Carried Away

Required knowledge before reading: A basic understanding of Bill Murray's character in "Caddyshack". We've had our share of critters on the ranch. First it was the ground squirrels (I call them chipmunks) that dig holes in our yard. My husband flushed them out (literally) with water and a shotgun. We got lucky with a couple of skunks in that they didn't spray before their lives ended. Especially since my daughter was at my husband's side when this took place. The latest Critter War is against the woodchucks. Last weekend we went for a drive by of an Ostrich farm not far from our house. An unfortunate (female) woodchuck ran in front of our car. After we viewed the ostriches, we headed back to view the fallen. Picture the kids cranked out the window exclaiming how big her teeth are and my hubby noticing that it's a female because it has tits (he grew up on a farm). Just think, we could've had woodchuck stew that night! We have had a couple of sight...

I went to a lovely wedding this weekend. Great ceremony – very touching. I wish you could’ve heard the voice track in my head – “Isn’t that sweet, honey? You see how much they love and respect each other? See how he loves her for her and they are best when they’re together? See, love is patient AND kind! Huh, huh, huh???” I do have a loving husband, don’t get me wrong, but there’s always room for improvement (on both sides). We went to the dinner and dance – again, lovely, fun. The meal was French (I believe) and actually had some words on the printed out menu card that I could not pronounce, nor knew exactly what they meant even after getting the food. The cake was to die for and I knew precisely what was in that! At the dance I finally had the chance to redeem myself. When “Dancing Queen” came on, I marched out and got through it without injury. This was important to me. It seemed the last couple of weddings I’d attended had unintended drama and I was not about to have the same t...

On Saturday I went out with a couple of high school pals. We went to my friend’s new house – lovely! Got to see her kids whom I hadn’t seen in such a long time – they’re adorable. Then we went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant (had a young, surly gal waiting on us – I think she was jealous of our vibrancy – plain and simple) and did a little shopping. The malls are open until 10 p.m. now which is kind of cool. Now if I could just get my bank to stay open past 5 p.m., I’d be in business (or “bidness” as my boss likes to say). We went to Vera Bradley. It was kind of funny because neither of my friends had ever been to a Vera store and they were kind of just waiting for me to get done and leave. They were saying things like, “Did you see how much that rug is??!!” “If you let me pay $10.40 for this pen, you’ve got yourself a deal.” Just not their style. By the way, did I mention that they are largely unfiltered? They just say what’s on their mind. This, to me, is refreshing. We...

I watched the election results on my new favorite channel - MSNBC. I watched in awe as the election closed with a definitive new leader. An answer to our fears of the future and what was to become of this great nation. I will admit that I had tears of joy and empathy, particularly when I saw Rev. Jesse Jackson and Oprah crying in Grant Park. African-Americans have been through a lot. And in the past few years, we've all been on quite the roller-coaster. This gives me hope that we can become something better. We have a chance to be great again. What's not to love?

If it weren't for Michael Crichton, I never would have read science fiction. Michael died today at the age of 66 from a long battle with cancer. He was brilliant. He's the kind of author that makes you think about the world in a different light. I encourage you to pick up one of his books and try not to be impressed by the knowledge within the pages. My favorite book of his is "Travels". It is a collection of short stories of his life. He lived his life to the fullest. I do like to meet authors and try to spill out some words that would indicate I'm an intelligent life form. I'm sorry I never got to meet him. He will be missed.

So I've developed this condition as I've gotten older. It must be caused by a combination of my memory being sucked out by child-bearing and old age (ok, and maybe just being lazy, but I can't be sure on that point). My mind will name someone, but it's not their real name. So for instance, I met a woman last week and her name was Tammy. But for whatever reason, I want to call her Michelle. I met a woman named Nancy and immediately thought "Karen". That one was fun because I used it as a code name when talking about her to co-workers. But by and large, this is just weird. Maybe I have a gift for naming! Or maybe not :)

A co-worker asked me and my family to a house warming party this weekend. When I replied that I couldn't attend the party he was sad that I wouldn't be coming and said (in the nicest possible way) that he didn't think I was the partying type. Oh how things change. When I was in my 20's and early 30's, I did my best! When I got married, moved to the country and had kids, things slowed WAY down. I described myself as "dusty". Just haven't pulled out the party shoes in awhile. Part of me thinks, "been there, done that" and part of me thinks I need to drink more of the wine I have stashed for no apparent reason.