Morning Folks December 28, 2008

We had a great Christmas that stretched from two days before Christmas to just couple of hours ago. And though it was wonderful, I am glad it's winding down because I am exhausted. But as Joey reminded me, there are only 362 days before the next one. Yikes! Here are some highlights: Ed's younger son Joey arrived from Wilmington, NC on Tuesday night. It was great to see him for the first time since September. Christmas Eve, we met John and the grandkids for an early church service. The kids and John headed home to be nestled in their beds and we were back at the house by about 8:00. Ed had to work Christmas Day so Joe, Ed and I opened gifts on Christmas Eve. I got to chat on the phone with Doug and Bill and Becky that night, too, so I felt like I had my side of the family around me that night, as well. Ed and I didn't really give each other a list this year. One of the gifts I gave Ed was a CD changer for our Bose Wave. And Ed gave me a CD changer for our Bose Wave! I guess great minds think alike. We got wonderful gifts from family and friends and it was nice to have quiet "adult" time to open and enjoy them. Becky gave me "Bulb of the Month Club" which came about 10 days before Christmas. And on Christmas Day, which was a balmy 70 degrees here, the first bulbs began to bloom. Christmas Morning Ed left for work and Joey went over to John's. I had the house to myself to prepare dinner and get ready for the arrival of the kids that afternoon. Once more I got to talk to most of my family and that was really nice. And Doug even opened the presents we gave him while I was on the phone with him. I was rested and ready when everyone converged on the house late in the afternoon. Arabella came in appropriately attired carrying a sackful of gifts. She unloaded her bag and Ed was in charge of handing out the gifts, which all came out fast and furiously in a chaotic manner, unfamiliar to me.

The Eatons don't subscribe to the controlled, painfully slow, process that we knew as kids in the Hall family. In my house Dad handed out one gift at a time and we all watched as each one was unwrapped, again, one at a time. It took forever. But then, all the while he had been piling up all of his gifts and at the end we all had to watch him open each one, tortuously slowly, removing one piece of tape at a time, folding the paper and so on and so forth, as we groaned and complained. It seemed an eternity of ties and golf gifts before we could leave the scene and play with our new toys. But we came to expect it and would have found it disappointing if he had skipped the whole process one year and just rushed through it all. So, it was a hectic evening with dinner and presents. The kids liked their gifts, although Zeppelin may have felt that he got a few too many clothes this year. It was so late by the time all the gifts were opened that our 2nd annual "Count the Santa Claus" competition had to be postponed until Saturday, when Bob and Susan, Ed's brother and sister-in-law, would be there. Ed took Friday off and a good part of the day was spent at the mall returning things that didn't fit. What a madhouse that was! Bob and Susan arrived from Louisville later that night and Joey got to visit with them a little before retiring for a few hours sleep before his 4 AM departure time Saturday morning. The old folks stayed up to nearly 11:00 that night, I think! Saturday morning, Ed and Bob went golfing. Susan and I lazily chatted over coffee and then we went to the golf course and walked the last few holes with the boys. The womenfolk went back to the house to get ready for our afternoon dinner with the kids and Bob and Ed went shopping, if you can believe that. They were gone about 2 hours like a couple of women cruising the after-Christmas specials.

Soon, John and the kids arrived and we had a nice dinner and they opened the presents that Bob and Susan brought for them.




We had our "Count the Clauses" game like we did last year.
But this was something new for Bob and Susan. And they ran around scouting out the Santas before the children arrived. I had made up personalized tally sheets with a picture of each child on their particular sheet but Bob got so into it that I had to make up a sheet for him with his picture on the top so he could do the count with the other kids. He was so excited about the impending contest that he bought a new Santa on their shopping trip and took special care in placing it on the back of the bathroom door.
Of course this gave him an advantage, not to mention that he had cased the joint out earlier. The object is to count the Santas in each room listed and put that number down on the tally sheet next to the appropriate room. Then they have to come up with the correct total number of Santas all over the house.
Arabella and Zeppelin and Bob set out on their own.
Susan helped Indigo, but she wanted to play with each Santa they found so she didn't quite get the idea of counting them. Bob kept challenging the judge on what really qualified as a Santa, i.e., nothing on the tree or any of the Christmas cards we had displayed.
He made a big stink about not wanting to count a stuffed bear dressed as Santa, but the rules state that if it has a hat and a beard, it qualified as a Santa and, of course, the judge prevailed. For extra points they had to tell me where the smallest Santa was and which one was in the highest spot. John, who wasn't playing but was kibbutzing, challenged that one, but the measuring tape proved that the judge was correct.

Then Ed disputed which was the smallest Santa. He lost the challenge, too. It was a lot of fun and while Bob spent a lot of time asking questions, the kids just kept on counting until we had a winner. For the second year running, Arabella won. Zeppelin came in 2nd, Indigo and Susan came in 3rd.

Their count wasn't very close but because they drew a picture of Santa on the back of the page, we gave them extra points. All of the kids got prizes... Except for Bob. I think he challenged the judge one time too many! By the way, the total number of Santas was 59!

Then we all had pie and dessert and played a game we gave to Arabella for Christmas called 'Left Center Right'. That was fun until Arabella and Indigo got a little bored and ended up under the table between turns.

So, it was time to leave and they packed things up. Zeppelin tried hard but wasn't totally successful in avoiding the mistletoe that was strategically placed by the front door.
And the girls kept standing under it then running away.
With all that commotion at the door, the curtain was pulled down and as dear old Grandma tried to fix it while still under the mistletoe, Bob, not Grampa, came over and put a liplock on me that I was not expecting! Maybe if he had done that before the Santa count he might have gotten a prize, too!

John and the grandkids finally made it out the door about 7:30 last night. The grownups cleaned up and then sat down for a few minutes staring at some TV show; what it was, I don't remember. We were exhausted and we all hit the hay by 8:30!
This morning, Ed went off to work. Bob and Susan left right after he did, giving me a chance to reflect and write this blog. The Eaton clan made it a special time and lots of fun for me in spite of the fact that I missed my family, and especially my kids, something awful. And I love them for that. I hope all of you had some wonderful moments this Christmas, too. You all deserve it! Have a Happy New Year everyone! And do your rabbits next Thursday! Love, Suz

I want to know, did you all remember
To say your rabbits, this first of December?
Say rabbit three times, or at least say a couple,
First thing in the morning when you wake up, you'll
Have great, good luck all the month through
I hope you remembered, really I do!
-Suz Eaton

"How did it get so late so soon?

It's night before it's afternoon.

December is here before it's June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?"

-Dr. Seuss

"I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December

A magical thing

And sweet to remember.
'We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,

'I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December."

- Oliver Herford

"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. "

James M. Barrie

Happy December Everyone!

Love,

Suz

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit-I remembered. Did you?

Well it's almost over. Thank Heaven! The past two plus years of endless campaign speeches, sorting out truths from untruths, angry exchanges and passive aggressive smirks, scandals, haircuts, wardrobes, slanted newsmen and old Weathermen...AAAARGH! So, for a little relief from the political pundits who just can't seem to be objective no matter how hard they try, I thought it would be fun, here on the eve of election day, to look at some of the psychic predictions that have been made about the race.

Psychic Predictions for the election:

Elizabeth Joyce:

January 2008

"...The United States is ready to embrace an alternative, and a woman as Vice President will be their ticket in 2008.
For sure…my psychic sense sees that a woman will occupy the White House as vice president as a result of the 2008 election, but not president. It’s just not Hillary’s time yet, as I have psychic stated for the past three years.
The male presidential candidate who runs with a woman vice presidential candidate on the ticket will win the election by a landslide...Psychic predictions everywhere state that we are reaching a point where the public is intrigued with the idea of a female president, but as a country we tend to take cautious steps.

If Barack Obama wins the nomination, Hillary Clinton may consider his invitation as the vice president, but his life will automatically be in danger. This “back seat” will be very difficult for Hillary to accept. ..My psychic sense tells me that not only will a woman become the nation’s first Vice President at the 2008 election, but she will be sworn in as president when the male president is forced to step down due to serious health issues or worse. I have also psychically stated that we will have a one-term president in 2008." Hmmm?

The Psychic Detective:

The Obama / McCain presidential race will be a very close one similar to Gore / Bush. Obama will win the presidential election by a narrow margin.

Psychic Sylvia Browne believes it will be Obama.

Psychic Da Juana Byrd believes a democrat will win. She said it will be a, “strong race between Obama and Hillary–with him slightly the winner, but maybe not taking the election.”

Psychic Sidney Friedman guess is Obama. He also says, “a presidential candidate will narrowly escape death.”

and...

Psychic Brando Cano says the election will be between McCain and Hillary Clinton. Hillary wins!
Psychic Micki Dahne picked Hillary.

Psychic Pernel Dove picked Hillary.

Psychic Elizabeth Joyce says, “I do see Hillary in the White House but she may be the first female Vice President. Or, she could be the Secretary of State.” She does feel a democrat will win.

Psychic Christopher Reburn picked Hillary. It should be noted Christopher later amended his prediction to basically say Hillary’s destiny is the white house.

Psychic Peter Serraino aka “The Street Psychic” picked Hillary.

Psychic Joseph Tittel aka “Spiritman” says a democrat will win. He also sees Hillary in the white house at some point.

Psychic “Twins” picked Hillary.

Psychic Michelle Whitedove picked Hillary. Note: Michelle is a winner of America’s Psychic Challenge. It should be noted in later posts by Whitedove - and though Obama is clearly being touted as the nominee - Whitedove has continued to sense Hillary as president.

So, According to the psychics, I guess the winner will be Hillary!

Maybe she had them under a spell of some sort. Well, Halloween's over. Let's see what happens on Tuesday.

Stay tuned...

Have a great day.
Love,
Suz

Morning Folks 10 20 08

Morning Folks.

Last week was not the best week for us. As many of you know already, Ed ended up in the hospital for 5 days with a nasty staph infection in his elbow after tripping in the parking lot and landing on his elbow. We went to the ER last Sunday night, 4 days after he fell, his arm swollen to twice its size and very sore. They admitted him right away and started massive doses of IV antibiotics immediately. But, all's well that ends well, and now he's home and well on his way to a full recovery. He should be back to work on Wednesday if the docs give him permission. But that was last week.

This week, on the other hand, has started off just great. It is beautiful here, much warmer than usual with temps in the 70s and 80s. But, we have some chilly nights and the leaves are beginning to turn. TN has some pretty foliage, but nothing like the colors of Massachusetts. The maples are so beautiful and everything is just so vivid. I asked Bill to send me some Autumn pix, since I won't be seeing the trees in person this year, and he was very accommodating.

Here is my Billy. (He lets us call him that now.) He was in a department store flyer when he was not quite a year old modeling a snowsuit, but hasn't done any modeling since then. I think he may have missed his calling, don't you?
How lovely New England is in the Fall. These are some really pretty shots of a spot I love in Sudbury.

This is the Grist Mill in Sudbury, a beautiful spot to photograph. You may have seen it on a calendar or two over the years. An episode of the old TV show Spencer for Hire was shot here. Spencer and his girlfriend were on a picnic in the scene. And there was a scene in a Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin movie done here as well. And, this is also known as the local lover's lane. At night they light it up and it is really very pretty, especially when the wheel is turning. They still grind corn and wheat here. It is a very romantic spot.

And here is Bill and his sweetheart Kim. They had a picnic for Kim's birthday, which was Sunday.

And what do we have here?

BIG NEWS!!!

Bill proposed to Kim at the Grist Mill Sunday, and she said yes! He gave her a beautiful solitaire set in platinum and he picked it out himself. I am thrilled and so is he, of course. I already consider Kim a member of the family, but soon it will be official. I will have a daughter, finally. Doug will have a sister-in-law and Billy will have a wife. We will keep you posted when we know the date.

Congratulations, Bill and Kim. You were made for each other.

Have a wonderful week. I know I will!

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks October 7 2008

I hope you are riding out the Wall Street roller coaster okay. I am really stressed by it, while Ed seems to be taking it in stride. Because of all of this I am watching more news on TV than I ever have so I have come to the conclusion that the TV Newscasters are the cause of my stress. My natural tendency is to bury my head in the sand about things over which I have no control, but Dianne Sawyer and her friends will not let me do that this time.

The news. I feel like every one of them is telling us to just hunker down and don't leave your house, don't buy anything. Life as we know it is over. Everyone will be out of work, there will be no gas for the cars in which we are all living and we will all be in bread lines, until there is no more bread.

But these same news programs that tell us all of this doom and gloom show ads from sponsors who, from the news reports, should be closing their doors any minute. I watch these ads on TV for furniture stores and restaurants, car dealerships and condos, vacations and jewelry, etc., and wonder 'What Are they Thinking?' Are they not watching the news?

So, today, I will be repeating my mantra over and over. All Shall Be Well, and All Shall Be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well. That mantra comes from Dame Julian of Norwich who was an English mystic who lived in the 14th century.

She spoke to God so we really should believe her. Interesting little factoid about this woman is that she is the one attributed to first comparing God to good Mothers and referred to God with both Male and Female pronouns. What a dame!

So, if things are getting to you, too, just think of that mantra and join with me today.

I will visualize lavender fields and lovely things and say it over and over.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

I will be repeating it this mornig while I am on th golf course.

Have a great day!

Love,

Suz

Morning Folks 10 01 08

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit, y'all. I goofed and forgot. How about you? If you forgot, also, you don't have to worry about a month of less than wonderful luck. To fix it, just say Tibbar, Tibbar, Tibbar and jump backwards 3 times. Then do your rabbits and your October will be lucky.

Recent Revelations

Do you remember Perry Como? For those of you of my generation and younger, he was a cute (for an old guy) singer, very popular in the 50s; a crooner of Italian descent who never ran with the rat pack. He had a real nice guy image from my 7 year old's perspective. I remember he used to wear cardigan sweaters with his sleeves rolled up to about 3/4 length.
I had a crush on him but gave him up for Gregory Peck, whose picture came in my first wallet. (I told everyone Gregory was my boyfriend. Talk about a May and December romance.) But mostly I remember the fun songs Perry recorded because my Dad used to sing them and taught a lot of them to us. Catch a Falling Star was a real favorite and fun for my sisters and me to harmonize to. "There's No Boat, Like a Row Boat", "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive", "Chi Baba Chi Baba" and my all time favorite "Hot Diggity".

For 50 years I have sung that song with these words: Hot Diggity Dog Diggity, Boom, what you do to me". But Ed and I were listening to his favorite 50s station and there was Perry singing that old favorite. But, what a revelation when we listened carefully the words are actually Hot Diggity Dog Ziggity! Now does that make sense to you? I was shocked that I had those words wrong. I wonder if Dad taught them to us incorrectly from the beginning. Dad? Anything to say for yourself?

Other recent revelations:

The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. (I found that fact rather titillating. Don't forget to cross your T's and tittle your I's. Actually, to tittle your I's in public sounds a little obscene.)

A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. (Let me know what happens if you try this .)

The original name for butterfly was flutterby. (I think I will use this name from now on. Makes so much more sense!)

The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. (No comment)

By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannotsink into quicksand. (What a relief to know this. I have watched countless episodes of The Lone Ranger which left me with such a fear of quicksand. Thank goodness now I know how to save myself.)






The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska (I wonder if some of them work in Russia?)



Spades - King David

Hearts - Charlemagne

Clubs -Alexander, the Great

Diamonds - Julius Caesar



I couldn't think of 4 queens, but here are some suggestions for the jacks:




Spades-Jack Black

Hearts-Jack Sparrow-(okay that's a streatch, but Johnny Depp IS a heartthrob!)

Clubs-Jack Niclaus (you know, golf clubs?)

Diamonds-Jackie Robinson (you, know baseball diamond?)

Have a great day. Do your rabbits and keep your fingers crossed that Wall Street did theirs.



Love ,

Suz







PS 3 people voted and it looks like this old signature picture will remain. Thanks for voting! Personally, I liked me as a 7 year old, back when I was innocent and thought the words were Hot Diggity Dog Diggity.