Home for the Holidays

We left Minot, ND Thursday morning and drove 26 hours to Olive Branch, MS to spend the holidays with our family.  It was a long drive but our car was so loaded we decided we would rather drive on than try  to unload at a hotel for the night.  Now that we are here I am so glad we did it that way. 

We will be in the south for 2 weeks and then we are headed to Superior, WI for a few months.  I think we will enjoy the warmer weather and not having to put on so many layers everyday.

Wishing everyone a very blessed holiday season and our travels will resume the middle of January.

Sunday Phunnies

Shallow Gene Pool
Here are some clues that the gene pool may be getting shallow ...

IDIOTS AT WORK ... I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed that I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction unless the card was signed. When I asked why, she explained that it was necessary to compare the signature on the credit card with the signature I just signed on the receipt. So I signed the credit card in front of her. She carefully compared that signature to the one I signed on the receipt. As luck would have it, they matched.

IDIOTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ... I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: many deer were being hit by cars and he no longer wanted them to cross there.

IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE ... My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the individual behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg.

IDIOT SIGHTINGS ... Sighting #1: I was at the airport, checking in at the gate, when the airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" I said, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" He smiled and nodded knowingly, "That's why we ask."

Idiot Sighting #2: The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it is safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged co-worker of mine, when she asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals to blind people when the light is red. She responded, appalled, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?"

Idiot Sighting #3: At a good-bye lunch for an old and dear coworker who is leaving the company due to "downsizing," our manager spoke up and said, "this is fun. We should have lunch like this more often." Not another word was spoken. We just looked at each other like deer staring into the headlights of an approaching truck.

Idiot Sighting #4: I worked with someone who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the life of her could not understand why her system would not turn on.

Idiot Sighting #5: When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told that the keys had been accidentally locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger's side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered it was open.
"Hey," I announced to the technician, "It's open!"
"I know," answered the young man. "I already got that side."

Blessings to You and Yours

Sunday Phunnies

Senior Moment II
Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades.

Over the years they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures.

Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards.

One day they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, "Now don't get mad at me ... I know we've been friends for a long time, but I just can't think of your name! I've thought and thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name is."

Her friend glared at her. For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her. Finally, she said, "How soon do you need to know?"

Sunday Phunnies

Senior Moment
Two elderly women were out driving. Both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself, "I must be losing it. I could have sworn we just went through a red light."

A few minutes later they came to another intersection and the light was red again, and again they went right though. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on.

At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through. She turned to the other woman and said "Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!"

Mildred turned to her and said "Oh darn, am I driving?"

A Snowy Sunday in North Dakota

We woke up to snow again today.  The snow is beautiful but it makes traveling a bit scary. 

The snow was gentle but had started around 1AM so by the time we woke up the parking lot looked like this.

Our poor car is used to being garaged overnight, it sure is getting a workout in ND.

Life goes on, even in the snow, so we loaded the car and headed for church.

We drive through this parking lot (the local mall) on our way to the main road leading to church.

Such beauty could only be created by God!

And the lovely spruce trees.

Then in the parking lot I slipped on the black ice-UGH!  Landed flat on my back.  Took some Valerian Root and applied essential oils and am feeling much better.  I need to remember, small steps and slowly!

Had a great day at church and drove home through more snow.  Spent the afternoon in our warm room relaxing and watching the snow fall.  A perfect ending to an almost perfect day.

Back to North Dakota

We had an opportunity to visit our son's family for Thanksgiving.  The trip from Minot, North Dakota to Olive Branch, Mississippi takes 3 days.  It is a long drive but we sure are glad we had a chance to visit and see their new home, which is gorgeous!!

We avoided snow and ice both going and coming and our travel was pretty much uneventful, which is good.  Since we were so anxious to see them we didn't make any stops on the way down but on our way back up to North Dakota we saw a couple of really interesting sites.

I am not sure where this was taken but someplace in either Kansas or Nebraska.  We were driving down a highway with occasional ranches and farms, made a turn and came upon this site:

We drove a few feet and the cliffs were over, not to be repeated.  I wish I could remember exactly where these were located but we came upon them so suddenly that I only had time to grab the camera and click.

The second night we stayed in Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the Corn Palace.  Of course, we had to visit.

This part of the country is big time corn country so every year they decorate this 'palace' with tons of corn.   All of the pictures are done in different types of corn.

This was really amazing to see how creative they were in developing these mosaics.  Mitchell seems like a very nice town with lots to see and do but unfortunately we had to leave early the next morning.

We made it safely back to Minot Sunday afternoon.  It sure felt good to plant our feet on the ground and not have to get back in the car for awhile.

Sunday Phunnies

Senility Sisters
Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96 live together in a house. One night the 96-year old draws a bath. She puts one foot in and pauses. She yells down the stairs, "Was I getting in or out of the bath?"

The 94-year old yells back, "I don't know. I'll come up and see." She starts up the stairs and pauses. Then, she yells, "Was I going up the stairs or down?"

The 92-year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea, listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, "I sure hope I never get that forgetful." She knocks on wood for good measure. She then yells, "I'll come and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door."

Things I Have Learned

Sunday Phunnies

Rednecks
You know you're a Redneck if:

You can change the oil in your truck without ducking your head.

You're a lite beer drinker 'cause you start drinkin beer when it gets light.

You think the stock market has fence around it.

You own a homemade fur coat.

Your entire family has ever sat around waiting for a call from the Governor to spare a loved one.

Your grandfather died and left everything to his widow. But she can't touch it until she's fourteen.

You've been married three times but still have the same in-laws.

You think a stock tip is advice on worming' your hogs.

Happy 12 Year's Old

We arrived at our son's home on the evening of our youngest granddaughter, Lauren's, 12th birthday.  All celebrations were delayed until the next day since we arrived so late.

Tuesday my daughter-in-law, 2 granddaughters and myself headed out for a ladies' day.  First and most important stop was for the much anticipated birthday gift of a manicure and pedicure.  Lauren has known exactly what she wanted for her special day for months. 

French tipped nails.

Next came the pedicure.

Some very green toenails.

The finished Diva look.

From the spa we headed to lunch and a chance to sit and visit.  Then a day of shopping.  So much fun and I miss these girlie days so much.

Only a couple more days and we head back to North Dakota.  I plan on enjoying each and every moment with our family!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Long Awaited Visit

Finally, after being gone for almost 6 months we had a chance to visit our son and his family for Thanksgiving. 

We went from North Dakota to just outside of Minneapolis, MN the first night.  (2 states)  Saturday we drove from Minnesota through Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and spent the night in Louisiana. (5 states) We had our car checked out and then headed back to north Mississippi, Monday night, where our son lives.  3 very long days of driving but destination was finally achieved.

We will get to visit until Friday morning when we will head back to North Dakota via, Missippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.  The plan is to arrive back in Minot, ND Sunday evening.

A very long drive but it was so worth it to see our family and get to spend the holiday with them.  Hope to be back for Christmas.

Sunday Phunnies

Quirks About Life ...
that you notice by the time you are fifty.

Most people deserve each other.

All the good ones, no matter what it is, are taken.

The one who snores will fall asleep first.

The length of a marriage is inversely proportional to the amount of money spent on the wedding.

If you help a relative in need, he or she will remember you the next time they are in need.

The probability of meeting someone you know increases greatly when you are out with someone you do not want to be seen with.

Toothaches always start on Friday night when the dentist's office will be closed for the weekend.

An Early Morning Surprise

We have been watching the weather reports very closely because we are planning on heading home the end of this week.  The last report we saw, yesterday, was for clear days all week with the temperature dropping a bit each night.  That was a great report for travelers.

Imagine our surprise when we woke up to see this today.

Our poor car is very used to being garaged overnight and it has sure gone through some tough weather up here.

By the way, the temperature is 32 right now so the snow should not last long.

I realize this is not a heavy snow but coming from the deep south it sure is a lot to us. 

We got out the snow brush and window scrapers and began the chore of getting the car ready to drive safely on the roads.

All cleaned up and ready to go.  We were glad to see the snow had already started melting on the driveways.  My sweet hubby is learning a new trick, driving safely in snow-on steep hills!

Our New Theme Song

Since the weather has changed and the cold is here to stay for about 5 months, our new theme song has become this one from the Animals.

http://youtu.be/jxNEiZhpinY

"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" seems like the perfect song as we try hard to complete the job so we can leave before we get snowed in and can't get away.

Oh, Lord, please help us get home soon!

Sunday Phunnies

Puns

Two vultures board an airplane, each carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at them and says, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

Did you hear that NASA recently put a bunch of Holsteins into low earth orbit? They called it the herd shot 'round the world.

Two boll weevils grew up in South Carolina. One went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.

A three-legged dog walks into a saloon in the Old West. He slides up to the bar and announces: "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? He wanted to transcend dental medication.

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Amal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal."

These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that: Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

Snow, At Last!

This past Sunday the long awaited first snowfall occurred.  The overall snowfall was only about an inch but it was enough for us.

We were watching the football game and kept checking the window and the snow continued to fall very lightly but the wind kept any accumulation from building up.  Then the game got exciting (the Saints were winning) and we forgot to check the window.

Imagine our surprise when we saw this.

Snow had settled on all the cars in the parking lot.  Well, that is more snow than we ever get in south Mississippi so we were excited.  Excited until we woke up the next morning and our car looked like this.

So we got busy brushing the snow off and were surprised how easily it brushed away.  Any snow that falls in MS is very wet and icy but this snow was light and brushed right off.  Of course, there was a little ice under the snow but not much at all.

The biggest surprise was the snow INSIDE of the car.  Yes, the windows were all closed up tightly but the wind was blowing 20-30 miles an hour and somehow a bit of snow made it inside.

Driving was a little scary but not too bad.  We were very thankful that our first experience with North Dakota winter snow was a very mild experience.  Next time we will probably not be so lucky!

To Snow or Not To Snow

One of the things which caused us trepidation about taking a job in North Dakota was the weather.  Stories abound about the frigid cold and one of the sweatshirts up here says "41 below keeps out the riff raff".  We were not looking forward to experiencing this.

When we arrived we met some locals through church who told us stories about the year they had record snowfalls in early October.  More dread and another trip to the store to buy more winter clothing.

This year has been very unusual, from all reports.  The summer was gorgeous.  We only had a few hot days and nothing like the heat from our hometown, Diamondhead, MS.  The fall has been beautiful with earlier sunsets and the changing colors.  The best part, however, has been the temperature.  The days fluctuate from the high 40's to the low 60's.  Absolutely perfect!

The last few weeks has brought a distinctive change in the weather.  Around the middle of October you could see the sky patterns changing, and could feel a difference in the air.  Sure enough we had several storms push through the end of October-but still no snow.

It is interesting watching the weather reports up here because everyone is dreading the first snowfall-for fear of what is coming next.  In southern Mississippi everyone gets excited if we are expecting snow. 

The difference-south Mississippi 'MIGHT' get one tiny snowfall a year, but most often not.  In North Dakota when the snow starts winter does not let up for about 5 months.

I am writing this on Oct. 24 and we had a chance of snow flurries last night but it did not happen.  So these two travelers from south Mississippi are still looking forward to our first North Dakota snowfall!!

Sunday Phunnies

Kids and Church

3-year-old, Reese: "Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen."
A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor's wife."

After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."

I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer for several evenings at bedtime. She would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us some E-mail. Amen."

One particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

A Sunday school teacher asked her children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church? One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

Six-year-old Angie and her four-year-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. "See those men standing by the door? They're hushers."

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"

A father was at the beach with his children when his four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the on asked. "He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?"

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Ballet Magnificat

Ballet Magnificat is America's Christian Ballet Company located in Jackson, MS.  They recently came to Minot, ND to put on a benefit performance and I had an opportunity to attend.

They performed the story of Moses in a production called 'Deliver Us".  This was the first time I had attended a professional ballet and I was overwhelmed.  The costumes and set design was very original and made the story come alive.  The dancers were fantastic. 

The entire performance was an experience I shall long remember and look forward to sharing with my granddaughters.

There are several videos of their performances available on You Tube.  I hope you enjoy and that the videos whet your appetite for a live performance.

If you get a chance to attend one of their performances I hope you will go and receive a blessing.

Hoodies and Hats

As the weather begins to change way up north the fashion has become hoodies.  Everyplace you go, everyone you see is wearing hoodies-from oil field workers to grandmothers-hoodies are the style of choice.

The breakfast room in our hotel looks like a fashion show of hoodies.  Pick your color, pick your lining, add a layer or 2 and your are ready for the day.

Hoodies really are the best thing for staying warm on these cool days.  I love the Sherpa lined hoodies the best.  Sherpa is a polyester and cotton fabric that resembles fluffy wool.  It adds a warm lining to the fleece hoodies.

We have truly learned the value of these jackets since the weather has changed.  They are warm, easy on and off and washable.  Perfect for everyday wear.

The other item we notice that is very popular are ear flap hats, especially character hats.  These hats come in all characters from monkeys, to birds, to cartoon characters.

Of course, you can still find the regular ear flap hats,

and those are cute as well, but I really like the character hats the best.

This type of clothing is really necessary up here, even though the temp is only in the 30-40 range, because of the wind.  The wind is a constant and usually blows about 20 mph which makes it feel much cooler.

So, our wardrobe is changing as we add hoodies and hats to the baggage we must bring with us when we head home.  But we must do, what we must do, to stay warm and so far the natives have not led us astray.

Happy Harvest

Sunday Phunnies

How the Internet REALLY got started!

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.

And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she had been called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why doth thou travel far from town to town with thy goods when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, Dear?"

And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale and they will reply telling you how many they wish to buy. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever moving from his tent.

But this success did arouse envy.

A man named Maccabia did secret himself inside Abraham's drum and was accused of insider trading.

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung.

They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums, that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others."

And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be known as "eBay," he said, "we need a name that reflects what we are," and Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owners and Operators."

"YAHOO!," said Abraham.

And now you know the real story.

Jamestown, North Dakota part 4

The last part of our visit to this very nice pioneer village.

This school was used as a one-room schoolhouse until 2006

This was the first real stage coach we have seen.

I really wish this store had been opened, it looked so neat through the windows.

The most uncomfortable bed for the conductor.

The waiting room

A real trading post, but, alas, it was also closed.

Farm Equipment

The summer truly ends in North Dakota in September and most of the tourist attractions have limited hours after that.  That is the reason many of the buildings were closed during our visit.

I hope you enjoyed our visit to Jamestown.