Embers to Flames

I could not let the 5 month anniversary of the best movie, The Magic of Ordinary Days-most affectionately know as TMOOD, of all time pass without some sort of toasting. This movie has by far moved me to places I have never been before. On January 30, I had no idea that my life would be forever changed. Some deem me crazy, some deem me addicted. I agree, I am both crazy and addicted to Skeet and his work. But most recently through life experiences I have found myself crazy and addicted to the TMOODers and my daily fixes. So in honor of the 5 month anniversary....get your chocolate cake and cold co'colas and raise them to the emmy performance given by the man who brought us together....Skeet Ulrich. Here's too many more emmy performances and to fan fiction, my first love.

Livy had just dropped off the girls after her dress fitting and was thinking about the excitement in Florie’s voice as she talked about Walter. Recently, Livy has begun talking about Ray to the girls…she has told them his favorite color (green like Livy’s eyes) and she wonders if she has the same excitement in her voice as Florie does in hers.
Lately she finds herself lonely at home after she finishes the housework and she goes out looking for Ray in the fields,or in the barn, or in the shed where he was working. Ray had shown Livy how to change the tire on the truck and tractor. Livy loved the way Ray continued to aid in her independence.
However, Livy wanted to be more dependent on Ray than she dared to admit, even to herself. She liked the way he took care of her and she never worried about anything.
Livy turned onto the long winding driveway and could see Ray in the distance working out by the shed. This drew a smile to her face. She would not be alone this afternoon.
Ray heard the beet box pulling up the drive and his heart began to pound, just the thought of Livy made it hard for him to breathe.
Ray and Livy had come a long way from the day they were married. They had become comfortable with one another. Ray felt their life together would be good, hopefully one day great.
Ray had begun to be himself with Livy and she found out that Ray was quite the playful trickster.
Ray was quite pleased whenever Livy would show up where he was working. She always brought him co'cola to drink , thinking he may be thirsty. But soon she later admitted that she was lonely in the house and couldn’t bare to be in it another minute alone.
Ray knew that. And was glad she chose to spend it with him instead of a book that she was always reading.
As the truck pulled up, Ray felt like a nervous school boy. Should he stay with the burning trash or walk over towards the truck so that Livy would realize that he’d missed her and was glad she was home?
Before Ray realized what was going on, Livy had stopped the truck and barely had time to turn it off before she jumped out.
"No! No! What are you doing?" Livy yells while running towards the fire.
Startled, Ray answered confused, "What?"
"Where’s the burlap bag, from the dugout?" Livy demanded to know.
Right there Ray knew all the progress that they’ve made in their relationship was going up in smoke.
Ray wiped his mouth as he usually did when he was nervous and adjusted his hat.
Livy so upset she could only sigh in frustration to Ray-she stormed off to the house.
"Livy…." She heard Ray call after her.
Livy half expected Ray to follow her into the house and explained what happened. But he did not.
Livy got madder and madder as she walk in the house. Could he not apologize for destroying her hope?...her hope for a life in Wilson with him?
Livy went straight to fixing supper, something that Ray supported her efforts in. Livy had quickly made her mind up that she would give Ray the silent treatment or little talk tonight. Surface talk is what Livy called it. That’s how Livy’s family dealt with things, ignore the problem or the person. And Livy had become the queen of surface talk, though Livy was already feeling lonely just thinking about it.
Livy heard the back screen door open and close softly. And when she turned around there stood Ray, breathless, with the burlap bag in his strong farm hand.
Livy was stunned like at Martha’s a few weeks back when Ray talked about Troy,
Ray never ceased to amaze Livy -going to the ends of the earth to make her happy and he never once complained or ask for anything in return.
Ray told Livy that it was at the bottom of the pile and that it hadn’t caught fire yet.
Livy managed to walk to the sink because it was so hard for her to keep her composure, She so wanted to run into Ray’s arms and him to hold her.
Livy knew Ray didn’t intentionally mean to hurt her. He only wanted to make her happy there in his home.
But no, Livy chose they way she always had, shut everyone out so she doesn’t get hurt.
Ray told Livy that this was a working farm and if there isn’t any use for it, he gets rid of it.
"I thought it was trash, Livy"
"It’s not trash, it’s history, your history…our baby’s history"
Livy immediately bit her bottom lip. She could not believe that she had said "our baby". It came out before she could even think, but it was how Livy felt.
Ray’s ears were ringing, did he hear Livy say "our baby"?
Did she really mean that?
Livy smiled at Ray because she could tell what she said hit Ray right between the eyes.
He smiled back.
Livy wasn’t sure what to say next but she wanted to tell Ray how sorry she was…Ray reached out to Livy and touched her arm
"Livy, I’ll do anything to make you happy!"
"I know, Ray" Livy said softly
"I am so sorry I acted like I did", "it’s just that…"
Ray ceased the moment and pulled Livy into him. He saw the torment in her eyes and he just wanted to make Livy’s troubles go away. Livy gave into her desires to be by Ray. She fought it no more.
Ray had truly proven himself to her time and time again.
Rays strong arms were gently placed around Livy. Livy buried her head into Ray’s chest.
To be continued….

IMDB is catching up!

Hi guys,

I think this may brighten your day in light of the divorce news... Check out Skeet's IMDB.com photo page. There are a ton of new pictures, including some from the Into the West premiere! IMDB is finally catching up to our (and other fans) demand for more Skeet! :-)

a recipe from "The TMoOD Cookbook"

Professor Schliemann's Sauerkraut Balls
(these are a regional specialty..seems to be a mystery to most people!)

8 oz. crumbled, cooked sausage (like Bob Evans)
1/4 c. chopped onion (cook with sausage)
14 oz. drained and finely chopped sauerkraut
2 t. dry bread crumbs
1 3oz. package softened cream cheese
1 t. parsley
1 t. dry mustard
dash of garlic salt
1/4 t. pepper


for breading...
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 c. bread crumbs

Mix meat and onion, cook and drain. Cut and add sauerkraut and bread crumbs.

In small bowl, combine cream cheese, and spices....stir into meat mixture.

Roll spoonfuls into 1" balls, then roll in into flour.

Dip into milk/egg mix, then roll into bread crumbs.

Deep fry until golden brown....serve hot (can use cocktail sauce for dipping)

*** up front, I will tell you these are messy to make, but oh so worth it!
When making for a party, best to make up a day ahead, then fry right before
serving. Or can be made completely in advance, frozen, then baked in oven
at 350' till hot and crispy.
You can substitute finely chopped ham for sausage

Skeet Ulrich to Divorce

This is not my happiest moment to post such news--I am totally bummed right now with this item that came out-still incredible to me. Now I am just hoping that he will find happiness after this is all over.

SCREAM star SKEET ULRICH and his pretty British wife GEORGINA CATES are to divorce.

The couple separated last year (04) and actress Cates has now filed for divorce,
citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have two children -
four-year-old fraternal twins.

23/06/2005 02:45

Link to article

More Manifest Destiny-ITW2

Now more Jethro moments with the very familiar Skeet mannerisms and gestures.

The surprised look (Nobody's Baby)

Curly hair look (Boys and Last Dance)

The dancing Skeet look (Kevin of the North)

The hand gesture (Singletons have a phone)

The raised eyebrows look (various movies)

oh and don't forget the suspenders and an array of hat collection.

I know you all probably enjoyed him standing on the carriage manuevering the horses across the river.

Whoa!

and Jethro wet and wild eyed in the river..

and lastly the all so believable vomiting scene by the prairie.

I know it's going to get uglier after the second episode, so might as well prepare for it and keep in mind the good side of Jethro tonight.

TMoOD scenes in ITW2

It seems inappropriate to post this right after the divorce news came out but been meaning to post these pictures yesterday, so I am publishing this like I actually did it earlier (LOL).

Ray and Livy moments for us tmood addicts.

...and possible Ray and Livy moments for the sequel.

playing cards by the bonfire--

giving a haircut

and HOFK (hands on face kiss), not really a kiss but close enough.

I enjoyed the second installment very much, have you?

Philly radio audio files

Here's the Philly radio (WMMR) interview with Skeet Ulrich on 6/1/05, promoting the series "Into the West".

The interview also includes Jennifer Tilly's interview. Skeet stayed on while they interviewed her as they knew each other from the World Poker Tournament that both attended at one time.

Love the way he laughs in this.

Happy listening folks!

Part One Part Two

Part Three Part Four

Philly radio Interview

Through the diligence of a Tmooder (Kay) as well as a barage of emails from other TMoOders, the guys at the WMMR finally gave in and gave us a copy of Skeet's 6/1/05 interview.

We are told that the audio will be available through their site soon. The link to the radio station site can be accessed from the toolbar. It may take a while before they put it up, the interview was about 16 minutes long. I'll post the interview tonight if the audio file isn't up yet at WMMR's site.

The interview was great, he joked around and was very comfortable with the DJs, who were clearly fond of him even asking him to stay longer after the interview.

Thank you Kay for having the determination to make sure we Skeet fans get to hear his wonderful voice, and thank you WMMR for sharing the interview!

On the side note--I've made the blogger's commenting service available for the meantime while the guys at Haloscan are troubleshooting the problem. I am glad that we are not an isolated case and other blogs using Haloscan are also having the same problem. Hopefully, they can iron this out soon as I really like and miss their service. So feel free to comment using the blogger link at the end of the post.

Manifest Destiny - ITW2

Did you all enjoy the second episode? I bet you all did- minus the deaths and goriness of it all. I had a hard time picking the best Skeet scenes much less keep my fingers from pressing that screen capture button.

It's an interesting episode as the drama begins to unfold here. The first episode concentrated more on introducing the characters and setting up the foundation of the story line. Beside its having more Skeet time, the content is more interesting. Even the timeline is less ambiguous than the first.

I'll be breaking down the screen caps into a few posts. This will be the first installment being that I've captured quite a number of scenes with Skeet in it and that we are still unable to post comments, at least there will be something for you to read and see.

Sometimes it's hard to see the real Skeet when he's in costume and playing a role but his charisma does come through especially when he smiles, raises his eyebrows and does his usual hand gestures that we all so became familiar with. I guess that's a good sign that he does play his role very convincingly.

Commenting down

I am still waiting on Haloscan to give me a definitive answer as to why our comments won't post.

I will give it a day or so and will think of an alternative way so that we can comment again.

Thank you to you all for your patience while we iron this anomaly out.

Happy Father's Day Skeet!

To the Dads, Fathers, Grandpas and Husbands--this day is for you!

F A T H E R S
F ather must be a farmer, his family
the fertile field; sowing seeds of
instruction, each year fine crops
to yield.

A crobat of amazing agility, choosing
early his priority; balancing that
swaying tightrope, 'tween job
and his family.

T eacher with infinite patience, leader,
encourager, guide; unashamed~~
never embarrassed, to show his
tender side.

H onorable judge~~~discerning juror,
with wisdom his cherish'd friend;
when hard decisions arise, knowing
how and when to bend.

E arnest and eager guardian, angel
with accurate sight; watching over
his precious charges, keeping vigil
both day and night.

R esourceful, relentless warrior,
planning each enemy's defeat;
protecting his troops at any cost,
NO SURRENDER~~~NO RETREAT !

S uch a man who accomplishes all
this, is well deserving of; deep
respect, devotion, admiration, And ~
most importantly ~ OUR LOVE !

Mary Carter Mizrany
Father's Day ~ 2002

More Skeet Ulrich on DVD

I got this news a couple of days back but hadn't had the time to post. It's good to know that we still have something to look forward to in the horizon when it comes to SU.

The editor of the Cursed flick shown this year, where Skeet's character was totally cut out, decided to release all the materials that were cut from the original version of the movie when the DVD version comes out JUNE 21. Glad they decided to! I can't stand another important Skeet material ending up on the cutting room floor.

excerpts from the press:

Patrick Lussier, editor of the Wes Craven werewolf movie Cursed, told SCI FI Wire that the forthcoming DVD promises to show all of the material that was excised in order to win a PG-13
rating for the theatrical release.

"In the R version, Shannon Elizabeth gets ripped in half, flips over and crawls and dies weakly,"
he said. He added: "There's probably 15 or 20 minutes from the very original version, from what we always called the 'Skeet Ulrich version,' because he was of course the most absent person from the final version," Lussier said.

Click here to read the entire Cursed DVD news

From LIFE Magazine Newspaper Insert

Into the West: Episode Two - Manifest Destiny

If you ain't seen Episode Two of INTO THE WEST, you're missing some of this....

Thank You Gothykreddz

Hey Gothykreddz -

The gang at Therapy for TMoOD/SU wanted me to offer a special thanks for getting and posting my interview on the Late, Late Show from the other night. Many of them missed it and if it hadn't been for you, they might never have seen it.

So, thank you!

Your friend,
Skeet

Video up

Gothykreddz

has updated her webpage to include the Late Late Show interview with Skeet.

Click the link above or you can also access her webpage through the toolbar above under the tab "At the Singleton Farm".

It's best to save the file to your hard drive so you can view the video with no interruption by right clicking on the title of the video and choosing save target as on the menu.

Enjoy~!

Short clip-interview

I'd post the entire interview if I had the space for it but we don't. I don't know how long before the entire interview will be available for everyone but here's a short segment of the interview--for those of you who are anxious to see Skeet.

Interview segment

Skeet Ulrich on LLS

While you all wait for the video to be up, here are some screen caps of last night's interview. I think I will leave the video hosting with Gothykredd since she's the best source of any Skeet videos.

coming in to meet cf

acknowledging the fans

feeling sheepish about revealing his real name

...and some more close ups from the interview....

More than ten minutes of Skeet, he was looking good but tired from all the moving he's been doing he said. He's revealed more things about himself here than in any interview we've seen. Let's hope that the video will be available soon.

Skeet on Late Late show...(Tuesday night 6/15/05)

It was nearly midnight Tuesday when I saw that Skeet was going to be on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I was lucky enough to catch it. All I can say is WOW!! He looked great! Happy, healthy, smiling that beautiful, radiant smile that we all know and love. I realize a lot of people did not like his 'look' during recent appearances for viewings of ITW. I sure hope you were able to see this (two segment) interview. He was so relaxed, comfortable and articulate! Talked about his personal life now and growing up. His portrayal of Jethro Wheeler is earning Skeet glowing reviews. Let's hope that this will lead to wonderful projects for our favorite actor!

Happy 3-Mo Anniversay for TMOOD and Skeet

An important milestone for all of us today - it was March 12 when Skeetrfan opened up the blog for our enjoyment and boy has it grown since then. It gets better each day. By the end of today, the site meter may top 12,000! Some of us are pretty much just into TMOOD and some are fans of Miracles and many of us are omni-Skeet and love anything he says or does!

Lots of regulars who post, comment, and "tag" - if you've been a silent visitor this might be a great time to say hi and tell us all what draws you to the site.

So, let's raise our glasses and toast the site - Happy Anniversary!

Wheel to the Stars - ITW1

After so much waiting, episode one finally aired. What do you think?

Skeet Ulrich doesn't get much screen time here but I bet the next one we will get to see him more. So far from what I've read, it seems like he's going to get afflicted with cholera, survive a wagon train attack, fall into a freezing river and get greedy with the promise of the gold rush. Pretty exciting - isn't it? He does deserve credit for this short role. I am delighted that he's getting roles that do not stereotype him but rather ones that focus more on his acting talent.

Some screen caps from this episode...it may be the final ones we'll see of him without any facial hair.

This is the best scene for me. Skeet on horseback is just so thrilling, he does know how to ride all right!

And I've seen the grandfather before, have you?

Check the toolbar above as well for any news, articles and links relating to ITW as well as enhancements to the site. A photo album for ITW pictures is up, will plan to add more albums to the collection in the future.

The ITW site's cast roster also has some video clips from upcoming episodes.

Miracles on hiatus

As you may have noticed, we've kind of taken a break from the Miracles episode discussion. We will pick up again once we get a feel of how the ITW series are aired. Most of us will be glued to our sets and salivating over Skeet for sure these coming three weeks and it will not be so fair for the next Miracles episodes if we can't give our full attention to it.

I am aware that putting the series on hiatus will probably throw off some of you who may have signed up to host because of the timing of the original schedule. If that is the case, please let it be known, so you will not be inconvenienced due to this change in schedule.

Happy Skeet viewing!

A Skeet Sighting

Well the good news is--there was actually a tmooder who made it to the West Coast Premiere in Los Angeles! We've all been on a high hearing about every bit of information on meeting Skeet in person. It was very exciting for all of us to hear the inside scoop on this. Just posting the pictures that went around so that we can all share in the experience of it all.

Truly gracious to his fans.

He signed and took his time signing for everyone who asked for it.

He beams when it comes to his son and it shows

Keeping Jacob close to his heart. His son looks contented and happy in his arms.

He was one of the main cast to first arrive. We've got even greater respect for him now, thinking that he might have just arrived straight from the airport having done the East Coast circuit of promoting the series almost singlehandedly. For having that smile to face the crowd, is just very honorable for an actor who seems to have not let the 'hollywood life' get into his head.

We all may not like the what-I- call 'rugged' look he's been sporting, after all, most of us got to notice and love him from the TMoOD movie as the clean cut Ray. However, having seen these pictures even transcended the issue of the look but rather the kind of person he is--and I am telling you, I have personally overcome that and have come to love this look on him -- kind of comes with his maturity as a terrific and intelligent actor, a geniune personality and a seemingly normal person just like you and me.

A Surprise for Livy

Livy put the pail of arrowheads on the front step as they returned from what they had called Daniel’s first archeological dig.

“I can wash those up for you after lunch, Livy” offered Ray.

“I really don’t like to wash specimens, Ray. It is better to clean them with a soft brush so they keep more of their original condition,” replied Livy. “You can help brush them though.” she said cheerfully as she reached for Daniel who had fallen asleep while Ray carried him on their way home. She smiled up at Ray, “I can’t believe he fell asleep on his first archeological dig! I don’t think this is a good sign for a future archeologist.”

“Maybe he’ll want to be like his daddy and take better to farming,” Ray teased as he brushed his hands on his pants.

Livy playfully swatted Ray with back of her hand as she went through the door he held for her. “I’ll just put Danny in his cradle here in the parlor and if you’re a lucky farmer, I’ll make you some lunch.”

“I’ll help,” said Ray as he followed her through the door.

In the kitchen they made sandwiches and enjoyed a happy lunch as they talked about the morning.

“Ray,” started Livy when there was a lull in the conversation. Ray looked at her expectantly, his eyebrows raised. “I was wondering if I could do some painting in some of the rooms here in the house. Kind of freshen up the colors a bit.”

Ray smiled. The house already had become so much more of a home in the time since Livy had come here to be his wife. He wondered if he’d even recognize it by the time she got finished. He remembered a time when he had removed so much of what reminded him of his parents and of his brother Daniel; at the same time he had tried to preserve everything else the way it had been when they’d all been alive. Now Livy had restored many of the photographs and other mementos that he’d hidden away. With her in his life, they were no longer a painful memory that heightened his loneliness to a point where he could not bear it. Now it warmed him to look at those pictures and only made him wish that they all could have known Livy and that she could have known them. He knew they’d all love her and would no doubt be impressed that Ray had found himself such a fine wife. He smiled lingered as his mind wandered.

“Ray?” Livy questioned. “Ray, did you hear me?”

“Sure Livy, whatever you want. That would be fine. It would be great,” he said. Ray felt a little guilty about where his mind had been wandering – he was thinking of the changes Livy had made to their bedroom and that naturally was leading to how they often spent their time in that bedroom. Livy had stopped that thought process before he got too carried away, but he still felt a little silly for allowing a question about paint lead to thoughts of making love to his wife.

Livy gave Ray a puzzled look to which he just smiled and shrugged. “Thank you, Ray. Some time this week, I’ll head into Wilson and talk with the men at the hardware store?” she asked.
“You bet,” he responded as he got up and brought his dishes to the sink. “I’ve got some work to do in the barn, Livy. I’ll see you at suppertime, okay?” He leaned down to kiss her and she lifted her face to meet his.

“Thanks for indulging me this morning, Ray. It felt so good to be digging again,” said Livy.

Ray smiled down at her and said. “I’d do anything to make you happy, Livy.”

“I know,” she responded as he headed for the door. “I know that.”

*********************************

At dinner time, Ray returned and was washing up in the sink. Daniel sat in his high chair while Livy finished preparations for dinner and Franklin sat next to Ray at the sink, his tail wagging vigorously.

Livy looked down at the dog and said to Ray, “He may be my daytime companion, but he is still man’s best friend, Ray. He rejoices when you walk through that door.”

“Well, Franklin and I go back a ways is all, Livy. I think he loves having a woman in the house, not to mention this here little boy.” He tickled Danny beneath his chin and Danny squealed with delight.

And their evening passed as so many did – in companionable company, sipping coffee while listening to the news on the radio after Daniel had gone to bed, Franklin sleeping at Ray’s feet. When they both grew sleepy, they walked up the stairs hand in hand, leaving Franklin to sleep on a blanket that Livy kept near the oven for him.

****************************************

The next morning Ray told Livy that he would not be home for lunch and that he’d see her at dinner time. Livy was disappointed, but knew that sometimes his work took him too far from the house to get back at lunch, so she packed a lunch for him and gave him his thermos of coffee. He kissed her tenderly, lingering a little bit after she told him she’d miss him.

Livy spent a quiet, but busy day at the house doing her chores and spending time with Daniel. Franklin followed along dutifully and Livy smiled as she noticed his restlessness at lunch time, looking for Ray to come through the door. “Sorry Franklin, Ray’s not coming for lunch – you’ll just have to be content with Danny and me,” she said as she scratched his ear.

When Ray returned at dinner time Livy had prepared a roast chicken, which Ray enjoyed a great deal. “That’s good cooking, Livy,” he said as he finished up. “You are turning out to be a fine cook, I’ll say that,” he added.

Livy sighed. “Maybe I’m coming along, but I doubt I’ll ever be able to cook like Martha. That’s one reason why I’d like to do a little painting around here Ray. Maybe feel like I can make a difference around here.”

“You make a big difference, sweetheart,” Ray told her. “You don’t know what this place was like before you got here.”

After dinner, Livy sat and wrote a letter to Abby while Ray readied Danny for bed. When he was ready, Livy took Danny upstairs while Ray tuned the radio to the news. On his way to settle on the couch, he noticed Livy’s letter on the desk. He couldn’t resist the temptation to read what she had written. Livy’s second page was on the top and it is what Ray read.

Maybe a fresh coat of paint will improve my perspective, but I continue to feel that I’m living in someone else’s house. The dishes, the furniture, and the curtains all belong to someone else. Why even Franklin whom I rescued from an outdoor existence still prefers Ray to me! I shouldn’t feel so sorry for myself, Abby. It is a good life here and Ray doesn’t deny me anything so I do realize how very blessed I am. I'm just struggling a bit right now, trying not to be the outsider still.

Ray moved sheepishly toward the couch when he heard Livy’s footsteps on the stairs. After Livy finished her letter she joined Ray on the couch where he put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I love you, Livy,” he said as he kissed the top of her head.

She rested her head on top of his shoulder and said, “I love you, too, Ray,” she responded.

*******************************************

The next morning Ray again reported that he wouldn’t be back at lunch time and might even be a late at dinner time. Livy tried to hide her disappointment, but Ray caught a glimpse of her slight frown as she began to prepare a lunch for him. He approached her from behind and put his arms about her waist and began to kiss her neck. Livy’s lunch preparations slowed and then stopped as he turned her to face him; he gently took her face in his hands and leaned down to gently kiss her, as she put her hands on Ray’s arms. As he lifted his head away from her he said, “It might be a little easier to get through a whole day without you if we had a little time to spend together back upstairs before I go, Livy.” Livy smiled and agreed that somehow it might make the day more bearable if they were to do so. Ray took her hand and led her to the stairway and up to their room.

There he slowly untied the belt to her robe and helped slide it off her shoulders. He bent to grasp the hem of her nightgown and slowly lifted it over her head. With Livy standing naked before him, the removal of his own clothes took place with great urgency and soon they were on the bed together, taking in as much of each other as they could, as if they were to be apart for a month rather than a day. Afterwards, Ray held Livy as she said, “I’m going to think of this all day as I’m missing you.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to think of anything else at all, Livy!” he exclaimed. They both laughed as Ray rose from the bed and put his clothes back on.

And Livy worked through the day and just as Ray had said, when she found herself missing him, she thought of their time together that morning and couldn’t stop a smile from coming up on her face.

“Well now, just what are you grinning at here all by yourself?” Livy heard someone say. She whirled around and saw that Martha had approached.

“Oh Martha, good heavens, you startled me – I, I, um, was just thinking of something funny,” she stammered in answer to Martha’s question.

“Well come on, let me in on the joke, too then,” joked Martha.

Livy blushed and looked down at her fingernails. “Oh, you wouldn’t think it was funny, it was just some silly thing,” Livy managed to get out. Changing the subject she asked, “So what brings you out here? Not that I mind, I’m here alone all day.”

“That’s why I’m here, honey. Hank said he and Ray would be back a bit late so I’m here to bring you and Danny home with me where you’ll have dinner with us and Ray can just pick you up there,” said Martha.

“Oh Martha, that would be lovely. Let me get Danny’s things together and I’ll be ready in no time.”

*******************************************

Later at Martha’s and shortly after they’d eaten dinner, they heard Ray’s truck pull up to the house. Hank hurried in and said that there was a surprise and that they needed to get Livy to sit in a chair on the front porch and that she’d need to keep her eyes closed. Livy’s eyes widened with curiosity as Hank and Martha led her toward the porch. She closed her eyes as they sat her on a chair. Ruth followed, carrying Daniel and Chester and Hank, Jr. were close behind. “Is Ray with you, Hank?” Livy asked.

“I’m not saying, Livy. You’ll find out soon enough; now keep them eyes closed real tight or you won’t get your surprise,” said Hank.

“Okay,” said Livy as she squeezed her eyes shut tight and grasped her hands in her lap. Once again she couldn’t keep from smiling.

The she heard Ray’s voice, “Eyes shut real tight, Livy? You’re not peeking now are you?” she heard him ask.

“No, Ray I’m doing everything I’ve been told to do, but I’m about to burst from curiosity!” she exclaimed.

She heard his footsteps on the porch. “Well okay then, you can go ahead and open your eyes now,” Ray said quietly.

Livy opened her eyes looking up at Ray and realized he was holding a basket. He lowered the basket so that it was on her lap. Livy realized that inside the basket was a tiny black puppy, sound asleep.

“I was hoping that she’d be a bit livelier while meeting her new mistress, but that truck ride just lulled her right to sleep,” Ray said as Livy stared into the basket.

“Oh, Ray,” she said. “Oh, Ray she is beautiful! And she’s for me?” she asked.

Ray lowered himself to put his face near the basket. “I know that you’ve been needing something for yourself that wasn’t already here when you got here, Livy and I thought you could raise her yourself,” he said. He reached in and stroked the puppy who stirred, but stayed sound asleep.

“Oh, Ray,” Livy said again. “Father never allowed us to have dogs – I don’t know the first thing about what to do.”

“Well of course I’ll help you,” he said. “But she’ll be yours and you’re going to have to give her a name.”

“I guess that’s a good place for me to start. Any suggestions?” Livy asked the rest of the group, who was looking on. The kids had begun to move closer and closer to the basket to take a look at the puppy.

“How about Midnight?” suggested Chester.

“How about Blacky?” suggested Hank, Jr.

“Those are not names for a girl dog,” said Ruth.

“Maybe not,” said Livy, “but I like their theme. How about if we name her Shadow? It kind of fits her color, don’t you think?”

“And it may fit her behavior once she falls in love with you Livy, she’ll be like your shadow,” said Ray.

“Then Shadow she is,” said Livy as she handed the basket to the boys and stood. She stepped forward as she smiled up at Ray.

“Thank you, Ray,” she said as she reached up to kiss him and put her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much for knowing how to make me so happy.”

“I love you, Livy,” he whispered in ear.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back.

Ramblings

I'm back after a long absence. Can't tell you how happy I am about that! I have a ton of catching up to do. Forgive me if I touch on things that have already been discussed.

I finally received my copy of 'Soldier's Sweetheart'. I'm sorry, but there wasn't anything I liked about this movie. (Could Kiefer Sutherland be anymore annoying??) I have to put this in the catagory of "Skeet movies I own but will never watch again". The other one is 'Chilly Dogs'.

I LOVE PSYCHO SKEET!!!! Forgive me if this topic has been discussed. (Remember, I have over 6 weeks of catching up to do). I thoroughly enjoy him near the end of 'Scream' when he goes completely nuts, and when I saw 'You Are My Sunshine'...OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I couldn't get enough!! I need more psycho Skeet!!!!

Except for the first 15 minutes, or so, 'You Are My Sunshine' is my favorite 'Miracles' episode. I don't like the first part of the show (before he's all possessed) because I don't think that Skeet and Anna Gunn have any romantic chemistry whatsoever. I'm sure you all are aware that this is the same actress who plays Stormy in 'Nobody's Baby'. (I kept thinking how familiar she looked but couldn't place her. My husband didn't have that problem though. Thank God, because I'd still be trying to figure out where I had seen her before). They were fine together in that movie, as friends, but as a couple, no, I just couldn't feel it. Maybe it's just me.

I love a singing Skeet! Wish we could hear more.

I'm anxiously waiting for 'Into the West'. I have seen a couple previews on the tv box. Looks like it will be really good. I hope there is a lot more Skeet than I am expecting. Timer is set for Friday 8pm.

So sorry, and sad, to hear that the rumors have finally been confirmed. I was so hoping he and Georgina would live happily ever after...

Saw the new picture at IMDB. While it's better than the other one (most of them are) it's still not what I would want up there. Can't we get a recent pic for crying out loud?

I've gone on enough.

Good to be back.

Monty

Jethro as ITW's eye candy

We thought we'd post our growing armada of Jethro pictures that have come up. The Tmooders have had their radars on double alert to ensure that we don't miss out on anything.

More coming up....

(Time Magazine promo insert,Jun 6,'05 issue)


(National Geographic promo insert)





(Inside TV, May 23,'05)


(TV Guide, May 29-04,'05)

Screen Caps from Episode 6

Thought I'd treat us to some screen caps from Episode 6, but didn't get past the opening scene - it was a treasure trove of Skeet (a sexy, sweaty Skeet)