So much wildlife has been stirring around the suburban ranch this week, it feels like Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom!  My sister and I came back from an errand to find a deer and her two fawns eating in the backyard. This is very unusual — there are deer everywhere here, but I've never seen one in my neighborhood, let alone my yard! My camera was in the back seat of the car. By the time I reached for it, they were gone.

The other night I went out to water the plants on the deck and found two little lizards crawling around inside the canna. Of course they scurried away within a second.

But last night was the best: I saw a hummingbird flying around one of the plants. It stayed for what seemed like minutes. I stood absolutely still … as soon as I made a move for the camera on the kitchen table, it was over. Guess you'll just have to take my word for it!

Marshall Crenshaw, an early show at Smith's Olde Bar, Saturday 25 September. This is so right in so many ways.

What could be more all-American than attending a Rotary Club luncheon in Peachtree City, Georgia, as an Eagle Scout leads the Pledge of Allegiance?

That's where I was this noon, with a student group and other mentors, considering just how long it had been since I'd been at a Rotary Club luncheon. I guess I went to one a couple years ago to hear my brother address a group. Before that, I think I went as a guest of HCB. Prior to that, I went during my reporting days to more than I could count in order to cover their guest speakers.

I actually enjoyed this one. It was a room of extroverts, where a large nametag and a hearty handshake (with eye contact) are the norm. But I found my usually cynical heart softened by the group's goodwill and commitment. This is my community now, after all, and these are the people who are willing to invest their time and effort to keep it a good one. (It doesn't hurt their insurance / lawn care / realty and assorted other small businesses, either …)

This is the town that gets my tax dollars, and the local state rep was the guest speaker today. He wore a seersucker suit, an interesting choice for a man under 50. And he updated us on the state budget (short version: not good).

Sitting next to me through it all was an exchange student from France. I wondered what she made of the 90 minutes we spent with the Rotarians. For me, the event was the distillation of everything great about America, plus a free lunch with good iced tea. For her, it probably was a step through the looking glass, especially the "Sunshine" and "Bragging Rights" portions, in which a guy stood up to tell a clean joke, and then other people announced milestones like their 55th wedding anniversary and the enormous rainbow trout they caught on vacation.

It was a good day and a nice period of reflection on great Americans like my brother, HCB, and the guy who told the joke.

I still get e-mails from my church in Northern Ireland and one of my favorite recent missives led with this announcement:  "Sunday evening service will be moved up because of the World Cup Final."

In honor of the World Cup final my sister and I went to the local Taco Mac (also known as The Happiest Place on Earth, Outside the Perimeter) to enjoy the international hoopla with my Spanish colleague MQ. He proudly sported his Spain jersey and we learned early on that we were in a pro-Netherlands room (orange scarves and all).

But overall, most people there didn't seem to give a rip. We were at the bar, firmly at the soccer football altar, and to my left were two men who, when asked for their World Cup allegiance, stated they were there to watch baseball. The good news is, one was a die-hard White Sox fan  and the other was so cute I think he caught me staring at least twice.

We make no pretense: we're World Cup novices. We are the equivalent of the mom who cannot spell NFL coming into the living room on Super Bowl Sunday. So we knew to keep our mouths shut (or, more accurately, filled with nachos and weisbier) and just sigh when the Dutch coach and his scarf were shown on the television.

The European chic of the Dutch coach notwithstanding, we rooted for Spain. There are many legitimate reasons for this, primary among them MQ's 6-year-old son, who is actually in Spain right now with his grandparents. He is a darling child and tremendous fan and I wanted Spain to win so he could remember this summer for the rest of his life.

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The White Sox (American League) and Braves (National League) play each other three times this week. I never contemplated what this might mean for me. I told my dad I wasn't sure who to root for.

Dad: "What are your brother's license plates?"

Mapgirl: "Sox Family."

Dad: "Are you part of this family?"

Mapgirl: "Yes."

Dad: "Well, there's your answer."

He said he knows I'm a big Martin Prado fan, and I can be again — just not this week.

Go Sox Go !

I'm getting ready for a spate of houseguests — nay, roommates. Nearly all my family is coming to visit for long stretches this summer, and I'm very excited about their visits. My mom is coming for 9 days in June, my sister for nearly a week in July, and my brother and youngest nephew for a couple days in August. In between that time we're having a family reunion (but not on the second floor of my house, where everyone else will be staying — that event will be back in the Midwest).

I'm envisioning a whirl of Atlanta attractions, day trips and movies. Some of my visitors are a little more excited about staying here and arranging my kitchen cabinets. You think I am kidding, but I am not. I say, help yourself!

Told you I love travel. So Easter weekend was Savannah. Saturday we're off to San Francisco for DMJ's Big Birthday Trip. Then on the heels of that, the company said, "Mapgirl, how about China?"

Yes, how about China? Tianjin and Beijing, thanks!

Counting down the days … and making lots of lists! Travel tips welcome.

This week I attended the Women in Engineering banquet at the Georgia Institute of Technology. It's probably a bit puzzling as to why I would get a seat at this august event, since the prerequisite was a 3.35 grade point average in an engineering discipline (I do not have one) or a corporate sponsorship (I do).

I sat at a table with accomplished young women and heard the president give well-prepared remarks about the days when this could hardly be considered: women at Tech!

He won my heart by recounting the history that got us to this point. His predecessor in the late 1940s took a female-admission proposal to the Board of Directors and it was soundly defeated. He resolved to try again, and he and his wife enlisted the help of one of the most influential people on campus: the head librarian.

With her help, after a three-year campaign, they were successful and the board agreed to admit women to Georgia Tech.

It always comes back to the library. When I need a solution, that's where I always go.

Hey there faithful reader. I know I haven't posted in a long time. It's been such a long time, my mother took me to task about it.

Things are happening. Good things, mostly. But I don't have the time or stamina to write about them. This is one of many areas in my life where I am falling behind. The guilt is paralyzing.

I don't even lie to you anymore, pretending that I will catch up. I do plan to write something — anything — in the coming week. Please don't delete me from your Internet favorites just yet.

Pathetically yours,
mapgirl

Today a guy from Northern Ireland left a brief but stirring message on my answering machine. It was quite a mundane message but he had one of those voices and one of those lilting southern accents. Aye, I listened to the message at least 27 times. And I plan to do so again tomorrow, so I do.