my support group, uhm I meant "MY WRITERS GROUP"

"Hello.  I'm Debra.  I'm a short story writer."
     "Hello, Debra."
"I started writing words.  Then it graduated to paragraphs and then correspondence, ya know, letters.  Eventually it was group story style and then, well, then that wasn't doing it for me anymore...so I started to write short stories.  It's been affecting my relationships, cuz I snap at loved ones who interrupt me when I'm in the zone.  So, yeah, that's why I'm here."

When writers groups go support group style.

Asian Persimmon

My first ever Asian Persimmon, lovely and local

Knittreat

My husband is so very sweet ta me.  This summer, I taught myself to knit {being a long time crocheter, I heard a fair share of "you're doing it wrong" from traditional knitters who throw their yarn, whereas I'm a picker}.  My husband decided that he would treat me to a knitting retreat, a knittreat if you will.  So he picked this one, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Knitters and Crocheters, held at the Bedford Springs Hotel, Resort, and Spa.  We decided to combine it with a bit of a trip to my old stomping grounds and also a visit to my childhood friend who came down for our wedding two years ago.

Since this was a combination anniversary, birthday, and christmas present, my husband really went all out.  The trip was wonderful, some of it has been documented here in this blog.  The Bedford Springs Hotel was definitely a resort.  As you can see from the top picture, it is HAH~yuge!  And posh.

We were met by valets and bellhops.  We had turn down service, where they come in and fill your ice bucket and plump your pillows and make sure you have all the towels you could want.  They practically hold heated robes for you to don straight out of the shower, well, okey, they don't go that far.  We had a morning service, where they brought fresh coffee and tea, with honey, cream, and lemon, as well as the morning paper.

The food was phenomenal.  I almost expected them to pull out my chair, spread out my napkin on my lap, and tuck one under my chin.  They didn't, but I think if I'd've asked, they would've.  Very accommodating.

Very posh.  I felt like the Mississippi rube I am.

Oh, and the knittreat was cool, too.  But I was almost impressed more so with the hotel.  Obviously.

My husband, that man, he sure is sweet ta me.  sigh.

My husband, holding a can of diet Moxie, from the Catawissa Bottling Works, which is behind the house I spent my teen years in.

A childhood friend and me, outside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

This is a covered bridge outside of my hometown, Catawissa, Pennsylvania.   I used to walk thru this bridge quite frequently.  It spans across Catawissa Creek.  When my husband and I visited Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, we drove around, and I showed him where I grew up.  I also showed him where my father grew up, where my mother grew up, where they met, where they wed, where my mom's parents are buried, and where I went to college.  It was definitely a trip down memory lane for me, as I haven't visited PA for ten years, having moved away over fifteen years ago.

racketeering

A few months back, my husband and I bought this wine rack; but didn't hang it cuz we were gonna wait til the luan was moved.  Then we decided last week that the luan wasn't really in the way and we could go ahead and put the rack in place.  Besides, we had some wine from our trip north that we wanted to put somewhere, in the proper position {which is so that the cork stays wet, upright won't do}.  The wine in the center, in the blue bottle is Shade Mountain Vineyard's Anniversary White, a sweet table wine from Pennsylvania; which we intend to save til next year.

The lil glasses hanging there are from the only winery in Mississippi, Natchez's own Old South Winery.  We had gotten them while we were on our honeymoon.  Cuz these particular bottles are long and slender, the middle two glass slots are not being used as intended~~but that's ok, cuz I figured the cork~screws were in keeping with the wine theme.

She wore a looooooooooooooooooong HAT

Okey dokey, below is a shot of all three hats {the reversible, the long, and the multi~brim} all nested on inside the other~~the Russian Dolls of Middies' Hats.

Below and to the left is the multi~rimmed hat, which oddly enough resembles the headgear Whoopi Goldberg's character wore in that Sci~Fi show {uhm  StarTrekk:  The Next Generation}.

I did not think that an adolescent boy would wear it, but ya never know.  Sometimes kids don't need to conform in order to be cool.  Or in this case, warm.

reversible hat

My childhood friend's sons' school colors are silver and blue, altho they look blue and white in the sport pix I found online.

So I made her two younger sons hats while I was visiting.  But I ran outta time while making the third hat.  So I decided to make a few when I got back home.






  This is one of the hats.  It is reversible.  One side is mostly grey.  Turn it so the grey side is in and the outside is grey, blue/grey, and blue.

I also made two other hats to send too.  One is very long and one is kinda creative.  I may post pix of those in another entry.

She did what?

Unrelated to the welcome leaf that my husband hung next to the front door, as seen to the left, is how Jerry and I can crack each other up.

So yesterday was my birthday {41, is that even possible?  I'm sure that my folks were just that old not so very long ago...} and it was also the last meeting of Cafe Scientifique for the semester.  They usually meet on Tuesdays, which means that last year, they met on my birthday.  This year, this month's meeting was moved to a Wednesday, which meant that it was also on my birthday.  Perhaps next year, they will move the meeting to Friday, so that it is on my birthday {I think next year is a leap year, so we're skipping my birthday being on Thursday this time around}.  Is it possible for me to say "my birthday" once again?

My birthday.

Yes, it is possible.

So yesterday, my husband and I met at Harvey's for dinner before the meeting and then stayed for the presentation.  I learned something about Mississippi and our water that I didn't know; the water in Mississippi is owned by the citizens of Mississippi and not by the individuals who own the land that water is found on.  Wow.

But that's not what cracked my husband and I up.  No.  It was this:  I said to him, "earlier today, I surprised myself..." and then he laughed.  I reviewed what I said and what I did and waited for him to tell me what he found funny, with a preparatory half~smile starting on my own face.  He snickered and then said, "I'm sorry, but I pictured you leaping out in front of a mirror, arms spread, yelling "surprise" at yourself."

I snickered too, cuz not only could I picture the scene, but also cuz if you saw yesterday's post, you'll see that I did take a pic of myself in front of a mirror.  I got so tickled by the image of me surprising myself by leaping around and yelling "surprise" that I forgot what I had started to relate about surprising myself.

It still hasn't come back to me.  I must not have been all that surprised after all.

Oh!  And one more time..."my birthday".

Proud November Baby Since 1970