doodlebugmom: August 2005

Monday, August 29, 2005

The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive - perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine. ~Mignon McLaughlin

This morning at work I got the news that a former co-worker had passed away over the weekend :(

He was a young man, only 44. A massive heart attack. Very sad. His kids are teenagers. His wife a nurse. Send some prayers up for his family.

He was a good guy. Silly sense of humor. Always there to lend a helping hand. He was a fireman and always the first one to fill sand bags when the local river would spill its banks. A frienly guy with an easy laugh. He will be missed.

How ironic I was thinking of him just last week. How since he took another job I would probably never see him again. Gives me goosebumps now.

:(

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/29/2005 10:35:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Monday, August 22, 2005

Some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope. ~Author Unknown

Pictures of the storms, Stoughton WI 8-18-2005. I found these on line. If I saw stuff like this, We would be in the basement hiding.

Gotta love the last ones :)

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/22/2005 10:44:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

How they get the Lime in Pepsi Lime

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/22/2005 09:51:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Friday, August 19, 2005

8-15-2005

This man, Jesper Olsen from Denmark, is trying to be the first man to literally run around the world. Last year he started in London. Ran across Europe, Russua, even Siberia!Asia, then went down to Australia. Flew to the US, then ran up into Canada. Back down through the Midwest. He is now on his last few hundred miles and he is in need of help now. (Can you imagine the VISA’s and red tape?)

He pushes a Stroller with his supplies and has had help along the way….but know in his last leg of journey his strength is giving out. He can run, but needs help with someone to carry his supplies. When he came through our town in June the local track coach picked up his things and drove them 12 miles to the next town. The kids on the cross country and track teams (including my son!) got to run along with him for a few miles.

I would hate to know that this man got so far…and them not complete his dream…can you imagine running for 2 years! This is a post from his daily journal:

-“ A pretty big blow as that else had seemed to be the last hurdle towards the finish. Earlier in the run I wouldnt have worried that much about pushing the stroller a months and a half alone, but now with more than 24 000km in the legs its a different thing. There is a reason to that the previous records for the longest run ever done stood around 22 - 23000km (and that without pushing things...). By now it doesnt look too likely that I will be able to make it pushing 40kg in front of me to New York.”

I don’t know this man. But have been checking his journal occasionally since he ran through our small town. Does anyone know of any running clubs? High school coaches, or even private individuals that might help him transport his supplies from one town to the next? There are email links on his site. It would be helping a complete stranger, but I know there are some wonderful, kind hearted people out there and even if you cant help…you might know someone that can? Indiana, Ohio, PA and NY??

www.worldrun.org

Thanks

Linda

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/19/2005 12:09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Camping *heavy sigh"

OK...I broke down...I finally did it. I finally camped with my family. One night. I slept in the camper...well I tossed and turned in the camper.

My husband's family get together every year and camps together. I am not a nature person. And spending that much time with the in-laws...well...no comment.

But I went over last night and I was too tired for the 45 minute drive home. We went to "bed" around 10. Listened to all the obnoxios teenage campers for several hours.

Then in the wee hours I woke up my hubby "Do you hear scratching?" He groaned. But it was loud. We looked out the windows of the borrowed camper (Well of course you know I would never sleep in a tent...ewww! lol) And 5 feet from the door was a whole boat load of racoons! (And my camera was in the truck. No I did not want to venture out to get it.) They were fun to watch. We woke up the kids and for several minutes, we watched the racoons amuse themselves. Playing with the bobbers, emptying the minnow bucket, they were having a good time. We shined our flash lights on them but it didnt seem to bother them. Good thing they are cute, it made it a little easier to watch them pillage the stuff! We were also glad all the food was up and the other camp site!

After a while they left. A few minutes later one of the kids said "They're back" But it was a smaller bunch. They poked around for a few minutes, must have know everything was picked over and trotted back into the woods.

Nature, I think its not for me!

Here is the mess the racoons made in the fishing boat.

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/16/2005 01:43:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Thursday, August 11, 2005

A few pictures from our trip to the zoo yesterday :)

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/11/2005 09:03:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Monday, August 08, 2005

When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep, and you're never really awake. ~From the movie Fight Club

This describes me perfectly. I have gone too many nights without sleep. It is starting to catch up to me. I am tired all day. Driving makes me yawn. I could nod off watching tv, but thats not real sleep.

The worst part is I don't know why I am not sleeping. I have tried different things. Staying up late(the therory here is I will be really tired, didn't work). Going to bed early (didn't work). Going for a long walk late (nope) and early (nope too). Reading. Playing computer games. Watching infomercials. (nothing)

So I am tired, spacey tired, not quite giddy yet.

At first I blamed it on being hot, but them we had a few pleasant nights. Can't blame it on a snoring hubby cuz he doesnt snore. (Besides, somenights he was working.) I can't think of anything I am overly stressed about. So not sure whats causing it. I just know I hate it! lol

Maybe tonight's the night. I hope so

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/08/2005 01:12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Saturday, August 06, 2005

The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality. ~Henri Cartier Bresson

Three years ago I bought a digital camera. I love it. (except for the way it consumes batteries and has slow recovery...will be smarter when I buy my next one!)

I love how I can take tons of pictures and delete the bad ones. Except. I don't. I never take the time to delete the bad ones. So today I am taking a few minutes to weed out some bad shots. I keep them all in folders by month, so everyday I can do a month...ya think? I's going to try anyway. It can be my really late new years resolution!

:o)

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/06/2005 12:21:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Friday, August 05, 2005

Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it's better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together. ~Author Unknown

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/05/2005 02:26:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

You and I are not what we eat; we are what we think. ~Walter Anderson

Some interesting questions and my answers:

Likes And Dislikes

1. What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes? bumming on line, chatting with friends, scrapbooking, card making, playing literati and cribbage on yahoo.

2. What is your most treasured possession? family photos

3. What is your favorite color? Purple and pink

4. What is your favorite food? chocolate!

5. What, if anything, do you like to read? cookbooks, I read them cover to cover; magazines; self help and inspiring books

6. What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, movies, art, etc.)? I like comedies, but not stupid humor. I good tear-jerker chick-flick is good once in a while. I listen to country music, Trace Atkins, Craig Morgan.

7. Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs? If so, why? Do you want to quit? Smoking-no, drinking-socially and not very often, drugs-no...not even perscriptions

8. How do you spend a typical Saturday night? Stay home

9. What makes you laugh? kids jokes

10. What, if anything, shocks or offends you? Republicans! haha. I can't believe people actually voted for George Bush!

11. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself? Read or watch tv

12. How do you deal with stress? I don't. I keep it inside (I know...bad!)

13. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan? Most genreally have plans

14. What are your pet peeves? litterbugs and liars

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/05/2005 12:42:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. ~Swedish Proverb

Thanks everyone for the concern and well wishes for Scott after his run-in with the angry baler. He is fine. Swelling has finally gone down on his fore arm and elbow. I am guessing he will have quite a scar on the back of his hand, but those things don't seem to bother guys...adds character...lol

:o)

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/05/2005 09:00:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.

Jerry said he likes my pictures. So I am posting this one I took of a butterfly a week or so ago.

Thanks Jerry! I will take more pictures :o)

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/03/2005 03:04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Today is my Aunt Arlene's Birthday. And I miss her very much. She was the best Aunt ever!
I have great memories...
...going to her house, fighting with my brothers over who got to open the gate...Memorial weekend picnics at the farm...her straberry patch...homemade rolls...her train collection...croquet and badmittin...her stories about snakes and possums and mowing the cemetary...fishing...picnics at the lake...her quilt making for the Linus Project...her forsythia bush...how she took my kids to the county fair and they always said she had more fun than they did!...the go-cart...the mopeds...how she took in her grandson and raised him...she made such a difference...those little fishermen that she made that balance and made us smile (still do)...Land's End and Janlin...her going to the bank and to see Grandma on Friday nites...she always had the best toys at her house, the door behind the door in the kitchen...The day of her memorial service.I know she had some influence in holding off that big snow and guiding us safely home on very slippery roads...
I think my brother said it so wonderfully that day "we all feel a piece of us is missing today...its because she took a little piece of each of us to Heaven with her." I know there is always a part of her with me. The wind that blows is that spirit

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/03/2005 06:41:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Monday, August 01, 2005

GW appointed Bolton??

"At a time when we need to reassert our diplomatic power in the world, President Bush has decided to send a seriously flawed and weakened candidate to the United Nations. It's an unnecessary result, and the latest abuse of power by the Bush White House. ... Bolton arrives at the United Nations with a cloud hanging over his head." — Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev

"The abuse of power and the cloak of secrecy from the White House continues. ... It's a devious maneuver that evades the constitutional requirement of Senate consent and only further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the U.N." — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , D-Mass.

"Making this recess appointment is certainly the president's right, but it is not right for America. Appointing John Bolton to the United Nations sends a terrible message to our intelligence professionals. It is the wrong signal for our intelligence reform efforts. ... I believe it was wrong to appoint him to that position over the Senate's objection." — Sen. Barbara Mikulski D-Md.

"My doubts about his ability to protect and advance U.S. national security interests at the U.N. are simply too strong to support his nomination. John Bolton is the wrong person for the job and the decision to appoint him today will not serve American foreign policy well at all. ... His history of inflammatory statements about the U.N. will also make it difficult for him to effectively advance U.S. security interests in New York and bring about necessary reforms to that institution." — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

"The president has the right to make this recess appointment, but it's the wrong decision. It only diminishes John Bolton's validity and leverage to secure America's goals at the U.N. John Bolton has been rejected twice by the Senate to serve as our Ambassador to the United Nations. This is not the way to fill our most important diplomatic jobs." — Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

"It's sad that even while the president preaches democracy around the world, he bends the rules and circumvents the will of Congress in appointing our representative to the United Nations." — Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg. D-N.J.

Sad indeed, that Bolton was appointed. I see Bolton as a person that twists words to get his way....oh well duh...he is a GW clone.

I really hope God continues to bless America, because with a leader like Bush. We need all the help we can get! -me...proud American, democrat :)

Posted by doodlebugmom at 8/01/2005 12:55:00 PM | Permalink | Comments