October 31, 2011 Happy Halloween!

One of us is happy about dressing up for Halloween.

Can you guess which one?

I'll give you a hint.

It is not Buddy.

But, since he is the dog and I am the master (most of the time), tonight he put on his witch's hat and delivered cookies to my mom and my sister.

Don't be fooled by his gruff demeanor.

He loved it.

Seriously, isn't this the face of a dog who wants to dress up every day?

If dogs could talk, Buddy would say "I love Halloween! I love being paraded around in front of other dogs with a hat on."

I'm certain that's what he would say.

CB, on the other hand, thinks Buddy would say "WTF? Who the hell does this woman think she is dressing me up like a complete fool and dragging my ass all over town? It's embarrassing. I'll never be able to show my face around the neighborhood again. It's bad enough not having balls, but now I have to deal with this."

Could be that CB may know more about dogs than I give him credit for.

October 30, 3011 Wonder Woman Lives Here

It was time to go to the store. I hadn't done a major shopping trip since May. That's right, the last time I went to the store with my menus, shopping list and CB, was in May and I spent $600.

Those groceries lasted about 5 months. I've had to pop in for fruits and vegetables and milk and bread and bits and pieces, but it was time to go again.

Luke helped me figure out the meals.

Then I put all the recipes in my notebook and did the shopping list.

Off I went. Hoping not to break my $600 record.

Two and a half hours later, I was on my way home, feeling good because I spent less than I thought I would and saved over $60 with coupons. I'll never be on "Extreme Couponing" but I do okay.

Luke was at school studying for a nuclear engineering test (seriously? who studies for shit like that?) and CB wasn't home from the golf course yet, so after loading all the groceries into the cart and driving them home....

I got to carry them into the house.

I put everything away, vacuum packed the meat, weighed the hamburger into 1 and 2 pound packages and vacuum packed it, rearranged the deep freeze (where did that turkey come from?), put 2 slabs of ribs in the oven, made cheesey potato casserole, cleaned the refrigerator, and loaded the dishwasher.

CB came home and gave Buddy a bath.

After a great supper, I baked and frosted pumpkin sugar cookies for Halloween tomorrow.

Yes, it's true.

Wonder Woman does live here.

October 29, 2011 My Daughters

My daughter's birthdays are one day apart. One is October 16 and one is October 17. It never changes. It's on every calendar I own.

But does that mean that I get their gifts in the mail in a timely fashion so they get them before their special days.

It does not.

I had all the shopping done. I promise I did. However, I just couldn't seem to seal the deal and get the packages to the post office.

Today, mailing those birthday packages was number 1 on my list of things to do.

Okay, it was number 2 (pause for juvenile humor to be recognized) because number 1 was having my second massage. Can I just say that I'm a believer in the magic of touch? Barbara at Body First is WONDERFUL. The. Best.

The presents are on their way to my lovely British daughters. I miss them every day. Especially on those days at work when I've about had it with all the bullshit. When they were at K State, they'd pop in with tea or coffee and we'd have a chat. Those girls always seemed to know when I needed a bit of a pick me up.

Love you Louise and Priya. You'll always be my girls.

October 28, 2011 Luke's Morning Chore

You probably can't tell from this picture, but Luke had to scrape his windows this morning.

Look at those beautiful golden trees in the background. The entire neighborhood looks like that.

As I drive to work, I find myself wanting to stop along the way to take pictures of the colorful landscape. But I know that a photo would never be able to capture the subtle reds, oranges, yellows and greens of the leaves.

This is how the day began.

It ended with the Cardinals winning the World Series.

Thanks, Dad!

October 27, 2011 Let's Go, Cardinals!

It's been well documented that my dad was a sports fan. He loved sports, he played sports, he encouraged me as a budding softball player (the only real girls sport back in the day), he pitched baseballs, threw footballs, turned jump ropes, provided a high jumping pit, shot baskets, you get the picture.

He liked the St. Louis Cardinals. In his collection of ball caps, and Dad was rarely without a ball cap on his head, (In his casket, he was holding a KU ball cap, so he even went to the Great Beyond ready for action.) was this St. Louis Cardinals cap.

I don't know why I ended up with it. Maybe because CB is a huge Cardinals fan and I thought it would come in handy.

With the Cards down by one game in the World Series, I decided to take the hat out of retirement for tonight's game. Good thing I did, too. The Cards won in extra innings meaning that tomorrow night is Game 7.

It's silly, I know, but I think about my dad (along with my Uncle Charlie) sitting on top of the press box, or on the scoreboard, drinking beer, and enjoying the many games they can watch for free....I know they help out occasionally, as evidenced by tonight's World Series game.

And the last minute of regulation of the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game. You think Mario made that shot all alone?

Think again.

October 26, 2011 Soup Night

Make this soup tonight. You'll be glad you did.

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans corn

2 cans red beans

1 1/2 pounds ground beef browned (with some minced onions)

3/4 lb. Velveeta, cubed

Throw it all in a pan. Don't drain the vegetables.

Heat it up until the Velveeta melts.

That's all.

The best part about this soup is that you can pass it off as having taking the entire freakin' afternoon to cook. Oh, yes you certainly can. Not that I've ever done anything that sneaky.

There was that one time that I bought fried chicken, opened a can of corn, and made gravy from an envelope. BUT, I did make the mashed potatoes from scratch. Told CB I had cooked for hours. As far as I know, he still thinks I did. Let's not rob him of that cherished memory, shall we?

October 25, 2011 Window to the World

This is the front window of my house.

Is it any wonder that most people in Wamego think I'm nuts?

Is it any wonder that I don't give a shit?

Here's the deal: the world would be a much better place if EVERY, SINGLE house had a "No Handguns Allowed" sign in their front window.

I had a person tell me that my sign would encourage bad guys to rob my house. Oh. Right. Bad guys are wandering around looking for houses without guns to burglarize.

The "Friends for Peace" sign has been in the window for over 5 years. Just in case anyone is wondering, I'm on the side of peace. I'm not on the side of the crazy 10 year war that George Bush insisted we start. If EVERY, SINGLE house had a "Friends for Peace" sign, wouldn't this be a great place to live?

My house has a lot of windows. I have a lot of signs to post.

You know, I think this all started in 1972 when George McGovern ran for president. I had a blue sign that was made of a plastic kind of material that was sort of transparent. I put it in my bedroom window (it faced La Mesa Drive). At night I'd turn on the light and that sign would literally glow. It looked amazing from the outside.

I could tell people to look for the house with the McGovern sign and that's about all the directions anyone needed. There weren't too many McGovern supporters in Dodge City.

Same is true today. I can tell people to find the house that doesn't allow handguns and is on the side of peace.

That house will be mine.

October 24, 2011 Windiest City in the Universe

I'm from Dodge City so I know wind. I know wind from the north that freezes your bones as you walk to school (2 miles, one way, uphill, barefoot). I know the wind from the south that brings heat, hot summer heat. I know the wind that cancels 4th of July. I know the wind that blew my mom away (true story). I know the wind that blows cars off the highway. I know the wind that rattles stop signs and windows.

Today, the wind blew my flag holder off our house. WTF? I didn't even realize it was windy out. But when you are used to Big Boy Wind, a little breeze doesn't even register on your wind radar.

Dang it, though, this was the second flag holder to be ripped from the side of the house by the wind.

I'm going to ask my resident engineer to look into this problem.

Perhaps the answer is longer screws.

You know, that could be the answer to many of life's problems.

October 23, 2011 Overnight Magic

Yesterday this tree was green.


But, overnight something magical happened.

The color change began at the tips of the leaves at the end of the branches.



The it exploded into brilliant reds, oranges and yellows.

I love fall and I especially love this tree in our backyard.

But then the leaves fall off and raking season begins.

I'm not that crazy about raking season. That's why I have a husband.

(Okay, there are several other reasons why I have a husband, but raking season is in the top 3.)

October 22, 2011 Strange Bedfellows

It's Saturday and CB is on the golf course which means that I'm reading/napping.

Buddy decided he needed to be in bed with me so he squeezed in between me and the rail of the waterbed. (I am such a child of the 70's! In fact, I decided to marry CB when I found out he had a waterbed.)

Luke, from down the hall, stopped in for a visit and it tickled him that Buddy had an entire bed to spread out on, but would rather try to occupy the same spot as me.

We tried to get Buddy to move to no avail. He is a stubborn dog. And spoiled. And stubborn.

I just decided to keep reading (I'm reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" on my Kindle) and ignore the dog butt that was perilously close to my face. But, I hadn't brushed my teeth yet, so it could be that Buddy was trying to ignore the bad breath that was perilously close to his butt. We can't know for sure.

Luke, for whatever reason, decided this was a picture he had to have.

And I decided, for whatever reason, this had to be a picture of the day.

Slow picture day, I guess.

October 21, 2011 I Can't Decide

Can you see the frost on the beautiful green lawn? Look closely, it's there! What a glorious fall morning!
When I came into Wamego this afternoon on my way home from work, I followed this truck. I thought it was cool that his mud flaps said "Dodge City International". Dodge City! That's my hometown! That makes me practically part owner of the pretty silver semi I was following.

I passed the pretty silver semi only to discover that it had giant purple KSU Powercats on it.

Of course it did.

I am never surprised to see a giant purple Powercat. That's one of the benefits to working at K State for nearly 10 years. I anticipate seeing purple Powercats and a guy in a big Wildcat head around every turn.

I am rarely disappointed.

October 20, 2011 Sisters go to the Theatre

This evening, my little sister and I (and by "little" I mean "younger" and by "younger" I mean "just by a little bit") went to see "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" presented by the Kansas State University drama/theatre department.

It was hysterical. The music was great. The acting was better. The whole evening was perfect. Don't you think that the set looks exactly like a school gym? It even had a climbing rope hanging from the ceiling. At one point, the blue mats hanging under the basketball goal opened and Jesus came out. Jesus. Came. Out. (and reported that he didn't care about the spelling bee!)

We met for dinner - which is always a good way to start an evening out, don't you think? Even though we live in the same town, my sister and I don't talk very much. We are kind of in separate worlds - always have been - which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Tonight, though, we laughed until we couldn't breath. My sides hurt from laughing.

Snorting was involved.

October 19, 2011 How I Know Cool Weather is Here.

Chili for supper!!!!

Fall is here.

The house smells amazing.

I can't eat until this post is completed.

The end.

October 18, 2011 He's Famous!!

Oh. My. God.

I love "Modern Family" and I especially love Eric Stonestreet's character, Cameron. Even if Eric Stonestreet were not a graduate of Kansas State, I'd still love him.

But, he is. He IS a graduate of Kansas State and dropped by for a visit today.

Eric very graciously signed autographs in the Union courtyard for over an hour. I wasn't able to meet him personally (a student legal services attorney's work is never done) but I was able to get a picture of him.

The guy with him is Albert Pujoles of the St. Louis Cardinals. Albert stopped by on his way to the World Series.

Would I lie?

October 17, 2011 KSSU

Have I said lately that I love the new parking garage? I do. I do love it.

Because of my age and the fact that my mind is very often on vacation, I always park on the top level. I figure forgetting where I parked is reduced if I can at least narrow down the location of my car to one level.

I'm not a fan of heights, to be honest.

When I took this picture, I had to stand right at the edge of the parking garage and lean against the outside wall. Made my heart race. And my palms sweat. Like a first date, but with my clothes on.

I love this view of the Student Union. I love that the sky is as blue as it should be on a glorious fall day in Kansas.

I love that I didn't tip over when taking the picture. Don't laugh, I've tipped over for less.

October 16, 2011 Per. Fect. Day.

Recipe for a perfect day:


To one great husband, add breakfast at Bob's Diner. Mix with laughter and snorts. (If you don't snort when you laugh, why bother?)


Send husband to golf course for at least 6 hours.


Return to bed with a book.



Begin reading.

Read for three hundred and forty nine pages.

Close book. Reflect. Be renewed.

Welcome great husband home.

Any day spent in the company of a good book is a day spent in paradise.

October 15, 2011 A Massage Virgin No More

This morning I made the leap from never having had a massage to wanting a massage everyday!

While visiting my chiropractor last week, I decided to make an appointment for a massage although, frankly, I was a little nervous about it.

But, today at 10:15 a.m., my life was changed!

Barbara and her magic hands worked for over an hour and I loved every moment of it. You can tell that she loves her job and her job is her passion. I had absolutely no reason to be anxious. She made me feel comfortable from the very instant we met.

Add in a bit of aroma therapy, soft classical music and warm blankets and you have a slice of heaven.

I have found a reason to pack my lunch and save my money. The food court at the student union will have to survive without me.

I have found something I like better than food!

Okay, I know there's sex, but today, it's all about the massage!

October 14, 2011 A Trip Down Memory Lane

This morning, I packed up the cupcakes I baked last night. I wanted to do something special so I decorated a box with Halloween stickers - my god, this is sounding a little bit like a Kindergarten room mother getting ready for a classroom party. Maybe I missed my calling?

Here are the cupcakes. They look pretty good, but I'm sure about the taste. I'm not the most confident baker but my heart's in the right place!

When I got to the RV campground and met Peggy, it was as if we had just seen each other last week. Or, maybe, two weeks ago. But certainly no longer than three.

We went to a local cafe for lunch and 4 1/2 hours later, we headed back to the RV park. For 4 1/2 hours we caught up on 30 years of history. I think we got the job about done.

Her little darlings are both parents, are both in their 40s, are both successful. Where did the time go? My son is older than Peggy was when we met so many years ago.

We laughed and cried. We shared stories and memories. I remembered the time that both kids were taking naps so I took one on the couch. Peggy came home mid-afternoon for something, came in the house, roamed around and left again, and I, THE BABYSITTER, GUARDIAN OF THE CHILDREN, slept through the whole thing! I bet she felt real confident in my abilities that day.

I found a photo album which contained pictures of us on a camping trip in 1972. Two pictures were of particular interest: one was Peggy in her pjs and one was Peggy in her swimming suit. She was such a very, very good sport. Still is.

She busted my friend, Ellen, and I smoking in the bath house. We thought we were so cool, Peggy was afraid we'd burn the place down.

We talked about our lives since "growing up"; it's not been easy for either of us, but we are both in a good place right now.

It's especially good now that we are back in touch. Instead of regretting the years we've missed apart, we are looking forward to spending time together in the years to come.

Make new friends

But keep the old.

One is silver

and the other gold.

October 13, 2011 Three is Good!

This is entry number 300 in this blog. Three hundred. Who would have thought I could stick with anything that long? Just ask my first 2 husbands - which won't be hard, it was the same son of a bitch, I mean, the same guy.

Ahem.

Anyway, here's another 3 that was important today. Three pounds of butter.

Momma was a cookin' tonight!

Tomorrow I am seeing an old friend. Not old in years, necessarily, but old in that I've known her since I was in my early teens. I babysat for her kids (yes, it's true, she trusted me with her 2 little darlings and, I should say, those little darlings LOVED me.) and became a member of the family.

Thanks to the wonder of facebook, we found each other. Although she lives in Arizona now, she and her husband are going to be in the RV park of Prairie Band Casino tomorrow so I'm going up for a visit.

I figured cupcakes were in order for such a momentous occasion. Don't you agree?

I gave a lot of thought to what kind of cupcakes I would make and decided on Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Pink Champagne, and Vanilla Bean.

That's where the butter comes in.....three pounds of butter!

About 5:00 I started baking and was done at 11:00. Everything baked, frosted AND the kitchen cleaned up.

I am a rock star.

With flour on her nose.

October 12, 2011 CB Hung the Moon

Today was a really long day. Not so different from previous days, but it seemed longer.

There were pockets of glory today: a presentation to 130 international students, a stroll across campus, dinner with Luke and 2 students from China, and driving home looking at this moon.

This wonderful full moon began peaking out of the clouds as I was driving home from Manhattan. It was pale orange and looked like a pumpkin. Okay, a pale orange pumpkin, but certainly in the pumpkin family.

Now, I am not sure what the little white dot is below and to the right of the magnificent moon, but let's say it's a falling star that just won't burn out in order to grant all the wishes being made, shall we?

One thing is for sure, it's NOT a street light that I didn't notice when I was taking the picture.

I must say that as my husband is working 14 hour days, driving 4 hours every day to and from the job site, and we don't see each other very often, I know that he hung this moon especially for me. He knew I would need a pick me up tonight, something to watch and smile at after a day at the office that just wouldn't end. He hung that moon.

And every now and then he throws in a terrific sunset.

October 11, 2011 Good Samaritan Strikes Again!

Remember when I left a note written in lipstick on the van that had the flat tire? I was being such a good citizen of the world that day. Not so good since, but life is hard.

Today, I had to open my passenger side door to heave my briefcase into the car. It's too heavy to toss across the driver's seat. Oh, it's not that I'm too weak; it's just too damn heavy.

Anyway, I looked at the tire of the SUV parked next to me and, I'll be go to hell, they had a flat tire.

After the last time, I am now prepared to leave notes of any kind on any vehicle, so I left a note on the driver's window.

I was so proud and felt good about what I had done: helping another human being (who in all likelihood is a right wing, gun toting republican).

Fifteen miles later, though, I realized that it was the front left tire that was flat.

Oops.

Hopefully the right wing, gun toting republican was smart enough to figure it out.

October 10, 2011 Krista's New Adventure

Krista, a devoted blog reader, had her first party as a Premier Jeweler this evening. She has hosted several thousand jewelery parties so the logical next step was to start selling it herself.

This young woman (I'm old enough to be her mother) is a dynamo! She a recent graduate from law school, is licensed to practice law in at least 2 states (which means she sat for 2 bar exams...kill me now), practices law in Junction City (no, really, kill. me. now.), and is fearless.

It's fun to talk to her about all her cases; her enthusiasm is catching. Even to someone like me whose best years and cases are behind me.

Krista will excel at whatever she sets her mind to.

I helped by buying waaaay too much jewelry!

Next time you see me, comment on my accessories. I'll give all the credit to Krista.

October 9, 2011 First Cut

My dad took Luke to get his first haircut about 28 years ago. I asked Dad to bring me a lock of Luke's hair for the baby book.

If you knew my dad, you'd know that the baby book has zero locks of hair in it. Saving baby hair must be a mommy thing.

There were no tears at that haircut because Dad promised Luke a soda when it was over. A soda? On a Saturday morning? Unheard of!

Along the lines of first haircuts, the new yard got its first cut today.

I asked CB to please try to mow without touching the grass but he acted like that would be impossible and wouldn't even try. What's up with that?

October 8, 2011 Wabaunsee County Rest Stop

Luke and I went to breakfast at Bob's Diner in Manhattan this morning (CB, bless his heart, had to work).

On Thursday, I bought a bed frame from Jack and Tina that they were going to sell at the city wide garage sales today, so Luke and I went to pick it up.

We took Zeandale Road, which is the road I drive home everyday.

This cracked us up: a port-a-potty in the middle of a corn field.

Luke was so tickled by it that he turned the car around so we could get a picture. You expect to see port-a-potties some places, like parking lots at ball games, or outdoor concerts and festivals , but you don't expect to see one in a field, on a country road, in the middle of nowhere.

Frankly, I was glad to see it because my breakfast of a heart attack on a plate with a side order of grease was starting to back up on me. I explained that in great detail to Luke and asked if we could stop so I could use it. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Being my son must be tough at times.

October 7, 2011 Thanks Nate!

A week ago, the president of the student body of Kansas State came to talk to me. He was sick. He coughed and sneezed and carried on.

Two days later, I was sick.

Two days after that, Nate said that he was feeling better and really, isn't it a good thing to get a cold early in the season because then you won't get one later?

Two days after that, I was coughing all night and decided that I probably needed drugs.

Today, I got drugs.

And sent Nate a bill.

October 6, 2011 Haircut Day

Today was haircut day for Jack (the funniest man in the universe) and me in Alma. After our haircuts, Jack and his long suffering wife, Tina, took me out to see their buffalo.

That's right, Jack and some of his buddies, in a drunken stupor, agreed to buy a herd of buffalo. Really, aren't they just like cattle, only different? Each guy asked his wife what she thought, each wife said they thought the idea was stupid. Each guy bought a buffalo.

The buffalo (who are all named) were tranquilized and loaded, with a skid loader, into a trailer then taken to the pasture where I saw them.

I might add that tranquilizing a buffalo takes some doing and even then they only remain calm for a little while so the cowboys have to work fast. The cowboys in question are nearly all weekend cowboys and should have their life insurance premiums paid up.

If you get your binoculars out, you'll be able to see the 10 or so buffalo at the far end of the pasture. Invisible buffalo aside, aren't the colors in this picture beautiful? It was a perfect fall evening.

You can just about see the buffalo here. They are bunched together trying to figure out a way to get through the mud to the pond that's just beyond where they are standing. Hopefully, they'll remember that there is plenty of food and water back up at the barn.

Apparently, in Alma, it is quite a status symbol to say you own a buffalo. I wonder what kind of symbol it is going to be to say you were trampled by a buffalo? Stay tuned, because I am certain we will soon find out.

October 5, 2011 Football Season

Depending on the season, the field across the street is a soccer field, football field, or baseball diamond.

Tonight it was football.

The offensive line combined weighed less than I do. Without my shoes.

One little guy reminded me of Luke. His mom dropped him off and as he was walking towards the group, he just fell over.

One moment upright, the next moment, not.

Between the point of where he fell down and the team was a little dog. He stopped to pet the dog and forgot he was there for football.

The coach called and called and pretty soon he wandered off to the huddle.

I had to laugh.

But I so wanted to go across the street and tell that kid to hang in there because in not too many years he'd be smarter than the other guys and well on his way to getting a degree in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

October 4, 2011 My Favorite Pastime

I love to read. Love. It.

Thanks to Miss Gunkle, my first grade teacher, who gave me a solid foundation (Run, Dick, run. See Dick run after Jane who is too smart and pretty to settle for Dick and his bad haircut.), Mrs. Dunn, my second grade teacher who gave prizes for reading the most books, and Mrs. Reed, my third grade teacher, who read to us every day (she cried when Charlotte died, I did too.), a love of books and reading took root deep inside me.

My mom and dad read a lot too. Dad was never without a book. In fact, I was reading to my dad when he died. I arrived in Dodge City on January 19, 2002, without a book. That in and of itself was odd because a book is the first thing I pack whenever I leave home. I realized I didn't have anything to read so I asked Dad if I could use his library card to check out a book. Of course he said yes. That's about the last thing he ever said.

The book I checked out was "I Thought My Father was God" which is a compliation of short essays put together by NPR's National Story Project. I sat by his bed and began to read. Just like all those hours when I was growing up and I'd read aloud to him. Reading in our family was important. Side note: we took 3 daily newspapers and got a 4th on Sunday. Oh yeah, we were readers.

So, my dad left this world listening to me read. That's pretty cool. Very cool.

Anyway, I love to read and when I got a Kindle it enabled me to carry hundreds of books in my purse. Something to read is always at my fingertips.

Which makes my fingertips very, very happy.

October 3, 2011 Fall Colors

I see this tree every evening on my drive home. It makes me smile.

Because fall is here.

Because it's no longer 100 degrees.

Because I am not sweating through my underpants.

I love the colors of fall.

This scenery makes me want to drive the speed limit. Nearly.

I'm not sure I could live in a place that doesn't have seasons. Even when the snow is blowing or the sun is scorching, I love the seasons.

Autumn will be complete when I walk outside and smell someone burning their leaves.

Fall in Kansas.

Like Heaven, except idiots are in charge.

October 2, 2011 Sunday in Paradise

Buddy Barr got a bath today!

Curtis played golf so when he got home, he decided to get a few chores done that have fallen by the wayside due to his crazy work schedule. One of those chores, much to Buddy's chagrin, was a dog bath!

The family came over for fajitas and peach cobbler. Kind of a crazy combination, but I had peaches and make a mean cobbler.

Before my brother left, I got this picture of he and Luke.

I remember the days when my brother used to bounce Luke on his knee. Not so much anymore.

October 1, 2011 Family, Friends, Fire, Frogs

First things first: This post is the first one of the TENTH month of this blog! Who knew I could stick with it this long? Who knew that I would find something to take a picture of every day? Someone found my blog and sent me this message, "I started reading your blog and got sucked in."

Sucked in. Why, thank you. Thank you very much.

Luke and I did indeed go to breakfast at Bob's Diner in Manhattan. It was awesome.

Then we went to the store because we are headed to Kim's house tonight for dinner and I needed to get some bits and pieces to take along.

Next, it was time to get the laundry done. And take a nap. (I love Saturdays.)

Thanks to the wonder that is facebook, an old friend found me and gave me a call this afternoon. He was my former debate partner (I know, hard to believe that I was ever a high school debater, but I was) but he was much more than that. I remember Mike making me laugh more than anyone ever did before or since - with the exception of Jack Turner, who is the funniest human being around. I remember Mike being crazy smart. He still is.

He had a great car, a Mustang convertible. We would ride around in it, with the top down, regardless of the weather. One time we wore football helmets because it was raining or hailing or something. We even rode around with snow falling on us.

One time during a debate, he reached in his briefcase (which was magical, like Mary Poppins' bag) and pulled out a phone receiver. The cord disappeared into the briefcase. (Okay, as I'm writing this, it's not funny or strange or amusing, but I can promise you that it was all these things when it happened.)

I remember I wore a navy blue double knit homemade (thanks, Mom) pants suit with a sailor collar and a red tie and white and black saddle shoes. I. Was. Stylin'.

Mike told me that he picked me to be his partner because I was cute, smart and had a sense of humor, just like him. (Says me, not Mike.)

Mike's voice is exactly the same. His laugh is exactly the same. His sense of humor is completely intact.

CB got home from work and we headed to my sister's for dinner. My brother, my mom, Luke, everyone was there.

After supper, Kim started a fire in her portable fire pit. It was only the second time it's been used. (The first was at my celebration after my breast surgery in 2008.) We sat around it for over an hour, laughing and carrying on. At one point, a frog jumped up on the rim of the fire pit and just sat there. His little feet must have gotten hot because pretty soon he was gone and there was no sizzling in the fire.

Speaking of frogs/toads: no update on the one at my mom's house. She says it's still there. No one else has seen it. We think she's crazy.

Marshmallows were roasted, camp songs were sung, brothers were embarrassed, Mom's obituary was discussed (at her request, I might add).

Here's my suggestion for Mom's obit. We buy a classified ad that reads: Momma's with Jesus, we're sellin' her stuff.

My mom's cheap. She'd like it except she'll be with Jesus.

September 30, 2011 OZ Arrives in My Little Town

Another weekend festival in my little town. This time it's Oztoberfest, celebrating the Wizard of Oz and the fact that someone is loaning all their Wizard of Oz shit, I mean, memorabilia to Wamego and the town built a festival around it.

I'm not much of a festival kind of citizen, but I thought these flags were sort of cool. Green for the Emerald City and yellow because I have no idea why.

There was a bike race, a 5k run, Munchkins signing (selling) autographs, "The Wiz" at the Columbian, a display of Judy Garland's dresses. Pretty big doin's for a little town.

It was a beautiful fall day; one of those perfect days that comes along every now and then. The trees are starting to turn and it won't be long before the landscape will be ablaze with color. Ablaze, I say!

My brother is in town to ride in the bike ride tomorrow. My brother in law, Jay, is in charge of said ride and my brother is a biker from way back.

Now, that's not exactly true. My brother, who is the smartest human being I know, couldn't ride a bike until he was in junior high and I TAUGHT HIM. I remind him of that every chance I get. It's the right thing to do.

Mostly he rides a stationary bike at the gym these days, but occasionally, he gets out in the crisp mountain air of Denver and actually gets some where when he pedals.

Tomorrow he's riding 28 miles.

Tomorrow I'm sleeping in and going to breakfast with Luke.