If I Didn't Know the Difference, Living Alone Would Probably Be Okay

Coadster is the whirling dervish to the left of the pic. The USB port in my computer is all wonky, so I can only post pics that I took from my phone and emailed to myself.

So, this weekend was really...Nice. No, I'm saying that like it's a good thing. It rained a lot, but that also meant I rested more than I normally would have.

Friday night I came home and slowly cleaned my kitchen and my fridge and then watched the movie Body of Lies. It wasn't anything all that amazing, but there was plenty of stuff that blew up, so that was fine. I also had a beer. I don't think I've had a beer in over a month. It was mighty tasty.

The Munchkins and Glenda the good Witch in the merry old land of Oz.

Saturday was kind of a weird day for me. Both my girls were gone, so I had the place to myself. I repotted my tomatoes into larger receptacles and then went on some deliveries. Most people were gone, so I became the plant fairy and left tomato and basil plants on porches. Luckily, the Halls were home and I got to chat with them for a while. I hadn't seen Bob forever, so he took the opportunity to make fun of me for being White trash and living in Ottumwa. Who can blame him? I got to dig up some dirt in my raised beds. My neighbor showed up looking for lilacs. I had told her on Wednesday, she was welcome to as many as she could carry. She kept me company for a while while I toiled in the soil. But then I had to get ready for Coadster's play.

The play was very fun but very long. I couldn't believe how many little kids there were out and about until after 10. They all seemed to be really into it and well-behaved. Coadster was great in her very small role. After the play, I got home and watched the latest episode of The Pacific, while the boy who likes Stinky came over for a little bit. He was very nice and well-behaved and so I totally approve.

The flying monkeys and the Wicked Witch all really flew...Or at least were pulled around by wires.

I got up early on Sunday morning to do the River Run. However, it was 49 degrees and raining. So, my plan of riding my bike there wasn't going to work. I ended up wussing-out and didn't run it. I know. I suck. But whatever, I'll just have to plan more races in the Summer, because I can deal with the rain, I just can't deal with COLD and rainy.

I Am Going Out to See What I Can Sow

The first flowers blooming in my new yard.

After my run tonight, I surveyed the side and backyard to check for flowers. I have no idea what's planted around, but today I saw evidence of daffodils, more Irises and possibly even some tulips. I'm excited to watch everything bloom. I think I've already mentioned that I want to do some English type gardens in my backyard. It will take me a couple of years to get them where I want them, but I'm planning on getting a good start this year. Right now I have Gladiola, Canna lilies, Dahlia and Oriental lily bulbs ready to plant. I'm also going to plant snap dragons, ditch lilies, lavender and every kind of daisy I can get my hands on. Feel free to give me suggestions for your favorite flowers too. I'm up for anything.

Stinky was notified that she got a new job at the Hy-Vee about 4 blocks from our house. Yippee! She has orientation tomorrow, so we ran to the mall tonight to get black pants and a white collared shirt. She's also supposed to wear either a broach or a tie, we think. They didn't go over the dress code with her, so we're waiting until they do, since I am not the kind of person who owns a broach or a tie.

I started reading Cormac McCarthy's Child of God this weekend. It's a very short book, so I'm almost done, but it is so dark and intense. I think if it were much longer I might have some kind of soul crisis. Sure, I'm crusty on the outside, but like most of us crusty people, I'm actually pretty damn sensitive on the inside. So, even just reading about someone so unhappy and depraved can shake me up quite a bit. It's an amazing author that can take you to that place, though. I'll have to read something a little more upbeat next.

A Simple Prop to Occupy My Time

I'm posting two tree photos tonight, in celebration of Earth Day.

Well, kids. It's just another exhausted Wednesday. A good day, but I've been having some motivational problems. I had a little time to myself for a change, which was good, I just wish I could have spent it lying on my couch watching a movie or something equally relaxing. Maybe this weekend...

Here is a whole row of trees by a lane. I could just hug them all.

Okay, since I'm so lame, I'm going to just post the random playlist my iPod created for me while I was running and leave it at that. Trust me, it's all I'm really good for right now.

"Galway Girl" - Steve Earle. It was just about a year ago that I saw him perform live at the Englert. I think he would be even better to see in some small town bar, playing with a real band.

"Got to Give It up Pt 1"- Marvin Gaye. Even his disco era stuff is awesome.

"The One I Love" - R.E. M.

"Gamma Ray" - Beck. This song is so fun to run to...Or to do anything, really.

"Mama Said Knock You Out" - LL Cool J. Don't call it a comeback!

"Johnny Too Bad" - The Slickers. This is from the soundtrack of the movie The Harder They Come. There was a time in my life when I was delusional enough to think I'd be able to afford graduate school in comparative literature where I would study Latin American and Carribean literature and film. I think I've seen almost every Caribean movie made up to a certain year.

"Raspberry Beret" - Prince. This is one of those songs that takes me right to a particular place and time whenever I hear it: My first day at the salmon restoration site in the California Conservation Corps. in Leggett, Ca. in 1985.

"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners

"Ceremony" - New Order. Better this than "Blue Monday", which is annoyingly overplayed.

"Don't You Just Know It" - Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns

Today I was thinking about how I get songs stuck in my head when I don't listen to to music while I run. In the past I was foolish enough to tell people I knew about that problem I have. An ex-boyfriend used to think it was funny to play Ratt's Round and Round, when he saw me getting ready for a run. Have I mentioned to you how grateful I am for my iPod?

Always Love, Hate Will Get You Every Time

So, this week's Saturday Scavenger Hunt word was chosen by LauraB., at The Only One I Got blog. She chose, Love. As I think we all should. With as many things in the world that annoy me, there are millions more that I love. Since, I'm such a sap and a spaz, I love a TON of things.

Since I don't have a photo of cheese fries, I thought I'd put up a pic of the next best thing...My family. No, my family always comes before cheese fries...Unless I'm really hungry and my kids are being super annoying. The first is a pic of my girls with their cousins from Thanksgiving weekend.


I'm also in love with all my friends. Look at them. How could you not be?

And if I can dance around like a big fat dork with my friends, I love them even more.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but I'm a HUGE tree hugger and I love all different types of outdoorsy shit.

Last but not least, I love my town. Even when it's covered in ice and dirty snow, it's still adorable.

There. That should be enough of that. I suppose if I posted anymore mushy, gushy, sweet, sweet love, you all would need a nice shot of insulin.

Well I'm Near the End and I Just Ain't Got the Time

Here is a picture of some fire damaged Redwoods. Don't these look a little like the trees in H. R. Puffinstuff?

It's finally the end of the week and boy am I wiped. I don't really have any plans for the weekend. It's the Iowa/Iowa State game in town, so things should get stupid crazy drunk around here on Saturday. There was a little talk about maybe going to Fort Madison with some people for Fiesta, but I haven't heard anything about it recently. I hear the food is amazing and we'd go to our friend C.'s bar and hang out, but if it's going to rain all day, it might not be worth it to me...We'll see what happens.

Tonight, I'm in the mood to look at photos of pretty trees and countryside. Speaking of country, I think I'll just list the songs on the CD I made K. last night. You may or may not recognize anything on it, but I don't have much else going on in my life and I'm going to actually try to go to bed at a decent hour. Soooo, are you ready for some Bluegrass?...No. Probably not, but here it is anyway.

Here is a picture of the road leading us out of King's Canyon.

Old Timey Country and Bluegrass CD:

1. "El Paso" - Marty Robbins. When Coadster was a baby, my ex-husband used to sing this to her but he replaced, "I fell in love with a Mexican girl" with, "I fell in love with a half-Mexican girl". To this day, I'm sure Coadster thinks those are the actual words.

2. "Big Mon" (instrumental) - Ricky Skaggs. I went to see Ricky Skaggs play in a gym in Marshalltown with the guy I was dating at the time, some tattooed friends and a ton of senior citizens. The music was great, but in between songs, Ricky Skaggs would go on and on about god and his love for Billy Graham. While Ricky was speaking, the guy I was dating would whisper/chant, "Less talk. More rock" until they started playing again.

3. "One More Dollar" - The Nashville Bluegrass Band.

4. "Green Pastures" - Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou Harris, Ricky Skaggs.

5. "Girl on the Billboard" - Del Reeves. I warned you there would be a trucker song or two on here.

6. "The Grass is Blue" - Dolly Parton. I really like Dolly Parton's bluegrassy stuff. Okay. I also love "Jolene" and "9 to 5" and a few more of her songs. I understand how cheesy she can be, but I kind of like that about her too.

7. "Jolene" - Jack White. This is an excellent cover of this song.

8. "What Goes On" - Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys. If you haven't already noticed there are a lot of covers here.

9. "Manzanita" - Tony Rice

10. "A Fool Such as I" - Tasty Licks. Interesting name for a band, huh?

11. "Hickory Wind" - Gillian Welch and David Rawlins. This is one of the songs from the Gram Parsons tribute album. Again, another cover.

12. "Rocky Road Blues" - Dwight Yoakam. I'm pretty sure that every country CD I make has at least one Dwight Yoakam song on it because I heart him - even when he was the scary white trash guy in Slingblade.

13. "Hello Darlin'" - Conway Twitty. This song is so creepy sounding it cracks me up.

14. "Rebel Rouser" - Duane Eddy.

15. "Bury Me Beneath the Willow" - Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice. This song is a classic example of the "suffering hero" daydream I learned about in my high school psychology class.

16. "I've Just Seen a Face" - The Charles River Valley Boys.

17. "Wild Flowers" - Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt.

18. "By the Mark" - Gillian Welch. Have you noticed that I really like Gillian Welch too?

19. "Walls of Time" - Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys.

20. "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" - Freddy Fender.

21. "Can't Find My Way Home" - Rob Ickes and Tim O'Brien



Here are some tree silhouettes.

Okay, that should be enough country for any one person. I can almost feel Evil-E wincing right now.

Have a great weekend with as much or as little countryside or country music as you can stand.

I Like to Make Love in a Tree-ee-ee

So, tonight I sadly missed an opportunity to hang out with my former neighbor and the author of one of my favorite blogs, "Circle Jerk at the Square Dance", Brando. He was in town for work and we were going to try to meet last night, but he got bogged down with work and then tonight, we were going to try again, but I got bogged down with teenagers. I'm bummed. Hanging out at George's eating cheeseburgers, drinking beer and watching the Cubs with a hilariously funny guy sounded just about perfect. On the upside, he said he and his wife, who is gorgeous AND cool may make it back to town at the end of July with their new baby. I believe that would be a triple bonus.

So, now I'm on the precipice of a three day weekend, and I couldn't be more giddy(or could I not be giddier?). Coadster has marathon show choir workshops all weekend long. (go ahead and laugh, I did) And Stinky has major plans to go to the pool as it's finally supposed to warm up here. Besides running as much as possible, I have a few plans. Tomorrow night, depending on the weather, I may go to my friend K.'s boyfriend's cookout. On Saturday, I have a friend coming into town and I told her I'd meet her and our other friend Shecky out. On Sunday, my friend Libby's husband R. is going to play jazzy stand-up bass with another guy who plays the clarinet in their backyard. I can't wait to hear them. How will you all fill your three days?

...And now for something completely different. Remember when I lamented the supposed demise of one of my favorite trees on campus after the ice storm?

Well, look what a little trooper it is. Sure, it looks a little Dr Seussy here, but I think it's holding up damn fine after its near death experience. Let's give a cheer for our happy little tree.

Last week when I was walking back from my break, there was a couple sitting in its branches getting all ready to make out. Then these two guys walked past and started singing a little song they made up that went something like this, "I like to make love in a tree-ee-ee..." And the couple immediately separated. Awesome.