This Says It All

My Sister-in-Law is the queen of shoppers, finding all kinds of neat things at garage sales, and discount stores, and pretty much everywhere she looks. She has a keen eye to find just the right thing for just the right person. She found this on one of her excursions and immediately thought of me, and couldn't wait until Christmas for me to have it. It found a home on my kitchen wall. It reminds me that pretty much everything is just as simple (or hard) as you want it to be. Thank you, S!

Buffalo Roaming

Sunday was such a beautiful day, we decided to go for a ride up to a buffalo preserve. First stop when we arrived was at the store. All kinds of wonderful things were there for purchase, along with buffalo hides, bones, and meat. As I walked through the store, I looked down in a box with pieces of buffalo hide, and saw something move. This llittle cat had made a comfortable bed for herself, and blended right in. This is one of two of the Father bulls.
We were driven right into the pasture where the herd was. The guide informed us that by being in the back of the truck, we were part of the herd. They didn't pay too much attention to us as we admired them. This was a herd of 200, but 40 were just pulled out to thin the herd, as the land can only support about 160. Some are sold to other preserves for new genitic material, and some will be processed for food. The herd was a little spread out on this day as the roundup was done the day before we came, and the herd was a little disorganized as they were processing the changes.
Buffalo are a matriarchial society and there is one elder head of the heard, usually one that has had many children and grandchildren. When she is gone, another head of the heard is chosen by the buffalo. None of the female buffalo leave the preserve. This is the alter where the remains are honored. The ribbons are prayer ribbons left by visiting Native Americans. The buffalo know these are their elders, and often will stop by and pay their respects.

One could not go away from this place without the feeling of a Sacredness and a sense of awe at these magnificent creatures.

Song of The Week

Great to dance to.

Artist: Robin S
Title: Show Me Love

Ahhh... Yeah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

Heartbreaks and promises, I’ve had more than my share
I’m tired of giving my love and getting nowhere, nowhere
What I need is somebody who really cares
I really need a lover, a lover who wants to be there
It’s been so long since I touched a wanting hand
I can’t put my love on the line, that I hope you’ll understand

So baby if you want me
You’ve got to show me love
Words are so easy to say, oh ah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

I’m tired of getting caught up in those one night affairs
What I really need is somebody who will always be there
Don’t you promise me the world, all that I’ve already heard
This time around for me baby, actions speak louder than words

So if you’re looking for devotion, talk to me
Come with your heart in your hands
Because me love is guaranteed

So baby if you want me
You’ve got to show me love
Words are so easy to say, oh ah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

Show me, show me baby
Show me, show me baby
Show me, show me baby
Show me, show me baby

Heartbreaks and promises, I’ve had more than my share
I’m tired of giving my love and getting nowhere, nowhere
What I really need is somebody who will always be there
This time around for me baby, actions speak louder than words

If you’re looking for devotion, talk to me
Come with your heart in your hands
Because me love is guaranteed

So baby if you want me
You’ve got to show me love
Words are so easy to say, oh ah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

There’s nothing that you can tell me
You’ve got to show me love
There’s only one key to my heart
You’ve got to show me love

Show me, show me baby
You’ve got to give it to me, give it to me, give it to me yeah
I don’t want no fakes, don’t want no phoney
I need you love
Show me, show me, show me baby
Give it to me, give it to me
I am not a toy, I’m not a play thang
You’ve got to understand

If you’re looking for devotion, talk to me
Come with your heart in your hands
Because me love is guaranteed...
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Breakfast

I borrowed my brother and his truck this morning to pick up a few pieces of furniture that the office was throwing out. In payment, I took him to breakfast.

We went to this house out in the country, where a family has a small baking and catering business. They have a small extention on their house, and on Fridays, they open up for breakfast, and to purchase baked goods. It is a small room, with a few racks for pastries, and one curved counter with four or five chairs. A box of assorted plastic ware sat on the counter for self serve table settings. Nothing fancy here. I loved it.

Two Mennonite sisters named Naomi and Ruth are the bakers. My brother has been there several times, and they know him by name, and as soon as he walked in, asked him if he wanted his biscuits and gravy. There were no menus to look at, they just asked what you wanted. I wasn't sure what all they offered, so asked what was good, and Ruth described a concoction of eggs, potatoes, sausage, onions, mushrooms, and cheese, all smothered in gravy. I was game for something different, so ordered a plate of that. All the while she was fixing our breakfast in the kitchen around the corner, she was talking with us. Naomi stayed by the counter and updated my brother on both of their conditions, as both of them will be delivering babies in December.

I could smell good smells coming from around the corner, and was getting very hungry, but wasn't prepared for what she brought out. It was a paper plate heaped FULL of food, and fresh hot biscuits teetering on each side of the plate. A jar of fresh home made strawberry preserves was on the counter to dress up the biscuit, and I would imagine, if that wasn't what you wanted, she would pull out about any other flavor preserves you might desire. There was no way I could eat everything on that plate.

I just loved this little place. It didn't matter that the food was on paper plates, and I ate with plastic ware. It was simplicity in it's finest form. They made you feel so welcome and comfortable that in my mind, it was the same as eating off fine china, and stearling silver.

If you happen to be in the area, I recommend stopping in on a Friday morning for a visit with Naomi and Ruth, and having a great breakfast, or pick up a pie or sweet roll, but don't do it in December. They will be birthing babies.

The Other Raccoon

Not too long after the first bad raccoon experience, another raccoon wandered in the yard, this time, right up to my leashed dog. I knew right away something was wrong with it because they just don't do a stupid thing like walk up to a mortal enemy without fear. Before I could run out and pull the dog in, the raccoon bit my dog. I didn't know if it was rabid or what, but was determined to not let it go.

Once again, I got my trusty old one shooter shotgun out and put a shell in. And remembering the last time I had to use it, put 3 more shells in my pocket "just in case." By this time, my brother had noticed me with the gun, and stood by me to assist. Note: Stood by...not offering to do the manly thing and do it for me.

The coon had climbed the tree right outside the house, and I thought I could shoot it down. I wasn't crying this time, because the thing bit my dog and I was MAD. So I walked a distance from the tree...pointed the gun up there, shot and...What do you know the thing came down, writhed for a few seconds and died. I was so proud of my shooting. My brother was impressed, as well.

I called the health department to have them pick up the raccoon and have it tested for rabies. Not too long after they had picked it up, they called me, wanting to know if I had shot it in the head, as if I did, it couldn't be tested. They thought they saw some blood in it's ear. When I said no, they said they couldn't find a shot anywhere on it at all.

My "I am a perfect shot" balloon was popped. Here, I had shot up there, and must have scared it to where it let go of the tree, fell on it's head and broke it's neck. I hadn't shot it AT ALL.

I never did tell my brother that I missed that racoon. I still let him think I am a good shot.

The Raccoon

I was sitting here at the computer this morning, and looked out the window to find a big raccoon lurking right outside the house. I had a flashback to last year's raccoon episode, and hoped I wouldn't have to replay that scene.

Last year, there was a terrible problem with sick raccoons everywhere in the area. They all had distemper, and were in places you wouldn't expect them to be. I had two show up in the yard at two different times acting very strangely. Neither time turned out to be good for the raccoon, nor me.

It was late in the evening one day last Fall, and the weather wasn't too different from today. It was very windy, and snowing so hard you could hardly see. The dog was barking like crazy outside, pulling at the end of her chain, trying to get loose. I looked out back by the willow tree and saw something shiny at the base of the tree. I didn't remember leaving anything out there, so, I got a flashlight, stuck it in the window, and pointed it out that direction. There was a raccoon lying at the base of the tree, and it's eyes were what I was seeing. It wasn't moving, so I thought it was dead. Periodically, I would shine the light out that way, to see if it had moved, and there it still was, unchanged. I thought I saw it's eyes blink a couple of times, but blamed it on the snow, thinking the snow flakes were obstructing it's eyes, and not the raccoon.I decided to wait until morning, when hopefully, the weather was better to go out and bury it.

When it got light out, I went out to the tree, horrified to find that the raccoon was STILL ALIVE. It was paralyzed or something, and didn't respond to me standing over it, or even a poke with a stick. I had to do something I just dread. I had to shoot it, but first I decided to get everything prepared. The shovel and wheelbarrow came out of the shed. I went down the lane a ways, dug a hole, rolled the wheelbarrow over to the raccoon, scooped it up and rolled it out and dumped it in the hole. I would then get the shotgun, shoot it, and cover it up. That was the plan.

I put one shell in the shotgun, thinking one shot at practically point blank would quickly dispatch it, and walked out to the hole. I held the gun up, cried, put it down. I held it up, aimed, cried some more, put it down. Once again, I aimed, shut my eyes, squeezed the trigger, and POP. I looked...I MISSED THE DANG RACCOON. I shot it's leg. I cried some more, running up to the house for another shell, and ran back. I aimed again, sobbing, shot, and...MISSED AGAIN! I can't tell you how upset I was by then. Wailing back to the house, I got my last shell that I had, as I just don't keep that stuff around, only for times such as these. (The memory of Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird shooting the rabid dog always had me have at least one shell and that gun on hand.) Finally, after I wiped my tears, and composed myself the best that I could, I got a shot off that took care of that poor raccoon.

I hate having to put an animal out of it's misery, and was so thankful that this raccoon, was so far gone, it didn't care. And as much as I would like to believe, I am not nearly as good of a shot as Atticus Finch.

Furnace Tribulation Update

The furnace guy came, discovered that the furnace really did have a problem, not just bugs. It was something I had told him in the beginning he should have checked. Duh... He didn't charge me for the trip, and I sent him home with pears.

Saturday At The Four-Way

Every Saturday, at this four-way stop in this small town, a guy comes to this corner, and sets up a chicken BBQ. All summer, he arrives at about 7:00 and starts cooking the chicken. The smell is torture if you spend too much time at the stop sign, it smells so good. Each week there is a different group that is selling the chicken. Scout troops, cheerleaders, church groups. They stand on the corners with signs, and wave.. They all take turns, and I am sure, are on quite a long list of fund raisers. Some of the chicken is taken to a town a few miles down the road, to the hardware store and is sold there.

What a great idea, and what a great thing this small town does, allowing this tradition to continue from year to year.

Time Out

The blog is taking a vacation until this writer gets out of the foul mood she is in. She is determined to not make this blog a whine-a-thon.

Furnace Tribulations

A couple of weeks ago, it got cold enough in the house to turn on the furnace. It worked for a while, then just quit, so I called up the furnace guy. He comes up, puts a part in, turns on the furnace and leaves, not even waiting to see if it was really repaired or not. Of course, ten minutes after he leaves, the furnace stops running. It hadn't even reached the temperature that was set. I call him. He doesn't believe it is not working. This can't be possible. He replaced the part that he was sure the cause of my furnace not working. Then he says "Well....I just CAN'T turn around and come back. I am too busy!"

I turned the thermostat off and on until it finally reached a decent temperature, and after that, it seemed to work okay. The furnace guy calls back. He thinks he knows what the problem is. I had a small plague of those lady bugs last year. He said there were quite a few he cleaned out of the furnace, and they must have collected in the trap of the drain at the bottom of the furnace, and when the water level reaches a certain point, it shuts off. He will have to bring a new trap. I was nice, and patient, and told him since it seemed to be keeping the set temperature, there was no hurry as I am sure he was dealing with some people that had no heat at all. It was working fine...UNTIL....He once again calls to see if this small problem had disappeared if by some miracle, so he wouldn't have to come back. He wanted me to turn down the thermostat, and let it have to heat up 10 degrees or so to see if it could do it without shutting off. I did just that. It, of course, shuts off way before it was time. And, now, have no heat at all. Once again. None...Zero...Zip....Nada heat. No matter what I do, there is no heat, the furnace is making crazy noises, and now, with the third call to the furnace guy today, the only thing heating up are tempers. This furnace isn't five years old, and he has had to replace more parts and do more service than the old furnace had the entire time I had it.

Now, I am a patient person. More so than I should be at times. I give people the benefit of the doubt and try to be understanding and reasonable. I want to yell at the guy and tell him if he had taken the time to STAY the first time he came out to make sure it would complete a full cycle, we wouldn't be having this problem. I want to tell him if he wasn't so arrogant and LISTENED to what I told him it was doing, he wouldn't be coming up here for a second trip. And what I really want is for someone to give him a peace of my mind for me, because, nice person that I am, I would first of all, start crying as I yelled, and then try to feed him cookies or something afterwards. Is there such a thing as Rent-A-Ranter?

Ah Ha!

A while back I wrote about closing up the house in the Fall, and feeling a bit melencholy. I have always had a hard time putting my finger on the feeling I get when the windows close, and the house get's so quiet. I finally have figured it out. All of the birds, and insects kept me company. The sound of the wind rustling through the leaves talked to me, in a way. Even the cars that go by and the distant sound of the trains and whistles had something to say in a regular sort of way. They were a constant. It's like having all of your best friends over for a visit, and the house is bustling, and then when they leave, and the house is so quiet and empty, and your find yourself lonely, missing their warmth and laughter.

I am lonely. I miss my summer company.

The Gift

I received a phone call from an aquaintance I haven't seen or talked to in years today. She had been visiting another friend of ours who had moved to KY. Our friend had a gift for me. Her husband hunts, and had bagged a turkey some time ago, and kept the tail feathers. When she looked at it, she said she had instantly thought of me. She wove a broach on the bottom, and has kept it for over a year until someone from up here came down for a visit and could bring it back to me.

In the Native American cutlture, the Eagle is to be considered the closest thing to the Creator, as they fly closest to the Heavens. They deliver prayers and bring back messages. Since Eagles are so Sacred, and the feathers so hard to find, many have used the turkey feather as a substitute, and often considered just as sacred. So you can see how thrilled I am to receive this gift. I will treasure it.

Weenie Roast Time

While my friends were hunting treasure, the phone rang. It was my twin brother.
Me: "Hello"
M: "Weenie roast. Here. Darkish. Coming?"
Me: "Yes"
M: "Bye"
Me: "Bye"

My other brother got the same call, so we all decided to ride up to the lake together. I, for some reason, thought it was just going to be a small group of us, just family, so I threw on some old clothes, and off we went. I didn't even comb my hair. ( It's Sunday.). We arrived to find about twenty five people sitting and milling around a nice fire, and tables of hot dogs, marshmallows, pie, cookies, doughnuts, beverages, you name it. By the fire were pots of hot chocolate, and cider warming. I was kind of glad it was "darkish" as I looked a fright and with the dim light, hoped no one would notice.

We all had a great time, and great food, and conversation. Sometimes the best times are those that are thrown together in a hurry and you just "go" not worrying about the little details, like having combed hair. No one noticed. No one cared.

I just love weenie roasts on beautiful Fall nights.

Buried Treasure

I had company come today to probe my yard for buried treasure. They used those metal detectors and were scouring the yards and fields trying to turn up any metal pieces, hoping to find something interesting and old. I admired their patience as they waved their detectors, listening carefully for any beeps to come through their headphones, then digging away only to turn up an old piece of farm equipment. I thought there would be more interesting things, as this farm has been here since the early eighteen hundreds, but most of the things they found was a whole lot of trash. Old beer cans, a rim to a headlight, some wire and one 1965 quarter found out by the mail box. They spent hours out there. I chose to stay in and cook. That's what I seem to do best. After a few hours, they came in for pot roast and pie, and then went back out for a few more hours. I would have given up after the first hour.

I suppose it's like my love for fishing, only their catch is in the earth. I can spend hours throwing the line in the water, and not catch anything, but always be hopeful something will find it's way to my hook so I can reel it in and see what it is.There is just something special about things we can't see readily. That element of surprise, the anticipation of finding or catching that big prize. I think it isn't really finding something cool, it's the anticipation that keeps us hooked.

This weekend, there is a small festival in a town nearby. A covered bridge festival. As you can see from the food area, it's not a big one at all.
And here is the covered bridge. At night, they have the inside all lit up, and an elegant dinner complete with string quartet.

Cold Remedy

We had a cold front come through last night that turned our beautiful warm Fall into a cold winterish mix. There were even snow flurries today, which is a little early for us. It's not uncommon to see a bit a snow at the end of October, but rarely in the middle.

I turned on the heat over the weekend to find that the furnace was not working, and am now on a very long waiting list for repairs. The furnace man was to come today, but didn't show. I hope he comes tomorrow.

My solution to it being a little chilly in the house is to turn on the oven and start cooking. Then add some people for body warmth. My brother had called this morning and was coming over, so I got a roast out of the freezer and started up the oven. After he and his wife arrived, another brother showed up to visit, and he was going to stay. I made a call to yet another brother, and they all came. In all we were 8 warm bodies, enjoying a wonderful meal and company. No one noticed that there was no heat in the house, as with everyone at the kitchen table and all of the activity and laughter, we provided our own warmth.

I enjoyed having everyone over, as it has been a very long time since the house has been "guest friendly." I hope they can come more often.

I am so lucky I was born in the family I am in. I hear horror stories about siblings not getting along, but we all enjoy being with one another, and get along and love each other, quirks and all.

I will have no trouble keeping warm tonight, as the laughter and love from dinner will keep me warm the whole night through.

It Takes All Kinds

A man in the city, purchased the road by his house in a tax sale. How it became a private road, I don't know, but he manged to win the bid for this thing. This is an addition of many homes which use this road. He now has sent every home a "friendly" notice that he is going to be charging them fifty dollars a month to use his road. There is no other way for them to get to their homes. He stated in the letter, he is even going to be putting a video camera on both ends of the road, so that he can properly bill any car that might be using it. Of course, you can imagine the uproar this has caused in the whole community.

What a neighbor!

The Coffee Pot

People have been making fun of my coffee pot. I can't understand why. Something broke on the basket and it would swing out while brewing, and I would have a huge river of coffee and grounds on the counter. So I came up with this simple solution. I did find another basket from an old coffee maker that works, but I had cleaned up enough messes , that I am afraid to remove the tape. Good insurance policy I say. Someone even gave me a coffee maker, but this one works fine, and makes good coffee, and until the thing dies, I will continue to use it, and have the new one as a handy replacement.

Apple Festival

This weekend there was an Apple Festival going on. It is one of the last festivals of the year around these parts. There are a few smaller one's going on later, but as far a s a big festival, this was the last hurrah of the year. Today, my friend and I got up and headed out to see all of the crafts and taste all of the delicious food they had to offer. As you know from previous posts, I am known for eating my way through festivals and fairs, and today was no exception. I steered my friend to food booth after food booth like a well oiled machine.

First stop was kettle corn. I had decided this time, I would eat the really good stuff first, then go for a bit of nutrition, if I had room. Second stop was for some freshly made pork rinds, hot out of the kettle. If you have never had a hot pork rind made in front of you, you haven't lived. Third stop was for a maple cream. It is a chocolate pattie, with nuts, filled with the most delicious maple cream you have ever tasted. Being the sensible person that I am, I asked for them to put it in a bag so I could take it home for later. Next stop was for an apple burger. I had never tried one of these, and have seen this booth every year at this festival, so I decided that this was the year to try them. They were made with ground beef, apples, cinnamon, and onion powder. I know, it sounds strange, but they were actually very good. You could hardly taste any of the different things, mostly the hamburger.

After we ate, we walked through all fo the crafts to see the latest new decorating ideas for home. Lots of the same crafty things and a few new ideas of things to make. I sure wish I had some of the talent these people have.

The weather was perfect yesterday and today. Not a cloud in the sky , and in the mid 70's. Good food, good friends, good weather, all came together to make a GREAT weekend.

Dinner Dance

Saturday night was the 18th annual Aids dinner dance/benefit in our community. Over 800 men, and women from all walks of life, dress to the nines, and have an elegant dinner, silent auction, live auction and dance with all proceeds going to the Aids Task Force. There aren't too many times during the year I get to really "clean up," so I have really been looking forward to this evening.

My date and I arrived to find one hundred tables, all candle lit, and set for full formal dining. It was so beautful to see all of the reflections of the the silver, glassware, and mirrors on the tables. I tried to take a few pictures, but it was too dark for any of them to turn out well. So you will just have to imagine the simple elegance of the whole place. We made our way to our table that we shared with a group of friends, and future friends. My friend reserved the whole table so it was one of those times when everyone was only 6 degrees from one another. Someone knew someone by way of someone else kind of thing. By the end of the evening everyone was talking to each other as if they had known one another for years.

There was one minor downside for the evening, besides it having to end. This was the first year the dance committee decided to have a live band. All of the other years, had featured a DJ for some real toe tapping, get down, boogie music, but a few people had expressed a desire to hear live music. The band was nice, IF one wanted to sit down and relax in their home, but as far as dancing, they just didn't do the trick. As they took a break between sets, someone did a little DJ'ing and played some great music. Everyone got up and danced, and when the band came back, they all sat down. I really think this is the LAST year to have a live band. HA!

The auction and silent auction featured beautiful hand made quilts, sculptures, paintings, business products, autographed photos from movie stars and an assortment of just about anything you might like. As I looked at the papers with the bids, and heard the auctioneer, people were being very generous.

It has been years since I have attended this dinner, and last night I resigned to attend more often. A good time was had by all.

Cancer Day

Last night, at one of the local groceries, they had Cancer Day. They run great specials for only one day, and they donate 5% of the total sales of the day to the Cancer Society. They have guests working at each store bagging groceries and giving away things. I had the pleasure of having my groceries bagged by the Indiana Purdue women's basketball team. Well, only five of them were with my groceries.

I remember when this grocery chain started this day. I was working for that company at the time. The owner's wife had died of cancer, and he wanted to do something to get people to give a contribution while taking advantage of good specials at the same time. There are health groups at each store passing out screening tests and brochures with warning signs, etc. They have been doing it for over 30 years now, and have given over four million dollars to the Cancer Society.

It's nice to know that there are still people out there willing to part with their profits, even if for one day.

Moral Quandary

I was listening to the BBC news this morning on National Public Radio. They were doing a segment on China and the growing numbers of people who go over there to have an organ transplant. For $80,000 one can easilty get a liver or kidney transplant with little to no wait. You just go in, ask for whatever you need, and they will be able to supply it within three weeks, if not sooner. It has become a booming business for them. They are doubling the sizes of hospitals to accomodate all of the people coming for transplants.

Here is the moral part......

China is the number one country for executions. They outnumber all of the other countries in the world COMBINED. They are usuing the organs from the executed prisoners. When asked about it, they openly said that yes, indeed, they do. The prisoner willfully signs a permission slip to donate whatever is needed in order to give back to society.

The news piece went on to say that looking at some of these condemned prisoners just before a mass execution, it hardly seems likely that they "willfully" gave permission, however to have proof is another thing all together.

And then I started to think about it. If I were in need of a transplant, and was on a waiting list a mile long, and odds were that I probably would die before my name came up, would I really care where the organ came from? And add in the factor that it is far less to have the procedure done, if I were able to afford it , in China.

There is no doubt in my mind that what China is doing is just plain wrong, but would I die before I accepted an organ from someone executed? Die to prove my morality? Allow a relative to die because it morally is wrong?

With or without signing any papers, that prisoner is still going to get executed. And with or without them, there are still thousands of people waiting for vital organs and who will probably die before getting one. With or without this country's approval, they will still provide these organs.

I just don't know. Makes one think, doesn't it?

It's Looking A Little Bit Like Fall

Sunday, it was so beautiful outside, that we decided to take a drive in the country. We ened up going through a State Park.The camera didn't capture the beauty I saw, but it's pretty just the same. This Park has many lakes linked together by channels and you can canoe all day from lake to lake.
Later, we decided to have a little fire outside. As you can see, my brother thought more power was needed to get this fire started. Bless his heart.While he was bellowing the fire, we went in and made a pizza. Isn't it a masterpiece?
We topped off the evening with a twilight pontoon ride in moonlit skies on water that was so still it looked like glass. Who could ask for a better day?

I Have To Wonder

While driving over the weekend, I came up to a stop and noticed something not quite right. As I got closer, I noticed this trailer, all by it's self sitting right in the middle of the road. Now I wonder....Did someone lose it and not notice? Did something go wrong with it and they just abandonded it? Did someone plan on coming back? And if so, why didn't they pull it over to the side of the road. As you can see, it isn't very heavy, and there was plenty of room to the side of the road. I really wonder about people sometimes.