Oh, YEAH…..You see me coming to the pasture couch, then you better moooo-ooove over~!!

GROANnnnnn~!! This Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend, I am sufferin’, my bloggin’ friends~!! Too much rich food….Too much lazyin’ around…..Too many naps….NOT ENOUGH EXERCISE~!!!

The Thanksgiving dinner was WONDERFUL~!!!….My DIL put on a great Martha Stewart dinner with all the trimmings, with the help of my Son! It was delicious from the beautifully browned turkey, to the scrumptious side dishes and homemade bread and home-canned cranberry sauce~! And, all of this is evident with my sides bulging as my pic above…….*sigh*!!!!

Reflecting upon the picture above, I certainly plan to begin a STRONG DISCIPLINED plan after the first of the year…..Maybe in 2010, I can put into practice, a nice Mediterrean diet, with Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts and Fish~!! AND—Perhaps a WALKING PLAN for the New Year…???…..Oh, I walked while doing some shopping on Black Friday, but then shored up my appetite with some Fast Food Frivolity~!!
MOOOooooooo!!!
Well, I guess that we all make excuses…..but me, TOO MANY~!!….
I plan to scope out the possibility of moving my blog over to BLOGSPOT, as I find it a little easier to navigate….

Well…..I must go—-Almost time for LUNCH~!!! ((wink-wink))

I would imagine that by now, you have exhausted every recipe for the Turkey dinner, found the relish dish for the olives, arranged the chairs at the dinner table, and the kid’s table…..and from shopping for the food you are just downright EXHAUSTED.!!!
Preparing Thanksgiving dinner is quite an undertaking….Waiting until the last moment to get that best price, calculating the thawing of the bird, and then deciding JUST HOW LONG TO COOK IT….!! I don’t trust myself, I have to have that little “Pop-Up” thingie!

And, think of the STARCHES that are plopped upon the table…!? But despite all the calories that run directly to your butt and thighs….(YOUR butt and thighs, not the turkey!) that we cannot wait to clean up our plate but what to saunter to DESSERT~!!…..PIE, CAKE, PUDDINGS, COBBLER…..Oh, what the heck~!!

So, now that we have exhausted out conversation about the dinner, let’s use this last “Word” for “Words Wednesday”

Simply…… last thoughts on the word-

TURKEY

Here is my input=…..Think about what Thanksgiving would have been like if the Pilgrims would have not found a turkey to share with the Native Americans, and had chosen……a wild boar?????

H*A*P*P*Y T*U*R*K*E*Y~!!!!!!!!!!!
Come back to visit soon~!!!

OH YES…..I “hear” you out there saying, “National Cashew Day”…..Hooray~!!!

Me??? I love cashews~!! I could sit and gobble them by the handfuls~! So, when I found out that TODAY is the National recognition of those yummy nuts…..well, I just had to investigate.

Did you know that they are a HUGE cash crop for 32 countries from Brazil to Nigeria to Vietnam to India?? And, what with the fruit of the Cashew Tree only bearing ONE cashew nut per fruit, well there has to be a lot of harvesting~!! The trees can grow to a height of over 30 feet, and an adult tree will produce about 200 cashews per year. WHAT????? Only 200 per tree???…I was shocked as when you think about the numbers per can, —-Wow— One tree=One can! NO WONDER THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE!

Each nut appears below the “cashew apple” or marañon…….A single cashew nut grows below each marañon.

You CANNOT eat RAW cashews….(((Well, haven’t been in a tropical climate)) And,
there are toxic characteristics to a liquid called cardol that exists between the shell and the cashew nut. The truth is that the raw cashew is more nutritious than the cooked version, but like many other foods, some people have an allergy to this particular nut.

The marañon is equally versatile, being edible by itself, or it can be prepared in syrup or candied. It, too, can be made into a wine. In India, the cashew apples are trampled by foot to make into a potent liquor called feni. ((Boy, I wanna’ be at that party~!!)) Cardol is within the apple thingie~! ((Are you happy about all this???LOL))

Cardol is toxic only if ingested. It has been used in traditional medicine to treat skin infections, warts, and parasitic larvae beneath the skin. Other traditional uses of the juice of the cashew apple and tree leaves include diuretics, anti-inflammatories, and astringents. (((This I am not so happy about)))

Cardol is also known as Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) ( You can share this at the next cocktail party that you attend))and has industrial applications in brake fluid, adhesives, paints and varnishes. Resins from the cashew tree wood and CNSL have been used in certain varnishes which prevent infestation by wood-destroying insects.

OF COURSE, we all know that these little goodies are TOXIC to the waistline and diet! There are 8.5 calories in EACH cashew~!! So, as I close the blog, may I wish you well, and as you pop open that can of cashews, you can feel INFORMED….(National Cashew Day every November 23rd)

Be back soon……

AHHHH……THOSE WONDERFUL JELLO SALADS~!!!!!
Yep, I have been scourin’ the web for some new recipes for salads for Thanksgiving….!!

SO—–If you would be kind enough to share with us what your favorite SALAD is to have to serve for your dinner table, or to take as a dish for a visit~!!……

I think it would be fun to share/exchange the different FAVORITE SALADS that are a “hit” with Family and Friends~!!
HAVE FUN~!!!!

Ahhhhh, yes~!! ‘Tis Thanksgiving time, just around the corner, and as we sit down to the dinner, do you bring into focus what you are THANKFUL for?……Bringing family and friends together for the Holiday usually brings warm thoughts about what we cherish in our lives….Of course, we really should think about being thankful EVERY day for the gifts that come to us…..

Today’s “Words Wednesday” phrase is……

I AM THANKFUL FOR……….

Myself, I am thankful for just being able to wake up and breathe, knowing that I have another day in this lifetime! Getting older brings me to a different perspective, one of survival and what I can do with the rest of my time….

I am truly, truly thankful for my Housemate/Life Partner, Jerry, who has put up with my quirks, thoughts, cooking, housecleaning, but most of all his lovin’ me for who I am~!!!

I am truly and lovingly thankful for my Son, Tracy, and his wonderful wife, Jo-Jo, who have been there for me EVERY time that I need them~!

I am thankful for my friends…those I see in person and give me hugs and those that are out there online in blogs, sites, and emails….You have helped me through many trials and tribulations….

I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and not out on the cold and rainy streets of the city like so many homeless….

And, know that my list could fill this page~!! Each day, I find something to be thankful for ……
Tell me what you are thankful for?

And, to Friday the 13th, I say SO WHAT???……
Somehow I believe that we just bring ourselves to shiver at the thought of the day, causing us to be distracted and then when we goof up, then we can blame it on the day~!!! We have had a Friday the 13th in 2009 in February and March and again we are graced with one TODAY~!

For instance…..
Beware of naming your children anything with 13 letters, for example, Charles Manson, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo!!!! WHAT???? Well, I have doomed my FIRST BORN, (poor kid!) and my DIL with her married name just put herself into the category~!!

Then there is the dreaded 13 in buildings and companies~!!!
Many airports skip the 13th gate, airplanes have no 13th aisle???….Many tall buildings do not have a 13th Floor, because if they did, no one would want to stay on them. Most hospitals do not have a room 13.
(Now, my impression on this is that we are climbing aboard an AIRPLANE, for goodness sakes…so, who cares and does it make a difference if we are in #13 when the plane goes down?????)

On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half. Well, to that I say……WHO CARES about that in Podunk, Iowa???….

Unfortunately, there are things like……The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on 4/11/70. The sum of the date’s digits is 13. The explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13th…..*sigh* I am sorry about the loss, truly.

Then this is unbelievable~!!The British Navy is notoriously afraid of Friday the 13th. Nonetheless, it built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th and was never heard from again. WHAT???Seems they must have been testin’ the waters??????

There is an old Wives’ Tale that a baker’s dozen is described by a dozen loaves of bread with the 13th being an offering to the devil so he would not spoil the other 12…..RIGHT!! Again….I wonder…..

There are 13 witches in a coven…....? Let’s think about this….What happens when one is ABSENT???Does all the witchy-poo things get accomplished???

This gem is from the ol’ history books….(Who reported this??)
The first person to die in a car accident was killed in New York City on Sept. 13, 1899. (May they rest in peace…..)

Now a lot of WORK went into this one…..The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle’s head, 13 war arrows in the eagle’s claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch……..I HAVEN’T HAD TIME TO HOLD ONTO A DOLLAR BILL TO CHECK~!!

It is estimated that more than 60 million people do not go to work, drive or leave their house on this unlucky day. I AM AT HOME, aren’t I????

AND THEN WITH THANKSGIVING COMING UP….I leave you with this last thought……
It has been suggested that if 13 people all sit down at a table together at once, that they will all will die within a year…….((((SOMEBODY CALL THE SOUP KITCHEN~!!)))

So I leave you to your thoughts….if you have anything to share, I should love to hear it????!!!!

Ahhhh, YES!! ‘Tis the month of Turkey Time!! And, as the Holiday approaches…..those Thanksgiving rituals begin~!!…..

FIRST=The TURKEY….WHAT kind of Turkey???….Oh, the possibilities are endless! Or are you “set in your ways”…. “By George, the way that Gramma did it is the ONLY way”….OR….do you change your habits each year??? Could your choice be a wonderfully, browned Crown Roast?….Or perhaps, you are a Vegetarian?

Today the “WORDS WEDNESDAY” phrase is =

“For THANKSGIVING I choose to cook____________”

I am anxious for your replies….And, I shall add mine a little later this month…..

But, for NOW…..I should like to thank my dear friend, Rae, of Porch Ponderings by Rae who was so very gracious to send me a “care package” during my absence…filled with Chicken Soup, a Candle, Lipton tea, a worry stone to wish for hope, and a lovely piece of art in a hand-painted apple gourd…It is lovely! Thank you, Rae, for being such a GREAT and THOUGHTFUL friend….!

I love it~!!!

Well, well……Here we are at “Words Wednesday” again…..Still trying to play “catch up” with my housework, health, and blogs and blog-buddies~!!! So very sorry that I am still behind~!!
This morning’s prompt for the day is from a dear friend, Lady Dragonwyck….

“WHAT ABOUT DRESSING PETS FOR HALLOWEEN???”

My take on the subject is really, “to each his own”…..I have not dressed any of my pets for Halloween, but I would imagine with my dog Turki, that he would be incensed, argumentative…and then probably make garbage out of the costume~!! I tried with a nice warm sweater, but he was not having ANY of it~!!
(((But he will still just shiver in the cool air)))
But—As much as many of us pamper our pets, I think it would be fun, if even for only a snapshot to keep to remember them by….
Anxious to hear YOUR side of the question……

Hi, dear Blogging Buds~!!!

It’s almost HALLOWEEN…..~! Will you be one that shuts out the lights, closes the curtains, and not answer the door???…Or will you be the one that goes “all out” with a party at home letting the kiddies ring that doorbell for Trick or Treat?

HALLOWEEN has changed throughout the years, and I wanted to use these words for “Words Wednesday”……….

“ABOUT HALLOWEEN THEN AND NOW”——

Have fun, my friends……Awaiting a lot of ghoulish replies~!!!!

Been missing YOUR blogs, and will try and get there soon~!!

I decided to make this “FAMILY FRIDAY”, just for a change…..No, that is not MY family, but generically, it could very well be~!!

Yesterday, I did not make an blog entry for Thursday, as I visited 3 very dear friends of mine…..Keeping in touch with friends is highly important to me and oft times I have wondered what it would be like to actually visit my blogging friends in person~!!

As we visited, we found ourselves reminiscing about our families and the way that things were then about communication…..For instance, from looking at the photo above, things were “prim and proper” and one would NEVER show up for a photo in anything other than “dressed to the teeth”! And, when I look at that photo, it reminds me of the many frames that sat upon dressing tables, upon the pianos, and the mantels in my Grandparents and parents’ homes…..A photo capturing the family at it’s Sunday best~!! Such staunch “little soldiers”, proper posture, just right expression and I think of ALL THE SECRETS THAT THEY ARE HIDING~!!!!

Yes, THE FAMILY SECRETS~!! My friends and I found so many similarities in our family backgrounds about “hush-hush” subjects…..What we usually gleaned, while growing up, was NOT what was really happening~!! Behind the eyes of this fabulous family setting in the photo was boiling some family secrets that they were threatened must NEVER reach the ears of anyone outside the immediate family~! In later years, should we, as children ASK about a relative, then we were given a generic answer that seemed to satisfy us…..*sigh*

Then, later in life as our families grew and inquired about the life style and habits of the ancestors, we only had bits and pieces to pass on….Usually, though, there would be ONE relative that would “spill the beans” at the twilight years of their lives…Such shocking tales would come out after someone was layed to rest and the whole world went topsy turvy~!!

As we enjoyed our coffee, tea and cookies, and especially the company, the similarities in our pasts were clear….There were discoveries of failed or tortured marriages, babies raised by grandparents or aunts that were not raised to know their REAL parents, incarcerations, incest, and maybe even a poisoning~!! As life and society is now, most of our lives are splayed out in a paper trail, or openly discussed with everyone~!! Why the secrecy then amazes me! But, in thinking about the possible Society Scorn in those days kept everyone tight -lipped…..

Our outcome of our visit was one of “Wow, you too had some shocking news of the old days, huh?”…We will never know the reasons that these relatives kept their secrets to the grave, as most of us could have had a better sense of who we are….But, in hindsight, we are WHO WE MAKE OURSELVES in the “now”, not from some deep, dark family secrets……

We decided we LIKED who we are….no matter which person in that prim and proper picture might be holding a secret…