you capture-shapes

This weeks you capture theme was shapes. I am usually drawn to squares, so it was interesting that the photos I took and liked were actually circles.

...cherry dilly bar (which started out life as a circle)

...and the circular center of the sunflower, my state's most beautiful flower!

Join us:

you capture

I read Shindig. If you don't, you should. Zackary is participating in You Capture, and I decided I needed that challenge too. Here is my first try.

This week, participants could choose from July 4th or food. Of course, I kinda forgot about taking any photos Saturday on the 4th of July, but I can always manage shots of food. Even when I don't make it. So, here it is! Any guesses what it is?

signs and landmarks

When I am running or biking (and sometimes swimming) I am a very goal oriented person. Most often, my goals are signs and landmarks. For example:

*run hard to that next telephone pole

*take a drink after the next big hill

*down-shift after crossing the next driveway

*stride big past the cemetary

Are you a goal setter? Like all things in life, having small goals helps me to feel accomplished, and makes something that is hard just a bit easier.

>>image from here

ps, I just realized another reason (the main one?) that I hate the treadmill...no landmarks, nothing to get a goal for...

leader or follower

Are you a leader or a follower? I have had some thoughts lately about this whole following thing in the blogosphere. Should one be trying to get followers? Does the number of people who are following your blog really mean anything? If you have 856,924 followers are you any more cool than the person who has 10? How about twitter? Is it the same? What is someone un-follows you or blocks you...should you take that as a compliment or rejection? What's up with blog stats? If you are blogging for a living I can totally understand needing to know about numbers. That's how you get paid: hits, followers and advertising. But if you blog for yourself, does it all really matter? In the words on the wonderful Molly, "blog like no one is reading."

I have had a hard week on the interwebs, and lost a good friend. She both blocked me and un-followed. My feelings are hurt. I will continue to blog like no one is reading, because, to me, it doesn't matter. 856,924 followers or 10, this is my journal and I am honored that some of you choose to read. Thanks.

What the Fuck Wednesday

Yes, that is a condom that measures and shows off penis length. What the Fuck?

As Buck Wolf says "One small consolation: The Spanish manufacturer only sells metric-based condoms, so if you don't do the centimeters-to-inches conversion, it might make you feel 2.54 times larger than you actually are. " If you live in the US, that is!

If you need some, buy 'em here!

5 questions

I think I want to play along too...Here are my questions from OptomisticPessimist:



1 Have 10 biological children or none at all? Why?

Of course I would have to choose 10 biological children. I was very lucky in that all 3 of my pregnancies (one was miscarried) were very easy. I have always wanted 3 kids, but Todd put his foot down at 2. As a good friend of mine said "that has to be a 2-person decision." Since we live in our hometown and both sets of our parents live here as well, I think we could handle 10 kids. At least physically!



2 Not be able to use your phone or your e-mail? Why?

Definitely the phone. I really hate the phone. I would rather email everything, both personal and work-related. I have never liked the phone. My son is the same.



3 Is your room messy or clean right now?

I would say it is kind-of-clean. We always make our bed every morning (Todd hates to get into an unmade bed at night) but often the bench at the end of the bed is heaped with clothes to be put away or hand-washed, or just the clothes I took off when I put on my pjs. Our closet doors are always closed, and there is never anything sitting on the floor, so I stand firm: kind-of messy.

4 What's one thing you'd like to do but haven't done yet?

I have always wanted to sky-dive. Don't ask me why, but I have. I doubt that I will even be in the right place at the right time to do that, though. One thing I have always wanted to do, and just did was to run the 1/2 marathon!

5 T.V. show you secretly enjoy? Why?

I really don't watch much tv. Occasionally I will sit with the kids and unwind in front of the tv before bed, but that's about it. That said, I did get a bit addicted to A Shot of Love 2: Tila Tequila. I know. Lame!

If you haven't already played and want to, let me know!

amber waves of grain

Last evening while Todd was golfing and Molly was at a sleep-over, Carson and I braved the heat and went out to the farm to ride on the combine and cut wheat. This time of the year is always such a wonder to me. In the course of about a week, all of the wheat for almost of the entire world's bread is cut all around me. Well, not really, but that's what it feels like. Every town for miles around me is focused on one thing...cutting wheat.

This year I took my camera and really tried to watch thru your eyes. I wanted to capture some things that I would have wanted you to notice. I assume most of you have never been around a wheat harvest. Let me tell you: it is dusty, hot, smelly, dirty, and amazing. When we left the house last night it was 6:30pm and still 100 degrees. When we got home at 9:30, we hadn't even cut one whole field, we had the headlights on the combine, and it was 77 degrees. Although we didn't partake in the evening meal (prepared by the farmer's wives and brought to the field), we have many times before.

We saw a mama deer, who could have been our pet. She just bounced along ahead of the combine wagging her tail and looking back at us. While Carson and I were at the elevator, my dad saw a coyote along the edge of the field waiting for the combine to scare out something for his dinner. We saw small quail, rabbits and mice running out ahead of the combine. We saw dry lightening and a storm system moving into the East. We saw great yields, and beautiful plump seeds of grain. We chatted with Willie, the farmer my dad and brother (and some day Carson) have always worked for. We drank water and sweated. We listened to country music and got dripped on by the "air conditioner" in the combine. We drove thru Falun, KS where the only activity in that town happens at this time of the year.

I took grain home with me. I am going to mill it myself this year and bake bread with my own flour. I will eat it with vegetables out of my own garden, and I will be in heaven. For a moment, time will stand still and we will know what it might have been like all those many years ago when our ancestors did just the same: provided for themselves. I will teach my children what it means to me to be from Kansas, and why it is important that we know and maintain our heritage.

At this moment, all is well in the heartland, and for that I am thankful.

purple coneflower

The first coneflower blooms in my garden. I forget this time of the year I have a whole bunch of pinkish-purplish things blooming. If it wasn't so freakin' hot in the evenings still, we might have a few hummingbirds. I keep looking for them.

in the park

At the park for lunch Monday. It was really, really hot. Can you tell by the photos? Can you also tell that I forgot my camera (dang!) and these were taken with my silly blackberry? You might be able to see that we have a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty in our park. I don't know why. Next time I am there, and it isn't too hot to get out of my car I am going to read the plate on the base of the statue to find out why...

What the Fuck Wednesday

Moo cards? Business Cards? Calling Cards? Heck no! Try these Meat Business Cards...

pressure

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel pressure. I feel pressure to make profound, witty, crack-you-up comments on blog posts. I feel pressure to write wonderful, well thought out blog posts. Do you ever feel like that?

I understand that comments are often how other folks "find" your blog. I want people to find me, but not in that way. I really post for my own self. I post to get myself to write things. I post to remind me how good it feels to think something through and write about it. To compose it...like in high school when you had to write that paper for English. I post to have a place for my photographs (which I am enjoying taking very much, thank you.).

I love reading all of your blogs, and I really do read all of your posts, but I don't very often comment. I want to, but I can't think of something to say, other than...cool...I agree...or beautiful! Please forgive me if I don't comment, and if I don't answer your comments. Most days, I just don't have the eloquence I think you deserve.

>>image: buy your commercial pressure cooker here

the smell of cilantro on my hands

Last night I wandered around in the garden. Well, really, I first wandered around in our front courtyard. Then I went to the perennial garden on the west side of the house. From there, I went down the steps, past the potting area and the compost piles and into the backyard. I rested a few minutes in the sky-chair, and watched the finches eating and splashing. After a bit I went thru the gate to the vegetable garden. I inspected the basil, looked over the ripening tomatoes, and rubbed the cilantro. Some years I grow the cilantro only for the glorious smell. I love the smell of cilantro. The beans/peas (I can't remember which I planted) are blooming nicely. The onions need to be thinned, but they are so cute all lined up in a row. The cucumbers (far fewer than I planted last year) are starting to bloom and the spaghetti squash is starting to take over (note to self to get some sort of trellis built this weekend). I looked for any ripe cherries missed by the birds. But then I went back to the cilantro. I love the cilantro.

carrot top

No, NOT the comedian...the vegetable you silly!

I never really liked him anyhow.

What the Fuck Wednesday

Yep, It's carved out of cheese. What do Miss Rodeo, cheese and New Mexico have in common?

Nothing that I can think of!

If you need one, go visit the cheese lady here!