Funeral Lunch Buffet

Here was the salad section of the funeral lunch serving table today.......nice and colorful. When there's funeral at our church, members get called to bring a salad or vegetable or dessert. The lunch committee prepares whatever main dish the family of deceased requests. Today the family had a friend make smoked pork slices which were served on a bun. Whoa.....they were really smoky and spicy. The guy who made the pork slices was there to serve them, which was different.

About a dozen or so of us church members met yesterday to put up the tables and chairs and set out the silverware, napkins, cups, etc. Then after the lunch, everyone lent a hand to clean everything up again. Sometimes I almost suspect that being a mutual-aid society is the main purpose of our church community.....more so even than worship of God. There is one lady who rarely comes to church services but shows up to help at every funeral lunch......she was there today, helping us in the kitchen.

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Can you spot my dark, forbidding Mississippi Mud Bars?
We lunch servers did not go into the church for the funeral service. There is a speaker system to pipe sounds from the church over to our parish hall kitchen, but it was not working today, so we didn't hear the sermon or music. The next photo shows the sanctuary of our 135-year-old church building.......the Christmas decorations are still up; Christmas ends on Epiphany, January 6.
Here was the view in the cemetery behind the church when I arrived this morning......the grave digger's truck is there and he had probably just put up the blue tent in preparation for the committal service following the funeral. He has a ground heater of some sort to warm up the gravesite for digging. We have a friend who lives up in northern Iowa who still digs graves by hand. He digs with another guy, and a couple years ago they even dug the grave for the other guy's father. It was very meaningful for the son to do that, our friend told us.
Brr......my car's outside temperature gauge read 6 degrees above zero this morning.......I didn't mind a bit not standing out there and shivering at the committal service. One time, I read a newspaper article about an old building in the Waverly cemetery......there was a name for the building but I can't recall what it is......it was for storing the coffins of people who had died in the winter when the ground was too frozen to allow digging of graves. When the weather warmed up, then they would be buried. I wonder what they did out here at rural cemeteries? Does anyone know?
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Obviously, this driveway under the cemetery gate arch is not used in the wintertime! The words are "Evangelical Lutheran Immanuels Gottesader"......presumably, that final word stands for "cemetery". A Google search told me that the German word gottesacker means "God's Acre", so maybe that's what the word is really supposed to be. I did not know that before this. "God's Acre"......that is cool.
Today was enjoyable, working with other church members. We honestly do not do much together other than be present in the same church sanctuary on Sunday mornings. I enjoy watching people.......or maybe not so much watching them, as just picking up on their vibes. Do you know what I mean? I think its one of my favorite pastimes......other than blogging, of course. Alot of people looked just plain worn out today.......winter and the holidays do that to a person, I think. My feet are tired from bustling around all day. We had been told to prepare to serve 300 people, but it turned out to be less than 200. I heard someone say that 500 people had attended the funeral home visitation last night. Wow. A few years ago we had 600 people show up for a funeral here our church......oh, my word......the church and balcony were filled, as was the church basement, and our connected school gym. We had to make dashes to area grocery stores to get more food......it was ridiculous. Never ever would we want to be caught running out of food......we serving ladies have a reputation to uphold, you know.
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"God's Acre".......I really like that.
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Happy New Year's Eve!
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Cows Plan Party

"Psst......Hey, Freckles, do ya know what tomorrow is?"

"Sure do.......its Moo Year's Eve......and, that means PARTY-TIME!"

"Righto.......and, it also means some party planning needs to be done.....pronto!"

"Eh? Perk up your ears.......listen up, all you bovine barnyard-babes.......gather 'round for a party planning session."

"Hey, Freckles, you still got that yummy and easy-as-pie Corn Dip recipe? The one you don't have to cook or anything, seeing as we don't have a stove or oven at our disposal."

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"Sure do.......here it is: 1 cup MOOyonaise; 1 cup sour cream (hooray.....a dairy product!); 1 bunch onions, chopped; 1/4 to 1/2 jar jalepenos, chopped; 3 cans Mexicorn (regular white corn works, too); 2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese (yum!). Serve cold with tortilla chips and/or veggies. Expect compliMOOnts.......even from humans!"

"Hey, gals......I may be only a young heifer, but I can bring frosted cookies! Seeing as I'm covered with frost already, anyway!"
"Blecch!.......We don't care for sweets, honey! Go back to your recipe box and look for Hay Balls, Oat Bunches, Soybean Crunchies, or Silage Cakes. Your tastes in snacking must mature a bit before you can participate in cow parties."

"Jewel says that her friend in the middle there---GIN---says she will bring......you guessed it......Gin! Or, schnapps, or light corn beer, or any flavor of MOOnaschewitz wine! Just let her know......she's got connections for acquiring such beverages.......a cow acquaintance with fake human ID! We would nominate a designated driver, but seein' as we ain't allowed to drive in the first place, it ain't necessary."

"Dancer says she'll bring CD's to listen to......and dance to, too! What bands and singers do you like? MOOnheim Steamroller? MOOlli Vanilli? Dean MOOrtin? Chicago??......Who's that?? The artist formerly known as 'Princess MOO'? John MOOyer? MOOnhattan Transfer? Haulin' OATs......you betcha! The MOOdy Blues? The Fifth DiMOOnsion? The MOObie Brothers? Fleetwood MOOck? Don't you dare forget Glenn MOOller and his band playing 'In the MOOd'......we gotta have THAT on MOO Year's Eve!"

"Hey......lend an ear to me......me Carly, that is. This here cow standing next to me goes by the name of Equinox. We can't invite her to a party this time of year, can we? She's totally out-of-season, seein' as we just had the winter solstice. Where is Solstice, by the way? Be sure to invite HER."

"Take that, why don't ya....ya, COWS........eat some snow!! I, Equinox, had no control over the name I was given in calf-hood. Sheesh. Get over yourselves. Some of you are named Boob, Pickle, Juggle, Fizz, Q, Sassy, and Fanny........and you have the nerve to pick on MY rather scientific name of Equinox!?"

"OK, Equinox......point well taken. You are welcome to attend the MOO Year's Eve party, too. You bring the games........how 'bout some old classics like MOOnopoly, COWlue, Don't Spill the Beans, Tip the Cow (yes, there is such a game), Dairyopoly (yes, it exists, too), and Silo Chutes & Ladders. Twister might be fun, too."

"The party's gonna be a blast! Wish you blog readers could be here with us, frolicking in the dairy barn, after Jeannelle and that Husband guy get out of our way! Whoo-ee!! Bring on the fun! And, hey, let's invite the Brown Swiss bulls from down the road.......their hide may be the wrong color, but, heck.....who cares on MOO Year's Eve! Whoo-ee!!"
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"Oh, yeah.....by the way......we COWS hope YOU will plan ahead to have an enjoyable and safe Moo/New Year's Eve, too!!"

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Insane Over Ice

Yeah, I went insane over ice earlier this morning......snapping pictures right and left around the farm until my camera began to whine and groan with cold. The photo session was timely......shortly after, the wind picked up considerably and the ice coatings disintegrated.

Every little twig, leaf, stone, and stem was stopped in its tracks by a coating of clear-as-glass ice. The glassy look is marred here and there by a dusting of snow.

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A glance at the Feedjit list tells me that lots of people are searching today for information about Coleman Larson of Callender, Iowa, the just-turned-5-year-old boy in a serious battle with brain cancer. That should also mean that many people are praying for Coleman and his family. If anyone discovers any up-to-date information about the situation, please include a link to that in a comment. Thank you.

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Icy in Black & White

Yesterday afternoon, our two married kids and spouses (and Izzy-Dog) left for home, College Daughter left to go shopping.......Husband and Younger Son were snoozing in front of the TV. Breathing a sigh of relief at the sudden peace and quiet, I prepared to settle in comfortably to read more about Dewey the famous library cat of Spencer, Iowa. Within a few minutes, two of the kids phoned to say, "Mom......the ice all over everything looks really cool.......you'd better take a drive and snap some pictures." Sheesh......there is just no rest for the wicked!

Tree branches and ditch weed stems glittered brilliantly in the frigid sunshine. Too bad I can't seem to capture the sparkles very well with the camera. I toured around a few square-mile sections adjacent to the one we live in; it was slow-going as the gravel roads were glare ice underneath a loose layer of snow. Thank goodness the paved roads are now clear and dry for holiday travellers. There was little traffic on the gravel roads, of course. Only an idiot like me and a few pickups crawling along full of orange-garbed pheasant hunters scanning the ditches. Hey......I was hunting, too......hunting for scenes to photograph!
These sparrows weren't wearing ice coats, but they were eye-catching, regardless, perched atop an evergreen tree.

Editing this next photo to black and white brings out the shadowy rays cutting across Crane Creek. I don't pretend to know anything about photography, because I truly don't know anything beyond point the camera and press the button. Maybe someday I'll take a class.

Br-r-r! These photos reflect the fact that it was very cold yesterday! I was frozen and shivering---almost to the point of teeth chattering---by the time I got home........hot cocoa was the first order of business at that point!
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[Hey, let me know if you don't like the embedded comment box. I can easily go back to using the pop-up box. I'm curious to know which one people like better.]

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Ice of the Morning

Yesterday's rain + Last night's snow =

If you click to enlarge this next photo, maybe you will see the ice sparkling in the morning sun:

A happy fellow for sure:

One of the farm's more aesthetically-pleasing sights.......the manure auger:

A weed decked out in an ice coat:

Another sight on the farm.......but, hey, I'll bet most of you have one or more of these around your home, too. Do you know what it is?

Can you find the hidden Izzy-Dog in this final photo?

Holiday in Rome

Usually, I post stained-glass church window photos on Sundays, along with a religious theme, but I'm fresh out of such photos, and though I probably could conjure up something to write on the subject of religion, I'm instead choosing to chatter about a favorite movie, Roman Holiday. It takes place in Rome---obviously---a city closely tied to the historic Christian Church.......that will have to suffice for a religious theme today!

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Roman Holiday features Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert. While shopping for Christmas gifts last week, I sneaked one into the cart for myself......the new restored DVD version of this 1953 movie. Daughter and I watched in on Friday afternoon, along with some of the extra features included on an accompanying DVD: a bio of Audrey Hepburn and highlights from her film career. Did you know her mother was a Dutch baroness? Audrey was born in Belgium and grew up in Holland during the difficulties and deprivation of the Nazi occupation there during World War II.

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Here's more info about Roman Holiday (from a booklet included with the DVD): The film received 10 Academy Award nominations and won three.....for Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn), Best Story, and Costumes (Edith Head). In 1999, "Roman Holiday" was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.' Eventually, the Academy sought to correct some of the injustices they had made during the Communist witch-hunt; although Dalton Trumbo had died in 1976, his widow was finally presented with an Oscar in 1993.....for the "Roman Holiday" story.

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Roman Holiday was one of the first movies to be filmed on location.......in this case, the setting being Rome, of course. For me, the film is a fascinating travelogue of that ancient city.

Aha.......here's one of my favorite scenes........Ann and Joe Bradley encountering

Brocca Della Verita, "The Mouth of Truth".

Supposedly, Audrey Hepburn's reaction to Gregory Peck "losing" his hand is authentic and unrehearsed......Peck had planned ahead of time to play this trick on Hepburn during the shooting of this scene at "The Mouth of Truth" in Rome.

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Hey, during this holiday season, why don't you consider taking in a Roman Holiday, too!

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Scenes of Today

Lots of family togetherness continues here today........icy road conditions are prompting my daughter and her husband and dog Izzy to stay over an extra day, which is fine with me. They monitored road conditions all morning on the

Iowa DOT website, and have now decided to stay put.

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Mugs, mugs......I love holiday mugs. Did you know the Longaberger Basket Company also sells mugs? Or, at least they once did. The three shorter mugs say "Longaberger Pottery Co." on the bottom; they were given to us by an acquaintance who is a Longaberger dealer. Her kids hitched rides with us to piano lessons once a week for several years, and she kindly gave the mugs to us in appreciation. How fortunate for me......I love these mugs as they are nice and heavy. Coffee and cocoa even tastes better in them, I'm convinced!

Heehee........I faked everyone out this noon.......the chicken enchilada casserole shown next came off the Schwan's truck; I added extra cheese on top to give it that homemade look! Its very yummy with salsa and sour cream......and, SO easy! I've decided EASY is the way to cook when you have guests around the house for several days in a row. Thank goodness I stocked up on LOTS of easy food before the holiday grazing season began.

Oops......this next photo loaded sideways. Its just my silverware drawer, but I'm showing it because I'm so happy that it is situated in a spot that everyone files by right after filling their plates at the nearby kitchen island. That way, I don't have to set out the silverware when food is served buffet-style, which is the mode we've been using the last few days. When we remodeled a few years ago, a totally redesigned kitchen was included. I---totally inexperienced in such matters---had to plan the layout. Yikes! I was excited and scared at the same time. My step-dad drew out the empty room and I made little cardboard cupboard templates which I would arrange and rearrange like puzzle pieces, trying to come up with a workable kitchen design. We bought Omega Custom cabinets---made right in Waterloo, Iowa---and I had a cabinet catalog to work with, but, good gracious......there were so many choices, it almost drove me crazy. Though, certainly I was grateful to be getting a new kitchen, the endless array of decisions to make was very stressful. I don't recall the name of our cabinet style, but they are Oak, in the Nutmeg finish. Choosing the wood finish put me into a panic......I thought, "What if we don't like them once they get here?!" But, not to worry.....once the cabinets were put in place, we all were very pleased.

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OK........enough of that kitchen cabinet digressing........here's some of the goings-on around this house today.......Rummy Royal:
Wii Guitar Hero.......


Friendly (perhaps) tension between Mookie and Izzy:

Even tension gets old after awhile, though. One must put it aside and rest eventually, as Izzy demonstrates in this final photo:

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Stay warm and safe and well wherever you are today!

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Twelve Days

These fanciful depictions of The Twelve Days of Christmas came from

this WebShots site.

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Have you ever wondered about the significance of the various verses in the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"? Click here to read a fascinating article on Snopes.com.

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Hm-m, I'm at a loss to know what to blog about now that the pre-holiday madness has come to a screeching halt in this household......KA-BOOM.....CRASH.......colliding with the between-Christmas-and-New Year's malaise.

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Last night when I clicked "publish" there was a blurb from Blogger about ways to help your blog load faster. You can go to this "Stopwatch" site and paste in your URL to find out how long it takes your blog to load. The article mentioned that having nonBlogger.com gadgets and widgets that run on HTML/JavaScript make blogs load slower; the advice was to put these types of things near the bottom of your blog page or sidebar, or get rid of them. You probably know about this already.......see, I'm grasping at straws to figure out what to blog about today........tomorrow.......and, the next day........

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Please, inform me if my blog loads annoyingly slow for you, and, be honest! I can take it.......what I can't take is people being dishonest with me. My blog page comes up fairly speedily on my own computer, but I do have a supposedly fast DSL internet connection.

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Most likely, I will not make the trip to Toeterville today; as I write this on Friday, the forecast for Saturday (today) is freezing rain turning to snow. Yuck! Enjoy your day!

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[P.S. - The weather is gray and not fit for travel. My daughter and son-in-law and their big yellow Lab, Izzy, will probably stay for another day. In between fixing food, refereeing encounters between Izzy and the cats, washing mugs, and socializing with the kids, I sneak into the computer room to surf my blog list and will mention a few here:

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Kate of Chronicles of a Country Girl celebrated her 1-year blog anniversary yesterday and is doing a giveway of one of her beautiful photos......go leave a comment to be in the drawing.

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Gail of At the Farm has a really cute post which aptly describes the blogging addiction. I can wholeheartedly identify with it!

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Ruth of Ruth's Visions and Revisions offers an excellent review of a movie I'd not heard of before, and might never have if not for Ruth's post.

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Blogger rhymeswithplague is a very good writer, and his posts always exhibit that gift.

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Laura of Silence is Broken is a blogger-extraordinaire.......prolific and always interesting.

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Go visit Deserthen's blog, Gravel Roads & Daiquiris in the Dirt to see some fabulous winter scenes from her area of Nevada.

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Drop in on Nancy at SewManyDays blog from Minnesota........let's surprise her with lots of comments today!

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If you have time for some seriously good travelogue reading, check out Reamus' blog.

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Judy lives on a dairy farm in British Columbia and is gifted in creating beautiful posts on her blog, My Front Porch.

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Rose at Pics & Pieces had a cat-dilemma tale to tell.]

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