Square holes and Pookas

This thing with the clouds and me is verging on eerie. I drove to the mountains again last week. It had been spitting rain and mist all morning; clouds of varying hues of gray covering the sky. And then... I glance up and see a hole in the clouds. This hole had straight sides and pointed corners. It looked exactly like an open mail slot in a front door. I was inside looking though to slot to brilliant sunlight outside. I almost expected to see two eyes appear, peeking back at me. I'm not important enough to the Scheme of the Universe to think that these phenomenae are there only for me. I'm just going to enjoy the thrill of these unexpected and unusual sights. I can hardly wait for the next one.

Spent Saturday helping with a Girl Scout outing. The park was wonderful, the wind cold, and the sky by turns sunny and overcast. It was a joy seeing so many girls experiencing fun learning activities. Their favorite activity was making butter. They couldn't believe how good it was. My youngest granddaughter was amazed that it was white. I explained that color was added to butter to make it the yellow we are used to seeing.

Had a pleasant, uneventful drive home with no unusual sights in the heavens. Was too tired to do anything useful but too awake to take a nap. Noticed that the film Harvey was going to be on so I watched it. This Harvey was not the original starring Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd, but the 1999 remake starring Harry Anderson as Elwood and Swoozie Kurtz as his sister, Veta. I had not seen this version before as I had been certain that it would not be up to the standard of the original. I was wrong. It is delightful! I highly recommend it... a great way to leave the cares of the world behind and join Elwood and his Pooka. I wish I had a Pooka. But, as Elwood pointed out to the doctor, Pookas don't come to you until you're ready. I've always thought I was ready. Lord knows, I need one. Elwood's mother told him,"... in this life you can be smart or you can be nice." I've come up short on both.

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....

Taking license

The Pendulum of Human Intelligence must be swinging through the Arc of Stupidity again. As reported on NBC recently, a woman has been cited for not having a license to perform day-care for children. Her offense? She has been watching some of her neighbors' children to see that they are safe until the school bus arrives. She receives no money for doing this.

Does this mean that a person who sits with a sick friend can be sited for not being a certified care-giver? Do you need an On-site Liquor License to serve wine and beer to dinner guests in your home?

I suggest that there be a License to Commit Stupidity. No exceptions. Everyone would have to have a license or else pay a fee for being unlicensed (just like paying a fee to the state for being an uninsured driver). Taken to the national level, fees and fines alone could solve the deficit problem.

Soup's on

Friday had been overcast with spits of rain and a damp chill in the air... perfect weather to make the first pot of hearty soup of the season. Yum. I love soup and can't seem to make less than a large pot, so I'm still enjoying the beef & vegetables of my labor. I'll probably finish it off today. This time, I used Julia's advice and blotted the beef dry before browning; it made a big difference for the better in the taste of the soup. From now on, I'm a committed blotter-er. Hey... I wonder if it works for steaks and chops, too. (Ya think?)

Sunday (yesterday) turned out to warm (in the 80s) and it's supposed to be warm again today, but Fall will finally settle in soon. Heck, there may even be a chill in the air for Halloween this year. Haven't decided on my costume, or if it's even worth going to the trouble... I manage to scare enough people in my natural state.

Bon jour!

I finally got to see "Julie and Julia" this past weekend. What a wonderful film. The acting was superb and the casting enlightened. I felt that no other actors would have been right in each role. (I used to work with a woman who could 'do' Julia perfectly... she left me gasping with laughter each time.) Julia Child was unique in every sense of the word and I'm so glad that this delightful film was made of the book. I could almost taste the food every time one of the characters said "Yummm."

Even Julia's recipes couldn't convince me to prepare, let alone taste, every thing she cooked and printed a recipe for in her book... I have a semi-educated palate. But I realized that I have neglected using her book to prepare food... something I plan to remedy.

The book and film are purportedly about Julia and her blogger learning to cook, but it really is a love story... the love and romance between a man & woman and the love of food. Okay... so I'm a closet Romantic... I admit it... and I've added "Julie and Julia" to my list of favorite romantic movies. I wonder if it will be on DVD in time for Christmas?

To oink or not to oink... that is the question.

Days and days of beautiful weather lately, interspersed with needed mist and rain. Spent several days in the mountains last week highlighted by perfect weather the whole trip. Hot and muggy yesterday during the day; then walked out the door in the early evening and the humidity had disappeared.

Received a call Thursday informing me that I might have been exposed to the Swine... oops!... H1N1 flu. When my doctor's office returned my call, I was told that I should not have a problem... just one question: how was it determined to be H1N1? When the cases of flu created headlines this past Spring, we were told that, given the number of confirmed cases and the cost & time needed to verify, all new cases of flu at that time would be assumed to be H1N1. Does this mean that the pandemic we have been warned to expect will be backed up by the number of real (test verified) as well as the assumed cases? An assumed pandemic?

As for me, I'm fit as a fiddle, fine as frog fur, snug as a bug in a rug, comfortably well off, high as a kite (on life!, on life!), doing great, and all is well with the world. Assuming, that is, that facts don't prove me otherwise.

Feelin' the burn

Got myself a farmer's tan last weekend. A local county airport had an air show and I spent a large part of the day there, standing in the sun... something I normally avoid. One of my granddaughters has joined a youth auxiliary attached to the county rescue squad. She'll be learning rescue techniques and discovering if this is a venture she'd like to pursue. The squad was on-call at the airport and the auxiliary had a booth, selling bottles of water and taking contributions to support their activities. My granddaughter had to be at the squad headquarters at 9am. I took her so her mother could come later with the rest of the family, including two visiting cousins. The day was perfect for the show. Tickets were sold for rides on a WWll-era bi-plane, a small helicopter and a Cessna. I got my grandson a ticket for a ride in the Cessna, an early birthday present. He'd never flown before and the ride would last 15-20 minutes, giving him a good taste of flying. His younger brother and cousins flew in the helicopter, a short lift-off, circling, and landing flight. All of the fledglings enjoyed their first experience in flight. I got the burn while standing in line, waiting for their take-offs and landings. It hasn't been that painful... except when I forget and scratch.

All my grandchildren are now in school, learning their ABCs, guzzintas, and all kinds of history, science and math that didn't exist and hadn't happened or been discovered when I was in school. It's a good thing that children are smarter these days... they have a lot to learn. I had watched and read some of the foo-fa-rah about President Obama's planned speech to school children this week. Some schools opted out of allowing pupils to watch the speech. Some lawmakers and political pols claimed he was going to use the speech to garner votes for his agenda. One clip showed a woman saying she didn't want any of that socialistic talk stuffed down her children's throat. Take responsibility for your education and study... wonder how many of the children's votes that cost him. Sometimes I think I missed the announcement of a new directive: Go forth and be stupid. Fortunately, I just have to remember my genius grandchildren and their friends to counter my angst.