Lap Dance

This Lap dance is one of the funniest Flash animations I've seen. Don't worry, it's just about a guy and his cat, LOL.

The Bunnies' Keeper

This boy was shielding these dwarf rabbit babies from the sun at the family's small market set-up near Heini's Cheese Shop in Berlin, Ohio. He and his brothers took turns holding the umbrella, and a battery-powered fan also provided a breeze. I stood a discreet distance away and used the zoom on the camera, and I made sure not to get a full-face shot of the boy...But I had to take this picture. Having the LED on enabled me to rest the camera on a fencetop and glance down at the screen to frame the shot rather than holding the camera up to my eye.

Yesterday Howie and I drove over to Berlin with my folks, our friend Kathy following us in her plant-packed car, for a get-together with some other Ohio Dave's Garden folks. We visited a bit in the parking lot of Tis The Season a year-round Christmas shop, traded some plants and seeds, then headed over to Der Dutchman for some good food. It's always been so cool to meet the folks we've come to know and enjoy online, and this was no exception. They're the salt of the earth. :)

I spent the night at Angie's last night and Howie got to be a bachelor and watch a football movie with the dogs, LOL. Angie'd invited me to church with her since it was Friend Day, so I thought why not? It was really cool, from the Sunday school talk to the worship (great music!) to the sermon. It was just what The Doctor ordered. Angie's going to be baptised tonight, so I'm hanging out with her all day and meeting Howie back at the church for the service. It's been such a cool weekend, even if I was reluctant to get moving. I always enjoy being out and around people once I get going...It's just the getting-going that's tough.

Thanks, Angie. :)

The Friday Five

1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why?

It was definitely art. It allowed me to be creative without having to adhere to rules of syntax. It also let me lose myself in the medium for even that finite time, something important for a troubled kid. Anyone who creates with their hands will know what I'm talking about; it's wonderful.

2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

It would have to be David Scherer, who taught my fourth grade class at Wescott Elementary in Northbrook, IL. He had brown hair and a beard, and kind eyes. My home life was violent and dismal with my father, and I carried my frustration and anger to school. I acted out Mr. Scherer's class as I did in all my classes, but with him I'd met my match. A telling memory I have is about a day he told me to go to the Principal's office. I refused and sat stubbornly at my desk. Well, Mr. Scherer grabbed onto the desk and pulled it -- and me -- down the hallway toward the Principal's office! Looking back, I wonder if he just did that in terrific humor, or if I pissed him off so much he didn't know what else to do!

We had big cardboard study carrols to use in the classroom, letting us make cubicles out of our desks (early indoctrination into a Dilbert society! My God!!). Mr. Scherer set up the carrols like a gameshow set and held spelling contests, too. It was in his class that I learned to spell psychology; we all learned to spell it by year's end. Do kids still learn to spell psychology in fourth grade?

He also was the person responsible for me finishing the required half-mile track for the President's Physical Fitness Program. I was as far from athletic as a kid could be, and I hated gym class. Mr. Scherer stayed after school with me one day and we went around that half-mile track together, alternately walking ten steps and jogging ten steps until we had finished. I still am not athletic, but that memory really stays with me.

And, yes, I was hopelessly in love with him. In truth, he was the first positive male role model I ever had. He left teaching to work at a bank, and for a while we kept in touch by phone. His leaving the education field was a loss for children, especially those without a niche of their own.

3. What is your favorite memory of school?

Second to all those I listed above, it would have to be the times I snuck out of lunch period and went to eat lunch with Joseph Zulawski, my seventh-grade art teacher at John H. Springman Junior High in Glenview, IL. I was labelled a behavioral problem and bussed to that school to participate in that school's special ed classes. I was a very bright girl, and bored silly with what they tried to pass off as lessons. The one place I found myself was in the arts arts, both visual and music. We'd sit and eat and just talk as friends. He was another good man God saw fit to put in my life.

When I graduated from eighth grade, Mr. Zulawski gave me a box of treasures: a box of charcoals, an art gum eraser, a timer...Just an odd assortment of little things, but ones I treasure. I don't do charcoal drawings to speak of, but I still have that worn little grey cardboard box of charcoal sticks. Mr. Z and I corresponded for a while after I moved to Ohio, but we lost touch. He was a good man.

4. What was your favorite recess game?

Reading. I hated recess. I wasn't a popular kid, and didn't play kickball, hopscotch and all that. I was pretty much self-entertaining, and I still am. Not that I didn't want to be with people, and not that I don't enjoy being around people now, no. I just play well by myself. :)

5. What did you hate most about school?

I think the darkest time school-wise was junior high. In retrospect, I realize I was clinically depressed as a pre-teen and teenager. Back in those days, I went to a counselor, but they just didn't give kids anti-depressants. I wonder how differently my life would have turned out had I had those amazing, helpful medications back then instead of decades later.

As I said, I was sent to a neighboring town for school because they had a special ed program. The stigma attached to any kids in those classes was longstanding. That, combined with my then-combative nature and lashing out, made school life difficult. Until I was "mainstreamed" into the "normal" classes there, my lessons were comprised of readings, followed by questions and sometimes puzzles, from workbooks so simplistic it was embarrassing. I would get weeks worth of lessons done in an afternoon, then have time to kill. Nothing's worse than an emotionally hurting, but intelligent child who has run out of things with which to occupy her time. I got in trouble a lot, but Mr. Zulawski was my saving grace and sanity during that time. If you're out there, Mr. Z, I love you.

A new twist on the lemon truism

I read this today at The Anti-Adelphia Movement, and it struck me rather funny:

When life gives you lemons, squeeze the juice into a water gun and shoot as many people as you can in the eye.

Don't you just feel like doing that sometimes? ;)

Real Men Do Clean!

In answer to Vikki's question, yes, I have been cleaning! Howie borrowed his friend's steam cleaner this weekend, and he cleaned the carpet, couch and loveseat (and the myriad of cushions that go on them). He attacked the living room with the gusto of a true man -- nothing was beyond his reach. The baseboards, the exposed wood floors, even the windows! AND he took the miniblinds outside and hosed them down. Boy, I love that man! In the meantime, I concentrated on cleaning the &%#)^ out of the bathroom and kitchen. Will the smell of ammonia ever leave my hands? ;)

To all you lurkers: Glad you're here. Just wanted to say hi. You can comment - I won't bite! ;)

Promoguy's Monday Mission

1. Where were you and what was happening in your life the moment when you first became aware of what was happening at the World Trade Center in New York City last September 11th? What was the first thing you did when you heard the news?

Howie and I had just gotten up and he'd read the news at Dave's Garden. It was unreal watching it unfold, and I remember just feeling dumbstruck. One of the first things I did was call the friends my folks were visiting out of state, just needing that connection and to make sure they were okay. They'd already gotten to the friends' home, and they were all watching the news together.

2. When those truly responsible for the attack are apprehended, what do you think would be the most fitting form of justice?

My first inclination is a trial, and death to those who are behind it. Of course, that would make those people martyrs, I suppose, and that could serve to fan the flames. But if they are kept imprisoned, there would be attempts to free them and who knows where that would lead, either. Yuck. The problem is knowing who really is behind it, I guess. I am not a big politcal person, to be honest. And these questions make me squirm...I don't blacklist an entire ethnicity based on the actions of a few. I know politics are going to outweigh any normalcy in due process. But I think any murderer should be brought before justice if the evidence is clear. Justice...Boy, that's weighted, isn't it? Just working through this folks - I don't see any black and white at this point.

3. This will probably be much like when our parents respond to "Where were you when JFK was shot?"- an event never forgotten by those who were there. But how do you think the history books should present the 9-11 attacks? Should it be included for all future generations? How can we truly convey the shock, the outrage, the emotions and pain of that day to the children of our children?

YES, I believe it should be included! First-hand accounts of those searching for their missing friends and families, stories of the brave people who volunteered to aid in the seraches...None of it should be kept out. I don't know how you could fully convey the shock and pain of it; after all, there are those who staunchly believe the Holocaust never happened. Tell that to the tattood survivors and their families.

4. No one in that building, in the Pentagon, or on the planes (other than the terrorists) knew that 9-11 would be their last day to be alive. For me, it brought home the reality that I could be gone at anytime, without any warning. Now, I really want each day to have some value. Did the events of 9-11 bring about a change in the way you live your life?

I am more thankful of my friends, and more conscious of keeping in touch with them. I must admit that, as that date fell further into the past, my sense of urgency about it has declined. I have, as the pundits told us to, tried to "go on living my life" and to me that sometimes become a very insular existance.

5. Several who loved to fly in planes will not step foot in one anymore. Many parents are more protective of their children. A year later, do you find yourself feeling more secure than back then? Or is it just a matter of time before something else happens?

I vascillate between feeing doomed and forgetting there's even anything wrong. I guess I feel a sense of anticipation, feeling something is going to happen, but I try not to dwell on it. What can my worrying about it do to change it? I can pray, though, and I do.

6. The best way for me to honor the those impacted by the attack will be to refrain from any media that day. No papers, no radio and especially no television. Others will light candles, and others will attend special services. What, if anything, will you do to personally reflect on the tragedy?

I think I will talk to others about it, especially with the close community of friends I have online. I don't know how much regular media I want to see, or I can handle seeing again. I watched a little bit of 60 Minutes Sunday night, but I made myself quit watching because...Well, because I didn't want to see the images again. I'll never forget them.

7. One of the visuals that touched me the most were the walls and walls full of hand made "Missing" posters. What image will you always have in your mind when you recall the events of 9-11?

The image I will carry forever is one of people leaping from the towers, choosing to jump rather than be burned alive. It's so horrific, especially the pair seen jumping hand-in-hand. Oh, God.

BONUS: Who's gonna come around when you break?

Who? Why The Cars, of course.

No, Buddy...

As most of you know, our beagle is named Buddy. He's a good little guy, but he's sorely tempted by trash and anything remotely chewable. Just now, he was nosing around in the trash can by the desk (banana peel...irresistable). I intoned in a low voice, "No, Buddy...."

Then Howie chimed in, "knows the trouble I've seen".

Sheesh.

Something Fishy...

Today, thanks to the arrival of a check from Greenfield Online for some surveys I took, mom and I hit some garage sales while our husbands watched an OSU football game together. I was happy as a clam to find a big fishtank and wrought iron stand at one of the garage sales, It came with two Whisper power filters (one is a large, double-cartridge one, and the other is a single), two air pumps, a bubbler, and a heater. The only thing I need to get is a hood and light.

I asked the owner what he wanted for it and he said...are you ready? He said he'd take $20 for everything.

No, that's not a typo. That, my friends, is an answer to prayer. I've been wanting one of these large tanks for at least ten years, but they've always been too much for me to justify the expense, even for a used set. Well, and it's easier to justify computer and camera expenses, LOL. The tank is older (from what I've seen in online searches, Metaframe no longer manufactures aquariums), but the owner said he'd kept goldfish in it while he worked on his pond, and the tank did not leak. Shoot, the stand alone is worth $20, and I could easily make it into a nice sofa table if the mood ever struck.

Even if it did leak, my mom said she's fixed leaks in fishtanks before, so why not give it a try? We're giving it a try in the garage first, LOL...There's a cement floor sloping toward a drain there. Hey, I'm optomistic, not stupid!

Gallery

I loaded a few pictures on my homepage until I get a gallery going. Peruse and enjoy. :)

4 O'Clock Heaven

I began harvesting seeds from my psychedelic yellow and fuschia Four O'Clock plants today. I tell ya, it's fun to tap those tips, so laden with with ripe, black seeds, into the rim of a coffee can and hear the plink! plink! as the ripe seeds come loose and hit the bottom. These plants predate our ownership of this house, and I suspect they've been here for many years. They can be propagated by tuber or by seed, so I've got lots to move to other areas of the yard and to share. They are a bit past their peak of flowering, but still making lots of blooms each evening. Like me, they run late. Here, they should be called Six O'Clocks, I think.

It's The Friday Five time again!

1. What is your biggest pet peeve? Why?

What excellent timing on this one. My biggest pet peeve has got to be people who throw cigarette butts and/or trash out their car windows! Like whoever owns this car did...

Yes, I always have my camera handy when I'm out. This guy just ticked....me....off. He and his buddies looked like some kinda rough guys, so I just did the passive-aggressive thing and took a picture of his car and license plate rather than confront him directly. Heh. But now his idiocy is publicized around the world. Jerk. My big fantasy is to pick up a cigarette butt and flick it back in the person's car window, saying "Hey, you DROPPED something."

2. What irritating habits do you have?

Well, this pot sure ain't callin' the kettle black, here. I have lots of irritating habits; they irritate not only those outside my skin, but the one inside it. I am a perfectionist and put things off until the last minute. I talk too much sometimes, even as the words are cascading out of my mouth and I cringe inwardly to hear the blather issuing forth, I seem powerless to quell it. It's mostly when I'm nervous, I have not been out amongst other live human beings for a while, and/or when I've had too much caffeine. I need one of those T-shirts which says, "I'm talking and I can't shut up!"

3. Have you tried to change the irritating habits or just let them be?

Oh, yes, I've tried. The talking thing is something I'm especially conscious of, because I don't like it when people monopolize conversations and I don't want to do that to others.

4. What grosses you out more than anything else? Why?

No contest: The medical documentaries showing things like liposuction and breast augmentation surgery. Ooooooh, yuck. But it's like a car wreck, and I still must peek. Ish.

5. What one thing can you never see yourself doing that other people do?

I was going to say I can't see myself being purposefully mean, really nasty, to someone. But that would be a lie. Everyone has their moments of lashing out in anger and self-righteous nastiness. What I can't see happening is me acting that way and not immediately feeling a twinge of conviction. I can't see myself doing that and not feeling bad about it.

Good Lines

Hee, hee...Howie (aka my DH, aka TheHMan) drew a picture of me and put it on his webpage. I've added it to my sidebar here...I love it!

In The Zone

Today I enjoyed taking a couple hundred pictures at my mom's house, all outdoors. She and dad have a garden just jam-packed with all sorts of plants, both blooming and non-blooming. There are ornamental grasses, hostas, sedums...Sunflowers, firecracker vines, canna lilies...Ponds with water hyacinths, lotus, waterlilies...Just everything in its season. Looking through the pictures from today makes me feel so happy. I think actually taking the shots pleases me even more.

When I was younger, I never could understand what athletes meant when they'd recall being in "the zone" during a game. I guess I've gotten involved with my music or artwork in that way, but maybe never quite to the extent that I'd call it "the zone". (Although worship in music would qualify, yes, but this context is a bit different).

But photography, there is my zone! When I was knee-deep in the ornamental grasses today, getting just the right angle for a shot, I was there. And what came bursting to my mind were the words of the character Simon in As Good As It Gets. Simon's an artist, and a few times he expresses that need to capture something he sees. Oh, I can so relate to that! It's like the scene where Carol is drawing a bath at the hotel, and Simon is mesmirized; he's not lusting after her (he's gay, for one), but he's captivated. And he says "I have to draw you!".

Yes! I have to take pictures. I can't type fast enough to keep up with the excitement I feel just at saying this. I see all these marvelous things - colors, patterns, events, blooms, expressions, ironies - and I just have to record them. Even if those images are destined to be seen by only a handful of people, only my family, I need to take them. Life - everything around us - is just so cool if you just look.

I especially love close-up photography. Doing close-up work has taught me to notice things fully. Today, for instance, I saw a tiny crab spider on one of mom's flowers. Had I not been looking closely at the blooms, I never would have seen it. These spiders blend in with their suroundings, much like a chameleon does; if you're not looking, you'll miss them. I loved the fact that I saw it. Wooooooo! I was so excited to see it, I exclaimed aloud. And I was so glad I could get a picture of it to share.

This is why I quit carrying a purse in favor of my camera bag and gear. There's too many times I've been out and seen something truly wonderful, only to rue the fact that my camera was back home. I don't want to miss a thing! :)

I think I need to get some sleep now, LOL. I've been working on my photos from today and felt compelled to blog this while it was fresh in my mind.

I'm working on a photo gallery, but it's not ready for its debut just yet. But stay tuned!

Update About Chanah

This is the same thing I posted at her site, so just skim it if you've already been there, LOL.

Vikki called and said the surgeon got in there and saw everything from her tonsilectomy had healed up nicely...Except one scab. A big scab (since those tonsils were whoppers, you'll recall). That one scab, though, was over an artery, so when it came off, she bled. A lot. He cauterized the artery with the laser, just to be safe, and they cleaned out her stomach so there wouldn't be any blood coming up if she got nauseated. The whole Willis clan has seen enough blood for a lifetime, don't you think? And, AND...Chanah went back home this afternoon. She slept several hours; when she woke up, she said she was HONGRY and promptly downed two bowls of ice cream. She's playing games on their computer right now.

Vikki just called. Chanah woke up sick at 2:00am, vomiting blood and blood clots, so an ambulance was called. She's in surgery right now, and they're doing exploratory surgery from her nose on down her throat to see where this bleeding is coming from. Please, pray -- Vikki's having a tough time of it, as you can imagine. I'll let you know more as soon as I hear. Thanks, everyone!!

Hey, ya'll, keep Busgirlie's daughter in your thoughts and prayers. She's having some complications from her tonsilectomy. Go to Busgirlie's blog for more info and updates...

I've republished my entries as well as my archives, but still I am faced with a "page not found" when trying to click any of the entry's links on this first page here. The archived pages work fine. I also notice that my August 25-August 31 entries are not archived as they should be, but are still on this current page. It's probably something really simple I'm missing here, too. Aaaargh!

PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.35

1. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on a date?
It would probably have to be something that happened when I was in high school. I must have been a freshman or a sophomore, tops. My boyfriend and I were riding my horse, and my horse tossed his head backwards, soundly connecting with my nose and giving me a fine bloody nose! My head snapped backward and, since BF and I were riding double, hit my boyfriend's head. He suffered no ill consequences, of course. I remember being mortified that he would have to see me all gross with a bloddy schnozz!

2. Do you eat your veggies?
Oh, yes! I especially love asparagus, fresh picked and steamed. I've never gotten around to growing any asparagus because we don't have a good, sunny spot for it, so I settle for supermarket asparagus when it's the season for it. If you've ever wondered why eating asparagus makes your pee stink, thanks to this link and this other link, you can find out just why. Inquiring minds want to know!

3. Most people are comfortable going to the bathroom in front of at least one person. Has anyone ever used the restroom in front of you that you wish wouldn't have? What happened and how bad was it?
Heh, heh, heh....Yeah I have a story about this one! Back when Howie and I lived in the lower of an old house, we had one bathroom. We both had the flu or food poisoning, or what have you. Not a good situation. I was sitting on the pot (again) and Howie came rushing into the bathroom. "I've really gotta go! Are you going to be long?" Well, I was in the throes of another colon spasm and wasn't going anywhere too soon. Poor guy was so desparate he grabbed a bucket out of the closet and used it. Oh, it was not a fun day, no.

4. Have you ever had a bad online transaction? You know, the item wasn't what you thought it would be, you got totally ripped-off, no refunds, it just plain sucked? What's
the story there?

The first feedback we received on eBay was negative, owing to a vendor who got ticked off when I asked him to make right on a item which did not meet our expectations. It was an antique railroad stock certificate which had holes in it, ones which didn't show up in his scan. He wrote a nasty feedback in all caps "not nice people!!!". I was crushed that my first feedback would be so nasty. Now I have 40 positives and that's the only negative we ever had, so I've gone on with life. I survived it. ;)

For the most part, our transactions have been flawless, actually. When we have had problems, I've found that writing a polite e-mail, one with all the facts stated and my expectations clearly spelled out, has gone a long way in remedying the situation. I think a lot of people zap off an e-mail in anger and forget that the people answering the e-mails usually had nothing to do with the problem and are only trying to help. Who wants to help when the e-mail he's received reams him before he's had a chance to do anything, you know?

5. Ever have a current love find any old love letters (or similar item) you kept that probably should have been thrown away? How did that turn out?
LOL, my husband has seen some of the cards and letters from a few ex's, but he isn't really threatened. If those ex's and I had been physically intimate, that would bother him. But we weren't.

6. A secretary at work was telling me about a trip she took to Mardi Gras. She showed off her beaded necklaces and proudly said she "earned' each and every one of them (for those not familiar with this tradition, ladies walking up Burbon St. in New Orleans will flash people who are upon the balconies, in return the guys will throw them worthless plastic necklaces). I was shocked, I had no idea this quiet gal had a wild side. Was there ever a time when you did something totally outrageous because you knew no one would know who you were, or maybe didn't care even if they did?

No, not totally outrageous. I did some stupid things when I was in high school and hung out with a not-so-good crowd, but nothing totally outrageous. And if I had, modesty would prevent my giving the details, anyway. ;)

7. Hey, what happened to you last night? I waited forever!

Good things come to them that wait. ;)

BONUS: I know I could break you down, but what good would it do?

I could surely never know
That what you say is true.
Here i am in silence,
It's a game i have to play.
You and i in silence.
With nothing else to say.
more...

I've never heard this. I'm just a fan of Google.com, LOL.

Today's Comment Question*: Who's your favorite recording artist?

I have several in different genres. It depends on my mood for the day, really. I love The Beatles, Phil Keaggy, Kim Hill and John Tesh, especially. I like female vocalists who have alto voices and that sort of sing-songy delivery of lyrics, and I love good accoustic guitar work. And I like oddball stuff like Daniel Amos/Terry Taylor.

Quick question for you blog experts. How do I put a link in each entry that's a permanent link to just that entry? Some day I'd like to go through and put headings on each entry so they can be indexed somehow, too. Better do that before this gets huge and unmanageable, hadn't I? :)