Do you ever totally freak yourself out to the point you ask…am I really crazy or do I have too vivid of an imagination.

On my way to work this morning, I was coming down the hill on the hard surface road and I thought…Holy crap…there is a blue heron on the road…I’ve never, ever seen a blue heron on the road before…WT…then as I got closer, I realized it was just a stream of water on the road but I was able to say..ah..but it does have an unusual shape and as I got within a bumper length of it…i realized there wasn’t any shape..it was a rectangular shape of water…really not even water just where water had been…I so wanted to turn around and try it again to see if I saw it the second time…
*singsong voice – CrAzYYYYY.

I’m almost on vacation.  I have a meeting tomorrow night at the fire department with the EMS directors.  I really struggle talking to these folks because they don’t know me very well.  They have no idea how much I worship these volunteers and totally respect what they do…but they always seem to get defensive when I open my mouth and I just want to say…Hey.. I’m on your side…I’m just trying to come up with ideas that MIGHT work better..let’s discuss it and come up with a plan…but I’m usually spending so much time trying to be politically correct that I work myself into an irritable mood.  I also have to work on Thursday…otherwise…I’m on vacation.  The girls are coming back this weekend and we are having a small get-together at the lake for Phil’s 60th birthday.  Looking forward to a good week.

That’s it.  I’m going to bed.

Until next time…

We decided to take the bikes to Red Rock and ride somewhere that 1) we don’t know anyone; and 2) flat surface…hahaha that’s a joke!  We started DOWN the bike trail and I stopped to ask him if he thought it went ALL the way DOWN…realizing that there was no way I could come all the way back up, we went to plan B..just to ride around in the driveway area where all of the picnic shelters are.  We decided 1) this was a smart idea; and 2)we are very, very out of shape.

Then we decided to pack them up because you just can’t do too much exercise in one day and he decided he wanted to do a little sailing..so off we went to the marina…it actually reminded me of the week before with @Tracy…although this time, there was a little breeze and the lake wasn’t like glass…until we got out on it and got the sails unfurled…there was no breeze..we were without the means to move around.  That fast!!  We noticed another sailboat coming in with their sails down and decided it wasn’t our lack of sail-man-woman-ship…there was no wind. 

We are home now and I’m supposed to be doing something….he and the cats are putting together a new shelf for me.  The cats are stealing the little pieces and carrying them out into the hallway…I find a lot of pleasure in just listening to him try to talk to them like they know what he is talking about …..

Until next time…

Things heard in the driveway this morning

• I can’t figure out how to push the seat forward
• Okay, I think your seat is too close your knees are up
• Wow..you are a lot of help
• Should you just ride in the driveway
• Oh Wow I wasn’t expecting that…
• What happened
• I feel like an idiot
• Now you know what my dad felt like
• You go on…I’ll just practice
• Maybe I should get a helmet
• I’m fine

I realize 1 year, 11 months and 14 days isn’t tomorrow and sounds pretty far in the future to document plans on a calendar..but it will be a very important day for me…the beginning of retirement.  I skipped over my anniversary date without a thought but it hit me this morning.  Now, I’m hoping that I won’t be working right up until my official retirement date…barring unforeseen events, I should have plenty of time off on the books to be out a few months before July 1, 2014…awesome!  I wonder how much the family has suffered the last 28 years of my work schedule..working shifts around the clock and having few weekends off..but it is what it is.  There are many experiences and events which cause us to wonder…WHAT IF?

I picked him up at work last night and we made a quick trip to Des Moines to purchase a couple of recumbent bikes from a nice couple on the south side.  It’s going to take some getting used to..they don’t exactly ride like a regular bike..but I think they are going to be great for my knees, my butt and my weight.  Now if it would just cool down.

Until next time….

I have many positive things to say about friendships introduced and nurtured on the internet.  He and I spent the day with @Tracy yesterday.  I had mentioned to “him” that when we all got together in Chicago last month that we are just like “real” “normal” people together.  The fact that we only occasionally see each other face to face doesn’t matter…we know each other.  He felt it yesterday too.  We would be discussing something and we had history like memory foam.  Oh ya..you did this or did that or said this or that…YA Xanga introductions! 

Many of the plans we made for yesterday were complicated…for instance..trying to sail with no wind.  A balloon championship spectacular over the lake with no freeking balloons.  We actually got to sail in the afternoon but didn’t see a balloon although Tracy says she may have spotted one thru her adorable little minocular that she purchased at the Grand Canyon.  It was a wonderful, relaxing day just talking and eating…we introduced her to Dutch pastry’s and watched each other sweat but when my head hit the pillow last night, I felt I had had a perfect day.

Until next time…

I feel like kind of a leader in this anti-boil corn revolution.  Just 5 minutes ago, peeps, I went to the kitchen and put an ear of corn in the microwave for only 3 minutes…yes…only 3 minutes and it was just like the ones from last night nuked for 4 minutes.  We can’t tell if this makes the corn tougher or if it is just the type of corn…it is very deep, so it may be chewier anyway.  And you need to cut enough off the end to get rid of the taper to the end or the corn won’t just fall out of the husk.

Tomorrow, I just may go for 2.5 minutes…

I’ve been sick this week…I’m a horrible sick ninny.  I hate being sick and I hate what I put Him thru when I’m sick.  Nuf said.

I stopped at one of our many parking lots with farmers selling corn last night.  If you aren’t from a small town, (ours is 15,000), you don’t know the joy of driving down the main street and many parking lots have farmers set up with their awnings with a pickup backed up selling sweet corn out of the back…anyway…I got me a baker’s dozen of ears for 6 bucks…but the really exciting part of this story is:

We did the microwave trick that has been circulating on the internet…and it works…

Do nothing to the corn…except put it in the microwave…it is recommended 4 minutes per ear…I almost think 3 would have been sufficient because some of the ears were a little tough…although I like it that way…anyway.  After the 4 minutes – or 8 minutes for 2, you take them out…cut the bottom off making sure you get all of the stock and the corn just slides out from the tasseled end.  It is JUST CRAZY!  He and I were laughing…who knew…after all these years of sitting on the porch in the heat shucking corn.  We decided when the family comes, everyone can bring their own microwave and we can set them along the counters and everyone can do their own corn….CRAZY I tell you.

@Tracy is coming at the end of the week for business and has reserved Saturday for us.  Think we may go boating.  she said she hasn’t been on a sailboat before…I assured her the only thing really different is the cussing.

Until next time….