Ah.. kids.

We've been working on a unit in school about influential people. I asked the kids to study a certain list and then choose one they are interested in. I then asked them to pretend their person was still alive. They were to think of different things they would like to say or ask that person. To get them started, we had just finished an interested discussion over Helen Keller. So, I probed them by asking, "What kinds of things would you like to ask Helen Keller?"

The first blurted out question came from an innocent girl. "What's her favorite color?"

Priceless.

Storms

Today the air was crisp and sunny. Inside, I wished it would be stormy. I longed for wind and rain... danger that would make my heart pound. Darkness. I miss the storms of the panhandle. I loved watching a beautiful day like today begin to develop. First, small puffy clouds would float about bathing in the sun. Soon they would clump together, exploding into enormous towers of cotton. I could spend an entire afternoon watching the cells build. Living somewhere flat allowed one to view this process from miles away. Slowly, the towers would begin to darken and join each other. Thunder would roll from a distance like giants jumping around in excitement. The wind would blow softly, waiting for it to happen. Eventually, the storms would arrive and the sky would darken. Rain would pour and wind would howl. I loved when these storms were capable of producing tornadoes. Maybe it was the thrill of the hunt, I'm not sure. I loved being there-- immersed in such power. I am in awe of these storms. Terrified of them. Storms like these scream and yell causing destruction. The kind that are so intriguing and threatening, only an insane person would be watching.

Waiting.

When the rain stops, and the wind is gone, the birds start to fly, the squirrels crawl out of their shelters... the sun comes back out. The grass gets greener. And in the background lies my favorite part. I love the back of the storm. The dark, deep blue that broods in the distance. The worst is over... and everything glows as the sun shines in comparison. I think, life is much this way. My excitement for life storms dims as I endure the destruction. But in the end, I guess I only have to wait for the sun.

Vampires

Well, it seems that I took up blogging and then quite suddenly abrupted. Oh well.

I, like many other suckered readers, obsessively read the Twilight series. I will agree that it is a very good read. I felt like the characters were my friends, that my desire in life was to become a vampire, and finally-- that I too was in love with Edward. My my, am I now 15? I had similar problems with the show "Friends"... still to this day I play a season in the background when I'm feeling lonely. I have all 10 seasons.. and have seen them so much that I don't need to view the screen to know what their faces look like. They ARE my friends. :)

Anyway, all of this vampire nonsense got me thinking. I simply MUST be part vampire. Or maybe, another theory could be that teachers are part vampire. If you think about it, we do have superhuman skill when it comes to certain things. I am keenly aware of exactly who is whispering in the corner before I ever look up. Without a glance, I can calmly but quite scarily remind them to keep their voice down. It is quite humorous to catch them when they feel they are very good at getting away with things. I also can move as fast as needed in order to snatch up a note or break up a fight on the playground. And lastly, how easy is it to scare these little munchkins into thinking I'M intimidating? Although, if I'm thinking into fantasy, I suppose I wish I could manifest into a teacher at Hogwarts. How exciting would that be? I could turn them all into pencils! I guess, as exhausted as I am at the end of every day, I can only hope to be something of the super natural- to survive and triumph over 8 year olds.

Yoda

I am a star wars fan... and after browsing the stories posted on Drudge, I came across this one.

Article

The cat does resemble Yoda, but even more --- batman. Can you imagine this little furry scratcher? I think of a puss in boots type of character that wears all black and drives a batmobile
that's about 2 feet long. His little outfit would have to accommodate his ears, of course. Specially made. He would bounce off of buildings and be afraid of water. I suppose he would be wise and thoughtful like Yoda, walking very slow until provoked. Then he would bring the pain train-- whizzing around and dominating his opponent. Maybe he can save us from hurricanes and lacking presidential candidates.

Hippity Hop

So, I'm driving down the windy old road out of our neighborhood and on my way to church. I'm in my Sunday best and listening to the countdown playing on the radio. The sun is shining, the wind is whipping in and out of the jeep. I'm having a concert and singing, "I keep bleedin.. keep keep bleedin in love... " when to my surprise, the little green tree frog who had been hiding beneath the seats pounced on the back of my arm! It had little sucker feet that hung on for dear life as I slammed on my brakes, swerved on the road and flapped my arm uncontrollably until finally the slimy thing flung to my water bottle. This was still to close for comfort for me, so I grabbed the water bottle and threw it across my jeep (which isn't very far). I am not sure as to whether the little green frog will sound his ribbitts again in my great yellow jeep... but I am thankful this all did not happen on the freeway.


In other news, it rained a lot today and if he still resides in there- he is enjoying the comfort of a mobile resort. Puddles tonight for play and steam tomorrow for the spa.

Creepy Crawlers

Dedicated to those who scamper from the light... or towards it.

I always struggle with where to start on these things and as a result brood over what to say for weeks. Therefore, I have decided to just begin with my most recent thoughts. I feel the need to discuss my companionship, or lack there of, in regard to the bugs in my life. I cannot tell you all of the exciting happenings, however I will give you my most favored moments. To begin, you should know that I grew up in the country on a little farm in a little farm house. We were poor and had many roaches, spiders and mice. (Make your skin crawl?) We had these hairy mammoth spiders that chased me out of my bathroom to the point that I didn't want to bathe and would rather venture somewhere else for relief. I would call on my brother, bribing him with the name, "SPIDER MAN!!". Sometimes it worked. Even in high school, one morning I awoke to a note from my mother that said, " I killed a mammoth spider for you this morning. You owe me!" You can imagine how grateful I was. Still, when I visit my old home, I do not go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without shoes on.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the critters that surround me, simply because they are everywhere this time of year. Tonight, I went to take a bath and what do you know? A roach was in the tub. And yesterday morning I got into my jeep to go to work and I heard a very strange noise. I considered the thought that it might be my cell freaking out, although it sounded mysteriously like a croak. When in college, I had a friend who often threatened to fill my jeep with water in the bottom and put fish and frogs inside. Anyway, when I got into my jeep last night to drive home, a tiny green tree frog was plastered to the inside of my window!! I left him there, to live if he pleases. Also, the other night Lindsay and I saw a moth that had to have been 5 inches wide. Ok, a story for your entertainment.

While in Crockett, I encountered even more critters if you can believe it. I had an exponential roach situation in my little duplex. They were itty bitty brown roaches that seemed to multiply uncontrollably. They ran from the light and hid behind and under my appliances in the kitchen. One day, Hugh came over to help me with this problem. I had ants marching out of the drain in my tub, B-1 bomber wasps flying around and a roach colony behind the refrigerator. This particular night we were proceeding with a coup on the said roach colony. Hugh, being the boy in this situation, moves the refrigerator from the wall. As the light touched the tile, roaches scattered like people in Houston when a hurricane is coming. Hugh was a little wide-eyed to tell you the truth. I didn't feel comfortable stomping them, because quite frankly it would be worse than playing dance dance revolution. My combat for the bomber wasps, was some quite strategic spray that shoots out with force and causes the flying pest to plummet to it's death. I grabbed the spray as quick as I could and then sprayed furiously at the little demons. My logic being that the spray contained poison and would therefore work gloriously. Hugh, meanwhile thinks that I have lost it. In the end, it appears that I have won my feat. I had before my very eyes, a roach graveyard. I think it quite strange how roaches lay on their backs with feet in the air after they die. How does that happen? Does it take severe energy for them to be upright? I'm curious of this and if anyone knows, please fill me in. Anyway, the spray had a greasy texture and when I went to sweep up the bitty carcases, a slippery film spread all over my floor. I tried to reach the paper towels and ended up fighting my own defeat into the pile of rank insect death. After several minutes of cleaning and laughing, I succeeded in cleaning up the mess and Hugh promised he didn't think me a fool. But I'm sure you know what he really thought.