Friday, January 24, 2014

Nogger Awards Part 2

I thought I'd drop by again this week with a few more Nogger Awards.



In case you missed it, a Nogger is a little tidbit about which I never managed to  blog.  Let's just call it my way of catching up from my months as a non-blogger.  I'm trying to keep it brief again (good luck with that...) so I'm limiting it to four awards. Here they are:


Most Disappointing Adventure I never yakked about 

 Our trip to the Blue Willow 



The Blue Willow has been a favorite adventure destination ever since it was featured in Guideposts magazine a few decades ago. Periodically, the women of the family like to think of an excuse to make the three hour drive to Social Circle, Georgia and have lunch at the Blue Willow.

It is housed in a restored antebellum mansion, and the food is served on Blue Willow dishes. While you wait, a southern belle in period attire greets guests with a tray of homemade lemonade.

At least that's the way it used to be. Unfortunately, the old gray mare just ain't what she used to be.

Our first clue should have been the sign.

And then, maybe the fact that the southern belle had been replaced with a scarecrow from Big Lots.

But no... we had made the journey, and we were going inside.


The food was pretty good. Of course, it wasn't until we finished and went outside that the only man of the party informed us that he had seen a big fat C from the state inspector.  What? Sorry, old friend, you get the Nogger.


 Most Romantic Moment I never yakked about

Dancing with Sir Lotsa Hair. 

That actually happened at a wedding the night before the Great Blue Willow Adventure.    Now, this might not be a big deal to those of you who married Fred Astaire, but around here, it's a very big thing. You see, although that husband of mine is a romantic, he has one major flaw:

 He won't dance. Don't ask him.

Seriously, we haven't danced at a wedding since this one.


But apparently love was in the air that night.   Maybe it was the strains of one of our favorite songs from back in the day... or maybe it was my puppy dog face... but suddenly, we were out on the dance floor, and I was over the moon.

I'm pretty sure that for those 4 minutes and 17 seconds, I was the envy of the ball.   Oh sure, I wasn't the youngest girl there. I wasn't the prettiest or the richest, and I certainly wasn't the thinnest. I was, however, the only girl who got to dance with Sir Lotsa Hair. I'm giving it a big old Nogger.

Want to know which song? Go ahead, admit it. You do.




 The Scariest Moment I never yakked about
There was a snake.
In the house.

In the house, people.
And I was the one who saw it first.

We were walking in the door after working the soup kitchen all morning, and I was making a beeline for the bathroom. Suddenly I looked down, and there... right on my new kitchen floor... was a snake.

No, I don't know how it got in. And no, I don't know what kind of snake it was either.  It was just the snakey kind. The kind that snakes. Isn't that enough?  It was snaking its way toward the dining room, too.

I screamed bloody murder and ran back through the kitchen, back out the door, and back down the steps. It was while I was standing at the foot of the steps that I realized the aforementioned trip to the bathroom would no longer be necessary.

So, after Tarzan pulverized the snake with his steel toed work boots, Jane made a trip to the store instead.  She purchased four boxes of moth balls and some Snake Away which is still lining every conceivable entrance into the jungle.

 I'm not over it yet.
And no, I do not have a picture.


Most spontaneous fun I never yakked about

Christmas afternoon at the Duchy


Granddaughters with their photo ops



The kid sister was pretty bummed that in all those characters, the Duchess had neglected to make one single Sally.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...



Some women marry Gene Kelly...


I married Jerry Lewis.


Then, we finished it all off with a little Peanuts Dancing.


At least that's what we were trying to achieve. Upon inspection, however, it appears we were actually doing the March of the Penguins instead.


And that's all the Nogging I have for now.

33 comments:

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

OH MY WORD A SNAKE? IN THE HOUSE? I'm not sure I would have lived to tell the tale. I have a friend who is always finding them in her backyard or pool, but not in the house. That gives me the shivers.

I really wanted to see a pic of the dancers, and I love Bryan Adams and that is one of my favorite songs of his.

I loved the pics of the family and sorry about the Blue Willow experience. Maybe someone should write to Guideposts. HEHE

Miss Char said...

Oh rats I was planning on a wonderful afternoon at the Blue Willow in the next couple of weeks. Guess I can cross that off the list. I can't believe the Big Lots decorations, makes me really said.

Dancing is not big in our house either, I'm glad you got a stroll around the floor Debbie, it warms my heart.

Your Dance of the Penguins made me laugh. Thanks for sharing.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Wow a snake in the house....no pics:) ....we went to Blue Willow many moons ago with our church. I would not make the drive again.
Never could dance but I like Bryan Adams song.

Sue said...

Loved it! Loved It! loved It! I am married to a non dancer who is married to one who loves to dance with the non dancer, ever so often at a wedding, this puppy face gets asked to dance by the non dancer!!
Loved the Christmas photos, keep right on dancing , you and the Duchess make a great team.
The snake came to visit because he knew you all have so much fun at your house!
Thanks for your comment on blogging and facebook, I feel exactly the same as amatter of fact for a moment I thought I was talking to myself! Enjoy your weekend, and keep dancing.
Hugs,
Sue

Sharon said...

Stop, stop, stop! I'm laughing too hard!!

I feel somehow very sad about the *demise* of the Blue Willow. Why can't people leave good things alone??

A dance with Sir Lotsa Hair? Heaven, Cinderella. Just heaven.

Snake in the house? First of all, my hubby would have been horrified that you killed it. He would have rescued it with his special snake tongs, and re-located it. That's what he does with all the rattlesnakes that come in our yard. Frequently. Love the mountains...

And the girls are adorable - even the penguin ones.

I think Nogger Awards should be (at least) an annual tradition!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Your Nogger Awards are priceless. IThe romantic in me loved the dancing, picture and song. LOVE that song! Maybe the dance now is even more meaningful than the first one.

Sad when a landmark from our memories goes south. My hubby used to travel and stayed at a place called The White Hart Inn in Connecticut, in all his travels, it stuck out as special. Now... sold and re-sold and probably gone for good. We will just have to fid new ones.

The snake? My worst nightmare. I read about a lady who opened the toilet seat in Florida and a snake was curled up inside. I never forgot it! No... not a good thing, ever!

Just delightful to read all of these. They definitely needed to be shared. :)

Vee said...

Hahahahahahahahaha...this one has required hahahaha...a lot of explaining. Oh dear. How can you save up all this blog fodder?

Barbara F. said...

Wow, I don't know which freaks me out more....the snake or the C grade at the restaurant! Ugh! Very fun post, Debbie. xo

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

There's a lot of nogging in this post. I LOVE your wedding picture. What a beautiful couple. If he's going to dance, that's such a sweet song to pick to ask you. (My sweetheart doesn't dance either). I would have wet my pants if I'd seen a snake in my kitchen too - whether I was on my way to the bathroom or not. Yikes! What cute photos on your mother's porch. I love Sir Lotsa Hair cutting up in the background. As always, your commentary had me smiling. Have a great weekend. laurie

Gina said...

Only you & that clever mind of yours could come up with the nogger awards and make it so enjoyable! :)

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Aww I loved that Sir Lotsa Hair danced with you and I love that song, too.
Did you say, Snake?? I'd be screaming my bloody head off,too. We had one once, right across our front door as we were going outside. I thought it was a piece of garden hose!! Yikes, it slithered away as my beloved went for a shovel.
Loved the pics with the Duchess!
p.s. I don't know why, but I'm not getting your posts emailed any more. I tried to resubscribe, but of course, blogger says I'm already a subscriber. This is so frustrating!!
Anyway... Happy weekend. xxoo

Anonymous said...

LOL - too much fun, my girl! Love that dreamy wedding photo - more of them, please. Snakes in the house? Yeah - you're in the south! I'd run, too. I don't mind them in a zoo or outside in the woods - far from MY turf, but they need to not be in my kitchen. So, now I get the missing Sally thingy. Glad you got it to post - always worthy of the read!
Joy!
Kathy

Denise at Forest Manor said...

Hi Debbie,

Wow, we have missed out on a lot in your life the past few months! :-D I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment in the Blue Willow. We've had similar things happen to us (without the "C" rating). Our favorite ever restaurant, Bianca's, which I wrote a post on two years ago closed; we had been eating there for almost 20 years. We still miss it!

How wonderful to dance with your husband. I love Bryan Adams, and that song is my favorite. :)

A snake in the house is no laughing matter. That happened to us one year at my in-laws' beach house; it was quite an event. I was screaming just like you.

Have a great weekend, Debbie; I'm enjoying the Nogger posts. :)

Hugs,

Denise

Nikki (Sarah) said...

okay...I'm still thinking about that snake. That would have freaked me out and left me shivering every time I open the door afterwards. Great pics. Great post....and always great fun reading your posts.

elizabeth said...

My dream would be to dance with my hubs one day! We came out of a "no dancing" church so never even had a dance at our wedding!😢 My hubs is convinced he can't dance.

I'm not afraid of snakes....now any type of rodent is another story!!!

Lynn said...

Oh boy, snakes aren't good... The only thing that would have been worse was if it disappeared, I probably would have moved! Congrats on the dance-very nice:@)

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

Whoa!

Whoa!

Whoa!

LOVED the photos! Especially the penguins...

Happy weekend,
Kelley~

Becky K. said...

Oh dear....a snake in the kitchen? That would just send me over the edge as well. One time we had a chipmunk in the kitchen and both my mother and I were on the furniture. lol

Tanna said...

Oh, these were definitely Nogger Worthy!!! My most favorite is the Dance. =) And, I love that wedding photo of you two!!! Bryan... who could resist? Not even your prince. ;)

I love the fun at your Mom's Snoopy Christmas! Family. Just the best.

The Blue Willow story just makes me sad... And, the snake!! YIKES! I would have been moving way too fast for any photos either. LOL! Have a wonderful weekend, Debbie. blessings ~ tanna

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I'm loving the noggin awards!

I love that Bryan Adams song! Go Sir Lotsa Hair!

Snake=thud. I'd be a goner. And it would happen to me when no one was home to rescue me either, cause that's how it goes around here!

Fun photos of the family at the Duchess's house.

Glad your back!
Deanna

Scribbler said...

You are so funny! I really missed you.

We were underwhelmed with BWI, too, although it was ten years probably since we were there. The food was basically slop, and we were stuck up in a room with a couple of church bus loads of people from The Church of What's Happnin Now. Not a great experience.

It was Christmas, and there was Mr/Mrs Santa, but all the decorations looked very tired.

Some of these things are like an old circus clown -- their act just runs its course.

Denise said...

I'm just loving your Nogger Awards. I would have to agree with you about The Blue Willow Inn. It was such a disappointment. The only redeeming part of that event was visiting with my baby daughter.

I was fortunate enough to witness "the dance". The look on your faces was evidence of the love you share. It was priceless. You know my farmer husband is no dancer either. We've been on the dance floor a time or two but you know what it takes to get him out there. Not worth the effort.

At least with the snake in your house you lived to tell about it. I'm pretty sure I'd have a heart attack. Terror. Thankfully Sir Lotsa Hair killed that awful creature.

As for the peanuts gang, the whole afternoon was just delightful. I can't remember a more fun Christmas. Well, except for those two penguins on the porch. Ship them back to the North Pole.

More awards? I hope so.

Debbiedoos said...

How sweet that your hubby danced with you. My husband and I can't dance very well together, in general. We try, but he is 6'5 and I am 5'4, and we just can't get it down right lol. We try though. You had so much to catch up on here Debbie!

xinex said...

I was really entertained by this post. OMG, I would have died if I saw that snake inside the house. I am actually doing a tablescape with "Blue Willow" this week. I love that song! Your hubby must be a romantic. BTW, I love it when you leave comments on my blog. You write the nicest ones. Thanks, Debbie!...Christine

Susan Nowell @ My Place to Yours said...

Well, I'm only going to comment on two of this week's Noggers because (seriously!) what else is there to say about a snake in the house and those penguins? ;-)

As for the Blue Willow... I'm so sorry that happened. I, too, have experienced similar disappointments when attempting to return to good memories, and it's a bummer! But Blue Willow china? Well, it's never a disappointment!

And the dance... My sweetheart isn't much of a dancer either, so I know exactly what a wondrous moment it is when the love of your life sweeps you off your feet. Beautiful! I'm glad it won a Nogger so you could share the sweet memory.

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

Another fun Nogger post! Love the wedding picture and the song!

I'm terrified of snakes too and with living in FL we've had some visiting inside too. Yuk! I understand you not remembering to grab the camera for a shot, once we had a 7-ft alligator in our yard and I was so freaked I forgot to take a picture too! Hubby wasn't home that day either!

I need names under the family pics, who's who? Which two are your daughters?

Katherine

Savannah Granny said...

Love your nogger post. We have had a few snakes in the yard but never the house. I know I would just die and of course not make it to the restroom in time. LOL!
Have a blessed weekend.
Ginger

Christine said...

Have I told you that I'm sooooo
HAPPY that you have returned to blogging? Ooops, I think I have, well it's worth repeating.
Nogger Awards, only you could of come up with that!
{{{hugs}}}

The Polka Dot Closet said...

OMG. I missed 2 posts!!!! I can't hardly comment on anything because I am soooo stuck on the snake in the house!!! I am afraid I would have to move! I have "snake away" all around my yard and house...It is my worse night mare to have a snake in the house. Oh, here is something that will creep you out. My friend said to me "You have snake away all around your house and yard, that means whatever snakes you have can't get out" don't you just hate me!!!

Carol

Angel said...

Yea for the Nogger Awards! Thanks for sharing the highlights of your very adventurous hiatus! Makes for great reading. :)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. You have a knack for making me laugh and cry in the same post. And, this time, I went from tears to giggles to gasping in horror at that snake story! Yikes!

Hope I don't have nightmares tonight... ;)

Kathleen said...

I'm nogging right now, but had to stop in and comment!
Did you know when penquins die they gather around it on the ice for a ritual? Using their wings and beaks they dig a hole in the ice to bury the dead penguin . They push the dead bird in and serenade it with a rousing version of FREEZE A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW!
It's true, I read it on the net! :)

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

I don't think I'd be able to sleep in my house if I found a snake!! The guys putting down a termite barrier a few years ago were digging a trench around the house. The found a baby copperhead in the pine straw on the sunny side of the house! I don't know where mama was! That happened about 3 years ago and to this day I will not garden in that area!

Unknown said...

Sally Shockley is my sister inlaw. This is the Sally that acted on Alias Smith and Jones. Who are you and who is the actor sitting I think next to you in one of the pictures. He looks blind in one eye. I think this is my Sally,the one you are looking for,but I am not going to bother her with this if she is not the right Sally.
debwar@peak org

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