Flock of Phlox

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R E M E M B E R

LDH is doing quizzies again:


Congratulations! You are Lynette Scavo, the
ex-career woman who traded the boardroom for
boredom, mixed with moments of sheer panic as
the mother of four unmanageable kids.


Which Desperate Housewife are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

REMEMBERThem

And time
remembered is
grief forgotten.

It is impossible to worry while lying in a hammock.

Great fun to do the Monday Madness, especially when I don't have to hurry off to work!

This week I'm asking you to choose a letter of the alphabet. Now list the ten items below that begin with the letter you chose....

Okay, I pick G

1. a family member: Gary
2. a movie: Gone With The Wind
3. a game: Go
4. an automobile: General Motors Product
5. a fictional character: Gigi
6. a famous person: George Washington
7. a food: Grapes
8. a household item: Garbage Disposer
9. a book: Gilead, which I'm reading now and I can see what all the hype was about
10. a song: Go Tell it On the Mountain

Oh yeah. And oh yay! Just saw a sneak of Cinderella Man, the story of James J. Braddock. I was a little nervous about seeing another boxing movie after I got blind-sided by Million Dollar Baby, but Cinderella Man was perfection.

A Turkey Chasing Turkeys

Ahem. So how are YOU spending your weekend?

Yesterday I drove into the Arboretum, thinking I would just drive through and enjoy the woodland view. (The wild phlox are going nuts, making the place look like a fairyland.) As I came through the parking lot I noticed movement of something fairly large in the meadow area. Aha! The turkeys were taking a hike. So of course, this BIG turkey had to park, grab the camera, and do some turkey stalking. There were three of them out in the tall grass, moving west. The path headed west, and I was on the chase.

Turkeys really do trot! The lead one kept far ahead of me. He would break out onto the path, then swerve back into the tall grass. He'd fluffer his feathers at me, then bring them down before I could get a good shot. The second turkey would stay just off the path. The third was staying abreast of me, but sticking on a paralle course in the high grass. They were really cruising!

At one point, the two lead turkeys were on the path ahead of me. I thought I had them, but no! Off they went, into the underbrush near the meadows pond. (An observation about turkeys. The boys hang out together and the girls stay together. What's up with that?)

Anyway, the turkeys were easy to track as they scrambled through the shrubbery. It's apparent that turkeys don't tippy-toe. I could hear them and I could trace their passage by the leaves moving. As they approached a path I was ready. And gotcha!

I decided I had created enough havoc in the turkeys' lives, so I stopped pestering them and explored the pond area. I go to the arboretum frequently, but I usually hang out in the woods, not in the prairie meadow section. I had totally forgotten about this blind snuggled into the landscape.
Everything is SO green now in Michigan. It's been a cool spring, which is bad for air conditioning sales but seems wonderful for the flowers and trees. I stood for a few minutes just drinking in the pleasure of all that color.

As I turned to retrace my steps back to the car, I noticed a brown spot against all that green. It wasn't a tree brown, it was an animal brown. Yep, a deer was watching me. Maybe I'm anthropomorphizing here, but I've noticed a lot of curiousity in the deer. One day I watched a deer at a pond, following a duck around. The duck would stay just out of the deer's reach. (I don't think deer eat duck, do they?) Another time, a crow sat on a tree just above a deer, cawing away. The deer would look up, the crow would flutter to another branch, and the deer would follow.

And I swear, the deer stalk me. This one probably went back to the herd and said, "yep, that old lady with the camera was out again". Ah well.

It's time to Unconsciously Mutter:

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Crowd::Party
2. Hamburger::Cook-out
3. Choker::Necklace
4. Lights::Camera, Action
5. Tinsel::Christmas
6. Testament::New
7. Best part of the day::Any time I can be outside
8. Election::Results
9. Clarinet::Reed
10. Dead Sea::Scrolls

Narnia is coming.

On Memorial Day:

Gen. Logan's order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 "with the choicest flowers of springtime" urged: "We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic."

Good Saturday morning!

It's the start of the long Memorial Day weekend here in the States, and I am sooo ready for it. Actually, we started it yesterday at work. When our boss (and owner) leaves the day before Memorial Day we have a picnic at work for lunch. Now, he did show up yesterday for a few hours, dressed in walking shorts and tee, but he left at 11:00. Isn't he just the best? (He knows what we do when he's gone.) Al brought his gas grille, we cooked brats and dogs, and everyone brought a dish to pass. We started at 11:30, everyone grabbed plates, relaxed and chatted, and we were all back in the old harness at 12:30. What a perfect way to start the holidays off!

Sprung

Sprang

Okay, I've been tagged by Gail:

Total number of films I own on DVD/Video:

Busted! Five, and they are all videos. I was the last American hold-out on VCRs, purchasing mine just as they became extinct and DVD's took over the world.

You see, it's like this. I love my movies big. I want my heros 20 feet tall. I enjoy the chatter after an opening night. I'm a movie snob and idiot.

The last film I watched:

Monster-in-Law. Okay, so I'm not really a movie snob.

Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:

Two that I never tire of watching: Gone With The Wind and Dances with Wolves.

Three that mean a lot to me: Ordinary People, Field of Dreams, and A River Runs Through It. All three are about loss. I loved Ordinary People as a book -- no wait, it was a magazine condensation first in the old Redbook. Dang, I hated it when they stopped printing novella size stories. I was pleased as punch when my favorite actor at the time, Robert Redford, picked it up for his directorial debut. Field of Dreams is a perfect baseball movie. It came out in 1989, six months after my brother J.R. passed away. J.R. walked with crutches, but he loved the game of baseball with a passion, and at his funeral the comment was heard several times: "well, now he's running the bases". That's what Field of Dreams is about. A River Runs Through It rounds out the trio perfectly. The Montana and Brad Pitt scenery make up for any parts of the book that might be shortchanged.

And now I must tag 5 additional people to do this. So, tag, you're it: Sheryl, bryn, Cindy, mz, and Beverly!

Spring

L E V E L

Mandarin meg is therapizing and is getting bored. Send her a postcard! Address in the comments over at her place here.

Out There with Tom took an Amtrak trip. I LOVE train trips!

Swiped from Joni, who appears to still be in love. *smile*

01. reply with your name and I will write something I like about you.
02. I will then tell what song/movie/icon reminds me of you.
03. if I were to apply an o'clock to you, I'll tell you what it would be.
04. I will try to name a single word that best describes you.
05. I'll tell you the most memorable moment I've had with you.
06. I will tell you what animal you remind me of.
07. I'll then tell you something that I've always wondered about you.
08. put this in your journal.

A little Monday Madness to start the day:

The following all begin with 'In your lifetime, have you....'

1. ...ridden on a rollercoaster? yes
2. ...performed (in any area of the arts) onstage? Yes
3. ...planted a garden? yes
4. ...ever had to reformat your hard drive due to a virus/spyware? no
5. ...written a book? A poem? A song? Yes
6. ...sang karaoke? No
7. ...been interviewed by a local tv station/newspaper? No
8. ...witnessed a tornado/earthquake/hurricane first-hand? No
9. ...participated in a photo scavenger hunt? Yes
10. ...traveled to another country? Yes

Gobble Gobble

The trouble with great weather: people are noisier when they get back from the bars in the morning. Someone just shot off some fireworks! So I guess I'll Unconsciously Mutter:

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Heimlich::Manuever
2. Gesture::Finger
3. Party::Animal
4. Cuddle::Hug
5. Room with a view::Nice
6. Sebastian::Cabot
7. Ooooh::Lala
8. Sigh::Want
9. Two fish, three fish::fourfish?
10. Cake or death::Hit the google, I have no idea. Interesting!

Next Survivor is in Guatemala.

Well phooey. I downloaded Thursday's pics with no trouble, but today, I've got troubles. Sheesh. Getting used to new gadgets can be a hassle. And I had such a tale I was going to spin. Plus, it looks like blogrolling is hanging up my site. *sigh*

I can't believe it. I walked 71 blocks yesterday. Pictures and post will come later. Have to prep for visiting the East Lansing Art Festival now.

Snowballs in May

HAPPY FRIDAY!
The good news: I have the day off! The bad news: I have to take my car into the shop for a few repairs. The good news: Sam and Matt, my mechanics, are easy on the eyes. The good news: I just got a new digital camera (my old one came to life briefly and then died for good) and I had planned to break the new camera in today, so taking the car in will get me out of the house early and I can explore downtown. The good news: the rain from yesterday has ended.

All righty! Looks like the good news outweighs the bad. Happy Friday!

All collage enthusiasts, check out Soul of Hope.

Link via Ilana, thanks!

Is anyone familiar with neuro-linguistic programming?

Me too, Gail.


Captain James T. Kirk- You are the paradigm of the
Starfleet Captain. You explore the universe.
You save lives. What's a few small fractures
of protocol when you've saved the galaxy more
times than you can count. Hell, you even
brought peace between the Federations and the
Klingons.


Which Star Trek Captain are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

And, in keeping with Gail's post, here are some quotes from my favorite, Dr. McCoy.

Bones: It is a human characteristic to love small furry animals.
Spock: Doctor, I'm well acquainted with human characteristics. I'm frequently inundated by them, but I've trained myself to put up with practically everything.

McCoy: I'm not a magician, Spock; just an old country doctor.
Spock: Yes. As I always suspected.

Spock: Random chance seems to have operated in our favor.
McCoy: In plain non-Vulcan English, we've been lucky.
Spock: I believe I have said that, doctor.

McCoy: Medical men are trained in logic.
Spock: Trained? Judging from you, I would have guessed it was trial and error.

McCoy: Spock, I don't agree with you at all.
Spock: That's not unusual, Doctor.

Fancy Cover

Blast from the Past!

Cybertoad just realized she has a Y2K bug!

Mandarin meg Needs Postcards!

Mandarin meg is therapizing and is getting bored. Send her a postcard! Address in the comments over at her place here.

O R D E R

A Pet Peeve

I'm currently reading the book Good Grief by Lolly Winston. It's the fictional story of Sophie, a 38-year-old widow of seven months. It's a funny look at grief (and laughing and crying are so close together in life and death) and I'm enjoying it immensely, except for

there are just too many dadgum metaphors and similes!

One on every page, or at least it seems that way, drives me nuts. It breaks the flow of reading. I think there should be a rule.

Do you have any reading peeves?

Sometimes it seems as if everyone is so fragile; porcelain china people who can break and crack at the slightest change in pressure.

Oh yay! Sheryl has more bird pictures up!

And now, a little Monday Madness:

Here's the deal; each of the following questions begin with:

How much do you think is the most you would pay for...

1. ...a loaf of bread? $2.98
2. ...a gallon of gas? oh geez. The way prices are going, I have no idea.
3. ...a pair of jeans? $29.95
4. ...a computer? $800.00
5. ...a camera? $800.00
6. ...a pair of shoes? $49.95
7. ...a television? $99.95
8. ...a recliner chair? Ya know, I don't own one, never have. I yam clueless.
9. ...a month of 'lightening speed' internet service? $29.99
10. ...a cell phone? $99.99

Things that make me feel good:

Unstopping a toilet.
Opening a tough jar of pickles.

Well, what did you expect? It's Monday.

Oh goodness, the Survivor finale is on in thirty minutes. I'm thinking Tom may be the Sole Survivor. You?

An interesting little quizzie, swiped from LDH:

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance.

In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

I went to a marketing training class last week. Here's a quick question:

What is the maximum number of words that should appear on a billboard ad?

Find out what your name means here.

Sunday Morning's Unconscious Mutterings:


I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Grandma::Bea, Love, Stability
2. Pet::Ziggy
3. Desolate::North Dakota
4. Backspace::Erase, Do over
5. Common ground::A music festival in the summer
6. Storm::Lightning
7. Dark::Night
8. Water bottle::Training
9. Training::Toilet
10. dot coms:iffy

Michigan Week starts on the 21st of May, but the big Michigan Day Parade in town is this weekend, so as not to interfere with the East Lansing Art Show next weekend. The bad news is, it looks like rain.

Guess I'll start some laundry and then see which way the wind is blowing.

Anne at Fishbucket always has a wealth of links. So many to choose from, but today I picked this one.

The 200th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark expedition is in progress. At this time they would be in Montana. We can follow their journey here, at Lewis & Clark, and what else happened. Great information. (When I was young I confused Lewis & Clark with Martin & Lewis. I was hopeless.)

Once-upon-a-time child actress Quinn Cummings blogs here.

Great Lakes State

"Still swiping from Mandarindesign.com" ...

Montana may be heaven. Michigan is better. It's home.

Big Sable Lighthouse

*tap tap tap*

Is this thing on?

I'm back.

Unconscious Mutterings!

(Almost forgot until I visited susan. Eek!)

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Android::Star Wars
2. Revenge::of the Nerds
3. Knight::Gallant
4. Stranded::Out of Gas
5. Weakness::Strength
6. Greed::Evil
7. Walter::Cronkite
8. Dense::Think
9. Sheep::Baa-baa black Sheep
10. Propane::Camping

This is Glory Bear.

Glory went to Montana with me a couple of years ago. She is about to become very well-traveled. Friday she travels with my friends Deb and Joe to San Francisco/Seattle/an Alaskan Cruise/Vancouver. She'll return from that trip just in time to catch a flight with Deb's friend Joy to England.

I am so jealous of Glory Bear!

A reprise from last year.

Tagged by Jennifer:

What follows is a list of different occupations. You must select at least five of them. You may add more if you like to your list before you pass it on (after you select five of the items as it was passed to you). Of the five you selected, you are to finish each phrase with what you would do as a member of that profession. Then pass it on to three other bloggers.

If I could be a scientist...I would find a cure for stupidity.
If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician...
If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary...
If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian...I would work at the Michigan State Library
If I could be an athlete...
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper...I would own an inn on Lake Michigan and give free stays to anyone on my bloglist.
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer... I would write a novel a year.
If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider...
If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a midget stripper...
If I could be a proctologist...
If I could be a TV-Chat Show host...
If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge...
If I could be a Jedi...
If I could be a mob boss...
If I could be a backup singer...
If I could be a CEO...
If I could be a movie reviewer....
If I could be a monkeys uncle...
If I could be a CSI...
If I could be a computer nerd...
If I could be a Kindergarten teacher...I would let everyone color outside the lines

And I guess I'll tag . . . . . anyone who would like to be tagged. *grin*

Happy Friday!

This week has been extra busy . . . will try to get a longer post in on Sunday.

Cyber-bro Jeeem has blogged again from Thailand.

I love trains. Great shot, John.

Oh boy! It's 05/05/05.

It is my firm belief that Heaven must look like Michigan in May.

Good Tuesday morning!

My digital camera is on the fritz (temporarily) so I've been cleaning files. Thanks for bearing with me on the 9-patches.

Cassie-B has the May holidays posted. Today is Lumpy Rug Day. Looks like National Scrapbooking Day is missing from the list. That's on Saturday, and I'm heading to an all-day scrap with a friend.

Gates Teaming With Ford to Make Accident-Avoiding Cars

Scares me.

Sunday's Unconscious Mutterings:

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Texas::Roscoe
2. Scholarship::Funds
3. Runner-up::Miss America
4. Mustang Sally::???
5. Jones::Bridget
6. Hard to get::Unobtainable
7. Jewish::synagogue
8. Crew::Neck
9. Cable::Release
10. Assistant:that would be me me me!