It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

There's never a dull moment in our neighborhood!

Tonight I was out on the front porch when I heard someone yelling. I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from, but it was really loud. So I went out to the sidewalk, and finally saw him. Funny thing is, everybody else on the block came out to look, too; and considering it's only about 10 degrees, presumably everyone had their windows closed -- that's how loud he was.

Anyway, he wasn't being profane at all, but was yelling about how this "nasty neighborhood" would be destroyed if it was in Colorado(?). He wasn't stumbling or acting drunk, just loud and angry. It was weird. Maybe his car was stolen or something. I'll probably never find out. It wasn't quite as weird as when the naked guy came down the street yelling about how his wife had thrown him out without any clothes, but weird nonetheless.

Soooo, Hannah and I made minestrone last weekend. 16 quarts' worth! Below is a picture of it, about halfway through. It was definitely an all-day project, but very yummy.

Hannah asked me not to post this picture, but I think it's cute. And of course, washing dishes is a part of any cooking process.
She's coming over again this Sunday to make cottage cheese dill bread.

Tuesday we get to come out of our 8-year national nightmare. Monday is a holiday, but I also took Tuesday off, since I consider it even more of a holiday (and I admit that the idea of a 4-day weekend was appealing). We have a bunch of anti-Bush stuff (refrigerator magnets, a "Smush Bush," etc.) that we don't quite know what to do with. I suppose we'll keep them around for a while. My cousin sent me a funny e-mail of Bush quotes today. I know they're available all over the Net, but I'm posting them anyway, for old time's sake:

• 'The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.'
• 'If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.'
• 'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared.'
• 'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments inthe future.'
• 'The future will be better tomorrow.'
• 'We're going to have the best educated American people in the world.'
• 'I stand by all the misstatements that I've made.'
• 'We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are a part of Europe.'
• 'Public speaking is very easy.'
• 'A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls.'
• 'I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them.'
• 'We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.'
• 'For NASA, space is still a high priority.'
• 'Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children.'
• 'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.'

I'm really looking forward to presidential speeches for the next few years!