tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29149435324079402172024-03-13T11:37:21.921-04:00I woke up thinkin' ...Everyday it's something new.
<br>Visit my Fort Wayne blog: <b><a href="http://cadee.blogspot.com">Common Sensibilities</a></b>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.comBlogger317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-14397413911597986412010-09-28T11:11:00.000-04:002010-09-28T11:11:51.668-04:00Dear Maple TreesDear maple trees, <br />
Why the rush to shed your respectable verdant hues of summer, into the flaming, flamboyant attire of autumn? Far too soon we'll be hiding our eyes from your stripped skeletons of winter.<br />
<br />
Yours in seasonal modesty,<br />
<br />
CathyCathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-25416171772908920102010-09-14T21:46:00.002-04:002010-09-14T21:46:10.252-04:00Across the saffron skyMaybe a peacock exploded in the sky tonight, scattering his jewel-tipped feathers<br />
Across the saffron horizon, where the sun bounced slowly into nightCathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-70911258020719635922010-08-19T22:34:00.001-04:002010-08-19T22:34:58.060-04:00Dead Garden Walk 2010--You Are Invited!Welcome, master gardeners and amateurs alike. Gardening on Hearthstone Drive this year had been a challenge!<br />
When it wasn't 95 and sunny, it was 90 and storming. Despite our best efforts to cultivate only hardy plant life, some specimens proved to be too delicate for the "every plant for themselves" philosophy of this Garden Walk.<br />
Step lively with me as we begin this year's Dead Garden Walk:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3gjtlVKYI/AAAAAAAAD_E/nakFPSZD9tg/s1600/P8180884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3gjtlVKYI/AAAAAAAAD_E/nakFPSZD9tg/s400/P8180884.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First, the gerbena daisy hanging death basket. When healthy, this plant from the dandelion family can survive almost anything. In my capable hands, it quit blooming cheery yellow and orange blossoms a month ago, and has been dying a slow, leaf-by-leaf death ever since. Next stop for this puppy: trash bin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3hVRRHWYI/AAAAAAAAD_I/4ghtMDxsTbo/s1600/P8180885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3hVRRHWYI/AAAAAAAAD_I/4ghtMDxsTbo/s400/P8180885.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a decorative watering can hand-painted by my sister, a wan, fading spike plant oversees the death of a pink petunia. Friends, it takes a special amount of neglect to kill a petunia, and I have accomplished it with several specimens this summer. I may be breeding mosquitoes in the bottom of that watering can, though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3h2QIRAWI/AAAAAAAAD_M/FDP995JZJ28/s1600/P8180886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3h2QIRAWI/AAAAAAAAD_M/FDP995JZJ28/s400/P8180886.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These relatively vibrant pink petunias reside under the crab-apple tree, an infamous part of our yard. The crab-apple has a stunning, show-stopping moment of pink-hued beauty when it blooms in May. It then begins a summer's-long fade, so that by August, it look like Tree of the Apocalypse. I think the reason these petunias have done so well under it is the healthy amount of sunshine they receive through the sparse crab-apple branches.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3ifVLTXVI/AAAAAAAAD_Q/ktMrO-rtVs8/s1600/P8180887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3ifVLTXVI/AAAAAAAAD_Q/ktMrO-rtVs8/s400/P8180887.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What can I saw? These petunias lived--oh, they tried to live, so valiantly!--on the front porch. A combination of roof (keeping the rain off them) and sun (dead-on every afternoon) and benign neglect (what excuse can I give?) brought about their banishment from the porch to the side garden, where they can continue to die in peace.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3jIpTBv5I/AAAAAAAAD_U/ij4k1EhZ7HU/s1600/P8180889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3jIpTBv5I/AAAAAAAAD_U/ij4k1EhZ7HU/s320/P8180889.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But enough of death! (For a moment.) Here's my accidentally organic tomatoes! Organic, because they were grown sans chemicals or even fertilizer. Accidentally, because I just forgot to take care of them! Wah-la! But, they live!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3jncz7OhI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/SlNdkal7aJk/s1600/P8180888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3jncz7OhI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/SlNdkal7aJk/s320/P8180888.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meet The Stupidest Oak Trees Every. They are spindly, pathetic-looking, and ... they live in a POT. A give-away from work, NO ONE -- us, nor neighbors, nor family -- seems to want to plant a pathetic oak tree in their yard. But perhaps I am looking at these specimens incorrectly. Perhaps I should call them ... The Most Unique Oak Trees Ever. Because who else do you know who GROWS OAK TREES IN A POT!? And, again ... they are alive!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3kP4oMGxI/AAAAAAAAD_c/X96zNmJJ01o/s1600/P8180891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3kP4oMGxI/AAAAAAAAD_c/X96zNmJJ01o/s320/P8180891.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If only you could have seen these potted petunias, which live (optimistically speaking) on the patio table in the backyard, a month ago. Their cheerful white-and-pink countenance would have cheered you. Alas, they, too, have taken a downward spiral.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3kohrak_I/AAAAAAAAD_g/WGftIyJi9Uw/s1600/P8180892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3kohrak_I/AAAAAAAAD_g/WGftIyJi9Uw/s320/P8180892.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Despite my forgetting to water this palm time and and time again, I have failed to kill it, which is GREAT, because Angela gave it to me, and I would have major maternal guilt if it perished. YEA ME. THANK YOU for not dying, Potted Palm!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3k6AhNrQI/AAAAAAAAD_k/h3VAYP70Tbo/s1600/P8180893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3k6AhNrQI/AAAAAAAAD_k/h3VAYP70Tbo/s320/P8180893.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These particularly pathetic and neglected pots were not chosen to grace the landscape (?) this year, but chose to participate anyway, from top to bottom, we have: Weeds; More Weeds; and Wild Clover with a Volunteer Petunia. Who says I don't have a green thumb!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3ld4sNE0I/AAAAAAAAD_o/_URe3boNq0I/s1600/P8180894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3ld4sNE0I/AAAAAAAAD_o/_URe3boNq0I/s400/P8180894.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Great news, gardeners: We'll be wrapping up this tour high note. First, on the north side of the home, the Hosta Garden, or Those Things Which Cannot Be Killed Even By Cathy. I think it helps that 1) sun is sparse on this side of the house 2) the sump pump empties on this side, so they get watered and 3) the bird feeder is right above them so they get crapped on all day by the birds, aka, ORGANIC FERTILIZER. AGAIN with the organics! Is this a 'green' garden or what!?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And last, and certainly, not least (the Least Award going to that dead petunia in the sideyard):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3mOD0YzVI/AAAAAAAAD_s/1a7U6boNS6U/s1600/P8180895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3mOD0YzVI/AAAAAAAAD_s/1a7U6boNS6U/s400/P8180895.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ever-blooming ground roses. All I do is cut 'em back after blooming and they keep going and going. These are the roses I watch at night. There's a moment when the evening is almost done and twilight is over when the color of the blooms changes from red to black. It's time to go in, then. This bush, healthy and growing despite owner apathy, get the PERSEVERANCE AWARD.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3mz0BppgI/AAAAAAAAD_w/l3bVM2JtViI/s1600/P8180896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3mz0BppgI/AAAAAAAAD_w/l3bVM2JtViI/s320/P8180896.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The NOT YET DEAD/NEWCOMER AWARD goes to this astor, which took the place of Dead Petunia on the front porch. Please contact your bookie for the odds on how long it will take me to kill it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3m2WQ57JI/AAAAAAAAD_0/NnzKSr30wHI/s1600/P8180897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/TG3m2WQ57JI/AAAAAAAAD_0/NnzKSr30wHI/s320/P8180897.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Winner of the OPTIMISM AWARD goes to this pot, given to me by my friend Dave (who moved). It's yawing maw of possibility is just waiting for something beautiful -- some fall mums, perhaps? -- for me, or for Mother Nature to kill.<br />
That wraps up our 2010 Dead Garden Walk, gardeners! Thanks for joining us. If any of you need tips on how to coax your garden to the vibrant death that mine enjoys, don't hesitate to contact me! And follow me on Twitter: @2010DeadGardenWalk.Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-44548868278506076822010-08-12T21:33:00.002-04:002010-09-29T21:01:48.597-04:00SuddenlyI'm no vampire: I love the sunny days.<br />
<br />
But the twilights, this summer, have been something:<br />
The sudden stillness of the air, the breeze disappearing as if someone switched off a fan;<br />
The deep quiet underneath the locusts' screaming;<br />
The puddle of amber and orange behind the neighbors' houses;<br />
The first brave star that's really Venus, shining in an deepening aquamarine sky.<br />
And often: only me, sometimes us, to watch it happen, then fade.Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-29064277674590933602010-07-15T22:47:00.002-04:002010-07-15T22:47:46.656-04:00Throughout the new-night sky<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Perhaps I saw Monet fly high across the summerland tonight</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Smudging the sliver moon with purple</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Leaving a dim smear of light behind.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">He blurred the clouds to a mosaic of sunset colors</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">And threw the stars, carelessly</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Throughout the new-night sky.</span>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-27524481241264585252010-07-13T20:23:00.001-04:002010-07-13T20:23:51.930-04:00'Round Salomon Farm<br>Walking the trail 'round Salomon Farm / The low-slung sun still heavy with day's heat / Down a shallow swale, the curve leads me past a windrow / And evening surprises me from the shadows.<br />Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-9510396699887907412010-07-12T14:40:00.002-04:002010-07-12T14:40:52.594-04:00Cathy's 5-Minute Facebook<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I kept hearing people comment that they don't want to do Facebook because "it takes up too much time."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My observation is, IF you can stay away from the games, keeping up with Facebook can be done if five, yes FIVE, minutes a day.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A friend requested I tell her how, exactly, and this is what I sent her:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1) Go to Facebook, then to "Home" in upper right. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2) On the left navigation, click "Friends"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3) Click "Status Updates"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Now you will JUST and ONLY what your friends are doing, via status updates! Scroll down as long as you want--it just takes me a minute or so. If I want to comment or "like" it's fast and easy.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Next, at the top next to the "Facebook" logo, just hover and click your cursor on the notification icons; they may have red numbers that tell you how many new friend requests, messages, and updates you've had. You'll see lists of 1) any friends requests you have (and you can confirm then right here); 2) any direct message you have, just click on one to read; and 3) Notifications to glance over.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">IF you have more times, you can click on the "news feed" items and you'll see stuff like pictures posted, etc. Which are kind of fun if you have time.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When I use this method I can take 5 minutes and see most of the important stuff. If I have more time, I'll look at the news feed and at pictures.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> I used to play a couple games but they sucked time and I quit. But there were fun :)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And if you are new to Facebook, be sure to edit your privacy settings (upper right corner, under "Account").</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-9847838608052117182010-07-07T19:58:00.001-04:002010-07-07T19:58:12.943-04:00July's Revenge<br>Only air conditioners roar this hot evening / Grass too stressed to grow / Surely a night to curl up with a good book / And a cold margarita / A in January in July.<br />Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-56449126424581648142010-06-30T22:21:00.002-04:002010-06-30T22:21:47.888-04:00The Whole Horizon<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Tonight, I watched the pink ring, all around</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The way the ring deepened to navy below</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Night sneaking up on us</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The way the pink faded to turquoise above</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Daytime slow to give up</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The scant clouds relent, darkening </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The tired sun flares and sinks, stealing the color</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The ring rolls away.</span>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-10826030316397135032010-06-24T10:57:00.001-04:002010-06-24T10:57:35.768-04:00Uneasy sky<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This morning, uneasy gray sky,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Last night's rain in puddles,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Littered with debris;</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Suddenly the sun winks,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A slim blue rent </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In the clouds</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Can the storm finally end?</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-59781826186331636222010-06-02T22:23:00.001-04:002010-06-02T22:23:59.234-04:00Yea! Go me! Get those Beibers!<a href="http://theoatmeal.com/quiz/justin_bieber"><img alt="How many Justin Biebers could you take in a fight?" src="http://theoatmeal.com/img/quizzes/generated/17_14.jpg" /></a><br />
Created by <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/">Oatmeal</a>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-22054958734603918222010-05-17T21:55:00.001-04:002010-05-17T21:58:34.756-04:00Didn't get the memo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S_H0KIWM7YI/AAAAAAAAD9k/gwKCUsgcf7k/s1600/stress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="48" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S_H0KIWM7YI/AAAAAAAAD9k/gwKCUsgcf7k/s400/stress.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37195913/ns/health-aging/">People less stressed?</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I don't think the point</div><div style="text-align: center;">Is that there is less stress</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the AARP crowd.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But rather the stress</div><div style="text-align: center;">Bothers us less</div><div style="text-align: center;">Because we know</div><div style="text-align: center;">That stress, indeed, passes;</div><div style="text-align: center;">And that any life messes</div><div style="text-align: center;">Eventually get cleaned up.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Why worry? </div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-59138420193123955242010-05-12T22:54:00.000-04:002010-05-12T22:54:00.176-04:00The homely here of Indiana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-tlXMauu1I/AAAAAAAAD9Q/osv93lg4ZNU/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-tlXMauu1I/AAAAAAAAD9Q/osv93lg4ZNU/s320/IMG_0895.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The homely here of Indiana,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Beaten, drowned, buffeted,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Labeled by some as country</div><div style="text-align: center;">Best seen from above--</div><div style="text-align: center;">You know, as the crow flies.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And on days like these</div><div style="text-align: center;">Even from above, you'd see</div><div style="text-align: center;">Only clouds, and more clouds.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And yet--</div><div style="text-align: center;">Some blustery front will blow</div><div style="text-align: center;">Those clouds away, soon,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then look out the windows, frequent fliers:</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ah, the lovely green checkerboards</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fringed by full wind-rows</div><div style="text-align: center;">Laid on the grid of county road</div><div style="text-align: center;">And interstate.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And down below, the beauty's</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the details, so look close:</div><div style="text-align: center;">The pear, the dogwood, the lilac</div><div style="text-align: center;">The tulip, iris, peony,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Green on loan from </div><div style="text-align: center;">Some Irish aerie, maybe:</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Midwest flatness a sudden canvas,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cubism and Impressionism thrown together,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Unexpected art in a plain Hoosier gallery.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-47130626993112177012010-05-10T22:59:00.000-04:002010-05-10T22:59:50.444-04:00She's just not good enough for you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37069866/ns/politics-supreme_court/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-jA_OunPYI/AAAAAAAAD9M/ISPm_72JgnQ/s320/Kagan.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Who <i>would </i>make people happy?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not even this announcement:</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Today, President Obama nominated</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Christ for the Supreme Court,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Stating that the Savior's hands-on experience</div><div style="text-align: center;">"In judgmental situations</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Makes Him particularly well-suited</div><div style="text-align: center;">"To the nation's highest court."</div><div style="text-align: center;">Give it half an hour,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Let the talking heads loose:</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Christ for the court?</div><div style="text-align: center;">What kind of judge</div><div style="text-align: center;">Will He make?</div><div style="text-align: center;">He forgave everyone!</div><div style="text-align: center;">An elitist radical socialist!</div><div style="text-align: center;">A left activist!</div><div style="text-align: center;">An anti-military loon!"</div><div style="text-align: center;">O friends! Judge not,</div><div style="text-align: center;">That ye might be judged</div><div style="text-align: center;">By the right of heart.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-8674614178739512692010-05-08T09:00:00.002-04:002010-05-08T09:00:03.440-04:00Imma B Immigrated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/peter-roff/2010/05/07/American-Flag-Shirt-Fight-Illustrates-New-American-Intolerance.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="37" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-TLDcVRLZI/AAAAAAAAD9A/6i8it0SwqYo/s400/immigration.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">If she raises her hand in greeting</div><div style="text-align: center;">To the poor, the tired, the multi-hued</div><div style="text-align: center;">In New York harbor--</div><div style="text-align: center;">In Arizona she whacks them</div><div style="text-align: center;">On the head.</div><div style="text-align: center;">"We won't judge you by your skin--</div><div style="text-align: center;">We'll just stop you, and card you,"</div><div style="text-align: center;">And perhaps, deport you.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Give up the mothers, the fathers,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Your yard man, your pool guy,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Your hotel maid, your nanny.</div><div style="text-align: center;">By bus, train, boat, or boot,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Just show them the door</div><div style="text-align: center;">Don't let it hit them on the way out.</div><div style="text-align: center;">And don't miss them when they're gone.</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-17923175230698227382010-05-07T09:00:00.002-04:002010-05-07T09:00:06.962-04:00Throwing numbers at the wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36999807/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-N9AXfIgwI/AAAAAAAAD88/FkYoTjpc6Hg/s320/WallStreet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Take these numbers; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Hold them in your hands</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Shake them up like Yahtzee dice,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Throw them at the wall; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">See if they stick. Or bounce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">(Like a bad check.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Digits fly by everywhere--</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Miles on the odometer,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Minutes on the clock,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Line score at Wrigley Field.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Don't blink; you might miss</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">The roller coaster ride on</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Wall Street. If some say</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">It's veering around Greece,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Others blame it on the rain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Oh wait; I mean, bad typing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Hey, Austin Powers? Was that million</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">...Or billion? Neither applies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">To my 401(K)--not anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">They're all only numbers,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Thrown onto screen or spreadsheet,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Overhyped on CNBC and Bloomberg.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Honestly, more like a merry-go-round,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 12pt;">Without the merry.</span> </span>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-50364929310175922982010-05-06T10:00:00.000-04:002010-05-06T10:00:05.505-04:00A Black River Runs Through It. Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36959866/ns/us_news-environment/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="54" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-IqWwaAO5I/AAAAAAAAD84/drvQJCXqWhk/s320/oilspill.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maybe you've seen the headwaters of this black river,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's there in Prince Williams Sound,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Where dark puddles linger, decades later--</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's where it began, with</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death and death and mess.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Floating booms can't restrain stupidity</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and bad planning--</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nor can fire burn away carelessness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If the bitch, Katrina, wreaked anarchy,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Howling for attention,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Then here is a quiet, black anointing, insidious,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Slinking into the Gulf waters,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Threading through the delicate lace</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Of estuary and delta,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like a Dementor ready to </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Suck the life from us. Again.</div><div align="left"></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-71238966879303743332010-05-05T22:28:00.001-04:002010-05-05T22:29:14.241-04:00Laughing at Letterman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36944029/ns/today-entertainment/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="24" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-IoQWeauxI/AAAAAAAAD80/lrGRDhGtxXQ/s320/letterman.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>David, you old Hoosier:<br />
Every night you<br />
Open your chest<br />
And let us laugh at your heart.<br />
What goes on in the green room<br />
Doesn't stay there.<br />
Behind even open hearts<br />
Are closed doors. If winsome disclosure<br />
Brings forgiveness,<br />
Memory brings caution.<br />
Our laughter, fed by empathy<br />
(Indeed, we all screw up)<br />
May turn quickly--<br />
As quickly clicked<br />
As a button on a remote.Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-21091417701014870812010-05-05T08:00:00.001-04:002010-05-05T08:00:07.663-04:00May 4: I was going to write, but Neil Young did it better<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-DZMqKbLuI/AAAAAAAAD8o/hZxdCL6lMuY/s1600/kent_state.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-DZMqKbLuI/AAAAAAAAD8o/hZxdCL6lMuY/s320/kent_state.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://www.thrasherswheat.org/fot/ohio.htm">Four dead in Ohio>></a><br />
<br />
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,<br />
We're finally on our own.<br />
This summer I hear the drumming,<br />
Four dead in Ohio.<br />
<br />
Gotta get down to it<br />
Soldiers are gunning us down<br />
Should have been done long ago.<br />
What if you knew her<br />
And found her dead on the ground<br />
How can you run when you know?<br />
<br />
Gotta get down to it<br />
Soldiers are gunning us down<br />
Should have been done long ago.<br />
What if you knew her<br />
And found her dead on the ground<br />
How can you run when you know?<br />
<br />
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,<br />
We're finally on our own.<br />
This summer I hear the drumming,<br />
Four dead in Ohio. (Neil Young)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tin%20soldiers%20and%20nixon%20coming%2C%20we%27re%20finally%20on%20our%20own.%20this%20summer%20i%20hear%20the%20drumming%2C%20four%20dead%20in%20ohio.%20%20gotta%20get%20down%20to%20it%20soldiers%20are%20gunning%20us%20down%20should%20have%20been%20done%20long%20ago.%20what%20if%20you%20knew%20her%20and%20found%20her%20dead%20on%20the%20ground%20how%20can%20you%20run%20when%20you%20know/?%20%20Gotta%20get%20down%20to%20it%20Soldiers%20are%20gunning%20us%20down%20Should%20have%20been%20done%20long%20ago.%20What%20if%20you%20knew%20her%20And%20found%20her%20dead%20on%20the%20ground%20How%20can%20you%20run%20when%20you%20know?%20%20Tin%20soldiers%20and%20Nixon%20coming,%20We're%20finally%20on%20our%20own.%20This%20summer%20I%20hear%20the%20drumming,%20Four%20dead%20in%20Ohio.">Pictures>></a><br />
<a href="http://www.may4.org/">Kent May 4 Center>></a><br />
<a href="http://www.fireintheheartland.org/FireintheHeartland/Home.html">Fire in the Heartland>></a>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-45454498599043994112010-05-04T13:39:00.000-04:002010-05-04T13:39:09.689-04:00Dooming history, one tweet at a time<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36936894/ns/politics-white_house/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="25" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S-BbfJ_mzmI/AAAAAAAAD8k/U5mPcdFXO-U/s320/image001.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Obama wrestles with growing stack of crises</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">While Michelle kickboxes with dandelions;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">George Bush proclaimed while New Orleans drowned,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And Iraq collapsed upon itself.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Tweets today may be yesterday’s tomes,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yet, books or pixels, it’s only time’s perspective</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">That gives fair judgment. I’ll wait,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And see how tomorrow’s news arrives.</span></div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-32221382296782727502010-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:002010-05-04T09:00:03.881-04:00Nashville -- no stranger to the rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36891589/ns/weather/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S992ifgY60I/AAAAAAAAD8g/zKVU8IOAhNM/s320/nashville.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After all the songs about rain,</div><div style="text-align: center;">The rainy night, the rain on the roof,</div><div style="text-align: center;">The rain in your blue eyes--</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hey Nashville, remember</div><div style="text-align: center;">What Waylon said -- Storms never last;</div><div style="text-align: center;">Yet from Ft. Wayne experience,</div><div style="text-align: center;">The mud lingers for weeks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-29223312220200491242010-05-03T12:10:00.002-04:002010-05-06T22:54:05.974-04:00Note to BP: Your oily avoidance roils my sense of responsibility<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36912754/ns/us_news-environment/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S97z32Ybk-I/AAAAAAAAD8c/Qw6B2YVyEY4/s1600/BPOwns.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
If, by chance, oil should spew from Earth's dark mantle<br />
<br />
Without the intervention of God, or Jed Clampett--<br />
<br />
Then, indeed, British Petroleum, sans Transocean, or not;<br />
<br />
With your oily avoidance, or not;<br />
<br />
This ecologic nightmare IS "your accident."<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Yours in responsible drilling, C.</i>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-64197300985192574112010-04-29T22:55:00.000-04:002010-04-29T22:55:23.839-04:00That I should take a day off and go to Vera Bradley saleSo, I am. And the fun started tonight:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S9oC463_SUI/AAAAAAAAD74/IuY7eCdKtjY/s1600/0429101804-787670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N2M6qqZteYI/S9oC463_SUI/AAAAAAAAD74/IuY7eCdKtjY/s320/0429101804-787670.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>It was busy busy busy at the Jefferson Pointe Vera Bradley store. What makes women like VB so much? No clue.</div>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-13145738707001652882010-01-14T20:51:00.002-05:002010-01-14T20:51:50.552-05:00Just a short thing I wrote in my headOn the way to work the other day:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span><br />
<h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="UIStory_Message">These frigid days / strung like icicles / across the calendar / perhaps the reluctant sun / will drip them away.</span></h3>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2914943532407940217.post-12655404933634440682010-01-08T22:54:00.001-05:002010-01-08T22:54:13.741-05:00It's been so long, and now this news<a href="http://www.heyquiz.com/quiz/cat_kill"><img alt="Is your cat plotting to kill you?" src="http://www.heyquiz.com/bimage/14_98.jpg" /></a>Cathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18261676040987810279noreply@blogger.com0