If you didn't get a chance to attend Prairie Home Companion's live taping IN ABILENE, you can hear it here.
Oh, and May Bee, the girls, and I swerved into a gas station yesterday when we saw that gas had dropped to $2.29. (Hard to believe I am excited to pay $2.29, but it's so. $12 is all I had in my purse, but it sure went further than it did last spring...)
The guy on KACU just said it's 35 degrees outside, with patchy frost. Guess I'd better wear a turtleneck under my Madison t-shirt today...at the Book Fair's TEACHER PREVIEW PARTY. Kirsten took before and after pictures of the Book Fair setup yesterday; you can see them here.
Off to Book Fair,
Kristy
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Smilin'.
Reasons to smile this weekend:
*Sharon's barbecue for dinner Friday night.
*When Russell heard that his sister, the boring librarian, was on her way to a party, he told me "to party like it was 1899." (Very funny, Bro!)
*Plum wine and cheesecake (sounds gross together, but it was YUM!) with friends after Sharon's. We blew off the "Bronco Bonco," and just enjoyed yummy food and the company. Anytime with Libby and the girls is like a tonic for the heart.
*Karen and I LOVED this video Kirsten sent Saturday morning:
*Granny Smith apples & a chocolate fountain at Nikki's wedding shower...and Janet LOVED my idea of giving gifts in reusable green bags instead of gift wrap destined for the landfill.
*Prairie Home Companion ROCKED Moody Coliseum! What a delight to attend in person. (I've been listening to this show since Steve Greek lent me cassette tapes a friend made him back in the early '80s.)
*Mowing, edging, and 3 miles in the park with May Bee on Saturday made me sleep like a baby!
*Sarah Palin on SNL!
*The meeting at the church this morning. What a wonderful group...regardless of where we meet. When I think of Hope Church of Christ, I never think of *the building,* anyway...I think of the people who helped me move (TWICE!), the friends who came to our House Blessing, the hands on my back and shoulders as they surrounded me and prayed for my mother, the ladies of all ages who read Prayer:Does It Make a Difference? and The Shack together, and the people who will bring me Communion if I'm ever in the hospital!
Kelli and I are going to do something for Hope's college students during Finals in December. We're on the Care Package committee so feel free to leave suggestions. (We're thinking bags or boxes filled with popcorn, uplifting verses from Scripture, #2 pencils and new pens, tea and/or coffee, notes of encouragement, a can of Red Bull or Diet Rock Star, M&Ms, quarters for laundry, and that sort of thing.) Any other ideas?
*And finally, playing around in snotr.com led to this gem:
UPDATE: I forgot one! At the "Bronco Bonco" party last Friday night, a terrific local artist and photographer told me that I had beautiful lips. I don't get a lot of compliments these days...come to think of it, I didn't get many when I was married, either...so I just walked on air all weekend.
The artist, a woman named Ruth Jackson, took the most amazing pictures in India; my favorite was a picture of hundreds of widows, in beautiful saris in every color of the rainbow, opening gift bags with Lone Stars and the word "ABILENE" on the front of each present. It was gorgeous, and our state representative ordered TWO prints of that one. Ms. Jackson also took art supplies to an Indian orphanage called Sanctuary Home; Karen and I have been reading the profiles of all the orphans...here's just one of their touching stories. (My friends Jim & Rita sponsor child 27, Sandyarani.)
*Sharon's barbecue for dinner Friday night.
*When Russell heard that his sister, the boring librarian, was on her way to a party, he told me "to party like it was 1899." (Very funny, Bro!)
*Plum wine and cheesecake (sounds gross together, but it was YUM!) with friends after Sharon's. We blew off the "Bronco Bonco," and just enjoyed yummy food and the company. Anytime with Libby and the girls is like a tonic for the heart.
*Karen and I LOVED this video Kirsten sent Saturday morning:
*Granny Smith apples & a chocolate fountain at Nikki's wedding shower...and Janet LOVED my idea of giving gifts in reusable green bags instead of gift wrap destined for the landfill.
*Prairie Home Companion ROCKED Moody Coliseum! What a delight to attend in person. (I've been listening to this show since Steve Greek lent me cassette tapes a friend made him back in the early '80s.)
*Mowing, edging, and 3 miles in the park with May Bee on Saturday made me sleep like a baby!
*Sarah Palin on SNL!
*The meeting at the church this morning. What a wonderful group...regardless of where we meet. When I think of Hope Church of Christ, I never think of *the building,* anyway...I think of the people who helped me move (TWICE!), the friends who came to our House Blessing, the hands on my back and shoulders as they surrounded me and prayed for my mother, the ladies of all ages who read Prayer:Does It Make a Difference? and The Shack together, and the people who will bring me Communion if I'm ever in the hospital!
Kelli and I are going to do something for Hope's college students during Finals in December. We're on the Care Package committee so feel free to leave suggestions. (We're thinking bags or boxes filled with popcorn, uplifting verses from Scripture, #2 pencils and new pens, tea and/or coffee, notes of encouragement, a can of Red Bull or Diet Rock Star, M&Ms, quarters for laundry, and that sort of thing.) Any other ideas?
*And finally, playing around in snotr.com led to this gem:
UPDATE: I forgot one! At the "Bronco Bonco" party last Friday night, a terrific local artist and photographer told me that I had beautiful lips. I don't get a lot of compliments these days...come to think of it, I didn't get many when I was married, either...so I just walked on air all weekend.
The artist, a woman named Ruth Jackson, took the most amazing pictures in India; my favorite was a picture of hundreds of widows, in beautiful saris in every color of the rainbow, opening gift bags with Lone Stars and the word "ABILENE" on the front of each present. It was gorgeous, and our state representative ordered TWO prints of that one. Ms. Jackson also took art supplies to an Indian orphanage called Sanctuary Home; Karen and I have been reading the profiles of all the orphans...here's just one of their touching stories. (My friends Jim & Rita sponsor child 27, Sandyarani.)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Vote like me or unlike me...but just vote WITH me!
This election is so energizing! I usually can't stand politics and even upped my NetFlix subscription in June when I realized this summer and fall were going to be nonstop campaign ads, debates, and political coverage (since we only get the three Big Channels...with the help of *rabbit ears* which won't even work after February).
But I've been pleasantly surprised...I like and respect both candidates and have even managed to keep my eye rolling to a minimum when Joe Biden talks. Or laughs creepily like he did during his last Good Morning America interview. (Seriously...what was up with that? Did you see it? Stay tuned to the end where he unleashes his best Charlton Heston Omega Man jocularity!)
And whether my Catholic brothers and sisters vote for Obama and his Catholic running mate or for McCain and his more conservative pro-life ticket, I'm just thrilled that we're all heading to the polls! (We *are* all heading to the polls, right? Cool.)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Le Gecko est mort. Vive le Gecko.
The gecko who lives in my bathroom is dead. I accidentally stepped on it...and will try to stop shuddering long enough to share the details...
A day or two after we moved into the new house, a gecko charged RIGHT AT ME in the tee-tiny bathroom and made me pee in my pants. It was horrible...like a disembodied pinkie finger running across the 1950s linoleum! After that, I learned not to wait until the last minute and to turn on the light and tap my foot around a lot to let him know I was coming in. Never a big one for going barefoot (against my dad's rules when we were little growing up in freezing cold New Hampshire!), I haven't gone barefoot EVER since the gecko made his presence known.
I wear shoes in the shower. I keep sandals by my bed for my many nocturnal trips to the bathroom, even though the potty is only five feet from my pillow.
Well, my diligence paid off because on one of last night's sojourns (and there were more than usual, thanks to two glasses of post-wedding rehearsal Lambrusco), I must have stepped on the Restroom Reptile. When I flipped on the light this morning, I was greeted by a flattened lizard whose insides were now on the outside.
Only Falisha, who shares my PHOBIA about lizards and would rather stand in a bucket of bugs than have a lizard on her, will understand the simultaneous (and equal amounts of) disgust and relief that washed over me after the Initial Full-Body Gross-Out.
Bethany, and all other normal family members who have a rational understanding of lizards, will be proud that I overcame my loathing and repulsion to gather the poor wafer-thin creature and its internal organs and give them a watery send-off to Gecko Heaven...and flushed three times, for good measure.
Heading to Red Bud Park, even though I'm sick and can barely swallow,
The Gecko Killer
A day or two after we moved into the new house, a gecko charged RIGHT AT ME in the tee-tiny bathroom and made me pee in my pants. It was horrible...like a disembodied pinkie finger running across the 1950s linoleum! After that, I learned not to wait until the last minute and to turn on the light and tap my foot around a lot to let him know I was coming in. Never a big one for going barefoot (against my dad's rules when we were little growing up in freezing cold New Hampshire!), I haven't gone barefoot EVER since the gecko made his presence known.
I wear shoes in the shower. I keep sandals by my bed for my many nocturnal trips to the bathroom, even though the potty is only five feet from my pillow.
Well, my diligence paid off because on one of last night's sojourns (and there were more than usual, thanks to two glasses of post-wedding rehearsal Lambrusco), I must have stepped on the Restroom Reptile. When I flipped on the light this morning, I was greeted by a flattened lizard whose insides were now on the outside.
Only Falisha, who shares my PHOBIA about lizards and would rather stand in a bucket of bugs than have a lizard on her, will understand the simultaneous (and equal amounts of) disgust and relief that washed over me after the Initial Full-Body Gross-Out.
Bethany, and all other normal family members who have a rational understanding of lizards, will be proud that I overcame my loathing and repulsion to gather the poor wafer-thin creature and its internal organs and give them a watery send-off to Gecko Heaven...and flushed three times, for good measure.
Heading to Red Bud Park, even though I'm sick and can barely swallow,
The Gecko Killer
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Let's talk turkey.
For some reason, Benjamin Franklin keeps coming up at our house. Karen informed me the other day that Franklin was a "polymath," and last night during a trivia game, Houston was asked who invented bifocals.
Today, Anu from A.W.A.D. quoted an article about what happens when the suburbs encroach on the turkey habitat...and how suburbanite McMansion residents would rather see wild turkeys "on platters instead of porches."
The article (Complete with photos! Check it out!) also mentions how crafty they are...and how the "ubiquitous turkeys" never seem to show up on the days the environmental officers try to round them up...which reminded me how Ben Franklin lauded the wild turkey for its resourcefulness and would love to have seen it made our national bird.
Karen and Mom tell hilarious stories about the turkeys Dad used to raise and how one particularly aggressive tom turkey attacked the Asplundh guy (electric company guy?)...well, SOME guy who came onto our property uninvited. The only person that turkey feared was Dad, probably because he knew Dad was armed. Karen and Mom could only get to their cars safely with the help of a HUGE red-and-white-striped golf umbrella they would open and close furiously and repeatedly on the way to and from the house!
Good times, good times. (Glad I was in Texas for the Turkey Trot Days...)
P.S. This article is SERIOUSLY good. You will love it! Here's a snippet of Clara Germani's terrific piece:
Reverie over what Ben Franklin wanted to be the national bird is, in fact, common. James Earl Kennamer, of the National Wild Turkey Federation, says: "A turkey at his magnificent self" - in full iridescent strut and drumming (an explosively loud release of air) - is so surprisingly splendid that even veteran big game hunters are rendered "literally unable to shoot." The birds are also remarkably fast: To capture them with net guns, for example, authorities have to use Howitzer rocket powder rather than gunpowder, which allows them to launch the nets at 450 feet per second.
Today, Anu from A.W.A.D. quoted an article about what happens when the suburbs encroach on the turkey habitat...and how suburbanite McMansion residents would rather see wild turkeys "on platters instead of porches."
The article (Complete with photos! Check it out!) also mentions how crafty they are...and how the "ubiquitous turkeys" never seem to show up on the days the environmental officers try to round them up...which reminded me how Ben Franklin lauded the wild turkey for its resourcefulness and would love to have seen it made our national bird.
Karen and Mom tell hilarious stories about the turkeys Dad used to raise and how one particularly aggressive tom turkey attacked the Asplundh guy (electric company guy?)...well, SOME guy who came onto our property uninvited. The only person that turkey feared was Dad, probably because he knew Dad was armed. Karen and Mom could only get to their cars safely with the help of a HUGE red-and-white-striped golf umbrella they would open and close furiously and repeatedly on the way to and from the house!
Good times, good times. (Glad I was in Texas for the Turkey Trot Days...)
P.S. This article is SERIOUSLY good. You will love it! Here's a snippet of Clara Germani's terrific piece:
Reverie over what Ben Franklin wanted to be the national bird is, in fact, common. James Earl Kennamer, of the National Wild Turkey Federation, says: "A turkey at his magnificent self" - in full iridescent strut and drumming (an explosively loud release of air) - is so surprisingly splendid that even veteran big game hunters are rendered "literally unable to shoot." The birds are also remarkably fast: To capture them with net guns, for example, authorities have to use Howitzer rocket powder rather than gunpowder, which allows them to launch the nets at 450 feet per second.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Tag. I'm IT.
I've been tagged by Misadventures of the Mysterious Uno who left a comment on my posting about Austin...and all things that are good.
Here's the rules for those I'm tagging. Check the list after my 6 THINGS to see if you're it and then:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six-ish people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Six random things...hmm, random things...um...okay.
1. The word "random" reminds me of a funny scene from Bandits with Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thornton. (A GREAT movie, btw; get the DVD so you can watch the extras!)
2. I've never been to Europe--but I'm saving my money for Germany in 2010! (After taking five years of German and winning the German Consulate Award at graduation, it's about dadgum time.)
3. Here's the Fowler coat of arms.
4. I dreamed about Nanny again last night. Everyone who knew her misses her, with the exception of Texas state troopers armed with radar guns. (Here she is with my mom in the 'Fifties...thank you SO much to my cousin Sherilyn for sharing this photo with the world!)
5. I once won "Best Actress" in a tri-state competition at the historic Bucks County Playhouse. It seems pretty silly now, but it was a Big Deal back in the day.
6. I recently bought my first can of WD-40. (I'll bet Dad is beaming. Our dad feels about WD-40 the way the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding feels about Windex!)
Well, now that wasn't so bad. Easy, even!
Tag, you're it...
Life in A-town
The Driskells
Robert
Neither here nor there
Jiffany
Anamchara
Here's the rules for those I'm tagging. Check the list after my 6 THINGS to see if you're it and then:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six-ish people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Six random things...hmm, random things...um...okay.
1. The word "random" reminds me of a funny scene from Bandits with Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thornton. (A GREAT movie, btw; get the DVD so you can watch the extras!)
2. I've never been to Europe--but I'm saving my money for Germany in 2010! (After taking five years of German and winning the German Consulate Award at graduation, it's about dadgum time.)
3. Here's the Fowler coat of arms.
4. I dreamed about Nanny again last night. Everyone who knew her misses her, with the exception of Texas state troopers armed with radar guns. (Here she is with my mom in the 'Fifties...thank you SO much to my cousin Sherilyn for sharing this photo with the world!)
5. I once won "Best Actress" in a tri-state competition at the historic Bucks County Playhouse. It seems pretty silly now, but it was a Big Deal back in the day.
6. I recently bought my first can of WD-40. (I'll bet Dad is beaming. Our dad feels about WD-40 the way the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding feels about Windex!)
Well, now that wasn't so bad. Easy, even!
Tag, you're it...
Life in A-town
The Driskells
Robert
Neither here nor there
Jiffany
Anamchara
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Austin...and all things that are good.
As I drove into Bethany's apartment complex, she stepped out onto the balcony to wave to me and let me know which apartment was hers...but the "charley bar" thingy dropped into place, effectively locking her out.
Catrin showed up with an extra key, but Bethany had latched the dead bolt. Dadgummit! (A mother should not have to drive FOUR HOURS to see her daughter...and then not be able to hug her or touch her...but instead have to talk to her through balcony bars twelve feet in the air!)BJ, the apartment manager and a former Marine, showed up, too. She was a HUGE help and radioed the maintenance guy.
Bethany got her housewarming card and gift passed to her through the bars while we waited for the Maintenance guy...
...but since he was off-site, BJ encouraged Bethany to try climbing down the trellis...
...and coached her down...
...and sure enough, the trellis held Bessie Lou's weight, no problem. BJ (who called herself "half squirrel") has had to use the trellis before...and once spent four hours locked out on a balcony after a charley bar fell! In the winter!
After a trip to Chuy's & Hancock Fabrics, we covered an entire wall of Bethany's apartment in cloth! Tyler was a HUGE help, and it looked terrific when we were finished. (Tyler describes the fabric color as "menudo," but Bethany and I prefer to call it "chocolate!")
Max lent moral support and tried meowing his encouragement. (Although, ever since his surgery, it's not quite a meow...more like "meh" and "munh"--and "ack" and "blech," for you fellow Bloom County fans.)
My McCain bumper sticker was awfully lonely in Austin...in fact, Bethany was unusually eager to take her car. Always. For every trip. (She preferred to take her car to avoid being seen in my Straight Talk Express.)
Before we went running at Town Lake, Tyler led us in yoga stretches.
We had so much fun! Kayakers, walkers, joggers, rowing teams, runners, bicyclists, babies, grandparents, serious runners, people wearing crazy clothes, people wearing hardly any clothes ("not enough to pad a crutch," as Nanny would say), turtles, swans, dogs splashing in the shallow areas, gardeners...and it was so FUN!
Tyler helped us with our running form. (Oh, and when I got lost, I accepted a ride from strangers--kind, wonderful strangers--who dropped me off back at the car. If I ever buy another Ford, it will be from the manager of the LeifJohnson Ford! He and his wife had just finished their run and returned me to civilization...the softball fields behind Chuy's...where I cheered on several baseball teams of strangers as I waited for the kids. Go, Cedar Park!)
Max came home after running away for a few hours. Whew! What a relief. He even kissed me goodbye...with his snaggletooth kisser.
And just when I thought my Austin visit couldn't get any better, Aunt Sue and Uncle James bought me dinner at Souper Salad! on my way back to Abilene. They are so funny, and I love them, and they're like a tonic to my spirit!And then, after getting back to Abilene at nearly 11 p.m. (two hours after librarians usually head to bed with good books and cups of hot tea), my car died in the driveway.
Justin and his dad came and picked up the Straight Talk Express and towed it to Procter Automotive...or "Doctor Procter," as Karen and I prefer to call them.
Off into the sunset...
UPDATE: The car lives. Doctor Procter took a post-dated check so the Straight Talk Express is back in business!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Austin-bound!
Look how beautiful it is in Abilene!What could POSSIBLY lure me away from my lovely hometown?
BETHANY!Look what a beautiful drive I'm going to have, Lord willing. I'm so excited about this trip! Chuy's! Bethany's new apartment! Pier One! SNL! Aunt Sue & Uncle James! WHEEEEEEE!
Off to the *other* A-town,
me
Off to the *other* A-town,
me
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Are you the same kind of different as me?
Y'all, as much as I hate to post something new (because I will lose the blissed-out picture of May Bee and her mommy swimming at Doggie Splash Day at the top of this blog), you just MUST hear about Tuesday night...and no one can tell it as well as Tammy, Photographer Extraordinaire! Click on her link to SEE Ron Hall and Denver Moore speak (AND SING!) at ACU.
A group of Madison teachers were there Tuesday night; we went to Carino's after work and then to Moody Coliseum to claim good, non-nosebleed seats...and it was really inspiring and delightful and bonding. (I LOVE MY JOB! I LOVE MY COLLEAGUES!)
Oh, and now, Madison's copy of Same Kind of Different as Me is signed by the two co-authors.
A group of Madison teachers were there Tuesday night; we went to Carino's after work and then to Moody Coliseum to claim good, non-nosebleed seats...and it was really inspiring and delightful and bonding. (I LOVE MY JOB! I LOVE MY COLLEAGUES!)
Oh, and now, Madison's copy of Same Kind of Different as Me is signed by the two co-authors.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Today was wonderful!
Doggie Splash Day is more fun than Six Flags or Christmas...and it's good for you, too! May Bee and I are wiped out and heading to bed while we listen to Dave Smith's radio program "The Appetizer" on KACU.
Thanks for making this day terrific go to Kirsten and Dan, Hannah and Molly, Jason and Tiffany (who drove EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS TO SWIM WITH THEIR BABIES!) May Bee, Jaeger, Rhowdie, Maggie, the folks at KRBC who put us ON THE NEWS...and everyone who helped sponsor or coordinate the 5th Annual Doggie Splash Day!
(It was a BLAST! Check this space and Kirsten's blog later for photos! Give us a while, though...between swimming and moving, we're exhausted!)
Thanks for making this day terrific go to Kirsten and Dan, Hannah and Molly, Jason and Tiffany (who drove EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS TO SWIM WITH THEIR BABIES!) May Bee, Jaeger, Rhowdie, Maggie, the folks at KRBC who put us ON THE NEWS...and everyone who helped sponsor or coordinate the 5th Annual Doggie Splash Day!
(It was a BLAST! Check this space and Kirsten's blog later for photos! Give us a while, though...between swimming and moving, we're exhausted!)
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I know! I know!
Sorry that it's taking me forever to put up pics of the new house, but that's because it's a sea of boxes, "unhung" ("unhanged?") pictures, clothes, and more boxes stacked on other boxes (in the sea of cardboard and totes).
The electrician was here today fixing a board that came plumb OFF the house, taking the electrical housing with it. Houston *almost* has to duck to walk through the backyard! The power was off for about six hours, and they're coming back tomorrow to fix the range and do a few final things. After that, the city will inspect their work, and THEN the utility company will come attach the electricity to the top of the house instead of the board just over our heads (the one that split in half).
Last night was the kids' first night in the new house. They love being closer to their schools (and parks and stores and restaurants and Mom's work and EVERYTHING, except Mr. Burger), but we are all finding ourselves wishing for more storage. (If your house has no basement, attic, or garage, what do you do with all of your STUFF? Do you display your tools on the coffee table? Keep your Christmas tree up all year? ARGH! This is certainly a challenge!!!)
The electrician was here today fixing a board that came plumb OFF the house, taking the electrical housing with it. Houston *almost* has to duck to walk through the backyard! The power was off for about six hours, and they're coming back tomorrow to fix the range and do a few final things. After that, the city will inspect their work, and THEN the utility company will come attach the electricity to the top of the house instead of the board just over our heads (the one that split in half).
Last night was the kids' first night in the new house. They love being closer to their schools (and parks and stores and restaurants and Mom's work and EVERYTHING, except Mr. Burger), but we are all finding ourselves wishing for more storage. (If your house has no basement, attic, or garage, what do you do with all of your STUFF? Do you display your tools on the coffee table? Keep your Christmas tree up all year? ARGH! This is certainly a challenge!!!)
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
No time to be wordless...
...since it takes longer for a Wordless Wednesday photo to load than to type up a paragraph or two, I'll opt for Wordy Wednesday. (If we had DSL, I'd post another photo of Jaeger...or Rhowdie with his toys...since I went over there today to put them in before the rain came!)
Since Karen and I have to door "indoor" stuff (sorting & packing) while it rains, I'll quickly share a poem of Bethany's that I found while I was sorting my forty-four years of Happy Life Clutter:
Indian and Birds Poem
I wonder how it feels to fly
high in the...
like a bird.
I wonder how it feels to sit
on a nest...
like a bird.
I wonder how it feels to catch a worm
every morning...
like a bird.
I feel funny...
maybe he is wondering how it feels
to be a man.
--Bethany Hicks
Since Karen and I have to door "indoor" stuff (sorting & packing) while it rains, I'll quickly share a poem of Bethany's that I found while I was sorting my forty-four years of Happy Life Clutter:
I wonder how it feels to fly
high in the...
like a bird.
I wonder how it feels to sit
on a nest...
like a bird.
I wonder how it feels to catch a worm
every morning...
like a bird.
I feel funny...
maybe he is wondering how it feels
to be a man.
--Bethany Hicks
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