Razzmatazlady

Author: CherylK

  • On the Road Again…

    Yesterday we had phone problems which translated to internet problems; therefore, no post.

    However, I took these photos from our bedroom window. We haven’t cleared a path in the snow around the house so I couldn’t walk back there. The trees and shrubs were absolutely magical looking. They were covered with a deposit of ice crystals so thick that it looked like snow. It’s called hoarfrost. Beautiful.
    Today we drove to Kansas City. There was a terrible ice storm a few days ago that spread from Oklahoma to Chicago. Driving south through Missouri we could see the trees heavy with ice bending toward the earth. Some were bent so low that they looked like large shrubs. Some of the bigger trees had branches that just snapped off. It was late afternoon and the sun behind them made them sparkle like diamonds. It was eerie but pretty, too, in a way. Mother Nature making a statement. Winter in the upper midwest.

  • California, here we come!

    Well, Thursday we’re leaving for California. We’re driving to Kansas City and then Sunday we’ll board Amtrak for the trip to Los Angeles. We’ve traveled by train several times to Washington state. It’s an easy way to travel although twice we had long delays because it was winter and there were problems traveling through the mountains.

    On one of our trips a woman left the train during a stop in Montana and didn’t make it back on the train before we left, again. So several miles down the track we came to a stop to wait for someone to bring her back to the train. She claimed that she had a child on the train. Turns out that was just a story she concocted so the train would stop. Well, somebody on the train knew that she didn’t have a child with her and when the engineer was told about that he headed out! Wonder what ever happened to her…

    I’m hoping there won’t be any delays this trip because we’ll be traveling further south. It’s bound to be filled with beautiful scenery

  • A Fat Little Chickadee and a Woodpecker

    We took a few pictures through our kitchen window a couple of days ago. We have a cranberry bush outside that window and a birdhouse and a suet block hanging in it.
    The leaves have all fallen off, of course, but the berries are still there and the birds love them.

    A woodpecker and a chickadee were vying for a spot on the suet block so I had a chance to snap a couple of photos.

    Which reminds me of a wonderful website that I stumbled upon. It’s all photos of nature and wildlife. It’s called Focus Wildlife.

    The photographer’s name is Ilia Shalamaev and he is really gifted.

  • A Memory

    Just thinking about Christmas when I was a kid. We got one present and it came from Santa on Christmas Eve after we were in bed. We also had Christmas stockings and we’d get some fruit (maybe an apple or an orange), a candy cane and probably some other little thing. I think our grandmother also gave us a present. We also got our new Christmas dress, shoes and socks. It was so exciting.

    One year I got a doll – she was a real beauty and I named her Maribel May after one of my favorite poems. I don’t remember the poem, anymore. I tried to google for a poem called “Maribel May” but no luck. I’ll keep trying and if I ever run across it, I’ll post it!

    That same year my sisters each got a doll, too. Maribel May was the biggest of them, though. Valerie named hers Susan and Joan named hers Foo-Foo because it made a sound like that when you squeezed it.

    I think Foo-Foo also had two faces – a happy face on one side and a crying face on the other. A dolly hat covered up the face you didn’t want to show. I could be wrong about the two faces but I don’t think I am.

  • On Success

    SUCCESS

    To Laugh often and much
    to win the respect of intelligent people
    and the affection of children;
    to earn the appreciation
    of honest critics and endure
    the betrayal of false friends;
    to appreciate beauty,
    to find the best in others;
    to leave the world
    a bit better, whether
    by a healthy child,
    a garden patch
    or a redeemed social condition;
    to know even one life
    has breathed easier
    because you have lived.
    That is to have succeeded.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • Some Favorite Websites

    I really enjoy searching the internet for interesting websites. Here are a few worth checking out.

    LOCAL HARVEST (http://www.localharvest.org/) – Just plug in a zipcode and you can find all sorts of local orchards, family farms, farmers markets, berry patches, co-ops, etc. In my small rural area there are almost fifty to choose from. There is even a family run business called Mackenzie Fields that distributes wool fleece, roving, yarn and hand spun to fiber artists. They rais and sell a particular breed of sheep that is know for its fine fleece. You name it and I’ll bet you can find it at Local Harvest.

    EARTH 911 (http://earth911.org/about) – The best thing about this website is being able to find recycling centers for all sorts of items from used motor oil, car batteries, books, household items, plastics plus lots more. Just enter a zip code and what you’d like to recycle.

    EZINE ARTICLES (http://ezinearticles.com/) – A really good research tool. There are thousands of articles written by experts in their respective fields on virtually any subject that you could dream up.

    LADIES WHO LAUNCH (http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/) – They describe their venture this way: “Ladies Who Launch provides content and community to help women start and expand their businesses and creative ventures.” It’s an upbeat community that believes that women do not necessarily have to follow the “good old boy” rules in order to launch and build successful businesses.

    MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE (http://www.m-w.com/) – Jack is a crossword puzzle junkie and this is a really good website to visit when he gets “stuck” (which, mind you, isn’t often). They also have a Word of the Day, word games, and Word Central for kids with a daily buzzword, word games and a build-your-own-dictionary section.

    INSTRUCTABLES (http://www.instructables.com/home) – Calling themselves the “World’s Biggest Show and Tell” they allow members to submit directions for creating all sorts of things like toys, arts, crafts, food, you name it. You can learn how to make a safety pin from a paper clip, how to make homemade potato chips with a microwave, or how to fix rust spots on your car. Some silly, some weird, some sorta scary, too. But fun.

    More to come…

  • Today’s Dream Job Task

    Today I’m going to reach out to a few more people with my blog. For example, I’m going to contact the bloggers and websites that I’ve mentioned and let them know that I’ve added their link. I actually didn’t consider whether or not I should do that before I added the links so hopefully I have not committed a blog fauxpax. There are a lot of blogs and websites that I check frequently so I’d better learn the ropes before I list any others.

    I just noticed that I’ve now posted enough times that the “older posts” link is necessary. Cool.

    It’s very cold, today, and I’m not going anywhere unless I absolutely have to. Good excuse for working on my Dream Job. More later…

  • Winter Pictures

    It’s a beautiful sunny Wednesday. We got four or five inches more snow, yesterday. That makes about 15 inches in the past week. It’s about time. We really need the moisture.

    Here are two winter pictures – one of a birdfeeder that we have on our front porch. That’s a wisteria vine growing up the porch post. We planted it about three years ago but it has yet to bloom. We’re told that it will take several years. I was amazed that wisteria would grow this far north.
    The other photo is looking at the house from the lakeshore while it was snowing. That’s our dock which Jack hauled out of the lake until the spring. I love how the falling snowflakes were captured by the camera.

  • My Comfort Zone and Other Thoughts

    Mailboxes in the snowIt’s snowing, today, and it’s really pretty. Big soft flakes drifting down. I might go outside to take some pictures and post one or two. Here’s a photo I took a couple of years ago when Jack (my husband) had to dig out our mailbox. It’s one of my favorites because it really says it all about winter here in our neck of the woods. It also reminds me of the reason we like to get out of this neck of the woods for part of the winter!!

    Today I took a big step out of my comfort zone. I told Jack about my blog. After reading a few posts he said, “You’re something else…”
    Hmmm, I think that means he likes it. No more sneaking around to post! Very liberating.
    I’m going to make a big pot of soup on this very cold day and then wrap presents. Then I’ll spend some time gathering resources for creating a website.
    Sure do hope I’m one of the winners of that Dream Job contest. The prizes include a laptop and a consultant who will help the winners realize their vision. There are going to be six winners, I think. But even if I’m not a winner, I’m on my way to a fun and (hopefully) rewarding new experience.
    My sweet mother always said, “You can’t have a dream come true if you don’t have a dream.” I think that’s also a line from the musical “Oklahoma” but I like to think my mother thought of it first.
    12/04/2007

  • On Being Green

    An Attempt at Healthy Living…

    I tend not to jump on bandwagons if I can help it; however, I am becoming more and more aware of the impact our global footprints have on the earth. Not only that, but the stuff that we put in and on our bodies matters more to me now than ever.

    I have struggled for years with my weight and am finally doing something about it. One of the things that helps me tremendously is eating more fresh foods. Well, we’ll see how it goes…

    This holiday I am trying to be a better giver, as well. We have seven grandchildren and I’m determined to purchase as many “healthy” gifts as I can.

    We got the cutest wooden puzzles for the two three-year-olds and make-your-own chewing gum kits for the three older grandkids.

    More to come on this subject…