Category Archives: Whimsy

One of Those Winters

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dreary dayWe haven’t had any significant snow since November. The winter grey that Kentucky usually experiences in January and February moved in early this year — December. It has out-stayed its welcome. The good news that in my fight to keep my mood from falling into a putty-colored state, I’ve exercised more. Just to keep moving, there have been a couple of home projects marked off the list.

The bad news is that my electric bill has increased in my attempt to turn on enough lights to keep the dreariness out of the house. About every three days the sun comes out. It makes me want to shove the dog out of the single beam to soak up enough to carry me through the next several days of dullness.

Our friends in the Northeast have been hammered with snow and ice. Many of them are probably wishing they could see the dead grass in their yards. Know that my heart goes out to them. I wish Mother Nature could have just split the difference this year so we could share in some of the snow fun. While I may be guilty of doing the “snow day” dance for the schools to close with my high school, for the most part I’ve graduated from snow days and look forward to enjoying a beautiful snow that can break up the winter.

spring flowersAs of this post there are 39 days until spring. Anything is possible with our Kentucky/Ohio valley weather. There still may be a good snow in our future. In the meantime, what are you doing to ward off the winter blah?

All the best,

KK

Five years and counting

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khr 0614 BOk friends, I’ve been posting and you’ve been kind enough to read my writings for five years. As I read back through all the different posts some are more my favorites than others. Below is a list of some that stand out to me (in no particular order). Let me know what you think. Or go through the archives and pick your own favorite. I’d love to hear which one you liked.

And if you haven’t clicked on the follow button yet, please do. You won’t want to miss what’s coming. Besides, in this vast world of the internet, it’s encouraging to know my words aren’t just flying around aimlessly. They have friends to visit. Thanks.

5/31/2009 Things not to miss — be in the moment

11/30/2009 Black Friday Gateway to the Dark Side

3/6/2012 ‘Tis the Season

4/18/2014 It’ Friday, Sunday’s Coming

4/8/2013 Say Please and Thank You

KK

It’s a holiday thing

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year [the song is in your head now, isn’t it]. The mindset most people have around Thanksgiving and Christmas is something we should embrace all year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see people focused on being thankful, giving to those in need and spending time with family. These are activities that we need to put in play throughout the year.

How much different would your day be if you started, perhaps on your way to work, thinking about all the good in your life? You may come up with one thing or 20. Either way, thinking on such positive meaningful aspects of our life can only do one thing, warm our hearts and lift our spirits. I’m not suggesting the Pollyannagobble approach, you may have a delightful ride into work and get there only to find the same personnel issues, budgetary problems, or deadlines not being met. This state of mind isn’t meant to have us living in la-la land. It’s merely a manner by which we will approach our day and all that it holds both positive and negative.

What if those who post daily thankful messages in November do it in May (half way between)?

What if we worried as much about the homeless and hungry when they can’t escape the heat as when they can’t escape the cold?

How would this new mindset change ourselves? Our world?

Think about it.

KK

 

Giving you ONE hour

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I was joking with some folks Saturday afternoon about what they were going to do with their extra hour yesterday. The clocks rolled back an hour for daylight savings time at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning giving us an extra hour in our day.

It’s like a gift. How many times do you find yourself saying, “If I only hand more hours in a day.” Well, yesterday you did. Sixty whole minutes. Yes, initially those minutes came in the middle of the night; so most people say their time was used sleeping. Given that my Sunday morning routine was pretty normal, I didn’t feel the extra hour until last night when it got dark at 7:00 p.m. I was starting to get that “it’s time to settle in feeling.” I did get one chore done that has been nagging at me for months so I’ll give credit to having an extra hour in my day.

mertle cartoonI’m not sure if daylight savings time begins or ends in the fall. If it’s ending in fall, are we getting the hour back we gave last spring or are we being given an hour on loan from next spring when we will be forced to give it back. Why doesn’t the time change get confused when during a leap year when we have an entire day added to our calendar? These and others are the questions that confound me about time. It’s like trying to grasp water.

Some fun facts about daylight savings – Some historical leaders are credited with creating daylight savings time to conserve candles and fuels for creating light during war times. In the early part of the century it was said that daylight savings time benefited the farmers as well as summer recreation such as ballgames. Today daylight savings time is used in 70 countries around the world. Most of the US participates in daylight savings time except for Hawaii and parts of Arizona.

What did you do with your extra hour yesterday?

KK

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.

                — Benjamin Franklin

The Thrill of Delivery

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Today is October 30, 2014.

My first email this morning was amazing. It was from the Franklin Covey Company informing me that my 2015 planner had been shipped!! [Please note, I will not be running down the street in Steve Martin new-telephone-book-style when it arrives, but I might just do the Snoopy dance in my foyer.] This along with the fact that I have to go to Staples today for some paper clips, ink and envelopes makes me smile. It’s like back to school day for a forty-something year old!! Of course, knowing my new planner is on its way and that it’s the end of the month moved me to examine the current state of the 2014 planner.

snoopy dance

The fourth quarter pages were inserted with the previous months being removed. Then I ventured to review my 2014 goals pages. Not too shabby. Several items checked off while others will move forward into 2015.

This all may sound juvenile to some, but come on, we are all grown up and completely responsible for our commitments to raising a family and bringing home the funds to care for them. We must have those moments in day, week or month that just let us experience child-like excitement.

What stirs your child-like thrill? Don’t have one? Go find one, they can be located on the playgrounds or neighborhoods when the ice cream truck music wafts through the air. Or when the first snowflakes fall and the snow day announcement comes. This high level thrill can also be found when that ONE gift is opened at Christmas or birthday; the thing they never thought would arrive. Or find yourself outside a school on the last day at the last bell. You’ll see the excitement that drifts from our scheduled behavior somewhere in our mid-twenties.

Give it a listen and let me know if you don’t find yourself a little happier in your heart.

 Linus and Lucy piano Peanuts theme song Vince Guaraldi

All the best,

KK

Cars, Cars, Cars

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playing streetHave you noticed that people are not afraid of cars anymore? Kids and adults. When I was growing up we were taught to be afraid of being run over. So when playing in the street and a car would come around the corner, everyone would run for their lives to the side of the road while yelling, CAR!!!!

Today, driving down a neighborhood street or through a parking lot pedestrians just look up at the car coming and just keep right on sauntering along as if that huge ton of metal can do nothing about it. I want to say to them, you know if that bucket of bolts hits you, it’s going to hurt. By law pedestrians do have the right-of-way, and I’m not disputing that. It’s just this lack of urgency and respect for the machine that could squish you into the asphalt.

Just a weird thought for Tuesday.

Tell me your memories of playing in the street. What was your game of choice, baseball, hopscotch, riding bikes, skate boarding?

All the best,

KK

What are you afraid of?

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never afraid

What is the worst thing that can happen?

Climate Controlled

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So the other evening my husband walked in from work red-faced and sweating. It took me a minute to realize what was going on.  While his work is sometimes physical and outside, and had been away from any of that activity for about 20 minutes, his car has no air conditioning and it was close to 90 degrees outside. Then like a splash of cold water it hit me, my world is very climate controlled.Climate-controlled

If I get too cold, I make an adjustment to the thermostat.  If I get too warm, another adjustment is made; never too cold, never too hot. When I leave to go somewhere, I get in the hot car and turn on the air conditioner.  It’s like living in a season-neutral world – not too hot, not too cold, don’t get rained on etc.

I wouldn’t call us soft, but what would your first thought be if there is a power outage on a very hot evening? One guess would be, call a hotel! Can we not stand to be a little uncomfortable? Do we take the opportunity to have a little adventure and experience what the uncontrolled environment feels like?

Those of us who work in offices need to be intentional about getting outside, letting our bodies be a part of creation; feel the sunshine, let a rain drop or two land on your nose, get a little sweaty, freeze a little.

Your thoughts,

KK

P.S. – he’s getting his air conditioner fixed this month.

 

First Saturday

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It’s the first Saturday in May in Louisville, Kentucky.  There will be hats and screaming fans. The turf will be vibrant green and the dirt settled (at least until the stars of the day take the field).  The concession stand will have hot-off-the-grill hot dogs and cool beverages.  There will be thoroughbreds of the sport in the field.  And for some of those in the race, it will be all about the pitching from the stretch. Will the clock or the baseball equipmentdistance win?

I’m talking about baseball of course…make up games for rainouts today to finish the collegiate season. What were thinking, derby? What Kentucky derby? Just kidding, I love the derby and the festive environment it brings to our city.  This derby, its about baseball…

See you at the field,

KK

 

Travelin’

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winter windGloves – check; hand warmers – check; swim suit – check; sun screen – check; rain coat and umbrella – check; baseball “mom” t-shirt – check; team spirit wear – check; sweatshirt – check; sweats for under wind pants – check; Gatorade – check; travel snacks (something sweet, something salty) – check; stadium seats – check; cooler – check. Is the hotel one we get points at? It must be baseball season. We travel and we prepare for whatever season decides to show up. We could have a little bit of spring and a little bit of winter. Images of the parent/fans in the bleachers could easily be mistaken for football season with scarves, gloves and blankets.spring image 2 Late in the season the image is more like survivors in the desert. It must be baseball season.

The parents spend the first few games trying to remember each other’s name, memorizing the names and numbers of the players they don’t know and always encouraging all the players on and off the field. Sometimes it’s the encouraging words of another player’s parent the really helps lift spirits.

The coach does his best to get the team ready for the season inaugural tournament. He reminds everyone that none of the teams will have had a lot of field time practice. “Let’s have fun and learn something. We can have more fun if we get some hits. So, go be aggressive at the plate.”

While outsiders think we are crazy, those of us on the inside know that baseball season with our middle schooler’s travel team is all about the memories being made. There will be button-busting victories and there will be dirt-kicking defeats. One will be celebrated with food and fun at the hotel indoor pool and the other will be quickly forgotten with food and fun at the hotel indoor pool.

Traveling home is usually quiet. Everyone is tired in the best way. At home laundry is separated. The white baseball baseball equipmentpants are the key player in a laundry chemistry project including pre-treatment spray and Fels Naptha. After a 30 minute soak, the uniform is the first to get washed. The result will be somewhere between “like-new clean” and “ready to hit the field.”

 Yes, in a few days we will be back on the field ready to take on the next team and the new challenge. Batter up!

All the best,
KK