Are you ready?

This is the first week of the upcoming holiday season. Thanksgiving is Thursday, and all of us in the U.S. will likely be having a big meal. Then BOOM, a few hours later the countdown to Christmas begins, followed shortly by New Year's Eve frivolities. A festive few weeks filled with family, friends and indulgences. I know my attempt at a healthy diet will suffer a bit, but I am looking forward to all the craziness. I also know for sure that by January 2nd  I will be glad it is all over for another year! So here we go again...

Have a good week everyone!

Happy Friday, Friends!!!

 

I am so dang delighted that the weekend is finally within reach...

...I could do a happy dance!

Here's to the end of the week, and the beginning of the weekend!

Reading material

I had to do it, just couldn't resist the cover of this book. 😉

Top Pick Award from Litpick Student Reviews. By IPPY and Global Ebook Award Winning author.
'Jean Gill has captured the innermost thoughts of this magnificent animal.' Les Ingham, Pyr International 

A dog's life in the south of France. From puppyhood, Sirius the Pyrenean Mountain Dog has been trying to understand his humans and train them with kindness.

  How this led to their divorce he has no idea. More misunderstandings take Sirius to Death Row in an animal shelter, as a so-called dangerous dog learning survival tricks from the other inmates. During the twilight barking, he is shocked to hear his brother's voice but the bitter-sweet reunion is short-lived. Doggedly, Sirius keeps the faith.
  One day, his human will come.

This boy agrees.

Good morning

We all know animals can be very amusing. Here are some pictures from a contest called the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. I really got a kick out of them, I hope you will too.

Warrior pose   

Crowded house

Picking a winner

I thought I told you we are done stealing cars

Leggy models always fighting over camera time

Belly laughs

Even  birds  have bad hair days

Rebel of the forest

The captions were not mine. 😊

Have a wonderful day!!

Monday giggles

Thank you GJ for the smiles to start the week!

Have a good day my friends 😊

Veterans day

Today we observe Veterans day. It was established to mark the anniversary of WW1 which was
formally ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. Originally called Armistice day, it was renamed Veterans day in 1954. Today marks 100 years since the end of the war. Thank you to all who have served in the past and to those currently serving today. The nation depends on you, and your service is much appreciated.

Not much to say

Have a  good weekend everyone!

Kittens and puppies, some days that is all we need. 😍

Throwback Thursday

The election this week made me think about the past. Tuesday, November 4, 2008 was a big night for all of us. I am sure most of us were celebrating together. We were brought together by the unlikely pick of Sarah Palin a few months earlier. A group of far-flung strangers with a common cause. Over the past ten years many of us have become close friends who share much more than just politics. What a wonderful turn of events that I don't think any of us anticipated!

Let's look back..

This was especially big for my family as Obama was an Illinois senator. My son was a student at a University in Chicago at the time and had the opportunity to attend the acceptance speech in Grant Park that night. Here are his recollections of the event.

I took the CTA to Grant Park with many other students. The train was crowded and everyone was so happy. We owned the streets, just a swarm of people. It was an incredibly peaceful gathering. The crowd was estimated at 240,000.

We made some progress on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Let's hope it continues and we can celebrate again in November 2020.

Have a great day everyone!

Birthday Wishes

Today our dear friend CC celebrates her birthday.
👠

Sometimes her birthday celebration is a jubilant one- 2008.

Sometimes it is not- 2016.

But today is a good day.
 Maybe not as jubilant as we would have liked-
We didn't get everything that we hoped for-
But the House is a really big deal.

So let's celebrate this special birthday in style.

We need booze...lots of booze...

Shaken, not stirred.

via GIPHY

And CC you will have your champagne.

And cake- lots of cake.

                                 This cake is soooo not CC that I just had to get it... ; ))

Here we go... this is more like it. 

Have a wonderful birthday, CC.
💖 💘 💝
And tomorrow the fight continues.

Election day

Today is the day we can make a difference. I am preaching to the choir here on the blog as I know we would not miss the opportunity. Voter turnout has been high, hopefully it will result in some changes. We will have a better idea this evening. I look forward to discussing the results with all of you later tonight.

From our house to yours

Everyone have a relaxing Monday! 😊

Time to think

Let's complete the weekend with some brain teasers. I think we all need a few smiles to prepare for the days ahead.

1)  I have forests but no trees.

    I have lakes but no water.

    I have roads but no cars.

         What am I?

2)  Which seven-letter word contains dozens of letters?

3) Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one.

 Michael J. Fox has a small one.

 The pope doesn't use his at all.

 Clinton uses his all the time.

 What is it?

4)  You use a knife to slice my head, and weep 

beside me when I'm dead.

What am I?

5)  What can run but never walks,

has a mouth but never talks,

has a head but never weeps,

has a bed, but never sleeps?



6)  A man leaves home and make three left turns,
only to return home facing two men wearing masks.
Who are these two men?

Have a great day everyone!

Talloires, France

One summer in the 1980s, I was fortunate to attend college in Talloires, France.  It is on Lac Annecy in the Haute-Savoie (French Alps).  It is by far the most beautiful place I have ever been.  I'd like to take you on a tour.

This photo (yes, it's a photograph!!) is from a Talloires facebook group I follow.  The light there is incredible, very similar to the light of Cape Cod.

The whole region is incredibly beautiful.

The school itself is located in a 1000 year-old Priory.

I lived in Veyrier du Lac, which was a quick bus ride from Talloires.  Here are some photos from that part of the lake.  The family I stayed with lives somewhere in this photo.

The largest city of the Haute-Savoie is Annecy.  It's a quaint city, with three canals and the Thiou River running through it.

I would love to go back there one day.