Cable TV is Good for Your Health

it seems the federal government can help you upgrade your tv from analog to digital but they can't ensure that you have access to affordable health care. apparently, access to worthless commercials and advertising is a more important issue for the american people.

blankety blank bleep bleep bleep!!!

folks, i'm angry. i'm angry that our ability to watch the TV is another "high priority" for those fat ass pigs ( who have excellent medical coverage, btw) in washington but our well-being isn't. i'm angry that i can get a government sponsored coupon for a little box but i can't get a government sponsored coupon for a yearly physical.

my husband waited three months to see a pulmonologist about his respiratory issues only to have the doctor prescribe him medicine that costs more than our combined monthly utility bills. fortunately, we can (i say this with the utmost respect for our current and hopefully not temporary financial situation) afford the medicine he needs to breathe.

but what happens when we cant?

is there anything we, the citizens, can do to change our health care system in the US? do we have any power or is this just another case of big oil/gas/tobacco/insurance/fill in the blank, directing the lives of us lowly plebs and we just have to make do with what we already have.

sigh.

A Christmas Request

I should be happy tonight-it is Christmas eve after all. In a few minutes, I will sit in the living room with my family and we will open one of many Christmas gifts under our tree and later we will drive over to midnight services at Zion Evangelical Lutheran church.

I should also be happy that my cupboards are full enough that I was able rummage through them to gather extra toiletries and food items.

I should be happy that my closet is overflowing with clothes; winter sweaters, jackets, jeans and extra shoes all waiting in a bag for another days use.

I should be happy that my bank account at this time can support our family’s needs and there’s money left over for an emergency.

And I should be happy that this year marked the largest fund drive the Road Home Shelter has ever had. Busting all records by thousands of dollars.

And I am happy for those things and yet, my friends, my heart is heavy this Christmas Eve.

I just returned from dropping off some of the items above. As I walked through the halls of the shelter to make a a cash donation, I passed middle aged men, young women and children. I walked past women who looked like me and children that looked like they could be my own. As I handed over my money, I learned that the amount of new residents is up 118%-many of whom are entire families recently displaced.

This hurts my heart for I know that with the loss of a job or two, our savings and extra food storage will be wiped out and we, familia Franti, could find ourselves residing in a shelter or using the emergency services.

Sound too dramatic?

You say, “c’mon Mel, that would never happen to you-you have family, friends. You have a savings”.

I say, it can happen to anyone.

My husband is not guaranteed to live and secure my future. I am not immune from losing my ability to work and my child is not immune from illness and medical costs exceeding our ability to pay.

Places like the Road Home Shelter cannot survive without our help. If you are in a heated home tonight reading this, I beg you to go through your closets, your food storage and gather unused items. We are LDS folk, we’ve got extra toilet paper, toothpaste, razors, towels, socks, blankets and jackets that are just waiting in a corner to be used with gratitude this season. If you got a little cash left over from Christmas shopping, donate that too. Keep in mind, it only cost $12 dollars to house and feed one person a night. Surely you have and extra $12 dollars?

Please. Make a donation to a local shelter, food bank, charity and help your less fortunate neighbors.

time and space and how much?

what does it say about me that i have no interest in lds blogs and blogging right now? that i have no interest in listening to another "righteous" soul proclaiming that my views and those with views like mine are misguided, ill-informed or ignorant in the ways of the lord.

does it mean anything that i just don't care- that i've got no fight in me? or is this part of the normal up and down cycle of life?

i will write more about this tomorrow after tonight's meeting with the bishop.

Who Knew?

"You cannot live a political life, you can't live a moral life, if you're not willing to open your eyes and see the world more clearly, see some of the injustices going on. Try to make yourself aware of what's happening in the world, and if you are aware, you have a responsibility to act, and when you act, you have a responsibility to doubt. And when you doubt, you can't get paralyzed; you have to use that doubt to act again. And that then becomes the cycle: you open your eyes, you act, you doubt. And without doubt, you become dogmatic and shrill and stupid. And without action, you become cynical and passive and a victim of history. And that should never happen."

– William Ayers, from Fresh Air, National Public Radio, November 18, 2008


Who knew that I could be inspired by an America-hating, commie pinko lefty radical bullshitting terrorist?

Sometimes theTruth Hurts

I read this on the NEWSER blog, Off the Grid, yesterday.

Comment by Terradea in response to Sara Palin is Your Future

Sad commentary on America. We will soon be a third-world laughing stock, not because of our phony elections and silly Republican vice presidential candidate, but because we've lost the values that once made us great. We no longer appreciate the things that make a country strong and it's society, as a whole, successful: education, ethics, experience, decorum, thrift, accountability, fairness and civil rights.

We now embrace notoriety, mediocrity, greed, power, status, extravagance, lies, slander, knee-jerk reactionaries and lack of decorum. We've become a proud, arrogant nation of red-neck hillbillies and fat middle-class losers. We like our beer and our guns and our churches, but don't preach charity to us 'cause we ain't communists. We want our leaders to be just like us: dumb, inelegant and angry. We hate the poor, the weak and the sick. We insist on babies being born but we refuse to feed them. We hate foreigners. We love to hate foreigners. And any other group that is different: gays, blacks, middle easterners, atheists, liberals, intellectuals, city dwellers ... the list is endless. We're proud of our ignorance and our hate. We are the new America. And we support Palin.

To be honest, this comment stung a bit AND I agreed with it. Truth has a funny way of being painful.

*any hateful comments about Obama will be deleted. That doesn't include thoughtful critiques.

The Modern Poll Tax?

I saw this last night and my jaw dropped. How can this be possible in 2008?

Thank you Ms. Maddow.

Fact or Fiction

I read this article yesterday and wondered what you guys thought?

Since, I'm rooting for the winning team, I don't know that I can have a valid opinion.

Do you think the negative press of John McCain is based on fact or fiction?

Please be honest in your answers. And I will not tolerate any hatred on this blog.

Thanks.

Our Children Can Fly

I heard this on on NPR today.

Rosa sat
so
Martin could walk
Martin walked
so
Obama could run
and
Obama is running
so
Our children can fly

I'm Tired.

Vote Early

I can't stress this enough. If you want to avoid long lines, sore feet, back pain, gallons of frustration and loss of precious time, vote early.

In Utahthere are several places for you to go. It's fast and very convenient.

Please get up, get out and make your mark.

My (dear conservative) Friends

I have a few questions for you and you have to answer the questions with factual answers. "because he said he wants to give every citizen health care" isn't a good enough answer.

1.Can you tell me why Barack Obama is a Socialist?

2. Do you realize that we already practice some forms of "redistribution of wealth" in this country?

3.Do you understand what a social democracy is? Please define it for me.

4. Why do you insist on using the word "socialist" as a pejorative? Many of our allies succesfully practice this form of government. Imagine me, as your freind, saying you are a horrible parent, your form of parenting is less superior to mine since you decided not to breastfeed, co-sleep, feed you child only organic vegetables. It would be an insult would it not?

To my liberal/progressive freinds, can you tell me how you have dealt with your conservative family/friends using this term? I'm having trouble discussing it with co-workers and could use everyones help.

thanks

Wednesday funny

It's really sad that the next V.P. of the United States is Sarah Palin.

Republicans, you should be ashamed of yourself for supporting that woman.

America, you are better than that.

NHL in SLC

For this first time in 10 years an NHL exhibition game was hosted at the E Center in West Valley. Sharks (3) vs Kings (1).

Exciting times for the Franti family.

here's the little miss at her first professional hockey game.



I haven't been to an NHL game in almost ten years. I used to see the Ducks play in Anaheim when I was a lass but at the time I didn't really know what was going on; I just liked the speed of the game. Then I met NF who was skating backwards when some of us were still riding "Incredible Hulk" big wheels. Many years later, I know how the game is played, I know the players, their numbers, their positions, their past teams and all sorts of stupid, utterly meaningless to my existence, facts about them. (I still have a major crush the retired Steve Yzerman.) Don't ask me how I retain all that gibberish either....I just do.

Unlike football or baseball or basketball where it's all about the star player, hockey is a genuine team sport that is played with incredible speed, intelligence, precision, and if your lucky, hard hits. Watching those men do what they do on a little pair of skates is damn impressive too. If you don't agree, spend an hour watching NF skate and see if you're not a little bit impressed at the skill it takes to maneuver on ice.

I only have a few regrets in life and one is not putting the kid in a pair of skates when she was teeny little grommet. ( then I would have actually have something in common with Sarah Palin other than brown hair and glasses) It would have been my college savings plan 'cause I'm sure those mid-west universities could use more female players. But alas, the child doesn't like to move beyond the top shelf of the refrigerator. Fortunately, she doesn't mind watching the a game with the family and asking good questions about the rules.

Almost makes me look forward to little grand-grommits.

Music for Democracy

Can I have a minute of your time?






and another minute....




It's long, I know, but worth your time. At the end of his interview he is asked about what inspires him and he says it can be anyone or anything. Right now his hero is a woman in Bali who became a midwife. An average person who is making a difference in her community. That's his hero.

Community building is very important to me. I suppose that's why I put so much time and effort into fMh, my neighborhood garden and the local community radio station. Listening to Michael today was my inspiration that I, mfranti, the wife, mom, neighbor from Salt Lake, can put forth even more effort and hopefully do some good in this life.(read:I don't have to have mad guitar, singing, writing, photo skills do be worth something)

For those of you that are not familiar with Michael Franti or have recently been introduced to him (don't know how that could of happened) I'd really like to know your thoughts on this interview.

M

I like bikes. I like boys. I like boys on bikes a lot! But this...

I really LOVE this!



(from the Economist)

on Palin

If you haven't decided...

OK...A Little More Monday Funny

A Monday Morning Laugh

it's unfortunate that the people who need to see this will never have the opportunity.

good news-finally

What's better than finding an egg on the coop floor after a month of no eggs? 2 eggs in the nesting box a couple days later.

Monday, my RIR, Ruby, gave us a present, she layed her first egg next to a fake easter egg in the nesting box. Wednesday after work, I found two eggs in the nesting box. That means the Barred Rock, Violet took a cue from her sister-hen and chose to use the box.

This is great. I don't like searching the coop for eggs.

Up next to lay: The white hens. They are about 28 weeks and due any day.

Come on over for breakfast anytime! I will fry up some taters and scramble some eggs for you.

and i thought i took myself too seriously..

wordpress account?

hi guys,

i'm setting up a wordpress account.

those that read and comment here (thanks to all 3 of you), would you prefer i stay here at blogger or move over to WP?

let me know your thoughts.

M

calling BS

why the fuss over all of of michael phelps' medals?

yep. i'm that crotchety old lady, the one that has a big bug up her ass that says it's not that big of a deal. he just has more options available to him. that's all.

i'm pretty sure that all of the sports in the olympics require the same amount of dedication, training and effort (some even have a higher danger factor) and yet there is only one medal to be won. i don't see the press giving all those athletes the same superstar, brad pitt kind of attention.

shame on you media! (c'mon i know better)

so there mister- i pod wearing, head bobbing, i'm too cool to talk to you because i've got lots of new bling around my neck and i'm the fastest swimmer in the world- phelps!!

i'm not that impressed. noticed i inserted, "that" into the sentence. i'm a swimmer too. i know you work hard. i know its a big accomplishment to win the races like you do. i just think you are getting way too much attention.

but you have a really nice body, so i will watch cos i'm easy that way.

blo(n)g weekend.

apparently if you want to be a good blogger, you are supposed to write about stuff. i am not a good blogger.

but i will humor you and write about some stuff, my weekend to be exact. my very long, exhausting, totally full weekend.

i could write volumes and post lots of pictures but i'm lazy and still a bit hungover from "the weekend" so i will just give you a quick summary

FRIDAY:

i picked up G from downtown and we went shopping. we bought necklaces and bracelets and some fancy pants,( smells good for the earth or in other words overpriced ) cleaner for the house.

while we waited for lessie's bus to come in, g and i hiked up city creek in our chaco's

lessie, chandelle, g and I met up w/ kiami and johnr at the sheraton where we all piled into my car for dinner at the one world cafe (g, paid for me. she's a good date)

after dinner, we drove back to the sheraton to the bloggersnacker ( i don't "snack" anything) where we met lots of new people, got reacquainted with old people and talked and talked and talked and talked and talked and talked....until i couldn't function any more (see johnr's and G's pics)

after the blog mixer/party we walked the streets of slc looking to cause trouble, only last call is some pitiful time after 12am so we settled on a downtown bar where some of our party could have a 'taste".

somewhere around 2 am we dropped the boys off and headed back to my place where chandelle left us to go to her family(sure, use that as an excuse, chandelle) and me, g, and lessie proceeded to talk for another several hours.

SATURDAY:

because sleep isn't as important as friends, we were all up by 8 a.m.(feel free to correct me) i collected some bikes from our garage and we pedaled down to the farmers market where i bought fmhlisa a parasol, lessie a necklace and a really good latte from the coffee garden.

and because we didn't do enough talking the night before, we stopped and loitered (and talked) at the gateway for another couple of hours.

pedaled home to take showers and to attend the blogging panel at sunstone where i got to meet more people. this is where i reveled in the fact that janet is my friend and jana is someone i'm familiar with through the "nacle. apparently there was some other lady speaking and she's some sort of celebrity? oh, i thought janet and jana were the celebrities.

(btw, those two ladies are amazing!!!)

ummmm let's seee....

oh yeah, we did some more piling into my car- jana, john, galen, lessie, and ellen- and went to the 9th and 9th area for dinner only to talk some more. this time i got to chat with jana...all by myself (you have to understand, everyone is competing for "time" with everyone else and the noise level is atrocious)

said goodbye to lessie as she had to go down to utah county and stay w/ family, dropped off the remy's in sugarhouse, dropped of ellen at her hotel and slowly, cautiously and gratefully drove home.

only to get a call from bbh with an invitation to walk over to her sisters house (she lives in my hood) where we proceeded to talk some more...until midnight, i think.

g and i walked home where we cozied up in her futon AND talked some more until we passed out only to be scared awake by a crack of thunder.

once again, sleep being low on the priority list...

SUNDAY:

me and galen are up and dressed by 9 am so i suggest that i need a coffee from the maverick (why yes, i am a sinner of the worst kind. the kind that needs caffeine to wake me up and kill headaches)

so we pedal over to the mav, then to the mexican bakery for a pastry and then continue up the jordan river trail to a bridge where we, you guessed it, talk some more.

after our talk, we head over to the library and permaculture garden so g can get a better idea of my long range garden plan then over to the community garden will i pull some carrots out of the ground for her to snack on while she's traveling.

finally, i drop her off at the airport and feel sad that it's all over.

later....i discover that i have no friggen voice. in fact, i still don't have a voice and it's been over 24hrs.

phew....that was a lot of work.

good times.

wheels on the bus...

all this discussion about paranoid parenting has finally pushed me over the edge to come out and admit to y'all that i am a bad parent.

a bad parent indeed! i don't allow my 14 year old, petunia, to own a cell phone and worse yet, i make her take the city bus to school, the library, to the mall, even to her friend's house 15 miles away.

yes, yes, i make my kid use that bus pass, her legs, a watch and good old common sense to explore her city and be a part of the community in which she lives.

ask anyone. if the kid wants to get somewhere...she's walking, busing or riding her bike.

now you might ask, why? don't you worry?

of course i worry. i'm a mom. it's my job. but it's also my job to teach the child how to be a functioning part of society. it's my job to teach her to think on her own, plan, prepare, be on time and most importantly, stand tall and confident in unfamiliar situations and nothing does that better than using public transportation.

i always knew i wouldn't be one of them shuttle moms. in fact, i've was never the hovering type so this was an easy decision for me, for us.

it's been great. i don't waste petrol driving my kid around and she learns how to use a public phone to let me know she's going to be a few minutes late.

i don't stress about getting to where i need to be and where she needs to be, and she learns how to walk with purpose, not like a victim.

i get to trust that my daughter is exactly where she says she is and she has the confidence that i trust her right back.

see folks, i'm not the kind of mother that insists on catering to my child's every whim. i don't go out of my way to make sure she has what she wants (sometimes, it's really hard not to. she is after all, my only child.) in fact i take pleasure in making things just a little more difficult for her. not because i'm a meanie but because i am doing her a favor by making her work just a little harder for the things she wants.

you may take offense at my mothering, that's all right by me. i did preface this post by saying i'm a bad parent. that's makes everyone else a good parent, no?

Look, Ma!

Reading Chandelle's post about changing her mind on eggs reminded me that I too have changed my mind about certain foods. Vegetables in general and onions in particular.

It used to be that if an onion, even a tiny piece, contaminated any portion of my food, it was deemed unfit for consumption. Exclusions being onion rings and sauteed onions because they have been fried in so much oil and salt that they are no longer onions.

But a few weeks ago, I forgot to order my cheeseburger at the Appollo, sans oignon and surprisingly, I liked it. Initially, I thought it might just be that the crunchy-ness was masked by the lettuce and the flavor was drowned in the fry sauce, cheese and overall fat content.

So for fun, I kept experimenting with onions on my food discovering that they added something to it but not quite sure what it was. Until this past Friday, when I cut a sliver of a brown onion and popped it into mouth just to see if I could (because in my head that's really gross) and it was yummy. It was sweet and spicy but had just enough of each flavor to compliment each other.

Why is that? Did something happen to me as I've aged that changed how things taste to me? Or was it that some foods are considered "grown up" foods and I never grew up?

Or is that growing food, and being part of the process from seed to table, changes how I view things?

In the not so distant past, I would not eat (raw) carrots, cilantro, beets, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and many other things that grew out of the ground (except potatoes, of course) . But it seems now that standing in the sun and dirt and plucking an item right off it's vine is a signal to my brain that it's OK to try it. In fact, I feel obligated to try it because all that damn sunscreen burning my eyeballs has to be for a reason, right?

Now that I've grown fond of onions, it seems that a whole new world of food has been discovered, and I'm using and experimenting with the items from the community garden to create new meals except, I can't convince my family that the stuff that grows in the dirt is good to eat too.


What are the foods you dislike? And why?

What are some foods that you hated/ loved that you now love/hate?

What what would you love to eat but can't get your family to eat?

And if you are a magic parent, what have you done to get your kids to eat everything you serve them?

deep talk

conversation about the new look for fMh:

me: are you still willing to redesign the site? mainly a new masthead and change of color. the pepto pink is old.

MR. mfranti : can i go with all grays?

me: sure, why not? put a little pink pin stripe in there for nostalgia.

MRmf: 'cuz nothing says feminism like all gray.

MRmf: do i get a girly fMh pink shirt as payment?

me: sure, if you want one but that's the old style, gray will be the new pink.

MRmf: it's the gender-less new wave-everybody can be special because nobody's different.

or is it that when everybody's special, then special no longer exists, so everybody's now normal

me

so. for as much complaining as i do about the dark circles under my eyes or the size of that crater parked on my cheek, or that snaggle tooth that always seems to peek out from under my top lip when i'm not paying attention, i've decided that i prefer the real me over the enhanced me.

I don't know why that is but when i saw the enhanced me that did away all those "flaws", i felt like it did away mfranti. silly huh?

thanks G for making me look oh so priddy.

before:
after:


fyi: this picture was taken at The Cure concert, april 08.
i started listening to The Cure sometime in the mid 80's and I still have all of their tapes. (yes, i said tapes)

...and you should be damn impressed that i got mr.mfranti to come along. he's more of a megadeth/pantera/metallica kind of guy.

house keeping tip # 4

(h/t quimby)

use a basket.

folks. me and mr. mfranti are notorious surface abusers. you'll not find another couple in the state who can take a flat surface and fill it with crap faster that we can. no surface is sacred.

now, we can all clear of the clutter in seconds and make the counters, kitchen table, desk look good but it usually requires another pile, somewhere typically out of site of visitors. so even though the kitchen, for example, looks neat and tidy, it usually means the basement looks like a super fund site.

first step in conquering clutter is to make sure everything has a home. this should be easy because if an item is important/useful/necessary, it will automatically have a home.

now to the basket. buy yourself, or reuse, a medium sized basket. not too big or else it becomes overwhelming and heavy and not too small or it's ineffective.

go into a room, say your front room, and fill up the basket. don't leave until the basket is full. now put stuff away starting with the room closest to your location. make sure that you put the item in its home. no exceptions. if you can't find a home for it, leave it in the basket and move on to the next room ending in the back of the house or on another floor. continue until the basket is empty or until you only have "homeless" items left over.

if you've done this correctly, you should be at the other end of the house or top or bottom floor. throw out the homeless items. you've walked through almost every room in your house, and didn't find a home for them so they are probably not important.

feels good doesn't it? it was easy, efficient and it didn't take much time.

what? why didn't you think of that years ago?

i don't know.

still feeling good? great. go fill up the basket again and repeat the process moving to the other end of the house.

be smart. do this daily and you will feel empowered by how much control you can maintain over the clutter.

bigest. deficit. ever.

i'm starting to wonder why the anyone would want to move into this fixer upper.

what a mess! and i don't think my house keeping tips will help.

house keeping tip # 3

if the outside temperature has been in the high 90's and you live in an old house without central air, make sure you check your bread thoroughly. i might even suggest storing it in the refrigerator.

there's nothing fun about the last bite of your peanut butter toast having a hint of summer's mold on it to ruin an afternoon snack.

house keeping tip # 2

if you have a 60 year old tub...clean it regularly.

folks, i can't stress this one enough. mr mfranti and i are active people. that's a fancy way to say we get really dirty. especially our feet. all that good dirt and grime that accumulates after 10 hours in chaco sandals gets transferred to our overly porous tub where it sits shower after shower, layer upon layer, month after month.

to conquer this, i spent an inordinate amount of time with dish soap, laundry detergent, baking soda and some super fine steel wool scrubbing until my back couldn't bend over anymore.

to avoid this problem, keep a scrubby dude in your shower. during your regular bathing routine, like when you are lathering up or conditioning, use your foot to scrub off the dirt. do this regularly and you wont have to suffer the way i did.

also, keep a squeegee in your shower to wipe off the water after your shower. trust me, you will save yourself a lot of grief if you do this daily.

house keeping tip #1

do not swap out your down comforter's duvet cover at 1:00 a.m.

it's best to leave such frustrating tasks for the early morning, before you've spend your day toiling away in the hundred degree weather. before the unnecessary trips to crowded stores because you have to get the proper storage container and before you've scrubbed your 60 year old tub.

on laziness...

every once in a while i think i'm going to publish something of value on this blog and then i realize that it requires way too much brain effort.

what can i say that hasn't already been said? exactly! so why bother, i am, after all, mediocre.

so on that note. i'm sitting here getting all sorts of philosophical with some friends* about life and politics and social issues and i realize, i'm so lazy that i don't like to be bothered by connecting enough words together to form a coherent sentence, and that's why i make friends with really smart people.

they can write about all the important crap i'm way too lazy to put into text and i can sit back and enjoy, and often marvel, at their fine work.

phew!!!! glad i got that out of the way.






*chandelle, g, lessie

Mr. Woo 3/11/08-7/23/08

Mr. Woo, 4 months , died suddenly July 23, 2008, in a tragic urban farm accident.

He is survived by his five biddies, Violet, Ruby, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia.
He is currently resting peacefully on the worktable out back awaiting de-feathering services.

Please join us for chicken enchiladas at the Franti residence 7/24/08 at 6:00pm.

yeggs

so exciting! so exciting!



i've waited a long time for one of these so you can imagine my surprise when i saw this little dude sitting in the chook's doghouse sunday after church.

the first eggs are really small. see it next to a regular egg.



(please go easy on my photo skills-i'm not the artist in the family)

when i get around to cooking it, i will take a picture of it's lovely yolk.

in other chicken news...

i attempted to segregate mr. woo from the hens yesterday and possibley wring his neck. and damn, if he didn't piss me off enough to do so. he's always the last to go in the dog house and always the first to run out. this time he got out and into my corn.

i was mad. frustrated beyond all reason (you try catching an aggressive rooster). i could grabbed a rock and stoned him to death that's how frustrated i was. by the time i wore him out, or scared him into submission, i couldn't do anything. there he was, cowering under some branches, squawking out of fear and i couldn't do anything except grab him by his feet and take him to the other cage.

i think it was his warm body that had me thinking i couldn't take the life of this critter.

damn.

i will try again later.

quiche

for some reason julie rose inspires me. i copy her all the time. cookies, clothes, fancy tea- doesn't matter to me, i trust her judgment.

so when i saw the beautiful quiche on her blog, i had to make one of my own. not bad for my first time. and oh so yummy!

thanks darlin'. miss you.

It's All Your Fault, Bodie

i've decided that i'm going to blame the dog for the gas prices, the housing problems, inflation, terrorism, my big toe.

if i've learned anything from the current occupant and this administration (or any government official), I can blame anyone for anything and it doesn't even have to make sense. i don't have to have an opinion based on anything logical. in fact, i can even deny any thing is wrong in the first place and then i don't even have to blame bodie.

but it's still bodies fault.

and here's the best part-he doesn't complain. he just sits at my side with with big eyes and a pink tongue hanging out of his mouth.

doin' a heckuva job bodie!

"Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler... "

I do my best to not be negative on this blog. I try not to complain about petty little things. I try to see the good in everything.

But I've had it. I can't take it anymore. There is no good to come of this.

Last August, When I got the promotion, I should have taken Mr. Bossman up on the new office.

But no....I wanted to stay up front, where I could do both jobs. Am I sick? Would appear so.

Actually, I'm a control freak. I didn't want some cute little ditz to come in and fill "my"position and then have to hear about how shitty she is from the guys. So I stayed up front where I can continue to get the good Home Depot coupons and make sure that "my job" gets done properly.

Now, I am regretting that decision. Not because I'm overwhelmed. Not because I can't do it.

But because I'm sick of people taking my shit. What the hell people!?!

Just because I don't have a door on my office doesn't mean I don't mind you taking my pens, rulers, calculators and all manner of office supplies. Because I do. I really do mind when you open my drawers and look for something you think you have to have without asking. I do mind when you hover about my desk and have juvenile discussions about politics, religion or last weekends trip when I am on the phone.

This is my office and just as I wouldn't walk into your office (you know, the office that has a door and a lock?) and shuffle through your stuff without asking, I expect the same of you. I'm asking for a modicum of respect when it comes to my workspace. Ok?

Now back the bleepity bleep off and stay the bleepity bleep away from my stuff!

/end rant

NOT SO GOOD HOUSEWIFE

27 As a 1930s wife, I am Poor Take the test!

Mr. Woo

I don't know what was different this morning compared to yesterday morning but whatever it was, it made Mr. Woo sing. It was a pleasant crow too, just as the sun was coming up. Perfect timing for the wannabe city farmer that needs to get her butt up to finish her fall and winter beds.

Fortunately/unfortunately, he's not going to delight us with his internal alarm clock much longer. Yesterday, I noticed him being a bit aggressive with my red hen, Ruby, and who knows what other kinds of mischief my teenage cockerel has been causing when I'm not looking. Besides, he's skiddish and wont let me anywhere near him so it's good timing because I've been preparing myself to get rid of him since I noticed his comb was bigger than the others- months ago. His crowing is the absolute line in the sand. It's time to say goodbye to Mr. Woo.

Part of saying goodbye is to take his life. Culling is a typical practice on the farm and even though I don't actually have a farm, I do have a desire to prepare a meal (mostly) from my own backyard. I'd like to be able to be (mostly) self reliant (for a million reasons that we can discuss in the comments). I know what to do and technically, I know how to do it too but...

But I'm afraid that when I take the knife to his neck, a part of me will die with him.

I'm afraid of losing a sensitivity to life that I've always had for all creatures, even spiders and other creepy crawly things. Hell, I couldn't stand the thought of unwanted mice suffering with a broken neck in my kitchen, so I adopted a cat...I (we, familia Franti) do not care for cats.

Although a quick and easy solution is to find a neighbor who is willing to "take" him for me, it will only be a temporary solution. In time, it will be one of hens' turn at the chopping block and I am positive that will be far more difficult because I like my hens. So now I vacillate between what I want to accomplish, what needs to be done, the options, the long term solution and the short term fix.

Any of you have experience with this? Any suggestions for the first time rooster murderer?

Also, anyone out there considering the urban farm and self reliance ? What are your reasons?



Maybe I am just making a bigger deal out of this than I need to. Yeah. That's probably it- I'm a chickenshit.

Walkable Communities

At the very last minute, I booked a couple nights at a condo in Park City for me and mr. mfranti over the 4th O' July holiday. Park City is a place that I typically have no interest in visiting except for events held at the Resort or maybe a trip to Kimball Junction to hit up the Pearl Izumi outlet. In this instance, I had nothing going on for the holiday weekend, the room was cheap, the drive was 30 minutes and it's about 10-15 degrees cooler than than the high 90's forecasted. Seems like a good reason to suck it up and go, no?

So....I have to reluctantly admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Park City is, despite its opulence and wealth and it's determination to make everything look the same, very charming. It's also a very walkable community, the big bright spot of my weekend. I parked my car on Friday, unloaded the mountain bikes and didn't drive until we left on Sunday.

Now, I understand that because it's a tourist destination, it makes sense that condos are tucked right into shopping/retail/office space, that all buses run from Kimball Junction to the resorts and main street, that there's a place to eat (and drink) every few hundred yards and that there's all sorts of bike/walk trails designed to get the traveling pedestrian/bike commuter to _________.

What I don't understand is why it is so difficult to duplicate this in every community. Why aren't our city leaders trying to (re)design similar cities? My very unsophisticated (and mediocre) brain says this kind of city planning is a revenue generator or in other words, "good for business." If John Doe can walk to the local market/restaurant/bar, he will buy more chips/food/beer. and he will do it frequently and as a perk, he wont be taking up space on the roadways.

I know we are attached to our cars, nothing is going to change that and I'm not asking for a major overhaul, just a little more planning, re-planning and a focus on building neighborhoods.

cafe au lait off...

i likes my coffee. ain't no denying that. and yeah, i'm a sucker for the overpriced light mint mocha chip frappuccino that comes from the giant corporate whore that it is starbucks.

now, i ain't no financial know it all either, but when the the starbucks started popping up on every corner in the salt lake valley, my head shook and i had to laugh. not because coffee wouldn't sell well in our mormon mecca. au contraire...the faithful need to have a vice and i think the next step up from a diet coke is a frothy coffee smoothie--yum yum (i'm proof!)

i had to laugh because it was only a matter of time before all those trendy coffee houses would take a hit from our stellar economy.

so this morning when I awoke to news that starbucks would be closing 600 stores, i had a good snicker because my prediction was spot-on and then i felt a pang of sadness for the thousands of college students trying to squeeze out a buck and hopefully a better life in the process.

sigh

gratitude

i am back to the office after 24 hrs of a sudden onset of food poisoning. (i think)

you know, it's being sick like that- the kind of sick where your skin hurts and you've purged everything in your system and you can do nothing but rock back and forth and hope that it will be over with soon-that reminds one to be grateful for their continued health.

many times yesterday, as i was writhing in pain and hunched over my toilet, my mind would turn to those poor souls undergoing chemotherapy and i would remind myself to stop complaining because this too shall pass.

but i also realized something else. those folks who fight with everything they've got for their lives are better people than i am. frankly, i don't know if i could survive cancer. i don't know if i could put up the fight necessary. it seems like it would a lot easier to just lay down and die.

i am in no way suggesting that my little 24hrs of food poisoning is anything like the suffering of those with cancer.

and that is precisely my point.

i knew my sickness was temporary. i knew that i was experiencing only a fraction of someone else's pain and i knew that tomorrow, i will be back to normal and it was still almost more than i could take. if i knew that i was going to undergo that for months at a time...i might have just quit. which doesn't seem fair to my family but damn...

how people survive it is a mystery to me and one that i shall not take for granted.

god be with my brothers and sisters who at this time are fighting for their lives in one of the most horrible ways possible.

it's you, dear friends, that remind me to be grateful for the day ahead of me.

Summer Soltice

If you read this blog enough, you know I love Ani Difranco. I almost always have the lyrics and song posted on the side blog and my Sansa will always have at least three of her albums on it. It's been this way for almost 10 years. (damn you Matt!)

Guess you can say I'm just like every other chick out there. And so what if I am? We have damn good taste in music. So it should come as no surprise that I caught her Summer Solstice show at Library Square last Friday and I hate to admit it, I'm a bit disappointed.

The lines were chaotically long and she was late. So late that her set was short.

But I'm not disappointed for those reasons. As nice as it was to see her live, nothing comes close to having her words and her pickin' in my head, all to myself, while I am boarding or cycling or doing whatever activitating I'm doing...it's her brand of motivation that I'm after. It's her way of making the female feel empowered by the use of her tongue. It's the way she can phrase something in a song that I can only hear when it's just me and her in the intimate space between my ears.

I was disappointed but only because I had to share her with the rest of the inter- mountain west.

So back to life and back to the headphones...where its just me and Ms. Difranco

record me

so you all know i did the radio thing on wednesday. i may not have said much because my co-bloggers are just so brilliant (and deserved all the air time) but when i did speak i was calm and didn't sound nervous. i was very nervous.

anyways. i just went back and hear the interview again and i've decided that i like my radio voice. this is a big deal to me because i don't like my voice when i hear it on the answer phone.

i'm thinking i might have to follow julie's example and do some recordings of books for the nephews (yes, they are all boys), practice my special talent of voices and sounds, and then maybe do something on an actual radio station-again.

thanks to all that listened. your positive feedback was much appreciated.

anecdote: when i was in the 5th or 6th grade i was asked by a substitute teacher about career ambitions. i said that i would like to be an announcer on the radio.

his reply: well, you have to have have a good voice for that.

now i realize that he might have been stating the obvious but it really did hurt my feelings ( it must have- i can still remember the room and tone of his voice) shortly thereafter, i decided that i would be a record producer instead-as you can see...that worked out.

new love

i knew she was out of place in the line up of furniture, rugs and building materials that are typical of a salvage and freight recovery store, but when i saw her my palms got sweaty and my heart started to race.

i just knew something was wrong. i mean,
what's a nice girl like her doing in place like that? didn't they know she didn't belong there?

she's pretty enough all on her own with her beautiful black lines, fully enclosed chain guard and chrome handlebars but the the leather brooks saddle was a dead giveaway that i had indeed found a jewel in a mine of chaos.

so what did i do? i left thinking that it was way
too much money to spend on another bike- until i got home and realized that she was one high priced lady and really hard to come by in the states.

you should have seen me holding my breath and rushing back to the store to take her home. there was just a little anxiety happening on that five mile drive because i was sure that she had gone home with some other person and all my traffic violations were in vain.

but to my surprise she was right where i left her- waiting behind the patio furniture. her price tag was too high for the other competition and the better woman won.

so...here i am. it's monday and we've spent the entire weekend together visiting neighbors and friends, riding into the city to eat and cruising liberty park. it seems we are a good match too. she likes all the attention from the public and i get to pedal around the city in style.

new love, even if fleeting, is a wonderful thing.

rights for all?

From the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

except if you are _____________________.

i just don't have anymore to say. i'm tired. i'm frustrated and i just don't have anything left.

Little Red Riding Hood 08-Update

80 miles is a long way to ride. Yes indeed.

And my lazy self wouldn't be bothered to ride more than 12 miles a day, a few days a week in preparation for the Little Red Riding Hood Cycling event- and this is NOT the way to properly prepare tender parts for six hours in the saddle. Seriously, it's like having a stick up your crotch for a really long time. Everything hurts, specifically my legs but dammit! it was worth it- even with the 40 degree temps, crosswinds and rain, the Cache Valley in the spring is a sight to behold. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with silly romantic ideas of snowcapped mountains, rural farmhouses and two lane country roads and yeah... I'm a sucker.

And then there's the women! So many beautiful women in all their various shapes and sizes, old women, young girls, even moms with babies, all determined to do their best. It's certainly an experience I'll not soon forget. How can it not be great to see average women comfortable in spandex and in their bodies, in the great outdoors? Never happens. I consider myself fortunate to be around that kind of confidence.

However wonderful this event was, it was not always about fun. I find it disgustingly satisfying to push myself beyond what I think, or know, I can do and finish because I have no other option- the bathroom is at the finish line. (or maybe I finished because I refuse to let a women 20 years my senior kick my butt? Haven't quite worked that one out yet. camaraderie or competitiveness? hmmm...)

But now that it's over and I've had time to think, I'm convinced the real reason I did the ride is for the food orgy-it's phenomenal! At my chubby fingertips was all manner of junk food, subway sandwiches and fruit. A menu to extensive too list here and all I had to do was give the Bonneville Bicycle and Touring Club 50 dollars and pedal an obscene distance. It was a simple concept and one of the few times I could fully justify gorging on Oreo cookies and Red Vines because- hey, I was going to burn several thousand calories in a few hours time. I love a rational argument.

Ladies, let us not forget that there was a time in our history as women, when it was considered taboo and unacceptable behavior for a lady to participate in sporting events. Now, we have the privilege of getting just as sweaty and smelly as we want.

May you take that gift from our feminist foremothers and find an activity that gets your heart rate up, makes your body ache and makes you feel like a queen.

Now, go out and do it!

Bicycling has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride on a wheel. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance."

-Susan B. Anthony, suffragist, 1896

bad day.

monday i ordered toner for my ancient copier and it just got off the plane today and into my hands. i followed the instructions, shook the tube, up-down and side-to-side and then i looked at the little tab and said "this is going to be messy", quickly dismissed my thoughts and pulled the tab. because that's what the directions said to do.

last i remember was a plume of black smoke heading for straight for my face and then....blackout. when i took off my glasses to survey the damage, nothing but black all over the walls, copier, tables; the entire kitchen was a mess and i worried how i was ever going to clean it up.

of course, i wanted to cry because i'm all alone and completely covered from head to toe in black soot. i looked like i just came out of a coal mine. my new, polysester, fly collar shirt from the D.I- completely trashed.

so i head to the bathroom to clean up and the thought occurred to my pathetic self that instead of just telling my co-workers about my afternoon, a proper viewing is in order because everyone can use a good laugh at 3:30 in the afternoon.

here's me taking on for the team. have a good laugh. on me.




hey, i get some new clothes, compliments of tsc out of this.

i could give 2 poops if/what/how kids use the net, but i don't like hannah using it so much because its consuming too much room in her already free-thinking-is-for dorks brain.

niel and i have a low tolerance for media in our home. the internet is on a need to use basis and so is the phone. television is for watching movies or a special treat after all homework/chores/ect has been completed.

the quote above is from our typical afternoon chat. belle sent us an email-something to do with fan box-and we were both annoyed, to say the least.

are we wacked because we wont allow our kid to have a cell phone or unchecked use of the internet?

holy shit! we've become our parents!!!

suprise!

late last summer i pulled up the grass on my park strip. the official name is called rip your strip. i started to rip but decided that was way too much work so i put down some cardboard, collected tons of organic material and hauled dirt from a neighbors house to mine. i did some broadcast seeding of alfalfa and clover to put some nitrogen into the soil, added some random stuff from the beds near the house, planted some radishes to breakup the soil, gave it some water and waited.

sounds easy, doesn't it? well it wasn't. most days were over 100 degrees and hauling the dirt was exhausting because i made a couple of hill/mounds to add "interest"( = dozens of trips up to the neighbors). i might add that i had little to no help during this project.

well, look what i got come spring:

he happened to show up just as i done taking pics.

it seems the soil i used had some poppy seeds in it. what a pleasant surprise. it could have been a lot worse! (the cornflower was a gift from fMh artemis)

you know, it may not be the most "designed" park strip in the 'hood but dammit, it sure is the prettiest.

next up: pulling all the poppies out before they seed and planting the new stuff i got for mother's day.

two mommies

Note: i'm a little overdue on this posting since i meant to publish it 4/19/08

i've added two new girls to the club. a rhode island red and a barred rock. they are about 10-11 weeks old and beautiful. last night, the golden girls got to have a mama take care of and keep them warm for the very first time. cutest damn thing i ever saw too. four good size chicks (about the size of a small pigeon) huddling under one medium sized red hen. She could barely stay on top of them and when she'd fall off, the chicks would slide underneath her until they felt secure. good thing it didn't take long for the barred rock hen to pitch in on the mommy duties.

hey, my chicks have two mommies. isn't that against my religion?

3/13/08-this is what the white ones looked like when i first got them at a couple of days old

4/19/08 (I've built them a real home since this picture was taken)

seems chickens don't like their picture taken. they are always on the move

to my two fans...

because two hits on my site meter is better than none.

thanks for playing along with me.

m

personal progress

most 14 year olds girls are not known for their wisdom or their ability to see the big picture. no, they've got more important things to worry about like friends, boys and hair. (hair being the most important issue of any day)

but every once in a while, my typical, often self absorbed teenager says something that makes me proud and reminds me that despite all of the cons of raising a teenage girl, there are some pros that give way to tons of hope.

last night the young women went on a service scavenger hunt and as we were near the end of our evening with only seven minutes to go, i suggested that we go to a house we missed on the way up the street.

one of the other young women said "well, they aren't LDS" and as i was about to suggest that we should be willing to knock on any door, not just the familiar ones, my belle sighs heavily, rolls her eyes and says:

that's not right! we can and should serve everyone in our neighborhood.

her statement was a little more dramatic than i prefer but i was impressed with her thinking and her willingness and ability to speak up in a crowd for what she thought was right.

although i'm not positive she would have had the same courage if i wasn't present, i do believe it's a a step in the right direction.

next lesson: tact.

earth day.

happy earth day now go take the bus or train to work. can't do that? ride your bike.
if you are like me, and lazy and have to drive (because 5 miles is just too far to walk)make sure your car is aligned and the tires are full of air and in good condition. and while you are at it, clean out the trunk and back seat of your car. driving around that extra stuff reduces your gas mileage and increases you emissions.

next, plant a tree in your back yard (or two or three). if you can't do that, buy a tree and leave it in a container on your porch. buy some plants too, they clean the air around you and enhance your well being.

i won't bother with only buying locally produced stuff because for many of us, that's just not an option. what is an option is for most of us is eating simply. we eat a lot of grains, tortillas and eggs. not a lot of meat/dairy and lots of beans. which brings me to my next to do:

if you have the space, look into chickens and grow your own produce. chickens enhance any organic gardeners backyard in so many ways that it would require a whole 'nother post.(which i plan to do, complete with pictures.) Chickens also give you little gifts in the form of an egg that has been laid by a free range, bug eating, dirt scratching chicken. how can you beat that? and do i even have to mention how much better food tastes when in comes from your own yard and from the sweat of your brow?

lastly, reuse as much as you can. this includes, finding treasures in your neighborhood trash collection, browsing craiglsist, using freecylcle and looking around your own yard to see how you can re-purpose that pile of scrap wood left over from last years shed project. in my case, i built a 10'x4'x3' chicken tractor for the biddies on less than 60 bucks ( for mesh and fencing)

ok. that's enough. i will step down (i never really got up) and let you think about what you can do to reduce your consumption of mother earth.

dear lessie

i now this has been a rough couple weeks for you and my thoughts are with you always. i hope you find time to meditate and reflect on the changes and look for the way that you can turn the negative energy and experiences into something positive. AND...try to remember that even though it's hard to see it from where you are now, better times lay ahead.

you are an intelligent woman with a heart the size of california and you will be of much good to your community and family.

so, keep a positive outlook, know that your friends are cheering you on as you do your best to be a great mother, partner, daughter, sister.

love,

m

for love of ...

my goodness!! i just looked at the date of my last post and realized it's been forever since i updated this thing. so no great mind blowing posts here-no. what i have for you is a quick update of the last two or three weeks.

my bidies have all their feathers so they are out of the bathroom and into a poorly constructed pen/coop area that i created on the fly last night. i also added a couple of new girls to the mix. they are older, bigger and way prettier. i'm also clearing paths in my superfund site of a back yard hoping that the girls will eat all the weeds in the next two weeks. ( i can hope)

the snowboard season is over as of last week and i predict that i will have all sorts of anxiety come friday since i won't get to head up the canyon for my weekly ride. i guess i can continue to work on the coop and continue the cleaning but that's not nearly as fun.

it's playoff season. that means that the soundtrack to my evenings includes announcer's voices, cheering fans and bad 90's butt rock music. good times. (actually i like hockey, just not every night) it also means that dh is compeltely busy the whole night flipping through every game. this gives me incentive to continue working outside.

i should be training for the little red riding hood century but i just can't bring myself to 1. wake up early and hit the trainer and 2. ride after work when i have so much work to do. i've got way too many excuses, don't i?

we are going to arches next weekend with fmhlisa and fam. that means i have to clean my house and my back yard because lisa is a gardening diva and i would be ashamed for her to see the mess.

and...i've been so busy with fMh and my yard that I haven't had much time devote to you guys.

love you all.

M

i sold out to nielson

i never read junk mail but i was intrigued by the "Nielson Media Research" that appeared on the return address label. I figured it was a survey and guess what, i was right.

anyways...if you get one, open it, you will find five one dollar bills inside and only a few questions.

testing....

ahhh.. spring is finally here and it's time to saddle up and ride. yes, kids, it's that time of year when we (especially those of us who live in Utah) take our lives into our handle bars and brave the streets for a little fun, a little exercise and a lot of saddle soreness.

so pay attention, there will be a quiz to follow.

My top 10 snowboard rules/observations

10. No smoking on the chairlift.
9. Chair lifts without a foot rest suck.
8. Hat gap is uncalled for.
7. Cell phone usage- including texting - is criminal. If you want to hang out and chat, do it in the valley
6. Always assume that skiers will cut you off.
5. Jeans are not and never have been meant for snow sports.
4. Landing on your head hurts.
3. One must make sacrifices to the snow gods regularly-children and small pets are acceptable
2. There are no friends on a powder day
1. Never, ever, call last run.

please let me know if I left anything of the list.

nothing

DH in a response to a beer commercial during a hockey game: it's a good thing we have pop culture-
otherwise we wouldn't know that men are low brow.
****
On the way home from work I stop at the Flying J Travel Station to drop off a FEDEX envelope. A woman has just finished fueling up her Hummer and proceeds to drive 15 feet away to the mini mart.
****
Belle: I like my birthday!
***
Girl in the clothing store is talking so loud on her cell phone that I am able to her on the other side of the store. She's discussing all manner of important items, like dates, dances and church meetings. I make my way over to the accessory aisle, pick out a pair of cotton athletic socks and walk over to said young woman and offer her the socks--to put in her mouth, of course.
***
yes, i do think i am better than everyone else.

sea turtles and interstate 15

This is also posted on fMh.

I saw my first "body" tonight.
As I sat in the passenger seat of my little sedan, I saw a white sheet covering the distinct outline of a male body. First his hips, then his arms and lastly his head. Left uncovered, was a right leg and and shoe-less foot; the sock, halfway off.
My heart sank.

I quickly scan the scene expecting to find the mangled evidence of death but I didn't see one. There was nothing but flashing lights and fire trucks, police and witnesses talking, but still no car, just a lone body on the cold asphalt with no one tending to it.
My heart sank further.

At that moment, I am reminded of how I feel when I'm driving alone on the interstate:

Like a baby loggerhead turtle trying to get off the beach, trying to make it into the surf knowing predators are all around waiting to devour her soft defenseless two inch body. There’s no strategic planning, no tactic employed-for her its just a numbers game and a race against the clock that gets her into the surf and eventually into the ocean, where again, another battle to survive awaits.

I'm that baby turtle, all two inches of me, heading west bound on the interstate towards home. I can’t see my predator coming, but I know he is there, lurking. Is he in the form of an oncoming SUV? Or is he a patch of ice? Perhaps he's a semi-truck that’s lost control? I don't know.
I don't know when he will come to devour my little car and I will be no more.

I realized in that moment when I saw that man's body, covered and alone on the ground, that he _is_ somebody's father. He _is_somebody’s son. He _is_ somebody's husband whose wife is waiting for him to come home. She is waiting for his call to say he is running later than expected; tonight he will not call but the phone will ring and I am left with great sadness for the remainder of the drive.

So here I am, sitting in my room. The warm acute consciousness I experienced 15 minutes ago vanished when I entered the doorway to my house-the smell of home providing the safety of retreat. I realize that we humans, despite our weak and feeble bodies, have something on those little turtles; we live with the hope that we will overcome the odds and make it another day.

seven am

seven am

not fully dark--just before sunrise
motionless streets and silent houses
flocked trees and glittering sidewalks

i feel guilty; my shoes leave a trace
i feel refreshed; my lungs draw the frigid air
i feel at peace; my soul delights in the beauty that surrounds me

poochie update

shortly after i posted bodie's obituary, i felt inspired to skip my usual friday routine of snowboarding and headed straight down to the animal control.

there he was, in the last batch of kennels in the back of the building. just staring at me as if to say, "i'm sorry- i won't be bad anymore." i didn't recognize him. i had seen so many yellow dogs in my search that he looked like another dog that looked like my dog. and his reaction to me was less than i anticipated. he was rather subdued. i expected a spaztic bodie, one that was thrilled to see me. one that knew he was gonna be rescued.

so, i gave him a few hand signals and sure enough, he responded like a pro. man i love that kid.

SO--i thought if i changed to the title of that blog post and a few words, it would just sound like i was expressing gratitude for my dog.

sorry if i mislead you.

figuring it out too....

Dear G,

i miss you. i miss your daily posts. i miss you comments on fMh.

please come back.

love,

m

fng

new guy: is that NPR?

me: yeah (reaching to turn it down) is it too loud? i try to keep it low so it doesn't bother folks.

new guy: no-not too loud. so are you a hillary supporter?

folks. what's wrong with this exchange?

Ode to Bodie: Update-he's been found!

never in the history of dogs has there been a more loyal member to the human family. he didn't rescue buried skiers in snow, nor did he lead the blind or heal the sick. no, he just wagged his tail every morning to our voices when we woke and greeted us at the door--every time. even if it was to check the mail...he was happy to see us. he made us laugh on a daily basis by doing "broncos", eating cat poo, skidding on the hardwood floor, submitting to the cat and being the "tough-dog" when someone would come to the door.

he experienced our joy and happiness and felt our pain equally. he never complained (except when he was outside and knew something fun was going on inside the house) he camped with us, hiked with us, XC skied with us, swam with and slept with us. yes, he is every bit a member to our family. when i found bodie, he was a skinny, sickly, dirty yellow dog from Wasatch Humane. I had no intention of adopting a dog but i thought i could just "look" and possibly walk some of the dogs as a gesture of kindness. after visiting with some of the dogs-none of them making an impression, i came across "Lincoln". we went for a little walk around the neighborhood where nf was living at the time hoping to catch him at home. we actually ran into him on the street and from there continued to walk the dog. there was something about this pooch that we loved so we opted to foster him for a few months. after a bath and some medication, we knew he was ours.

many hours of patience have gone into this dog. he's crapped sick dog poo all over the house many times. he's chewed on my car's seat belts, he's destroyed furniture, clothes books and more. he sheds in the summer, he sheds in the winter, hell he sheds all the figgen time. he brings dirt and mud into the house, he smells, he whines to go out, he whines to come in.


with the exception of mud, dirt and fur tumbleweeds on the floor, bodie has been the most well behaved, docile, and willing to be trained animal i have ever worked with. because of him, i've started fostering shelter dogs and training them so that they have a better chance at adoption.

bodie is and has been the center of our home. he's often the glue that unites the family. might sound strange but there's something about the humility of a dog to remind you to be human.

we love you mr. pink!

love momma, papa, and sister

solitude

what's better than a friday spent in the mountains on really good snow?

















a paid day off, a free lunch and lift pass and my best riding friend...compliments of a large banking institution.

week end

this is what nf and I did friday:























and as a family on saturday night:

looks like more of the same, right? well kinda. the saturday night show was better (and i thought the friday night show rocked) the only downside for me was standing in a 1'x1' space back stage on account of belle being a minor.

being a rather large fly on the wall has its advantages, though. like, i learned that those who perform need to be told what city they are in

(that's will daily of boston on stage)

and there are vital tools required for a successful show



...and hydration is a must



these are my two favorites. i really love michael's guitar straps.












but really, the best part of the night was watching my 14 year old marvel at being under age in a 21 and over nightclub (she was back stage where it's legal) hanging out in the green room conversing with bona-fide rock stars and finally, finally meeting uncle mike.



to all of you that I offered tickets too-- you missed two great shows and I missed you!