Remember Garter Belts???

My ladybug is on my right thigh, and the directions were to not wear pantihose for two weeks. Gulp. I'm a skirt and top person most of the time, so I've really had to figure out how to do things this week. Today I got out the garter belt from my "special" drawer and wore stockings and garters. It's a weird feeling, sports fans. There is a definite difference in the body awareness....plus that heightened risky and risque feeling.

I'm glad they didn't fall down.

***

Alison.

***

Trying something here.

PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.33
1. Many children have blankets, or a favorite nubby stuffed animal that they like to keep near them for security. Do you recall what you had for your "security blanket" as a child? When did you finally give it up? What brought that about? I was very grown-up as a child, and didn't have a special security blanket. Now that I'm a grown-up, I have my stuffed bear that goes with me everywhere. He even went camping with me this weekend.

2. Now that you are a big kid, what do you have to give you that same sense of security? Well, other than my stuffed bear I have my cellphone. That gives me a good feeling, even though there is lots of *gulp* static.

3. With a little over four months left in 2002, have you accomplished everything you wanted to for the year? Is there anything that you would like to accomplish before the year is over? I've accomplished almost everything to date, but there are fall/winter goals coming up.

4. I don't know about you, but it seems to me children have it pretty good these days. Game systems, computers in the home, microwaves, cable TV, the internet, cell phones and pagers, they certainly have a wider variety of technology than most of us did as children. What modern convenience, if any, do you think it would be good for children today to do without? What would they gain? I think those conveniences are ok, as long as they are IN MODERATION. (moderation would work for some grown-ups (like me) also!)

5. Many of us have one thing in which we believe we excel. What do you do better than most? Hmmm. Reading.

6. In the United States, and possibly other countries, teenagers in High School usually wind up falling into several social circles or "cliques." Stoners, Rich Kids, Jocks, Cheerleaders, Band, Drama, Goths, and so on (though the names are probably different today). What High School "clique" did you find yourself in? Was it by choice or did it just happen? Did you look down on other groups? (Aw it's ok, it was/is High School, we all did dumb stuff) "Smart kids" and "orchestra", which was its own weird little group. Didn't look down on the other groups...there was a lot of overlap.

7. (it begins) I have great news! I won the contest and we now have plane tickets to anywhere in the world. The bad news is we have to pick a place now and leave in the morning. I can't decide where to go, so you get to pick. Where should we go, and what is the first thing we should do when we get there? Paris, and we'll find the elusive Eiffel Tower.

Mighty Mac. (that's it, below)

Everyone has heard of the Golden Gate bridge, but Michigan has a mighty bridge of its own...the Mackinac Bridge. We're a double peninsular state...the lower peninsula looks like a mitten and the upper hooks onto Wisconsin and juts over the mitten. Until 1957, ferries were the only way to get from the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula (hereafter referred to as "da U.P.". We have home movies of the construction of the bridge. Yes, I know. I'm old. *grin*

For many years Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It is currently the third longest in the world, and the longest in the Western Hemisphere.

We were camped just 12 miles to the west of the bridge, so of course we had to make the stop again this year.

Ahh....blogger came back to me!

Continuing on in the "new experience" vein of this vacation, today I had my first full-body massage. Couldn't help but snicker. Monday I was hanging out at the tattoo parlors on the east side, today I spent the morning at the toniest day-spa in the county. I'm definitely putting a massage on my every six week list of things to do. It was Wonderful!

I think I've spent most of my 50 years living inside my head, not inside my body and head. (We old-maid amanuenses are kind of silly like that.) The tattoo and massage were both "body" things. And tomorrow I head up-north to join with the rest of the family in a week-end camping trip. I'll be a smart-ass and sleep in a sleeping bag directly on the tent floor instead of using a cot or an air mattress. Bet I'll REALLY be aware of my body then.

Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said. "One can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometime I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

It has been so nice to have a few days to just chill out...to sleep and wake as the mood struck. I've made one mistake so far on this vacation. I went to see Austin Powers. It was raining yesterday, and I wanted something light. Sorry to any AP fans, but that movie wore mighty thin mighty fast.

It also appears that I need to reassess my time use. I needed to find an IEEE cable (skulking in my closet) to reattach my printer, as I had to use its USB port for the new scanner. I went to the closet and pulled out two boxes of what I thought were Beanie Babies. Oops. It turned out that it was one large box of old photos (which do need scanning) and a box of scrapbooking supplies (I had wondered where they had gone).

Somehow I need to become more disciplined in my use of time (and money). Drat! I'll probably have to curtail reading and internet time. Why can't I just have six months off from work to get caught up instead? Oh yeah, right. I have to eat and pay rent and pay the bills. *sigh*

Thanks to all for the tattoo support! It was something I really needed to do.

Ruh-ro. Today's plan was for walking and photoing the town...but I just heard thunder. Now, what was the back-up plan???? oh yeah, something about a nap, to make up for wondering around in the middle of the night looking for meteors.

Brother Boo and girls are up in the U.P. near Whitefish Point. They just called on the cell phone...a bear crossed their path. Oh boy, Boo....I'll bet you have some nightmares to contend with tonight with the three baby divas with you!

Ok doke! Here she is!

Next year I'm going to throw a meteor party.
Well, I went out on the balcony and observed for 20 minutes. Saw three meteors, one good one. Clouds started rolling in. Bat flew by. I flew back into apartment, slamming the balcony door behind me. (Apartment below me is empty right now.) *sigh*

Ahem.

I am now sporting a sweet little lady bug...tattoo.
Yep.
I did it.

Pictures at 11.

PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.32
1. If I could guarantee that the Fashion Police would not lay the smackdown on you, which favorite out-of-style article of clothing do you wish you could wear right now? (and if you have photos of you wearing it, post 'em) Hmmm. I'm always sort of out-of-style.

2. In your opinion, who is famous but shouldn't be? Any doubt? Pamela Lee Anderson

3. Are there any new movies or TV shows that you are forward to this fall? CSI Miami, Moonlight Mile September 27 and The Banger Sisters September 20....oooh, they're close together, with Susan Sarandon.

4. If you had a time machine that you could use only one time (there and back), where would you go and what would you do? I would go back to 1804 and the Lewis & Clark expedition. Sacagawea could have used a female friend on that trip, don't you think?

5. What cologne of perfume do you like to wear? Which brand do you prefer that your partner wear? Tresor by Lancome...studly sweat

6. Do you recall your first "French kiss?" Tell me about how that felt, and how it came about. Do you like them? nice girls don't tell *smirk smirk*

7. Excluding your partner...If you had the opportunity, who would you most like to French kiss?Brad Pitt

Virtual Train Trip ~~ Destination
And if we were on the Empire Builder, that grand old train named after James J. Hill, we would be pulling into Glacier Park Station in the next few minutes. We would be pulling into heaven.

The Northern passage across Montana is called "the Highline". U.S. 2 and the train tracks race each other across the high prairies. The towns tick off. Wolf Point. Fort Peck Dam, setting for Ivan Doig's Bucking the Sun. Glasgow. Malta. Chinook.

The excitement of the trip ramps up near Chinook. Sixteen miles to the south the Bearpaw Mountains appear, the last spot on Chief Joseph and company's flight to freedom. The new traveler often thinks we're close to the front face of the Rockies now, but we still have many miles to go.

Havre is the last refueling stop. Here I would jump off the train, around the station, and snap a picture of the statue of J.J. Hill. Then back on the train and up ahead: is it clouds? Is it smog? Is it...the Front Face of the Rockies? It is.

One last wait to go over the single track bridge at Cut Bank. Speeding past Browning, which is the winter East Glacier stop. Then over the Two Medicine, rising, rising, slowing...and we're there.

Virtual Train Trip - con't
Can't seem to help myself. We would have been taking the Amtrak's Empire Builder to Montana today if we hadn't had a complication develop. I'm just mentally doing the trip.

It is amazing how fast sleep comes after M-SP. People get out their sheets, blankets, or afghans and curl up. The lights are dimmed. And the train continues, clackety-clack through the darkness.

I've never been awake at Grand Forks, never been aware of crossing the Great Red River of the North. Consciousness begins to seep in as the train slows and stops at Devil's Lake. Devil's Lake is a run-off lake, with no natural outlet. It shrinks and increases, shrinks and increases.

By eightish we're in the snack car, finding some sort of breakfast. We sit on the left side of the train, because we'll be passing Rugby, N.D. There is something special about Rugby, and the first person who finds and enters it in comments shall receive a $5.00 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. (Okay, so I'm in a really really REALLY goofy mood this morning *grin*.)

Next stop, "whynot Minot" North Dakota. We camped there one year when we drove out to Montana. The people are exceedingly friendly. The KOA folks let us double camp on a lot. Tash had an ear infection, and her folks took her to emergency. She came back with a big stuffed animal.

Minot is the second refueling station. This allows us enough time to get off the train and walk around. Minot's newspaper stands don't work. Never have. Not once. *sigh*

There's a station at Stanley, North Dakota. It is a tiny town. We have driven through it (my dad's name was Stanley, we're sentimental). It was early morning when we drove through the streets, and I think the newspaper boy on his bike was a little concerned about two vehicles from Michigan making their way through his town.

Right about now, we'd be pulling out of Williston, North Dakota. Here we change to Mountain time. And here we begin to follow the Missouri. Lewis & Clark country. Badlands of North Dakota. Eighteen miles to Montana.

Virtual Train Trip.
Midnight. If we were on the train, the Empire Builder, we would be pulling into Minneapolis-St. Paul's station right about now.

We would have left Chicago about three p.m. We would pull out to the north, following Lake Michigan for awhile, stopping at various bedroom communities, because the Empire Builder is also a commuter train.

At Milwaukee we would say good-bye to Lake Michigan, and begin a more westerly route. The Dells area would appear, and we would begin our deer counting contest. One hundred and five was the highest number we saw. We would go to the dining car when our seating was called (and not before, or risk being chewed out over the public address system -- the public address system that shorts out quite often, making it very hard to hear if your seating is called.) We would choose from the limited menu -- a beef, chicken, or fish entree -- and meet folks who were heading somewhere. If they were from the sleeper cars they would invariably and indubitably be upset about something. Coach is much more relaxing, I think.

After dinner we would go back to our seats. Dusk would settle as we went through LaCrosse, Wisconsin and crossed three rivers...the LaCrosse, the Black, and The Mississippi. The Mississippi crossing is much longer here than it is at its headwaters up at Lake Itasca. There, the mighty river can be crossed on a log.

We would be tempted to nod off as the darkness settled, but we're seasoned travelers and we know that Minneapolis-St. Paul is coming up, with at least 20 minutes of off-train time available. So we switch to slippers, but we stay alert, and at MSP we're the first out the door. Fresh air...cool fresh night air. We walk to the end of the train, then back to the station. We go inside and get Sunny D and Ruby Red. We come out quickly, because we don't want to be stifled inside for an extra minute.

Sorry folks...I'm missing Montana. Next year. *grin*

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Vacation time. Ten days of no grind, no hassle. Yes!

This is where I'm headed this afternoon.

Lynn has been accepted into her program! YAY!

It has been a good week all around! Eve got her bank loan for her business! Congratulations!

And Kathryn has a wonderful story in Miraculous Phenomena.

Update: Kathryn has a wonderful care for her clients and has redone Miraculous Phenomena. Kathryn, the people you come in contact with are indeed lucky people.
**********

Very unserious test, but I liked the graphic *grin*.

Book Worm Meter

Shut In 71% . . 29% Out Of The House Intellectual 95% . . 5% Moron High Attention Span 95% . . 5% Low Attention Span Bookitude 96% . . 4% Book Burner Book Worm 89.25% . . 10.75% Bug Stomper

Take your bookworm readings.

And another:

You are 35% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines! Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals! You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Too Old Too Soon

Sometimes I think I've been old all my life. Now I want to be young, but it's a little bit harder to be young in a 50-year-old body. Oh well, pass the Bufferin and let's get going!

My vacation starts in ten hours and 45 minutes. YAY!

Jeeem! Quit playing with your food!

Okay, enough fooling around. I gotta go to work!

Back End of Summer.
One of the radio stations was trying to make things sound better Tuesday, saying that we were halfway through summer (using the June 21-September 21 numbers). Nice try, but it doesn't really fly. We all know that summer here in the U.S. is Memorial Day to Labor Day. We're counting down fast now. Waaaaaah!

Only good thing is...September brings MSU football games! Go Green! Oops, I guess there actually is a game in August. Whoa.

Sometimes blogger sites don't ping weblogs. Wonder what that is all about?

you are a book called



what
dr. seuss book warped you?

Link via Joni...thanks!

Alice Roosevelt said of her father, Teddy Roosevelt: My father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening.
My mother's gentleman friend passed away this week. He was an exuberant man, loving people and being the center of attention in his world the same as T.R. loved attention. It is a shame that men like this have to miss their own funeral.
He will be missed.

'Bye Lynn! Best of luck!

Oh yay! Wendy had the best visual arts project for Blogathon 2002! Congratulations, Wendy...it sure helped me keep going through those 24 hours!

Monday Mission...by promoguy:
1. Ever considered just deleting your Blog and not doing it anymore? What prompted that and what stopped you? Yup! I actually did it, but here I am again. It was prompted by two things: 1.) I was seeing a new guy (now defunct) and 2.)I can't say. *grin*

2. How about a quick review of the last movie you saw? Signs. Better than I expected, a fun watch, but the good feeling didn't last.

3. What's your favorite gadget? Are you lusting for any new ones? Will you ever be satisified???
Cameras...and I'm NEVER satisfied. Looking for a better digital right now, and also larger format. *sigh*

4. Saturday night I played "UNO" for the first time in years, I mean it has been over 10 years since I played it. It was great fun, but it really made me want to learn how to play Backgammon again. What "table game" do you enjoy playing most with other people? Have you played it lately? Hearts (over last Christmas). Monopoly...over five years, I think.

5. About a year ago I was obsessed with loosing weight, and I dropped pretty low before I got a handle on things (I've actually gained about 8 pounds of it back, and it is still a struggle sometimes to not try to loose it). Thankfully, I like fattening sweets and buttery popcorn too much to live like that for too long. Have you ever been obsessed with something so much that it was close to causing you physical or mental harm? If not, have you known anyone else who has? I don't think so...

6. Did you grow up in a family or community that displayed racist or prejudice attitudes? Did it influence you in any way, either toward or away from those views? How did you manage to avoid it, or did you? The church I grew up in was racist, unfortunately, and I knew I didn't want to be like those people.

7. Good grief, I am starving! You got anything to eat around here? Corn on the cob, grapes and rice krispie treats.

Link list.
Okay, at the bottom of the link list it says powered by blogrolling.com. Well, I haven't got it set up yet, so it is still the template list for now. I'm going to print off the template so I can get all you wonderful folks with the proper URLs. (I tried earlier and goofed mightily.) So if you're pinging weblogs.com when you post, we'll get to see a *fresh* note on the list. Any ideas as to how many hours should be considered *fresh*?

Susan has a great entry on It's a Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, World. She hits the nail smack-dab on the head.

I thought Fred First from Floyd (West Virginia) was a codger. I was wrong...he's a redhead!

Would you buy a book on blogging?
Several books on blogging are out or coming out in the next month or so.
Due in September is Essential Blogging from O'Reilly, by Shelley Powers, Cory Doctorow, J. Scott Johnson, Mena G. Trott, Benjamin Trott.
Out now is We've Got Blog: How Weblogs Are Changing Our Culture by Editors of Perseus Publishing (Introduction), Rebecca Blood.
Rebecca Blood has her own book out, The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog.
Going to any of these Amazon links will give you links to more blogging books.

Now I have two shelves full of computer books...one over there ---->
and a more outdated shelf in the bedroom. But I'm not so sure I'd snag a book on blogging. Fellow bloggers are just so helpful, and it seems like you either want to do it, or you don't. But we all know how goofy I am. What do you think?

Good Morning!

From Lynn, who says it is from almost everywhere:

A mental exercise: using only two words, describe the following:
Your home. Needs changing
Your car. Chevy Corscia
Your job. Information amanuensis
Your S.O. In dreams
Your Family. Best friends
Your Friends. Scattered afar
The Internet. Positive Change
Television. CBS rules
Books. My friends
Today. Somewhat Pensive

I do have August 12-16 off still, so I'm setting up plans for how to spend this vacation time.

1. Tattoo Day. Yep, I'm gonna do it. Any more suggestions as to where it should be? Jeeem has given me a few pointers, but I'll listen to any advice anyone has to offer.

2. Spa Day. I think I am totally in need of a day at the Spa, another thing I have never done. I'm in need of a change, and a massage sounds perfect.

3. A couple of days at Lake Michigan. A soul restorative.

4. Cooking. I've missed experimental cooking. One day I think I'll just cook up a storm. Got a recipe you love? Lay it on me!

Montana trip postponed to 2003.
Unfortunately, we have had to postpone Montana for a year. This year I was going with my mother. Her boyfriend fell two weeks ago and broke his hip, but they have had such a hard time stabilizing him that they have not yet been able to fix his hip. Things don't look promising at the moment, but Mom is coping fairly well. Life can change in just a twinkle, just a misstep.

Oops! Sorry that I didn't finish that last entry. The combination of the Blogathon last weekend and the busiest month at work since November 1999 wiped me out. I was dead to the world by 9:30 p.m. Feeling rested and a might bit perkier this a.m. Hope you are all having a great day. I plan on doing some cleaning and some puttering around the place, then seeing SIGNS this evening with a friend. I wasn't going to bite, but I can seldom pass up Mel Gibson.

Sheesh. Just over at the Signs website. That looks like the Field of Dreams farmhouse. Guess I'd better go to IMDB and see where it was shot. click click click Nope, it was fillmed in Pennsylvania.

They keep messin' with my bookstores.

I am a bookstore fanatic. I have my favorites, and I have a routine that goes with visiting there. I should say, I HAD a routine, because both favorites moved, and I just can't get in sync for some reason. Tonight I went to Schuler Books. This used to be a stand-alone bookstore close to a grocery store. I would spend an hour or two there, get a nice bag of books, choose one perfect pastry from the coffee shop, go to the grocery store and get their salad bar, head home, and be in ecstasy. Now they've moved to the MALL! I love malls, but the energy is totally different, and I can't browse more than 20 minutes. *sigh*

Susan writes lovingly of mother/daughter relations. Your mother is lucky, Susan.

Wheee! I shirley do love end-of-month at work. Not. Well, it is okay, but it is draining...I work for a heating and air conditioning company and with the great heat we've been having we have been busy busy busy. And then, like an idiot, I have the company Newsletter come out at the end of the month also (guess who writes most of it...mmmhmm). Dork I am, I am.

Here is a question. Do you ever use the f*** word? And if so, is it easier to speak it or write it? Jeeem with three eee's has been at it again.

Trying to get back in the groove.

Lynn's Wednesday What:

1. WHAT IN THE WORLD of candy-bars .... is your all-time favorite?
Three Musketeers...no...Milky Way dark...yum

2. WHAT IN THE WORLD of collecting do you collect?
I collect Angels (Collection started in 1969, I have over 100) and lighthouse pictures and statues and *big blush* Beanie Babies, but only the bears anymore...well, bears and frogs. Love those frogs.

3. WHAT IN THE WORLD of life's little pleasures (key word: little) do you enjoy most?
Sharing a meal with family. Better yet if it is out-of-doors.

Cerebral Palsy Association donation information is on this page.

Thank you, Mike Sanders. Thank you not only for what you posted today, but for the example you have set through your blog and the help you have given through your email.

Can't forget the Monday Mission...just because I don't know what day it is yet!!

PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.30
1. What is your favorite snack food? Does anyone you know have weird tastes in snacks?
Candy bar. My mother drinks hot water. Just plain hot water.

2. Ever caught yourself saying "well it can't get any worse" and it does? What's the story there? I try to NEVER say "well it can't get any worse" anymore.

3. I have a super-short attention span, and it always was my downfall in school, especially math class. What's your attention span like and how has it served you? Too good of an attention span, people can talk to me but if I'm focused on something else I won't even hear them. I also pay attention to what people say...most people would prefer that you didn't. *grin*

4. Do you believe in the existence of extra-terrestrials? Yes. I know Jeeeem.

5. What do you think of the whole "crop circles" phenomenon? Don't know enough to have an opinion, but I don't think I'm going to see Signs

6. Ever had a time where you begin visiting with someone you don't know all that well and just find you "click" like long lost pals? Tell me about how that came to happen, and who was it? What kind of things do you have in common? That happens quite often. Best time was my buddy David. We like the same things: computers, Out West, photography, and taking chances. Oh wait. He takes chances. I like hearing about them.

7. When I was at the cemetery a few weeks ago, I began to recall my Dad's funeral so many years ago. It is so vivid, sitting there in the family room as his friends passed by and paid their respects, the music, his face, the tears. What funeral do you remember most vividly?
Dad's. The minister knew Dad well, knew the family, so it was just totally tailored and totally perfect. It was a big enough funeral to need a police escort to the cemetery...Dad would have gotten akick out of that, cause he always liked processions. And I thought it was pretty cool for a "family man". That night, we were playing the balloon bat game, and it thundered and lighteninged in the middle of a snow storm. Dad must have been playing with the weather machine.

Good morning!

Well, Blogathon 2002 is over, and what an adventure. I crashed immediately after the last post, thinking I had set my alarm for 11:30 a.m. I was supposed to follow my mom over to a cousin's going-away party at 12:30 p.m.

Oops. Forgot to set the alarm.
Big Oops. 12:30 p.m. I could hear a little voice calling "Shirl" from the sidewalk three floors below. By the time I roused myself, Mom was knocking on my apartment door. Dang! I'd made her walk up three flights of steps. So I gave her my no-bake cookies and sent her on her way, thinking I would go back to sleep. Then I remembered the directions from the 'thon....try to get back on a normal schedule as soon as possible. So I showered and went over to the picnic, had a good time, came home, did laundry, and THEN fell asleep. No "Sunday Night Insomnia" this week.

A round up of thank you's:

Lynn. Thank you for leading the way last year and for cheering me on this year.
Meryl. Thanks for the traffic! and the sponsorship and the kind words.
Eve Smith: Thank you for your sponsorship and for your presence. I checked my stats every few hours: thank you!
Wendy: Thanks for the sponsorship! And thanks for having a site that was mind challenging: you had to do a lot of running to keep those challenges coming. Your tribute to your uncle was wonderful.
Susan and Kathryn: Thank you for stopping by! And a thanks to all the others who stopped by.
And last, but NEVER least...thanks, BooBoo and crew, for stopping by with the Tupperware at just the right moment! That group hug, when I was so sweaty and stinky was perfection!

Y'all have a good day now! See ya.

The postings for Blogathon 2002 are now officially closed at this site.

Okay. I'm old, kiddies. (Hey, I might be the oldest blogathoner!!) And I'm pooped. So...can I call it a 24 hours? Pretty pretty pretty please? Alarm is going off for the 9:00 posting. Yep. It's close enough!

See ya next year!

Wow! The next to the last post. Hey, it's been a trip.

Applause to the marvelous blogathon folks: Cat, you and your crew are awesome. Thanks for putting this thing together, and for keeping everyone calm calm calm. *grin*

And the last piece of what I was looking for fell into place a couple weeks ago, when I was emailing with Jeeem and he commented on how some people like to push the envelope, and occasionally the envelope pushes back. Well, that was J.R. to a tee. He had pushed the envelope and accomplished so very much.

I realized that there was a lot to share by switching my focus to J.R.'s life and times, not his end. So I signed up for the Blogathon, and made a list of headings of the "such good times" we had had.

I checked out the United Cerebral Palsy Association. Part of their goals are to:

For 50 years, UCP (a.k.a. United Cerebral Palsy) has been committed to change and progress for persons with disabilities. The national organization and its nationwide network of 111 affiliates in 39 states strive to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every facet of society - from the Web to the workplace, from the classroom to the community. As one of the largest health charities in America, UCP's mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, through our commitment to the principles of independence, inclusion and self-determination.

Because this is the new millenium, here is where the story brings in the internet. I put up a home page in '98 and began surfing other home pages. The triumphs and sorrows I read there worked as a great big support group. When I switched to blogs in '01 the stories became even more personal and more moving.

And then, for the last year, I've been thinking about the blogathon and what I could do (and could I stay up 24 hours...I even did a practice run this spring, hehe.)

Now because this is real-life, and not a movie, there is a sad twist to J.R.'s story. This part does not in any way pertain to cerebral palsy, not at all. But in December of 1988, there was an accident, and J.R. was dead.

And because it was an accident, and accidents by their nature create "if onlys" and "whys" and "maybes" that cannot be acted upon, the pain of loss was trebled. Throughout the 90's I coasted on my feelings about losing J.R., thankful for the nieces and nephew we still had to love.

Back up one more time.
The Next Brother Story.

Our Next Brother moved up north in the late 70's. On his first date with his now wife he beaned her with a softball. (Very accidentally of course.) Gentleman that he is, he waited at the hospital with her mother. Her mother was a strong advocate for Downs Syndrome, as one of her children had that condition. Next Brother told her about J.R. "Why, I've met him," she said, "at such and such conference".

We think that fact may have saved Next Brother's hide.

1985...J.R. gets his boy.
J.J. is added to J.R.'s family. And this puts an end to the "I didn't know I could" line. You never know what's possible until you try.

Kid Number Two in 1982.
J.R. and wife have child #2, another girl named Kea. Kea looks like our side of the family, and her personality is more like mine: broody and a bit standoffish until she scopes out the situation.

Interesting tidbit to her birth: You can call things into Tiger Baseball Radio games and they'll announce them: things like births and marriages and stuff like that. My other brothers and sister were up-north when Kea made her first appearance, but they heard about it anyway...on the radio! Yay Ernie Harwell!

And yay, Wendy! Thanks for the sponsorship!

Okay, we've had a page turn. In the process, three make that six posts have somehow gone missing, but I expect they'll sheepishly show up in a couple of hours. They were about 1978 through going to University of Michigan, so if you see them wandering around, just shoo them back home.

Because we've turned the page, let me restate:
Hi. My name is Shirl (the Pearl) and I'm a blogger.
What I also am, I have found, is this...I am the sister of a handicapper brother. That is the circumstance of my life that has affected me the most, that informs my decision-making process. And so it seemed appropriate that I choose the United Cerebral Palsy Association as my charity for Blogathon, and that I spend these twenty-four hours blogging about my brother, J.R. (Yes, those are his initials and they were his WAY before Larry Hagman made them famous *grin*.)

And you can still sponsor me here.

We had big storms in our area earlier, but the sky is clearing now, and I can see a few stars. The storm helped drop the temperature too...a mild 70 now.

And we're truly coming into the homestretch now. A big thank you to Cat and her team for a marvelous experience!

January 30, 1982.

Dad died today. It was the usual thing: shoveling, coming inside, not feeling well, the rush to the hospital. But a massive myocardial infarction had stopped that big heart, at the age of 56.

So many of the handicapper dads that we knew died in their fifties. Probably it was just a coincidence: that, and the fact that most of them did smoke. But we knew more handicapper Moms than Dads. The Dads tended to split rather than face a "different" reality.

My dad was a true family man. And the sweetest memory of that sad time was little Eva putting her boots on her hands and walking around among all the grown-ups saying..."be funny"

Yay Meryl! She has passed the $3000 mark. What a woman! Be sure to check her out.

Oops. Have to stay focused on cookies. Mind will not do divergent things.

Cookies are the old stand-by No-Bakes.
2 c. sugar
1 stick oleo or butter
3 T. cocoa
and something else. Oh yeah. 1/2 cup milk.

Stick them all in a 2 qt pan. Put pan on stove. Cook at med temp until boils. When hard boil ensues, continue boiling for three minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and three cups oatmeal. Stir.
Drop by spoon onto waxed paper.

Let harden. (Hopefully they will.)

Blue Period.
Oh, no! J.R. took a job at that OTHER Michigan School. I'm not even gonna link it! *grin*

I've lost it. I have to make cookies for a picnic later today. Wish me luck that I don't burn the apartment down.

Eva was her daddy's daughter. She inherited the sunny disposition, the ability to shrug off unpleasant situations. J.R. had started using a motorized wheelchair, an Amiga, for speed. I have pictures of them from that period, Eva riding behind him, her hair flying, both of them with the wide wide grins.

Oh thanks! I like this from Gretchen. (At least I think it's Gretchen.)

You can be a good father, even if your old man was a jerk. J.R. had a super Dad, and when little Eva came along in September, J.R. was right there, hands on, completely involved. He even surpassed our Dad; J.R. could handle diapers.

Need some music? Head over to Peter's for some MP3s. Now the copy at the "hot list" site says occasional nudity. Oh really???

Meryl, now don't you fall asleep in that big comfy chair!!

50 %

There's a 50 % chance that I'll survive the 'thon.
Will you survive the Blogathon?

1978
A very busy year, indeedy.
July 1, to be exact. J.R. gets married.
Bruce is his best man, and he actually does have to lend a hand when the spasms hit J.R.'s leg. But in the end, the rings are exchanged.

Hi, Meryl's Mom! Thank you for stopping by. This blogging stuff seems a little backwards at first, but you'll get used to it. When can we see yours? *grin*
Lots and lots of weather outside. Now that we've come this far, I sure hope I don't lose power. 2/3 in..YES!

1978
One thing has to happen before the wedding though. J.R. has been in training. Our younger sister has been a sky-diver for four years by this time, and has over 100 jumps. J.R. wants to parachute.

The boy did like to push that envelope.

How do you parachute when your legs aren't strong enough for touch-down? The jumping part isn't hard, it is the landing. But if you land in water, well, you don't have the same impact.

So the jump was set...static line, as per usual for beginners. For a few moments, J.R. flew. And then he landed, exactly as planned, in a small lake near the airport. The boats were close, (and he missed the boats), and Next Brother pulled him out.

Sissy me, I couldn't bear to watch. How'd we get to be so different?

I have to backtrack. (And I'm not sure why, but I do.)
That big blue car that J.R. had was named Ezra Pound.
J.R. loved to go to the Upper Peninsula to the Big Two-Heart and the Fox River with his buddy Diamond Jim. (Hemingway country, doncha know?)
And during this period we learned that lilacs signalled ruins in the area (they're not indigenous) and that elephant bury their dead. (Two of his poems.)

The shower seemed to wake me up. Glad I didn't slip and fall in it though, wouldn't that be a great headline..."Blogging is Bad for Your Health". Nine hours. uhhh

1978
The phone rings. "Hello?"
"Hi, Shirley, it's J.R. Guess what? I'm getting married!"
"No way....who??" Brothers and sisters don't stay quite as close after college.
He told me his intended's name. She was a nice woman, one of his "type".
"Oh, and Shirley?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm gonna be a dad, too."
"WHAT???"
"Yeah, I didn't think I could, you know, but..."

Mmmmhmmm..right, little brother!

Hey, Jeeem, the fireflies are flying high tonight! Must be the boys, or the impending storm.

1978.
J.R. has various after-college jobs. Most involve some sort of advocacy work, for groups and also for legislators.

We have weather, possible tornadoes to the south-east of us. Anyone live in Kansas? Or Oz? Not just sure where I'll be blowing.

Whew. Ten hours to go. Now it gets tough.

Getting Dumped Hurts, No Matter What
Girls Women had entered the picture during college. Seems like there were a lot of them. Smart women, funny women, women with the requisite long hippie hair.

One of the girls from HS had J.R. tutor her in math. She was a cheerleader type and didn't fit the pattern, and apparently he didn't fit hers, because he overheard her making fun of him. Ticked him off right good, and he was all for hitchhiking to Boston to visit friends. Now that is one thing he did allow himself to be talked out of doing. (But I still get a chuckle when I think of him lifting a crutch to get a ride.)

Speaking of Handicapper Parking.
Back in the 70's (boy, that was a long time ago, and things have surely changed) you could get handicapped licenses which entitled you to park almost anywhere. You had the option of getting a window sticker instead of the plates.

J.R. preferred the sticker. It was less noticeable, he was doing a lot of traveling, and he didn't want his car marked as having a disabled driver.

There was a problem with the sticker, though. It was so very much less noticeable that police officers would often ticket J.R. for parking illegally. (Now the fact that the ticket was often placed directly OVER the sticker would make one think...oops, let's not go there *grin*).

For some reason, J.R. and I were both staying at our folks' house while they were on vacation. I was up making breakfast, J.R. was crashed on the couch. A knock came at the door. I peeked out. It was a policeman. Uh-oh.

He came in, stating that he had a warrant for J.R.'s arrest for outstanding parking tickets. "Oh, okay," J.R. mumbled, hefting himself into a sitting position. "Just let me get my crutches."

The officer was gracious. "Oh, that's all right...you just come down to the station at your leisure."

English Major.
J.R., with his love of words, was a natural English major. Unfortunately, the English department was housed in one of the oldest building on campus. This was also before the days of accessibility. Curb cuts, handicapper parking...nice, but not mandated. Morrill had no ramped entrance. The main door was 18 steps up.

Most of the English classes were held in other buildings, but J.R. did have one at Morrill. So he scoped it out, and found an overgrown service entrance at the north end that only had five steps down. That became his entrance. Occasionally he would fall down the steps, and each time, a foreign graduate assistant who had an office nearby would come out and help him. J.R. said the student never acted worried about him, he would just smile as though that was a perfectly acceptable way to enter a building.

1971-1975.
Go Green!
J.R. beat me to MSU by one term. (It was terms back then, a whole different concept.) I transferred as a Junior winter of '72, he started as a Freshman in fall of 1971.

He got along famously in the dorm. Back then, freshmen couldn't have cars on campus...unless they had special needs. You can fit a lot of people into a big blue station wagon.

1970-71.
Well, I'm off to college, and J.R. is in High School. And, he has decided that he will run for Student Government President. We both enjoyed the plotting and planning of politics, whether high level or local, so on weekends home we work out details. (Well, he lets me think I'm helping.) He's also on the debate team, and still in Orchestra. (I forgot to mention how he liked that he was 1st trumpet, and I had only made it to 2nd violin. (Even though he was the ONLY trumpet!!!) (Oh great, I'm doing Meryl's double parentheses now.))

Upshot of the election: J.R. was student government president.

Another Car Story.
Now I've told you that J.R. was smart, but you know how smart people can sometimes be a little...addled? We were camping (again) this time at Gun Lake. Aunt N. had come to visit us, and she had a new car. A red Maverick, if I remember correctly. Guys like to act cool about cars, right? So J.R. slides into the driver's seat, thinking he'll just start it to see how the engine runs.
It's a stick.
It took off in reverse.
Luckily, the NEXT BROTHER is quick on his feet, and gets the car shut down, but not before it nicked a small tree behind it.
Guys and their cars. Oh my.

1969.
Let's do the math. 1969 - 1953 = one 16-year-old boy-man ready for his wheels.
Cars can be equipped with hand controls. It's pretty cool. Down and away from you ... Accelerate. Down and toward you...Brake. I'm sure they are much more sophisticated now, but that's how my parents' car was adapted. (It was handy that Dad was a mechanic.)

As with pedals, there can be slip-ups with hand controls. One happened when J.R. was driving with the NEXT BROTHER, but not reported until years later. J.R. and N.B. were coming down a road that curved at the end, and if you didn't make the curve, you were into a cow pasture. Well, if you speed-up instead of slow-down on that curve, you're liable to find yourself in said pasture. mmmhmm. N.B. told us years later that he and Dad were working on the car a few weeks later, and Dad pulled a few strands of barbed wire from under the car. "How'd that get there???", Dad asked. N.B. shrugged. (Glad I was away at college by then *grin*)

Sibling Support Groups

SibNet is a National Sibling Support group for sibs of people with disabilities. They have a special group for younger children, and that is a good thing.

Back in the 50's and 60's we didn't have such a thing. We did, however, because of the special events held for handicappers, know other siblings. Again, there is always a bright side to everything. Sam was Jerry's brother. (Jerry had muscular dystrophy, which is a whole other ball game.) When Jerry's family moved to our neighborhood, all the girls were swooning over Sam. Ha! I got to go to picnics with him. (But I probably really screwed things up when I tipped Jerry over in his wheelchair pushing him from first to second base.)

This post will just be a filler...the nieces just dropped by. And nieces, what do you say about me? "You smell good, Aunt Owwee"...They're nuts. I stink.

1968

It finally happens.
J.R. and I are in the same school, after eleven years in the public schools. My senior year. His sophomore.
I had played violin since fifth grade and was second chair in the orchestra. Little bro decided to opt for orchestra instead of band. Yay!

What a year. We often kidded that year that we should go into law together. He was the sunny outgoing debater, I was the shyer, more brooding research type. (We both went into different careers
jobs whatever.)

When it came time for the Yearbook, guess who had the full-page picture? Mmmhmmm. Very good. It was little bro (of course, one of my best friends was the yearbook editor, so mebbe???)

Ain't No Mountain High Enough.
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.

The Silver Lake Sand Dunes are a natural attraction in West Michigan. (I just read where they are 1 1/2 miles wide and three miles long.) This was a great place to take a family on vacation. And if one of those family members had limited leg use? Why, DAD or, when J.R. got too tall ('cause Dad was kind of short and stubby), the NEXT BROTHER, would sling him onto their back in a modified piggyback, and away they would go. Reading that now just amazes me. We walked from Silver Lake to Lake Michigan, that's 1.5 miles, and back. Over hills. Sandy hills. This is the love of a father, this is the love of a brother.

Meryl has a special relationship with The Hulk. Youch!

How Does a CP kid perform with the Marching Band?

Why someone pushes him in a wheel chair, that's easy!
And a proud proud moment.
Even though J.R.'s hands were slightly affected, he played a mean trumpet.

1965

We get a late addition to the family.
This year BooBoo was born, making us a family of eight. Also made J.R. give up half his bedroom, as he was the only kid in a downstairs bedroom. The problem with sleeping with a MotorMouth? J.R. talked in his sleep. BooBoo soon learned to answer.

J.R. started Junior High this year. We still ended up at different schools (there was inclusion within the district by that time but only one of the five area junior highs was set up for special ed). There was special transportation for the handicapper kids, and that came with its own perc...Stevie Wonder was going to the School for the Blind at the time so occasionally he would ride with J.R. Not bad.

1964
This was the year of our first big out-of-state family trip. Kennedy had died, Washington D.C. was the place to go. There we were, a family of seven, schlepping through the Capitol City. (Someone please help me, is it capital or capitol?)

J.R. was using his crutches at this time. At the National Gallery of Art the guards found him a wheelchair. I remember thinking, “I’m tired, too.” Awful thing, I know, but I had just turned twelve and icky. I also remember feeling so odd when they let us go against the line-up for JFK’s grave because of J.R.’s condition. To my credit, I knew it was silly to feel that way and this was the last time I worried about our family’s “difference”.

My best recollection of that trip, though, was strolling down some street, eating bananas and potato chips, J.R. loaded over my dad’s back. It was a tough neighborhood, but we never worried. So that was a GOOD thing about being different.

If you liketh cats, then this is the place for you.

Eve cracks me up. She's gonna be wide awake at 3:00 a.m., so let's all hit her then. She's blogging for America's Second Harvest.

Oh brother! It's already time to post again. Well, I finally had my first food of the day, a chicken caesar salad from Mickey D's that I got last night. I was so wound up with the Blogathon this morning that I totally skipped the sausage and eggs I was going to do for breakfast. Oh well, they'll be needed tomorrow more, probably. (and I really could do without them, anyhoo.)

All right, I know I said I would put blogathon and miscellaneous comments in green but I have seen the error of my ways. If I do that, the links in them don't show up (duh, Shirl), so from here on brown will be my non-J.R. colors. (I like green because I'm a graduate of a certain University right over there <----.)

My next two posts are going to be about Blogathon sites. It is super to see what folks are doing, but I need to break from regularly scheduled posts so I can surf a bit.

Once again, thanks to Meryl Yourish for her kind words. She has company coming, and has written about how much harder this is to do than she thought. I HEARTILY agree, Meryl...but at least time is flying. (Check back in again with me at 3:00 a.m. and see how much it is flying, hehe.)

Carrotgirl is one of my ring neighbors. She's blogging for Bookaid, which seems like an excellent charity.

The Picture Puzzle Project is here, and it is fun (I'm not getting any of them right, but oh well). Wendy is blogging for World Cancer Research Program.

Progression of Walking Aids.
Walker, 1958
Wooden Crutches, 1961
Canadian Crutches, 1963

uhoh. I did something bad.

Let me try again.

Progression of Walking Aids

Let's try a few more pictures, but as clicks.
Wooden Crutches, 1961
Sugarloaf Lake. (There were 11 sites back in 1962. I just looked at their web page: there are 180 sites now. So okay, we were a little ahead of the curve on that one.)

Everyone in the family went camping. Everyone in the family had chores. J.R.'s? Remember, I said he was a motor mouth. He got to blow up the air mattresses!

I have to give a spot of applause to Lynn here. Lynn wasn't able to blogathon this year due to time constraints posed by family, but she was and is my role model from last year's 'thon. Thanks, Lynn!Best to you and your family.

1961

Now there are five of us, an older sister, three boys, and a little sister.
And J.R. is in the thick of things.

Being special ed has a few perks. The Rotary Club always throws a party for the handicapper kids, and each kid gets a special gift. One year J.R. wanted one of those remote control cars. He got it. And I'm embarrassed to say that the home movies from that period show me pouting because I couldn't play with it. Hey..I was just a kid *grin*.

We liked going to the special party though, and I think that's where I first learned "Up On the Housetop". And yeah, I remember Santa coming out of the fireplace at the school. Cool memories.

1957
This may have been the year I realized J.R. was different. (I'm the slow one, hehe.)
I started kindergarten in 1957. J.R. started school too, pre-school for special ed. We had to move from our little town to Lansing to get the right education for him. This was before the days of inclusion and mainstreaming.

So while I walked three blocks to my new school, J.R. went three miles over to his school. We wouldn't meet in a school until I was a senior and he was a sophomore.

1956.

Some big kids who lived on the street behind ours built a rocketship out of a big refrigerator packing box. (Well, at least I think it was a packing box. At the time I thought it was a rocketship.) You would enter the box, the door would shut (I think they put us in two at a time) and then it would roll from side to side. (Picture the big kids outside moving the box.)

J.R. loved it.

And I suspect from that incident was born his love of space and aeronautics. By the age of six he had all the planets down in order. (Did I mention his IQ was um, er, ah... a little high?) A little later he discovered The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, which tickled us because it had our cousins' names in it. And think about it...weightlessness for someone who couldn't walk. What a trip.

Well, that's a crappy scan too.

Anyway, that's my dad, and J.R., and lil ole me through the fog. and snow
My parents were determined that J.R. would do whatever the rest of us did. (There were four more kids to come.) He might not do it the same way other people did, and he might not do it as fast as other people, but can't really wasn't in their vocabulary. Advances in technology have created even greater opportunities for people with CP.

Hang on, that picture didn't work at alll all all.
Just to prove this is all RT, eh?
Is this one any better?

Oops, busted! Ms. Meryl says I need a pledge link. Can I put it here, Meryl? Thanks for the link and the sponsorship, kiddo!

Meryl is a terrif writer and person. She's blogging for Shaare Zedek Medical Center and you can sponsor her here.

Sometime

I don't remember when I first hear the word Cerebral Palsy. This link defines it the way I came to know it:

Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to the brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly following birth. "Cerebral" refers to the brain and "palsy" to a disorder of movement or posture. It is neither progressive nor communicable. It is also not "curable" in the accepted sense, although education, therapy and applied technology can help persons with cerebral palsy lead productive lives. It is not a disease and should never be referred to as such. It can range from mild to severe.

J. R. had been a breech birth, and of course, this WAS the 50's. His legs were affected most severely, and there was a certain spasticity with his hands, but he didn't have ANY of the speech problems that can sometimes be related to C.P. The kid was a MOTOR MOUTH!

Sometime in 1955.

Once a week Mom and J.R. and I would go to Lansing to a place called a Curative Workshop. Dad had made a little seat for J.R. to sit on so he could see out the window. (hey, this was a LONG LONG time ago). It was a snowy day, we slid, and J.R. hit the dashboard with his mouth. He split his lip, left toothmarks in the dash, and there was blood everywhere. I was sure he was dead. The famous line from that incident was "we used to have such good times together".

He was fine. And still a chatterbox.

March 25, 1953
Letter from Mom to Grandma and Grandpa, who were wintering in Florida.

Shirley is such a little helper. She dusts and washes dishes and thinks that J.R. is much better than her dollies. J.R. is still having trouble rolling over. His shoulder goes, but his legs just don't make it. The doctor says he is a little overweight for his age and told me to cut him back to skim milk. Perhaps that will help.

Okay, okay, I used to be a good person *grin*.

August 1, 1953.

From the G.L. Weekly

Shirley P. is spending the week with her grandparents, Chris and Bea S. When she returns home, she will welcome her new little brother, J.R., born July 30. Congrats to all!

(Do hometown newsletters still publish those little blurbs?)

So Blogathon 2002 begins.

Hi. My name is Shirl (the Pearl) and I'm a blogger. I've been blogging since May of 2001. Last year I was fascinated by the Blogathon. I didn't hear about it until it was too late to register, but I followed several sites that were involved, and made a mental note to keep an eye out for a repeat in 2002.

Blogging for me has been a way to gently explore who I am. Yeah, even at my *tender* age, hehe. I'm a political person, but not rabidly left or right (except on some issues). I enjoy reading the political blogs but don't really identify with them. I'm a religious person, but not very good at attending church, so I enjoy reading some of the religious blogs, but identify more with the searchers' writings. My ethnicity is a mumble-jumble, with a grandpa coming from the Netherlands and the rest of the ancestry being long-time American, including a couple of Native American great-great-grandmas. So there is no strong identity with ethnicity. And being single and childless, well, that means I can't blog about dear old hubby and kids.

What I am, I have found, is this...I am the sister of a handicapper brother. That is the circumstance of my life that has affected me the most, that informs my decision-making process. And so it seemed appropriate that I choose the United Cerebral Palsy Association as my charity for Blogathon, and that I spend these twenty-four hours blogging about my brother, J.R. (Yes, those are his initials and they were his WAY before Larry Hagman made them famous *grin*.)

As the day moves along, I'm sure I'll be wanting to comment about other Blogathon sites, what I'm doing (I do have to go to work for a little bit), how sleepy I am (I feel that way already, darn), and such. Those comments will be posted in green. Go Green!

Soon....

Soon....

Coming...Saturday, July 27, 2002....Blogathon 2002.

Ummm. I don't think so.

I am a STORY TELLER

I am a natural story teller, and tales unfold in my mind almost without thought. I can entertain myself by reading a book that exists only in my head, which might make me seem distant from people at times.

I'd like to be the first to wish lil brother Jeeem a very happy birthday. May all your wishes come true!

World's Largest Weather Vane. Really.

I'll be watching PBS tonight. That's hard to believe! They are doing a series on the Great Lodges of the National Parks, and tonight they are doing Glacier Park, where I'll be in August! I'm not sure which I like most, Michigan's Lake Michigan or Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Sigh. **9:00 p.m....good show!**

This week's WEDNESDAY'S WHAT:
Congratulations on week 5, Lynn!

1. WHAT IN THE WORLD of enlightenment gives you a sense of security? My sense of security comes from knowing that we're not in this alone.

2. WHAT IN THE WORLD of employment opportunities do you view as truly absurd? Manure scraper at Mackinac Island. Absurd, but very very necessary.

3. WHAT IN THE WORLD of refreshments (alcoholic or non), do you find the most thirst quenching on a hot summer day? This summer I'm a sucker for SoBe drinks.

Peeking at work.

The problem with being away from the computer for four days is that when you come back and use it all day, your eyeballs start doing realllllly weird things.

Back to work.

What is the most frequently blogged statement on the web?
Blogger is fritzing up again. Insert your own "f" word!!!
Sheesh.

A little more traveling around the blogworld:

Oh yeah! Steve's Diner has reopened for business. What a treat! He serves up words and pictures, not soup *grin*

Kathyrn is working on 100-word essays, a concept she borrowed from here.

And Jeeem has the single man's guide to cleaning, right here. Visitors, you have been warned! *grin*

Intermittent blogging tonight...intermittent storms.
Let me get the Monday Mission going first.

1. Do you remember your first encounter with computers? Tell me about that. That would be an old Texas Instrument 16 or whatever it was. I still have one in the closet.

2. How late can you stay up and still be functional the next day? Do you do that very often? 1 a.m...arising at 6:00 a.m....I do that probably twice a week. Mebbe I should check with the boss on how functional I am *grin*.

3. When was the last really good hug you got from another adult? Who was it and what was the situation? We're a family of huggers, so it was on the good-byes when we left "up north".

4. One thing about children is that they all like to draw. We all shared the same ability and skill level at one time. Do you still like to draw? (Not do you think you draw well, or do others, but do you like to?) If not, how come? Did you get discouraged at some point? Yep, I still do like to draw, and yep, I've been discouraged. *shaking fist at Mr. Burdett from WAY back when*.

5. I way overslept today. I had to head to work with no shower (don't get too close), and I am not in the best of moods. Have you ever overslept on a day you had something important going on? What's the story there? I'm anxious and fidgety, so if something important is going on I'm more prone to insomnia. *sigh*

6. Ever go shopping for something you know you can't afford? You look at it and even think about how it will look when you get it home, somehow you justify the cost and believe it can happen? And just before you get to the counter come to your senses? What was the last thing you almost bought, but thought better of it? And why the heck do we do that to ourselves? I'm bad. If I get to the counter, it is bought.

7. (It begins again...) It's all such a blur now. I'd asked you to help me wake up but the alarm didn't go off. It was 10 till and just I knew I'd be late. Somehow you got me here on time. How did you do that? Tickled your toes.

BONUS: Can't you see, you belong to me? Can't see, don't have glasses on.

If you like words, this is a great place to visit. You can also sign up for a new word-a-day emailed to you.

Well, back to work today. I've got the requisite fudge stashed in the fridge. The "Up-North" folk always call the tourists fudgies, as that is the favored treat to take home. Though now that there is a Kilwin's right here in East Lansing, it doesn't seem quite the same.

Okay...first stop at Lynn's. She's been posting lots and lots AND she has the most precious pictures of her grandson. Wow.

Oh, earlier I had asked which state in the United States had the most lighthouses? Well, the answer is Michigan. Here's one source, but I think they're a little shy on our numbers...I've heard that we have over 100. (Maybe they were only counting the lower peninsula.)

Jeeem has a fine story on his aunts' nicknames. I happen to really appreciate that story...my nickname is Aunt Owwee. And Eve, bless her heart, may start a new decorating style! Great story, Eve! I like to remember to always pair Eve and Jeeem *grin*!

Speaking of grandbabies, Elaine has a new arrival! Congratulations, GranE! Elaine is caretaker of her mother, and now has to scoot out to help her daughter. Sound familiar, anyone?

Fred has set forth his blogging standards. YAY Fred! I'm one of your AOL visitors. And Susan, well, Susan has the funniest car disaster story I'VE read in a long time.

More visiting and commenting to follow, but...I got up at 4:30 a.m. this morning to go elk hunting WITH THE CAMERA! and I have just faded.

Night!

She's baaaaaaaack!

Having left her bathing suit and cords for the charger for the cell phone and the digital camera..."up north". Guess this means she wants to go back!
WHOOPS! and needing to resize that picture...sheesh!

There. Did that do it? If so...around the blogworld we go!