Star Bright Twinkle Light Herds

Since writing my last Christmas Lamentations, I've been watching the houses and buildings throughout our region sprout star bright twinkle lights. The variations on the theme: Lawn and Building Holiday Decorations...run the gamete from tasteful to gaudy, and everything in between. My jaded eye has actually been recently inspired to play with phrases and begin working on some strange poem about all this stuff.

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12/16/2005, by S. Weisflock:

In my neighborhood:
Forests of twinkle lighted spiral wire trees grow up over night, competing for space with the living ones.

Twinkle light robotic deer-in-motion amble ever so slowly through the wire tree forests, cautiously looking about.

Twinkle lighted candycane fences built along sidewalk edges, either fence the deer in...or out...I'm not sure which.

Plastic lighted Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are oblivious to the gathering lighted herds, although blow-up giant Santa seems aware as he keeps watch by night.

As the deer move on, the welcoming billowing Snowmen, Sponge Bob, and Packer Football Player bob greetings in the night...only to deflate to silent sheets on the grass by morning.

And are joined in daylight by white wire framed deer and spiral tree sculpture awaiting the magical nightfall to come again with the breath of light.

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May the true spirit of Christmas find you, somewhere beyond the lighted forests, herds, blow-up dolls, and plastic Jesus'.

S~

Christmas Lamentations Part 2

Some might think I'm practicing "bah humbug" behavior....honestly, I don't mean it that way. I'm just disheartened by the mushrooming commercializing of Christmas, extreme marketing tactics, and mass glitzing behaviors.

Yes...I'm still on the "boycott Christmas advertising schemes" meant to grab your money fast..fast..fast. My son wrote a ditty on his blog (see Try's blog) about the Black Friday scheme by Best Buy, selling 20 super computers for $150 each for the super early morning shopper. Hundreds of folks showed up at the Minneapolis store on Black Friday, and my son kicked himself for being gullible to the advertising, and going there at 4 a.m. only to find 100's of folks camped out in their cars in the parking lot. He saw other 100's of brave souls standing in line to get in the door. He drove on by and went home to bed.

I'm still trying to avoid getting sucked in to the on-going marketing frenzy, although a stop at Big Lots the other day did tempt me. I contained myself, however, and stuck to purchasing less the $20 in items...some of which were little gifts for our work secret Santa exchange.

Tonight's rant, however, is on the GLITZ. I am going to have to take a picture and post it in the next few days to get across my point.

What is the deal with people who are decorating every inch of their house and lawn with dorky Christmas decorations? Do they think its Beautiful? It's starting to remind me of Chevy Chase's Christmas Story....I have a neighbor who has one of those insane...or is it inane displays. The blow-up decorations seem to be breeding, every day there are more. The wire lighted deer figures are becoming glowing herds in slow motion. The halograph lighted shapes (stars, Santas, angels, snowmen, etc) are like neon beacons. The lighted candycane edgings of sidewalks, driveways, decks, etc.....are fencing the neighborhood.

I think that the power companies across the USA must throw money to the Christmas decoration producing companies, challenging them to create as many varied and unusual lighted holiday decor items as possible so that they can make money too. I suspect that the energy consumed in the USA for lighted lawn decorations at Christmastime is adding to global warming. Wouldn't you love to know the price of all that light? Let alone the light pollution?

I'm really tempted to put a single strand of lights up in some obscure fashion in my front yard with a sign that says "Less is More" or maybe "Less Glitz and more Peace on Earth", or how about "Stop Global Warming, turn off your Extreme Christmas Lights".

Does anyone reading this remember a couple years ago when the power companies suggested that Christmas Lighting could strain the power grid in times of bitter cold? I am wondering if my neighbor has forgotten the increase in energy costs this year?

I think I'll save my money that could be spent on holiday lights for something more important....like my winter heat bill. I know, that's pretty mundane. Okay, okay....there's a better time for it to be spent....that's in the spring when I put up my little green house. I wonder if my green house would look festive with Christmas Lights in March?

S~

Christmas Marketing Lamentation

What is the deal with Christmas marketing? I've been pondering this question and expressing anger at the audacity of stores and businesses that chose to begin displaying Christmas items for sale in late August.

The recent flap about whether President Bush should have "Merry Christmas" on the presidential holiday greeting cards is, to me, not as big of a deal as is the change in the spirit of what Christmas is, as marketed by everyone trying to sell something!!

So....lets see....we now call the Friday after Thanksgiving "Black Friday"....to me that sounded like it was a bad thing. Come to find out it isn't, it means its the day that businesses/stores FINALLY are out of the red and making a profit for the year. Why? Because nearly every single person in America is buying, buying, buying.....to fill the ever growing maniacal need to get gifts from, well, you name the chain store.

I think it is time to call a boycot of all stores that begin selling Christmas oriented items before Halloween, and certainly those that put stuff out in late August and September (except for the specialty Christmas all-year-round shops). My message to the big merchandisers is: THE MORE YOU PUSH CHRISTMAS SHOPPING, THE LESS LIKELY I AM TO DO IT!

In the last few years, when all this advertising starts hitting the air waves, heck, I start feeling like its an election year. Now think everyone. How many of you loved being bombarded by all the election advertisements? How many of you just loved it when political advertisements started months before the real campaign actually began? Well......I think Christmas marketing is now in that same category. Annoying.

When the TV and radio and newspaper ads...and Internet ads....all are screaming "buy buy buy" (so they get in the black, black, black)....then the true meaning of Christmas has been lost.

So.....ask your self the following questions and see if you are as annoyed as I am:

1. Seeing Christmas trees and decorations and things for sale in stores before Halloween (in fact right next to the Halloween stuff) makes me excited and eager for Christmas?

2. Seeing Christmas/Winter Holiday stuff for sale at the end of the summer makes me get into the nitch of buying presents months in advance?

3. Being bombarded with Christmas ads the minute November begins makes me open my wallet and spend spend spend?

4. Hearing that the Friday after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday", the most profitable day in the business year, makes me get out there and fight crowds for bargains?

5. Watching advertisments and TV shows that glorify the experience of receiving gifts...especially big expensive ones....as meaning a person is loved, and/or socially acceptable....causes me to part with $100 bills to show my loved ones that I care?

As you probably guessed, I answered "no" to my set of questions. Fact is, I'm starting to look at not buying much at all this year. Its time that the gifts we give to our family and friends be those that come from the heart and our own hands. Maybe its the simple act of giving our time. I suspect that giving some cherished time and spending that time with a son, daughter, spouse, friend....is what a good number of American's need. Our lives are so busy that we think the store bought item will make up for lost time.

So.....yes, I am asking you to think about Christmas aka Winter Holiday. Is December 24/25th all about buying stuff....often going in debt to do so.....or spending more than is reasonable....to stack presents under a decorated Christmas tree? Is it all about Santa Claus? Is it all about helping our "consumer economy" create "growth"?

Me? I think it should be about giving from our "heart", our "hands", and our "time". Try to have the smallest bought Christmas present season this year.

S~

Thanksgiving Tomato

Several posts ago, as I was writing about the last days of my garden, I made a statement that I was going to try and have fresh garden tomatoes on my plate at Thanksgiving. The news is, I succeeded!

In mid-October, I dug up a tomato plant that was a "volunteer" sprout. The plant was maybe 2 months old and had just started to produce tomatoes when I found it growing in the spot where my bed of tomatoes had been in 2004. I took the plant inside and have watered it faithfully. The 3 tomatoes on it began to ripen during the week of November 14th, and I waited to pluck them from the vine at 4 p.m., November 24th. I sliced them up for garnishings on the green salad I served with all the turkey, dressing, greenbean casserole, pie...etc. etc.

The hoop green houses that I placed over my tomato plants in the backyard helped extend their life up until about Nov. 13th. We took them down - or should I say the wind took them down - and with heavy frost/snow forecast, I knew that the plastic was not going to protect them any longer. I picked the green tomatoes on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13th, and the many (mostly cherry size) left are now ripening. I'm pleased I extended the season to this extent! Now my goal is to keep alive the tomato plants I've taken inside. In the Oct. 2004 Mother Earth News, there's an article about wintering over tomato plants inside and then starting cuttings for the summer. Rooted cuttings from an adult plant result in quick harvest - according to the article.

So...for the November garden report: I picked fresh tomatoes on Thanksgiving Day!

~S

Fall Colors Fading

The weekend has brought rain and wind to our portion of Wisconsin. That means that the colorful leaves on trees in our neighborhood have nearly all fallen to the ground. I thought, however, that I'd share a few more pictures that I took while driving thru Sheboygan a couple weeks ago. As of now, bare trees are dotting the landscape far more as the season marches towards winter. The rain, however, was very welcome.

And speaking of rain!! It did seem strange to have a full blown thunderstorm rumbling and flashing on a northern November night! I can't remember ever experiencing such at this time of year. Lightening flashing in thru my window, rain pounding down in torrents.


Snow and blizzards...that's what I'm accustomed to. Late October (sometimes earlier) is the time when snow begins to fall and blanket the earth....but that was in Western places like Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming...... I don't have enough Wisconsin experience to know if this is a strange thing. I'm not "wishing" for snow...although I sure do love using the snow blower to move it off of the sidewalk and driveway. (That's me in this picture - Jan. 05).

I'm quite fascinated with these "warmer" days this time of year. I still have tomato plants growing under plastic tents! I still have Swiss chard, rhubarb, broccoli....happily growing with some under plastic cover and others just fending along in the elements. My desire to have veggies for harvest at Thanksgiving is close to coming true. No "hard freeze" nights in the forecast for this week. So....2 1/2 weeks to go!

S~

Autumn, November & Birthdays

Its autumn! Of course that is an obvious statement, especially for anyone living in the northern part of the USA where the trees have turned the brilliant variety of colors that only combined conifer and deciduous trees can do.

The coming of autumn, however, also means the coming of my birthday. This year my special day fell on a day when I was scheduled to do a presentation at a conference. It meant a day of getting up super early (4:30 a.m.) to travel 150 miles away, do 2 presentations, and then the return drive. It wasn't much of a celebrating kind of day, but it was the wonderful opportunity to give of my knowledge to other teachers within the state.

The original plan for my birthday weekend was a visit from my daughter and her boy friend. I was planning a family dinner - a turkey dinner with all the trimmings at that. However, her car was not road worthy, so she was not able to make the 240 mile journey this weekend. Maybe next weekend.

The wonderful thing about being older is that it seems the birthday greeting/fun moments can last across several days. My colleagues knew I was going to be gone from work, so when I arrived the day before my birthday, there in my office was a bouquet of flowers, a balloon, a card, and a few other thoughtful gifts. The flowers were freshly picked from a garden at college, kept by the professor across the hall from me. She is our provider of bouquets, and this one was beautiful as usual, make of bright yellow mums, purple cosmos, and what ever other flowers were still blooming in early November. Pretty astounding that so many were/are!!

The gifts put me in the mood to share with my students, so I sent one off to buy a cake that we then could eat during night class. Surprisingly, not much was eaten, so I left the rest for the faculty department meeting I would miss while I was gone to the conference. I hope my colleagues enjoyed it.

When I arrived home from my day long journey to the conference, my husband presented me with a card and a Cross pen. He also offered to spend the weekend doing things I would enjoy....so today we had an adventure on (you guessed) the city bus! His very first ever ride on one! We rode it to go run an errand, and then he suggested lunch at a Mexican Restaurant. It was a fun afternoon.

The turkey? Well...it will have to be roasted tomorrow. Once one is thawed, can't put it on hold. I'm glad I chose to thaw a small one...10 lbs maybe. That will be our Sunday meal. Maybe we will find some company to share it with.

S~

Ride the Bus - Tips on the Internet

Riding the bus is now a national story. Today, when looking at my MSN news here on the Internet, the banner advertisement flashed a story that includes tips on how to ride the bus. Since I'm trying to advocate for folks to at least try riding the bus once or twice a week, here's the link to the "how to" article.

With my own busy life that includes working some nights - and thus negating the possibility of riding the city bus - I take a look at where I need to be on each day and then make my decision. On days when I don't have to stay late to teach a class, and when I don't have other work related errands to run in other towns or cities, I ride the bus. This equals any where from one day a week to three days a week. The savings in gas money is marvelous.

Since I live in a small city area, the bus is a very pleasant thing to ride. The folks taking it tend to be older people, or people having disabilities. The morning routes do include many children riding the bus to school - mostly to the parochial schools. Some of the riders are folks on their way to work, or on the way home. I've yet to see a "questionable character" get on to the bus.

I became excited the other day when I discovered that a person can take a bicycle along on the bus. The front of our city bus has a bike carrier. Although it only holds 2 bikes, I've only seen one person take advantage of that perk. I, however, stowed the idea away. I'd like to work on riding my bike farther and farther...and now there is a way to get back if I get pooped out!

I have noticed that the number of riders on our bus have increased. When I first started riding in August, the numbers of folks per trip was very few. Sometimes I was the only one riding - possibly because of the time of day. Lately the buses have been busy with lots of people riding. I've yet to see a completely full bus, but I've not seen an empty bus on the routes that I ride. So...I would agree with the article I linked above that ridership is up.

S~

Getting Ready for Winter

The past few days have brought the first taste of chilly days and colder nights. The temperature change was rather shocking to the body, as the lead in days were oddly warm, more like July in our area. The huge difference (80+ degrees one day, and 35 degrees the next) makes one know that its time to start doing something about the tasks that need completed before the snow falls.

The tomato plants that I want to try to save needed covering the past few nights. I'd forgotten how much I get annoyed with having to do that. I am working on a solution to the problem, building some "hoop houses" over the top of the plants I most want to nurture for a few more weeks. Hoops are easy to build. All it takes are some flexible plastic pipe, some kind of stake to slip both ends of the pipe onto, and some plastic to drape over the series of ribs created by staking a series of bowed pipes over the various plants. I have to admit, however, that this is my first time trying this myself. I selected the tomato plants that seem to be doing the very best at this point in time, and so I will be trying to keep them going into November. My goal is until possibly Thanksgiving, however some really cold days and lots of snow can undermine that hope.

With the price of gas and heating fuel, the thing that has most been on my mind is solving the winter heat situation. From my past experiences living in Montana, I do have some skills that I am "pulling back out" so to speak, and will apply to my current place. One is getting a woodstove installed...hopefully...if local code and the insurance doesn't prevent this process. Another option is to build my greenhouse again on the front deck (the one I used for raising my plants), and vent the warm air it generates into the livingroom. That is fairly simple to do, and so it will be a piece of my projects. A third option is to create a barrier to our upstairs to hopefully hold some of the heat in the areas we "most live in". That means installing a sliding door on the stairs. We have one, so its just the work to get it in. Other things that we can do include making sure that windows have good seals, that windows that can generate some solar heat are accentuated to do so...my husband wants to try putting up some black felt, and then again to prevent heat loss, sewing up some window quilts and installing them.

Lots of activities...I have no idea if we will have the physical energy to get it all done before the first snow. At least knowing what to do...having the list....gives a starting place. I guess its more of deciding which place to start.

(I tend to get too many going at once!)

Of course on top of all those things is just the day-to-day chores, cleaning house being one that is the perpetual task of never-ending work. So....guess its time to get back at it on this Sunday afternoon.

S~

More Bus Adventures

Riding the city bus means that you experience joining others in their daily journey. Many of the riders are regulars, with the bus being their only means of transportation around the city. Being a small city with 6 bus routes, and the rotation of bus drivers from route to route, the regulars call each other by name, and greetings are shared with the bus drivers. Its a community of people that have come to know a little bit about each other due to the minutes spent together on the bus, traveling to and from destinations.

I rode the bus to work on Friday late morning. The bus had far more riders than what I typically see earlier in the day. Interestingly, some were the regulars that I've met at those earlier times, or on my ride home. A new experience was that the bus picked up an elderly man in an electric wheelchair scooter. The driver had some difficulties with getting the lift to deploy, but eventually the lift did its service, and the man joined the rest of us on our morning trip. He was on his way to do grocery shopping with his wife. It was great to see that the bus could easily accommodate his needs, something that I would never have seen on the city buses I rode 40 years ago when I was kid. The loading and unloading did put the bus a little behind schedule, but other things do that too...like when lots of high school students ride to school, or the bus has to take me out to my work place.

The interesting interaction for me happened when I got to one of the transfer points where I change buses. It is by a chain store, and after I got off the bus, one older gentleman that had been seated a couple seats from me, kindly came up to me and asked if I could help him. He was Hispanic and seemed to have trouble conversing in English. He wanted to know if the store had a vision center that could fix his glasses. He showed me that the screw was missing and his lens had fallen out. I showed him where the vision center was, and he went on his way to have his glasses repaired.

I pondered on this interaction after I got onto the bus that would take me to my work. I thought about all the other folks that had been riding on the bus, and wondered why he picked me from the many. Maybe it was because I was the only "professional" riding the bus, or maybe it was because I was close to his age and had a kind face. I will never know. I did have a warm feeling, though, about having helped the man find his way. I thought how if I'd been driving in my car, I probably would never have had that interaction. I can still see his kind face, and the polite way he asked his question.

Riding the bus. The other thing I enjoyed on my journey was the ability to look out the window at the scenery. The bus drives along the lake shore, and the lake on Friday morning was a deep blue green, with waves rolling into shore. I enjoyed the autumn sunshine sparkling off the water, the blue sky meeting the water on the horizon, while I prepared to begin my work day.

S~

Ride the Bus

For the past month, I've been using the city bus for portions of my daily commutes. I have a few reasons for doing so. First, I have assigned a project to my college students where they are to work on conserving natural resources. One possible project area is to reduce the number of single-passenger car trips, and two ways to address this are either through car pooling, or through using the transit system.

Of course the second reason for me to do so is to save a bit of money while saving the planet. The metro bus system for our area charges $16 for a month pass that provided unlimited trips. With gasoline hovering around $3 a gallon, $16 equals half-a-tank in most vehicles. So...for $16, I can travel far more distance than what the purchased gasoline would provide.

My other reasons include challenging myself to use the bus, supporting the transit system, and "slowing down".

Since I started riding the bus (I'm doing so at least once a week), I've found that other than getting ready to ride the bus, my life is "slowed down". It takes about 1 1/2 hours to travel the distance I can drive in 25 minutes (17 miles). During that time, however, I can read and prepare for my work day, or I can socialize with the interesting people I meet on the bus, or I can close my eyes and relax, or I can gaze out the window and notice things about the city that I didn't see before. Bus routes take a person to all of the key locations, as well as traveling through some residential areas that one doesn't typically see. Fact is, I noticed a little coffee shop that I'd like to visit---I never would have found it otherwise.

Yesterday I decided to take the bus to the grocery store. It meant some planning on my part so that I could figure out where I wanted to go, as well as how long I would have in that location before the bus passed by again to take me home. I left my home around 8:30 a.m., and I was back home by 10:15 a.m. I arrived at the grocery store at 8:45 a.m.

The first thing I had to consider was that I had about an hour to do my shopping. Secondly, I had to remember that I was going to need to carry whatever I bought, for at least a block, once I got back to my home area bus stop. This made me make some choices that, if I'd have driven my car, I would not have had to make. Shopping had to take on a bit more thoughtful choices as I considered "What can I carry".

The grocery that I went to is just a standard grocery store. No little coffee shop or cafeteria, and no strip mall. As I collected the various items I needed, I noticed that I was nearly done within 15-minutes, not good since I had 45-minutes left to wait for the bus. I slowed down. I still was done within 30-minutes, and had 30-minutes to wait.

An interesting thing happened when I went through the check-out stand. I asked the cashier to double bag my groceries so that I wouldn't have trouble with bags breaking. I told her I was riding the bus, and then we had a short conversation about good reasons to try it. I told the cashier about having to make some shopping choices related to carrying my groceries rather than loading up my car.

The woman in line directly behind me suddenly took pity on me. She had intently listed to my story, including that I'm doing the grocery thing so I can report back to my college class about what it takes to ride the bus and shop. The woman offered me a ride. Said she would help me out, take me home, even if it took her out of her way. (This is not the first time this has happened to me since I started riding the bus). I thanked her and told her no, I needed to ride the bus. She became a bit more insistent - kind in her insistence. I told her thank you, again, and praised her for the idea of car pooling.

I still had the 30-minutes before the bus came. I decided to carry my 5 bags of groceries and walk to the next bus stop. I then walked to another bus stop beyond - carrying all of my groceries. I was walking back along the bus route towards my home. This, of course, meant that I was actually increasing the number of minutes I would need to wait for the bus! (smile).

I found a bench along the main street, and sat down to await the bus. Strangely, our town has not put the benches at the bus stops. I selected a bench within quick walking distance to the bus stop. I sat there, with my sacks of groceries surrounding me, watching the cars pass by and enjoying the crisp, sunny autumn day. Again, I was slowed down enough to "smell the roses"...(so to speak). While I was sitting there, a few people waved, and one car passed by an honked a hello. (Not sure who that was, but they were friendly!).

The bus came. I got on for the quick ride home, and felt satisfaction when I walked in the house with my purchases.

One thing I realized, while on my shopping adventure, is that when I'm awaiting the bus, and then see the bus coming down the street, I get this feeling of joy. I suspect it comes from when I was a youth and the bus was my way around a large city. Its arrival meant I had new found freedom, and my parents trusted me enough to let me take the bus to various destinations.

I hope you'll try riding the bus. I also hope you'll find that bit of excitement and joy that I feel when the bus arrives and I step on it to begin my little daily journey.

S~

Hope and Smiles

When I think about how one person can make a difference in the world around them, I think about how attitude and interactions are what count. One way is to bring the spirit of hope and possibilities to a situation or circumstance.

Hope! When someone has hope, then possibilities seem to be within reach. Its the old idea of is the glass half empty (hopeless) or half full (hopeful). Its also the mind set of dwelling on problems (hopeless) or being open and creative in solutions (hopeful).

The other piece to this is whether a person is in the "Can Do" attitude or the "Can't Do" attitude. When I write "Can't Do"....I mean that the person has come up with rationale that is real or imagined to keep him or her from doing something. The "Can't" world can get rather large, and in essence causes the person to live in a very small box of "Can" possibilities. When I think of this phenomena of "Can't" in the extreme, its like a person has created a self-imposed prison cell, the confinement imposed by all the "Can'ts" that set the boundaries and limit freedom, problem solving, learning, and creativity (to name a few).

I've felt that my life has been lived primarily in the "Can Do" world. Part may be attributed to my personality - Meyers Briggs assessment suggests I'm an "intuitive-perceptive" type. What I do know is that I love when my mind roams freely in exploring possibilities, seeing beyond the barriers....for it is then that I feel able in some small way to make a difference. It is in the hopeful, creative, possibility moments that life is good, and I can lend my smile and laughter to others.

S~

Madison Part 2 - Soozee's Big City Adventure?????

I promised a follow-up on my adventure in driving to Madison, WI, so here it is, for what it's worth.

The journey from where I live to Madison takes about 2 1/2 hours or so. I left a little after 7 a.m. and did need to make a quick stop at the college (where I work). The stop took about 20-minutes, and then I was back on the road again at about 7:55 a.m. I arrived at my destination at about 10:10 a.m.

A lot of time was lost getting through the city of Fond du Lac, as it seems the route I took was filled with detours and slower speed limits winding through residential areas. (Luckily I found another way on my way back home). I also needed a "break" - my morning coffee had worked its way thru me - so I stopped for a few minutes at a gas station near Columbus, WI. I would estimate that once I got to Madison, about 10-minutes was spent backtracking, as I missed a couple turns & thus had to quickly correct my errors.

The good news for me was that my destination in Madison was on the North edge of town. Being the rural soul that I am, I didn't have to negotiate through lots of traffic. By hitting the "avoid highways" (whatever that means) option on Map Quest for directions before I left, I even found a way that avoided the Interstate and busy trafficways within Madison, offering me a route through the country on the edge of town. Again, this was also due to my destination being to a house in a suburb area that was also on the edge of the city.

Since I only saw the "edge", I actually have no idea whatsoever about Madison!! The housing area I was in was absolutely beautiful. The homes looked like 1960 editions - ranch style homes. The trees were lush, and the location certainly didn't feel like living "in the city", even though it was a very typical neighborhood. In my moments of being "lost", I did drive past shopping and business areas on the edge of Madison off of Highway 151.

So....I will admit that when I left Madison, after a long day of sitting in a meeting, I was ready to head back home with no desire whatsoever to drive in traffic or explore the city further. Our meeting ran until 4:30 p.m.

One musing that passed through my mind while I was driving down were the number of towns/cities that had names the same as those in Montana, where I had once lived. For instance....Columbus....a common name for towns/cities. There is a Columbus, MT - a town of about 1200 - about 50 miles West of Billings that I am very familiar with. There is also a Montana town called Sun Prairie. When Wisconsin folks talk of Sun Prairie, my brain brings up pictures of a very rural place in Northern Montana - which is in significant contrast to what Sun Prairie, WI, is.....Basically a bedroom community of Madison.

My trip to Madison....it really did not equal up to a story title of "Soozee's Big City Adventure." There will be more trips, as many meetings and activities are scheduled in the Capital city. Maybe something more will come of those where this rural gal can report on "city" experiences.

S~

Madison and ?

This morning I'm heading to Madison....Madison, WI. When I lived in SD I often went to Madison...Madison, SD, that is. I never really had the feelings about traveling to Madison, SD, that I'm experiencing today about traveling to Madison, WI.

Madison, SD, is a small, sleepy college town...I think they have 3 traffic lights total! It is the home of Dakota State University (DSU). (DSU happens to have a very fine on-line/distance learning Master's Degree in computers [information systems as well as education]) DSU - a jewell of a small university. The town is quaint, and it took me one trip to explore the entire place. Even as I sit here typing this, I can picture driving through Madison, SD, and experience the feeling of securely knowing it would be rare that I would get lost in a town of it's size.

But today I'm trying to gear myself up for entering the big city of Madison, WI, dealing with traffic, and making my way around a large community where I've never been before. I've been to Mapquest and I am armed with directions to where I'm headed. I have a meeting to attend.

When I mention Madison, WI, to folks living in my region, they seem to get a sort of dreamy look in their eyes. Madison - seems everyone has a story about going to Madison, experiencing Madison, attending things at the University of WI in Madison......the culture of Madison. I've also heard that it is pretty in Madison. Of course, WI government is in Madison.

So....it is nearing time for me to depart. That is my other difficulty. I am having a hard time figuring out how long it will take me to drive to Madison. Its about 130 miles away, and Mapquest suggests that will take me nearly 3 hours. My Western trained brain is having a bit of trouble wrapping around the idea that 130 miles takes 3 hours to cross. What I forget, however, is that whatever way I go, I have other towns and cities that I must negotiate. The "long way" on Interstate requires going thru Milwaukee...which to me seems like a strange route, when Madison is diagonal from my location. The "short way" is on mostly 2-lane highway with many small towns that require speeds of 25 to 45 mph while moving through them.

I have selected the "short way." I'd rather drive thru small towns than deal with the traffic in Milwaukee....as well as negotiating the Interstate maze and construction there. I'm a novice at getting around Milwaukee...
Spending the majority of my life in very rural places where the definition of a "City" was a place a little smaller than Green Bay means I'm not exactly wanting to throw TWO city driving frustrations into my day. Watch for the continuing story....Soozee's Big City Adventure.

Okay....take a deep breath....you can do this, Soozee....lets get going.

Searching for the Music

How do you find the things you enjoy doing with people when you uproot and move yourself 650 miles? That's been a situation I've been trying to address since moving 2-years ago. I'm searching for "the music"....well, actually the musicians who make folk music. (That's me at my last gig with Philip & Friends Band in SD, July 2003).

Along with all my other "hats", I am a folk singer and song writer. Playing guitar and singing has been an intermittent part of my life since age 14. This hobby came back into full bloom in 1996 when I started performing at Open Mikes in W. South Dakota. The encouragement from new made acquaintances as well as long-time friends spurred me to make connections with other folk singers, as well as hone my skills. For a few years I was blessed by a marvelous circle of musical friends and many folk venues to enjoy and/or perform at. I started writing original music, and mostly left the world of "cover music" behind. Then I moved.

The first major move took me to the opposite side of South Dakota, and I could not find a folk scene. I instead became part of a polka-jazz band, and that nourished my musical musing. I had lots of fun, made some great friends, and expanded my skills. I found the band practices to be a place where I could let down my hair, get a bit wild-n-crazy, and it served as one of the best stress relief activities I did during a time when my work was anything but easy. I longed for the folk singers, but I was surrounded by some wonderfully wild and crazy guys (Mike & Roy in the picture) and gals, excellent jazz musicians, and new ties were formed. Then I moved.

It is this move that has rather surprised me in my search for the "folkies" (even the "jazzies"!). Reviewing on-line information, I thought I'd be able to find the "scene" within weeks and certainly months of my move...more people, more places. Well, the combination of the chunks of time my work takes, my work schedule the first few years, and basically a hard to find "scene"....I'm still reaching out and seeking.

Last night was my first attendance at the Green Apple Folk Society meeting . I wrote previously about the Green Apple campout...it was a lot of fun. Last night was my first time at an "official meeting", and that was an interesting time of learning about the organization. Its amazing, the society has been alive and well in the Appleton/Green Bay area for a long long time. (I fear stating a no. of years...cuz I don't know the specifics...).

After the meeting, we had a jam session. There were about 15-20 musicians playing a variety of instruments, and there were about 15-20 people in the audience enjoying all the music making. It was a round-robin jam with everyone getting a turn to chose and sing a song, or request a song. It was a lot of great fun.

The night, however, made me a bit home sick for wide-open spaces, prairies, and mountains. Seems all the old folk songs sing of the places of my 50-years of life: Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, etc. I was glad, however, that I really do have a visual memory to tap of all those scenes when lyrics speak of hawks and mountains, prairies and distant vistas.

Driving the 40+ miles home from the event made me think of those friends I made back in South Dakota. I miss them. I miss the music making. I miss the fun times, the crazy times, the after midnight breakfasts in Deadwood; the joy, the triumphs, the chats late night after practice while we swatted at mosquitos in Delmont..., etc. I hope time will help me find some folks to fill those "empty spaces" in my music world.

For this moment while writing, however, in my mind I'm sitting at the table at Biff's in Deadwood enjoying Steve's company (that's Steve in the picture), watching the "young-uns" take a turn at the open mic, sipping an ice cold ice tea.

Shadow

A few weeks ago, my husband and I considered rescuing another dog. We were at the Vet's and we saw an ad on the bulletin board. An 11-year-old lab needed a home. His owner was no longer able to care for him, and he was in a temporary foster home.

We called the number and arranged for a meeting. We met "Shadow", and we took him home with us for a "trial", to see if he would fit in with our other dogs, as well as be able to negotiate the steps in our home and so forth. Shadow had had leg surgery in 2002, and due to his age, he was not very mobile. His hip strength and range of motion was less than optimal. His owner had disabilities, so when Shadow wasn't in the house, he had been limited by the length of a chain for his outdoor adventures. The dog had had excellent Vet care, but his rehabilitation from the leg surgery had not been carried out.

Shadow came to our home and I believe he was absolutely astounded that he didn't have to be on a chain. We have a large fenced yard, and for the first several hours, Shadow wandered around the backyard and was not very interested in coming into the house. He also had to climb stairs to enter, and each time he looked up the 5 steps, he had a rather forlorn look upon his Labrador face. With encouragement (and some physical lifting of his rear up the steps!) he finally entered the house. He quickly made himself at home.

Shadow stayed with us for 5-days. For the first couple days he would go down the steps to the backyard, but he would not attempt coming back in without help. I called his foster mom and she indicated that yes, Shadow could walk up and down basic porch steps. I swear the dog heard the conversation, as right that moment he decided to show me that yes, he could do what he had been refusing to do. It was uncanny.

I fell in love with Shadow, and really got a kick out of how he kept track of his favorite toys. He would have "conversations" with me, which although noisy, were very fun. I'd forgotten how a big dog could be fun that way! I found an old soft ball and decided to give it a toss. Shadow momentarily forgot that he was 11-years-old and not very spry. He trotted across the yard and showed that he still had the puppy spirit within.

We had to return Shadow to the foster mom, things with the other dogs were not working out quite like we hoped. The day after I returned him, I got a panicked call indicating that the owner had decided to put Shadow down. I had 1 1/2 hours to either take him, or find someone who would take him. Well, our college department secretary came to the rescue.

Shadow now lives with her and her family, out in the country. She reports to me that he is a joy to have, and such a character. His mobility is improving. She said the exciting thing was watching him actually be able to run...he ran down to their pond to have a drink.

Shadow has been well loved by all of us that have been touched by his life. His foster mom calls my secretary to see how he is. His old owner calls, and had recently given some tips about what are his favorites. I check every few days and hope to have Shadow come to visit. I love hearing the stories. "Yes," Julie says, "he's still carrying around his green Frisbee, and he loves tossing and chasing his lighted ball."

Even writing this note about him, I can see his loving big brown eyes looking at me. Shadow...a great dog, with a marvelous place to spend his last few years.

Rodent Rider

Heading off to work on Monday morning, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a little black blob darting around on the floor on the passenger side of my car. The sunlight was dancing in through the window, so at first I thought it was just a trick of the light.

After driving about 4 miles, nearing the second stop sign on my morning commute, I turned and looked at the passenger seat.

Standing on the far edge of the seat was a plump gray mouse, with its beady eyes focused upon me. When our eyes met, the mouse decided it was time to dart to somewhere else, and away it went up over the front seat into the back seat - lightening fast!!.

I immediately had these thoughts of...."oh my, Mr. Mouse, please don't run over here on my side of the car and pounce upon me!" I kept track of the mouse (sort of) out of the corner of my eye as I continued on to complete my 17 mile journey.

When I got to college, I left the sun roof open, hoping that my little passenger would find its way out into the freedom of the woods. I also prayed that the book bag I was carrying into the college didn't have the mouse as a hidden passenger. Luckily it didn't, although I did have a few moments in my office where I thought I heard scampering.

I had a long long work day, and I really hoped my journey home would be mouse free. At 10 p.m. I got into the car to head home. My routine is to turn on the stereo ...loud rock music...and head on down the highway. There, driving in the dark, things seemed to be okay. I seemed to be alone in my car, so I sighed with relief. Then, about 10 miles into my journey, that little scamp came to life and started darting around in the car. With no light within the car except from the dash controls, it was hard to see what was happening. What seemed to take place, however, was that the mouse shot across the dash, and then jumped down into my side of the car. I felt it running over my feet and, well, I worked to keep my head. I didn't exactly want to explain to an officer: "Ummmm, why did I wreck my car? Well, a mouse ran up my leg!" I slowed down, began stomping my feet, and for a moment, in my startled state, knocked the headlight switch to off! Panic!! The lights snapped down in the GT, and I was cruising down the highway (a two-lane) with no lights. Luckily there was no traffic!

I got the lights back on, continued stamping my feet, and prayed that the mouse was anywhere but on my side of the car. The sounds suggested it was darting back and forth in the back seat, possibly up in the back window, possibly banging into the glass. I didn't stop to look. I had only a few miles to survive the mouse adventure....and I was so relieved when I got home safely.

Although my preference would have been to lock the cat up in the car (we have an excellent mouser), my husband convinced me to put the live mouse trap in the car instead. This morning the mouse trap was empty.
Dang!!!!!!!

My husband decided to leave the car door open a crack, hoping that this might help the mouse decide to move elsewhere. I'm not overly convinced. I'm a little worried that more mice friends might move in. Maybe I'll take the car for a little "test drive" before I attempt my commute again. The rock music sure seems to get that mouse a dancing!

A Day with Extended Family

Today, the Wisconsin Cousins gathered to spend some time with our elderly Aunt Bert. It was a wonderful day of food, connecting, and conversation. Here are a couple pictures from our day together at my cousin Anne''s home near Steven's Point.
Left - My cousin, Anne
Center - late afternoon conversations
Right - Aunt Bert, enjoying the day with family.

Some Still Don't Know About Katrina's Rath - Cable TV Choices & Communication

With all the graphic and vocal news about Hurricane Katrina, a person might think that the entire population of the USA is attuned, aware, informed, and so forth. Not so...for our choices of TV stations can isolate folks from what's happening.

With the hundreds of TV stations, and the "blabber" that is on so many, there are folks in our country that limit themselves to a steady diet of "Spike", or "Comedy Central", or "HBO", or...well, you name the channel that caters to a specific audience and has eliminated news from their offerings.

I spoke with my daughter today, and she brought this very situation to my attention. I'd helped her move to her college apartment (in another state) a few weeks ago. In our conversation about "how did the first week of classes go"...and etc., she said, "Mom, what's the price of gas down there? Its $3.49 a gallon here. I heard there was a hurricane or something that made the oil companies raise the price of gas." She then suggested that she didn't know why, other than it was "something about New Orleans."

I told her about the devastation, the people stranded, the people dying, the chaos, the anarchy, the loss of shipping ports, etc. etc...(you know the details if you've had "mainstream TV on"....) I decided to bring the picture to her mind by stating, "Think of New Orleans as 'the lost city of Atlantis'." She said, "Its under water? New Orleans is under water?"

How could she not know? Well...she watches "Comedy Central" when she watches TV. She mentioned that she'd listened to jokes about New Orleans, but she just thought they were jokes. She didn't have the "background understanding" to connect that there was a bigger than life situation in our Southern USA.

So...I've concluded today that there is a chunk of our USA population that really doesn't know that people are dying along the Gulf, that there are streams of "refugees" being tediously moved out of Mississippi & Louisiana, that gas prices are rising because of serious problems cutting supply and production, as well as other things that are happening. Why? Because:
A. They don't have TV because they can't afford Cable. (Think about it, it could be a possibility).
B. They don't watch or listen to TV stations that have news....and associate with other people that don't watch/listen to news.
C. They don't listen to radio stations that have news, or detailed news.
D. Their media use is primarily CD's and DVD's...no outside sources.
E. Etc....you might think of some more reasons...I think there are many.

When thinking about those hours before the hurricane hit, USA practice is that anyone who was watching any TV station or listening to a radio would not have missed the evacuation announcement because of our Emergency Alert System. The emergency sirens would also sound, and so forth. Was everybody listening?

Regardless of all of the above, I guess today opened my eyes that a person could, this day, not know that Hurricane Katrina has, is and will effect all lives in the USA, and most likely the world. WE live in an interdependent economy...and as the next few months unfold, the economic impact on everyone's daily life will also unfold.

I was looking at what the price of heating oil for my home will be come winter.....200 gallons at a likely $3+/gallon = $600+ for about 2 months of warmth. Anyone reading this may also begin doing the math and cost projections....what we all need to remember is that it will be EVERY ONE OF US, including schools and industry and ALL consumers....everything we know in our day-to-day lives will be struggling (yes, I said struggling) with the costs. (An older person said to me, "This could be the depression-like event that wakes us up.")

I am taking personal steps with all this in mind. No, not panic, but conservation and smart choices. Panic will not serve us. Smart choices will. Remember...think Globally, Act Locally. Let us all join together during these times.

Stage of Change

So much, so fast, so sudden, so significant...we are in a time of rapid changes impacting daily lives. The images of the devastation of hurricane Katrina...haunting. Revealing. Modern USA urban human thrown into life and death survival by natural forces. Years ago, several of my friends would talk about how they would or could or might survive catastrophic disaster. Intellectual banterings of what barriers "modern man" has to coping and surviving when striped to basics. Now we see it before us, as we watch television stories of those piecing together lives, living without shelter in clusters on a broken interstate overpass. Drinkable water...more precious than any material thing, a bite of food, a piece of cardboard to shelter from the sun.

But I am in the Northern USA. After last night's exploration of information and viewing of Katrina picture slideshows...I went to bed feeling disheartened, concerned, worried, and overwhelmed by the travesty visited upon the New Orleans and Mississippi coastal areas, places I've never been.

Already in a state of concern about the oil/gas prices, the ripple of the destruction was written on the gas station signs...87 octane 2.99.9 as of 7 p.m. tonight. I am seriously taking stock of changing my commuting behaviors. I'm thinking about the catastrophic possibilities of a cold winter with fuel oil as my house's heating source. I'm having dark thoughts about the close of 2005. All this as I am working to pump up excitement about the start of a new college semester, guiding students to new information, and making a difference in the world in my small way.

I talked to my sister today, who was looking quite forward to a late summer vacation in Moab, Utah. She has had one thing after another happen that could be omens that maybe she should stay home. Tonight she's wondering if they could end up stranded...finding themselves in a place that runs out of gasoline supplies and far from home.

But my problems, my sister's problems, these are small compared to the thousands of people sleeping tonight without shelter or basic necessities on that broken interstate overpass in New Orleans or Biloxi; or compared to the men and women whose loved one slipped from their grasp in the raging wind and rising waters of Katrina's wrath; or compared to those whose familiar place is wiped from the planet, and possibly forever under the sea and silt...like lost Atlantis.

Such a time we are living in. Change is upon us.

Green Apple Campout

This past weekend was the annual campout of the Green Apple Folk Society at Hartman Creek State Park near Wausau, WI. I'm new to the society, so this was the first "real" event that I've attended. I met some wonderfully friendly folks, and the music that was the reason for bringing us all together was marvelous, both for listening and for jamming!

The campout started on Friday night, but I decided to wait until Saturday to go. The weather on Friday was not really conducive to camping...it was very rainy at Hartman Creek that night. Saturday and Sunday, however, were perfect days...the temps were in the 70's during the day, and the sky was clear. The stars on Saturday night were bright, and we even were visited by a Northern Lights display, although it wasn't much more than a glowing stripe across the night sky.

The campfire jam session on Saturday night must have had about 30 folks at it. Instruments were numerous, including acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins, a banjolin (or is it bandolin?), tin whistles, violins, flutes, rhythm instruments, and bohran(s). Not everyone attending the jam camped the night. The morning brought more conversations while waking up, and then a smaller jam session before we all packed up to go home.

Hartman Creek is a beautiful state park! I checked out the other areas of it as I left early Sunday afternoon. We were camped in a group camping area. The public camping sites are equally as wonderful. I certainly will want to go there again.

I took my old (faithful) backpack pup tent and it served me well once again. (The last time it was used was in 2002 at Bear Butte in South Dakota!) Of course I don't sleep directly on the old, cold, hard ground. I took my old fouton mattress, which fits neatly into my tent. That combined with my thick, Montana cold weather sleeping bag, plus a pillow, and I was set for the night.

The Green Apple Folk Society is a group that serves the Appleton/Green Bay region, with monthly meetings and folk concerts. I'm really glad that I found them!

Poetry Muse at Play - College Reflections

They will Grumble –
They’re Your Students
5-6-05
Soozee Weisflock

The semester is long,
the learning is a steep curve
You’ve planned it to where?
to there, with such care
And you’re strong,
strong enough to educate them
They will grumble, they’re your students.

So on you go, their learning is your concern
A burden to bear, to bear,…but you’ll get there
For you know, the projects are encumbering
They will grumble, they’re your students.

And if you’re laden at all
You’re laden with papers
That most handed in, sometimes late
In the madness of midterm, and of finals.

It’s a long, long semester, and now the weeks are all gone
And they’re on their way, somewhere, they'll get there?
And the journey may have weighed you down some (a lot?)
But they’re more able, they were your students.

(To the melody: “He Ain’t Heavy…He’s My Brother” by Neil Diamond)

Fresh Peaches

We have a couple peach trees in our front yard. They are actually planted in an annoying location, right in front of the picture window. When we bought our house a year ago, we've discussed taking them out or moving them to a different spot. Well, I don't think that is going to happen, as one tree has found a warm spot in my heart.

Of the two peach trees, one tree has been struggling to produce fruit this summer. It has had a case of "curly leaf", which defoliated it after it set fruit. I read about the disease, and removed a few peaches. We've had a very dry summer, so I've also watched these peaches very slowly swell...and recent rains have added the final necessary touches so that the peaches were ready to pick.

Yesterday I wandered past the tree and decided to pick a peach to see if any were ready. I bit into the fruit and the flavor burst into my mouth - oh so flavorful - and the peach juice streamed down my hand and wrist. The peach was a taste of heaven.

I picked the peaches, and filled 1/3 of a large paper grocery sack with them. I then sat and ate 3 more!! I pondered pigging out on as many as my stomach would hold...but then...well, thought that I probably should spread out the "riches" across several days. I also should can or freeze some, or make a pie.

Ahhh, peaches. I absolutely love the taste of fresh peaches. The only rival favorite fruit are fresh nectarines, which I find are the better buy when "store bought" produce is the option. Peaches....fresh peaches! There's nothing like them!

Subaru Outback on the Mend

On January 27, 2005 I had a car accident. Luckily no one was injured. We all walked away from the terrible accident, although I had some bruised ribs. That began our plight about what to do about the car.

The car, a 1999 Subaru Outback Limited Edition, had just recently been purchased. I'd had it 3-weeks!! The problem: I'd only gotten liability insurance - thus no money to restore the car. I think the insurance company would probably have totalled the car.

The car was towed away from the bad accident (I'd made a lefthand turn and not seen an oncoming car) and the estimate for repair was more than what I'd paid for the car 3-weeks prior. A friend stepped forward and said, "Heck Soozee, I've rebuilt worse. I can fix it for you." So, our misadventure in fixing the Subaru began. He towed the car back to his house, and for a few weeks seemed to have keen interest in fixing it. He removed the bent and broken pieces, and went on scavenges to get the parts needed. We found parts for far less than what the autobody repair shop had quoted, and so that initially made this seem like a very good deal.

It was...until this friend lost interest. The car, although ready for the next phase, sat inside and outside for months without any additional efforts made. Eventually the car was towed back to our house, where my husband took it on as a project, and through all of his loving effort, the car is now nearing completion. The cost? Well...at this point its starting to reach that initial body shop estimate.

Of course the best thing that will come from this is the pride my husband feels about his accomplishment. He's always been good with repairing cars, and this restoration certainly has stretched his skills. He's careful with everything he does, and he's been willing to research and network with folks to solve the problems he's encountered.

Although various auto salvage places have served us well for finding parts, the most helpful business of all has been Courtesy Subaru in Rapid City, SD. Courtesy has an internet deal where if you buy parts from them, they will give a parts discount. Having once lived in the Rapid City area, dealing with them has reminded us of our times living there. We've also appreciated the customer service we have received, as well as the quick shipment of what has been needed. www.subaru-parts-dealer.com

I asked my car yesterday if the "transplants" were working out (parts our friend gleaned from a '97 Outback, and others that we've gotten off of ebay and from Dor Auto Recyclers in Michigan). For more pictures go to my webpage www.geocities.com/soozeej/subarublues.html

Single Day Adventure 2 photos

I promised a few more photos from our Tuesday adventure to Door County. Here they are:


This picture is of a Lake freighter that we saw off in the distance in the Green Bay from the Washington Island Ferry. http://www.wisferry.com/ for info on the Ferry.



This picture is of the Plum Island Light House.




This picture is of the Fish Creek Bay Marina area. We were taken by all of the sail boats.

This last picture is of the big pots and wood fire used for a Fish Boil. Although we didn't eat at the Fish Boil, everyone says it is very yummy food. These pots are at Pelletier's Restaurant & Fish Boil in Fish Creek. http://www.doorcountyvacations.com/html/generalInfo/fishBoils.htm

Our journey up the peninsula certainly made us aware that there are places we'd like to visit. One is Peninsula State Park http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/peninsula/index.htm

Make sure you read Single Day Adventure - my first post for more information about our one day "vacation".

Single Day Adventures

The summer has come and nearly gone, and as usual, I've had difficulty pulling a series of days together to have a "vacation". This year, as August has rapidly marched by, I decided to sign up for a couple "Day Trips" offered by local tour bus companies. Its been a delight.

Yesterday (Tuesday, Aug. 22) felt like a vacation to paradise...or at least a little taste of it. We took Denny's American Classic Tours, Inc.'s - Door County/Washington Island trip.

Door County is the peninsula that shoots up above Green Bay, WI, forming the Green Bay. Its a vacation haven to many people. The weekday day trip was perfect....no crowds! Door County is extremely busy on weekends, since it's a quick trip from Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago...and known as "the spot" where folks from Illinois go to get away.

We rode the ferry over to Washington Island, had lunch there and saw a few sights, and then returned to spend some time in Fish Creek, before ending our day. The following are a few pictures of our travels. It was fun!

This picture is of a ferry boat coming back from Washington Island, loaded down. Note the logging truck filled with logs!

John got a kick out of the ride. We both really enjoyed the lake breeze in our faces as we rode the ferry across "Death's Door". That is Washington Island in the background as we are coming up on it.

I'll publish a few more photos in the next few days with additional blogs.

Late Night Energy

Ever have one of those days where your energy just doesn't seem to reach peak until its around 10 p.m. at night? I have those every so often. Last night was one. Its like you are thinking...hmmm, its getting around bedtime....and then, all of a sudden, motivation and energy come together (TFS goes away) and you find yourself getting more done than you accomplished the entire (lazy) day.

I decided to take advantage of the energy last night...compiled my year-long academic calendar with all the important dates. That took 1 1/2 hours, and then it was on to cleaning the kitchen - or finishing up what I'd started hours before. I hauled out the trash for garbage day, hauled out the recycle stuff. Then I was inspired to rinse out the recycle container I keep in my kitchen. Next thing I knew, it was 1 a.m. and I was outside hand-watering my extensive garden--since I had the hose out, why not?. Etc. etc. I knew it was late when the backyard light turned off...its on a timer. I used my "woman's sight" to wander around watering things in the dark.

Now its another day. Sure was nice to wake up to a clean kitchen as well as not worry about missing getting the garbage hauled on garbage pickup day.

Tasklist Fear Syndrome -----TFS

There's nothing like a friend to put into articulate words that which haunts many of us: Tasklist Fear Syndrome (See the link to Dustin's Blog in my links list for the complete writing). I'm taking the liberty to quote Dustin's blog post (August 14, 2005), because I feel he did a great job defining TFS and even creating criteria!!

The symptoms are anxiety, depression, anger, remorse, guilt and sadness. It is caused by avoiding important tasks that need to be done next. There may or may not be a written tasklist, but irrespective it is usually the "next" thing that needs to be done in life. The task is often one of two types:

1. A very large ambiguous task with no clear beginning, end or milemarkers. Common tasks are thesis, re/design projects, new ventures (like a business or lifestyle change).
2. Simple tasks that require an action which is emotionally uncomfortable. Common tasks are making certain phone calls (calling someone you are worried about what they think), paying bills (when it raises other financial issues), cleaning (when the stuff will reveal uncomfortable issues or when it's "not fair") and writing in your blog. tasklist-fear-syndrome/strong>

TFS - I know this syndrome well!

Of course the way that TFS suffers deal with this syndrome is through procrastination. Often this takes the form of creative endeavors or escapes. My best example is when I was writing my dissertation. I had a horrible case of TFS. (I think the most susceptible individuals to TFS are graduate students, especially those working on major projects, thesis, or dissertation; the second most susceptible would be their professors!)

In the dissertation process, my coping with TFS was to write poetry and perform folk music. (Fact is, if my dissertation had been a compilation of poetry and song lyrics, I'd have had the thing done in 6-months. But I was not an English major...oh darn.) Of course all that creative writing did not help me get the project done, and although performing was a terrific release, it didn't put research words to the page. I had to "face the fear and move through it". I read a book about that.

When my "guts" are in turmoil about TFS these days, I do try to use the "just get started" type of thinking. I know that taking the first step is the hardest, but also is the beginning of the journey of getting the feared/loathed task done. Often, after taking the first step, the fear is conquered and progress can begin.

What about that dissertation? Well, in 2002 I did finish it. Fact is, I was able to finish up the writing that I so avoided, by doing a writing marathon of 48 hours over Easter break. I knew that I only had a few days of work to do....I knew that for months and months and months. The anniversary of the first draft being completed is March 31, 2002. The final was submitted in late August of 02.

TFS still gets me. Avoidance behavior....I bet it gets you, too! Unlike Dustin, I don't mind posting to my blog, however. When I'm posting - I can avoid housework.

S~

Handing Down Women's Wisdom

My own mother left me a cookbook. It was her personal cookbook, a compiling of recipes that she had gathered across her lifetime - spanning the 1940's until 1969. Her cookbook, although now quite in tatters with pages and papers falling out, has recipes that she jotted down and recipes that she cut out of newspapers or other literature. There are recipe pamphlets that came in sacks of flour and sugar. There are also recipes that I tried to type up for her when I was in junior high (it's very interesting to see those early attempts at typing with a pretty crummy children's typewriter).

I love my mother's cookbook. It is the one thing that I have from her that I value dearly. It is like having a piece of my mother there in my hands. When I see her hand written recipes, I feel I get a glimpse of how she worked to carry out taking care of our family. There are the recipes that she obviously got and used when money was tight. There are the precious recipes of Christmas Cookies that she routinely made each winter.

What's not in her recipe book are the recipes that she taught me by showing and doing and telling....family Hungarian recipes that she had learned from my father's sisters. Although I know at one time I likely had some written form of them, she encouraged me to memorize how to make them. I luckily had that knowledge before her death in 1969 when I was just 15.

My mom took time to teach me how to cook. My earliest memories are from when I was very young – 3 or 4 years old. We lived on Hanover Street in Denver, Colorado. Mom used to bake pies. I had a child’s baking set – mini metal baking pans – and when she would bake, I would bake along side of her, standing on a chair. At this very young age, she taught me how to make pies. We would take my little pie plate and make a small version of whatever she was making. I would roll out the pie crust - it was so much fun. We would make a mini double-crust pie, and she would bake mine along with hers. My funniest memory is when I made a pie for my dog. I can remember lining the pie plate with a crust. Mom baked the crust. Then I dished the canned dog food into the pie plate. I’m sure our dog, Pepper, enjoyed the dog pie treat.

My own daughter is now in her late teens. Unlike me at the same age, she is in the beginning stages of cooking knowledge, and made her first pie (with a little help) this week. She is getting ready to move into her own apartment, and now she has interest in learning how to cook the "everyday things". She talks of how she prefers food "made from scratch", and so she now (finally) wants to have the information that I grew up learning by my mother's side from age 3 to 15.

I've decided to take my mother's tattered cookbook and using her recipes as well as others that I've created, tweaked, or collected over my lifetime, write up a "family favorites" cookbook. This way I can pass on the oral as well as written recipes that have been part of my life. Of most importance is writing down the ones mom taught me that are not written down. The "woman's wisdom" my mother passed on to me.

Of course my hope is that many years from now my own daughter will be leafing through this recipe book, or looking through my recipe cards and thinking about how to pass on the wisdom. The wisdom mother's share with daughters generation after generation. Hopefully "cooking from scratch" will not become a lost woman's art in our age of fast, instant & preprepared foods.

S~

Mountain Dew Mouth has struck again

What every parent likely worries about is what will be the result of his/her child's dental check-up. Well, what I thought was going to be a simple event in my 19-year-old daughter's life has become a time of taking out a $2K loan to afford the damage done by her soda-pop sipping habit (I don't have dental insurance...and boy do I regret that!). (Picture at right from: http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1836189&nav=168XMnyS)

She had not told the dentist about her consumption rate of Mountain Dew...but he described it to her with accurate illustrations as he reviewed her teeth x-rays with us. She has Mountain Dew Mouth, which dentists' have named the syndrome that results in numerous cavities in the teeth of sodapop drinkers - specifically those addicted to "The Dew". How many did he find in my daughter's mouth? 14....and possibly a few more in her front teeth that were not initially x-rayed! Luckily...(or maybe not) these were not extremely advanced. (This is likely because she was taught to brush her teeth daily - sometimes more than once - because of dental work she had before her permanent teeth came in. Thank goodness she was committed in carrying out daily brushing!) However, the damage was done and no treatment would mean more problems and expenses later. It was the pay now or pay later dilemma.

If you don't believe that this is a "real thing", here are some websites that discuss this problem that is becoming chronic for teens and 20 somethings:

* Watch What You Dew:
http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20010904hsoda0904p4.asp
*Dental News (this one has pictures....ick):
http://www.ms-flossy.com/softdrinks.html
*Moutain Dew Mouth Make-over: http://www.bocaratoncosmeticdentist.com/enlarge_mountaindew_makeover.html

Since my daughter is headed off to college in a week or so, she did a marathon dental treatment plan. Three days of long dental appointments to fix 14 cavities. She also has sworn off "The Dew" as a habit. It will be a big adjustment.

As a past teacher, I've watched lots and lots of teenagers depend on "the breakfast of highschoolers" which many parents may not realize is a can of sodapop and a candy bar and/or bag of chips. A teen will buy a can of sodapop, open it, and keep it in his/her locker where it is sipped on inbetween classes. I once tried offering free alternatives in my classroom...note the word FREE...and had no takers. I remember one day when a teen couldn't panhandle change from friends and only because of being hungry and penniless, he partook on the fruit I had available.

So...today was the last day of the series of dental appointments. I guess my money is now all spent. I wonder if my daughter spent as much money on all the Mountain Dew she consumed in the past several years as I spent on her mouth this week?

Wild Westie World

Our home is filled with Westies (West Highland White Terriers). We have 2 full blood, and 1 mixed breed. These are terrific dogs to have, and certainly bring a lot of joy into our lives.

These two are Maggie and Mac. These are "rescue dogs", meaning that we got them thru Westie Rescue of Missouri as they were abandoned and then found in the Sioux City Humane Society. Mac and Maggie have lived with us since October 2004, and they are an interesting pair. As older dogs, they are pretty well trained. We have nicknames for each. Maggie is our Westie Alarm Clock...she will get up and bark at us when SHE thinks it is time to get up in the morning. Mac reminds us of Pumba from the Lion King because of his waddling swagger of a walk, and the deliberate way he will seek to be patted or scratched.

Our half Westie is my dog, Zeek. Although he is black - well, salt and pepper these days - his mom Katie was a full blood Westie. It was his dad - a min pin - that gave him the unique coloring. He's a terrific dog, very smart, very loyal, the abosolute best unless he gets out the gate and beyond the fence. Then he forgets his name and plays keep-away.

I was thinking about the dogs just now as I started my blog because it is Mac's bath day. Mac has a common skin allergy condition that requires ongoing medications and frequent baths. He is so good about being bathed. When he is all finished, we can place a towel on the floor and he will immediately go to it and use it to dry himself. Its easy to see that this dog really knows what the routine is, and he follows it with very little guidance. John just finished Mac's bath...and now he's getting dry.

Dogs....we know our house has gone to the Westies. They are great dogs, however, to have as 4-legged companions. I'd recommend them to anyone wanting a smaller dog.

More from the Garden

My garden is planted in a different manner from many. The most common garden configuration is one of rows and paths...lots of room for weeds to grow and a gardener to cuss the amount of work required.

Years ago, when I first met my exhusband Frank, I had a garden grown in rows. Well, it was actually growing an enormous weed patch by mid-summer, but the point is it was a garden of rows of veggies. It was the only way I knew to garden. Along came Frank, who took one glance at my garden and said, "you'll never want to garden like this again once I teach you how to grow a garden in beds." He was absolutely right. The one thing I constantly honor him for teaching me is how to garden using a style of raised beds and square-foot and/or scatter planting, as well as strategic placements of mulch. It is amazing at how the garden becomes an easy plat to manage when planted this way. The weeding is mostly an early garden necessity. Once the plants are large enough to create shade beneath, as well as to have mulch scattered around the base, then the chance of weeds becomes less. The walking paths are also mulched and as the summer progresses, the garden becomes an easy place to go to harvest the desired food items.


Although this picture (left) does not do my garden justice, what you are looking at is a tomato patch (closest to the fence) that is 3'x5' and holds 6 plants. Growing with the tomatoes are carrots and radishes. To the left of the tomatoes is a patch of tomatillos that are actually overgrowing the path and thus creating a big green clump of leafy stuff. The 4 plants of tomatillos are also in a 3'x5' bed, along with a section of 6 sweet banana pepper plants. Interspersed with the peppers are two varieties of basil. With all those plants, it is one green mass of food, with very few weeds having a chance to take over.


This picture shows more of the garden, looking at the beds that are just beyond the tomatoes and tomatillos. Here you see beds of potatoes and onions. The squash are growing in the rear on the far left, and rhubarb and raspberries are at the rear center and right. This picture was taken at the end of July, and you can see that my garden is well along into harvest. I've cleared one bed of pea vines and used them for mulch in the potato bed that is in the front right portion of this picture. I am currently eyeing that open space for a fall crop of something...Possibly lettuce, since we've eaten up nearly all I've grown thus far.

I have become a real fan of the magazines Mother Earth News, and this year I took a tip that may seem strange, but sure has been helpful. That tip? Carpeting my garden. Yes, my garden is carpeted this year. What I've done is taken old, beat-up, salvaged living room carpeting and cut it into strips the width of my walking paths. Each path is "carpeted". The carpet is my weed barrier. It is working marvelously, and I actually think a bit better than when I use weed barrier fabric and wood chip mulch. At first the garden did look a bit strange with gold carpet paths, but now that they are all taken on the color of dirt, the garden looks natural.

The harvest this year is really looking promising. I plan to give a portion of my produce to the local foodbank. One bed of potatoes was planted with them in mind.

The Harvest is Coming

I enjoy gardening! This year's garden is a product of a labor of love that began in late January/early February. I decided to try out starting many of my plants myself. I set up a "plant nursery" in my home office window, and also in my livingroom window. I also decided to buy some heirloom seeds from Seedsavers, as suggested by my bro-in-law, Mike. I planted 2 varieties of tomatoes (Purple Russians, & Bloody Butchers), and then watched them sprout. I was so excited that I then started several more plants - brocolli, cabbage, several flowers, etc. Some sprouted, some didn't.

As the Spring unfolded, my little window nursery outgrew its location. I was not daunted, and teased my husband that I was hoping that the plants would take over the house, if only for a little while. In March I put a greenhouse on my front porch. When I put up the greenhouse, I also was finally able to pull the Christmas plastic candycanes out of the ground, although one was still firmly frozen and would not budge!



This greenhouse is actully a conversion of a Menard's ATV "garage" made from tubing and tarps. Instead of using the white tarp covering, I used clear plastic. The frame was literally a "snap" to put together, and each end/doorway has a zipper door - excellent for my use. The best part was this thing was on clearance for $129. All the "instant greenhouses" of any size were far more pricey. After I set this up on my front porch, I starting hearing that my greenhouse was the talk of the neighborhood.

My garden "babies" spent the daytime in the greenhouse and the nighttime in my livingroom for several weeks until the night temperatures started staying in the low 40's. I had a small heater in the greenhouse just in case. I used plastic "under the bed" storage containers that had wheels on them to hold my plants. It made it easy to move them inside and outside. I did have a few nights of worry. When we took a trip, we had to find someone who would not only feed the cat, but also could care for the plants!

By early May, my "babies" were certainly becoming adolesents. This picture was taken May 8th, and the tomato plants were about 12 to 18 inches tall. (The paper in the middle is a "Flat Stanley" that visited my greenhouse as part of a class project).

I started my vegetable garden "early" on Wisconsin standards. Some of my neighbors cautioned me to not be so eager. I planted onions first, and then potatoes. I also put in some rhubarb. It was really hard to not plant the tomatoes...but I held back until around May 20th.

My garden this year includes a "tomato hedge"....that I put in along my fence. I also decided to use the chainlink to support climbing beans. The "edge of the fence" garden actually grew into a larger area as I realized I needed more garden space. The main garden is mostly potatoes and onions, although I have one bed of tomatoes, and one bed or peppers and tomatillos, and I had one bed of sugar snap peas that has made its production cycle. I decided to plant squash in the back of my garden near a compost heap and the raspberry patch.

The news today is that everything is starting to produce. The peas are done (the best crop ever) and now used for mulch. The Bloody Butcher tomato variety was a good investment. Known for being an early tomato (although small), they have been producing ripe fruit since mid July. The onions are the largest I've EVER grown! I'm now harvesting lots of yellow beans, and we've eaten just about all the lettuce that I planted...we need more.

My gardening style is one of "raised beds", and as I read various books, I guess it is a French Style of raised beds. Mine are mounds of dirt that are 3 feet wide by what ever length I decide. I also use "square foot gardening" techniques, meaning everything is planted close together (as much as feasibly possible). I also tried companion planting this year. One surprising result has been the planting of tomatos in the asparagas patch. Both are doing extremely well! In fact, it has been the first tomato patch to produce ripe fruit and is more steadily doing so then the other tomato hedge areas in my yard.

Gardening....I do enjoy it. This year it has been a long term commitment. As the end of this growing season comes closer, I am now thinking of how I can extend it. I do have this portable greenhouse......