Connor

My sweet angelic Connor has learned how to spit!

My sweet angelic Connor has learned how to make sounds like guns, growls, and grunts.

He can climb, crash, run, crawl, wiggle, jump, collapse, throw, ram and just plain out maneuver his granny.

He can converse. Do you want a sandwich? No.
Do you want macaroni and cheese? No.
Do you want yogurt? No.
Do you want a hotdog? No.
Do you want cereal? CHEERIOS!

Connor: Cookie?
Granny: No. Pear?
Connor: No. Cookie?
Granny: No. Pear?
No. Cookie?
No. Pear?
I believe that one was a tie.

He can snuggle, we spent several hours snuggling.

He likes to be read to. I think through out the day he brought me twenty books to read. Especially when it was time to take a nap. Five books is the going rate for naps.

He can kiss, giggle, tickle, smile, and blow the sweetest soap bubbles.

Only one potty accident.

When I arrived I entered through the garage and called up the stairs to Stephanie that I was there. I could hear Connor running down the hall, crashing down the stairs, and then flying into my arms all the time calling out; Grannies here. Grannies here. Grannies here. Grannies here.

It only took one hot bath soak, two pain pills, and 1 1/2 hours of groans on the couch to regroup. I can't say I am over it yet.

All in it was a pretty grand day and I get to do it all again next Wednesday.

Confession

Do you know what red tomatoes look like when they are wrapped up in green cellophane? They look like some strange fruit that looks half like a plum and half like a tomato. Silly me! Don't tell anyone I did that.

But thanks to Nila, and her master gardening husband, I have a bowl full of bright red garden fresh Roma tomatoes. My favorite food in the world! Just ask Janice. One summer it is all I ate at her house.

I was able to get all of my cooking, laundry, movies watching, and book reading done yesterday. Today I'm off to watch The Connorman.

Oops, there is more...

I looked out the window and Possession Sound is covered, covered, in thick thick fog, low down and beautiful. Beyond the fog the sun is shinning on Whidbey Island, brilliant, brilliant, sunshine beautiful and inviting. Then the fog takes over again and obscures the Kitsap peninsula and the Olympic Mountains, beautiful beautiful.

How is your world today?

Sweet and Sour Liver

I'm looking everywhere for my sweet and sour liver recipe ( thanks Amber) so I can cook it up for my family at reunion. Sweet and sour liver for everyone. Just a thought.

Can we have a red underwear day? Or red shoes, or at least a red hat day? With all the OU and UA paraphernalia floating around I'm sure people can secure a red hat. Just a thought.

I was trying to figure out a game for the family to play at reunion and you all know how bad I am at games, so the game thinking turned into story telling thinking. I'm going to ask for stories so come prepared. You might have to tell a story about Summer or Jacquie or Cathy or Taylor or Jason or Christian. Just a thought.

Or a kind words day. I know this family is snarky and sarcastic, but maybe, maybe, just once sitting around the campfire we can say a kind word about the person on your left. Yes, even if it is Tal. Just a thought.

I hope Connor finds a turtle. Maybe I'll offer a prize to a turtle finding family member. Someone who can wander a little further afield than Connor and his granny. Just a thought.

I hope Nora finds an owl. She will have to offer her own prize.

Mark, per your blog request for T-shirt ideas, I think we need a Taylor Family mascot. Something bullish, fattish, hot dog eatingish, maybe a little fishingish, cookingish, nappingish, camp fire sitting aroundish sort of mascot. My favorite quintessential photograph of the reunion is last year's photo of Jeff -- relaxing in the camp chair. Its on last October's blog after the reunion. Or when the boys fought over leaves. Wasn't that Clark and Blaine?
Or "Connor's Staff" t-shirts works for me. Just a thought.

Also Marc I was asking about symmetric molecular quantum mechanics because I'm reading this book Andrew mentioned. You kindly offered you and Marc taking a shot at teaching me, but if the truth be known I don't really want to understand it, I just want to wonder at it. However I'm glad there are nephews in the world who do understand it. Thanks, you'll be my hero for a while.

I know Brittany's hero is usually her daddy, but who is every one elses?

Fried balony or phony balony soup? Just a thought.

My kitchen counter has some strange looking purple type fruit sitting on it. It looks half like a plum and half like a tomato. Ian must have brought it home last night. I'm thinking about waking him up and asking him, What the heck is this? But I guess I'll let him sleep a little longer, after all he does haul in and put away all my groceries for me. I don't want to upset the balance here.

My weekend is looking busy.
Yesterday I met Claire at the optical place to help her select new eye-glasses, yes she asked me, but rejected the orange and gold ones I thought were perfect. Nice dinner at The Ram after though.
Thursday instead of a playdate I'll have a playday with Connor. Babysitting duty, the folks have to work and the day care is closed. Oh woe is me...
Friday I'm off for a visit with Lynn, I haven't seen her since June I don't think. Anyway we'll do breakfast/lunch and maybe a drive. Always a pleasure.
That means I have to do everything else today. Cook my food for next week, get the laundry done, watch my movies, finish my Andrew book, and blog -- so here you are.

Blogs done.

Chocolate! We could have a chocolate day/evening! Then after the chocolate feast, THEN we could ask everyone to say something nice about the person on their left. Just a thought

Reunion is on my mind.

T shirt ideas

For any of you reading this, please send your 27th annual Taylor family reunion Tee shirt ideas to mark16708@yahoo.com

Some of the ideas I already have been given are:

Some arrangement of all of our names, either all or just the descendants (circular or in some shape)
A smiley face of sorts with the words "you make me smile"
Something nostalgic like the pickup truck design from TFR 23
Some sort of animated character who is representative of the quintessential Taylor

I also plan on designing a bacon poster to hang for the great Taylor Family Reunion recipe cook-off

Please reply this week with your idea or a vote for one or two of the ones above (front and back)

I'm Wondering

How is Marc's business growing?
Why I told Amanda I would help with mentoring five days after I told her I would never do it again? She did promise me someone easy, a delightful young gentleman, and overtime. Well, reunion is approaching and OT talks, so what the hell?
Why my ankles and knees hurt?
What is worse, 93 degrees temperature or 93 degrees of humidity?
It is MUGGY today!
Why Ian, who has shuttled dozens of folks to and from the airport, doesn't have a ride when he is about to fly off to FL?
Will I ever get to FL?
If I will actually make cookies, jambalaya, and get my hair cut today?
How Nora is liking her new hotel?
Andrew his new apartment?
If Roger and Stephanie can get any busier?
Last night Stephanie came home, hugged Connor and left for a five mile run. Then she came home, grabbed a hot dog, hugged Connor and left for a homeowners meeting.

Connor joined the menfolk in the garage last night as the big guys plotted their 100 mile bike ride for Sunday. He grabbed his helmet and then couldn't decide which of his two bikes to use, but he was fully engaged in the bike stuff activity and wasn't going to be left out.

What is Jean cooking?
Will the republican jockeying campaign get any more amusing?
If politics can scare Americans any more than they already do?
If Mark would like the film Lourdes? About Lourdes miracles.
If I will ever send Emma a reading list?
Can Jane be anymore elegant?
When will Art get back on the golf course?
How many miles Julia and Jeff have walked this year?
I know Julia will have the statistics.
How many miles Dan, Jacquie and Benjamin have walked this year?
When does the Muppet movie come out?

Can the Taylor's love their children any more?
How much fun will I have watching Connor at reunion?
What cabin will we Washingtonians have?
How entertaining will the four now five year olds be?
If Michael will remember I'm his favorite Uncle Jan?
How will Connor like turkeys, deer, wagon rides, balloon animals and snakes?
What Jeff will have in his Snack Stash?
And how long will it take Connor to discover the freedom of it?

How many steps from mundane to profound?
Will I ever understand chirality?
How does life work?
When will we connect with alien life forms?
Are we an alien life form?
Have you listened, lately, to Harry Nilsson's The Point?
"Hello, is their anybody out there?"
What will replace oil?
What would world peace look and feel like? Imagine.
Six Degrees of Separation -- I believe in that.

Back to the mundane:
I'm going to watch a movie, Himalaya, take a nap, and go have coffee with Carol.
Screw the cookies and jambalaya.
It's 93 degrees humidity.

May you have a nap-ish sort of day.

Now what am I going to do with this?

I read recently a devotional that advised, when faced with a difficult situation, one should NOT ask "why", but rather, "what". More specifically it said, now that this is my reality, what am I going to do with it?

The verse quoted was Philippians 4:8, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (NIV)

The author called this verse “directions on where to park my mind.”

What does this have to do with the Harris part of the Taylor clan?
Within the last month we've had some "stuff" happen that most would consider bad. Hannah had her first fender bender in her car and I cut my foot on some broken glass that I caused to be broken. Both incidents were the result of less than brilliant behavior.

But were they "bad"? In Hannah's case we were very lucky. No one was hurt and the damage to the other car was less than $1000 and therefore will not affect her insurance rates. Furthermore, her car (covered by liability only since it is not really worth that much) was "fixed" by a friend for only $565. Which is only $65 more than what my deductible would have been had it been covered by insurance. The good part to all of this is that it has provided an opportunity, for a relatively small price, for Hannah to fully understand the consequence of not paying full attention to her driving. The price tag is a bargain.

As for my foot, I've got 4 stitches, that should have been 8 -- due to the fact that the doc-in-the-box urgent care "physician" is apparently paid by the job and not by the hour. My doctor is being very cautious and has asked me to stay off of it as much as possible so it will heal. With reduced circulation in my feet, we do not want to take any chances.

What have I learned from this? For the most part, patience. Don't climb on a stool and stand tip-toed to rearrange stuff on a top shelf without your shoes on (see, I told you it was stupid). Stop, wait, put your shoes on, get a proper stool, or ask someone tall to help you (we have two such persons living with us -- for those of you who don't see him often, you won't believe how much Blaine has grown. He's now taller than Hannah). I need to learn that acrobatics are not my forte. Not in the shower, not on a stool, not even walking across a restaurant floor. I am definitely not ready for either Cirque de sole or the Ed Sullivan Show, although the spinning plates might have fit in nicely (watch out Topo Gigio)

So, what am I going to do with this experience? First of all I'm thankful I didn't break any of my wife's brand new fiestaware dishes. If I had, you all would probably have been attending my funeral and I certainly would not have been home today from work blogging. But more to the point, hopefully I will use it as motivation to continue to become more healthy -- eat right, exercise, and be more active... But probably not above ground level.

Spoiled, Blessed or Pathetic

Practically every morning Amanda freshens my cup of coffee when she gets in. Practically every morning! Beautiful Amanda.

James and I were talking books the other day and he mentioned the phrase "Steampunk," naturally I asked him what Speampunk was. When he identified the genre I said I've been reading Steampunk and didn't even know it. Next morning there on my desk was a Steampunk book he thought I might enjoy. Beautiful James.

Jacquie returned from her vacation with treats for the office while I was on my days off. She didn't want me to miss out on the Hawaiian treats which she knew would be gone by the time I came back, so she hid some, just for me. Beautiful Jacquie.

Several years ago we filled out a questionnaire at work: favorite movie, favorite quote, favorite candy, favorite color, favorite song -- stuff like that. At the time I listed "Circus Peanuts" as my favorite candy. Karla didn't know what circus peanuts were so she brought me some spectacular gourmet roasted peanuts. In return I bought her a bag of the Brach's Circus Peanut candy, my how she got a laugh out of how wrong she was. This Tuesday she brought me circus peanuts just because she had found a bag of, of course, gourmet circus peanuts candy. Let me tell you they were gourmet-ish good. I swear my boss, Karla, could find gourmet ice. Beautiful Karla.

And the list never ends. Nora and Julia got me Gladys. Jerry and Jane a plane ticket, Marc arranged for a car, Roger bought me a car, Christian is the guardian Angel of my car. Yesterday when the warning light came on Christian had me back in the saddle for $78.93. And Ian helps in all ways. Beautiful.

So am I spoiled, blessed or pathetic?

I have reached the age that at work they call me Mz Jan.
Spoiled or pathetic?

Ponder this:

Poor spellers: Yeats, Shaw
Poor mathematicians: Franklin, Picasso, Adler, Jung
Poor students and expelled from school: Dali, Poe, Shelby, Whistler
Bottom of the class: Edison
Dull and inept: Watt
Dreamer: Gauguin
Mentally slow: Einstein
Jack London was told he couldn't write
Picasso that he couldn't paint

Poem:

The Boat Ride

Mighty Jupiter
Cried two tears
Neptune hailed a boat
Mercury lent wings of flight
'Tended for speed and delight

The Muses giggled
Jobs forgot
Venus loved it
Mars did not

Sailing on Jupiter's Tears


I know, I know not as good as Mark's.

Here is a better one:
Not better than Mark's just better than The Boat Ride.

Moments

It's not about me
It's about moments
A bigger center
Room for more stories
More heartbeats
Wide angle
Life rushing in
Encompassing
Embracing
There's power
In yielding
Me.


Me thinks that is the end of the Taylor Family Poetry Saga.

Now that my car is fixed I'm off for a haircut, pedi, and maybe a few groceries.

Sail away to a glorious day. Beautiful family.

Fate

I woke up this morning 
and considered my life
How different things might be 
had I not met my wife

Would one son be an actor,
the other a scout
That my daughter would be lovely, 
there is not a doubt

Would fate grant my prayer 
for more fruitful years
Or would I just be a memory, 
sailing on Jupiter's tears

This time I've been given
Has changed my perspective
The people I love 
Are my only directive

How best I can I serve them
Father, husband, provider
What God would prefer
is the only decider

And if I'm successful
I'll assuage all their fears
And all will be well as I go...
sailing on Jupiter's tears.

Gauntlet

Here ye, here ye, here ye
to all family
friends
colleagues
book clubbers
and readers of one sort or another.
Here is the challenge.

Make a poem out of this:

sailing on Jupiter's tears

A phrase I ran across at work today.
Isn't life interesting?

For inspiration here is a poem my friend Lynn found.

God Says Yes To Me

by Kaylin Haught

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don't paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I'm telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

Gentlemen, and ladies, sharpen your pencils.

Electric Flu on a Memory Stick

Electric Flu on a Memory Stick

Electric flu on a memory stick
sizzling
under the weather
remembering
trees

Electric flu on a memory stick
dancing around laughing
in merriment
cows come home to roost
lakes glimmer
children play

Electric flu on a memory stick
takes us away
to bygone eras
traveling virgin roads
unseen vistas
faded days


Isn't nature something? Wind, rain, fire in their milder forms takes care of us humans, comfort us. Wind, rain, fire in their extreme forms destroys us

Remember playing with the weather growing up? Running with the wind? Snow forts? Remember how dad would move our beds outside under the trees for those hot Oklahoma summer nights?

Remember the trees? catalpa, ceder, black walnut, oak, elm, mimosa. The magnificent magnolia dad planted. Was that a gift from you Jean?

Growing up in Oklahoma nature we had it soft, soft, soft. Somehow avoiding wind, rain and fire. No tornadoes, volcanoes, monsoons, typhoons, hurricanes or earthquakes. Soft.

My weather this morning is fog!

My friend, Cully, who moved to Florida says it is just like Seattle except 25-30 degrees hotter. How is it like Seattle? It rains every day.

Reflecting on the omnipotence of nature. They say the world's oldest profession is prostitution. I disagree; "In the beginning God created." The world's oldest profession is artist; artist at work, creating. And what a picture was painted. Ants to earthquakes, neutrons to universes, nanoseconds to billion year epochs... And wind, rain and fire for your viewing pleasure. You might as well enjoy today's blip -- and create something.

a poem I created sometime ago, but still love:

The Smoke's Lament

The smoke dreams
of the time it was wood
before the ax-man
before the fire

The smoke dreams
of it's potential
the possibility for growth
before the ax-man
before the fire

The smoke dreams
of substance
contribution
a carved mask
a hollowed out drum
a child's cradle

The smoke dreams
of going places

Jeff you asked about chairs on FB for Connor's staff. Chairs will be lovely, however Christian once said he knew people who loved cars, and he knew people who loved bikes, and he knew people who loved boats, but Roger was the only person he knew who loved anything that goes. So chairs would be lovely, but he might be on the go. He does create a go type energy.

Love to all you beautiful people.

Last day of summer

Fall has always been my favorite season. I've never been a summer, go to the beach or lay by the pool type of person... until this year. Yesterday just might have been the last day of summer. I know that's not what the calendar says, but this morning it was 60 something and the high today will begin with an 8 -- if that. College football kicked into high gear yesterday, which should have been a clue of summer's passing, but truthfully I just wasn't paying much attention. For the Harris's, this abrupt transition is the epitome of bitter sweet. Gladly gone are the all day and into the mid evening100+ degree temperatures and the accompanying $600+ electric bills, but sadly, so are the refreshing post yard-work jumps in the pool and even the hurry home from work before dinner dips. Sure, we'll be able to swim a bit more in the late afternoons and use the hot tub, but summer swimming is over. So, the time in the pool will be replaced with college football, Greenleaf, the fall classic (playoff basebal), Halloween, Thanksgiving, cool crisp days and nights, falling leaves, camp fires, and all of the color that goes with each of these. Not a bad trade for sure, but this year at our house, for the very first time, it's not a slam dunk.

P.S. Less than 6 weeks to Greenleaf.

Out Of The Rut and Into The Mix

Things change, complacency gets shaken up, and Virgo energy infuses me.

The new couch shook up my living room in the best way. It sits high and firm and comfortable.
I worked five days in a row and remembered why I'm giddy over my three day weekends.
I helped mentor at work and it wore me out. I don't think I will be training any more.
I met, held, and cuddled new baby Olivia and admired her closet full of pink fluff. Everything from Italian designer dresses and shoes to the white, red and pink tutu's. I'm afraid "baby girl lust" is alive and well in this ole granny's heart.

Connor visited and Connor visiting at granny's does stir the pot a bit. He sees it all and goes for it; with elan, with gusto, with the perseverance of a two year old. Nothing and I mean nothing is below his radar. He was always seven steps ahead of me pulling out, checking out, touching, exploring, jabbering -- remember my house is about as kid-proof as a junk yard. Anything that could cut, poison, choke, or fall on his head was imminently desirable. Granny had to say no a few times but luckily he didn't cry he just gabbed something else interesting; glass flutes, scissors, pill bottles, plastic wrappers, rocks, World War II shell casing. On second thought maybe I'm not quite ready for a new wee babe in the mix.

Cruising home from work, at a modest 60mph, I was engulfed in a boom that felt like it was personal and aimed at me. It was ready to take me out. I exploded from my complacency and thought my car had blown, my tire had blown, my brain had blown, or all three simultaneously had blown. At 60 mph it's hard to check out where the boom emanated from, but the south bound lane exploded in dust type debris. I finally decided a truck had hit an express lane barrier because I saw a truck, with a police car, lights blazing, hot on his tail, in my rear view mirror. Like a said it's hard to get all the visual facts at 60 mph. Yanked me right out of my rut, I was quite attentive on the rest of my commute.

My birthday Son's Dinner never happened. An Ian's birthday Son's Dinner never happened, so last night we did something different. We all met at Ram's in Northgate and had a great talky watch Connor eat, smile, and giggle Son's Dinner. We caught up on Roger and Stephanie's next trip (Victoria for an anniversary trip with The Connorman,) Christian is not seeing any girl now, and Ian's possible trip to Orlando FL -- work related. To help set up a new Something Silver at Disney World.

Me? I tried fig yogurt.

I'm going to the reunion thanks to Jerry and Jane's generous offer of a plane ticket.
I'm going to Jeff and Julia's for a visit after the reunion. They promised me I wouldn't have to walk and I can smoke on the deck. Crystal Bridges and AQ Chicken here I come.

Poem:

Transitory

in a forest of time
waiting, waiting, waiting
for re-birth
and connection

regret fragmented
aloneness sizzling into nothingness

electric flu on a memory stick
delivers life
again


Thought for today: Everything works out in the end, if it hasn't worked out yet it's not the end.

fun movie: The Road to Broadway
inspiring: Invictus
history: The Conspirator
weirdly wonderful, beautiful and mysterious, German: The White Ribbon
Romanian: Police, adjective
an oldie but a goodie: The Commitments

Now I want to go back to Virgo energy for a bit. Thanks to my friend Lynn.
Virgo Energy:
work to be done
no-nonsense
take stock of past
prepare for future
pay attention
cleanse, purify
allow more beauty to flow
where do you want to apply your love, devotion and work.

Sometimes life is Virgo-ish.