The iPod completely changed the way people approach music.
--Karl Lagerfeld
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Bo Bo the Wonder Pet: Part 2
Here are the pictures of Bo climbing the closet door! His sense of balance is pretty amazing.....
Egg-O-Rama: Part 2
OK, well here is the picture of our fresh eggs! Note the pale blue one on top. Hope you like them, Emily!!
~Rachel
~Rachel
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Bo Bo the Wonder Pet
That cat Bo is the weirdest animal I have ever seen. I was here at the computer yesterday and I heard a noise behind me, so I looked around, assuming it was either him or Molly getting into mischief. You will never be able to guess where he was--in all my years of cat ownership I have never witnessed something so bizarre! He was on top of the closet door! Yes, on the inch-wide strip that is the top edge of a door. Seven feet in the air, or however tall a door is. He'd somehow managed to get onto my dresser, and climbed on to the open door, and was looking calmly around like, it's my world and you just live here.... I think he likes the feeling of being the highest pet in the house...anyway, it was not a fluke--he did it again today!
And I will post pictures tomorrow; Rachel took some for you unbelievers. Also will post a photo of a bowl of our fresh eggs that Emily asked for. Want to go hang out with Matt now.
--Jen
And I will post pictures tomorrow; Rachel took some for you unbelievers. Also will post a photo of a bowl of our fresh eggs that Emily asked for. Want to go hang out with Matt now.
--Jen
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Egg-O-Rama
This is just amazing--in the past three days, we have collected TWENTY TWO eggs! Yes, from six chickens, in the depths of winter.....and boy, are they beautiful! We have white, pale blue, light brown with speckles and deep brown. They are huge, and the yolks are practically orange. It makes their annoying behavior so much more acceptable (poop that we have to clean up, stealing poor Lila's cat food and trying to kick her out of her little house, and the mischief they cause in the garden...)
Anyway, we had eggs for breakfast!
--Jen
Anyway, we had eggs for breakfast!
--Jen
Monday, January 28, 2008
Softball Madness
I guess by the time I began this blog last year, we were very nearly done with the Little League season. Only Rachel played, and frankly, I found it completely irritating. Too many games a week, always at night (since school kids play it has to be late in the day or--horrors--on the weekend, which I hate even more) where we were constantly freezing--because let's face it, Long Island nights are not warm at all before June. Even in the summer we can get lows in the 50's, so imagine standing out at 10 pm in April and you'll see what I mean! It was a complete hassle to get to the field by 6:00, because we had to have dinner of course before that--although many families brought fast food to the game or stopped by a drive thru when the game FINALLY ended at 8:30 or 9:00 (10:00 or 11:00 if you had the dreaded Late Game...)I absolutely refused to do that to my family twice a week. Insanity.
And then June came, Little League was over for the season, I breathed a sigh of relief and thought, I won't have to think about that for a long time! And yet, now is the time to register for the spring. I asked Rachel casually if she wanted to play again--at 12 this is her last year for Little League (last year was her first, in fact)--because although I think she enjoyed playing, she wasn't the star of the team by any stretch. However, she does want to play, and Ben overheard and remembered that last year we told him he was too young to start, he has to be five...so he piped up that he wants to play T-ball.
To add insult to my injury, we had to ask Julia if she wants to play too. Julia is extremely athletic, maybe more so than Ben. She plays with Matt and Ben in the yard, and she can smoke the ball over the fence. She's fast and strong and can throw quite well, too. So it would have been terrible not to ask her....but I'll admit I was secretly happy when she said no right away. Then Matt had to go and do the touchy-feely parenting thing and ask her why....it turns out that she's scared she won't be good, that the coach would expect her to just know all the rules, and that she'd let her team down if she made mistakes. Which of course meant we were obligated to reassure her and tell her about teamwork and learning and that coaches are friends......
If I sound grumpy--it's because I AM!!! Honestly, 3 kids in Little League? Hello! We'll be at that field every single day of the week, except possibly for Sunday if we're extra lucky. I absolutely cringe at the thought of it. And this would be from mid-March till June--not even in summer when we have "nothing else to do..." I want to be a good mom, and honestly I wish I had been more athletic as a kid, so if they want to play sports I want them to---but the selfish part of me just wants to run howling into my padded cell. Because that is exactly where you'll be able to find me if I have to suffer through three Little League teams.
And, incidentally, my butt will be three sizes bigger too! Last year we were informed that we "didn't have to pay for uniforms..." except coincidentally, we had to sell 50 candy bars for the team! We just paid the $50 and kept the darn candy, because we'd already hit friends and relatives up for Girl Scout nuts, candy and cookies--we thought, 50 candy bars in a family of 6 people isn't such a huge deal. But 150 candy bars? Sheesh! Now we'll have to go hawking candy bars in the street, just another fun job to get accomplished when I'm not hanging out watching kids play ball. So if you read my blog because you know me, and you don't want chocolate in your life, you should avoid me like the plague from March to June!!
--Jen
And then June came, Little League was over for the season, I breathed a sigh of relief and thought, I won't have to think about that for a long time! And yet, now is the time to register for the spring. I asked Rachel casually if she wanted to play again--at 12 this is her last year for Little League (last year was her first, in fact)--because although I think she enjoyed playing, she wasn't the star of the team by any stretch. However, she does want to play, and Ben overheard and remembered that last year we told him he was too young to start, he has to be five...so he piped up that he wants to play T-ball.
To add insult to my injury, we had to ask Julia if she wants to play too. Julia is extremely athletic, maybe more so than Ben. She plays with Matt and Ben in the yard, and she can smoke the ball over the fence. She's fast and strong and can throw quite well, too. So it would have been terrible not to ask her....but I'll admit I was secretly happy when she said no right away. Then Matt had to go and do the touchy-feely parenting thing and ask her why....it turns out that she's scared she won't be good, that the coach would expect her to just know all the rules, and that she'd let her team down if she made mistakes. Which of course meant we were obligated to reassure her and tell her about teamwork and learning and that coaches are friends......
If I sound grumpy--it's because I AM!!! Honestly, 3 kids in Little League? Hello! We'll be at that field every single day of the week, except possibly for Sunday if we're extra lucky. I absolutely cringe at the thought of it. And this would be from mid-March till June--not even in summer when we have "nothing else to do..." I want to be a good mom, and honestly I wish I had been more athletic as a kid, so if they want to play sports I want them to---but the selfish part of me just wants to run howling into my padded cell. Because that is exactly where you'll be able to find me if I have to suffer through three Little League teams.
And, incidentally, my butt will be three sizes bigger too! Last year we were informed that we "didn't have to pay for uniforms..." except coincidentally, we had to sell 50 candy bars for the team! We just paid the $50 and kept the darn candy, because we'd already hit friends and relatives up for Girl Scout nuts, candy and cookies--we thought, 50 candy bars in a family of 6 people isn't such a huge deal. But 150 candy bars? Sheesh! Now we'll have to go hawking candy bars in the street, just another fun job to get accomplished when I'm not hanging out watching kids play ball. So if you read my blog because you know me, and you don't want chocolate in your life, you should avoid me like the plague from March to June!!
--Jen
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Garden Dreams
I got a garden catalogue the other day, and now I am dreaming. I look at all the gorgeous flowers and think how wonderful they would be in our yard. Never mind that I am not particularly a good gardener, nor do I really love doing the work it takes! I love the idea of it...and maybe that's enough.
I am going to rework the perennial garden this year. The former owner of our house had far too huge a relationship with lilies, in my opinion. Tiger lilies are beautiful, but they are rather boring and common--and they are not good cut flowers, which is my heart's desire. I also don't enjoy their foliage much. My big plan for last fall had been to pull up about 1/3 of the garden--grub those bulbs right out so that when we layer on the compost in the spring I will have the perfect place for tons of different perennials in many colors....that is the other problem with the garden in my mind--Mrs. Carey loved orange and yellow with a few purple accents. I love those colors too, but I want a riot of colors--pinks, reds, white and blue added in.
My big plan went awry due to laziness and painting the house, however. We were very busy with all the painting (as I'm sure you remember! And we still have more to do in the spring, tra-la!) and when we weren't painting I wanted to be inside. I did try to dig up some bulbs at one point, which was really quite back breaking. I am thinking these lily bulbs may have been growing right there for twenty years or even more. Getting even one out took a lot of work..not my idea of fun. So now they have spent another winter in my garden and I will have to spend all kinds of time in the spring getting rid of them...also due to painting we never raked the leaves in the back yard. We did do the front yard for cosmetic reasons, but the back is quite a mess, and we'll have to rake out the garden, the bushes and a few big piles the kids have raked and jumped in over the past months.
Here are my dreams. Climbing roses! I found an assortment of these and they are so beautiful I can hardly take it. I envision these growing over the ugly chicken wire fencing we put up to close the sides of the yard. If anyone can comment about climbing roses--PLEASE DO! I would love to hear if they are difficult, if they need full sun, etc. One side of the yard would have full sun, the other is quite shaded by the maple tree. The catalogue insists they are a variety that's care free, pest and fungus resistant, etc.--but of course they want me to believe that....
Sweet peas! I want these growing over the arbor at the front door. However, if the roses won't grow in shade, I can put the sweet peas in the shady part of the backyard and put roses on the arbor, which has full sun. We currently have clematis there, but it was a problematic plant because we left it potted too long while we waited to close on this house. It did flower and grow last year, but it doesn't look like it will be enough to cover the arbor...unless I have to wait 20 years? I am way too impatient for that!
Strawberries! I am looking at the Ozark Beauties. I would love to plant strawberries, and again, if you have comments about that I would love to hear any tips. I am up in the air because basically they can't go in the back yard at all--the chickens will devour them instantly. In fact, if we are planting vegetables at all (which I want to) I have to find a way to keep the chickens out of the garden completely. Last year they decimated almost everything--peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, herbs, zucchini...basically they left the tomatoes alone, and the peas and beans grew a bit but not the way I thought they would....by the way, they also have thornless blackberries, raspberries and dewberries--yum! How great would this be to add to our blueberry bushes?
Gaillardia dazzler variety! These are basically large daisy-like perennials--"hardy, carefree, need no pampering" EXACTLY my kind of plant!!--that are red in the center and then as the petals head away they turn into bright yellow. Just shockingly pretty.
Rainbow dahlias---anyone have any advice? These are so pretty, mixed colors from pink to red to yellow to orange. But it doesn't say if they need sun or not...It says they make beautiful bouquets and can be planted along hedges, driveways or borders...comments welcome again!
English Primroses! Free flowering in early summer and again in late summer, thrive even in shady spots, hardy and beautiful. Anyone have experience with these beauties?
Peonies! I love, love, love peonies---but again, I need advice. I think I remember reading about them being difficult to grow or maintain or something...I am not good with needy plants. They are so pretty and the catalogue has a collection of giant double peonies in rose, red, white, salmon and pink...be still my heart. However, again it doesn't specify sun or shade!
Just for kicks, this catalogue (Burgess Seed & Plant Co.) gives freebies with orders...so if I end up buying all these I will also receive 3 Peacock Orchid bulbs (looks like an orchid, smells like roses, white with crimson center), 4 flowering Shamrock bulbs (rosy flowers from June-Sept also called Good Luck Plant), 1 pack of Trip-L-Crop climbing tomato seeds (allegedly produces 2 bushels of tomatoes from one plant! can climb to 25' with a trellis), and a packet of Vine Peach seeds (easy to grow, fast spreading vine, fruit is like a peach and a mango combined--yum!)
Anyway, these are my dreams. I would love to hear from any gardeners out there if you're familiar with these plants...I need perennials that are beautiful and impossible to kill, basically! (Don't we all...)
--Jen
I am going to rework the perennial garden this year. The former owner of our house had far too huge a relationship with lilies, in my opinion. Tiger lilies are beautiful, but they are rather boring and common--and they are not good cut flowers, which is my heart's desire. I also don't enjoy their foliage much. My big plan for last fall had been to pull up about 1/3 of the garden--grub those bulbs right out so that when we layer on the compost in the spring I will have the perfect place for tons of different perennials in many colors....that is the other problem with the garden in my mind--Mrs. Carey loved orange and yellow with a few purple accents. I love those colors too, but I want a riot of colors--pinks, reds, white and blue added in.
My big plan went awry due to laziness and painting the house, however. We were very busy with all the painting (as I'm sure you remember! And we still have more to do in the spring, tra-la!) and when we weren't painting I wanted to be inside. I did try to dig up some bulbs at one point, which was really quite back breaking. I am thinking these lily bulbs may have been growing right there for twenty years or even more. Getting even one out took a lot of work..not my idea of fun. So now they have spent another winter in my garden and I will have to spend all kinds of time in the spring getting rid of them...also due to painting we never raked the leaves in the back yard. We did do the front yard for cosmetic reasons, but the back is quite a mess, and we'll have to rake out the garden, the bushes and a few big piles the kids have raked and jumped in over the past months.
Here are my dreams. Climbing roses! I found an assortment of these and they are so beautiful I can hardly take it. I envision these growing over the ugly chicken wire fencing we put up to close the sides of the yard. If anyone can comment about climbing roses--PLEASE DO! I would love to hear if they are difficult, if they need full sun, etc. One side of the yard would have full sun, the other is quite shaded by the maple tree. The catalogue insists they are a variety that's care free, pest and fungus resistant, etc.--but of course they want me to believe that....
Sweet peas! I want these growing over the arbor at the front door. However, if the roses won't grow in shade, I can put the sweet peas in the shady part of the backyard and put roses on the arbor, which has full sun. We currently have clematis there, but it was a problematic plant because we left it potted too long while we waited to close on this house. It did flower and grow last year, but it doesn't look like it will be enough to cover the arbor...unless I have to wait 20 years? I am way too impatient for that!
Strawberries! I am looking at the Ozark Beauties. I would love to plant strawberries, and again, if you have comments about that I would love to hear any tips. I am up in the air because basically they can't go in the back yard at all--the chickens will devour them instantly. In fact, if we are planting vegetables at all (which I want to) I have to find a way to keep the chickens out of the garden completely. Last year they decimated almost everything--peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, herbs, zucchini...basically they left the tomatoes alone, and the peas and beans grew a bit but not the way I thought they would....by the way, they also have thornless blackberries, raspberries and dewberries--yum! How great would this be to add to our blueberry bushes?
Gaillardia dazzler variety! These are basically large daisy-like perennials--"hardy, carefree, need no pampering" EXACTLY my kind of plant!!--that are red in the center and then as the petals head away they turn into bright yellow. Just shockingly pretty.
Rainbow dahlias---anyone have any advice? These are so pretty, mixed colors from pink to red to yellow to orange. But it doesn't say if they need sun or not...It says they make beautiful bouquets and can be planted along hedges, driveways or borders...comments welcome again!
English Primroses! Free flowering in early summer and again in late summer, thrive even in shady spots, hardy and beautiful. Anyone have experience with these beauties?
Peonies! I love, love, love peonies---but again, I need advice. I think I remember reading about them being difficult to grow or maintain or something...I am not good with needy plants. They are so pretty and the catalogue has a collection of giant double peonies in rose, red, white, salmon and pink...be still my heart. However, again it doesn't specify sun or shade!
Just for kicks, this catalogue (Burgess Seed & Plant Co.) gives freebies with orders...so if I end up buying all these I will also receive 3 Peacock Orchid bulbs (looks like an orchid, smells like roses, white with crimson center), 4 flowering Shamrock bulbs (rosy flowers from June-Sept also called Good Luck Plant), 1 pack of Trip-L-Crop climbing tomato seeds (allegedly produces 2 bushels of tomatoes from one plant! can climb to 25' with a trellis), and a packet of Vine Peach seeds (easy to grow, fast spreading vine, fruit is like a peach and a mango combined--yum!)
Anyway, these are my dreams. I would love to hear from any gardeners out there if you're familiar with these plants...I need perennials that are beautiful and impossible to kill, basically! (Don't we all...)
--Jen
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