It's Monday... and time for

Monday Madness

1. Name 1 comedy movie you've seen.
The Oddfellows - with Walter Mathau

2. Name 2 black and white films you remember seeing.
When I was a kid most movies were in black & white! The ones I remember most starred Humphrey Bogart, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans... and on and on.... titles? Hmmmmm!

3. Name 3 dramas you thought were worth watching.
On Golden Pond... The Bridges of Madison County... hmmm. Actually this is tougher than I expected... I guess I don't watch many movies.

4. Name 4 television shows you watch on a regular (or semi-regular) basis.
Survivor... Grey's Anatomy... Restless Housewives... Boston Legal (not necessarily in order of preference.) Okay, I'm a couch potato.

5. Name 5 things that, in your opinion, are advertised on television too frequently.
If I name them I'll get spammed with undesirable comments, etc. but will try to get around that with other words. Items that enhance s**ual performance... class action lawyers... prescription drugs... loan companies... overpriced kitchen gadgets.

Happy Halloween! Don't forget to read my entry from last night... just below this one. Boo!

Happy Hallowe-e-e-e-e-en!!!

OttO and I went to the Dow Gardens yesterday! You have no idea how much this meant to me. This was the sort of trip I've been missing out on since my life has changed. It's like... you don't like to go alone, you know? The day was perfect... lots of sunshine and almost no wind whatsoever! A light weight sweatshirt was almost more than I needed for the temperature.

Nat & I both got lots of great shots and I might share more of them later, but I had to share the frazzled jack-o-lantern with you first. We noticed him sitting next to a computer monitor when we were on our way out at closing time. The young man at the desk turned the light back on so we could get a better photo. Ya know, now that I think about it... every person I've ever met at the Dow Gardens is just darn good people!


Have a lovely - - Halloween!!! Heee-heee-heeee!

Sad but true...

Nutcases on the internet are invading our blogs now! I've already blocked comments on one of my blogs because of so much spam in the comments section! Are they working on our Hello photo input now? Trying to upload a photo from Hello - I received the message:

Error:com.google.blogger.exceptions.RateLimitingException: For
anti-spam verification purposes, please login to Blogger.com and create a post
on your blog. You will need to solve a CAPT

Well here's the photo I wanted to share. It's a picture of my view from the kitchen window. Isn't it beautiful? How could anybody have a bad day with beauty like this right in their own backyard?

I was able to share my photo by using the 'compose' mode of blogger. I actually like Hello better only because it frames the photo for you... which does add a nice touch.

I accidentally erased part of that quote above but what it means is you have to type in characters seen in a picture before you can publish to your web. I guess many of today's kids have more time than they have brains because they sure like to cause havoc for no apparent reason on the internet. Bye for now... I may try again later!

Warm is a good thing...

...and I'm warm!
What a difference a day makes. The guys from Answer Heating and Cooling showed up bright & early yesterday, promptly at 8:00 a.m. while I was still having my morning coffee.

Replacing a boiler that was in place since late 1960 takes more talent and determination than just plain ol' installing a new one... and these guys are wonderful! What a team. Answer depends on referrals for their business and they deserve your business! When I told the sales manager I had no heat at all - just a little portable electric - he made sure I would not have to wait. Now I can get back to the business of living instead of spending my time keeping warm!

What's happening? I'm back to working with my friends on the 'homeowners fairness' legislation. I guess I'm now included in the class action suit with the litigious weirdos that love to sport their skull & crossbones t-shirts and signs. I have my own version of their sign. I created this version based on observation of the species... Lone Tree Council.

These people are complaining about the vague possibility of minute amounts of a dangerous chemical existing in their yards because of historical and archaic manufacturing methods. The company they (I guess I mean we, although against my will) are suing discovered the means for even measuring down to quantities in parts per trillion... and cleaned up their act long ago. I have personally observed two female members of the original 7 litigants, after a performance they put on for the news media, purposely ingesting large known quantities of that and other chemicals even more dangerous to their health. Right! They were having a cigarette!

What else is happening? I'm planning for getting my cell phone replaced... still an active member of two computer clubs... currently planning for a big Thanksgiving feast to include all of my wonderful big family who can possibly fit it into their busy schedules. Let me know, people!

Daisy Mae was missing this morning...

when I woke up she was nowhere to be seen. I called her; she didn't come. She is usually either sleeping on a rug in the bathroom or on her tower. Why should I worry so for a cat? I don't know but I certainly was relieved when she meandered into the room after I had my breakfast!

I had to cancel my Sprint cellphone service today. The phone was messed up after a power outage on Friday. I was charging the phone at the time... the outage was erratically off and on for a very short time but that's all it took.

I've been looking at changing over to something less expensive anyway since I hardly ever use the cell but it sure gives me a feeling of security when out and about. I've been reading about prepaid cell phone service at CNet and so far it looks like Sprint's 'sister company' Virgin Mobile offers me what I want.

Hopefully I can quit carrying my little electric heater around with me tomorrow. The crew is scheduled to arrive at 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. to install the new boiler for my heating system. It's a Lennox so it's got to be good, right?

Now for a bit of Monday Madness...
1. diamonds or pearls? I wear a diamond ring but am really a simple daisies and costume jewelry sort of woman.
2. paperback or hardcover books? Paperback - easier to share instead of accumulating.
3. carpet or hardwood floors? Carpet!!! I've had both and carpet is easier.
4. dogs or cats? Cats! I like dogs too but cats are easier to care for.
5. fluffy or firm pillow? Firmly fluffy???
6. fine point or medium point pens? Fine point.
7. clocks a little fast or on time? I try for on time.
8. mahjong or spider solitaire (or other)? Spider!
9. wall calendar or desk calendar? Both plus my Yahoo calendar.
10. 'Survivor' or 'The Amazing Race?' Survivor!!!

View from my window...

Hello Moon!

Am I really seeing the actual variations on the moon - the plateaus and valleys? I took this photo last night while watching television. I would have shown Frank the picture and asked him that question. He would have had an answer.

No I am not sad just... empty, sort of. I told my friend Mary that I did all my crying the first day... and the screaming. Now I am, if not content, at least reconciled to my new phase of life. Mary said perhaps I feel this way because Frank & I had such a close and positive relationship... not that we were always happy, but because we were good friends.

Now for a bit of Monday Madness

Which one?
1. Lemonade or Iced Tea? Iced Tea - Bigelow green tea with lemon or mint are my favorites, but I like an occasional Crystal Light Lemondade, yellow or pink!

2. DVD or VHS? Sadly... I don't yet know how to use either my DVD player or the VCR!!!

3. Gold or Silver? I like silver but it tarnishes. My wedding ring is white gold.

4. Baseball or Tennis? I understand the rules of baseball & played in the street as a kid, so I guess baseball is my answer. The sound of a baseball game being broadcast on the radio makes me nostalgic.

5. Spring or Autumn? Spring brings rebirth and freshens the earth... Spring!!!

6. Diet or Regular? Diet... I've grown to prefer the taste. Sugar is too sweet.

7. Hearts or Stars? Doodling, I tend to draw stars more than hearts.

8. Snail Mail or Email? I like the nowness of email!!! Being a procrastinator, snail mail just doesn't happen with me.

9. Shop: Online or In-Store? I don't like shopping but in-store works best for me. I like to really SEE what I'm buying.

10. Credit Card or Check? Credit card - I only use credit cards that give me money back and always pay them off each month. If I can't afford to do that, I don't buy it. The exception is the offer 1 year same as cash or whatever time period. In that case, if I can afford it, I figure out how much my monthly payments are and have it paid off in the timeframe allowed. Why? ...because I was a credit card junky when my kids were very small! I will not let myself go there again.

Frost Predicted for Tonight in Mid-Michigan

Weather guy is gleefully predicting our weather will reach the freezing point tonight. I've brought in some of my geraniums... they look beautiful inside & add that special touch of color all winter! I just have to remember not to overwater them. It's easy to keep them in a bright place because my home has lots of windows.

I might bring in a couple more plants today and must transplant the sage into the ground. It won't survive winter inside or in the planter box where it resided all summer. The sage is wonderful! I clip and wash a few leaves and tuck them under the skin of my Thanksgiving turkey for a special aroma and flavor! I also use some to rub the inside of ol' Tom, along with some garlic, then throw a few pieces of onion and celery in there. No, I don't stuff it because most of my family likes the dressing a bit crisp so I bake the 'stuffing' in flat baking dishes alongside the bird.

My little $20 electric heater is keeping me warm. I carry it to the bedroom at night and into the living area in the daytime. Getting a second estimate for new furnace - a hot water system boiler - Tuesday next week. I hope they move fast after my decision... or I'll need to buy a second little heater!