Happy Birthday Jimmy!

Happy Birthday, Jimmy (my child of the 70s)! It was so good to see you this week -- we had a wonderful time. As always, the entire world celebrates your birthday in a big way.

On a less serious note, the final vote is in and cut-out cookies have won the poll, even without Christy voting more than once. I guess I should believe that since we (along with our friends and families) managed to eat over 300 of them this Christmas. The final cookie count was just shy of 1100 cookies baked (not counting chocolate pretzels, which everyone knows are NOT cookies).

The diets start now.

This is for you, Crit!

Sorry, but you may only vote ONCE for the cookie of your choice. You can't stuff the ballot box like I know you always do for the All Star Game! You can always try logging in under an assumed name or from a different IP address...

In the meantime, think on these (308 cutouts -- so many it took 2 pictures to get them all in!):

In search of...

Anyone from my family can vouch for the fact that I'm fanatical about baking at Christmas!

For years I have searched for the perfect springerle recipe, which would produce fluffy, puffy masterpieces with crunchy tops (like the ones the German bakery used to make in Cincinnati). Each year I try a new recipe and each year I'm disappointed with the results.

Don't know what a springerle is? Here's a picture:
The goal is to have the design sharply cut on the top (like these) and the bottoms puffed out and soft & chewy (like the photo below).

I have high hopes for this year's candidate -- a recipe from a website called springerlebaker.com. How much better could it get? I'll let you know how they turn out by the end of the week.

Roseanne Rosannandana

We're getting pretty handy lately!! Last week we replaced a pendant light AND an under-cabinet xenon light, both of which were (surprisingly) not hard to do. Then our dishwasher broke and we got a new one. Our friend Mark helped us take out the old one and showed us what to do to install the new one -- which we did ALL BY OURSELVES!! That's the good news.

We finished the install and turned the water back on. The new hose we'd just connected was great, but the hot water (which had just been working fine) started gushing water as soon as we opened it up! So now we have to call a plumber to fix the leak that developed for no reason at all!!

As the thought went through my head "Well, it just goes to show you -- it's always something! If it's not one thing, it's another", I thought of Roseanne Rosannadanna. . . Enjoy!

Goodbye Uncle Lloyd

My uncle Lloyd died on Tuesday. I really loved him and I wish I could write better so that I could express how deeply sad I am at his passing and how much I'll miss him, even though we seldom spoke and saw each other every few years.

He was always (and always will be) larger than life to me. Having settled in the LA area after World War II, he would come to visit us in Cincinnati once a year when he came to the midwest for the Worldbook Convention in Chicago. It was always in the winter and we'd all go to the airport to pick him up. I remember how his wool overcoat (certainly only worn once a year for that trip to the land of the cold) felt on my cheek as I snuggled next to him in the back seat on the ride home. We would usually not even make out of Kentucky to come home before he and my dad would have a heated 'discussion' about some political or religious issue neither would ever back down on. Sometimes I think that confrontation was something they both looked forward to -- a verbal step back in time to being 'brothers' .

We'd go to Graeters and Lloyd would buy a pint of chocolate ice cream and ask for a spoon -- I'd just wait for the look on the cashier's face as the realization dawned that he was just going to sit and eat it all.

He always had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face (and great dimples)! He had a beautiful tenor voice and I'd love to hear him singing scales as he got ready in the morning -- that always made Uncle Lloyd's visits real.

He'd send us See's suckers every Christmas and I can never see them without thinking of him.

Lloyd was one of the most passionately caring people I've ever known and was actively involved in the community well into his old age, working on Habitat houses and volunteering at food pantries. He was a champion of 'everyman' and every time he visited we'd hear about the new things he was involved in and the problems in the country he saw and most wanted to be solved. I have to admit that I got my first taste of Liberal thinking from my uncle Lloyd!

In my adult years he's always sent us lovely, long Christmas notes in beautifully hand-made and lettered cards, always signing them 'Lloyd Henry'. Each New Year's Eve we'd call him to say hi and catch up. I'm really going to miss that card and phone call this year!

Though he lived in California, he knew everyone we did (a strange thing to a little girl). He looked so much like my grandmother and my dad, yet he lived in an exotic place where Santa wore shorts and my cousins could go to the beach on Christmas day. He was one of us, but not exactly. When he'd come to visit and he and my dad & Ningle would talk about the people they remembered and the 'old days', I'd get a rare glimpse of my dad as a child and our family as a larger unit. Because he looked so much like them, having him around in the last twenty years was like having Ning and my dad back again long after they had died. With his passing, I feel like my last link with them is gone and I know that something precious has slipped away forever.

He was the only person in my family to call me Annie.

Never forget

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, the 'war to end all wars' was over.

This is the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day, now called Veterans Day. These days, WWII is becoming a dim memory, some people are even denying the Holocaust, and few people alive even remember WWI. Most people in America are totally unaware of the loss and suffering it caused worldwide, but especially in Europe. Last year, I quoted some great poetry about WWI, but this year I think I'll leave it to the images (don't worry -- no stacks of corpses) & numbers.

The United States suffered 57,476 casualties, Britain lost 703,000 and 1,663,000 were wounded.

Worldwide, both military & civilian, over 20,000,000 died and 21,000,000 were wounded.

We can't even imagine numbers like that and, God willing, won't ever have to again.

Remember remember the fifth of November

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!
(Made known to millions of Americans in the movie V for Vendetta)

Guy Fawkes & the Gunpowder Plot
Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason.

The Tradition begins...
The following year in 1606 it became an annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. This practice, together with the nursery rhyme, ensured that this crime would never be forgotten! Hence the words " Remember , remember the 5th of November" The poem is sometimes referred to as 'Please to remember the fifth of November'. It serves as a warning to each new generation that treason will never be forgotten. In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy). The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".

Credit to: www.rhymes.org.uk

If there was ever any doubt that a dog can truly become part of the family, check out my photographic proof. Aunt Cathy, get ready for Turner to line up with the kids at Thanksgiving for his squirt of whipped cream!

Have a Happy Mole Day!

Having missed 'Talk Like a Pirate Day', I vowed not to miss Mole Day! Mole is 6.02 x 10^23. I'm no math-head and I can barely understand what that means, except that it's a big number and mathematicians use it to calculate big things. Mole Day is (for obvious reasons) October 23 from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm -- that much I can understand.

To celebrate the occasion, here's a cheerful, geeky video for you:

Happy Mole Day to You!

Canning Applesauce

I just had to post something because I couldn't stand to have my most recent post be one for a handbag contest . . . it's just so shallow!

I spent the whole afternoon canning applesauce made from the apples off our own trees. Since the economy's been so volatile we've been half-joking about how we could live off our land (raise livestock in the barn, eat fish from the pond, plant the entire front acreage in garden) if we had to. I suppose if Obama decides to be 'fair' and re-distribute the wealth of everyone who he thinks has too much (everyone who makes more than the poverty level - not including himself, of course) and the entire economy collapses because all the businesses can't be productive any longer, we'll be okay! There -- that's as political as I'm going to get.

Walking the Bridge - Labor Day 2008

Well, I finally have put together all the pictures from our trip up north to walk the bridge. I'm still waiting on a few pictures, so some might be added later.

On Saturday we went across the bridge to St. Ignace and, as a birthday treat for me, Kally, Carla & Mark W's mom, Jean, decided to go up to Cedarville. We used to go there every summer and rent one of the cottages at Patrick's Landing in the Snows Channel (the Les Cheneaux Islands). That area ranks right up there with London and Hawaii as a favorite place for me! Anyway, visiting Patrick's again (and going to have a cookout at Mark W's parents' campground later on) made it one of the best days I've had in a long time. Patrick's hadn't changed much at all and the whole day brought back many really happy memories of wonderful vacations going there and then (at the campsite dinner) camping with my family. The pictures from Patrick's will really bring back memories for Cindy (make sure she sees them Christy -- I know I can't count on Don) but no one else will care about them at all. Thanks for looking anyway, though!

The rest of the pictures are from the ferry to Mackinac Island and walking the bridge on Monday.

Thanks for visiting!

Wanna Fight?

The Brits can be strange people. I think the chicken will win...

Credit must be given where credit is due:
many thanks to Ham at London Daily Photo -- go see his original post.

Strange Days Indeed!

These are strange days! I never thought the day would come when I would:

1. Intentionally watch a Hillary Clinton speech
2. Applaud part of the Hillary Clinton speech (she DID do something historic for women in politics!)
3. Feel moved by Bill Clinton's obvious pride in and affection for his wife
4. Admire Hillary Clinton for her determination and class
5. Believe that Hillary Clinton would have been the right candidate for the Democrats to nominate for either president (which should have been their first choice) or vice-president (which should have been their second choice)
6. Feel bad for Hillary Clinton because, after garnering 1/2 of the Democratic votes, she's being discarded and forced into 'unity'
7. Believe that Hillary Clinton should have stayed the course and NOT conceded
8. Dislike another woman in politics more than Hillary Clinton (I'll leave my 2 or 3 readers to guess what woman that is)
9. Publish a political post on my blog

Yet all of these things have come to pass. Strange days . . .

Roadtrip to visit Jim

As promised, here are the pictures from our recent roadtrip to go see young Jim in DC.

Click on the photo to link to the slideshow. If you want to see the captions for the photos, you'll need to click 'back to full album' on the slideshow page.

We started in Cleveland, going to Jacobs Field to see the Indians play (beat) the Tigers. Then we went on to DC. We stayed in a posh Westin in Embassy Row, right off of Dupont Circle and the Metro. Saturday was spent sight-seeing around Washington (you'll know where we went when you look at the pictures) and on Sunday we went to the Nationals new ballpark to see them play (beat) the Reds. We were in the second row right behind the Reds' dugout and had a GREAT time!

It was so good to see Jim and get to spend time with him. We had lots of lively and non-confrontational discussions, too. Thanks for showing us around, Jimmy!

I love Detroit (Part 2) or Where did they find an orange jumpsuit big enough for the big guy?

I know that I have a couple posts I should be working on -- like Christy's long-overdue HAPPY BIRTHDAY THAT ENDS IN A ZERO (August 1) and putting up our pictures from the trip to DC.

I can't pass up the newest development in the continuing story of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick: his first night in jail. Tomorrow he'll appeal the decision, but State Attorney General Mike Cox will probably charge him with a felony assault on an officer of the court.

The whole thing has become an embarrassment to the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. He really should resign!

As to those other posts -- I'll catch up on them this weekend.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Well, since I had a current pic of Danny for his birthday last year and a toddler pic this year, I thought I'd reverse the process for Charlie. Look back here (under August 5) to see his toddler picture.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!! I'm so happy that you're loving your job and you're really feeling good about life right now. I'm also REALLY happy (and blessed) that you're back in Michigan!

I love you, Char!

iPod

Listening to: Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Donovan

Young Jim gave me his iPod, loaded with 800 songs, and I've been having such a good time playing with it. I've added a lot of my own and have been going through the ones already there to see if I like them or not. In the process, I've learned a few things:

• iTunes is so much fun (and I think it could get expensive if I'm not careful)! I've downloaded lots of songs, including the essential Donovan collection and Quinn the Eskimo (the Kinks' version, not the Dylan one). I didn't know you could get that crusty old stuff on iTunes.
  
  
• My newest favorites are Robert Plant & Alison Kraus -- I love Raising Sand (especially Please Read the Letter, Killing the Blues and Gone, Gone, Gone! I can't get over how beautifully their voices blend and I never would have expected it. I'm really in danger of listening until I'm sick of them.
  
  
• In the end, most of my favorite music is the stuff I listened to in my teens and twenties. I've added some new artists I like very much, but Crosby, Stills & Nash (and all their bands before and after) and the Beatles are still the best! I also still like everything Dylan did, but he REALLY can't sing -- his Quinn the Eskimo is painful to listen to!
  
  
• For the most part, everything Elvis Costello does sounds the same. I really only like 3 of his songs.
  
  
• For some reason, most of the music I listen to lately makes me sad -- either because it's inherently so or because it reminds me of the passage of time. The saddest song for me in the entire collection is one of Jim's -- Iron & Wine's "Upward Over the Mountain." I don't think I'll ever listen to it again.
  
  
• It's a funny thing that I'm just now getting an iPod, when the rest of the world is moving on to iPhones. We didn't get a laptop, either, until Charlie gave us his old one. It seems that I always depend on the kindness (and electronics) of family members!
  

Thanks for the iPod, Jim!!!!

Happy Birthday, Danny!

I looked for a good grown-up picture of you, but couldn't top last year's! So here's my favorite little-Danny pic instead. Hope your birthday is a great one!

Finally -- an update

I haven't posted in over a month! I know that the three people who read my blog have been wondering where I've been, so I guess I'll just have to do a bunch of posts to catch up.

I'll start with some pictures from our trip to Florida (in April!) to go to Charlie's graduation from SDGA (San Diego Golf Academy). We had a great time -- the luncheon was lovely (at one of the Disney Resort hotels), we got to meet his friends and then in the evening we had dinner at Ruth's Chris with all the in-town family.

Charlie's graduating class
Charlie & friends after graduation
The graduate
Charlie, Jim & Don at dinner
Cousins at dinner

I got to spend some really quality time with Christy -- an entire day of just the two of us at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival and then another day with her and Lily hanging out and going to a wonderful fabric shop (sorry, no pictures from the shop).

Cockatiels made of flowers

We rented a convertible for the week and went to Cocoa Beach one day. We had perfect weather and even though we didn't stay long -- just long enough to have a drink out at the end of the pier, sitting in the sun & watching the surfers -- getting there & back was half the fun.

Convertible Unc

Cocoa Beach Pelican at Cocoa Beach
(You should have known I'd get a bird picture in somehow!)

We passed the Red Bug Lake exit every time we drove back to Altamonte Springs, so one day we went there just to hang out. We saw some big carp and some moorhens, but not a single red bug.

Red Bug Lake

Moorhens at Red Bug Lake
(I think they were nesting in the rushes to the right)

Anyway, that's it for the April trip to Florida -- more later on what's going on here in Michigan.

I love Detroit!

I haven't posted in such a long time and I could break my blog-silence by posting about the things that have kept me busy lately: Charlie's graduation & our trip to Florida, my garden & life's stuff (I'll get to that later). Instead, I'm choosing to post about...

Detroit's mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick! Here's a man who has "allegedly" been involved in bid-rigging, a sex/text messaging scandal & a secret whistle-blower lawsuit settlement (check out all the stories here) and because of Detroit's city statutes, the city council can't get rid of him. So...they finally passed a resolution to request Governor Granholm's removal of him as mayor. What happens next, you might ask???

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick VETOED the city council's resolution to request the governor to remove him from office! That should stop it. And, just 2 weeks ago, Mayor K. announced that from now on, all text messages on city-owned cellphones will be considered private. Hmm - a little late on that one.

All chuckles aside, this is really sad for Detroit...