We made it back from Florida in one piece, but the trip back was a bit of an adventure. This will be a short update with more to follow.

Today started out well. I spent the night with my oldest sister and we were able to talk about this and that. Just sharing some family time. It was a delight. My youngest and I got up early to try to avoid the rush hours in Cincinnati (some 7 hours away). The initial drive started so well. Light traffic, wonderful weather and plenty of coffee. I was good to go.

It was all good until we got to Kentucky. Somewhere near our entry to the State we stopped for lunch and a bit of a stretch. All was still good, and then it started to rain. This was somewhere near the Cumberland Gap on I-75 (if anyone knows their geography). A good bit of rolling hills, steep grades and steep rock faces on the side of the highway (complete with ‘falling rock’ notices). This slowed the traffic considerably. And it also had the benefit of bunching it up nicely. It rained about halfway through the state of Kentucky and then we had a lane shift to go from 3 lanes to 2. Traffic slow down. Little did I know there was a bit of construction just ahead that took the traffic from 2 lanes to 1!!! Major traffic stoppage!!. We were bumper to bumper stop and go traffic for 15 miles of Nowhere Kentucky. No exits, no rest areas, no way out of the middle lane. That took over 1 and 1/2 hours.

Needless to say, we hit Cinci just at the beginning of rush hour…..

We were playing in the back yard yesterday when we saw something furry laying on the ground.  Thinking the dog had gotten an animal, I put the dog inside and made myself scarce while my husband investigated – I’m sensitive about animals, and if the dog had killed a furry little creature in the back yard, I wanted to pretend like it didn’t happen.  So I come back outside a few minutes later, and my husband is still kneeling over the fur, saying he hasn’t figured out what it is yet.  What?  Clearly the fur was not moving; why couldn’t he figure out what it was?  I fetched him a stick, and when he poked it, he found that it was just fur.  And underneath the fur was a hole containing teeny tiny baby bunnies – live ones!  They are incredibly cute, and they even hop!  After some investigation on the internet, we found that the best thing to do is to leave them alone and that their mother didn’t abandon them.  Baby bunnies only get nursed for 5 minutes per day, and if the mother were to stay near the nest, she would alert predators to the babies.  I couldn’t resist pushing aside the fur to take a picture.  It’s very inconspicuous yet also in the middle of the open yard.  I sure hope nothing happens to those babies.  The first one is of the nest, then you move the fur, and the second picture is of a little head, note the white blaze on the top of the head.  The third picture is a baby bunny face with eyes closed, see if you can find it in the middle of the fur:

I’m too afraid of hurting them to examine them closely enough to count them or take better pictures, but aren’t they cute!  From what I read, they will venture out of the nest at around 3 weeks old, and they will leave it altogether at 6-8 weeks.  Judging by the size of our babies and the fact that we didn’t see the nest before yesterday, I’d say ours are probably only days old; perhaps they were even only hours old when we found them yesterday!  I am so glad we have a fenced yard now to keep the neighborhood cats out – we have a few, and I’ve been feeding one of them.  I feed her at the front of the house though, so I wonder if continuing to feed the cat will encourage her to come over here or if it will distract her and keep her in the front of the house, away from the baby bunnies?

I’m excited to watch them grow – they already look bigger than they did yesterday!  Maybe I’ll post their progress on my blog – stay tuned!

there was the original J.J. Abrams creation, Alias.  It began in 2001 and ran for a total of five thrilling seasons.  Its debut was actually delayed after the events of 9/11.  Tonight, while others watched a race (snooze), I decided to revisit the series courtesy of the DVD collections I received as Christmas presents over the last 8 years (I only have the first three seasons).

In a nutshell, the series centers on young, very attractive, very talented college student and full-time “bank employee,” Sydney Bristow (played by the very attractive, very talented Jennifer Garner… Ben Affleck is one lucky man is all I’m sayin’).  The bank employ is actually a cover for her role as a government operative.  Miss Bristow believes that she is working for a “covert division of the CIA” known as SD-6.  However as Sydney learns in the premiere episode, SD-6 is not at all what it appears to be.

As with Lost, there were many plot scenarios that if you missed one episode you became seriously confused.  I honestly cannot remember if this is the way the entire series played out, but each of the first three episodes ended with a cliffhanger.  This is reminiscent of other television shows’ practice of leaving the audience hanging  at the end of the season.  Just one of  the many series that you wish you could revisit for the first time.  But enough time has passed that it almost seems fresh.

Ms. Garner does have a tie to the area.  She performed in summer stock at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan along with such notables as the late Jonathan Larson, creator of the musical Rent.

So… the entire family (well the extended immediate… siblings, neices and nephews, parents, and I) went out for dinner this afternoon after I got off work at 2.  Because I did not relish the chance to sit in the back and be squished, I decided to ride with big brother and two of his three little ones (E-beth rode elsewhere).  The trip back was much more exciting than the trip there.

Jeff decided to take country roads (take me home) aided by his GPS (help us all… she did have a rather familiar voice).  We came across a closed road so we turned onto yet another back road.  He happened to glance ahead to see vehicles coming from the opposite direction on the closed road.  Apparently, they were in the process of repaving… HMMM… where have I seen that before.  So, he decided to turn around and go back.  The road was only SLIGHTLY more narrow than he expected; consequently, we ended up in a ditch (It wasn’t me this time).  To make matters worse, the ground was still soft following the storms we had a few days ago.  We were STUCK!

Along comes a helpful young man willing to go retrieve his tow cables.  Unfortunately, they would have done more harm than good as his small car has nothing to hook a cable to without tearing off a bumper.  Moments later, another vehicle pulls up.  This car had a connection to my intelligent brother as one of the passengers is a student at the school he is employed at.

It was decided that my 13 year old nephew would gently push on the accelerator while four stout-hearted gentlemen pushed and guided the car to relative safety.  I think someone forgot to tell Joshua what gently meant.  We got the car out of the ditch; however, the car continued to accelerate, move in a circle, and come within inches of going into the ditch on the other side of the road.  I think the young guy finally figured out how to stop the car or else decided that taking the car for a joy ride was not such a good idea after all.  I wonder if the helpful sultry, seductive voice was offering directional advice at the time.  I forgot to ask what her name is

Joshua told his father that he hopes that he is not put in that position for at least three years.  It only added 15 minutes to the drive… enough however to make everyone else curious.

Would you take one look at me and say, “Send that boy to camp?”  Well, whatever your answer that is precisely where I am headed.  Six days in Michigan taking charge of 5-7 nine- and ten-year-old boys.  There are roughly 100 campers going this week and we are headed there a couple hours earlier than last year.  Previously the buses were scheduled to leave at 11, now it is a bright and early 8:30, which by the way is when you should see this post (central time).  However, we are headed home early as well- Friday after dinner instead of Saturday morning.  As usual there are some new things to see when I get there, but probably the most anticipated is seeing the buses go all the way down to the game field so we don’t have to walk a mile to get to our cabins.  Ahh…

I suppose I will have to write up my tale when I get back just for you readers 😉

I was thinking about writing up my week ahead of time, 3-5 posts for the week using the delayed posting feature, and then see how accurate I was at the end since I have been there four times before after all, but I ran out of time.  Sorry about that.  It’s not as if I have gone a week without posting before.  Sigh.  Well, assuming I survive, see you in about a week!

I think it was the 20th of June.

HELLO EVERY PEOPLE.  Morat is a back in country of strange people.  I a come to go to the Droobile with sister of strange person and the little people. I a would a like to go to parade but I a go to the church to hear a strange person sing. I a ride many rides that go a very fast and I a get dizzy, but they were a very fun.  Morat also a meet people from other country who a work for the people at the Droobilee.  Two little people win a blow fish when they pop a balloon.  In Liswathistan, we a have Droobilee.  Morat almost ride one ride.  You a get in car and it goes over a steep cliff.  WOOLY SHEEP!  I a no try that.

Later,  a woman yell out a to Morat.  She a say she saw Morat on tv box and say Morat and friend very funny.  She a ask if group do hiring out for a party.  Morat say he a not know so woman give Morat card and Morat say he ask around.  She say she and her husband were a planning party for little people and a like Morat very much.  Maybe Morat no ask group and find out when a dis party is and ask friend to help… if he a free (OH, SURE!)  Morat a think about this.  I a not sure how long he a be in OHHO.  I a guess some people want a more Morat, yes?  Others a not so much.

At a ten of clock, we a watch the show of LASER.  I a no see anything like a dis before.  Lots of light and a smoke, and music.  I a see map of America country, picture of a Superman, and man bopping head (he a strange laser man).  I a hear number one song of Liswathistan, Jack and Diane by Cougar man.

Strange person he a say tomorrow is day for fathers.  I a not know what this a mean.  Another strange custom in OHHO.  And it also the day of birth of brother of strange person

This weekend being the one in which we all honor our fathers, I thought it would be fun to take a peek at fictional dads who have been presented in television.  In the beginning, it seemed as if families were shown as perfect, squeaky-clean and conflicts could be resolved in 30 minutes or less.  Conflicts like how to get your son to eat brussel sprouts (don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to taste them).

I’m not sure when the switch from perfect family to more realistic family took place.  I’m thinking in the 70s with All in the Family.  I think ultra-conservative Archie Bunker was one of the first fathers to have more to solve than a scrape on the knee or to ease a bruised ego.

Today’s  popular, fictional fathers seem to be lovable buffoons who somehow manage to fumble and stumble through parental misadventures but somehow come to a somewhat happy ending.  Homer J. Simpson has been working at the power plant, drinking Duff beer at Moe’s, and going home to his interesting family for 20+ years.  A highly inflated picture of the blue-collar everyman… must still be working.

My own father is a combination of the three, not so much the idealised father of 50-70s television more like the Al Bundy type… HAHA.  Wouldn’t trade him for anything, although…

I just learned that another Indiana Jones sequel is in the formative stages.  Speculation abounds concerning the macguffin, the casting, direction, writing, etc.  To me, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was fun if a bit far-fetched.  Transporting the intrepid archaeologist to the 1950s and the era of Area 51, nuclear test sites, etc was a good way to age the character.  However, I was not keen on the whole happy family dynamic: even giving the son a canine nickname.  It seemed like a passing of the torch to a new hero and I say NO.  I also do not see it possible to recast Indy.  It may have worked (for better or worse) over the course of the James Bond films but to me no one could capture the essence of Dr. Jones like Harrison Ford.  I think that as long as Ford is willing and (more importantly) able to carry the whip, the franchise should continue but everyone grows old.

As far as the relic, I really don’t think that the religious aspect is all important.  The three original films dealt with religious artifacts but each one had a mystic quality to them.  While reading some comments about a fifth movie, people have mentioned items such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the lost continent of Atlantis (which was actually bandied around the last time), Excalibur, and other relics.

Ok, tangenteers and other interested lurkers… what say you? More Indy?  Recasting? And what famous device should be the catalyst for the show?  However, they better get cracking, the three masterminds behind the franchise are likely to be in wheelchairs within the next 20 years.

This week has been a bit rough.  It actually started last Saturday when the manager asked me how I thought our newest employee was doing.  Honestly, I thought he had been doing really well for having worked a total of 6 days even coming in on his day off for 90 minutes to learn how to change a ballast in the lights (something I know nothing about).  I have worked the most with him – all but two of those 6 days.  I found it really strange that he had not been learning the register since we are a small store and everyone is trained on it.  Sometime soon, I was told (red flag number one should have gone up).

A week ago Monday, he asked if he could have a day off for family.  The manager agreed to give him the requested day off since there was enough help scheduled.  I do not know if she informed him that it was not a great idea to be asking for a day off so early in his employment especially when the schedule was already posted. The assistant manager approached me and asked if I knew why he needed the day off because he had asked another co-worker to take his hours so he “could go to the movie.”  I knew for a fact that he was not going to the movie and really wanted the day off for a legitimate reason.  Plus if it was really putting a strain on his employment, why give him the day off to begin with?

I was also informed that he was not doing his job appropriately.  Mainly that he really did not like to straighten shelves.  Well… zoning, facing, OH, I think we call it fronting is one of my absolute FAVORITE jobs .  I jokingly told him to suck it up and do it anyway to which he playfully (AND I MEAN PLAYFULLY) told me to “Shut up.”  I know how Nate can be (right Mare?) and I immediately gave him a look and shook my head…. playfully or not it was not a good idea to tell a fellow employee to be quiet even if we know each other well enough to know that it was light-hearted.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but you  (or at least I)  don’t go through three months of rehearsals of a show and not know something about most of the cast mates.  The nights I worked with him, he did everything I asked and a few things I did not that needed done.  I even asked if he had been trained on the register anymore than the basics I showed him the day he started when it was just the two of us in the store for a busier than expected 7 hours.  WOW… something really major must have happened those two days I was not there.

On Monday, I received a phone call.  “What the fudge just happened?” I was beside myself.  I had defended him and stated my position to the boss and for what?!  Why did she even ask my what I thought.  Was I the only one who thought he deserved better than 6 days to acclimate himself?  Anyway,  he was walking to my brother’s house and I told him to wait there and I would be out to talk to him and try to make sense of it.  I told him what I knew and told him in no way did I understand why this happened.  After spending time calming him down, we watched a movie.  The rest of the week at work, I have noticed a heaviness that has not been there before and have been asked if there have been any “repercussions” following his dismissal.  I just say no and let it go at that.  I made my point a week ago… apparently not very well.  Nate told me that he would see me next week as he went to spend a few days with family.  Therapeutic. 

A few months ago I made a post about a mystery painting.  That mystery has not been solved, but on that post I used a graphic with a somewhat suggestive van in it.  In fact, when searching my clip art collection with the key word “mystery” that was one of  the results.  I chuckled when I saw it then proceeded to use it.  Fast forward to last week when on my way to work this little beast turned out in front of me- no not literally in front of me thereby cutting me off, but in the other lane.  If you didn’t get the suggestion last time, you are sure to this time.  All that’s missing is the name on the side and a great dane sticking his head out the window.

Speaking of that mystery painting, I finally got around to taking a picture of the signature.  If you know it, please let me know: