Another Thought

I think I figured out the HUGE tomato plant conundrum:
I think the tomato plant is afraid of me.
It has heard stories
or seen
what I can do to a plant.
I think it is self defense.
If it grows big enough and strong enough
I won't kill it.
An uneasy peace exists between us.

Success

Jean my passport card arrived, I am official, I can travel by land or sea to seven different locations including Canada. No air travel allowed on this card. Thank you! Your birth certificate is in my possession and will find its way to you as soon as possible. I could drive to Canada today if I wanted to.

My social calendar today, however, is full. Dentist in the early AM, drive to Ballard for the oil change I keep putting off, see the tall son, have breakfast with Claire and then play time with Connor. It has been a week since I have seen Connor.

I tried to see Christian on Monday when I got off early from work. I didn't call I just drove over with all the traffic, through all the road construction, at least the high school was closed so I didn't have to contend with teenagers. And it was in the heat of the day. Walt's in Ballard was slammed with customers and then I remember Christian doesn't even work on Monday. Hoo Boy! I drove on past.

I pulled into a Safeway parking lot and texted Christian to see if he wanted to do breakfast since I was in the neighborhood, but he wasn't home. So I started my long trek home with all the traffic, through all the road construction, around all the detours, hey it isn't easy to travel from Ballard to I-5.

In Mukilteo I contended with all the traffic but took advantage of not working and made a few errand stops then finally came dripping on home.

Speaking of getting off early, Onlineshoes.com is in the dog days of summer with not much Internet or telephone traffic. They are reducing hours. I volunteered to take a short work week. For the next 4-5-6 weeks I will be working Sat, Sun, Mon with Tue, Wed, Thr, Fri off. I guess that makes me kind of semi-retired. Now I have the time to go to Canada just not sure I'll have the money. I guess I will just have to read more and watch more movies. How did I get so cursed?

Janice thinks she will soon be released to go home.
How is Nora's move?
When does Taylor become a Texan?
Andrew, seen any good movies lately?

My tomato plant has fourteen tomatoes, everything from the size of a pencil eraser to two inches diameter or more and it is huge. It is taking over the deck. Silly me, I didn't get a tomato cage to plant it in, which I now regret, so I have it tied to my windmill, rather unattractively I might add. Yellow birthday package ribbon. I tie it up and it grows another foot, I tie that foot up and it grows another. I'm not entirely convinced it isn't a man eating plant and waiting for me to relax my guard. Is anyone else afraid of their tomato plant? How can you tell if it's planning to attack?

In Connor's treat tin last week I took him a nectarine and some Panda cookies, his day care teacher handed him peanut butter crackers and gummi fruit as we left. He didn't eat his dinner and his parents wondered why. I kept my mouth shut, my head down, and kept playing ping pong ball catch with the little angel.

The fog is up to my back window.

Facebook, now Facebook is a mystery. I put some pithy comment on FB and get seven likes. I put some goofy picture of my sons on FB and get twenty-seven likes. What gives?

Bo and Christian have invited me to join them for the Ailuran show by the Cabiri dance troupe. The Chaldean Oracles "Around thee darts the lightning flame, then all things will appear to thee in the form of a Lion" Christian isn't too thrilled with the Buto portion, but Bo assures him that is just part of the program. The show is based on some mythology, I forget which culture, and Christian likes mythology. Me? I'm just looking forward to a night out with ones I love, seeing the costumes Bo designed, and staying up past midnight -- maybe.

I haven't heard Roger or Stephanie mention any major runs they are preparing for. Maybe they will be settling in to the dog days of Summer and taking it easy for a while -- naw -- never happen.

So that sums up my days and nights and days and nights. I hope yours is more exciting or less, which ever you desire.

Book club - check.
Sandy rowing her Dragon boat - check.
Lynn walking parks - check.
Mary at Flathead lake - check.
Ian beloved - check.
Connor adorable - check.

Here is to the dog days of Summer, with love.

Something Good Going On

Something good is going on:

Even though as I was trying to simmer the marinade for my chicken lunches for next week I kept turning down the wrong burner and my marinade kept boiling - jeez -- I hope it's something good.

I woke up to roses, cards and Aplets and Cotlets, compliments of Ian. Aplets and Cotlets for those of you who do not know is a Washington candy made with, yep, apples and apricots. My favorite, even though lots of folks think they suck as a candy. They are this gooey gelatin stuff with fruit and walnuts covered in powdered sugary stuff. What's not to love. Value Pack, the big size. Yes, I'm having them for breakfast.

It's my birthday and all is right in my world. My little world. My little world that nothing much ever happens in. Sons are alright. Daughter-in-law is alright. Girlfriend Bo is alright. Connor is spectacular. Work is alright, car running smoothly, books and movies at the ready, and keyboard is clacking away.

I talked to Janice and she said nothing much happens in her little world. Well, they are talking going home in as little as two weeks to no longer than 39 days. Something good is going on.

I talked to Jerry and he said nothing much happens in his little world. Everyone and everything is fantastic. Something good is going on.

I talked to Jean and she said she is just hanging around while the girls blow and go.

My friend Mary is off on an adventure and it's just been announced she has a new grandchild on the way. Her life is good.

My friend Amanda is able to join a mission trip to Ethiopia and is stunned, scary silly and excited beyond comprehension. She was lamenting that she was feeling anxious and I said, that's what you should be feeling before such a big big event.

I know the world has lots of unhappiness and loneliness, but not in my world and not today. We are always alone in our head, alone in our skin, but my world today is bursting with something good.

I'm going to the dance program that Bo designed some of the costumes for, talk about good. And on a work night, yeah, I'm excited. A real life artist doing real life artist stuff, yeah, I'm excited.

Something good going on and no crisis' and disasters is the best place to be. Life just easing along like a smooth running river.

Connor explained to me how to play t-ball: you put both hands down and SCOOP up the ball, you stand at the plate and WHACK the ball. I said well what happens then? He looked and me kind of funny and said you RUN.

Sounds like a good formula for life. Scoop it up, whack it into it's proper sphere and then RUN with it.

Have a "something good going on" kind of day.

Connections: I'm Thinking of You

Driving home I passed a JB Hunt truck.
My cue to think of Julia, Tal, Jeff and all my Arkansas family.
At a stop light an Archie McPhee van sidled up.
My cue to think of Brittany.
Archie's was her favorite spot in Seattle.
I seem to remember bacon gum for Jeff.

What are the chances of two vehicles making me think of back home family in less than a block of traffic. By the way Archie McPhee was a real person. To quote their van "Less talk and more monkey."

Oh wait, there is Starbucks and for some reason I'm thinking of Jane.
Tow truck made me think of Chuck.
Arizona, Texas and California license plates made me think of you know who.
No Kansas plates sad to say, but by then I was looking.
Library stop made me think of Jerry.
Did you see Amber's FB post about being born with a reading list that never ends?
Cigarette store made me think of, well, my cigarettes.
Convertibles always make me think of Amber and Julia.
Cool comfortable weather makes me think of visitors.
Walks, trail head signs  -- Jerry and Lynn.
A bumper sticker made me think of Christian.
"Man made beer, God made weed. Who do you trust."

The Post Office to pick up my overnighted letter from Jean made me think of Jean and how much I appreciate the work she did for me in spite of tornadoes and emergency room visits. It made me think of how much Jean does for everyone. She called me later and apologized for it being a timely failure. I said Jean it is only a failure because you always try to give 300 % and if you only give 219% you feel like a failure. You are NOT a failure. And the passport documents are winging their way to Arizona. Thank you very much. Especially to Cathy who helped her get it all done.

Bikes, flowers, tomatoes, fences, dogs, joggers;
all triggered a memory of someone special.
All of this "thinking" between the JB Hunt truck and home.
I guess I'm just thinking of you all.

A conversation at breakfast with Mary and Claire about a recumbent exercise bike and the wonders it has done for Mary's knees made me think of all my "bad knee" relatives. She can exercise longer, walk farther, and feels better. So if you aren't on a recumbent get on one.

A Korean business in the Korean portion of Seattle named Choi made me think of Christian's girlfriend Bo Choi. Like who wouldn't?

I came on home and was catching up on some old issues of Time when lo and behold there is an article about James Turrell and I'm thinking of all those Arkansas folks again. July 1, 2013, the article didn't mention Crystal Bridges, but by then it didn't have to, I was already there.


Connections with out any physical contact is a mystery. Connections? Where does that arise from? Memory? What magical part of our brain gives us this gift? It was such a pleasant little excursion down a path of thinking of family and friends, also gifts we don't necessarily deserve, that I am still in the afterglow.

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. Author Unknown
I can't remember when or where I grabbed this quote; Lynn? Amber?
But I do love it and I am feeling butterfly-ish today.

I think I will go to Ballard and have Christian fix me up with an oil change and see where else my wandering brain travels to.

Machines, Machines, Machines

On my way to work I stopped to wash my car, no long lines at four AM, however the machine refused to recognize my payment card "system error, system error, system error."

When I got to work I parked in my regular downtown parking lot and went to pay for my parking and the machine said "resetting, resetting, resetting, resetting" until I thought I was going to be late for work so I left the machine "resetting" and scurried into the building.

When I went to scan onto the elevator so it would rise instead of just sitting there, you are right, nothing happened. We sat there, this elevator and I that wouldn't recognize, or mind, my ID card. The one that gives me express permission to use the elevators at off hours. You all know how happy I was to find the stairs, like I knew where those were, and climb all the way to the second floor. That's three flights for you non downtownies.

No, I wasn't late, but me and machines! What gives? I hate machines. I hate technology. The elevator I couldn't ride now has twenty-four hour digital advertisements glowing. You all know how much I love having a TV in my elevator -- that is when it's working.

I cursed technology every stair up and up and up. A lot of stairs. Jean remember when we climbed three flights of stairs at The Mukilteo Lighthouse? Wobbly. As I climbed I remembered every noisy, bad machine that had ever done me wrong.

Out of breath I arrived at the office break room and breathed in the aroma of fresh brewed coffee prepared especially for me by the night time crew. Well, there is a machine I love, not to mention the night time crew. I did spill the first cup of hot coffee all over the break room floor probably because I was wobbly after my climb, but that was me malfunctioning not any machine.

I flipped on my smooth humming computer and thought wow this machine makes my job easy.

I appreciate air conditioning during Seattle's blistering eighty-two degrees.
I grabbed cash from the cash machine -- nice.
Claire goes through a PET scan every six months as cancer prevention.
Bo is in love with her new bread making machine.
Love a ferry ride, a movie playing device,
my sonic toothbrush, fireworks shooting skyward.
Machines all.

So I reversed the foul ups. During break I paid for my parking, no "resetting." The elevator made the round trip, no problem, I ignored the digital information. The downtown pelicans had discovered my car during the day so the car wash going home did double duty.

And machines and I are back on.

My car! I love my car and car rides and going places and seeing things and riding instead of walking to the grocery store, the bank, the post office, the library. Last I heard a car is a machine.

Folks in Seattle start putting the tops down on their convertibles when it warms up to thirty-nine degrees, so you can imagine how many convertibles appear at eighty-two. They were everywhere, they were everywhere. A lot of smiling faces in a lot of pretty machines.

Three useless things I did this morning:

Looked for a movie that I couldn't remember the name of. I'm reading a book called The Lemon Tree and there is a movie I have seen based on this book. Unfortunately the movie called The Lemon Tree is not the movie based on the book. Confused? Well I spent hours trying to find the name of that movie, I keep a movie log for goodness sakes, but could I find it? No I could not.

I thought about what would be the perfect location for my birthday get together with my sons. Could I think of a place that was convenient, moderately priced, festive, easy, creative, good and different? No I could not.

I thought about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, that might or might not be useful in a cosmic sense, but did I solve it? No I did not.

I did two useful things:

I called Jean and wished her a happy birthday.
I had breakfast with Claire.

Well, semi useful.

I buy my car tabs (inspection stickers) and pay taxes online. I love that computer machine for work and Facebook if for nothing else

Ian is on his first official out of town buying trip. Off in California buying amber. Do you know how many people have no idea what amber is? Seven people I mentioned amber too looked at me blankly. Anyway, this amber buying reminded me of a book I have been wanting to read, so I very very usefully requested the book from the library on my handy dandy computer machine. Shell Games: Rogues, Smugglers and the hunt for Nature's Bounty, by Craig Welch.

Machines go, help, scan, fly, float, check my blood,
clean, cook, cool, communicate.
I'm happy to be living with machines, even when they misbehave.
So I also love mechanics and IT guys and mechanical engineers and all those folks who keep the things going.

My tomato plant is thriving with three wee tomatoes, but that's not mechanical that's the sun hard at work.

Jeff Sez

Jeff says he is only bringing a suitcase, chairs, the goodie box, hot dog skewers, Vienna Sausages, booze, his cast iron dutch oven, and an axe to the family reunion next year.

Ian's Friend

Ian's friend Calysta honored The Spirit of Maxine on Instagram -- aren't they cute?
All of Ian's friends are drop dead gorgeous.
Thank you Calysta for thinking of The Spirit of Maxine.