As Long As There is Man and Wood, There Will Be Woodcarving

 "Hey, back up," is what I said. Something along the road caught my eye, and I needed to get a better look.

Eagles and bears chain-sawed in a tree trunk.  I get a kick out of the big bear at the bottom holding on for dear life.

Hubby is a wood carver, whose talents are channeled in diverse directions...the old European art of chip carving, wood spirit walking sticks, love spoons, and, yes, even chain saw pieces.

Hubby studied chip carving at the Alpine School of Wood Carving in Park Ridge, Illinois, under professional chip carver Wayne Barton.  Barton took his formal training in Brienz, Switzerland, the woodcarving center of that country.

C'mon, let's take a peek into hubby's studio.....

Chip-Carved Geometric
Decorative Plates

Carved With Chain Saw

Wood Spirit Walking Sticks
Miscellaneous Projects
View of our back yard along the creek

Norwegian Chip-carved Mangle Boards

Mangle Boards (called Mangletraer in Norwegian) were long, flat boards with a horse-shaped handle (horse being the symbol of strength). The boards were used to roll the wrinkles from linen cloth that had been moistened and wound on a kind of rolling pin...forerunners to the modern-day iron.    

Legend has it that Mangle Boards were a traditional courtship gift.  A young man would carve a mangle board for the lady he hoped to marry.  The young man would then hang the mangle board on the door of the young lady's house.  If she accepted his proposal, she would bring the board into her house.  If she refused, she would leave the board hanging on the door.  The man could not use the same mangle board for the next lady he proposed to, so he had to carve a new board and design. Because of having to carve new boards, the best wood carvers in Norway were bachelors!

Thank you for stopping by.

  

Hurricane Sandy Badly Bruises America's Eastern States.....Let Us Pray

Great Spirit, this day millions of people have been affected by Hurricane Sandy and other natural wind forces.  We ask that you spread a loving blanket of care and compassion over them and their extended families who worry about their well-being.

We know there is order and Divine goodness in everything that is placed upon us.  May each one touched by this destructive storm, either directly or indirectly, be changed for the good.  And, may each one eventually recognize the blessed gift they receive from this life-altering experience.  Mighty forces for good come together in mysterious ways, inspiring people and making miracles happen.

Please bless the rescue workers, the caregivers, and all who put themselves in harm's way to keep peace and order.  May each of them be blessed with the strength and goodness to pour out on those who need their help.

Please uphold America and all Her citizens.

Amen.

Scrap Metal Sculpture

Our adventures are fulfilled when we discover things like this Bull Moose up by Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest.  It's a regal piece, created out of scrap metal.  The person who envisions an art gallery in a junk yard has insight to be envied.

In 1942, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso fabricated the "Bull's Head" out of a bicycle saddle and handlebars.  This was during World War II and reflects the human imagination when challenged by frugal times.

In an interview with Picasso, reprinted in Picasso on Art, A Section of Views, he tells how he got the idea....

"I noticed in a corner the seat and handlebars of a bicycle, placed in such a way that they resembled a bull's head.  I assembled these two objects in a certain way.  Finally, I made this handlebar and seat a bull's head that everyone recognized as a bull's head.  The metamorphosis was accomplished and I wish another metamorphosis would occur in the reverse sense.  If my bull's head were thrown in a junk heap, perhaps one day some boy would say: 'Here's something which would make a good handlebar for my bicycle.  Thus, a double metamorphosis would have been accomplished.'"     

Morning Shadow

Yowza, it's frosty this morning.  My first look out the upstairs window sent a screech through our house. Yippee, perfect Halloween weather.  Time for the spooks and goblins to poke their heads around corners and quickly disappear.

From where I'm sitting, I see a full-body skeleton dangling from the neighbor's front-porch overhang. The 5-foot spider with orange lights stretched over our front window adds its own drama.  Pumpkins scattered around houses and on porch steps, lit-up bats and witches all give our street a creepy look.  I love it.....just like I love Sunday mornings.  Wonder how many times I've said that in the last 2-1/2 years of blogging.  Perhaps the Sabbath descends its peace upon us, the load of labor is lifted, and our guilt button is turned off.  It's okay to be idle on Sunday.

Shadows lurk on our walls.  This curtain valance is on the east window of our kitchen, but its shadow is on the west wall of our kitchen.  Light is amazing.  Like the Halloween spooks and goblins, one minute a shadow is there.  The next minute it's gone.

Dancing Consonants

Here's a letter fill-in about dancing.  Put the consonants in the right spaces to spell out a type of dance.  Have fun!

BB    F   GG   J   K  LL   M   N   P 

 RRR   S   TTTTTTTT   WW   X   Z

1.   ___  A  ___  ___  O

2.  ___  ___  I  ___  ___

3.  ___ U  ___  ___  A

4.  ___  I  ___  ___  E  ___  ___  U  ___

5.  ___  O  ___  ___  ___  O  ___

6.  ___  O  ___  ___  A

7.  ___  A  ___  ___  ___

Three Suns

A sacred beckoning.

Where my cares and fears fade.

Soul sighs its relief.  Placid. Unpretentious.

Tall pines trees fill my lungs with pristine air.

Inhale slowly and deeply.
  Hold my breath.
  Exhale slowly.  Softly.
Spiritually sustaining.
Vast wilderness.  Marshes. 

Forest-edged waters where the elusive Bull Moose might be.

My eyes on the lookout for the Great Antlered One.

The saga to see Him goes on.

A quest I will one year fulfill.   

My Creator comes to meet me in the North Country.

The path beneath my feet,
 Floating clouds above my head,
 A forest shawl around me.

Three suns to bless my day.

~by Nature Weaver

Public Restroom Anxiety

Maybe I'm overly sensitive, but I do not care for the new public restrooms that serve both genders.  I'm simply not comfortable sitting beside the pottery designed for guys.  Despite gender equality, we gals have private matters to tend to, and the guys have theirs. I wouldn't imagine guys wanting to look at the sundry items that we leave behind anymore than we want to look at theirs.  

Not very long ago I felt the pang of restroom anxiety.  A gentleman was waiting to use the bathroom when I walked up.  He stepped back and politely offered that I go ahead of him.  I didn't want to be impolite, but I gotta say my urge to pee was nothing compared to my urge to flee.

Who made the decision to lower the national debt by combining public restrooms?

Spell-Check

Back in our school days, we baby boomers struggled with Spelling.  Then along came the computer and spell-check software.  Ahhhhhhhh......no more worries about spelling.  All that studying down the drain....and, for what.

Well, it didn't take long to find out that spell-check wasn't as smart as we first thought it was.  No one cautioned us about homonyms, words that sound the same, but are spelled differently, and have different meanings.  When I came across this poem that illustrates this problem, I couldn't wait to share it.......

"Candidate for a Pullet Surprise

~Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar 

I have a spelling checker.

It came with my PC.

It plane lee marks four my revue

Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,

Your sure reel glad two no.

Its vary polished inn it's weigh.

My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing,

It freeze yew lodes of thyme.

It helps me right awl stiles two reed,

And aides me when aye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen

Eye trussed too bee a joule.

The checker pours o'er every word

To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore a veiling checkers

Hour spelling mite decline,

And if we're lacks oar have a laps,

We wood bee maid too wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling

Is checked with such grate flare,

Their are know faults with in my cite,

Of nun eye am a wear.

Now spelling does knot phase me,

It does knot bring a tier.

My pay purrs awl due glad den

With wrapped words fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet

Of witch won should bee proud,

And wee mussed dew the best wee can,

Sew flaws are knot aloud.

Sow eye can sea why aye dew prays

Such soft wear four pea seas,

And why eye brake in two averse

Buy righting want too pleas.

A Factory-Made Cloud

"In my town we have a paper mill.
The mill has smoke stacks to let off steam.
Of course, this steam is fluffy and white,
so naturally I believed that this paper mill
was the source of all clouds in the world."
                     
~A child's thought

A Silent Ceremony

A haiku written at 10:30 one morning this past September as I sat by the cabin window looking out.....

Tall trees, log cabins

Red squirrels run from here to there.

Playful, yet peaceful.

Loons call out their cries.

The call that haunts and enchants.

Quickly disappear.

Three ducks by the dock.

Wondering what kind they are.

Brown feathers, long beaks.

Water crystal clear

Our boat is tied to the pier.

Soon will go fishing.

It's not how many.

Nor is it the size of fish.

Anticipation.

The one to catch first

Gets ice cream cone for their prize.

A win-win challenge.

Great Spirit, so Dear

To have brought us three up here.

Our second wedding.

by 

Nature Weaver

The World Is Mine

When I Whine

by Red Foley

Today upon a bus, I saw

A lovely maid with golden hair;

I envied her - she seemed so dear

And oh, I wished I were so fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle,

She had one foot and wore a crutch,

But as she passed, a smile.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two feet.
 The world is mine.

"And when I stopped to buy some sweets,

The lad who served me had such charm;

He seemed to radiate good cheer,

His manner was so kind and warm.

I said, "It's nice to deal with you,

Such courtesy I seldom find."

He turned and said, "Oh, thank you, sir!"

And I saw that he was blind.

Oh, God forgive me when I whine.

I have two eyes.
 The world is mine.

Then, when walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play.

It seemed he knew not what to do,

I stopped a moment, then I said:

"Why don't you join the others, dear?"

And then I knew. He could not hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two ears.
 The world is mine.

With feet to take me where I go,

with eyes to see the sunset's glow,

With ears to hear what I should know.

I'm blessed indeed, The world is mine.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

Overwhelmed

The clock had sat on the mantle for years.  It ran and ran. One day, the clock started thinking about how many times it had to tick during the year.  It counted up the seconds. It would have to tick 31,536,000 times a year.  The clock became overwhelmed.  "I can't do it, that's just too much."  So, the clock stopped ticking.  Then someone reminded the clock that it didn't have to tick the 31,536,000 seconds all at one time, but rather one tick at a time. The clock then realized this was okay and started ticking again.

Is My Life in Balance?

Sixty years ago, all school playgrounds had a see-saw, or teeter-totter.  A child's introduction to balance.  We learned that when one was up in the air, the other was down on the ground.

If we want balance in our lives, we want to be as close to the middle as we can be.  How do we do that?  By finding moderation in all things.

If we spread ourselves too thin, eventually red flags will start popping.  If we invest our efforts in only a couple of areas, the see-saw tips and parts of our life will hit the ground.

Using this pie graph, fill in the amount of time you spend devoted to......

Work

Play

Rest

Family Responsibilities

Friendships

Spiritual or Reflection Time

Healthy Eating

Physical Activity

If the pieces of pie aren't fairly equal, a tweak here and a tweak there can put us a bit closer to the middle.  

"There are times when we have to lose balance--a special project at work, or a family matter at home--but consciously focusing on balance keeps everything in check."  ~Catherine Pulsifer

Prayer to Mother Nature

"Mother Nature, sacred source of all life,

Who is both the starry heaven and the fruitful earth.

I gaze upon your beauty in wonder and awe,

Your presence is everywhere.

Creator, preserver and eternal renewer,

From whom I was born and to whom I shall return,

May I live my life in reverence, gratitude and awareness.

May I harm not the delicate web of existence,

But help to heal and strengthen it.

You who feed and nourish me,

Showering me with your abundant gifts,

I honor and praise you now,

And vow to walk according to your ways,

For all the days of my life.

In love and peace,

Amen.

~Author Unknown

Gone Fishin'

Nice weather days tend to be numbered this time of year.  When hubby read yesterday's forecast, he hinted his desire to go fishing on the Mighty Miss.  Who could turn down the prospect of a fun day like that.  The boat was quickly hitched, poles and gear packed, and we were heading east out of town.

No breakfast was causing visions of a McDonald's Egg McMuffin in my head, so that was our first stop.  I needed more coffee, so we shared a cup.  Experience has taught me to drink very little before going on the river.  The coffee cups at McDonald's have a magic little flipper now that opens the cup with each sip, instead of the old way of bending the flipper back and leaving it open. A thumbs-up improvement in fast food.

It was 12:30 when we zipped our life jackets and left the dock.  The sun was warm, yet the air was cool.   We fished and nibbled on homemade hot sticks we bought at a mom and pop store that smells like an old-fashioned smoke house.  It's so much fun to picnic when the fish aren't biting!

As the weather changes, so do the sights and the people we see....

Backwaters on our drive to the boat landing.

We're being watched as we put our boat in the water

Still being watched as we fish.

A muskrat house.

Trivia:  How did the muskrat get its name?

There are two scent glands near its tail which give off a strong musky smell that a muskrat uses to declare its territory.

"Good things come to those who bait."

~Author Unknown

Death...The Mysterious Certainty

Michel de Montaigne's powerfully influential thoughts about the fear of death and dying.....

If you have lived a day, you have seen all:

one day is equal and like to all other days.

There is no other light, no other shade;

this very sun, this moon, these very stars,

this very order and disposition of things,

is the same your ancestors enjoyed,

and that shall also entertain future generations.

***

What a ridiculous thing it is 

to trouble ourselves about

taking the only step

 that is to deliver us from all trouble!

 As our birth brought us the birth of all things, 

so in our death is the death of all things included. 

 To mourn that we shall not be alive a hundred years from now,

 is the same folly as to be sorry we were not alive 
a hundred years ago. 

 Death is the beginning of another life.

***

Wherever your life ends,
it is all there.
The utility of living consists not in the length of days,
but in the use of time.
A man may have lived long,
and yet lived but a little.
Make use of time while it is present with you.
It depends upon your will, 
and not upon the number of days,
to have a sufficient length of life.
Is it possible you can imagine never to arrive
at a place toward which you are continually going?
and yet, there is no journey that has no end.
And, if company will make it more pleasant or more easy to you,
does not all the world go the self-same way?
Does not all the world dance the same brawl that you do?
Is there anything that does not grow old,
as well as you?
A thousand men,
a thousand animals,
a thousand other creatures,
die at the same moment that you die.

The Clock of Color

In October, Mother Nature plays one of her amazing tricks.  She snaps her fingers and turns trees into flowers.

We put the leash on the Fuzzy One, grabbed our walking sticks, and on our hike into the woods we went.  It was a challenge to decide whether to look up, look around, or look down at the colorful forest floor. When Mother Nature changes clothes, it makes me wish I could take a peek in her closet.

A silly thought.....the crunch crunch beneath our feet made me think of Rice Krispies, and our sighs of delight made me think of CheeriOs.

The busy life we humans have made for ourselves often blurs the whole picture.  We aren't looking up, we aren't looking down, we aren't looking at all. Minds are pinging and ponging from one scheduled task to the next.  Phone calls and text messages interrupt and derail.  All the while, a vigilant paint brush is out there painting beautiful scenery that we are too hyped to notice.

This morning when I brought my feet out of bed, a stabbing pain in my right knee reminded me of the day we were leaving the cabin.  It was around 7:30 in the morning, and we needed coffee and something sweet to take with us on the road.  The boat was hooked up to our Escape, so we parked along side the convenience store parking lot.  We were jabbering and walking.  Hubby pointed out to me a bait shop next to the store.  I was oblivious to everything beside the bait shop when my foot kicked into a yellow parking marker.  Lucky for me my right knee hit the cement and saved my head from smashing into the garbage can by about an inch.

No serious injuries.  I played soldier, brushed off my black leggings, and took hubby's arm into the store.  Holy monkey poop, I fell on my right knee and thank heaven I didn't dislocate my titanium hip.  The girl working in the store said she saw me fall and wondered if I got hurt.  Nonchalantly, I assured her I was okay but thanked her for asking.

The colors of our world...even the black and blue ones...are bestowed so we slow down and keep our eyes open.  Creation is not something that happened billions of years ago.  Creation is happening right now, and we have front row seats.  Every second erases the one before. The green leaves turn crimson and gold.  Brown hair turns white. Color gives away the secrets of time.      

Mother Nature offers us free admission to Her art gallery. The gracious Lady has only one request.....please look where you're going.

Let it Rain!

Water trickles down the window beside me. The splats sound like music after months of so little rain.  With only the tree bones left, there's that spooky feeling that comes with October.

Rainy Sundays make for cozy.  The fireplace warms, a floor lamp sheds enough light so hubby can read the morning paper, our social calendar is blank.  If the creeks don't rise, it'll be the ideal family day.

Light in the Night Forest

Our odometer added up more than 2,800 miles while we were on our northern sabbatical.  Back roads leading into the forests hold non-stop lure for those of us who can't wait to see what's right around the next corner and over the next hill.

If we look closely at this picture, strands of lights wrap around the wooden posts.  This back woods outdoor studio speaks a silent story of an artisan's soul. My mind tries to picture this at night, when the nighttime stillness of the forest descends and the studio lights are lit.  

Make a Difference

You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total

of this world's happiness now.

How?

By giving a few words of sincere appreciation

to someone who is lonely or discouraged.

Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today,

but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.

~Dale Carnegie

Where the Fish Are

Do you remember Connie Francis singing "Where the Boys Are?" Well, this picture shows where the fish are.  They like to swim around in the weeds and reeds.  Sometimes they're hungry. Sometimes they're not.  Schools of perch, bluegill, crappie, and rock bass move like ghosts from one weed bed to another.  The trick is finding them.  Fishing is really a game of Hide-and-Go-Seek on water.

One of the days we were on the lake, our half-full wire fish basket was hanging over the side of the boat.  When hubby reached down to deposit a perch, the basket wasn't there.  A few minutes before we had moved our boat slowly to another spot, and the cord must have come undone.  Poor hubby felt so responsible, because my 12-inch perch was inside the basket.


What to do!  We inched the boat back to the reeds where we started from.  I'll be darned, the basket was stuck in the weeds.  All of our fish were still inside, hubby refastened the basket to the boat, we put another night crawler on our poles and went back to business.

Where the fish are...someone waits for me.

October Whimsy

October brings out a hodgepodge of whimsical characters to decorate house yards and driveways, like this impish little fellow in bib overalls watching the traffic go by.  

Autumn art is free-style...the sillier, the better.  Every display is a personal contribution from the storehouse of humor that lives within all of us.  Whether we carve a pumpkin, or plop a pumpkin on the front porch, it's a worthy attempt to brighten the world.  We never know who might need a good giggle as they pass by our property.

As the world turns, so do the colors of Nature.  Orange is majestic now, as are the yellows and golds.  Chrysanthemums are dazzling.  Add blue sky and sunshine to them, and our world sings a happy song.

Wedding Anniversary

We returned last evening from a month-long stay at the edge of the wilderness, where we secluded ourselves on our 45th wedding anniversary.  Of the many beautiful pictures we took, this one touches my soul.  It signifies the climb.

Anniversaries, especially wedding, are usually filled with dancing and drinking, eating and social togetherness.    We chose to go away by ourselves and quietly think back on all we've been through...side by side.

Life, for no one, is a peaceful path.  Once in awhile something terribly unexpected will hit us like a meteor falling from the sky, leaving us barely able to put one foot ahead of the next and take another breath.  The last 45 years has shown us that the celebration is not about the number of years, but the number of times we held onto one another.  We've shared losses of the heart that started when hubby's brother was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.  A couple years later his grandma and grampa were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.  Early on in the game we learned this wasn't going to be easy, and we needed each other.

Then there's the other side of the scale of justice. The silliness and the fun of growing old together.  Watching the warts that were never there before...the number on the bathroom scale get bigger...the thinning hair turn gray...the skin droop...the unwanted hairs grow like grass, and every body part hurt...if we actually use them.  We've taken new vows to laugh when we find new warts, and we're preparing ourselves for what we'll look like ten years from now.

Life is a climb.  A tower to be reckoned with one day at a time, one situation at a time.  Marriage is a commitment between two people to face life together.  It's not about giggles and movie-screen romance.  It's about testing the strength of two heart strings.

Our month spent alone was our congratulations to two human spirits making the climb together and not letting go.  Like those crimson leaves in the picture, we've clung to the tree of life that sustains us both. We are no longer newlyweds.  We are oldyweds.  And, that suits us just fine.

Writing Alphabet Ditties

Are apples aware of anything?

Blood bleeds badly because of bruises.

Candles can cause catastrophes.

Did Dolly deliberately dribble down her dress?

Every elephant eyes eternity.

Feisty frogs fly, frolic, and flit.

Great gander goose, get going.

Hannah held her hanky high.

Impish Ida inched impishly inward.

Jibbers-jabbers-heeby-jeebies.

Kitty Kat knew Kentucky kids.

Licorice lasts longer if leisurely licked.

Many misty mornings amaze me.

Nasty needles nick and annoy.

Opals and onions, owls and oranges.

Paradise points to possible paths

Quick, Quack, and Quandry

Relevant regions rightfully rally

Stones stay solid and sedentary

Tomorrow and today terrific things transpire

Usual and unusual, useful and unused

Visual vices are vile to the victim

Wonder where whales willingly wander?

Xactly, Xerxes, says the xpert.

Yes to yesterday, yo to yore.

Zesty zebras got zeroes, said Zeta.

by Nature Weaver

A is for Aspen Tree

• A, the third most used letter in English.
• The letter A represents a high degree of excellence, for instance Grade A milk and Grade A eggs.
• The point at the top of the Uppercase A where the left and right strokes meet is the Apex.
• Apha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and is used as a synonym for 'beginning.'
• Aurora Australis:  The aurora, or southern lights, of the Southern Hemisphere.
• Aurora Borealis:  The aurora, or northern lights, of the Northern Hemisphere.
• Vitamin A helps form and maintain our skin, our teeth, our skeletal and soft tissues, mucus membranes and promotes good vision.  Without enough Vitamin A, we are more apt to get infectious diseases and have problems with our eyesight.
• Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia
• The first A1 steak sauce was put together in 1824 by the chef to King George IV of the United Kingdom.  Legend tells that the king declared its taste to be "A1" and that's how its name came to be.   
• Two signs of the Zodiac start with A...Aries and Aquarius.  
• AIR is one of the four classical elements found in the ancient Greek traditions (air, earth, fire and water).  
• A is the Answer to Q the Question
• Remember going ape over something?
• The Aorta is the largest artery in the body.
• The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world, it has the largest drainage basin in the world and accounts for approximately 1/5th of the world's total river flow.
• Amazon.com. is the world's largest online retailer.     
• To spell out numbers, one would have to count to One Thousand before coming across the letter A.
• Count the A's in the names of the seven continents.......Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Australia, Asia and Antartica.
• Four of the United States begin with the letter A:  Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and Arkansas. Count the a's.
• The name of the first man was Adam.....2 a's.
• The word "actualitabilismain" supposedly has the most a's.  The word means the study of actuality and metabolism.
• There are four principal blood types:  A, B, AB, and O.
• A-frame houses and A-line dresses.
• The only nation whose name begins with an A, but doesn't end in an A, is Afghanistan. 
• The word 'almost' is the longest word spelled alphabetically.
• Au is the symbol for the chemical element gold.
• AA - Alcoholics Anonymous, a worldwide fellowship for recovering alcoholics.
• AAA - American Automobile Association
• Aster, amethyst, anemone, apple blossom, azalea.
• AARP - American Association of Retired Persons.
• Alice asks for axes, a tongue twister.
• The only city whose name can be spelled completely with vowels is Aiea, Hawaii.
• Alma Mater, means 'bountiful mother.'

Is there a Tree that Starts With X?

• In Noah Webster's first dictionary (1806), there is only one word beginning with an X.  The word is XEBEC, a small 3-masted Mediterranean ship first used by pirates and later for commerce.
• Nixon is the only U.S. President with an X in his last name.
• No U.S. state starts with X.
• X, indicates extra (XL=extra large)
• Generation X describes people born from 1964 to the late 1970s in the U.S. and Canada.  They follow the powerful Baby Boomer generation that followed World War II.
• X-ray
• X = Roman Numeral for 10
• Xerox
• X-Chromosome - one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in both male and female mammals.  The other is Y.
• Ex - former spouse
• X is sometimes used as a signature, typically by individuals who aren't able to write.
• Tongue Twister:  Xylophones exist, or so existentialists insist.
• Xu, coin of South Vietnam
• The call letter for radio stations in Mexico is X.
• X's repressent kisses, like O's represent hugs
• The abbreviation Xmas, for the word Christmas, has Greek origin.  The word for Christ in the Greek language is Xristos.  Being it starts with the letter X, it was used in place of Christ and came to be the short form for the word Christmas.
• X - sign for railroad crossing

M is for Magnolia Tree

• MIX has the value of 1009 in Roman Numerals.
• Monopoly is the most played board game in the world.
• The U.S. states starting with M:  Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi (Magnolia State), Missouri, and Montana.
• Mighty Mississippi River
• Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest State Capital in the U.S.
• One of the dearest memories is the time my mom and I stopped to eat supper at a restaurant.  On the menu was Macadamian Nut Pie.  Mom said, "We're going to each have a piece, and I'm treating."  That went down in history as THE most decadent pie I've ever eaten.
• Macaroni, mushrooms, and maple syrup
• Moon, Mars, and the Milky Way
• Mint Malts in March at McDonald's
• March and May
• The meaning of my first name is meadow.  The meaning of my husband's name is meadow.
• Moccasins, muffins, Mongolian Beef
• Mother Nature
• Surgical staples are commonly pre-shaped into an M.
• Measles and Mumps
• Remember, having it made in the shade?
• Marigold, mum, magnolia, morning glory, and moss. 
• Murphy's Law
• There were no red colored M&Ms from 1976 to 1987.
• 3M (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing)
• The word "mile" comes from the Roman word "milia," meaning thousands.  The Romans measured distances in paces, which were about five feet.  So, milia passum, 1000 paces or about 5,000 feet, was the length of a mile.

U is for Umbrella Tree

• Universe
• U, the chemical symbol for uranium.
• U-turns, ultra, unless, and urgent
• Utah, the only U.S. state that starts with U.
• UV rays, U-Haul, U-Boat
• Ural Mountain Range marks boundary between Europe and Asia.
• Ulna - the long bone of the inner side of the human forearm.
• Umbilical cord
• Ursa Major, the constellation of 7 stars, known as the Big Dipper
• Ukulele, small Hawaiian guitar
• The letter Q can barely function without the letter U.
• The six official languages of the U.N. are:  English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. 
• UFO, Uncle Sam, Underground Railway
• U of U  (University of Utah)
• Unique, Utopia, Ultimate, Unanimous, Upbeat, Understanding, Uncluttered

K is for Kentucky Coffee Tree

• Kentucky Derby - the annual horse race held on the first Saturday in May in Louisville, Kentucky.  The race is known as the "most exciting two minutes in sports," because that's approximately how long the race lasts. 
• Knicknack and koala
• Kukukuku - tribespeople in New Guinea
• Two U.S. states start with K:  Kansas and Kentucky.
• Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Half the U.S. radio stations start with K.
• Kit and Caboodle, or the whole shebang.
• Lower case k, prefix for 'kilo'   
• Remember Captain Kangaroo?  The longest-running nationally broadcast children's program of its day.  (1955-1984)
• K, symbol for the element Potassium.
• Knighthood, knowledge, karma, and kindness
• Kindle Fire, the newest addition to our home
• Kit-kats, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, ketchup, and kiwis.
• c and k are close friends.
• Helen Keller, the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree.  In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Helen Keller the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the two United States highest civilian honors.  In 1965, Helen was elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame.  There are streets named after Helen Keller in Spain, Israel, Portugal, and France.  Helen Keller is depicted on the Alabama state quarter.
• K-ration, a small package of emergency rations issued to U.S. troops in WWII.
• Kindergarten, K-12
• K, a thousand of anything, i.e., dollars.
• The word "kindergarten" comes from the German "children's garden."