#57
"Beer is  proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." --Ben Franklin (quoted in the game Apples to Apples)

One of my all time favorite beers
is Thunderhead Brewery's IPA,
a hoppy, bitter beer 
that gives my taste buds an awakening, 
proving that our senses need more
than just a bland day of 
watered down mediocrity. 

Actual quote from Ben Franklin, about wine: 
Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.
(Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003. p.374.)

#56

Father and Son share

the same brilliant broad smile and 

love of baseball caps.

catherinenglish 02-26-2013

#55

The cutest little towheaded boy
who smiled incessantly,
ornery as ever, 
his brother's dog, Gunda, in the background,
wanting to be photographed, too.

catherinenglish 02-25-2013

#54

I wonder what I was thinking at 
one month old, the only photo
of me as a baby,
not really a smiling delight,
but an introspective one, 
for sure. 

catherinenglish 02-25-2013

#53

The tenor who played Tamino
was amazing, but the baritone who 
played Papageno stole the show 
with his comedic antics. 
Bravo!

catherinenglish 02-23-2013

#52

I have loved the Orpheum Theater
in Omaha since I first attended Mozart's 
Magic Flute in Spring 1991.  It was 
a walk down memory lane tonight. 

catherinenglish 02-22-2013

#51

There is nothing more beautiful than 
the virgin snow
at night;
its facets, 
reflected in the light,
dance like summer fireflies.

catherinenglish 02-21-2013 

#50

If you want it to snow, that is not a passive occurrence. You must let the sky know you want it and make room in your heart. Then hope your land gets snow, rather than a shower of pebbles or a storm of empty wind.~Natalie Goldberg, Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir

I  cannot recall 

a day I wanted snow more 

than tomorrow. Please.

catherinenglish 02-20-2013

#49

This stupid storm is causing 

me a chink in my plans, 

adolescents who might think it fun,

adults worried about safe travels 

and a speech coach wanting to 

pull her hair out once again.

catherinenglish 02-18-2013

#48

Joey reached his hand up to his
head after he was 
sprinkled with water
and gave the pastor 
a funny look, charming
the congregation while
Rory smiled and cooed 
and watched with eyes 
open wide.

catherinenglish 02-17-2013

#47
The last triathlon 
at the Mustang Speech Meet is a
third place finisher. 

catherinenglish 02-16-2013

#46

Nothing better than sitting on a watermelon, 

 holding the purple Hot Wheels car 

grandpa gave you for your second birthday.

catherinenglish 02-15-2013

#45
Who would have thought I could eat an entire X-Large
candy bar of special dark 
when I began with just one small piece, 
and then another small piece,
and another, 
and another,
until
I ate the whole thing, 
the last remnants with a cup of Tazo
passion tea. 

catherinenglish 02-14-2013
(Happy Valentine's Day, chocolate lovers!)

#44

I turn up the radio, driving I-80,
bass, Bono, and B.B. King
me singing along, "Love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town..." 
and then that wonderful guitar sings, sings, sings.

catherinenglish 02-13-2013
(hint: click on B.B. King to hear the song! Use headphones)

#43

Grandma and grandson
an intimate moment in
Savannah, Georgia. 

catherinenglish 02-12-2013

#42
By the second week of February I am 
both happy and sad--
speech season is almost over,
and it reminds me of the glorious moment--
stage mom, proud mom, taking a photo 
with a cheap camera eliciting fuzzy photos.

catherinenglish 02-11-2013 

#41

Speech reminds me to 

keep my big mouth shut sometimes

not to stick foot in!

catherinenglish 02-10-2013

#40

Minden novice champs
after a five o'clock wake
up call in the dark.

catherinenglish 02-10-2013

#39
I'm not sure who started it, 
but for many years now, 
John and Anna have both
given their "Thinker" poses for 
festive holiday occasions, as a
sibling inside joke that only those 
two understand. 

catherinenglish 02-08-2013

#38

It's February 7 and the 
Christmas wreath
is still hanging
outside my front door...
and each day, I think,
I should take it down, 
but the white lights still
hang from the gutter above me, 
and I will wait for a warmer day.

catherinenglish 02-07-2013o

#37 

I do not wish to treat friendship daintily, but with roughest courage.  When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost- work but the solidest thing we know. -Emerson

I was student teaching with Caroline Allen 
in Auburn, Nebraska when I first found 
this glorious phrase, 
preparing to teach Emerson's "Self-Reliance,"
and I realized, like some pirate, that I had found 
his true treasure, essays on friendship and love, those transcendent ideas 
so difficult to grasp. 

catherinenglish 02-06-2013

#36

Babies are just so adorable at two months old,
just beginning to smile and take in the world
around them, wide-eyed, startled by light 
and sound and scents and touch, 
cooing and gurgling and delighting in the 
sound of their own voices.  

catherinenglish 02-05-2013

#35

Playing in the snow is the best and easiest

form of entertainment for a two-year-old boy

 and his fifty-something grandpa, both suffering from 

cabin fever. 

catherinenglish 02-05-2013

 

#34
What a joyful day,
spending time, cuddling such a
cutie patootie!

catherinenglish 02-03-2013

#33

How can you not like a kid who writes a speech about denying
reality, 
pointing out famous reality denying Biblical patriarchs along with
the Führer Hitler.
This is  a very smart, funny kid.
(and I am glad the day is over).

catherinenglish 02-02-2013

#32

Sherry Potter, Rez Dog, friend of Fran Kaye,
 joined us in our Native American Literature Summer Institute; that dog  knew a good thing when
she saw it--never ever whimpered or complained; 
she knew we were food loving folks,
and silently waited for a crumb to drop.

catherinenglish 02-01-2013