Our First 2008 Competition, Take Two

Our first competition turned out well. After a two hour bus ride we arrived at 1:20 PM. Everyone piled out, they had to hit the facilities, don't you know:-). We unloaded the instruments, Shako's (those nifty hats with the fun looking plumes), and the kids rushed around to get changed for the practice/warm up.

Preliminaries were at 3:15 PM. It was the first time that I had seen the show in its entirety, props and all. It was Awesome. They received first place with an 88.8, this is out of a possible 100 points. This means that we hang around for Finals.

Finals also went well. We got to see some really good bands preform. Bellevue West (our immediate rivals) really improved their performance and came in with a 3rd place ranking. It was incredible. The Bellevue East Marching Band did even better with an overall score of 90.1. We rush back to the bus in order to start preparing for the return trip.

There we were waiting for the kids and they didn't show up. They decided to hang out for the scores and awards.

Bellevue East went home with the awards for Best Drum Line, Best Horn Section, the part I'm most involved with--Best Color Guard, and First Place ranking at the our first competition. What a way to start the season!

Our first 2008 Competition

Tomorrow marks the first competition of Bellevue East's Marching Band. We will be traveling to Sioux City, IA to compete. I can't wait, or is that I can wait? I will be participating this year as a chaperone for every competion. Looking forward to the School bus ride, not!

It really will be fun! The young people are remarkably behaved for 14-18 year olds. We'll be back around midnight--wait isn't that a song?

We will be traveling to four other places with the next to last competition, an over night stay, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Wish me luck!

The Dogs Made A Break For It!

The other day I was walking the dogs and guess what, they pulled really hard and yanked the leashes out of may hands. I was at the top of a large hill, nearly free of trees and covered with grass. They had a nice romp while I went chasing after them.

All of a sudden they stopped and started sniffing around the base of one of the few trees. This immediately concerned me. The last time they exhibited this behavior they had found a dead bird and were trying to eat it. I hurried over, thinking I would find a dead animal. Pluto, my little trouble maker, starts rolling around, as if he were a cat taking a dust bath . This is highly unusual behavior. I've never seen him do that before.

I approach the dogs and find out that the Pluto is rolling around in a big pile of "Shaving Cream, be nice and clean, shave every day and you'll always be clean." O.K., I cleaned that up a lot. It was Turkey Poo and it stank. Notice, that I say stank and not stink. It was rank.

Now you may wonder how do I know that it was Turkey Poo. As we walked home, I kept the dogs seperated by a wide margin (I don't need Ringo getting filthy too), I hear and then see a large wild turkey across the street and in the neighbors yard. It's yelling at the neighbors as they walk into their house. That explained a lot.

I finally get them home and wash up Pluto and his harness that was covered in TURKEY POO! Ohooey Poohey, I don't want to go through that again.

Surprise?

I received a call at work the other day asking me if I wanted some "Naked Ladies" I was so excited! I immediately said yes, "I've been wanting some for 5 years." I ran over to one of my co-workers cubicle and gushed, "I'm getting some Naked Ladies." Their eyes popped, their jaw dropped, and they responded with some rude responses. I laughed so hard I cried.

Naked Ladies are a regional name for 'Surprise Lilies'. During the spring they are one of the first plants that start growing. They have beautiful, deep green mounds of foilage. This foilage dies back and then about August out of this 'dead' ground springs tall stalks that are topped with beautiful pink flowers, SURPRISE!

For a look at the flowers follow the link on the Title.

The Crazy Weather

The Omaha area has undergone the wettest spring/summer that we have seen in 10 years. Last Friday, 6/27/08, we had some of the worst weather that I have ever seen.

As a teenager, I saw a tornado tear through the country side on the boundaries of the town where I lived. It was an incredible sight. But the weather that went through Omaha was totally different because I was actually in the middle of it.

Hearing and seeing it from a distance is a very different thing than actually being in the middle of of a force of Nature. As it hit the Northwest area of Omaha, I was getting ready to leave work. I had a 1/2 hour left when I thought I heard the sirens wailing.

I mentioned it to "J", my incoming replacement. Her response was, "I don't think so", but moments later she heard them too. The sky kept getting darker and the wind started to pick up. At about that time the phone started ringing off the hook. Several of the carriers in the extreme western portion of the area were calling their routes in late due to the extreme weather. They were taking cover in the local nursing home, stranger's houses (they made the carriers get out of the bad weather, thank goodness) and one person took cover in a ditch. There was a distinct possibility of a tornado.

Then it hit. The wind was blowing as if a 747 airplane was landing directly in front of me. The rain was blowing sideways with the force of a speeding car. The two sets of front doors that opened into our glass entry way were sucked out by the wind, blasting in a torrent of rain. The four people that were hanging out snapped their heads around as if they were attached with rubber bands that had sprung back to it's starting position.

I ran for the drawer where the manual key was kept that would lock down the handles and the doors. I asked everyone to help me with the locks. The four of us went into the entry way, which is entirely constructed out of glass and man handled the doors shut. It was really tricky. We had to pull on the door to keep it shut but we had to let up enough on the handle for me to turn the key. Three people to keep the door shut and one to turn the key, sounds like a fantasy story.

The hail hits! It was a thousand bullets hitting bullet proof glass, the pounding of a jack hammer on cement, it was scary! We all realize at just about the same time that we were in a position that could be deadly. The glass could shatter all around us and cut us to shreds.

We run for the inside. Once inside, I lock the second set of doors, which hopefully, will stop the vacuum that is formed in a storm and stop the doors from slamming open. From the inside we watch this deadly force of nature race past the windows. The hail was so heavy that a small "snow drift" forms at the L created by the entry way joining the main part of the building.

It wasn't until the storm was over that we found out that the wind speed was 72 miles an hour with gusts of up to 120 MPH. Sustained wind speeds of 120 MPH is the speed of an F3 tornado. Thousands of people were without power and the damage done will come to millions of dollars. Whole trees were blown over causing major damage to many familys and homes. Here it is Monday evening and there are still people without power.

My family often talk about the way CNN uses the TV to discuss every little thing into a major sensational story. I was actually in a major event and it totally trivalizes the coverage that CNN provides.

I still feel that CNN use the cable lines to sensationalize life, "The Paris Hilton" story immediately comes to mind, I mean, really, who cares, other than her immediate family, whether or not she seeks rehabilitation? But, now I can also appreciate the serious news that CNN airs. All in all, it was an experience I'll remember for the rest of my life.

The Neighbor's Pickup Truck

I'm sure you have heard about someone driving into another person's home. It happens periodically. It's a pretty freaky way to wind up a busy day. Well, several years ago the neighbor's pickup truck ended up in our front yard. This is quite a trick since we live on a hillside. The street level is actually above the level of the house.

We had heard a big bang but chalked it up to our imagination. It wasn't until I happened to walk into our bedroom and saw the reflected twirling lights of a police cruiser that we finally realized what had happened.

The neighbor is actually not a bad person but he did get carried away with a night of revelry. He ended his night at the local police station after he drove his truck off the road, down the hill and into the tree in the middle of our yard. As drunk driving stories go this one ended better than it possibly could have.

Ever since that happened if we hear a "big bang", we check it out. Because the one time that we didn't believe our own ears, someone had a large accident in our front yard. What do you know, live and learn.

And The Tree Came Down

My husband and I were laying down in the bedroom talking about this and that when we heard a loud crashing sound. This had us a little concerned because the last time we heard such a sound we found our neighbor's pickup truck in our front yard. We checked the front window and were relieved to see that no one was there.

We left the bedroom, hurrying to the windows, we looked out. It was dark and windy. I checked the living room window while my husband checked the kitchen. That's where we found that the tree had fallen down.

The steps that lead down to our back yard has a tree right next to it. Really, it was two trees. One of them is alive and doing fine. The other was dead and rotting. I say dead because this is the tree that had fallen down.

The dead tree had fallen on the neighbor's fence. All I have to say is thank goodness the wind was blowing into the east. It didn't land on the house.

We had the tree cleared out the very next day. Yep, that was some fast acting response. Now there is a hole next to the step. There are also a bunch of paving stones.

Who knew that there was an actual walkway under all the dirt and grass that had grown over the stones. Since all this has happened I've added dirt (to the hole), day lilies and repaved the "landing" at the top of the steps. I'm actually glad the tree fell down because I've been worrying about it for a long time. I guess that's looking at the bright side of life. Oh yeah, and there is more sun shining into my "very" shaded yard.

Obituaries

Something funny happened today at work. One of the carriers at the newspaper where I work came in and asked for an extra copy of today's paper. He wanted to look at the obituaries.

He asked me, "Where are the obituaries?" I had to admit that although I work for a newspaper, I don't always read it all the way through. I didn't know where the obits were in our newspaper.

I'm sure you are familiar with the fact that many newspapers are broken down into sections, such as "Midlands, Sports, and Living".

I commented, "Wouldn't it be kind of ironic if the obituaries were in the 'Living' section?"

Prom Dress 2008 Project Finished

Just a quick couple lines to let everyone know that we have completed the dress. It doesn't meet my levels of perfection, but it did turn out well. Much better than I anticipated after 20 years of not doing any complicated sewing projects. You can fudge a bit on elasticized pants but not so much on a Prom Dress. Shawna has big plans to have her hair done, her toes and nails done, etc. We'll get a picture of the finished beauty on Saturday.

Romantic Train Trips

A couple years ago we visited the West Coast and took the train to get there. I've traveled on the train before and it has been fun. This trip was interesting to say the least.

We left Omaha, NE at around 3 AM. We were on the road for about 45 minutes when the train pulls over. We doze in our seats for a couple hours when I realize that we haven't moved for quite some time. Two hours later we are finally moving and daylight is making an appearance.

Over breakfast in the "snack bar car" we began speaking with the attendant. It turns out that we had stopped for 3 and 1/2 hours because someone had passed away. The county coroner and police were called, the ambulance made an appearance and then they had to remove the body from the train. This took quite some time.

We are sorry for their loss but now we are behind our schedule by 3.5 hours. We hit Denver and that's when we discovered that the usual route to Reno, Nevada is under construction. We have to swing WAY north into Montana and Wyoming. The train tracks we are using are property of Burlington Northern Freight Rails. This means that the freight trains get priority. At one point we have to stop as there is a freight train moving on the rails that we need to use. All of this distance and the rails we have to use puts us behind by another hour. We finally reach Reno, Nevada 4.5 hours behind schedule. Thank goodness that my brother checked to find out if we were running on time.

Yes, that was an interesting trip but it's not over yet. We still have to get home.

We left Reno after a wonderful family reunion. It was sad leaving my brother and his family. However, we do have to get home at some time.

The main track back to Nebraska was still under construction so we head north along the freight lines once again. Did I mention that it's not the smoothest ride in the world.

While traveling through Wyoming we met a nice old lady. She is the crux of the next part of the story. The restrooms are on the bottom portion of the train. To get down or up from the rest rooms you have to navigate a twisty, turning stair well. This nice old lady was coming up the stair well when the train hit a good bump. The nice old lady fell and broke her hip.

Wyoming is a large state with many small towns and few hospitals. We were literally several hundred miles away form the nearest hospital. The train does have a trained emergency technician just for instances like what developed.

First they stopped the train, in the middle of no where, and then closed down the car, not allowing passengers to move from one car to the next. This caused a problem for the mildly hysterical, mentally challenged passenger whose parents were just beyond our car. The technician immobilized the nice old lady and then we got moving again but at a slower pace. About an hour and a half after she was injured we pulled into a decent sized town and were met by the local emergency fire paramedics.

The next problem arises. Remember the twisty stairs? The nice old lady is on one of the wooden/plastic back boards that will not allow an injured person to move. This means that they can't get her down the stairs and out the door. What do we do now?

We pop out the emergency window and move her out the window and lower her to the paramedics that life-flighted her to the closest hospital. The next step is to put the window back in place which was another hassle. After all we can't move with an open window. All of this commotion puts us behind by, guess what, 4.5 hours.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We arrive in Nebraska late but safe, yay!

Want to hear the kicker? About a week later I was chosen for a survey of my latest trip on Amtrak. Boy, did I give the survey person an earful. We spoke for a half hour. The question comes up, "would you take another trip on Amtrak?" Not on your life. I really do like the train rides but I didn't like all the time that was spent getting from one place to the other. If it was a MUCH shorter trip? Maybe!

April Fool's

It was 1926 in a small town in South Dakota, when a small boy came into the world at 6 PM on April 1st. He wasn't the healthiest boy. He had trouble breathing, he was underweight and they had to slap his behind a few times before he joined the world. The doctor had the sad job of telling his mother that the young boy would not be long for this world. "Say your good byes now because he won't make it through the night."

This was the young couple's first child and they were heart broken. They had spent months looking forward to this, their first child. The plans that they had made came crasing down around their ears.

The young mother huddled around the crib touching her child's hand as she watched him struggle to breath, tears in her eyes as she prayed. She could hear him gasping for breath, wheezing as he pulled air into his weak lungs. It hurt to watch him work so hard for each breath.

The doctor came in the next morning prepared to give the sad news to the young couple. He was surprised when he came into the nursery to find the baby moving and breathing much better. He was very pleased to be able to tell the young parents the good news that it "looks like he will make it after all." He proceeded to fill out the birth certificate.

As the young boy grew up his parents often told him that he was lucky to be alive and they would share this story with him. It wasn't until he got a copy of his birth certificate for his up-coming wedding that he finally connected the dots. HE was the April Fools' Joke. On his birth certificate it said that S. Sampson was born on April 2nd. He fooled them all and lived.

2008 Prom Dress Project

Back at the beginning of January there was a sewing store that went out of business. It's always sad to see something like that happen. Shawna and I hit it a couple of different times for various reasons. During one of these trips we found some material and a pattern that Shawna begged me to get. She wanted me to make her prom dress. I finally caved and agreed. I couldn't say no to the savings that this would entail.

Normally, Prom dresses can be very expensive. She wanted to remember this as the year that her mom made her prom dress--ahh... how special is that?

We had to buy 6 yards of Satin, 4 yards of lining and 15 yards of tulle. The prices were incredible. What normally would have cost approximately 90 dollars ended up costing us about $30.

Well, I practiced up on my sewing, which I haven't done in years and procrastinated like crazy. I was scared to start a project that could potentially be a disaster. Cutting the pieces out, sewing them together, turning out a dress that looks like a 4 year old pasted material to a manikin is not my idea of fun.

Here we are 2.5 weeks away from Prom and my daughter was getting nervous. We started to make concrete plans to start the project. Last Monday we started cutting it out and made plans to start sewing it on Sunday. We pinned the pieces to the Satin and cut. I held my breath as we made the first incision. That didn't go too bad. Shawna marked everything, which took an additional couple of days and then she laid out and cut the lining by herself. She checked with me before she started cutting and everything looked right.

Sunday arrived! I was so scared! I haven't done a serious sewing project like this in almost twenty years. We started with the bodice front, per the instructions. We had a few sharp words. We both managed not to totally lose our tempers. She began to listen to what I was saying and when I asked for her input I got good suggestions. She did some pinning, ironing, gathering and other odds and ends. After about 5 hours of work we completed the bodice. This coming up Saturday we will be going at it again.

Hopefully, when we are done our efforts will look like the picture of the young lady in the pattern above. We are doing it in different shades of blue, check out the material sample in the center top.

Fireside Story

The Aunts and Uncles gathered around the flaming bonfire. The heat felt good, battling against the crisp pine scented autumn air. The sound of fire crackling amongst the branches of wood, a soft muted roar behind the sound of voices raised in conversation. Children were drifting between the groups, running from place to place like darting moths. It was the end of a long day of family activities.

Bedtime was minutes away when Uncle Richard raised his voice, "gather round for 'The Cremation of Sam McGee.' " His gravely voice lowers as he begins to speak.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun

By the men who moil for gold;

The Arctic trails have their secret tales

That would make your blood run cold;

The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,

But the queserest they ever did see

Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge

I cremated Sam McGee

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows

Why he left the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.

He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;

Though he'd often say in his homely way that he'd "sooner live in hell."

On a Christmas day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.

Talk of your cold! Through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.

If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see.

It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,

And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel to toe,

He turned to me , and "Cap" says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;

And if I do, I'm asking that you don't refuse my last request."

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:

"It's the cursed cold, and it's got a right hold till I'm chilled clean through the bone.

Yet -'tain't being dead -- it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;

So, I want you to swear that foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."

A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;

And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.

He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;

And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,

With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;

It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: "You may tax your brawn and brains,

But you promised true, and it's up to you to cremate those last remains."

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.

In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart I cursed that load.

In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies , round in a ring,

Howled out their woes to the homeless snows -- O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;

And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;

The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;

And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;

It was jammed in the ice, and I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May".

And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;

Then "Here" said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;

Some coal I found lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;

The flames just soared, and the furnace roared -- such a blaze you seldom see;

And I burrowed a hole in that glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;

And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.

It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;

And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I don't know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;

But the stars came out and they danced ere again I ventured near;

I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.

I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; . . . then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;

And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please close that door.

It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm --

Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."

There are strange things done in the midnight sun

By the men that moil for gold;

The Arctic trails have their secret tales

That would make your blood run cold;

The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,

But the queerest they ever did see

Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge

I cremated Sam McGee

By Robert Service

The children all cuddled close to their parents as they shivered with the tantilizing taste of fear, knowing that they were safe in their parents' arms. The leaping firelight leant a aura of reality to a poem that made a young girl's arms pimple with goosebumps. Darkness, stars and the nip of the autumn chill left a haunting impression that still resonates down through the years.

The Denver Trip

So they left on Thursday morning and returned Sunday at 6:30 AM. Shawna was a walking zombie when I picked her up. They returned as happy 10th place competitors.

That sounds strange but true. Their rivals, Seward Color Guard, have become friends after a long time rivalry. Seward made it to finals and placed 5th. Not bad for a Nebraska Color Guard Team. So, although Bellevue didn't make it to finals, the girls were happy that Seward did and that they did so well. Seward and Bellevue have the same instructor so a win by one team is a win for their instructor and the other team as well.

While they were in Denver they spent hours practicing for their performance. But, all work and no play, makes Jill a dull girl. The teams visited Casa Bonita for a fine dinner and entertainment. Here's hoping I can get Shawna to sit down and write about her dining experience at Casa Bonita. They also made it to the mall for a 3 hour tour (giggle--thank goodness there wasn't a boat involved). Everyone made it home safely although VERY tired.

Seward Championship

We won! Saturday, the Bellevue East Winter Guard participated in their Championship Competition at Seward and they looked good! So good, as a matter of fact, that they took home first place. Here's a picture with some of the girls on the ride home, with their trophy.


The girls have worked hard over the past several months, preparing for their competitions. They have attended practice Monday nights, Thursday nights and one weekend day since before Christmas. Shawna and Shayla have been like two best buddies during this time. Here's a photo of the two of them just before their performance.



For each girl there is a mother (or parent) and the Seward competition was no exception. The competion was hosted by Seward and Bellevue East Winter Guards, this meant that we were there pitching in. We were selling hot dogs, raffle tickets, air grams, guiding the competitors, etc. Here's a couple pictures of the moms.



There is one final important person that needs mentioning. Our head Guard Mom, Michaela. Our organization and motivation is due in large part to this hard working mom. We all chip in with a little bit of elbow grease, some of us more than others (you know who you are and give yourself a pat on the back), however, Michaela keeps us informed, organizes the fund raisers (with help), and generally kicks us in the butt when we need an extra push. I would like to thank everyone for all that you do and a big Thank You to Michaela.



This week the girls head out for their final competition in Denver, CO. They leave on Thursday and will not be back until early Sunday morning. They will be competing with other Winter Guard and Drum line teams from across the country. Here's hoping they do well. Let's all wish them luck! For a look at their performance you can check out Bellevue East Color Guard

Puppies!

We have taken a huge step. After a year of no pets we have adopted 2 new puppies. This was a huge decision and it was greatly influenced by our daughter. She has been asking for a new pet since 3 months after the death of our previous loved ones. We finally said yes after lots of discussion and an understanding that she is responsible for their training, feeding and etc.

She has taken the responsibility very seriously. She spent her own money to purchase the food, bed, shampoo, toys, treats, collars, leashes, nail clippers, etc. and then spent quite a bit of time reading up on "how to train your puppy". She has been very firm explaining to us what she expects from us when we are dealing with our new family members. Things like when we are to feed them, how much, when they should be walked and what we are to say when they make an "accident". She has very specific plans about taking them with her when she finally leaves home and she doesn't want ill mannered animals. I'm just pleased that she is taking this responsibility to heart. Here she is taking a nap with Ringo and Pluto (I wanted to name him Mo Jo) after their first day.

Here's a close up with Shawna and Ringo. The puppies are a bundle of energy but when they sleep, they sleep hard.

Aren't they cute!

My Mr. Moon

It was just after the full moon. As we were driving I pointed to this magnificent orb glowing in the night sky. Shawna says "unh huh" totally lacking any enthusiasm. Shawna rolls her eye at me and comments, "Mom, you and I enjoy totally different things."

This reminded me of a car ride when I was a child.
As my mother and I were traveling from Huron to our current home on a farm in Wessington, I watched the full moon gliding through the dark night sky. It seemed to follow our every movement. When I asked my mother why was he following us. She replied, that "your Mr. Moon is following us home." From that point on he was always "My Mister Moon". Whenever I saw the moon I would point at it and say "There's My Mr. Moon."

I shared this story with my daughter as we were driving home the other night. It was the first time that I had ever shared that particular story. She was smiling and laughing at it. Here's hoping she understands the magic that My Mr. Moon stands for. The magic of youth, mystery, secrets, hope and home (just to name a few). If you've smiled at my story, I'll share "My Mr. Moon" with you too. Or, should I say, My Mrs. Moon?

The Geese are on the Move!

Every year I look and listen for the geese as they make their yearly migrations. It gives me a fair idea about the coming weather.

Last year they headed South rather early. I heard and saw flocks of them making their way to their wintering grounds during September. I knew that this winter was going to be cold!

The geese were right. We had an early winter and it was cold.

We had our first serious snowfall just before Thanksgiving, which in recent years, is early for the Nebraska area. We've had snow on the ground ever since, which again, is unusual.

Every year I listen to the people around me complain about "how cold it is", "this winter is worse than the last one", etc. I nod my head and agree. What's really going on inside of me is "you don't know what really bad weather is." When you have lived with snow on the ground for 6+ months out of the year and temperatures that range from -30 degrees to 20+ degrees as part of your normal winter weather, 32 or 40 degrees is a real treat.

I'm laughing on the inside because the people around me are used to winter weather that snows really hard one week and the next week it is all melted. I've noticed this trend in the area where I live. One week we'll have snow and freezing weather and then the next week it is 'normally' melted.

This year has been the first in 9 years that we've had winter weather consistently from November to February. That's still only 4 months compared to the 6 months that I grew up with. It's all relative. I've kind of got side tracked. Why am I talking about all this winter weather?

Oh yeah, the geese are returning. I've been watching large flocks of geese headed North for about two weeks now. What does this mean? Spring is on it's way! We will be having an early Spring.

The last three days have been absolutely beautiful! Yesterday, the temperatures were in the low 50's and almost all of the snow has melted. We may have one more snowfall, we usually do mid-March, but for all intents and purposes those Spring-time plans are now on the front burner.

This also means we will more than likely have a hot, long summer. O.K. everyone get your shades out and find the sun screen

Blog Tag--I'm 'IT', for now, heh, heh, heh

Mary, the owner of of one of my favorite blog sites, Momathon, tagged me. What is Blog Tag? It's the latest fad. As the tagged person I have to list 6 inconsequential things about myself and then list 6 more random blog sites. I've posted the rules below for those people that have been tagged.

The Rules:
Link to the person that tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

6 quirky things about me did take some thought. Let's see what the peanut gallery, a.k.a. the family, thinks. What a bummer, none of them wanted to go down in herstory as an important contributor to this segment of the blog. Non-important, is the key word, and that is the difficult part.

1. Rocks!
I'll bet you're all sitting there scratching your head and going, 'Huh?' Everyone has their likes and dislikes, and we can be pretty vocal about it. Well one thing that lots of people don't know or don't take seriously, is my love of rocks.

Now, I'm not talking about the polished rocks that you see in many stores, although those are nice too. I'm talking about unusual shaped (sometimes even ordinary, but a nice color certainly helps) rocks that you can find in most senic, country areas or sometimes the local rock quarry &/or garden center. Right now, on my front porch, I have a small jagged piece of Red, South Dakota Granite that was left over from a landscaping construction that occurred at a local business. It was left in the dirt at the construction site for months. It looked as if it had fallen off the truck as it was driving from the site storage area to the construction zone. I kept driving past it as I went to and from work and one day I stopped and picked it up. After all it was a piece of liter.

There have been a few people that I've spoken to concerning my desire for rocks but they must not understand or believe me. I've told them, "When you are traveling from Denver (or wherever) to home, would you stop and pick up a rock for me? It doesn't have to be anything special. Just a rock from the area." So far, to date, no one has brought me a rock from anywhere. What do you have to do to get people to understand? Beat them with a rock? ha... ha...

I was talking with a friend the other day. Looking around her house you can see rocks on ledges all over the place. She totally understood exactly what I was talking about and she has her friends trained to bring her a piece of earth from the very different places that they visit, hint, hint. So, if anyone comes to visit me, please feel free to bring a rock (it doesn't have to be huge) as a momento of your visit. Just don't throw it through the window.

2. Onions and Garlic
I love onions and garlic. When cooking there is nothing better than using these fragrant bulbs. What I like best about them is the way my hands smell after I've cut them up. I'll go around the house for the next several hours smelling my hands. Sometimes, it'll last for a day, especially if it was a large cooking project. Now, if that isn't quircky, I don't know what else would fall into that category. So, if you see me smelling my hands, you'll know that I must have just finished cooking something tasty for my family.

3. Dirty Dishes
I hate dirty dishes and if they've been sitting on the counter for several days, clean dishes. I don't mind washing them, that's not the problem. I don't like seeing them sitting around on the counters. Although, I would like some help getting them washed and put away, since everyone contributes to the mess, it would be appreciated if some people would help take care of the debris. My husband has helped and hurt the situation. He has trained all of us to rinse our dishes before we put them in the sink, this is a good thing. That helps by keeping any nasty odors down but this means the dishes pile up to a large degree before anyone washes them. That's a pain in the butt.

4. Garbage
It burns my britches that although we have been living in the same place for 9 years, everyone "forgets" to take out the garbage. The garbage gets picked up every Tuesday morning. This means that the garbage and recycles need to go out to the curb every Monday evening. Does anyone ever remember? Rarely!

5. I laugh like a "Hollywood" witch
My mother and I used to practice laughing like the 'evil' witch. We were making a Halloween tape in order to scare the trick or treaters. Off and on again for a number of years we would get a giggle by practicing Macbeth's witches' soliloquy. To this day, every once in a while, this mischievous, evil laugh will sneak out. Macbeth was always good for a giggle between the two of us.

6. Snow
There are few things that I enjoy more than a good snowfall. I love going outside in the middle of the night while the snow is falling. The ambient light causes the whole world to glow. The sound of the snow falling and hitting the ground creates a gentle hissing sound that sounds like singing. The cloud cover creates an impression that it is warmer than it really is. The snow will hit your eye lashes and coat them with a thin layer of moisture that can turn into ice or melt, depending on the cold. It's a great feeling.

When I've told people that I love to go for walks in the middle of a snow fall in the middle of the night, I always get these looks. What are you, nuts?

Now for the links to those people I've tagged

I'm including why I've tagged each site.

1. Sweetannee has some marvelous pictures of nature and birds, she should be included in this list of sites.

2. Martinha has a wonderful collection of postcards from around the world. You should check them out.

3. This is the last lunar eclipse until 2010, at least in my area of the world. Silk Creek Portal site has some great progression photographs plus a lot of other 'stuff', enjoy.

4. Jeff-In The Berkshires is a very pleasant place to visit. Observations about life, pictures, etc. are right up my alley.

5. Duffyville shows the joys of life and family.

6. Kelly Time has some great pictures and comments.

Finally, Mary, I want you to know that I took this game of tag seriously. I just couldn't post any little quirck. And, lets face it, there are probably a ton more (wish the family had contributed, I'm sure they would have come up with some good dirt). But, I don't think I want to go through this again, at least not for a while. I probably sound like a lunatic. Nope, sorry, that was last night, the complete lunar eclipse was 2/20/08, in Nebraska, USA. It was a sight to see?

Rush - Subdivisions/Take Off, Eh! 9-22-2007

My husband and I were talking about music this evening. We both came to the conclusion that the cleaned up version of "Live" music still does not compare to actually experiencing a concert. Although the music is a little bit distorted the effect is as if we were "really" there. Enjoy the Rush!

Peanut Butter, gotta love it?

Peanut Butter the staple of many a child's afternoon lunch. Creamy and Crunchy they taste great. I have made so many peanut butter cookies that I couldn't guess how many I've baked in my life-time. I used to make double batches of peanut butter cookies as snacks while I was going to college. I'd go home for the weekend and bake dozens of cookies and then take them back to college in order to treat my friends.

Now I smell peanut butter and I cringe. My favorite afternoon snack of peanut butter dipped carrots are on the list of NO-NO's. There is a little known fact that when you have children your metabolism changes. At least it wasn't known to me. With my first child I developed a sensitivity to peanut butter. With my second child I developed a full blown allergic reaction. Thank goodness, at this point it is not life threatening, which it can be for many people that are allergic to peanuts. It just feels like I'm having a heart attack.

Thank goodness that my daughter is not allergic to peanut butter or her life style as a vegetarian would be much more difficult. Although, I will confess, I'm jealous. I'd love to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, peanut butter cookies, or a Butterfinger candy bar. I guess there are some pleasures that we have to give up for our children but who knew it would be such a basic one. As I write this I am smelling the intoxicating scent of peanut butter cookies. Who knew that it would be my daughter's favorite cookie, kind of ironic.

I have to include the family favorite cookie recipe for those people who would like to make a batch.

Peanut Butter Cookies From The Michael Family Kitchen:
This is the peanut butter cookie recipe we used as kids in my Mom's kitchen. We still use it because it is so good.

Ingredients:
1 Cup shortening
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup peanut butter
3 Cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Thoroughly cream shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
Stir in peanut butter.
Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl; stir flour mixture into creamed mixture.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto un-greased cookie sheet.
Press with back of fork to make a crisscross (coat fork with granulated sugar to prevent
sticking).
Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) about 10 minutes.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Notes:
For richer cookies, use 2 cups flour.