Where are They? Inventions I Eagerly Await

Posted on July 22, 2011 | 6 comments

Good morning Everyone!

While I have my issues with technology (see, Please stop Improving my Life I and II), there are certain inventions I eagerly await. 

I already mentioned, in an earlier post, the riding vacuum cleaner (Differences Between Men and Women)but there are a few more I think the inventors of this world should be working on.

1)  A car that drives itself where I want it to go.  In the last two days, I have driven about five hours total.  How nice it would be to have a car that just took care of all the driving, and let me use that time productively for things like napping, cross-stitch or playing computer games.  However, this is merely a short-term solution to commuting problems, as I believe the second invention is the long-term answer.

Transporter

2) The transporter from Star Trek.  It is hard to believe that something envisioned in the 1960’s has yet to be invented.  Of course, I realize there are some fundamental rules of physics that have to be gotten around, re-explained, or discovered, but still!  Instant transportation from one place to another is worth it.  Just think how much more time we could spend doing important things like tail-gating at football games, standing in line at Disneyworld (rather than spending time driving to Disneyworld) or shopping for the latest gizmos instead of the time we spend commuting. 

Climate Control Device!

3)  A personal climate control machine no bigger than a pedometer.  At this time of the year, those of us in the Southeast spend a great deal of time calculating our routes so that we end up spending as little time as possible out-of-doors (unless the beach or lake is involved) to allow us to remain in air-conditioned comfort.  I don’t know this for certain, but I expect those of you who encounter extremely cold weather during the year do the same with heat.  Imagine if you could clip something about the size of the pedometer on your waist, set the temperature, and enjoy that temperature all day long, no matter where you are.  I think that would be really cool (no pun intended!)

Country Cooler Drive Thru Convenience Store, Hollister Florida

4)   The drive-through grocery store window.  (Apparently, this concept is in the testing phase; an internet search revealed that an increasing number of convenience stores, especially in Florida, are trying this out.)  Every parent who has ever traveled to or through the grocery store with young (or even not so young) children can understand the appeal of being able to call the grocery store in advance, tell the clerk exactly what you want, pull up to a window, receive your items and pay for them, all without having to do the “No” song through the aisles.  No, you can’t have Oreos; No, you can’t have Cocoa Puffs; No, you can’t have rutabagas (you don’t even know what they are); No, you can’t have that cheap $5 toy that will fall apart as soon as we get it home; No, you can’t have your fifth package of mints this week (that’s for my daughter).

It also is helpful for those who, like me, enter the grocery store for milk and lettuce, fall into a strange trance, and emerge on the other side with two carts full of groceries and no idea what they are or how they got there!

5) An integrated clothes cleaning system that will sort the clothes, wash the clothes, dry the clothes  and fold the clothes or iron them as needed.   My current system, my 9 year old, leaves something to be desired.  (Just kidding – we don’t let her iron – yet.)  I am willing to continue to put them away however.  

6)  A computer that will allow me to win an argument with it.  Currently, once it starts beeping and sending me error messages, the computer wins. 

7)   Failing that, a computer that will do what I want it to do, not necessarily what I tell it do. 

8)   A money tree.  If it was prolific enough, I would be willing to share! 

Any inventions you might like to see?  Future inventors of America, take note!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Bananas for Bananas!

Posted on July 20, 2011 | 8 comments

Good morning everyone!

Tyra

My sweet and gentle Tyra called me a name yesterday.  It was the kind of look she usually reserves for those times when, after three days of rain, we are forced to throw her out into a downpour whether she likes it or not so she can take care of essentials.  My crime? 

I failed to share a banana with her. 

Unlike humans, dogs have a limited sense of taste, but one of the flavors they can taste is sweet.  Apparently, a banana hits Tyra’s taste buds in just the right way, because I have never met a dog that is as crazy for them as she is. 

In spite of the slight dulling of some senses that comes as dogs age, (Tyra is 10 now), she still is super-sensitive to bananas.  For example, I will be asleep in one room, with the door closed and Tyra and Mandy asleep with me. Mark, in the other room, will tip-toe into the kitchen, grab a lone banana from the fruit bowl and tip-toe back to the den to get ready to eat it.  Before he even begins to peel it,  Tyra is awake, prancing by my bedside, and sending Mandy up on the bed to walk on my hair to wake me up so that Tyra can go claim her share.  (Darwin is a non-factor because he usually sleeps in the den anyhow.)

Whenever Tyra is about to get a piece of banana, she does a little tap/river dance as the banana piece is broken off and handed to her.  Therefore the maximum entertainment value in providing Tyra with a piece of banana is obtained when you give it to her while she is standing on the wooden floor. 

The Rule of Three

Darwin and Mandy are not as wild about bananas, but they do expect the Rule of Three (one for Tyra, one for Mandy, one for Darwin) to be followed, so normally in our family when someone wants a banana, they have to get two – one for themselves, and one to share with the dogs.  Kayla, never having known anything else, finds that to be quite normal, but Mark and I are still bemused by it.  My mother, when she visits, loves to buy bananas simply to have some to give to Tyra.

Fortunately, Tyra doesn’t hold a grudge, so shortly after I finished the banana she forgave me.  However, a trip to the store will soon be in order, as we are now down to three bananas, and I’m not sure if she’ll be willing to forgive me a second time!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Closets, Rain and Underwear (An Unlikely Combination!)

Posted on July 18, 2011 | 2 comments

Good morning everyone! 

No-no and Bad Dog are off to a flying start this morning.  I just retrieved a red-ink pen from No-No (fortunately before he had pierced through to the ink) and a handkerchief from Bad Dog, both of which they could only have taken directly off my bedside table. 

Bad Dog (Mandy) and No-No (Darwin) Confer on Tactics

I hope you had a great weekend!  We did.  Our big activity for this weekend was going to see the last Harry Potter movie.  Yes, it is as good as the collective “they” say.  For purists, there are differences from the book, but over all, the movie does a fantastic job of conveying the important points.

  • Inmate’s Underwear

    From Print Shop Professional 2.0

Kayla is of an age now where she can (sort of) understand what’s going on when she listens to the news.   Yesterday afternoon late, we had to head into Montgomery to buy a few things, and on the way there, we heard a news report about how the sheriff of Polk County, Arizona has decreed that male inmates must buy their prison underwear or do without.

Kayla thought for a minute, then said reflectively, “You know, I think everyone should have at least one pair of underwear.”  Then she thought some more, and announced that “If I ever go to prison, I will be sure and pack my own underwear.”  We explained that you don’t normally get to take your own stuff to prison.  She said, “Well, then, the underwear they give you might not fit right or be very comfortable; I guess I just won’t ever to go to jail.” 

We told her we thought that was a wise decision. 

  •   Gentle Rain

    Happy to Get Rain (from Print Shop Professional 2.0)

We have had an unexpected break in our summer weather, for just a few days, and it has been nice.  Overcast clouds and summer thunderstorms gave us rain for about four days straight.  The crowning glory was a slow soaking rain on Saturday, followed by a cloud show that was absolutely breathtaking!  The rain clouds broke into huge blankets of dark gray pillowed skies bordered by luminous white clouds, with just one or two patches where the clouds broke completely and the rays came shining though.  How I wished my fellow bloggers over at The Simple Life of a Country Man’s Wife, and Just Rambling Pier  had been here to take pictures.  They both are super photographers.  I, of course, in spite of my three cameras plus one cell phone that takes pictures, had nothing available to capture the moment with.

Our Cloud Show Was Even Better Than This! (From Print Shop Professional 2.0)

Mark volunteered Saturday morning to help Kayla clean her closet, due to a pressing need to find out how many pairs of shoes she had that fit, and so they spent about two hours working on it together.  It now looks really good and they were still speaking to each other when they finished!  I have given him carte blanche on my half of our clothes closet whenever he wants, Kayla’s looked so good when they finished.  The craft closet I have not offered up for cleaning.  🙂 

A Closet That Was Cleaned (from Print Shop Professional 2.0)

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Dance in the Dark

Posted on July 15, 2011 | 2 comments

Dance in the Dark

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that Yahoo Contributor has allowed me to publish a short story at the following link:  A Dance in the Dark.  The assignment was to write a short story based on an image, and this is the image I chose.  The story itself is one where fantasy and faith meet.  I hope you enjoy it!

Have a great weekend!  

Nancy

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Life in a Small Town: The Local Paper

Posted on July 15, 2011 | 2 comments

Good morning Everyone!

Do you think Disney really thought about the fact that they are releasing the new Winnie the Pooh movie on the same weekend as the last Harry Potter movie?  I know which one we are going to see.  (Hint:  Eeyore is not in it!)

But I digress – The local paper, which comes out once a week was delivered in the mail yesterday.  Kayla and I both enjoy reading it, and there is a good chance someone we know will be in it.  I find it very comforting that in this age of constant media bombardment, there still are places where “all the news fit to print” is printed once a week, in a paper that can be read in less than 10 minutes, usually. 

Front page news this week includes the fact that the mayor has had to give a radio statement to permanently and firmly squelch a rumor that had been going around town that he had recently been arrested and charged with DUI.  There is a huge color picture on the front page showing some of the members of the local swim team practicing for the district meet that is being held today with the caption “Shark Attack.”  Swim meets are a big thing in this town; one of my friends from another town in the area has his children doing swim team, too, and he says whenever my town is in a meet, there is so much purple and gold swarming the buildings that it reminds him of an LSU football game.  (Purple and gold are our sports teams’ colors – all sports.) 

It is also big news that the city council has approved one of the local (but chain) drug stores’ application to sell alcohol, and that a second Dollar General is moving into town.  A picture on the second page tells us that the Farmer’s Market drew a crowd this weekend, and that it will continue every Saturday until Labor Day from 7 – 11.  The wedding announcements and obituaries are always big news, as are the church announcements.  13 churches in our town have announcements in the paper, but on another page, which simply lists the churches here, there are a total of 75 listed.  (This is a good thing, not a bad thing.)

Sports news is always big, and this week is no exception.  One of the big stories is that football tickets and parking permits for the high school football games will be available to the public starting Monday, August 8.  High school football is one of our premier events – one year, our town moved the official celebration of Halloween from Friday, October 31 to Saturday, November 1 simply to avoid a conflict with the local football game. 

We have our share of sales ads, too – today’s sampling includes a 12 page ad from one of the local grocery stores, a 24 page leaflet from Best Buy, which is not located here but does have stores in both Montgomery and Auburn, both of which we can reach fairly easily, and an ad for a local pharmacy.  The ad I find most curious is the 12 page ad for Rite Aid, which no longer has a store in our town, and hasn’t for at least 8 months.  I suppose somebody somewhere will figure that out soon.

I didn’t see the “police blotter” listing arrests and calls for the police department this week, but I may have just overlooked it.  It usually is published, and it is always an interesting read, the more so because it is rarely tragic.  While we have unfortunately had a couple of really shocking crimes the past couple of years, including a brutal assault on an elderly couple, a murder, and an arson incident that took out a good portion of our downtown but by the grace of God failed to injure anyone, most of the time the police blotter is limited to calls about neighbor’s noises, domestic disturbances, traffic tickets, and that most interesting of categories, miscellaneous calls.  You never quite know what will turn up there!

Well, it’s Friday, but I have a lot of work to get done before next Tuesday, (a summary judgment response, a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals brief, and two Daubert motion responses) so I need to sign off for now. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Nancy

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Blogging Lessons I Have Learned

Posted on July 14, 2011 | 16 comments

Good morning Everyone!

This post today will be my 108th post.  I have been blogging since February 22, and this is as good a time as any to take stock of what I have learned since then.

1)   It is wonderful to be able to write something someone else reads and have them say, “I like that!” 

2) I have written approximately 54,000 words in 108 posts which have included 516 images.  Each post has taken (on average, unless lots of pictures are involved) 45 minutes or less to write.  That is equivalent at least to a novella! 

3) I can sit down every day and write.  In fact, I enjoy doing it.

4) SEO does not involve a corporation’s management structure, bounce rate is not a basketball statistic and “keyword” and “password” are not equivalent terms.

5) The “site stats” page on WordPress is addictive.

6) So is getting Freshly Pressed.  It happened to me once, (Rules I Never Thought I’d Need) and I still harbor a faint hope with every post I make that another one will get Freshly Pressed some day…

7)  There are lots of extremely interesting people from all over the world who read this blog.  I have had the chance to get to know some of them.

8)  My family and friends read this blog almost every day –  devotion above and beyond the call of duty.  Some people who didn’t know me originally read this blog almost every day, too, which is really amazing!

9) My daughter is an exceptionally good sport to let me write about her.  The dogs don’t really care what I write about them.  Mandy is much better at finishing her food now that I write beside her while she eats.  (Dog Rules)

10) Toasted bagels with peanut butter and typing on a keyboard are a messy combination. 

11) Someone out there keeps searching “husky-basset hound mixes.”  Whoever you are, I would be really interested to know why.  I thought we had the only husky-basset hound mix in the world. 

Mandy, Our Husky-Basset Hound Mix

12) No matter how many cameras you have, (I’m at 3 right now), you still can manage to forget to bring one when you need it.

13) Even the most mundane things are funny, if you look at them the right way.  (Light Switches.) 

Hall Light Switch

14) I love to hear from you, and am very grateful to every reader who has taken the time to comment on a blog. 

15) Pens continue to disappear at an alarming rate at my house.  (Of Waves and Pens.)

16) Life is beautiful and it is fun to share!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in dogs, Just stuff..., On the Home Front, Reflection, working mom, Writing

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Golf – for the rest of us!

Posted on July 13, 2011 | 4 comments

Good morning everyone! 

Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller  hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose. – Winston Churchill

It has been early spring since I played golf.  Of course, I use the term “play” quite loosely – a better description of my golf game involves the use of the terms “machete” and “hack” but you get the idea.  Mark is much better than I am, but due to a condition similar to Phil Mickelson’s psoriatic arthritis, some days he plays better than others.  Kayla’s golf game has yet to be defined; she currently has been told that she plays a specialized position known as “ball spotter and fetcher” which requires a person to run out and retrieve balls from a distance, but does allow a chance at a shot or two to the green from a short distance away, along with an occasional turn at driving the golf cart.   

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can’t see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

Even though we haven’t played golf, not even gone to the driving range, since about April, we do watch it quite frequently.  The pros make it look so easy!  The magnificent way they step up to a ball, take a swing and hit it continually amazes me, not to mention the fact that they can make that same ball travel an amazing distance in a straight line!  This year’s Master’s finish was one of the most exciting finishes to a pro tournament I can remember for a long time, and I think we all were excited to see Rory McIlroy, a young (to me) Irish kid who seems as nice as he possibly can be, win the U.S. Open.  The pros make me believe for one shining moment that I can hit the ball – until that deflating moment when I stand at the first tee of the first hole, carefully place my ball on the wooden peg, take my practice swing, then swing with everything I have – only to find that I completely missed the ball, yet again.

If your opponent is playing several shots in vain attempts to extricate himself from a bunker, do not stand near him and audibly count his strokes. It would be justifiable homicide if he wound up his pitiable exhibition by applying his niblick to your head. ~Harry Vardon

However, Mark, my husband, had a brilliant idea while we were at the beach, driving around and passing by golf courses on which I never will be good enough to play.  (Why do they insist on putting people’s houses on either side of the fairway?)  He calls it “Mark’s Golf Course for Regular Guys.”  Its motto is “Golf – for the Rest of Us!”  He has gone so far as to prepare the following prospectus:  

Mark’s Golf Course for Regular Guys:  The only water is in bottles and par is a theoretical ideal, not a hard and fast goal. In fact, score cards are generally frowned. The greens all slope toward the middle like a big drain and mulligans are in vogue. The quality of the golf may not be world-class, but there is plenty of barbecue and good friends. Prices are low, the scores are high and everyone has fun. For investment opportunities contact….

I intend to be one of the first customers! 

I know of a great tool that will take five strokes off  any game.  It’s called an eraser.  – Arnold Palmer

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in Just stuff..., working mom, Wow! I never thought of it that way before.

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We Go To Visit Carter (And His Parents)

Posted on July 12, 2011 | 3 comments

Good morning everyone!
 
Back in March, the three of us got to meet Mark and my’s grand-nephew for the first time.  Kayla (and the rest of us) were enthralled.

Kayla holding Carter

Last time, Carter came to visit us, so this time we went to Carter.  As an added bonus, we got to see his parents, too.  🙂  (Just kidding, Andy and Anne; we wanted to see you too.)  It is amazing how much he has grown!

Happy Baby!

I know, through my experiences with Kayla, that children grow fast; apparently babies grow even faster!  We took lots and lots and pictures; I have culled a few of the best for you (besides, the subscribers to this blog who are related to me and therefore whom I hear from more often than the rest of you would kill me if I didn’t put in a few.)

Here is a picture of Anne, Andy and Carter together:

There is another important member of the family, too.  Her name is Tallulah and she is just now turning 2.

Tallulah (aka Lula unless she is in trouble!)

She also adores Carter and is very sweet with him, in spite of the energy most dogs have at the age of 2. 

Oh, you're taking pictures!

Somehow I always manage to get at least one picture when Kayla doesn’t expect it!

Anne, Carter, Kayla and Sophie, the $14 giraffe

One of Carter’s favorite toys is a rubber giraffe, who has been named Sophie.  Friends brought her to Carter from France, which is why she is a $14 giraffe, I guess.  Anne and Andy’s biggest challenge is being sure Tallulah understands that the giraffe is Carter’s, not hers.  It seems they are doing a fine job with that, as I watched her all afternoon, and she left the giraffe alone the entire time.  There is no way we could get No-no and Bad Dog to do that!

Mommy makes me happy

Anne is an excellent mother, and Carter knows it!  She knows exactly how to hold him and what he wants when Mark, Kayla and I are just staring at him goggle eyed.  When he wanted to play, she pulled out a little floor play thing that lets him lie on his back on the floor, and Kayla decided to try to play with him on his level. 

Kayla and Carter on the floor (from directly above)

 This picture-taking opportunity was too much to miss, so I took a few more.  (I know you’re shocked!)

Kayla and Carter playing together

It was interesting to see Kayla relate to Carter on his level.

Simple Pleasures

After a while, Kayla decided she would draw a picture for Carter.  (Anne is not only excellent at keeping her own child happy and occupied, she has a sixth sense that helps her know how to keep other people’s 9 1/2 year olds happy and occupied too.)  Anne pulled out paper, washable, non-toxic markers and Kayla was off.  When she finished her picture, she gave it to Carter.

Carter looks at Kayla's Picture

He then decided to experience her art in another way.

Carter exploring Kayla's picture

Of course, I had to take my turn holding Carter.

I Hold Carter

And, finally, make no mistake about it:  Carter loves his Daddy as much as his mommy!

His Daddy makes him laugh,  

Daddy makes me laugh

Feel safe:

Safe in Daddy's Hands

And, just like Mommy, makes him feel loved:

Andy and Anne, thank you so much for your hospitality, and we can’t wait to do it all over again sometime soon!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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East and West: Star-Crossed Lovers

Posted on July 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

Hi Everyone!

Most of us are aware of the phrase “star-crossed lovers,” where, as in Romeo and Juliet, a pair that are passionately in love with each other are prevented from being with each other due to obstacles that appear to be immovable.

Romeo and Juliet: The Balcony

 While the characters in the story probably wish we would write their endings differently, we love these kind of stories, which persist in Western literature from the story of Pyramus and Thisbe to West Side Story and more.  However, in the East, there is a legend that puts a new twist into the phrase “star-crossed lovers.” 

Last week, on July 7, Japan celebrated a festival called “Tanabata.”  Tanabata  occurs when Altaire and Vega “meet” in the mid-summer sky, but  celebrates an unending love. 

The legend that Tanabata is based upon has three main characters:  Tentei, the Sky King, Orihime, his daughter and the weaver of his cloaks, and Hikoboshi, the cow herder for the heavens. 

Orihime and Hikoboshi Meet

Orihime, the daughter of the Sky King, wove his clothing by the banks of the Heavenly River (the Milky Way).  Because the Sky King loved her weaving so much, Orihime worked hard and industriously every day.  However, because she worked so hard at her weaving, she had no time to meet anyone and so fall in love, which made her quite forlorn.  

Tentei, The Sky King

 
Taking pity on her, the Sky King arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi, the cow herder for heaven, who often would bring his herds to the Heavenly River to water them. 
 
Hikoboshi and Orihime fell deeply in love and became inseparable.  However, lost in their love for each other, their other works fell by the wayside – no more clothes were woven for Tentei, and the cows of heaven were allowed to roam wherever they chose. 
 
Angry, Tentei separated the two, and forbade them to see each other ever again.  (One gathers from the story that Orihime was permitted to remain on Tentei’s side of the Heavenly River, while Hikoboshi was sent, as it were, to the other side of the tracks.) 
 

Orihime and Hikoboshi separated by the Milky Way

However, this did not solve the Sky King’s problems, as Orihime become grief-stricken over the loss of her husband.  Her tears so moved the Sky King that he relented and gave permission for the two of them to meet, once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, if Orihime would work hard and finish her weaving first.    (You will notice that the Sky King was not nearly as concerned about the cows.) So, every year, when the stars Altair and Vega cross in the night sky, Orihime and Hikoboshi are meeting for their yearly night together.
 
For that one night at least, being a star-crossed lover is a good thing!
 

Orihime and Hikoboshi together

 Have a great rest of the day everyone!
 
Nancy

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Shameless Self-Promotion

Posted on July 8, 2011 | 4 comments

Hi Everyone!

I overslept this morning, and have been working all day, but now am waiting for a client who is late, so thought I would take a minute to 1) wish each of you a wonderful weekend, and 2) post the following links to my  prose pieces published on Yahoo Contributor and beg you to take a look at any of them you haven’t read yet.  I am at 776 total views, and need to make 100o to earn my first $1.50.  That is almost enough to buy a large soft drink at McDonalds!  Anyway, here they are:

1) Adventures of a Boston Tourist – A tale of wonderful misadventure among the narrow lanes of Boston

2)  The Model 3300 Robotic Clone Return – A short, funny science fiction story about a robotic experiment that went sadly wrong

3) Words That Let You Live – A discussion of several Bible verses and what they mean in my life

4) The First Fourth of July Fireworks As a Family  – The first Fourth of July we shared with our daughter

5) The War Begins  – A short story about a Belgian family on the eve of World War I

6) A Horse, Snakes and Scorpions – My recollections of the one trip I took to Girl Scout camp when I was a child. 

Please read them, and I think you will enjoy them!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Nancy

P.S. Look out Monday for my post on “Star-Crossed Lovers.”

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