Life's To Do List

Life’s To Do List - I've bolded the ones I've done

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink - back in my wilder days
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain - if the Peaks of Otter and Tinker Moutain count
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise - I used to work night shift
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game - Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa - no but I have walked up the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - when a friend told me her dog had died
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger (and dated for a while)
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster - my favorite was the Shooting Star at the long gone Lakeside Amusement Park
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking - in combination with #23
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends (had? still have!)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - in a wild after hours club in Amsterdam
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign - a Visa credit card sign in a vacant field on Colonial Avenue
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them - many times in Europe and once at Famous Anthony's on Crystal Springs Avenue
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke - Again in combination with #23
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater - I went to the Trail Drive In and saw horror movies, went to the 220 Drive In for adult (?) movies
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest - I came in second in Halloween Costume contest at Crossroads Mall
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert” - early morning local TV show years ago as a plant expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage - if counting an awful high school play
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - I've biked it if that counts.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - my father raised a hog every year when I was a kid and I would help with the slaughter
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head - does 1/4 inch stubble count?
149: Caused a car accident - I hope not
150: Saved someone’s life - I hope so, it's my job...

Studio Tour and Sadness

Today a dear friend and I visited several local artists' studio during the annual Roanoke Studio tour. In keeping with my voyeur tendencies, I found studying the furnishings and shelved books more enticing and telling than most of the art on display. My snooping as a child in search of family truths has certainly carried over into my adulthood - I find poking around cellphones and email easier than asking directly when relationships seem amiss.


I meet Bill more than twenty years ago working at a local steak restaurant while attending nursing school. He was responsible for cutting and preparing the steaks to order, therefore, the waitstaff found it imperative to respond to Bill favorably. Customers often tip based on the quality of the food even though they must know the waitstaff does not cook the food themselves so I quickly determined my financial gains depended on large part with a positive relationship with Bill. He was gruff and dismissive with most of the staff and was well aware that some made jokes of his heavy browed appearance and frequent use of literary references. Predictably, Bill and I developed a friendship, hanging out together after work and going to the 1987 Grateful Dead concert in Roanoke - he played their music exclusively in his section of the kitchen. After I left the restaurant we would bump into each other and he would tell me how happy he was of the success he felt I had attained professionally. Seven or eight years ago I sadly started to see him as a patient in the hospital - years of hard living had gravely injured his health. One time I overheard Bill telling a co-worker exactly how many years, weeks and days he had known me. He had apparently been nurturing great affection for me all those years. Yesterday, I saw his obituary in the paper - his date of death was six weeks ago. I can't help but wonder if his body was left unclaimed for those six weeks since he had no family or close friends....I can't help but to ponder this great sadness and only hope his passing was peaceful...

Cooking from the Home Garden and Photo Update

I thinned the arugula, rabe and mixed greens while dodging the much needed rain today. These plants need have 2-4 inches between them in order produce an optimal yield. Rather than toss these tender greens I decided to make a broccoli rabe inspired dish. I'm sure my co-workers will notice the five garlic cloves I used in this dish...

I sauteed five cloves of sliced garlic in olive oil, added the greens with a spoonful of the pasta water, sprinkled crushed red peppers into the mix, stirred the mix until the greens wilted. I added the cooked pasta to the pan of wilted, garlicky greens, stirring gently to cover the pasta and transferred the completed meal to my favorite white pasta bowl.

I've been voluntarily adjusting my work hours lately to help meet the needs of the unit. My schedule has been somewhat disrupted but I have continued to find time to indulge myself.

Socks I've knitted...

Carp feeding at the boat dock...

Manhole cover near the parking space I use at work...

...happiness really lies in contentment (Gandhi)...

After sleep,promising more tomorrow...

I Am

Which tarot card are you?

Spiritual enlightenment, inner illumination, hidden power. Link between seen and unseen. Balance of positive and negative forces. Receptivity. Unseen guidance.
A young woman sits on a throne holding a scroll labeled "Tora" meaning "law." On her breast is the sign of the meeting of heaven and earth, the Maltese cross. Her crown is the full orb supported by horns, the crown ofthe Mother Goddess Isis, who rules all things changeable, shown by the moon at her feet. Her power, upon which her throne rests, derives from the creative principle of duality, shown by the two pillars of light and darkness. To those who know and love her she dispenses the sweet fruit of the world itself, symbolized by the pomegranites.

Night in Downtown Roanoke

I was walking around downtown Roanoke last night....

to pick up a cup of coffee on my way to work. Life certainly changes...and that is just fine.

Resting Hard Hats

Spotted on the radiator at the Salem Avenue entrance to the market building - the wearers were inside eating lunch...

Five Miles and Four Red Lights to Home

The obstacles vary as the destination remains constant...

Running Mojo

I run/walked the Star City Women's 5k this morning and have recovered my running mojo. I started running 3 years again and was diligent about training and competing for the first two years. In the last year I've not done so well - my time today was about the same as my 5k times towards the end of my first season. Not bad considering I've done little running but have continued to walk and incorporate exercise in my daily routine. I have quite a bit to go in order to have a 28 minute 5k time by the time I am fifty.
After the race I had a veggie primivara sandwich at Grace's Place and headed home for afternoon sleep in preparation for working a night shift tonight....zzzzzz......

A wonder or wonderful thing...

Gifts from Near and Far

I received these colorful, practical tawashi from Lillian in a swap...
And this Aussie inspired bag and homemade soap from Robbie in Australia.
and this fresh, organically grown salad mix from the garden spot just outside my backdoor. I appreciate days such as this...

In Response to J

I admire the orchid's beauty but prefer to nurture vegetables and herbs.
I shall obtain a tripod when I purchase a new camera.
I have a cat who would find batting about the blooms an enjoyable adventure.
I study the scenes of Old Key West in The Rose Tattoo.
I savor the sweetness and saltiness of peanut sauces.
I now store my knitting needles in a zippered bag I purchased in Paris.
I find my boldness in stating my opinions distressing to some.
I can only digest Nietzsche in small quantities.
I intend to replace my store bought socks with hand knit ones as the store boughts wear out.
I enjoy being outdoors but wish the outboard engine was less noisy.
I'm not sure I understand that statement.
I have also be described as kind, aloof, eccentric and enigmatic...

Roanoke Street Art

I spotted this clothing display on a curb while stopping by a local thrift shop. A tall, thin fellow was pacing around this small collection while energetically puffing on a cigarette. I did not press a conversation with him but he did give me permission to take a few photos.

Am I a Fool?

Ice packs and ibuprofen give me much needed relief tonight...