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CAT BIRD FLU
I have to admit I was tempted to title this post "Did the cat eat the canary?" but even I thought that would be in bad taste.
A German cat is dead of bird flu. I scanned the headlines on the Internet and there it was - to see it, look
HERE.As the article states, this is the first time a mammal has been indentified with the virus in the 25 nations of the European Union.
APPLE BOOMBOXES
Gee, I am thrilled. Do you know what I like best about the ipod and it's little friends, nano and shuffle. I liked the earphone part. Now Steve Jobs has announced that they have a boombox for $349 that you can sit your ipod into and have music come through speakers. Oh, great. I am not linking to his announcement because it is my small part of not promoting the return to loudness.
I wonder if the next step will be a little place for your ipod to plug into your car so it rumbles going down the street - BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
LOST GLOVE
AND IF YOU RECOGNIZE IT, HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT.
SOUTH SIDE OF NORTH SIDE + MIDDLE
Here's a door at the south end of the school.
And here are the soaring windows in the middle.
START OF THE WALK
No, this is not the dog I took on the walk. This is Little Ann and she's gotten up in years quite a bit, so today I planned to take just Sydney as we went out to make a circuit around the two North Side Schools - the one coming and the one that will gone this time next year.
But Ann here, she had different ideas. She scrambled out through a wide spot in the gate - and, yes, Ann thanks you for not saying, "Well, it must have been pretty wide."
She went out the sidewalk on Riley Street and headed south, then north and was apprehended somewhere in the middle of her foray.
I have often said if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a cocker spaniel - little old lady cockers are still so cute and adorable.
APPLE DAY
I forgot that today is the day Apple is going to reveal some of the new things they have been working on. It is 8:04 am out in California - when is this announcement going to be made anyway? Will itunes start selling movies to be downloaded? Will Apple put out a newer, sharper laptop that will have a TiVo like feature?
I might as well head out for the walk, otherwise I will just keep surfing around the internet looking into all the specualtion. Not that I need anything. I have my Apple ibook; I'm happy . . . but sometimes I look at gadgets and nifty electronic things and think, "I don't know what it is, but I want one."
SUNNY DAY - WHAT TO DO
We haven't had a lot of sunny days in the past few months; in fact, I think it would be safe to say we have had darn few. I have to remind myself that this is Indiana and having spent a great deal of my life here, I know that a sky can be brilliantly blue and clear and an hour later be gloomy looking.
When I was in my early twenties, I spent a couple of years in California where my husband was in training in the Air Force. I knew that the sun shone a lot out there; I just didn't know how that would mesh with my "weather training." Here in Indiana, when we would have a sunny day, I would think I should go out and enjoy it. That is what I did in California. I want to tell you I wore myself out - every morning was sunny, every day in Sacramento in the summer was great. Our apartment complex had a pool and we were in a suburb that served the base so there were many business to which one could easily walk. In fact, it was enjoyable to just get out and walk.
After a while, the things I usually did on a rainy day or overcast day started to pile up. I wasn't doing them. Since I never was one for housework, let me tell you that the things I did do on those rainy/overcast days were the minimal . . . so when they weren't getting done - because I was taking advantage of the sunny days - things got a little dicey.
But, anyway, late fall came and it rained a lot - not that I caught up on chores, but I managed to dig out.
But, anyway, we are talking Kendallville and Indiana and sunny days and this is so far one of them. So, do I work in the yard, raking up debris as well as leaves? Do I take the dog for a walk? (Already I've a got a vote there) Do I sit here and work on the computer and look out at the sunny day?
The raking needs to be done, but I had decided this year to do it in increments, rather than in one big overwhelming push - and I can rake when it's overcast. The walk would give me much needed exercise . . . the dog would like it. But maybe it's pretty chilly out there? Maybe I should sit inside and savor the cheerful light from inside the warm den.
I think I will choose the dog option . . . in a few minutes, maybe half an hour. I think I'll take my camera for I am always fascinated by the way things look from walking eye level as opposed to from the driver's seat of a car.
Actually, I think I'll walk up by the new North Side and see fairly up close up how things are going.
ETHANOL - E85
Not too long ago I wrote and article for the Kendallville Mall about ethanol, the fuel made mostly with corn. A lot of people believe this is something we need to embrace both to lessen our dependency on Middle-East oil and to help the environment and the farmers - not to mention the fact that corn is a renewable resource.
Well, anyway, my mother who has a Shipshewana address takes the South Bend Tribune and in
today's issue is an article about ethanol and Michigan - South Bend being just over the state line.
When I wrote the article on E85, I talked to some people down at Max Platt's since Ford has been a leader in researching alternate fuels and making cars that can use them as well as regular gasoline. These vehicles are referred to as Flexible Fuel Vehicles, FFV's.
If you were watching the Super Bowl, you know from the commercials that GM is also advertizing their line of these cars. So we've got GM and Ford and they are from where? Yes, it's Detroit and yes that's in Michigan. In fact, I think, although, I am not a hip person, that they call Detroit MoTown.
Between Ford and GM, they are going to make 650,000 more FFV's this year.
Okay, now guess how many stations Michigan has that sell E85.
According to the SB Tribune, it is FOUR.
I think that is incredible. Indiana's senator, Richard Lugar, has been working for a long time to promote alternate fuels - maybe he should get a loudspeaker and walk the Indiana-Michigan line.
My mother lives real close to it- he could stop and have a snack there . . . she's a great cook. A bit eccentric, but a great cook.
Me, I'm just an eccentric . . . bread and peanut butter and I'm fine.
FAMILY CRISIS
See this picture? This is Summer getting into the car at the end of the school day. She is smiling because she does NOT realize she has forgotten her writer's notebook. That it is not in her bookbag will become apparent close to her bedtime because she, as does her grandmother, moi, procrastinates.
She wasn't too happy when she discovered this and let us know. Write it on a piece of paper and tape or staple it in, I suggested. No, that wouldn't do the trick for her, so this morning her dad made a trip to the school and down to Mr. Ogle's room where he gained possession of the "writer's notebook of great importance" and brought it back so she could sit at the kitchen table and copy what she had written.
I don't know what she wrote, but at one point she asked me how to spell "irritated." It is probably better that I don't know.
GONZAGA WINS
Gonaaga beat the University of San Francisco last night, but only 75-72 which is why there is no exclamation point at the end of the title above. Last night was Senior Night so those seniors who are normally bench warmers got to play more, but still USF led through most of the game.
So for those us of who like Gonzaga because it has what must be one of the oddest words used in the name of a university, we don't know whether to stay on the Zag Bandwagon or not.
I guess it depends on whether or not they win - ah, fair weather friend am I.
SUNRISE IN KENDALLVILLE
Well, I think it was past actual sunrise, but as I came through the little hall into the kitchen, I saw a flash of red outside the window. By the time I got outside and realized my elevation was now lower than it had been in the house, things looked different . . . but not necessarily less pleasing.
It is "sunrise on the fenceline" and now that I've previewed it, it doesn't look as striking, but, hey, sunrise is always nice.
JUST A LITTLE MORE ON BIRD FLU
When you're looking up information on a topic, one thing always leads to another and this is from
RECOMBINOMICS which has been following the story for a couple of years - or more. If you go there and click on In the News you will wind up on
THIS PAGE which has some very interesting information.
They are predicting a new genetic change in the Bird Flu that will "increase the virus’ affinity for human receptors and lead to more efficient transmission of H5N1 to humans . . ."
Recombinomics issued a new prediction and warning of a likely alteration in the avian influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin gene. This alteration will increase the virus’ affinity for human receptors and lead to more efficient transmission of H5N1 to humans, notes the firm.
This group in October predicted that the virus would combine with the virus type in the Middle East and result in one that was more easily acquired by humans. In December, the first case of Bird Flu appeared in Turkey and this alteration was detected in it.
Overall, the virus is believed to be "in the process of acquiring genetic information that allows for more efficient infections of humans,” says Recombinomics president, Henry Niman, Ph.D.
This is something to keep tabs on.
The San Diego Union Tribune is of a like opinion and published an article in late January entitled "Pandemic's Box." It is certainly worth a read and notes "President Bush has launched a $7.1 billion plan to prepare for a global flu epidemic."
NO FIRST DRIVER'S TEST
I was out at the drugstore today and ran into my neighbor, Emory Feller. While we were waiting to pick up our prescriptions, we happened on the topic of driving. Why, I don't know.
Anyway, I mentioned that when my dad started driving he was 13 - this was in Fountain County, almost to the Parke County line and just a small distance from Turkey Run. Of the time when he was of legal age, he said, "I went in and plopped my 50¢ on the counter and got my license." Mr. Feller remembered doing about the same thing, but mentioned that for years he had had a chauffer's license, driving for Sears Roebuck.
My dad had four sisters and only one learned to drive - Geraldine, the feisty one . . . the one they say I look like. I remember once my Aunt Dorothy said, "Dad wouldn't let us drive, but he had Bob out there when he was just a kid." Ah, sibling rivalry.
My dad did have to take a driver's test - once - when he was over 75 and at that time you had to take one to get your license renewed. I didn't call that night because I was afraid the man with whom I felt safe enough to sleep while he was driving had flunked.
The next day I called and confessed to Mother and she laughed and said she thought that was the case.
Daddy's gone now, six years this month. His last ride was back down to Fountain County. He is buried by his mother and father and his stone says, "Robert Grismore - brought home to rest by wife and daughter."
THE MAYOR IS ON THE JOB
Just a few minutes after I emailed Mayor Handshoe about the post concerning the Bird Flu and community awareness and preparation, I received this email in response.
Thank you Jody,
Ironically, I have a department Head meeting set for March 9th and Mic Newton is going to help us devise a plan for running the city departments if 1/3 were out ill. Supplies we all need to have at home etc.
Hopefully, he will write something for the citizens to have or perhaps we could inform them at a town hall meeting.
Suzanne
I'm impressed.
MORE NEWS ON THE BIRD FLU
After having found the article referred to below, I checked around and found this at
Fox News. The Bird Flu is now in three African countries, Niger, Nigeria and Egypt.
Excerpted from the article:
Organization director (World Organization for Animal Health) Bernard Vallat said all of Nigeria's neighbors — which aside from Niger include Benin, Cameroon and Chad — "are under a very big threat."
"We know that the virus in Nigeria has invaded a large part of the country. The measures of confinement were not taken and transparency was not applied from the beginning," Vallat told AP Television News.
He said H5N1 is an immediate threat to rural Africans who depend on their poultry for survival. And he said the more the disease spreads, the greater chance of it "transforming itself into a virus more dangerous for mankind."
Scientists fear that H5N1 avian influenza could mutate into a form easily transmitted among humans, sparking a pandemic. Almost all human deaths from bird flu have been linked to contact with infected birds. The U.N. health agency on Monday raised its tally of confirmed human cases by three to 173, of which 93 were fatal.
What catches my attention more than the articles is my mother's reaction to the continuing mention of Bird Flu in news sources. Mother, who has lived through the Depression, WWII, the Cold War says, "It's scary."
This is not to stir panic, but maybe it is time to be more aware of the possibilities of the situation.
BIRD FLU AND WHERE TO GET INFO
Want to learn about Bird Flu? Want to get up to date information from experts? Believe it or not some top scientists are giving the stamp of approval to
Flu Wiki. An article in the health section of
CNN explains what Flu Wiki is and what people have had to say about it.
Flu Wiki, which averages up to 5,000 hits a day, impressed some flu experts who examined it recently at the request of The Associated Press.
Dr. Arnold S. Monto of the University of Michigan said he found the site's information reliable in general. Such sites can provide "a single place for people to go who want to get information which they may have to troll for in some of the official sites," he said.
The site's creator is a Virginia resident who has stocked water and supplies for two weeks in case of a hurricane and is now planning on increasing her supply should a pandemic occur. She says her goal:
"is to help individuals and local communities prepare for a possible pandemic, she said.
But at the moment, she doesn't see much local planning going on. "I'm not sure my town council is even aware of pandemic influenza," she said."
IN THREES
Maybe things do come in threes: Dennis Weaver just died today. And two days ago, the news first announced Don Knotts had passed away and then later came the news that Darren McGavin had died.
I remember Weaver in Gunsmoke as Chester, which my family watched every week. Then he was in that bear show, which we didn't watch at all and then in McCloud which I watched but preferred it when they had a Columbo episode.
Of course, Barney Fife was a legend, but I absolutley could not stand those movies where Knotts played characters that made fools out of themselves - such as that astronaut movie, and then there was the one where he was a fish. Just not my preference.
Darren McGavin was the father in "The Christmas Story" in which the kid wants a BB gun and the father somehow winds up with a lamp that looks like a lady's leg. He was also Kolchak: the Night Stalker - which is probably where I first learned of Underground Seattle - they raised the city one story just as was done in Atlanta.
To Chester, to Barney, to Kolchak: may you rest in peace.
MEDICARE: PLAN D - KENDALLVILLE
I wrote an article a few months ago about Plan D - the D stands for Drug - that has been introduced into the Medicare Program. Of late, I have read that a lot of people have not signed up for this plan - some because they don't know what they have to do.
Well, as a first step, you can pick up some material at
CVS.
INDIANA WINS A BASKETBALL GAME
That's it. Just unusual enough to be newsworthy. IU: 78; Michigan State: 71
NAPPING . . . FOR 20 MINUTES . . . IN A POD
Well, because this is Indiana and the company does not have registration done in this state, I cannot become a franchise owner of
MetroNaps. This would be a place where you could go and grab 20 minutes of zzzzzz's in a reclining chair that looks sort of like a dentist's chair with a huge football helmet over the head, complete with visor - think pod, that's what the company calls it.
MetroNaps was started in New York City and I believe at one of the franchises you can pay a monthly membership fee and be able to take one 20-minute nap a day. According to the information provided on the MetroNap site, less than 20 minutes will not refresh you and more than that amount of time will result in grogginess.
So what if you can't get to sleep right away? Maybe you lie there for two minutes. Okay, now you have an 18-minute nap which will not be long enough. I would think the pressure of having to fall asleep really fast would be a problem - a flaw in the concept. It could be that they give you five minutes to get to sleep and five minutes to gather your thoughts after you wake up; that would make for 30 minutes pod periods.
Do you remember the movie "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in which people fell asleep only to have there place taken over by beings that looked just like them and grew in pods? This could be an important question.
TOURING IRELAND BY BUS
AP photo from below-mentioned article site.
I was just surfing around a news site and clicked on travel for the heck of it and found THIS
NIFTY ARTICLE on seeing Ireland by bus tour. The article does carry a caveat or two about bus tours, including this one:
The bus is an unforgiving beast that travels on its own schedule, with almost military precision. The itinerary is rarely flexible, particularly on days with a lot of driving. Spur-of-the-moments stops are impossible.
Feel like dawdling a bit in Killarney National Park? Not very likely with the driver waiting to reload the bus. Don't forget, your "five minutes late" can hold up four dozen fellow passengers. That's a lot of animosity to carry around with your luggage.
Would I do it? Probably, in a heartbeat.
At any rate, it's fun to read about.
CIRCUIT CITY CIRCULAR
I have noticed that the Sunday Fort Wayne Jornal Gazette no longer contains a Circuit City ad. The first time it happened, I figured it had been left out of my paper by mistake. The second time, I was suspicious. By the third time, I was fairly certain that the company had decided, based on the question at the check-out counter about zip codes, that if wasn't cost-effective to put the circular in the Sunday paper.
I emailed the company a question about this, but got a generic reply about how the zip code questions help them serve their customers. Well, it's not a big deal, but it was kind of fun to look at the shiny ad and see all the goodies. Best Buy still puts their ad in the paper, so I can look at that. Still I am miffed at Circuit City. What if they have someting on sale that I really, really want, but don't know it because I don't have an ad??
Perhaps there reasoning is that not that people come to shop at their store from this area and so why put an ad in. Or maybe they think people will look at the Best Buy ad and say, "Let's go to Circuit City first because we know already what Best Buy is doing.
You can, of course, go to the
Circuit City site and look at the ad on your computer, but it's just not the same. Still, I just did it anyway and do you realize you can get the DVD "Must Love Dogs" for $14.99? Of course you don't because they didn't send us an ad. My dogs are incensed.
NORTH SIDE
As the new school goes up on Riley Street, with the light shining out from the two story windows in the middle of the building, you have to think of State of the Art school in the 1950's and feel a little sad for its time passing.
However, if I were that school, and if I had a real voice and real arms and legs, I would go find the architects and say, hey, the 1913 middle school building is still going strong - what went wrong when I was designed and built?
MY PERSONAL VIEW (RANT)
So, I've remarked on seeing the Mardi Gras stories on the news pages and then getting interested in housing in New Orleans. Well, at
CNN,there's this story about people really trying to keep up the New Orleans tradition which is apparently partying:
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (Reuters) -- Mardi Gras revelers crowded the sidewalks of storm-shattered New Orleans on Sunday in a turnout that was lighter than years past, but large enough to line the streets, fill the bars and remind people of better days.
So, let me get this straight, walking down a street with a crazy costume on while getting inebriated is one of the main reasons New Orleans has for existing - this is the spirit of New Orleans?
Here's the rules:Alcohol Laws:
The drinking age in New Orleans is 21. Alcohol can be purchased on Sunday and in local beverage stores and supermarkets. There are no closing laws on how late a bar can stay open. Alcohol may be consumed in the streets of the French Quarter, but only in unbreakable containers.
Well, okay, if they want it that way, they want it that way . . . but how many Federal dollars are being spent to do this in a city that is located
BELOW SEA LEVEL in a lot of places - in a city where the Mississippi River is higher than much of the city? (
LOOK HERE* for some information on this from New Orlean's own site.) It's just a question.
*New Orleans is below sea level. Depending on what part of town you are in, you can be from 5-10 feet below sea level. Generally speaking, the closer you are to the river, the higher the elevation.
REMEMBER THE STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE?
Look at
THIS SITE to see what it looks like at 1942 Desire, New Orleans.
CURIOSITY AND NEW ORLEANS REAL ESTATE
With Mardi Gras parades in the news,I started thinking about Tulane and the students and what they were experiencing in New Orleans. I went
HERE and typed in New Orleans, Louisiana and clicked on single family homes and found pages of flooded homes. One near Tulane is for sale for $45,000. I have no idea what they were asking before the levee breach. I suppose the owners of this house feel that proximity to Tulane will be a factor in someone buying the house and fixing it up. It seems reasonable that Tulane would push to get the areas around its campus fixed up. You can see that house's picture
HERE.On one listing, scrolling red letters went by, proclaiming welcome to all reasonable offers.
HERE'S a house for $50,000; it is very close to Lake Pontchartrain.
INDIANA UNIVERSITY WEBCAM
IU has a different server that Purdue and Notre Dame, I believe. You can find the IU Webcam
HERE.
NOTRE DAME WEBCAM
HERE'S A SPOT for the Notre Dame webcam.
PURDUE WEBCAMS
CHECK THIS OUT. Purdue parents and prospective students - take a look and see if your browser will support these webcams.
THE HUNT FOR A BIG RED COACH
Who will be the new coach at IU? Heck if I know, but one Kendallville resident has said he'd like to see the coach at
Gonzaga take the job. Considering Gonzaga is one win away from an undefeated (conference)season, this might be a good idea.
Beating the University of San Diego made the 37th consecutive home win, the longest streak in the country. The coach at Gonzaga is
Mark Few and he is in his 7th year. After six of those years, his record was 159-37 and, let's see, they've won how many this year? Oh yeah, 29 of 33 so far, so that would make his number of wins at 159 + 29 = 188.
Of course, they do have this 6'8" jr. forward out there who is impressive, but still it would be Few who recruited him, right?
I'm not saying this guy has my vote, but he looks like a good candidate.
Fine out about
Gonzaga University. IU would probably be a nice place for a Spokane boy to come.
A GREAT FAMILY TIME AT THE MOVIES
Getting tickets
$3 a piece.
Cameron in line to get drinks and popcorn.
Alison and Colin sitting down and Summer coming into the row.
Cameron with his popcorn.
Robert, Summer and half a Bears fan.
We're ready. Got our seats, got our popcorn, got our drinks. Almost time for the previews.
I'm the one who prefers shows in the evening, remember? Well, I have to say that I had a really good time with my son, his wife, and my grandkids Cameron, Colin and Summer at the matinee today.
We saw The Pink Panther with Steve Martin, Kevin Kline and an actor who I recognized (he was the lead in The Professional) but can't remember his name right off. It was a good movie to see as a family because the slapstick was so broad and obvious it wasn't as if you were laughing at someone really getting into a bad situation. Kids know it is a farce - something too outrageous to be real.
I know the critics only gave it a "C" and perhaps that is because they felt it could have been more complex and clever in relation to the comedy - perhaps more satirical, but I found it too be a film to just relax and enjoy. It was just plain old time-out from worries entertainment.
You had to laugh. Steve Martin was fun to watch and it was obvious he was having fun with the character of Clouseau.
Besides the actual movie, what I appreciated was the opportunity to see a first-run movie in a very nice theater with my family in the town I live in. I appreciated that a lot. Thanks Bruce.
COWS AT THE FAIRGROUND
Here's a bit of breaking news: My dog and his companion just returned from an outing at the fairground to find that there were COWS there. Now, I guess we shouldn't be surprised but this - it is a rural area and it is a fairgrounds - but Sydney, the Australian Shepherd, was somewhat taken aback. I think he wanted to herd them - and that is so hard to do on a leash . . .
File photo of Sydney. No picture of cows . . . yet.
BOOKS FOR MOTHER
Mother happened on a book that was being written by Virgina Rich when she died and finsihed by Nancy Pickard - "The 27 Secret Ingredients . . ." Virgina Rich was the first author to incorpororate recipes in mystery books and died in the 80's. In those days before the Internet, Nancy Pickard had been reading the series and did not know of Rich's death. She wrote a letter inquiring about more books, and a member of Rich's family answered and it eventually worked out that Pickard finished that Rich was working on at the time of her death. Pickard has then continued the character of Eugenie Potter in further mysteries.
So now, Mother is interested in getting the books that were written by Rich before her death . . . and I am searching on the Internet:
The Nantucket Diet Murders, The Cooking School Murders and a couple of others.
Mother became interested in these books when she started reading books by Diane Mott Davidson who does the Goldy Bear Culinary Mysteries. My husband and son got me one of the books in this series because the picture on the cover reminded them of me:
Image by Amazon.com. You can read about that book
HERE.
GETTING COLDER ALL DAY TODAY
I noticed it was windy this morning and clicked on the weather and saw that the temperature was 32 and the high was going to be 40 . . . but then I clicked on the Hour-by-Hour forecast and discovered we had already had the high for today. From the 32 now, the temperature is going down, down, down. And there will be a wind makeing it feel colder. But, hey, it is not snowing.
MATINEE
I prefer to go to movies in the evening, but today I am going with my family to a matinee to see
The Pink Panther at the Strand. That means there will be Robert, Alison, Cameron, Colin, Summer and along with myself. I wonder how much of the story of the afternoon will be on the screen and how much will be enacted in a theater row with popcorn, drinks, coats and the every present question of who is going to sit where and next to whom.
Will one person be designated the getter of refills - drinks - and another the getter of refills - popcorn?
One thing nice about watching a movie in the theater with the kids, as opposed to watching a video with them at home, is that they don't constantly ask why someone did something or say, "Let me guess . . . this happens." Come to think of it Alison does that too.
CBS BUMPS WESTERN SHIRT GUY
CBS pushed back showing the segment on the 104 year old CEO when viewers requested to see the film of the autistic boy who helped manage a high school basketball team and in the last few minutes of the last game came in and sent one shot after another zooming through the basket. Video of the clip is available at
the CBS website.
HEY, YOU DON'T NEED TO WAIT FOR CBS
Yes, thanks to the Internet and Indiana Territory's little search engine operator - moi, Jody, - you can
READ ALL ABOUT the inventor of the western shirt and the store where they were first sold - Rockmount Ranch Wear in Denver, Colorado.
TONIGHT ON CBS WITH STEVE HARTMAN
Steve Hartman, CBS's "You Pick the Assignment" reporter will be interviewing the man who invented the western shirt and at age 104 still goes to work every day. The segment is at the end of the newscast. You can get more information
HERE.
WOODEN EAGLES
You can't say they aren't wood - because they were carved with chain saws from tree trunks. I didn't take a picture this week because 1) not much sun and 2) the eagles are outside the Middle School and I didn't want to have my grandson tell me how all the kids watched the funny lady with the funky short ponytail taking pictures.
A SLOGAN FOR THIS NAME?
HA! I found this
article on the internet. The name is
Blagojevich and he's governor of Illinois. I know he's been the gov since 2003 but suddenly it struck me as funny.Imagine how campaign workers must have shuddered if asked to think of a catchy slogan. This guy was on "The Daily Show" and didn't know it was a comedy show.
Of course, then there's Schwarzenegger.
SUNNY MORNING
Okay, yes, it's sunny out right now and I got my hopes up and then I looked at the weather and, rats, there is supposed to be snow this afternoon, which probably means that the predicted high of 41 will occur early in the day and then go down. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be only 29 and I don't see a sun looking back at me from the little forecast chart.
We've had this really mild winter and now we are very much area of the possibility of a cold spring, a delayed spring, a spring of uncharacteristic snowstorms. We can't evern feel a surge of relief from constant snow and freezing fingers now that February is in its last week . . . because we haven't had much snow nor freezing fingers - you know the kind you get when you try to get the snow and ice off your car and your gloves get wet and stiff and then some of the snow you're pushing gets down inside your gloves and goes up your sleeve . . .
Not that I'm complaining about not being snowed in . . . but I have this fear we are going to have to pay for it.
NEW CONTRIBUTOR
Hi, I want to welcome Hibernator to the blog as a contributor. I have no doubt he will come up with some extremely interesting posts. Let me tell you what happened when we invited him to join our crew - - MY PICTURE WENT AWAY, AND SO DID MY LITTLE MESSAGE.
So I had to go into the internal workings of Indiana Territory and tweak this and that and cross my fingers and save the changes. I am back - my face smiling over there on the sidebar.
THE PINK PANTHER IS COMING!!!!!!!!!
Although the critics gave it a "C" and you can
READ THE REVIEW for yourself, I personally am really looking forward to seeing the movie.
It will start tomorrow at the STRAND at 7:15 and 9:15 pm.
DIDN'T WE JUST HAVE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY?
Minority students at NYU Law School - and at one point they refer to themselves as "people of color" - have pentitioned for a minority lounge at the school where they cannot discuss race.
I don't even want to know what would happen if a bunch of white students asked for a special place for them. You can read it for yourself
HERE.
OLD SAYINGS
We're all heard the old saying about seeing ourselves as others see us; well, that makes me shudder because that refers to our personalities. What made me shut my eyes and take a slow steadying breath was the wall of mirrows TC Dance. I did think of taking a picture of me in the mirror as an attempt to force me into getting in shape, but I realized there was no need. It was seared in my brain.
So what did I look like? Imagine a short lemon standing on its end. No, I am not yellow but that is the basic shape to keep in mind. Now, on top of this lemon visualize a blue ball cap style hat from Land's End with a stylized lighthouse above the brim. That isn't so bad - it's what that comes next that is scary. I had on a orange/coral turtleneck and olive drab trousers . . . and loafers with beige socks that had dogs on them.
Can you see this orange - olive blob that gets pretty darn wide at the middle? If so, that's me.
Oh, I went into about five rooms with mirrored walls. Auuugggghhhhh!
TC DANCE
I had the opportunity to look around out at TC Dance studio this afternoon. I'll let you know more later. Oh, yes, here's another license plate.
INDIANA CIVILIZATION
This is Cameron's city in Civilization - like the pryamid?
A Picture Share!
The picture on the header is Parkview Noble's Wildflower Garden in the October sun. Now it is February and the sun is not showing up too much. This was taken on Feb. 22.
RANDOM PICTURE
Just a quick glimpse of Main Street.
YES IT IS COLD
Sometime between 6:15 - 6:25, I took Alison out to work at Parkview Noble. When we passed the CSB bank at Riley and US 6 the sign said 7 degrees. The CSB sign at the new building on Sawyer Road in front of the hospital said 5 degrees. Close enough. So it was cold.
But I have become a wimp; I used to think temperatures like this were invigorating. I had to get way below zero into the negative numbers before I thought it was cold - cold that would make the snow squeak and crackle beneath my shoes.
ANOTHER USE FOR FIRE
Well, here is the fire in my den and it is puts off quite a bit of warmth and is relaxing to look at. I have had it going all day as I worked, excuse me, tried to work the Sudoku puzzle my mother told me about from the South Bend Tribune. My mother is a subscriber and last week that newspaper started the Sudoku thing and now she has me hooked again - just as I was breaking free. Well, today she read me the numbers that were in the graph and the first thing out of the gate, I made a mistake - and never went back to check it. Arrrrrggghhh. So now I am throwing the paper with the puzzle on it into the fire. Take that, Sudoku.
And if you are interested, you can find easy, medium, hard and evil puzzles at this
SUDOKU SITE.
ALEC BALDWIN
At least one person in Kendallville would like to wring Alec Baldwin's neck - me. He wrote a post in a blog and called Cheney a terrorist as well as . . . oh what was it? Yeah, lying and thieving. Hmmmppphhhh. Thought you were leaving the country when Bush was elected, huh?
READ THE POST HERE.
TRIP TO FORT WAYNE
This afternoon I made a quick trip down to Dupont Road on the north side of Fort Wayne and since I was there already, took a few minutes to stop off at the place where treasures can be found i.e. Goodwill. I got an afghan for less than the price of a skein of yard and wrapped it around me to watch the video "Wallace and Grommet - Revenge of the Were-Rabbit. Nice and warm and comfy.
However, between purchasing the afghan and wrapping up in it, I had to drive home and, on impulse, decided to stick the camera out the window and push the button. This is the view from outside the window of the little green car - speed: about 60 mph.
BLUE SKY AND TREE
Blue sky and tree - and some wisps of clouds and the athletic fields in the background and geese on the winter grass.
Yes, I like my digital camera . . . yes, yes, yes.
WEATHER
This is what happened in Terre Haute (AP photo from CNN site), so for those of us around Riley Street who lost power from before 7 until about 8:15 pm, it wasn't so bad after all.
TWO TREE PASS
This is out at the fairgrounds, up a little rise northwest of the Merchant's Building. I gave it this name when I would take my dogs there for outings; I didn't see it as a pass while walking with them on the dirt roadways that wind through the trees. However, when our cocker spaniel, Little Ann, to not get into the car when it was time to leave, I followed her with it as she kept scampering "just a little farther" ahead.
Sometimes she would come back to the car and look at me through the door I was holding open. It was a stare-off - a stand-off, well she was standing, I was sitting. Actually, sometimes was the wrong word to use in the last sentence. She did this all the time, tormenting us to the point of absolute frustration.
The first time she led me up this way in the car, I looked through the windshield at the two trees hugging the tiny intersection and thought, "Turn or squeeze between.?" The wise thing might have been to turn, but it was tempting to try it . . . and I did.
As the car eased along I knew what this spot had to be called: Two Tree Pass. I don't know if anyone else calls it that. I really doubt that anyone at the
Bluegrass Festival says, "Hey, come and play with us - we parked by Two Tree Pass.
Maybe I should put a small sign there . . .
EIGHT BELOW AT THE STRAND
There is a good PG movie at the Strand this week -
Eight Below. It is about sled dogs and I think there is a sad part. In fact, there is this information in the listing:
The Most Amazing Story Of Survival, Friendship, And Adventure Ever Told.
Brutal cold forces two Antarctic explorers to leave their team of sled dogs behind as they fend for their survival.
I cried during "Homeward Bound" when the dog fell in a hole and told the others to go on without him.
Showtimes are at 7 and 9:15 pm tonight.
ANOTHER DENTIST VISIT
Well, another grandkid goes to the dentist - this time Summer. (Click on
CAMERON to see his visit.)
NOT CERTAIN ABOUT THIS.
THIS STUFF ISN'T BAD.
OKAY, I'M REALLY READY.
DONE, BUT NUMB.
DOLORES WAS DR. DOUG'S ASSISTANT, AND AS I (in the lower left corner) MAKE A BREAK FOR IT, SHE GETS THE STUFF READY TO BE PUT AWAY.
THE GREEN CAR ADVENTURES
Some years ago I bought a little green car that was so old at the time I wouldn't let anyone call it by it's make - Mercedes-Benz. Now it is even older and to tell you the truth has been through some insults to its body, such as the cold rainy day for Thanksgiving 2004 when the windows fogged up and I steered it into the yellow post protecting a fire hydrant at Wal-Mart's parking lot. Okay, I don't want to think about that anymore.
Well, of late the little green car has been having battery problems - although if the brand new battery runs down, we will know that they problem is the car charging the battery. But I will think more about that if I have to.
I called up to Advance Auto on North Street (US 6) to see 1) if they had a battery for a 1976 300D and 2) if they would put it in for me. They said they would . . . and they did, although it took the gentleman who did it for me quite a long time because . . . the battery was corroded to the connections and basically stuck to the pan it sat on.
That battery fought him every step of the way, but he was really nice and patient and didn't make me feel as if I were imposing on their service. I meant to get his name, but forgot.
Oh, well, when I was there, I also bought an oil filter because the car is old enough and rare enough that most oil change places don't stock them. So I head down to Express Oil and walk in with my filter explaining that this is a case where I have to bring my own. I don't think this happens too often, but they were understanding and went with the flow.
I was the only customer so the guys there sort of gravitated toward the old-timer. They got the job done quickly and then went to check the oil level which requires the car be turned off. The door opens and one of them asks, "Is there a trick to shutting the motor off?"
"Well, no," I respond and follow him into the garage bay. I slip into the driver's seat and turn the key . . . and that motor keeps on chugging. I did what they do in the movies. I sat there, waited a second and tried again. CHUG CHUG CHUG.
Gathering around the motor it became apparent I was going to have to drive the car to a service garage in Fort Wayne that is familiar with it - or just get in and drive it off into a cornfield, set the brake and let if run out of gas.
Then one of them put two parts that looked like they should go together but were apart back together. The car stopped. Everyone looked at each other . . . and then there was this question: Would it start???
YES YES YES. IT DID.
Another question: Would it stop? YES.
Little Greenie rides again . . . although for a moment I thought it was turning into a vengeful car like Christine in the Stephen King novel.
I have to say the people working at Express Oil and Advance Auto were extremely nice and if this is part of living in a small town, well then, that's okay with me.
I took some pictures of the little greenie and the guys at Express Oil.
IT'S RUFUS
Rufus, a bull terrier - that's a dog like the one General Patton owned, the breed where the head looks like an egg - one Best In Show at the Westminister Dog Show in New York last night. He beat a marvelously beutiful Golden Retriever.
My personal favorite was the Australian Shepherd who came in second in the Herding Group.
You can read all about the show and the club
HERE AT THEIR SITE.
SIDE TRIP THROUGH THE FAIRGROUNDS
Because it was a sunny day - one of very few we have had this winter - I drove out the fairgrounds just for the heck of it. Maybe I was thinking of it because I had been looking up stuff about the Bluegrass Festival; maybe I was thinking of winters past when the snow was so deep we could only make it in as far as the front of the Merchant's Building and the dog got stuck in a drift.
But anyway there I was, between three and four on a winter afternoon.
I have always had this feeling about Floral Hall: I have the distinct impression that it leans to the north. I notice nobody tends to say this aloud too often - perhaps they think jinx of that the building will get its feeling hurt. Well, I am fond of Floral Hall also and I don't think it would feel bad to be described as "leaning" - heck there's a tower in Pisa, Italy that brags about it.
It leans, like some old county gentlemen who have been many winters in the Indiana wind; it has character.
STEVE HARTMAN: THE VOTE IS FOR SOYBEANS
Okay, this Friday during the CBS Evening News, reporter Steve Hartman will be doing a segment on a car running on soybean diesel - - at a high school. You can go
HERE and read all about it.
NOW IT'S OFFICIALLY POPULAR
My mother has discovered Sudoku, courtesy of the South Bend Tribune. I was introduced to it on someone's website where difficult puzzles were posted - but it didn't say they were difficult. I thought they were beginning level, and eventually, I thought I was a pretty dull knife in the drawer. After awhile, I started to get the hang of the way to think to solve them and then drifted away from Sudoku.
Then my mother calls that she's doing this new puzzle in the paper and tells me what it is. She tells me the numbers that are in the 9 by 9 chart and I think, "Whoa, I don't remember having this many too work with on the other puzzles I've done." I discover there are levels of Sudoku . . . yes, yes, yes. Now I can consider myself Sudoku average, not Sudoku challenged. It's a nice boost for my confidence.
Also, now that my mother, who is 79, is working the puzzles, I can say,
Sudoku is officially popular.If you want to try your hand,
here's a Sudoku site I found.
DICK CHENEY
No, I have no funny jokes about Vice President Cheney. I like him. I admire him. I'd say he's a real straight-shooter . . . OOPS.
VALENTINE'S DAY
KENDALLVILLE & BLUEGRASS
BLUEGRASSWhile surfing around internet decided to type in Kendallville bluegrass and see what would find. Well one of the first things I found was a
SITE where "extra" news about bluegrass is published. This site is a blog named . . .
Northern Indiana Bluegrass Assoc., Inc. a 501C4 Tax Exempt Corp.
And the description of this blog is . . .
Information on bluegrass music in a 200 mile radius of Fort Wayne, Indiana that probably is not on our web site at http://www.BluegrassUSA.net During the Labor Day weekend festival at the Noble County 4H Fairgrounds last minute changes are posted.
It just struck me as funny. Anyway, I visited the
MAIN SITE - www.bluegrassusa.net which does have a lot of interesting information. I was visitor 71,495. Actually, what leads off the website is stuff about the bluegrass event over Memorial Day here in Kendallville.
NIBGA's 30th annual 2006 Memorial Day weekend Tri-State Festival in Kendallville, IN 22 miles north of Fort Wayne, IN. Get motel reservations now (01/27/06)
Only 100 days until Memorial Day Tri-State!!
Bluegrassers are excited about this festival and the one over Labor Day and have a webpage dedicated to it:
TRI-STATE FESTIVALS. They even have mp3 samples there that are around a 1 MB download. They also reming you that the DNR forbids imported firewood and supply a lot of details.
TRIP TO ER AT PARKVIEW NOBLE
This is Colin in December when he and his grandpa made a pizza and put the letter "C" on it.
Colin developed a cold and on Feb 13. we took him to the ER because he was having trouble breathing. We are walking into the building at 11:18 am.
Colin and his mom are already in seeing the nurses and staff. His sister, Summer, and I find a seat in the waiting room where the TV is on The Learning Channel - a good choice, we think. It's probably about 11:20 am by now.
We look across to the wall and see they are offerring coffee, but, unfortunately neither one od us is a coffee drinker - she's nine and I'm devoted to carbonated beverages. However, we are certain a lot of people appreciate this feature. Around 11:21.
Now we settle in to wait and here is the book I am going to read - not real heavy reading, but great for waiting room scenarios; Summer is going to play her Gameboy. Okay, about 11:22 am.
We leave about 11:55 with medicine and an inhaler and all checked out. No picture of the departure . . . I forgot.
AP photo from below-mentioned article site.
