Dancing With Daisy

An Evening of Music

2012-02-01T23:26:00.000-05:00

We went to another concert in our local Community Concert Association series last night. The performer was the very talented guitarist Edgar Cruz. Although he is the son of a Mariachi guitarist with his roots in Latin music, he also plays classical, rock, jazz, romantic ballads, big band songs, and original compositions.

On the right in the photo below is the program from the concert. On the left is a music CD we bought at the concert. He has numerous CDs available, and it was difficult deciding which one to buy.

The concert was fantastic and Cruz was very entertaining. His music was beautiful and varied. He had something in his repertoire for everyone. He also told interesting and funny stories.

His father was a professional mariachi guitarist, and he chose to follow in his footsteps musically. When he told his father that he wanted to do this, his father said, "Do you know the difference between a big old plate of fajitas and a professional guitarist?"

When Cruz said, "No."

His father said, "A big old plate of fajitas can feed a family of four."

One of the songs that he performed was called Sadie Suite. It was a very pretty song that he wrote for his daughter. You can listen to it in this video if you like. I really enjoyed it.

He told this story about his daughter from when she was quite young.

He said that their family cat died.

His daughter asked her mother, "Why did our cat die?"

Cruz's wife said, "Maybe God wanted to have another cat in heaven."

Their daughter then said, "What's God going to do with a dead cat?!"

Although most people play guitar with a pick, Edgar told the audience that he plays with his fingers. Once a month he gets acrylic nails applied so that he can use the nails as picks to play the guitar. That way he can play with all five of his fingers instead of just with one pick. Believe me, he was using all of his fingers to play last night. His music was amazing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert from beginning to end. My favorite part of the concert was when he played a medley of classical songs. I didn't take my camera to the concert, but here is the classical medley that he performed in a video from Youtube. The songs in the medley are listed below the video.

1. Greensleeves

2. Fur Elise

3. Moonlight Sonata

4. Ode to Joy

5. Canon in D

6. Jesu, Ode to a Man's Desiring

7. Carol of the Bells

8. Hall of the Mountain King

9. William Tell Overture

Remembering My Mom (Truly Grateful Series)

2012-01-29T23:14:00.000-05:00

I love this picture of my Mom. You may not be able to see it, but she is holding a picture of my Dad in her hand. She had one of her sisters take this picture of her holding my Dad's picture so she could send it to my Dad overseas. He was stationed in Germany at the time serving in the Air Force during the Korean war. They were engaged and planned to get married when he returned home, which they did.

This is another one of my favorite photos. This is of my Dad and Mom a few months after they were married. They look so young and happy and in love in this photo.

It's been a year since my Mom died. I miss her very much. Yet, as much as I miss her, I still feel like she is with me all the time. It's a good feeling. Scattered in various places in my home are things that once belonged to her. They are simple things like a white candy dish with flowers etched into the glass, another little dish (or maybe it's a planter?) that is shaped like a pug nose dog looking out of his dog house, and a pair of blue ceramic baby booties. Just a few simple knickknacks here and there that seemed to be her favorites and that now grace areas of my home and remind me of her.

From where I am sitting right now, I can see three afghans that she made for me draped across the couch. In other rooms of my house are four or five others. She was a very talented crocheter and knitter. She could create amazing things with a needle or hook and a skein of yarn. She was also an excellent cook and baker. She took great pleasure in doing for others whether it was crocheting an afghan to keep them warm or making a home-cooked meal for them or baking them cookies. My sons always distinguished her from their other grandmothers when they were little as the "cookie grandma."

So when I wrap up in one of her afghans on a chilly evening or use one of her recipes to make something for my family, I feel her presence too. My cooking and baking never taste quite as good to me as hers always did, but I do try.

She really does seem to be with me everywhere. I look down at my hands and see my mother's hands, for they look so much like hers did. I hear an old song on the radio, and in my head, I can see her in the kitchen of my childhood home stirring homemade chocolate pudding on the stove and singing along softly to that very same song. In church I think of her often and remember all the times I sat next to her in the church pews of my childhood. When I am struggling with a problem or trying to make a decision about something, I can remember bits of wisdom that she passed on to me through the years, and it is almost as if she is with me helping me figure out what I should do next.

She was a patient, generous, kind, and wise woman. I am so very grateful to have had her as my mother. I don't remember a single moment in my life when I didn't feel loved and cared for by my Mom. She was a light in my life that was always shining, showing me the way, and keeping me safe. She was a gift and a blessing to me during all of her days on earth. I miss her very much, but I am so very glad to have been her daughter. I'm very glad for all the wonderful memories I have of time that we spent together. I am grateful to her knowing that I am who I am because she was who she was, and she was someone who was very special indeed.

Lord, for the generous, kind, and caring mother that you gave me, for all the love she shared with me, and for all the wonderful memories I have of her, please help me to be truly grateful.

Some Enchanted Evening...

2012-01-26T07:42:00.000-05:00

Thirty-two years ago TODAY, I met this handsome fellow! Six years later in July of 1985, we were married, and we've been together ever since. This picture was taken at my brother's wedding which was one month before our own wedding. (I was a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding which explains the quirky little hat I'm wearing.)

So I'm 52 years old now and have been married for 26 of those years. I've been married now the same length of time I was single! I'm very lucky to have him, and he's a saint for putting up with my craziness all these years.

An Update On My Previous Post and a Surprise From My Co-Workers

2012-01-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

I wanted to do a short follow-up to my last post in which I mentioned touring the candy company and watching candy canes being made. I was asked in the comments why I didn't take any pictures inside the factory.

I wasn't allowed to take any pictures while in the factory, but I thought some of you might enjoy seeing this video I found on Youtube which shows how they make the candy canes there. This is just what it looked like inside the factory.

* * * * *

Two of my coworkers at the library decided to do something special for the rest of the staff this week to give us all a laugh and boost our morale a little as we struggle to get through the cold and snowy days of January. Together they made each of us our very own dammit doll. What's a dammit doll, you may be asking. Well, this is the dammit doll they made for me.

It's supposed to look like me. I don't know. Do you think it looks like me? Hahaha! Here's a closer look at the face.

Along with the doll, we were all given a copy of this poem which explains just what a dammit doll is:

When you want to climb the wall,

And stand right up and shout.

Here's a little Dammit doll

You cannot do without.

Just grasp it firmly by the legs,

And find a place to slam it.

And as you whack the stuffing out

Yell Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!

If Dammit's not a word you say

Then twist its little neck

And grumble out repeatedly

Oh Heck, Oh Heck, Oh Heck!

Now whether or not this doll really looks like me remains up for debate, but I thought you might get a kick out of seeing all the dolls that were made for our staff at the library. Each one was individualized with special details to try and make it look like the person it was being given to. You can see we have quite a variety of people working at my library. Although I'm not sure who all the dolls represent, some of them are very easy to see who they are supposed to be if you know the people I work with. My doll is in the back row second from the right side. We're quite a bunch of characters, don't you think?!

Speakers, Soup and Sandwich, Suckers and Swag

2012-01-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

Those who have been reading this blog for a while know that I have been taking a leadership class the past few months through our local Chamber of Commerce Office. Our class met again this week and our topic was the "Business of Business." We spent the morning in the Chamber Office listening to speakers from local area businesses talking about what all is involved in trying to start and run a business. We then had lunch at a local soup and sandwich restaurant while listening to another speaker talk about how to start a small business.

After lunch we toured two of the larger companies in my town. One was a plastic molding company which makes plastic boxes to hold electrical wires and other such components and the other, one of the best known businesses here, was the Spangler Candy Company. Spangler Candy Company makes candy canes, marshmallow Circus Peanuts, Saf-t-pops, and perhaps their best known product, Dum Dum Pops suckers. This tour was the best part of the day, of course. (It's hard to compete with a tour through a candy factory!) I actually have toured this company before, but it was several years ago.

It was fun to watch as the huge machines stretched and pulled the sugar and corn syrup mixture as flavorings and colors were added to make candy canes and suckers. There were workers there to run the machines, of course, but much of the process was mechanized. We watched from beginning to end with the candy canes as the candy was first mixed and pulled, then two men hand pulled and shaped some of the candy to make the stripes for the cane, which was followed by the striped lump being stretched and pulled and twisted through a machine until it was thin enough to be a candy cane. The confection was then cut and crooked into a cane, wrapped in plastic, and packed into boxes. It was fascinating to watch, but the machines were quite noisy, and the air was filled with the super sweet smell of the candy being made, almost to the point that it got a little overwhelming at times. I really enjoyed the tour, though.

Before we left the candy company, we were each given a black t-shirt like the one below. Mona Lisa holding a Dum Dum Pop sucker is on the front as you can see. She is thinking about Dum Dum Pop suckers which we are led to believe is the cause of her famous smile.

The back of the t-shirt looked like this.

We were also each given a bag of Dum Dum Pops to take home with us.

After the tours, we returned to the Chamber Office to talk more about what our community service project is going to be and to make plans for our next meeting. Once again, it was a long and busy day, but it went well, and we learned quite a bit.

Fresh Start

2012-01-17T08:21:00.001-05:00

Fresh Start

I knew you would be too busy

to see the colors of the morning sun,

so I got up early and caught them for you,

so you could see how the day had begun.

And now I give you this new beginning,

a clean slate, this morning sky,

to use when you need a fresh start:

another chance, another try.

Because we all need a do-over

every now and again

when hindsight shows us where we are,

where we could be, and where we've been.

Take a deep breath

and start anew,

with glowing colors and light.

Spread your efforts across the sky.

Share them with those

who flee the night.

No Excuses. It's Time.

2012-01-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you can accomplish things on your own, and sometimes you can do much better when you have the help of friends. Sometimes you don't realize how MUCH you need the help of friends until the help has arrived, and suddenly you see how much better things are. This has been my situation of late.

Like many others in my age group, I have gained weight that I don't need. I am tired of weighing more than I should. I'm tired of being tired all the time. I'm tired of my clothes not fitting the way they should. I'm tired of all sorts of things that come with being heavier than I should be. I have decided it is time to take some action. What is amazing to me is that about the same time I was reaching this decision, one of my co-workers also reached this decision for herself. She decided to start an exercise group at the library for herself and any of the staff who wanted to join in with her.

The exercise group meets after work for half an hour four days a week. Staffers are invited to join in for any or all of those four days. We meet in the conference room of the library and exercise to the Leslie Sansone DVD you see pictured here. It is a walking exercise plan, and it is easy enough for just about anyone to do. We have been doing the 2-mile exercise plan, but there is also a 1-mile plan for those who need to ease into it. She has several other DVDs too which you can see at the link from her name if anyone wants to try something different.

Although not everyone takes advantage of the class, we have several regulars and several others who come to it part of the time. We just follow the exercises from the DVD, so the only cost to us being in the class is our time while we are there. You can't beat free! For those exercising alone at home, even the price of the DVD is probably affordable to most.

The "walking" combines walking or marching in place with side steps, front kicks, knee lifts, and heel lifts to the back and various combinations of these moves. Arm movements are also added in for part of the class. You can add weights to the plan too if you wish as you grow stronger and need to increase the intensity of your workout.

My co-worker decided to call our little after work exercise group F.L.A.B. (Friendly Librarians Against the Blahs). Ha-ha! That's probably not the name I would have chosen, but it is what it is. We have been exercising for two weeks now. Not long, I know, but we have been having fun. It really does make a difference when you have someone else to do a workout with you. We are supportive of each other and encourage each other when we struggle.

The library director thinks our group is a great idea. So much so, in fact, that he is having an empty room in the basement of our building painted and converted into an exercise room just for us. Currently we use the conference room, which works fine except that tables and chairs have to be moved out of the way every time we exercise and then put back again when we are done. Having our own room will make it much easier to not have to rearrange the furniture every time we want to exercise. Also, currently the conference room is only available to us four days a week. Once we have our new exercise room in the basement, we will have access to it five days a week.

So my co-workers are some of the friends who are helping me with this new venture of mine. I have two blog friends who have recently blogged about weight loss and how they were able to set and reach goals. These two friends have also helped me decide that it is time to act and start taking better care of myself. No one can do it, but me, after all. Both Diana and Dorothy wrote what I thought were very inspiring blog posts to encourage others to set goals to improve their fitness and health by losing weight. Thank you to both of these ladies for their supportive words. You can click on their names to read how they lost weight.

Another friend of mine recently told me about a free weight loss website which has some tools on it to help you meet your weight loss goal. The site is called my fitness pal, and it provides a very handy calorie counter and tabulator along with several other tools to help you lose weight. It does all the math for you and remembers foods you eat frequently and even shows the break down of the food that you record each day in your personal log into calories, carbs, fat, and protein. It has a nutritional database that I find to be very easy to use. There are many other websites, of course, that can help you with weight loss if this one doesn't suit your needs. I like the way this one is set up, though, and I'm hoping it will help me to relearn what and how much I should be eating.

I debated about whether or not to blog about this, but I am hoping by writing about it that it will make me stick to my workout plan and continue to be conscious of what I am eating. I am hoping to report back here with the news that I've reached my goals in a few months. I also thought that, perhaps by writing about it here, that it might help others who struggle with their weight to get back in control of their lives. We will see whether or not I succeed. With the help of so many friends, I feel that I at least have a fighting chance.

So What's New With You?

2012-01-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

So what's new with you? Apparently, the biggest news around this town of mine lately is that the new Taco Bell has reopened. Pretty exciting stuff, don't you agree? What? You don't think that's exciting? Perhaps if you knew the whole story you'd understand why it is exciting.

Several months ago, they tore down the old Taco Bell. There wasn't anything wrong with it as far as I could tell, but they tore it down anyway.

They then began building a new, bigger and better Taco Bell in that very same spot. I have no idea why they didn't just put an addition on the old building, but I suppose they must have had their reasons. So Taco Bell has been gone from my town for several months now while the new building was being built.

They finally finished the new building, and about a week and a half ago, they reopened for business there. At meal times now, ever since it has reopened, long lines have been forming around the building. The parking lot is full. Cars fill the lane that goes by the drive through window and are backed out into the street blocking traffic. It has been this way every day! I am quite puzzled by this. They aren't having any special deals or prices.

And, it is not like we don't have other restaurants in town, because we do. We have many restaurants of all types including others that serve tacos and other Mexican fare. Have the people living here missed Taco Bell food so much that they can't stay away from it now? It's like the whole town is jonesing for a taco fix.

So, like I said, apparently this is pretty big news in my town. Now, do you see why it is so exciting? No? Well, I don't either (I was kind of hoping one of you could explain it to me), but there's no denying it has been a very popular place to go recently. I suppose eventually all the excitement will die down, and then we'll go back to being excited about the weather when it changes.

* * * * *
So what else is new, you ask. (The Taco Bell news wasn't enough? You want more? You're really a glutton for punishment, aren't you.) One thing that is new is I have a new passenger riding along in my car keeping me company now.

Yes, I do realize you are jealous and you wish that Darth Vader was riding along as co-pilot in your vehicle instead of mine, but what can I say---only a few are lucky like me. Why is Darth Vader riding shotgun in my car? Well, allow me to explain.

My older son was home for the holidays for nearly three weeks. He flew here, leaving his car in Florida, of course. While he was here, he borrowed my car several times. One of the times he borrowed my car, he went to a white elephant gift exchange with some of his friends. He came home with Darth Vader as the gift he received from the exchange. So ever since the gift exchange, Darth has taken up residence in the front seat of my car and has been going everywhere with me. My son left today flying back to Florida without Darth. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not that he left Darth behind (I'm thinking, yes, it probably was intentional. haha!), but in any case, Darth remains, waiting patiently in my car for our next car trip, wherever that may be.

* * * * *

My third bit of news... (Seriously, you are still here? After reading the first two parts of this post, you are still here reading? Bless your heart. You are indeed a dedicated blog post reader or a good friend of mine, or maybe just a little touched in the head. ).

Anyway, my third bit of news is that I have a new laptop computer. I am finally getting rid of the giant dinosaur desktop that I've been using for years now. As my younger son so quaintly put it, "Welcome to the world where everyone else lives, Mom."

I'm going to be transferring all my photos and documents from my dinosaur desktop to an external hard drive that is the size of a deck of cards and holds 1 TB of information. No, in this case, TB doesn't stand for tuberculosis or tablespoon. TB stands for Terabyte which is the equivalent of 1,000 gigabytes of storage. Those who have been reading this blog a while know that I sometimes get carried away when I take pictures. Now I will have a place to store all those pictures without slowing down my computer. I also have a new printer to go with my cute little laptop and deck of cards external hard drive. The printer also makes copies and scans documents and sends faxes. I think it might even walk the dog, fix dinner, and wash the dishes if I can figure out the right buttons to push!

* * * * *

Now you're up-to-date on what's new with me here. So tell me, is there anything new with you? If there is, you can tell me about it in the comments below.

While you do that, I think Darth and I will put my car into warp speed and head on over to get in line at the Taco Bell.

(In case you couldn't tell, and I'm sure that you could tell, the only photo in this post which is mine is the one of Darth sitting in my car. The rest came from elsewhere and were just added for comedic effect.)

January Has Arrived, Ready or Not

2012-01-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

My brother and his family came to visit us during the day on New Year's Eve. We took the opportunity to get a group shot since we had not taken one for a while. Sitting on the couch in the back from left to right are my three nephews, my two nieces, my sons, and my son's girlfriend.

In the front, sitting on the floor is my brother, me holding Max the poodle dog, and my husband. My sister-in-law is sitting on the chair at the far right side. It was a fun day, and it was so nice to have the chance to see them all.

(Max the poodle dog is giving my brother a stink eye look because just before the picture was snapped, my brother was teasing Max a little bit. Max thinks it is necessary to protect me from everyone, even family members. He will sit in my lap and growl at anyone who comes too close--doing his job to keep me safe--haha! My brother who knows this and finds it amusing, will come closer and closer to me intentionally trying to rile up the dog. Max was having none of it and feeling quite fierce on this particular day. My brother, of course, was not the least bit afraid of Max which infuriated Max all the more!)

This next picture is of just the "kids." I have to use the term "kids" loosely, I suppose. Actually, five of the eight are over 18 years old. Two more will be 18 within just a few months. The youngest is 16. So, although they will all always be "kids" to me, they are almost all adults.

1 2 3 4 5

I dug up this old picture of my nephews and nieces from a few years ago just for fun. I numbered under both pictures so you could tell who is who.

3 2 1 5 4

Some place I have a picture with all seven kids--my two boys and my brother's five children--sitting lined up on a couch when they were all babies and toddlers even younger than they are in the picture above. I looked but didn't find that picture this morning. It is not one I have in my computer files, which means it is tucked away in a photo album somewhere. I didn't want to take the time to go and find it for this post, so I thought I'd post the one of just my brother's children instead.

We had a nice visit. Although we got together on New Year's Eve day, we were actually celebrating a belated Christmas gift exchange. I made a big lunch for all of us including turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, corn casserole, broccoli stuffing, and pineapple mandarin salad. For dessert we had apple crumb pie, pumpkin pie, and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I didn't take pictures of the food, but it was well appreciated. The pies were store-bought rather than homemade to save myself some time and effort.

Although Christmas was sunny and without snow, snow has returned here. I wanted to post the next photos for Rad, who is a new visitor to my blog. He was wishing for snow, so I thought he might like to see these photos. This is how it looked when I first got up this morning. This was the view out the front picture window looking at my front yard and our street.

This was the view a little later this morning out that same window looking the other way down our street.

To get ready to go outside, I bundled up in a sweater, sweatshirt, and puffy winter coat so that I looked a little like the Michelin tire man...

and felt a bit like Randy from the movie "A Christmas Story."

(Also Rad, I hope you will notice I am wearing my new scarf I told you about. I tied it in the second style you showed on your video because I like to keep things very simple. haha! Generally, I am not a big fan of scarves because I don't like the way they feel tied around my neck, but I thought I'd give it a try. My hat and mittens will go on yet, too, before I head out doors.)

Are you wondering why I needed to be so bundled up? Well, because it has begun to snow again. This is how it looks outside my front window right now with the wind blowing and the snow coming down fast and furious.

This is the view from my side window. January is definitely here and announcing its presence quite clearly, whether I'm ready for it to be here or not.

Home for the Holidays

2011-12-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

Christmas was good at my house this year. The best part was that my older son who lives in Florida was able to make it home for the holidays. It's so nice to have him here for a little while. He's just waking up here, but he's wearing a smile.

That's Santa hanging from the light behind his head. It was a good vantage point for the jolly old elf to watch the Christmas morning festivities.

It was also nice to see the girlfriend of my younger son. She is home on break from college too.

Younger son's claims that he is now taller than his older brother had to be verified with a back to back measurement. Yes, it looks to me like he's ahead by about an inch now. The youngest in our family of four is now the tallest of us all. I am the shortest.

After our gift exchange and breakfast of cinnamon rolls as big as your head (that is not a saucer sized plate, that is a dinner plate!),

we were off to church service which included much singing and ended with a very enthusiastic rendition of "Joy to the World."

Then it was back home again for a big lunch followed with Christmas cookies for dessert.

After such a sweets-filled morning, husband and older son thought naps were in order. Younger son left with his girlfriend for some Christmas festivities with his girlfriend's family.

For me, it was time for a walk through the park. No white Christmas for us this year, which was quite OK by me. In fact, we not only had no snow on the ground, but we also had a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit and a bright, sunny day. This made for a good day to go for a walk for me (as long as I bundled up a little).

A few months ago, I passed one of these green signs in the park, and it was about "Respect." Now the signs have been changed. I still don't know who is putting up these signs, but I like them. The one I saw on my walk on Christmas Day was this one about "Gratitude." That seemed very appropriate on a day when so many gifts are given.

As you can see, Christmas Day brought a pretty blue sky and puffy white clouds. It was quite unusual for a day when ordinarily it is either snowing or gray and overcast. This is overlooking the elementary school from the walking path that runs through the park.

The walk in the fresh, cold air did me good. On my way home, I passed by this wreath hanging on a pole in the park. I liked the little wooden figure ornaments on it. I don't know why this wreath was in the park or who put it there. There weren't any other decorations around other than this one, so I was a little surprised to see it there. In any case, the whimsy of it made me smile.

We will be seeing extended family members later in the week including my husband's family and my brother and his family.

I hope you all had a nice Christmas. I am taking some vacation days this week from the library and have off now until after New Year's Day. I am looking forward to the time off while my sons are both home too.

Merry Christmas! (With a Little Help From My Son)

2011-12-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, the local high school orchestra performed their Christmas concert. My younger son plays the upright bass in the orchestra. As many of you know, that's him on the right.

I thought it would be appropriate to let his orchestra provide the music for my Christmas post on this blog. My son is standing in front on the right side of the stage, but he is in the shadows, and it is hard to see him there in the videos. The theater was packed the night of the concert, and we were sitting several rows back from the stage.

I hope you enjoy the music. My apologies, but my camera work was even shakier than usual at this concert, so it might be better to just listen instead of watching these. The first is "Troika" (also known as "Sleigh Ride").

This second video is a collection of German Christmas Carols. I'm sure you will recognize several of these.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Glimpse into Prison Life

2011-12-22T23:55:00.000-05:00

I went to jail this week.

No, I wasn't arrested. I'm just having a little fun with you with that silly picture. (It's a good thing, too, that I wasn't really in jail. I don't think that outfit I'm ~~photoshopped into~~"wearing" in that picture above is my best look.)

What really happened is that my leadership class met on Wednesday of this week and took a tour through our regional correctional center. Before I talk about that, though, let me tell you what else we did that day.

The Justice Department was the theme of our class this month. We met for breakfast at 7:30 in the morning and heard a presentation from the local police. Next we visited the Sheriff's Office and the local 911 dispatch office. We also toured the Municipal Court and the City Attorney's office. In the Municipal Court we were allowed to sit in the jury box and on the witness stand to see what it felt like (court wasn't in session, obviously). We also saw the room where the jury is sequestered when there is a jury trial going on.

One thing I thought was interesting was that above the door to the jury sequestering room were three light bulbs, one red, one green, and one yellow. When the red light is on, it means the jury is still deliberating and they shouldn't be disturbed. The green light means that the jury is done deliberating and ready to return to the courtroom. The yellow light means that the jury has a question or problem or needs some clarification on something from the judge.

The majority of the day, however, we spent touring the correctional facilities. (I wasn't able to take any pictures, of course, but if you click on that link, it will take you to the jail's website. There is a button there labeled "Virtual Tour" which will lead you to a Powerpoint slide show where you can see pictures of many of the things I'm going to write about here.)

Our tour began when we were picked up at the Sheriff's office in the correctional center's "paddy wagon" bus. There is a picture of the bus that we rode in that slide show at their site. It was a full-size bus, white with the prison name across the side of it in big letters. Inside the bus, between every group of four seats were metal sliding doors that could be closed and locked to section that area off from the rest of the bus.

When we reached the correctional center, we were told to hang our coats on the coat rack in the lobby and to leave all jewelry, purses, wallets, keys, cell phones, watches, and anything else we were carrying in the lockers they provided for us. We were instructed to wear a paper badge that said "Tour" on it. We had to walk through a metal detector to enter the main part of the jail. The commander who led our tour also explained that we were to stay in single file and walk on the right side of the corridors. He also told us what to do in case of an emergency or a disturbance. He explained about their alarm and intercom systems. Before we could go on this tour, we all had to sign a release form saying we wouldn't hold the center responsible if we suffered any injuries (including in the event of our death!) while we were there. So I was a little anxious listening to his instructions in case of an emergency.

The first thing we saw was the visitation area where the families of inmates could come to visit. It was a large room with a row of cubicles with chairs facing a windowed wall. On the other side of the windowed wall was another room where the inmates were brought for the visit. They could then talk to each other with the phones there. Because this facility houses both minimum security prisoners and maximum security inmates, there were also tables and chair in the room where prisoners who were a minimal risk could come and sit face to face with their loved ones.

You know how in the movies, you always hear the slam of those big metal doors in the prison scenes? That sound is something we heard over and over and over again. The prison is made up of many corridors and areas with a locked metal door at either end of each section. This is their way of isolating trouble should any occur. There were no barred cells anywhere that we saw. The cells were mostly small rooms with a thick glass window in a heavy metal door facing out into the corridor. The toilets and sinks in the cells were stainless steel with the sink directly above the toilet. They had one shower to be shared by a whole row of cells in the corridor. You can see some pictures of the corridors and rows of cells at their website.

We saw the booking area of the jail along with the holding cells for when the prisoners are first brought to the prison. They also showed us the padded cell for those with suicidal tendencies. The padded cell really was padded and didn't even have a toilet in it. There was nothing but an open drain in the floor in the padded room. They showed us the fingerprinting machine which is all digital and computerized, of course.

Next we saw a small closed off room where video conferencing could be done between the inmates and their lawyers or that could be used for arraignment and court appearances via video camera. This saves a great deal on the costs of transporting the inmates back and forth to the courts. This also is a convenience for the lawyers to save them travel time to and from the jail. Having the video conferencing system also lessens the opportunity for escapes during transport.

The inmates, both male and female, wore one-piece coveralls, not the black and white stripes like in the picture above. The severity of the crime or crimes they were being punished for determined the color of their coveralls. Yellow meant minimum security, blue was medium security, and red was maximum security. Clean sheets are issued to the inmates once a week, and a clean uniform is issued twice a week. They wore orange, rubber-looking, Crocs-type clogs on their feet.

The inmates could earn credits which could shorten their stay at the jail by working at a job while inside the center. Jobs they could do included doing the laundry, working in the kitchen, doing cleaning around the facility, and other options.

By the same token, for any infractions, the inmates would run the risk of losing their earned credits and could have various privileges (such as snacks or time in recreation, etc.) taken away from them. Troublemakers could find themselves serving time in isolation cells.

For each level of severity of crime from misdemeanors to felonies (everything from passing bad checks to murder and anything in-between), there were different cell areas with different types of security. Some of the perks available to the inmates at different levels included a recreation area with TVs, board and card games, ping pong tables, and a kitchen area with a microwave and refrigerator. The inmates have their own library in the center where they can request items not owned by the center itself. The librarian who works at the center is employed by both the library system where I work and the prison system. Classrooms are also available at the center where inmates can study for and take the GED exam, among other things.

There was also a large gymnasium with a basketball court for indoor exercise and several different outdoor exercise areas. The outdoor exercise areas were much like those seen in movies and on TV. The biggest was just a large grassy area (actually it was raining the day we were there, and it was quite muddy in the courtyard) with two metal, bolted down picnic tables surrounded by high walls topped with rolls of barbed wire. There were also a couple of smaller outdoor areas that were basically just enclosed cement patios.

A medical center/sick bay is also a part of the center where a visiting doctor, dentist, ophthalmologist, and psychologist come regularly. If an inmate requests to go to the medical center but isn't really sick, the inmate will be charged for that visit. The inmates, in fact, are charged for their entire stay at the jail. If a family member doesn't pay the bill, the inmate is issued a bill for his or her stay when he or she is released. The matter is then turned over to a collection agency to be handled once the inmate returns to freedom.

We were given lunch as part of the tour--the same lunch that the inmates had that day. It was not a pleasant experience. We formed a line and were given a tray with our food. We weren't offered any choices, but the commander said that dietary allowances are made for those who need them for health or religious reasons. The lunch we were given included a bologna sandwich with one slice of bologna on two slices of white bread, some coleslaw, some rather dry scalloped potatoes, and a very spongy tasting brownie. The only eating utensil we were given was a plastic spoon. The spoon had been dipped into mustard and then plopped onto the side of the tray, resting in the gob of mustard. We weren't given a fork or knife or napkin. We were each given a little paper packet of salt and pepper. No other condiments were offered or given. We were given a small plastic mug that we could fill with either water or watered down red Kool-Aid. Our class instructor told us that this meal we were given was actually the best one he had ever seen offered there. I ate about half of the meal. Some of the people in my group refused to eat any of it at all.

Several times during the tour, we were in the same room with unrestrained inmates. Every time that happened, we could feel the tension in the room or corridor as soon as we entered. It was such an awkward feeling. We had been told to avoid eye contact with them and to ignore anything that any of them said to us. A couple of times the male inmates made catcall noises or rude remarks directed at us, but they quieted immediately with one word of warning from the security officer there.

Two inmates left an impression on us. One of them who was wearing yellow coveralls (minimum security) and whose entire face was covered in tattoos, as soon as he saw us, started rap/singing some words that he repeated over and over. His "song" went like this, "I believe in God. I believe in Jesus. I believe in love. I believe in Mars. I believe in Pluto." Then he began again back with "I believe in God..." and so forth. It was a little unsettling.

Even more unnerving, though, were the actions of the maximum security prisoner in red coveralls that was being held in an isolation cell. As our tour went by in the corridor past his cell, he began banging and kicking at the door in a rage over and over again making a loud commotion. The commander who was leading our tour told us that this man is a frequent troublemaker and his acting out while we were there would most likely get him additional time in the isolation cell or at the very least a revoking of privileges if he currently was being given any.

I can say with certainty that a jail cell is not a place I ever want to be. It really was a very frightening place to me. The inmates made me feel both wary of them and sorry for them. It put me on edge being around them, not knowing what crimes they had committed, not knowing how far they could be trusted, or if they could be trusted at all. At the same time, I felt a certain amount of sadness being around them and felt sorry for them and their plight. I couldn't help but wonder about them and what had driven them to break the law. Knowing they were there at Christmastime away from their families and friends was especially sad to me.

After the tour, we collected our belongings and were transported back to the Chamber of Commerce Office on the same bus as before. It felt a little odd getting off that bus and thinking about all the freedoms and choices I have compared to those in the prison we had left behind. It changes your perspective to view the cold, sterile, lonely, angry surroundings those inmates have at Christmastime compared to the warm, colorful, brightly lit Christmas celebrations we are accustomed to.

I realize this blog post is not very Christmasy, quite to the contrary, but I do want to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas. I hope while you are spending time with your families, feasting on all the traditional foods, exchanging gifts, and celebrating, that you will take a few moments to remember to be grateful for all that you have, and perhaps offer up a prayer for those who aren't quite so lucky.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Do You See What I See?

2011-12-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

I thought the sky and the clouds looked pretty as the sun was setting one day last week, and I took this picture. What was quite surprising to me was that, later, when I looked at this picture on the computer, I saw that the Life Flight helicopter was sitting on the landing pad at the hospital when I took the picture.

I was so focused on watching the colors of the sunset and the interesting cloud patterns when I snapped the photo that I didn't even see the helicopter sitting there right in front of me.

My home is just a short distance from the hospital, and I often hear the Life Flight helicopter fly by overhead on its way to or from the hospital. When I hear it, I say a quick prayer for those on board it, whether it be just the crew, or a medical or trauma patient being transported, or both. I admire and respect those who have that job--those flying to the rescue of those in need, often saving lives that otherwise would not be saved. I am grateful they are there at the ready to help.

I kept thinking about this picture, and I was struck by how timely it was that I took it during the Christmas season. I thought about how easy it is for us to focus on the pretty colored lights on the Christmas tree, the shiny wrapped packages, the parties, the family gatherings, and all the special holiday food, and how in the process, we might overlook the humble manger scene. How easy is it for us to be so intent on the celebrations and festivities that we forget the reason behind those celebrations--the arrival of Jesus, the one who was sent to rescue us, to save us.

Although this sunset really wasn't that spectacular and this photo was rather ordinary, I'm glad I took it. I have many other sunset photos that are prettier than this one, but this one serves as a good reminder to me of where my focus should be. Some things are too important to miss.

A Gift That Keeps On Giving

2011-12-14T20:47:00.000-05:00

This is me at the age of five sitting on Santa's knee in 1964. Do you like my little red hat with the black pompom on top of my head? Of course, it matches my little red coat with the black fur trim--what a fashion plate!

A "few" years later, this is my older son when he was probably three, or maybe four, years old also sitting on Santa's knee.

Twenty-two years ago today my son was born. We declared him an early Christmas present. What a wonderful gift and blessing he was then, has been, and still is now. Happy Birthday to my son today!

Christmas Here, Christmas There, Christmas Everywhere

2011-12-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

This past week zipped right by. As is true for many people this time of year, I suppose, the last few days have been a blur. It included a fundraiser spaghetti supper for my son's high school orchestra, an appetizer potluck with the Lions Club followed by attending a local theater production of "A Christmas Story," the library staff Christmas dinner and white elephant exchange, and coming up yet this weekend is the high school Christmas concert, and our church fellowship ornament gift exchange. Next week is more of the same. Every year when January comes, I look back and wonder how I made it through the month of December because it is always so jam-packed full.

At the production of "A Christmas Story," they were selling raffle tickets. One raffle was held the night we were there for a Red Ryder BB gun like the one seen in the movie. The other raffle goes through until the last night of the production and the prize for that raffle is a leg lamp, also like the one seen in the movie. My husband bought one ticket for each raffle. He didn't win the BB gun, but he did win the second place prize in that drawing. This sparkly little table centerpiece is what he won.

When they gave it to him, he turned and asked me, "What is this thing?"

I told him he had won "a major award," and that we should take it home and put it in the front window and then see how it looks from the street. (If you haven't seen the "Christmas Story" movie, you won't understand why I told him that, by the way.) We won't know until Sunday if his ticket will be drawn as a winner for the leg lamp. Heaven help me if he wins that!

* * * * *

I also have some pictures to share from last night of our annual staff appreciation Christmas party at the library The evening began with a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant. The food was delicious and we had fun talking and visiting.

While at the dinner we were each given a goodie bag which held trinkets and candy and such. I think my favorite items in these bags were these refrigerator magnets, badge type pins, and key chains. In case you can't read the lettering, these are the messages printed on them:

"Librarians Rock"

"Because I'm the Librarian, that's why."

"Librarians are hot."

"What happens in the library stays in the library."

"Did someone call for a librarian?"

and the last key chain has a picture of some books on it and just has the word, "Librarian," on it.

Each bag also had a fun holiday pin and a little rubber duck reading a book in it. The rubber duck had a number written on the bottom of it which I will explain in a minute. My holiday pin was a snowman. I can't show you a picture of the candy that was in the bag because I have a seventeen-year-old son who was hungry when I got home from the party and I let him have the candy.

After the dinner, we went to the library and met in the conference room which had been transformed to look like this.

The table in the center was loaded with a delicious dessert buffet which included peach, apple, coconut cream, and chocolate peanut-butter pie; chocolate cheesecake, carrot cake, chocolate cake, seven-layer bars, lemon bars, and huge decorated Christmas sugar cookies. If anyone went away hungry, it was their own fault.

Next we had our white elephant gift exchange. These presents look fairly innocent sitting here on the cart, but there were some peculiar things hidden inside.

There was this Scooby Doo soap and bubble bath, for example,

and this thing, whatever it is. A gremlin, maybe?

I can't imagine that you've ever seen one of these before. I know I hadn't until last night. What is it? Well, it's a purse, sort of. It is made out of duct tape and looks like one of those cement geese you set on your front porch or out in your yard. It even came with several outfits of clothes for it to wear. It was light-weight and empty inside, of course, so that it could be used as a purse. I'm so glad I didn't end up with this gift!

Some other gifts that raised some eyebrows were a portrait of an owl (I'm not sure if it was a paint-by-number or what it was, but it was...um...well interesting, I guess you could say.) Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it. There was also a redneck make-up kit (I didn't see what was in that box, but I think it was some different makeup items that had funny labels on them), a very ugly treetop angel holding a bubble light in it's hand, a toy cat that hung by its front paws from a shelf and that shook and meowed in a sort of dance, and some other odds and ends. (and I do mean odd!) There were also some nicer gifts mixed into the lot--things like candles and chocolates and pretty Christmas decorations.

The gift I went home with was this pair of wooden snowman mitten Christmas decorations that came wrapped in a burlap bag with a candy cane picture on the front of it.

In addition to the white elephant gift, we also each received a gift from the library. Remember the rubber ducks with the number written on the bottom? Each of the gifts from the library had a number on it which corresponded to the number on one of the ducks. This was my gift from the library. It is a wickless candle that is used to scent the air. It came with vanilla and cinnamon scents.

After the party was over, this is how our reception area looked where we held the white elephant gift exchange. We laughed and laughed during the gift exchange. We had such a good time.

* * * * *

My week ended on a high note today when I received this beautiful poinsettia from a very dear friend of mine.

Isn't it lovely? And aren't I lucky to have such a dear friend?

And So It Begins, the Snow Again

2011-11-30T23:19:00.000-05:00

We had snow here last night. It painted everything white making it look fresh and clean. The weatherman was predicting we would get from three to six inches of snow. As you can see from the amount on the porch railing, I think we received closer to the lower end of that prediction.

I took this picture from my car while sitting at the end of my driveway and looking down my street. I was on my way to work, but the snow plow was on my street and in my way. I had to wait for it to move, so since I had the camera with me and had to wait anyway, I took a picture. The snow we got was a very wet and heavy snow. I like the way it coats the tree limbs when the snow is like that.

Although the snow looks fresh and clean when it first falls, once the plows go through and the traffic hits the road, in no time at all the snow turns into dirty, gray piles at the street corners.

This is one of the main streets in my town. There was not much traffic this morning here on my way to work. The roads were not in very good condition. Many of the area schools were delayed in starting for two hours including my son's school. We had had three days straight of rain followed by sleet and then snow. As a result there was a mix of water, ice, and snow all on the roads which made them rather treacherous.

This is how the courthouse looked this morning. You can see where the snowplow has been through and left piles of snow at the corners. Later in the day crews came through in dump trucks and loaders to load the piles of snow into the trucks and then take it out to the country to dump it in a field.

There are a few more cars here now that I'm downtown, but I still didn't have to deal with much traffic.

The roads had been plowed and salted, but they were still quite slick in places.

This is how the road in front of the library looked this morning as I arrived at work.

I heard from my son later in the day. He had driven his car to school as usual. Unfortunately, he had slid in the parking lot at school and hit the front bumper of his car on a rock wall near his assigned parking spot. The parking lot at school had not been cleared off. His spot is on a bit of an incline and once he hit the ice, he was unable to stop. The car just had a few scratches. No dents, no one else was involved, and no one got hurt, so it wasn't a big deal. Still he was upset about the scratches.

Later in the day, the gray skies turned back to blue, the sun came out, and the temperatures got a little warmer. The roads were completely clear by the time I came home from work. There is still snow on the ground, but it had melted from the sidewalks, driveways, and roads. You can see how pretty the maple tree looks out front with the snow coating the limbs. The snow on the tree limbs was all melted off by this evening too. No matter what the calendar says. The first measurable snowfall marks the beginning of winter for me. I hope you are keeping warm wherever you are.

The Reason for the Crowd

2011-11-28T17:12:00.000-05:00

When a giant pig, rabbit, lion, and mouse show up, people take notice, especially if there are free cookies and hot cocoa to be had.

Yes, the "Give a Pig a Pancake" Pig, Peter Rabbit, Larry our library mascot, and the "Give a Mouse a Cookie" Mouse were the reason we had so many people come to our library last Friday night as mentioned in my last blog post. Some of your guesses were close!

The costumed storybook characters and our mascot walked in the Santa Arrival parade held in my town on Friday night.

After the parade, the public was invited to come to the library for cookies and hot cocoa and to meet the costumed characters.

The Mouse brought his own cookie.

All of the characters had Christmas lights with battery

packs attached to them while walking in the parade.

The pig had his own syrup bottle for his pancake.

I was there to take pictures of the event while some of my co-workers served up the cookies and cocoa. We had quite a crowd of kids (and their parents and grandparents) come to meet the characters. The kids liked hugging the storybook characters, sitting on their laps, giving them high fives, and posing for pictures with them. It was a fun evening. I was just glad that I was taking pictures and not wearing one of the costumes!

Random Soup

2011-11-26T11:34:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you take all the leftovers from the refrigerator and throw them into a pot together to make soup? Maybe you do that, and maybe you don't, but anyway, I call that random soup. This blog post today is going to be of the random soup variety. I'm clearing all the pictures off the camera and throwing them in together here for some random blog soup. So if you're looking for a well-organized post with a theme and a beginning, middle, and end all tied together neatly with smooth transitions and clever segues, this isn't it! Now that you've been warned, if you're still willing to stick around, here we go.

I made these Mini Upside Down Pineapple Cakes for a church potluck last weekend. There were two plates full this size, and I didn't bring home any leftovers, so I guess they turned out pretty well! (You can click on that link if you'd like to have the recipe.)

* * *

I think the squirrels are taking over our yard. One day this past week I looked out and saw seven squirrels all at once sitting in the front yard eating maple seeds. That seemed like a lot to be out there all at the same time. This is the view taken from my living room looking out through our large picture window. (I circled them in red to make them easier to see, but you may have to click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Seven squirrels at once seemed like a lot until I looked out another day and saw eleven of them all feasting together in the front yard. I wondered if maybe this was their Thanksgiving get-together!

* * *

The indoor animal (Max the poodle dog) chose to ignore the squirrel take-over, opting instead to help me "fold" the clean laundry still warm from the dryer that I had dumped from the basket onto the couch. Aren't I lucky to have such a willing helper?

* * *

We have had a lot of pretty sunrises lately. Most of the time I don't have the camera with me to capture them so I enjoy them all to myself. I did take this picture, but this sunrise, although pretty, wasn't as pretty as some of the ones I didn't get to photograph. You'll just have to take my word for it and use your good imagination for the really beautiful ones I missed with the camera. hahaha!

* * *

This is me in the Children's Department at the library where I work. (No, those two mice aren't on top of my head. They are actually sitting on a bookshelf behind me!)

I was in the Children's Department because this big crowd was about to show up there, and I was getting ready for them to arrive.

Why was this big crowd coming to the library? I'll let you know that in my next post. See how that works out? You can consider this random blog soup post as an appetizer and come back for the main course blog post next time! (Well, I hope you come back, anyway!)

Give Thanks for Every Thing!

2011-11-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

Give Thanks for Every Thing!

I'm thankful for this dish to wash

because it reminds me I've been fed.

I'm thankful for these sheets to fold.

I'm lucky to have a bed.

It doesn't matter if it rains.

I've got a roof above my head.

I have so MUCH to be grateful for.

When all is done and said.

Sweeping and cleaning up a mess,

I own a house! I am so blessed!

Those who love me, family and friends,

I can't wish for more when I have the best.

I'm grateful for the scent of soap.

It feels so good to be clean.

I'm grateful for my morning tea,

steaming hot, black or green.

I'm grateful for a place to walk

to enjoy nature and fresh air.

I'm grateful for the time to think,

to pause, and say a prayer.

I'm grateful for a job to do.

It makes my time worthwhile.

I'm grateful to have the time to laugh.

There's so much that makes me smile.

I'm so grateful for the music

that makes me dance and sing,

"In everything, give thanks.

Give thanks for every thing!"

Lord, for everything, please help me to be truly grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

We're Following the Leader, the Leader, the Leader...

2011-11-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

My monthly leadership class met today. Every time I go to this class, the song from the Disney classic, Peter Pan, plays in my head. Does anyone else remember this?

We had a long day and a full agenda for our class today. Our morning began at 7:30 and we finished up at 5:00 in the afternoon. After doughnuts and coffee, we discussed again our group community project. We haven't decided for sure what it will be, but we are closing in on it, I think. We also did another team building exercise.

Our topic for the day was county government which covers a lot of territory. While still at the Chamber of Commerce office, we listened to two speakers. The first speaker was from our county economic development corporation. This organization works to help bring businesses to our area and to help the ones who are already here stay in business. The second speaker was one of our county commissioners who filled us in on his job and what he does for our county.

From there we went to visit the county humane society. That stop was my favorite of all the places we visited today. We heard all about their job and what they do there, of course, but what I liked best was that I got to go around and say hello to all the animals. There were between 20 and 30 dogs there all asking us to take them home with us. They were sweet and sad all at once--all of them just wanting someone to love them and for them to be able to give their love to in return.

The dogs were quite lovable, but the cats and kittens were the ones who really stole my heart. I'm afraid when I am old I will become the crazy cat lady who lives with a houseful of cats. There were so many cats there. I don't know how many, but they were in three different rooms---cage after cage after cage.

There were two in particular that I just completely fell in love with. They were such beautiful animals. One was a tortoiseshell with the most beautiful colors, and the other was a calico with the softest fur and the sweetest little face. They purred and rubbed their heads up against my hand. It really just made my whole day to spend that few minutes of time with them.

Next we visited the county title office and the BMV. This stop wasn't nearly as much fun as the humane society, of course. At least they didn't make us take a number and wait our turn for the tour, though. That is the greeting I am most accustomed to receiving when I visit that particular building! We also visited the board of election offices to learn about the voter registration process.

We had lunch together at a nice restaurant downtown and then headed to the courthouse for the afternoon leg of our tours.

At the courthouse, we visited the following offices and departments: Clerk of Courts, Court Room, Jury Room, Commissioner's Office, Recorder, Treasurer, Probate Court, Auditor, Juvenile Probation, and Adult Probation. It was a busy afternoon going from one place to the next. (The courthouse and lawn outside are already decorated for Christmas. These pictures are actually ones I took a few years back, but the decorations look pretty much the same today.)

(giant toy soldiers guard the entrances to the courthouse on all four sides of the building)

Of the afternoon tours, I think what I found most interesting was when we visited the Court Room. We sat and watched as two different cases were settled by the judge. Both of the cases we saw were people who were incarcerated who were petitioning the court for their release. The first was a woman who had been in jail for DUI. She was a repeat offender. She had already served quite a bit of time. She was released but with very strict conditions. She was to serve three years of probation and complete a stint in a rehabilitation center and go to court-ordered counseling sessions, among other things. The second person had been in jail for selling marijuana. He also was released with strict conditions similar to the lady in the first case.

After the courthouse tours we returned to the Chamber office for the close of class and to make plans for the next time that we meet. The Chamber Director, who is the teacher for our class, had some maple nut clusters and caramel nut clusters waiting for us as a surprise. The candy he had waiting for us is made by one of our local companies, Spangler Candy Company. It was a long day, but worthwhile. I learned a lot and had some fun too along the way.

A Day Off...Well, Half a Day Anyway

2011-11-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

Our library was closed to the public on Veterans Day, but we were required to report for an in-service meeting in the morning. It was mostly a fun morning-- not work. Both breakfast and lunch were provided for us. In between we did some fun activities and then listened to a humorous motivational speaker talk about ways to deal with stress.

Because we had several new employees in our midst, the director wanted everyone to stand up and introduce themselves, tell what their job was, and how long they had worked at the library. He added one other fun thing for us to do after our introductions. He said that they had wanted to get all of us t-shirts but that it would have been too expensive for the budget (We have about 45 employees including our main location plus five branches.)

So instead of real t-shirts, they made little cardboard t-shirts with funny sayings on them and pinned them to a string running along one wall. The shirts were pinned so that the funny sayings were facing the wall. After our introductions, we were told to go and take down one of the t-shirts and then read what was on the other side to the group. This is what was written on the t-shirt that I got.

The library director handed out some fun certificate "awards" to us as the next activity. This is the award that I was given.

At the bottom of the certificate, it said this.

We played a couple of games next including one where we had to use a straw to suck up a pea from a bowl, run across the room, and then let the pea drop in a bowl on the other side of the room. We were divided up into teams to do this. The team with the most peas in the bowl at the end of three minutes was declared the winner. It was fun and silly, and we had a good time racing around with our straws and peas.

The motivational speaker was interesting and funny and she did a great job with her presentation. After we ate our lunches, we had the rest of the afternoon off. It was nice to get a little jump on the weekend that way.

We did have sunshine and blue skies over the weekend too.

My son and his girlfriend went out and raked the yard and moved all these leaves down to the street.

I appreciated their hard work. Of course, a few more leaves have come down today, but they will wait until the next time we rake--probably next weekend.

Gray Day Gratitude (Truly Grateful Series)

2011-11-10T20:26:00.000-05:00

In sharp contrast to my last post which was full of color, today was a very gray day. You can see that by the look of the sky in this picture.

For those who may not recognize them, those are snow clouds. Yes, we had our first snow of the season today. It wasn't much to speak of as far as snowfalls go. It was just a series of flurries that didn't stick to the ground.

The gray weather today seemed appropriate somehow because I was home all day taking a sick day off from work. I was off sick yesterday too. Because I have remote access at home to my work computer, I did do a few things for work from home these last two days so that I won't be too far behind in my work when I return, but I didn't do much. My younger son has been sick and home from school all week. How nice that we share things as a family, right?

I haven't written a post about gratitude on this blog for a while, and I think I am overdue. Even though this has been a gray day, I still have much to be grateful for. In fact, days like today make me even more aware of all that I have to be thankful for. This is my gratitude list for today. I am grateful for:

--a comfortable couch to curl up on which gave me a soft place to lie my head
--a cozy afghan in muted pastel colors crocheted by my mother that helped to keep me warm when I needed it as my personal thermostat took wild swings and kept me guessing between running a fever and shivering with chills
--my little dog, Max, who seemed to sense that I wasn't feeling 100%, and stayed snuggled by my side all day, keeping me company, watching over me, and protecting me
--chicken noodle soup, hot cups of tea, and orange juice which were in good supply here to soothe my sore throat and to help me keep replenished with fluids
--good music to listen to which helped distract me from the fact that I wasn't feeling very well
--my good friends in blogland who kept me entertained and feeling cheerful with their words and pictures and videos. Thank you for the smiles today, my friends.
--my son's girlfriend who is back in town for the long weekend. Undeterred by the fact that she was entering our "house of germs" and taking a risk that she might get sick too, she stopped by to visit us tonight bringing caramel apples and a special kind of sunshine all her own.
--the technology of today that allows us to talk to my older son in Florida via Skype on the computer. We will be talking to him in just a short while. He has found a job in Florida working at a substance abuse rehab treatment center. This, in itself, is something I feel very grateful about. His job is a full-time position in his field where he can stay and continue to work and advance in position as he works toward and completes his masters degree in psychology and counseling. I am looking forward to talking to him to see how he likes the job by now and to see how he is doing.

As always, I have much, much more than what is on this list to be grateful for, but these are the things that were foremost in my mind tonight.

Lord, for so much that I have been given to help comfort me on gray days like this, please let me be truly grateful.

Color My World

2011-11-06T21:37:00.001-05:00

Many of the leaves have fallen here, but last week I took a few more shots of the colors around the neighborhood and in the park.

This is my front yard.

The leaves have been raked out of it twice in the last week (one of the times was yesterday), and today it looks like this--filled with leaves, again. There are many left yet to fall from the branches above too.

When driving around the neighborhood, I stopped several places to take snapshots of the color that I found.

The park still held many reds, oranges, and yellows too.

I love this row of trees at the end of the soccer fields. They look like a row of flames on the horizon.

Here are a few more from the park and from the neighborhood on my walk back home.

When I took this picture, I wasn't thinking about the fact that the cherries were hanging down in front of me from the tree I was standing under, but I liked the way they helped frame the shot when I looked at it later.

Rakes and leaf blowers will be popular items around town here for the next few weeks until all the leaves have come down for the season.

Warning Lights

Like warning lights

that notify

of the impending cold,

the trees flash in red

and orange

and shades of gold,

giving their all

in a last-ditch effort,

repeating the story

that's so often been told.

I'm Cheering Them On

2011-11-01T18:09:00.000-04:00

Some of you who have been reading this blog for a while may remember when a couple of young men from Boston who were performing as part of a visiting musical group at our church spent the night at our home. I recently learned that one of those young men, Nate, is now performing with the group the Dartmouth Aires. This group has been competing on the NBC television show, "Sing Off," which is on Monday nights.

I caught the last two episodes and think this group is phenomenal. It was fun to see Nate performing with them. Last night's performance was particularly spectacular in my mind. They did a medley of three songs done by the group Queen. I hope they go on to win the entire competition. That would be so exciting for them. The winning group will receive a recording contract and a large monetary prize. This is a video of their performance from last night. Watching it and listening to it gave me chills last night!

Marvelous, Magnificent, and Magical

2011-10-30T21:08:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, while at the library convention in Toledo, we had the opportunity to tour the Toledo Public Library. It is a marvelous, magnificent, and magical place. We took a shuttle bus from the hotel over to the library. They held a reception for us there with free hors d'oeuvres and desserts and a cash bar.

After walking through the lobby, you enter this area where the ceiling is actually at the top of the second floor. All the way around the four sides of the wall up above are these ornate paintings.

This photo shows a little of the size of what is one of the main rooms of the library.

A musical trio played jazz and other contemporary songs throughout the evening in the background. They are sitting down over to the right in this photo.

On one side of the building is this large room which houses their audio visual items--such as movies on videocassette and DVDs, music CDs, and audiobooks.

The desk in this room is shaped like a grand piano.

Keyboards are painted on the end caps of all the shelves in this area.

In one corner is what looks like a giant jukebox with a flat TV screen in the center of it.

What I found most impressive was the Children's Department at the library. It was up on the second floor. One of the first things you will notice upon entering the Children's Library is this giant book with a door through it where you can "step into a book."

There were a lot of fun end caps on the book shelves here too. I loved this giant!

These two lions guard the shelves at the back of the librarian's desk.

This is what the carpet looked like in the main part of the Children's Library.

Another section of the Children's Department had a cool space theme and decorations. This is what the carpeting looked like in the space section.

Hanging from the ceiling and painted on the wall were planets and stars and such.

Fish swam around inside of an actual aquarium that was part of a giant replica of the book, The Rainbow Fish.

All over the walls were framed prints of cover art and illustrations from classic children's literature books. You can see some on the wall in the photo above. Here is one from Dr. Seuss.

Speaking of Dr. Seuss, I loved this statue of the Cat in the Hat.

Two different cars appeared to be coming out of the walls and were perfect for children to climb into and pretend to be driving.

Doorways for all sizes of children (and adults) led into another section of the library.

In the room on the other side of those doorways, all kinds of art were built into the walls, painted on the walls, and even hanging from the ceiling. I didn't take pictures of all that was in there. Many more scenes were painted on the walls.

These little doorways...

led into this fun room for the littlest visitors to the library.

There were even computers at teeny-tiny tables with teeny-tiny chairs.

Another large room on the other side of the second floor held this puppet theater.

The basement of the library held a parking garage, a cafe, and a gift shop run by the Friends of the Library. The gift shop pictured below sold candles and bookmarks and other sorts of things you might find in a book store along with many shelves of used books.

A Baseball Field, a Giant Blue Frog, and a Bookworm Wearing Glasses?

2011-10-29T23:54:00.001-04:00

I traveled to Toledo this past week to attend a library convention there. It was a fun and interesting time, but I am glad to be home again. I took some pictures while there, of course, and wanted to share a few of them with you.

It was a nice surprise to see the sign they had up at our hotel. Who knew they would give ME such a warm and personal welcome. See, they even put my picture up there on their sign!

They had some of the shelves in their gift shop decorated especially for me too!! Can you see all the daisies? Obviously they knew I was coming and wanted to make me feel welcome. ;-)

Well, OK, maybe I'm reading a little too much into those daisies!

The view from my hotel room was interesting. It was of the Toledo Mudhens baseball stadium. Of course, there were no games being played while we were there.

Seriously, though, we were given a warm welcome, and the hotel was comfortable and was suitable for our needs.

The convention and expo were held in the attached Sea Gate Convention Center next door. These "Do Toledo" signs were hanging from the ceiling of the convention center.

Inside the expo center was a trade show with various vendors set up at booths promoting their wares. Before the expo opened, I was a little amused by the fact that they kept it all a secret behind some curtains protected by a lone security guard. Honestly, anyone could have just gone to another section, moved the curtain aside, and entered the expo area, so I'm not sure what purpose the security guard served (other than to amuse me, of course!)

This is what the expo looked like much later after the area had closed for the day.

Here is some of the artwork decorating the halls and entryway of the Sea Gate Center. This venue is also used for concerts and other big events that come to town.

A giant blue frog with buildings from the Toledo Skyline painted on him greets visitors at the entrance doors to the center.

One of my coworkers participated in a 5K walk/run that was held during the convention. This is the group that participated.

The bookworm agreed to pose for a picture for me alone.

This is the view from the front of the hotel looking out at downtown Toledo.

We spent most of our time in workshops during the three days we were there. I learned some new things that will be helpful to use in my job. We also attended a reception at the Toledo Public Library and took a tour of the building there. It is an amazing place. I took lots of pictures there, but I am saving them to show you in my next post. I hope you come back for it because I have some neat things to show you.

Bring Me Sunshine!

2011-10-29T11:41:00.000-04:00

Good morning, everybody. Happy Saturday to you! I think it's time we do some dancing!

Tomato Surprise!

2011-10-23T22:21:00.000-04:00

We have a lot of squirrels here, both gray squirrels and black squirrels. They are fun to watch, and they make me laugh sometimes, but they can also be a nuisance. This spring I tried twice to plant morning glory seeds in the flower pots I have on my front porch. Both times, the very next day after planting the seeds, I found the dirt in the pots had been dug up. Squirrels had come, dug up the seeds I had planted, and had had a little feast on them. I gave up after that and didn't try to plant anything else there.

Several times this summer I saw the squirrels get into my neighbor's garden and steal tomatoes off of the vines there. They would steal them from her garden and bring them over into our yard or up on our porch to eat them. As I'm sure you know, squirrels sometimes bury the food they find to store up for winter. Knowing all of that, when I saw something green growing in my flower pots on the front porch, it didn't take much of a leap to figure out what had happened. Apparently, instead of having morning glories growing in my flower pots, the squirrels would prefer to have tomatoes growing out there. So much so, in fact, they buried one of the tomatoes they looted from my neighbor's garden with the seeds still inside it, of course, in my flower pot.

Now I have tomato plants growing in my flower pot! They won't survive the cold weather that will soon be upon us, but I have to give the squirrels credit for their farming skills.

This weekend I heard a noise on the front porch and looked out to see this squirrel with a huge black walnut in his mouth. I don't know if he was going to plant it in my flower pot too, or not, because after I took his picture, he scampered away with it still in his mouth. It's a good thing because I don't think there's enough room on the front porch for a black walnut tree!

One of my furry visitors stashed a hickory nut here on top of the post that holds up the awning on our back porch recently too.

It seems every fall a squirrel puts a hickory nut, walnut, or buckeye up there. I would think it would be more convenient for them to tuck it away someplace on the ground, but they keep coming back here. I guess they like it up there high and dry.

* * * * *

I'm going to a librarian's convention in Toledo for three days this week, and I also have parent meetings to attend to for my son's school which isn't going to leave me any extra time for blogging. I'm going to be away from my computer most of the week and will be taking a short blogging break, but I'll be back before you even have time to miss me. I hope you all have a good week.

While I'm gone, you might want to go over and visit Kimberly's blog, Camp and Cottage Living. She is celebrating the fact that she has reached 100 followers by having a giveaway. Included in her giveaway is a pair of toasty mittens (so the winner can get ready for winter just like my squirrels are doing!), some wonderful magazines, and a lovely calendar. The picture below is from the front of the calendar, and it is called, "Home Sweet Home." Stop by and comment on her blog to enter the contest!

Shouting Across the Table and Smelling Like Pickles

2011-10-19T23:06:00.000-04:00

Does Anyone Have a Cloning Machine? We Need to be Two Places at Once!

It's been a busy week, and it's not over yet. My son had two concerts on Sunday. One with his high school orchestra at 2:00 and one with the Toledo Youth Symphony at 4:00. Yes, he made it to both, and so did we. We really had to zip and go to get there since Toledo is an hour's drive away for us, but he made it. We got to stop by and pick up his girlfriend at college to take her out to dinner with us after the second concert. It was nice to see her. She gave us a tour of her dorm while we were there too. It is a new building. They just finished it within the last year.

And When There's a Touchdown, Everybody Yells!

We ate at one of those sports places. Not my choice, but at least I didn't have to cook. I really don't enjoy eating at places with six TVs on every wall in front of you in every direction you look all blaring the same football game. Any space not holding a TV held a plaque or sports jersey or other sports-related memorabilia. It was crowded with the tables packed in close. The worst for me was the noise, though. When I eat out, I like to be able to hold a conversation with the people at my table without shouting or constantly saying, "WHAT?" We went there because my son really wanted to have some barbecued ribs for dinner, and we thought this would be the most likely place to have them. He had his ribs and was happy to get them, and the food was good for the rest of us too, so it turned out all right, in spite of the noise.

Smelling Like Pickles

The local drug store had a coupon for a free bottle of body wash. It was free so I thought I'd try it. Nothing to lose, right? The label said cucumber body wash. That's not something I've ever bought before, but I gave it a try in the shower. I usually prefer something with a vanilla scent or maybe something fruity like raspberries or peaches or flowery like honeysuckle. I didn't care for the way this cucumber stuff smelled AT ALL! Then it dawned on me cucumbers are just pickles without the vinegar! "Oh great! Now I'm going to smell like pickles all day," was my next thought. I won't be buying that body wash next time I'm at the drug store. I'm glad I didn't spend any money on this one I have now.

I Second That!

After a busy day at the library on Monday, in the evening I attended a city council meeting as part of my Leadership Class. It was about like you'd expect a city council meeting to be, I suppose. Lots of parliamentary procedure with motions and seconds and all that falderal. It was the first one I had ever been to, so it was interesting from that standpoint. The meeting went well with no major issues on the agenda.

One citizen came to make a presentation to the council offering to apply for a grant to get the money needed to do landscaping around a water retention pond on the outskirts of town. There is a walking path around the pond now. He wants to plant flowers and trees around it to beautify it. I thought that was great that he came forward and is offering to do this for our town. The city council want to talk with him further to iron out some details, but they seemed quite pleased about his presentation.

Still Looking for That Cloning Machine

Tuesday at the library was another busy day. My schedule was already crammed and then of course, I got phone calls and emails during the day from branch managers requesting that I make them more new borrower flyers and bookmarks and business cards. Also, our main library held a musical program last night which I had to get the chairs set up for before I left for the day. From work I had to hit the grocery store for milk and a few other items before going home. That left me just enough time to grab a bite of supper before returning to the library to take pictures of the musician who was performing and then stick around to help with the cleanup and rearranging of the chairs and tables again after the program was over.

Just Because I Smell Like Pickles, It Does NOT Mean That I'm Old!

While on the way out of the grocery store, I noticed a sign on the wall that said they offer a senior discount on Tuesdays for those who are age 55 and over. 55 and over!!? In three years I'll be eligible for the senior discount? That can't be right. Harumph!

Better wear comfortable shoes. It's going to be a long day!

Today I had Leadership Class again. It began at 8:00 in the morning and went until 5:00 in the afternoon. Our topic of the day was City Government. Two local area mayors gave us a speech to tell us about their jobs and what all they do, and then we toured nine different city offices or departments including the fire department, police department, water treatment plant, electric company, city clerk, the Board of Public Affairs, and more. We ate a catered lasagna lunch with members from the Board of Public Affairs. It was an interesting day, but I'm exhausted tonight. I'm glad to finally be off my feet.

So what about you? Do you need to be cloned? Are you shouting across the dinner table? Do you smell like pickles? Are you tired of everything going along just fine with your day and then someone or something suddenly reminds you that you're not quite as young as you think you are? Have you been practicing your parliamentary procedures? Are you wearing comfortable shoes? I'm just wondering because that's how my week has been... so far.

Foggy Day

2011-10-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

We had a very foggy day here on Thursday this week. It was so foggy that the schools where my husband works were delayed in starting by two hours. My son's school started out with a two-hour delay at first and then changed to being closed for the day when the fog showed no sign of lifting. (He didn't mind having an unexpected day off--what a surprise!)

There is a house across the street in the picture above between the green leaves of the tree in our yard and the orange leaves of the tree in my neighbor's yard. Can you see it?....I can't either! Yes, the fog really was that thick here in town. I wasn't surprised they closed the schools. Fortunately, I don't have far to drive from my house to get to work at the library.

The photo below was the view of our street in the other direction. As you can see, we had limited visibility. We could see the distance of two houses, but not much past that. On a sunny day, we can see to the end of our street.

Foggy Day

The gray grounded cloud

swirls across the street

softening the focus of the day.

Morning sounds are muffled.

Wet grass makes for soggy feet

when the children finally rise

and go out to play.

Though the air is dampened,

their spirits aren't beat.

"SCHOOL'S CLOSED!"

They shout and repeat.

"FOG DAY! FOG DAY!"

Kickin' Down the Cobblestones

2011-10-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

I was born in 1959, so I am a child of the sixties. That must be why I believe in "flower power" so much! Though it is fall, there are still flowers around to see here.

Autumn Joy Sedum growing in front of my house

This is one of the few remaining blooms on my neighbor's Rose of Sharon bush

These are some kind of miniature mums, I think, growing in the park.

I don't know what these are but they are also growing in the park.

Funny, these flowers are all different varieties but are very similar in color.

I didn't realize that until seeing them posted here.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Fall days don't come any prettier. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and the trees blazed forth in red, yellow, or orange.

I don't know what these are. They look like cherries of some sort, but I don't

think they're edible. This little tree is growing near the soccer fields in the park.

It is really loaded down with whatever this fruit is.

So many trees in the park now have yellow leaves,

having turned just in the last couple of days.

This tree with orange leaves is on my street.

People were out everywhere enjoying the Indian summer-like weather. The soccer fields were swarming with little soccer players and their parents and grandparents.

My sons both played soccer for several years when they were younger.

I have to say I don't really miss having to get up early every Saturday morning for all

those soccer matches they played!! We spent a lot of hours on those soccer fields!

Someone put up this sign next to the park. I have no idea who put it there, why it is there, or where it came from, but I like the message it conveys.

Let's have a little of that "peace, love and understanding" too while we're at it.

All in all, yesterday was a pretty groovy day when it came right down to it.

This car belongs to one of my neighbors. It's hard to blend in when driving this!

Some music for you to go with this post. Simon and Garfunkel with some help from the Smothers Brothers. Wow! Look how young they are! I hope you're feeling groovy too!

Red, Yellow, Green and Blue, the Colors are Back--Just for You!

2011-10-06T23:21:00.001-04:00

The colors of fall have begun to peek out here and there in my neighborhood.

They are showing above my neighbor's house,

in the park,

by the Imagination Station playground,

along the path where I like to walk,

against the beautiful clear blue sky,

looking out across one of the soccer fields next to the elementary school,

near the high school baseball diamond,

and by the Little League Fields too.

Yellow trees, bold and cheery, line the road that runs through the park.

Some are a brighter yellow than others.

Another "maize" one stands out against the "blue" sky (for the Michigan fans) next to the scarlet and gray flowers of the Ohio State Alumni garden.

This tall yellow tree stands above all the others, almost glowing.

The sunlight filtering through the leaves turns it into a golden plume.

In case anyone is wondering, the buzzards are still here. I found them roosting together up in the top of a yellow tree tonight.

Each year there are certain trees I return to when the colors first begin to change.

This orange and yellow one between two green trees is one of my favorites.

This bright red one is another one.

Across the street from the red one is another bright yellow one.

The two go well together, don't you think?

Leadership Class Continues

2011-10-02T21:44:00.000-04:00

I blogged a few weeks ago about going to the orientation retreat for the leadership class that I am taking. About a week and a half ago, I had my first class. The twelve of us in the class, eight women and four men, met in the meeting room at our local chamber of commerce office. The Chamber President welcomed us and introduced the first speaker of the day to us.

Our first speaker was a local historian who shared with us many pictures of historic places from the county and recounted several of the main events in our history. Next up was a local businessman who presented a slide show of various businesses from our downtown square showing how they had changed down through the years. Next we took a tour around the courthouse square and learned many facts about the buildings there. We learned about several fires that happened many years ago in buildings around the square, how the different buildings had changed hands over time, and how our courthouse (pictured below) was built.

photo source: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4878403810_750f0afd80.jpg

After the tour, we rode in a borrowed, extended church van to our local senior center. We were instructed to sit with the seniors, with each of us at a different table and to NOT sit with anyone we knew from class or that we already knew at the senior center. We were to introduce ourselves to the seniors at our table and to try and get to know one of them well enough that we could introduce him or her to our class members.

By chance, I sat next to a friendly looking woman who just happened to be the mother-in-law of the Chamber President--the teacher of our leadership class! I didn't know when I sat down next to her who she was. Well, you know, I DO live in a small town. The introductions went well and then it was time for lunch.

On the menu for lunch that day were bratwurst sandwiches, potato salad, and baked beans with milk and/or water to drink for the main meal. In addition to the items from the main meal, we were also offered a full salad bar, V-8 juice, a cheese stick, and a dish of prunes! This was more food than I was accustomed to having for lunch so I had just the items from the main meal and skipped the extras. The seniors at my table informed me that they also have what is known as the "chicken list." I asked what the chicken list was. They explained that if you didn't like what they were offering on the main menu, you could have your name put on the "chicken list," and then you would be served chicken instead of whatever is on the main menu. In order to be on the chicken list, though, you had to let them know ahead of time. So no "chicken list" for me-ha! We had plenty to eat and then were given a tour of the senior center. In addition to their dining hall, we saw their computer room, meeting room, offices, and kitchen.

From the senior center, we all climbed back into the church van and headed out to see several historical sights in our county. Included in our tour were an old one-room schoolhouse:

a Hopewell Indians Mounds burial ground,

a Quaker Meeting House and cemetery

a very old log cabin home, and an old covered bridge. The above three pictures came from this site where you can read a little about our county history if you are interested.

Inside of the one room schoolhouse, it looked just like the schoolhouse that used to be on the TV show "Little House on the Prairie." I can remember watching that show all the time as a young girl. Laura Ingalls would have felt right at home in the schoolhouse here in our county!

The Indian mounds weren't that exciting to me. They looked just like they do in the picture--round mounds of dirt with grass growing over them, but it was interesting to know that we had an Indian burial ground right there in our county. I didn't even know it existed until I learned about it in this class.

The Quaker Meeting house was quite interesting too. The two doors on the front are so that the men could enter by one door and the women by the other door. Inside the church it was very simple and bare with just rows of pews on either side of the building facing the center where an old wood stove sat. The men sat in the pews on one side of the building and the women sat facing them in the pews on the other side of the building.

After the tour we returned to the Chamber of Commerce office for the beginnings of a discussion on what our class project will be. We touched on several ideas and will continue that discussion at a future meeting.

Our class was then adjourned. It had been a full day lasting from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. Our next class will be on the topic of "City Government," and we were instructed to attend a city council meeting before that class is scheduled. I'll be attending a city council meeting here tomorrow night to fulfill that requirement. I learned a lot of interesting information about our local history from this first class and am looking forward to learning about the other topics scheduled for future classes as well.

Home, Come On Home. Ye Who Are Weary, Come Home.

2011-09-29T23:15:00.000-04:00

This is Homecoming Week at my younger son's school. He's been working every evening after school for several hours each day helping his classmates build the float for the junior class.

Each day this week was designated as a certain type of dress-up day. One day was set aside for 50's day and this is how my son dressed to go to school.

Yes, in case you are wondering, he did say "Ayyy!" Fonzie-style just before I snapped this picture.

His girlfriend will be home this weekend to go to the Homecoming football game and dance with him. It will be good to see her.

By coincidence, we are celebrating another homecoming this week. My older son flew home from Florida on Tuesday this week. He will be here just for a few days. He flies back on Sunday. He came to attend a wedding of one of his friends. Although he will be spending part of his time at the wedding and with his friends, it is still good to have him home for a little while. It's really nice to see him. I have missed him.

Remember the concert series, I mentioned in my last post? Along with the concerts at the theater in our town, we also have reciprocal admission tickets for concerts at the venue in Kendallville, Indiana. Last night the Purdue Varsity Glee Club was performing at Kendallville, and we decided at the last minute to go to the concert. Although it was about an hour's drive away for us, it was well worth it.

This group of talented young men performed a wonderful concert. I really enjoyed listening to them sing. I didn't make this video, but here's a little sample of their music. In keeping with the homecoming theme today, I chose their version of "Back Home Again in Indiana" sung in conjunction with "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away." There are several other videos of their music on Youtube if anyone is interested in hearing more of them.

"Welcome to the '70's!"

2011-09-25T20:02:00.000-04:00

This afternoon took me back in time and made me almost feel like I was twenty years old again. Music, more than anything, has always been a time machine for me. My town has a Community Concert Association which brings musical acts to perform on stage at our local arts building. Today we attended a performance which was the first of this year's concert series. Jim Curry, a John Denver tribute artist, was the performer. This is the program cover from today's concert. When the usher handed me this program, he said, "Welcome to the '70's" and then gave me a big grin.

I have to tell you when I was young, I was a big fan of John Denver's music. I saw him in concert on four different occasions, watched his TV specials, had all of his records, and knew the words to all of his songs. So when I heard that the concert association was bringing a John Denver tribute artist to town, I was very skeptical that he could do justice to Denver's music. However, I was pleasantly surprised at today's concert.

Jim Curry, who both looks and sounds the part of John Denver, gave a wonderful performance of Denver's songs. He, of course, didn't sound exactly like John Denver, but he really did do an amazing job. He was also personable and friendly and frequently invited us in the audience to sing along with him, which we did. This is a picture I took from today's concert. Curry's wife is to the right with the reddish-brown hair. She played guitar and mandolin and sang along with him.

I was glad that we went to the concert. Curry and his band played many favorites including, "Rocky Mountain High," "Annie's Song," "Thank God, I'm a Country Boy," "Take Me Home Country Roads," "Calypso," "Perhaps Love," and many others. One of the songs Curry sang today that he did an especially good job with was "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Denver sang and wrote that song, but it originally became popular when it was sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Although this video isn't from the performance today, here is Jim Curry and company singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" to give you an idea of how similar his voice is to John Denver's voice.

It was fun to hear the music that was so much a part of my youth this afternoon. It's nice to know too that Curry helps to keep John Denver's music alive.

Too Soon

2011-09-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

TOO SOON

Summer is ending,

too soon, too soon.

Can you hear the sigh

of the harvest moon?

Like a golden squash

in the garden patch,

the moon snuggles in the trees,

he's got a nap to catch.

Tree frogs protest

with their rubber band throats

echoing, "Too soon! Too soon!"

Crickets sing

their farewell chorus,

a soothing lullaby

to the snoozing moon.

Summer is ending,

too soon, too soon.

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