Jambo!
Jina langu Linda.
That means "hello". And "my name is Linda".

I'm practicing my Swahili! Hope you don't mind.
I figure if I'm going over, even for two weeks, I should know a few of the more important words.

Tafadhali is "please", and Ahsante sana is "thank you".

Vizuri is "good", vibaya is "bad".

Sifahamu kiswahili is "I don't understand swahili". (I better have that one down good!)

Unasema Kiingereza is "Do you speak english?"

Swahili is not a pretty language. It uses a lot of consenants that don't seem to go together, like Ngorongoro, which is the name of one of the big wildlife regions north Morogoro where I will be. In Swahili you pronounce each letter, none are silent. It just doesn't roll off the tongue easily.

Oh, and since I'm going to an area that is full of lions, hyenas and other nasty predators, another word I probably should know,... Kimbia! - "Run!"

“What you see is what you get.”

Ok, Jodi, I know you’re out there,… I can hear you breathing.

Why don’t you update your blog! Oh, I guess it’s because you don’t have anything to blog about. I mean, it’s not like you have a new grandson or anything, - or that the next family member you were supposed to write about just happens to be his proud and patient Momma.

Ok, I’ll do this next installment for ya! Only I’ll do you!

So, my sister Jodi. Hmmm, how would you describe her? She’s a very unique individual, to be sure. Let’s see,…

“Jodi is a hillbilly version of Mother Theresa with an attitude, … in lime green socks and a sweatshirt.” Yep, that pretty much sums it up. But let me expound a bit.

Jodi is about 5’5” and weights 102 lbs. Oh, hell, now that middle age has hit, she might be tipping the scales at about 108. But tiny as she is, Jodi is the toughest person I know. Mentally, physically and emotionally, I’d stack her up against Mr. T or Hulk Hogan any day, - and watch her reduce them to a sniveling mass of flem. (Kate never did stand a chance, and she knew it. That’s why she was a no-show on the beach.)

Jodi’s one downfall is that she has the biggest heart in the world. She can’t handle seeing anyone or anything feeling down and out. I mean, this woman has beat Cancer – twice! But she can’t handle seeing an old house torn down, or a child crying. She wants to fix everything – for everybody – all the time. If she could, she would spend every waking moment of every day working just to make other people happy, but unfortunately, she has to eat and sleep sometime. Jodi is happiest when she’s “fixing” things.

And then, Oh poor Jodi, her sense of “style” has kind of been a family joke for several years now. I remember several years ago when she was quite the fashion plate! But somewhere along the line, she got this dumb idea that it was better to be comfortable than to look cute. Can you believe that!!! Well, anyway,… she’s always wearing sweatshirts, no matter what the weather. Well, actually if it’s over 100 degress, she does wear a t-shirt. Some of her sweatshirts are pretty cool, like her BSU ones! But the real kicker that made Jodi’s wardrobe famous is lime green socks. She got some in the early 80’s and wore them every single day for over 20 years! Then, last spring, I realized she was without them! My God, they finally wore out! I knew this had to have been taking an emotional tole on her, so I began watching for new ones in stores. The problem is – no one in their right mind wears lime green socks, so they weren’t exactly easy to find. But I did find some in July and took them to her. I take comfort in knowing that Jodi was probably able to maintain emotional stability because I found her new lime green socks.

Jodi has her own unique style of humor. Basically, she excels at making fun of other people. She will tell a story, or make a comment, with such dry wit that you just about bust a gut laughing. The visuals Jodi puts in my head crack me up so much, I almost pee my pants.

And finally, Jodi really isn’t a hill-billy. Steve is a hill-billy. Ival is a hill-billy ‘wannabe’. But Jodi is just a very genuine person, - a “what you see is what you get” kind of person, and that sometimes gets confused with hill-billyism. But she’s not a hillbilly. She is fun, and funny, beautiful and bright, and quite entertaining. But she’s not a hill-billy, she’s just my big sister, Jodi.

I love you Sis!!!

I tried to see the Roloffs...

The 'Little People in a Big World' live with a LOT of mud and BIG raindrops!


It was POURING rain when Lisa and I first got there. The wind was howling and blew over a sign beside their farm's sign.

But we fearlessly braved the rain and made a run for the gift shop/farm tour depot. We found out that the family was all in school. And that the farm tours had just been canceled due to rain and mud. Go figure.

Well, I thought I'd at least get a few photos, so Jodi could see some of the farm. So I asked where the pumpkin launcher was, and they'd point to this thing. Then they said, "That's the trebachan." (sp?) So I asked again, "But where's the pumpkin launcher?" Again, they point to this thing. "But you said that was a trebachan!" Finally, the guy says, "Trebachan is french for pumpkin launcher!" Uh, yeah, I knew that...

So I didn't get to meet the Roloffs, but I did get a few pics of the farm. Next year, Jodi, you have to come over here and go with me. Okay?

Sorry, I don't feel like blogging right now. Nothing witty or cute this week.
Lisa is back in Boise. It's amazing how much sunshine she took with her. She is so animated and fun. Damn, she brighted up this place. Don't get me wrong, I'm REALLY glad that she and Rod are working on plans for the two of them together, instead of working seperately on their own issues. They belong together and I love him to pieces. I think it was the right thing for her to do. Actually, I feel blessed to have had her here at all.

"The difference between right and almost right is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug." ~ Mark Twain

It's not a "booger" picture, it's snot! BIG difference! See, snot is runnier. The big difference is in their viscosity. Snot is less viscous, somewhere between water and pudding. Whereas boogers are basically solid. They have a higher viscosity, with a consistency between pudding and solid rock. And if I'm going to go into business at this, it's important to know the difference. I'll keep you all posted as I learn more.
He, he, he!
P.S. Anonymous wasn't Bob. He'd be MUCH more blunt than that. I strongly suspect it's his daughter, Julie! Am I right????

"It isn't easy being green." ~ Kermit The Frog

I have some great help at work, keeping the bugs off my house plants. There are several tiny Pacific Tree Frogs that live in the house plant atrium that are my assistants. They do a good job eating bugs and enjoying the moist environment of the house plant area, and early in the morning, before we open, they sing for me.

One day, I had to take a bunch of gardenias out onto the loading dock to spray them for “scale”. (The one bug frogs can’t help me with.) As I plastered this plant with insecticide, one of the tiny green frogs bailed off the plant onto the floor. To my horror, I realized I’d just coated him with insecticide! I dropped my bottle of Mr. Yuk, and began pursuing the tiny frog. I knew I had to rinse him off or he’d die. But he was soooo fast! I chased him halfway across our huge loading dock, and past the hose with spray nozzle. Ah, ha! I didn’t have to catch him, just hit him with plenty of water. So then I was chasing him, all over the other half of the dock, sending water everywhere. The pursuit finally ended when I corned him against the far wall, a box, and my foot. I gave him (and my foot) a good gentle shower, and I am convinced he lived to see another day.

However, when I turned around, the loading dock foreman, Greg, was standing there with his hands on his hips.

“F-frog,… there’s a frog here. I accidentally sprayed him with insecticide. I HAD to rinse him off….” I said, standing there in a puddle, one leg soaked nearly to my knee.

Greg just shook his head and walked off. I figured I’d get called into the Manager’s office later and get a talking to about soaking the loading dock. But I never heard anything. I guess Greg likes frogs, too.