Strange Scenes: What CATches my eye today!

Here's the first installment of "Strange Scenes." It's a baffling world we live in!

Driving my usual Monday route, usual time. Zipping along, listening to my typical 80's radio station, barely noticing the same scenery out the windows...

...until my brain registers something different. Something wrong! Like one of those activities in children's magazines where you have to find all the mistakes in the drawing, except this was very real!

Of course, driving 50 miles an hour, down a curvy road, I was past it and had rounded a corner before I really had a chance to assess what in the world was going on! All I can say is that it was a man running down the sidewalk...with a cat on his back.

Yes, a cat on his back. Not a cat-in-a-backpack-riding-on-his-back, nor a cat-in-a-baby-carrier-riding-on-his-back...but a cat clinging to his shoulders and back for dear life, looking quite uncomfortable with the situation, nails dug into the man's T-shirt. Nope, not a rugged canvas coat, but a thin T-shirt. There's no way this man didn't feel this feline's claws digging in.

What in the world was happening???? I have a few scenarios, although none of them seem very likely:

1. Man was jogging along, minding his own business, and cat-who-has-seen-too-much-Animal-Planet jumps out of tree onto man's back, hoping for some dinner. After all, the man was running alone, so shouldn't he be easy prey, away from his pack? Perhaps what I DIDN'T see were the assortment of other cats hiding along the path, ready to help take down the victim?

2. Man and cat are fleeing from fire.

3. Man attempted to give cat a bath, cat took to highest ground (man's shoulders), and man took off running for help.

4. Man really wanted a dog, but wife/girlfriend would not allow it, as it would stress poor kitty out, therefore man attempts to take cat jogging, trying to have cat fill the place of his dream dog. Cat would not cooperate, so man attempted holding cat while he jogged, but cat freaked out and squirmed up onto his shoulder. Man is too stubborn to accept defeat and tolerates nails in his skin, and will later tell wife/girlfriend what a great idea it was that he had. Wife/girlfriend will find scratches on man's back, and will promptly end relationship, assuming he's having an affair. Man then buys dog.

5. Man was taking a leisurely stroll with his parakeet on his shoulder, cat attacked parakeet from its tree perch.

6. Man is trying to train cat to ride on his shoulder while jogging so he can be famous on YouTube.

7. Jogging is very difficult and painful for man, therefore man brings clinging-cat-with-sharp-claws to inflict constant pain on him, hence distracting him from the pain of his running.

8. There was no man, there was no cat, and all my exercise lately is causing me to hallucinate.

Which of my options do you think matched the reality? Or do you perhaps have another suggested scenario of your own? Please comment!!!!

Hate What Is Evil???

Yes, I watched the royal wedding. My boys, who love history, pomp and circumstance, tradition, formality, and grew up loving Disney movies, were excited to see the first commoner married into the British Royal Family in 300+ years.

Riveted they were to the television screen, properly shot full of enough history from the previous evening's 20/20 special to understand the significance of the people, the event, the TIARA....they were absorbing every word. Which is how Andrew didn't let this one slide...

"...hate what is evil..."

An excerpt from Kate's brother James, as he gave the only reading at the service, taken from the book of Romans, chapter 15. A wider excerpt being "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour."

Andrew turned to me and said, "You know, Mom (many of their quips begin this way), I don't really think you should hate evil, because hating, itself, IS evil."

I replied, "Well, Andrew, I'd agree with you--I think that's very wise." I'd like to think I had followed up with "Jesus said to love your enemies, didn't he?" but I'm not one to say the right thing in the right moment....EVER. I think I tried to slip it in later in the day.

Tonight, I'm very thankful for this comment of his, and for him pointing out the hypocrisy of hating evil...hate in any form is a dangerous feeling (or state). It implies a whole-lotta judgment and in many cases can justify things (acts, feelings), which we know are not for us to justify.

I'm trying to carefully sort out my emotions concerning Osama bin Laden's death, and in doing so, not to celebrate his death as a human being. What I feel I can celebrate is that he will no longer be a leader of hate himself. There will be no more calls to violent action from his lips. He will no longer fund, and train people for, acts of terrorism, nor open any more schools for Al-Queda. I am trying to distance myself from focusing on the fact that his spirit has left our realm, and replace the parts of my heart which held onto anxiety concerning his next steps with thoughts of peace and light instead.

These things I can celebrate with joy.

His death? I figure death is something sacred between the universe (God, if you prefer) and the individual, and I'm best off just thinking, "No comment."

And hate what is evil? Well...it doesn't feel right to project hate into any situation. Project love instead. Which doesn't mean you need to love what is evil....why love it or hate it? Just give love to what you feel is evil. Where's the harm in that? That doesn't mean Osama should've been given hugs...don't get me wrong! His actions created a need for us to capture him to prevent further harm...I'm not preaching ambivalence by any means!

Although, I wonder...if he had been given more hugs as a child....???

Let's make May a month of love, to counter all the violence bin Laden endorsed. That would probably really piss him off. ;0)

Tornado Timidity

(Image at the left was supposedly taken in Frankenmuth after the 1996 tornado...some are inspired by a silhouette of Jesus holding his hands up in it. I claim no stance on the validity of this photo or what it may mean, but I found it interesting).

Luck favors the prepared.

These crazy tornadoes which keep on coming are spurring us to purchase a weather alert radio. We sleep on the upper floor of a 2-story walkout, so we're essentially 3 stories up, when taken from the perspective of an oncoming tornado (assuming an approach from the SW). I am tired of staying up through the night with these watches to see if I should be moving the children down to the basement.

I haven't been this paranoid in previous years. I'm sure a lot of the change in attitude is due to these very devastating weather phenomena we're seeing, but also from a first-hand story I heard a couple of months ago.

We were at a work charity event, and at our table was a couple (Greg's boss and her husband, actually) who survived the tornado that ripped through Frankenmuth several years back. Hearing them tell the horrifying tale, seeing the looks on their faces, and having such a visually dominant brain, it's no wonder it's deeply affected me.

They had gotten home late in the evening, and quickly hooked up their new speaker system. Like we all do with new speakers, they cranked them up. Really loud! What poor timing...which almost cost them their lives. They finally noticed something amiss, and when they turned down the music, the dreaded freight train noise dominated. They fled to the basement, and not a minute too soon. Theirs was one of the few houses which was completely leveled. Completely. They came back up the basement stairs (after witnessing things flying upward out of the basement) to nowhere. No house. No walls. A very eerie loaf of bread sat untouched, where it had been cooling, outside the breadmaker on the kitchen counter--a detail that stood out like a sign from God, who would spare their lives, and leave them their daily bread.

This wasn't some tale from tornado alley. It was just up the freeway 30 miles.

And just as it's unlikely we'll ever need our smoke detectors, yet we have them and faithfully change the batteries, we'll be getting a weather radio as well. Something perhaps for you to consider, too. I don't want to dwell on the negative or be ruled by fear, but that's precisely why I lock my doors at night...take reasonable precaution, then forget about it! So hopefully, with this radio, I can put my worries to rest.

Upside of the Real Estate Crash?

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting a new neighbor this evening, and her lovely children and husband. It's amusing how after a winter of being holed up in our homes, the beautiful weather draws us all out, and the mood lifts!

I was giving my new acquaintance the run-down of the occupants of the 8 other homes on our little quiet cul-de-sac...and was in awe, once again, of what an incredible neighborhood we live in--not because of the homes or the lake or the hills or the schools...but because of the people in those homes.

I think that if there's an upside to the real estate crash, it's that people are staying put in their homes, and building stronger bonds with their neighbors. That's certainly been true for us. Not sure if it's a Michigan thing, a Midwest thing, or an American thing, but neighbors are slow around here. Slow in a good, cautious sort of way. We don't rush relationships--we don't want to be overbearing or annoying, so we err on the side of aloofness. Good fences make good neighbors, but we don't have fences here, so we must be extra careful not to cross lines, hahaha. But because of this, we need a good couple of years of backyard conversation before we establish anything more!

What makes the neighborhood (in particular, our street) so great? It's hard to say. Why do I love the color purple? It just feels right. There don't seem to be any common threads--we've got homeschoolers (nope, I'm not the only one out of these 9 homes here!), private schoolers, and public schoolers. We have hard-core Midwesterners, Southerners, and Asians. Children of all ages represented, from infants through grown children. We have meticulous landscapers, floundering gardeners, and those with bare yards. Dogs with invisible fence, and dogs that wander. Devout Christians, religious philosophers (ok just one, moi), Catholics, and even a minister!

But we wave from the car. We say hello when on our bikes or walking. We gather at Christmastime, and sometimes at the summer picnic. We keep keys for each other, and watch elderly parents when family goes away. We pet sit, and we call around when the power goes out ("Do you guys have power over there?" or "Is your cable working?") We watch for mysterious cars. We drive slowly. We borrow cars and snowblowers and use each other for emergency contacts. We babysit and tutor and teach each other's children.

We're a support system.

And we don't judge. We don't carry on about the small stuff. When I have to close my house up in the summer because it's windy out and your lawn chemical is making me sick (in addition to polluting the lake), I remind myself that my dog sometimes poops in your yard. When I'm blasting my music loudly from the house so I can groove while I weed my garden, I hope that you remember when I cared for your elderly father while you were away. There's just this beautiful, loving, blessed relationship we all share...but it took time.

It took years!

And my guess is that at least half of us would've moved by now, had we not lost nearly 50% of the value of our homes in the past 6 years. We have no choice but to stay, and knowing that, we accept and love and enjoy each other! (No, I don't think this is really a conscious decision, but a phenomenon we subconsciously partake in).

Despite the rush, rush, rush of our daily lives, life truly does progress slowly. Relationships take time and commitment in order to return depth and value. It's true in marriage--my husband and I sometimes joke that it's a darn good thing we got married, because we'd never still be together if we hadn't! LOL! We share that in a loving way, because we're so GLAD we're still together. It's making it through all the highs and lows, and looking back on those that add such richness to our relationship, as well as adding a sense of security that we're in it through thick and thin. And although I haven't exchanged vows with my neighbors, hahaha, we are committed to acceptance, balance, and finding joy in each other, as we are all here for the long haul.

This post is dedicated to the following lovely families on our street: Abdelmessiah, Li, Marr, Tarantino, Byerly, Warn, Mecum, and Rhodes...and the late Tv personality, Mr. Rogers, for never underestimating the value of neighboring, teaching such warmth to our children, and setting a stellar example for us all.

The Cable TV Discussion

Sometimes I really feel like the evil wife.

"I just would like to watch a baseball game now and then!"

This was my husband's plea for cable TV. Part of me wants to cave. The guy works so hard, accepts so much, and asks for so little. Yet I stand my ground.

"It's like crack for the brain!" is my lame retort. He gives me the old you-are-really-overdramatizing-this look. "No, really! It calls to you, like this, 'Come, just come and see what's on TV....' and you're drawn to it." I didn't need to elaborate--he knows what comes next. You spend 15 minutes going through the channels to end up watching Mythbusters or Deadliest Catch re-runs. Yup, good shows, but guess what? They're available on Netflix. You watch them anyway.

Enter: the children. "Aw, you're watching Mythbusters!!!! Can I watch?" Then, before you know it, a commercial comes on for something scary, and the next 5 months are spent leaving lights on at night and discussing how to tame one's imagination, and reassuring your child that they are safe. Next commercial? Some great new show on Egyptian Mythology that's coming on in two weeks. It gets engraved on the internal calendar in the child's head, and you hear about it "coming on in (x) days" for the remainder of the countdown.

Before you know it, husband is asleep in the chair, and the kids have their TV wish list planned out for the next month. Even if you tell them no, they can't watch TV every night for the next eon, the whole scenario repeats itself tomorrow night for the History Channel.

I think I'd rather be evil every few months when the discussion comes up, and keep more quality time intact, then be vile (just an anagram of evil) every night because I'm always competing with programming.

For now, no cable. I'm holding my ground.

Feature: Toy/Game Review!

I am so blessed to have the most wonderful toy store just 15 minutes away--Little Monsters in Lake Orion, MI. After a week of being sick, Easter was upon me, and I had less than 24 hrs to pull together something special for the boys (10-year-old twins). Time for a trip to Little Monsters once again!

A few weeks ago, I received a newsletter from this locally-owned store (situated in a lovely, growing downtown) sharing some of the ways they can help you for Easter gifts...either by creating a custom basket for you based on a child's age and gender, choosing from a pre-made basket, or you arranging items which you choose on-the-spot in a basket...AT NO CHARGE. Customer service at this store is outstanding, and I no longer have to wrap birthday presents, OR arrange Easter baskets (I'm horribly uncreative when it comes to visually pleasing arrangements), and get this...I can also send my husband there and just give him instructions to have them pick something for him, LOL! Yes! I actually sent him there for a double-birthday party recently, and he came home with wonderful gifts lovingly arranged in fun-looking gift bags. And they never forget to remove the price tags. ;0)

What I further wish to share with you today is some of the items which kept the boys very, very busy today...for the 3 hours in the car, plus a couple of hours outside, plus fun family game time! And some nostalgic retro candy as well! Here were some of the favorites, in no particular order (although this is a local independent store, even my distant followers can call and order them from the store):

Spot it! had me from the aesthetics, but the fun of the game will keep it out of the closet in my home. Inside a sturdy canister are 55 round cards, each with 8 colorful pictures on them. Choose any two cards from stack, and there is EXACTLY one matching image amongst the two groups of 8. First one to spot the match wins the cards--there are several fun variations to play, and making up your own is simple, too! You literally can learn to play in 20 seconds, and in our family, everybody has won at least once! As a mathematician with a penchant for neurology, this game intrigued me in many ways. The brain is a constant source of wonder and amazement to me, and this game highlights that fact! We observed many different strange, quirky brain behaviors, like who in the family dominated when the cards were close together, who did when they were a foot apart, how well we could focus when there was music in the background...it's an intense game that will have you laughing and wondering how the brain works! I also think it's a fabulous "workout" for the brain. When we brought it to Grandma's house, I was afraid we would embarrass her; that she wouldn't be able to keep up with our young neurons, but she proved us wrong...this game is a HUGE winner at a great price.

Next...this super-cool, well-made slingshot!

Yup, I got slingshots for the boys. (Those who know me may keel over...I also got "space guns" with a really cool sparky effect--perhaps I'll review them another day; also a huge hit). Grandma's house was a great place to learn how to use them; Grandpa grew up with slingshots (either the retro Wham-O brand or making them himself with tree branches and innertubes), so he was able to help them learn proper form, plus Grandma and Grandpa live on 11 wooded, rolling acres with a stream, so we got to stand on a cliff and shoot a never-ending supply of rocks over or into the creek! I couldn't believe how long my bookworms spent doing this--I'm sure their arms will be sore tomorrow! The slingshots were made very well, and from what I can tell, it's a Pinckney, MI company which sells them. There are a variety of woodland animals you can get on them (wolf, bear, deer, eagle), and the sling is a heavy-duty rubber tube, like the medical type the nurses tie around your arm when they take your blood!

I waited (I think) around two years to purchase this game, but it was worth the wait:

It's called Find It! and it's quite addicting! I, personally, spent probably about an hour today turning this canister of plastic beads trying to find all of the hidden objects inside: paper clip, toothpick, pushpin, fishhook, button, etc. There are actually an amazing amount of items in there! The game comes with a pad of paper which serves as a checklist for the items so you can keep track of which you've found. As with Spot It!, you can easily make up many of your own games and contests--how many can you find in ten minutes, for example, to make it competitive, or who can find 30 of the items in the shortest amount of time, etc. Please note that you do not open the canister, but turn it, shake it, or flip it to spot them. This lack of mess makes it a great game for the car! There are several Find It! themes to choose from--we got the classic, which I love, but I did have to teach the boys what a couple of the items were (a pony bead, a bobby pin, a paper fastener, wire nut, etc). Fun for all ages!

Here's a fun twist on a classic toy:

Magnetic Putty! Wonderfully tactile and very fun in a bizarre sort of way! If you have a child who enjoys Play-Doh, silly putty, etc, this will probably really intrigue them. It's a few dollars more than their other putties, like the glow-in-the-dark, but it's enough of a curiosity to make it worth it. My husband (yes, my husband...isn't any great toy enjoyed by all ages?) loves to make a shape and set the magnet atop it, watching the putty slowly gobble up the magnet. Ball it up and bounce it like a ball (although it's a little heavy and hard on the house floors, and taking it outside will get it dirty, so you've been warned!), or shape it into your classic putty shapes, like the universally pleasing rolling-it-into-a-hot-dog technique. :) Another plus about this item is that it's made in the USA by physically and/or mentally challenged individuals! Isn't it great to have a toy store like Little Monsters to hunt down these gems for you??? :D

And who doesn't want to run with a kite in the Spring, especially after such a long winter? What better way to celebrate April!

This parafoil from Skydog kites looks like it will last us longer than the usual month or so, which is par for the course in my household...what is there to break? No sticks, and a well-made product on a strong line--I have high hopes! Winds were very, very light today, and this kite came right out of its zero-waste packaging and up into the air with my 10-year-old on the other end, grinning happily. It was a bit tricky to get in the air with the light winds (not steady, and only gusting to about 5 mph), but it did lift consistently, which really impressed me. Very light, very easy to fly, and very colorful with its tie-dye pattern. I'd never seen a parafoil fly before...they sort of get inflated by the wind--very cool! Andrew flew this for about an hour this afternoon (it was the draw of shooting rocks over the cliff with his new slingshot that eventually drew him away--can you blame him?)! Can't wait to see what he does with it on a windier day. Is there nothing more heartwarming than watching your child fly a kite???? It's no fun watching them get frustrated and feeling unsuccessful, though, or so sad when they break, hence I'd recommend this awesome kite! It even folds right up into the bag it came in for VERY easy transport--keep it in the car, or backpack it on the trail!

So there are a few of our Easter favorites from Little Monsters in Lake Orion, MI! When you visit them, or call to order any of these, please tell them my blog sent you! :D I'll end with some images of the retro candy they also carry: