I have been trying to get a picture of Miss Bella for several days. If she is adorable, she moves by the time I grab a camera. Once I have the camera in hand she wants to play with it, cute and funny, but I can’t take her picture like that! Here is my best shot today:

Now I’m off to make these: Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

I’ve made them before and they are yummy!!

There is nothing major going on, but I haven’t been feeling very connected lately. I wish it was easier to snap out of it. I snapped at a man who was doing the right thing yesterday. No matter how much it hurt me, he didn’t deserve it…I did apologize! I snapped again this morning at a man who totally deserved it, I am considering writing a letter…jerk.

I don’t want to whine any more than I already have, but I do want to briefly shine a spotlight on a sweet charity that was highlighted on the news the other day.

This little girl, Allison Winn, and her story rocked me!

At the moment the video on the news site is playing oddly for me, but audio is working and tells the story very well. Here is the link: 9-Year-Old’s Dog Biscuits Raising Money to Buy Dogs for Kids

From the 7 News article:

Winn was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. Recovery was miserable until Coco the dog came into her life. ”The dog instantly bonded with Allison,” said Dianna Litvak, Allison’s mother. “In the process, we realized that the dog was making Allison feel better.”

One day, Winn decided she was going to make dog biscuits. She wanted to sell them to raise money for another child to get a dog. From that idea came Project Stink Bug, named after what Winn called her chemo treatments.

Winn sold the homemade dog biscuits in her front yard all summer long. Word spread. ”People are so generous,” Litvak said. “One guy rode by on his bike and gave her a hundred dollar bill.” Soon Winn had enough money for two dogs. That’s when Winn’s idea moved to the state prison system. Why the state prison? Because the state of Colorado has the prison-trained K-9 companion program where inmates train rescue dogs.

“We have a reason to wake up every day,” said inmate Terrina Flora-Alexander. “We have a reason to do something positive.”

From Allison’s Stink Bug web site:

Allison is a nine-year-old who was diagnosed with a brain tumor which was successfully removed in its entirety on April 6, 2007.  The brain tumor, a highly malignant medullablastoma, is very treatable and has a 80-90 percent survival rate in children. Allison endured six weeks of radiation and nine chemotherapy treatments that began on her seventh golden birthday (May 7, 2007) and ended in June 2008. In September 2008, after treatment was over, her family adopted a bichon frise, Coco, that had been rescued and trained by Colorado Correctional Industries Prison Trained K-9 Companion Program. Coco became an important member of the family and Allison realized that it would have been nice to have Coco when she was home recovering from her treatments.

Allison returned to school and Brownies with the renewed vigor of a survivor, determined to help other kids going through the pain and loneliness of cancer treatment. She conceived the Stink Bug Project in the summer of 2009 after she went to a camp at the Denver Dumb Friends League that emphasized the importance of caring for dogs and how dogs make humans feel better. She decided to bake homemade dog biscuits and lemonade and sold them to friends and family and at a table near her house through the summer. By the end of the summer, she had raised $1500.  On October 20, 2009, Allison got her wish when Krysta, a two year old left partially blind by a brain tumor, became the first child to benefit from Allison’s Stink Bug Project. Now, supported by a network of family and friends, Colorado Correctional Industries K-9 Companion Program, area hospitals, and her school, Allison is continuing her efforts at baking dog biscuits and helping more families stricken with childhood cancer.

Allison drew a picture of a Stink Bug to represent chemo.  In May 2009, when treatments were over, she declared “Bye Bye Stink Bug!”

A direct link to Allison’s web site: Stink Bug Project

mp3: “Anna” – Taken By Trees
It took several listens before this song settled in and left it’s mark.
East of Eden
Taken By Trees-MySpace

mp3: “Resolution” – Adam Svec
This one, on the other hand, caught me right away. There is something friendly and familiar here.
Rarefaction
Adam Svec-MySpace

mp3: “Measure” – Field Music
I have had Field Music on my playlist for several years…I really like their sound. This song is off their new album released last week.
Field Music (Measure)
Field Music-MySpace

Another one of those email forwards…this time not from my own email box, but shared by a friend on Facebook. It’s a good one for me this week.

The old phone on the wall.

When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear.

“Information, please” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. “Information.”

“I hurt my finger…” I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.

“Nobody’s home but me,” I blubbered.

“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.

“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”

“Can you open the icebox?” she asked.

I said I could.

“Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice..

After that, I called “Information Please” for everything.. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math.

She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, “Information Please,” and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?”

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.”

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, “Information Please.”

“Information,” said in the now familiar voice.

“How do I spell fix?” I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much.

“Information Please” belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information Please.”

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.

“Information.”

I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying,

“Could you please tell me how to spell fix?”

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.”

I laughed, “So it’s really you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?”

“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.”

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

“Please do”, she said. “Just ask for Sally.”

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, “Information.”

I asked for Sally.

“Are you a friend?” she said.

“Yes, a very old friend,” I answered.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.”

Before I could hang up, she said, “Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne?”

“Yes.” I answered.

“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you.”

The note said, “Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Whose life have you touched today?

• Tiger, Tiger, Tiger: I don’t really have anything to say. *sigh*  Except that your speech reminded me very much of things I’ve heard in the past from people (specific person) who are (is) no longer a part of my life. I hope you are better at following though and living up to your words.
• I am just not into the Olympics this year: I am sad that I’ve missed some of the things that I’ve heard about…Shaun White…but I’m still not moved to turn on the TV.
• I have been really disconnected the past couple weeks. I don’t know at the moment just HOW to reconnect, but I’m working on it.
• Bella kitty eats her food one single piece at a time. She removes it from the bowl, plays with it, knocking it and chasing it around the kitchen for a few minutes before eating it and then getting another. It’s really cute. I am surprised that she is gaining weight, eating like that, but she is…she is actually getting really big! Although it is cute and adorable I just know that she is losing pieces under the refrigerator and stove!
• Cool link of the week: Aggravure by Baptiste Debombourg via Neatorama…check it out.

I didn’t know Finn Riggins. But after watching this video over on Stereopathic last week…the accordion, the chips and salsa…I want to hear more! I am going to keep my eye out for them in the future. They made me smile and that is always a good thing!

Finn Riggins from Stereopathic on Vimeo.
“Wake” – Finn Riggins
Finn Riggins-MySpace

Not all of it!! But the perishables…yeah, you bet!

It started about 10 years ago when we moved into an apartment that offered weekly garbage pick up. I thought that sounded nice. What I didn’t consider was that the garbage pick up location was located right outside our apartment door….for the entire building!! Another issue with this policy was that the apartment complex did NOT have a dumpster. I couldn’t get rid of my garbage if I wanted to. The rules were that you couldn’t put your garbage out until after 9pm the night before pick-up. Do you think that people complied?? Yeah, no. It was so disgusting I am relieved that we only lived there for a year!

I followed the rules because I didn’t want to bother others with our garbage (I wish everyone was considerate!), but in order to control the odor I started freezing our perishables. Banana peels, apple cores, vegi scraps, meat trimmings, etc (things that didn’t go through the disposer well). I have been doing it for so long now, it has become a habit. I can’t imagine immediately throwing away anything that might rot, fester or attract bugs and rodents!

Since I am also recycling, I usually only produce one kitchen garbage can worth of garbage a week. The idea of leaving smelly stuff in there all week *shudder* well, I just don’t want to smell it or live with it. I guess I could compost it, but I personally have no use for compost. In addition our HOA rules require that we keep our garbage in the garage until garbage day. A smelly garage is no better than a smelly house!

I have a special spot in the freezer for the perishable garbage and I just grab the frozen “goodies” and add them to the bag on garbage day. Simple.

I just did a little Google search on freezing garbage and see that there is a garbage can on the market that will keep your garbage frozen at all times. I think this is overkill and a waste of energy. The perishable parts of my garbage do not take up that much room in my freezer! But then again, it is just the two of us. Or more like just me lately!! Starr is really happy living at the sorority house this semester and has been spending less time at home.

This is a good thing!

My home phone has been ringing off the hook lately. Many calls each day from numbers I did not know. Since I didn’t recognize the numbers I didn’ t answer the phone. It is my philosophy that if they really need to talk to me, they will leave me a message. *shrug*

However, they left no messages. The frequency of the calls increased driving me crazy and increasing my resolve not to answer. I can be really stubborn when I want to be!! I ended up unplugging all the phones in the house except for my office phone and I turned the ringer on that one to low. I was standing firm in my belief that I do not NEED to answer the phone just because they are calling the house. Again, if they needed me, they need to LEAVE A FLIPPING MESSAGE!!

I caved yesterday and I answered the call.

It was a collection agency!!

They have been calling multiple times a day trying to collect a debt from someone who has my name. A very common name! They promised me they would remove my number from the account. We will see.

Then. I answered the next call. It was another collection agency! Apparently this Kelly has many unpaid debts and they are haunting me!

My phone has been quiet for 24 hours. I hope it stays that way!!

Now that I’ve de-phoned the house I am considering turning off the land line all together. Most people use my cell phone number anyway. At this point I think it would be a relatively easy transition. My main issue is that I love my number.

Have you ever had a really great phone number?? I have one and I just hate to give it up. Silly, I know.

Originally posted May 2008. I was warm and toasty last night watching Lost while wrapped in the bright blue and green blanket pictured below when my fingers brushed the Project Linus label. I never forget where the blanket came from or why, but I was moved to share this post again. I think it is a really really great project:

Starr and I finished moving home the remainder of her things Friday afternoon. There was much more there than either of us thought. After two car loads of crap, and some goodbyes, we have closed that chapter.

Three days later I am still faced with this:

In two of these pictures, I see two things that are very important to us. In the middle photo, there is a quilt on the banister with stars on it. And in the bottom one, there is a cozy brightly colored blanket with flowers and hearts. Both of these blankets were given to Starr last year after the accident. She received one at the hospital and the other at the high school.

These blankets were Project Linus blankets. Project Linus mission:

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

• First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”
• Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

Together we have distributed over two million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

The colorful flower blanket happens to have been made by Key Club students at Starr and Sunny’s school and was donated to Project Linus some time before the accident. Key Club is a volunteer organization at the high school that the girls were heavily involved with. It actually means a lot that the Key Club donation came back to Starr in this manner.

Starr and I have made plans to make blankets and donate when we can. The blankets really did make a difference.

Something a little lighter today!! I just love the message of this video:

“Flawz” – Caitlin Crosby