WE WON!!!!!

THE RAVENS WON!!!!!!

It was a great first half for us here in the Raven Nation. 

When half-time was over, Jacoby Jones ran a whopping 108 yard kickoff return, to tie an NFL postseason record, and boosting the score to 28-6. 

And then....

The lights went out in the Super Dome. It was mostly downhill from there with San Francisco coming dangerously close to stealing the game. We were able to pull it out in the last few minutes (literally) and won 34-31!!!

BUT, Jacoby did more than tie a record and help lead our Birds to victory. He gained $600,000 in free furniture for some folks back home in the Baltimore metro area. A local furniture retailer had made the offer that all furniture bought in their stores on Sunday by 3 p.m. would be free if such a play occurred either at the start of the game or at the start of the 2nd half. I'm sure, Jacoby has made some friends for life here!!!  

Ray Lewis congratulates Jacoby Jones on his  record tying kickoff return and TD !

In other highlights of the game, the Newtown Elementary Chorus sang America the Beautiful in the Opening Ceremonies for the game. I was touched, both by their heartfelt performance and by my husband's reaction. this big tough guy was so moved his eyes filled with tears watching the performance! I was surprised. I didn't realize he was so sensitive. (Incidentally, we were in a roomful of tough macho men. Many had similar reactions and gave the kids a standing ovation!)

I hear those children will also perform at the Grammys. if you missed the game, please catch them there. These kids have true heart and exemplify the American Spirit to the core!

This is RAVENS Country!!!!

We live in the heart of the RAVENS' NATION so life has been wild here lately. One doesn't leave home if you're not wearing purple!!! Don't own purple? Buy some, NOW!!! 

I'm short of time as there's food to prepare for a party tonight - enough for a crowd of, well, 75-100. (We party hardy here, too!)

So, I'll just share this little ditty with you for now - (Sorry, I do not know who originated this verse!)

"Twas the [morning of] Super Bowl,
And all through the house,
John Harbaugh was praying,
And so was his spouse:
Let Ray hit hard, and Kruger hit clean,
Let the team come together, 
As a Super Bowl machine !
Let Ngata be powerful and Suggs be strong,
Let Ray Rice and Flacco do no wrong!!
Let Pitta and Anquon and Torrey be alone
As they dive for a catch  in the end-zone.
God we've been waiting ... and God knows 
We care,
And God bless the Ravens !!!
We deserve to be there!!! "

GO RAVENS !!!!!!

Ground Hog Day

We here in the MidAtlantic count on a rodent named Punxatawney Phil to tell us what to expect weather wise in the coming weeks. Phil, allegedly, resides in a tree trunk in Punxatawney, PA and is roused by his handlers each year to prognosticate to an audience of thousands. (This year's crowd was estimated at 30,000! It was 11 degrees there and these folks began to gather at 3:30 a.m. for a 7:30 ceremony!) Let's just say Phil says we should expect an EARLY Spring!!! Yay!!!!



Of course, we had snow less than 12 hours after his announcement so maybe we need to ask Phil to actually define the term "EARLY SPRING"!!

Are you a carrot, egg or coffee?

 

It really is hard to beat Grandma's advice when it's given with great love and concern.

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked. "What's the point,grandmother?"

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?

Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

---AUTHOR UNKNOWN

A new month, a new try at regular blog posting.  Looks like I didn't do a very good job at "daily" posting in January. I've really had trouble getting back into it. 

They say it takes 14 days to form a new habit so I'm going to really, really try to post daily for not just 14 days but ALL 28 days of February. Lately, I've seemed a bit dense so I'm figuring it might take twice the effort so 2 x 14 = 28. ( Math was never my best subject so I hope I've figured that right.)

As I've mentioned along the way, I still take notes, jot down thoughts and shoot pictures "for the blog". I just haven't done well at getting them past the draft stage for the last few months. I'm going to cheat just a little today and post one of those items I've been holding in reserve. (Wow! First day and I'm already taking shortcuts!) It's one of those "stories with a moral" and it sort of made me stop and think about my life when I read it. 

Our Newest Family Member

What do you get a retired guy who has everything he needs, refuses to make a Christmas wish list and simply takes the fun out of the holiday by telling folks NOT to buy him anything?

Apparently, a REALLY, REALLY  BIG FISH !!!!


The Big Guy is a tropical fish enthusiast. He has maintained a large home aquarium (often more than one) since he was nine years old. He owned a fish store at one time and our home is decorated in what I like to refer to as "Traditional Sea Life".

With this in mind, one of Santa's helpers thought we truly needed a 4 foot long, helium-filled, remote controlled clown fish. Who knew there even were such fish in the sea at our local mall?

The first night, Big Fish simply explored the living room.

Using the remote, one can make him go up and down and steer him by moving his tail fin.  Turned off and left to his own devices,  he does the usual helium balloon thing of floating aimlessly (and silently) around the house on his own. Once I got past the creepiness of this "wandering", we started to make fun of him and took pictures of his strange antics, posting them on FB with captions.  (We're now getting messages both for and about him!!) Folks want to know what he's up to!

We figured he was getting hungry when he tried to go into the kitchen.

The Big Guy is determined that he is merely a generic clown fish and is NOT Nemo. So, we call him "FISH" or "BIG FISH".

Wonder what the little guys in the tank thought when they saw him!! We did NOT pose him. He went over to take a look all on his own!

In the first week here in the house, he had enough helium, and we kept him balanced enough (through the adjustable levels of ballast suggested), to keep him fairly close to the ceiling. At that height, he was unable to clear doorways so he stayed in the stairwell, the living room or the hallway. in that state he would work his way to a specific doorway and simply stick his nose in the room to look around but his top fin kept him from going into those rooms.

We have found there is one spot in the living room where he kind of noses his way into the corner and tends to stay there a while. The other day he had been sitting there for hours when he overheard me on the phone telling a family member that we had snow through the night and the street was pretty well coated. We watched, stunned, as Fish quickly backed out of his corner and turned to stare out the picture window.  He then circled the living room and headed down the hallway(as if running from the snow.)  

Did I mention he has now lost enough helium that he can enter the various rooms on his own ?

Well, I found him later, floating over our bed staring at a picture of a seagull. I think he was yearning for a warm beach, after all, he IS a TROPICAL fish!!! (Personally, snow makes me want to find a warm, sunny beach, too!)

Happy New Year !!

Happy New Year,  Everyone!!

Here's to a happier, healthier, safer New Year for all of us. May we all be a bit wiser, a bit more patient and tolerant and a huge lot of happier in 2013!!!!


A fresh new year = a fresh new start. After 6 months of a blogging "sabbatical" for me, I hope to be back here on a regular (if not daily) basis. My last post was on 4th of July, complete with fireworks, so it is only right that my comeback post includes fireworks once again!!

I'm not offering any long apologies or explanations here today - just announcing my efforts for a comeback. Hopefully, someone is still out there listening. I would, however, like to thank those of you who have stayed in touch or have contacted me just to touch base during these last few months. I appreciate your messages and thoughts.

Hope to chat with you again this week.

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

HAPPY 4TH, Y'ALL !!!

Happy July 1st, Everybody!!!

 If you are out celebrating this weekend,

 please do it safely and have a great time enjoying your freedom and rights

 but please keep those who are off in distant locations

  fighting to preserve those freedoms and rights for you

 in your thoughts and prayers.

I didn't plan this long hiatus but life just got in the way and I haven't discovered how to cram more than 24 hours into a day or more than 7 days into a week. If you have, won't you please tell me how?  

I hope to be here to speak with you on a regular basis again. It's been a long, chaotic couple of months and I've missed all of you so very much. 

Of course, it is a busy, super full weekend for most of us and we are off at a fast pace already. So much to do, so few hours and, oh, so very hot!!! We, like most of you, are hovering in the low 100s this weekend. Add an 87% humidity level to a 100 degree day and all one can say is "YUK!!!"  


We are lucky at our house. We have power. So many of our friends and family don't as the area experienced unbelievably damaging storms late Friday night and damages are comparable to hurricane damage (without the flooding). For many, restored power is still days away.


In an effort to commiserate with our friends, we are heading outdoors into the heat for a day long festival featuring lots of music, food and fun. It will be approximately 103 throughout most of the day but the park does have some shade and cold drinks will be readily available (for a price!)  We did the same on Friday (same event, different entertainment), sitting out there from noon until 10:30 p.m. in 104 degree heat!! Yes, we ARE crazy, as a matter of fact !! 

The Night Before Easter

'Twas the night before Easter. All was calm and laid back.
Fred, the mouse in the kitchen, snarfed down a late snack.
The eggs were all dyed but still drippy and sticky...
To be honest, they looked just a little bit icky.
There were big jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and such,
And as Fred stuffed his face, he sighed, "This is too much!"
Phil and Rose were in bed watching late night TV,
While munching saltines with low-sodium Brie.

Then a sudden commotion rang out in the night.
It shook Phil and Rose, really gave them a fright.
Phil's hair stood on end, and his eyes bugged out big...
Rose whipped off the covers and knocked off her wig.

They lunged to the window, yanked open the blinds...
What they saw was amazing; it boggled their minds:
Across the night sky, with a noise like the dickens,
Soared a minivan drawn by eight overgrown chickens!

At the wheel sat a bunny -- cute, fuzzy and fat --
In designer blue jeans and a Panama hat.
Like a speeding space shuttle, those chickens they flew,
As the van driver called to each hen in his crew:

"Now, Ashley! Now, Sheila! Now, Kelsey and Bo!
On Bethany, Liza! On Daphne, on Flo!"
The van made its landing lickety-split ...
Nearly wiped out the shrubs and the barbecue pit!

Then up on the roof, much to Phil's consternation,
They squawked of egg prices and space navigation.
They made so much noise that Phil started to stammer,
"If you guys don't shut up, we'll get thrown in the slammer!"

Fuzzy hopped down the chimney, amidst all this racket,
And emerged from the fireplace, adjusting his jacket.
This bunny was chic, he had class, he had flair ..
Not your average bozo, not your typical hare.

His ears were enormous; his huge overbite
Was right under a nose like a pink neon light.
His manner was smooth, he was hip, he was cool;
This floppy-eared bunny was no fuzzy fool.

"While I'm here," he smiled, "Everybody relaxes ...
I'm not selling storm windows, won't audit your taxes.
I'm just here to bring you some fun and delight.
Eat, drink, and be merry! Let's party tonight!"

So they sipped diet soda and swapped silly jokes,
Those birds and their bunny just being plain folks.
Then flop-ears said, "Hey, friends, we've had quite a ball,
But my chickens and I are now due in St. Paul!"

He crossed both his eyes. Then he wiggled one ear,
And he yelled to his chicken team, "We're outta here!"
As the minivan rose in the 3 a.m. sky,
He called out, "Later, Phil! And to you, Rose, good-bye!"

As he sped out of sight, his two friends heard him say,
"Happy Easter to all! Have a beautiful day!"

Author Unknown

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "where you relax":

I am most comfortable and most relaxed when I am near the water -
river, ocean, lake, whatever.

This bench overlooks a quiet marina near our home. The bench is on the very edge of a large city park that overlooks the point where one can look across both the mouth of the Susquehanna River and across the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We spend a lot of time in this park. I like to just sit and watch the activity on the river - boats, birds, ducks, fishermen, etc. We often take our lunch and eat at one of the picnic tables and then just sit and read for the afternoon. There is a boardwalk-like promenade that winds around the point and back into the downtown area of Havre de Grace, MD. A tremendous number of folks walk the promenade each day for their regular exercise routine.

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

Here a bunny, there a bunny, everywhere a bunny...

I don't know about you, but I have Mega-Dreams tonight !!! I'm giving deep thought to how to spend that $630 million !!!! Of course, taking the cash value and after taxes, it'll only be about $370 mill. So, I guess we'll have to budget a bit, but we'll get by.

Seriously, that's a lot of cash!! Almost more than I can actually fathom. I mean, we always fantasize about how we'd spend a big windfall but this is more like an avalanche of cash ! We've discussed all the normal stuff - a new house, maybe a nice oceanfront beach house, new vehicles, pay off a few student loans for family members, finance college for a few others, pay off a few family houses or get a few of the younger crowd settled in their first houses, maybe helps a few family members supplement their retirement funds, some favorite charities, etc.

Okay, so that's pretty much a drop in the bucket when we're talking these kind of numbers. Which brings us to just how do you invest and protect the money that's left? I mean, handled correctly, we could live very well off the interest alone. As could the next generation. This going to take a lot more thought. Well, we've got from now till 11:30 tonight to work this one out.

So, what are YOUR MEGA DREAMS ?
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Well, I thought joining in on the Marchphotoaday challenge would help me get back into posting on a daily basis. It didn't quite work out that way but it has helped push me in the right direction. Some folks simply posted the subject of the day and a pic without any commentary. I tried to use the photo to trigger at least a short post on the subject. to me, that was the true challenge.

I have seriously been working on gathering photos, research and such to produce some truly informative posts with some true depth. Among those subjects are buttons, antique wax dolls, piano babies, care and feeding of your vintage porcelain figures, vintage textiles, and more. I hope to get these started here early next week. I'd say on the 1st, but then would you take anyone seriously about such promises for April Fool's Day ?

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "toy":

O.K., I'll admit to a little shameless, self-promotion on this one.
She's just one of the adorable sock bunnies I have for sale in my
shop at the moment.
(Last day to order in time for Easter delivery
(in the U.S.) is tomorrow.)

Hey, nobody said it couldn't be a new toy I've just made, now did they?

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

Giddy-Up, Officer

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "an animal":

This animal is actually an Ocean City Maryland Police Officer.
Just as police dogs are considered officers, so are the equine members.

Horses are generally used for patrol in highly congested pedestrian areas. On a hot summer evening, there may well be ten or fifteen thousand folks (or more) strolling the 3 1/2 miles of boardwalk in this tiny but busy resort town. The horses generally stroll along with them, the human officer aboard is able to oversee activity from his high perch in the saddle and, when necessary, can thread his way quickly through the crowd. They've even been known to step down onto the beach and trot the distance when in a great hurry.

If one goes to the inlet end (Southern tip) of this boardwalk, you can look across the channel and often see the wild ponies on Assateage Island. Wonder if those little ponies look across and hope to become a Police Officer in the "big city" one day!

**I'm proud to say my niece is a member of the Mounted Unit of the Baltimore City Police Department. She is not a patrol officer but is responsible for the daily health and welfare of the four-footed officers in her unit.

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

AC on in March !!!!

Well, now we've gone and done it. We turned the AC on in March!!! Got home to an inside temp in the mid-80s and simply couldn't get it any cooler with the fans. It was getting awfully sticky in here. The humidity was really kicking in today, too. Feels good now. Hopefully, we can turn it off in a day or two. I think Tuesday is supposed to be near "normal" (mid 50s).

I can tell it's Spring as we're judging the first BBQ of the season tomorrow. Looking forward to some good food and a chance to see the whole BBQ gang. Funny, we see those folks every couple weeks for 6 months straight and then not at all for the other 6 months. Only a few of us stay in touch via FB through the winter. One of those few let me know today they won't be there tomorrow but are encouraging us to expand our horizons and judge a chili contest with them in 2 weeks! Hmmm, need to check our calendar for that one. We've never done a chili contest.

We had a great visit with some friends today. We did get a Japanese Maple for a memorial gift for them. (She lost her Mom last month.) I was willing to go along with The Big Guy's choice of a saucer magnolia since we like ours so much, but the ones they had at the nursery just didn't look great.) The tree was a little bigger than we'd planned and was a little harder to fit in the van. The nursery guy ended up crawling into the vehicle to pull it in and get it situated then had trouble getting out. I teased him that we were going to hold him captive but he found a hole to squeeze through. Amazingly, The Big Guy didn't have a lot of trouble pulling it out, pot first, through the sliding door on the side! They were really pleased with it and were trying to decide just where to plant it when we left. (They do own automated digging equipment that will make that job easier for them.)

Got home in time to squeeze a quick nap in before our neighbor came over for the weekly card game. All-in-all, it was a good day.

Our neighbor did the lawn last night and today so I guess we need to get out there and work the flower beds and do some trimming now to make it "Lawn Beautiful" as The Big Guy likes to call it. Still too early here to really plant yet. Hard to believe it when you look around though. The forsythias are gorgeous this year - very full. The flowering cherries and plums are pretty much at their peak (we've got a tremendous number of both in the general area), the saucer magnolias and star magnolias have actually peaked and are going to leaf now, the red buds are blooming and the earliest azalea breed around these parts popped forth today. Daffodils are everywhere! I even saw a few beds of hyacinths in bloom today. We're a full month early on most of these.

Well, got to head off to bed so I'll be ready to judge in the morning.

Happy weekend, All!!

Ummm, Ummm, Good!!!

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "delicious":

I'm a Chesapeake Bay gal -
Steamed crabs are a way of life here!

Crabs are a lifestyle here, not just a meal. Eating crabs is usually a social event, even if you do it every week or even more often. They're messy and you do need to use your hands. You set the table with newspaper, butcher paper,or even old grocery bags. You need a knife and a wooden mallet. (Although we've often made do without the mallet - a swift bop of the knife handle will usually work, too.) When you get them out, you generally refer to the restaurant as a "Crab House" and it usually is not formal. Folks tend to talk among the tables at such joints and the mood is usually a good one. Crabs are a "Happy Food!"

If you've never tried one, it should be on your bucket list.

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "funny":

These folks were next to me on the Post Office
parking lot one day. They just struck me as so
personable and made me smile for the rest of the day!

Hope you found something to make you smile today!

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

Not the corner!! Please don't make me go there!

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "a corner of your home":

Oh, no! Please don't make me go there! Not THE corner!

I'm afraid, very afraid!

I bet a lot of people took pics of their cleanest, neatest or even cutest corner. Sure, everybody has those kind of corners. BUT - I bet they ALL have this kind of corner, too. The out-of-the-way spot where you stash things. All these things really belong elsewhere but they're much more convenient when stashed at the end of the hall. I mean, that vacuum is awfully heavy to drag up and down the steps to the basement several times a week. Oh, it does go downstairs when guests are coming but it hides in this corner most days. (Like most of us, it has gained weight over the last decade. I don't remember it being so heavy when we first got it.) The buckets are used weekly for fish tank maintenance and, yes, they do have a shelf of their own in the garage. (Like the vacuum, they go there when company is coming.)

Oh, that red sweatshirt ? That one doesn't live here. I'm hoping by hanging it in plain sight, it will be noticed and carried back home by one of those folks who can never remember to gather ALL their belongings when leaving. (You KNOW who you are!) I used to have a shelf for such items but, alas, it's gotten full because they all tend to leave more and more things here on a regular basis. The Big Guy says it's like they're dropping crumbs so they can find their way back home but I believe it's because they don't have a corner to stash things in like we do!

Everybody needs a corner like this in their home!

Here's the list if you'd like to play along, too.

Incognito

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "sunglasses":

"Those danged papparazzi!"

Some days you just want to go out without being recognized. Every gal needs some big lenses to hide behind from time to time!

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

Inquiring minds want to know ...

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "car":

This car is sort of the "mascot" vehicle at a little auto repair/gas station
in Travelers Rest, SC. I always wonder what kind of tales it could tell!

Think about it. What kind of tales could YOUR car tell if it could talk? More embarrassing yet, what would your very first car have to say about you, your friends and your adventures? Hmmm, I'm sort of glad my original wheels were silenced long ago.

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

See that cloud over there?

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "clouds":

I'd love to have something really interesting to say about this shot.
I believe it was somewhere over Lancaster, PA in August. Can't say
why I took it though. Guess it was just pretty to me at the moment.
I tend to take a lot of pics of pretty skies and cloud formations.
It's just one of my quirks.

Did you ever stare into the sky and picture playing in the clouds? Or, is that just me? I think about just bouncing along like a trampoline but landing on those big piles of fluff. Just kind of flopping and rolling. In my mind, it looks like such fun!

"A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds,
and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs;
an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them. "
~Leonard Louis Levinson

Go ahead. Think about it!

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.