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Post by stepper on Feb 25, 2011 20:43:45 GMT -6
Send me some? Please? Aside from the lack of rain, Spring has sprung here.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 25, 2011 22:26:58 GMT -6
We have had rain for several days and are being flooded. Too bad the water can't be siphoned and piped to you.
I wonder how much snow this would have been if it had been cold enough? 
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Post by Phalon on Feb 25, 2011 23:28:45 GMT -6
They were real, Joxie. The bakery is still in the general area. Though it has its roots here in South Haven, it's now about 50 miles away. The photo studio is still around too...sort of. There's no actual studio anymore where people go in to get their pictures taken - that closed about three or four years ago, if I'm remembering correctly. Appleyard Studios, though, still does all the school pictures.
Phoenix is real; it's the main drag into town. An interesting bit of town history: one of the wealthiest founding families of South Haven, the Hales, were from Arizona, and Mrs. Hale became homesick. Mr. Hale named a street, Phoenix, for her so she'd have a little bit of home every time she came into downtown proper. Sad thing - Hale's Department Store, an institution here, closed its doors a year or so ago due to the economy.
Phoenix intersects with Blue Star Hwy which runs from around Benton Harbor up to Muskegon, along the lakeshore. More trivia - Blue Star Highways are all over the U.S.; ladies during WWII used to put blue stars on their homes to signify they had a son, daughter, or husband serving in the war.
I'm not familiar with Meagram Lane.
Music Emporium, I never heard of - but I've only lived here about a decade. The current library is a fairly modern nondescript building - no Greek splendor, faux or otherwise there. Michigan Theater though - that's still around; it's our small movie theater. A beautiful old building with high tin ceilings and art deco style.
Never heard of Dew Drop Inn or Meadowlark House though. Many of those old resorts and houses changed hands so many times, each time seeming to get a new name, so maybe at one time they really did exist.
This is kinda cool - thanks. Maybe I will read the book sometime.
Oh, and this....
I've been b!tching for years that I can't find a decent radio station around here. Some things, it seems, never change!
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 26, 2011 0:11:14 GMT -6
I think it's cool to read books that have local stuff in it. Not that I've read any that had local stuff in it. There have been a few movies filmed here, but the scenes are usually quick and doctored so that they don't look as they really do.
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Post by stepper on Feb 26, 2011 16:34:42 GMT -6
We have had rain for several days and are being flooded. Too bad the water can't be siphoned and piped to you. I wish you could. Things are starting to happen here. Daffodil Breaks Ground - at least I think it's a daffodil  Day Lillies Coming Up  Japanese Holly Close  Red Maple Noses  The holly is dropping its Christmas berries so they'll be planted for spring growth, and then it'll start all over again growing little green nobs that swell slowly and just before Christmas they'll turn red again. |
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Post by Phalon on Feb 27, 2011 8:12:43 GMT -6
Show and Tell! I love show and tell; thanks for sharing, Stepper. I've got no signs of spring to share. We've still got quite a lot of snow; more fell yesterday, though tonight's forecast is rain.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 28, 2011 8:25:33 GMT -6
Yesterday morning there was no wind, and it was fairly warm at just-above-freezing - it was the perfect opportunity to take BP cross-country skiing. We drove to the nursery; my boss called the day before and gave me the ski report: two inches of new snow on top of what we already had. I coated the bottom of our skis with cooking spray (virgin olive oil spray for a healthier slide); a woman at the nature center told me it prevents a lot of that clumping you get when the temperature is warmer.
It was an effortless glide around the back 40 and through the woods. We saw mouse, rabbit, squirrel, fox, coyote, and lots and lots of deer tracks. Lots of deer tracks.
BP was all excited. "Mom!!!! Do you think we'll see any animals!!!!"
"Uhm....not now, BP."
But had a great time, and skied for nearly two hours until she was pooped, and my feet were frozen. No animals though.
Then, just as we were pulling out of the drive to go home...."Look at the deer, BP!"
Two deer had walked out of the woods and into the farmer's field across the road. Then there were three....
"Four, five...!!!" BP shouted.
Seven deer total walked nearly single file into the field.
It was a beautiful way to end what is probably our last ski outing of the season together; I don't know that we'll get another chance before winter is over.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 5, 2011 8:20:26 GMT -6
I could have chosen any of the threads to put this in - winter, spring, summer, or fall; yesterday was a four seasons kind of day.
I went into work yesterday. We're not officially back; that won't happen for another month. Going back to work, for me, signals the start of spring, even if there's still snow on the ground. It's still winter here, and spring seems like a long way off.
Two of my co-workers and I though, decided to give up our Friday coffee klatches at the cafe, get a jump-start on the season one day a week for a couple of hours until we officially open. It's always such a mess those first two weeks - not only do we have to work with customers, get the outside retail area set up, but the inside of the store is a disaster area. All throughout winter, hard goods are delivered for the up-coming season. Pallets of stuff stacked floor to ceiling make maneuvering through the store like navigating a maze.
So yesterday, we dug into boxes of new summery stock....and put away Halloween decorations that were left where they were when we closed last fall. Along with ceramic pumpkins, iron crows, metal ghostly silhouettes, and a very gross basket of rotted gourds, there was a slew of cobwebs and big, hairy spiders that I don't remember being there last Halloween. Seems someone's been decorating while we were away, and his taste in decor leaves a lot to be desired.
I can't shake that icky eeewww-get-it-off! feeling that makes my skin crawl.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 6, 2011 8:45:11 GMT -6
We got an unexpected 3 to 4 inches of snow yesterday. Rather I didn't expect it; I had no idea it was supposed to snow.
So, later Taters. I'm off to ski.
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Post by Siren on Mar 6, 2011 21:13:21 GMT -6
Hope you had a good ski, Gams. Funny that you're loving wintertime, while I was smelling plum blossoms today, one of my favorite nature smells. And another sure sign of spring: the feed store is selling baby chicks! My chicken-loving youngest niece is so excited. She's now trying to convince my mom to keep this year's babies in the kitchen for a couple of weeks. It's not just that she thinks they'll be safer there. She knows they'll be tamer, being near the flow of traffic in the kitchen, and from my niece handling them all the time. My mom objects to the dust they generate. But I have a feeling my niece will prevail in the end.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 6, 2011 23:32:53 GMT -6
Holy Moley, I hate when it turns Winter again after it's been Spring-like for a week or so. I so totally grabbed the wrong coat when I left for Church. I grabbed a sweater when I should have grabbed my Winter coat. 
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Post by stepper on Mar 7, 2011 19:26:11 GMT -6
Is that the reverse of Indian summer? Is there an opposite of Indian Summer?
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 7, 2011 21:13:53 GMT -6
I don't know what it's called. Mom says she doesn't ever remember the Easter flowers blooming this early. She said that when the snow melted off her yard late February, little sprouts were already coming up out of the ground. They're beautiful, but it's too cold to really enjoy them. brrr!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 8, 2011 5:47:59 GMT -6
It was a great ski, Siren; I enjoyed it anyway - kind of an unexpected present because I thought cross-country was done for the year (though I told Hubs to wait just a little while longer before putting the skis up in the attic).
This made me smile. It reminds me of Fern and baby Wilbur in Charlotte's Web. If your niece does win over Mom and there are little chicks running loose throughout the kitchen, we need pictures!
Don't you just hate that. Because I work outside, I always keep extra clothing, coats, shoes, and especially socks (wet or cold feet are the worst) in the trunk of my car; weather here is too unpredictable, and being caught in not enough/too much clothing sucks. As I add layers though, and keep toasty, I always feel guilt...because inevitably I will have listened to the forecast and sent BP to school with a sweater when she should have worn a winter jacket.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 8, 2011 18:50:52 GMT -6
Have you ever put antiperspirant on your feet to keep them from sweating? It works. The instructions I got said to use a solid only, but my sister used spray without a problem. Okay, thunder, got to go!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 9, 2011 7:37:27 GMT -6
No, I've never tried antiperspirant on my feet; I've never heard of it, actually. Are you Sure it works? Maybe it's been kept Secret by the chosen few, and Ban-ned in other parts of the world.
My boss swears by an alternative antiperspirant usage - to dry up, and stop the itch and spread of poison ivy. Can't say I've tried this either, only because I've never had poison ivy.
You sent that weather this way, didn't you, Joxie? Sheesh! It's raining buckets out there!
Goodbye snow - hello mud!
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 9, 2011 18:08:34 GMT -6
 You don't think I'd be miserable with this weather alone, do you?
And, yeppers, the antiperspirant does work. It keeps your feet from sweating. The sweat is what makes your feet freeze in cold weather. Now, if you're outside in the cold, your feet will be cold ... but when you go back inside, they'll warm right back up in no time instead of continuing to freeze.
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Post by stepper on Mar 10, 2011 18:31:59 GMT -6
Neither had I, and that would seriously dampen my ability to convince people to look for another room.
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Post by stepper on Mar 20, 2011 14:40:46 GMT -6
This probably belongs in the Spring thread, but since the previous post was in this one, here's an update. Flowers start  Flowers Bloom  Green Anoles are sometimes called chameleons but they aren't. They turn brown whey stressed, and when I try to take pictures of them. They are harmless, eat small bugs, and some people even keep them as pets. Anoles  |
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Post by Phalon on Mar 21, 2011 4:50:13 GMT -6
I've never heard of them, but just based on the name, I would have thought they were anything but harmless. Green Anoles....sounds like a deadly-hot tiny green pepper to me....the kind that leaves you gasping for something to put out the fire in your mouth.
They are kind of cute. I wonder if those are the things that Hubs used to find in his hotel kitchenette sink every morning when he did a couple month stint down in McAllen, TX way back? Every morning he'd wake up to a couple of small lizards hanging out in the sink, guessing they sneaked in during the night under the ground-floor sliding doors. Harmless, maybe....but they sure startled the heck out of him first thing, before he'd had his coffee.
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Post by stepper on Mar 22, 2011 23:25:45 GMT -6
Probably so, although there are several other critters closely related to Anoles. They're fun to watch when they are looking for a mate. The males have a thin red waddle under their necks which they display - like an inverted half moon - and they bob their heads trying to attract the available ladies.
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Post by stepper on Mar 22, 2011 23:27:46 GMT -6
Also, in the picture with the tulips - the one on the left bloomed out too but that same day the wind blasted them both apart. No petals left on either.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 6, 2011 7:36:44 GMT -6
Time is drawing near until Christmas- at least there aren't as many days left as I'd like, or seem to need.
My goal this week is to get the bulk of the shopping done; it's downtown today, and out-of-town Thursday.
Cool finds so far - a "Born This Way" tote bag for BP, who asked for "anything Lady Gaga". I filled the tote with a Gaga Goodies - a CD, poster, t-shirt, and a couple of those wide, heavy rubber wristbands kids wear. Lady Gaga is to BP as Lil Wayne is to LX; BP in my opinion, has much better taste in music. Rap, I still can't tolerate, even after hearing it for all these years. Did I ever mention, btw, that LX had a piece of her artwork chosen to hang in Whirlpool's Headquarters Technology Center not too far from here? In her words, "it's kinda a big deal". The picture was a portrait of another rapper - Wiz Kalifa, which I'm not even going to pretend to know how to spell - all done in pointillism, which I think I spelled correctly.
Other cool find was on Amazon: a state-of-the-art hair styler, straightener, and curling iron for LX. At the mall - $300. At the mall with dealer discount that ended Dec. 1st: $180. On Amazon: $79.00! And no shipping or tax! Did I mention, btw, my child with the beautiful dark-almost-black hair is now platinum with only a streak of that beautiful dark-almost-black hair? Sigh. Still has the very heavy bangs which she insists upon, and is her "signature", but she looks completely different and I can't get used to it. It's part of the "I'm Finally Making a Total Break New Me" look and attitude after another three months of the boyfriend making her life a total hell, and by proxy making my life a total hell.
Did I mention that a 10 year old is a whole lot easier than a sixteen year old.
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Post by stepper on Dec 6, 2011 19:07:56 GMT -6
 Wow! I recognize artwork - sometimes. Does that count? Guess not. You may have mentioned it, but I feel obliged to point out that you have a sixteen year old in the making.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 7, 2011 5:55:12 GMT -6
Yes, yes, the sixteen year old in the making - I'm reminded of that every day. There's two ways to look at that: either by the time her teens years roll around, I'll have all the parenting kinks worked out, or I've got many more years of hell in front of me.
Kinda a sad/yay! thing about BP this year: it's the first year she's 100 percent sure there's no Santa. She's questioned it for the last couple, but I don't think she was ready to give him up completely yet. This year though, Hubs and I don't have to do the middle-of-the-night rush to get things done routine. It'll be a more relaxed, laid-back Christmas Eve for sure, but I might miss the excitement. I can't decide; I'm a little bit sad, and relieved at the same time.
I got two people crossed off my list yesterday, finding what I think will be the perfect gifts. These were actually gifts that I set out to buy that I saw months ago in two different shops downtown. I consider this a huge success - usually what happens is I'll see something, but when I go back to actually get it, it'll be gone.
Lights are up, and big basket on the porch is filled with greens, but something is still out of place. The roses are still pink.
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Post by quettalee on Dec 7, 2011 10:59:40 GMT -6
They say we had flurries here this morning. I missed it. The sun is trying to shine now but it does have a windy, blustery kind of wintery feeling in the air...
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Post by stepper on Dec 7, 2011 19:16:14 GMT -6
Mine too. And my snow decoys are deployed but they didn't work yet. Of course unlike Q we haven't had flurries yet. It got cold though - we were down to 29 this morning.
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Post by Siren on Dec 8, 2011 23:20:22 GMT -6
We had a light, light flurry the other night - so light I wasn't sure it was really happening. Sure did make it seem more Christmassy around here. Was really cold for a couple of nights, too, in the low 20s. I would rather be cold than hot anytime, especially remembering how brutally hot it was this summer.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 9, 2011 4:58:47 GMT -6
It's been snowing most of the night here. BP's going to be soooo excited when she wakes up; she's been asking everyday 'when's it gonna snow?"
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Post by stepper on Dec 9, 2011 18:00:38 GMT -6
It's been so long since I've seen snow I suspect I'd react the same way.
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"There are people you meet, who move in and out of your life, like ghosts-- and after they're gone, you find that they've left a part of themselves with you.