Kissing is Fun

My cousin, Patty, sent this picture to me this morning. I love it!

Kids are great. They have no hang ups whatsoever.

The message here: Kiss a lot...no matter what!

Have a super day!

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Life got really exciting for a while. I thought I had struck gold...literally. I was on the way to a huge fortune.

I was rummaging through an old jewelry box and came across a $20 gold coin with a liberty head on one side and an eagle on the other. It was dated 1795. My mother gave it to me 14 years ago. She told me it was real gold and to take good care of it. I usually don't listen to my mother, but this time I did. I tucked the cold coin safely away in my old jewelry box so nothing would happen to it.

Back to the rummaging. I pulled out the coin and thought, 'Man, this has to be really valuable. It's been hanging around the house for 14 years and has a date stamp of 1795.' My heart skipped several beats. Again I thought, 'With the economy being in first gear, and my stocks taking a nosedive, along with my 401K plan, I can really use the money.'

I started to research the value of my coin and found that some rare coins dating back to the 1800's were worth close to $1,000,000. Since my gold coin was dated 1795 it had to be really rare and worth at least $2,000,000.

My mind started to race, along with my heart. I already had big plans for that two million dollars. Then I got hit with a big dose of reality. Additional research showed there were no gold coins minted before 1800. Further research brought me to a screeching halt. It turns out my 1795 coin is a commemorative piece that was manufactured to celebrate the U.S. bicentennial in 1995. It has gold metallic plating over copper. It's total value...maybe $20.

For those of you who were going to be part of my $2M bonanza, you'll just have to wait until I win the lottery. Then again, maybe I can cash my "gold" coin in and we can all go to McDonald's.

Just remember that old proverb, "All that glitters is not gold." Except the golden arches of McD's.

Leftovers and Leftunders

Thanksgiving was great! I'm so full of turkey 'n' trimmings that I'm really too lazy today to come up with anything creative, so I borrowed a portion of a funny poem my cousin-in-law, Mike, just sent me. It's a poem that reflects the typical turkey coma most of us experience Thanksgiving day and the leftovers that follow.

"'Twill be Turkish leftovers, and left-unders, too;
There'll be soups, plates 'n' 'wiches, with stuffing and stew.
I can guess at our menu for the next dozen days;
Turkey this, Turkey that, in a post-Turkish haze.

That's enough of this stuff, for December's 'most here.
We each gobbled gobbler, and each drank his cheer.
So I wish you this tiding, this Thanksgiving thought:
May you live life quite fully, and enjoy what God's wrought."

Thanks for the chuckle, Mike. Now it's time to put on the long johns, lace up the sneakers, and go for a jog. Or maybe a brisk walk. Or maybe take a nap.

Christmas Has Gone to the Dogs

Believe or not, I received fan-email from a dog named Yuri. First I'll give you some historic background

I donated a table top Christmas tree to the Granger Homestead in Canandaigua, NY. The tree is decorated with dog bisquits and various colored ribbon and yarn. It is one of many trees, wreaths, and mantle displays donated for their silent auction, with the proceeds from the auction used to support the Homestead, a beautiful 1816 Federal-style house and historic landmark.

Enter Yuri. He's a guide dog in training. Trainer and handler, Bonnie Kelly, gives her time and talent so others can "see" through the use of these wonderful dogs. Yuri and Bonnie were visitors to the Granger Homestead, enjoying the lovely holiday decorations, and picked up one of my business cards.

Above is a picture Bonnie sent me of Yuri. Below is the actual fan-email I received yesterday. I was touched on many levels. Yuri made my day.

"My Guide Dog in training seems to feel your tree was better than the Guiding Eyes for the Blind tree. Just thought you would like to see one of your fans."

-Bonnie Kelly, trainer

I'll have to make a dog bisquit tree especially for Yuri.

Drip Drip Drip...Love

Someone told me I need to slow down and smell the coffee, so I did. I not only smelled it, I stood and watched and listened and heard the drip, drip, fizzle sound the electric coffee pot makes while it perked my favorite brew.

It stopped me long enough to reconnect to familiar smells and places only reserved for special people who are no longer physically here. Great love has a way of doing that.

We Grow Great Pumpkins

It's that time of year in upstate New York...autumn. I love the warm days, cool nights, beautiful colors found in our leaves and mums, and the wonderful fresh produce found at our local farm stands during this season.

Pumpkins are harvested this time of year and are used for many things: pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, and decorations for Halloween..all things associated with happy childhood memories.

Bright orange pumpkins tossed into wooden bins, by the farmer who grew them, remind me of the hard work it takes to grow them in the first place. I remember planting pumpkin seeds, checking on them every day to see if anything had sprouted. It was so exciting when the first pumpkin finally matured.

I also remember sitting on my grandfather's lap while he drove his tractor, turning the soil with horse pucky tilled into the mix. My grandfather always said, "It's the horse pucky that grows great pumpkins." Think about that the next time you have a piece of pumpkin pie.