good advice

As seen on TV: ABC interview with physicist Stephen Hawking - advice to his children as they navigate the many complexities of human life:

"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.

Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.

Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away."

~Stephen Hawking

~photos - my kids, the adventurous ones, they don't need any advice on how to live life to the fullest!

get moving

Michaelangelo's David after a stay in America
(photo found here)

Watching ABC World News last night, amongst all the politics etc., there was this little story:

Long-awaited physical activity guidelines set minimum daily sweat allotment for good health.

New exercise guidelines announced yesterday by the government:

"Adults gain substantial health benefits from two and a half hours a week of moderate aerobic physical activity, and children benefit from an hour or more of physical activity a day."

I think about exercising, I think about going for a walk or hike, but all I do is sit here at this computer or in front of the TV or sit and read. I need a real jump-start to get me going.

If I was looking for a sign, maybe it was yesterday when getting a mammogram, the tech took one look at me and said (and not in a good way), "Oh, you are going to need the big films!"

I really don't think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon. ~Ellen DeGeneres

The word aerobics came about when the gym instructors got together and said, "If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it jumping up and down." ~Rita Rudner

I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises. ~Buzz Aldrin

the old man

Happy 55th Birthday Buddy!

Watch out for that truck! Wow, I'm married to an old man! Another milestone in Buddy's life, but he says he doesn't want to go out and celebrate, too old, I guess!

Just remember, once you're over the hill
you begin to pick up speed.
~Charles Schulz

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.
~Mark Twain

The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.
~T.S. Eliot

Inside every older person is a younger person -
wondering what the hell happened.
~Cora Harvey Armstrong



Here's Your Sign!

All kidding aside, hope the ol' man has a good birthday!

Dolly for President

Over the weekend Dolly Parton was in concert at LA's Greek Theatre.

Some fans wore T-shirts reading, "Dolly for President."

"I don't think so!" Parton said of her presidential aspirations. "I think there have been enough boobs in the White House."

"People are always asking me in interviews, 'What do you think of foreign affairs?' I just say, 'I've had a few.' "

And the boob jokes were aplenty. "They say, 'What do you think about global warming?' " Parton said. "I say, 'If my globes get too warm, I just take my sweater off.' "

Gotta love Dolly, she always tells it like it is. Hmmm, maybe Dolly for President isn't such a bad idea!

Hey, why not?

When I put together this family calendar in December, I didn't know that August was the month that Carrie would be leaving us…

As I turned the calender on a new month, here she is pictured on her trip to Australia in 2007, where she met her bloke. I marked the 14th with Carrie's leaving :(

Even though she dropped some hints about moving... it didn't seem real, but things are happening fast now, reality is setting in, is this really happening?

Thursday was her last day of work, and she sent out an email message to all her friends and coworkers, giving them her new email address and sharing this quote:

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. ~Gilda Radner



Friday her airline ticket to Australia arrived via FedEx.

She is cleaning out her room, sorting out what to take and what to leave behind.

It is an exciting time and a sad time 'round here.

But as her new mantra states, "Hey, why not?"

summer fun

It has been a busy summer for the grandkids!

Disney World!

petting the dolphins at SeaWorld, riding the waves at the beach

sliding down the waterfalls

Summer is almost over, new school clothes and supplies are ready. But now all is quiet next door, they have all gone off to camp for the week! I am sure Melissa is enjoying the peace and quiet. Whew! It makes me tired just writing about their busy summer!

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines
from generation to generation. ~Lois Wyse


picture album here

quotable

Motherhood is an emotional rollercoaster ride with all the highs and lows, twists and turns, and nauseating moments you get from the one at your local amusement park. However, unlike your typical two-minute ride, this one lasts a lifetime and begins moments after you pee on a stick. ~Shannon

Motherhood has changed me. Before I became a mother, I was the sort of person who would cautiously nibble the toes off a gingerbread man first. Now that I'm a mother, the first thing I do is maul the head off. I like to hear it crack. ~Givinya

Recent winners in the Mother's Day Quote contest at blogtations.

celebrating the earth

Earth Day 2008

Thank God men cannot fly,
and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.
~Henry David Thoreau

Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
~Cree Indian Prophecy

Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain,
For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain.
America, America, man sheds his waste on thee,
And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.
~George Carlin



photo - Looking Glass Falls, North Carolina, 10 July 2005

bloomin' weeds

What is a weed?
A plant whose virtues
have not yet
been discovered.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

TGIF - another week gone already? They say time flies when you are having fun, let's see, what have we been doing that is so much fun?

dumpster diving ~ Well, it hasn't gotten that bad, but I do find myself digging through the trash occasionally for things that could be recycled or composted…

rascally rabbit ~ Or maybe I should take my salad scraps out of the trash and lay them in the flower bed, someone's been eating my hostas and a fat rabbit has been spotted in the area…

masked bandit ~ Speaking of flowers, I spent yesterday afternoon planting some everblooming geraniums that came in the mail. The bare-root plants are probably being dug up as we speak by our friendly neighborhood raccoon.

American idle ~ Yes, any excuse to get outside in this beautiful weather. I have been too idle lately, no hiking or exercise of any kind. Isn't it funny that the moment you decide to exercise, something always gets in the way? The dog ate your running shoes, there are chores to do, it is too cold or too hot, it is raining, or 'round here - there are bears and snakes out there!

no excuses ~ Speaking of exercise - Folks are actively collecting money for the Breast cancer 3-day walk in Atlanta in October. Each walker has to collect $2200 before walking the 60 miles, so if anyone asks, GIVE! The walkers get to sleep in these neat little pink pup tents (pictured below) and then afterward the tents are sometimes donated to the girl scouts, who either use them for camping or fund raising themselves, just another ripple effect of this amazing event.



TGIF - Another week gone. And as far as dandelions go, I seem to remember an in-law (outlaw?) who used to pay his kids 10 cents for every dandelion pulled out of the yard! We are just happy that something is growing there, something green, with a pretty flower as an extra benefit.


Sweet flowers are slow and weeds make haste.
~William Shakespeare

A weed is but an unloved flower.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Don't waste time looking for four-leaf clovers
when there are weeds in your garden
~unknown

Roses are red,
Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do.
~Slim Acres


~photo dandelion 16 April 2008 in the yard

~photo pink tents from this bloggers account of the 3-Day event in San Diego

memorable movie quotes

Movies are a big part of our entertainment. We love to watch movies, go to the movies, rent movies, and not just for the popcorn. Some movies we have seen so many times we can recite the lines along with the actors. Some movie lines just seem to stick and we find ourselves using them in conversation.

I saw this guess the movie quote idea over at cousin Barry's blog a while back, and have been thinking about it, so here are quotes from some of my favorite movies, can you guess the movie?

• In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight.
  
  
• Clear the mechanism.
  
  
• So you're my Uncle Joey. Better get used to these bars, kid.
  
  
• No one has said "whoopsidaisies" for fifty years and even then it was only little girls with blonde ringlets.
  
  
• You're a lawyer too? I was already a bloodsucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase!
  
  
• You got more talent in one lugnut than a lot of cars has got on their whole body.
  
  
• You're going to jail, Bart. Say good-bye to the wife and Tater Tots.
  
  
• Hitting that baseball has spun your life off in an entirely new direction.
  
  
• The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated.
  
  
• You want me to strap her to the hood? She'll be fine. It's not as if it's going to rain or something.
  
  
• Swing away Merrill.
  
  
• My dad's been captured by a ho!
  
  
• I am your number one fan.

Of course, these are just my favorites, there are a lot more famous movie quotes out there. What is your favorite?


~photo Popcorn by Grant Heilman found at All Posters

abstracts

on display ~ The artwork of Madison - artist, granddaughter, 5th grader - is on display (top left) at the Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association gallery, as the month of March is recognized as National Youth Art Month.

make a difference ~ Think your family going green won't make a difference? Wrong, says a U.S. study released on Thursday that shows one household ditching paper statements for Web transactions would save 24 square feet of forest a year. I still get a thrill just putting the junk mail into the recycling bin.

forever ~ On the other hand, I just bought 200 postage stamps. Stamps are going up in May, so stock up now on Forever Stamps, as they last, well, forever.

blast from the past ~ Remember Edith Ann, one of Lily Tomlin's endearing characters? Here she is, alive and well, and writing letters to the government.

The road to success is always under construction.
~ Lily Tomlin

Everyone has a photographic memory,
some just don't have film.
~ Steven Wright

We're not lost.
We're locationally challenged.
~ John M. Ford

Even if you're on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there.
~ Will Rogers

A word to the wise ain't necessary,
it's the stupid ones who need the advice.
~ Bill Cosby

one thing leads to another

Wiley coyote ~ After heading out to wait for the school bus yesterday morning, the grandkids came rushing back into the house talking about the coyote standing in the driveway. This was no cartoon coyote, or just another excuse to miss school, the howling backed up their story. Ah, just another adventure of life in the country.



Newsworthy ~ Speaking of cartoons, daughter Carrie's favorite television channel is Cartoon Network. By watching this collection of programming (Sponge Bob, etc.), she is shielded from any current events. Joining us for supper and watching the evening news over the last few months, she has been enlightened by the fact that a woman is running for president (really?), by the possibility of a recession (what's that?), but her favorite part of the show is still the commercials.

Target ads ~ Speaking of the news, watching it has confirmed the fact that the news is almost always bad, but not nearly as bad as the commercials during the news. Why are all the ads during the evening news for laxatives, adult diapers, ED, high blood pressure, heart disease, bladder control, and arthritis. Here's a thought - what if the television is programmed to sense the age group in the room, and target with age-related ads? Are we really that old? Are we all constipated? Are our bodily functions out of control? Who knew?



Home alone ~Speaking of being out of control, I received a call from daughter Melissa this week. Her 13-year-old Sarah was scheduled to spend her first afternoon as a latchkey kid. In preparation for this, Melissa hid the key to the 4-wheeler, made up a long list of stuff to keep her busy, and called me to 'check' on her periodically. Melissa used to be a latchkey kid, I wonder what she was so worried about, she never got into any trouble...


Bodacious blogs
~ Janeywan at Life in Westcliffe has bestowed upon me the Bodacious Blog award, thanks! I looked up bodacious at Websters and found these 2 definitions: 1) incorrigible, and 2) unrestrained by convention or propriety. Very interesting! Passing this one on to some fellow Georgia bloggers:

Dot at Strolling Through Georgia: A photo a day from the State of Georgia.

Joann at Higher Ground journals her journey with breast cancer with Welcome to the latest news of the Boobs.

Mary Zelda - a very interesting approach, real family stories as told by Mary Zelda - A Fictive Account - In Her Words - If She Blogged. Characters and events in this story are real. Conversations are remembered or imagined.

I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. ~Groucho Marx

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right? ~Charles M. Schulz

Dance like it hurts, Love like you need money, Work when people are watching. ~Scott Adams

Wrapping up another week here, TGIF!

direction

On what side of the tree does the moss grow?

you have brains in your head
you have feet in your shoes
you can steer yourself
any direction you choose
~ Dr. Seuss

~photo 27 January 2008 Amadahy Trail at Carters Lake

door to door

off to the races ~ Carrie was invited to attend the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in February, free plane ticket, free accommodations, race admission, pit pass… at her banking job, she works with local REPO company, who will be 'working the race' - thanks to Clark's Towing (We don't charge an arm and a leg - we just want your tows).

unsolved mysteries ~ The new library has an official open house this weekend. I was perusing the library shelves and found books on computer networking - right next to the ones on UFOs/Bigfoot/unexplained mysteries - that explains a lot, no wonder we can't get this home network to work.

in the news ~ Our local small town newspaper comes out on Thursdays. In addition to the much anticipated news of births, deaths, and arrest reports, this week's paper includes:

new middle school gym is christened, as local cop wins basketball shooting contest getting 'nothing but net' from half court

new service offered by the funeral home -
email delivery of all new obit postings

Ads - Instant Gratification at State Farm Insurance

new hangout ~ Open 7 days a week, free Starbucks coffee, HDTV with local cable, free Wi-Fi, comfortable chairs. But wait, this is the new walk-in medical clinic… I wonder if they take this dang HMO insurance?



it was said~
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.~Steven Wright

About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends. ~Herbert Hoover

ASAP - as Southern as possible

to sum it up ~ not much goin on 'round here, just like we like it!


~photo of barn door in the Smokies

more good advice

Looking for good advice?

Looking for gift ideas?

Would you really give a shirt that said:
"It's okay to be a little bottom heavy"

Let nature help you out with these great tees
from the National Wildlife Federation.



Advice from a Snowman:
Be a jolly, happy soul
Spend time outdoors
Stay cool
It's okay to be a little bottom heavy
Avoid meltdowns
Be well rounded
Live well, life is short.




Advice from a Penguin:
Dive into life
Find warmth among friends
Appreciate snow days
Take long walks
Stand together
Go the extra mile
Keep your cool!




Advice from a Wolf:
Trust your instincts
Be at home in nature
Keep your den clean
Stand for what you believe
Stay on track
Howl with your friends
Be a leader
Pack life with good memories!

~~~~~~~

Advice from a Bear:
Live large
Climb beyond your limitations
When life gets hairy, grin & bear it
Eat well
Live with the seasons
Take a good, long nap
Look after your honey!

~~~~~~~

Advice from an Owl:
Stay focused
Be “hoo” you are
Trust in a wise friend
Live off the land
Glide through the dark times
Be observant
Life’s a hoot!

Which one fits you to a tee? One of these above? Or maybe one of the summer advice tees - advice from a sunflower, mountain, river, butterfly, and tree - here.

Advice tees from the National Wildlife Federation found here.

thanks

In this week of Thanksgiving, of scurrying about with cleaning supplies and grocery lists, of cooking and overeating, of gathering together with friends and family, don't forget to count your blessings and give thanks.




Garden Meditations
by Max Coots

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people.

For children who are our second planting, and though they
grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may
they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where
their roots are.

Let us give thanks:

For generous friends...with hearts...and smiles as bright
as their blossoms;

For feisty friends, as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers,
keep reminding us that we've had them;

For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and
as elegant as a row of corn, and the others, as plain as
potatoes and so good for you;

For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and
as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes;

And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle
as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as
dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips, can be
counted on to see you through the winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time,
and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold
us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past
that have been harvested, but who fed us in their times that
we might have life thereafter.

For all these we give thanks.

~photo Apple Pie Harvest by Janet Kruskamp from allposters.com

stages

Like the stages of the maple leaf changing color, life is going by in stages, a week at a time…

Autumn chores ~ Bring in the firewood, get out the sweaters, bring in the houseplants, check out the antifreeze, close in the attic fan, empty out the hummingbird feeders, check out the Christmas lights hanging from the eaves (yes, we do leave them up all year and qualify yet again for 'you might be a redneck if…')

Bun warmers ~ Buddy is enjoying all the perks on his new truck - like the seat heaters that make those cold leather seats nice and toasty.

Headin' to the hills ~ Well, different hills that is. Camping out this weekend at Fort Mountain State Park in the nearby Cohutta mountains. Campfire sitting, trail hiking, leaf looking, even some geocaching!

Quote of the week ~ After winning the Country Music Horizon Award, 17-year-old Taylor Swift, "This is definitely the highlight of my senior year!"

Local news ~ Cow patty bingo - Players will purchase a 3 foot square area of the football field. A cow will be let loose on the field. When the cow 'relieves' itself, the person who purchased that particular square will win $500. (In the local newspaper this week - really, you can't make this stuff up!)

Veterans Day ~ Madison sang patriotic songs in the 5th grade play last night, and today Sarah is marching in her first parade through downtown.



TGIF ~ Yes it is! Have a great weekend!

anticipated arrivals

Q. Why do ghosts have so much trouble dating?
A. Women can see right through them.

Q. What did the Mommy ghost say to the baby ghost?
A. Don't spook until your spooken to.

Q. Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
A. He didn't have the guts.

We don't have much company out here in the country, so anytime the doorbell rings it is exciting. We are anxiously awaiting the little visitors tonight, there may be about 4 or 5! We have candy and camera ready.

So y'all come on by, the porch light will be shining!


A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween. ~Erma Bombeck

treehuggers

Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
~The Cree Indian Prophecy

In honor of the thousands of bloggers who participated yesterday in blog action day, focused on the environment, climate change, and sustainability.

~photo of our misty woods after a night shower, 10 October, 2007