Raggedy

her face was green
her clothing worn
in the machine she spun, reborn
if you believe in reincarnation.

which I don't.
so no need to worry if somehow
a better life than one with me
will be hers.

faith is a choosy pessimist.

Look out world!

This is my first thumb typed post. My new pink Blackberry is so cool. While thumb typing is even more tedious than regular typing internet access from such a sleek little gizmo is amazing.
I'm not going to argue the next time Kurt feels it's time to upgrade my phone.

Great Grandpa Ansorge

This is my husband's grandfather. He was a circus performer during the Depression and then owned a small chain of Health Studios. He was in the Guiness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe It or Not for various feats of strength. Grandpa Harold died when we were in highschool and I didn't know Kurt very well then. I've always seen pictures of him when he was older. In this picture he strongly reminds me of Peter, Kurt's brother and my sister's husband. What a fun thing to find on the web. There is a little more at this link.

Mrs. I Pj

My life has been going through a lot of upheaval for the last four years or so. Like waking up from a dream I realized that my life didn't look anything like I expected or needed it too--with one vibrant exception. I am overrun with kids. I always wanted it to be like this. Tons of children growing, learning, breathing. They really don't have to do much to keep me entertained. I'm in the thick of it now. Next year the oldest will start highschool, but the youngest is still in diapers.
It's so important to know what you can and can't live without. I knew if I missed out on the kids nothing else would be able to compensate, and now that I see how much I've missed out on, they compensate for the loss as nothing else ever could. I may not be where I wanted to be, but I'm in a very good place.
Once I got over grieving the lost time, I've started setting up a schedule and a system for catching up. I'll never get as far as I could have, but I'll get far enough to fling rocks at Goliath should the need arise. The hardest part was figuring out what I wanted most from my new adventure in education. Now that I know what I want to know it's a simple matter of picking up the books and reading them. They are lying all over the house. I bought them for my kids.

The House

PBS can be an overload of good information sometimes. I've become a serious fan, scanning the tv guide for good stuff to DVR. I think one of my favorite finds was a documentary about Sam Maloof. Kurt and I got comfortable on the couch to watch not just a biography, but the artisan and his assistants at work. The home he made with his wife is spectacular, like all his work it is a true one of a kind. He liked to share his success with others. Sam and Alfreda's Foundation works to encourage and support other artists as they find their way to success.
I always scan the magazine racks at Sam's Club. You never know what you'll find. Today on the cover of a woodworking magazine I discovered that Sam has died at the age of 93. I guess I can cross him off the list of people I'd like to meet and move him to the list of people I wish I'd met. He really knew how to live his life now.