Canto Della Terra...

 On the evening of Thanksgiving while my family and I were blissfully enjoying our food babies, our dear friends house was burning to the ground.

 A gas leak caused the entire structure to be fully engulfed and marked as a total loss.  Every fire department in the area as well as the Air Force showed up to battle the raging fire.  Don and Tami were enjoying the holiday in the Keys when the call came in that their home was gone.  Their sleepless night was spent with many family calls, updates, and many more tears.  A rough inventory brought even more tears as special heirlooms and travel items, photos and art-all irreplaceable-were remembered.  Such a loss is mourned akin to a death and I know Don and Tami will be grieving for some time. The vacation was cut short so they could handle insurance, salvage and whatever else needs to be done.  By the grace of God, nobody was home and we spared an even greater tragedy.

Please keep our friends in your prayers as they move through this terrible process.   I can't even imagine the incredible loss of self involved in losing the entire contents of a home.

So tonight, in addition to family, friends and health, I am thankful for the comfort and familiarity of our home.  It's another thing I will never take for granted.  

Have a wonderful week as we move into December.  And remember to thank your luck stars for all the good in your life.  XOXO  Prayers and big hugs to Don and Tami as they rebuild their lives.  XOXO

One Tribe…

 

Happy Tuesday!  Friends that are family and family that are friends-what’s better than that?  Celebrating our closeness and my ‘fashion-niecetas’ work success.  Trish has worked her little butt off and has been consistently promoted.  Congrats, Babe-we are very proud of you!

As a hunting season widow, I am totally discombobulated.  Time and schedule are shape shifting without the schedule of ‘Randy.’  Gal pal extraordinaire, Shanny, came over for the weekend and we whiled the time away just Yenta-ing it up!  I’m so grateful for her caring friendship and support. 

Randy shot an amazing buck tonight.  Hunting and killing are not part of my instincts but totally speaks to his.  He does it passionately and respectively with an old skool bow.  Congrats to him!

Niece Nicole is still hospitalized with COVID.  Thank God she is improving and we can all breathe a little easier.  Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Tomorrow is my Mom’s birthday!  I feel very fortunate to have her here and will celebrate when we get together on Thursday for our annual ‘Ducksgiving’ celebration.  Happy Birthday, Mom!

And on Thursday we will cook, eat and enjoy one of my favorite days all year.  I can’t wait to see my family and enjoy our time laughing and feasting.  

Lots of things to be grateful for, but the health, happiness, and love of my family and friends tops my list.  Hugs to you all.  XO

XOXO…

 The jspot will be found tonight laying low and resting thru a Mucinex haze.  See you next week when I feel better and my head will be clearer.  Stay healthy my dears and have a great week.  XO

Double Dutch Bus...

 My brother in law, Mark-who just happens to be a real estate professional extraordinaire, recently had dinner and a sleep over with us.  As we plowed through our Chinese delicacies, Mark commented that he had to leave early in the morning because he had to meet some clients for an early house showing.  So with full bellies, we all fell asleep in front of the tube. zzzzzzzzzz....zz.....zzz...zzz

The next morning as Mark was leaving he cracked open one of the three fortune cookies that were left on the counter.   You guessed it.  Pictured above, was his fortune.  

Isn't that crazy?  I love when these little touches of kismet 'kiss' our lives.  XOXO

(P.S. I was sure that my cookie paper would read, 'Get your big bootie to the gym, Chubs!'  But no, it was just the generic vague message.)

P.P.S.S.-I may have some real estate news of my own soon-stay tuned! 

I Want it All...

 Happy Halloween! (I know-I'm a day late)

I love Halloween and always have.  Growing up up north, Halloween was like a religion and I did it all!  Pumpkins, yard decorations, bar parties, haunted houses, passing out candy, antagonizing over the perfect costume-the whole shebang.  I even met my hubs at a bar party, while dressed as Cat Woman.  But that's a whole another 'tail!'

I now live in a house that gets no little beggars, I don't decorate my yard (where do you even store those giant blow ups?) and I haven't carved a pumpkin in about a hundred years.  I hate haunted houses as well as scary movies.  And I truly do not get any adrenaline rush from being scared.  At all.

But I still love to dress up.  You wont find me being scary or ugly.  I prefer to use costuming as a chance to live or relive some fantasy.  Pictured above, a few years ago, I was Britney Spears post breakdown.  And on Saturday night without a plan in sight, I got inspired and was having a serious F.O.M.O.-that's Fear of Missing Out-if you didn't know.  I scrounged up a Sandy-from-Grease-during-the-last-scene- look.  I grabbed up my sometimes partner-in-crime and went out for a bit.  And I got my 'fix.'

And I'm all good for another year.  Happy November-bring on that bird!   XOXO

Shivers...

 Things that make me go hmmmm....

A woman in Detroit was arrested for having FIVE Caracal cats.  Yes, five full grown wild and exotic cats.  Seems they just kept getting out and scaring the bejesus out of her neighbors.  She saw absolutely nothing out of line and called them her children!  Imagine those litter boxes..

William Shatner returned to space.  Of course he did.  

An Ohio woman is accused of trying to steal a Christmas tree by hiding it in her vagina.  I gotta love her ingenuity and determination to get her fir.  Not even kidding.

In Olympia, Washington, things in a classroom went terribly awry.   An elementary teacher was arrested after a bad crystal meth trip caused her to strip naked and bite two students.  Those poor kids must have been scared spitless!  I can't make this stuff up.

And also here in Detroit, a woman was arrested for training squirrels to attack her ex-boyfriend.  The unsuspecting dude fled after losing two fingers and one testicle.  Hell certainly hath no fury as the squirrel trainer scorned.

In personal oddity, I counted 4 giant yard chickens on my drive up north.  What am I missing here?  Where do you even purchase such a thing, and why?  Probably the last thing I would consider to place in my yard.  But to each his own, I guess.

Hope you all were as amazed as I was with these tidbits.  Have an amazing, and spooky week! XO

You Enjoy Myself…

 Somethings fishy... in downtown Alpena!

Spending a few days with my Mom and Sister shopping and 'touristing' in downtown Alpena was a very eye opening experience. 

 It had been awhile and I was amazed at the fresh beauty of our city.  Entering the downtown, the park on the water has been made to a full on splash park!  The little motels seem to have had a little 'glow up' and looked fresh and quaint.  A former shopping square that had been mostly empty, was now full and bustling.  The plaza fountain bubbled with pink water and the flower pots sported the signature color of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  We checked out a number of new specialty boutiques and were warmly welcomed at each one.  Outdoor seating with colorful flower pots graced the sidewalks.  There are two new breweries and Alpena has even secured a special license where you can shop and enjoy a cocktail! How chill is that?  And the lofts downtown look so modern and I can just picture the owners running downstairs to catch a coffee or snack.  And I understand there is some more new retail and hotels coming soon.  

And can we talk about the giant murals on numerous walls around town-especially the 3 D art installation of giant fish?  It is simply stunning and I had to move in for a closer look.  Absolutely cool and arty!  

If you are ever in the area, check it all out!  And if you are in the area, stop pointing and clicking and support the merchants and eateries!  You will be amazed.  And I hope you have enjoyed my little (fish) kiss to my adorable hometown.   XXOO