I grew up watching football on tv and in person at our town’s junior football league.
Later, I was running down the hill to the high school games on Saturdays in middle school and cheering them from the sidelines once I became a cheerleader in high school.
Pickup games were played on the practice field in the fall and there was a certain thrill in evading tackles or keeping someone from the ball while on defense.
Senior year I was a captain for defense on our Powder Puff football team. We had practice for 2 or three weeks before the big game against our cross town rivals on the day before Thanksgiving.
Our son played football for the same high school team I cheered for and once again I would head down the hill to watch the games.
My family has a 16 member Fantasy Football league which as me checking the predictions and watching Red Zone closely on Sundays!
I follow this blog because I LOVE her illustrations! Please read her story here and visit the edoodles store if you want to look at and buy anything from it!
If you could un-invent something, what would it be?
There are so many Good/Bad inventions created since the beginning of time but the number one “invention” that should crawl back into the hole it came from is –
SOCIAL MEDIA
MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok – maybe they were created for socialization but they took a right turn into online bullying, scams, hacking, and keyboard assassinations. There are many other sites for socializing, some I know of, some I’d probably be shocked to learn about, but I’m only talking of the ones I really know.
It was probably “ok” and “manageable” prior to the 2016 election, but after that, all bets were off. I allowed myself to get caught up in Facebook arguments with friends who became non-friends. Funny, after 2020, they came back again. I’m afraid to see what this 2024 election will bring.
Do I use them? Yes, FaceBook and Instagram both personally and for my business. I have X and TikTok accounts but have posted only minimally on X.
While in California in November, Aunt Mindy was working on a jigsaw puzzle. She has a nice set up at her recliner with a light and puzzle table with drawers for sorting. I’d done a few puzzle in the past and always enjoyed the hunt and thrill when you find the right pieces early on.
I bought this puzzle and the roll up pad for myself LAST CHRISTMAS but honestly was afraid to start because I didn’t know how long it would take….would I get bored?……would someone in my house be annoyed it was taking me so long? They were tucked away on the bottom shelf of our bookcase along with my adult coloring book and pencils, my French lesson card deck, my knitting books…you get the picture right?
When I opened the 1000 piece puzzle box and thought “oh my God this is going to take me a lifetime to put together”, I thought it was all about patience to complete it. As I progressed, I realized it was more about focusing on one task at a time.
Started during Christmas week; Progress on January 5th
Of course I started with the edges, praying that the size would fit on the table! Thankfully I had a 1/2 inch on either side to work with! The pad is felt-like and held everything in place. I put a mark 8” in on the pad in case I needed to roll it up.
Nearly every night after dinner I would turn on the overhead lights and start examining pieces and comparing them to parts of the puzzle and the picture. Some parts stood out but of course, it’s a puzzle, it’s not meant to be easy! At first I was putting pieces in the area I thought they belonged to, but it just got to crowded so I put them all back in the box and would pick a house or section and sort for that. What a thrill it was the first time I connected a section to the sides!
So close to the edge!
Altogether it took me about three weeks to complete. I didn’t work every evening, but when I did it was about an hour at a time. No one complained about it taking up space (I think that issue is all in my head). I didn’t lose any pieces although when I couldn’t find the last edge piece, I thought one was! I think what I enjoyed most was there was an end in sight right from the beginning.
A Day in Paris – Done!
I looked at it lovingly for a day and then took it apart. Today I bought another 1000 piece puzzle and found a pack of 7 trays for sorting that stack together! I’m going to spend a little time on my other hobbies but now that I know I can focus on it and have the patience to see it through, I’m looking forward to it!
How do you feel about puzzles? Are you a master puzzler or prefer to pass them by?
If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?
This quote is one of my favorites, but I can’t say I’ve always followed it! I have no problem with the “love many”, but sometimes for certain reasons, I didn’t listen to my instincts (or was persuaded otherwise) on the “trust few”!
What do you think about this quote and how it applies to you?
I attended one college from 1978 to 1980 and received my Associates Degree in Secretarial Science back when that was still a thing.
Annhurst College was a beautiful liberal arts college set in Woodstock Connecticut – “the quiet corner” of the state. Laid out on both sides of Route 169 it was originally a teaching college for Daughters of the Holy Spirit, the nuns who taught in the catholic schools in the eastern part of the state. It then developed into a “regular” college for girls, and by the time I got there, it was co-ed with a 5-1 ratio of females to males. At the time I was there the student body was around 250-300 people.
The college consisted of one old brick building that housed “the gym” and sciences classrooms on the second floor, and classroom/administration building, a student center/cafeteria, and cultural center of built in the 1960s. There were two dormitories – one built in the 1960s and the other built earlier, as well as another building that housed the nuns when I went there and contained the chapel. There were also old homes that some nuns lived in and one was used for the admissions office. In the basement was The Hobbit Hole, the college bar. The only official place to drink in Woodstock because it was a dry town!
I loved it from the moment I saw it. I loved walking everyday to meals and to classes along the paths, sitting out in front of the student center after a meal, or waiting for one, riding my bike to Roseland Lake, taking the school’s bus to Putnam on Fridays to pick up supplies from K-Mart, ordering pizza nearly every night (and gaining that “Freshman 15”), and just reveling in the beauty of the countryside.
Sadly, in the spring of my 2nd (and last) year at Annhurst, it was announced that it would be closing at the end of the academic year. all underclassmen were given help to find somewhere to go at that late notice and alumni were left without “a home”. It really left a hole in the hearts of everyone.
Nancy (me) Annhurst College Graduation May 1980Views of Annhurst College present day (2023)
Thankfully about 10 years ago, an alumni association was started up and there is an annual reunion held at the campus which is now part of Woodstock Academy (a private school).
My husband and I occasionally ride out to Woodstock on the motorcycle and he drives down Route 169 so I can have my bit of nostalgia.
*A common conversation after graduation:
ME: I go to Annhurst college. THEM: Oh! Amherst in Massachusetts wow! ME: No, ANNhurst college in Woodstock. THEM: Woodstock NY! Oh wow! ME: NO ANNhurst College in Woodstock CT. It closed the year I graduated. THEM: Oh! Never heard of it.
Tell me in the comments if you’ve ever heard of it!
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
For various reasons, I’m pretty tightly wound. But lately, I feel the corkscrew loosening as my job duties at our business change.
For me, playtime is doing those things I enjoy – playing the piano, reading, working in my She Shed organizing pictures and writing, and even working on the jigsaw puzzle while watching television. It is hiking with my husband or even when I go out on my own.
Playtime is anything not related to business and household chores!
While in California to visit friends and family, my husband and I spent two nights in Morro Bay with a day a Hearst Castle.
Our son told us about a hotel he and his wife stayed at – The Landing at Morro Bay – so we stayed there. It was awesome! It was a motor inn of the 60s and we had a second floor room with a view, cathedral ceiling, and king size bed. There was also plenty of room to put clothes away, as well as a microwave and mini-fridge.
The view from our room
Once we got there and unpacked, we headed into the cute little town where there was a street fair going on. Not knowing what we were going to see elsewhere, we were hesitant to spend money but I did but a necklace of abalone shell and a pearl. Then we headed out to the wharf for food and shopping. We were starved so we found someplace right away – Blue Sky Bistro on the Bay – which of course had a view of the Rock!
You cannot get away from the Rock
We found a great place for breakfast both days – Carla’s Country Kitchen. While we were there, I noticed a framed basketball jersey with the #1 and Wixom on the back. I thought it was someone from Morro Bay who made it big in the WNBA or NBA. Nope, it’s Carla Wixom, the owner of Carla’s Country Kitchen. She was elected mayor of Morro Bay in November of 2022!
We spent Sunday at Hearst Castle (post for another day) which was incredible. After we were done there, we headed back to the wharf and the Blue Sky Bistro for appetizers and then a restaurant that “sounded good” but we both wished we’d stayed and had dinner at the bistro.
Another day and the rock is still rockin’ 😂
Before we headed out on Monday morning for our 4-1/2 hour ride to Laguna Woods, we drove over to the park to walk around and get a closer view of the rock. Here’s what we found out – “Morro” is Spanish for domed rock, or turban. Explorer Juan Carrillo gave it its name in 1542. Of course, prior to his arrival, the area was the home of California Indians for thousands of years. But what is it? The rock is one of a chain of volcanic plugs. 26 MILLION years ago, there was a volcano there and the rock was a plug. In the millions of years past, the volcano eroded away and left the harder rock of the plug. There is a chain of 4-5 of them from Morro Bay down to San Luis Obispo.
It has a break wall on one side of its and then across the back on the other side. I don’t know how else to describe it!
Clock wise: Side break wall, the rock, cairns on way to back break wall, back break wall, ancient cactus(!). We were confused by the hideous power plant (looking back at Morro Bay from the rock). Selfie at the rock, route for the rest of the day.
It was hard to leave the rock once we got out there, watching the waves hit the wall and seeing boats come in and out. There were a few otters in the water, playing around in the bay that we watched for a little while. Definitely peaceful! But it was time to check out and head on down to Laguna Woods! Maybe we’ll get back there in one of the years to come.
Thoughts From The Passenger Seat 