Monthly Archives: April 2011

Turning Back Time: Favorite Cartoons

12 Tuesday Apr 2011

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Friday afternoon, Ed took Emmy to the library, and she made an adorable rabbit hat during a children’s craft time. When I saw her in this cute hat, I said, “Eh, what’s up, doc?” and realized Emmy had no idea what I was talking about!

As I’ve mentioned before, my parents were really strict in regards to what we could and could not watch on television. It was the 70’s, and I was banned from watching all the cool shows. The Dukes of Hazzard had Daisy Dukes: too sexy! Charlie’s Angels had the 3 angels: way too sexy! And CHiPs? I don’t know — maybe that show aired past my early bedtime. Whenever I visited my aunt and uncle in Des Moines, however, I was glad that at least my parents let me watch some TV. My aunt refused to even own a TV.

Saturday morning guidelines were just as strict, and we were only allowed to watch The Bugs Bunny Show. We watched it every Saturday morning, and saw the same episodes over and over. Daffy Duck was hysterical, and Road Runner not so much. After a while, I had seen the show too often and wished there was something else I could watch. But there was nothing; our antennae didn’t pick up that many TV stations, and there was no such thing as a VCR.

Since Emmy had no idea who said, “What’s up, doc?” Ed started showing Emmy and Lily Bugs Bunny cartoons on YouTube. I kept calling out to him: “Look for the Barber of Seville! What about the hasenpfeffer one?” Lily and Emmy loved watching Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Yosemite Sam. Those cartoons I had gotten sick of watching when I was a kid were fun to watch again. They brought back a sense of nostalgia for me.

As coincidence would have it, yesterday I was looking in my 1978 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book for a chicken cacciatore recipe and I stumbled upon the recipe for “Hasenpfeffer.” Sure enough, it reads, “Cut one 1 to 2 pound ready-to-cook rabbit into serving pieces.”  Now I need to introduce the girls to “I tawt I taw a puddy tat!”

What cartoons did you used to watch on Saturday morning?

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10 Miles

11 Monday Apr 2011

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There is a bike trail less than a mile from our house, and I’ve never followed it to where it goes. On Saturday, as part of my training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, I had to walk 10 miles. I decided to see exactly where this bike path went.

Mile 1

Shortly after I started walking on the bike path, I realized I was in an industrial area. The path followed high-tension wires. Above me were great, gray, buzzing towers, and around me were school bus yards, machine shops and tree-trimming services. But between the path and these industrial yards was a border of wetlands. Birds were abundant, and I heard robins chirping and the call of red-winged blackbirds. I saw two mourning doves, but they did not make their mournful sound.

Red Winged Blackbird

Mile 2

A pair of Canada Geese were ahead of me on the path. In order to pass, I’d have to walk right between them. The ground on either side of the path was too boggy to walk on. They watched me warily as I passed, and one hissed at me as I went on my way, as if to say, “I let you pass this time.”

Mile 3

The path had slowly meandered its way through the industrial area, past town homes and apartment buildings. As I rounded the bend, I saw a picturesque bridge with a weeping willow. I finally heard a mourning dove, but this time the bird stayed hidden.

Mile 4

The day was overcast and gray, but just the right temperature. I finally reached my goal: Lake A—

Mile 5

As I walked around the lake, I heard something behind me. I was soon passed by four kayakers, paddling quickly in the water below me.

Mile 6

Feeling hungry, I had originally thought I would rest on a bench after walking around the lake to eat my granola bar. But as I approached the bench, my legs feeling tired, I realized if I sat down I wouldn’t want to get up again. Plus, I had to go to the bathroom. I ate as I went homeward bound.

Mile 7-8

While I had met few walkers and bikers on my walk to the lake, on my way home I saw one lone jogger. I took this opportunity to stop, rest my legs, and take some pictures.

A milk weed pod, its silky contents long gone

A thistle, dried out from the long winter

Mile 9-10

As I neared the end of my walk, I was tired, thirsty (I rationed the last of my water especially since there were no bathrooms on the path) but yet thrilled that I had accomplished something I didn’t think I could do. Three and a half hours after I had started out, I walked in my front door.

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Don’t forget to join me tomorrow for Turning Back Time. Tomorrow’s theme: cartoons!