Hot Enough for You?

"I'd like to coo with my baby tonight
and pitch some woo with my baby tonight
but sister you fight my baby tonight
cause it's too darn hot"

Besides, my baby's out on the golf course this morning probably getting sun stroke from the scorching sun, blistering wind and obscenely high humidity. That is not my idea of an ideal way to spend a hot morning. Me? I'm indoors, ignoring dust bunnies, and generally doing as little as possible.

Good old Cole Porter said it best. Check out the full lyrics from the Broadway show "Kiss me Kate."
Too Darn Hot

Honestly, I think I prefer BELOW zero temperatures instead of a heat index of 105 degrees. One can usually find a place to warm up, but can't always find a place to cool down. And it's socially acceptable to pile on layers of clothing, but not always approriate to strip down. Unless working in an occupation that requires partial nudity, which I do not.

My yard is completly toasted, over run with weeds and I don't even care. Nope. Not going out to put the sprinkler on. Let nature win. At least this week.

Listening to: Summer in the city Lovin Spoonful
Enjoying: ummm. Ice Water.

A kinder, gentler Madge

MadgeWorld is populated with people of strong opinions. People who may jump-to-conclusions. People who might take one look at stupid behavior and think to themselves, "hmmm, there goes a stupid person. Why are they taking up precious resources that the rest of us could benefit from?" People might not actually BE stupid, they might only look stupid.

That behavior might be a little off putting to some. My kids, for example. Occasionally, my daughters tell me that I'm way too critical. When I rant at them for their catty remarks, they give me the skunk eye that says, "well, we learned it from YOU." So, in the spirit of self-improvement and to set an example for the younger generation we offer you:

Birthday Resolution #2
Fewer harsh, judgemental, opinionated observations of the General Public.

Examples:
Someone driving a Hummer in a non-combat situation-- I'm no longer going to look at him and think, "Sheesh, that rich SOB is truly a pretentious, insecure energy pig." No. Not going to do that anymore. It's just a guy trying to protect his precious cargo. Because Minneapolis is so dangerous.

What about that guy who gives me the finger while I'm trying to merge onto 35W. He's not a complete jackass. No, sir. He's just waving at me. I'm going to practice the Zen of driving. He's just another minor obstacle to be avoided. Have a nice day. Ohmmmmm.

Or the couple running around the lake this morning with a double-wide off-road stroller and two giant dogs. The entire litter refused to give way to anyone. No, they're are not self-centered and inconsiderate. They're just so focused on their family moment that they don't notice OTHER PEOPLE are WALKING on the path.

Or any one of the young professionals I work with. College educated young professionals. Often overheard saying, "Her and I . . ." or "I seen. . ."
I'm not going to assume they are idiots. Or wonder how they earned their degree. Or assume that their roommate wrote their papers. They're just a couple of youngsters who simply forgot some of the BASIC RULES OF GRAMMAR in their mother tongue. I'm going to gently say, "certainly you mean SHE and I. SHE. SHE. SHE." Sheesh. I'm even going to overlook the confusion about when to use "fewer" and "lesser." This last example may send some of you scurrying through this post looking for a typo, misplaced punctuation or speeling error. Be kind. Find the errors in this post and you get a prize.

Golly, it's time for my milk and cookies and I'm so looking forward to watching Pollyanna before I go to bed.

Of course, by next week I'll probably be commenting on the sons-of-bitches who gave me a door ding in the parking lot. Or the bastards who have the "support our troops" sticker on their gas-guzzling SUV. But a middle-aged gal can dream, can't she.

Listening to: Sunny Side of the Street, Count Basie

Birthday Resolution #1.

Earlier this month I celebrated a birthday. Let's just say I'm a lot closer to 60 than I am to 50. Shitballs. I'm a little stunned about it. I remember when I was about 11 and started reading the Minneapolis Tribune on Saturday mornings. They had the crime report on the same page as the comics. I'd read the blurbs, "Joe Jones, 19 arrested for stealing a car--or some other juvenile deliquent behavior." 19. It sounded so old. So far away. MadgeWorld only tolerates looking ahead, not wallowing in the past. So, instead of whining about how damn old I'm getting, this year involves making some resolutions. Why not. It's my New Year.

1. Finish all projects before starting any new ones.
I suffer from ADD of the crafting and home improvement world. Sewing. Knitting. Beading. Photography. Every new activity requires several trips to the fabric store, Bobby Bead, National Camera, Value Village or Target. A simple bracelet costs me $150 in supplies and then I never finish it. Actually, I NEVER start simply. I always start with the most complicated version.

The family room is piled high with several knitting projects. A 12-foot table in the basement is covered with photos, paper scraps, glue sticks. The dining room wall looks like an ancient fresco because I started removing flaking paint. Started. Not finished. Many projects. All in progress. Enough is enough. Time to take radical action.



Here's a sample of what's to be finished:
- Photo album for Mo and Di. Started for Christmas 2005.

- Photo album "travels with mom" started for Christmas 2005.
- Beaded bracelet started for Hooly's birthday. Circa 2003.
- Photo albums for Steve's siblings w/ photos from Meg's wedding. 2005.
- Scarf for Molly Belk. Started last winter. Black and Orange. Go Tigers!
- Sweater for Trixie. Started three months ago.
- Knitted Kitten. Second one. Long story. Ask Carol Henderson.
- Dining room painting project.
- Basement ceiling and walls. Ripped out last year. Find contractor to put back together.
- Install ceiling fan in bedroom. Purchased in 2002.
- 6-foot cobblestone walkway in front of house.

- Here's why I'm truly pathetic. I started this needlepoint project OVER 25 YEARS AGO!
Why start simple. It's pearl cotton on penelope canvas and incorporates a complicated counted cross stitch border. One missed stitch and your hearts won't join up. Sweet little petit point flowers and lettering.








I was making it for an anniversary. The Mister's name. My Name. Our Anniversary date -- yet to be stitched. The pattern incorporated the sentiment "Endless Love" because the border has that endless pattern effect. I substituted the Marine Corp. motto as more appropriate. Time to bring it all together? I think so. If I can ever find the book with the pattern!

Oh, the list goes on and on. I'm going to stop now and get cracking on. . . well, something. There are lots to choose from.

Listening to: The sweet sounds of summer.
Finishing: breakfast.

Still Rockin' after all these years

Then
















Now


Here in MadgeWorld we encourage comfort. Like practicing your electric guitar in your bathrobe while watching Entertainment Tonight and balancing on a core board. It's important to make every minute count, especially at our advanced ages.

Never underestimate the value of surprise in keeping a relationship interesting. And humor. And a healthy dose of cynicism. On one of our anniversaries, a huge bouquet of red roses arrived at my office. The enclosure card read, "Madam. I regret to inform you that we have been married for 17 years."

I'm as amazed as the next guy that The Mister and I have survived 32 years of marriage.
- 8 different addresses--6 of those as homeowners.
- 4 children in the first 10 years.
- Over $250,000 in groceries.
- At least 250 parent teacher conferences.
- 68 purchases with an "assembly required" disclaimer.
The years fly by. It's the days and nights that seem long.

There's no secret to the longevity of the relationship. We merely approached life together assuming that we will stay married. No matter what. As The Husband said to one of the offspring recently, "It's called commitment. You ought to try it." It would be safe to say that we don't overthink or over analyze -- there's not a lot of discussion about The Relationship. That's not how we roll. We'd rather fight over the remote. Or why I think watching golf on TV is BORING.

Money seems to cause marital discord. But, unlike a lot of couples all our money goes into one big pot and I take care of it. There's no separation of Your Money and My Money. It's all Our Money. Interestingly, both our parents gave us the same advice as we innocently headed into marriage with Meggie on the way. Have a designated driver when it comes to managing the family money. When we got married, I converted my checking account to a joint account and we were off and running. (Steve existed on a cash economy. Literally, he cashed his paychecks and kept the money in a box.) I could have stolen it then and could steal it now and escape to Tahiti, but he trusts me and so far I'm still here. Not that I haven't occasionally considered it . . .

It's been, in a word, INTERESTING. Semper fi, baby.

Listening to: Someone Like You, Van Morrison
Currently Reading, Manhattan Transfer, John Dos Passos