Happy New Year Everyone!!!

New Years @ Bopmyspace.com

I hope the new year finds you and all your loved ones safe and happy.

Love,
Mic

P.S. The post times are off. I am sending this at midnight on the dot here.

Some pictures from Deb I meant to post

Running out of steam

I guess this blog is running out of steam. Everyone is busy, but that's okay. So, I think that contributions will be posted whenever the spirit moves us. I'm kind of burned out with school, so I will take a break from posting myself. Please feel free to post, those of you who have the desire. I will check it regularly. And when I get something good to write about I will. Love you much, Mic.

Christmases remembered

I remember one Christmas morning waking up to open presents and I got a surprise I didn't expect but loved and remember to this day. I can't tell you how many Christmases in a row I go one of those dolls that you were supposed to be able to hold the hand of while it walked next to you. Those things were nearly as tall as I was then. I distinctly remembering this one Christmas (and I don't remember how old I was, although it had to be less than 9 because it was before we moved to Toronto) fully expecting to get yet another one of those dolls. Instead what I received was a bunch of little dolls (about 3 inches tall and with the prettiest hair and tiny clothes) and rooms of doll furniture to go with them. I was never so surprised and overjoyed. I just loved those little dolls, and I wish to this day that I had saved them. I remember many hours spent playing with those adorable dolls. Does anyone else remember my getting those?

Now, it is time for you to share a particular Christmas that you each remember. I cannot wait to hear about them.

Below is a better video of my decorations than the other one I had put on YouTube. Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo

Suzies Homemaker meet the Pillsbury Doughboy

Ha ha ha!

Thanks to the Pillsbury company and its premade dough products, Chantelle and I made some awesome gingerbread dudes. The apartment smells fantastic and all that is lacking is a tall, cold glass of milk. No, these are not the only ones left of the three dozen cookies made. We only decorated about 1/3 of them. We are off to Myrtle (Granny) and John (Grandad) Maddix's home, with dinner and gingerbread dudes in tow.




Here is a photo I took over at John's and Myrtle's. Poor Myrtle, her eyes were bothering her that day, and I think the flash didn't help, so that when the picture was taken she had her eyes closed. It happened in both pictures I took. But I still like the picture, since I have so few of John and Myrtle.

Happy Birthday, Les

Happy Birthday @ Bopmyspace.com

I love how the cat looks similar to Lily and Oreo. Love You!

Goodies from a Good Guy

This is my friend, Jim Moran. Until mid-October we worked in the same workplace, but then he transferred back home to the Western part of the state. He's very talented in the kitchen and at this time of the year he makes gingerbread houses to give to friends. Below is a sample of his creativity. Note the "attire" of the little gingerbread men and the yellow Peeps people. How apropos! He had come up for a visit this past Saturday to attend the same party Kath and I went to. Since he had to go back home that night, he asked that I bring his creation to work for him on Monday. So, I did and by today the candy inside of it was almost completely gone. Note also the nickname on the card in front of it with which he was baptized the first time he brought in baked goods (and continued to do so regularly) to work. Anyway, it is cute and festive and I wanted to share it.




p.s. Where Santa is standing on the awning of the roof is supposed to be a candy cane like the one to his left, but I broke it. Like a bull in a china shop, am I. Sorry, Jim! And I don't know how the NYSP came off the front of the building.

Partaking of Some Christmas Cheer

My friend Kathy and I are going to a party at a co-worker's house. So, Kath took a picture of me in my sparkly red chenille sweater. It turned out nice, so I thought I'd share it. The Father Christmas behind me is one I made. It is a copy of the one Jon and I had for our Christmas tree when we were together, which he wanted to keep. So, I made myself one similar to it. It doesn't fit on my present Christmas tree, so I figured I'd put in on the entertainment center.

I'll be thinking of you when I'm throwin' back the eggnog and rum. Ha ha ha!!

Snowladen cloud cover

glitter-graphics.com

It's been snowing for a couple of hours here, hard at first but more softly now. The clouds have that lightness to them from the light they are reflecting. That always brings to mind the lines "The moon on the crest of the new-fallen snow / Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below". I want to just gaze out my window and watch the snow fall softly everywhere and sip my glass of wine, listening all the while to Christmas carols. The snow makes the ordinary so pretty and pure-looking. Each time the sky is like this on a snowy night it reminds me of living with Mom and Dad at 3 Rue Cardinal, in Dollard des Ormeaux. Remember that little park right across the street from house? On nights like these I would look out my bedroom window late at night, and going in and out of the barely visible trails that edged the little park were cross country skiers. Those were moments of calm and peace I will remember all of my days.

I want to chuck what I am doing and write out Christmas cards. I had contemplated not sending any out this year. I have had a serious case of the Holiday Blues lately, but I think it is because I'm worn out from the semester and my health is still on the mend. But I bought cards to send out today, thinking it would raise my spirit. And it has, somewhat. I think that the snow has helped even more. Being so busy, I forget to slow down and appreciate such things. But one MUST do so, it is good for the soul. How very pretty it is! Maybe I'll go for a walk in it.

"Ovah ya go"

Is it Monty Python that the phrase "over you go" comes from? I don't recall. But it aptly describes a precarious, but hilarious, scene I found myself in yesterday evening.

Earlier in the day I had gone outside to sweep the snow and ice off my very steep back steps and brush off my car from the snow left behind by the previous night's storm. Toward evening, I had to, once again, sweep off the back stairs because my friend Kathy was coming over and I didn't want her to slip on the new snow/ice accumulated on them. So, I bundled myself up and braved the blustery cold.

I began sweeping, starting at my top landing and going down the steps one-by-one. At about the third step down from the top I failed to see some ice that I had overlooked while sweeping, and when my foot fell on that step, out from under me it went. I landed on my back and began to slide. With my coat on and the stairs below me still covered lightly with snow, it was as if I were on a sled on my back. The bristles of the broom got wedged between a step and the outside wall of the building, the handle of which I clung to like a rope, and it stopped my descent briefly. Paused supine momentarily, I tried to roll myself on my right side in order to get up, thinking "Boy that could have been really bad", when I lost my grip of the broom, and continued my descent, picking up speed as I slid the rest of the way on my right side down to the very bottom of the staircase. As I came to a stop, my body flopped back down on its back and I lie there assessing just how much bodily injury I had sustained. "Nothing broken, I think", but boy did I hurt like hell.

The neighbor below me was not home. Kathy was still at work. And, the people that live in the apartment below the one she just recently moved out of (to move back in with her elderly and ailing mother) obviously didn't hear my yell during my descent. So, there I lie, with my body sore and my feelings more so for not having anyone around to see if I was okay. After wiping the tears of self-pity off my face that had quickly frozen there in the cold, I collected my aching bones into an upright position and looked at the stairs. My descent was so rapid that it cleared them entirely of snow. "Well, at least I don't have to sweep them." I promptly crawled back up the stairs and drowned my self-pity in a full glass of Pinot Grigio.

Oooh...today I am oh so sore. But in restrospect it had to be the funniest sight. Too bad I didn't have someone with me to witness the comedy unfolding as it took place. I count my blessings; it could have had a more dire outcome.

In retrospect all I can think about is Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold on the metal sled he coated with some superslick spray and went tearing down hill and across town at Mock I in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. (Ahh what a CLASSIC that movie has become!)

Have a wonderful day, All. Hope this tale brought a chuckle to you. :)



p.s. I thought the little animated, skating Santa was saying Ha Ha Ha after falling, which is why I chose it. But, I think it is Ho Ho Ho. Let's just pretend it is the former. Humor me; I'M the one that fell. ha ha ha!!!

Soon to resume

I know you are all waiting with bated breath for the next installment here. :) But, I am currently in the throes of the end-of-the-semester-crunch. So, my apologies for no posts. Deb, I added a small video clip to youtube of my Christmas decorations. It was night and it's a bit too dark, but I will take a better one when I have time. Love you all. Mic

Family Festivities

Here are some scenes from Thanksgiving Day, celebrated with a few members of the Fowler clan and our kids.



For my friends who don't know you guys and for those family members who haven't seen us in awhile, we are (from left to right)...

Back row: Tim (my brother), Josh (my sister Karen's younger son), my daughter Chantelle, Eric (my sister Leslie's son), my son Alex

Front row: Leslie, me, Karen and Stephanie (Leslie's daughter)

Also here are a couple of short videos of the day. More can be seen if you go to YouTube.com, type mmmaddix in the search box and click search. My videos will come up. If you click on one of the blue mmmaddix it will bring you to my main page



(the "crack" I refer to in this video is really chocolate-covered caramel popcorn, which might as well be crack since it is addictively delicious)



(Tom LaValley, Les' husband is on the far left in the chair, enjoying some toasted almonds made by Karen. Those have been a family tradition at Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. I remember helping to shell the almonds and then take the skins off after they were blanched and Dad would toast them in the skillet. The taste of them brings back lots of holidays past.)

Good night, All!
Off to bed now.

Holiday Greeting

We love you all!

Your sister the heel

Okay Keith, I'm sorry. Yesterday, November 6th, was your birthday, and I, your crummy little sister, have once again neglected to wish you happy birthday... so...


Hot Myspace Comments / Myspace Graphics

Keith's Halloween Costume - The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

Keith, that is an AWESOME idea for a costume. And, to add to the memories it evokes of watching that program, I decided to add the theme song. Enjoy, All.

Love, Mic

p.s. I first had the song with credits showing. But this one I replaced it with doesn't have the words in the way and I think you can see the picture better anyway.

One of Al's contributions to youtube

Here Al (Alex, that is, for those of you who don't know that's what I call him) was playing with Paint and decided to put it on youtube. I told him I'd put it on my blog.



Drawing with that program is not an easy thing. There isn't a great deal of control when you draw with it, in my opinion. It's like an Etch-a-Sketch for the computer age! Ha ha!

I told him that if he wants to, he can make a little video with my camera and we'll post it on here. So stay tuned for that in the upcoming future.

Have a great day. Off on my trek southbound!

Love, Mic

Some pictures

Here are some pics of Keith, Tracy and Brendon. Thanks for sharing them, Keith. They are great pictures! (Now that I've had a bit more practice in adding pictures, I will add some more that others sent me. But, right now, homework beckons! Yippee!!)

A personal thank you

I just want to say thank you to all of you for the contributions you are making to make this blog something really fun. It is such a sanity saver when I am feeling down and having a rough time coping with all I have "on my plate". I look forward to seeing the comments and receiving your emails with stuff to put on the blog. (I admit, I often read them more than once because I gain a sense of comfort from them). They give me encouragement to keep doing it, despite my grueling schedule, and help make me feel more balanced in a way. Sound goofy? Probably, but it is how I feel.

Thank you so much!

"Patty B" 1924-1990

On the eve of the anniversary of Mom's passing I thought it befitting to pay a bit of tribute to her, since I will be leaving for class in Albany today and will not return until late tomorrow night.

The above sketch is the only piece of her artwork I have out of all the countless sketches and paintings Mom did, and I cherish it as if it were a master work in a museum. Mom had such a creative spirit, and I am blessed to have received just a small portion of that from her. Now, as a woman myself, I look back on memories of her and wish I had had the opportunity to get to know the woman in her.

A few fond memories of Mom I'd like to share:

- her caramel popcorn balls and old-fashioned hot cocoa
- the warm hats and mitts she knitted us (although they were not off the fashion plate, I do remember them being warm)
- those cute cartoon boy and girl elephants she used to draw
- the clothes she used to sew for me (I'm thinking of the short sets, in particular. The dark blue one with white scottie dogs, the bright green one with red strawberries...anyone else remember these?)
- letting us call her a "dirty dog" when she won at rummy (the only time I ever remember being able to get away with talking to her like that)
- trying to teach us to draw or knit or sew
- being home alone with her when all of you were gone to school each day
- her making one of you, my lovely sisters, comb out the rat's nests I used to get in my ever-so-curly hair (that must have been a veritable nightmare for you guys...I remember Les having done it quite a few times. Man, did I ever brush my hair??...ha ha ha!)
- her playing the organ (in Toronto, Malone and Montreal); and I remember the upright piano in the family room at the house on Rt 3, but I don't remember her ever playing it. Did she?

Maybe some of you could add some of your good memories of Mom in the comments.

And finally, here is one of my meager attempts at poetry as a tribute to our Mom

Yellow Rose

Your season has passed
but your memory lives yet
in the minds of your children
who will never forget

The grace of your beauty
from without and within
only helps to remind us
what your heart had therein

All the sacrifice nothing
to the will of a mom
helps us face our own storms
with the same sort of calm

Second place took your talent
to raising your brood
making all of us mind
meant you had to be shrewd

The belle of dear Texas
in our memory still grows
like the beauty of a single
bright Yellow Rose




Rest in peace, Mom.

"the music of the years gone by"

"Stardust" - Nat King Cole

Now, we ALL must remember this song. How many times did we hear it over the years? I am not sure if this was "their" version, but nonetheless it will bring back memories of Mom and Dad dancing together. I remember they would put the record on and the only light in the livingroom would be that coming from the kitchen. I remember even then (I was quite little still) thinking "How romantic!"

Now when I hear it, if I let myself drift along with the sound, I get all teary-eyed (surprise!! not!). But it will always be a spark to light a very fond and loving memory of Mom and Dad.

Notre Dame was never so blessed!

Deb, thanks for the pictures you sent me. I chose this one, since Les and Steph are in it and I already have one of you and Telle. The Notre Dame Cathedral was never adorned so lovely as it was at that moment. :) If I recall correctly, Les, Steph and Eric went sometime in July of this year. As it turns out, the group they travelled with included the wife of one of the guys I work with.

Thanks Natelle

The pictures you sent me are awesome! Here is just one of you and your mom so that everyone looking at the blog can see you. Deb, the backdrop doesn't hold a candle to you ladies. ;) And, Natelle, sending me the pics motivated me to figure out how to post them so that when others send me some I can do the same. Thank you.

Mahna Mahna

Can anyone guess why I put this video clip on the blog?

(aside from testing the video posting feature and that

it is a cutie...and I think hilarious...little clip). I find

I have to click the 'play' arrow in the center of the video box

twice to play it. You might have to too.

Flashback

The other day at work, one of the "guys" came across a person whose last name was Lapham. It peaked my interest because, upon hearing the name, I recalled the Laphams we knew in our younger years, the owners (?) of the Sunrise Lounge, and owners (?) of the house we lived in right next to that bar.

Deb, remember that picture of you with a German shepard? Was that their dog?

The other thing it made me recall was the evening we watched a strange object in the sky over the parking lot of that bar. Does anyone else remember it? I remember feeling scared. Or am I hallucinating all that?

This last memory led me to remembering an evening at work, several years ago, during which I got a call from Tim and Karen. (Tim was staying at Karen's house on the Wallace Hill Rd. then.) They had called me to tell me that in the sky behind Karen's house, in a northerly direction they saw a round orange object hovering in the sky. (No it wasn't the sun! ha ha ha!) Now, not long before that I received a call from a female on the Stafford Rd, reporting the same thing. I referred the woman to a number in our Rolodex for UFO sightings, then dismissed it from thought (I get a lot of crackpots that call me there!), until that call from Tim. It was a creepy ride home that night, thinking of that evenings happenings.

My "babies"

For those of you who have never seen my children, or haven't in awhile, here are some photos. You can see by the date on the pictures that these aren't recent, but Chantelle (now 20) and Alex (now 13, almost 14) look pretty much the same. Alex is taller and his voice is changing now.

That day was my 4oth birthday. My friend, next-door-neighbor and fellow dispatcher at work, Kathy Owen, took these pictures. She also took one of me but it's crummy, so I'm not posting it. I was crying in it. Yes...Michele is still Queen of the Waterworks!! (May she reign forever! Ha ha ha!) I have even been known to cry at sad cartoons. The kids always do a "tear check" whenever we watch anything that is even slightly sad. Or when something special happens, like that birthday! Kathy had us over for dinner and cake and I recieved nice gifts. And as usual my kids added their own character to things (Chantelle's beautiful smile and Alex hamming it up...bow, pinky and all!).

Chantelle and Alex, I love you guys VERY MUCH! Thanks for being the great kids you are. Thank you for your love and understanding.

Love to all, Mic/Mom

Into the nitty-gritty

It's been several days since my last post, and I am sorry that the posts aren't more frequent right now. I am getting into the nitty-gritty of the semester at hand and find it monopolizes MUCH of my time. Outside of work, commuting to Albany for class and back each week, doing homework and taking time to see the kids, I pretty much have no life. (I cannot deny that it was my choice to get on this circus ride! So this IS my life.)

For those of you who don't know, I am currently working on my Master of Arts degree in Latin American Literature at the University at Albany, which I began in the Fall of 2005. I attend part time, taking 2 classes per semester, so it is slow going. (Slow and steady wins the race, right?) If all goes well, I hope to take my comprehensive exams by the end of 2008, thereby completing my Masters and, with a bit of luck, being chosen as a PhD candidate in the same program. It seems so far away, until I remind myself that I have been attending school each Fall and Spring semester since January 2000 as an undergrad. So, I see a tiny glimmer at the end of the tunnel.

I will post as often as I can. But in the meantime, if any of you would like to relate an anecdote, a fond memory, or your thoughts in general and have them posted on the main page of the blog, just email me what you want posted and I will be happy and grateful for the contribution.

In the meantime, love to all. Mic

Visit to NC this past Spring

For those of you who haven't seen Dad in awhile, here is a picture of him and Inge I took while visiting them in February of this year. This visit was the first time I had seen Dad in over a decade (nearly 2 decades, actually). Inge is a wonderful, generous person, and I consider myself fortunate to have gotten to know her better. One day while there, she and I did a bit of adventuring. We went to a gift shop on the outside of Lexington, then checked out a winery on the way back. There we bought some homemade salsa, which we shared later on that evening with the German beers she opened for the two of us and some tortilla chips. After Dad had retired for the evening, it was just us two ladies kickin' back, watchin' the "tube". I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Like an old black and white

This has always been one of my favorite pictures of Mom and Dad. To me, they look like a couple of movie stars waiting for the filming to start. Something similar to the "On the Road to..," movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, or some Gene Kelly flick. Could you imagine Dad breaking out into a song a dance routine? Ha ha ha!! And Mom looking at him skeptically, like some starlet would do, until she couldn't resist the charm anymore and joined in. Funny!

They were quite the handsome couple. We come from good stock!!! (Dad had to be the proudest man in the Unites States Coast Guard then, with a lady like Mom loving him, I'd say.)

Making comments on this blog

Okay, I changed a setting so that you all can use your own names to make comments on the site, if so desired. Click the "comment" link on the bottom right of any post for which you wish to make a comment. That will bring you to a comment window. Write your comment. Under "Choose an identiy", pick "other" and put your name in the space that comes up. Then simply click "publish your comment". That should do that trick.

Have a great day. Love you all. Mic

A message from Debbie

Hi To All!

Michele I think this is a neat thing you did and by the time you visit me next summer you'll be a pro and I promise, it will be well worth your efforts.

I have tons of pictures during our younger years and once I get something to scan them with I will send. Unfortunately, we don't have Walmart here to help with that project. Anyway, I do remember all of us playing that game...it was so much fun. I also remember the numerous games of wiffle ball, volleyball and running/skating in the swamp in Ravena. Kevin and Chris so remember the staff fight they had on that tree that had fallen into the swamp. Black muck never looked so good on any other trio as it did us!!! And what about those vines and swinging across the road!!!

Hi to all! Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks again, Michele!

Slap, clap, snap...

I was lying in bed last night, restless and with lots on my mind. Trying to find a way to sleep, I considered what my next post would be. I lay there remembering bits of family history (well, the bits I know from my perspective) and into my head popped the following moment. All of us (or at least as many as I can recall) were sitting at the kitchen table (Remember the white formica with gold flecks?) at the old house on Rt 3, here in Plattsburgh (which has long since been torn down). From my little kid's memory, that table seemed to stretch a mile long and the number of individuals around it too many to count. And we were playing a game in which each of us simultaneously slapped our hands on our thighs, then clapped twice, then snapped the fingers of each hand in the same rhythm as the two slaps and two claps, and then one of us had to say something. I don't remember what it was that we had to say, but I do remember that whatever was said bounced around randomly from individual to individual who had to change it in some way before the next person went on to say it. In between each person saying whatever it was, there was another round of the double slaps, double claps and two snaps. It was sort of a fast-paced game once it got going and each person had to pay close attention because if they weren't quick enough to pick up on their turn to speak, and do so correctly without any mistake, then they had to drop out of the game. I think (now, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...since my memory is fuzzy) that the game came from the t.v. show ZOOM (Remember that on PBS??) Anyway, it was a fond memory of us kids and Mom and Dad laughing and having a good time together. At least that is how I remember it.

That memory led me thinking of the above family photo I wanted to put here. I had forgotten that I already had a copy of the photo I was thinking of (thanks to Les or Karen, I think...sorry I don't remember exactly who gave it to me).

I know we all know who we are in the photo, but for my kids and my friends I will tell who is who.

Back row, standing behind the couch, left to right: Rick, Chris, Kevin

Middle row, sitting on the couch, l to r: Mike, Mom (Patricia), Dad (Arthur), Art Jr. and ME (waving and sporting the then-oh-so-mod cat-eye glasses...oooh. ha ha ha! What were the fashion optical gurus tripping on when then came up with those??? ha ha ha!)

Front row, sitting on the floor, l to r: Keith, Les, Karen, Herb, Tim and Debbie

My first picture. Woohoo!

Hi All!

The profile picture was taken back in 2001, but it is a decent pic of me nonetheless. It took me the better part of an hour to put it on this blog. I discovered that a component of my scanner software was missing from my files...it having been deleted by me, thinking I didn't really need it. But as you can see I managed to figure out how to fix that and...Voila!...there you have me. (Boy, if it took me an hour to do all that, I wonder how long it will take me to figure out how to put a video on here...ha ha ha!)

Playing with technology

Saying as I am technically challenged in certain ways, I have decided to do a practice blog in preparation for what I hope will be a blog of a trip with my kids (Chantelle and Alex) to England next summer (June-July 2008) to see my sister Debbie. I thought it would be fun to share our experience as it is unfolding and what better way to do that than on the web, where all our friends and family can see it.

So on this practice blog I will try my hand at photos and video in some of my posts to get ready for the big "experiment". Am I starting very early? Perhaps. But given my lack of savvy with such things (I am lucky to have figured the blog set up...ha ha ha), it is best to give myself LOTS of time. Also, because attending grad school takes up much of my time, starting now will allow me not to feel rushed as trip time approaches.

Another thing I just thought of: I am hoping that some of my siblings might share information and their photos (both of our birth family and of their own families) as a way to share memories and to keep all the family members up-to-date about what is currently happening in the lives of each of us.

And to my siblings: I know at least one of you has an old group pic of the Fowler family. I would like to put it in one of my early posts. Could you please scan it and email it to me so that I can include it in one of my beginning posts? Or if you care to lend me the photo, I will do the scanning myself and send back the photo promptly. And if Dad and Inga don't have a computer and internet access already, maybe we could come up with something collectively so that they, too, can see the blog. I would love for them to be able to share in it.

p.s. I know the pink is really "girly"...indulge me, please! Oh! "Shelly" comes from some people at work and it goes better with "sojourn" than "Mic" does. But, I'll answer to either ;)