When I think of Halloween, I think of the Munsters. I loved the show and thought it was so clever that Lilly's normal niece, Marilyn, lived with them in the spooky mansion, so that she could attend nearby Westbury College. She was also busy looking for a husband. Nothing surprised Marilyn at the mansion ... she was a trip. And while Lilly made all of the decisions, overall, they were a typical blue collar family of legendary monsters and they tried to be good citizens and role models to society. That's what made them so much fun.
There is plenty going on tonight to celebrate the Holiday. People sure go all out here with their decorations and there are costume parties at many of the bars and clubs. Ron and I used to participate wildly in Houston and won our fair share of prizes along the way ... Punk Rockers, Dracula and his Mistress Victim, Mr. and Mrs. Clean ... but tonight we are staying in. We have our huge pumpkin at the mailbox, our lights up and our ghost in the window. Maybe next year we will have a bit more energy for dressing up and going out.
Yesterday we saw Dr. Bryan Wellman, Ron's Neurosurgeon, for a cat scan and the first follow up visit after leaving the hospital. Ron viewed the scan of his injured brain for the first time ... that was heavy. But comparing it with yesterday's scan was awesome. He is doing so well that he has been released from Dr. Wellman's care. What a great feeling it must be for a man like Dr. Wellman to save someone's life. I can't deny that it showed both in his eyes and on his face.
I had a melt down in the car when we left the Van De Mark Building. I had some fear about the appointment that I hadn't acknowledged to Ron, nor myself. It started slipping out so I let it do just that ... it was necessary and it was good. And it led to things being said between us that were good.
So we are home now. Home is wonderful. And it's going to be a gorgeous, sunny and warm weekend. And since it's Halloween, that means a long cold winter is not far behind. Now around here, that can be as frightening as Grandpa Munster. But I can handle anything with my Boyfriend by my side ! Love from The Prairie. xoxo.
Ron and I were driving up 4th Avenue, SW earlier this week and this gorgeous tree caught our eye from a couple of blocks away. I stopped for the Photo Op and we weren't sure what type of tree it was until I was almost right underneath it. We weren't looking at leaves at all. It was loaded with teenie tiny little Crab Apples. Their name is so cutesy pie.Crab Apples make great jam and are also used to give cider recipes a nice "woody" kick. Their trees are self sterile and they don't have sex, so self pollination is impossible. I think that means they don't masturbate. They require cross-pollination between themselves by insects. Honey bees to the rescue ... they get to have all the fun, freely visiting the flowers for both nectar and pollen, back and forth, making love between the girls and the guys.Fall here certainly can't compete with the colors you would see while riding in a hot air balloon over the Connecticut Countryside; however, I think we've got it going on in this case. Just look at the result of our drop in temperatures and all those little bi sexual bees having group sex.
This lovely sculpture of Saint Anne is mounted on the old rounded entrance to the hospital I was born in, here in Watertown, which was named for her. The hospital has grown tremendously and is now known as Prairie Lakes. Things change and I am OK with that ... but during the necessary expansion, a new, totally boring entrance was moved to the opposite side.
They left Saint Anne and the child at what is now the back of the hospital, and what I feel, is a totally disrespectful place. To begin with, guess who the child is? It's Mary, Jesus' Mother, for Christ's sake !!! And the two of them are now next to the industrial workings of the hospital, the loading dock and the dumpsters. If you didn't know they were left there, you would never look up and take in their beauty. I can't even begin to imagine how many people have missed this awesome sculpture, as well as the opportunity to be reminded that health and healing go hand and hand with Spirituality.
Saint Anne is the Patron Saint of many things, including women in labor, mothers, housewives, equestrians and miners. Her official Feast Day is July 26th, but for me it's today . I am sending some respect her way. And if I ever have the opportunity, I'm going to slap the architect, for all of us, who didn't have the wisdom, or the courage, to build the new entrance around Saint Anne and Mary.
The new 007 Movie, Quantum of Solace, opens on November 12th. I snapped this photo from the movie poster last weekend. There wasn't anyone around so I considered stealing it. It had biggie staples in it and the only tools I had on me were my nails. The angel on my shoulder reminded me that doing this would, indeed, be a sin. James Bond and I go way back. When I was old enough to read books ... real books that is ... I went for the Ian Flemming collection that was at our house. I secretly blew through all 14 of them, and I was pretty revved up about life, living it full of action, and doing so with gorgeous men and sophisticated women. I was influenced much more by these intense racy novels than I was by having been educated at The Immaculate Conception Catholic School here in Watertown. I am pretty hung up on our new 007. So much so, that I've had to end my relationship with Keith Urban. The Secret Agent Man and I have much more history. I am quite familiar with his artsy film career due to our many trips to Landmark Greenway Cinema in Houston. And I've exhausted his library at Netflix. Sounds like an engagement ring is in order for Christmas.
His first role as 007, is the last Bond flick made, Casino Royale. That is actually also the first Flemming novel. I really fell for him in this flick ... he loved Vesper Lynd so much that he trusted her to get the money. And after giving her way too much mouth to mouth, he blew the dude away, right there on the Riviera, who was behind her betrayal as well as her death. But not without staying true to the novel and telling M, "The Bitch is Dead".
Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan ... you guys have some fierce competition out there. Have you seen him in that Omega Watch print ad yet ? The name is Craig ... Daniel Craig.
Ian Flemming also wrote "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" ... can you believe it ? And President JFK was responsible for Flemming's popularity in the US after admitting his addiction to the mystery novels.
I have been driving by this old garage for a while now, and knew I would take a photo when the time was right. I noticed the bright red fall leaves on it's top a few days ago, it was overcast, the colors were just right, so I stopped.
There are some things going on here that I really like. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" ... "Beauty is only skin deep" ... those types of thoughts. The roof is cratering, but the way it's going about that is actually pretty cool. And I like the way the doors lean in towards each other ... I wonder how long it's been since they were opened ... and I doubt they ever will be again.
And yet it has what appears to be a fairly new coat of green paint ... I like this way of thinking and doing. I like everything about it and I'm glad it's there.
I've been tagged again by Jason ... the following are seven facts and/or strange things about me that I am going to tag 7 blogging friends with ...
* I have my nails done every two weeks no matter who is in the ER, no matter who is in ICU, no matter who is in the hospital, and no matter who is in a nursing home. It's the surgeries I hang around for.
* The color of my nails, toes and lipstick will always be from the same color palette.
* I have a lovely large prairie flower garden here, but started out as container gardener on our deck in West U/Houston. Mostly tropical, these potted plants had an entire U Haul to themselves to get here. Now they have their own sun porch. Brats !
* My wardrobe consists of a lot of white, black and brown. What's up with that ?
* Sometimes I get up at 3:00 in the morning and do laundry and paperwork.* I don't ever ever ever go to bed without a bubble bath and a fresh pair of jammies. Wear them twice ??? Just can't do it.*
I don't have a House Keeper for the first time in 27 years ... I kinda sorta like doing everything myself ... but sometimes I freak out.
* I collect Ethnic Loungewear from around the world.
I love this photograph because it's just so strange. I was crouched down in a ditch on the other side of Highway 212, so that I could get just the tips of the corn. These were some fast moving clouds ... like the guy I was kissing when Tommy James and the Shondells released this song. LOL.
More gorgeous skies around the world at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com
It wasn't difficult to notice the Eccentrix Mobile DJ coach as I was coming up the street the other day. I was on a new route looking for a photo op. I think I found one. It spoke to me ... in fact, it hollered to me!
I believe this is one of just a few real live DJ's here in town. They play at wedding dances, they emcee karaoke, and only the Lord knows what else. I hope I see the day this guy sits inside of here and spins a vinyl. My life will be complete.
This awesome veggie was grown as early as the 1200's in Belgium. In the 1800's French settlers brought them to Louisiana. But these here came right out of our garden yesterday afternoon! Ron laughed at me when I said I was heading out to harvest with my paring knife. He's feeling better you see ... and he was like, "What's up with that"? And I said I was going to sit next to each of the four plants and cut each sprout, one by one, off of it's stalk. I had obviously not peered under those enormous leaves in quite some time and had no idea we had such a wonder crop. So he said, "I doubt that, Goof Ball"! "You take all the leaves off and pull the stalk out of the ground ... then you get to use your paring knife"!So off I went ... the sun was shining, it was only about 50 degrees and a bit windy. I had Ruby Thursday with me and she laid in the pepper and eggplant patch with her nose in the air, taking in all the wonderful fall smells. The stalks sure looked a lot taller than I thought they were going to be ... like 3 feet. So I got to work pulling the leaves off and you could have knocked me over with a feather. I had no idea there were that many under there.They say that 85% of the Sprouts we grow here in the US are for the frozen food market. I think the other 15% is here at our place!
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Today is opening day of Pheasant Hunting Season for residents of South Dakota. Why, you may ask, do we hunt this gorgeous game bird ? Because it's absolutely delicious and it's a ton of fun. The Pheasant is our State Bird, but it's not native to South Dakota. The species was actually a gift to the United States from China in the 1850's. It's illegal to hunt the female "Hen" so it's the gorgeous, colorful, male "Rooster" who gets all the grief.
We don't leave early in the morning. That's one of my favorite things about it. We head out around noon with a cooler full of Coke, Mountain Dew and our packed lunch. We usually "Road Hunt" within about a 50 mile radius of town. You don't stop to eat at a cafe when you are pheasant hunting. It's a ham sammich in one hand and your other hand on your gun. Sunflower seeds and Twizzlers are also a very important accessory to this sport.
Watertown thrives on the revenue. As of this past week, everywhere you turn the signs are up: "Welcome Hunters". People from all over the US come to South Dakota to hunt our Pheasants. And they take them home to their wives to cook in Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup. Can you believe it ? My favorite recipe, which is a bit more sophisticated, is a Pot Pie made with just the dark meat. Here is another fun fact ... Ron and I have about 30 Pheasants who live in the Shelter Belts surrounding our property. We feed them cracked corn in a nice long line in front of our Raspberry Patch. When they come out to feed, twice a day, during Good Morning America at 8:00 and Oprah at 4:00, it's just the coolest sight. With all of the construction noise from our Sun Porch, which is just about finished, they have been a bit scarce this fall. But they are out there squawking ... wondering just how long I can keep my Mom from bagging her limit out of my living room window.
Thank's, Wickipedia, for the awesome photo.
Ron and I were on our way into Bed Bath and Beyond in Sioux Falls on Wednesday and this is what the sky was up to. I have many great shots but like this one in particular, because the light post gives some perspective. On the way home we could have pulled off of I29 many many times for additional Sky Watch photos, but Ruby Thursday was at Lakeview Kennel and we were running a bit late. It's been a busy week. Ron's appointment with Dr. Assam, his Rehab Guru, went well. She is overseeing his progress with PT here in Watertown. We saw Dr. Moran, the Eye Doctor, yesterday. His vision is still blurred in his right eye, but it's not unusual for this to take up to 6 months to go away. There is a surgery for this, if necessary. Mom is out of Sanford Sioux Falls and back in Watertown at Jenkins Nursing Home for a month. It looks like one of her medications was the culprit in her digestive problems.I've been pretty "Bucky" this past week. Thank you, Auntie Phil, for that very descriptive term for bitchy. I am so used to things being laid back around here and they are just not that way. They haven't been that way for months now. I am grateful for Ron and Mom's improving health, but have one basic need at this time ... where are my sweaters, socks, jackets, and parachute pants ??? It's fall now and I have not unpacked a thing since we remodeled and moved back in. But yesterday I was able to put the ear rings to rest that I have been wearing for two months ... for a Girly Girl that's progress!
More gorgeous Sky Watch skies at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com
Listen up, City Slickers ... when you go into Pesce or The Palm and you order the Asparagus as your side to that juicy steak or filet of something wonderful from the sea, at some point it looked like this. Shellie Rice, my kitty katty corner neighbor in Houston, specifically requested a photo of our patch in action. So let me take this a step further for Farming Lesson 101 ...Asparagus is native to most of Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. The flower is greenish yellow, bell shaped, and the fruit is a small red berry. There is a recipe for it's preparation in the oldest cookbook around, Apicius's 3rd Century AD "De Re Coquinaria". It did not say "nuke, covered, with a bit of water in Corningware for 5.5 minutes".
It's a great diuretic and it's rhizomes and roots are used ethnomedially to treat urinary tract infections, bladder and kidney issues. It's also believed to be an aphrodisiac because of it's phallic shoots. The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans ate it ... and so do we, starting next spring. It has to grow and go to seed two yeas prior to harvest.
A familiar sight and sound to our ears this time of year are the flocks of geese migrating to their nesting grounds in the North. They love cold weather, to a certain degree, and they follow it. Such a beautiful, stately bird, they fly fairly low to the ground. They fly in many "V" formations, sometimes in numbers totaling 250,000. The lead bird in the "V" is constantly alternating so that it only has to endure the maximum wind pressure for a set period of time before the position is transferred to another bird. They follow the Great American Flyway which is basically the watershed of the Mississippi River and it's many tributaries, including the Missouri River Basin. They are vegans, they typically mate for life, and are incredibly protective of their young. But there is the occasional divorce and remarriage between them ... is nothing sacred ? LOL !
Photo from Wikipedia. Thank you.
It's Shirley's Birthday today. And she got her wish last night ... she had dinner with her family for the first time in three months. The stint placed in one of her abdominal arteries has been working fabulously since Tuesday. In honor of her Eighty First I want to tell you about the things she loves ...Fishing for walleye, hunting deer, hunting pheasants, hunting geese, keeping a suitcase packed at all times, living alone, Little House on the Prairie, Law and Order, Army Wives, tea pots, moss roses, blue jeans, blazers, penny loafers, little black Beatle boots, sweat shirts, ear rings, perfume, lilacs, warm jammies, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, Klondike Bars, jelly donuts, and bubble baths.
She loves her family too ... her grand daughter and her two grand sons ... She loves my brother, She loves her brothers, and her sister, and their families. She loves those cousins of hers too, and all of her crazy nieces and nephews ... and the only aunt she has left. She loved Wendy like crazy ... my only sister. She loves my husband and my niece's husband too. And she loves her girlfriends.What a Sweet Heart ... she has such a great sense of humor too. Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you. We all love you. And every day, I know you love me too. xoxo.
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