Happy Graduation

I am dedicating a post to my friends LB & HDC who will be moving away from Happy Valley and off to the Big Wide ‘REAL’ World of LIFE soon by graduating from college.

 Congratulations!

I found LB when I was just learning to blog.    Those days before you ‘knew’ anyone and just bounced along and randomly searched and followed comments to where ever they may lead.    Before google-reader told you when your faves had a new post or before you had regular blogs to go visit…    I believe the first post I read of LBs was about martinis or beer.   Anyway, her blog screamed college student, smart-sassy college student and I couldn’t resist blogrollin’ her.    

I have to thank you for introducing me to a ton of awesome bloggers and have many rolled here and feel I’ve really gotten to know a few, could even call them friends.   Thanks LB.     for marathon training, for music education, lots of stuff I wouldn’t even know I needed to know if I didn’t know someone 22 or so.

and Heather?   a terrific writer, so full of young energetic optimism!      We talk books and traveling…

I have fond memories of my college days which are 20 years ago and yet feel like yesterday.    That last year of college, I  was offered my first job in OCTOBER so knew I would be headed to Chicago in June.   I would have put that off to JULY if I had to do it over again.   I was moved out of my college place and had started my new job within 7 days.   WAY TOO FAST.  and just because, I was terrified to not be ‘going along’ - when the new job asked if I could start ______, I said, “Of course.”   stupid stupid me.   (But not really, I met a life long friend at that job and would have missed knowing him if I had taken those few weeks EASY after grad.) 

I met my Hub in class that Fall Semester, my last year.   I asked for his help on homework.   To be honest, I had a huge crush on his roommate…     So one day, Hub asked me to dinner….  EIGHT WEEKS later (during finals of that Fall Semester) he asked me to marry him.     Ah, that was fun…    (me, sighing, thinking about that following SPRING semester…  ah…)   Never a dull moment, and he’s still my “Split-Apart-Back-Together-Again”. 

OOp!  this post wasn’t about me!  It’s about sending LB and H a BIG hearty congrats for successfully completing college and soon embarking on the rest of their lives!   To love, adventure, careers, fun!  and LIFE.

    Please keep blogging!  

and LB?   If I ever get around to training for that marathon - I’m looking to you for advice!!    
Heather?  BE SAFE on that trip and stop at all the crazy little historical landmarks…

Photo Friday: Self Portrait

…the one you’ve all been waiting for!   Self Portrait   –>  Never before seen on this blog!

   Click here for more information and other Photo Friday submissions.

 

  The HOCKNEYIZER Effect

Ha!  Isn’t this fun?   I love this photo of Shogun the Horse and me.    Sadly, this is a horse, a fond member of my sis-in-law’s family, that is no longer with us.   He lived a long life of nearly 35 years; maybe even 36, I forget.   They lost him quick last December.     

 <==  The orginal.

 

Another HOCKNEY Effect available by the Big Huge Lab website gives this interesting result:

 

and, finally, since I get so carried away and have to present lots and lots!   Here is my last and FAVORITE (because I love purple, most likely…)

 

 

I really enjoyed playing with these pictures.    Though many of the photos are YEARS old, oops!  I had a blast using this effect on pictures of my Hub’s big catch, the neighbor children, and, of course, the dog.    It’s really easy to do, too, and they allow SHUFFLE so if the arrangement isn’t quite right, you just click and wait and see what pops up next!

Join us for Photo Fridays!   Next week is DOORS, DOORWAYS, ENTRY WAYS…

Visit:
Author Jan at A Curious State of Affairs IS the art hung on the wall of the museum gallery!!
Tina at SkyWindows motivates us to LIVE LIFE!
Lou(Linda) at BlahBlahBlog got her hair cut!    (and OOPS!   I realize I used pics that I myself didn’t take - except the first one…  I DID take the one of me and Shogun.)
CordieB gives us a Magazine cover of roses and chocolate and other good stuff. 

Happy Mother’s Day EVERYONE!

A Phone Call, a New Dog and a Fifth Baby

When I heard the Idol music come on, I logged off and quickly began to prepare my dinner of Grilled Swiss (2 slices)  with a handful of baby spinach melted inside and a salad chock full of more baby spinach, cherry tomatoes,celery, carrots and Romaine lettuce.   

I didn’t like DC’s first song Hungry Like the Wolf.    I got tired of that one in the 80s!   Maybe because I lived that song, it just doesn’t click with me as a good Idol song…  blech.    Sysesha did a fine job with Proud Mary and really had the moves!     Simon thought it a bad imitation of Tina Turner and yet, what I was thinking during the performance, was how glad I was the Syesha wasn’t trying to sound like TT.   huh.

I swear Jason wants off the competition.    THEN!  I had the thought that maybe AI or even some other evil entity is paying him to ‘throw the fight’!  y’know - to make it interesting.     (Paranoid mind at work?)   It was dismal and horrendous.    He was quite animated for I Shot the Sheriff (sorry, only Clapton should be allowed, imo) and it made me think of the Muppets…   Did the Muppets ever cover this song?  I mean no disrespect to Bob Marley.

  Then my phone rang.    Caller display tells me that it’s a friend, maybe the only IRL friend who knows about and sometimes reads this blog.   I would have ignored her because AI was on!  but she must know that AI is on and thus, this call must be an emergency.   So I answer.

And, even though, it’s not a crisis/bad news/emergency, it is a GOOD NEWS SHARING call to let me know that I’m a dog-aunt.   She got a new puppy, sort of.   A rescue so he’s likely closer to 3 years old.   I may even have that all wrong…    CONGRATULATIONS!   Add this to today’s to do list:   buy puppy-shower gift.

With a little red wine loosening up my talking joints, I proceed to yap with her about all sorts of stuff and managed to miss DA, DC’s second song, SM’s second song and got back to it in time to see/watch Jason FORGET THE WORDS!?!???!?!    ugh.    massacre ahead.

DA sings a fine but boring Love Me Tender, the recap plays and I feel disappointed and not inspired.   I go let the dog out, the husband called to see if I was able to start the mower (I was, lawn’s now had a hair cut) and check a few blogs…

Dog gets all commotiony, barking and carrying on -  I see my neighbors get into their van and scurry up the street.    I recognize the MIL car in the driveway…     BABY!!?!     My neighbor is due-any-sec pregnant with their fifth baby, and it looks like the wee one might be wanting to come out and play.     And, now first thing this beautiful morning, I look out the window to see if their van’s back and NOPE, MILs car is still there, alone.   so!?    Maybe baby has arrived!    

BABY MAKES SEVEN.                  wow.

 

Welcome to Tuesday’s RWBI

Hello All, do you have your glass of red wine?  It’s about 7:04 pm, I have less than an hour to savor my wine, eat some dinner, and blog a bit before Idol.    I’m still wearing my gardening clothes and just realized my sunglasses are perched atop my head…   I just came in from another full day of playin’ in the dirt.

I ‘ve opened a bottle of Castello di Roncade and I’m not at all embarrassed to say that the price tag says $4.29.     The year is 2006.   The website has a tab for a Bed & Breakfast and doesn’t that sound lovely?   I’m off to Italy, I’m staying at a charming little winery…   It looks just gorgeous.  I don’t read/speak Italian but it seems to be just north of Venice…     Gosh, who knew that my silly blunken drogging escapades could inspire international travel!

It’s not bad.   (the wine…)  I wish I had a nice KC strip and a baked potato with a side of steamed broccoli to go with this.    “Flaccid yet absurd.   “  That’s what my Hub likes to say in a nasaly voice when trying to be pretentious.   (Get your mind out of the gutter.  Even tho this little quip is supposed to be humorous does NOT mean that you need to be thinking of limp dick.)

It’s not too dry, has no unpleasant after taste, it’s quite smooth, really.  (again, the wine…)   Well worth the money.

Last week, when I decided to create the acronym RWBI and then went on to really whack up the evening because I had the time wrong and so MISSED Idol and had to watch it on DVR  (thank goodness I do this),  I had something I thought was important to blog about and I believe I had grand ideas to yap about how much I love blogging and how fun it is and how cool it is that I can meet so many different people.   And yet, it’s easy to get carried away with it and abuse the concept.      Go find that post and the two that follow if you really want to.  I’m a little embarrassed to link to the evidence of my idiocy.   But NOT embarrassed to call attention to it, which really doesn’t make sense and hey - do you think the half glass I’ve consumed so far is having any effect yet?

You really should see the notes I took during last week’s American Idol show! Nah, maybe not.

So, for this week, I’m not sure what I feel must be posted.     Until… that is, I logged in and Moonbeam McQueen, one of my all-time awesomist fellow-word-makerupper FAVORITES (she has even told me that I can be on her cheerleading squad even though I can’t do cartwheels), asked me what a SWALE was.

Oh HOW FABULOUS!   Now I have a topic.

Off the track, have you ever been asked “what’s a topic?” by a five year old?    I mean, I was stumped.   I could give examples of topics but was hard pressed to figure out how to explain what the word TOPIC means.     This was after I told him I am a fountain of knowledge.  “What’s a fountain of knowledge?”    Which was after I explained to him that the few dandelion flowers we were picking would make a great bouquet for his mother.   “What’s a bouquet?”   

A SWALE is…

An elongated depression in the land surface that is at least seasonally wet, is usually heavily vegetated, and is normally without flowing water. …

and/or

A swale can be disguised as a dry creek providing interest to the landscape when dry, and acting to divert and direct water runoff after heavy rains. …

Both found when I    googled  ”Define Swale”.   My swale, the one between my house and the one with the question-asking kindergartner, is one of the latter.    We are only starting to get into any ‘heavy vegetation’;   today, we dug up the big rocks in our dirt around this part of the country and placed these on the sides of it for visual interest.

You should see the water that streams during heavy rains across the lawns of our subdivision which is a cul de sac going down hill.   The earthmoving boys who laid this place out were NOT landscape architects with emphasis in hydro-somethingorother.     When they first seeded the properties, the rain would wash all the topsoil and seed away.    It’s still tough to manage the water.

SO we built a ditch to try and divert the water to flow properly and not mess up the yards.   It’s been a challenge.

It has taken me to 7:45 pm to write and edit and typo correct this post and I still need put some food in my belly before Idol and me drinking any more of this yummy merlot.

TTFN.     GO DAVID COOK!    MAY YOU SING SWEET, ROCK IT OUT AND LOOK AMAZING!

ah crap!  it’s 7:50 pm, I need to turn on some lights cuz I can no longer see my keyboard, this post isn’t cooperating and I’m not sure my pic is gonna show up!    Hell, I’m hittin’ PUBLISH anyway.

 

Flowering

I promised an updated pic of The Swale.    We added the rocks a few weeks ago and then just last weekend, added the mulch.   I have Lady’s Mantle growing all along which I will intersperse annuals and perennials so that in a few months/years time, it should look really colorful.    I do not join the debate between annuals and perennials;  I enjoy the planting so annuals that bloom for a long time are swell by me.   Most of my neighbors prefer to plant the perennials…    I plant both.

Yesterday afternoon, I volunteered to help beautify the patio at the nursing home.    All I did was show up and dig.   They wanted me to be ‘in charge’, they provided all the flowers - some which were too late to plant and not for this environment, but hey - and it was fun to ‘discuss’ with the ladies about how to divide the pink flowers and insist upon dividing the marigolds (ew - I dislike marigolds…) and I just tried to keep things moving and not fuel any disagreements!    They wanted me to be a flower expert and I am not.   I just do and like what I like.   I have no idea what I’m doing and if things bloom, hallelujah!    Keep ’em watered…   This porch is going to get a lot of sun.    Hope it all works out!    

Then I came home and decided not to mow the lawn which will now have to be done this afternoon.   In one of our troublesome areas, I ripped up 4 wheelbarrows of grass&weeds, added topsoil, planted a bunch of pachysandra ground cover and few viney things from one of the neighbors and added mulch.    It’s along the other end of the swale, closer to the house.

  

 

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.  ~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

Unemployment is capitalism’s way of getting you to plant a garden.  ~Orson Scott Card

 

 

How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence.  ~Benjamin Disraeli

 

 

 

 

RWBI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-KodPtBKuE

RWBI = Red Wine Before Idol!   Sometime tonight!   I will try to get the actual on-air time correct this time.    (White wine is fine, too. )  

On the way to TOP THREE.   NOT who I thought or hoped would be in the Final Four but I’m a-thinking David Cook, my awesome rocker, my fellow KC Royals fan, my Blue Springs Boy…

will be safe.   

I know I could go find out what songs they will be singing but that’s part of the fun of the first show of the week.  Tonight could be anything.   In the meantime, I have been enjoying the Neil Diamond channel on Sirius radio.   I never knew he wrote this song!     And, he was kinda hot back in the day.    I will always love him for Sweet Caroline.  

Innerchildness

I don’t have an inner child.   If I do, it’s likely that my inner teenager tied her up and has hid her deep deep down in my cold icy heart.

Or so that’s my version of what my coach tried to tell me.     Well, maybe that was my interpretation and extrapolation of the few exercises we tried in an effort to ’talk to my inner child.’ 

But I can’t find that inner little kid.

Know how I know?   Cuz I don’t ‘get‘ little kids.   They scare me.    I don’t know how to talk to them.    I am amazed totally unequivocally amazed when they dare to misbehave.    and don’t seem to care!    I get all shocked out about it.

No, I don’t have kids.    How funny you would ask that.

I have been wanting to and not wanting to blog about this.   (the fact that I’m CBC.   CBC is the acronym for Childless By Choice, as if it’s a club and we all have the same motivations, lifestyles, selfish attitudes, whatever.)    I think it a fascinating topic but wondered how many cans of yucky icky slimey worms I really needed to open.

    Looks like three cans of worms.

Really, it’s not that I don’t like kids!    I often find kids entertaining, adorable, cute, interesting and sometimes they even smell almost good.    Babies can be adorable and amazing and squishy and darn cute, too.   I have many nieces and nephews and neighborhood kids that I, that I… that I talk to?  buy stuff for?   be entertained by?  and be shocked by.

I don’t mind your kids, I think they are cute, I really do love to read about the cute things they say or do.   With Mom’s Day coming up, I truly wish that all mothers would feel appreciated for all the hard work you do.  I commend you.  

I do not avoid children and often don’t even roll my eyes in public places when I happen to see kids.

I’m glad they are your kids.    You should be, too.   I extremely dislike people who complain about their children.   I get equally annoyed when told that I’m lucky that I don’t have them.

It’s just not that simple.   Sorry. 

People try to tell me I still have time!   Nope, not about my biological clock.  

People tell me I’d be a great mom!    So?    How in the hell would they know that? 

I tell people that zero IS a number.    And don’t EVEN get me started on that selfishness thing.    I sooooo won’t go there.    I don’t judge moms that I think are great moms that they should have one or two more!    And my heart goes out to those who want motherhood and by whatever reasons it ain’t happening for them; it really breaks my heart.  

I have offered to have a child for another.    It was politely declined.    

Anyway, I was talking about my inner child.   Maybe if I had a kid of my own, I would have found that “scared little girl” inside my psyche.    I don’t know.     I think the reason we were trying to talk to her was when I was relating how amazed I was that kids talk back to their parents, or won’t eat their vegetables, or have temper tantrums in public places.     I can guarantee you that I did not act like I’ve seen kids act these days.    Anyway, I think that was the point of all that looking.   I’m sure my coach was thinking that I have suppressed memories.   whatever.

I just don’t think I ever really had a childhood.    I was SO good.   I rarely did anything wrong and was punished more by me being so upset that I didn’t even need to be punished or sent to my room or whatever.   I was scared so much of that lightening bolt?!    I really really really tried to be good.   All the time.     and I had a reputation for it.   My mother was complimented for having such wonderful nice sweet quiet pleasing little kids.

My aunt once mentioned that I was never allowed to have any fun.   I don’t quite remember it like that, but I don’t really remember having any fun.    But we did fun stuff, I guess.   Camping, family vacations, kick the can, Monopoly and Clue. etc.   I lived across the street from a playground - that was pretty cool.    I just don’t remember childhood as being a lot of fun.    What’s weird is I don’t remember childhood as bad or a lot of work, either.    I wasn’t beaten.   I wasn’t actually ignored.   I was well cared for.    I was just a good keep-to-myself, nose-in-a-book, stay-out-of-the-way, don’t do ANYTHING so no attention could be given to me…   kind of kid.     It was just noneventful.   I don’t see the point of continuing the exercise by having a kid.    Thank goodness, the Hub feels that same way.    

Believe me, it has been discussed a lot, it was not a whim decision.   But it’s been made and we are on the right path for us.   We’re not cut out for it.

and maybe, that’s why I am having so much fun as an adult.    Not just because we don’t have kids to drive to soccer practice but because I’m happy with my life.    So, when I try to find that inner child - and I really don’t know why I need to look for her anyway, I can’t find her.    I would so much rather be me, right now.   

 

Well, Whatever I THINK, too!

Bless Joan Harvest for keeping me supplied with posting ideas.    She has thrown out another meme and though I wasn’t specifically tagged, I just know she wanted to me to play.    She’s given me the IDEA, so I am JUMPing…

Six Things Meme

Here are the rules: 1) Link back to the person who tagged you (that= me!). 2) Post the rules on your blog. 3) Write six things about yourself. 4) Tag six people at the end of your post by posting links to their blog sites. 5) Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their site. 6) And let your tagger know when your entry is up.

1.    I sometimes really dislike following the rules.   For example, even though I will obey RULEs #1, #2, #3  and #6 (well, WordPress should do that for me…), I do not want to do RULEs #4 & #5.   And it’s really only a case of having just tagged a few for the Five Fluffs Meme and so want to NOT do it now and I’m curious who will find this and do it anyway.   I mean really,  WHO is enforcing these rules, anyway?   The Meme-Police!?     However, the little tidbit that you may not realize about me is that one of my personality traits is to be a stickler for rules.     Especially when stressed.    Which is related to being ‘right’ and ‘correct’.   Apparently, I’m wired to collect and analyze, gather and check details, and check once again before EVER making a decision, especially a stressful decision.    Don’t call me in a crisis.    I don’t do crisis very well. 

2.   I want to ride on a Segway.  Or should I say, I want to DRIVE a Segway? 

3.   I really really want a pair of cowboy boots but I never trust that the pairs I try on FIT perfect so I don’t buy…     I said aloud to no one just the other day,

“If I was a country singer, I bet I’d own a cool pair of cowboy boots.”   

In college, me and roomie referred to cowboy boots with the emphasis on BOY and only a ‘k’ sound for the ‘cow’.   Something like this:  k’BOY boots.

4.   I was wondering who it was that left my first comment here on my blog after one of The Writer Chick’s posts and…  oh yea, it was ___________.    Memories of sad blogging behavior (on my part, I think?)  I saw that the blogger put me on their blogroll (cool beans!) and a month later took my blog OFF the blogroll!  (ouch!!)   I then in sad retaliation, deleted THAT blog off my roll and, then….    silliness, all of it.   Big heapin’ pile of silliness.   I still read that blog, comment ever so often but rarely, and wonder what happened…    NOT a big deal.    The whole Blogging-Without-Obligation movement needs to include not getting all carried away with this craziness.   Roll me if you want; don’t need to ask permission.   Comment if you’d like, don’t get hung up on my commenting back - but I will try to visit!    Peace, gentleness, calm….    Breathe….    Smiles.   :)   It’s all supposed to be FUN, remember?

5.   I was supposed to participate in a 20 mile fundraiser walk tomorrow but now I don’t have to cuz of rain.   I am so relieved…

6.  I can’t think of anything for the last item….   How about…  I just planted two Tequila Sunrise Coreopsis.   In the rain.   I planted some more dianthus and a few lupine, too, out among our swale (go ahead, say swale out loud!   It’s a FUN word, isn’t it?   I always have to say it twice, to feel it roll around my mouth…)   Oh.  I was yapping about flowers, wasn’t I?      Here’s a pic from last year, with Zinnias.   I’ll post a new and improved pic soon…

 

Photo Friday RELIGION

  Happy Photo Friday!

Visit the source of this awesome Friday activity by clicking on this line.

The theme this week is religion.    I pondered this topic, and had too many swirly concepts suggested by my manic brain with no resulting concise amalgamation of words image ideas.   So, I shall post the photos of examples of nearby places of religious institution and then some contrasting scenes from nature.   This is inside a church on the Cape.   The exposed rafters are supposed to be representative of fishing nets, as the church fishes for men’s souls, so I was told.

  Perhaps, the holy spirit? 

 I particularly was taken with this colorful window; is it more fishing for souls?

 This is the steeple of a church in Provincetown MA which I visited on Tuesday.  I was hoping for more photo opps but it was a coldy dreary RAINY day.
 Contrasting with this glorious seed pod of a green lush plant in Costa Rica. Fascinating isn’t it?

And finally, looking to the blue sky from below a flowering cherry tree…    My God as Creator. 

A religion without the element of mystery would not be a religion at all. ~Edwin Lewis

 

 

more, others, pls visit! 

Tina at Sky Windows gives us The Prayer Trail.

Linda(Lou) takes us on a tour of a churchy neighborhood and wonders where people park.

Julie’s single photo is quiet and respectful.
 
Jan - our PF Originator! shows us the top of the church on the day of her wedding - quite impressive!

May Day

  [Later...   Yes, able to upload.]

Happy May Day!    As a kid, we used to pick flowers, roll up cardboard into a cone, staple ribbons for a handle, put the flowers in, hang these on doorknobs of neighbors, ring the doorbell and RUN!    Fun, fun…
Enjoy my flowers, DING-DONG!   (see me running away?)
Well, that’s what I hoped I could leave on your doorstep but now that I’ve spent all of 10 minutes attempting photo upload, I’ll try again later.   not good for tomorrow Photo Friday if I can’t get this to work!   it worked the other day?!  sigh…