Sorry, not possible

This morning a rather poopy pundit appeared on MSNBC and said he thought that Obama was going a little overboard with all the Lincoln homages this week as he moves closer to his own inaugural.

Nuh-uh! No way! At times like this, we can't have too much Abe. After all, it was Lincoln who believed that "every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

"She's a good kid"

Spent a few hours with my niece and my mom today, and am reminded anew that Becky can be very thoughtful. She remembered that months ago I had casually expressed an interest in a Lennon DVD she had, so she brought it along today. She also wore a Hard Rock tshirt that I picked up for her years ago. These were considerate gestures made by a 16-year-old girl.

Yes, she can be petty. Her complaints about her kid brother revealed an immaturity and a rivalry that remind me that, despite her expansive vocabulary, her honor-roll report cards and sharp sense of humor, she's still just a kid.

But as my mom, her proud grandma, likes to say, "She's a good kid."

It seemed like a good idea this morning

Cabin fever has been getting to me. I'm not really an outdoorsy girl in that if I never went camping again, I would still consider mine a life well lived. But I like the sun and enjoy looking at the sky through the branches, and I've missed being outdoors. So today, when the mercury climbed to 20º, I decided to walk my 10,000 steps en route to my mom's, picking up the bus at the halfway point.

Oh … my … God … It was a very bad idea! It wasn't the temperature that made it gruesome, it was all those frozen, unshovelled walks. I felt like I was traversing a frozen tundra, and it took much, much longer than it usually does.

Oh well, it was a good workout, and it was nice to take in the sun and sky. The visit with my mom and niece was good, too. So it was a bad idea with some redeeming facets. (If only my feet weren't still so cold!)