Bradford Pear Tree

February 19 and my Bradford Pear tree has buds. They've been trying for the past several days, but today even at a distance one can see little white-ish buds. (Double click on the photo and you'll be able to see them much better.)

I was thinking my Forsythia bush usually bloomed first, but it doesn't show a sign of life yet. Need to go back and check my photos and dates and see if that's right. (ok..I did go look...March 8 the Forsythia was beginning to bloom and was in full bloom on March 23. Then we had 17" of snow on March 27-28.) As much as I'm ready for Spring, I think it's too early for this.

One year (within the past three as that all I've lived here) we had a hard freeze and it took about half the summer for the north side of the pear tree to recuperate. It was black and wilted.

Well...I hope the tree is exactly right and we'll be into Spring very, very soon. Yeah..right.

Full Day

Got up this a.m. and rode the bicycle on the trainer for 30 minutes. Rode 45 minutes yesterday and thought I'd up my time to that...but it's just like a treadmill....EXTREMELY BORING!!!!! So 30 minutes it was.

After showering and "fixin' up" a bit, I went to Wichita to meet my sister from Joplin. She needed to go to the "rocks and findings" store and I had a whole big 20% off coupon from Kohls. Well...turns out Jude bought a tee shirt for $3 and I bought nothing. I let her use my coupon even! Then she wanted to get back home so I headed back to Hutch.

On the way back I stopped briefly at Yoder to pick up a four pack of cinnamon rolls. Nothing like Yoder cinnamon rolls...YUM!!! If you're not familiar with our area, Yoder is about 12 miles from Hutchinson and it's an Amish community. Some gas-powered vehicles, but mostly horse and buggy Amish. It's a tiny town with a tremendous reputation for good food and neat items. Quilts, woodworking, sewn items, etc. Several very nice shops, a great restaurant, and a terrific bakery. (You can also get their cinnamon rolls at the restaurant.) (Just a little side note: years ago a friend of ours used to say he thought it was really good for a person to eat in the Amish restaurants....because the waitresses all wear long skirts and high-necked blouses and you don't get all riled up while eating!)

Meanwhile when I was still in Wichita Mary had called and said she was looking for a bicycle ride, so I called her back about 1 o'clock and said, "When are you going?" Turned out we were able to meet up over at Rice Park and ride a loop down through Carey Park and back. Eleven miles...not great...but for a winter day, not bad. It was pretty brisk and some dummy got there with only fingerless gloves. I have full gloves made for riding...and they were snug and warm in the top of the closet! All in all it was a great ride. I took a cinnamon roll to Mary...they're her favorite...so she was pretty happy too, I think!

Feels like a pretty good day. Makes me want to "count my blessings!" Hope yours was as good and you do too!

Dad's Poems

Thirteen years ago last Friday my dad passed away at the age of 82. Among his treasures I found these two (and several others) poems. I don't know if he wrote them or copied them from somewhere...but they're both quite clever. Dad was a bright, witty man and it wouldn't surprise me to learn he had written them.

They are both on what we used to call "onion skin" paper and I've photographed one a little closer so you can see what his handwriting looked like. I loved it! I will copy the words here for you to read a little easier.

I might tell you both poems are a little strange...the first a little gory perhaps and the second may be a little risque... or at least maybe it was back in Dad's day.

The first one goes like this:

A long time ago I remember it well
Alone in a poor house a maiden did dwell
She lived with her father and mother serene
Her age it was red and her hair was nineteen -

This maid had a lover who close by did dwell
He was humpeyed in both feet and cross backed as well
Said he "fly with me by the light of yon star
For you are the eye of my apple you are" -

"Oh now," said she to him so gently "Be wise
My father would scratch our your nails with his eyes
If you love me you'll bring me to no disgrace"
Cried the maid as she buried her hands in her face -

And when she refused him he knocked down this maid
And quickly he opened the knife of his blade
He then cut the throat of this damsel so fair
And he dragged her around by the head of her hair -

Just at that moment her father appeared
He gazed on his daughter with eyes in his tears
He seized the young man by the hand with his throat
And shot him with a horse pistol raised from a colt -

And the second one:

When the Lord made Adam, they say he laughed and sang,
And sewed him up the belly, with a little piece of whang.

But when the Lord had finished, He found He'd measured wrong,
He found the whang He'd sewed him with was several inches too long.

He said tis but 8 inches so I guess I'll let it hang,
So He left on Adams belly that little piece of whang.

But when the Lord made Mother Eve I'll bet that He did snort,
When He found the whang He'd sewed her with was several inches short.

It leaves an awful gap said He, but I don't give a dang
She can fight it out with Adam for that little piece of whang.

So every since that ancient day when human life began
There's been a constant strife betwixt woman and the man.

The women swear they'll have that piece that on our bellies hang
To fill that awful hole of theirs, where the Lord ran out of whang.

So let us not be selfish boys with what the women lack
But split 50-50 on the whang to fill that awful crack.

For the good Lord never intended it should always idle hang
When He left on Adams belly that little piece of whang.


My guess would be these have been around at least since the 1940's or 1950's.. hope you enjoyed them and weren't offended.

Valentine's Day

I've had several people contact via email and asked why I haven't blogged lately! Some thought evidently the "blood letting" did me in...no..not quite yet! The only reason I seem to have is that it's winter and it's boring...rather, I'm boring.

I'm riding the bicycle on the trainer 30 minutes a day, five days a week. I go to the post office about every day and hit Walmart a couple of times a week for groceries/supplies/whatever. That's my existence...pretty much.

But yesterday was a little more eventful. Since 1990 I've had an on-again, off-again "interest" (hard to refer to what we have as a romance, exactly) with a guy who is now from Missouri (at least for a while longer - he's retiring soon and will be moving back to town). January 1, 2009 my New Year's resolution was to not answer his phone calls anymore. It was never a smooth relationship...due to hang-ups both of us have. So I didn't answer for almost a full year.

But he called Christmas day and I answered. We've talked several times since then. Long story short-er....I agreed to see him the next time he came to Hutch. He has property here and kids and grandkids so he gets back fairly often. Well...this weekend he was going to be back and I agreed to see him...but nothing was set in concrete. He had said he was going to work on his building all day Saturday but that "I'll call...I'll definitely call"....but when by 5pm I hadn't heard from him, I thought, "Ok...pull your thumb outta your behind and do something!!!"

There was a play at the Arts Center that I was wanting to see so I called a long-time friend of mine and explained that although it was very short notice I wondered if she'd like to go. Yeah! So at 6:11 when "the guy" called and asked what my plans for the evening were, I already HAD plans. And you wonder why they call me a bitch, huh?

Anyway, so here's how it played out. After the play (about 9:30) and at his request, I called him and he met me. We rode around and talked and caught up, went out and looked at what all he'd done to his new building (very nice!), and wound up going to a couple of bars.

That's where the funny (funny-ha-ha or funny-weird...I don't know) stuff started. We went to a bar where we used to go a lot. It's really changed (and so have we, I'm sure)...everyone in there was probably in their 20's or 30's...most of them very overweight...some of them very drunk. I went back to the restroom. When I left the bathroom, right outside of the door, a pleasant enough young woman (I think she might have even been the barmaid) came up to me, put her arm across the front of me from shoulder to shoulder, hugged me, and said, "You're SO cute!!!!" I smiled and said, "Thank you..." Then made a beeline for my male companion! He got a kick out of it and said, "Well...look up at the dance floor..." There were three women on the dance floor dancing together....I don't know if that was a new form of line dancing but I think the best description of it would be "doggie-style." (Sorry, readers, if this offends you...but if they can do it that way in front of everyone, I can surely put it in print. No pictures, thank you!) At that point we kind of gulped our beers and left.

We went to another bar as we were looking for a place to dance, but right after we walked in, the barmaid yelled to the owner, "Do you want me to unplug the jukebox?" They were closing...so no dancing!

But...bottom line...it actually was a fun evening. The play early in the evening was funny and entertaining...although I didn't think it was "all that" totally. Personal opinion probably best kept to myself. But the reconnecting with an old boyfriend (I hate that term) was fun and interesting...and unless I was totally being blind, I think he's changed somewhat for the better.

And...he called this a.m. to ask if I was going to be his Valentine...to which I responded, "Uh....probably...depends on how much commitment it takes." And therein may lie the problem!

So...with that I'm going to quote Patsy Terrell in her blog for today (I really like this thought for the day..or week...or month...or whatever) :

Appreciate the love in your life, in whatever form it takes.

Battle of the Badges

First thing this morning, I took Schiz out to Gretchen's to be groomed. After dropping her off I decided to go to the Battle of the Badges. Yesterday and today were the days to give blood and vote for the "department of choice" - either fire department or police department. They have a traveling trophy they're each striving to win.

Last year I went (and blogged about it here), but was deferred because of an antibiotic I was taking for my teeth. This year I'm still taking the same antibiotic, but because it's a "maintenance" drug now instead of "healing" one, I was accepted.

I pumped out my pint, had a bowl of chili and some carrot sticks, and drank some water. Felt great so I ran errands, making several stops. It's both a mental and a physical good feeling for me, I think.

About 1 o'clock I went to pick up Schiz and was standing holding her (11-12 lbs.) when all of a sudden I thought, "Wow...she's heavy!!!" I moved over to the little half door gate and rested my arm (and Schiz's weight) on the door. Within seconds I realized that I wasn't feeling too good. Very warm and somewhat dizzy! I told Gretchen and Sherry I had to go...needed to be out in the cold air...but when I turned to go I decided it was time to sit down NOW! I plopped down in a chair in the foyer. I was seeing big black circles with just a little vision around the outside. Felt like I was going to pass out...but I didn't. Gretchen and Sherry both commented later that I got white as a sheet and my eyes were clear blue. Gretchen kept trying to get me to let her make me some toast and jam, but after sitting for just a couple of minutes I felt ok and decided to go home.

After I got home, I laid down for what I thought would be a few minutes (I'm the master of the 7-10 minute nap...I almost never sleep during the day for more than that.) I laid down at 1:30...woke up at 2:50..hmmmm...guess I needed rest! I have given blood several/many times before and have never had a problem of any kind either during or afterwards...but today was a little different. I've been drinking lots of fluids and feel just fine now...but I may have decided that I'm too old to give blood anymore....maybe I need all of mine! I haven't done much of anything since then...decided today would be my day off of the bicycle/trainer routine. I've been riding 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week...usually taking Saturday and Sunday off. But today's the day off this week!


But on to better things...this is how Schiz looks. So clean and soft and fluffy!! And smells great too! She gets groomed every six weeks and I think the next grooming she'll have to be sheared down...mainly because if I wait until 6 weeks after that, it'll be nearly the first of May...and she'd be WAY too warm. (oh, btw....for those of you that think Shih Tzu's are supposed to have a little topknot with a cute little bow in it...all I can say is: Schiz doesn't agree with you... so we don't waste the bow or the time doing it! She'll leave it in at the groomer's when she's still in the crate, but 30 seconds in the car coming home and the bow is toast!!!!!)

Well...folks....that's all for now....have a great week and don't forget to count your blessings!!!

Recommending "The Lope"

Just a short blog today....I highly recommend you go take a look at Greg's blog. Here's the link: http://thelope.com/blog.htm He's posted some gorgeous shots of the hoar frost. This is what talented photographers are capable of doing. Check it out!

A Snowy Day - A Funny Story

It has snowed here...I've heard any where from 1 1/2 inches to 8 inches. Truly it's just a "light to medium" snow. Not bad. Streets are pretty much cleared off. My son shoveled my driveway a couple of times and it's about melted clear now. Temperature isn't too bad...all in all kind of a pretty snow.

However.....that means I'm bored. My horoscope for today(and NO, I don't believe in them, but for fun I DO read them) says: Take care of personal business today. Stay out of group discussions that lead nowhere. You have excess energy to apply as you run errands. Take the bike!

'Scuze me???? I'm not especially feeling any "excess energy" and if I go run any errands (and I don't plan to!!) I sure won't be taking the bike!!!! I have on occassion been considered a "serious rider"....but I'm not THAT serious!!!!

I had lunch with a friend the other day and she related a funny story to me. It seems a group of her friends have dinner (here in Kansas, that's "supper") together once a week. Well, this particular evening she was expecting a phone call from her son, and sure enough, shortly after arriving at the restaurant, he called. It was noisy, so she excused herself and went into the ladies' room. She said she tends to pace when talking on the phone and she kept hearing a little "hum"...."hum"....."hum"..... but didn't think much of it..figured it was an automatic air freshener or something. But after a few minutes she turned to see that she'd been pacing in front of the paper towel dispenser...the one with a sensor to roll out a towel...and the towels were down to the floor!!!!!

I saw humor and laughed!!!! Someone else I related this story too didn't...his response was, "Did she clean it up?" Hmmmmm.... I didn't ask.

With that....have a bright day...don't forget to count your blessings...

Semi-retraction ... MY sense of humor

Regarding my previous blog...well...so I guess I'm supposed to eat crow here because I wasn't sharp enough to pick up on the fact that Conan is supposed to be funny and that he really wasn't throwing all of NBC's money after poor taste. I watched last night and heard him say it was all fake...it wasn't real...ha ha ha. I have a very poor sense of humor...ask anyone that knows me...they'll tell ya!

So...as an apology to all of you who were upset with my blog...here's my promise: No matter what venue, what channel, I will NEVER watch Conan O'Brien again! Good enough? That way I won't get confused and post such ugliness about such a great guy.

Conan - World's Biggest Jerk

OK...so right up front...I'll tell ya...go back if you're easily offended. Stop now! Remember I've said before: my blog...my opinion.

I have NEVER liked Conan...when I heard he was going to take over the Tonight Show I knew I'd be getting more sleep. I'm not overly wild about Letterman so after the nightly news I'd go to sleep.

However, this whole uproar of Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien drew my interest and I've kind of been watching just to hear the jabs: both Leno and Conan. (Conan I've only watched for the past three nights.) Last night was the ultimate piece of shit!!!! Before I started to write this I googled Conan and saw this piece written by John Milewski on the Huffington Post. It's entitled "Conan's Expensive Goodbye". I certainly cannot add more to it to improve it....at least now without using extensive swear words. Let me add just this: Conan is exactly what I've always thought he was!

Conan's Expensive Goodbye ....... (in part).. John Milewski

Millions of American's are losing or have lost their jobs. They are angry and their employment future is uncertain. That's where the kinship with Conan ends. Unlike Mr. O'Brien they didn't walking away with tens of millions in severance pay. And they certainly weren't provided with a high-profile pulpit from which they could publicly criticize their former employers.
I have no sympathy for NBC. This is a mess of their own making. When I tuned in I was squarely in Conan's corner and remain there on technical merit. After all, in negotiating the 45 million dollar exit deal, Conan made sure that 12 million of that would go to his staff. He is legendarily generous with those he employs and is widely regarded as a decent fellow. So while there is a clear disconnect related to how most of us lose our jobs and Conan is losing his, that's not the main source of my complaint.
My problem is with a segment introduced during the last couple nights in which something not very funny is done for the purpose of spending NBC's money. Last night's skit designed to waste network cash involved a racehorse in a mink watching restricted NFL programming. As advertised, it wasn't funny, but it did cost NBC 4.8 million dollars about which Conan gloated. He's having some pay back fun by burning NBC's money. The night before the price tag for gratuitous waste was 1.5 million and involved a ridiculously expensive automobile. The two-night total is a whopping 6.3 million dollars which is more than half of the 12 million total dedicated to severance packages for the show's staff. Adding to this offensive wastefulness is the fact that Rome, or at least Port-au-Prince, is burning. In fact, Conan made an appeal for donations to Ben Stiller's Haiti relief charity last night mere moments after reveling in the lame but expensive racehorse gag. Apparently it's not just Washington and Wall Street that doesn't get it.

I've been accused of being irreverent to a fault. I find humor in even the darkest scenarios. But given the stark contrast between the world of late night spats and the worlds of record unemployment and horror in Haiti I guess I've reached my limit. Conan O'Brien, because he could, wasted 6.3 million dollars of NBC's money on a sophomoric prank because he's angry that they've unfairly taken away his show. Who knows what tonight's total will be since he has 90 more minutes of air time to get even with the evil peacock network. Ben Stiller's charity and the people of Haiti could have done something quite different with that 6.3 million.
What amounts to chump change in the land of network shenanigans is huge money in the real world. In the real world it's the kind of money that can change lives or perhaps even save them. And while I know that there's no simple formula for moving such money from one place to another, I really don't care. The contradiction between multi-million dollar pranks and appeals for disaster relief from the same host on the same show separated by mere minutes was more disconnect from reality than I could stand and I just had to get it off my chest.

2010 is Here!

The New Year is UPON us - 2010 !!!!! Time to shape up!!!!


Vision without a plan is merely an hallucination!


I heard that earlier today when I was downstairs riding the trainer. I love it.. And HOW TRUE!!!!!!


The first photo here is my road bike...the one I usually ride. I love it. It's now about nine years old and I have no intentions of replacing it. I've had people tell me you don't put a handlebar bag on this particular type/style of bicycle, but I bought it to enjoy, not to race!!! (And I know...some people ENJOY racing. I don't. I enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and little flowers at the edge of the road and a good cow-barn smell!!! And most of all I enjoy the companionship of my fellow riders!)


This second picture is of my older Trek on the trainer set up downstairs. I actually have ridden it almost every day since the day after Christmas. I've missed three days! I'm doing it to keep my knees moving more than anything. I only do 30 minutes, but I still manage to work up a good sweat every time! Riding this trainer probably ranks second to walking on a treadmill. Even with a tv going, etc...it's incredibly boring!!! Not as boring as walking on a treadmill, but still pretty darned boring.


This third photo is of one of my son's bicycles, and his rollers. I used to ride rollers years ago. For me, rollers indicate a death wish. On the trainer that my bike is on, only the back wheel moves and everything else is stationary. On rollers, everything moves. And if the rider slips too far to the left or right, he's off and usually into a wall. T'aint funny!!! Very serious riding. Also far more energy is spent..which is good. I won't even try them anymore.

Easiest way to get started on rollers is to set them up in a doorway and brace your shoulder against the frame of the door. That way until you're sure of your balance you can kind of support yourself. Like I said, death wish. Pure suicide.

So...I've got the riding part and a little jazzercise going pretty good....but about the diet part....hasn't changed much. Still consume far too much sugar and sweets and gooey stuff...not nearly enough "greenery" (unless gummy bears and M&M's count!!!??). Soon I'll start trying to do better there too.......she said.

Weather is awful. It's cold. But as I always say "Count your blessings!!!" Hutchinson seems to be one of few places that doesn't have snow...or at least much snow. We have "dustings" from time to time, but virtually no accumulation. Count your blessings!!!