4.29.2012

A Final Word

Z...Z...Z...what begins with Z?

"I do.  I'm a Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz.  As you can plainly see."


Yes, I'm a bit loony at this point.  Day Z is finally here.

I've stretched my brain and ruined my eyesight and stayed up past Jimmy Kimmel too many nights.  But, man, what a learning experience.  It's been a great ride.  I only hope I can return to writing without a letter prompt staring me in the face. 

For my final post in the A-Z challenge, I spoke with my favorite character from Seussville.  She's wacky, but friendly, and according to my son (who was five at the time) "she looks like a bedspread."

I contacted 3Z (as I like to call her) and asked if she'd answer some questions.  After all, millions of children have been introduced to her over the years, but we don't really know her.

She was happy to oblige.

mb:  So, is that your real hair color?
3z:  It's the color I was given.  Do you like it? 

mb:  It's lovely.  Do you have other clothes?
3z:  This is my fur.  Do you like it?

mb:  It's beautiful.  How do you spend your day?
3z:  I'm the village checkerboard.  Friends and neighbors visit every day for a good game.  Once a year, we have a marathon.

mb:  Do you get paid for the use of your fur?
3z:  Fritos.  I love Fritos.

mb:  Do you know the Grinch?
3z:  The one who stole Christmas? 
mb:  Is there another one?
3z:  There are several.  Some are grinchier than others.

mb:  How old are you? 
3z:  I'll be 50 next year.

mb:  Who's your best friend? 
3z:  Yertle the Turtle.

mb:  Do you any hobbies?
3z:  I love making sock puppets.

mb:  You're very famous, you know.  You should have a talk show.
3z:  Oprah approached me when she got her own network.  I'm just not up to it.  I have a little arthritis in my knees. 

mb:  Who are the little yellow guys in your ABC book picture?
3z:  Those sweet little fellows are my nephews.  They've since grown up and now work in real estate.  

mb:  Do you have any words for the young readers who enjoy seeing you at the end of the ABC book?
3z:  Learn your ABCs.  When you get to school, stay in school.  Keep reading. Don't be afraid to try green eggs and ham. They're really quite delicious.

mb:  Thank you for your time.  You are representing the letter Z today on my blog.
3z:  Well, thank you.  Zebras are usually the first choice for that.  They're very colorful, with their stripes and all.

mb:  I prefer checkerboards.
3z:  (winking)  Me too.

I left 3Z chatting with the Fox in Sox.

And now, a note from this writer: a big and heartfelt thank you to all the A-Z bloggers who spent time with me here in the Ballpark this month.  Of all the blogs in all the towns in all the world, you clicked into mine.  I am very grateful, and hope to stay in touch with you. 

Zigning off the Challenge...   


4.28.2012

Y is for Yanni...and yacht...and Yuengling

Yanni the yak has a blog
with Yasmin, her friend (who's a frog)
They write on a yacht
Drink Yuenglings when hot
They yawn and nap when there's fog. 

  
This post was brought to you by the letter Y and the number 25.

The party's almost over....


4.27.2012

X Marks the Broken Spot

For Day X of the A-Z challenge, I'm writing about a very expected word: X-ray.  When I was a kid, it was one of only two X words on the spelling list:  X-ray and xylophone.

Today, there are a few more options: Xerox, Xmas (this is actually in the dictionary), xylem (the woody stem of a plant), and The X-files. (I miss you, Mulder.)

I'm sticking with X-ray.  Only because I have such a doozy.


This is the shoulder of my 91 year-old mother.  It has a rod and pins in it that form the shape of a mutant praying mantis.  It's a huge apparatus that was installed to repair a terrible break in her right shoulder last year.

Right after her fall, her shoulder looked like this (warning: icky picture.)


A few weeks after surgery, it looked like this (still icky...)


During rehab, it looked like this...


Mom worked very hard, and after three months, her shoulder looked normal, but does not have the range of motion it once did.  She will never be able to pitch for the Orioles again.

X-rays are X-ceptional tools, and I'm X-tremely grateful for this technology.  Humpty-Dumpty might be around today if an X-ray machine had been available.

Have you ever had an X-ray that enabled doctors to put you back together again?


4.26.2012

Closing Windows

It's W Day at the Ballpark, and Whitney has been persistent in my mind.

I was shocked when I heard she had passed.  Her voice seemed inextinguishable.  Through technology, her recorded voice will always be with us, but the breath behind the music is gone.

My heart goes out to her daughter.  Regardless of Whitney's fame and struggles, in her daughter's eyes, she was simply Mom.

Whitney shares the day with another W image that also tugs at my heart.

Two years ago, a good friend of mine in Oregon passed away.  Kim was authentic and loving and passionate about helping women in crisis pregnancies.  She was a positive mentor to me, and I miss her.

In her final days, she wanted to visit Multnomah Falls, a favorite spot near her home where she always found beauty and peace.  As a woman of faith, she encountered God there.  Her daughter took her to the waterfalls and took this picture.


I love this image of Kim in her wheelchair, admiring the beauty and massive force of the waterfall.  She knew she was dying, and she was at peace with it.  She knew the same creator who had formed the rocks had shaped her life, and she was ready to join Him.

These days, whenever I see a waterfall, I think of Kim. (For my original tribute to my dear friend, click here: In Memory of Kim)

Today, I'm thinking of two beloved women who died too young.  Known around the globe, or known on a much smaller scale, they both had a great impact on those who loved them.  Their earthly windows have closed, but I believe their light continues to shine in their Father's house.    



4.24.2012

The ULTIMATE VALENTINE Card

U and V go together like peanut butter and jelly.  UV rays.  See?  OK, that's the only term I can think of.

But, here in A-Z Land, bloggers are creating all kinds of letter combinations to make it to the finish line.  I'm no exception. 

My UV compound post is called the Ultimate Valentine's Day Card.  It's about my favorite greeting card.  If you like animals (especially monkeys) you'll like it too.

I wrote a post about this card a year ago and am re-posting it today, because writing about it again would just be silly.  And very unnecessary.  Oh, V and U, there they are together again.

Let me know what you think of the monkey.   His name is Verne.
____________________________________________________

The Ultimate Valentine's Day Card
 Originally posted on 2.14.2011 (Valentine's Day)

Did you buy a card for a loved one today?

According to Hallmark, 141 million greeting cards are exchanged today.  Whoa.

My husband and I have exchanged cards over the years, for various holidays, but for quite a while now...we've not been excited about the card options out there.  They're too trite, poem-y, or musical.  And not enough monkeys.  We came to this conclusion the same year, which I thought was very cool.  

However...in August, for my husband's birthday (I'll get back to Valentine's day in a sec)...I found the perfect card.  

A monkey card.  It was a winner with a capital "W."  I laughed out loud.  I love it.  It's so US.  He loved it too.  We displayed in on the piano until Christmas. 

Then he tucked it in his dresser drawer, where he puts favorite treasures.  I pulled it out this week because...I'm giving it to him again for Valentine's day. 

I covered up the birthday sentiments and wrote a Valentine message.  It's simply the best card I will ever find.  I'll probably recycle it again for our anniversary.   I may have to laminate it at some point, so it doesn't wear out.  It's a keeper.  And, clearly, a re-gift. 

Here it is.  Don't mention it, because I haven't given it to him yet.  (Well...not for this holiday.)


...and the inside...

 

:-)        :-)        :-) 

You're smiling, aren't 'cha?  Is that the best, or what?  

Heart-tugging sweet.  

After 35 years, it just says it all.  

That, and a pan of brownies.


Here's hoping you have a monkey-card moment with your loved ones today.

4.23.2012

The One Who Makes THINGS Grow


"So neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."    1 Corinthians 3:7

I was reminded of this scripture verse this week as my daughter and I have been watching her vegetable garden bloom.   It's our first food garden here in Florida, and between the squirrels and the sandy soil, we just didn't know what to expect.

Our daughter, a science teacher, is a faithful tender to the small garden she and my husband planted mid-March. 


We've been photographing its progress.






A watermelon bud a month ago
























































































































Watermelon buds today





Butternut squash a month ago

Butternut today - you can see the gourd forming

It's amazing to me how the watermelon plants know to form a watermelon, and the butternuts know they are not cucumbers.  My daughter just buried the seeds, added water, and then...here you go - food.

Every morning the plants are taller and greener, and we don't do anything the night before, except go to bed.  The nutrients in the soil feed the roots, and the sun draws up the shoots, and it has nothing to do with us.  We just watch, and marvel. 

At church yesterday, it was First Communion for the second graders.  The children were all spiffed up in little suits and white dresses and shiny shoes.  It hit me that these children were once babies that grew until pretty soon, they were in second grade.

The grandparents in the pews were once second graders.

We all grow taller and older, and we don't have to force it, or work at it.  We just grow.

What a miraculous system.  Watermelons and cucumbers and squash all sprout from tiny, simple seeds and water.  Humankind sprouts in a similar way.  Tiny cells implant in the fertile ground of a womb, and, there you go - people. 

Life is strong and ongoing, and if we just let it be...it grows.  We can certainly assist, but the life force doesn't originate with us.  It is given to us, and all things, freely, by the Master Sower.

If we simply receive and don't thwart the process, we too will bloom.  


4.21.2012

Streep, Sheep, and Sleep

Salutations!

It's S Day here at the Ballpark, and man, am I torn.  So many S words.  Soooo many.  (I wonder if some A-Z blogger will write about septic tanks today.)

I fiddled with about seventeen topics for S, then I settled on three. 

1.  Streep.  As in, Meryl.

Words can't describe how talented she is, and how much I admire her.  Does anyone not think she's fabulous?

Some tidbits about this icon: her real name is Mary Louise.  She graduated from Vassar and Yale.  She's a distant relative of William Penn.  She has made 23 films.  In Sophie's Choice, she filmed the "choice" scene only once and refused to do it again, as she found it too painful and exhausting.   When asked how she produces such brilliant accents, she replied, "I listen."  She discourages plastic surgery.  Go, Meryl, er, Mary Louise. 

2.  Sheep.  As in, one day I found a sheep in the dryer.  Life can be weird here at the Ballpark. CLICK HERE for  Sheep in the Dryer and Other Oddities. 


3.  Sleep.   As in, I might be taking the A-Z Challenge too seriously, but I'm literally losing sleep over it.  When the day is done, I log onto the computer to check out more blogs.  Before I know it, hours have passed, and my legs are numb.  My head is crying, I love this!  My body is crying, enough already!  The sleep nodes in my brain are over stimulated due to the blue screen, and even once I'm tucked in, my mind is blog-hopping.  It takes another hour to drift off.  I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep when this nightmare adventure is over.

I have to close out now before I keep typing...so many words, so little time....

...Shakespeare, Scrabble, shag carpeting, Swiss cheese, surf boards, science class, Sylvester Stallone, sycamores, sacrifice, slugs, sunflowers, scarecrows, secrets, swing sets, sharecroppers, Shoeless Joe, sisterhood, Shrek, sleeping bags, soundtracks, stenographers, strawberries, skunks, sweatshops, SOMEBODY STOP me....


4.20.2012

R is for Response-able-ity

For twelve years, I worked for a non-profit agency as an educator to teens about life choices.  I was the director of a five-day workshop that covered self-image, peer pressure, media influence, setting boundaries, etc.  A primary foundation of the program was learning to be Responsible. 

I misspelled the word on purpose.  On the board, I wrote Response-able.   I explained to teens that being responsible means being able to respond.  For example, when your teacher lays out an assignment, and you do the work and turn it in on time - you are proving that you are able to respond to what is required.  

This applies to every situation.  Driving, graduating, a first job, parenting, teaching, managing, leading.  Being response-able means:

1.  You see and understand the requirements of the task.
2.  You decide you are able to fulfill those requirements.  
3.  You take ownership of the task and get to work.  

Being response-able doesn't mean you won't fail.  There are no guarantees in life.  Being response-able means, I understand, I'll do my best, and I'll deal with the result, whatever it is.  From start to finish, I've got this. 

This lesson was an eye-opener to most teenagers.  They didn't typically connect the work part and the result part with the "I want to do that" part.  Their brains were still maturing; the prefrontal cortex (reason) was still grappling to have more influence over the limbic system (wants.)  

Growing up takes time.

I often think adults need a refresher course in 
response-able-ity.  We clearly forget some aspects of it.  Like when I bake cupcakes and then wonder why I'm not losing weight. 


Sigh. 

Growing up is hard.  Even when you're a grown-up.  


4.19.2012

QUESTIONS for Miss Curly-Cute

A week ago, I gave my ex-clown brother 26 A-Z questions to answer. (CLICK HERE if you missed it.)  For a different perspective on similar questions, I spent some time with our three year-old friend, Miss Curly-Cute. 


What a difference fifty years and a tutu make.

Here are Miss Curly-Cute's responses.

1.  What is your favorite ART form?  (music, painting, coloring, etc)  singing and dancing.

2.  If a BEAR walked into your house, what would you do?  I would run out.

3.  Who is your favorite princess CARTOON? Cinderella because her dress is blue, and I like blue.

4.  What is your favorite DRINK?  Water.  And Coke, but I can’t drink it, because Mama tells me that.

5. Do you know anybody with three EARS?  No.  It would be silly.

Miss Curly-Cute and our daughter

6.  What do you FEAR?  I’m afraid of bears.  And stinging things.  And hurting things.

7.  What does GOD look like?  He looks like a baby.

8.  What kind of HOUSE do you live in?  Florida.

9.  When was a time you got INJURED?  I jumped over the spring on my pony and hurt my butt.  I was saying “heee-haw.”

10.  Do you have a JOB at your house, like cleaning your room? I don’t like to clean my room, because I don’t like to do long things.

11.  Do you know what a KANGAROO is?  No.  Does it have three ears? 

Halfway through the interview, we took a break to go look at the garden.  


12.  Would you like a LIZARD pie?  No.  Is it made out of lizards?  NO.

13.  What do you most love about MAMA?  I like that her hair is blonde.  My hair is blonde too.  It’s kind of yellow.  What does blonde mean?

14.  Would you like to take a NAP?  No.  But you can take a nap over there.

15.  What begins with ‘O’?  I do, because my name has a O in it.

16.  Favorite thing about PAPA?  He protects me from bad things, like scary animals.

17.  Do you know any QUEENS?  The ant’s mama.

18.  Do you know something that’s RED?  


(Thinking....) Watermelon is red, right?

19.  Why is SLEEPING BEAUTY sleeping?  A witch camed and maked her asleep.  How did she wake up?  A prince camed and kissed her.  I have a tummy ache.   

20.  Why do you think you have a TUMMY ACHE?  I ate too much, or I’m hungry.

21.  What is a UNICORN?  A horse with a stick on its head.  I have a unicorn bike, when you come to my house, you can see it.

22.  What is your favorite VEGETABLE?  Banana.

Editor's note:  During this interview, Miss Curly-Cute asked why? often.  WHY is her most prolific word.

24.  What is your favorite X-box game? Raymon Oringins.

25.  What would be YUCKY to eat?  It would be yucky to eat cups, or a couch, or a chair.

26.  What is your favorite animal at the ZOO?  Giraffes.  And zebras.  I can feed giraffes, but not pet them.  Zebras necks are too low. 




This post was brought to you by the letter Q and a curious and untarnished three year-old mind.

Refreshing, isn't it?

4.18.2012

P is for Mulberries....kind of

The scariest thing about coming to the letter P in the A-Z Challenge is that Q is next. 

What are 1800 people going to write about the letter Q?  What am I going to write?  I'm tempted to pull out Dr. Seuss's ABC book and see what he wrote.  Something about a queen and her quacking quackeroo.  I might have to steal that.

But, I'll think about that tomorrow.  Tomorrow's another day, thank you very much, Ms. Scarlett.

Today is P, and just yesterday, a lot of "Ps" came my way.

My daughter and I picked mulberries.  Mulberries look like this...


They're like blackberries, but less seedy.  I never knew what a mulberry was until last year when we picked some from this same tree...


I thought mulberries grew on bushes.  As in, "'round and 'round the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel."  Remember that song?   All this time, I was misinformed.   Mulberries grow on trees.  Makes me wonder about the whole monkey/weasel thing.

Anyhoo...mulberries are deep purple, and their juice, of which there is a plethora, is dark and vivid like plasma.


We picked about four pints of berries.  Along the way, we spotted two creatures watching us.  


This is Popeye.   Hand on one hip, he introduced himself by saying, "Hey, this is my tree.  My fruit.  Buzz off."

We ignored him.

The other creature quietly perused our actions.  We didn't get his name. 


When we were done, our gloves looked like they'd seen open heart surgery.


It was kind of gross. 

We left for home with a bowlful of berries for pies, pancakes and smoothies.


After trimming the stems, we pulverized some berries along with some soy milk, cherries, a banana and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


It was pulpy, but delicious.


This promotion of mulberries was brought to you by the letter P.   Which makes no sense, because "mulberries" starts with M.  So, this post isn't perfect, but it has a lot of pictures.
 
And it's over.

Phew
 

4.17.2012

O is for Overload

Oh, my holy moley word.  This A-Z Challenge is overwhelming.

It's my first year in the A-Z, and I have to tell you...I'm in a blog fog.

Trying to look at 1800 + blogs in the course of a month is truly a challenge.  A fun one, but, OH MY GOSH, every day, my brain is overloaded with what to do first.

Do I visit the A-Z site to see what the sponsors are talking about?  Do I visit new followers to see what they're up to?  Do I head to the A-Z link list to continue my journey through the participating blogs (I'm currently somewhere in the 800's.)  Do I check my own blog to see who's popped in?  Do I write a new post (sometimes it feels like the letters are bowling me over.)  Do I check my email?

Or, while I think about it, do I just sit down with a spoon and a jar of Nutella?

I'm struggling. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the A-Z Challenge.  It's certainly accomplishing its goal.  I'm writing every day (so far), and discovering new journey buddies. (Who knew there were writers out there who dislike Jersey Shore as much as I do?)  

The eye strain is a surprise, as are the late nights.  I'm up past midnight most nights because I have to check out "just one more blog." 

I'm obsessed.  And my butt is sore.  I hope I make it to Z.

Along this journey, I've discovered there are a zillion (well, at least 1,820) heartfelt blogs out there.  So many unique voices sharing and seeking and learning.  Pet lovers, chefs, published authors, grandmas, college students, crafters, people of faith, people whose children have autism, people who struggle with weight issues, gardeners, photographers, and cartoonists.  There are wine-makers and bakers and (probably somewhere) candle stick makers.  

Whatever interests you - there's a blogger somewhere looking to connect.  There are bloggers who are following so many other blogs, I don't know how they ever get away from the computer.  Their backsides must be as flat as pancakes.  No offense intended, I love pancakes. 

The blogosphere is packed with creative, insightful writers and artists who must have Visine in their pockets and widening behinds.  It's the price you pay if you love to write.

And I do.  So, I've reconciled that I'm going to need bigger pants come May.


How are your eyes and posterior holding up during the A-Z Challenge?


4.14.2012

Mourning

Even though I'm writing this on K Day, I'm working on my M Day post, because a beloved uncle died yesterday, and my family is mourning.

I can't focus on things I had planned to do today.  I just want to write.  And reflect.  And talk to my mom (who lost her brother) and my cousin.  And my siblings.  Both my brother and sister are traveling today, so we're sharing our thoughts by way of electronics.

My siblings and I lost our brother when he was 23.  We didn't have a full life with Greg, so we don't have the memories and the shared events that my mom and her brother had.  My uncle Bud was 90.  Think about what all transpires over 90 years.

Uncle Bud was kind, soft-spoken and handsome to boot.  He was a strong, noble guy who loved to show his nieces and nephews new gadgets and games.  He played the mandolin, and he played horseshoes.  I didn't know any other uncles who did those things, so that made him pretty cool.

While we were visiting his family one summer, he pointed out the hot sauce on the kitchen table and how it contained even the seeds of the peppers.  I thought he had to be the bravest guy around, to eat the seeds of a hot pepper.  From that day on, in my ten year-old eyes, he was fearless.

I am so grateful I saw Uncle Bud last month at our family reunion.  He was on the decline with Alzheimer's and was in an assisted living facility.  He received an afternoon pass to join the family at a local resort for a meal.    

After some time with family, he remarked to my cousin, "I don't know where I am...but this is better."  His brain may have been muddled, but his heart knew he was surrounded by people who loved him.  


I am sad today for my mom and my aunt and my cousins.  Bud was such a gentle, loving force in our family.  He will be tremendously missed.  But, we all know that he is finally free from the agitation and fog of Alzheimer's.  And there really is some comfort in that.

After talking with my cousin this morning, I learned more about Bud's passing.  He was on a plane with his son, traveling home to Illinois after an extended stay in California.  He died quietly in his seat, holding the hand of his son.

My cousin remarked that she can hear her dad thinking, in his engineer way, "I'm already thirty thousand feet high.  Might as well just go on up." 

I can hear that, too.  Bud was a practical guy.  The surly bonds of earth were already loosening their hold, and I believe the view he was beginning to see drew him home.

I can imagine his initial greeting to St. Peter: "I don't know where I am....but this is better."

4.13.2012

L is for Leftovers

Today's post is brought to you by our lovely daughter, who is normally leaning over her lettuce in the garden, or logging onto her laptop.  She's a whiz at making lemon meringue pies.     
      -----------------------------------------------------------------------  

"L is such a lovely letter, for words like licorice and lace. The letter L lights up your face, why not la-la-la-laaaaaa with me?” –  Ernie from Sesame Street.

While my family has never been homeless or poor, we’ve often been paycheck-to-paycheck and sometimes even paycheck-to-credit-card-to-paycheck.  But, as a rule, God has always provided exactly for our needs, with little leftovers.  I’ve never doubted the provision of my Lord, but, my Lord - have I been on the verge! 

It seems however empty our wallets might feel, our fridge is always full of Pyrex and Tupperware and Ziploc and folded up foils. We may not have the fixings to make a full meal where we all eat the same thing, but we have always had enough leftovers for us all to have something. 


My mom is a chef and a baker and a homemaker extraordinaire. You may have picked up that she’s crafty and creative in this blog, or you might have some of her quilt work on your bed to keep you cozy.  

Growing up, we were often running through the kitchen calling out to her- unhelpfully- “What’s for dinner?”  It didn’t really matter what was for dinner, since we were going to be eating it no matter what it was, but we were curious.  It must have exhausted her to be drilled all day about the menu.  It didn’t take too long for her response to become as creative as her quilts: "We're having snake lips." 

We had snake lips casserole, snake lips stew, snake lips and macaroni.  And our fridge was full of snake lips leftovers.

Leftovers don’t get the reverence they deserve, really.  They make good lunches for school the next day.  They can be a good reminder of a family conversation or moment the night before. Some even taste better cold than they did hot, or have more flavor as leftovers than the first time around.  

I think sometimes, the worst times in my life, I was a leftover.  I was left behind by people I trusted, closed out of a too-full class, and even kicked out of a few things.  

But, if I hadn’t become a leftover, I would never have figured out I loved Chemistry more than I’d love Med School, or that it’s more fun to be a youth minister than a lab rat.  I would have missed out on finding the leftover gifts and loves in me.  And I wouldn’t be the wonderful pizza pie of snake lips I am today.

Some people are categorically leftovers; we don’t even see them as we pass them.

This past week, the assisted living facility where my grandparents live lost a widow to old age and illness.  She was a leftover from a husband who passed, a leftover seamstress from a closed dress shop, a leftover woman of independence means living in a community of leftovers. 

And yet, she was so tender, so sweet, so out-reaching.

She was losing her sight and teamed up with another nearly-blind fellow to play a humongous card at Bingo.  She held hands with the inconsolable, and she was quietly present among the irritable.  She had family who visited, and yet she became family for the other “leftovers” in her community.  She was like a snake lip casserole that tasted better the next day, finally allowing the seasonings of life to marinate her perfectly.

Then, just like that, she was gone.  We are all better for her life.

And I’m a little more grateful for leftovers.

SJB

4.12.2012

Lessons from KINDERGARTEN

About twenty years ago, I read a fabulous book called  All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.   If you're over forty, you've probably read it too.  It was published in 1988.

It's a charming book full of wisdom.  It should be required reading in college; a class should be offered called "Lessons from Kindergarten."

It should be required reading for new senators and congressmen in Washington, too.  With an exam to follow.  

A few excerpts:  

  • Share everything
  • Play fair.
  • Don't hit people.
  • Put things back where you found them.
  • Clean up your own mess.
  • Don't take things that aren't yours.
  • Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
  • Wash your hands before you eat.
  • Flush.
  • Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
  • Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
  • Take a nap every afternoon.
  • When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
  • Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
  • Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.    

Everything is right there.

Apparently we forget most of it as we grow up.

I think this is one reason why children are so important.  We get to do Kindergarten all over again. 


4.11.2012

Just another letter...

 I just (meaning a short time ago) checked out the A-Z Challenge website.  There are 1,820 blogs listed. That just (meaning really) amazes me.  I'm just (meaning only) one of them.

Just to clarify....I'm writing about the word JUST.  It's an interesting word that has several meanings.

Sometimes it's a noble little word, as in "It's just (fair and correct) that everyone in the family gets a doughnut."

Sometimes it expresses passion:  "I just (really) love the lemon-filled doughnuts."

Sometimes it pinpoints a time: "I just (a second ago) ate the last lemon-filled doughnut."

Sometimes it's used to diminish: "I'm just (only) a plain, cake doughnut.  Nobody wants me." 

Or, as I said in the 80's when I was a full time mom raising three children and didn't realize what I was saying, "I'm just (only) a homemaker."

I don't say that anymore.

I open my "about me" blurb with this alert:  "Just so you know...this is not a blog about baseball."  Here, I'm using the word to mean "pay attention, I'm clarifying here," which doesn't fit into any of the definitions above.

I also have a category of posts called "Just Life."  Which doesn't mean only life, or a fair and correct life, or a short time ago life.  It means everyday, ordinary life.  Which doesn't fall into Webster's definitions either. 

Go figure.  It's a word with a mind of its own. 

I'm just saying...



4.10.2012

INTERVIEW with the Ex-clown

Regular readers know that I have a brother who is an engineer.  In his younger days, he was also a professional clown.  I don't think he was ever in the circus, but he entertained many a child at parties and church events. 

I write about him once in a while, and he tolerates my ramblings.  (For posts on the ex-clown, check out "the ex-clown" file folder.)  He's a good egg.


For I Day, I sent him 26 questions to answer.  Each question focuses on a letter of the alphabet - an expansion on the A-Z challenge.  Here we go...

1.  What is your favorite ART form? (painting, music, writing, crafts, etc.)  Clowning.  

2.  If a BEAR ambled into your house, what would you do? Freeze, and hope he doesn't like frozen food.

3.  Who is your soul mate CARTOON?  Snoopy

4.  Regarding DOUGHNUTS: yeast or cake?  Blueberry cake

5.  Who most ENCOURAGES you?  Wife, Mary

6.  What do you FEAR?  Pain

7.  What is your favorite attribute of GOD?  His capacity for forgiveness.

8.  Your worst HABIT.  Talking too loud.

9.  Your worst INJURY/ILLNESS.  Fractured heel bone

10.  What JOB would you never want to do?  Clean sewers

11.  What would be the best thing about being a KANGAROO?  I could jump high

12.  LEMON Meringue or Key LIME pie?  Lemon Meringue

13.  Favorite MATH equation.  Any equation with pi in it  (especially cherry)

14.  If you owned a NEWSPAPER, what would be its name?  News U Can Use

15.  What is the best financial OFFER you've ever received?  My work retirement plan

16.  Your favorite PARABLE.  The Prodigal Son

17.  If you were QUEEN/KING for a day, what rule would you make?  Do something kind for someone today 

18.  Name one REGRET.  Making an unkind remark to someone

19.  Best SANDWICH you ever hadReuben at Woodside Deli in Maryland

20.  If you could talk to a TRICERATOPS, what would you say?  Ever tried roasted marshmallows? 

21.  Have you ever been to UTAH?  Yes, Lake Powell

22.  Worst VEGETABLE.  Eggplant

23.  Are you happy with your WAISTLINE?  Not really.

24.  Which body part was most recently X-RAYED?  Heel (see injury above)

25.  Name something you did YESTERDAY, but will not do todayEat too much at the Easter party.

26.  Favorite ZOO animalMonkey

There you have it.  Riveting journalism.  

You can now tell your friends you became acquainted with an ex-clown today.  They'll probably be envious.  You can direct them to this post if they want to be part of the "in" crowd. 


p.s. stay tuned for a future interview with Miss Curly-Cute.