Monthly Archives: May 2009

it’s odd, but not really

07 Thursday May 2009

Posted by in Motherhood

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Geek alert!  We celebrated Square Root Day this spring, and now the mathematical hi-jinks continue.  Today, 5/7/09, is Odd Day,  one of only six times this century that the date is made up of three consecutive odd numbers.  Here is The Ode to Odd, from oddday.net:

As Odd as it is, the day will be fine,
You see, it’s the numbers 5,7, and 9.
Three odds in a row to tell you the date,
We’ve only three more, then a 90-year wait.

Ron Gordon, a math teacher from Redwood City, California, knows how to make numbers more fun for kids and adults.  Here is some more fodder from his website (sorry, I couldn’t resist):

“Things to do on Odd Day: It’s a great day to do your odds ‘n ends, give a friend a high-five, root for the odds-on-favorite, read the Wizard of Odds, watch the Odd Couple, say aaaahd in the doctor’s office, look for sea odders, find that missing odd sock, and beat the odds.”

“These days are like calendar comets—you wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day—and poof—they’re gone!”

I celebrate people who celebrate things like Odd Day.  It is astounding and discouraging how early in life kids become convinced that math is boring and hard.  Can you imagine a more important time in history for kids to believe that math is cool?  This teacher enthusiastically promotes these numerical holidays, and is even offering a contest (it pays $579).  Indirectly, along the way, he also teaches one of my favorite mottoes:

Geek is the New Cool !

carry on, girlfriend

06 Wednesday May 2009

Posted by in Motherhood, seasons, Writing

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My friend Joan’s stories been such a joy to read from day one; with each story I learn more about her as a woman, a parent, a survivor and a friend.  She writes with an honesty and humor that I find refreshing.  Recently she wrote a sweet story of how one word has epitomized each stage of motherhood for her.  She carries on, following her path even when the turns ahead are not yet clear.

dsc_00541Sometimes we all just keep going out of faith that our efforts will pay off in the end.  I planted these flowers at the end of last season.  The grocery store was giving them away, because it had reached the time of year when no one in their right mind would still plant pansies, even though they can overwinter in this zone; it depends on the year.  I took three flats worth and felt very lucky to have shopped there that day. I am a sucker for unwanted plants; I think it is an odd personality trait.  I will take any unwanted plant and find it a home, on my property or at school.  This soft spot for unwanted things is a compelling reason for me to not volunteer at an animal shelter… it would be disastrous for our household!  Also, I should not work at Goodwill.  Or the library book sale.

I knelt on the cold ground and tucked in the sad little flowers.  They bloomed a bit late last fall, but the snow soon came and frankly they all looked like goners. I silently berated myself for once again spending time on irrational pursuits instead of the dozens of unfinished projects I have around here.

Spring came, and some didn’t make it.  But some did.  Each time I walk out my front door, these beauties say to me,

“Voila!  Violas!”

They bring me more joy than many of the expensive plants that I just expect will come up each year.  They say to me, “Just carry on, and some things will work out, and others won’t, but there will be beauty if you look down at where you are.”

Like Joan, I find that stories bubble up from underground.  There are so many stories waiting for the right time to pop out and surprise someone.  The ideas are there for the taking; they just need a place to grow for a while before they bloom.  They just need me to set aside my logical pursuits and let them be.

biblioburro

04 Monday May 2009

Posted by in good reads

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I have a warm spot in my heart for the bookmobile of my youth.  To me, it was a rolling candy store, a literary ice cream truck without the canned music and creepy tattooed guy handing out melted treats.  Just a nice lady with loads of books.  Yum!

This quiet video made me smile, with the story of one man and his mission to bring books to even the most remote areas of Columbia.

Luis Soriano has two donkeys, 4800 books, and what must be a big heart.  Biblioburro, a truly off-road bookmobile.  Because every child needs books to read, and someone to read to them.

dsc_0016

thanks a latte

03 Sunday May 2009

Posted by in something important, I'm sure

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Something occurred to me early this morning as I pulled the van back into the driveway, because by then I was capable of rational thought.

After a fitful night’s sleep, I inexplicably felt it was a better idea to groggily operate heavy automotive machinery than the coffee maker in my kitchen.  In my defense, I did have the dog as my co-pilot in case of emergency.

And that tall latte sure was yummy.

garden pathThere are many wonderful things about where we live —  it is peaceful, the large yard has been a blank canvas for my perennial gardening, the woods provide privacy and a hidden campground — it is beautiful, especially at this time of year.  There are walking paths, but they do not lead to any type of urban enclave of caffeine.

Someday we will again live in a community where I can walk to a coffee shop, or anywhere else.  I loved that about living in our Minneapolis neighborhood — the local hardware store and the corner market, the quirky gift shop, the malt shop (!) and two coffee shops all within a couple blocks.  It completely made up for the buses stopping and starting in front of our house and the low flying 747s coming in for a landing with our roof as a flightpath sightmarker.

Foofoo coffee has become a less frequent indulgence for me, but today felt like a good day to go.  One perk of motoring to the coffee is the ability to go through the drive-through while still in my jammies.  I salute you, oh independent coffee house barista that greeted me with a smile.  You may have been smirking about my morning hair, but I don’t care.  Bonus:  today’s tall order was complimentary because I hit my frequent caffeine buyer purchase threshhold.  Just 37 more cups and I’ll get a t-shirt.  Then I can pretend I am a barista at home!  No wait, that won’t work…

Big D sailed out the door with no coffee this morning to face a long day of kid’s volleyball.  Hmmm.  He also already finished the aforementioned raised bed garden plot;  one night this week, after working a full day and arriving home at 7:00pm, he snarfed some dinner, changed clothes and built the whole thing in one night, coming in well after dark.  “Okay, it’s done.” he said.

What?  I went out in the dark to look for myself.  It just needs the bunny fence and drip irrigation system (looking more like $64 tomatoes are still a possibility).

He operates in a parallel universe from mine.  I am happy he swings into my orbit.

Anyhoo, I have a long list of housework and yardwork projects for today (so yes, of course, I am writing this instead) and I felt it was urgent to be properly caffeinated for the day.  I could hurt someone operating that vacuum with sleepy eyes.