A Blue Moon. . .

I was out about town on the 31st of December when I came out of the building and spotted a huge golden orb low is the eastern sky. It was then I remembered it was a 'blue moon' night so I went home to fetch my camera and of course by then it had risen higher in the sky, magically shrunk in size, and grown white but it was still magnificent to see. If you click on the photo you can see a tree on the left. I'm in no way a photographer so I can tell you it was much prettier than how appears in the photo.

Winter. . .

I thought this river birch looked quite pretty in the snow with the dark background.

A private crypt at the local cemetery. A pretty place to rest ones body.

I spotted this in a drive around town.

We had a couple of 'warm' days and this is what we got. I don't know whose house this is but I hope they use the back door. Anyone see or read Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones? You'll understand the icicles if you did.

The Lost Is Found

Hello. . .it's me NanC. No, I didn't pass on to the big blog in the sky, I just haven't had much to say.
Let's play catch up. . .
Sweet Man has been on the road a lot so we don't see much of each other but we do burn up the phone lines.

We've had a cold winter and quite a bit of snow but we've managed.

My electric garage door isn't working and that has been an awful inconvenience but no hubby around to fix it so I just put up with it.

Still no completed upstairs bathroom. Again, no hubby around to fix it. I don't think about how much that guy does around here until something goes haywire and requires his attention. I wish I were mechanical!! (Sweet Man is a whizbang at mechanical)

I've been catching up on one of my favorite authors, J.A. Jance. I'm listening to her Ali Reynolds series right now. This series takes place around the Sedona area of Arizona. Her Sheriff Joanna Brady series takes place in Bisbee. I like to read stories about where I've lived. Ever read Jance's books?

Not much else of interest has taken place so will sign off for now. Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are.

Snowfall. . .North Of The Border

This is what my Canadian daughter woke up to this morning. That is some snowfall, eh?

SUNSHINE, SUNSHINE, OH GLORIOUS SUNSHINE!

Yes, yes, you read the title correctly. We have had sunshine for three, count'em 1,2,3 days in a row. Everybody in town has been out and about enjoying the lovely weather. Our weather girl is saying tomorrow morning will probably be the last of it so we better enjoy it. Heavenly Father has given us a peak at glory to get us through the gloomy days ahead. I, for one, surely do thank Him.

All the beans have been harvested in our area but there is still a lot of corn standing in the fields, along with the pumpkins. Many fields are still too mucky for the equipment to get in without bogging down. I'm uncertain why they don't hire men to come in and harvest the pumpkins at least by hand. Oh yes, expect to pay a tidy ransom for a can of pumpkin this year IF you can find any on the shelf. Signs of the times??

What are you doing for Thanksgiving.
Sweet Man and I will have no family for here so we will have a friend over and have a quiet dinner and probably a ride afterward.

A thought . . . .
Thursday when we sit down to dinner with whomever we're with, please let us remember those early pioneers who came here on ships across a vast ocean. What amazing people they were to pave the way for you and I to be here in this great country of ours. My father's people came to this land a long long time ago, I can hardly wait to meet them in the eternities so they can tell me about their great adventures upon landing in North America. I'm eternally grateful to those stalwart people who stayed the course and saw their dreams through. You and I could have had an entirely different life without their fortitude, their desire for something better and their commitment. Let us be thankful to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all that we have, none of it would be possible without them.

Have a lovely day and a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever in the world you are.

Another Dreary Day

It's another gray day in the Heartland. How many of these can there be left? My spirits have been lifted however because the noon news assures me we're going to have sunshine come the weekend. Heavenly Father, please help me hold out till then....
I did the laundry yesterday and have ironing to do today but just don't want to do it. Ever feel that way? I'm kind of listless, don't know what to do, where to go, and can't make a major decision to save my life.
Sooooo, I decided it was okay to be listless, I didn't have to go anywhere and I didn't need to make any major decisions. Instead I put on my long fleece robe, warmed up a rice bag and picked out a series on DVD! I have a few so I just stuck my hand in the cupboard and out came Christy.
That's what I've been doing for the last two hours and I so enjoyed it.
Just before I started the series I started up a pot of chili and now it's ready to eat so I'm outta here for a warm bowl and a pile of buttered crackers.
Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are. Miss NanC

Hello World

Hello Family and Friends,
Just a quick note to let you all know that I haven't gone to that big blogging place in the sky.
Since my Canadian daughter left we have had nothing but gray skies and wet weather. DEPRESSING!
We've had sunshine for the last four days and it's been GRAND to say the least.
Saturday I blew leaves till I thought my arms would fall off. The city vac sucked them up on Monday morning and my yard is full again. I have two Maples and one Tulip tree in the front and they're still not empty of leaves. Our neighbor has a Silver Maple in front and it's always done de-leafing after the city vac guys stop picking up for the year, it's frustrating.
I don't like to burn if I can help it but you can only compost so many leaves. Ever seen the leaves from a Tulip tree? They're very large and it doesn't take much to fill the yard.
Anyway hope everyone who stops by to take a peek had a wonderful October. I have photos of the beautiful color but can 't figure how to get the photos where they need to be. (New PC, UGGGGH!)
I have chores to finish up so will just say have a lovely day wherever in the world you are. NanC

Number One Daughter Came And Number Two Came Too!

How cool is that? My Canadian daughter came for three weeks. One of my Arizona daughters came the following Friday and surprised me for a couple of days, we took her back to the airport on the following Monday. It was a short visit but we had F-U-N!
We drove, shoppppppped, photographed, looked at old homes, trees, gargoyles, etc, we ate, drove some more, ate some more, and shoppppped some more. We had a blast. I wish my other Arizona daughter could have come. A special thanks to CLSB for picking JETD up at the airport so she could surprise me.
My Canadian girl left for AZ this morning to stay there for a couple of days and then she'll head back North.
Thanks girls for coming I hope you had as good a time as I did. You will be sorely missed.
Sweet Man will be in tomorrow and I'm going on a short run with him to Wisconsin.
Have a lovely evening wherever in the world you are.

Number 1 Daughter Is Coming

YEE HAW, my first born daughter is coming for a visit on Friday. I can hardly wait. This is a photo of her and her 'boys'. Her hubby is the one with the long-sleeved white shirt and the farmer tan. He's a big kid just like his boys but a wonderful husband and dad. Lots of testosterone in that household.

Haven't got it all figured out what we will do but a temple trip for sure, the rest we'll play by ear.

Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are.

Beauty All Around

I caught this sunset last week while cruising through our little park. Ain't she a beaut!

When I see colors like this I get to thinking Heavenly Father must be a painter along with all His other many talents.

Books Books and More Books

My latest summer reads. I love children's books...
they're so uncomplicated and generally very happy and uplifting.

My favorite reads for the summer have been these two. Pink and Say is a tear jerker, which is unusual for a children's book but a great read. Pink's and his mama's dialogue should be read with a Georgia-Ebonic-accent.

The other one, Gator Gumbo, is just a fun fun book but beware the ending with small children.

Gator Gumbo must be read with a Cajun/Creole accent to really get the flavor of the story.

When I began reading these last two to Sweet Man on Sunday afternoon he says, "are you gonna read with an accent?" I says, "well of course I am, why?" "Just give it to me in plain English," says he. Uh huh, that's gonna happen thinks I. I read these last two with my accents and when I'm finished 'he' wants to know, "done already"?

I read the whole book The Secret Life of Bees to him with a Carolina accent and he loved it. He likes to fuss and ruffle his feathers cause he doesn't want me to know he has a soft side but I already got that man figured out....crusty outside with a marshmallow center. Lucky me!

If you get the chance give them a try if you're 5 or 95. They're good reads, the whole lot of them.

Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are.

Addiction. . . And Then Some

If you should see this game at your local Walmart or a gaming store RUN, I repeat RUN, RUN FAST in the opposite direction! My daughter Jan got me hooked, yes, as in addicted, to this little ditty. When I came home from Arizona I couldn't find it. I finally found it on E-Bay and Jan got it for me. Oh to the Wizards of Games I wished she hadn't of. But alas, my tale of woe began.
You see, there are several images like the one above and the object is to find all the objects listed along with 5 jewels. What you don't know until you accidentally click on one is there are hidden items, only one per image, in SOME of the images as well. When you click on one of these images up pops this. . .

Look closely because you only see this image when you haphazardly find one of the items. Make notes when it pops up so you can remember what you need to fill in the circles. You are the ULTIMATE MOUNTAINEER when you find all the items.

WARNING: This game is addicting and could cause you to lose sleep, lose weight, become bleery-eyed and grouchy. My dishes have been left unwashed, my bed unmade, my hair in the same pony tail I went to bed with, I'm still sitting in my bathrobe at 11 in the morning at the computer dazed and shaking.

Jan and I have spent great sums of time on the phone looking for an item and taking notes. What has happened to us?? Is there no salvation?

What? My Sweet Man says, "shut it off and walk away."

Yes yes, I know he's right but let me just find the white rabbit and then I'll I'll I'll turn it off.

I swear. . . . .

#2 And Counting

Our latest grandson to go off to university. He left for football camp in August. I spoke to him today for the first time since he left and he sounded tired. Classes don't start for him until next week. I can imagine how tired he'll be with fb practice, classes, homework, and games. I hope his mom sent vitamins with him.

Austin is very dedicated in whatever he chooses to do so I can see bright lights and shiny stars in his future.

And it doesn't hurt that's he's so stinkin' handsome either.

We're proud of you Aussie and all your accomplishments so far. Stay the course, remember who you are and honor your priesthood. Love you much Sweet Boy! Your Granma N

Reading...

How do you like to read? Sitting up, laying down, outside or in, at the table, on the sofa or curled up in a chair?
Do you like large print or regular, paperback or hardback? Do you read silently or outloud, with natural light or by lamp? Do you read with an accent or without, if you read with an accent do all the characters have a different voice or do all characters sound the same? Large tomes, medium or small. Which genre do you prefer? Do you save the last page for last or do you read it first?

These are my preferences...sitting up, laying down, outside and in, at the table on the sofa or curled up in a chair, large print, regular, paperback and hard, out loud, any light, with an accent (if it needs one), each character with their own voice. I especially like an Irish accent or one from the South and South of the Border is pretty fun. Large, medium and small bring it on, I like history, mystery, biography, fiction, non-fiction, scriptures, cereal boxes, cottage cheese containers, and liquid soap bottles. I always read the last page first, if I don't like it I don't read the book.
I guess you have figured me out...I love to read and will read just about anything. For the past few years I've been collecting books from my childhood and rereading them with great delight. A few of my favorites are Mr. Bear-Squash-You-All-Flat, The Churkendoose, The Pedlar of Colored Threads, The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Fish, and Granny's Birds. I love the illustrations, the colors are fabulous.
My philosophy is save a horse, read a book....
Have a lovely evening wherever in the world you are and read a couple of pages tonight before you go to sleep.

A Good Read

Have you read it...
Or watched it?
I don't remember when The Secret Life of Bees was published but it was several years ago. I read it when it was brand new. I reread it this past year and fell in love with it all over again. I hesitated to see the movie because most of the time the movie never lives up to the book. Well, I finally did watch it and loved all the characters. It does deviate from the book some but with time restraints it's understandable, that's why I sometimes will not ruin a good read by watching the screen version.
If you read it or watched it did you like it?