Three Thoughts for Thursday Archives - Page 20 of 39

Three Thoughts for Thursday

During my visit to DC last week, I overheard 2 natives complaining about the Cherry Blossom Festival 10 Mile Run. “It’s so flat,” they said, “and so boring to run along the Potomac, past the Kennedy Center and all the memorials.” they said. “You should come to Iowa, ” I said, “where you can run past pig farms and cornfields.” They smiled.
Airline stewards need to know that when passengers informing them of ice crystals cascading from the overhead air vents, responding with “Yes, we keep turning up the heat, but it isn’t helping” is not a reassuring response.
Now that Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland are both dead, who’s going to motivate young kids to put on a show in their fathers’ barns? I don’t see Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber going that direction. What teen idols do you predict will pick up that baton and run with it? Leave a comment.

An invitation to my 40th High School reunion has arrived. How can that be possible? Would you believe I was a child genius who graduated at age 10? No? Well, it was worth a try.
Deer invading the yard. Birds invading the crab apple tree. Bugs invading the house. Spring has sprung!
I’m almost done reading Pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides. He is the master of descriptive writing that evokes sense of place and time. I don’t want the book to end. What author writes books you wish would never end?

Definition of puzzling: Since childhood, I’ve been waiting for a March day warm enough for that activity. So why are there so many bulletin boards showing kids flying kites in March?
Definition of relief: Sending a manuscript to the publisher a week early. Katie Wetherbee, you are a rocking co-author!
Definition of adorable: A grandchild squealing with delight during a hot game of peek-a-boo.

What’s your definition of adorable? Leave it in the comment box.

This morning–as I started a load of laundry in our front-loading, water-saving, energy efficient washing machine–I imagined having to make soap, haul and heat water, and then scrub everything by hand. Thank you, THANK YOU, T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U to the inventors of the modern washing machine.
Contrary to popular opinion, Iowa is not the flattest state. That distinction goes to Florida, followed by Illinois and North Dakota. Iowa is way, way down the list at number 18.
Peter Sagal, the host of Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, suggested the following compatibility test for couples considering marriage: Give them kids, send them to Disney World for a few days at Christmas, and make them fly Southwest.

What do you think? Did he nail it? Leave a comment!

Birthday Report: The World Wide Web turned 25 this week. For such a young whippersnapper, it’s made quite a mark on the world already!
Bug Report: Tuesday, after our first spring-like day, a box elder bug crawled onto the computer screen. Seconds later, a spider ran across my lap. Apparently creepy, crawly things are as eager as humans to escape their hidey-holes so the mild air can ruffle their hair.
Spring Thaw Report: After a day or two of serious melting, about half our lawn is bare, brown grass, half is still snow-covered, and our gravel road is almost impassable. What about you?

Can you imagine how long the mnemonic device will be to replace My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Noodles now that NASA names the 715 new planets it just discovered?
The Man of Steel and his brother were the first Caucasian twins born in Alaska’s Matanuska Valley way back in 1956. Thanks to the Winter of 2014, we can pretend we’re back in the Valley this Saturday when we celebrate the anniversary of that momentous event
Speaking of hard winters, my Minnesota sib sent the above chart about the top ten worst winters, temperature-wise. A day or two later, the winter of 2013-14 moved up a notch thanks to the Polar Vortex’s latest visit. My mom still talks about the Winter of 1935-36 . I still talk about the Winter of 1981-82, the very cold winter when I was pregnant with our first child. Now my kids can join the conversation thanks to the Winter of 2013-14. A new family tradition is born!

What winter stories does your family tell? Leave a comment.