45

Yikes.  45?  I don't feel a day over 38.  Oh well, age is just a number. 

Guess what I picked to do for my birthday?  ♫ Goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo! ♫  If the people down the way who are moving a house ever do, in fact, get it out of the middle of the road........  See, age is just a number.  It is one of my favorite place to go, and has been since I was very small. 

Here's proof that very little ever changes:

When I was a little one my Mom always had our birthday parties at home.  They were awesome!  All my friends would ride the bus home with me from school, my Mom would have lots of party games and prizes, then we would open my gifts, eat something home made like sloppy joes, and enjoy a big home made birthday cake!

The days leading up to my birthday (just like this past weekend) are usually unseasonably warm.  I would dream of how my friends and I were going to play outside games, and enjoy my swing set, etc.  It would be the best party ever!  Every year I was skunked.  Every. Year.  The weather on my birthday is traditionally crap. (It is 44 degrees right now with a 15mph wind off the big lake.)  That will not deter me from the zoo.  Even if it was raining we would still be bundling up.  I love sweaters, and I dug out my winter vest with mitts in the pocket, so I am ready to go!

Then I'm thinking we will have a late lunch at Shorty's.  The shrimp po boy is calling my name!  Then I get to go and pick out some new garden/bird stuff for my present! 

So here's to being 45.  Forty is definitely fabulous, can't wait to see what this year will bring!  Yea!  It's time to go!!  Wish you were coming too, too, too, we're going to the zoo!

Unexpected Treasures

Mom's ring

The other day on Facebook I posted this picture.  The Artist Formerly Known As Pablo has a genealogy assignment, so Auntie and Oma got homework.  While I was looking in a box of family paperwork I found this ring in an envelope with some obituaries in it. Kate and I went into my Mom's jewelry box all the time when we were little. She had a ton of costume jewelry, and then some pieces (like this ring) that were not.   I remembered this ring right away. What the heck was it doing with the obituaries from the newspaper??  Thanks Mom, and happy early birthday to me!

What I didn't post on facebook was something else that I found.  It goes right along with my last blog  "TBT", which I found to be kind of eerie........



My last blog was about Christmas lists, and wish books.  On Tuesday when I went to find the family information that I needed, I started out in the wrong box.  There were some random pictures on top that I looked at for a moment, even though I realized that it wasn't what I was looking for.  One of those pictures was of Christmas........maybe 1976?  There isn't a year on it.  Three cute lil kids on Christmas morning, and HEY!  It's a Sit and Spin!

I moved on to the correct box, and for the next hour or so delved in for the information that I needed.  I do have all of this on a computer program, but I can't find the start up disk. (ey yi yi......) When I got to the bottom of the archive box there was a folded up piece of paper.  This is what was on it.

If you can't quite make it out, this is what it says:

Dear Santa,

I'm writing for three little children who are pretty good most of the time.  Their names are Joanie, Jerry, and Katie Meys.

Joanie would like you to bring her a Baby Alive Doll that eats and drinks. She would like a play store also.

Jerry wants a put - put train and a truck.

Katie wants a dolly that cries Mama, and she wants a bed for her doll.

All of the children want a Sit and Spin ( play eerie music here) and a Jimmy Duck.  We will be real good children for Christmas.  If you can't bring us these toys, please bring us something nice.  Thank you.
                                                     

First of all, the shock of seeing my Mom's familiar writing took me aback.  Then reading about the picture I had just found an hour before was down right odd.  Oma says she's trying to tell me something.  I can't imagine what?  It's all about family, and I know that lesson.  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

The picture is a little blurry, but there we are. I remember that fake chimney, and there are the Christmas stockings.  The ones we used before Mom made all of ours, but that's another story.  The Christmas tree would be all a twinkle, just out of the picture on the left.  That's where we always had it.  Jerry is leaning on the couch with his truck, and other toys.  Katie ( cause it wasn't Katy back then) is in the white pj's.  That might be her doll on the floor.  The doll bed is back by me.  Closer to Kate is a shopping cart for my "store", and there in front (obviously) is the Sit and Spin.  I did also get Baby Alive.  Guess we were good children.  Well, marginal anyway.  This letter and picture are no longer in random boxes, they are together, in a very special small chest that I keep my "treasures" in.  To someday pass along to my real treasures. :)

TBT

Somewhere along the line, the tradition of TBT (Throw Back Thursday) began on facebook.  Every Thursday you post a picture from days gone by.  I saw something today that really yanked me back to the good ol' days, and since I already blogged about it once, I'm going to post the pic here:

And the blog about it here:http://www.queenie930.blogspot.com/2012/12/wish-book.html

Happy Thursday!!

Fallmageddon

The weather man says (I tend to listen with a grain of salt and keep an eye to the sky.) that we are heading for "Fallmageddon".  There's a system coming with heavy rain, gale force winds on the big lake, and a twenty to thirty degree temperature drop.  It's in the 70's today, and the high for tomorrow is predicted to be 48. 

Cloudy out?  (check)    Weird stillness in the air?  (check)   High humidity? (check) Alright, I might buy it.  I bought it last week and kept the dog inside for an eleven hour day and we didn't get a drop until I got home.

This morning Jake and I had to go on a hunt for the garden flag.  I had changed it to the fall flag, and didn't secure it with tape.  Heaven knows why, I always secure it with tape.  I took it as a sign and got everything else in the back in order too.  Flag secured, loose pots and smaller garden tools put away, everything else brought up closer to the house.

When all of that was finished we went over to the garden to survey what was left.  I grabbed a larger green tomato to put on the windowsill, and three cukes.  If things don't get destroyed we'll have a few more cukes (too little to pick) and maybe a couple tomato.  I'm not covering anything or worrying about it.  In fact, I may work on clearing some of it out later today if the weather allows.  Honestly, it has been the worst garden ever, and I'm kind of glad it's done.  Lots of improvement plans in the works, but I will also send a note to Mother Nature for a little better co-operation next Spring!

One of my fondest memories (and it makes no sense why) is coming home from school one Friday in Sept, and having to grab laundry baskets and head out to the garden in an ice rain to pick every blessed tomato we could find.  The wet freezing rain on bare hands, working together with my siblings with a sense of urgency, proudly getting the job done for my Dad before he got home from work.  I'm an odd duck, I know.

Well, I'm off to have lunch with my sister, do some shopping, and then come home and enjoy the rest of this day outside, since "Fallmageddon" will surely bring on the end of summer as we know it.  No, it wasn't an awful summer.  It was cooler and glorious, and I was able to spend most of it outdoors, which is unheard of.  I loved it.  MOVE SOUTH!  ;)

*Had to leave before I finished this, and it is warm and humid out here.  Feels like storm weather to me!  That's how it's all supposed to start.   Dum dum dummmmmmmm........................

Fifteen Movies

There's a facebook challenge going around where you name 15 movies that influenced your life, and you are only supposed to take 15 minutes to think about it.  I followed those directions, but then decided to turn it into a blog and elaborate on the when and why of each of them.  Excellent blog fodder, and I have a need to write these days.  Instead of nominating 15 people, which is the last thing to do, I am just going to encourage anyone reading to think about the movies they love, and how they have influenced their life.

(The Brown Eyed Man is going to say "Joe VS The Volcano".  I'm publicly apologizing for bashing your movie. ♥)

So here we go!  (These are also put in chronological order as to when in my life I saw them.)

BAMBI:  My Mom took me to see it when I was four.  I cried at the theater because Bambi's Mom died.  I cried on the way home, after we got home, and for several days.  I begged my Mom to take me back to see it again, and she flat out lied and said it was gone.  I must not have bought it, because I asked my Aunt Pat, who also fibbed. (dang Disney movies)

WIZARD OF OZ:  Apart from just loving this movie, it has made it's way though my whole life.  When I was a kid I would look forward to it coming on TV each year.  It was usually on at Easter time, and we would watch it at Aunt Mary's after dinner. One year I had to stay home with Dad and watch, because I had the chicken pox.  My own (Aunt) Dorothy has a birthday right around the time they usually showed it.  We sang all of the songs in a choral group I belonged to in grade school at St. Francis, (Seeway Songsters) and then of course I have watched it numerous times with my Goovers.  Especially the oldest one, it was the only acceptable sleepover movie for many years.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC:  I just love it.  We always watched it as a family when I was a kid.  It hit home on a bunch of levels.  My Mom had been a nun, we were Catholic, I wanted to be a nanny (check!).  I love the music, know all the words to all the songs, and have read the book.  We also sang the songs from this movie in our singing group at St. Francis.

GREASE:  Summer 1978:  I went to see this with my friend Laura and her older sisters.  I didn't understand half of the innuendo, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with the movie, and the music!  Shortly afterwards (Sept) I received the album (it was a double album) for my birthday!  My folks could not have bought me a better gift that year!

THE EXORCIST:  I am not making this up.  In eighth grade religion class, at Cathedral Jr. High, the PRIEST formerly known at FATHER (pedophile who is actually defrocked and in jail) showed this to us.  Scared the hell right out of me, and to this day I freak out just thinking about it. (plus a few other things)

GONE WITH THE WIND:  Somewhere in my high school years I discovered this movie.  I have also read, and re-read the book several times.  By best childhood/forever friend Vicki also loves it, so we have spent many hours watching it, and have even played the board game!  (She is a little obsessed.......)

THE PRINCESS BRIDE:  This is by far my favorite movie.  I think mostly because my youngest brother likes it too, and we would watch it together going line for line.  Wuv, twu, wuv..........  Inconceivable!  I watch it every chance I get.

THE QUIET MAN:  I discovered this movie St. Patrick's Day 1998.  I remember, because I was a nanny then.  My all time favorite "romantic comedy".  "It's only a good stretch of the legs."  I love John Wayne, probably because I always thought my Uncle Clate, whom I loved dearly, looked like him. ;)  I watch it every year on St. Patty's day!

STEEL MAGNOLIAS:  I saw this with Vicki and Kate (my sister) when it came out in 1998.  We went to the theater right after I got some devastating relationship news.  Seeing that movie with so many strong women in it was an inspiration.  I ended that relationship once and for all, and never looked back.

LITTLE WOMEN:  The movie came out in '94 but for whatever reason I didn't come across it until a bit later.  I love the book, and am currently re-reading it.  This is my favorite movie to put in when I'm not feeling well.  Plus, I love the characters, especially Wynona Ryder at "Jo".

FORREST GUMP:  This is another movie that I don't recall seeing in the theater.  I have watched it numerous times, and I love all the advice from his Mama.  Stupid really is as stupid does.

YOU'VE GOT MAIL:  Or I could have said Sleepless in Seattle.  I just love Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together!  (Except in Joe Vs the Volcano............sorry sweetie.)

CHOCOLATE:  The movie is about a woman who dances to her own tune and runs her life according to her guidelines, and no one else.  Plus there's Johnny Depp........

EMPIRE RECORDS:  Another one that I found much later than it's release date.  The Brown Eyed Man introduced me to this one. ♥  I always think of it as "our" movie.

LIFE OF PI:  When this movie ended I felt like there was a rock sitting on my chest.  I don't think I care to ever watch it again, but it profoundly affected me, and prompted me to make some big changes in my life.

So there's 15!  I almost forgot The Sound of Music.  Someone would have caught it I'm sure, because if you know me, you know that I love this movie!  ♫ The hills are alive......♫

Gardens

I had some lofty goals this spring, all of which I think we have achieved!  Except for the fact that the vegetable garden is the single worst garden I've ever had in my life.  Blah.  Very disappointing.  We will be adding some good stuff to the soil, and crossing our fingers for next year.  Hopefully Mother Nature will do her part too.

We did have a good crop of green onion, but they never got very big, and now we are finally enjoying fresh cukes!  The Brown Eyed Man was able to have a couple of meals with fresh beans, and he and I enjoyed a lot of peas as snacks right off the vine.  I already know that next year we will be putting in some trellis and doing pole beans/peas.  Out of all the zuccini and summer squash I planted, ONE plant grew.  It's huge, and has flowers.  If the fall is kind maybe I will get one or two. 

About a month ago the first tomato appeared, and I have watched it daily.  I went to pick it to eat two days ago, and something had bored a hole in it.  #@$%#   I will pick the rest when they are just starting to ripen and put them on the sill. 

This is my new pet.  He is a toad.  I call him HEART ATTACK because that's what happens when I come upon him amongst the cukes. 

This weekends project was to get some cement blocks and put some definition to the top part of my flower garden.

Right before we started working.

Finished view from the top.

 I don't know if I blogged about this before, but we have had some disagreements about how this garden was going to go.  When it was starting to take shape The Brown Eyed Man realized with glee that it would look like a punisher skull if you flew over in a plane.  He calls it the "Punisher Garden", and I call it the "Punish Her" garden.  It has been neat to work on this big project together, even though we don't always see eye to eye on it.

Here you can kind of see how it goes downhill.

The other awesome part about this project was that many of the perennials have been given to us by friends and family!  I am the type of person who will always remember where something came from, so I enjoy looking at the plants for that reason too. 

So obviously he got his way regarding the shape of the garden.  We are NOT, however, planting certain things to look like eyes, nose, etc.  I'm excited for next year when all of the things we've transplanted from other places will really grow up to show how big they can be!  Then I will just fill in with annuals to keep out the weeds.  We do still purposely have some  weeds wild fowers in the garden, because I like them.  Fire weed is even pretty when it blooms.  (freakin fire weed.....)  I would like to think I've gotten rid of all of that, but I know better.