Photo Hunting ~ Sweet

My very good friend, with her daughter in law and first grandchild, Hank. When I took this picture and sent it to her....I titled the email, "Too Sweet".

Feast One Hundred & Fifty ~ once

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?
Twelve (rolling my eyes)

I wear six earrings…four in my left ear and two in my right. One in my left never comes out. Most days I wear diamond studs…one in each ear…the others vary.

When I work I wear a watch on my right wrist even though I am right handed. I also wear a garnet and diamond ring on my right hand.

On my left wrist I wear two bracelets. One varies. The other is an American Indian bracelet I have worn since 1982.

Just about everyday…I wear a toe ring and ankle bracelet on my left foot. They vary.

Its sounds like a lot more than it really is.

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?
Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture
WITH the cannons

Salad
Who has a last name that you like?
I always thought “Connery” had a nice ring to it.
(laughing)


Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.
The Exorcist…and most movies in that genre
Horror films give me nightmares…and I don’t believe it’s a good idea to invite evil into your mind and memories. My kids were allowed to see “R” rated movies that had sex/violence/language but never horror movies…while under my roof…or in my home.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.
Nothing makes me smile like the health and happiness of my children.

Thursday Thirteen ~ catorce

desired male attributes
(working my way thru the alphabet....backwards)

victorious
vocal
voyaging
visceral
voyeur
vista-appreciating (not the os)
victoria's secret account holding
vroom-vroom-ing
vanquishing
vacuuming
vulva attending
vehement
voter

Where the boys are...Rock on

Jessica the Rock Chick came up with a Rockin' Boy Blogger Award (or as Mel would say…A Blue Bandaid Award Whozit Thingie) and graciously allowed me to use it. (I was feeling kinda guilty for only the chicks having one)

Guys....The deal is that you have to pass it on to five of your Bros...I'm sure most of you have seen the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award...and were ever so envious you couldn't play.


I have a special place in my heart for Sarge Charlie and his true love Empress Bee. They remind me everyday of my Grands…Charlie and Opal Lee. Patriot and poker playing Grampa. I was especially touched by his recent post on being a Grandparent (and parent) in a blended family. Although my Gramma has passed…my Grampa continues to be a step-father…step-grandfather…and step-great-grandfather to dozens across the country. I’ve also found many Military blogs via his site that I now follow daily.


Turning the Pages of Life with Gene who is a cartoonist on his final countdown to retirement. He is the type of coach (baseball) that all parents wish they could have for their kids. He had some kind of epiphany and is taking the time to truly enjoy his wife and children NOW…he's not waiting until later. He is a Fireman who…rumor has it…once trained to be a clown….


Travis the Thoughtful Wolf. His blog is filled with entertaining writing and humorous insights. Sadly he is far too proud of being a member of the Raider Nation. His Thursday Thirteen has been an eclectic list of authors and their books from his library stacks. Definitely worth the time to go back and read thru some of his previous offerings.


Doesn’t everyone know about The Mo Show? When I first tried blogging I read a series of posts on Mo’s original site (It’s a Blog Eat Blog World) about his Egypt tour with his Gramma during our tragedy in September 2001. Now he also has a Blog Talk Radio Show. In the past, you may have a telephone relationship with someone and never “have a face to go with the voice” …these days I see pictures of people and read their stories…but don’t have a voice to go along with it. The Mo Show and his callers changed a bit of that.


Thermal Chris in Scotland has some of the funniest cartoons, clips and jokes I’ve found. He goes on great holidays all over Europe sharing pictures of incredible castles. His lovely (and athletic) wife Steph just completed the Charity Run for Cancer...in the pouring rain no less. Atta Girl. Chris has another site with great tips, tricks, and commentary applicable to both wordpress and blogspot. Check it out.

Special Mention – not so much the playing around type of blog….just really a great place to read…is The Serotinous Man.

Rock On

don't forget to vote!!

Vote HERE by tomorrow!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ann Coulter playing Hardball with Chris Matthews

raising my blood pressure just a bit...

Rock On...oh my soul...

I’m not much of a blog writer…however I am a voracious (don’t you just love that word) blog READER. So I was rather all shocked and shaken to see that Mel had given me what she terms the Pink Bandaid Award Whozit Thingie. Otherwise known as:

To quote Oscar (played by Mr. Owen Wilson) in the movie Armageddon:
I got that "excited/scared" feeling…..like 98% excited, 2% scared….Or maybe it's more…..It could be….it could be 98% scared, 2% excited….but that's what makes it so intense, it's so….confused….I can't really figure it out.

Apparently the deal is that I pass on the honor of the RGB to five additional women. So...alrighty then...here we go.... Three of these amazing women most likely have no clue that I….let alone my little ole blog …even exist. Nevertheless, (why don't we ever say "alwaysthemore"?) I closely follow each and every one of theirs.

Mrs. Dub is the Wife of Sgt Dub who kept the home fires burning while he was deployed in Afghanistan. Many bloggers I read are Thankful he has recently returned home to her and Miss Dub. We must always be mindful that for every man and women in military service overseas there are spouses, parents, children, friends, lovers, partners, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles….et cetera. All of whom are making a sacrifice in their lives and livelihoods. Who must live each day with a strength and patience I can not imagine. I am thankful for their service as well.

Memoirs of an Inmates Wife is written by a young wife and mother keeping a different type of home fire burning in Pennsylvania. Her tales of parole hearings and prison visits will tug your heartstrings in many directions. A single mom by circumstance who is as strong as her opinions.

La Bella Noire's Ramblings is written by Tasha. Not that I am any sort of legitimate literary critic…but I think of her as the female Washington DC version of Teflon Don. From me that is high praise indeed. It seems she is recently sorta engaged….there was what seems to be a preliminary proposal….and something big is gonna happen on Saturday...

The Best Dirty Cuddle Down In The Park. Rebecca and I actually know each other up close and personal. We use to work together and at one point would begin each day taking a walk to a great little bakery for caffeine and sustenance. She is a writer by trade and in her heart. Rebecca taught me words like “amanuensis” and I miss our daily conversation and friendship. (Hey girl when are we having breakfast?????) Her sisters have followed her to California…and she’s gonna be an AUNT!!!!!

Mel’s Dream. If you’re concerned that boom-a-ranging this award is against the rules…then you best not be givin' it to the likes of me. Take the time to read back thru her Fairy gifts, and all the QFTDs and TFTDs. She has a precious Brit…and a job where her wisdom and experience make a real honest-to-God difference in the lives of young ones. I am envious of the wisepersoninherlife...and even when he is tough on her...I totally want one of my own.

I know you'll be enriched by each of these reads.

Yo FoMo’s ~ another Mo Show Promo

I’ve seen Blog Radio spots mentioned on many people’s sites….but always thought….”just what I need…aNOTHER reason to be online”…and had successfully resisted any temptation to test it out.

No Mo (smile)

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 26th of June, at 3:30 in the California afternoon Morgen the Manic Man himself will broadcast his inaugural Mo Show.

click HERE for Mo Show Info

click HERE for Mo Show To Go

Manic Monday with Mo ~ Grace

I am that type of person for whom eating is a sensory experience. I enjoy food. I love to cook (I hate to do the dishes) Long meals with family or friends and never ending conversation happen several times a week. I am TRULY grateful everyday for what I have. I am grateful for having dozens of choices for bread and milk and cereal, meat and produce.

Most cultures and religions pause before a meal by saying Grace...or blessing the meal..and offering thanks.




















Odds are...some of you reading this post have known hunger. Some of you have done without so your children could eat.

With our technology and media we can not avoid awareness that millions of people are starving everyday. In fact, 17 million children alone die of starvation every year. In the few minutes it took me to type these lines, between 50 and 60 children have died.

Children.

No matter what you believe in...be mindful that you do not have starvation in your life. Say Grace.

"Saying Grace"
Norman Rockwell

a year ago today....

A year ago today.

I was staring at the Bearcub. At fifteen, his almost 6' 250+ lb body overflowed from the pediatric ICU bed. (He would later have difficulty maneuvering with a short IV drip stand… the child sized wheelchair... the mini walker… and dwarf the nurses and therapists who helped him get around. The sweet small woman who supported him to the facilities warned “now listen…you double me in everything except age…if you fall we are both going to be in serious pain” He reassured HER. Always the boy with the golden heart. Not like the girls….who take after me.

"Broken" post.

When I had arrived early that morning, he told me he was hungry and said: “kat….I want you to meet my new best friend” and ceremoniously lifted an arm connected by tubes, needles and tape, pointing to the machine which controlled his morphine drip. He pressed the little button in his hand until he was out. Always the comedian. Rather than completely breaking down...I took a deep breath and looked for a target.

Even after twentysome years any ICU environment brings excruciating flashbacks of death and loss. I vehemently hate the sounds and smells of a hospital. To this day they make me dizzy. The only way I can continue to be present is to launch into my very best rendition of “do NOT e-ph with me or mine”. The foot of his bed was about eight feet from the nurses station…I had already been told twice not to use my cell phone. I told them I was calling for an adult walker. I wasn’t really….but that’s what I told them.

I tried to ignore my cell phone. The once-wonderful man I was ever so enamored with had been calling three, four, five times an hour…furious I was there….demanding that I leave. Since he actually lived in Chicago…there wasn’t much he could do about it. Except freak out from 2200 miles. In that moment …in that window of clarity...I began to write him off.

The phone was on silent...but the flashing lights demanded my attention with a sense of urgency created by the very near depletion of my inner strength. I finally looked at the screen. I was relieved, yet surprised to see a work number. I worked for the University of California, Santa Cruz…and in five years I never had an unplanned call on the weekend. Turning sideways from the nurses and stepping behind Little Missy to block their view, I answered the call.

Little Missy watched with consternation demanding with increasing volume to know what had happened. She would later tell me I turned white and she could tell something was very wrong. And it was. I was being called into work. That morning…the body of UCSC Chancellor Denice Denton, a woman I knew and admired had been found. In the depth of severe depression she had leapt from a 43 story skyscraper.

The "official" obit.

In my life I have known a great many geniuses, brainiacs and rocket scientists. Denice Denton was absolutely the most brilliant woman I have ever known personally. Her body of work was groundbreaking…and her life unconventional. I truly believe the incredibly brilliant battle demons that most of us will never understand.

Today I remember the woman Denise Denton was and mourn the early loss of her life.


Today I am thankful for a nearly healed cub whose life is that of a typical almost 17 year old American Male. Even the smelly parts and smartass attitude.

Photo Hunting ~ Shiney

near and dear to my heart....MoonShine

and yeah...

the little black dots are surf rats

Amendment to the feast

Here’s the deal. I make popcorn on the stove (I hate the way the microwave stuff tastes all chemical) and I use olive oil. One day a long…long….time ago we thought about how much we like bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and tried the balsamic with the popcorn. We haven’t gone back since!

We even take little balsamic containers to the movies.
(NOT REALLY)

Feast One Hundred & Forty Nine ~ diaz

Appetizer
Name a funny habit you have.
I eat Popcorn dipped in Balsamic Vinegar just about every day

Soup
If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?
The Harp

Salad
How long is your hair?
Halfway between my bra and my waist. It frequently ends up in the Salad.

Main Course
When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?
This morning, Rhiannon.

Dessert
What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
My wonderful, marvelous coffee maker who has my nectar perfectly prepared when I wake up each morning

curiosity

yes...apparently I have way too much time on my hands....
When did they start doing these marketing-the-nutritional-benefit-labels for fruit and vegetables? I mean I understand that they are marketing the health aspects...but why on these labels. I never read these little labels at the store...do you? I noticed both of them today in MY OWN KITCHEN. It did not influence my purchase...nor will it in the future. Do these things make any difference? (Need to ask the melonman...Have you seen the melonman? He lives on Drury Lane.)

Then again I didn't know that Artichokes (one of my ALLTIME faves) has more antioxidants per serving than ALL other vegetables.

And no...I'm not starting a collection.

Thursday Thirteen - trece

desired male attributes
(working my way thru the alphabet....backwards)

well
wise
worshipping
wisteria-growing
wading
watchful
wonderful
wants Me
wish-granting
wiley
whineless
wine-drinking
winner

on a personal note

I sent this message to a significant number of people this morning....thanks to sarge charlie for the heads up

Dear fam, coworkers, colleagues, cohorts, acquaintances, friends, romans, and countrymen,

For some of us email is work related…dozens of exasperating messages asking us or tasking us for more of our time and effort. For others of us email is (to humbly paraphrase Leo McGarry) “a more efficient delivery system for jokes, gossip and porn”

The other day I was given the opportunity to use my email for a different purpose…and ask you to consider taking the time to do the same. You may even want to forward it on to encourage others.

I follow a couple sites published by actively deployed military…mostly individuals…but one or two units. (yes Rhiannon…by sites I do actually mean blogs) I came across an interview the other day which included the following:


GRIM: Is there anything that you and your Marines need that we could send you?

COL. SIMCOCK: (Chuckles.) I'll tell you what, the one thing that all Marines want to know about -- and that includes me and everyone within Regimental Combat Team 6 -- we want to know that the American public are behind us. We believe that the actions that we're taking over here are very, very important to America. We're fighting a group of people that, if they could, would take away the freedoms that America enjoys.

If anyone -- you know, just sit down, jot us -- throw us an e- mail, write us a letter, let us know that the American public are behind us. Because we watch the news just like everyone else. It's broadcast over here in our chow halls and the weight rooms, and we watch that stuff, and we're a little bit concerned sometimes that America really doesn't know what's going on over here, and we get sometimes concerns that the American public isn't behind us and doesn't see the importance of what's going on. So that's something I think that all Marines, soldiers and sailors would like to hear from back home, that in fact, yes, they think what we're doing over here is important and they are in fact behind us.

A specific email address was set up after the interview was published:
RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

RTC – 6 is actually the Fightin’ 6th Marines
Regimental Combat Team-6, Camp Fallujah, Iraq
Their site is:
http://fightin6thmarines.vox.com/

The entire interview is published at:
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/06/roundtable_with.html#more

One more thing….those of you with an appreciation for intellect and insight should read thru the writings of Teflon Don on Acute Politics….thankfully he is stateside now.
http://acutepolitics.blogspot.com/

take care all….be well blessed,
katherine .

Wordless Wednesday ~ Pleasure Point

Manic Monday ~ Heat

I was thinking along the same lines as Morgen and

“If you can’t stand the Heat….”

because over drinks the other night….a 40-something friend of mine was complaining (bitching and moaning) about the guy in her life not being as amorous as she would like him to be. As a group we decided she should tell him:

“If you can’t stand the heat….get out of the bedroom…
go into the kitchen...make me something to eat”
(yeah…I guess you had to be there)


However the original quote was by Harry S. Truman.

(great little site for these kinda things)

This is widely reported as being coined by US President Harry S. Truman. That's almost correct, but in fact Truman was known to have used it at least as early as 1942 - before becoming president. Here's a citation from an Idaho newspaper The Soda Springs Sun, from July that year:

"Favorite rejoinder of Senator Harry S. Truman, when a member of his war contracts investigating committee objects to his strenuous pace: 'If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen'."

He used a version slightly nearer the one most often used nowadays, in 1949, after becoming president, when warning his staff not to concern themselves over criticism about their appointments:

"I'll stand by [you] but if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Truman was well-known as a plain-speaker, in a way that politicians in our more media-sensitive age rarely are. This was celebrated by Merle Miller, who published a set of interviews with him - called Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, in 1974. It includes this unambiguous gem, which would hardly get past the presidential spin-machine these days:

"I didn't fire him [General MacArthur] because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three quarters of them would be in jail."

The other phrase associated with Truman that has entered our language is 'the buck stops here'.

Another linguistic quirk concerning Truman is the spelling of his name. The 'S' isn't short for anything - it is just 'S', and by normal grammatical convention it wouldn't be followed by a full stop (period). Truman always signed his name with a full stop though.

Photo Hunting - Hair

Little Missy had her hair all done up for some event.

I called Medusa for a week. Everytime I said it I started laughing.

She didn't think I was very funny.

Friday's Feast One Hundred and FortyEight - nueve

Appetizer
Fill in the blank: The best thing about where I live is _________________…
That I can hear the waves crashing during the night.

Soup
Create a new name for a deodorant (like “Flower Fresh” or “Shower Scent”).
Smells Not
(not only will it insure YOU don’t smell…it doesn’t add any flower or shower smells to you either)

Salad
What was the last piece of software you installed onto your computer?
Picasa….Google’s photo application.

Main Course
If you were to receive a superlative award today beginning with the words ”Most likely to…”, what would the rest of the phrase say?
Most Likely To Find A New Job
(since I have left my old one….Praise God)


Dessert
What two colors do you like to wear together?
Dark Blue and Brown.
(yeah I know….what an exciting sense of fashion)

Thursday Thirteen - doce

desired male attributes
(working my way thru the alphabet....backwards)

x-man watching
xenodochial
xylophory
xenocracy visiting
xenagogue
xanthous accepting
xebec riding
xenial prone
xenodocheionologist
xlaphone listening
xenophobia resistant
xystarch
x-rated (with me only)


Contrary to what you may have heard….I am NOT geek-enough to carry these around in my head
http://phrontistery.info/x.html