This I believe...

(with apologies to NPR)

I believe that Thanksgiving is a time to 

affirm our core beliefs...

We, as Americans, have so much to be grateful for....

life...

liberty...

the pursuit of happiness....

all men created equal....

(someday, maybe, even women)

peace on our shores.....

and 

most 

importantly,

freedom

what a bold word....

such an "in your face assertion"...

WE

HAVE 

FREEDOM!

We are free to....

bitch

complain

cheer for our team

be lazy

cry

laugh

sob

groan

mock

protest

support

choose indifference

create

explore

think independently

show loyalty, or not

work

play

grow, or not

love, or not

wallow in misery,

offend

mend

bend

end

Yes,

we are a funny lot...

filled with angst

courage

fear

patriotism

We boldly go where no man has gone before....

We root root root for the underdog...

We hate injustice

We balk at orders

We resist categorization

We are similar

We are diverse

We love

We hate

We understand each other

We shun each other

We support others who seek freedom

We are Americans

We are so very fortunate to have this land 

at this time

Great potential have we...

if only we will look beyond our differences.

Please

today 

while you feast

look beyond your differences

seek common ground

be grateful

to 

be 

Americans

smiles...

P.W.D.R.T.I........

People Who Don't Respond To Invitations!

well,

to 

be 

honest....

Don't respond promptly.....

It 

drives

me 

crazy....

I don't even require a definitive answer...

simply an acknowledgement of the invitation would be 

sufficient.

Here's what the deal boils down to..

I love to entertain around the holidays.

My sweetie also likes to have people to our home.

We like the planning even....

So, 

once Halloween is over,

I usually pull up the calendar on my Mac

and start to scheme...

I love to have as many as can come...

especially at Thanksgiving.

We have children with parents other than ourselves,

so we are aware that the kids may not be with us on that day.

We also have extended family near by. 

We have friends with no family near by.

We like to extend our invitation to others, who have 

no place to go for dinner that day.

We can make it work.

I send the invitations 

early, so that consultations and plans can be adjusted,

if need be. I even gave a "drop dead" response date in the form

of "Please respond by;"

So.....

why don't people,

at the very least,

respond with something like

"I received the invitation, and we are still making our plans. We will let you know asap!"

nada

nothing

zip

Not one acknowledgement...

except my parents,

who are delighted to be a part of...

and confirmed that the invitation went out.

Is this what you experience?

Do you entertain?

Does your family respond?

What about birthday parties?

Do you host them?

Do people respond to your invitations?

Last May,

I hosted a bridal shower 

sent honest to goodness printed 

invitations of heavy card stock 

(which I love)

and slightly half of the invitees responded.

People attended that never acknowledged my invitation.

What's that all about?

If you have a tried and true method of 

inviting...

please share....

I am starting to feel a bit desperate...

smiles

I love Pinterest!!!

I find all sorts of wonderful inspirations there.....

Source: isleofview-facesoflove.tumblr.com via Susannah on Pinterest

More Londontowne....

If you ever are given the opportunity to 

escape your "work-a-day life"

and travel

Here is a tip...

try London first.

Not just because 

I've been there.

But, 

because

it 

is 

easy

for 

Americans.

And 

we do love

easy don't we?

This is 

Windsor Castle...

Home of the Queen

She wasn't "in"

as you can tell be the 

flag they were flying that day.

"Her flag"

only flies when she is in...

Yes,

tourists look the same 

all over the world...

Personally,

I like the little 

"crown" detail on top of 

her  coach-lights....

Maybe I will fashion a couple of those for my 

front lights out of papiermache'....

Not allowed through the front gate,

we had to go around the side to the 

"Pions Entrance"

(that's ok, I wouldn't have it any other way)

Below is a

slot (technical term)

through which they would 

shoot arrows, or weapons of any sort.

The small cross section is so that you can 

pivot your bow and arrow to the sides.

Not all enemies would be kind enough to stand 

straight in front of the slot apparently....

Now,

this surprised me...

a tropical oasis on the south flank 

of her castle...

Truly lovely...

Security was everywhere,

but not in an imposing way....

I felt quite safe.

The view is incredible..

the castle is on a small rise,

surrounded by flatlands.

Quite defendable I would imagine.

Below is an alien....

(that's what I call it anyway)

No!

I didn't get any closer,

I watch the Doctor

(Dr. Who)

and am aware of what aliens might do if bothered.

Below, a relative of the queen I would presume...

We were not allowed in this area either,

as you can see

it is being guarded...

As with any old house, 

one must constantly do repairs...

See the scaffolding on the right of this photo...

even the Queen has repairs...

And who doesn't want to have their picture taken with the

guards....these two shy middle-schoolers, my guess..

They don't allow photos to be taken inside the castle,

so back on the bus....

and a lovely bus it is...

Next time,
"Bath"
where we will smell sulfur,
eat fudge
and be grateful for indoor plumbing...
smiles...

Awards gladly accepted.....

I love surprises...

and so today as I checked in to see what was 

happenin' in bloggin' land...

I was pleasantly surprised to see that 

MICHELLE My Belle

at the 

"Ramblings of a Peacock"

had left me a 

unexpected treat....

I have done 

not a single thing to 

be worthy...

But I like it anyway....

I am to pass it along to 15 

"newly discovered"

blogs....

Whoa!

that meant I needed to put on my 

reading glasses and 

hike around blogland for some 

undiscovered treasures...

So, off I've gone...

and come back with the 

goods...

1. WindLost

2. Wanna Buy A Duck?

3. Yeah, But Houdini didn't have these hips.

4. The World According to Isa

5. The Second Half of My Life

6. The Pink Peony of Le Jardin

7. The Paris Market

8. The Fifty Factor

9. Stuff No One Told Me (but I learned anyway)

10. Seens from the backs of my eyelids

11. Recycled Interiors

12. Older and Wisor

13. Inventing Weddings

14. Dwellers Without Decorators

15. Bless Their Hearts Mom

Admittedly,

there are some of my faves that I have been following 

for quite awhile....not really newly discovered, but 

honestly, as I went through the list I just couldn't 

pass them by....love them all...

hope I'm forgiven...

Go by and check them out!

All are worth the effort and you might just be surprised too!

smiles

Lonny love...

I admit...

I am a nut for online magazines....

Not that I can give up my 

hard copies...

sorry, no way Jose!

However 

I love 

the

way

Online versions 

can 

amaze me....

Check out 

Lonny's online magazine!

HERE

and 

scroll thru

to page

41!

The Waverly ad on that page

surprises and delights...

(maybe I am easily amused)

I think you will enjoy it 

even it you are not a mag-addict like me...

Happy Weekend!

smiles

Where did the time go....?

As I sat out on my back deck today,

in the sunshine,

wearing a sleeveless shirt,

face turning pink,

legs hopelessly pale...

I thought

"Where the heck did the summer go?"

I mean,

really!

Seems like just yesterday I was putting a load 

of sweaters away in the cedar chest....

And,

Holy Cow,

Halloween is over,

and Day light savings time

(does it really save anything?)

will be gone this weekend, right?

Well,

get ready...

here comes

the rain...

and the fog

and the snow...

But 

for 

today....

I have a 

pink face,

and a warm body...

smiles