wacky wednesday - a not so prickly subject

Having lived in the Sonoran Desert practically my whole life, I am no stranger to saguaro cactus. They are everywhere. Along the side of the freeways. In front yards. In the "natural desert" as you travel around Arizona. Arizona is the only U.S. state in which saguaros grow, although they also grow in Mexico.

I have always loved looking at them, so tall and majestic. They have white, waxy-looking flowers in the spring and red fruit in the summer which can be used to make wine, jelly and syrup. Two-armed saguaros remind me of people while the multi-armed (they can have as many as 25 arms!) ones look like space aliens, especially from a distance.

These cactus giants can grow to a height of 60 feet or more and weigh over one ton! I love how they draw my eyes upward.

The average lifespan of a saguaro is 150 to 175 years although some live more than 200 years. At the end of its life, the saguaro begins decomposing while still upright. The tough outer skin often takes a long time to peel off. Its five-foot long taproot that goes down deep to find water holds it erect while the massive, shallow (about three inches) root system that spreads out as wide as the cactus is tall decomposes. 

Soon, all that is left is the woody skeleton. The long ribs were once used by Native Americans and early western settlers in the construction of their homes and to make fruit-pickers. Now they are just pretty to look at. And fun to touch!

Of all the cactus in the desert, the saguaros are my favorite. Even in death they are pointing to heaven and declaring the majesty of God. 

wacky wednesday - a diamond celebration

Walt Disney's career began in the 1920's in animation. Mickey Mouse debuted in 1928 in a short film, Steamboat Willie, one of the first sound cartoons. He has appeared in over 130 films, both short films and feature-length films. Children all over the world wrote to Walt asking if they could come see where Mickey Mouse lived.

At about the same time, Walt took his daughters to the park to play. As he watched them playing, he thought it would be wonderful if there was a place where parents and children could play together. And maybe meet Mickey Mouse. He pondered that for awhile and the "idea" of Disneyland was born.

First, think. Second, believe. Third, dream. And finally, dare.  ~ Walt Disney

Walt worked tirelessly on implementing his plan. There were setbacks, naysayers, and obstacles seemingly at every turn but Walt persevered.

Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it's done right.  ~ Walt Disney

And finally, after only a year in the making, on July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened with five "lands" (Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Main St. USA) and 18 attractions!

If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember this whole thing was started by a mouse.  ~ Walt Disney

Opening day was a disaster! Anaheim, California was in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave and the temperature on opening day reached 110 degrees. Asphalt that had been poured just the night before didn't set properly because of the heat and women's high heels (Yes, people dressed up back then! See Full Circle #2 post!) sunk in it. A plumber's strike left many drinking fountains without water. Six thousand invitations/tickets were mailed out and the park expected 11,000 people to show up but instead (due to many counterfeit tickets) 28,000 people crammed into the park. There were traffic jams trying to get into the park and restaurants ran out of food.

And the next few weeks weren't much better. But Walt didn't give up and ten years later, 50 million people had walked through the gates of Disneyland! Today, over 600 million people have visited "the happiest place on Earth!"

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.  ~ Walt Disney

Last Friday, July 17, 2015, Disneyland celebrated its 60th anniversary. The Diamond Celebration began earlier this year and is predicted to continue through the end of the year. New parades, fireworks, food and attraction make-overs are just a few of the "party favors" for this celebration. We went last month and think it's definitely worth seeing!

Some of my friends label me a Disneyland fanatic and as such,  I have enjoyed the well wishes and congratulatory messages from a variety of sources - in ads, on the news, in magazines and newspapers, on Facebook and even a nod from the comics!

Happy 60th Anniversary, Disneyland!

In case you didn't know, Sleeping Beauty's Castle is at Disneyland, Cinderella's Castle is at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

wacky wednesday - the astronaut wives club

I recently read the book The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel for a book club I facilitate. I chose the book for three reasons: 1) the "space race" is a topic I find interesting, 2) a majority of the book takes place in the late 1950's and 1960's - it would be a glimpse of "the good ol' days," and 3) a television series based on the book was about to air and I wanted to read the book before watching the show. One of the benefits of being a book club facilitator is choosing books you want to read ;-).

For the record, the book club LOVED the book and we had a great discussion about it. Some of the women were interested in the "space race" while others were not but Koppel did a great job of giving enough background to the various missions to give context to the story without overburdening the reader with scientific details. Everyone got pulled into the "race!" Most of the book club grew up during the 50's and 60's and loved the "walk down Memory Lane." And everyone was anxious to watch the television series which finally premiered on June 18, 2015 on ABC.

** Quit reading NOW if you haven't read the book and don't want anything spoiled for you!**

Before reading the book I assumed I would grow nostalgic for "the good ol' days" when much of the story takes place. I was really rather shocked to discover that was not the case.

Perhaps I was too young... or too naive... or just not paying attention during my growing up years, the "good ol' days" of the 1960's (I really don't remember the late 50's at all). Typical of most kids, I thought all people were like my parents, family and neighbors.

My parents always told me I could be anything I wanted when I grew up. I liked science and math and they encouraged me to pursue a career that would utilize those subjects. It never occurred to me that I might not be able to have a career in a predominantly male field.

Astrowife Trudy Cooper, wife of Mercury Seven astronaut Gordo Cooper, was an accomplished pilot who had aspirations of being an astronaut herself. When she vocalized those dreams to her husband and the folks at NASA, they laughed at her, saying a woman could never be an astronaut.

From the beginning, NASA told the wives what was expected of them - perfect marriages, perfect homes, perfect children - and it was the wife's fault if all was not perfect. They were "strongly encouraged" to make a deal with Life magazine - exclusive interviews in exchange for cars, life insurance on their husbands (who, because of their high-risk careers, were normally uninsurable) and "stuff" - so that the space program would be promoted. They were "coached" (read "told") on what to wear and how to portray themselves.

I realized from watching television shows like Leave It To Beaver and Father Knows Best as a child that society viewed women as homemakers, not career gals. Women's lib was still on the back burner if it was on the stove at all.

But what really took me by surprise as I read this book was how the astronauts' philandering was put up with. All but a very small handful of the early astronauts had affairs with "space floozies" or "Cape Cookies." The astronauts and their families had very nice homes in a special community near Houston where the family lived but the astronauts trained at Cape Canaveral (known later as Cape Kennedy) in Florida. They often spent weeks at a time at Cape Canaveral away from their families and, as they say, when the cat's away, the mice will play.

NASA knew about the philandering and in some ways, promoted it by not "disciplining" the wayward astronauts. The journalists at Cape Canaveral knew. The hotel staff knew. But NASA insisted that the squeaky clean image of the astronauts that they were portraying to the American public be maintained and wouldn't allow any of that to become public knowledge. I was dumbfounded that the journalists went along with the cover-up. When, exactly, had their professional integrity first been compromised? Was it then? Or earlier?

During a sermon not long ago at our church, my pastor said that the "good ol' days" really weren't. Perhaps they were better than today to some degree but they weren't "good" - there was still sin and evil in the world, as there is today. I agree. I built up an idyllic time in my memory fashioned from personal experiences as a child and applied it to the culture of the time. Reading about the real societal values and culture shattered my perception of "the good ol' days" resulting in my surprise.

While I didn't get nostalgic about the "good ol' days," I very much enjoyed the bond of friendship these women formed that lasted decades - through husbands' fiery deaths in the Apollo 1 tragedy, through affairs and divorce, through illness, through physical distance apart. Their husbands were so intensely competitive and the wives had to be as well, to some extent, but they were always there for each other when it counted. It was worth reading the book for that part of the story if for no other reason.

So the lesson I learned is that what I think I will enjoy about a book and what I actually enjoy may often be two entirely different things. I think that makes reading interesting!

wacky wednesday - the couch

You never know what you are going to find when you're geocaching. Sometimes it's the cache that's interesting or surprising. And sometimes it's something totally unrelated to geocaching that you stumble across while you're looking for the cache.

We were geocaching this past week in the high country of Arizona, east of Flagstaff. The cache itself was pretty uninteresting - typical container, typical location, nothing historical about the locale. But what we passed looking for the cache caught my eye... and my camera lens!

I think there is a story behind this futon couch being dumped in the middle of nowhere. I refuse to believe that someone loaded it on a truck and dumped it miles from anywhere rather than take it to the dump or donate it to a charity. 

So... 

Once upon a time, a lovely married couple decided to move into a smaller condo in order to donate more of their money to those less fortunate than themselves. They painstakingly went through all their belongings, keeping only the things they absolutely needed. 

Their hearts were full of joy until they came to their futon couch. They often sat together on the couch, holding hands and talking about their day, watching a movie or reading a book together. They couldn't bear to part with this couch that was so much a part of their lives but it wouldn't fit in their new condo.

Their hearts were broken until the wife had an idea.

In the dark of night, they moved the couch to a deserted field in a remote area miles from buildings or even well-traveled roads. They positioned it facing north so they could watch the sunrise or the sunset as they sat together, holding hands and talking about their day.

Once again, their hearts were full of joy and they lived happily ever after.

Yeah, I know. But that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'd rather think the best of someone than the worst.

wacky wednesday - full circle #2?

I was four years old the first time I went to Disneyland. I was there with my parents, my older sister and my younger sister. While I have vivid memories of that trip to "the happiest place on earth," I did not pay much attention to the subject of this post - shoes. Except that I lost one of my shoes on the Jungle Cruise when the captain fired his gun at the alligators and I hid under my seat.

(October, 1960)

I am the girl with the lei - and no, I don't know why I had one. What strikes me about this photo is my mom's shoes. She had on high heels! We were dressed up. Everyone there was dressed up. And women had on heels.

I have been to Disneyland many, many times since that first visit and have noticed that what people wear, both clothing and shoes, has changed over time. In general, I think it has changed for the better.

Clothing has become more casual. For the past several decades, shorts or jeans and shirts are the order of the day. Styles change with the times but I seldom see anyone "dressed up" except for the occasional older Asian gentleman in a suit and tie.

Shoes also became more casual with the vast majority of people wearing tennis shoes (sneakers?) or more commonly now, flip flops.

Happy feet like comfortable, sensible shoes!

However, in the last five years or so I have noticed a trend among the younger women back to dressier shoes. This trend is only for the women though, guys still wear comfortable, sensible shoes. I have watched women tottering about in five-inch stiletto heels fall on the uneven surface of the paths. Some women actually limp along in very uncomfortable-looking shoes. By late afternoon it is common to watch these women shift their weight back and forth from one foot to the other as they wait in line. Pain is etched in their face.

It is not uncommon for the average Disneyland guest to walk a minimum of five miles a day. We have walked as much as 12 miles a day. None of these shoes (with the exception of the red tennis shoes the guy has on!) would be comfortable for that amount of walking.

It seems that we have come full circle in just 50 years or so. Women again choose fashion over comfort.