A room with a view! And a desk!

I cannot tell you how THRILLED I am to not only have an office with a desk but an office with a WINDOW! Please don't wake me from this dream.

Oh my gosh, I just realized that I will be able to put some plants on that nice big ledge in front of that beautiful window. Winter will be tolerable!

That's not me

I have been enjoying the iPhoto 09 face recognition technology all summer, marveling at it's accuracy in identifying the faces of people I tag in the system. The way it works is you load pictures and click on a button called "faces." The computer finds faces in your pictures. You name some of them and the computer will find additional, similar faces and ask you to confirm the identity. It's been amazingly accurate.

Until today.



That's just plain rude of my Mac, don't you think?

Don't fire me

I sent email to the human resources and diversity trainer asking for clarification on disturbing information presented to new employees about "The Willie Lynch Letter."

Dear Hope

Do you have any idea how much we love you? I used to tell you that I loved you as many as 10 gazillion Minnetonka water tanks (+ infinity). I envy people who can express their love in words. I'm not so good at it. So I made you this. Happy 7th, Hope. You are so, so loved. When I think of the line from the song I learned in Sunday School: "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam..." That's you, Hope. Your mama loves you. :-)

Gender differences?

Hope: "Mom? Does Peggy ever howl?"

"I've never heard her howl."

Hank: "That's because she's a girl. Only boy dogs howl."

No worries

Hank and Hope are going to day camp this week. They've done it before but this year is new and special because they get to spend an hour or so a day with horses. It's called "Colts Camp." They learn to ride and take care of some very tolerant, very lazy, very not dangerous horses.

A couple of weeks ago a friend received notice that there was a lice problem there -- with the horses. Being the optimist, I decided to wait until we were notified that horse camp would be a no go. No word came so this morning we sent them on the bus. They had a great time. Hope has been assigned a big horse named "Doc." Hank has the guy they call "Thunder" who happens to be the smallest horse.

And Hope has assured me I don't need to worry one bit about any trouble with the horses at camp: "Mom, it's okay! They check ALL the kids for FLEAS before they let you get on the horse!!"

Bad feet

Marathon runners know that feet aren't pretty. Mine might be worse than some. I think I have, over the course of 11 marathons, lost each toenail once.

I am lucky to have a son who loves to receive massages (I love to give them) and a daughter who asks to rub feet.

Hope hadn't asked to rub my feet in a while and I have lost two toenails since the Minneapolis Marathon in May. Tonight she asked if she could rub my feet. Can you rub my feet? Hell yes. So she ran for the lotion and picked up one foot and put it in her lap.

As she rubbed the lotion on it, she looked down at my gross toenail and looked away quickly. "Mom, is it okay if I don't look at your foot when I rub it? It's gross!"

Strike a pose

The last thing I want Hope to be when she grows up is a model but she sure had a fun time in a photo session with our neighbor, George.

Christmas pictures

Best dog in the Twin Cities

I knew she was a good dog when I "adopted" her because the lady from whom I stole her told me so. (Don't believe I stole this dog? Ask my brother. I'm not proud of it but it is what it is and I have Peggy today because I stole her from a very kind dog-lover.) Anyway, this dog is awesome so it was no surprise what she did for me today. But it was dramatic and entertaining for the children....

I was mowing. (Picture it.) I ran over a nest of yellow jackets! ANGRY yellow jackets who DO NOT LIKE IT when you run a lawn mower OVER THEIR HOME! Why those evil devils want to live in the ground instead of a tree, I don't know. But I stirred the nest with the mower and one of those wasps was not going to give up until he chased me down and stung me good. He was a PISSED-OFF WASP!

I let go of the mower and ran from the damn bug as fast as I could. I did a little zig-zag move a couple of times in the yard and then made a bee-line for the backdoor. Hank and Hope were standing there, in amazement of their mom, who appeared to be running around the yard like a crazy lady.

Now you get to guess who was galloping behind me and snapping her teeth at the mean wasp that was following me the entire time. Yes! My gal, Peggy. And guess what was playing on my iPod. Not kidding: Blues Traveler, "Run-Around." It was kind of funny. Anyway, Peggy ate that damn bug that was trying to kill me and she did it because she loves me with her whole heart. How do I know? I just do. She's the best damn dog in the Twin Cities.

My high school classmate, Mary Jo

She was a person who excelled at everything including just being an overall good person. I was so thankful we reconnected via Facebook a year ago. Prayers for her husband Brent and children, 9 year-old Silas and 6 year-old Lydia.

HR 3200

Christmas comes early for Hope

Tennis picture with Toy Camera app

Easy for Hope

Easy for Hope
Originally uploaded by WkHanson08

All pooped out