Grandma's Kitchen Table

Wonderful Little Gus Back Riding the Range at Marie's

       Well, wonderful little Gus is back at Marie's.  We tried, and we so wanted it to work out, but little Tibetan Spaniels are just so dang good at what they are bred to do...guard you! 

       We love Tibbies, so much so that I wouldn't want another breed of dog.  They are smart and funny and so very loyal.  All that loyalty makes them a little vocal when it comes to anyone or anything that might enter their territory, which seems to encompass pretty much the whole world.  Tibbies, even little ones, have a very deep sharp bark, and while they do not bark for no reason, they feel very adamant when they do have a reason...which means if you are entering an area where a Tibbie is currently residing, you should know there will be a loud announcement of your arrival. 

       When Marie asked me if I wanted to try having a Tibbie in our current living situation (our great adventure living downtown in an apartment five minutes from Mark's office for the next couple of years), I knew I wanted to give it a try as I missed our two Tibbies so much.  Gus is such a wonderful little dog, so cuddly, loving, and sweet...and so good at his job of wanting to alert and protect us.  Those other parts work well in any situation, apartment or house, the last one not so much when there are little noises going to and fro all hours of the day in an apartment (unlike in a situation with a house).  We never notice those little noises in the day and sleep through them in the night.  Not Gus.  Gus has excellent hearing and doesn't sleep through any sort of activity that might be intruding on his territory. 

       Gotta love the Tibbie for that...we loved that, too, at the house as there was no way anyone was going to get anywhere near our house without Pippin & Vash sounding the alarm.  In the apartment, with an emergency room doctor living next door who needs sleep at various times of the day...well, let's just say not everyone finds that charming.  So after five days of giving it a go, it was deemed best that Gus return to Marie's house to romp and ride the range with the free-wheeling dudes and missy there. 

       The dudes and missy were all head over heels delighted to see his return and when we left, Gus, Breezy, and Flame were all out running and playing in Marie and George's back yard, so while there were a few tears at leaving him there, I know I will see him and his buddies and maybe Gus can come and visit now and again!  Or we can change our plans and buy our next house sooner than we had planned. 

Gus Is In The House

       Well, Gus is in the house.  Bouncing.  Jumping.  Running.  And then collapsing in a lump to sleep it all off at a moment's notice.  Puppies are like that...so much exuberance we wonder how one little bundle of fur can have such joy at life. and such interest in every single thing. 

       He seems to be adjusting well...figuring out routines moment by moment.  So much so that when Mark put on his shoes and coat to go to work this morning, Gus was a little put out as it did not include his halter and leash for a walk about.  His routine here the past couple days has been that he and Mark go for walks and watch basketball games.  Weekend guy things.  Staying home with me didn't seem to be all that thrilling.  Until I started to prep some food in the kitchen, then the interest seemed to perk right up.  And he seems to like Tom Petty's music quite a lot. 

       The photos I posted on the first post were ones of Gus in Japan before he came to the United States in November, he was 3 months old at the time and sporting his fluffy puppy look.  These photos today are of Gus now at 6 months old sporing his sun-bleached wind-blown riding-the-plains-cowboy-dude look.  This is pretty much what he will look like from now on, although he will be a little larger than his current 8 pounds, maybe around 12-14 pounds.

         He's very cute and we love him already, so nice to have a Tibbie back in the house.  Speaking of having a Tibbie puppy in the house, this is a nice photo of little Gus peacefully sleeping in his favorite spot on the couch yesterday morning...at the time I decided it would be a great moment to get dressed for the day and make the bed.  When I returned to the living room, it was apparent the timing of my moment of decision had  coincided exactly with the moment that Gus felt he needed a Kleenex. 
Enough said.  I smiled as I remembered Pippin and Vash going through this stage...Gus following in much loved footsteps.  Yep, there's a puppy in the house! 

Meet Gus

       We've been without a pet for a couple years now, and although I indicated that when the freedom that comes with "there will be no replacement pets" occurred, that I would be fine with that pet-less stage, instead I found that I missed the little critters dreadfully.  So, I was sorta kinda thinking maybe when Lindsay's crew produced another litter, I would push myself to the front of the line.  And I still plan on doing that.
        In the meantime, Marie had puppies to train and show and welcomed visits from The Lonely-For-Tibbies Girl (that would be me) stopping by and spoiling all her Tibbies with lavish praise and attention.  As it turns out, one of Marie's darlings sported a bit of a bowed leg issue that wasn't exactly going to wow the judges in Marie's show ring world.  Yuuki (his given name, but I referred to him as The Little Cowboy) was going to need a new range to ride.  Lindsay and I had spoken often about whether I would like a boy Tibbie (we had two of Lindsay's best boys ever, Pippin and Vash, so I am very partial to boys) or a girl Tibbie (Lindsay thinking maybe I would like to try having a little girl puppy as I loved her Tibbie girls so much).  There was never a question about it being a Tibbie either way...Tibetan Spaniels are the way we roll around here.  So I had sorta kinda thought maybe I would get an Uptown Girl this next round and see what girl doggies were like.  All this speculation and dreaming came to an end when Marie's Little Cowboy spoke to my heart with those big Tibbie eyes and my thoughts of an Uptown Girl turned instead to a Downtown Dude.
        The rest I can't explain.  Well, I can, but it's complicated.  Since I was getting the doggie, I figured the guys should have input into the name we chose.  Gus was the favorite choice (and I got to input that he should have a fancier name than just plain Gus as he was, after all, from a noble lineage, an excellent kennel, and of show quality, except for those little bowed legs, so Gus would become Augustus for fancy occasions).  Now Gus is on the smaller side of male Tibbies, so having a big tough guy name like Gus would seem to give him an advantage...like in "you don't mess around with Gus," whether this be fact or fiction. 

       And then, I don't know exactly what happened but somehow Gus got the last name of Huckleberry.  He's no hound dog, or maybe it's because this week is the 130th anniversary of the publishing of Huckleberry Finn, or maybe they just liked the sound of Huckleberry...I don't really understand it, other than something about it being unique and no one else will ever have a dog named Gus Huckleberry.  And they probably won't.  And you can probably understand why without me pointing it out. 

       So, without further ado, Gus Huckleberry, the Downtown Dude, is scheduled to take up residence on Saturday and ride the range here for the rest of his days with his cowboy stance and his suits-him-just-fine name.  This is what happens when you let guys name dogs. 

       A very special thank you to Hiroomi Morishita for his generosity and best wishes to us and for his wonderful little Yuuki.  His kennel in Japan is Yuuki (Gus's) homeland.  We are very thankful to Hiroomi and Marie Firos for their confidence in placing Yuuki (Gus) with us.

Stepping Back From Blogging a Bit For a Time

Photo:  Matt, Mark, Alex, and Vash in the front...definitely more guys than gals in this household.

      The guys were all home this past weekend to help celebrate Mark's parents' 61st Wedding Anniversary on Saturday.  Wow, 61 years is an amazing amount of time. 

      Unfortunately, Mark's parents have both been experiencing some major health concerns and were not able to enjoy a true celebration, Mark's mom has been in the hospital since last Thursday for emergency surgery.  We hope to celebrate the anniversary at a later time when they can both enjoy a bit of family gathering to celebrate all those wonderful years and memories. 

 

Blogging Break

Blogging Break:  It's been a week of cough/cold/flu and I'm thinking I need to catch up a bit on things missed and things going on around our place, so I'll catch up here at GKT next week as I am fresh out of pre-written and banked group posts...and to those groups, thanks for your patience.  xo -- Kbg

Might Be Vacation...Might Be

Photo:  Daniel, Matt, Kiernan

      Might Be Vacation...Might Be.  Matt is home for semester break until next Tuesday, at which time he heads back down to IU for two weeks of winter training before classes start again in Janaury, so I am thinking that I probably will not get a lot of posting done for my blog-along groups as I am making all his favorite foods while he is here and doing a whole lot of running around doing Christmas things that we enjoy.  (Posting is probably going to be sparse, then again, I might go on a posting tear if I find myself with some time to spare while he is out running around with his friends, i.e. I have over 20 things made and not posted from the past couple of months.) 

      While he is on break from school, this does not include swimming as he is practicing with his USA team at CSC.  This morning Daniel (Princeton) and Kiernan (Xavier) dropped by for a little breakfast after morning practice.  The kitchen table was laden with yesterday's shopping waiting to be wrapped this morning (couldn't wrap last night as I needed to watch the IU basketball game, and yes, thank you, 11-0 to start the season does feel very nice), but they didn't mind...they just moved it all south and made room for pancakes and bacon (note to self to buy decent maple syrup as I never have that on hand since none of us eat it, I think the rest of the world eats syrup on pancakes). 

      It feels great having them back and seeing them...they are all very much missed.  It's going to be a lovely week.

On Vacation!

      Since Matt is headed off to college in less than two weeks (where did that time go?), we here at the house are going to spend as much time as possible spending enjoyable time with him, cooking/baking all his old favorites, going on a few mini-trips, and getting shopped and packed for the big move to IU. 

      I've decided that a blogging break is in order to accommodate all these things, so I'll see you back here in 2 weeks, August 23!

My First King Cake!

I made a King Cake for Mardi Gras!  My first ever and it turned out looking fairly decent and tasting fairly decent.  Most of all, it was fun.

Nearly Caught Up!

  I'm back with four, yes, count them, four new posts, all written within about 30 minutes, so be kind in your assessment.  Working all day tomorrow, so look for the Whisk Wednesday's post later in the evening.  That's the current plan.  I hope you all had a good time while I was away!

Far, Near, Far, Near

 Will return Tuesday, hopefully catch the blog alongs up at some point, but possibly just call it a near miss and be behind on some...such is life.  Enjoy the weekend, I know I will! 

Near 'Nough Said (One Sentence Blogging Week)

   Some blogging friends of mine and I are participating in "One Sentence Blogging Week," so for the entire week, the main part of our posts on the cooking/baking blog alongs will be one sentence (hopefully, in my case, one non-Proustian type sentence)..."participating" might be a loose term, however, as actually, we (we'll give Nancy credit here) made this week up ourselves and invite anyone who wishes to join us to do so, because it is August and we are all needing a little extra time in our days trying to get kids ready for the beginning of school, trying to get ready for vacation, wanting to be on vacation, or actually are on vacation, so welcome to our One Sentence Blogging Week entries!

Hiatus: It's Senior State Swimming!

       Senior State Swimming Championships begin tomorrow in Bloomington, so I am taking a little break from blogging from now until Sunday while we concentrate on supporting Matt in that. 

      Whisk Wednesdays will return next week. 

      Mastering the Art of French Cooking will return next week also. 

      Nancy's Notions will begin next Saturday, stay tuned for that one and I will explain then. 

      I will also be taking some time off for a little vacation and Art Museums from August 8-15, but hope to cook ahead next week and bank the posts to be published on the correct days.  At least that is the hope. 

      Think fast swim times, the boy needs to drop 11/100ths of 1 second in the 50 Free for a Jr. National time...so close, so very very close!

Spring Break

We're on Spring Break:  no posts this week! 

Through

      These little beauties have been making me smile all week...little flowering bits here and there all popping up and adding colorful spots throughout our landscaping...I look forward to it every year. 

      Well, we made it through the weekend with most of our goals accomplished, and some accomplished that we didn't even know we had at the beginning. 

Spring cleaning:  4 rooms (The Men's Den; the Den; and two half baths)...we didn't get the 5th one done (the Laundry Room) as someone was inspired to go through ALL the books in the book cases to determine if there were indeed some books that could be gifted elsewhere.  Did you get that...through all the shelves, through every single book (some two deep on the shelves), throughout the entire shelving system(s) we have here at the house.  I'm not complaining as it feels really good to have all that done, and it isn't often we actually get motivated enough to take on that little chore and see it through, so I am happy that he was so inspired on Saturday.  (It helped tremendously that most of the bookcases are located fairly close to the television, and therefore the NCAA games.)  

      So, I am feeling really good today about all that.  I'm also feeling pretty good because I am currently 4th in the NCCA basketball pool that Mark's office runs...and since you asked, Mark, Matt, and Alex are all TIED for 34th.  I'm just saying...I'm in a good position this year...I have actually won it once, Mark has won it once, and Alex has won it once and been in the top three a couple of times.  And, I ALWAYS do all my own picks with no help or input from anyone else, just in case you were wondering and all.  

      A fair amount of yard work was completed.   

      I didn't quite get my book finished, so the transcontinental is still in the Sierras. 

      All in all, it was a great weekend...various people in and out, various fun things to do, and all this sunshine making our grass green, the leaves sprouting out in varying colors, and even some flowers blooming, is contributing greatly to my general attitude about the weather! 

      Hope you all had a great weekend...gotta go as the timer on the oven just beeped and my TWD dessert for tomorrow is done...all I can say is that it smells like blueberries, warm sugar, and vanilla throughout the house.  Don't you wish you were here?  Me, too, I wish you were here as well!

Who and What

      It's been quite a weekend around here.   I think I have pretty thoroughly covered the girls swimming and now am ready to start thinking toward boys swimming sectionals which are Thursday night for prelims and Saturday for finals.  I happen to have a boy swimmer in the sectionals, so that seems a fair way to get my mind thinking now.  His shoulders seem to be holding their own, so we are hopeful that the swims will be good this week. 

      Unfortunately, the sectionals and state fall during Guerin's second trimester finals prep/finals time and there is more than just swimming for Matt to stay focused on...we shall see.    

      We celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday rather than Saturday as we knew we could have the entire day together.  Yellow roses...I have never gotten yellow roses before, so that was different, lovely, and nice...they look so cheerful sitting on the kitchen counter.  I really love flowers...you can say anything you want with flowers and never need to go a step further...Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, I think, as I always get flowers...what a treat! 

      Yesterday in Hooville was wonderful.  We had a lovely drive down and back, always nice to get to chat and have actual conversations with your spouse without the daily interruptions, oh, and kids....  Lennies for lunch was great...can't go wrong with their French Onion Soup and a crab cake...we arrived just as they were opening and by the time we left, it was packed with every single person wearing cream and crimson IU attire. 

      I have mentioned before that Mark has a brother, who shall not remain nameless...Al...who attended Purdue and works for Purdue, as does his wife, Susan.  A little while back I mentioned that there was no better place to be a fan than at IU and he begged to differ, of course, those Boilermakers being what they are and all about their feelings about IU (and vice versa, of course), so I am going to present it to all of you and let you decide. 

      Yesterday's game was a complete sell-out, rafter to rafter at Assembly Hall.  There were no seats unsold.  They may even have worked in a few seats that aren't normally there...it was that SOLD OUT!  How many teams do you know that can SELL OUT their stadiums in a year with a brand new coach, the youngest team ever assembled, only one conference win to date, only six wins on the year, and for a game they KNOW they probably do NOT have even a prayer of winning?  Like I said, there is no better place to be a basketball fan than at IU! 

      While the first half was a little (okay, a lot) shaky, the second half was riveting!  On your feet, leave your seat, action!  While our win column is a little lacking this year, our GIVE THEM A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY column is outstanding!  Just wait.  Just. Wait.  

      And, speaking of those Boilermakers, who were, incidentally in Hawkeye land this weekend, the Hawks gave them a run for their money also.  Get this:  Hawks were playing without their three best players, one of their "count-it three-point shooters" could not buy a basket in that game, Jake while good, wasn't his stellar self...all that coupled with the young team, the coach only in second year, and those HAWKS had those Boilers running and sweating and scared until the very end.  I'm just saying...just wait! 

      I enjoyed the movie very much, and we had a lovely dinner at Claddaugh (I know, French Onion Soup twice in one day...now that's a celebration in itself!).  Hope you all had a great Valentine's Weekend and are enjoying this fine sunny day.

      When Matt finishes swim practice this morning, we are just going to spend the day enjoying going from here to there on whatever whim inspires us as he has no school today.   Happy President's Day!

WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE....NEW NATIONAL SWIM RECORD FOR CHS!

THE CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL GIRL'S SWIMMING STATE IS OFF TO A GREAT START...EVENT NO. 1 AND THEY HAVE SET A NEW NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RECORD in the 200 Medley Relay!  They are now FIRST in the entire nation in this swim...WAY TO GO, CHS, AND, OF COURSE, JESSIE, LAUREN, DEVON, AND MEGAN!!   See news story below from Lane 9:

Carmel High Girls Set National High School Medley Relay Record -- February 13, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, February 13. AT the Indiana High School State Championships, Carmel High broke the national high school standard in the 200 medley relay during prelims. At the prestigious IU Natatorium at IUPUI, the foursome of Jessie Hammes (25.45), Lauren Stauder (28.68), Devon Mason (25.31) and Megan Detro (22.65) clocked a collective time of 1:42.09. The performance cleared the public school record of 1:42.71 set by Arrowhead High in Wisconsin in 2005, while the time also beat the overall standard of 1:42.35 set by The Bolles School last year, which will still stand as the independent record.

Who, What, When

      Photo of Matt and Ali on their way out the door after a concert during the Christmas season...Ali sporting her Swimming and Diving sweatshirt from her school team.

      Championship swimming season is at hand, well, at least for the girls!  (The boys' sectionals begin in two weeks.)  Ali swims tonight, so all kind thoughts and any number of prayers for success as she is looking for a state time...tonight she is seeded 6th in the 100 Fly and 7th in the 500 Free.  Prelims tonight, finals Saturday at 1:00.  Go, Ali, Swim Fast!  

      Did you see the HooHawk game last night?  Hoos prevailed, and the fans were on fire at Assembly Hall...you would have thought it was a game for the National Championship instead of the Hoos just looking for their first conference win and getting it!  Even in a building year, even with the youngest team ever assembled, even with a coach in his first year:  there is no better place to be a basketball fan than at Indiana! 

 

Who, What, When, Where, Why

Who:  Mark and I

What:  A whole day of Date Night

When:  Saturday

Where:  Bloomington

Why:  Because we haven't been out together to just run around having fun for a whole lotta weeks, and we both missed just doing that, so we planned an entire day!

 

     Saturday was a real treat for me...more so than usual as I have been housebound for a couple of months. 

     Since the Hoosiers were playing at home in Bloomington, of course that seemed the natural direction as the starting point.  It was a beautiful sunny day, the drive down was very nice with time to chat, etc.  The Hoos ended up losing the game, but that was not a damper as this year we are just in it for the watching-the-growth taking place...so, from that standpoint, it was a good game. 

     We got to have lunch at the Limestone Grille, always lovely.  As we were by the mall, we did some shopping, and even saw a movie.  Since the game ended at 6:30, we decided to just head out of town and eat dinner further north...college town restaurants are always packed after games!   A great decision.  After a nice dinner, and more basketball on tv...it was declared that this had been one very fine day. 

     It felt so good to be out and about!  A great day:  start to finish.

     Hoo/Hawk game on Wednesday night...they play in Hooville at 6:30...see you there!

Dealing With A Foot Of Snow

      The view looking out our living room window...lots of snow! 

      Yep, we got a foot of snow, I kid you not, between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.  On Wednesday they canceled everything they could think of, so Mark, Matt and I had a nice day snowed in at home.  Mark tried to make it in to work, but got stuck several times and just figured he would call it a day and work from home.  

      Thursday and Friday have been much better, although the schools are on a two-hour delay (I know, you Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, upstate New York, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire people, not forgetting all my Canadian friends, are all laughing at canceling and two-hour delays for one little round of snow...this is Indiana and we don't get a lot of that around here usually, so people gather themselves in a tizzy quiet quickly when they hear more than one inch of snow is expected). 

      I didn't get Whisk Wednesdays recipe made this week as I sort of waited until the last minute, and could not find any whole trout, so that will come along at another point as I do want to make it...it looked delicious, and being an Iowa girl:  I love trout!  I don't think you can grow up in northeast Iowa without going fishing for trout. 

      Matt's swim meet on Tuesday was canceled as the roads were starting to get bad during the early hours of the afternoon.  He was very disappointed as it was hosted by Ali and Harrison's school and he was really looking forward to swimming with them in the meet.  No reschedule on that as girls high school swim sectionals start next week, so there is no time to get a meet of that caliber rescheduled in a timely manner.  Boys high school swimming sectionals are in two weeks, state is the last Friday and Saturday in February.   And then we gear up for USA senior state in March.   And the best part of all that is that winter is OVER at that point.

 

The Deal With The Duck

       I posted the Whisk Wednesdays duck entry last night, for anyone interested.  You can find it on the entry for January 7th. 

     That was one very fine duck.

Ordeal

       Okay, no photos today, just a quick update to let you know that things went fine and Le Canard is on borrowed time...tomorrow he gets roasted up (I know, we try not to eat meat on Fridays, but I am under instructions to eat meat for another few weeks, so we'll just go with that for now). 

      I am home, no worse for the little trip, and maybe actually feeling much better today.  They didn't keep me, so I figure that's a good thing. 

      You Iowa people will enjoy this:  They said, "Who is here with you?  I will let them know that things went fine and you are going to rest for a bit and then be ready to go."  I said, "Well, I drove myself."  "You drove yourself?  Didn't you read that paper that said you should have someone with you as you were not to operate heavy machinery, etc.?"  "Oh, yes, I read that, but I figured Blue Bernice (my car) isn't exactly heavy machinery, we were only jaunting for about two miles with no major intersections, so we would be just fine, I wouldn't waste anyone's time for such a short trip, making them wait around, etc., and if I had to stay, then no one would be needed at all at point."   "Well, operating a car is heavy machinery...are you sure you feel okay to do that?"  Me:  "When I read that, I thought, as any good Northeast Iowa person would think, that "heavy machinery" meant tractors and combines, and I knew I wasn't going to be doing that today, so I figured it would be just fine." 

      And, it was...I made it home with no problem, very happy that I didn't have to stay anywhere else.  Blue Bernice just wants everyone to know that she doesn't particularly enjoy being called "heavy machinery."  Tests back in a few days, but I'm thinking all this looks good, so I thank you most sincerely for all the prayers and good wishes.

      Tomorrow Le Carnard!

Auld Lang Syne

       Matt and Ashlee at the last IYC Christmas Angels Sing Concert December 20th...good friends...Ashlee sings beside Matt in the choir, so it was fun to get a shot of the two of them side-by-side afterward.  We are so blessed to know so many wonderful and talented teens!

      Many of you have sent lovely emails and prayers, best wishes, Masses, etc. for me and I wanted to thank you all and let you know that I am doing well, just a minor glitch...should be up and running my usual gigs in no time, so much for vacation plans...hopefully be on time with my TWD and Whisk Wednesdays posts this week, but we shall see.  My Christmas gifts are still under the tree, so my season hasn't ended just yet!  Thanks for all the kind thoughts...I promise to try and get caught up around here soon. 

      Last Table post for the year.  All that's left to do now is celebrate the old and welcome in the new.  Click here for Auld Lang Syne...a movie version this year...I love all the olden means of transportation in this clip.  

Come on, go sing along...it's tradition!   Meet you back here in 2009. 

      In the meantime...sing along with me, you know the words to the first verse or two...come on, if I can't be with you at midnight, then let's just sing at least part of it together now:  Ready...Auld Lang Syne:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

      Auld acquaintances are never forgotten:  Happiest and Most Blessed of New Years to All of You From All of Us!

Merry Christmas From Us to You

        Merry Christmas and best of wishes for the coming year!  Grandma's Kitchen Table will be taking a bit of a vacation and return after the New Year.  Hope you all have lovely holidays! 

Dog Tag and Snoopy Christmas

      Pippin, Lord of the Rings, left, displaying fine Tibetan Spaniel frog-legged lounging pose.    

      Vash the Stampede, right, suspicious of my motives with the camera flashing in his face.  

      Sometimes we here at The Table get a little silly...today would be one of those times.  It's Remy's birthday this week.  Remy is a Westie and he owns Sara and Ryan, The Winemaker and His Wife out in California.  Sara played along with a Doggie Tag for Remy's birthday, so we are playing along today for Sar and Remy.  If you want to check out Remy's answers, click on the connect to The Winemaker's Wife blog to your left. 

      So, in the spirit of holiday frivolity and all...here is the Dog Tag, and a Christmas tune for you today...click here for, you guessed it, Snoopy vs. The Red Baron Christmas.  Sometimes you just have to let silliness win out...it lightens the heart.

1.  What breed are you?

We are Tibetan Spaniels, a far superior breed to anything else out there, that's why there are so few of us, and why we have been so esteemed and treasured by Tibetan emperors. 

Pippin:  We have the papers to prove it, would you like to see them?   

Vash:  Not that I need to prove anything, of course, but if I did, I do have them.  So there.

2.  How old are you?

Pippin:  September 24, 2002

Vash:  May 23, 2003

3.  What is your full name? 

Pippin:  Pippin, Lord of the Rings

Vash:  Vash the Stampede

4. Do you have any nicknames?

Pippin:  Pip, Pipster

Vash:  Vash IS my nickname.  Sometimes I will answer to "Vashie," but only if absolutely necessary and no one outside the family is around to hear it.  Geesh....

5.  Where do you sleep?

Pippin:  At night, in my doggie bed.  During the day, anywhere up off the floor so that I have an excellent view of everything that is going on.  We are, you know, guard dogs...it is born us, so we must do it...really, we must.

Vash:  At night, in my doggie bed.  During the day, anywhere I can be in someone's way.

6.  What is your favorite thing to do?

Pippin:  Go for a drive in the car.

Vash:  Go for a walk so I can terrorize all the neighborhood dogs and anything else in my way.

7.  What is something unusual or interesting about you?

Pippin:  I am very smart about all the routines around here.  I keep everyone on schedule.  I KNOW when it is time for things like getting up in the morning, eating, walking, going places, guys leaving for school, guys coming home from school, guys coming home from work.  I know and if it doesn't happen on schedule, I let everyone know about it.

Vash:  Everything about me is unusual and interesting.  I like to keep them all guessing.  All the time.

8.  Who is your best friend?

Pippin:  Mom and Matt and Vash...I am very protective of home, family, and territory, and if you want to play here, you better be related to me or be with a member of my family.  Having food or bribes won't do it.

Vash:  Dad and Matt and Pippin...I do not play with other dogs well.  It's them or me...so I am always thinking:  ME!

9.  Did you go to obedience school...if so were you "Top Dog" or would you flunk out?

Pippin:  I really don't need to go to obedience school as I am a real people pleaser around the house and a very good boy most all of the time.  The worst that can be said about me is that I like to tear up Kleenex if I get a chance.

Vash:  Obedience school you say?  Really?  I can make them all go to obedience school?  No one ever told me that...I will check into sending them all immediately!  And, BTW, there is no training a Tibbie...we do what we do because we are superior to anything around and we know it.  I like having the rep that I only do what I want to do when I want to do it...I figured out long ago that cats have it made with this sort of behavior, so why can't I?

10.  Can you do any tricks?

Pippin:  I can sit and stay if I feel like there is a reason to do so that will net me a treat or a hug.  Tibbies are born all black and they get blonde as they age and get older.  We have two coats of fur, the outer one you see, and an inner one of downy fur which is very useful in places like Tibet...not so much in places like Indiana.

Vash:  I can get the people around here, especially the big tall guy with gray hair, to do anything I want when I want it.  I'd say that's the best trick of all, wouldn't you?  Oh, and I fetch...when it suits me to do so.  I am a champion dog, a veteran of the show ring, and the year I finished my championship, in only five shows, no less, I was one of the top male Tibbies in the United States.  Don't ask what happened next, but I will say that things haven't been the same since. 

Now if you're reading this and you're a doggie, or if a doggie lives at your house (or even a cat, I guess), we invite you to play along. Just post these questions on your blog and answer them, then tag somedoggie else if you like.  Oh, and clue us in on your post as we would love to see what goes on in other doggies' houses!

Winter Wonderland

       Photo:  The nice wintery view out our front living room window looking over at Kathleen and Mark's house as it was snowing the other day. 

      Alex hasn't been too keen on showing up at any of the Christmas concerts this year, so it has left Mark and I with many a date night recently traveling to and fro from concerts on our own, sans children in the car with us, as Matt drives himself these days, which is a good thing so we don't have to do the dropping-him-off-early-for-the-call-time and then waiting-around-until-show-time bit anymore. 

      It's quite different being in the car, just the two of us and all.  Let me preface this by saying that we were married for 14 years before said children arrived, and did quite a lot of traveling about in the car together, but now, after carting them about for 16 years, it just seems very strange to be ALONE IN THE CAR.

      We were marveling at how we could discuss anything we wanted without having them say, "Let's talk about something else...."  We can listen to any radio station we want without them rolling their eyes and shaking their heads.  Last night, for instance, CCR came on and Mark and I both said at the same time, "Oh, yeah...CCR" and started singing Proud Mary without fear of youngsters saying, "Oh, here they go again...." 

      I realized that this is going way too fast...those boys are going to be gone in just a couple of years and while I will be able to do all these things at will at that point, it will also be a bit lonely motoring around about by ourselves.  I am already experiencing this since Matt started driving on his own.  Before that, Matt and I had a lot of time for conversations and whatnot each day just from the time we spent in the car traveling to and from practices, school, etc.  Now I have to actually say, "Matt, stand still for one second and let's get caught up a bit here..." 

      Another aspect of this is the teasing I take from Mark about things like this:  last night as we were riding along in Blue Bernice, he glanced at the dashboard and said, "Wow, your clocks are right...who changed those for you?"  I replied, "Ah, well, Matt did that, and you are right, there's no way I would have gotten that done on my own."  His reply, "Well, I figured it was either Matt OR I figured it just caught up with you as you had probably spent the Daylight Savings Time on winter time just adjusting the time by an hour each time you looked at the clock." 

      He is so onto me and my ways...that's exactly what I will be doing when Matt heads off to college.  It will be like in the movie Same Time Next Year when Alda's watch isn't working correctly and instead of getting it fixed, he just adjusts the time in his mind.  Yep, that will be me. 

      Here's a little Christmas music for you today, click here.

 

The Holly and The Ivy

       Of all the things we have planted in our yard, I think my favorites are the three holly bushes, one of which is shown here with a dusting of snow from earlier in the week. 

      We have three because the first year we planted two, and as it turned out, they were two female bushes.  With just female bushes, you do not get the red berries, so the next spring we planted a third bush, this time a male, and we now have lovely bushes with beautiful berries. 

      I call them The Two Hollys and The Barry and they make me smile every time I see them, which is often as they flank our front walk just outside the front door.  I like that they stay green all year and the little red berries add a brightness to winter days. 

      Because 'tis the season and all, click here and you can hear The Holly and The Ivy.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

       Let it snow!  Photo shows our backyard winter landscape as we woke up yesterday morning.  I tried to capture the huge snowflakes that were falling non-stop, but somehow my camera, or probably more correctly stated, my camera skills, could only manage this shot. 

       Today, we are having more of the same.  Strangely enough, rather unlike me, I am finding it charming and lovely this year to have this snow already. 

      I had an inkling that such early snow would be arriving as our Tibbies started getting their winter coats very early in November this year, nice and thick with lots of downy undercoat (Tibbies have an outer coat and an inner coat of fur, each different, as they originated in Tibet where one would need such winter wear...here in Indiana, not so much, but the Tibbies don't know that I guess.) 

      Also today, totally unlike me, I rolled out of bed this morning with an urge to call Cindy and do a bit of Christmas shopping.  Yep, you heard it correctly:  me and shopping...what gives with this???  I knew better than to call Cindy that early, so I patiently waited until the 9:00 a.m. "semi-reasonable hour of calling Cindy" and we are off and running as soon as I get my TWD cookie dough made and chillin' in the fridge. 

      Are you getting snow there yet?  Either way, here's a little click to get you in the seasonal mood...you can sing along!  Have a great day.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

     Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!  Many good thoughts from us to you for great food, fun times, happy memories, and, of course, safe travel.   

     

    

      As usual, I took a few photos, put down the camera, and never picked it up again for the rest of the night, what can I say?  Sometimes there is just a lot more to keep one occupied and photos go by the wayside.  Glenn, David, Alex, Matt, Steven, Jonathan, and Mark getting the littles settled with their plates.  Steven's favorite:  rolls!  And not much else!  

      The little boys have very strange eating habits at Thanksgiving.  I decided to take a photo of each of their plates as they sat down to eat because in a few years they will not believe that this was all they would eat from a large selection of offerings at Grandma and Grandpa's house each year.   Jonathan has just turkey and a half of a deviled egg.

      You will note that as they get older, the plates seem to mature also...well, with the exception of Alex, of course, who remains an enigma on all things food.  Honestly, I don't know where he gets that...LOL.   Turkey and a roll...these are the plates AFTER they have gone through the line and BEFORE they have eaten a single thing off of them.  David (left) has a bit more going on with his plate of food.  And, Matt, of course, below, makes sure all the colors are represented, and this was only his FIRST plate of food as he doesn't like to mix savories and salads on one plate.  I guess it is good they all drink lots of milk at this age.  The final photo is the ever popular Aunt Nan with Glenn, which is where I lost the camera, filled my plate with two bites each of about six or seven different selections and enjoyed the meal and conversation.  Might get some more photos later in the weekend. 

       

What's Up With This Weather?

       What's up with this weather?  Wow...we have had a fantastic fall.  Here it is November already and our trees are still beautifully bright. 

      The weather has been fantastic, each day with sunny skies and lovely temperatures.  What's not to love about Fall 2008? 

      Mark likes to buy tree saplings from various Presidential homes to plant in our yard.  They claim that the saplings come from the seeds of original trees alive during that President's time on their estate.  With our love of history, it seems like a fun thing to have going on here. 

      This little bitty oak, only about 30 inches tall so far, is from The Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee, from the Andrew Jackson estate.   It's been with us for about three years, and this is the first fall it has shown any desire to be a part of the color around here.  Very cute. 

 

Up, Up, and Away

       Just a beautiful day here today...the temperatures were nice, the skies lovely, the leaves just gorgeous...a perfect day for a drive...or a balloon ride.  There's always something a little exciting seeing a balloon floating by.  Never been up in one, have you?  Was it magical?  It always looks like it would be magical viewing the world from up there.  We saw this one while we were out on a little drive enjoying the day.  

      The guys returned after having a great weekend camping, noting it was a little chilly the first evening overnight, but the days were gorgeous.  Matt and David toured for hours on their bikes.  Mark spent the weekend relaxing fireside, reading, chatting, and just enjoying the down time.  The raccoons, once again, proved they are smarter than Brian...it's a contest each year and the raccoons are way ahead in the scoring of his camping food while Brian sleeps at night. 

      We are really fortunate with the weather this fall.  How much longer can it last?  I am hoping right through Thanksgiving!  Have a great week.

Re-search Re-ading

      Sometimes it is good just to spread a little knowledge about. 

      I have lived in Indiana for 33 years and have seen these green globes each and every autumn hanging on trees, scattered about the base of the tree trunks, and smashed on the roads.  They are large, about the size of softballs.  I always ask around, but no one ever seems to know what they are, only sharing that you aren't supposed to actually eat them. 

      You would think once in all those years, and you would especially think this if you know me and knew how I enjoy learning about new things, that I would have spent a moment or two researching just what the heck these things might be.  I grew up in Northeast Iowa and we did not have these there, at least not any that I ever saw or remember in those 20 years. 

      Sunday Mark and I went for a nice little drive together just to soak up some of the fall beauty with the changing leaves, wandering thither and yon wherever the spirit took us, and came upon several of these trees lining a lovely curving country lane.  We took the opportunity to stop a minute and gather three of them with the thought that we would come home and finally figure out what they were. 

      Osage Oranges.  They are called Osage Oranges.  Sometimes they are called Horse Apples because that is about all they are good for, horses able to indulge without harm, humans not as they are poisonous.  If you have ever read about "hedge row apples," these would be the same item.  The trees were apparently planted as windbreaks, etc. and grow primarily in the southern part of the U.S.   

      After running my fingers all over the bumpy outside, which is a lot of fun because it is just so pebbly and nice, we cut one open to see what was inside (after all, it is a little difficult to discern what is actually inside when they are splat all over the road by automobile tires and resemble nothing more than a big sloppy mess of goo).  The insides are white and sticky and have lots and lots of seeds, like a pomegranate.  They smell like oranges (both inside and outside)...not as strong, but definitely have the orange smell, which is just lovely. 

      So now you know.  And, if you want to know more, click here.  You can say you read about it at GKT because we are all about doing a little research reading around here and all.  Osage Oranges, who knew?

 

 

 

 

Re-viewing the Status of the Guerin High School Swimming Season

      Definitely time to get the corn in...  It's been a lovely autumn here in Indiana.  The leaves have stayed nice for quite awhile, the days have been warm, the evenings have just a little crispness to them...a perfect fall. 

      We've been able to get out and enjoy all the usual fall activities of football games, hayrides, pumpkin patch outings, farm stands, cider drinking, taffy apple eating, squash and Brussels sprouts as fresh as you can get, and of course, my annual autumnal occupation:  Searching for a High School Swimming Coach for Guerin. 

      We are about a week away from the boys high school swimming season, and are still in need of a coach (which is slightly ahead of last year when we were six weeks into the season before we had the coach to-end-all-coaches just land in our laps and facilitate one very fine swimming season for Matt).  Although we have high hopes and our fingers crossed that the current plan of action will be signed, sealed, and delivered, by opening day, if anyone is interested in praying to St. Roch (both the one in heaven and the one on earth now located in Alabama), maybe that would help a little.  :-)  

      We are, once again, a one-man swim team for high school.  The cost of swimming can run quite high with need of pool times, coaches, entry fees, etc., and with Matt's high school not having a pool, it is rather prohibitive to a student who would want to "just swim for the high school season" because basically the swimmer would need to pay for pool and coach out of his/her own pockets which would run over a thousand dollars.  Not many students and parents are willing to do that for just a high school season when there are other less expensive options in sports available and already in place.  Matt swims year around, so he has a swim club that we pay fees for and our expense for high school swimming is just coach and entry fees.  However, since we don't share the cost of the coach, it still runs us about the same, but we are highly motivated as hopefully Matt will have the opportunity to swim in college as well. 

      Maybe someday Guerin will have enough students/parents willing to fund a team, but right now with the size of the school...we are just a one man show again this year.   Providing I can score a coach, that is.  

      How the summer passed so quickly is beyond me.  Seriously, here we are almost in November already.  I am not a lover of winter.  I like the changing of the seasons...I just wish the winter one would change over much quicker than the five-month stint here in the Midwest.  Way too much winter.   If I could dictate such, I would keep November around Thanksgiving time up until New Year's as winter and then segue right into spring for a few weeks, and be basking in the summer sun shortly thereafter.   When I find a place like that, I am moving there.  Anyone want to join me?

     Those of you who are keeping track of my recent negligent ways in the matter of blogging will please note that I have posted four, count them, FOUR entries today.  What is that they say..."Be careful what you wish or you will surely get it...."  Enjoy.

 

Re-Entry

       Being away for a bit is always fun...you get to do things like spending hours and hours and hours in the museums without thinking you really should be home doing something really productive. 

      You can also sometimes justify visiting shops like the one pictured...yep, a whole shop devoted to the cupcake!  I was hoping they would have those little mini-ones like you see in all the shops in NYC, but no, apparently this is Ohio, and those are "sissy cupcakes" which have no place or fond following in the Midwest.  That said, you need to be prepared to eat the whole gooey thing, be willing to take a bite or two and toss the rest, or happen upon some greedy geese flying south for the winter that would be delighted to stumble upon part of a nice cupcake up for grabs. 

      Re-Entry today was a bit of a shock after having four days of frivolity, let me tell you.  There was laundry to be done, meal prep to be factored in (okay, I admit, I would rather prepare my own food usually...the thought of someone else's hands all over my food at the restaurants makes me a little nervous...I mean I don't personally know them, I am not sure that they have the same standards of cleanliness that I do when it comes to food preparation, etc., etc. -- you've all heard my compulsiveness on this before), volunteer work to field, and just the idea that I could not roam at will, be unaccountable at best, and get lost in another world was a tad harsh. 

      If I work this right, I might get another go at it this weekend in Iowa...there is no end to the decadence and frivolity going on around here.  What's up over there?

 

Rejuvenating

        How's your weekend going?  Mine's going great...am out of town, out of state actually (clue:  a four letter state with three of the letters being vowels...nope, not IOWA like you are all thinking, but instead the other four letter state with three vowels, OHIO, as the IOWA version will be next weekend when I am headed out there to see my sister and her new post-flood house).  This weekend is a chicks weekend in Cincinnati, just rejuvenating a bit and having a great time doing chick things and visiting the museums. 

      Photo is from the top of the hill at the Cincinnati Art Museum, where we were today enjoying the gorgeous weather, the lovely sight of changing leaves, views of the city, and where I also fell in love.  Yep, you heard me:  Fell in love.  I am having an affair with Edward Henry Potthast (don't gasp, he's long gone and the love affair is merely with the art he left behind). 

      I traipsed through the museum seeing all the usuals found in nicely appointed museums...Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Courbet, Pissaro, Sisley, Hogarth, Reynolds, Cassatt, Wood, Wyeth, Hopper, Remington, Russell, Sargent, Rosseau, Bierstadt, etc. and the urge came upon me to spend a fair amount of time in the Cincinnati rooms, i.e. those rooms designated for representing local artists, art, etc. 

      When I was studying US Far West history in college, I spent a fair amount of time learning about Thomas Moran, so when I stumbled upon Potthast here today in the Cincinnati rooms, I remembered that he had gone with Moran, at the bequest of the Santa Fe Railway who commissioned five artists to head out west, specifically to the Grand Canyon, to paint in the very early years of the 1900's.  The railroad would then use these paintings as travel enticers, encouraging people to travel west and see these wonderful visages for themselves, hopefully traveling by railroad and enriching the pockets of the men who voted to commission the artists to create such paintings. 

      Well, and indeed, Potthast did a nice stint with Moran, et al., but he also had some very fine Impressionist work, which followed his Far West gig, that caught my eye today.  I tend to like the Impressionists' art very much, and while Potthast is sometimes called an Impressionist and sometimes called a Realist, whatever they want to call him, he has some very nice contributions as an American Impressionist in that era. 

      The French Impressionists all have these elegant tiny little whisps and dabs of brushstrokes in their paintings, which are easy to get lost in when you are viewing up close, stepping back, yet further back, etc., and while EHP's pieces have that near/far bit going on, his brushstrokes are broader and deeper, brighter, more intense in coloring, and I really like the idea of that coupled with the thoughts of America at the time being this broad, deep, huge country with wide open spaces, big skies, and vast plains, full of light and space, etc. full of exploration, industrialization, a sense of movement, etc.  It's a wonderful marriage. 

      The museum has more than several really nice Potthast paintings, so be sure to check them out when you go next...or look for some EHP where you are as he was very prolific!  And then just try to tell me that you did not absolutely fall in love with his seashore beach scenes, and that you were not absolutely enchanted with each and every painting in his collection...you can try, but I'll bet you won't succeed, that you, too, will fall in love with Potthast's collection.  While Jan van Os, discovered at the Speed in Louisville, was this summer's affair...Edward Henry Potthast, discovered at the Cincinnati Art Museum, is this autumn's affair...be still my heart! 

      Oh, yeah, I'm having a great time seeing art in Cincinnati this weekend...but then you knew I would, right? 

 

Re-Booting Clarice

         Photo is Matthew today excitedly showing off New Clarice in her lovely Midnight Blue attire.  Thank goodness for teenage boys who love computers...he figured it all out, ordered it, and is having the best time setting it all up for me.  Which is good because I would not have a clue.

      Yes, it has been awhile, hasn't it?  Things have been a bit at sixes and sevens here with this, that, and the other, and to top it all off, Old Clarice has given up the ghost (a little Halloween reference being the month of October and all), so as of this evening, I am now operating with New Clarice.  New Clarice comes complete with a whole new wardrobe and updated occupational skills.  Yep, she does some pretty fancy things, she does. 

      Matthew has uploaded and downloaded and probably overloaded New Clarice with all sorts of new bits and pieces and I will no doubt be unable to operate most of them from this day forward.  

      That said, New Clarice is totally yare.   

Happy Birthday!

      First of all, Happy 51st Birthday to my sister Karen...wow, who knew we would all get this old this fast?  I am in shock whenever I think about it...who is this person looking out of the mirror at me each morning?  Darned if I know!  She especially likes it that I am two years older than she is each birthday.  I can't remember when that started exactly, as while we were growing up she spent a great deal of time trying to convince our mother that she should have the same rules and privileges that I had each year, despite the two-year difference.  In your charity, if you have a moment and want to say a birthday prayer for her, please do so...Karen is still dealing with a great deal of aggravation and heartache in the aftermath of the flood issues in CR, IA.  She has been living in a camping trailer all summer, which she says is nice and kind of fun, but she also says, "I have a new appreciation for water pressure in the shower."  Apparently there is a lot to be desired in that aspect.

      Well, the Countdown has ended as you can see by the photo of Matt driving off by himself for his maiden drive alone...sorry to be absent from here for a bit, but I had things that needed to be done, places I needed to be, crimes to commit...you know...all the usual and then some. 

      The Boy passed his Driver's Test on Saturday, and is now a licensed driver in sole possession of a vehicle.  It doesn't get any better than this for a 16 year old boy...well, except maybe for the very nice text a certain someone sent him congratulating him on said feat.  I'm not certain, but I think that might have been the icing on the cake...not that he would ever admit that publicly, of course. 

      So, where did he go on his maiden voyage?  To the car wash to wash the car, vacuum it all out, spiff it all up...probably no surprise there if you know Matt at all.  He got to drive up to Elwood all by himself, shown here proudly displaying his license up at Grandma and Grandpa's.  His observations on it all?  "It is so strange being in the car all by myself and driving off somewhere with my own keys and everything."  "I feel like such an adult!"  "Thank you so much for letting me do all this...I have the best life!"  "Can I go get a milkshake at S & S?  You know, all by myself...just me jumpin' in the car and headed out for a milkshake just because I can?"  One Happy Boy. 

      You all have been very patient with me here...I appreciate that...and thank you for the emails of concern, etc., but really, I am fine, just busy and needing a bit of time to arrange new schedules and new commitments, etc.  I think I have it now...yes, I think I have it all compartmentalized and arranged as best I can...and most of all, I'm very happy with it all.  Very happy.  What a great way to start a month! 

      Hopefully the TWD post will be up by early tomorrow afternoon. 

The Countdown Continues: 26 Days Until that Driver's License!

       I think the deal is that they were supposed to toss the football and the person jumping off the board would try to catch it midair...but since it was his birthday, Adam and Colin thought they would toss two balls at once.   It's a guy thing.   

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Busy weekend.  Sharing two more photos from Saturday night at Matt's party.  (Jake, Alex, Matt, Colin, Adam with the cake.  And, no, that is not a Barbie cake...that is a regular 8" cake, the boys are just dwarfing it!)

      Last week at MNO, Katie W. celebrated her 50th birthday, so here's a fun photo of her with her "Over the Hill 50" gear.  The expression says it all...not too happy at turning 50, not too happy we made her wear all the silly stuff in a public venue.  Actually, she said, "Do I HAVE TO WEAR THIS??"  To which I replied, "Absolutely...you all made me wear it three years ago, so now it is only fair!"  She was a good sport.    

      The next photo from MNO is Debbie, who, when the waiter appeared to take our orders, ordered thusly:  "I would like a bowl of one or two scoops of ice cream and an order of french fries."  The waiter said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"  She repeated it and he said, "Do you want that as a dessert, or now, or...."  To which Debbie replied, "Now.  I want it now.  The ice cream and the fries now."  Waiter:  "Is that what you want for dinner?"  Debbie:  "Yes, can't I have that?"  Finally, the rest of us intervened and said, "She's pregnant...just bring her anything she wants when she wants...she has six children under ten at home."  He laughed and as you can see, Debbie got her meal.  The waiter served us all, brought our checks, and Debbie said, "Oh, I didn't know we were finished...I wanted to order some more."  Waiter:  "Oh, that's okay, what would you like?" Debbie:  "DESSERT!  I really want a huge big piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing."  The waiter looked like he thought she was kidding, and the rest of the girls chimed in, "You know what, we will all have dessert!"  I think the waiter earned his tips that night...I skipped dessert and had to make it an early night, so I am sure I missed a bit more.  Never mess with a pregnant woman...he was young...he will learn. 

      Sunday Matt ventured off to Allan F's house for a football afternoon and evening...our local pro team playing its first game of the season or preseason or pregame or semi-game or something kinda sorta along those lines, this is after all, not basketball or swimming, so I don't know the exact lingo, but I am sure you do, so we will go with whatever you think in this regard. 

      After dropping him off, Mark and I headed to the art museum to check out a couple of exhibits that are soon to leave...the Paris Posters exhibit (leaving August 24th in case you want to wander on down there to see the posters):  20 French advertising posters by such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alfons Mucha, Jules Chéret, Pierre Bonnard, Felix Vallotton, Paul Berthon, from about 1890 to 1920.  Really nice...I told Shelley I could almost just hear Offenbach playing in the background with those Toulose-Lautrec posters; and we also saw the Kerouac exhibit, which was small but mighty. 

      Above-noted local football team owner happens to also own the original typed 120 foot manuscript of On the Road by Jack Kerouac and it is now on display for all to view at the IMA.  Actually, you need to go twice to view it all as on August 10th, they change it up a bit and while now you see the first 84 feet of the scrolled document, after 8-10, you get to see the last half of the scrolled document.  SO WORTH SEEING.  Really...just run in and see it.  Walk all around the special case, up one side and down the other...you don't have to read it all, but just stop once in a bit and read a little...note the typing and the very limited number of typos and cross-outs, and think:  He wrote this in 20 days...typed it all up on teletype paper as one ongoing work, in 20 days.  One of the most well-known books of our time:  20 days.  Okay...you get my drift...go see it.  Tell them I begged you to just go see it and stand in awe and wonder. Oh, and as a bonus, there is an accompanying photo exhibit with the photos of Robert Frank who did his own little touring around the same time and photographed it, as opposed to writing about it.  Very nice.   

      Oh, and, while you are there, go see the Egyptian exhibit before it leaves in September.  If you don't go and see these things, they will stop bringing them...please go soon! 

      I got sole possession of the Lincoln book Sunday night...yep, Mark finished it up (apparently he read on my blog how I was hoping he would and decided to make my dreams come true...he is good at that sort of thing). 

      And, speaking of books...this morning we went to the bookstore and purchased Matt's books for Guerin this year:  $602 and change.  Michelle and I gasped at the thought of the cost of these high school books, and yes, we get to sell them back at the end of the year, but not for anything near what we paid, of course.  Yikes.  (Alex is able to rent his at CHS.)  At the bookstore we ran into Kim and her lovely daughters, Kristin and Kaitlyn, so we planned Spring Break...nothing like getting it all thought out in advance! 

       In our driveway this afternoon, and, oh, the boy was not always this big...we all used to be able to look down on him with no problem...it happens...it happens so quickly.  Enjoy all your little ones while they are still little!  They grow up really quickly.   

      Okay, now you all have your photos that you have been begging for from the weekend...send some my way, too, okay?  Or maybe I will just have to come over and take my own!  The kids are all just growing up so much...I am missing so much not seeing them all the time.  Take pity on me:  send photos!

      Baking my Tuesdays with Dorie dessert while I am typing this, but you will need to wait until tomorrow for the unveil.  I will say that it is smelling very fine in here as it bakes.  The boys are starting to circle.

      As soon as I can, I am stacking up my six favorite pillows, getting into my jammies, adjusting my reading lamp just so, and finishing that Lincoln book!   Sleep well! 

 

Driving Around Bloomington...

     Hello...we are in Bloomington at the swim meet through late Saturday night.  Yes, I know, there have been no posts, photos, or newsy bits and my only excuse is that we have tried.  We have tried from the hotel (not my choice as it is where the team is staying and let's say that fancy internet connections were not a top priority in the reservation procedures, being more important to be located near the pool and all).  The advertisement for "free high speed internet" was obviously written in the stone age and believe me, there is nothing high speed about it, taking about five or six minutes to just get one email to load and read.  I am not really all that patient with such...especially when there are things to do, people to see, places to go, etc., down here in Hooville. We have even tossed the computers in the car and driven around to various cafes with free internet, etc. and I still can't get a photo to download and post with the written blog, so I will just wait until I return north on Sunday and post both photos and prose together. 

     Have a great week...tomorrow morning Matt's 100 Backstroke will be about 9:45 a.m., so please think positive thoughts for him...he has his hopes up way too high...if he makes it, I will try to post a quick line in the afternoon. 

Roundabout

      106th and Keystone...located about one mile from our house and a road we used to use numerous times every single day...closed June 1st...it gets worse. 

      If you do a quick Wikipedia search on my city, you will read that it is known for something called a "roundabout."  Yes, indeedy, the same sort of traffic pattern sported in Paris around the Arc de Triomphe and at Columbus Circle in NYC.  If you do a search on "roundabout," in the article, you will see, under the heading "History," a wondrous little moving diagram demonstrating how the roundabout works on any given day, click here for perusal. 

      I'm all for the roundabout actually.  (Well except for maybe all this road construction clogging things up to no end around here, see photo right.)  There are several located near my home that I have occasion to use daily and they work wonderfully well, I have no problems at all with them.  A few miles distant, however, still in Carmel, the roundabouts are designed a little differently and on any given day, it is pretty much a crap shoot as to whether or not I will be in the right lane to advance north on Hazel Dell Parkway...I have taken to driving Gray Road and just disposing of the entire business of that crazy little strangely designed roundabout altogether.  

      Our mayor has gone "roundabout crazy" here...really...truly.  (And, I say this with respect as I do, after all, need to sit next to him at Mass occasionally and all.)  On June 1st, things got really wild and the city closed 99th, 106th, and 126th Streets at Keystone Avenue to make changes.  Changes?  Changes to the city's main north/south thoroughfare, negotiated at a traveling speed posted at 50 miles an hour (which many take to be just a mere "suggestion" as to the true speed often traveled along there), changes that will change forever how Keystone Avenue will come to be traveled from here on out? 

      Yes, you guessed it, and if you live in the area, you are dealing with it on a daily basis...they are creating roundabouts at these intersections...and not stopping there, for I do believe there are more planned and when it is all finished...we will be virtually The City of Roundabouts. 

      I haven't seen Margaret since all this began...she lives on the other side of Keystone, usually just a short mile and a half away, but now with construction, it's something like about 5-6 miles to get to her house from here.  While this is a bit of a problem, driving here and there about the city avoiding my main routes and all, the real fear I have is that once they finish, I will never be able to leave my house again. 

      The little animated diagram in Wikipedia looks lovely, all the little vehicles behaving in an appropriate manner, nary a sign of them crashing about.  I have, however, visions of 25,000 people using this roundabout each morning (let alone the hundreds of thousands that use this route during the day and evening) clueless on how a roundabout actually works, the slamming on of brakes, the honking of horns...you know, much like when the football players descend on CHS during our early morning swimming hours for a month each summer, only worse, much worse.  

      The diagram also shows little blinking lights indicating, I assume, turn signals...and I have to say that in these past years of learning all about roundabouts from the many we now have in existence, I have witnessed few, if any, actual uses of turning signals in any sort of manner in negotiating the roundabouts. 

      Until I see the Keystone roundabouts completed for myself, I have a fear that these are going to be similar to that crazy roundabout at 131st and Hazel Dell and that I am going to be located permanently 5-6 miles from Margaret because I won't be able to guarantee that I can negotiate the correct lane without crossovers to make the transition.  My husband, darling that he is, has tried to explain this to me by saying, "Everyone to your left has the right-of-way in a roundabout...once you are in the roundabout, you have the right-of-way before anyone merging into it."  Okay...that helps, but near as I can figure out, that wacky one at 131st and Hazel Dell defies any sort of reasoning and seems, most of the time, like driving dodge 'em cars.   (Mark also shared that he had already envisioned me driving the new setup like that scene from National Lampoon's European Vacation where Clark Griswold and his family keep circling around Parliament and Big Ben in London, going around and around as they can't get merged into the off portion.  So, if you see someone at 106th and Keystone circling about over and over and over...it just might be me and Blue Bernice...be nice, let me over, okay?) 

      The section at 106th and Keystone is scheduled to be finished early next year...or so the thought is at this time.  Oh, boy, I can't wait!  I'll be ready for a good challenge around about then, deep into winter and all. 

30 Days

        Lovely sunshine in the flower garden this morning.  Very pretty.

      Just a quick pop-in here as I have a busy day today and then MNO this evening with the girlfriends, which I am really looking forward to as we have all been going different directions these past couple of weeks and need a chance to just sit and get caught up with all the newsy bits going on with all of us. 

 

       Wow...June is ending already, 30 days passed in a flash. (Flash floods for some, unfortunately.)  I can see the summer melting away very quickly, how does this always happen when winter drags on and on?  I think I need to be living in a warmer climate...like say California.  Just the sound of it is mesmerizing.  I can't remember a June where it rained quite so much...more days than not...and it sure plays havoc with our backyard swimming and heading to the golf course on a regular daily basis. 

      Didn't go to Iowa to help this weekend...for one thing, it is very difficult to get in and out of CR at this point, some areas need special clearance, no hotels, sometimes no water, buildings being assessed, marked for demolition, and everything pretty much clogged up enough without someone wanting to go and check up on her sister.  1400 blocks of the city have been affected by the flood.  It's sort of like entering a war zone, you need special clearances and all for certain areas and the rest is pretty much "on hold" also. 

      Karen's house had to be gutted down to the studs and is going to be rebuilt after it "dries out a bit" she says, so it will be months before she can get back into her home.  Everything in the basement and first floor was a total loss.  She is trying to be optimistic, but it is heartbreaking losing everything like that after all her hard work on the house, etc.  She is fortunate to have friends with whom she is living in the meantime, but she is eager to just get it all behind her.  As far as going out there, I guess it will need to wait a bit. 

      So, what did go on around here this weekend?  Well, laundry, always laundry, and some cleaning, some organizing, some yard/garden work, some pool maintenance, some grilling, some cooking, some baking, some knitting, some scrapbook organizing, some reading, some swimming, and the Steve Miller Band concert.  I will leave it to you to guess who did what when.  Everyone was home at one time or another, but not always at the same time, so it was just a big mishmash of activities around here.  How about there, what's going on where you are? 

      I'm on my way out of here...hope you have a great day...see you in July!

 

For the 500th Time Today: There Will Be No Post

      You can stop emailing me and calling me and dropping by...there isn't going to be a post today as I have been very busy...too busy for my usual "throw something together in 15 minutes and get it posted" manner of blogging.

      Oh, okay...here's a bit of catch-up and then that's it for today, but I will have TWD ready to go fairly early tomorrow so you all can check and not have to keep checking back to see if I posted or not. 

      My sister Karen is back in her house in Cedar Rapids...sort of.  She has access to the house, but the water was flooded up to counter top level and everything on the main floor is pretty much ruined...and muddy.  She is working on getting all the utilities, etc. back in working order and when that all gets taken care of, she can have the inspection and then she will be allowed to live in her upstairs while she gets her downstairs back in order.  Yuck...what a lot of hassle.  She is, however, "surprisingly upbeat" (to quote the movie "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days"). 

      Team Indiana brought home the First Place Trophy for the Arizona swim meet, and while they did take a photo of the boys with their trophy, they did it while the boys were still all in their drag suits and Speedo briefs, so I am just not sure I should publish that on this site as there is a whole lotta skin showing...but, they are swimmers, and they are all in really good shape...I mean it is not like going down to the local pool and seeing guys in Speedo briefs trying to LOOK like they are in shape...these guys really ARE in shape.  Still thinking.  I know...I am still a prude...but one of those boys is my son and I know the rest of them, so this is not an easy decision.  The guys all want me to post it.

      Oh, and by the way, the photo is of my Hollyhock garden...all purples and whites and a kind of pinkish purple...very pretty and lovely looking.  I just love Hollyhocks as they are so old-fashioned and remind me of my Grandma Ohl and my Aunt Minnie...both who had Hollyhocks in their gardens while I was growing up in Iowa.  Lovely memories.

      Enough...I have a great book waiting and bedtime is definitely 10 as my alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m. whether I am well rested or not.  Goodnight...hope you enjoyed your post!

4 Funerals and 1 Wedding

      A lovely little tea rose in a flower bed by the pool today...the little water droplets on it reminded me of the Jan van Os painting at the Speed.  BTW, I have discovered that JVO painted a few paintings entitled Still Life with Fruit and Flowers, not just the one at the Speed.  All very beautiful, but the one at the Speed is exceptionally beautiful.

      I am, today, cooking my carrot souffle dish for another funeral...4 funerals and 1 wedding in the past month:  I am beginning to think it is not safe to know us, well, on the funeral part, the wedding part is okay.  This is all very emotionally draining...it would be lovely to just swim the afternoon away, part of it anyway.  Might need to ink that in for later.

      I will post some swim news tonight with maybe a photo or two from the fancy pants camp in Arizona as Matt has both his iPhone and a digital with him.  Have a great day...go out and do something special for someone for no apparent reason whatsoever...they will feel good, and so will you.  As always, miss you all...wish you were here.

1 Fancy New Stove with a Griddle in the Middle

      This is a photo my sister Karen sent of her neighbor's house (Karen's house is to the rear and the right, so you can't see it in the photo).  It was taken showing what they are now dealing with via the flood waters in Cedar Rapids. This is a post written by her as I figure she can just be the guest-writer-poster as what she is dealing with is way more important than anything I am likely to post today.  You will see, that despite everything, she is managing to look on the bright side and see the funny bits, i.e. she has probably tons of damage at her house, but her brand new stove is safe!  So, here's Karen's post:

Update from Iowa ..... 85% of Iowa is declared a Disaster Area. I am sure everyone has seen it on the news. Fortunately for the Cedar Rapids area the water is going down! I have seen pictures of my neighborhood and the water has gone down by my house. Unfortunately it is not safe to go in yet so I am trying to be patient. I lived in Davenport on the Mississippi River for 25 years and have never seen anything like this!

I thank God that I am safe and my dogs are safe. I also thank God that I work for such a wonderful company (UPS) that is helping me in any way they can. I am counting my blessings for the things I do have left and concentrating on that. And hey ... when I finally get everything cleaned up ... I have a brand new stove .... a fancy one with the griddle in the middle... I'm excited about that!

We need lots of prayers for the people in Columbus Junction .... the Iowa River and Cedar River meet there and I don't know if that little town will be able to survive it! We need lots of prayers for all the people that will have a hard time rebuilding their lives after this!

Posted by: Karen | June 16, 2008 at 09:56 AM

Not 40 Days and 40 Nights, But Still...

       Photo from Mickey's grad party this afternoon...Mickey, Carly, Johnny, and Matt chatting about life without Mickey on the swim team next year...all of them going to miss him, but he says he will be back and swim with the team in the summers, so that was great news!   Mickey will be swimming on his college team this year.

      I am doing this update today for my sister, Karen, who has been flooded out of her home in Cedar Rapids.  Many of you are asking about her, and here is what I know:  on Thursday she left for work as there was a "no threat" watch for her area, flooding being about 6 blocks away and supposedly not expected to advance those six blocks. 

      Two hours later, she frantically tried to get home as the news was that the flooding was continuing and in the short distance she had to go, she could not get home as the area was under water that quickly.  She was very upset as her two doggies were at home, but she managed to wave down a canoe that was traveling in the flooded areas to rescue pets...they were able to get her doggies out in time:  she was so happy, as were they, to be reunited.  She loves those dogs, so I think the other things kind of paled in comparison to the thought of losing them.   

      She does not know the extent of the damages as she is not allowed to go near the area.  The earliest she thinks she can get into the area is Tuesday possibly, probably by boat.  She is trying to be upbeat about it all...saying she was happy that she had not gotten all the landscaping done, not made the decision on putting in the new hardwood flooring, and the Menard's man called to say her new stove was in and that they would be happy to hold it for her in light of the circumstances. 

      She is staying with a friend, so she is fine with everything that way...just emotionally it is hard and she can't find out what happened to her neighbors and people she knows down in the historical area by the river where she lived.  Everything is pretty much a "goner."  I see the pictures and feel ill, so I can imagine how she is feeling inside.  

      It is not, however, just CR, in Iowa City the arts complex is all under various water depths, etc., Elkader is really pretty much under water, Independence, and on and on with so many smaller towns and some that may not recover at all...corn crops are gone...and on and on.  Very sad to think of it all.  I can't even imagine what a town does with that much mud and water...how does one get rid of that much mud and water? 

      The swim meet was just so/so...Matt ended up scratching at least one event a day as his shoulder was very sore.  Coach Cindy gave him an "out" opt but he decided he wanted to stay the entire meet to cheer on his team, so he rode back with the team and they all got in around 11:00 p.m.  He is now concentrating on getting it all packed up again and on the road to Arizona for the fancy pants camp/meet this week.  I am sorta kinda maybe looking forward to not being a chauffeur and social secretary this week...you did not hear that here as I know I will miss it dearly when it is gone.  A little break in the action will be nice, however. 

      And now, I have a new mystery book to read and plan on seeing this stormy night through, well at least the next couple of hours, with my book, my reading lamp, my stack of pillows, and my jammies...stormy nights are good for that sort of thing dontchathink?

5 Hours -- 1 Museum Down and 2 to Go

    This post was written yesterday, so just pretend you are reading it then.  Typepad has a feature where you can write up a post and then have it post later, so I thought I would give that a whirl to test it and see if I could actually figure that out...I don't know what I did, but it didn't post at all.  It's a good thing I have other skills is all I can say. 

      This is a photo from last evening after the swim sessions as I was not at the pool to take any there...more on that in another post.  So, here you have, starting in the corner with Matt, Jonathan, Chris, John, and Harrison, all famished from a full day of swimming and eating more pasta than you can even imagine is possible...can you believe those blues on Chris?  He has the bluest eyes I have ever seen on anyone.  I had to take six shots as they were all goofing off and Harrison was trying to go for "studied" poses...this was the best of the lot, believe me.  So...here's yesterday's post:

      5 hours at The Speed Art Museum today...be still my heart!  I mentioned to Nancy and Jeri (other swim moms here) that I was going and they both looked horrified that I might insist they come along...they need not have worried as Nancy's claim to fame is that she did the Roman Art exhibit last year in 5 minutes (or less) and Jeri's similar claim is that she did the Louvre in 45 minutes...sort of like my idea of shopping.   Last year I spent the whole of one day at The Speed seeing most everything in depth (they have really nice exhibits and no one rushes you along at all...very important in my mind).  I did, however, run out of time in the last four rooms and had to rush a bit...much to my dismay as that is where the Dutch artists' works hang and The Speed has a particularly great collection of those. 

      Since watching the movie The Illusionist, I have been haunted by thoughts of getting back here to The Speed to spend more time with this Dutch collection as the Dutch portraits are so like the filming of the entire movie...it is like one Dutch painting after another in hue, contrast, lighting, silhouette, mood, etc., etc. 

      I was there when the door opened and headed straight for those last four rooms...they did not disappoint.  The portraits were as I remembered and I spent three of my five hours in those four rooms as they have not only the portraits I was so keen on seeing, but also the Dutch landscapes, and the Dutch still lifes. 

      I fell in love with a painting called Still Life with Fruit and Flowers by Jan Van Os (painting was signed, but no date, however, JVO lived between 1744-1808, so you can roughly do a quick guess as to time frame).  I can never decide if I like still life flowers better, or still life fruit better...with this painting, one does not need to choose as it has both (with a few little animals and a secret cherub thrown in for good measure).  The fruits and flowers are swizzled about in "S" shapes throughout the painting...it is amazing the way the "S" shapes do so many things and yet it all looks cohesively harmonious...I looked at it for an hour...seriously, don't even think I am kidding.  I can't wait to find a reference on it and read something about it and the painter (I don't know that much about him, so if you do, share...please share).   Life is great, isn't it?  Just full of amazingly wonderful things.  (And, yes, I know, I so don't deserve it.)

      Van Os leads your eyes down "S" shaped paths in the painting that wind in and out, up one side, down another, across and back again.  The paths follow colors of brights along one path, pastels along the other, and each color group has its own "S" curve while somehow blending with the others...reds, greens, oranges, browns, yellows, pinks, all wooing you into absolute love; and sizes of all the larger ones leading to paths of the medium ones and the smaller ones still another way; and shapes with rounded and pointed subjects leading you around the painting each on their own curved path and sometimes intertwining; darling little flies and a tiny mouse munching on the meat of an open walnut, a cat with its paw resting on the very edge of a bird nest filled with tiny perfect eggs; and the most absolutely wonderful renditions of water droplets on the petals of the flowers and skins of the fruits that you will ever see...EVER.  Gorgeous.  I am going back tomorrow. 

      There was also a special little hallway exhibit in the basement...OMW...the basement of all places, well the "lower level" which is essentially a basement, OMW again...where they had lined up drawings by these artists:  Picasso, Matisse, Constable, Degas, Whistler, Durer, Delacroix, Winslow Homer, John James Audubon.  ALL IN ONE SMALL HALLWAY...unbelievable artwork to the left of me and then to the right of me as I proceeded down the hallway...ALONE AS NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE at the time and I had all these guys all to myself...one hour and 15 minutes and that was rushing it.  Amazingly beautiful drawings...just me and them...how lucky was I on this day at that time?  (And, I did not touch a single one...can you believe it?  I am behaving extremely well under these circumstances!)

      I was running out of time as I still wanted to see the special exhibit of Werner Reiterer called Raw Loop (modern art and I so wish Vanessa had been with me as Vanessa and I do modern art so well together).  I laughed and giggled through the entire exhibit...he is a humorist, as well as an artist, so you are actually supposed to do that.  He is an Austrian and this is his first solo show in the United States.  Some of it was print (one of my favorites being a drawing entitled Jesus at Home which consisted of a coat hook hanging on the wall with a halo draped over it, a white tunic hanging on the hook, and a pair of sandals neatly residing on the floor under it all...I chuckled the moment I saw it) and some of the exhibit was interactive sculpture. 

      I loved the interactive sculpture (Oh, Vanessa, you would have loved these!).  My favorites were a bank of 8 very large loud speakers that when you approached you could hear whispering coming from them, however, the closer you got, the louder the voice became until it was VERY LOUD when you were as close as you could go, sort of the opposite of life where you hear a whisper up close and the louder stuff far away, I suppose; a mannequin man dressed and sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, very human-like, and when you neared him, he began to "breathe" and it was quite haunting actually, sort of like approaching a still figure to check to see if he/she is actually breathing and alive when it is pretty clear he/she is not, and then having it breathe deeply when you are right next to it, made you pull back and gasp in surprise; and a room where you were supposed to yell with increasing loudness so that the lights would brighten and dim according to the volume of your voice...and on and on as I know you have all probably quit reading when you realized this was me on another museum tangent...yes, I know, your eyes immediately began to glaze over and you thought, "Uh, oh...here she goes again...." 

      And, for those of you still reading, I had the best time today and it ended all too soon.  Tomorrow The Fraiser Museum...and a sneak back at The Speed to have one last look at the Van Os painting...The Speed Art Museum is, by the way, FREE, so go...really, just go...you will love it!  And, take me with you!

Knit 3 Purl 3

      Knit 3 Purl 3...Stuck.  Definitely stuck.  This is where I could use a knitting buddy who knew what she was doing, i.e. someone with experience as on Sundays the knitting shop is closed and therefore, stuck I remain until tomorrow when I can float by there between swim runs.  Somehow I dropped a stitch and I can't seem to figure out where, when, or what to do next.  Do I rip out everything until I reach a row with the number of stitches I am supposed to have (110), or do I just add one, and if so, where do I do that so as to not offset the pattern...call or email if you are reading this and know the answer.  I will be forever grateful!  Definitely need to get this straightened out before I head out of town with the idea of knitting at the swim meet! 

      Would you just look at this Basil this year?  For three years I moved Basil about the yard and garden plots looking for ideal conditions, to only be very disappointed in the basil "crop" each year.  Turns out, go figure, that all he wanted all along was his very own pot at the edge of the deck.  Roasted Tomato Basil Soup in the very near future, like probably tomorrow.  The fragrance!  And, how convenient is this to have him right outside the kitchen door?

      Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday, I am just putting the finishing touches on a picnic for 16 and hopefully in an hour or so, Mark will be grillin' and we will all be chillin' and enjoying a picnic on this fine summer day!  All my little deviled eggs are sporting a fresh herb on their tops from my herb pots...so lovely looking:  it really doesn't take much to thrill me, does it? 

      As always, I wish you were here...or I was there.  I miss you always!  Have a great evening.

The Policy, The Crime, and The New Configuration (All to cover up the lack of a recipe today)

      Today's little photo is something that happens almost daily around here.  We have a little "policy" that the person who empties the milk bottle is the person who should rinse the bottle and leave it to drain.  Believe it or not, I have seen the milk level fall even below this paltry line and still be occupying space in the frig.  I am sure you can figure out the reason for that...please tell me that these boys will grow up to be productive members of society with three digit IQs and a conscientiousness that will ensure a safe arrival and pass-through at the Pearly Gates.  I am starting to have doubts. 

      No recipe today as it was a crazy busy day and when I finish posting this, I am hiding out with my book until sleep overtakes me...it is rainy and dreary here, so that seems an okay occupation for the remainder of the evening. 

      Okay, I saw this next idea a bit ago and I was thinking, "How fun...," but then I figured that this would involve a lot of chocolate commitment and I thought, "Not so much me," as I really am not a chocolate fan.  I kept thinking about it, because my family tends to be big in the "I Love Chocolate" department, and a good wife/mother would try to accommodate such things in an ideal world. 

      Soooooooooooooo...I did it.  I signed up at the Tuesdays with Dorie food blog to participate in the cook-along each week (I think the requirement is actually only twice a month, but you all know how compulsive I am, so I will probably try for the weekly thing).  http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/ The premise is that members in the group (and it is a hefty group at this point) select and bake the same recipe each week from Dorie Greenspan's Baking:  From My Home to Yours cookbook and then post about it on their own blogs.  You can check the other participants' blogs if you like, or not.  I don't know...this could be sorta fun, so I am giving it a whirl.  I tend to just bake the same things over and over, so this should inspire more of a variety, which my guys always love and appreciate...reason enough.

      In light of this, I am changing the order of things here at the Table to accommodate this little venture.  While Tuesdays here have become Craft Day and Wednesdays (when I get around to it) are Recipes...I will change it next week to Tuesdays being the Recipe Day and post the TWD recipe (which is a requirement if you join the cook-along-blog).  I will have Craft Day on Wednesdays, which works out better anyway since my knitting class is on Wednesdays.  (I am sure there is a knit-along somewhere in blogland, but I am also sure I would never be able to keep up with that one!) 

      Have a great evening...I'm off to get into my jammies, stack up about six fluffy pillows, throw on a comfy quilt, adjust my reading lamp just-so, and spend the rest of it reading, reading, reading!  Brrrr...it is cold here tonight!

The Monday Post

       The flowering crab apple tree in the backyard outside the family room window...it is so beautiful with all these pink flowers...I just want to sit each day and gaze at it as long as possible.  Is it GREEN in IOWA yet???

      Good evening...busy day, how about there?  Carmel had a day off school today, so Matt's early morning swim practice was just for the non-Carmel High School swimmers in his group (i.e. Matt, Daniel, Stevie, Harrison, Ali, and Sarah) as the CHS swimmers got to sleep in a little and practice later.  I had the parking lots and lanes all to myself when I dropped Matt off...I could have spun wheelies if I wanted to (not that I really wanted to, but I could have!). 

      Alex surfaced around 12:45 p.m. since he is a Carmel High School student...how on earth do teenage boys manage to sleep this much?  I cannot think that I would ever have been able to stay asleep past the hour of 7:00 a.m., or possibly 8:00 a.m. at a real stretch...it must be one of those "guy things."  He wanted Chinese food for lunch, so we went off for a nice lunch together and then ran a few errands, filling up the gas tank, etc. (OMW). 

      Matt had no afternoon swim practice due to the change about in swim times for the day off, so we went to the yarn shop to get more yarn for me...I am becoming a knitting fiend, let me tell you. (While Matt is not all that shot up about looking at a lot of yarn, he does rather enjoy chatting with the lovely high school girls who work there after school and on weekends, so it has never been a problem to get Matt to swing by the yarn shop, which isn't that far from his school, for supplies...how fortunate is that little deal?  They are nice girls...two swimmers and then a couple of homeschooled girls, one of which he knew when he was younger.)  Swim meet this weekend, so I wanted to be sure to have yarn so I can knit.  You heard it here first.

      We had a light dinner and then Mark and Matt went golfing (surprise, surprise, right?), while I made tons of pasta salad for the Staff Appreciation Luncheon at Guerin tomorrow.  All that is left to do is write 21 thank you notes for my share of the notes, and then I am retiring to read a most excellent book until I can't keep my eyes open any longer...oooh, can't wait for that! 

      Tomorrow is a crazy busy day so don't look for my craft day post until after dark.  It will be luminous! 

The Bits and Pieces of Life Around Here Today

        Overcast with bouts of sunshine today...a little rain in the mix earlier.  Pictured is my lilac bush in bloom.  I snipped bunches for the house, too!   Pausing for a few minutes to just say hello and catch up on reading some of your blogs.  Nice enough out today to grill dinner, but not nice enough for golfing.  Probably movie night...what's up over there?

       We finished planting a few things about the yard, some newbies, some old faithfuls, and lucky me...a wonderful new Mother's Day gift which I am so excited about...we are celebrating a bit early since we have a swim meet on Mother's Day weekend.   Pictured is the wonderful new plant stand for my herbs...how nice is this?  Mark and Alex planted it all up for me and they are shown standing here proudly displaying their work on the back deck.  Fancy new planters, new stand, new plants...wow...can't think what I did to deserve all this, but am very happy to receive such a wonderful gift!  (Matt had a hand in it, too, just not present when I took the photo.)

      Matt's day started with early swim practice.   The team got to meet Mark Spitz (got their photo taken with him and received an autographed photo from him, as well as an autographed Carmel Swim Club swim cap).  He spoke to the swimmers on inspirational topics, the most interesting to them being the ones about swimming, of course. 

      Matt then had a bit of time off before he headed down to Indianapolis for an IYC choir rehearsal and concert...he will be returning somewhere around 10-11 tonight. 

      This is our last free weekend for the four of us to just hang out with nothing in particular to do until after Labor Day in September. No doubt at one time or another this summer, one or more of us will be traveling to your area as I spent a good portion of a day this week booking accommodations, travel, etc....see you then!

       Have a great weekend, and I'll look forward to seeing you back here around the Table on Monday.  (Oh, and send photos to my email with what you are all planting this year...I miss not being able to see it all in person dontchaknow.)

ANyhow....

       Not much going on around here...only a half day of school at Guerin today...and then Matt had a check-up at the Sports Medicine doctor's office to do a quick run on his back and shoulder.  Looking good, so he is released to therapy-only now.  A big relief.  Photo is of him out at PC golf course late this afternoon after the appointment...at least the greens are getting green, if not the trees. 

      I love that they left the old Lynnwood barn standing when they built the golf course and the housing development...I smile whenever I see it and remember all the old days of hayrides and farm drives and visits...the good old days when all my 4-Hers could come out to Lynnwood and enjoy it all whenever we wanted to do so.  It's nice the barn is still there to bring it all back in memory.

      Matt, Colin, and Adam headed out to the movies this evening. Alex is camping out yet in the Men's Den for two more days of his sentence.  How long does it take to outgrow this smart mouth thing?  I keep thinking it will retire itself soon as having to miss social activities would not be Alex's favorite way of spending an evening.  At least that is what I keep telling myself.  (I would have included a photo of Alex relaxing in the Men's Den, but figured that might just add insult to injury, so you will all need to just imagine it for yourselves.  If I were you, I would focus heavily on the scowling aspect and not so much on the smiling one.)

      Mark, Alan, Nan, and Brian are out golfing (Mark's sister and two of his brothers incaseyoudon'tknow.)  I have chauffeuring duty for the movie goers this evening.  I am between runs at the moment.

      I am thinking maybe the boys would like to go for a scoop of gelato after the movie...lemon gelato sounds like a fine plan this evening.  What's up over there? 

      See you all Monday as the rest of the weekend is very busy.  (Unless Buddy sends me a photo of himself throwing out the first pitch of the Indians game the night of his birthday...a little gift from his guy friends who he was treating to a suite at the game for his big THAT AGE birthday party...if he sends that over, I will post that as that is definitely worthy of a post.  I think Ali and Laurie arranged to have his name in lights also on the big board, but I don't think they got an invitation to the suite as it was "guys only night.")