tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11938173364504466882024-03-07T01:11:06.830-07:00Dandy WalkerMy artistic ambitions, parenting challenges,deliberations and developments, and general fascination with myself.
*My daughter does have a Dandy Walker malformation. Contact me in the comments if you wish to discuss.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.comBlogger429125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-77254361846044076102013-10-22T14:39:00.001-06:002013-10-22T14:39:29.233-06:00Breakfast Idea<img src="http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2009/08/13/FNM100109Centerfold010_s4x3_lg.jpg" />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-69413570804048119872013-10-21T13:49:00.001-06:002013-10-21T13:49:03.580-06:00Over the WeekendI'm supposed to write more. I used to feel fabulously witty as I made my blog posts. <br />
Plenty to catch up on.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We enrolled Rose at a new school this fall and wow. What a difference. She is really supported and is making friends. She is gaining so much independence, too. We are very glad we made the switch.</li>
<li>Andy did graduate from high school, not without drama, and went off almost immediately to boot camp. Now he is stationed in Ft. Bliss, TX, in the Armored Division. I don't really know what that involves, and he's not especially communicative, but he is proud to be in the Infantry and really proud he made it through boot camp. We're proud of him too!</li>
<li>Book club has continued. I've been going almost every single month for 12 years! I remember that Rose was a baby when I started. We are reading <u>Tinkers</u> by Paul Harding. </li>
<li>I have an art show in December which means I need to hang out at the studio A LOT more and get a bunch of stuff framed. </li>
<li>I am going to an instructional coaching conference next week. It's in Lawrence, KS. I'm hoping to learn a lot and improve my strategies!</li>
<li>Going to a mountain retreat with my friend Cindi this weekend. I hope to make a photo album of this past year.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Over the weekend, I:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>got a flu shot</li>
<li>raked leaves</li>
<li>went to a fall festival</li>
<li>bought Halloween stuff for Rose</li>
<li>developed some photographs</li>
</ul>
It was a very <i>autumnal</i> couple of days. <br />
<br />
<br />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-64550617963522896022012-08-28T17:05:00.004-06:002012-08-28T17:05:56.067-06:00Long time no see. Without going into detail, I have been sidelined by a couple of things and it should be very therapeutic for me to get back into talking to myself. If any of you lovely people are still checking in, thanks for your faith. <br />
<ul>
<li>Andy is a senior in high school and still supremely confident in spite of life's little setbacks.</li>
<li>He is not <em>quite</em> on pace to graduate, due to some of life's little setbacks, but could certainly pull it off.</li>
<li>I ordered his graduation announcements and his cap and gown today, because I'm looking for him to pull it off.</li>
<li>He is thinking of enlisting in the Army after he graduates,</li>
<li>Which I mostly support.</li>
<li>His sister is in sixth grade and</li>
<li>Has a locker!</li>
<li>Which she can't actually open yet but I think she'll catch on eventually.</li>
<li>I have a new studio in a lovely art gallery close to home.</li>
<li>I have been making art in fits and starts and am determined not to let life's little setbacks completely block the productivity.</li>
</ul>
Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-61308564561638317502011-12-25T09:27:00.000-07:002011-12-25T09:27:20.358-07:00September 10 is Long Gone<ul><li>I was actually worried that I wouldn't know my password to the blog. That's sad.</li>
<li>9:15 AM here and the household has long-since settled back into a stupor. Christmas morning lasted from about 6:30 - 7:30.</li>
<li>Delighted to report that I have my two Christmas breakfast standards: the cheeseball my mom used to make, and cranberry-orange bread. Of course, the cheeseball recipe has been reduced to 3 critical ingredients that don't need measuring, and it's just spooned into dishes now, not carefully molded like Mother did. Oh, and the cranberry bread? From a mix, I'm afraid, with a healthy handful of pecans added.</li>
<li>Both are acceptable alternatives to the labor-intensive versions. Delicious, even. (Not that I wouldn't welcome the real things.)</li>
<li>Last night was spent around the<a href="http://dandywalker.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-actually-liked-it.html"> bagna cauda</a> again, as last year. If you don't remember what that stuff if, you could look it up. It's good, in a once-a-year kind of way.</li>
<li>We also played taboo, and even Rose did a great job for her team.</li>
<li>For the evening party, Rose insisted on wearing her fancy dress, tights and new dress shoes. Then she earnestly turned to me and asked, "Can I choose my own jewels?" She had plenty to choose from, thanks to her Aunt Teenie, and loaded on several necklaces and a couple of bracelets. She stopped short of a tiara but we put a giant bow on her hair.</li>
<li>My throat hurts, in a raw way like I've been shouting. And smoking glass shards.</li>
<li>There has been a guilty throat here in the household for a couple of weeks and I think it's spreading.</li>
<li>Rose sounded suspiciously hoarse this morning and said her throat felt a little weird.</li>
<li>The Avalanche tickets I got for Andy will have to be passed on to someone else. I bought them before he was gainfully employed.</li>
<li>That's right, gainfully employed. At a movie theater. We are all very happy about this.</li>
<li>Grades? So far acceptable.</li>
<li>No point in trying to catch up from September. We are happy here on Christmas Day, and hope you are too.</li>
</ul>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-86793344852589644092011-09-18T19:03:00.000-06:002011-09-18T19:03:23.660-06:00Pears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY-MyYjl-ftbhtlxOdbIDD5PmoIFtvLr6-xCB0ZkRSvVmnxrmJBZ9mjjZhRPpCFCsQ_E4DQMFHVTg_LUZuOap76bL16xrV7Ck9QXOLbmfzyfML33K6gQEwzOv6G54bt382bdBNkqqbf69/s1600/pears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY-MyYjl-ftbhtlxOdbIDD5PmoIFtvLr6-xCB0ZkRSvVmnxrmJBZ9mjjZhRPpCFCsQ_E4DQMFHVTg_LUZuOap76bL16xrV7Ck9QXOLbmfzyfML33K6gQEwzOv6G54bt382bdBNkqqbf69/s640/pears.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>I worked on this piece today and I guess it's finished. I used several techniques that were part of my summer online painting class, including the basic composition. I had already used most of the techniques before, just not together. Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-32968988919573302442011-08-27T07:55:00.000-06:002011-08-27T07:55:32.021-06:00Miscellaneous<ul><li>Rose has a cold, after a week of school. She's biserable.</li>
<li>Speaking of a week of school, it's not clear if she is feeling accepted in her class. I am hoping she was just tired and achy as the cold descended, but she has been very reticent about her classmates and her teacher. I am REALLY NEEDING this not to be a repeat of third grade.</li>
<li>After an earthquake, Irene visits my friends on the east coast. Thinking of them and hoping it's just a big rain storm.</li>
<li>Art club today- it seems like forEVer since I've spent uninterrupted time just playing. I am very excited about this. We are working with plaster gauze- yes, that's right, the stuff they used to use for broken arms. It's going to be messy fun!</li>
<li>We had to have our sweet boy Rex- a.k.a. Arfie- put to sleep this week, as his cancer had invaded everywhere and he was failing. Needless to say this has made it hard to be home. </li>
<li>The last time we had to do this, we did not have Rose or even Andy. Rex was 14, and lived with us for almost as long as Andy has. The personal devastation now has an added dimension as I grieve with my children. Very, very painful.</li>
<li>But let's not talk about that any more.</li>
<li>My new job is keeping me on my toes as I face the challenges of coaching teachers both willing and unwilling, addressing large groups with little or no prep time, working on the district science website, mixing it up with the "suits" of the district on a regular basis (hence the new clothes) and spending a surprising amount of time with my head in professional literature. I am enjoying it very much. I could, however, do without the record heat wave, as I spend a lot of time in my car.</li>
<li>Andy has changed high schools, after spending the summer trying to decide. He chose a smaller school, with more emphasis on and access to sports, somewhat less rigorous academics, and a really stellar audio/visual lab. He does not seem to have second-guessed this decision. He and I attended his back-to-school night on Thursday, and it was apparent that he has already made an impression (good, so far!) on his teachers.</li>
<li>Book club is coming here next week! I haven't had my friends here in some time, and it does seem like forever since I had my head in the game. A year or so of depression robbed me of the joy of reading, and hosting my friends was kind of a last-minute thing the last couple of times. Sadly, one of the most memorable events was hosting them when I neither did my own cooking NOR read my own book choice. Not so this time. I did spend some time choosing the book- <u>The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie</u>- and I did read it.</li>
<li>I liked the beginning of the book, mostly because of the voice. The main character is a quirky 11 year old amateur sleuth/gifted chemist. Deeper into the book, plot takes over and the author doesn't have quite the zing in the prose, but I did enjoy it. It's a 3, "Tell a Friend," on a scale of 1-5.</li>
<li>I still haven't come up with a menu. I remember the first time I hosted the book club I spent about a month researching recipes that fit the book. Many, many times, I have subsequently ordered take-out, without apology. I am not an especially enthusiastic cook, and I am a nervous hostess.</li>
<li>Very few friends make it into my house, because I am also a sloppy housekeeper who nevertheless wants to impress. If I am hosting an event, I want the place to look its best, which requires more effort than I generally exert. I think the book club suspects the truth, however, after a decade of friendship... </li>
<li>Anyway. It'll probably be takeout again, but I did arrange for the cleaning lady to come on the same day. Ha. </li>
<li>I HAVE TO GO TO THE DENTIST THAT AFTERNOON, TOO. Timing is everything. Yep, it'll probably be takeout again.</li>
</ul>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-91390291322100558702011-08-15T19:54:00.001-06:002011-08-15T19:55:24.237-06:00A Little KnowledgeI hear a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Today in a meeting with a principal I piped up with a concept I had just been reading about- just STARTED reading about- and I seem to have talked myself into giving a two hour presentation about it. In two days.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure that's exactly what the originator of the saying meant (the internet says it showed up first in Alexander Pope's writings), but that's what it means to me today.<br />
<br />
An equally meaningful lesson would be "keep your trap shut," which this same principal has suggested to me (wisely, with respect and humor) time and again in advance of these types of meetings.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-7184580992072577292011-08-07T19:05:00.000-06:002011-08-07T19:05:18.374-06:00Broke Down<ul><li>Well I broke down and bought new clothes. Now I will have no worries about dressing professionally for my new job.</li>
<li>Um, four dresses, a jacket, a pair of slacks, one blouse and a pair of shoes.</li>
<li>Is that bad?</li>
<li>What would Thoreau say?!!!!!</li>
<li>In other news, Bronc Day was small town fun. The parade was kind of sweet, although a pitiful shadow of its glory days. </li>
<li>Rose was pleased that dogs were in it, dressed in costumes. She immediately started planning a parade on Raleigh St. with dogs. </li>
<li>This parade is going to require us to buy two chihuahuas and a poodle, and it turns out that I HAVE the heart to tell her that's not going to happen.</li>
<li>The big draw was the creek, where she and her cousin and friends from Texas spent most of the day. </li>
<li>I laughed as the Texas parents gradually reversed their creek policies: "Stay OUT of the water." "Ian slipped and got his shoe wet." "DAD slipped and got his shoe wet." until finally they broke down and both boys were in, shoes off and shorts getting dipped.</li>
<li> I do remember the boys' mother spending all day playing in the creek when we were kids, and she was pragmatic about it yesterday. </li>
<li>I don't remember my mother telling me to stay out of it, although I do remember stories about my grandmother telling HER to stay out of it.</li>
<li>Playing in that creek is one of my own childhood's most enduring memories, so let's just carry on the tradition, shall we?</li>
</ul>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-90233890719444867102011-08-05T06:57:00.000-06:002011-08-05T06:57:22.189-06:00Dress ProfessionallyWhat does this mean? I think I'm doing it now in my new job, and I haven't had to buy anything yet, so I guess I'm covered (ha) on the Thoreau front. <br />
<em>“I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.”</em> — Henry David Thoreau<br />
Anyway, my point is I'd rather spend the time thinking about the work than the clothes, but at 7AM and no real plan, the "dress professionally" mandate is slowing me down.<br />
More on the job later. I love it.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-32379138860525669282011-07-24T09:30:00.000-06:002011-07-24T09:30:59.359-06:00Mt. Princeton Retreat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo8TVtvl_RF474uaHbEV6L1eBcPfEy19_N6-pkGaH1J48kQgCpP8DJi-W6pGy-HnA4F0GbuC2KMc6v0Q7HdG4FY3lpCIJN2Pcfqsi1_sWmG9xSuNg4yanivLthxKpi3lyKkv8F1EdisBh/s1600/IMG_5239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>With just a few days left of official summer vacation, it was time to take a, well, a vacation. <br />
<div align="center"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5z3hFjZOumrYuUsHS_xqGXVwWBmNDmbbuvN9t7XmxbC10YswcpF5mZTSUl6L_jofJ1TZwPldkzbEDsd3mHawI4hJvcnkq7zXADed5tlsMJBQIdGhYgVvZsEUaddRNQNGBzf01ARSH8oy/s1600/IMG_5308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5z3hFjZOumrYuUsHS_xqGXVwWBmNDmbbuvN9t7XmxbC10YswcpF5mZTSUl6L_jofJ1TZwPldkzbEDsd3mHawI4hJvcnkq7zXADed5tlsMJBQIdGhYgVvZsEUaddRNQNGBzf01ARSH8oy/s320/IMG_5308.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Princeton seemed like a nice idea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Five of us were able to go. We rented a cabin and stayed for two nights. We brought dinners and drinks, so the pressure was absolutely off.<br />
<br />
We stayed at a hot springs resort. Chalk Creek runs right through the hot springs so we climbed over the rocks and alternately boiled and froze in the mixing water.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyff-Ztx-H7Md3qFTz3TvL-qV09jiSSVdMeViKUu2n0rEsNk2X2z2-jWb7zlg_nmrYdv7QSUtmtI_EOERl4JNkD6kQNAjBMxNzlVd3srumPO3J2OgSspiwUiQQaNPJQW1FSLgbtpOWfSw-/s1600/IMG_5238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyff-Ztx-H7Md3qFTz3TvL-qV09jiSSVdMeViKUu2n0rEsNk2X2z2-jWb7zlg_nmrYdv7QSUtmtI_EOERl4JNkD6kQNAjBMxNzlVd3srumPO3J2OgSspiwUiQQaNPJQW1FSLgbtpOWfSw-/s320/IMG_5238.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liz and Courtney<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbSpVIHv9fgmABbWAD2h022QToVvmvyL-jsWoOA0FHPxScwV_vUe5d3bzjPNgG9CEeNew5aXR-AQZ4ILjoUpnk89rv2MDlqsEIM95oH0M2zQB2gU3AexIZS3qnLzhFSrh6ZZYbJ72nJTC/s1600/IMG_5236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbSpVIHv9fgmABbWAD2h022QToVvmvyL-jsWoOA0FHPxScwV_vUe5d3bzjPNgG9CEeNew5aXR-AQZ4ILjoUpnk89rv2MDlqsEIM95oH0M2zQB2gU3AexIZS3qnLzhFSrh6ZZYbJ72nJTC/s320/IMG_5236.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly. Also featuring my pink toes.<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo8TVtvl_RF474uaHbEV6L1eBcPfEy19_N6-pkGaH1J48kQgCpP8DJi-W6pGy-HnA4F0GbuC2KMc6v0Q7HdG4FY3lpCIJN2Pcfqsi1_sWmG9xSuNg4yanivLthxKpi3lyKkv8F1EdisBh/s1600/IMG_5239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlo8TVtvl_RF474uaHbEV6L1eBcPfEy19_N6-pkGaH1J48kQgCpP8DJi-W6pGy-HnA4F0GbuC2KMc6v0Q7HdG4FY3lpCIJN2Pcfqsi1_sWmG9xSuNg4yanivLthxKpi3lyKkv8F1EdisBh/s320/IMG_5239.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leann, and some strangers. Nice view of the creek though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">After we experienced that novelty, we decided to go for the relaxation pool, which has water that is all the same temperature. It also bars anyone under 17, which we thought was grand. We teachers have to take our breaks when we can. There were three little hot pools, and one large pool that was comfortably warm.</div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOfiQttiGl8oqHqD1B3W6SmCXEzKIIT8olsL5eipoeCwvZ8HIPGeNri2E1eSb1pJh5guvZTfwjaOGJoFsVfTq8IcalqxyQ-9PIUWBWmYUldINdveMaEd4Lo_-d-Wq5KYFyu8OGHnVbmgR/s1600/IMG_5242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOfiQttiGl8oqHqD1B3W6SmCXEzKIIT8olsL5eipoeCwvZ8HIPGeNri2E1eSb1pJh5guvZTfwjaOGJoFsVfTq8IcalqxyQ-9PIUWBWmYUldINdveMaEd4Lo_-d-Wq5KYFyu8OGHnVbmgR/s320/IMG_5242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The next day, we went to St. Elmo, a well-preserved ghost town. It was situated close to mines and to an important railroad tunnel, so it was a supply town. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPf4GY_x0vFRs0fmkZkoFo0ENzUBPG-DVOK2rgdD9C7sUi1aa16YoIcSXFLvAcj4BEfce5rHFwX2VT0k-b5sBrMeHxM_DW4Of5VzExeo2xtLJ0V5RX5K3uDcbWxZVErE7LmoqOgKRGNOt/s1600/IMG_5263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPf4GY_x0vFRs0fmkZkoFo0ENzUBPG-DVOK2rgdD9C7sUi1aa16YoIcSXFLvAcj4BEfce5rHFwX2VT0k-b5sBrMeHxM_DW4Of5VzExeo2xtLJ0V5RX5K3uDcbWxZVErE7LmoqOgKRGNOt/s320/IMG_5263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiem_c31EKT-ozRoRpHdPg0ajYaL3r3koo2OzMgqT1FQjQap429Y4mct7jcAJAiXhiUzYKWg4czbiaKhM1TrvEs5lQENPlSC4xTSUCKo1DaOTYXjll_TGjSa5z6X__mazSqwZp6z0A6YXOp/s1600/IMG_5267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiem_c31EKT-ozRoRpHdPg0ajYaL3r3koo2OzMgqT1FQjQap429Y4mct7jcAJAiXhiUzYKWg4czbiaKhM1TrvEs5lQENPlSC4xTSUCKo1DaOTYXjll_TGjSa5z6X__mazSqwZp6z0A6YXOp/s320/IMG_5267.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0fxmddAC6zwy3dgjK9hKOLtHURXaxh4s8O1FzdJCFpNGJ_aLVZcWnuNcfmQncn0JUmoAvue2lOtoeY0OWM6Y3RpeP-jkPaanIIJ1oxXakAIghxjwzFF0QXZDcfw1lfRzFvPrWqtqcXot/s1600/IMG_5269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0fxmddAC6zwy3dgjK9hKOLtHURXaxh4s8O1FzdJCFpNGJ_aLVZcWnuNcfmQncn0JUmoAvue2lOtoeY0OWM6Y3RpeP-jkPaanIIJ1oxXakAIghxjwzFF0QXZDcfw1lfRzFvPrWqtqcXot/s320/IMG_5269.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we took a short hike up to a stream. Leann sampled the water and it was COLD.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJGhBkn-hB6o5aCX8ZujNvSIWColey_AqftRLlDRieQtUHFThFRrl49bCetlNnx2Rz26SBrO_cmqDuoxngAdUM6jQyec-hVDOaETyGFroIETmJg_KfIirayHC9CCtkW2-OamcCp1aS50o/s1600/IMG_5296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJGhBkn-hB6o5aCX8ZujNvSIWColey_AqftRLlDRieQtUHFThFRrl49bCetlNnx2Rz26SBrO_cmqDuoxngAdUM6jQyec-hVDOaETyGFroIETmJg_KfIirayHC9CCtkW2-OamcCp1aS50o/s320/IMG_5296.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCNyw5V4_xumglR8hH1UTAeudvIv8Mx26hsfs9GYRUcOEGWJAv3nD6yMlSZbDNTxj_djCf-MZCajShzTDfw5Ssat6wDZ1BxWxMKh8p7NKdHtfvbq1Gqpai6TuxM-LwpHEkFJHQ3LeSwm-/s1600/IMG_5297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCNyw5V4_xumglR8hH1UTAeudvIv8Mx26hsfs9GYRUcOEGWJAv3nD6yMlSZbDNTxj_djCf-MZCajShzTDfw5Ssat6wDZ1BxWxMKh8p7NKdHtfvbq1Gqpai6TuxM-LwpHEkFJHQ3LeSwm-/s320/IMG_5297.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQqquYhctnGj9ZbcBb5jXXHJLQUmi7LYOCU7F3e8H_NnxVs01FchHkb5op-t43f0efGvxgrLU-C1kwHt5_1ANFGP7YZsBhWvxP2Jd3SrFPCB-PfELK1l1okDXXWWNR02mw9Ovpu387_yj/s1600/IMG_5304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQqquYhctnGj9ZbcBb5jXXHJLQUmi7LYOCU7F3e8H_NnxVs01FchHkb5op-t43f0efGvxgrLU-C1kwHt5_1ANFGP7YZsBhWvxP2Jd3SrFPCB-PfELK1l1okDXXWWNR02mw9Ovpu387_yj/s320/IMG_5304.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is about the only picture there is of me. Notice that I am so happy I am glowing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back at the cabin we all read our books, chatted and napped. Lovely! We had deer walk past out window each morning. Kelly got great pictures, including the baby fawn who was impossibly cute and spotted. I didn't get pics- I need to pirate those!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then Leann discovered a hummingbird nest just about five feet off our balcony!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwSSs4YMfOltG0u5hUdz76fDr6Nc1-EWttcRylpnH-Wb9efGSv7tVVlxdA6espY5DRXVL_6ZLAtYk5KTRVtF1fg_4tpspGIhaUsu4XPzq1D2p2y4kIoeeMWiAeSdgg9Kb7o4bLC1zdqqx/s1600/IMG_5252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwSSs4YMfOltG0u5hUdz76fDr6Nc1-EWttcRylpnH-Wb9efGSv7tVVlxdA6espY5DRXVL_6ZLAtYk5KTRVtF1fg_4tpspGIhaUsu4XPzq1D2p2y4kIoeeMWiAeSdgg9Kb7o4bLC1zdqqx/s320/IMG_5252.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was a very good mama, and didn't seem worried about us at all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRmYtrYMD0gM841tzU6QenGdROcoNN42GJKhcDGAplBV6IZbFAfOYhIcyfByljQB7pYIWEBICvpe8b3cdzkCKz98lKqlq478sBNIGw8vVhmnGU6YTAMPaTaO8Eiu-j7Nei-RkIYHciLUR/s1600/IMG_5254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRmYtrYMD0gM841tzU6QenGdROcoNN42GJKhcDGAplBV6IZbFAfOYhIcyfByljQB7pYIWEBICvpe8b3cdzkCKz98lKqlq478sBNIGw8vVhmnGU6YTAMPaTaO8Eiu-j7Nei-RkIYHciLUR/s320/IMG_5254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see a tiny egg. They were about the size of Tic Tacs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>What would I change about this trip? I would get the morning coffee right, and I would get more and better pictures. Overall, a huge success!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5z3hFjZOumrYuUsHS_xqGXVwWBmNDmbbuvN9t7XmxbC10YswcpF5mZTSUl6L_jofJ1TZwPldkzbEDsd3mHawI4hJvcnkq7zXADed5tlsMJBQIdGhYgVvZsEUaddRNQNGBzf01ARSH8oy/s1600/IMG_5308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5z3hFjZOumrYuUsHS_xqGXVwWBmNDmbbuvN9t7XmxbC10YswcpF5mZTSUl6L_jofJ1TZwPldkzbEDsd3mHawI4hJvcnkq7zXADed5tlsMJBQIdGhYgVvZsEUaddRNQNGBzf01ARSH8oy/s320/IMG_5308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div align="center" style="text-align: left;"></div>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-83716746925892058482011-07-12T20:08:00.001-06:002011-07-12T20:09:10.464-06:00Tree Wrangling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOp9fDBUNQI79DGCD3CIxiDrNCFInPS4lut8lS1Rdz68OZ4JBzFZE_kd0im2Apgpg83E557REorhEMXhn7V3bmJVZU6sPJNKmUOvgt6htU8wIFVqoeJ-h7RfgWJ0qvb9OK59jlahZ5snT/s1600/box+elder+before.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOp9fDBUNQI79DGCD3CIxiDrNCFInPS4lut8lS1Rdz68OZ4JBzFZE_kd0im2Apgpg83E557REorhEMXhn7V3bmJVZU6sPJNKmUOvgt6htU8wIFVqoeJ-h7RfgWJ0qvb9OK59jlahZ5snT/s320/box+elder+before.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got three estimates on taking down this tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mxv2hPNIkIQX9kEKNst_26OgilNKQzFXhQTFdJ_cXWkHoI2xB0_LizPPDHZGEjF6gFzXxVmp8BYy05zJehkLYdRcm_PkoiLrZ0QWXJ3LFm-_2Hm1cgpZFBU-aGRSX3VDHJxZUr9Uwsxt/s1600/box+elder+trunk+10+AM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mxv2hPNIkIQX9kEKNst_26OgilNKQzFXhQTFdJ_cXWkHoI2xB0_LizPPDHZGEjF6gFzXxVmp8BYy05zJehkLYdRcm_PkoiLrZ0QWXJ3LFm-_2Hm1cgpZFBU-aGRSX3VDHJxZUr9Uwsxt/s320/box+elder+trunk+10+AM.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the companies said it was the biggest box elder they'd ever seen. <br />
Two companies said take it down immediately. One said it had a couple more years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIW5KusID9PwnNGhgTcNiweANKHaXIGw-_jqCpwoekR75NhSJqeTSd3yOoeCOE_riZnm3uT0UA8ZGgHDRx7ooKP7ANfcZ4ZhlzVuml-X_42eFTKRsM2hUaYVJni5_zkO2uNqhOKlSDO2N/s1600/hollow+limb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIW5KusID9PwnNGhgTcNiweANKHaXIGw-_jqCpwoekR75NhSJqeTSd3yOoeCOE_riZnm3uT0UA8ZGgHDRx7ooKP7ANfcZ4ZhlzVuml-X_42eFTKRsM2hUaYVJni5_zkO2uNqhOKlSDO2N/s320/hollow+limb.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are glad we decided to take it down. Box elder is heavy hardwood, and our neighbors' homes are very close.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrfp-Ru3arHWlzKtNX8OyOTx3zUL_kf6waN8bVIEp5c2RV05cEgdulswjb2pErcAvoBZkznt7Q3pDiFf4tVMmL5UPrD7BA-683g1FCFpIwxcn32TU3-MlpO0HTCvTNVg_vsw6LscQE6M2/s1600/rotten+limb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrfp-Ru3arHWlzKtNX8OyOTx3zUL_kf6waN8bVIEp5c2RV05cEgdulswjb2pErcAvoBZkznt7Q3pDiFf4tVMmL5UPrD7BA-683g1FCFpIwxcn32TU3-MlpO0HTCvTNVg_vsw6LscQE6M2/s320/rotten+limb.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg0yyMka4YU5abz6WEz0dycyhWKafU_x1-_JC_iv1TkKxnMGZmpTtv2wmxU6jz3wwtlhqhs8JQkLklEY2txqUi_Y2jPMru7CoG8Y0IBPm8uo6Mk9jCxDB7BYnZTSv9FhJwgfe5mnGJKXI/s1600/box+elder+4PM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg0yyMka4YU5abz6WEz0dycyhWKafU_x1-_JC_iv1TkKxnMGZmpTtv2wmxU6jz3wwtlhqhs8JQkLklEY2txqUi_Y2jPMru7CoG8Y0IBPm8uo6Mk9jCxDB7BYnZTSv9FhJwgfe5mnGJKXI/s320/box+elder+4PM.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what it looked like by 4 PM.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJY3lHSCNyn3dHnZHVZYLMkO85Q3Yt8caCSYIhvvGVLg8ylbysNYWM_EMODWYqbpxMwcTc5L3r9qm3dy2TvlVYI_P7jevO1-xlQf7G_bSwJKx83A7rI_OAsnT_hyhXClyY7YgILBjYUtzF/s1600/box+elder+wedge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJY3lHSCNyn3dHnZHVZYLMkO85Q3Yt8caCSYIhvvGVLg8ylbysNYWM_EMODWYqbpxMwcTc5L3r9qm3dy2TvlVYI_P7jevO1-xlQf7G_bSwJKx83A7rI_OAsnT_hyhXClyY7YgILBjYUtzF/s320/box+elder+wedge.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here they are cutting the final wedge to drop the main trunk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYHbYE7hjwc40Ta1E9YPCj_SbnaalQn9_vI43-PHOpMCIBhSX2gfaJDRvsu6PGjRLjeXHmq9V0YcNBQ_TsIdeQIFSfOYJphhXKXBDb8RSE2TjIotUWaovTyHZVuWHiWeDvswf7F6N73gQ/s1600/box+elder+diameter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYHbYE7hjwc40Ta1E9YPCj_SbnaalQn9_vI43-PHOpMCIBhSX2gfaJDRvsu6PGjRLjeXHmq9V0YcNBQ_TsIdeQIFSfOYJphhXKXBDb8RSE2TjIotUWaovTyHZVuWHiWeDvswf7F6N73gQ/s320/box+elder+diameter.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the diameter. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHUPCc-_e6KcbK-NPiHSoQ63qsG4B6QyBIWGQqlNCfoaICqDtzTXNJu6HZfC5pNPWL_Y09M3_YIJpcu0usJKDqOy-iugR7HqUy_8eZeYpcz4hSH2FmSdIc2xkAaY33y3Pvbh1WAvS0zuu/s1600/rescuing+a+baby+robin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHUPCc-_e6KcbK-NPiHSoQ63qsG4B6QyBIWGQqlNCfoaICqDtzTXNJu6HZfC5pNPWL_Y09M3_YIJpcu0usJKDqOy-iugR7HqUy_8eZeYpcz4hSH2FmSdIc2xkAaY33y3Pvbh1WAvS0zuu/s320/rescuing+a+baby+robin.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose got to see a brand new baby robin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ93EjD93_DO28t-evDoXX8cxDxMfiJtQaZTEKogBDklgkhfhh9J1vZKVeVdWE0NP2219tubXaBbXrnvfFGHaAnL8APFaRC4RBImndkc_7lRsbNQVP0ZuRjILocvYK9mXM2l7MBB2DhczQ/s1600/temporary+tree+for+the+baby+robin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ93EjD93_DO28t-evDoXX8cxDxMfiJtQaZTEKogBDklgkhfhh9J1vZKVeVdWE0NP2219tubXaBbXrnvfFGHaAnL8APFaRC4RBImndkc_7lRsbNQVP0ZuRjILocvYK9mXM2l7MBB2DhczQ/s320/temporary+tree+for+the+baby+robin.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They saved that portion of the tree and built a temporary tree with the ladder. We could hear the mother robin later in the evening and are hopeful the two were reunited.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrfp-Ru3arHWlzKtNX8OyOTx3zUL_kf6waN8bVIEp5c2RV05cEgdulswjb2pErcAvoBZkznt7Q3pDiFf4tVMmL5UPrD7BA-683g1FCFpIwxcn32TU3-MlpO0HTCvTNVg_vsw6LscQE6M2/s320/rotten+limb.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 380px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 2333px;" width="96" /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAllH9DfUt1EZaiF23MeCXU0S4xZ_sVgzfLpu9YP0_EM0Gloy6LyUpVIlLtU8DcQftdxFV2Md69gKbkiKrekMvbSH0qDLeOIdMXFhdU7CxwlZaRLuzCEy5wy88mjP_peRuSBEk6gfFvJEL/s1600/box+elder+7PM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAllH9DfUt1EZaiF23MeCXU0S4xZ_sVgzfLpu9YP0_EM0Gloy6LyUpVIlLtU8DcQftdxFV2Md69gKbkiKrekMvbSH0qDLeOIdMXFhdU7CxwlZaRLuzCEy5wy88mjP_peRuSBEk6gfFvJEL/s320/box+elder+7PM.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew was just a great bunch of guys.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprBjt8AcS_ONk4nTheb7yFX3B4s8S5OcXQsSAk1MVIXt6kgfNYkZLp_R81a7s5IiYPbRKIL-RaQVSQcys_ZJ3BEr0VldoR9NaNxD94QOiOh0Z7Clygq5fjQHtzehNSlEll0So5XirC9Dv/s1600/tree+wrangler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><img height="79" src="http://www.blogger.com/video-thumbnail.g?contentId=UPLOADING" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 539px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 278px;" width="96" />Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-23172288807636093222011-07-07T07:39:00.002-06:002011-07-07T07:43:49.809-06:00Summer Reading Intensive.but first...<br />
<ul><li>Owen Wilson may be this generation's Woody Allen.</li>
<li>Yikes.</li>
<li>I know, I know, he's far less geeky. But he is just as quirky and just as overly reflective.</li>
<li>Saw their new movie "<a href="http://www.sonyclassics.com/midnightinparis/">Midnight in Paris</a>" and found it to be intelligent and delightful.</li>
<li>I have referred to Rose's summer intensive and should probably be more clear. She is attending Lindamood Bell learning systems for reading help. </li>
<li>It is 1:1 tutoring with very clear, very specific learning targets and a systematic model which essentially repatterns some brain processes. (They don't say that, but I think that's what's going on, with 240 hours of intense and repeated exercise.) </li>
<li>I expect that she will have gained somewhere around a year to a year and a half in her decoding and comprehension. (I am trying to be conservative. It is possible to research the program on the web and find far more dramatic results.) </li>
<li>She has about two weeks to go, so at 6 hours a day, that is still 60 more hours of really intense work. She may move more by the end.</li>
<li>They have about 4 hours of evaluations at the beginning and end of their work, so the reports are very valuable for the regular school. </li>
<li> It is quite an investment, but we have seen good results. They have services lined up to help with financing. We are very fortunate that there is a center close to us and that we can find a way to pay for the program. It is certainly not within everyone's reach, but I thought I would describe it in case it can help someone.</li>
<li> </li>
<li>And why not go take in that movie, just for grins?</li>
</ul>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-23876523001705883902011-07-06T09:33:00.000-06:002011-07-06T09:33:14.950-06:00Bullets<ul><li>Getting an oil change and breakfast burrito at the SAME PLACE.</li>
<li>Rose has two weeks left of her summer intensive. Today she read the word "complete," which fascinated me. I think this was a great move, although she certainly won't be up to grade level.</li>
<li>Just finished the book <u>Cutting For Stone</u>, and rated it a 5 out of 5. It has been a year or so since I rated a book so highly.</li>
<li>Also reading <u>Little Bee</u>, which is fascinating, very well-crafted and depressing as hell.</li>
<li>But not yet finished, so there is still hope.</li>
<li>Planning a retreat to a mountain hot springs.</li>
<li>Painting pretty consistently, and I don't mean Rose's bedroom, although I need to help with that, too.</li>
<li>Have not found an art workshop that I really want to attend this summer, but I may attend one anyway, which isn't quite the media I want.</li>
</ul>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-62895373584118946272011-06-23T08:19:00.000-06:002011-06-23T08:19:21.229-06:00OT and PT for Dandy KidsOne of you lovely blog visitors asked for help with a 19 month-old. I don't have a clear understanding of how severe the balance/coordination challenges are. I guess the best advice is to take your cues from the baby, build on what he seems to like, and keep safety in mind always. (I found that I tended to over-protect, and still do. Maybe you have a trusted friend who will tell you the truth about "hovering," but still, err on the side of safety.)<br />
<br />
I am of course not an expert. If you don't have therapy with OT/PT, etc. ask your pediatrician to help with research and referrals- that's what they are for! Our pediatrician's office has a social worker who helps us with resources. If you don't have a case worker, you could try asking the local school district to help you find one. Contact the special ed department and ask to speak to someone who works in "Child Find." Tell them your child is not yet 3, and you need assistance with evaluations and therapies- could they put you in touch with a community centered board.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Our little girl started OT and PT at 4 months old. (She started Speech/Language at 9 months old, not that anyone was working on speech. They were just trying to wake up her mouth, with chewies and electric toothbrushes. They worked a lot on receptive language, of course.) We didn't know she had sensory integration disorder. We just knew that she had poor strength and flexibility. <br />
<br />
As time passed and we saw how upsetting certain input was for her, the therapies became two-pronged: build up her strength and dexterity, and soothe her by providing more of the type of input she sought (in her case, joint and muscle input) and desensitizing her to the type of input she avoided (tactile sensations, bright light and heat, busy visual fields and certain sounds). If your baby exhibits distress consistently in certain situations, take the time to start a log and see if you can isolate the triggers. If you have an OT, she can do an inventory to help you.<br />
<br />
Anyway, sometimes the things that babies love turn out to be what they need. Rose LOVED her pacifier. Now, at 10 years old, she still needs a chewie sometimes. She loved her little baby jumper, and loved her baby swing. Those things were replicated in the complex hospital gym where we spent so much time. (Trampoline, ceiling mounted swings.) So if you are trying to work on balance, sometimes a lot of gravitational input is just the thing. If your little guy likes to swing, see if your local playground has one of the bucket seats and pop him in there. If he DOESN'T like to swing, try de-sensitizing him very slowly and gently, like with a hammock or rocking chair. <br />
<br />
I think it is important to keep the babies out of baby carriers as much as possible. They cut off their peripheral vision, which is part of what helps them develop balance and gravitational security. <br />
<br />
Of course balance also requires core strength. Our PT had us do wheelbarrow-walking with Rose. Just hold his little legs while he is on his tummy and see if he will try to move forward on his hands. You can also do lots of rolling and tumbling, with assistance. A disk-type swing is probably too much for a toddler, but you can see how hanging on to a single rope and using the legs to keep the seat level would be great for building up core strength. The hospital gym had pads on the floor and all kinds of safety belts. If you don't have access to that kind of facility, improvise or look online for soft helmets, etc. <br />
<br />
One book that really helped us is called <u>The Out of Sync Child</u>. This is actually for kids with sensory integration disorder, but there are a lot of gross motor activities in it. We also did take our little girl to "gymnastics" very early. Just observe at the facility and make sure they understand and embrace all types of kids. Our people knew that Rose was not there to become an Olympic competitor.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this seems kind of general. I hope it is helpful. I think the main thing is to keep the kid engaged in interesting things around him so he is motivated to go get it, and of course always, always keep safety in mind.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-86369658229395861512011-05-29T17:29:00.000-06:002011-05-29T17:29:36.252-06:00Boys TownIn a dramatic departure from bridal showers, the bachelorette party is a walk on the wild side. Not for the faint of heart. Not for old people. I was concerned that it didn't START until seven o'clock- horrors! Well... that was just round one. Round two, the main course, so to speak, didn't start until TEN o'clock. I am so lame.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeyHvwtEAWLjZlapgdoEaPdxKQxNI_6d1XQI2TGkXV7gNfFPuzkB8ANUQCC94vZLHLCMbeAnm13drH-vdVDfA3i382JiCMUWCmw6HFhaMArCaNpUd-n_9OGjc173WNlVT9maYv-2-p0XJ/s1600/Courtney%2527s+legs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeyHvwtEAWLjZlapgdoEaPdxKQxNI_6d1XQI2TGkXV7gNfFPuzkB8ANUQCC94vZLHLCMbeAnm13drH-vdVDfA3i382JiCMUWCmw6HFhaMArCaNpUd-n_9OGjc173WNlVT9maYv-2-p0XJ/s400/Courtney%2527s+legs.jpg" t8="true" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bride-to-be, in hot pants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We relocated from the very hip bar, Delite, to the tawdry gay joint, Boys Town. Possibly even "Boyz Town." They had saved us tables right by the stage! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxXF89EadDsbhbbbmPGshQJLsEfiz9Orzf5HqDgql5gbCnssKXX4-rNUwuZlGDV42AZEbnpY2XPIrRevLXHnmv3OFiuzxuaIB1UDSbMVvXYwQCPpw44YaJVr-RVCaToWOUmCYrlqhli85/s1600/pole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxXF89EadDsbhbbbmPGshQJLsEfiz9Orzf5HqDgql5gbCnssKXX4-rNUwuZlGDV42AZEbnpY2XPIrRevLXHnmv3OFiuzxuaIB1UDSbMVvXYwQCPpw44YaJVr-RVCaToWOUmCYrlqhli85/s400/pole.jpg" t8="true" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's right, folks, a pole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The bouncer was absolutely sweet. He totally commiserated with my friend Kim about the picture on her driver's license. He hates his, too. Everybody had to have two drinks (there's no cover charge) so Courtney bought us pitchers of beer. <br />
<br />
Chance came around and introduced himself. I thought he might be the owner; he was so genuinely happy to have all of us there. A bodybuildin' fool, is Chance, with a perpetual smile and hugs for all. Oh, but there is more to Chance than meets the eye. That is, the rest of Chance met our eyes a little later.<br />
<br />
The first performer looked barely old enough to be in there, and, as Becky said, looked like he might have been the dishwasher or the cook, commandeered to do the opening act. There was nothing sexy about him.<br />
The second and third performers were equally silly, and may I just point out here that all of them LEFT THEIR SOCKS ON. That is just way too Risky Business to be anything but sophomoric. Then our friend Chance came down the stage. He at least had fabulous muscles. But his sweet, constant smile makes him too cute to be sexy.<br />
<br />
Anyway. None of them stripped down to nothing. Courtney did tip them, and wished audibly for hand sanitizer afterwards. There were also several barely controlled fits of giggling. I mostly wished I was sleeping.<br />
<br />
I knew it would be blogworthy.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-591740431448487872011-05-27T05:00:00.000-06:002011-05-27T05:00:18.180-06:00Here's the baby<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGW6LBIXgjOrMx06qrOdivpj5AavmSM1UToCvl5XR384QD_Fbed4eaTcAt-nx8WJWKe94E4_QrixFVAyrTat-phZS4s8DvPFOg2NscgNZzVSpDG7Bk6tJvphzPTQqmSnL7wobHimFoERF/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGW6LBIXgjOrMx06qrOdivpj5AavmSM1UToCvl5XR384QD_Fbed4eaTcAt-nx8WJWKe94E4_QrixFVAyrTat-phZS4s8DvPFOg2NscgNZzVSpDG7Bk6tJvphzPTQqmSnL7wobHimFoERF/s320/photo+3.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not home yet, but together finally.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-21103735840763836842011-05-26T20:05:00.000-06:002011-05-26T20:05:32.255-06:00We All ScreamToday I accidentally agreed to help chaperone Rose's fourth grade classes to the park for their ice cream social. Then I scooped ice cream, picked up trash, passed out water, knocked some heads together and twitched.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-47789801777145003112011-05-26T15:36:00.000-06:002011-05-26T15:36:59.722-06:00What do you think?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUV3Pg9tiRPv2PUk6er3C67ChZGklD6y3gIaH7ooFTyzre9soa9o7pwUafJtpA4aMn90l4KDHptyWjwWort8AquMlIhMzzOoPYgyCpv7P8EPTVI4X9cUtFeVHZxsPCEjdyJd1AgHVm8MR6/s1600/today%2527s+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUV3Pg9tiRPv2PUk6er3C67ChZGklD6y3gIaH7ooFTyzre9soa9o7pwUafJtpA4aMn90l4KDHptyWjwWort8AquMlIhMzzOoPYgyCpv7P8EPTVI4X9cUtFeVHZxsPCEjdyJd1AgHVm8MR6/s320/today%2527s+collage.jpg" t8="true" width="253" /></a></div>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-82256497686061412852011-05-24T20:32:00.000-06:002011-05-24T20:32:58.009-06:00Just more to share<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdC4gqhaXCy3Yx3vDJmvrTMbFgRwwfVX8519SeS65Zi8YnCNsaf1f5kcHbgXZ3N0Vtj0uul84c8r7UrZ1Ej51NrxSSzqbrGcvb7q0Hz_CBZfG8bUMrMUa1OCCfb1WfbCLT3L4mLhIIyJO/s1600/I+kissed+a+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdC4gqhaXCy3Yx3vDJmvrTMbFgRwwfVX8519SeS65Zi8YnCNsaf1f5kcHbgXZ3N0Vtj0uul84c8r7UrZ1Ej51NrxSSzqbrGcvb7q0Hz_CBZfG8bUMrMUa1OCCfb1WfbCLT3L4mLhIIyJO/s320/I+kissed+a+girl.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kissed a girl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy4cny-hZ5CJ49xpUPsWITZE4FBOLEvSZu0zB5TnPTaO8mKs4YPQvGULO58wwHnEVsZd_5730SVbhaobZwD-CQBGLL4OF6sB1RtRWJXoVe2QTVcfvtlJ5okO7RFYJ5FesaT99f8qBaxL_/s1600/my+new+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy4cny-hZ5CJ49xpUPsWITZE4FBOLEvSZu0zB5TnPTaO8mKs4YPQvGULO58wwHnEVsZd_5730SVbhaobZwD-CQBGLL4OF6sB1RtRWJXoVe2QTVcfvtlJ5okO7RFYJ5FesaT99f8qBaxL_/s320/my+new+bike.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought a bike.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTqcL-iVvbt4WGhty1NG5qOzG0PT9ehCuOP6iXVWL16wsoL3nGOpdSSARkd7SVdsBnmjQZozsqQi1j4G_XhfbhNIL03WLUGBkfefFdVKreZtIc-8OBZK7ByA4pdN1xRE3zarlKc5dpqz3/s1600/tea+at+indulge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTqcL-iVvbt4WGhty1NG5qOzG0PT9ehCuOP6iXVWL16wsoL3nGOpdSSARkd7SVdsBnmjQZozsqQi1j4G_XhfbhNIL03WLUGBkfefFdVKreZtIc-8OBZK7ByA4pdN1xRE3zarlKc5dpqz3/s320/tea+at+indulge.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I drank Moroccan sweet tea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMC0y_0FkCczh5UwliCu_PB8fUJdVti8BhV6MRKmknnlcH3ux6u4wSeLFp0sZrGIDJlxWqt2KgVAfAFszgKWu-I7CoMCmL1wFoJJSGshihMpeKTu-qOdb8KCGUEWGDxtMTphs5OLBIMai/s1600/better+Felice+and+Neil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMC0y_0FkCczh5UwliCu_PB8fUJdVti8BhV6MRKmknnlcH3ux6u4wSeLFp0sZrGIDJlxWqt2KgVAfAFszgKWu-I7CoMCmL1wFoJJSGshihMpeKTu-qOdb8KCGUEWGDxtMTphs5OLBIMai/s320/better+Felice+and+Neil.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am waiting for their new baby to come home with them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-43169989923809304312011-05-24T14:36:00.000-06:002011-05-24T14:36:39.216-06:00AWARDS DAY<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNylxGFJl6R5V04wI2zE60euowLENAMqGDmIFcfCNeEXG34aph7LENRefq2rfKrNVdT5SxlYODjrzXg7KWEWUlDdX2-peoJ3wV1fZSKjn0WbhcnyzL4i5M4gikHdFgLpr5wAiLrs2pqpI/s1600/my+reading+medal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNylxGFJl6R5V04wI2zE60euowLENAMqGDmIFcfCNeEXG34aph7LENRefq2rfKrNVdT5SxlYODjrzXg7KWEWUlDdX2-peoJ3wV1fZSKjn0WbhcnyzL4i5M4gikHdFgLpr5wAiLrs2pqpI/s320/my+reading+medal.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose got a reading award!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PxWBr29zcmG2Zrd03R3Wta9sy5E4Io3M1HR63xpdpkF2ev8ZQt53hznwMV1Dgjm2UH-Wu7iQIu8inbou8JJEzEIWd7gORBJlBzkaYsJrRk8ay4Td_AcyFIZ4jS8VRjdhqIGx1OPwqujD/s1600/parking+ticket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PxWBr29zcmG2Zrd03R3Wta9sy5E4Io3M1HR63xpdpkF2ev8ZQt53hznwMV1Dgjm2UH-Wu7iQIu8inbou8JJEzEIWd7gORBJlBzkaYsJrRk8ay4Td_AcyFIZ4jS8VRjdhqIGx1OPwqujD/s320/parking+ticket.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rest of us got parking tickets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Coincidence?Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-48813502988083730422011-05-24T09:58:00.000-06:002011-05-24T09:58:48.774-06:00And in other news...<ul><li>Doomsday preacher revises his math</li>
<li>Massive tornado breaks grim 60-year record</li>
<li>Palin insider releases tell-all</li>
<li>Aniston debuts new 'do</li>
</ul><br />
Coincidence?Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-38973732276739295992011-05-16T04:56:00.000-06:002011-05-16T04:56:28.598-06:00Swan LakeDid I tell you about the time Rose was walking around in circles flapping her arms?<br />
I had asked her repeatedly to pick up her toys and she walked and walked and walked past me. Finally when my tone brooked no more silence, she said, "No."<br />
That's right.<br />
"No." She said, "Swans don't clean up."<br />
On her next pass, she fluttered her fingertips at me and said, "Swans have wings."<br />
And that's why it's tough to argue with her, folks.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-91386582680653681532011-05-05T07:58:00.000-06:002011-05-05T07:58:13.687-06:00todayCinco de Mayo, by the way.<br />
I started my celebrations by ramming my knee forcefully into my desk. Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-74462985527420500392011-05-04T04:46:00.001-06:002011-05-16T04:56:47.452-06:00Barfie ArfieI have noticed that it's not so important to be tan. Not like it was when I was a kid. One of my younger colleagues mildly ripped on an older one, "Visiting the cancer coffin?" and sure enough, K. had been to the tanning bed. C., the younger, is fair as fair can be and never thinks twice about white legs. She is beautiful and stylish always, and it has never, ever occurred to me that her legs are too white to be on display.<br />
<br />
I have noticed with some annoyance that our dog has learned how to fake like he is gagging. He does it because he knows we will rush to let him out, and the thing is, you don't want to wait around to find out if the gag is real or fake. He's getting older and a little eccentric. What he wants to do is sleep- on the couch if possible- all the time, but if we are standing up, he thinks he should be standing up as well. Standing up makes him want to eat, or go outside. So we have to let him out every few minutes if we aren't sitting down to a task. Very tricky, hack, hack.<br />
<br />
Noticing also that my harmless little bouncing marbles games make the computer freeze, while Andy's kill-everthing-that-moves games can go on for seventeen hours.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1193817336450446688.post-84815936584765518602011-05-01T13:45:00.001-06:002011-05-04T04:33:27.994-06:00May DayIf only I had dropped off anonymous baskets of flowers around the neighborhood. No, the best I can say about today is that the lawn is being mowed- surely a good sign. Also, it snowed some yesterday but did not stick.<br />
<br />
Rose, the almost-ten-year-old and frankly-scary-packrat is working right now with the professional organizer who has been attached to the family for several months. As she likes to say, we can't afford NOT to get organized, but in answer to your question, yes, it's kind of expensive. The 15 hour contract is running out after today, but I will reschedule. My own tendency is to avoid the work, so having someone arrive every few weeks has really been worthwhile.<br />
<br />
In other news... there isn't much. I did not get up to watch the royal wedding. I have not been birdwatching or made any new art. Although I don't feel much like reviewing it here, I have read <u>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</u> and recommend it. I have finished a class for 3 semester hours and nearly finished another, but will probably stop after this one, for a while. School is out in just over 2 weeks. Next year I will work at a district level job.Lauriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04681145748925087647noreply@blogger.com0