Iced Spam

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Did you know that Blogspot has done something really wonderful to help all of us ice the spam from our blog comments?

Oh, they most certainly have! Go to your dashboard, click on comments - - - and there, do you see it??? There's a SPAM option!

It is there to detect spam comments that may try to blast their way onto your blog. It shoves them in a private little folder so you can delete them before they EVER pollute your lovely space. It frees you to "enjoy" your spam with crackers and cheese.

Since it appeared in my dashboard, nary one single spam has made it into my comments.

So, if you use Blogspot go ahead, be brave! Try turning off your word verification. Mine's been off for months, and not ONE spam has gotten through. Your commenters will THANK you for one less step. Who knows, you may even get more comments if folks don't have to key in some nonsensical word.

Of course, I don't have any advice for you about stopping comments from your boss, your mom, or even your ornery oldest son. You're on your own with those.

;-)

(graphic source - collegerecruiter.com)

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Is "Instant Apron" an Oxymoron???

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I saw an infomercial for an "instant apron" the other day.

Something just seems soooo wrong about putting instant and apron in the same thought sequence.


First of all, this modern marvel apron is made from some sort of plastic-esque material. It can be "wiped" clean. I thought it looked like oil cloth. If you young whipper-snappers don't know what oil cloth is, be thankful. I don't know about you - - - but on the rare occasions I wear an apron, I DON'T want to be covered from boobs past butt in a garbage bag. Even a leopard skin garbage bag. Oh yes, they offer one.

Secondly, the commercial made a huge deal about how difficult TRADITIONAL aprons are to get over the head. Really? Well, maybe if you are using a child's apron and have a head the size of a beach ball. There was concern expressed about messing up your gorgeous new hair-do putting on a traditional apron. Uh, ya-a-a-a-a-h - - I ALWAYS make sure my hair is perfectly coiffed BEFORE I step foot in the kitchen.

Then the commercial discusses the difficulties of TYING a traditional apron. Well, since kindergarten tying hasn't been an issue for me. Maybe as I get old and stiff it will become more difficult to tie behind my back, but then I'll just twist the ties to the front and tie them there. OR - - - novel idea this - - - maybe I'll get Fisherhubby to tie them FOR me. I certainly don't want a "plastic head band thingy" clamping around my waist.

Anyway, if you own one of these modern marvels and are madly in love with it - - - far be it from me to discourage you from using it.

But as for me at my house, if I want to put on an apron, it has to be made of soft, fine count, calico fabric.

Or gingham.

Or - - - better yet - - - a little white flouncy ruffled thing that I can wear over my fishnet stockings and ultra short black mini skirt.

And when you buy THAT story - - - I've got a lovely piece of "waterfront" property I want to sell you in the Bayou.

(photo credit: instantapron.com)
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Sunday Reruns - Midlife Excitement

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It's Sunday again, and you know what THAT means!?! It's time for Sunday Favorites!!!

Sunday Favorites are RERUNS, not current posts - - - if you want to participate, just repost something you previously posted "back in the day."


Thanks so much to Chari over at Happy to Design for hosting this meme, "Sunday Favorites." You may click on the link to find the rules and see more favorite posts.

Barely Alive at Fifty-Five
(First posted on 6/27/08)

I'm not 55 yet, but hubby is and it rhymed - - - works for me.

You KNOW you're barely alive when your Friday nights go like this AND you find it is as much excitement as you want or need for the entire week:


First supper at La Charreada. I've talked about this place before - - - great food and the waiters remember us and greet us at the door with smiles and "Hola, Senor y Senora!!"

This is hubby, Pancho Grande, and our waiter, Pancho.

For over a year Pancho vowed and declared that his real name WAS Pancho. Our wise-in-Latin-American-Ways friend, Gerson, was not convinced so easily. Come to find out - - - Gerson KNOWS. This is REALLY Ramiro, ever to be known to us as Pancho!!!

The food was GREAT and we waddled out the door full to the gills and beyond.


Once home, Pancho Grande decided to soak a fly or two in the neighborhood pond. This is the most excitement he can STAND on a Friday night. Don't know that he'll get to stay long - - - those are storm clouds building in the south western sky beyond him. I told him at the first sign of lightning to come back so his fly rod wouldn't become a lightning rod.

Heavy risk takers we.

(As if to HIGHLIGHT this threat, the weather bug on my computer just gave me a warning clap of thunder.)

Slightly later addendum: He was back in about 15 minutes - - - but caught three bad little bass before the storm settled in.


And my after-dinner Friday night excitement so far includes blogging and chocolate. They didn't have my NORMAL milk chocolate Doves, so I'm trying something recommended in a blog comment by one of you - - - Hershey's Bliss.

They'll do in a pinch!!!

I'm almost finished with this blog post, and unless your comments start pouring in I'm afraid I'll have to look for excitement on TV - - - which for me will probably mean rewatching my DVRed Badger football game from last November. Can't get enough of that, ya know!

Still later addendum: I'm too slow. Pancho Grande has the remote and he won't be looking for DVRed football games I can just tell ya. Honestly, the man CLAIMS to be a football fan but never wants to WATCH it. I think that means he IS NO FOOTBALL FAN!!!

So - - - - what excitements are going on over yonder in YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS tonight?
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In Honor of College Football Saturday - - -

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Two of my all time favorite football personalities AND Peggy. Enjoy!






Hope that made your smile. Enjoy Rivalry Weekend!

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Over The River and Through the Woods - - -

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Which is, after all, a Thanksgiving song by Lydia Marie Child as evidenced by this verse which few of us, if any, still remember to sing:

Over the river and thru the wood,
Trot fast my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Perfect song for our Thanksgiving Day here in the chilled central plains of Wisconsin. We awoke yesterday to temperatures in the teens and icy snowy roads.

Fisherhubby had to work in the ER, bless his poor little gizzard, but I drove the "dapple gray" (which in my case is a candy apple red Durango) across town to pick up two of my life long friends and we sprang over the river (the Wisconsin) and through the woods like a hunting hound to grandmother's house for dinner.

True, she is not MY grandmother, but she is a grandmother nonetheless.

And we were thankful.

I was especially thankful that Fisherhubby's new job is in full swing, which of course means there's hope of a paycheck soon. I was also very thankful to be reunited with folks who have played an important role in the shaping and forming of who I am today.

I am truly thankful.

We expressed our thanksgiving in the traditional way, by heaping our plates full of goodies. And, in the truly American tradition - - - we had more food than we needed for this feast day, as you can see on the buffet table.


Most of us licked our platters clean - - - that empty plate on the corner is mine, licked right down to the fine china.


As we ate, we talked of our many blessings.


Blessings which include family, friends, jobs,


Football and deer hunting. This is the deer hunting Vatican up here my friends.


We were all thankful, and there were smiles all around.

And while we were miles and miles away from our children, they had a wonderful thanksgiving with their Peepaw, as you can see here.

Hope your day was also blessed with family, friends, and smiles.

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First Days Under his Stethoscope!

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Fisherhubby in his work-a-day wear, as opposed to his fish-a-day wear,


Has completed several days at his new job, working in the ER in Riverview Hospital.

So far, so good. The biggest change from his old ER job (other than new people to work with, new city to live in, new hospital to drive to, etc.) is that what he used to dictate into the phone at the old job, he now has to put onto a computer. That is taking a little getting used to, but he said he felt better about it yesterday than the first day.

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The Wisconsin Runs Through It

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A river runs through our town - - - the mighty Wisconsin.


Broad are her banks, wide is her girth, no trickling stream is she.


Deep are her waters,


And clear - - -


No muddy Wabash she.


She is prominent in our geography and in our name.


She is a working river, paper mills dot her shores.

The stacks you see rising beyond this scenic bridge betray one mill's location. Fitting that they should be seen here, for this little island, in the middle of the Wisconsin, was once the home of the Mead family, former Mill Kingpins. I am told it is no longer their domain.


I would not know for certain, for this is as close as I have ever come to Mead Island, not being of their reigning ilk.

I wonder who now wields the scepter.


Perhaps their influence lingers on in our town, I know not, but at least this street still bears their name.

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My "Not so Black" Little Black Book

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Some bloggers craft.

Some bloggers tablescape.

Some bloggers decorate.

Others thrift.

Still others knit or sew or go with those who do.

Not me. I keep a "not so black" little black book.

When my MIL was here in September, she saw my "not so black" little black book and told me I was a bookie. If the shoe fits - - -


Perhaps you SAW my "not so black" little black book in my Football Cave post. Yes, there it is, just beside my right elbow on the lamp table. See it?????

It's all about the College Football Pick 'Em game I made up and play via e-mail with some fellow NCAA football junkies.

I guess you could call me "The Commish."


Each week, usually on Sunday afternoon, I go through the schedule of games for the following weekend and select the games I'm going to include for that week.

How do I select which games to include and which to leave out? What is my criteria you ask??? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you - - - - so let's not go there.
(Interpreted: no criteria, just what strikes my fancy as being a game of significance for that week.)

I write all these down and circle the ones I deem "really important" and they are the ones I include just below the header on this blog each week. Hmmmmm, you haven't noticed you say??? Well just look up there.

Next I e-mail the list of games to all the Picks players.


I open my "not so black" little black book and record the games down the left hand margin. All week long the "not so black" little black book lives right by my computer where I can record each player's picks into it as they come POURING in via e-mail.


Then on Saturday, while I'm watching AS MANY OF THESE GAMES as are shown in my area, the "not so black" little black book stays by my side, along with a green pen for recording scores and the all important white-out for blotting out those rare mistakes I might make.


I record the game scores as well as assigning points for each game to the players, five points when a predicted "Goliath" wins, and ten points for every predicted "David" win.

When Football Saturday is at an end, I tally up each player's score, bring forward their previous balance, and calculate their running total. These results I e-mail out to each player.

When bowl season gets here, there will be a little extra "kick" to the scoring - - - but we can't reveal that quite yet.

And just what are we playing for - - - besides the THRILL of the game????

Do we play for money??? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We play for something FAR FAR better. "It is a far, far better thing we do than we have ever done before."

We play to have our name inscribed on this virtual trophy:



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You Can Chillax 'Cause I Am!!!

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Turd Ferguson here, checking in with my Blog Peeps!

First of all, let me just say that I didn't know I HAD any Blog Peeps!! It has just tickled my little fishy gills PINK to HEAR from several of you that you ARE indeed my Blog Peeps and that you are WORRIED about me since Miss Keetha moved.


Well, worry no more! Here I am, living down in the football cave. This is the way Miss Keetha moved me in - - - this is how SHE thinks I live.


But the minute her back is turned, I have OTHER ideas of comfort. Sometimes I just flip around until I get that pillow down and then I bask on it in comfort.

But you ain't seen nuttin yet!!!


Sometimes when Miss Keetha isn't using her football cave, I take right over and PARTAY!!!!

This is a Wisconsin Cheeseheadfish in sole possession of the remote control, snuggled in the Badger Blankie, AND enjoying an iced drink on the side.

So - - - Chillax, 'cause I definitely am!

Love, Turd

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Cave Dwelling

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On Saturdays I morph into a cave dweller.

A Football Cave dweller.


I snuggle into my Badger Comforter - - - thank you Janell, Kevin, and Kyle!


Beside me are places to prop my snacks and my all important Football Pick 'Em "bookie" book.

And in my hand, the remote control.

In the football cave, I am in sole possession of the remote control.

Perfect place to see my Badgers run the ball right down the throats of their opponents!!

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Cottages These are Not

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"I've got a mansion,
Just over the hill top,
In that bright land where
We'll never grow old!
And someday yonder,
We will nevermore wander,
But walk those streets that
Are purest gold!"
by: Ira Stamphill

As a teenager, I remember walking through this section of town and feeling like everything around me was a mansion.


I now realize they aren't mansions - - - but they most certainly are gorgeous old homes.


I imagine they have hardwood floors - - - unless someone covered them at some point with carpet. No worries - - - carpet can be removed.


A few of them are brick. But brick is porous and therefore not usually the building material of choice in a climate that frequently reaches 20 below with winter gales.


Wooden clapboard siding makes for better insulation, and with trees so prevalent here it was sensible from that standpoint too.


This one has been converted into a set of condos. I don't think you can tell from this front view just how large and rambling it is.


So here's a side angle. I love all the porches. I'll take a condo on the second floor with a porch along the front, please.


Balconies are very nice too. Can you see that the left side of this house also has a balcony?


This one needs a little tree trimming and a touch of face paint. But I find her very stately just as she is.

Since she is for sale, I spent a little time googling. No WONDER I thought she was stately. This is the tour. Makes me drool.

I hope I know the people who buy her so I can go visit in person. I don't need a mansion at THIS stage in my life, but a visit would be simply grand.

Enjoy!

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The Big Cheese

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Our S-I-L, Jason, calls Fisherhubby "The Big Cheese." Well, Jason, the Big Cheese has come into his own!


Our friend, Leeann, presented The Big Cheese with a cheesehead on Sunday.


The Big Cheese is proud to be a cheesehead.

Just imagine how delighted he was when he turned on the car radio last night and discovered he has his OWN radio station!!! That's right folks, "Big Cheese" radio right here in central Wisconsin.


The Big Cheese resting at home.

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Evolution of a Sunset

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