Weather Report

June 27, 2008 Thursday, 3:15 p.m.
Wind gusting to 26 mph (according to weather.com, but they are also saying light rain with thunder)
Nickle sized hail, lightning and thunder.
PJ on the golf course an hour from here, and I'm wondering if he is okay.
Lionel and Fred are up here in the office with me, not liking the pelting our house is taking.
Guess no pool this afternoon (considered going with L and H)
Hoping the garden comes out of this okay.
I must have forgotten to plug in the weather radio last night (unplugged it for a foot bath in the fabulous foot massaging machine).
Think I'll go do that now in case there's more on the way...

The Answers They Are Blowin' in the Wind

This is awesome! Go check it out, reader.
http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/06/where-the-solut.html
image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Happy Midsummers Eve

Tonight is Midsummer Night's Eve, also called St. John's Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It's a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make mead. That's where the word "honeymoon" comes from. Midsummer dew was said to have special healing powers. Women washed their faces in it to make themselves beautiful and young. They skipped naked through the dew to make themselves more fertile. It's a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, "Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking." Midsummer Eve is also known as Herb Evening. Legend says that this is the best night for gathering magical herbs. Supposedly, a special plant flowers only on this night, and the person who picks it can understand the language of the trees. Flowers were placed under a pillow with the hope of important dreams about future lovers. Shakespeare set his play A Midsummer Night's Dream on this night. It tells the story of two young couples who wander into a magical forest outside Athens. In the play, Shakespeare wrote, "The course of true love never did run smooth."
reprinted from the Writers Almanac

Strawberry Pickin'!

This morning we went to an Amish organic farm and picked our own strawberries. 5.75 lbs of them. Which will make a delicious addition to cereal and vanilla ice cream let alone the pie that will be made this weekend. Mmmmmm. There were 3 kids, 2 ponies, 2 kitties (one was teenie), a rabbit, and a few horses in the field. One of the ponies was connected (what's the right word?) to a cart that the kids would ride in. They took Ava and Liam for a ride. I didn't let James go for fear that he would begin to protest as soon as the ride began, and also because he is still small and I didn't want him to suffer a head wound, which he did not like at all. Not that he wanted a head wound, mind you. After the kids came back he sat in the cart. If (when?) we go back for raspberries and/or blueberries, we can revisit the whole James in the cart thing. We were there a little under an hour I think, and it was productive. The lady of the house (who had a baby the same size as Ruby) said they had picked several flats that morning and sold them already, and another couple had just left and they had gotten quite a few. There were plenty left in the field, just not a ton of large ones. Never mind that. They smell and taste of heaven. What a great way to spend a morning!

Michelle Obama for First Lady

To all of you who have taken what the Obamas (particularly Mrs. Obama) have said out of context or failed to think about what was truly meant instead of huffing and puffing, consider the wonder of having a first lady who says: “Real change comes from having enough comfort to be really honest and say something very uncomfortable.” THAT is something that people need to wrap their heads around. Get registered and VOTE OBAMA!

Oh So Pretty

Je t'aime Catherine Malandrino. Mais je suis trop age, non?
Images via Style.com

I Feel Pretty

I admit in my tshirts and capris that I am not all about the fashion, but a girl can dream, right? If I had unlimited funds and a somewhat more glamorous lifestyle, this would be the kind of thing I would parade around town in.
Monique Lhuillier collection via Style.com

For this one I cannot Share Pictures

This afternoon the children were playing outside, and the dogs were lounging outside whilst I tidied up the kitchen and listened to some NPR, when suddenly Ava appeared at the window. I heard her say "Blah blah blah mouse, Mommy!". In order to get the full details, not just the "Blah blah blah", I opened the door. Whereupon Belly attempts to enter the house with SAID MOUSE IN HER MOUTH!!!! Not surprisingly, I begin to shriek the loudest shriek ever, and slam the door. Immediately I am unhappy about this as the three people are outside, and the dead mouse and the phone are inside. I try for about 10 minutes to get Belly to come back and take it outside, to no avail. The shrieking really freaked her out, and she was under the bed for good. Fred appeared mildly interested, but upon discovering the poor thing was dead decided he had better things to do, like chew random twigs that appear in our yard. There was only one thing left to do: Call PJ.
Unfortunately, the phone was inside, and the front door and gate were locked, and of course the keys were inside too. I had to go in. I stepped over the mouse, which is actually a ground squirrel, and got on the horn with the husband. I let him know in no uncertain terms that his dog had brought a dead ground squirrel into the house and was not prepared to remove it, and that brought a major downer to my day. His first question: where are the children? My response: THERE IS A DEAD GROUND SQUIRREL IN THE KITCHEN !!!!! I calmed down slightly and let him know that despite his encouragement, I was not prepared to remove it. I had tried to get it onto a shovel, but it was not going to happen that way. It was next suggested that I use a plastic grocery bag and pick it up like we do the dog presents in the back yard, to which I think I replied "Ewwww!" and then he said something that I will not repeat as it wasn't that bad but to which I went off for about 3 whole minutes before calming down. He informed me that he was going to stay on the phone with me until I completed the task, and we would "do it together", although doing it together would have been better for me if I were on the other end of the phone and he were the one touching the dead ground squirrel.
I gathered some tools, like a broom, dustpan, shovel, whisk broom, paper grocery bag, and plastic grocery bag. He talked me through phase one, which is putting the bag over the corpse. Then, he instructed me to slide the paper bag under it so as to be able to flip it into the plastic bag. I squealed loudly, completely disregarding the possible hearing loss, to which Ava remarked from outside, "Geez, Mom, it's already dead!". PJ loved that one. After the big squeal I was able to get the poor thing into the bag and remove it from the house. I brought the children in to nap (which will be over soon at least for Ava as there is a construction crew in front of our house right now which also stinks since she was up at 4:30 this morning and again at 6:45) and am reporting the information to you, the blogosphere.
Now if you will excuse me I have to go round up some holy water and a smudge stick. You do not want to see us on the Discovery Channel anytime soon!

R.I.P. Tim Russert

I don't know why this man's sudden death has hit me so (okay Freud, I have an idea) but it is shocking to me to be without this man's wit and wisdom during this time in our country. Like millions of people I am sure, my thoughts and prayers go out to this man's family, and I can say truly, he will be missed by so many. Thank you Tim for all you gave us. Let's hope we can see more people inspired to be like you.

Chain O'Lakes State Park

Today we went on a scouting mission to chech out a possible site for late summer camping with Didi and Papa when they come out for a visit. I had done a little research and found this spot, about 40 minutes or so from Fort Wayne, that had something for everyone. There are 11 or so lakes, 8 of which are connected by channels, that were formed by big blocks of glacier some 10,000 years ago. The are around is wooded, and there are several hiking trails. One can fish, swim, hike, canoe, relax, get eaten by mosquitoes, birdwatch, the possibilities abound. We drove in and although we weren't allowed to drive thru the campsite as it was really crowded and there were many kids on bikes, we did park and the kids and I played at the little playground there while PJ went and checked out which sites were sunny vs. shaded. We decided maybe one afternoon we'll go back out and see what the p.m. sun does, and we can bring swim suits for the kids and they can get into the water. We took them down to the beach where we took off shoes and waded in. Even James got into the action and really liked it. It's a small beach, but there weren't that many people there. You could see out farther into the lake people canoing, maybe some fishing too. There were tons of folks on bikes. I told PJ I thought we should bring the bikes to get around a little easier. It was really pretty, and low key. In my estimation it will be perfect. Here are some photos of the place. It is a smattering, and I didn't get an opportunity to photograph some of the other lovely things we observed, but this will give you an idea.

James Makes His Demands

And unwittingly an argument in the "For" column regarding another baby:
"Mama all done bippy. All done hugs!"
But then, in true form, swings wholeheartedly to the other side of the pendulum by throwing his arms around me in the biggest hug. With that, I am not all done. And therefore neither is the decision about another baby. We're still swinging on that one too.

Old thermometer vs. New thermometer

110* vs. 84*. Hmmmm.....
I am loving this new toy!

As Observed By Ava

"Hey Dad! That sign has my name in it!"

Sunday Afternoon with Snacks and Sprinkler

Safety Patrol Officer Daddy observed that when the Rocket sprinkler toy is used to its utmost effect (as it constantly is) i.e. it is shooting water about 20 feet into the air, it could pose a danger as it could come into contact with the power lines going from the alley to the house. Therefore the Rocket is now a "Front Yard Toy", the first with such a designation. As an alternative for the back, I offered up the pretty sprinkler we purchased at the Home Depot store closing sale (*sob). Ava loved it- she could run through and it was not too much water. James was pretty ambivalent about it, eschewing it for his much loved snacks and staying away as to not get them wet.
We (and by "we" I mean PJ) made a lovely dinner- he grilled pork chops, made baked potatoes on the grill, and we boiled the corn (I always forget to soak it so we can grill it- maybe next time?). It was an awesome dinner! Afterward, I opened my cards and presents. Ava made me a card, with the two of us pictured on the front of the card, and when you opened it up, she had WRITTEN Happy Birthday Mom, Love, Ava. She wrote all that! I got verklempt. What a super smarty! PJ got for me a thermostat that records outdoor as well as indoor temperature. The sensor goes outside, and the unit can rest on the included stand or be hung on the wall (the screw was not included). I have been monitoring temperature pretty much constantly since (at least during waking hours) and it has been interesting. It's downstairs now, so cannot give a current report, but when I go down in a moment to do the laundry I will definitely be checking on it! (Next post will show why this is an important gift.) The kids' got me an adaptor so we can play the ipod in the car! Wahooo! That means I must get off my duff and organize all the music in my itunes account. BEFORE I put on the soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever I got from the library the other day. It will be awesome. We can make playlists for road trips and Ava can listen to favorite songs on her way to school to help her start her day in a good mood. That was a great idea from Mr. T, and one he came up with all by himself!
After presents we took the children and dogs around the block, and came home to have cake (chocolate with chocolate frosting of course) that PJ baked. I was in the baking aisle for about a half an hour trying to decide what kind of cake I wanted. And that everyone else would eat. White cake was boring. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting? Not sure PJ would eat. Lemon cake? We did that for James' birthday. Yellow cake? Maybe too boring. Everyone was getting antsy and I chose the choc/choc combo. Of course I did. I have no idea what took me so long, but it was worth it. PJ did a great job. James wanted to try it but of course did not eat it. I think he might do better without the ice cream next time. If not that's okay, more for us.
That's all for me for now- laundry calls and there's also a new batch of salsa that PJ found time to make yesterday (he must be tired!) that needs to be eaten. Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes- you know how to make an (older) girl feel great!

Tibs, Wat and Rollerderby....What?

Last night to celebrate my 38th (!!!!!) birthday PJ took me out for dinner and entertainment. I had noticed the Fort Wayne Derby Girls coming into the Plex when we would leave from watching his soccer games, and it got me thinking. We decided to try the new Ethiopian place down the street (Colleen gave it a good review) and do the roller derby. It was even better than anticipated!!!
We decided to do an early dinner and then the Derby (not sure if I would reverse the order next time) which started at 7 p.m. We were only the second couple in the restaurant (it was early, 5:30) but that quickly changed and by the time we left the place was full! The lady taking our order said she was on her own as her help was all gone attending a graduation. Before we left for dinner I called Jason for a primer on what to order, and he suggested we do a Wat and a Tibs and a vegetable combo- there could always be more if we needed it! He was so excited for us, and instructed me to call and leave him a message after dinner letting him know the details of our meal. Of course I did forget. But that's because it was that good! We looked over the menu and decided to do one meat dish and one vegetarian dish. Some Ethiopian restaurant menus have the vegetable sides separate, but this one did not. We found a nice vegetable wat, Yetakelt Wat, which is was a mix of vegetables prepared with a blend of ethiopian spices, onions, garlic, and seasoned oil. The main vegetables were carrots and potatoes, but there were onions and spinich as well as something we didn't identify but now wonder if it wasn't smashed chickpeas. We also ordered Awaze Tibs, which was beef sauteed in a mild red pepper chile paste. Both items were not eaten with utensils. As a matter of fact there were no utensils on the table. Instead we ate with injera, which is a spongy, thin, pancake like flatbread made from teff* flour and we used it to scoop up and wrap the food in place of utensils. (*Teff is an ancient grain of Ethiopia). There was spice to it but not too much, and it was extremely satisfying. Almost like comfort food. I can imagine craving it a bunch when the weather turns cold. But that I cannot imagine for a while as it is cruising around 90* here lately!
After dinner we decided there wasn't time for dessert before the main event, so we headed right for the Plex to see some flat track roller derby. I knew it was going to be fun, but it was REALLY fun! I want to take Ava. This is not your '70's Raquel Welch roller derby- it's all on a flat area and it's all for reals folks. No faking. PJ commented during one jam that it was a cross between Nascar and WWF. In some ways he is totally right! There are 3 teams on the Fort Wayne Derby Girls, and last night the Bomb Squad took on the St. Louis Arch Rivals. Each girl had an alternate name and a number. One girls number was 8H. One was 1914. My favorite was the square root of 23. Some examples of alternate names were Miss Jane Redrum, Artemishief, Bang Bang la Desh, The Educator, and Chokehold Chanel No. 5. That girl went down hard twice- the first time I didn't think she was coming back but she came back with a vengeance and scored a bunch of points. It was awesome. The 2 girls in the back (Jammers) have to get through the pack, which is not easy as the pack of 8 (4 from each team) makes sure that they do their best not to let the girls get through, and the first Jammer to get to the front is the lead jammer. She has to go around and when she gets back to the pack, she scores by passing as many of the opposing team possible, up to 4 points. Each team has an opportunity to score, and sometimes they don't get any points. After the Jammer has passed and scored, she calls off the jam, which lasts no more than 2 minutes. Let's just say these girls were WORKING! There were all kinds of folks there, young, old, preppy, alternative, breeders, girls who like girls, all kinds. Some people had their kids there, and it really is family friendly. Towards the end of the second half the score was TIED and holy cow that got really exciting. It's more fun to watch if you kind of figure out how it works, and they give you the info in the program as well as a photo essay of the calls the referees can make. It was awesome. These girls also have a mission statement, and they work hard to give back to the community- they have raised over 26K since 2006. Pretty great if you ask me.
After it was over, we went to Baskin Robbins to partake of some creamy icy goodness. We were home a little before 10, but we had been gone 4 hours, so it was still a great night out. The kids were good for the sitter, except Ava who decided to pitch a bit of a fit for not getting any attention whatsoever when James was being put to bed, but she quickly recovered and all in all must have gotten a good workout because she was passed out cold when I went up to kiss her goodnight. She usually stirs a bit when I do that, but last night it was nothing. It was awesome to see her though, Ava and James both, sleeping like little angels. I watched them for a few minutes, and it was pretty funny that both kids were sleeping in the same position- on their backs with one arm up and one arm down. Both precious.
So I am here to heartily recommend Ethiopian food, and there is much more we didn't try that I look forward to consuming. Also heartily recommend the Roller Derby- very exciting, and simply a lot of fun.

What you Come Here For

Here are a few recent pictures of the chickens=around the house today and at the zoo Friday morning. We met Katie and Marybeth there and actually also ran into Laurie and Henry too! It got pretty warm as we were leaving to go pick up PJ for golfing, so I was glad we went early. I signed up for the membership, and I think it will be a good go-to place to get the kids out of the house. We can ride the train occasionally, and sometimes we can bring swimsuits and a change of clothes and splash in the little splash fountain area. All's well here, and next up will be a review of PJ's and my first real meal out since Phx in February! (Kinda need to schedule more date nights, huh?)

The Big Race

No, this time it's not political. PJ ran in his first 10K on Saturday May 31. We drove into South Bend the day before, packing in the morning and leaving at 9 to get there to lunch with an old friend and co worker of his. After that we went over to the Jensens where the kids were greeted with such love! Betsey was there with the Hammer, and she fell in love with Ava a little bit. The wife of the couple who bought our house was even gracious enough to let me see inside! I was a bit nostalgic, the entryway wallpaper with the peonies and robins was gone, and she said they painted over the western mural, (I didn't go upstairs) and the carpet was gone from the stairs. But everything else was pretty much the same. Same light fixtures in the dining room and breakfast nook, and the cork in the kitchen looked in good shape. I didn't want to look at the rest of the kitchen (I just peeked a tiny bit thru the entry from the dining room) because I didn't want to be tempted to knock her out and take the stove. Just kidding. Kinda. There was some water damage from the upstairs bathroom that made its way through the dining room ceiling, and she said there was trouble with both bathroom faucets, but I guess that is to be expected for original fixtures in a 50+ year old house. They really like it there, and are happy with the house. I am really glad for them, they seem so very nice. I even got to see Nancy's kitchen post remodel- we left right before she had it done. AND the Hammer welcomed a baby sister just 2 weeks before and we got to meet her as well!
After that we took the kids to the hotel for a nap, and PJ went back downtown to pick up his and Ben's race packet (Ben and Katie weren't due in town till later that night) and go visit more co workers at the City/County Building. He came back, and we woke the kids and went back over to the Jensens and we caravaned to the Emporium with them for some dinner. The kids were great, and dinner was great. It was really nice to be able to spend the time with them. They planned to come back to the hotel to visit more while the kids swam, but it began to rain cats and dogs and they decided to head home. I certainly didn't blame them. It was really coming down hard. Plus it worked out because when we got down to the pool, there were quite a few people there and it was very noisy. (A lot of people at the hotel seemed to be in town either for the race or for a graduation.)
Sleeping was an issue I don't want to relive. Suffice it to say we brought sleeping bags for the kids and there was a king sized bed, and somehow Ava took up a bunch of the bed and PJ ended up in the sleeping bag. Nobody was terribly well rested, but enough. Let's just say it could have been sooooo much worse!
The kids and I dropped the boys off downtown before the race and went back to the hotel to get Katie and Marybeth. We drove down to the stadium, and as I am trying to get my camera out of my bag and wrangle James off the seats that are wet and prevent him from tumbling down 4 flights of chairs, Katie says, "Look! Here comes PJ!". So I didn't get a picture of him coming in. But they had a photographer who did and we can go to the website and order pictures. Expensive, but I think for the first 10K we might just have to do it!
PJ made great time, his best yet I think, and looked healthy coming in. That is to say he did not look as though he needed immediate medical attention. He said he felt good during the run, and that there was a gnarly hill, but the scenery was nice and it was a good run. We were all really proud of him, as shown by our homemade shirts showing the race and date, with "Team Thuringer" and each persons name on the back. He did great and is looking forward to another race here in the next month or so!
After the race we split with Ben and Katie (they were off to the outlet stores) and headed back for a shower for PJ at the hotel. After that we went to Meijer and purchased some flowers for Dad and DJ and Hon's graves. The site looked nice, although Dad's is sinking a bit. There could stand to be a little tending to the general area, but all in all it looks good. We visited for a little bit, and the children picked clover flowers and placed them on the graves. After that we stopped by the Jensens to say goodbye and hit the road. The boy was at this point SuperFuss, so we wanted to get home asap. We stopped at Burger King and took lunch for the road, and hustled home. It wasn't a bad drive. We got home and all took a well needed nap.
It was a nice little vacation, and although we had some trouble with the kids and sleeping, I think if we would have been gone any longer we could have tweaked it a bit and been successful. It was great to see everyone, the only thing missing was more time with Betsey and we didn't see her folks, but other than that it was pretty great. And we are all so proud of PJ, all the work he put into getting ready for this race, and how well he ran it. He has certainly come a long way, and is in yet another way an inspiration to me!

My Secret Israeli Ex Boyfriend Endorses Mr. Obama

I have a secret. PJ doesn't even know. In my stable of secret ex boyfriends (they all became exes after PJ of course) there were not just football players. There were also the likes of former FBI directors (Louis) and some politicians, of which Mr. Emmanuel was one. Right there on MSNBC today the lovely Andrea Mitchell interviewed Mr. Emmanuel regarding his decision, which was a difficult one as he was a key player in the Clinton administration, to endorse Barack Obama. This is also a big deal as he is a Superdelegate. He's super all right!

Little Known Facts about Wild Onion

* It smells quite a bit like garlic, and it is said that wild garlic, which usually accompanies wild
onion, smells like onion
* Bulb has a netlike membrane or covering
* It is thought that the name Chicago is derived from the smell of wild onions:
"Indians, mainly Potawatomi, who were the most powerful tribe around the south end of
Lake Michigan, hunted, traded furs, and occasionally camped in the area they called
"Checagou," evidently referring to the garlic wild onion smell which permeated the air."
Encyclopedia of Illinois, 2nd. Edition. Somerset Publishers, New York, 1994. p. 138.
* Cattle are susceptible to onion poisoning and eating large amounts of this plant can cause
death in this species.
*They exist in reasonable number in our side yard. As weather allows, and as the ground is
damp, I will be removing them. Perhaps I should just say that the wasteland is a project I
would like to tackle a bit more this year. At least get the vinca under control and kept in the
back- it has crept through the fence into the front yard. I don't think we will ever get it all
out, but we've found a couple of big roots that have given us a moderate feeling of success!
Image courtesy of the FDA

This is Part of Why People Should Pay Attention to Politics

http://souder.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsCenter.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=49eb7f26-19b9-b4b1-12f3-7b7ccdfdcbc2

More to Come

There's still the matter of the Sunburst Race this past weekend in South Bend to post about, but I have to go get the kitchen cleaned and some laundry out of the dryer (same old sad story, huh?) and I know these chickens will want to get outside too. There will be more soon!

The Playset is Finished (ish*)

Well, the playset is as finished as it is going to be for a while. And it is as finished as it needs to be! The ish* in the title refers to a 2 person swinglike apparatus that isn't on as it crowds the swings, so we will put on a longer top beam and make more space for the swinging. The kids are having a BLAST on this thing! They both go up the rock wall and climb the ladder with skill. The slide goes pretty fast, especially for James, but he looooves it. The kids take their afternoon snacks and water up to the tower and eat and drink before hurling them selves down the slide again. Its pretty safe to say that they love it! We put the table and chairs back outside so we can all be out and enjoy the weather and play. It's pretty awesome. Thanks Daddy!!!!!

Raised Bed and Garden

Strong Children Transporting Large Rocks

Weekend Update

Weekend last, that is, two weekends ago, was Outdoor Mania. We took some of the limestone that PJ had acquired and transformed it into a raised bed. We drove out to the CSA farm and purchased some starters early that morning. I cleared the garden of tomatoes from last year that were filling the space and began moving some of the limestone to the area of the new raised bed. PJ came out after a while and we really got to work. We finished moving the limestone, he built the raised bed, and we moved the flat limestone on the alley side of the garage over to where the grill is to make a surface for that and the hose reel to sit. We took out that lovely tall pink flowering plant and transplanted it on both sides of the garage, along with hosta that had taken up that whole area and badly required dividing. So now the yard side of the garage and the alley side of the garage are planted with the tall pink flowering plant and hosta, and the remaining hosta (there is still more that needs to be divided, and we planted some in front and gave some to L too!) went on the other side of the side entrance, on the front side of the side gate. In the fall I think we are going to try to transplant the little dogwood in that area, right outside the dining room window. If it survives it, I think it will like it. More shade, and a better spot for it altogether. After we got all that done, we planted the garden. We have 2 kinds of tomatoes, the sungold (little yellow sweets), and a red slicing tomato. Also in the raised bed we planted a green pepper, and one of two cilantro plants he gave us gratis (they looked so sad when we brought them home but seem to be happier now). In the garden spot, there is broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, brussels sprouts (!!!!!!!! how happy am I !!!!!!!) and the other sad little cilantro plant. Everything seems to be happy- there is obvious growth on all the plants, and we have been watering carefully. Starting tomorrow we are supposed to have a few days of rain, so that will keep them nourished too. I asked PJ to keep the tomato plants in line this year and not let them take over the garden, and he said he would do his best. I think we will have another successful harvest. I can taste the brussels sprouts already (even tho those won't be ready till quite late in the season :-( )
Since there are too many pictures to post I will break it up. Here we go!