A Boring Weather Post. A Photographer I'm Not.

Temp this morning. I have to go to Costco for greens.

Temp around the state. At Costco I buy 6 of the large spring mix greens and 12 of the petite lettuce. For my green juice.

I haven't a clue what this is. Another boring picture I took.

Whoopee Ding. We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave. Look I'm dancing.

A full Moon on another Three Dog Night. I was born on a full moon. Doggone!

More boring temps around the area.

So how's your weather?

It's Got to be Nearly Time to be Thinking Spring

Anybody thinking spring? I am. Getting to be that time when fans start thinking BASEBAll. I was only a fan by association because my husband owned a baseball team, the Minnesota Twins. I'd been to only one game in my life until I met him. Calvin lived baseball. He breathed it, digested it, slept and dreamed it. When I married him, I married baseball.

Minneapolis' new baseball park, Target Field, sports a life size bronze statue of Calvin. I've never seen it because I've never been back to Minneapolis. Last summer, son, Zonnie was there and took these pictures. I tried to post them before but being a clumsy tech, it was a no-go.

The likeness of Calvin by sculptor Bill Mack, is amazing. Calvin would be immensely thrilled to see his beloved team play out in the open air again, where baseball was meant to be played. Calvin was a walking baseball encyclopedia. Oh how I miss his baseball stories of times past. He was bat boy for his Father's team, the Washington Senators and told fabulous stories of "The Babe ," Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson. After Calvin inherited the team he took it to Minnesota and changed the name to the "Minnesota Twins," because Saint Paul and Minneapolis are known as the "Twin Cities."

Although Calvin will never visit this ball park in person, he will keep vigil over it always. Hey, Dear Husband, I got two words, "Play Ball."

P.S. I love you

Whoever Said Being a Parent is Easy???

The photo below is son, Zonnie and me when he was in his early twenties.

I've always heard the cliche, "The proof is the pudding." Seems to also apply to raising kids.

In the late 70's, my son, Zonnie just got his driving license and wanted to drive to Northern Mn for a weekend skiing. I said, "Definitely no. " A winter snow storm was on it's way according to the weather report. But, he borrowed his Father's pickup and left without telling me. (Daryl, the Narcissist and I were split by that time)

A huge storm came, they ran off the road and smashed the pickup. It was still drivable but it needed a tow that cost $100. No money between him and his buddy but he promised the tow man he would pay him. (Before credit cards were so common)

Of course he couldn't ask his Father for the money after just wrecking his pickup. He asked me for the money.

Oh no, dear God. Please no. I recognized this as one of the lessons that parents are required to honor, always harder on the parents than the children, at the time. I told him, "If you think you are old enough to make your own decisions, you're old enough to pay the consequences."

Zonnie had been washing dishes at the Country Club for a buck an hour. He had saved up and bought all the boy toys he wanted, a boom box, a new golf putter, and electronic stuff of that time. All he could do was call the guys he knew and have a quick sale on his precious hard-earned stuff.

When the boys came to the sale, I had to go in my room and cry. I could have easily written out a check for him but what was the lesson in that? Would he then think that any time he got in trouble, his parents would bail him out? So many parents fail to recognize the life lesson moments.

He gave up his toys and never mentioned it again. That is, not until a few years ago we were talking about the past and he mentioned that episode and said it was the best life lesson I had ever taught him. He thanked me for it.

Today, Zonnie is in his late forties. He is the son who calls me often to ask if I need anything. He shovels my snow when it's deep. He respects women.

They say you mellow as you grow old. I wonder if it would have achieved the same result if I had given him the check. I'll never know. But I do know he grew into a fine, honest man, a good business person, and a loving husband.

Please feel free to give your opinion because after all this time, I sometimes wonder.

A Book I Couldn't Put Down

The Boy Who Saw True is a book written in the form of a diary by a little boy in 1885. Beside the message it brings, the Victorian words and phrases dance through our heads with delight.

When he writes in bed he always says he writes with pencil. At first I didn't "get it." Of course, he would be using an ink well and pen which could be sloppy when used in bed. When I started school in the 30's we had desks with a little round hole to hold our ink wells. Our pens were like a wooden paint handle where you insert the metal writing part. It was delicate writing because if you pressed too hard, the prongs would spread and then your writing would scratch. The ink well was always a temptation for a little boy to insert the pig tails of the girl who sat in front of him. I had completely forgotten ink wells. OMG, I'm getting old!!!!

The little boy author, is a clairvoyant. Admonished by his Mother, he doesn't realize that others can't see what he can. His writings coincide with the brilliant teachings of Edgar Cayce. What a delightful read this book held for me. I couldn't put it down and was sorry when it ended.

I'm not recommending this book for everyone. It's a different kind of read. If for nothing more, I tell you to appreciate your ball point pen. Ha

Come On People.... Get Over It

Sheila Jackson Lee, congress woman, went on the air accusing a Pepsi ad from Super Bowl as being racist. It is a black couple sitting on a park bench drinking Pepsi when along comes a cute white jogger gal and smiles at them. The black man smiles back and black woman looks pissed and throws her Pepsi at the man. He ducks and the can hits the jogger girl.

Not a funny ad to my way of thinking..... looks like the can hurt the jogger...... BUT to call this racist. Get a life, congress lady. They could have used a white couple and black jogger..... more complaints. Could have used all white....... complaint of racist in not using blacks or vice versa for the other all color.

Holy Moly People. When I saw it, I didn't even see color. I thought, "Ouch, that could hurt. That's a not too funny ad." What do you think?

Snow is Good

Yesterday it was snowing and blowing and snowing. Another foot of snow. That will be great for the ski hills BUT also great for Cody's holes. Look at the header. No more holes.

Oh Dear ..... Life Was so Simple Before Pets and Kids

My house sits on an average city lot. I'm sandwiched in-between two neighbors, a really nice gentleman and a schizophrenic behaving woman. The man had a dog when he moved in but the dog got old and died. He loves Cody and she always runs to get a pat from him when we go to the car. We chit-chat a little when we work in the yard and he's just a pleasant neighbor. I feel blessed.

Five years ago, a woman moved in the house on the other side of me. Twice I've tried to introduce myself when we were outside but she runs into the house and slams the door. Another time, I rang her doorbell after I had seen her drive in her garage and I knew she was home but she wouldn't answer the door. Her shades are always pulled and she's never outside. I always wonder how she gets her mail when the box is on the street. She hires people to do the lawn, shovel show and general maintenance. I call her behavior odd but perhaps she truly wants to be left alone. I accept that.

Early this morning, between the dark and the daylight (thank you Longfellow), I was outside shoveling a couple inches of new fallen snow. I really get into my snow shoveling and for a time, I forgot Cody was outside with me. Obviously Cody doesn't understand boundary lines. When I looked into the dim morning, I saw her standing in the weird neighbor's yard peering into a hole she'd dug through the foot of snow that was already on the ground. Her little Aussie tail was wagging with intent of digging a mole out of the ground. OMG there were three tell-tale holes with dirt spattered snow so I knew she had hit earth.

Photo taken from beside my garage. Kinda hiding. No, I was really hiding. Looks bad, doesn't it?

What do you think? Does that look like she got to the grass? Panic. What to do? If it were the nice neighbor, I'd inspect the damage, knock on his door, apologize and tell him I'll repair any damage in the spring. But what's weird lady going to do? I'm sure she wouldn't open the door for me. I prayed for two feet of sudden snow but that didn't happen.

Cody's in the dog house. No, she went in her crate on her own, probably to get warm after all her outdoor activity. What could I say to her, she was just being a dog. I was the one who wasn't watching her. Oh Dear !!!! Oh, if it would only snow !!!!!! Got any ideas?

Ya Gotta Love Commercials

Getting your Super Bowl beer and snacks ready? Can't leave the TV during commercials because that's the best part. Remember this Budlight commercial of 2007 that was banned. Usually call me prude but I think it's funny.

Geico commercials are hysterical. I never tire of the Drill Sargent turned Analyst one. I must have drill sargent mentality because this is the kind of analyst I'd make.

This is another Geico commercial that I find wildly funny. I'm looking at it through the eyes of a dance teacher. We often dance along side a couple guiding their steps. I've seen some frantic movements in trying to keep up with the music. But not everyone sees it as I do. I'm having a go-around on You Tube with someone who insists it's a commercial for gays. Some of the young commenters on YT have a brain that only knows four-letter words but this person presents a plausible argument. He insists Geico meant it as a gay commercial and I'm watching it with naive eyes. I still think it's the funniest. What's your opinion?