The New Bird...

What bird is this that came to sit,
on the pointy part on the back garage tin roof?

Looking out the window to check on the progress of the snow accumulation, I noticed "something weird" out there.

Being nearly blind as a bat myself, after smashing my nose against the window to try to see it, I grabbed the camera.

Zoom!

The snow was falling pretty heavy and steady, it looked like it was burrowing in.

But what the heck was it?!

Snap.

Snap...snappidy...snap...snap.

"Honey? What is this?" Not thinking as I interuped the Packers game to ask.
"Look's like a squril." (next picture) "A phesant? Move!" he shoved me out of the way to see the play I mistakenly blocked from view.
"Let me look at that." Looking fast and handing it back, "I have no idea. Maybe it's that 'New Bird' from the Christmas song...(chuckle, chuckle).

Do you know what it is?

My guess is Falcon?
Eyass Tiercel Barbary Falcon...
Or is it a hawk?
Adult Male American Kesteral falcon
Hummm...I think it's this

Christmas Boxes

I opened some box's today and found love inside.

Oh sure, if anyone other than me had opened them, they would probably only see lots n lots of ordinary looking, 'stuff'.

As I lift the lids to those boxes every year I am flooded with wonderful memories, as well as some sad ones. 

And ya know, I just can't help looking for some things that just don't seem to be there any more. Sometimes I'm surprised to find that some things that have been missing are mysteriously slipping back in throughout the year...

This year I found my bestest neighbor's there in the memories.

Oh the fun I had making gifts for them every year!

The fun we had receiving gifts from them every year!

The biggest surprise was the year they gave us a couple sets of outdoor lights. Trying to be sneaking as they wrapped the basketball post and across the front of the house, trying so hard not to get caught by anyone. So they waited until we had left for a while. Never knowing that the Cocker Spaniel we lovingly called "The Boog" was on the back of the couch watching the whole thing. Then she jumped down and ran to the top of the stairs to watch them out the front door, and I understand it had them all a little jumpy and giggly at one point.

The fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife when we returned home, the visibility was something like an inch, causing us to count driveway's going down the street to find our house.

We drove past it twice, because we thought we had miss counted and got one of their houses, because it had lights...finally we chanced it and found our surprise!

The bitter sweet memory of the year was when I opened a box that had been closed up real tight for about 6 years...when I opened it my childhood drifted out with the smell of my Momma.

I freely admit to sitting down, burring my nose in it's contents, breathing as deeply as humanly possible, knowing that it would not bring her back, and knowing that I couldn't collect the scent that had escaped and tuck it lovingly back inside, to be opened on other day's...It was so good to have her memory helping me decorate.

I made eggnog from my Grampa's recipe, plugged in Johnny Mathis' 'Sleigh Ride', remembered Aunt Leona's Christmas Eve party's, and had a simply wonderful trip down memory lane, while preparing to help make new memories to add to them all...

I hope you find lots of love in your Christmas Boxes too.

May God Bless

(c)



Thankgiving Memories

Wishing you the warmth of a

Good old fashioned

Norman Rockwell Holiday

     As we drive threw the canyon and over the pass, down threw the bottoms and into the town, taking a back street to Gramma's house. My mind fills with the first time I attended one of Honey's Mom's Thanksgiving Dinner's.

     I had never seen so much food in one spot!!!

     She used a full sized plastic garbage can, they kept in the basement with the sole purpose of it's existence being, to make stuffing.

     She had three of the biggest turkey's I had ever seen.

     Raising a turkey yourself you get some pretty darn big birds,

and these were the size that, each, required taking out all the racks in the oven, lowering the remaining one to the lowest level, then trying to fit that well rounded bird into that tiny square opening of the oven. And quite possibly four strong men to accomplish the task.

     I am amazed to this day that it was accomplished.

     Two ham's and roast beef. A mountain of potatoes had been peeled and mashed. Milk pitchers full of turkey or beef gravy. Not to mention, enough homemade rolls to fill a good sized granary.

     Tables covered in matching white table cloth's, full settings as close together as possible, stretching the length of three room's in their old Victorian home.

     Then the family's started arriving close to noon, to help with last minute preparations. Each bearing more food as they came! Salads and goodies in staggering quantities.

     Not a seat was left empty.

     Honey's Dad was at one end of the table, while Grampa P. occupied the other. Every one was dressed nicer than ordinary day's. That is, except Gramma and Grampa. They were in their Sunday best.

     All activity stopped as Grampa stood, adjusting his tie as we quieted. Then each of us closing our eye's and bowing our heads, listening closely as he blessed the food, the people that had gathered, as well as those who weren't able to be there, and for those who had preserved, and make our freedom's possible.

     As he sat down and picked up his fork signaling the feed was on.

Talking and laughing, reminiscing and planning...

     After the efficient clean up was completed, out came the Tripoly board. People scattered to retrieved the jars of pennies they had collected over the year and hefted them back to the tables...

     Gramma rolling up her sleeve's and threatening to clean us all out.

     This year, I'm planning to have that once a year piece of pumpkin pie smothered in whipped cream at the end of a scrumptious dinner.

After we clean up and settle in to complain of over eating, while letting our stomach's rest...only to head for "Just a bite of the salad" or "A sliver of the pie I didn't have room for before"...

     I hope to accomplish a little embroidery work I need to get finished. Then I have some pretty big plans to pick up my knitting needles and start a pair of sock's...

Then again.

I might just sit a minute and remember.

To look forward.

May God Bless. 

(c) 

Cold Winter Nights

     And so it begins!

     We knew it wouldn't last. At least that's what we kept telling each other. We all knew the North Wind would eventually blow, bringing with it the arctic winds and snows. And that happened this week.

     It seems like Winter came last Wednesday at about 7:30 or 8:00 a.m.,

     That long three day's ago has been relatively gentle.

     That is, until this afternoon.

     The radio announcer on the afternoon Christmas music station, tried, to sound cheerful as he did his best to impress the seriousness of the news he was sharing.

     "A Winter weather advisory is being issued for tomorrow after noon and evening. Heavy blizzard conditions are expected to travel the length of the State. Moving from North to South, bringing deep snow and hazardous driving conditions with it."

     Oh sure it's cold and 'sleeting' out there now, the wind seeping into your bones despite all the best laid plan's to maintain body heat.

Some wood piles and kindling bin's have been filled and are being used a little bit.

     But if the storm brings in something like this;

     Everyone will soon be wishing for a fire place or wood burning stove.

     Because for some reason that sort of heat just feels warmer than the furnace. I can't explain it. It is just an undeniable fact for me.

     I love the smell of Winter fireplaces when I walk out side.

     The way the smoke from the chimney's seem to find each other and combine to climb the mountain's in an attempt to reach the clouds.

     I grew up in an old house.

     Five of us kids sharing three small bedrooms. Two in the converted attic bedroom's and one tucked back in the North West corner behind the kitchen.

     There was no insulation in the roof, and we slept under two heavy, heavy, woolen army blankets that  Gramma had turned into quilts and had covered and recovered until they weighed roughly 400 pounds each.

     *sigh* Now that my friends is Warmth.

     I would sleep with my head tucked under the blankets to keep my nose warm. We would fold our feet up into our flannel nighties, tucking the fabric in under us, with our back's together for warmth.

     Our only source of heat was two small 1' x 5' wall heater's on the main floor. One mounted on a dining room the other in the living room.

     On the mornings that we could see our breath when we woke up, we would slide a hand out the side of the bed, grab our clothes and stuff them to the bottom of the bed to warm up. If it was really, really cold, we would dress under the covers, then race to a heater. Cranking the dial all the way up, then standing with our back's almost touching them to get warm.

     On those extra cold morning's Mom would light the small gas oven, opening the door for us little ones to sit on while we ate a bowl of 'stick-to-your-ribs' oatmeal'. 

     I never even knew there was such a thing as a wood stove or fireplace. If I did I would have petitioned Santa for one regularly!

     Funny how I miss those day's when this time of year comes around.

     The freezing winds moaning past the window's, while snow is piling against the window sill's...I snuggle deeper under a quilt that feels to light to be warm, tucking my feet into my flannel night gown, and wonder, if I'm to old to petition Santa for a wood stove or fireplace this year?

                           

May your Holiday's be warm,

and,

May God Bless.

(c)

Pretty Flower's

I have been wanting to make myself some flower pins.

Some really BIG flower pins.

For any number of uses.

I have collected patterns and ideas for a long time.

Not years...but maybe A year.

And last week I finally made some!

Yeah for me :)

I have never been good at giving directions, so I'm hoping this isn't to confusing, in case you want to make one too.

Yeah for you :)

I used Off White, Peaches n Cream cotton for the first one.

(The kind you use to knit and crochet dish rags with).

It was quick and easy.

With a size 'J' hook

Chain 4 join to form a ring.

Into the center of the ring I began with a slip stitch *chain 15 slip stitch into center ring*. Repeated to form six (6) petals.

Next I made a *double crochet in each of the 15 stitches, slip stitched into the top of the previous slip stitch*. Repeating until I came back to the starting point and finished it off. Weaving in the ends.

Then I cut out a small felt circle and holding it on the back of the flower I hand stitched a pin and a button to the flower at the same time.

Fluffed it and pinned it to my Levi jacket :)

I think I will try one with red heart worsted weight yarn next.

 Wanting something bigger and brighter, I chose my next project;

I found the pattern for this amazing flower  HERE .

The first one is always the slowest for me, but I finished in in under an hour, with a renewed and somewhat healthier respect for a hot glue gun...

I used hot glue because I didn't have any of the glue they recommended, and while Elmer's is good...I thought these might at some point get snowed on...

The first one I made had a pin attached to the back, and that caused a little bit of a problem for my leather coat...

So I made a second Dahlia / Poinsettia using a small round,  heavy duty magnet I found in the craft section as Wal Mart.

Viola!

No holes! 

Just a couple of ideas for you Winter flower garden enjoyment.

And May God Bless



Some Of The Hard 'Stuff' We Do...

I like this picture.
It's a nice picture.
The space of this picture isn't big.
It is really just a tiny spot of a much bigger space.
It is a picture full of hope to me.
I like all the colors, textures and temperatures all mixed up together.

It reminds me that 'stuff' can seem mixed up and jumbled if I'm to close to it, but if I stand back and look at it, some parts fade, some parts are just done, and some parts are beautiful and in focus.

For now anyway.

My brother-in-laws birthday is this week end.

It's the first one he isn't here for.

His wife, my sister, has had a very hard year without him.

To her is seems that 'stuff' is all mixed up and jumbled. She is not ready, or sure how,  to let go of old dreams. And she is afraid to let herself start dreaming new dreams.

We all have to go through this process of letting go of some dreams and finding new one's through out our lives. It's just that sometimes the process is so agonizingly painful we wonder if we can even breath through it.

My brother and his wife are in the thick of some major 'stuff'.

He has brain cancer that is killing him.

They are in a place of 'stuff' I can only imagine.

He writes of hearing the sound of the wild geese, and wondering if it will be the last time he hears them. And he is missing it in advance.

Some 'stuff' takes a long time before we are able to stand back at look at it. 

I read this the other day...And wondered What would your sign say? 

Some day's we all would have a sandwich board with reason's to please be gentle with me.

It's not always' easy to Smile and remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not.

And it's not always easy to keep dancing.

Sometimes its the hardest thing in the world to do.

But we do it anyway.

Because we are all very brave, very special individuals.

And one day we will be able to I stand back and look at some of the 'stuff' that was mixed up and jumbled, seeing that some parts faded, some parts are just done, and some parts are beautiful and in focus.

For now.

In honor of us all, I would just like to end this, and future posts as Red Skeleton appropriately ended all of his shows...

May God Bless.

Red Skeleton

I Believe I Can Fly & Other Such odd Belief's

I know it will come as a bit of a shock to some folks...

but...

I am a bit of an Odd~bod~kins.

I don't know if it's a good thing or not,

but I kinda like being the weird way that I am.

Of course I don't think that I am odd in a bad way.

In my mind I'm odd in a "Glenda the good witch" way.

Ok, I don't wear the big poofy pink dress.

Only because I don't have one.

And that makes my family happy.

But I have to confess that I'm not really odd,

I just happen to have a pretty good grasp on who I really am.

It doesn't hurt to have a rare gift of "Believing".

I believe anything, and everything, is possible.

I have read, and believe, that all things are possible with God.

That opens a whole lot of door's don't you think?!

Out of the refiners fire comes a diamond,

and all that jazz.

So today,

and everyday,

Then we can be "Odd~bod~kins" together!

We can be the best Pilot's,

Author's,

Teacher's,

Photographer's,

Producer's,

Make-up artists,

Mom's,

Dad's,

Grandparents...

Dreamer's!

Ok.

Maybe I am Odd.

I Believe I Can Fly!

Smile and remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Japanese Proverb

Attitude Of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is this month, maybe that's why I'm thinkin deep.

Life is happening to me and those I love, as well as friends, and acquaintances, maybe that's why I'm thinkin deep.

My deep thinkin, has brought me to deeper, contemplations, about life.

To reflect on the things I've been given...

Reflection

You have given me riches and ease,

You have given me joys through the years,

I have sat in the shade of your trees,

With the song of your birds in my ears.

I have drunk of your bountiful wine

And done as I've chosen to do,

'How little have I done for you!

 

You have given me safe harbor from harm,

Untroubled I've slept through the nights

And have waked to the new morning's charm

And claimed as my own its delights.

I have taken the finest of fine

From your orchards and fields where it grew,

How little I've given to you!

You have given me a home and a place

Where in safety my babies may play;

Health blooms on each bright dimpled face

And laughter is theirs every day.

You have guarded from danger the shrine

Where I worship when toiling is through,

How little have I done for you!

I have taken your gifts without thought,

I have revelled in joys that you gave,

That I see now with blood had been bought,

The blood of your earlier braves.

I have lived without conspicuous signs

That the source of my riches I knew,

Lord,

I'm here to do something for you!

                                                                      Edgar A. Guest

                                                                    Some modifications made

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude

Smile and Remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Japanese Proverb

More November Rambelings

The other night I had to go out to the store, it was after dark.

So it was like 7:00 p.m.

I went, I shopped, I came back to the car, and it was even more dark, I parked under a street light, next to a tree and this is what I saw when I came out...Sort of made it ok coming out in the cold and dark .

We got our first really cold and rainy day earlier this week.

Snow was finally down to the valley floor on this side of the mountains.

It cleared off  toward evening, at about 5:00p.m. I looked out the window to see this;

I ran for the camera, skidded out in my sock's to 'get it' before it was gone, I am so glad I did! 

When I came in my feet were pretty cold.

No more running out barefoot or in stocking feet-my Mom would have had a fit if she saw me do that. Honey, a.k.a. 'Poppy', shakes his head, gives me mean eye's (ok, mean for him), then tells me, 'Yur gonna catch a cold if you go doin that ya know.'

I would have a fit if I saw my kids, or Grand kids, running out on a cold day in stocking feet!

But since I'm the 'Grammy' now, I do it some times, usually because there isn't anyone here to tell 'Poppy' on me.

I pulled out the yarn to make myself some new slippers. I love this pattern I ordered last year   Oma House Slippers !

         ********

Tiny Dancer picked out her own coat today,  'Purcur an Poko-docs', she likes it so much she wore it a few hours while she played games with Poppy.  

They were having so much fun.
Hide-an-Seek was her favorite today, she laughed so hard she had 'pip-ups'.

All these things, along with so many, many, more, are things I am thankful for.

Smile and remember;

We're fool's weather we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Japanese Proverb 

Random Thoughts From A Random Thinker

As I was tooleein' down the road the other day I passed this tree, for the to manyeth times to count in my life time, so far.

I have been wanting to get a picture of it for a long time, and I almost blew past it again.

Only luckily I remembered this time.

Isn't it groovy?

Every time we pass it I tell Honey, "You know, that tree is just like me." To which he replies with a cheeky grin, "Whys that? Both a little gray around the edges?"  Shaking my, more gray than not hair while looking over the top of my glasses, I tell him the real why, "Nope. It's cause we're both out standing in our own fields."

Your right, he thinks the same thing you do.

But back to the tree...I think I got the picture of it on the perfect day, It looks like it's feeling chipper, don't you think?



Now this pumpkin, was just sitting by the side of the road, peacefully minding it's own business. All the textures around it...it didn't fall out of anything, it was set by a gate with a couple of other's, welcoming folk's to a road side, honor pay, pumpkin stand. They are the only ones left now, and a couple of really big bails of hay with $1.00 spray painted on them in red.

It made me think of homemade pumpkin pie.

I'm usually good for one piece a year of it smothered in whip cream.

It's getting close to that time of year. 

I love the smell of burning leaves.

Its a 'take you back in time' smell. Grampa out leaning on his rake, watching the fire. Dad standing next to him talking with him.

It's a laid back, gentler time, smell to me.

But I don't care for the smell of camp fires...go figure.

There are few things better than m&m's for a tea party of water, laying on the floor reading book's and giggeling.

And that's the truthhhh! 

Can't you just about smell the crispness in the air?

Feel the crunch of the leaves under your feet?

Streets should look like this longer I think.

Oh! Oh!

And apples or bread or a pumpkin pie should be baking in every neighborhood on day's like this.

Mmm, yes. 

So, I have to admit that this year I have been wearing colors like this all the time. But not the real yellow, yellow, because it makes me look like I have a bad case of jaundice, but the deeper gooolden yellow's...

I could wear brown pants, red shirt and a deep gooolden yellow scarf all year long, and be happy as a kid in a candy store.

But it's not to cool to look like a tree in Fall all year, so I don't.

Makes it all the more fun now, don't you think?



Its the end of the day.

Day light savings time is kickin' my butt once again, only until I get used to it. But then, I never really do.  So I guess what I'd better do is...

Smile and remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Japanese Proverb

I Was Young...Once

I grew up in the 1960's and 1970's.
I remember my oldest brother going away to war. Vietnam.
I always thought my 2 older sister's were Hippie's. It was the long hair, headband's, go-go boots and checkered sunglasses.
I listened to stuff like   Surfaris  Whipeout
My grand daughter's listen to stuff like, "Ain't no rest for the wicked" by Cage the Elephant and most anything Green Day, the war they are growing up with is called "Desert Storm"...

Yesterday, when I was young, things were a lot different from what they are now...I think it was an easier time than now...Some things have  remained the same for me though...I was a dreamer then and I still am, I believed in magic and I still do...I embrace it as being the Yin, Earth Pig, Pisces that I was born as, not so much the water :)

                            I am the same age in this picture...   

As they each are this year...

It's weird, to think that I'm old enough to have grandchildren, who are approaching the age I still think of myself as...

Until I look in the mirror...and some old lady is there.

Some of my Grandson's will be passing me in height sometime later this week...

I am so blessed that they are all in my life!

Smile and remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Fall Leaves

"How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow."

                - Elsie N. Brady

I grew up across the street from a park. Or rather, I grew up in the park. We were there from early morning til dinner time most days during the Summer. Back then we had "Park Attendants", Teenagers hired to sort of babysit at the parks. They taught us stuff like boondoggle, weaving hot pads, making tiled pot holder's, Archery, and all sorts of cool stuff, we would ride our bikes to Pioneer Park, every Friday morning, to meet all the kids, from all the parks in town, to play games have sack lunches, then go swimming for a dime, all afternoon.

The last Friday of the Summer, before school started we would decorated our bikes and everyone would meet at the corner of Main Street and Forrest to have a bike parade.

The Teenager's would stop coming, but the park was far from empty. The leaves would begin to change and kids would show up with rakes. Raking HUGE piles of leaves, spend hours diving into them, until they were like the crumbs in the bottom of a potato chip bag. Then we would rake them into lines making houses out of them, with furniture and side walks, to play "neighbor's". Sometimes, a few of the parents would come help us rake the piles, crossing their hands over the handles of the rake, lean their chin's on top of them and watch us diving and tunneling, burying ourselves and each other. We would try to get them to join us, but they never did.

Who doesn't love a good pile of leaves?

The Dusty Old Lady In The Cupboard And Me

I noticed her for the first time again.

Sitting there quietly in her her dusty chair, in her equally dusty cupboard. Smiling serenely, with a bit of a distant look in her eye. Was it memories, wistfulness, hope, or faith my mom had managed to paint into her face so many years ago?

There we stayed, looking at each other through the fingerprinted glass, each understanding the other's circumstance.

She had been new and loved, sitting on my Mom's dresser, then came the time when she was seemingly forgotten and covered in dust. Then one day she came to live at my house, becoming new again, treasured daily and dusted weekly.  Then I started to babysit my youngest grand daughter and became busier than I thought I had been.

Please don't pity her for sitting in her shroud of dust, she is content.
Nor tisk-tisk me for letting her lapse into such a state, I am content.
Besides, I'll have plenty of time to dust...later. Right now I'm to busy, I have tea parties and dress ups, baby doll's to rock, races to run and cookies to bake while reading book's and trying to find time to get the laundry done.

We're quite a pair, that dusty old lady in the cupboard and me.

Wait a minute, wait a minute! Is that a smirk she's throwing my way?!

And just in case you were wondering? Yes, the angel in the kitchen is still covered in dust, it's not  'poop'!

(c)
Smile and remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Japanese Proverb

Look Up

The November sky's have been amazing!

Have you taken the time to look up lately?

I love looking up. It's another one of those weird things I like to do.

I haven't always been a look upper kind of gal.

Thinking back I don't remember when it happened that I stopped looking up all the time, it was such a gradual thing, but somehow I began spending more time looking at the ground right in front of me, so I wouldn't trip and fall or something equally mortifying.

A few years ago when I first started walking a few miles most every day, and looking up, it wasn't all that easy for me. I would drift all over the place, but I kept practicing and before long I regained the ability to walk, talk, breath, and look up. Sometimes I even throw in chewing gum.

Because what I saw there was so worth the effort it took to lift my chin, leave my fears of stumbling, apologize to anyone brave enough to walk with me for always running into them, and see the beauties God is constantly changing, on the off chance we look up, so we'll see him there.

I wonder, how can we not?!

"Autumn is the eternal corrective.

It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity;

 but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance.

What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop

and fail to see the span of his world

and the meaning of the rolling hills

that reach to the far horizon?"

                                                                                            - Hal Borland

Smile and remember;

We're fool's whether we dance or not. So we might as well dance.

Japanese Proverb