Wal-mart & a face full of Fix-a-Flat or Nothing says Love Like....

I generally don't title a blog until I am finished writing it.
Mostly because when I begin to write,
I am never certain of where my mind is going or where it might end up.
Today is no different.

This blog could go a number of different ways.
But as I begin I am thinking about ...

Wal-mart & a face full of Fix-a-Flat

or

Nothing says Love Like a Giant Green Frog.

I will begin by saying today has been a good day.

Up early, worked out, felt great, headed to Tai Chi, got done in time to pick up #7 from school at 11:00am, then made out my grocery list for the week.

There are 5 days til payday. 
That means we are extremely tight on spendable cash.
I imagine we are not the only ones living paycheck to paycheck. 
This month is especially tight so I made the decision to go to Walmart.

I want you to know that I don't make the decision to go to Walmart lightly.
I mostly avoid Walmart, like the plague! 
I won't go into all the reasons why, at least not in this blog.
But today was one of those days were I needed inexpensive auto products
and
inexpensive groceries.
Where can you buy both under the same roof? 
Walmart.

You see... it all starts with me needing new tires for my car.

My tires have worn out their tread and burned up the highways from Oregon to Nebraska & Kansas this past year.   They are getting too thin to hold air,
at least for more than a day.
I am tired of putting a dollar in the air compressor machine down the hill at the Shell station.  I, for one, think air should be free!
I knew I needed fix-a-flat and groceries.

As I parked my car, I prayed the prayer I pray every time I go shopping.
"Please God, let me buy only what I truly NEED."
I generally pray this pray twice before ever stepping foot in Walmart.

The first thing I spotted coming down the isle toward me was a woman with an enormous green frog in her cart.  I first thought,
What the heck is that?
Then I wonder...
Why on earth would anyone ever buy that thing?
Does she really need that?
If she is giving it to someone, will they NEED it?
I think not!
(I won't comment on the numerous people I saw shopping in their pajamas even though it was 12:15pm.)  I purchased only the items on my list and came in under my estimated costs. 
I was happy.

I arrived home ready to tackle the issue of my leaking tire.  I thank my parents for raising me to be self-sufficient and am equally thankful my dad taught me how to take care of cars.  I was prepared!

I assume anyone reading this is familiar with the fix-a-flat product.  If not, very simply it is designed to inflate and seal a leaky tire.  Not the ideal solution to the problem, but a good one when you are in a 'fix'.

And I was in a fix, as new tires were not immediately in my budget.

I proceeded to carefully attach the fix-a-flat to the tire's valve stem.
I believe my mistake, (and I admit it was my mistake), was the tire was not deflated enough to accept the contents of the can.  The tire pressure was higher than the pressure coming out of the can.
Pressure backed up and the hose attached to the fix-a-flat scrung loose. 
(sprung...is that at word? Spell check doesn't seem to like it.)
I took what felt like a quarter of a can's contents right in the face,
including my eyes. 
I became a sticky, rubbery mass of goo.
What made it worse, I couldn't see.

I'm not sure what my daughter and her friends thought when I stumbled in the house. 
But I was glad they were there to help.
They located my contact case, solution, and towels.
My daughter asked, "are you okay?"
At that point I wasn't sure. 
I told her, "I am just trying to handle a problem systematically and not panic." 
(I was trying to set a good example for her and her friends)
I could feel her look at me strangely.
I say 'feel' because I couldn't actually see.
Yet I noticed the pause in her voice.
She said, "I'd be panicking!"
I evidently looked as bad as I felt!


I cared for my eyes first,
then my skin,
before tackling the sticky, rubbery goo in my long hair.

I remembered as a child my mom using peanut butter to remove gum from my hair.
I know it isn't the peanut butter that does the trick with gum,
it is more the oil in the peanut butter.
I grabbed all the hair care conditioners and oils I had and headed for the shower.

I am happy to report that I now feel mostly normal.
My eyes are a bit watery
and I lost a handful of hair,
but I am no worse for the wear.

I imagine my dad up there somewhere saying,
"By damn Girl, (in a slight southern drawl)
What were ya thinkin?"

And that makes me smile!

Another day...
Another lesson learned.

Don't buy a giant green frog at Walmart,
you don't NEED it!
And whoever you might be planning to give it to doesn't want it!





Steppin' out with DWNTWN
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Mushrooms: A Look Through a Kansas Girl's Lens.

I spent most of my day today writing a book.
I think I like it.
Its not a traditional book.
I am not exactly traditional.
At least not when it comes to what I find creative.
I am not an author,  nor do I consider myself a writer.
I think of myself as a story teller.
I just tell MY story.
So here is the story of how I came to 'write' a book today.

I simply set out on a path to fill a need.
I spent a week waiting in a doctor's waiting room one day,
then waiting in an exam room,
then waiting in the waiting room lab,
then waiting in the lab, then....
Well you get the idea.
I left that day, (it felt like a week) tired of looking at drab paintings,
medical posters,
warnings to wash your hands,
turn off your cell phone,
cover your mouth,
and my only visual alternative...,
9 month old magazines that had been read 27 times too often.

I didn't know how to approach my physician regarding my idea, and while my husbands work space wasn't as bad I thought it could use a bit more color, some interesting things on the walls,
and hopefully I could make it more cheerful.
He liked the idea and was very supportive.
I began by framing some photos of local parks, playground equipment,
and a lighthouse on the coast.
I used familiar sights, common items.
I hung them around his office space and they were well received.  I then created calendars with family pictures, favorite sights, and some macro photography.
I had fun creating things that might help alleviate someones boredom, and perhaps remind them of some time or place that they had been or seen.
If nothing else, the pictures might be a conversation starter.

Well the photos are now familiar, and unless you come at the beginning of the month, the calendars are familiar too.   I haven't stopped taking pictures,
so I also have an abundance of photographs on my external hard drive.

At my husbands suggestion, encouragement, and perhaps even some pestering.  I finally got around to fulfilling his request and decided to 'tell my story' with photographs in book form.

My first book (I have 2 more in mind) uses my pictures of mushrooms.
I know what you must be thinking...Mushrooms?  Like Toadstools?

Mushrooms aren't exactly a common item to photograph.
And for this Kansas Girl,  when I began,
I had no idea there were so many different kinds of mushrooms.

In order to photograph mushrooms, you first have to find them.
It involves, camping, and hiking through the woods,
generally in the rain.  I like both those activities,
and the rain is what makes it great!

I've taken hundreds of photos throughout Oregon, and only used a small amount of them in the book.
It's not a technical book containing information, facts, or details.
It is simply a book that tells my story of why and where I hike, hunt, and shoot mushrooms.

It begins with the first mushroom I saw while camping at Silver Falls State Park over 2 years ago.

For my 48th birthday, I gifted myself with my first ever weekend away.
Yes, that's right, alone ... on my birthday.
(Okay, I wasn't alone the whole time. The family was worried about me and HAD to join me for 1/2 the time. There is a lot more I could share about that awesome weekend, but I already blogged about that a couple years ago.)

I wish I could tell you about the whole book and show you all the pictures, but I am not technologically savvy enough to figure that out yet.
Here are a few pictures from my hunts.
These are not necessarily my best photos, but they are some of my favorite finds.

The elusive
Violet Cort!
My absolute favorite mushroom find so far.

The two largest mushrooms I have ever found!

They were 12 inches and about 9 inches tall.










I like these itty bitty guys growing from the underside of a tree branch.

This was the most unique mushroom.
It was translucent and fuzzy!
A very strange find indeed.



Hunting for and finding mushrooms is fun for me.
As a kid growing up in Kansas, I rarely saw wild mushrooms, and when I did see them either my brother was kicking them into the neighbors yard, or dad was swinging a golf club or a rake at them to rid the yard of the eye sore.

I am anxious to get back out there and resume the hunt!
I hope you can join me some day!

Steppin' out with DWNTWN
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Dizzy & the Dentist

This morning has been a challenge.
I woke up with vertigo.
I get these spells 2-3 times a year and it generally hits me about mid February.
This year it has come early.
Although I suspected it was coming on yesterday,
I didn't expect it to be this bad....yet.
It's disorienting and very annoying to have your whole world spin at the slightest movement of your head.
I started on some meds to help alleviate the dizzy spells, but all I had at home were the kind that make me drowsy.

Drowsy & Dizzy!
A great combo to wake up to!

I probably shouldn't drive when I feel this way,
I am sure the Surgeon General would not recommend I operate heavy machinery or a motor vehicle while in this condition.
But #8 had a dental appointment this morning, and my car, while it does have a motor, isn't that big.


Oh the joys of parenting!


I want to crawl back in bed and sleep until my world stops spinning, but that's not allowed for moms.
Moms just tough it out.

As soon as I am done here I am heading to the pharmacy to get the meds that rid my head of all the spinning,
and as a side effect hype me up!

In spite of my current state, I am still hoping for a productive day ahead!

Jobs, Blogs and the continued search

I have been applying for jobs recently without success.
I am not alone in my inability to find work.
Oregon has a 10.6% unemployment rate.
We rank #7 among the 50 states.
My teenage son and daughter are also looking for work.
It makes searching for a simple minimum wage job difficult.
Recently Home Depot opened a new distribution center with a need to fill 200 positions.
Over 8000 people applied.
I don't have much hope I will get an interview any time before I turn ... 60.

So the other day when I learned of a position opening up for Ghost Blog Writers was opening up,
I decided to apply. 
After all, I enjoy writing.
Even if they don't like my style of writing, its worth a try.
What the heck.
My odds can't be worse than 1 out of 8000, can they?

I put together a resume. I hadn't done that in a very long time.
I felt quite old as I was trying to recall my jobs, the dates, duties, and all the details of my former work.
I sent it in with a sample of my writing.
And I heard back in the form of a Sample Test Blog, my first assignment.
It was more vague than I anticipated and I was uncertain of where to begin.
The topic: How to use video effectively in social media (as coming from XYZ Media Company)
I wasn't even sure how to begin.
I was uncertain of my audience.
I didn't know what my specific goal was.
I had no clue where to focus my writing, or how to begin.
I generally write just for me.  Can I writer for someone else?
Can I write about a topic I am not familiar with?
I had so many questions.
But this morning I just put pen to paper, or I guess I should say, I put fingertips to keyboard.
Here is what I wrote:

A picture is worth a thousand words. We have all heard that and most likely we can all agree that statement is true.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a video worth? Some say a video is worth a million words. Some claim a video is worth an encyclopedia. 

We simply say, “Video is priceless”. 

Video has the ability to make the unimaginable real.  We are an eye-minded people who learn more from video, both pictures and words, than just words alone, or just pictures alone.  Videos can take us to a place we have a difficult time imagining and can tie our worlds together.

Did you study World War II in High school?  Have you studied the Holocaust?  Most of us have, regardless of our age, or the generation we grew up in.  We read about history in books.  History is referenced on news programs, and replayed on cable television.  We have easy access to, historical filmstrips, and images, maybe even an old scratchy movie films.  However, the striking video clip from the movie Schindler’s List is what many of us think of when we now hear the word Holocaust.  The memory of the little blond girl in the red coat easily comes to mind.   Video is like a recall button, at the mention of a word, it plays back in our mind.  Video lingers in our memory and becomes a part of us.

Videos aid in making our world smaller.  Video can connect us to others, creating shared experiences.

We have all gazed up into the sky at a full moon and marveled at how it appears to hang there as if suspended by a magical rope.  It is picturesque.  But that image pales in comparison to watching the Apollo 11 Mission of 1969.  The world watched and listened as Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.  Through video we all are able to share that experience and feel connected because of it.  It doesn’t matter whether we watched that clip huddled around a black and white television in 1969, in high definition on the History Channel, or a clip found on YouTube.  Video brings imagination to life, and bridges the gap between the words we read, the words we hear, and the things we can only imagine. 

Are you looking for that recall button that creates a link between you and others?  Video can help tie the world together through shared experiences.  And it’s all right at our fingertips. With recent developments in technology, small digital movie cameras, and cell phones that take video clips, you too can share your own videos in a matter of minutes.

There are many ways videos can be shared through social media allowing you to connect and link with the world. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube give businesses and individual’s easy access to thousands of people through a common site.

Create the priceless experience you have been looking for.  Share your video today.

I sent my test assignment off via email and will wait to hear back.

I am not sure how I feel about this.  I think I could learn to write for others rather than myself.

But I guess that is for someone else to determine, not me.

 In keeping with what I wrote regarding the use of videos in social media I wanted to add my own video.
This, for me, is an example of how we tie the world together, share experiences and stay connected with our friends, family and loved ones.
 Each time I think of my dad, I also think of my awesome family, the work my dad did at the Lord's Pantry, and how we all came together to celebrate his life.
Miss you dad!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eigbSJagkBo

Steppin' out with DWNTWN

DWNTWNimages.me