TO EACH HIS OWN

My brother retired a little over a year ago from a successful 40 year business career. I believe he is the strangest retired person I have ever known. Regardless of all the electronic gadgets he still has attached to him, (cell phones, computers, laptops, etc.) he is attempting to lead a more domestic life. You heard about the pies he produced for Thanksgiving? Anyway....

I called my brother yesterday about some business he was helping me on. I could tell he was multi-tasking so I asked where he was. He was in Sam's shopping for Kleenex. I never knew anyone could be so preoccupied shopping for tissues.

He assured me he could talk and I apologized for interrupting with business question and he said "no problem". I stated my concerns at length and he listened (or appeared to listen) intently. Finally, I concluded my speech and my dear brother exclaimed, "Oh, what an ordeal!' I responded that is wasn't really that big a deal and he corrected me, "No, I meant shopping for Kleenex."

ABOUT THIS DREAM

Last night my sleep was disburbed by dreams of peril. I was being chased by tornados, grizzly bears and gynocologists. Anyone care to interpret that one? There were two gynocologists and one was that old man who always played a drunk on television. I think his name was Foster Brooks. Help!

TREASURE

I had the basin and pitcher with flowers in my flea market booth. My neighbor brought in the stand to her booth. I bought her stand and brought home my basin and pitcher. Isn't this just lovely? Where I'm going to put it, I haven't a clue. Probably I'll take it back to the flea market and sell it all together. Meanwhile, I just love to have it.

I WOULD LIVE ON YOU TUBE

If I had wireless or dsl I would live on You Tube. I can't open this on my home computer, but I got to watch it at my sisters and know the world must see it.

This is wonderful. To all my dog loving friends.

MOTHER'S GLASSES

This was my mother's first pair of glasses. She said she thought she was nine or ten when she got them. Yesterday would have been mother's 92nd birthday. Just think, these glasses are eighty years old. I'm trying to imagine a pair of my glasses in 80 years or a pair of my grandchildren's glasses in 80 years. My mother took care of everything she owned just like the loving care she gave her family.

STARS STARS AND MORE STARS

Yes, we knew we had missed Dillon's school play. Yes, we knew it was a production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. No, we did not know Dillon was Charlie! Our grandkids are raising curtains and lighting lights and hitting the heights! Our clothing is buttonless with grandkids like the great eight! Pop, pop, pop, pop.....

LOVE THAT GAL!

I sent my niece Melissa an email telling her she should start a blog. The link I sent her was to another blog about a family with three boys. Melissa and Mark are raising three boys (plus running a daycare, plus raising horses and cattle). This is what she wrote me back: "I wish I had the time. Maybe after wrestling season, but before show season, but after christmas, but before baseball season, but after summer, but before football season, but..........."

MEN IN THE KITCHEN

Men play a bigger role in cooking these days. My brother made that lemon pecan pie for our Oklahoma City celebration. It was melt-in-your-mouth good. He also made a yummy chocolate pie. The cake pictured was chocolate rum cake purchased at a Greek festival but it did not come with Windex.

My newlywed nephew Mike and his bride cooked Thanksgiving dinner for her family in Chicago. Mike checked on his first turkey after an hour and a half only to discover he had failed to turn the oven on. Maybe when he's as old as his uncle he will be able to bake pies.

PICK A FORTUNE ANY FORTUNE

FORTUNE COOKIE ETIQUITE AND/OR RULES

The fold of the cookie faces the person it is meant for – not the crimped ends. (Make sure you pick the correct cookie.)

Do not touch the other fortune cookies – only yours. (It negates a fortune if you touch it and it is not yours.)

If the fortune cookie tastes good, the fortune will be bad. If the fortune cookie tastes bad, the fortune will be good.

NEVER open your fortune cookie until you are completely through with your meal.

Always add the words, “in bed” at the end of reading your fortune aloud. Example: You are ready to take on the world…….in bed. Do the right thing, regardless of what others think…..in bed. You have a friendly heart and are well admired……in bed.


DO YOU KNOW OTHER FORTUNE COOKIE RULES?

I always collect the discarded fortunes of our group in restaurants. I fold them and keep the fortunes in a jar by the front door. When someone leaves, they can read their fortune on the way out. .

Always go to Chinese Restaurant after Thanksgiving!

THANKSGIVING TO REMEMBER 2007

MOST AND MOSTEST HOST AND HOSTESS

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

PROBLEM SOLVERS

TRADITION MARCHES ON

CONTINUING SAGA

PLUGGED IN

HARD WORKER AWARD

WHAT DOG?

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

STORYTIME

THANKSGIVING GREETERS

TASTE JUDGES

ROYAL CHEF

PRECIOUS MOMENTS

KENTUCKY PHOTO AT 70 MPH

Here is one of my photos from our trip. Ron doesn't slow down for me to take pictures.

And the fun
Has just begun.

Whoosh, we will soon have a gentle breeze,
Falling leaves
Naked trees.

Frowning adults laboriously rake the crinkly brown leaves in piles
Their efforts scattered by children jumping, tumbling, rolling around with laughter and smiles.

TODAY JASMINE IS FOURTEEN

Happy Birthday Jazzy!
Here's grandpa's pride and joy.... Jasmine or the tractor? JASMINE!

The California girl can be a farmer when she trys.
(Don't kill me for showing this favorite photo of you when you were 9.)

We love you!

Click here for more recent photos of the Birthday Girl.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER with Jessi and JT

Okay, I am sitting quietly in my Okie home watching television when Jessi calls. Can you guess where she was? Jessi was attending the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER 30th Anniversary Screening as part of her job. Isn't that unbelievable? John Travolta was going to speak and at that moment was on the same floor as Jessi in the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre on Wilshire in Beverly Hills. I wanted her to touch him or photograph him or get his autograph and she said that wouldn't be cool. We all know how careful Jessi is to be proper -- NOT! Can't wait to hear all about it.

MOLTING LAWN ORNAMENTS

Twyla, one of my Australorps, is pictured here in her annual molting state. She is with Milton, our one remaining guinea fowl. This time every year our Australorps and Rhode Island Reds go through a horrible molting period. The other chickens experience some loss of feathers, but nothing like these. They certainly mess up the pretty picture of lovely living lawn ornaments that I like to portray, but then the trees aren't so pretty this time of year either. Leaves and feathers fall to the ground.

WHELMED

Last night we were whelmed. Attending our grandson’s play turned out to me a major family pre-Thanksgiving gathering. My brother and sil came from Oklahoma City. My sister from Kansas drove to our house and rode to Tulsa with us.

Ryan attended the cast party after the performance, so the rest of us went to Chimi’s for a late supper (after we embarrassed Ryan totally with his girlfriend Rachel!).

It was my pleasure to have Dillon and Beth at my end of the table and they enjoyed picking on their Granny Annie. I can’t imagine where they get all that teasing……oh yes, their dad….my son. Now, where did he get it? Hum?

It was an added party to get to keep my sister here overnight. We were very tired when we arrived after 9:00 so she did not want to make another hour drive. Hooray! It was a rare treat to share coffee in the morning at the kitchen table….the best part of waking up.

Now, we all scatter for Thanksgiving and pray for everyone's safe travel.
We get to feast with my brother and sil at their home in Oklahoma City with my son and one of my nieces and her family.

We would miss mother if we didn’t remember how exhausted she was with last year’s gathering. It was all she could do to stay through the meal. Somehow I feel like she has a much better vantage point this year for the kid’s confirmations, Ryan’s play and all the holiday events – quietly seated and smiling happily next to dad.

CATCHING UP

Our granddaughter Beth is almost as tall as her Aunt Elaine!

ANOTHER GENERATION OF HAM

Grandson Ryan is in the middle as he portrays Linus VanPelt in YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN. He shares his blanket with Charlie Brown's sister Sally. We took a huge crew with us to view the play including his siblings, his great aunts and great uncle (His Aunt Chelle attended the day before) but we didn't need to beef up his support because it seems Ryan had his own fan club in the audience. I swear I'm not being a biased grandparent when I say he was THE BEST! These kids put in 66 practice hours and we didn't catch any flubs. I got chills watching my born-for-the-stage grandson. He had no problem with singing, dancing or speaking loud enough to hear throughout the auditorium and his expressions were priceless. My only regret is that is is over.

WHERE IS DOROTHY?

Dorothy is safe from the dog in this hiding place:-)

THE PRICE OF MILK

I drifted into my first banking job in 1968 by accident. I had passed the test for Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith and was awaiting a call from them. They said I would hear in two weeks if a job became available. The bank called first and I started my job with them. A little over two weeks later Merrill Lynch called and I decided I should stay with the bank to honor my commitment. In those days it was called integrity. Today it would be called stupidity.

I worked my way through the ranks and developed a loyal customer following. After 32 years in banking I quit. A part of me believes I was the last honest banker.

Dealing with various banks now as a customer, I call myself a “banking civilian”. You do not know how horribly banks treat their customers until you become one.

We need to simply remember that banks are no different than grocery stores. They each price the products on their shelves and you, the consumer, need to pay their marked prices or go down the street to another store. If your store has a butcher who cuts the best selection of meat or a produce manager who can help you pick the best fruits and vegetables, follow that person if they leave the grocery store. However, the small, corner grocery is almost completely gone. The large commercial chains of grocery stores have taken their place.

We are old and remember a time the bank was a gathering place. You could go inside the bank, have a cup of coffee, visit with various bank employees and be treated like royalty. After all, the bank seemed to respect the fact that you trusted them with your dollars! You also trusted them with your most private personal and financial information. They appeared to be loyal to you and in turn, you were loyal to them.

This type of banking confuses the younger generation. The financial institutions are catering to a whole new group of fast paced technological kiddos who say loyalty-schmoyalty. Give me fast internet banking. Don’t expect me to balance my account. Charge me for overdrafts and I’ll pay the OD charges, regardless. They actually think the bank is saving them money because paying the overdraft means the store won’t get the returned check and charge a fee on top of the banks. (Check cashing stores have nothing on banks for charging exorbitant fees that represent huge annual percentage rate equivalents!)

You probably think that you are a wonderful bank customer because you balance your accounts, you keep savings in your bank, you borrow and make your payments on time and you pay off your credit card balances every month. Well look again. If you balance your account, you do not incur overdraft fees. Your savings causes the bank to pay you interest. You are a good credit risk so you can’t be charged the higher lending rates and if you pay your credit card off in full every month, you don’t pay any finance charges. Plus, they don’t have to pay much attention to you because you probably have direct deposits of social security or other pay and they know you won’t leave fast because it would be such a hassle to change all those payments..

Remember, when the milk prices are too high at your grocery store, you don’t stand in the aisle and yell, you go to another store. Believe me, if enough people move their banking relationships, the corporate headquarters of the financial institution will take notice.

Also, don’t yell at your clerks and tellers. They certainly don’t make the rules. Find a corporate officer and vent to that person. Also, remember the pen is mightier than the sword in banking. Put your concerns in writing and they can never deny hearing your complaint.

IT'S OVER

Yesterday I watched the final DVD of the Sopranos on Netflix. I had never seen the show and watched it all through Netflix. Now I am in mourning.

Of course, Tony, Carmella, Meadow and A.J. were killed in the restaurant. The whole place blew up. Dr. Melfie drove by just at the blast occurred and she was collateral damage. (Don't worry if you haven't seen this -- I created this ending.)

What am I going to do now that The Sopranos is over? Well, there was life after NYPD Blue and there is life on hold since the last episode of 24 so I guess I’ll find a replacement for The Sopranos. But, meanwhile, let’s talk about writers.

The Sopranos should be required viewing for everyone. Talk about life scenarios done up in extreme drama! We are all bad guys somewhere in our hearts and minds and we have to keep those bad guys at bay. Writers seem to know that viewers can relate to even the shadiest of characters.

Writers, it’s all about the writers! Why shouldn't they have the recognition they deserve for creating great TV shows and movies? No wonder they are on strike.

My favorite quote was from a made-for-TV-movie staring Sally Struthers. I don’t remember the name of the movie but I’ll always remember the quote: “Worry is a prayer for something you don’t want.” Who wrote that? Writers should have the recognition they deserve.

QUIZ

This is a riot! I don't know how this works, but it really does work! Just click on the word QUIZ below.

QUIZ

FAITH MENTORS

The confirmands are assigned faith mentors who will guide their faith journey for the first year after confirmation. Dillon and Beth got a great couple to guide them.

UNDER THE STARS

Our grandchildren are under the stars. Beth was difficult to capture because she was having too much fun talking to her friend.

SPEAKING OF HANKIES

JD has a great sermon for us today. Be sure and take a gander at her message. However, just like in regular church, I found my mind wandering. Her discussion of hankies caused me to remember this story.

First, my husband always ALWAYS carries a hankie. Not a normal, white handkerchief like most men would carry. He carries a red bandanna in his back pocket and most of the time it is hanging out like a rag. The nurses laughed at him in the hospital because, besides his nice butt, they could recognize him from the back because his red bandanna was tucked in his underwear and flashing outside his hospital gown. But, I digress.

Our grandsons love to borrow Grandpa's handkerchiefs. I can glance outside when they are helping around the yard and spot several pieces of red cloth dancing around their projects.

We attended Michael's Christmas play a few years back. He was in the Angel Choir. The angels wore white wings, white robes, and white halos. Grandpa and I both looked at each other at the same time when we saw Michael, as if in slow motion, sniff first, then start pulling up his robe and reaching into his back pocket and before we could warn anyone, Michael pulled out the huge splash of red bandanna he had borrowed from Grandpa before the play. He slapped it in this sea of white with quite a flair and blew his nose. The audience cracked up and my daughter, directing the play, turned to glare at us.

I HATE SCHOOL

"I hate school" is not a very good comment for a grandmother to make. Actually, the reason I hate school is because I am a grandmother and school keeps the 8 grandchildren away from me. Our grandchildren love school. If they don't love it for scholastic reasons, they love it for social reasons. They are all so involved with jobs, activities and homework, grandparents are left out to fend for themselves in the cold cruel world. Why, why, why would children choose girlfriends and boyfriends over grandparents?

We are looking forward to a good strong dose of three grandchildren on Sunday. Two of my son's three, Beth and Dillon, are being confirmed. The next Sunday we go back there again for his oldest son's play. Ryan is Linus in Charlie Brown.

Thanksgiving will be so quiet. One set of grandchildren in California. Two sets going out of town to visit THE OTHER grandparents (I'm also not must on sharing). Whine, whine, whine.

Okay, so Ron and I enjoy each other's company and we don't mind a quiet Thanksgiving at all but we're back from our ship reunion and back to the demands of our lives and now I WANT MY GRANDCHILDREN!!!

USS MAHAN SHIPMATES AND SPOUSES

This photo is of the reunion atendees who were on the DLG11. Separate photos were taken of each group. Over 250 persons attended this year representing the DD 102, DD 364, DLG ll/DDG 42 and DDG 72.

THE TRACE ESCORTS

Judy and Wayne were our hosts in Kentucky and took us on tour of the Land Between The Lakes.

TWO SETS OF TWINS

Ron and I pose with our twin counterparts at the Home Place in Kentucky.

REUNION RUN DOWN

We contacted our family that we were home. I had to ask my brother and SIL how they ever left that part of the country. My brother attended Duke years ago and they both loved living there. My SIL said if not for family and friends back here, she could have easily stayed.

Our activities at the reunion are detailed here for anyone interested.

The emotioinal highlight for me was our banquet speaker. Our guest speaker was Command Master Chief Mike Conran, formerly of the USS Mahan (DDG-72), heading for a prestigious billet as Command Master Chief of all destroyers, both Atlantic and Pacific.

Master Chief Conran gave an inspiring talk to a sea of shipmate faces who know what it means to be an American citizen above all other things. These sailors served on the USS Mahan from WWII through current day Iraq. I was in tears as he talked about our nation's lack of pride in citizenship. We are not even teaching our children what it means to be a United States citizen. He talked about the media and how distorted their reporting is. He watched first hand things that happened in Iraq only to listen to the news reports that were totally wrong. Once he actually heard ABC announce that "Nothing happened in Iraq today." He said something always happens in Iraq but most of it is good and that is not considered worth reporting by the media.

WHAT A BRIDGE!

THE ARTHUR RAVENEL JR. BRIDGE, CHARLESTON, SC

For those who know me, you know my bridge phobias. I crossed this bridge FOUR times this past week. Aren't you proud of me! I can't begin to count the number of bridges Ron has gotten me across since we met, including the Coronado Bridge in California.

The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge carries eight 12-foot wide travel lanes and a 12 foot wide bicycle and pedestrian path. Both directions of travel include four foot inside and outside shoulders. The pedestrian lane follows the Charleston Harbor side of the bridge between Morrison Drive in Charleston and Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. Viewing platforms extend outward from each tower to allow bicyclist and pedestrians a place to view the harbor. 128 cables soar skyward anchoring the bridge deck to the towers at a maximum height of 186 feet above the shipping channel below.

NEVER REALLY RETIRED

SUPERMAN.....for truth, justice and the American way.