Good Thoughts – Be Amazed

Good Thoughts

Good Thoughts © 2012 Bo Mackison

It’s amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions. ~ Charles F. Kettering

Driving along one of the country roads in Door County, in the rain and fog, I saw this sign. The “good thoughts” part of the sign is permanent, as is the word “BE.” The word under the “BE” is on a hook and can be changed. On the hook dangled the word “AMAZED.”

What a great reminder. It was a real pick-me-up. We had spent the day dodging raindrops, and were a bit disappointed that we were having a rain out on one of our three days of vacation. But the day – the day was still amazing.  We were still enjoying ourselves and having an amazing time, and the foggy scenery was, well, amazing!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is looking through the many photographs she took on her weekend trip to Door County, and remembering all – with AMAZEMENT!

Anything for a Distraction

Don’t Quit Playing

Thanks to Amuirin at Stop and Wander for the meme nomination. I’ll play along, since I haven’t done anything for the last four days, except clean my house in preparation for the soon-to-be Thanksgiving festivities. And I’m a little desperate for any distraction.

(Here are the rules, in case you’ve been in another galaxy for the last decade and don’t know what a meme is: Players start with 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged should post these rules and then post 7 random facts. Players should tag 7 other people and notify them that they’ve been tagged.)

Hmm. Okay, I can do the random facts part.

1. I’ll start with a Thanksgiving fact. I haven’t hosted Thanksgiving for 30 years. That was the last time I was ever asked to cook the T-day bird. I was a novice in the holiday kitchen then, and left the packet of giblets in the turkey cavity to combine with the undercooked stuffing, and I made the only vegetable casserole I knew how to bake – the (in)famous green bean-mushroom soup-fried onion rings from a can combo. Pathetic.

2. This year I volunteered for the job, figuring everyone had finally forgotten about 1978. They had, and they all accepted the invitation. I know a lot more about cooking for a crowd this time around. A crowd of 16 to be exact. But that doesn’t really matter, because I’m handing chef responsibilities over to my husband.

3. When I was in high school, I marched in a Color Guard. We traveled all over the East and Midwest. When we marched in the Cherry Blossom Parade in DC, we met then President Richard Nixon. (Yeah, he was the prez!) We presented him with a gift – a baseball style cap with the patch of the color guard sewn on it. I did the sewing, and in a moment of anticipated fame, I stuck my personalized card under the patch. Obviously done in the hopes that on a future day I could visit the Presidential Library and admire the cap in person. Obviously, that day will never transpire.

4. I grew up in a four-generation home. Not only did my parents get to tell me what to do, my grandparents and my great-grandmother also got in their two shakes of advice, for whatever it was worth. I was also taught the ways of their worlds. By the time I was 13, I could garden, sew, knit, tat, embroidery, darn a sock, crochet, and pull taffy. I, however, did not learn how to make a Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately. (See # 1 if you’ve already forgotten why.)

5. When I was a student living in Chicago, I went to a Led Zeppelin concert. Our tickets were in the third row from the ceiling in Chicago Stadium. That was the night I discovered I have a moderate degree of acrophobia. That’s fear of heights in plain English.

6. I took four years of Latin in high school. I can decline Latin nouns and verbs with ease, but I cannot speak any language other than English. I have since tried taking other language courses, and my brain has thus far refused to master even basic phrases if not written in Latin or English. I deeply regret this.

7. I’m an introvert and don’t pass on tags.

So, no tagging, though if you want to play, feel free. I break chain letters and refuse to follow recipes, too. But I do make a mean green bean casserole.

Vote Today!

Vote Today!

Red Gym on University of Wisconsin – Madison Campus © 2008 Bo Mackison

I’ve had this photo in my stash since April, just waiting for Election Day. Well, the day is finally here, so go on.

If you haven’t already, vote today.