This is going to be a very (very) brief diary, but maybe the story will pan it out to put it into rules-length.  Also, I'm about to leave for home, so... won't respond to comments until I get back to an internet connection.  :)

THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH CASE AGAINST THE DUPAGE DUO - JEFF ZURAWSKI & SARAH HARTFIELD - HAS BEEN DISMISSED!!

If you want to learn more about the case, join me over the jump.

I was reminded that I have a few Chicago Treasures diaries in the wings - so I'm posting one tonight.  But - I'm going to use the intro for a brief nephew-Danny intro.

(For those who have not heard/read, my 3 1/2 year old nephew lost the ability to walk - or move his legs - about a month ago.  Diagnosed with Acute Transverse Myelitis, after a week of hospitalization & treatment, he moved his leg.  He was released the next day.  The end of that week, he started to crawl, soon after, to stand when he could hold a railing.  Last week he started "furniture surfing."  My humble and sincere thanks to everyone who has thought good thoughts or prayed or lit candles or whatever - for Danny.)

Today, Danny walked from the car to the playground, holding onto his mommy's hand.  To quote Danny's phone conversation with me yesterday, "Hi, Aunt Barb.  I moved my leg.  I moved my foot.  Poopy.  Poopy.  Poopy."

Last Saturday, The Gryffin and I tried something new - a Volksmarch.  A friend who is on the same diet program as I had told me about her Volksmarch up and around the "Crazy Horse" statue in the Black Hills - it's a once a year event sponsored by the local chapter of the AVA - the American Volkssport Association. (Their website is ava.org, but it seems to be unavailable at this time.)

About.com provides information not currently available via the AVA website.

Join me over the jump to learn about what we did on Saturday.

The facts are pretty simple - last October, I weighed nearly (or fully) 400 pounds.  My scale topped out at 390 and would either read that (if I grabbed the counter as I stepped on it) or "ERR."  On October 6, I started a low calorie diet program, continuing to walk, and began to lose weight rapidly.

In late April of this year, I began to 'run' (more like: waddle).  I've run 45 to 60 minutes straight at a time - as long as that time is cool, not incredibly humid, and dark.  (Running in the light and actually SEEING WHERE I HAVE TO GO plays huge games with my mind.)

As of August 6 (10 months from my start), I'd lost just over 180 pounds.  Hence:  I am Less Progressive.  More over the jump (and watch me - I can actually jump it now.)

It's been over two weeks now since my 3 1/2 year old nephew Danny was diagnosed with Acute Transverse Myelitis.  At the time, he'd lost the ability to walk.  Wonderful Kossacks virtually held my hand & wished good thoughts, while Danny was in the ER being tested and ultimately diagnosed.  

The following Saturday I followed up with a diary with little update, as his condition had changed little.  But on Tuesday, he was moving his legs, and was released from Loyola.  By last Saturday night, he was crawling.

About 2 weeks ago, my 3 1/2 year old nephew Danny apparently first began to show indications of Acute Transverse Myelitis.  That Saturday night, he sat on the sidewalk after walking a long time (didn't seem odd at the time.)

Sunday and Monday he complained of not feeling well, and his legs hurting.  He had a low-grade fever, just over 100.

Tuesday he woke up and told his mom that he could not stand up.  He was brought to the emergency room and later admitted into Loyola.

Kossacks wished him good thoughts, while we waited to see what was going on on Tuesday night, learned about the treatment and lack of progress, (so far), a week ago Saturday, and that he moved his legs and was released, on Tuesday.

One week ago, I wrote to you and asked for your healing thoughts for my nephew Danny, who woke up that morning and told his mom that he couldn't stand up.

On Saturday, I provided a less-than-enthusiastic update on his condition.

TODAY DANNY HAS GONE HOME!

My 3 1/2 year old nephew Danny awoke last Tuesday and told my sister, "Mommy, I can't stand up."  They spent the afternoon and evening in the ER at Loyola Hospital.  He was admitted at 1:30 the next morning, after a battery of tests and MRI's.

I wrote this diary on Tuesday night, and hundreds of Kossacks responded with warm thoughts, wishes and prayers.

Please join me over the jump.

Meet my younger nephew, Danny.

He is three and a half years old.  He is an amazingly cute and funny kid.

Update:  Little had changed when I went to sleep last night, but I'll talk with people this morning & hopefully update with news, in the next couple of hours.

THANK YOU to everyone who has posted a good wish to Danny or our family, or didn't post and sent that wish.  I responded to most posts last night (tried to do them all, but sometimes I miss).  This morning, I'm running behind schedule, so I'll have some catching up to do on responding to posts.  But thank you.  

I didn't run the entire distance of the 5K I was in this morning.  As a matter of fact, I ran less than half of it.

The rest, I walked.

I have excuses, after the jump.

Stepping in this week while dmsilev is visiting family and puppy.  (And I'm not anxiously awaiting puppy photos in the least.) (Though, if you have puppy photos, the comments section of this diary is WIDE OPEN.)

dms didn't supply a theme, so I picked bugs - because of two places I've visited in the past couple of weeks - first, Notebaert Nature Museum, with its Butterfly Haven (a couple of Fridays ago), and today the Morton Arboretum.

You're not going to believe the humongous bugs I saw at the Arboretum.

Please join me over the jump.

A little more than a year ago, Jeff Zarawski & Sarah Hartfield created a banner that read, "IMPEACH! Bush & Cheney - LIARS" and hung it, along with an upside-down American flag (indicating "distress") from an overpass along I-355 in unincorporated Downers Grove, Illinois.

A passing truck driver phoned 911 and reported:

Driver: Yeah, I’d like to report uh, I’ve got two youths ... I’m going southbound on 355 at the 26th and a half mile marker 26th ½ to 27 mile marker. There’s a bridge that goes over 355 I’ve got two youths up there hanging a bunch of uh, a bunch of junk that looks like they’re hanging shit off of that bridge.

Join me over the jump for more of what he said.  

Note that the quotes are from the transcript, but I replaced the driver's name with "Driver".

Welcome to the Memorial Day edition of WYFP (mostly written on Memorial Day weekend).

Today, I met drchelo and dmsilev downtown, and we went on an architectural cruise before going to Pizzeria Due's for lunch:

Mmm, mmm, mmm - looks good enough to eat, huh?

A year ago, I spent the Saturday before Memorial Day going to three different locations in Chicago for Chicago Treasures diaries, which I recall over the jump.

WYFP is our community's Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else that we think might help. Everyone and all sorts of troubles are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won't you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?

The Illinois Prairie Path is a series of paths, branches and spurs that total over 60 miles.  Most portions are covered with crushed gravel, though some areas are covered in asphalt or other surfaces.  I live (according to my bike computer) 1/2 a mile from where a road crosses the Batavia spur of the path.  I've travelled both east and west along this spur.  

I have been using the Prairie Path for my runs or my walks.  But, this morning, my exercise was a leisurely photo safari for a few miles to the (north and) west.  If you'd like to view any of the photos more closely, click on them for a larger image.

It's a CHALLENGE!

(It's a RUMBLE!)

(ok.  no, it's not.  It's a challenge.  To learn about it, join me over the jump.)

I saw some simpleton bring up the "But she won the tiebreaker" crud in a diary.  

This is a lie.  Let's break it down into real simple numbers, over the jump.

Thirty days ago, the Yellowstone Wolves lost their protected status.

Today, there are 37 fewer Yellowstone Wolves.

Please see my previous diary, which references this diary, and join me over the jump.

What the hell.  My mojo has gone wakka wakka, and half (three quarters?) of the diaries today are concern troll drivel.

So, here's a Chicago Treasure I never figured I'd post.  

Mid February was my younger nephew's third birthday.  We started out celebrating it at "Two Toots" - a diner across the street from a rail station.

Join me over the jump to see what makes it fairly unique.