So here's the short of it, 
We stand at the Gate of the Year...

And here's the long.  

King George VI used this quote in his address to the British Empire at Christmas time in 1939.  It sure has been a guiding light for me over the past few years.  I don't know much about Poet Minnie Louise Haskins, but whatever else about her -- she got it just right on this one.


     And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
     "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
     And he replied: 
     "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. 
     That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way. 

So here's the short of it, 
 Happy New Year Kitty Annie!

And here's the long.

After the incident with Plato being kidnapped (or would that be catnapped) and finally being rescued but going to live with another family - then Hershey going to live on a big farm, Mom has taken in another cat.  Our vet had an older cat who had been surrendered by her family.  She's a small calico cat who is probably 10-12 years old and has been an indoor kitty her whole life.  The Vet knew that Mom was looking for a calico, and Mom was happy to have Annie coming to live out her life there.

Now - the only thing is that winter is coming on and Annie had to understand when she came to live with Mom that she was going to be an outside girl.  I've been worried that as the weather got colder that she would be uncomfortable outside.  I've been trying to help Mom figure out something.  Mom had fixed up a box with styrofoam around it, but we really worked it out today! We built a cat house!

Here's the master plan we ended up using to make Annie's house.  Our tub was 18 gallon not the larger 25 gallon.  We used some Tyvek scraps leftover from a project and cut them to fit into the crate.  It's big enough for little Annie Cat to get in, turn around, sit up, and curl up, but small enough to conserve her body heat.  I'm on a mission to get a mylar blanket and some straw to finish it up.  Everything I've read says that straw is the very best bedding - but Mom and I only have wet straw that's been out in the weather at this point.  

I got Mom about 2 this afternoon and we came up to the house and worked on Annie's new home.  Within about an hour Alan, Mom, and I had it pretty much put together.  Mom and I took it down to her house and put the finishing touches on it.  We got it set up in the place where the other one was for the time being.  We took the styrofoam from the box Mom had built and used it to further insulate.  Mom used the old throw rug that had been in the bottom of the old box in the new digs. Before I left, Kitty Annie was investigating her new house.  I'm pretty convinced that she'll get into it when the temperatures drop.  And I'm pretty relieved to think that she's got a place to stay dry and get in out of the cold. 

If you want to see the directions the link is here.  You can also google outdoor cat shelter to see some other variations for this.   Just below is a picture that's really similar to the way Kitty Annie's shelter turned out!

So here's the short of it, 
Mom's heat went off!

And here's the long.

I've been at Mom's twice a day since she's been gone to Atlanta.  This morning when I got to the house it was a little cooler than I thought it had been, but I was on my way to a haircut and to run errands, and didn't really think much about it.

This evening when I got back to turn off the TV and feed Kitty Annie, it was markedly cooler.  Alan came down and helped me look around.  We checked all the breakers - fiddled with the thermostat - and then called Mom. She gave me the contact information for the Heating and Air company and we got on with figuring something out.

It turns out that the lovely young woman that I spoke with remembered the house and the work.  She had lived in Brainerd for some years and knew exactly where we were located.  She helped walk me through several things to check on, but nothing really helped.  So I'm glad Mom is safely in Atlanta in a warm house for tonight, and I'm hoping that we'll get someone there to get it fixed before she's home tomorrow.  It's supposed to be getting pretty cold these next few nights!

So here's the short of it, 
This one is in memory of The King.  

And here's the long.

Tonight I was inspired to have an Elvis Presley style dinner.  You know he was famous for loving grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  I've read that he would eat 12 - 15 of them at a sitting.  I looked and looked for a recipe so I could provide a link, but every single recipe looked to me like a cook or chef wanted to fancy it up a bit.

Elvis liked good thick white bread.  I understand that he didn't like the bananas mashed - but preferred them cut lengthwise.  He also wanted the peanut butter on both sides of his bread.  Apparently sometimes he liked bacon, fried up very crisp, on his peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I did something a little bit different - since Elvis was just the inspirational starting point.

I started off with two slices of Honey Nut Stollen, my Christmas bread.  Both of them got peanut butter - then the long slices of bananas.  They grilled up just wonderfully.  I added a little extra of the icing and honeyed pecans that I use on the loaf and for a little extra touch.

Thanks Elvis for the dinner inspiration!

So here's the short of it, 
Today was a kind of lazy day! 

And here's the long.

Well, I did get the refrigerator cleaned out, but except for that I was not particularly productive today -- and it felt pretty good too!  Alan and I did venture out to see The Hobbit late this afternoon.  I read that book.  I don't remember it being one fight, after another.  I thought there were much more interesting dialogues and lessons in goodness.  Maybe those things don't sell?? The special effects and the location were just wonderful.  But lordy, lordy, this interpretation sure does make some mighty strong statements about our society values!

I got a bit of a chill during the movie -  feel a little like I'm trying to come down with something, but I had the flu shot, so I'm thinking I'll be fine. I'll try to get good sleep tonight, and maybe tomorrow I'll be all good.

So here's the short of it, 
Such a wonderful gift from Pat and Steve.  


And here's the long.

This lure came from Dad's fishing stuff that all went to Steve.  The picture was one taken probably that last summer before Dad died.



Thanks Pat and Steve!!

So here's the short of it, 
Ready to go. 

And here's the long.

The candy is made.  The Honey Nut Stollen is made.  Everything is in the bags, and we'll be headed out to Atlanta to spend the day with family tomorrow.  Pat and Steve's kids are on the every other year schedule, and the even years are their years with the Howards, so we'll get to see all of them and the 3 cute little grandkids!   Mom took the shuttle down and has been there since Friday.  When I talk with her she sounds like she's having a great time. Liga and Valdis will be going with us and I'm hoping that they'll be able to get into the every other year commitment as well.  Russ and Greg are already there - they arrived Russ from the south on Saturday, and Greg from Montana late Sunday night.  Shelley and Daniel and Elizabeth will be our absent children.  We'll have them there in spirit though.

In the morning we'll load up the car and head down the road.
But right now, I suspect I'd better go try to get some zzz's.

So here's the short of it, 
Little hens. 

And here's the long.

I've been seeing lots of advertising for cornish hens as an alternative to the traditional turkey or ham or chicken for Christmas dinner.  I succumbed to the marketing. We had cornish hens for dinner tonight.

Liga came over and helped me cook this afternoon.  We made a batch of Great Aunt Ruby's Pulled Cream Candy first of all.  Then we decided to cut the hens in half to cook them - they really turned out great, too! I never ate parsnips when I was growing up, but we've been adding them to the other vegetables that we throw in to roast with the chicken.  I'm learning to really like them.  This was just delicious.

I think we may start making hens a little more frequently.

So here's the short of it, 
Today was a fun candy cooking day. 

And here's the long.

Every year at Christmas time for at least 20 years I've made chocolate sauce for the neighbors for Christmas.  It's a great, simple recipe and just a nice way to stay connected to our neighbors.  For all those years, I've had children or young adults around that I could press into service as helper elves to deliver.  Of course when they were really young, I went with them, but since this is homes only in the circle and a few on the street that leads into the circle, so by 15 years ago they had this chore on their own.  So today for the first time in a long, long time, I was the delivery person.  I'm really glad that I did that!!  I had a chance to visit with everyone that was home - some visits were short, but I had a nice chat with several of them.  Now that was a nice part of the afternoon.

This evening I made a batch of Great Aunt Ruby's Pulled Cream Candy. It's an old recipe that seems to have had it's origins in Kentucky.  Great Aunt Ruby was my Grandfather VanSant's sister, and apparently she made this candy quite frequently.  When I was in my late twenties - I don't think I know how old she would have been at that time, but this candy was legendary.  She was visiting at Mom's at the same time I was and so I got a good lesson and she gave us the recipe.  It's become a tradition to make it.  I've found several variations of the recipe (and of course it's not got Great Aunt Ruby as a part of the name).  Today I tried one of the helpful hints I'd seen.  I put the big slab of marble outside and got it really cold while the candy was on the stove top.  I didn't really think that through - the butter wouldn't spread on the marble so the candy stuck in a couple of places.  It was all good though.  And the batch turned out really well.  Now I liked having that big old hunk of marble cooled down, so maybe for my next batch, I'll butter it up good and then put it out and let it get cooled down.  -- we'll see how that works.  And -- I have a batch of candy ready to go to Atlanta!

So here's the short of it, 
Teacher Vacaton!
And here's the long.

Today was my last day of work for 2 whole weeks.  It's days like today that I appreciate being a "teacher".  I've promised myself that I'm not going to look at e-mail, or plan anything, and I will not go down to the office, "just to check on a couple of things".   It's going to get cold, so I'm just going to huddle down in the house and enjoy being warm and cozy.  My plan is to sleep late.  I'm laughing as I write this as every time for the last year that I've planned to sleep late, I've been awake much too early to have considered that I "slept late'. But one thing I've discovered is that if you don't have to get up early and you wake up anyway, it's like a gift!

I'm going to have something to say about today's statement by the NRA. But I'm not ready to write anything just yet.  I can actually hardly believe what I've heard in the news.  But before I speak about it, I'm going to read that statement completely, and I just didn't want to do that yet tonight.

Tonight, I'm headed to snuggle under warm covers and hope that sleep comes and stays!

So here's the short of it, 
Lynn, the Artist - nice ring, huh... 

And here's the long.

Tonight some of us from work paid a visit to Spirited Arts.  It's a local business that hosts groups of people to paint.  They have all kinds of opportunities - open classes, classes for children, private parties (which was what we did), and probably lots of other things. We had a short social hour and then we painted! It was a relaxing, fun evening with people I usually only have a chance to interact with at work!  What a great idea for our holiday get together!

Here's my painting.  We all painted from the same model picture - and they all looked a bit alike, but they were all very individual as well.  It was easy for me to see how an art historian would be able to look at an art piece and be able to tell which artist created it - especially if there are lots of known pieces to compare with.

So here's Lynn - Not quite calling myself an artist yet, but certainly I'd like to do this again!  I could even grow to like doing this kind of thing.

So here's the short of it, 
Tomorrow.....

And here's the long.

I have an all day long seminar scheduled tomorrow.  I'm worried that I'll misbehave.  I'm going to have to really rein in myself and take copious notes so I won't be inclined to make too many comments or send notes to my colleagues, or sneak a look at Facebook.  I've already had 3 of my colleagues who were also scheduled into this training say it's going to be a day they aren't looking forward to as well!  And some of them are just the kind to egg on any kind of misbehavior.

Maybe part of the problem is that we only have a day and a half of work left, mountains of work to do, and .....

It's a webinar so it will be over a speaker with a powerpoint from the internet - I hope we have a very entertaining presenter - that will help keep me focused.  Anyway - tomorrow - give me strength - it's going to be a long day.

So here's the short of it, 
Happy Holidays debate. 

And here's the long.

So I'm on Facebook -- probably more than I should be.  Every third or fourth post these days is about "keeping Christ in Christmas", or  "Merry Christmas, I'm sorry if this offends you".  Or "Don't wish me Happy Holidays".

I'm pretty tired of it.  I live and breathe a pluralistic life.

I have lots of friends and family who are Christian.  They are "good" Christians.  And by good, I mean they are good people who try every single day in every single way that they can, to live the life they believe that God called them to live.  They worship Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I have lots of friends and family (including my children) who are Jewish.  They are "good" Jews.  And by that I mean that they are good people who try every single day in every single way that they can to live the life they believe that God called them to live.  They sincerely believe and practice Tikkun Olam, the belief that it is our responsibility to do all that we can to repair the world and to bring about a better tomorrow every single day.

I have many friends who practice other religions as well.  I have friends who are Muslim, Buddhist, even a few who are Pagan.  In addition, before I left the classroom - I taught children of many Christian denominations as well as other religions. Good, beautiful, and wonderful children and young people.  I also have highly moral friends who are Agnostic or Atheist; yes really, they are not just people I know, but friends. So that's where I live.

Why would I look at one of my Muslim friends and say "Merry Christmas"?  I don't get it.  Of course I'll wish my Christian friends and family a Merry Christmas.  And I hope they have not only a Merry one, but a real spiritually uplifting one.  But here's the thing.  I know that not everyone is Christian and celebrates the holiday.  When I say Happy Holidays to someone, I'm saying to them, "Whatever Holiday you celebrate, I hope it's a Happy one."  I particularly like to say this when I don't know someone.  If I don't know you, I find it very presumptuous to say "Merry Christmas" to you.  If I know you celebrate Diwali, I'll wish you that - and I'll try to get the time of year right too!

On my electronic calendar, I've loaded up the religious holidays for most of the major religions.  It helps keep my consciousness raised that there are people who come in and out of my life - beautiful people who do amazing work with children - or who are great friends busy doing magnificent work in our community - who do not share my beliefs.  It keeps me from wishing everyone "Merry Christmas".  It helps me to honor the stranger by not presuming that they are just like me.

If you wish me a "Merry Christmas" and I don't know you, I'm not going to get mad at you; I'm not going to think or accuse you of waging a war on everyone who isn't a Christian; I'm not even going to tell you I'd prefer a different salutation.  I'm going to wonder though - do you really live in a world so isolated, so insulated from our pluralistic society that you think it's an appropriate greeting for every stranger you meet to say "Merry Christmas".

Happy Holidays to all of you. I genuinely wish you a very Happy Holiday - whatever Holiday you celebrate.  I hope you are surrounded by love and family.  I hope you are healthy and have enough.  I hope whatever you celebrate you leave the holiday with a renewed sense of doing good things in our world -- this wonderful, mysterious, and pluralistic world that we live in.

So here's the short of it, 
I thought I'd share something that has really inspired me over the years. 

The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders. This website provides information about the origin of the Paradoxical Commandments and the many places they have been sighted over the years. You can purchase books and products based on the Paradoxical Commandments, join the "Live the Paradoxical Commandments Anyway" Facebook page, and share your story about how the Paradoxical Commandments have made a difference in your life. You can also learn about the author and contact him directly. For more than thirty years, the Paradoxical Commandments have circled the globe. They have been put on walls and refrigerator doors, featured in speeches and articles, preached from pulpits, and shared extensively on the web. They have been used by business leaders, military commanders, government officials, religious leaders, university presidents, social workers, teachers, rock stars, parents, coaches, and students. Mother Teresa thought the Paradoxical Commandments were important enough to put up on the wall of her children's home in Calcutta. The Paradoxical Commandments have touched the hearts of millions of people all over the world.

And here's the long.

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

So here's the short of it, 
We had our Family Hannukah Celebration tonight. 

And here's the long.

Happy Hannukah 

(a little late)

Yes, we know it's a day late, but we wanted to have everyone here. Joyce came down from Knoxville and brought Daniel who's in visiting from Vegas.  Mia and Clyde joined us.  And of course Mom, and Liga and Valdis.  We were really happy that Kalie was with us as well.  

The candles were especially beautiful tonight.  We had lots and lots of Latkes, and all the fixin's! And more important than anything else, we had a great time with family.  

So here's the short of it, 
Congratulations on your Graduation Jamesia

And here's the long.

This evening I went to a graduation celebration for a young woman I first met when she was in the 3rd grade.  I managed to keep up with her through the years as she moved on to Middle School, then to High School.  Then I lost track of her after she graduated from high school.  About a year and a half ago, we caught back up through Facebook.  She's been finished with classes for a little while, but didn't actually go through her graduation ceremony until today -- and it was her Birthday too!  What a great birthday present.

It was such fun to be asked to speak a bit about my memories of her. And it was such an honor to be asked to share in this family time.  I suspect that this young lady isn't finished with her schooling.  She's pretty determined and I can tell she can see the possibilities out there.

So Good Wishes to you young lady.  Do good out there!

So here's the short of it, 
Such sadness today...

And here's the long.

I was at an elementary school this morning -  in a meeting with a school psychologist, an assistant principal, a couple of teachers, and a parent.  The news about a shooting in CT, beeped through on my phone.  I was expecting a text from someone about the meeting I was in so I looked. I had that headline rolling around during this meeting that there was a shooting at an elementary school in CT.  I didn't learn any of the details until about 2 hours later when I got into my car to head to my next stop (also an elementary school).

I can hardly think - I certainly can't even wrap my mind around what would prompt a person to kill Kindergarten children.

Our whole nation is mourning.  We really need to have a national conversation about why Americans are so violent.  We need to discuss all the aspects from what kinds of gun control might be appropriate to what's going on in our culture that causes people to turn to gun violence.  I don't pretend to have the answer, but we sure need to have the conversation.  

So here's the short of it, 
Dr., Dr.

And here's the long.

Today one of my great educator friends defended her dissertation.  It was a great success.  It's not quite official yet, but she will soon be officially Dr. Anderson.  I couldn't be more proud of her success.  I know it's been such a journey -- working, raising a son, helping taking care her Mom.  Cannot wait til I click on her e-mail - you see at work when someone has earned their Doctorate, it gets a change in the e-mail, just like women changing their name when they get married.  Can't wait!  Congratulations to you!

And tomorrow one of my former students will be awarded her doctorate!  And she too is one of those amazing women who has just done it!  She's a very young widow who lost her husband just a little over a year ago -- not too long after losing her father.   Lots of people would have just crumpled, but not Dr. Jenny.  I have this memory of her talking about her martial arts class - I can't remember if it was judo or karate.  When she earned her black belt, she said she was so bruised, and that she considered those bruises badges of pride.  (My own Dad would have said something about what the other guy must have looked like!)  So tomorrow she'll have the reward of all those years of working.  What's next in this wonderful woman's life.  We'll just have to stand back and see where she goes.  I know it will be some amazing something!

So Dr. and Dr.  Congratulations to you!

So here's the short of it, 
I almost saw snow!

And here's the long.

This morning I had an early appointment up on Signal Mountain.  As I was leaving at a little before 10 AM, the temperature was 31 degrees. (It's always colder up on the mountain than we are "down here in the valley").  It was misting and for sure and certain that mist was almost like snow.  Well it wasn't, but it was almost....

Considering that the weekend was shirtsleeve weather, it's really turned off cold this week.  I'm actually glad to have winter weather.  After all, it is December.  And let me tell you this - our fur kids coats are getting heavier, and they have so much more energy!  They're glad to have the cool weather too.  Let's hope we get a few days in a row that are really cold this winter so we'll kill off some of the fleas and other vermin.  None of us would mind a few days of snow either -- especially if it happened to come on a week day!

So here's the short of it, 
Another doctor gave me the all clear...

And here's the long.

I had my annual follow up with my surgeon today.  She reviewed my mammogram results and did a quick physical.  She says that I've got some water retention at the surgical site, but that it's not unusual and that it may or may not reabsorb.  She says it's nothing to worry about.  I think it's fine.

Anyway I got the all clear and don't need to go back to see her for another year.

Get your mammogram.  Tell all your friends to get a mammogram!

So here's the short of it, 
Here it is December and we had shirt sleeve weather. 

And here's the long.

Now the Farmer's Almanac has said that this would be a colder than normal winter.

Well, here's exactly what it says:
Winter will be much colder and drier than normal, with the coldest periods in mid- to late December, early January, and early February. Snowfall will be near to above normal, with the snowiest periods in the north in mid- to late December, early January, and mid-March, and the best chance for snow in the south in mid-February.   

Starting tomorrow we are supposed to have some thunderstorms and some cooler weather. I have yet to really drag out my winter weather clothes.  As a matter of fact right now I'm sitting here in a sleeveless pajama top.  It looks like we might have some cold days coming our way soon though. So I'll have to get out my thermal pajama top and get ready for the chill.

So here's the short of it, 
New trees for the Chattanooga National Cemetery.

And here's the long.

Mom and I went to the Cemetery today.  Mom made a bouquet using things from her property and a neighbor.  It was absolutely as pretty as anything that she could have found at a store!  It had severa; shades of greenery, some holly with beautiful bright red berries, and  some gorgeous pink Camillas from a bush Dad had planted.

When we arrived at the Cemetery, there were people swarming all over the place.  It didn't take long for us to figure out that lots of the folks there were young people. It turns out that we had arrived not long after the tree planting had begun.  Here's the article from the Chattanoogan.com about the plans for the tree planting.

Chattanooga National Cemetery To Get New Trees

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Dozens of volunteers will gather at Chattanooga National Cemetery on Holtzclaw Avenue, beginning at 9 a.m. this Saturday, to plant about 80 new trees.

 

"The National Cemetery was once almost completely shaded with big beautiful trees," said Noah Long, coordinator of the tree planting and past chair of the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council (CAVC).  "In the past five years over 110 trees, including 55 in the last two and a half years alone, have been lost due to storms and age.

“Many of the trees in the cemetery are 100 to 125 years old and are reaching the end of their normal lifespans.  The replacement trees will help preserve the feeling of serenity throughout the cemetery for the next century,” he said.

 

The CAVC was instrumental in gaining Federal approval for the trees to be planted and is co-sponsoring the effort with the City of Chattanooga Urban Forestry Division.   

 

The trees, which were provided by the Urban Forestry Division through a foundation grant, are two to three inches in diameter and stand 10 to 12 feet tall.  The selection includes 17 different species native to Chattanooga such as Oak, Tulip Popular, Redbud, Dogwood, Linden, Eastern Cedar, American Elm, Birch, Holly, and Magnolia.

 

The volunteers include patriotic individuals as well as members from various veteran, civic and patriotic organizations such as Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203, American Legion Post 95, JROTC units from Soddy Daisy and East Ridge, Girl Scouts, Knights of Columbus, Garden Clubs, as well as members of the Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve.

Individuals or groups interested in participating in future tree plantings may contact Noah Long at 423 886-3820 or “noahlong.mil@gmail.com”

 

So here's the short of it, 
It's the Anniversary of Pearl Harbor...

And here's the long.

I can remember my Dad telling the story of Pearl Harbor.  He was a young boy in high school.  His Dad had died and as the oldest child and only son, he felt the responsibility of helping take care of his Mother and little sisters.  He worked at the Boston Store and as an usher at the Margie Grand Theater where he would have seen the news reels about the war.

His recollection of that day -- he went to Sunday School and Church and then came home for a quick lunch. He went with some friends "up on Ivy Hill" as he would say, to play ball. He heard that "the Japs had bombed Pearl Harbor" in the late afternoon on his way home.  He would always say that was the day that changed his life forever.  It was years before Dad would talk with his children about exactly how that day changed him forever. But he did finally share - A Name In The Sand became his voice not only for us, but his scions.

Dad raised his children to be patriotic, thoughtful, and reflective.  The three of us have grown into good people who have different views on many things.  All three of us love our country.  The anniversary of Pearl Harbor is always a time of reflection and of course a time of remembering Dad and the strong influence he was in our lives.

Today on FaceBook one of the people I grew up with said that "in this day and time and under this current president it is important that real Americans never forget".  I'm reflecting on that.  I wonder what a real American is.  I think I'm one; I think my brothers are as well.  We are all three patriotic; we all three want what's best for our country. Of course we have different views of what that "best" really is.  But, we really are all three real Americans.  I'm really sad that there are those on both sides of this political divide that believe those who don't believe as them aren't "real Americans".  I hope we can get through that and begin to see our diversity as our strength.

Today, all day, I've thought about those men who were at Pearl Harbor - and especially those who  made the ultimate sacrifice.   I've also thought so much about those like my Dad who would have their lives forever changed.

So here's the short of it, 
This has been a long week. 

And here's the long.

Wow I thought Friday would never get here.  I don't really know why this week seemed so long, but Wednesday and today I thought it felt like it should be Friday!!! So you know I'll be glad to hear the alarm go off in the morning when Friday will really be here.

Today I decided to take Sophie for a walk in the morning before I left for work because I had a few minutes before my first appointment which was at a school in a nearby neighborhood.  Well, she went out and decided that it was so much fun to be out that she didn't want to come in!  Alan had to go out and use his grumpy voice.  That made her come running!  If I decide to take her out on a work morning any more, I'll be sure and make it a leash walk!

Here's to another week down.

So here's the short of it, 
"You are not your brain; You are the user of your brain." Dr. Rudi Tanzi

And here's the long.

I'm watching Super Brain on pubic TV.  Dr. Rudy Tanzi is the presenter.  He just gave a way we should respond every time our fight or flight response is activated.  He used the example of someone being cut off in traffic and how that gets us ramped up.  Here's his suggestion. S.T.O.P.
The acronym stands for:

Stop
Take Three Deep Breaths and Smile
Observe What's Happening Inside of You
Proceed with Awareness and Kindness

He promises that if we do this frequently enough when confronted with these kinds of situations, we can actually activate parts of our brain that will keep us from getting into the chaos that somehow keeps us in that high anxiety state.  I'm too tired to watch the whole thing, but this whole new frontier of knowledge about the brain is just fascinating to me!

Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D., the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at MassGeneral Institute fo Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital, will present a Director's Lecture on March 23, 2011. 

So here's the short of it, 
Today was one of those stressful days. 

And here's the long.

It will all be OK. and I'm quite sure I'll make it through yet another week.  

So here's the short of it, 
Mother-Daughter mammograms today. 

And here's the long.

I took the afternoon off today so Mom and I could go to have annual mammograms.  We used to go together and then we got off schedule when I had to go on an every 6 month schedule. Mom was supposed to have gone a few months ago but she wanted to go at the same time as me, so she postponed her visit until it was time for me.  Now we are on the same schedule again.

Since I have to take sick time off in 1/2 day increments, we just had an afternoon together.
We ran an errand over near Hamilton Place and got some lunch.  We had a nice visit with Mommy Anne and Mom saw her friend Lillian Samuels.  We got Mom's package mailed, and we made a visit to WalMart so that she could pick up some things for tomorrow.  Her women's group is buying gifts for the Chambliss Children's Home.  By the time we got home, I just had a little daylight left for getting a Sophie walk in.

Tomorrow's another day!!

So here's the short of it, 
It's hard to believe that it's December!

And here's the long.

Wow, it sure was beautiful outside today.  This afternoon our little circle was a family busy place.  Our neighbors were out with their little girl. It was such a sweet picture.  They were all three sitting in the middle of the circle - her little wagon was just nearby.  Their golden retriever was playing with them.  It was just so cute.  Then over on the other side, there was a Dad playing catch with his son -- while his next youngest son was a little ways away practicing his golf swing with a kid's golf set.

Sophie got a tree up an electric pole and she was so excited.  When they get up a tree she gives up pretty quickly because they just move through the branches to the next tree.  But this little fellow had to scurry up quickly because she was very close to catching it.  The pole wasn't close enough for it to do anything except just stay up there!  Sophie aggravated that squirrel for quite awhile before she finally lost interest.

Looks like we're going to have another beautiful day tomorrow!

So here's the short of it, 
How in the world did it get to be after 11:00!!!

And here's the long.

This has been a good weekend day!  I've been home all day and feel good about the stuff I've gotten done.

The next door boys came over and helped me get the tomato plants discarded.  We cleaned up the tomato cages and stakes as well as pulling weeds and grass.  I still am planning to get a load of straw and put it out on the garden - hope I can make that happen sooner rather than later.

The neighbors donated their Halloween pumpkins to the cause.  I thought they'd be rotten and we'd just compost them, but they weren't, so the boys helped me cut them up and I baked them up.  I've got pumpkin in the freezer -  gonna have to look for some pumpkin recipes.

This evening the kids came over for the first half of the Georgia - Alabama game. It was nice to have them here.  We almost finished off a big pot of chili.  It was an exciting game even for someone like me who never watches football.  I suppose for this household the only thing that would have made it better would have been a Georgia win.