Miss Rumphius: A Story Re-Imagined

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney: Re-imagined

An eclectic group of people lived in quaint houses scattered about  a small mid-western town called Carlinville. All around the town, there were beautiful, flowering plants. When people got off the train or visited the library, they enjoyed the pretty landscape. But it was not always so.

When they were younger, each of the people who lived about Carlinville decided to do three things:

• Live in the beautiful mid-west
• Make a contribution with their talents in worthy professional pursuits
• Make the world a more beautiful place

So they set out to do those things. They spent their years as coal miners, teachers, superintendents, business professionals, mothers and fathers. They made Carlinville better with their vocations and their example. 

The years went by, and they realized they still had one thing they needed to accomplish:

Make the world a more beautiful place.

One day, they noticed that the city's public buildings were pretty and yet bare. They also noticed that in order to keep a community flourishing, the bees needed plants to buzz around and pollen to spread. Then they realized that they could make the city more beautiful, provide for the bees, and fulfill their desire to make the world more beautiful, one landmark at a time.  

So, they went to their houses and asked others for access to their yards as well, and they began digging up the flowering plants that grew there. They took their donated plants and their ambition, and they began to plant the things bees love all over the city of Carlinville. 

Everywhere they worked, the city took on a new glow. And so did the people. The bees were happy, and it turns out that what makes bees happy makes people happy, too. They attended council meetings to update the city's leadership about their projects, and they all supported one another in the ways they worked to make the city a lovely place to live, contribute and make the world more beautiful. They even prompted the City of Carlinville to be declared the first Bee City in Illinois.

The next spring, there will be bees and beauty everywhere, and the little group of  community volunteers will have made a difference in the city and in the residents' lives. 

I know this because these people are my fellow citizens, in the town I call home. And they have inspired our community's young people to start on their own goals of making the world a more beautiful place, teaching volunteerism and community from the dirt up. 

I, too, will live in this quaint, mid-western town called Carlinville. I, too, will make a contribution with worthy professional pursuits. And I, too, will make the world a more beautiful place. 

But I do not know yet what that can be.

Dear Tom,

I remember when we first met.  Me, so full of expectation; you, so full of promise.  I was in a place in my life when you seemed like just my type--natural, trustworthy, safe.  And you talked such a good game.  I knew that our relationship would go one of two ways:  either it would be all I ever hoped for, or it would stink.

Well, you let me down, Tom.  I was embarrassed and hurt, and I felt as if I had been duped. 

But, when we ran into each other again a few days ago, my weakness for your promises came flooding back.  I thought, "Maybe this time will be different.  Maybe things have changed."  I was so optimistic, so full of hope, so eager for our return to each other. 

And you, Tom, you failed me again.  Big time.  But, I won't waste my time being ashamed...I will tell the world how you lie, how you never live up to your squeaky-clean image, how you disappoint so completely.

Truth:  It is not long lasting, smells only slightly bearable, and you spend 24 hours protected from contact with other human beings, due to your smelly self.  Courtesy of Tom.

Tom, you burn me once, shame on you.

Your burn me twice, shame on me!



Dad's Retirement--Round 1

Over this summer, a magical, long-anticipated event happened in our family:
My Dad retired.

Now, this has been particularly anticipated in the last couple of years, since Dad had to go all the way to Canada to finish out his time with his employer when they moved out of our area.  If you haven't read about the adventures of my family while the parents were away, read any of my posts filed under "brother" or "homecomings," and you will be up to date.

So--retirement.  We had a surprise party for Dad.  The surprise was that we were able to keep straight faces while lying through our teeth for weeks in order to get the party together.  And the bonus was that, for once in our lives, Mom told us to lie to Dad.  Fun.

The cake.

Memorabilia from his working years.

My personal favorite:  his lunch box. 

My dad took this small cooler to work every day for many years.  The contents would vary, except for two things:  Tums and ibuprofen.  Tough job.

Shop talk.

 Women folk.  Oh, if you could listen to this particular group of ladies. 

They are too funny.

Brother--remembered his side kick, forgot his shoes.

Priorities, people.

The guest of honor, best father in the world, hardest working man I know.

So, in his retirement, Dad has done the following, so far:

~ Got a dog and developed the most severe case of puppy-love I have ever witnessed.

~ Torn down a shed and built a new one out of the scraps.  Isn't that how we all do it?

~ Repaired vehicles for everyone in a fifteen mile radius.

~ Planted a massive garden, including a crazy amount of corn and pumpkins, which he sees as a perfect background to take more photos of his dog. 

~ Went back to work.  Seriously. 

So, Dad is now semi-retired, semi-OK with that, and completely enamored with his dog, Bruiser. 

But that love is for another post :)



Where I am in the Word

(source)

I must admit that I have been struggling to get back on track with spending time in the Bible daily, until just recently.  There was a time when it was automatic for me to start the day with a cup of coffee and an hour in God's word, soaking up the strength to go on with the day.  I got out of the routine, and, as with all good habits, it has been difficult to get back in.  But, I am making progress. 

For the past week, I have been reading the book of Hebrews.  I usually read two chapters a morning, right after waking up, and write my thoughts on the reading in a notebook.  It has been wonderful, so focusing.  I found these wise words:

"...pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."  Hebrews 2:1

We have to pay attention, or we risk drifting away.  When I stopped getting up early, spending time in my Bible, and praying before I began the day, I wasn't paying attention.  And I drifted.  But, there is hope for me:

"He rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Hebrews 11:6

I need only to seek Him again, and He will be there, ready to reward my efforts.  He has never stopped speaking, I only stopped listening.  It feels wonderful, peaceful to be seeking, paying attention, and drifting back to the Father. 



Let's not...

...do the thing where I tell you why I haven't been blogging.  Hi, there!

So, here is my life in a picture:

Core D--We started our school year the first of August.  This year we decided to go with Sonlight curriculum again, after taking two years off from using it.  I am so glad we revisited the idea!  Sonlight is so complete, totally planned out, and structured.  I love those aspects, but sometimes I let the "box check-er" in me get all freaked out about deviating from the schedule. 

Magazines--I am still serving on the city council.  It has been challenging, rewarding, and humbling.  I have so much to learn, so much growing to do.  I am grateful for the opportunity, so I am trying to make the best of the situation, make the best decisions I can, and never forget who I serve.

The English Novel--My fall college course has started!  I am doing a directed study on the novel.  I think it will be very interesting, and I am grateful to be studying under one of my favorite professors.  He is intelligent, thoughtful, and has always believed in me.  Let's hope I don't disappoint him this semester ;)

I hope to be back to a more regular schedule of blogging!

Mothers and Friends

If you tell me everything that is wrong with the world,

I will feel small and wonder why I should try.

But, if you show me how I can do anything if I work hard, I will do it with all my heart.

If you berate me for my failures and flaws, I will berate myself for them too.

But, if you encourage me to try again, I will, and I will like myself for it.

If you tell me all the reasons I "can't," I will believe you.

But, if you tell me the reasons why I can, I will believe in myself.

We all need a cheerleader, a person who believes in us, hopes for us, holds us up, and hears us out. 

I need that person.

And I got two.

Mom, thanks for knowing that if you just remind me of where I come from, I will remember where I am going.  Thanks for seeing the good in me when I made you look really hard.  Thanks for encouraging me when I discouraged you.  Thanks for being my friend.

Mother-in-law, thanks for loving me like I am yours.  Thanks for always being there to help, always reminding me that hard work is hard-won worth.  Thanks for being my friend.

Thank you both for teaching me how to mother by mothering me.

And thanks for still mothering this 32 year old woman who sometimes still feels small, scared, and unsure of herself.

I love you with all that I am.



Little Ladies?

"A lady wears appropriate makeup, enhancing her features without making it appear too obvious."

If it is possible to enhance the sight of missing teeth, I think they are on target.

"A lady chooses the proper attire for the occasion."

The occasion was trotting across the road to check out the neighbor's tractors. 

I think we've taught them well, don't you? 



A Simple Face Lift

I wish. 

However, the blog did get a simple face lift because:

1. I have too many books in my house, and my blog sidebar was reminding me of that each time I logged in.  So, instead of decluttering my home, I decluttered my blog.  Totally logical.
2. I haven't touched my blog in a month, so I felt like I needed to reclaim it.  Who knows what it has been doing while I was away.

Things have been crazy around here.  I was recently elected to public office in my city, which is very interesting and educational.  It also comes with the occupational hazard of neck/ear pain from holding the phone with my shoulder while I do laundry.  Such is the life.

I also decided that it was the right time to finish the four classes I need to get my bachelor's degree.  I know, the timing seems a little illogical, but I have decided that I work best under greater demands...at least that is what I keep repeating to myself when I go to sleep at night.  I figure it will be true soon. 

So, how are the ladies feeling about all this excitement?

Tiny Love is skeptical.

Curlyjo is too busy with more pressing matters to form an opinion.

So, some things are still the same around here :)

A Pain Worth Feeling

Sometimes, when I am flipping mindlessly through the hundreds of channels on the TV, I come across something that doesn't just move me, it shakes me.

Many times, it happens when I end up on the Documentary Channel.  Tonight, flipping through the channels while watching the Food Network (irony of ironies!), I caught the last half of the above documentary, Crayons and Paper.  The reaction I had to the suffering in Darfur, the loss, the hopelessness, the hope, was physically painful.  It is a pain that is familiar to me. 

Call me sentamental, call me dramatic, call me a wimp if you want to, but when I see the real suffering of real people, I ache inside.  I think about my comfort, my America, my obsession with my American comfort, and I feel ashamed and helpless.  And something in me wants to turn the channel, or the page, and just recoil from the painful pull I feel on the strings of my heart.  But I don't.  I tell myself,

"Don't.  Let yourself feel this.  If it pains the very heart of God, let it pain you."

I think the moments when I am closest to who God wants me to be is when I hurt for the pain of others.  Others I know, or don't know.  When I look at their lives, and I refuse to turn my head, I acknowledge the realness of it.  And how can action come if we first refuse to feel, to look, to hurt? 

I don't know what to do.  I have no plan.  I have no answers.  But I know that with tears in my eyes, I want a plan to do something to get answers.  I want God to answer my questions:

Why is there so much pain in the world of innocents? 

What can I do?

What will You do? 

When?

Moments after the documentary was over, with me curled up in the fetal position in the corner of my couch with tears coming freely, a commercial airs.  To sell me an Ab Roller, so that I can feel good about myself and my rock-hard abs.  Futility of futilities!  Show me something real, something painful, even.  But don't show me how to like myself more...I think I have too much of that already. 

Call Me the Lunch Lady

No, I do not own a hairnet or look much like Chris Farley, but it is a funny thought, no?

School lunch here at our home school is my favorite meal to cook.  Mainly because I don't have to please the Husband (that carnivore), and since the kids don't get to decide what they have for lunch in schools, I figure that applies here.  So I make what I want, and the kids usually like it.  It is known that I love to cook vegetarian, not only because it is healthy and tasty, but because vegetarian food is pretty.  Sorry, but meat just ain't pretty.

Today's lunch was sooo good, and came together "zippity quick," as Tiny Love would say.

For the salad:

• baby mixed greens
• baby spinach
• 1 green apple, chopped
• shredded carrots
• golden raisins
• feta cheese
• sunflower seeds
• red onion
• black pepper
• store-bought Light Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

There are no amounts, because I just threw it all in a bowl.  Use more or less of whatever you want.

For the sandwich:

• Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins
• hummus
• sliced mushrooms
• red onion
• garlic
• dried thyme
• 2 tbs. white wine
• provolone cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the sandwich thins on a baking sheet and toast them for about five minutes.  In a medium pan over medium high heat, cook mushrooms, onion and garlic, and thyme in a little olive oil until softened.  Add wine to deglaze the pan.  Cook until the moisture evaporates.  Spread the toasted buns (heh heh) with hummus, top with mushrooms and cheese, and heat in the oven until the cheese melts.  Serve!

The whole meal took about 15 minutes to make, and we all loved it!  Veggies are fancy fuel :)

I'm Having a Moment...

Sometimes I need a "shining moment."  Moms often do.  While the work of raising children and home schooling is rewarding, it is often a delayed gratification.  We sow now and reap later.  The challenges are many:

Will Curlyjo ever learn to tell time?

Will Tiny Love learn to channel her persistence into something other than begging for more snacks that include sugar?

Will I ever convince them that their room should not look like an episode of "Hoarders?"

Am I doing enough?

Are they doing enough?

Are we...enough?

And then, the moments come.  The ones I need to keep me going, keep me focused, and keep me from throwing rocks at innocent trees.

Last week they were told to come to church Wednesday night dressed as what they wanted to be when they grew up.  They both decided they wanted to dress up as "Moms."  I was infinitely proud to have the only two girls in the crowd who dressed up as mothers.  Because that is what the Women's Movement is all about, people...choice.  Not eliminating choice, but allowing it.  It is honorable to want to be a mother.  It is desirable, noble, and responsible.  Now, let it be known that Tiny Love also wants to be a veterinarian, teacher (public and home), and a doctor.  Curlyjo wants to be a doctor just so she can "look at strep throat germs under the microscope, and then retire."  Obviously, in the grand scheme of things, they don't know what they want to be.  But they know that they have a choice. 

Another shining moment came today. 

Curlyjo has struck a deal with the Husband that an 'A' on a test will earn her a quarter in the jar.  She made a sign that proves such.

If  'A' = 25 cents

Then A + A = 50 cents

What time is it?

Who cares.

I am calling this an early algebra skill and depending on the invention of the digital clock to save her from a lifetime of tardiness.  We must look for our moments, and when we find them, we must hold onto them for dear life.  For the trees.

What a Month!

It has been a full month since I last blogged??!!  Lest you think it is because I have been sitting on my couch whining over my bout with strep throat (OK, there was some of that), or driving Curlyjo to the doctor for her two bouts of strep throat (some of that too), I will give you a "Quick Takes" post to catch you up on my life...because you care, or you wouldn't be reading this.

Quick Takes!

1.  We are using a new home school curriculum that requires a lot more student responsibility.  Curlyjo is reluctant but not totally disagreeable to the idea of having to take some interest in her own learning.  Tiny Love is never reluctant to being in control of anything.  We are using the ACE program, and I love it!

2.  I have been much more productive in my reading, since I recently took a Face book hiatus that made me realize that perhaps a Face book absence is in the best interest of my brain cells.  Highlights have included:

• The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.  Seriously, get me around a table with Jesus, C.S. Lewis and John Piper.  I might get this whole thing figured out.
• Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi.  Totally haunting.  Nightmares for days.  You must read it. 

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.  I read it once, but I violated all of the habits by forgetting most of it.  So, I read it again.
• The Complete Guide to Robert's Rules of Order Made Easy by Rita Cook.  No, not for leisure.  And Robert, your rules are not easy, no matter what you say.
• Things I've Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi.  I am just about to finish this one, and I highly recommend it.  It is like a history lesson and a touching memoir all in one.  Love.

3.  Mom and Dad moved home permanently from Canada, which makes one less international connection that I have, which puts me at zero.  Hmmm...

4.  Brother has flown the nest and moved into a rental house with a friend.  He is growing up, which makes me happy and sad.  It also makes me have an uncontrollable urge to stop by his house and leave my socks in a random place, like the kitchen table, just to level the score.  But I won't. 

5.  And last, but not least, I am running for city council in the wonderful little part of America in which I reside.  I now know how much I don't know about city government, which only makes me want to know more.  I hope to be elected in April, at which point I will have a vast knowledge of Robert's Rules of Order, a heart full of hope for my community, and many legal pads full of information that I hope will make me of service to the people in my town.  I am full of interest and optimism, and I hope I retain both no matter what happens.

Now, excuse me while I go and take some photos of my kids and some food, since that what my blog is really about :)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

After a recent trip to the holistic doctor, I have been looking for new ways to consume meat, ways that won't leave me thinking of rotting flesh and factory farming.  You see this most-times vegetarian has been told that the vegetarian lifestyle is not for me.  But, I just don't know much about cooking meat without using lots of fat and carbohydrates (which, sadly, I am not supposed to have much of either).  So I made Asian Lettuce Wraps...think Asian flavored taco in a lettuce leaf.  Or don't, because that sounds gross.  But these were good, and everyone in my family was happy. 

Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 lb. ground turkey breast

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1 rib celery, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice Blend

2 tbs. lite soy sauce

Lettuce leaves (we used romaine, but butter lettuce would have been better)

Hoisin sauce, for topping (optional, but encouraged)

Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Coat pan with a small amount of canola oil.  Add meat.  When it begins to brown, add veggies.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until meat is cooked and veggies are softening.  Add spice and stir to coat.  Then add the soy sauce.  Cook another couple of minutes.  Remove from heat, spoon into lettuce leaves and top with a drizzle of hoisin sauce. 

Serve!

Even the Husband liked this, and it was so pretty.  We had a summer day on a plate when the wind, ice, snow and sleet were pounding the prairie outside. 

Give it a try!



Isn't that Pretty

Ice is pretty.

Snow is pretty.

Winter itself is pretty.

And I am pretty much over it.



The End is Nigh

Here in the Midwest, we are bracing for a massive winter storm.  Even if I did not have 24 hour access to the Internet, television and Facebook, I would still know that the weather is about to go crazy.  How?  Because my animals are going insane today.  They have been chasing each other and fighting horribly over one common interest:

The pink doll that Daisy Dog received in her Christmas stocking.  Oh, and it squeaks when she bites it, so there is that to contend with as well.

Guarding the turf.  Waiting for Stella to just try to take dolly.

But Stella has lost interest.  Instead she has employed the age-old method of predicting the weather.

"Nothing yet!  But I think it might do something soon."

So, if the predictions are right, whatever will the family do when we remain stuck in the house for days without power? 

Well, we will fire up the generator, cuddle around the fireplace (in which we will burn our furniture, I suppose, as we have no firewood), and read aloud together from a fascinating book.

Ok, I will save that one for silent reading and just bust out the Little House books. 

Stay warm everyone!

Simple Woman's Day book

FOR TODAY: January 24, 2011


Outside my window...the sun is shining on the snow that covers the ground.  It sparkles.  Normally this would be beautiful to me, but the migraine I have makes it painful.

I am thinking...about how one decision leads to another, and this can be good or bad.

I am thankful for...Excedrin and naps.

From the learning rooms...school work is finished for the day, aside from some read aloud time, which will happen when my eye stops feeling like someone is stabbing it.  I noticed today that teaching reading and how to tell time have been vastly easier with Tiny Love than with Curlyjo...there is much to be said for the "better late than early" philosophy.

From the kitchen...tonight I wanted to make Salisbury steak, but I have no red wine.  So, chili, maybe.

I am wearing...yoga pants, t-shirt, and hoodie.  I need to branch out a little :)

I am creating...a mess in some areas of my life, and order in others.  I am a walking contradiction.

I am going...to my sister's house for lunch.  She is making me soup, which warms my heart and makes me feel loved.

I am reading...When I Don't Desire God:  How to Fight For Joy by John Piper. 

I am hoping...to figure out how to fight for the joy I am lacking. 

I am hearing...Tiny Love narrating a conversation between two Lego men.  Apparently there is a disagreement between them about where to sit on the Lego bus.

Around the house...things are quiet and neat.  Daisy Dog is snoring on the couch, lying in the sun.  Smella is in the basement, thinking about why it is wrong to pee outside the litter box.

One of my favorite things...my sisters and my brother, who encourage me and show their love to me.  If there is even a hint that I am struggling, they call, visit or send flowers.  I am so blessed to have them in my life.  Even when brother's text says only, "I hope you are ok, gay.  Brother is here for you," I feel the love. 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  PE time with the kids at a local activities center, a trip to the holistic doctor, and school work. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...no reason.  I just love it.  And I relate with it.

Photo credit

Get Out Your Soapbox...

because I am getting on it.  You see, I don't have one for this topic, because my opinions and values have been silenced in the interest of "keeping the peace" and not seeming "judgmental."  Well, I am going to say a few things.  What I have to say will almost certainly make some angry, hurt their feelings, and perhaps change their opinions of me.  Well, welcome to my world.  I feel this way often, and yet I stand there, dumb but not deaf, hurt but smiling politely.  So, maybe those people can just do what I do...tolerate the opinions of others.

I home school my children. 

No, I do not do it perfectly and I could certainly do more.  And you know what?  Neither is the public school, and they could step it up a bit too.  My kids won't graduate high school at twelve.  And you know what?  Neither will yours.  I have a hard time accepting most of the reasoning behind why people think my kids should be in school. 

I often hear that home schooled kids are antisocial.

Mine are not.

I hear that they are behind their peers.

Mine are not.

I hear that I cannot teach them everything the need to know. 

Neither can the public school.

I hear that I have to do it perfectly or send them to school.

Where is the public school planning on sending them, because they have been unimpressive for YEARS. 

Let me tell you a story:

Little Sally gets up at six every morning, hurries to the bus stop and rides for half an hour to get to school.  Then she has her highly processed, impersonal, nutrient-sparse breakfast in the cafeteria.  Then she goes to class for seven hours, learning more from her peers than she does from her teacher.  She does the worksheets, gets good grades, and doesn't really know what she is even interested in.  She leaves school and rides the bus to daycare, where she stays for another three hours, watching TV or learning more helpful hints from her peers.  Sally goes home, eats the quick dinner that her tired parents have to offer her, and then goes to bed.  The rest of the week is much the same, except for weekends, when Sally spends her time in the car, going from one activity to the next and waiting for her over worked parents to have time to play with her.

Feel sorry for Sally. 

Feel sorry for the millions of kids who are uninspired, frustrated and alienated by their public school experiences.

Feel sorry for the multitudes of teenagers who think school is a boring place, seeing their classes as just an unwanted break in their social lives and their parents as these annoying people who feed them. 

Don't waste time feeling sorry for us.

Public school is not the cure for all that ails my family.  And homeschooling may not be the cure for all that ails your family.  And that is the beauty of democracy, of freedom.  I get to make the decisions I think are best for my family and you get to do what you deem right for yours.

But, you know what?  I think home schooling is a wonderful, respectful, real way to learn about life. 
I don't think public school is any of those things.

Freedom of speech is alive, people.  Even for creepy home schoolers.

Now, I would give you your soapbox back, but my weird, uneducated children took off with it and are currently cutting it up, making a doll house out of it, complete with hand sewn curtains for the windows.  And then we are going to play with it. 

Look--we turned your soapbox into an education.

Imagine that.

Leek and Potato Soup

I think Potato Soup always tastes better than it looks.  Case in point:

The potatoes get all shy and flee to the bottom of the pot, while the parsley puts on a slinky show with the butter. 

But this potato soup was amazing in its simplicity and had a slightly more sophisticated taste.

Leek and Potato Soup

2 Leeks, trimmed of the dark green tops and root tips

5-6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups of water

2 tbs. butter

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 can of evaporated milk

1 tbs. dried parsley

Now, leeks are a little fussy.  I think that since they look like the upperclassmen version of the green onion, they think they have the right to boss everyone around and be difficult to handle. 

But we can do it.

Slice the leeks in half, lengthwise.  Then slice them crosswise into little half moon shapes.  Fill the sink with a little water, place the leeks in a colander in the sink and let them soak so that the sandy dirt will fall to the bottom of the sink (so Rachel Ray).

Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the leeks and the garlic.  Let them cook until they get all soft and lazy.  Then add the chopped potatoes, water, and bouillon cubes.  Crank up the heat and bring it to a boil.  Boil until the potatoes are soft, maybe 12 minutes. 

Once the potatoes are soft, turn down the heat to medium low and add the evaporated milk and parsley.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

It is so good.

I served it with homemade chicken salad and crackers.

Oh, and when you make chicken salad, add a couple of tablespoons of capers to the usual mix. 

But, don't tell me you did.

Because I might show up at your house and lick the bowl in front of your family. 

And that would be weird for all of us.

Good Morning, Snow

Oh, what a beautiful sight...the freshly fallen snow, the glisten of light in the neighbors' darkened windows, the peaceful silence that follows snow as the world pauses to admire all that is lovely.

And then the silence is broken by a woman, oddly dressed in pajama pants, an offensively large, orange sweatshirt, and fluffy pink snow boots belonging to a child,  screaming around the neighborhood a word that doesn't fit the landscape:

"DAISY!"

Someone, who is normally terrified by snow, got all brave and decided to take a solitary stroll around the neighborhood. 

Good morning, dignity. 

No need to stick around here.