Ice Cream Shortage

What would Owensboro be like if Ritzy's ice cream maker quit. Seriously what would happen to the two locally owned restaurants as we know them? No more Cotton Candy Confetti, no more O-O-Oreo, no more Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, no more Ky Fudge Pecan Pie, no more Peanut Butter Cup and no more Butter Pecan Cashew. Not to mention the regular flavors that other places have some version of like Philadelphia Style Vanilla, Richest Chocolate, Strawberry, French Quarter Praline, Amaretto Cherry, Mint Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Bar Chunk, Chunky Dory Fudge, Swiss Chocolate Almond, Wild Mountain Blackberry, and then there is the Seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Pie, Candy Cane and Egg Nog or Dreamcicle Swirl. People would have to either drive to Evansville as they once did in the days prior to August 1996 or they would have to settle for some substitute flavor from a different place. Just Imagine.... if the "ice cream team" decided they didn't want to make it anymore? Sometimes I consider it, really I do. Just like sometimes students don't want to finish their assignments or put off doing projects, we ALL get tired of doing things are not enjoyable or are not fun. What if all the stores didn't open, where would people buy stuff they need? What if the gas station clerks decided to lock up and go home and someone was running out of gas in their car/truck? What if someone needed money to pay for food because they were REALLY, REALLY hungry and all the bank tellers closed up the vaults and locked the doors? What if it was lunch time and all the cooks had got tired of fixing food and locked the kitchen and went home? Students would still be walking to class right now,(especially the ones that live in Maceo or Utica or somewhere else far from here)if the bus drivers never showed up to bring them to school. How about all the teachers just stop trying to help you learn stuff, now that sounds interesting doesn't it? Let's travel down this path for just a little bit, I know a short cut come on. Kids don't want to read because it's too hard to understand and no one pushes them to try harder, so no one learns to read the comics, driver's manual to get liscense, or game instructions or knows how to use internet search engines. OMG! How would anyone text!? How would anyone get a job to begin with or fill out the papers at the doctor/dentist offices. Math is too complicated once you run out of fingers and toes to count so no one knows how to keep track of thier money, if they ever found any (remember no one can read the applications to get jobs). No one would be smart enough to do much of anything, we would be no better off that people were in the Stone Age.
Everyone of everyage has to do things they don't like. Even babies have to stay in a wet or dirty diaper until someone changes them,, bet they don't like that any more than any of the rest of us like certain things either.
Just Imagine what an injured person would do if they were taken to see the doctor and he/she didn't really feel like fixing them up and making them better? What if someone called 911......and no one answered?
Next time you really feel down because you don't want to do your homework, clean your room, walk/bathe/feed the dog or take out the trash,....Just Imagine.......

Fall break begins

Friday at 3:15 marked the beginning of Fall Break. As the bell rang to release all the students and staff it was as if the flood gates burst open. Waves of human bodies of various ages flowed through the doors into buses, trucks, vans and cars. Everyone had individual plans of how they would enjoy a week of no school.
I couldn't wait for my adventure to begin. I wasn't sure what that adventure would be, but I knew it would be exciting. Okay, I hadn't planned a thing and I was bummed out because we couldn't take time off as a family long enough to go anywhere. We usually go to Disney World during Fall Break but this year it didn't work out. I made my usual errands and made supper for the family. Once we had finished eating and the dishes were done I joined my hubby in a cup of coffee in front of the television. There wasn't much on and I noticed that I felt very tired. I found this odd because it was still a couple hours until my usual bedtime, but I took a shower and curled up with a book in bed. I was reading a very interesting book about Walter Elias Disney because I really admire his vision and his work.
I woke up and to the sound of my husband's voice as he was trying to wake the girls. I must have still been dreaming because first of all I couldn't believe that he was up before I was and that he would be getting the girls up on a Saturday morning- before I was even out of bed. I could hear him and Joy whispering in the hall saying something about "her stuff". I really got suspicious now and had to get up. I tried to be quite, I know that is sorta sneaky but I wanted to know what was going on. I slipped on my house shoes and pulled a sweatshirt on over my pajamas and headed to the restroom. It was then that I noticed several of my personal hygiene items were missing from the cabinet. I slowly opened the door to walk back into our bedroom and noticed that my dresser drawers were partially opened, the closet door had been left ajar and our vacation tote was missing. This was the final straw I wanted to know what the heck was going on. I walked to the door and as I swung it open, Mike was standing right in the doorway with a smile and said, "Good morning, dear. The girls are almost ready. There is not much time to explain, but you will need to change into some traveling clothes and we need to be heading out." He walked straight into me, forcing me to walk backwards into the room and then he shut the door. I tried to ask him questions but he just kept repeating the same message only saying it somewhat differently each time. I wanted to be angry that he wouldn't let me talk but I was so shocked at his behavior. So I did as he said, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, some under garments and went to the restroom to change. I washed my face and brushed my hair into a ponytail. As I walked out he was at the door asking Michelle something about Ginger. I panicked, I knew that she was officially a senior dog now but was not ready to say good-bye to her. As I walked toward the door he heard me and spun around. He told me to make sure to grab my jacket and sunglasses after I put my shoes on. I asked him what was going on and demanded that he tell me right now. He said everything was already worked out but we needed to hurry. I asked if Ginger was okay. He looked surprised at my question and assured me that someone was taking care of her. By now I had put on my sneakers and was more determined to know what was happening. I could hear the girls doing something in the hallway, so I said, "Good morning girls!" to which they replied in unison, "Morning Mom!" and continued their hustling around. Mike then looked at me and said quite firmly, "Stay right here." as he walked out the bedroom door. He said something to the girls in a low whispery voice. I could tell he had not walked very far from the door so I didn't try to leave. I made the bed quickly, because I hate to think of going somewhere, who knows where, and my bed not being made. I could just imagine a firefighter bursting through the ceiling and noticing our unmade bed through the flames and then shaming us to the other firefighters later. I know that seems silly, but that's what I imagined happening, so I made our bed and picked up the socks and other dirty clothes off the floor and toss them into the hamper.
My husband opens the door and says, "Okay let's go."
We walked to the front door and set the alarm. As I walked out the front door I noticed that the Bravada was packed full of bags, luggage and two girls smiling from ear to ear. I looked at my husband and asked him, "What are you guys up to?" trying hard not to smile myself. He motions for me to get in as he approaches the driver's door. I oblige and get in on the passenger side and ask again, "What is going on?" I see him glance at the girls in the rear view mirror and they burst out together, "WE'RE GOING CAMPING!" as they start bouncing and cheering like two small kids. My husbands starts the engine and backs out. I am in shock! I couldn't believe they had kept this from me, successfully! I asked, "Lake Barkley?" they replied, "No,... Mammoth Cave!" Now I smiled, I was excited because I had wanted to go there in the future but wasn't sure when we would be able to arrange it. As we turned onto the bypass I said, "WAIT! What about Ginger?" Mike said, "Joy took her to the kennel this morning while you were getting dressed. Everything is arranged. I called and reserved a campsite with water and electricity for three nights. The girls packed the food you had on that old camping check list from a few years ago." I laughed and said, "Honey, that was more than a few years ago." As we all laughed in agreement he continued, "I packed the camping gear and pulled out our clothes for the girls to pack up with theirs. Oh, I forgot to ask, how did you sleep dear?" I gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Soundly and too long obviously, why?" They all busted out laughing and he said, "Remember the cup of coffee I made you? Well I put Tylenol pm into it. Remember when you said that you didn't care what people said, YOU could taste the difference between decaf and regular? I almost chocked on my coffee because I knew it wasn't decaf and I knew that wasn't what you tasted. I'm sorry that I had to pull that on you but you just sleep to lightly for us to do anything once you go to bed. There was no way to pack things up without you knowing it, so we had to knock you out." They all laughed again, this time I joined them and playfully slapped at him.
I was thrilled that we were going camping for a few days at Mammoth Cave, but I think I was more pleased that they had planned it all with out my help and kept it a secret from me; that in itself was shocking. This was one of best vacations that I could remember. I never realized how much planning everything by myself stressed me out. I had such a good time laughing at all the things they forgot or didn't even think about to prepare for, like utensils for eating with or extra tarps in case it rains. Sure we spent extra money to run to the nearest store to buy aluminum foil, plastic forks and spoons, dish detergent and paper towels as well as a few other things but how could I be angry they did a good job for their first time. They remember the most important stuff and the fact that they had done it was amazing to me. This is a camping trip I will never forget.

Okay, so this didn't happen, I just IMAGINED it, a girl can dream can't she?!

Tarzan-style

As a child I always wanted a tree house. I fantasized about life in a home above the ground, where you could be hidden above the world below. I enjoyed climbing trees and sitting on the branches to watch the happenings of far away. I could hide from my friends and wait for them to look for me. Sometimes I would hear what they said about me, now that was interesting but sometimes I didn't like what I heard. Anyway I always wanted to live like the Swiss Family Robinson or like Tarzan. I can remember when my dad would make a new deer stand, I wanted to keep it for myself and play in it. It was like a playhouse that he put up into a tree, perfect! I wasn't allowed to play in it though, once I turned 14 I was allowed to HUNT from it, so I did. As the years past he added carpeting to the floor and walls to help with muffle the sound of the hunter's movements while in the deer stand. He added sliding glass windows to help with the warmth and also to ward off squirrels from making nests inside the stands. They became quite comfy over the years, comfy enough that one could take a sleeping bag and stay the night in it. As a matter of face, some did.
I can not express my excitement when I discovered that Disney Vacation Club was adding Tree house villas to their resort. My enthusiasm increased by leaps and bounds when I learnt that these villas were going to be a part of our home resort, which means we have top priority for reservations and 3 extra months to reserve one. I was finally going to live Tarzan-style. Even if it was only for a short vacation stay, I would have my own tree house.

SHHH! I'm hunting adventure.

I love adventure, don't you? Every time we go to the Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World we have to take the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride. It is almost never the same. You never know which wild animals will greet you as you explore the Savannah. The first time we took this Safari we didn't see many animals that we had not seen before. We saw Ostriches, Elephants, Crocodiles, Giraffes, and many others. The second time we went we not only saw Giraffes but was close enough to a family of 3 that we could have reached out the side of the truck to touch it (if that would have been permissible). A baby giraffe was standing directly in the roadway so we were stuck in our tracks until a park ranger could drive out on the Savannah and shoo it along. We certainly enjoyed the show as all the other giraffes stood around eating their lunch, probably wondering why the wheeled creatures won't move out of their dining room. lol!

The next time we were on this Safari we got a great view of the hippos, and wildebeest as well as other deer like animals ( I forgot their names). The last time we visited Animal Kingdom was the best of all, we saw the lions up roaming around and spotted the cheetahs. Like I said, each time we go there is something new to see.

Hummmmm,

Imagine a school day that starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. Imagine a school year that has four weeks off during the summer. If President Obama has his way about it this could be come a reality.
I'm curious what would happen to our seasonal breaks. Would we be granted a longer Spring, Fall and Winter break? Would we have more holidays off? If the answer to these questions was yes then a shorter summer wouldn't be as bad. But if we are going to continue along the same schedule as we do currently then many people are going to be upset.
Will school taxes increase and school fees increase? The faculty and staff will be working more hours so the money to pay them has to come from somewhere, so where will it come from? Will more people find employment in the schools with the increased hours?
What about recess? Will the be an afternoon break for students to snack? Most students are used to eating an "after school snack" around 3:30 or 4:00. If we are still in school will healthy snacks be added to the daily class schedules?
These are things we should be thinking about. What do you think?

Some place else

Do you ever like to imagine that you are somewhere OTHER THAN where you are? I do. For instance, right now I am sitting at my desk at work FREEZING so I am trying to imagine that I am sitting on a tropical beach. I am sitting in a lounge chair with my bare feet in the white sand. I imagine that I can feel the warm sea breeze blowing my cotton shirt against my stomach as I sit here with my eyes closed and head laid back on the head rest of my chair. I imagine that I can feel the sand between my toes as I curl them up. I hear the seagulls calling out to each other as they fly around the rocks looking for small fish to eat. I imagine that I can hear the palm branches as the wind pushes them back and forth and the waves as they gently play along the beach. Well it's kinda hard to really imagine as I type this blog quickly before my break is over, but you get my point, right?
Some times it helps to think of yourself in a happier or better place, don't you think? Don't get so into it that you start avoiding situations or oblivious to things going on around you. For instance, I have had to stop and start this blog three times already because of people needing assistance here in the library. Yes, I am on break but it is not like I walk away from my desk to take a break, that becomes to bothersome. So I just take a short break when I need it, some days I don't even take one, OK MOST days I don't. Some days I do and when my "break" is "interrupted" I just resume when I can. My point was that you can't let your day dream to a better place stop you from doing what you are supposed to be doing. It's nice to imagine though isn't it.

Just Blogging

I check my blogger page once in a while and I always find that there is nothing new to read. I was hoping that I would have new blogs to read from people that I know. I guess everyone, including myself just doesn't have much time or ideas to blog with. I may need to get to know more people too.

Walt Disney Quotes

Walt Disney Quotes

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What An Inspiration!

After listening to President Obama's "Back to School" speech yesterday I started thinking about some of the things he said. My mind travels very quickly sometimes and my train of thought went from what the President said to people that are proof of how those words are true. When the President said, "Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is." I thought of many people that like to do things that they consider a hobby or maybe something they do to destress. Art came to mind, I used to (what other people call doodling) sketch or draw when I needed to let my mind rest or cleanse itself.

Then I thought of many different people when he said, "Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team."

One of those that came to mind as I pondered on his speech could have easily never been heard of, never developed thier talent and never changed the world as they have today.

My train of thought took me to the same person when I heard him say, "Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, 'I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.' These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time." Even though the President mention two very good examples I had a different one come to mind. The person that I thought of was born over a hundred years ago, but many of us know well of them and enjoy the fruits of thier labor. This person's father moved from Canada to California in 1878 looking for gold, little did this man know that his child would later create a "gold mine" of opportunities in the same state. He was in Florida when he married in 1884, no one knew of the dreams that would later come true in that state. This couple made a family home in the farmlands of Missouri in the early 1900's where one of their children developed a love for drawing. As a freshman in high school this young student took night classes at the Chicago Art Institute to better develop thier skills. After being rejected by the army this young man joined up with another local artist to start thier own buisiness as commercial artists, which failed to stay afloat. Then he started an animation business which later went bankrupt. In the late 1920's he fell victim to production and contract conflicts which caused him to loose most all his employees to Universal Pictures as well as his successfull trademark, Oswald-the lucky rabbit. It would have been easy for him to call it quits after this failure. But he did not. Just as President Obama mentioned, "you can't let your failures define you-you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you differently what to do next time." This man went back to the drawing board, literally. He remember a pet mouse he had adopted back in Kansas City while working late nights in the studio. From this creation came an opportunity to use what he had learned to fulfill his destiny. From this simple drawing he built an empire. He won 59 Academy Awards and 26 Oscars as well as 7 Emmy Awards. One of his most famous quotes is, "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."
I am of course referring to Walt Disney.

So It Begins

I am new to this blogging thing and want to give it a try. I have heard a lot about blogging and I love to write so I thought this could be fun. This is the first attempt so bare with me as I begin this adventure in blogging.
Many things we do have to start somewhere, there has to be a beginning so this is mine. I have a myspace page and a facebook page but I don't feel free to write what is on my mind or express myself openly there, I hope to here.
I am not sure what I'll write about but I can imagine it will be a variety of topics with different views and sometimes entertaining to read.

D. Moma