WordSisters

Tag: wordsisters

  • Bam! Another one off the bucket list.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMany, many years ago I heard a person say, “Do what you want to do if it is neither illegal nor dangerous.” I embodied that message, and for me, a dog show falls in that category. I’ve always wanted to go to one. I don’t know why. This was one of those wants that wasn’t a high priority but was always there niggling in the back of my head.

    A dog show falls into, “Oh, that’s different” category. I mean, who goes to dog shows? Exactly.

    When a family has so many options for weekend activities, a dog show could end up being too piddling of a niggle to ever come to fruition.

    The funniest dog show our family has ever stumbled on was years ago at the Minnesota State Fair when we chanced upon an agility contest in the round barn. Agility is the ultimate game for a dog and its handler. I’ve always hoped that lucky accident would repeat itself, but it never happened again.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAJody has been interested in participating in dog agility shows. But, the closest we have come to being a contender is Jody teaching the dog to roll over and to shake hands. All my research shows that this does not make us a contender.

    As you can tell already the ‘dog show sport’ only interests me as an observer and if I was ever going to get to a dog show, I would need to be purposeful.

    In the Sunday paper I saw the advertisement: Land O’Lakes Kennel Club presents its annual dog show at Saint Paul RiverCentre from Friday – Sunday, January 3-5.

    I could take care of a niggling want once and for all!

    More than 2,000 purebred canines – from big to small, hunting to herding, working and terrier, and even lap dogs – would compete for American Kennel Club (AKC) awards.

    It sounded exciting. I probed the Internet to see if I could find the schedule so the day could actually be a planned outing.

    A schedule was not to be found.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAStill, I planned, I even dealt in a little subterfuge with Jody, and we kept our outing from Antonio and Crystel until we were on our way to St. Paul. The only thing they could get out of me was that it was spelled d. o. g.

    Now that the event is over, I need to tell you that the excitement was not the dog show itself but our clandestine approach to the event, the traveling in the car to St. Paul, parking in the RiverCentre parking ramp, and cartwheeling our way to the show.

    A dog show is one of those things that you don’t have to do again. I kept wanting a bit more. But, a bit more was not to be had. You could say that it was all fluff and prettiness. None of the dirt and grit that I love.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhat was most interesting about the dog show is that I saw two other writers who were checking out the show. That’s who go to dog shows? Writers? I made the most of it and introduced  my family to Stephanie Wilbur Ash and Geoff Herbach. Every opportunity I have I point out to Antonio and Crystel that real people write books. “Can you believe it,” I said, “You are standing next to I’M WITH STUPID and STUPID FAST?”

    This year, if your want isn’t illegal or dangerous, go for it! Just make sure you enjoy the ride. That might be your take-away.

  • Tae Kwon Do in review

    Tae Kwon Do in review

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA4 black belts. Not an easy path for any of us. There were times I thought Kor-Am Master Lindeberg would kick the entire family out.

    First we had Mr. Antonio who at 4-years old loved to jump on classmates, cartwheel back to his place in line, and once there distract others until it was his turn again.

    Master Lindeberg agreed that it was best that I didn’t watch Antonio while he was in class since it made me cry. I would go for a run instead.

    What you do to a no belt.
    What you do to a no belt.

    The plan was for Crystel to start one year later to give Antonio time to advance on his own timing. Well, that wasn’t happening. We started her anyway.

    Crystel’s kihap (“Taekwondo`s spirited shout) was just a bit louder than a newborn chick … for years. Her defense was definitely going to be her best offense.

    She often wanted to quit Tae Kwon Do and Jody and I told her that she could after she successfully tested for her next rank.  Each time she tested and passed she felt so good that she didn’t want to quit until after she started learning her new form. But then … she couldn’t quit until she successfully tested for her next rank … she started catching on after a couple of years and she successfully quit after receiving her red belt.

    After a year she started again. When she got to be a candidate for black belt I joined so she could humiliate me and feel good about it.

    The humiliation
    The humiliation

    I thought that I might be the first no belt, who stayed a no belt, because when people were standing frontwards – I was backwards, if they were east – I was west. That certainly did keep my children engaged. They found a new joy in Tae Kwon Do.

    I kept showing up though and Master Lindeberg was kind enough to allow me to continue training even though I was slower than others in catching on.

    I must say that I spent extra time working on a menacing look while placing my fist into my palm to scare the little kids even though that wasn’t part of the curriculum. Unfortunately, you don’t get a trophy for looking tough at little people.

    Jody watched all of us get our black belts and then joined figuring if the three of us could do it without getting kicked out of Tae Kwon Do surely she could.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow since we are all black belts, the only hope for me is to keep working on my look because that sweet girl of mine wants to kick me in the head (and has), Antonio does pay attention, and Jody is in my age group. I might be sparring her some day in a tournament and god help me if she wins.

    Earning a Black Belt is just the beginning.

  • What’s In Arkansas?

    The Movie Shoot
    The Movie Shoot

    Thanksgiving dinner, good company, excellent hiking trails, a movie shoot, and 50 degree weather.

    The second question to arise in the ten-hour drive from Minneapolis is why is Arkansas pronounced AR-ken-saw?

    Our van ride was more docile than the fight in 1881 over the State’s pronunciation.The pronunciation of Arkansas was made official by an act of the state legislature in 1881, after a dispute between two U.S. Senators from Arkansas. One wanted to pronounce the name ar-KAN-zes and the other wanted AR-ken-saw.

    Hobbs State Park Conservation Area
    Hobbs State Park Conservation Area

    I hadn’t done any research on the inlaws or the state of Arkansas prior to visiting. I returned to Minneapolis after our 4-day stay delighted in both. So much so, I thought about moving.

    Prior to our visit, I had not given any thought to the geography of the state. I pictured it as a small postage stamp. What I found was surprisingly different.

    The state’s geography ranges from mountains to densely forested land to  lowlands along the Mississippi River. Arkansas has 52 state parks.

    Hobbs State Park Recreation Area, where we hiked has bluffs, rocky outcrops, limestone bedrock, caves, sink holes, and a fault line. Crystel has lately been in the habit of cartwheeling everywhere she goes and can now say that she has done it on a trail in Arkansas.December 4 2013 196

    December 4 2013 186Signage in Arkansas could be an issue. In this picture if you look at the sign it clearly says that the War Eagle Valley Loop is straight ahead. That is actually Little Clifty Creek – the difference being a 9 mile hike instead of the 6 mile hike we envisioned ourselves on. I shouted after the mountain bikers and horse back riders what trail they thought THEY were on. And we weren’t thinking the same.

    Orange tree where the oranges look like brains
    Orange tree.

    One just needs to keep in mind the earlier dispute in 1881. There was obviously confusion there too and they even made it a law to keep it confusing.

    Near our home base was a wonderful backyards trail in J.B. Hunt Park. The park covers 105 acres and was a beautiful hour walk that included a path around a  lake, a spring, and orange trees. The oranges looked like brains. December 4 2013 172

    The children received their first ‘real’ paycheck in Arkansas. They were paid to be in a movie shoot with What’s Up, Que Pasa.

    Ozark Video needed two 11-year old children that knew a bit of Spanish for a quiz show. Fortunately, we were available and Antonio and Crystel had the right December 4 2013 093complexion.  This could be the start of something big.

    Arkansas is definitely a place to visit. Don’t skirt around it. Stop, if you are in the area.