2008

Another year comes to a close. I, for one, will be happy to see this one go. The past two years have been major suckfests for me. My resolution for 2008 is to reclaim the happier person I was eight years ago, b.d. I resolve to snap out of this depression and be a happier person with a better outlook and attitude. I'm going to get up every morning and remind myself that I have another chance to be the person I want to be, instead of the pita that I've allowed myself to become. I've become a total bore to myself, so what must I be to all of you? It's time to get my life back.

I'm going to get a sketchbook and start sketching again, every day, with no production quota in mind other than perhaps two hands and two feet. I'm going to recapture my French and see about brushing up my German. And dammit, I am going to lose fifteen more pounds. And so is Queenee.

I'll probably be asleep by 10pm, but for those who are online instead of in front of a television, check out the streaming video from Times Square. There are a couple in Key West, too!

Happy New Year, everyone! May you all prosper and find joy in the coming year!

Holiday Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
   
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
   
3. If something comes with gravy, eat it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
   
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
   
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
   
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of moosemilk ...er, eggnog.
   
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
   
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
   
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory calories, but avoid it at all cost, unless it's loaded with good booze. I mean, have some standards.
   
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Happy New Year and I hope you have/had a great holiday season!

A very Merry Christmas

What a fun day! Dawg, Fluffy and her brother Dave stopped here first, then we went to the D's house. This was the first Christmas at the D's new house, and it was a special Christmas indeed. DamCat outdid herself with decorating and setting up for the Christmas feast, and everything was delicious. Her dad was there, as well as her brother and family. The Peas dressed for the occasion and went out to the main road to wave to the passing traffic and spread some holiday cheer. The Elder Pea had quite an interview when one of the passing cars turned out to be a police cruiser. They stopped and asked her many Christmas questions, trying to trip her up...are they nuts? Our Christmas Pea is not to be trifled with and she answered every question with her usual panache, sending the officers on their merry way with a smile and a hearty Ho Ho Ho!

I cannot even begin to list the presents everyone received. Queenee got a digital photo frame, earrings and a very beautiful bottle of Grappa. PopPop got books, socks and golf balls, and I got some lounging pants, socks, a gorgeous scarf, a book, some fab bath stuff and a Wizard of Oz wristwatch! Then there were the virtual presents, which had us all drooling. I'll drive the Bugatti and Porsche Carrera on alternate days, when I'm not on my yacht. I'll add more stuff to this list later, when I find out what all folks got.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas day as we had here!

Let the Wine Flow for Whatever Your Reason

At this time of year, should I say,

Merry Christmas - lets celebrate the birth of the Christ Child?
... or
Merry Saturnalia!!! Lets party on....

The later seems to be what most folks celebrate these late days of December. I love my Christmas tree but wonder if it is really a Saturnalia Tree. The way the world has evolved, facts and details gone missing, questions unanswered or not asked, just go with the flow. Here in the tropics, the Christian celebration is done at church and the Saturnalia (Roman winter festival) celebration goes right on till the New Year! I seem confused??? You Bet!!! These are just two of many occasions to be celebrated!

We wish you all the holiday traditions you love and enjoy...embrace the old, ring in the new!!! You'll be in our thoughts as we spread good cheer this week!

Christmas in NYC

Queenee and I drove to NYC on Thursday morning. The weather was miserable until we got near Providence, when we were out of the snow and rain. I dropped her and our one suitcase at the Hotel Pennsylvania (which is still open for business!) at about 2pm, then rushed to park the car at a small garage on 30th Street. I had made the hotel reservation a couple months ago, but didn't really give much thought to parking until this past week. Valet parking at the hotel is $100/night, not including the tip - yikes! It's bad enough that three eggs for breakfast go for $11.95. I got on the internet and found a garage a few blocks away that was half that, and if I booked online, I would have a guaranteed spot. The trick is, you have to know when you'll be dropping the car off, because they'll only hold the space for 30 minutes either side of your booked time. I booked for 2pm, and at 2:15pm, I pulled in behind a Range Rover who seemed to be a regular. The man at the garage waved to me and said, "No room, no room," at which point I leapt out of the car and produced my printed guarantee. He smiled at me, then turned to the Range Rover man and said, "Ah, she has the guarantee." I was in. The moral of the story is that reserving a spot online actually works! I left my car and walked to the hotel, two long blocks and two short blocks away.

We went to Macy's that first night, since it was just a block away, and it was mobbed. The hotel and stores were crowded with Europeans; what with the very favorable exchange rate, everything here is half-price for them. We had hoped that it might not be too bad at dinnertime, but were wrong. We heard later that some 40% of New Yorkers hadn't even started their Christmas shopping yet. Wall-to-wall people, but most everyone seemed pretty cheerful. Macy's is open 24/7 until Christmas, and I suspect it is just as crowded at 3am as it is at 6pm. We went downstairs and had dinner in the Cellar, but other than admiring the usual spectacular job Macy's does with decorating the store and their windows, we escaped without a purchase.

Friday was museum day. Queenee knows a woman who works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and we had hoped to hook up with her at lunchtime to say hello, but this happened to be her vacation week and she wasn't there. She did, however, leave us buttons, so we got in for free. Bless her. We made sure we got there early so we wouldn't be bugging someone for buttons during a crunch time.

Our first stop was the Age of Rembrandt exhibit. It is an excellent exhibit, with not only the Met's very fine collection of Rembrandts, but also other Dutch masters such as Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Gerard ter Borch, Pieter de Hooch, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Aelbert Cuyp. Subjects ranged from landscapes to genre pictures, still lifes, seascapes, portraiture, and historical and religious paintings. Holland Cotter, an art critic for the NY Times, had a series of mp3s online with an interactive guide. I set us up with a map and the mp3s on a couple small players, which worked out very well. We didn't bother renting the museum's audio tour, we had our own.

Next we went to see the Met's Christmas tree with its baroque decorations. There was a group of Chinese tourists there, snapping photos despite the signs that clearly ask you not to take pictures. The guard was pissed, and not quiet about it either, reading the riot act to the tourguide who should have given clear instructions to the tour. The guard went on to say, "They sell us toys full of lead, then come over here and see how much more they can get away with. If they were Japanese, they wouldn't behave like this." The tour group moved on and we got a good view of the tree and the decorations. It is beautiful, and even though I've seen it several times, it's still something to see the creche and the angels on the tree.

On to the tapestries. The Met has many tapestries in their permanent collection, but this exhibit was spectacular. Even if you aren't a fan of tapestry, you couldn't help but be impressed by what was on display, the first comprehensive survey of high-quality seventeenth-century European tapestry. About forty tapestries made in Brussels, Delft, Florence, London, Munich, Paris, and Rome between 1590 and 1720 are in the exhibit, along with approximately twenty-five drawings, engravings, and oil sketches. It was very interesting to see the drawings and oil sketches displayed next to the relevant tapestries, and amazing to see how precise the weavers were with even the most difficult designs. The tapestries were loaned from fifteen (or more) countries. Some were faded and worn, but some were in excellent condition, especially considering their age. We learned that a 'common' tapestry might be woven at a pace of one square yard per month, but the finer tapestries took twice as long, and we're talking about some massive tapestries. Very impressive.

We also saw Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, or at least the few restored panels that are currently on tour. These doors are enormous in real life, weighing thirty tons each. The relief sculptures for the panels are very deep, not at all like flatter Greek and Roman reliefs.

There were other exhibits I would have liked to see, but you can only do so much in one day, and we were heading for MOMA next. As it was Friday night, Target sponsors free admission to MOMA from 4-8pm. We took a cab over to 53rd and got in line, a very very long line, and I remembered why I never used to come to MOMA on free admission nights. Still, free is free and the line moved along pretty well. I stood in line even longer to check our coats.

There were three shows at MOMA I wanted to see. The Lucian Freud etchings were on the third floor, so we went there first. I quite like his paintings, but the etchings are very different, completely linear and spare. You really see Freud's ability to draw in these etchings, where there isn't any paint to hide behind. Still, had there been no paintings in the exhibit, I would not have been as interested.

On the sixth floor were the other two exhibits. Martin Puryear is a sculptor who uses a lot of wood, which he sometimes weaves. Had I not known some of these pieces were his, I would not have guessed it, although a few, like 1985's Ole Mole, were familiar.

Finally, we got to the show I most wanted to see, the drawings of George Seurat. When I was first taking art classes, I had one class called Master Drawing, where we were assigned an artist whose style we were meant to emulate. One of the artists I was assigned was Seurat, and let me say right now, it is a LOT harder to do these than it looks. If I had seen nothing else in New York this trip, it was worth seeing this. Seurat was an amazing, gifted artist, with a prodigious output considering he died at 31. He is best known for his pointillist paintings, but the drawings are what I really love. They are almost all done on a heavily textured paper with conte crayon, and they glow. MOMA's exhibit tells us that the drawings were once described as "the most beautiful painter's drawings in existence" and seeing them in person, I believe it. The Seurat show is worth standing in line for, worth the $20 admission fee, worth whatever you have to do to see, it is the best drawing exhibit I can recall seeing, period. I barely slept that night, my head was so full of Seurat's drawings. I have no hope of producing anything close to a Seurat, but I'm itching to get my hands on some textured paper and give it another go.

From MOMA, we walked to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. This is the first year they've use LED lights, but it's just as pretty as ever. There were too many people to get anywhere near even seeing the skating rink, so we headed back to the hotel to give our tired feet a break.

And that was our trip to the big apple. We took our time getting organized on Saturday morning, then checked out before 11am. I walked over to 30th Street to reclaim my car, and you can imagine how happy I was to pay $80 including a good tip for two days of indoor parking. It was a great couple of days, and our Christmas present to each other. What do you give someone who doesn't need anything? A couple days in NYC is just the thing. We were home by 4pm and happy to put our dogs up and relax. Sophia isn't letting me out of her sight.

R.I.P. cousin Eddie H

A sad thing at any time, but especially during the holidays, to lose a family member. Cousin Eddie passed away Dec. 21. He's been very sick for a long time and was thin as a rail last time I saw him, which was a year ago. Charlie called us and prepared us, and he was perhaps the only person who saw that the inevitable was approaching as quickly as it was. He stayed with Eddie during the last few days and I'm sure was a great comfort to Eddie. Be at peace now, Eddie.

More snow and freezing rain

Round two. We got about six inches of snow early this morning, and PopPop and I got out to shovel it before it changed over to freezing rain. We did a fair amount of shoveling, then took a break, then went back out to make sure Queenee's car could at least get out. By the time we started our second shift, the changeover had occurred and the snow was very wet and heavy. Still, we got done what needed doing, even though my shoveling technique isn't good enough to please PopPop. Honestly, I'm out there doing the best I can with crippled hands, arms and feet, stfu already if I'm not doing it exactly the way you are! It's getting done.

Steve drove over from next door with his truck/plow and got the end of the driveway again just after the snowplows had made a mess for the third time. We shoveled out the first two plow piles, but were happy that Steve got the third, because it was a very wet and heavy load by then.

So now it's raining. We're told the rain should stop sometime this afternoon, maybe before the end of the Patriots game. The roads will be a mess tonight when all this changes to ice.

Also, I just finished putting up the annual Christmas radio.blog for the Mote. Have a listen. Playlist 2 is an equal opportunity offender playlist, not for listening to at work or school.

First real snow

We got our first real snowfall yesterday. It started coming down at about 12:30pm, then got heavy by about 3pm. We ended up with about a foot by the time it was over. It's so beautiful! PopPop got Queenee's car shoveled out first thing while I cleared a path to the barn. This was critical, because my old Wheel Horse tractor was in there, snowplow attached, tires chained, and PopPop was itching to give her a go in the snow. While I dug out the chicken coop and my car and finished up the street end of the driveway, he got the tractor battery changed, charged and started her up. And son of a gun, she worked! For a little while anyway; in the end she was defeated by the depth and weight of the snow, but the old girl did her best. At least we didn't have to shovel the entire driveway, and that was a blessing!

My first thought was the chickens and at 7am I went looking for them. I tried to check on them last night, but they were nowhere to be found. Turns out they have a nice cubby hole under a tarp beneath the back room, so they were just fine. I gave them some corn and water to keep them busy while PopPop and I shoveled. Tonight they'll be happy to be able to be in the coop.

Good turtle

Hey, maybe it really was Cathy who came home, slowly walking down the gutter toward our house in Sacramento...

Calling from lock-up

Here's a tip for anyone who might find themselves in some county lockup and making their phone call. USE YOUR LAST NAME.

We've gotten two collect calls in the last hour from the Pasco County Detention Center, from someone named "Billy". Uh, Billy WHO? Sorry Billy, you're in Florida, we're in Massachusetts, and you are shit out of luck and calling the wrong number.

At least, I sure hope you're calling the wrong number. If not, you're still shit out of luck if you aren't clever enough to not assume that anyone here has only ever known one "Billy".

btw, I checked the Pasco County Detention Center website, since they are good enough to have arrest info available online in Florida. No Billy or William that I recognize. Next, I called the detention center. They have 1500 people in lock up and no way of looking for the "Billy" who may be calling here. I suggested they tell people to leave their full names rather than just a first name...just a thought.

Too late to help Billy, though.

Charity for the holidays

I know I'm pretty much strapped for cash for the holidays, what with some major upcoming dental expenses. I'm still thinking about adopting an elderly person. The local mall has a tree with the names of elderly people who have no families and nothing to look forward to for Christmas. Next time I'm in the mall, I'll be checking that out.

Meanwhile, if not local, there are plenty of charities looking for help.

• I'm obviously partial to animal charities. I have links set up to two sites where just clicking makes a small donation. It costs you nothing but a few seconds of your time. Care2 for pets is only one of many click-to-donate causes on the Care2.com website. I am also a fan of The Animal Welfare Site. I have that set up as one of my homepages in my browsers, so when I get online, it's already open and easy to click the link.
• Not as crazy about animals as I am? Rather donate to people? Heifer International has a "teach a woman to fish" philosophy. Rather than giving people food, they give them cows, or goats, or chickens, or rabbits, or llamas, or some environmentally appropriate critter(s). Raising the animals enables the poor to have milk or eggs that they can eat and sell, along with other by-products. Such a simple idea.
• If you have a sense of humor along with a sense of what education in this country should include, you might consider buying a t-shirt or something from The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It may sound silly, but these folks are serious about keeping religion out of science classes. They don't have a problem with religion, they just believe that this country was founded on the idea that, while most people may believe in God, none should be forced to. Besides, it's fun to be touched by His noodly appendage.
• I tend to steer clear of donating to political organizations (except for CFSM), but in these dark times, one group I would consider is the ACLU. It amazes me that they have such a bad rep with Limbaugh conservatives. Their whole raison d'etre is to protect the Constitution. You'd think self-proclaimed conservatives would be throwing money at them. Oh, wait a second, I forgot - conservatives prefer to keep their money for themselves, if they are lucky enough to be ultra-wealthy.
• One Economy is a nonprofit working around the world that brings Internet access into the homes of low-income people, and employs local youth to provide technology training for their neighbors. I especially like the idea of getting young people involved in their communities.
• If you want to donate to your local police or fire department, contact them directly and don't give to one of the telephone solicitors. While some of those might be legit, many are not. The Federal Trade Commission has some advice regarding these solicitations.
• GiveWell collects information on a variety of charities worldwide, and gives you the info. They do their homework and show you where your donation is going. Charity Navigator is similar. You can do a charity search at their site and collect whatever information you need to make a decision about where your hard-earned dollars should go.

I think that's enough. If you have even just a few spare dollars, consider spreading it around. If not this year, maybe next year. But do it some year.

Folding a T-shirt (and other things)

When Miss P was here this past summer, she showed us how she folds t-shirts in no time at all, a mere second or two. She has learned to do this because at her job, she ends up folding boatloads of t-shirts in any given day. With my crooked hands, I doubt her technique would work for me, but I came across a video demonstration with a technique that might be useful for me, and for some of you.

I also found a page about folding fitted sheets, something I think I first saw on Martha Stewart (is there anything that can be done in a house that she doesn't know how to do better than you?). Unfortunately, I won't be bothering with this one. It reminds me of ironing underwear, something I will never, never do.

Dr. Jacobs

Way back in the 1970's, when I was younger and things didn't cost so much, I had a great dentist in Rockland, MA. Dr. Jacobs, to my delight, is still in business, and has his son in practice with him now.

A couple months ago my remaining gold crown popped off. Now I can't really complain too much, it lasted twenty years with the original cement. I glued it back in, but it only lasted a month or so before it popped off again. Then this past Friday night, disaster struck. I lost a big chunk of amalgam, pretty much the front third of one molar. That was something I could no longer ignore. I've chipped other fillings and I've made do without replacing a crown I lost about ten years ago, but this is a tooth I need and would like to retain if possible. Unfortunately, it will most likely need to be capped, as I doubt there is enough tooth left to refill.

I managed to get in to see Dr. Jacobs this afternoon. He cleaned and re-cemented my gold crown, although we both have some doubt about how long it will hold this time. The underlying tooth may need some reshaping. But we'll burn that bridge later. It was great to see him again after all these years. He no longer has my old records, but was glad to see that the two porcelain caps he did for me back then are still in excellent shape. He doesn't think my 2/3 tooth is in any imminent danger of splitting, so I'm scheduled for x-rays and cleaning next month, and we'll go from there.

500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

I know we've all seen this before, but I came across it again this morning and thought it was worth posting here. This video was created by Eggman913, whose videos can be seen at his YouTube listing.

Artists are (I think): Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli , Boltraffio, Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Messina, Perugino, Hans Memling, El Greco, Hans Holbein, Rokotov, Peter Paul Rubens, Gobert, Caspar Netscher, Pierre Mignard, Jean-Marc Nattier, Vigee-Le Brun, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Winterhalter, Tyranov, Borovikovsky, Venetsianov, Gros, Kiprensky, Amalie, Corot, Edouard Manet, Flatour, Ingres, Wontner, Bouguereau, Comerre, Leighton, Blaas, Renoir, Millias, Duveneck, Cassatt, Weir, Zorn, Mucha, Paul Gaugan, Henri Matisse, Picabia, Gustav Klimt, Hawkins, Magritte, Salvador Dali, Malevich, Merrild, Modigliani, and Pablo Picasso.

Happy Birthday, Elder Pea!

The Elder Pea is eighteen today! It's just hard to believe, where did all those years go?

Happy 18th Birthday, EP!!

PopPop, Queenee and I went to DamCat's house for a little informal celebration. We had a delicious soup and whiskey cake that was to die for. Lucky us, we got some to bring home (and of course, PopPop had it for breakfast). Deacon had to leave for Maine earlier in the day for a week-long job, and the guys had to go early Sunday to miss the incoming weather. The D's and P's will make up for the missed day later.

The other big news is that the Younger Pea had her braces taken off this past Friday - what a change!

Flavor - do you has it?

OMG, I wants it!!



Too funny.

One more round above the ground

That's what they call themselves ... PopPop's Wednesday golf group. Not being a Wednesday golfer, I would normally not be making any posts about what happened on any given Wednesday. However, today, the group had one extraordinary hole (get your mind out of the gutter).

Five of them showed up today. For a day in late November, that's not bad. On the 17th, all five hit the green, then all five made par. PopPop says it's the first time that ever happened as far back as he can remember. Ok, his memory isn't what it used to be, but still ... five guys, five pars, all on the same hole. Pretty cool.

I'm not a golfer, but I thought it was worth commemorating.

Lingro

Ever try to think of a word in another language, and you just can't come up with the right translation? Lingro is just what you need. Register for free, then enter any url into the field in step 1. Next, select your language (for example, English to Spanish). Once Lingro has opened the website, you can select any word on the page and Lingro will give you a translation. Lingro does not translate the website itself, just whatever words you select once you've entered the url.

Pretty slick.

Dead in the Keys

From CNN:

At the historic Key West Cemetery, the remains of seven unknown souls were exhumed recently from a pauper's crypt.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner's office is seeking clues to help identify seven bodies.

No one said cutting through 20 years of concrete and silence would be easy. But it was a necessary step toward some day, possibly, giving names to the dead.

Members of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in Florida collected DNA samples to be entered into the FBI's National Missing Persons DNA database.

The hope is that a family member might have voluntarily submitted DNA to the database, looking for a long-lost loved one. If so, an identification could be made, bringing peace to a family.

In all, there are 28 unidentified bodies buried in the Florida Keys.

Some of the bodies have been buried for more than a quarter of a century. Investigators already have determined that none of the deceased originally lived in the Florida Keys. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess...

I guess the Keys are as nice a place as any to snuff it and be buried.

Granny gets her licks in

'nuff said.

I just forgot, m'kay?

From 4029tv.com:

The mayor of an Arkansas town resigned on Wednesday, claiming he was abducted and brainwashed by Satan worshippers nearly three decades ago.

Centerton Mayor Ken Williams said he has been living under an assumed name for nearly 30 years. He had been mayor since 2001.

Williams told authorities he was born Don LaRose and that in the mid-1970s, he was a preacher in Indiana. He said he was abducted and brainwashed into forgetting all about his life as Don LaRose...

Let me see if I understand this. Centerton, Arkansas mayor Ken Williams resigned last week after an injection of "truth serum" made him realize that he was brainwashed by satanists in the 1970s. Williams is actually Don LaRose, a former preacher in Indiana who was married with two kids. In 1980, he changed his identity to escape the unspecified satanists and to ostensibly protect his family.

So he didn't lose his memory, really, he made a plan and ran away. He co-opted the identity of a man who was killed in a car accident in 1958, then got a new life for himself and abandoned his family so he could start fresh. Nice.

Help!

When you wake up early in the morning and can't manage to fall back to sleep, but are still too groggy to bother getting up, do you start flipping through the TV channels, hoping for an old Law and Order episode? I've had some luck finding those on in the middle of the night, but at 6:30am, pickins are slim.

So imagine my delight to find Help! on at that hour. I haven't seen this movie in years, decades even. I remember being not terribly impressed with it, having loved A Hard Day's Night, and in a straight comparison, Help! definitely loses. However, I enjoyed it a lot this time around. Aside from the great music, which still holds up after all this time, the Beatles were funny. The wry sense of humor, the sight gags, the puns, all the stuff I didn't get when I was a young kid made sense now. It's really a pretty good comedy.

Now I want to see A Hard Day's Night again.

Turkey in the Tropics

First and foremost I'd like to send a shout out to the family and friends that were not gathered at the same table on Thanksgiving. It is I think my favorite holiday, no gift giving, no costumes and the like... just good food shared with good conversation and words of what everyone is thankful for - my kind of day.

Mr. R gave a nice display of love and thanks for his sister Miss P, which was embarrassing to her and as she went to stop him from continuing, Mr. L took her hand and said shhhh Mr.R is right, which we all agreed and Mr. R finished his thanks. Our family spoke of a year that was lucky in travel, getting to visit with family we love most in life and the happiness that all is well in the North and with our friends here. Some guests spoke of travels to other countries and the kindness they received from people who lived in poverty but had smiles and happiness to share. Many good things spoken of and thanks given for.

I never know who will make it to the table each year. It is my least stressful holiday; we plan a sit down time, but that never seems to work out, and no one seems to mind if someone is late because there is hot cooked food to pick at in the waiting time. But, when the core group is finally seated, it's wonderful! All the main dishes and two turkeys are on a large table next to the sit down table, which has our condiments including lots of gravy boats, wine bottles, cranberry sauce etc. We allow ourselves to get up, stretch on the way to the other table, refill our plates and sit back down and begin again. The phone rings, responses of "sure, come right on by" are said and food is warmed and served as needed. Some take a plate to go due to work, or come by for pie and coffee. Hilda the dishwasher does her work haphazardly, filled and emptied, but not caring if anything sits 'till late night. As if by magic, all is cleaned up and put away before bedtime.

I too am a person who prepares the day ahead... peel, bake, boil, saute, pie bake the evening prior.

A good friend of mine became a grandmother Thanksgiving morning. I even got time to drive to Key West and visit. Due to the craziness of a couple days with labor and the imminent birth, they had to put off their cooking at home till this weekend. Of course they stopped here on the way home from the hospital and relaxed, ate, little ones got their pumpkin pie, then recouped before heading back home to get some needed sleep a couple islands away. Not as many of the kids' friends stopped by this year. Many are moved away, or married, or reunited with their families, or even old enough now to host their own dinners. They do call, and it's funny how the cycle goes. Mr.R & Miss P even got out a couple times to exchange visits and return. Mr. L had a friend come by boasting about his GB Packers.

Inventory today is pretty good. The wine and eggnog may be gone, but we do actually have some leftovers here for hot and cold sandwiches today. Now that's an added treat! And a few pieces of pumpkin pie to boot! Boy that magic bullet makes fast work of whipped cream for pie! My stove was fixed Wednesday morning just in time!
The oven is on refrigerator mode now, a treasure trove of goodies! I have to tell ya'll, my cranberry relish (cranberries, pineapple, mango, coconut, oranges & raisins) is the best on the planet, be it on turkey, in a sandwich or on ice cream...ohhhhhhhh is it good.

The weather was low 70's, perfect, and is the same today. Mr. R was out doing yard work and just found out there are leftovers in the refrig/oven. Me? I'm still stuffed from yesterday and I think I need a nap since it appears I'm rambling again.

NOW BEGINS VIRTUAL XMAS!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is sad news on the animal front during this holiday week. Mr. Hoggetts has gone missing and is presumed to be in that great chicken coop in the sky. The hens had a rough couple days, looking around for him and being extra cautious in their meanderings around the yard. The Younger Pea is very sad, but did manage to get a few minutes of him performing his tricks on video, which will be edited into a tribute to her rooster friend.

On to the holiday. Preparations started on Wednesday. The Peas came over and helped with cleaning and food prep, so a lot of the work was done before Thursday. It's really the only way to go, get as much done ahead of time as possible, then you reduce the stress and panic during that last busy hour before sitting down to eat.

Thursday morning the neighbors from across the street brought over some cornbread, and it was very good. PopPop has been craving cornbread lately, so their timing was perfect.

Speaking of perfect, the weather was amazing - it must have hit 70F here today, sunny and breezy, not a late November day at all. With oil at $3/gallon, we'll take it!

The D's and Peas arrived at about 11:30am with pies and a cheesy baked broccoli dish. DamCat made her usual delicious pecan pie, a yummy chocolate pie, and a really tasty apple pie. Dawg and Fluffy got here close to 1pm, and actually got to spend some time here, since Fluffy didn't have to go back to work in the afternoon! They brought some very nice white wines and a passel of beer, Mike's Lemonade and Twisted Tea.

Queenee had a big turkey, cooked to perfection, which PopPop carved and served. There were the usual accompaniments: stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, squash, turnip, carrots and parsnips, green beans, broccoli, cranberry sauce...I've probably left something out, but it was lots of food and all wonderful. We sat down at 2pm to eat, which worked out really well, it gave us time to relax and rest up before tackling dessert. Deacon, Dawg and the Peas went for a walk (something we all could have used) after dinner. Danny and Joanne stopped by to say hello. Football on the tube, good food, good drink, good company - what more could you ask for? It was a fine Thanksgiving!

Today, I'm observing Buy Nothing Day. Not exactly a big deal for me, since I'm not a shopaholic anyway, but the thought is there.

Mike Lowell staying with the Red Sox!!

From Sports Illustrated:

World Series MVP Mike Lowell is staying with the Boston Red Sox, meaning the reigning champions will try to repeat with all their key players from 2007.

The Red Sox and their popular third baseman reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a three-year, $37.5 million contract, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.

Team spokesman John Blake declined comment.

In the three weeks since winning their second championship in four seasons, the Red Sox have re-signed their two biggest free agents, Lowell and pitcher Curt Schilling, and picked up options on Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez.

Lowell, a 33-year-old third baseman who made $9 million this season, was seeking four guaranteed years and might have gotten it elsewhere...

FINALLY!

In other sports, the Patriots won again in an unfortunate blow-out against Buffalo. The Celtics finally lost a game, and the Revolution are four for four in the MLS final - four losses in a row. Still, if they keep getting there, maybe they'll win one.

In loving memory ( Jesus Christ )

A-Rod is staying in NY and the Yankees have dropped out of the bidding for Mike Lowell. The Patriots are still undefeated. The Celtics are, amazingly, still undefeated. The Revolution are in the US MLS final for the third year in a row (maybe they'll even win one - hey, it could happen). UConn is #1 in the Big East conference and BC is #2 in the ACC. The Bruins are, well, ok, there had to be one grey cloud, but they aren't terrible. It's good to be a sports fan in Beantown right now.

Did I mention that it's been five years since my lumpectomy? I had my final appointment with the radiologist yesterday and all is well. I'll be off Tamoxifen in another couple months. Yippee!

It's time for a humor break.

Dustin Pedroia is the AL Rookie of the Year

From the Red Sox MLB site:

Back on May 1, when Dustin Pedroia was hitting .182, it would have been hard to imagine that just a few months later that he'd be taking home an award for his excellence.

But Pedroia never lost confidence in himself, and neither did Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

The diminutive second baseman just kept swinging, and his determined approach culminated in the American League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday. Pedroia became the first Red Sox player to win the trophy since Nomar Garciaparra did so in 1997.

Pedroia was listed first on 24 of the 28 ballots submitted by two writers in each league city and second on the other four to total 132 points. The Rays' Delmon Young finished second behind Pedroia with 56 points, and the Royals' Brian Bannister tallied 36 to place third in the vote. Pedroia's fellow teammates Daisuke Matsuzaka (12 points) and Hideki Okajima (3) came in fourth and sixth place, respectively...

Well deserved. I'm happy to see Pedroia won going away. And am I the only person shocked to realize it was just ten years ago that Garciaparra was a rookie? I don't know why, but it seems longer to me.

NOTE: Josh Beckett did not win the AL Cy Young award, which went instead to C.C. Sabathia. Voting took place before the postseason.

-- WABBIT --

Happy Birthday Sistah!!

The Krew hopes you
enjoy your day, wish you the best!
Hugs & Lots of Love,
oxoxoxo

Miss P to the Rescue

Last week was the annual Parrothead gathering in Key West. They always have such a great time and lots of activity during their party week. The Margaritaville Store bustles with Parrotheads morning till night each day and the store workers have their hands full. As manager, Miss P keeps close eye on things and last week she had herself tested once again. A Parrothead fainted to the floor of the store and she sprung into action. At the time Miss P knew nothing other than he was an older man and he was on the floor. She kept everyone calm, got blankets, comforted him and his wife, kept him on the floor relaxed, got 911 there ASAP and assisted in his quick, efficient rescue to the hospital. Then back to work as normal. A couple days later he returned with his wife to thank her for being the best person in the world and a calm factor in a scary situation. His wife at the time of his fainting kept telling Miss P that, "Oh, he's okay, he'll be fine, just lets get him up, he's fine"... Miss P kept her ground, "no I don't think so, lets have him checked out please, the ambulance will be right here in a minute".

Anyway back to the story... they returned to tell her he was fine once again, and that he had had heart surgery weeks prior and had many troubles over the past years and that she was right and thank goodness for what she did.... then they gave her armfuls of Red Sox stuff, World Series shirts, hats, clocks, Patriots things.... she was floored! They were so good to do that for her. It lifted her spirits also! They had called to find out what Miss P liked unknown to her while she had her day off. Anyway, just a little bit of goodness for the day. I'm proud of her!

Gold Glove for Youuuukkkk!

And the Beantown baseball news keeps getting better - Schilling is signed and Kevin Youkilis got a well deserved Gold Glove! For those not in the know, Youkilis began his career as a third baseman and shifted over to first base full-time in 2006, thanks to the BoSox having Gold Glove Mike Lowell on third. Youk did not commit an error at first this year (he made three errors in 13 games at third base). He has played an AL-record 190 straight games at first base without an error, a streak that is only three short of the major league mark set by Steve Garvey from 1983-85 and we know that record is heading South! He'd be two games closer had he played those two WS games, but he'll get there.

Papi had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee yesterday, but he'll be right as rain by Spring training.

Allowing myself a bit of schadenfreude, I'm enjoying seeing absolutely nobody leap to the A-Rod negotiation table. Scott Boras is looking for a ten year, $350 million offer before A-Rod even sits down at that table. I'm hoping that this will be it, the price tag that's just too damn high. A-Rod is in his prime right now, and he's looking for that kind of money for ten years? Didn't he just opt out of the last five years of his $250 million ten year deal with the Yankees? Does he really believe he'll be worth all that when he's 42 years old? More to the point, do Boras and A-Rod really believe anyone believes that? Are these people insane? Did you know Mike Lowell is less than 1-1/2 years older than A-Rod??

Re-sign Mike Lowell!!

Schilling is signed!

The news here has been saying all day that a deal was imminent, and now it's final - Curt Schilling will finish his career right here with the Red Sox! I couldn't be happier! You have to respect the man for doing his own deal, too, no agents or representatives deal for Schilling - it's all him, his wife Shonda, and the Red Sox management team. Good job, everyone!

On to the Mike Lowell negotiations...

It was a damp, dreary day, but we did get a beautiful rainbow just before sunset. The cold weather is back for the rest of the week. It's time to try out my vinegar/water solution on the car windshield to see if it really does keep the frost down to a dull roar.

As a side note, we've found Mr. R's missing cellphone. He left it in the pocket of my blue robe in the bathroom. Queenee had the robe on and felt a lump in the pocket, and there it was. It took us a few seconds to realize whose it was, but it's here and intact. We'll send it along soon.

Damn ex-Yankee

Bad news...Scott Boras is in Orlando. He arrived on Friday and is looking to put A-Rod on third for the BoSox.

Please, Theo, JUST SAY NOOOOOO!!!!!

A-Rod is interested in two things when it comes to baseball: his paycheck and getting a WS ring, in that order. He is not a team player, he is not a clubhouse leader, and with his skills, he *should* be, but he's only in it for himself. He has played poorly every October since he signed with the Yankees. He has a poor attitude. If there is a god, he will NOT be playing in Boston next season.

Contrast him to Mike Lowell. Lowell is a few years older, ok, but three more years of Lowell will be three years where not only do we have a first rate third baseman, we have a first rate leader in the clubhouse. We have someone who knows how to play for a team, who knows how to encourage and nurture the young talent on the team. Lowell is worth a dozen A-Rods. I hope the Red Sox management figures that out real soon.

There was some good news this weekend - the Patriots remain undefeated and came back from a 20-10 deficit to beat Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. From Sports Illustrated:

Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in a four-minute span of the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-point deficit and beat Super Bowl champion Indianapolis 24-20 Sunday. The win in perhaps the NFL's biggest regular-season game ever keeps the Patriots (9-0) on course for the NFL's first unbeaten season since Miami did it 1972 and gives them the first tiebreaker over Indianapolis (7-1) in the AFC playoffs. New England, which had been averaging more than 41 points a game and had beaten eight opponents by an average of more than 25 points, trailed 20-10 after Peyton Manning scored on a 1-yard sneak with 9 minutes and 42 seconds left in the game. However, Brady's 55-yard completion to Randy Moss set up a 3-yard TD pass to Wes Welker. Rosevelt Colvin knocked the ball loose from Manning to force a punt on the next series. Then Brady found Kevin Faulk over the middle for 13 yards for the winning score with 3:15 left. Jarvis Green knocked the ball lose from Manning and Colvin recovered to clinch the game for New England...

Music and video

Key Dear asked me about the music link I put in the sidebar. I went to Ripway, created an account, uploaded some music and linked to the page with links to the tunes. Free accounts don't get a ton of space, but that's fair enough. Also, you have to remember to log in at least monthly, otherwise your account gets deleted.

She sent me a link to a YouTube video of a guy dancing to Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. Is this guy da bomb or what? I love the way he dances, I've been known to do this when I'm doing something in the kitchen. Actually, I do something similar while I'm sitting at the computer and listening to music.

The point of all that is that I've added a video list to the sidebar. Right now, I've got Sharon Jones and this dancing guy listed, so those are the videos that should show up. I can change the list any time, so make some suggestions!

For the Monday workday blues

Having a bad workday? On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson. Be very sure you get this brand!

When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed. Change into very comfortable clothing, make yourself a cocktail and sit in your favorite chair.

Open the package and remove the thermometer. Carefully place it on a table or counter so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins. Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully. You will notice, in small print, the following statement:

"Every rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested."

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, "I am SO GLAD I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson & Johnson."

Remember, there is always someone out there with a job that is more of a pain in the ass than yours.


Thanks for that one, Key Dear!

St. Elsewhere, Youkilis and Noel

Yesterday was eye exam day in town for me. After that, right around noon, I went to see someone for whom I have done a website. Since my pupils were dilated, I went as far as I could through the hospital tunnels to avoid being out in the bright sunshine. My path took me past the waiting room for Ambulatory Surgery. I swear I saw Kevin Youkilis sitting there, reading a magazine. If it wasn't him, it was his doppleganger. I got a really good look at him too, and I'm telling you, I honestly think it was him. I don't know why he would have been there, unless he was taking someone in for a one-day procedure. I've been in that waiting room a few times myself. Anyway, that was the big excitement for me yesterday. Manny and Papi were on the late night talk shows (Leno and O'Brien respectively) and did themselves proud. Manny asked Leno if he was related to Youkilis, noting the similarity of their chins. I guess it was Youk's media day.

We're keeping Wakefield! Tim Wakefield's $4 million option was exercised Friday by the Red Sox after the knuckleballer missed the World Series because of inflammation behind his right shoulder. The Sox also exercised a $3.85 million option on right-hander Julian Tavarez. Catcher Kevin Cash is going after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket (he elected to become a free agent instead).

The remnants of Hurricane Noel are with us right now, in the form of a mild nor'easter. There will be some flooding and wind damage, but so far, it hasn't been as bad as we were told it would be. I think the worst of the wind has passed, but I could be wrong. We've gotten a fair bit of rain, but not nearly what was expected. By tomorrow's Patriots game, we'll be back in sunshine.

Halloween at the Maniac Mansion

Oh what a night! The witches of Cudjoe gathered together a group of friends and neighbors for the yearly Halloween Party. This year it was here at the Maniac Mansion. I received many B-day cards, those sneaky *W*itches!!!!! Lots and Lots of fun was had. It did not rain the entire evening, but rained on several islands north, south, east and west of us. Tell me we aren't witches!! Very Very breezy, in fact too windy for using the upper roof deck (except to relieve the occasional witches hot flash!). I actually remembered to take pictures and received a few from others this morning which I'll share in the album. We missed a few folks, those that came early, came late, stayed late, left early...you know how that goes. I may get a few more add-ons later. For now, click on the post title to see pictures.

There were trick or treaters this year. Logito stayed home, and Mr. R also came and stayed. Miss P had her Party in Key West with friends at her place.

I think I'll leave the cobwebs up till Xmas...LOL!! Oh, and if you're wondering about the pictures, I made my great-room into the Kitchenroom. I love it!! The livingroom has its own room now.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Red Sox on parade

From Dam Cat:

Yes.....we did it!! Me and the Peas made the trek into town for the BIG celebration.

What can I say.......AWESOME!! Front and center on Tremont Street, almost on the curb, 2nd people in. WHOO HOOOOO! Got to see "the dance" up close and personal...WOW!! I don't think you'll see Papi on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon, but no matter. We need him to keep his day job!!

We had a GREAT day. As you can tell we were REALLY, REALLY close. I could see the duck boats coming down the street, so I turned on the camera, and saw what? ... "memory card is full" ... HUHHHH!??! So, the Elder Pea really quickly started deleting stuff (glad we had Nan's b'day pics on the computer already!). And you know what? At that point in time, I couldn't have cared less about the last mantle my husband built...sorry! Off they came. So now I'm thinking I'm golden, right? NOOOOOO. The camera dies. No power. So the boats are coming and I'm turning the camera off and on to get as much juice as possible (hubby was severely scolded later for not charging the damn thing). Anyway, here's what I got. I could have gotten a lot more, but guess I'll have to wait till next year! As the Elder Pea will tell you, the ONLY one that matters is Jacoby Ellsbury. Good thing that one came out or she would never have forgiven me. And bro, I wasn't trying to take a picture of the "furniture guys", that's Manny on the back of the boat (with his back to me). Sorry it isn't better. But I did give him a big yell and a thumbs up. I tried.

Trust me. .... IT WAS GOOD! Well worth the trip!

And here are her photos! PopPop and I watched on TV and looked for DamCat and the Peas, but never did see them. I called the Younger Pea's cellphone to find out where they were, but she didn't have it with her. She told me later she had no idea where they were anyway (but her mom could have told me!). Oh well. They had a great view and a great time, and we got to live the experience vicariously through them!

RED SOX WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS

My lord,, it's final..... and not a day too soon, or I'd have been in Betty Ford by mid-week!

I've danced the Papp-Youk and could possibly go on the road with them I'm so good at it. My Red Sox good-luck lighter still has some juice to it! Yes folks.... I was doing the "this little light of mine" routine as well as drinking from a Indians Coolie while jumping up and down.

Red Sox Nation is contagious. I have to tell you besides all the "Fam" calling back and forth, I get more than a few folks calling me each night to ask questions, wish the Bosox good luck, call me after a great play, and these are not baseball fans!!!! They are just all caught up in Red Sox Nation! Last night one call was about "Why are the Rockies fans waving white towels like crazy?" I replied, "they are giving up, just like the Tribe did". My friends reply, "Thanks, I thought so. I'll call you tomorrow." So, that tells you that even a novice took my white flag answer with no questioning!

I don't want to get started in on the A-Rod announcement last night (YET! there's still time to gripe about that) - the worst PR move in baseball history and I'm more than annoyed at it all. Having 10 days to spew his Assness to the world and he picks last nights game. Shame on him and his people!

We are on a roll with this team. If any of our players are traded now, I feel that it will bring another curse upon us.

Lowell is awesome. I know you were waiting for me to say that! MVP!!!! Yup Yup!! A huge thanks to Capt V!!!!!!! Jason, you are the brains/brawn for the pitching and we noticed!!!! Tonight I'll finally sleep. We did it!!!!! Congratulations Boston!!

Wake up!

DamCat sent this to me and it is SO true! Sophia goes through this routine pretty much every morning with me, except for the bat part. But isn't it nice that a bat is included, in keeping with our current baseball commentary?! Still, just in case, I think I'll hide the broom...

Do or die

It's do or die for the Rockies now. On a night when rookies ruled, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia sparked the Red Sox from the top of the order, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and Boston beat Colorado 10-5 on Saturday for a 3-0 Series lead.

Ellsbury became the first rookie in 61 years with four hits in a Series game, getting three of Boston's seven doubles. Pedroia had three hits, including a bunt single that helped spark a six-run third against Josh Fogg, who allowed 12 of 19 batters to reach. Even Dice-K got a hit that scored two runs. Honestly, who saw that coming?

Colorado didn't go down without a fight. Down 6-0 in the third and seemingly out, they came back with two runs in the sixth. The Rockies then closed to 6-5 when Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer in the seventh on Hideki Okajima's first pitch. But the Rockies' chance to get back into the World Series vanished into Coors Field's thin air. Ellsbury lofted an RBI double down the right-field line off Brian Fuentes in the eighth that just eluded Brad Hawpe's attempt at a sliding, backhand catch, and Pedroia followed with a two-run double to right that made it 9-5. Jason Varitek added a sacrifice fly in the ninth of a game that took 4 hours, 19 minutes -- the longest nine-inning game in Series history.

Tonight Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox against Aaron Cook in a matchup of pitchers who made it back to the majors after major medical problems. Lester overcame lymphoma, while Cook came back from a blood clot.

So much for the recap, borrowed, reorganized and edited from SI. Manny was out, although I still have a problem with that call. The home plate umpire was not in a position to make the call, and it was pure luck that he got it right. Also, how about we settle on what the strike zone is, m'kay? Why is it three or four inches wider if you are a Colorado pitcher?

At the start of the game, having picked a few winners in the Breeder's Cup earlier in the day, I said we should guess at the final score for this game. PopPop went with 5-2, Red Sox. I said 8-5, Red Sox. Sooooo close!

Finally, I have two words for Joe Buck and Tim McCarver -- SHUT UP. Seriously, these guys suck major league ass. I have said right along that Fox would be far better off, and might gain some sports cred, if they'd get the local broadcast teams to sit in and call the local games. One thing is for sure, these two jamokes have to go.

Googlepages

It occurred to me that Google, with its vast resources, must be hosting webpages other than Blogger pages, and sure enough they are.

If you have a Google email address, you can go to Google Pages and make a page for yourself. They have several templates available and an easy-to-use wysiwyg set up (what you see is what you get). I made a rather annoying page with a Halloween widget that you can see here.

So go ahead, make yourself a webpage!

Go Red Sox !!!

Red Sox won again!... are you feeling it???? i know you are!!!

With all the talk about who is pitching for the BoSox this weekend using National League rules, and the questions as to how and where to put David Ortiz in, this is my call as I see it...

Dice-KKKKK starts (wabbit is checking on his hitting record somehow) when he is ready to be pulled (depending on inning & score) either Big Papi or CoCo will be put in as the pitcher to bat at the plate and taken out when it's time to go to the field, and so on. Can we call them relief-pitcher-hitters? You can tell by my comment posted last night that taking Lowell or Youk out of the game would be insane. I, myself was insane last night thinking they might be serious about doing it!

Was I excited last night after the game? if you caught my wild and crazy post this morning I hope you had a good laugh, because I did. We'll all sleep well tonight, and be rested for Saturday's game.

I'm thinking S W E E P !!!!!!!!!! and won't that be S W E E T !!!!!!!

Happy Birthday PopPop!

Not that he ever looks at the blog, or even knows how to turn a computer on, but the sentiment is here for all the world to see.

Happy Birthday, PopPop! 79 years young and counting!

We'll have a little gathering for mac and cheese, cake and ice cream, and our own rendition of Happy Birthday for the old fart, who loves it all in spite of himself and his protestations! Then everyone heads home early, since PopPop hits the hay by 8pm, in time for the opening pitch of game two of the World Series.

Red Sox climb over the Colorado Foothills

So much for the shadow of the Bambino.

I sure hope the Red Sox get this kind of hitting behind the pitchers who really need it, like Schilling and Dice-K. Josh Beckett can hold his own quite nicely, thank you.

If the long layoff didn't hurt their hitting, it seems the pitching for the Rockies got rusty. I would have thought the pitchers would gain by having some extra time off, but it doesn't appear to have worked that way for Colorado. Or maybe the Sox just had an extraordinary day. The Red Sox crushed the Rockies in the opening game of the World Series, 13-1. This win matches the Red Sox Series winning streak of five games for the first time since 1915-16.

All kinds of records were set: most runs scored by a team and the largest margin of victory in the opening game of the World Series (the 1932 NY Yankees and 1996 Braves scored 12 runs each in their openers); the most extra-base hits by a team in a WS (8 doubles and a home run - the 1906 Chicago White Sox and 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates also had eight doubles); the 12 combined doubles were a Series record; first pitcher to strike out the first three batters (and actually, he got the fourth as well); first lead-off hitter to hit a home run, a rookie no less, and on the second pitch! Franklin Morales was called for the first Series balk since David Weathers of the Yankees in 1996.

Morales got just two outs and was charged with seven runs for a 94.50 Series ERA. With 64 post-season RBIs, Manny Ramirez moved ahead of David Justice for second all-time behind Bernie Williams (80). The only Red Sox player to not get an RBI was Mike Lowell, but he hit and got a couple walks, so he was on base and able to score. 11 of 13 runs were scored with two outs. I don't know if that's a record, but damn!

The Rockies had a horrible day. Credit Beckett for keeping their hitters out of the game, but the Rockies' pitching was something else. Starting pitcher Jeff Francis gave up the most baserunners (13) by a Game 1 starter since 1982 (Bob Forsch). Morales gave up more runs (seven) without getting three outs than any relief pitcher in postseason history. Ryan Speier became the first pitcher to walk in a run three times in the same World Series game. The biggest stat for them was the fifth inning, when with two outs, Rockies pitchers faced 23 batters with a chance to end an inning and succeeded in retiring the batter only four of those times. That's a two-out OBP of .826.

And how classy were the Red Sox after the game?

"I executed just enough pitches today to survive," Beckett said. "That's a good lineup over there. You can tell how hungry they are."

"This is a tough series and a tough team," Youkilis said. "There's a reason why they're here."

The Rockies are a class organization as well.

"It's a big loss, Game 1 of the World Series," Todd Helton said. "But knowing the heart of this team, we'll come back tomorrow."

'Nuff said. GO SOX!!

Happy Birthday my sistah!

Today is Key Dear's happy birthday - the Red Sox will win for her!

Have a happy happy day, Key Dear, wish you were here to do the Papelbon with us! xoxoxoxox!

I would have posted this much sooner, but we've been offline since yesterday afternoon. High winds knocked out the power and evidently toasted our FIOS connection as well. I have a new box downstairs, a new cable, and a new router, and all is well.

Mission: FIND THE BLACK PEARL

The Red Sox bullpen parrot has been missing since Tuesday! Mike Timlin has put out the word to find the stolen mascot! Boston, keep your eye's and ears open. Who could do such a thing!!!!


UPDATE: PARLAY FOUND!

BOSTON RED SOX

What a team..... What a game......

Great Win! Now, on to the WORLD SERIES!!!



Here is a nice game summary.

On to Game 7

I'm not a big fan of blow-out scores, even when my team wins. What I did like about last night's game was that hitters who had been struggling got hits and RBI's, and the pitchers held up. J.D. Drew must be over the moon with that grand slam, and I bet it's a relief to him. Curt Schilling pitched yet another postseason gem. No walks, not one. Schilling improved his career postseason record to 10-2, allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings. Even Eric Gagne pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Let's hope Dice-K does well tonight. And won't it be fun to see Beckett come in as a reliever! Everybody do the Papelbon!!



Defensively we also played well, but that isn't such a surprise. Our favorite Lowell made his usual outstanding contributions, including that fab bare-hander to end the game. Nice to see the Elder Pea's future husband be part of the starting line-up. I'll be surprised if Ellsbury isn't in center field again tonight.

However, the umpires continue to suck. I suppose I should give them the benefit of the doubt, they are only human after all, but the strike zone has been all over the place throughout the series, both here and in Cleveland, and that didn't change last night. I saw the exact same pitch go to the exact same spot in one inning, I think the second, and get called a strike once and then a ball. Maybe it was later in the game, because I'm pretty sure Lowell was the batter. Two strikes, then a ball, and the TV coverage showed three balls. Unreal. Does baseball really need instant replay? Maybe they'll end up doing what tennis and football have done - give the teams each two challenges, which disappear if the original call stands. I doubt whether challenges would be able to be used on ball/strike calls, though, games would go on for days. Maybe we should stop replaying the pitches with the strikezone box on TV and accept that the homeplate umpires are only going to get the call right 70% of the time.

INDIAN GIVERS! ! ! ! !

At 9:20 this evening Manny and the Boston Red Sox were shown the Tribes hospitality! Even after several replays, a huddle by the squaws (umpires), a white mark on the TOP OF THE WALL beyond the yellow line, and guess what???? INDIAN GIVERS!!!!!

It's TRIBE TIME!!

The Ghosts of the Boston Red Sox are gonna drink from the sweet victory of Tribe Tonic!!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!

Bird spotting

Yesterday morning, PopPop and I were having our respective cups of tea and coffee when I spotted the red-bellied woodpecker on the cherry tree. We haven't seen him for many months, since March, I think. But there he was, big as life, and bless him, he kept coming back to that same spot on the tree. I figured I'd try to get a quick photo of him before I started my usual Wednesday housecleaning, and an hour or so later, I did. So imagine my surprise and delight at seeing not one, but two red-bellies on the tree! We have a pair! The males and females are pretty much identical, especially from this distance, so I don't know which is which, but maybe we'll get some baby red-bellies next year. They are striking woodpeckers, we hope they'll stick around so we can see more of them.

No jury duty for me

I was rejected for jury duty yesterday, for a case I would dearly loved to have been a juror (forcible child rape). Now, was it because I am taller than either attorney? Was it because I have an uncle who is fighting extradition on a similar case? Was it because I corrected my name with the court officer, since I am no longer hyphenated? I suspect the latter, no doubt it made me look like an uppity bitch, but ultimately it doesn't matter. They'll have another crack at me in three years.

It would be nice if the process could be organized a bit better. We were required to be in the courthouse at 8am, but didn't even have the orientation presentation until 10:30am. We finally got into a courtroom for jury selection at almost 11:30am. There were maybe forty or so people to choose from, and only the one trial that needed a jury, so the lawyers were pretty free with peremptory challenges. By the time I was rejected, and I was #23, there were only four folks who had been deemed suitable for sitting on this case. At least we were free to go at that point, instead of having to sit around and wait to be rejected for another case.

Painting the back room

We were lucky enough to get Key Dear for a weekend again. We've seen a lot of her this year, it's been a real treat! She even managed to get on an earlier flight, which avoided the rush hour traffic we would have hit had she been on the 3pm arrival. It also meant we had an extra few hours with her.

Queenee went to Foxwoods with Bev and MaryLou this past weekend, which gave Key Dear free rein with the back room. Queenee bought a gallon of paint before she left and that was all that was needed. The wall was painted, the woodwork and baseboards were cleaned, the furniture rearranged, pictures hung, plants sprayed and moved into the house, and it all happened in just three days! That girl can work! The room looks great, especially the furniture arrangement. Queenee hasn't even moved anything yet!

We went to the D's and Peas' house for the Red Sox game Friday night. We had a great time. Dam Cat made a delicious calzone, Deacon poured a great bottle of wine, and Dam Cat had a surprise birthday cake for Key Dear, who won't be here for her real birthday in two weeks. A yummy Boston Creme cake, natch, and the Sox won. Too bad they've lost the subsequent two games, but all hope is not lost yet. Maybe they should go rub Tom Brady's head for luck...

Here I Go Again !!

To say I've put in some travel time is an understatement for me this year. If you asked me six months ago what my summer and fall would be like, I'd never have had a clue. This Wednesday I take to the skies again for Boston. If you're confused, don't worry, so am I !! After I agreed to make the trip, and ticket was booked, I finally used my brain and said "what the hell are you doing?" !! I thought the circus only came to town once a year... but noooooooooo, three times is the charm! LOL! I look forward to a wonderful few days, the Wabbit and I have a project this time, and by now she could drive to the airport on autopilot. I'll be flying home with a friend from Key West who has three tiny doggies and cannot fly alone. We take first flight out of BOS Sunday morning and arrive in MIA 8:30am. We'll drive home from there.

I wish I could say that I have Red Sox tickets behind the dugout, but I don't. I have a comfy seat in front of the TV with wild family Sox fans!! It will be great!

BTW, check out the video in the title link, it has some similar experiences of mine in the friendly skies!

Queenee and PopPop's anniversary

Queenee and PopPop did not celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, but PopPop didn't forget about it entirely. When he took Queenee's morning coffee up to her, he wished her a happy anniversary. Hooray for PopPop!

I, on the other hand, forgot it completely until Key Dear mentioned it today. So, a belated happy anniversary to Q&P!

R.I.P. Flower

First Carlos, now Flower.

Perhaps not all of you have been following the adventures of the Whiskers mob on Discovery Channel's Meerkat Manor, but those who have must be as sad as I am at the loss of Flower. The matriarch of the enormous Whiskers mob, a strong leader and a devoted mother, Flower's loss will be a huge turning point for her family group.

There are critics who say the show anthropomorphizes the meerkats too much. No doubt there is a lot of that happening for the tv show, but at the same time, the documentary aspect stands. Imagine what must go on when the cameras aren't rolling in exactly right location; what must happen off-camera that the editors never get to see and use to enhance the drama of an already very dramatic life? Just look at the Whiskers' pups, Len and Squiggy (who had a deformed leg), both lost to life in the Kalahari, and Axle (rescued by Mitch, adopted by Flower, unbelievably, when he was left behind by the Zappa mob).

Flower has been the biggest star of the show since its inception. She died trying to save her latest litter from a cobra, and received a fatal bite on the face for her efforts. She will be missed by more than the Whiskers could ever imagine. There is a pretty good synoposis of the show and the meerkat families at Wikipedia, for those who might want to catch up.

The world would be a better place if we all lived by the Meerkat Motto:

Respect the Elders, Teach the Young,
Cooperate with the Family.
Play when you can, Work when you should
Rest In Between.
Share your Affection, Voice your Feelings,
Leave your Mark.

GO RED SOX

Can I hear you say with authority.....

MVP = MIKE LOWELL

Just the sound of his name on the air gives me chills.......
Just the sound of his name makes me think Red Sox...........
Just the sound of his name makes me think success...........
Say it Loud.... Say it Clear.... MIKE LOWELL !!!

Meanwhile, some videos to enjoy:

Papelbon loses his shit and goes River Dance on us

As if that isn't enough, Youklis joins in

Not to be outdone, announcer and former Red Sox 2nd baseman Jerry Remy warms up

We love Matt Damon

I totally want to sit with this guy at a Red Sox game - he's wicked cool!

CSI at the MOS

Maybe we're just more hardcore CSI fans than most TV viewers, but the Elder Pea and I went to the CSI exhibit at the Museum of Science, and we had a blast. It turned out to be something quite different from what I expected. I thought there would be displays and such, but did not expect to be taking notes and following clues. It was fun.

First, we were photographed. What is going on these days, wherever you go someone wants to take your picture and sell it back to you. We were photographed at the NE Aquarium and at Fenway Park, and now at the entrance to the CSI exhibit. So we knew the drill, and the people lined up ahead of us were doing the usual line-up type pose, so the Pea and I decided to do something more appropriate to the exhibit. A couple in line not far behind us did virtually the same pose. Obviously, I bought these photos.

Next, we were assigned to Crime Scene Two: Who Got Served?, which turned out to be a suspicious drug overdose with some tire treads thrown in to boot. Needless to say, we are SO hired. We went from the crime scene to the various evidence rooms and came to the conclusion that this particular young woman, like so many, had bad taste in friends.

We also saw a live porcupine, a youngish female, quite tame and gorgeous. Another good day at the MOS.

Then my remaining gold crown fell out, so we headed for home.

Jawing the night away

You wouldn't think rheumatoid arthritis would be a problem in your jaw. You would be wrong. I've been having small flares in the left jawbone over the last couple years or more, to the point that sometimes I can barely eat. Not that that is a crisis, lord knows I could stand to lose another fifteen pounds, but it's a drag to have to manually pry your teeth apart just to fit in a small grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. Sigh. Overbites suck.

It's a real learning experience, having rheumatoid arthritis. It's really surprising how many 'joints' you have problems with that you never even knew existed. To date, the most surprising one was the pain I had a couple years ago in the manubruim. Who even knew there was enough cartilage in a breastbone to create a problem? Still, it was very painful, especially when I coughed, but even breathing was a pain.

Otherwise, things are pretty good. The pain in my right calf is subsiding, though I really should have that checked out. Tamoxifen is known for increasing the risk for blood clots, especially in the lower leg.

I spent today helping Queenee's boss's wife make some travel arrangements. She admitted she needs to take a class about doing this kind of thing online, which got me thinking. She is my age, and her knowledge of computers and the internet is abysmal, as is her husband's. That's fine, they don't work on computers, so their knowledge doesn't need to be more than minimal, but at times it isn't even that. Maybe one day next week I'll go to the local senior center and see if there is any interest in having a computer class. Just basic stuff, how to use email, how to view family photos, how to navigate the web, that kind of thing. Having taught this kind of class in the past, I'm certainly more than qualified to teach the basics (and way more than that), and I'd feel like I was doing something useful. Something to consider, at any rate.

Laptop Project Set for 2 Weeks in Nov.

Seems this project is moving along pretty good now...

I was hoping that the cost of US kids computers would have been much lower, considering the tax base pays for the schools computers here on our soil.

How about sending some of those $188 computers to the poor children in the mountain coal towns that still have one room schools, and maybe even a teacher from the Peace corps or a Vista volunteer (are they still around?) to show them how to use them along with reading and writing. Why is it always about some other country in need???? This friggin country doesn't want to look in it's own backyard or even acknowledge that it has poverty beyond comprehension!!!

People die in the wonderful USA due to starvation, living conditions, no ways and means to get out of the plight of their life due to illiterate parents, poor schools, minimum wage jobs with no health care, etc. I'm thinking that this friggin government wants them poor and stupid so when the time comes that the government wants their land, it's primed for the stealing.

I don't know what got me on this rant, just thinking about healthcare and what's been going on here in this country I guess. Why don't the rich assholes that spend $500,000 on a wedding for themselves give something back? How about sending some to their fanbase, show some appreciation for their fans who support them in making all that ridiculous money! Maybe lower the ticket prices to concerts and sporting events.

I need more coffee.....

Lymphedema

What a gorgeous day it was, bright blue sky, no clouds, low humidity and warm, but not too hot. The Elder Pea helped me push furniture around this morning and both Peas did some house cleaning for Queenee and me. Queenee is in no shape to be doing much that involves her right arm, since she scratched herself, didn't properly disinfect, and now has a bout of lymphedema to deal with.

I drove her to St. Elsewhere, which was an adventure in itself. We left home at noon, and ran smack dab into the Allston/Brighton Pride parade (not a gay pride parade). What a mess. Most of the major streets going from the MA Pike to St. E's were blocked off. What stupid idiot decided to block three out of four streets that go to and past the biggest area hospital? At one point, as we were sitting in a traffic jam down yet another side street, I asked a cop, "How are we supposed to get to the hospital from here?" His reply was, "St. Elizabeth's? I have no idea." So what are you doing directing traffic in Brighton? Luckily I know the area and we finally finagled our way around and up to the emergency room. Unbelievably poorly planned parade.

Then we got to sit in the hospital for two hours before Queenee finally saw a doctor. The good thing is she isn't in any pain, so we watched the Patriots beat the crap out of the poor Buffalo Bills for some of the time. The doctor was very nice. He had her hooked up to IV antibiotics and wrote a prescription for oral antibiotics that she'll start taking later tonight. She has to go back in tomorrow, and as long as the redness and heat that is evident in her arm has reduced, she'll be kept on oral antibiotics and sent home. We got home around 6pm.

So Queenee and I missed most of the beautiful day, but she wasn't serious enough to warrant being admitted to the hospital. Maybe next time she'll remember to make a dash for the isopropyl alcohol!

Presents

My ability to be at Queenee's Party was a gift from Wabbit, Dawg and Fluffy. Wabbit made some of the arrangements, picked me up and dropped me off so I could get there from Key West. Wow. Besides the expense of it, the thought and time were present enough. What a wonderful surprise for Queenee, and for me to be there with all the family for the party. I miss everyone so much and after the visit this summer it surely was a shock to see me appear once again.

Damcat gave a wonderful party and had everything under control so wabbit and I could relax and party the day away. Having hosted many parties ourselves, we really appreciated being able to come, relax and enjoy without worries of "did I forget something" hanging over us. Thanks for the great time.

And as usual, coming up is always much more than being there. I'm always fed and given the very best care. Always a treat! This past weekend I escaped from my usual housework at home and know that it meant more work for wabbit to make it all seamless, special and a SECRET! Great job, thank you!!

I was able to deliver in person my present to the Queen...three prints by Brian Andreas "Story People". It is always hard to find the right gift for someone you love and always want to give a memorable one. I chose his Wish List, Before Dawn, and Living Memory. I love his work. But nothing you can buy compares to being there to give a hug and kiss yourself. My visual gifts that can be seen daily can't compare to the special weekend Mom had with all her children together.

The Krew was excited to get a virtual tour with the stories and pictures here on the blog. It was great having time with wabbit, I miss my sistah.