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Jodi, Tami, Lisa and Denise: I just love your trees...Just beautiful. I posted mine earlier but in the spirit of this wonderful post, I'll add mine too. It is an ostrich feather tree and I put all my little miniatures I've made over the years under it. I have to keep it at work for I have three very sneaky cats...you cat people out there understand...
Michelle
Lena wrote: But I do wish we did have some snow here this time of the year
Well one would think Minnesota would get some of that snow...We Minnesotans are wondering what is going on. All we have is brown grass!! With luck we may have a few flurries in a couple of days....
So Amy, any kind of picture with snow is appreciated since all I can do is pine for some....And like Lena, wishing for some snow for Christmas.
Michelle
Tami wrote:I want it to get cold and snowy! I'm ready for winter!!!
I'm with you on this one Tami. You know, I live in Minnesota and we are expected to get snow. Lots of it really! But it appears everybody and their brother is getting it but us! Now, we Minnesotans love our snow. Right now the poor weather person is having to explain to seething "snow-hungry" audience that we may get (dare I say it) Flurries!!! What is that about?! Now there is the Dallas, Texas getting up to two inches of snow. This is a southern state! What is going on here? But there is hope...next week we may get a "snow sighting"-- maybe...
Michelle
Dear Matilda, Sarah, Denise, Melissa and all my other Australian friends: I have to say you guys have such a wealth of wildlife in Australia....I loved it when I visited nine years ago. Such beauty....I didn’t see any kangaroos except on the side of the road (a victim of a car). Boy I had a great time and will never forget your lovely country.
Sarah: I’m glad to find another raccoon lover. I think Ellen is another one who understand our love of racoons.
Bear Hugs to all of you
Michelle
Well in Minnesota, it is 9 degrees this morning with a -4 degree wind chill factor. This is just the beginning for us though....I better start pulling out the "big gun coat" (that is down filled and heavy)!!
Michelle
Very nice Clare....Love the pictures
Wow: It is so amazing how much these bears are worth. Does anybody watch Antiques Roadshow? Every once in a while a Steiff or another type of old teddy is on and I have to pick my jaw up off the floor when they give the worth of the bear. Now I look at my sad little bear from childhood looking worn and furless (due to multiple dunkings in the toilet) and wonder what she is worth. Probably not much but she is priceless to me. I am 46 years old and she is sitting on a shelf in my bedroom so I can see her everyday.
Michelle
Kim wrote: I say a little
prayer about them in my heart that is something like, "please forgive me.
but thank you for teaching me." pets forgive us so much it breaks my heart.
But making the experience into a lesson, I honor them & give it value, &
because of them I don't repeat the mistakes, & every animal that's come
after is better off for what I've learned.
Oh Kim: I love that little prayer....For I think you are right about animals being very forgiving. I think if you do what you think is right in your heart, they know you are trying to help. And I learn everyday from mistakes...
You are a wise woman!!!
Bear Hugs to you
Michelle
Debbie wrote: My mother in-law is a wildlife carer and she has wombats,kangaroos,wallabies,tasmanian devils,possums the list is huge. I love going to see her as she somtimes has baby animals inside the house that she has pick up from the side of the road and brings them home and looks after them until they are ready to be let back out into the wild......
Debbie: I would love to do what your mother-in-law does. I love baby animals. Wow...Just like all those wonderful shows I see on the cable station Animal Planet.
Jane: Thank you for posting a picture of a echidna. My goodness what a wonderful animal!
Melissa: I have a boat load of squirells as we speak. I'll see if I can get a few pictures of them for you. The little chipmunks are, I think in hybernation. I don't see them in Winter. They are really cute I must confess. It is amazing what is common in one part of the world is rare in other countries.
Tammy: The deer pictures are just fabulous, very much what we see here in Minnesota from time to time. You have to stop the car to watch them in aw....
Toby: I get racoons too. Love them. I think I have a picture of them and get it posted. (I just poped in picture of my racoons. I still don't know know how to place it because all my pictures come up a the begining of all my posts).
Bear Hugs
Michelle
I just love the picture
Bronwen writes: Kangaroos yes, wallabies yes, echidnas, wombats, rabbits and all other manners of creatures I am used to but not the deer.
Bronwen: you luck duck, you see wombats and wallabies!...I am so jealous...I get squirrels (yippee). Oh yes, maybe a chipmunk or two (double yippee).
Now please explain what is an echidna? Never heard of that before.
Michelle
I'm like Shelli I would love to have a Roo jumping abound my back yard. What fun!! Too bad you guys don't have deer. They are beautiful to see in the wild and grazing in a field...It really is great. I was shopping the other day at Target and some burley looking nut was on his cell phone complaining he has "not shot one deer yet" this year. I thought well good. I would have said something smart but valued my life and moved on to the ice cream isle.
Michelle
Dear Heather: Such a difficult decision. I say first get your beloved bunnie to the vet and find out what he/she has to say. I can tell you from experience that I recently spent $4,500 on my cat with fatty liver disease. In the end, she got better but she suffered tremedously for several weeks. I would never do it again. In hindsight, I should have let her go peacefully upon diagnosis. But get your facts first before making a decision.
Best of luck to you.
Michelle
Hello Teddy Bear friends: My boss sent this to me. Though a little late for Thanksgiving it still is funny. And on the aside, I love Martha Stewart...I have all her books and watch her shows....Enjoy:
Our Thanksgiving Sans Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving.
I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:
· Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
· Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
· The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
· Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.
· We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.
· As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
· We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like.
· Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
· I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm, tasty bread.
· Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance.
· Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice, though: take it or leave it.
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either.
Dilu: I just love your gollie...And that jumper outfit is the cutest thing....
Michelle
oh Millie: how sad that is for you and your family...Oh my....what can one say....I hope you go right out and get another baby donkey. Trust me on this...It helps with the grieving process. I always hear people say they will never get another pet because it "hurts too much" when they pass away. But my thoughts are this, you had so many happy years with your donkey and if you did not have him, look at all the years you would not have had that joy. Their passing away hurts a few weeks, but look at all the years of joy you had with him.
When my Daisy died, I got another kitten. Though it did not take away the pain of Daisy, having the kitten sure did help with the grieving. So my advice to you dear Millie: Go get a baby donkey and create new memories.
Best of luck
Michelle
Marion: What a wonderful thing to have your mom interested in making bears....I hope she has a lot of joy making them.
Michelle
Oh Marie: the pair is wonderful. You did a great job....and they are not simple at all. They are cute as can be....
Michelle
