Of Ice and Men (Original, I Know)

We have apparently survived the Ice Storm of the Century here in Central Oklahoma. Our damage was limited to a couple of stained spots on the ceiling where the ice made the roof leak. Our roofer says the roof is in good shape, he had to re-set a couple of nails, but other than that, no problems. (We asked for an estimate of any needed repairs, just to make sure he was not just trying to get them out of warranty liability. Our insurance covers ice damming, which is what caused the leaks. )
We may not make an insurance claim. The leaks appear to be gone, and we were going to repaint the ceilings and walls in the living room and our bedroom eventually anyway. (Stains are not even noticible unless you know exactly where to look.) (But we'll see what happens next time it rains. )
I am of two minds about the insurance thing. I don't want festering damage to surprise us later, but I also don't want the insurance company to have us claim what is really minor damage and then raise the heck out of our rates. We mainly have insurance in case the house blows away in a tornado or burns down. We figure we can fix minor stuff on our own dime. (Have in the past.)
We got off pretty lucky, actually. Most people were without power at least part of the time. We were not. One of our trees broke apart, but it didn't do any serious damage to anything but itself. Matt was able to haul most of that stuff out of the yard by himself.
I just wish I could lose this feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

First Sunday of Advent (Already?!)

We had a good day today, if a lazy one. (For me, anyway.) Matt did a practice run on a dish he wants to take to the potluck at work, so he cooked and I goofed off today.
I don't have anything done that I should have done by this point for Christmas. I don't do much, but the few things I do tend to be time-consuming. Like making potholders for everyone on the library staff. (Not that everyone wants one, but they were wildly popular when I made them before, and I have bookmarks, which are always a hit with library natives.)
The Great CD Recording Project has almost been completed. Matt needs to record some of his tracks over. They came out way overmodulated. Most of mine sound better than I feared they would. As for the bobbles, wrong notes, and sinus glitches, well, stuff happens. It would happen if I were singing live for people, and so if it happens on the recording, I guess I can live with it.
I finally succeeded in snaring the elusive Advent Candles that actually go in my Abbey Press Advent Wreath. The Cathedral Books and Gifts store run by the ECW finally had some in. So, I carefully packed away the ones I got at the craft store, and we lit the first official Advent candle this evening.
I still have to write the Annual Cursed Letter of Christmas and send forth the annual greetings wondering who I won't hear back from this year.
There isn't too much to tell everybody this year. 2007 has been fairly benign. The only major trauma was to our credit pay off plan, as the Air Conditioning and Heating system had to be replaced to the tune of $8,000.00. There were also a couple of car repairs for Matt's Taurus, but we managed to get those taken care of fairly quickly. No major health scares for us or the pets, thanks be to God.
We never have major accomplishments to tout, as we are middle aged, childless, and rather boring. Boring isn't always a bad thing. Being boring gives me plenty of time to think. Mostly I waste that time worrying about whatever apocalyptic scenarios I dread most. (My secret motto is "It isn't IF, it's WHEN AND HOW BAD")
Meanwhile, back at the library, we have completed our annual 'canned goods to reduce your fines' campaign. This benefits a local food pantry. Gee, I hope they really need ten tons of chicken soup, green beans, and corn. That's what we got the most of. Some people were really into the spirit of it. They brought stuff like canned chicken and tuna, and Spam. They spent more on the canned goods they brought than they actually owed in fines. Some people just brought us the canned goods, they didn't have any fines. This community is really refreshing sometimes.

Catching Up

We spent this Thanksgiving with friends. I haven't seen them for awhile, and it was nice to get caught up on everyone's activities. We had a nice meal and good fellowship.
I spent Black Friday cleaning house, since my husband had to work but I had the day off. I got the whole place cleaned, and even did some re-organizing for less clutter.
We made our "Thanksgiving" meal today. We had a turkey breast that we had meant to cook for Thanksgiving before I ran into my friend Susan on Monday. So, now we have our own leftovers to work on.
I am not ready for the Christmas season to be upon us already. I have grown to hate the over-commercialization of what is supposed to be a religious celebration. The church activities are a real lifesaver for my sanity this time of year. Concentrating on the reason we are supposed to celebrate is more satisfying now than running after gifts and trimmings etc. I like to bake some treats, share them, and buy a few small gifts, send a few cards, but I no longer try to buy stuff for everybody.
That is one of the luxuries of not having children. I don't have to do much about the season gift wise if I don't want to . My husband is hard to buy for, and he knows that there will be a few little things, but mostly we are just happy to have the time together, after all the years when there was always the possibility that we wouldn't be. We never missed a Christmas together, not even during the Gulf War. (Thank you Col. M+11, wherever you are. ) His crew was home for aircraft maintenance, and the Wing commander wanted to go back down with them, but he wanted to do it the day AFTER Christmas. So one whole crew got to be at home base for Christmas.
So, I must plan what I will do for the season, and get busy getting things done. So far, we have part of my Mom's present complete. We have recorded about half of the Christmas music we want to send her. Now we have to finish it, Matt has to tweak it and put it on the cd. Ought to be interesting to see what we end up with.

Today's Activities

Today was Monday, so voice lesson was at 10:30. This was a real workout, because I have crud in my throat off and on these days due to allergies and shifting weather conditions. (Leaf mold is not my friend. We have a yard full of oak and pecan leaves.) She got me all set to do some recording of Christmas music tonight. Once the voice recovers from the vocal workout/torture, it actually sounds really good.
The HVAC technician came this afternoon to give the furnace its annual once over. As this furnace was installed with the new A/C unit in May, it hasn't had much wear and tear yet. He ran it through all its paces and pronounced it healthy. (I should hope so!)
Our friends have invited us to their home for Thanksgiving. It will be good to visit with them as we don't see them as often as we'd like. Susan's folks will be there, too, and I always have a good time with Elmer and Renate. Renate is the only German speaking person I know these days, so I will get a chance to practice a little. I will take her one of the German books I received the other day. It is Mark Twain. "Adam's Diary", I believe is the title. She might find it amusing.
This afternoon I had a little time to read, so I read some more of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It was an admirable quest, but all throughout his journey, he is discovering that compromise must be made to exist in the modern world. To literally live by the Bible might land you in prison in some cases. The book is really good so far. Thought provoking and funny, and he really doesn't pick on or make fun of any religious group. He is honestly seeking information from all the representatives of various faiths that he speaks to. His ex-uncle Gil is scary, though.
This evening, we did a few recordings for the Christmas CD we hope to send my mother. My stuff mostly, since Matt knows how to run the mixer board, and I don't yet. (He is greatly simplifying the process so all I will have to do is hit one or two things with the mouse.) I think they came out pretty good, but not with the full force my teacher likes me to do. On the Christmas recordings it isn't necessary. In a big hall, it is, but not when I am literally inches from the microphone, and I don't want to sound too boomy. I never like the way I sound on recordings, so I am no judge. Matt says it sounds good, but not like I'm really going after it like I would in the recital hall. I don't know if that will sound good in the end or not. We shall see. Mom will probably like it no matter what, because it will be us singing,which she hasn't gotten to hear much of.
I got really tired about 9:30, so I called it quits for tonight. We still have to get our duet recorded and Matt's solo pieces.
All in all, today was a busy day.

Hypno-Books

A hypno book is a book that keeps you so involved in reading that you lose all track of time. It is the book that you read for hours on end with no break.
I have met a few of these over the years. Usually good stories like the Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey, or a good mystery by any of my favorite authors. (Susan Wittig Albert, Sue Grafton, M.C. Beaton, Sarah J. Mason, among others.)
Right now it seems the latest novel by Jan Karon is a hypno book for me. I have to be careful not to pick it up in the middle of other projects, because it is hard to put it down. Her books can be awfully sentimental, and some might say sappy, but I like their quiet Southern charm.
I almost didn't get my housework finished today because I got involved in that book while waiting for the cleanser to soak in the sink. (Old porcelain sink, must let the cleanser soak in to get rid of stubborn stains.)
I must not fall victim to it again until after the dishes are done this evening.
I have to come up with something for dinner, and get the cleanup done after before I can rest and read.
Even then, I will likely be disturbed because my husband and I need to start recording our Christmas cd. That will be time consuming and I hope not too frustrating.

Reading In Another Language

I have recently been given some reading materials in German. This is not a big problem for me, as I spent four years in Germany, speaking German every day, and reading a good many things. (Most puzzling and amusing were notices from the local utilities!)
I am amazed at how much comes back to me. I need the dictionary for some words here and there, but I can usually get the gist of things, especially the Reader's Digest magazines. The ads are interesting in those. Nearly all of them are for herbal supplements or financial services. There were a couple of ads for major appliances, but mostly financial services and herbal supplements. I was expecting an ad for ADAC, the Allegemiene Deutsche Automobil Club, but I haven't seen any. Their ads were ubiquitous in the German publications I ran into in Frankfurt.
We were members of ADAC all four years we were in Germany.
I miss Germany a lot. There was reliable and safe public transportation, we lived on a farm, so we had peace and quiet and forest paths to walk on. I know that actually living on the economy there, without the military support we enjoyed would not be easy, especially now as the dollar is so low against the Euro.
I can usually read the signs on the Formula 1 race tracks, whatever part of Europe they are in, as they are usually in English, German, Spanish, or Italian. (I've read enough Italian lyrics for arias that I can make pretty good guesses as to meanings of things. Helps that it isn't too far off Spanish, too.)
When I lived in California, I learned quite a bit of Spanish. I have forgotten a lot of it because the German is more recent. I can still make sense of most of what I read, though. I have trouble following what people say because they speak so quickly. German can be hard to follow in spoken form, because you may get someone who mixes local dialect with the HochDeutsche, and that can be really confusing. (Kind of like trying to understand someone from Brooklyn if you grew up in Savannah.) (Or someone from either place if you grew up in L.A.)

The one language (besides the Asian ones) that I may never be able to decipher is French. It just doesn't make any logical sense to me. I can't pronounce it, even with extensive coaching. I think I have a mental block against it. No offense to the French. They have a grand and illustrious history, I just cannot fathom their language.

Trying New Things

I am trying something new today. I am trying to write a post to this blog while on the Customer Service Desk. As school is just letting out, I may have a few moments grace to get something written before the hordes descend.
Normally, if we don't have a customer, there isn't much else to do out here. I don't feel too bad, I've already checked out several people, made two library cards, and gotten a nice comment from a customer who hasn't used the RFID checkout before.
Those check out stations are really cool, and most customers really like them. Unfortunately, there are some for whom technology will always be a challenge. There are some the computers always act up for, and I cannot figure out why. They appear to be doing everything right. I have even stood there and gone through it with them and the computer will toss them over to our desk for some reason known only to its dark little circuit boards. For some people, it really ISN'T their fault.
I am getting ready to try something new at home. Recording my singing. That is a little bit scary, since I never like the way I sound on recordings. We shall have to see if I can a) get through a whole piece without screwing up, and b) hack hearing myself in the headphones.
(Wearing headphones is another issue for me. I have NEVER liked them.)
I am not usually very big on trying new things. I like predictability. I have learned to be more open to change and trying new things by working in the library. We always change things and try new approaches in order to find the best possible way to get books and information to our customers. Sometimes new things work, sometimes they don't, but you never find out if you don't try.
I am working up my courage to try learning the spreadsheet so I can put our checkbook stuff on the computer at home. I don't like having too much of that stuff on the computer, but the budget needs some more readily accessible form to be in so Matt can take care of it if anything happens to me. I don't understand how he sets up spreadsheets, so I have a big learning curve ahead of me. I know how I think about the stuff, but I don't know if a spreadsheet will do it the way my brain does. I don't think about this stuff the way "normal"people do, evidently. (I loathe this keyboard. Half the keys stick. Makes inputting cards really fun.)

Ah, the after school rush approaches. Updates at 10.

Foggy Friday

It was very foggy this morning. That is not unusual here in the middle of the country, even though you most associate fog with coastal areas.
This looked like ordinary fog, but, I swear to you, it made everybody really loopy around here.
Every one of us at work was behind the power curve today, all a bit fuzzy headed. The customers did things like forget the books they meant to bring, and brought the ones they meant to renew!
We all set out to do things and promptly messed up. We always caught ourselves before major disaster happened, but it was just one of those days. It was Friday, but it acted like Monday all day! Even the computers crapped out on us a few times.
We are under another dense fog advisory again tonight. I guess tomorrow has the potential to be a Day of Fog, too.
All that brain fog aside, I do wonder why I write this stuff sometimes. The mundane ramblings of a middle aged lady are probably of no interest to anyone at all. There is a certain amount of humor to be found and shared in the world, though. I try to find it, and pass it along.
The problem with most daily humor is, you have to be there. It usually isn't funny if you aren't really familiar with the context.
One thing that was funny was the customer who asked all the personnel at the Information Desk about the computer outage, got the same, to him, unsatisfactory answer, and then tried asking a shelver. (Known in some libraries as a page.) Of course Mary Margaret didn't know when the computers would come back up any more than the librarians did. She said she was tempted to tell him "When the Computer Gods decide to stop punishing us, Sir." but she didn't, of course. She is nothing if not professional. (She is the most senior shelver in our library system, and the ONLY 30-hour salaried shelver. If she can't find it, it ain't in the building.) She told him the same thing the librarians told him, but he still didn't like it. I don't know if he stopped at our desk to ask Carol, but she'd have told him the same thing. WE DON"T KNOW!! They come back up when they're good and ready and not before. Believe me, we want them back even more than the customers do. We have ten tons of books to process, and guess what, we need the computer to do that. We'd rather not be drowning in checkins, thank you ever so much.

And now for something completely different: Christmas music.
Yes, I know Halloween is barely past, and Thanksgiving is two weeks away, but when you sing, Christmas music starts shortly after Halloween. We have to pick pieces for the Christmas recital our voice coach always has, and we have to select things to record for a CD we want to make.
There are also shortly to be actual Christmas pieces in the choir repetoire. Advent pieces are already in the folder. The first Sunday of Advent is Dec. 2, I believe.
My problem is, I have no idea what I want to sing for recital. Matt has found a duet that we can do, but for my solo piece, I am clueless. I know a couple of things I want to sing for the CD, but not much.
I am hoping my voice coach will have an inspiration for me, otherwise I may see which few John Jacob Niles pieces I haven't done, and see if I can do one of those. I don't think I've done Wonder as I Wander, or What Songs Were Sung. Sweet Little Boy Jesus is possibility also. I've done Carol of the Birds and Jesus Jesus Rest Your Head.
Whatever I choose, it has to be soon so I can learn to sing it properly and learn the words.
Well, as this is a Foggy Friday night, and I have been staring at the screen more than typing, I shall sign off, and hope to emerge from the fog soon!

It's Getting Scary Out There...

I hate to read the news these days. It is almost as bad as during 9/11. "Gloom, Doom, and Rumors of Boom" to quote Pogo.
Things are getting tense again, and expensive again. I don't see it getting any better this time. The speculators have priced us into a corner gas-wise, and our country's love affair with automobiles at the expense of all other transportation (not to mention community planning for CONVENIENCE) is going to cost us all big time.
My only consolation when filling up my 12 gallon tank once every three to four weeks is seeing the SUV drivers stopping at that gas station more than once a week on average to fill those land barges they call "cars". I am VERY glad I am not buying THEIR gasoline. (If I were, they'd be riding scooters!)
I sometimes wonder why oil producing countries can't have grown ups for leaders instead of adolescent boys with something to prove. The Saudis seem to be pretty mature about things, but then, they run the world, so why would they rock the boat? I guess all those guys like being able to turn the whole industrialized world inside out just by saying "BOO!" to their neighbors.
I do wish things would just settle down and let us all de-stress a bit. The real reason so much of America is overweight, and why so many in some parts of the country smoke, is because of the stress of living in this world today. It is absolutely crazy.
Then again, if you can ignore the craziness (hard to when everything costs so freakin' much and your pay isn't going up any time soon) things aren't SO bad. We have had a pretty resilient economy in this country historically. I just hope this current "readjustment" isn't as big as the one that hit in 1929. It took World War II to get our economy out of that one.

We seriously need to develop an alternative to fossil fuels, and we need it yesterday. Just think how the balance of power in the world would shift if we didn't need to buy oil from anywhere? We could leave the Middle East in peace, and just say, work it out among yourselves. Everybody has to live together, this planet isn't getting any bigger. We could watch people like Dick Cheney end up poor. That might be a good education for them (Heck, we should force all our government officials to live on the base pay of a military NCO. THAT would teach them the meaning of budgeting wisely.) (Better yet, the average salary of an elementary school teacher. That would make them feel ashamed of what our priorities have been in this country.)

It would be especially nice if this new energy source were renewable, but would still need the kinds of expertise that is used in the current industry, so that we could just roll those jobs over to the new system. That way nobody gets hosed too badly in an economic way.
Some of the proposed energy solutions for cars make me nervous. Hydrogen fuel cells, for instance. Hello!? The SUN is a big ball of highly compressed, constantly exploding hydrogen. They use hydrogen in ROCKETS. It is dangerous stuff. (So is gasoline, but it is less BOOM! making, really, than hydrogen cells have the potential to be.) The way people around here drive, yelling at their kids, eating their dinner, and jabbering away on their cell phone at the same time, we'd have some pretty seriously deadly accidents unless they come up with a REALLY good way to isolate that fuel cell and keep it intact.
Me, I think I'll just go crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head!

The Image of Library Employees

There has been a lot of chatter lately about librarians and their image in the world today.
I did an informal survey among some email friends who are pretty much all over the place, and I found that almost no one thinks of the "stereotypical" librarian anymore.
Marian's day is past.
(Or even, alas the day of the librarian at our high school who shushed us all so often. She wore her hair up in a bun, she was pale, she wore unfashionable skirts and sensible shoes.)
Most weren't even concerned about the appearance of those who work in the library, only that they are knowledgeable and helpful. Those are the attributes most noted by my friends.
My customers often comment that the people who work in our library are nicer than the people in some other local libraries. I don't know about that, I have found people in most libraries to be nice and helpful. Our customers are more like friends and neighbors, though. Many of them come in often, many see us in other contexts around town, and they feel more connected to us and "their" library, I guess.
I was fairly stereotypical when I started at the library in 1999. I had very long hair, which was more convenient to put up in a bun. (And yes, I often stuck a pencil in it.) I wore some skirts, but usually slacks and a nice shirt. Always sensible shoes, though, I am on my feet a LOT at work.
These days I have short hair which looks kind of "choppy" and messy when done the way it is supposed to be. Everybody loves it, though. I still dress kind of frumpy, mostly because I am too cheap to invest in new clothing when I already have bills to pay, and because I am determined to lose a little more weight before I make any more such investments.

I bet some of our customers would be a bit surprised at the hobbies and non-library skills some of us have. For instance, I sing operatic arias for fun, Anne makes miniature scenes, Julie makes jewelery, Melodie is an excellent seamstress and plays in a bell choir, many of us are excellent cooks and bakers. (This is why our staff tends to be a bit on the chubby side, rather than thin as some stereotypical librarians are.)

Also, in our department, most of us are vastly overqualified for our jobs. As clerks, we are not required to have even a Bachelor's degree. Most of us have at least that, many have at least a year of coursework beyond that, and Anne has a Master's degree! We are where we are because we love our jobs. That is probably why our customers enjoy coming to our library. We are happy to be there, and it shows.

If It's Not One Thing...

Life seems to be constant only in the number of things that pop up that you weren't expecting.
We have had to deal with major car repairs when we weren't really expecting them. (There goes the "savings")
At least we have the money, though we have to scrape, to pay for it. What happens to people who just don't have it? I will pray for them even as I listen to my whimpering bank account. What with gas prices driving up the prices of everything else, how is most of the Middle Class in America supposed to survive? How about folks like my Mom, on a fixed income?
I don't think much of anyone among our overpaid and overly wealthy government cares. They are also going to have to stick it to us even more to pay for their excesses soon. (They would never tax the higher income people, that would mean THEY would have to pay more taxes!)

On happier subjects, the weather is still Fall like without being too cold. None of my plants have frozen yet, though many need a drink of water, so I guess I better get out there tomorrow and do my watering. The trees are finally starting to turn pretty colors, and , alas, drop leaves. I will have to mow in order to pick up the leaves. The grass hasn't grown, but the lawns are covered in leaves, and I don't know about you, but raking them up just doesn't sound like that much fun.
I am not getting used to the time change very well yet. I feel drowsy too early in the evening, and I wake up before the alarm in the morning. At least I did today. We'll have to see about tomorrow. Usually I enjoy "falling back", but it feels very strange this year. Maybe because it happened so late.
Let us hope Fate is through playing games around here, at least for awhile.

Halloween

For once we actually had a lot of Trick Or Treaters. There are years when we have less than 20, and this year we had 73 kids. Many of them were Bear's pals from the neighborhood school bus stops, and they were very glad to see Bear sitting in the front hall, patiently waiting until he could safely go sit and guard the candy basket again. (Mustn't let the kitty get near the candy!)
It was a nice day for Halloween today. Sunny, but turned cool and cloudy by afternoon. The North wind was nippy as the little goblins made their rounds.
We had the usual assortment of cute little bees, monkeys, and teddy bears. We also had the requisite witches, vampires, pirates, princesses, at least one bride, and lots of hockey mask wearing scary guys. (Who were really too short to be very scary, but I didn't tell them that.)
I had one very polite little man in a Batman mask who asked if he could "have a Butterfinger bar, please." Of course I gave him one, though his mother was aghast that he had asked for a specific thing instead of being happy with what he got. He did say thank you, and he asked so very politely for the Butterfinger. I think such civility in a child (who was five at the most) should be reinforced and rewarded.
I am sending the small amount of leftover candy off to fatten up Matt's coworkers. We don't need the temptation of all those extra calories around here. (I really shouldn't have made the free form apple pie this evening, but it was a whole wheat pastry and generally less unhealthy than my usual apple pie. We will have pie for two days at least.)
Now I have to change all the calendars in the house. (There are quite a few, I like time keeping devices) The time change this weekend will be time consuming. I really like clocks, you see. We also have to change the batteries in all the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. (We are also paranoid about safety, so there are several of those devices, as well.)
There really isn't a whole lot to write about at the moment, or at least there isn't much that wants to be written. Too many other things want to be done right now.

Shopping Day

Today was my major grocery shopping day. I do this only once a month, the rest of the month I just pick up whatever perishables we run out of, like milk or salad greens.

I go to the Commissary at Tinker Air Force Base. My husband is retired from the Air Force, and we enjoy this benefit among others because of his long years of service. Things are not always cheaper at the commissary, but more things are than not, and I am not one who will drive all over town (wasting gasoline) to hunt for bargains at several different stores.

The local stores in Moore still make plenty off of us because there are some new things I want to try that the commissary is lagging behind on getting. Also, most over the counter medicines and beauty products are more readily available and cheaper at local stores. I also buy my milk locally because the commissary doesn't carry the brand of skim milk that I really like.

This time I managed to stick to my list at the commissary and at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, and so came in under my grocery budget. No small feat these days. Even with many items that are rather costly that I don't buy very often, I stayed under the max budget. Not so long ago, that didn't happen often. I have increased the budget, but the amount I spent today would have been under the old budget as well. Food prices have gone up, so I guess our more health conscious diet is also cheaper. (Less processed and junk food items.)
I did make a major purchase of Halloween candy, but it IS that time of year, and there were lots of good sales at the commissary on stuff I had coupons for. Trick or treaters in our neighborhood will luck out. I also got my pumpkin for $1.99.

Today is also the day I get out our gasoline money and spending money. Ouch. The gas money has taken a bigger bite this year than ever. We usually have some left over, but we hang on to it because we never know when gas will go up yet again. Central Oklahoma, like many urban/suburban areas in this country, has no discernible public transportation system. If you are going to get to work, or run errands, you have to have a car. (Or be a senior citizen. Here in Moore, they have a pick-up/drop-off service that takes folks to doctor visits, the library, shopping, the beauty parlor/barber shop, etc.)

All in all a pretty satisfactory day. My husband even installed a new firewall on my computer and cleaned up some files and got everything running really well while I was making dinner, and then he cleaned up the dishes for me. He's pretty useful. Think I'll keep him.

Of Parades, Homemade Pizza, and Yet More Laundry

Today was the Red Ribbon Parade in Moore. This is an annual event to show support for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. The kids make floats and so do many community agencies and businesses. It is a large, community wide event that snakes through "Old Town" Moore to the high school.
Bear and I walked again this year, once again helping Julie and her Corgi, Molly, carry the banner.
Molly got too tired partway through and rode the last bit in the van, but Bear was rarin' to go the whole time, and making friends all along the route. He seems to enjoy seeing all the kids and getting petted and talked to.
The commentators as usual made fun of poor Molly. She's a Corgi, so she's short. They also made fun of our purple banner, t-shirts, and van. They said something like "Your Pioneer Library System, connecting you to the joy of reading and lifelong learning.... and they REALLY like purple!"
I guess it is kind of corny, but the parade is one of our town's oldest and happiest traditions. It is how we know for sure when the first really cold morning will be. They usually happen on or near Red Ribbon Saturday. It is a chance for all the kids in the area to be in a parade or see a parade. They don't do one at holiday time because so many other towns do, and this one is all about the kids. The participants hand out candy, so many kids go to the parade instead of trick or treating on Halloween. (They probably get more candy, if they are in the right part of the parade route.) It is always heartwarming to hear how many of the people cheer for the library. They are so happy to see us coming up the street, they like the dogs, of course, they all giggle at "Jessica" our mascot riding in the convertible, and of course the big purple van that brings the delivery of books and other materials to each library daily. (So, if you ordered a book from another branch, that van brings it, and the kids know that.) It helps that our Friends of the Library group is so generous with the candy every year. The Friends ladies are very popular with crowds along the way. We are also one place in town that almost everybody has been, and they really enjoy seeing us in the parade.

We are having homemade pizza today. The dough is in the refrigerator. I still have to make the sauce. I decided it would be a good thing to do since I have pepperoni and cheese that need to be used. I really like pizza from an Italian restaurant better, but I don't feel like going out after walking (quite literally) all over town this morning.
I use a pizza recipe from the Betty Crocker Italian Cookbook. (I know, Betty Crocker isn't exactly an Italian household name, but the cookbook was written by Anthony Cecceoni, so the recipes are actually Italian. ) The pizza usually comes out pretty good, and we always have plenty leftover to freeze for lunches or snacks.


The laundry once again awaits. It is Saturday, so the laundry must be done. The sorting is the hardest part. Once I get that over with, the rest of it comes along in smaller, more easily digested chunks of work. Alas, getting started sorting is the hardest part. I think after the pizza is made and consumed I will get to the laundry.

I just found out there is a new Mitford novel out. Guess I better get to BOMC web site and order it. Those I collect. Most of my other series novels I have started just getting from the library due to space concerns, but I re-read the Mitford books from time to time, so I like to have my own copies. I also have all the Harry Potter books. There shouldn't be any more of those to worry about finding space for.

This has been a pleasant way to spend time while the pizza dough rests and rises again, but I think I am out of things to write and out of time.

Lapses Happen

As with all my journals, this one has suffered its first lapse. I grant you, it is only one day, but that is usually how the downhill slide starts. One little thing at a time, and before you know it, the new behavior is history. Much like diet and exercise programs.

So much I could write about, let's see...
I got my flu shot this morning at the drive through clinic hosted by the local humongous Baptist Church. The health department runs the flu shot program, the church just supplies space and some volunteers. The city has supplied a couple of traffic officers to help keep people lined up correctly on the approach to the church. (Otherwise we'd have folks trying to cut the line without realizing exactly how many people they are cutting off. You can't see the whole line if you come eastbound on 27th. The line starts almost back at Eastern and goes west.)

Another thing I could write about is the fact that we are awaiting the delivery of some audio recording equipment so that we can make CDs of our singing for family who have requested them. It will definitely be a learning process. I hope that Matt doesn't get too carried away as time goes on and buy too many extras that we don't really need. Like all of us with our hobbies, he tends to do that. I am sure the delivery will come when no one is home, and Matt will have to drive out somewhere to pick it up. (He seems convinced that they will leave it on the porch, and I rather hope not, as it will be a large box, and it may be more than the local teens could resist.)
Most kids around here are really good kids, but there are a few I wonder about.

Choir rehearsal was last night, and he started us off with pieces that had some rather high notes for unwarmed up sopranos. Needless to say, we were all a bit flat and strangled sounding for awhile. (He really should have been expecting that!) I think he thinks we all warm up before we get there, but that almost never happens. Trying to get home from work, get dinner taken care of, the cleanup done, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time for warming up the voice before peeling out the door to get to choir on time.

Tonight it is my turn to work the 1-9 shift. I get to help close the library. Thursdays are always a joy that way. Oh, well, here's hoping everybody has somewhere else to be so they won't be hanging around the library right around 9pm. It can be very hard to get rid of them so we can go home. It is a long day for many of us, and I guess people just don't think about it. They've been home, so they don't think about those of us who would like to get home so we can relax a bit.
Guess I better go pack my lunch bag so I'll have something to eat this afternoon.

A Blank Page is a Blank Page

Even if it is electronic and on a computer screen, a blank page remains the intimidating large expanse of emptiness.
One sits down with all sorts of ideas about what one MIGHT write, and they are all scared away by the large, imposing blankness.
My grand ideas flee away at the first sight of the white (or whatever color) paper or screen before me. I will sit down with a good intent and a purpose, and the blankness transfers from the page or screen to my brain. All I had thought of is gone. Chased away, absorbed, erased, I don't know, but gone, for sure.
Tonight I am so weary I can hardly think at all, let alone think STRAIGHT.
I don't know why I should be so weary. My legs ache and I feel sleepy all the time. I did stand a lot at work today, but I always do. I didn't do any extra exercise or anything that would tire me out. Hope I am not coming down with the bug du jour from the library.
Little children are often quite generous with their germs. They sneeze on us, the books, our computers and anything else they get close to.
The grownups aren't a whole lot better. The bring a stack of books to the desk explaining that they are late and they want to pay the fines. "Oh, I was so sick, I just didn't want to go anywhere, even here to drop off my books. " Thanks so much, I think as I grab the disinfectant wipes to clean off the books. Is it any wonder we library employees are among the first in line every year when the county starts giving flu shots? Is it any wonder we go through so many packages of wipes and hand sanitizer every year? Don't forget all the antibacterial hand soap for the bathrooms.
On a totally different, completely off the wall topic, how can we convince Mike Rowe that the library is just full of dirty jobs? Gee, I guess we could let him clean out the outside book drop, or follow our building custodian around. The sheer, subtle volume of human grime does get to you after awhile, though. The books can be quite dirty. That is one reason we clean them from time to time. The children's books especially. (Come on, you know you let the books get on the floor of the car with heaven only knows what else. Everybody has done it at least once.)
Sorting through the damaged materials with my boss is a dirty job. Literally and figuratively. She has to call the person whose book has come back covered in some substance we charitably decide must be lemon Kool-Aid. The book is no longer fit to circulate, and so the patron must be charged for the book which was damaged while they were responsible for it. This can get dirty, because people like to get a bit self righteous about how they treat books. (Usually their kids are in the background saying things like "That's the book Billy fished out of the toilet." or "That's the book Timmy spilled his Kool-Aid on.") Rule number one: If you are going to fib on the phone to a library employee, don't have your young children nearby. They know all, and they share all.
Maybe Mike Rowe could follow our building maintenance guys around. They have to maintain all the city's buildings, and so they are a couple of really busy guys. Quite often dirty guys, too.
The real reason I'd like to get Mike Rowe to the library is that maybe I could get him to sing some opera. I know a few arias myself, and the staff like music. Some of the other ladies would just like him around to improve the scenery. Maybe we should suggest it to him. You never know, they might bite.

Time Flies

I registered on the website for my high school graduating class' 30th reunion today.
Boy, that just doesn't seem possible. How could it have been 30 years already?
Maybe I don't notice the time passing so much because I don't have kids of my own, but geez, that just can't be right. 30 years.
That makes me, um, middle aged.
(If I live to be over 90.)
There is a page at the site that lists classmates who are no longer with us. One of them is a guy I sat next to in alphabetical order since 8th grade. I sat next to him at eighth grade graduation, and again at high school graduation, and in many homeroom classes besides. It is very strange to think that he isn't out there still, waiting to get stuck with me in alphabetical order again. (Wouldn't happen now anyway, I've been married into a different part of the alphabet for 23 years now.)

I guess when you haven't seen people for years, you tend to think of them as being the same as the last time you saw them. So, all my friends from high school who haven't stayed in touch are still about 18 in my mind. Similarly, my students from my one full time class are still about 8 to me, even though I know they are in their 30s now, just like my nieces who were born the same year they were. I haven't seen them, so, they are still kids in my memory.
I wonder how many people still think of me as a much younger version of myself? I doubt my siblings do, really, but most of them haven't seen me lately, and they always kind of treated me like I was still a little kid even after I became an adult. Most of the people who were already adults when I was little are probably either not around anymore or can't remember that far back. Thank God my Mom is still around. She remembers, and she treats me like I'm a grown up. She knows me too well. We are much alike in many ways. I inherited many of my phobias from her, but I have my Pop's tendency to blow up and get stuff out of my system instead of holding onto it forever like Mom tends to.
Still, I just can't believe it has been so long since high school. Some days that feels like it happened to someone else, other days I feel like I'll wake up and have to head for my morning Art class again. (Hello Mr. Boyer, wherever you are! To this day I think of rubber cement as Elephant Snot because of you, and now there is a class full of kids who were mine in second grade who call it that, too.)
Time to climb back out of the nostalgia machine and get back to the 21st century, I guess.

Evensong

The day is fading in the West
Our weary souls and bodies wait for rest
But to Your house, O Lord we come
To raise our voices in Evensong.
We sing Magnifcat, and Nunc Dimittis
And O Gracious Light
To ask that you, Lord, remain with us
Through the darkness of the night.

We did indeed go to Evensong this evening, and sang in the choir. We had guest musicians, a trumpet player and an organist, both professors at a local university. The music was lovely.
Afterwards, a few of us choristers had an impromptu birthday party for one of our own in the parking lot. A man walked up (we are in the middle of downtown after all,) and asked for phone call money to call his sister to get some gas 'cause he ran out. We looked at him and decided he probably wasn't going to use it for booze or drugs, so we gave him some of the cider we were drinking, some birthday cake, AND phone call change, plus a few bucks in case his sister couldn't bail him out with gas. Hey, it was a Church parking lot, after all, and we are His representatives, like it or not. This sort of thing happens a lot in Oklahoma. People help each other out. If the person looks too obviously in need of love that does not involve cash to support a destructive habit, we can hook them up with St. George's Guild, which will see to their material needs and help them get help for their bigger problems, too. Nearly all folks in Oklahoma will do that. Most go to church, and know where to refer people for help if they fear cash gifts would only make the situation worse instead of really helping. Of course, you kind of have to have a radar for dangerous people. You don't want to get involved in a situation that could endanger yourself or others. Most folks around Oklahoma, at least in my experience, have been pretty tame, and usually just like this guy, they ran up against an unlucky circumstance, like they ran out of gas or something.
In other happenings, the weather is cooling off again. A brisk wind is blowing out of the North, bringing cooler temperatures, and granting us a chance to open the windows and air the place out.
My brother was on TV last week. (Well, PBS Wired Science). I just found out when he emailed me tonight. I got to watch it online. Pretty cool. He still looks good. Haven't seen him in a long time. (That happens when your family is all over the country. I keep telling my family that I am centrally located here in Oklahoma, and they can always come by on their way someplace else. It has been way too long since I have seen them all.) This is the brother that I tell people is MY big brother and nobody else's. He is, after all. He was the baby for 12 years and then I came along. He's a pretty cool big brother. Even if we did fight a lot when I was little and he was home from college. He taught me how to identify tools, and read the numbers on sockets and wrenches. I could tell a crescent wrench from an adjustable from a "dog bone" from an early age. And I could be counted on to find the right size, because my sister taught me to read before I was 3. I could also identify many parts of an engine that other girls didn't know anything about because Walt let me "help" him when he worked on cars, and he patiently answered a lot of silly questions. (Pop did, too, but I remember pestering Walt the most.)
Well, that's about enough out of me tonight. Voice lesson tomorrow!

Laundry and Other Weekend Chores

Today has been laundry day, as my Saturdays all too often are lately. I don't mind too much because I have a nice washer and dryer right here in my house. Whenever I am tempted to feel grumpy about having to get up and run deal with another load of laundry, I remind myself of what a drag it was (literally and figuratively) to have to go to the laundromat. I only had to do that for a little while, when we were in Germany because the part for the washer we had was being sent from Stuttgart, and it took its sweet time getting to the greater Frankfurt area.
My current washer and dryer were also made in Stuttgart, by the same company, but are sold in this country by Sears. I love my front load washer and the large capacity dryer. They use less water and less energy than my old machines, and yes, they are very conveniently located in my laundry room down the hall from the bedroom.
This was also lawn mowing day. This chore has usually been mine instead of my husband's because for a lot of our marriage, he just plain wasn't home. (Do you speak Air Force? Can you say TDY? ) He'd be home long enough to wash all his clothes and be gone again. (Cargo haulers have such a glamorous life!) So, yours truly became the lawn and yard care crew. I can clip hedges and mulch lawns with the best of them. These days, Matt will help with the edging and etc, but I'd rather keep him away from the dust and pollen. His allergies are so bad that he won't be able to sing on Sunday if he works in the yard too much on Saturday.
Anyway, all that is to get me to this point. I have been incredibly dense where my convertible lawnmower is concerned. All the years we've had it, I haven't liked using the bagging mode (necessary in Fall for leaf control) because you have to dump the bag out through the same place it goes into the mower (Or so I thought) and it takes forever because it clogs up. Well, today by chance I noticed that the back (read large) end of the bag opens for emptying. Gee, that sure is easier to deal with! How come I never noticed this before, and how come I don't remember seeing anything about that in the manual? (I ALWAYS read manuals for machinery and appliances. Life is much easier when you know the directions.)
We also washed both cars today. They really needed it. They are supposed to be white, but they had become that shade I can only describe as "Oklahoma Beige". It is what happens when a fine layer of red Oklahoma dust is deposited on a white surface. I always think of my Focus station wagon as a small car until I have to wash it. It is so much taller than our Escort wagon was. I have to stand on a stool to wash the top.
At least now it and the Taurus are white again, and I don't need to be afraid to get too close to the car when wearing my good clothes.
At any rate, my dryer is imperiously requesting my presence in the laundry room, so I guess that will be all for today.

Endings and Beginnings

This month I have sung at two funerals. Both times as part of a choir. These two services were very different, but both were very emotional. The first was the funeral of the son of a friend. This young man was the victim of a random, senseless accident. This was a shocking and very painful death. Yet the service was uplifting, an affirmation of his life and an acknowledgement of his family's pain.
The second was for the 90 year old father of a friend. This was a peaceful end, more or less expected, but still not welcome for those who love him. The part of the service we sang for was at the graveside, and what a peaceful and beautiful place and day for it. This was a sad farewell, but not a wrenching one.
These endings are also new beginnings for both families. They have to get used to life now without their loved ones being around. They have gone for their rest, and we believe we will see them by and by when we go to ours, and that we will all have new life one day.
This time of year is also a time of endings and beginnings. All of nature is winding down, waiting for its winter nap, and the new life to come in spring.
At work, we have people leaving, people changing jobs, and new hires coming in.
In my music studies, I have finished the recital pieces, time to move on to new things and maybe some Christmas things in preparation for the next recital.
Our newspaper carrier is quitting after years of loyal and dependable service. Next month a new carrier starts. One wonders if the newspaper will indeed be waiting every day as it has been for so many years.
I guess this all boils down to life being about change. In case you haven't noticed, to live means to change, grow, evolve, become something new, learn something new or die. Even in death, many of us believe that we go on to a new life, to learn even more new things. If we know that life means things change, why then do we resist change so much? We all long for the days of childhood, when our routines seemed written in stone, we KNEW what would happen and when, and there were few if any major bumps in our roads. (At least my childhood was pretty much that way, your mileage will surely vary.)
When we get used to a certain situation, way of doing things, group of people, place, we don't want things to change. We are comfortable. We don't want the discomfort of change.
Yet we often find that the changed situation is better, more interesting, easier to deal with, than the one we clung to so desperately.
I find myself to be resistant to change, but to go with the flow when I must. I am used to it at work, the library world changes constantly. Procedures, shelving locations, call formats, all these change all the time. My personal world, though, I like to have the same because it makes me feel in control of something. This is an illusion, and deep down I know it, but it's my illusion, and I want to keep it.
Just my random thoughts on change.

When Will Fall Fall?

That is the question around here these days. The days are getting shorter, but not a whole lot cooler. Fall is usually the most pleasant time in Oklahoma. The air is crisp, but not freezing, the skies are usually very blue, and the leaves on the trees start to turn colors and fall.
The weather people are forecasting cooler temperatures soon, but it still feels too warm out to me.
I haven't had to put the blanket on the bed yet, the quilt is still enough. (By winter, I will have flannel sheets, a blanket, a heated mattress pad, and the quilt on the bed. We turn the heat down at night to save energy.)
I have always enjoyed the Autumn season. Autumn colors look good on me and make me feel good. I use a lot of those sorts of colors around the house. Unfortunately, I like to cook a lot in the Fall, and I don't need the calories. There are so many dishes that I get inspired to try this time of year. Casseroles and stews, soups, breads, things to make you warm and comfortable.

The sad part of Autumn is putting the garden to bed for its winter sleep. Having to say goodbye for now to the roses and mums, and hope the winter freezes don't kill all the herbs. (If I can get the pots they are in to a sheltered spot and remember to keep them watered, they'll be all right.)
This is also the time to start holiday preparations. In my case, that means rehearsing Christmas music. I also ought to make something for gift giving , but I have about used up my repertoire of easy projects that make acceptable small gifts.
Ah, well. Something will come to me, I'm sure.
This was my night to work closing shift at the library, so I am rather worn out at this point. We got a lot accomplished, but I am still weary from it.

Thoughts on a stormy Wednesday

This is my first attempt at blogging. I have been around computers and the Internet since about 1993. It has all grown and changed so quickly that it makes me feel my age. (My web page, which URL shall remain obscure for now, is more than 10 years out of date. )
I do, in fact, sing. I am a lyric soprano, which means I sing a lot of operatic arias written for characters whose names end in -ina. (Zerlina, Serpina, etc.) I have recently sung Dove Sono from Marriage of Figaro. That is the Contessa's big aria. I am surprised I survived. It is a real workout for someone who sings as a hobby instead of a profession or sacred calling.
My sacred calling used to be elementary education, but it is now library customer service. (My credential expired and it was cheaper to go to work at the library than to try and renew an old California credential in Oklahoma. Besides, the library is lots less stress and probably pays better by the hour when you count all the extra work teachers do.)
I enjoy working in the library. Our customers are priceless. Since Moore is really a small town masquerading as a big suburb, we get to know quite a few of our customers. We find ourselves worrying about the older ones if we go awhile without seeing them, we marvel at how fast every body's kids are growing up, and we sympathize with every body's troubles.
I also enjoy the fact that our system gives us discretion to waive fines for those customers who have had a serious family situation arise. It is very gratifying to be able to lift at least the small burden of library fines for folks who have bigger worries on their minds.
I was hoping to think of something witty to say today, but the weather (dreary, stormy) has sapped my creative energy. I also seem to have a headache for some reason, most likely my sinuses. (Why do singers always have allergies and lousy sinuses? Every singer I know (in Oklahoma, anyway) has allergy/sinus trouble.)
So, anyway, here I am getting my feet wet in the blog world. I hope the quality improves as time goes by. Often I am all written out because I also keep pen and ink journals and poetry workbooks. Those are sadly neglected lately, alas.