Horses

Ride the horse in the direction that it's going.

~ Werner Erhard

- - - - -

We think of animals in different ways. For example you have "horseplay", but then you have "dogfight" and "catfight." Then there is "cowardly."

Of course there is also "iguanasnub" and "porcupinesnuggle" and "parakeettolerance."

Animals and words are funny.

Guest

The most important thing about my life is integrity, 

and you can't lie to yourself.

~ Christopher Guest

- - - - -

Be our guest
Be our guest
Put our service to the test

Do I think that would make a good jingle for a headstone company?

(pause)

Of course I do.

Marriage

OMG, I love being a bride!

~ Abbie Beadle

- - - - -

Abbie and Andy are getting married today. I just hope they always remember to keep track of themselves as they move to this next level of being a couple. Remember, everyone, a marriage without the "I" is marred.

(pause)

I wrote a poem that included that one time. I don't remember getting a very good grade on that poem. I should have. It was good.

Fray

Poets don't draw.  They unravel their handwriting and then tie it up again, but differently.

~ Jean Cocteau

- - - - -

There is a lot of benefit to undoing things we thought were done and reconstructing them.  In order to do that you have to deconstruct them first. 

Sometimes things break apart on their own. They become worn and frayed and tattered. Other times they become shattered and we have to make meaning of what they were and figure out what to keep (if anything) and what to discard (if anything).


The harder thing might be to undo the things that are so integrated into our lives that we don't ever think to question them, fray them, shatter them.

Like...  well, it's hard to think of what those things are, right?

Maybe that's why we have to talk to other people. So they can help us see the things that are so obvious they're invisible.

And sometimes we don't like it when they point out those things. Because it makes us uncomfortable. And if someone comforts us it makes us feel strong, when someone uncomforts us it makes us feel weak.

And when we are frightened by what might become unraveled in our own worlds, we are nothing more than fraydy cats.

Bird

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.

~ Salvador Dali

- - - - -

Unless the bird had wings and flew into something and lost a wing and then fell asleep and an animal attacked it and it lost another wing. That's not really intelligence at all. What were you thinking, bird?

Negativity

Negativity is the enemy of creativity.

~ David Lynch

- - - - -

A while back I posted that my friend Terri always says, "Is it really that bad or is it just November?" or "Are you really angry with that person, or is it just November?"

Then I thought about sharing the same thing now that it is early December and people are worn out. "Is it really that bad or is it just December?" "Are you really angry with that person, or is it just December?"

Then I thought you could do that for all of the months. There is a reason to be cranky any month, I suppose. 

So then I had to stop and think, "Is it really that bad or is it just my friend Terri?"

Alligator

Far off in the red mangroves an alligator has heaved himself onto a hummock of grass and lies there, studying his poems.

~ Mary Oliver

- - - - -

If I'm running away from an alligator because I'm scared, I'm NOT going to say, "See you later alligator." You think it's because I would be afraid and wouldn't have time to think of it. You'd be wrong though. I wouldn't be saying it because I do NOT WANT to see that alligator later. 

I could say something similar about if I was being chased by a crocodile.

Also, what did I do to make them so angry at me?

Also, exactly how fast can they run? I bet pretty fast. Like maybe 20 mph. Also, it's 20 mph because I just looked it up.

Character

No one knows his true character until he has run out of gas, purchased something on the installment plan, and raised an adolescent.

~ Marcelene Cox

- - - - -

Other ways to figure out your true character include:

* Surviving a natural disaster
* Losing the most intimate of loved ones
* Going hungry for an extended time
* Being in a plane crash in the mountains with a soccer team
* Being trapped in a cave with a soccer team

(pause)

Also, no one should ever play soccer.

Reader

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.

~ Margaret Fuller

- - - - -

When I saw Zak like this, I had so many questions...

1. Was this his way of saying, "Leave me alone. I'm reading," perhaps?
2. Is he going to be a dentist?
3. Does he need glasses?
4. How great is this kid?

That last one is a question I have a lot of the time. I really like him.

Ham Balls

Patience is the secret to good food.

~ Gail Simmons

- - - - -

And when you see ham balls like this and you think they aren't very photogenic, be patient. Be patient until you eat them, then you will find them to be really photogenic to your tastebuds.

Yes, you can quote me on that.

No, they aren't pig testicles.

Yes, you can quote me on that, too. I'm not sure what you're talking about that you'd need that quote, though.

Tunnel

Seems like the light at the end of the tunnel might be you.

~ Steven Tyler

- - - - -

I'm more of a bridge person than a tunnel person. I like both actually, but I prefer bridges. It might have something to do with me coming from the midwest. Where I grew up you could see far and wide. You knew what was coming toward you and what you were going toward.

On a bridge a lot of time you can see around you. I'm sure there are exceptions, but try to stay focused if you can. Bridges allow you to see out and across and over. Tunnels don't do that.

Tunnels tend to let you see forward or backward and sometimes not much else.

A lot of people have tunnel vision. I wish more people had bridge vision.

Closed

A clever, imaginative, humorous request can open closed doors and closed minds.

~ Percy Ross

- - - - -

You know what else can open closed doors? A crowbar.

Technically, I suppose it could open closed minds, too. (pause) But that's pretty violent. You're smart. You can figure out a better way.

Platter

It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content.

~ Maria Sharapova

- - - - -

I actually think good friends, good food, and good laughs are a lot harder to come by than a fancy party, Maria Sharapova. As a result, it seems that you might not be that easily impressed after all. 

Continue

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

~ Winston Churchill

- - - - -

Sometimes when I'm writing a blog, I get to a point where I stop and think, "Hm. This isn't very good. Maybe I should save it and come back to it later." However, instead of stopping, I keep writing. Then in a few more words it becomes a really good blog post. 

Other times I think, "Hm. This isn't very good" and I just post it anyway. 

Like right now.

Bank

The origin of piggy banks dates back nearly 600 years, in a time before real banks even existed. Before the creation of modern-style banking institutions, people commonly stored their money at home -- not under the mattress (or hay rack), but in common kitchen jars. During the Middle Ages, metal was expensive and seldom used for household wares. Instead, dishes and pots were made of an economical orange-colored clay called pygg. Whenever folks could save an extra coin or two, they dropped it into one of their clay jars -- a pygg pot.

~ Jeffrey Pilcher

- - - - -

And that is also why nearly every bank in the world today is painted orange.

Paths

I live a reasonably simple life off the beaten path.

~ George Lucas

- - - - -

A relatively simple life off the beaten path is what I would like to live.

You, the reader, giving unsolicited feedback: The quote says a REASONABLY simple life. Not a RELATIVELY simple life, Michelle!

Me: I'm not George Lucas, reader. Also, I don't like unsolicited advice.

You, the reader: Well, I'm good at giving unsolicited advice.

Me: You and a lot of other people. 

You, the reader: What do you mean by that?

Me: Oh, silly reader. Just focus on you, yourself, and your own happiness and most of the other things will fall into place.

You, the reader: But I am not happy and don't want to do the work to be happy, so I'd rather give unsolicited advice.

Me: Hey, would you like the directions to George Lucas's house?

Gate

Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

~ Kahlil Gibran

- - - - -

One time when Leslie and I were having an adventure, we came to a place we wanted to explore. There was a fence around it and the gate was padlocked. I asked, "Should we go in and explore?"
Leslie said, "There is a fence around it and the gate is padlocked. I don't think we are supposed to go in."

I walked around and found a place where the fence was down and you could step over the barbed wire. I walked back to the locked gate where Leslie was and I said, "I found a way in." She sighed and rolled her eyes, but then found the same spot I had and came in.

We explored for a while then when we left I said, "See? Isn't okay to break the rules sometimes?"

"Maybe," Leslie VERY reluctantly agreed, "But it goes against my nature."

I didn't think of it at the moment, but you know what goes against MY nature? Fences and padlocked gates.

Tears

Tears come from the heart, not the brain.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

- - - - -

Uh... tears come from the EYES, Leonardo da Vinci. 

For someone who did a ton of anatomical drawings, you sure don't know much about bodily fluids. Well, at least about TEARS. And I don't really feel like talking about other bodily fluids.

Stuck

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere that you don't belong.

~ Mandy Hale

- - - - -

Stuck is hard. Stuck is often.
Stuck is something that you try to soften.
Stuck is sad. Stuck is aggravating.
Stuck is motivating.

Stuck is tiring. Stuck takes time.
This is a poem that I made rhyme.
Stuck is boring. I'm tired of stuck.
This poem really does completely suck.

See the bobber stuck in the tree. That's funny, huh?

Fish

In a shared fish, there are no bones.

~ Democritus

- - - - -

When we stayed at Mr. Gibb Walker's place, he gave us some fish he had caught for dinner. The fish didn't look like this, though. Which is good.

No, not because I "don't eat things with faces," but because I don't eat plastic amusement park rides.

Penance

I have traveled a good deal in Concord, and everywhere, in shops and offices, and fields, the inhabitants have appeared to me to be doing penance in a thousand remarkable ways.

~ Henry David Thoreau

- - - - -

Sometimes when I'm in the other room and I hear something get knocked over and I hear Leslie state loudly and firmly, "Goddammit," I laugh. I know that isn't kind. I know I should go see what happened and offer to help, but hearing that happen and her say "Goddammit." Just makes me giggle.

I know someday I will have to do pennants for that. But not the kind of pennants here. Though I could definitely get some felt, cut it into a triangle and cut out the words, "I'm sorry, Leslie" and glue them on it.

Come to think of it, doing pennants is way easier than I thought it would be.

Deli

Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body.

~ George Carlin

- - - - -

I have a friend Mac who would be great at running a deli. I imagine it would have a drive-through, but only for people on bikes. I also hope that he would have a sandwich called The Mac. It would include lots of good things, but no cheese. Then I hope he would have another sandwich called The Mac & Cheese.

I'd totally eat there if my friend Mac was in charge of it.

And if it was located near where I live in South Carolina and not near where he lives in Ohio.

(pause)

Who am I kidding? I'd probably bike to Ohio to eat there.

(pause)

Who am I kidding? I'd probably DRIVE to Ohio in a car and then just dine-in.

Hoop

Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.

~ Bill Russell

- - - - -

I like this photo of the basketball hoop on the side of the barn. I could almost guarantee you that there is no court in front of that hoop - and yet people still probably shot hoops there. Maybe a lot.

Maybe they also shot them when they shouldn't have. To be completely honest, I don't know what the penalty is for shooting hoops out of season.

Libraries

Bad libraries build collections. Good libraries build services. Great libraries build communities.

~ R. David Lankes

- - - - -

Leslie told me a story about how she was at the library and a librarian and a police officer were arguing about whether or not a man sleeping in the library should be arrested. The officer didn't think arresting him was the right approach, but that's what the librarian wanted to have happen. Leslie said that she didn't know why the two of them were arguing in front of her.

Me: You should have said, "SH! This is a library."

Leslie: Yes, I should have.

Me: No - you should have said, "SH! I'm trying to sleep!"

We laughed and laughed. Deep down inside I think she resented me telling her what she should do and I resented her not finding out why there is a police officer stationed in the library.

But then we got over it. 

Construction

Originality is the best form of rebellion.

~ Mike Sasso

- - - - -
I don't like seeing these protest signs all over. While I think we have to be good stewards of the land and try to respect nature, I don't know that we need to end all construction. Sheesh

Blue

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

~ L. Frank Baum

- - - - -

I don't like it when my peeps are blue. I try to cheer them up, but they usually stay blue. I'm not the boss of them and their feelings. Or maybe they are the blue peeps of happiness and they aren't the sad kind of blue at all.

I guess I won't know. Can't know. Don't know. I have asked them repeatedly how they are feeling, but I get nothing. Not a peep.

(pause)

Peep is not only the name of the candy, but also a small sound. Thus the humor in this post.

(pause)

Please feel free at any time to wander off and start your own blog. 

Barns

Build the barn before you buy the cow.

~ Serbian Proverb

- - - - -
The mother barn made her way slowly across the prairie so that her baby would not be left behind. In the evenings when they would rest, she would whisper stories and words of advice to the little one.

"Always keep moving. If you stay in one place too long they'll make you a chicken house and chickens stink to high heaven."

"When you hear old humans say to young humans, 'Where were you born - in a barn?!' Don't take it personally. Some of the best people ever were born in barns."

"Don't worry about how uppity silos are. They think they're better than everyone else, but they mostly keep to themselves."

And then she would sing her baby to sleep with the anthem of lot, "Baby You Were Barn This Way."

Deceit

Guard yourself from lying; there is he who deceives and he who is deceived.

~ Sextus

- - - - -

You think Leslie is all nice and calm and reflective, but you could be wrong. Like the other day whens she tried to convince me it was "ola" not "hola." She didn't know what the hell she was talking about. She makes crap up all the time - in multiple languages, even! Leslie is lielingual.

Drumming

My drumming is always an experiment.

~ Pat Mastelotto

- - - - -

Zak is into drumming right now. I am happy he got his own drum set for his birthday. He really seems excited by drumming. 

I hope he goes on to become a famous drummer. I'd be really proud of him.

And then I could sell some of the photos I have of him for a ton of money.

Language

As wonderful as dogs may be, they are famous for missing the point. 

~ Jean Ferris

- - - - -

Language is a weird thing. We string together sounds to make words. We string together words to make sentences (or not). We string together sentences to a make a point (or not).

And yet we don't do any of that very well.

Let's take the following as an example:

"I may have screwed the pooch."

(pause. long pause.)

You MAY HAVE? One would think you would most definitely remember that  in vivid detail.

Also, what the heck is wrong with you?

Yes?

Make sure that by saying "yes" to someone else, you aren't saying "no" to yourself.

~ Paul Coelho

- - - - -

Molly, think about this before you follow through. Really, really think about it. This is the rest of your life. How do you want people to know you? What do you want them to call you? Please, Molly. Please, please, please, think about this carefully.

Please.