Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout

I was in the bathroom when I heard the crash. I was momentarily alarmed, but quickly decided it was no big deal. "One of the pets just knocked over the baby gate," I thought. (Don't worry friends I haven't seen in a while...you haven't missed any big news, we use the "baby" gate mainly to keep our elderly dachshund Oscar from falling down the stairs.)  I walked into the kitchen and discovered I was wrong. So very wrong. The victim was the coffeemaker. Knocked off the counter (by our cat Pepper, I had no doubt) and lying in pieces on the kitchen floor amidst coffee and grounds (also splattered on the cupboards, of course). Despair and panic gripped me.  If you're not a coffee person, I don't think I can explain these feelings to you. If you're not a coffee person, I both envy and pity you. I envy your freedom, that you're not enslaved to your need for coffee, but I also feel sorry for you that your life lacks that sublime desire fo...

Chad and I are unabashed tv-holics (and I'm NOT talking socially or intellectually redeeming PBS shows). We are also pathologically overbooked. So we just got around to watching the last episode of the "Daily Show" (and if I have to tell you that's with Jon Stewart you probably have no interest in reading this) a couple of days ago. It's funny how much a tv show can seep into your life. Watching The Daily Show has been a constant part of our lives for the past sixteen years, so I have to share my reflections: It's obvious, but must be said: this really brings home the passage of time, and yes, makes me feel old. We even watched the show when Craig Kilborn was the host.  Time and memory are very malleable, and it's strange how a television show can be such a maker of one's own personal history. I'm surprised that Jon didn't start hosting the Daily Show until we moved to Minnesota (I thought it was during our Iowa Era). I also can't beli...