11.09.2012 The other day I was driving home from work. I came to a stop at a red light, and settled back into my seat to wait.
Glancing out the side window and up at the sky...robin's egg blue; no clouds. Just BLUE sky. Nothing but blue sky for miles and miles and ...whoa! a DRAGON! There's a DRAGON in the sky! An Honest to Goodness Drago.... oh
it wasn't a Dragon at all. It was just a small silver plane, destined to land in a few minutes at the Greenwood Airport. It was tilted, and looked NOTHING like a small silver plane, but EVERYTHING like a small silver dragon.
And for just that brief second, I truly BELIEVED it was a dragon. I saw it, my mind identified it and shouted "Dragon!" :) And I've got to tell you, for that one moment I believed...I felt AMAZING.
I think the World could use a good sized population of Dragons. Not the fire breathing ones of course; intelligent herbivores who love nothing better than to entertain commuters as they sit in their cars, waiting for the light to change. You've seen flocks of birds swoop in their intricate patterns...can you imagine a herd of dragons doing the same?
Friday, November 9, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
11.03.2012 Thoughts at 7:09 AM
11.03.2012 Careening Thoughts
While on FB this morning, my thoughts started on a careening tangent. So I thought I'd copy and paste them into my blog. Kind of silly, because I think most people who read my blog are the ones who are my Facebook Friends and therefore, will probably have already read my list. Oh well!
Thoughts at 7:09 am
1. Am I doomed to forever wake up 2 minutes before my weekday alarm (5:50 AM) WOULD have gone off?
2. Mmmmmm Hot Irish Breakfast Tea
3. Wish I had a fresh scone to go with my IBT
4. Do I want to bake scones at 7:09 in the morning?
5. Long's Donuts has scones
6 Wonder if people stagger into Long's in their pajamas?
7. Sure is dark outside
8. Fall back tonight with the clocks
9. I'm glad i bought that Flea market clock that looks like the one my Grannie had
10. I miss my Grannie
11. I sure do like a good Flea Market
12. Johnson County has one today
13. Should I be alarmed that I find articles on Cracked.com so funny?
14. More tea, more tea
15. iBT in a Jury's Inn cup that Mom and I 'liberated' when in Ireland has gotta be better than when in a normal cup
16. Ireland with Mom and my Aunties. That was a great trip.
17. Glad I went to Alaska with Mom
18. Puffins. Wish I'd gotten a better picture of those puffins I saw in the ocean
19. More tea
20. Does everyone's mind flip from subject to subject like mine does? Or is it just me?
While on FB this morning, my thoughts started on a careening tangent. So I thought I'd copy and paste them into my blog. Kind of silly, because I think most people who read my blog are the ones who are my Facebook Friends and therefore, will probably have already read my list. Oh well!
Thoughts at 7:09 am
1. Am I doomed to forever wake up 2 minutes before my weekday alarm (5:50 AM) WOULD have gone off?
2. Mmmmmm Hot Irish Breakfast Tea
3. Wish I had a fresh scone to go with my IBT
4. Do I want to bake scones at 7:09 in the morning?
5. Long's Donuts has scones
6 Wonder if people stagger into Long's in their pajamas?
7. Sure is dark outside
8. Fall back tonight with the clocks
9. I'm glad i bought that Flea market clock that looks like the one my Grannie had
10. I miss my Grannie
11. I sure do like a good Flea Market
12. Johnson County has one today
13. Should I be alarmed that I find articles on Cracked.com so funny?
14. More tea, more tea
15. iBT in a Jury's Inn cup that Mom and I 'liberated' when in Ireland has gotta be better than when in a normal cup
16. Ireland with Mom and my Aunties. That was a great trip.
17. Glad I went to Alaska with Mom
18. Puffins. Wish I'd gotten a better picture of those puffins I saw in the ocean
19. More tea
20. Does everyone's mind flip from subject to subject like mine does? Or is it just me?
Thursday, November 1, 2012
10.31.2012 All the Last Times
10.31.2012
In perusing blogs, I came across this one. http://3x3x365.blogspot.com .
Three friends from three different parts of the country (Asheville NC, South Bend IN, and Richmond VA) post to this blog each day, sharing their lives with each other and people like me who have become interested in their photos and their written thoughts.
This post by Richmond VA really hit home. http://3x3x365.blogspot.com/2012/10/102912.html
Here's an excerpt...
Read the whole post.
If you're a Mom with grown up children, you might have a tear or two.
All the FIRST Times are really important and those are the things that really stand out in your memory when you have babies - the FIRST time you know that baby looked at you and KNEW you, The FIRST word, the FIRST step, the FIRST day of school.
But the LAST TIMES are hard to remember, because the LAST TIME just doesn't have the impact, because you just don't KNOW it's the last time until, as she mentioned in her post, you're standing somewhere and you think..Huh. When WAS that last time?? And then devastation hits, because you just don't have a distinct memory. Like...
~~the last time I pulled a tshirt over a big ol' baby head because he couldn't escape from it
~~the last time the boys argued about who would be my Couch Pal for the evening
~~the last time each boy came to ME for a hug when they were hurting, instead of to a girlfiend
I think that's why I like to take pictures. If nothing else, I've got that Last Time I was with Someone in a jpg. But I think if I'd known the last Couch Pal argument WAS the final one, I'd have insisted everyone sit with me in a Big Pile.
:)
In perusing blogs, I came across this one. http://3x3x365.blogspot.com .
Three friends from three different parts of the country (Asheville NC, South Bend IN, and Richmond VA) post to this blog each day, sharing their lives with each other and people like me who have become interested in their photos and their written thoughts.
This post by Richmond VA really hit home. http://3x3x365.blogspot.com/2012/10/102912.html
Here's an excerpt...
"I tore a page out of Reader’s Digest once.
It was a short essay entitled All the Last Times.
For years I had a copy of it on my refrigerator,
and have shared it with every new mom I know.
Today I am sharing it with "old" moms who,
like me, are shocked by the fact that kids grow up."
Read the whole post.
If you're a Mom with grown up children, you might have a tear or two.
All the FIRST Times are really important and those are the things that really stand out in your memory when you have babies - the FIRST time you know that baby looked at you and KNEW you, The FIRST word, the FIRST step, the FIRST day of school.
But the LAST TIMES are hard to remember, because the LAST TIME just doesn't have the impact, because you just don't KNOW it's the last time until, as she mentioned in her post, you're standing somewhere and you think..Huh. When WAS that last time?? And then devastation hits, because you just don't have a distinct memory. Like...
~~the last time I pulled a tshirt over a big ol' baby head because he couldn't escape from it
~~the last time the boys argued about who would be my Couch Pal for the evening
~~the last time each boy came to ME for a hug when they were hurting, instead of to a girlfiend
I think that's why I like to take pictures. If nothing else, I've got that Last Time I was with Someone in a jpg. But I think if I'd known the last Couch Pal argument WAS the final one, I'd have insisted everyone sit with me in a Big Pile.
:)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
10.24.2012 Royal Manual Typewriter
10.24.2012
My sister Carol has a friend who collects manual typewriters. I read his blog this morning , which led me to start thinking about Typing and how EVERYONE knows how to type now...little kids are learning as soon as they can get to the computer keyboard.
The above is a picture I just found on the internet - an old Royal Quiet Deluxe Portable Typewriter. My Mom had one just like it, and when I was a kid, I'd drag it out and have fun pounding the keys. It came in its own hard case that had little metal clasps to affix the typewriter safely in place.
Typing FAST and of course, without errors, used to be a highly prized skill. Is it still? I just took an online test and my score was 104 words per minute, without errors. Not so bad. But I notice it only used the normal punctuation, nothing on that top line, nor did it use numbers. There's another test listed, with words AND numbers. I'm not even going to bother taking it...my score would be a Hunt and Peck score.
I learned how to type correctly in high school as part of my series of Business Classes. I also took two years of Gregg Shorthand, some of which I still remember and could actually use, if the occasion arose. (Whether I could read it back two hours later is another matter.) And yes, I also took a class that taught me how to create the Punched Cards that were used to store the data and programs of the earliest computers.
Lincoln Way High School had a nice typing lab, 2nd floor, front of the building, complete with a full set of windows that overlooked the Lincoln Highway and the cornfields beyond. I learned on an electric typewriter, which was so much easier to use than the Royal. We had timed tests nearly every day which I always did well on. Once during gym, I jammed the 3 middle fingers of my right hand playing basketball. I remember that I still had to take those timed tests despite having those fingers all taped together. :)
A few weeks ago, there was a story about Typewriters http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7397608n on the CBS show Sunday Morning . Evidently more and more people are discovering the JOY of pounding out words on a Typewriter, whether it be manual or electric. I watched that show and I wished again (as I have sooo many times in the past 20 years) that I still had that old Royal Typewriter of Mom's.
I took the Royal to college and typed every paper I wrote on it...and as a Library Science Major/English minor, I wrote lots of papers. I still have a few of those papers, and each time I unearth the box they're stored in, I read them. Looking at the characters typed on the paper is almost as fun as reading the words.
Some of the typed characters are DARK (early in the term, new ribbon) some are light (end of the term, old ribbon.) Some have NO typing mistakes at all (very careful retype); some have a few mistakes, crossed out with handwritten corrections. Any typed q, z, or x would be faint (I'm right handed, so wimpy left hand) but any Capital Q, Z or X would be VERY DARK because with the Royal, I'd hold the shift key down with my left fingers and use my right to smack the letter down hard. :) I just did that while typing this, and it felt VERY natural.
I remember typing my paper on Leon Uris, sitting cross-legged on my bed, my notes spread all over, and the Royal in front of me, resting on the closed case. Probably not the best form.
Clickety clickety clickety , the Clunk of pushing the shift key down and a forceful bam for a Capital, clickety clickety clickety, RETURN! Man oh Man, that sentence? Work of ART! It had to be because of all the physical and mental effort that went into it!
I gave that Royal back to Mom when we moved from S. California to Florida. I'd bought a Brother's electric typewriter to type up job applications and resumes and we didn't need two. I asked her about it a few years ago - she'd donated it to Goodwill at some point. It was long gone. I wish I had it.
Monday, October 22, 2012
10.22.2012 October is nearly over
10.22.2012 October
I love October. I love everything about it.
I love the crisp temperatures, watching the leaves change colors, turning yellow and red and purple as the month marches on. I love wearing sweatshirts. I love that quick tinge of chill in the air as the sun sets.
I love scuffling my feet thru the piles of crunchy leaves. I even love RAKING the leaves.
I love the fall flowers...the bronze or dusky dark purple mums are my favorites. I love the fall weeds; the milk weed pods and the Joe Pye Weed and the Goldenrod. I love the colors - the deep oranges and the purples.
I love the pumpkins, piled up at Farmer's Markets or grinning wickedly at the world from the front stoops.
I love the football games and the marching bands and the Fall Festivals, with the huge boxes of apples in the markets. Honey Crisp! Braeburn! Pink Lady! Sun Crisp! Mutsu! How can you NOT buy a pound of an apple named Honey Crisp?
I love that my son Timmy was born in October, 2 days before Halloween. I was home from the hospital in time to watch my son Josh the Dinosaur go off into the night with his Dad to Trick or Treat. I sat in my rocker on the porch, handing out candy and peeks at the new baby to the little goblins and witches who came to my door.
I love Halloween. I love the danger tinged darkness contrasted with the bright safety of the house. I love the jack-o-lanterns and the SMELL of the pumpkin mixed with the burning wax. I love the costumes and the spookiness of it all.
But my love for October is always edged with a little what...Regret? Sadness? It's a Bittersweet month for sure.
October is such a visual reminder that Time is passing by. The farmer's fields are empty of growing things, full of broken corn stalks. The leaves fall faster and faster - Some trees are already standing with their arms naked and stark against the white sky. Farmer's Markets are shuttering their open windows against the chill and the wind.
My Dad's birthday is in October. I used to send him birthday boxes of warm socks or a new book and a big bag of those Peanut Butter Kisses, the chewy taffy with the peanut butter in the middle, in the orange and black wrappers. He loved those.
This morning I drove to work in the dark and after November 4, I'll be driving home in the dark as well. I love that Scott gets home from work first, so that I'm not coming home to a dark, empty house.
I love October. I love everything about it.
I love the crisp temperatures, watching the leaves change colors, turning yellow and red and purple as the month marches on. I love wearing sweatshirts. I love that quick tinge of chill in the air as the sun sets.
I love scuffling my feet thru the piles of crunchy leaves. I even love RAKING the leaves.
I love the fall flowers...the bronze or dusky dark purple mums are my favorites. I love the fall weeds; the milk weed pods and the Joe Pye Weed and the Goldenrod. I love the colors - the deep oranges and the purples.
I love the pumpkins, piled up at Farmer's Markets or grinning wickedly at the world from the front stoops.
I love the football games and the marching bands and the Fall Festivals, with the huge boxes of apples in the markets. Honey Crisp! Braeburn! Pink Lady! Sun Crisp! Mutsu! How can you NOT buy a pound of an apple named Honey Crisp?
I love that my son Timmy was born in October, 2 days before Halloween. I was home from the hospital in time to watch my son Josh the Dinosaur go off into the night with his Dad to Trick or Treat. I sat in my rocker on the porch, handing out candy and peeks at the new baby to the little goblins and witches who came to my door.
I love Halloween. I love the danger tinged darkness contrasted with the bright safety of the house. I love the jack-o-lanterns and the SMELL of the pumpkin mixed with the burning wax. I love the costumes and the spookiness of it all.
But my love for October is always edged with a little what...Regret? Sadness? It's a Bittersweet month for sure.
October is such a visual reminder that Time is passing by. The farmer's fields are empty of growing things, full of broken corn stalks. The leaves fall faster and faster - Some trees are already standing with their arms naked and stark against the white sky. Farmer's Markets are shuttering their open windows against the chill and the wind.
My Dad's birthday is in October. I used to send him birthday boxes of warm socks or a new book and a big bag of those Peanut Butter Kisses, the chewy taffy with the peanut butter in the middle, in the orange and black wrappers. He loved those.
This morning I drove to work in the dark and after November 4, I'll be driving home in the dark as well. I love that Scott gets home from work first, so that I'm not coming home to a dark, empty house.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
09.27.2012 Bike Ride to the Classics
09.27.2012
We went on a bike ride last night and ended up by the Ray Skillman Classic Car Showroom.
http://www.rayskillmanclassiccars.com/showroom.aspx
We've ridden our bikes by it before, but it was always dark and gated. Last night? The gate was wide open, so we just varooomed into the parking lot, locked the bikes together onto a post by the side door, and sashayed in!
We were met at the door by Ray's dog, a big, friendly beautiful labradoodle by the name of Casey who gave us sniffs and let us pet his furry curly head. The side door actually opened up into a work bay. Up on the racks? Old Beautiful Cars. Parked right by the door? an Old Beautiful Car.
The guys working on the cars yelled friendly Hellos and when we asked if it was too late to see the cars, they laughed and said "we're here! go on in!" Hard to believe I know, but these guys who evidently make a living by working on Old Beautiful Cars were a lot friendlier than the guys who do the oil changes in the work bays at the local chain store.
So we walked around the showroom, oohing and aaaahing over each and every car...there was a ROW of Classic Corvettes, a DeLorean, a Victoria, a black and red Bel Air, Mustangs, a Jeepster...Big Thick Shiny Beautiful Cars, gleaming in the Neon lights cast off by all the old timey signs on the walls.
My favorite was the 1957 Chevy Corvette. I could drive it out of that showroom for a cool $135k. Sigh. I wonder if they'd let me sit in it every now and again if I volunteered to come by on a weekly basis to help buff them with a pile of soft old diapers...
We went on a bike ride last night and ended up by the Ray Skillman Classic Car Showroom.
http://www.rayskillmanclassiccars.com/showroom.aspx
We've ridden our bikes by it before, but it was always dark and gated. Last night? The gate was wide open, so we just varooomed into the parking lot, locked the bikes together onto a post by the side door, and sashayed in!
We were met at the door by Ray's dog, a big, friendly beautiful labradoodle by the name of Casey who gave us sniffs and let us pet his furry curly head. The side door actually opened up into a work bay. Up on the racks? Old Beautiful Cars. Parked right by the door? an Old Beautiful Car.
The guys working on the cars yelled friendly Hellos and when we asked if it was too late to see the cars, they laughed and said "we're here! go on in!" Hard to believe I know, but these guys who evidently make a living by working on Old Beautiful Cars were a lot friendlier than the guys who do the oil changes in the work bays at the local chain store.
So we walked around the showroom, oohing and aaaahing over each and every car...there was a ROW of Classic Corvettes, a DeLorean, a Victoria, a black and red Bel Air, Mustangs, a Jeepster...Big Thick Shiny Beautiful Cars, gleaming in the Neon lights cast off by all the old timey signs on the walls.
My favorite was the 1957 Chevy Corvette. I could drive it out of that showroom for a cool $135k. Sigh. I wonder if they'd let me sit in it every now and again if I volunteered to come by on a weekly basis to help buff them with a pile of soft old diapers...
Monday, September 24, 2012
09.20.2012 Half Price Roses
09.20.2012
During lunch last week I wandered around the garden center over at Lowe's, oohing and aaahing over their fall asters and mums, but not buying anything because that's not WHY i was there. I was simply out and about during my hour lunch, getting away from my desk...until I came upon this sign "Knock Out Roses. 75% off"
BAM! My leisurely lunch hour stroll became instantly became a hunt for the best of the sale! The rose bushes were beautiful and healthy looking with green glossy leaves and lots of flower buds. I chose FIVE - I got FIVE big pots of Knock Out Roses for how much?
$$ 30 bucks! $$ Amazing SAVINGS! Whoo Hoo! :)
OKAY! Where to put them?
Hadn't thought of that.
A conversation with Aunt Jeannie next door revealed that a past owner grew roses in the front yard for YEARS - beautiful vibrant bushes that he'd spend hours tending, clipping and carefully fertilizing with cow manure. Bingo! Perfect place! Pre-Fertilized even!
So we got out the rototiller and tilled up a nice section of yard.
Hmm. Kind of low. It needs dirt. Get the Back Up Truck. 38 bags of dirt for how much?
$$ 76 bucks! $$
Ok! Nice and rounded, beautiful dirt! Plopped those roses in a nice arrangement, spaced for growth. Stood back and sighed with satisfa...
hmm. Looks unfinished. It IS the front yard. Off to Menards in the Back Up Truck! 50 bricks for how much?? Half price bricks! Whoo Hoo! another sale!
$$ 50 bucks! $$
On with the knee pads! Careful placing of those beautiful bricks makes a nice enclosed space! It looks so nice - lots of room left for the 2 packages of fund raiser spring bulbs bought from the Band Kids. But it's missing something. What is it?
oh gawd. MULCH. All perennials need mulch to winter well. Off to the mulch man with the Back Up Truck. a Truckload of Mulch for how much?
$$ 29 bucks! $$
Beautiful! hey...wait a minute...
$30 + $76 + $50 + $29 = $185.
Whoa. OK! Justification time! IF I'd bought the Knock Out Roses from Jackson and Perkins, those roses would have been approximately 150 bucks and we'd still have needed all that other stuff! . So for just a tad more, we've got a BEAUTIFUL Bed of Roses, destined to be a showcase of summertime happiness, a haven for bees and butterflies!
And we got some exercise and fresh air. Worth Every Penny. :)
During lunch last week I wandered around the garden center over at Lowe's, oohing and aaahing over their fall asters and mums, but not buying anything because that's not WHY i was there. I was simply out and about during my hour lunch, getting away from my desk...until I came upon this sign "Knock Out Roses. 75% off"
BAM! My leisurely lunch hour stroll became instantly became a hunt for the best of the sale! The rose bushes were beautiful and healthy looking with green glossy leaves and lots of flower buds. I chose FIVE - I got FIVE big pots of Knock Out Roses for how much?
$$ 30 bucks! $$ Amazing SAVINGS! Whoo Hoo! :)
OKAY! Where to put them?
Hadn't thought of that.
A conversation with Aunt Jeannie next door revealed that a past owner grew roses in the front yard for YEARS - beautiful vibrant bushes that he'd spend hours tending, clipping and carefully fertilizing with cow manure. Bingo! Perfect place! Pre-Fertilized even!
So we got out the rototiller and tilled up a nice section of yard.
Hmm. Kind of low. It needs dirt. Get the Back Up Truck. 38 bags of dirt for how much?
$$ 76 bucks! $$
Ok! Nice and rounded, beautiful dirt! Plopped those roses in a nice arrangement, spaced for growth. Stood back and sighed with satisfa...
hmm. Looks unfinished. It IS the front yard. Off to Menards in the Back Up Truck! 50 bricks for how much?? Half price bricks! Whoo Hoo! another sale!
$$ 50 bucks! $$
On with the knee pads! Careful placing of those beautiful bricks makes a nice enclosed space! It looks so nice - lots of room left for the 2 packages of fund raiser spring bulbs bought from the Band Kids. But it's missing something. What is it?
oh gawd. MULCH. All perennials need mulch to winter well. Off to the mulch man with the Back Up Truck. a Truckload of Mulch for how much?
$$ 29 bucks! $$
Beautiful! hey...wait a minute...
$30 + $76 + $50 + $29 = $185.
Whoa. OK! Justification time! IF I'd bought the Knock Out Roses from Jackson and Perkins, those roses would have been approximately 150 bucks and we'd still have needed all that other stuff! . So for just a tad more, we've got a BEAUTIFUL Bed of Roses, destined to be a showcase of summertime happiness, a haven for bees and butterflies!
And we got some exercise and fresh air. Worth Every Penny. :)
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