I am thankful for

THANKSGIVING

We had such a good time today. Good food. Family. And Five dogs.

Yep that was not a typo .(and we live in a townhouse:) )

Buddy had lots of company for Thanksgiving.

First came daughter, son in law and 2 grandchildren and their three doggies.

Bella is a 6 year old Havanese. Ginger is Buddy's littler mate and a Cavalier Spaniel. Lucy is a rescue dog. Black and white and cute as a button. Combination Jack Russell and part Chihuahua. Then our son went back home and got his black lab. His two children were also here. His wife could not come as she had a bad stomach virus that is going through the elementary school where she teaches.

Our son made the delicious turkey at his house. He brined it and cooked it in the Big Green Egg. Absolutely wonderful. And it looked like one of those turkeys on a TV commercial. All brown and beautiful and shiny.

All in all it was a perfect day. Unusually warm for Thanksgiving. So balmy we sat outside on the porch after dinner. Talking. Laughing. Savoring the moment.

I AM THANKFUL FOR THANKSGIVING.

Missing Person

Oh God
The Library says I have not returned the book
But I know I did
I remember taking it back,
I only kept it for 3 days
It was a lousy book.
Why did I check out
Something
Called
"Mrs Stevens Hears The Mermaid Singing"
Even the title is dumb

I am obsessive about library books
I can't stand to be overdue
Even by a day.
It is not the dime a day
That bothers me.
But the shame of it.

And now this.
I know I returned "Mrs Stevens"
But even so
I searched high and low
For her.

The librarian said
"You continue looking
And we will look"
She even turned over
The book return
Just in case Mrs Stevens
Was stuck underneath.

I finally
Convinced her
Since I am a Regular
Patron
Of 7 years duration

To take Mrs Stevens
Off my record

And just
List her as

MISSING

Done

Here I am almost 81 years old and I have a new computer system, a MAC, and I am slowly getting used to it.

From everything I have read it seems that learning something new helps to keep our minds active as we age.

Well, since last Thursday when Mac arrived in our home my mind has been extremely active learning the different system. I had been using IE for the last 13 years, as long as I have been fooling around with a computer. But I am doing OK with Mac.

It will just take some getting acquainted and patience on both our parts.

Buddy seems to like Mac ok. He especially enjoyed all the attention we got with son, son in law, daughter, 14 year old grandson and 12 year old grandson all arriving to help me.

In my computer/guest room it felt like a "family reunion" during the set up and learning process.:)

Buddy and I enjoyed the attention.

Thanks for all your advice and input. I am just glad to have the decision behind me as I tend to over think choices.

Cheers

NEED ADVICE

:(

Rats. not again !!!!

I have to get a new computer...Darn it...

It just up and died on me...Not my fault. I took good care of it. Watered it regularly. Dusted it and talked sweet to it.

But regardless of my caring it just conked out.

Now what shall I do?

My daughter and son in law say "GET AN APPLE...A MAC"

My son who is my IT go to guy says "Pros and cons for PC or MAC"

"Can you justify the added cost of the MAC ??"

"THE MAC is supposed to be virus free and therefore last longer trouble free."

(this is my 2ND or 3rd PC in 7 years)

WHAT DO YOU THINK
?

PS: I am using hubby's computer for now.Short term

VOTE

REMEMBER TO VOTE TODAY

AND THIS QUOTE I SAW ON RONNI BENNETT'S BLOG "TIME GOES BY"

"Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.”

- William E. Simon

TRICK OR TREAT

HERE
HAVE A TREAT

Western Union

I had a humorous experience with Western Union back in the '60's
A friend of mine entered the Pilsbury Bake Off Contest. Her recipe was for "Batter-Up Beef Pie" made with canned Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Pilsbury flour and so on.

She had my husband and I over to taste test it and it was not bad but we did not think she had a chance of winning.

Lo and behold Caroline did win the regional bake off and won a trip to Los angeles for the nation wide "Bake-Off. We were frankly surprised. One reason being Caroline looked like Eva Gabor and was very glamorous. Not your typical picture of a bake off winner.

The day of the Bake Off, we sent Caroline a dozen roses and a telegram saying:"Everything's coming up roses. Good luck.

"The next day, after losing the Bake Off, Caroline called Western Union to reply and said:"Roses dead. So is Stew"

The shocked Western Union Operator interrupted and said:"Oh I am so sorry. How did they die?"

(Easier to communicate in writing than over the telephone :))

Caroline did win a new stove and the trip to LA.....


Addendum:

Cassie B asked about the recipe. It was called "Batterup Beef Pie". I searched and this must be it or similar.


BATTERUP BEEF PIE

1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. grated cheese
1 tbsp. instant onion
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 lb. can beef stew (Dinty Moore)

Melt butter in 8 inch square baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients except stew in mixing bowl. Stir until blended. Pour over melted butter. Pour stew over batter. Do not stir. Bake for 60-65 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes a serving for 6.

Autumn

My favorite season of the year.
Cool. Crisp. Delightful.
Leaves turning brilliant colors.
Little ones thinking of Halloween.
Trick or treat.
Pumpkins.
Football for the guys to watch.
Back to school for the kiddies.

Happy Halloween to all.

Food for thought ?

A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax


Ø I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.


Ø Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.


Ø I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.


Ø Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.


Ø The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.


Ø Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.


Ø If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.


Ø We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.


Ø War does not determine who is right - only who is left.


Ø Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.


Ø The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.


Ø Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.


Ø To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.



A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.


Ø How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?


Ø Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.


Ø Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.


Ø I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.


Ø A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.


Ø Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says"If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR".


Ø I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.


Ø I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with "Guess"on it...so I said "Implants?"


Ø Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?


Ø Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.


Ø Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?


Ø Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.


Ø A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.


Ø You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.



Ø The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

Ø Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.


Ø A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.


Ø Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.


Ø Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.


Ø I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.


Ø Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.


Ø There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.


Ø I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.


Ø I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.


Ø When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.


Ø You're never too old to learn something stupid.


Ø To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.


Ø Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.


Ø Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.


Ø A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.


Ø Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

=

Insomnia ?

Last night I had a sleeping problem. I read for about an hour. Turned out the light at 11:30 PM was still awake at 12:30. I said "to heck with it" I will just read until I drop off to sleep. I did and my book fell out of my hands about 2PM. Had restless, unpleasant dreams until about 7AM.

I know, I know. The book I was reading, a Swedish murder mystery. "Sidetracked" by Henning Mankell is too stimulating. One of the best mysteries I have ever read.

"Mankell's third Detective Kurt Wallander mystery revolves around the veteran Swedish inspector's search for a savage serial killer who scalps his victims after delivering a fatal hatchet blow"

" Winner of Sweden's 1997 Best Crime Novel of the Year, this is another terrific offering from the talented Mankell"

This book is not nearly as gruesome as it sounds. Much of it is told from the police point of view as they race to stop the killer.

OK I know. Not exactly bedtime, relaxing reading but I am hooked and can't wait to finish this book and get the next Kurt Wallander mystery.


Oh well. I am still functioning today.

Please forgive me Buddy

The first photo of Buddy, the one with the yellow ribbon in his hair, Okay I know in that picture he looks like "Buddy Lou" :) My 9 year old granddaughter is responsible for the ribbon. She did it. We laughed and said he looked like a "Buddy Lou" and not our Buddy

The majestic pose in the beige doggie bed is too cute. Right? We were at Cosco one day and lo and behold there were the big dog beds for only $20.00. What a bargain!

Mr C said " Buddy will chew that bed up when we get it in the door. We bought it anyway. I worked with Buddy and so far he has only reclined in the bed and no chewing. (fingers still crossed as he is a chewer)

Enjoy the photos. :)

Here's Buddy

Hi All

I need to post a new photo of Buddy. I will soon.

He is 13 months old now and a grown boy. He is such a comfort and a sweet companion for us. Especially for me.

He knows many words and follows me around the house. When I say "Upstairs" he bounds up the stairs and helps me load the washer and dryer.

He and I like watching "The Dog Whisperer" in the afternoons. His second favorite TV show is "Curious George" George is a brown and white monkey but Buddy thinks he is a dog.:)

He is of course fully potty trained and he loves to play ball. He doesn't quite get the concept of "fetch" He wants me to throw and fetch. :)He runs to get the ball but then wants to keep it.

The almost year long training process,sometimes hectic, has been worth it.

He is a treasure.

Have a Happy and Safe Labor Day.

The old Bible

(I was browsing at our branch library's monthly book sale and an old Bible caught my eye. As I thumbed through it I came across photographs inside and wondered what stories this old book held.)





"The old Holy Bible lay in the bin marked religious at the library book sale. Abandoned. Black, soft sided, worn, well used and soiled. Inside was a small faded photograph. A snapshot, of an elderly white haired couple, evidently man and wife standing behind a table that was covered with a white lace tablecloth. She was holding a silver cake knife above a large white frosted cake. His hand was on hers lightly posed as if gently guiding the process. Her light pink polyester dress was graced with a white carnation corsage, Glasses on them both.Her head was covered with "just out of the beauty parlor grey ringlet curls. His light beige suit was topped off with a white shirt and blue patterned tie.

Smile, the person behind the camera had told them. Pretend it is 50 years ago when you two were youngsters and getting married. Smiling wanly the old couple realized how tired they were of all the folderol Opening the presents. etc . Her feet hurt. his eyes were stinging from the glare in the church hall windows.Who were all these people her daughters had invited in to celebrate the occasion. Distant cousins from Smyrna,Tennessee. Old relatives from South Georgia. Who are all these old people? If we know any of them I don't remember. My how they all have aged.

She grabed hold of Hiram's hand and whispered in his ear. "I love you sweetheart but it's time to go"

----------------- .

Oh my heavens. She spilled coffee on her Bible making an awful mess. Her hands are unsteady. She grabbed a box of Kleenex and started wiping up the wetness but the brown stain had seeped into the opening pages and along the sides. What kind of bad luck is that. Staining a Holy Book, even if by accident.

Suddenly she remembered the photographs and quickly flipped the pages to 1st Samuel. No, the coffee had not made it that far. No damage to their 50th anniversary picture either. Or the small 6th grade photo of grandson Jesse. That's a blessing in itself. She used the photos as bookmarks in her bible. A comfort to keep her loved ones close by.

These days the smallest blessings mean a lot. Living alone and isolated on the old farm seems to get harder and harder to take the older she gets. Her only companions are Junior the old yellow lab mix and Kitty the tabby cat . Animals are a comfort when the nights are cold and the wind whistles down the chimney causing the flames to flicker in the fireplace.

Staring into the yellow and blue flames she can almost see him looking back at her. Telling her not to worry. Everything will be all right. Hiram never meant to go first and leave her all alone but his heart just gave out that hot day in the fields when he overdid it. She had told him to watch out for heat exhaustion. He felt he was strong as an ox, even at 70 years old. But the blazing sun and his weak heart took him from her that long ago July day.

Now she feels like a half a pair of sissors. The rest of her went missing with him. They were so close. A team. After so many years of togetherness the void is unbearable.

But she remembers what the minister said at the funeral service. " Part of being a "good wife" is being a "good widow" If fate calls upon you to bear this sorrow then honor his name by remembering the good times and carrying on with grace and dignity the best you know how."

Sighing she arises slowly from the creaking old rocking chair. She says aloud.

"Time for bed now.
Goodnight dearest.
Goodnight Hiram."

(By Chancy)

What I Am Reading.

What I am reading now.

I just started the novel "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton who also wrote "The House At Riverton," her first novel.

I picked up this book at our library's "bag of books" sale. For $6.00 I can buy all the books I can stuff into a plastic grocery bag. By doing this I get some winners and some losers.

"The Forgotten Garden" is definitely a WINNER.

FROM AMAZON;

"A four-year-old girl waits alone on a dock in Australia for parents who never come. Her only possession? A tiny white suitcase containing no information about who she is or how she came to be abandoned.

Nell is a foundling, and what a rare foundling she is. A stow-away on an ocean liner, she refuses to tell even so much as her name. Until in her 60s, over-protected by a loving foster father, she has no clue how she came to be alone on that dock. Hers is the mystery that unfolds in this long novel spanning more than a century, five generations, and two distant continents"

I started reading this book and got a good head start during my prep for the colonoscopy that I had yesterday. I won't go into details about the prep but I will just say I spent 4 hours on the john and tried to read most of the time. The procedure went fine and nothing new to report. If you have ever had this colonoscopy you know the prep is worse than the procedure.

OK. Back to the "The Forgotten Garden" it IS long. about 500 pages. but interesting. One of the clues to young Nell's real heritage is a book of illustrated fairy tales that is in the little white suitcase;the only belonging 4 year old Nell has with her when she is found abandoned on a wharf in Australia after a long ocean voyage.

After Nell dies as an old lady, Nell's granddaughter Cassandra, whom Nell had raised, attempts to discover Nell's secret which leads Cassandra from Australia to Cornwall in England. And a forgotten garden.

A slow, gentle book that skips around from person to person and decade to decade. If you want a leisurely summer read, try this,

OUCH !!!

6-Foot-Tall Giraffe Born At Zoo Atlanta


Zoo Atlanta
ATLANTA -- Zoo Atlanta is celebrating the birth of a 6-foot-tall newborn giraffe.

The giraffe was born Tuesday and weighed between 100 and 150 pounds.

“We are extremely excited about the birth of the calf,” said Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond King. “Giraffes have long been a very popular and charismatic part of the collection,” King said in a statement.

This marks the first time that Glenda, the giraffe’s 3-year-old mother, has given birth. Glenda was born in October 2006 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Glenda and her half-sister, Mona, 4, arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 2007. They share their habitat with the calf’s father, 4-year-old Abu.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/24249277/detail.html

A Tale of Two Doggies

Buddy has a house guest this week and next. His cousin, a 5 year old Havanese, is visiting while our daughter and her family are away on vacation. Her name is Bella and she is a sweetheart. Quiet and well mannered. It is good for Buddy to have canine companionship because he has begun to think he is a "PERSON"

Buddy has previously gotten picky about eating his kibble. He thinks if he waits long enough he just may get some "people food" He spends most of his day in our kitchen den combined and smells everything we cook and eat. Some days he has gone all day without touching his food. We have been pretty good about not giving him bites of our food.

Bella arrived. She is fed once a day in the morning in her crate. If she does not eat it all in 30 minutes we must take it up until the following day. Therefore she is very hungry and gobbles up HER food. The first day we fed Bella we let Buddy watch her eat. Good example. We fed Buddy and he ate all his kibble in a hurry! What an incentive seeing another animal eat up the food!!

I wonder what else Bella will teach Buddy while she is visiting.

"The Imperfectionists"

What I'm reading:

"The Imperfectionists." By Tom Rachman

I read the review in the Sunday New York Times book review section and thought this book sounded interesting. I immediately requested it at my branch library and got it in just about a week. I have learned to jump when I read a review of a book I think I might like. To beat the rush at the library.

The Imperfectionists is a small book. Easy to read. It is about the characters who make up a small English language newspaper in Rome, Italy.
Chapters read like short stories. About the intertwined lives of the men and women who produce the newspaper.

Tom Rachman on "The Imperfectionists" (from Amazon.com)

"To my amazement, a book emerged. I remain nearly incredulous that my plan, hatched over a decade ago, came together. At times, I walk to the bookshelf at my home in Italy, take down a copy of The Imperfectionists, double-check the name on the spine: Tom Rachman. Yes, I think that's me.

In the end, my travels included neither bullfights nor duels. And the book doesn't, either. Instead, it contains views over Paris, cocktails in Rome, street markets in Cairo; the ruckus of an old-style newsroom and the shuddering rise of technology; a foreign correspondent faking a news story, a media executive falling for the man she just fired. And did I mention a rather adorable if slobbery dog?"

Read this book You may like it.

Ah youth!

Do you remember your first pair of blue jeans?

I do.

I was 16 years old and a senior in high school. Of course back then girls were not allowed to wear pants of any kind to school. In fact women and girls simply did NOT wear pants. Shorts perhaps in the summertime but never to school work or down town. Dresses or skirts were the correct apparel.

Levi Strauss had begun making "ladies jeans" in 1934 for western wear but they had not yet arrived in the sleepy college town of Athens, Georgia.

When the jeans fad hit, my two girlfriends and I went downtown to a department store ( this was before the advent of malls) and bought boys jeans and rolled up the legs to the desired length. We thought we were hot stuff and a bit racy.

These jeans lasted forever, thru many,many washings.

Now I live in pants. Dress and casual. However jeans are not in my wardrobe anymore. As a woman of a certain age and SIZE, sad to say, I have "outgrown" jeans.

Ah youth!

I bet if I still had those jeans they would be worth a small fortune as antique denim has become a collectors item.

Suck It Up

SUCK IT UP:

Ronni Bennett of the blog "Time Goes By" is finishing the difficult job of packing up her apartment. She is moving to Portland Oregon next week. As in all things "Ronni" she is extremely organized and up to the task.

One possible hitch she has anticipated is the reaction of her Savannah Cat "Ollie" to the disruption of moving once again after just 4 years in Portland, Maine.

Ronni and Ollie will fly out to Oregon and Ronni has expressed reservations about how Ollie will cope with the flight and general interruption of his life.

Ronni said after thinking over what Ollie's reaction might be:

"Ollie will just have to SUCK IT UP"


Isn't that funny. And you can't herd a cat. :)

One reader suggested that Ronnie might want to "butter Ollie's paws" before the flight. Isn't that cute. And think about the phrase "Butter him up" I guess it means literally to "smear butter on a person" but no one does that actually. We just "sweet talk" someone to bring him around to our view.

Butter on Ollie's paws might just work after all. He can spend the entire flight licking it off