Fun Monday #10

I can't believe it's been a week since I last created a blog entry. However, life at work has been quite....hectic. That's the word!

AOJ has asked us to take the readers on our favorite walk. This FM was supposed to be easy. I was, in some weird way, the first to sign up. However, when it came to doing the deed....not so easy. First of all: I don't really walk, I jog. Also, I jog at dark-thirty (read before the sun comes up). For your Fun Monday pleasure, I present a daylight version of what we do because the night version is boring (except when one notices the phase of the moon). When I jog, I take along the hounds, so my view is something like this (except, of course, it's DARK). My friend Patience has some advice about walking/running with whippets attached to one's body at the waist her book, but I LIKE living life on the edge:
First, we run down the driveway. Not too exciting, especially since the city garbage truck messed up the end of it (I'm the last on the route and they were turning in; they aren't supposed to be on private property with those heavy trucks, but they were. Sigh. Anyway....it's just kind of depressing). The red arrows point out the trees that I planted 18 months ago. They are small -- about 18 inches, now, but I am so proud of them. The tree-lets are really beginning to grow this year. I live in a pasture, but someday, it will be my forest! My contribution to green. My survival rate was low (I started with saplings). I hope to plant again next fall).


The turn to run west down my road. Everything is very green right now . Can you feel those allergies kicking in?
Further down the road is the city golf course. Remember, I live in SmallTown America so the golf course is fenced on the one side with barb wire. Skunks and bunnies like to cross the road at about this location....
Turning south.....
The club house for the golf course.
The Big Cities have more amenities but this has always seemed to fit.....The red truck belongs to the maintenance person for the golf course. I see him every morning at dark-thirty. I am not confident he sees me, or perhaps he does and it's game on how close he can come....
The Elks Lodge.
I was driving and someone was behind me when I took these pictures so it isn't the greatest picture. I don't know what they do in an Elk's Lodge, or what you have to do to join. However, there is a LOT of activity at the lodge at dark-thirty in the morning. I used to think "oh, they are going to have some fund-raising breakfast at the lodge. " Now, my inquiring mind (that can think LOTS at dark-thirty when I can't see anything) has come up with all sorts of other activities for the lodge....
Chow dog.
He sleeps in the corner of his fenced in yard. Gabi always wants to go greet him in the morning. I don't think he notices us though, and dark-thirty in the morning is NOT the time to meet and greet.
We turn around to head back home about here. You can see the "Loop." You can't really see it in this picture, but I am not that far from Home Depot. The LaQuinta Inn just opened. The sprawling building is the Toyota dealership. There is a pile of dirt in the foreground of the picture. That belongs to a new construction house. They finished if several months ago (and someone has moved in), but they never landscaped (odd). Odder is the fact that the configuration of the driveway makes it impossible to pull a car into the garage. One would think they would design those things better. But who am I to judge?
Running back down the road. A very nice house (I was driving and shooting so missed the best shot). It's a huge house on about 25 acres. Apparently, it only has two bedrooms. I'm willing to made the sacrifice to move in :D.
A field.
Nothing very exciting. Recently, it was cleared, and I fear that they are going to extend subdivision land closer to my home :( I love the big old tree.
The corner of my road.
The land I live on used to be the Smallwood ranch. Better than a subdivision entry way any old time.
This lot is for sale. When I first moved here, there was a very cute cottage (probably 900 square feet or so). An elderly couple lived there, and frequently, I would see him out on his scooter watering the flowers. Tragically, the couple was murdered by their drug crazed grandson 3 years ago. The home was put up for sale (and didn't sell). Finally, they moved the house off the lot (that was an interesting scene), but still the lot hasn't sold. SmallTown America has a long memory for this sort of tragedy. The red shed sat behind the house.
I purchased my home about this time....I remember the first time I drove down the road with the realtor. I was floored by the vegetation.
The cat house.
When I first moved in, a lady with a gazillion cats lived here. Running by this house, even with sight hounds partially compromised by the lack of early morning light was always a little exciting. Kitties like to live life on the edge, too. About a year after I moved in, the cat lady was cleared out. The home had been obscured by brush and that was cut down. Then, a very odd gentleman moved into the house. He would frequently be out at dark-thirty. He would complement the hounds and then call out ways that we could all be saved. Apparently transport to heaven or hell can be a group event. All of a sudden, he was gone. This house is for sale. It hasn't sold, either :D
Further down the road.
I wish the idiot that owns the lot with that dead tree would have it cut down. Oh, yeah! I'm the idiot! The tree died last summer with the drought. I have GOT to get that thing cut down, but there is a bees nest in the base of the tree. Sigh.
I guess you all are probably tired, now. We have gone about 4 miles (either tired, or bored to tears).
The front view of the house. Notice the little trees again. The double arrow points to my azaleas peeking around the house. I haven't planted my summer flowers, yet. When I moved in, the shrubs were over-grown. Last year, I pulled out the majority of them (I felt like such a Rambo Gardener after that experience), and and I planted a beautiful border of flowers around the house. Some of them are coming back, but they aren't in the blooming mode, yet.
Sometimes, the best part of the "walk" is looking out the south-east from my house....yeah, I like it (the field beyond the fence line to the east isn't mine, and I hope the person that owns it never builds on it).
Waiting for the flowers to bloom.
Feel free to join us again, OK? Sorry it's kind of boring, but we like it that way!
Respectfully submitted by Celeste and the hounds.

Now, go check out where the rest of the FM participants are walking!

Fun Monday #9. Five and five.

The Nekked Lizards (I LIKE that name) have asked to post FIVE pictures with captions of FIVE words. I LOVE this request. The challenge for me was to make it five non-dog pictures (OK, I could have done five dog pictures, but that demonstrates a certain obsessive aspect of my personality that i don't want EVERYONE to know about).

My First Birthday Long Ago:

Butterflies: fragile beauty symbolizing hope

OK. I think two pictures without any reference to a dog is quite enough. What are you expecting of me? See, I AM versatile. Now, to the dog pictures:

Dog feet smell like Fritos

(note: a bi-sensory picture)

Female hormones speak without words
Emma is my parent's clown

Now, go see what the other FM participants shared. There's LOTS this week!

Peter Pan needs to be contacting me for commercial material...

Charlie scored this morning. Actually, I LET him score. He likes to get the PB jar off the counter (watching him pogo stick to do it is kind of fun). The jar was empty today so....

Fun Monday #8;

Jo Beaufoix wants to know about our first celebrity crush.

This was one of only two celebrity crushes in my life. In case you all haven't figured it out, I'm kind of a nerd, geek....card carrying member of the Awkward When Growing Up Society (AWGUS). Yup. Even ran for national office in AWGUS but was too shy (OK....I'm making things up, now).

In high school, that Oh, So Awkward Time That Should NOT Be Remembered, I had a crush on Barry Manilow. Yup. Oh, he could write the songs! During football season, on the way back from the games, we girls would sit on the back of the band bus (only the juniors and seniors could be on the co-ed bus....), and we would sing those songs. Talk about a man who could make a young heart dream.....



Thankfully, I am unable to locate any pictures of me during that time of my life! Use your imagination. (Long hair, pulled off my forehead, braces).

My other crush was also a male musician. Want to hazard a guess?

Now, check out the other brave Fun Monday participants.

Lazy weekend....Sunday musings

This has been a lazy weekend. Except for the outdoor work.

Remember the lemon of a lawn-mower? Well, it's STILL in the shop (basically because it has been too wet to return the thing. I am still living under the (inappropriate) pressure that it was my fault that I have had so many difficulties with the lemon: that I mowed grass that was too high or too wet (although, in case you missed it: miracle of miracles, the MOWER WAS BROKEN WITH A BAD PULLEY. It was not my fault; they just never checked because they have "never" had a problem) . SOoooooo....even if I had Lemon Lawn Mower back, I couldn't mow because it is too wet and it would sink (the thing weighs something like a gazillion pounds, and the ground around here has been super saturated with about 16 inches of rain in the past two weeks). Since I want my expensive, yet limited, zero turn mower to be happy when it is returned, I have been walk-mowing my yard this weekend. The problem is: a) there are some areas that just can't be mowed (sitting in an inch of water) and 2) I have five acres, and after about 2.5 hours of mowing, my hands are numb from the vibration of holding onto the mower.

I have been messing around this morning, trying to avoid the work that is calling me.

My youngest hound Mati is just....photogenic (on top of that, she has one of the sweetest personalities I have ever met in a whippet....and that is saying a LOT):
I took the above picture last year, but decided to "artify" it in the interest of her birthday (which was yesterday.

I find it hard to believe that Mati is now 2 years old. She is the pup that chose me, and I am so glad that she did.

Hudi turns 3 tomorrow We will probably have a party for the pups this afternoon....after the yard work. Sigh.

Anyone want to come to my place for a mowing party? (They call it "shredding" in these parts).

On the up side: my allergies have only been crippling rather than suffocating. Perhaps, those shots are working!

Fun Monday #7

Thanks for coming back for more Fun Monday. For anyone wanting to read "How I Met the Smalltown Fire Department" (better known as my most embarrassing moment), that was referred to in the last FM, look here.

Robin, the penseive one has asked us to share words of inspiration.

When I first read the assignment, I was a little.....blank. One of those down times. There are the old tried and true, "one day at a time," "think positive," "I am not adverse to miracles" (and now you appreciate the dark side of an oncologist's life; yeah, that's about as inspirational as it gets on the bad days).

Perhaps, this doesn't even fall under the realm of inspirational, but for me, knowing where I picked up the phrase, it does. My inspirational phrase is: "Just keep on keepin' on." So often that is so right, and since I learned that phrase it has become a mantra for me. I am surprised when I hear patients say it back to me, knowing that they probably picked it up from me (a few of them even preface it with "as you always say, 'Jus' keep on keepin' on'." Right!)

I learned the phrase from a patient. Metastatic cancer had been diagnosed 5 years previously. The odds of this patient being alive at the 5 year mark was less than 1 percent. The patient had initially participated in a clinical trial where a portion of the tumor was taken and used to make a vaccine. About two weeks after the first dose of vaccine, spinal cord compression was diagnosed, and because of "progressive disease"the patient was taken off protocol (two weeks after a vaccination really isn't enough time for the vaccine to have an effect, especially when one is looking for an anti-tumor effect). The patient received radiation therapy, but was left paraplegic despite standard treatments with no sensation or strength in both legs. After failing standard chemotherapy (poor tolerance and progressive disease), the patient was placed on a drug called Iressa. Iressa was taken off the market after review of studies suggested that it did not provide the survival benefit that was initially thought. However, for this patient, the cancer slowly responded.

My nerd/geek like persona was fascinated. The fact that this patient was deemed to have progressive disease after one dose of the vaccine was unfair -- it happened far before one could anticipate there would be a significant immune response to the vaccine. I wondered if the combination of the vaccine followed by the Iressa was the key. I called the study coordinator -- he also seemed interested; thought there might be something to it, but I wander way beyond the realm of most of FM readers. These are the clinical observations that sometimes lead to further study; however, sometimes, what works for one person is unique to that person. The body is a very complex entity -- job security for the scientists. Was this a miracle? Perhaps. As I wrote, I am not adverse to miracles.

This patient was what I consider early middle age when the disease was diagnosed. Because there was no immediate family for support, the patient was residing in a nursing home. When I asked about the cancer journey and the loss of independence, the response was "I just keep on keepin' on; I'll keep on as long as God wants me here." Sometimes, the phrase felt like a eulogy at the end of each visit, "Let's just keep on keepin' on." With time, that became a inspiration for me.

So, although the words "Just keep on keepin' on" may not seem very inspirational on the surface, for me they are inspirational. I know....way more than you probably wanted to know, and a bad foray into the land of cancer and cancer treatment, but....well...that's me. Otherwise, my inspirational quote of the day would be something like, "bark, bark, bark."

Just' keep on keepin' on, OK? We never know where I road might lead.

Peace. (You didn't think I would get through a whole post without somehow getting a dog in there a time or two, did you?)

Now, go visit the others participating in FM.

Janet, From the Planet of Janet
Swampwitch, Anecdotes, Antidotes & Anodes
Lisa, Lisa's Chaos
Jo, This is Jo Beaufoix...
Patience, Patience-Please
ChrisB, Ms Cellania
Ellen, The Happy Wonderer
Kaytabug, Lady K
Swampangel65, A Florida Journal
Mariposa, Mariposa's Tales
AOJ & The Lurchers
Carrie, Carrie & the Koehmstedts
Lisa, The Food Snob
Janjanmom, All in a Day's Work
Jan, The Prytz Family
Karina, Candid Karina
Celeste, Ragracers
Sandy, Myanderings
Alison, RDH Mom
Jenn, Simply Jenn
Pamela, The Dust Will Wait
Alix, DC Days
Deb, Deb's Buzz (One Crazy Stitcher)
Molly, Return of the White Robin
Junebug, God Put a Smile on My Face
Kim, Rainy Day Diamonds
Peculiar, How Do We Get There From Here ** FIRST FUN MONDAY! :)
Jenn V., Jenn's Inklings
Joy T., A Spot of T
Nikki, My Husband Calls Me Weird
Rotten Correspondent, Confessions of a Rotten Correspondent
Sauntering Soul
Jientje, Heaven in Belgium
Tiggerlane, The Neophyte Blogger
Beth, The First of Six
Rose, Rose's Garden ** FIRST FUN MONDAY, new blogger & Karina's mom! :)
Hootin' Anni, Hootin' Anni's
Melanie, Our Happy Happenings
Sayre, SayreSmiles
Jenn, Jenn and the City (FIRST FUN MONDAY!!)
Nutso, House of the Purple Worms

ADDED SUNDAY @ 7:30 p.m. EST

Katie (Kitten), Kitten's Homeschool
Faye, Summit Musings

Hulagirlatheart, Growing Older but Not Up
Kim & Randy, Nekkid Lizard Adventures

One step forward, two steps back?

This weekend, there was a front page NYTimes article (at least on the web page) about Texas A&M University, my alma mater.

Many are unaware that I attended Texas A&M. I am considered a "2 percenter." Texas A&M University is steeped in tradition, a tradition that can consume a student. It is reported that only 2 percent of the student body does not support these traditions. As a dedicated nerd/geek/awkward college girl, I devoted myself to my studies. I was a two percenter and proud of it (got pretty good grades, too). However, a few of the traditions did catch my fancy:

1. silver taps: A moving memorial for members of the student body who die; the entire campus is darkened, people who attend the event stand in darkness and silence, the Ross Honor Guard marches to the statue in front of the Academic Building and play taps and then leave. There is no other sound. A tradition filled with honor worth keeping. The thought of it sends chills up and down my spine, still.
   
2. the bonfire: I didn't appreciate the loss of tree required to build the bonfire, but it appealed to the pyromaniac in me. Unfortunately, 12 student tragically died in 1999 while building the bonfire (this was no pile of logs, it was usually a structure at least two stories high). Bonfire has been suspended since then. If one clicks the link above, I was unaware of the numbers of injuries and deaths attributed to Bonfire before the catastrophic collapse.
   
3. yell leaders. Texas A&M have cheerleaders at the games, they have yell leaders. Each year five mean are elected to serve as yell leaders. They don't do cheers and gymnastic, instead they use a variety of hand signals to rev up the crowd (the "twelfth man") in a series of traditional yells. Yells like this: Farmers fight!, Farmers fight!, Fight! Fight!
   Farmers, farmers fight! Now, make all the fun you want to of Aggies, there is something moving about having 5 nice, clean cut men leading thousands of fans in such a simple cheer.
4. Reveille. It's hard to have the "fighting Aggie" as your mascot. Reveille is the stand in (although A&M is not the fighting collie). The first Reveille was a mixed-breed dog who was adopted by the Corp of Cadets after she was injured by them on a road trip. The 2nd Reveille, a German shepherd was donated after the student body was unable to raise enough money for an official mascot. The first purebred collie was Reveille III. The dog lives with and is cared for by a member of the Corp of Cadets. Each year, one sophomore is chosen to be responsible for her care and she goes with that person everywhere, including classes. She was in my calculus class when I was a freshman.

But back to the reason for this post. I am reading the NYTimes article. It is discussing how TAMU, founded as an all men's college in the 1800 and becoming co-ed in the 1960's is truly becoming co-ed in all aspects. The title of the article "Elite Women Prove that A&M No Longer Stands for All Male." Cool. The feminist in me appreciates that. The article discusses the ascent of women's sports in this traditionally male bound school. Cool. I'm with you there. They quote the athletic director Byrne said: “We’ve been trying to change the culture, as far as making sure every sport is important. Football is very important in Texas, but I’ve always had the philosophy that when you keep score, you might as well try to win.” Yeah. The academician in me doesn't like the emphasis on sports, but the realist in me realizes that this is a way that colleges can bring in big money. Sigh. Not as cool, but I understand.

These paragraphs end the article (and are the point of this long post):

Change, however, has been balanced against a preservation of Texas A&M’s traditions, which are built around its military provenance.

There are no female cheerleaders, only male yell leaders. When a female dance team was introduced in recent years at basketball games, some women in the stands covered their eyes with their programs, said King, the deputy athletic director.

“They thought it was indecent to have those young girls with their midriffs showing,” King said. Then she laughed. “The men watched.”

If I had been in the student body, I would not have been covering my eyes because I thought it was "indecent." It would be the shame that a school, bound in tradition that has meaning has sold out to the commercialization of women's bodies. Not cool. If you really want it to be equal, elect a woman to be a yell leader, but don't put a bunch of women in barely there uniforms to become yet another institution that cheapens what a woman is just to make money. Grrrrr. Steaming. (OK, and ignore the fact that I would not have even been at the game since I was a dedicated two percenter who relished the fact that Sterling C. Evans library was blissfully empty during the time of most sporting events. Did I mention my dedication to geekhood?). Perhaps my thought process is clouded by my overwhelming nerdiness. This didn't sit right with me.

Rethinking my annual donation to my alma mater.