Broke My Booby

Eight years ago I traveled to Ecuador. I bought this blue footed booby figurine to remember my trip. I specifically wanted to remember that one moment when I was snorkeling near Kicker Rock and right ahead of me a blue footed booby dove into the water right in front of my head. I was so surprised to see those blue feet zoom past my face mask. I had the figurine in the pot of my ficus tree on the deck. The wind blew the tree over and my booby broke. I think I can get some glue and glue the booby face back on the booby, don't you?

Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows

I was a little embarrassed to read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kuar Jaswal at work. I was worried my coworkers would think I was reading erotic literature because, well, the word erotic is in the title. But this isn't one of those slutty bodice ripper books. This is a story about a young Punjabi woman, in her twenties, who is a little bit lost career wise. She gets hired to teach widows how to read and write. Nikki is her name and she doesn't exactly teach the widows how to read and write but in the process she helps a great number of widows. The widows help her find a path in life that is better than the one she was on before. I am sorry to miss the discussion of this book next month because I am sure it will be a lively meeting.

Call The Ladder Truck

I was in the lobby of the building where I work this afternoon when I overheard a conversation between two women who work there and the community service officer. The two women asked the officer to call the ladder truck to come. When asked why they needed the ladder truck to come they explained there was a frog perched on the outside of the glass of a window on the fourth floor. He said he wasn't calling the ladder truck. They encouraged him to call the ladder truck adding that the frog was  petrified in fear. The officer explained that if the frog got up there it could get down. The women claimed the frog was blown up that high by a freak wind stream much like Dorothy in the Wizard of  Oz. The officer just shook his head.

The River

I would not recommend listening to Peter Heller's book, The River, while driving. This novel is distracting. Last night I parked in my garage and I realized my heart was pounding and I was breathing heavy because I was so excited about the adventure of Winn and Jack; two young men who love the outdoors. These two college students decide to make a late summer canoe paddle in northern Canada and come at the Hudson Bay. Jack is cautious and a little paranoid about danger. Wynn is fearless and very trusting. Their journey is complicated by a major wild fire in the Canadian forest and by some less than savory characters they meet along the way. The last couple of chapters go by at a furious pace which is why I recommend you not be driving when you hear this story.

Scarves for Kids

Earlier this month I went camping on the north shore of Minnesota with my grand girls. I brought some blue yarn and a pair of knitting needles. I asked if either of them wanted a blue scarf. One girl said she wanted a blue scarf and the other girl said she wanted a purple scarf. They looked at me expectantly as if I could make the scarves appear instantly. I thought I had more room in the back seat of an Audi SUV with two child seats than I actually had. There was no way I could knit on this trip. Since the trip ended I have completed two little scarves. I adorned them with some flowers on both ends. I plan on seeing these grand girls soon. I hope they  like their scarves!

Neighbors

On Saturday I texted my neighbor about an article I got in the mail about the local elementary school principal. Today she responded to that text. She also texted she bought too much arugula and romaine and would I like some lettuce? I responded yes if she took my eggs. She comes over at 7 p.m. with arugula, romaine, two magazines, and a Tupperware dish of an egg/tofu salad she likes to make. I gave her my eggs and half a bag of red potatoes that I knew I could not finish before they went bad. I am so lucky to have the nice neighbors that I have. Building a good relationship takes some effort but the pay off is so very large that I don't mind spending my time and energy.

Cut Flowers - For or Against?

I planted what I thought were all orange zinnias this year. Obviously this one was not orange but white. Despite the flower's lack of orange I still think it has a certain elegance about it so I deemed it worthy of being cut and brought into the house. Some people don't like cut flowers. I have a niece who doesn't like cut flowers. She doesn't like them because they die. My maternal grandfather was a farmer and he grew beautiful flowers. He never cut his flowers. Grandpa preferred the beauty of the flowers stay outside. My mother liked cut flowers. I remember a vase of daisies she had in the dining room on a shelf. She put ink into the water and the white daisies became purple daisies. Maybe that is why I like cut flowers. In the winter if I feel the winter doldrums I treat myself to a spray of cut flowers and then I feel better. If something makes me feel better I don't consider it to be a waste of money. I would not spend $40 on a dozen hot house roses though. I would rather get a vase of flowers from the prairie or a local ditch than a dozen hot house roses.