sad, but true

(totally random picture)

you are not forgotten, my blog. just neglected : /

will return to you very soon!

thank you avid sportsfans

Thank you for wearing your team pride on your sleeve... literally. The unwavering support of your home teams displayed via clothing, help me to find fellow "foreigners" like myself in a sea of Pittsburgh, Penn State, Ohio State, etc. fans. So Arkansas Razorback lady and Texas A & M guy, I salute your team pride... even if your team choice is questionable ; ) 'Cuz it affords me the opportunity to commune with folks that have somehow relocated from my old neck of the woods to Indiana, PA. Isn't it interesting that I would have likely made little to no effort to talk with you if I were still in Arkansas or Oklahoma? But oddly moving 1200 miles away makes us seem more like long lost family than team rivals.

And being a proud OU fan is a little sweeter this week as our beloved Sooners currently rank #1 on the BCS poll. Stick that where the sun don't shine you Big 10 people ; )

Got Jumps?

We spent our Sunday morning putting together Evan's new trampoline. We promised him a new trampoline when we left his other trampoline behind in Arkansas.

who knew crossing the road could be this much fun?

The man-child had a day off from school today. He helped me move our extra twin mattress up to the attic under the Northern set of windows. We plopped down on it and Evan wanted to take turns telling jokes. The only kind he tells are knock-knock jokes or why did something cross the road jokes. We must have told silly made-up jokes for an hour. Here are some of the road jokes that we could remember and were able to write down later.

Why did the nut cross the road? Because it was a nut.

Why did the squirrel cross the road? Because it was nuts too.

Why did the bridge cross the road? It was built that way.

Why did Evan cross the road? He better not have!

Why did the grass cross the road? It was greener on the other side.

Why did the egg cross the road? It was scrambled.

Why did OU cross the road? To beat Texas.

Why did Texas cross the road? To get beat by OU.

Why did the sun cross the road? Because of the Earth's rotation.

Why did the car cross the road? The light turned green.

Why did the cow cross the road? It was mooooved.

Why did the ice cross the road? It didn't. It melted.

Why did the horse cross the road? It didn't. You can take a horse to the road, but you can't make it cross.

Why did the music cross the road? Because sound travels.

Why did the band-aid cross the road? It needed first aid.

Fall in New England

The leaves they are a changin'...

view from our North side attic windows this morning

We are just starting to see the fall colors spreading across the hill. I wonder if the color change is a longer process up North. Maybe it develops slowly and last longer so we can savor it : )

view as we walked up to Evan's soccer field early this morning

***

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Homecoming parade

After Evan's victorious soccer game we rushed downtown to claim a spot to view the parade. The parade theme this year was cartoons. Evan was excited to see a Spongebob Squarepants float.

*big side note: Evan scored 3 of his team's 5 goals in their 5 to 1 win. He played great offense and defense. And he took the ball to the goal to make his shots and didn't rely on 'The Boot' for any of his goals. He made one sliding goal that was textbook and needs to be on his highlight reel... if he had one. I was proud that he displayed his multidimensional awesomeness. Who knows... he could be saving up his moves and dosing them out a little at a time so as not to show his entire arsenal of skills all at once : )

IUP marching band

more floats

post parade

Evan doing tricks with a Frisbee he got from one of the floats. The little girl looking on is Lilly E. She is in kindergarten and lives about a block from us.

We went to a friends house for post parade mimosas. Locals seems to have lots of traditions established for homecoming weekend.

This is a picture of me standing on the 1st floor looking straight up at the kids on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The other face is Lilly M. - also a schoolmate and neighborhood friend of Evan's.

My Ever Expanding Wish List

Empty Artful Frames I would like a cluster of these on one of the walls in the den.

***

A Homestead Photograph I want to find a photo of our house from way back in the olden days. I envision framing it and hanging it in a prominent location. I would imagine this will mean a little researching on my part i.e. a trip to the local historical society. Our neighbor across from us has lived there since 1976. She knew several generations of the family who owned this house before us. She is a wonderful source of information. Most everyone in town knows this house simply as the Armstrong house. But our neighbor Sue is a fountain of info and said it was another branch of the family that built the house in 20s. They were the Wrens or Rhens (not sure of spelling). They owned the local bakery. Sue is in her 70s and has a warm spirit. I believe she is a 'people reader'. She is a self-described "non-traditionalist". I thought that was an interesting description that fits me well too I guess.

Oh, and while Evan & I were hanging out in the attic tonight we discovered that the attic ceiling is wood planks just like hardwood flooring that has been covered over with some kind of plaster and painted. I told Evan old houses have lots of little secrets to be uncovered.

Happy Anniversary, Blog!

Bad blogger!

I knew my blog's anniversary was almost here, but I got preoccupied and forgot to celebrate it. So Happy Belated Blogoversary to me! I never seem to tire of going To The Moon and Back.

3 years go by so fast!

around these here parts...

...there is never a shortage of fabulous old barns. "my welcome barn"

This white barn greets me often as I enter our new town. It sits off of a four lane highway near an intersection. It isn't easy to stop and leisurely snap photos. This was the best shot I could get today without hopping a guard rail and a barbed wire fence. And knowing my luck I would have gotten a ticket for parking where I did had a fuzz come by while I trespassed through the field. The risks I take for my craft ; ) The other day I heard on the radio that one of the oldest barns in the county had burned down. I was concerned for my old white barn. I kept asking Markas if it was still there since he passes it to and from work. He said he hadn't noticed it... so he wasn't any help. It was a relief to find it still welcoming folks to the area.

...coal is king.

This power plant stands tall and ominous over the area. It sent chills through me the first time I saw it. It has an unpleasant presence to me. Notice the high school below it. The power plant is only a handful of miles away in a neighboring town. It is located very close to Markas' office. The train that passes by our house travels to and from this power plant. The train passes by once overflowing with coal (We find plenty of stray black chunks on the edge of our yard to Evan's delight.) and then a few hours later passes again with empty cars. We are already able to distinguish it's load status by the sounds and how it vibrates the house.

check out my stuff

I stopped into a variety store today. Mostly junk, but I found a few items that were priced right for me.

(not pictured: a snow shovel)

$5 doublesided dart board

$10 old school chair

Haven't decided if I will paint this or leave it as is. I thought it would make a nice place to sit on the porch with a drink or snack.
***

Also had a happy mail day.

my witch sign arrived today

(from The Homespun Raven shop at etsy.com)

quick pics

Several photos I took today while doing errands.

My poor camera is feeling a little neglected so I promised it I would try to take it out more ; )

All of these buildings are within a couple of blocks of each other.

neat old houses

"cheap drinks & lousy food"

refreshing honesty...???

English pub

Markas has been wanting to check this place out. See if they serve old fashion bangers & mash.

costume shop