This morning I drove to work through a rain shower. It was actually a beautiful experience. In the east the sky was just beginning to peek over the horizon casting everything a orange-gold. The clouds in the western sky were a dark indigo with flashes of lightening here and there. Some of the storm clouds were tinged a deep purple as the sun rays coming up caught the cloud just right. I watched the line of orange blending pink into indigo precede west as the marker where night was turning into a new day. The rain drops on the windshield also acted to blur all of these brilliant colors together. While I started my day in the rain, it turned into a figurative downpour quickly.
Yesterday I opened my mailbox to a grim letter from the Kansas Board of Healing Arts-- the state organization in charge of licensing physical therapists. It was informing me that I had been selected for a random audit of my self-reported continuing education hours. This meant taking the time to comply all the forms and papers, double checking dates, and faxing 18 pages to prove a few times a year I attend seminars related to PT topics. The rest of my co-workers gave me a hard time that I was getting audited already and I have only practiced a few years.
My next situation was dealing with several people in the registration department. Our patients are set up as reoccurring visits rather than one-time visits. A few days ago one of my patients was set up incorrectly, and in fact she was originally registered under her twin sister's name which caused some confusion. I tried to put in charges the day before and her account had already been discharged. We had to jump through the hoops of opening a new account and making sure all the charges were correct-- no charges are showing on my computer but someone somewhere assure me that it is correct even thought I have a blank screen.
Later I got a phone call while eating lunch that my documentation was being audited by the billing department and the billing charges were not aligning with what I wrote. As it turns out the problem was that the date was wrong. I saw then individual at 5:00pm on night so I left it on my desk to do the paperwork the following morning-- I never leave something undone for the next day. I forgot to turn the date stamp back to the previous day so my documentation was dated the wrong day. Of course more than 5 days had passed so I was locked out and couldn't make any changes. This led to a call to the Help Desk to open this file so I could change the date. I called the Help Desk 3 times over lunch and was told due to the high volume of calls a representative was not available. I have a hard time believing that everyone and their dog is calling over the lunch hour but I finally got through and explained my situation. Twenty minutes later our secretary calls me to the front desk because someone in IT wants to speak to me to verify they were opening the right account. Finally I was able to get in, change the date, and then made three follow up calls to close the account again and to have my work rechecked by the auditor. At this moment I really wished everything was still on paper because then instead of spending 30 minutes of 7 different phone calls I could simple cross out one date, write a new date, and initial the change-- if only it were that easy.
By this time I felt like I had a target on my back. My next phone call was informing me that IT was coming over to replace several computers in the office so I wouldn't be able to work on mine the rest of the afternoon. Wonderful, just throw the computer out the window for good. As it turns out they didn't get around to mine and are unsure if it really needs replaced or not but will be back tomorrow to work on it. Can't wait. Throughout this day I did somehow manage to see a few patients too. I do love my job but hopefully tomorrow is the calm after the storm. Omnia Vincit Amor.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Keep Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'
Saturday morning the alarm went off at 5am and Arthur wasn't happy. His reasons were as follows: 1. the alarm usually goes off at 6am so he should still have an hour to sleep. 2. It was Saturday and therefore he should get to sleep in later than usual. At this point I think he started mumbling things about his wife under his breath. We had to get up so we could drive to Newton since we had signed up again for the MCC Flatlander. For some reason all physical activity that requires him to get out of bed on a weekend is his wife's fault, especially with the foggy mental processing that the 5am hour brings. As his wife I will admit that usually it is my idea to do activities that require an early start. However this year Arthur even made sure his weekend plans allowed this weekend to be open so he could ride his bike. Spirits probably weren't increased as he then had to go out in the dark morning and try to put the bike rack and bikes on the back of the car. I know that from past experience Arthur's cloudy disposition clears up once the sun comes up or when he gets started with whatever crazy athletic event I "signed" him up for. Actually the time I have seen Arthur in best spirits was when he had to wake up at 5am so he could drive me and my brother to the drop off point for a half marathon. He was chipper that at least he wasn't running so getting up early wasn't too bad. On Saturday we picked up my cousin Eleanor and her bike (since our anniversary present to each other this year was a bike rack that can carry 3 bikes). My aunt asked if Arthur wanted anything for breakfast, or more so 2nd breakfast since he ate Cheerios at home. She whipped him up some peanut butter and toast with a few sausage patties and he was a completely different man, almost excited to get to ride his bike. Thanks Aunt Shari.
The MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Flatlander is a bike ride that raises money for water projects in 3rd world countries. This year the donations were going towards a farming community in Tanzania for clean drinking water as well as crop irrigation. Last year we did the 65 mile route and I think it was one of the toughest things I have ever done. I wasn't too excited for that so I decided to invite a few friends who do some biking but have never participated in an organized ride to join me on the 35 mile loop. Arthur, being a manly man, opted for the 65 miler again. All week it had been terribly hot and windy so I had been concerned that the conditions for the ride might be miserable. However Saturday was absolutely perfect. No noticeable wind which correlates to a moderate breeze on a bike and much cooler temperatures. The ride started with over a hundred riders so we quickly lost Arthur in the sea of spandex and bright neon green. Our group of gals held up the back of the pack pretty well. Hillary and I used to ride about 20 miles together one day each summer. Eleanor has just recently taken up biking since an injury has kept her from running which is truly her first love. Rachel purchased a bike a few years ago and cruises around her city's bike paths on occasion. We made it through the first 8 miles to the SAG stop well and climbed over the only "hills" on the ride which was an overpass by the interstate. I must admit that riding with this group was rather refreshing. We chatted as we rode discussing work, lives, the scenery, etc. We even stopped a few times to stretch our legs in between official SAG stops. At the SAGs we weren't in any hurry to get back on the road but enjoyed the cookies and made small talk with the volunteers. It was considerably laid back compared to riding with Arthur.
Meanwhile Arthur was pedal to the metal flying down the back country roads. I was a little concerned about him doing the 65 miles by himself since Arthur has some issues with navigation. Since being married I don't remember a time when he's gone off on an adventure to an unfamiliar area such as hiking trails or a bike ride without me. He tends to be very focused on what he is doing and I was afraid he wasn't going to notice the little signs on the ground the size of a pizza box at each turn. He texted me at his stops to let me know where he was but never any details beyond "@4" or "SAG 5". I found out later that he did enjoy biking by himself since he didn't have to keep checking on if I was able to stay up with him or not. I also learned that at about mile 40 he started developing some knee pain with every downward stroke of the pedal. That makes for a long last 25 miles.
My group remained in good spirits throughout the ride. There was the usual "biker's butt" complaints but other than that everyone did great. The wind was slightly from the north so we had a pep talk before heading 10 miles into the wind that this was the point where the rubber hits the road. However, that was probably my favorite stretch of the ride. There was less traffic so we could ride two across which made it easier to talk. We had great conversation. Also Hillary decided we needed to do a selfie so while riding a bike she grabs her phone out of her bag and takes several great shots.
We had a wonderful time but were glad that none of the more serious bikers were around. With about 3-4 miles to go more people were mentioning that they would not be disappointed to get off the bike sooner than later. We finished the 35 miles all in one piece and I think everyone was excited to say that it was a new personal record since they had never biked over 20 miles before. We grabbed some lunch and talked about other adventures, vacations, or get-togethers we want to have. This seems to be a common topic with us, however the consensus was the next activity should involve staying inside and eating. After lunch we headed down the block to a coffee shop to hang out until Arthur finished his ride. We indulged in cinnamon rolls and the first bites were followed with a series of delighted moans. I maybe felt a little bit bad that my husband was somewhere on an uncomfortable bike seat with excruciating knee pain while I was licking the frosting off a cinnamon roll. We remarked that biking does go well with eating-- a hand full of cookies at each SAG stop with some fruit, lunch after the ride, and the cinnamon rolls to celebrate-- not too bad. Finally Arthur texted that he had finished so we headed back. Rachel and Hillary then headed off and we loaded up the bikes after Arthur ate lunch to head home. Even with his knee bothering him Arthur reported that he had a wonderful time and was glad that I "made him get out of bed" to ride his bike. He enjoyed the quiet personal time, pushing himself to the limits, and zen-like state of being able to focus his mind and body on his task. I had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful countryside since fall is one of my favorite times to bike, sharing a new experience with friends, going at a comfortable pace without my legs cramping or burning, and having wonderful fellowship while tooling around on a bike. It is interesting that we enjoyed the "same thing" for very different reason and had different experiences. I love that in our marriage we have a great time doing things together- hiking, walking, biking, traveling. However this was a great opportunity where we did our own thing and had a better time than if we had been together. Omni Vincit Amor.
My group remained in good spirits throughout the ride. There was the usual "biker's butt" complaints but other than that everyone did great. The wind was slightly from the north so we had a pep talk before heading 10 miles into the wind that this was the point where the rubber hits the road. However, that was probably my favorite stretch of the ride. There was less traffic so we could ride two across which made it easier to talk. We had great conversation. Also Hillary decided we needed to do a selfie so while riding a bike she grabs her phone out of her bag and takes several great shots.
Friday, September 18, 2015
FAQ for a PT
I generally don't share much about work since work and social media just don't seem like a good idea together. However, I spend a lot of time at work and being a physical therapist is part of my identity so occasionally I will share about work. I have had some recent events at work that would make for great/funny blog posts (ask about them if you see me in person) but I'm going to stick to a more general theme. I work with between 12-14 people every day so I feel like I often get asked the same thing over and over by each patient. Here's my list:
1. How long have you worked here?
At first I thought all therapists get this question on a regular basis but I realized that for more experienced or older PTs they hardly ever get asked this. A patient asks this question when they have some concerns about the experience of their PT and whether or not they are in good hands. When I first started it probably unnerved a few patients if I was truthful and told them I had had the job 10 days. I tried to reassure them that I did have 7 years of prior experience and had seen 7 or 23 or 52 patients with their diagnosis. Now I can say I have a little more than 2 years experience and I don't seem to get the deer in the headlights look anymore. Actually this question is becoming more infrequent probably since I actually look like I know what I am doing now.
2. How long did you go to school for this?
I feel that patients ask this question not because they want to be reassured that I am knowledgeable and skilled but more so that I sometimes get confused for a high school student. On my last birthday a few patients believed it when someone said that I was celebrating turning 18 years old. When I answer this question with "7 years" people often comment that it takes almost as long to become a doctor. I then explain that I actually earned a doctorate. Their next question is ,"Why do you have to have a doctorate to watch someone do exercise?" It's a little more than that but I don't go into it all.
3. What do you think about chiropractors?
I am usually very politically correct and vague with my answer to this question.
4. You'll heal me by next week, right?
My response: I probably won't heal you by then but hopefully you will feel better. After all you have had pain for 6 months, 2 years, etc before deciding to come see us so it might take a little bit of time to correct the problem. I then point out that I don't "heal anyone" but provide the education and the tools such as exercises and then it is up to them to do it at home. Soap box here: So many people want a quick fix or someone else to solve their problems. Putting the responsibility of the patient's health on them is often a new concept.
5. Why does my knee still hurt?
This question usually comes from a patient who has had a total knee replacement about 3 weeks ago. My answer-- you just had major surgery, it's going to hurt. For up to 6 months. They used a saw to cut off your bone, pounded a metal rod into the bone, and just put 30 staples in your skin. It takes some time before it feels better.
6. How many repetitions of the exercise did you tell me to do?
Usually my answer is 20. Depending on my mood if someone keeps asking a lot I will add 5 more to my response than I originally told them. I will admit that a lot of times I forget to tell someone how many to do because it is clearly written on my sheet of paper so they just ought to know by reading my mind.
7. Were you counting?
Chances are no. I don't count but rely on being good at rough estimates. If my job was about making sure I counted every exercise I would hate it and I would probably get fired because I really stink at counting correctly, 1, 2, 3, 13, 14, 14, 14-- it just doesn't work well.
8. Are you married?
Yes. We have been married two years. We met while we were in college. My husband is an electrical engineer so I don't really know what he does.
9. Do you have kids?
No, we have only been married two years. Right now we are just having a lot of fun spending time together.
10. When are you going to have kids?
Maybe someday. Arthur informs me that no one at his work ever asks about if someone has or is going to have kids. I'm pretty sure I get this question 2-3 times a day. My favorite series of questions from one patient went like this: Do you have kids? No. Then, are you married? Yes. Really, how old are you? She also thought I was 18. Generally if I think someone is 18 I don't start by asking them if they have kids.
12. How did you come up with this exercise?
The smart-aleck in me comes out with this question: Oh, I couldn't sleep last night so I laid awake thinking of all the most difficult and outrageous thing a person can do with theraband to strengthen their shoulder and this is what I came up with.
11. Do you love torturing people?
It really depends on the person. Most people I want to help get better so I try to push them enough that they meet their goals. I do love watching people get better and return to normal daily life and sometimes what it takes to get there may look a little like torture but it is only temporary.
12. Do I have to do the exercises at home?
Yes!! Coming to PT twice a week for 30 minutes isn't going to be enough to correct the bad habits such as poor posture you do 12 hours a day every day. (See questions 4) You have to do the exercises at home faithfully. For forever (I like to say this just like from the movie Sandlot-- see clip. The problem is that most of my patients did not grow up in the 90s with Sandlot as part of their heritage so they are lost on this reference.) Omnia Vincit Amor.
1. How long have you worked here?
At first I thought all therapists get this question on a regular basis but I realized that for more experienced or older PTs they hardly ever get asked this. A patient asks this question when they have some concerns about the experience of their PT and whether or not they are in good hands. When I first started it probably unnerved a few patients if I was truthful and told them I had had the job 10 days. I tried to reassure them that I did have 7 years of prior experience and had seen 7 or 23 or 52 patients with their diagnosis. Now I can say I have a little more than 2 years experience and I don't seem to get the deer in the headlights look anymore. Actually this question is becoming more infrequent probably since I actually look like I know what I am doing now.
2. How long did you go to school for this?
I feel that patients ask this question not because they want to be reassured that I am knowledgeable and skilled but more so that I sometimes get confused for a high school student. On my last birthday a few patients believed it when someone said that I was celebrating turning 18 years old. When I answer this question with "7 years" people often comment that it takes almost as long to become a doctor. I then explain that I actually earned a doctorate. Their next question is ,"Why do you have to have a doctorate to watch someone do exercise?" It's a little more than that but I don't go into it all.
3. What do you think about chiropractors?
I am usually very politically correct and vague with my answer to this question.
4. You'll heal me by next week, right?
My response: I probably won't heal you by then but hopefully you will feel better. After all you have had pain for 6 months, 2 years, etc before deciding to come see us so it might take a little bit of time to correct the problem. I then point out that I don't "heal anyone" but provide the education and the tools such as exercises and then it is up to them to do it at home. Soap box here: So many people want a quick fix or someone else to solve their problems. Putting the responsibility of the patient's health on them is often a new concept.
5. Why does my knee still hurt?
This question usually comes from a patient who has had a total knee replacement about 3 weeks ago. My answer-- you just had major surgery, it's going to hurt. For up to 6 months. They used a saw to cut off your bone, pounded a metal rod into the bone, and just put 30 staples in your skin. It takes some time before it feels better.
6. How many repetitions of the exercise did you tell me to do?
Usually my answer is 20. Depending on my mood if someone keeps asking a lot I will add 5 more to my response than I originally told them. I will admit that a lot of times I forget to tell someone how many to do because it is clearly written on my sheet of paper so they just ought to know by reading my mind.
7. Were you counting?
Chances are no. I don't count but rely on being good at rough estimates. If my job was about making sure I counted every exercise I would hate it and I would probably get fired because I really stink at counting correctly, 1, 2, 3, 13, 14, 14, 14-- it just doesn't work well.
8. Are you married?
Yes. We have been married two years. We met while we were in college. My husband is an electrical engineer so I don't really know what he does.
9. Do you have kids?
No, we have only been married two years. Right now we are just having a lot of fun spending time together.
10. When are you going to have kids?
Maybe someday. Arthur informs me that no one at his work ever asks about if someone has or is going to have kids. I'm pretty sure I get this question 2-3 times a day. My favorite series of questions from one patient went like this: Do you have kids? No. Then, are you married? Yes. Really, how old are you? She also thought I was 18. Generally if I think someone is 18 I don't start by asking them if they have kids.
12. How did you come up with this exercise?
The smart-aleck in me comes out with this question: Oh, I couldn't sleep last night so I laid awake thinking of all the most difficult and outrageous thing a person can do with theraband to strengthen their shoulder and this is what I came up with.
11. Do you love torturing people?
It really depends on the person. Most people I want to help get better so I try to push them enough that they meet their goals. I do love watching people get better and return to normal daily life and sometimes what it takes to get there may look a little like torture but it is only temporary.
12. Do I have to do the exercises at home?
Yes!! Coming to PT twice a week for 30 minutes isn't going to be enough to correct the bad habits such as poor posture you do 12 hours a day every day. (See questions 4) You have to do the exercises at home faithfully. For forever (I like to say this just like from the movie Sandlot-- see clip. The problem is that most of my patients did not grow up in the 90s with Sandlot as part of their heritage so they are lost on this reference.) Omnia Vincit Amor.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Our State Fair is the Best State Fair
Since Arthur was out of town, I decided to round up a group of my friends to go with me. My friends Rachel and Delores live in Hutchinson and are experts in fair going. They knew the best stands for funnel cake and other foods and which shows or exhibits were worth our time since we were on a tight schedule. I picked up Hillary on the way and we arrived in Hutch at 9am to be the crowds. Also we wanted to make sure to see the miniature donkey and draft horse shows. There wasn't a huge crowd at the fair grounds yet so we made a beeline to the Pride of Kansas Building which is always a zoo. If any building on the fair grounds is the epitome of what the state fair is it is the Kansas Building. Here we ooohed and aaaahed over the butter sculpture, were amazed by the ginormous watermelon and pumpkins, and got our free recipe books from the wheat commission booth. The pumpkin this year was the largest ever for the state fair contest breaking the scale at over 1050 pounds. Rachel, Hillary, and I would go to the state fair together in elementary school and junior high. At those ages we always wanted to get as many free pencils as we could. As adults who go grocery shopping our hot items we looked for this year were reusable shopping bags.
Of course the main purpose of the fair in my book is the exhibits. We checked out the 4-H building-- my old stomping ground where I remember giving a team demonstrating at the age of 9 with my younger brother. We gave the demonstrating multiple times that day and during one no one had stopped to watch so the crowd was limited to my mother. My brother, the ham, decided to begin to ad lib which threw his stick-to-the-script sister for a loop. Other 4-H memories included bringing floral arrangements and doing horticulture judging contests. Next stop was the domestic arts building to admire the needle work, quilts, baking, cake decorating, and cookie jars. The hours put into the quilting projects baffles my mind. I also really enjoy looking at the visual arts building with the drawings, paintings, and photography. We also had our round through the birthing center to admire the brand-spanking new sheep and piglets.
When I told people at work with week I was going to the state fair some asked me why I keep going since nothing ever changes. I think that is some of the beauty of the fair--it the tradition. What would happen if all of a sudden they decided not to do the butter sculpture next year. I would want my money back. It is also amazing to see people come together from all over the state for one event. It never fails that you will run into several people you know and haven't seen for years at the state fair. What I took away from the state fair this year was that it is a celebration of craftsmanship. If you have read this blog for long you have probably heard Arthur and I go on and on about marveling over how something is made or incredible skills and talents people have with different areas of work. At the fair I saw the fine stitching to make beautiful quilts, the work of someone with a creative eye who turned normal everyday objects into art with a click of a shutter, the skills of woodworkers turning raw lumber into fine furniture (I just realized we didn't even see the chainsaw artist), or the power of a group of horses working together listening to the subtle commands from a driver. I'm sure entries at county fairs and state fairs across the country are dwindling since I don't think we value workmanship anymore. Instead we will order a bed spread online, click an Instagram shot, and put together furniture that comes in a box requiring only a screwdriver to assemble. No one seems to have the time or patience or skills to do a quality task just for the pleasure and pride of creating it with your own hands. I didn't mean to get on a soap box about that. I'm just as guilty with picking the easy way out. My challenge this week is to either appreciate something that is fine craftsmanship or even try to create a work of your own. Maybe you could even take home a ribbon at the fair next year. Omnia Vincit Amor.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
It was a beautiful evening this Friday and finally felt like fall since it was considerably cooler after storms the previous night. After I got home from work I decided to lace up my running shoes since this weather can't be wasted sitting inside. None of my normal running routes sounded intriguing to me so I headed to the cemetery since I hadn't run there for a long time and it is one of my favorite fall running spots. I was on my second loop around the cemetery lost in the thoughts of my head from the week and the silence and stillness of this hallowed place when all of a sudden I see a gray flash scamper across the ground. I had see several squirrels and rabbits about earlier but this seemed different-- and larger. It had ducked into a culvert with just its nose sticking out and I couldn't quite tell what it was. As I got closer it would edge back into the culvert out of sight. I decided to hide behind the trunk of a tree about ten feet away from the culvert and wait to see if he would come out again since I was pretty curious. Finally it decided to stick its head out and sure enough it wasn't a rabbit or a squirrel. But I had no idea what this creature really was. It wasn't a raccoon or badger, a mole or a vole, a prairie dog or a beaver. I'm in Kansas so marmot was marked of the list. It had a gray-brown coat with little tiny ears and looked to be just a touch smaller than a raccoon. It finally crawled out and sat taking in the surroundings carefully. At this point Verizon decided it would be a good time to text me about upgrading my phone-- luckily it didn't seem frightened by the commotion even though it is terrible to get text messages while scouting unknown wildlife. I stood behind the tree watching it for several minutes. It didn't get far away from the culvert but it did stand up on its back legs and sniff the area several times-- probably a little confused by the nearby ceder smelled strongly of sweat. Eventually we both got bored and moved on. Since I couldn't ask the creature, "Hey what kind of large rodent are you," I headed home for the assistance of Google images.
And wouldn't you know, there was this creature's pictures under woodchuck and groundhogs. I sure didn't know we had woodchucks in Kansas so I had to delve into further research by turning to Wikipedia. Woodchucks and groundhogs are the same thing and related to marmots. Their territory extends from the East Coast just into eastern Kansas. This woodchuck must be a pioneer heading westward to reunite with its marmot cousins. Wikipedia also had a section on woodchucks and human interactions and I just loved this paragraph...
It makes me chuckle to think about legislatures debating what to do about woodchucks. However it does seem that the legislature in this case was at least able to agree on what to do and stand with a united front against the wayward sinners of woodchucks. I also love the strong language which was used in this piece against such a small, furry rodent.
With my new found knowledge about woodchucks and actually seeing one which seems to be fairly uncommon in this part of the state I had to alert Arthur that our town is now in danger of woodchucks. I saw a coyote once in town and found that slightly distressing too. Then there was the time I was running and saw a large dark shadowy creature cross the road a few blocks in front of me which was also disconcerting. It turned out to be a peacock. I'm just not sure we are safe with all of this wildlife running about in our quaint town. However, stalking this wood chuck was a good excuse for me to pause my run and take a breather. Omnia Vincit Amor.
A report in 1883 by the New Hampshire Legislative Woodchuck Committee illustrates the attitude of some people toward this animal. In part this report stated "The woodchuck, despite its deformities both of mind and body, possesses some of the amenities of a higher civilization. It cleans its face after the manner of squirrels, and licks its fur after the manner of a cat. Your committee is too wise, however, to be deceived by this purely superficial observance of better habits. Contemporaneous with the ark, the woodchuck has not made any material progress in social science, and it is now too late to reform the wayward sinner. The average age of the woodchuck is too long to please your committee...The woodchuck is not only a nuisance, but also a bore. It burrows beneath the soil, and then chuckles to see a mowing machine, man and all, slump into one of these holes and disappear...Your committee is confident that a small bounty will prove of incalculable good at all vents, even as an experiment , it is certainly worth trying; therefore your committee would respectfully recommend that the accompanying bill be passed.
It makes me chuckle to think about legislatures debating what to do about woodchucks. However it does seem that the legislature in this case was at least able to agree on what to do and stand with a united front against the wayward sinners of woodchucks. I also love the strong language which was used in this piece against such a small, furry rodent.
With my new found knowledge about woodchucks and actually seeing one which seems to be fairly uncommon in this part of the state I had to alert Arthur that our town is now in danger of woodchucks. I saw a coyote once in town and found that slightly distressing too. Then there was the time I was running and saw a large dark shadowy creature cross the road a few blocks in front of me which was also disconcerting. It turned out to be a peacock. I'm just not sure we are safe with all of this wildlife running about in our quaint town. However, stalking this wood chuck was a good excuse for me to pause my run and take a breather. Omnia Vincit Amor.
Friday, September 11, 2015
French cooking
It must be another slow news week around our place because the only thing I can think to blog about is a new recipe I tried. Yet again I am confounded by how much blogging I do about my cooking. It's been a goal of mine this year to try a new recipe once a month. Lately I have seemed to be on a European kick with Greek gyros and Italian spaghetti. This week I was going to try Swedish pancakes but went a French crepe recipe instead. I don't think there is much difference except that the crepes didn't have sugar and the Swedish pancakes tend to be sweeter- so we will have to try that sometime. Of course if you are trying any French cooking you might as well go to the top to figure out what in the world you are doing. Therefore my next step was to pull up all of Julia Childs' The French Chef video on YouTube about crepes-- there are several. The video is 30 minutes long but watch about the first 2 minutes-- everyone needs a little Julia once in a while.
I think the only time I have eaten crepes was actually while I was in South Africa. In Afrikaans (the South African language with Dutch roots) they are pannekoeks (pancakes). I was told one day that we were going to a pancake house for lunch so I was getting psyched up for an IHOP type experience but was a little surprised when my pancake had meat, cheese, and veggies in it-- not what this Kansas girl was expecting. Anyway, my crepe experience is very limited but I was up for a challenge. In all actuality the crepes weren't a challenge at all. I mixed up the batter, poured it on the skillet, and was anxious about flipping a paper-thin objects that would likely disintegrate in mid flip. It flipped right over without any hitch. Now I will admit I didn't flip it with just my wrist like Mrs. Childs so expertly demonstrates-- we will have to try our hand at that next time. For fillings we did eggs, bacon, and cheese; nutella and peanut butter; peanut butter and bananas; and yogurt with pomegranate. I love that Julia mentions right away that the main purpose of crepes is to dress up leftovers-- finally a practical French idea. (Of course Julia's leftovers consisted of lobster meat- that sure isn't the leftovers I find hidden behind the milk in my fridge.) Crepes are thin and don't have a lot of substance to them. The batch made about 8-9 crepes so we ended up eating them all. I regretted this idea half way through my last crepe. I'm "tiny" as my husband says and it is a terrible idea for me to try to eat more when I am full but I did. How could I let fancy French food go to waste? I spent the rest of the evening curled up in the fetal position moaning-- not quite but I felt like it I was so full. Arthur was probably rummaging through the cupboards 30 minutes later looking for a snack since he just ate 5 flimsy French pastries. In my internet search I came across all kinds of delightful looking recipes for dessert crepes with chocolate, whip cream, and fruit--- we will have to try some of those ideas out now that I am a beginning French chef. Bon Appetit and Omnia Vincit Amor.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Staying up to speed in a techno world
We grew up in the computer age. I never remember not having a computer at home. A majority of Arthur's job is programming computers. However this summer it became clear that something needed to be done with our technology situation. We were in denial so we ran off the the backwoods and went backpacking without any technology- no plug-ins to charge anything, no showers or flushing toilets, etc. When we got back one night I saw Arthur sitting with his chair 3 feet from the TV. I asked him what was going on and the wireless with his work computer is not working with our network any more so he has to plug into the internet. Now we are use to working around minor technology issues. My laptop I got my freshman year of college is now 9 years old. It still works-- kind of. I have learned that if I want to use the internet I need to turn my computer on 30 minutes ahead of time to let it warm up. And sometimes it is just slow the entire evening. I like to think of it as a good exercise in patience. Technically I was going to replace my laptop when I finished grad school. But then we got married and didn't really have any money plus I wasn't using it nearly as much any more. And then we decided to pay off student loans before upgrading. And then we decided a TV from this millennium might be nice so we replaced the TV that was 20 years old instead. But finally we bit the bullet and ordered new computer.
It's not quite a love-hate relationship right now but almost. I love that it takes 5 seconds to boot up which is nice if I need to look up a recipe fore supper. It can also download 5 audiobooks in the time it used to do 1 and without errors which is nice. However I am still a Windows XP user and all of a sudden I get bumped to Windows 10 and I feel ancient and confused. Since when is Word an app? What happened to Media Player. Outlook doesn't really exist anymore. Suddenly all my skills from high school computer class are obsolete. For those readers in an older generation I know this seems funny. I know that you are thinking, "Take that you young whippersnapper, now you know how it feels for the world to suddenly move on and leave you in the dust." I know, but this really is my first experience with becoming "outdated" and I am not handling it well. I am beginning to sound like my mother, muttering under my breath, "You stupid thing" when I can seem to run the touch screen right, "Stop it, stop it" when programs keep popping up uninvited because I am inadvertently telling the computer to do it but I have no clue why., "Confound it you silly machine" when I can't find the program that I want to edit pictures in because the program I know and love is no longer used. (Even while writing this post my computer kept flipping to web cam mode and I kept making irate grunting noises-- Arthur was a little concerned) And then there is the world of the cloud and syncing devices. Neither Arthur or I have smart phones. Actually my little flip phone is over 5 years old as well and after this experience I think I just might stock up on 10 flip phones and hopefully that will hold me over so I never have to upgrade to a smart phone for the next 50 years of my life. I have an iPod touch which has wifi capabilities. However I try to avoid using the internet on it at all costs since anytime it connects to the internet it loses my place in my audiobook and we can't risk that in the middle of listening to 20 hours of Great Expectations.
I have also faced the struggle of 'moving' the past 9 years of my life from one location to another. This is supposed to be relatively easy if you backup your computer regularly on an external hard drive. The last time I backed up my computer was about a year ago but the process of checking all those files almost made it explode so I have stopped. All through college and grad school I used Outlook for email and my calendar. Now Windows has made it obsolete. What am I going to do with all those digital memories? Arthur and I sent emails back and forth for three years and I can't lose those. I have emails from friends and family, like a quick note from my grandma who has now passed away. My college schedule to remind me of terrible finals weeks, fun activities with friends, and the mundane college stuff that I have forgotten about until I flip back through the calendar and stroll down memory lane. I will be the first to admit I can be sentimental about something that holds a memory. While none of these things are necessary to keep I don't want those pieces to be lost in the cyberspace forever.
Okay, so I'll take a breath and stop ranting. The new laptop also means a chance to learn new things which I am all about (if I don't have to learn too abruptly). Now I can listen to podcasts about any subject I want while working in the kitchen, watch TED talks about cutting edge ideas without my computer freezing, and quickly swipe through Pinterest with the touchscreen to look for new ideas around the house. Arthur has helped me rework our Excel spreadsheet for the budget to make it track expenses easily. I'm working on learning to use Evernote to organize our digital lives (if only our real life was already organized). I also even made some updates to this blog. Now all of the posts are label by topics. If someone is every extremely bored and wants to read all of our past posts about taking trips to Sonic it is now possible. On the right hand of the screen there is a cluster of all the topics and by clicking on one it will pull up all those posts with that label. I don't know if it will be at all useful for us but I do use the feature when reading other blogs quite a bit. And now we might even blog more frequently since this computer will type at a speed much faster than chiseling into stone like my old, but well loved, computer did. Omnia Vincit Amor.
It's not quite a love-hate relationship right now but almost. I love that it takes 5 seconds to boot up which is nice if I need to look up a recipe fore supper. It can also download 5 audiobooks in the time it used to do 1 and without errors which is nice. However I am still a Windows XP user and all of a sudden I get bumped to Windows 10 and I feel ancient and confused. Since when is Word an app? What happened to Media Player. Outlook doesn't really exist anymore. Suddenly all my skills from high school computer class are obsolete. For those readers in an older generation I know this seems funny. I know that you are thinking, "Take that you young whippersnapper, now you know how it feels for the world to suddenly move on and leave you in the dust." I know, but this really is my first experience with becoming "outdated" and I am not handling it well. I am beginning to sound like my mother, muttering under my breath, "You stupid thing" when I can seem to run the touch screen right, "Stop it, stop it" when programs keep popping up uninvited because I am inadvertently telling the computer to do it but I have no clue why., "Confound it you silly machine" when I can't find the program that I want to edit pictures in because the program I know and love is no longer used. (Even while writing this post my computer kept flipping to web cam mode and I kept making irate grunting noises-- Arthur was a little concerned) And then there is the world of the cloud and syncing devices. Neither Arthur or I have smart phones. Actually my little flip phone is over 5 years old as well and after this experience I think I just might stock up on 10 flip phones and hopefully that will hold me over so I never have to upgrade to a smart phone for the next 50 years of my life. I have an iPod touch which has wifi capabilities. However I try to avoid using the internet on it at all costs since anytime it connects to the internet it loses my place in my audiobook and we can't risk that in the middle of listening to 20 hours of Great Expectations.
I have also faced the struggle of 'moving' the past 9 years of my life from one location to another. This is supposed to be relatively easy if you backup your computer regularly on an external hard drive. The last time I backed up my computer was about a year ago but the process of checking all those files almost made it explode so I have stopped. All through college and grad school I used Outlook for email and my calendar. Now Windows has made it obsolete. What am I going to do with all those digital memories? Arthur and I sent emails back and forth for three years and I can't lose those. I have emails from friends and family, like a quick note from my grandma who has now passed away. My college schedule to remind me of terrible finals weeks, fun activities with friends, and the mundane college stuff that I have forgotten about until I flip back through the calendar and stroll down memory lane. I will be the first to admit I can be sentimental about something that holds a memory. While none of these things are necessary to keep I don't want those pieces to be lost in the cyberspace forever.
 |
| Since my computer decided to take these unflattering photos without permission I might as well use them as pictorial evidence of my frustration. |
Monday, September 7, 2015
Celebrating Transition
It's Labor Day weekend-- the "official" start to fall. Or at least the official day when you are no longer suppose to wear white as part of your fall wardrobe. For some fall begins with the beginning of school. Others are more literal and the first day of fall is the equinox, September 23. For us this weekend was a celebration of a wonderful summer and a little bit of a kickoff for fall.
Thursday evening Arthur was helping me unload groceries and probably had another moment when he
thought his wife had lost it as he put away a jar of artichoke hearts. I'm sure that many things I do puzzles a logical guy like Arthur but he rarely asks questions but continues on with the task--putting away the groceries. I have never purchased artichoke hearts before and frankly wasn't even sure where to look for them in the store. However I found a recipe for spinach artichoke pizza and thought I would give it a whirl. I have fallen off the band wagon with our tradition of Friday night pizza and we have switched more to Waffle Wednesdays. However pizza is just too wonderful not to eat once a week. My hang up has really been remembering to make the dough for the crust the night before. (To all those grammarians out there-- sorry for the dangling preposition but a blog is suppose to reflect your style and personality in writing and it is not my style as well as more effort to change the sentence to ...the evening prior to making pizza.) I also baked the pizza in our large cast iron skillet for the first time. It was delicious and since I only used half the jar of artichokes we will be repeating this recipe again soon.
Saturday I bounced up and down beside Arthur to wake him up at about 6:45am. It was time to go outside and play, after all I am part border collie and need to be exercised daily. We wanted to get an early start for our bike ride to beat the heat and wind if possible. We rode about 10 miles into a south wind. No matter the wind speed it always feels like a strong wind while biking. Arthur can power through the wind since his legs are the size of tree trunks. I on the other hand might have been faster running my bike up the hills. My bike was in the lowest gear possible and my legs were chugging and churning. Finally we turned the corner out of the wind. It was another great late summer morning. There was the orchestra with the crickets and cicadas and the ditches were full of sunflowers. On our way back we had 10 miles with the wind at our backs and the road was smooth after being freshly repaved. We just flew through this section and one of the great thrills in life is to effortlessly fly up
and down hills on a bike. We did get stopped by a train carrying bases of wind turbine towers. Once again, these look massive up close and especially in great quantities-- the train was carrying about one hundred. As we were returning we saw a different train-- the local steam engine that runs on weekends taking people on excursions to a nearby town. This Saturday they were using the steam engine-- the only functioning steam engine in Kansas instead of the regular diesel engine. On these tracks we saw future technology in the form of wind turbines as well as a glance at yesteryear with the steam engine. (This is actually one of the only weekends we have been in town all summer and it is fun to hear the old train whistle before the trains head out on the weekends.) After our ride I was tuckered out and decided to curl up for a nap-- just like a good border collie.
Labor Day weekend also marks the start of a very important time of year around our home-- football season. We headed off to the K-State game on Saturday afternoon. We were tailgating with our church before hand. We had the normal burgers and hot dogs fare which was great but there was homemade ice cream to top it all off which really hit the spot on a hot and humid afternoon. We enjoyed catching up with friends and hearing the tales of what coming to a K-State football game used to be like back in the day. Luckily, Arthur and I we have lived almost solely in the Bill Snyder era-- except, sadly, for the years we were actually in college during the Ron Prince stint. The first game of the season is always exciting but this year they had recently updated the north end zone and the Vanier complex. In college I worked with the football team for a semester so I spent a lot of afternoons in the old Vanier. Even seven or eight years ago it seemed very nice compared to the other facilities I worked in one campus but the new facility seems out of this world. The other excitement was introducing Bill Snyder as a inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame. Only 4 coaches have been inducted while they are still coaching. The stadium was ecstatic for Coach Snyder about this. And then the game began. With a 100 yard kick off return for a touchdown. Not a bad way to start the season. Overall the game was pretty good-- there were ups and downs such as the starting quarterback suffering a season-ending injury on the first offensive play of the game. Of course the replacement quarterback, Joe Hubener has never started a game as a quarter back at any level (he was a wide receiver in high school)-- this will probably change this upcoming week. Arthur's take on the game: As always it is difficult to evaluate a team based on their performance against an FCS school. There are a lot of things to be hopeful about and we now that Coach Snyder will always put the team in the best position to win. So besides football the band was great with some neat marching formations at half time and there was a post game fireworks show which was delightful-- I love fireworks.
All summer we have wanted to go back to the drive-in movies since it was so much fun last year. This weekend there was a triple feature and we didn't think we could pass that up. The drive-in is in Kanopolis, a small town of about 500. I think the number of people in the town doubles when a movie is showing. It was a beautiful night with a gorgeous sunset. Kids were running and playing, adults sitting and chatting waiting for it to get dark enough to start the movie. One couple came in a red convertible-- the perfect drive in movie car. The first film was Shaun the Sheep. The interesting thing about this movie is there was no dialogue. The movie was a lot of fun and the creative animation completely made up for any lack of words. It is a story about a sheep who is tired of the grind of farm living and just wants a day off. He steps up some plans that go hay-wire and the farmer ends up in The Big City with memory loss. The sheep soon realize that they can't make it without the farmer so they head to The Big City to find him and bring him home. Pixar's Inside Out was the next movie and we had been waiting all summer to watch it. The basic story line is about the emotions-- Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness-- that live in an 11 year old's brain. It was insightful, funny, and very well written. I would venture to say it is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. This movie spurred an hour long conversation with Arthur and I on the way home and it would be a great way to open up conversations with kids about feelings. It was also kind of Psych 101 too. We didn't stay for the 3rd movie since it was already 1am by the time we got home. We both thought this was one of the best date nights we have had recently. We also decided there needs to be a sequel to Inside Out about the emotions of a college student because when Love is added to the mix with Joy, Sadness, etc it becomes a whole different story. Omnia Vincit Amor.
Thursday evening Arthur was helping me unload groceries and probably had another moment when he
Saturday I bounced up and down beside Arthur to wake him up at about 6:45am. It was time to go outside and play, after all I am part border collie and need to be exercised daily. We wanted to get an early start for our bike ride to beat the heat and wind if possible. We rode about 10 miles into a south wind. No matter the wind speed it always feels like a strong wind while biking. Arthur can power through the wind since his legs are the size of tree trunks. I on the other hand might have been faster running my bike up the hills. My bike was in the lowest gear possible and my legs were chugging and churning. Finally we turned the corner out of the wind. It was another great late summer morning. There was the orchestra with the crickets and cicadas and the ditches were full of sunflowers. On our way back we had 10 miles with the wind at our backs and the road was smooth after being freshly repaved. We just flew through this section and one of the great thrills in life is to effortlessly fly up
All summer we have wanted to go back to the drive-in movies since it was so much fun last year. This weekend there was a triple feature and we didn't think we could pass that up. The drive-in is in Kanopolis, a small town of about 500. I think the number of people in the town doubles when a movie is showing. It was a beautiful night with a gorgeous sunset. Kids were running and playing, adults sitting and chatting waiting for it to get dark enough to start the movie. One couple came in a red convertible-- the perfect drive in movie car. The first film was Shaun the Sheep. The interesting thing about this movie is there was no dialogue. The movie was a lot of fun and the creative animation completely made up for any lack of words. It is a story about a sheep who is tired of the grind of farm living and just wants a day off. He steps up some plans that go hay-wire and the farmer ends up in The Big City with memory loss. The sheep soon realize that they can't make it without the farmer so they head to The Big City to find him and bring him home. Pixar's Inside Out was the next movie and we had been waiting all summer to watch it. The basic story line is about the emotions-- Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness-- that live in an 11 year old's brain. It was insightful, funny, and very well written. I would venture to say it is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. This movie spurred an hour long conversation with Arthur and I on the way home and it would be a great way to open up conversations with kids about feelings. It was also kind of Psych 101 too. We didn't stay for the 3rd movie since it was already 1am by the time we got home. We both thought this was one of the best date nights we have had recently. We also decided there needs to be a sequel to Inside Out about the emotions of a college student because when Love is added to the mix with Joy, Sadness, etc it becomes a whole different story. Omnia Vincit Amor.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Random: odd and unpredictable in an amusing way
This is another post where there isn't enough to write about any one topic but just a lot of little pieces. I feel like a write a lot of snippet blogs but after all a lot of life is snippets- and sometimes those snippets are what makes us smile, laugh, or just enjoy being alive.
- Arthur's new favorite evening activity in the evenings is watching woodworking shows on the internet. He has discovered the New Yankee Woodshop and the Woodwright's Shop. I remember watching both of these shows with my dad on Saturday afternoons on PBS. Arthur, and his love for learning new things, especially beautiful craftsmanship, is eating these up. We watched two Woodwright's Shop episodes tonight that featured guests. One guest was a blacksmith and demonstrated how to make a wrought iron chisel with a steel blade. I must admit I never knew the shape of an anvil had a purpose. The next episode featured a craftsman who makes ships in a bottle and the detail workmanship and planning needed to get large object through a tiny opening.
- Sometimes what we learn by watching TV comes in handy in real life. One of my co-workers had a difficult case at work and was bouncing ideas off of me about what could possibly be wrong with this patient. He had excruciating thigh pain for several days that didn't change with sitting, walking, lying down, etc. Then all of a sudden one morning he woke up and the pain was going. He wants to know what caused this and how to keep it from happening again. As she was telling me this my first thought was, "This sounds exactly like the symptoms Dr. House had in the TV show House with his muscle infarct." We researched this some more and most of the symptoms seem to fit. Who knows if this is the problem this particular patient had and we will probably never know but it was the best answer we came up with. Now I feel like I should get continuing education hours from watching House.
- Driving on the interstate each day there is always something interesting or a little out of the ordinary. Currently I am listening to Dickens' Great Expectations about 19th Century Britain while hurtling down the road. Several times I have noticed trucks carrying the blades of wind turbines stopped at a rest stop. Wind turbines are impressive at any distance but being up close and personal to just a blade give a whole new perspective to their size. The blades measure 116' in length. A normal semi trailer is 53'. My car at just 10' long provides enough challenges parallel parking I can't imagine navigating something ten times as long. The other noteworthy thing I saw on my drive today was an Airstream trailer in front of me with a logo that said "Long Long Honeymoon". At some point over the past few years my dad has read blogs about people who RV and there was a couple from Florida who took off on their honeymoon and haven't really stopped since they can live and work in their Airstream trailer. And here they were tooling down the interstate in front of me. As a person who loves to travel I think it would be interesting to live on the road for awhile. But what would I do with my garden?
- This leads to the low points of the week. On my one tomato plant that is doing well this year I discovered ginormous caterpillars stripping it of its leaves. I will not stand for this and since I try to be an organic gardener insecticides were not the answer (more because I'm cheap and don't want to buy different solutions of sprays or powders for each different gardening problem). This meant bloodshed or caterpillar guts must be shed. (This may become a little graphic for our more
squeamish readers). The first plump caterpillar was place upon the alter (a large rock) and pummeled with another rock as the neon green insides came out. This was repeated with the subsequent invaders. Arthur stared at me in slight bewilderment as his beautiful wife in her light pink sun dress is squatting down in the garden carrying out revenge against garden pests.
- Another low point is the Grand Canyon (The Grand Canyon is literally a very low point). Next year we would like to do a Grand Canyon hiking trip. However to stay down in the bottom of the canyon reservations must be made a year in advance. You can begin calling for reservations on the first of the month at 8am so for Sept 2016 we call on Sept 1, 2015. Work was busy in the morning so I was finally able to call at noon. I kept getting a busy signal so I had to redial the number for 10 minutes before even getting put on hold for another 20 minutes since I was 14th in line. By the time I talked to a real person it was booked completely for every single day in September. I guess we will try again next month o maybe develop a plan B. I have considered starting a second career as an adventure trip planner since this is my new current hobby.
- Other random news-- There was a sheep that got lost in Australia. When someone found it, the sheep hadn't been sheared for years, if ever. It was the size of a fridge. They sheared 90 pounds of wool off of it-- almost equal to its body weight. Its health was endangered due to its wool. Literally, "It's so fluffy, it could have died." Here's a picture
- Since we are not in hard-core training mode for any evens currently we have been taking a lot of evening walks. Our town is in the process of improving the walkability of the area for transportation and fitness. I found a link to a survey for this the other night so I basically stopped everything I was doing to fill it out before I forgot. I asked Arthur what his thoughts or suggestions were to include and he gave me a hard time about my sudden civic-mindedness. It is true that I usually don't give two hoots about politics but I become passionate about the thought of better "active transportation"- walking, running, biking, etc in our community and I had a lot of ideas. I also pointed out to him that I took an entire class in college focusing on public health and how the community and environmental structures can greatly enhance or hinder physical activity and accessibility.
- Finally, we will close this post the way we are finishing each night. About an hour before bed we indulge in fudgesicles on most evenings. Arthur's blue eyes begin to twinkle at the thought of fudgesicles and we settle into our cozy recliners in the basement. It's amazing how the small, simple things add little joys to life. Omnia Vincit Amor.
- Arthur's new favorite evening activity in the evenings is watching woodworking shows on the internet. He has discovered the New Yankee Woodshop and the Woodwright's Shop. I remember watching both of these shows with my dad on Saturday afternoons on PBS. Arthur, and his love for learning new things, especially beautiful craftsmanship, is eating these up. We watched two Woodwright's Shop episodes tonight that featured guests. One guest was a blacksmith and demonstrated how to make a wrought iron chisel with a steel blade. I must admit I never knew the shape of an anvil had a purpose. The next episode featured a craftsman who makes ships in a bottle and the detail workmanship and planning needed to get large object through a tiny opening.
- Sometimes what we learn by watching TV comes in handy in real life. One of my co-workers had a difficult case at work and was bouncing ideas off of me about what could possibly be wrong with this patient. He had excruciating thigh pain for several days that didn't change with sitting, walking, lying down, etc. Then all of a sudden one morning he woke up and the pain was going. He wants to know what caused this and how to keep it from happening again. As she was telling me this my first thought was, "This sounds exactly like the symptoms Dr. House had in the TV show House with his muscle infarct." We researched this some more and most of the symptoms seem to fit. Who knows if this is the problem this particular patient had and we will probably never know but it was the best answer we came up with. Now I feel like I should get continuing education hours from watching House.
- Driving on the interstate each day there is always something interesting or a little out of the ordinary. Currently I am listening to Dickens' Great Expectations about 19th Century Britain while hurtling down the road. Several times I have noticed trucks carrying the blades of wind turbines stopped at a rest stop. Wind turbines are impressive at any distance but being up close and personal to just a blade give a whole new perspective to their size. The blades measure 116' in length. A normal semi trailer is 53'. My car at just 10' long provides enough challenges parallel parking I can't imagine navigating something ten times as long. The other noteworthy thing I saw on my drive today was an Airstream trailer in front of me with a logo that said "Long Long Honeymoon". At some point over the past few years my dad has read blogs about people who RV and there was a couple from Florida who took off on their honeymoon and haven't really stopped since they can live and work in their Airstream trailer. And here they were tooling down the interstate in front of me. As a person who loves to travel I think it would be interesting to live on the road for awhile. But what would I do with my garden?
- This leads to the low points of the week. On my one tomato plant that is doing well this year I discovered ginormous caterpillars stripping it of its leaves. I will not stand for this and since I try to be an organic gardener insecticides were not the answer (more because I'm cheap and don't want to buy different solutions of sprays or powders for each different gardening problem). This meant bloodshed or caterpillar guts must be shed. (This may become a little graphic for our more
squeamish readers). The first plump caterpillar was place upon the alter (a large rock) and pummeled with another rock as the neon green insides came out. This was repeated with the subsequent invaders. Arthur stared at me in slight bewilderment as his beautiful wife in her light pink sun dress is squatting down in the garden carrying out revenge against garden pests.
- Another low point is the Grand Canyon (The Grand Canyon is literally a very low point). Next year we would like to do a Grand Canyon hiking trip. However to stay down in the bottom of the canyon reservations must be made a year in advance. You can begin calling for reservations on the first of the month at 8am so for Sept 2016 we call on Sept 1, 2015. Work was busy in the morning so I was finally able to call at noon. I kept getting a busy signal so I had to redial the number for 10 minutes before even getting put on hold for another 20 minutes since I was 14th in line. By the time I talked to a real person it was booked completely for every single day in September. I guess we will try again next month o maybe develop a plan B. I have considered starting a second career as an adventure trip planner since this is my new current hobby.
- Other random news-- There was a sheep that got lost in Australia. When someone found it, the sheep hadn't been sheared for years, if ever. It was the size of a fridge. They sheared 90 pounds of wool off of it-- almost equal to its body weight. Its health was endangered due to its wool. Literally, "It's so fluffy, it could have died." Here's a picture
- Since we are not in hard-core training mode for any evens currently we have been taking a lot of evening walks. Our town is in the process of improving the walkability of the area for transportation and fitness. I found a link to a survey for this the other night so I basically stopped everything I was doing to fill it out before I forgot. I asked Arthur what his thoughts or suggestions were to include and he gave me a hard time about my sudden civic-mindedness. It is true that I usually don't give two hoots about politics but I become passionate about the thought of better "active transportation"- walking, running, biking, etc in our community and I had a lot of ideas. I also pointed out to him that I took an entire class in college focusing on public health and how the community and environmental structures can greatly enhance or hinder physical activity and accessibility.
- Finally, we will close this post the way we are finishing each night. About an hour before bed we indulge in fudgesicles on most evenings. Arthur's blue eyes begin to twinkle at the thought of fudgesicles and we settle into our cozy recliners in the basement. It's amazing how the small, simple things add little joys to life. Omnia Vincit Amor.
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