I Hope, Dixie Chicks

(I hope) For more love, more joy, and laughter
(I hope) We'll have more than we'll ever need
(I hope) We'll have more happy ever afters
(I hope) We can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery

Vote

*snort*

see more pwn and owned pictures

Those Were the Days

I was just thinking the other day that because my life has changed so much that I don't find money anymore. I used to live in the city and would find spare change everywhere; the drive-up, outside the bar, in the parking lot. Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck. Give it to a special friend, and your luck will never end. One time I found a ten dollar bill while walking barefoot in front of a flea market booth. I felt something smooth under the dirt of the parking lot we were set up in, bent over and found cash. One time a friend of mine found a five in the pocket of some jeans she was trying on at a used clothing store. She proceeded to check every jean on the rack but found nothing more. I just stood and watched her. I was trying on leather jackets. While I was laughing at her I stuck my hand in the pockets of the jacket I had on and pulled out a twenty. Man, was she jealous. I used to go to a lot of concerts and the parking lot was always a good source for ground scores, including money. When I was desparate I could go through all my coat pockets in my closet and probably come up with enough for a six-pack. I used to do the same thing looking for weed I forgot about. Not only do I not find myself in those situations anymore but times have been so hard there is no spare money. We count our pennies and use them as needed. We long since used everything in the spare change jar and the kids' piggy banks have IOUs in them. I fantasize about finding a tight roll of 100s on the path by the river. I'd turn them in and no one would claim them. After 30 days they'd be mine. I always keep my eyes peeled even though I know my chances are much slimmer now. Slimmer because I don't find myself at concerts very often and slimmer because people are more careful with their money, that is, the people in my quiet community are more careful with their money. I know I am more careful than I used to be. Maybe if I hung out on campus I'd find more? Even my seldom trips to the mall yield nothing. So it was extra special this morning when I put on my coat to go outside and found a ten dollar bill in the pocket. I hadn't worn the jacket since, oh, April. What a cool surprise. Ironic even, since I had just been lamenting the old days of finding money. That said, I sure miss the days when you could wake up in the morning and find a brand new hybrid in your driveway with your name on the title.

Shades of Orange

Orange is rapidly becoming my favorite color. I don't think it's because fall is setting in and I don't think it's because of all the pumpkins. I have always looked to colors to help make me happy. Now I am realizing that orange doesn't necessarily make me happy but it makes me feel... warm. I feel warm, like fire, and peaceful and comfortable. I can almost smell the color orange and it doesn't smell like oranges. It sort of smells like compost but more like cupcakes. Here are some images in orange I thought I'd share. How do they make you feel?

Circleville (OH) Pumpkin Show

Circleville Pumpkin Show



A very good friend of mine lives just down the road from here. I am going to visit her at this time of year so we can go to the show. I personally can't wait!

Hillary Clinton said...

"Anyone who believes that the Republicans, whoever they are, can fix the mess they've created, probably believes that the iceberg could have saved the Titanic."

Pumpkins!

Or as Willon would say, "baby pumkeens!".

Rhetta did an awesome job on her own again this year. I adore the pumpkin she picked out and she did so well carving it herself. It was a one-on-one project with Daddy. They played some jack-o-lantern games online. They practiced drawing different face ideas on paper. Then they carved the pumpkin. (I did the one with the spider web.)

Books

Books we have! Billions of books. They LOVE books, thank goodness.

Rhetta reads all kinds of books. She enjoys all the Caldecot Award ones from the library and the classics that survived my childhood literally and figuratively. She's even starting to read some science-type stuff.

Willon asks us to read to him all the time. I think it's fantastic and I am so proud my kids love books. The ones he wants however are always Cars (Li' Tween, Yah-yee, Doc and May-moo), Thomas (Boo train), Elmo (Mahmo) and, hmm, nope, that's all. Just those three. He has them memorized - like 10 books.

One book remains a favorite with both my kids, though. I Like it When... by Mary Murphy. I have had to repair that book so many times it is indestructable now. They love it and it's our No. 1 bedtime book. Rob and I happen to love it, too.

A Day I want to Savor

"For a single day everything turned in perfect synchronicity, and for the first time since I could remember I felt a kind of tranquility, a peace with myself and with the world, a feeling that, if I chose, I could make this perfect day last forever."

~ Johanne Harris, Five Quarters of an Orange

Kitten!

Our neighbor has new kittens. I borrowed one for a short time last night. Rhetta is quite afraid of anything furry besides her dad. She was coaxed into touching it's fur a couple of times. Willon was really into the little thing (which was scared to death, BTW) and was a little too rough. He was not happy when the kitten had to be taken home.