Northern Noise

When I turned 40 it was quite a milestone.  My dad had died a few weeks earlier, I was unhappy with my physical condition, it was cold, and I had to do a round of "baseline medical tests." Whoopee! One of those tests was my first routine mammogram.  As a younger woman, I heard the horror stories of "the boob squisher."  Various tales of pain, torture, and boobs turned as flat as a pancake.  Whoopee! So I made the appointment, went in for the mammogram and it wasn't that bad.  Sure it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't the end of the world. The discomfort only lasted for a moment and then it was over.  The technicians were nice and all in all, no big deal. And then it started.  There was an "irregularity" so I went back a few months later for a follow up.  That trip to the Imaging Center contained a surprise visit to the ultrasound department as well which turned up two "issues."  The first was a smallish lump that looked like a fibroa...

It was homecoming week at Lathrop High School.  If I were still teaching there, I would have a definite opinion of all the hoopla, but since I'm not, it's been pretty fun.  Each day had a dress up theme, and Aileen (that's the name she goes by these days) participated in every one. Monday was Multiplicity Monday.  She and her friends all wore light blue shirts..... we were seeing double, or triple, or quadruple... Tuesday was Tie-Dye Tuesday.  I learned this at 5:00 Monday night as we were picking up Jed from school.  So back into town we went for dye and supplies.  I suggested a stylish A to iron onto her shirt and then home we went.  She and Jed rounded up white things, shirts & socks mostly, to dye and set to work on the kitchen floor.  When there were done, and only slightly dyed themselves, Ali realized that the shirts were supposed to sit for 6-8 hours before washing and drying.  It was already 7:30!! So, I suggested she set her...

Last weekend was beautiful - warm, sunny, unusually pleasant for the time of year.  Last night when I went to bed, I noted the wind.  It had a bite to it that was new for this September.  And then, I headed out into the darkness at 6:20 this morning to go to work and geez louize!  It was cold! I have always loved fall - sunshine without mosquitos, warm but not too hot & sweaty, feeling invigorated by the changing colors and light.... but today I'm a bit put out.  Here's the thing, it's windy outside.  I don't like windy.  In fact, one of the reasons I have liked Fairbanks is its traditional lack of wind.  I grew up in Kenai, where the wind blew constantly like a whispering, heckling little brother.  It was always there and I was constantly on my toes prepared for a straight out frontal attack, but usually the wind took more pleasure in the slow, steady torture of continuous breeze.  Chinese water torture has nothing on Kenai wind. ...

It's funny - I blog for myself, for my friends and family.  I guess that's kinda silly when it's there on the world wide web for all to see.  Still, I'm not available on search engines, I don't advertise, and I'm a little ol' lady in Fairbanks, Alaska spewing, by my own admission, "noise."  My following is small and my profile pretty low key. So it toally cracks me up to see that one of my posts has been copied onto someone's FB page because they've taken offense at my "noise."  The irony of a person who called me a Philistine, an arrogant bully, and a puppet being offended by being called a jerk or a crazy amuses me. Maybe I'll get some more readers... I'm starting to feel famous! 

  He remembers the first time he met ‘er He remembers the first thing she said He remembers the first time he held her And the night that she came to his bed He remembers her sweet way of sayin’ Honey has somethin’ gone wrong He remembers the fun and the teasin’ And the reason he wrote ‘er this song I’ll give you a daisy a day, dear I’ll give you a daisy a day I’ll love you until the rivers run still And the four winds we know blow away They would walk down the street in the evenin’ And for years I would see them go by And their love that was more than the clothes that they wore Could be seen in the gleam of their eyes As a kid they would take me for candy And I loved to go taggin’ along We’d hold hands while we walked to the corner And the old man would sing ‘er his song I’ll give you a daisy a day, dear I’ll give you a daisy a day I’ll love you until the rivers run still And the four winds we know blow away Now he walks down the street in the eveni...

Why do people laugh when I tell them my retirement plans including buying a monster truck and going on the Monster Jam circuit??  I can totally picture myself in a big, black monster truck crushing cars and jumping over barrels.  Can't decide on the name - it's a toss up between "Lady MacBeth" and "Lady MacDeath."   Your vote??   A better suggestion? Send your name, suggestion and a $5 bill to me.  If you're the winner you can get an official pit crew jacket.  And I'll even have your name embroidered on it.

So as much as I complain at times about my husband, he's gone this week and I'm missing him.  It could be argued that I'm missing him because our child is sick and I have meetings tomorrow and the logistics would be much easier with him here.  It might also be postulated that the garbage on the deck is attracting bees, and I'm a bit squeamish about hauling it down to the truck.  Some cynical person might even think I'm lamenting his absence because I just hate doing dishes and folding clothes, both chores necessary to providing our children with a decent home.  However,  I think I miss him because I love him.  And maybe because we're all hungry and no one wants to cook....