WWSD

When I got back to work, someone made bracelets out of thick rubber bands with the letters WWSD

Try Not to Eat Like a Bat

Last night I was walking the dog around the block at dusk because it was too hot earlier. We rounded the corner and a bat flew between me and the dog. Before I could scream the bat was halfway down the block and by then it was too late to scream so I didn't. I could see it clearly against the sky and it flew down the block and back up again never veering from the road. That bat was eating above the road. I thought it was strange that the bat was eating on the road. I realized that on busy days, days where we're driving between violin lessons and school events or doctor appointments and book club meetings, I eat on the road too. We go through the drive through and eat while traveling. I've heard that isn't good for the digestion. One should really sit down at a table and eat like a civilized human being. I imagine it's safer too. So from now on, I will try not to eat like a bat and eat at a table instead.

Here's an interesting link - try it. It has nothing to do with bats.

Japanese One-Click Award <http://www.1-click.jp/>!

I want to drive a Bulldozer

I went back to work today. I had a very nice welcome. I had cards and a plant and signs and e-mails welcoming me. That was very, very nice. I felt wanted and needed. And I love my job.

But someday I want to drive a bulldozer - not necessarily as a paid job. I just want to move some earth. I want to flatten a hill or create a hill or demolish a building.

Girlfriends I Have Known

I have been thinking back about old television shows and the friendships between women on these shows. Some of my favorite shows had female friendships as a theme in the show. My favorite by far was Lucy and Ethel. The Lucy and Ethel friendship reminds me of a friendship I once had - I was the Ethel. Lucy and Ethel had a lot of fun together that they never would have had separately. Lucy was always pulling Ethel out of her comfort zone and Ethel would protest but eventually go along. Many people like the episode where Lucy and Ethel work in a candy factory. That one is funny but my favorite was when they tried to fix a shower. Maybe this was past the "I Love Lucy" time and into the next show. Lucy and Ethel are trying to fix a shower but, as I could predict, Lucy's idea is flawed and the shower starts filling up with water. The opaque shower doors hold the water in as it rises to the level where they are swimming. In the Flintstones, Wilma and Betty had a good friendship even though most of it was uniting against the dumba$$ husbands. I don't remember seeing Betty and Wilma planning any of their own fun. Mary Tyler Moore had girlfriends and they had issues just like real girlfriends too - jealousy, misunderstandings, etc. In Will and Grace, Grace and Karen are both very intriguing characters but to me, their friendship doesn't seem very real. They don't like each other. They only tolerate one another because of their male friends. And how about Donna and Jackie in the 70's show? If Donna were real, she would have a ton of strong female friends but instead she just has airhead, shallow Jackie. What about Half Pint and Nellie on Little House on the Prairie? With friends like that, who needs enemies? Aunt Bea had a friend named Clara on the Andy Griffith Show but they seemed to be enemies too. You really can't count the Brady Bunch or Petticoat Junction - those were sisters which are an entirely different species. I know of what I speak here.

Lucy and Ethel were the best. RIP

Noble Gas Argon

This week I learned something about Argon that I think is fascinating. Argon is a noble gas. On the periodic table, it comes in at number 18. It is colorless and odorless and heavier than air. Argon is available in small amounts on earth - in our atmosphere. Argon does not react well with other elements - tends to stay the same no matter what else is near. So far that is not the fascinating part. Here it comes, wait for it, wait for it - We are breathing the same molecules of argon as our forebearers back to the beginning of time. And our descendants will be breathing the same argon that we have used in our bodies.

We are all connected.

Back To Work

A day and a half away from going back to work. I have mixed feelings. I have enjoyed my time off. I like getting up, walking the dog, having breakfast and reading the entire newspaper from start to finish and spending as much time on each article as I like. Then I clean up and by then it's 9 or 10 a.m. I like doing things when I feel like doing them. Watch a move, do the laundry, read a book outside - when I feel like doing that, I can do that. That will all change come Monday. I am sure to have a huge pile of paperwork awaiting me. I will have to go back to using to do lists. I will have to be economical with my time. I will have to set the alarm - uggh. That bugs me most of all. I have gotten up at 5 or 6 a.m. 80% of my days off but now I will have to set the alarm. I will be happy to see people though and to get back to my old routine. I am going to make a big batch of frog eye salad for my coworkers because they've been so nice to me while I was gone. I have missed my work friends. I must not be ready for retirement because I can't imagine being without my work friends.

I got carded!

I know what you are thinking - I am too old to be carded. Yet I do not lie. I got carded at Home Depot. I was out shopping for spray paint (color? Yep, orange). I used the self serve check out. I scanned my can of orange spray paint and the screen told me to wait for a teller. The teller approached and said, "May I see your drivers license?" She smiled and was polite but I felt affronted. Do you have to be able to drive to paint? If so, I can think of a few other activities that would require a drivers license. Anyway, I said, "Seriously?" She smiled again and said some kids like to buy paint and get in trouble. So she looked at me license, pressed some numbers on my screen and I was on my way. I assumed she meant the kids would huff the spray paint but after thinking about it, Home Depot might also be concerned that kids would use the paint for graffitti.

The County Fair

Tonight I met some friends at the fair. I had a good time. I saw goats. I saw cows. I saw a cow being milked. I saw rabbits. I saw huge rabbits. I saw a rabbit that looked like a rabbit slipper. I saw chickens. I saw plain chickens and fancy chickens with feathers on their feet and updo's on their heads. I saw sheep. I told one sheep, "Thank you for your wool," and he looked away in shyness. I saw rides. I wanted to go on the bumper cars but my friends said I shouldn't because of my back. I love bumper cars. I get very aggressive on bumper cars. I'd really like to be in a demo derby but bumper cars are cheaper and seem safer. I saw a man in a blacksmith shop make a belt buckle. I saw baby dogs and kittens. I saw ducks. I saw a former junior high english teacher dressed as an old fashioned woman in the historic house. Kids, remember Mrs. King? She doesn't remember you. I saw a tractor pulling a belt that sawed planks out of a tree trunk. Wow, that was a big saw blade. I saw art work. I saw a guitar shape made entirely of car keys. I talked to one 4H girl who had 9 entries at the fair. I saw all kinds of entries for prizes (4H and otherwise) including brownies, rice krispie treats, jams, salsa, pickles, angelfood cake, quilts, clothing, wood carvings, photographs, beer and wine (all the bottles were empty. My friend wants to be a beer judge at the fair). I was asked to dance by a square dancing man. I got to sit in a snow plow (I would need a pillow to see over the dash). I saw my cousin in the tractor pull. I enjoyed hearing his name announced. Those tractors are loud and powerful. I talked to lots of people. People tried to sell me siding, hot tubs, jewelry and patchouli soap made with organic herbs and all vegetarian products. That got me thinking. I say I am a vegetarian but I probably slather on some meat products on my hair or skin. I don't read the labels on shampoo or lotion. I guess I am only a vegetarian on the inside. I learned that I can call the mosquito control people if I feel I have too many mosquitos in my yard and they will, at no charge, come out, assess my yard for mosquitos and spray the yard for me. I didn't know that. Mosquitos do drive me nuts but I don't want pesticides sprayed all over my property. I listened to the teen and preteen talent show performances. Everyone was a winner. They all got to come back tomorrow for the final judging. I did buy some pop and some corn on the cob but I didn't eat much. Fair food didn't really sound good today. But I am glad I went to the fair.

Tearful Reunion

Today I went to see the Minnesota Red Bull National Guard return to the Anoka Armory. I wanted to be there to welcome them home from their 22 month deployment. These 90 + men and women left about the same time my son did and are just now getting home. Their unit had the longest deployment of any unit in National Guard history.

From their website:

The 1/34 BCT conducted its Transfer of Authority ceremony with the 1/82 BCT(A) at the Ziggurat of Ur on 11 July 2007, ending another chapter in Red Bull history. During the longest deployment of any unit to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, they drove 2.4 million miles with 99% on time starts; discovered a significant number of IEDs before they could detonate; achieved a 98% vehicle readiness rate; processed 1.5 million vehicles at entry control points without incident; completed $29 million in Iraqi reconstruction (seven water plants, 90 miles of road, numerous schools, and hundreds of miles of roadside cleanup); closed eight redundant radio relay points and improved the remaining three; and provided $55 million in force protection improvements for four bases. 1/34th BCT has earned the Operation Iraqi Freedom Campaign Streamer for its service in Iraq from March 2006 to July 2007

I can't imagine what it is like for them. People were waiting in Goodrich Field. I saw about 50 Patriot Guard Riders holding American Flags and lining Fourth Avenue and the entrance to the field. Their bikes were lined up inside and outside the field. I talked to a few of them and thanked them for what they were doing. All of them said they were happy to do it and proud to be a part of today's ceremony. I saw about 500 people waiting in the field. Some were infants and some were senior citizens and most were inbetween. I started crying right away. I don't know why. I don't know any of the people returning but tears streamed down my face. Someone on the loudspeaker announced that the buses were at Hwy. 10 and 7th Ave and should be here in 5 minutes. The crowd cheered. Soon we heard the sirens. Police escorted the buses down 4th Avenue followed by the Anoka Fire Trucks with horns blaring. The carriage buses were next. I waved and blew kisses at the faces behind the tinted windows. The buses unloaded and the soldiers went onto the field. The crowd went wild with cheers and whistles and hoots. Some official thanked the families for their service and the soldiers were dismissed. They walked out to meet their families. They all look alike to me in their uniforms. The first meeting I saw was a young woman who ran up to a man and locked her legs around his waist. I saw one young man in civilian clothes approach a soldier from below and surprised him. He was startled for a second, recovered, and hugged that young man so tight for about 2 minutes. He nestled his head in the guys neck. A couple times he patted him on the back and then they went back into the hug. I was so moved. Their family had time to position the camera during the hug. When they finally broke up the young man in civilian clothes had tears streaming down his face. The soldier wore sunglasses. I saw so many happy people leaving the field. I wish them the best. I pray they all do well.

I am so glad I went.

The Queen

The weather was so hot and sticky yesterday that I choose to be totally unproductive and just watch a movie. I loved THE QUEEN with Helen Mirren. Back in 2002 I had the opportunity to travel to London. We stayed at a really cheap but nice hotel that was within walking distance of Buckingham Palace. We had a few days planned but not this day so we chose to walk to Buckingham Palace just to see it. Turns out it was Queen Elizabeth's 75th birthday party. There were huge crowds forming. We got there early enough to get a good spot near the gates. And we were extremely fortunate to stand near this Londoner who knew all about what was going on because she comes every year to see the Queen's birthday celebration. She was talking to a different group of tourists but we were able to listen in and learn just who it was we were watching walking into the gates and into the palace. "That one there is the Queen's second cousin," she would say. "Look up there at the balcony - Charles is on the left and Harry is standing behind him." We saw Queen Elizabeth arrive in a open carriage wearing a lime green hat and coat. The London lady said she always wears solid matching hats and coats so the people can see her well at a distance. Ever since that day in London I have been into royalty and learning about England's royal history. So naturally I loved this movie which gave me a glimpse into Elizabeth's role as the Queen of England and as a mother, wife, and grandmother. I loved this movie. I loved the scenery of the Queen's gardens and homes and her corgi dogs. I enjoyed learning more about Tony Blair and about Diana. It was a great movie.

Dream Girls

Wow, two thumbs up for Dream Girls. Man, that Jennifer Hudson sure can sing. I don't watch American Idol but I have to admit that girl has talent. When she was singing a song, Don't Leave Me, I was almost crying because she was so good and so believeable. I understand her character was based in part on a singer named Etta James. Etta James is still alive and was named by the Rolling Stone as one of the hundred top performers of the century. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. I think I might explore her singing further because I don't know much about her. Beyonce can sing too but Jennifer Hudson was a knockout in this movie.

Sky Writers

I miss sky writers. Why don't we have sky writers anymore? I remember as a child looking up at the sky as a sky writer spelled out a message. I would sit on the grass and watch as each letter was formed. Watching skywriters work was fascinating. I would say each letter aloud and try to guess at the message. I would try to guess at the next letter. I don't recall any of the messages I read. Today would be a great sky writing day because the sky is clear and blue and there is little wind. I am going to have to research why the practice of skywriting was abandoned. I would much rather see a sky written message than a billboard anyday. In fact, I am nearly positive that if I saw a product advertised in the sky by a skywriter, I would buy that product if I could afford it. I am taken in by some clever advertising. I once bought dog food because the bag read, "More Bark For Your Buck."

Chickadee dee dee

Today I was reading the paper at the kitchen table and a black capped chickadee visited me. She came to get a drink out of my mosaic bird bath. She chirped a couple new tunes. Well, the tunes probably aren't new to her but I had never heard a chickadee make them before. I am used to the chickadee dee dee sound. Anyway, she sang some new tunes before taking her drink and flying off. I like chickadees. For one thing, their very name is fun - chickadee. It has a lot of hard consonants, it's easy to make rhymes, and it sounds like a nickname more than a formal name. Plus the name is the same as the sound it makes. I like the pluck of the chickadee. They seem to be very stalwart and stoic. They stay around all winter and they endure and even thrive in the bitter cold and wind. Chickadees are tough and cheerful. They are small in size but big in heart. I have to clarify that although I like chickadees, my favorite bird is the baltimore oriole or eastern oriole. Why, you ask? Because orange is my favorite color.

Sky Chair

I have a sky chair in my front yard. It is tied W - A - Y up in an oak tree. The seat is a little high for me to get into but when I sit down, it's just the right height for me to relax. My sky chair is a great place to read in the summer. I like to read books out there. I will go through the mail in my sky chair or sometimes I'll read the newspaper. The only thing that is missing is a drink holder. I think I could fashion one out of some rope and a small bucket. The sky chair is always in the shade and it's a great place to relax on a hot day. I also like to go out there at night and look up at the stars and relax. My dog is used to it. She sits on the ground and patiently waits as I swing softly. She has one of those retractible leashes so she doesn't have to move to keep up with the swing. Sometimes I let her sit on my lap and other times she prefers to wait on the grass. I have been using my sky chair a lot during my recovery because it supports me without putting pressure on the incisions. I love my sky chair and I love my nephew who tied the rope W - A - Y up in the tree about 4 years ago. I had been trying for months to get that rope up there. I attached the end of a rope to a soft ball with duct tape and tried to throw the soft ball over the branch. That didn't work. I'm a lousy shot with the soft ball and only got it tangled. I tied fish line to the end of the rope and tried to cast over the tree branch. That didn't work either. I can climb some trees but I couldn't climb this one. Three of my nephews are excellent tree climbers and have scared me half to death with their arbor ascents. I nearly had a heart attack at William O'Brien state park. There is a big pine tree near the St. Croix at the end of a path. Those three boys were so high up it hurt my neck to see them. I begged them to come down before they fell down. They laughed. Anyway, one of my nephews looked at my chosen oak tree and the branch I wanted and said it was too difficult. I accepted that. We were hanging out in the back yard and I hear my name being called. I went around to the front yard and there he was perched on my chosen branch. Somehow he made it up there - without the rope. He had to come back down, get the rope and a piece of carpet and go back up there. He did it. He finished the job and came back down. I wrapped him in my arms, picked him up off his feet (he was younger then) and twirled him around three times because I was so happy.

I was told to go to the light

I had a new experience yesterday when I got a pedicure. It's been hard for me to take care of my feet without bending my back so I treated myself to my first ever pedicure. I went to a nail salon near my house and I told them this was my first time. The employees there were Asian and they spoke to each other in their language the whole time I was there. There was a bit of a language barrier going on. She directed me to pick out a color. I was tempted by a bright orange but went against my first impulse and picked out a soft pink instead. She directed me to a chair. I sat in this large recliner that was very high up and difficult for me to get into. There was a tub of water before me. She said something that I didn't understand but her gestures told me to put my feet into the water. The water was blue - abnormally blue. I'm not sure what was in the water. She got her supplies ready and gestured for me to put one foot up on the towel. She did a nice job taking care of my feet. Her name was Tina and she was very petite. How petite was she? She might have been a size 0 or possible a size -2. My leg was bigger than her torso. She poured some thick white goop on my toes. "What is that stuff?" I asked. She said it was cuticle cream and not to worry, it will feel good. Normally I don't like anyone touching my feet. I am ticklish and I don't like it. But I liked this. I think the hot water bath desensitized my sensory system. The chair was very comfortable too. She trimmed my toe nails and filed them. She sanded my feet. Then she took lotion and rubbed my calves, ankles and feet. Oh, that felt so good. She got up and roughly pushed my chair to the side so my legs were hanging in the air. She brought over a small tub filled with something orange. She raised the tub so my right foot went in it and then lowered it. My foot looked terrible. "What is this stuff?" I asked sounding a little upset. She said it was parafin wax and it will make my feet soft. That reassured me but I gotta say, it didn't look pretty. After dipping each foot 3 times she took it away. She peeled my feet like a rabbit hunter skins a rabbit. I could tell she was an expert. Then she cleaned my toes with alcohol so they would be ready to be polished. She asked me if I wanted a flower. I wan't sure what she meant. She indicated she would put a flower on my toes. Another customer looked at me and indicated I should say yes. So I said yes. I am so glad I did because I have a work of art on my two big toes. She put a series of white dots which didn't look like much until she added some pink centers and some red stamens and then some green leaves. I have lotus blossoms on my toes. They are beautiful. I will have to forget about pulling weeds entirely. I can't put these beautiful feet in the dirt anymore. After she finished putting on the final coat she said roughly, "Go to the light." I thought that over for a few seconds and then said, "Excuse me?" She said it again, "Go to the light." I told her I didn't understand. All I could think of was when people are dying, some of them see a tunnel with a light at the end and they want to go to the light. Another employee there saw my confusion and explained that there was a light at a desk. I was to sit at the desk and put my feet under the light so the paint could dry. Well I didn't know that. I sat there for ten minutes or so. Aside from a new minutes of newcomer confusion, the experience was fun, relaxing, entertaining and well worth the money. I might go again in a month or so.

Dancing of the Stars

We went to see Hairspray today. I give it two thumbs up. If you like Christopher Walken and if you like John Travolta, you will like this movie. John Travolta is dressed as a woman and Christopher Walken gives him/her such sultry leers that John can't help but think he/she is beautiful and FGS, you can't help but laugh aloud. Some shows are best seen in the theater and this is one of them. We stayed to watch the credits and to listen to the songs. Four girls in the back row were dancing and singing along. They danced down the theater steps, across the front of the theater and back up the side steps to their seats. I clapped and cheered for them. Three women in the front of the theater were dancing too. I have never witnessed such audience participation before. The folks out there in East Bethel are particularly uninhibited and expressive. Two thumbs up for Hairspray.

Cheney in Charge?

I don't care who the vice president is but I would not let him or her do that to me.

The Other Appendages

These, by the way, are not my actual feet. I am using a stunt double. I chose to write about feet because they have become more useful to me in the past 30 days than ever before. Since I am not allowed to bend forward or twist, I have coped by using my feet instead of my hands. I can lift up a garden hose with my foot. I can pick papers off the floor with my feet. I can move furniture with my feet. I can put clothes into the dryer with my feet. And I can do all this with minimal pain. But my greatest feat with feet is pulling weeds out of the garden. I have two techniques for two kinds of weeds. For those low to the ground spreading out type weeds, push on the center of the weed with with the big toe and pull your foot toward yourself until the weed's roots leave the soil. For those stubborn high growing weeds, wrap the stalk around your big toe two or more times and pull gently. Lean on the hoe for support if you must. If you listen closely you can hear the satisfying sound of roots reluctantly giving up their hold on the soil - sort of like a garden violin.

What Children Say

Twice in the past week I have found myself in the unusual position of being in a child's company and just hanging out by a lake. I didn't have to go anywhere and didn't have to do anything except hang out and listen to them talk to me. Some of these children were family and some were friends. I guess I have forgotten what children are like. I am surprised at how simple a child's life can be. One child discussed the pros and cons of having a brother. Her analysis was quite detailed yet simple and self centered. I am surprised at how big liars children are. One kid told me, straight faced and with deepest sincerity, that he skipped a rock 50 times and it turned around and came back to him - right into his hand. Yeah. He also told me he can catch fish using geranium buds as bait and that one turned out to be true. I saw him catch 4 sunfish using geranium buds. I'm not sure his Mom knows about his bait choices but I didn't narc on him. I am surprised at how much kids crave attention - even from an old person such as myself. All I had to do is occassionally say, "Oh, really?" and off they would go again for another 15 minutes. I really admire a kid's ability to stay in the moment. They don't need yoga classes or QiGong coaches or full body massages to quiet their minds. They're not worried about their retirement nest eggs, cholesterol levels or job security. The thing about kids is they can remind you how wonderful and simple the world can be.

That Magic Hour

The night before last I had the chance to go canoeing. I can't paddle but others offered to take me out while I sat in the middle like a princess. I had a love ride in the canoe. I like being treated like a princess. We went into the shallows to pick cattails. And we were out during that magic hour. Do you know the magic hour? The magic hour is that time when the sun is setting and the lake is perfectly still. The magic hour is dusk but you have to be out on a lake to really experience the magic. The loons were talking to each other. We (another specie of loon) were singing "Repeat After Me" songs at the top of our lungs. I love being out on a lake during the magic hour. You should try it too.

Moose the Bale Climber

I was up at the farm this weekend. We decided to go for a walk to the old, abandoned one room schoolhouse and back. I really enjoy these walks because everybody wants to go and the dogs can run free instead of being on leashes and because frogs are jumping so plentifully that they caboom into the sides of your ankles and the scenery is beautiful. My niece, Michelle, the up and coming young gymnast, ran ahead with the dogs so she could climb the round hay bale and watch us approach. My dog doesn't run ahead because she is clingy. The other two dogs ran ahead with Michelle. One is a Golden Retriever puppy named Migo. He is clumsy and uber active and very mischevious. The other is a mutt named Moose. Moose in an appropriate name because he is so large that his head comes just above my belt line when he is standing on all fours. When he is up on just the back legs, he is above my head. His tail is long and sleek and (I kid you not) about a yard long. He looks like he is part Great Dane. Anyway, back to the walk. We're walking along between corn fields and approaching a hay field on the left. I look up to see Michelle standing on a round hay bale. Hay bales are about 6 feet high and hard to get up because of the round shape but she's a gymnast so no problem for her. I also see some animal up there with her. "What is that dog doing up on the hay bale?" I ask. I cannot believe Moose got up there. But he did. And he proceeded ambulate on and off that hay bale as if it were a slightly high step. Incredible.

Hunting the Wild Chokecherry

We picked chokecherries on Saturday. I found a few and used my chokecherry scout (nephew) to find more while he tooled around on the golfcart. Eyes peeled for chokecherries. The trees look like all the other trees but if you look closely, you can find ruby red chokecherries hanging from the branches. Some chokecherry trees were left unmolested because of the poison ivy plants living near them. Other chokecherry trees were relieved of their red stony fruit. We went to great lengths to fill an ice cream pail with chokecherries. We descended steep embankments to get to the trees. We left the gravel roads and waded through grass that was at times over our heads. I am not supposed to reach over my head so I had helpers hanging on the tree branch until I could grasp the upper branches where the fruit was located. I stripped the chokecherries off the trees and popped them into the bucket. Because of all the work we went through, the chokecherry jelly I make had better taste really special or I am not going through this again. There is something about hunting the woods for the chokecherries that was enthralling. Is this what it is like to be a hunter?

My Last Time

Today was probably the last time I had the opportunity to pick someone up from the Anoka KMart after Girl Scout day camp at Camp Elk River. I have done this for maybe 9 years? There was a few years she didn't want to go to camp. Every day during GS day camp week, parents line up in the Anoka KMart parking lot. Some sit in their cars and some parents get out and talk to each other. As the buses approach you can hear the girls screaming or singing as the bus turns off Highway 10. Sometimes they are singing/screaming at the top of their lungs. They are singing silly Girl Scout songs they have learned at camp:

Black socks, they never get dirty. The longer you wear them the blacker they get. Someday I'll probably launder them but something keeps telling me don't do it yet, not yet, not yet.

The girls get off the buses and their parents approach them. All the little girls are sunburned, sweaty, mosquito bitten, tired and some of them have wood ticks. Some are still wearing their bathing suits. All have back packs. They are all carrying something they made at camp. This year the theme was Hawaii some some were wearing "grass" skirts (made out of a rope waist band and strips of brightly colored nylon). Some were wearing hibiscus barrettes. The girls were full of things to tell their parents. They start explaining their day as soon as the parent reaches them and they keep talking as they get into the minivans, SUV's and cars. The parents (mostly Moms but some Dads too) were bent over to look at the treasures while still leading them to the cars. Some parents are obviously coming home from work because they're wearing medical scrubs or suits and ties.

I am a little amazed that no girls are crying. Some of them are really young.

I will miss waiting for the Girl Scout bus to arrive at the Anoka KMart. I am grateful I had the opportunity to participate in this little piece of Americana.

Going to the Farm

We are going to the farm tomorrow - cows and fields and fences and barns humming birds and lakes and boats and gravel roads and indigo buntings and the smell of manure. You are all jealous, aren't you?

I love Dwight

I absolutely love Dwight Schrute. I just watched "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" yesterday and it was a good movie but Dwight made it a great movie. In the movie, Dwights says to Owen Wilson, "This is intriguing yet disturbing." Owen says, "I feel the same way about you." Intriguing yet disturbing describes Dwight perfectly. I have a Dwight bobble head in my office. Even though I am not in the office this month, I have asked others to bobble his head for me while I am gone. I am a big fan of Uma Thurman as well. I recommend this movie because it has Dwight, because it is silly and entertaining.

Mailbox survey-please comment!

I have decided to repaint my mailbox. This is something constructive I can do that does not interfere with my medical restrictions. Right now my mailbox is yellow with red polka dots. How should I repaint my mailbox? I am eager to hear your suggestions. My daughter has suggested a hamburger (ruled out because I don't eat meat), a watermelon sliced off at the front and back, a kiwi, or purple with blue stripes. I am thinking a hunter orange with frogs. What do you think?

Field trip to U of M - old stomping grounds

Yesterday I took a trip to the Elmer L. Andersen library at the University of Minnesota - West Bank. We toured the library storage and the GLBT selection. The special archives storage is below ground - way below ground. We were so below ground that the bottom of the Mississippi river bed was above us. The climate down there is cool (cold) and dry - conducive to storing old books, papers, art work, and other archive materials. The materials are stored in huge rooms lined with concrete. They have floor to ceiling shelves loaded with materials in boxes. The rooms are so large that 8 semi trucks can unload at a single time. The semi trucks come in at the east side of the river and travel down a quarter of a mile to unload. Every item is treated to eliminate mold, bacteria, bugs, bug eggs, bookworms, etc. All folders and boxes are replaced with acid free materials. They have a huge GLBT selection of books, newspaper articles, movies, tapes, posters, artwork, buttons, matchbooks and almost any other thing you can name. They have materials in 82 languages. Some of the GLBT community who live in oppressive countries send their materials to this library so it can be preserved. I don't know much about the GLBT community but my eyes were opened yesterday. I highly recommend this place.

Blue Bird

Bluebirds bring me happiness. I have 3 bluebird houses on my property. There are bluebirds in one of the houses. Wrens took up occupancy in the other two. Bluebirds nest in my bluebird house in my most eastern location. Sometimes they come on my deck and take a bath in my birdbath. I've tried feeding them mealworms on the deck. I attached a small pie plate to the deck with a nail. The mealworms crawl around in the plate for a while before they get cooked in the sun. They dry up and blow away. I don't think any bluebirds have eaten the mealworms yet but I'll keep trying until I run out of mealworms. Have you seen the picture of the angry bluebird? That picture cracks me up because it obviously has an angry expression yet bluebirds typically make me think of happiness. I think a picture of a smiling badger would entertain me too.

Raspberries are to taste as the first dandelion of the year is to sight. I love raspberries. I love raspberries so much I will drive 40 miles round trip in 98 degree weather to pick them. And even though it is hot and prickly, I will keep picking them. And just when I am about to say "Uncle" to the hot weather, my nephew brings me a frozen raspberry treat of his own making: a popsicle in an ice cube tray with a toothpick holder. He modestly claims, "I just smooshed some berries into the tray and added a little water." Oh, divine taste. It inspires me to keep picking a couple pints more. Raspberries bring me back in time. My grandparents had rows and rows of raspberries. There was mowed lawn between the rows. Once I was there when they invited the nuns from St. Bernards to come and pick berries. I was a preschooler. One nun and I were having a good time talking and picking. I had to run home to go to the bathroom. I came back to the raspberry patch to find her and I was so disappointed. All nuns looked alike. I have another raspberry memory - of more of an adult nature. I once took a cup of raspberries and put them in a quart jar. I covered the berries with vodka and set it in the sun for a week. When I poured the vodka out, the raspberries were white. All the beautiful raspberry color and taste had migrated into the vodka. This raspberry concoction was tasty with ice and 7-Up. My favorite way to eat raspberries? Plain and fresh - don't even rinse them because rinsing makes them soggy. Just make sure there are no bugs on it and pop it into the mouth. Delicious!

We went to see the new animated flick Ratatouille. Two thumbs up on this film. I had a good time. The film maker must have synesthesia. When a rat ate a morsel that was delicious you would see flickering lights around him with accompanying beautiful music. His taste was connected to what he saw and what he heard. I feel that way about a few things such as Dove milk chocolate or cheesecake or a tomato fresh from the garden. There were other themes in this show too like trust and faith and acceptance and honor and speaking the truth. Two thumbs up for Ratatouille. Now I am going to find a recipe for Ratatouille and try it out.

Fourth of July

I love fireworks. My favorite fireworks are the ones that explode very high and wide in the sky. I also like the trailing branches of gold sparks, the loud ones, the fireworks with unpredictable secondary explosions and the ones that start off with one color-fade to another color-and end up with a third color. I am not a big fan of the happy face explosions or the heart explosions. We bought a patriotic headband from the Blue Star Moms. One antennae star was red and the other was blue. They lit up-red, blue, red and blue, red, blue, red, red. There was more frequent reds than blues. The $3 they cost was well worth the expressions on the faces of people who walked by. The little kids looked at us with awe. The teenagers looked at us like they wished they had the courage to wear something so outlandish. Older people smiles. We got compliments from the older people. At least 5 people said they liked our lights. The crowd at the fireworks was awesome. Everybody was very nice even during the patience testing exit from the grounds. I wore the headband as I walked around the block last night at 11:30 p.m. I saw some lightening bugs. I think they were jealous of me.

Friends

I am so lucky because of my friends. Here is just a few things my friends have done for me lately. Travel 140 miles to clean out my garage and make signs and cut tree branches to get ready for a grad party. Send me e-mails so I can stay involved with fun things at work while I am away. Take two days of her vacation to drive me to appointments-ending up driving a gazillion miles. Listen to me piss and moan and force me to laugh at my troubles. Put banana bread on my desk about once a month for the past year. Accompany me to school concerts so I don't have to sit alone. Lend me her cane. Call to cheer me up. Help me to see the humor in life. Show me the beauty of nature. Inspire me to try harder and be a better person. Show me my strength and my beauty. Point out how far I have come in my life. Cry with me. Laugh with me. Hug me. Love me. I am the luckiest woman in the world.

My Orange Phone

I also had an orange phone. I think It might still be around somewhere. It had a large and heavy handset. I love my orange phone. I think it is good to keep old things like rotary dial phones around because they still work and because young people these days may not ever see one otherwise.

Mailbox bunny

The last few days I have found a small bunny living in the daylilies by the mailbox. I walk my dog to the mailbox to get the newspaper or the mail and there it sits. It sits there like a statue hoping we won't notice it's rodentness. Sometimes the dog does not notice. Once I got so frustrated I used my cane to scare it out of the lilies. The dog nearly had a heart attack. I think the bunny may have soiled her britches too. I am like Mr. McGregor when it comes to rabbits. These are wild rabbits - not cute storybook rabbits like Flopsy, Mopsy and Peter Cottontail. These are useless rodents whose population has exploded in my yard since my golden retreiver died a couple years ago. I was given a paintball gun to release my frustration on the rabbits. I haven't had the canister gassed up for a couple years but I think I will get it out and bring it to the sporting store this week. There is another, larger rabbit who likes to hang out on the east side of my fenced garden. I planted beans along the east fence of the garden. This rabbit pulls the bean plants through the fence and eats them up. I see her from my deck. She won't leave when I yell. I have to walk out there with my cane - down the deck steps, through the yard and to the garden. She still won't leave until I walk around the garden to the east side and get within cane striking distance. Then she quits her "pretend I'm not there" game and takes off only to come back when I get back up on the deck. My paintball gun has clear fluid inside - it sort of looks like snot. I would prefer actual paint so I could see which bunnies have been hit before. My apologies to all you rabbit lovers out there.