Conversation Club Chatter

Story to follow at the next CC

Last year I sent a paint can of ginger snaps to my cousins family and they raved about them–the best they ever tasted. I bought them at Flathaus fine foods on the internet–so easy for faraway gifts. They also sell through Amazon dot com. I haven’t compared pricing yet through Amazon.

Kate: All Points Tree Service 6470 N. Michigan Road 257-4516 Larry Wainright, owner. We’ve had them here to do work 5 different times - large and small jobs - fair price, clean up perfectly and work hard to please. The last time they were here they trimmed alot of limbs off our huge black walnut - then sawed it into fireplace lengths and stacked it on our woodpile as neat as a pin.

Maureen: Juddi Viburnum blossoms in spring - very fragrant - grows vigorously in sun, a bit slower in the shade; Globe Blue Spruce (low graft) - beautiful blue gray color and slow grower; Knockout roses - deep pink, low maintenance; Green Velvet Boxwood - small round shape - not a single problem with them; PJM Rhododendrons - beautiful deep lilac blossoms in early spring - pain in the neck to maintain during the hot summer with constant leaf curl and leaves dropping off; Wine and Rose Weigela - bloom in early summer, then nice foliage. Then we also had the landscapers put in the Japanese Maple which I love. (I have added more perennials in the front including Endless Summer and Oak leaf hydrangeas, lavender, lambs ears, hosta, etc.)

I hope to get to Barb’s tomorrow but first Elliott and I are going to dinner with Matt and spend time, with him, at the house. He is leaving, Sunday, for the baseball winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Jen will be there! Then Matt is taking Jenifer back to Pittsburgh and staying with her for a couple of days!! Do any of you watch Dancing with the Stars?? It was great for Indy that Helio, the race car driver who has won the 500 twice, won the dancing competition last night. I was rooting for him but I really thought the Spice Girl, Mel, would win!

…and surprised how much everyone had blogged! I cooked for 9 and a baby on the way (my neice, don’t get excited). She brought her “belly book” with ultrasound pictures. The turkey in a bag (not brined) was done right on time–I think that’s a first for me. I was also not stressed at all at dinner time because I mashed the potatoes earlier in the day and kept them in the crockpot. I also always use store bought gravy. We played Thanksgiving Scrabble and Baby Scrabble. Brunch on Friday after some went shopping. Now it’s Saturday and I’m at the office catching up since I took off on Wednesday and everyone’s gone. I’m thankful to God this year for family, safe travel, new life, work, and friends with which to discuss family, safe travel, new life, and work!

I spent tonight making my Jello Mold for tomorrow. I also made cookies and bought a pumpkin pie. I saw Barb in the Marsh parking lot with Stephen. I am hoping Barb and I can work it out, that the two of us can go, together, to Munster, around Christmas, since we both have some vacation days. There is no Pacer game so we are having THanksgiving at 4:00 instead of 11:00, like we do when there is home Pacer games. I hope all of you have a great day, tomorrow. I had today off and I work Friday. Then I have the weekend off.

It’s amazing how our minds can trick us into believing that today is Friday. Pick any day and tell us we get the next day off and tadaaa, it is Friday!

I hope that everyone has a safe holiday and even maybe a little relaxing!

I checked seat availability one last time for the trip that isn’t happening to Denver. There are 50 seats open on Thursday morning to Denver and for the return flight on Saturday there are 100 — and that is on just one flight. Oh well, maybe a trip next year somewhere!

Sean called us on Tuesday from Chicago. Between an earlier flight being delayed and him arriving at the airport early in Cincinnati he was able to catch an earlier flight to Chicago. But when he tried to get on the earlier flight from Chicago to Denver they wouldn’t let him because his luggage was on the later flight. So instead of having just 30 minutes between flights, he had 3 hours. It’s nice he thought of us when he needed to kill time at the airport.

I’ll post back to let everyone know how the rest of my Thanksgiving holiday went … starting with the Drumstick Dash Thursday morning at 9 if anyone wants to join us!

I went to a workshop today and didn’t see any children. I feel quite refreshed (or maybe it is knowing that tomorrow is the last day of the week. ) We are going to Cincinatti for the day on Sunday to see our friend. the rest of the week I plan to stare at my walls and try to decide where to hang pictures.

I was tired, after the author, Naomi Regen,( an orthodox Jew who wrote Saturday Wife a satire . The main Character, Delila, she compared to Madam Bouvary) who I don’t think I said much about her but I did like her, and almost went home. I’m happy I went to Raquel’s house. I do enjoy our conversations, catching up on the news, giving opinions, etc. Maureen, I have to say you left too soon and missed our Political conversation about the Peterson and Ballard, the new Mayor! ( LOL I’m just teasing again) I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving!

If charitable giving is something you do at this time of the year, Kevin has asked me to ask you (yes, he specifically said Conversation Club) to consider donating to an organization that takes at risk youth on backpacking and hiking trips.

By donating to this group you will also help him achieve his goal of summiting Mt. Rainier. He needs to raise $4,000 in order to do this. .77 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to the groups mission.

To find out more information about the programs and how to donate go to www.summitforsomeone.org

You can click on skip intro, then click on Donate on the left side, then type in Kevin Jordan, then click on his name when it comes up.

I don’t know if I created a direct link or not… I tried.

Thanks for considering this! (is this request permitted in our by-laws?)

Kim and I really enjoyed listening to Judith Viorst. We both bought her new book and got her autograph. I didn’t realize she has written several adult books and poetry. She read a poem about her children being middle aged. She has three sons and seven grandchildren. I’m going to see another Author, Naomi Ragen, on Thursday night, at the JCC. Tomorrow is the Author Stephen Fried. He writes about Husbandry: Sex, Love and Dirty Laundry( Inside the Minds of Married Men)!

Raquel called and we will be at her house this week.

Are any of you interested in seeing Judith Viorst ( she wrote Alexander and the Terrible Horrible Now Good Day). tomorrow night at the JCC? I’m going to Pike, early, so I can leave at 5:00, have dinner with a freind, and get to the center a little before 7:00. Donna is going to meet Kim and me at the center. I saw Fred Claus this morning and really liked it! it’s a feel good holiday movie. Next weekend I’m gonig to the Winter Fest at the Fair Grounds. I’m listening to this sad Colts game, losing 16-0. We do have three more quarters but we have to get something going. I’m going to watch.

David Russell’s obituary was in the paper this am. He was a classmate of Rachel’s and John’s, was attending Purdue and IUPUI while he battled leukimia. He died Wednesday.

I just read a recipe that says you shouldn’t stuff your turkey if you brine it. It didn’t say why. We really like the stuffing in the bird. So should I forego the brining?

Any thoughts?

My sister and I had a great time in Arizona. We were in Scottsdale. We stayed at the Hampton Inn two nights. We got in really late, Friday night, due to the hour delay at the airport. Saturday we went to the mall to buy our cousin a gift for his 90th birthday. We had fun reconnecting with our second and third cousins at the party. We did a lot of visitng. Sunday our Aunt and Uncle picked us up and took us around Scottdale. I have great pictures of all the different kinds of catus. We saw boulders, catus and mountains. We went to a Casino, to see a live show of impersonators ( Garth Brooks, Tina Turner, a magician, etc) and did a little gambling. I won $55 on the Wheel of fortune quarter slots and five dollars at Black Jack. Matt is planning to go to the baseball winter meetings, for four days in Dec, in Nashville Tenn. His girlfriend, Jenifer, will be there also. She writes on the web site for the Pirates and he writes for the Indians. Then Matt will be with Jen, in Pittsburg, for about four days. Their relationship is moving along. The talk , a lot, on the phone and internet. Bobby came home, last weekend, for the IU game and Colts game. Kevin is still working for the Patriots so he got Bobby a ticket for the game and Bobby got to sleep at the hotel, with Kevin, where the Patriots were staying. Roosevelt Calvin, the player who went to BR., asked about Elliott. Bobby had brakfast, with us, Sunday morning.

Dave and I had a very enjoyable weekend at Penn State. We did manage to get bumped off a flight on the way home and receive 2 vouchers for free tickets. We just exchanged one of them for a ticket for Sean to go to Denver over Thanksgiving.

All is not so bleak with that story. He wants to finish school and save some money before making any commitments. He isn’t opposed to moving to where ever Rachel would find a job. He has his own goals right now and feels that Rachel should pursue her goals and that the two of them will be able to make it work. If they part ways it won’t be because they don’t care for each other it will be because of different goals.

Plus Rachel isn’t keen on the hours that an assistant principal works (he’s working for his administrators license)– games, concerts, other evening activities at school etc. So she has to decide if she would want to be married to someone who would have odd hours.

I did call Rachel and ask her if I should offer him the ticket before I called him!