Watching the Twilight Zone Marathon – as usual!
Looking at the Blue Moon!
Singing Blue Moon!
Blue Moon you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon, you knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for
And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper, “Please adore me”
And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold
Blue Moon, now I’m no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Happy New Year to You All!
My sister and I visited our Mother’s and Grandparents’ graves today. Without even thinking about it, today was exactly the 11 year anniversary of our Grandmother’s passing. She and Gramps are buried next to Gramp’s 2 brothers and their wives. Standing over their headstones got me thinking. For years my Grandfather and Granny lived in a 2 level house south of Chicago. They were on the lower level. Gramps’ youngest brother, Harry and wife, Harriet lived upstairs. Both levels were identical in layout. Their furnishings were quite similar. My Grandparents had 2 sons; my Aunt and Uncle had 2 daughters. Gramps and his brother owned a small hardware store together for some 50 years. They invested their money in the same ways, educated their children in the same way and had all the same friends. When they retired, they moved at the same time to a nice apartment complex in Chicago. I think they were getting a bit tired of each other’s constant company by then, because they lived in separate buildings, but once again had the same exact apartment layout.
(L to R – Grandma Nellie, Grandpa Joe, Uncle Harry, Aunt Harriet)
After a short while, both families decided to move to South Florida to get away from the brutal Chicago winters. Naturally, they each bought codnods in the same condo association. Different buildings, but the same corner apartment on the second floor on the golf course, with the same layout and similar furniture and decorations. For years I often heard about how my Aunt and Uncle were “closer to the community pool.” But they had a “darker apartment because the Northern exposure meant less sunshine in their apartment.” The brothers golfed together (but my Uncle was a better golfer than my Gramps). They often ate lunch and dinner together, socialized together, played bridge together, (but my Grandfather was a better bridge player). They traveled together and sometimes, just sometimes, they complained about each other.
Their original hardware store. No longer There.
Flash forward to today. There I was standing over their graves. Brothers. Next door neighbors. Inches apart. Just like old times.
Now and forever, and ever.
My family spent Christmas Eve at Holiday Everglades Park in Broward County. Here’s what we saw:
No, peacocks are not natural to the Everglades, but someone put them there.
Someone threw food out a car window and the birds went crazy
Vulture
Perfect pattern
My hubby caught a large mouth bass
What satisfied your sweet tooth this Christmas? (Yes, we shared!)
Decadent Chocolant Mint Tart
Apple Tart
Sour Cream Coconut Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Smart Poodle Hopes the Holidays Bring You
All You Have Wished for and More!
© 2009 by Debbie Glade, Smart Poodle Publishing. All rights reserved.
click here to read last week’s comic
In March, I wrote about Children Map the World Volume 1. Now a new book in this amazing series has been published, Children Map the World Volume 2. Thanks to my good friend and geographer Dr. Joseph Kerski, from ESRI, I have a shiny new copy of this book. Naturally, I cannot put it down.
Children from ages 4-15 were invited to draw maps of the world for the Barbara Petchnik Children’s World Map Competition. It’s all part of introducing youngsters to the wonderful world of cartography. The creativity and talents of the children from all over the world will astound and delight you. Get this book today! You can order it from ESRI. I cannot think of a better gift for a teacher, librarian, environmentalist, world traveler or child.
ISBN: 9781589482463 2009 144 pages $29.95
Thank you, Dr. Kerski for sharing this with me!
What you’ll need:
- Clear glass ornaments
- Acrylic craft paints in bottles in assorted colors
- Glitter
- Foil or plastic to catch paint drippings.
Choose 3 or 4 paint colors for your ornament. Remove the metal top of the glass ball and set aside for later. Squeeze a moderate amount of paint into the opening of the ornament. Do not dilute with water. Not too much paint at one time. Twirl the ornament around to move the paint around randomly. Don’t cover the entire ornament with one color. Add different colors, continuing to swirl the ball around to make interesting color patterns. Use enough paint until all the clear glass inside is covered. (If you like glitter, put some in before squeezing the paint in. It will show up when the paint dries.) Turn the ball upside down with foil or a Styrofoam tray beneath it to catch the excess paint. Prop the ball ornament up so the opening is not sitting on the foil, but rather is suspended to really let the extra paint drip out. Keep the ball like this for 2 days or until really dry. Once dry, put the metal tip back on. You can hang these ornaments on a tree or from a chandelier with beautiful ribbon. They make great gifts!
Views from the Fountainbleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
December 20, 2009 – 70 degrees F
