Strawberry Picking

Yesterday we went to Wickham's Farm in Cutchogue with a group of homeschooling friends for strawberry picking. We missed out last year--the time slipped by and before we knew it the berry season was over--and were determined to go this year, so when I saw the group trip I lost no time signing up. We've picked peaches and apples at Wickham's before, but we'd never had the farm tour. We got a great long hay ride all around the farm and our guide pointed out all the crops and told fun stories about the farm, which has been continuously farmed by the Wickham family since before the Revolutionary War! We saw peaches, apples, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, nectarines, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries....and I may have forgotten some! I was amazed to learn that they actually get rid of their trees after some time; the trees have a certain shelf life where they bear the best fruit. Maybe it's because I am such a subpar gardener, but I can't imagine ripping these beautiful trees up and throwing them on a scrap heap, then starting all over from seedlings! However, it goes without saying that they know what they're doing, and I don't!

The day started off threatening and overcast; the trip was nearly rescheduled. But in the end we went, thankfully--because the sun came out and it was gorgeous. Not too hot, light breeze, no bugs. After the hay ride, we learned about the bees the farm keeps and we picked our luscious fruit, then picnicked and played with our friends in an open field with a convenient picnic pavillion. I stopped in to the farm stand and bought honey (from their bees, naturally) and two dozen homemade donuts......talk about delicious. I am thinking of trying to make them here!

We each got a big quart box to pick, so we ended up with two gigantic bowls of berries. We used half for our traditional strawberry shortcake dinner, and now have enough berries to last us at least two days around here! My mom always had a day where we had shortcake for dinner--and this is the real deal--no crummy sponge cake or canned whipped cream, but homemade butter biscuits topped with sliced strawberries juicy with sugar and fresh whipped cream with pure vanilla added in. To die for, simply put. The kids look forward to it--but nobody can ever eat all they take! It's that rich.

I'm always kind of sad after we go strawberry picking--it's the first milestone of summer to me other than swimming. However, after looking at the Wickham picking schedule, we may be picking quite a lot of fruit this summer!

--Jen

Gratitude II

I forgot to list cheese under things I am grateful for...I truly do love cheese, and I have said many times that I could be a vegetarian if pressed--but the person who tries to keep me from cheese will have his head taken off!

Also, snowstorms. We are in the middle of one right now, and there is just nothing nicer than being inside the warm house, everybody together, watching the snow fall! Having the kids in and out playing and coming in and dripping water all over the floor and having wet boots, scarves, gloves, hats, snow pants and coats drying around every free surface is a drag, but it still doesn't obliterate the excitement of snow.

I'm sure I could come up with more for my list, but it's New Year's Eve and Matt is making bread, so I think I'll go talk to him while I enjoy my delicious Starbuck's coffee--which by the way, falls under the coffee heading. Except more so.

--Jen

Gratitude

Many of my friends talked about gratitude on their blogs or on their Facebook pages for Thanksgiving. Well, as usual, I procrastinated on this subject! The reason was not because I have nothing to be grateful for, certainly, but rather because I was very busy getting ready for the holiday and our trip to Boston. And then when we got home I had to rev into Christmas mode (also because I procrastinated...I am sensing a New Year's resolution coming on here!) and do all the decorating and shopping and baking and mailing. However, now is also an appropriate time for gratitude, since the year is drawing to a close. Time to take stock and realize how good life is and all that....so I am going to make a VERY long list of all the things I am grateful for, and I warn you they will range from the obvious to the minute details, so you may want to bring a pillow in case you fall asleep!

* The first one is, obviously, Matt. He is my best friend and my husband, and without him life would be dull and dreary. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, and he makes me mad! Which really are three of the most important things in life, I think.

* Naturally my children rank a very close second. How could I be the person I am without them? Each one is unique, even though they have similar personalities and habits. Each one is a precious person--even when they make me want to scream. Because that is, after all, their reason for being--to make their parents unable to decide whether they should smother them with kisses or just smother them!

* The third would be my extended family. My parents, who are wonderful, supportive and really just the best parents I could ever imagine. My sisters, brothers, their spouses and all my nieces and nephews (plus my 2 nephews-in-law and my darling grand-niece-and nephew!) are just each and every one a joy to know. I am unbelievably lucky to love every member of my family and to enjoy spending time with them--it sounds very corny, but I know so many people who truly don't enjoy spending time with their extended families, who fight all the time with them and have these feuds and bicker and complain about them. I can honestly say that my family gets along (and we disagree strenously on many issues such as religion and politics--we still treat each other civilly and respect each others' beliefs) and really likes to spend time together, and I treasure that.

* Coffee. Do I really have to expound on that?

* Homeschooling. Yes, I have many days where I wonder what on earth I was thinking when I agreed to keep my children with me pretty much 24/7 till the age of eighteen! There are days when I feel burned out and overburdened and just want time to myself and look at the school bus with longing. But at the end of the day, I know that what we are doing for our kids is the best for them, that they are enjoying life so much more than they would stuck in a classroom all day, and that they are learning so much more too. And I also realize how quickly they will be grown and on their own, and it makes me want to treasure the time with them. Even when I feel like the biggest harpy on the planet!

* Friends, old and new. I have met many wonderful people since moving here to Long Island nine years ago. Many of them homeschoolers, some who are not. They are really just a bunch of supportive, terrific people that I am happy to surround myself with. And some of them I know I will be friends with for life, even if our lives pull us physically from each other. This ties into my next item:

* Facebook. I have taken SO much ribbing from Matt and certain brothers-in-law I know, and yet, joining Facebook this fall has really brought me joy. I have come back into contact with many old friends from grammar school, high school and college, and forgotten how much I loved them. Keeping in contact is difficult--visiting is hard because of distance and vacation time is limited. Phones are wonderful, but you have to find time where both parties are home and can chat (in peace!!!) Letters are nice, but who has the time? Email is great too--but it's hard to remember to keep in touch if the other person is not a great correspondent. Facebook, on the other hand---fantastic! I write emails, IM with friends, we send each other silly gifts, drinks, hugs and smiles, play games together and reconnect. We even plan reunions. These are people I have always kept in my mind, but never pursued, and I am overjoyed to see that they are all the same people I loved back then! If you are not on Facebook, you should join. And then you should find me there!

* My pets. They drive me batty, but they are sweet and loving.

* A warm house and good food, and knowing that my husband's job is recession-proof.

* Knowing that Matt adores his job. This is important, because I really believe that you should love what you do, and I am glad that Matt always loves his work and that he spends his days happy.

* A beautiful place to live. I love my house, and I love this part of Long Island. We really have everything we could want on this tiny piece of land--gorgeous beaches, wildlife, farms, orchards, vineyards, a country type of life--but any sort of city amusements we want right at hand.

* Good neighbors. We live in a part of the country where this cannot go unappreciated! Many many northeasterners live in places where their neighbors want nothing to do with them--and that was the case in our last house, which was across town! We now live in a neighborhood where we talk to our neighbors, help each other, and if I need a cup of sugar or someone to feed the chickens while we're away, I have people to ask!

* Good health. This is something nobody should take for granted. I know a lot of people whose kids have chronic illnesses, people who have cancer or other diseases that just ruin their quality of life, and I am grateful that my family is not in that boat. In fact, we have the constitution of horses! (But I am making 2009 the year that I catch up on all my medical checkups, anyway...yet another procrastination issue with me.)

* Love of cooking. Both Matt and I love to cook and bake, and I have realized that not everyone does. I am happy that we do and that we have good meals and desserts because of it!

* Creativity, imagination and intelligence. I am happy that my family uses their minds and their talents, enjoys learning new things, and takes pride in their abilities.

* Good books. I just love good books!

* Music. There is not enough music in the world for me, and I just couldn't live without it.

* Photo albums. I was paging through the albums last night, looking at pictures of Matt and I when we first met, our wedding, our early days in Boston, Rachel and Julia as babies, toddlers and preschoolers....and then Ben joining the brood. Unfortunately after he was about 18 months we got a digital camera and now I have everything on disk and not in albums! (another resolution, I guess!) But it was wonderful to see my kids back when they were tiny, to relive those days and all the fun we had, and see how they have changed and yet not changed. I love photos!

* Summer fruits. Boy, I miss them! But we still have two peach pies in the freezer.

* Jon Stewart. He kept me in stitches all through the election process, and I think he is one of the most talented people on TV.

* Politics this year. I am not going to go into a diatribe here, but I am unbelievably happy that things worked out the way they have and that we will move forward with the first African American president--it makes me proud to be an American for the first time in YEARS!

* Hot showers. There just isn't much better than a shower when you need one, is there?

* Online shopping. I really love the fact that I can shop for anything I need at any time of day or night and have it arrive on my doorstep a day or two later--and that so many places offer free shipping that you don't even have to pay extra!

* Christmas trees. There is just something so wonderful about the tree every year. The piney smell, the familiar decorations with stories to tell, the ritual of choosing it and decorating it, the presents under it, the kids' excitement. I love it.

* Having a fireplace. I am so glad Matt and I thought of the fact that we really didn't want to live in a home without a fireplace. We get so much enjoyment out of it. And really, without a fireplace, the stockings are just no fun!

* The Beatles. I know I already did music, but I am a big Beatles fan and it makes me happy that their music is still so widely played and loved forty years after the fact.

* Purses and shoes. I just love new purses and shoes. More so than any other items of clothing, they are just fun to buy! Even though my husband complains about it.

* Movie quotes. Matt and I have known each other since we were 18 eyars old, so we have seen a lot of movies together, and there is just something nice and comforting about quoting movies to each other.

* Netflix. Speaking of movies, I am so happy we joined Netflix! It's great to have a no-hassle way to see movies that we would otherwise miss.

* Movie theaters. But even with Netflix, I love going to the theater and seing movies!

* A daughter old enough to babysit. Rachel is now comfortable staying with the kids in the evening. Which means Matt and I can go out occasionally, something we never got to do when the kids were younger, and something we really love to do.

* Fresh manicures. There is just something great about nails when they are pretty and polished--even if it never lasts long enough!

* A gym membership. That is my Christmas present this year, and I am so excited!

* Bagels. Real ones, warm from the oven. We had those over this past weekend when we were visiting my parents, and it is heaven.

* Kids' responses to questions. I asked Emma what she was grateful for, and she immediately, without any hesitation, said: "You! And Daddy and Rachel and Julia and Ben and Grandma and Poppy. My whole family!"

Really, I could go on and on. But I promised to play Monopoly Jr. with Ben and Emma. And my hands are hurting! And I'm sure you have lost interest anyway......peace and joy in 2009!

--Jen

Busy, Busy

I realized last night that I haven't blogged in a while. I'm sure everyone understands that at this time of year! It seems that every day is speeding by, even though we have been staying home a fair amount. I foolishly left all my holiday shopping till after we got home from Boston this year, and with Rachel's birthday on the 8th I didn't have time to really even begin till after that! I began my shopping online, which made me feel better because I was able to spend a few hours and get a good chunk of shopping completed. Then we had Rachel's birthday party, which was a sleepover, so there was shopping, cleaning, baking and cooking to do for that, and in the aftermath there was rest!

I began shopping again this week, this time in person because I didn't trust ordering things anymore and didn't want to pay extra shipping fees. Matt and I went out together on Sunday evening, leaving Rachel in charge at "night" for the very first time (it was from 5-7:30 pm, so it was dark but not late!) That went very well; the kids had a good time and Rachel didn't worry about us dying en route to Target. Matt and I were able to shop in peace and we had fun being together. I spent some time wrapping gifts, too, so finally we have boxes under the tree. I went out alone last night to three stores, and got another group of gifts taken care of. One of those stores was Linens N Things, and I have to say that was a creepy experience! The chain is going out of business, so I went in hoping to scoop some good bargains....but unfortunately, everyone else has been there before now, because the store had maybe 4% of its inventory left--it was a barren wasteland and they are even trying to sell the shelving units they used to have their stock on! What they had left was mostly useless, damaged or too ugly to be believed, so I left empty-handed.

On Tuesday night Matt and I had the sublime treat of going out to dinner with our friends Dan and Trisha. Just the adults! Their daughter Chloe helped Rachel wrangle the younger kids for the evening, and we went to Tweed's, which is just a mile away on East Main Street, so we would have been home in 5 minutes had anything gone wrong. That went very well, too--I am proud of Rachel for overcoming her fears of babysitting at night. It's nice to know that we can go somewhere close by for a while and she's all right with the responsibility. We had a fantastic dinner, great conversation, and lingered over after dinner coffees. While I enjoy eating out with my children, it is very nice to be with adults and talk uninterrupted about anything that comes to mind without concern! Trisha and I spoke the next day and we want to make this a monthly event....sounds great to me!

Tomorrow will be a wonderful day. We are going to Trisha's to make gingerbread houses with friends, and then Matt and I will go out to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Sixteen years tomorrow--I can't believe it! Seems like a week ago we went to the city to spend a weekend for our fifteenth, and here we are with another year gone by. Rachel's babysitting skills are getting a workout this week! We will enjoy Greek food at Athens on East Main Street, which will be especially nice because we won't have to explain the menu to the kids, figure out what they will possibly eat, or listen to any remarks about the poor lambs that died to make this meal....we are planning to talk about only romantic, loving things and generally act like sixteen year olds in love instead of kind of middle aged parents for a change.

Over the weekend I plan to hopefully finish the shopping, do the rest of the wrapping, and bake up a storm. We usually make gift boxes for neighbors and many folks at Matt's office, but because the season has escaped me this year we are going to bake several dozen cookies and maybe some sugared nuts, candy and quick breads or cakes and send that in to the office with Matt so that people can have some treats and know we care....I feel sort of guilty but I'm letting it go! The neighbors I still want to make sure I give to because they are nice people, and several are elderly with not much family so I think it means a lot to have a treat sent over.

Then next week we will go to Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve and spend the long weekend with them, ending in the big family Christmas at Susan's on Sunday. I am looking forward to that--when all the work is done and it's just time to enjoy ourselves....and the week after that we will have fun, plain and simple. Still vacation time, no more pressure. Matt may take some of that week off and we are looking to do some fun things--I am hoping to go ice skating in Greenport too.

I am wishing you all a healthy, peaceful and joyous holiday season as we close out this year, which has been wonderful and terrible and interesting at the very least. Enjoy your friends and families, enjoy the giving of gifts, enjoy the wonderful food and drinks, and try not to stress out too much! xoxo

--Jen

Boston, Day Four...Quincy Market, Walking, Dinner with Friends

Today was another first for us...we went to Quincy Market. We've never done that before because there's nowhere to park and what with never taking the T it was never feasible. However, today we had the good combination of beautiful weather and the no stroller thing, so I decided to go for it. We took the T to Government Center, and to my delight, it wasn't crowded at all. In fact, we were accosted by a Boston Globe truck to tell us that Santa would be arriving in around ten minutes' time if we wanted to hang around. We browsed in the Croc store, where I nearly bought Emma an adorable pair of winter Mary Jane Crocs--but then came to my senses and decided not to spend $35 for a pair of shoes she could decide to never wear (something she is famous for)...

We went back to Santa, who had a very detailed conversation with Ben about what he wanted for the holidays and where he lived...he was amused when Ben told him that what he wants most for Christmas is an alarm clock--which I have to say is pretty much going to be a big disappointment for him, as the last thing I need is for him to get up any earlier! He talked to Emma and Julia as well, but not to Rachel since she was pretending not to know us so she wouldn't have to speak with Santa--till I ratted her out and he beckoned her over! That was good for a laugh, I can tell you. The photographer from the Globe took some photos of the kids with Santa, so who knows whether or not they might be in the paper.

We meandered through the shops in the North and South markets, as well as the kiosks inside. We came upon a hat seller and watched the embroidery machine do its work, when it hit me--the perfect way to get Ben to give up his ratty old hat for a nice new one. It took a bit of convincing, but then he was swayed by the fact that he could choose the color and watch them machine embroider his name on the front. He chose dark green with white writing, and it looks very fine. I promised him no harm would come to the old hat in my purse, and he handed it over and put on the new one.

We ate lunch inside and then listened to a fireman's band wail on the bagpipes for a while--I'm not really sure what they were doing. There were fire trucks parked in front with a huge American flag strung up between them, and they played "Amazing Grace," but it didn't seem very solemn or sad. Then we walked on and watched a South American combo play for a while--they were very good but then it began to get too cold to stand still. We talked and decided that we were done at Quincy Market and wanted to walk back to the hotel through the Common and the Public Garden.

We began to walk and soon came up Beacon Street by the State House, where we crossed into the Common. We had a brief struggle when we passed the Frog Pond and saw the ice skating--the kids of course were clamoring to skate but I said no because I knew that I didn't want to ice skate for two or three hours and then try to walk back to the hotel! Also, it was a more crowded rink than we are used to, and a broken arm or even a bump on the head isn't fun when on vacation....however, once we passed the skaters everyone got over it. We bought some honey roasted peanuts and cashews and soon noticed the squirrels.

Now remember, Matt and I spent five years living in Boston, and we have been coming here this same week of the year since Matt started working at APS, so that's been eight years. I know all about the super-tame squirrels. And we have fed the squirrels before too. But this was the first year that Julia was almost 9 years old seeing these squirrels...Julia the animal handler. In a trice, she had these squirrels sending their little squirrelly signals all over the park, and she had them eating out of her hands. Literally. (This was helped by the fact that we were feeding them the honey roasted nuts as opposed to whatever toddler snack I was digging out of the bottom of the diaper bag in former years, I'm sure!) These squirrels were precious--they certainly knew their audience. They came to kissy noises, sat on their haunches and when we held out our hands they came right up, put their paws on our hands and took the nut, lickety split. Julia even had them climbing onto her knees to get the nuts!

We made our way through Boston Common and through the Public Garden, squirrels on our heels, till we ran out of nuts. At the end we even had pigeons and sparrows following us, and they loved all the candy bits at the bottom of the bag! We played on the duckling statues and climbed trees and watched the ducks (lamenting the fact that we had nothing to feed them...) Finally we made it to the other side of the Garden--right by the statue of Paul Revere by Arlington Street. I pointed him out and said something about his horse and how he warned the people that the British were coming, when Emma piped up, "I don't see a horse, and he looks like a BABY!" I realized she was looking at a Cupid in a fountain, not at the correct statue at all!

The rest of the walk was uneventful, just up Newbery Street to Dartmouth and over to Copley Square to the hotel. We spent the remainder of the afternoon in the room relaxing--I checked email, read a while and even napped just a bit while the kids played and then watched some PBS shows. We went to Charley's with a group of friends, which is one of the restaurants Matt and I loved when we lived here and always make a point to go to when we're here. We had a delicious dinner and fun talking with our friends, and then made our way back to the Westin, where Matt took pool duty.

Only one more full day and we are all so sad! I love Boston!

--Jen

Boston, Day Three...Mall Day, Seeing an Old Friend, Indian Food

Today the kids and I decided to stay near the hotel. We slept late, first of all, and by the time we were dressed and had eaten breakfast, it was 11:30. Matt had an evening reception tonight so we had to have an early dinner, and it didn't make sense to try to go to a museum when we had to be back at the hotel by 4:30. So we went to Barnes and Noble, a favorite hangout of ours. We spend hours there, looking at books, reading aloud and playing games with assorted stuffed animals. I also snicker to myself, listening to Boston mothers complain about their nannies and assorted servants...and sometimes about problems collecting Social Security payments. (That was snide, I know--but having lived in Boston I feel confident in saying that the average mom in this city is pretty close to ancient!) Today we had another reason to linger in the bookstore, and that was that my old friend from elementary school, Dara, was coming in from Chestnut Hill to meet us, and I wanted to meet her somewhere the kids would be reasonably busy so that we could chat and catch up.

When Dara walked into the children's section, it was so weird! It was like seeing a taller version of the girl I knew...same eyes, same face, same laugh. We started talking a mile a minute--and then her phone rang, and it was her daughter's school nurse...Dara had told me that her kids had been sick over the weekend but were now back in school, so it was just very unfortunate that she wasn't quite well enough to stay at school--Dara had to basically fly back home almost before we'd started to talk. We promised to make better plans for next year, we took a few photos and then she had to be off.

After she'd gone the kids and I figured out what we were going to buy. Rachel got two of the "Maximum Ride" novels, Ben got two "Star Wars" activity books, I got a school book for Ben--and had to get the 2nd grade level because 1st grade was way below him--and Julia and Emma got small stuffed animals. Sigh. Not that we need any more stuffed animals in our house! But they were spending their own money and they are playing great games together with them, so I gave in. We paid for our stuff and headed back to the room. The kids played and then watched a bit of TV while I read my book, took a short nap, and knitted a while. Then Matt came home and off we went for dinner.

I'd found a restaurant.com coupon for an Indian place called Mela, just a fair walk from the hotel on Tremont Street. The kids have branched out into some Indian food lately--Matt has made some for us at home. We had a feast--lamb and potato samosas, chicken tikki masala, lamb shank curry, garlic beef, rice and garlic naan, mango lassis....it was all delicious. (Though Emma was the least adventurous and had to be persuaded to try the main dishes--she loved the samosas but the saucy entrees made her suspicious! Julia, as always, was the most adventurous eater and loved it all.)

After dinner, Matt had to go to his reception, so I took the kids to the pool. I am pleased to note that they are keeping the water far warmer than in previous years, so the swim I was dreading was pleasant, and of course the hot tub was fantastic. We stayed for quite some time, then headed back to the room for showers, pjs and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" on tv. Now everyone is asleep and I am blogging, playing on Facebook and anticipating staying up very late, thanks to a venti Starbucks Matt brought back to the room for me! Tomorrow will either be Quincy Market or the Children's Museum, depending on what the weather report holds....

--Jen

Halloween Photos

As promised...Halloween photos! I will have to add more later because Julia went to her friend Evelyn's for the festivities, and when she came home her face was clean--Amie painted her face (and I know she did a fantastic job!). So when I get Amie's pics I will post them so you can see the whole effect.




Amie made costumes for Julia and Evelyn! It is a long story, but basically, Rachel and Julia were a tiger and a leopard for Halloween back when Julia was 3 years old--and Julia and Evelyn dressed up in those costumes every time they were together from that age till earlier this year! Suffice it to say that those old costumes were falling apart--tails off, holes everywhere and of course got far too small. Amie said she would make them new tiger and leopard ensembles, and they seized on it as Halloween costumes. I nervously cautioned Julia that it was a lot of pressure to ask Amie to sew two costumes for Halloween (plus she made her baby a spider costume!) but the girl came through with gorgeous results. She made two girls I know the happiest trick or treaters around, I think....









Here is our tiny pink poodle....she really loves this costume!



Ben as a Jedi...but of course he wouldn't take the hat off no matter how I explained that nobody in Star Wars wears a baseball cap! He did get a bit tired, lugging his candy bucket and his light saber. We ended up stopping home in the middle for a candy dump.



Rachel and Chloe were an angel and a dark angel....Rachel wanted to color her hair but when we looked at the Halloween hair sprays they cautioned that blond hair could be permanently stained. This led to five different experiments with Kool Aid as hair dye, which for some reason never worked. So they sprayed their hair with glitter instead. Note the white powder all over Rachel's face--in person it was a pretty cool effect.








It was a beautiful day, which was a relief after the weather we had earlier in the week. We went out for a while and Rachel took some photos.



As promised, the jack o'lantern at first lighting...and now without the lights:

Monkeying Around

Today we went to the Long Island Game Farm with a group of homeschooling friends. We hadn't been there in years, since Ben was riding in a stroller, so it was nice. It's funny how many things are so close by and yet we don't take advantage of them for years at a time...I guess it's just nice that we have options.

Anyway, if you haven't been there, it is a cross between a zoo and a farm (someone who heard me speak of it asked in horror if we were going there to hunt! LOL) There are "wild" animals like giraffes, zebras, cougars, kangaroos, monkeys, coatimundi, lemurs and alligators, but then there are pigs, chickens, ducks, llamas, deer, goats, donkeys, sheep, horses, cows, rabbits and the like. There is also a carousel, a train ride and a tea cup ride, pony rides, a discovery center with shells, antlers, turtles etc. as well as some shows--a big cat show, a talk about alligators, feedings at various exhibits.

Julia and Emma loved holding the ducklings! We were there for about an hour all told. And they also liked the duck enclosure where the adults lived--you can turn on a shower for them and they all come over, quacking and ready to get wet. Another big attraction is the fact that many of the animals can be fed, either by hand or through tubes, where you put pellets in and they are so conditined that they suck it in before it ever reaches the trough! It's funny to go into Bambiland, as they call the deer pen, and have forty deer descend upon you for the food. They are so tame, and yet they sure do love to eat! You see a lot of kids excited to feed the deer who then freak out when they become the center of the crowd...








We headed down a woodland trail from the Discovery Center late in the afternoon and spent some time in front of a huge enclosure with parrots in it--they danced if you sang and tried to imitate noises we made. Then further down we saw some spider monkeys and headed over. I noticed there was a pulley with a cup on it that would go to the top of the enclosure, where a little platform box stuck out in the air. The idea was that the monkeys could get into the box and reach the cup to take out the food. We still had some pellets in our cup, so we tried it. The monkey was excited when he heard the clink in the cup and saw it ascend--but when he saw the pellets, he threw them down in disgust. I guess if I had a hundred people a day try to give me those pellets, I might object too!

There was a group already there with two moms, a grandma and several kids. The grandma got excited when she thought the monkey would eat the pellets for us--but when she saw he didn't, she said that they had tried too, and a keeper going by told her they loved grapes. Of course, none of us had grapes. I watched the kids for a bit, calling to and watching the monkeys, and then realized--I'd brought oranges for a snack!

Well, it was the cutest thing to see these monkeys eat the oranges! I ended up peeling all five--section by section I doled them out, some for us and some for our furry friends. The smaller monkey sat in the platform part of the cage, hooting for the cup to be pulled up. He'd grab the orange out and pick it apart, peeling the pith off and throwing it away just as we do, and breaking each section into two or three pieces to daintily pop into his mouth. I felt sorry for the larger one, who either couldn't or wouldn't fit into the platform, so I experimentally tossed a section towards the cage--and he reached right out and grabbed it through the bars.







I had a tense moment when a keeper came by and Ben excitedly informed him we were feeding the monkeys oranges-- I thought we might be reprimanded for feeding them unapproved food. But he just said thanks so much--oranges are good for them, and he didn't understand why the farm didn't sell bananas and grapes to feed the monkeys, since they loved them so much....whew! Anyway, we were all disappointed when we had no more fruit to give away, and went on to the alligator show. It was a fun afternoon!

--Jen

Fun at the Farm

Yesterday we had a great day. We headed out to Harbes Farm in Mattituck with about 50 homeschooling friends, and it was wonderful. We went through the corn maze, had a hay ride and picked pumpkins, saw the farm animals, saw the bees and learned about honey, learned about the vegetables grown on the farm during the tour, and then had lunch (provided by the farm) and played on the playground. They have a terrific playground--a sand pit with excavation equipment, a dinosaur fossil pit where they can brush away sand to expose the bones, a trough of running water to mine for gems in, and then wooden equipment--a tractor, a pumpkin house, a horse and cart, bean bag toss boards, etc. It was beautiful though a bit cloudy (thank everything we hadn't scheduled it for today, while we're having some sort of monsoon!) and since we were leaving with 5 pumpkins, I decided to get a few of those gooseneck gourds and tiny white pumpkins with orange stripes and mums for the front patio....so then of course we went home and decorated for Halloween!

Note My Daily Quote!

Yes--I feel like a user today, in both the computer and the drug addict sense!

I recently noted that I joined Facebook. Well. Let me just say, at first I was reconnecting with college and high school classmates, and finding out that practically my entire family is on Facebook too. This afternoon Matt was making dinner--he made Indian food that was to die for--and I was browsing around on Facebook, answering some messages I had, etc. I decided to search for other people I knew who might be on, and wasn't having much success.

That's when the thought popped into my mind. I went to grammar school with some kids who had really singular names. I mean, REALLY singular names. Why not search for them, rather than the friends with the last name of Jackson and Schneider? So I entered a boy I went to school with--Renato Stabile. POW! There he was, living in NYC, and I knew it was him because when I viewed his friends page---there was practically my entire grade school yearbook! And half of them had our group class photos on their profile pages!

I connected with four people this evening that I haven't seen since we were ten or thirteen years old! And sent friend invites to a dozen more. This is surreal and wonderful.

I am having so much fun!

--Jen

Wildlife Wednesday

Today we had a lot of fun. Lessons in the morning, and then we took off for Stony Brook Harbor to take an ecology cruise aboard the Ward Melville Heritage Organization's Discovery with folks from our homeschooling group. This cruise really reinforced in my mind that we're lucky to be living on Long Island. We saw many birds that I think of in conjunction with "wilder" places than here, including the great egret, snowy egret, cormorants, black crowned night heron, double crested cormorants, yellow crowned night heron, great blue heron, belted kingfisher, and even the green heron--I didn't even know there was such a bird! In addition we saw ducks, Canada geese, swans, gulls, plovers, peeps, turtles and terns. We also saw an osprey nest but unfortunately didn't get to see the osprey. It was just so wonderful to know that all these birds are living and thriving right here where we live.

We got some historical background on the area, too. We heard stories about some of the mansions that are situated along the creek, complete with widows' walks dating back to sea captain days in the 19th century. We saw the horse show grounds where Paul Newman and Jackie Kennedy showed horses. We heard stories about the flu epidemic of 1918 and how folks from the city, desperate to be away from crowds, built cottages by the sea that ruined others' views and kept them off the beaches--and how they were ordered off the land. We heard about weddings, slaves, the Underground Railroad, erosion, tides, salt marshes, and we learned that the Audubon Society formed right here in Suffolk County in response to spraying of DDT! People noticed that the ospreys were sitting on their eggs far longer than they should have been, and when the eggs were examined it was found that the DDT had softened the eggshells to the point that they wouldn't hatch. A grassroots society was formed that eventually got DDT outlawed--so it was illegal to spray it here before anywhere else in the country! Eventually the Audubon Society was formed and it became illegal to use DDT across the nation.

It was great to see all these kids, ages 4 through high school, answering the naturalist's questions, pointing out birds, looking through binoculars and getting so excited to see everything. Emma didn't stop talking about it, and even hoped to dream about being on the boat tonight. We had such a good time, in fact, that we decided afterwards to indulge Julia's long-held desire to visit a favorite place of ours, Quogue Wildlife Refuge. She has always loved it there, especially for the "peeper pond," as she calls it--a small pond full of reeds, lily pads and frogs ranging from tiny to bull. Since she was a toddler she's loved to go and catch as many frogs as she can, hold them, watch them and then set them back into the pond.

We unfortunately missed out on the nature center because we waited till the end of our visit to go inside. I don't know what I was thinking--I knew it closed between 4 and 5. I adore this nature center because the building is set over a huge pond, and there's a large room where you can sit comfortably inside and watch everything going on outside--which is especially nice in the cold weather. They even have binoculars all over for anyone's use. There are also the requisite shells, bones, fish, small animals, crafts, coloring sheets, stories, etc.--including a blind mouse that someone rescued which does nothing but run in circles all day as if it expects to get somewhere.

However, in addition to two stints at the peeper pond, we took a hike around the big pond, collected fallen pine cones and colorful leaves for an autumn centerpiece--I was shocked to see some of the trees starting to turn already!--and then visited the small zoo they have for rescued animals that are hurt enough that they can't be released into the wild again, and the butterfly garden and land tortoise exhibit. We saw frogs and snapping turtles, dragonflies and holes that could be for rabbits, snakes or chipmunks, white toadstools, and in the zoo visited fox, bobcats, a screech owl, a Great Horned Owl, a barn owl, Peregrine falcon, a red tailed hawk and a bald eagle. It was a really fun and educational afternoon. Tomorrow the kids will put some of what they saw into their science notebooks. Julia is absolutely in her element with this way of studying science!

--Jen

Ben Rides His Two Wheeler!

After weeks of trying, Ben rode his bike today! He has wanted to ride for a long time, and resisted any suggestion of training wheels. However, cautious by nature, he also didn't like the idea of falling and getting cut, and so when Matt or I tried to help him learn to ride, he didn't want us to let go of the bike. Naturally, this didn't help him learn very effectively! He then moved to trying to ride it himself, and I coached him from the sidelines. I explained that if he just let go and pedaled rapidly, the bike would stay upright and he'd be riding--but he always put a foot down. Then today our friend and neighbor Matthew came over and was with Ben in the driveway. He asked if he could take Ben across to Heights Place, which is a "T" with our street and as it just connects our road with the one parallel to it, has almost no traffic. I agreed, and went to sit in the hammock swing to watch--and to my amazement, Ben was riding all on his own in just a few minutes!

Somebody should give Matthew a teacher of the year award!

--Jen

Birthday Party

We have had a crazy week! Two parties for the kids, one with friends and one with extended family. A 50th anniversary party for my parents and all the travel it entailed. Plus my best friend, Jenn, and her family visiting from NC...it was a wonderful week, and also an extremely tiring one. As promised, here are a few photos from the birthday party.

--Jen





Emma in her Rose Petal Cottage.....ah! It feels great to put your feet up after a long day!



Emma and her favorite baby friend in the hammock chair out front, during the party.




Birthday cake! This one was Ben's cake (note the 7 candles--one for good luck). He wanted vanilla cake with strawberry frosting. Emma's was chocolate cake with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. They blew out the candles at the same time, though, and then the guests got their choice of cake.

Happy Birthday to Emma!

Today Emma is four years old! I am finding it hard to believe I don't have any babies left....but when I said to her last night that I couldn't believe she was getting so big and wasn't my baby anymore, she looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers and said solemnly, "I will always be your baby, Mama."

Four years ago right now I was on the screened porch at our house on Dolphin Way, on a cool rainy morning, almost ready to push. (I don't know the exact time it was, but since she was born with just two pushes it wasn't long!) Rachel was running between the dining room and the porch, checking on my progress and reporting back to our friend Amie, who was helping Julia and Ben make cards for their baby. By the time everyone got out to us, after Rachel reported that the baby was almost here, Emma had already made her grand entrance into the world. It is so odd to think that Julia is now as old as Rachel was that day, and that Emma is almost as old as Julia was that day! Things have changed so much in those four years.

And two years ago today, we moved into this house. We joked that it was the only birthday that Emma would get a house for her gift, but in fact, we were wrong! This morning when she woke up (extremely early for her, at 7:30! She was so excited it was her birthday, finally, that she just couldn't stay asleep) her gift was waiting for her in the living room---the Rose Petal Cottage play house! Matt set it up last night because I knew she'd want to play with it as soon as she saw it, and that there was no way for me to get it set up with all the other things I have to do today, preparing for the birthday party this afternoon. So we set everything up and covered it with a quilt instead of the traditional gift wrapping.

Was she amazed! We got her the cottage itself, which also comes with a stove. Grandma Barbara got her the sink and a comfortable lounge chair, and her sisters and brother together got her the table and chairs set (which is really two round ottoman-like seats and a tiny table with tablecloth.) She said, "I've always wanted my very own house!"

The idea of it is that you play with the two halves of the house open at an angle, like scenery in a play. The two pieces actually nest together for efficient storage. However, you can put it together if you want to have a "real" cottage. At first that's what Emma wanted to do. Once she was in it, she said, "This is a very tiny house!"

Ben's response: "Well, Emma, that's what it's like when you live alone!"

I will post photos of the party later....

--Jen

Drowned Rats

We had a day today!

We had plans to get together with our friends, Amie and Evelyn (and baby Sadie), but hadn't planned what to do. When Amie and I spoke in the morning, it was such a gorgeous day we decided to spend it outside. We agreed to meet at Indian Island Park, where we could play at the playground, ride bikes and scooters, and go to the beach. Great.

We ate lunch, packed snacks, put on bathing suits, got towels, bikes, and scooters into the car, and headed for the park. We went to the playground and the kids were all having fun, and Amie and I enjoyed ourselves chatting. For a while. Until the two park guys came up to the playground with weed whackers--we knew the noise was going to be unpleasant, so we gathered the kids and headed up the trails for the beach.

The going was a bit slow--we had Emma on a trike, Ben on a scooter, there were some parts of the road that were sandy, and Amie had Sadie in a stroller with their gear and I had a stroller FULL of our gear. Plus we had to keep moving aside when cars would come by, which meant everyone stopped completely till the car was gone. It is a fair walk, not sure of the distance but it took our caravan at least fifteen minutes to walk it. Finally we hit the beach. A sigh of relief--we could settle here for an hour or two before we had to head home for the dinner rush.

The kids immediately went into the water. Amie and I settled on towels in the sand, and I had my coffee and Amie had some snacks and fed Sadie some banana. We were chatting away as we do when her phone rang. It was her husband David, calling from work. He asked if we were near the cars, because there was a pretty severe thunderstorm just south of the Lab (where he works, about 20 miles from where we were sitting....)

We looked at the sky. It was mostly blue, but with some threatening clouds over to one side. We thought, okay, well, let's just enjoy ourselves a bit more and then head home. WRONG!

We heard thunder, and immediately called the kids out of the water, getting to our feet to gather our things. The rain began, just lightly at first. It got heavier as we went up the beach to the stroller, and heavier still as we started down the path. (Remember how we had to keep stopping to get out of the way of cars on the way to the beach? Well, now imagine that everyone is LEAVING the beach, all at once, because of a thunderstorm. You'll get the picture of how often we had to stop!) We began light heartedly at first. After all, the kids were already wet, and we were walking through the woods, so the trees were mostly protecting us, though there were some frightening claps of thunder and some rough lightning strikes. Ben was getting a bit worked up (he doesn't enjoy getting wet from the rain, anyway, much less in a thunderstorm!) and I was trying to calm him and keep Emma with us, when the sky opened up....

It poured. I don't mean just a little. I mean, I was wearing capri jeans and a wraparound blouse and they were SOAKED through. My jeans felt about twenty pounds heavier, my hair was dripping, and I was having trouble seeing because there was so much water running down my face and into my eyes that I had to make sure my contacts didn't pop out. I was miserable, and kept thinking of the contents of my purse, the cell phone, the towels gathering all the water they could hold---and then, I remembered I left the van windows open! It was a gorgeous day when we'd left the car, and I didn't want it to get too hot in there....

There were huge puddles, we could hardly see, the kids were alternately laughing and complaining, and all I wanted was to be out of this nonsense. Then the hail began. Yes, hail. As in little pellets of ice falling from the sky. Finally we reached the van and Rachel started it so she could shut the windows. I tossed stuff into the trunk willy nilly, jammed the bikes and scooters in, and gratefully got into the van. I had to take a towel that we keep in the front to dust the dashboard so I could dry my face enough to see; then we used the towel to dry as much of the dash and doors as we could. What a nightmare!

When we got home, the work continued as I had to wash everything--clothes, towels, bathing suits, coverups, even Ben's hat had gotten soaked. Everyone was "freezing" and wanted a shower or bath and then to put on their pajamas. Plus the dogs needed walking, the mail was waiting, the snack bag had to be emptied (luckily everything remained dry in the zipped bag under towels), there was clutter around the house from our hasty departure that afternoon, and dinner to be made. I was so happy to get into dry clothes that I left my shower till after dinner.

The rain was ending as we arrived home, but since then we have had several other showers, including a thunderstorm while the sky was bright and sunny. Who says the environment isn't screwed up???

--Jen

The Greatest Neighbors in the World

I mentioned our around-the-corner neighbors Linda and Dennis around Halloween time. They are the older couple who live on the busy street around the corner and walk their dogs on our quiet street. They also brought the treat bags in a wagon through the neighborhood, with their tiny dogs Charlie and Bear dressed in costume.

My kids are in love with those doggies, so we often talk in the front yard as they go by. We give them chicken eggs sometimes, and they repeatedly told us all fall, winter and spring that we can come swim in their pool any time we want to, even if they aren't home. Their kids are grown and gone, and they hate to see the pool go to waste. They welcome friends, especially those with kids, to come over any old time to swim.

Now, in the cool weather, it was easy to say great, we will. But as it became summer, I wasn't sure what to do. We have nice neighbors here, and we chat cordially when we see anyone outside. But it isn't like the fifties where we come into each other's homes, borrow sugar, or play cards on Saturday night. I wasn't sure about gregarious offers of pool use. But then again, I thought their offers were certainly genuine, and I didn't want to hurt their feelings, so yesterday when we had nothing to do (for the first time this summer, it felt like!) we got our suits and sunscreen on and walked around the corner with a carton of eggs as a thank you.

At first we didn't think they were home, because nobody answered the bell. We let ourselves in through the back gate and were about to get in, when Linda came out the back door, all smiles and welcomes, with Bear and Charlie in tow. She hadn't heard the bell as she'd been bathing the pups for their trip. She was over the moon to see us! She told me how they'd thought we weren't going to come, that we hadn't taken the offer seriously, and that they'd even come by to invite us again but never found us home. (See point 1 above about the first chance to come over!) She kept saying how glad she was, how welcome we were, how we should come any time we wanted to---and that it was especially great we'd come because they were off to their house in Maine tomorrow (today) until September 9! And that we can come as much as we want to while they're gone, because the pool stays in better shape with people swimming. (They have relatives coming to do the chemicals and care.)

So how is that for the best neighbors ever? The kids are so happy that we have a pool to go to when we want to swim, and I'm happy it's not our pool to care for! And it is a lovely inground pool with lots of comfortable furniture to lounge on (including a hammock and garden swing). We had a great afternoon swimming and playing.....I love it.

--Jen

Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?

My friend Carol sent me this via email, and I was very amused, so I thought that rather than forward it, I'd post it here. It is the answer to that old riddle from the point of view of many political/cultural icons....

--Jen

Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?

BARACK OBAMA:
The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken
wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MC CAIN:
My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to
engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side
of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:
When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross
the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right
from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it
deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......

DR. PHIL:
The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must
first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes
after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do
is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT'
problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH:
Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he
wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn
from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to
give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not
live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to
know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is
either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL:
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image
of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been
allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY:
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it!
It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's
intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE:
That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his
eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:
To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

DR SEUSS:
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the
chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL:
Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?'
That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken
is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we
boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal
media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side'.
That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple
as that.

GRANDPA:
In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told
us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BILL GATES:
I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but
will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check
book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new
platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C%
.......reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the
chicken?

BILL CLINTON:
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of
chicken?

AL GORE:
I invented the chicken!

COLONELSANDERS:
Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY:
Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON:
Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

A Taste of Last Week

This girl had a blast!

--Jen

Adventureland

Yesterday we had a wonderful day. We went with one of our homeschooling groups to Adventureland, "Long Island's Amusement Park!" We had a blast! The best part was that since it's still June, the park was relatively empty. The longest line we had to stand in was ten minutes, which was fantastic, especially with little kids. They have a very nice blend of kiddie rides and thrill rides. We were able to ride some things as a family, and Rachel and Julia were able to ride things alone or with me or Matt while the other went with Ben and Emma. It was great being able to ride what they wanted over and over again, too---their favorite local thing is going to Greenport at riding the carousel--but at $2 a person, we aren't going to ride more than once! Here, they could ride the carousel seventy times if they wanted, and lots more besides. The one disappointing ride was the Haunted House--NOT scary! It was basically just extremely dark, with a few light up tableaus and haunting music in the background. Emma was scared--the other kids just didn't like the darkness.

I got to ride a roller coaster for the first time in years--after having so many babies and young kids, I haven't been on one since the mid-nineties! And Rachel is finally old enough to enjoy them. They also have several water rides, which was nice since it was fairly hot. Another thing I liked (though I didn't know about it!) was that this is one amusement park that allows picnics right in the park--most don't. Luckily, I did bring water bottles, a huge thermos of ice water, and even coffee--because we went through all that, 2 large Cokes, 2 slurpees, 2 more bottles of water, and had Italian ices to boot! We would have been broke from buying drinks....the park has been open since 1962, and it has a very family oriented feel, unlike places like Great Adventure that are very impersonal. Rachel, Julia and I even had our picture taken by Newsday....I'll have to remember to check online and see if it's there today.

We played from 10-6 pm and enjoyed ourselves completely. This is going to be a place we'll have to go every year!

Beach Party

Yesterday was a very busy day. We went to see a ballet in the morning, then came home for about an hour. We packed into the car again and headed for Hampton Bays for a beach barbecue with the teen club of our local homeschooling group. I had signed up to be half in charge for this event because it sounded fun, because it was in May and I had a long time not to think about it when I agreed to do it in October :), and because it was one of the few events that I could bring the younger kids to. Normally, teen club is a drop off event so that the older kids can have time to socialize without little ones along. One of the pluses of homeschooling is that usually our older kids have no problem with all ages being together, but the moms who formed this club thought that this should be an exception, most of the time.

Anyway, we lucked out on the weather--good thing it hadn't been planned for last week!--and had a warm, sunny day. We had a terrific turnout, around 40 people, and the kids and parents had a blast. The parents got a few hours to talk just about uninterrupted, we all ate great food, and the kids did anything they wanted. Some were swimming, some were digging, some were playing ball and Frisbee, some took walks down the shore, some collected shells. It was a really nice, relaxed time. A few moms and I had the experience of lighting a grill in beachy wind, but we finally managed it and made all the burgers and dogs the crew could eat.

Julia spent almost the whole time swimming (I don't know how she did it, but she was like a dolphin!) and she even found a jellyfish which was put into a bucket, examined and played with by a lot of the kids--it didn't sting, apparently. I didn't touch it (cooking!) but did watch it swim, which was a cool experience you don't see every day. She was positively blue by the time we went home, but she had a great time. Ben and Emma were in the water a bit, but got colder than Julia did, so they built castles together. Rachel was with her friends, but she did spend a little time getting wet. I knew I wasn't going anywhere near the water, and so didn't even bother wearing a suit!

So here are a few pictures I snapped when I wasn't busy chatting or grilling....

--Jen