Back in the saddle again! Time to Blog!

Did you realize that the NFL season officially kicks off tonight at 7pm Central Time (pun very much intended, thank you!) Vikings and Favre get to show the country what they are made of, and I'm planning to finish a sock while I sit and watch.

As yet another sign of fall, I give you this: one of the big maple trees on Abbott Avenue South is definitely turning red. I kid you not. Don't know if it's because of the lack of water this summer, or global warning, or what, but it seems as though all of the trees locally are turning color very early this year. I was a bit shocked this morning to let the dog out for her morning pee, and discover a handful of dry, yellow maple leaves already fallen on the dark green lawn....another sure sign of impending fall.

And that can only mean that snow and mittens are not far off in my future. But for the moment, I will ignore that thought. It is Evil.

Hoping to go to the Farmer's Market again on Saturday. I want to try one last picking project, this one especially for Dad. If they have cauliflower and red peppers, I'm going to try a very vinegar-y pickled mixed cauliflower-pepper-carrot recipe. Much easier than salsa, no veggies to peel like those darn tomatoes!

Found another embroidery project on Urban Threads that I simply must have. I want to stitch this one out for Jennifer, and frame it for her Christmas present. What do you think?
And because it's Traditional, here's Lydia's first day of school picture for 9th grade. Standing in front of the same hydrangea tree as always.

Hope you get a chance to catch a few minutes of football, in between celebrations for Carol's b-day and bowling, and that your week finishes up on a high note.

Love,
Mom

In my next life, I'm gonna be a bear....

In this life, I'm a woman.

In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear.

When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping, and you wake up to partially grown, cut, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're a momma bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers you or your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them, too. I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate expects you to wake up growling. He expects that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup, I'm gonna be a bear!

Back after a long weekend of snow and taxes!

Thought you might get a nostalgic kick out of seeing your old Lily, sacked out on the kitchen floor, waiting for dinner to be served.

This image brought to you courtesy of my spiffy new Sony digital camera from Dad as my Valentine's present - so cool! I'm really having fun playing around with the settings, and it takes great pictures.

All told, we ended up with about six inches of fluffy new snow from Friday's storm. A pain in the butt to be shovelling out on Saturday morning, but no doubt good for the plants to come in future spring months. When spring actually decides to show up here is anyone's bet, however! We still were only 2 measly degrees this morning, pretty darn nippy!

Hey, I updated the old blog site for Amelia's Cinderella costume with new photos of the Embroidery Purse Project so that you could see my progress to date:

http://ameliascinderella.blogspot.com/

More photos with my spiffy new camera, of course, but you'll get a good idea of how I'm coming along. It certainly will not be done for her birthday on Thursday, but hey! she'll get it eventually.

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, you know, so your dad will be busy nearly all day with services at St. Bartholomew's. Don't know if you ever think about going to church up there in the Vermont, but we're coming up on the Easter season, so I thought I'd give you a cue if you wanted it.

Other than getting our taxes and the FAFSA done this weekend, not a whole lot going on. We're kind of in a holding pattern, waiting for spring to come. Can't wait to get outside again and plant!

Love to you,
Mom

If you have a little cash, this economy is great!

Honestly, there are some seriously incredible bargains to be had these days, if you just have a wee wodge of cash burning a hole in your pocket!

Take Eddie Bauer, for example. I spent last Sunday at Southdale Mall (a ghost town, to be sure, these days....), and wandered into Eddie Bauer on a whim. Their sizing fits Dad well, so I was hoping to buy him a shirt or sweater as a Valentine's Day present. But ay, caramba! They were having a sale: 50% off the already marked clearance prices!

So for the royal sum of $23.50, I walked out with a lambswool 1/4 zip sweater, two waffle weave cotton henley button shirts, and a long sleeve tee shirt. The sweater alone was originally $55, and I bought it for $10. Amazing.

Amazing enough to Dad that he wanted to go back on Wednesday while Lydia was at confirmation class to see if he couldn't pick up another sweater. Hit the jackpot again! Two more henley shirts, a v-neck wool sweater, two tee shirts, and a pair of jeans: $42. It's incredible.

I essentially bought him two week's worth of clothing for sixty bucks.

Dad continued our family's personal effort to stimulate the economy by buying me a Valentine's present on clearance as well: I got a fabulous Sony digital camera, half off the original $230 price. $115, and it's amazing. Of course, Lydia immediately tried to con me into trading cameras with her, but for once I held firm and kept my own gift! (I thought you'd be proud of me...)

When I get a bit of time this week, I'll take some photos of the current state of Amelia's embroidered purse project. It's going a bit more slowly than I'd like, mostly because the instructions provided by the amateur designer are piss-poor. I've had to re-do three of the individual pieces because her construction method caused them to completely mess up. I can assure you, it was not operator error! I'm getting better at being able to decipher her files and see through the construction methods for each piece to figure out where the pitfalls are going to lie, and to correct them myself, but it's kind of a pain.

I spoke with Grandma Jan this weekend, and let her know that you would probably be spending part of your spring break in Connecticut. If you get a chance next weekend, give her a call to formally let her know that you need bed space, and to give her your approximate schedule. She'll be delighted to see you again, and so will Jennifer.

And in conclusion, congratulations on your STAR recognition at UVM - that's great! Are you sure you don't feel the need to apply to the Honors College for next year? You'd be a snap to get in, I'm sure at this point.....

Love,
Mom

I am officially an Animal Crossing Addict

Hi, my name is Louisa, and I'm addicted to Animal Crossing.

Thus begins another 12-step group in Minnesota!

But really, I'm totally hooked on it! It's like my best bedtime snack - I cannot go to bed without knowing that I've watered my Red Turnip, sent out three apples in letters to town friends (in the hopes of receiving an exotic fruit or coconut in return), and tried my hand at fishing in the waterfall. Lydia scoffs at me, but she's quick to ask if I want to play every night after dinner. And it's the one thing that will get her to hang around with us in the living room, instead of escaping into her bedroom to text or talk to friends.

Although she does have a bad habit of simultaneously texting and playing. When she gets a text, she thrusts the controller into my hand (to finish up her fishing or apple tree shaking), and then grabs it back when she's done....not the most polite way of playing the game, I assure you.

I keep threatening to make my own character in town, and play for myself. You're only allowed to create a single town on your Wii, but you can have up to five different characters in the same town. You can only play one character at a time, however. Lydia's afraid that I'll pick all the apples in town if I get my own character....! And she knows I'm a better fisherman. I'd have a second story on my house in no time flat.

Glad to hear that the whole roommate issue has resolved itself by turning into a whole lot of nothing, and that you've still got your coveted single room for the balance of the semester. You could do without any drama, no doubt. Now let's just hope that your computer issues get resolved as smoothly and as simply!

Not a whole lot going on at home right now. I'm hoping to pick out paint for the bathroom this weekend and get the walls done (read: that Dad will paint the walls for me in his spare time during the week). Then I'll stitch up that new shower curtain and voila! a spiffy new bathroom.

Talk to you soon,
Love,
Mom

Weather Weenies!

So, while you, m'dear, are experiencing a full-blown Lake Effect Snow Storm, the weather weenies in our nation's capital are closing schools, shuttering businesses and generally rolling up the sidewalks because of ... some ice.

Our new president was apparently incredulous that his daughters had no school today:

WASHINGTON - You call this bad weather? President Barack Obama, steeled by many snowy Chicago winters, expressed disbelief Wednesday when his daughters woke up to find that their classes had been canceled for the day.

Schools in Washington and the surrounding suburbs either opened late or scrapped all their classes because of icy conditions.

"Can I make a comment that is unrelated to the economy very quickly?" the new president told reporters at a gathering with business leaders. "And it has to do with Washington. My children's school was canceled today. Because of, what? Some ice?"

The president said he wasn't the only one who was incredulous.

"As my children pointed out, in Chicago, school is never canceled," Obama said to laughter. "In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that you'd go outside for recess. You wouldn't even stay indoors. So, I don't know. We're going to have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness."

Asked if he meant the people of the national's capital are wimps, Obama said: "I'm saying, when it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things."

I am the master of Power Cooking!

Wow, what a kitchen marathon yesterday! I am so freaking chuffed, I think I managed to cook more than a dozen dinners in one afternoon, all tucked away in my "outdoor freezer" (also known as a breezeway!).

Here's the sum total of my marathon efforts:
-two weeks' worth of Lily's food;
-two sausage lasagne pans (one for the Tenzins' gift);
-5 pounds of pot roast with extra gravy (OMG, that gravy is going to make the most fabulous shepherd's pie in a couple weeks!);
-5 pounds of mashed potatoes;
-one cheesy hashbrown potatoes casserole;
-three meals of chili;
-one loaf of bread;
-poached chicken breasts for curried chicken salad, plus frozen chicken for a future casserole; and
-prepped a double turkey breast for roasting tonight.

Somehow it doesn't feel like as much when I put it down in writing....I sure washed a hell of a lot of dishes yesterday to get everything cleaned up!

I also spent some time on Saturday working on Miss Amelia's Embroidered Purse. I'm slowly but surely getting the hang of this project. Must admit, the instructions that came with the package are less than helpful at times - huge chunks of information missing, scant explanation of assembly techniques, even incorrect stitching orders for the embroidery files. After a couple false starts, I think I've worked out my own system for putting the individual pieces together, and thus ignoring the instructions altogether.

The biggest pain was the way the original designer had set up the assembly order -- she had you construct the back side completely, stitching the back fabric onto the tearaway stabilizer with a sheet of foam under the fabric for stability, trimming the piece to its finished size, and then fiddling about with trying to line this piece up perfectly underneath the second hooping with the front section completed. There was NO WAY to get all of the edges to line up perfectly and get covered evenly by the last satin stitching around the edges to finish the piece - one side or another was always off.

So after two failed attempts, and much cursing, I put it aside for the night and mulled it over. Bingo! the light dawned! No reason not to do everything in one hooping step when the back side of the object is plain fabric: just finish embroidering the front side, do some nifty backing up in the embroidery stitch out to sandwich the back fabric and foam onto the backside, trim the edges close to the first stitching line with my tiny scissors while the object is still hooped, and then fast forward to the final satin stitching to finish the object. It never fails, all of the edges line up perfectly.

So when I have to embroider the back piece as well as the front piece, I decided not to trim anything to fit until it comes time for the final assembly. I'll put the foam under the front side, and then position the back piece as best I can, stitch the first placement line to hold it all together, and then trim the front and back befor the last satin stitching.

As soon as Lydia's camera batteries are recharged, I will post some photos - the wee keys turned out fabulously!

Dad seems to have gotten the point that he's going to have to scrap, claw and struggle to keep the money flowing into the coffers, even if that means he has to take a low-paying hourly job. I think he finally understood when his friend, Stan, told him that Chanhassen might be cutting their orchestra and that Stan was prepared to go back to bagging groceries at Lunds to make ends meet.... Pride doesn't buy the pizza, as the saying goes. Dad has spent a fair bit of time calling around to his organist friends, trying to pull in some work to make up for the Sundays that Richard Clark cancelled, too.

And, drum roll please ......... we received a letter from the UVM Dean, congratulating us and you upon your stellar academic performance last semester. You made the Dean's List, bravo! We are also advised to send it on to the local newspaper - shall I have it put in the Sun Current, to brag on you? Good job, sweetie!

On the home front, we are roasting a turkey breast tonight, and having it with the aforementioned hash brown potato gratin casserole. Lydia and I will no doubt play more Animal Crossing tonight (I'm hooked, I freely admit it.) I cajoled her into letting me buy one red turnip seed; now I have to water it every day without fail for seven days, and then I can sell it back to Tom Nook on Sunday for 16,000 Bells.

Now you know: your mother is a dweeb.

Hugs, and hopes that you stay warm!
Love,
Mom

Spirit Week at South View!

So, next week is Spirit Week at the middle school (only four days long, omitting the ever-popular "Pajama Day" because they are off on Monday so that the teachers can finalize grades).

In addition to the usual "Edina Day" and "Decade Day" and "Wacky-Tacky Day," the powers that be have decided upon "Rock Star Day."

Lydia, being ever the assiduous wardrobe planner, is plotting her outfits already. But what the heck does a Rock Star wear???? We came up with a few crazy ideas, but as Lydia put it, "I'll be wearing something crazy for Wacky Tacky Day, and no one will be able to tell the difference!"

Enter Mom's weird imagination. When I first heard "Rock Star Day," I didn't think of a singing teenage idol; I thought of Red Bull and energy drinks. Guess I'm a real doofus.

So we've come up with (I think) a fabulous idea: I'm going to print out, on ink jet fabric, the image of a can of Rock Star, like so --

I will back it with fusible web, iron it on to the front of a plain grey sweatshirt, and satin stitch around the edges to keep it tacked down securely. And then I will embroider "Party Like a Rock Star!" on the back, and bling it out in rhinestones.

For once, Lydia doesnt think my idea is dorky .... I must be progressing.

We're due for some very cold weather again this weekend, more's the pity. Started out Friday morning with a high of 21 degrees, and expect to be dropped down to about 5 by dinner time, bottoming out at 5 below by tomorrow morning. Blech!

Hope you don't get this weather for a while. Hugs for the weekend,
Love,
Mom

Warning: Do not view with tea in your mouth....!

All right now, folks - I understand the excitement over Obama. I sort of get the whole frenzy in the collectibles market for Obama memorabilia, though I predict that 99.99% of it will wind up in a bin in your attic like the Beanie Babies.

But this is going just a bit too far. It's selling on Amazon, and there had better be some sort of law against this:

My God, let the poor man retain SOME shreds of dignity, for heaven's sake!

Man, how time does fly!

Over a month since last this blog was updated - shame on me! I can only plead the excuse that you were home with us for three+ weeks of that time period, and we've certainly chatted in the week since you've been back to school. But now, I promise faithfully to keep you updated.

As I emailed you, it's Nationals week for the figure skating community. There was an article in yesterday's Star Tribune highlighting Alex and two other MN skaters. Here's a link if you are at all interested:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/olympics/37852369.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsI

Lydia was quite disgusted to read that Alex had dropped out of school (just two classes) by Thanksgiving. We are both of the opinion that he will not be likely to ever work as an engineer, and that it will be a miracle if he manages to actually get a degree by the time he's 30. More likely, we'll see him taking over Joan's spot at Braemar 20 years from now, a jaded, wanna-be skater-turned-coach, who couldn't even hold down a job in a Starbucks....pity, he is a bright kid. I hate to see a waste like that.

Not much to report on the home front, I fear. Lydia's second quarter ends on Friday, so this week is taken up with studying for exams and turning in final projects. (She's actually quite businesslike about her study habits, keeping up with exam studying and homework with little fuss or bother. I hardly ever realize that she's studying in her room, I guess I just assume that she's not doing anything but MySpace and texting, but I do her an injustice.)

Lydia and I have gotten hooked on playing "Animal Crossing" in the evenings, in place of watching a video at night before bedtime. It's very cute: she makes me direct her little critter through the trees in search of things while she responds to a text, then grabs the controls back to me when I can't dig up fossils or cast a fishing line fast enough. Good companionship time. Now we're looking forward to playing this weekend when a "Flea Market" is scheduled - apparently this is the opportunity to sell one's unneeded items. And we've discovered the joy of retrieving things from the municipal Recyling Center - all sorts of treasures to be found in the trash, wonderful for decorating the house or selling at the newly-expanded Tom Nook's store.

I've started work on the epic Embroidered Purse Project, and it's coming along, albeit slowly. Very, very fussy, I'm discovering. True to form, I'm figuring out ways to bypass the directions as written and figure out quicker, more efficient ways to applique and stitch all of these wee bits together. Two things would make it much easier: if you were around to help me clip around all the tacked down bits of fabric, because you're so good at that tiny handwork (though I must say, new glasses help immensely!), and a second hoop to set up the next piece while the first one is stitching. If I get my act together, I'll take some photos this weekend, and toss them up on Amelia's blog for you to peruse.

Lydia is still slavering in anticipating of receiving her new ipod, but we've had a slight set back: I finally, finally received an email from the seller in Hawaii that indeed, he had mailed the iPod last Tuesday, but that (i) he'd sent it in (get this!) a padded envelope; (ii) he'd mailed it via regular first class mail instead of via Priority Mail as promised in the auction; (iii) he was too cheap to purchase delivery confirmation, so its progress cannot be tracked on-line; and (iv) it was sent to you in Vermont because I still haven't managed to change that damn Ship To address in PayPal...! So, you should be receiving a padded envelope from Hawaii with an iPod that may possibly have been damaged in transit! I'm going to the bank this weekend, and will deposit $20 in your Think account. If you would be so kind as to put the iPod in a more sturdy shipping container and buzz it off to us in the MN, I would be ever so grateful. Grrrr.....

Hoping you have a wonderful day,
love,
Mom

Last day of classes - Hooray!!!!

And a wee carton just to set the tone for the day! We're freezing all our body parts off here in Minneapolis this week, although supposedly it's going to warm up over the weekend, before plunging us back in to the deep freeze next week. (Just in time to welcome you home!)

Congratulations on making it through your first semester at UVM, sweetie! Despite all onslaughts of headcolds and mono, you've come through with flying colors! I have not a doubt in my mind that you'll come through finals in great shape, and we can't wait to welcome you back home.

And I'm glad you told Dad about having mono yesterday. He actually took it quite well, after an initial "Oh, my God!" reaction. We both agree that it's highly likely you brought it to UVM with you in August, thinking about it in retrospect....and we're both very glad that you seem to have weathered the worst of it.

We're going to Lydia's Southview choir concert this evening (blech! but she needs our support), and then hope to get our Christmas tree tomorrow night. Let it thaw out in the living room overnight, put the lights on Saturday, and spent Sunday afternoon watching football and decorating the tree. Wish you could be here to help out, but at least we'll be able to welcome you home to a festive home.

I'm planning to do most of my Christmas shopping this weekend, both on-line and in-store. Think I've got my lists pretty well finalized, and am formulating a strategic plan to get it done with a minimum of hassle....though I think dad is going to have to drop me off in the Southdale parking lot and let me walk from Southdale to the Galleria to Target and then to Joann's. It's not so much the shopping than annoys me, it's the kamikaze drivers and the agressive parking!

Hope your weather cooperates so that nothing delays your flight home!

Love,
Mom

FYI - returning from Christmas break

Just got an email from ResLife, and this portion jumped out at me:

"Your ID card will not permit you access to the residence halls until you have checked in at your complex main desk on Sunday, January 11th. If you are not returning to campus on Sunday, January 11th between noon and 8 p.m., please be advised that you will need to contact Residential Life in advance in order to enter your hall."

So when you get back to the dorms on Sunday, you have to check in at the main desk to have your card "reactivated" before you can get back into your room. Probably want to be sure that you've paid your bill as well!!!

Global warming? not in my neck of the woods!

Thought you'd enjoy this little whimsy, as someone who appreciates costume through the ages....

But seriously, now, it's freezing in Minnesota right now! We're supposed to drop down to eight measly degrees tonight, with a brisk wind whipping down from the North Pole - good thing indeed that you sent Lydia's winter coat yesterday! (Again, let me tell you how much I appreciate your atoning for my astonishing lack of attention to detail...) Be sure to bring home your warm coat, wear a pair of boots on the airplane, and don't forget your hat and mittens. Scarves I have a-plenty here, I keep stitching them up as I find new embroidery designs.

This is another project I want to run past you when you're home for the break (can't wait to see you!). I want to embroider grosgrain ribbon, and stitch it on to cotton web to make these key fobs for all and sundry. Besides sewing a selection of fabric zipper wallets for you to bring back to school. They're gonna call you the Craft Queen pretty soon, or at least call your mother crazy...

After all the fuss and bother Lydia made yesterday morning, complaining about translations and reflections, the test itself went off without a hitch. She actually admitted that it seemed pretty easy and straightforward. Gack! I could kill her sometimes! Apparently she and Clara spent a bit of time before school with last year's teacher, Mr. Peterson, who obligingly ran through translations and reflections again, and instantly everything was clear.

Now she's having to read The Princess Bride for her language arts class. We both recall that you hated the movie, but she says the book is really, really good so far.

Dad has become a Wii Maniac, certifiably hooked on improving his tennis game. Thank God he's managed to tone it down a bit: rather than looking like he's smashing pumpkins down the block in a game with Roger Federer, he's only hopping about a small bit and has shortened his stroke by 50%. No longer needs Advil to get out of bed the next day. But I strongly suspect that he has abandoned Judge Judy for Wii Tennis...oddly enough, his rating/ranking is nearly 850, which argues that he's played a helluva lot of tennis games and won to get it up that high....Lydia is indignant that he seemingly spends all day playing Wii. And lordy, he is so competitive! You'll find it quite amusing to watch when you come home. He actually offered to play on the avatar Lydia set up for you, so that you wouldn't have to start from zero when you got home. I think he just wants to play more!

Not too surprising that Sara may not be returning in January, but I understand your reluctance to break in a new roommate, now that you two have just reached an accord. Remember that you will be the Roommate in Residence, and any newcomer will be the Interloper, so you get to set the rules, along with the rest of your suitemates. PS-you might consider asking Sarah, if she actually does decide to leave, if she wants to consider selling you her refrigerator. She may not want or need it if she's going to be attending community college and living at home. Dad and I will definitely buy it (or a new one) for you so that you don't have to be without a place to store your food when she leaves.

Back to my everlasting review of sales contracts and confidentiality agreements. Congratulations on the raise, and the invitation to apply for a promotional position! And strong wishes and finger-crossing that the intolerable itching subsides and you find a comfortable position again.

Hugs,
Mom

Red Alert!!! Mononucleosis???

My poor dear! Cannot, absolutely cannot believe that you have been condemned to suffer the outrage of an itchy, nasty head-to-toe rash simply because Grandma wouldn't believe me and forced four doses of useless amoxicillin down your gullet!

It's sort of a good news-bad news connundrum: if she hadn't bullied you into taking amoxicillin, you wouldn't have gotten the rash, which means you wouldn't have gone to the UVM clinic, which means you wouldn't have known that you've got mononucleosis. On the other hand, if she hadn't stuffed it down your throat, you might have figured out that something was seriously amiss at a much later date, when you were completely flat on your back.

However, since there really is no treatment for mono other than "take it easy and drink lots," it might not have made any difference in the end. Except that you would not now be feeling like an itchy leper!

Haven't broken the news to your dad yet -- I'm figuring that the information is currently on a need-to-know basis, and he doesn't need to know! I'll let you break it to him when you're finally on your way home for Christmas break, unless something untoward occurs and we need to tell him sooner. (i.e., please take care of yourself!)

Lydia had a brief relapse vis-a-vis the geometry homework last night, studying for a unit test. They are working on translations and reflections, and I can totally understand that those concepts of visualizing objects and moving them in your head doesn't come naturally to many people. Must be related to their inability to read maps as well! She loves algebra, completely understands those concepts, but has a miserable time trying to conceptualize rotating 2-d and 3-d objects in her head and on paper. I tried demonstrating with pattern pieces on my gridded cutting board, showing her how I could slide the piece up or down or sideways a given distance, or flip it over so that the back side was now facing up, but it didn't work out very well. I'm a bit fearful at hearing how the test went today....

By now you know all about our Bonehead of the Year Award for mistaking a wad of Bazooka bubble gum for an interdigital canine cysts -- the only thing worse than feeling stupid at home was having to call the vet's office this morning to explain why we wouldn't be showing up for our appointment this morning. No, there hadn't been a holy water miracle, we were just too dumb to know the difference between pink bubble gum and swollen/infected tissue. Sounds like something you'd see on "House." (Which I am assuming you didn't get a chance to watch last night. I'm getting hooked; House is falling for Cuddy, and it's amusing to see Cuddy return his attentions. Her sweaters are getting tighter, her decolletage lower, and her push-up bras more....effective).

Be sure to send me your Christmas wish list so that I can get started on some on-line shopping! Lydia's given me hers, and now I need yours....ho, ho, ho!

Be sure to take care of yourself. Imagine me saying all the good motherly things, and take your vitamins. Love,
Mom

Comedy du jour

Thought that this news brief would provide a touch of levity to today's blog entry:

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Stopped. Cold turkey.

Police in Garner, N.C., said a shopper clubbed an alleged carjacker with a frozen turkey as he tried to steal a woman's car in a grocery store parking lot on Sunday.

Police said 30-year-old Fred Louis Ervin, of Raleigh, stole money from a gas station before running across the street and beating Irene Moorman Bailey while attempting to steal her car.

Other shoppers came to her rescue, including one who hit Ervin with the turkey, police said. Police did not release the person's name.

Despite serious head injuries, Ervin got away in Bailey's car and hit several other cars as he fled, police said. But police arrested him a short time later.

Ervin faces several charges, including assault inflicting serious injury. He was hospitalized Monday in good condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. He had not yet been assigned a lawyer and was to appear in court Dec. 30.

Homeward bound!

Yippee! She's coming home, the tickets are bought, the itinerary is set, we know we're going to see her again! Whoopee! Sound the trumpet, light the fireworks, kill the fatted calf (well, on second thought, let's just go buy a steak and call it even....).

So by now you should have gotten a couple of emails from me with your Northwest Airlines (soon to be Delta, of course) plane reservation details, and a whole lot of clickable links for you to log on and print out your boarding passes before departure. I'm sure that by now you're an old hand at this sort of thing, so I won't bore you with lengthy explanations and advice....just know that we at home are all dying to see you again! Those wee little photos on Facebook are tantalizing glimpses into your new world, but we really want to have you sitting around the table with us for a good old CHAT!

Thanks for calling Dad on this his birthday - I'm sure he really appreciated it, and was touched by your remembering, even if he doesn't actually say so. Unfortunately, he has succumbed to the nasty virus making the rounds in the household, and woke up with the dreaded headache this morning. Seems as though you managed to either catch it from us, or gave it to us via long-distance, you had the same headache thing going on too, didn't you? In any case, it slightly dampens his spirits, but hopefully he'll be in a good frame of mind for going out to dinner tonight. Lydia and I are taking him to D'Amicos on 50th and France for dinner - Lydia has been insanely jealous of Dad and I going on Wednesday nights while she's at confirmation, and I have a $15 gift card as compensation for a horrid meal we had there two weeks ago. (Remind me to tell you the whole tale, if I haven't already done so....it's a doozy.)

Be sure to bring a warm coat when you come back for Christmas, I have a hunch that it's going to be a cold, windy winter. We're still doing battle with this damn Canadian artic cold front today. Woke up to a measly 19 degree temperature, with a wind chill of about 8 degrees....hoping for a slight improvement over the weekend, but I'm not holding my breath. Makes me think nostalgically of the last year Christopher came for Thanksgiving, and it was so warm that we were hanging Christmas lights in our shorts the day after Thanksgiving. Don't really think we'll be doing that this year.

Nothing major going on at work these days, continuing to review a myriad of sales contracts and being amazed by how complicated it actually is to get drugs from the manufacturer into the hands of the ultimate consumer. Unbelievable how many layers of red tape, handling, price discounts, rebates, charge backs, etc. each and every bottle of pills goes through before someone actually swallows one pill, I assure you. I had no idea it was so complex!

Hopefully I'll get to talk with you before you leave for Connecticut, but if I don't, have a safe trip and spend some quality time with the relatives. I'm going to be sure to take a whole bunch of photos over Thanksgiving, and actually figure out how to post them to my Facebook page so that you can check up on all of us (just don't tell me that you suspect I've gotten fatter since you left.....).

Hugs,
Mom

Hump Day! Hooray!

Halfway through the week, and I've not succumbed yet - I am still afloat, still paddling around, and still swimming bravely through the pond to the other side.

I took off work on Monday, too sick with this wretched sinus cold to even contemplate another sales contract. This particular virus comes with a wicked headache, kind of like suffering from a cheap champagne hangover for days on end. My headache was so bad on Saturday morning that I was throwing up....not fun. I've still got a bit of a lingering headache, but nothing I can't live with.

We're starting to contemplate Thanksgiving at our house, and I'm making grocery lists and cleaning schedules. It's my firm opinion that everyone should host dinner parties at their houses periodically, if for no other reason that it forces them to clean house thoroughly once in a while! This will seriously be the first time I've deep-cleaned since the graduation party....not a nice thing to contemplate! It'll be a traditional dinner for the most part: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry relish. We'll skip the nasty green bean casserole with fried onions, opting instead for fresh green beans with almonds. I'm going to try a swanky hors d'oeuvre for the shrimp crowd: lemon wasabi shrimp in toasted wonton cups. Found the recipe on the Byerly's web site and thought I'd give it a whirl. Something besides plain shrimp plonked on a platter with a bowl of cocktail sauce! Still trying to think of something hot for Lydia and I, the non-shrimp eaters of the crowd. Dessert will also be untraditional: lemon meringue pie, chocolate cheesecake and mince meat tarts. No pumpkin pie unless George and Joyce bring one, none of us really like it. The mince tarts are for me, I have always missed them.

I'm just squeezing in this posting between my bath and dinner time. We're having a chicken noodle casserole for dinner. Since you've been gone, I've bought a miniature square casserole pan at IKEA, just big enough for four rational servings, rather than making a casserole in the huge 13x9 pan which was always too big for four. We ended up with huge amounts of leftovers that we just threw away. Now I make two casseroles at a time, freeze one and bake the other. Almost no leftovers, much more frugal.

Hope your treasure box arrives tomorrow, I'm dying to hear your reaction!!! Good luck getting through the last two days of work before you take off for Connecticut,

Love,
Mom

Why did the chicken cross the road?

I thought you'd appreciate this joke-of-the-day blog instead:

Why did the chicken cross the road?

SARAH PALIN : Well you know, that chicken was crossin' Main Street because the gosh darn economy is so bad that Joe Six Pack and Hockey Mom were chasin' it for dinner.

BARACK OBAMA : The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN : My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON : When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One! That every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH : We don' t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

*beep* CHENEY : Where's my gun?

CoLIN POWELL : Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON : I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE : I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY : Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON : Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN : We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE : That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks .

PAT BUCHANAN : To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART : No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS : Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY : To die in the rain, alone .

JERRY FALWELL : Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA : In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS : Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE : It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON : Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace .

BILL GATES : I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN : Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one??

Slip Slidin' Away!!!

Definitely the first real snowstorm of the season - started yesterday afternoon, and continued through the night. Enough accumulation, and cold enough temperatures that we woke up to this scene today:
You will please note your father persists in wearing his shorts during snowstorms, and that I managed to find a coat in the back of the closet for Lydia to wear to school this morning - she wanted to walk out in a sweatshirt, and I finally had to put my foot down. We are so beyond the season for flip flops and sweatshirts!

Although you can just see the very end of Lily's tail in the photo, she too is enjoying the snow to the fullest: rolling around in the sparse patches of white like a puppy, and generally feeling frisky. I had to laugh at her this morning when I first took her out. She got all wound up, dashing around in the snow, so much so that when she bounded up the back steps to come back inside, she overshot the steps, skidded on the slippery concrete, and fell right over the side by the dryer vent. Freaked her out, of course, but I just about died laughing at her. Ten bucks says she won't try that trick again!

We're not expecting the snow to stick around for long, but it certainly snarled traffic on my way home last night, and back into work this morning.

Lydia has an appointment for a hair trim this morning, and she's still working on me to let her friend Molly dye a pink stripe in her hair a la Avril Lavigne. At this point, she's worn me down, I can't be bothered to put up another fight, and besides: hair is temporary. It regrows. Whatever.

Part of my lack of energy for a fight is no doubt due to the fact that I've managed to acquire a head cold, whether from Lydia or not I'm not sure, but there's no doubt I'm sick. Woke up at midnight to an incredibly sore throat, an aching neck and a stuffy head. So today at work I'm a bit loopy on Sudafed, just to get some relief. Yuck! Hope this passes quickly.

Hope the weather is good for your run to Montreal tomorrow - you'll have to tell us all about it!

Hugs,
Mom

Flurries for you, rain for me!

Can't quite decide which is more unpleasant - at least you can brush the snow away, but wet rain just soaks right into your clothing! However, it has to be a bit warmer for it to rain, which is better in and of itself....guess it's a toss-up.

You must be getting excited about your jaunt to Montreal on Thursday. Have you mentioned it to dad yet? He'll be curious to know what you think about it. Bet you have just a ton of fun, plus it'll be good to see something besides just the town of Burlington and the campus. It's been a good many years, but I remember feeling a bit claustrophobic after being stuck in Hamilton for months on end - always the same old things and people.

Thanksgiving plans took a 18o-degree turn on Sunday night, when George and Joyce stopped by. I had been debating pulling out of going to their house for Thanksgiving with all of George's family - turns out that all of his family bagged him and Joyce! At the last minute, everyone's decided to go somewhere else~well, I really didn't feel right leaving them completely alone and in the lurch, so now they're coming to our house for dinner. Seriously, I'm considering telling everyone to come in their best lounging pajamas, to eat dinner casually and to sit around the fireplace watching football games all afternoon. (Visions of that birthday party for Lydia, where all the kids showed up in their jammies!) All I really want to do is eat a really good dinner and relax with some college football....no dressing up, no major housecleaning. Just very casual.

Lydia's rooting hard for a lemon meringue pie as dessert, dad wants chocolate cheesecake, and I have no desire for pumpkin pie. Looks like Joyce will have to do the honors with pumpkin (or hit up Baker's Square!) if anyone wants the old traditional pie. If you have any good suggestions for unusual new appetizers, I'm all ears. Looking for something besides the old cheese-and-cracker standards...

Hugs,
Mom