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 

Good News of the Day

My friend Damon, who is an army captain stationed in Iraq, is coming home on Feb. 11. That is very good news.

The Letter E

E is for elephant, Emeril, England, eggplant, eggplant parmesan, Echo and the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello, etch-a-sketch, and eagle. These are some good "e" words.

The Inauguration of T

If I was President today, the first thing I would do is call off overly expensive inaugural events and give that money to something more important. Then I would call for a meeting with all the different world leaders to talk about why we need to all get along. Then I would make some kind of a program for poor unemployed people where they are given jobs, but then they have to prove they can be reliable and really want to work or they get kicked out of the program. Then I would get a bunch of scientists to have around the White House to figure out what to do about climate change and other science things. Then I would outlaw Hummers. I would call for mandatory nap time at work. Then I would outlaw talking on cell phones in cars and restaurants. And I would get rid of the death penalty. And then I would make all people caught littering spend 3 months going around cleaning up litter. And then I would concentrate on what to do about the horrible mess the education system is in. And I would get someone smarter than me to figure out all the war issues, because I wouldn't even know where to start. Vote for me!

Big D Little d, what begins with D?

dog, daisy, Django, dad, duck, Dallas Arboretum, Dallas World Aquarium, deer, Duvel, Dennis from Jamaica, Dutchess County Fair, DART train, Dalai Lama, Duran Duran, Doc Watson, and Doc Monkey.

Nobody seems to be having fun with my alphablog, but I'm going to do it anyway, mostly cause there ain't much else to write about lately.

Oh, Cookie Cookie Cookie Starts with C!

And so does coffee, Colorado, cat, Central Market, cooking, corn, crochet, cruise, Christmas, Chrysler building, clarinet, canoe, camping, cabin, chili pepper, Chili the iguana, curry, cheese, cowbell, cake, chocolate, Chai tea, Chopin, cello, Cinema Paradiso, chicken marsala, Canada, Curb your Enthusiasm, cashews, and Clint Eastwood.

And that's good enough for me.

Mean People

When I was a kid, about 4 years old, I went to this Baptist pre-school in Indiana. I think it was mostly pretty fun. There was coloring and juice and naps. But one day, in the cafeteria, they served something I didn't like, so I wouldn't eat it. They decided it would be cool to make me sit there in the cafeteria all day or until I cleaned my plate. I sat there until my mom came to get me after work. She was mad, but she didn't say anything because she was only about 23 and it was the 70's and teachers were supposed to know best about what to do with little kids who wouldn't eat their lunches.

What I can't figure out is if I really remember this, or if I just think I remember it because I've heard the story. In my mind, I have created a memory of it. In my memory though, I am about the size of a sparrow, and the cafeteria is like Wembley arena, and whatever is on my plate is green and mushy and cold. I think most of my childhood memories are from stories, pictures, and super-8 movies. There are a few things I REALLY remember, but not that many. But sometimes, I'll smell something that makes me remember something or someone I wouldn't have otherwise thought of in a million years. Neuroscientists think this is because my olfactory (smelling) nerve is in close proximity to my hippocampus (memory center of brain), and they are probably right. My brother can remember all kinds of stuff from when he was really little. I think his memories are real.

Summary: The brain is interesting, and mean people are bad for kids.

S-A-TUR-DAY NIGHT!

Saturday always reminds me of the great Bay City Rollers, and Bay City Rollers begins with the letter B. Here is today's list of good things that begin with the letter B:

Boats, breakfast, barbeque, band practice, books, bagels, Belle-Ayre the dog, blogging, Borders, Beatles, bellydancing, baseball, babies, bowling, bananas, bananas foster(!), blue, Blues, Bailey's, bats, birds, beavers, bears, bicycles, Boston (the town, NOT the band), blueberries, blackberries, basketball, Bach, Bert from Sesame Street, Bobby Hill, banjos, bongos, beer, bisque (lobster), Beastie Boys, and Billie Holliday.

Note: Audubon Society, Algonquin and Astral Weeks have been added to the "A" list.

Feel free to add to my lists via the "comments" or make your own good alphabet list at home. It's fun! And it helps take your mind off being troubled.

I was going to make a bad list for each letter too, but I thought I'd keep the negativity out of it this time.

Troubled

This morning after my walk, I took some time out to be troubled. I am troubled about lots of things, big and small. A lot of people I like are having job problems, money problems, health problems, kid problems or general big decision-making problems. This is troubling, because I want the people I like to be happy and not have problems, plus there is very little I can do to help except try to be encouraging and stuff. Plus I am troubled about the Tsunami people, and the mudslide people, and the Hatians, and the polar bears, and the state of the oceans and the world in general. Plus I have a few very small troubles of my own. So, I spent some time on the couch feeling sorry for my friends and the world and myself. It was, I think, a complete waste of time. All of those problems still exist, and I wasted my morning off.
Anyway, I watched the birds outside for a while, and I feel better. I just wish everyone else could find some birds or bird-substitutes to make them feel better too.

On with some positivity:
The crocheting is going well. I have made a scarf, and a candle coaster so far. In an attempt to bring crochet into the modern world, I am now working on a case for my cell phone.
I have also learned to play "Moon River" on the accordian. Does anyone know what a "huckleberry friend" is? I think I'd like to have a huckleberry friend.
There has been a lot of bird action in my neighborhood lately. I reckon spring is nigh.
My good friend in California, let's call her Sharon, is blogging now. Check it out at horseheadfairyland.blogspot.com. She sometimes sees famous people at the grocery store, so there are sure to be exciting tales on her blog.

Todays blog is brought to you by the letter "A"
Good things that start with "A":
Albert the dog, Archie the cat, apples, asparagus, artichokes, Alaska, Antarctica, the Ant and the Aardvark cartoons, Adam and the Ants, animals, accordians, Africa, Audubon Society, Algonquin Hotel, Astral Weeks, and the alphabet.

A Dinner Story

(Names have been changed to protect the embarrassed)

Once upon yesterday, it was January 9, and I'll be damned if it wasn't about 75 degrees outside. So, my husband, "Guillaume" and I dined al fresco (on the front porch). What a lovely afternoon. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. So we sat on the porch having dinner and watching the usual parade of people and their dogs go by. Suddenly, "Guillaume" got up and went inside. A few minutes later, he appeared at the door with a candle for the table, and his accordian for playing Italian dinner music, which he did. "Come Back to Sorrento," specifically. It was very nice and romantic. Then I said to "Guillaume","Can I blog about this?" And he said, "Only if you change my name." And I said, "What do you want your name to be?" And he said, "Pierre." I thought "Pierre" was too generic. The end.

Squippie Symbol

Who wants a T-Shirt?!
Hey, the middle part of the squippie symbol looks like a bird's foot. I just noticed that. Cool.

So I Married a....Granny?

Poor Kev. It's bad enough that his wife is a bird-watcher, but last night she was up late crocheting! He probably wishes he married someone more exciting who likes to sky-dive or belly-dance or at least eat really super spicy food. Well, in her defense, she did parasail last summer, she doesn't like Oprah or soap operas, and she wants to build a canoe. That's something.

Hey, here's a question. Do you think every female goes through a crochet phase? My mom did it for a while. I'm pretty sure most of my friend's moms did it too. My sister-in-law is really good at it. I like it, but i get hand cramps if I'm not careful. I am just learning. Last night I made a lumpy sort of circle. Just for fun.

Here's another question. Do any of you find yourself being extra nice to Middle Eastern people these days, as if to prove something? Or maybe to get them to not hate us? Last night, I made small talk with a nice Indian man at the Chevron-Mart when I was getting coffee. In my head, I think I was thinking I should do my best to make this person feel welcome here. In retrospect, it was probably silly of me to think he DIDN'T feel welcome here. Anyway, I think if it had been a teenager or a haggard old smokey lady, I might have not said anything at all. Is this reverse-racism? Is it white man's guilt? I think probably it would be better to just be nice to everybody.

One more: If you are on a trip to a country that has socialized medicine, and you break your arm, do you have to pay the doctors there?

OK, time to do something productive. Or maybe take a nap.

New Year's Groove

Happy New Year to all!
As predicted, my groove is in grave danger from post-holiday letdown. Yesterday was tree-taking-down day. How I hate tree-taking down day. It makes me cry every year. It seems like Christmas came and went so fast that I didn't get to savor it properly. Now January is here, and I am feeling pretty blue. I have no big event to look forward to or plan for. So, in order to save my groove, I am going to have to be very mindful and pro-active. Here are some things I am going to do to help save my groove:

• Learn to crochet with my new Christmas crochet kit
• Learn to play the accordian and the Turkish Spike Fiddle and maybe the clarinet
• Be more active in the band
• Work on my tree herbarium book I got for Christmas
• Sew some stuff
• Read
• Try new recipes from my new cookbooks
• Cut lots of things with my new scissors from my carousel of scissors (24 different edges!)
• Watch a lot of Fat Albert, Looney Tunes, and other DVDs
• Listen to new CDs
• Learn more about birds
• Learn more about gardening
• Try to see my friends more often
• Play board games more often
• Make new soups

So there are probably some other things too, like roller skating and stuff, but that's a start. I got a lot of nice and fun gifts for Christmas, so that should keep me busy for a while.

We went to see the Fat Albert movie on New Years Day. It was cute...good clean fun for the whole family. I think maybe Fat Albert is sort of a squippie.

I want to kick a quick shout out to Kev's cousin, E.F., in case he is reading this. Also to SKSG, who will hopefully be blogging soon. Also, in case you don't know, you can get Fat Albert episodes on DVD now...they are great. Also, I forgot to mention that we saw an otter or possibly a muskrat in New York in addition to the turkeys and deer. I reckon that's all for now.

Turkeys Turkeys Everywhere

The Turkeys of Hyde Park New York...Making their daily pilgrimage.

Sock Monkeys for All!

Jacques Monkey, Doc Monkey, and Long John Bottoms. Christmas '04.