Did you grow up in North Dakota, Minnesota, or even Wisconsin? If so, you have to have bits and pieces of Garrison Keilor in your head. I just read Pontoon and found it to be not only entertaining but reminiscent of my youth in Minnesota and North Dakota. Sorry Montana, you weren't even close when it came to stoic Lutherans, Norwegians or even the Irish Catholics who took on the persona of the culture.
How does Keilor know my mother spent a great deal of time feeding sunflower seeds to the birds? How did he learn the off-beat sense of humor we all grew up with? And how did he know Aunt Alice had a tire in her front yard filled with Petunias and Pansies accompanied by two plywood cutouts of fat folks bending over? Thank goodness he has learned to write it down so none of us forget our upbringing and what motivated us to Fly!! Just a few quotes...
“Life is so dear, dear heart, Live it with Gallantry.”
“Life is unjust and this is what makes it so beautiful. Every day is a gift. Be brave and take hold of it.”

“Don’t sink boy. Fly. That’s an old lady’s advice. Fly.
How many of us flew and left the north country for warmer climes but feel a real loss when we think of the culture?
Of course there are those who stayed and continue the ways of the stoic Lutheran. They are the ones who believe everything they read and only read what is dismal and depressing. For them , my recommendation is read Pontoon and skip snoopes for today. Become enlightened and laugh for that is what makes life worthwhile.
Be sure to visit Chahinkapa.com for fun and fancy gifts from Florida. Also read all the blogs and don't forget destinationsinflorida.com if you want to get away from it all and spend some fantasy time at Disney. I wonder if Disney has every considered a Keilor section for Epcot...right near the Norwegian center. Just a thought for the day.

This was sent to me in email and with just a little editing...it sure applies to how I grew up.
You could hardly see for all the snow, Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go. Pull a chair up to the TV set, 'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'
My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning. My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I never ate it raw..but my cousins did and they all seem all right. Well mostly.
Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli. Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then. Well some of us like the pool and became pool rats who lived at the pool. That didn't prevent us from those week-end trips to Fergus Falls where we invaded the Lakes...or a real adventure to Ottertail.
The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system. We all took gym, not PE .. and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors.
I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now. Flunking gym was not an option . even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.
Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention. We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.
I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself. I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations. Oh yeah ... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!
We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel in Cuff's Cement Lot and anything left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.
We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.
I recall Hog Helgeson from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck. To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that? We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive? LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T; SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING.

Working from home this week. Put in more hours at home than when I am on the road. Working on training documents for PeopleSoft 9.0. Down to St. Augustine today to purchase some shells for the eclectic_doodahs store on ebay. WOrking on learning more about googles webmaster tools at night and trying to get caught up on the web building project I have been working on.

Ok, I am into the second week in LA and thought the weather is ok…not great…but ok and I am in downtown LA, I would rather be home in Florida with two grandchildren. I am doing a PeopleSoft ELM fit gap for the Metropolitan Water District and enjoying the project and great people. I work right behind the Union Station which brings back many childhood memories as this is one of the stations we used to come into when we traveled to California with Mom and Dad. Right across the street is Olvera Street which seemed much bigger when I was much smaller. The candle maker is not longer there but I did find some fun Mexican gifts for the grandkids. ]
I have done a lot of walking and made it to mass at Our Lady of the Angels yesterday. To get there I walked past Bank of America building where they were filming a movie or tv something. Also past the new Disney Center which is incredible architecture.
I also walk to the metro station each morning and home every night. Only about four long blocks from the Westin Bonaventure where I am staying to the Metro Station.
I was sent an absolutely great site about Penny Postcards and have had a great time looking the old picitures. If interested, take a look at http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html
I have not been able to do much with my ebay store and have relied on Tim to take care of orders. Next week will be a big one to go out and find new inventory. Don’t forget to take a look at http://wwdestinationsinflorida.com for your travel requirements, mouse books and more store on ebay for great Disney gifts and of course my blogs at http://wwwChahinkapa. com/blog and http://sanborns.blogspot.com/ Next week you can go to my ebay store eclectic_doodahs.com for updates to inventory.

OK for those of you who read my Google Blog..I'll try to do better at keeping up. I am currently in Los Angeles for two weeks working on a PeopleSoft ELM implementation. It is beautiful here but definately changed since the last time I was in LA. The weather is gorgeous and I have a great view of the mountains from my room. Dad would love that I am only two miles from Union Station...a place where we spent many happy times either arriving in or leaving LA. Tim and Allison brought Kelly and Hunter to Disneyland for the week-end. I wasn't able to meet them there but I know they had a great time. They won a stay in the Disneyland Suite and the kids had a great time. Brought back memories of Ann and I at Disneyland. She still isn't excited when she sees the teacup ride...hmmm I wonder why. I talked with Ann and she said she thought the tickets were about 18$ when we went to Disney. Signs of the times.
Must run, my consulting partner is picking me up in the lobby of the Westin at 9 a.m. I am still on Eastern Time so will probably fade around 5 pm today. ACCHHHH.
Don't forget to check out our eBay sites at Eclectic_Doodahs store or Magical Mouse Books and More.
I am off to experience LA and it's wonders of the metro.

I title my blog survivor because I have survived many difficult times. I've conquered cancer, rid myself of an abusive husband, raised two boys, traveled as a consultant for the last 12 years, overcome financial diasters and all the pains of watching growing children make good and bad choices. And so I continue to survive, travel, learn and enjoy the adventure called life. Last night the adventure included firetrucks at the front of the hotel and a deluge of water falling through the ceiling of the fitness center...which incidently was located directly across from my room. The sirens were blaring, the fire alert lights were flashing and people were running frantically about to see if they could get the water turned off. Finally, a brave fireman in hat, boots, jacket and gloves proceeded up the ladder to find the turn off valve to stop the flow of water into the exercise area. Then the clean up began so it was a night of vacuums and suction devices getting water up off the floor. I felt so sorry for the hotel staff as they just really didn't know what to do so I was happy to see the arrival of the firemen. And for me, I am working today, a bit more tired than usual, but happy the water pipe above my room didn't burst. There is always something to be grateful for and always an adventure when you are a traveling consultant.

This just is not the place to be...Detroit in the winter...ACCHHHH. This is my last week in the cold for awhile. Well, next week I go to Teaneck, NJ but plan to be inside most of the time since it is for training for PeopleSoft ELM. Week-end plans are to celebrate my grandson's birthday at Disney World, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and any other park we can get to in the time allowed. I love Animal Kingdom and staying at the lodge is incredible. Nothing like waking up in the morning and looking out the patio door to see the giraffes walking by the opening. My grandson is four years old on the 24th of January. The last four years have gone by at breakneck speed so spending as much time with him having fun is critical. First thing you know he will be in school, have new friends and drift away from Grammy"me". It all goes too fast. Want to enjoy time with your children or grandchildren...take them to Disney and get back to the love of fantasy.

Back in Detroit and back to work. The weather is mild and no snow. It was raining and foggy when we landed last night and the rain eliminated all the snow. It was hard to come back after a few weeks in Florida. Disney World for one day, Epcot for one day and exhaustion the third day. Tom, Brenna and Nora were home from indianapolis and Tim, Allison, Kelly and Hunter went to the parks so it was a wonderful family event.

Ho Hum and HO HO HO...it is getting closer to Christmas. I was the face painter at MouseFest this year and had a great time. I met lots of fun people from Minnesota, California and other parts of the country. I sat next to the Destinationsinflorida.com travel group and really enjoyed talking with them. They certainly know the travel business and are very well versed in Disney and Universal activities and packages. If you are planning travel or a cruise, this is the website I would visit.
I wore my Gold Sequined Mickey Ears and had everyone asking where they could get some like them. They are designed for Mickey's 50 but would make a great statement for New Year's eve.
Get them at:
http://stores.ebay.com/Eclectic-doodahs
or
http://stores.ebay.com/Magical-Mouse-Books-and-More

Wow, what a day, snowing in Detroit and I am anxious to get home. This weke-end is Mousefest at Disney. If you haven't been there and are a Disney Fan, you should plan to go. It is held each year and is a fun time for died in the wool Disney fans. And if you like Disney you will love the eBay store at: http://stores.ebay.com/Magical-Mouse-Books-and-More Great fun collectibles, some great Christmas presents for the younguns and guides to Disney. Couldn't ask for more.
It sure beat the snow in Detroit...it is definately boot weather...also hats, coats, scarves and any other item to maintain warmth.
I found this great poem online today and since it is written by anonymous, thought I would share it....
The Train of LifeBy Anonymous Some folks ride the train of life Looking out the rear, Watching miles of life roll by, And marking every year. They sit in sad remembrance, Of wasted days gone by,And curse their life for what it was, And hang their head and cry. But I don't concern myself with that, I took a different vent, I look forward to what life holds, And not what has been spent. So strap me to the engine, As securely as I can be, I want to be out in the front, To see what I can see. I want to feel the winds of change, Blowing in my face, I want to see what life unfolds, As I move from place to place. I want to see what's coming up, Not looking at the past, Life's too short for yesterdays, It moves along too fast. So if the ride gets bumpy, While you are looking back, Go up front, and you may find, Your life has jumped the track. It's all right to remember, That's part of history, But up front's where it's happening, There's so much mystery. The enjoyment of living, Is not where we have been, It's looking ever forward, To another year and ten. It's searching all the byways, Never should you refrain, For if you want to live your life, You've gotta drive the train. All Aboard Everybody...
My Dad would have loved this poem, an old railroad man..he knew how to drive the train.

OK, it is grey and dismal in Detroit but that is not a reason to be down. I found two great sites on ebay today. One sells Disney Stuff and the other has great outdoor items. Right now the outdoor items would be great in Michigan during the hunting season. The other site has guides to Disney and Universal and this is a great time of the year to visit the Orlando Parks. It is cooler so even if the lines are long, they are not unbearable and you know how quickly Disney moves us through the lines. What are the stores you are asking? http://stores.ebay.com/Gator-Outdoor-and-Travel and http://stores.ebay.com/Disney-and-Orlando-Vacations

If you are just looking for "fun Stuff" take a quick visit to my new ebay store at the http://stores.ebay.com/Eclectic doodah . Only a few items right now but it is going to have lots of fun unique items just for you.

So what keeps you motivated on down days like these? I try to visit all the travel sites and look for better weather.

Snow arrived today and I am on my way back to Florida. I enjoy looking at the large flakes of snow from inside the building...but am not wild about the cold wind. The leaves are almost gone from the trees and that makes for a pretty depressing environment. I see it in the workplace as employees seem to get more and more depressed. Must be time for an adventure to Florida. Go to find some tickets to the parks and take a trip to look at the holiday parades and decorations. This is a great time for a visit...beaches aren't crowded(no one from Florida ventures out when it gets Cold). Go to http://www.orlandotickets.storesecured.com to get your tickets before going to the park. If you want a great vacation package visit my favorite travel agency at http://www.destinationsinflorida.com. If you can visit us...keep us in your dreams

The holidaze are upon us and it is time to go to the Disney and Universal Parks in Orlando. This time of year the decorations come out and the parks become a fantasy of lights and beauty. Do you need a ticket before you get there..I certainly would recommend it and you can go to http://orlandotickets.storesecured.com to get them ahead of time. Avoid the lines...have fun at the parks. If you plan on staying I can recommend the best travel site out there for packages, lodging, guides, events etc. go to http://www.destinationsinflorida.com You will find the latest and greatest information on what is going on in the parks. WHOO HAH..it's time to get in the Spirit.

Wow, what has happened to the blogspots? I haven't been here for awhile but will get busy. Spent Halloween with the grandkids and had a great time. They both are great Disney/Universal fans but dressed as Lightening McQueen and Alice in Wonderland for the party. I went as the Grand Mummy.....will try to find a picture to attach.