YEAH, BABY!!

GO CARDS

I think I was in 3rd grade the last time the Cardinals won a World Series. My brother and I were so excited. We loved baseball and we loved the Cardinals. I can still (almost) give you the entire lineup from that year -1982 I think it was. It's a pretty good party trick. I remember that we proudly wore our St. Louis Cardinals shirts to school the next day. We were so happy, so proud. So, my fingers are crossed for the red birds. I need a new Cardinals shirt, preferably one that says World Series Winner - 2006. Come on, guys, you can do it!

The results are in!

Well, it’s over. A heated weight loss contest that started a little under two months ago came to an end last night in our kitchen. We removed each extraneous item that might possibly weigh us down –watches, glasses, jewelry, socks, etc.- and stepped gingerly on the scale, holding our toes up in the air to maybe squeeze out another ¼ of a pound...and….drum roll please……the results…..me……16 pounds……The Kev…………30 pounds! Yes, now I have to give the Kev my hard-earned cash. If you know me, you know that’s getting me where it hurts. But he deserves it and I am very proud of him. We have been going to lots of classes at the Y- Total Body Conditioning (torture), Boot Camp (torture to the extreme), Kick-Boxing, and Step Aerobics. (Well, The Kev did not go to Step Aerobics...that was just me.) And we have been eating less and less. I even managed to go FOUR WHOLE DAYS and drink nothing but water. That is a record. One day would have been a record...four days is a freaking eternity. I drink decaf coffee now, for the most part, but I love it...it is my morning friend. My little cup of happiness to start the day. My little warm friend. My bottle of water was not nearly as friendly, let me tell you. I feel pretty good. We have made some positive healthy changes, my jeans fit better, and food tastes sooooo good now. So, cross your fingers - next weigh-in is January 15. No money will be exchanged this time. This time, it's all for bragging rights. ;)

GO ST. LOUIS CARDINALS!

YEAH!

Jen

You loved
Doo Dads, Bubba, Days of our Lives,
and me.
You loved laughing, puzzles, word games
and me.
You loved Jack, your girls, Peg,
and me.
You loved God, family, neighbors,
and me.
You loved baseball, fishing, music,
and me.

And now the sky is a little less blue.
The Christmas lights don't twinkle
quite as bright as they used to.
I still laugh, but it will never be the same
without you.
A family, a community, a generation mourns your loss.
We love you.

Silly girl

I’m not sure what has happened to all of my poppycock musings. (I just wanted to use poppycock in a sentence because it’s a funny word, isn’t it….you know it is. So is claptrap. Look them up. They describe my blog well. ) I still just don’t have much to say these days. Remember my post about my morbid fears of crashing while on vacation? Apparently my friend V suffers from the same affliction –being a worry wart obsessed with irony. A few weeks ago a man carjacked a woman in a white Nissan car downtown. She called to make sure it wasn’t me. This morning there was a fatal car crash near my house. She called to make sure it wasn’t me. And while we chatted I told her about how I watched that new show Criminal Minds last night. It was OK, I guess. Not as much punch, not as slick as Law & Order, but they are still working on their chemistry, I guess. The characters are kind of predictable. One FBI agent was at the top of his game when something happened that shook his confidence. He retired. Now he’s back with something to prove. Then there’s the weird nerdy wonder kid who can spout crime statistics coming and going. He must constantly show how smart he is to make up for his young age. Then there’s the gum-popping, smart-mouthed woman back at the Bureau. She’s a computer whiz who can pull up background checks and cross-reference them with other searches with absurd speed. But, I digress…..so it was about this wacko serial killer last night. So of course I had to close and lock all the windows after watching it. (We have been sleeping with them open, enjoying this weather.) I mean, I had to close them. Now, I understand the chances of being attacked by a serial killer are very small, and even smaller are the chances to be attacked on the night you watch a scary show about a serial killer. But that’s what makes it ironic, see? So I’m relaying this all to V this morning, when we realize….even more ironic would be to be attacked this morning after telling that story. We both got the creeps. How silly is that! I watch too much crime drama, is obviously the lesson I should learn here.

More vacation photos...

That pile of dirt

They are building a "residential and commercial mixed-use community" near my neighborhood. It's going in a big empty field that was bordered by trees. I liked that field. In the summer the yellow-green grass grew high, and caught the light as it swayed in the wind. It always made me think of that Norah Jones song, Come Away With Me..." I want to walk with you, On a cloudy day, In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high, So won't you come away with me?"... But the grass is gone now, and the trees will be soon. I always meant to take a picture of that grass, of those trees. (Yeah I'm always trying to take an artsy fartsy picture of something. I bet you do something weird, too. I just betcha.) But I never did. Shoulda, coulda, woulda, didn't. Oh well. At least what they are building sounds pretty cool. You can read about it here if you are interested.
Lenox of Smyrna
http://regenthomestn.com/Philanthropy.htm#Story17
Anyway, there is now a humongous pile of dirt there. It's got to be 40 feet high. (I would love to know how tall it really is- my estimation skills are horrible. You know how people will say "It was about 200 yards away." What? I will never be able to do that. When I think of a yard, I think of the red yardstick that my mom used to threaten to spank us with. I can't imagine 200 of those end to end. Isn't that what you have to do to guess length like that? My brain just does not work that way. I don't get it, never will.) So every time we drive by this pile of dirt, my loving wonderful hot husband (thought I would say nice things since I am about to make fun) cannot help himself. He has to talk about it. "Man, look at that pile of dirt." ... "Boy, that pile of dirt is even bigger than it was yesterday." ... "You want to see if we can drive my truck up it?"... "I bet I could drive my truck up that." ..." I'm going to drive my truck up that pile of dirt one day." He can't stop. I've seen him try. We drive by, he glances over, waits a few seconds, looks back at the pile of dirt in the rearview, waits a few more seconds, makes a face like he's trying to not talk about the pile of dirt, then, two seconds later...an inane comment about the pile of dirt. The other day his truck was suspiciously muddy. His explanation sounded really lame. But, nah, he wouldn't really try it...would he?

Fall for fall...

I have not been rambling on much, lately, I know. Not much to say these days. Fall is here, and I am happy. Winter is just around the corner, and we all know I adore winter. Time change is almost here, and while the early darkness is a little sad at first, the mornings are easier, and soon enough the early darkness is cozy as we settle in for winter. I hope your summer was fabulous. I hope that you will enjoy winter as much as me. There’s not too much you can do about it coming, so you might as well try to enjoy it. Eat some chili. Have some hot chocolate. Light a fire. Toast a marshmallow. Buy some comfy jeans. Find your favorite sweatshirt. Huddle under a blanket and watch a scary movie. Count your blessings, and enjoy the season.

"First Lesson"

I like this poem. Maybe you will, too.

"First Lesson," by Philip Booth

Lie back, daughter, let your head
be tipped back in the cup of my hand.
Gently, and I will hold you. Spread
your arms wide, lie out on the stream
and look high at the gulls. A dead-
man's-float is face down. You will dive
and swim soon enough where this tidewater
ebbs to the sea. Daughter, believe
me, when you tire on the long thrash
to your island, lie up, and survive.
As you float now, where I held you
and let go, remember when fear
cramps your heart what I told you:
lie gently and wide to the light-year
stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you.