Things that happened on Tuesday

For having nothing on my calendar today I was overwhelming overwhelmed

Grant writing means I have to keep my calculator handy
Phone calls - line up, convince, confirm,
instant messaging
ACHHH that dumb bill I've been waiting for came back and hasn't been changed one bit. Am I going to have to get irritated about this?
City council meeting where I learn about railroad extensions, sewer projects, hospital aquisitions, and I try to stay awake through it all.
"Sue, yes or no?" I have to say no. It's easier to say yes later when I find out what the question is.
Wow, look at all these books in J that could be YA. We shall move them....Today?
Someone goes home sick. I will have to stay late....at least I'm willing to if I need to.
A trip to Walmart for pictures. I hate Walmart for pictures. What am I talking about, I hate Walmart for most everything. I feel like I am compromising my basic American values by shopping here.
Oh, look they have peanuts. There go my values again.
emails, mail, a beauty of a day, lunch at my desk, time to wait on people and even answer some questions.

Lens

I just got a new camera lens. It's a Tamron, 10-24 mm wide angle lens. If you look at the picture of the courthouse in my header at the top of the blog, you can really see how this thing works. that snowy, courthouse picture was taken with my 18-250 mm lens and I was standing across the street to get the shot. With these middle three pictures I'm practically standing next to the courthouse, yet I can get the whole building in the shot. The first picture of the Dutch front I shot downtown and I'm right underneath the building, yet I can get the whole view in the frame. I am excited about using this lens when I take my trip to Europe with Amy in a few weeks. We will be no doubt be slowed down because Sue is forever taking shots and changing lenses. Well, we'll see anyway.

No regrets

My cousin Carolyn died the day before Easter.
Growing up we were close. You know, sharing secrets as girls, staying overnight with each other, ignoring the boys together....After we were married our lives went in very different directions and I rarely saw her, I met her children only when they were quite little. She developed lung cancer and fought it for five years. But then in January the diagnosis was grim. So it was my brother Tom who called after we'd heard that news, and said, Let's go. We need to visit her. I responded by saying, 'well, I was thinking of sending her a card'. But I knew he was right, so we went together. I'm so glad I did. I would have been so mad at myself if I hadn't made the time to connect with her again. Sorrow and sadness and hard moments can be so important. I wouldn't have wanted anything less. I so appreciate my brother taking the time to do this....
No regrets this time.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Two new kites for these boys for Easter! But appearances are deceiving, they didn't really get them in the air at all! Ok, well, the Lady Bug kite got up just high enough for me to snap a quick picture and for it to look like it might turn into a real "Charlie Brown" kite. Otherwise, the boys managed to get lots of energy out by running around quite a bit. You have to admit, that was the best part! I'm sure they'll pester their dad to try them out again!

Heartland Stragegy

We learned a new game last night. Six of us got together for pizza and this game that seems is sweeping through town. (We're a bit behind I think) The board is octogon shaped and homemade. 4-6 players, a deck of cards and 5 colored pegs apiece. We played as two teams-men v. women. It was a game of strategy and some luck and pretty easy to learn. But I guess I rediscovered that I am just too competitive for my own good. I don't win or lose very graciously. I pout when things don't go my way. I gloat too much when I win. I found out, too that it's far better to just concentrate on helping your partners and not on destroying your opponents, or getting even as the case was for me. You can too easily forget about strategy by seeking revenge instead of the best way to just win by playing a good game.
I don't know, I think our friends will think twice about playing competitve games with us again! That was something learned early by friends in Prairie du Chien, and by our daughters in law who have asked that competitive games be banned during family gatherings. Bother.

A Spring Snow

So this time we couldn't dodge the bullet. Sunday was a snow day. BUT! We didn't get as much as the weatherman was predicting, thank heaven. It was only a very wet and heavy 4 inches of snow instead of 12 or 15. Despite the fact that no one but one unnamed friend wanted this stuff, here it is anyway. Just looking at it, without the spring thing in the back of your mind, it is actually quite pretty. Maybe that's the way we should head into everything that comes our way-just taking it for what it is knowing that 'this too shall pass'. (And as of this writing, 3 days after the storm, there's nothing left of the snow to speak of. The birds certainly don't seem to remember it! Hurry up Spring, I say.)

The Dress Barn

Now here's a place I don't head to too often.... the Dress Barn. But on Friday, I went voluntarily hunting for, well, a skirt. I surprised even myself. When I was a girl, we always went dress shopping about this time of year, and even after I got married I would perhaps yearly go find a new dress. As the years have gone by dresses and skirts have been less and less appealing to me. So the store, The Dress Barn, held a lot less appeal then say, Best Buy or Bed Bath and Beyond or something like that. Actually I had been in the Dress Barn a couple of times because I have a daughter in law who really likes the place and I just like hanging out with her...so at least I have experience!
Generally I tell people that if they see me in a skirt or a dress they can ask me, 'Who's funeral?' So what's with the exception now? I'm taking a big overseas trip next month with my daughter and I thought this might be one way to look a little less 'American.' (and I heard that to get into some of the cathedrals etc it's more cusomary to wear a skirt...)Probably all it will succeed in doing is to make me look a little less like me. You know, the jeans and t-shirt wearing girl. It probably won't get me to wear toenail polish with my sandals or much make up for that matter, but I'll play it by ear! I'd rather get that new wide angle tamron lense for my camera than a skirt but it's too late now. And the Dress Barn? Well, there were definitely lots of dresses and skirts. I kept saying, 'Are these really in style? Is this really what people are wearing?' Sheesh. I have to get out more.