quote of the day

The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind. -- Maya Angelou

what I'm reading now

This is a compilation of short stories about the futile stuggle to survive the stark geography, economy, and social aberrations of Wyoming. Other books I've read by Annie Proulx are: The Shipping News, Accordian Crimes, and Close Range (Wyoming Stories 1).

quote of the day

An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.
-- Bonnie Friedman, in New York Times

toast

For years I've been having toast and coffee for breakfast. I'd never paid much attention to the toast until recently when slices with uncanny likenesses of famous people have shown up on eBay and sold for thousands of dollars.Images of the Pope, the Virgin Mary, and even the runaway bride from Georgia have actually been seen on toast. So, I've been going over each slice as it comes out of the toaster looking for some well known image. The other day I had a piece that bore a vague resemblance to my 9th grade Algebra teacher, but I doubt that would sell. I guess I'll keep scrutinizing my toast. Who knows?

quote of the day

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

cooking

I like to cook. When I started cooking, I thought Dorothy would be so thrilled that she wouldn't mind cleaning up after me. I was wrong. Her statement to me was, "Have you ever cleaned up after my cooking?". What kind of attitude is that? Anyway, she gave me a pasta maker for my birthday, and I made some Ravioli. After I cleaned up, here's what she found: A wad of dough in the corner of the counter. (How'd that get there?) Some flour on the floor. (Oops) And, I really couldn't tell you how that marinara sauce got in the silverware drawer. Maybe I should confine my cooking to the grill outside. At least all the drips and drops will be cleaned up by the dog.

quote of the day

What would you do if you weren't afraid?
Unknown

Marley in her Tornado uniform 

fast action game 

99 days until retirement!

Yipee!!

what I'm reading now

What are you reading?

This book was recommended to me by my friend Carol Fagan. Wow! What a book! This is a tale about loyalty, betrayal, family, love, and having the courage to do the right thing. The prose is sparse but it's a story powerfully told. Mr. Hosseini opens a window where we can glimpse Afghanistan and the forces that have shaped the nation for the last 30 years. If you haven't read this book, get it. You won't be sorry.

classic coke

I've been trying to reduce my caloric intake lately and part of that effort means drinking diet Coke. I've been drinking the zero caloried stuff for about a month. This week I stopped at the station where I usually buy a drink to go with my lunch and they were out of the diet stuff. So I bought a Classic Coke. It was the most delicious thing I've put in my mouth in ages. It tasted like the Cokes I drank when I was a kid. I was swept away in nostalgic reverie. I relived scenes from my boyhood days. Isn't it odd how a fragrance or taste can evoke memories? Well, it's back to diet Coke but I can't wait until next month for another Classic Coke moment.

snake!

A few years ago we had a snake in the house. A four foot long Black Snake. It crawled in by forcing the trim from the side of a window air conditioner. We have reason to believe he probably spent the night with us before we made the discovery. Dorothy and I had just arrived home from work and were talking, when pictures began to fall off of a curio cabinet across the room from us. We looked over and there was that snake. It looked ten feet long at the time. Dorothy screamed at out the front door she went. My daughter Kelly and her friend Wendy were in her room and when they heard the word "snake" they went out the window and locked themselves in the car. That left me, the man of the house, to extricate this reptile from our home. I couldn't leave the room for fear that the snake would move and curl up under the refrigerator or God forbid in the springs of my recliner. My .22 rifle was behind the door, so I grabbed that and took aim. I held my breath and waited for what seemed an eternity for the snake's head to stay still for just a second then squeezed the trigger. It fell to the floor dead. I used a shovel to lift it into a box and took it outside. After that incident we have made sure our house is snake proof, yet we always worry. If it ever happens again, Dorothy will find a new place to live.

Marley bowls with finesse.