Getting ready...

Woops, it looks like I forgot to blog yesterday.  In my defense I have a nasty summer cold so I'm not thinking too clearly.  But on to happier things. 

My spouse and I have been watching the FIFA soccer games on TV and enjoying them very much but this evening we will be going to a real live soccer game at the newly completed soccer stadium here in Fort Wayne.  Happily the smoke that was in the air yesterday from the Canadian wild fires has drifted away and it looks like we will have clear skies for the game.  It always helps, when watching soccer, if you can actually see the ball.

This evening the FWFC (Fort Wayne Football Club) will be playing the Greenville Triumph from South Carolina.  I have a feeling that this game may not be quite as intense as a FIFA game, but we shall see.

But I'm laughing at myself this morning because getting ready for this expedition is beginning to feel like packing for one of our trips. 

First of all we have discovered that there are rules to be followed. 

1. Any bags brought in must be clear plastic.

        Not a problem, I'll wear my 'vest of many pockets' and not carry         a bag.

2.  We cannot bring seats of the type that are often used to soften sitting on bleachers. 

    However, it is ok to bring blankets.  Since the temperature will be     well over 80 degrees for the entire evening, I had not considered        bringing a blanket.  But I will now, and will fold it to create                comfortable seating for my spouse and myself.

3.  This is not their rule, but we will also be bringing insect repellent.

4.  We must remember to take our phones which contain our prepaid      parking permit. 

5.  We probably should bring along water and sunglasses although         our seats will be facing east, I'm told.

6.  The head pastor at my church, who has organized this whole event      will be waiting by the entrance to hand out our tickets for the             actual game.

I'm sure that, once we are in and seated, a good time will be had by all.  As long as the rain holds off.  They are predicting possible thunder storms this evening.  My wonder spouse says that they will play in the rain as long as there is no lightning.  Perhaps I'll wear my nifty 'rain jacket of many pockets' instead of my vest.  

A little comercial here  - my vest and rain jacket are from SCOTT and I highly recommend them for anyone who travels a lot or simply doesn't like to carry a purse. 

Look for my follow up blog tomorrow.

Snakes and other things

 First of all, and most importantly, today is my wonder spouse's birthday.  He is now my age, at least for the next five months.  I have gifted him with a fizzy water maker.  When we travel on cruises we are always asked if we want 'still' or 'sparkling' water with our meals.  I always say still and my spouse always says sparkling (aka fizzy).  I am delighted to report that the fizzy water maker works and, with all that was included in the box, he should have an abundance of sparkling water for at least two years. 

On another topic, my west coast brother has informed me that today is "World Snake Day" and "Guinea Pig Appreciation Day."  We agreed that a large snake might really appreciate a guinea pig for a snack.

Thinking about snakes reminds me of what my mother taught me long ago.  She insisted that snakes are not slimy to touch but are instead dry and leathery.  I know this is true unless the snake you encounter is a water moccasin that has just slithered out of some swampy place.  Although, realistically, if you are confronted by a water moccasin, wondering what it feels like should be the least of your concerns.  If it flashes its white gums at you, that is not a smile. They won't kill you but their bite can make you pretty miserable. 

But back to the nice snakes.  According to my mother, her grandmother, my great grandmother, kept two large Black Snakes in her dirt-floored basement.  They assured that she had no problem with mice.  I know that cats can provide the same service, and they are definitely more cuddly, but snakes don't gift their favorite human with the remains of their catch. 

But speaking of cuddly snakes, my daughter and her then boyfriend bought a snake, a small Boa Constrictor, when they were in college.  When summer came, his mother absolutely refused to have a snake in her house so Charlotte came to live with me.  She lived in a large glass terrarium and my daughter kept her fed and watered, so she was really no problem.  Ocassionally we would take her out of her big glass box to stretch her scales.  I discovered that, after she had crawled around a bit, she was very happy to curl up on my lap for a little snooze.  Who knew that snakes like to cuddle? 

SMILE!!!

Today I went to see my dentist, actually to be seen, since for most of the visit my mouth was wide open and my eyes half shut and blurry since I had taken my glasses off.  

After the technician ushered me into a room and got me settled into a big reclining chair, she asked if there was anything she could do for me.  I told her I would like to watch the soccer game.  They were not able to accomidate that wish but the appointment went rather quickly so I did get home in time to watch most of the game between England and Argentina.  England got the first goal but Argentina won.  

But back to the dental work.  I was fitted with a new mouthpiece to prevent me from grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw.  My first one fit very tightly and broke when I removed it one morning while we were on our cruise.  This one fits more comfortably and will work much better I think.  My dentist (the grandson of the dentist I started going to in1982 when we moved back to Fort Wayne) also replaced the crown I popped off three weeks ago while eating a Milk Dud.  I will avoid caramel treats from now on. All in all a very successful visit.  Now I am going to bed to "test drive" my new mouth piece.  Good night.

stirring things up...

 Once again my west coast brother comes through for me.  He has informed me that today is "Shark Awareness Day" and also "Pandemonium Day."  The two do seem to go together.  When sharks are sighted off shore in an area where people are swimming it does seem to cause some pandemonium as people scramble to get out of the water.  

My brother asked if we had seen sharks on our trip and I was able to reassure him that the only sharks we saw up close were in a huge open air aquarium.  We were able to walk down to a level where we could look eye to eye with the sharks and other sea creatures.  We admired them as they looked curiously back at us.  While they swam in circles and figure eights and other interesting patterns, it did not really feel like pandemonium.  It was much too serene for that.

We did see one interesting bit of action though.  As I mentioned the tank was open on top, allowing sunshine, and sometimes other things, to come in.  While we were admiring the sharks at the lower level, a duck dived into the water, plunged all the way to the bottom of the pool, then shot right back up and out again.  Not exactly pandemonium but definitely startling. 

If, by chance, you have been dealing with sharks today or involved in some other type of pandemonium, chidren are home for the summer after all, here's a happy thought.  Today is also "National Mac and Cheese Day."  I know from personal experience that children love this. When my grandchildren spent summer days with me a friend of theirs who lived down the road really enjoyed coming to my house for macaroni and cheese for lunch.  I'll admit it was made from a mix (thank you Kraft).  I found out later that his mom only fed him "healthy food."  I'm glad I was able to broaden his horizons. 

Breakfast anyone??

 My west coast brother has informed me that Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937.  That makes the company older than me, so of course I decided to explore a little more. Nice to know it's still around.

Krispy Kreme opened its doors on July 13, 1937

Vernon Rudolph bought a secret yeast raised doughnut recipe from a New Orleans French chef, rented a building in what is now historic Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and began selling its Krispy Kreme doughnuts on July 13, 1937 to local grocery stores. The delicious scents of cooking doughnuts drifted into the streets, and passersby stopped to ask if they could buy hot doughnuts. So he cut a hole in an outside wall and started selling Original Glazed doughnuts directly to customers on the sidewalk.

Improving the doughnut making process through innovations

By now there was a small chain of stores, mostly family owned. They all used the Kripsy Kreme recipe, but each store made its doughnuts from scratch. For Rudolph and Krispy Kreme, the results were always good, but not consistent enough. So Krispy Kreme built a mix plant and developed a distribution system that delivered the perfect dry doughnuts mix to each Krispy Kreme store. Then Rudolph and his equipment engineers invented and built Krispy Kreme’s own doughnut making equipment. From the 1950s on, they focused on improving
and automating the doughnut making process.

So now you know.  If you want to learn more about Krispy Kreme's history you can Google it.  On the other hand, if you're just feeling hungry right now, Krispy Kreme donuts are available in your local grocery store.  And, if you cut one in half before you eat it, all of the calories will leak out, or so I've been told. 

picking up..

 There are friends with whom, after a long silence, you can pick up a conversation and carry on as if no time at all has elapsed.  

I had that kind of fun conversation today with a friend whom I've know since college.  She lives in Texas now, while I'm in Indiana, so it's not surprising that we don't see each other often, and we each have our own busy lives so the contacts are very infrequent. 

Today is her birthday so I called her, thinking I might leave a message if she was out celebrating with family and friends.  However, she was at home, the dinner being scheduled for later in the afternoon, and so we had time for a good long talk.

Afterwards I got to thinking about how our conversations have changed over the years.  First they were about who was dating whom.  I actually dated her future husband before I met my first husband.  Confusing, but we all stayed friends.  That was college.  Then comparing notes on our first years of teaching.  Later the conversations revolved around what our children were doing,  later still the grandchildren.  

Today I won points for having a great grandchild.  She doesn't see any on the horizon.  On the other hand, she won points for having more doctors.  She's wearing a pacemaker these days.  

I had to laugh at how the topics of our conversations have changed.  Who would have thought, 60 years ago, that we would ever be comparing our ailments.  Have we, gasp, grown old?  

just curious...

Earlier this week I spent over $100 buying birthday cards for family members and friends who have July birthdays.  Both of my brothers, for example, were born in July.  Also my spouse, his son, two friends and two daughters-in-law.  And there are more.

What makes me curious is why July?  I could understand lots of birthdays in September for example because of people celebrating all the December holidays exuberantly.  But what was going on in October?  Halloween doesn't seem like a romantic holiday to me.

Perhaps in the olden days, when we were a much more agrarian society, by October the harvest would be in, nights were growing longer and colder and there was no TV to watch.  But, old as I am, I am still young enough that I and all of my friends and family were born in the 20th or 21st century.  So what was going on in October?

Statistically August has the most baby births in the US with July and October close behind, but September contains the most common birthdays with September 9 being the most popular birthday.  My son was born on September 13.  Missed it by that much. Ah well. 

Still wondering what was going on in October...