Where am I, What day is it?

confused brain
OK.... it's May 17th.... Monday... Back in Des Moines for a few days until I have to be in Iowa City for work.

Sunday, was the usual drive on I-35 north. However, road construction is adding about 20 to 30 minutes onto my drive, depending on the traffic. Here is a view of my world.... driving the Prius these days... I like getting the good gas mileage.

Here is normal view of the monitor: see I'm averaging 41.1 miles/gallon...


Blow pictured here, you can see the 5 minute intervals show higher than normal miles/gallon.... this indicates I'm driving slower.... i.e. I'm in the road construction area and the car is using more battery power.



The blank 5 minutes, is not a good sign... that means I didn't even travel 1 mile in that 5 minute period of time. For some reason people have a hard time merging down from two lanes into one lane... and it takes forever!

I love my Mini Cooper and it's gas mileage is in the 30's.... but when it comes to real great gas millage, the hybrids are great technology, and I also love my Toyota Prius... at least until they come up with a total electric car that I can afford.


This picture above shows the screen which you can look at to see where the power is coming from, either the engine, battery, or both.

Another thing the Prius has, which my 2002 Mini does not, is the "blue tooth" technology which allows me to connect to my cell phone and I can talk without using my hands.... keeping in compliance with the "Oprah's no texting and talking while driving campaign"

A special type of Sunshine

5-15-10 glowing brain
I've been working in KC this past week and the weird thing is that Greg was traveling for work most of that time. I decided to stay in KC, since I was tired of being on the road so much lately, and I just wanted to stay "put".... in which ever house I was at... and this time it happened to be in KC.

I survived alone for the first time here.... but it turned out to be a challenge about mid week. It was a cold and gloomy/rainy/stormy week and I was starting to feel cabin fever- like I did during the winter months.

Finally on Thursday, I got out of the house and had lunch with an old friend Kimby, who was like a ray of sunshine for me! I'm posting this for the rest of you who knew Kimby. I swear, she hasn't changed a bit.... I think she's looking younger..... or maybe it's me looking older.

I love how old friendships can brighten a gloomy day/week! ... of course I insisted on a picture...

My extended family

5-14-10 reminiscing brain

Just for the fun of it.... here is a picture of my sister and I ( Jan on the left, I on the right) and in between us are the neighborhood kids who we spent the first 13 to 14 years of our lives with. (Picture is when I was around age 10, I believe)

Cathy, Jim and Bob lived across the street from us and they were our extended family, along with their parents Alice and Mil. I am thinking of them today, probably because tomorrow is "Tornado Day' in my hometown. When I was 12 years old a deadly tornado wiped out half our hometown. Once you live through an experience like that, anniversary dates are often remembered.... AND I do still tend to freak out a bit when storms are in my area, like this past week.

Back when I was a kid, I remember spending the hours after the tornado down in our neighbor's basement. I think our parents put us down there, all together, to feel safe. That night I also got to sleep with my sister in her room. I remember listening to ambulance sirens head out to the hospital. Thirteen people died that afternoon and we felt lucky to still have our houses left standing in our neighborhood.

When I see pictures on the TV of recent tornado's, I feel compassion... but not all that much sadness or emotion. I usually catch myself saying "been there, done that".... and I know from my experience, life does go on, and things can and do return to normal.... eventually. Yet, I also know that an imprint has been left on me: "Tornado Survivor"... which only those who have had this experience can understand. Probably like "Cancer Survivors" or Holocaust Survivors".

Tornado Post from last year HERE

The ART of THINKING

5-13-10 pondering brain
Does anyone have time to think anymore?… Does anyone MAKE time to think anymore? Greg sent me this article about leadership and solitude. This got me thinking about our children and the busy lives everyone seems to be leading now-a-days.

http://www.theamericanscholar.org/solitude-and-leadership/

Do we give ourselves, and do we give our kids time to be reflective, time to think, time to day-dream. It seems we only value activity, productivity, cramming to passing a test, verses time to “think about things”… time to really learn things... and time to remember things!

A quote for the above article:
Here’s the other problem with Facebook and Twitter and even The New York Times. When you expose yourself to those things, especially in the constant way that people do now—older people as well as younger people—you are continuously bombarding yourself with a stream of other people’s thoughts. You are marinating yourself in the conventional wisdom. In other people’s reality: for others, not for yourself. You are creating a cacophony in which it is impossible to hear your own voice, whether it’s yourself you’re thinking about or anything else."

Some of my best memories in college were when I would go out alone to a hiking trail by the lake. I’d walk some, but often I would sit on a rock and look out over the water. I would take in nature’s beauty and just think… and listen to the ideas which entered by brain. I did gather wisdom then, I did gather inspiration, and often I would write some poetry which helped me figure out adolescence angst.

I’ll admit I need to do more of that in my life now…. I suppose I do get to do some of that now, during my 3 hour drives from DM to KC…. But often it is so easy to let myself be distracted with the iPod in my ear, talk radio, Facebook, email, TV….. and blogging?

Maybe blogging is different, and surprisingly blogging seems that it might be helpful to me. Often blogging makes me take time to think and reflect on a topic, (like now).

Anyway, no real point to this blog…. I was just “thinking out loud” about life in 2010 and thinking about my need and my enjoyment of solitude. My “split in two” life does provide for more solitude than most people get…… AND I do need to use my solitude time more wisely and not waste it away on all the distractions that our culture has created.

Chalk Art

5-12-10 playful brain
I have been reading about techniques for successful sidewalk chalk art which has fascinated me for years. I read about how to create some 3-D chalk art by using the computer to "stretch" your photo which should produce a pattern to work off from. Then by putting a grid on your photo and on the sidewalk, you can just start drawing within the grid lines.

Here are a few examples of 3-D from the Internet.




I was not up to doing a large piece, so just wanted to experiment with a small picture. I picked one of a flower and butterfly, which I believe is a photo from my friend Lori which I had in my computer files.

Here is my process..... looks like I have a lot more practicing to do!

Saturday with friends

5-11-10 goofy brain
Since Ann came down to the Art Show Friday evening, she stayed with Greg and I Friday night. We had Saturday morning plans to pick Molly up at 10:15 AM at the Volvo dealership where her car was to get serviced…. So a typical late Saturday morning breakfast at First Watch restaurant occurred, with Ann and Molly joining us. Of course Ann had been up early (but not her usual early)…. But early enough to have been scouting out garage sales in our area.

Ann came back with some good stuff, so after breakfast, the four of us went to two estate sales which Ann had spotted. At the first house, we had fun goofing around and looking over some vintage clothing. Some were very cool, but even too small for me. At the second house, Molly enjoyed diving into the walk in closet and picking out things for me! I spent $20 and bought a next to new lime green spring coat, two classic blouses, Ralph Lauren…. And another blouse which still had the sales tag attached.

Here we are trying on some old hats!



Ann bought some wine glasses, and Greg found some old car license plates which he likes to collect and an old folding measuring stick, which brought back memories for me, as I played with one of these in my childhood., and I hadn’t see one in ages.


Saturday late afternoon, Molly went home to have a date night with Jeff, and Ann was off to her next adventure visiting other KC friends, so Greg and I went out for dinner to great new Mexican restaurant we recently discovered called Los Cabos. When we returned home, Greg started a project to sand and refinish some teak deck chairs, and I decided to practice some chalk art. (more pictures tomorrow)

KC ART SHOW

5-10-10 satisfied brain
The Art Show on Friday evening at Village Church in KC turned out to be a fun event. Many artists of all types filled five large rooms, with many people attending to enjoy the hors d’oeuvres, music and art and photography.
(This picture is of some children's art)

Thanks to Greg for his help…. I guess this was kind of like attending a car show for him, except it was held inside and art was on display instead of cars.

The theme of the art show was advertised as “Peace, Love and Friendship“…. I didn’t know what to expect, so from my prior experience with art exhibits at my Des Moines church, this lead me to believe the art should center around the theme…. Which was not the case here, except it appeared that theme was used by the children’s art display…. And mine!



I purposely selected only my art pieces which fit the theme. For me it was like being on the TV show “Project Runway”…. creating pieces which were different, but which as a group worked nicely together. And I was satisfied with the outcome of my display.

I was thrilled that Molly attended and brought friends LeAnn and Mary along…. And my friend Ann drove in from Des Moines as a special treat for me…. Ann even surprised me with flowers for my KC “debut”….. How sweet was that!








More about the weekend tomorrow….