Gratitude, or, My Little Song of Thanksgiving

Haven't posted for a while - guess I've been busy with one thing and another. I started a gratitude journal that I'm keeping in my handbag so I remember to update it every day. I heard part of a show with Dan Gottlieb on public radio about changing one's perspective (only that's not what they called it) and it really struck a chord with me. Hopefully keeping a daily record of what I'm grateful for will keep my attitude positive. Stop laughing, Joe.

So, today I'm posting here instead of in my little book, which, btw, is a very pretty pink and green girly print, so not my style that I actually love it.

I'm grateful that Thanksgiving went smoothly and for my so good husband who cooked the turkey, make the gravies, heated up everything and got it all on the table. Extremely grateful for him, especially given the fact that I was in bed for most of the day sick. He really did a great job.

I am grateful for my mother, who is my anchor, my friend, confidante and cohort in Scottie dog amusement, and for Daddy Bill, who is her great companion and my friend.

I'm grateful for the best 2 kids anybody could ever ask for: my stepson, Maniek, Jr., and my daughter-in-law, Maria. How lucky was I to get them in my life?

I'm grateful for my three aunts who have taken care of me and supported me for a major part of my life.

I'm grateful for my sister, for my nephews and niece, for little Charli, and for all my other relatives and our family friends.

I'm grateful for my job and the wonderful old house we live in.

I'm grateful that Obama was elected. I know, it seems off the point, but I am.

I'm grateful for the aforementioned little Scottie dogs, who bring joy and laughter to our lives.

I'm grateful to have the love of so many people.

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

She's Here!!!!

The newest Schoen is finally here. Baby girl arrived 11/11 at 11:56 PM weighing 8 lbs 2 ounces, 21 inches long with light blue eyes and black peach fuzz hair. Woo Hoo!!!! Michelle is doing well considering what she went through. We haven't seen our new little great niece yet, but Annie tells me she is beautiful (of course, look at her parents!) and the sweetest little girl ever. Jury is still out on her name; Charli is under consideration -- personally I love that name -- but we'll know soon enough. Going up to see her today and I can't wait! Welcome little one!!!

Update 11/13/08: Here name is Charli! More pix here.

Another Saturday Night....

...and here we are. I sent a really cute card (at least I think it is) to Buttons and Baylee who will be 3 on November 13. Older sisters to our cutie pies. Facebook is interesting; Betsy finds cool stuff and passes it on. She kidnapped me to Paris but being new I was allowed to escape. Wonder why we pass the time this way?

I think Allison left for Texas and I'm a little sad that I never got together with her before she left. Maybe Annie knows where she is. And meanwhile, Michelle is due any day and I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT BABY TO GET HERE!!!

So I guess I'm just rambling, but really, that's why I started this blog. For me. To ramble on, rambling rose. OMG I'm making myself sick.

On a hopefully different and upbeat note, been reading all the blogs, posts, news articles etc. about Barney Bush biting that reporter. Apparently Ms. or is it Miss Beasley bit one or two folks as well. Nobody ever said the Celts were a warm and friendly people - I mean, after all, it's cold, wet and dreary where we come from. And one should respect another's privacy and reserve instead of intruding into personal space. Scotties are a funny little breed - very independent and very standoffish except when it suits them. But I like that in a dog...Bella was much the same, going her own way and only going along with the program if it made sense to her. Having a mind of your own is a good thing. And anyway nobody likes a wimp.

Sunday in the Park with Dogs

Media, PA. What a beautiful day! Gorgeous colors, weather, park. The kind of day that really makes you appreciate fall and the changing seasons. We had a quick breakfast on Plum Street at 7 Stones, then walked along State Street to the park.

The rest of the pix are on SmugMug.

Scottie Pitcher/Knitting Sucks

Mary and Helen just got back from a trip down south during which they visited the Biltmore estate. While there they picked up this cunningly adorable Scottie milk pitcher. We love it! Thanks again, M&H!

I mentioned before that we started up the Thursday night stitching club again -- well somehow I let my sister talk me into learning how to knit. Ok, to be fair, I asked her because there are such cool things you can knit and crochet seems limited, but maybe that's because I'm not really advanced. Anyway she started me out with a simple project on circular needles. Hah! I think this is her way of getting revenge for nasty things I did to her when we were kids. It's horrible. My fingers are clumsy and it turns out I was knitting backwards, or inside out or something, which made it worse. Even after Annie corrected me it's still the pits. IHE.

Or, to help end the suffering.....

...maybe each of the Phillies players could donate 1% of their salaries to the Philly schools. Wonder if that would be enough to feed the kids?

Suffering?

The world series of baseball starts tonight and today's Philadelphia Inquirer had a huge spread, with the title, "Phils Know True Meaning of Suffering" in the middle of the page.

Also on the front page right next to the Phils headling, but much smaller, was this article caption, "USDA kills school food program", reporting that children all over Philly will not be getting their free lunches and breakfasts any more - maybe the only solid meals they were getting on a daily basis.

Who really knows the true meaning of suffering?

Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey

Yesterday while Annie and Jack were driving home from Boston in stop and go traffic, the rest of us were having dinner here. We cooked a turkey as a rehearsal for Thanksgiving using Mark Bittman's recipe in O mag - although I don't eat it the others loved it so I'm going to use the same method for the real turkey day. It was a good method and produced a nice brown bird and good gravy, which of course I spiked with white wine and brandy. But the best dish was delicata squash that I cooked in a sort of teriyaki glaze I put together - it was really tasty.

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Taking poor Aspri to the vet today; her back and belly are covered with pimples and she can't stop scratching. I was going to try to make her do without meds for 6 weeks so we could get her allergies tested but I can't stand her suffering like this. I'll see what relief we can get her, and then perhaps in the cold weather when it goes away I'll get her off the meds and over to Metro Vet for testing. The problem is we can't give her steroids because she gets way too aggressive and attacks Puki and Mavri. She had poor Puki in a necklock last time. So I'm hoping Dr. B. can give us something else to help her out.

Phillies v Dodgers Game 5

I suppose everyone but me is a rabid Phillies fan right now - even those who don't watch during the regular season. It is exciting that they've come this far but honestly, could baseball be a slower game? Not really a huge sports fan anyway, I guess, except for basketball, and for soccer - looking forward to when the new stadium gets finished (finally) in Chester.

With apologies to M. Night Shyamalan, I See Phillies Fans. All around the area I see people, even toll takers in their little booths, wearing Phillies shirts and all; wonder if they were fans before now? Sure hope the team wins so the home crowd doesn't boo them out of town! I know, nasty, but Philadelphia fans, and I include myself, are notoriously fickle and vocal in their displeasure.

Tunisian Simple Stitch Simply Curled My Toes

Well. No pix to show you of my curled piece of TSS. It worked, and the stitch was lovely, but unfortunately I was using cotton yarn and I ended up with a tube which I ripped out. Then I tried stockinette, ditto. So, I think my stitches are too tight and I need a different yarn. Anyway here are the links, if anyone's interested, to some sites where people actually know how to do TSS!

• Nexstitch
• Stitch Diva
• Annie's Attic

These guys are all pros and have great instructions for all kinds of stitches.

I decided to use up a huge skein of baby soft yarn from Lion Brand that I bought for Michelle's baby blanket but didn't use, so I'm making a scarf. So far it's looking good.

I have Teresa's baby's sweater to finish, and the amigurumi elephant, then I'm going to try felting. Bought some great wool to crochet slippers for M which then get felted. We'll see.

Meanwhile we started up the Thursday night stitching club again but with a serious paucity of members! Actually, it was Mr. C, Annie, Mom and me last week -- waiting to hear from Helen and M&H will be back next week. I think we should expand our little circle!

Midnight Saturday

Amigurumi! Bah hum-crochet bug. That rabbit sucks hind leg, if you ask me. Annie et al hated the colors, and it was overstuffed and ugly as all get out. And the ears -- it was an exercise in crochet torture. It became a dog toy. Sigh. And I SO wanted to make it for the new baby.

On the other hand (or hook as the case may be) afghan/tunisian/african stitch is pretty cool and lots o' fun.....but do the tunisian simple stitch first. The others are a tad challenging. I'll post some pix tomorrow. And some good links for learning it.

Catching Up

So, a little catching up to do.

Friday was our last day in Maine (thanks again, Dotty Kay and David!) so we decided to really go tourist and spend the day in Bah Hahbah - and it was just as pretty as we'd heard it would be. Weather was great, so we walked along the Ocean Trail and through the town -- what a dog-friendly place that is!

Almost every shop has a doggie water dish, and all the shop owners welcomed our little companions. They were even allowed with us while we ate! All the pix are on SmugMug here. Look in the Travel Gallery for all the Acadia photos.

On Saturday we drove down to Boston (Woburn, actually) to see Ryan but it was so tight we only got to spend 2 hours with him over dinner at Asgard in Cambridge. Food was really great (although alas not vegan for me - eggs in the pasta, shame on you). Still, great to see him at all! Next time will be the holidays, I guess.

We stayed at the Hilton in Woburn and speaking of dog friendly! Unbelievable! Check out the Hilton dog bed, placemat and bowls! Pampered, anyone? We're lucky they were so accomodating. While we were out to dinner, there was a lot of coming and going in the the hallway and the Scotswomen had a fit. They did quiet down (or so the wonderful front desk clerk told me) but they had a restless evening. We haven't had that happen before, so maybe it's time to brush up on our hotel manners.

Rainy day (mostly still) life

We woke during the night to pounding rain, and since we are sleeping right under the roof, it was tremendously loud, but we were all the more cozy for knowing it was miserable outside. Of course, neither Scottie will voluntarily go out in the rain. What is it about dogs and rain? Bella loved to swim, and so do these girls, and they'll happily wade through puddles, etc., but will NOT go out in the rain. So early morning business was a chore - involving leashes, coaxing, umbrellas and towels. It must have been traumatic because here's the result a couple of hours later.

Ocean Trail, Great Head Trail

Yesterday was glorious; the weather held beautifully; sunny, cool, clear, perfect for walking. The Ocean Trail is level walking on a gravel surface mostly - easy going and unbelievable views. We walked that when we were here in 2005, but this time we went across the sand beach and onto the Great Head Trail. Some climbing, fabulous, cool, silent woods, and always the ocean crashing and murmuring. Pix are on smugmug. Scotties are absolutely pooped today -- two days of walking more than 5 hours each day left them a little tuckered out -- not to mention the humans.

Acadia Mountain Saint Saveur Trail

Scotties taking in the view of Somes Sound, Mount Desert, Maine.

Click the photo to see more.

Kyle missed us

Which is great because no damage or power outage, just some heavy rain and chilly. Somehow the npb stove started smoking last night so we had to open all the windows - still smells like a smoker in here, but in a good way. M was freezing this morning - didn't tell him it was most likely because the dogs and I had all the covers.

But this morning!!! Too beautiful in a misty cool way-took the dogs out first thing and there was the sound, mist drifting over, sun coming up behind the mountains across from us, clouds, reflections, one or two anchored boats-almost saccharine in its beauty if it wasn't somehow hardy and New Englandish. I think I'll have to move here.

Off for a day of hiking around Acadia.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!

The view from here...

...is unbelievable, still, even as I sit here anticipating windswept storms, no power, no facilities, just battening down the hatches and getting through it. My 3 companions are napping, soft music is playing, crocheting awaits. Life IS good.

Hunkering Down(East)

Kyle is headed straight for us so this will be very interesting. According to our temp landlords, we will prob lose power and with that goes our toilet (elec pump) but we have our little fireplace, plenty of wood and we're happy.

Mount Desert Island, Maine, 9/27/08

Arrived here around 4:00 PM so we made excellent time considering we left home at 4:30 AM and stopped about 4 times. Long drive, but worth it just to see the changing leaves and view here. It's mysteriously foggy, which creates a wonderful backdrop for the sound and the mountains and trees. Our temp landlord tells us that Somes Sound is actually a fjord - will have to research that.

The tiny cabin is absolutely adorable - the coziest ever - especially with the fire M built in the little corner not quite pot-bellied stove.

Rustic doesn't begin to describe the quaint and homey feel of this little place. We love it. Scotties are conked out - they did so well travelling up here but as usual Aspri suffers from motion sickness; even the Dramamine can't quite fix that entirely. But we think they'll have a ball here hiking and exploring, and I know we'll enjoy the quiet.

Although.....quiet might not be what happens over the next few days - someone said there's a hurricane or at the very least a nor'easter headed this way? Gack.

Baby afghan and toy

Tonight is Aunt Callie's BD party. The girls are all brushed and have their cool red scarves on. We'll be packing right after for our trip - we're leaving at 3 AM to start the what-would-normally-be 10 hour drive but with Scotties will prob take us 12. Trying to arrive in Desert Island Maine by 3 PM Saturday.

Finished the baby afghan for Michelle's shower last Sat which I alas was not able to attend, but it came out pretty good. Also the goony-looking amigurumi penguin. Love that little bugger!

Lion Brand® Wool-Ease® Pattern #: 70583AD

I'm making the bunny now and want to do the elephant, turtle and octopus. The baby is now due 11/1; still don't know what it will be except adorable!

Vaca cabin Mt Desert Island

Getting ready to leave for Acadia late Friday; looking forward to sitting by the sound, walking in the woods. Maniek can't wait to do his photog stuff. We're staying here for the week; it's tiny, but right above the sound and near Echo Lake and some nice trails. Hope the girls are up for the hike!

Puppies

Here are some pix of the girls when they were little. Mavri is the black Scottie and Aspri is the wheaten. 

Chester Scotties First Blog

Hi all!

Starting this blog to write about my family, dogs, interests, etc., but calling it Chester Scotties because I'll be posting pix of them.  Love our dogs, can you tell?! 

We live in Chester, PA, hence the title, and there are two Scotties, 1 Toy Poodle, 3 aunts, my husband and me.  Our house is really more like a BnB than anything else with frequent overnight guests and lot of foot traffic, which is great by me......sometimes....

Not really sure what I'll be doing here, but I wanted to join the blogging world and see if I can get my thoughts down.

See ya.