The Way Back Machine

The time: Summer, 1984
The place: Grandma's House, Palmyra, Tennessee

It's Sunday, which means it's time for another trip in the Way Back Machine.

This photo was taken in my mother's back yard in Palmyra, Tennessee. When I say this is grandma's house, it has a double meaning. The little country home was built by my grandmother for her retirement. After her death my mom and stepfather moved in. For my children it was both grandma and great-grandma's place. It's still owned by family members, but rented out for the time being.

In the back there's a shed, filled with stuff that a shed accumulates. There's a contentious lawn mower in there somewhere. It was the focus of an ongoing feud between my Grandma Martha and her sister. I never fully understood the argument but as with anything, it's never about what you think it's about.

Off to the left you'll see another structure. It's the outhouse! The house was built as money was available and the bathroom plumbing was the last to be installed. The outhouse served as the "facilities" for quite awhile. My grandmother was into angels and all kinds of flowery decor, so the interior of that outhouse was decoupaged with angels and cherubim. It was quite a sight.

Behind the outhouse was the "tip". Those of you in the south may have some idea what that is. There's no garbage pickup out in the sticks and to this day I believe you have to load up and drive your garbage to a spot where the large dumpsters are located. Back in the day people burned the paper items and everything else went over the hill into the tip. Many years in the future I envision young archaeologists digging up my grandmother's tip in search of evidence of our lifestyle.

I was always amazed at the wide range of facial expressions my children were able to come up with. My daughter is just SO HAPPY to be walking. She was a very anxious and unhappy baby because she knew in her heart of hearts that she should be able to do something besides sit in a high chair or swing. She was literally screaming to get out into the world. It continues to this day, she's an energetic go-getter.

My son was always the artistic, sensitive one. Today he works with disabled young adults, mostly Cerebral Palsy patients. And..... hooray.... he's finally been accepted to the nursing program at the local college, after a 2 year waiting list.

I remember at the time this photo was taken I had no idea what direction their lives would take.

Knee Deep in Thinset

The Farmer and I are knee deep in home improvement projects this morning. I'm happy about this because it's the first Saturday he's been home in a very long time. You see, he loves to work, some would say he's a workaholic.

Today we're tiling the wall behind the laundry tub and the counter surrounding the sink. Although I consider myself an expert at laying porcelain floor tile (laying 1,900 sq. ft. makes me expert), I've never done wall tile. It's only 9 sq. ft., what do go wrong?
Stay tuned.......

Houston, the Eagle Brother Has Landed

Finally. The sewing machine was delivered yesterday. I checked the tracking number and it was scanned out to the delivery truck at 6 a.m., but it didn't actually arrive at my house until 4 p.m. No matter. It was like Christmas!



Yes, I keep a sparkly silver tree in my sewing room all year round. Why? Because it makes me happy. (Actually I have two silver Christmas trees in that room).

Just like Christmas, I excitedly open the box.



Here's the machine under the tree. One of the reasons I picked this model was because it came with this extension table. By the way, for all who asked, this is a Brother CS6000i.



There were pedals, cords and accessories.



Here's a better picture of it. The light is a little wierd. It's similar to those book lights. No matter, I've got plenty of task lighting I can use.



I had some reading to do.



There's an automatic feature that threads the needle. I guess that makes this the senior citizen model.

Taking a test spin.



I made a quick sampler of the different stitches.



I already know which ones are going to be my favorites. There's a little daisy chain of flowers that's really cute.



Beverly is fine with the new addition. It was getting a little lonely in there and she's glad to have some companionship.



Now the heat is on. I've got to start actually producing something.

Do you notice anything unusual on the work table? More about that next week.



Thanks for following along as the Brother made it's way from Florida to Illinois.

The Usual Way of Doing Things

I was raised in a family with four kids which meant that there wasn't much one-on-one time with mom. When I remember back she was a blur of activity, cooking and cleaning and generally caring for her brood. The pace got a little more frantic during the six months out of the year that my grandfather lived with us. Oh, and let's not forget the standard Poodle and eight puppies.

For some reason I don't remember any special habits that my mom engaged in during the day. You know, like always draping the damp wash cloth over the edge of the sink to dry.

Time with grandma was very different because she only took her grandchildren one at a time. That allowed for plenty of one-on-one time. Weekend visits to her house were gold in my book. She'd cook up a big pot of oatmeal with raisins. I hate oatmeal that is cooked in the gooey, sticky method but for some reason it tasted delicious at grandma's house.

Our activities included staying up late to watch old movies. Grandma was a notorious night owl and so am I. She piled her bed full of plump pillows, long before it was the rage. This allowed her to prop herself up near the headboard, surrounded by her beloved newspaper and magazines. She'd spend hours clipping interesting news articles, recipes and other interesting bits.

That's one habit I acquired from her. I probably have 300 recipes that I've clipped or printed out. The chances of me actually cooking all those recipes is pretty low, but I keep them "just in case".

Another little habit I acquired from my grandmother is to tuck my nightgown under my pillow. Does anyone else do that?

When clothing was no longer serviceable she would sit in the easy chair and snip the button off, one by one.

Here's a pile of collars and cuffs, the by-product of my apron making efforts.



I sat in my sewing room and removed all the buttons, giving me a nice little addition to my button jar.



Now if I could just come up with a creative use for those collars and cuffs!

What about you? Do you find yourself repeating little daily habits that you learned when you were growing up?

Huddleston's Law of Diminishing Dimensions

What is Huddleston's Law of Diminishing Dimensions? It states that the width of a newly purchased appliance is converse to the dimensions of the existing appliance. Further, Huddleston's Law triggers the universe to warp affecting the adjacent laundry tub.

Who is Huddleston and why should you care? I don't know, I just made it up as I went along.

Translation: The Old Maytag finally died in it's tracks. The new appliances are one inch wider. The wonderful deliverymen were the ones to break the news to me. Our laundry room is plenty large EXCEPT..... remember, Huddleston's Law triggers troubles with the adjacent laundry tub.

The Other Mother is enamoured with laundry tubs and had a local handyman install one in a base cabinet that she bought in a local home improvement store. The problem is that the handyman installed it with the a countertop that is less than an eighth of an inch to spare next to the old Maytag. The new washer would not fit. No way. No how.



What should be very simple, sliding the new washer in place, has become yet another project on the list to be completed before the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012. The Farmer and I did some awesome demolition work and denounced the handyman strongly.

"What a terrible job."

"What did he use as a base, cardboard?"

No, in fact it was cheap particleboard that was disintegrating because he did a equally terrible grout job and moisture had leaked through. The Farmer and I got all new materials and launched into our famous "measure 14 times, make paper templates, eat pie to raise blood sugar, and finally cut ONCE" routine.

Things are progressing but we are very messy workers. Here's the evidence:



We realize that we could never, ever make a living doing this and certainly no one would ever agree to pay us by the hour. What we thought would take an afternoon has turned into a larger endeavor. Tile pattern and edge treatments are considered, time is scheduled for our next push.

Soon, very soon, the laundry room will be back in order.

NOTE: I love my homemade laundry soap but I'm CRAZY for Heidi's fabric softener recipe. I'll admit that I was very skeptical about using something that contains vinegar. Hey, I'm accustomed to smelling April Fresh and my fear was that I'd be walking around smelling like a tossed salad, but this stuff is terrific. It leaves everything simply smelling clean.

Here's her recipe in case you missed it the first time around:

FABRIC SOFTENER

2 cups hair conditioner
2 cups white vinegar
6 cups water

Mix all together, shake well. Shake before each use.

I purchased Suave conditioner for $1. The bottle contains 2 cups. Perfect. There are different scents, I chose a fruit scent. A gallon of white vinegar was $1.79. The final result does not smell overwhelmingly vinegary. Online searches assure me that the vinegar also rinses residue from the washing machine.

UPDATE: My sewing machine made a quick stop in Nasville, after leaving Chattanooga. I'm OK with that because Nashville is a fun city, lots to do. It arrived in Nashville at 9:56 and left at 12:01 a.m. I'm hoping it took those two hours to visit Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for a quick drink before heading off to Chicago. At least I hope Chicago is the next stop. Where else could it go? Indianapolis is not really on the way, but you never know.

Tuesday's Monday Morning Staff Meeting

You didn't think you could get out of a staff meeting simply because of the holiday, did you? Heck no, we've got alot of ground to cover.

First and foremost is the food. I'm going to offer up a big cookie jar full of oatmeal raisin cookies.



Help yourself. In in effort to keep us all healthy I will NOT be serving the pie that lurks in my fridge. It's a store bought lemon meringue pie.



If it was homemade and luciously fresh and delicious it might be worth tempting the dangers of (per slice) 32 grams of sugar, 320 calories, 190 mg of sodium and 52 g of carbs. I kid you not!!! That's right off the packaging and that's crazy.

Don't look at me, I didn't buy it. We're having difficulty reigning in the Other Mother on her shopping sprees. Everyone in the house (except for our son) is a diabetic, including the Other Mother. She will not be deterred because as she claims, "You can eat everything, it just depends on the portions".

HUH?? A safe portion of that crazy pie would fit in a thimble. We don't want any of that in house period, and she certainly doesn't need to be eating that either. I agree that at 88 years old you should eat whatever you want, but we'd prefer not to have the thing staring at us everytime we open the fridge for a piece of string cheese.

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I dread to talk about the weather again, but it's downright cold here. June is breathing down our necks and I'm in a sweater and warm socks. I'm going to be sorry I mentioned this because sure enough we're going to skip a beautiful transition and go straight into hellfire heat and humidity.

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My sewing machine Beverly has agreed to share the sewing room and I've purchased additional machine.



Beverly is a 1950's Sewmor, cast iron machine. You could run over her with a truck and she would still continue to sew. The problem is that she only knows one stitch - straight as an arrow. I wanted another machine that has some decorative stitches and I've purchased an inexpensive Brother. My machine previous to Beverly was a Brother that I purchased for $99. I used that machine every day for over 8 years until it finally went kaput. I'd say I got my money's worth.

Now we come to the exciting part of the story, TRACKING THE SHIPMENT. This is crazy fun. I've become addicted to tracking shipments. Seriously, I jump on mapquest to see where my stupid package is sitting!

My new Brother started it's journey in Rockledge, Florida. That's right next to Cape Canaveral. A little while ago I checked and it had made it up the coast to Jacksonville. It will probably board a UPS plane this evening and land in nearby Rockford, where UPS has a hub. Maybe it will be delivered tomorrow, or the next day.

Following these packages is addicting. I might even be tempted to buy something just to watch it's journey.

Which brings me to another addictive delivery system - PDF downloads. Omigosh, this is dangerous.

For example, just a week or so ago I purchased Alicia's tote bag pattern. You transfer the money and POOF!!! you can download the PDF and start sewing a bag. No shipping charges, no waiting for the USPS to deliver.

I began trolling Etsy for patterns and discovered that alot of them are PDF downloads. Woo hoo, I'm in trouble now.

I promised myself that I'd wait until my current projects are off my worktable until I think about buying anymore patterns.

But at some point I must have this sock monkey pattern.


SOCK MONKEY PATTERN ON ETSY

And yes, I'm crazy enough to crochet a sock monkey that small.

Now, everyone must share their story. Are you as crazy as me about tracking packages or downloading PDF patterns?

Have another oatmeal cookie and tell me I'm not alone.

UPDATE: The sewing machine was scanned out of the Jacksonville facility at 3:32 a.m. That probably means I won't be receiving it today. Perhaps tomorrow. OK, I know this is lame, but humor me. I take my excitement where I can.

UPDATE: My Brother sewing machine arrived in Chattanooga at 11:07 a.m. Chattanooga??? Is it going by truck? By Pony Express? Mapquest tells me that Jacksonville to Chattanooga is a 7 1/2 hour trip and doing the math tells me that it traveled by truck. Sheesh, I could have picked it up myself and visited some bloggers along the way! It's a 9 plus hour drive from Chattanooga to Chicago. Put the thing on a plane already.

UPDATE: The sewing machine is on the move again. It left Chattanooga at 7:57 p.m. Maybe tomorrow??

In Service of God and Country - A Memorial

Families were uprooted and expelled from Scotland by the English king. My great-great-great grandfather, Robert Nesbitt and his family arrived by ship into Charleston harbor, somewhere around 1767. They lived in South Carolina until Robert and his brother John were conscripted to serve in the Revolutionary War. They served to ensure the birth of a new nation, where they could live and worship freely.

After the war, the brothers were given military land grants in what is now Dickson County, Tennessee. They traveled there to claim their land, along with two younger brothers. The four brothers, Robert, John, Jeremiah and Nathan, settled the land, and family members still live within a 5 mile radius of the original homesteads location.

Today I write in honor and respect of those who came to this country to make a free life for themselves, and those who have served to protect and defend our country. Read on if you will, or pass by. This is simply a tribute to those in my family who have served.


Colors of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, Civil War Reenactors

There are no photos from this period, but great grandfather James Lewis Nesbitt served in the Confederate Army, Company B, 14th Tennessee Regiment of the General Archie Brigade. Rural life at this time was tenuous at best, and the women and children left behind had to keep the farm going. This was subsistance farming and if they were not successful they would not survive. Letters home reflected the men's concerns about the childrens health, and whether or not the wife had been able to obtain salt. Salt was vital to preserved the meat when a hog was butchered in the fall. This meat was essential for the family to exist through the winter.



George Washington Newton, my paternal grandfather, served in World War I. It was quite an adventure for a simple country farmer to travel to Vancouver, Washington to train. The photos from this period in time were actually postcards, as soldiers would not have access to a camera. The back of this postcard, which shows the soldiers setting up camp, reads, "This is a beautiful place. Say, I suppose you are almost read to plow corn. So long, George."

George's brother, Tinnoman Newton, also served in World War I. He trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which is still one of the largest training facilities. He also sent a postcard.





My father, Franklin Ray Newton, enlisted in the U.S. Navy 6 months after the attack at Pearl Harbor. He had just graduated from high school. His service included tours on destroyers and the U.S.S. Midway. He was aboard his ship in the Sea of Japan the day the treaty was signed with the Japanese government, ending the war. This photograph hung in his bedroom as long as I can remember, up until his death 17 years ago. The U.S.S. Midway is now a floating museum, docked in San Diego.

After discharge my father married my mother and started a family. His was working to save money for a home when he was called back into the Navy to serve in the Korean war. One thing I will say about his generation is that they were not whiners. Not a word was every said about having their plans disrupted to serve his country again. He served, was discharged a second time and they got on with their lives.

His brother, Jackie Newton enlisted in the U.S. Army after Pearl Harbor and served in the European theater. He was a German prisoner of war for over two years, returning to his beloved Florida panhandle where he farmed peanuts, cotton and sugar cane. He still lives within 3 miles of the family homestead.



Cousin Charles Sheldon served two tours in Vietnam. He was a career man, older than the troops he commanded. Died of a heart attack while serving in Vietnam. His half brother Mack Nolen was an enlisted man in the U.S. Navy for 25 years, serving also in Vietnam. My husband Paul Kathro, drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966, serving at Fort Knox, Kentucky during the Vietnam war.

To all these men I say, "I remember".

(This entry is republished from my photoblog,

Want to learn more about the history of Memorial Day? Read this:

MEMORIAL DAY

Preposterous Fake

On a recent trip to the Italian market I snagged a real bargain......or so I thought.

Several factors contribute to my family's love of cheese. First and foremost is our proximity to Wisconsin. On a clear day we could see it, if only we weren't living on a landscape that's flat as a pancake.

Wisconsin is all about the cheese..... and the milk.... and the cream. Well, you get the idea. You know those commercials about the California cows? Forget it, in a grudge match the Wisconsin cows would do a smackdown.

Secondly, I was raised in an Italian neighborhood, which means lots of family recipes that include all the fabulous varieties of cheese. If I have the time I drive a little further north to shop at Woodman's, which is a Wisconsin based, employee owned store. When they opened their first store in Illinois I shopped out of curiosity. Omigosh, the refrigerated cheese case is at least 40 feet long and contained every cheese known to man.

On this particular day I didn't have time to drive the extra miles to Woodman's, so I was off to the nearby Italian market. The eggplants were calling my name and I made sure to pick up the additionaly ingredients I'd need to make Eggplant Parmesan. I was surprised to find two pounds of shredded mozzarella cheese at a reasonable price.



I layered my ingredients in a baking dish and when it was hot and bubbly I sprinkled the mozzarella on top and returned it to the oven. A little later when I pulled it from the oven I noticed the cheese hadn't melted. That was odd. My family dug in and as we took the first bite we all looked at each other.

"Yuck, what's this?"

The "cheese" had the consistency of soft rubber bands. Luckily I hadn't layered it with the eggplant and so we scraped the mess off the top and continued with our dinner.

Later I pulled the bag out of the fridge and read the label.



Notice the operative word? IMITATION. Imitation cheese. I'm sorry, there's no way to imitate cheese.

This stuff is nasty and I'm sure it's only one molecule away from being plastic. One thing's for sure, this will teach me to read labels. The price should have been a clue.

Anyway, I'm hoping my friend Heidi, The Milk Man's Wife is too busy to read my blog today because if not.......

Field Trip - The Wright Stuff

We've got an exciting field trip today. We're going to tour a farm house that is going to smash all preconceptions of what you think a midwestern farmhouse might look like. This unusual place is only 7 miles from here as the crow flies. It's hidden from sight behind a railroad grade and you must pass under a very narrow and treacherous looking bridge made of timbers.

But let's start at the beginning. In the 1940's the Muirhead family was living in this farmhouse which had been in the family since the 1860's.



The old farmhouse was showing it's age and was not adequate for a farm family with five children. In addition to the children Mrs. Muirhead cooked a midday meal for the farm hands. Mr. Muirhead had contacted local architects in search of someone who would create a plan for a new home. No one responded. I could imagine them saying to themselves, "A midwestern farmhouse? What's the deal? It's a square white clapboard box, no architectural plans needed."

Robert Muirhead had studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin and he decided to go searching for an architect who would accept the commission. One weekend he loaded his wife Elizabeth and the five kids into the car and drove to Taleisin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and workshop in Wisconsin. Upon arrival he met the manager of the property and explained his dilemma. The manager asked if he would like to speak with Wright in person, to which Muirhead enquired, "What will that involve?"

"Ten minutes...." was the answer and ten minutes later Robert Muirhead was speaking with architectural legend Frank Lloyd Wright. He agreed to accept the commission and sent the Muirheads home to put their requirements down on paper. Family members have all the correspondence between Wright and the family and it reveals some amazing details.

It took two years to finalize the plans and building began in 1951 and was completed in 1953.

When you drive up the narrow lane this is your first view of the house.



It's almost impossible to capture the entire home in the frame of the camera, you really need a ultra wide angle lens because the house is 172 feet wide!!!! It's not in any way a typical farmhouse. Moving from left to right is the bedroom and living room wing, the long hallway and the kitchen/dining room wing with the carport on the far right.

Here's a better look at the living room/bedroom wing.



The carport.



A newspaper photographer stands under the carport and you can see the barns and outbuildings in the background. It all seems so incongruous.



Here's the back of the home. It's an amazing outdoor space.



When you step inside the small door near the carport you find yourself at the end of this 55 foot hallway. Those are lots of cabinets lining the space.



Wright was unquestionably a genius but as the June issue of Smithsonian magazine states, "Wright said that his architecture always aimed to serve the client's needs. But he relied on his own assessment of those needs."

Wright has been quoted as saying, "It's their (the homeowners) duty to understand, to appreciate and conform insofar as possible to the idea of the house." Which brings us to a funny story about that long hallway.

He had originally designed the hallway to be 110 feet long ....... unenclosed ...... between the bedroom wing and kitchen wing. A 110 foot long open air space in the climate of northern Illinois. Mrs. Muirhead expressed her grave reservations about this plan, to which Wright responded, "Well, you just bundle the kids up in their coats and go to the other portion of the house."

Mrs. Muirhead responded that she would certainly not do any such thing. You gotta love the thought of an Illinois farm wife taking on the lion of the architectural world. Mr. Muirhead purchased a large commercial Amana freezer in nearby Rockford but was told by Wright that it wouldn't fit in the kitchen. Muirhead told Wright, "Oh yes you can......here's how" and sent an accompanying sketch as to how space could be carved out from the large pantry.

Here's the kitchen, another spot where Elizabeth Muirhead stood her ground. Since she was cooking for a family of seven and farmhands, she insisted on a large kitchen. Wright didn't much believe in large kitchens, claiming that if they could cook meals for 200 people in a Pullman car, you didn't need more space than that. Elizabeth prevailed. I'm told this is large for a Wright designed kitchen.



Through the kitchen is the dining room. A wall of windows looks out onto the patio area.



One of four fireplaces. Only two work. They don't create an adequate draw to pull smoke and fumes upward.



A walk down that long hallway takes you to the master bedroom. Notice the built in cabinets again.



Very unusual for it's day, the master bedroom was a suite with it's own bathroom. These are the original fixtures. Notice the walls are brick. Every surface is brick or cedar. No traditional walls, no paint, no wallpaper.



Look the other direction in the bedroom are more built-ins. These serve as wardrobes. There are no closets in the home. What would I do?



Windows prop open with a stick. Wright felt that screens were obtrusive but he did allow for a rolling shade



The floors are all colored concrete with radiant hot water heat. I thought my water treatment plant in the basement was something. Look at this.



I'd hate to be in charge of that equipment.

The living room.



The long bench along the one wall was designed and built by Mr. Muirhead. All the seat benches and the seat backs open for storage.



Two walls are glass, creating a stunning view of the beautiful setting.



Another long hallway down to the other bedrooms. Love those windows up high.



The Muirhead family were one of the first settlers in Kane County. They've lived on this spot since the 1860's and this Wright home has been continually occupied by members of the family. It's currently home to Robert and Elizabeth's granddaughter and her family. They've lovingly done an extensive restoration in the last five years.

Have you ever wanted to stay in a Wright home? It's possible because Mike and Sarah Muirhead Petersdorf operate it as a bed and breakfast. Word has it that Mike cooks a mean breakfast. They also offer tours of the home, just contact them to make arrangements.

MUIRHEAD HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST

I hope you enjoyed today's field trip. Did you learn something? I hope so.

For more information about Frank Lloyd Wright, check out the June edition of Smithsonian magazine.

I can't think of any better way to end the tour than to frame myself in a doorway of the most unusual farmhouse I've ever seen.



Fellow blogger and author Cindy LaFerle and her architect husband own a Frank Lloyd Wright home. It's very similar in many ways to this house. They were known as "Usonian" homes that he introduced in the late 1930's. They were meant to bring affordable homes to middle class Americans.

Thanks for coming along with me. I enjoyed your company.

Questions? Just ask. I think I covered everything but I might have missed something.

Mowing and Winning

These days it seems I'm married to my lawn tractor. I'm facing another day of mowing.

It seems like a good time to acknowledge the award I've received from Heidi, the Milk Man's Wife. Heidi got the award from Bob from "The Ranch" out in South Dakota. Hooray, I think we need more men around here, voicing their opinions and hanging out with us. Coffeeman, that means you too!



The aim of this award:

* As a dedication for those who love blogging activity and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

* To seek the reasons why we all love blogging!

* Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it

* Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.

* Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

* Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.

* Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

Unfortunately, I could literally write a book on the importance of blogging and the internet in general. For those of us who grew up in a time when the most technologically advanced item was a plastic transistor radio, the internet is science fiction come alive.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of talented and wonderful people that inhabit our world. The development of the internet created a paradigm shift in the way that information moves. It's the most important shift in the way humans communicate since the Gutenberg Press. It represents connectivity in a way I never dreamed possible.

When I was a kid it was fun to have a pen pal from another country. With blogging I can have a thousand friends overseas. As an example, I have a reader from Poland. There is no way, other than the internet, that I would ever meet her in real life. I will say that the Google translations of her blog are unintentionally hilarious.

The ability to blog circumvents governments. This can be problematic for politicians but I don't care! I can get to know those people in Cuba, such as Yoani Sanchez, who along with other Cuban bloggers are able to present to the world the voice that would otherwise go unheard.

As a group, our collective wisdom is a powerful tool. We can share, we can cook, we can visit France every morning!

A problem arises when we realize that the choices are overwhelming. I've had to pare down my internet reading and for me an e-mail, a Twitter or a Tweet will never replace a hand written letter.

I've discovered, much to my surprise, that I love to write! Even more surprising is that people are willing to read it. At one point in life people were paid to read my stuff, my teachers! My wonderful high school English teacher is doing cartwheels in heaven at the thought that one of her students finds writing a joyful experience!


Miss Eleanor Johnson, Proviso East High School

Bloggers - I love you! One of the rules of this award is that I'm supposed to tag other people, but Mary from the Little Red House and I decided long ago that we'd simply say, "if you want to be tagged, consider it done".

Have a wonderful day. I cannot express how much your friendship means to me and the fact that you take time out of your busy day to read the blabberings of an old dinosaur living in the middle of nowhere.