so wash your hands....

When public health officials start talking about 'standard operating procedures' it makes me a little nervous. Swine flu is in the beginning stages having killed 100 people in Mexico and with outbreaks already discovered in the U.S. and Canada. While they have yet to create a vaccine to deal with this new strain, there is website offering advice to those concerned. Contact with anyone that has been in Mexico tops the list, along with staying home if you feel ill and covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

I've had the good ole American kind of flu. It was the sickest I have ever been. Deep fatigue and severe body aches are the symptoms I most remember - that along with being home for over 8 days and sleeping around the clock. It was awful. You forgot what feeling good feels like.

While I don't like to worry, I will heed the advice of those health officials.

Five hands

Mother's Day is coming up...

http://www.mrsongmillinery.com/

I would really like, just once in my life, to have the occassion to wear a hat like this (other than Halloween). Apparently Mother's Day is the big day for Mr. Song, the creator of the Aretha hat. I'm thinking I would look fetching in a small brimmed, crystal lined hat with a flapper bow. We could then do brunch...

A walk through Walker Sculpture Garden

Are we the Art?

Strange looking creatures in the glass...

The Walking Man and Me.

John wonders if this is a giant molecule of some kind??

Still better....

Lily is exploring the old Carlson Kiln near Barn Bluff

I've gone to 'manual' on my Nikon d80 and the pictures
are continuing to improve. These are fall leaves found
in the spring on Barn Bluff.

Bay Point Park - Mississippi river

I used photoshop to enhance this picture and add a spotlight effect.  Still learning photoshop too. 

Windmill in Wisconsin somewhere...

I'm still working on learning how to use my Nikon d80 - I'm going to go back and shoot this one again now that I've learned a little more about lighting and exposure.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure where it is.  

Can we be done with old man winter now?

An old barge on the Mississippi River at Colvill

I've spent the past few months walking through snow and ice at

Colvill....can't wait to see these picnic tables spread out and
covered with ketchup, birthday cake and crying babies

Companionship on the river

A sure sign of Spring!

The Carlson kiln at the base of Barn's Bluff - great history.

The river is alive again after a long sleep...

Know When Enough is Enough

Great trouble comes
From not knowing what is enough.
Great conflict arises from wanting too much.
When we know when enough is enough,
There will always be enough.
-Lao Tzu

Do I have a great excess of possessions? Too many bad behaviors? Unrealistic ideas? Yes. What could I do without? That's where the situation gets dicey.

Junk or art?

A sea of garbage (plastic) most definately excessive and unnecessary junk.

Up on the bluff...

I decided to see what it was like up on the bluff today
- probably the earliest I've ever been up there in the spring. It was a beautiful day.

Yes, the Kiln is still there with some new graphics.

The city - looks like we need some Spring color.

The Kiwanis sign had paw prints all over it - no respect. :)

The steps were completely covered in mud and gunk. Nasty. It needs to rain hard.

It was a little scary with all the ice and snow.

You can see another empty marina.

Will be nice to see some green up here. Spring is on the way.

I did my part to stimulate the economy yesterday.  The Blair stimulus consisted of a car tune-up at the Nissan dealership $42.36, a new skirt, blouse, sweater from Bloomingdales $212 (needed for a wedding reception next weekend and a great value because of the versatility – yes, I can rationalize clothes shopping) and entry into Bogart’s for an evening of dancing -  $6.  I guess the entry fee was to help pay the salary of the Tom Petty Tribute band.  I’d kinda like my money back from Bogart's.  It was…ummm... depressing. An Oscar Wilde quote came to mind, "Either the wallpaper goes or I do." 

 I also started my little planting project for the community garage sale.  We'll see if these little babies show themselves in time for their May 1st debute.  

My morning started at Baypoint Park - it's still icy and frozen in parts, but where the sun shines it was almost balmy. There were a few signs of life with the hearty wildlife - birds and fishing boats - but it will be nice to see that marina filled with life again.  Soon...

Mirror image

I'm just not that into you...

Dear Winter,

We need to take a break. I know, I know...it's not you. It's me. Well, actually it is you. One day you offer up sunny skies and warm breezes and the next you are all frozen and chilly leaving dangerous pools of ice on the sidewalk. I'm sick of you. My dog is sick of you. My car is especially sick of you. Somewhere underneath all your snow and ice are the flowers I had planted last summer. Remember those? I'd really like to see them again.

I'm sorry winter. We're through.

And I only live a 1/2 mile away...

I left city hall today at 2 p.m. (during the height of the snow storm) to run over to the United Way office to sign some papers. I intended to be away from my desk for 10 minutes. One hour later I was pulling into my garage. I felt like this....

During that time I had to get out of my car to knock on the window of a car which was blocking the intersection on Hwy 61 (I waited through 3 light changes). He was scared and confused as the traffic was backed all the way from the bridge (which was closed due to an accident or something.) Three blocks of traffic had since piled up behind me.

Then I couldn't actually get to the United Way office so I dumped my car near the post office and walked further than I would have had I just left my car in the parking lot at City Hall. I actually ran. By this time my hair was soaked and stuck to my head and my wool jacket was white from the thick, clotted snow.

While dripping and signing in the UW office we then see a car swerve off the road and drive down the sidewalk (the same sidewalk I had just been on) as the road had now become a parking lot (apparently this guy had some where important to be). The message that the bridge was closed was being passed down car by car through the blocks of traffic by people (who were a little more law abiding) standing outside their cars scraping snow off their wind shields.

I then ran a few blocks back to my car and had no choice but to get back on 61 (in the opposite direction of the traffic jam thank god) and turned towards my house. I couldn't make it up the hill (or back to city hall due to the traffic problems) and had to do a U-turn in the middle of the street which put me near the gas station. I then decided I needed chocolate. So soaking wet and covered in snow I ran into the store, made my purchase and ran the 1/2 block back to my car.

While running into the store I remembered many years ago going out for ice-cream in the middle of a blizzard with my sister after my dad was admitted into a hospital due to a blood pressure problem. I still handle stress and weather the same way.

Turning into my alley I attempted numerous times to enter my garage. Just yesterday I paid $867 to have repairs done to my driver side door after I backed out and scraped and dented the door and broke off the mirror. I almost damaged the door again sliding around on the ice and snow. I jumped out - shoveled the snow, put down some salt and safely entered my garage.

I undressed by the back door - ran upstairs - jumped into a hot bath - changed into warm comfies and collapsed with my chocolate. It was 3:00 p.m.

The good news - the three places I needed to be tonight (still hadn't decided which meeting I was going to actually make it to) were all CANCELLED due to the weather. Yeah - I'm in for the night!!

In our daily actions,
let us concentrate on details with great care and attention,
let us make this an ingrained habit for the behavior of our bodies and minds,
like protecting a newborn child.
by Master Taisen Deshimaru

I'm learning this...but it takes a lot of mental effort to keep in mind that every action I do through out the day should be dealt with carefully and thoughtfully. No list of tasks that must be accomplished before I can do fun stuff. It's ALL fun stuff! Yeah, like I said...I'm working on it.

I spent President's weekend in Chicago and all I have

to show for it is pictures of my sister's birds "Phoebie and Nora".
One of them got loose and flapped around the living room which
was very exciting considering it was late at night and
there were dogs on the chase.

I think this is Phoebie.