pics [4] and [5]

This is the church in my hometown. My father used to tell us stories about the jobs he had there as a kid. One job was to sit up on the alter during the service and crank a huge handle in order for the organ to play. He was very happy when he got his older brother's job and got to be in the basement (out of the limelight) and shovel coal for the fire that heated the church!

Interesting fact: this church is on the cover of a Blue Oyster Cult album. NO JOKE. I would have been facing into the sun if I tried to take the pic at the same angle as the one on the cover, but can you tell it's the same?...... (for some reason I think Bumbling Bav will especially get a kick out of this piece of trivia!) Oh, I also know not everyone has heard of BOC ... and I'm dating myself. LOL












And what's a pic of the church without the town's cemetery? lol
With every visit home, I stop at the following graves: my grandparents (father's side), my best (growing up) friend's father, and another friend's father, oldest brother and youngest brother.
It bothers me that the cemetery road goes right over those graves (the names/dates on those stones are facing the road)! They are dated in the early 1800's and there obviously wasn't a road there originally.

pics [2] and [3]

This farmhouse (left) was not where I grew up, but it was where a friend of mine did. That house was spooky and intriguing all rolled up into one. I remember the creaky stairways and doors most of all. As I drove past the house, there was a herd of deer in the field.

An elderly woman willed her estate (pic on right) to the town when she passed. The town offices are housed here and softball fields are in the back(note to BnT: the SS Library Fair is now held here and is called "The Country Fair"!). I remember my brother, as a boy scout, camping on her property across the street, and it is all preserved.

pic [1]

If you follow BnT's blog, you may recall a post not too long ago about walking to the end of my street and buying fried chicken at the corner store. The establishment is long gone, and the building now houses a nursery, but this picture is of the tree we sat under while eating the famous chicken.

I took this while driving (kids, don't try this at home) .... Sorry about the glare from the windshield!

Home again

The plane was practically empty coming home tonight. Can't blame people for not travelling on a Saturday night..... why wouldn't you want to already be at your destination?

I am exhausted. I have a lot to catch up on tomorrow, after being away for four days.

The picture below is to give you a brief glimpse of my trip... taken shortly after leaving Laguardia airport ....



Pics taken around my hometown to come. Stay tuned....

Happy Friday

Well, I took some pics today that I was going to post, but for some reason I do not have the picture feature on blogger from this (my mother's) computer.

So, you are going to have to be patient. I will post them when I get back to Atlanta. I'm sure you are all extremely curious :o)

The battery went dead on my camera phone, but if I get it charged and take another drive before I leave tomorrow, I will take some more pictures.

No snow, though, so no pics of that.

New countertops are in!

(Next is tiling a backsplash)

I am waiting to hear about funeral arrangements. I'm torn whether I should go home or not. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what it entails.

MOVIES

I caught the tail end of a movie the other day. I've seen it before, and I remembered how I liked it. At the end of this movie, Mel Gibson's character narrates a letter to a boy he tutored. Then the scene changes to the boy at his graduation ceremony where he sees Mel Gibson's character walking away after watching him graduate. The movie was "A Man Without a Face."

Following that movie happened to be "Mr. Holland's Opus" with Richard Dreyfuss, another movie that I like. I love when I have no particular plans and a movie just happens to pop up that I can sit and enjoy, even though I've seen it countless times before.

Other good movies along the same lines: "Finding Forrester" with Sean Connery and "Stand and Deliver" with Edward James Olmos (the latter based on a true story).

I am exhausted. Not physically. Mentally. Sometimes that job is just, well, exhausting. I am SO glad it's the weekend!!!!

My uncle is not well. It does not look good. Typically, one hopes for the best, but in some instances it is better if life ends. I feel bad for my father. This will be the third sibling he has to say goodbye to.

My hands look really old all of a sudden. Or is it that I'm just noticing for the first time and they've been like that for who knows how long?

A new address???

My husband came back from his most recent business trip with shocking news. He was in Chicago, where his company is headquartered. He got his annual review, which was good -- no surprise there. Then he had a heart-to-heart with one of the heads of the company. My husband is by no means a stupid man when it comes to business, and he can tell some major changes are coming. The decisions they are making clearly show the telltale sign that a few people are going to get the axe. So, he laid his cards on the table and asked point blank what they are doing with the division he works in. The guy was pretty candid and fessed up that my husband's hunch is correct .... my husband will most likely be out of a job (they plan to shut down that division). It's not definite and this boss couldn't say for sure when it would happen even if it does. My husband told him he appreciated his honesty. He'd rather know and have some irons in the fire than be left stranded without a job. (Hubby has already interviewed with a couple companies and has other prospects lined up .... he is good at what he does, and has a lot of contacts in this industry .... so I'm not the least bit worried about his being out of a job.)

The surprise came when the guy at his company told him they are looking at him for a new position within this company. That would be great, since hubby likes the company and would prefer to stay instead of switching to another company. The catch? It's a big one. We would have to move to Chicago.

Is this my life now?? Moving EVERY TWO YEARS???

It's all preliminary. It may not even come to fruition. Even if it does, would we want to go there? I don't know how either one of us feel about that. It's one of those "don't think about it until there is a reason to think about it" scenarios.

I know it was a quick and easy decision to say "no" to moving back to Connecticut. Not quite sure how I feel about a possible move to Chicago. But, after opening the door tonight to let my dog out and getting hit with BITTERLY COLD WIND, what's the difference if I'm here or in Chicago? (Besides the snow and ice LOL)

Too early to tell. And, anyway, hubby may get an offer from one of the interviews he recently went on, which would mean we'd stay right where we are.

Guess the saga continues....

five weird habits

Okay, here goes.....

1. I turn the radio down before I turn off my car.
2. I flip the visor up and "clip" it before I get out of the car.
3. I wipe the top of my soda can before opening it.
4. I close closet doors and dresser drawers that my husband leaves ajar.
5. I sometimes sleep on my husband's side of the bed when he's traveling ..... I know, I know .... "aawwwww"

It's hard to trace your steps and figure out what is habit!! A couple thoughts: Was this penance for not including a pic in my Christmas card?? Am I the only one that followed through??

and, now, the five people I tag to list five of their weird habits are:
1. Farmer Chris
2. Babynteens
3. Erin
4. Spider Girl
5. Khizzy

To anyone surfing in and wanting to participate: Feel free to share your weird habits in the comment section, too!

Tagged

Oh boy, I've been tagged. Thanks, Andrea! Let me think about this and get back to ya......

.... I'm not saying I don't have any weird habits..... it's just that I have to narrow them down.......... so stay tuned!!

P.S. I won't take too long, or a little birdie will come up with a few for me!

I have another cold. Not as bad as the last one, but still, enough to drag me down. I haven't been sick in years, and then twice in a couple of months?! All we are doing is breathing in each other's germs at work. Just great.

WOW

I think a record was set .... the most comments on one of my posts yet!!!

Now I know ... just post an obscure picture and the curiosity ensues!

Goodbye Christmas tree..... till next year!