Loch Ness is Yummy

As many of you know, my youngest daughter, Christine, turned 18 this week. Even though she is legally an adult know, here is a picture of the special request birthday cake "Sharon's Cakes" made for her:



Of course, one of the first things my brand-new 18 year old did was go to the Mercer Public Library and have her status changed so she could check out VHS tapes and DVDs. What did she come home with? Winnie the Pooh videos ...

Maybe she's not growing as fast as I thought she was. If only I could keep her like this forever ...

Old Fort Playground

Our camera computer has been in the shop, so I don't have an actual picture of the destruction at the Fort Harrod Playground, but I will post them as soon as I can. Maybe this is going to be a good thing - many things have to get worse before they get better.

Old Fort Playground

Bare, scraped clear of anything green,
leaving behind only yards and yards of
damp rain soaked dirt.
Trees have been trimmed,
branches laying helter-skelter across the road and dirt.
What has happened to one of my favorite lunch time spots?
Are improvements in store,
or is the land being raped for other reasons?
It makes me sad to see the death and destruction
of God's natural gifts,
but I will learn patience as I watch and see
what will become of this once peaceful place.

Lunch in the Fort Park

Lunch in the Fort Park

I've come to the park to enjoy the sun,
but end up listening to the non-stop cries of a baby.
The air still holds a cooling nip as it brushes along my skin,
making occasional goosebumps stand at attention.
Wisps of hair lightly blow in a dancing sea of gold,
the rampant gray strands shine like silver.
Coffee tree pods still cling to bare branches,
shimmering in the treetops.
The grass remains brown and damp,
with a scant amount of snow still present in the dark shadows.
Long lost leaves skip across the ground with the breeze,
appearing alive, but long past prime.
A crow caws from above as a pair soar on high,
and Robins tweet and search the ground for juicy morsels of worms.
No flowers are present in this historic park -
no perennials peak their early heads.
But dogwoods appear to be budding, a promise of impending beauty.
A Sycamore tree proudly displays its beautiful white bark,
before the hand-size leaves begin to appear and hide the color from sight.
Mistletoe also clings for life, a beautiful parasite,
but up so high, only birds can see, the last pale hint of flowers.
The marriage temple stands alone, a stark contrast around the landscape,
red bricks appear fresh after a morning sprinkled by the white doors
closed in quiet relief.
The long lost sun peeks out his head to give a warming glow.
The baby has quit crying and my lunch hour is almost complete;
time to leave serenity behind for an afternoon back in the real world.

Journal of Kentucky Studies

I am so excited! One of my poems - "Silent Memories" - has been selected to be published in the next edition of the Journal of Kentucky Studies, published by Northern Kentucky University.



This will be a special issue honoring James Baker Hall.

1st Trip to Elliott County

I have permission to post this commentary from a day in the life of a TV news reporter and videographer - courtesy of Kristen Pflum (reporting) and featuring my hubby (videographer). Hilarious!! WLEX is definitely "coverage you can count on!"

1st Trip To Elliott County, Definitely A Memorable One - July 22, 2010

There aren't too many counties in central or eastern Kentucky that I have not visited in my five years at WLEX. They're serious when they say "Coverage You Can Count On," even if it's on the boundaries of our viewing area. We go EVERYWHERE.

Obviously, the big news this week has been the constant rain and the havoc it's wreaking on flood prone areas of eastern Kentucky. Monday and Tuesday it was Pikeville, overnight the northeastern part of the state took a pretty good hit, thus my trip today to Elliott County. I always thought that county looked tiny on a map. I found today, winding down miles and miles of rural roads in a 1-ton satellite truck, it's bigger than it seems.

My photographer Keith and I were trying to work quickly so that we could meet our other crew who was covering a missing woman in neighboring Carter County. Long story short, we drove several miles looking for damage visual enough to show in our 5:30 newscast and in the process of searching came across some interesting things. While I was shooting an "as-live" (as we call it) Keith and I heard something in the water. Sounded like a paddle boat swishing around, but then I heard the "mooooo!." It was a poor cow who had become stranded in the flood waters. He was coming to check out what we were doing...and scared the bageezus out of the reporter in the pink boots (me) in the process!

The stylin' pink rain boots

We were then told to keep going down the water covered road to find the bridge that was washed out over Little Brushy Creek. That's when we were told, "just turn at the big, huge red barn." If you saw the picture I posted, the barn didn't match that description AT ALL, but we found what we were looking for so no biggie...

The RED barn that was actually BLACK

When we were finished, we hit the road again that would take us to Carter County and while on our way, we saw one of the cruelest things I've ever witnessed. We were rounding a corner on one very rural road and came up on a woman who was stopped on the side of the road. As we passed (in a rolling billboard of LEX 18 I might add) the woman opened the back door and shooed a small dog out of the car, slammed the door and peeled off. The dog was so confused that he just sort of did a few circles in the middle of the road and took off into the woods. It might have been one of the more heartbreaking things I've ever witnessed. No doubt I've heard about that, but to see it actually happen was very sad. Needless to say it was a looooong day. I didn't pull into my driveway til around 8:15.

My hubby didn't get home until after 9pm because he had to drive home from Lexington.

Peace and Well-Being Seminar

Check out this new venture by one of our Inkblots:

Introducing...
Peace & Well-Being

Free Seminars this Sunday July 25th, 2010
by Ms. Pat Osborn


• Healthy Diet, from 2 to 3p.m.
• Exercise Basics, from 3 to 4 p.m.
• Goal Setting, from 4 to 5 p.m.


Harrodsburg, KY * Seating is Limited * $25 value, each


Reserve your spot in one or more classes:

peacefulone@localnet.com or 859-734-6839

My Daddy's Old Truck ....

.... and his pride and joy.

(My Daddy's on the left)

Waiting

(Photo copyright Coach Creative Space)

WAITING

Beep, beep, beep -
it's the overriding noise that is always there over everything else. The Emergency Room at the UK Medical Center is certainly not the place I've heard horror stories about - definitely not as bad as I was dreading.

Beep, beep, beep -
keeping rhythm with my pounding heart. I'm burning up - hot flash city - power surge of hormonal proportions. I can't seem to keep my mouth moist enough.

Beep, beep, beep -
Mom is lethargic - barely moving a muscle. Labs have been drawn and an IV started - all with skillful sticks. EKG looks slightly abnormal, but then again, I've never been good at reading the EKG leads.

Beep, beep, beep -
there is nothing for me to do but wait and pray. Nothing to do by watch and wipe a fevered brow. Nothing but reading favorite scripts from her worn Bible. Noting to stop the inevitable from happening. Helpless, afraid and lonely - God please watch over us all.

Observations

OBSERVATIONS

I'm not going to give up.
Stomping in mud puddles and making mud pies.
I will never hurt you.
Curling up with a good book, listening to the rain pitter-patter on the tin roof.
...like Rocky Road ice cream good.
Doritio-stained fingertips leaving orange blotches on the pages of my favorite books.
Some men still holding the door open for women.
Some women holding the door open for men.
The smell of an old book as you flip through the pages.
Not seeing your way around the dark veil of depression that increasingly squeezed in on your life.
Occasionally, tiny specks of happiness sprinkled through your life, like bits of candy cane in peppermint ice cream - sharp, but sweet.
The sun hitting the warmest portion of the chair that your cat has already claimed its own.
Mud slurping from you shoes as you trudge through a marshy shore.
Your hair dancing behind you like fairy wisps in a breeze.
Arguing back at the television, but unwilling to turn it off.
Lips that may crack from the width of your smile.
Pretending not to notice the obvious reasons we aren't alike.
Obsessing on the reasons we are alike.
Living half your life, knowing there is only one other half left.

You Bring Out the …… In Me

(Photo copyright Graphic Hunts)

You Bring Out the …… In Me

You bring out the bitch in me.
You bring out the I wouldn’t lift a finger to help you out of a burning fire, in me.
You bring out the “How dare you think you’re better than everyone else,” in me.
You bring out the pure unadulterated hate in me, that I know God may punish me for.
Your bring out the angry stomach hornets and anxious nerves in me.
You bring out the “Why the hell don’t you just stay out of my life,” in me.
You bring out the Cruella DeVille in me.
You bring out the sour stomach and acid reflux in me.
You bring out the evil part of me, the one I am ashamed I feel, but I’ve tried to ignore it and it won’t go away, so I’ll just have to try harder to understand your ignorance.

The Hormone Guide

A friend of mine sent me this and I thought it was hilarious - so I'm passing it on to you. Women will totally understand this! Men should really memorize it!

Every woman knows that there are days when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his hands!

This is a handy guide that should be carried like a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or significant other!

DANGEROUS - What's for dinner?
SAFER - Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST - Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRA SAFE - Here, have some wine.

DANGEROUS - Are you wearing that?
SAFER - You sure look good in brown!
SAFEST - WOW! Look at you!
ULTRA SAFE - Here, have some wine

DANGEROUS - What are you so worked up about?
SAFER - Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST - Here's my paycheck.
ULTRA SAFE - Here, have some wine.

DANGEROUS - Should you be eating that?
SAFER - You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST - Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that?
ULTRA SAFE - Here, have some wine.

DANGEROUS - What did you DO all day?
SAFER - I hope you didn't over-do it today.
SAFEST - I've always loved you in that robe!
ULTRA SAFE - Here, have some wine.

(Photo copyright Anna Vikoria; by Nikki Hardin and Caitilin McPhillips; illustrated by Traci Dabrake)

12 Things PMS Stands For

1. Pass My Shotgun

2. Psychotic Mood Shift

3. Perpetual Munching Spree

4. Puffy Mid-Section

5. People Make me Sick

6. Provide Me Sweets

7. Pardon My Sobbing

8. Pimples May Surface

9. Pass My Sweatpants

10. Plainly; Men Suck

11. Pack My Stuff

and my favorite one:

12. Potential Murder Suspect

Forward this information to all of your friends and those who might need a good laugh ... and men who need a warning.

Oh and, have some wine.

My Tadpole

New pictures of my little tadpole ...

She truly is my little tadpole

First bath after her cord fell off


How come there's no milk here?


Tadpole swallowed by a frog!


Devon Mikayla and her dad, Mike


Baby Mohawk!


Come on, Mom - get this bow out of my hair!