Taking the office out in to the WAY TOO OPEN

I decided I might as well continue the work theme with another observation I have made lately.

First there were pagers and people would have themselves beeped just so they would seem important

Then there were cell phones and people would talk on them even if there was no one on the other end just so they felt important

Then there were those tiny hands free ear pieces that started to blur the line between crazy people and someone talking on the phone.

And now there is Bluetooth. And it seems to be primarily men that feel a need to hold meetings all by themselves in VERY public places. Apparently no longer having a chord between your phone and ear piece is some sort of liberating experience. So much so that they feel the urge to pace around, hand motions all over the place. And using a vocal volume somewhere between screaming and rock concert screaming. I know they do it for show. I know they think it makes them big and important. They sure as heck let everyone know what color they bleed. And damned if I don’t feel the strongest urge to walk over, grab that damn ear piece off their head and grind it underneath my beautiful sexy blue Nine West heals.


***Addendum to yesterday's discussion about bleeding the company colors:
I was reminded during a conversation today with Nettie that there is a third sub-category for those people that bleed company colors. And that would be the people that don't think they bleed company colors but in reality do so.

Bleeding other colors

I’ve noticed there are two types of employees, those that bleed company colors and those that don’t. Each of these fall into two sub categories. If you bleed company colors you either do it at the cost of any life outside of work, or you bleed the company colors on the outside of your body. Bleeding on the outside is also known as the pathetic brown noser.
For those that don’t bleed company colors the two sub types are those that are just bitter and hate their job and those that have their priorities elsewhere.

We all work with people that fall into each category. And in terms of relating to one’s co-workers I find I relate best with those in my sub-category. I find some of the other’s either annoying or infuriating.

I was invited to a lunch and learn that focused around balancing home and work. When I declined the offer I actually got some pretty snotty responses.

I decided that they are simply jealous of those of us that still bleed good old blood.

Now, just because I have chosen to not devote my soul to the company store it doesn’t mean that I am not happy in the workplace. I still love what I do and do my job to the best of my abilities. I have just decided that it doesn’t need to be my life. And I find that I don’t’ always respect or admire those that do give up everything else.

Life is too short to worry so much about work. Yes, it gives us the money to live our lives. But what kind of life is it if we give everything we have to work?

I know there are some careers that people choose because it is what they want to do with their lives. Their careers are their lives. But those are the doctors, the scientists, the artists that leave a legacy behind.

But come on, if you sell furniture for a living, or you work for a company that makes cars. Is what you do REALLY that important? SO important that you forget your family, your children, your dog?

Please don’t misunderstand me, I sell chemicals for a living. No one died because a box of soap didn’t reach its destination. SO I am not belittling ANY career choices. I’m pretty much just rambling senselessly.

We have had a few people die at work here over the past couple of years and I find it interesting that the person is remembered for what they sold, the accounts they brought to the company etc. But no where in the often full page layout does it mention what kind of person they were. How many kids they had, the wife or husband left behind. The hobbies, the pets.

And I find that a little sad.

I don’t want my tombstone to read: “She sold a lot of soap.”

I prefer “She lived life to the fullest.” “She danced” “Loving mother of 4 dogs and 4 cats.” “Cherished wife” “The world will be a darker place”

Something, anything, that showed that I LIVED.

Photos, Photos, and more....

I wanted to post some yard pictures and a tiny kitchen project to show you what I did over the weekend. But below the pictures is the last dog post - about Lily. Just in case you didn't see it yet. There is one post for each dog. Lily, Caleb, Sophie, and Max.

This is the rock garden, with a new pot of Daisies (I painted the pot) and then of course a few more flamingos in honor of Dad coming to visit soon

Gerber Daisies that I planted in containers that are at the front of our sidewalk
Gerber Daisy with dew drops in the center

This is a view of what has become our day lily garden. We bought to beautiful hanging plant arrangements over the weekend.

This is a plant growing in the rock garden. It has two different colors of daisy, pink and purple.

I also made a "fairy garden"

Bunnies live in fairy gardens
As do fairies


Close-up of a clematis
The clematis vine that is on our copper arbor
Daisies in my yard
Dew Drop on a hosta

And over the weekend I got ambitious and decided to add a little Daisy flair to the kitchen

The hubster liked it so much that he wants to get more rolls of the border so that when we actually remodel the kitchen we will have it to use again.

And Last but not Least: Lily

I first noticed Lily on Petfinder during the winter of 2005. She was listed as a very frightened dog that must go into a home with only a female or at least a home with a female. Because I had to travel for work and would be gone for more than two weeks we decided to wait to adopt her. If she was still there when I got home we would go meet her. But we didn't think it was fair for her to come live with us only to have me leave soon after. Especially if she was terrified of men. So off I went to California. While on business I took some extra time off to be with my family. And I told everyone about Lily. My Aunt was in love with her. She thought she was just the cutest thing.


When I got back home I found out she had been adopted. I was sad but that just meant it wasn't meant to be. I told my Aunt that she was gone and my Aunt said that maybe she will be like Sophie and get returned. Of course browsing Petfinder is one of my favorite things so I would look every once in a while and part of me would wish to see her posted again. And every time I talked to my Aunt she would ask me if "That cute little girl puppy" ever showed up for adoption.


Well, one afternoon while looking at Petfinder there she was. As it turned out she escaped from her new mom the second day she had her. And disapeared into the woods of rural Wisconsin. They managed to spot her several weeks later, she was living in the wild with a pack of feral cats. So they convinced a farming family to try to live trap her. And they did. They said it took a big piece of roast to fianally catch her. Her new mom didn't want her back so Lily went back into the system. Only in the course of rahabilitating her she had bonded with another dog and became a pair adoption in the hopes that maybe with the two of them so close they woudn't run away without the other one. Well, we were willing to adopt one more dog but not two. So I just watched their posting and hoped that someone would adopt them. I told my Aunt about it but she agreed that two more dogs were a lot to take on. But they stayed available for adoption. Month after month. And then we saw a dog we really liked, another Sheltie mix like Sophie so we went to meet her. And she was a wonderful dog. And anyone would be happy to have her in their home. But I couldn't help feeling like the "right" dog was still out there and I knew who that was. So I called about Lily and Caleb. And talking to the foster mom, she told me that no one had called about them. And they were actually going to pull their profile for a while. So we went to meet them and the rest is history.


I even took Lily out to California with me to meet my Aunt. Who was thrilled to get to meet her. Just like me, my aunt had fallen in love with her. And she was so happy to have her at the house. And Lily was a little angel the whole time.
Lily is feisty, playful, and high spirited. One of the things that makes us laugh at her is that she snores. And her favorite places in the world to sleep are under the ottoman, and in the cat house. She has been a handful, as has Caleb, but we don't regret the decision.


Everyone wants to leave their mark on this world. Most do it by providing the world with the next generation. Some contribute great advances in Science. Some in literature, music, or art. Me, my mark is that I helped to make animals happy. And give them a safe and loving home. And that for me is very fulfilling. I don't think I will die wishing I had done more. Contributed more. Because I can proudly say that we adopted 8 animals (and I'm sure more to come over the years) that lived a happy life they may not have had if it wasn't' for us.

Princess Sophie

Now that you met the boys, let me tell you about our girls.

"Leah" was rescued from a puppy mill when she was about a year and a half. She was kept in a box and had no human contact. She had been adopted to a family but returned 6 months later because she woudn't "warm up" to the family. So the shelter wanted to adopt her into a home that already had a well adjusted dog hoping that maybe another dog would help her to learn what being a puppy really meant.

When we went to meet her she had a leash attached to her because it was the only way to get her out from under furniture where she hid all day. While Max played with "Leah's" foster dad the hubster and I sat with her. She sat between us shaking violently. I looked up at the hubster and I could tell that she was going to come home with us. We talked to her foster parents and officially adopted her. They would keep her till the end of the week. And then the hubster and I planned to take a day off each after the weekend so she would have someone in the house for the first four days in her new home.

When we went to get her that Friday evening the foster mom told us it was a good thing we were picking her up. Her husband was in love with "Leah". And had she stayed one more day she's not sure he could have let her go.

So we took her home and "Leah" became Sophie.

The hubster and I were prepared for a long term rehabilitation of this freightened little dog. But to our surprise she quickly became a little spit fire. Brave, social, and happy.

She went from 17 to 24 pounds, her baby fine coat filled in and became full and fluffy. Her hair even crimped in placed when it got wet. She got so much fur the hubster and I no longer worried about her during winter. We thought for sure she would need a coat and boots in order to go out in the Minnesota winter. But a little love and a little nutrition went a long way for her.

Sophie and Socrates fell in love and have been inseparable ever since.

I think the hubster and I have fallen a little in love with her ourselves.

On Max

Max and I found each other back in 1997. He is 11 years old now. But looks exactly the same as the day he came home with me. I was going through a very hard time in my life and had just moved into a house with a very good friend. I had talked about getting a dog, a Corgi to be exact, but my friends all tried to convince me to get a pound puppy. They also made me promise not to go alone to the pound since they knew I would end up bringing the entire pound home with me. But one afternoon on my way into work I thought I'd stop in at the local shelter. And as I walked down the isle looking in each cage I just didn't see the right dog. All of them were barking non-stop. Except one little guy who was happily playing with a tug toy. All the other dogs in his kennel were jumping all over the place and barking at me, but not Max. He didn't even turn to look at me. I checked his tag and they said he was a Corgi mix. And that was it, he had to be mine.

I asked an employee about him and all she said was that he was mean. And would probably be destroyed. He still had to have all his temperament tests. And even if he passed those (which she doubted) then he would have to be fixed so the soonest I could have him would be the following Tuesday.

I told her that he was mine and I was going to adopt him.

"We'll see" was all she said to me.

The very next day the shelter called me and told me I had 24 hours to come pick him up or they would take him off reserve. I asked them why the sudden change from a wait of more than a week "IF and only IF you didn't destroy him."

"Oh," she said to me "He's a very sweet dog, passed his tests with flying colors and he's already fixed. So do you want him???"

Of course I had just gotten to work and was working during shelter hours for the next two days. But my staff simply handed me my purse and told me to go get my dog. So I told her I would be right over. I stopped at Walmart on my way and picked up a leash and collar for him (I had planned to do my dog supply shopping over the weekend) and then went and got my buddy. I brought him into work for everyone to see.

And we have been inseparable ever since. He moved to Minnesota with me riding in the car we had hitched to the moving van. And he took to the snow like, well, like the bred for cold weather dog that he is. He LOVES snow.

A few years ago while walking around the park a woman stopped me and informed me that Max was a very rare breed called a Swedish Vallhund. It was a very odd encounter and I just went about our walk. When I got home I told the hubster about it and he looked it up on line. And then I hear "Uh, honey, you need to come look at this."

Well, I'll be damned but that is what Max is. He isn't a corgi mix, he's a rare breed. And ironically probably the ancestor of the corgi. A viking dog that rode the ships with the great warriors. A dog noble enough for Valhalla.

And that is what my little man is. He is noble.

But he did fool me, he barks A LOT! Too much some days.

He is a herding dog. And he sure herds his brothers and sisters. He is also excellent at agility. We even took agility for fun last year and he was a natural.

He is also a dog that attracts strangers. A dog that every man seems to adore. A dog that had an entire club of big burly tattoo covered Harley guys rolling around in the grass in play with him. Honest, I wish I had pictures. It was a slightly unnerving gathering of some tough looking guys. But dang if they didn't get all mushy and cutsie over Max.

And when we take him to the Renaissance Festival we get a line of people waiting to pet him. I'm not kidding, an actual line forms of people waiting to pet our dog.

So there you have it, my Max, my friend, my little bubba.

Color me scarlet -

I'm embarrassed but I was told I HAD to share.
Watch the video.

http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S92333.shtml?cat=1

If nothing else, you get to see my pretty garden :-)

On Caleb

Ok, so you are probably sick to death of all the dog talk but I have to tell you that though progress is slow with him, Caleb is just a sheer joy. I watch his progress and the little victories we have with him and I just get this incredible sense of peace.

The hubster and I both go to such great lengths to make him feel safe and loved. And we grin from ear to ear when we charges at us for love. When the nose nudging my hand turns out to be his.

We have so much yet to overcome but we have come so far. When he sees us his tail wags so fast it looks like he might take flight. When he's really excited he wags it in a circle. And he kicks out with his front paws to get our attention and our love.

We can look him in the eye now and there is no fear, no cowering. He'll hold eye contact and his tail will wag.

And he's so cute that words sometimes escape me.

Caleb was the little dog that was the "extra". He was part of a package deal. How could I have ever guessed that he would so deeply and completely own my heart.

Why Newt is odd

Late Saturday night I was a little hungry so I toasted a piece of garlic roasted french bread and covered it with peanut butter. The hubster was grossed out, but onion or garlic flavored bread and peanut butter to me is yummy!
**
This morning while going about my morning routine I realized I was quite a fashion "mistake"
I had on:

An overly long gray thermal shirt from the victoria's secret pink collection that says "NO PEEKING" across the chest. The line is geared more toward teens and early twenties but the shirt is comfortable as hell and I love it.

Then on top of that I wore an elegant floral robe from Crabtree and Evelyn

And on my feet leopard print slippers with sassy fur on the edge.

I can't begin to tell you what "look" that was. Aside from comfy.
**
Yesterday it was so cold here in Minnesota the heater kicked on. What's up with that????

**
And finally, something you can all probably relate to: My favorite thing to do is turn off the alarm on Friday - I get such satisfaction from pushing the alarm OFF button.

And my least favorite thing? Yep, on Sunday night when I have to turn it back on. Sigh.........

Newt's weekend reflection

Some quick and dirty thoughts from this weekend:

My friend's son graduated and she threw him a party this weekend. It was a perfect afternoon, the sun was out, there was a breeze, good food, family and friends, lots of love. Even the ex's and steps got along just for this special occasion.

While I was there their little dog Dodger fell asleep in my arms. I just sat quietly watching everyone and enjoying having the little guy cuddle with me. My friend's sister Girl C who I have come to simply adore said something so true. She said for most women it's babies, but for you, it's a dog. And well, yes, that is me in a nutshell.

I also stepped out of my usual box at this party. I wore a denim skirt that shows off ALL the junk in my trunk. And there is a ton of it. But Girl C is always saying how she wishes she had junk in the trunk like me. So I guess it isn't all such a bad thing to have some booty. I also went sleeveless which I usually don't do. For whatever reason I aways feel too naked. But I did it and to hell with what anyone thought. Maybe they all were thinking, "Damn, thats a big booty" but I think I have hit an age where it really doesn't matter anymore. And I realized that even when I dropped to a size 4 after the emotional stress of my divorce I still had a whole lotta booty. So, booty is going to be part of my life no matter how slim or chubby I get. You really wanted to know that didn't you????

I also was reminded that my husband is a generous and thoughtful man. Despite all his self-proclaimed pride at being a cheap bastard. I asked him for some cash for the card and he gave me a lot more than I expected.

Newt: "Hubster, do you have some cash for his card?"
Hubster: "Sure do, here, give him this."
Newt: Looks at hubster a little strangely.
Hubster: "He's a good kid right?"
Newt: "Yeah, he's the best."
Hubster: "Well then, I wish it could be more."

See, you don't expect that from someone who just joined Costco because of the cheap gas. And who figured out to the penny the comparison of buying membership vs. paying higher gas prices at other stations and how soon it would pay off if ever.

And finally, I just wanted to say that as I was driving home from Nettie's I realized something a little strange yet a little wondrous. In a few months I think that I will have actually been living in Minnesota longer than in any other place in my life. This nomad has found some roots. And she is very happy about the place that she has settled down in. I've called several places home but none of them have felt as right as where I am now, with Hubster.

So thank you to:
Hubster
The dogs and kitties
Boy J
Boy S
Hubster's family
Girl J
Other Girl J
Girl C
Sarah
and everyone else that has made Minnesota home.

Lucky Number

13

Or at least I hope it is.

I moved there this morning

Just after I got a hot cup of coffee from Caribou

And a scone

The three people standing in my cube let me know that Friday's were not for fun

They were for work

The moving kind

So in other words, I should leave my sneakers on eh?

Keep the sexy black heals in the bag?

And where am I moving too?

We dont' know

So, basically just pack my shit and go sit in the corner

Exactly..............................

Riding with a long distance friend, books, and a tribute to my friend - a hero.

This morning I drove into work because I had to be at our R&D facility for the day. I popped in my favorite cd in the whole wide world. It’s called Ear Candy and it is a mix that was made by a friend. And even though we have never met it was as if she was sitting in the car with me singing along. We live 2,000 miles apart but for 15 minutes I felt closer to her than ever. What a fabulous way to start out the day.

I am 5 pages away from finishing Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. And I’m very sad that it is coming to an end. My dad warned me I would be. In fact he put the book down and avoided reading the last few pages for several days. This has been a marvelous adventure. One of those epic novels that you don’t just enjoy reading but you fall into. The sights, the smells, and the friends you meet along the way. I can’t say enough about this story. It’s simply a wonderful read. Don’t let the daunting size fool you. At almost a thousand pages it would seem like you would be reading forever. Unfortunately that is not the case. It ends. Despite the fact that you don’t want it to. Honestly, this is going down on my list of favorites.

After finishing the book my dad was trying to figure out what to read. I’m sure if you read a lot you know the feeling. Coming down off such a literary high you want that feeling again. You don’t want to just read a book. You want to fall into a book again. So the book his coffee shop buddies told him to read was Lonesome Dove. I told him that it was on my all time favorites list as well. He called last night to tell me he was only on page 24 but was in love with the story already. Yippee!

In other thoughts:

Over the weekend we had dinner with a group of people. One of the couples we were with have been married some 20 years. I have never been able to figure out how strong their marriage is or if they are even in love because they are not a touchy couple in any way shape or form. No signs of affection what so ever. Not even “honey” or a smile or a kiss on the cheek. Nothing. So I have always wondered………….But while having dinner she choked on a piece of chicken. So seriously that her husband had to do the Heimlich maneuver on her several times to get it out of her throat. In that moment when he had her in his arms trying desperately to help her I saw so much love and tenderness it stopped me breathless. I can’t even begin to describe to you the emotions that crossed his face. The funny thing is when all was said and done and she was settling down he moved away from her and they went back to their separate “bubbles”. He didn’t check on her further, rub her back, or anything. He separated from her completely and they returned to their usual distance. I guess I am sharing this with you because I have a passion for observing people and trying to figure out what makes them tick. I guess I should have thought about that when I picked a major in college eh?

And lastly:

A very very very good friend of ours is a police officer. He was involved in a bank robbery in which the robber was shot and killed. Thankfully the officers were ok. This situation could have gone a million different directions but in this case it worked out for the best. I want to say that I am very thankful that my friend is out there doing the job he is doing. He’s very intelligent and level headed. And he is exactly what a police officer should be. Everyday we are faced with the travesty of loosing our soldiers in Iraq because of Bush’s little war to make his friends rich. And maybe because I get so angry when I hear about another senseless death I forget that there are other American’s putting their life on the line for us every day in every town in this country. So I want to say thank you to all the men and women that have chosen to serve and protect us. Thank You to Officer S of the West St. Paul Police. Thank You to all the police officers in the country. And thank you to all the fire fighters in this country. You put your life on the line for us every day.
THANK YOU!

A ton of fun and a ton of rocks

The hubster and I had a very fun weekend. Saturday we met up with Ellie and Girl L at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for their annual plant sale. We bought a lot of plants. After emptying our wallets the girls headed off to other nurseries in the cities, but the hubster and I walked around the arboretum gardens. It was a lot of fun. Good couple time. And simply a beautiful place to be. Then Saturday night we went to Gertens to buy rock. We have an area of our gardens that has become infested with grass. And the roots snake all throughout our ground cover so we had to do something. We decided to make a big rock garden. Remove all plants, replant where possible in other areas, cover the area with landscape fabric and then put in a big pile of rocks. The first trip to Gertens was .63 tons of rock. A lot of rock. But after we cleared the area we had a bigger space then we thought. So the hubster went off Sunday morning to get more. And he got another .37 tons of rock. So basically we got exactly a ton. And I think it looks pretty darn fabulous if I say so myself. :-) Here is the before picture. See below for the link to the during and after pictures.Go HERE to see all our pictures from the weekend.

Friday Fluff

First up: The Cookie Dance



Followed by: Puppies Galore



And then Pictures of the yard: Sorry about all the Tulip and Daff pictures but it's all we have right now. And since they are brand new to my yard I'm a little overly enthusiastic!

*Blushing Newt*

My blog world “Mom” Betty nominated me for a thinking blogger award. Awww shucks, blush.

I decided to call her that for a few reasons:

~Her blog makes me laugh
~And she always manages to make me think about something wonderful from my past that I had forgotten about. I am not sure why that is but often during one of her stories I catch my self going “Oh, I totally forgot about the time when…………..”
~She has marvelous children
~And I would have loved to have had them for siblings.

So it just seems natural for her to become “Mom”

AND

My friend Gray Mama nominated me. Awwwwwww.

Gray Mama is a wonderful and incredibly thoughtful and generous person. And she has the darn cutest little guy in the world whose exploits always make me smile!

So to pass on the tradition I want to nominate the following:

J-Funk
She’s a genius and she has a fun blog to read.
Always something different to talk about. I love to stop by just to see what is up.

Trish

She was one of the first blogs I ever read.
I just love everything about her.
And you never know what to expect from her next post.

Mike

He’s cynical, he’s funny, and he knits!
And he’s my other soul mate.

Michelle

She’s wonderful, funny, and totally entertaining. She's found the man of her dreams and they have a most wonderous love affair. And I get a kick out of her work exploits. And one of these days I'm going to get out her way and visit her. Or stalk her perhaps since she doesn't know that is my plan.

Tink
Yep, she was nominated already, but I want to give a nod to her story writing side.
Twisted Tink (currently under re-writes) has been entertaining me for a long time.
A cup of coffee and a new chapter are the highlight of my day.

Here are the rules, in case you wand to give this award to your favorites.

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

Random Newtness

Perfect housewife? Yeah, that I am NOT
I prefer a good book to a dust buster
Or a cuddle with the Caleb
Or a frolic in the back yard
Or a frolic in bed
Or weed pulling for that matter

An English accent - yeah, I'm a total sucker for one

I'm reading the very large The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
It's wonderful. I want to take a vacation from life so I can read it undisturbed for hours

When Lily is curled up on her chair or actually anywhere if you look at her she wags her tail, even if it's tucked under her you can see little bits of fur waving. It's the greatest sight in the world.

My yard is exploding with plant life - and not all of them are weeds. It's wonderful

I went and had Noodles and Co. with Girl J today - she makes the work day fun.

I mowed the lawn tonight. We have a push mower. It's a bit of a workout. It felt really good. Grass between my toes. My muscles working. The dogs were playing. The air was warm. And the air smelled like Lilacs and fresh cut grass. It was almost orgasmic

A woman got up out of her seat on the bus to let the person next to her off for their stop. As she did so the bus jerked to a stop and she fell backwards. I put out my arm and steadied her so she could regain her balance. She thanked me. I really didn't think anything of it, and went back to reading my book. But when she got off she turned to me again and said thank you so much. Sometimes we forget that the simplest things might mean the world to someone. Even if it's as simple as helping them get their balance.

I'm finding something out about the world around me by riding the bus. I'm not quite sure what it is but I feel like I'm learning things. Maybe I'm learning to be kinder, more thoughtful, or maybe more thankful. I don't know. But it's changing my perspectives a little.

Right now as I type this Lily and Caleb are playing with toys. Tug, steal the toy, chase, it's pretty funny. I wish you were here to watch it with me. You'd be laughing too.

Sophie and Socs are sitting on the back of the couch watching out the front window. Well, Socs is watching out the front window, Sophie is watching the dogs playing. She's so cute sitting up there.

Yep, you really should be here hanging out with me. You'd get a kick out of the craziness in my world. Of course, you'd also see for yourself what a horrible housekeeper I am

And you might run away afraid....................

I've had strange and realistic dreams the last few nights. I wake up exhausted. As if I never slept but lived a different life.

Of course none of those dreams involved Gerard Butler, a beach, and...............

Those types of dreams I wouldn't complain about no matter how tired I still felt in the morning

Hugs to all

Photo Monday

Pretty spring flowers in my yard.

And, some video amusement for you:

Lil Ol Lady with moxie

Her Majesty came to the states and I just have to say, she is adorable. And even me the ungirly girl gets all giddy and blushing at the thought of a real queen in our country. It's so traditional, so Renaissance, so princess and the pea. Just so cool. With a dignity and charm no American has EVER been able to achieve. Sure they have their ghosts to hide, their eccentricities, their politics. But the bottom line is they have something we will never have. And I'm not sure we could ever have it. The American spirit has never focused on tradition and dignity. We have focused on taming the wild and doing the impossible. And that's great, don't get me wrong. But I don't think we can ever be what I would call dignified.

We are too obsessed with being on whatever bandwagon happens to currently stand in the 15 minute spot light.

I once read that Paris Hilton thought she was the closest thing we have in this country to royalty. Oh yeah, I SO want that to represent the best we can do for royalty.

I can't even think of one person that I would classify as being close. Can you?

My goal as I grow older:

Have a style all my own

Not blend

Leave people a little confused

But also delighted

Not be crabby

But be eccentric

Have a little dog with a bow in her hair

And a purse with a big flower on it

And maybe a matching hat

And great shoes

I want people to wish I was their grandma

And the guy at the local market to know my name

And when I die

For people to say that I enjoyed life

And surely seemed to get a kick out of everything

Here's to you Queen Elizabeth. You adorably royally you..............

Art mirrors reality

Does anyone else out there relate their world and the people they meet in it to characters from the Simpsons?

Just curious.

If I said that I found it sweet to watch a “Cletus” walk his “Brandine” to the bus stop and give her a kiss good-bye could you totally picture the scene?

Or the Marge that rides the bus with me only she has raven black hair that tumbles down her back in soft curls could you picture her too?

I’m just say’n………………………….

Girl J gives good gift

Yesterday Girl J surprised me with this: she saw it at a thrift store and HAD to get it for me. It's the vinyl version (complete with protective paper sleeve) of the album my Dad raised me on at Christmas time. How sweet is that????? Of course I had to call dad and tell him. And he thought that was the COOLEST thing.

And then, THEN the girl comes up to my desk today to tell me that she was at the post office and stopped at this really cute gift shop. And in the window she saw something that she had to get me. How FABULOUS a purse is this? Hmmm? It's too cute. And so very GIRLY!

And because Girl J has been asking me if I blogged about it yet:

A Minnesota "Nice" Moment:

So, Monday morning I head for the bus and realize sadly and to my horror that my Ipod is out of power as is my back-up battery pack. Dang it! It was just fine Sat. night. What the heck????
So, it's a tuneless walk to the bus and worse, gasp, sigh, a tuneless ride into work. But there is a HUGE silver lining to this.

A woman got on the bus and sat down. As she was getting comfortable in her seat her bus pass dropped out of her bag and landed in the isle. Two people leaned down to pick up her pass for her. TWO people! The woman that got it handed it over to the lady.

Lady: "Thank You so much."
Other lady: "Ya you betcha."

Yes, that's right she actually said "Ya you betcha."

I had to hide my head in my book to keep the giggle to myself. It was just so, so, so midwest.
I loved it.

Look below, if you haven't done my Daemon survey give it a go. Tink says it's addictive.