Sophie's New Seat

Lately we've been putting Sophie in our laundry basket, surrounded by toys. She's not big on sitting up, so this allows her to play with her toys from a new vantage point. She'll entertain herself for an hour in this thing, talking and - her new discovery - singing. I think she'll be a soprano.

Free Hugs

This morning, I was running an errand when I ran in to a guy holding a "Free Hugs" sign on the corner of Main and Limestone. He was good on his word, and even offered me a bottle of water. I declined, but thanked him. He told me, "your welcome" and to go hug someone else.

Someone stole our lawnmower last week, but today a guy stood on a busy intersection with a sign offering hugs.

Humanity always has a way of redeeming itself. I love this world.

Wendy dog and Tigerlily

Wendy dog turned 3 this past January and has been a wonderful companion. She is dainty and, if she were human, would probably be quite prissy. She won't go out in the rain and gives you a "you've got to be kidding me" look when it's even suggested. She thinks she weighs 10 pounds and loves to climb in to your lap and snuggle.
We have stray cats all over our neighborhood. We adopted Tigerlily after seeing her and Wendy together. Our cat, Cleo, had just died and Wendy had gone in to a serious depression. Tigerlily showed up and their relationship was unlike any we had ever seen. The first time they met, Tigerlily rolled on to her back and Wendy started licking her tummy. She isn't allowed in the house very often, but she sleeps in our basement during bad weather and has been known to make herself at home in our car when we forget to close the windows.

5 things I love (besides the obvious) - Updated

5. Lexington, Kentucky. On our way to work last week, Roy and I saw dozens of yellow bikes in little clumps along main street. More were lined up on Vine. They were cute, bright yellow with little baskets on the front. Our friendly newspaper told us that the city purchased them to encourage people who work downtown to not take their cars everywhere. For a fee of $10, you get a key to the locks and can borrow a bike. Lexington is, in no way, progressive. We have our opera house, our ballet company, our good universities and enough to keep us entertained, but we are in no way progressive... or bike friendly. But as someone who is regularly sent on little jaunts around town, this is awesome. While I was walking to Roy's office to get the car and pick up Sophie (I have not yet paid my $10), I saw about 6 bikes that were out of place. Someone had obviously been riding them. As someone who lives and works downtown, this made me very, very proud of my fellow Lexingtonians. Oh, and Lexington Kentucky is really fun to say. Say it.

4. My in-laws. This weekend, Roy's cousin, Josh, got married to the beautiful Cecily Roberts at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. There are lots of Cornett's, as anyone who has ever been to the Festival of the Bluegrass can attest. 3 great grandchildren have been born in the last year alone. Needless to say, family gatherings are rare, happening only once a year at the Festival. The wedding was a welcome treat to see Charles and Vicki, Maria and Brian, and our recent vagabond, Mallory, who is spending the summer in Virginia with her baby Aiden and her almost-hubby Doron. To have a family like this, who you can joke with, drink with, dance with, laugh with... for me to slip up and introduce people as my cousins instead of Roy's. Wow, I am one lucky girl. And I'll just say this. A Cornett wedding... at a Bourbon Distillery. WHY did no one think of this before?

3. Food. Ladies and Gentlemen, I love it all. Big, sloppy, juicy cheeseburgers with caramelized onions and bacon; a huge salad with good oil and vinegar dressing filled with radishes, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, cucumbers, real lettuce - none of the iceburg crap - carrots, and oh I'm forgetting so many; mashed potatoes with lots of butter; my mother-in-law's fried corn; homemade pizza with an egg cracked in the center and cooked until just set; late night snacks of apples, cheese, and popcorn and a beer to wash it all down; Derby pie, warmed with vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee; strawberries, blueberries, peaches in the middle of harvest time; pasta in sauce that has cooked for hours; chili that warms you to the core on a crisp fall day... food, glorious food.

2. When I first wrote this, my number 2 was patio's, but I have to change it. My real #2 is the Jiff plant. So they make Jiff Peanutbutter on Winchester Road, near downtown, and about 3 times a week, the entire city smells like roasted peanuts. It is heavenly.

1. gmail. Ok, so it seems really silly to talk about how much I love my email account, but I think all other gmail users out there are with me. Right? RIGHT? gchat? come ON! I've never used instant messenger and I really have no desire to. However, gchat rocks my world. Also, the amount of storage, the way it displays my attachments, how easy it is to find what I'm looking for, the grouping my conversation, oh my goodness I could go on and on and on about gmail. Really, this is google I'm talking about instead of gmail, but I love that from one page I can go to my blog, my groups, my calendar, my specified for content google page... it rocks.

So I was only going to list 5, but this just happened, so I guess it's:

0. Watching Sophie learn (and thoroughly enjoy) her Johnny Jump-up.

I like this

One of the benefits of my job at the Library is getting to read the uncorrected proofs. Now and again, I find a real gem. Today I left my Harry Potter 3 (yes! I've made progress!) at home and deferred to my fall-back Uncorrected Proof, "The Discomfort Zone" by Jonathan Franzen. In it, I found this. And I liked it.

"This is a great time to be an American CEO, a tough time to be the CEO's lowest paid worker. A great time to be Wal-Mart, a tough time to be in Wal-Mart's way, a great time to be an incumbant extremist, a tough time to be a moderate challenger. Fabulous to be a defense contractor, shitty to be a reservist, excellent to have tenure at Princeton, grueling to be an adjunct at Queens College, outstanding to manage a pension fund, lousy to rely on one, better than ever to be bestselling, harder than ever to be mid-list, phenomenal to win a Texas Hold 'Em tournament, a drag to be a video-poker addict."

Time to childproof

Potter-Mania Has Arrived

So I've decided that I want to read all 6 Harry Potter books again, before The Deathly Hollows comes out at the end of July. I thought nothing of it until my friend Christo gave me a hard time. Pre-Sophie, this would've been a piece of cake. In fact, I probably would've finished early and then been pissed off because I couldn't just slide right in to the 7th. I started the first one nearly a week ago and Harry just now got to Hogwarts. NOT a good start. Making matters worse, I'll lose ground during the Bluegrass Festival and our week in So Dak at the end of June.

I've read all of them multiple times but it's been quite a while since I read the first, second, and third. Let me tell you - the first one is GOOD. I mean wow, I had forgotten how good. I've been ruined by the movies. I remember things differently now and I love the detail.

There's a part of me that thinks I should read them all before 7, even if I don't get them done before it's released. But I don't think I can stomach the gasps from my husband as he reads the final book in the traditional 24 hours, or the whispers of my tired-looking coworkers who stayed up all release-weekend to finish.

I love the books, I love the passion for reading that has spread to kids, and I love the bridge that it's created with the kids' parents. What other book can spark a debate that crosses such a chasm of age!? It's a wonderful thing. And while I'm excited for book 7, I'm a little sad that there will be no more. I've grown quite attached to the characters. What will we debate when we know truly whether Snape is good or bad? What literature will I look forward to?

There's always something else, though. The Dark Tower ended, just as Harry Potter will, and it will be replaced with another wonderful series of books to captivate me and spark long dinner-time discussions. It's comforting to know that I will never, ever, run out of good books.

Sunday, lovely Sunday

So we finally have a back yard suitable for humans. Today we took down the barricade and Sophie and I ventured out to take advantage of the beautiful Sunday. It's a long sleeves kind of day and as soon as I laid Sophie on the blanket, she fell asleep. She's had it rough lately. Her first tooth sprouted on Thursday and she's been battling some fierce sniffles. (Mom's? Dad's? Advice is welcome.) She loves the outdoors and the fresh air seems to be the best medicine - at least in terms of getting her to nap. When Roy finished being Mr. Fix-it, he made himself a bourbon drink and joined me and Sophie. Soon Wendy made her way over, too.
The yard still needs a little work. The grass hasn't settled in everywhere and the fences need to be replaced. Raised bed need to be built and bulbs need to be planted. But at least we can go outside, put a blanket on the ground, and enjoy the outdoors.

Lovely. Just lovely.

Kentucky-speak

About a month ago, Roy was walking around the house. He'd sit, then get up. Make a phone call. Get on the computer.
"I just can't light anywhere" he said. This was the day of our car accident and he had already confessed that he thought he had whiplash. Upon this comment, I said he needed to go to the doctor. He was perplexed.
"Why?" he asked.
"'Light'? You can't 'Light' anywhere? That doesn't make any sense." I continued to correct him on different phrases he MEANT to say. He continued to look at me, baffled.

The following Monday I went to work and Susan, my office mate from Eastern Kentucky validated that no, Roy's comment was not a sign of a concussion.

After 7 years of living in Kentucky, I am still confused by things people say. Here are a few things I have learned.

* * * * *

"Do what?" can be a response to anything.

"That flower is very pretty."
"Do what?"

"I'm getting married at the end of the month"
"Do what?"

"I quit!"
"Do what?"

* * * * *

Recently, my afore mentioned office mate, Susan, was talking about her son and his girlfriend staying with her in her one bedroom apartment. I asked if she had enough room and she said, "oh, I'll put 'em on a nail." She laughed when she saw the blank look on my face. She explained that before people had closets, they would pound large nails in the walls to hold their clothes. Therefore, when they had guests but not enough room they would say they would "put 'em on a nail."

* * * * *

The definition of pitiful is sad, not pathetic.

* * * * *

Another co-worker of mine came in to reserve the Board Room for a very secret, very special event and she didn't want her name attached to it.
"Put it under my maiden name" she said, "Hurl."
"Hurl?" I asked, thinking this poor, poor girl. "H - U - R- L?"
"No, she said, "Hurl" as in the Lexington Herald-Leader."

* * * * *

Bacon grease is to be kept in a jar for things like frying chicken and okra.

* * * * *

Good mashed potatoes require at least 1T butter per potato.

* * * * *

Macaroni and Cheese is a side dishes and in some cases is considered a vegetable.

* * * * *

To some members of Roy's family, I am known as "Miss Anna", just as Roy's grandma is known as "Miss Jean". I find this particularly endearing.

* * * * *

Bluegrass music is tradition, not a fad started by "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?"

* * * * *

"I don't care to" actually means yes.

"Will you babysit Sophie tonight?"
"I don't care to."


I'm sure there are many more phrases and sayings that I've forgotten and even more that will continue to confuse me. This is just one of the many reasons I love living here. The culture is rich and deep and the people are kind and polite in a southern hospitality kind of way. I'd by lying if I said I don't miss my northern ways - my "weird, northern" food and flat plains talk. But I love that accent, that phraseology. I guess it makes me feel a part of something. I hope I never run out of surprises and I have no doubt that one day, I will giddily exclaim, "I just can't light anywhere - I'm higher than a Georgia pine!"