* Doors Open & Keys Turn *

I've collected a few things over the years and shared an item or two on my blog. Somewhere along this journey of mine I became very interested in decorative doorknobs and vintage-looking keys.

When I began this collection, the idea of them having a deep meaning never entered my mind, until just recently. Ahhh.....doorknobs open doors (to success) and keys turn the locks (to success.)

Welcome to my newest followers, Lani and Hensrule. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

And didn't you just love Aunt Clara on the TV show, Bewitched??

Aunt Clara: Wouldn't you like to see my doorknob collection?
Phyllis Stephens: I beg your pardon?
Samantha Stephens: Aunt Clara collects doorknobs.
Aunt Clara: I have three thousand.

* Nostalgic Sundays *

Thoughts about Nostalgic Sunday:

When I was a young girl, Sundays meant going to Mass. Sometimes my mom made homemade donuts after we got home. That was a special treat. Other times, we had bacon and eggs, or pancakes. No plain old cold cereal on a Sunday. (We never went out to eat for breakfast! Whoever heard of such a thing?! In fact when I was really young, I'm pretty sure the only times we ate out was when we were on summer vacations, and stopped at those roadside restaurants. That, too, was special.)

Sundays meant the "funny papers" or just the "funnies." Even when I was too young to read, I still loved to lie on the floor and look at all the colorful drawings, trying to figure out what each little story was about.

Sunday evenings also meant certain TV shows: The Ed Sullivan Show. The Wonderful World of Disney. Lassie. I wasn't very old when I'd already figured out that Lassie lived with a bunch of not-too-smart humans. (Whenever our previous dog, Tiger-Gal, would bark at us because she obviously wanted something, The Ronald and I would say to her, "What is it girl? Is it Timmy? What?? He fell down the well?! OMG!")

And that brings me to the submission I sent Friday evening to Chicken Soup for the Soul. It's the humorous story about our first dog, Rocky, and his encounter with a houseplant. ☺

(I Can't Believe My Dog Did That!)

"Now, Andy, before you go traipsing around the country on any manhunt, you come along home and have dinner first." -- Aunt Bee        

* Are You Kidding Me? *

OMG! Only this minute did I see that in my Profile Photo, I look just like Maxine! (see post below) Hand on face, open mouth, and I guess she's wearing glasses??!!

Only difference is.....I'm happy 99% of the time.....and Maxine is crabby 100% of the time! 
Oh, and I need to be holding a cup of coffee!  ☺

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day." -- Unknown

* A Waggish Wednesday *

I'm in a silly mood tonight which is usually quite common for me. It made me think of the word "waggish" which I discovered a year or so ago. I looked back through my old posts just now and noticed that not only was it one year ago, it was in the month of September! I used it for two post titles. One on the 15th of September 2010, and one on the 30th.


If you've known me for very long, you know I love it when these ♪♫ Twilight Zoney ♪♫ things happen to me. These Cosmic Sensations. These Serendipitous Happenings. You get the idea.

So, what is my waggish post for tonight. (By the way, "waggish" mean roguish in merriment and good humor, mischievous, merry, droll, comical, and funny.....Pretty much describes me!)

Uh...maybe THIS is why I'm feeling so kooky tonight!

I'm feeling good because I'm writing. Last night I submitted a short-short fictional story for a contest.

AND I'm writing a story for "Chicken Soup for the Soul; I Can't Believe My Dog Did That!" I'm working on a humorous story I began some time ago. It's about our first dog, Rocky. I don't have any digital photos of him, but he looked very similar to Tiger Gal. I would be thrilled, obviously, if the story was accepted for publication!

Welcome to my newest follower, Kelley. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!


"Right now I'm having amnesia and deja-vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before." Steven Wright

* Gratitude - Optimism - Bliss *

Tons of things are going on in my life these days. Most are wonderful. Some...not so much. But because I stay optimistic 99% of the time, that's how I manage to feel when I fall asleep at night. Optimistic. Blissful. Grateful.

As I dug through mountains of papers in my office this afternoon, I found a page I had torn out of Country Living magazine last November. I loved the display of white dishes, blue and white patterned dishes, and tiny white pumpkins. I'll share the beautiful quote below that appeared on that page.

Welcome to my newest follower, Andrea. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life...It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -- Melody Beattie

* Nostalgic Sundays *

It's time for another Nostalgic Sunday.

 

This time of year when it begins to be a bit cooler and the sun sets earlier, I get in the mood for good, old-fashioned comfort food. (which is what Aunt Bee prepared every day, I think!) On Friday, I wrote about making meatloaf for Lynn's blog so what did I do today? Bought fresh ground meat! I'll be whipping up a meatloaf dinner today, complete with baked potatoes, and various veggies.

I also have a new chili recipe I'll make soon....in my crock pot. And I have a few casserole recipes to make and freeze for later. Yummy goodness! Mmmm. Is your mouth watering? Mine sure is.

I also have to mention the fabulous Andy Griffith. During my quick lunch today, the TV was on and I came across the movie: No Time for Sergeants. I only watched for about ten minutes, but during that short period of time, I laughed out loud at his backwoods, naive ways, especially when he described trying to take the reading test. There's no way I could explain it and do it justice, you'll just have to watch the movie sometime. ☺

Also, Welcome to my newest follower, Jennifer Shirk. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

Andy Taylor: Opie! Time to come in, son.

Opie Taylor: Aw Pa, just a little while longer... please?
Andy Taylor: Well, OK.
[to Barney]
Andy Taylor: Daylight's precious when you're a youngin'

* I WONDER *

It's time for another I Wonder.  Really? Already??

I feel "kind of old" when I keep talking about how fast time is flying by, but uh...I AM kind of old!☺

So, on to another subject. I just realized a couple of days ago, after a gentle reminder from fabulous friend, Lynn, at Lynn, What's for Dinner?, that it was my turn to be her featured "chef"...and I say that with a fallacious smile. Since I'm not much of a cook (at all!), my recipe is a simple one. Please stop by and see what else Lynn posted about me.

I'm so fortunate that Lynn is one of my home town blog friends. In fact, I knew her before either of us began blogging. She's sweet, kind, funny, and a great writer. She's keeping three blogs at the moment, too. Please check out her two Food Blogs: Lynn, What's for Dinner?, Lynn, What's for Dessert? and her Writer Blog, Present Letters, which is always letters written to a very special person.

My I Wonder for today is: How many of you consider yourselves "chefs"? What are your favorite recipes, both dinners and desserts? (or can you say, "Take Out"?)

Mother's words of wisdom: "Answer me! Don't talk with food in your mouth!"
-- Erma Bombeck

I Love a Story Like His

I'm so happy that Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. won "America's Got Talent." Although I didn't watch it very often (every time I checked NBC, it seemed to be on), when I heard him sing, I just couldn't believe how beautiful his voice was. Never off key. Always wonderful. And what a story he has...from where he was, to where he is now. He seems grounded and I hope the winnings and the success won't make him forget his true self. Congratulations to the man with a voice like Sinatra's!

"People often remark that I'm pretty lucky. Luck is only important in so far as getting the chance to sell yourself at the right moment. After that, you've got to have talent and know how to use it."
Frank Sinatra