Ghosts of Halloween Past

My Grandma Gie - one of the great dames of the 20th century.

I don't know if this is Halloween, but let's just say it is, OK?

Me in the red.  Freshman Year.

My brother-in-law.  During college - when Halloween was flat-out the funnest night of the year.  That is a KMart candle ring on his head.

Sister Squirrel Bait and her blushing bride Aunt Mike.

Me on the left.  This photo has made it on to my blog 3 Halloweens in a row.  Gotta love those homemade costumes, especially those carved from black garbage bags.

Other epic costumes I don't have photos of:

Bethany and I as Professor "Bruce" of the Australian Philosophy Dept.

My sister as a bag-o-weed

My friend Greg as The Laundry

My friend Alison as Colonel Sanders

More photos to come . . . .  if I can find them

Addendum Friday Oct 29th - I've just entered this post in The Big Wicked Online Pageant!  

sponsored by Beckeye.

You should enter too for lots-o-fun.

Decrepit

Proof that age is sneaking up on me, or rather that it jumped me full force armed with hammers, tasers, and a bull whip:

1. We walked all over the University of Iowa campus this weekend, and you'd think I'd climbed Mt. Everest.
2. I stepped in a pothole on Sunday, rolled my ankle, skinned my knees and hands, and needed a bag of ice for the pain.  Next stop: broken hip.
3. During our college visit I marveled at all the new technology and actually said "the hell!" once or twice.
4. The 19+ girls going to the clubs looked like "working girls" - but then again my 16-year-olds agreed.  I'm talking fetish-height stilettos, mini skirts, and leather bustiers . . . . in Iowa . . . in October.
5. I order everything with NO ONIONS
6. The reflection in the mirrors of my old college haunts have all changed.

So one college visit down - several yet to go.  Our twins were quite impressed with the Hawkeye Visit Day, and so was I .  It's an entirely different approach nowadays - another piece of evidence - I just said "nowadays".

Busy, and not happy about it

Some really wonderful posts are swimming in my head regarding capitalism, obscene corporate profits, parenting, growing older, etc.  But I'm still lacking the time to sit and make them coherent.  Please don't leave me!!

For now, you'll have to settle yet again for minutae from my addled brain.

1.  Don't you hate when you take time to type out a really clear and instructional email, only to have key people say "oh, I didn't read the whole thing".

2. If you need your teens to really listen and absorb important information, get someone else besides you to tell them.  Hire a college kid, or bribe your sister-in-law.  Because everything you as their parent says will be ignored at best and ridiculed at worst.  Even sentences like "your hair is on fire".

3. Life turns on a dime.

4. Fall never lasts long enough.

5. So our Minnesota Vikings are winning because we hired an old pervert and a jerk.  Ain't we summpin?

6. Will I ever see Europe?

7. My marriage is being bullied by poverty, too much work, and sleep deprivation.  The fact that we're both getting old and tired isn't helping either.  And then there's that old person breath . . . .

8. We're traveling to Iowa City on Thursday so my teens can visit my alma mater the Univ. of Iowa.  This day came waaaaaay too fast.

9. Why didn't I take Spanish instead of German in my youth?  Ich weiss nicht.

10. The jam I made this summer is KILLER good!  I'm making 5x more next summer.  Place your orders now. 

Chaos is the new relaxed

I've been so busy I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt.  Sheesh I wish I'd really come up with that line.

Between 3 jobs, 3 kids, a house, a marriage, and volunteer work I barely have time to compose a decent post.  The fact that I share the computer with the rest of the family doesn't help.  Why can't they all quit talking to me and let me blog/facebook/nap in peace?  They are always wanting selfish things like dinner, rides to work, homework help, love and attention  . . . .

Know what?  Poverty is slap out exhausting!!  Scrapping together change for gasoline, or hanging on the phone with the insurance company takes time.  Rich snots don't need spa days! Poor working parents do.

Been thinking a lot about the state of American society.  Is the GOP really convinced that we voters have it so good that we can give up social programs, first responders, teachers, etc?  Their cruelty isn't even masked behind the "compassionate conservative" anymore.  Poor?  Ah it's all your own fault.  Unemployed? Oh you just don't WANT to work.  Never mind that the vast majority of folks visiting food banks have 2 or more jobs.

Anyway, I'm still reading all of you, just don't always have time to comment.
Love and kisses!!

Funny, Pat Robertson never mentions us

All the freaky weather stuff filmed in my town.

My annual ode to Fall

I love this poem, and not only because is perfectly captures Fall.  I love it because my Grandma Gie had it memorized, and taught it to me.  I love it because it's one of my Aunt Mary's favorites.  I love it because it reminds me of my Mom and Dad.  I post it every Fall, for them.

    O SUNS and skies and clouds of June,
        And flowers of June together,
    Ye cannot rival for one hour
        October's bright blue weather;

    When loud the bumble-bee makes haste,
        Belated, thriftless vagrant,
    And Golden-Rod is dying fast,
        And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

    When Gentians roll their fringes tight
        To save them for the morning,
    And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
        Without a sound of warning;

    When on the ground red apples lie
        In piles like jewels shining,
    And redder still on old stone walls
        Are leaves of woodbine twining;

    When all the lovely wayside things
        Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
    And in the fields, still green and fair,
        Late aftermaths are growing;

    When springs run low, and on the brooks,
        In idle golden freighting,
    Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
        Of woods, for winter waiting;

    When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
        By twos and twos together,
    And count like misers, hour by hour,
        October's bright blue weather.

    O suns and skies and flowers of June,
        Count all your boasts together,
    Love loveth best of all the year
        October's bright blue weather.

Helen Hunt Jackson

My Brilliant Idea

We are America dammit - one of the richest freakin nations on the planet, full of innovators and pioneer DNA.  We should be showing the rest of the world HOW IT'S DONE and still have plenty of money and energy leftover to take care of all the huddled masses.

Instead we've got rich slobs like Dick Cheney riding the power and greed wave while American families live in their cars and eat pop-tarts from some one's garbage can, while digging in the seats for enough change to get little feverish Ashley a strep throat culture.  Or maybe some aspirin.

One big solution is jobs, good jobs, jobs that allows a family to have a running car or two, cover their basic medical needs, and keep the frig full.  Also an environment that isn't poisoning our water, our soil, and our rain, and food sources that don't convert our bodies to cancer factories.  But all those greedy corporate CEOs and investors cry that regulations will strangle profits.

So I propose an idea; the AMERICAN COMPANY idea.

What if we had an official designation where corporations could call themselves AN AMERICAN COMPANY if they followed some rules.  They are free to do whatever the hell they want as long as it's legal, but must follow stringent guidelines in able to add AN AMERICAN COMPANY to their logo.  Then consumers are free to support AN AMERICAN COMPANY with their business and truly vote with their dollars.  And we'd have a tough governmental office that kept those companies compliant, or yanked their status.

I realize that the criteria would be a shit storm of political haggling, but here's what I'd like to see on the list for starters. The X's are open to ideas.  What would you add?

1. All corporate offices are located within the 50 states.
2. 75% of all employees reside and work within the 50 states
3. 50% of all employees make a living wage for their area
4. CEO and stockholders cannot make more than (X)% of their lowest paid employee
5. (X)% of profits are used for needed retraining and job creation.
6. The EPA gives at least a 75% stamp of approval on all waste treatment, energy usage, etc.  Alternative energy receives a taxpayer supported incentive.
7. No corporate donations that influence or affect elections are given out.
8. Family-friendly programs are provided, such as on-site daycare and job sharing.
9. Profit sharing is open to all employees.
10. Retirement plans are tightly regulated and guarded.