* Prepare to Die!—Author Katherine Mansfield wrote, “Whenever I prepare for a journey I prepare as though for death. Should I never return, all is in order.” Boy, was I glad to read that quotation. It makes me feel a lot less weird. I go all berserk before I take a trip, stress out totally, and act like I’ll never make it home. We’re leaving for New York City today, and if I show up without foaming at the mouth, it’ll be a blooming miracle.
* Japanese Beetles—How can a creature so beautiful be so destructive? They’ve turned every leaf on our crabapple tree into lace. They chewed through the buds on all my rose bushes. They’ve swarmed my four o’clocks and made holes in the leaves. But I must admit they give me a great measure of satisfaction when I mash them between my fingers. My husband yells, “Spray them! Every time you squish them, you get those two, but their buddies just take over.” But that’s not true. See, I read on the beetle catcher bag that the smell of dead Japanese beetles wards off the living. WHOOOO—HA-HA!!! Let me at ‘em.
* They Be Jammin’—The boys are at it again. David’s on the keyboard and Mike’s on the guitar. They’re wailing away, and the ceiling above my office is vibrating with the blues. Most people have to pay an admission charge for this kind of great music, but all I have to do is make meatloaf. What a great life I have. (All right, I do make a really, really good meatloaf!)
* Tino Wallenda and His Bike—For my birthday we went to see Circus Flora. Since 1987 it’s been a permanent performing arts organization in St. Louis. This circus is one ring, intimate
and magical. We had front row seats. I came home literally covered in sawdust. A couple of times the acts were so death-defying, I covered my eyes, especially when The Flying Wallendas took to the high wire. Tino, the patriarch, was bottom man holding up a complicated pyramid of family members while riding his bike across the wire. There was no net.
All I could do afterwards was laugh. Last year I fell off my bike riding down our street. Uh, I think any possibility of auditioning is off, don’t you? The photo is of Tino congratulating me on my triple: I ate a bratwurst, peanuts and cotton candy. (Kathryn, sweetie, could this be why SlimFast isn’t working for me? My nightly snacks?)
and magical. We had front row seats. I came home literally covered in sawdust. A couple of times the acts were so death-defying, I covered my eyes, especially when The Flying Wallendas took to the high wire. Tino, the patriarch, was bottom man holding up a complicated pyramid of family members while riding his bike across the wire. There was no net.All I could do afterwards was laugh. Last year I fell off my bike riding down our street. Uh, I think any possibility of auditioning is off, don’t you? The photo is of Tino congratulating me on my triple: I ate a bratwurst, peanuts and cotton candy. (Kathryn, sweetie, could this be why SlimFast isn’t working for me? My nightly snacks?)
4 comments:
When I am traveling, the mantra is "We're not going to the Cannibal Islands". Which is another way of saying that there will always be a drugstore and a supermarket, and if we forget the toothpaste, it's no real problem.
In fact, when we were in distant Thailand, half-way around the world, there STILL were drug stores and supermarkets.
What, me worry?
Bratwurst, peanuts and cotton candy--that is the Trifecta winning combo of the day! I do think that SlimFast should be ablt to work around the occasional eating event--like a "gimme" in golf, we should be able to get a "gimme" for food. Like, "gimme more," lol.
Ellen,
I love drugstores. My favorite is Boots. I'll have to start repeating your "Cannibal Islands" mantra!
I think I'm more worried, Ellen, about leaving stuff undone. I obviously have a very overdeveloped sense of responsibility. Perhaps it's because I'm the oldest child in my family.
Kathryn,
I just returned from Manhattan.
Forget the SlimFast. There're too many good restaurants in the world to waste a meal!
j
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