Is Nicknaming Hereditary?

I grew up in a family of Nicknamers.  My grandfather had numerous nicknames for us (some that I won't reveal), my grandmother was known by hers - Brooks - and all of their dogs and cats had numerous names.  My mother had two nicknames for me, one (I think) for Katie, and many for Bart (poor kid - some very humiliating)!  Dad gave us other names, so we all had to respond to many different names.  And I noticed when I went to see Uncle John, that he does the same thing.

When I met Don, I gave him several different names, Kenneth and Diana both know of several they had, all of our dogs rarely were called the same thing on a daily basis.  Yet Don's family did not do the nicknaming thing!

So imagine my delight when Monday, I learned that Caleb had named his father Owl, his mother Kanga, himself Roo, Melinda's mom Piglet, her dad Rabbit, Don Pooh (because he has a honey pot, though I thought maybe it was because he has a Pooh tummy), and me Tigger!  It appears he has inherited the nicknaming gene . . . I can't wait to see where it takes him!!

It Seems to Me . . .

I have always believed that the morale, the atmosphere, the environment of a family, a business, a state, a country is set by those in charge.  If a person has a positive leader, the environment is happy.  If a CEO leads by intimidation, so will those under him or her.  I found at the school, if I was kind and friendly, almost everyone else was, too.

Our nation is undergoing an era of incivility.  To throw someone out of a restaurant because one does not have the same political beliefs?  Oh my.  To refuse to bake a cake because someone does not have the same beliefs?  Unheard of.  To encourage people to intimidate and harass our elected leaders?  Come on, Maxine. You are better than that.

Yet I blame our leaders - and not just our President.  During President Obama's era, those in the Senate and the Congress were as bad as they are now.   People called for President Obama to fail, just as some are doing now.   Why do we want our country to fail?  I don't get it.

Our governors have not been the examples they should be.  Our attorney generals have not been either.  In Wichita, our County Commission is like the Rock 'em, Sock 'em robots.  It is all so unnecessary, yet it seems to be the norm for all.

We as civilians need to call out our elected leaders for their incivility - from our local commissions to our National leaders.  We need to ask them to calm the rhetoric.  We need to help them understand what their nastiness is doing to the rest of us.  It is not okay to harass someone just because they believe differently.  It is not okay to make fun of people who have disabilities, speech difficulties, or handicaps.  It is just not okay.

If we can remind those who lead that their actions matter, that they need to lead by example, that the negative environment they have all created needs to change, maybe they will become courageous.  Maybe they will monitor each other.  Maybe they can change the environment so that all of us "common folk" can go back to being kind, to engaging in healthy dialog, and to loving the best country in the world.  Maybe.

Glorious Rain - In all the Wrong Places

It is raining tonight.  It sounds glorious.  It smells glorious.  And we need it in Wichita.  It hasn't rained for a few days, and it was getting dry.  But over the past month or two we have had some significant rains.

We are home because the forest is so dry we were kicked out of the cabin on June 1.  Since we left there have been two small storms, but the river is running at record lows.  We fear it may dry up.  The Forest is closed to anyone who does not own land up there - so we could go to Grass Mountain, but without electricity, water, and a dump, we could only stay a few days.

The itch Don and I have to go back to the cabin is almost unscratchable, yet the forecast for the next ten days is grim.  No rain before July 1, despite predictions that the monsoons were going to arrive early and be very strong.  So far that prediction has gone nowhere!  That means that we will not be returning until July 15 at the earliest.

We know we need rain in Kansas, but we need it in New Mexico, too.  We are doing our daily rain dance - hoping, hoping, hoping!

Sometimes It is Just Too Weird

During the summer of 1972, between my freshman and sophomore year, I went to study in Mexico City with a KSU program.  About twelve others went too, and at the end of the program, three of them - Lyle Pishny, Mark Holt, and Francie Johnson - drove home from Mexico City.  They stopped for one night in Albuquerque, and they spent one night at the cabin before returning to Manhattan.

I had lost track of nearly everyone (except Ann Zutavern), but when I became a Trustee for KSU, Lyle was also a trustee.  I made sure to find him and reminded him of several of the things that happened to us during the trip.  We had a good laugh, enjoyed renewing our friendship, and moved on.

Last September, we were talking with our friends Carol and Steve King, whose family has had a cabin close to ours.  Carol and I grew up together at the cabin, and about 15 years ago, we solidified our friendship, and we have been close ever since.  At the time, Carol mentioned that she knew a very fine lawyer in Kansas City named Lyle Pishny.  Huh?  When I told her I knew Lyle and that he had actually been at the cabin, we all shook our heads in amazement.

Today, I finally had the opportunity to share the news with Lyle.  We were at the KSU Trustees meeting, and I was determined to find him.  I looked and I looked for him . . . and then noticed he was sitting right below me.  Ha, ha!  I showed him a picture of Carol and Steve, and asked him if he recognized them.  He looked at me, saying, "Carol and Steve.  How do you have a picture of them?"  When I explained the association, he was as astounded as the rest of us were.

We took a picture of ourselves, and then sent it to Carol and Steve.  This is one association that is so weird . . . and so fun!

Pacific Beach

After Caleb's third birthday, the family (two grandmas, two grandpas, mom, dad, and Caleb) went to San Diego to decompress.  We could not have gotten more glorious weather, and the beach was not at all crowded.  We could not have asked for a better situation.

We took Caleb to the beach, and he loved picking up the sand and squeezing it through his fingers.  He was introduced to seals and sea lions, he saw porpoises, and he got to ride several rides at Belmont Park.  Mom and Dad were able to take some time to themselves, and Don and I took the 4:00 a.m. wake-up time.  We knew littles ones do not adapt to the time zone very easily, so we were prepared.

I am ready to go back right away!

This little guy sure loved looking at us!

Shadow of the Wind

I had requested that our book club read Shadow of the Wind, and it was chosen for our May read.  I didn't realize the pressure I would feel, hoping everyone would like it.

I had read it back in about 2004, and I really like it then.  But when the moderators began to preview the book, I wondered if I had ever read it at all!  They described a book I had totally forgotten.  So I decided I had better re-read it, and I am so glad I did.

When I first read it, I think I was just trying to get done with it.  This time, I was able to take my time.  I had missed so much the first time, I discovered.  Not usually one to pay huge attention to the writing, I found I luxuriated in the language.  One of the moderators described Zafon as a Spanish Shakespeare, he was so elegant with his words.

I had recalled that the scenes were dark, the story was dark, and indeed it was.  But I had forgotten how convoluted and twisting the plot was.  I had to pay attention again, and I still got confused.  Had not remembered any of it!!

If you need a beautiful read, full of action and a challenging mystery, this is it!  Love this book!