Go for it guys!

Wine

I am a teacher. He is a research scientist. He likes to make wine. I like to drink it. Here's the 2010 batch in process.

Wise Words

Wine makes daily living easier and less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.
Benjamin Franklin

If Women Controlled Medicine

. . . Except he'd be screaming and never go back :)

Origin of Idioms

I read these in a forwarded email so I can't swear they're all true - but they are interesting!

Many years ago in Scotland a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only.. Ladies Forbidden .. and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language!

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'.

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase.. 'Good night - sleep tight.'

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey wine and because the calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs ale is ordered by pints and quarts, so in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's.'

Many years ago in England pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Happy Turkey Day

Things I Don't Like

This list was a little harder to come up with, which comforts me. I often fear becoming too cynical in my old age. It also does not mention the very obvious like war or hatred.

driving
loud people
grocery shopping
cooking
olives
wasting time
disrespect
allergies
clothes shopping
video games
confrontation
beer
mosquitos
my hair
rage caused by political opinions
being interrupted
feeling invisible
divorce
menopause
advice I didn't ask for
waiting
pathetic, needy female TV characters
landscape trucks blocking traffic
wearing shoes
egg nog
disciplining students
the phrase "you guys"
dusting
wearing seat belts
misuse of the word "awesome"
the notion that only some US citizens deserve basic rights
estrangement

Things I Like

My friend and writing buddy, Amy, at the Writer's Closet wrote a list of things she likes so I thought I'd give it a try. The list does not include anything related to family or friends or anything else too obvious.And it's in no particular order. Try your own list and I'll check it out.

pencils
my feet
reuben sandwiches
hot tea
toe rings
writing poetry
New York City
smell of burning leaves
General Hospital
being home alone
birds
flip-flops
the sky
Cheez-Its
reading to kids
M&M's
lilacs
I Love Lucy
My mom's art
praying
looking at photo albums
bonfires and s'mores
wine
dogs
reading beautiful writing
winter
yoga
snow on evergreens
singing notes above high C
quiet
Thanksgiving
watching Michael dance
sad songs
the Brahm's german Requiem
watching TV in bed
llamas
violets
bike riding
lyrics
my guitar
blogging
singing in the car
words
pianos
coexisting - to name a few

School Answering Machine

On the Deck

wallowing in my head

looking for a poem

gives me ADHD.

All I can see is the red bird

making U-turns in mid-air

to avoid me as I sit next

to the birdfeeder.

All I can hear is a distant hammer,

someone is building something

just like I would like to be

building a poem.

I have to watch every time

the dog bolts across the yard

for a black squirrel

even though we both know

she will never catch it.

Then the pink petunias

are nice to look at and so is the

fountain that just turned on next door.

The hammock looks inviting

but it's difficult to write lying down.

I notice the air smells sweet

after the the rain and

OH HELL - forget the poem writing!

National Flip-Flop Day!

Happy National Flip-Flop Day! Wear them all day. Wear them everywhere! Happy Friday!

Weird

Two weird things:

On Easter we had 22 people to stuff with food. The oven was filled with turkey, ham and potatoes and was almost finished cooking when the six year-old oven just stopped. The digital read-out went blank and we all went, "what the. . .?" Then the fan in the microwave went on voluntarily and could not be turned off. Obviously they were overheated and were trying to tell us such in their own technological way. Later the oven came back on and it seemed okay. Then one day last week I went out to get the mail and when I came back in I heard an unfamiliar beeping. I looked around and found that it was the oven and there were some words running across the digital window. I went in and tapped my sleeping husband on the shoulder and said , "Honey, the oven is sending us a message."

This is even weirder!

Last night my daughter and I went to a concert venue to see Ani DiFranco (amazing :) ) We were stopped at the door for wristbands for the imbibing of alcohol. The young man looked me straight in the face and said, "Can I see your ID?" I looked incredulously towards my twenty-something daughter standing next to me and almost yelled, "But I'm her mother!" Didn't matter. He still insisted on seeing my ID. I proudly handed him my ID. Alas, I know in my heart he was just doing his job. He didn't really think. . . .

Book-Lovin'

Please Bury Me in the Library

Please bury me in the library

In the clean, well-lighted stacks

Of Novels, History, Poetry,

Right next to the Paperbacks.

Where the Kids' Books dance

With True Romance

And the Dictionary dozes.

Please bury me in the library

With a dozen long-stemmed proses.

Way back by a rack of Magazines,

I won't be sad too often

If they bury me in the library

With Book worms in my coffin.

J. Patrick Lewis

The Evil Scale

There is a horrifying number
between my feet.
It is one I have not seen before.

I have lightened myself
as much as I could so why
did I step up and look at the floor?

Denial, sacrifice, martyrdom, oh my!
I am adipose, apoplexic
and mortified.

Now my day is ruined
as I obsess over why.
One blissful meal and now I want to cry.

Why is it a sin to enjoy
the fruits of God's good earth?
Why does the scale take away my mirth?

I am innocent!
I don't deserve this I say.
After all, I exercised just yesterday.

You pig, you slug
into the mirror I say,
but the scale doesn't lie about how much I weigh.

Buying A Pair of Jeans

It could take a whole day, maybe two -
the pulling up and pushing down of blue denim.
You know before it wraps around your thigh
whether to continue the heated upward effort.

Sometimes you miscalculate
as they smoothly rise over your hips
to discover the button will not be forced
into its matching hole from two inches away.

Boot cut, flare, straight leg, wide leg,
curvy, slim, skinny, low-waist, ultra low,
faded, dark wash, ripped, bedazzled,
stretch, regular, ankle, long, petite, short,
5-pocket, 4-pocket, button-down, zip.

Then a pair slides on without tears.
You button, you zip, you turn to view the rear.
You squat, you stand on tiptoe - and you sigh.
You pay a lot of money, bring them home

and try them on to make sure it wasn't a dream.
At long last you sit into the ease of your new jeans
and smile. You pray they won't shrink.
You hope you don't gain any more weight.

You touch the soft blue fabric and rejoice
in the comfort you so valiantly sought.
It's a victorious day - and then your husband says,
so what did you do all day?

Kermit Wisdom

Here's some simple advise: always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. And beware of advice from experts, pigs, and members of Parliament.

When I was a tadpole there was really only one thing that I collected. I had a file of newspaper and magazine articles on Frogs in Show Business. It was a small collection, but I think it influenced me a lot.

I have a lot of great memories from the swamp. I remember when I was little, we'd all just sit out on our lily pads for hours and hours, rocking gently on the water and listening to the soft, sweet sound of chirping crickets. . . then of course, we'd eat the crickets. . . but that's another story.

I really do believe that all of you are at the beginning of a wonderful journey. As you start traveling down the road of life, remember this: There are never enough comfort stops. The places you're going to are never on the map. And once you get that map out, you won't be able to refold it no matter how smart you are. So forget the map, roll down the windows and whenever you can, pull over and have a picnic with a pig. And if you can help it, never fly as cargo.

When green is all there is to be it can make you wonder why - but why wonder? I am green and it'll do fine. It's beautiful and it's what I want to be.

Barbeque Anyone?

Maybe lounge on the deck with an ice tea? It's hard to remember all the months we sat in these chairs looking out on the back yard - but it WILL come again - God never fails. I do love the snow , but yeah, it's getting old now. Stay warm my blogging friends.

Stella in the Snow

Stella bounded out this morning for her usual sniff-fest - but finding the scents covered in snow, and having a little trouble navigating the drifts - she decided to hang out under a table where the snow wasn't quite as deep.

"A Christmas Story" House!

If you watch any of the 24 hours of "A Christmas Story" on TBS tonight or tomorrow you will see this house located on the near west side of Cleveland. We finally got over there to see it yesterday, but we picked the day it was closed! I really just wanted to see the outside anyway. You can see the leg lamp in the window of course. Across the street there is a museum and gift shop as well. For more info check my December 19 post. You can click on the photos for a better look. Merry Christmas and if you get a BB gun don't shoot your eye out!

Saturday Musings

I haven't been a very good blogger this week. I've been sick, report cards and conferences are coming up, as well as 20+ people coming to my house for Thanksgiving - so things are not looking good for this week either! But don't give up on me yet.
Here are some random photos to ponder:
This is my forlorn little Ferri fairy that my daughter got me. (Her wings broke off) She sits in my flower box. Today we have about 5-6 inches of snow so it's already hard to remember when we had flowers.

Wine update - still waiting....

Is this cute, or what? I feel like Woodstock visited my deck.

This is what happens when you leave your ferns out until it snows. They turn a reddish-purple color.