My Bags Are Packed

Underwear? Check. Snacks for the road? Check. Clean the windshield and treat it with Rainx? Check. Oil Change, fluids checked, air pressure in tires? Check. Gas? Oops, get that on the way out. Quarters for toll roads? Check, 4 rolls. Diet Pepsi with lime? Check. Camera and binoculars? Check. Bird book? Check. Offspring #1's mail for the past 8 months? Check. Books on CD? Check, 6, not counting the one I'm listening to now-"Plague of Doves" by Louise Erdrich, one of my favorite authors. Household chores clearly assigned to Offspring #2? Check. Vacation mindset? Double Check. I'm ready to roll. By this time tomorrow I should be at least in Toledo, possibly farther. Connecticut by Friday. Home again by Thursday or Friday. Miss you!

A Good Day

My friend, Ed, helped me pick up my motorcycle today. We drove up to Bradford and talked to Lewis. He had installed the rear signal indicators. He cleaned up the seat. He showed us how to get the seat off. I guess motorcycles do have a glove box - it's underneath the seat. We threw the license plate in there because I need to buy a license plate bracket before the plates can be mounted. I led the way and Ed followed. Gosh, my bike looks good in the rear view mirror. Ed said he got the bike up to 65, almost 70 mph to see if there was any shimmy or shaking and he said he found none. We doubt the bike had ever gone that fast before because all the miles were motorcycle training parking lot miles. We got it home and in the garage and Ed asked if he could take it to his house so he could add a gasoline stabilizer and polish out the scratches in the gas tank. What am I gonna say, "No?" So Ed left with my motorcycle. I was sad to see them leave. But 15 minutes later Ed returned with a polished bike and a smoother running engine. Ed says he's going to take me biking in Ramsey and show me some nice quiet roads to travel. He wants to hear about my trips on the motorcycle and I am to call him if I need any help with it. I need to get Ed a nice gift certificate somewhere. I got insurance today as well. I was talking to my insurance agent and when we were nearly done she says, "Do you realize that your name and the name of your motorcycle sound almost identical?" Well, yes, I did. I have a couple more things to get. Mirrors are on order and I need to pick up a license plate bracket. My biggest worry is a helmet. There are so many options. I want to be safe more than stylish so I am thinking about a full face helmet in a bright color. I tried several of them on but dang, they push my curly hair forward and into my eyes. I can't get my fingers inside the helmet to push the hair out of my eyes so I am blinded by my curls. With all the heat and humidity lately, my hair is curly like a poodle and at least three times it's normal volume. I think I need a skull cap or bandanna to compress my hair to my head and then try on a helmet. My motorcycle safety instructors mentioned white as a safer color than black. I definitely want to get a helmet before riding, even around the block. I am leaving on Thursday for a cross country trip to visit Offspring #1 in Connecticut. So if I don't get a helmet before Thursday, I will get one first thing when I get back. I won't be able to blog everyday while traveling. It's possible I won't be able to blog at all while I am gone. I'll tell you about my trip when I return.

Ralph Took the Train

Are you contemplating taking the Amtrak train to the west coast? If so, you will definitely want to check out my friend Ralph's travel blog. Not interested in traveling to the west coast on the Amtrak? I would still recommend Ralph's blog for an interesting chance to learn more about trains, travel, history, landscapes and people. Check out Ralphtakesthetrain.blogspot.com

Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

Saturday night we went to see the musical play, "Oliver" put on by the Elk River Community Theater. The cast has lots of children and many talented singers. The boy who plays the lead role is especially talented. The orchestra was very good too. My opinion might be biased because Offspring #2 got a PAYING JOB performing second chair violin. Go see the uplifting story for yourself. Performances continue Tuesday through Sunday at the Elk River High School.

Anticipation

The question of the week at work was "If you could live on only one food, what would it be?" No hesitation in my answer. I would live on tomatoes. Here's a photo of my first tomato of the year - should be ready by Monday or Tueday. I am so ready for the orgasmic taste of the first tomato of the year. I keep this pot of cherry tomatoes right outside the deck door so I can drool over them as I watch them turn from yellow flower into red globular deliciousness.

A Haunting Dream

A silly dream is haunting me this week. I dreamed that Michael Jackson was in the Dennis the Menace comic strip. Dennis and his friends accepted Michael. Dennis' parents accepted Michael as another son. But Mr. Wilson would not accept Michael and he was stirring everybody to ostracize Michael and soon Michael's comic strip world was going to fall apart. I felt so bad for comic strip Michael Jackson. What does this dream mean?

I Made A Purchase

Words from a woman who has been a good friend for 33 years: "I think this is a good idea. You can afford it. No, it's not too much money to spend on a hobby. You might always regret it if you don't go ahead and do this." So I did.
Tonight I bought a 1999 Suzuki GZ 250x. A friend of mine (another experience motorcycle rider) and I went to Bradford and stopped at a garage. The sign inside said "Skinned Knuckles Garage." This used to be a gas station. The owner gave me his card and it read, "Crawford's Excavating - We Do It In The Dirt" Yikes. This motorcycle was used by the state for motorcycle training classes. It has only 4,400 miles on it. He put a new regulator, a new battery and a new cable on it. It purrs like a kitten and starts very easily. Since it's never been actually owned, there are no license plates. I need to get license plates and rear turn signals and mirrors. The guy said he would install them for me. He suggested looking on Ebay. He said, "If you walk into a Suzuki dealer, you might as well put your hands up in the air because they're gonna rob you." As we talked, about 10 cars honked and waved at him. He seemed to know everybody. Since the passersby were honking and waving (as opposed to yelling and giving him the bird), my friend and I took that as a good sign. I'm not sure when I'll pick it up. This depends on how fast I can get the parts to him. I am very excited.

I've Had Enough of Cormac McCarthy

I just finished listening to a book on CD called "The Crossing" by Cormac McCarthy. I resolve this is enough of Cormac McCarthy. I was enthralled by the book and disgusted by the violence and hardship in the book. This Cormac McCarthy must be depressed to write such mordant, suffering stories. The violence was too much. I had to share it with two other people to get it out of my system and it disgusted them too. I liked this book and I hated this book. I liked the description of the wildlife, especially the she wolf and the cranes. The book starts out talking about a young man in New Mexico who sets out to trap a wolf who was taking cattle from his family's herd. He eventually traps the wolf only to regret it later and try to return it to it's home in Mexico. He leads this pregnant wolf (muzzled and bandaged) on a rope while he rides on horseback. The kid is only 16 - not old enough to know that this plan is not going to work. You can't lead a wolf to Mexico without dogs and men interfering. It would have been much kinder to shoot the poor wolf while she lay in her trap. He ends up crossing across the New Mexico/Mexico border several more times and each time his situation worsens. This book is the second in a trilogy of border stories. The first book, "All The Pretty Horses" is another book I've read and again, it's a sad and sorrowful story. It's not as violent as "The Crossing" but it's definitely not a happy story. The characters (mostly men) are engaging and believable but golly, why don't they get a steady job and settle down? Why all this riding to Mexico? It's dangerous! Why can't they sleep in beds at night and eat regular meals? Why must they all be without the basic comforts of life? My book club chose "The Road" recently which is the third book I've read by this depressed man. "The Road" is a story about the end of the world where a man and his son are traveling. Of course they're traveling. No one in Cormac McCarthy books stays home and is comfortable. All his characters are tired and hungry and in danger. While I'm ranting, let me tell you another thing about Cormac McCarthy. He doesn't use punctuation! Who does he think he is? ee cummings? Cormac, I suggest you take some anti depressants, get counseling and trying using quotation marks so I can tell who is talking!!!!! Have you seen "No Country For Old Men?" It's based on one of his novels. I'm not going to see it. I've had enough of Cormac McCarthy.

Every Week I Read This And Laugh Out Loud

Ever since Offspring #1 went to Iraq back in 2006, I have made a point of trying to laugh out loud every day. So I've been paying more attention when I do laugh out loud. One thing that makes me laugh out loud every week is reading the Wednesday newspaper column about police calls. My newspaper has a column called Police Blotter and it covers cities in the northern suburbs. This week's funny story is from Coon Rapids on July 3. Here it is, word for word: Disorderly Conduct. A man with no shirt on and a cowboy hat was in a parking lot in the 11600 block of NW Raven Street twirling flaming sticks around parked cars. An officer arrived and did not find anybody with flaming sticks. The officer spoke to a man fitting the description and he said he was not twirling flaming sticks, but they were flaming balls on the ends of chains. The man agreed not to do it again.

I looked it up and you can buy flaming balls on chains. Here is the product description:

Flaming Chains Fire Poi This first class set of Flaming Poi have been built using only the highest quality components and hold a good flame for upto 10 minuetes. Flaming Chains are extremely versatile. A quick-clip and add to system has been devised, enabling you to easily convert from cable to chain and even add extra wicks.Price: £29.99 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Okay, can you imagine explaining yourself to the officer? Discussing the difference between flaming sticks and flaming balls? "No, officer, anybody who accuses me of twirling flaming sticks is lying. I absolutely have not been twirling flaming sticks. True, I was twirling things that happened to be flaming but that is as far as I can honestly go on that. Flaming, yes. Twirling, yes. Sticks, absolutely not. I was using a first class set of flaming chains, they're extremely versatile."

Bookmarks In My Year

Hooray! The Anoka County Fair starts today. Every year the traffic slows on Hwy. 47 as I pass the fair. And I love it. The county fair is to July what Girl Scout cookies are to February. I love the slower traffic. I love driving by the fair and seeing the people enjoying the vestibular delights of the fair such as the Tilt-A-Whirl, the ferris wheel, and the Zipper. My brain can't take all that jostling but other people seem to enjoy it. The Tilt-A-Whirl was the first ride to arrive and the first one to get set up. The first food stand to arrive was the Tom Thumb donuts. Yippie! A week's worth of saturated fat in only one serving! Gotta have one of those. Beside the vestibular delights and the gastronomic delights, we can't forget the sounds and smells. Because the traffic is slow you can hear the sounds of the talent shows, the country music in the beer garden, the screams of kids on the rides, and the barking of the carnies. The open windows in the car also afford you the smells when you pass the dairy barn, the poultry barn, and the 4H building. When the motorcycles race, the tractors pull, or the demo derby gets going, I can hear the sounds of motors racing all the way to my house which is a good 5 miles north. The fair is a great place to people watch, meet and greet. I am not going the the Anoka fair this year but I will enjoy driving past, morning and night, every day from today through Sunday.

Road Trip

Today was my first road trip on the

front end of a motorcycle. I've had road

trips before where I have been the

passenger but this time I was in the drivers seat. We started out at Liberty Motorcycle rental near Hwy. 61 and Hwy. 36. Liberty was a great place to rent a bike. The customer service was excellent. If you rent a bike there you are invited to sign a brick on the wall with a silver sharpie pen. I wrote "Vroom Vroom" before my name, city and date. I rented a Honda rebel. The bike had 6 miles when I started and about 112 when we returned 7 hours later. Before we left, we got pinned. Our trusted leader gave us both motorcycle-riding angel pins. We put them on our clothes and commenced. We drove north on Hwy. 61. Oh, what an experience that was. Hwy 61 has LOTS of traffic. The first time someone pulled into the right turn lane on the right of me I screamed. Lucky no one could hear me. We were fortunate, EXTREMELY fortunate to have a trusted leader who has years of experience on her Harley. She scouted out the route over the weekend and even made alternate plans in case we got farther during our day. She rode in front on the left. My bike was the smallest so I went second on the right and my other friend was third on the left. We went straight up Hwy 61 through Hugo and Forest Lake. I think our leader thought straight would be the best way to start. I thought I would be fearful of the traffic but actually speed bothered me the most. My favorite speed is between 25 and 30 mph. To ride 45 mph felt like 130 mph. I thought I was gonna fly off into the air. My bike was smaller and the engine whines way up when I went over 40. We hit a lot of red lights and I was fine with that because no one expects you to go fast before or after red lights. We headed east toward Wisconsin. The road along the St. Croix river was very pleasant, much better than Hwy. 61. We stopped in Osceola to take a break and get something to drink. There is a nice little coffee shop there with a waterfall in the back. We walked around the town to stretch our legs and to shop in a motorcycle accessory/leather good store. We drove south along the St. Croix toward Hudson. That part was beautiful. The road was wide and there seemed to be less traffic. Other vehicles gave us more space in Wisconsin than in Minnesota. We traversed farm country and small towns. I like the 25 mph speed limit when I'm on a motorcycle - seems impossibly slow in a car though. I found myself leaning way forward when going fast and able to sit upright again when we went through small towns. Suddenly we're on a freeway - speed limit 65 mph. Luckily hardly anyone was on it because 45 mph was as fast as I could comfortably go. We got to Hudson and dismounted to stretch our legs. We ended up getting back on the bikes to have lunch in Stillwater. The Stillwater bridge is closed. So, OMG WE HAD TO TAKE THE HWY 94 BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER! Either that or drive south to Hastings or back to Osceola. Let me tell you, I was saying my prayers! Out loud too! A vehicle got between me and my trusted leader. FREAK OUT! Pray some more. I knew she wouldn't have taken me here if she didn't think I could handle it and that knowledge calmed me down enough to focus and make it off that bridge alive and well and laughing. We headed north into Bayport and I was ever so glad to see the cliffs that let me know I was coming into Stillwater. We parked the bikes and had a nice lunch on a balcony outside. I think the name of the restaurant was the Freight House. After an hour of relaxation we headed north again and turned west onto Hwy. 96. Now that is a beautiful road because it curves and goes up and down hills. We drove through Dellwood and Mahtomedi. We took a side road around White Bear Lake. That was such a nice part of the trip - mostly because of the 30 mph speed limit. When you ride a bike, you are more aware of the wind and the temperature changes. Bike down into a ravine between two bodies of water and you can feel the temperature drop at least 10 degrees. Climb to the top of a hill and feel the air warm up again. Smell the freshly mown grass or the grease in the air as you drive by a bar and grill. By the time we got back into Maplewood it was rush hour. The busy traffic didn't bother me perhaps because I was sandwiched and protected by a rider in front of me and another rider behind me. We went south on White Bear Avenue and were lucky enough to hit mostly green stop lights. We went west on Beam Avenue and were greeted warmly by our guy at Liberty Rental. What an awesome day. Great friends, great weather, and a great experience. I now have 100 (non parking lot) miles under my belt.

Breakfast - Banana Ricotta Pita

Toast a pita pocket in the toaster. (I use the highest setting). While the pita is toasting, mash half of a banana with 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese. Eat the other half of the banana while you are waiting. When the pita pops up, scoop the banana ricotta mixture into the pita bread. Ummmm, good.

Who Would Have Thought?

I went to an eleventh birthday party today and the birthday girl got stacking cups as a gift. My old fogey self wondered, "How much fun can that be?" Turns out it can be lots of fun, hours and hours of healthy fun. The goal is to take 14 cups, stack 12 of them into a pyramid, and get them back into a stack as fast as you can. After carefully observing for an hour, I tried it myself. How well did I do? 13.54 seconds, thank you very much! The trick is to use both hands and hold the cups in place with your pinky finger as you stack the pyramid.

Popular Movies

Offspring #2 went to the midnight

showing of The Dark Knight with a group of friends. They met for dinner and to warm up by watching an older Batman movie. They all dressed up as a character from the movie. Doesn't that sound like fun? That got me to wondering, what was the big movie when I was a teenager? I believe it was 1970 when Love Story came out starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw. I went to see it on my 16th birthday with my friend Jenny, and an older couple for whom I babysat. Phil drove us there in his yellow Camaro. The movie was in Minneapolis. I remember Phil shifting gears so he must have had a standard transmission. I also remember there was not a lot of leg room in the back seat of a Camaro. At the time, Love Story was a great movie. Now I would have to scoff at the forced sentimentality and overt pulling at the heart strings. But I was 16 and I thought watching Love Story was a GREAT way to celebrate my birthday.

Your Barn Door Is Open - or - XYZ!!!

Top Ten Most Polite Ways to Say Your Zipper Is Down...by David Letterman
10. The cucumber has left the salad.
9. Quasimodo needs to go back in the tower and tend to his bells.
8. You need to bring your tray table to the upright and locked position.
7. Paging Mr. Johnson... Paging Mr. Johnson..
6. Elvis is leaving the building.
5. The Buick is not all the way in the garage.
4. Our next guest is someone who needs no introduction.
3. You've got a security breach at Los Pantalones.
2. Men may be From Mars...but I can see something that rhymes with Venus.
And the #1 way to tell someone his zipper is unzipped...
1. I always knew you were crazy, but now I can see your nuts.

None of the above seem very polite to me. The most polite way to tell someone their zipper is open is what my college roommates did for me as my date arrived one evening at our apartment in St. Cloud. I was so psyched for this date - some guy from Iowa, I don't remember his name. He had a beard though, I do remember that. I'm still attracted to men with facial hair. Anyway, I bought a new outfit for my date. I had bell bottom jeans with a high waist, a snap, and a zipper. I was wearing a brand new bright yellow ribbed turtleneck and a blue and yellow plaid shirt over that. I thought I was looking hot. My date arrived and was sitting on the chair. My roommate asked if we wanted a drink. I said, "No, I'm good, we're going to get going." She said, "You look like you need a glass of water, I'll be right back." I thought she was crazy. She brought back a glass of water and put a napkin under the glass next to me. As I reached for the water, I read these words written on the napkin: your fly is open! I look down and lo and behold that yes, the zipper is open, wide open. The right teeth of the zipper are at least an inch away from the left teeth of the zipper and my white cotton underwear are glowing in the dark room. With my mouth full of water I contemplate - is there a cool way to handle this situation? I swallow. I can't think of any so I put the water down and pull that zipper up without saying a word. I say, "Thanks for the water, we're going to get going now." Didn't I have the greatest college roommates?

Did You See The Clouds This Morning?

Small talk at work this morning was all about the beautiful rain clouds overhead on the morning commute. The clouds were so beautiful. The clouds in this flicker photo are beautiful but they can't compare to what was overhead this morning. There were so many shades of blue in the sky that some parts were striped with colors. The clouds had lots of texture and depth. The ribbons of color swirled and rose and twisted and plunged. I felt like I was looking up at the ocean waves from beneath the sea. Beautiful skies like this remind me that all this beauty cannot have happened by accident or at random. My Maker had a hand in this for me.

A New Awareness

I have had the opportunity to work out with equipment the past 3 weeks. I have been stepping for a half hour on the recumbent stepper. Then I lift weights; arm curls, bicep curls, arm extensions, ab crunches, etc. The first few repetitions seem easy but by the 10th, 11th and 12th repetition on the second set, my muscles are quivering. I had a busy and drama filled day at work so this was a good way to work off some of that tension before going home. Tonight, as I go about my normal activities like walking the dog, moving the sprinkler, watering the plants, feeding the canary, I have a new awareness of the muscle fibers in my arms and upper back. I'm feeling muscles that I wasn't aware of before. My muscles don't hurt exactly. I'm just aware of using them now. It's a good thing.

Tentative Plans For A Road Trip

Before buy a motorcycle, I thought it prudent to rent one. Who knows? I may freak out riding on the road when cars come close to me. Better to know that before shelling out big bucks on a bike. So three of us have plans to play hooky from work on Monday (a low traffic day) and rent motorcycles from a place in Maplewood. Two of us will rent, one already owns a motorcycle. I'm getting the smallest one they got - a Suzuki 250 cc. Or is it a Honda? Anyway, it's a small one. We'll tool around on the back roads, have lunch in Hudson, Wisconsin, and return the rental. From there I can decide if I want to buy one. Motorcycle riding is risky. Almost everything I do has some degree of risk. The question is, how much risk am I willing to take and how well do I think I can manage those risks?

Must Remember to Ask Specific Questions

Offspring #2: "Is it OK to have a few friends over Saturday night?"

A Perfect Day for Weeding the Garden

The soil was moist from the rain yesterday. The weather is not too hot, not too cold. The strong wind kept the mosquitoes and flies away. It was the perfect day to weed the garden.

Getting Too Close For Comfort

In August, my book club is reading "The Lost Life of Eva Braun." I started reading it early because it has over 500 pages and it takes a while to read it. Eva Braun was Adolf Hitler's significant other. This book is unusual because it has a woman author. In the past, only male authors wrote about Eva's life. The author's mother was born in Germany the same year as Eva which gives her version more credibility in my mind. The book has many, many footnotes which you can skip if you want to save time. I'm not enjoying this book. I would never have read this book of my own accord. The book bothers me the most because it is turning Hitler into a real person. Until I read this book I hadn't known that I thought of Hitler as some kind of comic book villain. He was a real person. The book talks about his parents and his upbringing in Germany. He traveled and vacationed in Bavaria. I had relatives who came from Bavaria. I learned that he had an undescended testicle and how he preferred women who were decades younger than himself. He liked the fact that she paid no attention to politics. When he spent time with Eva he could escape from the fiasco he was creating in

his own country. He really liked it when Eva wore the traditional Bavarian dress as seen in the second photo. Eva's father was not too happy that his eldest daughter was living in sin with a Nazi. He wrote to Hitler to complain. Eventually he had to make peace with the relationship because he feared Hitler's wrath. Hitler had a sister with a developmental disability. His family history included some incest which may be why his sister had a disability. He himself had an incestuous relationship with his niece. I have 150 pages left to read in this book. I'll be glad when it is done. I haven't liked the book but I know I'll enjoy the stimulating discussion at the August meeting of the book club.

Summer Time

I had a wild and crazy day at work today so to relax Blunder and I took another bike ride. We usually go about 5 miles. She runs the first mile and a half. We stop so she can drink out of a pond. She runs another mile or so and if she looks tired, I stop and ask her if she wants to take a rest and ride in the basket. She jumps up and into the basket she goes. She sits on a towel in the wire basket and watches the scenery go by. Tonight the air was refreshingly clean after the rain and smelled SOOOOO good. The air smelled flowery. Lots of flowers are blooming now including the milkweeds (shown above). As we pedaled along we saw barn swallows, chickadees, and bluebirds. Monarchs and yellow butterflies flitted through the tall weeds. The sky held big puffy white cumulus clouds. I like summer clouds so much more than winter clouds. I love their colors and their shapes. We passed a couple soccer games being played. Parents sat on the sidelines in their collapsible chairs observing their offspring. Oh, I remember those days. A strong breeze blew out of the east forcing me to pedal down the usually easy downhill spots. It's summertime and the living is easy.

Things That Touch My Feet In The Lake

“I discovered I scream the same way whether I’m about to be devoured by a Great White or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.”Axl Rose (Guns’n'Roses)

This quote by Axl Rose cracks me up. I am the same way. When I am swimming and something touches my foot, I react to a huge danger before I know what hits me. I do the same when I see a snake. See a snake? Scream. Immediately regret the scream. Look around to see if I was observed screaming. I've never been bitten by a snake. Once, when I was a child, a cousin put a snake down my back under my shirt as I was sitting in the field. I reflexively stood up and the snake tumbled to the ground. I wasn't too happy with this cousin especially when I saw him running away and laughing at me. I was more upset by his laughing than the snake. Several cousins were there and they watched him do it so they were all laughing. I have no reason to scream at snakes. I just can't help it. I found a snake in the dishwasher once. I freaked. I was ready to hire an exterminator. Offspring #2 picks up the snake and kisses it, brings it outside and puts it down on the ground right next to the house. She couldn't carry it to the other side of the yard? I fear mice too. See a mouse? Scream. Even when I know to expect it, I still scream. I have mice living in my outdoor shed. I know when I pry open that shed door, I will be seeing mice. I still scream. Everybody has their fears. I know one retired maintenance man at work who would not take a walk outside in the fall. This guy was a smoker and a tattooed biker. His fear? A lusty buck might attack him. I understand deer do have their rutting season and they have been know to aggress against humans, but really, what are the chances? I worry more about the deer hunters than the deer. Another brave friend of mine, able to deal with aggressive or unhappy personalities, has a fear of wasps with dangly legs. I don't especially like dangly legged wasps but I don't especially fear them. As I child I would often swim in the lake. Close to shore the constant swimming of children disturbed the lake bottom and the weeds were at a minimum. Out in deeper water, the weeds were thick. Out farther than that the weeds didn't grow to the top of the water. To get to that deep open water, we had to swim through the weedy patch. Weeds would touch my feet and legs. Sometimes a weedy tendril would wrap around my leg or ankle. I didn't like that feeling and would swim as horizontally as possible to avoid it. The weeds wrapping around my legs would scare me. I feared getting tangled and trapped underwater. But I didn't let the fear keep me from swimming in the deeper water. Often snapping turtles or painted turtles would swim with us. I'd be treading water and a turtle would poke it's head up next to me. Maybe me swimming in the lake scared the turtle like a snake in the house scared me because that turtle would take one look at me, widen it's little turtle eyes, and submerge only to pop again 25 feet away.

First Harvest

I had my first harvest from the garden today - some broccoli and one jalapeno pepper. Normally, harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden would be a pleasant experience but this one was tempered by the fact that the DEER ATE THE TOP OFF MY ROW OF SUNFLOWERS AND NOW ALL I HAVE LEFT IS A ROW OF STICKS! Dang deer, how could I think they were cute? I have a fence around the garden. Maybe I should add a wire at a higher height and hang shiny objects off to scare them. It's frustrating to go through all the work of planting and nursing the sunflowers only to have the chewed off before their prime. Only one scraggly sunflower is left. This lonely sunflower plant is so scraggly the deer must have mistaken it for a weed. Why don't deer eat weeds? Weeds must not be as tasty. The deer have also been eating the tops off the larger tomato plants.

I Passed

Despite jangled nerves and high anxiety (Curses! Why did I tell so many people I was taking this test? Now I'll have to explain why I failed!), I actually passed. Once I pay the state of Minnesota some money, I will have my motorcycle endorsement. The hardest part for me was the 2 consecutive U-turns (figure eight). I turned to the left just fine, well within the marked box. I did the right turn (usually the harder one for me) just fine. But when it came time to go straight and onto the next section of the test, I went over the line. I screwed up on the easy part. What was that about? Nerves I guess. I did the swerve fine. I did the sudden stop exceptionally well. Sudden stops are easy once I remembered to just do everything possible at the same time. Squeeze both handles and push down on both feet. I did the tight curves just fine as well so I passed. Whew! Now, do I buy a motorcycle? I am going to have to think about this. If I did get one, I wouldn't spend a lot of money. I practiced on a 250cc Suzuki. I believe that would be a good size for me. I'll look and see if there are any used ones available - preferably from an adult owner. Our instructors were really good teachers and the class was fun. I'm glad I went.

Basic Motorcycle Class

Today I finished day 2 of basic motorcycle class. Wednesday was day one. We met 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in a classroom. They made us work and work hard. We had to sit the entire time except for a 10 minute break at 7:30. At the end we took a 50 question quiz. I got 49 correct. Today we met at 6:45 a.m. at the Anoka Technical College parking lot. I regretted the early hour but I'm glad I'm not out there this afternoon because it is HOT out there on the parking lot. The parking lot is situated between Highway 10 and the railroad tracks so it can be hard to hear the instructor. Wearing a helmet doesn't help my hearing either. I did OK. I chose a Suzuki 250 motorcycle. Mine was a little battered. The front fender was broken as was the left turn signal and mirror. The gas tank was dented up too. But not by me, I didn't spill once. I was able to keep up. I think I did better because I have been riding and balancing a bicycle this summer and because I already know how to drive a standard transmission. I had a great time tooling around the parking lot. This class was challenging. The parts that looked hard - like weaving between cones - was easy once you did it once or twice. The trick is to keep looking at least one cone ahead, not at the one you're going right past. To coordinate the shifting and braking all at once is hard. To do a quick stop, you have to do two things on the right (brake and brake) and two things on the left (pull in clutch and downshift to first) - using all four extremities in one coordinated motion. But I did it. Now I am exhausted. After class a friend and I shopped for motorcycles at a local Honda dealer. If I pass this class tomorrow, I think I'll be in the market for a 250 or 450 cc motorcycle. Then I went home and took a nap. I could see cones in my sleep. My hands are tired and my collarbones ache. I must be using chest muscles that I don't normally use. My back is fine though. Tomorrow is the last class and the final exam. Even if I don't get my motorcycle endorsement tomorrow, I have to congratulate myself on doing something this challenging.

Happy Independence Day

Here is a painting of one of my favorite American heroes, Dolley Madison. Dolley was a confident and strong woman who was at ease in any situation. During the war of 1812, when she was first lady, the British attacked Washington DC. She was urged to evacuate. She refused to leave the White House at first. When the danger came closer she agreed to leave but not until she had rolled up the most important artwork to take with her. Thanks to her efforts, those paintings survived the burning of the White House and are still on display to this day. When she returned to see the White House in ruins, she pitched right in to help set things straight. She was at ease in any social situation and able to laugh and joke with foreign diplomats and royalty and hostile statesmen. It is said that her gracious tact smoothed many quarrels. She welcomed everyone. Dolley's hobby was listening to the Supreme Court in her spare time. She had a favorite chair in the Supreme Court hearing room. Dolley's story is a fascinating piece of history.

Pine Devastation

Last summer I wrote about the saw fly attack on my white pine trees. If you remember, the branches were twitching with the movement of so many saw fly worms on each branch. If I shook a branch on my 4 foot tree, dozens of worms would fall off. I got some pesticide but by the time I got back, nearly all the branches were eaten off the pine tree on the north side. Somehow, many of those worms crawled to the east side of the house and had eaten a third of the needles off that 5 foot white pine tree. I sprayed and they all fell to the ground. I thought the tree on the north side might be doomed but maybe the other one had a chance. This spring both trees looked like they might make it. The one on the north side looked like a bottle brush - bare branches and green needles at the ends. But in the past couple weeks, all the branches were eaten off again. The white pine on the east side, the healthier one, is showing damage too. And it's not just my yard. Neighboring yards with tall white and red pines are turning brown. All of the pines bordering Highway 47 in the Rum River Scout camp look like they are turning brown and dying. There is a stand of pine trees bordering Elmcrest park - they've been hit too. What is going on here? Is it the saw fly devastation again? Did the saw flies lay eggs on the pine trees that have hatched and are munching these beautiful trees to death? I am on the DNR mailing list and they mentioned the danger of saw flies on pine trees. If all these pine trees die, I will be so sad.

Farmer

A Day Off Work

I took the day off work today and oh, what a beautiful day it was. We met for breakfast at the Good Earth restaurant. We asked if it would be alright if I left my car there for a few hours. The waiter said he's never seen a car towed out of there but we shouldn't rely on anything he has to say. I laughed out loud. If we shouldn't rely on anything he has to say, shouldn't we be able to rely on that? We headed over to Minneapolis to drive around the lakes. We stopped at Lake Calhoun and rented a two person kayak. We kayaked and yakked. We observed sailing lessons going on around us. We saw a group of eight tiny sail boats with young (ages 5 or 6?) kids learning how to sail. These boats were like bathtubs with a single sail. These little kids sailed by us and waved, very nonchalant. When my kids were that age I only let the row the boat if the anchor was secured to the dock. They could go as far as the anchor rope could stretch. These little tykes were sailing around and around in circles. It almost looked like synchronized sailing. The older kids had bigger boats with two sails. Some of them were messing up right and left. We saw 3 fall overboard. One sail boat tipped over. The instructors were in fishing boats with megaphones. The instructors didn't seem to be a lot of help saying things like, "Vanessa, why are you out of the boat again?" Comments after a bad thing has happened aren't all that useful. Back on shore again we headed over to Saint Sabrina's so one of us could get a nose piercing. Yeah, I wasn't interested before and I'm sure not interested now after observing. Whew. As we drove east down Franklin Avenue we stopped for a red light. A small grocery store had lettering on the window advertising "Meats Camel Goat Kidneys BBQ Cell Phone Cards." I didn't think cell phone card were a kind of meat. On the other side of the door were other words. "Pizz Puff" Pizz Puff? What is that? It doesn't sound very appetizing to me. Maybe it's pizza puff and someone rubbed out the final a but even so, what is pizza puff? As I looked further down the list of words, it said (I swear I am not making this up) bugers. They sell bugers there. Did someone rub out the r on burgers or do you think they really sell nasal congestion?