It Ain't Shakespeare

Something today reminded me of a similar occurrence two years ago when I was readying the house in Kentucky to go on the market. It involved a trip to the hardware store and the drive home. We had picked up a sheet of drywall that proved too large to fit into the car!

Oh nay! We made it fit! Laying it flat, extending the length of the inside of the car, including half the front seat. We drove home sitting on the edge of the seat, hunched forward with the dry wall resting against the back of our necks. Any quick stops and we would have been decapitated. We laughed the entire drive.

Not that I drove around on the brink of beheading myself today, but I did make a trip to the hardware store to purchase plumbing supplies. I had to return and exchange a do-hickey as I allowed the clerk to help me choose the right thingy but the wrong size. I almost had to go back again because I once again allowed them to give me the right size, but wrong thingy. Not being a plumber, I was clueless but my plumber kept rolling his eyes at the ineptitude of today's Hardware Clerks.

Which brings me to the secondary subject of today's essay....I went to my hand written journal from 2005 looking for an entry about that drive from Home Depot. I searched in vain. Yet, I had the most fascinating half hour of reading. My writing style, the ease and flow! It was incredible. I must have been writing every day .... about nothing! Just my observations, feelings, fears, thoughts, selling the house in KY and the long drives to this strange land called North East Indiana.

Why did I stop? Not that I ever really stopped, it just tapered off to an entry here and then one there. I stopped examining things around me. I stopped looking for things to describe and wonder about. Also I have stopped looking through the lens of my camera.

Recently I have had the urge to write write write again. And maybe in time I will regain the flow and the ease. I long to pick up the camera again and not be self conscious. Why I am so self conscious up here is beyond me. Maybe it has something to do with my malaise.

I stopped looking and there by stopped seeing.

As I prepare to leave, I want to document this fascinating area so I will always remember my time here.

The beauty that is here if one just looks for it.


I sat in the parking lot of a Menards struggling with a hand held computer that was crashing on me. I looked out the window in a snit of frustration when a family of four Amish came walking through the parking lot. A tiny girl-child dressed in an exact replica of her mothers outfit. Little white bonnet, short legs in thick stockings, calf length dress and over coat, walking quickly with determination to keep up with her parents and sibling.

Very few places on this earth that you could witness such a beautiful sight.

And......it was raining.

I'm ready for to fade into my own parade

I'm so ready to go. Staying here is excruciating. In my heart and mind I have left already. Today for instance, the Big Muck-ed-d-mucks (is that even a word?) where in my territory. What was I doing? A month ago I would have been on my knees lighting candles at the sanctuary for the Blessed Mother. Yet today I just thought "oh well" and was chatting away with mortgage companies,making appointments for a plumber, fretting about the damn driveway, making strategic plans concerning Alphawoman, yakking it up with S., having lunch at Mancino's, filling out necessary paper work for Joe's company and wondering if anyone will notice I am wearing running shoes. (a big no-no in this biz, but I had an excuse ready...my shoes got wet and these were in the vehicle!!)

I'm gone. Mentally I have checked out. But, for another four weeks I will go through the motions and keep things floating until they find a replacement ... for me (no way!!).

I hope I can do it.

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose.

It's wonderful.

(I'll be crying if they yank my chain).

Another note!!!

I knew it !! I just knew it!!! There is a new blog out there called MY LIFE IS AN OPEN BLOG! (should have "domained" that too!)

Yet another note...they upped the offer to $1500

Questions Questions Everywhere and Not A Thought to Think!

Okay Andrea!! This is why I did not post a picture of my new do! Because there are no pictures. I tried to get several shots in the bathroom, using the mirror, but they did not turn out (as you can see!!) They usually only included the top of my head. This one makes me look ...exasperated! My darn camera! And the fact I dropped it a while ago (yes, a Nikon d-50 I dropped it like an idiot) and wrecked the every day lens. This lens is a long focal length and is difficult for anything slightly close-up.

So there is the top of my new do.

As for the domain name. I think she is passing on it. I told her that I had contacted Go-Daddy and they had quoted me a ridiculously low amount, from $79 - $159.

She immediately offered me $500.

The reason I hesitate to write about the Domain Name is in case she is googling it and finds this (or that or any entry) about the name.

Sentimental reasons make me keep it, want to keep it.

And the fact that a second Appraisal company came back with five pages of intense examination of the name and an ending quote of US $2450.00.

She passed.

Yesterday, in anticipation of the report, I was thinking about all the different ways you could use my Domain Name. And how I would kick myself in the butt if it became enormous with the right Marketing strategies, which it could.

You guessed it....

Can't you envision it!!

Alphawoman Magazine.

Alphawoman Cosmetics.

Alphawoman Power tools.

Alphawoman Cookbook's.

It's mind boggling.

And worth so much more than $500!

In the chilly hours and minutes of Uncertainty

One night Joe was watching TV and drinking beer and got persuaded into pledging to the Public Television Channel that transmits in this area. All because he was lured with the joy of owning the "British Invasion" CD. All four of them!

They arrived when he was out of town. I popped it into the player on my most recent trip to the South, soon to be Home, and enjoyed every one of them as helped pass the four hour drive.

Many of the songs I had not heard for a very long time. Some with good reason.

Isn't it amazing how these sounds can transport one back into a decade that is so long ago that I recently heard in a movie some young smart Aleck say, "You know we are closer to the 2060's than the 1960's". He may be a smart aleck, but he missed several math classes.

It still hung with me , because I understand that is how they think of the music from that time. I even cringe at "Henry the 8th"...but I know every single word.

Sadly missing from the CD's are The Dave Clark Five. (and the Stones and Beatles).

Joe told me the Dave Clark Five were not a British band!

Blasphemy!

Aren't they?

They made me Glad All Over and I patiently listened through "Georgie Girl" "What New Pussycat", sang along with "She's not there" and "Gimme Some Loving" waiting to hear it.

I was astonished to realize that the Foundations were a British Import and not from Motown!! Gosh, I loved Baby Now That I Found You I Can't Let You Go.

Any way, I had the idea for an entirely different entry, but got caught up singing inside my head and this is the result.

What's in a Name?

A very interesting development has risen!

I have a domain name (a great domain name) that recently was going to expire. I hemmed and hawed about renewing it and waited until the 11th hour and then paid for an additional three years. Granted, I do not use this domain. I coveted it, it became available about two years ago and I snapped it up.

Someone else wants this domain! Someone else was watching, waiting, hoping that I would let it slip away.

They contacted me today. I was shrewd. I had a hair appointment, so I e-mailed her and told her that I was open.....as I was heading out the door my cell phone rang! It was her. Ahhhhhh.....she really really wants this domain name!

Off to the hairdresser I go carrying along pictures of Ali's new do.

This is my luck with hairdressers and I digress. Several years ago while living in Lex I always went to S.D.U. because I loved Don. I went in this one day, I always put a lot of time in between hair cuts...this was before gray...and my hair was really shaggy. I noticed he had lost an extreme amount of weight and before I knew it I was hearing all about the break-up of he and his wife and how she had packed up the child and left him for someone else. Someone she had been seeing for awhile. He suspected, but loved her too much to pay any credence to those suspicions. He was going through the credit card bills and cell phone bills and realized he was being cuckolded. He was so upset,so angry and so hurt. The more emotional he became telling me about the betrayal, the more hair was piling up on the floor beneath me.

I am the type that always keeps my eyes closed until it's over.

When it was over, my hair was as short as a little boys.

I got use to it, and in time looking back on the pictures of me with the shear hair cut, I kind of liked it.

Back to tonight....I got my hair colored (lots of gray these day) and was sitting at the sink getting the ends brought up to speed when Michael (I love men hair dressers, always have, always will) begins to tell me about the break up with his girlfriend of three years. Passionately telling me the story!

Flash Back!!!!

When I was seated in the chair, I thought long and hard about pulling out Ali's pictures, but in the end I did. He studied them and then brought out the scissors...snip snip snip.

Its fabulous! He did not cut off all of it and it is no where at all like Ali's, but he did cut it shorter than normal and if I like it and get enough compliments, we'll go higher the next time.

He is one great hair stylist.

And we sang Herman and the Hermits songs while he cut away. (I am living large)

........

Then I go back home with this fabulous hair cut feeling like a million dollars and call the Domain Seeker.

What is a domain name worth? I told her that I would contact Go Daddy and see what they suggest.

After that we talked girl talk for about 10 minutes. I like her.

Maybe I won't ask for $25,000.

Man, my hair looks good!

Cleaning, Sorting, Scrapbooking........

I have been working my butt off......not! But, I have made some headway in cleaning out several closets, the cabinets under the snack-bar (now that took half the day!)and under my bed!

I kept running across postcards, pictures, cut out newspaper articles, Birthday cards, old programs, menus, maps. All the things a high-powered Pack Rat would keep.


And why do I keep all this stuff? Because some day I am going to put my collection in a scrapbook.

Scrapbook? Where is that Scrapbook? Under the bed, of course. I had located a three hole punch (which I had been searching for months ago) in the cabinet and I put it to good use. No, I do not have a fancy smancy Scrapbook with themes and lots of ribbons and lace. Mine is not cutsie at all (well, maybe just a little). And as I began to put it together today, it is not even in chronological order.

Where ever it fits....there it went.


I'm pleased with the results.

Guess its time to start cleaning and sorting again.

Closet Cleaning Diversion

You find a lot more in closets than just Monsters

I'm at home this week-end taking the house apart. I first went to Walmart and purchased several rather large containers and a couple of smaller ones. I think my first plan of action is to de-clutter the house before the Realtors pay me a visit.




I started with the back closet and began pulling out clothing I have not worn since moving here. It goes into the Goodwill bag. Hiding on the bottom of the closet is Bridget's wedding veil and princess crown, my bag of Christmas cards and wrap I scored at Value City with my $20 coupon, a case of note cards (and I do mean case),
a child's map of the world, a wedding gift, and a plastic sweater box full of photographs that spilled all over the floor when I dragged it out.

Among one I picked up is this jewel. Bridget and Tara. The blond one and the dark one. I love this photo.

Anything to get a break.

Maybe I'll go make some banana bread and look through photo's.

Am I Boring You??

I have not written much on the New Girl in the office. She is 22 and I have come to....like her. Today she told me that her vaca to NYC last week was fun, okay. 'The fact that it was Passover and we could only eat certain things kind of sucked."

"You're Jewish?"

"I don't tell many people." she murmured. "We avoid eating anything with corn it it, corn syrup and the such. Do you know how many things are made with corn syrup? So we eat this bread. Its special. It's flat and not very tasty."

"Why?"

"When we were slaves escaping we could only take a few things along with us. Our bread, we could only let it dry on stones before we had to move on. I suppose we continue to do it to remind ourselves of the suffering we had to endure."

"Like the 40 years wandering in the desert?"

She nodded and said nothing more.

"You know I'm Catholic? Well, we don't study the old testament too much, at least I never did. When Joe and I joined this huge mega church in Lexington I loved it. I even took a bible study class and would call Joe all the time and say, "did you know....." and he would think, 'you silly old Catholic'. He made a really good joke about it."

"What?" she asked.

"Well, earlier that year Bridget and I had traveled to Tampa to see my friend D. We took the Amtrak to West Palm Beach to see my other pal G. The Amtrak! My God. First of all, we could not board it in Tampa, we had to be bused to Loveland to board, because of some huge fires going on...."

"Oh, oh! Did you hear about the Jet Blue that was stranded on the run way and no one could even go to the bathroom and stuff?"

(......Wait a minute! I'm in the middle of a story, a good story, and I am standing up and even adding body language! And she inturrups me to ask about Jet Blue!! What's with this kid?? Is my story that boring? Can't she wait till the end to inturrupt.....)

"Yea...yea... I heard. Anyway, we return to Tampa on the Amtrak and it takes us alomost 24 hours to get back. It was suppose to be a 3 hour trip. We almost missed our plane!. So, I'm telling Joe about the The Isrialites wandering the desert with Moses for 40 years, and in actuality, the trip should have only taken three days!

Joe responds, 'That would be six days by Amtrak.'"

She did laugh.

Crazy kid.

Random Phone Conversations #457

I called my pal in Lex around 515pm and got his voice mail.

"I'm just leaving work and I bet you are home in a bubble bath!"

I was wrong, he was ringing in as I was leaving the message.

"You'll never guess what happened? BB came into town and they went right to my area. Right to a HD and the cooler was filthy. I never noticed it was filthy! Never. Maybe because I am not really tall enough to see the top. I told them that they had bags of dirt up there...."

"Everybody's HD's are like that! For God's sake, the coolers are in the garden area! Crap flying around everywhere. One dirty cooler is not going to ruin your career. All our trucks were parked today. We sent the drivers home around 9am."

"Why? I know one dirty cooler is not going to kill me, I just hate that BB is such an anal snot."

"Because the system was down. 125 sales centers were effected! Remember he will be over CD in Louisville too. And I think anal is his middle name."

"Oh, that! Yea we knew about it and we called in all our orders. Our trucks were on the road. We are da bomb."

"Yea.....Da Dirty Bomb."

When the winds of changes shift

It seems I can not focus enough to compose a real entry about what is going on, so here is the fragmented version.

I think I have a pinched nerve! It came on me last night as I sat at the computer in my left hand. It goes away when I stand up and leave. Strange. I had one years and years ago after a car accident and it went away in time!

I have been checking out the MLS for the Louisville area and it appears that you can get so much more BANG for your BUCK on the Indiana side of the Ohio River. So it seems we will continue to be Hoosiers!!

I feel like a lame duck at work. I told my supervisor about Joe's transfer and gave him a June 1st date. I have this odd feeling that I am going to miss him, Smart Aleck #2, and the Hunk.

J. is staying at my sisters "other" house in Louisville. They took off for a skiing trip for Spring break. I did not call her in time to arrange the passing of the key. My nephew was to come to the rescue. I asked him to put the spare key under the recycling bin on the back porch. I neglected to specify which back porch!! At 1030 Sunday night J. is frantically searching for said key! All's well that ends well.

It has been established that the Garmin Streetpilot GPS system I gave J. is the best Christmas present ever. Period.

It's 636 AM and I am sitting at the computer in my pj's. I am suppose to be out and working at 7am. Lame duck syndrome.

While driving yesterday I remembered I had to pay that damn fine for that damn traffic violation that I tried to fight without a lawyer (and I would have won too if I wan't such a tight wad! I have at several times since experienced that the traffic lights are not in sync therefore that cop could not have been certain I ran a yellow/red light, because by-God I did not!!). I was relieved to learn it was due on the 2nd and I have a two week grace period to pay it before my liscence is revoked.

Taxes are done and we get money back! Yay!!! Enough to cover the traffic fine! Yay. It was a lot less that I thought it was going to be, by the way. (the fine)

I'm beginning to really like the Cha-Cha's on The Amazing Race.

I'm still cheering for Billy Ray on Dancing with the Stars though Joey is spectacular.

I wish I could wave a magic wand and be moved.

GOING HOME

My phone rang around 1pm.

"I got the job in Louisville", Joe declared in a matter of fact tone.

A few moments later, I was on my personal cell phone calling my Mom, my daughter, my Sisters, my pals in Lexington and dancing the dance of JOY in front of a Menards store in a far reaching North town in Indiana.

I'm going home!

I lived in Louisville all during the 1980's. I left in 1990 after receiving my BSBA from the University of Louisville and just wanting to move on.

Now I'm moving back.

I'm thrilled and joyous.

I'm in shock.

Joe starts his new position on Monday.

This means I get to sell the house again.

Let's hope that this time there are no trips to the hospital.

I'M GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!

HEAVEN ON EARTH

Lexington Cemetery


My favorite statue. I dream of being there when it snows to capture her catching snow flakes.



A blanket of delicate white.

Thinking Out Loud

I just opened up my mail and had several alerts for new entries from the AOL Journals. I felt the little rush that accompanies the anticipation of who it could be! Is it Jamie from Chase-N-Kids? Or is it Just Mary? Maybe another post from Lisa on Coming to Terms with Middle Age? Or so many of a dozen or so that I keep track of and continue to read on a regular basis. Fact is, I look forward to these entries from people I consider friends even though the only way I know them is through their writing and their journals.

I was driving down the open road with an open mind and this thought flew in the window and landed on my consciousness. I remember the exact moment I was no longer a bonafide child!! It was Saturday morning and only on Saturday morning we were allowed to veg out in front of the television watching cartoons and half hour entertainment for kids...such as My Friend Flicka, Rin-Tin-Tin, Sky King and of course the greatest cartoons of them all, Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Mighty Mouse and Fearless Fly. I didn't want to. I laid in bed and read a book. I had matured over night.

I am addicted to Dancing with the Stars. I'm rooting for Billie Ray Cyrus (I'm a sucker for a Kentucky boy).(I like Joey too). Nothing they do can make me like Heather Mills. I think they put her on hoping her leg will fly into the audience.

Spring is definitely in the air, flowers are in bloom and the trees are throwing off these showers of green stuff. It's neat.

When did the term "that's fly!" come back into the vernacular? Better yet, was it ever?

I have started at least four books this month and have not finished one of them. I have half way through a 1963 book about Egyptian antiquities. I have several pages left in one about UN employees in the mid-90's. I am in the middle of a perfectly great travelogue. But finish one, nah.

Started a vegetarian diet. Have no idea how long it will last.

Started Yoga classes. That stuff is hard and difficult. Since I nearly sliced my finger off a couple of weeks ago (too gross to write about, I saved all the gross stuff for Joe and spent serious amounts of time winding white adhesive tape around my middle finger at the office)so I have slacked off. But I really did like it.

I did not think I had a thing to ramble about and look! I'm just a natural at this.

I BLEED BLUE

FLASH BACK TO MARCH 28, 1992 - Is it really 15 years ago today????

There is nothing on TV so we were channel surfing and had the "guide" on the screen reading the pathetic offerings. One caught my attention, it read something like this, "PAST GREAT COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME".

I mumbled and muttered and cursed knowing there is only one game that deserves that title.

Do you remember where you were when the University of Kentucky was beat by Duke in the Regional Final to advance to the Final Four? The score 104 - 103 in overtime?

If you are a True Blue Kentucky fan, that question certainly is answered with a resounding, if not disgusted and slightly choking, holding back tears, "Oh yea...."

I recently read that Richie Farmer said everyone remembers the little details.

I remember my details concerning that night.


I was dating a nice guy named Steve (way before Joe) and we decided to go the The World Famous Two Keys Tavern to watch the game. A week prior to that, we had gone to the Metallica concert where Steve, a normally mild mannered God Fearing Christian, was corrupted from the influence of a heavy metal band. (your mother was right)!

Two Keys was packed. Another regional final was being played down the street at Rupp Arena. Many of the fans of the teams that played the first game were also packed into Two Keys. We were wall to wall, shoulder to shoulder. Steve is not a drinker, but the beer was flowing that evening. Pitcher after pitcher arrived and was consumed by our new best friends. I need not describe the game, as it has earned itself accolades as the greatest college basketball game ever played. That evening, in the tavern on the fringe of the UK campus, you felt it, you knew it. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Everyone on their feet cheering and screaming. Beer mugs held high sloshing beer over the jubilant crowd.

The next thing I knew, UK had pulled ahead and it looked as if they were going to win the game! Steve climbed up on a table, and began to chant, "F*** you Duke, F***you Duke", shaking his beer mug at the tv.

Suddenly, everyone in the whole Two Keys Tavern began to chant with him , "F***YOU DUKE F***YOU DUKE F***YOUDUKE"

Then THE shot. Silence. Dead silence as people realized what had happened. Steve was helped down from the table. People were stunned. Some actually began to cry in disbelief and horror.

I took Steve home. I really had corrupted that man.

STAYED IN BED ALL MORNING....

.....Just to pass the time
there's something wrong here
there can be no denying......


The Internet is a small place. At times, I have to be very careful about what I say and how I say it. Veil it. Disguise it. Ignore some of the drama going on in my life because I have no idea who knows who I am where I live. So I'm careful to not mention who I work for nor the trauma's I encounter because of my business.

Yet, it's really getting to me. We have endured price increases before, but this one was a humdinger and since I represent my company to my customers, they think it is all my fault and that I should be able to do something about it.

And when I do try help out a small Mom and Pop, I get smacked down by my own company for being too emotional and too passionate.

I have been unsettled. Since when was being passionate a bad thing?

Which is making me become unglued. I'm questioning everything about myself and the profession I chose for myself. If I could turn back the hands of time, things would definitely be different.

In my perfect profession, I see myself as an Archaeologist.

I have a few good years left, maybe I should look into it. I made a vow to myself when I finished my degree that I would not set foot back in a class room. But, that was a long time ago, and like Childbirth (only getting my degree at night school must be worse!), you forget the pain in time.

Just thinking about it is easing the depression I am being sucked into.

St. Patrick's Eve in Cleveland

We were at the back of the room....again. But closer to the bar.

As the band prepared to end and call it a night, Omega and I advanced toward the stage and waited for the encore.

I have written and written about the Saw Doctor concerts. Last year I saw them three times! Last year in Cleveland we had a grand adventure getting to the show, which was at the Agora and we arrived in a limo (because the hotel could not find us a cab but did find us a limo and we were so late that the concert had already begun! This year, not so much drama). The House of Blues was within walking distance of the hotel and the snow and stiff wind off Lake Erie was enough to freeze your rashers.

The House of Blues was a terrific venue.

But ahhhhhhh..........the Agora. The funky atmosphere, the hot cramped and sweating crowd. The 32 oz beers, the concrete floor and wall of people.

The House of Blues was definitely upscale.


Last year Leo appeared like an apparition in the back of the bar of the Agora.

We faithfully awaited for a re-appearance in the Bar/Restaurant area of the HOB.

We knew it was not his kind of place.

They were great, but I am so glad I have my memories of that night last year.

MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION

With great anticipation I await the day when I can turn the calendar over from February to March. This means that an action packed couple of weeks have arrived! Beginning with a birthday,then a 5K and at times more races, parades, the Saw Doc's, St. Paddy's day and then more birthdays and finally that first day of spring. Nothing is better that March coming in like a Lion!!

For the second year in a row I helped put together a float for the Louisville Highland St.Paddy Parade AKA The Ancient Order of Hibernians parade. It rained until time to emerge the float from the Bat Cave, then the sun shined and it became a lovely day.

I put together two enormous and seemingly impossible rows of balloons in the Irish colors of green, white and orange to fly gracefully above our float, (a flat bed pulled by a Chevy S-10)in two arches to resemble an Irish rainbow. Those were the instructions as my BIL fled the Bat Cave to attend an important soccer tournament. (isn't that the way it always goes, several things happening at once when you have small children?)

The three of us left looked at each other and immediately got to work! Me, another SIL, and the nine year old Zoe. The going was slow at first until we got the hang of it and got the flow going. Instead of twisting the helium balloons into a knot, the mighty BIL had purchased a bag of plastic string things. They were wonderful as I discovered that the plastic thingies could also attach easily to the long string that was the base of the rainbow.




Finally the chore was completed and with plenty of time to spare.

As the showers stopped and the sun came out, so did our beautiful ballooned POT OF GOLD float (our theme was Tooar Loora Looral - That's an Irish Lullaby...but our float was the same as last year!) At the judges station BIL had all the children do a dance number to "HELLO EILEEN" which was fabulous! But our float was now way behind in the line up heading down Bardstown Rd. Our driver decided to close the distance between us and the float ahead.

The following pictures are of a very courageous Irish dancer catching up with the flat bed.










All in all, a great day.

My Sis had been circling the "Kiss" people all week. This was the group that had the winning float last year themed, "KISS ME I'M IRISH". They were the ones to beat! We closed the gap a little this year, thanks to the beautiful balloons...but we still fell short.



Damn ....they are a clever lot of Irish Eejit's.

MY DEPRIVED CHILDHOOD

My brothers and I would sit entranced in front of the television set every day around 4pm. My Mother had very strict rules guarding the amount of tv time (i.e. idiot box)we were allowed.

4pm every afternoon we were allowed to tune in to the "T bar V Ranch" show out of Louisville, a mere 60 miles away. May as well have been 6,000 miles away to our little minds.

A group of kids every afternoon would be stars for one day! It was their birthday and they were the STARS of the show! They would dress in their birthday finery and carry their birthday presents onto the stage.

This was a Cowboy show mind you. All the boys wore their cowboy hats, holsters, tied to their leg with the strip of raw hide,and their guns. Sometime during the half hour show the boys would line up on stage and stand at ready, waiting for the order to DRAW!

Oh, the child hood days of the 1950's and 60's. Homegrown televisions shows featuring homegrown children.

I wanted to be on that show! I wanted to flounce around in my party dress and face the camera and say hello to my Mom and Dad, my brothers and sister, and all my friends at home. I wanted to so bad.

I was so deprived!

It was impossible for my Mom to take us all to Louisville for an afternoon! It was totally out of the question. I doubt we even asked. We just practiced our gun draws in the back yard in the hopes that one day, maybe one day, we would be on tv showing off our stuff.

Years later, when I was in college I was having a conversation with my Louisville boy friend when he proudly told me about his birthday appearance on T bar V Ranch Time. He told me about standing in the wings, sitting on the bench, about being struck dumb when it was his turn in front of the camera, about not being able to get his gun out of the holster.

I was smiling through clenched teeth. I was soooooooo jealous I was certain my skin was glowing red from my insane buried and repressed want to be a Cow girl on T-bar-V.

The reason I am remembering all this is simple.

It's was my birthday a couple of days ago. I have this desire to go outside and practice some fancy gun handling. But that aside, I go on line to find out the words to the songs we use to sing along with Randy and Cactus....

"Brush your teeth each morning,
get lots of sleep at night
Mind your Mom and Daddy,
cause they know what is right....."

And I am blank after that....I can't remember what comes next!

"Happy Happy Birthday
May all your Dreams come true
Happy Happy Birthday to you and you
and you...And Everybody Out There!"....

I was always everybody out there.

Never right there.

I was so deprived.

On a very sad not, the show was on tv from 1950 till 1970 and not one show was ever taped! Not one!! Every self respecting baby boomer in the Louisville Area appeared on that show! And not one moment of gun twirling and dress flouncing remains.

So sad.

Quick Trip Rehash

So I left early in the afternoon because I could. One of those rare times when the stars aligned and no one was at the office I had to report to, or who was keeping tabs on me. So, being the devious person I can be at times, I took off.

Beautiful day though windy. Made the drive down South in record breaking time, due to a good back wind I suppose.

No one told me Geo. W Bush was going to be in downtown Louisville at a fund raiser for Mitch. And to make it all the more inconvenient for me, he was at the Seelbach Hotel which is on the same block of the Fourth Street Live area I was headed.

I had a 30% off coupon for Borders and I like the Borders on the corner of 4th and Liberty. Lucky for me I found a parking spot on 3rd Street parallel to front of the Seelbach! You could not get anywhere close to the hotel. I had to hike down to Liberty and then cut up to Borders.

By the time I left Borders with my new book ( Emergency Sex and other desperate measures...a true story from hell on earth...from the travel writing section)...the party was breaking up and Geo. was on his way to Alabama. Men in very expensive suits were headed to stretch limos lined up on Liberty. Good looking young men in expensive suits, no over coats, and name tags.

Easy to trek through Fourth Street Live and cut over to my car through the plaza across the street from the Seelbach. The police officers on horse back still on alert for any radical behavior from the protesters. Several were still lingering about with their signs and looks of important intent. Trying to have their voices heard. Their messages read.

I quickly escaped the massive traffic jam that had now interrupted the once breezy and spring like evening and headed to the nearest gas station. I found the one that Bridget always used when she lived in DT Louisville.

As I was punching the secret codes that unlock the buying power of my company gas card I was interrupted by a young man with hands in his bulky jacket pockets and shoulders hunched as he quickly gave me the rap about not having any money and wanted to ride the bus home because it was a long walk otherwise.

I told him to hold on and continued to punch in my never ending sequence of numbers then gave him $2. He scampered away hopefully towards a bus stop.

Weeks before, Bridget had told me of the kindness of someone at a gas station when she had run out of gas and had no money. I re-paid that kindness I suppose.

I stayed at a hotel close to the Watterson Expressway. When I got up in the morning to head towards Slugger Field and the 5K I emerged into a glorious morning. Birds were chirping!! Spring comes much earlier here than in NE IN.

A breathtaking sun rise was appearing in my rear view mirror.

It felt good to be home. Joe has an opportunity to be transferred to Louisville. I am holding my breath, but I am not going to get my hopes up.

On A Flipping Whim ....

....I drove to Kentucky yesterday. (approx. 250 miles)

I have been running (snicker) in the Anthem 5K, the first leg of the triple crown of running, since its creation several years ago. The triple crown was a 10K, a 10 miler then you finished up with the Kentucky Derby Marathon (or half marathon). I did the original triple crown in 2003, months before I started blogging, so there is no record of that dramatic feat!

Then, in 2005 (I think) they decided to make it easier and to attract more runners, they carved off the Ky Derby Marathon as a stand alone event, and tacked on the easier 5K for the beginning.

Now that the history lesson is over....

I just signed up this morning while the sun was shining bright, and finished as snow flakes curled and danced around us.

I feel great. I was able to run the first mile and half, then walk/ran the final and think I finished under 40 minutes. I don't know, because over 7,000 people participated and it took nine minutes to cross the START line.

Once again, I did not practice at all.

I was going to give Joe a TiVo for Valentines day, instead I purchased us a membership at the YMCA.

Those elliptical machines are awesome. After two weeks they have stregnthen my knees to the point where I can jump in and complete a 5K (three point one miles).