by jphilo | Aug 30, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
A person would have to live under a rock to avoid politics this week. Which would be very uncomfortable. To avoid the pain, I’m stepping into the fray with three political metaphors I’m thinking about this Thursday.
- Hurricane Issac shut down Day 1 of the Republican Convention. Does anyone else see that as a highly ironic act of nature or God metaphor? (In my opinion, the timing would be equally ironic had it occurred at the other party’s convention.)
- On Tuesday, the new first day of the Republican Convention, two college students in Ron Paul tee shirts entered Target, where I was shopping, via the exit door. Need I say more?
- Our daughter was born during the 1988 Democratic Convention when Micheal Dukakis and Lloyd Benson were nominated. A month later our niece was born during the 1988 Republican Convention when George H. Bush and Dan Quayle were nominated. For 24 years, I’ve pondered the metaphorical significance of the timing of their births and am still waiting for enlightenment.
How about you? What political metaphors are lurking where you live? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Aug 23, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
My mind’s been a blank ever since our trip to see the kids last weekend. But even when it’s empty food is always on my mind. So check out this week’s three foodie thoughts for Thursday.
- When I told Mom about the daughter’s baked oatmeal triumph, her response was, “She comes from a long line of good cooks, and you taught her well.” Sometimes, moms say exactly what daughters want to hear.
- Iowa sweet corn and tomatoes in August. Life is good!
- My most recent snack food obsession is dried mandarin oranges. What’s yours?
by jphilo | Aug 21, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
Uh-huh, the Iowa State Fair is over for another year. And yes, last week’s top 10 list was all about the fair. But we had so much fun the day we attended, I’m back with 10 more top 10 reasons to attend the 2013 fair.
10. Plenty of rides for those who like them. Plenty of head-shaking material for those who don’t.
9. Where else in Iowa do pedestrians totally rule?
8. The Iowa State Fair may be the only place on earth with a memorial honoring a butter cow sculptor.
7. It may also be the only place to see the Seven Dwarves in butter. Do you think Sneezy changed his name to Greasy for the duration of the fair?
6. In the same vein, where else will you see an icy version of the Big Chief Tablet Indian?
5. Where else is there a chance to snuggle up to Clifford the Big Red Dog?
4. And discover that Tupperware is eye candy?
3. At the Iowa State Fair, you can see the Barbie Doll Case you lusted after as a child.
2. Not to mention a Trixie Belden paper doll book like the one you bought with your allowance way back when.
1. For those of us who had disabled fathers, where but at the State Fair does the opportunity exist to see a replica of the metal urinals our dads used, which in hindsight must have felt mighty cold on crisp fall mornings before our penny-pinching parents turned on the heat.
There you have them. 10 more top 10 reasons to mark your calendars for the 2013 Iowa State Fair, August 8 – 18. For those of you who made it to this year’s gala event, what would you add to the list?
by jphilo | Aug 16, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday, Uncategorized
After a month and a half with nary a storm cloud in the sky, a few welcome rains have fallen on our little patch of earth. Not quite enough for the weather powers to declare an end to the drought of 2012. But enough for the resident man of steel to go a few rounds with the lawn mower and for me to think of these three rainy thoughts for Thursday.
- Apparently, Japanese beetles don’t like the rain. Though it’s more fun to imagine them huddling under the eaves because they can’t find itty-bitty umbrellas to match their itty-bitty kimonos.
- All it takes is one good rain and one swath around the lawn with the mower, and the kitchen floor is covered with grass clippings.
- Every rainy morning, my pathetic tan, acquired during early morning walks spent soaking up a year’s worth of Vitamin D, fades a little. So much for my dream of attaining the tan and toned body necessary to audition for the Jane Fonda role in a remake of one of my favorite movies, On Golden Pond. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KUVXUGzKaE[/youtube]
How about you? What movie do you want to see remade and what role would you play in it?
by jphilo | Aug 9, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
This year’s lack of rain hasn’t had much effect on bugs as far as I can see. In fact, sharing our digs with them led to this week’s three etymological thoughts for Thursday.
- Every time someone mentions Japanese beetles, I imagine sweet little black beetles wearing itty-bitty kimonos. Unfortunately, real Japanese beetles aren’t nearly so cute.
- About a week ago, a teeny-tiny centipede greeted me when I opened the dishwasher one morning. When I opened it a few days later, a great big centipede did the same. If this pattern continues, I’m putting Ghostbusters on my speed dial.
- The drought has produced a bumper crop of grasshoppers. They remind me of the grasshoppers my little brother and I (see above picture) held during a childhood trip to Kansas with our aunt and uncle’s family. Our littlest cousin, Julie, called grasshoppers “hopgrassers.” Ever since, I have to remind myself. “They’re grasshoppers, not hopgrassers.” I also have to think twice to avoid confusing the words rubber band and Band Aids.
How about you? What words do you have to think twice about before speaking?
by jphilo | Aug 2, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
Despite the drought of 2012, some green stuff is growing like crazy around here. The abundance of certain garden produce led to these three horticulture thoughts for Thursday:
- Attention all mulberry lovers: based on the deposit left on my shirt by a vindictive and highly accurate bird yesterday, the mulberries in Central Iowa are ripe for the picking. Have at it!
- The veggie stir fry medley Hiram and I enjoyed during supper Monday night led to the following horti-mathematical observation. In recipes, zucchini and eggplant perform a function similar to that of zero in mathematics. They have no value or flavor in and of themselves, but serve as a placeholder to enhance the tasty veggies around them.
- Sweet potato vines look hearty, but when when the weather gets hot they are wimps. Mine go all limp and wilty unless they’re watered every other day. How about yours?
