Tuesday, August 31, 2010

August Tree (243/365)

2010 08 31 IMG_9612w 
"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."

Elizabeth Maua Taylor


TIME:  3:51 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Red Sunset Maple Tree

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is September 1st.  Why do the summers go by so quickly, but the winters seem to drag on forever?  While driving to my annual ob-gyn exam today (I didn’t take a photo there because I figured a picture of the stirrups might be a bit too much sharing), I came to the conclusion that time seems to go by faster as we get older because each day becomes a smaller percentage of our lives.  For example, one year is 1/10th of a 10 year olds life, while it is 1/43rd of mine.  And it just keeps getting smaller all the time.  This has been deep thoughts with Sujomi.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Oh, Hai There (242/365)

2010 08 30 IMG_9586w 
Sandy: I'm a squirrel, see.
[Points to a logo of an acorn on her suit]
SpongeBob: I thought that meant you were nuts?

"Pressure/The Smoking Peanut." SpongeBob SquarePants. Perf. Carolyn Lawrence and Tom Kenny. 2001. Television.

TIME:  8:38 AM
PLACE:  East side of the house
SUBJECT:  Squirrel

While the kids were eating breakfast this morning, I threw out some stale bread for the birds.  Later, when I left the house for the office, this squirrel was chowing away.  As I came to the bottom of the porch steps, I stopped to get my camera out of my bag in hopes of taking his picture.  While I was coming down the stairs, he had started to run away, but curiosity got the better of him and he turned around and came back for a little photo shoot.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Crash And Burn (241/365)

2010 08 29 IMG_9579w
“Failures are like skinned knees; painful, but superficial.”

Unknown

TIME:  3:58 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy’s skinned knee

I woke up at 6:15am this morning so I could ride my bike on the trail, get the laundry going, work on some home repairs, clear off my desk of its pile o’papers and maybe even take a nap in the early afternoon.  I figured I would be done riding around 7:30am and then would have the rest of the day to get everything else done.  MB wanted to ride with me and I was good with that.  We had gotten about 1/2 mile away from home when the chain on the bike he was riding slipped off and wedged itself tightly between the gears and the tire axel.  He couldn’t pedal and I couldn’t get the chain out.  So we walked the bike back home and he used a different bicycle.  Then, about 2 blocks away from home, his long shoe laces got caught on the pedals…twice.  He fixed them and we finally got going on the trail.  On the way back we crossed paths with my Dad and stopped to chat for a moment.  After parting ways with Pop, we came to the part of the trial where we ride down a very steep and curvy hill (we go up this beast on the way out).  I was in front and when I was almost at the bottom, I heard a commotion behind me.  MB had over adjusted on a curve, his front tire went off the asphalt trail and he crashed.  He was a little shook up and had a nice scrape on his right knee but survived the accident.  His bike was ok too.  We slowly made it home – two hours after we started out.  I cleaned his wound, made him bacon and eggs, we all took showers and then I started on the laundry.  I’m not sure if I’m getting to the other items on the to-do list.  Well, I’ll probably fit the nap in…I do have my priorities you know.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Industrial Lighting (240/365)

 2010 08 28 IMG_9563W
Lampy: I remember the first time my bulb burned out. I thought, "That's it! I'm burnt out! Eighty-sixed! To the showers!" And then the master gave me a new bulb... and I glowed.

The Brave Little Toaster. Perf. Timothy Stack. Dir. Jerry Rees. 1987. Hyperion Pictures.

TIME:  11:05 AM
PLACE:  City 6th Street Garage
SUBJECT:  Hanging light

The city had a surplus auction this morning down at the 6th Street Garage.  I stopped by to see if they had anything interesting and ended up purchasing 3 sanders for $5.00 (I only wanted one, but the one I wanted was thrown in a lot with two others) and an 18-volt Ryobi cordless drill & jigsaw.  Yeah for power tools!  They had a few items to auction off inside the garage – bikes, desks, pallets, office equipment, file drawers, chain saws, heaters, etc.  They also had some trucks and a van to sell behind the building.  While they were auctioning off the vehicles, I waited in the garage and admired the industrial-ness (is that a word?) of the space.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Cornfield Sun Flare (239/365)

2010 0827 IMG_9550w 
“Give me the splendid silent sun
with all his beams full-dazzling,
Give me juicy autumnal fruit ripe and red from the orchard,
Give me a field where the unmow'd grass grows,
Give me an arbor, give me the trellis'd grape,
Give me fresh corn and wheat, give me serene-moving animals teaching content,”

Walt Whitman (1819-1892), U.S. poet. Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun (l. 1-5). . . The Complete Poems [Walt Whitman]. Francis Murphy, ed. (1975; repr. 1986) Penguin Books.

TIME:  6:49 PM
PLACE:  On the way to the mall
SUBJECT:  Sun between the corn stalks

Even though I despise going to the mall anytime during the weekend (there are way too many people for my taste), I ventured out with DramaQueen to Borders after supper because I needed to purchase a gift for my nephew’s 7th birthday party tomorrow.  On the way, I noticed the cornstalks in the fields are beginning to dry out and turn brown – a sign that summer is winding down and fall will soon be here.  I took a couple of pictures of the drying stalks, but DQ liked this one with the sun flare the best.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Time Marches On (238/365)

2010 08 26 IMG_2984w 
“the clock
Beats out the little lives of men.”
 
Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892), British poet. In Memoriam A. H. H., Fr. II, l. 7-8) . . Tennyson; a Selected Edition. Christopher Ricks, ed. (1989) University of California Press.

TIME:  9:14 PM
PLACE:  Living Room
SUBJECT:  Baby Ben alarm clock

My big thrift score for the day…a vintage Baby Ben wind up alarm clock.  A mere quarter was paid to the Senior Citizen’s thrift store and it was mine.  I love hearing the “tick, tock, tick, tock” and the kids got a kick out of hearing the ringing alarm.  Oh, how I love digging through boxes hoping to find treasures at bargain prices.  All in all, I spent $2.25 for two grocery sacks full of goodness.  In addition to the clock, I also scored some vintage Christmas items and quite possibly the best ornament ever for the “Ugly Ornament Exchange” – it is so simplistic in its design, yet so unique.  I’d love to take a picture, but I need to keep it a surprise for the annual tradition.  It won’t be long, the way time is flying, the holidays will be here before I know it.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Resurrected (237/365)

2010 08 25_MG_2970-1w 
“Only the dead can be resurrected. It's more difficult with the living.”

Stanislaw Jerzy Lec (Polish writer, poet and satirist 1906-1966)

TIME:  7:14 PM
PLACE: Window seat in dining room
SUBJECT:  Peace Lily leaves

This Peace Lily is special to me – it’s one of the plants that was sent as an arrangement to the funeral home for Mom’s visitation.   Normally, I check the soil and water it once a week, sometimes I forget and it begins to droop, but a quick drink of water and it usually pops right back up.  I neglected it longer than usual this time, in fact, I think it was back in mid-July that I last paid any attention to it…oops.  When I walked by it Monday evening, I saw that it was more than slightly drooping, it was flattened down completely.  I cursed, watered the bejeezus out of it (I think I used a gallon and a half of water) and prayed.  A few stems stood back up yesterday and today most of the remaining stems made their way back.  It does have several dried and yellow leaves that need to be trimmed, but other than that, it looks like it is back to normal.  Thank goodness it’s a hearty plant, I would have been pretty upset with myself if I had killed it.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Defrosted (236/365)

2010 08 24 IMG_2913w

Narrator: Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery, was frozen in 1967 and defrosted in the Nineties to battle his nemesis, Dr. Evil. After foiling his archenemy's plan to send a nuclear warhead to the center of the earth, Austin banished Dr. Evil to the cold recesses of space and settled down with his new wife, Vanessa, to live happily ever after. Or so he thought...

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Perf. Tony Jay. Dir. Jay Roach. 1999. New Line Cinema.

TIME:  6:16 PM
PLACE:  Basement
SUBJECT:  Freezer

I went to the grocery store after lunch to pick up a few items.  When I returned home, I went downstairs to put away the frozen stuff.  As I went to open the freezer door, I noticed water puddling by my feet and thought, “This is not good.”  It wasn’t.  All of the meat was unthawed and beginning to smell; the frozen vegetable bags and dinner boxes were all soft and squishy.  Into the trash bag it all went.  In addition, the ice build up was tremendous and a frozen tundra of frost covered the shelves.  HH and I launched an investigation and determined the culprit.  It was MonkeyBoy.  He did not close the door tightly Saturday morning when retrieving his water containers for football practice.  As punishment, we’re locking him in the un-insulated attic for a week with only bread and water to eat.  (I’m kidding!)  *Sigh*  Well, I hadn’t defrosted the freezer in over a year.  I guess it was time anyway.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Zombie Hard Drive Holder (235/365)

 2010 08 23 IMG_2751
[describing the zombies]
Dianne: Just look at the face: it's vacant, with a hint of sadness. Like a drunk who's lost a bet.

Shaun of the Dead. Perf. Lucy Davis. Dir. Edgar Wright. 2004. Universal Pictures.

TIME:  9:12 PM
PLACE:  My desk
SUBJECT:  Hard drive holder

It’s Monday and I’m still loopy from this past weekend.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Mental Flossed (234/365)

2010 08 22 IMG_9335w
“Amnesia used to be my favorite word, but then I forgot it.”

Unknown

TIME:  8:14 PM
PLACE:  My Dad’s house
SUBJECT:  Dad

It looks like I can’t go spending the inheritance quite yet ~ which is a good thing.  Dad’s MRI was fine and he was released from the hospital this afternoon.  The doctor said he’s back to almost 100% and that he has no limitations on any physical activity, although to placate his children, he agreed to take it easy for the next week.  The doctor also said that the chance of reoccurrence is very slim.  After we left the hospital, I drove to Taco Bell for a quick lunch before heading for his house.  On the way home, Dad said he could remember a few things that happened Saturday morning, but it was like they were a dream and what he did remember was very disjointed, other than that, his memory is pretty much back to normal.  After dropping him off, I went back home.  Around 5:30-6 o’clock,  the family and I drove out to his boss’s to pick up his car (she drove it from the races) and bring it back to his house.  While we were at Dad’s, I noticed that he had just received his new Mental Floss magazine in the mail and I thought it would be amusing to take his photo with it…since we have the same weird sense of humor, he agreed to pose for me.  So things are 100% better than they were on Saturday.  The only downside is that I can’t convince him that he agreed to give me a $10,000 check with no strings attached right before we raced yesterday.  Can’t blame me for trying.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Not Where I Wanted To Be (233/365)

2010 08 21 IMG_9333w 
“Database:  the information you lose when your memory crashes.”

Dave Barry, Claw Your Way to the Top


TIME:  10:21 PM
PLACE:  DePaul Health Center
SUBJECT:  Emergency Room entrance

I did not expect to be at this hospital today.  I met my dad and sister at the Dragon Boat races and we raced our first heat.  Cathy and I walked back to the sponsor’s tent with Dad following a couple of minutes behind us.  I was sitting down and saw him walk past the tent.  He turned and looked a little confused.  I called him over and he asked me if I was sure that this was our tent.  He then stated that he felt really disorientated and could not figure out how he got there, nor did he remember why he was there.  Things went quickly after that.  He walked to the EMS area, they took his pressure, heart rate and called an ambulance.  They took his blood sugar level.  Everything was normal.  He was unable to remember anything that happened in the short term.  They took him to the emergency room in the ambulance; we followed.  At the ER, he was considered a stroke protocol and he had a CT scan.  That was normal.  No stroke.  The neurologist arrived and after asking him questions, stated that he has Transient Global Amnesia and was admitted for at least 24 hours.  He kept asking the same questions, in the same manner and tone.  His reactions to our answers was the same each time.  “Did I have a stroke?”, No. “Did I have a heart attack?” No. “Did we race?”, Yes. “Did we win?” No. “How did I get here?”. In an ambulance.  “Did you ride with me?”  No, we followed. “Did I have a fun ambulance ride?”, Yep, lights and sirens.  “Cool.”,  “I don’t remember driving this morning.” You were fine before the race. “I’m sorry guys, I just can’t remember.”  Don’t worry about it Dad. “I had a CAT scan?  They drug a cat over me? I’m sure they didn’t find anything.  Ha ha!” (He still had his sense of humor-that was good to see.) “What time is it? Really? It’s that late?  Wow, I lost a lot of time here.”  “So, what’s wrong with me then?  Are you going to tell me?”  You have Transient Global Amnesia.  It’s temporary.  “So, I guess that means I’m staying at the hospital tonight.”  Yes you are.  “What hospital is this?”  DePaul.  Then 2 minutes later, the exact same series of questions would begin again.  Cathy and I must have patiently answered these hundreds of times over the course of the day.  When we left, he was beginning to remember some of what he had done on Friday and starting to retain some of the answers we were giving him, so it looks like he was at the beginning of recovering.  He was scheduled for an MRI but hadn’t had it when we left at 10 o’clock.  He will probably be getting it in the morning.  I will be going back tomorrow (Sunday) to see how the MRI went and when he will be released.  He should make a full recovery, with a rare chance of reoccurrence.  He will not remember Saturday morning and most of the day at the ER and hospital at all.  Ever.  The whole thing is very surreal.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Upside Down (232/365)

2010 08 20 IMG_2737w
“Sometimes I have to stand on my head to see things as they are, when the world seems so upside-down that this is the only position in which anything makes sense.”

Unknown

TIME:  11:28 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Jack

You know how I have said that I feel like I’m cheating when I take pictures of flowers?  Well, I’m adding taking pictures of the pets to that list as well.  They make good subjects when you need a picture of the day and you can’t think of anything else…they are so cute and have such interesting poses.  What more could you ask for in a photo?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Memento Mori* (231/365)

2010 08 19 IMG_2669w 
“In the cicada's cry;
No sign can foretell;
How soon it must die.”


Matsuo Basho (famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. Recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; master of brief and clear haiku, 1644-1694)

TIME:  4:43 PM
PLACE:  Front Porch
SUBJECT:  Cicada

One of the things that always reminds me of summer is the buzz of the cicadas in the trees.  They seem to be particularly loud this year.  I found this guy while I was sweeping the front steps this morning.  He stayed around all day which allowed me to take his picture this afternoon…How did this happen you may ask?  He was a dearly departed cicada – that made it really easy to take his picture.

*Memento Mori:  Latin for "Remember you are mortal", or "Remember you will die." It refers to a wide range of art whose purpose is to remind people of their own eventual death.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

First Day Of School 2010 (230/365)

2010 08 18 IMG_2633w
“If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.“

Edgar W. Howe (American novelist and newspaper and magazine editor, 1853-1937)

TIME:  7:37 AM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen, StellaDella & MonkeyBoy

Time for the annual first day of school photograph.  I’ve been taking these in the same spot, in front of the Capital Pear tree, since at least 2005.  It could be earlier, but 2005 is the earliest I have on the computer and I’m too lazy to dig through the boxes of older photos right now.  I take photos of each child individually – a full body shot and a headshot – and then a group photo the same way.  I like seeing the kiddos and the tree grow and change over the years. 

And how bad is it that I’ve had the song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” in my head all day long?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Horse Hooky (229/365)

2010 08 17 IMG_2616w 
“I bet on a horse at ten-to-one.  It didn't come in until half-past five.”

Henny Youngman (
British-born comedian and violinist famous for "one-liners", 1906–1998)

TIME:  1:04 PM
PLACE:  Fairmount Park Racetrack
SUBJECT:  Horse & jockey

Being the good mothers that we are, my sister and I took the kids to the racetrack this afternoon.  We consumed $1.00 hotdogs and 0.75 cent sodas; I bought a tip sheet and proceeded to lose each and every race where I placed a bet.  Heck, I couldn’t even pick the right window to place my bet ~ I always seemed to get in the one queue that had issues.  My sister did win once, on the first bet she made – she received a whole $2.40 on her $2.00 bet.  Oh yeah, we are the original high stakes gamblers.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Locker Opening Success (228/365)

2010 08 16 IMG_9300w 
Spongebob Squarepants: Behold, Patrick, the hallway of learning. And here's the fountain of learning. And these are the lockers of learning.

"New Student Starfish." SpongeBob SquarePants. Perf. Tom Kenny. Nicktoons Productions. 20 Sept. 2002. Television.

TIME:  6:18 PM
PLACE:  Junior High School
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen

This evening was orientation for DQ at the Junior High School.  I first embarrassed her by insisting that she bring all of her school supplies with us tonight.  I then further embarrassed her by taking pictures while she learned to open her locker ~ *giggles* it’s fun being a mom and humiliating your children.  We walked her schedule so she knew where her classes are located on campus.  She’s pretty excited about starting Junior High (7th grade!) on Wednesday.  The only dark cloud is that she doesn’t have any classes with her BFF, but on the plus side, they will be riding the bus together.  She does have homeroom and lunch with her other two BFFs, so I guess that somehow, she will survive.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Washing Machine (227/365)

2010 08 15 _MG_2604w 
“Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.Maybe you should get rid of the body before you do the wash.”

Jerry Seinfeld (American television Actor and Comedian, b.1954)

TIME:  7:27 PM
PLACE:  Basement
SUBJECT:  Maytag Neptune Washer

I spent the majority of my Sunday in the bowels of our home, doing the laundry.  I try not to complain about it too much.  I appreciate the convenience of having a washer and dryer here at home ~ I remember when I first moved out of the ‘rents house and had to lug clothing to the Laundromat (or HH’s place).  I sure wouldn’t want to do that now with a laundry pile for 5 people.  However, it is a never ending and most of the time, thankless chore.  Sometimes I wish I had a wife to do it for me.  Any volunteers?

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Rose Of Sharon (226/365)

2010 08 14 IMG_2578w 
“She was the rose of Sharon from paradise lost
From the city of seven hills near the place of the cross…”

Dylan, Bob, perf. "Caribbean Wind." Biograph. By Bob Dylan. Columbia Records, 1985.

TIME:  6:24 PM
PLACE:  Back yard
SUBJECT:  Hibiscus syriacus

We inherited several Rose of Sharon shrubs when we bought our house.  Three of them line the east side of the house and we also have one plant on the west side by the central air conditioning unit; which is where I took this photo.  The flowers attract large bumblebees all summer long…HH does not appreciate that aspect of the shrub.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Red Seats (225/365)

2010 08 13 IMG_9241w
“I have discovered in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats.” 

Bill Veeck aka "Sport Shirt Bill" (American, native of Chicago, Illinois, franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball, 1914-1986)


TIME:  6:35 PM
PLACE:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
SUBJECT:  Ballpark seats

HH and I went to the ballpark tonight to watch the Cardinals-Cubs baseball game.  It was a soupy night at the old stadium ~ very muggy and very hot.  In fact, when we left at 9:45pm the temperature was still 88 degrees.  Good game though…the Cards were victorious over the Cubs 6 to 3.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Running Sprints (224/365)

2010 08 12 IMG_2537w 
“In football they measure forty-yard sprints. Nobody runs forty yards in basketball. Maybe you run the ninety-four feet of the court; then you stop, not on a dime, but on Miss Liberty's torch. In football you run over somebody's face.”

Donald Hall (b. 1928), U.S. poet, essayist. "Basketball: The Purest Sport of Bodies," Fathers Playing Catch with Sons: Essays on Sport, North Point Press (1985).

TIME:  8:00 PM
PLACE:  Jaycee Field
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

It’s that time of year again…football season.  Well, the practices have started at least.  They practice three times a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - until the games start in September, then they drop down to twice a week – Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  The girls decided that they did not want to cheer this year, so normally we are usually at home while the guys go to practice (HH is coaching again).  This evening HH had a meeting to attend after practice, so I picked up MB and took him home.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Great River Road (223/365)

2010 08 11 IMG_9224w
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.” 

Unknown

TIME:  12:55 PM
PLACE:  Raging Rivers Water Park
SUBJECT:  Illinois State Route 100 and the Mississippi River

I, the three kids, DQ’s friend, Erin and my sister and her two kids had a final hurrah at the water park today.  This is a view from the covered deck where we had a table for our bags and towels.  For it being so hot today ~it made it up to 98 degrees with a heat index of 111~it wasn’t very crowded.  I’m thinking it’s because some of the school districts have started classes already.  My three go back next week Wednesday.  *shakes head*  Were did summer go?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Loud & Obnoxious (222/365)

 2010 08 10 IMG_9217w
“Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious.”

William A. Feather (American publisher and author, 1889-1981)

TIME:  8:11 AM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Bird

I’m not sure what sort of bird this is (it might be a young mockingbird)…but whatever species, he sure is loud.  The front door was closed; I was in the kitchen running water, at the back of the house and it sounded like he was in the room with me.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Breakfast For Supper (221/365)

2010 08 09 IMG_9221w 
“It frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea, And dines on the following day”

*The Hunting of the Snark*, Lewis Carroll (English Logician, Mathematician, Photographer and Novelist, especially remembered for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 1832-1898)

TIME:  4:06 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  StellaDella’s supper plate

Around once a month, I declare that we will be having “Breakfast For Supper.”  Usually it’s because we have things to do and places to be in the early evening and need something quick and easy to make or it’s because I’ve run out of ideas on what to make for supper.  Tonight it was a little of both – although I’ll admit that it was a bit more of the latter than of the former.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Soap Bubble (220/365)

2010 08 08 IMG_2460w 
“In all our quest of greatness, like wanton boys, whose pastime is their care, we follow after bubbles, blown in the air.”

John Webster (English Jacobean dramatist and playwright, 1580-1634)


TIIME:  6:52 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Soap bubble

While I was at Wal-mart last night, I bought StellaDella yet another 128 ounce container of bubbles – they spill so easy you know - along with a nifty battery powered bubble gun.  She played with them this morning (that girl does love her some bubbles) and I attempted to get some photos, but I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome.  So, this evening, after spraying ourselves liberally with bug repellant, she and I tried again.  I’m sure our neighbors thought that I am completely looney, what with me directing SD on bubble making and then chasing them around the yard with my camera.  Luckily, out of the gazillions of snaps I took, I was able to capture at least one bubble fairly decently.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Spider Web (219/365)

2010 08 07 IMG_2171w
“The means to gain happiness is to throw out from oneself like a spider in all directions an adhesive web of love, and to catch in it all that comes”

Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (Russian moral Thinker, Novelist and Philosopher. 1828-1910)

TIME:  7:00 PM
PLACE:  Dr. Tom Amlung Nature Trail
SUBJECT:  Spider web

I rode my bicycle early this morning but forgot my camera.  Of course I saw many things I wanted to take a picture of, but since I didn’t have my camera with me, I couldn’t.  Grrrrrr.  This evening, after dinner, I escaped from the house and children and drove the Miata out to the Nature Trail (which is part of the bike trail) at the college campus.  I spent at least an hour there taking pictures and then headed to the nearby Wal-Mart to pick up some school supplies and other assorted items.  My, how my Saturday nights have changed from when I was in my twenties.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Oh, The Drama (218/365)

2010 08 06 Photo166w 
“Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth.”  

Erma Louise Bombeck (American humorist, 1927–1996)


TIME:  7:19 PM
PLACE:  The Miata on Hwy 13
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen

I took this with my cell phone while driving home from picking up dinner.   DQ went with me because she wanted to ride in the Miata.  On the way there, she talked about how she couldn’t wait to drive it to high school.  I just laughed…silly girl, this is MOM’s car - HH is lucky HE gets to drive it.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Published (217/365)

2010 08 05 IMG_2184w 
“A person who publishes a book willfully appears before the populace with his pants down. If it is a good book nothing can hurt him. If it is a bad book nothing can help him.”

Edna St. Vincent Millay (American poet and dramatist, 1892-1950)

TIME:  7:34 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  My Project 365: 2009 Blurb book

Ta-da!  I had my 2009 blog posts published by Blurb and it was delivered this morning.  What finally sucked me in was the 20% off promotion they had in the month of July.  My 384 page, 13x11, hardcover, image wrapped book ended up costing about 37 cents a page (including shipping) - I’ll let you do the math on that.   Each photo in the book is around 5x7 inches.  I figured if I just had them printed at that size at Wally World, they would have been 58 cents each and that’s not bound in a book with all my long-winded sermons by each picture. So I think it was well worth it.  The kids are loving it - they think they are famous.  I told them just around our house kiddos, just around our house..

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Air Conditioner (216/365)

2010 08 04 IMG_2112w     
Air Conditioner: So... It's back to that stupid static again. You think I don't know what's going on in here? I know what goes on in this cottage. It's a conspiracy and every one of you low-watts is in on it. Just 'cause you move around, you think you're better than I am. I'm not an invalid. I was designed to stick in the wall! I like being stuck in the stupid wall! I can't help it if the kid was too short to reach my dials...[Begins to spark and fizzle furiously]
Toaster: We didn't mean it. Really!
Air Conditioner:
[bellows] IT'S MY FUNCTION! [continues sparking and fizzing and glowing]
Toaster: No wait. Wait!
Kirby: He's gonna blow!
Toaster: Quick, yank your plugs!
[the appliances all unplug themselves just as Air Conditioner blows up]
Blanky: Poor Air Conditioner.
Toaster: I didn't think he'd take it so hard.
Kirby: Ah, he was a jerk anyway.

Hartman, Phil, Deanna Oliver, Thurl Ravenscroft, and Timothy E. Day, perf. *The Brave Little Toaster*. Dir. Jerry Rees. 1987. Hyperion Pictures.

TIME:  6:12 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Central air conditioner

Officially we hit the triple digits at 3:55 this afternoon.  I don’t think the air conditioner has shut off all day.  I am very grateful that we have the ability to cool our home, but I just dread opening the power bill next month.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Hitchhiker (215/365)

2010 08 03 IMG_9098w 
“The best that we can do is to be kindly and helpful toward our friends and fellow passengers who are clinging to the same speck of dirt while we are drifting side by side to our common doom”

Clarence Darrow (American Lawyer, Speaker and Writer, 1857-1938)

TIME:  9:21 AM
PLACE:  Highway 13
SUBJECT:  Grasshopper

I was on my way to a dentist appointment this morning when I notice this grasshopper clinging to the outside of the driver’s side window.  He was hanging on for dear life as I am going down the road.  When I stopped at a red light, I thought he would take off, but he didn’t.  About a mile later, I pulled up to a 4-way stop sign and he left me… I guess he was where he needed to go.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Whooped (214/365)

2010 08 02 IMG_9089w 
“Life is one long process of getting tired.”

Samuel Butler (English novelist, essayist and critic, 1835-1902
)

TIME:  7:19 PM
PLACE:  Floor
SUBJECT:  Oreo

DramaQueen took the dog for a walk this evening after supper.  Walks always wear her out because she’s such a sausage (the dog, not DQ).  Add to that fact that it is hot outside and her issues multiply.  When Oreo entered the house after the walk, she was panting hard.  After drinking some water, she plopped down on the floor.  Poor thing, such a tiring life she leads.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Milkweed Squared (213/365)

2010 08 01 IMG_9051w
“Two-legged creatures we are supposed to love as we love ourselves.  The four-legged, also, can come to seem pretty important.  But six legs are too many from the human standpoint.”

Joseph W. Krutch (
American, writer, critic, and naturalist, 1893–1970)

TIME:  6:10 PM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  A Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) on a Honeyvine Milkweed

Lots of puttering around the house today and not much to show for it.  I did make spaghetti and meatballs for supper and invited my dad over to dine with us.  He did – why he even had seconds.  When he was leaving, I walked outside with him and we talked a little bit.  As we were conversing, I noticed this guy on the dreaded vine that seems to overtake all of the plantings in our yard.  Every year this vine and I wage a battle and every year I seem to lose.  Stupid vine.