Clearing debris, emotional and otherwise

I mentioned in a previous post that the big tree at the front of our lawn is my nemesis. During a brief but violent storm Friday night, the tree lost several large limbs, which blocked the road. We were able to clear the road, and Tim and I spent a couple of hours today cutting and bagging the debris. It looks rather tame and harmless, neatly bagged and ready for pickup. I've seen houses with a dozen or more of these bags by the roadside; this is not a particularly large amount.

Nevertheless, a couple hours in the 90+ degree heat, stooping and picking up tree debris, is a good summer workout - I got a double workout today, since I did an hour of laps in the pool this morning.

And now I'm thinking - good grief, am I actually grumbling about having a home and a lawn and a tree and a gym membership and good health for swimming and yardwork? And a helpful son to shoulder the biggest part of the job?

OK, attitude readjustment accomplished. Thank you, tree.

Emotionally Intelligent Signage

Daniel H. Pink has a very nice eponymous blog.

I like his ongoing series about emotionally intelligent signage. An example is Emotionally Intelligent Signage in Little League.

Fruit-tinged ice water

Someone at work goes to all the trouble of making a different kind of flavored ice water almost every day this summer.

The fruit has included watermelon (excellent) and peaches (not so good). Also lemon, lime, cucumber, mint, and oranges.

Very nice of someone - not sure who.

Looooooong day

Took another group to dinner tonight. Good food, good wine, good conversation. But service was VERY slow, which means I left too late to make the 9:10 train. Had to hang around waiting for the 10:10.

How bored do you have to be to take a picture of your feet?

Aaaaaaaaargh. Long day, ready for bed. Grateful for the good dinner, good company, etc. But REALLY ready for bed.

Uncovered Cover Art

Uncovered Cover Art is a blog inspired by a great idea - artists coming up with new covers for classic children's books.

So much fun to browse. I have commented on two of the covers I particularly like.

But I have to say that I am a bit puzzled to find Jane Austen's novels classified as childrens' books.

Actually, I wouldn't mind calling Wisconsin Assenisipia.

Thomas Jefferson proposed dividing the American Midwest into 10 states with Greek and Latin names: Sylvania, Michigania, Chersonesus, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Illinoia, Saratoga, Polypotamia, Pelisipia, and Washington.

“While we may see the reasons for these names, we may be thankful that they did not prevail,” wrote Curtis Manning Geer in The Louisiana Purchase (1904). “Ohio is better than Pelisipia, and Wisconsin to be preferred to Assenisipia.”

Interesting bit of history posted at Futility Closet.

As a former resident of southern Illinois, which is known as Little Egypt and features the city of Cairo, I find it interesting that Jefferson would have called that area of the country Polypotamia.

My hair is bold like the chestnut burr; and my eyes, like the sherry in the glass that the guest leaves.

Emily Dickinson's description of her eyes has always intrigued me, and I always remember it when I see a few drops of sherry or brandy left in a glass.

The glass in the photo below is one of the "old everyday things" that I have been tagging. I have two of these, and one of my oldest memories is of looking at these two little glasses in my mother's china cabinet. The story as I remember it is that these little glasses are one of the few mementoes of Germany that my great-grandparents brought with them when they emigrated to the United States. Imagine having not much more than two fragile glasses to remember your past by!

Much of the gilt has worn off; we still use them occasionally.

And whenever I look into them and see a few drops left, I think of Emily Dickinson and her eyes. Is this the color she was thinking of?