Green Eggs and Ham

Real eggs, from real chickens

Trying to capture the color

OH. Let's help mom make the bed.

Mom. No more pictures, okay?

We went sheepherding yesterday, but not in our normal location. Leah found an indoor arena in Zionsville, IN.  This was on a horse farm, and at least we were out of the wind. I didn't take any photographs at this session, not knowing how dark it would be inside of this building. The arena was on one side, stables for the horses were on the other. When I walked Gracie in for her turn with the sheep, she spotted several horses with their heads outside the stalls and jumped. Yes, Gracie, that is a horse, close up and personal. Smart dog that she is, she immediately went around me to the other side to get as far from the horses that she could.

Whenever we do see Leah and Liz, her mom, they bring fresh eggs from the farm. Yesterday Liz sold me green eggs. I thought that the color of the eggs came from the feed you give the chickens. I guess that is partially true. The green eggs are from Americana chickens. They also lay blue eggs.  I tried to get good photos, using white paper and canvas as my background, but we have zero sun today. Overcast and rainy. The color is not quite true. But I had to take a few pics to show everyone.

Thanks for stopping by.
Linda

History

Long ago and far away, I was a sophomore in high school. The year was 1964. Hmmmm, you may say, that year rings a bell for some reason. Yes, that was the year the world discovered The Beatles. Fast forward to last night. (time flies.....)

I received a text message on my phone from my friend, Jean. CBS was broadcasting the Kennedy Center honors, the one with Paul McCartney. I immediately turned on the television. Sir Paul was seated between Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. On stage were a parade of performers, doing their own renditions of some of the songs Paul has composed over the years. The camera pans the audience, and it is amazing: everyone is singing along, or nodding in recognition, or clapping to the beat of the music. Everyone. That included Ms. Winfrey, and President and Mrs. Obama.

The Beatles changed our lives back in the 60's. That isn't a cliche, it is a fact. Our eyes were opened through their music. An entire generation of baby boomers became more socially conscious, better educated, and far more inquisitive about politics, the environment, and the role this country plays on the world stage. It was indeed a revolution.

We always thought The Beatles were fantastic song writers. We stood in line (oh, yes we did) to buy the latest LP album. When the White album was released, it was necessary to reserve a copy at Sears in Park Forest, IL., or you didn't get one. We played those albums hundreds of times. We organized the rental of buses with an adult chaperon to attend all three of the Chicago Beatle concerts.

But to see Sir James Paul McCartney honored as he was at the Kennedy Center brought tears to my eyes. Because that is our Paul.

Way to go, Sir James. Way to go.
Linda

PS: on another note, please take a moment to look at this photograph. It won best bokeh photo at thepioneerwoman.com contest. Just love it! Click here

Feeling Creative

Front of card

inside of card

a new mini album for travel photos

I've been having fun lately. I don't always feel like making cards or albums, or working at all, so when the mood does hit, I try and take advantage of it. This is using a line of papers and embellishments from Kaiser Craft, a company out of Australia. What attracted me to this line were the muted colors and vintage look. I also used some Crafty Secrets and the Tim Holtz post card stamp set. Love those stamps!

It's warming up today, so I see a long walk in the dogs future. Going to give the sun a chance to heat up the atmosphere a bit before we head out. No matter what you do, have a great day.
Linda

Watching the Neighborhood

Gracie gazing out the window

Might miss something....

My bed, my window

New card-outside

inside of card

Been crafting a lot lately. Must have something to do with the ugly weather, although it's going to improve this week.

When I came out of the spare bedroom that I use as a studio, I noticed Gracie on the bed in the guest bedroom. Well actually, it's Gracie's bedroom. She just lets people use it when they visit. And sometimes they have to sleep with her. She is very selective about who she spends the night with. She loves laying on the bed, looking out this window because she can see most of the circle we live on. That gives her four driveways to watch and "announce" if something is going on.

As it warms up outside, we'll be back into our routine of walking and going to the dog park. Both dogs need it, and so does mom.

Have a great day.
Linda

Points to Ponder

Coal in the snow

Coal and I are buddies now. After all, we slept together two nights. When I take my guys to doggie day care, and Coal is there, he'll amble over to the fence to greet me. He knows my voice and sticks his nose in the opening to be petted. Gotta love the big guy.

This is going to be my organizational week. Starting the first of the new year, I am teaching new classes at the aquatic and recreation center. There is a national group called Silver Sneakers. Our facility hosted workshops in November so our instructors could learn the basics of teaching various classes. If you are of my generation or older, or have limitations due to health problems, I highly recommend any of the Silver Sneaker classes.

I am also going to try my hand at some serious card making, and altered art objects. As in gearing up to sell some items. Scary step for me, but we shall see how it turns out. I did indeed sell some cards and a mini album recently, and was amazed that other people liked what I did.

Can we say no self-confidence? Yeah, we can! Have a great day.
Linda

Merry Christmas

Gracie, Sarge and I wish you a very Merry Christmas. May you have a safe and calm holiday.

We are home for the day, doing a little of this, a little of that. The snow has stopped, for now, and we may just go for a walk later today.

What was your favorite Christmas present as a kid? Do you remember? Just a few stand out for me. The first one that is a vivid memory is receiving Rubber Soul, the Beatles album that had just been released. Clever Capitol Records company! After that, I do remember being absolutely thrilled my senior year in high school when my dad gave me a Polaroid Swinger camera. If my memory serves me right, this was one of the first cheaper Polaroid cameras made. I guess the correct term would be affordable. My friends and I had a blast using that camera, when I could afford to buy the film.

Make some memories today.
Linda

Christmas Eve

Do NOT tell me you didn't buy mom a present!

You told me you would do it!

Christmas Eve.

I am working retail all day today. Shoot me now. But it shouldn't be toooooo bad. I've done this before when I thought I would really lose my mind, at a Sam's  Club in Terre Haute, IN. Not sure I ever want to do that again.

So today the pups are going to doggie day care because they are spoiled rotten brats, and they need to socialize. This way I don't have to fret about them home alone, in case I'm running late. Or rather, fret about the condition I'll find the house when I do get home.

Why is it that if appliances/electronic devices/whatever decide to break or stop functioning, they wait until the week before Christmas? This is my list so far: the water softener will no longer automatically recharge, the garage door opener has developed a mind of it's own that I do not understand, and the battery in my Blackberry (10 months old) will not hold a charge longer than 3 hours. The repair or replacement bills for these items could have made WONDERFUL Christmas presents, had they done this at Thanksgiving. Nooooo, not my devices! They are too clever for that.

Whatever you are doing today and tonight, enjoy yourselves. And as a side note, TCM is showing The Bishop's Wife tonight at 8pm eastern. Love Cary Grant.
Linda

Uh Huh!

Something to mediate upon

A few random thoughts here:

It is a stressful time of year, so I thought we could all use something from warm weather to mediate upon. There are times we can just step out our front door and look at what nature creates. I need to remember that today.

Snow on the ground. More snow to come. We are definitely having a white Christmas. In fact, the forecast says it will snow all Christmas day. Oh, goodie.

We are going to start sheepherding again next week. But this time it is indoors in a covered arena. Not heated, but covered. This should be interesting. We've missed so much due to the weather. It has either rained or been just too cold (with the wind chill) for me to be out there. I admit it, I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold. And I do dress for it, complete with long underwear and layers of sweatshirts. But still......

I received some money as a gift for Christmas, early, and decided to purchase something I have been considering for months: an ereader. I bought a Color Nook from Barnes and Noble. Just finished charging it, and now need to set it up. Not sure why I am so reflective this week, but buying this made me think of my dad. He was a voracious reader, and I wonder what he would say about holding a device in your hands that can hold over 6,000 books? Of course, he would have been amazed at the internet and digital photography as well. My friend Pat has a Kindle and loves it. I like the idea of being able to carry something in my purse that can have a multitude of books or magazines for me to read. With this model, you can also access the net at any WiFi hot spot.

I do love living with this technology. Amazing. Have a great day.
Linda

Incredible Video

I don't know about this, Mom...

Baaaaaaaaaaa

My friend, Molly, sent me this link. Please keep in mind that the gentlemen in this clip are working with sheep and Border Collies. And that one of the men is doing commands to the dog by whistling. Just blows my mind. (what's left of it!)

Do you think Gracie could ever do this? Enjoy the sheeplight.
Linda

The Family Christmas

Typical brother and sister, snarling, snapping

He trotted downfield, then cut to the left to sneak up on Gracie

You run! No, YOU run.

Allie and Bella

We had our family Christmas party this past weekend. The dogs traveled with me to Crown Point, IN. I am proud to say that they were perfect house guests. My youngest stepson has a large home with the perfect dog backyard: huge and fenced with several trees. And because it's in Crown Point, lots of snow on the ground for Sarge to roll in. For those of you not familiar with the midwest, Crown Point, IN. gets what we affectionately call "lake effect snow", off of Lake Michigan. In layman terms, that means the area gets dumped on habitually in the winter months.

This was Bella's first Christmas, and she was uninterested in anything except a)give me a bottle, b)Daddy, talk to me/tickle me/smile at me c)change my wet diaper. Allie, my youngest granddaugher, is holding Bella, my great-granddaughter in the photo.

We had a great time, there was too much food as always, and the dogs received a giant box of Meaty Bones as a present. They are happy campers.

Life is Good. Enjoy your day.
Linda

Snow keeps coming

Nose full of snow

How he loves this!

Look at that smile

Something good in the snow....

Winter

I had preparations for this weekend to complete yesterday. I worked in the kitchen for over 3 hours. The dogs kept circling, waiting patiently. Finally at 2:30 they started to vocalize their feelings. Mom! It's time to head out. Please? Pretty Please? So we went to the dog park, for the second day in a row.

A border collie we have encountered previously was already there. She's younger than Gracie, so has plenty of energy. The three dogs were off and running.

On a normal trip to the park, meaning the temperatures are more moderate and the ground is dry, Sarge stays by my side. He will occasionally venture out to chase Gracie, but if there are more than 3 dogs there, he sticks to me. Sarge is just not comfortable with a big group, or with dogs he does not know. Let it snow, as it has this week more than once, and he is a different dog. Just doesn't stop moving, rolling, running, sticking his nose down into pockets they find. The smells must be strange or exotic after a snow.

These photos capture some of what transpires at the park. It does my heart good to see them so happy. Thanks for stopping by.
Linda

Snow at the Dog Park

Mom has the camera. Look good.

I always look good, Gracie!

Playing tag

Mom! He's chewing on my butt!

Run

See how my fur moves when I move?

Taking a break

What is that?

When I left work yesterday, it was dreary and overcast. The temperature was 28. I knew the dog park would still be snow covered and not muddy, so I went home and got the guys.

When your dogs are used to regular exercise, and part of that includes running off-leash in an open space, they miss it. Big time. Yesterday afternoon was a release of pent-up energy. After almost an hour, I wanted to go home due to cold, wet feet. Sarge, my good guy, my obedient dog, would not come back through the gate to get to the car. He was having way too much fun.

Needless to say, they had a great time and slept all night long.

I am a good dog mom!
Linda

Random Thoughts

Just let the dogs in the back door. They are covered in snowflakes. The good news is that it is 6am and the temperature is 22 degrees. A vast improvement over the past week. The bad news is it's snowing.

A few random thoughts this morning:

Who invented heated car seats? I don't know. Don't care. I want to thank that person profusely. This is one of those options on a car that you scoffed at when younger. "I don't need that, good grief!" Then you purchase an automobile that has heated seats, and one cold winter night you push that little button. OH, MY! Where have you been my entire life? Of course now I'm spoiled rotten and must have them in the future.

I am not shoveling the driveway this morning. In fact, I'm not shoveling again. Did that last February and ended up in the ER with chest pains. I didn't have a heart attack, but did pull something in my chest wall that decided to mimic the coronary type of pain. So my new theory is, IT WILL MELT! Eventually. I am also trying to find someone who will come plow.

The dogs love the snow. They run from one end of the yard to the opposite fence, chasing each other, throwing snow every which way. Sarge in particular will pick the deepest spot and roll in it. But of course. He was just at the groomers on Tuesday.

So whatever you are doing today, please be careful. Stay safe. Stay warm. I have to work this morning, but the store is only minutes from the house.

The heated seats will be on.....
Linda

Cold Winter Morning

Catching the morning sun

Mom! Leave me alone.

Bitter cold yet again. Sarge is at the groomers getting handsome, debonair, and elegant for Christmas. After bugging me for well over an hour because she was bored, Gracie finally climbed into the chair in the living room for a morning nap. The sun shines in brightly from the southern exposure window, and she'll stay in a position to catch the rays until she gets too warm.

Lots to do this week as we get ready for the family Christmas get together this weekend. Besides baking and making fudge, I have to get a tire fixed. Yeah. Why does this always happen when it is so, so cold? I was out there this morning, at a gas station, trying to put air in one of the tires. I thought my hand was going to fall off....or stay attached to the air nozzle.

We have to leave in a bit to pick up Sarge. Gracie looks for him in the house when he goes for grooming. Even though she is in the car when I drop him off, she still will search in all of his favorite spots when we come home.

Stay warm and safe.
Linda

Blizzard Conditions

It's 11 degrees with a wind chill of -4. Yikes! I just let the dogs out for a few minutes. Sarge was rolling in the snow drift alongside the fence. They raced around the yard for all of 3 minutes and then came to the back door.

IF you must go out today (and I'm very fortunate that I don't have to), please be careful. We are staying home. I have what I need in the house to bake pumpkin bread to give as gifts. I also have a multitude of ideas for altered art and scrapbooking, so I'm thinking this is the perfect day for those activities.

Stay Warm!
Linda

Christmas Favorites

A Williraye Santa

I grew up in Chicago and a suburb south of the city called Park Forest. We had six television stations from the antenna on the roof. Waaaayyyyy before cable, folks. For those of you from the Chicago metro area, name them with me: channel 2 was CBS, channel 5 was NBC, channel 7 was ABC, channel 9 was WGN when it was just OUR WGN, not the world's. Channel 11 was PBS, and when UHF became available, we had channel 32.

WGN played a ton of old movies. On Sunday afternoons, we had Family Classics with Frazier Thomas. I adore the old Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone. One of my absolute favorite old movies is The Mark of Zorro, with Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone. Don't know why, but it just appealed to me.

So when it comes to Christmas movies, I'm not into animation, nor am I into the more recent films of the 70's and 80's. No, I like my Christmas movies in black and white. These are my favorites, and if you disagree, that's cool. It's my blog, so I get to do this......

The Bishop's Wife - Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. Doesn't get any better.

Holiday - Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn. This is hardly ever on tv anymore, and I don't know why unless it is considered too dated. Love this movie, and I no longer have a copy of it. Need to find it.

Christmas in Connecticut - Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. Corny as all get out and I don't care. A fun flick, one that I used to put on while I was baking cookies to take to work. Always made me feel good and put me in the Christmas spirit. I have seen this so many times I can probably recite the dialogue.

Should you get the chance to view one of these, please try them out if you haven't already. Cary Grant was a master, so smooth, so seamless. Enjoy.
Linda

Let it Snow.....

Is he not the most handsome dog?

So the forecast is not good. More of the white stuff is on the way. Dang.

Yesterday we walked the park for the first time in 8 days, and I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, me or the dogs. I also took them to the dog park (muddy and wet) for a 90 minute romp. They ran, hard. It was great.

We have another cookie exchange tomorrow. Just what I need, more sugar. Not....! So today I have to bake, and have decided to use a stand-by cookie recipe:

Oatmeal Chippers
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (I know, I hate using Crisco but it makes these crunchy and really good)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 6 or 12 oz. package of chocolate chips (how much is up to you)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Cream together butter and shortening. Add sugars gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in sifted ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees 9 to 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on bakers racks. Makes 8 dozen.

This recipe is from "Homemade Cookies" by the Food Editors of Farm Journal,  copyright 1971. Obviously I've had it forever. The pages are yellowed, but the recipes are so good. Give these a try. They seem to be a favorite of the men in my family.

Enjoy your day, and thanks for stopping by.
Linda

More Snow?

Licking the snow on the deck

Gosh golly gee whiz! (No, I have not turned into Sarah Palin. Please!) I hate cold weather. The first snow was pretty, but that's it. I'm ready for green. The latest forecast states that the heavy snow is staying to the north. That's fine with me. It can stay in Canada for all I care...

It is entirely possible that we may get out for a walk today. The temperatures are going to be slightly more moderate, so I may attempt putting the harnesses and leashes on the dogs and heading out. I miss our daily walks. A lot. The great thing about walking in our park is you get to know people. Your dogs will visit with their dogs, or if they are dogless (gasp!), they will stop and pet Gracie. Sarge stands off to the side, looking elegant. Someone has to do it. Gracie is my con artist: she looks pathetic, standing on her hind legs, trying to make the individual think that she is abused/neglected/hungry. No one falls for it. Everyone has seen through her little scam.

On another note, I'm sugared out already. We had a cookie exchange with the group from our pool classes yesterday. The luncheon was great, conversation lively and a good time was had by all. But the desserts and cookies! I ate too much. I have another cookie exchange this Sunday, with the dog park people. People only, dogs have to stay at home. I will bake for this, but doubt I'll take any cookies. Really, really missing the daily walks, folks.

Have a good one. Stay warm and safe.
Linda

Christmas in the air

One of my favorite Jim Shore pieces - dogs!

Williraye Studio wall decorations

Detail on the flying snowman

Jim Shore Santas

Williraye sheep -just can't get away from those sheep

Williraye dogs

I have quite a collection of Christmas figures. Most of them are either Jim Shore or Williraye Studio creations, as those are my favorites. The details and colors are what capture me. So this is how I decorate the house for the holidays: everything comes out of the cabinets and boxes and is scattered on every flat surface in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom vanities. (Instead of reading on the throne, you can look at a Santa!)

Oddly enough, I didn't realize how many sheep figures I had. Was this an omen of my future? Are the sheep still winning? Well, yeah, they are but that's beside the point. I just like the look of the sheep.

It is bitter cold this morning with wind chills below zero. Wherever you are, stay warm and cozy.
Linda