I'm not a cake decorator...

...but, I do have fun. :-)

For Thanksgiving dessert, I made a cake...from a box mind you. I don't do scratch very often. Then I took some tubes of writing icing and some leftover autumn candy and went to town. (Picture's a bit dark, but at the top of the cake it says "Happy.") It's not professional by a long shot, but it made us laugh.

Happy Thanksgiving

A Turkey Speaks

I have never understood

why anyone would

roast the turkey

and shuck the clams

and crisp the croutons

and shell the peas

and candy the sweets

and compote the cranberries

and bake the pies

and clear the table

and wash the dishes

and fall into bed

when they could sit back

and enjoy a hamburger.

~Author Unknown

I hope your thanksgiving is filled with love, good food, great friends and a whole lot of laughter.

Piano In The Woods

OK, check out this story at http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/23/massachusetts.piano/index.html. A perfectly good piano was found out in the woods in Massachusetts. Interesting.

When I read this report, I had more than one story idea pop into my head. What a great writing prompt to send out to my group.

It just goes to show you, no piece of fiction is ever quite as interesting or quirky as real life can sometimes be.

Yet More Snow Photos and a Poem

I was trying to be all "artsy" and take a photo of my watering can (sign of spring) sitting in the snow (sign of winter), when Tango decided he needed to be in the picture. I think he just looked at the pristine patch of snow, with not a single footprint in it, and figured he needed to "fix" that.

This is one of my little garden art thingies. It's solar powered and glows at night. And, it's a cat, so of course I had to have it.

This is another one of my garden art objects. I love how peaceful this statue/bird feeder looks...even more so with the snow covering it.

Dust of Snow

By Robert Frost

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.


(I love snow and Robert Frost poems.)

And Yet More Snow!!!

We have a bit over two inches of snow on the ground right now. I think I mentioned earlier in the week how much I love snow. If I didn't...well, I really LOVE snow. :-)



The cat I have taken to calling Drifter on the other hand doesn't look too happy about this whole snow thing. (BTW: She's letting me get a bit closer, but still not quite close enough to touch.)

And my neighbor's cat Tango doesn't look too thrilled either. Note the scratch on his nose. He and Drifter tend to get into fights that I have to go out and stop, and his nose is the spot that usually takes the brunt of it. (The fights are getting fewer. Maybe they're finally getting used to each other.)

The yard is covered...

The driveway is covered...

And since the cover to my swing was destroyed by high winds a couple months ago, the swing is covered as well.

I still love snow......

More Snow! YIPPEE!!

I love snow! I LOVE snow!! I LOVE SNOW!!!

Did I mention that I love snow?!?!

I got up at 4am as usual, and there was a very, very light dusting of snow on the ground. A little more snow has been added here and there, so there is just a bit more on the ground now.

Would love to see more snow on the ground, but I'm happy with what we have. I love snow. (Did I say that already?) :-)

Muffin, on the other hand, was not a very happy camper. She followed me out into the yard and then sat staring at me with that wonderful glare of hers, alternately lifting each front paw from the cold ground. Told her it was her own fault for following me, but you know how cats are.

The not quite 30 degree weather plus the snow plus the wonderful smell coming from my neighbor's wood stove...What a beautiful day it is.

We've come a long way, Baby.

And it's about darn time.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that long ago when signs like this were a common thing in the south. My mother was born and raised in this type of environment, and many members of her family are still of this mindset, but thankfully Mom never was. She and I may not have gotten along at times, but because of her I have never felt this type of thing was right. Thanks Mom.

And now we have elected our first African-American president. Yes, we have come a long way, and hopefully the future will remain as bright as it looks right now.

Another good thing...the political phone calls are now over.

No Election Talk

"I'm Susan Bell and I approve this blog."

I am TIRED of election talk, so even though today is election day, we're steering clear of that.

This is the latest addition to my zoo. I think it's a girl. She(?) doesn't get close enough for me to check. Tango, my neighbor's cat, is constantly fussing with her. You can often hear them on my porch "talking" in loud voices.

Drifter, as I have taken to calling her for lack of a better name, used to be so beautiful. But, numerous fights have taken their toll. One day, Tango showed up with a few small scratches, including one across his nose that has left a scar. The same day, Drifter appeared in my yard with the tip of one of her ears missing. Since a lot of their contact with each other happens when she comes up on my porch to "steal" food from Tango and Muffin, I try to put food out for her in the little window of our shed. Works most of the time.

And Muffin continues to do such odd and interesting things. We had placed these boxes on the porch to throw away. She adopted them. When she wanted to get away from Tango, she'd run into one of the boxes. One day when it was a bit windy and cold, I put one box on top of the other, and Chris pulled a blanket we had on the porch for her part way into it. Viola!! She loves to sneak in there and hide.

Ah, cats. They help keep my life interesting.