My sister-in-law responded to my blog. So, I told her I would dedicate a post to her.

First, let me say DB is an exceptional person. She is a world traveler, going to China many times. She is a student of qigong. DB takes in abused dogs. She is an artist and at one time was a museum curator. She has worked in a JD home, has panned for gold in Idaho, and worked for the Hopi. She writes poetry and played the clarinet in the high school band.

As you can tell, she is very talented. Love ya DB.

Merry Christmas to me and my driveway. Just wanted everyone to see my delightful present only picture it on a Jeep Wrangler. I would have much rather gone on a vacation, or spent money on the house or myself, or bought tons more presents. But, it works great and BF won't have to look or feel like the abominable snowman the next time the white stuff appears.

I just finished the new Tony Hillerman mystery The Shape Shifter. Joe Leaphorn, recently retired, is back pounding the long roads of the Navajo Res. The story involves a Navajo rug that was made during the Long Walk and is known to be disaster for anyone who deals with it. Supposedly, it burned up in a fire way back when Leaphorn was just starting out. The case is closed and the clues pretty cold, but somehow the rug shows up in a magazine feature, a law officier friend is missing, and the case is reopened. Leaphorn uses his Navajo reasoning to solve the crime.

I liked the story because I'm interested in weaving and infact learned most about it on the reservation. I was excited to get back into reading about Chinle and Shiprock and all of the other references that were so much of my life when I taught on the Navajo reservation at Teec Nos Pos. I enjoyed hearing the creation stories and remembered the culture that changed my worldview. I have my own stories about skinwalkers and shapechangers.

However, Hillerman's writing put me off. When I first started, I thought it sounded like it was written by a high school student. I had to stop a few times to reread because I was confused. Not by the clues and such, but somehow I was having trouble. Probably just me. I didn't like his other recent books, so maybe he is just pushing it to make money.

At any rate, Hillerman fans, you be the judge.

Ho Ho Ho! We put up the Christmas tree today. I loved it! We have Colorado Blue Spruce on the farm so Big Fred cut a 10 foot tree. It is the kind of tree with lots of gaps in it so the ornaments can hang down. A little strange at the top, but we pruned it back. Since we had so much snow, we brought it in the house and put a tarp under it to get it to defrost. BF cut off about 2 ft and put on the white lights.

Then it was my turn, I can't believe all of the old ornaments I have. Some from my mom, some I've collected, can't forget nB's canlid and milkweed pod ornament from kindergarten. I have an assortment of Santas that I was collecting for a while, and then the birds.

I had so much fun clipping on all of the birds. I have all kinds. They are really cheerful with their real feathers or metal curlicues. I have some pink and some gold ones my sister gave me from K-Mart, some are fat like mourning doves, some are perky songbirds, many are from Old World Christmas Ornaments, a carved goldfinch, a clear glass hummingbird, a cheeky bluejay, some are antique mercury glass with spun tails, and even a peacock. I thought I would add my bird's nests and it looked great.

As for the top, our old silvered topper doesn't fit since we did the major trimming, so we put a large glass ornament on it for the time being. Yuck! Got to get something new. Joyce , my sister, and I were just remembering that, as kids, we made a star out of cardboard and tinfoil.

But it's up and the presents are under. Big Fred helped and didn't say "humbug" one time. Ho HO HO!

I just found a new one called Home Organizing Idea Book-500 + Design Ideas for Organizing your home. I especially appreciate all advice on storing things because I have such a small house and if things are out of place,everything looks messy.

I did a check-by-check of each room since the book is divided into chapters by room. All was in pretty good order. I have new storage drawer and door units covering the full lenghth of the kneewall in the bedroom and floor to ceiling bookshelves in the quest bedroom(N's room). That is a lot of storage and I haven't completely filled them up. The book advises to put little used items into storage( nothing new) and so rather than put them in the basement, I think I will put them upstairs.

The bathroom is small, but usually pretty neat with a nice towel closet and under the sink storage. The best thing to do there is clean out outdated makeup. I don't own much in that area so it shouldn't take much effort.

My living room contains an amoire, a large closed bookcase, and a small cupboard. I would say that is sufficient storage. I couldn't fit something else in anyway. Again, it would be weeding out the books, accumulated papers, magazines, catalogues, and maybe finding some smallish baskets to put the sometimes used tapes in. I'm not much for knicknacks, but I do like to display my flower oil paintings. The book uses shelf/ledges for decorating and displaying treasures. I might think about adding another ledge to put my paintings on.

I'm always moving stuff around in the kitchen. I recently moved the plates to a drawer which is very convenient if I can remember that I put them down there and not up on the shelf in the cupboard. This idea book has great ideas for the kitchen.

The worst spot in the house is the entry. Booy, the pictures in the book are beautiful. Even the mudrooms made with kids in mind are great. I have followed the suggestions with racks to hang up coats, coatcloset dividers, and containers on the shelf to hold junk in the laundry closet. Unfortunately, the shoes are out, the slippers are out, the garbage to be taken out is out, the recycling bags are piling up, and it just isn't, as the book suggests, " a welcoming entry".

So after all of that, the book says that if you are not good at keeping things orderly in the open, you should have doors on storage. O.K., I can do that. In fact, the entry looks nice when the two closet doors are closed. Of course, all the shoes and coats look like the photos in the book when they are placed in an orderly fashion.

At any rate, I really enjoyed looking through this book. I give it a 500+ rating.

Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende is historical fiction based on the life of Ines Suarez a conquistadora who helped conquer Chile. The story is definitely amazing. Inez, in Spain, is a seamstress who marries a shiftless, but great lover, who disappears to the New World. Inez goes hunting for him and meets up with Pedro de Valdivia who goes on, with her help, to conquer Peru.

This story is about the role women played from battle to dowsing in the conquest of civilizations in S. America. Actually, very interesting even with an epic poem. Allende created a bibliography of her research while writing this book and notes that, "the feats of Inez Suarez noted by the chroniclers of her era were nearly ignored by historians for four hundred years".

One thing I didn't like(even though it has to be a major part of the book) is all of the battles. I guess it wouldn't be a conquest without them. I think I liked Daughter of Fortune better.

Friday, we were blasted with snow again. Now I know it is December and I live UpNorth, but I'm getting so I have little patience with winter like there is anything I can do about it.

But, here is/are my biggest gripe (s). I can't believe people. The snow is falling at a steady rate at high noon. The traffic is backed up at the intersections in town, the roads are ice covered, the main highway leading out of town is closed and the drivers? People don't have their lights on, their mirrors are covered with snow, and many vehicles are covered with snow so the back window is useless. Of course, let's add to the mess the people who speed around the traffic going 2 mph and are in the ditch a few miles up the way (har, they deserve it). Then there's the poor shmuck that doesn't have snowtires and is fishtailing it up the hills with a crawling line of cars behind them.

The good news is that we made it home the twenty miles safe and sound. The bad news is that our plowtruck died with one tire freezing up so Big Fred had to finish plowing the driveway with his little snowblower. Merry Christmas- we are getting a new plow for our Jeep. The old truck will be put out to pasture in the backyard after 18 years of service. So I really shouldn't gripe about that.

But, I still should do something about my bad attitude toward winter and the crazy drivers.

Northern Michigan news flash! Bozo Boy and Strongwoman are engaged. And all because of a Coach purse in a Goodwill bag. NB and AS are planning a spring 2008 wedding.

After all the wedding planning I have helped with (and loved), all of the advice, after all of the hostess positions, after all of the flower arrangements and favors, after all of the negotiating- soothing hurt feelings and tempers, I am going to be the one in the mother-of-the groom seat. Keep your mouth shut and wear beige? No way! Am I excited? You damn betcha!
For more details: http://www.naivehelga.blogspot.com/

This book is a really fast read. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a book I could hardly put down. As the back jacket notes, "one starts to breathe its air." I went to the circus when I was about five and brought home a chameleon. It was an exotic pet for those days. I read the biography of P.T. Barnum when I was in 5th grade. I really find the circus life fascinating, but I never wanted to run off and join it. After reading this book, I know why.

Jacob Jankowski, the main character, is ninety-two or ninety- three and in a nursing home. The circus has come to town next door to his residence. One of the old geezers at Jacob's table starts telling everyone that he watered the elephants, but Mr. J. calls him a liar. Mr. J isn't quite sure where he is or what he remembers.

He goes back and forth remembering how,as a young man, he came to the circus and how he met Marlena and Rosie. The setting for the circus is in the 30's when the depression had hit the country, including the circus. The story is about the performers, the freaks, Uncle Al- the boss, the clowns, the job of being the vet for the animals, and Rosie the elephant that would save them. But, mostly it is about the circus secrets.

The ending is a surprise and will be left unmentioned. I can still here the sounds of the midway and smell the popcorn.

I'm back! Of course, I want to talk about a book I just finished. No, it didn't take me months to read it-time just slips by. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt is a great book especially for teachers. Mr. McCourt doesn't mince words infact he "lets it rip" with all of the bad words that teachers would love to say and many times do- under their breath.

McCourt tells about the day by day trials and errors of being a high school teacher in New York City. I had to laugh about the fact that he was nearly fired in the first two days of his career. He definitely used unusual methods to capture the attention of his students. His students wrote excuse notes for historical figures including Adam and Eve.

This book wasn't nearly as good as Angela's Ashes or "Tis, but then, how do you match a Pulitzer Prize winner?

I miss you MamaK. I know something happened with your blog, but I've been thinking about you, and wonder where you are and what you are doing. I believe we are all connected by invisible threads. It is so amazing how someone can enter one's life even though it's through cyberspace. I know that a writing like this can be a great release of emotions. It can be a view into a person's soul. It can be a forum for questioning and relating. At any rate, I hope you are well Mama, I hope your children are doing well, and I hope you know that I am thinking about you. LOL.

I can't believe the difference the time makes. I'm talking about the time change. I woke up this morning and felt like my body and the universe were as one. Could it be true? I really wish they would quit changing the time around. It gets me all " discomboobulated".

Of course, the up-lifting feeling may be from the fact that I got a good night's rest, the sun is up at 7:07 a.m. , the sky is baby blue with pink wispy clouds, it is suppose to be a balmy 60 Degrees, and I don't have to go to work (retired). Well, I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I hope this lasts, because it is terrific!

Yes, a Pileated Woodpecker stopped by our birdfeeder on Friday. He wrestled with a large chunk of woodpecker suet on the feeder, flew to a nearby tree to crack the suet apart, came back to the feeder, and then flew to our garden trellis. The sun was starting to shine and the red crest on his head was truly a sight. It is the first time we have ever seen this type of woodpecker in our yard.

It was about 18 in. long and very impressive. Pileated woodpeckers are relatively shy and prefer woodland areas. We have seen them at our neighbor's who live on a wooded pond and often when we drive through areas with lots of dead trees. But, this was our firsttime visitor. He was probably coming to tell us that it is going to snow again tomorrow. No matter, he was really cool.

My recipe box is a joyful possession. It holds memories of some very special people.

Here's a favorite from my mom's best friend- Ruth's Molasses Cookies. I use to make this recipe of soft cookies for my 104 year old grandpa.

Next, NB's recipe for One Egg Omelet. It was his own recipe that he could cook anytime when he was first learning to cook. It is complete with illustrations. No wonder he turned out to be a great cook.

And here's a whole sloo of recipes, nicely typed, that I got as a Christmas present from my friend and co-world traveling partner, Rebecca. Her recipes include Popeye's Special ( early vegetarian), Mule biscuits, and Biscochitos (5 doz.). I've lost track of her, but not all of our adventures together.

Ah, my ex-sister-in-law, she was the first to give me recipes for entertaining. It is for Cheese Balls.

Oh, yes, BBowden's recipe for Beer Batter and MARiver's Orange Humus. There's Aunt Ann's Angel Delight, how appropriate, she collected angels. Of course, I went through a whole period of collecting zucchini recipes. I ended up with a whole cookbook of zucchini recipes.

There's, my sister, Joyce's Lasagna. And then, there's my version of Spinach Lasagna I took from the Richard Simmon's show.

I saved the best for last, G'ma Koberg's Waffle recipe written out neatly in Big Fred's mom's handwriting. We have had waffles using this recipe many times and it has become a family tradition.

So, those are the highlights of my recipe box. I love the ones written out. I wish I had some from my own Grandma, but she usually told me the recipe which included directions like- a pinch of this or that. I guess all memories don't have to be written down, but I sure cherish the ones I have in my recipe box.

The weather and ailments were going to be off limits, but.. it's snowing out! It snowed last night and we woke up to needing the windshield scraper. I had to warm up the car to get the snow off. Visibility was poor and the roads were wet. At times this afternoon, it was coming down pretty heavily.

Gee, I haven't even taken the air-conditioner out of the upstairs bedroom window. I have two large ivy plants to bring in and the picnic table is still out on the patio. Luckily, BF has the snowplow in order incase we need to plow the driveway.

The forecast is for snow, blowing snow, rain and gusting winds, snow accumulations of 1-3 inches for the next few days. Let's see, at this rate we will have winter for eight months. How depressing! I wonder where I left my garden trowel?

Another great book- Sudden Country by Karen Fisher. This is a "can't put down" story of life on the Oregon trail. Wow- such ungodly hazards and stamina.

The main character, Lucy, leaves her comfortable home to go west following her second husband's dream. The story takes you back to her first husband and her joy of being in love. As she travels along the trail, it is taken for granted that she will do whatever needs to be done for her family with little regard for her personal well-being. The author does a terrific job of showing how Lucy loses her identity and faith as she faces the horrors of life going farther and farther into the unknown.

The story also follows the life of James McLaren as a trapper for the Hudson's Bay Company. His Nez Perce wife leaves him and his children die of smallpox. He is a driver and scout for the wagon train as it journeys west

Both main characters live in sorrow, loss of worth and loss of hope. The lives intertwine and the story leads one to believe that Lucy and James, who find each other and love, will live happily ever after.

This story is based on the times of Indian Wars, massacres, immigrants and Native Americans. The book was a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner Award. The New York Public Library named it ONE OF THE YEAR'S BOOKS TO REMEMBER. I agree! I really enjoyed reading it.

Aunt B Eats at LuLu's in downtown Bellaire. This upbeat restaurant has high silver-tin ceilings, unique lighting, and an impressive menu.

I had a really tasty salad that would be easy to replicate at home. In fact, RS and I split it and had plenty. It was something like a Greek salad, but with only a few greens (unlike the picture). Here's how it looked-garden greens with vinaigrette dressing and a few slices of beets, feta cheese, purple olives (not sure what kind), tabouli, and then hummus. These were all placed in wedges around the bowl. It was served with a grilled pita cut into four wedges and placed around the outside of the low serving bowl. It also reminded me of eating Ethiopian food with all of the food to dip with the bread.

The soup was a tasty ginger squash-yummy. No time for dessert because we were off to a massage at Shanty Creek. I know, tough life.

Pumpkin bread. I'm hungry for pumpkin bread and it is the season. But, I can't find the recipe card in my recipe box.

Of course, I have a shelf of cookbooks, but I had a recipe that I really liked. Not too much cloves or allspice. Maybe the recipe is the one on the can. Where, oh, where?

You know Aunt B loves to eat and I try to find pictures that are similar to the menu item. Sometimes the pictures actually look better than the original gastronomic delight.

Such is the case with my posting of Pad Thai at Fusion- when actually it is Thai Drunken noodles as eaten and photographed by Simon. So, lucky you, Simon, for eating in all of those places. I wish I could eat out for a living.

Tell me when you visit Northern Michigan and I'll show you my favorites food spots. We do have some highly recognized restaurants, food products, and wineries. And check out Simon's-http://plateoftheday.com/.

The other night , we observed the strangest skies. In the west was a mass of gold clouds from the horizon to nearly overhead. Below was pink and turquoise sky. It had stopped raining.

On the east was dark black clouds and a giant rainbow. The rainbow was in Aunt D's horse pasture and the other end went right over Mom's house.

I guess I should have raced to find the pot of gold. I always feel rainbows are good luck whether money is involved or not. I'm like a little kid the way I ooh and ahh. Rainbows remain magical to me.