What's Wrong With This Picture?

In the spirit of Highlight's Magazine for kids or The Weekly Reader that I loved when I was a kid, I have a  question for you.

What's wrong with this picture?

Yes, you got it right.....there is not supposed to be snow when the Tulips are blooming. We got about another inch this morning after I took this picture, but it has melted pretty fast.

Springtime in the Rockies. You've gotta love it!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

To participate in Random Tuesday Thoughts visit The UnMom here

Technology is giving me fits right now or maybe more acurately technology is causing me to have a fit right now. Blogger is not letting me read some blogs I want to read and I can't copy a video I want to copy. I have chargers for so many things and they are all so mixed up right now that my phone is plugged into my Kindle and I think I just heard my camera ring. On top of that, I've got all my passwords so confused that I posted my bank balance on Facebook and I put a status update on my e-mail at work.

   ~~~~~~~~~~

Do you ever find a grocery list in the pocket of a coat that you haven't worn for a year or so and find out that it looks exactly the same as the grocery list you just made?. Apparently, on top of being confused I'm also a boring cook, or I would be if I ever really cooked much. 

~~~~~~~~~~

There is good news though. I found a picture that answer an age old question.

Hula Hoop

I am a child of the 50s and to me the quintessential toy of my childhood was the Hula Hoop. We had lots of other great great toys. I had Tiny Tears and Betsy Wetsy dolls, paper dolls and a Howdy Doody puppet. My brother had Lincoln Logs, an Erector set and cowboy sets.  (Yes, there was a lot of gender identity in toys in those days.)

But for me there was nothing better than the Hula Hoop.

I vividly remember the first time I saw a Hula Hoop. I was probably about 10 years old. My friend's father had been on a trip out of town and brought Hula Hoops home to my friend and her sister. Their's soon became the most popular house in the neighborhood as we all learned to rotate our hips and keep those hoops going round and round. They finally became available in our town and, in my neighborhood at least, the summer I was 10 years old was the summer of the Hula Hoop.

I am still a pretty good Hula Hooper. I like to try to impress my grandkids with my Hula Hooping skills, but they are ususally not as impressed as I think they should be. They mostly just want to know when it will be their turn.

A Hula Hooping self-portrait is pretty hard to take, but Doc would have been laughing too hard to do any better if I had asked him to take a picture of my Hula Hooping skills.

What is the quintessential toy from your childhood?

Name That Blog

Name That Blog

I am intriqued by the name of  many blogs that I see. How did the writer come up with that name? What does it mean? Why didn't I think of that? Some, of course, are fairly straight forward  like, The (insert name) Family News or  Life With The (insert name) Family. Some are descriptive of the writer's place in life or their career or a hobby that the writer loves.  Some are fun or funny and others give a sense of artiness or angst. Sometimes the name of the blog and the content of the blog are cohesive and sometimes not. In the long run it is the content of a blog that keeps us going back, but I'm still curious about how some of the names came about.

In my first post I explained the name of my blog this way:  At 61 years old I often think back and wish I could remember more about myself or my children or some event or activity....all those years and all those things that brought me to today. .....Why "Living Consciously"? I am, like everyone, getting older and I hope, like everyone, that continues for a long time, so I want to do it the best I can. I feel like one of the keys to that is to live consciously..... Maybe blogging will help me along that path.

I think blogging has made me pay more attention and be more conscious of things going on in my life. It has also joyfully opened up a whole world of what others are paying attention to. It is often those things that others are paying attention to that has helped me to live more consciously.

How did you choose the name for your blog?

Do you still like the name you chose?

Are you enticed to read blogs you come across by what they are named?

Doc Is Not A Doctor or A Card Shark

A few people have asked me about Doc....his name that is. They wondered if he is a doctor and if he is what kind. The answer is that he is not a doctor of any kind, or a card player (as in never eat at a place called Mom's and never play cards with a guy named Doc.)  Doc has been called by more names than most people I know and you can usually tell where in his life someone knew him by what they call him. The name "Doc" was given to him by a very special group of people, Special Olympics athletes, and when they gave it to him it stuck.

Doc has a daughter with Downs Syndrome and he spent many years raising funds for Special Olympics. He always made sure to involve the Special Olympics athletes in his fund raising efforts. During his years of Special Olympics fund raising he lived in Boulder, Colorado where he was called D.K., his first two initials, by a lot of people in the business community, a prime target of his fundraising efforts. Many of the athletes had trouble saying the initials clearly and for them it evolved into Doc. They said his name was Doc, so Doc it was and still is.

Doc's daughter, Kristen

He is stilled called "Nick" by people who knew him in high school and college, "D.K". by some friends from later years, "Kent" by another group of friends, "Mr"  and his last name by the many people who worked for him over the years, and I call him "Kenny", but if someone asks him his name he answers "Doc" because that is the name the Special Olympians gave him.

Six Word Saturday

Skyjump Las Vegas

A new feature at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas

 

I think I'll pass on this

Similar to a skydiving, SkyJump Las Vegas can be described as a "controlled free fall," with guests attached to a vertical zip line. Located on the 108th floor of Stratosphere Las Vegas, those brave enough to jump will plunge 855 feet from the top of the tower to a landing platform close to the ground. During this ride, you'll go as fast as 40 miles per hour. ~ Description from the Official Las Vegas travel site

To participate in 6WS visit Cate here

Daisy

The following ad appeared (allegedly) in the Atlanta Journal Constitution a number of years ago in the personals section.

SBF seeks male companionship. Age and ethnicity unimportant. I'm a young, svelte good looking girl who loves to play. I love long walks, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips. I love cozy winter nights spent lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. Rub me the right way and watch me respond. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Kiss me and I'm yours.

Call 555-xxxx and ask for Daisy.

The many callers responding to the ad reached the Humane Society. Daisy was an eight week old black Labrador Retriever.

                                                               

                                                              

Just Chillin' Until September

This is my newest grandson due to be born in September. Yes, I said grandson....My daughter and her family went to visit her husband's dad and step-mom in Albuquerque last weekend and they took some baby pictures. Joanna's husbands step-mom is a peri-natal OB, so they got to find out the sex and get some pics of the little guy.

Baby Boy Harper

He's lookin' good and and seems to be just relaxing until his birthday in September.  He will join his two sisters, Hope, who will be 8, and Ellis, who is 2, so he'd better get some rest while he can.

A Place In The Sun or It's A Dog's Life

I think our dog, Dodger, found his place in the sun when he came to live with us, or more to the point, when he came to live with Doc. I should have had a clue last fall when we were talking about getting a dog from an animal shelter. Doc very tersely warned me when he said "I get attached". There was a lot of understated information in those few words.

Dodger in his favorite place in the sun

I have written before about Doc going off to bed one night , giving Dodger a big hug, saying "I love you" to him and forgetting to say "good night" to me or even to give me a pat on the head. Yes, Doc was embarrassed enough that it was all worthwhile. The Doc and Dodgerisms continue. Doc opted out of a vacation in January because he thought it was too soon to leave Dodger. We have a trip to New Orleans planned in June and Doc has been researching places for Dodger to stay. The have an "interview" scheduled next Friday at a place called Rocky Hill Ranch. Their tag line is "All dogs go to heaven, ours our already there". Oh my.

Doc is retired but he works part time for a friend that has a property management company.

Dodger travels with him everyday and has become an expert in checking out properties.Their days usually involve a stop at the dog park, and all to often, the donut shop, though I'm not supposed to know about that. They have a daily play date in the late afternoon with a neighbor dog, a Corgi named Sammie.

Dodger  and Sammie

Doc grumbles a lot about shoveling snow, but still felt the need to shovel a path for Dodger through "Dodger Park", the name my grandkids have given the fenced area in our yard, every time it snowed. I haven't figured out the reason for this since Dodger loves playing in the snow. I think maybe it was more about Dodger having fun playing in the snow and with the shovel.

And, of course, there was a path shoveled to make it easy to get to Sammie's gate for their daily play date.

                                           

I won't even mention the trips to the pet store for new toys, playtime on the couch before bed, or the number of times a day Doc tells me what a good dog Dodger is. It is all good with me and I love how good they are  for each other. I probably should check, though, and make sure Doc isn't thinking about changing his will.

"Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend."

Corey Ford

This Sound Like Someone I Wish I'd Known

I am not a big fan of obituaries and have told my kids that I would just as soon not have one when that time comes, but of course at that point I won't have much say so. If I were to have one I would want it to be in the tone of this one that appeared last week in the Boulder Daily Camera for a woman who from her picture seemed to not be older than 50.

Aunt Salad, who always stopped to talk to the elderly, the very young, the mentally ill, dogs, cats, and any ducks who might walk by, recently stopped to talk to God. We are all sure that there are several medical reasons, from her heart ceasing to beat, deteriorating whatevers, which have been duly found, recorded, and remain monumentally unimportant.

She is survived by all of us----police detectives, editors, construction waste recyclers, city planners, psychologists, German cooks, dogs, cats, plants and ducks, to name a few. She was a lover of the written word, and dancing, good jokes, drums, bright colors, and laughter, Being a person of courage she slew dragons, and chased away monsters and other creatures of the night.

She had great integrity. She was not fun to argue with. We will miss her gentle, loving heart, her razor sharp wit, and her limitless understanding and support. Bye Bye Sally---we love you so, quack quack.

A woman who leaves that kind of legacy to those who love her sounds like someone I wish I had known.

Six Word Saturday

Went  to South Pacific last night

I went to a high school  production of the musical South Pacific last night. I love all of the old Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals and South Pacific is one of the best. The high school cast did a very good job and I tried not to embarrass myself too much by singing along too loudly.

One of Emele De Beque's children was supposed to have been played by the little 5 year old boy, Addison, that I wrote about in my last post. He has just been diagnosed with Leukemia so he was in the hospital instead of on stage. A portion of the program was dedicated to Addison, showing him in this picture surrounded by well wishes from the high school cast of the play.

  

        To Participate in 6WS visit Cate here

                                                                       

                                                                                   

Thank you to everyone who has offered prayers and healing wishes for Addison.

Help Addison kick this thing!

My daughter, Joanna, has a friend whose 5 year old son, Addison, has been diagnosed with Leukemia.  

        Addison

Joanna has started a Facebook page titled "Help Addison kick this thing!" in an effort to combine the efforts of friends and supporters of Addison and his family to offer help to them in every way possible. If you are on Facebook, please have a look at the page.

Please, also, say a prayer, light a candle, send your best wishes to Addison and his family.

Some comments from Addison's mom......

Ooh, exhausted. Did I mention how amazing you all are? Words can't even express how much energy and hope we get from seeing this page and all who love this little guy. Addison did great in surgery (he had a permanent IV put in under his skin for chemo (3 years)... bone marrow taken and spinal fluid taken. They did a blast of CHEMO in his spinal fluid. Now we have to wait until tomorrow afternoon for results on whether its in his spinal fluid.....  They removed Addison's 2 IV's and he is so excited to play Wii tomorrow now that he can use his hands. Since he got his blood transfusion, he is so funny and PINK again. It was great to hear him being himself tonight - I bet he will sleep great. He's asleep now after a sleepless night of screaming from his blood transfusion. Full Chemo starts tomorrow. 

Tonight he said to me, Mommy "can you please tell me again why I have all these tubes and wires? I explained his body was at war with the bad... germs and he told me "I am going to kick the bad guys out and win!"

Here's to a BIG win for Addison.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

                                        


There is nothing solid in my head today so though I'm a little late to the game I'm going to Random Thoughts Tuesday from the Un Mom to empty out the pieces.

Wind:  One of the reasons that I'm not thinking well may be the wind....every thought that comes to me gets blown away by the wind that is blowing and blowing and blowing outside. 

As it blows and blows it is getting colder and colder and will probably blow in some snow tonight. Constant wind makes me a little crazy. Maybe I need to go fly a kite.

Taxes:  I have read several posts talking about rushing to get tax returns prepared. I have great admiration for any one who is brave enough, smart enough or crazy enough to prepare their own taxes. 

Ours have been with the accountant for several weeks and I am hoping to hear any day now that we are getting  a big refund. I don't expect one, but I can hope. Do you have your taxes done? Do you do them yourself? Are you getting a refund?

Painting:  I wrote last fall that Doc had declared that we needed to paint the outside of the house and he assigned me the task of choosing colors. I managed to talk him off the ledge for a while, but now that Spring is here, or nearly so, he is back up there and ready to leap, so I'm back to trying to decide on colors. It is 

hard for me to choose when I know I am going to have to look at whatever I choose for several years. We also need to do some painting on the inside. That brings us to a conversation that always ends with Doc saying "but, what's wrong with white walls".

Baby or baby:  I'm very excited to find out if my new grandchild due in September is a boy or a girl. I will get to find out a little earlier than normal. My daughter and her family are going to Albuquerque this week end where her husband's step-mom is a perinatal OB, so they will hopefully come back with an answer.

Spring Break:  I wish work had a Spring break.

I feel better now. Thanks!

Easter Brunch, Egg Hunting and Then......

It was a very nice Easter morning

Little girls in pretty dresses

New sunglasses all around

and chocolate bunnies

Finding Easter eggs

and grasshoppers

And then......the confetti eggs came out and it was every man, woman and child for himself.

Yes, they even got grandmom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Easter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a difference a year makes

Easter 2009

Six Word Saturday

I've eaten too many jelly beans.

To participate in 6WS visit Cate here.