Let It Snow

Patty & Bill's House

At First Glance It's Just an Old Barn

(courtesy my daddy)

Dreaming of a White December

Everyone in Tulsa is at home, keeping safe and warm.

Zowie! This is a webcam shot from OKC this morning. Looks brisk. That's what December is supposed to look like! The Weather Channel is picking-up a KTUL reporter in Bartlesville. She's freezing in 15 degree wind chill and sleet.

Florida is a little warmer than Oklahoma this morning (insert HUGE grin.)

Dogs In Charge

Samson and Brookie

Lucy and Dwain

Hurricane Predictions Off Track As Tranquil Season Wafts Away

By NEIL JOHNSON The Tampa Tribune
It was not the hurricane season we expected, thank you.
With cataclysmic predictions that hurricanes would swarm from the tropics like termites, no one thought 2006 would be the most tranquil season in a decade.

Why Don't We Have Real BBC Programming?

We have Dish Network. I've asked them more than once why I can't subscribe to the regular BBC lineup. I can get network feeds from Pakistan and India. I can pay for the Korean Variety Pack, the Russian Value Pack, a la carte-Deutsche Welle (German package), 17 different channels from China and pay for Al Jazeera, should I be so inclined. But the Beeb is out of the question. Of course, it has something to do with MONEY and making money and rights and profits. It always comes down to that. But, jiminy, you'd think I'd have a choice on that account. BBC America is repetitive and apparently not all that profitable, or so I hear. But it will have to do for now.

Tonight in the UK they got to see the first episode of "Jam and Jerusalem." It's the latest from Saunders and French (they changed it?) Probably that's what brought-on the rant.

No Fussing

Feeling a bit guilty about being such a grumpy Gus yesterday. I really wasn't as grumpy as I sounded, but I guess I needed to vent. Today went a bit smoother and I was able to take a walk at lakefront with Brooke, Sam and Lucy. It was a picture-perfect afternoon and the doggies enjoyed the outing as much as we did.

Picky and Griping

I know this is picky. I know what they mean to express. I know they are doing good deeds for others. I know I'm sitting on my rear and criticizing those making an effort. BUT---if I hear one more celebrity use the phrase "giving back to the community" I think I am going to bury my TV in the back yard.

Second grumpy item; one thing that I actually DO is that I won't shop, call or encourage, in even the slightest way, businesses to be open on Thanksgiving Day. If a particular store is so close to the brink of disaster that it has to be open on Thanksgiving Day then perhaps they are doomed to failure regardless of today's receipts. I realize my opinion is tainted by the fact that I had to work a partial day at work today. I also understand that there are countless people, police persons, fire and rescue, theme park employees, etc., that have no choice but to work today. However, not one person on this planet would have been harmed if Big Lots respected and appreciated their employees and allowed those employees to spend their holiday as they wished. No, I am not an employee of Big Lots, but I use them as an example.

In my particular case, there was not one reservation, one reservation cancellation, or one reservation modification that could not have waited until 7:00 am Friday morning. (The Vacation Club is closed on holidays and weekends and I haven't heard of any Emergency Room admissions due to this affront.) What is so bad about a message saying "We are sorry we missed your call on this Thanksgiving Day holiday. We hope our Cast Members are enjoying their holiday with family and friends as many of our Guests are today. Please call back after 7:00 am tomorrow, Friday, November 24th and we'll happily assist you with all your reservation needs."?

So here's what I don't do. I don't do business today. I don't stop at fast-food restaurants on my way to work today. I don't get gasoline. I don't pick-up last minute groceries at Winn Dixie. I don't do ANYTHING that would tell business owners that it's OK for them to have employees work on holidays.

Dana Summers of The Orlando Sentinel

More British Comedy

From the Catherine Tate Show, Season Three. How do they keep a straight face?

Click The Link, It Says It Best

This year we thank God for our armed forces and those who have offered to lay down their lives to keep us free.

We are forever grateful to them.

From Lucianne.com

BRRRRRRR (The Florida Version)

After Snowflakes Fall, Florida Cold Snap Continues

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A cold spell brought a dusting of snow to parts of central Florida, but a warming trend will have the Sunshine State back to its normal balminess by the weekend, forecasters said.

Snowflakes, mixed with rain, fell in Orange, Lake, Seminole and Volusia counties Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Snow shovels were not needed, but some of the white stuff did hit the ground before melting, meteorologists said.

Saddam Escapes

Not sure what he's saying...

something in Arabic about "the mother of all blisters"?

(Courtesy of my dad)

The "Genius" of French & Saunders

Black Friday

Here are two sites that post the Friday after Thanksgiving fliers and ad info in advance. It's a Black Friday heads-up.

http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

http://bfads.net/

From Spare Change by Nedra Weinreich

'And just to illustrate how the US and UK are two countries separated by a common language, the 2006 word of the year for the Oxford English Dictionary is "bovvered."

In case you are not familiar with this word either, here's how the article explained it:

Catherine Tate [a TV comic] catapulted her word into national parlance in November 2005 when at the 77th Royal Variety Performance in Cardiff she asked the Queen: "Is one bothered?" Dictionary compilers say the catchphrase needs little explanation.

A spokesman for the OED said: "Am I bovvered? and it's follow-up Does my face looked bovvered? had already come to be seen as the perfect expression of a generation of teenagers and their speaking style.

"Now in 2006 'bovvered' has taken over from 'whatever' as the signature phrase of teenagers, and to challenge the Little Britain catchphrase 'yeah-but-no-but' as the embodiment of couldn't-care-less adolescence."

Read the whole article here.

My Kind of Exercise

I came across this exercise suggested for seniors, to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders. It's so easy, I thought I'd pass it on. The article suggested doing it three days a week.

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-LB potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax.

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks, then to 50-lb potato sacks. Eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

Once you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks

The Date is Set

Brooke and Donnie have set the date and reserved a venue for their nuptials. The date is to be October 18, 2008. Here's the link to the
Auburndale, FL B & B they've picked.

I saw it today and it'll be quite nice. The Town Manor only does one wedding per day. It's very private with only the wedding guests on property and Brooke has decided to invite about 60 people.

Favorite Publix Christmas Ad

James Finds A Gem Again

Once more I go to the Best of the Web Today - November 9, 2006
By JAMES TARANTO

Pseudonymous blogger Jim Treacher offers some "questions from a political dilettante":

"Does this mean Bush is still Hitler? I'm pretty sure Hitler never let his opponents win an election, did he? Unless . . . this is all part of Rove's plan.

A major concern of the last few elections has been that Republicans need to cheat to win, and the problem was going to be even worse with the new Diebold machines. What happened? Did Cheney forget his password again? That darn Cheney, always forgetting his password.

What happened to Ned? I thought Lieberman was Public Enemy #1. Now Kos must feel like the kid on Christmas morning who's surrounded by toys . . . except for the one he really wanted.

Does Nancy Pelosi ever wear a fake flower on her lapel that shoots acid? Because that would really be a surprise for Batman when he's hauling her to Commissioner Gordon's office.

So the world likes us again, right? No more terrorism? YAY!!!"

Knock on wood, Jim.

For Grandpa Bill

 

Three Hotties (Heath, Cory & Garrett)

 

Regarding The Election

I keep thinking I need to post my feelings regarding the election returns. Clearly, the Republicans got spanked. Our country, Republican and Democrat alike must continue to stand-up to those that would do us harm. No one likes war or the death and destruction it generates, but fighting Islamo-fascism is truly national defense; the war on terrorism is real and will not go away because we elect pacifists.

The Bride and The Bride-To-Be

 

Ta Da! From the Slideshow

Our Danielle

Sweethearts

The Whitehouse/Quinton Clan

Happily Ever After

THEY'RE HERE!!!

The wedding photos are posted on the web now.

View the slide show here.

From "French & Saunders"

Brits retire in Florida??? Who knew??? LOL

My Lovely Horse

A funny clip from BBC's "Father Ted" series spoofing "A Song For Europe."

At The Reception

Danielle and Cory

From the Orlando Sentinel

Nice catch in St. Cloud

by Jeremy Karshner

Your Neighborhood, Around Osceola County

Jordan Reus, 12, (left) and Eric Pfeifer, 12, after making a big catch in Canoe Creek Woods subdivision in St. Cloud where Jordan Reus lives.

At Last

Okay, I'm finally able to post to my blog from home. For some reason IE won't let me into Blogger, but Firefox works. However, the pics I have of Cory and Danielle's wedding aren't being uploaded. It's possible the photo files are too large. I'll have to compress them or something.

Still Working on The Wedding Pics

NOTICE

Okay, this is so aggravating. For one reason or another I cannot log-into my Blog from my home computer. I've done all the trouble-shooting and sent copious e-mails. I just can't log-on or post. Patience is a virtue, right?