It sooo, is not a silly movie

I noticed the other day that the movie, "The Sound of Music", was going to be showing on TV. I told my daughter about it and her response was, "It's a silly movie!" I immediately took umbrage because it is one of my favorite musicals.

I can picture your response as you read this blog, most of it is pretty negative if not down right abusive. It's not just the music that makes this a movie that I believe all people should watch at least once, it is also the political comment that this movie talks about.

Yes, it is a romanticized version of life in Austria during the beginning of World War II but it does demonstrate the split that families, friends and next door neighbors experienced. There are many stories out there that show oppression from a government body or person in power and yet it happens again, again and again. When will we, as intelligent beings, realize that we are hurting each other.

I watched the last 1/2 hour of the movie and even though I've seen the movie many times let alone heard the music many more, I still teared up when the camera panned across the mountains that they had to cross in order to leave Austria. And, just in case someone doesn't know, the movie is based on a true story. I know that liberties were made but the basic story is true.

The Wrinkly Revolution

I had a lovely talk with my mother the other day. She lives a couple thousand miles away from me so when we talk, we end up talking for a LONG time. It was wonderful.

One of our topics of conversations was my Aunt Edith. I haven't met her since I was a young girl but through telephone calls and my mother's conversations I feel that she is part of my family.

Aunt Edith is 75+ years of age and grew up during a time when being aware of your body was a dirty thing. A woman was supposed to be there for her husband and if she enjoyed the physical intimacy that is a result of marriage, it was considered o.k. (hushed voice) but don't talk about it.

Aunt Edith lost her her husband about 5 years. They had a lovely marriage with children, grand children, society functions, etc. and Aunt Edith took it pretty hard when Uncle Robert passed away. Since that time she has traveled a bit, become closer with my mother, sold her house and moved into a retirement home for older people. These were all big steps for someone that lived for her husband and children.

It has taken some time but she is beginning to enjoy her freedom from past expectations. It's been five years and she is in a place where there are social nights and other activities to while away the time. What do you think happened? Why of course, she met someone. After almost 50 years, my Aunt has begun dating and let's face it after that many years it was a little difficult to get into it. She is worried that no one will approve. We feel that it is absolutely great that a woman that is 75+ years of age has a chance to explore what it is like to FEEL the pleasure of a man's friendship in that very special way for the first time in her life.

As I was telling my husband about this he commented, "Let's hear it for the 'Wrinkly Revolution'."

So with that comment ringing in my ears, "The Wrinkly Revolution has Begun!"

Computer Hiatus

I've been on Computer Hiatus for the last three weeks. We lost our Uncle Denys. I've found out that when something like that happens, I become very insular and I tend to block the whole world out. Probably not very healthy but I'm such a HUGE cry baby that I can't think about it without getting a tear in my eye, let alone talk about it. This makes talking to the relatives very difficult because I just choke up on the phone and have to hand it off to someone that can talk intelligently. This makes me unbearably embarrassed. I can't keep my feelings to myself and that everyone has to put up with my heart on my sleeve.

Now, Uncle Denys' death was a good thing and it was well planned. He had been suffering from cancer for quite some time and he had been released from the hospital to spend his last days at home with his friends and family. So, he had a chance to tie up loose ends, say good bye and generally enjoy (as much as possible) his ending days. He was a very religious man so I know that he is enjoying his new home. So, for all these reasons and many more, I can say confidently, that his death WAS a good thing. However, I still miss his humor, faith and friendship. Oops... I've got to wipe my eyes, silly me.

O.K., now I've got that out of my system, let's move on. Autumn is almost over in the Nebraska area. Most of the leaves have fallen so now it's time to rake them up and clean the gutters before the snow and ice arrive. Shawna and I raked the front yard yesterday.

It is so much fun to jump into a pile of leaves. I didn't tell her that I did that before she joined me out there. Yes, I started without her and boy am I sore because of it. Terribly, out of shape, am I. Unfortunately, I am too sore to do the back yard today. I might just have to mow them into the grass. I have so much more to type but I have to get the muffins started before things get busy. I'll try to hop back on later this evening.

Chili?

The Autumn weather brings to mind winter and lots of good ole' home cooking. This is the time of year to bring out the soup and bean pots. Why not combine the two and make a lovely batch of home-made chili?

Many people don't know that 'chile' refers to the actual pod of the pepper plant while the word 'chili' to the concoction of meat, tomatoes and chile powder. Chili is actually, for those in the know, meat (not ground beef) cooked with a varieties of tomatoes & tomato sauce and chili powder. The ingredients of chile powder are basic but vary widely between the chili aficionados. Often the winners of the International Chili Cook Off keep their ingredients secret.

Many people think of chili with beans and I will admit, I'm a lover of this, but if you have ever attended a chili cook off you will know that official chili does not include beans. This is pure speculation on my part, but I would like to suggest that the addition of beans to a pot of chili was an attempt to 'stretch' the available meat. Personally, I like it best this way because of the different textures that beans provide in a pot of chili.

Now, besides the change in seasons, I'll bet that you are wondering why I bring all of this information to the blogger page. Well, as chance will have it, Omaha, Nebraska was the site for the International Chili Cook Off on October 5-7th and it was fantastic. Seeing and watching all these lovers of a pretty basic dish that has been 'stretched' to include many facts and myths was an absolute joy.

While checking out the International Chili Cook Off web site I visited their myth & fact section. Did you know that Jesse James loved chili in fact after visiting Fort Worth the James brothers had this to say "anyplace that has a chili joint like this just oughta' be treated better." This is after they declined to rob the local bank. O.K. I don't know if that is really true but it sure would be fun to believe it.

If you have the time, I would like to recommend that you visit the web-site International Chili Cook Off and take the time to read up on the facts about chili. If you are looking for a good recipe, there are several that look interesting. Have fun!

Cats

The neighbor has quite a menagerie. There are 3 dogs, running in size from a chiwauwa to a mixed pit breed which includes all the different personalities from yappy to aggressive. They have a large white cockateil that screeches and talks at all times of the day. Finally, they have 3 cats that wander around the area.

We have become good friends with the cats. Cats are peculiar animals. One minute they are fawning all over you and the next they are off doing their own thing. I think that's what I like about them. Their independence and yet they show this soft side that craves attention.

Yesterday, I watched the black one hanging around our front porch. She approached and did the head butt movement. Where she rubs her head against my hands and legs showing that she wants a good scratching. She then walked next door and preened herself on the neighbor's steps. I watched as she caught the movement of a moth flying around her head. She started to eye it and followed it. She jumped at it. When she didn't catch it she pretended that she wasn't interested in it to begin with and then jumped off pouncing through the yard in leaps and bounds.

Life can be painful

I've noticed that recently there has been a turn to the dark side in my post content. It's not meant to be, as Winnie the Pooh stated when rabbit called down his door. If you don't know what I'm talking about then it's time for you to watch "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" all over again. The tune to Pooh's exercise song is running through my head as I write this.

There have been some things in our lives, recently, that have been difficult but I feel that it will all turn out for the better. As corny as it sounds, when a door closes, somewhere a window opens. It takes faith, love and open eyes to find that window.

One of my husband's uncles (and he has quite a few), has been undergoing medical procedures to conquer cancer. It is not working and he has returned home with Hospice help.

During this difficult time there is one thing that has been helping our family and that is a website called Care Pages. It is designed to help loved ones with difficult family illnesses.

I was reading some of their tips and they struck a cord of truth. When someone is going through a difficult time it does not matter how you feel. What is important is to remember that the words you send, whether it is a simple "I love you," an "I remember when," or an "I don't know what to say" comment lets these people know that you care. And, when you come right down to it that is what is most important, letting people (loved ones) know what and how you are feeling. I know it can be hard, especially for some people, but going out on a limb can be very rewarding. Chance is part of life and if you don't take it by letting people know how you feel you may as well crawl into a hole and throw the dirt over your head.

You're not a hermit crab so go out there and LIVE!

The Poor Deer

As I was coming home from work the other day I saw something that was pretty gruesome. As I was driving around the curve near the pool I saw a SUV hit a deer. It was one of two that were trying to cross the road. They were bucks and had a nice 5 point rack.

I've seen deer hit before and either they get up right away or they don't. What happened this evening caused my heart to hurt. As it was hit, it's hind quarters fell into one of those big storm drains at the side of a street. I watched as it struggled to pull itself out of this hole. It almost got out and then slipped back in.

As soon as I got home I called the police. I couldn't ignore it. I didn't call 911, I actually looked up the police dispatch number. Once I got to the dispatch I found out that the police were on the scene.

As much as I feel for the animal, I'm glad to find that there were other people that were concerned and I wasn't the first person to call. I'm glad to find that there are other people concerned about a situation like this.

I'm fairly sure that they had to put the animal down, which is sad, but it is better than the pain that the poor deer would have suffered. So, everyone as you are driving through wooded areas during dusk, please watch out for crossing traffic.

Lights Out!

Our daughter is home but the storms are just starting, literally. Shawna blew out her birthday candles, cut the cake and passed around the ice cream. An hour later, all the relatives were on the road. They had to take off for two reasons. Reason number one: Monday morning is a work day. Reason number two: there was a severe thunderstorm coming in. And severe it was!

It was one of those storms where the rain comes in from the sides in waves and sheets instead of vertically. It poured for a half hour with enormous cracks of thunder and lightening. The rain did lighten up but the thunder kept going. Around 7:00 PM, the lights went out.

Fortunately, my mother was very giving. Quite a few years ago she moved to San Antonio. As she was packing up she shared many of the items that had blessed our home with memories. One of those items was an antique oil lantern. She gave me the antique glass lantern that had decorated our display shelves. I always keep this lantern full just in case of emergency. This evening it chased the shadows from our living room.

It is strange to think how dependent we have become on electricity. Every time we turned around I heard my husband, the kids or myself trying to flip a switch to turn on the lights. Or, how about our entertainment? Normally we spend the evening watching T.V., playing on the computer or the son is on the phone with his girlfriend.

This evening was an exception as we lit the lantern and pulled out a board game. We had a good time playing a "Harry Potter' board game. It was a take-off of the game "Clue". My husband and son have been playing Clue on the computer and have been beating the game quite often. You would have thought that they would have won with all the practice that they have been getting. Guess who won? Yep, it was me. It was a fluke, but I'll take what I can get.

It slowly got dark and it was reminiscent of many years ago when all that was available were lanterns and candles. I went for a walk later on that night. As I walked I looked at the many houses that were without electricity. Even without the powers of modern convenience our house still had more light than any in the neighborhood. What does that say about our family? I can't figure out if it is positive or negative. On one hand we were prepared for this kind of situation. On the other hand, even without modern convenience we wanted our environment to have a lot of light. Is this wasteful or just the way we are? Do we want the light to chase away the encroachment of darkness. Is this a primeval reaction? Or, does my family like a lot of light?

She's Back!

My lovely daughter has returned from her wandering ways. We picked her up from the local airport on Sunday, 8/12/07, at three in the afternoon. There we were watching & waiting for her to walk up the ramp and what do we see? One of her girl friends!

She took forever! We finally see her walking side-by-side with a young man. She's gone for 7 weeks and comes home with a new boyfriend. Will the trials and tribulations of life continue? We can only hope!

Her mother that has known her for almost 16 years didn't recognize her. Her hair was longer. She was taller, darker, more muscular and wearing a shirt I didn't recognize. She was doing this little sheepish smile thing knowing that her parents were watching her walk up the ramp with her young man.

It was great to wrap my arms around her and give her a hug! Her father was smiling and waiting his turn. We brought her home to a family of relatives. Her 16th birthday was just a few days away so I made her a cake from scratch (a personal gift from her father and myself, something she was hoping for). It had been a long time since everyone had been together for a birthday. My little girl isn't so little anymore and although this is a big thing for her (and us). It reminds me of my own 16th birthday celebration and what it big event it is. This special day only comes once in a life time! Here's hoping that she will remember her 16th for many years to come.

Thats amore Dean Martin

I told you I love Dean Martin. He always seemed to have fun while performing.

Little Did He Know

I started a new job recently that is located to the most tempting shopping area. Shopping, most people like (or love) to go looking for a new pair of shoes or a fantastic new outfit, but my idea of shopping heaven is the local garden store.

When telling my husband about this prospective job I purposely neglected to tell me that it was right next door to the fantastic gardening store, Mulhalls. My husband enjoys the work I put into the garden but he KNOWS that I get carried away. One year I had so many plans on my plate that I couldn't get all the manure into the ground. I just ran out of time. And, of course, he dislikes working outside when it is hot and humid, which in my area, is quite often. This means that any plans I make, I had better be sure that I can complete them because he is no help whats-so-ever. This isn't a mean or bad statement about my husband, it's just the way he is. On the other hand, if I really needed the help he would lend a hand. This way I get the satisfaction of knowing that the success in the garden is the result of my own two hands.

So, when I finally told him about the fact that Mulhalls is literally across the street from where I work, his response was, Eye's rolling--"uh-huh, now I know why you wanted that job." It takes a lot of restraint but so far I haven't bought a thing. Although, it does make a nice place to take a walk during lunch hour.

Mulhalls is fantastic! They have this jingle on the radio that goes "Mulhalls has it all." It really does! I spent a 1/2 hour just walking through the water fountains and statues. I still didn't see it all. That's going to take many more hours of walking and admiring. I can't wait to see what they will have up for the Halloween season.

Bees

I (and when I say "I" it wasn't really me) was swimming the other day and must have saved like 15 June bugs from an early death by drowning in the pool. I couldn't save them all so, I gave up. While I was swimming I was buzzed by a bee.

When he was dive bombing me, he got too close to the water and accidently landed. He was struggling to stay afloat so I tried to save him by getting him out. The darn fool came back and got sucked in again.

I kept trying to save him but the idiot kept coming back. Now if you keep trying to save the bee and he keeps coming back, what do you do? Like duh, you give up. I don't know how many times I tried to save him and he kept coming back. All right if you don't want to be saved then just float there. I give up!

Summertime Dreams

Trois couleurs: Film nature,
originally uploaded by Ezu.

Two young girls are walking into the tall green grass. It's the color of early summer. The heat and summer dryness hasn't turned it into the winter time hay.

They are trying to fill the hours of summer vacation. Summer vacation, the long days that slip away like the high tide of the ocean, leaving memories on the white sand of the beach. They seem to last forever but slide into the short days of autumn.

The young voices of girls float on the warm breeze. The sun is hot but the breeze feels cool. Slipping into the shoulder high grass the slender sharp blades brush against their legs.

Living in the country doesn't always give you a chance to socialize with your very best friend so, you have to fill your time by making up games and finding something to do. On this summer day we played house in the tall green grass.

We slid between the tall blades of grass hiding from the farm hands and our mother. We flattened a room in the middle of the field. It was the beginning of our house. Tunneling through the stalks we made a hallway to our bedrooms and kitchen. We were careful to make the hallways narrow in order to leave a roof of grass over our heads.

Lying on the moist, grassy floor of the bedroom we watched the snowy white clouds float across the blue sky, dreaming our dreams of the future. While lying there we heard the voice of our mother yelling for her missing kids. It's time to join the rest of the world but the hours spent in our green house will stay with me forever.

Deer

I live in a place that often has wildlife visiting from the nearby forest. I often go outside and scare the deer out of the yard or watch them cross the street. Today was unique.

We had a young doe dining on our grass in the backyard. I often complain about the damage they do to my lilies but today takes care of that complaint. The doe spent more than an hour taking a rest in our yard. She laid down and, as I type this, she is still relaxing and enjoying the sunlight. What a great way to spend the afternoon.

Sugar

Talking about Sugar, if you have read my profile you would know that I love cooking. Most of the time my favorite recipes are main dishes. I like sweets but they are not what floats my boat. I love trying new ways to cook chicken, beef, pork, and turkey. However, I do like my children to have healthy, after school snacks.

I thought long and hard about including recipes on my blog but I just could not resist sharing some of my favorite family recipes. With that said, I hope you will understand why I include a few of my tried and true recipes with the public at large.

I have to include mention of my favorite cooking web-site. Cooking Light is the best! It takes many old fashioned favorites that many people use and re-vamps them into heart healthy recipes. A good example would be Lasagna.

My best cookie recipe is Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies. The shelf life on these cookies are several weeks in length if you can keep your family from eating them all at once. My daughter eats them so fast that I've had to start making a double batch, otherwise I don't get any.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

1 Cup Margarine or Shortening (Shortening will make softer cookies)

3/4 Cups Packed Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 3.5 Ounce Package of Instant Vanilla Pudding (generic pudding actually works better and you can use chocolate or butterscotch flavored pudding)

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 1/4 cup Spooned, Unsifted Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 12 Ounce Package of Chocolate Chips

1 Cup Chopped nuts

Cream together margarine/shortening, sugars, and instant pudding. Once the shortening, sugars and dry pudding is smooth and creamy, add the eggs and vanilla. Beat well until Fluffy. Measure and mix the flour and soda together in a seperate bowl and then gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts, drop from a teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, cool for 2 minutes, remove cookies from the pan and cool the cookies thoroughly before placing in your favorite cookie jar.

You're not made out of sugar, You won't melt

Time is 2:38 AM. The ping, ping, pong, the sound of something hitting metal outside my bedroom window, wakes me up from a deep sleep.

My first thought is, "what is that noise?" It's not even a real thought. It's more the sensation of fumbling around in the dark, trying to bring thoughts to the front of my brain. Then I realize that I've heard that sound before. It is the sound of raindrops hitting the air-conditioner. It finally dawns on me that it is raining outside.

Quickly, I bring myself back from the warm arms of Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. Scattering the petals of opium off my head, I remember that I left the car windows open. Throwing on a shirt and shorts, I walk out of the bedroom and pick up the car keys. Unlocking the front door, I step onto the front porch to be greeted by a heavy downpour. It didn't sound like a heavy rain storm.

I run up the steps to the rain soaked street and opening the locks, get into the car. Inserting the keys into the ignition, I roll up the windows. I can see that the papers on the front seat are wet so I move them into the back seat so that they will dry by morning. Getting out of the car, I run back to the front door of our house.

I am soaking wet. The rain has wetted me through to the skin. Walking into the house, I speak to my husband. "At least I'm not made out of sugar, I won't melt." A little rain never hurt anyone. The wet rain makes me feel as if everything is washed clean inside and out. When you have the chance, take a walk in the rain. I'm sure you're not made out of sugar, You won't melt either.

Read, Read, Read, Reed?

Clarinet,
originally uploaded by FotoJunkie.

I was talking with Pojo this afternoon, concerning my expected trip to the library. I asked him if he had any books that needed to go back. He is in the middle of three different books and hasn't finished any of them yet.

Here's his response, "Read, Read, Read, that's all I do when I get home. What do you think I do when I get home at night? Go to bed?"

My Response, "Reed, isn't that something you find in a clarinet?"

Groan!!!!!!!

Girl Friend's Response, "You find them inside oboes, saxophones, and English horns."

Under The Tuscan Sun

Sunflower (3),
Pic. originally uploaded by smallchih.

If you have read my profile you would have seen that one of my favorite movies is 'Under The Tuscan Sun'. I'm always borrowing it from the library. One of these days I'm going to buy it. Anyway, it is based on a non-fiction book by Frances Mayes, titled "Under The Tuscan Sun", go figure. It is totally fantastic. If you haven't read it I would Highly recommend it. It creates fantastic visual pictures with her descriptions.

Opps....There Goes My Wallet

Yesterday, I was standing in line at the grocery store, when the man in front of me accidentally dropped his wallet. It seems to be typical of many people that they stuff everything into their wallet. This man was no exception. Don dropped a ton of credit cards, business cards, etc. all over the floor. He bent down to pick them up and dropped some more. He continued to pick them up and what do you know, dropped them again.

I was standing behind him and the longer I watched the more I smiled. I couldn't help myself because what was going through my mind was a similar incident. I dropped my stuff all over the place and the more I tried to pick my stuff up, the more I dropped.

Someone else might have gotten upset because he was holding up the line but all I could see was myself in a similar circumstance. When something like this happens a person feels embarrassed, hurried because they don't want to hold up the people in line, flustered because you can't find your credit card and you still have to pay for your purchase. If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?

Cockatiels Are Noisy! A.KA. Politeness Rules

Our neighbor is interesting! A while back our neighbor bought bows and arrows for their children as an Easter gift. Hmm....a means of causing death during a life acknowledging holiday. That's just me thinking about the ironies of life.

Now these weren't just your ordinary young, child's play bow and arrow but a set up that can cause actual harm. The kids, since they had this new 'toy' to play with, went outside and started target practicing. They started target practicing at our "KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25" yard sign that we had placed in our yard, close to the rear of our car. It wasn't something we had paid for so the damage done was not something that NEEDED to be paid for.

Mr. Fred, my husband, saw the whole thing and became irate. He yelled at the kids to begin with. A few moments later, he saw the father in the backyard and spoke to him. He asked the father to get his kids to stop using the sign as a target. The father's response was, "what, they are not doing anything wrong" Hmmm...(me again thinking aloud) arrows going through a sign, next to a road with the possibility of traffic getting hit, possibly hitting our car with the arrows, vandalising a sign, yeah they weren't doing anything wrong. This totally tripped Mr. Fred's trigger because all the things I just thought about were what was going through his mind. Remember, he tried to speak to the father before he went the final step; he called the police. A policeman arrived and spoke to the father about the use of arrows in town. Ohhh..I forgot to mention, we live in a residential neighborhood in a town of approximately 48,000 people. It's not like we lived in the country.

You may be thinking what does this have to do with Cockatiels? Well, it was a demonstration point of the relationship between our neighbor and my husband. Things haven't gotten any better. The neighbor is still rude and inconsiderate. Mr. Fred is still holding a grudge and is rude right back. The neighbor mows the lawn and weed eats right outside our bedroom window at 8 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday, when I was working a 1:00 AM shift the night before. The bird screeches out of their kitchen window waking everyone up at 7:00 AM on a daily basis, etc.

Recently, the neighbor's bird, Holly, got away from them and flew into the trees right above our bedroom. How do we know about that? Mr. Fred had just gone to bed and was woken up by repetitive screeches that sounded right over his head.

Mr. Fred looked out of the bedroom window and saw the neighbor's 16+ year old son climbing our tree that has branches directly over the roof. Let's face it Mr. Fred was upset!

Many people don't know that if a child climbs a tree and then falls out of the tree, injuring themselves, it is the responsibility of the homeowner, even if the homeowner knew nothing about it. That's what went through Mr. Fred's head. The tree gets narrow the closer it gets to the roof and Mr. Fred was picturing the young man falling off the tree. Let's face it, he was also upset that his sleep was interrupted.

Mr. Fred goes outside onto the porch and yells at the kid to get out of the tree, explaining why he can't climb the tree. That's when he found out about the bird being in the branches of the tree above the roof. The neighbor tells us that "He didn't know his bird could fly. He has never done it before." They have had this bird for more than 2 years. I don't have a parrot or a bird but I KNOW that birds fly.

Mr. Fred goes back in the house. I follow Mr. Fred inside. I'm feeling concerned on behalf of the bird, embarrassed by Mr. Fred's behavior, in-comprehension/disbelief of the neighbor's statement and behavior, understanding of Mr. Fred's concern & behavior. A basic jumble of conflicting emotions. Mostly what I'm thinking about is putting myself in the neighbor's position and having a loved pet stuck in the tree. It has happened before, however, I'm polite and don't go climbing the neighbor's tree without permission.

20 minutes later a policeman knocks on the door. The neighbor had called the police to arbitrate. When I spoke with the policeman I explained that the kid had climbed the tree without permission. After confirming it with Mr. Fred, I didn't mind if they brought their ladder over and climbed our roof in order to reach the bird as long as there was an understanding that if someone fell we would not be held responsible. I also wanted to supervise. So, I went outside, and watched/helped them retrieve their bird from the tree branch above our roof.

Moral of the story? Think about your neighbor, be polite, ask before you trespass on your neighbor's property, don't use a bow and arrow in a residential area, clip your bird's wings before you let him/her outside! Finally, don't be rude! The world would be a better place if we were more polite and considerate of our neighbors.

Iris

The Iris were blooming in May but now they are beginning to look withered and dry. They are beginning to conserve their resources for the coming up winter. This year the Iris did not do very well. It has been about 4 years since they were planted and now they need a lift, literally. I lifted them up and moved them to new spots in the yard. Hopefully, if everything goes well, they will bloom like crazy next spring. I'm looking forward to it because my mother-in-law gave me some new colors to plant.

While I was at it, I lifted, separated and replanted the Siberian Iris that I had growing in the garden. It went from one large clump to 4 smaller ones. It needed a face lift.

Crickets on the Loose

One of our other occupants of the house is a painted box turtle. Her name is Dribble and she is fascinating to watch. While our daughter is gone for the summer I've taken over the care and feeding of her.

Last night, our son, Pojo, picked up his girlfriend from work and per my request, brought home a couple dozen crickets as feeding supplies for Dribble. Wouldn't you know it the light bulb was burned out but we had to un-package the crickets otherwise they would eat through the plastic bag. We found that out the hard way one day last summer, my daughter hates crickets. You should have heard her screeching when she found the crickets all over the room.

After we fixed the light bulb, we poured the crickets into Dribble's habitat. She took off like a rocket, scrambling around trying to catch and eat the crickets. The crickets finally wised up and crawled into the narrow space next to the water pond just out of reach of Dribbles hungry mouth. She kept trying to reach the crickets. I had Pojo reach in and move her around so she could focus on the little buggers that were trying to hide under her log, an area that is much more accessible. Dribble went to town. It was great to see her having a good time.

Today, I'm going to remove the pond just so Dribble can get to the crickets that were out of reach last night. It should make for a nice mid-day snack.

Life In General #2

I have another story to share concerning the truths we believe. I mentioned in my profile that I was born in California but really grew up in South Dakota. Because of this I didn't get to see my grandmother for many years.

My grandmother was a character. She was a strong minded woman that totally believed everything she said. Here's my example.

While visiting her just after I graduated, we did an afternoon of driving up and down the California coast close to her home in Santa Cruz. We stopped at Monterey and visited the pier. My sister, Sher, Grandma Michael and myself were sitting in a small cafe having a light snack when Grandma Michael pointed out the fishing trawlers that were docked.

I have to stop here and describe a fishing trawler for some people. It's usually not a LARGE ship but it is significant in size with a tall mast and what looks like two arms on either side. These "arms" can be open or closed upwards. Grandma points to the ship and tells me in a very knowledegable tone of voice, "They need to have those on the ships in order to balance the weight so they don't tip over."

I was 17 and knew nothing about the ocean and ships. I totally believed her. Just after she tells me this Grandma Michael has to use the ladies room. Thank goodness for my sister! Sher leans over and tells me, "Those are the nets to catch the fish, they are not to "balance" the ship." She knew that I would have totally taken Grandma Michael's word for the truth and I would have gone around telling everyone that those "arms" were for balancing the ship. It's crazy what you believe if you don't have any other information to go on.

Life in General #1

I find that a lot of the time people forget to smile and laugh at little things. Today I was attending an organizational meeting. What fun can you have at an organizational meeting? Let me tell you that some of the topics on the table were, to say the least, interesting.

When I first got to the meeting there were 3 other people and myself, the new kid on the block. I spent most of the time listening to the conversation.

Now before I go any further I want everyone to understand that I'm not poking fun at anyone in particular. I'm trying to show what strange and interesting thoughts people get stuck in their head and take for the truth.

The topic under discussion were the myths about pregnant women. There were a lot of strange ideas thrown back and forth but the one that stuck in my mind and made me laugh was this one. One of the lovely women at the meeting is expecting a child in the very near future and while she was at the store, earlier in the day, she had a person stop and share this "truth". Now, did you know that women under 5 feet, 4 inches can not breast feed their babies because they just don't have enough, how to put this delicately, milk/bosom to feed their child?

Close your eyes and picture this. A very pregnant Dolly Parton. That's what went through my mind. All the different women that are of short stature but possess an ample bosom. Heck, I fall into the above category. Here's the kicker, the person who said this actually believed it. So, what do you think? Is this truth or fiction?

Drum Corp International

How many of you know that there are professional drum & bugle corps that tour the country? My kids talk about it all the time. "Mom, I have to stay after school tonight because we have to go watch the DCI perform. It's part of our grade." I nod my head and go "un-huh, when are you going to be home?" Really, having no idea what DCI is or what they are watching. Well this summer, that has all changed.

My daughter, Myshell (pronounced Michelle, have to love those unusual spellings), twirls the flags for her local high school's marching band. She absolutely loves it. I mean it is "HER LIFE!" Our high school color guard practices all summer long. Twice a week, every week, you can find them twirling, throwing, counting and dropping the flags all over the parking lot. Finally, two weeks before school starts, the entire marching band and color guard spend nearly every day, all day long with only stops for lunch and dinner, practicing their new program. That was Myshell's plan for the summer, right up until June 21st.

It was a Thursday afternoon and Myshell pulls me into her room whispering and jumping out of her skin. The color guard practice session had gone to one of the local schools in order to watch the Blue Star, DCI team practice. While they were there the Blue Star Flag Corp Director asked if anyone wanted to try out for the team. Everyone started talking to each other and, since I know my daughter pretty well, I'm fairly confident that she was encouraging everyone to try out. What I do know is that she and one of her friends tried out. The Director liked what he saw and wanted to offer Myshell a spot on the team. There were several problems; money, they were leaving tonight, how was she going to get home?

First of all, we were dead set against letting her go. However, after lots of shouting and talking, we decided to go see the director and find out what it would cost, what she would need and other pertinent details. We tackled it all and believe it or not we made a quick decision and decided to let her go. It was like there was a whirlwind in the house. She could not believe that we were going to let her do it.

How could we say no? She would be on a 7 week tour of the United States, practicing and performing on a National level ending in Los Angeles, CA. It was such a wrench letting our young lady go but what do you do when you having an opportunity of a lifetime?

Two days later, I was helping at a fund raiser for the high school color guard and one of the young ladies asked "Where is Myshell?" When I told her the whole story her jaw dropped and she started screaming, "I can't believe you let her go!" Didn't I tell you that we were dead set against her doing this.

The next week there was a small article about the visiting DCI group and the other Bellevue students that were involved in the team. My husband saw it and mentioned that they forgot one name, our daughter. So, I called the local paper and gave them the whole story. Today, we opened up the paper and there is a lovely article and picture of her.

We still miss her and wish she were here. We also know that she is learning a lot and hopefully will come home with a good head on her shoulders. We know she will come home with a fantastic tan. If you are interested in finding out what DCI is feel free to click the link. I know more about DCI than I ever have before.

Lizard in the Sunlight

We have been after our son to clean out his lizard habitat for quite some time. Today seemed to be the perfect day to tackle this project.

The weather was warm but not hot. There was a light breeze and the sun was shining, great for keeping the mosquitoes away from our hot, sweat soaked bodies.

Our son started by cleaning the water but that was just the tip of the ice-burg. Later on I helped him take the entire habitat out into the sunshine so we could wash out the debris. The lizard went crazy. He thrashed his tail and darted around inside. Watching the lizard was, to say the least, interesting.

Have you ever seen a cat that has got it's tail caught under a chair? The cat jumps and wails aloud in pain and shock. Well, the lizard didn't wail but the wind caused him to react in a fashion that was very similar. He was very skittish for quite some time.

We left him alone for a while and he seemed to enjoy the rays. When we came out to start the actual cleaning, he was laying on the bottom of the habitat, dozing in the sun.

We got the hose and started flushing the debris out of the habitat. I started spraying the lizard, little by little, gradually getting him wet and washing the habitat. By the time we were done washing everything out, the lizard seemed to be enjoying the chance to have a real "rain" shower. He would close his eyes and relish the sensation of water caressing his skin. Did I tell you that this is an Iguana? They live in rain forests and so water is one of those things that make their lives interesting. While cleaning out the habitat there were several times when he flailed around like a windmill, whipping his tail back and forth, splashing me with the water.

Many lizards lose their tails when threatened or stressed. It doesn't look very nice but it is a fact. This lizard doesn't get out very much so during this entire project he did get stressed and lost the last 1.5 inches of his tail. That was distressing to him and us.

My son finished up cleaning and started lining the bottom of the habitat with wet coconut bark, the bedding that we use. Between the two of us we got the lizard and habitat re-assembled. We finally moved him back into his clean habitat and left him basking under his "sun" lamp. He should have a good appetite tonight.