Weeds and All

We have weeds in our gardens!  Tall, prickly weeds and vine-y, clinging weeds.  I have Preen-ed, pulled, dug up, and STILL these 2 dasterdly weed-breeds keep coming back, nearly choking out the good stuff.  And to make matters worse, I can’t even figure out what they are…I’ve searched the Internet for photos, weed identifiers, etc.  Mostly, I just get marijuana sites :-0  but I still haven’t been able to identify them, to know how to best kill them off.

I’ll post pics soon….meantime, I guess I’ll just keep pulling weeds and wishing my garden looked like the ones in magazines.

 

Early Holiday Morning…

Friday, July 3rd was an official state holiday, but I still got to go to work at 5:15 a.m. to meet WTHR’s Tim “Tree Boy” Bush for a couple of live cut-ins. I really didn’t mind;  any press coverage is good, and after 7 a.m. I had the rest of the day off!  However, I hate watching myself; suddenly I look like my sisters and suddenly gain about 40 pounds…..eeek.  I love the early morning sky, though…

Kathi with Tim “TreeBoy” Bush on WTHR Sunrise

Tim “Tree Boy” Bush at the Indiana State Museum

Indiana State Museum at sunrise (by John Louk)

 

Hey Look, I’ve Been Caricatured!

I’ve always wanted to have this done, and there was an artist at Fry’s (of all places) this weekend.  She got me, all right;  all about kids and dogs…

3 dogs and 4 kids (well, one is "surrogate" kid, Sierra)

 

Fat is Relative

Relative;  meaning it is relative to what you think “fat” is… I went to Weight Watchers a couple years ago with hubby and weighed 10 lbs less than I do now!  *Ugh*  I’m really needing WW now!!  Help me!

Relative: meaning, I can blame this weight and body style on my relatives;  its genetic.  Its their fault.  I work twice as hard to stay “average” because of my genetic makeup.

Soooooooooo……I’m feeling very ugly and overweight right now.  To the average person, I suppose I’m just slightly matronly and “soft” looking.  To me….I see 40 lbs. over my marriage weight.  I see 20 lbs. over my running weight.  It really sucks to be over 45 or so because the weight just hangs around like it never did before.  I  NEED TO GET RID OF IT NOW!!  I drink tons of water, I eat healthy…what??

 

Sunday Night

I really have grown to dislike Sunday nights…almost as much as I dislike Monday mornings.  The weekends go by so fast and I NEVER finish  my list of “to do’s”.  This weekend was full of Zoobilation, garage sale at the in-laws (I can’t stand garage sales…I like to shop them, but have never yet made more than $25. after working for hours to put one on!), Scales & Tails Pet Fest at the museum, etc.  I’ll post some pics later, but you can go to Twitter and search for Mediakath and find a lot of “tweets” from Zoobilation, along with photos I took at the event.  What fun!!

Prayers for the week:

Hubby’s job…and thus, our finances (will this prayer EVER go away??)

Son’s driver’s ed

Daughter in new apartment

Surrogate daughter away at camp

Patience and wisdom in certain areas

Did I mention budget changing again?

*sigh*

 

Going Batty at Work

Working at a science and culture museum, I get to learn new things almost every day!  This week I learned that polar bears have black skin under all that white fur…that Wes Montgomery, a jazz guitarist was a true innovator in music perfomance and pretty much changed everything, much like the Beatles did…and that Abe Lincoln ’s last decendant died in 1985.

I also get to take lots of picture, which is one of my favorite parts of the job, and often quite diverse in scope… 

Patience, the Red Bat

Vera Bradley ad I photographed

 

Another Day at the Office…

I lead a double life…I’m a double blogger;  I blog for personal use and I blog for professional use, too.  Unfortunately, there seems to be more blog-worthy stuff in my professional life than my personal life! 

So, I know hereby link you to the Indiana State Museum blog, where we had a fun (and popular!) post about lady roller derby-ers, invading our special little L.S. Ayres Tea Room. 

On a more personal front, I can proudly report the highlights of my day: 

1) I bicycled to work…that’s 4 times in just over a week! I can feel the fat cells staging a walkout!  

2) K2 is now gainfully employed for the summer!! and its even in his chosen field of computer science/web design!  Yeah for him! 

3) This has nothing to do with today, but here is a great Prom pic of my “mentee” or “surrogate daughter”, Sierra from last week. Enjoy!

Sierra's Prom, 2009

 

Indiana State Historic Sites

I have a wonderful job.  Last week I got to travel;  I visited 4 different state historic sites, took loads of photographs,  and can actually call it work!  There is so much to be learned, if we just get out there and listen. I am embarassed that, as a mom, I haven’t taken my children to these places before!  There is so much to see and so much to experience.

Here are some examples of our trip last week; click on pics for explanations:

Loblolly Marsh

Conservatory in GSP’s Limberlost home

This entrance to the “eves” allowed fugitive slaves to hide and bed was then moved across entrance.

This huge well was just off the downstairs kitchen and allowed the Coffins to obtain plenty of water without tipping neighbors off on the unusually large amounts being used.

Jack and Joey take a break from pulling the boat

View from the Ben Franklin III boat on the Canal

Gene Stratton-Porter’s Sylvan Lake Home

Enjoy the pics.  Go visit yourself, as these are only teensy representives of all the sites have to offer!  For more info, go here.

 

 

 

On Death and Dying

My friend Suzie McCracken died this week.  I can’t claim that she was my ‘bestest’ friend;  she is a friend of a friend, an acquaintance from church, a member of our Bible study.  But it struck me hard, nonetheless.  She is a mother to 4 lovely girls;  all 5 of them look alike!  She met her husband while they worked at a Colorado dude ranch in their teens.  She is a strong Christian woman;  I know that means that she is in Heaven, cancer-free now, but my heart is still heavy with the unfairness of it and the profound sadness for her husband Scott.

Ladies, this was melanoma…a little skin cancer that went beserk and invaded her body.  Wear sunscreen.  Get checked.  And love your children every day!   Susie…rest in peace.

Here’s her blog… http://ohhowhelovesq.blogspot.com/

Susie and Her Girls

 

Spring Break

Even though I’m all grown up (well, at least I hope so!), I still get excited over Spring Break.  For the first time in at least 5 years, we headed south on I-65 to Gulf Shores, Alabama…a fairly easy 12-hour drive from Indy.  The sad part is, we could only bring 2 of 3 children;  the 3rd already had his college spring break.  The good part is, we are having a great time anyway…eating lots of seafood, soaking up a few rays (well, it thunderstormed today…), and generally relaxing. 

Relaxing….ahhhhhh….much needed break from reality! 

Not the warmest of beach days, but I'm not complainin'