Whining Interrupted

I have neglected my blog – a series of days with temps in high 90′s &  heat indexes of 107 can do that to a person. There are only 2 rooms in our house with an AC unit and anything outside of those rooms is uninhabitable.  Add to that my first, EPIC case of poison ivy and you have some idea of where my head has been for the past three weeks. I finally broke down yesterday and saw a nurse practitioner  who took one look at me (and my jumbo zip lock bag full of OTC lotions and sprays) and prescribed oral steroids. She said it “might” make me irritable.  (I told her my husband would not notice the change.)

While I whine and moan and complain about the heat, itching, and how everything in my laundry basket has calamine lotion stains, a blogger who I admire and love has had more on her plate than any human should have to endure. The blog is Toddler Planet , but don’t let the name fool you. Toddler Planet is written by Susan Niebur, four time cancer survivor, astrophysicist, and mom of two happy little 4 & 6-year-old boys. Susan is now fighting metastatic breast cancer in her spine, hip, and ribs, still looking for that “new normal.”

Any ONE of those things would be enough to deal with, but all of them?  There are no adequate words to describe her brilliance, her humor, her humanity and her uncanny ability to take her own trials and use them to benefit others. She makes science and the study of the stars spellbinding.  I am in complete awe of her – and I pray for her daily.  I think of her often, and at odd times throughout the day.  I have always believed that when we think of someone out of the blue, it is actually grace compelling us to say a prayer for that person.

As I get older, I appreciate more and more the short prayer Catholics say during the Our Father.  When you get to the “deliver us from evil” part most Christians continue right  into “for Thine is the kingdom…” but Catholics inserted a little bonus application for help:

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope…..

Being protected from anxiety is something I have struggled with my entire life.  I love that little add-on, and I  frequently use it as a stand-alone prayer.  I believe in the power of prayer.  I pray that Susan is delivered from anxiety, and from all the other things she is struggling with today.  Please join me & send up your own versions of something that will wrap this woman (whom I have never met) in a loving blanket of faith, healing and comfort.

Thank you.

My Name is Jo, and I am a Craniac.

Disclaimer:  I am not a “birder” by any means, but  growing up in the Central North American Flyway I just assumed the migration of  cranes was something everyone got to see.   Not true.  Ever since  I moved East  I have to miss  the annual migration of Sandhill cranes, now taking place….back home.  I am a craniac.  A lover of those long, leggy birds that come by the thousands and fill the skies at sunrise and sunset. They are a wonder to watch – they dance, they call, they huddle, feed, and sleep.   They are tall – three feet, plus.

From the International Crane Foundation website:

Mated pairs of cranes, including Sandhill Cranes, engage in unison calling, which is a complex and extended series of coordinated calls. While calling, cranes stand in an upright posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. In Sandhill Cranes the female initiates the display and utters two, higher-pitched calls for each male call. While calling, the female raises her beak about 45 degrees above the horizontal while the male raises his bill to a vertical position. All cranes engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, as well as wing flapping. Though it is commonly associated with courtship, dancing can occur at any age and season. Dancing is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes and thwarts aggression, relieves tension, and strengthens the pair bond.

Watching them dance  moves something inside you that cannot be put in to words – it is primal, intimate  and awesome.  I am so thankful to the  Audubon Center at  Rowe Sanctuary for soothing my homesick soul with their wonderful CRANE CAM.  Viewing is best in the early (sunrise)  or late (sunset) hours of the day – do remember they are in the Central Time Zone.  If no birds are visible, it’s still nice to listen to the Platte River (“a mile wide and an inch deep”) roll past.
Remember when CBS Sunday Morning used to have that nature piece at the end of every show?  Now they call it a “moment of nature” because that is how long it lasts. Back in the day  it used to roll about 2 minutes long, with extraordinary footage of some fabulous location, animals, or volcanic activity.  ( If you are listening CBS -  I miss that.  Anyone with the attention span longer than that of a gnat misses it, too.)   I remember several years ago on  a Sunday, watching that show on my 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee when the nature segment came on and the  announcer said,   “We leave you today on the Platte River in Nebraska, where the Sandhill cranes are making a stop on their annual migration.”  I watched with pure delight – and then I burst into homesick tears.   It was fabulous.  I have a connection with those birds.  I am a craniac.

PS – the camera at the Rowe Sanctuary is Flash based, meaning  we can’t watch it on our iPads.  Along with CBS Sunday Morning butchering their nature segments, the lack of Flash capability on their devices has also earned  Apple and Steve Jobs a special place on my  “Turd in the Punchbowl” list.

Noelco!

It isn’t the original, but pretty close.  I have such memories of this commercial (for some unknown reason) and it is nice to see it up on YouTube.  Bonus – you  get a peek at the  wonky,  1970′s state of the art beauty supplies!  Enjoy!

“Noel-co, Even Our Name Says Merry Christmas!”

Norelco Electric Razors