New Blogger to the Fiddler Kin

Hi
I well with Honors help I finally got signed up.
W0w I am so technically challenged.
I think this could be fun. I really don't have much to say but I will come back and read and blog later.

S.G.

A side order of heart failure.

Today I find myself sitting here in front of the computer quietly chomping away at a Hardee's 2/3lb thick burger with large fries and a large drink. All for the sake of convenience or have we become a society that is so lazy and over worked that we no longer have the time to come home and fix something to eat, or take a home made meal to work for lunch. Must we engorge ourselves on grease laden, artery clogging, fast cooked delectables that take 2 minutes to cook and 2 months to work off. "I'd like an extra-large heart attack please" Rise up against the fast food industry, revolt. REVOLT I SAY! Don't give in to their delicious taunts, their sultry invitations, take that week old lasagna to work, the left overs that taste bad even when its fresh, microwave last nights "Experiment with pasta #87" show those burger joints just who their dealing with! Alas as I finish off the last of my fries I realize that I can't really hate fast food, after all it does taste good.

Interrelationships

Scott McClellan, President Bush's former press secretary,has written a book criticizing his former boss. In the book, McClellan claims that Bush lied to the American people before this country went to war. In fact, Bush could not articulate when McClellan asked, if the war was necessary or not. Bush simply went along with his advisors. Most Americans think Bush misled the country. This is the first time a friend of Bush has written a book publicly saying so. The name of the book is What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.

President Bush will be remembered for the Iraq War. Thich Nhat Hanh is known as a man of peace. He is a Buddhist monk who saw his country, Vietnam, ravaged by military combat. He was Chair of the Buddhist Peace Delegation to the Paris Peace Accords during the Vietnam War. Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. He has authored many books including Peace Is Every Step and Being Peace. This man has dedicated his life to teaching people how to resolve conflict peacefully. He has also worked to heal the suffering that armed conflict brings. Nhat Hahn published a collection of his poems. His book of poetry is Call Me By My True Names. I Met You in the Orphanage Yard and Interrelationship are two poems from that book.

I Met You in the Orphanage Yard

Your sad eyes
overflowed
with loneliness and pain.
You saw me,
You turned your face away,
Your hands drew circles
in the dusty ground.

I dared not ask you
where your father or mother was.
I dared not open your wounds.
I only wished to sit with you a moment
and say a word or two.

O you small ones
of four or five-
your life buds already cut off,
already engulfed
by cruelty, hatred and violence.

Why? Why?
My generation
my cowardly age,
must shoulder the blame.

I'll go in a moment,
and you will remain
in the shabby yard.
Your eyes will return
to your familiar yard
and your fingers will draw again
those small circles
of pain
in the dusty ground.

Interrelationship

You are me, and I am you.
Isn't it obvious that we "Inter-are"?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.

I support you;
you support me.
I am in the world to offer you peace;
you are in the world to bring me joy.

The joys of high tech gadgetry.

Well I recently acquired a slightly used and mostly broken Xbox 360 from a friend of mine and have been attempting to resurrect the system by fixing the problem that has caused it to become unusable. Hopefully it will work again as I don't feel like spending a full $500 for a brand new off the shelf one, as opposed to the $50 i spent for this one ( i could have had it for free but my friend is moving and needs the money). I'm looking forward to having a new Xbox as I miss playing video games and have been wanting one for some time.

where life leads us

For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, a man will hardly take a single step. Thomas a Kempis

River Otter

The KC Star is sponsoring a haiku contest to celebrate the opening of the new river otter exhibit at the KC Zoo....it reminded me of my favorite otter....Andy!

At around age 5 he was just learning water skills at the Emporia Recreation Center. Our friend, Joann Campbell, offered private swim lessons in her pool one afternoon. She was planning to review and add some new skills. Katie dutifully followed Joann's instructions polishing her technique. Andy, however, repeatedly glided underwater the length of the pool oblivious to his smiling teacher. His brown hair was matted to his head and his face held a look of determination as he slid back and forth just out of arm's reach.

Brown hair, sleek body
Glides below waters surface
My son Andrew M.

EllenE

Yummy Recipe

Triple Layer Applesauce Cake
From J. Blue Eubanks, chef and co-owner of Cantaberry Restaurant in Ellijay, GA

Hands on: 35 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes

For the cake:
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup cooking oil
1 cup chunky gourmet applesauce

For the cream cheese frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ pounds (6 cups) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

To prepare the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour three 8- 9-inch round cake pans.
In a bowl, mix the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, stirring well to break up any clumps of brown sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Then, stir in the milk, oil, and applesauce. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cakes spring back when lightly touched.
I just threw the cake batter into two 9x9 cake pans and baked them for a little longer than indicated.
Cool in pans for about 10 minutes; then invert the cakes onto wire racks and cool completely.
I just left the cakes in the pans and frosted them there because I’m lazy.

To prepare the frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until very light.
Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth.
Add the vanilla extract; then beat in enough mil to get a good spreading consistency.
When cake has cooled, assemble and frost.
Or, as I already mentioned, slop the frosting on the two cakes, and call it good.

Per serving: 638 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 7 grams protein, 104 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 22 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 86 milligrams cholesterol, 317 milligrams sodium.

The Hilltop Tavern Years

My memories of the Hilltop tavern years with Grandma and Grandpa Consier include sitting at the bar on Sunday afternoons....the Fiddler girls would line up on the bar stools eating roast beef and mashed potatoes while watching a movie classic like Heidi....life was good! Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa would sit at a table in the bar area playing canasta....all very friendly in those days.

On Saturday night the family tavern would "rock" with polkas...did anyone dance? Maybe us! Neville Scott, the local drunk, once tried to teach us to sing like the Lennon Sisters on the Lawrence Welk show. He lined us up and coached us to bring forth our best vocals....our collective range was somewhere between a chain saw and the lazy drone of a single engine plane on a Sunday afternoon! That was one of the flaws of Catholicism...we were all about Latin and the Rosary....no singing/musical training!! Needless to say, Neville quickly abandoned his talent scout efforts.

Saturday night was also bath night. We would take turns bathing in a galvanized tub ...one bath a week to conserve water. This resource was trucked in and dumped into a cistern. The water level was measured almost daily with a long stick and when it got low enough "the water man" would be summoned.

Although I did not know the word "discrimination" the Catholic church made me feel it up close and personal.....St.Joseph's would not allow their school bus to travel up the winding highway curve to the tavern....too dangerous! I always thought they felt the "real danger" was having "bar trash" taint their cloisterd education system.Somehow Mr. Lynn, the public school bus driver, managed to navigate this challenge!!

Beyond the back yard of the tavern was an area of timber and we created trails to run around on..Dad would hunt bunnies in the winter with only a stick. Rabbit stew on a cold winter day was pretty good. To the west of the bar was an open field extending up hill to the hedge along Mr. Renner's property. When Honor or I felt put out by our parents we would run up there and hide along the hedge row feeling sorry for ourselves. Eventually, we would get hungry.....and we would trek down the hill for a sandwich. Someone supplied a swing set and we enjoyed that. We played cowboys and Indians with sticks, improvising bows and arrows and guns. We spent a lot of time outside.

Monticello School was a great place to attend...everyone was poor in that township. But the teachers treated everyone fairly, striving to educate. The bookmobile would come every so often and my joy was the Laura Ingalls Wilder series describing life on the prairie. I had no concept of how harsh the settler's lives were...it all sounded so cozy to me. My love of reading was nurtured by these books and the kind attention of Mrs. DeMaranville.

I don't remember getting any beer or wine from Grandma and Grandpa....I do remember there was a jug of Mogen David under the kitchen sink. Our sister, Carol, told later she used to sneak a little nip. I once stole a pack of gum from grandpa and then had to tearfully confess when someone noticed my vigorous chomping.

People were so poor in that area....we did not spend time at each other's homes...although how do you invite your friends to a bar?? I did go to play at Linda DeMotte's house one afternoon and we had boiled cabbage for supper...I loved it.

Better close.....love to all readers!
EllenE

Here is a picture of Grandpa Consier holding Ellen Fiddler Ellis. Grandma Consier is sitting next to Honor Fiddler Kepka. This picture was taken in Overland Park, Kansas.

The weekend is here

Well it's the weekend. Road trips anyone? Gas or food that is the big question. I got a notice in the mail today. My health insurance is now going to be $375.00 a month and that is for a healthy non-smoking adult. I am going to have to start making up ailments so I can go to the doctor and get my monies worth, shoot it goes up whether I use it or not. Saturday we have to go to a graduation party. John's nephew Shaun is graduating from high school. We weren't planning on going, but I guess John got an e-mail from Phyllis and she is expecting us. I thought we could get away with just sending a check. It's not like John is close to her kids or she is close to Johns, but John feels the need to keep Phyllis happy. I just remember what that Thanksgiving dinner was like. This will be outside I guess so dirt and food on the ground is to be expected. Thursday another therapist and I went to Lake Donovan Retreat Center outside of Escelsior Springs to do massages on participants at some spirituality gathering. We each did 5 massages. We schleped our tables, linens, oils and music out there. We even gave a discount. My first client from Canada gave me a $1.00 tip. I know I have never given a massage so bad that it warranted a $1.00 tip. I was pissed. I had calmed down by the third person and the day got better. I will have to re-think another spirituality retreat gig. I guess I need to mow the lawn this weekend. The green keeps growing. I think we are going to dismantle the lavender bed. It is too high maintenance for this gal with little return. I am becoming all about the return and bang for the buck. Well I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday.

Remembering Grandpa.....

William L. Consier is my favorite veteran. He was a very sweet man. He was also our maternal grandfather. He was born in Quebec, Canada and is of French/Scotch descent. I have fond memories of Grandpa. He was orphaned and lived with relatives after his parents died. Grandpa did not get along with his relatives. He was very stubborn and an independent thinker. At a young age Grandpa moved to the United States. He shined shoes in New York City and attended the opera whenever he could. Grandpa worked his way across the United States. Eventually he fought in WWI. He was injured and was sent to a Canadian hospital to recover. He met his wife, Honor, at that hospital. They married and had one child,a daughter named Norma. The family moved to Detroit michigan. Grandpa ran a lunch canteen outside the Ford Motor Plant.

Grandpa was a family man. His wife called him Billy. He adored her. On Sunday mornings, when they were older, he would bring toast and tea to her bed. His one flaw; he was very very careful with his money. One could say he was true to his scotch heritage.

When Ellen and I were young and our family was living in Overland Park, Grandpa loved to hold us on his lap and sing to us. He sang war songs like In the Navy, A Long Way to Tipperary, Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition etc. He also liked to sing the traditional songs of Scotland. We listened to I Love A Lassie,Bonnie Banks o Loch Lomond and other ballads. One favorite was a drinking song called A Wee Deoch-an' Doris. Grandpa would sing the chorus.:

Just a wee deoch an' doris
Just a wee drap, that's a'
Just a wee deoch an' doris
Afore ye gang awa'
There's a wee wifey waitin'
In a wee but an ben
If ye can say "It's a braw, bricht.
Moonlicht nicht,"
Then yer a'right, ye ken.

Grandpa would also sing Come Josephine in my Flying Machine. I can still hear him singing it in my head. A few years ago I was going through a rough patch. I dreamt that Grandpa flew a WWI plane close to where I was standing. He actually dipped the plane so that I could see him. Then he winked at me. That dream made me feel happy. I felt that we are not alone or forgotten.

There were times when Grandpa got older that I lost patience with him. I hope he forgives me. He did not deserve my rude behavior. I wish all his great- grandchildren and great great grandchildren could have known him. They would have known a fine man.

Summer Haiku

Summer haiku from Haiku: The Poetry of Zen:

A red sun
Falls into the sea
What summer heat! by Natsume Soseki

Are there
Short-cuts in the sky,
Summer moon? by Lady Sute- Jo

Sunset
red flesh of the melon
exposed. by HK

And the winner is......

ME! I am happy to report that I have won the American Idol bet. My boss has to buy me lunch. I'm so happy, especially since I had to buy him lunch last season. It's also really cool to have a local win the competition.

Today was my afternoon off from work. Jacob & I went to Peter Pan park to play on the new playground. Ellen, if you haven't checked it out yet you should. It's really amazing. Jacob had a lot of fun. We also got some bubbles & played with them. He really likes bubbles. And fish.
Another thing he really likes is the "Good Eats" show on Food Network. He can be a wild child all night. As soon as the show comes on he sits down & is calm for the entire show. I don't know what it is about the show, maybe he'll become a chef someday.

The California relatives will be here to visit next week. We are really looking forwarding to seeing them.

That is about it from this corner of the world. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Sunday night

Well it's Sunday night and the dogs are about to go out for one last potty break, but I thought I would check in with the happy bloggers. It has been several days since I have logged in. It sounds like you all have had a fun and busy week. I am jealous. Not much happening up here. Saturday was the Liberty Heritage Festival. Sharon came up and passed out flyers on the square advertising Quiet Moments. She walked and stood and talked for hours. She is a great worker bee and she's cheap. She did it for a $5.00 lunch. A fellow co-worker and myself did 10 minute foot massages or head & face massages for a $7.00 donation to MoKan Border Collie Rescue. It started out slow, but we did get a few takers and a couple of people actually wrote us checks for $50.00. All in all we made about $175.00 for the group. I am hoping I will get some new clients from the flyers. The weather was perfect for a festival, but the crowd was a bit thin. They did the Jesse James bank robbery re-enactment three times. Liberty was the site of the first daylight bank robbery. The gang, on horseback, came up the alley beside QM and then rode down Water street to the Jesse James Bank Museum and robbed it, then raced back up Water in front of QM with guns blazing. It was kind of fun, but very loud. The horses were beautiful and the guys cute, so I guess it was a perk for the day. This neck of the woods, for some reason, really celebrates ole Jesse. Kearney has an entire festival named after him that goes on for two weekends in September. They also have a park named after him and a road, well the road is actually called Jesse James Farm Road because it goes up to the farm where he grew up, but Excelsior Springs has a road named Jesse James Road. Go figure. Well I hope everyone has a great week ahead and are back into their routine after fabulous roadtrips.

The heart of a Geek.

Found this little poem on the internet, its meant to be from one geek to another.

roses are #FF0000
violets are #0000FF
all my base
are belong to you

#FF0000 is the HTML code for the color red, and #0000FF is for blue, as for the all my base are belong to you, it is from an old video game called Zero Wing, the phrase originally "All your base are belong to us" was a poor translation of the original Japanese script.

NUVI

Our Garmin Nuvi was an interesting addition to our recent road trip to Georgia.....a little forewarning on the freeways can be helpful....an voice gently guides you to the correct lane as you sail through an unfamiliar city. As long as you follow the verbal instructions life is quite good.

But invariably "driver error" occurs....and then the Nuvi voice becomes rather insistent and unpleasant. "Recalculating" reverberates at higher levels as an impatient Nuvi calls the shots. "Make a U-turn in 500 feet!" the GPS demands. As the stress of making the necessary navigational adjustments mounts, the driver must ponder the wisdom of inviting this unpleasnt little toy to ride along.

Upon arrival at our destination in Kennesaw, we discussed the Nuvi with Katie....who thought the name sounded like a sex toy...she promptly renamed the device "Beatrice".
Alas, a name change does not soften the snotty tone Beatrice uses as she chants "Recalculating"....and personification does not remove the sting of failure to follow the instructions of an inanimate object!
EllenE

Georgia Peaches

As Ray Charles would sing "that old sweet song, keeps Georgia on my mind." Actually Georgia Peaches were on our minds ......a visit to Atlanta last week gave Marshall and I an opportunity to see our favorite fuzzy freestones....all three "kids" are now located in the Peach state.

After a blazing 13 hour ride we arrived in Kennesaw Saturday evening...just in time for supper with Katie, Trent, and Andy. A little grillin' and a little chillin' with "Guitar Hero" made for a great evening.

We spent part of Monday in Duluth waiting at Andy's new apartment for a Rooms To Go delivery ...the new couch made it up three flights of stairs on the shoulders of two guys! And what a swell couch.....Marshall is envious....Andy can stretch out completely to watch TV or read....a love seat won't do if you are a serious couch tater!

Andy started his new job on Tuesday so we hung out with Katie....who is becoming the cook supreme.....Trent is the griller and Katie is the baker. She stirred up a lovely applesauce cake from scratch....she's become a real Betty Crocker. The cake was soooo good...it disappeared in 36 hours!! Relocated to our hips!

Yoga and swimming at the gym, relaxing with a good book on the screened porch, hiking around some of the Civil War battlefields, sampling tasty restaurants...lots of leisurely activities at the Resort Mason!! Marshall loved his "sleep ins" until 7:45!! "I can't do that at home!" he said.

Just having time together made for some warm memories. Hard to say when we'll see each other again but we always appreciate what we get.

Life goes on.....lots of ball games ahead for Trent who continues to keep Turner field lush and beautiful.....lots of lesson plans and reading as Katie preps for summer school....lots of adjusting to new coworkers and a new city for Andy. As for us, we'll get back into the swing of banking and nursing....reluctantly...but we'll do it until we can travel again!
Ellen E

"...Hey teacher leave them kids alone..."

Well its finally the end of the school year, I'm done with my Associates degree classes all I have left are my Gen-Ed classes and hopefully I'll get credit for this last semester. Due to my stubborn teacher not wanting to talk to my boss I didn't get some needed paper work done, but my boss did talk to the president of the college and from what he said it was all taken care of so hopefully I can stop by and raise some hell about this situation and be assured that I'm getting credit. "Sigh" frustrating things always have to happen when your under the weather, end of the year and I have a cold and what makes it worse is I have to be up at 6:30 in the morning hell or high water to be at work so it will definitely be fun Monday getting up at the butt-crack of dawn with a cold to go and change oil and rotate tires.

Ellises in the Southeast

Hi, y'all. Ellen, Marshall, and Andy have all converged in the Atlanta metro area this past week, and one of them is staying for good.

Trent and I helped Andy move into his third story apartment on Saturday, and then we helped him pick out his first store-bought couch, which was delivered on Monday. (I'll send pictures soon.) My folks arrived Saturday evening, and all five of us dined on tuna salad sandwiches and grilled chicken and pork chops on our back porch.

Since then, we've visited Andy's apartment in Duluth a few times (it's about an hour away, northeast of Atlanta), and he's stopped by here a few times to chow down on grilled burgers and dogs and homemade apple cake with butter cream icing and to teach Mom the basics of Guitar Hero. She can jam. Dad probably can, too, but he hasn't tried it yet.

Mom, Dad, and I have gone hiking around Kennesaw Mountain and Allatoona Pass over the past couple of days, and we toodled around Marietta Square and dined on Colombian tamales. In addition to mornings at the YMCA and lazy afternoons reading on the back porch and bird-watching, Mom and I are working our way through season six of Sex and the City on DVD, and we're all rooting for the kid from Blue Springs on AI.

That's the news from Georgia. Hope all is well in the Midwest.

new job

good morning andy! I hope your new job goes well today ! We're all rooting for you.

The skys are gray
you bring a welcome smile
time can not steal

my haiku to you, and as your great grandfather use to say, "see you in the funny papers"

A Few More Thoughts....

Here are a few more thoughts related to spring I found on the internet:

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. Emma Goldman

Where flowers bloom so does hope. Lady Bird Johnson

Each flower is a soul opening out to nature. Gerald De Nerval

My sentiments: Emma Goldman's thought is sweet but I'd rather have diamonds.

AND NOW A FEW HAIKUS:

the greenhouse--
on the seed catalogue
a half eaten red apple. Jorgen Johansson

Butterfly! These words
from my brush are not flowers--
only their shadows. Soseki

Fiddler Kin=====
A nuturing reminder
Of who we are. HK

Every season is a time of reflection. Every season bears fruit. Every season gives us a reason to be grateful. Every season brings us hope, but especially spring.

Memories of Mom

There is an old poem that spells out the word M O T H E R and a few words are written by each letter to define the universal mom. I want to share my memories of our Mom using that format.

M Memories of Michigan. Michigan is the state where Mom grew up and the place she loved.
Mounds of food she lovingly prepared for her family on holidays and every day.
Motherhood: She was the mother of 6 girls and sacrificed herself for her children. She was proud of and very generous to her 5 grandchildren. She never met her first great grandchild.
Money: Mom was a good money manager. She had a strong work ethic and was frugal.
Mall: Mom was frugal but she liked to window shop.

O Opera: The Phantom of the Opera was Mom's favorite broadway musical.
Other musical venues were also loved by her; movies that featured dancing and singing etc.
On the record: Mom could have been a writer but she did not recognize her talent.
On the record: music, books and poetry filled her soul and helped sustain her.
Optimistic: Mom believed tomorrow would be better than today.

T Trips to anywhere. She had a sense of adventure which she inherited from her Mom and Dad.
Tea and scones. She made the best scones and a perfect cup of tea.
Trifle. One did not trifle with her. Also, she made the best peach trifle in the world.

H Honor, her mother and William (Bill), her dad, became her earthly guardian angels.
Hilltop Tavern was the business Mom's parents ran which sustained them for many years.

E Earth: Mom loved God's creations and was a good steward.
Energy: Mom had boundless energy and was physically active until her final years.
Easter: The day Mom died and became a new creation in Christ.

R Roots: Mom was proud of her English/Canadian ancestry and visited England and Canada.
Relatives: Mom drove across the western USA with her English cousin Alice Neal.
Relatives: Mom kept in constant touch with her family by phone and letter.
Resiliant: Mom persevered through many trials and never gave up hope.

Mom was fun loving, hardworking and the best cook in the world. She had a strong resolve to make each day better than the last. She was part of the greatest generation. May future generations be blessed with her tenacity and strength.

HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY MOTHER. WE MISS YOU.

taco stands

Not to sound like a worn out record or CD, but do any of you sisters remember a taco stand near one of Dad's stores? What year was this? I don't even remember a summer when Beth and Katie stayed with them. Was auntie M in some kind of a time warp or what? Come on sisters refresh my memory. This is a blank. I still can't get over the fact that your parents let you stay with them, well with grandma ok, but grandpa was still around and we all know how unpredictable he was. I a wait more details to fill in the gap in my life.

more thoughts on spring

I was looking out the upstairs bathroom window this morning as the rain fell and noticed how much change has occured in a brief amount of time. The redbuds once bright color is much duller and the woods are now thick with green foliage. You can no longer see the white tail deer munching on the meager available greens. The only sign they are out there is the frenzied trampling sound of broken twigs as they race to safety when spooked by the bark of a dog or some other sound of nature. We rarely see them in the yard now, as there is a buffet beyond our yard. The dandelions are in full swing. It is funny how from a distance the yellow and white color of flowers and seeds looks quite lovely, but up close our judgement changes to one of negativity, "Oh rats, dandelions". Perhaps if we had a different perspective the need for weed killers would diminish and the world would be less of a toxic wasteland for baby toes and puppy toes. I read that dandelions have evolved over 30 million years. They have developed many safety mechanisms to insure their survival. The english word dandelion was derived from the french word dent de lion, meaning lion's tooth. Anyway I am thinking we need to revisit our views on the lowly dandelion weed/flower and perhaps allow it to be elevated in status . John believes the blueberries may actually bear a little fruit this year, perhaps my threats did not fall on deaf blueberry leaves. Those are my newest thoughts on spring. My toe is better, the bruising is almost gone. It healed quickly, to which I give thanks. Enjoy the day and the weekend to come.

Bruised Toe and Chatting

Well yesterday I stubbed my toe and now it is black and blue and sore and looks rather pathetic. I have never stubbed my toe so hard that it became discolored. It is not so that I am incapacitated, but just enough to make me whine "my toe hurts" in that pathetic, poor me kind of voice. I worked in Plattsburg this evening so John fixed dinner, frozen Red Baron thin crust pizza. John can be so picky about certain things, but he will eat a frozen pizza and be happy about it. The girls in Plattsburg and I chatted. John believes it is good for me to have "chat time" with the Plattsburg ladies. Once a month my friend Carol comes up for a massage and then we go to lunch and again I have "chat time". Do guys need chat time with each other. Do they miss their guy friends if they don't see them for a while? I think friendships are important and I think John is right I need my "chat time" fix.

Sick and Lazy

It's springtime here. The windows are open, and stench of three cats and a dog has finally made way for the scent of fresh cut grass and Bradford Pears in our humble abode.

I finished grading my students' final papers and projects on Tuesday (except for one student who has an incomplete) and entered their grades before the deadline. I organized my teaching files--both electronically and in hard copy--and began making plans for summer teaching. I'm catching up on things that I've let slide for the past few months, and I'm trying to work on a couple of manuscripts and research projects.

And, naturally, I've gotten sick.

In times of high stress (during the semester for me), I think our immune systems shift into overdrive to help us stay healthy. And then, when that stress lessens, our immune systems also downshift, and suddenly we're overcome by sinus drainage, sore throats, hacking coughs, and aches and pains. Actually, my cold isn't all that bad ... it's mostly from the neck up: congestion, runny nose, sore throat. Technically, I should still be able to run at full capacity. But instead, I've skipped the gym for the past two mornings (foregoing my new triathlon training workout) and slept in. Today, I'm supposed to be working from home ... working on a manuscript. Right now, it's pretty crappy. Twenty pages of crapola.

I think I'll take a nap.

Garden Wisdom

Some thoughts about gardening and spring found on the internet:

Connection with gardens...can become windows to the inner life. The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer. Patricia R. Barrett

We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough? Wendell Berry

A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash, while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing. Esther Meynell

Location, location, location...is also true for plants. Michael P. Garofalo from his book Pulling Onions.

The day, water, sun, moon, night- I do not have to purchase these things with money. Plautus

Live simply, so others may simply live. Ghandi

A rhyme from Mother Goose

Surprise

Close your eyes, and do not peek,
And I'll rub spring across your cheek,
Soft as velvet, smooth and sleek,
Close you eyes, and do not peek.

just catching up

i've been reading some past blogs and have comments. we should join some kind of forum so we could get paid to do this. We could maybe afford stuff like toilet paper. what a rip off that is. you know there's a problem when several people are all in the same aisle waiting" behind you" to check out the the label on the brand your looking at to see how many sheets are on a roll and is it double or single. you know you what the most for your money. I think i remember that harmonica. dad got it for sharon, i think, because she talked so much. sharon stand up and defend yourself! andy 13 will have a whole new meaning for you. a new job, sounds refreshing. should we pray for you? i have no co workers to pis off but if i did i probably would. people are so easy to make mad. it would actually be nice to have co workers since i don't really have a job right now. maybe you could pray for me. jacob has beautiful eyes. I can't believe he is almost two. and yes i think he will get on funniest home videos! he is a little beethovan. hey heyheyheyheyheyheyhey these are all the fonts we can use to type with in this blog.color italics what do you like?

All the world is a stage...

I have found in my time upon this earth that we all fall into many circles of friends, those we watch movies with, those we party with, so on and so forth. We rarely ever take a step back and see what our life is like from an outside point of view. The next time you find your self asking "How did I ever become friends with these people?" Step back and look at the world you live in, the world you've created for yourself, you may be surprised at what you find. My own personal experience with this has shown me that I have two distinct groups of friends, the highly intellectual "nerds" those who I can have a deep philosophical conversation about the inner workings of life, the universe, and everything those who contemplate the world around them and understand what we're all about. The other group consists of the party animals, the ones who are always out having fun living life to the fullest and rarely taking a moment to stop and smell the flowers, luaghing, having a good time and generally enjoying the merriments that can be had from even the simplest things. I digress, without these two groups, the amalgamation such as they are, I find that I would be most unhappy they appease almost every aspect of my life save for the minor proprietary sanctums of my mind. So when you find yourself in a bind as to why you spend time with the people in your life, think about what part of your consciousness it satisfies you may be amazed to find a deeper level to yourself then you knew existed.

Dandy Andy

Andy, I just wanted to let you know your name is now Dandy. We were looking at Katie & Trent's pics this evening & I pointed to everyone & said names. Jacob repeated them pretty well, we got to you & he kept saying Dandy. Of course, after awhile Trent also became Dandy & also all of the cats. So, now you have a new nickname. LOL

Hello Carol!

Hi,

I am so glad you joined the blog Middle C. You always have something worthwhile or entertaining to say. You are not an old dawg. Far from it. You hit the nail right on the head. You are sweet Middle C.

The kitties sound cute. I love black and white cats. Who needs tv when you can watch your feline family.

Unfortuneately, I cannot afford a cat. I think a cat would go stir crazy in our apartment. I hope you can find some nice people to take the kittens. How is Halo holding up during this disruption?

I am excited that you are now part of Fiddler Kin. Love, Honor

fooled you all

it's me carol, big and little sister. I left a comment for honor under "regrets." does anybody need some kittens? a stray cat, pretty young i think, has taken up residents on our back porch. She has 6 little babies. they have just started to open their eyes. One is all black the others are black and white. one is calico. the mother is very sweet and is litter trained but prefers to be outside. they are all free! make my day there is enough to go around. have a great day and don't feel guilty about turning down this great little kittens. love you all from the one in the middle c

Jacob's Pics

What a handsome boy that Jacob is. He looks like he is getting tall too. I think that haircut is very cute, but he was pretty cute with his curls. He didn't look all that happy about getting a haircut, but then he seemed to get into it. Thanks for the pics.

Spring

It is spring, well at least according to the calendar it is, but Mother Nature and Ole Man Winter sometimes battle it out well beyond the calendars designated season dates, but I have been mowing the lawn and I think that rates up there as a sign of spring. I bounce along on the John Deere and think of Trent telling me "don't race track mow." Which is of course what I do. I remember when we lived in ES we had Jerry mow the lawn and weedeat every other week. John didn't want to do yard work. Then we looked at this property and one thing John said to me was "We can work out in the yard.", except that I am the one who does all the mowing(about 3 hours a week)and John has yet to weedeat. "We can work out in the yard." Yeah right. I did tell him if the blueberries don't either grow or produce blueberries they are getting mowed down this Fall. There is no room for blueberry slackers. John cut up the redbud tree that was sacrificed in the storm the other night. He cut a few branches though and brought them in and made an arrangement. The iris are as of yet not producing any flowers, but they are usually pretty slow, of course this year everything is slow. I remember this was the time of year that Dad sold all those flowers at the store. At night we would have to put them on the back of this semi-trailor(where did he get that?) and in the morning bring them out. In June he would bring home the flowers that didn't sell and he would make a flower bed in the backyard. I think it would be where the stock tank was the year before. Remember the stock tank Sharon. That was his version of a swimming pool, until one year he actually let us join the city pool. I remember one year I was so excited about planting the flowers that I stayed up all night so that he couldn't take off in the morning without getting the flowers planted. We sold a ton of flowers and vegetable plants. I also remember a couple of summer trips to Worlds of Fun. There were a few rides Dad really enjoyed. Well that is my walk down memory lane, but I can't believe you guys let a customer stick his head into a pickle jar and then wouldn't help him get it out. What kind of customer service do you call that?

Iris Season

It is iris season. The iris is my favorite flower. My favorite color is purple but the iris comes in many colors and shades. So far the color red has not been successfully developed in this genus. It has been attempted; beginning in the middle ages with the Medici family. But the iris has a much longer history than that.



The word iris is Greek. The Greek goddess Iris was a messenger from heaven to earth. In her time a purple iris was placed on the graves of women to assist them on their journey. The original meaning of iris was rainbow. Today deeper meanings are ascribed to it; Faith, Hope and Wisdom.



The iris is an emblem for the city of New Orleans. It is the national symbol of France. It appears on the Quebec flag and on the Brussels-Capital Region flag. The sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma uses the iris as it's symbol. It is the state flower of Tennessee.



Partsof the iris are used to make perfume. It's essential oil is used in aroma therapy as a sedative.



Vincent Van Gogh has painted many pictures of the iris. The stately beauty of the iris is what holds our attention. I wish I could capture the flower's beauty in a haiku,but I cannot write a worthy haiku for such a worthy flower. I like this one by Margarita Engle.



iris season
each plant has its own
shade of purple.

Mmmm, That Good

My family & I decided to have a nice meal at home this evening. Peter fixed grilled steak & baked potatoes. While I was finishing the last of my steak, Jacob reached over & stole a hunk of steak off my plate. He chewed on it & finally yanked a bite off. It was then he uttered these words.....mmmm, that good. It was one of his first complete(sort of) sentences. Needless to say, we were pretty excited. He then proceeded to repeat the same action & sentence. I just wanted to share our little moment with everyone. Haven't seen or heard anything out of any of you, hope you've had a great week.

Beer

I found a haiku site called Beer Haiku Daily. A guy named Captain Hops writes pretty good beer haiku.
It's hard not to spill
Navigating with crutches
In the crowded bar.

I want for nothing
On this finely crafted day
Another beer? Sure!

Here is my beer haiku.
Seated quickly. Good.
Red ale is my liquid bread.
Starry night? Who cares.

Democracy

I have been thinking about how little our vote counts in today's society. The candidates are usually from the two party system. An outsider does not stand a chance against the real power brokers in this country. The press decides which candidates receive attention. Those who receive the most attention receive the most money. The Democrats include super delegates as part of the process. The super delegate is responsible to no one. They can over ride the popular vote. The courts can over ride the popular vote. Where does the average voter fit in this process? I think he gets lost in the shuffle. How can we export democracy when we no longer practice it? Why should a candidate spend millions of campaign dollars when he doesn't really care what Americans think? The election all comes down to the same thing. The joy and pain the candidates feel after every primary versus the daily issues Americans face. I do not want to hear about the rift betwwen Obama and Rev. Wright anymore. I do not want to hear about Hillary's shame at being caught in a lie. I do not want to hear John McCain praise the war in Iraq. I do not want to watch and listen to how the media exploits those issues. I just want to know that my vote counts for something. I don't think it does anymore. There has to be more to being American than pin lapels, flag salutes and BBQ on July 4th. I think it is too late to make a correction in time for the November election. Maybe next time...

Regrets, I've Had a Few.....

Recently, I learned that after I left home my parents let my sisters have horse back riding lessons. My sisters were allowed to have music lessons before I left home. I only looked on while they had ALL the fun. Clearly, Dad hoped to form an accordian band just like the ones in the old country. That plan fell through. Dad's girls liked horses and hated accordians. Dad gave in to the pressure. With one less mouth to feed he could. This led me to thoughts about my childhood. From the very start I was a rebellious dare devil. I was surprised by this revelation. I had formed the opinion that I was a golden child who could do no harm. Upon reflection, I realize I have a few regrets. If only....

If only I had not been greedy, that CONCUSSION would not have happened. Warning to Moms: Do not hide candy high in the garage rafters. That is too much temptation for a pre-schooler to resist.

If only I had listened to Mom ,my broken birthday trike would not be sitting in a ditch. Explanation: Mom told me not to let Sammy ride it.

If only I had not been gullible, my pre-school self would not be stranded on the roof of our house. Question: Sammy and Roddy, why did you take the ladder away?

If only I had not been a MEAN LITTLE KID, Sammy would not have punched me in the eye. Apology: Sammy I am sorry I punched you first. (My eye turned Black. Sammy got in trouble!)

If only I had not been such a Rebel, my mean little self would not have jumped in the pool fully clothed! Consequences: 1) I swallowed a ton of water. 2) A spanking that REALLY hurt.

Yes, I kept my folks busy. And yet, they had five more children. Brave, weren't they? But as Dad used to say, The Lord hates a coward.