Arrrgh!!!

I've been reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" this summer. I pick it up now and then and read a few chapters, then set it down to work a bit more. I keep coming back to it, and it's rare for me to read a book this way.

I've been delighted with Frances Mayes commentary on the rennovation of a house in Tuscany and how they came to adopt the Tuscan attitudes about food. Toward the end of the book she writes about the background of Tuscan cuisine. She suggests that la cucina provera (the poor kitchen) where leftovers were used up, and there was little extra in the way of ingredients, is the basis for much of the Tuscan cuisine in our more abundant times. The Tuscan cook makes use of what's at hand, grapes, olives, oil pressed from your own olives, beans, mushrooms, mint and salad burnet. The cuisine is hearty, generally peasant in heritage, and revolves around bread, and pasta. Now I know where bread salad must have been created.

If for nothing else, get this book and read the recipes she shares.

There was one other line that caught my attention. Mayes wrote that she had heard that our bodies have the same proportion of minerals that the earth has. Supposedly, the percentage of zinc and potassium in our bodies is the same as those found in the earth. This led her to wonder if we have an innate need to emulate the earth's push toward rebirth.

When I was younger, I would have said this was just coincidence, but now I believe that even the smallest details around us are part of a greater plan.

If you haven't read this book, do. Even if you go to see the movie, read the book. And, when you decide to try the recipes......call me! I'll bring the wine.

In 1991, the Great Wall of China became the second largest man-made structure in the world. The largest was the Fresh Kills Landfill, serving New York City. It is now the highest point on the east coast.

Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every HOUR! (Now you know how Fresh Kills outstripped the Great Wall.)

For every glass bottle recycled, we save enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for four hours. (That makes us just about even in our household.)

One pound of recycled steel saves enough energy to light a 60 watt bulb for 24 hours.

Recycling and reusing the material in "tin" cans reduces energy use by 74%, air pollution by 85%, solid waste by 95%, and water pollution by 76%.

It's way past my bed time, but I wanted a chance to blog before I call it a day. We have a guest tonight, so I spent part of my evening cleaning. I laid a fire and lit it before she arrived, along with some vanilla scented candles.

DH and I covered the plants at the front of the house with light plastic tarps. We are supposed to have temperatures drop to about 23, so we're expecting our first hard frost. I don't know if the plastic will be adequate protection, but the heat radiating off the bricks may sustain the plants for another night.

The dog and cat have been fed, and most of the dishes have been washed. The clothes have been folded, and the house is closed up for the night.

I like this time of day. I wish that I could find a compromise between having the quiet of the house to myself late at night, and having to get up early to get a start on my day. I particularly like that my phone stops ringing around 10:00. When you were a kid, did your parents teach you that you weren't to make phone calls after 9:00 unless it was an emergency? I tried to teach that to my stepchildren, and they thought I was crazy.

Tomorrow we have the last of the preparations for the wedding on Saturday. I have the last of my clothing shopping to do, and Mother and I have appointments for manicures.

The fire is starting to die down, and I'm just about out of tea. Time to toddle off. Good night all.

The news this morning was about studies which have been done in Finland, Sweden and the United States. It seems that women who opt for breast implants are three times more likely to commit suicide than women who have not had the surgery.

It's likely that women who choose to alter their shape surgically will be unhappy with how they look even after the surgery. They may be unable to see themselves in a positive light no matter how good they look.

It's a sad commentary on our society that we are unable to accept our bodies, and that we STILL prize a look that requires an anorexic life style.

I've been getting ready for my niece's wedding this weekend. I was overjoyed when she asked me to be one of the readers for her wedding. I'm really looking forward to celebrating this milestone in her life.

But, like a lot of women, it's stressful for me to choose what I'm going to wear. I have four siblings who have superb taste in clothing. They always look exceptional. I am the one who is overweight, and I tend to lead a very casual lifestyle, so when it comes to a family celebration, I get a little crazy......well....a LOT crazy, about what to wear.

If you read Jamie's blog.....she stole this test from Billy, who got it from WichiDude. I went right to WichiDude to steal it! *G*

This is what they had to say about me. (I think to some degree they are wrong, but that's okay.)

The Big Five Personality Test

Extroverted	||||||||||||||||	64%
Introverted	||||||||||	36%
Friendly	||||||||||||||||	66%
Aggressive	||||||||||	34%
Orderly	||||||||||||||	58%
Disorderly	||||||||||||	42%
Relaxed	||||||||||||||	60%
Emotional	||||||||||	40%
Intellectual	||||||||||||||	58%
Practical	||||||||||||	42%

Take Free Big 5 Personality Test

It astounds me what you will find in the newspaper these days. On the front page of the October 5, 2003, Chicago Tribune "Q" section, the editor saw fit to post an article on a new product called The Flatulence Deodorizer, or the Flat-D.

The Flat-D is shaped like a flat light bulb, and contains a layer of activated charcoal. It's worn inside your underwear. It's a washable device which sells for $12.95.

I know there's a use for this product. I was thinking about getting some as stocking stuffers, or handing them out at Thanksgiving. The writer actually tested it so that he could give his personal opinion, and he found it to function well if you make sure there is a comfortable seal. (We're well past the TMI! limit...)

What astounded me about this was that it wasn't buried in the back of the section, but it was on the FRONT PAGE! Either flatulence has become epidemic in proportion, or editorial standards have slipped.

For years, we've been told that we needed Downy Fresh softness in our wash, or the convenience of Bounce dryer sheets. Fabric softeners take away the scratchiness of towel, and, well.....soften them.

Unfortunately they also take away some of the absorbancy. Have you ever had to use a hotel towel, or perhaps one from a gym? Those scratchy towels are much more absorbant because they don't use any fabric softener in the wash.

There are two other reasons not to use fabric softener. As a quilter, I've found that cottons which will be used in quilts shouldn't be softened. The chemicals stay in the fabric longer, because quilts are not frequently washed, and they can deteriorate the fibers.

And, for those of you who have asthma, the perfume added to fabric softeners can be a problem. Years ago, we lived in an apartment building that had laundry facilities. I had to go down a flight of stairs, out the door, over to the next entry and down another flight of stairs to get to the washers. I noticed as I was reversing the trip that I was wheezing by the time I got back to my front door, and even started an exercise program to get into shape.

When the wheezing didn't go away, it finally dawned on me that I could add fabric softners to the list of materials that I was allergic to. Now, whites, are the only clothes that I use softener on. I wash and bleach them, rinse them, start the washer a second time with a quarter of a cap of softener, and then rinse them once more. The rest of our clothes go softener-less, and no one has complained!

Try giving it up. It will save you money, and might make your towels more functional!

Did you know that in 2001, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission required a change in the manufacture of cords for window coverings in response to child-strangulation concerns?

This is another of those cases where my Mother asks, "How did we manage to raise you with all that danger around?" It seems to me that parents could have managed this all by themselves, rather than requiring the expense of an entire Federal Safety Commission.

If you have cords that were purchased prior to 2001, and feel that you need to protect your children from their threat, free retro-fit repair devices are available to you through the Window Covering Safetly Council. Go to www.windowcoverings.org for information.

Okay, ladies! Listen up!

If you have not made your appointment for a mammogram, go do it NOW! October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The chances are good that your local facility is running a special on mammograms and you could save some money doing it during October.

If you are forty and have not had one, it's time to get a baseline test. Some doctors will tell you that you only need one every other year until you are fifty, and then one a year. Others will tell you to get one every year. It varies from doctor to doctor. Be on the safe side and get it done. If you catch breast cancer early it can be controlled. Think of all you have to loose by putting it off.

Guys, if you love your wife or your daughters, remind them to get it done. Let them know you care about their health.

This comes under the category of being good to yourself. I know the test can hurt. I know that for some people it's very embarrassing. BUT....it might save your life. GO DO IT!

What's with the flood of articles on kid's back packs, lately? I've seen them in magazines, newspapers and on T.V. Is this just because the kids are back at school, or has there been some research recently about the danger to little spines?

Last Sunday, Bob Condor of the Chicago Tribune wrote about kids riding bikes to school. He felt it was a healthy physical activity, and it cut down on some of the traffic volume typical around schools. Readers wrote in to comment that they felt their children were unsafe on bicycles with the heavy backpacks. It's too easy for them to shift, and cause a loss of balance.

I thought today was the last day the ARRR!! would sail this season. I was wrong. Dear Husband spent the day taking down sails, taking down the boom, and stowing "stuff" in the cabin for the season. Because we spent yesterday celebrating my niece's wedding, he didn't get to sail this weekend. That was a major concession for him, and he never said a word about it.

I was working in the office when he got home. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and he should have been out until 5:30 or 6:00. I went to find out if he was ill, and he told me how he had spent his day.

Next Friday, he'll drive to the city and stay overnight on the boat for the last time this summer, and then he'll be at the lock early Saturday morning to have the mast stepped. Then, he'll motor down the Chicago River to the boat yard where the boat will be craned out.

It will seem odd to have DH back after a season of solitary weekends. Of course, you understand that there will be WEEKS of putting the boat to bed......*S* Maybe by January we'll have some time together.

DH and I drove into Chicago Friday night for the rehearsal of my niece's wedding. The rehearsal went well, and the rehearsal dinner was a LOT of fun. This is a very social group and they worked it hard right up to the time we were all being encouraged out the door.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The bride was in an elegante white satin gown with beading, and her attendants each wore the black formal dress of her own choosing. They looked spectacular! The groom and his groomsmen wore black tuxes.

One of the groomsmen pasted a Cubs sticker on the sole of the groom's foot, so we had a chuckle when they knelt during the service. I managed to do my reading without crying. Well....maybe a sniff or two.

I wasn't warned that this was a formal wedding. My outfit was on the edge of being too casual, but the long skirt, and black shoes and hose pulled it off. Thank you, all of you who reassured me, and encouraged me to be myself.

The reception was held at an Irish American Association hall. Everything was buffet style. They set out quite a variety of hot and cold appetizers so everyone could catch the Cubs game, and then the dinner buffet was set up around 7:00. Everyone had a great time. I've never heard so much conversation! We left about half an hour after the dancing started. It was time to drive Mother home. (Actually.....it had been a long day for us, too.)

So.....TWO wonderful weddings this year! When the brides finally get their pictures, I'll see if I can post a couple of them.

I was trying to sleep this morning around 6:30 when I heard this insistent beeping. Four short beeps and a pause, four short beeps and a pause, four short beeps..... You get the picture.

My first thought was that the smoke alarm went off. But the smoke alarm has one long high pitched scream of a sound. Then, I thought that Mother was listening to the messages on her answering machine.....or perhaps the answering machine was signaling that there were messages to be read. Just about the time I thought I should check on DH, he opened the door and said that the noise was his cell phone.

We were just watching the national news on T.V., and ABC reported that the Pentagon is selling off equipment that can be used to create biological weapons, such as incubators, and centrifuges. Equipment that the government purchased for $46,000 was sold for $4,100.....less than one tenth of the value.

The issue of cost burns me, but another issue sent me up in flames. It seems that they sold to anyone who contacted them on the Pentagon website. NO background checks were made. NO attempt was made to see where the equipment was going, despite the fact that it has been determined that some of the equipment has been resold in countries that harbor terrorists.

I MIND that my government is making such poor decisions in matters that affect my tax dollar and my safety. We count on the Pentagon to be there to protect us, and it seems our trust is unfounded.

Our Homeland Defense needs a bigger think tank. We not only have to work against threats from outside our borders, we have to work against stupidity within our ranks.

UPDATE 10/6/03, From CNN.Com:
"The GAO investigation was requested by the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, which is a unit of the Government Reform Committee."

"The subcommittee will hold a hearing on the matter Tuesday with testimony from Pentagon officials, GAO investigators and a chemical-biological weapons expert."

It seems a large quantity of protective suits were sold, some of which were defective. These suits had been distributed to state and local law enforcement agencies and had been returned when they were found to be defective. THe suits should have been destroyed.

I was reading my mail before getting the day started today, and came across a message from a friend, telling me to go to this site. An artist in Iowa has created a memorial to our military that you might like to see.

I have the Beatle's song about birthdays running through my head. Today's my birthday. We're not planning a rousing celebration; rather, it will be a laid back day.

One of my nieces and her boys have been coming to dinner every other week. We've been trying to get together for the last two weeks, but she has had a virus, and didn't want to share it with us as we prepared for the wedding last weekend. Soooooo....I think she is finally well enough to join us.

I plan to make lasagna, a big salad and garlic bread. And there's this package of devil's food cake mix, and some fudge frosting that's been calling to me......

Usually we celebrate our birthdays by going out for dinner, but this week is pretty tightly booked. A few years ago I started telling my mother that we should all fly down to New Orleans to have dinner at the Courtyard of the Two Sisters. I tease her about it every year, but I haven't gotten her to budge. Don't you think it would be wonderful to hop a plane for a candlight celebration?

Where would you go to celebrate?

The soybean fields around our home have been harvested this week. In place of the even rows of tobacco-colored plants we have biscuit-colored fields that have been buzz cut. The geese are busy gleaning beans that were dropped or left behind, readying themselves for the long commute to their winter homes.

We have seven fairly good sized ponds within half a mile of our house. As the subdivisions have been developed, the ponds have been increased in number and size to handle the run off during heavy storms. The ponds connect the bean fields and the forest preserve, so we tend to see a lot of wild life. The deer use our lot as a runway between Federal land and forest preserve.

We have a few geese around throughout the summer, but in October, it's like a tail gate party. This morning at 10:00, if I could have stepped from goose to goose, I could have made it around the last pond without ever touching the ground. We enjoy hearing them chatter amongst themselves, and watching them practice their flying wedges.

All too soon they'll be gone and the cold will settle. I love Indian Summer!

I love words. I'm always up to learn new ones. I thought I might learn a new one today when I was listening to WGN Radio. Judy Markey was talking about hearing a word that she had never heard before. She'd read it in a newspaper earlier this week, and then one of the sports announcers covering the Cubs game, Tuesday night, used it. The word was "scrum."

Dictionary.com defines scrum as:
A play in Rugby in which the two sets of forwards mass together around the ball and, with their heads down, struggle to gain possession of the ball.

Or: A disordered or confused situation involving a number of people.

I knew the sports definition for "scrum," but I didn't know it had a non-sports connotation. The announcer was describing the mob on Waveland Avenue outside Wrigley Field in Chicago. As a home run was hit over the walls of the field into their midst, he said a scrum of people reached for the ball.

DH says scrums are what you get when you eat crackers in bed. (rolling eyes) That might be the last time I read my blog to him.

I have TMJ. If I remember correctly, thats Temporal Mandibular Joint disease. It means I grit my teeth unintentionally. Unfortunately, it also means that I am breaking some of my teeth, so I have been undergoing one tooth renovation a year.

My dentist has brought me to the final stages for a new crown. Next week it should be cemented in place, hopefully for years to come. In the process, we did a root canal, a crown lengthening, repair of a molar next to it, and then creation of a post to hold the new crown. To protect the post, and to keep the tooth from shifting, I've been wearing a temporary crown for the past few weeks.

The night of the wedding rehearsal, it popped off. The dentist and I couldn't meet up, so I did without until Monday morning, when she glued it back in place. Last night.....

Did anyone else hear Paul Harvey today announce that France has vetoed proposed billboards showing bare female butts???

I need to surf some more to find out what that was all about....

Beauty salons and spas are being asked to watch for evidence of spousal abuse on their clients. It makes sense that people in the personal care industry would be among the first to see signs of abuse.

My understanding is that unless a woman asks for assistance, you can't do anything about spousal abuse. If a salon is willing to educate people about abuse, or will act as a clearinghouse for assistance information, then this might be a good idea. If the salon is merely reporting the abuse, but doing nothing to help the woman, then what's the purpose?

We have a plethora of Farmer's Markets in our area from late May to late October. Most of them carry products other than farm grown crops, and they are a delight to the senses.

Shrimp, crab, kale, pumpkins, glads, squash, lettuce, vinegars, honey, mushrooms, apples, bread, cheese, ears of dried corn, bales of straw, dried sunflower heads, the last tomatoes and corn of the year. You can make incredible meals from the bounty they sell.

I'll miss the giant garlic heads, and leeks, the tiny pickle cucumbers, the fresh green beans, and the raspberries, and the man who sharpens my knives.

We're blessed with abundance. The Farmer's Market is the best way I know to get food at it's freshest. Seven months, and they'll be back. I'll know that summer is almost upon us when the Market opens again.

Have you ever thought about how we decide what a job is worth? To me, a buck a shirt at the cleaners is well worth not having to wash and iron shirts, and I'm at the stage in my life where I'd rather pay someone to wash the high windows and clean out the gutters.

"The Girls" on WGN were talking about how we set salaries. They felt that we should consider the following guidelines: If you love your job you get pennies to do it. If you have a dreadful job, you get $6,000,000 for it.

The Friday Five

(shuddering at the subject matter!)

1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?
Not if I can help it. When I am in the office I listen to the CUBS play baseball (on the radio.)

2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes? Chicago teams. I support our perennial loosers, and now it seems I might have a chance to support a winner. (The Cubs)

3. Are there any sports you hate?
Boxing, bike and motor cross, wrestling

4. Have you ever been to a sports event.
Yes I went to football games in college, and I've been to see the Cubs once.

5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?
Only those required in P.E.

We are one of the legion of people who have cable TV. Our reception is so bad that we wouldn't bother to turn the TV on if we didn't have cable or dish reception.

About two weeks ago, DH turned the TV on and discovered there was absolutely no picture. We had a fuzzy gray screen and noisey static. So, he called to report that we were having a problem.

The Arr!! has returned home for the winter. Friday night, Dear Husband went to Chicago to spend the night on the boat. He left the truck and trailer at the boatyard and then took his first EL ride to get to the boat. That alone was an experience. It seems the train didn't stop at his stop the first time around. He stayed on and did the entire trip around the Loop to get to his stop.

Neither of us have ever ridden an elevated train, so it follows that we've never purchased a ticket, either. DH put a $20 bill into the dispenser for a $1.50 fare, thinking he would get change. Instead, he got a little credit card worth $20 of rides! I'm going to make him take me to Chicago to ride the EL and go Christmas shopping. That's going to be one expensive elevated trip! lol

We were planning on going out to brunch this morning, as a late celebration of my birthday. One of my all time favorite restautants is Pappadeaux, a Cajun place that is part of the Pappas brother's chain. There are two in the Chicago area, and I'm relieved that none of them are any closer than 30 minutes, or I'd LIVE there.

We visited Jamie and Speedbump for New Years two years ago, and I discovered that they have ALL the Pappas restaurants in one place. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. There are at least six restaurants that feature seafood, barbeque, steak, Mexican, Cajun and Italian. Each restaurant features one cusine, and has "pappa" built into the name (Pappadeaux, Pappacitos, Pappas Brothers, etc.)

At any rate....we were supposed to go to brunch this morning, but it seems a cold has set in, and no one was up for it. That's a first! We've spent a quiet morning. DH has been watching the History and Sci-Fi channels, I've been reading mail and blogging and Mother has been knitting and watching HGTV.

One of the problems associated with a change of plans like this is always.....what will we do for dinner. Today, it seems we are in luck.

The Cubs WON last night! They WON!!! WooooooooAhhhhhhhhhhh!

This is the first time in 58 years that the Cubs have played in a post season play off. There aren't a lot of people left who can remember them winning, so this feels like a miracle to most of us. Heck....the last time they made it all the way to the World Series was in 1908.

If you love the Cubs, you have learned to deal with disappointment, but that makes this season all the sweeter! Die-hard Cubs fans feel vindicated for their faith after a lifetime of loosing.

GO CUBS!!! GO CUBS!!! GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Defer and I were out walking this afternoon. Remember that tree that I described a week ago Sunday? I was sitting in the kitchen as the sun rose, and it set the top of the tree into a golden fire? Well, in just one short week the tree completely turned to flame and then dropped all it's leaves. All that is left is the skeleton.

Our lot is bordered by a walking path, and the path is edged with trees. There are a lot of black walnut trees that hang over the path. Usually in September they drop their leaves, and then you see the black walnuts ripening on the bare branches. This year the leaves and the walnuts fell about the same time, and the path is littered with husks and leaf trash.

To rant, or not to rant, that is the question. Every now and then it just bursts out of me. Most times I can manage to maintain my cool. I believe it's healthy to rant, and I'm not sure why I don't rant more, since it feels Sooooo GOOD!

Yeah....who would have guessed they'd see ME talking about sports!? It's been a lifetime endeavor to avoid all things sporting, because most of the teams near me have been the pits!

I know....the Cubbies lost last night, but we're not out of the running yet. And to be a Cubs fan you have to take the "hope springs eternal" pledge. For years we have said "There's always next year." So the headline in the Trib a week ago was....."Next year is here." I have faith that the Cubs will go on to the World Series.

And that brings me to what I actually wanted to say. I assume that the World Series is played on the home fields of the competing teams. If that's the case, and if the Red Sox beat the Yankees to get to the World Series, we (The CUBS) need to get the field crew busy creating a kick-ass design for our infield!

Did you see how they mowed the infield where the Red Sox play?? It's a jazzed up version of a variable star....a pattern any quilter would recognize! I swear they must use GPS to guide the mowers! I'm really impressed, and feel that we need to prepare our own field so that we can stand the comparison.

Quilters, e-mail your suggestions to Ron Santo and Pat Huges at WGN, right away!

And while I have your attention, if you are a Sox or Yankees fan, plan to be on your best behavior when you come to Chicago. We want to win MORE than you do, but that doesn't mean fighting during the game is okay.

Here endeth the sports report for the day.

Today I was reading "Dear Abby" in the Chicago TRibune. A reader sent in the Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do from Rotary International. The four questions to be asked are:

1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned.

Normally, I'd choose to follow these guidelines. I think they have a lot to say about good citizenship, and empathy for others.

But tonight, there's not a chance I can put them in place. Did you see that jerk interfere with play last night at the Cub's game? I'm astounded that Alou was able to control himself. I wouldn't have! I'd have been climbing the wall to take him out!

The Cubs have gone SOooooo LONG without a winning season, and a FAN interferes with play. It doesn't matter that he's a good man, that he does wonderful things for kids, or that he's a friend to all. He distrupted the play, broke the Cub's concentration and opened the door to the Marlins wiping us off the field. He KNOWS the game, and should have known better! Asshat!

The best thing for all involved is for the Cubs to win tonight, and put this behind us!

Do you have a keepsake that you keep near you, even when you travel? Is there something you need to have nearby at all times?

I haven't experienced this as an adult, but as a young child I had a blanket that had to be available to me or the uproar would be unbearable. It was a thin child's quilt that was a faded pink. I'd leave it on the floor until bedtime to chill it. I'd form a circle with my thumb and last three fingers and draw the blanket through the circle to chill my cheek, and I bent my index finger and sucked on it.

Mother says that I used to stand next to the washer and dryer when I was forced to give the blanket up to be washed. She couldn't pry me loose. I was probably about six when my father used Blankie as a rag. They tried to find all sorts of substitutes, but it was never the same. I could never get them to admit that it was a conspiracy to get me to stop sucking my index finger.

Today, I discovered what happens when your parents aren't successful in weaning you from your childhood talismen. You become a 25 year old who carries a blanket and a teddy everywhere you go. Can't you see having to explain about the blanket to your boss? Worse yet.....how to you tell your lover to "GET OFF MY BLANKIE!"?? Or when your four year old reaches for your teddy...."Touch my teddy and DIE!"

All I can say is......"Thanks, Mom and Dad, for helping me give it up!"

Well.....perhaps a little joy...

I didn't intend to dress in black today, but I realized late in the morning that from head to toe, I was swathed in black. Black shoes and socks, black slacks, a black silk shirt....everything is black. It must have been because I felt the need to mourn.

I had such incredibly high hopes for the Cubs. They have had the most amazing year. We've been so used to them loosing that they set a fire under us and sparked the rush to rejoice: WE COULD WIN!!!

As true Cubs fans, we will now focus on the fact that we have a competitive team who brought us great joy this year. And we'll pat each other on the back and say....."There's always next year!

Congratulations CUBS! Thanks Dusty Baker for and incredible year! See you next Spring.

1. Name five things in your refrigerator.
Minced garlic, Cran-raspberry juice, lots of Romaine, green olive tapenade,
and herb-coated goat's cheese

2. Name five things in your freezer.
Blue plastic ice packs, pot roast, shrimp, Squirrel ice cream (vanilla fudge swirl), seven pounds of butter.

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.
Canola oil, Lamp oil, dishwasher detergent, sponges, silver polish

4. Name five things around your computer.
An antique coffee grinder, two pictures of polar bears, three candles, a
picture of DH standing next to a stuffed Alaskan moose, a glass dish of
potpourri.

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.
I don't have a medicine cabinet. Most of our medicine cabinet "stuff" is kept
in drawers under the counter: Floss holder, Allegra, razor,
Aspirin, Q-tips.

This week I finished "The Pilot's Wife," by Anita Shreve. It's an exceptional book, not the kind I usually choose to read, but a very absorbing story. Normally, I pick up a book and try to read it from cover to cover in one sitting, or perhaps two. With this book, I read a chapter, or sometimes a paragraph or page at a time. I needed the time to think about the unfolding story, and chose not to push the reading.

For some reason I chose this weekend to begin organizing both personal and company data. It might well have to do with the fact that the CPA's assistant will be here tomorrow, and I'll need to be able to find things. It could just be the "nesting" impulse that comes over me in the Fall. It could be that things have needed to be tidied up since the hard drive had to be reprogramed, or it could be that I have let months of filing slide because I HATE FILING!

Whatever the reason, I've sure gotten a LOT done this weekend. What worries me is that in the process, I blew off a gorgeous day when I could have been outside working on putting the gardens to bed. Saturday, I cleaned out half of the sidewalk gardens. I need to cover that area with compost and mulch. My biggest problem has been that the plants are still blooming, and I refuse to kill off living plants. I dug out the dahlias and readied them for storage, but the rest will have to wait until we get a killer frost.

I washed clothes, and emptied out the dishwasher, and washed dishes. I cleaned the kitchen counter and made the bed. I've organized some of the stuff that's come in from the Arr!! I have receipts organized for the first ten months of 2003, so tax season should be a lot easier. I might even get things cleaned out so that we have more space!

What is there about this kind of work that makes you feel self-righteous?? This is almost as bad as having to listen to a person who has given up cigarettes!

We were walking this evening. Dear Husband asked if I would like to go, and I said...."Maybe after dinner." Well, the light fades fast these days, and even though we had an unusually early dinner tonight, the sun had dipped below the houses to the west as I changed my shoes. I try never to say no to an invitation to walk. We both need the exercise and I want to encourage this effort.

We got onto the path, and the first thing I noticed was that the black walnut trees were bare of leaves, but there were still clusters of nuts here and there. DH told me that I had to watch out for them. They hurt when they land on you. I had a vision of the scene from the "Wizard of Oz," where the trees are throwing their apples at the walkers. I could just see that black walnut tree sizing up the distances and waiting to bomb me.

Whew.......I made it past without an incident. Then we came to a patch where the nuts lay thick on the ground. You had to walk looking down or risk doing one of those Dick Van Dyke prat falls.

Our walk was uneventful despite the dangers along the way. It seems that it's a metaphor for my life. I've walked down the path, through the dangers, and made the trip safely so far. I hope the future will be as pleasant and safe as the past has been, and that there will be time for many more walks.

Or any of a thousand other names we use for marijuana, will do.

I was reading my copy of "The Herb Quarterly" (Winter, 2003) and came across an article on the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Marijuana used for medical purposes has been met with resistance around the world. The Netherlands is probably the best known exception. However, some patients in Canada are now receiving small amounts of government grown marijuana.

What caught my eye was that the California State Supreme Court has ruled that patients with a doctor's note may use marijuana. However, federal law dictates that third parties may not supply people with the herb. Soooooo.....than means that Californians must grow their own marijuana.

I wonder if there are controls in place concering the potency of the plant? One of the stumbling blocks in Canada had to do with the potency of the crop that was being offered for medicial use. Can't you see people fine-tuning their farming techniques to develop the most potent strain of Cannabis ever created??
Every house in California will have it's own little herb garden. Marijuana plants will become a part of the landscaping! The Marijuana plant will become the State Plant!

Where else but in California???

the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the Courage to change the things I can, and

The Wisdom to know the difference.

That rates up there as one of my all time favorite prayers, ahead of

God, please grant me patience, NOW!

It certainly would be nice to experience wisdom sometime in my life.....

Isn't style fascinating? Each of us has a unique style about us. It's reflected in how we dress, whether we are day or night people, grasshoppers or ants. It shows up in the type of housing we choose, whether we have kids, what type of job is satisfying, whether we can let an old love go, our sense of humor, and if we have close ties to nature.

Style is on my mind because of the diversity of blogs I read. Since the day I first tripped over Billy's blog, he's been a daily read. He writes an amazing stream of consciousness, but in each essay he produces, there's likely to be a reflection that ties his past life into the one that's coming, something wildly funny, and something heartfelt. I never know what the subject matter will be, but I always know that I will have been given a snapshot of his life, a clear unobfuscated view.

Do you suppose that everyone at some time in their life thinks about what they might like to name their children? I've always thought the tradition you tend to find on the East coast of using the mother's maiden name for a son's first name, was a cool idea. Obviously it works better with some names than others. Can you see a kid entering kindergarten with a moniker like Schwarzenegger Brown??

I had my annual physical today. I'm not terribly fond of going to the doctor, but I make several appointments in October for annual checkups. Last Thursday I had my mammogram, and today I got a tetanus shot and a flu shot. They drew blood for a chem panel, so I'll be hearing from the doc when the results come in. I had a Pap smear done, and peed in a cup.

I hope that you will take the time to get an annual physical. Even if you are well, it doesn't hurt to have baseline information for future treatment, and you can prevent a lot of woe if you discover things early. It doesn't take a lot of time, it's not terribly expensive, and it doesn't hurt (much).

Do something nice for a loved one....and something nice for yourself. Get a check up!

Man, I LOVE Amazon.com. With a click you have the world at your fingertips!

I was placing an order for DH's birthday and remembered that I wanted to look up a Michael McDonald CD. I finally settled on "Greatest Hits of the Doobie Brothers." It arrived yesterday and sat on the kitchen counter while I finished up other things.

I popped it into the office CD player this afternoon and I'm having trouble concentrating on business. Instead, I'm dancing in my chair.....doing the backstroke and bopping along. I know that some of my readers were only TWO when this band started, but ya gotta love the Doobie Brothers! Great energy.

Now, if everybody would just quit interrupting me, I might perfect this chair dancin......(scooting the chair across the floor and back)

It’s been my policy to refrain from talking about the war. There are pundits out there who are infinitely better informed, who are also more eloquent on the subject. But recently a friend put up one of those counters that points out the cost of having gone to war, and I felt bitterly stung by it.

Personally, I felt that we had no business going to war, but I also believe that you support the choices made by your government. If my President says we needed to go to war, I have to trust that he had access to better information than do I. When I feel my President is wrong, I’m allowed to say so, and I am also allowed to work from within the system to try to elect someone more of my choosing.

What bothers me most of all is that no matter what we do now, we are the Ugly Americans. If we drop everything and walk away, we’ll be castigated for abandoning the Iraqis once again after having demolished their infrastructure. It doesn’t matter that Hussein did that very thing to his own people. WE are the bad guys.

If we stay and rebuild, we are accused of being greedy and being there for material reasons only. It doesn’t matter that Americans are loosing their lives to help the Iraqis. As fast as we try to rebuild, Iraqi splinter groups destroy, and WE are blamed for the situation.

I don’t wish to discuss this subject, because all the rhetoric in the world can’t change what has already happened, and I have yet to see anyone who can focus on the future and what should be done. It’s past time for countries which have had their hands out to the U.S. for years to understand that in return they are obligated to support us. You can’t call us greedy when we are supporting your economy, sending assistance in dozens of areas, and accepting your students in our universities.

I won’t argue that we have made mistakes. Personally, I’d like to see us pull back and do more at home for a while, but as long as Americans are putting their lives on the line on foreign soil, I will be supporting my country.

So, pardon me if you disagree, but this is MY chance to speak out.

I was browsing blogs and came across the October 19th entry at StupidAngryCanajun titled "Back to Volcanic." Go read. She's covered the topic suscinctly and I totally agree! Greedy bastards!

Brava! Great post!

I'm likely to be away from the computer this weekend. I convinced my mother and DH to go to the last of the Farmer's Markets tomorrow morning, weather permitting. Then we'll do breakfast out, and stop at the cleaners and Office Max on the way home. I started making a list of about twenty other errands that need to be run, and it looks like the entire day could be wiped out. If it continues to rain, that might not be a bad idea, unless traffic is a mess.

Jo Ann Fabrics or Windmill City Quilts, getting Defer's nails clipped, and then giving him a bath, stopping at Babies R Us for a shower gift, getting a bag of vermiculite, ordering bird seed for delivery.....and I'd like to get DH to Restoration Hardware before their lighting sale ends.

I have a wonderful book I just started. It's the "Da Vinci Code." I'm barely 130 pages into the story and really wrapped up in it. I'll have to tell you more when I've finished it, but I can already recommend it.

Sunday, Mother has a meeting of Empty Nesters, and then we will go to dinner with the kids to celebrate DH's birthday. One of the kids has organized it, and made reservations. We'll be at a restaurant on a river, so we may get to enjoy the gathering wildlife.

My gardens still need me, and the leaves that have fallen are wet now. I can see that we will be raking one cold November. I'll have to get someone to take a picture. I'm sure none of you believe that I do any of this stuff! *G*

Well....I hope you all have a great weekend! Happy Fall!

I had expected to be away just a day or so, and it's stretched out to four or five. Nothing earthshaking has happened here, I've just been caught up in my off-line life.

Sunday, we celebrated Dear Husband's birthday. Normally, the birthday person gets to determine what they do they day of their birthday, but DH had to give me a hand outside. I know it was at the bottom of a list of things he could have been doing, but I'm glad he bit the bullet and worked with me.

This morning when I was out, I saw a headline in the Chicago Sun-Times which said something to the effect that if you want your child to read better, turn off the T.V. BRAVO!! Talk to your children. Have them read to you. Discuss what you've read. Limit the amount of time your children get to watch T.V. and you will have healthier, smarter children!

I know, I've been talking about this book for the last week. It's absolutely engrossing. I love mysteries, and this one keeps you turning the pages right to the end.

Robert Langdon is a Harvard symbologist on business in Paris. Sophie Neveu is a young cryptologist who works for the French police. Sophie's grandfather, Jacques Sauniere, is the curator of the Louvre. The story opens with Sauniere being stalked and shot in the museum. In his last moments, he leaves clues for his granddaughter and Langdon to solve, to prevent the loss of the secret of the Priory of Sion.

The author, Dan Brown, has done an incredible job of fashioning a work of fiction based on fact. It's difficult occasionally to tell the dividing line between the two, and that sent me surfing the Internet for information. The page before the Prologue states that "All descriptions of artwork, architechture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." It also confirms that the Priory of Sion, a secret society founded in 1099 is a real organization, and that Opus Dei, is truly a Catholic sect with headquarters in New York City.

Have you ever heard of the Fibonacci sequence? This is the sequence:

1 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 8 - 13 - 21

It is a progression in which each term is equal to the sum of the two preceeding terms.

Dan Brown uses this sequence as part of the clues left behind by Jacques Sauniere, the murdered curator. Sauniere raised his granddaughter, coaching her in endless puzzles. As an adult she became a cryptographer. When presented with the numbers in a scrambled form, she recognizes the sequence, and understands that it is part of a message.

Everybody has music they love. Some blogs have "currently listening to" sidebars, and others discuss the merits of their favorites. For the most part, what they have in common from my point of view is that I don't recognize a word of what they are talking about.

How could I be a trained musician, and have gotten so far removed from pop music?? I can't figure it out. What I find is that I recognize some music here and there, but I've missed most of the hits of the nineties, and I have NO idea who is popular in the new millennium.

I was recently reading about a woman who had been married for thirty-five years to a man who abused her. He broke her arm, her shoulder, her jaw and a couple of ribs.

I've read enough psychology to understand that there is a dynamic in that relationship that keeps her in place. But for the life of me I can't understand why you would make excuses for, and stay with, a man who HURTS you!! I know that she believes she deserves this treatment, and that it's HER fault he does these things, but what I can't understand is why she didn't get out after the first instance of abuse.She must have been trained as a kid that she was worthless to have lasted so long in a dreadful situation like this. I wonder if counseling is of any use at this point?

I know that when you are alone with a man who is in a rage, it's not worth fighting back. I also know that many women put up with an attack to divert the man from hurting their children. But, once the attack is over, all you have to do is bid your time and walk away. Why are we not teaching our children to do that?

I have on-line friends in similar situations, and I do everything I can to encourage them to GET OUT!! I'm surprised that women's groups haven't been more successful in helping women out of these situations, or even better, putting an end to the attacks. I think that penalties for crimes against women are woefully light. If we could change the legislation, perhaps men would think first before they strike.

Have you ever helped someone put an end to abuse?

that director Jane Campion is one of only two women who have been nominated for an Oscar for directing, and that no woman has ever won? Whatever happened to the PHI ratio here?

You may know Campion's work: Sweetie, The Piano, Portrait of a Lady, and Holy Smoke.

She has another film coming out called "In the Cut." It's loosely based on Susanna Moore's 1995 novel of the same name.