Celebrations, this, that, and the other

Celebrations...
Yesterday, May 4, was my son's 40th birthday. His wife pulled off a successful surprise party for him last Saturday evening. The weather was wonderful, the food good and plentiful, the guests my sons friends and relatives. Not as many people came as she had hoped, but all there had a great time. The men got to talk about guy stuff; the women got to visit and share family lore and talk about girl stuff. The kids played, computed, watched movies on TV... all without any disagreements...at least, none the adults had to referee.
Yesterday was also the 3rd anniversary of my official diagnosis. (When one gets a call from the doctor's office about the results of a mammogram with the message that it is imperative that one return the call as soon as possible, a less than favorable diagnosis is not a big surprise.) I look forward to celebrating several more anniversaries of the day.

This...
In a blog that I do for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (subject to editing and rewriting by the Marketing Manger before being published), I mentioned a dream of a special garden with a gazebo. While going through a magazine in the Garden Library (I'm a volunteer in the Library most Tuesday afternoons) a couple of weeks ago, I saw a picture of the perfect garden house. Windows all around it and wonderful color. My first reaction was 'Wow!' My second was 'Wouldn't it be great to be in that house during a rain storm?' There is even a turntable available for it. (??)
You can check out my Garden blog at:
www.lewisginter.org/blog/2010/04/09/leaves-from-the-garden-beauty-for-sale/
You can check out the garden house at:
www.amdega.co.uk/summerhouses/chelsea-kingswood.htm

That....
On April 18th, Sunday Morning (CBS) did a piece on SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). They interviewed Jill Tarter. She was the inspiration for the character Jodie Foster played in one of my all-time favorite films, Contact. The search continues. SETI is still watching and listening. I've always wondered what kind of intelligence they are hoping to find. I assume they want a species that is smart enough to get here and communicate in a way we can understand. Stephen Hawkins has finally decided to agree with me... He recently said: "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

The Other...
Who knows if, or when, aliens may visit Earth. Then again, they may have already arrived and been here for awhile. By the way, has anyone seen my copy of How to Serve Man?

Rodents and phenomenae and models, oh, my!

Went last week for a follow-up mammogram. Carol, the technician, started positioning me for the first x-ray, apologizing for the coldness of the equipment. I told her it reminded me of the first time years ago that I had come to that location. At that appointment, the tech was shorter than I, blond, upbeat... and had the coldest hands this side of death. She also sounded exactly like Minnie Mouse. When I reacted to her touch, she began effusive apologies, asking many times if I was in pain? Is the equipment too tight? I had almost choked trying to swallow my laughter when I realized that this was her normal voice, not an attempt to lighten a pressing situation. I told Carol that I had thought of Minnie and retold my tale of the experience often over the years. Carol said, "She's still here. She's my boss. She's always complaining of being cold."

The news has been full of reports on the arrest, and reaction to it, of Roman Polanski for the rape of an under-age girl years ago. My strongest reaction was to Whoopie Goldberg's statement that 'it wasn't rape rape.' Isn't that what pedophiles say?... 'it wasn't rape, they wanted it.' I am so disappointed in Whoopie. Polanski is rich and sought after by many. Want to guess how this will end? Saw a chipmunk recently... the first I've seen in several years. It was in my lane of the street and couldn't decide which way to run. So it sat there... looking at me as if to say, "Either wait or go over." Just goes to prove, if you're a rodent, and not rich, it helps to be cute.

Last week, a strange cloud appeared over Moscow. It looked like a huge halo. Or the exhaust from an alien spaceship like the ones in the film "Independence Day." (I often think of my diamond-shaped cloud.) Could this new cloud be another sign of things to come.. the future written in the sky?

Seems a recent model's photo was air-brushed to the point that her head was bigger than her hips. And it's been announced that Marge Simpson will be in Playboy magazine. Time to think of what photo I'll use for my Christmas cards this year. Hmmmmm....

Serendipity bits and pieces

I have experienced serendipity so often in my life that I may have become a serendipity junkie. All the bits and pieces that follow have had a serendipity factor to them (which I may or may not explain in future posts).

This month I'm celebrating the 2nd anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. Not the fact that I have cancer, but the fact that I was diagnosed. I finally dragged myself in to have a mammogram that I had been putting off for 5 years and the cancer was discovered. Which allowed me to start treatment. And fully appreciate living each day.

My favorite author is Louis Penny, a Canadian whose writing I discovered just at the time I needed it. She writes intelligent, lyrical mysteries. Her stories are mostly set in the village of Three Pines. I want to live there. Her characters are wonderful. I want to be friends with them. The first in the series is "Still Life." You might also want to check out her blog (LouisePenny on Blogspot). Her last few posts have been hilarious.

Have you ever seen a cloud so unusual that it looked fake? Have you ever seen a diamond-shaped cloud? I have. On the same day. Within minutes of each sighting. I know that these clouds must have been seen by others. But as the odds against any of them verifying my sightings are astronomical, I expect you'll think I may be an egg or two short of a dozen. I don't care. If you'd like to see pictures of other clouds, check out wbangham on Blogspot. He's a professional photographer. Wish he'd been with me.

Have a wonderful day. In italics.