Tomorrow Night's BIG EVENT

Tomorrow is the Eagle Dinner Court of Honor, where Frankie and five other boys from our troop will be awarded the highest honor in scouting -- the rank of Eagle Scout. It's a big deal, bigger for me than high school graduation because way fewer people get there, and also more complicated because I won't have anything to do with running high school graduation. So I'm a little freaked.

We planted some lovely plants for centerpieces yesterday, and last week we stapled 75 books together, and today I have to pick up the last things from the store, and bake a cake for Frankie, and listen to the speech he better have finished, and make sure he gets a haircut. And clean the house because my parents are coming down and staying over.

I'll be posting photos after the big event, but I won't be writing anything new until then. Talk to ya tomorrow night!

Preparing train of thought

There is officially more on my things to do list than I can get done. Something's gotta go, and it's probably dinner. I need a mop. And I need to use it. I need to get to council to pick up one certificate that I should have gotten when I went down there last time. I've got laundry and I should make a cake. At the very least I need to do the uniforms and what am I wearing? I better own something. And it better be clean. What are the chances those plants will die inside? What are the chances they would die if they were outside? Should I water them? Or will they be too wet? How long will it take me to carry all of those pots to the car and then inside up to the third floor? Do I need to make a sign? Does someone have sharpies and do I need plastic table clothes for under the banners? Will I remember any of this on Friday? I need to remember to bring six tens. I hope it doesn't last all night. and I better get a slide. And I should buy beer. And I don't have a gift for Ryan. Can I get that at council too? Should I make Frank get a haircut? When is his AP test, and will he have time? And wasn't there something on the calendar for Sunday? Frank wonders why I'm cranky and this is only day two of the diet. Will there be a day three? Someone should vacuum. Will Nick do it? Oh, no, I forgot to go pay Kenny and Billy. How many people are on Maureen's list? Should that matter to me? I wonder if I should check in with Joe. Will he remember the plaque? and the flags? Will I remember the notebook? do I have stockings? It's my bed time.

Kings of Leon music

Vacation day in the middle of the week!

 

Since the temperature was supposed to be tropical again today, Thor and I decided to take the day off work and head to the beach. It is very unlike us. Nick wanted to come too, so we approved a "mental health" day for him as well, but Frankie didn't want to miss golf... and he golfed pretty well, he was happy.

I even blogged while I was there... if you look way below these photos, you can see my twitter-like updates from my cell phone at the beach.

I'm not sure it makes sense to mobile blog. When I blog from home, after an event, I have time to put things in order. The tweets I post when I mobile blog flow differently. And besides, who is going to check my blog hour after hour to see if I texted in a one sentence entry? I've been giving the mobile blogging a chance, but like we discussed before, maybe more is just more, not necessarily better.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day. And now the temperature is supposed to drop dramatically, and I can go back to work with a tan and some new beads I won at the boardwalk.

Daddy and Nick

It was a nice and peaceful and quite afternoon.
Nick played a lot of football with his dad.

 

Nick and I

This is where it got cold. Frank took some nice shots. It's a bit funny, now, with the two of us pulling out our own cameras and snapping away where ever we go.

 

And here's the Pina Colada

 

Pina colada at the TIKI bar...

Wow! The wind shifted so now its coming off the ocean & all off a sudden, it is like an air conditioner turned on!

Vacation day today down the shore. The air temp is at least 80 f and the ocean is maybe 40 f. Remembered sunblock! :-)

My first Wisteria!

 

I planted this about two years ago, and I finally got blooms! It's up against the shop, so it won't matter so much if it vines under the siding and rips it apart, which Mom told me could happen. I love it! Especially since I chopped down my lilac bush last summer.

We took a hike around camp.

 

This is the whole crew of kids.
It was a small group.
Which was actually rather nice for a change.
They all got along well
but they always do.
We rarely have problems
or arguments.
They are all like brothers
and they jump on each other
and they push each other
and they order each other around
and they tease each other
and they teach each other
and they talk to each other
and they really do care for each other
even when they are aggravating each other.

Is it summer or winter?

 

We walked around the pond
and everyone was so hot they wanted to jump in.
So it felt like summer.
But there really aren't that many leaves on the trees yet,
so it can't be summer.

One thing about these scouting trips,
is that there are a LOT of rules.
I like rules, so I'm OK with it.
But sometimes the rules are a bit too restrictive.
We couldn't jump in,
because it's a fishing pond,
and there could be hooks,
and there is no lifeguard
(I really don't swim well,
so I can't save anyone.)
But I would like to jump in too.

Sitting on the dock

 

We took off our shoes and dangled our toes
and the water was REALLY COLD
and my toes have been in shoes for so long
they are so white they practically glow in the dark.
The pond is mineral rich,
and we found a little spring under the water
that we were able to see because the minerals
were sparking and glittering
as they spouted up out of a tiny hole
in the mud at the bottom.

New Jersey State Flower

 
Violets were all over one field.
It made the whole field look purple.

Lars

 

We put one of the picnic tables in the shade,
and when it got REALLY hot,
we sat at the table
and the youngest scout studied
for his Fireman badge.
We named the picnic table Lars.
(Not the scout.)
Because it squeaked the entire time we sat there
and we figured it needed a name.

Summer's here.

 

It was hot and beautiful out,
but I'm really a shade person more than a sun person.
The grass was bright and fresh and green.
It was a perfect field for playing catch and running
and we were very close to a pump
of fresh cold spring water
that when it got really hot, they played in.

Home Sweet Home

 

I love my new pink tent.

Nick was headed to the boys tents, which are set up close enough for us to hear them, but far away enough for us not to intrude.

Until it's like midnight and they still haven't gone to sleep yet. Then I've gotta get up out of my tent and walk all the way over there (it's farther than it looks) because they're too loud to hear me yell at them to go to sleep.

Sunset

 

Sunsets while camping
are often beautiful, but
sometimes, still, unseen.

Wild fire

 

The boys try to top each other
and build the biggest fire we've ever had
and when I told them that they topped Kyle with the fire this weekend
they went crazy hooting and hollering
because Kyle is the fire king of our group
and NO ONE ever tops Kyle.

I try so hard to get pictures at night.

 

But it doesn't really work well. I think paintings will be better, but I haven't had time to do any lately.
I love the night on camping trips.
In the dark of the night, you see the stars so clearly
and the sky is still bright enough and blue enough
and the fire is a glow, and there are halos around the lanterns,
and the trees are black shapes standing and guarding you
and the colors of everything else fades to almost blue.
The boys run around and hide from each other and laugh,
and come back to the fire to count so their friends can hide,
and joke with you until it's time for them to run and find them.
You can walk from the field to the woods alone and without a flashlight,
and nothing is scarier than your imagination
of the ghosts of the soldiers that live in these woods.
And you can lay down in your tent in cool night air,
and listen to the boys whisper because they are supposed to go to sleep.

It's a really magic peace.

Good Night

 

Sun is down, fire is up. Kids r playing. Nice.

Mobile blogging from camp. Gotta be 80 degrees in the shade. Nice!

Cool!

I found a new site (well, new to me anyway) for playing with photos. It's way more fun than picasa even. I could (and will) spend hours playing on this!!! I'm so excited!!!

It's called Picnik.



Go play and have fun!

Easier access is not exactly better.

I tried mobile blogging, (see below.) I don't think I've found it to my taste quite yet.

In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, Blogger has made Mobile blogging available. You can send a text message from your phone directly to your blog, and you don't need to log in on a computer somewhere to access your blog. So now, I can write a blog entry where ever I am. As long as I have cell service, which isn't always the case.

I tried it out this afternoon. It (obviously) didn't work too well for me. Maybe I just haven't found the right way to use it yet.

I am not good at texting. And anyway, my long post broke itself up into two text messages, which is very confusing.

I guess I'm not good at being concise. (See? I'm not being concise right now, am I?)


So, easier access. Could be good, could be bad. On the one hand, if I'm out somewhere, sitting around with nothing to do, I could use the time to post on my blog. But that's assuming I am every out somewhere with nothing to do. And I (personally) can't text when I'm sitting in traffic, or even when I'm standing in line at the grocery store.

And that's also assuming that I have something interesting to say. Which certainly isn't usually the case.

Well, we'll see.

ad? We shall see. So far, i'm thinking bad. I'm not good at text.

Text message blogging. Wow. The next new thing. So now when i'm sitting here waiting at burger king. I can still babble meaninglessly. Is this good or b

Blog and go

Oh man, i'm gonna have to learn to text better.

Ok. I'm trying this mobile blogging thing.

Thanks, Frankie, for finding this one... :D

Present Tense
McCready, Vedder

Do you see the way that tree bends? Does it inspire
Leaning out to catch the sun's rays. A lesson to be applied.
Are you getting something out of this all encompassing trip?

You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets, ohh, or you can come to terms and realize you're the only one who can forgive yourself. Oh.
Makes much more sense to live in the present tense.

Have you ideas on how this life ends?
Checked your hands and studied the lines.
Have you the belief that the road ahead ascends off into the light?
Seems that needlessly it's getting harder to find an approach and a way to live.
Are we getting something out of this all encompassing trip.

You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets, ohh, or you can come to terms and realize you're the only one who cannot forgive yourself. Oh, ohh.
Makes more sense to live in the present tense.

Watch it!!!!

Dieting

I believe that humans are NOT meant to go on diets.

Our bodies have evolved to this point, and we hold on to our energy reserves as fat cells for a reason.

I'll write more at lunch.

OK now, what was I saying? Wait a minute, let me put this cookie down first. It's a really good cookie, and I got four boxes for free because when we were cleaning up after the big Gift Auction on Saturday, no one else wanted them. They are almost expiring. Not quite, though, and they are very tasty.

Ok, what was I saying? Yeah, dieting. I really believe that dieting is not good for us. That's why I keep getting pudgier and pudgier.

Really tasty and delicious food is FATTENING. And I really like it. And I think it's really tasty and delicious because our bodies have evolved to be very attracted to the foods that will give us the most bang for our buck, so to speak. The more calories the better it tastes. Then we have more energy. Who knew that our ability to produce and store high calorie foods would outpace evolution? We evolved to eat as much as we could when it was available, and then use up that energy reserve slowly when food was scarce. Of course now, food hasn't been scarce in my entire lifetime. So I never get around to using up that fat. It's not my fault, it's the fault of science and evolution!

I'm pretty healthy, I think. I can hike pretty well and pretty far without getting too winded. (Just NOT up the side of a cliff, thank you very much.) I don't have many strenuous chores to do -- again, the fault of science. Another reason I don't need to use up those calories.

Well, I gotta go back to work now, and sit at my computer for the rest of the afternoon at work. I'll write more later.

The Boat Chronicle, Chapter 1

I have this old photo that made me think about Nick and boats...

 

... he's so happy in all these pictures on his Uncle's boat. He and his cousin are close in age, and they get along very well.

Nick always wanted a boat. It was always more his thing than his brother's, Frankie likes boats now but he didn't like them much when his Crohn's was very active. I think of boating as more Nick and his Dad bonding, without Frankie being around so much.

And the fact that the boat is going to be shared between our family and James' family -- and James is probably Nick's best friend, and James' dad is his GodFather -- Nick is as happy as could be.

Today, all three of the men in my family are out learning about boating safety. It's usually ME signing people up for these kinds of things, so I was really glad that Thor took this very seriously and signed up all of them for the first available class.

Mind you, the boat hasn't even seen a puddle yet, and I'm not sure how operational it's going to be. But they are all excited, and there is no turning around now. I think I'll have plenty of boating stories to write about this summer. I just hope they can get the engine to work, and that they remember to take the camera with them when they go out!

An old picture

I was very happy that Frank had put some of my old photos onto a disc, ages ago, because I was able to recover a bunch of photos that I had thought I lost in my old computer.
Not all of the great photos I had, but at least some, so I'm grateful for that.

 

This picture was taken in Philadelphia, when we went on a weekend trip with the kids. I think it was an anniversary weekend. We looked at the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall, and learned about American History, and went to an art museum. We had a very good time. As I recall, in this picture, we had stopped to have a drink in a tavern where Washington had stayed, and I think they even still served beer and things from recipes of that era. Thor would remember better than I do.

Aren't the boys cute here?

Hey, this is a "mommy blog", afterall.

The Slob Gene

I'm afraid my boys inherited the slob gene from me.

I'm very messy and I don't mind too much. I'd rather be neat, but it isn't a priority. But one of us like that in this house is plenty. I didn't want the kids to be like that, too.

I tried to keep the kids clean as they were growing up, and yet they seem to have inherited my lack of interest in cleanliness. Yesterday, I went up in the toy room and had to pick up candy wrappers from all over the place. (I know, Thor, I feel your pain. He's constantly picking up after me.)

Is it too late? Can I make the boys learn to be neat? Especially since most of the time, I don't even notice there is a mess surrounding us until it's been there a while? Or, at 16 and 18, have they already become slobs like me? Or was it born into them?

Well, they've gotta wake up early(ish) today and help me clean up this place!!!

Dave Matthews Band Concert

I meant to write about the concert yesterday but I had so much going on that I didn't have a chance to. It was a great concert, though!

This is a little picture I took with my cell phone. Things were bigger than they appear on this little screen!

Our seats were on the side, but all the way down at the bottom so it was like being on the floor -- they were actuall folding chairs. DMB played a lot of their own great tunes - he played "Satellite", of course, and a bunch more -- and a few great cover tunes, like "Burning down the house" and "All Along the Watchtower" which was the peak of the show for Frankie. We all like DMB a lot but we aren't the same kinds of rabid fans for them like we are with Pearl Jam, so we were dancing in our seats but not really singing along. (I'm sure the people all around us were grateful!)

I think it was different from a Pearl Jam show for that reason; there was a lot more dancing going on all around us, but at Pearl Jam it's more male and less dancing. And at Pearl Jam all of the audience energy goes into the singing, the audience will drown out the band sometimes. I don't know the words for DMB's songs -- but plenty of other people were singing, just not nearly as many as at PJ.

Anyway, it was a great night out. Then we had Frankie there to drive us home, which was good because we all drank as much as we wanted.

And I caught Frankie singing a DMB song yesterday -- so I know he enjoyed himself too!

Yeah

Here I am

I have to work two days this week, so here I am at work, today and yesterday. It's practically a holiday here, no one is around but a few custodians and a few secretaries, and I'm pretty well caught up with most of my work and I'm truly NOT motivated to do very much. So I figured I'd say hello.

Hello. :D

I've got the rest of the week off. I just have to make it through this day. My body feels like I'm dragging it up hill through molasses, that's how much energy I have. Even the tea hasn't kicked in yet.

I've got a busy week ahead, and I haven't got too much on my mind to write about right now anyway. Tonight I'm going to the Dave Matthews Band concert. Probably tomorrow I'll have a post about it, if I have time. One of the things I did while I was slow here at work yesterday was write up my list of things to do, and it's a pretty long list -- but everything I have to do, I have to do at home. When I'm here at work, all I can think about is that list -- how much stuff I should be doing at home. But the minute I get home, the list goes right out of my head. That's why I wrote it down.

Well, anyway, I hope you have a good day, and I guess I'll write back tomorrow after the concert...

Text messaging and Teens part TWO

We were on our way to my mother's house, and the boys -- 16 and 18 - were quiet in the back seat. One of them said something to the other that made me curious.

"Really? You're texting me that? You've gotta be kidding."

I was driving, so I couldn't turn around. But I had to know.

It turns out, they were texting each other. We are all sitting in the car. Together as a family. It's a good time to talk, but I don't mind a companionable silence, either. But while I thought they were just sitting there, apparently they were TEXTING. EACH OTHER.

I'm glad they communicate with each other. I'm glad they are close. I understand that they may have things that they want to discuss with each other that they don't want us old farts in the front seat -- Mom and Dad -- to know about.

"Are you having a private conversation?" I asked.

No, they told me. They were texting inane snippets of conversation -- song lyrics, jokes, random strings of consonants. Nothing too important. Maybe they weren't being truthful about that; but I think they were. I don't think anything important was being discussed.

I felt left out, but only a bit. I was enjoying the ride anyway, and like I said, I'm glad they are friends.

It just struck me as REALLY SURREAL.

Using ALL of that technology, the amazing innovation that allows us to use a small portable device to communicate with someone else, practically anywhere you go, all of the energy it took to develop the circuits and cell towers, all of the people who market and produce and run the systems. To text someone you are SITTING NEXT TO.

The art and the science of making fudge

I made some great fudge. Actually, it was yesterday, but I didn't get around to blogging it until now. And this is a really long post. I don't know how many people will really be interested in reading this. But, interestingly enough, I blogged about the science of making fudge a while ago, and when I looked at my sitemeter to see who is looking for what information on a search engine that directs them to my blog, Fudge turns out to be one of the big topics. So, I figure maybe someone will be interested.

So this is REAL fudge, not just microwaving chocolate chips or whatever passes for fudge a lot of times. It's SCIENCE. And it's an art, and it's been passed down for generations.

I have Gram's recipe. My Gram was an old hillbilly from the hills of West Virgina, and a good southern farm cook. She made a lot of great food and told a lot of great stories while she cooked. But fudge was a real challenge for her.

Plus, I had all of the pages from the science website that I'd printed out last time I made fudge-- ages ago. Can't make fudge too often, it's beyond fattening. I can feel myself blow up like a great big fat balloon for days every time I make it. But it's Easter, so I wanted it.

Gram always worried about her fudge being "grainy." She worked on it for years. She'd make a batch of fudge, it would be too grainy, and she'd heat it again, and cool it again, and never be happy with it. Even when it was pretty near perfect -- she still thought it was grainy.

Before she got too old for making fudge -- she was already in her 90's -- I realized I needed to get her recipe. So I started writing it down while she was making it one day. But as I was writing, we switched places I guess, and she started writing and directing me as I made it. So now I have a faded penciled fudge-spotted recipe, half in my messy handwriting, and half in her extraordinarily neat, old fashioned script. (If you know anyone with recipes that you want, or stories that you want to remember, get them today. There's no point in waiting. How many family stories and family recipes are lost because everyone always thought they had plenty of time?)

I don't have the recipe in front of me right now, so don't hold me to this. You should google fudge recipes. But as I recall from making it yesterday, it was three cups of white sugar, 1/3 cup of cocoa, 1 1/2 cup of milk, a dash of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar, all put in a pot. A really big pot -- it always bubbles up the sides while it's cooking.

There are a lot of rules to cooking fudge. Gram always said you shouldn't make fudge on a cloudy day because it'll be grainy. According to the science website it's all about crystallization. The crystals that form need to be small and supersaturated, and not large, something like that. They are small if they form at certain times in the process, and large if they form at the wrong time. I think.

Anyway, first you mix up those ingredients, and then you cook it and stir it until it boils. And you have to be sure not to get any grainy crystals stuck to the sides of the pot, because if ONE sugar crystal falls into the pot, it can make the fudge crystallize all wrong.

Once the fudge is boiling you can't stir it again until it hits 235 degrees. Gram always said to keep heating it to the "soft ball" stage. She had a tea cup and cold water. She would try pouring a teaspoon of the molten fudge liquid into the water, and she would stick her fingers into the tea cup and try to pick it up. Before it hits the soft ball stage, the water gets all cloudy when you pour the fudge in. Once it hits the soft ball stage, when you pour the teaspoon full of fudge into the water, it kinda stays together. You can gather the drop of fudge together into a ball in the water and pick it up whole, even though it's rather soggy -- still soft.

While you are waiting for the fudge to hit 235 degrees, you butter the serving plate that you are going to pour the fudge onto.

Keep boiling the fudge, it takes a while. At first, the boiling liquid fudge grows up and up and it seems like it's going to boil out of the pan I used -- which seemed plenty big enough at first. I don't have Gram's old fudge pan, my mom does. I gotta get a bigger pan. It bubbles up and then at some point it shrinks back down, which seemed to be a sign that it's almost hot enough. The candy thermometer helps. Soft ball stage appeared right about at 235 degrees.

At that point, Gram said, you need to cool the fudge in the pot until you can hold your hand on the bottom of the outside of the pot without burning your hand. The website recipe said, "110 degrees." And you should cool it slowly. I think this might be where Gram always went wrong, because I was always in a rush to eat fudge at this point. So she'd put the pot in the sink with cold water to try to cool it down faster. I think this may have been a bad idea.

So yesterday, when I made the fudge, I tried not to be in such a rush. I left the fudge sitting on the stove, with no fire on, and I went and read my book for a while. It took a lot longer than I expected for it to reach 110 degrees. But it was a good book, so I didn't mind.

At some point in the cooling process, you add 1/2 a stick of butter and a teaspoon of vanilla. I waited until it was almost cooled down before I added it.

Then, at 110 degrees, you start beating the fudge. This is some serious work. You beat it until the butter blends in and the glossiness of the fudge turns dull. You beat it and beat it and beat it and your arm gets REALLY tired... How did Gram do this at 90??? And then you beat it some more, and you don't stop. You keep watching it. You have to be quick to put it on the plate at the exactly correct moment... right before it turns completely dull and solidifies, but it can't be still too sticky and shiny or it won't ever get solid.

So I did it, and it worked pretty well. I must say, it was some of the best fudge I ever made. And I've probably gained about 10 pounds since yesterday.

And now I have another idea. One of my favorite old fashioned candies are called French Creams. Gram used to get them in Virginia for me, and now Aunt Patty found them in a catalog called the Vermont Country Store. I love them too. But I came to the conclusion that they are probably the same thing as fudge, only without cocoa. It has orange or lemon or mint flavoring instead. It's got the same kind of crystallization effect. So I'm gonna experiment.

But right now, I'm going for a walk. I've gotta walk off about ten pounds that I didn't have yesterday.

Yay, Dave Matthews Band tickets!!!

I hope this embeds on my blog alright.

I'm so excited that we're going to see Dave Matthews band. I like other bands besides Pearl Jam, ya know.

If this link doesn't work, go on youtube and watch his videos. He's wonderful. IMO.

Peak Magnolia Blossom day?

 

The flowers on my Magnolia tree seem to have hit their peak... very few petals are scattered on the lawn, they are mostly on the tree and looking fabulous.

Clouds of blossoms

 

Ok, I tweaked the color in this picture a little bit. But the sky really is a beautiful blue and the blossoms really are a pretty pink and white.

The Worm Moon

 

Here it is, taken last night.
It should all get better after tonight, right?

Is it the aggravation moon?

Did you know that full moons have names?

And I think a full moon is coming up pretty soon. And everyone is affected... they're all turning into werewolves or something. And it started last night.

It seemed like every person around was cranky. Ornery. Aggravated.

Practically no one wanted to pull together, stand up and contribute, or accomplish something. Well, I guess I can't lump EVERYONE in that category. But it sure felt like it.

Same thing today. Plenty of crankiness going on. Someone in work mentioned the full moon as a possible cause, so I looked up the name of the moon:

January - Full Wolf Moon This full Moon appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages. It is also known as the Old Moon. To some Native American tribes, this was the Snow Moon, but most applied that name to the next full Moon, in February.

February Full Snow Moon Usually the heaviest snows fall in February. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some Native American tribes this was the Hunger Moon.

March Full Worm Moon At the time of this spring Moon, the ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. This is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins.

April Full Pink Moon This full Moon heralded the appearance of the grass pink, or wild ground phlox—one of the first spring flowers. It is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon.

May Full Flower Moon Flowers spring forth in abundance this month. Some Algonquin tribes knew this full Moon as the Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.

June Full Strawberry Moon The Algonquin tribes knew this Moon as a time to gather ripening strawberries. It is also known as the Rose Moon and the Hot Moon.

July Full Buck Moon Bucks begin to grow new antlers at this time. This full Moon was also known as the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.

August Full Sturgeon Moon Some Native American tribes knew that the sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this full Moon. Others called it the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon.

September Full Corn Moon This full Moon corresponds with the time of harvesting corn. It is also called the Barley Moon, because it is the time to harvest and thresh the ripened barley. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox, which can occur in September or October and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores.

October Full Harvest Moon The Harvest Moon is the full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores.

November Full Beaver Moon For both the colonists and the Algonquin tribes, this was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. This full Moon was also called the Frost Moon.

December Full Cold Moon This is the month when the winter cold fastens its grip and the nights become long and dark. This full Moon is also called the Long Nights Moon by some Native American tribes.

Note: The Harvest Moon is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. It can occur in either September or October. At this time, crops such as corn, pumpkins, squash, and wild rice are ready for gathering.

-- from The Old Farmer's Almanac


OK, so it could be the worm moon, but I think it might also be the Sap moon. Sometimes I feel like a sap, and there you go.


I'll be happier on Friday when I get to sleep late....

The Boys have a new hobby.

 

This is now parked in our driveway. It's name used to be the "Striper", but soon it's going to be newly christened "The Broken Drum." (Because you can't beat it. hehehe)

I'm not really sure who owns it. Frankie's friend's dad offered it to us, for free. The guy got it for free, and hasn't done anything with it. He just wanted to get it out of his yard. Thor and his BFF Jim have talked about getting a boat for AGES. So... free was a pretty good price, right? I have a feeling free is gonna cost us SOMETHING. But I'm happy they decided to go for it.

The plan right now is to fix up the interior a bit -- supposedly the engine works fine, it turned over when they tried to start it. The hull is supposedly pretty sturdy, but the wood floor is rotted out and needs to be replaced, and I think they need to build seats or whatever. Then, supposedly, Jim will come tow it out of our yard and bring it down to his place. We don't even have a trailer hitch to move it.

Jim lives down the shore and is technically retired, so he'll be able to take it out more frequently. Thor doesn't have as much time. But then Thor and Nick can drive down to Jim's house and they can all go out on the boat and play with their new toy. Nick and James are especially excited.

I, personally, won't be caught on a boat for more than a few moments. I'm really happy anyway, because it sounds to me like a great new hobby. And just think, once in a while I'll have the house to myself for the weekend... :D

What should I write about?

I don't know what to write about today. It's a good day and a good time to write, but I don't have a whole lot to say... that's never stopped me before, of course, so I'm writing anyway. HI!

What are the plans for the day? I have some laundry and some bills to work on... the house is cleaned from yesterday, cleaner than it's been in ages. My arm actually aches from scrubbing! That's SO not like me. I've never been a housewife.


Well, I guess it's time for brunch... Someone oughta feed these kids! Maybe I'll think of something else to write about later. Or maybe I'll just go to the bookstore and read today... that might be a good idea!!!! Now I'm getting excited!

Jimi, Little Wing

Before and After - April Flowers

 

This is my magnolia tree today... just about to bloom. Hopefully it stays warm from here on in, because if it doesn't, the flowers turn brown and rusty looking when they get cold. It can get ugly.

Remember my magnolia tree a few months ago?

 

The buds grew up and now they're about to burst...

And I've posted a few other flowers for you, too. It was raining today, but it's stopped now, and the sun came out from behind the clouds.

It might rain again, but RIGHT NOW, everything is really good...
(right, Laurie?)

Pinks

 

This is the shrubbery I won at a Christmas party a few years ago... I think it's called a Pieris or something like that. My mom will know...