Security Blanket

Picture of the Day for 6/28/2012. My sister Paula appears to be the security blanket for the men in her family. I snapped this photo at family lunch. David (husband) is napping on Paula's shoulder since he's recovering from pneumonia and still doesn't feel great and Dane (grandson) is snuggling with her since Paula happens to be his favorite human on the planet.

Candied Yam Recipe

Picture of the Day for 6/27/2012. The very last time my mother prepared a dish for Thanksgiving dinner, my sister Paula (who was hosting the dinner) had asked her to bring candied yams. My parents were going downhill by this point and my mother couldn't recall the recipe for the candied yams she always made for Thanksgiving. She scoured her cookbooks, but couldn't find the recipe so instead she came up with a makeshift version which was OK, but not the version we all remembered. I always thought my mother's recipe was lost until I was browsing through my sister Robynne's recipes which she's been collecting for 30 years. I was delighted to discover my mother's candied yam recipe was right there. Yay!

Billy the Dog

Picture of the Day for 6/27/2012. My sister's dog Billy (the perkiest dog on the planet) just received his annual trim. Apparently, he only gets one a year since they have to let his hair grow back in time for the cold weather.

My nephew Robbie is pictured holding the dog although you wouldn't know it since he's holding Billy in front of his face. That's one of the problems with writing a daily blog. People know when I take a picture there's a 99.99% chance it will end up on the internet and I've learned not everyone wants to be a subject for my musings. Doesn't deter me. I just resort to stealth photography to get the shots I want.

Walnut Tree

Picture of the Day for 6/25/2012. Today's picture of the day is actually a video and a follow-up to my discussion of how I love hanging out on the World's Greatest Front Porch (mine) and listening to the leaves in the trees rustle when it's breezy.

After I finished cleaning the porch last Saturday, the first thing I did was to relax in one of the comfortable porch chairs and take this video of the branches of the World's Greatest Tree (my English walnut tree) swaying in the wind.

I initially had 90 seconds of video (which you might think is excessive, but it was strangely mesmerizing and calming), but the file was waaaaaay too big so I had to crop it.

Paula and ?

Picture of the Day for 6/24/2012. My sister Paula's family celebrated Father's Day a week late since the primary honoree, her husband David, has been recovering from a nasty case of pneumonia. Paula gave her son-in-law Rob a Father's Day card that was inscribed "Love, Paula and." That's it. There was nothing after the "and." We all got the biggest kick out of that. Paula actually just forgot to have David sign the card, but we gave her grief about holding off adding another name because she was waiting to see if someone "better" came along or waiting until she was sure David was going to survive.

Clean Porch

Picture of the Day for 6/23/2012. I finished the porch cleaning project I started last Saturday. Whew! That was work! It took about 18 hours in total- 12 last Saturday and 6 today.

If there's a perfect spot on earth, this is it. I know it doesn't look like much and there are swankier places to be sure, but this front porch, more than any other place, evokes fond memories of home and family:

-When I was growing up, I practically lived on the porch during the summers where it was always shady and cool, no matter the temperature "outside."

-I loved reading (and napping) on the couch while listening to the leaves in the trees rustle when it was breezy.

-Whenever there was a thunderstorm, my dad would head outside to watch the lightening (while my less adventurous mother remained firmly within the safe confines of the house). I would frequently join him there. To this day, I love hearing the thunder and watching the lightening flash across the sky.

-As a family, we spent hours sitting here chatting, especially during the evening when daylight turned to dusk.

-During the early 1970s, my mother joined Weight Watchers and was given a recipe for dreadful-tasting sugar free smoothies. She would make a batch every night which we would drink out on the porch after dark. I'd love nothing more than to have another one of those awful smoothies with my mother.

-I loved sitting out on the porch with my friends when they'd stop by for a visit. (Hey friends- that's a hint. Come on over so we can chat! Family is welcome too of course!)

Zombies Can Be Useful

Picture of the Day for 6/22/2012. This is a picture of the DVD case for Season 1 of The Walking Dead which my niece Renee gave to me for Christmas. Its purpose is to provide a zombie visual to accompany the following text message exchange I had with my niece Chantal regarding family lunch at the mall yesterday. As a general rule, zombies are to be avoided, but in this instance, zombies helped calm down an irate niece.

Chantal: I have to work in the morning. Can we make it 12:30 or does
everyone have to get going?

Michelle: I checked- it looks like 12:30 is a no-go. It always takes awhile for everyone to assemble so at the most you'd only be about 15 minutes late.

Chantal: Oh fine! It's ok if anyone else needs to change the time but not me! No! 12:00! Not 12:05, not 12:08, noon! No lunch for you! Geez!

Michelle: I figured you wouldn't take this news well...

Chantal: What if I pretended to be Corinne? She somehow knows how to get her way. Corinne says we need to change the time to 12:30. Does that work?

Chantal: Hi, I’m chopped liver!

Michelle: So- here's the deal, we're worried about zombie attacks since they traditionally occur at 12:30. By allowing us to convene early, we'll be in place to provide you with cover as you make a run for the food court.

Michelle: You're not chopped liver. It's not the same when you're not there so you better show up tomorrow!

Chantal: Ok, that was like the best story....ever! Sure, I’ll buy that. Zombie defense initiative confirmed. And no, it would in no way be the same without me. I shall attend as soon as possible!

Michelle: LOL- I was hoping you would like that! See- you're such a valuable asset (as the writer of the zombie survival handbook) that we're all convening to protect YOU! We didn't want you to know since we knew you wouldn't want us putting ourselves at risk, but you forced our hand. I'm glad you're down with the zombie defense initiative and will be showing up at the food court.

Chantal: This is so true. You really want the blood of the handbook's author on your hands? I will dedicate an entire page to the zombie defense team. Who executed the zombie defense initiative on my behalf flawlessly. Your loyalty shall be rewarded.

Michelle: This is why we fight for you.

Chantal: As well you should.

Mission Impossible Party

Picture of the Day for 6/21/2012. My family gathered tonight to watch Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol since my niece Chantal had never seen the movie before. We kind of forced this on her since she's been unenthused* at the prospect, but we think we won her over.

The plot is kind of hard to follow so I told Chantal that:

1-The first time you see the movie you just go along for the ride. Oh, there's a handsome man in a well-tailored suit beating up someone else. Oh, there's another handsome man brandishing a dangerous-looking gun. There's Tom Cruise dangling on the outside of a hotel 130 stories in the air- that's not safe. Look at that, they've gone from Russia to Dubai to India. Hey, that's an awfully pretty dress the lone female lead is wearing to the lavish party hosted by an Indian billionaire playboy. Wish that a) I could fit into that dress and b) I had somewhere to wear it.

2- The second time you see the film you go- oh, there's a plot and I think I actually comprehend the sequence of events now.

My great-niece Hayley was gracious enough to pose for a picture holding up the Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol DVD case so I could document the evening for the blog. I didn't even try to photograph the entire group since they are camera-shy and I was afraid they would turn on me if I made the attempt. I like how Hayley posed for the camera with her hand extended. Very cute.

*Chantal's attitude about the movie (and life in general) can be summed up by the word on Hayley's t-shirt- meh.

Spider Killer

Picture of the Day for 6/20/2012. I think all the spiders on my property decided to mount a unified offensive against the house. Either that, or they decided they didn't like being outdoor spiders anymore and wanted to give being indoor spiders a try. All I know is one day my house appeared to be spider-free and the next I see spiders lurking in every corner and on every wall. My spider killing instrument of choice is this old shoe which I keep handy. It's seen a lot of use this past week.

Space Ring

Picture of the Day for 6/19/2012. One of my space friends, Ila, supplied me with this space ring at the Spacefest symposium I attended earlier this month. Ila, being the savvy woman she is, selected this space souvenir at a little novelty shop in Chicago and suspected that I, a fellow space enthusiast, would appreciate sporting a space ring. Her assumption was spot on. I was more than satisfied to be the recipient of this space ring as I appreciate any and all space memorabilia that comes my way.

As you have probably surmised, I'm trying to repeat the word "space" and use words that begin with "s" as often as possible. I have no good reason other than I'm in a silly mood. All silliness aside, I thought it was a cute ring. I proudly wore it when I was working as Buzz Aldrin's helper at the conference. It's good to be properly accessorized!

Red Robins in My Yard - Take 2

Picture of the Day for 6/18/2012. As I was embarking on a walk around the neighborhood (as there's nothing better than a pleasant summer evening in the Rocky Mountains), I was able to capture a slightly better image of one of the Robin Red Breast birds that has taken up residence in my front yard. You'll still need to click on the picture to enlarge it, but it is definitely better than the photos I posted on my blog last week.

I've figured out why my lawn is such prime real estate. If you check back tomorrow* night, I'll post a picture and an explanation.

*I'm writing this on Wednesday, June 20 so tomorrow night translates into Thursday, June 21.

Father's Day and the World's First KFC

Picture of the Day for 6/17/2012. Started off the day by attending church. My sister Paula had been asked to give one of the Father's Day speeches since she is the most recent person in our congregation to have lost a father. Of course, I fall into that category since we share the aforementioned father, but I'm glad she was the victim, er, I mean the one selected to speak. I pretty much figured I would cry during her speech and sure enough I did. Paula did a lovely job. She read some excerpts from talks our father, who had a lovely turn of phrase, had given about being the father of daughters. He was crazy about us. We were crazy about him.

Upon my arrival at church, my great-niece Sadie immediately came over to show me her pretty pink dress. Of course I took a picture.


My great-niece Hayley was also wearing a cute dress, so I had to document that as well.


Hayley had a notebook in which she was writing furiously. She loves to write stories. So help me, if that girl publishes a novel before I do... I'll be very proud. And jealous. And kicking myself for being a big talker about wanting to write a novel, but never doing anything about it.


After church, I went with my sister Robynne's family to KFC in honor of my dad who LOVED KFC. This wasn't just any KFC. It happens to be:

-The KFC around the corner from my dad's company. He'd run over there nearly every single workday for lunch.

-The WORLD'S FIRST KFC franchise, as documented by the awning pictured below.


There's a ton of KFC memorabilia at this location, including one of Colonel Saunder's iconic white suits..


...and a statue of Colonel Saunders (on the left). My nephew looks quizzical...


..but he quickly warmed up.


The day ended with a lovely sunset that my dad would have surely appreciated. He never got tired of the beautiful scenery here in the Rocky Mountains. The last couple of years he was alive, I would take him on drives around the city and through the canyons and he would always exclaim, "what a beautiful elegant day." Like I said, my dad had a way with words.

Cleaning the Porch

Picture of the Day for 6/16/2012. Three years after moving back into my parents' home, I finally decided to tackle cleaning the porch. This has been no mean feat as it's as big as my living room, it's been at least five years since it was last cleaned, and racoons burrowed beneath the tarp and committed crimes against the porch furniture. I thought the project was just going to take a few hours, but I ended up working 12 straight hours and I'm still not done. I'll plan on finishing up next Saturday.

Here's the porch at the beginning of the day...





...and at the middle of the day...





...and after it was too dark to continue working.

Pink Nail Polish

Picture of the Day for 6/15/2012. I was struck by an extreme and sudden fit of girliness today which compelled me to purchase flaming pink nail polish. I can't even remember the last time I wore nail polish.

Text Messages from Jeremy Renner

Picture of the Day for 6/14/2012. My niece Renee has a HUGE crush on the actor Jeremy Renner. ("Who doesn't?" is what I say.) Renee has been receiving a series of text messages from Jeremy via her younger sister Corinne. The one below is a prime example. I'm thinking Corinne could have a career writing romance novels if she wanted to.

Chasing a Monarch Butterfly

Picture of the Day for 6/13/2012. I spend a lot of time during the day sitting in front of the computer in my home office (also known as "the kitchen"). To dispel some of the isolation, I throw open the curtains and the door to provide me with some sort of connection to the outside world. I was staring out the window when I caught sight of a Monarch butterfly and I immediately ran outside to follow it, but it had already flitted away. If this sounds reminiscent of the cheesey scene in the movie Snow White and the Huntsman where Kristen Stewart follows a fairy through the enchanted forest, I sincerely apologize. It's just that I have such fond memories of chasing Monarch butterflies on the grounds of Crestview Elementary School when I was a child. I was lost in those memories when my nostalgic reverie was broken by an angry bee that chased me inside the house. I squealed all the way. I'm brave about many things, but I fall apart when encountering a bee.

Outsmarting the Parakeets

Picture of the Day for 6/12/2012. So my parakeet Cora, the petite and demure-looking white bird, has taken to pulling on the birdseed tray until it falls from its perch onto the floor of the cage. Sometimes the tray lands right-side-up and sometimes it tips over completely spilling the birdseed all over the cage. What is going on in her little bird-sized brain is beyond me since her actions benefit no one.

My sister Paula was tending the birds for the past few weeks since I've been flitting in and out of town. Determined not to let a parakeet get the upper hand in this situation, Paula came up with a very effective Cora-deterrent system. If you look at the birdseed tray, you'll notice that the cage window has been firmly clamped down on the tray with twist-ties. Paula said Cora was livid the first time she was thwarted. Naughty bird.

Good Omen

Picture of the Day for 6/11/2012. I had an extremely vivid dream last night of a brown colt devotedly following me around wherever I went. I did a google search on the meaning of the dream and to my delight/relief, I learned that dreaming of colts means the "promise of an astonishing glad message." Yay for astonishing glad messages!

Red Robins in My Yard

Picture of the Day for 6/10/2012. A pair of Robin Red Breast birds have taken up residence in my front yard. There must be a worm bonanza going on in my lawn since the birds look fat and happy. It makes me happy to see them (the birds- not the worms) there. I wish the pictures were better, but this is the best I can do given the fact the birds are somewhat skittish around me and it's hard to take a close-up photo.

Hello Kitty

Picture of the Day for 6/9/2012. My great-niece Sadie enjoys being the subject of my "picture of the day" photos so I was happy to photograph Sadie with her new Hello Kitty doll.

The family assembled tonight to celebrate my brother-in-law David's 66th birthday. As you can see, Hello Kitty has excellent table manners and waited patiently to be served birthday cake.


Sadie was a little concerned that I might steal Hello Kitty. Rightly so- I cannot be trusted. Sadie is pictured below running away from me.

Prometheus

Picture of the Day for 6/8/2012. Saw the movie Prometheus (which is a loose prequel to the Alien films) with my nieces Renee and Corinne. I really enjoyed the movie and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

I can still clearly remember the first time I saw Alien. I was approximately 18 years old and as a horror movie neophyte, I was unprepared for the scene where the alien bursts through John Hurt's stomach. My reaction also took me by surprise. I started to giggle and couldn't stop for the longest time. I laughed for so long that the other attendees were shooting me dirty looks and I recall someone telling me to shut up. My sister Robynne was my movie companion that day and she was sooooooooo embarrassed by my behavior.

I thought 18 was way too young to see that movie, but Corinne revealed that her mother (my sister Paula) made her watch Alien when she was seven years old! Corinne is tougher than I am so she handled the experience better than I did.

Zombie Finger

Picture of the Day for 6/7/2012. A vendor at the Spacefest conference I just attended was selling a wide assortment of fossilized items. One in particular looked just like a zombie finger. A friend of mine, knowing how much my niece Chantal is completely obsessed with zombies, purchased this for her. Upon close examination, we concluded this is not only a genuine zombie finger, but it's a CURSED zombie finger which elevates the danger factor exponentially. I'm glad this is in her possession, not mine.

(Disclaimer- in case you're worried, we don't really believe in zombies, cursed or otherwise.)

Keeping Me Company

Picture of the Day for 6/6/2012. I was sitting at my sister Robynne's computer and Jingles the Cat decided to keep me company. Or keep an eye on me. It's hard to tell with cats.

Since Jingles LOVES me with an all-consuming passionate love, it did not take him long to crawl into my lap...


And nuzzle my doughy belly...


And gaze at me with adoring eyes.


Sigh. I love that cat.