I check out the predicted and actual temps in both our primary home and our Wisconsin hideaway each day on weather.com.

Although our house in IL is small and totally shaded by trees, by mid-May, when the temps hit the 80's mark, we seem to need air conditioning running in at least one room.Its not the heat, its that heavy, sticky  "humid" air. Granted we are about 30 miles west of Lake Michigan so "cooler by the lake" certainly does not apply here.

But even if temps get HIGHER up north, we merely open a window or two, let a ceiling fan run, and we are all completely comfortable. The humidity seems nonexistent there. Now at that location we are about 6 miles for a good-sized lake (technically a "flowage" as its a dammed-up part of the Wisconsin river).

I have come to the conclusion that its not humidity that's holding heat heavy in the suburban air - its POLLUTION. Our Northeast Illinois air is a swampy soup of various pollutants...how could it not retain some fo the sun's warmth? Sadly, even the greenery planted everywhere there isn't concrete can't offset the relentless spew of car/truck fumes.

Ironically, much of the groundwater, as well as the lake up north are polluted in some way - either by nitrites from agricultrual runoff or (in the case of the lake) phosphates flowing downriver from the paper mills. The water in our well up there tested "safe for human consumption" by the county but we stick with bottled water, anyway. I use the well water for washing, etc. Down the road we may have a new well dug - ours is currently only 25ft deep. When we had a well in our IL house the water was gloriously clean and delicious - but the well was over 100ft deep.

I'm trying my best to keep our daily polluting to minimal levels - we recycle EVERYTHING, use as little electricity as possible, don't use the car unless we have to, and try no to run the A/C unless it gets unbearable in the house.

If you want to see the pollution over the Chicago skyline, check out the Midwest Haze-cam!

As expected, we will be packing up the van and hauling up to our cabin in Wisconsin for the long weekend.

This morning, I noted to my daughter, "Why don't you plug in and charge up your gameboy for the weekend?"

Her reply validated all of my hopes for the type of activity and mindset we would experience when we visit the woods.

"Mom, I think I can do without the Gameboy. I think I'll just work on craft projects, read  and play outside."

No tv, no video games, no internet. Sounds like heaven to me!

Today happens to be my 10th wedding anniversary.

But...well...

Hubby and I put more stock into our "first date anniversary" (which happens to be St. patrick's day) because it is just more meaningful to us.

So what are our plans for tonight?

I slept poorly last night, am wiped out, and its a school night...so takeout fried chicken is looking like its on the dinner menu! As long as its not KFC, I'm down with that.

Only in Wisconsin - where the state drink is BEER!

We bought a mower to tackle the acreage up Wisco way...and when hubby and I unloaded it from the van, we were surprised and delighted to find it had a CUPHOLDER!

I donned my goofiest (intentionally so) sun visor (bought on the Atlantic City boardwalk last summer), junky sweats, and was about to tackle the Great Green Way that is our yard up in Big Flats...until hubby came running out of the house with a can of Point beer for me to sip while mowing (its brewed about 40 minutes North of the cabin...)

The cupholder is visible to the left of the seat. Try to find it in the picture!

Yesterday evening, I was running 5 minutes late for my Parish council meeting. I had to carry in a large poster I made for an upcoming event. Luckily, I was wearing a cute new pair of soft leather flats, so I was able to hustle from my car and into the Parish hall quickly.

As I was jogging in, Fr. Steve was ambling out of the rectory and toward the Parish hall. He saw my shadow running toward him - the direction from which I was coming was directly in the sun. I identified myself, and noted, "Oh, I'm running late. I guess its a good thing I wore flats. I can't run in high heels."

Without missing a beat he wryly remarked, "Oh, I have that problem too."

Michelle tagged me...

4 jobs I have held:

1. Program assistant/writer for PR dept of large multinational non-profit
2. air freight operations manager
3. manager of customer service & training for software company
4. mom (current position)

4 movies I can watch over and over:

1. Desperately Seeking Susan
2. Pretty in Pink
3. Dr. Strangelove
4. You've Got Mail (sorry, but I DO have ovaries, yanno...)

4 places I have lived:

1. Wallingford, PA
2. Evanston IL
3. Chicago, IL
4. My fantasy world, where I never seem to leave...

4 Catagories of TV programming I enjoy:

1. none

2. ok, the occassional comedy(Seinfeld, Sex &The City), drama (Sopranos), or cartoon (Family Guy) to pass the time while folding laundry. I try to avoid TV.

4 Places I have been on Holiday:

1. my cabin in Adams County, WI.
2. Atlantic City, NJ - way too much boozin' on that vacation...
3. Cape Cod, in a cute knotty-pine cottage
4. Montreal, Quebec -wandering/exploring the city in the snow while my family attended Mass (shhh, don't tell my priest pals that.)

4 of my Favorite Dishes:

1. My porcini musroom risotto (my fave recipe)
2. Limoncello dessert at Chef Vola
3. white truffle mac 'n cheese at The Continental (AC & Philly)
4. coconut macaroons at The Borgata buffet

4 websites I visit daily:

1. wikipedia
2. yahoo mail
3. IL lottery winning numbers page
4. my online banking site

4 places I would rather be right now:

1. in bed (with whom, I won't disclose...)
2. in a spa mud bath
3. puttering in my garden
4. in my WI cabin master bedroom (It's nicer than my room at home!)

I always break chains but...if anyone wishes to participate in this lil' exercise then please tell 'em Brandy Made You Do It!

Although I take in little to no television on a regular basis, my weekly indulgence (while I fold laundry)  is watching re-runs of The Sopranos on A&E. Its has been commended by critics for its in-depth character development, which, in turn, is performed by a talented ensemble cast. After second and third viewings, I start laughing aloud at the subtle injections of humor and irony peppered throughout each episode.

Somehow, as I was watching boorish Tony Soprano munching on a chicken leg, I envisioned a kooky parallel between that TV "Family" and the brethren I have been studying in Acts of the Apostles. No, I doubt that Peter and Paul were hanging around the ancient-world equivalent of Bada Bing...that's not where I was going with my thought process (I'm not THAT nuts!)

What has fascinated me through my study, is the exploration of St. Paul's character and motivations - not necessarily complimentary, yet not condemning, either  - by the presumed author, St. Luke. I always had misgivings about Paul, based on his letters, and his motivation to change his course of action by a virtual bitch-slap from heaven above.

What I am learning, is although he had positive qualities of courage, intellect, and tenacity, he was very human. Fr. Steve has referred to him in class as "a crabby kind of guy." I wouldn't disagree. And yet, the more I get to "know" him, the more I like the guy, and find him to be alot like myself in many ways. I am impressed with his scholarly talents, including knowledge of the law, ancient scripture, languages, and other cultures and philosophies. I enjoy the passages that describe him getting annoyed at various kooky people he encounters, him losing his temper, holding grudges, and being altogether normal, not some wide-eyed holy roller. It is undeniable, though, that he had little tolerance for - or appreciation of - earthly indulcences - drinking, entertainment, sexual expression - to name a few. And yet these revealed intolerances (clearly revealed in his epistles) make me more interested in getting to know him. In other words, I'd love to have been his psychoanalyst!

His continual mishaps in terms of being beaten or meeting similar physical and emotional conflict - and his abilty to press on despite these - lead me to think he was a physcially strong person, with boundless energy. Granted, readers are supposed to presume he also had great help from Above in surviving the many attempts on his life. Fair enough, but in his prior life he was something of a bully, taking the initiative to drag new Christian converts out of their homes and beat them in public. How could some little dude pull that off in a world before firearms?

Likely the most surprising and fascinating stories have been about the friendships he and his companions made with smart, wealthy, influential women of the various towns they visited during their missions. Some of these women, it is implied, became local leaders of the churches that were set up in those locations. I am not jumping ahead to talk about women as priests. I am more interested in understanding that if this were to happen, Paul must have been respectful, at least for the sake of courtesy, to these women, and he understood (and utilized) the power and control they wielded in their respective households. In some cases, he was dependent on these women to take care of his crew during times of trouble. In other words, he knew where his bread was buttered. This background information is very different from the anti-feminist characterization he has held in some circles, due to certian writings such as "wives obey your husbands" and so forth. Perhaps his articulation of male-female relationships is unpleasant at best to our ears, but in practice, he seemed to be ahead of the curve among his contemporaries, at least with women of a certain social/economic status.

Although he is dubbed a sociopath by his psychiatrist, Tony Soprano fascinates both his analyst and the viewer with the complexity of his character - his moments of vulnerability and sentimentality co-mingling with his cunning, brutality, and selfishness.

Likewise, Paul has fascinated me  with his outbursts of irritability and intolerance juxtaposed with his demonstration of intellect, consideration of others, and perserverance.

Today I was out of the house almost all day, either involved with volunteer work, chatting with neighbors, or running errands. When I returned home in the evening, I found an interesting note in my email inbox with the pleading subject line of HELP!

It was a note from oft-mentioned Father Steve, asking me to lead the Monday Bible study class, as he is scheduled to preside over a funeral at that time.

I read the note. And re-read it. I then checked my eyes to make sure that they weren't bloodshot, and that I wasn't high!

Before I could establish a reply, I called my mom, who was equally stunned and amused.

If you knew me - especially in the fairly recent past, this request would seem beyond ridiculous. But then if you delve further back, as my mom reminded me,  you'd learn that in my day, I won awards for "Knowledge of Religion" in my all-girls Catholic school. Best of all, one summer I garnered 1st prize for scripture knowledge at a PROTESTANT Summer Bible Camp my mom sent me to in the neighborhood when our local parish had zippo set up for kid activities. I got straight A's in Religion/Theology classes (as well as Latin class) from 1st grade through high school.

So my knowledge is basic, but still intact, lying dormant in the recesses of my brain. Granted, all I have to do is FACILITATE discussion. And there is a handy "faith sharing questions" guide, and the good Padre is loaning me his "answer guide" so I don't have to KNOW anything, per se. Rather, I will operate as a scriptural studies project manager, calling on people to read passages and then ask, "Did anyone find anything they'd like to share about what we just read?"

This particular class is all about Acts of the Apostles. On Monday, if for some reason a vision appears of Sts. Peter and Paul angrily shaking their fists at us earthlings, you'll know why.

Today I had a tremendous birding (birdwatching) day. Best of all, I was able to "sweet talk" a pair of mallard ducks into remaining in my pond, allowing me to capture them on camera. How do you sweet talk a duck? With high-pitched saccharin commentary like, "Oh you are such pretty birds!" Really. When I first approached them they began to exit the water but somehow I talked them into staying. They returned for a swim, taking time to eat some plants and groom themselves. Tossing them some bread to nibble helped, too.

This morning, I sipped my coffee out on my patio. I was feeling a bit blue due to the never-ending cycle of the moon (aka - my monthly PMS bummer-day.)

As my mind wandered, I spied a robin alight on the edge of the pond, even though I was sitting only a few feet away. He cocked his head and winked! I smiled. And he proceeded to enjoy a splash in the watery wonderland that is my tiny marsh.

Whenever I am feeling down, I go to my garden. I always find a new bloom on a perrenial, hear an unfamiliar songbird, or take in the soothing splash of water in the pond.

I was so pleased to find that, yet again, my garden didn't let me down in my time of need.

As I finished my coffee, I ambled back into the house and began to check my email. I was shocked to read a notice from my parish prayer list that stated that Ed, a funny, smart and vital man in my bible study class, died suddenly in his garden yesterday.

Ed was also the father of a guy in my parish council, Tim,  who is equally talented and charismatic.

As I got ready to make my communion visits to the homebound, I thought sadly about the loss of Ed in our group discussions - and of his poor wife, also in the class,  who must be utterly devastated.

As I walked into Church to get some host, there were Tim and his mother, clearly distraught, on their way to make funeral arrangements.

I called out to him and offered, "Oh, Tim, I am so sorry to hear..." He gave me a hug and through his tears noted, "God was looking out for dad - he died doing what he loved in a place he loved."

I then shared with Tim the story of the brave robin cheering me up today...and from now on, whenever my green thumb needs some inspiration, I will be praying to the new patron saint of my backyard: Ed The Gardener.