Mr. M.

Macaroni Grill, meatballs, mom, Mai's, mountains, mushroom, Maine, Mockingbird Station, math, Mr. Rogers, moose, Mississippi John Hurt, mousse, moon, maize, Mavs, Moon River, maracas, Mediterranean, Mike Myers, mockingbird, Muddy Waters, and monkey.

Fun with Talking on the Phone

Here is a real conversation I had today:

Larry Feathers: Hello?
Me: Hey
Larry Feathers: Hey
Me: I just had the best idea I've ever had.
LF: It can't be as good as the idea I had.
Me: OK, What's your idea?
LF: Musical pants.
Me: (laughter) Musical pants.
LF: Yeah, when you stand up, they play your theme song.
...
LF: Mine would play that heavy metal "Son of a Bitch" song.

It's true. That was better than my idea.

And if you want to read and enjoy more about musical pants, please visit:
www.larryfeathers.blogspot.com

L is for LIST!

And loons, Looney Tunes, Larryfeathers, Legal Grounds, Lakewood, Liverpool, and Long John Bottoms.

Hooray for K!

Here are some good K words:

Kev!, kitchen, King of the Hill, kite, kangaroo, KERA, Kentucky, kicky, and KISS.

Let's talk J.

The Jam, jam, Jesus, Javier, Jeff, Jamaica, jazz, the Jets, Jacques Monkey, and Jimmy Carter.

Extra! Extra!

Faith in Humanity Restored! Crisis Averted!

The nice lady at Sur la Table is going to replace my broken coffee maker. I didn't even have to ask, much less complain or argue or make a scene. I said, "What do I do?" and she said, "We'll replace it." And that was that. It probably didn't hurt that she owned the same coffee maker and is as big a coffee snob as I am.

Some people are still good.

Birthday

Three people I like a lot have a birthday today: my dad, my friend Tracy, and my friend Heather. So Happy Birthday to all of them, and I hope they have a good fun birthday.

Yesterday was Jan.24, and on the radio, I learned that research has shown Jan.24 to be the most depressing day of the year. If that's true, that's great. It means things can't get any more depressing than they were yesterday. Who is funding research like this, is what I want to know. I think that money and energy and time could be better spent, say, researching ridding the world of mosquitos, or developing long-lasting coffee makers, or making hybrid cars affordable to the common man, and so forth.

I also spent the last week watching the history channel's series called The Presidents. I learned lots of fun facts about the presidents, and have decided that my top 5 favorite presidents are:

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Jimmy Carter
3. Theodore Roosevelt
4. Franklin Roosevelt
5. Lyndon Johnson (he makes it into the top 5 for Civil Rights.)

If anyone is looking for some good music, try listening to Madeleine Peyroux.

We All Scream for I-Words

Ice cream, ice skate, Indiana, Italian food, Italy, independence, Iceland, Indian food, Ireland and iris.

Good H.

Housepants, house plants, Hank Hill, hibiscus, Habitat for Humanity, house finch, Hunter the dog, Hyde Park, homebrew, Hot Stuff, horseheadfairyland, Hank Sr., harmonica, Heat Miser, happy, and Herbie Hinkle.

Desperate Times

As I type this, I am drinking instant coffee. We are in the middle of our fourth coffee crisis here at the LRHS house. It seems no coffee maker we purchase can last more than one year without something going horribly wrong. Now, we are coffee-less until I take our current maker to either be repaired or replaced. If the fine people of Bodum are unwilling to do either of these things, I don't know what will happen, as Kev has already emphatically claimed he will not buy another &*#!@ coffee maker.

On a brighter note, It is only 9 AM and I have already seen several different kinds of birds at the feeders. Desperate times for the birds as well, I suppose, as it's cold out and they've got no mittens or hats or scarves. Yesterday, I am happy to report, the woodpeckers found the peanuts. There were two different kinds enjoying a snack, and that made me happy. I am telling you that you might be surprised how much fun you can have if you put up a couple of bird feeders at your home. It is like a treasure hunt, and every time you see a new kind of bird it's a nice little surprise which can create some lift in your day. Even when all you have is instant coffee.

Spring Head

In spite of today's cold front, I have Spring-head. It's cool out, but still sunny, and there are birds all around, and some of my bulbs are coming up, and Kev raked up the last of the leaves this morning, and I am feeling springy. Don't get me wrong...I love winter and hope it sticks around a while. I am even jealous of our neighbors to the north and all the snow they've been promised this weekend. I'm pretty sure most of them would gladly trade their snow for our mild temps and sunny skies. The grass is always greener, as they say. Anyway, I have an itchy garden finger, and an inner desire to do creative things. This happens every year. Sadly, it never lasts very long. I am easily frustrated and discouraged by failed creative endeavors, and retreat back into sitting on the couch wishing I was in Alaska or the Galapagos Islands or the Italian coast or at least a little cabin in the woods somewhere. One of my biggest flaws is the inability to stick with anything. Could I have adult ADD? Anyway, I think I better go write a song or draw something or crochet something before the moment is gone.

Kev is in the kitched making spaghetti and meatballs. You should smell my house right now! Can't wait for dinner time...

The Letter G

G is for guitar, garlic, grits, Guinness, guillemots, Guillaume, garden, gnocchi, green, Galapagos Islands, and guiro.

Good F-Words

Flower, food, fest, French toast, Fourth of July, fun facts, fireworks, Fat Albert, fall, forest, fun, Friday, and field trip.

Fun Friday Field Trip

Today we decided to take advantage of the strangely spring-like January weather and ride our bikes to the lake for some exercise and birds. Here are some things we saw: cormorants, gulls, turtles, pelicans, American coots, red-wing black birds, grackles, mallards, some kind of hawk, and some other stuff, plus a nice sailboat and a conga line of turtles sunning themselves on a log. I have posted some pictures. White Rock Lake is a nice place for you and your family to go and look at birds or take a walk or have a picnic, especially on a weekday when the weather is nice. And it is FREE! The worst part of riding your bike to the lake is that you eventually have to ride it back home, which is uphill all the way. But when it's over, it's the good kind of tired, like you've accomplished something.

Apparently, word of my recently replenished peanut supply has gotten out to the neighborhood starlings, and they have invaded my feeder. These peanuts were intended for the woodpeckers, but I guess starlings gotta eat too. My yard has been very active today. I have seen cardinals, sparrows, starlings, grackles, juncos, bluejays, house finches, two kinds of doves, and several squirrels. It is great to have wildlife in the yard.

The American Coot 

Double Crested Cormorants 

White Pelican 

Turtles 

Sailboat 

Great Egrets