Ahoy Matey...

 You probably know that today is "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" but did you know that it's also "Meow Like a Pirate Day?" At least that what my west coast brother, who has a very precocious cat, tells me.

On this very special day, which my son has celebrated for years, it would not have surprised me to hear people saying things like "Aaarrrgh," "Ahoy Matey," "Avast," "Aye, aye Cap'n" or "Land ho!" It would have surprised me to hear a cat say "Mearrrgh."  I would have been even more surprised if the cat had a peg leg or walked with a swagger.  

One of my favorite NYT puzzles, called "Strands" even had a piratical theme today with the title "Shiver me Timbers!"

Now I know that "Shiver me timbers." is something pirates are supposed to say but, beyond that, I really don't know what it means unless they are talking about a Quaking Aspen, which is a beautiful tree whose leaves shiver in the slightest breeze.  

So, of course, I did a little research.  It is an expression that was used by pirates and other sailors in olden times to express extreme fear, shock or surprise.  It means "I'm so scared my legs are shaking."   

It really can happen.  This has nothing to do with being a pirate but I have experienced the shaking legs.  When I was a sophomore in high school we were required, in history class, to recite Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.  Now I went to Lutheran elementary school for nine years, if you count kindergarten, so I was no stranger to memorization.  I had been memorizing hymns and Bible passages and taking my turn reciting them in front of the class for years, but for some reason, when I had to speak into a microphone (our teacher was recording us) I absolutely panicked.  I made it through the recitation but my legs really were shaking.  It was so obvious to everyone that a friend reminded me of the incident at a class reunion 15 years later. "You were so scared your legs were shaking." were his exact words, said with a laugh of course.

Maybe you've had a similar experience with shivery timbers.  If so you have my deepest sympathy.  

Shoe therapy...

 Those of you who are of the feminine persuasion will understand when I say that sometimes a woman needs to go shoe shopping.  It is, without a doubt a theraputic experience.

I had decided, a few days ago, that, before we go on our southwest driving adventure in four weeks, I really needed to buy a new pair of good, sturdy walking shoes.  My old gym shoes have served me faithfully through Egypt, Alaska, South America and quite a bit of Europe, but they are wearing out.

I knew it was a sign that the time had come when I heard an ad on the radio this morning announcing the retirement/closing sale of my favorite Fort Wayne shoe store - Robert's.  If you've ever lived in Fort Wayne you've probably bought shoes at Robert's. They will be closing at the end of October and I have no idea where I'll go shoe shopping after they close.  This is no joke.  I wear a women's size 11 narrow which is not an easy size to find (although it is getting easier as young women are growing taller).  

My spouse agreed to come with me to do some shoe shopping.  They were having a good sale and we each bought two pairs of shoes.  His were two pairs of SAS sandals.  I bought one fall colored pair of Easy Spirits, my favorite shoes, and a second pair of Drews. I have never bought that brand before but the box said they have been in business since 1875 so I figured they are probably ok.  The Drews I bought were the walking shoes I was looking for with a fun twist. 

This is a picture of one of the shoes.  I think you will agree it's a fairly typical looking gym shoe.

What really sold me on these shoes was this special feature.  Once you have the shoes tied comfortably you never need to bother tying them again.  There is a zipper on each side of each shoe.  Just unzip, slip them on and zip them up.  Isn't that nifty?  Even on my sleepiest mornings I should be able to manage that.  

Forgive me if this blog seems to much like a commercial, but I really am excited about these shoes, like a kid at Christmas excited, and I just had to share.  

a funny little mystery

 As I've mentioned in a few blogs recently, I have spent a lot of time, off and on, in the last few weeks, putting pictures rescued from our water disaster into simple 'albums' - basically plastic pages in a three ring binder.  I now have saved, in addition to my spouse's and my wedding albums, a lovely fat notebook 'album' full of family pictures ranging from my father's youth to my grandchildren's wedding pictures.

I also have a section devoted to mutual friends that my spouse and I have known since college.  Among a bunch of these pictures that I had in a box (they had never made it into an album) I came across two pictures of my cat Athena.  On the back of each picture was neatly written "Athena's visit, 9/03." Not in my handwriting.  

The cat pictured was indeed my Athena but the house she is visiting is the house my wonder spouse and his first wife (one of my best friends) owned in 2003.  I do not know why Athena was visiting them.  When my first husband and I travelled (in 2003 we may have been going to Arizona or Kansas to visit baby grandchildren) we had a very competent teenage next door neighbor who was happy to take care of our cat while we were gone (for a reasonable fee of course).  

So why the visit from Athena captured in these pictures?  I just don't know.  

But she was obviously having a good time.

Play time!!!

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "World Playdough Day" and "National Guacamole Day."  We both agreed that preschoolers would probably rather eat the Playdough. 

Playdough, also known as Play-Doh was originally invented as a cleaner to safely remove coal dust from wall paper. That was in the 1930s.  In the 50s it was reworked and introduced to schools as an educational tool.  By 1956 it was available to anyone to purchase in various department stores, in boxed sets of various colors.

That's a quick history.  I never used Play Doh in the classroom when I was teaching art in the 60s but my children and grandchildren have all enjoyed creating with it.  Snakes are a popular item, also small pots and animals.  It's a very satisfying material.  It feels good to work with, it comes in pretty colors, and, when you've created something that you want to keep, it will dry and harden and you have saved your art work.  This is it's advantage over modeling clay.  

Of course this ability to dry out can also be a disadvantage.  Be careful that, when you put your Play Doh away, you put the lid on the containers very tightly.  Of course, if you accidentally end up with a hard lump of Play Doh, you can always try carving it.  Or you could crumble it with a hammer (under adult supervision of course) and use the bits to make a mosaic.  If thinking about this makes you want to rush out and buy some Play Doh, do it!  Have fun and get creative!

more traveling...

 Yesterday I blogged about the trip my spouse and I are planning to take in October and November to historic places in the US southwest.  Today my wonder spouse and I took a different kind of trip - back in time.

I'm happy to report that crops growing in the "Great Black Swamp" area that I blogged about several days ago are flourishing.  The field corn is tall and the stalks are turning yellow, almost ready to harvest.  The soybean plants are drying and about ready to pick. We were able to buy tomatoes and an onion (locally grown) at our favorite produce market and bread, pumpkin bread and apple bread at our favorite bakery. 

What makes this a trip back in time is that all of this is happening in the heart of Amish country northeast of Fort Wayne.  What we see, as we drive from place to place, are horses grazing in pastures, and at one farm, six horses hitched to a wide plow and turning up the good black earth in an already harvested field.  And all of this happens in vast expanses of flat, flat land, the remnants of the footprint of a glacier from thousands of years ago.  

With just a little imagination, it's easy to picture this land as it was 250 years ago - swampy and covered with trees.  Early canals and trains opened this area to settlement by farmers who obviously made the most of the opportunity.  I do not mean to belittle the impact on Native Americans in this area but that's an earlier story for another blog.

Today we simply enjoyed the feeling of driving through history. 

ready to roam...

 Over the last couple of months my friends have been asking me where my wandering wonder spouse and I are planning to go next.  It's a fair question.  During the three years that we have been together we have travelled as far as Michigan, Canada, Alaska, the north western United States, the Caribbean, several countries in South America, Egypt and Japan.  

So, where to next?  We have just begun planning a driving trip through the southwestern United States.  My spouse and I, separately and together have visited most of the southwest, we have even, when my wonder spouse was still piloting his own plane, flown the length of the Grand Canyon, a truly amazing sight from the air.

But now I am ready to revisit places I have marveled at and long to see again.  Places like Mesa Verde, Casa Rinconada, Carlesbad Caverns, the Colorado Rockies, and so much more.  We will not, like some hapless tourists, stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon taking selfies.  Did you know that 12-17 people die in Grand Canyon National Park each year with falling being one of the leading causes of death?

We will of course be taking lots of pictures, we always do.  Cell phones have replaced our cameras for the most part.  Isn't that handy?  I can take pictures and blog through the entire trip.  That isn't always possible when we are overseas.  We will also visit friends and family along the way.  Travel time will be three to four weeks, departure date tentatively set for October 14.  

Here's our first draft trip map.  Our trusty Subaru will carry us through deserts, over mountains and across some really big bridges. Happy trails to us....

9x13 day...

 My west coast brother, wanting to be very helpful, informed me that today is "9x13 Day," "National Grandparents Day," "International Chocolate Day" and "Bald is Beautiful Day."  I appreciate a day for grandparents since I am one, and chocolate is worth celebrating any time, but 9x13 and bald have special significance for me today.  

55 years ago today I gave birth to my first child, a healthy, beautiful baby boy, so obviously the numbers 9 and 13 are very important to me. 55 years later he is bald but still beautiful (or handsome if you prefer).

But a little more checking told me that the 9x13 being celebrated actually refers to those incredibly useful 9"x13" baking pans that we all know and love. I personally use that size pan for my famous sweet potato casserole, brownies and birthday cakes of all flavors.  

When my son was one year old I used a 9x13 pan to bake a chocolate cake for him.  It was his first taste of chocolate and he loved it.  Sadly, not having a cell phone handy back then, and being too busy cleaning up the mess, I did not get a chocolate covered picture of him.  

Here he is, all cleaned up, at one year old.  Happy, happy birthday darling son.  You have been a blessing and a joy to me all these years.