Open House at the Dancing Grouse

Last night was Open House night at the Dancing Grouse. It was really fun to see everyone.

Diana had a very good turn out. People were playing the angel guidance game and playing with angel cards, taking time to look at the selection of books, and doing various activities.

Evelyn did biogenesis, Jocelyn was doing Reiki, Diana and I were both doing readings and Dan Higgins was doing animal cards. I didn't get pix of everyone because I was busy at my little table.

I took some rocks I had picked up in Kentucky and encouraged everyone to take one. It's always interesting to me that people almost always have an attraction to one particular rock. That's what's in the little basket there. I love getting to share them with people.

Teresa (black shirt), Martha and Andrea (white shirt) were there at various times of the night. I hadn't seen Andrea in awhile, so it was good to reconnect.

Diana was looking radiant in her beaded poncho. She was showing us all the photo that we were talking about at the Christmas party when we were just incapacitated with laughter. She has forbidden me to take a photo of it to share with you. But, just picture Nelly Olson curls and you get the general idea of her "hair twigging," as her grandmother described it.




It was from 7-10 p.m. I had four people, and Diana had two, I think, because she was busy doing other things too. Dan did a couple of people and I think Jocelyn did the same as far as full treatments, but did some other quickie "introduction" treatments. I'm not sure how many Evelyn did, but she was busy all night.




Ryan Coon and his buddy were playing music. Ryan's dad, Mike, is someone I run into at the Dancing Grouse on occasion. He's a really nice guy.




Diana has a great selection of books. She recently rearranged the store and now there's a nice chair there, which prompts you to just want to sit down and browse. That, of course, leads you to want to take the books home.

All in all, it was a really fun evening. I think everyone had a good time.

Exposing Oneself

Friends often tell me I'm "brave" to share my life's path in this blog. I always respond that it is certainly edited for publication - that I do not share my very most private thoughts here - I reserve those for my paper journals, which I never share with anyone. There's a magic to pen and paper that keyboards will never replace, although I love my keyboard.

Each month I get over 90,000 hits to my website and the vast majority of them are coming to read the blog. When I started this a couple of years ago I thought it would be nice for my family in Kentucky to learn about what was happening in my life here in Hutchinson, Kansas. It was also just to be a chronicle of my life. It never occurred to me that anyone I knew would read it because they all know what's going on in my life. And I never imagined anyone who didn't know me would want to read it. Oh, I thought maybe a couple of people here or there might check in but I had no idea anyone would flatter me by reading regularly. And flattered I am.

A funny thing happened. I got in on the early stages of a trend - "social content."

When I was a journalist, one of the things I learned was that *everyone* has a story to tell. The trick is can you get them to tell it to you. And blogging has become one of the ways we learn each other's stories. Many of them are fascinating.

Of course, we all go through periods where our lives are very mundane. But most of us also have times when what we're thinking about is very interesting, even if what we're doing on a daily basis is the routine.

At least once a week I read the blogs I keep up on. I love to read about the art, the kids, the details of life. Life is made up of these little bits and pieces that we forget about if we're not keeping track on a regular basis. If we're not careful we can miss the little sidebars that ultimately make up the story of a life.

This is a good opportunity for me to say thank you for reading, and sharing my life through this blog. I'm honored that you spend some of your day here.

Fresh Food

Tonight I'm feeling very grateful that I can cook. It's not that I'm an exceptional cook or anything - but I can cook and take advantage of wonderful fresh foods that are so abundant this time of year. I'm generally not this much of a foodie, but it's so nice when things are fresh.

Last night the neighbors brought over some green beans and new potatoes. I cooked them with some garlic and shallots, and they were great. I also bought some Gaedderts Farms corn on the cob today. It was delicious. They pick it fresh every morning and sell it at their stand on 30th street. I understand Smith's market has it, too, but I don't know if it's picked the same day and that really does matter.

Going to the farmer's market is great, but so much of what is sold there isn't really grown locally. I'm really disappointed by that. It amazes me that people don't realize that they're just buying things shipped from somewhere else half the time. Of course, some of it is fresh, but much of it is not. When I go to a Farmer's Market I want to be buying direct from farmers, not just more food that has been shipped in. I can buy that at Dillons or WalMart. I guess I'll miss the Farmer's Market Saturday because I have an event for the MHA that morning and they close by 12:30. Oh well, I've got enough food in the house to last me for a few days anyway.

Teresa stopped by today on the way home to get some basil. I went out and picked her a few sprigs and told her to let me know if she wants more. I put in two plants and it's way more than I can use. I also took some over to Sondra. We had lunch today and I mentioned basil and she said she'd like to have some. I had a meeting tonight in her neighborhood so just dropped some off at her house.

I'm really thinking a lot about travel... I have a travel voucher I need to use in the next few weeks, but fortunately I just have to buy the ticket but can travel after the expiration date. I'm thinking the fall would be a nice time to travel. I need to meet more people who want to travel. Definitely something I need - more potential travel partners.

Veggies and Rainbows

I've had a very long day. I got to the office early in case the cable guy arrived before his 8 - 10 a.m. scheduled time. It was a good thing because he did arrive right after 8. He remembered me from setting up the cable at my house. I don't remember that, but he did. I think he remembered the house more than me. I'm sure it was in a bad state when I had the cable hooked up but I don't recall.

His news was not good, but not awful - the network card in the machine is dead. I'll have to get a new one but didn't have time today. Of course, I could have figured that out myself if I'd had the laptop with me yesterday. Anyway, I'll get it dealt with.

Teresa and I had lunch and that was fun. It was the day for the diversity lunch group, and I love the people in that group, but they want to go to restaurants that are consistently bad - bad food, bad service, bad. The one they had planned to go to has apparently closed. It's a pity, but your food can only be so bad and you stay in the restaurant business. I knew the first time I ate there that it wasn't going to last. But, I'm not sure how to say to a restaurant owner, "excuse me, but your food is truly awful... you're going to be out of business in no time unless you do something." They obviously think it's good or they wouldn't have gone into the restaurant business, and it's not like they're asking me. But, overall, my record is stellar at predicting such things - I've been wrong ONCE.

Anyway, they wanted to go there but when they couldn't decided to go to another place downtown. I've eaten there once and that was more than enough. It's bad. Very bad. So, Teresa and I went across town instead. She didn't want to waste her money there either.

I worked on various things all day, and late this afternoon called Susan to ask about dinner. She was open so we went out. I left the house in the midst of a torrential rain storm. Fortunately, I had my Radio Kansas umbrella. By the time I got to the restaurant it had mostly stopped. I went to the grocery afterwards and should have taken the umbrella in with me because it was pouring again when I came out.

However, I just don't find hanging out in the foyer of Walmart to be that thrilling, so I went out and loaded my groceries in the rain so I could leave. It's always funny to me to see people standing there watching it rain. We all know eventually they'll give up and leave in the rain, getting just as wet as they would have if they'd left 20 minutes earlier. It's a bizarre human phenomenon. It's not like it's a cold rain - it was over 90 degrees today.

I hadn't been home very long until there was a knock at the door and it was my neighbor, Bob, with some fresh green beans and new potatoes for me. He asked me earlier today if I liked them. I adore them. Guess what I'm having for dinner tomorrow? He came in and we chatted a bit and when I walked out with him there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky. He said he and his wife had seen a double one. And, upon looking more closely, you could see the remnants of the double one. I came back in to get the camera so I could share it with you. It was well defined all the way across the sky - a lovely sight. I'm so grateful I got to see it. I would have missed it if Bob hadn't come to the door. So, just a wonderful happenstance.

Beautiful Morning

It's a gorgeous morning - only 70 degrees so far. I think I'll go take a little walk before going to the office. It's supposed to be over 100 here for a couple of days so I'm not going to want to move any more than necessary then. I'm so very thankful for air conditioning!

At the meditation class last night, the instructor was talking about the Buddhist concept of being thankful to have a human life because you have the opportunity to pursue a spiritual path. I have thought about that before, although not in those particular terms, but just how fortunate we are to be able to pursue our interests more than any other animal.

Well, if I'm going to get in a little walk and be at the office by 8 I must go. It will have to be a little walk, but you see things on a walk you miss any other way. There is a mimosa tree just a block away from me, and although I drive by it, I'd never noticed it before. The blooms smell so sweet.

Full Day

It has been a full day today. I had lunch with Trish. She's planning a rafting trip to the Grand Canyon with her oldest son, Nick, and I wanted to hear all about it. I just know they will have a great time together. She tells me I was instrumental in her deciding to go ahead and do it.

We went to El Potrillo, our usual spot. The other day when we were in there the owner told me he has noticed Trish and I are both always smiling. He said he loved that, that it made him feel good. It was so sweet of him to say something.

I spent a large part of the work day on the phone with tech support at Cox. They're sending someone out between 8-10 tomorrow morning to check it all out. I just know I couldn't get online.

Tonight I went to a meditation class at The Dancing Grouse. I'm glad I went. Diana was there, of course, as was Debbie. Austin and Amy popped in after the event was over so I saw them briefly. Austin has started a new business - basically hiring himself out for anything people need done. I may try to hire him to put together the rest of my bookshelves for the library upstairs. I keep thinking I'll get in there and get it done, but I haven't. Maybe it's worth it to just pay him to do it and be done with it. I still have to do some painting in that room and I can't get to the walls to paint because the boxes of books that go on the shelves are in front of the walls. Seems my house is always like puzzle pieces.

I did call Salvation Army and they will take mattresses. So, I'm going to donate those to them and get them out of my house. I just don't have company and if I do a good air mattress would be better. I'm also thinking about getting rid of the fold out couch. We'll see. I need to measure my other couch and see if it will fit in that space.

I wasn't home tonight so didn't get much done in the kitchen, but things are coming along slowly. I've got something every night this week, and an event on Saturday, so it will be awhile before much more happens in there.

Work of all sorts

I've spent the day glued to the computer working on the newsletter and tea things. I want to start publicizing the tea and all this background stuff has to be done before then. Always a long list of things to do. I got so wrapped up in it that I didn't go to a meeting I was supposed to attend. Fortunately, there wasn't any critical reason for me to be there.

Tonight I worked in the kitchen a little bit more but didn't get finished. I was out of steam by the time I got to work on it. Maybe tomorrow... The story of my life... maybe tomorrow...

Lately, I've been acting like someone who is depressed, although I don't feel depressed. Regardless, tomorrow I'm going to get away from the computer and interact with people. I'm going to do the thing I most do not want to do - schedule myself so I have no choice. If I don't nip it in the bud when I feel this drifting, it can get ugly. So, I'm going to do that very thing - bright and early in the morning. I'm turning the cell phone off so I can't get wrapped up in it or email. I need to be interacting with people face to face.

Yet More Cleaning

Well, here is some of my handiwork from the last few days. I have taken everything out of all but one cabinet in my kitchen, cleaned the cabinets and rearranged the items. I will get to the last one in the next couple of days. Then I'll be ready to move into another room I think.

I had a lot of stuff in the kitchen that I had never really organized since I moved - some of my things and some of my mom's things. So, I'm on my third dishwasher full of things, I have a mound of things ready to do to Salvation Army, and I've about half filled my dumpster.

I have been to Walmart the last two days to get various organizing widgets. Of course, as is so often the case, what has been the most useful was not intended for such purposes - sweater boxes. I'm using them to containerize things like powdered sugar and chocolate chips and such. Those are things I always like to have around en masse because I like to bake.

I have moved my can goods across the room, in a less convenient cabinet, and made the things close to the stove the baking things because that's what I really like to do. I've also dedicated a drawer to my pie baking materials - rolling pins and rolling mat, as well as the silpats. Since I cleaned out the cabinet that holds the pans, I have all my pie plates organized now. I could start making pie at any moment - but I'll have to take it somewhere because I can't eat that much pie.




Last week when I took the car in to get some work done I took the guys some brownies I had baked. They were very appreciative. I suppose I could take them pie. That's the only downside of not having coworkers that I've found - no where to take baked goods. But it's a small trade off.

I ate two little cherry tomatoes out of the garden tonight - my first ones of the season. I ate them while they were still warm from the sun - my favorite way. I'm a complete germ-phobe but will eat tomatoes right out of the garden with just a swipe on the bottom of my t-shirt. Go figure.

It's raining here now, so my plants will enjoy a nice drink of water. It's a good, gentle rain, too - not a pelting.

Well, I want to go start the dishwasher one more time before I head upstairs to bed. I think I just have one more load of dishes tomorrow and then everything in the kitchen will have been sanitized. That was one of the things I insisted on in the new dishwasher - a sanitizing cycle - it adds a couple of hours to the run time on the dishwasher but it's worth it.

I have poured bleach all over the kitchen counter between the stove and sink. I will let that sit all night and wipe it up in the morning. I also have the washing machine full of dish towels and cloths that have been bleached heavily. Hopefully any little buggers either place are dead, dead, dead. Tomorrow morning before work I'll wipe that up and bleach the other counter top so it can sit all day.

Well, time for bed. My workday starts in only about 5 hours. Even I need some sleep.

Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning

I have spent the day working in the kitchen. I am slowly cleaning and reorganizing every cabinet in there. My stack of things to go to Salvation Army continues to increase. I have lots of "really cool" kitchen things that I never use. I'm going to give them to Goodwill or Salvation Army so someone else can buy them and never use them. But at least they'll be storing them instead of me. And there's a bonus in that!

For reasons I can't determine I've decided that while the kitchen is a freaking disaster, I want to prepare food. Who knows the ways of my mind - not even me. Tonight I fixed a tomato and mozzarella salad with basil-flavored olive oil. I'm really loving having fresh herbs right out the back door.

I went to Roys for lunch - it was yummy - and I needed a break. I also went to Smith's market to get some good apples. I ate my last one last night and apples are one of the things I keep at all times. Weird that everyone has those three things that when you're out of any one of them you have to go to the store. Mine change periodically, but at the moment they're apples, yogurt and pop. I know, it sounds so healthy, until I get to the pop part. It's caffeine and sugar free... but it's still pop.

My little tomatoes are turning. I'm resisting the urge to pick them until they're really ripe. It's so tempting. I'm thinking about expanding my garden area in the back yard for next year. I would love to have some eggplant, potatoes, spinach and green beans. In fact, everytime I think about this, I seem to add something additional to the list - tonight it's spinach.

Today I noticed that the calla lily I mentioned yesterday is not just white, but has a tinge of pink on it. I can tell I'll be planting even more calla lillies in the future - I really love them - and they're easy to grow. I remember Pat Mitchell talking about them years ago.




These are the ones I picked from the backyard. They've been in the kitchen on a shelf above the sink. Figured I might as well have them where I've been spending most of my time lately. I think I'm more than half done in the kitchen so I've made a lot of progress.




I'm eventually going to have tons of tomatoes. In fact, when they all start turning I'm not sure where I'm going to get rid of all of them. But, that's a nice problem to have.

Eyebrows and Old Friends

I'm glad it's Friday. I need a weekend. By Monday I'll be ready to get back to my normal life, I think. But I need a couple of days free. I have to work next weekend so I want to really make use of this weekend.

I had lunch with Trish again today, and it was good. She's someone I never see enough of. I

Right after lunch I had an appointment to get my eyebrows waxed. This is not something I do casually. I've done it fewer than six times in my life. Why? Because it HURTS. Ripping hairs out by the roots, en masse, is painful. Who would have guessed? And, as I have had to do everytime I've had it done, I came home and plucked them a bit to even them up. If I ever find someone who's really good at it, maybe I'll get it done more often. OK, probably not - because it hurts.

And, honey, I don't know WHAT those women are thinking when they have the "bikini area" waxed. By the way - Newsflash - it itches like you wouldn't believe when it starts to grow back. Yeah, no one ever tells you that. Well, I'm here to spread the truth. Just say "No!" or expect to go around with your hand buried in your crotch for a few days when you decide you don't want to suffer the waxing all the time. No... I've not waxed - the mere thought of the pain is too much for me. But lets just say that was one of the many things my girlfriend Robin and I learned first hand in college.Experience is a good teacher.

I popped in to see Diana late this afternoon. I have really wanted to have a long conversation with her for quite a few months, but have been unsuccessful in catching her at a time when that can happen. Conversation has an ebb and flow that has to have time to build. There is always too much going on to have any focus. I really, really, really enjoy her and there was a time we had lots of really meaningful conversation, but I can't seem to find a way to make that happen anymore. I guess it's just one of those things.

Tonight I went out to do some errands and went to Walmart to buy another fan. While I was looking at fans, I heard someone scream, "Patsy Terrell!" I looked around and it was Shirley Mackey. It was SOOOOOO good to see her - and a big surprise. I think of her and Rob so often, but I had no idea she was in town. When I was in DC last month I had hoped I might get a chance to see them, but when I saw the schedule it was so packed that I didn't even bother to call because I had no free time.

She very graciously offered me their spare bed anytime I was in the DC area. I told her that was dangerous - I have a travel voucher I need to use. She reiterated that the offer was genuine. Some people are naturally generous.

Tonight when I came home I noticed I have a white calla lily starting to bloom in the front. It was dusk, so too late to take a photo, but I'll try to do that tomorrow. My little tomato is more red and a second one is turning. I picked some oregano and basil to go with my eggplant parmesan tonight. I love having these things right out the back door.

Well, I must sleep. I want to finish reorganizing the kitchen this weekend so I need to get a pretty early start tomorrow.

Art of Gracious Living #30

Click here for show #30 and it will automatically download for you. You can listen to podcasts on your computer. You don't need an iPod or any additional software.

We know that children who are connected through simple things like having dinner with their families, are less likely to do drugs. Yet, the number of families who eat together continues to drop.

We attribute it to our lack of time, but in reality we all still have 24 hours in the day. The trick is how we spend them.

We engage in more group activities, that limit our ability to connect with people one on one. Organized sports for kids have increased 200% in the last 20 years. We're losing something significant in this transition.

I encourage you to consider how you can make real connection with people this coming week.

Click here for the Art of Gracious Living page at the Podcaster News Network

Click here for the Art of Gracious Living RSS feed

Organizing

I spent the workday focused on the newsletter. I did get to have lunch with Teresa, which was fun.

Tonight I've been working on the kitchen more. I have reorganized all the lower cabinets and started on the upper ones tonight. Basically, I've made a huge mess. But, I needed to wipe down all the cabinets and throw out expired items and just get it reorganized.

I'll be doing another Victorian Tea on August 26 so I want everything tidy before I start that. It goes so much quicker if I'm organized to start with. I've been thinking a little about the menu but haven't made the final decisions yet.

I did fix myself some real dinner tonight - eggplant parmesan. The eggplants looked really good at the store the other night so I bought one. I'll be eager when the farmer's market has more to offer - it's a little early in the season yet. But, the eggplant was good and I've got enough left over for tomorrow too. It's one of those things that is rarely good when you order it anywhere - always mushy.

I've been working on more computer things. I just never seem to have time to get them all done. I have also been messing with the PDA. I downloaded some etext books to have with me whenever I'm stuck somewhere with nothing to do. But, there's a bug of some sort in the T5 that won't recognize the internal memory card so I have to figure that out. I have a feeling it's more likely a bug with the software and not a hardware problem. There's probably a work around. I've found the software designed for PDAs in general be rather lacking.

I talked to Greg briefly. He and his girlfriend, Mia, were eating at a cool diner place. We had a bad connection so I didn't get all the details, but it sounds like they were having fun.

Well, I should go on upstairs. I have some things I want to do up there before I go to bed and it's already close to 2 and I need to get up early in the morning. There's never enough time for me to get everything done or sleep... how can that be?

The Wreckers

I'm really enjoying The Wreckers these days... maybe because I can relate to "Leave the Pieces" so well. "Drag out the heartache..." - there's a phrase most women can relate to.

I listened to it from their website more than once last night and was singing it to myself all morning. When I got in the car and started it, I was still singing the song and it was also on the radio - I was suddenly singing in sync with the radio. Freaky.

I think my favorite part is, "you're not sure that you love me but you're not sure enough to let me go." That harkens back to more than one relationship in my life.

Of course, years later I hear how he couldn't understand why I didn't know how much he loved me... of course he loved me... how could I not have known that? I guess because you never told me that. And losing me was the worst mistake of his life. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Seems I just hear the same song, different verse, over and over again. Not sure what the lesson is there for me, but I'm trying to figure it out before I get into another relationship.

Men are always more in love with me in retrospect than they were at the time I was with them. It's very odd, really. I think this must mean I'm very hard to actually be with, but the good times must leave some intense memories that they long for later. Unfortunately, I don't know why I'm hard to be with at the time, or why I make such a good memory, so I can't address it.

___________________

As the song says...

"It's alright. I'll be fine. Don't worry about this heart of mine. Just take your love and hit the road. There's nothing you can do or say. You're gonna break my heart anyway. So just leave the pieces when you go."

Tomatoes and Cucumbers

My big excitement of the day is that I noticed one of my cherry tomatoes is starting to turn red. It has been awhile since I've grown any veggies, so I'm overly interested in them.

I put out a few tomato plants, some herbs - basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, lavendar and parsley, and one cucumber plant. The cucumber plant has grown huge. It has tons of blooms, but no beginnings of cucumbers yet.

I put them into the backyard, beside an old lawn glider that I got from some folks in Kentucky. I love it but haven't decided how to make it function yet. I think it involves some plywood and cushions but I'm not sure. However, at the moment, it's in use by the cucumber plant and I've decided it looks cool so I'm leaving it.




It was a really nice day here today - only in the mid 80s - very unusual for Kansas in July. I took advantage of it to fertilize the lawn. You're not supposed to do it when it's too warm. Well, that's almost impossible here after a certain time. It's been on my list of things to do for awhile so I was happy to get it done.

I have more plants popping up that I put the bulbs in for in the last few weeks. We'll see how this all works long term. I think some of these need to be dug up at the end of the season. I'll have to do a little research on that.

I got to have lunch with Trish today, so that was fun. It's always so good to see her. She is one of my favorite people on the planet - I can't ever get enough of her.

I finally went to bed at 7 this morning and got up about three hours later. I tried to take a nap this afternoon and did lay down between 5 and 6:30 but never really fully got to sleep. Although I'm not feeling sleepy now, hopefully if I go lay down I will sleep.

But, I've gotten tons of things done in the last 24 hours. And I do love to get things done. I have a pile of things to go to Salvation Army, I've worked on webpages - personal and work, and I've done some writing that I need to get out the door. I have also worked on the house. I'm starting to see a tiny glimmer of "my life" but it's going to take awhile yet.

The Garden

I always think summer has officially arrived when I get my first "real" bloom on a plant - meaning it's one that grew from seed just dropped into the ground and not started inside first. And, I didn't just buy the plant already blooming and stick it in for "instant garden."

I noticed on Friday, June 30, that my first morning glory bloom was there, but not open. I got out on Sunday to get a photo of it, and I also discovered a calla lily blooming in the back, which was a surprise. I have planted tons of calla lily bulbs and they're coming up but I hadn't even noticed a bud. This is one of the new colors they released this year.




Other things are starting really fill in too. Greg gave me this shamrock he bought for a photo around St. Patrick's day. I thought it was dead because it dried out while I was gone on a trip. But, I just went ahead and put it in the ground and it has perked up and even grown some. I like the look of lots of things growing into one another.




I also have some "instant garden" plants.




And I adore plants that just come back on their own. I had three coneflowers last year but I think I pulled out the others thinking they were weeds. I was so happy to see this one. I'm hoping to spread more of its seed later this year so I get more of them.




The morning glories have grown up to the roof and are doing well. I love the look of viney things. I will try to take some photos of the overall and share soon.

I'm thinking about putting in a little wildflower garden in back. I want things that just take care of themselves - reseeding each year - and not needing lots of TLC.

Morning Comes

Well, it's 6 a.m. and I haven't been to bed yet. Frankly, I'm not even really tired yet. I've been doing a lot of writing overnight. It's been a very productive time.

I have never been a good sleeper. Neither was my mom, neither are my two brothers. There's something genetic in it all, I'm sure. I can't really say how my dad was, but I know the three of us and mama are not good sleepers.

I don't need as much sleep as other people. Thank goodness. I can't even get everything done I want to do and I rarely sleep even six hours a night.
I've been holed up in my office all night but I can see through the front door that daylight has arrived. I intended to go out for a walk before it got completely daylight but I've waited too long.

Oh well, now the big decision is if I should go to breakfast or go to bed. I think a walk first... then I'll make that choice. Then I really must try to get at least a little bit of sleep. Surely I need some.

Fourth of July

I went this morning to the Women's Civic Center where we were handing out ice water and lemonade to parade goers. This is the second year I've done it and it's really fun. Lots of the board members were there.

When I arrived today Mark said, "I've got a job for you." Generally all I end up doing is chit chatting with people I run into that I know. Today, Mark gave me the job of doing that very thing. As he put it, "because you know so many people." I really don't know any more people than the average person in town, but the perception is that I do. Greg is always teasing me about that so I put this story in just for his benefit.

The Fourth of July parade here is very much a little slice of Americana. I think we had all the typical things from the Shriners on bikes to horses.

It was fun to see people I know in the parade - Chris was driving his car again this year. I think I put a photo of him up last year, too - but I can't recall for sure. He has been very involved with United Way over the years and he's a great guy.

There were the usual things, and also something I'd never seen before - a foam machine. I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with it but they were squirting the parade goers every once in awhile. Again, I don't know what it is or what it's for, but apparently you can rent it. I just don't know what you do with it once you do.




There were lots of politicians out today. Diane McCarville was walking with her dog. Her husband, Joe, is a judge and is running for reelection.




Mark Treaster was in the parade. After he had walked the route he came to the civic center. His wife is on the board of the Arts and Humanities Council, which I'm also on, and this is one of our projects - restoring this building. He and Trish were chatting afterwards, and taking time to wave to folks they knew in the parade.




There were lots of politicians out today, including Frances Garcia, who I've always liked. She was a city council person for many years and is now on the county commission. She is a thoughtful person and genuinely cares about the community.

The democrats also had a float. Kathie has been such a trooper in getting these things done. It looked really nice.




Of course, every parade needs old cars...



and golf carts... it is Hutchinson where we're currently hosting the US Senior Open... we needed a golf cart in the parade



it is a farming community... you need tractors...



and horses... gotta have horses



Of course, not everyone was having a good time. This kid threw a temper tantrum three feet from his mother who didn't seem to notice. Not being a parent, I can never understand how people can ignore the piercing screams of children. He screamed, cried, stomped his feet and eventually threw himself on the ground. There was no impetus that I could determine. His sister eventually picked him up and gave him to the mother who managed to continue to ignore him. It's a skill I guess.

All in all it was a nice parade on a very nice day. It was a bit cooler today and that was a bonus.

Drugs

I have spent a lot of the day at the computer, working on various things. I haven't felt very motivated to do much else. My great plans for getting industrious in the house evaporated as this bladder infection got worse all day.

I finally got the antibiotics at about 4 this afternoon. I started the process at 7:32 this morning. It's a good thing it wasn't a serious medical issue. So, whatever little bug I have had extra hours to reproduce - always good news. But, I'm feeling better after only one dose of medication and I'm taking another one before I go to bed. They say two a day and I'm sure they meant more than five or six hours apart, but I meant I wanted them early in the day when I started calling at 7:32 a.m. So, this is the compromise.

Well, I'm heading up to bed early tonight. We had a nice little rain storm and it cooled things off a bit so it should be pleasant sleeping tonight - aside from the fireworks in the neighborhood.

Close Miss

Well, we've all survived the night and we probably didn't even know we were in danger. Asteroid 2004 XP14 passed closest to Earth last night - shortly after midnight Eastern Time - and is now moving further from our orbit.

I'm always amused that some people actually worry about things. If it had hit it would have created a crater about 20-30 miles in diameter. Yes, that's a big crater. But, compared to the size of the Earth, it's a tiny speck. The likelihood it's going to hit in any particular place is miniscule. I'm not up to doing the math on the probability of that, but lets just say it's minimal and leave it at that.

So, see, you have even more to be thankful for today and you didn't even know about it.

But, hey, mark your calendars for April of 2029, when Asteroid 99942 Apophis is expected to be visible in Asia and North Africa. It's huge - about 1000 feet wide - and will pass within 20,000 miles of Earth. In orbit terms that's like your next door neighbor's deck. Ones that big only come that close to Earth about once every 1,500 years. But, Apophis will likely be making another trip in about 2036.

So, depending on your approach to life, either chalk it up to oddities or start laying in the canned goods.

Bright Monday Morning

I love the early morning hours. I woke up about 5:15 and got up about 30 minutes later. Here before 7 I've already accomplished quite a few things, including waking up Sondra. She's ordinarily an early riser, but was sleeping in until about 6:15 when I woke her up. I never imagined she would still be asleep then. Oops. She had called yesterday asking if I wanted to go have breakfast so I was calling to see if she wanted to this morning. But, she had a full agenda today and was distressed she was still asleep. I may just head out to Dutch Kitchen in a few minutes.

I'm waiting on the Doctor's office to open so I can go visit their lab tech and get some nice little pills for this bladder infection. Thank goodness for over the counter stuff that helps the symptoms, but it won't do a thing for the real problem. I need some antibiotics for that.

I'm laughing at myself a bit this morning that I always go to the computer as soon as I come downstairs and check email. I rarely have anything in the morning. Of course not. I went to bed about 1 and am checking email about 6 - not very many people are going to written epistles in those hours. But, every day I check it first thing. I'm either very optimistic or very foolish. Lets just go with the former, shall we?

Sunday

I have been working in the house today - doing exciting things like organizing kitchen cabinets. Yes, I know, my life is thrilling - try not to be too jealous.

I need to get on my knees with a bucket of soapy water and a brush and scrub the floor in there. I can only think of about four million things I'd rather do.

I've also got a little bladder infection. So, I guess I'll get to go visit the doctor's lab and the pharmacy tomorrow. Thank goodness for over the counter medication. At least I'm not miserable from it. I'm not sure how I got this - not the usual way one gets them. I guess this is just a little surprise. Oh well... nothing major... some antibiotics will take care of it... just an inconvenience.

I have also taken some time today to work on some computer things. I have a ton of things I need to do yet, but at least I got started. I have trouble focusing on one thing at a time, so things tend to drag on for a long time. I have thought about trying medication for the ADD but I just don't like messing with brain chemistry unless it's absolutely necessary. And in my case I don't think it is as I'm able to function without it. But there are times when I need to focus that I think it would be nice to be able to do it more effectively. But, I manage to get things done anyway.

Gotta Love Saturdays

I had brunch with Trish today and it was wonderful. We went to the Dutch Kitchen and were there for nearly four hours.

Trish has a lot going on in her life at the moment and it was good to talk with her about it.

Before and since I've been busy trying to work on my life. That seems to be the refrain of my life. I did laundry last night before I went to bed so when I got up this morning I could hang it out right away. At the moment I've got clothes on the line, in the dryer and in the washer.

I've also been trying to work on some computer things. I have so many projects that need to be done for my podcasts, reviews, webpages, etc. etc. etc. etc. There always seems to be a long list of things I could spend my time with.

But I think my next project is a long bubble bath for me. I need to contemplate some things and the tub is always where I go for that. I'm also eager to read more of Freakonomics, the book I'm currently engrossed in. I also have some writing I need to do so maybe I'll sketch some of that out. Like I said... always plenty to do...

Art of Gracious Living #29

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I have had some incredible experiences because I shared someone else's passion for something. A recent example was riding behind Union Pacific's Steam Engine 844 to do a story. (Read the June 2 entry to see the full story on 844.) I would not have sought it out on my own but because I knew someone who was passionate about it I was able to share that.

What we are passionate about can also affect others. My friend, Matthew, has some rocks in his fish tank that are a momento of a trip we took.

I encourage you to discover what those around you are passionate about.

This photo courtesy of The Lope at http://www.thelope.com.

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Art of Gracious Living #28

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At a conference recently I was reminded how the language we use affects us and those around us. We were talking about Mental Health issues. Someone mentioned that one of the first things people do in any social movement is change the language. She cited the civil rights movement as a case in point.

This really struck me as an important consideration for our daily lives. When we change our language, we change our lives.

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Wichita Trip

I went to Wichita today. I needed to get my phone checked out. Of course, it "passed" the inspection. My guess is the second it's out of warranty it will fail the test. My next thing is to call customer service. I'll pass. That just results in me spending a lot of time on the phone and being really annoyed when I'm done and nothing has been taken care of.

I did some shopping and running around. My big purchase of the day is this toe ring for $4.99. Frankly, that's kind of expensive for a toe ring, but I really liked it so I now own it.

I had a few more things I needed to do but it was so freaking miserable walking around in parking lots that I decided to come home after a half dozen stops. It was over 100 today and I felt every degree of it.

At lunch I was reading Freakonomics, the book I'm currently engrossed in. It's really fascinating. The server asked what I was reading and we got into a great discussion about the book, which he had read. I brought half my food home and I noticed just a few minutes ago when I put it in the fridge that he wrote his phone number on the top while he was boxing it up. I guess that's less of a risk than saying something to me. But, for heaven's sake, he just finished his first year of college. He can't be but 19 or 20.

He was cute in that "I'm kinda nerdy, but very smart" way. And goodness knows, smart is always sexy. But I think someone less than half my age is, indeed, too young - even for a summer diversion. Pity.

Life Stuff Continued

I've had a productive day today. I got up early and did some planting before it got hot, and started working on the house. I got quite a bit done, but my house is still a mess. It's going to take far more than one day of work to get it anywhere near organized. But I did make some progress.

Greg and I had made plans to go to Roy's for lunch. I went on Saturday but he hadn't been for awhile. It's good stuff. I like to make it out there at least once a week.

We are so fortunate to have it right in town. Of course, it ruins other barbecue. I have finally learned to not order barbecue unless it's a place that is really known for its barbecue. And then I'm generally disappointed anyway. As I'm fond of telling Ann, "If I can't have Roy's, I'll do without." There is another barbecue place in town, and they stay open later, but they're a pale imitation of what real barbecue is. Maybe if you don't have Roy's you don't know the difference, but I do.

I was also able to get the car in for an oil change and to get the lock switch replaced. It was driving me nuts having to lean across to lock and unlock the doors. I ordered the part and picked it up yesterday but they put it in for me. I took them some baked goodies I had, too. I'll have to remember that's a good place to take things when I'm in the mood to bake. Now that I have no coworkers I don't have anywhere to take stuff.

Susan had called for dinner last night but I didn't get the message until later so I emailed her telling her that. She emailed back and asked about lunch so I invited her to join Greg and me. It was a really fun time.

Peggy called inviting me to go with her and Gary to Wichita to see Al Gore's movie tonight, but it was Creative Sisterhood group tonight so I couldn't go. I'll have to call and get a report.

It was good I was hosting Creative Sisterhood because it encouraged me work on the house a bit more than I might have otherwise. It's just so overwhelming it's hard to get motivated. But, like everything, it gets done a tiny bit at a time. I made brownies and they were yummy, if I do say so myself. I love that recipe - so quick and easy.

Tomorrow I have some errands for work and then I need to run over to Wichita to get my phone checked out. I've been losing lots of calls and it's going to digital roam all the time and generally just acting wonky. I haven't had it a year yet so want to get it checked out before the warranty is up. I no longer have much faith in cell phone technology lasting - I never even bothered to input all the numbers I had stored in my last phone, or set up all the speed dial. I guess I've come to accept I won't have any cell phone for an extended period of time. I'm not very hard on them, but their longevity is minimal it seems.

Life Stuff

I have spent the last couple of days catching my breath. Monday I had a ton of things I had to do related to the tour, but yesterday I took it easy. Today I felt like getting some things done around the house. It's still completely trashed, but I did accomplish a few things. Creative Sisterhood is tomorrow and my goal is that we'll all be able to sit comfortably - not something that's really possible right now.

Tonight after it cooled off I went out and dug some more flower bed area and planted more calla lillies. I adore them so I'm hoping they do well. I discovered a few more that are peeking through from when I planted them some weeks ago. I didn't plant these as deeply. I'm not sure exactly how all this gardening stuff works, but I know the gladiolus I planted as deep as they said to have not popped up and the others are about two feet tall. So, seems to me planting them a bit more shallow is a better idea. Maybe time will tell me that was a big mistake. We'll see.

My tomato plants are doing great. I have lots of green ones, but nothing anywhere near red yet. The pepper plant still looks very sickly. I put in an oregano plant today. The herbs are perking up a bit. The basil is doing great. I've got some olive oil with fresh basil in it in the fridge right now. I'm planning to have it over fresh mozzarella and tomatoes in the next day or two.

Tomorrow I have some work to do, and then I'm going to work on my life more. In fact, I think I may set the alarm for a very early hour and try to get outside while it's still cool and do some things.

Working on the tour so many hours every day I just let my life fall apart. I need to devote some time and attention to it. For some reason, it seems even harder to get things done when it's such a mess. But, I guess I will. I have to.

Rush Limbaugh's drug problems

Well, doggone it, Rush Limbaugh is once again in trouble regarding drugs. This time it was by customs officials who found Viagra that was not his prescription in his bags. He was detained for about three hours in West Palm Beach, returning from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

His people say it was in his doctor's name for privacy concerns. I guess in Florida it's legal to have a prescription in a third party's name, as long as everyone is aware it's being done. So, as long as the doctor confirms this, Limbaugh isn't in any trouble regarding his recent deal with prosecutors on doctor shopping charges to feed his painkiller addiction. Of course, the privacy thing is out the window.

All of this aside, I have some questions.

1. Isn't Rush single at the moment? Didn't he and his wife file for divorce a year or two ago? So the spokesman for the conservative Christian-right is busy fornicating and that's OK? Apparently he even joked on his show about the fun he had on vacation and said he wished he could share with listeners. I'm very confused. I thought sex outside of marriage was wrong. I remember that very clearly from Sunday School. I thought that violated the very things conservatives stood for. What kind of family values is it to be going about banging women you're not married to? I don't recall what the Bible says about painkiller addiction, but I'm pretty clear about the no sex outside of marriage part.

2. When did all the men in America become impotent? I come from a long line of men who were fathering children into their 70s and 80s, long before we had things like Viagra. You know, I've had sex more than a few times in my life and impotence has never once been a problem. Never once. What's the deal? Admittedly, I would never choose someone like Rush - no question about that. Maybe it's a personality thing. I only sleep with liberals - they don't have impotence problems. Oh, gosh, that's a brilliant marketing position for the democratic party. And, you know, come to think of it, who made Erectile Dysfunction a household phrase? A big time republican, that's who. I swear... I'm onto something here...

Overheard Conversation

Those of you who are regular readers know I periodically post a snippet of overheard conversation.

Female: "So how did you two ever get together in the first place?"
Male: "Well, let me just start by saying I was drunk the night we met."
Female: "Well, that explains a lot."
Male: "I was still drunk the next day. The next thing I knew we were dating. Then she was pregnant and we were getting married."

Well, now, there's a love story to tell the grandkids.

This was followed by a long discussion about how he has tried to get out of the relationship repeatedly and has been unable to. So, on July 6 he is planning to move to South Carolina. He will go to work, quit, and take off from there. His wife and daughter will not know he has left until he just doesn't come home from work.

There are better ways to live a life.

Plastic Surgery for... every body part

A friend of mine is planning to have some plastic surgery soon. It will not be her first time to have a "procedure." I support her decision to do this, but for the life of me I cannot imagine doing it. She will need four weeks to recover from this "minor" surgery, because it is on her face. I'm sorry, anything that requires you to be at home for a month afterwards is NOT minor.

Oddly enough, I flipped over to VH1 tonight after Craig Ferguson's show and they're doing a show about plastic surgery. Parents are giving their children plastic surgery as high school graduation presents. Are you nuts? There's a great way to instill self esteem in your child. Yes, honey, you're right - you are hideous - here's a check so you can go let someone slice you open and rearrange your boobs, nose, tummy, ears and various other parts in hopes that someone will eventually look twice at you. It seems like it wasn't so many years ago that parents would have been horrified to hear their child needed to undergo surgery and now they're encouraging it?

People are having toes shortened, breasts enlarged and labia minora reduced. Yes, that's right - between your legs. I guess we've moved far beyond nose jobs. This ain't your grandma's plastic surgery anymore. Well, maybe it is, but you probably don't want to know about it if it is.

I didn't even know there was such a surgery. I didn't know there was a problem that would make people want a surgery. Not that thousands have seen it, and maybe they were all as out of the loop as I am, but no one has ever mentioned having a problem with the anatomy between my legs. Who stops in the midst of such a moment and says, "oh, gosh, ummm, I just can't... it's too... well... I just can't." Of course, no one ever mentioned that my toes are too long either. Women say they want a Playboy look between their legs. People, Playboy isn't real. News flash - there is this thing called "PhotoShop."

And your toes? What can possibly be wrong with your toes? They're TOES for heaven's sake. Women do this so they can wear stylish shoes. What? People, buy different shoes. It doesn't involve pain, blood transfusions, or chopping off body parts.

I'm starting to feel like I'm living in the dark ages that at age 44 I haven't had any plastic surgery done. By this age I should have at least a half dozen procedures under my belt. Lets see, if I had started at 17 when I graduated high school... Oh gosh, I'd be much further along than a half dozen by now. I'm way behind.

Of course there are things I'd like to look different on me. But I cannot imagine the pain or the cost of the surgery it would take, much less the risk. Has everyone forgotten that surgery is a big deal? Not something one seeks generally?

I know if you plan to have children with someone, you better see a school photo of them to see what genetics you're really getting. On second thought, you better look at a baby photo since children sometimes have their first plastic surgery at a young age to pin back their ears. At least with that I can understand the reason for it. But your toes? Your labia? This must be for people who have run out of other body parts to alter.

I've been asked a couple of times if I've had lip injections. No. Hell, no. What person in their right mind lets someone stick a needle in their LIPS? I just happen to have full lips - although not the fish lips people get with injections. Injection - what an ugly word.

Sometimes I feel very out of touch with the world, and this is one of those times.