Rivets and Bolts

Jodi is demanding photos from her old 'hood, Chicago, so I'm all about delivering.

Here's the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Okay, so it costs you $6 to float around once slowly-- it offers you the most incredible view of the lakefront and skyline. My problem is that I tend to not notice the scenery as much as the rivets and bolts that are holding my little car to this giant piece of steel--and that sorta freaks me out. The kids are all "oooh" and "ahhhh" and I'm all "Cripes! Are we gonna plunge to our death in this thing??!". Sort of a buzzkill, aren't I?

We spent the evening with the family, so I'm short on posting time. I'm totally scrambling as my computer time was spent laughing til I cried about my mom insisting we have Jewish heritage because of their noses and some birth certificate spelling. Then there was my mortified Uncle Jerry who was going on about how he figured out there was a theme for all of his favorite recording artists--they are either dead or gay. Or both. My Aunt Laurie shared a lovely babushka story that had us giggling and of course, Kelllliiiii was there--so we cracked up about Jeff Lewis, Silent Library, and Japanese game shows a bit.

We heard stories from the cemetery adventure of today--looking up headstones for dead relatives. There's Mom and Uncle Jerry looking for Block 63 and dead Aunt Evelyn, and they realized they couldn't find it after 45 minutes of searching and finally stopped in the office for help. That's when the worker looked at the holy card and told them they had the wrong cemetery. Yep. That's my family.

Who else can you compare drunk wedding stories with and laugh about your Uncle Tom who ends up passing out under the gift table and dancing with bottles on his head? Don't we all have an uncle like that? You don't? Oops. Well, I'll bet you wish you did.

These are the nuts and bolts that make up who I am and where I came from. Yeah, a bit scary, I know--but gees, they're fun.

Camp Ostler Chicago Style

Sheesh, these dogs are tired! Fresh from the weekend, Monday comes as a welcome relief to my feet, who, along with my stomach, we're pushed to their absolute limits.

Camp Ostler took a road trip this weekend to Chicago, and the house was wall-to-wall inflatable beds and pallies. I never thought it would be possible to pull off what we did this weekend, but we did. Our hearts full, feet sore, and our wallets emptied--we are back into the groove that is the workday week with giant smiles on our faces from a weekend well-spent.

The Taste of Chicago was the initial destination, but we also headed to the lakefront, Navy Pier, Millenium park, and Oak Brook for shopping. We ate our way around the Taste--sampling chicken tamales, pad thai, Harry Carry's potato chips, sweet potato fries, egg rolls, pizza, watermelon, chocolate covered frozen cheesecake, ice cream, key lime pie, and Italian ice.

We passed on Eli's free cheesecake when we saw the line wrapping around Buckingham fountain and the obnoxious "Gimme a piece, gimme a piece, gimme a piece of that cheesecake" mind-altering lame rap that was blaring from the speakers. The frozen popcorn on a stick was a tad frightening and it wasn't even tempting for our tightfisted six teens that were with us. Scariness was not on the menu and we all decided to be a bit "safe" with our food choices. Libby and Allie even had tickets leftover after we left the Taste--they were careful not to blow their expensive food tickets on just anything. Me?? Mine were gone in no time.

Hot? No. The weather was lovely. Expensive? Eh. You just kinda expect it will be and go anyway. Crowded? Not too bad. You have to gear up for the crowds, but I didn't think they were too bad. Fun? YES. Oh , geesh, I could just sit and people watch until the cows come home.

We went from the Taste the lakefront to enjoy the boats and the cool breeze. We spied the Ferris Wheel of Navy Pier from where we were sitting and headed over there by cab. Cabs are always an adventure in Chicago, so the kids were digging that.

We spent some time at Navy Pier enjoying the skyline, some music, and a ride on the Ferris Wheel for 4 of the kids. Bubba Gump's was a hoot for dinner and again, our bellies were full. It seemed to be a theme of sorts.

Navy Pier led to Millenium Park and The Bean. Sheesh, the city is nice. The parks were loaded with people, but you never felt like it was crazy. We saw some women with some tiny bodywear and some large self-esteem. We met some wacky folks on the train and a dude that was the official greeter for Metra--explaining and encouraging everyone he met to use the express route to the city. And he didn't even work for Metra. I even ran into someone I knew in the wave of humanity at the Taste.

We ate, we walked, we sat in the cool grass--and then we ate some more. There wasn't an hour that we didn't consume some sort of fried food or walk until my feet ached. We had six teenagers with us that for hours didn't say a word or a single complaint. They were accommodating and happy. They were funny and engaging. They were sweet and appreciative. I have never met such nice kids--and only two of them were mine. Not once was there an argument, a complaint, or a crabby face--it was unbelievably wonderful.

I am renewed and peaceful after being with such good people. Angie is a dear and I'm glad to have her as a friend. It is these times that I am convinced the world is good and this is what life is about. There is something about my Cumberland Falls family--our hearts beat in unison. There is no explaining--we just are. There is a deep connection even though we see each other only a few times a year. And that is if we are lucky.

I have a warm heart as I head into work this morning. Carrying with me what matters into a world of one that doesn't. Suddenly Excel sheets, newletters, and deadlines are not important--it is what is in my heart that does.

Frozen Popcorn on a Stick????!

This weekend's Blog Off is taking us to the Taste of Chicago. Dear friends are coming in for the weekend and we are off on adventures, so I won't be here to tell you pond tales or anything like that. Sorry.

Okay, so the temperatures have dropped to a comfortable 95 degrees, so we may just survive. Maybe. I may have to eat the frozen popcorn on a stick that Lola suggests, but that may prove to be a tad too scary for me. Frozen popcorn just isn't normal.

I'll give a full report on Monday, but no photos--it's too hot to carry the camera bag. Perhaps a stick figure drawing will suffice? We'll see. Don't get your hopes up.

Happy Weekend, pallies. Turn off your computer a bit and go enjoy your outside lives. See you Monday.

Tadpole Dorks

Talk about dorky photos--here is a baby photo of my current lone frog. Tadpoles are notoriously shy, darting towards deep waters the minute I come out to check out the leg-sprouting status. They love the warm shallows, clinging to the roots of water hyacinths or the stems of water lilies. You gotta be quick to snap a photo of tadpoles, and even then, they don't turn out so hot.

The current tadpole population doesn't have such large legs--theirs are more like shriveled up versions of legs. They look ridiculous with little nubs for legs sticking out of big chubby bodies and those goofy tails that propel them everywhere. Such odd little fellows--they make my childhood photos look like model shoots in comparison.

They'll spend a good portion of the summer looking like this, while their back legs grow. Slowly, their eyes will travel from the sides of their heads to the top and their bodies actually begin to form more frog-like. They begin to use their legs to push off and swim, although there are no arms for a very long time.

It will take almost until July or August for their arms to sprout--which is quite the event. I think it was Valentine's Day last year that I had a little guy sprout his arms for me. Joe just bought me flowers. Geesh. Growing arms for an occasion trumps flowers any day in my book.

Once they get arms, the little tail starts to absorb. While they absorb the tail, there is no need to eat, as they get all their nutrition from the tail. All that yummy algae is no longer consumed and they are referred to as a "froglet" at this point. This only takes about a week or so and the froglet is officially a frog.

It is a typical August day that I'll find the new little frogs hanging out on the lily pads. (Yes, they really do sit on lily pads when they are little.) They begin while they are froglets, beginning to gulp air and slowly get used to being out of the water at short periods of time.

It's tough work being a tadpole, I guess. I love spending the summer watching for the little guys, and I have found they are much easier to spot in the water at night with a flashlight. My neighbor thinks I'm weird--out there by the pond with my flashlight spying on the pond life. But, I think he's weird out there smoking and hacking like a chimney, so I guess we're even.

So, while the tadpoles are looking all dorky, I'm planning on the first edition of the Dork Off. I'm running it starting next weekend. All pallies who want in must find a dorky photo of themselves (preferably when you were young) and enter it in the contest. We'll spend the weekend having everyone vote on who will be crowned the winner of the Dork Off and their name (and photo) will be announced Monday morning.

I'm still trying to figure out if we should post them all here or should we just post links. What do you think?? I think posting here would be fair to everyone because I don't think everyone wants to hop to all those blogs and the name at the end of the list would get skunked. Don't you think?? So, maybe email your photo, your name and/or blog name to me and I'll put them all in one post. I'll need the entries by Thursday.

Okay, all you dorks--let me know if you are in. Or if you have a better way to do it. Even Miss America had to work out some kinks, you know.

There's a New Frog in Town and Other Thoughts

Well, looky who appeared a week or so after the big frogs ditched me. Yep--little frog. He was a tadpole from last year who hid out avoiding the cannibalistic tendencies of hungry giant bullfrogs. He must have peeked up, realized that the big frogs were gone, and decided that it was safe to assume the reign of Frog Supreme in the pond. Now he can be seen atop his roost in the new potted plant, sunning himself, catching flies and moths at whim. Life is grand once again.

Lots of things are happening these days. Lots of random good and bad things that make up everyday life. Gathering up a thought or a post these days is difficult, as my mind is busy this way and that. I thought that once the kids were out of school things would die down, but no. Then I thought that getting through Em's party, starting summer school, or even finishing that load of laundry would let my mind settle--but that's not working either. Life is chaos these days, and my mind is a whirlwind of thoughts--much like the motorized snow globe.

Welcome to the scrambled mess that is my mind:

1. I'm worried about Da Old Man Joe. Did anyone else catch his post as he was being carted off in an ambulance?? That sort of threw me. I'm hoping he's okay.
2. I saved the world when I was driving home from work the other day. Yep. There was a car holding up the turn lane while the driver was beating the crap out of his woman friend. Yeah, that was excitement you don't typically see driving home, so I called 911 and saved the day. And I don't think the dude was the nutty one, it looked like girlfriend was the problem. Sigh. My life is boring in comparison.
   
3. I don't like working. May I reiterate that I just want to be a mom, at home, enjoying the summer with the kids?? Corporate tap dancing is just not for me.
   
4. Along with my two fish and frogs, my redbud tree is slowly leaving me. I keep looking at it hoping that it will make a comeback, but I think it is inevitable--it's a goner. We planted it when the kids were babies--it's just another sign that things are going a tad too fast for me. I'm not ready to let go of all those years. Or the tree.
   
5. Go read the Bloggess. She completely cracked me up today--you know, a laugh-out-loud kinda post. And the comments of the day are even better. Man, that is some funky stuff going on at that blog.
   
6. Okay, so inside the office is freezing, while outside the world is a blast furnace. I drive home from work with the windows open to thaw out, which is great--except when you are in barely-moving traffic and you are stuck next to the back end of a garbage truck--for miles. It was a very long, very smelly ride home today. And no, I didn't put on the air because where do you think the air for the air conditioner would come from? Yep--outside, by the garbage truck.
7. You know what I saw while I was driving home, after my big 911 call?? A little kid's arm sticking out a car window with a pinwheel spinning like a twabillion miles per hour. Ah, such simple joys in such difficult times.
8. Did you catch Harry over at Pricilla's place?? Gees, and I thought Kevin was cute! Wow. Nothing like a cow/goat to make you smile.
   
9. Oh! We've got a GREAT weekend planned! Some of the Falls family is coming down (up?) to visit and go to the Taste of Chicago with us. The Falls family isn't really family, they just feel that way. We've only got a month or so before we go, so this is just a primer to prepare us for a week of good times, laughter, and true pallies. I'm counting the days until Cumberland Falls and the minutes until Angie and the gang get here.
10. Has anyone else caught the new show on MTV--"Silent Library"?? It features frat-type boys who have to compete in ridiculous (and painful) stunts completely silent in order to score points. How they even survive half the challenges without cracking up or screaming is beyond me. Sophmoric humor at best--this show is a summertime family favorite.

Whew. I feel better already. I hope you do too.

I always hated "tag" as a kid...

Oh, that darned Lola got me again. She gets tagged, posts, tags ME, and then laughs her evil laugh! Sheesh. I'm not very good at doing meme's and such, but because I'm pooped and sorta crabby, I'm going along with the Photo Tag from Lola.

Mr. Funny (Joe) decides to meet his brother after work for a dinner a few cocktails and then take the train home. Yeah, great idea except the long day and the cocktails makes him fall asleep on the train and he completely misses the station where his car is parked. So, here I am, all settled in for doing my drops and posting, and I've got to throw on clothes and bail his hiney out in the next town over. I should have left him there--it did cross my mind.

Add to all of this that he went to borrow the neighbor's patio set for our party this weekend--he turned the table and the glass slid out and broke into a cabillion pieces. So, I had to write the neighbor a check for $250 on top of things. Sigh. The big guy is in the dog house, needless to say.

So, you're lucky this time, Lola. I'll play along and not complain too loudly.

The idea is to open the first file in your photo collection and post the tenth photo. Ta da!! Not such a bad shot, eh?? I kinda like this one. It is actually one of the very first shots I took with my new camera last year--cannot take a bad photo if I try.

And because Lola has rubbed off on me, I'm tagging a few pallies to pass on the evilness!

1. Nancy-- check out her Cat Lady action figure!
2. Merry--Recovering from vacation
3. Bee-- Hooked on "Intervention" --kinda ironic, isn't it?
4. DG-- a relatively new pally
5. Chocolate Covered Daydreams--a really great blog to read each day
   

Also, due to major time constraints and weekend visitors, I'll be postponing the Dork-Off competition until next week. Please collect your most dreadful photos of yourself for our first edition of Dork-off where we will be crowning the dorkiest blogger EVER! Stay tuned for details.

Summer Snow

As we pulled in the parking lot for Em's flute lesson, it looked like there had been a blizzard. Cottonwood trees in the neighborhood had spread their white poufiness all over the area and it somehow congregated in this one parking lot. Billows of summer "snow" blew this way and that--building up into little mounds aside the concrete parking blocks. It seemed like yesterday that the winter snows were doing the same thing--except it was a tad bit warmer now.

The Cubs/White Sox game was on the radio and the sun was just warm enough to enjoy, so I let Em go in for her lesson on her own. I sat in the car, with the windows open, to sit for a half hour of peace. As I eased the seat back, I actually relaxed for a bit--a rare treat in these hectic summer days.

I sat there listening to the Sox throw the game away, while the little poufs of white swirled up and about my car. Every so often, I felt a cottonwood seed under my sunglasses and in my nose as I watched them floating this way and that. Glad that I was not one of the many who are allergic to this bad boy of problem trees, I actually smiled as they blew everywhere.

Soon, though, I started to notice that the car was filling with these poufs. And suddenly it wasn't so sweet to see them twirling and floating. I looked and the whole interior of my car was loaded--in less than a half hour.

It was too late to close the windows. It was too late to escape the invasion of white poufs. And it was too late to do anything but accept the fact that my car was now overcome by whiteness. Sigh.

Em came out from her lesson and was mortified by the condition of the car. She yelled and screamed and made a huge fuss about all the white on her seat. She tried sweeping it away with her hand, but that only made them stick a bit harder to the interior of my car. They weren't budging--screaming teen or no screaming teen.

The real fun began as I started to drive. Like the blowing masses of the parking lot, the interior of my car was now a swirling, twirling, whirlwind of whiteness. Em and I motored down the road like a mechanical snowglobe. The faster I drove, the more the snow blew. If I slowed down, they did too. The windows were open, the floor vent propped--but still, non of the plume ever left the vehicle. The cottonwood seeds danced and flew like there was no tomorrow--all in the interior of my car.

I drove like this for a few days, never taking the time or the energy to crank up the Oreck. Joe got in a few days later and was all "The hell??!" about my car, but I ignored him. Okay, so it drove him nuts to be driving a faux snowstorm everywhere--does he get the vacuum out? Nope. So, drive we did. For days. In a snowglobe. Like four summer snowmen in a fake winter scene.

Fran's Dad with the Score!

I think Fran's Dad has the best take on my Weight Watcher's bread finding. I saw a thin body in the bread, while others saw John's face, an angel, the Virgin Mary's belly button, and an evil plot by WW to reduce the calories in their bread by reducing the size and inserting giant holes in the center. Who could imagine that my lunchtime bread would turn into the inkspot test of the blogging world?

Not only does Fran's Dad get points for the angle, he gets a triple score in my eyes for being able to master the Photoshop program to insert the infamous slice into a major piece of artwork. He is my new hero for that alone--I'm barely able to adjust the lighting on my photos so far. Sigh.

And today's secret message is brought to you by Weight Watchers

First it was my pants, now it is my bread. I'm getting messages from the inanimate objects in my life.

About a month back, I got a secret message from the inside flap of my pants. Okay, so it wasn't very clear what I was supposed to do with my message, but I got one. "Find Adventure. Find Yourself" my zipper flap told me, but I haven't done that just yet.

Maybe it's that I'm busy working and getting things done that prohibits me from "finding myself", but I'm still looking. I think the adventure part what is escaping me--the only adventures I find these days are fish funerals at 6:00 a.m. or driving the kids to doctor's appointments. Sigh. I'm not "finding myself" at the parking lot of the dermatologist--but perhaps I'm not looking hard enough.

So, this week's message comes to me via the loaf of Weight Watchers Whole Wheat bread. I'm all set to have a sandwich for lunch, and this is what I find. This is literally how it came out of the package--there has been no Photoshopping or squeezing this bad boy into a photo op for a post. We are all about honesty here at the Duck and Wheel and I would never do such a thing. And why would I? Life is weird enough without having to alter it. Well, my life is anyway.

Talk about subliminal messages! Geesh--is that we are all going to look like if we eat Weight Watcher's bread??? Is my waist going to be that small? Is my belly button going to be that big?! Am I that fat that I need my bread to tell me to lose weight? Really?? Wow.

Is this me or are other people getting messages too? Maybe I'm just being a tad too sensitive or I'm looking for guidance and meaning from the world around me. Maybe I'm wacky and things just crack me up. Perhaps I'm really clairvoyant and those who have crossed over are sending me messages for loved ones still here on Earth like that John Edwards or something. Gees, I hope not because that would scare the bajeepers out of me. Although that would also mean that this message isn't necessarily meant for me, which is kind of a relief.

So, message or no message--I ate the bread. No, I am not skinnier nor has my weight gone down, but I don't care. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I loaded the sandwich with meat and cheese and stuff, and then sipped a cold beer while I ate it. I'm just glad I didn't get one of those pieces of bread or toast with Jesus on it, because then I would feel real guilty scarfing that bad boy down. Now that would be a message.



On another note--being that this is a continuation of Blog-OFF, where I shut the place down for the weekend, I want to wish all you fathers a very Happy Father's Day. If you aren't a father--go appreciate one.

So Happy Together

I was digging through photos so I could work on my Photoshop Elements program that I got for Mother's Day. Geesh, that is taking some time--I got a book that supposedly explains it easily enough, but that mother is like 4 inches thick! So, needless to say, I'm not mastering PSE anytime soon. Sigh.

Casey is once again posting some absolutely adorable photo of herself from years past, and I'm once again posting another loser photo of me. Isn't that always the way?? Everyone else has these cute look-at-me shots and I've got the Good-Lord-was-I-always-so-dorky gems. I think I'm gonna have to switch who I compare my photos with 'cuz I'm totally losing on this one. Unless we go for the "Meanest Couple In Town" photo. Or a "I Hate Family Photos" shot.

This is me, sophmore in high school, standing up for my cousin's wedding. I always wanted to be in a wedding and here was my big chance. And look how thrilled I am. And what's with the hair?? I think this was a growing it out phase or something--who the heck knows? All that I know is that I'm sprouting something on the right side there--I think it is a flower.

Okay, so this was also back in the day when bridesmaid dresses were UGLY too, nowadays they are actually cute. And everyone doesn't have to wear the same dress or pastels. But tell me--what are they gonna drag out in 20 years to laugh at with the kids or their blog pallies, eh? In those days, you had not lived until your best friend forced you and four other friends wear the ugliest dresses ever. It was like a right of passage or something.

I'm all about entertaining the reader, so I thought this was a swell photo to show of me and my brother. He's a senior in high school here--I kid you not. Homeboy had a full beard in like the 7th grade and he never shaved--so here's the result. Nice look, bud. And perhaps a suit that fits?? I think he must have had this suit from the 7th grade too. Joe said he looks like a Sasquatch. Hmmm.....kinda.

The best part is the faces--don't they speak volumes?? So, who are we mad at?? Mom, for taking the photo? Mom, for making us stand together? Mom, for making us brother and sister? Yeah, I'm going with Mom. When in doubt, blame Mom.

Okay, so I couldn't read up in my PSE book fast enough to adjust the color and fine tune the grumpy faces--you get the idea. We were some swell looking teens back then. And no doubt we were some fun wedding guests too.

Floating Towards Warmer Waters

The Rainbow Bridge must have had a two-for-one crossing Tuesday night, as both Sharkbait and Aloysia passed away the other night together--as they swam in life.

Aloysia had suffered for a year with swim bladder issues and was finally rendered unable to do much more than lie at the bottom of the pond waiting for Sharkbait to nudge her. She seemed to really go downhill after the loss of her friend, Freddy, last summer and clung to Sharkbait's side even more. She was always with her love and could be found at his side constantly.

Sharkbait was a second generation goldfish, son of Big Fish and Dottie. He was the miracle--the product of the very first spawning of the initial fish of our pond, which was very exciting. He went on to continue in the studly ways of his dad, nudging the gals to produce billions of offspring of his own, three of which inhabit the pond currently.

Sharkbait was a lovely fish--long flowing fins that he inherited from his dad and a huge Oranda cap passed on from his mom, Dottie. He was sweet and loved to sun himself in the warm sunshine of the pond.

I'm not sure what went south for these two, but I suspect it was the horrible cold weather we've had lately. I found Sharkbait in the skimmer the other day, belly up, showing signs of his swim bladder failing (the swim bladder is a tiny ballast-like organ that allows a fish to go up and down like a submarine in the water). When I scooped him out, I noticed that he had a huge wound on his back, so I brought him in to heal in a sick tank I brought in Aloysia after I realized he was sort of failing--I thought her company might help. Goldfish are actually very attached to their friends, so I thought he would appreciate her there.

Things weren't going well for him and I actuallly told him one night that it was "okay" to go to the light. Well, he heard me....and so did Aloysia. Maybe I said it too loudly. I woke up to find Sharkbait dead and I told Joe that I was going to put Aloysia out in the pond. "She went with him to the Rainbow Bridge" Joe advised--I never even looked at her. Sure enough, the two friends in life went in death together, like an old married couple--I don't think either wanted to live without the other.

So, I had a good cry and we had services at 6:00 a.m. out in the front landscaping. Joe digs a mean hole with a suit on, I tell you. Hobbes and Grace joined me on the front porch in my jammies, boo-hooing for my two fish friends. I'm sure the neighbors were probably choking on their Cheerios wondering what the hell we were doing so early with a shovel in the front yard. Because the whole freakin' yard is gardens--we have the cemetary in the front landscaping--the only place we don't move plants around yearly.

As it typically goes--life continues with the 3 fish who are their offspring out in the pond. I've decided to keep them nameless as it doesn't hurt so bad when they die then. I spied the little frog out there last night--stretching his legs, relishing that the two monsters are gone and he can come out of hiding. There are scads of minnows darting around with the 5 giants who made it through the winter and about 3 zwabillion of their babies. We're not even counting the 3 tadpoles and snales that are lurking in the algae. Sigh.

The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, I guess. Yeah, that's great, but I really, really hate the "taketh" part.

I miss ya, Sharkbait. You too, Aloysia. Wishing you warm waters, my friends.

Waitress!!!

Em asks me the other day, "What am I getting for graduation?". Which stumps me, because honestly, after paying for one $700 8th Grade trip to Washington DC, a dress (complete with shoes, haircut, manicure, pedicure, necklace, and earrings) for Awards Night, another party dress (complete with shoes, necklace, earrings, etc.) for the Dinner Dance, a $500 week away at Band Camp, AND a graduation party--the thought of what to give her next just didn't cross my mind. Okay, I know she totally kicked butt at school, but can't a firm handshake be enough??

"Caroline got a new phone and Hannah got a laptop..." she's priming me.

"Oh yeah, what did Jamie get?" I kinda stump her because the guilt thingy didn't really work like she thought it would.

So, I turn to Col and ask him "What did you get for graduation?" to which he replies "A dress watch" and I could feel Em dying.

"Okay. So, do you want a dress watch, Em?" and I already know the answer.

And I'm telling this story to the folks at work and they're all looking at me like I'm the worst mom ever. Are you kidding me?? Have I not dished out enough cash here?! Okay, none of these people have teens and the one who does, has teen boys. Big difference in cash outlay here. HUGE difference. Except she has no idea and just gives me "the look". Sigh.

So, we pile in the car and head off to the AT & T store, which is my worst nightmare.

No, wait, check that--Best Buy is my worst nightmare. No help, high prices, nothing in stock that you want to buy, and lines that are reminiscent of Communist Russia. And I say that-- loudly. Every single time I have to go there. My kids could just die. But I don't care. I hate Best Buy and I'm proud of it.

But we went to AT & T to get Em a new phone. NOT Best Buy.

Nobody in this house really makes a lot of phone calls, we just aren't phone people. Buying cell phone plans with "minutes" is stupid because I think between Joe, Col, and I, we use up something like 12 1/2 minutes of phone time each month--and that is stretching it. Em wants a plan with "free texting" which is really not "free", but she doesn't get that. It is a lot of cashola for "free" texting. Sigh. I love advertising aimed at teens and idiot adults.

The mean mother that I am, I have only the pay-as-you-go plans for the four of us and I pay for the calls. Now this does not include any texting, which is absolutely horrific if you are a 14 year-old girl. It is akin to not having teeth or limbs or something that is considered a necessity for most other folks. Em not having texting is like depriving her of air--she gasps for the messages that she is missing or could possibly be receiving while she is dying in her bedroom, in the car, in the shower, eating, or sleeping.

The compromise is that she has to buy her own unlimited texting for $20 per month. Which, I might add, I kinda pay for because I give her allowance each week anyway. I'm thinking this is quite the deal, but she thinks otherwise.

As we walk into the store to buy just the phone, we are met by 3 men standing by a little tall table. They all look at us expectantly and I'm sorta ignoring them because I am anticipating the 4 hour wait that it is going to take to get someone to talk to me here.

"Uh, hello. Yeah.....uh, we're gonna hafta ask you to sign in here" and he's pointing to a little book on the tall table. And all 3 dudes are half-smiling and pointing to the little table.

I think he sees that I'm kinda perturbed so he continues. "Yeah, uh, you have to put in your name and then someone will be right with you..." he says sheepishly.

Now, I'm thinking this is silly and I'm going for the razz, which drives my kids nuts. "So, it's kinda like a restaurant? I have to put my name in and wait for a table?!" I start in on the dudes.
"So, is there like a bar where I can have a cocktail while I wait?" I'm all sarcastic.

And the dudes start cracking up. "Yeah. Cocktails, right. Hee, hee. " I think they are probably relieved I'm not all pissy. I go along like this for a bit, teasing them about how ridiculous this is and I finally sign my name. I notice they want you to list the time you came in too, so I write down 6:20 p.m.--even though it was more like 7:10--I thought it would be good for them to think I was waiting a real long time. It's my little get-even and they don't even notice.

We walk around looking for phones for like 10 minutes when I realize that their prices are more than Best Buy (directly across the street) so I go to ask the dudes a question.

"Hey, waitress!" I'm saying to the three dudes. And I walk up to one to ask my question. "Um, waitress--if I have Best Buy's flyer with me, will you meet the price on their ad?"

To which the dude stands there just looking at me. "Uh, I don't work here," he says. Are you kidding me?? Didn't you just make me sign in here and do all that crap and have all that conversation??! And you don't work here? The hell??! And I think I said all that. If you know me, you know I did, too.

And he points to the guy next to him, who proceeds to look at me like he never heard the question I asked. So, now I stand with my back to Dude #1 (who doesn't work there) and face Dude #2 and ask the same question--"Waitress! If I have a flyer from Best Buy with me, can you meet or beat their price on the identical phone?" Ugh. And I'm thinking that this is why our country is in the crapper.

And he has some really stupid answer like "You have to wait to talk to an associate, who will have to talk to the manager, who will have to decide, .....blah, blah, blah, blah" and I was all "You know, waitress, this restaurant sucks. I mean, you have the worst service!" I was kidding/half not kidding and they weren't quite sure how to take me.

So, we shopped around and I just got more and more annoyed that all these people were buying phones with plans and it takes like 5 hours to actually do this and I didn't want to wait anymore. The kids were all huffy with me because I wanted to leave and Em just wanted a phone and the 3 dudes were still just standing there chatting while I had no service. Sheesh. Get me outta here.

I met my limit like 10 minutes later and we blew that pop stand. Didn't even say goodbye to the waitresses or the manager. Didn't buy a phone or a plan or "free" texting. Nope. We showed them, we left empty-handed. Screw 'em if they didn't want my $279.00 plus tax for a stupid phone.

And we drove over to Best Buy to buy the phone. You know--the store I really hate.

Knee deep in Pallies

The blog pallies-- Joe knows 'em all and refers to them by name when we talk about the blog and what's going on.

"And then, you know what Lola said?......" can be heard while we are cracking up over some comment on the day's post.

"You know what Ratty found today...." is something else you'd hear. Or "Wait until you read CardioGirl!". He reads the blog and the comments regularly, so he knows who the regular pallies are and kinda what they are about. Even the kids will refer to one or the other, so the blog pallies are almost like family now. Scary, I know, but true. But don't get all excited, I'm not buying Christmas presents for you all or anything.

A few months back, Joe got a laptop so that he can go on the computer if anyone else is hogging the desktop. We were in constant battle for the computer, so the laptop opened up some opportunity for Joe to actually get on the computer once in awhile. He was very excited. He was always on the losing end before, so this is great for Joe.

Joe found a whole new world online , started playing some online games and got hooked on pool. Joe doesn't play pool in real life, so maybe this is his pool shark dream being played out in miniature. Who knows--I just humor him when he starts getting all "I'm gonna play pool for awhile" on me. Whatever.

So, Joe ends up meeting some pallies of his own in the world of online Pool. I guess there is a chat room that opens with the table--I'm not sure 'cuz I've never seen it, but that's what he is telling me. And he sits for hours, shooting pool, chatting away with HIS pallies. And he is very serious when he is playing--he sits with a beer and very seriously focuses on his current game--semi-ignoring the fact that I'm shutting off the lights around him.

Joe is very proud that he has pallies of his own--a couple of people that play pool with him every so often. And it's that every so often that he will refer to them--all smuglike. The Pool Pallies, as I like to call them, are his big online buds. It completely cracks me up because Joe is typically not the type to go and make friends on his own. He is a pretty quiet guy, friendly and funny enough in social situations, but it is typically me that initiates friendships with other people. But here he is, a whole new light, making all kinds of pallies on his own--without me.

They welcome him when he's been offline, they chat while they play for hours, and they ask where he's been wasn't he doesn't play for a few weeks. It's all harmless and fun--and amazing how the computer links us all up from every corner of the globe.

I have to wonder at how our lives have changed by the internet--how we "know" people from every walk of life and begin "friendships" by our time online. It's even more amazing how these people we have come to "know" over the past year are now common names within everyday conversation. It's strange, really. Strange, but nice. It's nice to have lots of pallies--for all of us.

Doesn't everyone cry when they buy curtains?

The time off from blogging this weekend left me a little too much time to think. We ran like fools, trying to get errands done for the upcoming party next weekend for Em's graduation. Is it me or is there just never enough time to get things done AND have 15 minutes to relax? We live in some crazy busy times, don't we?

I had a meltdown in JC Penney on Saturday, losing my cool and bursting into tears while I was looking at curtain rods. Yeah, I know those are somber, but most folks don't really literally cry while shopping for curtains. I did. And Joe just sort of looked over at the curtains while patting me on the back and telling me that it was "going to be okay". He's used to this I guess. I remember when I was really pregnant with Colin and I lost it in the towel department. Maybe it has something to do with home dec--I just seem to lose it in those departments.

I'm struggling with my life as of late. I was always a stay-at-home mom and I am slowly, but surely, being phased out of job that I loved. The kids are older and don't need me home anymore--they need the money from a part-time job a tad bit more as college is looming. So, I work now, and this is the first summer that I'm really gone a lot and they are home.

I know there are moms out there dreading summer when the kids are home and they'll think I'm nuts when I say that I miss those days. I always liked having the kids home. We went to the zoo and library. We went to the pool on most days and hung out around the house enjoying the carefree days of summer with no real schedules. We slept in and hung out. We visited friends or rode bikes. They could do whatever and I could read a book or quilt if we needed a break from each other. We just were together and that part is slowing disappearing. And I miss it. Terribly.

Now, I was no Donna Reed by any means--I hated the park and the kids who wandered the neighborhood ringing our bell each day. I refused to make snacks for the neighborhood and I hated making lunch everyday. I tolerated Hi Ho Cherry-O and Hungry Hungry Hippos. I loved doing Barbie's and American Girl's Hair. I knew which cars where the fastest Hot Wheels and I was the queen of Playdoh. I cannot touch sidewalk chalk with my bare hands (it creeps me out), but I can draw a mean scene on the driveway if you get me a towel. And I made the best McDonaldland Drive-thrus with Legos. Sigh. Good times, good times.

So, my days are currently filled with corporate bullsh*t and office politics. There are layoffs and job losses looming and everyone is stressed. There are egos galore in upper management and insecurities and gossip in the lower levels. There are polite "good mornings" and whispers about your "hours" behind your back. It is pencil pushing, computer glaring, report doing and re-doing en masse. It is boring and unfufilling for me, and I cannot for the life of me, imagine why you would want to do this given a choice.

All of this hit me when I stood there pricing curtains and a new curtain rod in JC Penney. Okay, why I suddenly need to get the kitchen curtains NOW for the party is just silly. I've had this room painted for a couple months, but it is the idea that someone at the party might just notice what I've got up doesn't go with the room anymore. Okay, I'm creating my own stress--I get that. But what bothered me is that in the past I would have MADE the curtains--store bought ones are junk and expensive.

As I sat there tallying up what this was going to cost me for flimsy valances, I lost it. Completely. I cried that I no longer have the time for such simple things. I don't have the energy to make them and enjoy sewing. I haven't quilted in over a year and I'm forcing myself to make the time to read or knit a sweater. There is no time for the luxury of sewing what I want for the kitchen--I'll have to settle and spend a lot of cash for something that I don't really want. All for a paycheck that is literally going to be cut in half by the cost of these curtains and rod. Somehow the math isn't working for me.

So, there I stood, boo-hooing in the curtain department, sorting out my life. There are no easy answers. I need the money for the college fund, but I also need to have a life and spend what little time of it with the kids that I can. I hate losing my dream job, phased out slowly, forced into a career world that I want no part of. I'm unwilling to leave motherhood, but nobody is asking me how I feel about it. It's all happening whether I like it or not.

When I finally gathered myself together, I compromised by buying some curtains, but will turn them into valances. Most of the cutting is done and the edges are finished, but there will be a few lines of sewing to make me feel better. Some things are hard to let go.

Commencing Blog Off

Today is my first installment of "Blog Off", where I'll be not posting on the weekends for the summer. It is Saturday and I've already blown it, but I promise that there will not be a new photo or story her tomorrow.

We're off on adventures, so come back Monday, okay? Or you can come by tomorrow and just peruse the old stuff. Check out earlier posts because there is some good stuff there--it's just that nobody knew it back then. Go on, I dare you.

Happy Weekend, pallies!! Go outside! Turn your computer off! Get to know your families! Go annoy your neighbors! Just go!

Fashion Showdown

Okay, there is a Fashion Showdown today. Stand by, Tim Gunn, there are some HOT fashions coming your way today.

Casey started the throw down by posting a very snazzy photo of herself in a Stevie Nicks-esque dress. Oh yes, she looked downright lovely in her flowing garb and nifty sunglasses. She not only sported some fancy duds, but she also posted a photo of her shabby chic set 'o wheels that she was driving at the time. Geesh, this was starting out to be a heated contest of loveliness. Tough competition.

So, I searched the Archives 'O Lin and found some beauties--and this was the result. In order to be fair, I went with the long gown--kinda like making this a gown competition in essence. Apparently, long dresses were the thing back in the day, because I had absolutely no problem in finding more than one photo of me in a long dress. Maybe I just went formal a lot--who knew?

Okay, so Casey channeled Stevie Nicks for her look. Me? I've got Dolly Parton, minus the boobs. I'm calling this little number my "Dress of Many Colors" as the patchwork reminds me of her famous song. Isn't it lovely? And do you love the ponies that go along so well with this baby?? Gees, I was HOT for 9 years old, don't you think??

No, I do not have a set of wheels, as I didn't drive, but can you not dig the background? Look at the ambience that is my life in 1972, will you? Cool giant stereo behind me, snappy draperies, nifty orange and brown floral chair with someone's arms, and that extra special "life like" plastic floral arrangement. Notice how it sort of all has a theme--ORANGE. Man, we were rockin' it out at our place back then.

Now, I remember this was my birthday (see the presents on the floor?) and someone gave me this dress as a present. Are you kidding me???! Why would you do this to me? Now, although I remember receiving this, I don't actually remember wearing it anywhere. Thank God. Maybe we used it as a picnic blanket or something, I don't know. I just know I don't remember wearing this thing. Sorry, whoever gave this to me.

Okay, so Casey looks kinda cool in her dress and she has some taste there in the shades and all, but I think I have soooo got this one in the bag. Given the southern belle collar, the patchwork skirt and ultra hip background--I'm prepared for the crowning.

REO Not-So-SpeedWagon

So, I'm driving to work yesterday, all smug because I'm thinking I'm going to be early. Just the thought of sitting there, enjoying a cup of coffee, waiting patiently for the squirrels in my hard drive to get fired up, easing into the day, makes me smile. Yeah, but you know what they say about the best laid plans.

I drive a major thoroughfare to get to work, so there are 3 lanes of very heavy traffic going in each direction at 7:30 a.m. , and it is a beastly drive. Cars are zooming in and out, dodging slow-moving trucks and pokey grandmas who decide they need to go out for breakfast in the morning rush--it is a "be alert" commute and there is no room for daydreaming or applying mascara when you drive. Although some people do.

Anywho, I'm tootling along when there is a log jam, and I'm nowhere near work. All 6 lanes of traffic is stopped for the major accident, and there is nothing to do but sit. I saw the lights wayyyy up ahead, so I knew there was help and traffic would move about an inch every 5 minutes or so, so I sighed and waited. And turned the radio up. What else do you do?? Going around this is futile, as the other 10, 939 cars around you are doing the same thing and craziness and frustration ensues. You're just better off sitting.

So, I'm sitting there singing and doing so very nicely, I might add. But then I'm stopped dead--REO Speedwagon's "Time for me to Fly" comes on. I have this sound in my mind that sounds like the needle being scratched across the record. Screetch! That song is verbotten to sing along with. Don't utter the words, don't sing the refrain, and don't even dare to hum the tune.

I have been scarred from singing this tune since high school--this was THE break-up song of the day. If you were in the car with your significant high school other, this song was the forbidden song to sing along with--for it would then somehow "signal" that you wanted to break up with said love. I don't know who started this, but I think it was the same person who said that Bubble Yum bubble gum was made out of spider eggs.

Do you know that theory that you should never use the word "divorce" in your conversation with your spouse because that means that it may come true?? Well, I don't believe that one because I have dropped the "D" word in arguments with Joe like a rapid-fire machine gun and it's never happened. Supposedly, it is the "F bomb" of relationships, but it never worked on me--well, not yet anyway. Joe is probably filing as I type.

So, "Time for me to Fly" is kinda like the "D" word--if you played it, turned it up, sung the words, or did anything other than turn it off, it was the signal that your high school love was ending it's reign. And I can remember using that song as a weapon too. It was used by me and against me--so I'm telling you, that song had POWER.

I'm not sure why any station would even think of playing this lame song anymore, but they did. And I was stuck in traffic listening to it. Okay, after a few lines, I admit that I finally changed the channel--they do have one or two more stations in Chicago. But it wasn't until I refused to sing, hum, or otherwise partake in it's lame message and melody--I am still scarred by those rules of long ago.

I sat there thinking of that particular boyfriend that I used this subliminal weapon of love warfare on, and I crack up. Gees, wasn't that ridiculous? Yes. Yes it was. But even if I can drop the "D" word to Joe, I cannot bring myself to sing this song.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

This is the Kautz "army" of last spring. A grouping of frogs is known as an "army" so I had sort of a small platoon at the time. Needless to say, my little soldiers have all moved on to other battles as I don't have any of these in the pond anymore. Frog and her sister were probably in this group, and they were sort of beastly together--shooing the others away from their territory.

This photo was taken shortly after the Great Frog Disaster '08, when I found 5 dead frogs in the skimmer after a long winter. I'm not sure where I got 10 frogs or why I had so many, but we did and it was a freaking frog party in the pond that summer. That is why I kind of drew the line at 3 tadpoles the other day--it does get a bit crowded in those waters.

Most people don't know all this exciting stuff about frogs--see what you get here? And you don't even have to pay admission.

It's safe for birds again...

Well, Frog left us. She bailed like her sister frog did and now we are frogless--at least I think so anyway. That's the thing about frogs--I saw a little one in there a few weeks ago, but haven't seen him a awhile, so he may be hiding out, gone hoppin' or dead--you just never know. I guess that's the beauty of nature, it is always a surprise.

I sort of sensed Frog was leaving. She seemed lonely after Other Frog left, and I kept finding her out in the yard the past two days. Although I corralled her like a backyard cowboy, I just kept finding her a bit too far from the pond. Add in an empty belly and some rain, girlfriend bailed. Maybe she went looking for a male or maybe her pally. I don't know much about frogs other than they have wee brains and big feet. It's a dangerous combination that sometimes leads to new adventures for frog friends and not always such pleasant outcomes.

As I looked out yesterday morning, I realized that she was gone. I did the usual garden checking and a bit of snooping through the fence at the neighbors pond, somewhat hoping I'd see the two of them there--but alas, no frogs. Sigh. It was official, we're frogless.

So, I felt bad for a few hours, kept checking the pond hoping to see a beady set of eyeballs breaking the surface to no avail. She's not coming back. I just hope she made it to some water and not the perils of Flat Stanley.

And then I did what mom's do best--I went to the garden store and bought myself two more tadpoles. Yep. Replaced the suckers.

Nobody is irreplaceable, I'm told--and so the garden store delivers. They had a whole bucket full of wanna-be frogs just begging me to take them home. Em was pushing for 7 or 8 of them, I settled for 2. There is already one tadpole in the pond, so I think 3 is a nice number of new pallies.

So, now there is something new to watch for. Gone are the old pallies with a wish of luck. In are the legless wonders of new beginnings. Add that to the 3 baby fish, Aloysia the bedridden fish of bottom living, Sharkbait--King of the Pond, and a whole new bunch of minnows that Joe and Em bought the day before. The pond is once again brimming with life.

I'll bet they are sorry that they ever left.

Squishing Flax

Hobbes' favorite place to hang out is in my flax. Of course, 47 pounds of stripey goodness isn't exactly good for flax--it sort of smushes it a bit. I typically do the "Where's the kitty?" routine, act surprised when he pops out at me, and then gently scoot him out of my plants. But he continues day after day, insisting that somehow no one sees an orange kitty sitting amongst some stringy plants, and I continue tolerating it because I so love this little (?) guy.

It's all about attitude, see. I can yell and scream about the purple flax--so easily bent and destroyed--but I don't. After losing 2 kitties in a very short time, I realize how precious life is--and I don't mean the kind that can be reseeded with a 99 cent pack from the garden store. He makes me smile, even if he is steam rolling the plants.

We got out of Dodge last night, packed a few friends in the car and headed to the show. We don't do that very often as it is kind of expensive to take a bunch to the movies anymore. We ate dinner at home and then went to see the Disney/Pixar movie "Up". So, we saved a few bucks on popcorn--we still got there.

I am a fan of the Disney/Pixar combination, they really turn out some great movies--Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc. to name a few--so I was all in to see this one. Go see it if you get a chance, it is a GREAT movie, full of laughs and a deep message of determination. Em said I was laughing out loud so hard that she was embarrassed. Good, I thought--we needed that.

There are times in your life when there are others who want to take you down, make you feel bad, and actually get pleasure from seeing you falter. We all have them and gees, they hurt. We have choices in these times, whether we let the offenders get to us or whether we choose to not let them control our lives and emotions. Likes Hobbes in the garden, we have choices on how we respond--how we approach what lies before us.

Shauni from Shauni Speaks has been going through some rough times for awhile now. She writes of those her skunk her, but on the other hand writes of those who stand by her throughout. Bad choices, unexpected hard luck, tough consequences, or downright cruelty by others has played a part in her life, but she maintains a positive attitude through it all.

"So I choose to rejoice!! I choose to be grateful for what I have no longer wallow in what I have not!" --Shauni writes.

She says that she is sometimes condemed for her positive attitude, her "everything is gonna be okay" thinking. People don't understand why she thinks that way, possibly preventing her from moving on and ahead in solving her dilemmas.

I don't know Shauni well, but I have gotten to know her a bit through her blog. I do know that I left her a comment that said "if Pollyanna works for you, so be it". Hey, if you choose that attitude, more power to you. I admire that attitude. How many of us would choose to be angry, to curl up and not face it all.

I don't even know if Shauni knows it, but she spoke at a time that I needed that message. When people are not so nice, I have the choice to be miserable or to rejoice in what I have. I guess I'm with Shauni today--I choose to rejoice.

With Shauni's powerful message, the theme in the movie about determination and nothing stopping you from succeeding, and my sweet Hobbes showing me that flowers still bloom after being smushed--I realize that it is all inside of me how I present myself to the haters, as well as the rest of the world. It is inside all of us to decide how we react and what emotions will control us.

I will not be sad because you are mean and say horrible things. I will not cry if you ignore me. I will not be sad if you are no longer in my life--I will move on with a smile on my face, knowing all the while what goodness I have in my life. "Rejoice!" Shauni says--how right she is. It is the biggest get-even.

Thanks, Shauni. I got the message.

Blog Off

Is it me or is it becoming more difficult to post on the weekends? And I feel like readership is down too on those days, so it makes it even more difficult to make sure I've got something new here each morning. Sigh. Can we all take the weekends off? Can it be like a total blog world agreement?? It will be the summer break of blogging and it's gonna be great!

C'mon--I'll agree not to post if you don't. I won't drop if you don't. And then nobody will feel guilty for not doing their drops and we won't feel like the blog world is going on without us if we don't turn on the computer that particular day. We won't be missing a thing if everyone is in on this. C'mon! Just the summer, okay. Weekends only, during the summer.

One of my very favorite blogs is The Bloggess. I'm totally a lurker on her blog for she has like a twabillion comments each day and there is no possible way to even comment on her posts. Fair warning though, she is not for everyone. Her sense of humor is out there and it is total random in her thoughts and writings. But, she makes me laugh--out loud. And I'm not even saying that to be polite.

If you visit her blog, check out her plan for a blog outage for last Friday night. Okay, not exactly a Rated G plan, but it totally had me cracking up. Now, I'm not endorsing her suggestion for an outage (although Joe was all in), I'm just thinking we could all just relax on Saturdays and Sundays instead of posting, dropping, commenting, and blog hopping.

Just think, if my Blog Off (that's the spiffy name I gave my plan) works, you can reclaim quality family time with those people you live with and annoy. You could actually get some exercise walking outside to see what your neighbors are doing that is making so much racket. You will be able to know what the weather is without having to check The Weather Channel online. We'll actually have little suntans (or sunburns) on your piggies from actually going outdoors instead of just looking at your fellow bloggers pictures of outside.

See? Blog Off is gonna be great. You'll be thanking me come August--grateful that you had an actual life for the warm months of summer. Okay--who's in? But don't tell Joe--he's still waiting for his Friday night outage plan.

Tuning in to D-Day

Vanilla reminds us that today is the 65th anniversary of D-Day. June 6, 1944 was a day that will never be forgotten--just watch the beginning of "Saving Private Ryan" and you'll know why--it was a horrible battle in which too many lives were sacrificed.

This photo is from a couple of years ago, when the pallies went to New York City for Memorial Day weekend. Oh yeah, it just happened to be Fleet Week too--what a coincidence. We did our Americanly thing and greeted every bunch of servicemen we saw, taking pictures and oohhhing and ahhhing over their uniforms and good looks. We even took the time out of our very busy day to let them take their photos with us--we are HOT, you know. Somehow, the husbands didn't believe this was actually a coincidence, but it was. Really.

I remember as a kid, my brother and I would help my mom clean house on Saturday mornings. Some of us cleaned more than others, and I remember it taking nearly a whole day for we were dragging big time. My brother could clock hours on a sock drawer alone--insisting to my mom that he was really organizing that beast. Yeah, right. I'm still pissed that I had the two bathrooms to clean while he lolled away the day dusting the living room. Talk about sexism. Sheesh. And that was delegation from my mom! Moving on......

Either way, the house magically got done somehow, and my brother and I would camp out in the basement watching war movies. Those were the days--war movies, in their black and white goodness, were always shown on Saturday Afternoon TV. Typically this was winter fare, as we were sort of stuck in the house on cold days, so we blobbed on the worn couches and spent hours watching the likes of The Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heros.

I'm not sure when my love of war movies began--maybe it was that I was raised around boys and that's what they watched. Maybe it was the home movies of me, barely walking, with an army helmet on my head and machine gun in my arms that scarred me for life. I can remember every kid in the 'hood had a machine gun of some sort. Not a real one--those metal ones that were the staple of a kid's youth and that they don't sell anymore. Play guns were our youth--everyone had one. Geesh, what kids are missing out on these days.

We were always blasting the "Japs" or the "Germans", (Sorry if I am politically incorrect--it was what we said back then) having battles daily in the back yard. We hid behind the garage planning attacks on imaginary troops in the yard. We had signals that we practiced that announced that our troops were moving. We stormed the front yard like it was Normandy. And we whipped mud clots at trees like they were grenades.

Maybe it is the fact that our warfare has changed (it isn't so hand-to-hand combat anymore, but more aerial assaults) that kids don't play war anymore. Maybe it is just this country has turned more violent and we don't want to encourage such behaviors in our youth. Maybe we are just a bunch of pansies and don't want to teach our kids about the grusomeness of war. Either way, kids don't play war anymore, and they certainly aren't shooting the Taliban in backyards across America. And I wonder how many kids even know who the Taliban are? I guess there was some policitical knowledge in the kids of my youth--we knew who the enemies were on a global scale.

So, I honor you, Vanilla, and all the others who fought so gallantly on D-Day (and all the other battles in our lifetime). I will be tuning in, flipping channels, finding some classic war movies to watch today. I actually look forward to Memorial Day, D-Day, and Veteran's Day to catch the best, remembering what you all gave for us and this great country of ours.

Oh, my picks:

1. Kelly's Heros--Classic, star-laden, humor filled, war film that I cannot see enough of
2. Das Boot--LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sub movies. This is the best. So realistic, I feel like I cannot breathe through half of it.
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Dirty Dozen
5. U 571
   

Frogs and Friendship

Friendship. There's many different types, aren't there? There's the friend at work that you eat lunch with each day, the friend you sit with at each Little League game, the friend you poor your heart out to, and the friend you've had since grade school. It has many meanings and no two friendships are the same.

Frog lost her friend this week. Other frog is gone--I cannot find her. I've looked in and around the pond, in the skimmer, and around the plants and cannot seem to find her. Hobbes and I have lifted every leaf in the gardens, hoping not to find a Flat Stanley anywhere--but alas, no frog. She's gone wandering like frogs do, and now we are one frog less. And it makes me sad.

As much as it makes me sad, Frog seems to be missing her pally too. She sits solemnly in her plant, waiting for her pally to come back--well, at least that's what it looks like. Maybe it's just me putting those emotions to her, but Frog looks sad. I ask her "Where's your pally?" but she just smiles a sad smile and says nothing.

Friends are like that sometimes--they go off on a wander every now and then. Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't. We sit for awhile, wondering what happened, what we did, and if they will return. Did I have something she didn't or vice versa? Did I say something or do something wrong that offended her? Was it just her time to try new waters? Sigh. Friends come, friends go. They just do--it is part of life.

Em's learning the hard way, like Frog, that sometimes friendships go separate ways. Sometimes the dewy grass after a major rainstorm leads us on different paths, that sometimes you head one way and end up another. It doesn't mean that you are good and your friend is bad--it just means that new adventures means new friends perhaps.

Being that the 8th grade class can end up in three different schools, many of these kids will be going in separate directions. But as they enter high school, all the changes are not just physical ones--there are so many opportunities in sports, band, chorus, clubs, and activities that separate friends from grade school. And as the kids figure out their likes and dislikes, each person will be going their own way--a dewy path, so to speak.

Sure, some break-ups and friendships lost are sad, but they are also good in a way. Frog now has no competition for birdies and the hot spot in the potted plant. She no longer has to play King-of-the-Hill to sit in the prime spot--it is hers and hers alone.

Like Em, being King-of-the-Hill has it's benefits, but there is a price to pay as well. But as you are clamoring for your spot in the sun, you don't really realize that the other Frog may have been a little put off by the quest. Maybe Other Frog grew tired of the foot on her back or the shadow that was cast upon her. It's hard to be second Frog, you know.

So, as Em and Frog figure out friendship and that moment of being Number 1, I hope they can keep those smiles on their faces. It's tough to be in the sunshine and not make someone else mad--it's the balance of friendship and personal triumph that is so difficult.

I hope Other Frog comes back so that Frog can be happy again. I hope Em can figure out who she is, where she is heading, and who the true pallies are. And if they hop away, there are always new tadpoles hiding in the algae for another day. She just hasn't found them yet.

Curse you, Lola!

I'm horrible at awards. I forget to claim them, I'm horrible at remembering to post it and link to the pallies. I just usually hate wasting blog space on them--I just have soooo much to say. Yeah, right.

Lola, who knows my disdain for such accolades, goes and gets all evil on me and gives me an award--and then laughs an evil laugh. Thanks, pally. So, I surprise her and post the beast--that'll teach her.

Okay, so I'm supposed to list 7 things I love and pass the award on to some other Kreative Bloggers. Here goes:

Things I love:

1. White Sox baseball--even if they lose.
2. That school is over--for now
   
3. Blog pallies
4. Sleeping in
5. A good laugh
   
6. The Fisher girls and Fain
7. Joe and the kids
8. Grace and Hobbes
   
9. The Marching Astros
   

Uh oh, I did 9 things. I think that is nice that I could think of 9 things I love, so I'm leaving 'em.

Okay, I'm passing this bad boy on to a couple pallies:

1. Aria--A new pally who kinda writes like me.
2. Nancy -- She inspired me to knit again
3. Jodi -- a blog that deserves much more readership. Check her out.
4. Patty -- The human blog behind Pricilla and the goats
5. Merry -- Love her.

Go visit these pallies--they are fun gals and have great blogs. Heck, go and visit Lola too.

Wednesday thoughts

I know that Tuesday is the day for randomness in the blogosphere and I'm a day late. Okay, cut me some slack--I'm moving slow these days--recovering from graduations and 8th Grade Awards Nights en masse. We are finally out of school and things have slowed a bit here. I'm knee-deep in deadline at work, so I don't have a complete thought in my brain this week. I'm going with Random Wednesday, it's just gotta be.

Random thoughts of me:

1. Work is overrated. Yeah, I can think of 20 places I'd rather be this week. I like the job well enough--it's just the having to be someplace at a certain time that bogs me down. And I'd give my left arm for a week of sleeping in. Which leads to.....
   
2. I have like 1 month and 3 weeks before I'm on vacation with the pallies. I'm literally counting the days until I'm with the Cumberland Falls family, cracking up until my belly hurts, boozing it up 'til the wee hours, square dancing until my feet swell, and suntanning the blobby thighs poolside. It is the week I live the other 51 weeks for.
   
3. Will Ferrell completely cracks me up. Did anyone else see him on Man vs. Wild tonight? He was screaming "Mommy!" from the helicopter drop and ate his survival Twinkie--all in the first 5 minutes. I was half-listening while dropping EC's while Joe was giggling like a little girl in the kitchen while watching it. He's a guaranteed chuckle.
4. Can it possibly warm up?? I mean, it is JUNE for god's sake. My fish are freezing out in the pond and it is just too late to fire up the inside tanks again. Sigh. Can summer be warm?? I'm not even asking for hot here. Really.
5. How come everybody I see lately is looking old to me? Saw some family this weekend and everyone looked older. They looked great--just older. Sigh. I'm hoping they didn't think the same about me.
6. I need a haircut--about a WEEK ago. Is it the humidity that is making it droop into my eyes? Or did she not cut enough off last time? Either way, I'm really annoyed with it flopping in my eyes when I'm tired and I'm really wishing that the clip-holding-my-hair-up-and-away-from-my-eyes look would come back into style and I could actually go out into public that way. Again--it is that whole work thing that is cramping my style. I guess you have to look nice and not wear your hair all pulled up on the top of your head there. Sigh.
7. Can I not have to eat carrots, yogurt, cheese stick (without trivia), and apple slices every freaking day of my life? And still not lose weight?! I'm destined to be blobby. Sigh. If I didn't have to work, I could be out riding my bike each day--stupid job.
8. Kohl's sucks. Any store that still sells pleated slacks for men should be shut down. Unless you are 7500 hundred years old--do not buy your clothes at Kohl's. They still carry Christmas sweaters for god's sake--nobody should wear those--ever. When Joe realizes that they have a shirt that he bought 5 years ago still in stock, it is not good. Joe is not a fashion icon and he refuses to go there.
9. Can there be a job for my 17 year old kid? What's the deal with having to be 18 to get a job?! Didn't it used to be 16? He's got two weeks of eating time before he starts his summer school class. A late bloomer--Col's tapeworm finally kicked in and I cannot keep this kid in food. I've heard of this happening, I just cannot believe what he is packing away! Unless it is all going into his cheeks for later like a hamster.
   

I'd go on but I have to get going. Yeah, to work.

Showdown at Big Sky

Like the graduation, Valedictorian speech, and all of the hoopla that goes with that isn't enough. Nope. The two knuckleheads decided to end the evening playing "Where's the kitty" in the powder room.

Hobbes is like 47 pounds or something, but insists that he is still the "little kitty" and tries to stuff that oversized stripey frame under the bathroom cabinet. Grace, all disgusted that Hobbes even exists, just looks at him like "Are you kidding me?". I'm not sure what was going on here, I just know that there were some gray poufs on the floor--a sign that all was not well in the powder room before I walked in.

Sigh. The animals are the great equalizers in life. Here I am, all proud of my gang--Em standing in front of a 500 + crowd tonight giving a speech, Colin playing in the band as an alumni, Joe's there looking nice in a suit and Grandma Phyl was stuffing her purse with about 100 of those little graduation programs that they were passing out. Gees, we made a nice family. Who would have thought that this was going on at the house while we were gone--Showdown at Big Sky Powder Room.

Do other people live like this I wonder? I think you do. I think we all do.

Lola's got Drummer Boy. Pricilla's got Kevin on her back. Beaded Tail has Sadie the Smiling Dog. Casey's got those two crazy kids. Merry's got kids with stickers on their foreheads labeling them as Exhibit A and B. I could go on and on.

Yeah, I guess we're normal. Good to know.

Peek

Hee Haw! We brought home Violet's brother this weekend. A trip out the Quad Cities (Birthplace of Joe) brought us to the Village of East Davenport and a little handing over some major cashola for a new Isabel Bloom for the garden. I'm sure Chuck over at Secondary Roads will LOVE him, as he already swears up and down he loves my Violet. Yeah, right.

Today is the last day, hopefully, of our craziness as Em graduates tonight. I'm loaded up like a packmule--dragging along the camcorder, camera, cap & gown, Valedictorian, big box 'o tissue, one grumpy trumpet player, and a very proud Grandma Phyl. I'm excited to get there and enjoy her triumphs over at Thugs-R-Us Middle School.

Funny how I chose this particular figure to bring home, I'm sort of like him about this whole thing--afraid to watch how fast these kids are growing up. I want to watch--but I don't. It's all good, but going waaayyyy too fast.