The goose in the 1973 animated version of Charlotte's Web was like the funny older ladies I hang out with now. Despite my personal achievements in spelling, I still loved the old Goose and her creative spelling - "T, double-E, double-R, double-R, double-I, double-F, double-I, double-C-C-C.

Not exactly a goose story, I read Arnold of the Ducks by Mordicai Gerstein over and over and was so proud of my signed copy. I imagined that one day I would live with animals and they would love me as much as I loved them. If you've never read the story, order it right now and read it immediately.

Every year I cried when the Disney tv movie (and Bridges family showcase), The Thanksgiving Promise started showing in November. The poor kid was charged with raising an injured Canada goose and eventually prep it for Thanksgiving dinner for the neighbor's family. He becomes attached and the sad and dramatic scene cuts to commercial just as he tearfully lifts the hatchet. Besides the Jason Bateman appearance, I immediately fell in love with the movie and imagined myself raising a goose and then saving it from the fate of the Thanksgiving platter.  

Several years ago I became smitten with a black swan named Petra - she lived in Germany and was in love with a swan boat. Her human pals noticed this devotion and for a time allowed the swan boat to stay out even in winter. Most people want to travel Europe for amazing food and sights. I want to travel Europe and find Petra. I even wrote about her in a past blog entry! 

While Jeff and I checked out the Ohio State Fair this weekend, we checked out the animal barns and enjoyed the fancy chickens, ducks, geese, bunnies, cows and sheep. I was especially taken with a goose that was honking uncontrollably. We walked over to him and I chattered to him and he stopped honking and kind of looked towards us and then the other direction. The sign on his enclosure said that he was for sale ($20!) and that he was blind. I have heartily spoken against living outside of Columbus' humble beltway - 270. This, however, could persuade me to move. I am now on a hunt to learn everything about raising geese in the city. More specifically a blind goose. If it were a girl, I would name her Helen, but since it's a boy, I would name him Keller. And I would teach him that the world is a bright and happy place. He might also be the perfect answer to our neighbor's constantly barking dog. Take that Luna - Keller can honk the crazy out of you!

It was also the 30th Annual Columbus Pride Festival and we marched with the Broad Street United Methodist Church in the parade on Saturday. Last year they estimated that over 200,000 people attended and they expected to have more this year. It seemed there were more protesters this year than last but not as many as the first year I marched. Along the parade route it seemed there were more people than any other year - so perhaps this was the largest Pride in Columbus!

Pride 2007When I was first asked to march in the parade four years ago, I agreed without really knowing what it was we were doing. My friend Roy offered to let me help carry the church's banner and I was sold. I didn't know what to expect and was completely taken aback by the entire experience. I was appalled, offended and scared of the protesters who shouted hateful things and carried vicious signs. I was grateful for the women on motorcycles who revved their engines in front of them and helped shield the parade marchers and spectators. I was excited to see friends along the route and a little pleased with myself to carry that banner. My intentions weren't the most noble that first year, but it made such an impression on me. Ignorance is funny until it becomes personal and discrimination difficult to ignore when it's directed at the people you love. I'll never forget that first parade and will support the Pride movement whenever possible. 

This year it was exciting to march with 7 of our friends along with other church members. I was especially proud of Jeff for being the only fella with a bunch of chatty women who were hyped up by an audience of thousands :) 

As my friend Farrah wrote in her blog..."We march for our many friends who have to hide their lifestyle and are afraid to march in public for fear of losing their jobs, friends and families. We march in their place to show that we love them and want to educate the world to change its prejudices."

Ready for step-off!

My best Pride Pal!

Up the hill towards the Arena District

Rounding the bend at Buttles

Huge crowds in the Short North

This weekend was no different. The week leading up was exciting. Lots of outings witih friends that included dinners, drinks and movies. A little bit of work on Saturday and a glorious afternoon kayaking today. The current was swift, the skies were blue and the company was excellent. We even survived as we paddled through an area marked with bright yellow signs that said "Public Hunting Area." In fact the current was so swift that I couldn't paddle upstream to snap a photo. We did get these decent shots on my phone that I kept in a zip-loc bag in my life jacket pocket!

We spent the evening today with the windows open and the breath of fresh air was a great close to a lovely weekend. I've been out of the Broadway loop for a few years so it was fun to close the evening and watch the Tony's to get caught up. Despite the ridiculous troubles, I'm excited to check out the soundtrack for Spiderman, Turn Off The Dark and I'd like to pre-order tickets to The Book of Mormon. God knows (my Methodist God) that I love all-things Mormon! Imagine our amusement to catch this funny camera angle. It looks like she's putting her hand in a secret pocket on that dress!

The shower last weekend was at my friend Kay's retirement community and was rather swanky. They had incredible flowers from a friend's garden, everyone brought fabulously generous cards and gifts and we had delicious food for brunch. Mom was able to come to Columbus for this one and we spent part of her visit checking out retirement condos - an activity during which I was oddly comfortable. Perhaps Jeff and I can pick up a newly-wed condo next to Mom and Dad's retirement condo ;)

It was fun to see Mom and spend some time with great friends!

This year I followed Farrah's example and invited my Mom and our friend Kitty to join us for the event and was excited that there ended up being eight of us sitting together! This was the second year the Women's Fund invited a big-name celebrity to headline the event and Goldie Hawn was the guest speaker (Diane Keaton was last year.) I didn't know anything about Goldie except for her brilliant work in Overboard and First Wives' Club! It turns out she's pretty amazing and rather inspiring. Her memoir reflects the idea that joy often blossoms in unlikely places, and that the obstacles we face in life are what help us grow. 

I was honored to submit tributes to honor Mom, Farrah and Kitty...

"How fortunate to be raised by a mother who considered family, friends and the needs of others to be top prioroties. I'm constantly in awe of my mom's selfless acts on behalf of her family and those that are unable to care for themselves. Her kindness to an elderly friend in the cruel throes of dementia or traveling difficult roads to visit far-flung relatives is not for the faint of heart. It is with a strong spirit and a generous heart that my mom has tried to show me how to be a noble and loving woman. I love you, Mom, and I am grateful for you."

"Louisa May Alcott wrote, "'Help one another' is part of the religion of our sisterhood." Farrah embodies this notion every single day. She's never known a stranger and inspires everyone around her to be a little bit nicer and to put the needs of others first. Whether teaching her young daughters to be kind or volunteering for a local cause, Farrah is an amazing friend and a champion for the "religion of our sisterhood."" 

"Perhaps the greatest gift is to recognize and empower the potential of others. Kari Kittrell can spot the potential in someone from a mile away. She's a loyal friend, the unofficial Mayor of Columbus, and anyone who meets Kari is a better person because of it."

This morning Jeff sent me a picture of one of the foxglove plants - broken in the middle of the main stem. This isn't a great start to our gardening adventures, but hopefully foxglove #2 will survive the rest of the season. I just hope broken foxglove #1 doesn't break Lorna Doone's spirit...

Jeff's particularly good at finding Hattie's hat pin - a little mystery in every issue, that I'm guessing is to encourage visual clarity among the usual senior readers. My favorite section is "Reader Slides Show a Colorful Past" which highlights color slides from the 1930s - 1970s. 

The ads are great too and will come in handy down the road - wigs, collectible coins and anything from the Franklin Mint is usually featured. Who has time to focus entirely on the wedding of Wills and Kate??

There was snow on the ground in Spokane and Pullman and I felt pretty secure in our ride for the weekend...

Once I arrived in my rollerskate, we had lunch at a great place overlooking the Spokane River Falls. My hostess found out that I don't like seafood and they worried the entire lunch. A shrimp cobb salad easily transforms into a chicken cobb salad, so all was well. Our view of the side-by-side falls was great!

After lunch we checked out a local museum and had a tour with a docent who sported a magnificent Dakotan accent. She used words like "gobs" and "heart" pronounced like "haaart." It was glorious and I loved the tour all the more. The house itself was great and was built straddling two eras - a few Victorian touches with lots of early modern amenities like electricity.

The morning when we were to head for Pullman, I woke up (around 5:30am of course) and looked out the window and saw an owl sitting on the woodpile outside! I rushed to get the camera and couldn't wait to Tweet this great Kappa fortune. That is until I used the zoom lens and saw the swishing tail...of a longhaired cat with ears that bore an uncanny resemblence to owl ears. My gracious host and hostess then surprised us with a large hot breakfast. After sharing my habit of eating cereal or a piece of fruit for breakfast, they prepared mushroom omlettes, bacon, English muffins and grapefruit. I didn't mention that I don't really eat pork, nor do I care for mushrooms. At least it wasn't a mayonnaise frosted sandwich loaf!

The meeting in Pullman was fantastic. It was great to spend time with old Kappa friends and the group raised $7500 for the Foundation! Their goal was $4600 which seemed high, so talk about a shock and awe campaign when we announced the total! We had to add to the thermometer!

All in all, I visited three time zones, five states and lots of great friends and family in the span of 11 days. I woke up between 5:00am and 6:00am every morning and was tired by 9:00pm every night. And of course, now that I'm home, I'm wide awake at 10:30pm. So much for getting on Pacific time!

Chatting with Grandma and Grandpa on Skype!

On our way to Sonic for Happy Hour!

My hairstylist has all the gossip!

 Playground photoshoot!

Sissy had free tickets to see a guy that impersonates everyone from Elvis to Lady Gaga. He was actually pretty good, but the evening got so much better when we noticed Flavor Flav in the balcony. Later he saw the parents of a former band member and chatted them up in the lobby while repping his new chicken label. Apparently the restaurant is in Iowa - I'll have to find it on my next visit!

The gardens at the Wynn and Encore were gorgeous

And of course we'll be back after March 15th. Uh huh...yeah!

I knew we would be safe on this drive when I noted my friend's THREE guardian angel clips in her car. I wonder if her Mom knows my Mom?

Coit Tower was built with money left by Lillie Hitchcock Coit. She was saved from a burning hotel when she was 8 and wore a Fireman's uniform after that and went on emergency calls. My kind of eccentric old lady! Apparently it's supposed to look like a fire hose. I'm not so sure...

I loved when this sailboat floated by in front of the Golden Gate Bridge...

In the top fear list we find prisons - particularly old ones. I was happy we didn't have time to tour Alcatraz!

Easy breezy in front of the creepy prison

All of these row houses with incredible paint colors reminded me of Europe

And of course, the cable cars!

Just before leaving the city for the evening, we made a last ditch effort to find the Full House house so I could secure the right to brag to Sissy. A few turns later and we found it!