Upside Down Cats

On Sunday Scott and I were enjoying a quiet evening at home when we suddenly heard the startling sound of breaking glass very near...at our own house, in fact! 

It was a rare day of late...cool and not as humid so we had the door between the house and the back porch open. Our sweet Desi cat was enjoying her "freedom" sitting on the porch when the apple came crashing through the porch window! Glass shards and the telltale apple went flying all over the porch - and poor Desi! We have apple trees on the side of the house, and with rain for the last ten days, we haven't had a chance to get out in the yard to pick up the ones that have fallen to the ground. Apparently an apple lying in the grass was too much temptation for the kid who picked it up and winged it through our window! Scott grabbed his shoes and hurried out to see if he could spot the culprit(s). He did see a group of three 10-ish year old boys sitting on the grassy hill across the street from our house, and when they saw him, they got up and ran away!

Ten years old and already broken... I've had a couple days to process this affront...I'm not scared, or intimidated, or sad...

I AM FURIOUS!!!

...at the parent(s)...and I use the term loosely! What "parent" raises a child who would do that?! I spend my life teaching preschoolers right from wrong, and why right is right and wrong is wrong...and they get it (for the most part)! So what kind of negligent, absentee, idiotic loser of a parental unit allows a child to grow to the age of ten without being aware that treating people like shit is just plain wrong?! I am really beginning to believe that people don't think that there is any input required to raise a child. They think it is everyone else's job to teach their child...teachers, caregivers, media...and that all the parent need do is be a "buddy." People blithely procreate like it is no big deal, and treat marriage like it is the big commitment. Personally I can't think of a bigger responsibility than rearing a child, and the fact that people don't take it seriously infuriates me! I wouldn't mind if I knew that those parents would be forced to live on an island somewhere with the crass little assholes they raised, away from the rest of us caring folk who involved ourselves enough to raise children with a moral compass...But no, we are all going to have to live in a world with these low-lifes.

Continue reading "Eve Was Tempted Too - And Look What Happened..." »

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." - Mignon McLaughlin

I found this quote today and I thought that her words eloquently expressed my feelings about marriage on this, our 14th anniversary.

Today is a very special day in our life...it is our 14th wedding anniversary! I want to share with the whole world how happy I am today to look back at the past 14 years with warm and loving memories of being "Mrs Scott". At the same time I am looking forward to a lifetime with my best friend, whom I can't imagine my life without.

It's weird the way the time has passed...in some ways it seems like we've been together forever, and in other ways I feel like we're just beginning. I really believe that this perception is why we are such a perfect couple...why we are still crazy about each other after all these years and why our relationship is so successful.

We've gone through lots of "stuff" - good and bad - throughout the years...more than some, less than others. This fact remains...there is no one I'd rather go through "stuff" with than my Scott! We are very lucky to have found each other and we celebrate that good fortune every day of our lives by giving each other the gifts of respect and admiration. Hooray for us!

“Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?” - James Thurber

I love this clever type of humor...I think a phrase like this tells you everything you need to know about humorist James Thurber.

We all think we're so original...this puts us in our place.

"Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day." - Anonymous

Yes, we should appreciate what is unique in each other. As my Grandma Bessie said, "If we were all the same, the world would be a dull place!"

I think the celebration of diversity - like charity - should begin at home, on the smallest scale, and grow from there. I hear of an awful lot of relationships going south because of such earth-shattering differences between people as toilet seat up/down, toothpaste cap on/off...Someone else's habits should charm us, not irritate us. If we can't whole-heartedly embrace a loved one's manner of interacting with the world, how are we going to feel comfortable accepting people who have different ideas and values concerning religion, politics or customs?

When you promise to love someone, you promise to accept him at face value. It's the way you show him that you care about and respect him. You don't put yourself in a superior position of judging his way of doing things. Assuming we have a general sense of love for our fellow humans, just think of how nice it could be if we could use those cultural differences as reasons to be interested in each other, instead of a way to divide us.

I've finally got the menus for this week created. Here's some of what we'll be enjoying at our table this week:


Steak Quesadillas & Mixed Greens Salad

Lemon Chicken & Broccoli over Pasta

Orange Roughy, Rice Pilaf w/ Almonds & Sauted Escarole w/ Olive Oil & Garlic

Chicken Caesar Salad & Garlic Bread

Beef & Cheddar Sandwiches, Onion Rings, Coleslaw

Puffy Egg "Roller Coaster" w/ Maple Syrup, Sausage Links, Strawberries

I've just enjoyed the delightful experience of a hot stone massage...very, very nice. My one and only massage before today was a full body massage five years ago and that was also a beautiful thing. The full body massage was a more rigorous "kneading" of the muscles which led to a lovely sense of looseness and relaxation. I certainly recommend it! The hot rock massage differs in that most of the contact is not with hands but with smooth hot stones used with a lighter touch. The heat from the stones relaxes the muscles. I went in with a headache and achy, tight shoulders and legs...I left without any of that and a calm sense of wellness. Thanks, Rita at Imagine Salon and Day Spa in Glenwood, Illinois for a lovely hour in paradise!

I am going to go bask in my massage afterglow...

"Act as if it were impossible to fail." - Dorathea Brande

This is an appealing mindset to me - the ultimate in positive thinking.

At the same time it scares me, because there is this little voice inside me that wonders what you think if you fail anyway...

Makes me sound like a very pessimistic person...

I am going to try to adopt this attitude, though. I will never achieve the things I want if I fear failing. How is being fearless when it comes to making my dreams come true a bad thing?

Sure, I'm glad today is Friday, but it has been the Friday from HELL! The daycare children were in "high drama" mode today which, of course, is contagious...once one of them dissolves into a screaming, kicking puddle of tears it is only a matter of time before they are all trying it on for size. The fact that I completely dismiss it as a valid way to communicate their feelings to me doesn't seem to make a bit of difference. I spent my whole day waiting for a child to regain her composure to the extent she could tell me what was wrong. Every interaction seemed to disintegrate into very animated conflict. I feel like I spent the day in an emotional toxic waste dump. Anyone who says that children are naturally sweet and innocent have never spent time with children. They are innately selfish, manipulative and violent. It is up to we adults to extract as much of that undomesticated "human nature" as possible and replace it with civility. I am exhausted physically and mentally...

Continue reading "Rub Me The Right Way!" »

"Worry is a misuse of imagination." - Dan Zadra

I can see his point...worry is thinking about things that haven't - in reality - happened. I've never thought of myself as a particularly imaginative person...apparently I have an abundance, but do not use it to my advantage...

This is my new mantra.