Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Day Three Hundred Thirty Four 2010

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
~~Elizabeth Coatsworth




Goodbye, November. Fall is nearly gone. Winter is three weeks away. Time to fatten up and hibernate.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Day Three Hundred Thirty Three 2010


Here's a blast from the past around this time three years ago. Grandson Elijah, who was fifteen months old at the time, was all decked out in his Big Orange outfit, raking leaves in my front yard. Time is flying!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Day Three Hundred Thirty Two 2010


Neil and I trekked out to the Christmas tree farm today in search of a Christmas tree. This literally was the first tree we saw and we both liked it a lot. It's a Fraser fir, which is a departure for us from the white pine we usually cut. You can see Neil standing behind the tree. He's 5'8", so that gives you a good idea how tall this tree is. We have a 9.5 foot ceiling in our living room. I just hope we don't have to cut the top of the tree off. That would just be sad. We're thinking of stringing the vintage fat colored lights this time, but we may look into the LED versions, which I know just won't be the same. Stay tuned.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Day Three Hundred Thirty 2010


I got to spend a couple of quality hours with some quality peeps this afternoon at our coffeehouse hangout of choice, Poet's On The Square, right here in downtown Cookeville. From left to right: my sister Jane Foy, daughter Kelly Kimbrough, son in law Kerry Kimbrough, grand daughter Shelby Myers, niece Julia Foy, niece Sarah Foy, and daughter Holly Myers. We enjoyed tasty beverages--some steaming hot, some frosty cold--and lots of laughter and discussions on a variety of interesting topics. We are such a cerebral group. No, really. Good times, always!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Nine 2010

BLESSED!





"I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.
I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams, sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.
I'm full of tomatoes and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more."
~~Jack Prelutsky, I Ate Too Much
*******************************
I always thank God for my family--my loved ones--because they are my greatest blessing here on this earth. My sister Jane and her family hosted our Thanksgiving dinner this year. We enjoyed a totally fabulous meal, a game of Apples To Apples, lots of football, laughing and pigging out on decadent desserts. Those of us who could be together this year:
My mom, Hamp Mabry
My sister and brother in law, Jane and Don Foy, and my nieces Sarah and Julia Foy
My sister and brother in law, Ann and Terry Sissom
My late brother Robert's son, Alex Mabry
My daughter and son in law, Kelly and Kerry Kimbrough
My daughter and son in law, Holly and Jerry Myers, and my grandkids Shelby and Elijah Myers
And of course my hubby Neil and moi
I love you all! God is so good!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Eight 2010


Grand kids Shelby and Elijah and I went to see Disney's 'Tangled' today. It's basically the story of Rapunzel (as in "Let down your hair"). This is Disney's 50th animated film. Shelby and I have decided that it is now our favorite Disney movie. It is so charming, sweet, funny and sad. We loved it! Elijah, on the other hand, spent most of the movie squirming in his seat, asking now and then, "Is it over?" He did laugh at certain things in the movie, but this one just wasn't for him. Shelby and I highly recommend it. 'Tangled' is good clean fun and totally entertaining.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Seven 2010

"I am a big, fat turkey
You can't have my head.
I'll sit with you at dinner.
We'll eat a duck instead!"
~Turkey~Anonymous

Grandson Elijah crafted this pine cone turkey at school. Suitable to use as a centerpiece for a Thanksgiving feast. He enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner today--turkey, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese--and said he's ready to have Thanksgiving dinner again. I'm looking forward to T-Day myself!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Here are a few fun turkey facts:
Turkey is the only native poultry breed of the Western Hemisphere.
Turkeys have great hearing skills but no ears.
Turkeys can see in colors, have excellent visual acuity and their field of vision spans across about 270 degrees.
Turkeys have poor sense of smell but great sense of taste.
Wild turkeys can fly at a speed of as much as 55 miles per hour over short distances and are good runners with a speed of about 25 miles per hour.
Turkeys are so sensitive that they can drown by looking up while it is raining and can have heart attacks due to sudden shocks.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Six 2010


This might have been a cool shot if only I'd had my fish eye lens centered on my cell phone camera lens. I'll get it right one of these days. Beautiful day, by the way. I wish I had spent more time outside.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Five 2010


This gigantic reindeer was for sale at Santa's Workshop craft show this weekend. I asked hubby Neil to stand beside it just to show some perspective. It was truly large. I'm guessing whoever sells these reindeer delivers it to your house and puts it together somewhere in your yard. After that, I'm guessing you're on your own as to what to do with it after Christmas is all over with. Taking that thing apart and storing it would be a pretty tall order.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Four 2010


What a gorgeous day to sit out on the patio at Starbuck's with daughter Kelly, who treated me to a Caramel Brulee Latte, a most delicious and decadent holiday treat. It's always a sweet treat to hang out with Kelly. Thanks for the latte! Love you!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Three 2010

The Last Hurrah





Granny's little turkeys had some fun jumping into a small pile of damp leaves this afternoon out in the back yard. Sadly, the last leaf hurrah of the season. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm sure these two are already looking forward to that first snowball fight this winter. Happy TGIF, everyone!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty Two 2010


"Nature is, above all, profligate. Don't believe them when they tell you how economical and thrifty nature is, whose leaves return to the soil. Wouldn't it be cheaper to leave them on the trees in the first place?"
~~Annie Dillard

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twenty One 2010


Grand daughter Shelby spent her time this afternoon cleaning out her school work folder and doing homework instead of watching TV. Her choice. Big spelling test tomorrow. Way to go, Shelby!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Day Three Hundred Nineteen 2010


"The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.
The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.
And yet the world,
In its distress,
Displays a certain
Loveliness"
~~John Updike, A Child's Calendar

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Day Three Hundred Eighteen 2010

Blast From The Past ~ November 18, 2006

Grandson Elijah had just turned 3 months old and was stylin in somebody's hat and a reindeer shirt during a visit to Aunt Kelly's house. This picture always makes me smile.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Day Three Hundred Seventeen 2010

Leap!
"I love the leaves
I do not know why.
Is it their colors?
Or how they fly?
They crunch
And crinkle
Under my feet;
I pile them up
And take a leap."
~~Beth Paulsen





















Friday, November 12, 2010

Day Three Hundred Sixteen 2010

Happy 34TH Birthday, Kelly!

November 12, 1976, God blessed us with our first daughter, Kelly. Today we celebrated her 34Th birthday with lots of family, food, cake, ice cream, punch and laughter.

The past thirty four years have flown by so fast, as the years always do. Your dad and I are so proud to have you for our daughter. You have always been a great blessing in our lives. Wishing you every good thing today and always. We love you so much! Happy Birthday!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Day Three Hundred Fifteen 2010

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE ~ THANK YOU!


"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields."
~~ Colonel John McRae, In Flanders Fields November 11th - Veteran's Day in America, Armistice Day, 1918, Remembered

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Day Three Hundred Fourteen 2010

Let Me In

Buddy Cat thinks I'm in the house and is waiting for me to let him inside. Little does he know I'm right behind him, taking his picture. Silly kitty. I'm still trying to get the hang of my little fish eye lens for my cell phone camera. Middle of the week. Aren't you glad we're on the downhill slide to Friday?

Monday, November 8, 2010

Day Three Hundred Twelve 2010

Monday Again

I just might be the only person on the planet who wore plaid shoes today and took a picture of it with a fish eye lens on a cell phone camera. I hope my hips don't really look that wide! A picture a day for a year is not easy. Just saying.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Day Three Hundred Eleven 2010

I Once Was Lost ...

Six months ago, back in May of this year, someone left a 'lost dog' flyer in our mailbox. His name was Aldo, a white lab mix, very friendly the flyer said. His owners missed him very much. There was a picture of Aldo, sweet looking dog, and I felt sorry for the owners, because I know what it's like to have a beloved pet go missing. I kept the flyer on my fridge for several weeks, then I took it down and put it in a kitchen drawer--just in case. Last night I found the flyer in the drawer. I took it out and laid it on the counter, thinking I need to just throw it away now.
Today, I finally did toss it into the trashcan, thinking I sure hope they got him back. No sooner had I done that, I heard a dog barking in the back yard. I looked outside and saw this white lab, barking like crazy at our Buddy Cat who scurried inside the open door. I could not believe it. I got the flyer out of the trash and went outside where the dog came trotting up to me, and I said, "Are you Aldo?" It had to be. He was very friendly, so he let Neil check his bone-shaped dog tag and sure enough the name on the tag was 'Aldo' with the same phone number as on the flyer.
Neil tied Aldo on a long rope and we called the owner and left a message. She came by later this afternoon to pick him up. As it turns out, Aldo had not been missing since May. They did get him back eventually. But it seems Aldo is quite the escape artist and has been lost and found several times over the past six months. He had been missing for a day this time. He lives on our street about a half a mile from our house. I do hope Aldo stays put this time. I fear for his safety. Our street is heavily traveled. But if he does show up at our back door again, at least we can take him safely back home.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Day Three Hundred Ten 2010

Fish Eye

I ordered some lenses for my cell phone camera. I know that sounds crazy. I certainly never had heard of such a thing, but Photojojo--a web site that is all things photography--has them. I got a fish eye, macro, and wide angle lens.

These tiny lenses stick over the regular lens of a cell phone camera.

I took this pic of my rings with the macro lens. Not too shabby for a little cell phone camera. The link for Photojojo is http://www.photojojo.com/ if you're into unusual camera accessories and photography tips. Fun stuff.