Flood 2010

birds of the bluff

What happy looks like....

one of my favorite places on the planet...and Lily's too

Chicago - in black and white

Two of my favorite pictures from our outing to Chicago today.  It was wet and foggy - raining on and off.

Shedd Aquarium

Fantasea - another word for corny.... see the Shedd, skip the Fantasea show - yawn

Day 2 Chicago

Just getting ready to start our 2nd full day in the Chicago area.  We are on our way to visit the Shedd Aquarium -- hopefully I'll have some pictures later.

Yesterday we went to Dave and Busters  and ate, played and drank just like they advertise.  We played a shooting game and I didn't realize until we were shooting soldiers in the back that we were firing on our team members.  I liked shooting baskets and playing the Deal or No Deal game.  We played some kind of poker pop game that was fun.  Then you take all the tickets you win and buy stuff in the store.  Tom may be seen walking around in a caveman tie.

Tuesday when we got to Cathy's we played WII for quite a few hours. We bowled, hulla hooped, marched in a band and did yoga.  We also had a few cocktails and ate tacos.  It was a great start to our Spring Break!

road trip

Laundry - check

Car serviced - check

Camera batteries charged - check

Three Olive and Cointreau purchased for the best Cosmos - check

Need to find my umbrellas

I'm almost ready for my road trip to Chicago.  

Stay tuned for pictures! 

my books are collecting dust

My February reading has taken a back seat to a bunch of other activities.  I'm way behind the goal I set for myself of a book every two weeks.  Why?  Well, first it's all those other activities.  Dinner parties, going out dancing, evening meetings, hanging out with friends, watching the Olympics, watching Dexter On Demand - season 4, listening to some new music in the morning instead of a book on tape.  Lately, I'm a bit obsessed with Lady Gaga.  

Still though, I'm usually juggling a fairly active social calendar while managing down time for the books I love.  I'm working on getting through "The Book Thief" which is written in Nazi Germany and the main character is death.  It's slow to get in to, yet I'm determined to read it because I think it's worth the effort.  I'm just finding myself either too tired or too tipsy to read before bed like I normally do.

Books are such a central theme of my life that I'm finding that I miss them this morning.  I'm not sure what life is like for people who don't read on a regular basis. I'm not judging, just curious what they use to fill that void.  Plus I believe you miss out on so much when you don't take the time to escape into the written words of a really great author from time to time.

count down to Spring break - 17 days

I've long suspected this to be true, but my theory on vacation planning was confirmed in a New York Times article I read this morning.  People experience more happiness before their vacation then afterwards.  It's all part of the thrill of planning.

My next adventure is a Spring break trip to Chicago with Stacy and Tom.  There is lots to do and see so we'll have to let the weather dictate some of our outings.  I've never been to Millennium Park  so that's high on my list.  I've never been to the Art Institute of Chicago either, but I may be pushing my luck with that one. Not sure my travel partners will be as enthused to do that as I am.   I love Navy Pier and the Lincoln Park Zoo so they may be good options.

The last time I was in Chicago was Thanksgiving weekend.  My sister was moving and we found ourselves homeless (sort of) on Thanksgiving Day.  While looking for a place to have a Thanksgiving meal we stopped into a cafe that we found open near her new house.  Everyone was smiling and nodding at us as we walked in - so warm and inviting.  As we made our way through the restaurant though it became clear that this was no ordinary day at the diner.  The happy, over-compensating hostess was clearly treating us like special needs adults.  Did my hair look that bad?  They were serving a meal for the homeless and not open to the public.  Geesh - we were kinda homeless and the turkey did smell really good...... No, no...we left with our dignity and just a few baked goods purchased out of the case (after much fussing over the cash register and interrupting the owners meal).

But I digress....this trip is purely for relaxation and pleasure.  No packing, hauling, cleaning, or fighting with movers.

The truth is I don't really care what we do - it will just be fun to all be together at my sisters.  Waking up in the same house, hanging out together all day, falling asleep under the same roof.  Thinking about these simple things is putting a smile on my face.

We have a dog park...in RED WING!

This will be our new hangout!

the longest icicle I've ever seen

Mom

While out eagle hunting on a very pretty, frosty morning I captured a nice shot of my Mother.  

I'd believe an insanity plea

Amy Bishop, the Alabama university professor that killed three of her colleagues looks insane to me.  

Just look at those bangs.   

A neighbor left me a little Valentine on my back door.  

Nice surprise!

goodbye Lillian

My puppy, Lilly's namesake, Lillian died last Thursday.  Her funeral was today.  We will certainly miss her insights, wit and enthusiasm for everything.  Lillian lived the last 34 years of her life completely blind.  At her funeral they talked about how now her sight is restored and she can watch her beloved MN Twins play ball from heaven.  I hope so.

click to enlarge

It's been 30 years....

High school wasn't my thing.  I was glad when it ended.  AND....I don't think I ever really wore my hair like this.

The reptilian brain

This morning a doctor or therapist or some counselor type person reported on "Sunday Morning"  that the reason we humans like reality t.v. so much is because we have a reptile brain.  Whoa - that got my attention.  I love reality t.v.  Survivor, Wife Swap, American Idol, Hoarders, Dr. Drew Celebrity Rehab, Intervention, What Not to Wear, The Bachelor, Amazing Race, Project Runway, America's Next Top Model....to name a few.  :)


The reptile brain is the most primitive area of the brain and responsible for simple feelings of fight or flight, hunger, fear etc. Apparently, there is something about these reality t.v. shows that this primitive brain is responding too.

Is it a problem?  Heck, I don't think so.  Seems like harmless entertainment to me.

who's next?

Today I'm going to spend the day with a dear friend who lost her mother last Thursday.  Lillian was 89 years old, blind and fell and broke her hip on Wednesday.  She had surgery Thursday morning and was stable and awake immediately following.  By 1:30 p.m. or so she had a heart attack and died.  Her daughter was with her the whole time and there was little trauma as she slipped away.  She was a delightful woman, endearing herself to everyone at the hospital who came into contact with her.  The funeral is Monday and we have no choice but to accept her passing and carry on.

I take a simple view of life: keep your eyes open and get on with it. - Sir Laurence Olivier




Interesting, the thing I think about is who's next?  Seems like these things happen in threes.  Death is fairly easy to accept when you've dealt with it often enough.  Yet still comes as a complete shock when it happens.  Dwelling on the notion of death coming to call is pointless.  I'm going to attempt to keep that simple view that Olivier points out and celebrate the people around me today.

I'm off to have breakfast at a B&B with a friend.  She won the luxury night in a silent auction and is sleeping a few doors down.  Since her husband has a meeting this morning I get to enjoy the second B and have breakfast with her.  I never get to see the insides of these mysteries places that surround me in the historic district of Red Wing so it will be a real treat.

Their calling for more snow today, but I'll keep my camera with me and try to stay in the moment with my eyes open.  Getting on with it is fantastic advice.

great weekend with the worse moment of my professional career ever...

Friday night I played poker with 7 ladies in Prior Lake. However, these ladies are no ladies at the poker table. They play together weekly and their sweetness melts away as soon as the money changes hands and the chips are passed out. They scare me. Yet - after a three hour run of Texas Hold em I was the last woman standing. I took first place and Kay took 2nd! We brought a little Prior Lake money back to Red Wing. It was fantastic.

During the last hour  or so I was making noises about being a single woman who couldn't afford to heat my house and that I had to eat crackers and cheese for dinner and heat my bed with a heating pad because I sleep alone and it's freezing. Bla, bla, bla. They didn't care. They tried to steal the sweater off my back. But I prevailed! My biggest mistakes was waving the 80 bucks around after I won and bragging about how it was just enough to pay for my facial the next day. oops.

Saturday morning I headed to Cannon Falls to drive my friend Linda to her hair appointment in Northfield. She is still recovering from brain surgery and gets tired easily and is having massive headaches. She got her hair done, I got my facial (fabulous!) and then we had lunch at Froggy Bottoms - much better in the summer because of the balcony over looking the river, but great food and a fun atmosphere inside too.  I had some sort of mandarin orange, chicken and pecan salad that had a gorgeous dressing.  

Then - after dropping Linda off at home for her nap, I received the worse news of my professional career (can't go in to it here) and decided my only option was a little retail therapy at the MOA.  grrrrr  But, I felt better after walking the mall and spending a little cash.  My options were limited in my need for therapy as my level off pissed offness was off the charts.  Retail therapy was the safe bet. Tomorrow we'll do what is becoming more and more normal - damage control.

The Grammy's tonight - just watched Elton John perform with Lady Gaga....interesting.  I'm hoping Dave Matthews wins for best album, but either way I'll get to see the band perform.

Monday tomorrow....ready or not.

H1N1 isn't going to get me...

Got my vaccine at work today. A single shot to the left arm. If my tongue swells or I have any trouble breathing I'm suppose to call someone as that's pretty rare and serious. However, the nurse did mention that it's fairly common to experience some minor symptoms.

She didn't know who she was dealing with. Can we define 'minor' please?

Actually, I'm not too worried. Low grade fever....you're not the boss of me. A little cold....ha!

Some people didn't take advantage of a free vaccine delivered to us at our work place. Conspiracy theory type people just can't trust. Communist plot. Creation of diseases. Racist oppression. I don't know what their deal is.

It's been a few hours and I'm symptom free - the swelling and breathing problems apparently happen rather quickly. I'll probably live.