Non-traditional Thanksgiving Tradition

If you know me, you know I love traditions!  So, this year I'm trying something new.  It seems a little silly for me to work hard all morning to make a Thanksgiving meal for only 3 people.  Don't get me wrong!  I love my family, but half of what I consider a Thanksgiving meal, my family does not eat.  So, this year I'm changing things up.

I came up with an idea.  My family and I are volunteering to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at a local church for the community.  After that, we are going to watch the new Muppet Movie and then enjoy some sushi!  Crazier even still.... I am going to attempt to shop at midnight tomorrow night!  Laugh if you will.  I might be able to stay awake.  New traditions being made every day!

This year, I'm thankful that I have people who love me, a stable job which I love, and a roof over my head. I'm truly Thankful!  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

My Tribute: 9/11/11

I know where I was. I know how I was affected.....No need to relive that here. Here is my tribute........

While our lives continued

Each one of yours ended

Wives and Daughters, Fathers and Sons

Into God’s hands you flew

Lives were changed in an instant

Like the sky changes hue

Note the memories will never fade

Everyone has their own tale

Versions that many would whole-heartedly trade

Eliminating a single one would fail to

Remember those feelings and the sacrifice paid

Fighting for justice we constantly do

Or making sure that our freedom is intact

Reminding us all what is real and true

Getting on with life…..Not easy, but a fact

Each year that comes moves us farther away, but we say to you

To each one of you who lost their life that day….We will never, ever forget

i'm unique.. and expect to keep that

When I was a kid I never received gifts that had my name on them. My parents gave me an uncommon name. My full name is Marguerite, not Margaret. My nickname is Meg.....not Meghan. Marguerite and Meg are not names that are common on mugs, toothbrushes, or shot glasses. So I hold tight to my name. I'm really ok with nicknames... I've had a few.... Chab, Green Eyes, RB, Smeg, and Wheat to name a few. Each with a story and if you really know the story than you have permission to call me that. I really don't care what you call me except, if you call me Meghan, I will correct you once. If you call me it again.... you're not going to be on my favorite list.

I feel unique in many ways, but my name(s).. Come on....how many people named Meg or Marguerite do you know? I'm guessing not many... so it's up to me.....

Hey, my name is Marguerite or you can call me Meg. In the whole world you will never meet anyone like me... and I hope that is a good thing.

There's a major storm brewing...

Hey, did you know that there's a hurricane out there? Her name is Irene! In my 20 years in the South I have experienced several storms, but never a major direct hit. Looks like SC will dodge that bullet again. I was going to recall some of those storms and the experiences I had, but I think I will highlight the things I have learned about hurricanes and tropical storms.

1. They are scary and not something to get excited about. It may seem that way at first, but even when you leave you will worry about what your street will look like when you return.

2. Have a plan of where to go to be out of harms way and get out when authorities tell you to. Don't think you can ride it out and protect your house. If you change your mind in the height of the storm, you can't. Chances are roads will be impassible, and there might not be someone there to rescue you.

3. Don't forget your pets. Emergency shelters don't take pets. I always make a reservation at a hotel inland that takes pets. It costs me nothing to make the reservation and I can cancel it up to the day I'm supposed to arrive without paying anything.

4. Put all your important paperwork in an easy to grab place. You know, stuff like insurance agents' numbers, birth certificates, and the like. I'd say photos but the digital age has kind taken care of that.

5. Remember to help one another and that material things are replaceable..Lives are not.

Hopefully, everyone will be safe and stay out of harms way!

Nostalgia.... what does that say?

Recently, like in the last 5 days... I have noticed that there has been a surge of pages on Facebook that begin... Things I remember about...(fill in your hometown). I saw this for the town I am living in, and was waiting for one for the town I grew up in. Well, it happened this am. At 10:00 am there were less than 150 members and by 9:00 pm there are 340. The fun thing is that I have enjoyed reading, posting and commenting on the town which when I was a high school senior, I couldn't wait to leave. In fact, I will say, I hated that town.

So, what's the change? Well, I have to say it may have to do with hitting the midlife thing...( God I hope I live to be 86!) As much as I thought I hated that place as a teenager, it contributed to the person I am today.... the people, the places, and every experience, good or bad.. .. what can I say? honestly? All the following questions have popped in my head.........Was it really not that bad? Did I have more fun than I remember? Did some of it really matter? Did most of it not matter? The biggest question that keeps popping in my head.....Am I that old?
Yeah, I'll go back to my real life that doesn't remind me how old I am... unless you're a former student who drops by...... In which case...

"Summertime...... and the living's easy!"

Well, here it is, Yes, I am in the midst of summer. How do I know? There are a few clues..........

1. I have to look at a calendar to find out what day of the week it is.

2. I can wake up at 3 am and not worry if I can't get back to sleep because I can sleep, whenever.

3. If a book catches my fancy, I can spend the whole day reading it and not feel guilty.

4. Lazy is not an acceptable way to describe spending the day sitting at the water park or beach. My eyes are always keeping an eye on the little one....

5. I have taken on a new hobby. This year it's making homemade pasta. Quite successfully, I might add. When they all eat my spinach ravioli and want seconds....HELLO!

Summer is bliss for me. It is a time of rejuvenation, and I happen to be fortunate to have a career that allows me to fully enjoy the season. Yes, I know there are many who believe "We, Educators" have it easy and shouldn't complain about our jobs because we have summers off or don't deserve them. But, until you walk in our shoes......Nah, this post is not addressing that issue! This is about the joys of summer!

Having the summer off always reminds me of the magic of the summers of my youth. You know how they say the youth is wasted on the young? I think that may be true for summer, as well. My summers were basic, boring and glorious in their own right. Most memorably.....

1. Swim lessons.... My parents felt that since they didn't learn to swim until their 40's their children should by being pushed off the pier into the frigid (as in melted iceberg, frigid. I am NOT kidding.) waters of Canandaigua Lake early in the summer mornings. Most of us complied, numbly, except my little brother who preferred playing in the sand.

2. Just hanging out and listening to music or reading a good book. This always involved lying out on the roof of the garage using baby oil in search of the perfect tan. I shudder thinking about all of that skin damage!

3. Sailing lessons through Parks and Rec.....What fun that was. Sailing to Squaw Island which isn't that great 'cause you can walk there on the sandbar. Getting stranded with a broken mast in the middle of the lake in a storm and the ever fun water balloon fights with the snooty Yacht Club sailors. That always reminds me of a John Hughes' movie for some reason.

4. The one week of family vacation. Used to be we'd all go to Beckers, a resort on 4th Lake in the Adirondacks similar to Kellerman's in Dirty dancing. But minus the dancing, and sadly minus the hot Patrick Swayze. Even if he was there, we stopped going by the time I was 12, so I wouldn't have appreciated it anyway. No, my thrill was to go to the Enchanted Forest which is a water park now, but then it was a lame walk through the woods visiting the nursery rhymes. In my teens, we would go to Toronto, or Niagara Falls, but the teen angst of 4 teenagers became too much for any of us to handle.

5. Camps, lots of camps. I attended many, and knowing my memory is not exactly perfect, I'm sure they were all not during one summer. Or maybe they were and that makes me wonder if my parents did that because they didn't want me around.....hmmm.


6. Working at Carvel Ice Cream , my first real job. An ice cream stand right across from the main beach. You'd think that there'd be many boy stories. There were..... only they mainly involved my best friend. I mostly remember memorizing the menu and tax table with my dad because it was expected to calculate an order in your head while you were preparing it. A nightmare for me as I have issues with mental math. I still recall a milkshake was $1.18 with tax and a Mexican sundae was $1.31.

Ahh good times.... used to be my father would say that when the 4th of July rolled around summer was almost over which wasn't really true up north, but it is closer to the truth down south. So it looks like I'll have to really pull out the stops and enjoy the rest of it because before I know it, school will be back in session.

How well do you fully embrace the joys of summer? Even if you have to work, do you change your schedule, your behavior, your lifestyle because of summer? Happy Summer, Y'all!

1,2,3....Not it!!

A friend sent me a text the other day to ask if we were at war with Libya. I told her yes, but that at least we didn't start it. France shot first.

Why did I say that?! ' Cause that makes it better?! It's like, finally, the US didn't start something. And the good news is that the US is gonna back off and hand over control to the Allied forces in a manner of days. Thank goodness, for so many reasons!

Oh, but wait! Did you feel the wind of the double take from England, France and Italy? ..........They just said,
"Ummm, yeah, about that ....... 1,2,3......Not IT!"

WTF?!?

It's time to Avoid the Cookies!!

I have an addiction. I admit I'm addicted to Girl Scout Cookies. It started when I was young and a Girl Scout myself. I have no control when there is a box of Thin Mints or peanut butter Tagalongs around. You're probably saying, "Just don't buy the cookies!" Unfortunately, as with any addiction, its not that simple. I knew that having these cookies around was an issue. So I attempted to deal with it in a variety of unsuccessful ways......


1. Put them in the freezer.
That was a huge mistake, and anyone who tells you to do that is setting you up for failure. Something incredible happens when subfreezing temperatures hit those cookies. It's like what happens to liquids when frozen. Somehow, the yummy goodness particles in the cookies triple in size. Those boxes didn't last a day!

2. Buy them and leave them at work.
Yes, others could enjoy them if I hadn't snatched them out of their hands and growled each time they tried to.

3. Just give the money to the kids and get no cookies.
I've tried this many times.....

"Here, take the money!"
"What cookies do you want?"
"I don't."
"I can't just take your money!"
"And I can't take your cookies!! Just take the money!"
" You have to get cookies!"
"AHHH!!!!"

It just doesn't work! Which is amazing 'cause aren't they selling them to raise money?!

4. Refuse to order or buy any regardless of the cute faces, and pleading looks.
This would not be so bad if there wasn't a troop of Girl Scouts panhandling cookies in front of every store I need to go in. It's bad enough to have to deny them once, but it is inevitable that you get accosted going in and out of the store. And they are everywhere!

It's like they've changed the Girl Scout promise to :
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country, by forcing cookies on you
To help people at all times, by pan handling cookies that are addicting
And to live by the Girl Scout Law. which is to sell cookies for what reason we're really not sure!


So far, this season I have been successful. But, today I need to go to Walmart and every entry will be covered. God, grant me the serenity not to take out a table of little girls as I attempt to avoid their cookies!

Get Out of My Way You Stupid Tatertot!

It's bad enough that I have to think daily about approaching my mid-forties! I try to eat healthy, and I exercise regularly. But I discovered some reasons the other day why this country has a weight problem! Among them are Dancing Tater tots!

I was ecstatic the other day when the weather became warm enough to take a bike ride. I get bored doing the same exercise routine and always welcome a change. So on my 11 mile ride I have to navigate several obstacles. The first one is the Dancing Tater tot outside of Sonic!! Unlike the picture here, he was right in my bike path! As I ride past him the aroma of whatever is made there smells soooo good hits me and nearly turns the bike around. I pump the pedals faster to get by nearly taking out the Statue of Liberty luring people to get their taxes done. I glance back relieved I have passed this first obstacle. My legs are on fire and I force myself to continue on, but not even a mile up the road I have to pass a McDonald's . No, there is no Mayor McCheese or Fry Guys out front, but the parking lot is packed and I can sense why, because the smell of chicken nuggets and Big Macs is wafting into my path. Push Meg! Push! I make it pass and complete my loop heading back on the opposite side.
Pain and fatigue numb my senses enough that I don't notice passing the McDonald's on the other side of the road...... But then I must pass the Bojangles, which for you Northerners is a southern version of KFC. But noooooooo, idiot driver makes me have to ride into the Bojangles parking lot and fully immerse myself in the heavenly scent that lingers there...... I think, "Fried Chicken! It's been sooo long! Suddenly, somehow, I snap out of it and and persevere.
Now I am getting to the point where I am hating and cursing any form of exertion, but know I can't stop until I get back home! Push! Push! OMFG! There's that stupid Tater tot, again! and he's still freakin' smiling! I must have been pumped full of something 'cause before I know it I'm flipping off that stupid Tatertot, and proceed to finish that bike ride in record time!!!

Fast food................... You have no power over me!

Snow day!?!?

Ok, only in the south can school be canceled due to winter weather and you wake up in the morning and not only is there no snow.....but no evidence of even a rain drop. When it was announced last night that school was canceled the little one shouted and jumped around the room and even I was a little excited for her, but now all I can think is "Great now we have to make up a day on some other vacation day." I guess becoming an adult makes one more of a curmudgeon. It does, however bring back memories of snow days in the north.

Growing up in Upstate NY, I am no a stranger to snow. It is in fact one of the reasons I moved south. I never really loved the snow as a kid. I remember my mom forcing me to go outside to play in it. Seriously, she would put my coat on me and literally push me out the door! I never liked to sled or ski or anything outside in the snow. Let's just say the snow and I had issues. The one thing I did appreciate from the snow was the occasional day off from school. And though it seemed they were very sparse the older we got, a snow day was always a welcomed day off.

They always start the same way. Early in the morning between 4:00 and 5:00 am the house phone would ring.( like we had anything else but a house phone then!) That was the clue that there might be a chance of no school that day. See, my dad was the president at the local community college and it was his job to decide whether classes were canceled due to the weather. Would I go back to sleep and wait for him to inform us that school was on or not? No! I would go downstairs to the kitchen with my dad. The coffee would be made and he would turn on the radio and listen to the road conditions, cancellations and make his decision. It was so high tech this canceling school thing. It involved some secret code that only the administrators who could cancel school had. I often wondered what one could do with such a code!

There were times when the public school closing was announced while we were listening but most of the time I remember my dad finding out when he called the stations with his decision. I would jump up and down and shout in excitement. Then I would proceed to inform my siblings of our instant vacation day. They would all go back to sleep but I never took advantage of the chance for extra sleep. By then I was always wide awake. I remember lots of reading, playing games and TV watching for me on those days. My siblings would venture out and play in the snow. Occasionally, you might have found me outside for a brief moment. I don't recall ever having to make up those days, and that could be why we loved them, perhaps we just enjoyed the free day or maybe we just didn't care.

So I think that that will be my attitude today. I don't care if I have to work an extra day to make up this day! I think I will hunker down with a good book, play some games with my family, cook something comforting and just enjoy the day.
Oh, wait !!! I think I see a few flakes falling outside! OMG, call the National Guard! It's a blizzard!! This is serious now, we maybe home for days!!!!