Where In The World Is Tallulah????

Not to worry, she's alive and well! Thank you everyone for your emails when she was on the miss tip. As I'd said, I was concerned when I hadn't heard from her because, well, it was just so out of character for her.


Turned out she was at her 'brother's' house. Okay, he's not really and truly her brother. They're not biologically related. But you know, just because people aren't blood that doesn't mean they're not family. Right?


Her brother has cancer. I forget where exactly, maybe his liver, I'm not sure. I just know it's cancer and he appears to be in the final stages of his life.


Tallulah, whenever she comes downstate, makes time to visit him and his family. He has a wife and a small child. His wife is Chinese born and all of her family lives in China. Her mother spends as much time in the USA as her visa will allow, helping to care for her son-in-law.


Tallulah spent her first three days in town at their house helping out, primarily with childcare. She said she was so tired that she was in bed at 8pm each night. Too tired she said to call and there is no Internet access at their house so no emailing either. When you're not used to small children, she said, they will run you ragged (smile).


Her niece woke her up on her last morning there, crawling into bed with her, prying her eyelids open and asking 'are you in their Aunt Tallulah???' (Smile).


So yesterday Tallulah came by my house and we went shopping. To Costco. Goods, particularly food, are more expensive in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Farther to ship them, I guess. Anyway, Tallulah stocked up on non-perishable goods. We had a nice time and a good visit. I am blessed to have her as a friend.


Last night we got snow. Maybe 3 or 4 inches of the white stuff. Because they no longer plow and salt the roads as they once did…they tell us the budget won't allow for it this year, cutbacks…the roads are a mess. Okay, the freeways have been plowed and salted by now, but the surface streets, well; you're on your own.


I have no plans to leave the house today. I am in total disagreement with the city, county and state plans to cut back on road plowing and salting. Yes, I understand when there isn't enough money in the budget and you have to make cuts. But. But since when is potential loss of life acceptable? Need to cutback? Don't cut the damn grass in the medians as often in the summer, that'll save money and nobody will die from it.


Tomorrow, when the roads straighten themselves out, I'm going to Sam's Club. They have turkeys that aren't frozen! Yes, I have some frozen turkeys in my big freezer. But in order to cook one you have to plan a week ahead in order to defrost it totally. I love the idea of just being able to spur of the moment roast a turkey! And that's what I'm going to do tomorrow.


Okay, this photo is one of Tallulah's. See right up there at the top of the building? I know it's kind of hard to see, you have to look hard. But see who that is? Do you recognize him? It's Santa Claus! Tallulah titled the photo, NO Santa! DON'T JUMP! She says even though times are tough, don't give up, it'll get better.


And that's something we all have to remember, whether we still believe in Santa Claus or even if we don't recognize and celebrate xmas. Things will get better. Don't lose your faith.


Take care, stay strong, be good and be careful.


Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Today Is The Busiest Day Of The Year At The Post Office

And because it's the busiest day of the year at the post office, it is super slow and empty here at the library! Such a deal! Thankfully, I didn't have to mail any packages at the post office this morning. I spent longer trying to find a parking space than I did once I got inside to check my pobox. And there was nobody hardly at the bank, another one of the finer aspects of the post office being so busy (smile).


How's the weather where you are? All of our snow is gone. It's not like we had ten tons or anything, but now there's nothing. It's windy, veryveryvery windy, and chilly. I had big plans as to where I was headed this morning, my errand list has about ten different stops on it, but it's so doggone windy, who wants to get blown all over the place? Not me.


Remember me saying that my friend Tallulah was headed downstate? Well, in response to an email I sent her Friday, I received an auto responder one from her saying she'd be away until the 19th of December. She does that alot, that way everyone knows she's gone and don't fill up her inbox.


Thing is, whenever Tallulah is on the interstate headed this way, she always calls me. At least once, sometimes two or three times. Why? I think because it gets lonely and boring logging so many miles by yourself and with the cell phone, well, it's almost like having someone in the car with you. At least while you're in areas that have reception. But Tallulah never called. Now it's not like she has to or anything. She's grown, I'm not her mama and she doesn't have to check in with me. It's just something she always does. And she always lugs her laptop with her when she's on the highway. And whenever she gets where she's going she drops me an email. She hasn't done that yet.


So here it is Monday and to say I'm worried and concerned about her is an understatement. I've decided that if I still haven't heard anything from her by the time I get home this afternoon I'm going to ring her cell phone. Maybe her home phone too. Why haven't I done so already? Well, true it would have saved some worrying on my part. But I just hated to play 'track you down', you know? I'm sure everything is just fine and dandy with her and I'm just a major worry wart.


The new puppy dog that HSM and her brood got last week is doing fine. They named her Alista. I know, I'm not familiar with that name either, but HSM says it's Celtic/Gaelic and it means something really nice and noble, I just can't remember what, sorry. HSM says Alista was messing with ABM Saturday. He was ignoring her, reading a book or something, and the dog silently crept over to him and snagged his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Gently, without crushing or hurting them in any way, she took them back to her bed. When he realized they were on the miss tip, he had to go to Alista to get them back and she got her attention (smile). Smart puppy dog (smile)!


When I was a child I had a cat, a chocolate Siamese, that was a kleptomaniac. She used to 'steal' anything you left laying around that she could move. Thankfully, she always took her 'stolen goods' behind the television/stereo in the living room so you knew where to find your stuff. It used to drive my mother crazy (smile).


So I guess that's it for today. Think I'll head on home after I peruse the books here. I'm looking for the new(er) one by Letts. Billie or Bobbie Letts, something like that. The woman who wrote Where The Heart Is. I heard her new(er) book is pretty good.


So you be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Snowy Friday At The Library

This is kind of fun! What am I talking about? Being back at the library on the computer! It's been a long time since I've been able to get here. Either it's snowing to beat the band, the roads are icy or it's just too cold to even think about leaving the house, even with four layers of clothes on (smile). But today, even though it's snowing it's not 'real' snow, not accumulating snow. More for looks snow than anything else. And it does look pretty coming down.


My friend Tallulah, now in her second winter of full time living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, does not find snow of any kind pretty. Once upon a time she did, back when she lived down here, but there's been way too much of a good thing snow wise for her to even remotely appreciate it any more. She has been tuned to every single weather service available for the past two weeks, all in an effort to find a window of snow-less opportunity so she can drive down to the metro Detroit area. So far the way it goes is if it's snowing up there, it's clear down in the lower peninsula. And if it's snowing down here then it's clear up there.


I saw on the news the other night a story about a 25 foot snowman in Harvey, Michigan. Harvey is a little town that butts up to Marquette, Tallulah's new hometown. Why, I asked her, didn't you tell me about this snowman???? Why didn't you send me a photo of it??? Her answer: She hasn't seen it yet. And she doesn't have any plans to see it until she can see it out of her rear view mirrow as she's leaving town (smile).


Tallulah says the snowman really isn't any big deal. She says things are so pathetic up there in the winter--the never ending snow, the icy roads, the below zero temperatures--that all the creation of the snow man was was a bunch of drunks with nothing to do. Oh my!


My friend HSM has a new addition to her family! No, she didn't have a baby. Her husband, ABM (Auto Body Man--that's what he does for a living) brought home a stray dog that was running the streets of Detroit over by where he works and which almost got hit twice by a car on the main road. The puppy, a girl, seems to be about a year old and undernourished. So far she's had a bath, a good meal, a warm place to sleep and more love from HSM's brood than she's probably had in her whole short little life. Next week the pup goes to the vets for her shots.


That's how they got their last dog, too--ABM rescued it over by where he works. For a week or two he'd seen a female Boxer roaming the streets, severely undernourished, darting in and out of traffic. He brought her home and, much to their chagrin, discoverred she was pregnant! She was a lovely dog both lookswise and temperment. Only thing was, as soon as she had her litter, she ran away, leaving them with a bunch of puppies. They managed to give all of them to good homes except for two, both males, which they kept and raised. The puppies were full boxers, just paperless. They passed away a couple of years ago.


I bet you're just dying to hear how my crochet project is going, right (smile)? Well, it's going good. I have just about half of the bag finished. I wanted to work on it some yesterday but got caught up cleaning house instead. Oh well. This afternoon, with any luck, I'll have a few hours to put in on it. Despite the fact that the Lion Brand suede-like yarn is challenging to work with, it sure does work up pretty. So soft to the touch.


And speaking of crocheting, Tallulah sent me a book, it arrived in yesterday's mail, 300 different crochet stitches and how to do them! And some socks! Black ones, Gold Toe I think the brand name is. They're soft, don't have that 'knob' feeling at the toe and, she says, last forever.


Well, I think that's just about it for today. There are people milling about waiting to snag a computer so there's no sense me being selfish. You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Rainy Tuesdays Make Me Want To Nap

Okay, first things first. Remember me saying a few weeks ago that my answering machine is suffering from dementia? Well, it hasn't gotten any better. In fact, it's taken a turn for the worse. Because I still haven't found a new stand alone 2-line answering machine (and it's not because I haven't tried because I'm looking every single day) please bare with me with the crazy way I'm using the old one.

If you call and you get a constant busy signal--NO, my phone has not been disconnected! I've taken it off the hook because I'm either out of the house for a few hours, or it's late and I've gone to bed.

Why do I take it off the hook instead of just putting in a new message? Well, it's like this. Sometimes, very rarely but once in a blue moon, the machine will take a new message on the first try. Sometimes it takes a good twenty minutes of fooling with it to complete the task, and
sometimes it just won't do anything no matter how long you try. You cannot imagine the level of frustration this causes.

So until I score the new answering machine, well, things are going to be weird around here.

On a good note, here is a new Tallulah photo! She took this in downtown Marquette after one of the first snows this season.


See down at the end of the street, that blue stuff? That's Lake Superior! I think that is one of the coolest things about downtown Marquette. You walk out of a shop and there the lake is. So pretty. The old storefronts are pretty cool, too. Each building is different, not cookie cutter like the strip malls.

I rented another good movie from Blockbuster. Have you seen Stepbrothers with Will Farrell? It is such a hoot! Silly, stupid, funny.

For those of you who knit or crochet---yes, real men do so to knit and crochet! I'm working with Lion Brand suede-like yarn for the first time. Have you ever used it? Tallulah, a knitter, said it was hard to work with. I'm a crotcheter and it's challenging, to say the least. I've learned that if I make a mistake I'm just living with it because the yarn gets all crazy when you tear stitches out. On the plus side, the suede-like yarn works up really soft and nice. I'm making a tote bag out of it and, because it is so soft, I'm going to line it with fabric.

Hey, wouldn't you think with all those Doppler systems the weather forecasters have that they'd get the forecast correct more often? They've been threatening us with doom and gloom winter snowfalls for weeks, none of which, thankfully, have materialized. Yesterday they said snow, ice storm, then rain for today into Wednesday. Right now it's raining, sometimes even pouring, and it feels more like late March than mid-December. Yes, rain is better than an ice storm. Rain is better than snow too, although not nearly as picturesque.

Well, that's it for today. Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong. Don't let all of the scare tactics the media is using get you down.

Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Wednesday Ramblings

So here it is Wednesday, almost a week since the last time we 'spoke'. Did you miss me? I missed you! This is the first opportunity I've had to get my grubby little fingers on a computer. With the wintery cold weather, replete with snow and some ice, it's just been too crappy to get to the library. But tonight, well, tonight I'm at HSM's house. Why? Because today is my Uncle David's birthday and HSM was kind enough to make a little party for his big day. There aren't necessarily a whole lot of folks here, but you'd never know it by the huge stack of presents he has. Sunday I finally finished that winter neck scarf for him. It came out really nice if I do say so myself. It's black and white and soft and warm. HSM fixed dinner, too. Stuffed peppers--red and yellow ones, salad and yeasty dinner rolls. Yummo! And we haven't even gotten to dessert yet (smile)!


Tallulah, still in the icy wilds of the UP, sent me lots of new photos of winter Marquette style. I'm hoping to get them inserted in the blog within the next few days so you can see them. I swear, she takes some of the best pics I've ever seen. These latest ones show the snow and they make me almost shiver, that's how good they are. Tallulah has been talking about coming downstate soon. Her initial plan was to head this way on Monday of next week, but then she found out she has to work that day. Bummer, huh? Now I'm not sure when she's coming, but I know she'll be here sometime before the end of December, weather permitting. She's been jonesing for some serious shopping expeditions (smile).


Have you rented any movies lately? Last night I watched Hancock with Will Smith. I liked it alot. Will Smith is not only a good actor, but he's real easy on the eyes, too (smile). I like watching movies any time but somehow they just seem so perfect in the winter, don't they? It's on a par with curling up with a good book on a cold, blustery night. With a cup of hot chocolate and some home baked cookies. Especially chocolate chip cookies. Now that beats going out clubbing!


Guess what I bought me? A brand new Bose radio/cd player! It arrived yesterday by way of the UPS truck. Okay, I had a Bose already, an older model, and it sounded good, but.......compared to the new one? Wow! The new one blows the old one away! I have tons of cds, maybe not tons, but lots and lots of them, and I love listening to them. And with the new Bose, wow. They sound incredible!. Now I'm looking forward to Saturday night at 7pm when Jay's Place comes on 101.9 FM, the local Detroit public radio station. Why? Because Jay Butler, the host, plays incredible R+B, it's like you're in a Mississippi juke joint and his music is going to sound phenominal on the new Bose.


If you're a music afficiando, get thee to Bose! It's around $500 for the unit. A hefty price, I know BUT you can pay it by monthly installments on your credit card, with no interest from Bose. When it shows up all you have to do is plug it in. That's it. And you're good to go. And it sounds like you have an enormous, expensive stereo system. I think you'll like it.


Well, that's it for me for tonight. It's almost time to cut the birthday cake and sing to Uncle David. I hope all is well at your end of the world. Stay warm and take good care of yourself.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Happy Thanksgiving To You!

I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful Thanksgivng Day! Aside from my birthday, which I love because it means presents (smile), Thanksgiving is my next favorite day to celebrate because it gives me an opportunity to give thanks for all of my many blessings. Okay, true enough, I can give thanks each and every day on my own, and I should, and I try to remember to but I don't always do it. But today, well, I remember and I am very thankful.

Did you have turkey for dinner? I did! I LOVE turkey! I tell you, I could eat it every single day. In fact, as we speak, I have two huge frozen turkeys in my big freezer, and two frozen smoked turkeys as well. That means at least four more scrumptious turkey dinners in my future.

I had dinner at HSM's today. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, corn, cucumber salad, cranberries and rolls. Oh my goodness, such good stuff. We finished that wonderful meal a little bit ago. And dessert, which we haven't had yet, is going to be pumpkin pies with whipped cream, and cheesecake with cherry topping.
They're going to have to roll me out of here (smile).

Too late to help you out with today's dinner, but----here's the skinny, or the 411, on how to roast a moist turkey. Take some butter, not oleo or margarine, real butter. Cut it into thin slices and gently, oh so gently slide it under the skin of the breast. At least half a stick worth. Also slide some under the skin of the legs, inside the cavity, wherever you can work it in. And baste that bad boy with a mixture of melted butter and white wine. You end up with a moist turkey that tastes so yummy!

When I get home tonight I have one more Blockbuster movie to watch (if I can stay awake after all this food!)--Get Smart. HSM said it's funny, they rented it last week. Last night I watched Tropic Thunder. Have you seen it? Isn't it just a hooty-hoot?! I laughed so hard.

They said on tv yesterday that the night before Thanksgiving is the biggest bar night in the USA. I already knew that because I used to tend bar back before I became Tawny, the phone sex goddess (smile), and the place used to rock on the night before TDay. There used to be this one guy that got loose every night before TDay, rip off his clothes down to his scivvies, then jump up on a table and dance! The funny thing was, every other night he came in he was Mr. Shy + Reclusive.

Me, last night the only place I went was out for dinner. I was at the Chinese Buffet scrarfing down stir fried green beans, General Tsao chicken, noodles and lots of other tasty tidbits. According to the tv though, most Americans order pizza in on NBTD. Oh well. I'm always out of sync (smile). What did you do?

Are you going shopping tomorrow on Black Friday? Not me. No way. I don't do Christmas so I have no incentive to get out there, but my friend Tallulah, well, like Santa, she's made her list and checked it at least twice. She's going to be at Kohls at 4am when they open, then at every other store in Marquette scooping up great deals on everything under the sun. In fact, she told me she's going to Michaels, the craft store, tonight when they open from 6pm to 8pm (or maybe 9, who remembers) for their deals. Tallulah is the consumate shopper.

She said she wished she could get down here. Why? Well, the outlet mall at Birch Run, Michigan is opening tonight at midnight for their Black Friday sales. And if you're one of the first 500 to show up in your pajamas you get some special gifts, plus coupons, plus deals on all kinds of stuff. It rolled off me like water on a duck. There is no way in the world I would go to something like that. I don't mind shopping. I like to shop. But I hate crowds and that's all any of that is going to be--a serious crowded mess.

The last time I was at an outlet mall was, I guess, a month ago, the one in Howell, Michigan. My favorite store that trip was Bath + Body Works. The one in Howell isn't a regular store, it's an outlet store, which means that everything is at great prices. Like, lotion that's usually $15 a bottle is $5 at the outlet. Okay, they don't have all the choices like you find at a regular mall store of theirs, they seem to carry the scents that are being phased out, but who cares? Not me. Good lotion at good prices? I'm there. I don't care if it's last year's scent.

I'm thinking, weather permitting, maybe next week I'll go back out to Howell. I'd like to stock up on some more of the lotions and shower gels, I really like that brand. By next week, particularly if I'm not there on Thursday thru Sunday I should be able to avoid hordes of Xmas shoppers.

If you have a female you need to purchase a gift for, no matter the occasion, odds are good she'd love something from the Bath + Body Works store. Buy her the shower gel, the body butter, the lotion and the body spray--all in the same scent. Can't decide what scent to buy? Anything vanilla is always good. She will love you to pieces for it, trust me.

Okay, that's it for me for today. Dessert is being discussed and I don't want to miss out on it (smile).

You be good and be careful, take care and stay strong. And know that I am very grateful for you, too.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

I'm Back!!!

Okay, so the last time I wrote anything here was the 14th of November and I mentioned that it was warm, in the 50's. My oh my how things change! Since then temperatures have plunged to the teens and we've had some snow, although nothing of any real significance. And today, while it's a balmy 35, overcast, no sunshine at all, it's snowing like crazy but melting as it hits the ground.

My friend Tallulah of Marquette, Michigan, last time I spoke with her (over this past weekend) she said they already had at least 20 inches of snow! And, worse yet, her snow blower was broke. Said she took it in for repairs and the fellow told her he didn't know when he'd get to it…it's deer season! Apparently everything comes to a halt up there during deer season.

Tallulah sent me this photo to share with you of sunrise over a cold, frozen Lake Superior. It gives me goose bumps just to look at it!


Tallulah said she was driving through Marquette the other day and came upon a pickup truck heading through town with a dead deer tossed in the bed. Because the deer was so large the gate was open and, when the driver stopped at a red light, the deer slid out onto the road. Poor Tallulah was both shocked and appalled smile).

But a fellow I was talking with last night told me this deer story:

He said a hunter with his deer in the bed of his pickup truck stopped for a beer on the way home from deer camp. A passerby saw the deer, had a brainstorm, ran to the hardware store, bought a can of red paint and painted the deer's nose bright red. When the hunter came out of the bar there were a handful of kids standing by his truck crying their eyes out. Why? They thought he'd killed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (smile)!

To all of those who've asked about Tallulah and how she's handling her second winter in the Upper Peninsula, well, she hasn't killed anyone yet (smile). She stays busy knitting, watching her soaps and movies on demand, and talks about buying a condo down south to winter in. Where down south? The metro Detroit area (smile).

And speaking of my friends, here's some really wonderful news. HSM's oldest is now enrolled in college! When he spoke with his counselor, as she reviewed his admission test results, she told him that not only did he not need to take any remedial courses (as the majority of incoming students must do), but that she was recommending him for enrollment in advanced courses! HSM's son told the counselor that he'd been home schooled since the 4th grade and she said 'tell your Mother she did a fine job teaching you!’

While everyone who knows her has told HSM for years that she's doing a great job home schooling her brood, validation from a source outside her social network, particularly from a college counselor, has thrilled her to no end. She always thought she was doing well, but now she knows it. She says her other three sons will test even higher because they've been home schooled much longer. In fact, the two youngest have always been taught at home.

Now I know you've been jonesing for stories about my family so here's a cute one (smile). One of my aunts, when she belches, well, she really lets it rip. Not that she does it on purpose, she doesn't, she tries hard to be ladylike, and it just doesn't work for her. Don't give her a bottle of IBC root beer and not be prepared for some sound effects. So she was babysitting one of her nieces wee ones. She had a root beer and--sound effects! The child asked her, 'Auntie, are you a lion?' I rolled when I heard that because she does roar like one (smile).

On a not-so-sweet note, although it could turn out peachy keen in the long run, my 83-year-old Aunt Shug has been enduring more abuse from her son Michael, the predatory crackhead. Word is that Michael has been getting in her face, calling her all kinds of bitches and stuff. Shug refuses to let anyone check Michael.

So last week Shug's grandson, we'll call him Fred (not his real name), a Detroit police officer, stopped by while he was on duty to see his grandmamma for a minute. Michael was pushing Shug around, talking nasty to her, and Fred took exception to it. When Michael refused to stop, he and Fred got to tussling, body slamming each other around the house.

The fight spilled out on to the front yard where Michael, bless his little vicious heart, pulled a knife on Fred. Next thing you know, Fred's partner radioed for help and 20 squad cars rolled up!

Michael was hauled off to jail for--assault on a police officer, assault with intent to do great bodily hard on a police officer and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer!

Any one of those charges should, God Willing, be enough to send Michael to prison for a number of years!

I know, it's bogus to be happy about someone possibly going off to do hard time, but if you knew Michael you'd be doing the happy dance, too.

Shug has been trying to get family members who were present when all this went down to say that Fred started it, but they're all hanging tight to the truth. Everyone is sick to death of the way Michael treats Shug, sick of how he bullies them as well, and ready to puke because Shug keeps protecting his sorry ass.

It could have only been better if Fred's partner had just shot Michael's sorry ass. By now Michael would be in the ground and he'd be history.

Hope all is well at your end of the world. You need to stay warm and stay safe.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


Hugs, Tawny
248-615-1300
www.tawnyford.com

The Things You Overhear

So today I'm back at the library using one of their (I mean mine, after all I am a taxpayer! smile) computers, not at HSM's house on her Gateway. It's warm today, somewhere near 60, but it's overcast and raining. The weather person on the local ABC affiliate is talking snow, 1-3 inches, for Sunday into Monday. I'm hoping he misread his doppler (smile). On top of that, money/finances being as tight as they are here in Michigan, word is that the tri-county area of Detroit, all three counties, are cutting back on their plowing and salting this winter. Terrific.

Okay, so when I got to the library today, for some reason the place was jumping. I circled the lot so many times looking for a parking spot I thought I was riding the merry go round! Then I got in here and, don't you know, every computer was busy. Okay. So I found a seat and I waited.

Thing is, for some reason, maybe the planets are perfectly aligned or something, but there were lotslotslots of young adults (and I use adult loosely here) hanging out. Not necessarily a bad thing, libraries are for us all to use. But these young'uns, well, sitting quietly was not a part of their plan. They were talking to each other.

And you know like how you never really mean to listen in on someone elses's conversation but sometimes you have no choice because either they're talking just a little too loud or you're so bored silly you tune in just to keep your sanity? Both were in play here for me.

The young man was telling three young women how he was going to get his penis tattooed. Yep. His full name, Antonio, along the length of it. So when he was erect it would read Antonio and when he was flaccid it would read Ant. And he was tickled pink, proud as anything about what he was going to do. The young women, for the most part, were saying 'that is so gross'.

Me? I was biting the inside of my cheeks, almost hard enough to draw blood, because I didn't want to start laughing. I knew if a laugh got out it was all over with, I'd be crying from laughing so hard.

Antonio, bless his stupid little heart, probably thought his conversation was going to wow the ladies and they would be begging him and falling all over each other to get a look at his going-to-be tatooed member.

Me? I think Antonio was telling too much about himself.

Okay, most tatoo shops are run by men, right? Sure, there are female tatoo artists, I see that one woman on A+E's reality tv show but in real life I can't say I've seen many. So that means some guy is going to have to not only watch Antonio get a woodie, but then the guy is going to have to hold Antonio's woodie while he tatoos it. How many straight men want some guy holding and/or touching their penis, erect or not?

Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Antonio has some sissy in him (smile).

Prior to the library, I went to Dearborn, Michigan to the area populated by the Arab Muslims. New Yasmeen Bakery has been calling my name for a couple of weeks. I bought a couple dozen meat pies, some sausages and some kind of rolled up sandwiches. Plus, pastries. They have got the prettiest and tastiest pastries! Next time I go there I'm going to have lunch, as well as purchase things to take home. They have a wide array of foods that can be eaten easily on premise--plates and flatware provided!--and their prices are good and the quality of everything I've ever gotten from them is fantastic. If you're ever in Dearborn get thee to New Yasmeen on Warren Avenue, east of Greenfield Road.

So that's it for today, I suppose. I want to borrow a few books, stop at the post office and then it's home. Maybe you'll call me. I miss speaking with you.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Warm, No Sun, Not Today

Another warm day here, 50 degrees so far and it isn't even 10am. If only there was sun it would truly be a wonderfully, glorious day! But hey, here it is mid-November, so all things considered, this is good.

Not much going on here in my little life. Today I'm babysitting, that's why I'm not home to speak with you. Okay, maybe not technically babysitting, I mean HSM's brood, the ones I'm hanging out with while she's taking care of business with her oldest, are 10, 12 and 15. She wasn't sure how long she'd be gone and, well, she was reluctant to leave her brood totally on their own for an indefinite period of time. Perfectly understandable.

Where is HSM and her oldest? At the local community college. He's enrolling for classes starting this January. How exciting, huh? Because he was homeschooled there are a few extra things to be done before he can begin classes so.....

I brought my bag of yarn with me this morning. I'm crocheting a scarf for my Uncle David for his upcoming birthday. I have numerous skeins of a nice, soft black and white yarn. I think the scarf will be pretty. I know, how chintzy, making a birthday present, but Uncle David is really hard to buy for. I mean, he has everything. Okay, he doesn't have a flat screen tv, and he wants one something fierce, but that's way out of my price bracket. If I get the scarf done in time then I'm going to crochet a matching hat, too.

Speaking of yarn, and I know you're enthralled with this subject (smile), for those of you who knit or crochet (YES! men knit and crochet, too!), you should check out www.smileys.com I'm pretty sure that's the site. They sell yarn at incredibly low low low prices and they throw in free shipping as long as your order totals at least $50.

The yarn I'm using for my uncle's scarf, the pretty black and white stuff, I bought at a garage sale. Don't you roll your eyes (smile)! The woman I bought it from had tons of yarn at incredibly low prices. She said she'd been knitting afghans and sweaters for her family the previous winter and she had bought her yarn online at Ebay. Once she finished her projects, well, she didn't want to even look at yarn for awhile so she was clearing out her stash. The black and white I bought from her at 6 skeins for $2.00? JoAnn Fabrics sells the same exact stuff for $5.99 a skein!

I was in Michaels a couple of days ago to look at their sale yarn. Oh my gosh, just about everything was on sale and my fingers loved all of it (smile). Going in a yarn store is so hard for me. Okay, it's not hard to walk in but it's almost impossible to walk out without spending a nice little chunk of change.

Tallulah sent me a book on felting---felting is knitting/crocheting an item in 100% wool yarn, then putting the finished item in hot soapy water to shrink it, thereby making it look like fabric not yarn. I want to make a tote bag/purse and felt it, but I didn't have any wool yarn. That's where Michaels came in. They had wool yarn on sale for 2 skeins for $7. Such a deal.

Well, I guess that's it for now. If I keep typing I'll never get any crocheting done.

You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong. Don't let the news on tv get you down.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

This + That

Geez Louise! I hadn't realized it'd been five days since I last wrote to you! Time flies, doesn't it (smile)? To tell you the truth, I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to write anything here today. Why? Well, first of all, the library computers are usually jammed up on Wednesday mornings unless you're one of the first so-many when they break the doors open at 9am, and, secondly, because the server at the main library is messing up this morning. Both of those helped to get me not only a parking spot, but also a computer. How so? Well, lots of folks, when they had a bit of trouble connecting online this morning, aborted and left. Me, I guess I'm too stubborn to just throw in the towel---plus, I wanted to talk with you!---I figured out a work around to get online. Okay, really it was the teenager at the machine next to me. Young folks are whizzes when it comes to this kind of stuff.


We've had some down right cold weather the last week or so. It went from mid-70's to where's my down coat? seemingly over night. There was even snow a couple of days, although nothing that needed to be shovelled. The ground isn't cold enough yet to sustain snow, thank goodness.


Are you familiar with Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim? Both men are/were authors. Goines is dead, murdered quite a few years ago in Highland Park, MI, a city right on the outskirts of Detroit. I don't know about Iceberg Slim, he may still be alive. Anyway, both men were the first of the ghetto/black experience authors who wrote about the underworld. I've read a number of books by both men and I've enjoyed them greatly. There's a biography of Donald Goines on the market today, Low Road by Eddie (geez, what's his last name? Allen maybe?) and it's a good read. There isn't all that much about Goines exactly, the author had some trouble finding people to give anecdotes about his life, but it's a great piece on the turbulent times of the 1950's thru to today in Detroit. It's recent history. I just returned it to the library on my way in this morning so it's here if you want it (smile).


Now here's something I've been meaning to speak on and keep forgetting about. Words. Hang with me here, please. Like when people, particularly those in power and on tv, say 'God bless America'. To me, and maybe it's just me but I don't think so, it's like they're orderring God, The Most High, to bless America. Not asking Him, orderring Him. Or when folks say 'God damn you'. Geez, do they really and truly want God to damn (send to hell for all eternity) whomever they're angry with? Words are powerful. I think it's something we all need to be aware of.


The other thing, and this is something I've discussed with a number of folks, the word 'mulatto'. That's a word that we all learned about back in history class when we studied slavery. Because it's a word that was in our textbooks, and because it's a word that our teachers used, we came up thinking it was the proper word to describe a person who is of mixed race--part black and part white. But it's not. Mulatto is a slavery word. It's a word that the slave owners used to describe the racial make-up of their property. We have to find another word because that just isn't the word to use.


To be perfectly honest, a person of mixed racial heritage--part black, part white--in America, no matter the color of their skin, is a black person. Right? Don't most folks, whether they realize it or not, feel/believe that even one drop of black blood makes a person black? Despite the fact that Obama is the president-elect, I think that still holds true for most. I mean, who says Obama is a white man? Nobody. Yet his Mom was white.


Well, that's it for today. I still have some errands to run and then I need to get home so I can speak with you.


You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong and don't let the stuff on the news mess you up or make you fearful.



hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

It Is A Beautiful Day!

Was I right or was I right? The sun came out and shone yesterday, the day after the election, didn't it (smile)?


My friend Tallulah, up in the wilds of the upper peninsula of Michigan, despite being in the largest town/city of the UP--Marquette--a university town, too--said yesterday when we talked that it was unreal up there the way people were acting. What were they doing? Well, they'd come up to each other with sincere and deep concern in their voices and ask 'how are you doing? are you okay?'. Sure, that sounds lovely doesn't it? I mean, how nice is that people have such concern for their fellow townspeoples well-being?


Thing is, their concerns were regarding the presidential election. For the most part, the Yoopers found it troubling and disconcerting and just downright almost apocalypse-like that Barrack Obama was the new president-elect.


When people asked Tallulah how she was doing she told them 'it's a beautiful day, isn't it!' with a big, bright, happy smile on her face.


Tallulah said election night when the results were coming in she spoke with her 17-year old next door neighbor girl who told her she didn't want Obama to win because he'd make abortion legal. Hmmm, abortion has been legal in the USA since Roe vs Wade, over thirty years ago, Tallulah told her. Well, it's not legal here in Michigan, the girl told her. Yes, it is, Tallulah told her, all over the USA it's legal. Well, not up here in the UP it isn't, she countered with. ?????


So Tallulah went online and, sure enough, despite being legal all over the USA, there were no womens clinics/abortion clinics in the entire UP. Near as Tallulah could tell, the closest clinics were in Saginaw, MI and Grand Rapids, MI, both cities hundreds of miles away. Or, heading west, in Appleton, WI and Milwaukee, WI, again, hundreds of miles away.


So, Tallulah told her, you have a legal right to have an abortion in Michigan, even citizens of the upper peninsula have that legal right, you just have to have a good car, lots of gas money and the ability to be out of town for close to a week if you want to avail yourself of that right.


Around here, when I was out and about yesterday, and even today so far, people have been greeting each other--even strangers--with big smiles on their faces, touching hands and arms and saying 'we have a new president! isn't it wonderful!'.


And I have to agree with them. It is a wonderful thing. A perfectly wonderful thing.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

The Sun Will Still Shine Tomorrow

"No matter who's elected president, daffodils will still bloom in the spring. Men and women will fall in love and, sadly, out of love. Inconsolable grief will still be inconsolable. A broken heart will nonetheless keep beating one hundred thousand times a day. No matter who's elected president, writers will still write. Painters will still paint. Three in the morning will still be three in the morning. The door in our psyche we don't want to walk through will still be just down the hall. No matter who's elected president, life will hand us the invisible thread that connects us all; love will hand us the needle."

Sy Safransky, editor and publisher of The Sun
www.TheSun.Org




Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

I Just Want To Share

I hope it's as beautiful a day where you are as it is here. We had rain through the night and into the wee hours of the morning, thunder and lightening, too. But now, wow! It's getting warm, everything is clean and bright and fresh. A very good day!

I know I haven't said too much about the election lately. Some of you, and you know who you are (smile), are thankful because you were tired of it, But today, well, today I've got some final words on it.

From the get-go I wasn't keen on either of the candidates for president. Obama was a come-out-of-nowhere guy and McCain, well, McCain is just flat out Bush in an older version with a few new scarey twists of his own. My intent was to vote in this election, just not for the president. There are enough local items on the ballot here to keep me busy and civically minded.

But after monthes and monthes of pre-election drama I came to realize a few things. One, not voting for either Obama or McCain (even voting for a third party candidate) was, in essence, voting for McCain. Two, after watching the campaign stuff on tv (from debates to speeches to rallies, etc.) McCain and Palin are not who I want leading this country. I don't like anything about either one of them. Three, I realized what my Uncle David is always telling me is true--racism is alive and well in this country.

Because I am still hobbling asnd limping, I was entitled to an absentee ballot this year. If the expected voter turnout is as high as some/many/most think it will be, there is/was no way in the world I would be able to stand in line for an hour or two or ? in order to cast my vote.

I voted for Obama.

Who you vote for is your business. I chose to share my vote with you.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny

www.tawnyford.com

Not Hockey, Hooky!

I'm fessing right up. Today is just too beautiful of a day to be home in the house. Therefore, I am officially playing hooky!

In honor of Hooky Day, here is another one of myfriendTallulah's lovely fall photos taken somewhere in the wilds of the upper peninsula of Michigan.


Yesterday when I was telling you that I'd been to Eastern Market to buy chicken feet, I don't know why I didn't include the website for Eastern Market so you could read all about it. But here it is: www.easternmarket.org

I also went in to the Rafal Spice Company yesterday
www.rafalspicecompany.com looking for cinnamon sticks, but, don't you know, they were all out. But it wasn't a wasted stop because the store smells amazing from all of the wonderful fresh spices they carry.

Okay, well that's it for today. I'm out of here (smile)!

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Cluck, Cluck, Cluck, Anyone???

This morning the answerring machine knew who it was and, without alot of anguish and tears and prayers on my part, I was able to leave a relatively normal and sane outgoing message. Well, at least as normal and sane as you can expect from me (smile).

In case you are ever searching for a 2-line stand alone answerring machine, not that I think you ever will, but just in case you ever do, let me tell you this: To the best of my ability to find one, I do not believe they make them any longer.

When I got through to the folks at www.hellodirect.com they told me that not only did they no longer carry them, but no one was, as far as they knew, manufacturing them. People, they told me, apparently not meaning me, no longer want an item like that. Huh? Everybody wants their answerring machine integrated with their phone system. Huh?

I googled through a gazillion entries looking for one, not that I didn't believe the nice lady at HelloDirect but, well, I was loathe to give up. I NEED a new 2-line stand alone answerring machine! The only thing I was able to find was a Panasonic, I think it was, for sale at www.amazon.com for something like $209.00. Please. And it wasn't even digital chipped. It used the old icky sounding cassette tapes.

So now I'm thinking that maybe I should purchase two 1-line stand alone answerring machines that have the announce-only feature, hook them up my phone lines, and work it like I used to before I found the 2-line one. What to do, what to do.

Thank you to everyone who emailed and phoned offering their condolences, as well as those who offerred suggestions on where to find a new one.

Okay, so yesterday and at least the day before it was really cold and blustery around here. Today, oh my goodness! today it is gorgeous! A perfect fall day. Sunshine, slight breeze, and in the 50's. What a difference a day makes (smile).

Early this morning I headed down to Eastern Market in Detroit. It's a for-real farmers market that's been around since, at the least, the early 1900's. My great grandfather on my father's side used to go there and buy produce wholesale, then resell it to hospitals and schools. He made a veritable fortune that way. He made so much money in fact that my father never realized there was a Great Depression, whereas my mother and her family almost starved to death, getting evicted from house after house because there was no money for rent.

Anyway. there are also wholesale food distributors ringing the Market. I was on the prowl for--don't you dare laugh!--chicken feet. I read somewhere on the internet that the collagen found in the chicken feet was good for degenertaive back problems. Not that I have degenerative issues with my back because I don't, but I do have my share of back pain and I got to thinking why not try the feet.

I am now the proud owner of twenty pounds of chicken feet! Blew me away though at how much they were---$1.49 a pound! I didn't see that coming. Oh well.

Next thing for me to do is find out how you cook those little rascals. I want to find a way to tenderize and them and make them taste wonderful. Barring that, I'm going to use them for stock for soup. There's got to be more than one way to get at the collagen. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

When I leave here--yes, I'm playing hooky for awhile, it's a nice day and I don't know how many more we'll have before winter and the snow--I'm going to get an ice cream. Something big and chocolatey! And then I'm going to the park to eat it in the sunshine while I look at the gorgeous red and orange leaves. Some days it's good to be me (smile).

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Dementia Is Not A Good Thing

Dementia is not a pretty thing. I am saddened to report that my faithful answerring machine, a 2-line AT&T stand alone digital answerring machine with the announcement only feature, has, after almost twelve years of service, become ill.

It began this past Sunday when I attempted to change the outgoing message. Fifteen tries later, I finally had it. The next day, Monday, unasked to by me, it altered it's pick-up from 4 rings to 2. Even in my youth I could never get to a ringing phone by the second ring. So to everyone I missed, please forgive me. Last night, well, last night, it was almost midnight by the time I had the go-to-bed message recorded.

Until I can acquire a new machine--which is not as easy as I thought it was going to be--if the machine will permit me to, I think my new all purpose outgoing message will be as follows:


Hello, this is Tawny! If it's between the hours of 9am and 1pm est, and I don't answer the phone, it's because I'm running errands. If it's after 1pm and I don't answer it, I'm on a call on the other line and would really appreciate it if you'd call back in about twenty minutes. If it's midnight or later, I've gone to bed. 9am starts it all over again.


Okay, it sounds crazy, I agree, but I'm running out of patience trying to reset a message and I'm having a devil of a time trying to buy a new one.

I was up and on the internet at 7am this morning. The company I always do business with (for the past 13 years), HelloDirect, their website keeps saying I have encountered an error. Their phone doesn't get answerred. Maybe they've gone out of business (?).

Google and I have scoured numerous websites searching for what I am starting to believe may no longer exsist on this planet (smile). And I've been to OfficeMax and Office Depot, the actual physical stores, on my way to the library.

So, if you know where I can get a 2-line stand alone AT&T (preferably) answerring machine with the announce only feature, I surely would appreciate an email or a phone call because I'm running out of places to search. And no, I don't want the whole phone system, just an answerring machine. 248-615-1300 tawnyford@webtv.net Thank you.

I emailed my good friend Tallulah this morning asking her if she knows where I can find one. Tallulah knows where everything is, she's the consumate shopper (smile), but so far no word back.

Let's see, what else? Oh, it's sort of snowing here! It's coming down white pellets but melting on contact, thankfully. I saw on the news this morning where the folks back east are getting slammed with snow. Better than you than us (smile). I'm just not ready for it yet.

Local news yesterday had Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, being sentenced to jail, finally. What was supposed to be a simple sentencing turned into a 4-plus hour fiasco. Always drama with the Kwamster.

Kwame got 120 days in jail, had to surrender his law liscence, pay restitution of 1 million dollars, etc. I watched it on tv after Tallulah was kind enough to call from Marquette to let me know it was being televised and I have to say, Kwame is still an arrogant man.

This is the first of what could be numerous sentences for him. This covers the whistle blower suit and his perjury, as well as his obstruction of justice (assaulting two officers of the court). Still to come, potentially, are charges in the death of Tamara Greene, a stripper who danced at a party atthe mayor's mansion, corruption charges brought by an investigation by the feds, as well as other charges from the Wayne County prosecutors office for all sorts of things.

Okay, now please don't forget about the answerring machine. If you have any leads please call or email me.

Be good and be careful, take crae, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

For The Record

This has been bothering me all night. For me, the best way to process (or deal with) something is to talk it out. This is your opportunity to be my sounding board!

Okay, last night I spoke with a friend. A good friend. One that I love dearly. And, as it often goes, the subject of the election came up. He brought it up, I didn't.

He said that he just couldn't bring himself to vote for a president with a Muslim name.

I have to assume he meant Obama, right. Barack Hussein Obama. And I have to assume he meant Hussein is the Muslim name.

For the record, there is NO such thing as a Muslim name. Honest. There is NO such thing as a Muslim name.

There are Arab names. Just like there are German names, Italian names, and Armenian names, etc. But there is NO such thing as a Muslim name. Honest.

All Arabs are not Muslim. All Muslims are not Arab.

All Muslims are not terrorists. Just like all Italians are not Mafioso. Like all Christians are not abortion clinic bombers. Like all Germans were not Nazis. Like all Catholic priests are not pedophiles, etc.

We have to be careful what we say. When we speak incorrectly, whether it's from ignorance or prejudice, and people hear us, well, they may walk away with a totally incorrect impression of who we are and how we are. And that would be a shame.

For anyone other than my friend, if I heard someone I didn't know say something like that, do you know what I'd think? I would think they were racially prejudiced. 'I won't vote for a Muslim' is code for 'I won't vote for a N.....' amongst the yahoo racists.

And while we're on the subject of Muslims, do you know what the word Muslim means? It means 'one who submits/surrenders themselves to the Will of God. That's what we are all supposed to do…Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, etc. Submit ourselves, surrender ourselves to God.

Anyway, I'll leave you with a pretty photo of a waterfall on a gorgeous fall day, compliments of Tallulah.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Listen to Mom, "Take Your Vitamins!"

To everyone who was kind enough to email me when I wasn't feeling well, thank you very much. Words of encouragement when one isn't 'on their game' are wonderful.

I wasn't sick; I just wasn't feeling well, if that makes any sense. I didn't have a cold, no fever, and no congestion. Just an overall 'I don't feel good'. And no, I didn't go to the doctor to see what was wrong. You know me better than that (smile).

What I really and truly think happened is…I wasn't faithfully taking my vitamins. I was taking them one day, missing a day, taking them, missing three days, etc. and it caught up with me.

Do you take vitamins? I do. I pretty much always have my entire adult life. I take a good multi vitamin plus a vitamin c, 1 calcium, 1 magnesium, 1 potassium, 1 vitamin d, 1 fish oil, and 2 garlic.

Do I like taking them? No. I hate swallowing pills of any kind, even vitamins. My mother was addicted to prescription drugs and, because I so didn't ever want to be like that, I developed an aversion to anything pill-like or medicine-like.

But I found that I have less colds, less problems when I take vitamins so… And after being down for five days like I was, well, I am never going to neglect swallowing them every morning. Never.

This is your lucky day! Why? More Tallulah photos! These were taken in and around the Marquette, Michigan area. I hope you like them. I think they're beautiful.


Know where I went yesterday morning? To this incredible farm stand, Blocks. For those of you in the metro Detroit area, Blocks is at the corner of Middlebelt and Eureka, out by the airport. They grow their own produce, and then sell it very economically. Because they are getting ready to close down for the year, prices were even lower, and they'll be lower yet by the end of this week, first part of next.

Do you eat greens…Collards? Mustard? Kale? They had the whole plant, like someone took a machete and whacked it off at ground level. The plants are enormous. They were selling them 2 for $1.00! 2 for $1.00! For $3 I got enough collards to last me for a couple of months, plus enough to share with a friend.


I had some frozen smoked turkey parts in my freezer and so, after sitting out in the garage for close to two hours cutting and trimming collard greens, I put them all in two humongous pots with water, onions, and chili peppers. A couple hours later I had dinner fit for a queen!

And because I had so many collards not only do I have dinner for tonight, but I'm going to put them in single serving size freezer bags and tuck them away in the freezer for when I get a craving.


It wasn't just collards that were cheap. Cooking onions, a dollar a basket. One fifty-pound bag of potatoes plus one 50-pound bag of onions for $20. Green peppers four for a dollar. Just to name a few of the bargains. And small pie pumpkins, two for $1.50. I'm going to stuff them with meat and rice and spices and bake them. It is so good.

Okay, now that I've got you hungry (smile)! I'm going to bake a pound cake today, just as soon as the butter softens up a bit. I've been wanting something sweet and, well, a citrus pound cake is good stuff.

Hope you have a good day.

You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Breaking Out

I know you're waiting for the weather update, right (smile)? Okay, today it's chilly and not very sunny. I think it's maybe 55 degrees. They're talking rain for this evening and into tomorrow morning. Definitely a day for long sleeves and socks. Except I hate socks, I really do! and I'm not wearing them until I absolutely positively have to.


Do you read blogs? Other than mine, I mean (smile). Well, here are several that I follow:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com Everey day there's a new recipe to use with your crockpot. Don't have a crockpot??? Well, you really should get up off your wallet and buy one. Get a big one, too. Like maybe a 6 quart. I think my 6 quart'er is a Rival and it's great. Using a crockpot is perfect--put your stuff in it in the morning, set it, forget it, come home to dinner ready to eat!

http://paulevagnoni.blogspot.com From The Booth is the title of this blog. The fellow who does it is an exceptionally good writer, something you don't always find in a blogger.

http://honestsb.blogspot.com This is written by a woman. Not only does she write well, but I tend to agree with almost everything she writes. And no, it's not me writing under a fake name.


I forgot to tell you yesterday--the library was crowded. I kept driving around the parking lot, circling, waiting for a parking space to open up. I must have done the go-around thing a dozen times over the course of maybe fifteen minutes. At one point, a police car pulled me over (which is not an easy thing to do when you're circling the library's teeny tiny parking lot). 'Miss? May I ask, what in the world are you doing?' 'Looking for a parking space,' I replied. And then the cop got to laughing. 'See that County prisoner transport bus over there?' 'Yes, it's in the way, how could I miss it?' I replied. 'Well, the sheriff driving it radiod in, said he thought you were fixing to liberate a prisoner! Is that your intention?' 'Not today,' I told him. 'Today I want a parking space. Tomorrow? Who can say?' All the way over to the County prisoner transport bus that cop was laughing, laughing and wiping tears. Glad I could make his day (smile).

Well, that's it for today. You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Aunt Shug is in the Hospital

As nice as the weather was the past few days, that's just how not so nice it is today. The high, I think, is going to be 72 and I know that sounds terrific, what's not to like about 72? But 72 was at 10am and now it's falling. Not only is the temperature falling, but so is some rain, and so are the pretty colored leaves off the trees. Oh well. That's how it's supposed to be in the fall. If the leaves didn't fall off the trees then we wouldn't have anything to rake up (smile).

That's the downside, I think, to fall. Not that raking is so labor intensive, although it can be, I guess, if you have lots of trees. And I have lots and lots of trees in my backyard. Lots of them. I love them in the summer when they shade the house from the sun, and I love them when the birds and squirrels build their houses in them and I can hear them chirp and chatter and sing, but I'm not so wild about them when I have to rake and fill dozens and dozens of those huge brown refuse bags and then lug them out to the curb.

But there's a whole lot of that love-hate stuff going on in life.

Like my Aunt Shug and her youngest son, Michael. I know somewhere in Michael's cracked out, alcohol rotted brain, somewhere in there he loves his Mama. But somewhere in there he hates her, too. The drugs, the alcohol have done terrible things to him. He loves his Mama but he loves crack. He loves his Mama but when her social security check comes he strong arms her for a piece of it so he can hit the corner and hook up with the crack man.

This past weekend Aunt Shug had a heart attack. The doctors told her a few monthes ago that if she didn't have that operation, a bypass I think it was, she was going to have problems. And she was all set to have it, remember me telling you about it? And then that devil Michael got himself to the hospital and talked her out of it. He knew Shug's social security check was going to be showing up and if she was in the hospital, well, how in the hell was he going to get a piece of it for the crack?

Shug is 83 and that's old. God knows she's had a long life. Any one of us should be thankful to have so many years on this earth. But the doctors said that Shug was strong and vibrant and if she had that operation they could pretty damn well guarantee that she would have more years of good health. Of course that was a few monthes ago, back before the heart attack.

As far as I know, at least as far as last night when I spoke with my cousin (not Michael, I don't deal with him), the doctors were going to operate on Shug sometime this week. They were afraid if they didn't she'd have another heart attack, or a stroke, and then she wouldn't be strong enough. Of course, they were also afraid that maybe she wasn't strong enough to survive the operation. That old six of one, half dozen of another.

I don't know that Michael is ever going to get his sorry self together. Probably it would be a true blessing for him if he never did. Why? Because if he ever gets clean he's going to realize just how much misery he put his Mama through all these years. He's going to remember the times he shoved her, twisted her arm, called her a bitch. He's going to remember the time Shug had enough and she pulled a butcher knife on him and threatened to gut him. He's going to remember that Shug loved him so much that she wouldn't let anyone touch him to try and knock some sense in to him. And that's all going to be some hellish memories to have to deal with.

I hope things are good at your end of the world. Remember to treat your loved ones with love. Life is short.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Dancin' and the Cider Mill

This past Saturday and Sunday were beautiful examples of the best of fall weather. Sunshine, highs near 80 and the barest of breezes.

Tallulah has been taking advantage of the fall colors in the UP, shooting breathtaking photos and emailing them to me. I believe she said these were taken in Forrestville, Michigan. I meant to get up that way this fall and see the turning leaves for my own self but never did make it. Thanks to Tallulah, you and I, even though we never left home, can still see them.


With the high around 80 on Saturday I was able to open the windows in the house. Being as it's mid-October, well, odds are good there won't be too many more opportunities to do so. That made it doubly important that I fling them open and let the warm, fresh air in!

Speaking of Saturday. Saturday nights from 7pm to 10pm on WDET.FM, 101.9 on the radio dial, there is a great show---Jay's Place with Jay Butler. I believe you can listen to it on the computer at www.wdet.org. Jay plays 'old school' music. It's like being teleported to a juke joint! Me, I can't sit still while the show is on. I'm up dancing for three hours straight.

There are three songs that Jay plays nearly every Saturday that, over the years, have become my favorites:

'Hole in the Wall' by Mel Waiters (on his Material Things cd)

'I Like This Place' by Carl Sims (on his Can't Stop Me cd)

'Ain’t No Party Like A Grown Folks Party' by Carl Marshall (on his Songs People Love The Most Volume 1 cd)

It finally dawned on me this morning that I don't have to only hear those songs on Saturday night, I can buy the cds! And that's what I did before I left out of here this morning--I did some shopping at www.amazon.com! I opted for the free shipping (okay, I'm cheap! So what!) so in 5 to 9 days I will be in music heaven.

The other thing I did today was go to the cider mill. I met HSM and her brood over at Plymouth Orchards around 9:15 am. HSM's theory was that if we got there early we would be ahead of the crowds. Generally speaking that's the optimum plan. Unfortunately, everyone else must have had the same game plan because the place was jammed.


On the plus side, the ten thousand school aged kids (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but only slight) began their cider experience with a hayride, then a tour of the place. We began ours at the opposite end--in the 'store' buying cider, donuts and caramel apples, and then partaking of our goodies. By the time the throng was coming in the 'store' we were heading out. Too perfect!

The other perfect thing was the cider itself. It's dark, looks like liquid caramel, and tastes so, so good. I bought four gallons--1 to drink now, the other 3 to go in the freezer for when I'm craving cider in the middle of a winter snowstorm.

I hope today has been a good day for you. Any day I am able to talk with you is a good day for me.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Too Horrified To Title This

Okay, so the other day I spoke about what I considered to be a delicate subject---the worst gas attack of my life. And, as my email box will attest, not everyone understood exactly what I was talking about. Some thought I was talking about heart burn. Some thought I meant I was expressing noxious odors. Some thought I was confined to the 'throne' for hours of elimination. And what that showed me was I need to be explicit when I say something because otherwise we all have a different idea of what I meant.

For the record, and that's what a blog is, sort of, my gas attack was none of the above. I felt like a wooden barrel, a wine cask maybe, that someone had hooked an air hose up to and was steadily pumping more air in than my barrel could hold. It felt like my chest, my heart, was going to explode. It felt like I was going to POP like a balloon someone has stuck a pin in.

But I'm saying all that to say that there's something I've been avoiding talking about like the plague. And it truly is a plague, I think. And, because I don't want any misunderstanding, I'm going to be painfully clear.

The Sarah Pailin rallies, that's what has me concerned. I think it's okay dokey, sweller than swell that she can draw a crowd. Good for her. She's got charisma, she's attractive.

But.

At one of her rallies she spoke of Obama being an associate of a known homeland terrorist, Bill Ayres, one of the founders of the former 1960's radical group Weather Underground. Never you mind that Bill Ayres is is a professor at an accredited university, not in hiding, not on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Never you mind anything that makes any sense.

What you have to mind, what you have to pay attention to is that when Ms. Sarah said (or maybe even still says that at her rallies) that, someone in the crowd hollered out 'traitor'. Okay, we all have a right to our own opinions. That was that persons opinion. Me, if I so chose, and I have so chose here in the blog to call McCain a traitor to his country because he caved in to the Viet Cong when he was a POW and made statements against the USA.

Worse, is that at some of Ms. Sarah's rallies people have hollered out 'kill him'.

Another worse, racial epithets have been hurled at non-white camera men at her rallies by members of the crowd.

But even worse than that, so worse in fact that I'm horrified by it and I don't horrify easily, is that Ms. Sarah, Senator McCain and the Republican Party have not come out denouncing that type of behavior by their supporters. President Bush hasn't said anything about it either.

I somewhat jokingly suggested that perhaps McCain was channelling the Jim Crow era at the first presidential debate. But it's not a joke any longer.

'Kill him', racial epithets---that's the kind of bull shit that lead to lynchings back in the day.

Is that where this country is going? Back to the day when it was okay to not only slur members of other ethnic groups, but call for their death? WTF???

You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Sunny + Spaghetti

It's another beautiful fall day here. It's 70-something, sunny as can be, and just a teeny weeny breeze. Much to beautiful a day to spend inside and, don't you know, that's where I've been most of the day so far.

I started out at Costco. Do you have a membership there? I've had one for years. Ever since Costco first arrived in my area. I also have a membership at Sam's Club. In fact, Sam's was the first one I bought. Thing is, truth be told, while I really like both stores, Costco is my favorite. I like the quality of their merchandise the best. But with Sam's, because I have a business membership, I am able to gain entry to the store at 7am. I can't get in Costco until 10am. I know, big deal, right? But it is a big deal. See, if I go to Sam's early, like get there by 9am, the store isn't crowded. The only folks shopping are the business owners, primarily the men who own the party stores. You probably call them convenience stores. Here in Michigan, and I don't know why we do but we do, we call them party stores. Anyway, I can be out of Sam's and home by 10am.

Costco had coupons, that's why I was there this morning. I stocked up on vitamins and toothpaste. And I bought cookies, coffeecake, frozen pizza. All the essentials of life (smile).

It was when I came out of the store that I found what a gorgeous day it had turned out to be. And I found that I was over-dressed. I had on sweats, hey! it was chilly when I rolled out this morning! After I unloaded the truck and put everything away, I changed into summer-wear----shorts, tshirt, sandals. Any day you don't need socks is a good one in my book!

So now, obviously, I'm at the library. My plan when I finish here is to grab some lunch from maybe Burger King (it's right down the street), take it to the park and eat at a picnic table in the sun. Sounds good, doesn't it?

When I get home I'm going to start fixing dinner. It's a crockpot kind of meal. I defrosted some chicken thighs and legs overnight. I'm cutting up a couple onions and laying them on the bottom of the crockpot, the chicken parts on top of the onions, some herbs (oregano, thyme, garlic), then pouring 3/4 of a jar of spaghetti sauce over that. Crockpot on high for 4-6 hours and--voila! Dinner! I've got some spaghetti noodles to boil when I'm ready to eat. I'll take the chicken out, stir the sauce, add the rest of the jar of spaghetti sauce and then, if it's still too thin, I'll add some tomato paste, stir it in to thicken and I'll be good to go. Fast, easy and yummy!

Inbetween all of this I am hoping you'll call because I miss talking with you.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

A Pretty Picture and a Petty Politician

Remember I told you my friend Tallulah was downstate for a few days this week? Well, on her long (almost 500 miles) drive down she stopped to take a photo of a beautiful fall day in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She shared it with me and I, in turn, want to share it with you.

Does it look like that where you live? I don't mean the water, but the leaves. Are they all gorgeous colored? Bright reds and oranges with a smattering of yellow?

They are here, sort of. Not all of the leaves have turned yet, but those that have are brilliantly beautiful.

To me, there is nothing like a clear, sunny, slightly crisp fall day. I love the way the sunlight bounces off the pretty colored leaves, and I love the way the air smells. Someone told me once that smell that I so love is actually the smell of decay. Hmm. Okay. Maybe so. But it still smells pretty on a nice fall day (smile)!

It's raining here today. The weather people say it's going to be on and off showers all day long. The really lovely weather, so they say, will be here Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 72 is supposed to be the high for Saturday, with 77 on both Sunday and Monday.

Have you been to the cider mill yet this season? I still haven't made it to the cider mill yet so maybe Monday, with it's predicted warm weather, will be the day, .

My cider mill of choice is www.plymouthorchards.com It's not the glitziest or the coolest, it's not where the see and be seen people buy their cider, but this place makes and sells unpasteurized cider and that's my cider of choice. That pasteurized stuff tastes like glorified apple juice. And while apple juice is good stuff, no way in the world is it apple cider.

They also sell yummy jams and jellies, pies, donuts, even cider slushies! But what I really like are the bags of apple chips. I can't think of the name brand, sorry, but they are so good! Last year I ended up contacting the apple chip manufacturer, purchasing a case of assorted flavors and had them shipped to my house.

Before you ask, yes, I watched the debate last night between Obama and McCain.

To tell you the truth, I ended up feeling really sorry for McCain. Why? Because every time he tried to be funny, instead of funny he came off really lame and petty.

He also came off half a quart low. You know, like your favorite cousin, the one who had to wear the football helmet to school and who rode on the special bus.

"That one" he said, referring to Obama as he pointed at him. "That one"? The first debate, McCain refused to look at Obama. This time he called him "that one". Since when is it cool to be disrespectful?

Also, did you notice how McCain made a point, once the debate was over, to have Obama shake hands with his wife? But McCain never shook hands with Obama's wife, and she was standing right there. Is McCain ignorant of social pleasantries?

And what was up with McCain and his wife almost immediately leaving the debate site once it was over? Obama and his wife went around talking to the crowd, shaking hands, having their pictures taken with the attendees.

Oh well.

You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

The Repercussions of a Fried Dinner

My first thought, as I sat down here at the computer, was that the subject on my mind to write about was, perhaps, an indelicate one. You know, something that is better left unsaid in polite company. But the more I thought about it, well, we talk about lots of different stuff here on the blog, and heaven knows we talk about everything--and I do mean everything--else on the phone, so why get all shy and hold back now (smile).

Last night for my dinner I lightly breaded some chicken wings and then fried them, along with some sweet potatoes that I cut up in to french fries. Talk about good!

Thing was, three hours later I had the biggest, the baddest, the worst gas attack I have ever had in my life!

Eight Rolaids and one agonizing hour later I was able to finally go lay down in the bed and try to go to sleep. I fell asleep talking out loud to God--There is no God but God--over and over and over until I was sound asleep. Each time I woke up to use the bathroom, I came up out of my sleep still repeating my prayer to God out loud.

Today the gas attack is but a nasty memory, except for the fact that my stomach hurts. You know, like when you cough too much your stomach muscles hurt? That's sort of like how I hurt. And I feel tired and sluggish even though I slept for at least nine hours last night. And I'm not hungry or thirsty even though it's going on 2pm. In fact, the thought of eating or drinking something sort of makes me nauseous. And scared, like the gas attack might return.

So have you ever had a bad awful gas attack? And if so, what did you take or do to get rid of it?

Please feel free to shoot me an email.

That's it for today. I just want to go home and lay down.

You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawnyford@webtv.net

Yoo Hoo! Calling Homeland Security!

For what it's worth, my blood is still boiling over that stupid shit Pailin is spreading about how Obama hangs out with terrorists. I always say you can say anything you like, good or bad, about a person as long as it's the truth. But it has to be the truth.

So if this gentleman--I can't remember his name, I'm lousy on names, I even wrote it down on a piece of paper to bring to the library with me and then I lost it somewhere between there and here--but you know who I mean, right? The fellow who used to be a part of Weather Underground back in the 1960's--when Obama was a little boy--and is now a professor at a university in Illinois--is such a terrorist, a homeland terrorist as Pailin says it, then where oh where is Homeland Security? Why haven't they rounded him up and put him in an internment camp somewhere? There must be some room left at Gitmo, right?

If we were to dig back through fairly recent history, and I'm talking about the 1960's in the USA, we would find, I am fairly certain, that many of the youngsters who were out protesting the Viet Nam war, who were getting shot up at Kent State, who were members of radical groups, etc. are now the folks, men and women alike, who have prestigous jobs on Wall Street, are ceos of big name companies, are professors at universities, etc.

Tom Hayden, founder (or at least one time member) of SDS, Students For A Democratic Society, a group founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan by students at the University of Michigan, went on to be an elected legislator from California. The men and women who marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., look at all of them who have gone on to become reverends, professors, heads of organizations doing good works in this country of ours.

Bobby Seal, one of the Chicago Seven, has gone on to write cookbooks and produce bbq sauce. Angela Davis went on to be an author and a professor. Jerry Rubin, also of the Chicago Seven, didn't he go on to big business?

All those folks, once members of the 'counter culture' (as the media addressed them back in the day), were 'redeemed', but not this gentleman that Pailin says is a homeland terrorist. Aint that something.

So if it's okay dokey to say stuff that isn't true in a campaign, then surely it must be doggone all right to say stuff that, while not pretty or flattering, is true, huh?

Okay then. Pailin has a teenage daughter that's pregnant, right? Some say this is her second pregnancy (the special needs baby that Ms. Sarah claims as her own child), who knows. But the thing is, somebody dropped the ball with this teenager. If her parents, Sarah or Todd, were doing their job right this wouldn't have been able to happen. With all their Christian blahblahblah morals they put out there on front street and rub our noses in, if they were watching over their children like good parents, like good shepherds if you will, their little lamb wouldn't have had an opportunity to be fornicating.

Okay, Pailin has a special needs child. We see that sweet baby hauled out in front of the media whenever it suits them. And, for the most part, as I've said before in this blog, the baby seems to be an accessory. You know, like an in-style purse, or a swell pair of suede boots. I never see Sarah or Todd, the parents, holding baby. I see a teenage daughter holding him or I see the second youngest daughter lugging him around like a sack of potatoes. Nobody kisses or talks to baby, nobody cootchie coos him. And should he be in crowds where there's yelling and screaming and enough loud noise to make a grown up's ears hurt? Is that good for a baby? Is that responsible parenting?

Okay, McCain. The war hero. The hero who, during his time in captivity, made a statement denouncing the USA. Sure, it had to be rough lodged in the Hanoi Hilton. Okay, torture is not fun or pleasant. But. Other military who were captured did not rat their country out. But McCain did. Do we want a rat for president?

I think the powers-that-be are so scared that a Black man will get to live in the White House, and not as a servant, that if Obama gets elected it would not surprise me if said powers-that-be didn't assasinate him. It would grieve me, but unfortunately it wouldn't surprise me.

Whenever you want to reach around and pat yourself on the back and tell yourself that race relations are so good in the USA, that we've come a long baby since the days of segregation, you'd better take a deep breath and sniff up some reality because the only difference between then and now is now people use double-speak. Back in the day they called a n..... a n...... Now they call him an elitist. Or say he hangs out with terrorists.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

What's Next, The "N-Word"?

I know, I rarely if ever write anything in the blog on the weekends. It's impossible for me to get to the library on Saturdays or Sundays. I am also loath to bother anyone to do my posting for me. I mean, geez, my friends have lives, too, but today, well, today I have something to say that just doesn't want to wait until tomorrow morning.

HSM sent me an article from the BBC. You've probably already heard about it on the cable news. My guess is the executives and anchors on FOX Cable News have been sporting woodies ever since they heard about it.

Sarah Pailin has announced that Barack Obama hangs out with terrorists. Yep, and you know that gosh darn, folksy, doggone it but she's just an average Sarah Six Pack wouldn't try to snooker us.

Apparently, Obama once served on the board of a charitable organization. And one of the other members was--hope you're sitting down--the founder of the 1960's radical group Weather Underground. This gentleman, whose name I can't recall, is a professor at a university in Illinois.

Now never you mind that Obama was a kidlet during the time that the Weather Underground was operating in the USA. And therefore, I would say obviously, he could not have been a member or a supporter of the group.

And, just as obviously to me, this fellow who is now a professor at a university, well, he must not be on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, huh? He must be considered an okey-dokey upright citizen these days.

Pailin has also stated that it's time to take the gloves off in this campaign. What a hoot! If Obama or Biden or, hell, most of the media, takes their gloves off on her or McCain the Republicans will be in trouble.

I am sick to death of hearing how the Democrats have to go easy on Pailin because, what? She’s a woman. Nobody went easy on Hillary Clinton. Hillary gave as well as she got.

Ms. Sarah has stated she is a feminist. Well, hot damn, then she ought to know that if you talk that equal rights stuff for men and women talk, then you have to be prepared to walk it, too.

And McCain. I'm tired of hearing because he served in Vietnam that means he would make a superb commander in chief. McCain was taken prisoner, he didn't try to escape from his Viet Cong captors and, during his time in the prison camp, he made statements denouncing the US government.

Where's the hero in that?

I think the Republicans are so scared that Obama, a BLACK man, is going to win the election and become the next president of the USA that they will stop at nothing to smear him.

They insist he's a Muslim. They fussed about his Christian pastor, Rev. Wright. They say he pals around with terrorists.

So far they haven't come right out and said he's the N-Word but they did get Lady Rothschild (sp?) to say Obama was an 'elitist' which, in hater terminology, when you want to call him the N-Word but you know it wouldn't sound nice, you say elitist because everybody knows you really mean uppity N-Word. You know, the blackie who doesn't know his place.

That's it for me for today.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Gosh Darnit Turkey Wings

I had intended to get to the library yesterday so I could 'talk' with you and then I got caught up. Caught up with what, you ask? Cooking. Yes, cooking! I haven't done much cooking lately. I'm not exactly sure why, although lazy does come to mind. I've relied on microwaveable meals and sandwiches, with a smattering of carry-outs thrown in for good measure.

But when I was talking about Ramadan meals and comfort food the other day, well, it got me to hankering for some turkey. And yes, I said hankering, so what? If Sarah Pailin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, can use use words like doggone, shucks, etc. then surely I can. I'm born and raised and still living in the midwest, the heartland of America, where it's part of our verbal heritage, if you will, to use homey words like that.

So anyway, I had some turkey wings in the freezer and---wait one gosh darn minute here!---you've never cooked turkey wings? Oh my goodness gracsious! I can feel another cooking lesson coming on!

I had two packs of turkey wings, four wings total. After washing them off and, you know, pulling off anything that I didn't want to see on my dinner plate, I put them in an oven safe baking pan, atop a bed of celery stalks and cut up onions. I poured a small can, maybe what? 10-12 ounces, of Swanson Chicken broth, mixed with almost 3 cups of water, on top. Oh, and I peppered them, too.

Into a 350 oven they went, totally coverred with tinfoil, totally! for an hour. Then the tinfoil came off, the oven went to 375 and I began basting them every 20 minutes. After I don't know, maybe almost 3 hours, they were done. They were brown and when I cut into them by the bone there was no 'red'.

I took the turkey wings out of the pan, fished out the celery and onion and pitched them into the garbage, then poured the broth/drippings into a saucepan, and got the heat going on the burner to a boil. I added some water, maybe 2 cups. I put two tablespoons of corn starch in a cup, slowly adding some cold water as I constantly stirred so it wouldn't lump up, then poured it into the saucepan that was now vigorously boiling, all the while whisking so I wouldn't have lumpy gravy.

Okay. Next I put the turkey wings back into the oven proof pan and poured most of the gravy over them. Put the tinfoil back on the pan, tightly, tightly! and back into the oven--at 200 degrees--for another hour or two.

When it was time for dinner, oh my goodness! They were succulent and tasty!

I also made mashed potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole and candied yams. And I had a can of cranberry sauce, too.

You talk about a nice dinner, wow, it was great and it got me to thinking that maybe I should declare my moratorium on not cooking to be over.

Tallulah, my UP friend, sent me a recipe for an apple cake that she swears is so good it'll make you want to slap your Mama (smile). She even sent me a container of cardamon because she says that's an essential ingredient. I'm thinking that maybe, by golly, I'll bake one up this afternoon.

And speaking of Tallulah, I got an email this morning from her. She says she's heading downstate, leaving Marquette sometime Saturday, to spend a week down here. Her birthday is October 6th and she wants to spend it down this a way. Actually her first wish was to spend it in Las Vegas, but, well, you know how that goes. Downstate was her fall back wish and that's the one she's going with.

So I reckon that's it for me for today. You be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com