Tropical ~Cayman~ Kinda Dreams...

...on this Connecticut shore...

...baby, it's cold outside!

xoabb

expect anything!

Sky Watch Friday...

Winter still prevails

The snow seems never ending,

Where are hints of Spring?

~~~

xoabb

expecting crocus next month!

Sky Watch Friday

Do join us!

The Leaning Tower of Trey-You...

And exactly how is this comfortable??

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Busted!

Busted Bird feeder...

Dear squirrel-proof bird feeder maker, 

It's not. 

Love, Annie

~

Another one bites the dust, and it's the 4th feeder this season. (Huge heavy sigh.) When I looked at my feeder yesterday morning I couldn't imagine why there were no birds on it - usually every station has a bird friend perched on it eating away. However, I was late as usual running behind schedule and had no time to investigate why this was happening. Got home from work. The bird feeder was not only empty of birds, it was gone! Have I ever told you how I feel about squirrels? I do not like them. Not only did the little buggers tear down the feeder and eat all the sunflower seeds, they also broke the little spring that made this a squirrel-proof bird feeder! 

So now I have a bird-proof bird feeder. I am cussing.  

~~~

xoabb

expect squirrel exasperation!

ABC Wednesday Round Four

It's a B!

Do join us!

Killer Icicles

All around our home we are growing killer icicles. If one of them broke off and hit someone, there could very well be carnage...and red-hued snow is really not a good thing. 

This winter is turning out to be one of the most precipitous (isn't that a great word??) years we've had in a while. We're ~bracing~ for another "snow event", as they're now called, tomorrow. I'm sure the grocery stores will be jammed, as all we Connecticuter's (Connecticutan's?) tend to go into a complete frenzy whenever snow is predicted. Silly? Yup! 

I'll never forget tuning in to our local TV station a few years ago and hearing a very serious looking weatherman announcing: "Storm Bob... He's coming... Details at 10..." (Storm Bob????) 

All I can say, that's definitely the name of my next dog, even if he's a she! 

Just a little bit of my part of this World... 

That's My World! Do join us!

~~~

xoabb

expect icicles!

A Smorgasbord!

I just put in the glass storm door today. Can't begin to tell you how very much this has helped my birding/bird picture taking abilities! Two pieces of clear glass surely trumps one piece of screen! I am so very happy!

Sunday Serenity

No one knows how to have a more serene sleepy-time

than my Miss Stella-Bella...

And now...

Miss LaLa and I had great fun traveling to NYC and meeting Ms. Daryl for lunch, yesterday. Said lunch was 3 hours LONG!! Needless to say, we three had a BLAST! And we can hardly wait to repeat this maaaaaahvelous day! We three had the very best loud and long laugh fest!  It was simply the best!

Make new friends, 

But keep the old...

One is silver, 

And the other gold.

(an old Girl Scout song that rings all kinds-a true.)

xoabb

expect friend kinds-a things!

Stirred Memories...

My sister's wedding, September 1, 2001

~

It was magic. Simply a magical day. She and her (now) hubby, were married in our parent's MO backyard. A more perfect day couldn't have been had. And in the middle of the ceremony, a hot air balloon began to pass overhead, but when they saw what was happening below them, they stopped as best they could to look on. 

~~~

xoabb

expect some memory moments!

When in a Snow Storm...

Our turkeys gather on or around the fence rail.

Well...unless Stella is out & about.

Then that strategy just doesn't work on any level!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Hail To This Man...

I am so very very proud!

(actually, I'm totally verklempt.)

~~~

xoabb

expect everything!

Transition

I've thought long and hard about this day and what words to write to convey just how much I am personally looking forward to the change our America is about to go through, beginning today. While I've not been a big fan of our past president, I am also fully aware that all things wrong with our America do not rest only upon his shoulders. We Americans haven't heeded the ~writing on the wall~ for some time and we're now paying the price. Our country needs something...and what exactly is that... Direction? Leadership? Stewardship? Confidence? Respect?  _________? (Please...fill in the blank.) 

What I do know is that this young man we are swearing in today as our next President of the United States of America is someone of great intelligence who is full of promise and hope for the future of this great nation of ours. And it's just what our country needs. May we revisit this day one year from now and see that our country is on the road to recovery and regaining world respect. There are no great miracles to be had, but with this man leading us and with every single one of we proud Americans doing our part - pitching in - just maybe there can be many small miracles for all of us as we keep traveling down this American road of ours. 

To you, President Obama.

To our United States of America.

Godspeed.

~~~

xoabb

expect patriotism!

P. S.  "We expect a lot from him and he expects a lot from us. I hope we make him proud." Perfect words written by my friend Debbie.

I Have a Dream!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

America, America!!

President Lincoln is his chosen legacy...

President-Elect Obama, may you emulate all the 

goodness of President Lincoln and his presidency...

And may you never ever repeat its end.

Abraham Lincoln

~by Berton Bellis

Down thru endless ages,

Came a soul from others apart - 

Incased in a body of awkward appearance;

But in a true heavenly made heart.

He was born in a hewed log cabin, 

Grew up simple and plain;

This life - on earth a sacrifice, 

To remove from liberty a stain. 

No pen can give him due credit - 

No words the good of his mind;

But his love is forever burning, 

In the hearts of all human kind.

The world now bows to his honor,

And hail this emancipator's name;

Columbia is proud of his memory, 

He lives in everlasting fame...

...His life is a lesson for the living,

Show democracy is strength and sand,

That a good mind no matter how humble,

Can spread peace and love o're the land. 

"In God we trust" - our nation all - 

Our reward was grand and kind, 

For we'll always live and never fall!

By following this wonderful mind.

...to the children

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

A Mere Bag of Shells

A quiz...

Who said that?

Though the evening began with Doro, Mary and I going to a wake for a friend's father, it ended with the three of us going to dinner and then to Doro's beautiful home for a nightcap. The above wonderful piece of folk art adorns the wall of Doro's kitchen. 15 years ago, when she and her hubs owned a home on Fire Island, they were walked down the beach one day and on their trip found the above piece of drift wood. Next Doro stumbled upon a ginormous pile of just this kind of shell - said there were 100's of them. They took both driftwood and shells home and because Doro's creativeness would put Martha Stewart to shame, this wonderful sign was created! It hung on the outside of their FI home for years until they moved here. That's some kind of good glue! Any guesses where that was first said?

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

6:05 PM - An UPDATE:  You know, this morning I gave some thought to this about adding that if anyone would possibly get this it would be Daryl. And for several reasons: 

1. Daryl is very smart (duh!). Have you seen how she writes? How she comments? The only other gals I know that come close to her writing skills and smarts are MPM & CBW. 'Nuff said. 

2. From what I've gathered, Daryl loves old TV shows. 

3. She's  a Manhattanite New Yawk-er, and Manhattan is really close to Brooklyn. 

And what do you get from all of that??? Someone (Daryl) who knows the answer!

It was:

"Ralph Kramden, ala Jackie Gleason"

It's from an old Honeymooners TV snow.

He was explaining something to Ed Norton and told Ed that it was "a mere bag of shells" - in other words, something inconsequential and not worth the time to discuss, or an indication of a much bigger issue.

I've read that this is also known as a ~Brooklinism~. Hmmm, don't know about that, but do know I love that phrase! And be forewarned - I will be using it often.

Not a Single Soul Was Lost...

Though this is Sky Watch Friday, I just have to add the following, (with great joy!): Yesterday a US Air jet taking off from LaGuardia (NYC) had a run-in with birds flying into its engine(s) that resulted in the plane having to be ditched in the Hudson River. BLESS that heroic pilot who was able to bring this huge beast down and save every single one of the passengers! It was just a wonderful, miraculous ending! 

Now on to Sky Watch Friday...

Sun-Rise, Moon-Set

Going to work two days ago I looked up and saw 

this wonderful waxing moon...

What a gorgeous sight to start my day!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Sky Watch Friday

Do join us!

He's Goin' to Disney World!

For whatever reason this really tickled me...(forgive me)

And I actually paid to be able to post this here. I'm so honest!

~~~

xoabb

expect giggles at times!

Winter Being Lived...

Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening...

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

We're at the end of the alphabet for another ABC Wednesday round. That means we're at Z, and in my book, there's no better representation of this letter than the ability of our cat, Trey-you, to saw logs any time and anywhere. He spends the better part of his day zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing away!

Yes, I was reading the paper. 

Trey decided my reading time was over..

We're eating dinner - not a quiet affair - and there's 

Trey peacefully sleeping away through all the ruckus.

By the side door, on top of the empty pizza box

that's soon going out to the trash. 

Hard cardboard...so comfortable!

Maybe it's the left-over smell of the pepperoni

that's lulled him to sleep.

At least sometimes he picks lovely photo-op spots to fall asleep. 

But on a four inch wide rail??

You can't convince me that's comfortable!

~

I really didn't know what I was doing for Z this week and then I visited my friend, Ann's blog and saw that she'd posted wonderful photos of her cat Bob taking a nap in her dryer.

My Zzzzz had been found! 

ABC Wednesday

Do join us!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

 

Nurse Nancy Helps w/a Meme...

As some of you know by now, I work in a school health/nurse's office. I'm the health assistant and work with the school nurse. Nurse Nancy is our school nurse. She's just wonderful and we've had a lot of fun over the last year and a half working together and getting to know each other. It just so happens one of her very best friends has a blog. Imagine that! Anywho, her blogging friend Ellen had a fun meme on her blog and requested the two of us answer that meme. Below, our answers. Nurse Nancy's answers are in red, mine are in blue. Read and be amazed...well, NN & I hope you're at least entertained for a minute or two...

Ellen writes:

Herewith, questions for both you and NN to answer:

1. If you could meet one actor or actress, who would it be and why?

Robert Redford. Not only is he still very dreamy looking - deep creases in his face and all - but he is a benevolent sole and gifted in knowing good films (Sundance Film Festival).

Hmmm....I wish I could have met and known Paul Newman. Not possible, so I'll go with his wife, Joanne Woodward. She is such a remarkable woman in and of herself.  I love what they both have stood for over the years as far as their giving back, and I also am in awe of her and her late husband's acting skills. 

2. Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Where did you go on your favorite vacation?

My next vacation can be anywhere warm and sunny. Favorite vacation was Grand Canyon trip last year. Seeing our experiences through my child's eyes (Junior Fly Boy) was priceless and the company we had with us was the best. Cannot put a price on good friends! I still have Jr. Fly Boys picture as my wallpaper on my computer at work and it makes me smile every day :)

My next vacation I'd like to go to Missourah....Ahhhh my home state. My favorite vacation? I've had several magical vacation moments...Bermuda with friends...road trip to Maine with friends...my 40th Grand Tour of New Mexico and Arizona...so many more...the latest was Crabtacular last February at and sis-in-law's home in San Jose - it was beyond phenomenal!

3 What is your favorite thing to eat and can you make it or do you have to buy it?

I guess I have two favorite things....good pizza (mushrooms on top) which I have to eat out as my husband (Fly Boy) refuses to eat fungus. The second is vanilla bean creme brulee which is made at my favorite restaurant on the Outer Banks. So while I have tried to make it.....just cannot match it!

I just love food so this is another hard one...Hmmmm...my favorite thing to eat, bar none, is asparagus. Love it, love it, LOVE it! And I can easily make it. Another favorite is sushi. I definitely CANNOT make that at home, (yes I know some of you brave folks make your own sushi - I don't)! And not all sushi is good, as I've learned the hard way.

4. What is you favorite charity? Why is it important to you?

The American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation. I have had so many close family members and friends afflicted with cancer (especially breast cancer).

Locally, The Westport School of Music. Nationally, The Nature Conservancy. Unless we have the earth around us, none of the other stuff makes any sense. There won't be anything to save if we don't save the land of our earth. I will now get off my soapbox!

5. If you were stranded on an island, what 5 things would you have to 

have with you?

A picture of my family (including my dog).

A pot to boil water and/or cook in.

A glass to use for starting fire and drinking the water I purified in the pot.

A knife for cutting, killing and/or surviving what might be on the island.

Something to help keep me warm and/or protect me from the elements....I would say Fly Boy but he gets very cranky when he is hot, tired or hungry so guess a blanket would work better. Could also use it to create shelter. I do not think Fly Boy would make a good tarp to protect me from rain.

1. Kleenex - As all who know me are aware of, I need copious amounts of kleenex always as my nose is running running running always...(and never wins the race). Blah!

2. Nurse Nancy, up there, is much too practical...MUCH too practical...anywho #2 for me - the GPS signal in my cell phone. What?? That's cheating??? Who on God's green earth travels without a cell phone in this day and age???

3. I'll take the pot, knife and glass. Those seem like very good ideas, but I'm lumping them all together. 

4. Sunscreen, lots of sunscreen. I have very delicate skin, you know, very delicate and I must have means to protect it! 

5. Make-up and air-brushing, because this just has to be some kind of reality show and I really do need to look my best. 

xoabb

expect anything!

Sunday Serenity

Snuggly...

A snuggly...I do believe we all need one... 

Whatever that snuggly might be, we all need one...

Our Stella certainly has her snuggly...

It's a stuffed pink bear.

She's fallen in love with pink bear 

and won't give pink bear up. 

She just loves her snuggly PB and 

takes it everywhere with her... 

(Not out of the house - we won't let her)

Maybe we should learn something from this?

At least, go find your snuggly 

and hold it dear!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Visual Definition of an Obnoxious Neighbor

Photo taken 1/9/9 @ 6:45 pm while stopped at a stop sign with a car honking behind me - it's out of focus and clearly not my fault, given the circumstances!

See how the house on the right is glowing - and I do mean glowing - green? That's because the house on it's left has a ginormous green Hollywood-style flood lamp in the left-hand corner of their lawn. It throws "pretty" green shadows on it's home that are counteracted by the purple shadows thrown by the ginormous purple flood lamp in the right-hand corner of the lawn. The loser in all this light display? See how the house on the right is glowing - and I do mean glowing - green??

Don't you wish your neighbor had a year-round spotlight 

display spilling over onto your home, too?

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

SWF - Turkey Take-Off & Landing...Sorta

I know, I know...I've had a very similar photo to this already posted here on the TSC. But never have I been able to show you a video (poorly lit as it was at 4:45 pm yesterday afternoon) of my turkeys doing their nightly flight!

I've been trying to catch my turkeys flying up into their tree for some time now. But it's either it's been too dark, the camera's been AWOL in my car, I've been shoeless, or some other thing, and I've not had any success at it. However, yesterday, all the pieces finally fell into place (except for my coat being close at hand) and after what seemed like a bazillion cold minutes just standing there, I captured this gargantuan bird, who doesn't look like it should even be able get it's butt off the ground, lifting off and then landing in his night-time "bed", if you can call it that.  Never been more pleased - or cold!

Sky Watch Friday

Do join us!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Another Good Day Rolls Around...

Well, at least for all of us who love our GB...

A most Happy Birthday to my hubby and most dear GB...

You're in Chi-town for this birthday - but back when...

Remember that birthday when you discovered 

the ultimate sunbathing location?

What a good birthday that one was! (sigh)

Love love from all of us, be we wife, chillun, cuz's, fambly, friends -

You are the very best! (We took a vote and all are in agreement!)

xoallofusxo

told you to expect anything!

Yellow Beauty...

...with a possible yikes!  Tell me,

Do you see disturbed beauty, or another beauty added?

(yellow zinnia adorned by green stink bug)

(Hey! I could use this for next week's ABC Wed. as well!)

A point of view. It's

Not one person's to decide...

Yours, as good as mine.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

ALERT!! - It's 9:27 am and I've just had my very first YELLOW FINCH (a ~y~, how appropriate) of this season at the feeder - nd not even the yellow finch feeder! Yippee! He sure isn't very yellow, tho. Now I'm going to be late for work. (We had a 2 hour delay - ice.)

Apparently it's 5:00 in My World

When I got home yesterday afternoon, I happened to glance out the kitchen door only to see a squirrel jump down from the recycle bin with a beer can firmly clamped in his mouth. Of course, my camera was in the car. So I tear to the car, grab the camera and lo and behold, when I got back, Mr. Squirrel was still at it, but had managed to carry the can all the way to the tree. I apologize for the photo quality. I couldn't get close to him and the flash was too far away to help. (Should have had a camera like Mental P. Mama's fancy schmancy new one with the zoom lens ~sigh~.) That squirrel worked and worked to get to the dregs left in the can. He really could have used a straw, I think. And he's a Busch man, obviously, as he could have chosen a Heineken or Coors as well. 

Ok...try to stand it up....

Good, got it turned around...almost there!

Nirvana!  Almost - I need that straw!

(I really need to work on my video-taking skills. Sorry!)

Bird seed or beer, bird seed or beer...which would I prefer the little buggers to steal?

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

That's My World Tuesday!

Do join us. 

Hey! That's TWO Miracles in One Day!

It was a touching scene. A family bonding time. The five of us, mom, dad, three kids, all together for the better part of the day. In the basement. Cleaning it. O the words said to each other...O the words said to each other that can't be repeated. And we lived through it, the five of us, without carnage or death to any one of us. And today, we all still like and are even still talking to each other! Now that's a miracle!

The other miracle? WE HAVE A CLEAN BASEMENT! It took well, I'm too embarassed to say how many years a year, but, by golly, WE HAVE A CLEAN BASEMENT! Here, I'll show you:

Isn't that just beautiful???

So, #6 of my 2007 New Years Resolutions which I reiterated this NY'sE, It's a bye bye to you:

6. I will clean out my basement. Actually my husband and I have to do this as we're close to having our house declared a booby-trap hazard. How did it get so out of control??? Didn't happen,dammit! It did happen! Yippee!

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Sunday Serenity

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

~~~

Photo:  Our Pond

01/03/09; 1:00 pm 

A Very Good Evening

It was a  very nice Gin-Rummy evening at the Bly home...

Dad, son, daughter and good friend - playing for $$'s of course! (Ok, ¢¢'s.)

Of course, Stella kept guard - cheat and your ankle is chomped! (Yeah, right.)

And while the Gin was being played, I was making my version of New Year's Day (after) Hoppin' John. I know, I know, a day late, but hopefully the good luck will count even when made one teeny tiny day late! Above, the finished product. Hop on over to MPM's to view her recipe. Mine isn't quite the same, but oh...the end result?

Simply excellent!

See? All gone!

P. S.  A most wonderful thing just happened! Son Bly just came in, asked what that was in the skillet, then had a big spoonful....and told me he loved it! For the very first time a child of mine has actually tasted and admitted to loving black eyed peas! (Ok, I admit I intentionally said Hoppin' John, not B.E.P.'s.) YES!! This makes me so happy! (Of course I never told him what they were called. My hubby and kids have never eaten B.E.P.'s or grits...because they don't like their names...think Dad might have influenced this just a bit??;-)

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

SWF - Wistful for Spring Color...

Winter upon us,

But sweet dreams of Spring to come

Makes Winter less harsh

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Sky Watch Friday

Do join us!

A Lazy First Day...

Of this promising New Year...

Our pond, 12/31/08, snowing and cold

One year ago, it was raining cats and dogs  on our pond.

Snow is so much prettier this time of  year.

Not much going on today. House is all cleaned after a family-filled New Year's Eve feast that lasted until 3am. I've managed to at least shower and get out of my pj's, tho that wasn't accomplished until 12:30pm. I've spent the rest of this quiet day watching sappy holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel. Pretty much a perfect day. 

~

May each and every one of you, have a blessed 2009. 

As I wrote yesterday...

No resolutions this year - just heart-felt thoughts and prayers for a new year that is full of promises realized, new beginnings, happiness and security for all. That's not asking too much, is it?

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!