Counting down

It snowed again last night. I went out shopping today and got the last calendars bought. Woohoo!

A friend is having a book reading of her new novel tonight at a local coffee house. S is an English lady in her 70's from my small writer's group.

I belong to another larger writer's group and the leader is also an English lady in her 70's. M has been wanting to meet S because they both lived through the WWII bombing of London as children.

I'm going to facilitate introductions for the two of them tonight. It's sure to be very interesting. They each have read excerpts of their memoirs at the individual writer's groups so I know they must have much in common.

I feel so lucky to know both of these fine writers!

Gifting your kitty, NOT!

I found this on a site called Top 10 Dumbest Pet Products. It's marketed as being a massager that "relaxes pets and strengthens bonds with them".

I can just picture the innocent kitty lying on your lap purring with contentment. You turn on the vibrating mitt that sounds like a vacuum cleaner. As you try to stroke the terrified pet, it's already down the hall and diving under the bed.

Merry Christmas, Fluffy. (Hope you forgive me by New Year's Eve!)

Christmas decorating on a budget

Well, I've got the majority of my Christmas calendars bought. Thank goodness for Half-Price Books stores. They sell new calendars at half price so I saved a lot of money. There are a few more that I will probably need to get at the Mall but that's the only thing I need to get at the Mall! (I consider it a successful shopping season if I can avoid the Malls.)

We just got out our little monofiliment tree again this year. It's great because the four cats ignore it. I shudder to thing what they would do to a real tree!

Sharing my favorites

I give calendars to everybody at Christmas. I simply love calendar art and have a great time picking out special ones for all those on my list. They're also easy to wrap. Since I've been doing this for 15 to 20 years, all my family and friends have come to expect a calendar.

Some of my personal favorites are the Lang Graphics line which includes the Herrero cat calendars. They also have folk art and nostalgia calendars that seem to resonate with my daughters (and me). I have stacks of old ones on the closet shelf.

Sorry if I sound like a commercial today, but I really do love calendars!

Here it comes again!!

Stores have been playing Christmas music for over a month already. The decorations have been up for ages and merchandise is so blatantly displayed you practically stumble over it.

Is anyone else as fed up with this "In Your Face" marketing of the shopaholic holiday as I am?

Holding a good thought

I start out many days like this. Full of ideas and enthusiasm but most of the time, things get in the way. I decide I want to start a project, but then decide I have to do something else first which leads me off in a whole different direction. I become mired down and the original project goes out the window.

This is the story of my life. I'm an easy-going gal and my motto is "Whatever works!" As a result I never accomplish much of anything. This makes me feel frustrated and useless.

What's a gal to do!?

The Butter-Nut Conspiracy

I'm a nut for Butter-Nut Coffee. I love the stuff and start every day with a couple cups along with my Star Tribune newspaper.

Now, I don't have many bad habits: I don't drink, smoke, gamble (other than an occasional lottery ticket) or even have any expensive hobbies. Just give me by Butter-Nut Coffee, my daily paper and my computer and I'm a contented gal.

So why is the Folger's Coffee Company messing with me?

I grew up in a Butter-Nut household. My folks drank it and my aunts and uncles drank it. (My cousin said that when her mom died some years ago, they hauled 40 empty Butter-Nut Coffee cans out of her basement.) It's a family tradition, for crying out loud!

Several years back, the Folger's Coffee Co. bought the Butter-Nut brand and has been marketing it under the "Maryland Club Butter-Nut" label. But--they are packaging it in Folger's red plastic canisters with the Folger's name on the can, the lid and the liner. I see an evil plot here!

Add to this the fact that Butter-Nut is getting harder and harder to find plus it keeps getting more expensive. They are trying to phase-out the best coffee I can buy!

Last week, several local grocery chains had really good specials on Folger's so (in a moment of weakness) I broke down and bought a can. I thought that if I combined the Folger's with the Butter-Nut, maybe I couldn't tell the difference. I was so wrong! Even when combined, the bitter Folger's flavor is overwhelming. UGH!

Right now, there's only one remaining grocery store selling my coffee. Wal-Mart used to carry it but no longer does. It's a conspiracy I tell you! If anyone knows of a campaign to get Folger's to preserve the Butter-Nut brand, please let me know. I may have to mount a campaign myself!