My Star

All that I know
Of a certain star
Is, it can throw
(Like the angled spar)
Now a dart of red,
Now a dart of blue;
Till my friends have said
They would fain see, too,
My star that dartless the red and the blue!
Then it stops like a bird; like a flower hangs furled:
They must solace themselves with the Saturn above it.
What matter to me if their star is a world?
Mine has opened its soul to me, therefore I love it

(The poem is Robert Browning. The painting is my birthday present from my niece.)

The Bear Story

Been gone on a long weekend and got back yesterday so I have been out of blog touch until today. Here is the bear story I promised you.



The Friday after my birthday my husband and I went to a friend's father's 80th birthday party at the father's cabin up in North Park. To get there we drove the scenic route though the Poudre Canyon. It rained all the way except for Cameron Pass. On the pass it snowed. (There are three good photos of the area on a clear day here.) Even with rain and snow the drive was beautiful.

We got there right before the wildlife officers that Doc, the birthday boy, was expecting arrived. Doc had called them to get help with removing some black bears that were coming a little too close to his cabin. He had three bears roaming around his property; a mamma bear and two cubs. The cubs, a male and a female, were almost two years old and mamma had decided it was time for them to go out on their own. The male cub had decide that meant looking for food around the cabin. Any time Doc saw him he fired a shotgun into the air to scare him away.

Then one night Doc had been awakened by a noise and got up to find the male standing on the deck and looking in the front window. He again scared him away but decided more drastic action was needed and got some special shells that fired M-80 cartridges, shells that contained rubber pellets, and asked the rangers to lend him a bear barrel. The barrel would be baited with a food packet which would be attached to a canister of pepper spray. When the bear went into to the barrel and pulled on the food packet he would be hit full in the face with a blast of pepper spray. When Doc heard the bear roaring in surprise and pain he planned on shooting him in the rear with a load of rubber pellets. Doc hoped the face full of pepper spray, the noise of the shotgun blast and the pain from the rubber pellets would be enough to scare the bear into leaving the area and keep it from returning. If the bear showed no fear of humans and would not leave the area he would have to be destroyed. That was not what Doc wanted.

That night we had a small pre-party where Doc opened up family presents. While we were doing this one of his sons came into the room and said the bears were at the salt lick that Doc had put out for the deer. We all went out on the deck and took a look. In the light from a large flashlight I could make out two bears (later I found out the mamma bear was there too) and I was surprised to see that one bear (the male)was cinnamon colored. It seems not all black bears are black and in the light the bear was the same grey color as the dark parts of the moon.

That light should have made the bears run away but they stayed right where they were. By this time another one of Doc's sons had brought his father a shotgun and Doc loaded it with an M-80 cartridge, aimed, and fired it into the trees over the bear's head. There was a flash of light and then a loud noise as the M-80 exploded. The mama and the female cub took off but the male stayed right where he was unfazed by the noise and light. Doc reloaded and fired a second M-80 into the trees and the remaining bear took off.

Doc had set the bear barrel up behind the cabin but had not armed it because his grandchildren were around. After seeing the behavior of the male bear he decide to arm it. The bear had shown he was not really afraid of anyone and that worried Doc. When it was armed the children were strongly warned to stay away from it.

Saturday night the bear came around to the salt lick again but took off the second the flashlight was shined on him. This was a good sign. He now connected the flashlight with the shotgun blast and the exploding M-80. Maybe he wasn't as hard headed as we thought. The bear had not found the bear barrel yet but maybe when he did the consequences would be enough to frighten him away for good.

We left the next morning and still do not know what happened to the bear. We should give Doc a call and find out.

What Being Married To An Engineer Is Like

It Ain't Easy Being Bond

Bond...James Bond.
-Sean Connery in Dr. No

The Lesser Bonds

It's 102F/38.9C Right Now

I can't blog when it's that hot. I barely have the energy to sit in front of the a/c.

I've Got The ICan'tGetThatSongOutOfMyHead Blues

BILLLLLLL!
I love you so,
I always will
I look at you and see
the passion eyes of May
Oh,
but am I ever gonna see my wedding day
I was on your side Bill
when you were looooooosin'
I never scheme or lie Bill,
there's been no fooooooolin'
But kisses and love
won't carry me
till you marry me Billlllll!

I love you so,
I always will
And in your voice I hear
a choir of carousels
Oh,
but am I ever gonna hear my wedding bells
I was the one who came runnin' when you were looonely
I haven't lived one day not lovin' you ooonly
But kisses and love won't carry me til you marry me Billllllll

I love you so, I always will
And though devotion rules my heart
I take no bows
But Bill
you're never gonna take those wedding vows
Oh, come on Bill
Oh, come on Bill
Come on and marry me Billlllll!
I got the wedding bell bluuuues
Please marry me Billlllll!
I got the wedding bell
bluuuuuuues
Marry me Bill
-Wedding Bell Blues written by Laura Nyro, sung by Marilyn McCoo (The 5th Dimension)

Some songs and voices you can't get out of your head and those voices are the one's you can never mistake for anyone else. For example, you will never walk into a room when a Marilyn McCoo song is playing and think the voice you hear is anyone else but her. Neither can you mistake Rosemary Clooney for Cass Elliott or Ella Fitzgerald for Dusty Springfield or Billie Holiday for Blossom Dearie or Barbra Streisand for Janis Joplin or Cyndi Lauper for Wanda Jackson or Dinah Washington for Patsy Cline or Karen Carpenter for Judy Garland. All have their own distinct sound. You'll never find yourself saying, "That sounds just like (someone else)...," when you hear them sing. That is what I love about them all.

Summer's Officially Here

Time to celebrate the Solstice.

First, a quiz to find out just what you know.

Second, a short pagan history of Summer Solstice.

Next, a Summer poem:

The Summer Knows
-unknown

The summer smiles, the summer knows
And unashamed she sheds her clothes,
The summer smoothes the restless sky
And lovingly she warms the sand
On which you lie
The summer knows, the summer's wise,
She sees the doubts within your eyes
And so she takes her summertime
Tells the moon to wait and the sun to linger
Twists the world round her summer finger
Lets you see the wonder of it all

And if you've learned your lesson well
There's little more for her to tell
One last caress
It's time to dress
For Fall

Finally, Summer Quotes:

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
-Henry James

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.
-Russel Baker

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.
- Ada Louise Huxta

Ahh, it can't get any better than that.

Sorry, Lazy Today

Proudly stolen from Escape from Blogland
(Note: The questions not the answers)


[LAST...]
[*] Movie you watched = Starman Atomic Rulers
[*] Movie you bought = CRY-BABY (DIRECTORS CUT)
[*] Song you listened to = Birdland -Manhattan Transfer
[*] CD you bought = The British Invasion 1963-1967
[*] CD you listened to = ? (mp3 player all the way now)
[*] TV show you've watched = Don't have a TV anymore- something at a friend's house.

(File these next questions under, huh?)
[*] You have a crush on someone = No
[*] You wish you could live somewhere else = Yes
[*] You think about suicide= only my father's
[*] You believe in online dating = For me or someone else?
[*] Others find you attractive = I'm married, someone did.
[*] You want more piercings = I don't want one piercing!
[*] You like roller coasters = Yes

[FOR OR AGAINST...]
[*] Long distance relationships = For me or someone else?
[*] Using someone = Against
[*] Suicide = I can see why someone would reach that point but still against.
[*] People = For
[*] Smoking = Against
[*] Driving drunk = Against

[HAVE YOU...]
[*] Ever cried over a boy = You mean a little kid?
[*] Ever cried over a girl = Again, do you mean a child?
[*] Ever lied to someone = Yes
[*] Ever been in a fist fight = Yes

[FAVOURITE ...]
[*] 5 letter word: Happy
[*] Actor/actress: This week-Ken Utsui and Patricia Neal. I watched A Face In The Crowd last week and Patricia Neal was outstanding in it.
[*] Cartoon: South Park Going down to South Park gonna have ourselves a time...
[*] Cereal: Kellogg's Frosted Flakes because, "They're GEERRATE!" Not really, I like oatmeal.
[*] Chewing gum: Plain old bubble gum.
[*] Colour: What day is it?
[*] Colour nail polish: Red
[*] Day of the week: S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y (not night)
[*] Least fave day: Sunday
[*] Flower: Sunflower
[*] Jelly flavour: Strawberry
[*] Jewelry: My wedding ring
[*] Summer/Winter: Summer in Winter and Winter in Summer.

[This or That?]
[*] Apples or bananas?: Bananas
[*] Blue or red?: Blue
[*] Wal-Mart or Target?: Target
[*] Spring or Autumn?: Both
[*] What are you gonna do after you finish this?: Stop typing
[*] What was the last meal you ate?: breakfast
[*] Are you bored?: Yes, or I would not be doing this.

[Other info]
[*] Criminal record?: No
[*] Do you speak any other languages?: I used to speak Spanish but now I can only understand a little bit of it.
[*] Last book you read?:Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
[*] Something in your bedroom you like?: The brand new bed, sleeping like a baby now.

[You]
[*] Nickname(s): No
[*] How old do you look?: 104
[*] How old do you act?: 103
[*] Glasses/Contacts: Yes, glasses
[*] Braces: No
[*] Do you have any pets?: Yes, thank you for asking about them.
[*] You get embarrassed: Yes.
[*] What makes you happy?: Being around children.
[*] What upsets you?: Stupidity, ignorance and intolerance.

[Finish the sentence:]
[*] I Love to : read
[*] I Miss: my home town
[*] I Wish: people would not go out of their way to be so rude these days.
[*] I Hope: the world gets though the next few years without tearing apart.
[*] I'm Annoyed by: what else? George Bush and his followers.
[*] I Want to be: like Mike- not Tyson but Jordan.
[*] I Am Tired of: being tired. My allergies are taking over big time.
[ x ] The story behind your blog user name: Comes from my walk across Spain. Pilgrims are called peregrinos.
[ x ] Where do you live: the Northwest corner of the state of Kansas, USA
[ x ] 4 words that sum you up: Punctual, amusing, eclectic, charismatic. And not good at counting. (I stole this answer from Colin, except I changed "good at counting" to "not good at counting")

[DESCRIBE YOUR:]
[ x ] Wallet: Yes
[ x ] Hairbrush: Yes
[ x ] Toothbrush: Yes
[ x ] Pillow cover: Yes
[ x ] Blanket: Yes
[ x ] Coffee cup: Yes
[ x ] Sunglasses: Yes
[ x ] Underwear: Yes
[ x ] Shoes: Yes
[ x ] Favorite top: Don't have one.
[ x ] Cologne/Perfume - No
[ x ] What you are wearing now: sandals, fleece pants, white t-shirt.
[ x ] Hair: Brown.
[ x ] Makeup: Yes, but not right now.
[ x ] Wishing: I had never started this.
[ x ] Eating: Nothing, you shouldn't eat at the computer!
[ x ] Fetishes: I have a little stone bear.
[ x ] If you could get away with it and murder anyone, who and for what reason: Anyone attacking me or mine.
[ x ] Person you wish you could see right now: I'd like to talk to my mother one more time. She would have a lot to say about George Bush.
[ x ] Is next to you: ??
[ x ] Something you're looking forward to in the upcoming month: Summer starting tomorrow.
[ x ] Something that you are deathly afraid of: heights which makes my jumping out of a airplane hard to explain.
[ x ] If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be: A tortoise because it would out live me.
[ x ] Can you eat with chopsticks: Yep
[ x ] What's your favourite coin: Any one I can spend.
[ x ] What are 5 cities you wouldn't mind relocating to: Amsterdam, London, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver.
[ x ] What are some of your favourite pig out foods: A bowl of clam dip made from cream cheese and Ruffles potato chips.
[ x ] What's something that you wish people would understand: That if you hate someone because their religion is not the same as yours, then you are missing the point.
[ x ] What's something you wish you could understand better: Organic Chemistry. I took it three times before I passed and that was only because the class was graded on the curve.
[ x ] Anyone you miss that you haven't seen in a long time: Yes
[ x ] What's one thing you want to make happen for tomorrow: War over, Bush out.

Where Does The Soul Reside?

I am reading a book called STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. In chapter eight she talks about the 4,000 year-old "seat-of-the-soul debate." The Egyptians believed the soul (ki) was in the heart. The Babylonians believed the soul was in the liver. The Greek believed the "vital force" soul lived in the heart while the "rational" soul was in the brain. Scientists during the Renaissance decided the soul resided in the first organ to develop in the fetus. One philosopher, trying to answer the which came first the heart or the liver question, dissected a one-month-old fetus, got the answer wrong, and said the liver developed before the heart. In 1761 English physician Robert Whytt, after doing experiments on chickens (don't ask), decided that the soul did not rest in one area of the body but was "diffused throughout." Which jibes with the Asian philosophy of Chi.

Then there was Thomas Edison who believed that, "living beings were animated and controlled by 'life units,' smaller-than-microscopic entities that inhabited each and every cell and, upon death, evacuated the premises, floated around awhile, and eventually to reassembled to animate a new personality..."

O...K.

Right now the medical community pretty much believes the brain is the seat of the soul. I myself believe the soul is diffused throughout the body. But all of this discussion has brought up another question for me. Is a person's personality really the soul shining through?

Something I Never Thought I Would Be Writing About

Picked-up Duke from the vet this morning and he seems to be doing fine. One thing I noticed after I got him back is that when they did the surgery they shaved his genitals. Now I know where guys get the idea that shaving "down there" makes their "johnson" look bigger. His definitely looks larger.

And the only reason I'm even looking is because the vet said to check for swelling, redness, or discharge at the surgery site for the next few days.

I'm Tired

Yesterday we drove back from Denver after spending a long weekend up in the mountains. This morning I drove Duke to the vet to get "tutored." This afternoon the vet called to say Duke is doing fine.

Right now I am so tired I am in that spacey zoned out state of mind that you reach whenever you have done too much in too little of a time frame. I do have things to write about; the weekend, the bears I saw, the 103 year-old man I met who is still pissed because the FAA took his pilot's license away two years ago, the 80 year-old woman I met who's face I could not take my eyes off of because it was so beautiful, the blizzard over Cameron Pass, the old Elitch theater, the old Elitch's Carousel House, our town's tornado safety plan for the high school, a dream I had, and the fact that I will likely have to find a new template for my blog because something Blogger did screwed mine up. Blogger is pretty much saying it is my problem not theirs. Bastards.

But not today. I'm just too tired.

Update
Well, I managed to fix the template problem by myself. I had a brainstorm and went to my settings and changed the number of days showing on main page from 7 to 10 and then republished. This seems to have fixed whatever was going on.

Quote Of The Day

Michael Jackson's lawyer said Tuesday that the pop star is going to be more careful from now on and not let children into his bed anymore because "it makes him vulnerable to false charges."
-AP

So...he still doesn't think it's wrong...he just doesn't want to get in trouble for doing it.

Still, Still Celebrating

Went to the 80th birthday party for a friend's father this weekend. Two statements overheard before and during the party worth repeating:

1. Said by my husband while he and eight other people where hanging tarps over the party area:

"There are too many people educated beyond their natural intelligence helping out right now."

2. One of the deserts was a wonderful homemake carrot cake:

Me: "That carrot cake was great."
Cowboy standing next to me: "I didn't get any and I told my wife that I would eat at least one vegetable while I was here."

Still Celebrating

But I thought I would share an entry about writing that I found at Changing Places.
(Scroll to top of page)

Not Blogging Today

And unlike other times that I have not blogged I don't feel a bit guilty. It's my birhday so I'm taking the day off. :)

What The Hell Were They Thinking?

A Canada resident who arrived at a Maine crossing with weapons and a bloody chain saw was allowed to enter the U.S.
-Denver Post June, 8 ,2005

Oh, wait, it's Ok. He's white, can speak English and is not willing to work at a low paying job that most Americans would not touch with a ten foot pole.

Stand Back!

We just purchased a 19" Samsung SyncMaster 930B LCD monitor. We are replacing an old 17"(which really only measures 16" across) flat screen CRT monitor. The difference in size between the two monitors is so great I feel like I have to sit so far away from the screen that I can no longer reach the keyboard. This will be all that I type today.


(I forgot to mention that NiC's photos are outstanding on the new screen.)

Is Tom Cruise Loosing it? Not Completely

Lots of talk about Tom Cruise this month after his appearance on Oprah, his criticism of Brook Shields, and his complaint that ""the psychs are putting everyone on drugs."

I must say his behavior on Oprah was disturbingly similar to the behavior of his character (Frank T.J. Mackey) in the movie Magnolia. Compare the movie scenes where Frank is being interviewed by the African-American women reporter with the tape of Cruise's interview with Oprah Winfrey and you will see what I mean. As for his cheap shot at Brook Shields, he can criticize her all he wants to after he goes through a postpartum depression himself. But the thought behind "the psychs are putting everyone on drugs" statement, that I can understand.

Doctors in this country are quick to give out drugs. I don't know how many times I've talked to someone with an older family member who's health has been getting worse and worse simply because that person is on so many drugs, most which were given to counteract the side effects of the drugs previously given, that it has become harmful to their over all soundness. I also think Cruise is right when he complains that doctors are quick to give children drugs. Heck, South Park did an episode about two doctors prescribing Ritalin for all the children in town after "discovering" they all had ADD.

What I don't understand is why doctors are quick to hand out drugs in the first place. Well, yes I do, it's easier to treat the symptom than to find out the cause of it. I think we should be looking at the food we are eating. Have you read the ingredients list on the packaging for most of the prepackaged food we eat? Almost all have chemicals added to them, chemicals to stop spoilage, chemicals to enhance color, chemicals to add sweetness, chemicals to add flavor, and chemicals that are thickening agents and emulsifiers. I for one get migraines when I eat or drink anything with Aspartame it and I don't take antihistamies because they make me feel wired and anxious at the same time. Who knows how our children's bodies are reacting to the chemicals that we feed them from the time they start eating solids.

Friday Random Ten

Another round of set your MP3 player on random and list the first ten that play.

1. Johnny Cash- I Walk The Line
2. Blossom Dearie- Put On A Happy Face
3. Buckwheat Zydeco- Zydeco Boogaloo
4. Dionne Warwick- Are You There (With Another Girl)
5. The Chi-Lites- Oh Girl
6. The Mamas & The Papas- Words Of Love
7. Stevie Wonder- Masterblaster (Jammin')
8. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys- Texas Playboy Rag
9. Glenn Miller- American Patrol
10. Gloria Estefan- Traces

Question

Does anyone else besides me use Google as a spell checker when nothing else is available ?

Small Town Life

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade
-from the musical South Pacific

A little while back I ran into an older woman I know at the coffee shop and I stopped to chat. The woman who manages the coffee shop was right next to us cleaning off a table as we talked. This older woman, who I have known for ten years, started telling me about a out-of-state trip she was going on that weekend. Since it was a short trip she would not be able to see all the things she wanted to see while there. She wasn't sure how she would decide which things to see and which things to pass on. Then she playfully started chanting:

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe,
Catch a nig*er...

At that point I blurted out, "Hey! Hey! Don't even use that word!"

She clapped both her hands over her mouth and then brought them down and said meekly, "I shouldn't have said that."

The other woman cleaning the table said, "That right, you have to be careful now a-days because they're everywhere. You can't say anything anymore!"

The older woman nodded in agreement and started again:

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe,
Catch a....

She stopped, searching for the next word. I said firmly, "Tiger..."

At the same instant I said tiger she said, "Monkey by the toe."

I always feel disappointed when I find out someone I think is a good person turns out to be a bigot. And I always feel insulted when someone assumes I think the same way they do just because I have the same color skin as they do.