I Love To Read......

I have loved books since I was able to read. There were many times I was in reading when I should have been outside playing. that's kind of sad huh.... lol But I was happy so that's ok.

I think I had every book in Nancy Drew mystery series. I loved books about horses and Florence Nightengale. Maybe that's why I went into nursing huh?

My favorite books now are the mystery/thrillers. I have ALL the Dean Koontz books. I love the forensic police procedural books, the women detective books, and did I mention Harry Potter??? Love those books. Another favorite author is Janet Evonovich and the ever loving Nora Roberts, writing as J D Robb.

My only disappointment is that some of the authors' newer books aren't as good as their older ones. Like Dean Koontz and Patricia Cornwell. Their books are still good but not like the ones that made me fall in love with their writings.

Anyway... reading is fun, relaxing and I love it !! How about you? Any of you like my kind of books?

Jan

Just a Few words.......

Hi ! We got less than an inch of snow last night but it turned cold !!! It was only - 7 this morning ...... BURRRR !!!!!!! I guess winter has finally arrived to northern Minnesota.

Well now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time to think about decorating for the Christmas holiday. I have debated about putting up the tree this year since we have an ADDHD kitten in the house. And of course what Cody does, his brother Shiloh does.... monkey see, monkey do... LOL I am definitely going to buy some of those silk ornaments. I bought new glass ones last year & I can just see them laying broken on the floor under the tree..... or Cody trying to eat the pieces. I swear that cat is into everything !! LOL He is so nosey. He sits on the bathroom sink & watches me put my makeup on every morning. And heaven forbid if put it down where he can stick his nose into it. He sits on the kitchen counter & watches my sister wash the dishes. Heaven help us when we put the presents under the tree. Oh well, look at the fun we'll have. My hubby will have to go on Prozac for sure then..... lol

Oh, we're supposed to get 3-4 more inches of snow tonight. I just saw the weather alert. Hummm.... we'll see. I guess I'd better find my gloves & get my winter coat out huh..... Later !

Jan

My Interview Questions......

These were very good questions and took me awhile to come up with the answers... Thanks for letting me play. It was a hoot......

1. I saw your dream weaver story from when you were posting a long time ago - do you have background with animal dreams and spirit guides? If so, what?

I don't remember my dreams. That might be good or bad... LOL As for Spirit Guides, I believe we have them, I know there is continued life after our departure from this world, and I know that we are helped along the way by loving souls.

What is the most challenging thing about being a teacher's aide in middle school?

The hardest thing is not to take a child home with me. We have so many children that just need to be loved and know that someone cares for them. We have so many that need to be in a home where there are no drugs, fighting, abuse, and alcohol.....so many that just need to be given the chance to be a kid.

What are your favorite mystery/thriller writers and why?

Oh, I have so many..... I love the forensic mysteries the most. It amazes me what can be found through forensics. I also love the FBI thrillers. Authors: Dean Koonts, Patricia Cornwell, James Doss, James Patterson, Kathy Reichs, and many, many more.

What is your garden like? What are your favorite things to grow?

I have many flowerbeds. I have beewn switching over to Perrenials because of all the work.... lol But my favorite flowers are the Petunias and Marigolds. But what makes a flower garden are the extras... like all the statues I use. The gazing balls, bridges, rock borders.... anything that adds a little extra.

There ya go..... I did it !!

Jan

The Quiet Time.....

It's finally the quiet time here. This is the time when everyone is in bed asleep.... except me. Not that it's usually noisy here but I'm by myself. No one to see me pick my nose, or scratch unsightly places. My hearing aides are in their container so I'm back into my quiet world. How nice..........

As I mentioned in another post, we are having our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. the deviled eggs are made and the 22# turkey is still thawing. It will be ready for the stuffing in the morning as soon as Eddie gets his marvelous apple cake baked. We will also have all the trimmings.... mashed potatoes/gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, noodles for Brandon, hot rolls, relish dish, cranberries, and of course pumpkin pie. Do you think there will be enough food to feed seven? LOL Leftovers !!!!

My sister and I went shopping today but we didn't go early. It wasn't bad either. Everyone was gone by the time we got there. We even got a parking space up front at WalMart. Wow !! That was exciting right there !
We really didn't buy a lot but at least we can say we shopped on Black Friday.

The rest of the day was filled with reading, taking a short nap, reading some blogs, and just relaxing. Getting ready for the excitement tomorrow...... building our strength up..... LOL I'll let you know how it goes. Sweet dreams everyone.

Jan

Thanksgiving Thoughts of Love and Blessings......

My husband Eddie will be 65 years old next month. Except for the aches and pains of getting older, you would think he was 16, the way he interacts with the kids. His school feast was a huge success. The kids ate well.... some going back two and three times. The next feast will be for Christmas where there will be a present for each student under the tree. Eddie is my friend, lover, confidante, and cheerleader. He is my pillar of strength. He is LOVE and truely a Blessing to me and others.

We are having our meal & celebration on Saturday this year. We work around Barb's nursing schedule. Barb, who is married to Glenn, have two wonderful children, Ashley and Brandon. They are friends in reality but family in our hearts. I don't know what I would do without them in my life. They keep us young, alive, and bring us much joy. They are LOVE and truely one of our Blessings.

My sister Mary is 3 years younger than me. We did not have the priviledge of growing up together. I was adopted out when I was 18 months old. She is currently living with us. We have known each other 16 years now & still we are still learning new things about each other. She is LOVE and another Blessing in my life.

My special friend WB and I have known each other for many years now but just met in person this fall. It was wonderful to get that big hug from her. She is my friend, confidante, and mentor. We have shed many a thought, laughter and tears together. She is truely Love and a Blessing to me. I am honored to have her in my life.

I certainly can't leave out my furry babies. Our pets bring us laughter, comfort, and snuggles. They are Love and a Blessing in a way that humans are not.

Our extended family and friends, who live far away, bring us Love and Blessings in their own individual ways.

To all my new found friends here, I say welcome to my world and thank you for letting me be a part of yours. The sharing of our lives and thoughts through words are Love and definitely a Blessing in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. May your day be Blessed with laughter and Love.

Jan

This & That.......

What fun I have been having reading all these blogs !!! I feel like I am in a whole new world. So this is what blogging is all about..... wow !

Tomorrow is back to work at school. Tomorrow night we will be cooking for my husband's feast day at school. He is a Special Ed teacher at the same school where I work. It is on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation but it is a public school. Every year he puts on a holiday feast at Thanksgiving & Christmas. He has 25# turkey to bake & we will make the deviled eggs & his special apple cake. The kids will have a good meal. For some, this will be the only good meal they will have. He has 2 lady aides in the room with him & they will bring in the stuffing, 25# of mashed potatoes & all the rest of the goodies. What a feast it will be.

We will only work 3 days this week of course. We will have our special dinner on Saturday. We work around our friend, Barbs, nursing schedule. So we will have a couple days to prepare our feast.

That's it for now..... Stay healthy & happy. (((HUGS)))

Jan

A Day of Nothing.......

This was a nothing day. I didn't work today but was up at 6:00 a.m. to do nothing. Unless you count chasing Cody, my ADDHD kitten, trying to get him in the house. My husband accidentally let him out while going to work. Then I got on the computer & sent my teacher a note saying I wouldn't be there today and checked my mail. Nothing important there. I checked the school e-mail. Nothing there. I read the online paper. Nothing exciting there. I read the news...... nothing new there... I checked the obituaries and police report of my hometown newspaper... nothing there either. I didn't do any housework. I DID take a nap. I played Pogo on the computer and read a book. Yep, pretty much a nothing day. So why am I so tired?? Nothing much else to say either, so I'm off to bed. I work tomorrow so that will definitely NOT be a nothing day.
Later........

Jan

Told You I'd Be Back........

I've been reading the posts on the Writing Game. What fun ! I don't know if I could do it but the bloggers have been doing a wonderful job.

I'm a middle school teacher assistant. I work this year with the 6th grade kids. One of my duties is to monitor lunch time. The other day I had this little fellow call me over to his table and ask me my name. I told him and then he asked me if I was in Mrs Chandler's room. I said that I was. He asked me how old I was and I told him 56. Then he looked at me with those innocent eyes, and with a sincere look on his face, he said....... (Get ready....LOL ) he said, "Isn't that a little old to be in 6th grade?" Speechless, I just looked at him, and then I laughed. I told him yes, it was, so next year I was going back to 5th grade. My teacher and I Loop so we have the same set of students 2 years in a row. We were 5th grade last year, this year 6th and then back to 5th grade next year.....with a new class of students. Like Art Linkletter said.... Kids say the darndest things. I love it !

See ya tomorrow.

Jan

It's Been A LONG Time.....

Hey everyone..... I haven't written on here for almost a year ! My good friend whollyburble told me about her new blogging spot & I was surprised to find out this was an old spot of mine.... lol I told her I had quit because it was like writing to myself & she gave me an astounding tip..... she said to go to other blogs & comment & they in turn will come to mine. Now, isn't that something? Who would have thought huh? Evidentally, not me..... lol

So I did comment on a couple tonight but it is late & I have to get to bed...... BUT I'll be back....... Later !

Jan

Friday, 2/03/06

Good Evening ! Well it's been awhile since I've posted here. I have been sick and ended up with an ear infection. The first one I have ever had. Took the round of anitibiotics so we'll see if that took care of the problem.

I got some nice responses from my story. I'm glad you all liked it. I sure enjoyed writing it. Wouldn't you really like to know what the animals are saying or thinking? LOL We'd probably be surprised.

The weather has turned cold here again. We've had such a mild winter so far it's hard to get used to the zub zero temps again. I hate cold weather. I hate real hot too. I just can't be satisfied I guess..... LOL Although, we have very few real hot, hot days in summer. I'm thankful for my back porch room with the large windows where the breeze can flow through. especially at night. I love the night time. When all is quiet I can sit & listen to the night sounds, watch the racoons or bear feeding in the yard. I miss those time right now. I think it's called cabin fever. But we're on the downswing now. We should be getting nice weather in another few months.

The gerbil babies are ready to find a home. I have a friend that is going to take 2 of them. The other 3 will go to the pet store. They are such active little critters. lol

I had an enjoyable evening tonight. I played canasta with my 2 friends. I really enjoy that.

Well, it's late so I'll sign off for now. You all take care & I'll catch you again soon. (((HUGS)))

Jan

Sunday, 1/22/06

Hello..... One of my passions is writing. I haven't done any for quite some time but I mean to change that. Occasionally I will put one of my writings on here for your enjoyment. I hope you like them. Until next time.. Take care. (((HUGS))) Jan

Dreams can be wonderful. Come join me for a ride to dreamland and the The Safe Place.


Your dreamscape takes you to the beautiful north woods where you find yourself beside a small man-made pond. By the brilliant light of a full moon, you see a house close by, clothed in darkness. You hear a noise, look up, and see a doe with her white-speckled fawn at her side, emerge from the woods. Listen . . . and see what the creatures have to say.

"No Mama, I'm afraid," says the fawn called Littleone. "I don't want to be here."

The doe looks down at her little son with love and says, "It's ok, Littleone. You have no reason to be afraid here."

"But Mama," replies Littleone, "humans live here. Aren't we suppose to be afraid of them?"

"Yes, but this is the place I told you about. This is the safe place. The Anishinaanabe who live here are
different," Mama Waawaashkeshi reassures her son.

Looking around, sniffing the air, pawing the ground, Littleone asks, "But why are they different and why is this called the safe place?"

"I really don't know," replies Mama. "I just know that all the creatures of the woods are welcome here. We come here to drink, eat, and play, without the worry of being hurt. And therefore it has come to be called, The Safe Place."

Just then a fat raccoon comes waddling by, heading for the food bowels that are filled with corn, sunflower seeds and other tasty morsels.

"Good evening Esiban," greets Mama.

"Good evening Mama Waawaashkeshi, good evening to you and your dear son. Yes, yes, mighty fine
evening," remarks Raccoon.

"Littleone," says Mama, "Esiban is one of the oldest and wisest of the animals in these woods. Maybe he can answer your questions."

"Esiban, uh, sir, excuse me, but can you tell me why this is the Safe Place, and why the humans here are
different?" Littleone asks hesitantly.

The raccoon looks up from the feed bowel with a partially eaten banana in his paws and replies, "Different, yes, yes, different. Well, you see, the Anishinaanabe who live here have love in their hearts. They love our Earth Mother and all Her creatures. They also hear the heartbeat."

Puzzled, Littleone asks, "Heartbeat? What heartbeat, Esiban?"

"Mother Earth's, Mother Earth's heartbeat," replies Raccoon. "You can hear it too if you'd just listen when you lie down. Put your ear against the ground and listen. You'll hear it."

The speckled fawn plops himself on the ground with his ear against the soft grass. "I hear it! I hear it Mama! Esiban, please tell me what this means," Littleone excitedly asks.

"It means that Mother Earth IS . . . She is the heart of our BEing," replies the wise old raccoon. "She has nurtured Her children, the four-legged and the two-legged, for a long time. She has taken care of us, yet littl has been given back to Her. She is laboring now and one day soon, She will rise up and give birth to a new land. A land where the four-legged and the two-legged will live together as one. A land where She won't be robbed of Her precious possessions. She will be respected and honored again. That's why these "Anishinaanabe are different. They know what's coming. They have built this pond for all of us, blessed it
with sage, tobacco, the four directions. They have made this safe place for us and made Mother Earth beautiful here. They give our Earth Mother the love, respect and honor She deserves and Mother Earth is pleased. This place is as it should be and as it will be."

With that said, the old raccoon waddles toward the woods and as he passes, you can hear him say, "Good
evening, good evening. Yes, yes, mighty fine evening."

Mama Waawaashkeshi and Littleone drink their fill at the pond and turn to head home to bed. It is then you realize you have learned a very special lesson tonight and it's time for you to head home too.





I hope you have enjoyed this dreamscape and will return to read others in the future. Until then, may your
dreams tonight be happy memories tomorrow.

Sweet Dreams,

Jan

Dream Fairy Weaver

Friday, 1/20/06

Hi ! Well today was a day off from work for me. it was nice to be home with my sister & my new puppy, Pookie. He is a 5 month old Chihuahua & he is adorable. At least that's what the little shirt says that i bought for him....... LOL He really is precious.

I took my sister out for lunch & then we ran some errands. Our friends came over with their 2 little children & met Pookie. He was really shy around them. We were surprised. We had supper & just visited for a bit. It was nice. Then I played some canasta on Yahoo. I met a very nice person. His name is Garth, from Utah. I hope he read my Yahoo profile..... lol

Tomorrow is errand day. that means eating at the Great Wall buffet & shopping at WalMart. Home to do laundry & just relax. Not much else exciting here.

You take care...... Until next time........ (((HUGS)))

Jan

Tuesday, 1/17/06

Hello ! It's been a few days since i've posted anything here. Have you noticed? Probably not. Well I finally have some exciting news. I have a 5 month old chihuahua. His name is Pookie. He's a tri color which means he is chocolate with fawn brown markings on his face & a white backward question mark on his chest. He is sooooo cute !!!!! He loves to give kisses too. We are thrilled to have him in our family.

Not much else to post. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my pic under the Profile section on the web page. I just don't know why it is so hard to figure out.... lol

Well enough for tonight. I'm off to bed. You all take care & I'll catch ya later. (((HUGS)))

Jan

Friday, 1/13/06

Hello There !!!! Well for it being Friday the 13th it's been a good day. the last day of work for this week with only 4 work days next week... WhooHoo !!!

My sister is home !!! I'm glad to have her back. I brought pizza home for supper so we wouldn't have to cook and now we're having popcorn..... LOL What a treat.

The Gerbil babies are fine and growing like weeds. They are so cute. there are 5 and all black this time.

I'm listening to my Pleiades CD while I check my mail and write this update.... it's beauitful and so is the life today.

You all take care and I'll catch ya next time. (((HUGS)))

Jan

Tuesday, 1/10/06

Good Evening.... We had a guest speaker at school today. His name is Ron Glodoski. He wrote the book " How To Be A Successful Criminal". Living in an abusive household, he took to the streets to become a gang member and drug Kingpin. From there, he turned his life around to become a multi millionaire and now a dynamic guest speaker. He reaches out to kids in a way that holds their attention. He is a remarkable man. I would recommend anyone to go listen to this man. His presentation shows how much he cares about our youth of today. I can't praise this man enough.

Not much happening here on the home front. Just wanted to stop in and say hi and let everyone know that I'm thinking of them. Catch ya later.

Jan

Sunday, 1/08/06

Today was another good day. Quiet. We met our friends, Barb & Glenn & their 2 kids, Ashley & Brandon for supper. We went to the Ground Round. Oh! And we went to breakfast this morning. Great eggs ! lol

Did I tell you that we have 4 new baby Gerbils? Yes, we found them yesterday. This is the second littler this pair has had. We've had them a year now. Not bad huh? The babies are cute when they start running around. We'll donate them to the pet shop when they get old enough.

Not much else to write about. Work tomorrow, so I'll make this a short entry. Catch ya tomorrow. (((HUGS)))

Jan

Saturday, 1/07/06

Today was a good day. We went to town and ran some errands and ate lunch at The Great Wall. This is my husbands favorite place to eat. It's an all you can eat buffet and the food is always good. Decent price too. Then we went to WalMart and did our major shopping.

After we came home, I did 2 loads of wash, and answered e-mail. We had pizza for supper and I read while I ate. I always do that unless we have company..... lol I'm reading "A Perfect Evil" by Alex Kava. Good book. I've read all in the series so far. I bought a new book today too. "Voices Carry" by Mariah Stewart. Another good author. Can't wait to get into that one... lol

I didn't talk to my sister All Day !! But I did get to chat with my dearest friend Mary Helen. She lives in Iowa. Quite the lady...... kind of a mentor for me. Her sense of humor is delightful and her insight on life is amazing. I'm so thankful to have her in my life. I love you Mary Helen.

Well on Sundays we try to go to a little town north of us for breakfast. We haven't been in several weeks due to the holidays but I think I'll see If we can go tomorrow. We know the gal that runs the restaurant and I've missed seeing her. And her husband makes the best over easy eggs in the tri-county area. They are always perfect !!! Good food at a decent price served with a smile. What more can a gal ask for eh? So I guess I better get to bed so we can go early.

Until tomorrow..... smile and have a good one. (((HUGS)))

Jan

Friday, 1/06/06

Good Evening..... Well it's my bedtime but I just wanted to say hello to everyone who reads this. Hi Mary ! LOL I think she's the only one who visits here on a regular basis. That's ok though. I check her blog out on Yahoo on a daily basis too.

The birds are asleep. My husband and the dog are in bed competing in a snoring contest. And the cat is looking at me like...... aren't you ready to snuggle yet? LOL BTW, I don't know who is going to win that snoring contest. They sound pretty closely matched to me.

Ok, tomorrow is Saturday. The day we do our errands and WalMart shopping. Now, I don't want to hear about WalMart. It's the best thing that has happened to our town since...... well, since ever. Come to think of it, not much happens in our town. Actually our town is pretty nice. If they would have a Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Red Lobster, Arby's, and a Fish & Chips place come in, it would be perfect. Yeah...... eating and reading....... that's what i do best. My two great loves.. LOL

Ok, I'm off to snuggle with Jasper the cat. Catch ya tomorrow. (((HUGS)))

Jan

Thursday, 1/05/06

Well tomorrow is Friday & I am so glad. It's a shame to wish time away but this has been a hard week. Vacations are great except when you have to go back to work. You have to get back into the old routine. And I love the night time. I hate to have to go to bed early.

Today was a good day though. Not much happening here or at work. I hate dull but I guess I should be thankful too for the respite from turmoil..... lol That can easily happen with a bunch of 5th & 6th graders. You never know what to expect.

I got to talk to my sister for quite awhile tonight. That was nice. She's visiting a friend in Canada. I think I told you that already. We also played a game of canasta on Yahoo. We whipped the pants off the other team... lol That was fun.

Well I'm waiting for my hubby to get home from darts. It is going to be a late night for him. I'll post more tomorrow. Until then..... Take care.

Jan

Wednesday, 1/04/06

Whew! What a day. Things ran smoothly at work today but I was so tired when I got home. I miss my afternoon naps.... LOL Funny how we get into certain habits. Especially the older we get.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to post on here every day.... my life seems pretty boring. Not much excitement to report. I sent this site to my ex daughter-inlaw, Mary. She didn't leave any responses though. She has a blog on her Yahoo 360, on Messenger. I have that too but haven't put a blog on there. Yes, I said Ex, but she's still family. Her "Ex" is our son but he is estranged from us at present time. Not because of her & our friendship... but for other personal reasons that I really don't want to get into. She's better off without him though & she's now engaged to a wonderful man who treats her great. I love her. She's my girl & I'm so happy for her.

My sister, Mary, (Yes, another Mary) who lives with us is visiting a friend in Canada. It's pretty quiet around here without her.... LOL I miss her. We've been talking on Messenger but I missed her this evening. I fell asleep asleep in my chair after supper..... gee, I must be getting old. LOL Mary is my baby sister & she never lets me forget that... LOL

Well, this is enough for tonight. Write at ya tomorrow !

Jan