Random Friday Thoughts

It's Friday so I feel no prerogative to have one big, life changing point to this post. I love the freedom the weekends bring me!

Random Thought #1. There is a "culture" for everyone.
The other night I couldn't sleep so I turned on the TV. As I was flipping channels, I stumbled across the most interesting ("interesting" meaning "so weird I couldn't look away") documentary about people who own ferrets. Apparently there is a whole underground ferret community that I didn't even know existed. It is an intense experience, owning a ferret. It was even intense watching people own ferrets.

Now don't get me wrong, I love pets. Anyone who knows me knows I am over the moon, crazy in love with our dog Marshall (aka Moo, Moo-man, Moo Moo Marooney, and Chicken Lick Oklahoma). I get up early to walk him each morning...or I kick Mark out of bed so he will walk him, I constantly check his food/water dishes, get him groomed regularly, play rope, and snuggle him every day. I LOVE this dog. Our lifestyle has changed some because of having Marshall. I can't imagine our family without him.

But I am not "ferret" crazy. In the documentary, these people's entire lives revolve around their ferrets. They forsake family and all life happening just outside the walls of their ferret rooms. And apparently there are ferret competitions! I learned that the biggest competition is the Buckeye Bash in Ohio each year. Some serious cut throat competition at the Buckeye Bash! And who knew that there are ways to "judge" a ferret!?! But there are (width of the ears, muscle structure, clean ears and nails, nice teeth...), and people go to a lot of trouble to get their ferret "Buckeye Bash" ready. It was fascinating in a purely sociological way to watch this whole culture interact. It is like nothing else I have ever seen before. There really is a community for everyone.

Random Thought #2. Cal calls 'em like he sees 'em.
So the other day, Cal was protesting nap time. He would sit up in bed and let me know exactly what he thought of the whole concept of "lay still" time. Finally, I had had enough. In my firmest voice, I told Cal in no uncertain terms that he was to lay down, stop talking, and try to sleep. Realizing he had reached the end of the line, he huffed and rolled over, pulled the covers up, and then muttered this at me:

"Gross person."

Argh.

Random Thought #3. Good one, John McCain.
Without getting too into politics (because this blog isn't about politics), I am intrigued and excited about his choice for a VP. Now I am not a feminist by any means (after nursing two kids, the last thing I would ever do is burn my bra...), but I like what I see and hear so far about Gov. Sarah Palin.

Random Thought #4. I am reading an interesting book.
I did something that goes against most every fiber of my being the other day. I took a suggestion from Randy Bohlender. Now, I like Randy Bohlender except that he is my lifelong arch nemesis. I can't remember exactly why, but he is a formidable opponent. (But he reads my blog, and that makes me happy! Shout out to Bohlender!)

I checked a book out of the library that Randy B. recommended - "Epicenter" by Joel Rosenberg. It is an interesting look at what is happening in the Middle East and how it relates to biblical prophecy. Being raised a Swedish Lutheran, I am not big into "end times" ("end times" for Swedish Lutherans is when the Swedish meatballs and banana bread run out at the tureen dinner), but I have been doing a study of the book of Ruth and learning about redemption. (As an aside, everything in the Bible points to God's plan of salvation! How cool is that?) In our Bible study we have gotten on the topic of Israel, etc. etc. and this book was mentioned again. So between Bohlender and my Bible study teacher Lori (who is not an arch nemesis by the way), I had to check it out.

Totally fascinating. I am not too far into it, but boy, it makes you think. Fascinating stuff.

Random Thought #5. I miss some old friends.
Lately I have been missing some long lost friends. I blame it all on a card I got in the mail from my cousin Kate. She and I spent most every day of the summer together when she would come visit her gram (my Aunt Elsie). So many adventures - too many to share here! And I got really, really nostalgic for some of our "crew" back in those summers.

We were known as Matt, Matt, Ann, and Kate (we were cute, we weren't terribly clever) and the four of us spent one summer together most every day. There was no romance or anything, we all just got along great and laughed ourselves silly. We would go to the drive in movies (on one occasion Matt and Matt left us on the side of the road on the way to the drive in...they did come back for us, but I think Kate and I each had a brief moment of panic), play board games, go to concerts, eat at Friendly's (Matt H. once ate a whole half gallon of ice cream in one sitting), play putt putt, and just generally hang out. We were all good kids, so there was no alcohol or trespassing involved (well, except for the "Dump Road" sign thing...).

My favorite memory is from a picnic Matt and Matt prepared for Kate and I. I think we had cooked them dinner at Aunt Elsie's one night, and to repay us Matt and Matt invited us to go on a picnic with them. I confess it here and now - Kate and I didn't have much faith, so we ate some sandwiches before we left. Imagine our surprise when the guys had a picnic table loaded in the back of the Burlingame-mobile and some amazing food! We drove up into the field behind the junkyard, parked the truck, turned on the Elvis music, and sat at the picnic table in the bed of the truck eating fried chicken. My favorite part of that whole night was that when we finished a piece of fried chicken, we would just toss the bones over our heads into the field and grab a new piece. We stayed there for hours laughing and talking and jumping onto hay rolls (or trying to anyway), and when we finally went to leave to get Matt H. home in time for curfew, the truck wouldn't start because we had drained the battery playing Elvis songs all night! So we hoofed it back home on foot, Matt H. got grounded, and Kate and I were labeled "trouble" by his parents. I think that was the beginning of the end of Matt, Matt, Ann and Kate.

Over the years, Kate and I lost contact with Matt and Matt. I know one Matt is married to a great girl named Julie, and the other Matt is probably married because he had a refurbished 1969 white Mustang with pink furry dice. And while my life is so perfect and full just as it is, I have had moments where I am sad that the Fab Four lost touch. It is so nice to have those kind of memories. As long as I live, I will never forget that picnic, the fun of that summer, or how it felt to be so carefree (even though at the time I though my life was a teenage tragedy...).

I am not sure why I took you all on that trip down memory lane, but if you read all that, I commend you! Suffice it to say, I miss you Kate! You and your family fly over here sometime soon, OK? Because you know how funny getting the "Dump Road" sign was...

Enough randomness for now. Happy weekend dear friends!

Comments

Norwood Mama said…
You can't call that puff-ball Chicken Lick! What an insult for a dusty little useless deserted town! (just kidding, moo man...i'm only mad because you're too much of a baby to come visit me..)

And, props to the Henster! He's funny and cute! Talk about the total package!
Randy Bohlender said…
"You like me! You really like me!"

I knew it all along.