The Mason Song

It is totally worth the laughs....

Margaret and Helen wrote this......I needed a good laugh. 

Dear Family,
In a year when we almost lost your Grandpa Harold, I would expect each and every one of you to make the effort to be here this year.  If only for a few minutes.  I’ll make an exception for anyone who lives more than three hours away.  Now that is what I expect, but clearly not what I will get.  So be warned.  At Christmas time what you expect to find under the tree is clearly not what you will get.  I love you.  Really I do.  I don’t expect you to visit often, but I do expect the holidays.  And I don’t think that is too much to expect.
For those of you who are coming – from this point forward known as my favorite family members – here are the house rules.  Your following them will make for an unforgettable meal filled with laughter and bacon.

1. If it jiggles, slap a girdle on it or leave it at home.  I am not kidding Cloe.  One step inside my door with anything made from Jello and it will be your last step.  I have about 50 pounds on you so don’t test me.
2. Rhonda.  My house.  Your pets.  Never the twain shall meet.
3. Mary.  My sofa.  Your kid’s feet.  Never the twain shall meet.
4. I have banned cans of soda.  Two liter bottles of soda only.  I am tired of throwing away half full cans of soda.  If you are two young to lift a 2 liter bottle of soda to fill a glass, you are too young to be drinking soda un-supervised.
5. At age 84 and 11 months, I have had my picture taken more than enough times to fill any memory photo album.  The digital era has made it too easy to take way too many useless pictures.  Point one camera in my direction this year and I can promise you that your camera will be used to stuff something other than the turkey.  When I am gone, feel free to remember me with pictures from my best year – 1962.
6.  Texting and driving is just plain stupid.  Texting and eating Thanksgiving dinner, however, is a crime punishable by no dessert.
7. Vegetarians really should consider Thanksgiving as a holiday from vegetarianism.
8. Any grandchild showing up dressed like a Palin girl, will leave the house dressed like a Philpot girl.  I don’t need to see all that and neither does the rest of the family.
9. The Longhorns are having a difficult year.  Your grandfather is aware of that.  No need to remind him.  Trust me on this one.
10. My Democrats are having a difficult year.  I am aware of that.  Feel free to remind me and I will, in turn, remind you of what I think of the current Republican Party.  Trust me on this one.
11. Sarah Palin having a new book is proof positive that there is something wrong with the world.  I can’t fix that, but I promise that my stuffing made with bacon will make you not give a damn.  So if any of you get the urge to talk about that woman, stuff your mouth full of food until the urge passes

Eleven

To be honest, I am kind of done with 2010.  It wasn't a bad year, I just think that some bad karma came back my way (maybe I shouldn't have made fun of my old coworker at my last job?)  I am leaving the year tired, stressed out, with multiple knots in my shoulders....BUT JUST YOU WAIT...2011 is right around the corner and you may not know this...but ELEVEN IS MY FAVORITE NUMBER.......(oh and sorry about the sniveling and whining up in that first sentence...I absolutely abhor people that use blogs to WHINE..unless it is about that gal from Alaska..and I do have many fun things to look forward to in the last few weeks of December....so anyways, sorry about that lapse.)

So back to numero ELEVEN......well it started with volleyball...that was always my number.  Then Josh and I went on our first date on January 11....there is just something I love about 11....perhaps it is the regalness of it standing so tall or perhaps it is the symmetry.....

But I have digressed....so I was saying I was looking forward 2011.....and then the other day I was reading my horoscopes and guess what it said:

Numerologists say the number 10 signifies completion, wholeness, totality.  It could rightly serve as your lucky number in the coming weeks--a symbol of your power to draw long-term processes to a climax on your own terms.  But you might also want to consider 11 as your emblem of good mojo.  That number denotes the drive to surpass the success you've earned before--to transcend easy triumphs and conventional wisdom so as to reach for a more challenging conquest.  Either way, Aquarius, I think you'll be flying high for the foreseeable future, so there's no need to worry about which way you should go.  If you do choose 11, the risks will be somewhat greater and the rewards more interesting.   Courtesy of Rob Brezny, via the City Pages.

And from one my readers......a request for more pictures......

Josh's 39th Birthday Sushi Extravaganza

Oh and one more for good measure...

" I'm not saying we should misbehave, but we ought to look as though we might." Oscar Wilde.... found here

And another quote

I want her to get it into her head early that the world is humongous and something that she deserves to see...

 

We go from being picture heavy to quote heavy.....

"Attitude" by Chuck Swindol The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important then appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.

I have heard this before, I recently saw it again here.....

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." (Plato)

Kids, Music, Pictures

That is just what I am groovin on right now:
 

The Acorn "Crooked Legs"  just a stunningly beautiful video

Special, special night

I was pretty fortunate to get to attend a private concert last night at the Music Box Theater.  The event was hosted by one of the people I work for and featured the following music geniuses:

1)Paul Metsa, a legendary Minnesota musician and Sonny Earl, an amazing harmonica player.  You can see them here.


2)The Front Porch Swingin Liquor Pigs......an amazing treat. 

3)And for the grand finale, a show by the famous Ike Reilly. 

The Holstee Manifesto

The Holstee Manifesto is about two brothers that quit their jobs to go do what they love......go find your passion..  I learned about them thanks to Amy Tangerine.