Our daughter phoned yesterday, full of excitement about some wonderful Chevre goat cheese and creamy Brie she had discovered at a farmers market, as well as the thrill of being held up as an exemplar of paperwork perfection at her work during a Medicaid audit.
This surprises me. In elementary, middle school, and high school I could have presented her as an exemplar of the biggest flibberty-gibbet, fly-by-night slacker of my acquaintance. I guess maturation happens, but I never expected this from her!
Who or what has surprised you, for good or for naught?
Trail Baboon 
Myself, for naught.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A significant portion of the US population, for naught.
LikeLiked by 6 people
My son was similar in school, right through college. But when he found a job he liked he became a workaholic.
LikeLike
My Jetta wagon, for naught. On Friday it overheated. Steam issuing from beneath the hood. I had all the fluid levels checked just a week ago, so it’s likely a leak. I should find out what’s up today.
LikeLike
Or water pump
LikeLike
NS Clyde, you seem kind of upbeat and on your game here. I hope this means you feel better in some ways.
LikeLike
It’s complicated. In part it is because I am forcing myself out of my isolation. Second round of RFA treatment a week from tomorrow. Then we will see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck! And good for you to force yourself out of isolation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
When we dropped our daughter off to start her freshman year of college, we met her roommate’s mother. We said, “We apologize in advance for how messy our daughter is.” The roomie’s mother said, “That’s funny! I was just about to say exactly the same thing.” We agreed it would be fun to see which girl would prove to be the messier one.
The result? Overnight, both girls suddenly perfect little housekeepers. “Maturation happens.” Both young women were in charge of their lives for the first time without a parent to nag or pick up after them. Now my daughter looks at my apartment and rolls her eyes.
LikeLiked by 4 people
We dropped our daughter and her good high school friend off a Luther. Both were immaculate about everything. 6 weeks later when we went down for a visit, Sandy walked into the dorm room and said. “Becca, what’s that smell.” All accusation. My Daughter laughed and said, “Mother, it’s the pig farm across the valley.” Somewhere inside my wife was disappointed.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I was very surprised last week to find that the tiniest of bunnies had chewed through the heavy plastic poultry fencing we put up around our root vegetable bed. We put up another layer of fencing and I believe bunny moved on. I am sure bunny was surprised to find it couldn’t get into the tasty carrots any more.
LikeLike
Yeah, those bunnies are determined.
LikeLike
it surprises me that it surprises you that your daughter is doing well
LikeLike
You’re surprised? A child is always growing up, always becoming something new. A parent’s mind is filled with snapshots from her past, many of them irrelevant to the person their child has become.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nice Steve!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rise and Shine Baboons,
Well, Renee, I have done that very paperwork. Uffda. I never mastered it. You daughter has an ability to tolerate and order detail and information that I have never had. The owner of the business where I work will be seeking someone to do such things while he/she gets her license (LICSW) in Minnesota. That quality would be a great selling point here, to be sure. I am surprised anyone can do this.
But in a similar vein, my son surprises me with what he is doing. He and two other guys have a digital engineering start up in which they program, design, build parts for medical simulation technology used by the Army to train surgeons. At one point in his life his room was piled high with detritus. He bounced in an out of our house several times (as did two of our nephews). I thought he would never leave.
As others said, I must echo, the wonders of maturity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And the nephews are now a goat farmer (organic) and an accupuncturist. Progress is never a straight line forward.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another surprise. I am preparing to process some tomatoes into pasta sauce. My burner just shorted out, sending a spark across the kitchen. Whoa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I play in “official” golf tournaments several times a year and have for most of my adult golfing life. Even though I’ve seen just about every lousy lie, bad bounce, good bounce, spectacular shot, and impossibly difficult shot attempted (and sometimes pulled off!), it never ceases to amaze me that during a tournament, just when you think you’ve seen it all, you come across a situation or a bad lie or a lucky break that you could never have imagined would happen in a regular weekend round with your buddies.
A competitor I played with yesterday in the Owatonna City Open hit an errant tee shot over a large evergreen toward a creek, so we couldn’t see where the ball had landed. After searching along the creek bank for a few minutes, I found his ball nestled in a little tuft of grass on the precipice of the creek’s edge that was just large enough to cradle his ball and prevent it from toppling into the water. The little nest seemed to have been tailor-made to hold a golf ball securely on the edge of the bank. If the ball had rolled a half inch farther or a half inch less, it would have dropped about four feet down into the water, and he would have incurred a sure penalty stroke.
It didn’t affect the outcome of the tournament, but still, the three of us in that group will remember that incredibly lucky break forever and retell it to our golf buddies dozens of times. Immediately after retelling that story, it’s inevitable that most of the group listening to the story will relate their horror stories relating to tournament golf. (We golfers love to “one-down” each other. Ex: “You think THAT was a bad break?? Lemme tell you about the time I was playing at (fill-in-the-blank golf course). I hit a drive on number five that … !” 🙂
Chris in Owatonna
LikeLiked by 3 people
Surprised to find a Bald Eagle dining on one of my hens this morning…and I surprised the eagle who then flew away, leaving enough remains of the hen for me to dress out and cook. mixed for good/for naught surprises?
PS. I don’t like getting my dinners this way…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll bet the chicken was the one most surprised.
LikeLiked by 2 people
OT. Blevins is this coming Sunday. 2 p.m. Minnehaha Falls – our usual spot under the pavilion near Sea Salt. iSourdough and Philsopher’s Flight.
LikeLike
My latest surprise is my oven/range. After thinking I was going to have to replace it (and getting some good suggestions here, by the way!), the electronic display has decided it’s just fine for now. So I got MGasco back out to fix the igniter and now I’m back to baking away. And the oven is heating up so fast now it’s like a miracle!
LikeLiked by 1 person
LJB – if you’re online today, would your honey guy be interested in the regular sized canning jars? The 16-ounce size? Or anybody else for that matter?
LikeLike
Yeah, he uses that size, too. And whenever I bring him jars, he throws in several free apples into my bag (he’s mainly the apple guy, who also sells honey).
But if anybody else wants the jars for canning, feel free.
LikeLike
Today I did the unthinkable. I actually wore out the second pair of Mephisto sandals I’ve owned. The strap that goes between my big toe and the next one, snapped and came close to sending me head first down the basement stairs. When I went online to find myself a replacement pair, I had the unpleasant surprise of discovering that they’re now $150.00. With a little bit of luck, this will be the last pair I’ll need.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You mean, of course,that the shoes are of such good quality that they will last you for the rest of your long life!
LikeLike
They are high quality, Renee, and each of past pairs have lasted four or five years, so I don’t envision having to buy another pair. And, to answer Clyde’s comment, the strap between the toes doesn’t bother me at all – except for the fact that it prevents me from wearing socks when the weather gets cooler.
LikeLike
Straps between toes. How do you people tolerate that? A mystery to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you, NS. Straps between toes would drive me bonkers.
LikeLike
Great header photo today.
LikeLiked by 1 person