11.26.2003
TRIGGER 1::: The day I....... said yes when Frank asked me to go along with him to the Computer Club he had just joined, was a BIG turning point for me! I had a brand new computer... with Windows 95... the biggest and best! What was my main use for this new toy? ...basically a word processor. We had the best phone modem... 56k and it was fast! I used the internet mostly for email and instant messaging.
Well a lot has changed since then. The computer? Bigger and faster! My modem is via cable... really fast! My computer has become a necessary tool in my life... for everything from communication to paying bills and maintaining my checking acccount. It's a place to store my recipes and learn what's new anywhere in the world. It's my photo album and a place to manipulate photos... it is my journal. It's a place to share ideas and even meet new friends!
Take my bread machine... my microwave oven... you can even have my dishwasher... but please, please... let me keep the computer!
11.23.2003
Thought for the day... today was 'Your world is a mirror. The reflection you see depends on the person you are.' This from the Daily Motivator. I guess it got me thinking...
Lauren Hutton was on the Today Show last week. I think she wrote a book or something. Maybe she has some beauty product for sale. I don't know. Anyway i kind of like her. I look at her as the 'poster girl' for mature women. Yup, i like her! Anybody with the courage to let the whole world see that little gap between her two front teeth is okay in my book!
Remember when the 'young people' were saying, "Don't trust anybody over thirty."? If you are old enough to remember that then you might be as pleased as i am to hear what Lauren has to say! She says, "Sixty is the new Thirty." The concept of course is that we are all healthier, more active and living longer. Some benefit is that we actually look younger longer than our grandparents did! We have a friend who was 'carded' when he went to a 'senior citizen' function of some sort! Can you imagine that? I think he's a senior; his wife tells me he joined the social security ranks this year.
Anyway there sits gorgeous Lauren, saying something i heard years ago about physical appearance as we age. Apparently our nose, ears and feet continue to grow! Bummer! I don't think she looks much different than her younger years, actually. I don't even think my nose has really gotten bigger! Well, i guess with a honker like my 'noble Roman nose,' it might be hard to tell. The ears? Maybe they're bigger, but they don't seem to stick out as much as they did when i was younger. My feet? Bigger! I attribute it to weight - the more weight you carry the more the feet have to hold up! I think they just have to spread out!
Blah blah blah! What's this all boil down to? I'm not sure! I like what i see when i look in the mirror. No flaming beauty am i, nor was i ever. Just a good honest face... one that spent most of the past years with a smile, if not laughing! You know what? It's taken a long time but i LIKE me!
Lauren Hutton was on the Today Show last week. I think she wrote a book or something. Maybe she has some beauty product for sale. I don't know. Anyway i kind of like her. I look at her as the 'poster girl' for mature women. Yup, i like her! Anybody with the courage to let the whole world see that little gap between her two front teeth is okay in my book!
Remember when the 'young people' were saying, "Don't trust anybody over thirty."? If you are old enough to remember that then you might be as pleased as i am to hear what Lauren has to say! She says, "Sixty is the new Thirty." The concept of course is that we are all healthier, more active and living longer. Some benefit is that we actually look younger longer than our grandparents did! We have a friend who was 'carded' when he went to a 'senior citizen' function of some sort! Can you imagine that? I think he's a senior; his wife tells me he joined the social security ranks this year.
Anyway there sits gorgeous Lauren, saying something i heard years ago about physical appearance as we age. Apparently our nose, ears and feet continue to grow! Bummer! I don't think she looks much different than her younger years, actually. I don't even think my nose has really gotten bigger! Well, i guess with a honker like my 'noble Roman nose,' it might be hard to tell. The ears? Maybe they're bigger, but they don't seem to stick out as much as they did when i was younger. My feet? Bigger! I attribute it to weight - the more weight you carry the more the feet have to hold up! I think they just have to spread out!
Blah blah blah! What's this all boil down to? I'm not sure! I like what i see when i look in the mirror. No flaming beauty am i, nor was i ever. Just a good honest face... one that spent most of the past years with a smile, if not laughing! You know what? It's taken a long time but i LIKE me!
11.17.2003
Monday Madness
Well the holiday season is fast approaching and that means shopping, decorating and baking! Have fun!
1. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, when will you be starting?
It's way too early for me to start Christmas shopping. I like to get it all done in the last two weeks before Christmas... lots of bargains and the pressure to get it done. I really dislike shopping in general! One exception, i will order the annual holiday government bonds for my grandchildren about a month in advance of the holiday.
2. What are your favorite holiday goodies (baked goods, etc.)?
When we had kids in the house we baked cookies... lots of cookies! Part of the fun was the group activity of cutting, baking and decorating the cookies. I don't do that anymore because of the calories. Who do you think will eat all those cookies, huh? Husband always wanted me to bake a fruitcake, but i really don't like the taste of traditional fruitcakes. I still like to make my own peanut brittle, but don't always get to it soon enough to have ready for the family holiday get-together. One thing I do always is a Chex Mix... extra spicey, extra greasy, with lots of nuts!
3. Do you decorate for Christmas? Inside, outside or both? When will you be putting your decorations up?
Definitely i decorate for Christmas... inside only however. Contrary to my family's favorites, we use an artificial tree. They don't live here anymore and the artificial one is just easier and paid for. Years ago i got 'fancy' with an all new 'decorator' tree, designed by me, of course, but went back to traditional which is, not only easier, but prettier to me! I have all kinds of Christmas decorations created by my kids and grandkids and wouldn't trade any of them for all the Tiffany decorations in the world!
Well the holiday season is fast approaching and that means shopping, decorating and baking! Have fun!
1. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, when will you be starting?
It's way too early for me to start Christmas shopping. I like to get it all done in the last two weeks before Christmas... lots of bargains and the pressure to get it done. I really dislike shopping in general! One exception, i will order the annual holiday government bonds for my grandchildren about a month in advance of the holiday.
2. What are your favorite holiday goodies (baked goods, etc.)?
When we had kids in the house we baked cookies... lots of cookies! Part of the fun was the group activity of cutting, baking and decorating the cookies. I don't do that anymore because of the calories. Who do you think will eat all those cookies, huh? Husband always wanted me to bake a fruitcake, but i really don't like the taste of traditional fruitcakes. I still like to make my own peanut brittle, but don't always get to it soon enough to have ready for the family holiday get-together. One thing I do always is a Chex Mix... extra spicey, extra greasy, with lots of nuts!
3. Do you decorate for Christmas? Inside, outside or both? When will you be putting your decorations up?
Definitely i decorate for Christmas... inside only however. Contrary to my family's favorites, we use an artificial tree. They don't live here anymore and the artificial one is just easier and paid for. Years ago i got 'fancy' with an all new 'decorator' tree, designed by me, of course, but went back to traditional which is, not only easier, but prettier to me! I have all kinds of Christmas decorations created by my kids and grandkids and wouldn't trade any of them for all the Tiffany decorations in the world!
11.15.2003
Random Questions; Random Days...
Tomorrow is opening day deer season for fire arms. How do you feel about hunting?
My husband had trouble trying to kill a ground hog that was digging a tunnel under our garage, so i know if he had to hunt for our dinner we would both be a lot skinnier! Besides, i don't know how to cook any wild game. I do, however, enjoy a bit o' bambi for dinner if provided by somebody who does hunt... if his wife knows how to cook it. Hint, hint. ;-) Glad you finally got your water going Windy!
...and now yesterday's
Ok, I have the following topic on my mind as we have been without water for almost 2 weeks now! How would you get by without the necessities of life?
I could get along without food or water for a week but don't take away my internet! Actually, during our '100 year flood' in 1986 we were without water because we still had a well and the pump was in the lower level of the house under 6 ft. of water. All breakers for anything downstairs were shut off. We were fortunate to have electricity on the main floow and it was autumn (September) so we didn't need much heat. We used the flood water to flush the toilet - going out on the back deck (in normal times it is a second story deck) and reached in to pull water out by the pail for flushing. We used lots of paper plates, etc. When our local firemen volunteered to turn off our power we told them no... we watched the water level downstairs. It was just below the electrical box. Water began receding the next day... slowly, gradually. The worst was living around all the boxes and books and stuff we had retrieved from downstairs before the water was above my knees down there. Oh! did i tell you about the snakes and frogs we found afterward... during the cleaning? ;-)
Tomorrow is opening day deer season for fire arms. How do you feel about hunting?
My husband had trouble trying to kill a ground hog that was digging a tunnel under our garage, so i know if he had to hunt for our dinner we would both be a lot skinnier! Besides, i don't know how to cook any wild game. I do, however, enjoy a bit o' bambi for dinner if provided by somebody who does hunt... if his wife knows how to cook it. Hint, hint. ;-) Glad you finally got your water going Windy!
...and now yesterday's
Ok, I have the following topic on my mind as we have been without water for almost 2 weeks now! How would you get by without the necessities of life?
I could get along without food or water for a week but don't take away my internet! Actually, during our '100 year flood' in 1986 we were without water because we still had a well and the pump was in the lower level of the house under 6 ft. of water. All breakers for anything downstairs were shut off. We were fortunate to have electricity on the main floow and it was autumn (September) so we didn't need much heat. We used the flood water to flush the toilet - going out on the back deck (in normal times it is a second story deck) and reached in to pull water out by the pail for flushing. We used lots of paper plates, etc. When our local firemen volunteered to turn off our power we told them no... we watched the water level downstairs. It was just below the electrical box. Water began receding the next day... slowly, gradually. The worst was living around all the boxes and books and stuff we had retrieved from downstairs before the water was above my knees down there. Oh! did i tell you about the snakes and frogs we found afterward... during the cleaning? ;-)
11.14.2003
TRIGGER 2::: I believe that........ Judge Roy Moore, the barrister in Alabama who wanted to keep a monument of the Ten Commandments in the Courthouse, was unduly accused, condemned and tossed out of his job because the United States of America is being attacked from within by a group every bit as frightening as Al Quaeda.
Just as the Al Quaeda goal is to destroy the United States as a people, the ACLU endeavors to destroy the heart and soul of our country. I'm convinced Roger Baldwin did not found the American Civil Liberties Union to destroy this country. He, like so many people born to privilege, saw around him people who were still struggling for 'the American dream.' The infant ACLU was designed to help those people... the Joe Average's in our society.
Mission accomplished... the ACLU bigger and stronger... the leaders could not and would not just 'wrap it up' and call it a job well done. They went from non-profit to self-preservation, just like so many other do-good organizations! Their motto - 'Let's protect the little guy who can't protect himself' - just kept extending.
This giant organization of lawyers is methodically attacking all of the beliefs upon which this country was founded. They are attacking the very ideals treasured by Joe Average! Let's look at some of their targets.
- Prayer in public schools... Don't you suppose that a classroom that starts with acknowledgment of a Superior Being might foster respect for authority in the minds of children? Perhaps that one child who does not believe in a God could just stand and remain silent for the majority. Instead the majority has been silenced!
- Public display of religious Christmas scenes... What ever happened to freedom of religion? Is it only atheists that should be allowed this freedom? Is not Christianity still the predominant religion in this country?
- Take God out of the courtroom..... Do we no longer take an oath to tell the truth, using the Bible?
- God bless America..... Must we quit singing our patriotic songs? Of course we will have to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance to our country.
- The mottos we see everywhere... 'In God we trust' has to go! Get it off all of our state emblems and our money!
Thank you, Judge Roy Moore, for standing up for your beliefs. Thank you for defending the very foundation upon which our country was founded. You, sir, are a real man! Perhaps you will motivate more people to stand up for what is correct and quit bending and weaseling around every cockeyed liberal idiot that decides to attack my country!
11.11.2003
Saturday Snapshots
Theme is 'Remembrance, .... (because we need to remember WWI and WWII, and those who died)'... but i wanted to share this memorial to the Civil War instead.
Civil War... is an oxymoron
This stone lies in a park in Wyoming, MI dedicated to all the war heroes in the United States beginning with the Spanish American War up to and including the Gulf War. I chose the Civil War to represent the whole thing because it's an oxymoron. There is nothing civil about war. See how many were killed and wounded? They were all from the same country... my country..... killing each other! We've come a long way, baby and now our soldiers are fighting side by side defending our country against religious weirdos who absolutely hate us just because we exist. God bless them and protect them.
On this day I join everybody in honoring our veterans of WW I and WW II... especially my Uncle Art, long gone now, who served in World War I and my dad, Tony, who served in World War II. They were both peaceful men who loved their families and homes, loved gardening and loved their country enough to fight for it!
Theme is 'Remembrance, .... (because we need to remember WWI and WWII, and those who died)'... but i wanted to share this memorial to the Civil War instead.
Civil War... is an oxymoron
This stone lies in a park in Wyoming, MI dedicated to all the war heroes in the United States beginning with the Spanish American War up to and including the Gulf War. I chose the Civil War to represent the whole thing because it's an oxymoron. There is nothing civil about war. See how many were killed and wounded? They were all from the same country... my country..... killing each other! We've come a long way, baby and now our soldiers are fighting side by side defending our country against religious weirdos who absolutely hate us just because we exist. God bless them and protect them.
On this day I join everybody in honoring our veterans of WW I and WW II... especially my Uncle Art, long gone now, who served in World War I and my dad, Tony, who served in World War II. They were both peaceful men who loved their families and homes, loved gardening and loved their country enough to fight for it!
11.10.2003
Monday Madness
Let's talk about food.....
1. How many 'meals a day' do you eat?
Usually three, sometimes two. When i quit smoking i realized the importance of the first meal - breakfast. (I used to have cigarettes and coffee for breakfast... yummy!!!?!) I generally don't eat snacks between meals. If i do, i try to make it something healthy... like fruit... well sometimes i'll have a dish of ice cream! ;-)
2. Do you enjoy cooking? Why or why not?
Actually i like to cook. My problem is... after 48 years (!) of planning menus every single day, i get kind of tired of making that big decision.
3. Who cooks most of the meals in your home?
I do, but my husband likes to cook so sometimes i let him. Problem there is that he needs to learn how to clean up after himself when he cooks. He's learning, but slowly.
. . . . . and one more (optional) for good measure;
4. Share a favorite recipe with us.
Hey OttO! I'll do better than that! Here's a whole bunch of my favorite recipes!
The last one... Recipe Swap... is really a shared place! Bookmark it. Put your own recipes there. That's what it's for... sharing recipes! Matter of fact you are welcome to use one or all of my little 'puffin tiles'... Just go here...
... Save my tiles to your own space and use them to find my recipes anytime you wish! If you let me know you linked to my site, i'll put a link to your site here on my blog.
Let's talk about food.....
1. How many 'meals a day' do you eat?
Usually three, sometimes two. When i quit smoking i realized the importance of the first meal - breakfast. (I used to have cigarettes and coffee for breakfast... yummy!!!?!) I generally don't eat snacks between meals. If i do, i try to make it something healthy... like fruit... well sometimes i'll have a dish of ice cream! ;-)
2. Do you enjoy cooking? Why or why not?
Actually i like to cook. My problem is... after 48 years (!) of planning menus every single day, i get kind of tired of making that big decision.
3. Who cooks most of the meals in your home?
I do, but my husband likes to cook so sometimes i let him. Problem there is that he needs to learn how to clean up after himself when he cooks. He's learning, but slowly.
. . . . . and one more (optional) for good measure;
4. Share a favorite recipe with us.
Hey OttO! I'll do better than that! Here's a whole bunch of my favorite recipes!
The last one... Recipe Swap... is really a shared place! Bookmark it. Put your own recipes there. That's what it's for... sharing recipes! Matter of fact you are welcome to use one or all of my little 'puffin tiles'... Just go here...
... Save my tiles to your own space and use them to find my recipes anytime you wish! If you let me know you linked to my site, i'll put a link to your site here on my blog.11.09.2003
My constant companion shown here, is a finely tuned machine. I am reminded of a story our friend Larry told us recently. A noted photographer was a dinner guest of a woman who commented on his photography... 'Beautiful pictures. You must have a really expensive camera!' After dinner he patted his tummy and said, 'That was an excellent meal. You must have really good pots and pans!'
Yesterday we were on the road as evening approached. Frank stopped on the highway so i could take this photo of the moon. From the look of things, my cute little camera and i were both able to get a pretty good shot. Encouraged by this success i later tried my hand at getting a good shot of the eclipse... this without using a tripod of course..
Why? I don't know - maybe the challenge. Took loads of shots; some of them every bit as clear as my early moon shot. At the point of total eclipse however, what did i get? Many moons! I like it anyway.
For a perfect shot of the eclipse, visit OttoSite! The woman is a born photographer! But then... she IS a chip off the old block too!
11.05.2003
I just read this at blogger seeds... Siglet of the Moment.
'When God made you, he was having a very good day.' Think about it... Blog about it... Say it to someone you love.
'When God made you, he was having a very good day.' Think about it... Blog about it... Say it to someone you love.
11.03.2003
Monday Madness
This week's questions will be all about your creativity........
1. What is your most artistic accomplishment?
I believe God gave me several talents... some i've used; some that i was not socially or economically equipped to appreciate because of circumstances of birth. However i had a teacher who recognized my writing capabilities and another who recognized my ability to draw things. Although i've never learned to play a musical instrument i have a strong appreciation for all kinds of music. I also have a unique capability to recognize 'the good guys' from the 'bad guys.' Why am i bragging about this you ask? Because.....
...my most artistic accomplishment was the creation, with the help of God and Frank (one of the good guys), six extremely talented daughters, each one with her own unique personality which we encouraged her to develop.
2. What is your favorite method of artistic expression?
Because my artistic interests are so eclectic, it's hard to choose a favorite. It's like my favorite color... or what to wear today. It depends on what kind of day it is and what kind of mood i'm in. Some days my favorite artistic expression is finding the perfect photographic composition. Other days it might be writing.
Last week... in an extremely rare desire to clean house, i found some of my painting equipment and felt a longing to start a new painting. FYI... the cleaning desire subsided before i got much further but the need to create a new painting is still here.
3. Name one form of art that you haven't yet tried but would like to.
One form of art i've tried but am not good at is watercolor painting. Due to my childish need for instant gratification, this would be the perfect form of artistic expression for me. Something i've never tried and really really want to do however is to create drawings with my computer.
Otto, one of those talented daughters i was talking about, has the perfect tutorial for me to learn this.... but when i tried to get to Otto's Blinkie Tutorial today, i got that awful page... '...exceeded bandwidth' so now i have to wait. I hope she gets her tutorials moved over to her domain soon because they are too popular to leave on a limited free site.
This week's questions will be all about your creativity........
1. What is your most artistic accomplishment?
I believe God gave me several talents... some i've used; some that i was not socially or economically equipped to appreciate because of circumstances of birth. However i had a teacher who recognized my writing capabilities and another who recognized my ability to draw things. Although i've never learned to play a musical instrument i have a strong appreciation for all kinds of music. I also have a unique capability to recognize 'the good guys' from the 'bad guys.' Why am i bragging about this you ask? Because.....
...my most artistic accomplishment was the creation, with the help of God and Frank (one of the good guys), six extremely talented daughters, each one with her own unique personality which we encouraged her to develop.
2. What is your favorite method of artistic expression?
Because my artistic interests are so eclectic, it's hard to choose a favorite. It's like my favorite color... or what to wear today. It depends on what kind of day it is and what kind of mood i'm in. Some days my favorite artistic expression is finding the perfect photographic composition. Other days it might be writing.
Last week... in an extremely rare desire to clean house, i found some of my painting equipment and felt a longing to start a new painting. FYI... the cleaning desire subsided before i got much further but the need to create a new painting is still here.
3. Name one form of art that you haven't yet tried but would like to.
One form of art i've tried but am not good at is watercolor painting. Due to my childish need for instant gratification, this would be the perfect form of artistic expression for me. Something i've never tried and really really want to do however is to create drawings with my computer.
Otto, one of those talented daughters i was talking about, has the perfect tutorial for me to learn this.... but when i tried to get to Otto's Blinkie Tutorial today, i got that awful page... '...exceeded bandwidth' so now i have to wait. I hope she gets her tutorials moved over to her domain soon because they are too popular to leave on a limited free site.
11.02.2003
I'm excited! My shadow made it to Picture Yourself!
Have you ever started putting photos into an album and then thought...'hmmm! You wouldn't know i was there!' The photographer seems to be always behind the camera so, even before i knew about Picture Yourself i started taking pictures of my shadow whenever there was enough sunshine to do so! When you're inside, of course, there is usually a mirror around somewhere, but then that's another place... The Mirror Project... which i really haven't gotten involved with yet. Ya gotta admit that one looks like fun too!
While the topic is photos... why don't you check out Saturday Snapshots. This is a website that was around before i started PhotoTime. As a matter of fact, the webmaster had already put the site 'on hiatus' which is the reason i even started PhotoTime. She's got a cool concept too. She lists a whole month of themes at once. When you have your photo for the week, let her know in the comments section and she will put your name and photo URL on the list for that week.
Have you ever started putting photos into an album and then thought...'hmmm! You wouldn't know i was there!' The photographer seems to be always behind the camera so, even before i knew about Picture Yourself i started taking pictures of my shadow whenever there was enough sunshine to do so! When you're inside, of course, there is usually a mirror around somewhere, but then that's another place... The Mirror Project... which i really haven't gotten involved with yet. Ya gotta admit that one looks like fun too!
While the topic is photos... why don't you check out Saturday Snapshots. This is a website that was around before i started PhotoTime. As a matter of fact, the webmaster had already put the site 'on hiatus' which is the reason i even started PhotoTime. She's got a cool concept too. She lists a whole month of themes at once. When you have your photo for the week, let her know in the comments section and she will put your name and photo URL on the list for that week.
