31 - Go Back! It's too early!

. 

After being gone for four days, this morning, I looked out my back window and saw my daffodils shooting up.  They are about 4 inches tall already.  It's too early!  (especially in northeast Kansas)  It is the last day of January.  We have had such a mild winter that I am not surprised that spring thinks that it needs to arrive early.  While I am all in favor of warm, spring weather, I do not want the plants and flowers to be frozen by a cold snap in February.




This is the end of my first month of posting - and I made it!  I made it through the first month without too many desperation pictures and posts.  Gold star for me!

30 - Hampton in Oklahoma

I could not choose between these two pictures, so today is double bonus day.  I love how the Hampton Inn reflects the local culture.  There are about ten different pictures by each room door and I thought this one was the cutest.  It is very Oklahoma.




Also, on the inside of each of the elevator doors is a different picture.  Hampton Inn participates in a Restore Lankmartks program.  Elevator doors are usually different in each property.  This one caught my eye today.

29 - Happy Kansas Day

Last year, on Kansas Day, on the 150th anniversary of statehood, the Heartland Ringers played at the historic barn dedication of the Shaft Family Barn in Chase County, Kansas.  They have documented that the barn was built between 1859-1861 - and is still standing intact - so it qualifies for the Historic Barn Preservation Rolls.  The barn and farm belong to one of our bell members, Margie Dyck, so we played for the barn dedication.

28 - Boot scraper

This is the front door of the Hampton Inn in Enid, OK.  I really like staying here and it is a very nice hotel.  Today, what caught my eye, was the boot scraper next to the sidewalk near the front door.  There are two, one on each side of the entry way.  I can't think that I have ever seen this by a hotel entrance before.

27 - Driving through Kansas

When you drive from Overland Park, Kansas to Enid, Oklahoma, there is just not a lot to look at.  This trip, we drove directly into a beautiful sunset. This was taken somewhere between Overland Park and Emporia.

26 - America the Beautiful

I call this my America the Beautiful picture.  You cannot imagine how happy we were to finally be in Alaska.  After driving for six days, down steep grades, around curves, across bridges, through white-knuckle-clenching snow, over 3000 miles, we finally made it back to America, into Alaska, and into clear skies.  This picture was taken as sunset approached. 

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
  for amber waves of grain.
For purple mountains majesties,
  above the fruited plain.
America! America!
  God shed his grace on thee.
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

25 - Moon over the church

The moon and the single star, the fading pink sunset - all caught my eye on the way into choir practice.  Of course, the first evening star is usually a planet.  I should look it up to see which one, maybe Mars.

24 - We Need Gas

When you drive the Al-Can highway in the wintertime, if you see gas, you stop and fill your tank - always.  This is one of my favorite pictures of our trip.  When a friend of Beth's saw this picture, she said, 'OMG, do you mean it was just a gas pump by itself in the middle of nowhere?'  There was a tiny 'store' that was like two 8x10 storage sheds attached to each other just to the left, outside of this picture.  The most important thing at this stop was that we got gas and we got to go to the bathroom.  It was -20 at this stop.  Yes, that is NEGATIVE.  It gets colder the next day.  Also, notice the road.  Oh wait, no road to see.  You cannot really see the difference between the snow-covered gas station lot and the snow-covered everything else.  The highway usually had two tracks that where the snow was mostly beaten off of the road.  Notice the green dumpster on the left.  I was highly impressed that they had trash collection out in the middle of nowhere Canada.

23 - Mile 0, the Alaskan Highway

January 23, 2008 - Beth at the signpost at the actual start of the Al-Can highway.  Most people call it the Alaskan Highway, but after you have driven it - through Canada - it is the Al-Can highway.  We had already been driving for three days and just now on the Al-Can highway???  We thought Dawson Creek was small, but that was a metropolis compared to what was coming.

22 - Yo Yo Ma

Last fall, Elizabeth and Susan went together for a combined birthday/Christmas present and got me two tickets to see Yo Yo Ma in concert with the Kansas City Symphony in Helzberg Hall at the new Kaufman Performing Arts Center.  It was the first time that I had been in the center and it lives up to its publicity.  Yo Yo Ma was unbelieveable.  His talent was something that most people, including me, can barely comprehend.  The really nice thing was that he looked like he was having a good time giving the concert.  We were way to the right, but on the third row.  It was fantastic.  Can you tell that I was impressed?

21 - Scrapbooking the Pic a Day

I gave myself a gift today.  I have been scrapbooking my Pic a Day blog.  I don't hurry, but take my time and enjoy it.  Scrapbooking for me is mostly just putting pictuers on pretty paper.  It has been great fun.

20 - to Alaska, 2008

Today is the four-year anniversary of Beth moving to Alaska.  This is a picture of us on the day that we started our 6 1/2 day, 3500 mile drive, diagonally across North America, through Canada, to Anchorage, in her all-wheel drive, Grand Jeep Cherokee.  In the case that Beth is holding is Jane Austen, the cat.  Dad/Ray equipped us as best that he could, with heavy coats, gloves, hats and boots.  Oh, my, did we ever need them!  Looking back on that trip, I have to say that it was just something that had to be done, so we did it.  (Ray had just had shoulder surgery and could not go so it was Mom, Beth, and the cat.)  There is a saying that God takes care of fools and children and I must say that there was one of each in the car on that trip.  It was an unbelievable experience that I don't think that I ever want to repeat in the winter time.

19 - Cavity

I had a cavity that had to be filled so today I went to the dentist.  I'll bet that you have never noticed the tray of tools all clean and laid out, ready for you.  That is because when you are walking to the chair, they hide the instruments of torture under that cute little paper bib that they are going to tie around your neck!  I uncovered their secret today and took this picture.  The long thing by the blue round thing (high tech official terms) is the syringe with the twelve inch needle that they are going to stick in your gum.  (Seems like twelve inches.)  Do you every wonder if they place side bets on how many tools that they can get into your mouth, all at the same time?  Actually, my dentist is very nice and his assistant is very nice - even if they about fell out of their chairs laughing at me taking this picture.

18 - Frost on the Windshield

When you get frost on the windshield of your car, why is it always on the front windshield and never on the side windows?  Why is it always heaviest right in front of the driver?  I took a picture of the whole windshield when I was sitting in my driveway this morning.  Then, as I was driving up my street, I decided that I would like to see if I could get a picture of the individual frost flakes.  After two not-so-successful pictures while I was driving, I finally decided to get smart and pull over to try to take the picture before the flakes defrosted.  For an older camera, this is not so bad.

17 - What's for Lunch?

Okay, some days I am desperate for a picture to take.  Quaker Rice Cakes are really good.  For 60 calories, you can eat something filling that tastes sort of good.  At least you can taste the chocolate and that counts when you are on a diet.  I eat one almost every day for an afternoon snack.

16 - 1000 Places to See Before You Die

I bought this calendar for my Christmas present to myself.  The places in the pictures are pretty obscure sometimes.  I was amazed that I had been to 5 of the first 15 places.  Today's post is a picture of the market in Thailand.  I haven't been anxious to go to Southeast Asia, but the idea is starting to grow on me.  (So does athlete's foot, says my husband.)

15 - Tree Branches

The high today was in the 50's so we went for a walk.  There is a tree on the walking path near our house where there are main branches that grow parallel to the ground, but the other branches grow straight up.  That puts them perpendicular to the branches.  Wierd.  It's not like this is a dense forest.  This is on a gravel walking path behind an apartment complex.

14 - Block Party

This is a picture of my block-of-the-month, 'block party' program at my favorite quilt shop, Prairie Point.  I go to the shop on the second Monday of each month, take in my completed block, and pick up the new block, all for $2.50.  It is $5.50 if I don't have the block finished to take in.  I hang the finished blocks on a wall in my cubby.  The ones on the left are in the 'Agatha Christie' line.  The ones on the right are ones I decided to make from my stash of 1930's reproduction fabrics which is one of my favorite types of fabric.  It is really loads of fun. They pick the pattern, write the directions, and pick the colors. All you have to do is sew.  Today, I went to Prairie Point and registered for a quilting class/club on 1930's and Feedsack fabrics. 

There may be lots of pictures of my quilting that will be posted.

13 - Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

I do! This necklace is made of wooden buttons.  Unfortunately, I did not think of this idea.  I bought this in Curracao last February when we were on our family cruise.  There was a street market full of tourist crap and also a fruit and fish market.  We saw lots of locals buying things, so I know that it was an real market, not just something for tourists.  We when found the stand with wooden necklaces and bracelets and earrings and other wooden stuff, I knew that this was the souvenir for me.

(Who remembers this children's game?  Did I just date myself?  I remember playing it when I was probably 6-7 years old.)

12 - Footprints in the snow

We were supposed to get up to 3" of snow last night.  We got maybe .3".  They way people were carrying on, you would have thought that we were expecting a blizzard.  (See post on Jan. 10 for picture of real snow.)  This is a picture of John's footprints on the sidewalk from our front door to the driveway.  This is not much snow.  It is the second snow of the season, first snow in 2012.  Lucky us.

11 - Handbell Practice

I love handbells.  Each person is responsible for two notes plus the accidentals (flats and sharps).  On Wednesday nights, now I am a floating sub.  Tonight I played A6B6 (middle treble clef for my not so musical friends) and only had four bells which is not bad.  The fun, tie-dyed gloves are my practice gloves.  The only place that I know of to get them is from the Raleigh Ringers after their concert.  They are happy gloves - fun to wear, fun to ring.

10 - Beth's deck

Beth, In Anchorage, took this picture yesterday of the back deck of their condo and I thought it worthy of the daily post.  The blob on the right is the picnic table.  Notice that the snow on the deck is level with the picnic table.  About half way to the back of the picture toward the fence is the end of the deck.  You go down about three steps to a little yard where the dog, Murphy, is supposed to do his business.  Notice that the snow in the back yard is level with the deck and at least three feet deep.  Notice the trench where the dog is supposed to go to the yard.  Apparently, he will go to the end of the trench and that is all.  Anchorage has had a bunch of snow and it is early in the season.  Wow.  We are going up there on February 29th.  Double Wow.

09 - Full moon

Something shiny caught my eye tonight.        Oh, wait!  It is a full moon.  When I am driving home, I drive straight east for part of the way.  This bright full moon was hanging in the sky.  When I got home, I tried to take a picture of the full moon shining through the trees over my garage.  Not the best picture, but the intent was there.  I think that the moon was actually full yesterday, but it is pretty close.

08 - Happy Birthday, Marilyn

If it is your birthday, you deserve the daily post.  Saturday (yesterday) was Marilyn Lake's birthday.  She is the bell director of Heartland Ringers.  She also hosted the bells for a chili feed at her house after we played at Good Shepherd.  She is a really fun lady, a good friend, and a joy to ring for.  Happy Birthday, Marilyn!

07 - Catholic Bells, or Is Something Burning?

I am a member of Heartland Ringers, a community handbell choir.  The group originally came from Stanley Presbyterian, but now practices at Valley View United Methodist, my church.  Members are from about six different churches.  Every year, usually Epiphany Sunday or sometime in January, we play for the 5:00 Saturday service at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.  (Their Director of Music and our director are friends.)  I am so uninformed about Catholic ways, although I am getting better.  We play four songs, Prelude, Special Music, Communion, Postlude.  We are positioned in the choir loft at the very front of the church where everyone can see us, and that is important to this story.  The first tme that I played there, after the Prelude, we were standing there during the part of the service where they bring the elements forward and the blessing.  Father Old Guy was flinging that incense stuff around and gave a couple of extra flings toward the Presbyterians and Methodists in the bell choir.  In a few minutes, I whispered to my neighbor, "Is something burning?  Are the lights overheating?"  People started discreetly looking around at the lights and sniffing.  Finally, our director turned around and said, "Cleta, it is the incense!"  Oh.

06 - End of the Christmas Season

Today is officially the end of the Christmas Season because it is January 6, Epiphany, the day attributed to the Three Wise Men (Kings) arriving in Bethelem to greet Jesus.  Seaboard (where I work) always puts this giant wreath in the lobby of the building.  The 'O' in Seaboard is really a world (for our world-wide businesses).  If you think about it too much, it sounds wierd to hang the wreath around the 'O', but it actually looks nice.  I wondered how long they would leave the wreath up.  They finally took it down on Wednesday, January 4.

05 - Christmas Coffee Cup

In 2004, daughter Susan was a sophomore at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.  Daughter Beth and I flew to Chicago to spend the weekend with her and do some Christmas shopping and have some fun.  Susan took us downtown to the German Christmas market, also known as the ChristKindl Market.  This is an outside market and it was very cold out. We bought hot, spiced, German Gluwein (pronounced Glue-vine) in these souvenir mugs.  I use mine every year from Thanksgiving to Jan. 6th as my coffee cup at work.  The water mug in the background has handbells on it, but that is another post for another day.

04 - Diane's Retirement Lunch

Diane Simmons retired last week.  We, everyone that she directly works with, took her to lunch at Manny's (Mexican restaurant) on her last day, Thursday, Dec. 29th.  She dropped by the office today, in her sweats and sneakers.  That qualifies this picture for today's post.  I worked with Diane for 23 of my 25 years at Seaboard.  That is longer than a bunch of people have been married.  We were to the point that we could finish each other's sentences.  Here's to Diane and her retirement - and my near retirement!

Clockwise from bottom left:  Cleta Moreau, Jeanne Krug, Ann Roth, Angie Childs, Virginia Ramirez, Diane Simmons, Debra Lewis

03 - Holiday Weigh-In Challenge

The Benefits Department at my company sponsors four healthy living challenges for the corporate employees in the building.  One of the challenges is the Holiday Weigh-In.  You are challenged to maintain or lose, but mostly not to gain any weight through the holiday season.  There are four weigh-ins, starting with the Monday before Thanksgiving and ending with the Monday after New Year's.  You must be at or below you initial weight on 3 of 4 of the weigh-ins.  If you are, then you are entered into a drawing for a prize.  Last year, I gained on two of the weigh-ins.  Two years ago, I lost weight on all of the weigh-ins AND won the drawing prize.  This year, I basically broke even on the weight.  I consider that a personal win for me.  The guy in the picture is some guy from a fitness club that offers a company discount.  Yes, my hand is covering the actual number!

02 - Happy Birthday, Rexanna

Today's post is for my oldest sister, Rexanna.  Today is her birthday.  She is a brand new grandma to her first grandchild, Isadora Anna Lee, daughter of her daughter, Vanessa and Patrick Lee.  Isadora was born December 10th and is four days old in this picture.  Rexanna took this picture on her cell phone and sent it to us.  Happy Birthday, Rexanna!

January 01, 2012 Happy New Year!

On New Year's Day, we usually take down our Christmas tree.  Since we were spending Christmas in Seattle at Susan and Jonathan's house, we did not put up a tree at our house.  I decided to share this picture of our family in front of the Christmas tree.  Also, what a great way to start my journal, with a picture of family.  That's better than a picture of black-eyed peas and tamales, which is our other family tradition.

L-R:  Elizabeth, from Anchorage; Jonathan and Susan Holley, from Issaquah; John, from Overland Park; Cleta and Ray Moreau, from Overland Park, Kansas.