Poetry Tag

I love poetry. One of my favorite childhood memories is of my dad reading poetry to us when we were kids, especially Ogden Nash's "The Tale of Custard the Dragon."

This is my favorite poem of all time.

Here for your reading pleasure is "The Tale of Custard the Dragon."

Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called him Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

Belinda was as brave as a barrel-full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Belinda tickled him, she ticked him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Weeek!, which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.

Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright;
His beard was black, one leg was wood.
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

The pirate gaped at Belinda's dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets, but they didn't hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him;
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon who ate the pyrate.

Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

- Ogden Nash

I tag everyone whose blog is listed over on the right, as well as those who aren't! That means you, too!


P.S. I grew up reading this poem out of Louis Untermeyer's The Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry with illustrations by Joan Walsh Anglund. It's an excellent book to have if you want a collection of good, old, classic, simple poems. There's a new printing of Nash's poem out now with illustrations by Lynn Musinger. You can get the Untermeyer compilation here and the Musinger book here.

Mr. Harrison, et. al.

Recently, I offered to help a fellow blogger with her autobiographical statement as part of her application to seminary. In her essay she was asked to write about those things or people that/who had influenced her in life. Said blogger wrote warmly of the impact her 7th grade music teacher had in her life and personal development not only as a singer but also as a Christian.

At one point in our email exchanges, she queried how I became such a good writer (her opinion, not mine. I often think my writing sucks. But that's just me being my own worst critic, I suppose.) I replied that, like her singing, I started young, practiced a lot, and had folks who encouraged me in my abilities.

Later, I thought about this more. I realized I had some pretty amazing mentors along the road of writing.

It started with my dad, who read aloud to us every night when we were kids and who encouraged us to read. My mom had a hand in this, too, by making sure we did our homework, particularly if it involved reading. I think the fact that we didn't have t.v. or Atari growing up also contributed to our voracious reading appetites.

It then progressed to my mom who, with her small town Wyoming education, as she likes to say, was the one who taught me how to write an outline, compile note cards, and put it all together into sentences and paragraphs. In high school, when I took Honors English (a class I hated at the time), she hooked me up with her aunt who was a high school English teacher. Aunt Loa taught me how to write a thesis statement and then argue the points of the thesis.

In the midst of this--and prior to high school--there was my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Harrison; except that it was when I was in 6th grade that he made his greatest impact on me. Mr. Harrison was the faculty advisor for Maeser Elementary School's Advanced Talented Program; basically the gifted students program. I was in his program as a sixth grader. Among the requirements were several short papers and one long research paper coupled with an exhibit hall where each student had to design, build, and staff a display that captured their paper.

I chose micrographics and its processes and uses in library and archiving systems. I distinctly remember the papers and exhibits for two of my peers: Glenn Newman, who wrote about Tutankhamen; and Jon Harrison, who put together a claymation movie. I felt certain Jon or Glenn would take first prize, but was stunned to learn that Mr. Harrison had chosen my paper and exhibit for the top prize that year! (I think it was the fact that my dad had filmed and microfiched all 500+ pages of the Book of Mormon onto one fiche card that fascinated him most. P.S. I went to school in Utah, which made using the BOM as an exhibit piece acceptable and especially impressive, I suppose.)

Winning first place for the ATP group was a high point and a boost to my confidence as a writer and researcher. I don't remember doing a lot of writing in junior high, but I certainly remember doing plenty in high school. I also remember my English teachers in those years: Mrs. Oldroyd, who taught us to love Shakespeare; Mrs. Mendenhall, who was dotty, but made us write several research papers and taught us how to write in several different essay styles; Miss March, who made us read the classics and write thesis statements and comparison/contrast essays.

I also had excellent mentors in college. Dr. Lauve Steenhuisen, who now teaches at Georgetown, was one such mentor while I was an undergrad at George Mason U. Dr. Don Compier, who is now dean of the Community of Christ Church seminary in Independence, Missouri, was a wonderful encouragement when I was at the Graduate Theological Union, as was the Rev. Dr. Jane Menton who pushed me and pushed me and pushed me.

Bottom line, though: writing takes practice, which is what I think I enjoy most about blogging. It gives me the opportunity to write. Maybe not about anything important or interesting or even groundbreaking. But it keeps my hand (and head) in the process. Those of you who read my blog keep me motivated, too.

And so, in all humility, I thank you--my fellow bloggers, friends, and family--for reading and continuing the tradition of encouragement that has underscored my life as a writer and lover of words. This one's for you!

Illustration copyright: The Writer at Work.

Links

I'm digging for material today, so I thought I'd point out a couple of new links over in my--what else?--Links.

Several days ago, I added FogBay. This is a compilation of photographs--usually one a day or a mini-series--about the places and people that make the San Francisco/Bay Area unique and beautiful. It's one of my favorite sites with stunning pictures, great quotes, and interesting facts, as well as a link to a map that shows you exactly where in the Bay Area the picture was taken. This guy does a great job of capturing exactly what it is I love about that part of the country and is a large part of why I want to go back. This is FogBay's picture of the Bolina's Cliffs and Lighthouse.

I also added The Professor and Mary Ann to my blog links today. This is the blog of my friends, Rob and Mary Ann McFarland and their three kids, Maddie Lou, Wills, and Sebastian. Rob and Mary Ann are dear friends I made while I was a student in Berkeley, lo these many years ago. Rob is a professor of German at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and MaryAnn is his incredibly intelligent, frightfully witty, well-read wife who speaks Spanish, but is learning German. I believe all of their kids are multi-lingual as well. We call Mary Ann "MA" for short and this is MA's chronicle of their family's teaching sojourn in Berlin this year. Rob does this every couple of years--takes a group of students either to Berlin or Vienna for a summer and a semester. Next time they go, I'm signing on as their luggage handler!

Day 28: Precursor to Santa Claus

Had friends over this evening for homemade apple crisp and a round of Spite & Malice. During the course of conversation, we began talking about the origins of Santa Claus.

In the spirit of finding answers, I found this information about Saint Nicklaus.

And, as the conversation also included a discussion of Nicklaus' sidekick in the Austrian version of St. Nicklaus, here is information about Krampus.

Enjoy!

Day 25: Merry Christmas Meme

This meme came to me by way of my friend, Holly. The picture is a snapshot of my favorite Christmas ornament on my Christmas tree.

What greeting of the season do you use?
It all depends on who I’m greeting. Usually Merry Christmas prior to Dec. 25, then Happy New Year after Dec. 25. But I’m also known to tailor my greeting based on individuals and their holiday of choice.

Did you leave out milk and cookies for Santa?
Absolutely! Home made cookies, a glass of milk, an orange, and a couple of tiny candy canes. Santa always nibbled the cookies, drank most of the milk, and ate all of the orange. This year, Santa got homemade banana bread and egg nog.

What's one Christmas Eve tradition your family had?
When I was a kid, we’d get a new pair of pajamas that my Mom made. One year, I wanted a jogging suit, so she made me mint green terry cloth PJs with a pink stripe down the side. Another year, she made all of us nightgowns and stocking caps a la The Night Before Christmas. We also choose names out of a hat and give that person a gift that they open that evening. I have my sister this year and she’s getting this.

What's your favorite Christmas song?
My absolute favorite Christmas song is Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht in its original language: German. I also like Liese Reiselt der Schnee. O Holy Night and Do You Hear What I Hear? (the version sung by Johnny Mathis) both come in a close second. I enjoy some of the more contemporary pieces, too, like John Lennon's Happy X-mas (War Is Over) and Amy Grant’s Breath of Heaven. And I get a kick out of the absurdity of Elmo & Patsy's Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer and Brad Paisley's new one this year, Penguin, James Penguin.

What's your least favorite Christmas song?
That would be a dead heat tie between The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy, and anything rendered by The Chipmunks. Horrible little beasts. They do unconscionable things to Christmas songs. They should be shipped off to Guantanamo Bay.

What's your favorite Christmas movie?
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas with Boris Karloff. The Jim Carey/Ron Howard version is dismal and was just one big piece of stock footage for Visa to use in their ads that year.

What about A Christmas Story?
I still don’t understand why this is such a cult “classic.” It’s a stupid movie and I don't care for it. I think the first--and only--time I ever watched it, I didn't finish it.

What's your favorite Christmas tv special?
I think it’s all those Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer ones. They use to freak me out as a kid, but they’re kind of nostalgic now. Besides, what's not to love about Burl Ives?

What's the best present you ever received?
The best present I ever got? The best present I ever got… Hm. Can I pick more than one?
Age 5: Hand made kitchen cabinet and stove/oven play set my Dad built for me. I’d give anything for a picture of that right now, or for the piece itself. I wonder if my parents still have it? It was yellow with blue accents and had lots of cupboard and counter space.
Age 12: A hi-fi, Technics turntable.
Age 14: A CD player.
Age 15: A really cool red ski sweater. (And I don't ski.)
Age 16: My very first Opus the Penguin. I still have him. And several others.
Age 27: A Panasonic microwave for my apartment.
Age 33: A Kitchen Aid.
Age 37: A set of nice Henckel gourmet knives.

What's the worst present you ever received?
Is there such a thing as a bad present? Isn’t that why gift receipts were invented? Actually, I know I’ve had a few over the years that I didn’t much care for, but I can’t remember what they were (I’m sure my siblings will be able to name a few for me with total recall.)

What's the best present you ever gave?
I think it’s going to be this year’s gift to my mom. My siblings and I put together a montage of photos and music about my grandparents and my mom and her sisters on DVD. (See yesterday's blog, "Homemade" for all the details.)

What's the worst present you ever gave?
I don’t give bad presents. All my presents are good.

What do you want for Christmas this year?
Peace on earth. A job. Freedom from want.

Is Christmas still a religiously significant holiday for you--in other words, do you celebrate it as the birth of the savior of humanity?
Yes.

Day 24: Homemade

Just back from the sibs and the Christmas Eve festivities. We draw names and give one gift on the night before Christmas. This year, my brother drew my name and gave me... wait for it... Sarah McLachlan's new Christmas CD, which he chose based on my Amazon wish list. Dumbass that I am, I forgot to go in and delete it from my list before he bought it for me. I feel like an idiot. So, if someone out there received a double of a CD they already have and they want to trade with me, I'll give you the one I bought in exchange.

And now, on to the point of this post.

Given this year's adventures in unemployment and penny-pinching, it's been a low key holiday season all around. As a result, most of the gifts I'm giving this year for Christmas are either homemade or cost less than $20. (Which is, perhaps, the good thing about living with minimal funds. You learn to be creative and thrifty pretty darn quick.)

The gift I'm proudest of this year is the one I made for my Mom. And if I could figure out how to post it to YouTube, I'd share it with you all, but I'm a technological dolt.

As several of you know, my mom's father passed away this year. It's been pretty rough on my mom as she and her dad were close. And, it's been 20 years since mom's mother passed away. That's also been hard for her because she misses her mom and has days where she wishes they could talk.

So, this year, I gathered up a huge stack of old family photos of my grandparents, my mom, and her three sisters. My sister and I spent several weekends scanning in and scaling photos. My aunt in Salt Lake sent us a packet of photos she had and we added those to the pile. We transferred all the images to my computer and, using iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, and iDVD, I started working on putting pictures with music and creating a DVD montage of my grandparents and their children.

The project started out originally as one song and about 20 pictures. Then it became three songs and 55 pictures. The final product is eight songs, over 100 pictures, and four minutes of credits at the end for a total of about 21 minutes of play. It starts with my great-grandparents--Arnold Benjamin and Hazel Pearl Meads Bangerter (grandpa's parents) and Daniel and Olive Charlotte Welker Harvey (grandma's parents), then moves into photos of my grandparents around the time of their marriage in 1942 through my grandpa's service in Europe during World War II. The segment is scored by an instrumental version of the Mormon hymn "Come, Come, Ye Saints."

The second segment begins with the Glenn Miller Orchestra playing "In the Mood" and features photos of my grandparents and their daughters in their early years in Wyoming. It then segues into the music of Gene Autry crooning "Someday in Wyoming," followed by "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?" and pictures of my grandparents with the many dogs they had throughout their marriage. After than short bit, there's another Gene Autry. This time, he's singing my grandma's favorite song, "You Are My Sunshine" and most of the pictures are of my grandpa and grandma.

The second to the last segment begins with an old time radio show announcer and then Bing Crosby singing "I'll Be Seeing You." I found school picture head shots of my mom and each of my aunts, as well as portrait sittings of each of them with their dad. I paired these up and did a crossover fade so that the picture of them as a little kid melts away into a picture of them as an adult. Most of the pictures in this segment are of my mom and her sisters growing up.

The final segment is set to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and includes landscapes of Utah and Wyoming along I-80, as well as pictures of landmarks in Green River, Wyoming, where my grandparents lived for 60 years. Pictures from my grandpa's funeral are included in this segment and the series ends with family portraits that were taken this spring in Salt Lake where we'd all gathered for his burial. The final shots are of my mom and her three sisters, my grandparents, and the Salt Lake Temple, where my grandparents were married in 1942.

At the very end, after all the pictures, I threw in credits as a joke and set it to Aaron Copland's Corral Nocturne.

All in all, I think it's going to be a good gift. I watched it the other night and found all kinds of things I would have done differently, but that's just me being my own worst critic. I've worked on it so long, I'm practically over it and have decided it is what it is. My dad and my siblings assure me Mom will be moved.

And now, I'm off to bed, otherwise Santa Claus won't come!

Merry Christmas friends and fellow bloggers!

Day 23 (Part 4): Open

It's been a bloggerific day over here at DC Rush Hour. I've broken records for number of postings in one day. Four! Good Lord! Do I have five anyone? The gentlemen over in the corner? No?

Anyway--I just finished making banana bread. I've got some orange peel, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves simmering on the stove, and I'm listening to Johnny Mathis sing "Merry Christmas."

But the real point of this fourth post is this:

Safeway will be open for business on Christmas Day!

Yep, it's true.

I just got back from the store and I asked the cashier if they were going to be open tomorrow, recalling the years I spent as a cashier and working on Christmas Eve. He said not only would they be open tomorrow, but they'd be open on Christmas Day, too.

I couldn't believe it. There's just something so wrong about that. It's one day a year, for Pete's sake. Would it be so bad for business to close for a day? This probably means they'll also be open on New Year's Day.

Oh, you want to know the reason, you say? Because not everyone celebrates Christmas and so the company feels it should be open for all the non-Christmas celebrators.

Okay, I know, I know. I'm about to go on a right wing rant here, but I can't help it. No, wait. I'll restrain myself and just simply say, "Whatever."

I won't be shopping on Christmas Day, though. No way, no how. Hmph.

Day 22 (Part 2): Crazy Busy

Seems there's barely been time to breathe over the last couple of days.

For those who don't know this, my mother is owner and operator of a custom window treatment and interior design business. She's been making window treatments and fine accoutrement for homes and embassies in the D.C. area for almost 20 years and, prior to our move from Utah to D.C., she made draperies for five or six years for homes and condos in Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and California. Her work hangs in the Embassy of Indonesia and the Musician's Lounge in Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City (just as a couple of boastful examples.)

This time of year is her busiest. Seems everyone wants to redecorate around the holidays and rather than plan ahead, folks place their orders in November and December hoping for miracles. I always wonder how they forget that Christmas falls every year in the same month, on the same day, and why they don't plan ahead better and order in July or August.

Anyway--I've barely had time to check email or reply to comments on Blogger because I've been at her shop every day from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 or 7:00 each evening for the last several days. It's amazing the work she churns out and the quality and beauty she manufactures. I failed to take pictures, but one of these days I'm going to and I'm going to post them here.

This week, we made more panels and pleats than I can count, numerous pairs of swags and cascades, several roman shades, and a couple of valances. On top of that, one of the jobs required 14 yards of glass beads and another required taking apart someone else's work and remanufacturing the original fabric into a whole new treatment.

All in all, it's a lot of hard work, but it ends up being mostly fun. And in the end, there's another gorgeous product that goes into beautifying someone's home.

And now I'm off to catch up on my email, Blogger comments, Christmas cards, gift wrapping, cleaning, baking....

Day 21 (Part 2): All I Want for Christmas...

... is snow.

Okay, okay, I know. You're shocked.

I dislike winter in colder climes. I can't stand snow. I grew up in Utah and experienced 17 years of winter, which was enough for me. There was no such thing as a snow day along the Wasatch Range. You got up, pulled on your snow clothes, trudged to the bus stop and went to school. But I digress...

There's just something about snow at Christmas that I adore. And unless I'm living somewhere like California or the deep South, there's no excuse for no snow at Christmas.*

I'd love for it to snow on December 23 through Christmas Eve, then have Christmas morning dawn with bright, deep blue skies and layers of crystalline liquid blanketing the ground and the trees.

I guess, bottom line is, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Speaking of snow, here's a heartwarming Christmas memory from Miss Understood on the other side of the pond.

* Except that supposed liberal, extremist myth global warming, but that's a subject for a completely separate blog. (Please note my tongue buried deep in my cheek.)

Photo courtesy of Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness.

Day 17: Run, Don't Walk

Disclaimer: Please note: I know nothing about writing a critique of music, so for those of you out there who are musicologists or artists, please forgive my bumbling efforts to describe this excellent album.

If you're looking for an album worthy of your Christmas music collection, then run, don't walk, to your nearest, dearest CD vendor and buy Sarah McLachlan's pop holiday album, Wintersong.

This album breathes new life into many of the otherwise rote Christmas standards you've been listening to for years. While there are undercurrents of McLachlan's trademark breathiness, this album is robust and straightforward. It's also a much quieter, reflective album than I had expected.

The album begins with a matter-of-fact rendition of John Lennon's Happy Xmas (War is Over) that sets the tone of hopefulness for the entire musical experience. She follows this up with a melodic harmonized version of What Child Is This? that is unlike any previous recording you've heard.

River leads next and, for anyone who's ever lived in tropical-like climes and wished for snow at Christmas, this song will tug at your heart. The title track, Wintersong, is picturesque and lovely, but sad as it speaks of lost love in the midst of joy and celebration.

McLachlan's version of I'll Be Home for Christmas is quiet and warm, but certainly ranks right up there with Perry Como's version as a classic that invokes all those feelings about Christmas with family and things familiar that many of us miss and wish at this time of year.

The First Noel/Mary, Mary is a mix of a new agey rendering of the traditional hymn and a Negro spiritual in a blend that is stirring and haunting. This selection does a great job of highlighting McLachlan's range and talent--sort of like Enya meets Etta.

Her version of Silent Night isn't like any of the other 40+ versions I have in my iTunes collection. She sings the harmony and slightly ahead of the music on this one, and while that might be annoying by any other artist, it plays well here.

Other songs on the album include:

O Little Town of Bethlehem
Song for a Winter's Night
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
In the Bleak Mid-Winter
Christmas Time is Here (featuring Diana Krall)

Each is unique in its own right. In the hands of McLachlan they acquire a warmth and newness that leaves you wanting to wrap up in a warm throw with a cup of your favorite hot holiday beverage and listen to her honey voice over and over again.

As I said, run, don't walk. If you love Christmas music, this album is a must for your collection.

Day 13: Pictures

My brother lent me his camera the other day as mine is on the fritz and I took what I think is a decent picture of yesterday evening's sunset.


I also took pictures of my Christmas decorating, which was the whole point of the camera loaner. Regardless, I'm a sucker for a good sunset and this was one of those moments.

Day 10: Christmas Music Inventory

On Saturday, I received a collection of Gunfighter's favorite Christmas tunes, including a CD of nothing but nine renditions of his absolutely favorite Christmas song. When he mentioned Mel Torme the other day, I thought he was probably referring to Torme's most famous Christmas song, called, strangely enough, "The Christmas Song." Boy, was I wrong. If you want to know what Gunfighter's all time favorite Christmas song is, you'll have to email him and ask for a copy of his CD. You won't be disappointed. Just one name: Jaymz Bee & The Royal Jelly Orchestra! Thanks, Gunfighter!

This got me thinking about my own collection of Christmas music. So, I took a little inventory.

According to my iTunes Library, I have 60 Christmas albums, representing 70 different artists.

My collection includes seven albums by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and eight or nine years of Hallmark albums, two Amy Grants, two Harry Connick Jrs., six albums of Johnny Mathis, and four Mannheim Steamrollers, not to mention German and Austrian versions of holiday music.

Throughout my collection, I have multiple versions of songs.

6 Angels We Have Heard on High
8 Away in the Manger
8 Carol of the Bells
3 Coventry Carol
4 Deck the Halls
7 Ding Dong Merrily on High
6 Do You Hear What I Hear?
12 God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
13 Hark the Herald Angels
8 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
22 Joy to the World
17 O Come, All Ye Faithful
6 O Come, O Come Emmanuel
21 O Holy Night
11 O Little Town of Bethlehem
12 Silver Bells
18 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)
17 The First Noel
15 What Child Is This?
16 Winter Wonderland
66 German/Austrian Christmas Songs

And the clincher...

41 versions of Silent Night / Stille Nacht!

I have multiple versions of that loathesome Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, but only one version in my iTunes Library. It's a version the Mormon Tabernacle Choir did several years ago where they use a different music genre for each verse. It's hilarious and the best version I've ever heard or that's even worth listening to.

So, there you have it. Christmas music. Can you ever have too much?

Image courtesy of Acclaim Images.

Day 8: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

According to my Christmas widget, we're only 16 days away from Christmas.

Today, I bring you three blog entries--two are reruns that bear repeating and the third appeared last night on a blog I've started reading.

The first one, I wrote on this date a year ago.

The second comes from the blog of Avert Your Eyes and, while hilarious, is also a sad sign of the times.

Here for your enjoyment, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Blah, Blah, Bah and This Greeting Has Been Cleared by My Attorney.

And, for pondering, Thoughts of Santa Before Sleeping... by Zanne.

Day 4: Widgets

Widgets are a wonderful thing. Especially when they're whimsical. (And they make for a great filler topic when you can't come up with anything more enlightening and serious.)

These are my widgets.



From left to right, starting at the top...

Ski Report
I'm not a huge fan of snow or winter, but I grew up in Utah and I thought it would be fun to track snow fall in Park City.

Gas Report
This tells me where I can find cheap gas in my neighborhood.

Weather Bug
This tells me the temperature and weather conditions for my area.

Sudoku
Love this game.

In the middle...

Old Time Radio
Let's me listen to streaming audio from some station/network in Antioch, Illinois. They play old radio shows and mystery theater like Gunsmoke and Dragnet and the NBC Family Hour. It's fun and reminds me of listening to CBS Radio Mystery Theater on KSL in Salt Lake when I was a kid.

Calendar
Self-explanatory.

Clock
Also self-explanatory. Please note, mine is still set an hour ahead. Even though it says 2:44, it's really 1:44.

Dashboard Counter
Mimics the application icon for Dashboard, home of the widgets. It's a counter that tells me know how many times I've clicked on Dashboard and launched my widgets. In this case, 219.

iTunes
Let's me control iTunes without actually launching iTunes separately.

Bottom...

DashFlix
Let's me see my Netflix cue without opening my browser and launching Netflix's site. Quite handy.

San Francisco Webcams
Let's me see a variety of shots of my favorite city. The picture you see is from a webcam in Sausalito that looks across the bay to San Francisco. This is the skyline at night, one of the prettiest in the world, I think.

Countdown to Christmas
Counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until Christmas. I took this screen shot three days ago, so that's three less days until the happiest day on earth.

Skype
Just added this one. Have yet to use it. Nifty, though.

And, the piece de resistance...

The Christmas lights framing it all. They twinkle. And I love them. This is my most favoritest widget of all!

Day 28 (Part 2): Peace: It's No Longer P.C.

Have you heard the story about the couple in Colorado who hung a wreath on their home fashioned as a peace symbol? If not, read here. Seems folks in their neighborhood thought it was anti-Bush/anti-Iraq. As a result, the homeowners' association was going to fine the offenders $25/day until they took it down. Fortunately, someone will all their holiday bulbs burning brightly thought better of that and dropped the request and the fine.

Nevertheless, WTF?!

Hm. Let's see. Peace. That thing we all hope for in our lives. That thing the Bush Administration promised the Iraqi people via its preemptive war. That thing we celebrate at this time of year.

Oh, yes, and speaking of this time of year... That other little non-P.C. thing that happens in December. Christmas. Right. Let's see. Celebration of the birth of Christ who is often referred to as the Prince of Peace. Hm. Yeah. Interesting.

Okay, Jesus aside and that Christmas thing aside, we're still talking about peace here. What's anti-Iraq about that? If anyone would know something about wanting peace, it would definitely be the folks in Iraq.

Somewhere in Colorado, someone needs their butt kicked up around their ears with a sharp boot.

Peace!

Day 19: Note to My Siblings

Janeen and Phillip,

Check out today's PostSecrets (the link is over on the right under, what else, "Links.") See if you can figure out which PostSecret made me laugh out loud. I didn't send it in, but we certainly have room in our family to do so!

Love,

Janet

P.S. If you can figure out which one it is, send me an email.


UPDATE: 11/29/06 Here's the PostSecret that absolutely made me guffaw. Unless you're my siblings, I think this is a "you had to be there" thing.



Second runner up was a PostSecret that said, "I drive like a shithead!" So true, so true, so true.

Day 10: If It Ain't Baroque, Don't Fix It

Nothing specific today. Just some rambling.

For example: my numbering system on my blogs this past week. It's starting to confuse me. I started this whole NaBloPoMo thing on Nov. 1 but didn't start numbering until Nov. 2, which means I'm always a day behind. I think I need to fix that or I'm going to end up in some cerebral knot.

If you get a chance, be sure to visit my friend Adriana's blog, What I Made for Dinner, today. She's written many a fabulous recipe in the last year or so, but today's is a gem and I think is my favorite entry to date from her. It'll make you run out to the store and buy bacon, I guarantee it!

Over at my friend Diana's blog, Swiss Account, there's been some commenting going on around her recent entry about not doing the whole NaBloPoMo thing. She also included a link to some pictures of a baroque church she and her husband, Scott, visited recently.

The pictures prompted this comment, in part, from our friend, JaneAnne: Aren't those baroque churches awesome? I had no idea they even existed (all we hear about are the gothic and romanesque ones over here) until I went to Mitteleurop with the BYU Singers.

I started to reply, but then realized my comment was taking up too much space. Here's what I said:

JA: I found your comment about baroque churches amusing (which reminds me of a funny line from Beauty & the Beast: "And you know what they say? If it ain't baroque, don't fix it!")

Austria is littered with baroque churches, one of the most famous being the Karlskirche in Vienna. Unfortunately, I never set foot inside of it, despite walking past it at least twice a week on our route to visit an investigator who was also a heroin addict (my first exposure to hard drugs. I actually watched her shoot up one day. Talk about naive.) All three of my companions when I was in Vienna weren't much for getting out to see things on P-day. One was always exhausted and in bed on Mondays, the second had been to Vienna as an exchange student and seen it all already, and the third was from Finland and wanted to write lamentations and epistles to her missionary boyfriend in Finland.

Sad, huh? Nine months in Vienna and all I ever saw was the Naturhistorisches Museum and the inside of Stephansdom.


UPDATE:
In the interest of sanity, I've decided to match my NaBloPoMo posting numbers with the calendar date. I've fixed all of the blog numbers to correspond with the day. Now, aren't you happy to know that?!




For those who aren't familiar with Mormon lingo and esoterica, here are some definitions:

Investigator: a non-Mormon; someone being taught by missionaries or church members; someone interested in the teachings of the Mormon church.

Companion: another missionary you are assigned to work with and with whom you live and work 24/7.

P-day: short for Preparation Day; the one day of the week (usually a Monday) that missionaries have to go grocery shopping, do laundry, and write letters home.

Perpetual Mourning

It's been a few days since the fifth anniversary of September 11. I wanted to write about it, but had nothing but emptiness to offer. I couldn't watch the news this year, because I didn't want to relive that day in a constant media loop, but rather, wanted to quietly ponder it without bias.

...

This morning, I read several bloggers highlighted on DCBlogs who shared their thoughts and memories. The one by Not Yet a Wino struck me most deeply. Read it here.

...

September 11 was, without a doubt, the most horrific day in the history of our storied country. But what have we done that is any different or better today than we did five years ago? Keith Olbermann said it best: we have squandered the moment.

...

Certainly, we've moved on with life, as we should. But are we really defeating the terrorists? We live in a nation that was, as one commentator said last week, "looked to as a place of hope, but is increasingly seen as a nation of despair." We live, as another blogger put it, in constant fear of the most innocuous objects: baby formula, shaving gel, tennis shoes.

...

I grew up in a faith that has lots of theological answers about why we're here and where we're going, particularly after this life. While I find those answers reassuring at times, I also find them increasingly inadequate, especially as I get older. While I understand intellectually that those I love are gone, but that I might one day see them or even be with them again, I, nonetheless, long for them to be here with me now, to share in my joys and sorrows now, to know about my life now. While my life moves on, it moves on without them and that is part of my perpetual mourning.

...

I have no doubt we will ever forget what happened that day; to suggest otherwise, as some in the current administration have implied, is insulting. I also have no doubt that there are those among us who will mourn their entire lives. For those of us who lost only our innocence that day, our "job" is "to mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort."

...

It's hard to truly move on, I think, when there is an inexplicable hole that's been ripped in your heart. Between every beat of your heart and every breath you take is a moment, a space that represents the line between life and death. I think for the survivors and those who lost someone that day, that moment is the place where their life stops and holds. That moment is where perpetual mourning resides. Always. Constantly. Forever.

Highlights, Lowlights, and Texture

Had the best time in L.A. last week at my best friend's wedding. Here's a picture of the blissful bride, Mary Ellen, and the well-groomed groom, Michael Stevens. On the right is Mike's best man, his brother, Matt. The gent wearing the suit in 112.5 degree heat is Mark Muir, who officiated and married the lovely couple.














Highlights from the Trip

Getting my first pedicure, ever! As an added bonus, my pedi-mani gal also painted a butternut squash on my big toe. I wanted something iconic and since butternut squash and I have so much in common, it seemed a good choice.














Other highlights: visiting the flower market in L.A., eating at In-n-Out Burger FOUR times in eight days (that's right: FOUR times! The fourth time was one time too many. Next time, I'm stopping at three), meeting Emma (aka "The Magpie") and Isabella ("Bopps")--Lee Poulsen and Angela Campbell's adorable daughters, and, of course, Mary Ellen's beautiful wedding.














Emma, aka "The Magpie" and Isabella "Bopps"

Lowlights from the Trip

• Witnessing an accident on the 210 West where two young ladies rolled their SUV right in front of us! That was exciting. Miraculously, they both walked away without a scratch, but they took out the exit sign and a road side call-box in the process.
• The heatwave that innundated L.A. It was 112.5 degrees with 40% humidity on the day of the wedding. It was a like a wet t-shirt contest, but in suits and dresses instead. Needless to say, we were all hot and sweaty and... well, hot and sweaty.
• But the lowest of the lowlights was the flight home. I ended up next to a guy who not only fell asleep on me, but who continually farted throughout the flight. Silent killers. Oh, it was AWFUL!

And Textures from the Trip

Ribbon in the craft store at the L.A. Flower Market.

Gerbera daisies---the friendliest flower around. A dozen were $3!

Lilies in a rainbow of colors to astonish the eye.

Rock and surf at Shell Beach, Pismo, California.

Pelican in flight.

Fresh raspberries. Yummy nummy!

Table grapes. (As opposed to raisin, wine, or champagne grapes.)

All photographs copyright 2006 Janet M. Kincaid

101

Yesterday's post = 100.

Today, we're at 101.

Speaking of 101, this week's temperatures in D.C. are suppose to exceed the 100 degree mark. Seems like a good time to get out of town and head to L.A., but my best friend, Mary Ellen, who's getting married this weekend in L.A., says it's hot, hot, hot there, too.

My mother has been in Salt Lake this past weekend for another funeral and she says she's melting into the pavement, which is also melting.

The other 101 0f significance is that vaunted stretch of highway that tranverses California north and south. Known simply as 101, it's the road that will take you from the northernmost border of Washington State all the way to Los Angeles. (In California, 101 is also often called El Camino Real, or the King's Highway. It follows the original route traveled by the Spanish explorer Juan Gaspar de Portola in the mid-1700s.) Along the way, you drive through some of the most beautiful landscape around and through some of the most storied cities in our nation.

I miss 101. And while I know I can't run from my challenges or problems, I certainly know I was happier and more productive when I lived in California. I'm not suggesting that California is the only place in the world worth living, but it's a far sight better than D.C. with its frenetic, me-first, arrogance and pace.

And speaking of frenetic, yesterday a group of us went to the farmer's market in Takoma Park to partake of the bounteous harvest. Going to farmer's markets around here is like living in Soviet-era Russia. People run around and push you aside for a juicy plum or a succulent peach like they haven't seen a piece of fruit in ages and ages. The behavior is appalling and chaotic. On top of that, throw in the stroller moms with their SUV strollers and it's the most perplexing and aggravating experience going.

And why are strollers so damn big these days anyway?