2017 will be a ............................. year

The break was awesome.  I actually got some stuff done.  I made progress.  And the trend continues.  We initiated some projects to get us more organized.  We would have gotten even farther if it wasn't for a bad support bar in the shelving we just bought.........have to replace that shelving unit and then we can keep going!!!


I also started a project I never expected to work on, and REALLY never expected to enjoy as much as I am.  The hubster finally had to take possession of his comic book collection.  Let's just say there are a lot of them.  He started out pretty organized, alphabetized, bagged and boarded.  But some time between 1990 and 1991 he basically just started piling them in boxes.  So, I am cataloging and organizing his collection.  It's been very fun and very relaxing to do.  Who knew????


I am loaded with anxiety as 2017 kicks off.  My coping method may not be healthy but I am basically avoiding all media at all costs.  I may have to give up Facebook sooner rather than later.  The less I see and read the better my mental health.  I am turning inward, to myself, my home, my family.  In my little bubble I am safe and happy.  And that is where I need to be.  If I look too far out I see only pending disaster and loss.  It's not a question of if, it is a question of when and how much.  If I look beyond my four walls what little hope I have for humanity diminishes.  I know there are good people out there doing great things and I applaud and cheer for them.  But I can't watch our world slide into the hell it is heading for.  I just can't.  We joke about the collective fall of the IQ but damn, now we are seeing the results first hand and it is terrifying.


So, life for me is house projects, jigsaw puzzles, books, crafts, and quality time with the hubster and furry kids.  And that, that is a great thing.  I love my inner world.  My little library is my sanctuary, my happy place.  My home is my castle.  My family is my world.  And that is how it should be how it needs to be.

Countdown............

Ahhh, finally this year I am taking time off between Christmas and New Years.  In IT it usually means we work.  Systems have to be updated when no one else is working.  I said Nay this year.  I have had to work for the past 9 years over the holiday.  Finally, FINALLY, I have requested a break. 


I have big plans for that time.  Catch up on the long list of "To Do's"


It might end up being mostly spent reading curled up on the couch but hey, a girl can aspire to great things....


We have gotten our big "To Do" list down to a single address so that is actually huge.  The hubster and I don't move to quickly when it comes to the task list.  So there is that.


I am slowly but surely working to unclutter my life.  I have a huge sentimental streak in me so it is hard.  But I am getting there.  I have gone through and tossed/donated many things.  Then I take that smaller pile of things and go through it again hoping to make it even smaller.  Little by little I will get rid of so much stuff.  The old adage, if you haven't touched it in 6 months, you don't need it.  With our seasons here that is harder to do with clothing.  It takes a full year cycle to be able to say Nope to something.  But I think the fact that I donated 6 garbage bags of clothing is a start!


Baby steps...............I have to remind my self...........Baby steps..............

Fuzzy future

Not that the elections have come and gone, what can one say that hasn't already been said.  I have great fears for the future.  Will they come to pass, who knows.  For now, I focus on my home, my family, the rising of the sun each day.  It's all I can do.  I will find peace in this uncertainty.  I will spread love and kindness, I will not hate.


I will continue to breathe..............

Random ramblings

What I am reading: A Spellman book by Lisa Lutz..............and about 10 other books.  sigh..........


My list of To-Do is SOOOOO long.


One checkmark at a time.  I know, I know.........


But being lazy is so much more appealing.


Just say'n.


My brain is swirling with thoughts but nothing I can say out loud. 


I want to hermit.

Random thoughts that really made me go hmmmmmm

My husband was telling me about a conversation at work around Halloween.  He was telling a coworker that it was my favorite holiday and I love to decorate the outside of the house for it.  She said it wasn't a real holiday.  And his response was if I can decorate for it, it is a holiday to me. 


So I looked it up.  I was curious about the origin.  Of course it is more than likely another holiday "stolen" by the Christians to thwart other beliefs.  And it is considered a Christian holiday.  Which I was totally fascinated by since many ultra conservative Christians won't allow their children to celebrate because it is a holiday of the devil.  You know, those pesky witches..........


Anyway, more to the point of my random thoughts on my drive home was around what would I do as a parent.  I don't believe in a god but I do have a great reverence for the natural world.  From both a scientific perspective and for Mother Nature.  I am in awe of what this planet and the universe does simply by existing.  I can't and won't attribute it to any single great plan or being.  My belief is far bigger than that. 


That said, I celebrate in a more Pagan way.  I celebrate Halloween as the time of the harvest, the time when nature is heading to bed so to speak.  And I love the idea of celebrating those that are gone.  The All Souls part of the holiday.  Trick or Treating is fun for me because the kids love it so much.  They get to use their imaginations to become someone or something else for a night.  They get to run around outside and visit their neighbors.  It is the one night they are allowed to skip "stranger danger".  It is the one night of the year they are truly allowed to be "free".


Then, Christmas.  I don't celebrate it for the Christian reason.  I celebrate that time of year for what it is.  The turning of the natural cycle.  Winter Solstice.  It is the start of the earth's renewal.  The days begin to get longer.  The start of hope for spring begins.  And I love that.  I love the quiet of winter.  The falling snow. My decorations lean toward lights and snowmen.  To bring some light into the long dark days.  But to enjoy what winter offers.  And find beauty and peace in all of nature's cycles. 


Easter, same thing, I celebrate the Pagan rights of spring.  I celebrate renewal.  That the earth has woken back up, and will burst forth in all her growing glory.


I would never force religion on my children.  Instead I would teach them to think for themselves, to find what they want to  believe in.  I would teach them to be kind for the simple reason that it is the right thing to do.  I would try very hard to raise them color blind.  To raise them to see all people for who they are, not what they are.  Judge a person by their actions, not by their skin color.  Let people be who they want to be.  Love who they want to love.  And as they meet people, learn and explore the world, then they can decide if religion is right for them.  And which one is right for them. 


As they make those choices though how do you raise them to not feel left out of traditions so many people partake in.  How do I take them to Grandma's house and explain Christmas and church.  How do I not color their impressions.  I have no clue how I would do any of that. 


Ultimately it doesn't matter.  We chose not to be parents so it is a conundrum I will never have to deal with.  But still, what would I have told little Nick or Maggie?  I wonder............

Solitude

Twin Peaks, remember that show?  I was a huge fan.  At some point in the series they introduced a character that was a shut-in.  Someone that didn't go outside.  Laura Palmer used to visit him.  Bring him meals.  He grew orchids.  I don't remember details, his name, or anything else, but I remember thinking to myself he was the one character I could most relate to.  Someone who doesn't want to go outside and deal with people.  Exposure to someone like him was huge for me.  It was eye opening.  This seemingly weird need to exist in my own world and not interact with others was real.  There was someone else, albeit fictional, who felt the same way.  And he was LIVING the dream. 


Now we have the world wide web.  Introverts have united, maybe alone, in the quiet of their rooms, but united anyway in a common love of solitude.  My only reference to extreme introverted behavior is no longer one fictional guy from an old show.  There are lots of us!  We can be social, just social in a completely alone sort of way.  From afar, curled up with a cup of coffee, and a cat or dog, or both.


 More than a few friends have said to me that they don't know anyone else like me.  A bookworm, loner, who doesn't like social activities, that is fascinated by all things solitary.  Someone who truly dances to the beat of her own private drum.  I actually took pride in those statements.  I have always fancied myself as an individual that doesn't worry or care what other people think of me and the choices I make.  The fact that people know it, and I think, love me anyway, was great news.


Don't get me wrong.  There are people in this world I love and enjoy spending time with.  There are even more that I enjoy a cyber friendship with.  But when it comes to my happy place, and my ultimate comfort zone, I prefer solitude. 


Thankfully, I am married to someone that is equally as comfortable in his own world.  My husband is even less social than I am.  We absolutely and completely love spending time together but we are equally as comfortable doing our own thing.  We can be in two different rooms of the house and not interacting and we are ok with that.  We don't need to spend every waking moment together.  I can happily sit in my library and read or do a puzzle and he will watch tv or work on his hobby. 


Being comfortable alone, being able to do things on my own, is very natural for me.  I have even realized at the end of a day running around town that I just spent an entire day in public but yet feel like I was in a bubble of privacy.  I also realize that I probably had one too many conversations with myself while I did so but hey, who gives a shit.


Anyway, being alone is very different from being lonely.  For me, solitude is a beautiful thing.

Updates

As I tried to update the "About Me" information I had to change the number of cats.  I changed from 3 to 2.  But the good and the bad of it really was a change from 3 to 2 to 1 to empty kitty nesters but then, happily, back to 2.  In just a few years a lot of changes.  A lot of tears, and then, a great deal of joy and laughter. 


Thankfully, not much else changed.  And I am truly grateful for that.  There is something to be said in life NOT changing.  It doesn't mean life if boring.  It doesn't mean I am not doing anything with my life.  It means that in many ways, the good parts of my life are still there.


Since my last post I have traveled to Puerto Rico, Ireland, Argentina, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Germany.  Each trip unique and amazing 


Oh, and we moved.  We had joked that we would leave our home feet first because we were too lazy to move but alas, the commute got to be too much.  The drive time seemed to be getting longer and longer no matter what the weather.  The final straw was a late night at work when we both left well after rush hour and taking two different routes ended up with almost an hour and half drive to go less than 30 miles.  In good weather!   We looked at each other that night after commiserating about our drives and said, let's move.  We started looking at homes on the internet that night.  A few months later we made an offer on a home.  And only three years after that, we sold the old house and were completely moved out of it....................so I guess we were still really lazy.  We moved in to the new house one car load/trailer at a time.  Then three months later we hired a moving company to get the last of the big stuff moved.  The next 2 years and 9 months would be sent cleaning and remodeling the old house.  We made a deal with a friend that he could live there in exchange for doing some of the work.  Then after he found a home of his own we finished the rest.  Part of the reason we weren't in a huge hurry to sell was the down market.  We probably got close to 40% more by waiting for the market to recover.  And in fact when we were ready to sell the first time homes were selling faster than they were getting listed.  We sold when starter home inventory was at record lows.  And we sold not to someone that would flip it or rent it, but to a sweet family just starting out.  THAT was the most important part.  Our much beloved home went to a couple that would cherish it as their first home where they raised their family.  That house had the best spirit.  So much love.  It was wonderful to pass it on to someone who wanted the home for the same reason. 


Looking back, the other big change was losing my Aunt.  I knew, when I said goodbye to my Uncle that she would soon follow and she did.  Six short months later.  And that broke my heart.  I have never been closer to two people outside of my immediate family.  They were my world.  There are still moments when I think I should call them to tell them about something and it takes my breath away to realize that I can't.  I tell them in my heart.  I talk to them still in my thoughts.  They may be gone from this world but they will never be gone from my heart.  Coping with their loss has been hard.  The hardest thing I have ever had to do.  But we have brought many of their things home with us.  Pieces of furniture that have been around since I was a baby.  The yellow chair/stool that sat in her kitchen.  It's in my kitchen now.  I can't tell you how many dozens of hours that I sat in that chair talking to them while they cooked meals.  In the new house we gained a family room so it was only natural to use their sitting room furniture.  It's not the same as having them there but it provides some level of comfort, of familiarity.  And I know they would love that the things they loved and used endured.  That it has passed on to another generation.

Born to Run

Born To Run, born to forget.........I should have written this crap down.

For a girl that grew up in Jersey in the 80's this is pretty much required reading.  The rock god, The Boss, the man himself has penned a memoir.  But completely aside from that, as I sit quietly and devour his story it becomes all to apparent to me that I screwed up.  I didn't write down much of anything and it would appear that I am not a person who remembers details, dates, names, or well, most things.  Crap.

Social media and the fact that blogger never deleted this thing is about the best way for me to track back information.

The lesson here: Diary, journal, blogging, hell even Facebook isn't a bad thing if for no other reason but to help a person remember their life.  All that living, all those experiences, and whose to say we will remember them a few years down the road.  Hell, I can't tell you what I had for breakfast let alone what I did back in 1986.

How Bruce has done it, if he kept a journal, or if he just has a WAY better memory than me, is impressive.  I am in awe of all that he remembers.  The tiny details, the names, places...........wow.

So there I sat today thinking about this.  And how do I get myself to at least start recording my life on a more regular basis.  It's only going to get worse for me memory wise.  And then I remember my faithful and trusty blog.  I miss it.  Of course I have said that before and quit......again......but I feel I should do something.  And why not try to get back into the swing of what you love.

And in case you are wondering, I am enjoying the book so far. 

Photography

When I was a little kid my Aunt and Uncle gave me a camera. They had been professional photographers for a while and so they shared their passion with me.

Once I started taking photos I couldn't stop. But it never dawned on me to make a go of it for a career. So, for all of these years I have only done photography as a hobby. The digital camera age has certainly made it a relatively cheap and fun way to spend my leisure time as of late. And maybe at some point it will stop being a hobby and become a career. In the mean time I am perfectly happy just doing photo shoots for friends.

I did put together a website so that other people can see my work. The families that I photograph share my work on Facebook so my name is getting around. But even if nothing really comes of it I don't mind. I love that I can create lasting memories for those that I love.

Visit

Mustang Love

My dream car is a Mustang. Since Ford redesigned the car in 2005 I have been in love. Every chance I get I rent one when I travel. I can't even begin to describe how happy driving that car makes me. No matter how hectic my day the second I slide into that drivers seat all my worries go away. To me it is the perfect car. The hubster knows that I want one and someday maybe I'll have one parked in the driveway.

Since I was a little kid I have loved the Mustang. The mid 60's models were awesome. By the time I was old enough to afford a car of my own the classic models were way out of my price range and the current ones were just downright ugly. But 2005 changed all that and I renewed my love for the car.

For both the hubster and I a car is just a box on wheels that will get us from one place to the other. We care more about reliability than we do anything else. Our Subaru is rusting but runs like a champ and we won't replace it till we absolutely have to. We do not see a car as something that will give us status. We don't need a car to validate our place in society. We aren't that shallow and status conscious. We have never felt the need to keep up with the neighbors or outshine our friends to feel special or superior. Yuppies we are not.

All that said, I am willing to admit that a Mustang would be more for me than just a box on wheels. There's a little bit of rebel, a little bit of leather, and a little bit of lace in that car.

I'll be sad when I have to drop it off at the rental place on Friday. This may be my last Mustang for a while.

It's been a while

I have been thinking a lot lately about blogging and I really miss it. Life is busy and I feel like I don't have time for myself. If I can sneak in a 1/2 hour of reading on any given day it's a small victory.

Blogging was always a relaxing and fun activity that took my mind off whatever pressures the world would bring.

When I looked at my blog page I realized that I had to update some things. We no longer have 4 dogs and 4 cats. We have 3 dogs and 3 cats. Max, my beloved Swedish Vallhund and Hobbes, our very special kitty man died last year. They both lived very long and spoiled life but that doesn't make it any easier. Max died almost a year ago and I still miss him every day. (there are tears as I type this)

This past fall I also lost my Uncle Phil. He was a second father, a grandfather, and a friend to me. And now, I am watching my Aunt fall slowly to pieces. She misses him so much and is anxious to join him. They were married over 60 years so I can't blame her but it is hard to watch none the less. I tell her everyday that she is needed, that I want her in my life but the pull of joining her husband is stronger. The only thing I can do now is enjoy every minute I have with her.

A project at work has taken me to California every month over the past year and a half. It gave me a chance to see them so much more than I would have. The perfect work assignment at the perfect time and I am very grateful for that.

On the positive side, our dogs Caleb and Lily that were so scared of humans are now well adjusted and happy pups. When we take them to the dog park Caleb is the first to run up and greet other humans and dogs. The hubster and I couldn't have been more thrilled to see that. He is so brave now.

All in all life is good.

And I think I am excited about getting back into blogging.

light at the end............

Well, after 4 weeks of travel for work the hubster is coming home on Saturday. I didn't know it was possible to miss someone so much. I have carried on just fine and accomplished a good deal of "stuff" while he was gone. But life just isn't the same. He's my best friend, the person I laugh with, share my day, my thoughts, my dreams with. He's the one I turn to when I am happy, sad, angry...........I know that I am lucky to be married to my best friend. I have girlfriends, don't get me wrong, and I love them dearly, it's just different with him. I guess because I share my life with him so completely.

I think this is the longest amount of time we have been apart in 12 years. We came close at 3 weeks when I was in Europe for work, but this is 4 and it's been way too long. He was only expecting to be gone less than two. Neither of us was prepared for him to be on this extended trip.

I have plenty to do that will keep me busy between now and then which is good. I really don't want to climb the walls for the next day and a half.

Switching completely, my little man is sleeping on the couch and he has to be running in his dreams. His little legs are just kicking like crazy. For those of you that remember me always talking about Caleb, he's our most skittish dog. The one that really doesn't know if trusting a human is a good idea. But in the four years we have had him he has made amazing progress.
He is so attached to us. He sticks to us closely and loves to be part of our family. He has even decided that snuggling with mom on the couch is ok. I can now get him to jump up into my lap. It's huge for him. He's become so loveable and playful. We get such a kick out of all the goofy things he likes to do. Every morning he and I play fetch. He's finally gotten to the point where he will bring the balls back to me so I can throw them again. He's gone from one messed up little dude to a total love sponge. It's awesome.

Lily is the other half of the adoption duo. And she is my princess. She's gotten to be so social and such a little love that our friend Kel has told us several times she plans to steal her. And to think when we got her she hid under the coffee table and barked non-stop at strangers. And if they got up and moved anywhere in the house she would charge them and try to bite their ankle. Yes, I am ashamed to admit, for a while there, I had an ankle biter. She has a small mouth, she can't really do any damage. And she never got more than pant cuff anyway. But those days are far behind her. Now she is social and loveable. Actually she has become something of an attention whore. She'll cuddle with anyone now a days.

Max and Sophie continue to be amazing dogs as well. Sophie is still the toddler that hubster and I adore. She makes us laugh so much. Not too long ago we imagined what she would be like if she was a human child. Weird, maybe, but it was the funniest conversation we have had in ages.
And when we told our friends about it they agreed 100%. They said that she would totally do those things.

Well, it's past my bedtime. Sadly, that is 10pm. Age will do that to you.

Today was my birthday and it was a good one.

A Most Wonderful Weekend

We had a perfect weekend.

First, we went up to the lake. We pretty much just relaxed. Read a lot and watched a movie we gave up on half way through. Inglorious Bastards. It was too slow. And we got bored.

But we did take some time to do some portraits together. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. And the rain held off till we were done!
































This was our favorite one.


When we got home we started to get Hubster ready for his trip to Ireland (still jealous) and then we went off to see Boy J and his new Baby G. Isn't she just the cutest lil peanut!



















We also got caught up on some of our favorite shows. Eureka, Dr. Who, Being Human.

Now I am sitting in a very empty house missing the hubster way too much. He just left 3 hours ago. Sigh................I am quite pathetic.............

What the???

On the way home from work we had to stop by Target. As we were driving past Lowes we noticed a tow truck, a police car, a group of people standing around, and a car with it's front right tire up on a rather large landscape boulder.

How do you turn into a driveway, immediately jump a curb, and manage to put the front of your car up on a boulder?

We would love to know the story..................

11 and still hugging

Hubster and I celebrated 11 years as hubster and wife last month. Of course we went to Mama Maria's in Hudson Wisconsin to celebrate.

I am thankful for all the wonderful things we still are.

We still hold hands
kiss each other good night
call each other to say I love you
save messages just to hear the other's voice
email each other for no reason but to say Hi
laugh together
support each other
work together on projects
work together to make decisions
play

I'm a lucky girl and he tells me he's a lucky guy.

And we are thankful for every day we spend together.

Sum up

So, it's been a while, here's a quick recap:

All the dogs are great. Lily and Caleb are awesome. I even get Caleb to jump in my lap and snuggle now. They are far more social and accepting of strangers. When our friends come to the cabin they will hang out with them, snuggle in bed, and cuddle on the couch with them.

The cats are all doing just as well............

The hubster is at a new job as of this spring. He's enjoying the new opportunities. And is in fact headed for Ireland for two weeks. I am quite jealous...

Last fall I had the opportunity to travel to Spain, Italy, and Germany. It was a dream come true.

We continue to enjoy life in Minnesota as well as our lake house in Wisconsin. Up at the lake we have a bald eagle that lives on or near our lake, and we have spotted the black bear that we were told lived on or near our land.

We also have a family of Loons on the lake. Mom, Dad, and baby happily swim around all day long.

The list of books I have read is much longer. But the list of books I want to read is still even longer. My newest author that I adore is Brandon Sanderson. He's been hired to finish the Robert Jordan series and deservedly so. He's fantastic. I have gotten three other people completely hooked on his stories.

My family is all well. My friend Boy J recently became a father. His baby girl Grace was born on July 3rd. And we are so very happy for him.

For better or for worse life has been wonderfully, peacefully quiet during the hiatus from blogging.

I have of course added to the shoe collection. Would you expect anything less?

That's about all for now. Happiness to you all.

Catching up

I realized over the weekend that I miss blogging. It's been too long.

I haven't been up to much but the usual. Work, puppies, the lake.........

I have decided to enter a photograph in our fine arts show at the fair. I only have a 1 in 10 chance of being selected for the exhibit but you never know till you try.

It was an interesting process to choose the photograph. I sent the photos to my parents as well as a few friends and asked them to pick their favorite. Everyone picked something different. So I expanded my viewers. I narrowed down the choices to the favorites and then printed them so that the next group of people had the actual photos. Two of the people I asked were avid photographers themselves. Their feedback was very helpful but also a little difficult. They were my first true critics of my work. They were very supportive and they gave me great feedback. But it was also a little humbling.

I have the photograph chosen so the next step is framing. I found what I hope to be the perfect frame so now it is a question of matte, no matte, etc................

Regardless of how this turns out I am so glad I did this. I put myself out there like I never have before. And I feel like I can be a better photographer for it.

Much like any target shooting I have to learn to breathe, I have to learn to be patient. Quantity is not always quality.

I recently took family photos for some close friends of ours. I got some great shots but I know I could have done better. I learned a lot of things about my style when I reviewed the shots. And I know I need to work on my staging. I don't do a good job of taking my time and waiting for the perfect framed shot. I just shoot like crazy and hope that one of the shots is a good one. That for a good photographer it does not make.

A few of the photographs that I am not entering for the fair I am going to submit to the Smithsonian photo contest.

More to come......................

Pitching anxiety

I am a collector. My parents are collectors. And we attach sentimental value to everything that touches our lives.

Proof of this hoarding habit became all too apparent when I decided to start cleaning out the attic.

I had major anxiety. Still do.

10 tall kitchen garbage bags worth of clothes are waiting in the garage to be donated to Joseph's Coat in St. Paul.

5 bags of garbage are piled in the garage to go out on Tuesday.

And I have been using a paper bag to keep my breathing steady.

Why so much anxiety?

I think part of it is that all those little mementos remind me of my life. They let me know that I have lived. That I have been places and done things. That other lives intersected with mine and we shared something together.

Some of the things that I found:

8 track tapes of the Flashdance soundtrack, Air Supply, Kenny Rogers, The Turtles.
A Rubik's cube with scenes from the movie ET
Empire Strikes Back trading cards
ET trading cards
A stuffed Gizmo
Peace Frogs t-shirts and bumper stickers
The napkin from Patrick's something or other in New Orleans
Subway token from my 1988 trip to New York for college
Bullet casing from when I learned to fire a rifle at the range
Richard Scary books I had when I was a little girl
A raggedy Anne doll that looked more Raggedy than Anne
My Brownie guidebook and badge book
The medals I earned from the Reading Olympics
My old wedding ring
A Chevron collectible car
Beanie Baby happy meal toys
Darth Vader case for Star Wars figures
Dagoba play set
A gun for one of the Star Wars figures.
An R2D2 and C3PO necklace
The sign for my high school locker that said "Tater Tot"
A Doll with a stuffed body and hard plastic head
The sweatshirt I colored on the drive from California to Michigan 1977 which lists each state we drove through and a pictorial representation of that state.
Keychains
My sticker collection
A unicorn pillow
The bandanna a roommate brought back from Japan Disney
The jade horse my dad got me when he was in Spain
The bells we put on our shoes to greet my dad at the airport

I didn't throw it all out. I couldn't. Ok, the 8-tracks went into the garbage. As did some of the above stuff.

I also collected a bunch of stuff to take up to the cabin. Kitchen things we can use up there.
Mugs, bowls, measuring cups, etc........

I don't need to have the stuff. I don't use so much of it. But I am not ready to part with it all either.

It is silly. They are just things.

Ultimately I know the only things in my life that really matter are my pets, my husband, and our health.

And I really could walk away from it all. But to make the permanent break when I don't have to I am just not read for.

One of these days it will happen. A little at a time. Maybe a year from now I'll do the same thing and chuck even more.

It really does feel good to get rid of things I will never use/wear/read.

Baby steps.....................

Happy Winter Solstice

Hey there everybody.




December 21st is my absolute favorite day of the year. Why you ask? Why does Newt go out and dance around a bonfire and worship mother nature?



Cause from then on out the days get longer. The sun shines just a little bit longer and hope springs eternal.



In honor of it being lazy winter days. And even more importantly, in honor of the ASPCA and all the wonderful things it does I have decided to start another walk-a-thon. Yep, that's right.



Allow me to introduce to you "Paws of Promise"



Much like with MS and Feets of Fancy this summer I will walk and walk and walk all season long.



I realize that the purse strings are tight for everyone so if you can't donate money contact your local shelter and see what supplies they need. Even old blankets and towels are helpful donations for a shelter. Or pick up a few things for dogs/cats at the dollar spot at Target. Leashes and collars and toys are always needed. They also need volunteers. I don't know of a shelter that doesn't need folks to come over and walk a few dogs.



But if you can donate, now through the end of the year there is a challenge grant and every dollar donated gets doubled. How cool is that????



I will update weekly on progress. I will not be tracking donations as I just put a direct link to the ASPCA on the site so that they can get credit for the challenge grant.

If you want to comment and leave what you did that would be awesome. I'll post the list on the blog page. My goal is to have things like: Donated cash, donated time, donated collars, donated blankets on the sidebar.

Thanks everyone! Happy Winter Solstice. Spring is just around the corner!

Best of 2008 - oops I totally forgot

I totally forgot this when I did my 2008 best of.

Best Album in 2008

It's a tie, I can't pick between them:

One Republic

From Newt's Muse

Mat Kearney

From Newt's Muse

Not much else for a Monday. I am working from home today. Today's windchill is minus 30. Yes, that's right! MINUS 30. The actual air temp might get up to 0 today. Oh happy joy joy.

Over the weekend I baked sugar cookies. When I was a kid my mom made batches every year for the neighbors as a holiday gift.

We only got to eat the burned or broken ones.

I made a few cookie sheets worth that were nice and golden brown. They didn't taste right so I burned the next batch. Ahhh, that's more like it.

Hubster came in to the kitchen "Uh, forgot to set the timer hon?"

I replied with "Nope, just used to them that way"

he didn't get it.

Anyone else only get to eat the burned and broken cookies?