Looks fascinating, doesn't it?

l. to r. Ryan, Kenni, Kasey, and John 

Sometimes I really have to wonder about my family.

This was the scene in the living room the other night, quite the distraction from a good night of television viewing. My husband John, that's him on the right, saw three of our four girls first. They were obviously enchanted by something on the ceiling. We couldn't see a thing, so we were really perplexed about what was so enticing up there.

Finally, I looked up again only to see a bug walking along the tiny craters of our popcorn ceiling. Gosh I hate that stuff, but it was here when we bought the house. I have no idea whatever happened to regular drywall.

At any rate, apparently this brave critter was hiding behind one of the popcorn kernals, probably aware that our kitties would make short work of any critter of the non-feline or canine variety. The poor thing was probably hanging on up there for dear life.

Finally, John rescued us all, paper towel in hand, as he squished the thing.

Alas, all the excitement was over, but not before I could grab the camera to capture the scene for all eternity.

By the way, there is one more cat in our household-- JR--and a dog named Shadow, although they were amusing themselves in other ways at the time.

So this is Autumn…

I don’t mind saying that the coming of Autumn is a relief after the blisteringly hot summer we have just experienced here in Arkansas.
Probably the best way to measure the summer of 2011 would be in my garden. Sad place…I’ve had some real challenges since moving to the natural state, from the Illinois bread basket of the nation, but this year was the worst.
This year’s challenge has been the deer that ate all the fruit and tops off my tomato plants. But even absent the hungry rogue deer, I can’t imagine that I would have seen many home grown veges.
But it isn’t over ‘til its over. As the growing season winds down, my tomato plants are flowering once again. Things are looking good in the garden.
Flowers, severely pruned thanks to rogue deer family, are growing once again, and looking vibrant. The last rose of summer syndrome has taken over the garden once again. For me, that just translates into pure joy. 

Got Quirks?

Image via WikipediaI suppose we all have our quirks. I never realized some of my own, until I started to really think about it.

This morning, while eating a bagel, it dawned on me that I always eat the bottom of the bagel first; I leave the top of the bagel for last. I have become Robert Barone!

He was the character played by Brad Garrett on the vintage hit comedy, Everybody Loves Raymond. Robert's quirky habit was to touch his chin with his food before putting it into his mouth to eat it. I always thought that was weird. I'm not much different, since I now realize that I have to look at the underside of my bagel before deciding which is the right side to eat first.

I do have a method to my madness, however. The bottom of a bagel is usually bigger; it is crispier when it is hot, fresh from the toaster. The top is smaller, and less dense, so it stays crisp longer.

I started thinking about it and realized there are some other "rules" that I happen to live by:

• When eating a hot dog, the opening of the bun has to be on the left side. I have no idea why, but it just doesn't feel right the other way.

• The toilet paper always has to roll from the top down. My daughter describes this behavior as a family trait. Apparently she has inherited the 'toilet paper from the top' gene.

• When eating corn on the cob--and this is tricky--the kernels must be eaten from left to right, one row at a time. When holding the cob the large side must be on the left.

• If there are two pieces of candy, and one is bigger than the other, I will always eat the smallest one first, savoring the best for last.

• The same holds true for crackers. The broken ones are eaten first, leaving those fully in-tact for last.

• When cooking, I always use is the right front burner.

• When putting on shoes, first both socks, then both shoes, right one first.

• I prefer pizza cut into squares, rather than like pieces of pie.

I'm sure there are many more examples of my own quirky behavior, but I'm at a loss as to what they are right now. I wonder how many people think about these things? I asked my husband his thoughts on the subject.

He rolled his eyes a bit and said simply, "I don't pay any attention."

Do you do things every day that others might consider quirky? Have you ever thought about such behavior? Let me know. I'm really curious.

We must remember the whole story of 911

Image via Wikipedia
For the husband who told his wife I love you one last time before his plane went down in a field, for the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say I will love you forever, for the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye the morning they died, for the policemen who rushed in with the firemen to help get others out only to die themselves, for the soldiers who fought back and lost their lives. today, tomorrow, ten years from now, we will remember.


This statement was posted on my Facebook page by a well-meaning friend on the morning of Sept. 11, 2011, to commemorate the tenth anniverary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and Pentagon.


While I agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments and vow that we will always remember that terrible morning when a country lost her innocence, this is not the whole, complete story. We must not forget some of the hideous results that followed that horrible day.

We went to war with a country that had nothing to do with the events of Sept. 11. We went to war based on lies. 


In Iraq alone, since March 19, 2003 when the occupation of Iraq began, there have been 4,474 members of the military who have died. Of those who survived, 320,000 veterans have significant brain injuries. How many came home missing limbs? How many committed suicide?


Yet, that pales in comparison to the loss to the Iraqi people killed due to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. That staggering number of dead is upwards of 1.4 million people, which also includes mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers. There were also 348 journalists and 448 academics killed in Iraq. This is according to the website, http://antiwar.com/casualties/list.php

I for one, will not forget them either. Nor will I forget that they were murdered as surely as the victims in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. The worst part is that they were murdered in our name. 
These staggering numbers do not even include the invasion of all other Middle Eastern countries in what has resulted in the longest and costliest military action in our history. I cannot even conceive of the financial price we've paid, because frankly, when it comes to trillions of dollars, I just can't get my head around that. 


So on this solemn day, isn't it time to consider that perhaps there is a better way to solve our problems? I mourn for the loss from that horrible day, but I also weep for those who have died because of it. I certainly hope we remember the entire story.