Mom's gettin Married

My mother has been single for over 10 years. Of course she has dated but no keepers. That is until she meet Glen. They have been dating now for about a year and a half. They are blissfully happy and have decided to get married. The date is November 21. I am flying home to MI in the morning and staying for 10 days. I'm very excited to get up north and even more excited for them.

We will have the chance to reconnect to relatives we haven't seen in a long time. I haven't seen two of my mom's brothers for maybe 10 or more years. There is one person that I can't wait to see.

On Christmas of 1985 my mom's brother Bill and his wife Karen awoke to the smell of smoke. Their home was on fire. Karen ran to the neighbors for help while Bill tried to get their daughters, Ruth and Rachael. The girls were just a little older than I was. I was turning four in few days. Smoke had filled the house. Bill and the girls never made it out of the house. Karen lost her family that night. We lost three very special people but we didn't lose Karen. Though, technically, she was no longer our Aunt, we never stopped calling her Aunt Karen. We kept in touch for many years. She found new love and started a new family. She was able to find happiness after the worst tragedy that one can endure. Many years have gone by since we last saw her but on the 21st she will be playing her violin at my mothers wedding. We are all so happy to have her back in our lives.

It's going to be a wonderful weekend!

Chicken Madness

I saw this three foot chicken nestled in the landscape at Bellwether Gardens on the Leelanau Peninsula. I'm glad chickens aren't actually that large.


This coop is the grandest I have ever seen. Large enough for me to call home! I didn't get a good shot of the front unfortunately. It looks like a small cottage and is so adorable.


Do come in ladies.


I can't wait to have my own coop and chickens. Nothing like farm fresh eggs and the friendship of hens.

Tea and Friends

On Halloween a group of us meet at Miss Alice's Tea Room for a little party.

Miss Alice has hundreds of dresses for little girls and women. Shoes, gloves, jewelry and hats come in every color imaginable. Nothing like playing a little dress up and having tea with lunch.

This is the women's dress up room. See the bins full of gloves.


Shoes!


The little girls dressing room.


Tea. I love these cups.


Lunch was delicious. We were served homemade chocolate chip and cranberry/orange scones with whipped cream, chicken salad and fresh fruit. And of course, an endless supply of tea. There must have been 50 kinds.

Adorable little cakes for dessert. I loved the frosting, cute and delicious.


Miss Alice also teaches etiquette to little girls. They get to dress up in all the cutest and colorful dresses and enjoy tea with friends. A real life tea party. I couldn't imagine a better place to have a little girls birthday.

Another Halloween

Andrew and I ended up waiting till the 30th to carve our pumpkins, oops! Actuall, it was about 1:00 a.m. so I guess it was the 31st. We just did freehand designs instead of the fancy stencil kits that we normally use. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Mine is on the right. It looks petrified in the lite. Andrew's pumpkin is much more menacing than mine.


Mine looks a little less scared and a bit more fierce in the dark.


We went out to down town Winston and had a good time. Hit a few bars. So many great costumes out there! I loved seeing folks dressed up as monsters from "Where the Wild Things Are."

How was your Halloween?

Soul

In the garden, my soul is sunshine.

-author unknown


It's the place we go to smile and laugh without hearing a joke. Just knowing that they are alive and growing is enough. The golden glow, the blushing and pretty pink, the pale, cool blue, they are all capable of swaying our moods. Flower! Make me laugh, make me sing, make me dance.



I am singing. I am laughing. I am dancing.

mud-liscious

the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.

-e.e. cummings

Have you ever swam in a mud puddle? Or made mud pies? Have you attempted to dig to China? A sandcastle with a moat? Leaf races during a good rain?

I have.

And nothing is gained by not gathering roses...

Asking For Roses by Robert Frost

A house that lacks, seemingly, mistress and master,
With doors that none but the wind ever closes,
Its floor all littered with glass and with plaster;
It stands in a garden of old-fashioned roses.



I pass by that way in the gloaming with Mary;
I wonder,' I say, 'who the owner of those is.
Oh, no one you know,' she answers me airy,
But one we must ask if we want any roses.



So we must join hands in the dew coming coldly
There in the hush of the wood that reposes,
And turn and go up to the open door boldly,
And knock to the echoes as beggars for roses.



Pray, are you within there, Mistress Who-were-you?
Tis Mary that speaks and our errand discloses.
Pray, are you within there? Bestir you, bestir you!
Tis summer again; there's two come for roses.



A word with you, that of the singer recalling
Old Herrick: a saying that every maid knows is
A flower unplucked is but left to the falling,
And nothing is gained by not gathering roses.



We do not loosen our hands' intertwining
(Not caring so very much what she supposes),
There when she comes on us mistily shining
And grants us by silence the boon of her roses.

I took a stroll through Reynolda Gardens on Thursday.



I found myself getting light headed while wandering through the roses.



I realized I was smelling them way to much.



It's hard to remember to exhale when all you want to do is inhale.



The sweet smells of apples and citrus. Honey and fresh air.



I wanted to gather an armful and take them all home.



Keep them all to myself.



But these are not mine.



So I will share.

A Late Labor Day Post

Over Labor Day weekend we hit the water and did a little boating. Tippy Dam is just four miles from my home in Brethren, MI. Built in 1918, it's known nation wide for it's incredible Salmon and Stealhead fishing (below the dam of course). The new world record Brown Trout was just caught on Sept. 9th in the Manistee River several miles below the dam. Here is a link to the article. click me





This is known as the Tippy Dam back waters. Great camping, fishing and boating are the big attractions.



My boyfriend, Andrew, on the left. His best bud, Jared, on the right, relaxing.


So many beautiful views here. A few islands are dappled throughout the waters. Bald Eagles are abundant here as well. The water is extremely deep and full of old logs and stumps. You have to be pretty careful where you go to avoid smacking into a stump. They are always on the move due to the heavy current.



The water is also home to the prehistoric fish, sturgeon. Living as long as 150 years, they have been over fished in this area so they are quite rare. There has been lots of work done to restore them in the last few years.

A pontoon boat passing by. Quite a few people out today enjoying the perfect Holiday weather.






Careful now!


I grew up exploring and camping here at the Tippy Dam. It has been our favorite place to go since we were little. Bears, whitetail deer, bobcats and the extremely rare mountain lion siting (I've never seen one) help enhance our appreciation of this great and wild state forest.

Very Scary!

Woods of Terror consisted of an hour of trails leading us in and out of themed, horror filled places including many great movies. We walked through the nightmares of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, the Ring, My bloody Valentine, Saw, Jeepers Creepers, Hell Raiser and more.


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was probably the best. As soon as we aproached the house we new right where we were.  We both staired up at the two story house working up the courage to enter.  The door creeked open revealing the entire family including their screaming victims, covered in blood, being held captive. Eventually to be eaten, I'm sure.

Jeepers Creepers was great as well.  Set in a corn field, fog rolling all around, it was very creepy indeed. Several school buses sat debilitated in the corn field. Climb on board if you dare. Screaming, bloody, soon to be dead victims, beg for our help. An arm grabs at us from the roof of the bus.

I can't count how many times I jumped and screamed. Someone always waiting, hiding, ready to scare us.   Many of the monsters paid special attention to me since I was odviously an easily scared target.  I startle very easily.  With 130 actors in full costume it made for a very scary and fun haunt.

My only complaint is about the teenage girls that were in front of us throughout the trail. Probably around 16 or younger, I actually wanted to slap each one of them. They basically heckled every single performer saying repetitive phrases such as "oh my god! I love your makeup. I’m not even joking!, Oh my god! You are so hot! I'm not even joking!"  They were a complete fun killer. At no point did they shut up. Even the performers, in character, expressed their dislike of those little brats!

Other than that it was really fun and scary! You better go find a haunt in your area. It's almost Halloween!

Woods of Terror

I am so excited!  Andrew and I are going to the Woods of Terror tonight.  It's one of the nations best and certainly the states best haunted forests.  The show starts at 7:30.  Can't wait to scream my sock's off!  I watched some of the videos on the website and immediately became anxious.  I think it's going to be a crazy, scary place.

Go check out the spooky website and watch some of the hair raising videos.  muhahahahaha!