Reelin' in the Years

This week's Think Write Thursday needs a bit of a soundtrack, I'm thinking.  (Click here for a song.)

Dear 5-year-old Kym:

It's 1964.  There's a lot going on out there!  You're growing up amidst turmoil and change.  Don't be afraid.  Play and have fun . . . but keep your eyes open.  Pay attention.  And, remember -- it's okay to color outside the lines and make stray pencil marks once in awhile!

Dear 16-year-old Kym:

It's 1975.  You're driving now.  Becoming competent.  Standing up for yourself.  Beginning to understand that there are dots to connect.  Quit worrying about what "everyone else" is doing.  (It won't matter in a year or two.)  (Really.)  Try not to be so boy-crazy.  (You're wasting your energy.)  (They really are kind of jerks right now.)  And - for crying out loud - be careful out there.  (You make your future-self nervous.)  (You might also ditch that center part.)  (Just sayin.)

Dear 21-year-old Kym:

Dear 21-year-old Kym:

It's 1980.  You're completing your student teaching . . . nearly ready to graduate.  But what's that you say?  You think you made the wrong choice?  Maybe this teaching gig isn't for you?  Oh, Kym.  Don't despair.  You're only 21.  You're not supposed to have all the answers.  Even though you feel like you're all grown up and ready to make your way in the world, let me tell you . . . change is part of the game!  And you won't even believe the places you'll go.  (Trust me . . . I know.)  So hang in there.  Listen to your heart.  Things will work out.

Dear 58-year-old Kym:

As Gretchen Rubin says, "the days are long but the years are short."  And now, well . . . you know that's true, for sure.  So grab life by the horns and hang on.  Enjoy every moment -- and keep reelin' in the years!

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Look Back and Think Ahead

This week for Ten on Tuesday - on the last official Tuesday of summer - Carole has us looking back at the five best things about our summer and ahead at five things we're looking forward to about fall.

Okay.  So it hasn't been the best of summers here in my world.  But . . . nestled among the angst and the sadness, there were some pretty brilliant moments.

1 -- Carole and Dale came to visit Tom and I here in Michigan.

2 -- I went on a fabulous trip to Scotland and Ireland with my sister.  (Watch this space later this week, when my travel blogs begin again.  I still have much to share about our trip.)

3 -- Erin visited for what was supposed to be a week, but turned into nearly two.  (And at a very critical time.  She was an angel.)

4 -- Tom and I visited Brian and Lauren in Boulder.  (Thanks, Di.)

5 -- I was able to spend a lot of time with my mom, in what turned out to be the last months of her life.

 

As for fall?  I'm looking forward to the change of seasons this year.  Here's what I'm looking forward to:

6 -- Spending a bit of time up north.  (I missed pretty much the whole summer at our cottage on the lake, but I can still spend a few wonderful fall weekends up there.)

7 -- Fall gardening.  Transplanting and cleaning up; maybe even preparing a new border for next spring. I think I might even buy some more bulbs.  (The question . . . Will I actually plant them???)

8 -- Planning my mom's memorial service and family Thanksgiving extravaganza.  (We're rolling it all into one big week.)

9 -- Convincing Tom to buy a bike.  (But don't hold your breath.)

10 -- Settling.  (I'm not sure exactly what this means . . . but I feel a powerful need to do it!)

 

How about YOU?  What was your best summer moment . . . and what are you looking forward to this fall?

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Join the fun!  See what everyone else has to say here.

 

 

Oh . . . K!

When I read the Ten on Tuesday prompt for this week . . . Ten Words to Describe Yourself (with the added caveat that all the words must begin with the same letter as your name) . . . I snorted.  Out loud.

Because there are so few adjectives that begin with K.

(Let alone those that might describe ME.)

I actually had to pull out the dictionary.

So, here I am.  With a K:

1. Kamikaze (It's that RISK thing.)
2. Keen (The "eager" definition, not the "sharp or pungent" definition.)
3. Keeper (At least Tom thinks so.)
4. Kempt (As in the oppostive of UNkempt.)
5. Kerfuffled (Because it happens sometimes.)  (And besides ... it's fun to say.)
6. Keyed up (Not always, but sometimes.)
7. Kick-ass (Oh yeah, baby.)
8. Kind (Generally.)
9. Knitter (Although not so much lately.)  (But still.)
10. Knowledgeable (About some things, at least.)

Okay.  So that wasn't so hard after all.  (Thanks Merriam-Webster!)

How about YOU?  Can you describe yourself using words that begin with the first letter of your name?

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Keep it Cool

I don't know about where you live, but where I live . . . it's been hot, Hot, HOT!  Steamy hot.  

This week, Carole asks us . . . How to keep cool in the summer's heat?

1. Get in the water -- the beach, a lake, or a pool
2. Find a shady spot when you're outside
3. Drink plenty of water
4. (Or a cold beer)
5. (Or a crisp glass of chardonnay)
6. Turn on the air conditioning - and use the fans
7. Wear loose, light clothing
8. Stop cooking -- and eat cold foods instead
9. (Like ice cream!)
10. (Or Creamsicles!)

How about YOU?  How do you keep cool during the summer's heat?

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Click here to read what everyone else has to say!

A Catchy Town (I Mean . . . Tune)

When I was a kid, I used to "collect" Towns With Catchy Names.  Names that are fun to say -- and just kind of roll off your tongue.  Chattanooga.  Tallahassee.  Timbuktu.  Walla Walla, Washington.  Tuscaloosa.  Minnehaha.  Kalamazoo.

The kind of name . . . you know . . . that might end up in song lyrics.

(Never imagined that I'd end up living in one of them!  But.  Here I am.)

Anyway.  This week, Carole asks us for for Ten Songs About Where We Live.  Lucky for me . . . Kalamazoo - one of those catchy-name towns - has been plugging into song lyrics forever!

My favorite?

1 - Gotta Get Away by The Black Keys.

  

2 - Another favorite is Kalamazoo by the Ben Folds Five.  (They performed this during their appearance at the Gilmore Piano Festival a couple of years ago.  As you might imagine, it was a big hit with the home crowd.)

 

3 - This one is quite popular with the home crowd, too.  Kalamazoo by Primus.  (They've performed this one live in Kalamazoo, a couple of times apparently.  I wasn't there - but you can imagine it was a bit hit.)

 

4 - Marylou by Bob Seger.  (Not one of his most popular -- but . . . Kalamazoo.)

 

5 - Down on the Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  (Twangin' out a rhythm on his Kalamazoo.  You bet!)

 

6 - While not about Kalamazoo, this song just embodies the whole Up North/Lake Thing in Michigan.  So, yeah.  It's about about where I live!  All Summer Long by Kid Rock.

 

7.  And, of course.  Especially in Michigan by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  (The link is a "tease."  If you want to hear the whole song, click here.)  (And Carole?  This link should include images that look a bit familiar to you now. . . as it was filmed in Ludington!)

 

8.  Lake Michigan by Rogue Wave.  (Because The Lakes RULE . . . here in Michigan.)

 

9.  Greetings from Michigan . . . an entire album by Sufjan Stevens . . . honoring Michigan.  (This tune, Romulus - a Detroit suburb - has nothing to do with Kalamazoo.  But Michigan.  And nice.)

 

10.  And, of course, no Kalamazoo list could be complete without this one. . .  (yeah, I know) . . . I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.  (Trust me.  I know.  I live here.  I've heard this WAY too many times . . . )

  

How about YOU?  What are the best songs about where you live?

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Click here to see what everyone else is singing today.

 

 

 

 

 

Tribute Ten

Last week, Tom and I hosted some Very Special Guests.

Yep. 

Carole and Dale.

Right here in Kalamazoo!

Carole isn't back home quite yet . . . so there is no Ten on Tuesday today.  But I decided to Ten on Tuesday anyway . . . in her honor.

A Tribute Ten . . . With Carole On Her Vacation:

1 - We laughed a LOT.  (Tom and Dale both know so many jokes.  So. Many.)

2 - We went Up North.

3 - Where some of us fished.  While others of us sat around and talked and maybe knit a few rows here and there.

4.  We swam.  Or, again, some of us swam.  While others of us worked on our tans.  (And sometimes chased duck families away.)

5.  We played games.  Tom and I introduced Carole and Dale to Pass the Pigs -- and let's just say that . . . Carole ran the table.  (She even rolled the elusive Leaning Jowler!)

6.  We visited the Lake Michigan beach.  And, yep.  It looks just like the ocean.  Without the salt.

7.  We did a pub crawl, Kalamazoo-style.  Someone was the Designated Driver.  (Guess who?)

8.  We listened to live music.  

9.  And more live music.

10.  And generally had a great time wherever we went!

So much fun!

Thanks for visiting Kalamazoo, Carole and Dale!

 

 

 

Reading AND . . .

I've been reading by listening to audiobooks for a very long time.  

As in . . . a really long time.  Like back when they weren't called audiobooks yet.  Just "books-on-tape."  I used to get cassette-versions (and later the CD-versions) of books at the library, and pop them into my Sony WalkMan (and later my DiscMan) and listen while I took the dog on walks.  I kind of thought it was magical.  Reading AND . . . doing something else.

Times have changed.  Now, I just download books on my iPod, clip it to my shirt (or stick it in my pocket), and I'm good to go!  Reading AND . . . indeed.  (So much easier with my tiny Nano.  As compared to my WalkMan!)

This week, Carole wonders what we DO while we listen to audiobooks.

I read AND . . . 

1. Knit
2. Hand stitch
3. Work out
4. [Insert any mundane household chore here]
5. Pull weeds
6. Cook
7. Walk the dogs
8. "Beautify" (the hair; the face; etc.)
9. Draw or paint
10. Drive (only plugged into the auxiliary channel; never with headphones)

How about YOU?  What do you do while you listen to audiobooks?

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(You know what I NEVER do, though?  I never, ever read AND . . . ride my bike.  Because it is absolutely not safe to use headphones while you're pedaling.)

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Find out what everyone else does while "reading" audiobooks here!

My Summer Bucket List

Summer . . . 

My goals this summer are really pretty simple.  I want to . . .

1. Spend as much time as I can outside, soaking up the sun and enjoying the hot, summer air.  (It's what gets me through the winter.)
2. Mix things up a bit in my garden beds.  Nothing drastic -- just moving a few things around and into better "spots."  (It happens.  Things grow differently - or bigger - than you first imagine.  And then you have to do a little housekeeping.)
3. Plant a tree. (Or two).
4. Visit faraway places.  (Kind of a no-brainer at this point, since I leave for Scotland and Ireland in a couple of weeks.)
5. Enjoy some of my favorite places closer to home.  (Can you say Lake Michigan beaches?)
6. Unplug from the Internet now and again.  (I give up.  I'm retreating back into my cave.)
7. Sit outdoors and try more plein air watercolor painting.  (My latest art class - now complete - involved 4 weeks of painting plein air.  Intriguing.  But I need a lot more practice!)
8. Bike the Kal-Haven Trail.  (Possible plans for this Friday.  Let's hope the weather cooperates.)
9. Try a paddle board on our lake up north.  (I'm looking for an on-sale, low-end paddle board.  Because that's all I'd need.)
10. Sit on the patio - or up at the lake - and watch the fireflies.  (My all-time favorite summer wonder.)

How about YOU?  What's on your summer bucket list?

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Find out what everyone else has to say here.

Intellectual Curiosity (Or Something Like That)

Carole sent this week's Ten on Tuesday prompt early this week.  Early enough, actually, for Tom and I to discuss it over a beer (well ... maybe a couple of beers) on Saturday night.

Ten Things We're Curious About.  Hmmmm.  That could go any number of ways. . . 

Tom's first thought:  Ten Things He'd Be Curious to TRY (mixed martial arts, peyote à la Carlos Castaneda, surfing. . .).

But I started thinking about the things that make my brain explode.  You know?  Those "curiosities" that just don't make sense?  (Even when someone explains them.*)

And, because beer was involved, Tom made a video.  Of my brain exploding. . . 

 

And with that . . . Here are Ten Things I'm (Intellectually?) Curious About:

1. How is it possible that temperatures . . . so vastly different on the Fahrenheit and Centigrade scales . . . actually ARE THE SAME at -40 degrees?*
2. Does "blue" look like the same "blue" to all color-sighted people?  (Substitute ANY COLOR here.)
3. Chemistry.  (All of it.)  (Pretty much.)
4. What is up with Schroedinger's cat.  (Alive? Dead? Neither?)
5. How TV work? (Exactly.)
6. And (along the same vein) . . . how can I record/DVR a program . . . when I'm watching another program.  (Or no program at all.)
7. What made the First Knitter To Try Cables . . . try cables?
8. Same with Turning the Heel?
9. How did this happen with Trump? (Sorry.  I went there.)
10. Does a tree falling in the woods make a sound . . . if there is no ear to hear it?

How about YOU?  What are you curious about?

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See what everyone else is wondering about . . . here.

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* Evidence of the explaining:

Something Sweet

I try to be really disciplined.

And I generally look away when it comes to dessert.

But.

Oh my.

I really love a good dessert!  

 

(Brian and Lauren's wedding cake.  YUM!)

And sometimes, well.  My sweet tooth wins!

My favorites?

1. Pavlova - Light and just a teeny-tiny bit chewy and oh-so-perfect with whipping cream and fruit.  (Perfection.)
2. Fruit tart - Another light and fruity favorite!  (Mmmm.)
3. Sticky Toffee Cake - Not usually pretty to look at . . . but pretty fabulous to eat!  (Mouth watering.)
4. Hot Fudge Brownie Sundaes -- Rich and delicious home-baked brownies topped with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.  (So. Good.)
5. Creme brûlée -- With or without fruit.  (I always want to lick the bowl.)
6. Gelato -- Plain.  Almost any flavor.  (But especially hazelnut.)
7. Carrot Cake -- With nuts, but please hold the pineapple.  (The cream cheese frosting is non-negotiable.)
8. Pie -- Fruit pie of almost any kind -- but especially peach, cherry, or apple.  (À la mode, please.)
9. Lemon bars (or, really, Lemon-Almost-Anything) -- A little bit sweet, a lot bit tangy.  (And always perfect.)
10. Chocolate malt -- The way to Tom's heart.  (Only chocolate will do for him.  And heavy on the malt!)

How about YOU?  What are your favorite desserts?

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See what everyone else has to say here.  (And prepare yourself for mouth-watering goodness!)