uncle Delbert, and my cousins fiancee.

Paige stole her sisters new kitty for a photo.

No new pets, and no pet deaths. In 2009 Madison got a new kitten that she named Ziggy. Trica found a new home for her Pomeranian Daphne or "Daffy". Daffy now gets to be the Queen of her castle and no longer has to tremble in fear and hide under the couch to escape her terrorist companion Dakota who had a stroke a number of years ago and has an ongoing thyroid problem and is just not right in the head. I miss Daffy..she loved me. When they all lived with us..she was my constant companion.

Daffy

Biggest Adjustment..Far Guy's Trigeminal Neuralgia and how it affects our day to day life. Ditto..we must always be flexible.... it just may not be a good day, or a good week.

Biggest Change..Closing the Greenhouse business, a very wise decision. I miss it, but I am getting over it. Well I am way over this one..this years biggest changes..lifestyle..healthier eating..more exercise.

Biggest Frustration.. Doctors that don't know their butt from a hole in the ground, and the phone ringing. Ditto.. and gaining weight because I quit a nasty habit..that I enjoyed..but now my metabolism is all out of whack.  For now and since July I have been an ex-smoker.  It ain't easy..it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my entire life.  I have however curbed the desire to lick every ash tray I see..and those smokers outside freezing their skinny butts off..I envy them..perhaps I will get over that with time..old habits die hard..I began to smoke as a teenager..that was well over forty years ago.  My daughter said "Mom we would rather have you alive and healthy looking and a little fat, than dead and skinny."  

Happiest Moment..a very nostalgic Ferris Wheel Ride last August with Far Guy. Playing a little "kissy face" stopped at the top! I had to think on this for quite some time.. I had many happiest moments this year and if I had to pin it down to just one moment it would be watching Chance and Far Guy on the lake shore of Lake Superior..watching Chance run between us.

Happy New Year Everyone! :)

Wistful Wednesday: New Years Eve 1963

This must have been taken by Far Guys Dad..it is Far Guys Sister and her beau who she married five years later. She must have been in her first year of College. She was off getting straight A's and making life miserable academically for her goof off baby brother. This young couple must have hit it off pretty good..as they have been married for forty-one years. They do argue some, especially when one of them is driving..I thought once that they should get a car with dual controls. Oh darn I suppose she will call again..I told her to take whatever photographs she wanted..she must have left this one behind because she wanted me to blog about it. She lives in Indiana so it is unlikely that she will run right over and demand her photo back. I wonder where they were going for their New Years Eve celebration?  Probably out to dinner. They look really young, and my brother in law had hair! :)

What are your plans for New Years Eve?

The Best Gift Giver Ever

My youngest daughter is a shopper..she obviously got this ability from someone else..perhaps from her Aunt Jan..she is a shopper. My Mother is a shopper too.. I do like to shop just not where everyone else does..I can spend hours in an antique shop, and I love the thrift stores and garage sales.

Jen always strives from one year to the next to out do herself..she is an overachiever. She also likes to see me bawl..then she knows that she did great. I think she starts plotting and planning immediately after Christmas how she is going to be the best gift giver picker outer the next Christmas. She is also sneaky. A few months ago..she sat at my computer and said "Mom, I need some photos to make cards, can I have some of yours? " Sure, I said..it was for a fundraiser at the school... little did I know that she was going to take one of my favorite photographs..and have something made for me.

I took a series of photographs one beautiful summer evening. Far Guy and I took Chance for a walk down at the lake. Chance was on lead.

No one was around so we took him off lead..he is usually well behaved off lead..he played in the water awhile and then he began to pose for me. The light was fading fast..it was one of those moments that I was glad that I wear crocs in the summer as the dog and I were both in the water. Some of the photos turned out just smashing! He loves to pose..and he is getting pretty good at it too! Some days he is really on!

I captured his reflection perfectly. I was so pleased.

Chance must be famous now... his photo became a flag! Jen wins the best gift giver award once again...I tried not to cry when I opened it..but I immediately recognized the colors and those ears... forever on a flag. You woulda cried too if it happened to you! :)

I Am Two Years Old!

Well today is the day, I have been bending your ears for two years..731 posts..in 736 days. ( The blogspot numbers are 499 posts today.. I didn't start this back up blog until September of 2008.  You can find a link to my archived posts at the bottom of this page.)  Not bad for a cranky old woman. I missed a few more days this past year due to illness..we hope that doesn't happen again this year. I had a pneumonia shot the other day..so we will see..it is supposed to be good for seven years.. yeah right.

I guess I will keep on, keeping on.. so doncha think I deserve some flowers?

How about these?? Lovely aren't they..I really miss green and warmth..

How...I write differently now that I first did, I used to write everything out longhand. Now I just sit down and type...( hunt and peck..that darned Poison Ivy that covered my entire body and made my fingers swell so badly they didn't want me in typing class during summer school.. I am not quite sure why I didn't take it during the real school year..probably because I had better things to study..like Biology and Latin) I still do write blogs in my notebook sometimes in the car..when Far Guy is driving, I wrote one on a paper napkin in a restaurant one day. Sometimes I write really brilliant ones during the night and then when I wake up in the morning I have forgotten what I was going to write. Sometimes I just sit here..staring blankly onto the computer screen..if my screen saver takes over it is quite obvious to me that I am not relaxed or going with the flow of the words. I write late at night..actually in the middle of the night sometimes..it is quiet..the phone never rings then. I also write early in the morning..then I save ..but publish later. I do sometimes schedule things to publish..if we have to be gone early in the morning.

What..my daughter the English Professor says I should look for a common theme.. a thread of sorts that will bind it all together. She writes too..I recall something she wrote a while back..blogging is like having your own room..your own place to do what ever you want. I sometimes write about strange things that no one else writes about. I love to write about flowers and birds and pets and childhood memories. I love my photo blog..but I don't spend very much time there.. but my photography skills are improving. My newest blog Forgotten Old Photographs is and continues to be a daily adventure. I do have some stories that are just aching to be written..some will never see the light of day..but some will be forthcoming.

Why..I still blog for the Grandchildren..so they have some stories. I also blog for me..for the connections to people who live all over the world. I have made many new friends, laughed and cried with many bloggers. Recently a blogger that I was quite close to died.. let me tell ya..that really sucks. I rejoiced with the Grandmother of an eight year old whose tumor was benign...that news totally rocked. I get to meet brand new puppies..like Hope, and Mr. Higgens. I got to follow Renee from before her premature birth to a  happy and healthy little girl and home with her family for a Minnesota Christmas! What a treat it was to meet her! I visit lots of Farms and Ranches..they are the lifeblood of America and Canada. I visit Sweden nearly everyday. I visit lots of gardeners..I so enjoy other peoples gardens..especially the southern ones during the winter. I am having a whole lot of fun reading. I am also learning..you are never to old to learn something new.

Where.. well as you may know I live in Minnesota. I blog from our computer desk which I share with Far Guy he custom built the desk for us.....it is in the center of our home between the living room that we actually live in and the dining room that is the only place to sit down and eat in the entire house. My blog appears locally on a newspaper web site..and on the big old world wide blogspot. I maintain two blogs that are exactly the same because if one site should go down, I will always have the other..I also try to print out hard copies of each of my daily posts..but I am way behind on that project..six months to be exact. It is on my list of things to do!

Thanks to all my readers out there, and a special thank you to the people that comment.. today I will answer any questions you may have about me or blogging.  Just leave me a comment and I will answer in the comment section! :)

Christmas 2009: Part Two

More about Christmas 2009...

Noah

Game playing..there was lots of it..some on the computer..individually and as teams ..but we did gather them all for a rousing game of "spoons". They are all a pretty competitive bunch..so it got a little physical..it also was a source of many giggles...I love games ..so I thought it was just perfect.

Adam

Hugs for suckers..I have been having an issue with Adam..withholding hugs..and I just grab him and hug him and kiss him..he is the baby after all.. well my Tootsie Pop Jar is accessible now only after a hug..I have Adams currency..finally!

Paige

One liners.. Paige observing her Grandpa .." I can't believe it..you actually do have a pair of jeans without holes in them!"

Madison

My beautiful ten foot tall tree for upstairs..it holds my Shiny Brite ornament collection.. I think it was guilt..I told Far Guy one day that if I croaked before I actually got to see all my decorations on a really tall tree that it would be all his fault. He does what he can to make my life memorable. It is a pretty large tree too..so I can keep going to garage sales and antique shops..looking for more Shiny Brites. I think I will make it a tradition to decorate it with all the old ornaments each year..and then wait for the grands to come to decorate it with the new to me old ornaments that I have collected during the year.

Gifts received, everyone seemed pleased no one bawled because they were sad. I admit it I had two gifts from Jen and Andy and the boys that made me bawl..you see Jen is the best gift giver picker outer ever. It is a skill she did not get from me. The first gift I will leave you guess at for another day..or two. The second tear bringer was a book I had as a child..The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore. It was a very thoughtful gift..I am reading it..it evokes lots of childhood memories. Now lets guess what gift could make me bawl..to the point of almost sobbing? No, It wasn't a Sheltie Puppy..they teased me that they had one in their vehicle for me..I told them if they had one outside they just better be bringing it in before it got too cold. Nope it wasn't a live gift..but it was a gift that I unwittingly helped to create..that's enough hints for now.

I had a six hour nap on Christmas Day..after everyone left..I crashed on the couch..I was exhausted. Far Guy and Chance had a nap too..Chance is pouting..he wanted everyone to stay forever:)

Christmas 2009 : Part One

Well I for one am glad that Christmas has come and gone. It is now another whole year away. There were parts of it that I enjoyed.

 Like the grands!!

The Shopping..I was glad when it was done. Far Guy was a saint..he hung in there..I could not have done it without him. He was also the driving force behind gifts instead of my preferred gifts of cash. I figured if I procrastinated long enough, they would all be happy with cash versus no gift at all.

The Wrapping of the gifts..I went into hibernation mode upstairs and finished it all..Far Guy has finally learned how to gift wrap..after forty years! Between the two of us working as a team..we got er done!

The House Cleaning.. Far Guy vacuums..I scrub and dust..I could have dusted more..but no one probably noticed. I did clean the downstairs bath extra good..Far Guy said "I don't know why you are doing that bathroom again..it will just be a mess in a little while." Sometimes I can be a bit anal about cleaning..probably part of my OCD...I am trying to overcome it..and let me tell you I have come a long way toward total recovery..but the holidays get me every time.

The Christmas Cards went out on Christmas Eve..many cards were sent by email for the very first time... some still had to be mailed..and notes written. I do like writing special notes to long time friends. My pencil in hand is still a comfy feeling.

The Cooking..I called one of my cousins, Geraldine for her Baked Beans Recipe, thanks to her phone tutorial I was able to successfully cook up a batch of baked beans that taste way better than Famous Dave's. I have never attempted Baked Beans before. I did have one small problem as I boiled them over several times during their first cookings...then when I packaged some for the deep freeze..I may have been a bit sloppy..Far Guy said I looked like a bean. I do make a mean Green Apple/Snickers/Cool Whip Salad..never fail! I did remember to put the sugar in the Pumpkin Bread..and it only took two hours to bake because Far Guy shut the oven off. Son In law Andy cooked the ribs and a delicious ham and cornbread. Jennifer baked candy and cookies..calorie free of course. My Parents joined us for a late evening meal on Christmas Eve. I was going to use real plates..but Trica said "Mother, paper will be fine..less dishes to wash.." Sometimes she just hates it that we have no dishwasher. Yup, we still do dishes the old fashioned way..sometimes we even talk to each other while we wash and dry.

The Church services.. my ONLY request of family members this Christmas was that we all attend church together on Christmas Eve. I really don't care much for all the commercial hoopla that surrounds Christmas..but the church part is important to me. Oh Yeah and before I forget, the sermon ( I would have said "Happy Birthday Jesus" Amen) was way to long..I fell asleep, the print was way to little in the handout..and Madison and I prayed that the cute little things three rows in front of us in the thinly strapped black dresses got some sweaters for Christmas...all that uncovered skin made me chilly even though I kept my parka on for the entire service. Paige and Noah almost got the giggles once..a little tap on the shoulder by their Grandma worked well to quench those giggles. Four kids and four adults..we almost filled a pew. I was extremely thankful for the family members that attended with us, sometimes you just have to let go and be thankful that someone was there..after all we could just be two old cranky people sitting by ourselves in a pew.

The weather..we got some snow..a whole months worth in just a few days. But hey people it must be warm to snow..for that I am happy!   Everyone made it back home safely..that is what counts:)

Merry Christmas!

Snow Angels

Four of the grands are here..we are missing the teenage grand..she will be here later today.  It snowed..and is still snowing..everyone is off sledding...

Before they left on their sledding adventure they left some snow angels in the yard.

Last night they all helped me to decorate the new really TALL tree upstairs!!    Someone who was feeling really guilty about that detrunking episode ..has finally redeemed himself after nineteen years!   Happy Christmas Eve Day..sometimes dreams really do come true:)

Wistful Wednesday : 1990

A long time ago..1990 to be exact.. I had a dream. No not one of those Christmas nightmares either. We were living at the resort..one area of the house had really tall ceilings..I wanted a really tall tree to go in there..why should I let the short seven foot ceilings in the living room restrict me?

I found the perfect tree..it was near the edge of the swamp..I loved it..it had lots of cones in the top..and oh my was it tall. I had to wait for Far Guy and his chain saw... I was so excited..everything was going to be just perfect..I could see myself dangling on a ladder stretching for the highest branches..just like in the movies..maybe I would even put a dress and heels on and everything..make up too ( that is a stretch) ..but I had a lot of imagination back then. The winters are long in Minnesota. Plus that when I get it all decorated to the hilt..someone can take a photo of everyone in front of the tree..what a dreamer I was.

Finally the weekend came, Far Guy commuted back then, he left in the dark and came home in the dark..his commute was 85 miles one way..what a trooper he was..working in the city to allow his girls the best of country life! Of course I could run the chain saw..if a tree was down..if it was tall and huge and still in the air..I would chicken out. It was perfect..it came down in one fell swoop..the dogs and I always waited in a spot of safety and they would sit by me and wait until the tree was on the ground then they would run and bark...silly dogs..there were four of them..all Shelties. I was so happy..my tall tree was going to be a reality!!

Then Far Guy did the unthinkable..he trimmed my beautifully tall tree to about seven feet tall..I began to bawl.. it WAS perfect..now it had been detrunked. Apparently he had not been listening or I had not stated loud enough that I wanted a huge honkin tall tree in the hall..one that reached the ceiling..and the ceiling was about 12 feet tall. He offered to tape it back together with duct tape..how sick is that? He offered to cut down another tree..now that would have been wasteful..so I settled for another Ho Hum Yup it is a real tree and it will smell good and the needles will drop all over the floor and I will have to remove pitch from the floor. The cats will think that it is tall enough to climb anyway..they often perched in our Christmas Trees like real live ornaments.

Ho Hum Bah Humbug..

The girls posed for a photo that year..they were eighteen and fifteen..I was a real pain in the butt Mom..can't you tell by the expressions on their faces? I was a pretty rotten photographer back then too.

We needed a little kid to perk things up..one with the wonder of Christmas in his eyes.. my Nephew Jacob was perfect..and my Mothers tree was perfect that year too.

Now that the upstairs is completed..I told Far Guy about my dream again..I also mentioned it to one of my daughters..they both think it is silly to want a tree that reaches all the way to the ceiling...my son in law thought it was a pretty cool idea..he offered to find one for me and drag it into the house..tall and whole. What a guy!  Our very wise daughter said "Mother, you know a real tree is just going to lose its needles and get caught in the carpet and when you walk barefoot up there you will get needles in your feet...and the pitch..don't forget about the pitch Mom." So..even though my upstairs is completely done..including drapes....it does not have a tall tree this year..we are going to look for a fake obnoxiously tall tree after the Holidays..maybe even one on sale. One that I will need a ladder to decorate.. a tree large enough to hold my entire collection of Shiny Brite ornaments ..wouldn't that be a treat!

Talking about treats..the grands will be descending on us about ten o'clock this evening..and there is a storm coming..so we could be snowed in for days :)