Resolution Help

Well, it's that time of year again...where you resolve to finally do something you should have been doing all year. Well, that is if you're like me...

I heard about this on the radio,
There is a scientist who is interested in what New Year's Resolutions and if they work for people.
He is conducting an online study, and sending people tips on how to achieve the resolution.
www.newyearscience.co.uk

It takes about 3 minutes to do, and I think it's interesting. I can tell you from a person that goes to the YMCA year round, January is my least favorite month to work out there. It's totally packed with all the couch potatoes that have sat around until the new year, and now they are determined to work out. It's so annoying. I shouldn't talk, because being more fit is one of my resolutions....oh well. We all need all the help we can get, at least I do.

Snowbird Holiday

Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth.

As many of you know, this is our yearly holiday tradition. Admittedly, we are geeks for our cat and photoshop. This picture was taken in Arizona at an old gold mining town in the desert. We visited my grandparents at their snowbird habitat last spring. The joke is obvious then, that we are snow birds and Jackson simply has no self control when it comes to birds. He is an avid bird watcher and given the opportunity to catch one, he will. Which he has, with both of us. He is happily paddling around, three legs and all. We are currently hibernating, Jackson and I. It is only 4 degrees out. If I can count the all degrees on one hand, I don't leave the house. Yesterday I took out the garbage and that was pushing it.

Anyway, Happy Holidays. We hope you are all warm and cozy.

Abby's Art Club

For those of you who haven't checked this out, do so. My friend Abby has a real knack for kids and art. Her blog was recently noted in the Febuary 2nd edition of our weekly newspaper, the Isthmus...it's super cool what Abby is creating with these kids. They are all little inspirations.

Up North

Jana and I spent the weekend up on the UP of Michigan with her parents. Look how nice it was there! There was an inch of ice on the lake, but we didn't let that stop us from kayaking to the tiny island in the middle. It was extreme kayaking, super fun.
As you can see, we are always fashionable, always fabulous and drinking wine, lots of wine. Even in the middle of the woods. Her parents built this cabin about 4 years ago, it's so lovely there.

Lake Fun

This is as close to the ocean as it gets here in the Midwest. Lake Michigan. Wavy, cold and beautiful. 

Update 4 U

Hey I'm back everyone!

I know I've lost all my readers, but hey what the heck! I'll write anyways.

UPDATE:
What I'm listening to:
Royksopp-dreamy and dancey and satisfiying
June Carter/Johnny Cash
Sigur Ros-dark, dreamy, sullen and hopeful
The Wailing Jenny's-Canadian trio of women. So so so sweet.

It's Tulip Time, and I just planted mine. I hope the squirrels don't think I planted a snack for them.

I have become almost superstitious about trying to listen to the Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keeler at 8:50 am before work. I think it does make my day better, even if the poetry sometimes sucks. I just love it when he says, "Be Well, Do good work, and Keep in Touch." I always say it out loud with him. Today's poem was about getting married for all the wrong reasons.

Trader Joe's has finally opened in Madison. No complaints here. It's everything I hoped it would be and I am totally into the chocolate covered bing cherries. Right now, as a matter of fact.

That's about it for an update. It's been a long summer, but it wasn't long enough. It never is. Summer is starting to tuck it's green parts up for the winter, put on the long underware permanently until March.

Rusty Nude

I love this sculpture. It's out in the middle of nowhere, lovely, rusty, naked and shameless... 

Late Summer

I have a couple of days off this week...a whole week actually. What will I do? Probably play This Old House, sleep with Bob Vila...which has been my whole summer. The house we are remodeling is coming along and almost done.

List of things I have done this summer:

Played in the waves of Lake Michigan in Sheboygan
watched Cycropia at the Orton Park Fest
Canned HOT salsa--60 lbs of tomatoes
Joined NetFlix- Love it.

Well, that's in the last week.
I hope everyone is well.

A Fine Example

http://www.spiegel.de/videoplayer/0,6298,12391,00.html

Bush’s latest public service announcement….

How not to address the Chancellor of Germany…and all women in general…I wish this were an employee training video and not real. Evidently Bush slept through that video, or he never had a real job.

He's all over the German news for a making a classic example of all American sexual harrassment.

Butterfly Flutterby

This is the scene in my garden today. Look how beautiful it is! The monarchs are loving the flowers... 

Busy Summer

I've decided blogging must be a winter event. I just don't make time to sit at the computer! A quick update:

Jack the cat is doing well...he's especially enjoying some fur mice he got as a gift from my cousin. They make him run and hop and chase like nothing else. He can actually make them look as though they are attacking him. His fur is growing back and soon you'll not even notice the missing leg.

We are working so so hard on the rental house that our friend MB will rent in less than a month.
Yikes. We hope it will be ready. Pray hard.

I went home to MN for the 4th of July. It was the kind of day you write home about...except I was home. Breezy, sunny, good food, nice people. Perfect day, minus the World Cup game where Germany lost in overtime to Italy. So sad for the home team.

My garden is doing most excellent things now. Echinacea, daisies, sunflowers, veronica, mint, lillies...colorful blooms taking over...

My dad is here working with us. What a blessing he is...so handy and ambitious. It's good to have him around.

That's all for now. I hope you all are well and enjoying a beautiful summer.

Paddling Along

Jack is doing really well, he's eating and drinking, and doing the deeds in the litterbox as well. He is starting to pick up speed when he walks now, and has no problems jumping down from places. I told Markus he doesn't hobble along, he paddles along. He still isn't jumping up, but maybe next week. The biggest issue now is watching him from biting his stitches out. I had to work today, so we left him with the big plastic collar on. He is so dramatic with that clunky thing on. He bangs into corners and trys to back out of it by falling over. Next Monday he can have the stitches out. Then, all will be excellent. Thank you all for thinking of us.

Time to Heal

Here is Jackson, bathing after a snack. He is home and sleeping a ton. He seems to be doing well. He purred for a couple hours the first night, was super happy just to be home. We are on cat-care duty for a couple days as he learns to get around and ensure good healing of the wound (he wants to lick it and may not). He insisted on going up the stairs yesterday, 36 hours after surgery. He went slow and took breaks, but he did it.

As you can see he has shaved areas on both front paws (from the IV) and a large shaved area in the back. It's quite a wound with 22 stitches, very graphic. In 10 days or so, he can have the stitches out. I'm sure by then he'll be bolting around the house. 

A Broken Leg/Heart

Oh Jackson! My beloved cat had a really hard day. Jack broke his leg last night after a run in with a car. I found him in the backyard with the bone exposed, bleeding and separated...it was a terrible moment but I didn't vomit like I thought I might, so that was good. We made it to the emergency clinic and got him some pain meds...he stayed there overnight. Today we consulted with the surgeons and vets. After many tears and questions and much discussion we decided the best option for Jack was to amputate his leg. The healing time will only be 10 days, vs 8-12 weeks for surgery. The surgical outcomes weren't super promising, little chance of normal function, risks of infection, arthritis later on, or limited function with fusing the joint. We decided he would go nuts in a crate for 2-3 months healing with a cast or external fixiter (crazy looking hardware)...and it's better just to get him recovering and moving around. He would be miserable to spend the summer in a crate. I would never wish this decision on anyone else. I hope we made the right one. It breaks my heart to think of him hobbling around at first, getting used to it. We just went with what would be a fast and good recovery....the vets told me two things that helped. One guy said, "Cats are three legged animals with four legs." Meaning they do great with three...and the other vet said "It will not affect his quality of life." I hope Jack feels the same way, but the funny thing is that he won't even know we had to make a choice. Also, most vets say that cats aren't attached to their limbs the way people are, like he won't be pissed that he can't get his groove on dancing the way he used to. I knew a three legged cat once, it was a stray, a big black male cat I named Galileo who lived outside at my grandparents house. He was a great cat who got around just great. I pray that Jack will adapt with ease. Tonight they will do the surgery. Let's all send him some good love and healing. 

Current Events

So, I am starting to read the news again. I haven't decided if it's a good thing for me or not. It's totally interesting though to compare news sites...

for instance:
Top Headlines on CNN today...
The apprentice winner gets a new job and fiancee
A boy in China had a third arm successfully removed
Man burned using gasoline to wash clothes
High School Kids find body on field trip

OK, not that I don't care about the baby with three arms, it's great that it was successfully removed and now he can start months of physical therapy to learn to use the other one...but is it really breaking news? But of course I want to see the picture, who doesn't?? But then again, we can all picture a baby with three arms, so why am I drawn to click there? Now about the guy who washed his clothes in gas (what the $%&# did he expect)? Is it news that gas burns?

I don't get it.

Anyway, the BBC has such a huge variety of news, and they missed most of the above headlines. They did mention the boy in China. Also, a volcano and Iraq. Newsworthy stuff.

The two bits I found interesting were these:
Being an entreprenuer and self employed, and/or loneliness is genetic. This is the kind of news I read, and then I think....am I better knowing that or not knowing? I think all this research in genetics is going to take the mystery out of "personality" really fast. So, that's the news for today.

Lost Shoes

Has anyone seen my green shoes? I loved sailing with them last year. I can't find them anywhere...that's OK though. I didn't really remember I had them until I saw this picture. Isn't that funny? That must mean I have too many shoes, but don't tell my husband I admitted that. 

Block Party

It was our block party yesterday. Evidently, the good people of my block have been gathering on the street every Memorial Day for 17 years. It started with a pancake breakfast, and followed with a water fight (kids vs adults), face painting and board games. Of course there was some good drinking and eating all day long.


 

Spring Blooms

Ahhh, spring at its finest, fancy pants flowers. Forget-me-nots and Iris...the flowers are loving the rain. So are the weeds. 

Long Weekend

What an amazing weekend for Memorial Day and everyone to be outside playing...
I got a tip about this Memorial Day Weekend event from an art bike enthusiast...check it out. I would love to make this trek to watch it...

http://kineticsculpturerace.org/

Check out the rules and the photos. These people are hard core.

Jack and Rhubarb

I picked some rhubarb and the cat was quite interested. I made some sauce to have with ice cream later....yummmmm We have had so much rain here, the dirt is so soft and muddy. It's easy to get really dirty in the garden! 

Burning Bike

It turns out that the Art Bike Rally is going to have a bit of Burning Man flavor, as the Pine Pony gets torched this Saturday night out in the country somewhere near Verona.

I feel like I should go and take pictures, but I think we can all imagine a giant wooden bike burning. I bet it will be fun.

Willy Street

This was written by a friend of mine who is in Bolivia in the Peace Corps. She wrote it for an international friend of hers to describe where she lived before Bolivia.

Willy Street
by Mandy E.

Did I ever tell you about a place called Willy Street? Yes, there’s a street dedicated to everything Willy. Aside from its phallocentric name, it’s actually not a very long street—only about 15 blocks. Width-wise, it’s an urban/residential bidirectional, with large oak trees flanking either side. Mr. Willy traces the only urban isthmus in the United States, which forms the land bridge between two lakes: Monona and Mendota. Situated closer to Lake Monona, Willy Street acts as the main through-fare for its namesake neighborhood, replete with early 20th century dwellings boasting attics, basements and wrap-around front porches.
Willy Street is famous in Madison, the capital city where it originates. Connotatively speaking, it advocates a lifestyle where urban-sheik and hippie-progressiveness harmonize. Accordingly, there are a number of enticing establishments along Willy Street that personify its character. First on the tour is the Willy Street Co-op: a cooperative grocery store that sells high-end food products and organic meats, cheeses and produce at prices that will make you appreciate the presentation, but hate the fact that you are a poor graduate student. All foodstuffs are bought locally, when available, and you can buy a copy of Bitch magazine while checking out. I never shopped there because even though I support the cultivation of locally produced organic fruits and veggies, I can’t justify paying more when I can get them at Woodman’s near the beltway for cheaper.
One place I did shop frequently on Willy Street was Saint Vincent De Paul’s thrift shop. If you have any kind of love for creating you own style with white elephants then this is your store. I would get anything from night clubbing gear, to dinner date clothes to Halloween costumes to that amazing jean jacket Madonna wore in 1985. One could spend hours there and often on cold mornings when I had a break before my next class, I would warm up to the over-stuffed racks of gently used merchandise.
No good Willy Street would be complete without its share of eateries and drinking establishments. My favorite for burgers and the according chefs who were not afraid to cook them rare was Willy Street Pub. A blue cheese, bacon and mushroom burger with a pint from the local Capital Brewery never lost its appeal. I would go with my Ukrainian girlfriend, eat a burger and let her beat me at chess while listening to the latest down-tempo or live indie-band.
While the traditional American fare always hits the spot, my palate was often tempted by the foreign eateries on Willy Street. Hands down the best Laotian cuisine in the mid-west and also the best jerk chicken north of Jamaica are all nestled on little Willy Street. Walking into Jamerica you immediately felt like you might be served a blunt along with the mismatched dishes, silverware and glasses. Everything has a bit of a thrown together feel, like you were actually in shack with a corrugated tin roof. A few blocks down, the Laotian place was also competing for authenticity; you could actually see the south-east Asian women slaving over large pots in the makeshift kitchen. It was as if you had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner.
As I said earlier, Willy Street is in Madison, Wisconsin, which is about 2 hours north of Chicago and 1.5 hours west of Milwaukee. This geography lesson serves to foreshadow the fact that median winter temperatures are colder than a well digger’s ass in Idaho. Daytime highs in January barely make positive and can leave you breathless, especially when the wind is blowing off one of the empress lakes. The snow can get deep, sometimes knee-high, sometimes waist high. Days like these are when you head over to Willy Street to spend some time at Jolly Bobs.
The first time my friends and I showed up to get some jolly from Bob, I had my doubts: the exterior of the building looked like an old VFW lodge with some red twinkle lights tacked around the doorframe. “This place has good food?” I asked in disbelief. My friends assured me and we went through the door. As my snow-booted foot crossed the threshold, I could almost see the ice melting—we had officially left the artic and entered the tropics. The place was packed full of people making love to strawberry daiquiris, piña coladas and spiced run runners while mingling at the tiki bar. The bartenders wore Hawaiian shirts and there was a parrot making pirate jokes for the ladies. The walls were painted the most fascinating color of tropical ocean blue and adorned with pictures of palm trees, coconuts and warm sandy beaches taken by a Peace Corps volunteer in the DR. I ate coconut shrimp dipped in mango chutney, drank one too many mojitos and swooned to Bob Marley.
I tell you of Willy Street because played a major role in my happiness while attending graduate school in Madison. Wouldn’t it be nice if every town had a fun little Willy Street to enjoy?

Art Club

I was able to spend my birthday helping with the Art Club. The kids are working on making dolls of themselves....it was such a fun project to see what they come up with.
Check it out here.

http://abbysartclub.blogspot.com

Enjoy.

These kids are great artists and Abby is amazing for making it happen and supporting them all in such a sweet way.

Birthday

So, my birthday sailed right through. Today I went out with a couple girlfriends and we drank a bottle of wine with lunch. We toasted to Birthdays and Brains, after all, we are all stuck with both.

Hmm, on the topic of birthdays. They really aren't the same since I was 9. You always knew what to expect when you were a kid, and since your mom planned your party, all you had to do was show up. This all changes when you become an adult...especially as a woman, I will be planning my own party and spending hours in the kitchen to put it all together, since my husband proved he can't mix together a box cake. Now, don't get me wrong. I love throwing parties and having my favorite people over for a backyard grill-out/outdoor movie on the big screen (Cinema Paradiso--love it). But it's hard to share your birthday with all the stress and work of getting ready for a party. So, here's my idea. Rent-a-mom, or Rent-a-wife. I could have used either that day.

Anyways, I've come to understand that throwing your own birthday party is actually a big expression of the love you have for everyone around you. It's not about you, it's about them. I have a great, happy group of people around me. I think as you grow up, birthdays are about giving thanks for all those who surround you and who you can laugh with.

So yeah. I'm 27. A good odd number. I have decided this year I will learn Japanese. Enough with this German thing. Just kidding. Hopefully I will improve my German. Did I mention my German in-laws are here for a month? An entire month. And did I mention they speak only German? Yeah, I really need to get better at that.

So, Cheers to all of you for all you are. Happy Birthday to me.

Rain not Shine!

The Art Bike Rally 2006 went off without a hitch. Except that it rained the entire time...it didn't pour! The "Pine Pony" took the prize for sure, can you imagine it actually worked? Check out more bikes....click here.

Capitol Beauty

This is the view on an average sunny Saturday morning, strolling around the Farmer's Market. What a regal building! 

' Tis the Season

Why I love May:
All the delicious goods I have bought from the Farmer's Market this week...

Asparagus: grilled, steamed or in soup
Morel Mushrooms: dipped in egg, flour and fried in butter of course
Arugula: spicy green good in anything
Coconut Macaroons: soft, flaky and unbelievable

I am totally enjoying the season so far. Plus, my Birthday is coming (May 22) and I have a 4 day weekend to play. Any suggestions anyone?

This week is very busy work wise for me, so I apologize for the lack of blogging activity. I am taking a class about a cognitive assessment tool to use to guide therapy....it's very interesting and also difficult to digest while sitting for 8 hours X 2 days.

The art bike parade is Saturday. Gear up and pray for sun.

Edible Mushrooms

My neighbor (age 8) found this mushroom growing in her front yard. She called me over to ask what it was, then thought I was crazy when I told her she should dip it in egg and fry it in butter. It's that time of year! I love Morals, they are such a treat. By the way, the going rate at the Farmer's Market is $24/pound. It's worth it to wander around in the woods, or in your front yard. 

It's a Wisconsin thing

After living in this state for a few years now, I've decided I should get to know it better. I want to explore and hang out with some cows. I think it's actually a really beautiful state. Here are some websites that tell all.

Not pronounced Wes-consin.
www.missprouncer.com
How do you say Chequamegon or Oconomowoc?? What about mayor Dave Cieslewicz? I must say there are words and places and full conversations I haven't had because I don't know how to pronounce these strange words.

Did you know that as America's dairy state, our 1.3 million cows actually produce a years supply of cheese for 86 million people? How much cheese is that? I eat a lot of cheese.

http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/PR/Tourism_Facts/Facts.shtm#FAMOUSWISCONSIN

We lead the country in cranberries and ginseng? Who knew?
We have the nation's largest muskie (a fish), the largest waterpark, and the largest farmer's market, plus the world's largest one day fish fry. Now that's something to be proud of. Oh, don't forget the world's largest display of prepared mustard.

???!!

And what about those Packers? Since Bret Favre isn't going to retire, we can all breathe a sigh of relief (another name I've never pronounced right). That was front page news in these parts. I can sleep at night now.

Did I mention how much I love football?
All and all, it's a strange state. I must say, but with many virtues and beautiful places.

Beautiful Day

 

April is OT month

Happy Occupational Therapy Month everyone!

I can get a little philosophical about my profession but I really do believe in it's foundation.
It's a cool job.

For all of you who are still a little fuzzy about what we do...

Taken from the AOTA website:

"Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. Occupational therapy assists people in developing the "skills for the job of living" necessary for independent and satisfying lives.

Every day, children and adults have or develop health conditions that significantly affect their ability to manage their daily lives. With the help of occupational therapy, many of these individuals can achieve or regain a higher level of independence. When skill and strength cannot be developed or improved, occupational therapy offers creative solutions and alternatives for carrying out daily activities."

Have you hugged an occupational therapist today??

Desire

Hello all.

It's been awhile. I've been busy.

I went home for Easter. It was a sweet time with the family. We watched some old videos just converted to DVD (so brilliant) of past holiday gatherings. It was good to see our family all together...the past couple years have been hard. Big changes, divorces, hard feelings, more time inbetween gatherings. It's hard to come together and feel complete with people missing. It's also hard to talk about these things because they are so personal, not really a topic for extended family gatherings. For me, watching those videos of happy times and sharing a laugh about so and so's hair or god awful style was very heart warming (it was the 80's). I wish I could heal the hurt and broken relationships so at least my grandparents could feel good about their family. It's very hard on my grandma. But there are some things one cannot touch. The best you can do is remember and share stories and know that the past is a part of now and change is the only constant. It's hard to let go of expectations about how you want your family to be. I struggle with that all the time.

I was listening to NPR yesterday and the topic was human desire. Pretty interesting stuff to me. Something I think about a lot is why we want the things we do and how to be satisfied and happy. This is simple and complex stuff. The author suggested that happy people desire the stuff they already have. In a way I guess this is the classic cliches of giving thanks, not taking for granted, counting your blessings...and so on. He also talked about the effect of natural disasters and death. How the bad stuff adjusts our life satisfaction and desires. How material items matter very little, and how thankful you can feel even if you have "lost everything."

A very sad event happened in my neighborhood this week. My good friend miscarried her 7 month old baby. The more I think about it, the harder it is to put any feeling into words. I know that we all feel the heartache of loss with them, a dream unrealized, a baby unborn. The depth of their sadness I may never touch.

But I do believe that the hard parts of life make the simple good things so much sweeter. I know that the pain of a heart ache is very real. But how amazing is it just to feel that much sadness all at once?

People are so resilliant. I see that everyday in the nursing home where I work. There are some completely heart breaking stories out there. How about the woman who's kids bought her a Caribean cruise for her 90th birthday and she falls stepping onto the boat in Florida, only to break her hip and have to be flown back to Wisconsin for surgery and a stay at the nursing home. She never did go on that cruise. Or what about the pilot in his 50's who was thrown off his motorcycle, only to end up with a spinal cord injury, paralyzed and totally dependent on people. He and his wife are going through quite a time. I think they will make it but it is a long hard road. He went from flying planes to needing someone to brush his teeth. How do people even keep on? His attitude is amazing to me though.

One thing I battle is this notion that we should find happiness in our own lives and be thankful for what we have after we see how miserable other people are. Like if you see someone suffering, you should be thankful that it's not you. True happiness comes must from within. I want to be grateful without having to compare my life to someone's misfortune. I do feel so blessed in many ways.

I haven't come up with any brilliant ways to ease suffering or help people with their pain. Mostly, as a therapist I just try to be there with people. Show them ways to move through the event, but also ways to just be where they are and have faith that it won't last forever. Change is the only constant.

It is the person who experiences a life with great width and depth, the sheer size of emotion that really feels alive. I would think that no number of trophies or diamonds or shoes would ever reveal life in a better way than through great sadness and joy. The author on the radio ended with an interesting question. What would you desire if you were the last person on earth?

Pretty Art Bike

Pretty Art Bike, Pretty Art Bike...
This is my second art project of the weekend...how creative am I?! This is a promo bike for the upcoming art bike parade. It attracts a lot of attention! You can't really tell, but there are sea shells glued to the fenders... 

Chickens for Chickens

This is some of the art created by a neighborhood after school art club. The theme is "Chickens for Chickens" and the kids have chose to make a series of chicken art that will be sold at a gallery for the month of May. All proceeds of this will go to Hefers International, an organization that buys chickens for families in places like Africa. I think the art is so adorable and they work so hard on this. So heart warming! 

Jack is very curious about Easter! I think he just wants to hunt the bunny...
These are Ukrainian eggs I made at the neighbor's house this weekend. It's a very tedious, complicated procedure that is a little like surgery, but way more colorful. We all enjoyed ourselves. My friend Jana cracked her finished egg open on her lap. It was funny. For everyone else. I also cracked an egg, though it was blown. It's funny for a second, makes you realize how much time and energy we put into such fragile little things. I suppose any craft is like that. 

Sundays

Today we went on a bike ride around the lake and stopped at a cafe.

I saw nothing unusual but did notice how many houses are for sale. Sunday is the day for open houses.

I decorated an art bike I will post a pic tomorrow.

My parents are here for the week. Very exciting!

Moab

This was the amazing view...desert as far as the eye can see, then snow capped mountains as the painted in backdrop...