Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff - Quick, Post!

The Mama leaves tomorrow, which meant that we stuffed as much as possible into the past few days. Our regular duties got done -- but we also went out a few times for my birthday, and headed up into the mountains to look at fall colors. (Mostly yellow - but a heart-lifting, inspiring shade that makes you feel good all over. Don't feel sorry for us.)
      This weekend hasn't gone the way I planned...but that's life, isn't it!

Meanwhile, here's the latest batch of Stuff from Internetland: 

Have you decorated for fall? Maureen at It's All Connected has done a nice job on her front door. She has chickens, too -- the straw bale was an easy fix!


How Volunteering Pays Off, courtesy of Five Cent Nickel. She's right -- volunteering can get you discounts and free tickets, as well as the knowledge that you've helped a cause you care about. Good idea.

Ken Ilgunas is planning on walking 2,000 miles through Canada. Starting now. Nutso...but I plan to follow him, to see how he's doing. (Great, so far, in spite of a broken toe and blisters.)
 

Bond fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach came home from a business trip, to find his Santa Monica home's walls stripped -- an estimated $10 million of paintings and other art are gone. If you have information on the burglary, he's offering a $200,000 reward.

Copyright law: what's protected, what isn't?  A helpful quickie guide to the subject.

What do large families find most helpful in Christmas presents? Here's a bunch, thanks to Raising Olives of the 4 Moms group.  (Be sure to use the links to the other 3 moms, too.) Many of the mentions here are outstanding for smaller-family kids, too...and unusual. I hadn't even heard of a number of these.


In keeping with the collegiate rose trend I mentioned last week, FTD's come out with a whole new line of multi-colored roses, including the  Gemstone Alluring Hues bouquet

And their 'Time to Celebrate Rainbow' rose bouquet

Wow...but I just have one question.
     What will the Language of Flowers people do, as far as interpreting via color??

And to end this week's parade, a story from my friend Jerry:

After 35 years of marriage, a husband and wife came for counseling. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the years they had been married. On and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of un-met needs she had endured.
Finally, after allowing this for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and after asking the wife to stand, he embraced and kissed her long and passionately as her husband watched - with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze. The therapist turned to the husband and said, "This is what your wife needs at least 3 times a week. Can you do this?"

"Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I play golf."