Safe Arrival

(Elizabeth JuSaeng & Angelo PilDong)

I made it to Toronto without too much upset. But, I must say, every airport is an adventure. I flew Kansas City to Minneapolis, then Minneapolis to Toronto where my brother-in-law, Pil Dong greeted me (thank goodness, I was lost looking at a sea of unfamiliar faces!). During my lay-over in Minneapolis we had a doozy of a storm. We were advised to move to the halls and away from the glass (There was glass everywhere, so I decided I had a great view!). I arrived in Toronto about 8:30, about 90 minutes later than expected.

I was warmly welcomed by all upon my arrival. Serena made chicken flautas, homemade everything! LoLo (What Ellie calls her lil' brother, Angelo) smiled and grinned. Ellie looked at me suspiciously and announced, "Mama!" Tree and PD had lots of hugs, bottled water, and beer! Yum.

This morning I had the chance to play with Serena and Ellie before Tree and LoLo came down to join us. What fun we had dancing and singing and playing. When Tree and LoLo joined us, Ellie Exclaimed, "Mama!" and then looked at me in utter confusion. "Two for the price of one!" I told her.

We just returned from the (most) awesome community center with double ice rinks, gymnasiums, library and more... I picked up some trashy romance novels, James Patterson books and a giant book on GAMES! I cannot wait to read them! LoLo is napping. Tree and Ellie are washing the applesauce out of Ellie's hair. I made meatloaf earlier today and will roast some potatoes for dinner.

What a wonderful day. I am looking forward to the next week!

Thanks to Tree and PD for opening their house to me and taking such good care of me.

Spamalicious

Here’s another recipe for Grandpa in the Palm Trees. I hear Doug likes a little Spam from time to time (and we're not talking unsolicited email!).

Kat's Spam Planks

What you need:

• Can of Spam
• Mustard of Your Choice
• Breadcrumbs
• Oil for Frying

What you do:

1. Open the can of Spam and wonder at the gelatinous spooge that surrounds this funky meat product. If you're Tree, leave the room.
2. Slice Spam into thin planks.
3. Add small amount of oil to frying pan, heat on medium to medium high.
4. Rub Spam planks in mustard to coat. Then dust planks in breadcrumbs.
5. Place carefully in hot oil and fry till golden brown. Yum!

It’s hard to estimate how many servings one gets from a can of Spam. I believe it is entirely up to a person’s individual salt intake and ability to eat canned innards. By the way, these fried Spam Planks are great on a sandwich. Enjoy!

For more information about Spam and its various incarnations, visit http://www.spam.com/.

Gardening at Night

This is my tiny garden. My garden boasts two giant, very old trees. These trees provide some awesome shade, however it makes planting pretty tricky. You might be able to see in these pictures that my garden consists of hostas, caladiums, and ferns. The wheelbarrow is filled with impatiens. They seem to be doing quite well, despite of all the neglect. The caladiums add a punch of color. I am eager to watch the hostas grow and grow, I know that in just a few years' time they will be big and bushy.

Early this spring, Shannon and I planted hundreds of bulbs: paper whites, daffodils, irises, and lilies. This was some seriously back breaking work as my garden had very little dirt and lots of rock and roots. These bulbs have grown and greened, but did not bloom this year. I did not expect them to. However, the Calla Lilies I planted (They're favorites of Robin's!) did bloom and they were gorgeous. I have lavender and while Calla Lilies, unfortunately the photo didn't come out. Ugh.

There is a border of Arkansas rock that defines this little space. Cypress mulch keeps the dirt and bulbs in place during our impressive rains. My only plans for this space, besides watering and weeding, are to add a series of small pavers, to make walking through the area a bit easier, and to let those babies grow, grow, grow.

Dirty Virgins

Dirty virgins will not be tolerated. They must be punished; first via baptism in warm, soapy water. We do this head first in hopes they will confess their sins and renounce their wicked ways. They are then forced to drip dry.

Dr. Orion Teague Leslie

(Dr. Orion Teague Leslie prepares for the lab at hand.)

I would like to introduce you to Dr. Orion Teague Leslie. Dr. Leslie hails from a small, mid western town just outside of metropolitan Kansas City. The following photographs were taken on July 6 which was the last day of the first summer session at U.C.M. It was "family science day" in Ms. Leslie's Science Strategies for Elementary Teachers. Guest scientists provided activities ranging from bubbles to fossil making. Dr. Leslie was responsible for the earthworm dissection lab.

(Precision counts when working with Lumbricus Terrestris.)

(Well done Dr. Leslie!)

Summer Bug or Allergies Revisited?

Whatever it is, it crept up on me quickly. A few telltale sneezes while observing the moon. A slight runny nose during my evening bath. By bedtime it was an all out assault: sneezing, coughing, runny nose, aches and general grumpiness. I would sleep if I thought I would be able to breathe. Instead, I ride out the storm on a wave of crusty Kleenex and lukewarm, lemon tea.

Astroscan

It's just after midnight and I have returned from a wee bit of stargazing and lunar observing! What fun. Today, Orion's birthday present finally arrived! Having been out of stock for nearly a month, made for a terrible wait on the part of both a 10 year old boy and a 40 year old boy.

The Astroscan is an odd looking telescope. But what it lacks in 'looks' it makes up for in other ways. It is very portable. It takes very little technical skill to use. It's very easy to set up. It requires no maintenance of the mirror! And it provides a pretty clear image with it's parabolic (instead of spherical) mirror.

This wide-field scope allowed us to view several awesome sights from our yard in the middle of town. We spent several minutes checking out the crescent moon. The shadows on the surface of the moon were crisp. I cannot wait to figure out how to attach my camera! Until then, this is what the moon looked like this evening.

I then trained the scope on Alcor and Mizar, visual binary stars in the handle of the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear. Impressive. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch any of the numerous Messier Objects in Ursa Major with the scope. I think it had to do with all the lights from the downtown area.

Last, but hardly least, we took a gander at Jupiter. Awesome. No, we didn't see the great spot or swirling dark clouds, this is a small scope, not the Hubble! But what we did see was breathtaking. We saw Jupiter as a tiny point of light and to either side we saw four of Jupiter's moons. The Galilean Moons: Europa, Io, Ganymede, Callisto were named for Galileo who first observed them in 1610. If we're patient, we can track the orbits of these moons during the summer. It would be an interesting project. But mostly I cannot wait to take some awesome lunar photos.

Orion totally enjoyed his scope. He looked at every pinpoint of light he could find! He didn't want to come in. But he's sleeping soundly now! Happy Belated Tenth Birthday Orion and thank you Meme and My Bob in Conway for Orion's special gift.

Plattsmouth, Nebraska

Plattsmouth was a pleasant surprise. Located a few miles from the confluence of the Platt and Missouri Rivers in Cass County, Plattsmouth was a delight. Approximately 7,000 folks live in this town that boasts one of the longest, intact Main Streets in Nebraska. Shannon and I spent several hours on Saturday and again on Monday cruising the streets of Plattsmouth. There were many antique stores to be explored! As well as some unique businesses too. The River House, an olde tyme bar, was filled with antiques. The ‘bar’ now serves sandwiches and (best of all) sundaes.

We ate lunch at the Chocolate Moose. The Chocolate Moose offered fare that was a bit different from the meat and potatoes norm in Plattsmouth. Shannon had a tasty ham sandwich on ciabatta with marmalade. I had crab cakes over “adult salad” drizzled with lemon butter. Both of our lunches were fabulous. But we did get a giggle out of Shannon’s “side of fresh fruit” which contained five grapes. Five. The food was delicious and our tab for lunch was around $20.00- including Shan’s tasty smoothie. Yum.



























Our last morning in Plattsmouth was spent investigating the confluence! The wind had kicked up something fierce and you can see the awesome storm front brewing in my river pics. The wind was blowing so hard it blew sand into our hair, eyes, shoes, you name it. Since it looked as if the heavens would open up at any time we decided to head out of town.

Returning the way we came, we had to cross the toll bridge across the Missouri River. The toll bridge was built in 1928 and looked that way! According to the gentleman at the gate, it is privately owned by the Plattsmouth Bridge Company, but will be sold to the city of Plattsmouth. This bridge, like Main Street, is also on the Nebraska National Registry of Historic Sites.

Plattsmouth still has many treasures for me to discover. I will choose to stay in Plattsmouth when I return to visit Omaha.

Omaha, Nebraska

I can’t really say that I saw much of Omaha. But what I did see made me want to return. We spent about one and a half days in Omaha. Our first jaunt into the big city was on Saturday afternoon for the Playing with Fire concert to see James Hunter. We spent just over seven hours at the Lewis and Clark Landing watching five cool blues bands. To the left is a picture of a sculpture at the landing. To my other left is the Missouri River.

The next day we returned to Omaha to spend time in the Omaha Old Market. The Old Market, pictured above, consists of several city blocks of giant, brick warehouses. These warehouses are now homes to quirky antique shops, art dealers, used bookstores, and funky restaurants. The picture below is of the Old Market's "Passageway." This beautiful bit is rather hidden. The entrance to the Passageway is much like an entrance to another shop. Yet upon entering, this is what you see. It was delightful. I was just disappointed that the restaurants were closed!

Despite spending nearly a full day in the Old Market, we barely scratched the surface of this interesting section of town.

We did visit Mangelen’s Images of Nature gallery. Mangelsen, a native of Nebraska, has hundreds of gorgeous photographs- available framed, as posters, note cards, and more. Shannon purchased her father a limited edition copy of Winter Sage – Mule Deer for her dad that morning (It was after all Father’s Day!). The picture was too gorgeous to hide in Malcolm’s office and can now be seen by everyone in the lobby of the Bank of Gravett, Centerton Branch. Another favorite place was a used bookstore that was having an 80% off moving sale. While the books had obviously been picked over, there were plenty more to dig through. I only wish I had had more than $5.00 in my pocket! Between the interesting book stores, galleries and antique stores I could have spent hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars!

There are several more things I want to see when I return to Omaha. Yes, with Omaha being only four hours from here, I will have to return. I would love to see the Henry Doorly Zoo. I might even want to venture out to see the Eugene T. Mahoney State Park!

Anyone want to join me on my next trip to Omaha?

Summer of Music

Alison Krauss
June 19

The day after my trip with Shannon to Omaha (to see James Hunter!) we went to see Alison Krauss with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas.

Shannon called me one day to tell me that she had read that Alison would be playing in Kansas City at the Starlight Theater! I laughed, as it is one of the few places in Kansas City that I can find! You see, it’s next to the zoo. Anyway, I enjoy a good Alison Krauss tune from time to time, but I was not prepared for the beauty of Alison’s voice in person! So many times you will see a group in concert and they just don’t measure up to the “studio version.” This was not the case. Alison and the guys sounded even better in person. They had no opening band, and played for over two hours straight. The rest of the band took a slight break when Jerry Douglas did a kick ass Dobro solo. Wow. Not sure you like bluegrass? Check out Alison Krauss et al. and you’ll find yourself loving bluegrass.

Goo Goo Dolls
July 2

Shannon’s email to me to let me know she had secured tickets to Alison Krauss in June came with a surprise. She’d also bought tickets for the Goo Goo Dolls for July 2! Holy smokes! What fun! Shannon returned to the ‘Burg just before Independence Day and we headed back over to the Starlight to see Johnny Rzeznik and his friends. They were full of energy and put on a great show. Rzeznik, a Polack from Buffalo, NY, had a great sense of humor and interacted with the audience. I had a blast!

The Starlight

The Starlight Theatre in Kansas City’s Swope Park rocks! Literally and figuratively. This outdoor venue offers all sorts of affordable, summer concerts as well as plays and other events. Less than one hour from my front door, you can bet I’ll be returning to the Starlight! Linda Ronstadt will be there on September 7th and Willie Nelson will be there on September 20th!


Shannon, thank you for taking me to see Alison and the Goo Goo Dolls this summer! This has truly been the summer of music!

Ramen Noodles for Doug

Mom tells me that Grandpa Doug loves Ramen Noodles and that he eats them several times a week for lunch. Well, what can we say, the man has good taste! I remember my first Ramen. I was a wee 15 year old lass at Arkansas Governor's School when a fellow AGS student made me a cup of Ramen Noodles. Later, I practically lived on Ramen as an undergraduate student,. But it wasn't until Orion discovered them that they've returned as a staple in our household.

A year ago I was visiting my mom-in-law and thumbing through her awesome magazine collection. I found a rather peculiar recipe for Ramen Noodle Pancakes in Southern Living, of all places. I took the recipe to John and instructed him to make them for me.

I was pleasantly surprised and continue to be as the recipe has morphed via John's creativity.

The following recipe is posted in honor of Grandpa Doug and shared for all to enjoy. You can find the original recipe at the Southern Living website or link directly here. But personally, I like mine better:

If You Like Egg Foo Young, You'll Love Ramen Noodle Pancakes

What you need:

• 2 (3-ounce) packages chicken Ramen Noodle soup mix



• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided



• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour



• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten



• 2-3 small green onions sliced, including greens



• 1 cup of assorted finely chopped or shredded vegetables. I like Julienned carrots or finely chopped water chestnuts. Try whatever you think you might like, or better yet, whatever is on hand!



• 2 tablespoons soy sauce



• a touch of sesame oil



• 1 garlic clove, pressed

What you do:

1. Cook soup according to package directions (I like to stop the cooking JUST before they're finished so they're not mushy when they get cooked in the pancakes!); drain noodles, and set aside, reserving broth.



2. Whisk together 2 tablespoons oil and flour in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add reserved broth, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Set gravy aside, and keep warm.



3. Stir together cooked noodles, eggs, and next five ingredients. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon noodle mixture by 1/2 cupfuls into hot skillet, and cook, in batches, 1 to 2 minutes each side or until golden brown, adding remaining 1 tablespoon oil as needed. Serve with warm gravy.



4. I have found that actually trying to cook these pancakes in a large skillet doesn't work so well. John showed me how to use a small egg skillet to create a large pancake (perfectly shaped) that comes out light, fluffy, and delicious.



5. Enjoy this tasty and inexpensive meal!

Now, for those of you who cannot seem to get enough Ramen, check out Matt Fischer's Ramen Blog. Not only will you find hundreds of Ramen Recipes, you will find interesting ways to cook Ramen Noodles. My favorite being for the 'culinarally' challenged: run hot tap water over them till they're ready to eat!

Enjoy your Ramen Noodles Grandpa Doug and when you come visit we can try out some of the recipes I found at the Ramen Blog!

The Parmele House

Are you dying to know where Shannon and I stayed on our trip to see James Hunter at the Playing with Fire Concert? I knew you were!

When I discovered that James Hunter was playing in Omaha, I knew we had to go. I began calling hotels in Omaha. However, I was unable to secure reservations. Everybody was full. Finally, a nice woman at a Bed and Breakfast in Omaha explained that I would probably not find a place in Omaha due to the College World Series! She suggested I check out Plattsmouth, NE, in Cass County, about 20 minutes south of Omaha.

I found Carroll at the Parmele House and within a few minutes on the phone knew that I had found us a place to stay. Carroll made us feel welcome and at ease from the moment we drove up. She made our stay truly special. She made several recommendations for dining and helped us with directions! Check out the Parmele House website for pictures and descriptions of this 100+ year old home!

Carroll's house is filled with fabulous antiques an she uses many of them to serve breakfast and snack. (If you visit, ask her to make fudge!) Another favorite part of my stay was the front porch of the house. When sitting on the porch of the Parmele House I never felt the 95 degree heat.

Shannon and I stayed in the Wildflower Room.

If you are planning on venturing into the wilds of Nebraska or are just looking for adifferent sort of place to get away from it all, I strongly recommend the Parmele House in Plattsmouth, NE. As for me, I cannot wait to return.

Carroll, I will be back! Thanks for making our trip to Nebraska so stress free, so wonderful, and so amazing.

Nola

Meet Nola Jean Winters Leslie. She and Orion share a birthday! She turned one year old this past June. Nola has been part of our family since November, 2006.

Nola was born to a Doberman mommy dog (Her mommy had papers!). We're not sure who her daddy was, but based on Nola's siblings it is believed that Nola's daddy was a Labrador. Two days after she was born, the folks taking care of her mommy found that her mommy had died, leaving behind six hungry pups. They promptly took them to Doctor Mia. Doctor Mia adopted four while the other folks kept two. Mia fed those babies every two hours, day or night, till they were big enough to eat puppy food. Mia found homes for two of the four. She had a boy and girl left. She named them Nate and Nola.

In November we decided that Orion might benefit from having a dog. And we began looking. I remember Doctor Mia still had a few puppies left and that they would be about five months old. Tuesday before Thanksgiving, November 21, 2006, Nola came to live with us.

It was hard at first. She came to us very well trained (Thank you Mia!), but we weren't used to having a puppy. It took us some time to get to know and love each other. Now Miss Nola sleeps with me! She's a 'bedful' at over 50 pounds!

Nola has several nicknames-

Maenola (in honor of John's best friend from High School)

Enola Gay (when she's really gassy)

Granola Butt

Divot Butt (she has these swirls below her butt right where her dark fur turns light)

Puppins (like kitten, only not!)

Nola takes good care of us. She keeps us good company. She and Spot play together. And she has a lovely, loud bark that can be very intimidating. We love Nola!

Spot

Moving to Fayetteville was traumatic. We found ourselves living in a 600 square foot, two bedroom, concrete apartment on campus. We were not allowed to have pets! After two years years on campus we found a quieter, much larger place to stay. A townhouse on the back side of Sequoyah Mountain. We moved in March 1st. That autumn, a special guest found us.

I used to leave the kitchen door open when Orion was out playing. It was easier than listening to him slam the door dozens of times. It also afforded me better viewing of the wee one. One afternoon, while dinner was simmering on the stove, a black and white cat waltzed right in and sat down next to me on the couch. He hung out while I watched a rerun of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and took off shortly after dinner. This became a habit for the cat. But as the days shortened and the nights got chillier, the visitor began spending the night. He refused using the cat box, instead he cried at the door to be let out in the mornings. He would be waiting for us on the porch in the afternoon upon our return from school. Orion went through several names, Wide-Eyed Cat and Pom-Pom were two that he barely escaped. It was John who named Spot for the tiny white spot on his mostly black back.

Spot was an impressive hunter as well. He would bring us two to three bodies a day! We even belled the cat, but it didn't slow him down. I suppose the biggest gross out was when visitors would step outside on the porch to have a cigarette and find their bare foot in something still warm and squishy.

This went on for about a year. Until one day I found him crossing Highway 16! The very road I had seen two kitty deaths earlier that week! That evening, when he came home, he stayed home. He protested a great deal; then he promptly put on about five pounds.

Spot has got to be one of the most laid back cats on the planet. Orion and I can do just about anything to this cat and he simply rolls over, shows us his pink belly, and begs for more love! We adore our Naughty Spotty and were quite honored that he not only found us, but that he chose us for his family.

Alison

Meet Alison. I like to call her "My-Bob's Cat." Alison spent the first 18 years of her life living in Bob and Loree's garage. She was a huntress of great renown. Every morning, around 5:00 AM she and My-Bob would walk out to fetch the newspaper. She would get a handful of kibble and some water. My-Bob would get a "trophy", usually a bird or baby rabbit, later in the day. It is rumored that she would even follow My-Bob through the garden.

Just over a year ago, Alison came to live with us in Fayetteville. She protested the move to Fayetteville and rewarded us by staying in John's (huge) closet in the basement. She protested even louder (with a giant POOP before we even pulled out of Fayetteville) our move to the 'Burg. Despite her protestations, she is doing very well in her new home. She has put on some weight. Her fur is much thicker and softer. She rules the upstairs, sleeping on the "big bed" like the queen that she is. She's learning the ways of an indoor cat: sleep, eat, sleep, eat, more sleep, petting, sleep, eat, and even more sleep.

Alison turned 19 this April. Happy Belated Birthday Alison. We are glad you're part of our family.

James Hunter Rocks!

(James Hunter, Playing with Fire, Omaha, NE June 16, 2007)

Father's Day weekend found John and Orion headed to Arkansas for Camp Subiaco while Kat and Shannon headed to Omaha, Nebraska for a free concert. Omaha is home to Playing with Fire. The Playing with Fire concert series provides several free concerts during the summer where voluntary donations at the gate go directly to the local food bank and percentages of proceeds from tee shirt sales, soda sales, etc. go to various non-profits (e.g. The Blues Ed. Program). What a show!

Shannon and I were on a mission. To see James Hunter- up close and personal. And we did! Shannon sent me a link to James Hunter's site nearly a year ago. I immediately fell in love with his music! James Hunter, a singer and songwriter from the U.K., will win anyone over. Click on his name to visit his website and hear some of his music. He's awesome!

To make a long story longer, when I heard Shannon was headed to Ireland this summer I thought I would check out his website to see if she would be able to catch him while she was on vacation! What I found was that he was right here, practically in my back yard. Omaha is (only) four hours from the 'Burg. And off we went!

The concert was in downtown Omaha at the Lewis & Clark Landing along the Missouri River. The gates opened at 4:00. We were there at 4:05 and were able to park directly across the street from the park! The landing is brick and concrete, so if you go - bring chairs. The temps that afternoon reached 95 and there was no shade to be had. But that didn't dampen our spirits. We were treated to three opening "Blues Ed." bands where local adolescents and young adults jam together. They were quite good. Curtis Salgado also sang his heart out. He was great, however Shannon wouldn't be swayed- she had one man on her mind, one man in her heart. Finally, just after 9:00, the scorching sun had set only minutes before, James Hunter came to the stage. He was great. I was ready to sing along. I was ready to dance. I was ready to rock and roll. What I wasn't ready for: his awesome sense of humor. I was able to take a few pictures with my sluggish camera. Enjoy! And if you ever have a chance to see James Hunter - DO SO. If you ever have a chance to hang out one of the Playing with Fire concerts- BRING SUNSCREEN.

Curtis Salgado wails a good tune.

Shannon smiles as James comes to the stage!

The many smiles of James Hunter!

Thank you James for an AWESOME show. Thank you Shannon for ADVENTURING with me!

Updated Pictures

Several of you have requested more recent photos of me and Orion. Alas, I haven't kept up with that this past year, but I do have one recent picture of the two of us. These were made on Monday. I hope you enjoy them.

Head over to http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/ to create your own.

Circadian Rhythm

Yes, it’s after midnight. I should be in bed. But I am not. Summer is a time of mixed up sleep schedules. Or is it my observation of la siesta that enables me a) to make it through the 14 + hours of daylight and b) to enjoy the quiet of the night. I have always been a night owl, or so my mother tells me. I was born just after 3 am in Buffalo, NY. Does time of birth impact whether a person is a night person or a morning person? And can a person be both? (I think I am.)

When I think of my crazy summer schedule (waking at 5:30 or 6:00 AM, teaching and working till the afternoon, napping, dining, and working some more till about 2:00 AM) I wonder how I find myself so out of sync with the rest of the world. And then I think back to teaching and taking classes at the University of Arkansas. Or earlier- teaching summer school in St. Louis. My schedule was much the same as it is now. And farther back to my time at the University of Central Arkansas as a masters’ student. Again, pretty much the same. When I delve even farther back, I think of my time growing up at the motel. And a pattern emerges.

I suppose it is the extended hours of daylight that allows for this odd rhythm to break through. During the school year, I awake at 6:30 or 7:00 and I am in bed by 9:00 or 10:00 – earlier if I thought I could get away with it.

Regardless of whether it is an early, quiet morning (say walking to Peabody Hall at 4:30 a.m. watching the bunnies and skunks scurry about campus) or a late, peaceful evening (sitting out beneath the stars), I am happiest when it’s calm. I am happiest when the rest of the world is sleeping.

May your dreams be sweet.

Homesickness

(Photo by EyeGone Graphics)

I read once that being homesick was a form of unrequited love. It didn’t make me feel any better. I’ve been in the ‘Burg for nearly a year. I’d like to think that I am embracing my little town and its quirky inhabitants. But when I think about places like Steel Creek on the Buffalo River, I wonder if another place will ever touch me so deeply.

It's Hot!

It is hot today. The mercury reached 95. I lost track of the heat index when it rose above 100. I should be at work today; I had hoped to clean off my desks and reorganize my books. My boss sent me home. The A/C in our building died (again), and the temperature in the windowless offices and classrooms is over 85. I stayed as long as I could. But now I am home. Soaking up my A/C.

When I lived in St. Louis, days like this found Orion and me at the Missouri Botanical Garden cooling off in the shade of an ancient tree.

(Photo Circa 2004)

Or better yet, splashing through the fountains.

(Photo Circa 1998)

I remain an A/C Junkie!

Satanic Rituals

(Photo Circa 1974)

It wasn't well known, but the Mangiones often coerced their children into luring and fetching wee goat-lettes for dark and wicked ceremonies.

Naming Ceremony

Welcome to Katatonic Blues. For years now I have used this moniker for high scores on Tetris and Pac Man (Have I just dated myself?). I have been saving this name for decades: I had always hoped to design a line of cool, sassy denim jeans for fat girls and name them Katatonic Blues.

But until then, Katatonic Blues will be the home of my ramblings.

I dedicate this blog to my friends and family. I have always prided myself on keeping in touch with friends and family, however, I've not done so well with that this past year. [As indicated by birthday and mother's day cards that are weeks, no months, late!] In hopes of keeping up you and keeping in touch with you I present:

Katatonic Blues