One bad thing, one good thing

This is Lily,  10 mo. old Australian Shepherd
who side-swipped me from behind and sent
me flying. I landed hard (very hard) on a
pocket radio and broke my hand. This happened
last fall so I spent the winter with my right arm in a cast.  She is a
Sweetie and smart, smart, smart, like all Aussie dogs. I worked
with her in the house this winter and it's absolutely stunning to
see the results of our training hours.

But here's the bad thing. I love my home-made
sourdough bread and how could I knead bread dough with
my hand in a cast?

Here's the good thing.
Bosch bread dough mixer to
the rescue.  I am totally in love
with this appliance.  It mixes my dough
in 5 minutes. Why didn't I have this
years ago?  Perfect loaves. I have
always considered bread making an
art. I guess it took Lily to show me
an easier way.

My arm is now out of the cast and
recovering fast...... just in time
for summer gardening.

Ain't life grand.

A Fitting Punishment

I just read this in the New York Times.

A sentence was handed down to 5 teenagers in VA who spent
a lot of energy writing  racist graffiti on a historic black school-
house. 

They are ordered to read one book each month for the next
12 months and write a book report on it.  Not just any book 
but the Judge gave them a list of 35 works from history's 
most divisive and tragic periods, from which they can choose.

Their sentence also includes a mandatory visit to the Holocaust
Museum in Washington and the Smithsonian's Museum of
American History exhibit on Japanese-American internment
camps in the US. 

I hope more judges follow suit in that kind of punishment  of
Judge Avelina Jacob.  Do you think people would 
continue to riot if they actually knew and understood history?

Hackneyed Phrases

I guess we all tend to use our pet words or
phrases over and over but tell me why so
many people suddenly jump on the band 
wagon of certain phrases and use it until 
it's paper thin. 

Here are 3 overused phrases that make me groan.
     "Bring to the table." Ony bring to the table if
your "plate is full." Oops there's one.

     How about, "Kick the can down the road." 
We used to play kick the can when we were kids. Is that what
they mean?

     And another one, " At the end of the day."
Why does it always have to happen at day's end? Beats me.

Do you have any phrases that send you
screaming out of the room?