I have a ghost on my street...or, more likely a pre-Halloween reveler needed some curb appeal. My chrysanthemum has been kidnapped!
Superman said tentatively over breakfast, "I have some unfortunate news."
"Yes?" I responded, concerned that he'd read something terrible in the news.
"Your mum has been stolen. They left some flowers on the sidewalk." An offering? A diss? A sign from God not to plant annuals? I don't know.
Good thing my Halloween jack-o-lantern pot is safe inside on the sun porch, and good thing I moved my cute pot with flowers and geranium to the back porch!
Passersby will have to be content with the limited curb appeal of my pumpkin lights until tomorrow, when I will be putting new pots out with new flowers.
It's a lovely day here, and I have seen some funny sights...a witch working in the Employee Wellness Center and two women in elaborate costumes walking downtown...seems like the adults are having more fun than the kids are!
Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Great Pumpkin Bake-Off
Stacie's mom's chocolate chip pumpkin cookie recipe has been accepted for the annual Delaware Punkin Chunkin Bake-Off! I'm entering that, Mary's entering pumpkin bars, and we're working on cupcakes together. We get judged next Saturday, which means we have to be down in the middle of nowhere, DE, by 11 am on a Saturday, with enough pumpkin treats to feed a crowd. Sweet. I'm tempted to wear a themed outfit but will try to restrain myself.
I should add that the Bake-Off is a lesser-known aspect of the one, the only, the annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin: http://www.punkinchunkin.com/
Folks come from all over to watch pumpkins get "chunked" as far and as effectively as possible. More on that when I actually see it.
This month and next feature trips to NYC (yesterday, for a client product event), Huntington, PA (tomorrow), New Orleans (next Sunday, for a few days), Cali (aaah Thanksgiving), and then we stay put until Christmas, when we go to Maine.
Fairfax will be dressing up as a skeleton for Halloween. His best gal pal Peyton is going as a princess. Stay tuned for photos...
I should add that the Bake-Off is a lesser-known aspect of the one, the only, the annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin: http://www.punkinchunkin.com/
Folks come from all over to watch pumpkins get "chunked" as far and as effectively as possible. More on that when I actually see it.
This month and next feature trips to NYC (yesterday, for a client product event), Huntington, PA (tomorrow), New Orleans (next Sunday, for a few days), Cali (aaah Thanksgiving), and then we stay put until Christmas, when we go to Maine.
Fairfax will be dressing up as a skeleton for Halloween. His best gal pal Peyton is going as a princess. Stay tuned for photos...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
It's Fall
The humidity temporarily leaves Delaware these days, and I am psyched. Some warm fall days feel just like the best days in San Francisco. Luxurious.
We traded Fairfax for his brother, Ferris, a few weeks ago, because he needed to go on a "home switch" and get more exposure. He is a thicker version of Fairfax, basically. He snores louder than most humans and is darling, but huge and strong, which means Superman has to muster all his superpowers every time we go on a walk (three times a day, to wear Ferris out). We'll have him again next week, and Fairfax will go to a nice UD student who's new to our group.
Zinnia the stray cat has been spending time in our flowerbed, among the zinnias! Too cute! And the groundhog is also a permanent resident...we keep catching him under cars and in the garage.
In other animal news, Nomad, the newest Guiding Eyes puppy in our region, is about as cute as they come. We think he'll grow into his ears and paws eventually.
Also, SuperCute Cousin has welcomed Sweetpea, a four-year-old black cat that we can't wait to meet. Sweetpea turned five last week. Happy birthday, princess!
I spent Labor Day weekend with Supermom, Superdad, and Superbro in the glorious Green Mountains of southern Vermont--such a treat.
September also featured the Newark Oktoberfest, dinner at The Whip Tavern in Coatesville, PA, "Terror Behind the Walls," a top-rated haunted house at the Eastern State Penintentiary in Philly, and, last week, my discovery of the Newark Reservoir (it only took a year).
Am enjoying my many (yay!) wonderful (yay!) clients and my Landscape Design class, which is my new favorite hobby. Drawing for a few hours a week? Sure!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Fairfax Goes Canoeing
We took Fairfax canoeing on the Brandywine River last weekend. He liked being at the front of the boat.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Groundhog Day
I caught the groundhog on camera the other day, and just after photographing him, I got a shot of Zinnia (stray cat adoptee #1). Edgar Allen Poe (stray cat #2) was on the front doorstep (!) the other night but didn't stay for a visit. Unfortunately, I've got some sad news regarding the duck around the corner...we went by to see her last week, and she didn't come out. We looked in the bushes, and all we saw was one abandoned egg. I hope she and the other eggs are OK, but I fear that perhaps a nocturnal critter got her--I hope the critter wasn't human. We're sending her good thoughts and feeling glad that at least our backyard animals are healthy and happy. The possum family hangs out in the holly tree at night...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
What I Did on My Summer Vacation
It's been a whirlwind...Cape May...NYC...NY again for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Regional Conference...now home to the cute pets (oh, and work). I've posted a picture of Cape May, a picture of the baby puppies at the GEB whelping kennels, and a cutie of Fairfax. More to come!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Make Way for Ducklings
Duck update: She's guarding six eggs. That's why she jumps out of the bushes every time Fairfax passes by--she's afraid he's going to steal her eggs. Why she chose foot-deep bushes (not juniper; not sure what they are) in downtown Newark, I'll never know. But now I have to worry that once the ducklings hatch, they're going to be wandering town in search of a pond, vulnerable to the psychotic local drivers, not to mention the cats, possums, and groundhog that live at my house. Come to think of it, why didn't she choose my house? Everyone else does!
I know there's an organization called Tri-State Bird Rescue in town; I suppose I'll call them. Why I feel compelled to be Mrs. Animal Rescue I don't know; perhaps it's the same compulsion that motivates me really fond of police officers. I'm old, I'm no longer particularly cool; I have nothing to lose by trying to make things right in my community. The more pets I get, the more of a soft spot I develop for animals, too.
Good luck, Jemima Puddleduck; we'll be keeping an eye on you.
I know there's an organization called Tri-State Bird Rescue in town; I suppose I'll call them. Why I feel compelled to be Mrs. Animal Rescue I don't know; perhaps it's the same compulsion that motivates me really fond of police officers. I'm old, I'm no longer particularly cool; I have nothing to lose by trying to make things right in my community. The more pets I get, the more of a soft spot I develop for animals, too.
Good luck, Jemima Puddleduck; we'll be keeping an eye on you.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Why I'll Never Be on the Food Network
Superbro used to say that if a meal had more than three ingredients, I wouldn't be able to cook it. This isn't completely accurate; I can bake, which prepares me well for my destiny as the grandma who bakes cookies and cakes and pies, just like the one in The Gingerbread Man.
However, it is true that I'm completely ADD when I try to prepare anything other than baked goods. The other night, I started sauteeing some squash from our garden, then forgot about it when I moved on to make pesto. The squash burned, so we had to start over. I say "we" because when I screw things up in the kitchen, Superman has to take over and fix dinner. Good thing he likes to cook.
Superman enjoys telling the story of how he used to get home from work and find me cooking dinner in an attempt to make his life easier as he finished his Ph.D. As soon as he walked in the door, however, I would typically greet him, then hand him the spatula and walk away with the phone to call someone, usually Supermom. Superman, in fact, often cooks for our dinner parties, if there's any chance of the food not being table-ready before the guests arrive, because I can't talk and cook at the same time. Something will suffer, and it won't be the conversation.
I also break things--for example, a ramekin and a cute red bowl bit the dust, one after the other, several weeks ago.
I have accepted my limitations. I make a lot of enchiladas, lasagna, and pasta dishes for guests, which have relatively simple ingredients and can be prepped ahead of time, leaving me plenty of time to concentrate on the cooking process and work slowly--so that all the dishes remain intact.
I do make great salads, if I say so myself--often with as many as five ingredients! I *am* the salad queen in our house.
However, clearly, I will never be the star of my own Food Network show. I can't imagine trying to tell people what I'm doing and actually being able to execute it--never mind being engaging and perky! Now, I know that often food is prepped ahead of time on those shows, but even still, I just picture myself starting to talk to the audience, then getting distracted and falling silent, or walking off the set with my spatula to go make a phone call. I am very impressed by Amy, the "gourmet next door" who just won a role as the next new Food Network host. Go Amy...better you than me, sister.
However, it is true that I'm completely ADD when I try to prepare anything other than baked goods. The other night, I started sauteeing some squash from our garden, then forgot about it when I moved on to make pesto. The squash burned, so we had to start over. I say "we" because when I screw things up in the kitchen, Superman has to take over and fix dinner. Good thing he likes to cook.
Superman enjoys telling the story of how he used to get home from work and find me cooking dinner in an attempt to make his life easier as he finished his Ph.D. As soon as he walked in the door, however, I would typically greet him, then hand him the spatula and walk away with the phone to call someone, usually Supermom. Superman, in fact, often cooks for our dinner parties, if there's any chance of the food not being table-ready before the guests arrive, because I can't talk and cook at the same time. Something will suffer, and it won't be the conversation.
I also break things--for example, a ramekin and a cute red bowl bit the dust, one after the other, several weeks ago.
I have accepted my limitations. I make a lot of enchiladas, lasagna, and pasta dishes for guests, which have relatively simple ingredients and can be prepped ahead of time, leaving me plenty of time to concentrate on the cooking process and work slowly--so that all the dishes remain intact.
I do make great salads, if I say so myself--often with as many as five ingredients! I *am* the salad queen in our house.
However, clearly, I will never be the star of my own Food Network show. I can't imagine trying to tell people what I'm doing and actually being able to execute it--never mind being engaging and perky! Now, I know that often food is prepped ahead of time on those shows, but even still, I just picture myself starting to talk to the audience, then getting distracted and falling silent, or walking off the set with my spatula to go make a phone call. I am very impressed by Amy, the "gourmet next door" who just won a role as the next new Food Network host. Go Amy...better you than me, sister.
Just Ducky
A duck startled Fairfax and me on our walk this afternoon. Next door to the skate shop, one of the downtown businesses has juniper bushes, and I have seen this particular duck, a female mallard, emerge from them before. However, I certainly didn't think she resided there. Rather, I assumed she had flown to downtown Newark by mistake, from a pond somewhere, perhaps. Apparently, she is a permanent downtown resident. As Fairfax and I strolled past the bushes this afternoon, a major rustling occurred in the foliage. The duck leapt out, hitting me as she did so. I'll admit that I screamed. Then I started laughing. Fairfax and I took a moment to watch the duck. She wandered down Haines street, in front of several cars, who were laughing just like I was. Fairfax didn't seem to find it terribly unusual.
It's definitely Friday the 13th. Either that or God is trying to tell me to become a veterinarian.
In other news, Wonder Dog is up to his usual tricks, sneaking upstairs to steal the cat's toys and play with toilet paper, vacuuming up everything that comes near his mouth, and testing what happens when he hops onto the furniture and gets cozy. We took him to Longwood Gardens last weekend to expose him to a new environment; he loved it. An added bonus was seeing the century plant, which only blooms once and then dies. It's blooming this summer only.
Happy Friday the 13th!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Fireworks
The July 4th fireworks here in Newark, DE, were high-quality. Definitely among the top ten fireworks displays of all time. Which makes me want to make a list, so here we go:
Top Ten Fireworks Displays of All Time
1) Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, New Year's Eve, 2007. Add thousands of colored lights, the gorgeous conservatory, hot chocolate, sugar cookies, and an array of people having a great time, and you've got the recipe for a great show. The fireworks last about a half hour and are right above the audience. There's hardly anything like it.
2) Shoreline Ampitheater, Mountain View, CA, pretty much any 4th of July. The San Francisco Symphony plays a variety of music, and the fireworks go off above the audience. I've watched it for free outside the ampitheater, too.
3) Coronado, CA, July 4, 1988? I must confess, I like pop songs along with my fireworks display, and San Diego radio had that goin' on. There was a good parade that morning, too, to get us in the Independence Day spirit.
4) Boston, MA, 1999? Again, not sure of the year, but I got to BBQ with BostonErin 7/3 and spent 7/4 on the Esplanade with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. Don McLean sang. Good times.
5) Lake Tahoe, CA, 2001 (?) from Marta's boat. Why do the years all blur together after you turn 30? Michael Milken shot these off. Proof that you can go to jail for white-collar crime and still be too rich for your own good. At least I got to enjoy a little piece of it...
6) Newark, DE 2007!!! Twenty-five minutes of firework bliss, made even sweeter because we thought they might get rained out. We could see everything perfectly from Kelly and Gina's house on Kells Ave. It was the perfect dessert #2, following a smashing BBQ and epic trifle.
7) Frost Ampitheater, Stanford, CA, July 3, 2005. Superman and I joined legions of Palo Altans to cop a squat on the lawn of the Oval and watch the fireworks for free. We did miss the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, but those fireworks were excellent.
8) View from Los Altos Hills, CA, July 4, 2004. Superman and I met that night (cue violins). He had to leave before the fireworks shows to take someone to the airport. Fortunately, we re-met two weeks later. We could see fireworks from around the Bay Area, very small.
9) Bastille Day 1990, Biarritz, France. I was staying with my host family in their uncle's very hip pad in Biarritz. We were down on the beach after dinner celebrating Bastille Day, and the fireworks were the perfect cap to a unique day in France.
10) "The Neighborhood Dads Firework Show," a real hometown affair, back when fireworks were legal most places. We used to gather the neighborhood and have a block party in front of our house. Every family would bring a box of fireworks, and the dads would set up two ladders and a board. We'd start with sparklers, move on to those snake things, then amp up with a few groundflowers. Things really got going after that. Piccolo Peets, rockets, you name it. Sometimes they'd really go wild and shoot off a pinwheel at the end. One year, a tweaked groundflower leapt off the board and into the crowd. Schoolchildren screamed as the groundflower maniacally burned holes in several beach towels (my pink balloon towel included) before getting doused with water by a savvy mom. I think fireworks became illegal in town soon afterwards, but those were Fourth of July parties to remember.
Top Ten Fireworks Displays of All Time
1) Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, New Year's Eve, 2007. Add thousands of colored lights, the gorgeous conservatory, hot chocolate, sugar cookies, and an array of people having a great time, and you've got the recipe for a great show. The fireworks last about a half hour and are right above the audience. There's hardly anything like it.
2) Shoreline Ampitheater, Mountain View, CA, pretty much any 4th of July. The San Francisco Symphony plays a variety of music, and the fireworks go off above the audience. I've watched it for free outside the ampitheater, too.
3) Coronado, CA, July 4, 1988? I must confess, I like pop songs along with my fireworks display, and San Diego radio had that goin' on. There was a good parade that morning, too, to get us in the Independence Day spirit.
4) Boston, MA, 1999? Again, not sure of the year, but I got to BBQ with BostonErin 7/3 and spent 7/4 on the Esplanade with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. Don McLean sang. Good times.
5) Lake Tahoe, CA, 2001 (?) from Marta's boat. Why do the years all blur together after you turn 30? Michael Milken shot these off. Proof that you can go to jail for white-collar crime and still be too rich for your own good. At least I got to enjoy a little piece of it...
6) Newark, DE 2007!!! Twenty-five minutes of firework bliss, made even sweeter because we thought they might get rained out. We could see everything perfectly from Kelly and Gina's house on Kells Ave. It was the perfect dessert #2, following a smashing BBQ and epic trifle.
7) Frost Ampitheater, Stanford, CA, July 3, 2005. Superman and I joined legions of Palo Altans to cop a squat on the lawn of the Oval and watch the fireworks for free. We did miss the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, but those fireworks were excellent.
8) View from Los Altos Hills, CA, July 4, 2004. Superman and I met that night (cue violins). He had to leave before the fireworks shows to take someone to the airport. Fortunately, we re-met two weeks later. We could see fireworks from around the Bay Area, very small.
9) Bastille Day 1990, Biarritz, France. I was staying with my host family in their uncle's very hip pad in Biarritz. We were down on the beach after dinner celebrating Bastille Day, and the fireworks were the perfect cap to a unique day in France.
10) "The Neighborhood Dads Firework Show," a real hometown affair, back when fireworks were legal most places. We used to gather the neighborhood and have a block party in front of our house. Every family would bring a box of fireworks, and the dads would set up two ladders and a board. We'd start with sparklers, move on to those snake things, then amp up with a few groundflowers. Things really got going after that. Piccolo Peets, rockets, you name it. Sometimes they'd really go wild and shoot off a pinwheel at the end. One year, a tweaked groundflower leapt off the board and into the crowd. Schoolchildren screamed as the groundflower maniacally burned holes in several beach towels (my pink balloon towel included) before getting doused with water by a savvy mom. I think fireworks became illegal in town soon afterwards, but those were Fourth of July parties to remember.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
For You, Dear Readers
According to my stat counter, a lot of people doing searches on the internet enter a question or topic and make their way to my blog, due to the bizarre combination of topics I address on a regular basis. Many, bless them, stay to read my ramblings. I feel that it's only fair to answer their questions here. Should they still choose to read my blog, great--but let's face it, we're all strapped for time.
Topic #1--by far the most popular: Who sings "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To?" (Most find themselves reading my blog entry that is a play on the words in that title--I substitute "birthday" for "party" and share my tale of woe about being stuck in Midway Airport on my birthday in February '07; they make the substitution by accident and get to my blog, not the song.) The singer of the song is, in fact, Lesley Gore.
Topic #2--What to do when your cat throws up. This one's easy: Grab a bunch of paper towels and clean up thoroughly. Spray some disinfectant and use more paper towels to wipe that up. Move on. Steam-cleaning works wonders on carpets and upholstery; I recommend Ernie's Carpet Cleaning to those in the SF Bay Area.
Topic #3--How I Spent My Summer Vacation. This topic is usually entered by users with IP addresses based in India, and is always phrased or spelled incorrectly. I have to assume the searchers are English language learners searching for a sample essay on the topic. My piece of the same title would NOT be the one to read. Let's just hope nobody tries to plagiarize it, because not only will I give them twenty lashes with a wet noodle; I seriously doubt anyone in India has done all the things I described in that blog!
Topic #4--What are the ingredients in Duke's Canoe Club's Hula Pie, Mai Tais, and crab wontons? Sorry folks, can't help you with exact recipes, but can tell you what I think is in each:
Hula Pie is Oreo crust, macadamia nut ice cream, and chocolate fudge topping; the Mai Tais have a nice dark rum plus Mai Tai mix; and the crab wontons are a delicious blend of crab, spices, and probably mayonnaise, in fried wonton skin. Mmmm!
Happy Fourth of July, all! Let's hear it for independence and the world wide web!
Topic #1--by far the most popular: Who sings "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To?" (Most find themselves reading my blog entry that is a play on the words in that title--I substitute "birthday" for "party" and share my tale of woe about being stuck in Midway Airport on my birthday in February '07; they make the substitution by accident and get to my blog, not the song.) The singer of the song is, in fact, Lesley Gore.
Topic #2--What to do when your cat throws up. This one's easy: Grab a bunch of paper towels and clean up thoroughly. Spray some disinfectant and use more paper towels to wipe that up. Move on. Steam-cleaning works wonders on carpets and upholstery; I recommend Ernie's Carpet Cleaning to those in the SF Bay Area.
Topic #3--How I Spent My Summer Vacation. This topic is usually entered by users with IP addresses based in India, and is always phrased or spelled incorrectly. I have to assume the searchers are English language learners searching for a sample essay on the topic. My piece of the same title would NOT be the one to read. Let's just hope nobody tries to plagiarize it, because not only will I give them twenty lashes with a wet noodle; I seriously doubt anyone in India has done all the things I described in that blog!
Topic #4--What are the ingredients in Duke's Canoe Club's Hula Pie, Mai Tais, and crab wontons? Sorry folks, can't help you with exact recipes, but can tell you what I think is in each:
Hula Pie is Oreo crust, macadamia nut ice cream, and chocolate fudge topping; the Mai Tais have a nice dark rum plus Mai Tai mix; and the crab wontons are a delicious blend of crab, spices, and probably mayonnaise, in fried wonton skin. Mmmm!
Happy Fourth of July, all! Let's hear it for independence and the world wide web!
Monday, July 02, 2007
The Expanding Menagerie
Now that we've bitten the bullet and committed to adopting the stray cats behind the house, we've named them: Zinnia, because we discovered her kittens right after planting zinnias in the flowerbed, and Edgar Allen Poe, for local legend and because he looks like hard-drinking, tortured-soul kind of fella. Both are happily eating our food and supervising our backyard. However, they're not as vigilant as one might hope: I left the house today to see a woodchuck (or perhaps a groundhog?) scampering off. According to neighbor Mike, the little guy has been a resident in our house almost as long as Mike's lived in his. Mike's roommate has also spotted a possum family living behind their house, so we've got quite a crew, probably all of whom are helping themselves to the cat food. Ah, well, what're ya gonna do?
The dog has become an adolescent. I left him attached to the kitchen island for two minutes today while I cleaned up after him in the yard, and returned just in time to see him hastily hop down from the radiator, where he'd propped his two front paws while he played with the phone headset and retrieved Superman's Croc. Everyone in our house loves Crocs--we like to wear them, and Fairfax likes to eat them. He's already decimated an Old Navy flip-flop, so I'd really like to see the rest of my summer footwear make it through the season intact. The phone is now set to "Do Not Disturb," which will apparently require a technical genius to re-set. Thanks, Fairfax. Glad you're monitoring our calls.
He is in his crate for some "down time" with his dental dinosaur, a new favorite toy that's a) indestructable and b) helpful for a teething puppy. I meanwhile, am trying not to fail my nutrition class. Time to study...
The dog has become an adolescent. I left him attached to the kitchen island for two minutes today while I cleaned up after him in the yard, and returned just in time to see him hastily hop down from the radiator, where he'd propped his two front paws while he played with the phone headset and retrieved Superman's Croc. Everyone in our house loves Crocs--we like to wear them, and Fairfax likes to eat them. He's already decimated an Old Navy flip-flop, so I'd really like to see the rest of my summer footwear make it through the season intact. The phone is now set to "Do Not Disturb," which will apparently require a technical genius to re-set. Thanks, Fairfax. Glad you're monitoring our calls.
He is in his crate for some "down time" with his dental dinosaur, a new favorite toy that's a) indestructable and b) helpful for a teething puppy. I meanwhile, am trying not to fail my nutrition class. Time to study...
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Stray Cat Strut
Cat update: Mom and Dad Cat were spayed/neutered and returned to our yard. Their habitat was somewhat destroyed when our neighbor's landlord finally cleaned up the back of the yard, but I think we can rest assured his old car won't be going anywhere anytime soon, providing them shelter for a while. If we feed them, we're told, we'll have mouse cats and no new cat colony will move in. OK then.
We went to Newark Nite (street festival the whole town attends; as our friend/accountant C.R. says, "Everyone goes, you walk up and down the street, you see everyone you know in town, you go home.") Saturday and sat on neighbor Mike's porch with some drinks into the evening. When we saw Mom Cat and Dad Cat run across the street, narrowly missing an entanglement with a front fender, we all looked at each other. That would have been a quickly wasted $110, we agreed. However, they seem to be holding up OK.
The kittens are in foster care; they were hissing and not liking the idea of being someone's pet, so they're being socialized. This works for us because a) we are not trained in cat socialization and b) we have our hands full with Emma and Fairfax (a.k.a. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum). We walk Emma four times a day and Fairfax twice; Fairfax is worn out from walks and playing, but Emma never sleeps. She levitates in the air when she meets people during the walk. I've never seen anything like it.
Working at the cupcake store is a blast!
It's perfect outside today; I'm off to enjoy it (and go bake some cakes).
We went to Newark Nite (street festival the whole town attends; as our friend/accountant C.R. says, "Everyone goes, you walk up and down the street, you see everyone you know in town, you go home.") Saturday and sat on neighbor Mike's porch with some drinks into the evening. When we saw Mom Cat and Dad Cat run across the street, narrowly missing an entanglement with a front fender, we all looked at each other. That would have been a quickly wasted $110, we agreed. However, they seem to be holding up OK.
The kittens are in foster care; they were hissing and not liking the idea of being someone's pet, so they're being socialized. This works for us because a) we are not trained in cat socialization and b) we have our hands full with Emma and Fairfax (a.k.a. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum). We walk Emma four times a day and Fairfax twice; Fairfax is worn out from walks and playing, but Emma never sleeps. She levitates in the air when she meets people during the walk. I've never seen anything like it.
Working at the cupcake store is a blast!
It's perfect outside today; I'm off to enjoy it (and go bake some cakes).
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Welcome to My Zoo
I currently live with six cats and two dogs. Poppy and Fairfax are doing fine; Fairfax is enjoying playing with his squeaky flower that Aunt Heather brought from the Wag Hotel in San Francisco, while Poppy enjoys sitting between the fan and the air conditioner, letting her fur blow in the breeze.
We are puppysitting Emma, a golden lab who looks like she's always smiling, and trapping a family of stray cats who move in under the abandoned car next door and are too cute to be left to their own devices. We've already been remiss; we should have contacted Forgotten Cats, the organization that is helping us trap, spay, and neuter them and get them a clean bill of health, when we noticed mom and dad living back there. But neither we nor our neighbor realized that--oops--we might end up with a litter of kittens. Now we are forking over $50 for each male cat and $60 for each female, which is a great deal considering the end result (healthier cats, no future cat colony, and better lives for the kittens), but it does put the price of compassion and conscientiousness at a rather high premium! As Superman likes to say, the things in life that make the most positive difference to others are often the most difficult. No one said having a guide dog puppy would be easy, and certainly nobody said having two would be simple, but we're managing. Same thing goes for the cats.
Hopefully, the kittens will be deemed adoptable and will go to great homes. Mom and Dad cat are probably going to be spayed/neutered and returned to the backyard--I doubt they are really adoptable, but we'll see. We'll have mouse cats, and they'll have a check-up, and we'll decrease the vast number of homeless cats by several litters, I'd imagine.
Life is good.
Another Post from the Super Science Teacher
I was in a Mountain View gem & rock shop today buying cheap fossils for our two-day "Fossils as Evidence for Evolution" activity--we have two days on fossils, two days on homologous structures (bones in coughed-up owl hairballs--they have to articulate the rodent skeletons), and two days on DNA evidence. Now my students will be well-equipped to argue the evidence for evolution!
One of my brainiacs quite anxiously asked if I was "required by the state of California to teach intelligent design" but I happily told him that the California Science Content Standards are actually based on science! He was relieved. Today I clarified to a Muslim student that I did not "believe" in evolution but that I accepted it as a scientific theory, not as a belief system. One of my Hindu students is totally happy to accept reincarnation as part of her belief system and evolution as a scientific theory. I look forward to having more discussions about the controversy! Last year I had a Christian student who refused to consider evolution whatsoever, but "agreed to learn the material for the test."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...a falcon family has taken up residence in the San Jose City Hall, and every middle school around is watching them on the UCSC/Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Group webcam. The city employees named the parent falcons Jose (for San Jose) and Clara (for our county, Santa Clara). The SCPBG hosted a chick naming contest, and our school sent in the names Cruz, Bella and Destiny. If we win, we get a visit from the SCPBG falcon expert armed with a falcon named Curtis. Since we are also studying the evolutionary morphology of bird beaks and Darwin's finches in particular, the webcam is a great part of our evolution unit. One day we tuned in on Jose using his beak to rip the heck out of a poor City Hall bird and regurgitate it for the chicks. The feast was viewed by my 3rd period, and 4th period caught sight of one of the chicks pooping quite visibly (in "an incredible trajectory," as I put it--they thought that was hilarious). The chicks took the rest of the day off and snoozed periods 5, 6 and 7.
On the big day when the SCPBG guy repelled down to band the chicks, they squawked in terror, and the parents dive-bombed the poor guy--fortunately for him, he was in a helmet and leather gloves. Their swooping shadows were caught on the webcam...
One of my brainiacs quite anxiously asked if I was "required by the state of California to teach intelligent design" but I happily told him that the California Science Content Standards are actually based on science! He was relieved. Today I clarified to a Muslim student that I did not "believe" in evolution but that I accepted it as a scientific theory, not as a belief system. One of my Hindu students is totally happy to accept reincarnation as part of her belief system and evolution as a scientific theory. I look forward to having more discussions about the controversy! Last year I had a Christian student who refused to consider evolution whatsoever, but "agreed to learn the material for the test."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...a falcon family has taken up residence in the San Jose City Hall, and every middle school around is watching them on the UCSC/Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Group webcam. The city employees named the parent falcons Jose (for San Jose) and Clara (for our county, Santa Clara). The SCPBG hosted a chick naming contest, and our school sent in the names Cruz, Bella and Destiny. If we win, we get a visit from the SCPBG falcon expert armed with a falcon named Curtis. Since we are also studying the evolutionary morphology of bird beaks and Darwin's finches in particular, the webcam is a great part of our evolution unit. One day we tuned in on Jose using his beak to rip the heck out of a poor City Hall bird and regurgitate it for the chicks. The feast was viewed by my 3rd period, and 4th period caught sight of one of the chicks pooping quite visibly (in "an incredible trajectory," as I put it--they thought that was hilarious). The chicks took the rest of the day off and snoozed periods 5, 6 and 7.
On the big day when the SCPBG guy repelled down to band the chicks, they squawked in terror, and the parents dive-bombed the poor guy--fortunately for him, he was in a helmet and leather gloves. Their swooping shadows were caught on the webcam...
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Farmer Supergirl Sings the Virtues of the First State
My favorite thing about Delaware is that I finally have the opportunity to do pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want. No teacher fatigue. No expensive rent. No car payments. It's reasonable to live here, and living can be done on one salary, and since we moved here for Superman's job, he's working, allowing me to build my writing business and save some money for us, but also affording me time to do more pro bono writing and editing work and take on new volunteer projects. I've also been able to fund our million-dollar cat's trips to the vet. Five tooth extractions here, an irritable bowel syndrome diagnosis there...
People are incredibly friendly here. If you go into a store, most proprieters enjoy it when you stay and chat for a bit. When I walk the dog, people stop to ask about the Guiding Eyes program and to pet him. At the ice rink where I skate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, people make a point to introduce themselves. I know every single person on the ice, at any given time.
On the farm, which is a real, working farm, where Superman's office is (in an old white farmhouse that is a designated historical building), it's quiet. You can sit on the lawn and gaze at the cows. Occasionally an Amtrak train barrels by, but it doesn't really shake the sense of peace that pervades that part of campus. I always enjoy being over there. Outside Townsend Hall, the main Ag School building, is a botanical garden and a vast lawn. We have puppy class there, and it's such a treat to get to be outside in such a beautiful place, especially now, when everything is flowering. The ice skating rinks are down that way as well, as is the outdoor pool, so I can sense that I'll be spending more time on South Campus this summer and fall.
I have now skated at both of UD's rinks and at The Pond. I have not set foot in The Pond's freestyle rink, where all the Olympians train, due to cost and intimidation, but I'll have to soon, to say I did it. I also have not met Johnny Weir, but I'm sure I will at some point.
My skating is improving. I can do a one-foot spin and am working on my Freestyle 3 change-foot spin, which involves spinning forward on the left foot, backward on the right foot, and forward on the left foot again. I notice that I get dizzy now when I spin. This is unfortunate. One of my skating buddies says, "It gets worse, the older you get." That's a bummer. I might be able to pull off a waltz jump (jumping from the left foot forward on the right foot and gliding backward) and a backward spiral soon, but I'm not holding my breath about any other jumps.
We are farming a 40'x40' plot of land down by Superman's office. We planted zucchini, squash, beet, bean, pea, lettuce, and melon seeds, and though everyone raised their eyebrows at that, we have sprouts, ladies and gentlemen! Next, we planted melon plants, tomato plants, and pepper plants, plus a bunch of marigolds, for their cuteness/protectiveness factors. We bribed our friend Jenn with future vegetables to help us, and Fairfax has been a frequent visitor to the garden. We met one of the two landscape design professors the last time we watered our plot, and now I am planning to take his classes in the fall. We're also growing tomatoes and peppers in our backyard. We have petunias, zinnias, snapdragons, and verbena in the flowerbed, and we seem to be vanquishing our poison ivy with some success. If the UD mowers would stop running over my little green fence, it might be easier to stay away from the poison ivy. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, and I'd just as soon not mow.
I heart Delaware. Come visit!
People are incredibly friendly here. If you go into a store, most proprieters enjoy it when you stay and chat for a bit. When I walk the dog, people stop to ask about the Guiding Eyes program and to pet him. At the ice rink where I skate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, people make a point to introduce themselves. I know every single person on the ice, at any given time.
On the farm, which is a real, working farm, where Superman's office is (in an old white farmhouse that is a designated historical building), it's quiet. You can sit on the lawn and gaze at the cows. Occasionally an Amtrak train barrels by, but it doesn't really shake the sense of peace that pervades that part of campus. I always enjoy being over there. Outside Townsend Hall, the main Ag School building, is a botanical garden and a vast lawn. We have puppy class there, and it's such a treat to get to be outside in such a beautiful place, especially now, when everything is flowering. The ice skating rinks are down that way as well, as is the outdoor pool, so I can sense that I'll be spending more time on South Campus this summer and fall.
I have now skated at both of UD's rinks and at The Pond. I have not set foot in The Pond's freestyle rink, where all the Olympians train, due to cost and intimidation, but I'll have to soon, to say I did it. I also have not met Johnny Weir, but I'm sure I will at some point.
My skating is improving. I can do a one-foot spin and am working on my Freestyle 3 change-foot spin, which involves spinning forward on the left foot, backward on the right foot, and forward on the left foot again. I notice that I get dizzy now when I spin. This is unfortunate. One of my skating buddies says, "It gets worse, the older you get." That's a bummer. I might be able to pull off a waltz jump (jumping from the left foot forward on the right foot and gliding backward) and a backward spiral soon, but I'm not holding my breath about any other jumps.
We are farming a 40'x40' plot of land down by Superman's office. We planted zucchini, squash, beet, bean, pea, lettuce, and melon seeds, and though everyone raised their eyebrows at that, we have sprouts, ladies and gentlemen! Next, we planted melon plants, tomato plants, and pepper plants, plus a bunch of marigolds, for their cuteness/protectiveness factors. We bribed our friend Jenn with future vegetables to help us, and Fairfax has been a frequent visitor to the garden. We met one of the two landscape design professors the last time we watered our plot, and now I am planning to take his classes in the fall. We're also growing tomatoes and peppers in our backyard. We have petunias, zinnias, snapdragons, and verbena in the flowerbed, and we seem to be vanquishing our poison ivy with some success. If the UD mowers would stop running over my little green fence, it might be easier to stay away from the poison ivy. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, and I'd just as soon not mow.
I heart Delaware. Come visit!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Wine and Jazz and Horse Races, Oh My!
We had the quintessential spring weekend in Delaware. Saturday, we went up to Longwood's first-ever, much-more-crowded-than-anticipated Wine and Jazz festival. The lilacs are blooming and the tulips are spectacular, so we admired the outdoor flowers and headed to Pierce's Park, where the DuPonts used to party in the summer, to taste some local wines. We had the opportunity to taste 22; we made it through 12 before the crowds got to us and we got hungry. Our conclusion was that the wines from the Brandywine Valley, closer to us than the other represented vineyards, were the best. Nice to have an excuse to visit a beautiful place and buy tasty local wine! It beats even the fantastic State Line Liquors as far as wine shopping goes (I'm not being sarcastic; for you Bay Area folks, State Line is like Beltramo's or K&L).
Sunday was Point to Point at Winterthur, a day of horse races, tailgating like I've never seen it done before, carriage parades, old Rolls Royces and Bentleys, and great hats. We joined neighbor Mike's tailgate, which involved awesome food, enthusiastic people, and a green VW bus (in which Fairfax is pictured). We were by far the most visible; even when Superman and I walked all the way around the horse track to see everything, we could still see the beacon of light that was the VW's brand-spanking-new yellow pop top in the distance. Today's Wilmington News Journal has a must-read article about Point to Point: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070507/NEWS/705070335/1006/NEWS.
Today, Fairfax is napping next to my desk, after a morning of insanity. Poppy is put out; this is usually her time to nap on the chair in my office. Ah, pets.
Off to do some work!
Friday, May 04, 2007
See Fairfax in Action!
Our neighbor, Mike, took these videos when we were playing with Wonder Dog in the backyard. Fairfax was new to the whole acting thing at first, but in the second take, proved himself to be worthy of an Oscar.
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