Saturday, April 26, 2003

"That's Disgusting"

Shock and Awe! Poor Geoff is appalled by my utter lack of aesthetic. "What the heck is that thing?" he asks as his eyes move in on the most recently posted photograph. I think the appropriate question is, "What was it?" Anyone care to guess? I'll make a contest of it and offer a grand prize to the first person who can tell me what it was in no more than 100 words.

Practically No Point At All

Yesterday, around 7a.m., while driving west to Alex's dental appointment, I thought of dozens of interesting and original subjects to write about and post for Chicken Blog. Now...I got nothin'. Or close to nothing.

Doh! I am waking up, slowly, and I just realized that once again I have logged on to the wrong machine and I won't be able to exert the effort to switch over to the laptop so that I can make a link to my new cyber-friend. Since Geoff inserted the "email me" link, a woman, mother, wife, fellow chicken lover and Blogger, found Chicken Blog in a Google search for "Chicken Blogs!" Now someone living outside of Seattle is sharing chicken tales and other anecdotes with me. I think we are both amused by the very idea that our paths have crossed...it's almost like a web, all connected and thrown together in an international net of linked interests and common hobbies that spans the globe in an ever expanding universe of cross referenced information; there ought to be a name for this phenomenon!

Okay. Next time I Blog I will decipher the whole "make a link" code, then I will be able to introduce the first non-family, not obliged or coerced person that voluntarily admits to reading Chicken Blog! At this point I wish I could write, "My Happy Triumph" in Latin, because it would look sophisticated, while expressing my giddy glee! In lieu of Latin, I will make a happy face: 8-)

We have fun plans for the day, and I am riding high, because I cleaned house yesterday, and even did two rounds of garage excavation. I almost burst my own bubble by admitting that the "master" bedroom was neglected in my flurry of domesticity, but I refuse to humiliate and berate myself that way. I did good, and today I will celebrate.


One morning I found this waiting for me on the kitchen floor.
A cat, I suspect, left it there. It's buried now.

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

The other thing I should be attempting is making more links to other websites, articles and fascinating tidbits. The speed bump to this endeavor is that the Mac doesn't carry the format for making the links and the laptop does, but I seldom ever use the laptop, which is slower and less familiar to me. When reading other Blogs, I always appreciate discovering interesting sites and ideas through their links.
We have mixed feelings about posting pictures of our children on the internet. Perhaps you believed I only photograph cats, daffodils, chickens and original Sponge Bob art, but we are just trying to be discreet. Last night Geoff added yet another technical ingenuity to our already fabulous Chicken Blog. And if you haven't figured it out already, it is semi-sorta secure. You gotta know the username and password. Email me and I will clue you in, or test your knowledge of our past: Where did Geoff and I date, and marry? We spent at least 24 anguished minutes thinking and debating the merits or short falls of dozens of passwords. I vetoed 'dead/aging pets' names.'

I need to figure out a better resolution for the photos. Too big and they take forever to download. Too small and Alex looks cross eyed. I may just revert to sending family pictures through email and continuing to publish pictures of carrots, limes and hencakes for all the world to see.

"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Granite is what most of the land in these parts is made of. When homes were built here they did a lot of blasting. Our yard has many of the granite "fragments" from the neighbor's property. They have holes drilled in them. I guess this little lantana found the light at the end of the tunnel and decided to grow through. Some days I feel like I am just trying to grow through tight spots.

Tuesday, April 22, 2003

So, here goes my sola attempt to do the secret link. Here are William, Alex and Max with their great grandparents.
Welcome to our fancy new feature! We can discreetly post family pictures, to be seen only by members of the inner circle, and hackers who can figure out the user name and password. Send me an email and I will send you the password.

Hencake


This little hencake came from the mix that Alex whipped up this morning. It seems we have three sons that enthusiastically want to be cooks. We have made pasta together, cookies, cream of broccoli soup and biscuits. Oh, and of course we made those clover leaf rolls...we still want to perfect that one!

Family in Wisconsin has been sharing Easter pictures with us. As usual it looks as though another low key, and family centered, fun time was had. We have plenty of cousins, aunts and uncles, so there is always something good going on at Grandma Nancy's house. And it seems this Summer there will be even more "Poor Family" fun, when Holly, Rich and Nicholas make their road trip to Alpine Village.

We haven't made any Summer plans for ourselves...it's hard to believe that Summer is nearly here. I may be rushing it a bit, but it can't be too soon to consider the possibilities. I think the major activity of our Summer will include enjoying the efforts of last Summer when we put in our pool, lawn, trees, irrigation, drainage and flowers. We ought to have an official "Pool Party"...maybe a luau or bbq or potluck or picnic theme. The boys could camp in the yard again too. Soon it will be Alex's birthday, and then Max's. Whether we travel or not, I think we will have many choices for our Summer days.

Well, it's time to lock up the chicas, check the rabbits, do some sit ups. Max and Alex are reading. William is fixing himself a baked potato; he couldn't eat earlier, since he is recovering from losing two teeth. Geoff is still at work...no wait...he's nearly home! Delightful. Good night.

Monday, April 21, 2003

Eating Globally

Personally I easily could have gone on collecting snails; they are everywhere since the last rain and I have bagged many thousand. Anyway, I was absorbed in my gruesome task, when the boys began to circle. Evidently they've read their maintenance manuals and they know that a minimum of 3 meals, daily, is the going standard. In all fairness they are growing and food worthy, but I know I am not the only mother running out of bright ideas for appeasing three unique appetites. Allow me to digress for one moment: I hear readers scoffing at the notion that I literally serve 3 menus to keep the peace. I do not.

So, anyhow I had to feed the boys. Four consecutive meals of angel hair pasta is sort of bordering on negligence, not that they would complain. Suddenly I was struck by an inspiration and recall. Our freezer has spinach ravioli stashed away, and as I was looking for that I discovered a single serving spinach quiche, and a tray of spinach spanikopita. Excellent, because as a mother, and a teacher, I appreciate being able to serve a meal and a geography/culture lesson.

"Boys, where is ravioli from?" They answered correctly.
"How about spanikopita?" They answered doubtfully, "Mexico?"
"Who knows where quiche is from?" Not a clue, but they know now.
Three healthy, spinach dishes, three countries, three fed children. I must say, I am doing real good.