Home on the Prairie

Well, I did it. It's a go. One of the many things I want to do in my life is happening. I am going to see Garrison Keillor and his Prairie Home Companion show live and in person. WOOT!!

I had actually decided I wasn't going to go as I would have to buy my ticket now, and money in the Bell household is mighty tight with the hubs still out of work due to illness. But, Chris being the person he is, he kept telling me to get a ticket and go...that I deserved it. So, I finally gave in.

No, I did not buy the $68 seat. Could not bring myself to do that. I did buy the $46 dollar seat, which is in the 3rd section. I went online, checked the view from various seats on Brevard Music Center's website and made my purchase. I will have the ticket in my hot little hand in a few days.

I am bouncing off the walls over this one. Every time I feel like things are really getting to me, I just remind myself of what I have to look forward to in August. Add this to the fact that I have actually gotten a lot of writing done on my novel, which is taking many odd turns I must say, and I find myself actually smiling once in a while. :-)

Prairie Home or Bust

OK, so here I sit, lurking around Facebook and listening to the thunder rumble through the mountains. I have known for some time that it’s way past time to update my blog. There are various reasons of course; don’t like the computer I’m currently using, have been busy, etc. But, in the end, there really is no GOOD reason. I mean, I’m often sitting here late at night, not able to sleep, and yet I don’t bother to hit the blog. That would be a great time to do some blogging.

Well, it’s not late at night, but here I sit just the same, and I am finally updating this thing. You can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now. I know you’ve been sitting on pins and needles wondering where I was and when I would return…..again. You can now resume your regular lives secure in the fact that…..I’M BAAAACK!!! J

My return to the blogging world was inspired by some much welcome news I just found posted on my Facebook page. Garrison Keillor is bringing A Prairie Home Companion to Brevard, NC. OK, that may not be earth shattering news to most of you, but to me it’s a wish come true. That’s only about 2 hours away from where I live (I looked it up), and it has long been my dream to see GK and his show. It’s on my list of things to do in my life.

Now, the list of which I speak is not an actual, physical list. It’s pretty much in my head. And it’s not a “bucket” list. If I don’t do everything on it, so be it. It’s not like I won’t have had a great life anyway. It’s just a list of things I aspire to do, and even if I don’t get there, the journey is more often than not the best part anyway.

So, back to GK. He will be in Brevard on August 14^th. The “big” tickets are $68, and there are others available going all the way down to the lawn for $25. My goal is a $68 ticket. If I don’t make it, oh well. The ULTIMATE goal is to just be there in the first place.

Watch out GK. Here I come. J

I Want To.....

My friend Angie has this thing for making lists. From what I’ve heard, I think it’s practically an obsession. Me? Not so much. I’m not organized enough to make lists. Not usually anyway.

Lately, I have been putting together a few small lists in my head. Maybe it has something to do with the recent “passing” of my 40th birthday. That’s a pretty big milestone when you think about it, and since that day, I’ve been not only looking back at my life, but forward as well. I’ve been thinking about things I’d like to do at some point in the future. If I don’t get them all done, oh well. It’s not a big deal. It’s just nice to think about going to various places, doing various things. A lot of times, the planning is most of the fun in the first place.

So, today I am posting a list of some things I want to do in the future. You could call it a bucket list, except like I said, if I don’t complete it, it’s not a big deal. These are things I know I won’t be able to do in the next year. I have another list for that; things I want to do in my 40th year. (Angie is currently working on one of things she wants to do before she turns 40, but since that’s come and gone for me, I made an adjustment.)


Here goes:

**Visit Edgar Allan Poe’s Grave: This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. Actually, I’ve always wanted to visit on his birthday and watch the mysterious visitor who would leave a bottle of cognac and a rose, but alas it appears I have missed that opportunity. The visitor was a no-show this year, and I’m betting the ritual is now over. So, I will have to take my own bottle of cognac and a rose and place them on the grave of the man whose stories opened a huge world of story telling for me.

**Take an Alaskan Cruise: Most of my friends want to go to the Bahamas or some such, but not me. I have always wanted to board a ship for the great tundra of Alaska. I want to see the glaciers and watch the whales come up out of the water so close you feel like you could almost touch them. I want to see what the world looks like when the sun continues to shine at midnight, and the northern lights splash color across a darkened sky. (More than one trip may be called for.)

**Karaoke: OK, this one is probably more doable than most of the others on my list. I thought about putting it on the list of things to do this year, but I just don’t think I’ll get to it that quickly. Lot of stuff going on already, and I really don’t want to feel like I have to rush to complete something. Takes the fun out of it. And karaoke has always looked so absolutely fun to me. (Of course, I may need a drink or two in me to screw up the courage to get up in front of a bunch of strangers and make a total fool out of myself.)

**Take the Hubs to Washington, D.C.: Now this one will kill two birds with one stone. He has never been to D.C., nor has he ever been on a plane. My goal is for us to fly up there, staying somewhere in Virginia maybe to avoid the astronomical hotel prices in the capital. I also want to make this trip while the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I’ve been there twice and never seen that, and the hubs has said he’d like to see that as well.

There’s more to the list of course. Much, much more. I want to visit California (have a friend there I haven’t seen in about 23 years or so), go on a real live ghost hunt, travel to St. Paul to meet Angie and her family….so much to do. And I do hope I get to do all of it. If not, hey, at least I’ll be able to say I enjoyed the planning.

Better Late Than Never

Well, they say better late than never, and I whole heartedly subscribe to that thought. (Although, I still wonder who “they” are. I mean, “they” seem to have a lot to say about a lot of things.) Anyhoo, I was supposed to give the Kreativ Blogger Award to seven blogs a few days ago, but life in the real world got in the way. So, here I finally am, telling the real world to go away for a bit, and handing this little award out to seven blogs that I love to follow.

*Cat Sitter in the City: Being a pet sitter myself, this blog has a special place in my blog list.

*Blogging My Way to a Better Life: I met Stephanie when she came to one of my writers’ group meetings. She is a very creative person, and I love her blog. (I adore her two dogs as well, but that’s another story.)

*Dying for Chocolate: Oh, come on. The name says it all.

*The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee: Again, the name says it all. I love cats.

*Wildhair: This is one by a new Facebook friend, who I “met” through another blogger/Facebook friend. It’s such a joyous, endless cycle.

*Confessions of a Middle Aged Suburban Diva: Very funny. Makes you think, too.

*Meanderings and Muses: I love mysteries and crime novels. That’s how I stumbled upon this little gem.

OK, those are the seven I’ve chosen for this award. Mind you, I follow so many blogs, it was really hard to choose just seven. I also read many blogs by people who don’t really get into the blogger award thing, so I didn’t want to “force” this on them. I also didn’t bother to nominate any who had already been given this award. Why make them go through the whole thing again?

While you’re surfing the net, aim your browser on over to one of these blogs. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, try looking at their list of blogs they follow and check some of those out as well. That’s the best way to find some really great blogs you never even knew existed.

Kreativ Blogger Award

My friend Angie over at Eclectic Catladyland gave me a Kreativ Blogger award a few months ago. (Thanks Ang.) One of the stipulations of this award is that you have to share 7 things about yourself that no one would really know. SEVEN?!?!

Those who know me personally know that I talk….ALOT. (There is a button on my Facebook profile that says “People who don’t know me think I’m quiet. People who do know me wish I were.”) There isn’t much about me that my friends don’t know. Some may know more than others. But, I’ll give it the old college try anyway.

1) I love, love, love toe socks. They are a wondrous invention that I would wear every day if I could find enough of them. The local Wal-Mart sells them at Christmas and Valentine’s Day, and that’s about it. And those aren’t quite my size. I try to buy at least one pair though, even if they do only come up to just above my ankles.

2) I wear my regular socks (not the toe socks) inside out. Those little seams on the toes bug the heck out of me. Turn them inside out, problem solved. (And no, I don’t know why that seam bothers me, yet having the fabric in between my toes with toe socks doesn’t.)

3) I’m a light smoker. I say “light” because a pack of cigarettes can last me anywhere from two weeks to a month. No lectures. I know it all. I will quit (again) one day. Just not right now.

4) I love penguins. Don’t know why, just always have. Maybe it’s the little black and white “suits” they always wear. Maybe it’s the cute way they walk. Don’t know, doesn’t matter. I just like ‘em.

5) I used to be a “professional” shoplifter. I say professional because we (an old friend and I) were so good, we’d take orders for items from friends. We could walk into the mall and walk out with hundreds of dollars worth of stuff. Stopped when she got snagged by the cops. I wasn’t with her thankfully as she was a minor and I wasn’t, so I would probably have been looking at some jail time. I actually parlayed my skills into a job as a shopper for a security company. I had to walk around the store watching for shoplifters. Told them I’d be good at it because I used to be one of the “bad guys.” Hey, at least I was honest.

6) I am dying (OK, not literally) to try Karaoke. I can’t sing worth a flip, and I really don’t care. I love to sing. I especially love to sing the “old” 80’s songs. I don’t know if there is a Karaoke bar anywhere around here, but one day I will find one, get together with a friend or two, down a drink or two for courage and have at it. (I promise to post pictures.)

7) Last but not least, as much as I love my late mother (and I really do), one of my big goals in life has been to not be like her. Oh, I know I share some traits with her. My brothers have told me I sound just like her, and I know I look a bit like her (my dad, too), but Mom had a rough time and really got pretty bitter as the years went by. When life threw her lemons, she fussed and cussed and blamed everyone around her…men mostly. She was really angry with the men of our species. I love my mother, but when life hands me lemons, I will forever try my best to make lemonade.

Well, that’s it. Nothing real earth shattering, not to me anyway. I’m keeping that kind of stuff close to the vest. :-)

I am also supposed to nominate seven other blogs for this award, but since this has gotten so long, I will save that for tomorrow. Hope that’s not against the rules. Until then, take life as it comes, pour on the sugar and enjoy the lemonade.

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is not only the first day of winter, it is also my 40th birthday. The Big 4-0! I have decided 40 is the new 20, as much of the time I don't even feel like an adult, much less a 40-year-old one.

Today I'm going to get away from the usual writings about cats and/or snow. But, I do reserve the right to get back to those later on. For now, I'm going to mark my 40th birthday by listing major events for each month in the year I was born, 1969 of course. Let's see how many of you remember these.

*January: Led Zeppelin I is released marking the beginning of Heavy Metal, Richard Nixon becomes the 37th President of the United States, The Beatles give their last public performance on the roof of Apple Records

*February: Yasser Arafat is elected leader of the PLO, The last issue of The Saturday Evening Post hits newsstands, the Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight

*March: the novel The Godfather is published, Apollo 9 is launched to test the lunar module and returns safely

*April: Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart, Robin Knox-Johnston is the first person to sail solo around the world without stopping

*May: Apollo 10 is launched and returns safely (a "full dress rehearsal" for the moon landing), John and Yoko conduct there "Bed-In" for peace, the film Midnight Cowboy debuts

*June: Elton John releases his first album in the UK, the Stonewall Riots in New York mark the start of the modern gay rights movement, Give Peace a Chance (the first single by a solo Beatle) is recorded by John Lennon

*July: Apollo 11 makes it's historic trip to the moon and returns safely, Chappaquiddick ('nuff said), the very first US troop withdrawals are made in Vietnam

*August: the Manson Family murders take place, Woodstock music festival takes place

*September: the first ATM machine in the US is installed in Rockville Centre, NY, the very last Looney Tunes cartoon is released by Warner Brothers, The Brady Bunch premieres

*October: Monty Python's Flying Circus premieres on BBC One, the "miracle" New York Mets win the World Series, the first message is sent over ARPANET (precursor to the internet)

*November: Sesame Street premieres, Dave Thomas opens the first Wendy's, Apollo 12 goes to the moon and returns safely

*December: the first draft lottery since WWII is held, the Boeing 747 makes its public debut carrying mostly reporters and photographers (191 in all) from Seattle to NYC

Those are just a few highlights from 1969. There are lots more, and I found the list on Wikipedia. And that is my way of marking my 40th birthday. Thanks for listening. ;-)

Snow Kitties

We got over a foot of snow up here in the mountains, and a bit more is falling now. I figured the kittens wouldn't leave the front porch except maybe to go to the basement while the fluffy white stuff was on the ground, and boy was I wrong. Besides following me around the yard while I took some pictures, they actually played in the snow. Google especially seemed to be enjoying himself.

I would love to edit our voices out of the video, but don't have the software on this computer. But it's cool, watching little Google play in the snow like that. This is before the bulk of the snow fell, of course, and later on, when it was so deep, he mostly played in areas where I had walked.

Hope followed me out into the yard, but wasn't real happy about it. She stayed right next to the house, then walked out to get under the car. From there, she ended up under the storage building, then hightailed it under the deck.

Was surprised to see her sitting in the snow on the deck with Google for a bit.

Yahoo did follow me around the yard, but not for long. He stayed mostly under the deck (trying to clean snow off his fur)...

...or on the porch, curled up on his favorite cushion.

I really want to find a home for these guys. They are just the sweetest things. Yahoo especially loves to sit on your lap and be held. They are still young enough that they would make great indoor kitties. (They are constantly trying to come in our front door.) They are now spayed/neutered and are up-to-date on their shots. All I ask for their adoption is a donation to the local animal shelter. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Today, I am thankful for...

...my husband. Even as we have been dealing with his recent illness, he still tries to keep me smiling. And this through his own severe pain. When I told him that I had seen a co-worker of his at Wal-Mart, and that he had asked how I was doing, Chris was appreciative of that. He felt people should be thinking about me as much as about him. (Which we're sure they are, but he just like hearing it.)

...my cats. Yes, they are a pain at times, but they also provide some entertainment and brief respites from the stress and frustration of daily life. Even the kittens, who will hopefully have a furever home at some point soon, are a welcome addition. We often go outside and watch them play in the leaves, or run through the backyard.

...my many and varied friends, including those I have only "met" on the internet. Even distant friends who you may never see face-to-face bring joy to your life. Imagine/remember how BIG the world once seemed, how far away so many people were. Now, with a few clicks of the mouse, a few taps of the keyboard, we can "talk" with people all over the world. How cool is that?

...my life in general. True, there are some things I haven't done that I've always wanted to, but who doesn't have that list? And there are some things that have happened in my past that were pretty painful, but again, who doesn't have things like that in their life? Everything that's happened in my life has made me who I am, and I kinda like me. (Well, most of the time, anyway.)    :-)

...bacon. I am so very thankful for this wonderful, fattening, tasty product that makes everything taste better. I even heard about a chocolate-bacon cake. Gotta find that recipe.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SESAME STREET!

Everyone is getting in on the celebration, even Google. For several days the search engine has put a character from the show into their logo. Today, it's a group shot. Most of my favorites are there, with Big Bird being my all-time favorite character of the show. Wouldn't be Sesame Street without him.

Sesame Street debuted on November 10, 1969, one month and 11 days before I was born. I grew up with the show, learning my ABC's, numbers and even a smattering of Spanish (agua - water - agua). My mother said it was a babysitter of sorts. She'd come in from working nights, get the other kids off to school, set me in front of the TV to watch Sesame Street and be able to catch a nap on the couch. (I hear the grumbling going on out there about television and kids and quality time, but hey...you do what you gotta do.)

My favorite characters on the show have always been Big Bird and Snuffleupagus. I remember in the 80's hearing about how they were going to finally let the adults of the show see Big Bird's "imaginary" friend. How cool was that, to finally have have his frustration end. And he would be able to say "I told you so" to boot.

I have to say, I am glad to see Sesame Street is still going strong. It's nice to know that future generations will continue to enjoy the wonderful characters that live on this street. As a matter of fact, I always wanted to live on this street, too. I wonder if there's an apartment available near Big Bird's nest.

IT'S A GIRL!!

Well, the kittens are still here, and I am hoping to get them to the vet to be neutered in the next week or so. The person I was hoping would take them wasn't able to, but she has promised to keep watch for anyone who might be interested. In the meantime...Jeeves has given us a bit of a surprise. He is a she.

I would have sworn Jeeves was a boy. I would have sworn I saw little...thingies...as she walked away from me. But it must have been a visual trick played by the way the fur was growing, because now they are obviously not there. Then I took her to the vet's office on Saturday and had my suspicions confirmed. The littlest brother is now the little sister. (She still play fights better than her brothers, though.)

So, we are trying to figure out a new name for the little girl, but aren't having much luck. We're still calling her Jeeves for lack of anything better, and she doesn't seem to mind. We thought about Eve since the sound is close to the same, but it just hasn't stuck. Maybe Jenny, but that hasn't made the cut yet either. If we stick with the search engine theme, the task becomes even more difficult. There just aren't many search engines out there using female type names.

For now, Jeeves is still Jeeves, and her brothers (Google and Yahoo) still treat her like a little brother, wrestling with her in the front yard, chasing her up trees. Or maybe, that's how little sisters are routinely treated. Either way, she doesn't seem to mind.