cake time

the result of letting a four year old name his pet frogs

Because everyone needs a name, we let our new pet owner name his two frogs and snail. There were a couple of suggestions: Ernie and Bert with the snail being named Big Bird or Cookie Monster, since he eats stuff of the side of the aquarium.
After a brief bout of silliness, the following names were birthed:
Calliecalla, Noble, and NorgenNorgen (which is my favorite because it sounds like something the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show would say).

now we are four

Here's what my twelve-hours-away-from-being-four year old wanted for his birthday:

• a watch
• a jack in the box, and
• a box of tiger cereal (Frosted Flakes)

When I was at the place that had the jack in the boxes, I noticed they had clear plastic water-filled cubes with two little frogs in each one. The salesman said that along with the snail and the bamboo stalk, the cubes were a self sustaining ecosystem.

"Well by golly," I remembered that he had been crying about wanting a pet recently. And this is so much more boyish than a beta fish (the only "pet" I would have been open to getting him, despite the fact that I seem to have a knack for killing them).

SOLD!

freecycle

I don't really call myself "green", however in the 70's I was impacted by Keep America Beautiful's commercial with Iron Eyes Cody (who interestingly enough was of Sicilian ancestry). Littering is sheer stupidity, and if we can reuse something, then by all means, let's do. I believe that most all of these little "recycle crafts" that kids do will just delay things going into a landfill, but I digress.

The point of this blog entry (yes, there is one) is to spread the word about a program my sister told me about a couple of years ago: FreeCycle. It is set up as a regional online group. You join, you give things away all for free. The plus side is that you get crap out of your house, you don't have to go through the "yard sale ordeal", and someone who really needs/wants the item is getting it. Negatives are that you don't get any tax write off, you don't get to go buy "more crap" with the money you made from a yard sale, and there is a chance (if you give your address out) you may run into a wacko.

I recently rejoined so that I can ask for fabric remnants. I am hoping someone will be cleaning out their grandmother's sewing room and will have some vintage stuff for me to score squeal over and use.

neat-oh

Today was the day in which my spirits were brightened by a visit from one of my favorite people and her husband. He had biznuss to attend to and she and I got to spend the whole morning together. We shared stories and laughed and cried and laughed some more. We rode around the area and admired some pretty, old homes and laughed at the new, overpriced monstrosities.

True story: that sweet girl, she was cleaning out her jewelry box and said this reminded her of me. Now, it will remind me of her.

absoluely unworthy

It all started when I decided to go ahead and go to the girls' night out with several friends celebrating those who had August birthdays. I left the house at the time we were supposed to meet at the restaurant.
Passing by a neighborhood on the way, I noticed that there was a man on the sidewalk who had fallen out of his electric wheelchair and his daughters (?) about ages 9 and 12 were standing there watching traffic drive by.

I drove by too.

"I wouldn't be of much help."
guilt pang
"Someone will stop."
guilt pang
"I'm sort of late already."
guilt pang
"Surely someone else will stop."
guilt pang

I looked in rear view mirror, all the cars which were behind me before we all saw the man were still behind me. None of them stopped.

I turned the car around.
As I got out of my car ONE other driver (ps- high traffic volume) had stopped.

This man is paralyzed from the waist down, the wheel of his chair had gone off the the sidewalk and overturned the wheelchair. Seemingly embarrassed and not accustomed to asking strangers for help, he is struggling with his upper body to get into his wheelchair. The other driver who stopped doesn't know what to do but is trying to help him up.

Another car stops. A black woman gets out and walks up and calmly but with confidence in her voice tells the paralyzed man to "stop and sit back down on the sidewalk."
"You are going to tire yourself." she adds.
"Are you a nurse?" the daughters ask.
"Yes." she says plainly and calmly.
"Thank you, Jesus." they pray.

"Listen carefully, this man and I are going to lift you by your arms and the back of your belt. You remain still. We will get you back in the chair." Then she quickly and succinctly tells the other driver exactly how to lift. I "steadied the chair" and was going through a mental asskickin' for not stopping right away.

Wham! Bam! And the paralyzed man is back in his wheelchair. The nurse helps him scoot back, asks if he is ok, and starts heading back to her car.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," the girls gushed to the three of us.

I felt unworthy of their thanks and said, "I did nothing."

"Yes, but you stopped," the older of the two said.

guilt pang

beginnings

Number 4 and 5 head to "cool".

A fun day was had by all.