My darling lives in a world that is not mine
An old child misunderstood... out of time
Timeless is the creature who is wise
And timeless is the prisoner in disguise
Oh who is the beauty... who is the beast
Would you die of grieving when I leave
Two children too blind to see
I would fall in your shadow... I believe
My love is a man who's not been tamed
Oh...my love lives in a world of false pleasure and pain
We come from difference worlds... we are the same (my love)
I never doubted your beauty... I've changed
And when I call
Will you walk gently
Thru my shadow
The ones you dream of
The ones who walk away
With their capes
Pulled around them tight
Cryin' for the night
Cry for the nightbird
-Stevie Nicks, "Nightbird"
10/31/2002
Nothing New Under the Sun
A man and a woman are thrown together during a military operation. Romantic sparks fly. The man is a handsome warrior, angered over the death of family. The female is a cool, beautiful, and brilliant scientist. They become the commanding and first officers of their military unit. UST abounds because of fraternization protocols.
I caught a couple Season 1 eps of SG-1 on the Sci-Fi Channel last night. I've liked the whole concept of the stargate since the movie, which I loved. But since the TV show had such haphazard scheduling when it was first aired, I could never figure out what time it was on. Then I was lost about what was going on. Well, Sci-Fi is airing 4 eps every Mon. night - so I'm getting out the VCR and catching up on this show.
Sci-Fi is also airing old X-Files eps. 4 on Tues and 4 on Wed. This is very dangerous. I'm likely to become a Sci-Fiaholic.
You Are Jemima Queen of the Filk, Our Lady of the AU, and accidental founder of Zendom, you tend to burn your way through the dry wood of fandom, leaving more than one bridge in flames behind you. You are content with your muse, your blog and nice pairing or two to marry off. Take the Which Zendom Mod are You? Quiz
This was unexpected, not who I got the first time around. But still cool. How can you go wrong being ANY of the mods?
1. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
Usually around 6, but it could be anytime between 5 and 7:30 - I don't use an alarm clock and I haven't been sleeping well.
2. IF YOU COULD EAT LUNCH WITH ONE FAMOUS PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Kate Mulgrew or Stevie Nicks
3. GOLD OR SILVER?
Gold
4. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?
Sheesh, it's been so long I don't remember. The last video I saw was "The Rookie" - great movie!
5. FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
Star Trek - Whatever and Red Wings Hockey
6. WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?
Usually just coffee - But I love a good mushroom and cheese omelet once in awhile
7. WHAT WOULD YOU HATE TO BE LEFT IN A ROOM WITH?
Anything really smelly or snakes
8. CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE?
Just barely
9. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
People who help others become all they can be. Some movies that illustrate this are "To Sir, With Love" "Stand and Deliver" "Remember the Titans" "Rudy" "October Sky" and not surprisingly these are some of my favorite movies.
10. WHAT'S YOUR MIDDLE NAME?
Lee
11. BEACH, CITY, or COUNTRY?
Country, preferably by a lake and very remote with seaplane access
12. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer, but I prefer Spring, actually.
13. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Breyers Vanilla sprinkled with coconut and pecans
14. BUTTERED, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN?
Buttered and salted. One of my favorite snacks.
15. FAVORITE COLOR?
This is always a hard question for me. I like all the colors and my favorite depends on my mood. So let's say rainbow, especially if it's generated by a prism - pure bent light!
16. FAVORITE CARS?
Lexus RS300, Bonneville, Ford Ranger - one of each please - not that I'm greedy or anything
17. FAVORITE SANDWICH FILLING?
Honeybaked ham and provolone cheese with mustard and lettuce
18. TRUE LOVE?
Huh!?
19. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU DESPISE?
Manipulativeness. Dishonesty. Cowardice. Slimeyness.
20. FAVORITE FLOWER?
Dragon-winged begonias
21. IF YOU HAD A BIG WIN IN THE LOTTERY, HOW LONG WOULD YOU WAIT TO TELL
PEOPLE?
Forever.
23. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM?
White and natural oak, with touches of a smokey purple.
24. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING?
8-10, they're in my car.
25. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO?
Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona
26. CAN YOU JUGGLE? IF YES HOW MANY?
Only two, which I don't think counts.
27. FAVORITE DAY(s) OF THE WEEK:
Saturday.
28. RED OR WHITE WINE?
Red. Dry and red, like a burgundy, merlot, or valpolicella
29. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY?
A very good friend took me out for a very nice dinner. Sweet.
The 800 mile roundtrip to my hometown was a very welcome respite. My parents were very supportive and shared some of my burdens for the weekend. Thanks, Folks!
This was the first time I'd seen Dad since he got his new hearing aids. What a difference! He could understand conversations again and didn't have to keep interupting to ask what was going on. When he was telling the story about being fitted with his new hearing aids, he broke down with tears in his eyes. What a miracle to be able to hear again. (Just to let you know, I've only seen my father cry three times: at his father's funeral, my grandmother's funeral, and when his favorite dog died.) He's a new man and it's like old times again. He's fun to be with.
Michigan and Illinois are very pretty in October. Color is at its peak with yellows, golds, oranges, reds, and greens in abundance. My parents have a house in the center of 12 acres of woods. There are 2 houses on each side of them. The trees in this wooded area are native to Illinois and some are probably 300 years old. Recently some officials from the Dept. of Natural Resources visited them. It seems they are visiting people who have native oak trees on their property and are collecting the acorns to reforest land with native trees. They are looking for Bur Oak trees - one of which was in Mom and Dad's front yard. A gorgeous tree, but that oak tree is not our family's favorite one. The special one is 20 feet outside the back door. Every year at Halloween, it turns a brilliant red, the only oak in this small woods that changes into this color. For years, Mom and Dad have planted acorns from this tree trying to get more of the "red" oaks in the woods. They have half a dozen young trees, but none have this red tone in the fall. So they asked the men from the DNR about the "red" oak. First of all, it's a White Oak. Secondly, since it is the only White Oak in the forest, all of its acorns are hybreds -- they have cross-pollinated with the other oak varieties, so none of those acorns will produce a true White Oak. Did you know that there were male and female oak trees? I didn't. But it certainly explains why the leaves on all these trees are different. And the acorns all have different shapes, too. The other thing about White Oaks is that they need to be planted on the top of a hill. Too bad, they truly are magnificent in late October. (Check out this site if you want to see the trees in my folks' forest.) Funny, I know all of these trees very well. They are almost as much a part of my childhood as Mom and Dad.
In less than 2 weeks, my fair city will be invaded by Klingons and other assorted aliens. No, it's not the Dominion War, it's a Star Trek Convention. Appearing on stage is Nana Visitor, Robert Duncan McNeill, Conner Trinneer, Walter Koenig and William Shatner. I think I will have to attend - at least one day - especially since Kira Nerys and Tom Paris are two of my favorite characters.
When we last left our heroes, the city had granted a permit and I was hoping I wouldn't have to look at a sand pit and small mountain range all summer. Well I didn't get my wish. In fact, the concrete for the new garage just got poured yesterday after much digging, pounding, and sawing. I do believe this is going to be one of the finest garages in Michigan. It has an 8' deep concrete foundation, 6" thick reinforced concrete floors, a brand new sewer system, piped in water and electricity, and covers half of the guy's backyard - and it doesn't even have walls yet. I'm in total awe.
In other news, one of my beautiful begonias got blown over by the blustery remnants of Hurricane Lili. It is deeply tragic.
My poor pear harvest is nothing to write about, but I'm going to anyway. I got exactly 1 heaping gallon bucket full of good pears off my pear tree this year. I also got 1/2 bushel of crappy pears. Not a good year. I usually get over a bushel of good pears. Whether it was the late frost in mid-May, the very cool spring, the very hot summer or a combination of all this I don't know, but I'm not going to be canning pears this year. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...
Every year, I get a few annuals to put in pots on my patio. In the past I've gone with standard choices like geraniums, pansies, or impatiens sprinkled with spikes or asparagus fern. This year I noticed something new, Dragon-wing Begonias. I purchased 5, 6" plants, put them in 8" pots and scattered them around my patio. They have been gorgeous all summer. They are now about 2' tall and about 3' in diameter. They have large, glossy, dark green leaves shaped like, you guessed it, dragon's wings. There are cascades of dark salmon-colored blossoms continuously blooming. I will definitely plant these beauties again next year.
