Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Different Perceptions

I was behind a woman in the grocery store today. When she got to the end of the aisle, she turned left and walked past an employee (an acquaintance) who was walking toward me.

For the short time I was behind this woman all I could think was, "How can a grown woman (near my age!) be so dog gone skinny?" After she had turned I realized she was talking on a cell phone. It took me a couple beats more to realize she was speaking Spanish.

She wasn't anorexic skinny, she was naturally skinny. With the tiniest waist I have ever seen on an adult. And she wasn't super short. It just boggled my mind.

So the woman made her turn, the employee/acquaintance was approaching me. I must have been wearing a perplexed look. He was wearing a similar look. Only as he passed me he muttered under his breath, "Dial 1 for English."

He was down the aisle before what he said to me registered. I guess I should have chased him down and given him an ass chewin'. Because we know each other we share the same opinion? Are opinions like this supported and encouraged by management? Does management approve of employees expressing socio/political opinions?

The woman was skinny. But I probably shouldn't express that opinion either, since it is based on jealousy.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Impromptu Birthday Party

templeton rye
Templeton Rye


Sunday, June 22, 2008

Weather and Birds

The weather has been gorgeous. Temps in the low 80's, nice breezes, and except for the occasional thunderstorm squall, sunny. A real downside of the recent wet weather is that the mosquitoes are thriving. Just try to open the car door and get in without a cloud of mosquitoes getting in with you. It can't be done.

H sent me one of those helpful hint forwarded emails that said Listerine kills mosquitoes. The email also said that spraying Listerine around your deck leaves you free to enjoy the great outdoors. I wondered if the generic would have the same effect and H figured it would. So one day before I went out to feed my birds I splashed a little generic Listerine on my arms and face. It made me sticky and very, very attractive to the little bloodsuckers. I would like to know if anyone else has tried this. More than that, I want to know what really works besides Deep Woods Off.

So other than the mosquitoes, the weather has been wonderful. Farmers are back tending to their fields. Some of the field ponds have dried up and been replanted. Other field ponds look like they are here to stay:

geese
Geese in a corn field.


I was running low on eggs so this morning went to Crazy Uncle Miltie's Chicken Farm for eggs. Milt wasn't home so I wandered around and talked to the birds. Milt has such happy chickens. Happy chickens lay the most wonderful eggs. I went to his egg room, put some eggs in a carton and left a note and some money.

chickens
Chickens


I used to have chickens. I miss them.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Sidebar Stalking

H called me a stalker recently. It made me a little sad, even if she was kidding.

The internet makes stalking easy. There are people whose blogs I read and at times I feel I have enough information about them to make their lives a living hell if I wanted to. But I don't. I love my internet friends, even if they don't know me.

I don't miss a thing that they reveal because I have their blogs loaded into my Google Reader. Goggle lets me know what's going on right away. One of my stalkees told me that using the reader was just plain lazy. There you go. I am too lazy to be a good stalker.

I can't stalk H anymore through her blog as she shut it down. She is still listed in the sidebar because I'm hoping she will come back.

Jeremy, who got me hooked on blogs in the first place, shut down his blog, too. He's collaborating with other professionals on a blog. While Jeremy pokes through once in a while, the blog is often technical to the point of being boring (for someone who is not so bright, like me). I still read it but it is not on the sidebar.

Today I added two of my "must reads". The first is "The Other Side of the Ocean". Nina is in France now and has been for a few weeks. When she is not working she is traveling somewhere, usually in Europe. She takes fabulous photos and she posts every day. It's enough to give you wanderlust.

The second is "Sociological Images". It's stuff that makes me think without hurting my stupid head too much. It's kind of like college without the classroom, tests or tuition. So thanks, Gwen, for the free education!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Yesterday was a muggy, muggy day. I tried to reclaim a patch of ground for garden but gave up. I managed to dig out enough muddy ground to plant some spinach, carrots and radishes that should have been planted a month ago. I came into the sweltering house, showered and dressed in minimal clothing to monitor the impending storms.

Crab mowed the lawn, showered and took off on one of his little journeys. I started working on food (mmmm....pea salad), played Facebook Scrabble with H, tried to watch a stupid movie and waited for the shit to hit the fan and cool off the damn house.

It did hit pretty good. I got phone calls. Crab wasn't coming home right now because it was raining too hard. My mom heard the name of the non-existent "town" where Crab and I live on the television. Evidently, a tornado had been heading here.

Really? For once I wasn't nervously pacing from window to window. I was just looking forward to the cool down after the rain.

Then several more phone calls from the K Town bar coalition asking me to come uptown. They had no electricity in K Town and life would not be complete without me there. So I went.

The new neighbors saw a tornado skipping down the K Town blacktop on their way to town. It had been very close to my house. K Town had been hit by lightning, knocking out the electricity. Basements were getting wet. I heard a generator running a sump pump.

The bar was stuffy and dark so we stood on the street and enjoyed the rainbow, taking pictures with our cell phones.

in front of the bar
In front of the bar, snapping pics with cell phones



over the old elevator
Over the old elevator



Look! The rainbow ends at Crab and pj's. Alas, there was no pot of gold when we got home.

rainbow end
They said the rainbow ended at Crab's and pj's. It didn't.


It rained and boomed all night. The fields are full of ponds. Rain is in the forecast all week long. I'm hoping my mom has her usual bountiful garden because we are going to starve if we have to depend on mine.

The house is down to 74 degrees, though!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Peach Iris

The peach iris are in their glory.

peach iris
Peachy



closer
Up Close


The dandelions are in their glory, too. Darn lawn.