As a stay-at-home parent, I have to admit we watch way too much television. Hank shouldn't be watching any, yet I am sure he can identify Elmo in a lineup. Of course that is primarily because his sister yells "DAD! MELMO!" when Elmo's World begins on Sesame Street. She also yells "WOCKET" when Little Ensteins start and "BABLO" when the Backyardigans begin. She likes Mickey's Clubhouse but doesn't yell his name. She does, however, "quack" when Donald appears. At least I think it is a "quack" - it's hard to tell what either of them are saying.
I do try to curb the watching of TV. I limit the consumption to just a few shows during the day. Along with the ones already mentioned, we occasionally watch The Price Is Right and Sportscenter. And with the start of the baseball season we often catch an afternoon game at Wrigley. Today, the Cubs took on the Brewers and after a bit of a rain delay we watched the game. Michael Keaton sang "Take Me Out To the Ballgame." I'm not sure how old he is now, but he certainly looks it. His Batman days are definitely over. Maybe he could play Alfred the butler. Anyway, he led the fans to a mediocre singing of the song Harry Caray made great. And when he finished, the crowd roared. And Mo clapped. I really didn't even know she was paying any attention. But when the song was over she clapped and looked at me to clap as well. So I did.
Hey, she's a Cubs fan.
Wandering through the Dandelion Garden you may come across a variety of characters in my world. Some are living people, some just live in my head. Nicknames are often used to protect the innocent – and the guilty. There is Chick and the Thrill and Otis among many others. But most of the time you’ll be hanging out with Jim – a pretty good guy.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Smashing!
If spring is in the air it is time to buy a new mattress.
That could mean a few things. First, there is a little play on the word 'spring'. Most mattresses are made of springs and if one is the air, the mattress should be replaced. On the other hand, spring is a time known for rebirth and reproduction throughout the animal kingdom. And if you follow your animal instincts enough, you just may wear out your old mattress.
The word 'smashing' is a good double entendre. When used in terms of proper English it means good. When used by, say, members of the Clash, it is destructive. (Thank you JetSpeed.)
Everything planted in the Dandelion Garden is filled with multiple meanings. Okay, that may be stretching it, but there is some thought put into these ramblings. Didn't you like the 'gum' reference at the end of the last post?
One of the nicest things about good weather is simply being able to get out of the house more. There were many periods thoughout the winter when I only stepped outside to check the mail and take out the garbage. This week, we've been all over the place. Yesterday at Home Depot Mo and Hank were sitting next to each other in the race-car cart. Although they thought they were steering I was the one driving a little crazy through the aisles. At one point I told Mo to hold on to her brother as I took a sharp turn. She put her arm around him and didn't let go. Ever. We went through the rest of the store and she had a good grip on him the whole way. We got some pretty good smiles.
Smashing! (the good way)
That could mean a few things. First, there is a little play on the word 'spring'. Most mattresses are made of springs and if one is the air, the mattress should be replaced. On the other hand, spring is a time known for rebirth and reproduction throughout the animal kingdom. And if you follow your animal instincts enough, you just may wear out your old mattress.
The word 'smashing' is a good double entendre. When used in terms of proper English it means good. When used by, say, members of the Clash, it is destructive. (Thank you JetSpeed.)
Everything planted in the Dandelion Garden is filled with multiple meanings. Okay, that may be stretching it, but there is some thought put into these ramblings. Didn't you like the 'gum' reference at the end of the last post?
One of the nicest things about good weather is simply being able to get out of the house more. There were many periods thoughout the winter when I only stepped outside to check the mail and take out the garbage. This week, we've been all over the place. Yesterday at Home Depot Mo and Hank were sitting next to each other in the race-car cart. Although they thought they were steering I was the one driving a little crazy through the aisles. At one point I told Mo to hold on to her brother as I took a sharp turn. She put her arm around him and didn't let go. Ever. We went through the rest of the store and she had a good grip on him the whole way. We got some pretty good smiles.
Smashing! (the good way)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
not enough energy
I wanted to write something prolific tonight. I wanted to contribute to society. I just wanted to write. Create. Live. I started a new blog tonight. I posted comments on a few others that I have just discovered. I can't believe someone can walk into a building and randomly shoot people. I do believe it. It happened. I took my children to Home Depot today and put them into a race-car-type shopping cart and they sat side-by-side and Mo put her arm around Hank when I told her to hang on to her brother as I turned a corner. And no-one noticed. But me. I still can't believe someone walked into a classroom and started shooting students for no reason. Well, at least no sane reason. I need to mow the lawn but can't until all the dog crap is picked up. And it stops snowing. But, frozen dog crap is much easier to pick up than warm (defrosted?) dog crap. I would rather pick up dog crap, forzen or thawed, for eternity than shoot anyone. Unless water pistols count. I still have not made muffins. I bought muffin mix more than a week ago and it is still sitting in the cupboard. How tough can it be to make muffins? Blueberry muffins. Everything is easier to buy at the store - any store. Banana nut muffins at the hardware store. Underwear at Goodwill. John Mellencamp records at Hallmark. Just don't buy anything from the evil Blue Empire. That's where lunatics can buy their guns but not baseball cards. At least not packs of baseball cards with chewing gum. (Not that the gum was ever chewable.) It is not the gum that kills people, it is the person chewing it.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Billy Pilgrim
Vonnegut is gone. And so is Imus. Happy, happy. Sad, sad.
(Or actually, sad, sad, happy, happy, but you get the point.)
Last night a storm hit our area. Our neighborhood. Our house. Okay, not really the house but everything on our deck. I opened the blinds just in time to see our cheap plastic table soar out of the yard. In the morning I found its pieces thoughout the surrounding lawns. We also lost the antler to a moose. I thought he was made of wood but apparently he is some type of ceramic. I may be able to super-glue him back together. What good is a one-antlered moose? The lilly frog will be lonely without him.
So it goes.
I can't find my copy of Slaughterhouse Five. It has been years since I read it and I am sure it has turned a dull shade of paperback yellow somewhere in the basement. I did find Breakfast of Champions. It was right next to On the Road. Oddly enough, I recently had a discussion about Jack Kerouac with my dad. We were in the golf cart driving around his Florida condominium complex. He started telling me about a documentary he saw about a guy that wrote a book about traveling across the country. He seemed more concerned about the post-depression, post World War II aspect of the story. So I was confused until he said the title was On the Road. I told him that other than Animal Farm and most of Shakespeare, On the Road was the only work I have read more than once in my life. (Animal Farm is short - an afternoon read. And a Shakespearean play cannot be understood in one reading, no matter what anyone says.) So, I pulled both books off the shelf. One for me, one for dad.
Both for Kurt. And Billy. So it goes.
Fish die. Not long ago, we bought and assembled a good-sized fish tank - 28 gallons, freshwater. We have tried to follow basic instructions for the maintenance and care of such a tank. We have varieties of fish that supposedly are happy together. We check the water regularly and and make adjustments with the proper chemicals. And we feed them enough, but not too much. Still, they occasionally die. I would say we have purchased about 15 fish and lost 3 in the last two months. That's probably a good ratio, but what do I know? Somewhere, deep in my psyche, the whole fish tank project is just a replacement for Jack. He would have liked the fish. In more ways than one.
And so it goes.
(Or actually, sad, sad, happy, happy, but you get the point.)
Last night a storm hit our area. Our neighborhood. Our house. Okay, not really the house but everything on our deck. I opened the blinds just in time to see our cheap plastic table soar out of the yard. In the morning I found its pieces thoughout the surrounding lawns. We also lost the antler to a moose. I thought he was made of wood but apparently he is some type of ceramic. I may be able to super-glue him back together. What good is a one-antlered moose? The lilly frog will be lonely without him.
So it goes.
I can't find my copy of Slaughterhouse Five. It has been years since I read it and I am sure it has turned a dull shade of paperback yellow somewhere in the basement. I did find Breakfast of Champions. It was right next to On the Road. Oddly enough, I recently had a discussion about Jack Kerouac with my dad. We were in the golf cart driving around his Florida condominium complex. He started telling me about a documentary he saw about a guy that wrote a book about traveling across the country. He seemed more concerned about the post-depression, post World War II aspect of the story. So I was confused until he said the title was On the Road. I told him that other than Animal Farm and most of Shakespeare, On the Road was the only work I have read more than once in my life. (Animal Farm is short - an afternoon read. And a Shakespearean play cannot be understood in one reading, no matter what anyone says.) So, I pulled both books off the shelf. One for me, one for dad.
Both for Kurt. And Billy. So it goes.
Fish die. Not long ago, we bought and assembled a good-sized fish tank - 28 gallons, freshwater. We have tried to follow basic instructions for the maintenance and care of such a tank. We have varieties of fish that supposedly are happy together. We check the water regularly and and make adjustments with the proper chemicals. And we feed them enough, but not too much. Still, they occasionally die. I would say we have purchased about 15 fish and lost 3 in the last two months. That's probably a good ratio, but what do I know? Somewhere, deep in my psyche, the whole fish tank project is just a replacement for Jack. He would have liked the fish. In more ways than one.
And so it goes.
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