Goodbye Maggie

On December 2, Maggie, my beloved second-hand Newfie died, after 10 years with us.  She came to us as a rescue who needed some work.  Ok, a lot of work.  I signed up to foster her, and fell in love with this shy and scared-of-everything dog who absolutely blossomed with us.  Yes-- I believed in her early on, and she knew it.  All that time, I thought we were helping her, when in reality, it was a definite Partnership (with a capital P).  I needed her as much as she needed us.  Since she's been gone, I'm remembering how closely my mental health is tied to having a dog to stay grounded.   

I am so grateful for our time together, that she decided to stay with us after being so far down and out, and finally have a normal dog life filled with Love and Joy.  You were meant to be here, Mags.  Thank you for coming into our lives.  And thank you to Joni G. and the Oshkosh Area Humane Society for doing right by her in 2006, knowing she couldn't stay at the Shelter, and placing her with us.  Please consider giving OAHS (or your local Humane Society) a donation this holiday season for the important work they do.

I carry her with me.  I can't touch her anymore, but I can FEEL her again.  So welcome!

Story Corps : Vicki Moen Remembers Lee Smith and their First Date

On the verge of her moving out to Colorado from nearly 20 years in Wisconsin, Vicki Moen remembers Lee Smith, the Love-of-her-Life, and their first date.  I've heard most of these stories before -- usually in a car on our way to a Ren Faire, or Dickens-of-a-Christmas, or some other fun cultural event filled with music.  Before Vicki left, I wanted to hear some of these stories just one more time.  This is my farewell gift to Vicki.

Who : Vicki Moen remembers Lee Smith
Interviewer : Michele Matucheski
Where : Neenah, WI
When : October 5, 2016

Link to Audio Interview (92 minutes)

Link to interview at Story Corps (92 minutes)

Note : There's about 36 seconds of dead air at the beginning of the recording.  I should have edited that out, but wanted to get these up ASAP.  Skip ahead, or let it run ...

1. Tell me about when you and Lee first met.
      When did you know he was "The One"?
2.  Now tell it from Lee's POV.
3.  I know you had certain dating rules and expectations for the relationship.  What were they?
4.  Tell me about your trip to Texas, where you learned that you could travel together.
5.  Tell me the story of how you got engaged.
6.  Why did you wait so long to get married?
7.   How would you describe Lee to someone who had never met him?
8. What are the most important lessons you learned from Lee?
9.  Tell me about your happiest moments together.

Lee Smith and Vicki Moen at the Bristol Ren Faire.

Outlander Tour of Scotland 2016 - Falkland

This Missing Poster was in a shop window down a side street in Falkland -- just for the Outlander visitors who would "get it."  Falkland is the little Scottish town where they filmed the scenes of Claire and Frank taking some time off after the war in Inverness -- but because Inverness is now so built up and modern, it's difficult to find a quaint retro place like it used to be.  Enter Falkland.

In July/August of 2016, I took a wonderful Outlander Tour by Visit Scotland, where we visited many sites relative to the novels and the filming of the Starz tv series.   It's a quaint little town, easy to walk around and explore.  Here are some of the sites :

 The Covenanter Hotel in Falkland - used for filming Claire and Frank's getaway reunion, and the town near where Claire disappears.

 Church of Falkland with blue and white skies emplematic of the Scottish flag.

 Scottish Textures - Cobblestones

 A door matt -- Interesting textures for quilting?

 Flowers at Gate in Falkland

 Black Cat in Falkland

 Scottish Textures - Rusty stone

 I thought this sign was amusing.  ;-) 

Wondering of someone picked off that particular "o" on purpose?

 And because I'm a Librarian by trade, I like to visit libraries when I travel.  

Call it a pilgrimage.

 Outside the Falkland Public Library.

 Castle Palace at Falkland - where Mary Queen of Scotts Father died.

 Campbell's shop in downtown Falkland - for Janna

 Entrance for The Covenanter Hotel in Falkland - where Claire and Frank stayed for their getaway.

Another shot of The Covenanter.