WINTER COMES EARLY..

Winter came in early November this year. We are grateful it didn't arrive as early as last year. The yard crews came and blew the remaining leaves around while the snowflakes fell. People were moving in and out of apartments here frantic to get done before the next big storm hit.I try to think of where I stored my Thanksgiving things and all my Christmas ornaments I saved.I didn't have as many as I thought I had sooo it's start all over again this year.  I bought a small 2 foot table tree but changed my mind and decided a larger one was needed since my living room space was large. I have made many trips to our local thrift store looking for items for the holidays. I am AMAZED at what people get rid of. I bought two plates to hang on the wall and was surprised that when I looked them up on line they were collectibles and worth way more than what I paid for them even without their certificates.

 

This one is called Silent Night

This one is called I'll be home for Christmas.

I think I have a moonlight sleigh ride theme going on. They look nice on the wall anyway. I will be checking again there soon. 

Thanksgiving is only days away and still not sure just what I will be doing, baking or making for dinner. Diet dictates strict guidelines but maybe just ONE day will be okay. Who knows I might even bake a pie this year too!

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Getting in the mood for the holiday here. Halloween was

always a favorite of mine in school. We would have

a whole school party in grade school and have cake

walks and fishing booths and a parade through the whole school.

I think they still do some of those things now too. As things got scary

out there in the real world, schools decided to have parties

like we did in the “olden” days and all the kids now either

have parties at school during hours or after and even

churches have parties here. The parties consist of cars in the

parking lot and each party has goodies in the trunk of their

car. YEP, almost like tailgating. Kids go to each car and pick up

their treats and when they are done maybe have a game or two

indoors or out depending on the weather.

Here in Michigan it is often cold, rainy, or snowing.This year it will be pretty chilly, some parts of the state may even have snow flurries..YES I said it!!

It amazes me at the talent and creativity that people have when carving a pumpkin for Halloween. This particular one just blew my mind. Such a neat design. The most creative I ever got was drilling holes in one and putting lights inside. This year I am still getting settled in my new place but have my fall decoration hung up in a place of honor in my apt. In our old home we had it on the front door of our house. It still looks pretty good despite being packed away for 4 years. I managed to buy some candy in case I get a trick or treaters here, I am not quite sure what our complex does for the holiday, but there are several families and quite a few children here. 

Did I keep some for me?? Uhh YES I did.. candy corn...my favorite, but those PEEPS ghosts and pumpkins are running a close second. However you celebrate, if you do, have a fun,safe holiday! 

REMEMBER WHEN

I smiled the biggest  watching a neighbor teach his daughter how to ride a small two-wheeler. The bike never had training wheels and a small boy neighbor could ride it easily. She could not. So dad got his chance to run around holding the back of the bike and running along beside her. They did all this on the GRASS..no cement or paved street, smart dad. I remember falling on that street. OUCH…oh how I wish I had a video of that moment. There is no feeling in the world like the wind rushing through your hair as you ride as fast as you can and feel like you have wings for the first time. Wife came out and filmed a lot of her riding attempts. She just had to keep peddling. She tried another part of the complex that was flatter. MUCH better results. In less than two hours she was riding like a pro. BIG smile on her face. Neighbors came outside and applauded her efforts. I yelled..”Good JOB..DAD too!” I swear his face lit up like a Christmas tree all twinkly. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon at the end of September 2014. I had to think, I hope she remembers where and when she was when she learned, I remember where and how but not WHEN.  I hope her mom NEVER loses that video. A whole new world is ahead of her. Today she went to school, no doubt, with stories of her success. Can’t wait to see if she still rides well after school.. Stay tuned. 

OH DEAR Blog Readers….the smells from my kitchen this morning brought tears to my eyes. I used my oven to bake my mother’s recipe for BANANA BREAD.. OH how the whole place smells like home and MOM making  it over and over again. She loved it so. She never needed the recipe almost up to the day she left. She made it so many times it was in her memory bank.  ALWAYS the end piece with lots of butter on it, that was her favorite. HOT HOT out of the oven would make her just ooooh and ahhhh.  Making it this time for my sister’s birthday. I omitted the pineapple this time and made it plain. Can you smell it??? YUMMM!! Haven’t had this in ages. Last time I made bread it was in the microwave for lack of an oven. Well it was edible, but just not the same. It cracked on top just like MOM made it. So happy it came out good. Recipe link is above.

Got to say the fall here in Michigan this past week has been spectacular. The leaves changing very quick but the temps have been mild and cool at night. NO rain, just nice..it does feel like October instead of September though. I fear the winter will be early this year again. Still looking for the wooly worm and his prediction but the black squirrels here are  busy storing nuts from the nearby trees like crazy. That alone is scary. I shudder thinking about last winter, but at least know this year there will be way way less shoveling for me here in my new place. 

APARTMENT LIFE

Nothing like moving into a new place to live and having to learn a whole new way to do things. I sure don't mind, but I just never know when I am breaking a rule or two..

... DON'T FLUSH at night! Around my building I have NEVER heard a person flush a toilet at night. IS that weird?? Granted I have only been here a short while, but so far the rule has stuck. Everyone has their own schedules and lives to lead, but common courtesy is NOT to flush in the middle of the night. I have heard showers run in the middle of the night but NO FLUSHING...just plain strange.

...ALWAYS ASK before you make changes in your apartment walls. Some places, I have been told, do not allow nails or any type of puncturing of their wall surfaces. I got lucky.. it was pretty lax here but I haven't pushed my luck just yet. Starting over I don't have a whole lot to add to the walls. I made a trip to the local GOODWILL store and bought some small snack plates I thought were charming. Very appropriate for the season. I thought how neat to look at them all the time. So I hung them up. Tiny nails and plate hangers. Guess that didn't break any rules. As you can see the walls are WHITE and boring and I have no earthly idea how I am going to decorate them so far. I guess I will know when the time comes though. (The plates, by the way, were collectibles and ended up being worth at least 10 times what I paid for them. I was very happy when I looked them up on EBay. I love a bargain!)

Sure miss all the stuff Mom had at our house that I could not keep. We decorated for every holiday. It's fun though finding all the things that make a place your own. Looking forward to the holidays and already got my turkey.. well not edible anyway. This bird was handmade by a local artisan in 1979. I will be using it as a centerpiece this year on my table. 

Next will be finding new things for Christmas, stores already have their decorations up, should be easy to do. Apartment life is a work in progress right now. Never know what you will do or find next. I also hung this up on my wall so I could see it every day..it says what I think about where I am right now. It's something I do every day.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A HAPPY WEEK!!

LIFESAVERS

Crazy week so far, busy and strange...

Every single thing here I have used this past week. They truly are

lifesavers. All this moving has made the old body pop and snap and so

I am using any and everything I can to get by.  I bought a new grocery cart that 

surely will come in handy this winter getting groceries inside my place. The less

trips the better I say.. NO lifting either. Wonderful idea! 

Kept hearing banging and thought someone was fixing a roof to the building.

When I went outside I saw that the balcony on the other side was being torn down.

TERMITES! Oh that made me feel creepy. I mean what about the rest of the building?

Needless to say, they are inspecting the whole building. Erected back in the early 70's

these places need updating anyway. Having a balcony patio that gives way is very scary indeed. As I stood and watched them working a neighbor came and introduced herself to me. She said that I was the LUCKY ONE.. I guess they nicknamed me

that. I was the one with an almost NEW apt. All new carpets, floors, bathroom etc. It

wasn't because of me.. it was because the older lady lived here sooo long. She was here for 24 years!!! She said that EVERYONE wanted the apartment that I was in. Well, I guess I am lucky then, because I got it instead of someone else being re-located.

LUCKY ME.. This is the one and only plant I have in my apartment so far, it has traveled FAR..for many years to get to this place. The only plant left that my mother had. I placed it in the East windows and it seems happy there. The hula girl was a present, she shakes when the sun hits her.. very entertaining!!

JULY UPDATE...MOVING ON

July is almost over already..hard to believe it. We had such a long winter, I am enjoying the warmth so much. Not the humidity mind you, but the warmth.  In all the crazy goings on with my sister's illness I got a  cellphone call while she was in ICU..sooo unexpected.I almost did not answer it. I went out in the hallway and answered it. I could hardly believe it. A manager of an apartment complex was calling about an apartment that I had been on a waiting list for a long long time.  Did I still need an apartment?? I spoke up and said YES, trying to speed up the conversation and get back to the ICU. Sis was completely out of it with her blood being totally out of balance so I had to be there. She said she would call me back, that one was now available but there was some glitches that would have to be worked out. GLITCHES??? I could only imagine. 

I left the hospital and waited for her call. It seemed that I had to rent the apartment by July 1st or lose it to someone else. All the paperwork, deposits and etc. had to be signed by July 1st. That only gave me 4 DAYS to get things together. In the meantime I had to get Sis back home from the hosp and settled and then run like crazy to get all the other things in order. It was hot on June 29, I sat in the office of the manager for 4 longggg hours..  Soo many interruptions made it hard for her to finish my paperwork. Everything had to be done so fast. I got the keys on JULY 1st but the place was still being cleaned and touched up. Seems the woman who lived there was there for 24 years and so they had to completely clean and renew all the carpets and flooring and etc..The manager told me that all the tenants were jealous of my brand new place. I was happy..nothing OLD about it. So I began moving some things over and then  

OUR POWER WENT OFF AT HOME FOR FOUR LONG HOT DAYS. 

I used the apartment fridge for storage for most of our frozen food. The apartment is in another town 15 minutes away. We stayed there in the day time with a fan running and rested up from the hot nights at home. The whole thing was like a crazy story that was hard to believe. Sis was weak but the apartment was on the first floor so she could just walk right in .. NO STEPS.. we both were happy about that. Waiting for the oil base wall paint smell to go away, I moved load after load of my stuff there in our car. Very time consuming and tiring. As I unpacked,  I was reminded of how many of my things were from my friends and family. We do cherish our memories and I have made many.

I brought in a  camping table, sure has come in handy, I got phone calls about what things I would need or want. I was shocked that so many had items they no longer wanted. In no time at all I would have an apartment full.  Stay tuned for part 2!!!

A BRAND NEW YEAR!!

Something called a POLAR VORTEX came down and blasted its way over more than half the USA. Snow and ice all the way to Alabama. Never seen this much snow in ten years some were saying. The stores were packed and people were smart to stock up. Literally nothing was running in our area..... for 3 DAYS. Kids are off school because of the COLD not the snow. Plows ran 12 hours shifts and they got the roads cleared pretty fast considering how much snow we had. THE COLD is something else again. I ventured out onto the porch and right back inside. Way too cold for me to breathe in, 14 below zero and 25 below when the wind kicked up. NASTY..Colder than ALASKA..that polar vortex was nothing to fool with. I started wearing so many layers of clothes I feel like an Eskimo... Welcome to 2014?? It's starting out very weird.
                       

This was a shot of town with 6 inches of snow..where they put 14 more I have no idea.

 I have had this blog at blogger since 2010. I have tried to keep it separate from my Wordpress blog.  Blogging is a venue to express our feelings or talents to the world. 
Well it seems to be really dying out now. I will keep mine around, and write when I feel like it or when I have something to share. What's been happening in my world is something that I had been forbidden to discuss on a public blog. I know that sounds kind of weird but I it's the way it is. Some already know what's going on..others can take any kind of guess they would like. I am NOT in mortal danger or taking drugs etc. but I can say life is not a bed of roses right now. It has not been for some time. I make the best of each day and try to move on. I made some goals for 2014. We will see how well I do. I will update when I can, until then..here are some photos I managed to take while shoveling out this past week. My camera is on it's way out. It has a mind of its own and I have to re do almost every shot I take. Still it takes nice photos.

This poor bush almost broke under the heavy snow, the drift is almost as high as the fence is.

 The snow is as high as the top of the handle. Below you see the van covered up, that is not all drifted snow, it was really deep. 

This was taken before the storm also. We had about 6 inches on the ground.

Stay warm and well my friends...

        

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

I miss our Barn Charm Tuesdays.. I liked seeing other's barns and posting my own photos of them. Something "charming" about them. I hope that one day they will reopen a blog site for them. Now I am posting my own photos today.. Hope you enjoy them.  As you can see there is still plenty of green here and up north. These photos were taken last week. This barn was very close to the road.. I was so surprised.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

 

RECENT VIEWS

I am not quite sure all my updates are going out there, but I keep adding here. Here are some recent views this summer because, YES, I am taking photos almost everyday!!

NASCAR in front of our store, those cars are sooooo loud when they start them up, makes your teeth rattle.

This cup made me laugh because my Sis always says this to me..she's a real cat lover! Had to buy it!!

Love the color of this Phlox..

Farmer's Market had such nice fresh vegetables..loved this little salesman. I bought beans because his
sign said.. "Corn may be wormy" ..talk about honesty!

DAY SEVENTEEN!!!

I can't believe it's been seventeen days already.. time is passing. Some days slowly and some days I feel very stressed out.. guess you could call it "withdrawal" pains. Keeping in touch with what's "going on" in the blogging world or the Facebook family is very much missed. 

Making it day by day with the lack of connections and the overwhelming heat that is hitting us all this summer. I retreated the library as fast as they opened as did many other people. The heat index today well into 100+ so anyplace that is cool is a good place to be. This past weekend I ventured up north  to attend a birthday party for my niece's 2 year old. Nice to drive up and see the sights again. You never know how large those wind turbines are until you are almost beside them. ONE word..HUGE!
They rise at least 330 feet in the air and the blades are over 200 feet long. There was a huge "farm" of them all over the country-side. 

A boy and his wagon, taking his tractor for a ride. I do remember the days when I got my first wagon. It wasn't as fancy as a Radio Flyer but we did have it most of our entire childhood. A metal Radio Flyer wagon, we found out, is harder to find these days and soon may come obsolete to the more plastic ones. In buying certain models you have to order them, no matter what store you are in. They are only available on line orders. There was a time when a simple wagon like that could be found in any store. Sad sign of the times I guess. Well  until next time I sure hope you all can

LOST WITHOUT ANY CONNECTION!!

If ANYONE ever asks me again.. "Are you addicted to the Internet?" I will gladly tell them YES I AM!! The past 8 days seem like 8 weeks. I have gotten through every day and found myself so bored it isn't funny. I find I read more news on line than I thought I did. I look up more information and challenge myself more than I thought I would. NOT getting to do these things really makes an impact on your whole lifestyle. 
                                         

Lilies finally bloomed late this year..we had so many
but they were much smaller than usual. Talk about
fragrant!

Well I  even though I do get to update my computer maybe once a week..it is not nearly enough. The first day was the hardest. Get into a routine and like breaking any habit it is tricky. I must have picked up my laptop at least 5 times before really realizing, nope you can't use this. Convince yourself that the Internet does NOT exist.. well this worked for several days so far. Counting the days down.. things will get better.. I can only hope.. anyone with any suggestions.. I will take all the help I can get. It really is hard losing touch with those out there in the "internet world". 

CAT TV

She barely fits on the stool but she sits there anyway.  This indoor only kitty loves to watch "Cat TV" with all the squirrels and birds chirping around. It is spring and the screen enables her to smell and hear the critters. Don't ask what happened when she saw momma groundhog and her three babies in the yard. Oh boy!! 

It was carnival time! The weather cleared up and the kids came running. It's a big deal in a small town. Fairs don't start around here until July. Hard not to notice as you could hear the screaming inside the local store. 

I have had some troubles with this blog page. I am still trying to figure them out and get rid of what ever  was attached here.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

It is falling apart now and abandoned .. MAYBE... there is the sign and who in
there right mind would care anything about that building.. very strange indeed.
Not sure who owns the property, there is no fence or gate or even a driveway.

This old barn is still standing inside the city limits of our town, not sure what is stored inside it now. The family who owned it is long gone, the property sold. I just noticed recently that the roof looks like it is sagging in the middle. This barn was the place where groups of kids would gather and make floats for the homecoming parades. Remember when they did that? Oh the hours of hay rides and fun we had in that old barn. It has not been kept up by the new owners, sad to see it this way.

For more Barn Charm Tuesday go here.

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

ALL the outbuildings and barn were yellow on this property. Yes, the house too. wish I could have gotten 

a better view of them all in this drive-by shot. 

YELLOW BARN...yes it is... here is the kicker... the house was blue the shed was pink and the barn yellow,
Another building was Red. It was a rainbow effect at this farm. Quite the eye catcher. I always
thought that barns were RED..not so..a rainbow of colors I guess..still looking for a purple barn  or maybe a PINK one!

For more Barn Charm Tuesday click here..

WATER WORLD WEDNESDAY

Rockford Dam... Rockford Mi   Oct 2012

Small dam in our town that helps separate and regulate the flow of water from 

two forks of the river. If not for it..the whole town would be wiped out.

Notice March 2009...NO SNOW..

Visit here for more Water World photos

                                   

WATER WORLD WEDNESDAY

LAKE MICHIGAN notice no snow taken in December!!

I love a sunset..especially over the water..

More Water World Wednesday photos found here.

BARN CHARM TUESDAY

This was a neat cow barn filled with hay taken in northern Michigan. You can see below how they keep their calves in tiny little houses all their own. So cute. 
I am wondering if they keep them inside there all winter long. Wish I could have stopped and asked many questions. It was a very nice working farm.
More Barn Charm Tuesday photos here..

WATERY WORLD WEDNESDAY

                                               Taken last fall near Rockford Michigan.

HOPE YOU ALL ARE HAVING A NICE FIRST DAY OF SPRING.

More Water World Wednesday photos HERE

                                        
                                  

                               

BARN CHARM TUESDAY.

We got a slight dusting of snow last week and some of the barns in our area were just so wintery looking. I decided to share those here for BARN CHARM Tuesday. You can see some other great barns at the link listed.