The thrill of victory!

We did it!

The Howard Hanna Real Estate Brunswick office was the 1st Place Trophy winner at the 3rd Annual Medina County Board of Realtors Chili Cook-Off.

The two year winner, Prudential Kovack Real Estate Co. was unseated by an "unknown"!

Our manager Tina Grant was asked to have our office participate and I volunteered to be the cook. With the financial support of the members of our office, the "Sweet and Hot" Chili was the winner

hands down!

Yeah Brunswick! Placing second was the Prudential Office, and placing third was the Howard Hanna office from Medina.

As I passed the Prudential manager when I picked up the trophy and posed for the picture, there was a definite "chill" in the air!

When is the last time you saw a collie?

I was reading the newspaper and my eye was drawn to some photos of dogs that were up for adoption. Three dogs, one for each of three separate agencies, i.e. SPCA, Save Ohio Strays, and the County Dog Pound.

Each of the dogs was described as being "long haired collie mixes".

I have to tell you folks, I can't remember when I last saw a collie in someone's yard, or on the sidewalk being walked.

Apparently the nare-do-well collies must be hiding out in the woods in our communities just waiting to procreate!

Come on folks, lets place the blame where it belongs....those darn Golden Retrievers.

They are everywhere!

The simple things.

Saturday night Daniel had a sleepover at our house.

As usual, Daniel and I watch a couple of movie DVD's

and Papa makes us popcorn. I sit on the sofa and eat popcorn one kernel for me and one kernel for Toby.

When I am finished, Toby moves over to Daniel's side of

the room and Daniel says "Just this one Toby" and throws a

kernel on the floor. In a few seconds he repeats "Just this one Toby" and throws another on the floor.

This routine continues until the popcorn is gone and Daniel and I have finished our glasses of juice. Usually we watch the second movie sans the popcorn.

The feature attactions Saturday night were:

"The Pebble and the Penquin" a Disney feature which was quite nice and the double feature movie was "The Treasure Planet" again by Disney. Wow, was it a great feature. Futuristic and fun with lots of story and intrigue. I could

watch that one again.

Looking back, I could have watched anything as long as Daniel and I get our movie time together.

Ain't life grand?

It just seems like a "Maxine" kind of day!

"Good friends are like fat thighs...they always keep in touch"!

May I have your name please?

An older gentleman had an appointment to see the urologist who shared offices with several other doctors. The waiting room was filled with patients. As he approached the receptionist's desk, he noticed that the receptionist was a large unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler.

He gave her his name.

In a very loud voice, the receptionist said, "YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME HERE; YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?"

All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to look at the very embarrassed man. He recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied, 'NO, I'VE COME TO INQUIRE ABOUT A SEX CHANGE OPERATION, BUT I DON'T WANT THE SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS.'
The room erupted in applause!
DON'T MESS WITH OLD FOLKS.

Thanks to my retired friend in Florida, Joanne Thueneman!

"Hello, is this the Tooth Fairy?"

The highlight of my otherwise stressful week (Uncle Don Passing
away on Sunday, Nathan being hospitalized with a Blood Clot in his leg,
Tim having his second Bladder Treatment in the three set series) came
on Tuesday morning.

I was in the bathroom, brushing teeth, blow drying hair, applying makeup etc. when my cell phone rang. I looked at the screen and
it displayed "Sarah". I answered just a plain "hello" instead of "Hello, this is Judy". Sarah's voice spoke
"Is this the Tooth Fairy"?
I paused trying to assimilate what she had said. "Pardon Me" I said.
Again she repeated
/"Is this the Tooth Fairy"?
So in a high falsetto
voice I replied "Yes it is".

Apparently her phone was then put on "speaker" and I heard the following
statement. "There is a little boy here that would like to speak with the
Tooth Fairy".
"Okay" said the Tooth Fairy in her high squeeky voice.
(apparently while Daniel was eating his breakfast, his mother was talking
on the phone. He asked "Is that the Tooth Fairy" "No, it's your Daddy".
After hanging up with Kevin, Sarah asked Daniel if he wanted to talk to
the Tooth Fairy because she knew the Tooth Fairy's phone number.
Hence the call!

Daniel got on the phone and said hello to the Tooth Fairy. He then went
on to tell her that he was going to lose a tooth but he wanted her to know
that he did not want any money for the tooth when the Fairy came to pick
it up to give to another child who needed a tooth. He wanted a Whistle instead!
His instructions were very specific:

"I will sleep with my mouth open so you can see I really lost a tooth"
"I will put the tooth in a box and put it under my pillow"
"I will leave you a note to remind you I want a whistle instead of money"

The Tooth Fairy replied "I will bring you a whistle if I find that you don't have
any toilet accidents like peeing your pants in preschool because you are too busy
to take time to go to the bathroom" "Okay?"

Well, you can fill in the rest of the happenings of day from there!

I later found out that his eyes popped open really wide at the "toilet habits comment".

Apparently his mother explained that the Tooth Fairy knew the Diaper Fairy, so that explained
that statement!

Ah, these are indeed sweet times!

Trivia for a Sunday morning!

Subject: Questions and answers from AARP Forum

Q: Where can men over the age of 60 find younger, sexy women who are interested in them?

A: Try a bookstore, under fiction.

Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?

A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you're done you'll have a place to live.

Q: Someone has told me that menopause is mentioned in the bible. Is that true? Where can it be found?

A: Yes. Matthew 14:92: "And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way toEgypt ..

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 60-plus year old husband?

A: Tell him you're pregnant.

Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles?

A: Take off your glasses.

Q: Seriously! What can I do for these Crow's feet and all those wrinkles on my face?

A: Go braless. It will usually pull them out.

Q: Why should 60-plus year old people use valet parking?

A: Valets don't forget where they park your car.

Q: Is it common for 60-plus year olds to have problems with short term memory storage?A: Storing memory is not a problem, retrieving it is the problem.

Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?

A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.

Q: Where should 60-plus year olds look for eye glasses?

A: On their foreheads.

Q: What is the most common remark made by 60-plus year olds when they enter antique stores?

A: "Gosh, I remember these!

Thank you Carol Holmes for these!

"Smile, you've still got your sense of humor, right?

Babaganoush...not your Mother's French Onion Dip!

Last evening I attended a meeting in Ravenna of the North East Ohi o Arabian Horse Association. Usually there are a few light snacks or desserts available for munching while we have our meeting. Last night was a real treat for me! One of our members is Arabaic and he made "Fresh" Babaganoush and brought Aladdin Brand Pita Bread (also very, very fresh)!
Wow! Was I in heaven or what?

I love this Middle Eastern Dip as well as Hummus (which he made for us a few months ago).
I want to share the recipe with you. Easy to make and delicicious! Serve it with sections of fresh Pita Bread! Yum! (or crackers, assorted small bread pieces or even plain old saltine crackers!)

Ingredients
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons tahini (found in the grocery store)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, about 20 minutes.
Alternatively, grill the eggplant over a gas grill, rotating it around until the skin is completely charred, about 10 minutes.
Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid, and scoop the pulp into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl.
On a cutting board, work garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the parsley, tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste. Garnish with additional parsley.

It really works!

Yup! I am the owner of a classic case of the winter blahs! I cheer myself up, give myself a pep talk, and then find 40 reasons to stay bundled up in the house on a snowy, cold and yucky day!

But, there is hope. My friend Cindy Hossfeld whispered in my ear just after Christmas. We were talking about our "get up and go" going!

She told me to start taking 1000 whatever measurements of Vitamin D3. The "Sunshine Vitamin" it was called when I was growing up. Maybe it still is called that. She extoled it's virtues and told me that after just a short time I would feel better about being indoors, away from the "Sun".

Well she was right. I started taking the vitamin D3 supplement right after Christmas and voila...I feel much better. I have taken it for two weeks now, and I find myself moving all day, and last night I even stayed up to watch the news, went to bed and read for 1/2 an hour and got up at 6:30 this morning and am raring to go.

No joke! Try it, you may like it!

You know who you are!

...Okay, whoever is praying for snow

YOU CAN QUIT NOW!

Sometimes you just have to laugh

You Gotta Love It ...

North Carolina
NEWS FLASH! - North Carolina 's worst air disaster has occurred! A small two-seater Cessna 150 plane, piloted by two University of North Carolina students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today. Search and Rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so far, and expect the number to climb, as digging continues into the evening.
The pilot and copilot survived, and are helping in the recovery efforts.

Alabama
A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting, and paired off in twos for the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck. "Where's Henry?" the others asked.
"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied.
"You left Henry lying out there, and carried the deer back?" they inquired.
"A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"

Georgia
The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about paying an invoice, so he asked his secretary for some mathematical help. He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from the University, and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?"
The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everything but my earrings."

Middle Tennessee
A Middle Tennessee senior was overheard saying ... "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be inMiddle Tennessee." When asked why, he replied, "Because everything happens in Middle Tennessee 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world."

Mississippi
The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?"
The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."

South Carolina
A man in South Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.
The man replied, "I have a flat tire."
The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"
The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back.. I never did understand it neither."

Tennessee
A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65.. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

Texas
The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch.

The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head."

"Yep", he replied. "That's why I'm dumpin it here, cause it says:
'Fine For Dumping Garbage'."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can say what you want about the South,
But you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.
Hmmmmm

The Popcorn Bowl

Saturday night was fun because Daniel did a "sleepover" at our house. As is usual on a weekend sleepover, Daniel and I watch movies (last night it was Ratatoullie and UnderDog) and Papa Tim makes popcorn.

The popcorn is always served in one of three white enamel bowls with blue trim around the top. These bowls are special because they are the same bols that Tim ate gallons of popcorn out of when he was a little boy.

The popcorn popper (a Priscilla) is a stove-top rotary popper with so much patina on it that it looks like it is made out of cast iron. This too was the same popper that was used to make Tim's popcorn by his Father when Tim was a child.

A wonderful memory!

Restaurant Review

My friend Jo Ann Wingfield, of Wooster, Ohio does a Restaurant Review in her column, when she

and her husband Michael try a new spot. (sometimes it is "Buyer Beware").

Eating out in Valley City yesterday at the Von Duyke's Bird Eatery was a lovely female Cardinal and her friend. Ladies taking in the sights and snacking on a choice assortment of seeds and nuts! A "Miss Molly's Tea Room" for my feathered friends.

Glad the schools are closed today. Snow days are cool for kids but for working parents they are a pain.

Snow crews should be out soon, but not on our country roads. The snow falling last night around 11:00 made the air around me and Toby so quiet and peaceful as we walked in the new snow.

I may have to postpone my journey to Columbus tomorrow and just stay home and walk out back with the dog. Tim and I have snowshoes and they haven't been out of the garage yet this winter.

(Photo on the right above was taken last year about this time.Tim, Toby and Daniel)

So...I guess the weather in our neck of the woods hasn't changed much in a year.

Maybe we will dust those snowshoes off tomorrow!

No explanation needed!

Thanks Elsie!

Keep onTruckin'?

What is happening to the industry in this country? Last week we heard that "Arrow Trucking" Company closed it's doors. The manner in which they did this was so very sad. The company pulled the fuel cards (the method in which drivers that worked for them purchased fuel) on 1600 trucks! This left 1600 drivers stranded wherever they happened to be. With freight, or without freight, these trucks with drivers could only go as far as the fuel already in their truck tanks would allow them to go. Right before Christmas! Leaving drivers stranded.

It would appear that TMC Trucking will be the next to fall. Schneider already left Seville, Ohio with the exception of using their lot on Rt. 3 for storage.

Freight rates are dropping and loads are scarce.
Tuesday, Tim drove back from the area around Yonkers, New York empty..no return load.
He was paid $77 as a fuel allowance. At the rate of consumption our Kenworth uses, Tim is lucky to get good fuel mileage. He gets 7 miles per gallon. Figure the mileage from Valley City, to Canton to pick up the load, then drive to Yonkers then turn around and come back.

Today he goes to Cleveland and then to somewhere in Pa. It will take 3 hours to load and tarp, drive to Pa. Untarp, unload, turn around and come back empty.

Not good!

That's what friends are for!

My friend, Shirley Nowak called me this morning.She sounded
in distress, and her voice was not very audible. "I need your
help" she said. "I've fallen on my porch outside"
"I'll be right there" I said.
She called back and told me she had Kaiser Heath HMO coverage and she had just called Kaiser and made an appointment for this morning at 11:30 a.m.


I hurried and got dressed and whizzed out the door. As I got partway there, I received a phone call from Brian, an EMT. "We are taking her to the emergency room at Medina, meet us there." She had called "911" before I could get there. Good thing!

So I drove over there and arrived about 10:00 a.m. I sat with her until 2:15 when I was allowed to take her home. Some bruises and a torn off fingernail (they sutured it back, hopefully the acrylic nail covering the actual fingernail will hold it in place, and the nail will seed itself and grow a new nail out. They were concerned that she had been coughing
since Friday and was not any better. Exrays showed nothing substantial like breaks or fractures
however, they wanted to put her on antibiotics for the respiratory problem.

I went back to her house and got her coat, hat and more substantial footwear and brought
it back to the hospital for her to wear home. Then I drove to Kaiser in Strongsville to get her prescription filled, and then got her something to eat.

All in all, a pretty productive day for me. A sigh of relief when we found nothing serious.
Her son in Kentucky called her and insisted that he could come up and stay with her, and even drive her to Ky. so they could take care of her. "No thanks" she said. "I am fine here, I have Judy"!

When I was leaving her house she said "Thank you and maybe I
can do the same for you sometime".
"No thanks, I said, I'm not interested in falling and calling for help".

I think I will pass on that one!

(photo above is of Shirley receiving an award from the Arabian Horse Association at the National Championship Show in Albuqurque a couple of years ago as she was inducted into the
"Arabian Judges Hall of Fame")

Run don't walk!

Sarah took Daniel and me to the movies yesterday. Now

you must understand, I am not a "movie theater movie goer" so it is not an everyday thing.

Although I do love the movies, and always have I don't normally go because Tim is gone so much of the time and I don't like going alone. I have taken Daniel to see some children's movies but to date, my theater time is very limited.

In a couple of words "I loved it!" It was one of the most wonderful movies I have ever seen. I smiled, and smiled and smiled. I tapped my foot to the tunes and smiled some more. Daniel was frightened at one scene, but other than that, he fully enjoyed it too.

A must see, for kids of any age, especially if you love New Orleans, Jazz, humor, and a great story!

To my movie buff friends...don't let the title keep you away from this one!

Sometimes change is not good!

This would be just my luck!

A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.

While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked "Is my time up?" God said, "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live." Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair colour and brighten her teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I thought you said I had another 43 years? Why didn't you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance?"

God replied: "I didn't bloody recognize you."

The newest Christmas tradition

On Christmas morning we went to Traci and Nathan's for Christmas Brunch.
Traci's family including her Uncle Jack all gather for a family gift exchange and lots of food and beverages.

Spiral sliced ham and all the trimmings are a delightful way to start the day. Traci has special white and silver trimmed Christmas dishes that are used to try and pile all the plenty on!

A beautiful and bounty filled spread intermingled with lots of Christmas greetings, smiles and hugs.

Thank you Traci for all of the effort and for including us in your special morning.

What's great also...we don't have to get up before dawn!

Photo at right of Traci and her Mom, Elsie Purdum, replete with reindeer antlers.

Out of my mind...back in five minutes!

· I don’t suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

· Some people are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them.

· I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

· Don’t take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

· You’re just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

· Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

· Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

· I’m not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.

· Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

· NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.

· God must love stupid people; He made so many.

· The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

· Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

· Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

· Being ‘over the hill’ is much better than being under it!

· Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up.

· Procrastinate Now!

· I have a degree in Liberal Arts; Do you want fries with that?

· A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

· A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

· Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!

· They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.

· He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.

· A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

· Ham and eggs....A day’s work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

· The trouble with life is there’s no background music.

· The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

· I smile because I don’t know what the hell is going on.

Appreciate every single thing you have. Life is too short and friends are too few!

A Wish for a Happy New Year to My Family and Friends!

In the coming New Year 2010, may you

always remember...

When life hands you Lemons,

ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!

Good friends are like stars..........

You don't always see them,

But you know they are always there.

"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another,

...even though

Sometimes it's Hell in the Hallway"!