Dorothy Was A Strong One

Dorothy was made of stronger stuff than I am. It has been a week since Birdie and I returned from visiting the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Only now, have I regained enough strength to write. One of the most well-kept secrets in Kansas is that Dorothy didn't leave Oz to get back to normal...she left to return to crazy. The first thing to know about KU is that it is made up of hills, and all of them go up. Also, there's not a cozy morning breakfast spot within spitting distance of campus--not that Birdie and I could find. We ended up two miles away at McDonalds, grateful for melted cinnamon stuff, gulped down 10 minutes before our on-campus appointment. There, we learned, that if you visit campus the day after Seniors' Visit Day, it is you and three other visitors. Not a bad thing. In a move that wouldn't look like crazy on an ordinary day, KU has a bus devoted entirely to visitors. It's full-size and most of the time, we were the only ones on it. My guess: Keeping the visiting riff-raff separate from the students protects the KU secret chant. Birdie and I never figured out what "Rock Chalk" means, although students wore it on their chests, fannies and legs. (To clarify--on their clothing.) The KU crowd is especially proud of its throwing arms.  A student, the bus driver and a faculty member all spontaneously shared that the campus pond, newly restored, at one time held numerous football goal posts, a Vespa motorscooter and several desks. That desks held the same level of prestige as goal posts either means KU students study, or that they don't. KU is a campus that aims to please. The five-story music/fine arts building has ground-level entrances on four floors, facilitating escape from jilted lovers and those to whom money is owed. The library building was contructed for sturdy, heavy books that didn't happen. The weight of books required by KU professors wasn't enough to settle the floors evenly. There's enough slant that with a little physics driven momentum, students may be able to roll themselves right out the front door after studying/napping in the back stacks. And, lest I forget, KU has Chik-Fil-A on campus. Enough said. We loved our quirky visit. And the two guys who run the campus coffee shop gave us some of our best college advice ever. That I'll share tomorrow. Right now, I have a blue plaid dress to stitch. Birdie remains undecided. But I want to be ready should she decide to stuff Tequila in a basket and clicks her heels three times.