To Delete or Not to Delete. That Is The Question.

Yes, I have been going through pictures again. There are so many and I have such a hard time getting rid of any of them. It is a sickness and I am powerless.

Lets look at them shall we.

Oh yes, this one is definitely going I can tell you. I love the movie, I hate the picture. It looks like I am squinting into the sun. And what was I thinking having that short hair for 15 years.....Delete.

I have to have about 20 pictures that are almost exactly the same as this one. Did I stand in the same spot on the Grand Canyon rim and keep taking pictures hoping that the scenery would change?..........Delete.

Again, I have about 20 pictures that are almost exactly the same as this one. Did my dad and I stand side by side and merrily snap away like Japanese tourists around the Mona Lisa? What were we thinking. Was there some reason that we though the kids facial expression would change from one second to the next........Delete along with the other 15 that look just like this one.

Yes, we get snow where I live. Sometimes we get a lot of snow. Sometimes we get upwards of 125 inches of snow. I don't need to be reminded of that I am thinking. And I have plenty of pictures just like this.....Delete.

Psychotic, beady eyed ostrich be gone! Why do I need to have you in my computer. Why did I take a picture of you? Where did I see you and what was I thinking when I took the picture?.....Delete.

My father and a suit made entirely of duct tape. And I have not one, not two but three variations fo this picture. I am thinking that one is plenty don't you.......Delete.

Pigs racing around a track. What will they think of next. And I took A LOT of pictures of this for some inexplicable reason. I don't think that I need more than say 10 pictures of this particular phenom do I?.......Delete.

Oh I feel so much better now. I feel free! I can go and watch The Biggest Loser now because NOTHING stands between me and The Biggest Loser.

Randomness Strikes Again

OK, none of these pictures are really totally post worthy so I will just string them all together in a "Randomness Post". OK, I am just to lazy to build a big post around anyone of these. So sue me.

~

Do you know what these are?? Can you tell by looking at them how delicious these were and how I am so going to make them here at our home in the woods when I have the chance and can figure out the balsamic sauce.

So HHBL and I went to a local "taste of" several weekends ago. One of the things that I ordered were homemade potato chips (they had just come out of the fryer) topped with Gorgonzola cheese, green onions and this balsamic vinaigrette. Ohhhhhhhhh. You can't see me right now but I am drooling, they were that yummy.

Sorry, the quality of the picture isn't great because it was dusk and I only had the little camera.

~
Feed me oh Alpha Male for I do not have oposable thumbs and cannot do it myself. Please, oh please put the wonderful warm libation onto my nuggets of compressed sawdust and other meat parts so that I may partake of my morning repast.

FEED.ME.NOW

~

So, at the same "taste of" celebration that I referred to above, there was also a band playing in the town pavillion. They were really great and played for over an hour. We stopped on our way in and our way out. People would put down their lawn chairs and stay for a while and then leave to go and get something to eat. On our way out, when we stopped to listen to the music, there was the cutest couple dancing in the parking lot. They were just adorable. They just danced and twirled and dipped.

I felt like a paparazzi stalking Britney Spears trying to take a picture of these two.

Doh, de, doh, de, doh. I am just looking around at the trees and the people.....

Hmmmmm, quick shift to the left, raise my hands, snap the picture, rotate to the right and continue to gaze at the trees and the band.

Repeat until I have enough pictures and hope no one sees me and thinks that I slightly odd. Well, I am but I don't want OTHER PEOPLE to know it.

~

I live in a quiet neighborhood, no gunfire (except for the stray hunter), no loud music, no fireworks going off at 1a......scratch that last one cuz that has happened more than one.

So, on my walk yesterday, there by the side of the road is a sock. Just a sock laying there in the grass. A sock that was turned inside out as if someone had stripped it off their feet in the process of changing their clothes. Only there was no hamper in sight. And then about 5 paces down the road there was the other sock just laying in the road.
Why were they in the road? Did someone not love them anymore? They looked like very serviceable socks, although I did not actually touch them or pick them up. I am not THAT excited about free socks. Was someone running madly down the street and just ran out of their socks. I must know!!!

~
FALL IS COMING!!! IT IS ALMOST HERE!!!

OK, I think I am done with the randomness now. At least until other "orphan pictures" show up and I get too lazy to write separate blog post about them. Or until another "Pictures From the Crypt" shows up.....which should be pretty soon.

Well Now I Have Just Seen Everything

Really, I think I have seen just about everything now.

Before I continue with this I should just put a disclaimer on here. This is a family sort of friendly site and we try to keep it clean while keeping it real (as The Pioneer Woman says) but I have to warn you that I am going to be using words like...balls and perhaps scrotum. Scrotum, scrotum, scrotum. There you should be used to it by now. So just be warned.

Also the quality of the picture isn't so good but I just had one shot at getting the shot. You will see why.

Now, I was going to do an errand this morning. I was minding my own business and sitting at a light behind a really large pickup truck. It is a long light and I have time to gaze around at the scenery. So, I am looking at the truck ahead of me and I am noticing that it is big and black and has a hitch. But....what is that thing that is hanging down below the hitch?
Ummm, did something on the hitch come loose?

Huh, that thing that is hanging down has a vaguely familiar shape........

No....it can't be.....no one would be so bold.......

Egads, that is a piece of metal hanging down shaped like, like, like.....a scrotum! Good golly.

And then of course, instead of looking someplace else and thinking pleasant thoughts or remembering a bible verse...I went for my camera to take a picture.

And I just KNOW that the guy in that truck looked into his side view mirror just as I was taking the picture.

And then, to just complete the picture, as we pulled away and down the street I took one last look at the metal bull appendage hanging down from the truck and I realized....that it was swinging back and forth. Just like, just like, well you know. Do I have to spell it out for you?

Oh . For . The . Love . Of . Pete.

7 Quick Takes (Vol 38)

-1-

So, we all know that today is September 11 and we all know what happened on that day 8 years ago. I don't need to talk about that. What I want to say about this day is that it happens to be the birthday of my two favorite cousins......

Heather and Amanda!!!

That is Heather standing next to me. Amanda is the cutie all the way on the left. Aren't they the cutest thing. Their sister Laura is squished in the middle but it isn't her birthday today so we aren't going to talk about her. Psst Laura, you are my favorite cousin too. Just don't tell the other two.

Yes, I am the oldest cousin. Thank you for pointing that out to me as if I didn't already know that. I changed all of their diapers. Don't let my gray hair fool you, I could take any one of them! But that is beside the point. The point is that today is Heather's and Amanda's birthday.

Ah the stories I could tell....but won't. Happy Birthday my favorite cousins. I love you. And Mander, when are you going to come and live with us again....I have some furniture that needs stripping.

-2-

So, I might have mentioned before that I read a fair amount. Yup, I sure do, although this year has been a little slower in the reading department because of all the other stuff going on. So, I just can't afford to buy all the books that I read and that really would be just plain ridiculous. What would I then do with all those books. So, I use the library and Paperback Book Swap a lot. But, every once in a while, I get hooked on a book and then I just can't wait for the next book in the series to come to me from PBS or the library. I am usually patient but sometimes..... book lust overcomes me. Hangs head in shame and agony
I am not too big into vampire books. Just isn't my thing. I tend to read non-fiction. OK, OK, yes I know that I loved the Twilight series. But that was just an aberation. Just a fluke I tell you.

But someone kept harping on the "Sookie Stackhouse" books and just wouldn't leave it alone so I got the first one, Dead Until Dark not expecting it too be much......and I was hooked dagnabbit! And when I am hooked that means that.....I had to go and find all the rest of the books.....and PURCHASE all the rest of the books. I hang my head in shame.

Or at least I will once I am done reading the books.

-3-

Who are all these cute people you are asking yourself. Well, these are my parents "Lobster Roast" friends. That is my parents on the left. Hi Mimi and Papa! My father would have gotten everyone arranged to his satisfaction, set the timer on the camera and run for his position. Most of the time he gets there without mishap....most of the time.

At any rate, every year for the last 37 years they have gotten together for a lobster roast weekend. Yup, you read that correctly....37 years. I think that is pretty awesome actually. They see each other a fair amount the rest of the year but I think this is about the only time when they are all together because they don't all live in the same area of the country. The weekend has morphed over the years. At one point in time they actually dug a pit and pretended they were in Maine and roasted the lobsters and corn and all that. But it was a BIG pain in the patookis to do it that way so now they just boil the lobster tails and eat the tenderloin and pretty much have a food fest all weekend. Sounds pretty good to me.

-4-

And now for a word from our sponsors....

Well not actually. But I did want to tell you that if anyone needs an illustrator or cartoonist then Cartoon Girl is open for business. She does need to pay the rent after all and she is the fruit of my loins. Yes, HHBL was involved in that too but we don't discuss those things on this family friendly blog.

I told her I would tell you about it, all three of you that actually read the blog. Click on her name to whisk you through the internet to get to her site. She made me do this, she forced me. She gave me the evil "stink eye" over the phone and threatened me with terrible things if I didn't do this for her.

Psst...she is really good.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Quick Takes.

-5-

I am almost ready to say that I am going to "Tweet". I have resisted the call of Twitter for a long time and probably by the time I actually sign up it will be so "last year" and will only be inhabited but retirees who tweet about their experience on the suffleboard court. No trend setter I. Do I want to? I still don't know. I mean really, I don't care what I do all day and I am not sure that anyone else will. Is it just one more thing to add to my already hectic day? What to do, what to do.

To Tweet or not to Tweet, that is the question.

-6-

This was a drawing in the 4H building at the fair. I will admit that it reminds me of me on certain days. Sort of that "Egads my brains are scrambled" look. I am just hoping that this girl was doing her own version of Piccaso because other wise I would be a tad worried about her. How did she know I was going to be at the fair so that she could put up my portrait? Well, all except for the blonde hair of course.

-7-

Hurrah today is my Prayer group breakfast!! Once a month I have a group of friends who get together to share prayer requests amongst each other and to eat large quantities of biscuits at Bob Evans. We have all known each other for a long time and it is a relationship where we can share just about anything. We have been through major depression, job loss, the death of parents, children straying from the Lord, moves, raising kids. A lot of life experiences. I just love these women.

Remember to zoom on over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes. I am off to contemplate my navel and how it will be expanding after the bacon, eggs, potatoes and biscuits that I am going to consume soon.

Rah, Rah, Rah

Ah Fall, time of year when the school year starts and high school football gears up.

Yes, I know that it isn't actually Fall yet but that doesn't mean that we don't have high school football. We don't have any progeny in high school anymore but still we are drawn into the Varsity Football vortex, swirling, swirling.... sorry, I got carried away there for a moment.

So, one of the guys that HHBL plays baseball with in the summer is a varsity football coach at one of our local high schools. We go to the yearly game where Tom's team plays our town's high school. We go to support Tom, and I am sorry to say, every year he needs it.

You see, our town's high school varsity football team were the state champs last year....and Tom's team were not. Not by a long shot I am afraid. But we go because we want to support Tom.

I have to apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures. I made the decision not to bring the big camera and just had my small Canon tucked in my purse. I didn't think that I would be taking pictures. I should have known better.

That's Tom with the headphones on. He is planning his winning strategy. At least we hope he is. Either that or he is looking rather dejected. Of course, it was 10 minutes into the first quarter and the score was already 14-0 and Tom's team was not winning. But, they were definitely not giving up that is for sure.

If you could have seen the two teams lined up you would have seen that Tom's players were a lot smaller, which made their fighting spirit all the better to see.

Of course you can knit socks in the stands. Come on! I can knit socks anywhere believe me. I worked on socks during Cartoon Girl's college graduation. It was either that or give in to the snoring and drooling out of the corner of my mouth that the commencement speaker was causing. These particular socks are being made for someone else....who requested them of me. They aren't really UT orange (I just couldn't do it!) but they are a nice Fall color and they are really yummy. And they are almost done.

HHBL is on pins and needles as the ball moves down the field. Oh what will happen?? The suspense is building to a fever pitch.

Cartoon Girl and I enjoying the exciting game.

This picture is probably more reflective of what was actually happening on the field of battle. Taken close to half-time (thank the good Lord) when the score stood at 41-7 and Tom's team was definitely not winning.

Just as an aside....who went and grafted my mother's hands onto my wrists. Whoever did that I am wantin' to have a little chat with you.

But then it was time for my favorite part of the whole process.....the Marching Band!!! Oh, I love marching bands I really do. It may be because I was in the marching band in high school. There is nothing quite like being encased in a wool marching band suit on a warm, humid Friday night. A wool suit that is not new, that has been worn by countless previous band members and may not have been cleaned to often.

Well, enough of that memory lane I am thinking.

Remember, I live in semi-rural America so people sometime have to do double duty, especially at Tom's school. That is why there was at least one football player who was also playing in the marching band. His shiny band shoes just didn't go with his outfit I have to say. And their band itself was significantly smaller. But I have to say their sound was actually better than the bigger band.

Yes, it was a beautiful night for football.....and therefore we left after half-time. We are die hard fans I tell you!! Die hard........ Hey, we stayed long enough to cheer Tom on as his team re-took the field. And the final score wasn't as bad as you might be thinking...

But Tom's team didn't win. But there is still next year!

Cow Butts, Pig Butts and All That Fair Stuff

It's fair time!!! Yes, the thing that we wait eagerly for every year has arrived. It is here!!
I love the fair. For the last 10 years or so we have made it part of our Labor Day weekend to go to the Geauga County Fair. It isn't that the fair changes from year to year because it doesn't. We just love it. I know that the Democratic Party tent is across from the 4H milkshake parlor and the Republican Party tent is on the main thoroughfare. That the man that sells the excellent Strawberry Rhubarb jam is right next to the Republicans and that the guy that sells the beef jerky (I HAVE to figure out how to do that stuff myself) is right inside the door to the exhibit hall underneath the main grand stands. It never changes. But that doesn't mean that we don't love it from year to year. We always go on Monday, we always park in the high school parking lot, we always tour the fair grounds counter clockwise, starting with the agricultural exhibits and ending with the photography exhibit. We are such sticks in the mud.

"Look Mama, it's cow butts".

There I go saying butt. I am sorry. But, be prepared because it is going to happen again, and again, and.......

More cow butts

This is just udderly ridiculous. (I am SO sorry, I just couldn't help myself)

Lady, did you just take a picture of my butt?

And one more just for the heck of it. I am done with cow butts now....but you never know what other butts are going to show up.

Do not be fooled! These red eyed bunnies are the scariest things in the world. They just sit there all cute but really they are something out of a bad 1950's horror movie, their eyes glowing red in the darkness, planning to take over the world.

Oh my word that is a bunny butt! How did that get in here?? Again, I said the word butt and I am sorry for that but it just sort of slipped out.

Then it was on to the Poultry barn with is HHBL's favorite. He likes to wander the aisles and see if he can get the roosters to crow. He is pretty good at it if I do say so myself.
Well, what is this little thing sitting in the bottom of the cage all glistening and wet. Yes, it was wet like it had just come out of the chicken. I am not sure that I need to get that up close and personal with the place where my omelet comes from.

Lady get away from my egg!

Doesn't this chicken look mean! I am thinking that this chicken is destined for chicken tenders or perhaps a good hearty soup.

And then we had to go out and look at the turkeys that are kept in the outside pens because...these things are huge....and really, really ugly.

Oh I am SO sorry Mr. Turkey for this horrible wattle that you have hanging down from your ugly face. It is OK though because, you see, after the end of November you really won't have to worry about it anymore. Have you ever heard of the holiday called Thanksgiving? It is going to solve ALL of your problems.

Well how rude! After I just mentioned that Thanksgiving thing the turkey walked off in a huff and showed me his really ugly, gnarly turkey butt. Fine! I have one word for you Mr. Turkey....Gravy!

Look! It's Sir Lambsalot
(I just crack myself up sometimes)

Since it was around lunch time all the pigs were sleeping peacefully in their pens. I love how the pigs tail is sticking out of the pen. Which part of the pig is the bacon? I am just wondering? Ummmmmmm, ham. Just as an "aside", notice that I refrained from saying the b--- word. I can show some restraint occasionally.

Lady get away from me and stop talking about my ham and bacon parts!

Look, a demented goat!

And after we had toured every one of the animal barns it was on to the food!

I just haven't subjected you to all the pictures. You should be very grateful. There were a lot more pictures of animals and their posteriors.

We started off with our usual order of onion rings. Oh can't you see them and smell them in all their lovely, deep fried goodness

Cartoon Girl and HHBL drooling

We split the order if you really have to know. Eating a whole order yourself would surely put you into a deep fried coma.

Then it was on to find someone to sell us some lovely gyros. It isn't as good as the gyros at Papa's Deli but I didn't have any trouble finishing the thing in an embarrassingly short period of time. AND I didn't spill much of it on myself. I was so proud.

After sitting for a bit to let the gyros sort of settle and find room, it was off to get our awesome 4H milkshakes. Those lovely cool yummy cups of goodness that we........
What. WHAT!!!! How can they be sold out? They sit right across the thoroughfare from the dairy barn for the love of Pete and I know that there are lots of cows in there that have milk just waiting to be used. I took pictures of them. No. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

So, we had to content ourselves with apple fritters, made for us personally by the one eyed fry cook at the apple fritter stand. You just have to love rural America. And they were really good let me tell you.

And then we went home because we had seen everything, we had eaten everything and we were teetering on the verge of an deep fried food crisis.

I can't wait for next year to do it all over again!

My Word I Love These Girls

There are many advantages of having children. They bring you joy, they make you laugh, they take care of you and wipe your butt when you get old....I said butt, I am sorry about that.

But one of the benefits that has come with the progeny, and a benefit that I wasn't expecting, is...... their friends. In this specific instance, Cartoon Girl's friends. Or as they call themselves..."The Posse". Who knew that I could gain 5 extra daughters without having to actually gestate them and birth them. I get all the benefits without all the messiness. Excellent.

These girls, should I really call them girls since they are all 22 y.o. and some are getting close to 23? Anyways, my "daughters" have known eat other for varying lengths of time. Some knew each other in grade school, then some came along in Junior High and the group as a whole finally came together in their sophomore year of high school. It feels like forever but it has really only been eight years. How can it be just eight years?

They have been through thick and thin together. Joy and tears. Laughter and the occasional pain and fight. But always together. They have all attended different colleges or taken other paths that didn't involve college. But though it all they have stuck together.

Because Cartoon Girl is home for a visit this weekend she arranged for the rest of The Posse to come over for an "overnight" visit. Not all come be here (we were missing two) but the rest came, ate, laughed and brought joy to me.
I wish that I could say that I have always whipped out my camera to take pictures of all the gatherings over the years but I have not. Sigh.

There have many gatherings at our house over the years. Most of The Posse do not live in close proximity. They are scattered over a 15-20 mile radius but that doesn't stop them. They need to be together I think to keep themselves grounded. It is interesting that many of them are doing something that is of a creative nature. There is Cartoon Girl obviously. There is also an aspiring photographer, an artist. Just interesting that they all found each other at a school with 800 other students. I think it was that Lord of the Rings planner that Ashley had that sort of opened the flood gates. They all loved LOTR and it brought them together and they have grown up together.

Cartoon Girl and Daughter Ahren doing some kind of dance. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't take a good picture.

They always arrive with hugs and kisses for "Mama Quigg" (that's me) and then there is much laughter and general hanging together. The pantry is raided on a general basis and this time I showed Daughter Ahren how to make popcorn the "Alton Brown" way.
I made pizza again this time, like I have made many times before. We consumed three half - sheet pan pizzas. Thank goodness I made enough dough. These girls can eat pizza let me tell you. They are also fine with the fact that the pizzas come out of the oven one at a time and are hand made just for them. Covered with love I tell them.
Our long counter has often been filled with The Posse, eating, talking. I just feel privileged that they let me hang around and participate in their wide ranging (and they are wide ranging believe me) discussion on movies, cartoons, literature and a host of other things. These are well read and intelligent girls I can assure you. They are hillarious too.
And as is the usual pattern, this morning I made them pancakes like I have every other morning that they have been there. Pancakes using Grandma Pringle's recipe. Because it is tradition. They have coffee now with their pancakes rather than milk but I wouldn't miss making them pancakes for the world.
I hope there never comes a day when I will be denied the pleasure of seeing their pile of shoes at the back door, and hearing their voices and laughter in my kitchen and in the basement. And even though they are now adults, living their own lives, going to school, paying their bills, in some cases raising younger siblings, they will always be my daughters of the heart.
Daughters Whitney, Ahren, Clarice, Emily, Michelle and Cartoon Girl I will love all of you forever. Cartoon Girl you are the daughter that I birthed into this world and I love you. Your wonderful "Posse" friends are the daughters of my heart and I love them too.