We Don't Buy It One family's Quest to Stop Buying Stuff

Wayne LaPierre Called Me

2011-11-01T12:43:00.000-05:00

Wayne LaPierre just phoned me and I listened to his automated message. Wayne is the CEO of the NRA which is WTF.

They really, really, really called the wrong person.

As I read it, (and I always notice that no one else seems to read it this way, even though this is how it is written) the second amendment that Mr. LaPierre is so all fired up about protecting (get it? I put a gun joke in there...) states, *ahem, throat clearing*:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Did you catch that? Do you see the first part of that? The conditional part? The part that is almost universally ignored? A WELL REGULATED MILITIA, BEING NECESSARY TO THE SECURITY OF A FREE STATE... Do you see that part? That's the condition upon which we are allowed to have guns in this country. In order to ensure our security, through a well regulated militia (do you hear that Michigan militias--hey! Do you guys still exist?), the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.

So, if I want to bear arms in something other than a well regulated militia, that right may be infringed, because that's not the right that the second amendment protects. I might have to have regulations that our society deems reasonable for me to pack heat.

Does anyone else read it this way, because I believe that's how it's written? And how do I know that's how it's written?! Because I read the words that they so carefully chose, and I understand English, it being my mother tongue.

The first part is a condition, people!

Wayne LaPierre. La Pierre. LaPierre! That's French, ain't it?

Wayne, why don't you go get yourself some Freedom Fries and quit worrying your little French head 'bout the English writings. You don't understand them.

How Economic Inequality Harms Societies

2011-10-26T07:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a Ted Talk with Richard Wilkinson explaining how larger income gaps within societies increase social maladies--poorer health outcomes, greater crime, imprisonment, shorter life spans, etc.

The richer countries, those with a higher median income, don't do better. The USA is the worst!

The Occupy people know all of this already. This is what they're railing about.

We Know the Things That Really Matter... Right?

2011-10-21T08:04:00.003-05:00

~Adbusters

Bad to the Bone, Again...

2011-10-11T17:03:00.000-05:00

We love our little Scion. It has loads of leg room for the kids. It has a seat that feels like a seat and not a semi-lounge chair, and has loads of head room for me with my tall torso. It works for our little family.

We now have a replacement car, as our car is being repaired after what we thought was a minor fender bender. Turns out, though, that we'll have the loaner car for a few days.

We're driving around in this now.

The kids are digging it and asked us if we could buy it. They asked in all sincerity and without any irony or humor. I feel so ridiculous in this thing. It's fun.

I might have to find a creek with the bridge out so I can take the kids sailing over it screaming, "Yee haw!!" at the top of our lungs.

Yes, I do remember the Dukes of Hazzard fondly. Why do you ask?

Why Occupy Wall St.?

2011-10-06T07:15:00.000-05:00

If you're wondering why the protesters are at Zuccotti Park protesting in New York, here is a statement they wrote on Sept. 29th. It's fairly clear why they're pissed off:

Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.
We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*
To the people of the world,
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us and make your voices heard!
*These grievances are not all-inclusive.

Still Mad...

2011-10-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

Hello cyber-friends. I haven't been here in almost a year, because I've been so disillusioned.

On a positive domestic note, we successfully kept a Top Bar hive of bees in our backyard and harvested a scant two quarts of honey. I was only stung 4 times as we were harvesting it. And then I put raw honey on my stings to heal them! Honey: the cause and cure of my woe. Hopefully, the bees will overwinter fine and then we'll have an active hive in the spring.

I'm mad at Obama. Governing-Obama is different than Campaigning-Obama. He could have done so much more! Well, not now. But, he could have, when we had a majority. I think his mistake was in appealing to the Republicans' sense of decency and shared humanity...

...which the Tea Partiers have driven out of the Republican party (I think Republicans have almost always seen Democrats and anything to the left as something "Other", but it's never been this extreme) Obama can't do anything now with Republicans controlling things and answering to the most hate-filled ideology and policy decisions of the Tea Party. Stupid fucks.

You know what's uplifting though? Occupy Wall St. They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it any more! If I wasn't a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, I'd be down there tout de suite.

I'm mad as hell now too and have been. So, I will be posting much more here, as often as I can--if only to feel like I might be speaking to people who also care and are mad as hell now. You are out there, right?

You 1% people? You can read here too, if you want. If you feel like slumming it. It will be a lark!

NOTE: I intend to swear a lot in some of my posts. I think some things call for it and it is most appropriate to say "Fuck!". I don't use that kind of language around my kids. However, when they grow to adulthood, if we haven't overturned the 1%, and my kids have no job prospects and have a mountain of student debt, and Flying Spaghetti Monster forbid they are sick with no health insurance I fully expect them to say "Fuck!" to the appropriate people, because that will be the correct word to say.

Future adult children of mine, you will have my permission. Plus, you know, you're adults at that point, so you don't really need my permission. Carry on!

Plutocracy or 2010 Midterm Election Results

2010-11-08T11:30:00.000-06:00

I guess that title is a bit misleading. We've been seriously heading for a Plutocracy ever since Reagan deregulated everything in the 80s. It's not just caused by this election cycle.

However, it's at a quicker pace now that people are voting for it.

Go Vote!!

2010-11-02T12:02:00.000-05:00

Vote!!

Well, except my conservative friends--you know who you are--you can stay home if you want... No!! No, I say! You should go vote too! Yes, even you and even though our votes will cancel each other out.

But, if you do go vote, please try to be informed. For example, do you know who to retain for judge here in Illinois? It's not on the tip of your tongue? It's not right there, catalogued in your frontal lobe? Yeah, it wasn't for me either.

That's why I went to the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening to give me some idea as to who to keep and who to throw out--the Bastids!!

Go to:

http://www.lagbac.org/Alliance_ballot_order_2010_General_Election[1].pdf

and it will show you who the various bar associations thought were reasonable judges and who we need to get rid of. Er, those of whom we should get rid.

Catchy.

Go vote!

Ahhh Ooooo...

2010-10-29T06:00:00.003-05:00

Werewolves of London!

Happy Halloween--enjoy your weekend!

Breastfeeding Vs. Breast Cancer

2010-10-28T17:15:00.001-05:00

In a cage match between breastfeeding and breast cancer, you know who wins? I bet you've never been told. I bet you've never read it any where. In this month of breast cancer awareness where even KFC gets in on it, despite the questionable healthfulness of their double down chicken sandwich, and plasters pink ribbons everywhere, I bet you've not been told about this life saving information.

I won't put a pink ribbon on my site here, but I will tell you this: Breastfeeding Significantly Reduces the Risk of Breast Cancer for Both the Nursing Mom and the Female Baby Later in Life.

Yeah, that's right. You heard me. Breastfeed, and your chance of getting breast cancer (and a few other cancers) goes way down. Do it for a longer period of time and the protective effect is even greater. Your female infant will have a reduced risk of breast cancer when she is older.

WHY ARE WE NOT TOLD ABOUT THIS?!

Please try to breastfeed your children for their health and your own. If you have any kind of difficulties (and you might--we don't grow up seeing a lot of breastfeeding, so you may not know how to do it properly) go get help that is readily available. La Leche League International has been helping women breastfeed comfortably for decades. Or: For decades, La Leche League International has been helping women breastfeed comfortably. I'm a big proponent for extended breastfeeding, but I would even draw the line at decades...

Solid Gold Dancers with Adam Ant!!

2010-10-22T09:07:00.001-05:00

Oh my God, this is classic! Why did I not see the wit of this when I was an angsty teenager? Why did I not see the fun of the kitsch? It is only now that I can appreciate stuff like this. I couldn't back then when I was lamenting the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest and all of my peers (most of my peers) were gung ho about Reagan and his policies.

Look at what I missed!!

Enjoy you Goody Two Shoes you. Have a fun weekend!

"...that's in the first amendment?"

2010-10-19T12:59:00.001-05:00

Christine O'Donnell asked her Democratic opponent where in the Constitution the separation of church and state is outlined.

He answered that the 1st amendment guarantees it.

She said, "The First Amendment does?" O'Donnell asked. "Let me just clarify: You're telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?"

Uh. Yeah. It's always been there and is one of the defining elements of our freedoms here in the United States. We get to believe what and how we want without any kind of government interference. Just a reminder:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But, What if I WANT to Buy it?!

2010-10-18T08:14:00.007-05:00

We sometimes get things new, like swimsuits from Target online for my daughter, because hers from the summer wore out and she'll need it if we go out of town to a motel with a pool. It happens. And, the underwear and socks that I recently bought my kids. We are far from perfect around here, but that's OK (right, Stuart?). In any case, we mostly don't buy it.

What if we want to buy it? What if YOU want to buy it? What if it speaks to you--that perfect shirt or piece of jewelry or book or i-pod/phone/pad thingy? What if you feel you can not live without it? Could you pause and review it? Maybe ask yourself a couple of questions:

Do I have to have this thing, if I already have a similar version of it, or one that's still good, or it's just too expensive, or I know I'll use it a couple of times, and then NOT need it? Do I really NEED it?

My kids NEED underwear and socks. I think it's OK to get those new, so I passed the Yes-I-Really-Do-Need-It-Quit-Badgering-Me! test when I asked myself these questions. If you need it, you need it. Really.

But, what if it's not need but want. You know you don't need it, you just want it. Yes, you already have several pairs like it, but this pair of black shoes has a buckle on the side of it, rather than the front. See? So, it's different. And, it is that very slight difference that is making you want it, not need it. What then?

I would still counsel you to think it through and wait it out and pause and breathe. What will you get if you purchase those kicky new shoes? Will it feed a deep need inside your hole-filled soul? Will it make you feel pretty ala Maria in West Side Story (although, it wasn't shoes that was doing that for her. It was her being lovestruck with Tony...) Besides which, do you think Tony even noticed Maria's shoes? Come on.

But you WANT them, still!!

Fine. Get them. Or, get it. Go ahead. DO IT!

But, next time, you could try to muster some will and resist the urge and forgo your very temporal, frivolous, hedonistic, self-indulgent whim and NOT get it/them. Maybe you would feel empowered by that. Maybe you would feel strong and in charge of yourself and more centered. Maybe it would be worth it to say no to yourself once and see how that feels and know that you can survive it and that you don't feel deprived. YOU ARE STRONGER THAN THE URGE TO GET A NEW PAIR OF SHOES THAT YOU DON'T NEED!!

RAWR!!!

Yes, but they're cute/most recent technology/an upgrade, you counter.

Yeah. I know. Hence the dilemma.

Beautiful hand forged gold earrings from Sundance catalog that I don't NEED, but WANT, but haven't gotten yet...

The Sky

2010-10-17T11:24:00.006-05:00

My husband had a wonderful class in college called The Sky which explored naked eye observations of the sky and its machinations. Guess who now knows what a waxing gibbous moon is--yes, that's right, my kids! My husband has been relaying all sorts of sky information to the kids with very clear explanations and drawings on our fabulous giant dry erase board that my husband snagged from work when they were throwing it out.

Actually, we've both been showing the kids all sorts of things now that the board is hanging on the kitchen wall. The kids are also drawing various things up there and it has dramatically changed how we homeschool around here. Who knew such a simple thing could have such a huge effect? And yet, sometimes the right tools make a difference in whatever you're doing. It's there and everyone in this house is now drawn to it.

Last night, my son was looking at the sky with my husband through binoculars and they both saw all sorts of features on the moon. To the east was Jupiter, and then east of that was Uranus. My son is 12... Yes, there are certain jokes that seem to always come up with regard to that particular planet, but we didn't care. He was seeing our universe and understanding it a little bit more.

Today, I saw a story on Huffington Post about a dad and his son who sent a weather balloon into space with an insulated, protective foam wrap around a video recorder and made a film of the balloon ascending 20 miles up into the sky. Inside the foam was an i-phone which acted as a GPS so that they could then retrieve it once the balloon popped and the parachute allowed it to come safely back to earth.

Amazing and fun!

When's the last time you looked up at the sky with wonder and curiosity and interest? You should look up. It's awesome up there! And, if you're 12, it can inspire some hilarity. If you know what I mean...

Life out of Balance

2010-10-15T09:46:00.003-05:00

Here is a video that converges two things I like: The Strokes and images from Koyaanisqatsi, which was just the coolest movie when it came out in the early 80's. It is fascinating to see now. Have you seen it? Koyaanisqatsi means Life out of Balance in the Hopi language.

In the movie you see through speeded up images of the beauty of nature: clouds, shadows etc. and the scurrying around of busy people, driving cars, walking down the street, entering and exiting trains. It is humbling to see how much we resemble ants.

The original music was composed by Philip Glass. Here's some of his work.

Enjoy your weekend.

Enfeebling the Brain?

2010-10-13T12:42:00.006-05:00

A child who has been boxed up six hours in school might spend the next four hours in study, but it is impossible to develop the child’s intellect in this way. The laws of nature are inexorable. By dint of great and painful labor, the child may succeed in repeating a lot of words, like a parrot, but, with the power of its brain all exhausted, it is out of the question for it to really master and comprehend its lessons. The effect of the system is to enfeeble the intellect even more than the body. We never see a little girl staggering home under a load of books, or knitting her brow over them at eight o’clock in the evening, without wondering that our citizens do not arm themselves at once with carving knives, pokers, clubs, paving stones or any weapons at hand, and chase out the managers of our common schools, as they would wild beasts that were devouring their children.

-Scientific American magazine, October 1860

Kefir Dreamsicle!

2010-10-13T07:55:00.005-05:00

You know what is the best, most delicious kefir drink? I do! I like you guys, so I will share it with you now.

Pour a half glass of plain kefir (use a 12 oz. glass or larger), add a half glass of orange juice, a half teaspoon of vanilla, a tablespoon of raw honey and stir it all up right in the drinking glass. It will take a little longer to stir than you think it should because of the stickiness of the honey, but keep at it until it's thoroughly mixed.

Then. Well, then you're about to have what amounts to a liquid dreamsicle--it is amazingly good. And, you're going to be getting those good probiotics into you.

You don't have to have junk to feel like you're having a treat. Junk has it's place--we eat junk occasionally--but, it's so much better when we can have treats that are both delicious and good for us.

Try it!

Gone Daddy Gone

2010-10-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

You know what is severely underutilized in the whole rock/pop/ska world? Yes, that's right--xylophone.

So, here's some for you from The Violent Femmes--Gone Daddy Gone.

Enjoy your weekend.

Bad to the Bone or Another Day of Running Errands

2010-10-06T08:33:00.006-05:00

We had to go get the car's emissions tested yesterday. Illinois law mandates it every so often for all cars, although it would probably be more efficient and effective if the testing was saved for older cars alone. But, we went.

My daughter assured me that she was fine dressed in her 1880s prairie dress which she uses to pretend she is Mary or Laura or an unknown pioneer girl out on the prairie trying to make her way breaking up sod and battling grasshoppers. She was going to be fine in her red calico with white overdress and didn't need to change before hand. Besides, we could all stay in the car so it wouldn't matter any way!

Yeah, except when we got there we saw that everyone had to get out of their cars and go to a little room while the car was tested. Uh oh... I reassured my daughter that she could still get away with going around town in dress up clothes, depending on the clothes, and it would be OK.

My son meanwhile was cracking up and thought the imminent embarrassment of his sister was hilarious. My daughter actually laughed too and took it in stride.

Turns out we didn't have to get out of the car. Instead, the creepy worker guy let me get out and sit in back while he sat in the driver's seat and conducted the test. He went on to insult the quality of our car and then said weird rambling things that we all couldn't quite make out.

I asked the kids what they thought of him as we left and they told me he was creepy. My daughter described him as having milky blue eyes (descriptive!). My son asked what was wrong with him which led to a lengthy discussion about creepiness, instincts and feelings about people, social awkwardness vs. malicious intent, not being afraid to hurt feelings or offend anyone to keep yourself safe, having the right to not get in an elevator or cross the street or stay with a crowd of people if someone makes you feel creeped out. I told my kids to trust their feelings and instincts.

We talked about why someone might be socially awkward. Why someone might not like people. And then my son fished out my husband's aviator sunglasses from the compartment in the dashboard and put them on.

My son as he looked in the mirror in the sun visor said, "Hey! I look really cool in these! I look like a BUG!! These are so cool."

Some time later after more self-admiring and tilting his head this way and that, he said, "I look like a bug--AND THAT'S AWESOME!!"

A teen sitting in the passenger seat of an oncoming car caught sight of my son and dropped his mouth open and stared as his head pivoted to get more of a view. My son thought this was hilarious and so did my daughter and I and we all laughed and laughed.

Who says running errands can't be fun?

Huckleberry Finn

2010-10-03T10:38:00.009-05:00

I am reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the kids. I just started it last night, complete with dead-on accents and full emoting. The kids thought the whole Tom Sawyer gang requirements were hysterical: no telling the secrets of the club upon the penalty of family being killed. If no family, as is the case with Huck, a proxy will do, namely Miss Watson. Also, they will hold captives and ransom them, which to their confused minds means clubbing them to death. The women captives they figure will all fall in love with them. The gang admits that the cave will become mighty crowded what with men waiting to die by ransom, and women swooning in love with them.

It all takes place in the early 1800's and Huck refers to the slaves as n******. It was difficult to even say the word, and Huck says it repeatedly. My kids had never heard the n word (they haven't heard a whole lot of words). I explained that it was a word to dehumanize and vilify the slaves (and people of color since then) and my daughter said, "Oh, like 'mudblood'." Yes, exactly--like mudblood.

I realize that there are critical views of Twain and the language he used. I know that this is a banned book in many places, because of it. But, I feel that Twain pointed out the extreme hypocrisy of the lifestyle of that time. I want my kids to learn about that. I want them to recognize it now, when they see it. I think it's important to learn. I also think Twain is a wonderful writer and I love his wit and sensitivity. I love how he understands kids and their imaginations and how their thinking is generalized and absolute. He has sympathy for them. I like my kids to know that too.

Busy

2010-09-09T07:27:00.003-05:00

I have a friend in our homeschooling group who has counted up all of her kids' outside commitments for the week and it totalled 19! That's classes and swim practice etc. for three kids. Some of the kids are in the same classes or have lessons at the same time, but it still means making sure they have all of their stuff and organizing the household around a crazy schedule.

My kids are taking a variety of classes and lessons: flamenco, castanets, tap, jazz/hip hop, modern dance classes and drumming, horseback and gymnastics. They each have 5 outside commitments, and this time they're skipping the community theater play after being in three productions basically back-to-back.

Add to all of this, playdates, group park day, and doing things around the house and we're fairly busy.

So, are you busy too? What do you have going on, and are you ready to pull your hair out yet??

Where can I Find out About Climate Change?

2010-09-01T07:54:00.012-05:00

*PLEASE NOTE* This post looks like absolute crap because I linked from several places with different fonts and point size and now it is crazy. Please ask for clarification if you need it. I did not intend for some lines to be HUGE and others tiny... I can't fix it--I've tried. Enough time has been spent on this. Enjoy, however you can. Just try to follow along and go read everything, as I link it. Thanks!

In my last post, I wrote about all of the awful, extreme weather the world has experienced this summer and some of the consequences of that: drownings in China and Pakistan (Pakistan has been so inundated with rains this summer that a fifth of it is under water and there will soon be food shortages--normally there would be planting of various crops in a few weeks, but they can't plant anything as the mud sits in the flooded fields), a chunk of glacier broke off of a flow in Greenland and is bobbing merrily in the Atlantic (a chunk of ice the size of 4 Manhattans), the Urals became a tinder box and went up in flame causing severe pollution in Moscow, etc. etc. etc.

It's bad. It's bad and seems aberrant. This is not the typical cyclic flooding and droughts that the earth experiences as the seasons change. This is much more than that.

Ames, Iowa flooded out with another "10,000 year flood". There was concern about there being enough drinking water. That's happening more and more frequently.

A new reader, Marcie, wrote this in response to my post:

Hi! I just found your blog and hope to follow along. But I wanted to ask you where you are getting your overall information regarding climate change. I have read a few sources of primary information on climate change and found information which is contrary to the message that you seem to have embraced. I'm curious to know more about how you didn't buy much in 2008 and what that included . . . I'll poke around here a bit more . . .

Thanks for asking Marcie. I mostly get my information from links found at Daily Kos, or at a few blogs I regularly visit. The links then send me to university studies or newspaper articles, where their sources are climate scientists or ecologists.

As an example, let's dissect an article from the Daily Kos and we can all see together what the original sources are for the information presented.

Another recent post had me posing the question, Is Global Warming Real? I answered simply that Yes, it is, and then linked to an article at Daily Kos titled, "Global Warming: Are you f***ing scared yet?".

*NOTE* This blog that I'm writing here isn't really for children. I'm speaking to all of you adults out there about the things that I think are important, and silly things too. As we are all adults here, there may be time and cause for some well placed expletives. I think that sometimes that's the appropriate response.

It's like in The Onion when they did their mock up of man landing on the moon:

HOLY SHIT, MAN WALKS ON FUCKING MOON!

"Holy living fuck.... Are you fucking believing this? Over," Armstrong radioed back to NASA headquarters nearly 250,000 miles away. "I abso-fucking-lutely am standing on the surface of the fucking moon. I am talking to you from the goddamned fucking moon. Jesus H. Christ in a chicken basket."

"Holy mother of fuck," the first man on the moon added.

I would have found that article written that way to have accurate reportage. Holy shit! is right.

My point being here that I think the Daily Kos title, "Global Warming: Are you f***ing scared yet?" is an apt choice of words.

OK. Let's get to dissecting.

The article has five links. Let's take them one at a time. The Daily Kos links will be written in blue.

The first comes in this paragraph,

Scientists have discovered that the phytoplankton of the oceans has declined by about 40 per cent over the past century, with much of the loss occurring since the 1950s. They believe the change is linked with rising sea temperatures and global warming

That's an alarming charge: 40 %, almost half, of the phytoplankton of the oceans is gone?!

Any way, let's follow the link. Click on "Scientists have discovered" and you will see that you end up at an article in the British newspaper The Independent. If you read the article, you find that the sources of the information it contains are marine biologists from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia who are citing their three year study. Let's look. I'll quote a bunch of stuff and you can see for yourself.

"If this holds up, something really serious is underway and has been underway for decades. I've been trying to think of a biological change that's bigger than this and I can't think of one," said marine biologist Boris Worm of Canada's Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He said: "If real, it means that the marine ecosystem today looks very different to what it was a few decades ago and a lot of this change is happening way out in the open, blue ocean where we cannot see it. I'm concerned about this finding."

And,

The researchers studied phytoplankton records going back to 1899 when the measure of how much of the green chlorophyll pigment of phytoplankton was present in the upper ocean was monitored regularly. The scientists analysed about half a million measurements taken over the past century in 10 ocean regions, as well as measurements recorded by satellite.

They found that phytoplankton had declined significantly in all but two of the ocean regions at an average global rate of about 1 per cent per year, most of which since the mid 20th Century. They found that this decline correlated with a corresponding rise in sea-surface temperatures – although they cannot prove that warmer oceans caused the decline.

So, they've found that the loss of phytoplankton correlates with rising sea temperatures. They haven't proven cause, but have found an alarming, startling correlation.

Maybe there are natural fluctuations in phytoplankton die off that account for this incredible loss? Yeah, they looked at that.

However, the Dalhousie scientists behind the three-year study said they have taken the natural oscillations of ocean temperatures into account and the overall conclusion of a 40 per cent decline in phytoplankton over the past century still holds true.

"Phytoplankton are the basis of life in the oceans and are essential in maintaining the health of the oceans so we should be concerned about its decline.

"It's a very robust finding and we're very confident of it," said Daniel Boyce, the lead author of the study.

"Phytoplankton is the fuel on which marine ecosystems run. A decline of phytoplankton affects everything up the food chain, including humans," Dr Boyce said.

Phytoplankton is affected by the amount of nutrients the well up from the bottom of the oceans. In the North Atlantic phytoplankton "blooms" naturally in spring and autumn when ocean storms bring nutrients to the surface.

One effect of rising sea temperatures has been to make the water column of some regions nearer the equator more stratified, with warmer water sitting on colder layers of water, making it more difficult for nutrients to reach the phytoplankton at the sea surface.

Warmer seas in tropical regions are also known to have a direct effect on limiting the growth of phytoplankton.

We learn that all of this is significant because:

The study, published in the journal Nature, is the first analysis of its kind and deliberately used data gathered over such a long period of time to eliminate the sort of natural fluctuations in phytoplankton that are known to occur from one decade to the next due to normal oscillations in ocean temperatures, Dr Worm said. "Phytoplankton are a critical part of our planetary life support system. They produce half of the oxygen we breathe, draw down surface CO2 and ultimately support all of our fishes." he said.

So, to summarize the first link in the Daily Kos article: The Independent reports about findings from marine biologists of a Canadian university study that 40% of the phytoplankton that contributes to oxygen production and acts as the start of the food chain in the oceans is gone. All gone. *pfht*

Carrying on.

The second link is here:

Scientists have also released what they described as the "best evidence yet" of rising long-term temperatures. The report is the first to collate 11 different indicators – from air and sea temperatures to melting ice – each one based on between three and seven data sets, dating back to between 1850 and the 1970s.

This link takes you to an article in the British paper The Guardian. Click on "Scientist have also released" and you will see the article. Again, multiple quotes:

Global temperatures in the first half of the year were the hottest since records began more than a century ago, according to two of the world's leading climate research centres.

Records show it is hotter.

Scientists have also released what they described as the "best evidence yet" of rising long-term temperatures. The report is the first to collate 11 different indicators – from air and sea temperatures to melting ice – each one based on between three and seven data sets, dating back to between 1850 and the 1970s.

Indications are from 11 different areas some from as long ago as 1850.

Publishing the newly collated data in London, Peter Stott, the head of climate modelling at the UK Met Office, said despite variations between individual years, the evidence was unequivocal: "When you follow those decade-to-decade trends then you see clearly and unmistakably signs of a warming world".

"That's a very remarkable result, that all those data sets agree," he added. "It's the clearest evidence in one place from a range of different indices."

A scientist acknowledges variations from year to year but shows a clear warming trend over decades.

Despite annual fluctuations, the figures also highlight the clear trend for the 2000s to be hotter than the 1990s, which in turn were clearly warmer than the previous decade, said Stott.

"These numbers are not theory, but fact, indicating that the Earth's climate is moving into uncharted territory," said Rafe Pomerance, a senior fellow at Clean Air Cool Planet, a US group dedicated to helping find solutions to global warming.

There's a clear trend of each decade being hotter than the previous one.

The article then outlines what was looked at:

Seven of the indicators rose over the last few decades, indicating "clear warming trends", although these all included annual fluctuations up and down. One of these was air temperature over land – including data from the Climatic Research Unit at the UEA, whose figures were under scrutiny after hacked emails were posted online in November 2009, but the graphic also included figures from six other research groups all showing the same overall trends despite annual differences.

The other six rising indicators were sea surface temperatures, collected by six groups; ocean heat to 700m depth from seven groups; air temperatures over oceans (five data sets); the tropospheric temperature in the atmosphere up to 1km up (seven); humidity caused by warmer air absorbing more moisture (three); and sea level rise as hotter oceans expand and ice melts (six).

Another four indicators showed declining figures over time, again consistent with global warming: northern hemisphere snow cover (two data sets), Arctic sea ice extent (three); glacier mass loss (four); and the temperature of the stratosphere. This last cooling effect is caused by a decline in ozone in the stratosphere which prevents it absorbing as much ultraviolet radiation from the sun above.

To summarize this point: It's hotter overall around the world, and the trend is that it will continue to be hotter than it was before.
The third link is here:
The hard scientific evidence builds up day after day yet still we do almost nothing. Its nothing less than suicidal, and no matter how deeply you jam your head in the sand the facts will not go away.
If you click on "evidence builds up day after day" it takes you to an article at Ecoworld which is an online news and opinion source that started in 1995. I gotta say, I don't like this source. But then again, here I am just a mom blogger and I think I'm an excellent source--but that's because my links are great.
This article basically cites tables compiled by an MIT atmospheric scientist. They show an obvious warming trend with a flattening out of temperatures for the last ten years. However, this was written in 2008, before recent discoveries.
Here are quotes:
Editor’s Note: Viewing the global temperature records shown on the tables and analysis to follow, one might immediately ask: Even if recent warming may be leveling off since temperature records are arguably flat for the last ten years – what if they aren’t? That is the classic, and not cavalierly dismissed, question from the global warming alarmists. Then again, what if we successfully cool the planet, avoiding climate catastrophe by banning spurious combustion, only to regret that in the process we never developed a fleet of passenger and cargo transport aerospaceplanes, and as a result were unable to spacelift the throw-weight necessary to stop an asteroid from hitting our planet and wiping us out?
Beware of how often you play the “we-do-this-or-we-all-perish” card while relying on the precautionary principle. How often must we transform and reorganize our entire industrial base, just to avoid a plausible, but somewhat (if not extremely) low probability of leaving ourselves vulnerable to certain slaughter? And should we shift our focus away from ridding the air of really noxious pollutants; micro-particulates, sulpher dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, ozone, just to reduce C02 emissions?
They feel that we may be allowing some harmful pollution at the expense of concentrating solely on CO2 levels. They think this is misguided.
Then they ask what if:
The data in the following set of tables, compiled by Dr. Richard Lindzen, an atmospheric scientist from MIT, only goes back to the mid 19th century; there are only about 150 years of data. Per-WWI data could be skewed. Depending on whether or not that is true, or even so, there is only about a 0.5 (one-half degree) centigrade change in global temperature that is clearly indicated. But what if the recent 25 year rising trend doesn’t fall? What are the 500 year trends, year by year? Do we know? What are the 10,000 year trends?
What if the earth really is warming – what if the data takes another leap, then another, instead of settling back to the 150 year mean? Do we combat this by curtailing and controlling all burning?
Why instead don’t we simply replace more of the 40% of forests that have been lost in the last 150 years, and restore to life 30% of the deserts that have marched forward over the last 150 years? We can plant trees in the cities while we’re at it, to ameliorate the hugely significant additional effect of the urban heat islands of our world’s new mega-cities. Do we strip the last forests to grow biofuel, instead of simply constructing (usually on rooftops) photovoltaic and solar-thermal arrays that consume – by well over two orders of magnitude – far less space? Wouldn’t we rather replace desert with rangeland and farms, and rangeland and farms with forest, and put canopies of green across our cities, rather than regulate all burning?
So, their emphasis is on overall deforestation, pollution etc. They see it as bad.

The next link is here:
In the geological history of the Earth , there have been five periods of great natural extinction that have happened because of geological changes and huge disasters. But now, thanks to humanity's influences, the rate of species' extinction has increased to 1,000 times that of ancient period, and Earth is coming into the sixth extinction period, according to Beijing Daily's report.
One species would disappear per hour on average
According "Nature," more than 1 million species will disappear from this planet 50 years from now, and one species will be extinct per hour on average because of human activities, which is 1000 times faster than ever.

Startling, right? Well, if you follow that link, "In the geological history of the earth", it takes you to an article in The People's Daily which is the online version of the official communist newspaper of China.

That's a crap link! There won't be any critical, open reporting here.

Is it a crap link though? Wouldn't China have a a lot to lose if they acknowledge man made climate change? Wouldn't they have to cut down on the prodigious amount of pollution they're pumping out every day?

Here are quotes:

15,600 species are threatened by extinction How many species there are on our planet anyway? No one could really figure it out. All the estimates of about 1.5 million, 1.7 million and 2 million only include species we have found. Since there are still lots of creatures we have not discovered, the actual number should be much higher. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources usually publishes Red Papers on situations of global species. According to the latest paper, 15,600 species are threatened by extinction on the Earth, including 12 percent of birds, 23 percent of animals, 32 percent of amphibians, 25 percent of gymnosperms, 52 percent of cycadopsida, 42 percent of terrapins, 18 percent of sharks and rays and 27 pct of East African fresh water fishes.

If that's accurate, that's a lot.

Five major threats challenge species diversity Experts have summed up five major reasons causing the terrible state of the environment. 1. Loss and destruction of living environment 2. Invasion from exotic creatures 3. Environmental pollution 4. Explosive human population 5. Overuse
Wow, China! That's quite the assessment, seeing as how you contribute to a great deal of these problems. But, wait--aren't American corporations set up in China for the cheap labor and cheap production costs--no pollution controls, etc.? Aren't there economic pressures that contribute to China's pollution?

Any way, I'm thinking of throwing out this whole link. It's too wonky. That's how I read it any way. Which is a shame, because what it says might be perfectly true. But, I don't like this source.

Here's a list of recent headlines at The People's Daily:

Major headlines
CPC vows to strengthen exchanges with South Africa's ANC
Chinese leaders offer condolences over fatal air crash in Pakistan
Reporter 'wanted' after exposing scandal
High-level executive of China's Zijin detained after toxic spill
Tangshan mourns quake victims on 34th anniversary amid "Aftershock"
At least 10 killed, hundreds injured in east China plant explosion
Over 1,000 chemical buckets washed into major river in NE China

Interesting, isn't it? The headlines seem to report bad things--it's not sugar coated, although who knows what the articles say.

Carrying on.

The final link is a positive one:

When you hear the words "mini cows" they sound as if they are the result of someone's daft hobby. But miniature cattle could be the future of environmentally-friendly beef.

Click on "When you hear the words 'mini cows' ". This takes you back to The Guardian for an article about the environmental viability of farming with smaller breeds of cattle. They eat less, produce less methane and can easily be grass fed.

Quotes from the article:

"When I started frittering around with miniature cattle, everyone thought I was nuts," he says. Since the 1940s, US farmers have been breeding cows for size, making them much larger than their British cousins. But with Gradwohl's farm being swallowed up by rising taxes, he had to give up 60 acres of land. He discovered that it is possible to raise 10 miniature cows on five acres, rather than just two full-sized cows, meaning that land could yield up to three times as much beef – but the cows only need one third of the feed.
"These little cows were just right for me," he says. And, given worries about cows' contribution to greenhouse gases, it takes 10 mini cows to produce the amount of methane of one full-sized cow.

And,

Although they sound innovative, mini cows date back to the 1600s, says Gradwohl, when "British farmers developed small breeds because they only had five-acre farms". Now, with a bit of luck, more farmers of the 1.3 billion-strong cattle worldwide might also try them out for size.

Innovation and creativity in many areas can make a difference in pollution levels, nutrition, poverty levels, etc. worldwide.
So, Marcie, that sums up just one article at Daily Kos. That is one source of my reading material. I read all sorts of things from all sorts of places. I also regularly listen to NPR. I can't do it much, but more than I used to, because my kids would hear a story and ask me with their innocent countenances, "What does assassinate mean?" or, "What is genocide?" And although we get into serious, real discussions around here, I want my kids to be happy and not worry about the state of the world. I, as the woman I am, do plenty of that on their behalf.
We are having more and more involved discussions about these matters as they get older and can understand and have more of a context to file the information away.
But, kids get to be kids as far as I'm concerned.
We adults, however, should put away childish things and pay attention. We should try to understand what's going on and seek out information and learn. We should be critical of the voices which are bombarding us daily with competing messages and look at sources directly.
Which brings me to you, Marcie. You said,
"I have read a few sources of primary information on climate change and found information which is contrary to the message that you seem to have embraced."
I think you mean that you have read a few primary sources of information.
What have you read? What is the source? What is it filtered through--Fox News, discredited climate change denialist scientists?
What university studies have you read? What scientific journals?
I think a lot is riding on the human collective paying attention and making some fairly large, all encompassing changes in the very near future. I was feeling sad because I thought we'd already reached a tipping point. But, for the sake of my kids, and their kids, and their kids' kids, we can all act as if we haven't and get some things to change.
If you don't believe that global warming is a real man made phenomenon, would you still acknowledge that less pollution worldwide would be beneficial to all? Would a decrease in oil dependence be good, regardless of carbon output and whether that's bad or not? Would less plastic crap, with or without heavy metals, shipped over here from China be good for our kids' well being--spiritually, intellectually and physically, regardless of the pollution it causes in production in China and in landfills after 6 months or so of ownership here in the states?
Wouldn't some of the results of policies that are based on a global warming model ultimately have a positive effect regardless of whether you believe in global warming or not?
Wouldn't us not crapping up the earth be good?
Tag, you're it, Marcie.
Tell us where you get your information and how.

Happy With You

2010-08-14T11:35:00.003-05:00

I'm not feeling it lately, I gotta be honest. My kids are great. My husband is great. Our life is great. However...

I am sad. I feel overwhelmed by the news lately and what I know to be true--we're all in trouble. When I am only concerned with my own life and our own little struggles and triumphs (which when in the midst of them are not little at all), I am distracted and blissfully unaware. I am exceedingly lucky to not have many problems in my life. For this, I am grateful.

My kids are healthy. They are wonderful. My husband and I are both mostly healthy (seasonal allergies stink--yes, we use a neti pot, and consume local honey--perhaps more probiotics or some acupuncture is in order).

It's just that lately I see what is happening in the world and a pattern is emerging. HAS emerged. I feel doomed by it. WE ARE SCREWED!!!!

I think we have reached the tipping point and have gone right over the edge. I think we are past the tipping point.

This summer:

a fifth of Pakistan is under water because of crazy flooding
hundreds have died in China because of mud slides due to flooding
the Urals in Russia were/are on fire causing terrible pollution in Moscow
there is drought in numerous places around the world--our own country has broken heat records in many places
a gigantic (really, monstrous proportion) chunk of ice broke off of a glacier in Greenland--it's the size of four Manhattans or so and is now bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean

Now, I know storms come and go. I'm a Chicago girl. I grew up here with extreme weather--hot and muggy summers, cold and snowy winters. I know weather happens here and elsewhere. I know there are monsoons and loads of people get flooded out every year in Bangladesh and other parts of Southeast Asia. But, the points I listed above seem kind of unprecedented. This is a lot to happen all at once.

I am feeling defeated by it all. And, really, I feel like I should turn that feeling of defeat into rage and passion and motivation so that I can join others so we can all DO SOMETHING about it.

It seems so silly to not buy new things and recycle and commute to work on a bike when glaciers all over the world are melting and drought is causing fire which is destroying crops and bees are giving up the ghost and no longer there to pollinate everything. What are our little actions in the face of all of that?

What we need are policy changes worldwide that are serious and comprehensive. We need to get together on this and quit being distracted by buying green and so thinking we have a moral edge on those who don't. Biodegradable umbrellas aren't going to slow climate change--they just aren't! It is silly and self indulgent to think otherwise.

God damn it--we are fucking up here and buying a bunch of greenwashed products isn't going to save endangered species or stop Ames Iowa from being flooded out where they have no drinking water.

10,000 year floods seem to be happening with amazing frequency these days. (Psst. Warmer air holds more water. So, snow storms are bigger too...) If you are not in drought, you are flooded out. Rhymin' timin'!!

So, I'm feeling sad and useless. I'm busy homeschooling my kids, which has its own inherent value, but isn't there some way to act to affect change also? We need it now and in a big way.

I heard this group on NPR, The Bewitched Hands on top of our Heads. Isn't that an interesting name? They are French (but sing a lot in English). Oh, by the way, our French is going tres bien! I don't know how to put in accent marks as I type, but believe me they are there in spirit.

Although I am sad, I am plugging away and helping my kids learn and doing things to contribute and have fun. This song is uplifting and fun, so enjoy it--EVEN IF WE ARE SO SCREWED!!!!

Happy With You

Is Global Warming Real?

2010-07-29T08:10:00.007-05:00

Is Global Warming real?

Yes, it is.

Phytoplankton: the starting point of the marine food chain and producer of oxygen. Now, 40% less phytoplankton in oceans than in the 1950's due to Global Warming...

Because We Have Freedom

2010-07-03T08:24:00.006-05:00

The First Amendment Rocks, you know that? Despite my husband's quote at the bottom of this page, "You know, the problem with the internet is it gives everyone a voice.", I think he truly appreciates our ability to say whatever the hell we want in this country--even those from the intolerant right or the intolerant religious zealots. Yes, they get to talk too, and what they say is really the target of my husband's contempt.

Let your freak flag fly, I say.

No, I haven't heard about Jesus, how about you tell me all about him. Obama wasn't born in the U.S.? Tell me about it. Women shouldn't earn as much as a man does for the same job? Hey, let's talk! The Rapture is coming so pollution and consumption and waste doesn't matter? Let's go buy something!!

Tell me all about it.

Because we do have freedom here, not only do we get to say what we want, it's good to keep using our freedoms so they don't get chipped away. (psst. *said in hushed, secretive tones*Bush domestic spying--hey Obama, when you gonna stop that?) I get to say stuff too to counter what they are saying!

Let's take a peek at the First Amenement so we all know what we have the right to do:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

You can believe, or not believe, anything you want! The government has no say in that. None. Neither to establish (through tax dollars or text in public places), nor to prohibit. If you want to be a Wiccan, you can be. Totally American!! Yes, Fundamentalist Christians, THAT is what America is about. Tolerate that.

Now, because of the First Amendment, you can tell me that I'm going straight to Hell and that I need to get myself right with God!! You can say it, but I don't have to believe it and the government doesn't have to teach it--in fact mustn't teach it. That's just for you. That's your own individual freedom that you have a right to, that can't abridge my own individual freedom that I have a right to. Even Steven.

I can write all of this here, because there is the freedom of the written word, and speech.

Tonight, when my family goes to watch fireworks, we will meet with another family and we get to do that because of the First Amendment. You can go where you want. You can see who you want. We take that so for granted here.

I spoke with a Romanian man once who explained how they would meet people in the city where he was from. No one was allowed to stand near a statue of Nicolae Ceausescu, but it was an obvious place to meet people. So, people would slowly walk in a large circle around it, waiting until their friends would arrive. Can you imagine? You can't just stand there??

Other countries insist on citizens carrying papers identifying them. Crazy, right? It's like old Communist Romania or Russia or Germany during WWII. Who would want that kind of intrusion on personal freedom here in the U.S.? It is soooo UnAmerican, isn't it? Look at the First Amendment. That's American, not anything that seeks to alter that.

I could tell Bush how pissed off I was at his policies and law breaking--torture really is against international law--and, I can tell Obama to get it together and stop all of Bush's policies. Get us out of Iraq. Get us out of Afghanistan. Quit cozying up to the same corporate leaders who made a mess of our economy and environment and fight for the people! That's why we elected you. I can say all of that because I have a right to tell the government whatever I think. I have the right to sue the government when wronged by them. That is American too.

All of these rights are the basis of our American culture. The expression of these rights is what makes this country so fun. You can be who you want and how you want and where you want. It is about freedom here.

As this is the Fourth of July weekend, I think some patriotic music is in order. My friend L. and I were talking last night and we both agreed we like Jimi Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner. It is his free expression of the song, but also his ability to weave in the sounds of bombs and screams that is so compelling. Think of how the Viet Nam War was raging on then and hear the song. Now remember that WE ARE AT WAR EVEN NOW!! STILL!!

We kinda forget that with the daily life thing happening, don't we? Unless you have friends or loved ones in the service, it's not a topic that comes up in daily life. If you read or listen to alternative media sources, it comes up. That's not what most of the mainstream press is covering. But, by God I know that Sandra Bullock was just divorced! What?! Yes, she was. I know that Skechers has a shoe called Twinkle Toes and they realllllly want my daughter to buy a pair. That's a use of the First Amendment, I suppose, but some exposing of wrong doing by the wrong doers would also be a good thing.

Think about your freedoms, use them, and fight the good fight!

Happy Fourth of July everybody!

And for fun here's Purple Haze, which he played right after the anthem.

Enjoy, because you can...

Theresa Andersson

2010-06-25T11:28:00.002-05:00

I heard this musician on NPR recently. She is amazing. She uses foot pedals to loop herself, make a recording and then within seconds plays it back and plays with it. She harmonizes with her own voice, she plays a melody and then a solo against it.

It is not just gimmicky, it's good music, I think.

Enjoy.

It's Kinda Like...

2010-05-18T19:54:00.006-05:00

It's an imposing looking fruit. Not fruit in the sense of strawberry, or apple though. More like fruit in the botanical sense: the part of the plant that encompasses the seeds.

Sometimes melon is part of the name, and that's going to throw you off. It doesn't really taste like one. It goes by other names as well. I like Kiwano. Sounds a bit like a mens' civic organization or something.

It is also in the cucumber family--a bit of trivia that I left out when explaining about it to my kids. I thought there was a greater chance of them trying this odd spiky fruit originally from Africa if they thought it was more of the strawberry or apple type.

The horned melon or kiwano is a strange, odd, alien looking fruit. If a puffer fish was turned into a fruit, it would look like this and its skin would be orange.

It's like a pomegranate in that the fruit is filled with a copious amount of seeds that are covered in a gelatinous coating. Unlike the beautiful ruby red of the pomegranate, the kiwano seeds are covered in an almost glowing green goop.

Surprisingly, neither one of my kids thought that that was gross in any way.

I, on the other hand, was reminded of the BFG's favorite food--the snozzcumber.

It had a light cucumber taste. I didn't like the seeds, and didn't like digging the seeds out. It was very uckyslush.

Snozzcumber through and through.

Oo, La, La!

2010-05-17T09:36:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, I see how my family and I fall into a rut. Either we're doing the same things over and over, or we are creating and then grooving bad habits.

I am an addict.

I LOVE reading, and lately I love reading various sites online. I post every once in a while to Facebook. I leave comments on others' blogs. I read Huffington Post and Daily Kos, and then read the links where the writers got their information. It adds up to a ton of reading, some writing, here, and on the other blogs. In short, it's a huge time stealer.

My kids, meanwhile, are watching fun TV shows, or on the computer as well (playing games), or watching a Netflix pick. They also read and do other things of course, but I was appalled the other day when I realized the total of our screen time around here. It's ridiculous.

It would be one thing if it had no negative impact. Some may argue that it doesn't. I think it does, and my kids know that it does. We are all grumpy when we've been sitting too long or when we've been in front of a screen. We are all happy when we've gotten outside and moved our bodies and talked with one another and done something or created things with our own hands.

So, limits have been set up for everyone. Everyone agreed to the limits. We started with me, because as I said to my kids, I'm the worst offender of all of us. By way of example, I told the kids how often I will get on the computer to read and to check e-mail, and then they followed suit.

What are we replacing all of this screen time with?

FRENCH! We are going to learn French, together the kids and I, and as my son proclaimed this morning, then go to France!

I think that's a fine trade off. And already the kids are more patient with each other, and generally more easy going.

I ordered some materials from Funbooks: some coloring book/dictionaries, a larger 100 word dictionary and a CD/card game set. This is all a nice beginning and we will see how far we can get on our own. Then, we will take a class somewhere.

The kids and I are serious about this and are determined to learn.

For those of you who have successfully learned a foreign language at home, did you use a more comprehensive system like Rosetta Stone or Mango or Muzzy? What worked, what didn't? Are these systems worth the cost?

Oo, la, la!

Communication Breakdown...

2010-05-14T09:30:00.007-05:00

It's all how you frame things, isn't it? If you can get things in perspective, shift your view, you can really understand things better, don't you think? Sort of a glass half full vs. glass half empty kind of thing.

Here's a blurb at Huffington Post explaining how the BP CEO, Tony Hayward, explains away the largest oil spill (Can I interrupt here and ask that we refer to this in a more accurate way? It is a gusher--much more than BP first reported. Estimates are now from 56,000 to 70,000 barrels of oil a day, not 5,000 as reported by BP, spewing up from the sea bed--not a "spill". Not a "leak". This is an oil geyser that they don't know how to cap. That amount of oil gushing into the Gulf is akin to an Exxon Valdez spill every five days. Wrap your brains around that...).

Back to Tony--he logically puts the whole geyser/gushing-oil-nonstop thing into perspective by comparing it to the size of the ocean. He says it's "relatively tiny"...

That's Fucking Brilliant!!

...and logical. So, don't worry your pretty little heads. Just get on with your lives. Nothing to see here. Move along. Let's stay positive!!

Drill Baby, Drill?

2010-04-30T18:46:00.004-05:00

"Drill Baby, Drill" doesn't sound so fun now does it? The oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico is making it's way north where it will soon coat the shore, the plants, the animals. There is reportedly a stench hanging over New Orleans--the smell of the oil coming. Fishermen are scrambling to gather shrimp while they still can.

Here's John Lee Hooker watching the waterfront for his baby. It seems appropriate.

I cover the waterfront
Watchin' the ship go by
I could see everybody's baby
But I couldn't see mine
I could see the ships pullin' in
To the harbor
I could see the people
Meeting their loved one
Shakin' hand
I sat there
So all alone
Coverin' the waterfront

And after a while
All the people
Left the harbor
And headed for their destination
All the ships
Left the harbor
And headed for their next destination
I sat there
Coverin' the waterfront

And after a while
I looked down the ocean
As far as I could see - in the fog
I saw a ship
It headed this way
Comin' out the foam
It must be my baby
Comin' down
And after a while
The ship pulled into the harbor
Rollin' slow
So triple (?)
And my baby
Stepped off board
I was still
Coverin' the waterfront

Said "Johnny,
Our ship had trouble - with the fog
And that's why we're so late
So late
Comin' home
Comin' down"

Earth Day 2010!

2010-04-22T11:41:00.006-05:00

The Earth

It's Earth Day! Normally this holiday gets me mad. I think it's a time for people to try and do a couple of things, and then forget about the earth the next day--it seems far more symbolic than real to me. On the other hand, maybe it gets people thinking. That's always a good thing.

Food, Inc. was on PBS last night and I watched it. Wow. If you don't already buy any food directly from a farmer, look around to see if it's possible in your area. The more people who are both buying real, untainted food (no GMOs or pesticides or herbicides or synthetic fertilizers), and supporting small family farms or CSAs (Consumer Supported Agricuture--co-ops of a sort) the more the corporate hold of our food supply starts to crumble a little. That's also always a good thing.

To celebrate today, I am going to go out and buy the latest and best of all of the Green products I can find!

No, I'm not. Joking!!

People keep forgetting, "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" We mostly have a hold on the recycle bit, but reusing things (hand me downs, garage sale and thrift store finds), and reducing in the first place seems to elude a lot of us.

If you need to replace something, see if you can get it used. If you can't then buy green. Buying green to replace perfectly usable things you have doesn't really help anyone or anything--except the Green manufacturers. That's OK except stuff still ends up in the landfills, doesn't it?

Go do something gentle for the earth today--even if it's as small a gesture as not buying something. Just skip it. You'll be OK, really.

Then, think about doing something tomorrow, and maybe all week. If you survive that, try it for a month. You may surprise yourself at your ability to forego stuff you don't need any way.

Try it and see how strong you are. You are woman!! (Or man, depending...)

The Positive Side of Global Warming!!

2010-04-20T09:02:00.005-05:00

When you attempt to scale Mt. Everest, you need to bring a lot of stuff: tents, sleeping bags, food, ropes, pick axes, clothes, and perhaps most importantly, oxygen tanks. The air is so thin, at some point it contains a third of the oxygen of lower altitudes. A climber can only survive for up to three days in such conditions. Many have not survived and have left their bodies behind in addition to all sorts of litter--tons of it.

Mt. Everest is a holy place for the Nepalese people and some of the Sherpas who guide climbers up to the topmost peak are able to now clean up the mountain top because the snow melt has allowed them to see the garbage to clear it.

Enough snow is now gone, it is worth it to climb up and retrieve tons of litter and several bodies of dead climbers.

So, there's an upside to global warming!!

Written in Reverse

2010-04-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

Written in Reverse, by Spoon.

Ever remember seeing a relationship fall apart in front of your eyes?

Here it is...

Homeschooling--What?? Are You Crazy?!

2010-04-08T12:37:00.005-05:00

Have you encountered naysayers, critics, overly worried relatives who question your choice and or ability to homeschool your kids? You are not alone. It can come up a lot.

You know what you can offer them in response?

Bean Dip! (AKA how to set boundaries with your loved [and not so loved] ones.)

Yummy, yummy bean dip.

Here's how the bean dip offer might be put into action. Shhh. Let's listen in:

Your father and I are very worried about you guys homeschooling. Children belong in school because that's just the way it is and always has been and we think... What's that delicious looking treat? Bean dip, you say... Yes, I'd like some, thanks. Mmmmm. *chewing noises as she relishes the tasty party treat* As I was saying, we don't think you should be homeschooling the kids, because... Yes, thank you, I would like a drink. Sangria!! I love it! Homemade! Wow, the fruit in it looks so appealing! Kids should be around their peers all day long *big sipping noises followed by Mmmmmms*--you guys just can't supply the needed *drains glass*... OK, I'd love another one... Wait, what were we talking about?

My Husband Amazes Me

2010-04-03T08:42:00.004-05:00

My husband has done it again. He grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat. He looked the enemy in the eyes and did not blink.

He is amazing, I tell you!

See the picture above? That is the wrong amp. but it looks like the kind of fuse that blew out of our washing machine as I was putting in a load of clothes. Clothes, that if you must know (and you must, because this bit adds import) had not a few of my dirty underwear. I needed to do a load of laundry STAT!

The lights came on showing me that the washing machine was running--but there was no water sound. The tub wasn't filling. There wasn't any kind of sound whatsoever. It didn't work!

I called my husband at work, and when he came home he opened up the machine.

That is an action that just never occurs to me. Does it occur to you? Do you think, "Hm. I think I'll just take a peekie boo and see if I can't SEE what the problem might be." I don't think to do that because I don't know what I'm looking for or if I would recognize it if I did see it. "Oh, you mean there aren't supposed to be blown fuses in the workings of the washing machine? Huh." * blink, blink* * blink, blink*

I went to Radio Shack and got the replacement fuse.

My husband just put it in and the washing machine is washing my clothes as I write this to you. It is amazing! But, that's not all...

On the way to work, my husband felt that his bike tire was low. He had a slow leak and was able to stop at a gas station and fill it up enough to get him to work. From work he brought home a battery operated pump and used it as needed on the way home.

When he got home, he fixed the computer that was saying telling us that there was a virus. But, there really wasn't--just spam; it was very urgent, insistent spam. Seemed real.

Isn't he the greatest?

Yeah, he is.

I know it's all a bit of white man's blues. It's first world problems we were facing. Those kind of minor, frustrating things that pop up and must be dealt with and solved and corrected. No one's health was in jeopardy. No one was hungry. The problems only lasted a day.

I just am pleased that my partner knows how to take care of stuff and does.

He is amazing.

Words

2010-04-03T00:18:00.002-05:00

I just used the word "constancy" during a conversation with my husband. He thought that was pretty funny and told me that the word is actually "constanconcy".

Some people have a way with words. Others, sort of, not have way...

Time to Shake Things up Around Here

2010-04-01T13:17:00.004-05:00

See the new colors? This blog was looking soooo boring. Blah. Soft greens, greys, with a white background--BORING!!

Also, I think I might go buy a bunch of stuff today, just because.

I did go and buy a new cardigan that I wore at the homeschooling conference, and I think I might just throw off this yoke of oppression--this "We Don't Buy It" crap. Who needs that kind of limitation in life?! If I want to go out and get myself a little something, something, why not?!

I DESERVE IT!

Enjoy this April 1st.

Who Knew?

2010-03-31T20:34:00.003-05:00

Of the many things that our new rats will eat, the fresh kale cut into little bits, the strawberry tops, the lab blocks (a kind of pressed tan cube of "complete" nutrition that they try to hide by burying in the shredded newspaper at the bottom of their cage), it is to my utmost consternation and frustration that they turn up their little pointed noses at the very, very stale wild rice that my family also rejected many years ago.

Yes, I did have many-year-old wild rice wrapped up in my cabinet. I'm sure I'm not alone. I know people who still have 20 year old spices in their cabinets--that they use on a very rare basis, which is why they have 20 year old spices in their cabinets.

Also, the rats don't seem to know that they are "rats". They have no self loathing or self esteem issues. They just placidly sit on my kids' shoulders surveying what they know of the world, relaxing to the point of gently purring in my kids' ears.

I guess I can't foist off rejected food stuffs on them any more. What a waste.

A Food Confession

2010-03-30T14:05:00.003-05:00

I saw them sitting there, so cheery and innocent on an end-of-stand display at Trader Joe's. I've heard of them, known their name forever and never really understood what they were, or how they looked, smelled, tasted. And, so now I know.

I don't like kumquats.

There, I've said it. Make of it what you will. I'm free.

John Adams Mandated Healthcare Insurance

2010-03-29T09:26:00.006-05:00

Some of the extreme thinkers on the right (think Teabaggers and Republican Attorneys General of some states) may need a better understanding of our shared history in this country. They may need to understand what the founding fathers did have in mind for us and not incorrectly refer to them and their ideas. Turns out it is supremely American to mandate health insurance. It's not unconstitutional. Say what?! Yes, you heard me. Check out this link to a post at DailyKos. Here's the title: President John Adams Signed a Law Mandating Employed Sailors to Purchase Healthcare Insurance

I can only conclude that he did that because it was vitally important to ensure (or insure--get it??) the good health of the citizens of our young nation. And, when you think about it, when wouldn't it be vitally important to ensure the good health of our citizens?

Way to go J. A.!

Below is an image of the Gadsden flag. The Gadsden flag comes from Admiral Gadsden who flew it high and proud during the first Naval mission to intercept British war ships bringing in supplies to the British soldiers in the colonies in 1775. This flag is so symbolic of independence and courage and later became emblematic of the marines.

Isn't it interesting to now know that President John Adams enacted legislation to protect sailors, a few years after this flag so proudly flew. Early America was united. One of our founding fathers mandated health insurance. The vision of America then was one of a courageous, healthy and whole nation.

The right has taken this image as iconic of their struggle against big government, perceived threats to the Second Amendment etc. Maybe it's time to take it back. I think they're wrong about the history of this country. I think they're wrong about our iconic imagery too.

A Fashion Loss

2010-03-27T09:07:00.004-05:00

I used to rock leggings in the 80's and 90's. In the 80's I wore an over sized shirt, or perhaps a shaker sweater (both with shoulder pads) over my leggings (with or without stirrups) which were tucked into my cute suede slouchy boots. I rocked it. I had the big earrings. I had the perm.

In the 90's I wore my black leggings with big clunky heeled frankenstein boots under a sheer, black crinkly broomstick skirt that almost swept the ground. My hair was sleek and pulled back. My lips had on matte, really drying, couple shades lighter than espresso lipstick that stayed on all day. I was Euro chic.

Now leggings are back and I hate them.

I can no longer wear them. Either I don't have the body to do so anymore (and I don't), or I don't have the perky, spunky, energetic age to do so (and I don't).

When will togas make a come back do you think? I could rock those.

Enjoy the blast from the past and picture me wearing leggings and being mad at Reagan...

Bringing You up to Date

2010-03-26T09:07:00.004-05:00

The homeschooling conference last weekend was a smashing success. There were only a couple of glitches, but on the whole, I think everyone had a good time. I know my family did.

The presenters who held workshops for me all were well liked--they did a great job. I've thanked them and they all let me know that they want to return next year, because it was a good experience for them too. So, despite the two presenters dropping out and leaving us high and dry and needing to fill ten workshops at the last minute, everyone and everything else worked out.

Today, my son came screaming up to me where I was still snuggling in bed with my daughter (the kids come in the moment they wake up in the early morning and come for a snuggle and talk in our bed). He had been in the downstairs bathroom and the toilet was overflowing. You know, overflowing like how you see in movies where it seems improbable that anything could behave like that in real life, and yet, sometimes art imitates life.

My son was both panicked and laughing as he ran to me which made me alternately skeptical about his veracity and then mad as I realized he was laughing in the midst of a crisis! Don't laugh in a crisis situation--keep your cool!! KEEP YOUR COOL!!! Calm reaction on my part, eh?

There was at least an inch of standing water on the bathroom floor, when I got there. It was starting to just seep into the adjacent laundry room and was being wicked into the family room carpet outside of the bathroom door.

I rolled up my pant legs, ran into the bathroom, and tried to see the shut off valve under the toilet. Find it--find it!! I found it and gave it a good hard turn where it crumbled in my hands. WTF!!!! It worked though, before it crumbled.

The kids ran and got me towels and old cloth diapers and I soaked up the water and washed towels and mopped the bathroom floor. That bathroom is now out of order--no one allowed in.

(May I interrupt here? Attention young mothers of cloth diapered babies:

Don't ever throw out your diapers. They will be invaluable rags for many, many years to come. Save them and use them. Yet another reason to cloth diaper...)

Here's an image of how the water looked flooding the bathroom floor--yes, it really was this bad...

I called my industrial designer husband who was disgusted that the one time in however many years we have needed to use the toilet shut off valve, it almost didn't work and is now broken. Which brings me to health care reform.

My husband when he was my fiancee, filled with the promise of our future life together, was having a tightening of the chest, a racing of the heart, a breathlessness, an overwhelming feeling of panic. My God--what could be wrong?!

He had never gone to the doctor. He spent a decade not making a claim. The insurance people lost no money with him.

We rushed ourselves over to a hospital emergency room, without getting the OK of his HMO people first, and had him checked out. Turns out there was no real health issue, but we didn't know that at the time. We didn't know he was not having a heart attack, we just knew there was something wrong.

The next week, he had a stress test. Fine--nothing wrong. I started to put it all together... Might my fiancee be freaking out about our upcoming wedding? Might he be physcially manifesting all of his anxiousness in his typical male way instead of connecting with someone and talking about it?

Yes. Yes, he was.

No, I am not offended that my husband thought he might be dying when he was about to marry me... Why do you ask?

Getting married is a big deal. It is supposed to be a lifetime commitment. Having heart attack symptoms before the nuptials might make you think long and hard about the direction your life is taking. It might make you be sure of what you're doing. Or, you don't connect any of that and are unaware of the mind/body connection and think you are having heart problems just as the mainstream doctor thought.

HELLO! We're getting married in two weeks--do you think my fiancee is freaking out about it? Could that cause his symptoms? Why do doctors not ask questions about your life? Why do they not ask about your lifestyle--what you eat, drink, how you exercise, or don't? Why do they not ask what's happening to you as an individual? This doctor didn't.

Any way, when we got back from our honeymoon we were bombarded with bills from the hospital. MY HUSBAND'S INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOT COVERING THE INITIAL EMERGENCY HOSPITAL VISIT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GET A REFERRAL TO GO FROM THEM AND IT TURNED OUT THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE A HEART CONDITION. HE WAS NOT HAVING A HEART ATTACK, ALTHOUGH WE THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE, AND SO THEREFORE THEY WOULDN'T COVER IT AFTER THE FACT!!!!

No. That was ridiculous and wouldn't stand.

I called them and berated them for having the audacity to not cover any kind of claim my husband might have made after not EVER going to the doctor for a decade. I told them that we didn't know he was not having a heart attack and that it was absurd for them to ever expect people to call for permission to go get help when they thought their lives were in danger. I told them that we would not pay any of those bills, that they had better, and that it was arrogant and nasty of them to even think not to cover my husband.

The insurance person put me on hold for a couple of minutes, talked with a supervisor and then got back on to tell me that I was right. No, we would not be responsible for any of those bills.

Damn straight we won't.

Others are not as lucky as I was in that phone call. They get stuck with bills that they shouldn't get stuck with. They get turned away. They get stiffed. They can't go to a certain doctor because he/she is not in their pool. Health care in this country has been messed up for a long time. Now, things are turning. It's about time.

Got Hope?

2010-03-21T23:03:00.004-05:00

It Passed!!

JC Penny Catalog From 1977

2010-01-27T09:14:00.002-06:00

Sweet! Cool pattern for a leisure suit you can sew!

This is hilarious and accurate--check out a few pictures from a JC Penny catalog from 1977. I remember everyone and everything looking like this. Well, almost everything. My parents were more into a Scandinavian Design kind of look back then--clean lines, light woods, it was tasteful.

However, when I went to the Raquet Club for tennis lessons, I saw in the lounge area a table with an inset TV screen which had a new thing on it--PONG! It was mesmerizing. The table and the chairs looked kind of like the barrel furniture in the JC Penny catalog. How did anyone see that as stylish or well designed?

1977. No longer the Bicentennial year, and kind of a let down.

At least we still had terry cloth, polyester and his and her matching clothing.

Today I am 44/Random Stuff

2010-01-26T20:56:00.008-06:00

It's my birthday today--I'm 44. Which means that the kids made me homemade cards yesterday with my husband's prompting, hid them in their rooms, and when they woke up this morning, they got them and gave them to me in bed. It was very, very sweet.

It also means that I had to go and get my drivers license renewed as it expired on this day--why did I not do it last week, or the week before that, or before that?! I'll tell you--because that's not how I roll.

I wait.

I procrastinate.

I stall, and push aside and forget until I can't any more.

Oh, and I'm none too pleased with Obama either (yes a non sequitur...) Where's the Change?! Did we close Gitmo yet? Not only are we not out of Iraq yet, we're increasing our military presence in Afghanistan. Because Russia was so successful there and we can turn to their experience as an example, right? Why are Monsanto people in any kind of position in the government--can you say fox guarding the hen house?

I want a fierce proponent for all of the liberal stuff I believe in and thought we had that with Obama. I'm hoping he has some sort of secret hidden long term plan that will all come right in the end. But for right now I'm worried.

We have rats, but not the invading, uninvited kind. We purposely went and got them as pets. Not ones from the pet store as we learned from all of our google research they would not have been properly socialized. No. I had to find ratterys in the Northern Illinois area and find ones that had babies. Ones that had female babies (the males mark a lot and get really big--we didn't want that.)

I finally found a rat breeder--and can I just say here that I didn't realize there was such a thing as a rat breeder or that they breed Fancy Rats. I love sub cultures. There's so much in the world--I will never be bored. We went almost to the Wisconsin border and bought our rats, a giant cage, a running wheel and brought them home.

My kids are ecstatic. It turns out that a fancy goldfish doesn't really elicit any kind of affection or feelings of fun from my children. After my daughter's ancient calico goldfish died, the kids started lobbying for some sort of mammal. Our 24 year old cat won't tolerate another cat or a dog, and I don't blame her. The search was on then for a small caged mammal.

My son told me that he had heard that rats make good pets. Yeah, OK. But they're creepy, and while I know that the plague wasn't their fault but that of their flea passengers, still, they were involved. Plus, there's that hairless tail. Ugh. *shudder*

I googled, "which is a better pet a rat or a mouse?" The result was dramatic and almost completely one sided. The rat won. It is smart, trainable, affectionate and unlike mice, hamsters and gerbils doesn't bite. What?! Who knew? It will come when called, and can learn tricks. It doesn't smell and is social, so needs companions.

We got four rats.

I am a sucker.

My kids are all the more happy for it.

What's new with you cyber people? Tell me the good news!

And lastly, Team Conan.

Guess What!

2009-11-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

Guess! No really, what might it be?

Give up?

OK, I'll tell you.

Another homeschool conference presenter has dropped out who was also going to do five workshops. Ha! Cosmic joke on me.

Could be worse--could be rainin' (Name that movie)

When you have 10 workshops all lined up, don't be jaded and take that for granted--it could all go away like this *snaps fingers*. Appreciate what you have. Be thankful.

Because it's Thanksgiving, here's Alice's Restaurant.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and don't get busted for litterin'...

PartI

Part II

Part III

An Appropriate Song

2009-11-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

OK. I'm trying to do my part for the upcoming homeschooling conference. I agreed to be on the Children's Workshop Planning Committee so that I could help arrange presenters. I will be rewarded with a hotel room and free admittance to the conference for my entire family--this goes a long way. We will all appreciate it and enjoy the conference. That is good and I am glad for it.

However...

Of the several workshops I lined up, a full five have recently been dropped because one of the presenters realized he couldn't do it--after agreeing to months ago. FIVE workshops to be replaced! Arggghghghghggh!

And, another presenter hasn't returned phone calls or e-mail. That represents another FIVE workshops. I'm still hopeful about that one, but where's the communication? "Where are you wonderful presenter who agreed to do it oh these many months ago?!" Do you guys hear me yelling? That is because I'm feeling anxious and desperate and frantic.

You can't always get what you want...

Riddle Me This Batman

2009-11-16T06:00:00.001-06:00

I just spent a ridiculously long time cleaning out my sock drawer in my dresser. Waaaay in the back I came across 6 unopened packages of white pantyhose.

Why?

How?

When??

I am boggled.

Somewhere out there there may be some need for a pair of white pantyhose and so the good folks at Goodwill or The Salvation Army will receive all of them as part of a donation.

In the meantime, I am left wondering how there was such a white pantyhose black hole in the back of my drawer.

I am boggled.

Is There Life on Mars?

2009-11-13T06:00:00.005-06:00

Is there? Is there life on mars? Maybe a stray amino acid or some other unknown life building block? It could be there frozen in the polar ice, couldn't it?

It's all a bit wistful.

Still, a good song.

Enjoy your weekend.

Long Time No Post

2009-11-07T07:57:00.005-06:00

Hello cyber friends! Hello internet folks! Hello pixel readers! How are you?

I said I wasn't going to post here much because of the homeschooling conference work I'm doing. It is now ramping up with database entry and hounding workshop presenters to return contracts and working out all of the details. And, you know what? I really, really hate that kind of work. I do! There is no joy in this. It's not exciting figuring out what workshops there could be for the kids at the conference. It just feels like a lot of work and responsibility and pressure.

I do not like that. Plus, I can't procrastinate like I would like--there's a deadline! I can't really wait until the last minute to have someone just sort of wing it. No. This is a well thought out, well planned, well executed endeavor that I somehow am involved in. Yikes...

Have we been buying new things while I've been away from the blog? Sort of a mice will play while the cat's away thing? Me, not accountable to you compact watchers? NO! HA! We have not bought new things--well, not much any way.

My daughter said she would like new clothes. Not the nice ones I'm able to find her from Goodwill or The Salvation Army, but honest to goodness, brand new, fresh from the giant container shipped over from China clothes from Target. So, you know what I did? I got her some nice, cute clothes from Target and she was happy. Also, although I was able to avoid it for many years, I got her some American Doll stuff for her birthday. She already had a hand-me-down doll from one of her cousins and she wanted some outfits for her.

Here is my thinking. The Compact was all my idea. The kids willingly agreed to it two years ago at the tender ages of 9 and 7. They have been very thoughtful and understanding about things and wanting things and the value of things and the need vs. want of things. So, when they've really wanted something, I have seen how they value it and have gotten it for them.

We're not going for monastic here. We're going for relevance and self control and to try and avoid choices that are dictated by popular culture or peer pressure.

My kids still (still!!) have fun with a cardboard box. They have fun with sticks in the yard. They have fun with leaves and bugs and tape and yarn and cool new clothes from American Girl for my daughter's doll.

You know what else? If my daughter wants to play with dolls at the age of 9, I'm going to support that for as long as it lasts. If my son is happy making faces and noises and playing tag and hide-and-go-seek at the age of 11, I'm going to also support that for as long as it lasts. These are my little kids who are behaving like little kids.

Yes, they have occasionally mentioned other things. My daughter, out of the blue and with all seriousness and some contempt, asked my why couldn't she have an i-pod?! Hmm? Why?! (Her 12 year old friend had just gotten one). My son has asked when both kids will get a cell phone... Um, that would probably be a "never" from me, but who knows what the future holds? My husband doesn't even have one. Partly it's because he doesn't need one, and party it's because that would presuppose that he would want to talk to people more, and on the phone.

My husband once pointed out to me the silliness and ridiculousness of my sister and I talking on the phone when we were only one room away from each other at a hotel. It didn't seem silly at the time. My son has also jumped on the point-out-ludicrous-things-when-you-see-them band wagon. He asked me why I gesture wildly with my hands when I'm on the phone...

What's your point son?! And, what's it to ya?!

We also bought a new car! Whoooo! A new, used car that is. It's only three years old and has four doors--decadent! Our old car was fourteen years old, had two doors and was on its last legs. We held out and didn't make any little repairs on it because we didn't want to put any more money into it knowing that we would soon buy another car. So:

The horn was broken (the fuse not replaced, I should say)
The cloth ceiling liner shredded and my husband just took it out so we had a metal ceiling
The air conditioner was out
The emergency brake didn't work--how often does that come up, really?
The driver side door handle had come off and the only way to open it was by lifting one of the two nubs (automatic theft deterrence)
The driver seat was ripping
My tall 5' 10" body could barely fold into the passenger seat and I was unbelievably cramped and uncomfortable for long rides

Our new car has four doors! Great gas mileage (30, 34)! Room to easily hold a canoe on top! Air conditioning! Is only three years old and will accommodate our growing kids and a friend in the back.

We got a Scion xb. Aren't we cool? We are so inherently cool that we can drive a boxy, unstylish car with impunity.

Here is our cool car, 'cause that's how we roll.

Yeah, that's right. So cool, it's exponential cool and the sum is greater than the parts. It all adds up.

Enjoy your weekend and enjoy your ride, whatever that might be!

Mary Travers

2009-09-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary fame died yesterday. I think I've known their songs for all of my life: Puff the Magic Dragon, their versions of If I Had a Hammer , Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Leaving on a Jet plane and Blowin' in the Wind.

I loved the way she sang so passionately and with all of her heart and soul. Her voice was strong and warm.

She will be missed.

This Land is Your Land (sung in concert in Japan)

And When I Die as the circle of life turns on and on.

Houston, We Have a Problem

2009-09-15T22:04:00.004-05:00

Me: What's the difference between a meteor and a meteorite? The meteor is glowing in the sky and the meteorite is the rock once it's landed? Is that right?

Husband: Yes. And if it lands on the other side, it's a meteorleft...

Big yucks.

Great America Homeschooling Day

2009-09-10T19:36:00.005-05:00

My kids don't "go back to school" because we homeschool. We don't have a start to the year and just keep doing what we do all year round. We do however have a homeschooling day at Great America while other kids are at school and it is still nice out. Great America gets a whole lot of cash that they wouldn't otherwise and the homeschooling attendees get a whole lot of rides because there are no lines! It is shocking how short the wait is for the rides. Some rides had no wait at all and because of it the kids were allowed to go again without even getting out of the car.

We ran into some friends and the kids went on some of the rides with them. We also peeled away to do our own thing sometimes. All total my kids went on rides 17 times. They went on roller coasters, water rafts and spinning cups called the Fiddlers Fling. They dropped from towers, were flung upside down, spun sideways and defied gravity in other interesting, dizzying ways.

I only went on the water raft because I am lame. I am not ashamed to admit that and readily accept how it mirrors my own mother's behavior from my childhood. "We mock the things we are to be!"

My husband went on almost all of the rides with the kids. They all loved it and no one got sick.

While they rode, I sat on a wooden bench in the pleasant shade and read a book and enjoyed all of the other homeschooling kids walking with their friends and their parents and siblings going from ride to ride.

How is it that I am now exhausted?

Things Only a Republican Could Believe

2009-09-08T23:27:00.006-05:00

I know not all Republicans believe these contradictory things. I do know this. There are plenty of Republicans who simply want less government interference in the daily life of Americans and want lower taxes. Really, I do know this. I don't think of all Republicans when I read the following list... However, I know there are plenty of Republicans who do believe these contradictory things and who paint our public life in broad strokes and don't see any dissonance in their reasoning.

So with that said, here we go:

Things Only a Republican Could Believe:

Parents who don't want their children to pray in school are Anti-American zealots -- parents who don't want their children to listen to a speech by the President of the United States telling them to work hard and get good grades are noble patriots.
Peacefully demonstrating against the country starting an international war is treason -- showing up with automatic weapons to protest healthcare reform is democracy at its finest.
Any government official with a desk job should have every action scrutinized -- any government official with a badge and a gun should never be questioned or disrespected. At all. Ever.
Questioning the legitimacy of an election because the "winner" was selected by the Supreme Court is sour grapes -- questioning the legitimacy of an election because the winner (by the largest number of votes in American history) is really a Kenyan born Muslim despite all evidence to the contrary is being a vigilant American.
Lying about a blowjob is an impeachable offense -- lying about a war is no big deal, really.
Investigating a shady land deal involving the First Lady is a matter of National Identity -- investigating the use of torture at the direction of the Executive Branch is a partisan witch hunt.
Executing Japanese officers for waterboarding prisoners during WWII shows that we have the moral high-ground on human rights -- waterboarding prisoners of our own shows that we have the moral high-ground on human rights.
Sitting two rows in front of Jane Fonda in a 1970 anti-war rally is an OUTRAGE! Shaking Saddam's hand in 1983...meh, not so much.
Anyone who questions the president during a time of war is giving aide and comfort to the enemy and should be deported...unless the president in question has a (D) next to their name in which case you should undermine them at every turn even if you have to routinely make shit up to do it.
Socialism, Marxism, Communism and Fascism are all interchangeable words that mean pretty much the same thing.
Anyone who abuses drugs should be locked up indefinitely...unless they are a popular Republican radio host in which case they need your prayers as they recover from the illness of addiction.
Health Insurance companies have your best interests in mind and anyone who thinks otherwise is trying to turn America into the Godless heathen nation of Sweden where EVERYONE in the country dies (eventually).
Obama is an atheist communist muslim who attended a radical christian church.
Believing that human activity could impact the global environment is crazy talk -- believing that an invisible man in the sky personally told George Bush to invade Iraq to fulfill Biblical prophecy is logically sound.
The verdict is still out on evolution -- but Jesus Christ returning in our lifetimes is pretty much a given.
The media are unquestionably biased against Republicans -- Talk Radio, The Washington Times, The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street Journal, Rightwing Blogs, Fox News and NewsCorp are not part of the media.
The government should have no part in regulating multi-national corporations as they make decisions that impact the lives of millions of people -- government should regulate individuals by determining who they can marry, what kind of intercourse they can have, what they can smoke, how to manage their pregnancy and how to proceed with end of life decisions.
Communicating with hostile nations is a stab in the back to our great nation -- Reagan communicating with the USSR during the Cold War was Political Genius.
Iran is a mortal threat to our nation and anyone who attempts to talk to them is traitorous scum -- selling weapons to Iran and then funneling the money to start wars in South America is clearly in our National interest.
George Bush kept the nation safe after 9-11 (NOTE: the Anthrax attacks, the DC Sniper and Hurricane Katrina don't count. Also, the fact that 9-11 happened on his watch despite receiving a security briefing specifically warning of the attack doesn't count either.)
Social Security, Meidcare, public schooling, public libraries, fire departments, police departments and the US Military are as American as Apple Pie -- universal healthcare is ZOMGDEATHPANELSOCIALISM!!
George W Bush is a regular 'ole Texas rancher just like you and me despite the fact that he was born in Connecticut, attended two Ivy League schools, bought the Crawford ranch just before running for president, sold it immediately after leaving office and is terrified of horses.
The two guys at the center of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals are trustworthy voices in discussions of current national policy and should be taken at face-value.

(I did not write this but found it on numerous sites. I didn't see who the author is or I would give him/her credit. It is good isn't it?)

In Light of the Health Care Debate

2009-09-05T08:43:00.003-05:00

This has been floating around for a while, but I just saw it for the first time recently.

August 29th, 2004 9:38 pm
Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican

by John Gray

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have”.

That Highway

2009-08-21T11:33:00.002-05:00

If I was going on an adventure, I might go down Highway 61. As it is, we might just go to Park Day instead which involves no highway travel... this time.

Enjoy your weekend.

I Just Bought a Bunch of Stuff!

2009-08-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

I just bought of bunch of stuff! We are still mostly not buying anything new. But, I've completely rationalized it all to myself that that does not apply to things for the kids' education. We are Unschoolers first, Compactors second, after all.

So, I went to Fun Books and perused the Math section and the Writing section and grabbed a bunch of stuff that the kids will love--I think. That's the idea any way.

I got:

Murderous Maths (it's British so it's wonky--"Maths" not "Math"... not to say that all things British are necessarily wonky--sorry my British friends!)
A couple of Draw-Write-Now books We'll see if the kids like them or if they're too smarmy. My kids do not suffer smarmy lightly, so I hope these will just be fun and not too pointedly teachy.
The Stunning Science of Everything from the Horrible Science series which looks like a nice overview of everything--basic ideas any way.
A couple of David Macaulay books because it is so interesting to see his exploded diagrams and cross sections of buildings and machines and underground tunnels. He is a brilliant illustrator and the kids love his books.

That was a very satisfying internet purchase.

Because we're Unschoolers, and the kids are "doing school" all year round, there's really no great impetus for me purchasing all of those things right now except that it's Back-to-School-Time and I got caught up in the fervor. I plan to go get paper supplies too.

Although I won't get any more glue sticks. I don't know why I always get them, the kids have never really used them much and just use Elmer's glue or now a glue gun for projects.

I think I'm a sucker for school supplies... I will try to keep a lid on it this year.

Have you gotten school supplies yet for your schooled or homeschooled kids? Whadya get?

Mercury Exposure is Unhealthy? What?!

2009-08-12T12:13:00.001-05:00

What?! Mercury exposure is unhealthy? It is a known neurotoxin and it may cause problems in little children and pregnant women? Who knew?

And yet... I think lots of people did know and would question the healthfulness of having amalgam fillings and vaccines filled with it. I know I questioned it and now the FDA is finally doing the same, albeit after much foot dragging.

This, from a recent Newsweek article:

The reason, of course, is that mercury is a known neurotoxin, especially dangerous to developing brains. For decades anti-mercury activists have pushed the industry to develop substitutes (so-called composites, or resins, are now available), and even to persuade people to have their fillings ripped out, but have made very little headway.

Now they have won a big one. In a legal settlement signed last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has changed the information on its Web site about amalgam fillings to say that they “may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus,” and that pregnant women “should not avoid seeking dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner.” Previously, there was no such warning. The FDA also agreed to decide by next year whether mercury fillings need more regulation.

The FDA had been dragging its feet for so long on mercury in dental fillings that even the judge, Ellen Segal Huvelle of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, castigated the agency: “This is your classic failure to act,” she said. (The case is Moms Against Mercury et al. v. Von Eschenbach, Commissioner, et al. The “et al” plaintiffs are other consumer and environmental groups, as well as state officials.)

Where else might exposure to mercury be unhealthy? *cough, flu shots* What about aluminum, another known neurotoxin? *cough, cough, in every single vaccine, cough* Hmmmm...

When You Know You are Right...

2009-08-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

Because we sometimes have strong feelings about what we know to be right, I offer this comic relief:

Ha, ha, ha, hee, ho, ha!!

Don't Let it Bring You Down

2009-08-07T06:30:00.001-05:00

Feeling down? It's only castles burning. Find someone who's turning...

Que Sera, Sera

2009-08-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

I didn't like reading The Hobbit. I know that is sacrilege for lots of people. And, how is it even possible?! What's not to like in the twisting, turning plot of tiny Bilbo Baggins and his little Dwarf compatriots as they come under attack from goblins, spiders etc? It's high adventure I tell you--how can I not like it?!

Yeah, except I don't.

I liked reading about Julia Child's time in France in her book coincidentally titled, My Life in France. My mom knew I would like the book she gave me because we had spent many a half hour watching The French Chef together during the 70's. From a very young age I knew how to flute a mushroom (although I can't do it very well), how to take a giant mallet and break up bones (although I haven't done this either... but, I could if I had to--that's how clear Julia's instruction was on her TV show), and had a basic understanding of what wine to pair with a cassoulet or a lobster bisque.

I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's hilarious book, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. His writing is soooo good. Read this excerpt where his son warned him off of embarrassing him when purchasing backpacking equipment for his upcoming trail hike:

My first inkling of just how daunting an undertaking it was to be came when I went to our local outfitters, the Dartmouth Co-Op, to purchase equipment. My son had just gotten an after-school job there, so I was under strict instructions of good behavior. Specifically, I was not to say or do anything stupid, try on anything that would require me to expose my stomach, say, "Are you shitting me?" when informed of the price of a product, be conspicuously inattentive when a sales assistant was explaining the correct maintenance or aftercare of a product, and above all don anything inappropriate, like a woman's ski hat, in an attempt to amuse.

Oh my God. I can reread that passage over and over again and still have tears streaming out of the corners of my eyes it is that funny to me. Simply hilarious, and I hope I have the good grace to recognize the humor in my own life when my children are teenagers and are filled with not a little contempt for how queer my husband and I are to them. 'Cause it's going to happen on some level somehow. The whole homeschooling we-are-such-an-intimate-family-so-close-knit lifestyle that we have will not preclude our kids from seeing us as fools from time to time, I'm sure of it.

These are the books I read and thoroughly enjoy. I do see, however, how someone could like The Hobbit. I get that. And I think it's great that my own son has recently discovered it and is devouring it as I would have devoured fluted mushrooms with my mother if I could have held the paring knife correctly.

He loves it. He finds it compelling and exciting and thrilling. What more could one want from a book? He really doesn't understand how I could not like it. It's a mystery and will probably contribute to some bit of contempt in his teenage years.

Oh well. Que sera, sera.

Poppies!

2009-08-06T10:19:00.000-05:00

My daughter planted seeds back in the spring. In our living room, we had a table top full of seedlings in egg cartons and black plastic trays. The seedlings were full of hope and energy--so earnest. Snow was still on the ground, but inside our house they were pushing their way up through the loose soil and leaning into the light.

And from these hairy, drooping looking plants came...

Poppies!

Poppies and more poppies!

Aren't they beautiful? Nice job daughter. Thanks for growing these and tending them and planting some of them into pots near your shed/wood shack/playhouse doorway--pretty!

Random Thoughts...

2009-08-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

Here are some thoughts I've had over the last week or so. No real link between them all except that some might recognize a bit of absurdity--and who doesn't love the absurd?

President Barack Hussein Obama is a United States citizen. No--he really is. Perhaps some of the frenetic, hysterical energy questioning his citizenship is a wee bit misplaced and could serve people in a more positive way. Maybe a protest against mountain top removal, strip mining, injustices around the world. I don't know, get creative.
Three single servings of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (two cones and a sundae) at Great America really shouldn't cost $19.78. The ice cream guy's smile, as I looked shocked, told me that he commiserates but what's one to do?
I have all of my Mel's Mix material sitting in the garage--just when do I think I will actually put in a garden? Perhaps at the end of the season, just to be contrary...
Honey not only helps heal skin lacerations received from a nasty collision with a fire hydrant, but a little dab will heal zits too! Not that my skin is ever anything less than perfect, I'm just saying that I've heard this...
I want my dryer fixed so even on rainy days and when it's cold out, I can wash our sheets and towels. I think it's allowed, even on The Compact. Husband, do you hear?!
Are we really using more water by hand washing rather than using our dishwasher, which is also broken? This is what I've heard, but I don't quite believe it. Maybe we have to get that fixed too.
For our 12th anniversary, my husband and I gave each other a high five. Consummate romantics aren't we? Neither one of us made time to get a card or a gift. It's OK. We love each other and know it.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee are free which is amazing! But, what of the women they were trying to investigate? North Korean women are lured out to China for a better life and then are captured by traffickers and used both for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Does this story ever get covered now? You know, I'm really sick of the world mistreating women, kids, minorities, certain ethnic groups and so on.

What's new with you, cyber people? What are some of your random thoughts? Please share if so inclined.

Your cyber pal,

Laura

So Long Suckas...

2009-07-27T21:44:00.000-05:00

It isn't always this easy. People don't necessarily get these kind of small, but important domestic victories that embolden the spirit, that make you feel triumphant.

Back when our dishwasher was working, I once tried out a "natural" dishwasher detergent. I was to use only a teaspoon, and I did, and it didn't work. At all. Egg yolk was still encrusted. Tomato sauce still clung to plates. Awful.

I can report here, however, that our diatomaceous earth get-rid-of-the-giant-black-ants-invading-our-kitchen method WORKED! They are g-o-n-e gone. Long gone. We haven't seen a scurrying black squiggle ever since I dusted the baseboards with an ample amount of the powder.

IT WORKED! The natural nontoxic method worked. Ha!

Take that petrochemical, polluting, better-living-through-chemistry, mainstream paradigm!

Because I hated Disco and Listened to The Loop

2009-07-24T06:00:00.003-05:00

There are some groups that bring me right back to the late 70's early 80's and remind me of the Chicago music station The Loop which played: Journey, The Who, Rush, REO Speedwagon and not anything pop. Well, not too pop. It was very anti disco. As Steve Dahl said, "Disco sucks!"

My kids love to sing YMCA at distant in-law cousin weddings though... My disco-hating young teenage self would be aghast, but my 40's kid-loving self thinks it's cute. Standards, schmandards.

Let's enjoy some Journey, shall we? The lyrics are fun to follow along with too. "SONG BREAK" Hilarious. Somehow, every group from that time reminds me of Spinal Tap...

Who Are You... Put Your Hands up!!

2009-07-21T08:10:00.000-05:00

I've never had to supply the police with an ID in my own home, have you? And, if I did, I really wouldn't expect to be handcuffed and arrested after supplying two forms of ID, would you?

If you had just come home from an impossibly long flight from China, you might not be too agreeable especially if you just had to nudge open your sticking front door. It might be frustrating if you normally walk with a cane and are not that strong.

Is being loud in your own home a crime? Is nudging open your own sticking door a crime?

If you're a black internationally known Harvard professor in Cambridge, it might be an issue.

Ridiculous.

What a Surprise--I am Procrastinating

2009-07-20T11:09:00.001-05:00

I should be calling people. I should be getting them to commit to hosting one of a jillion children's workshops that I am responsible for setting up for the homeschooling conference that is in March.

March is right around the corner, people--it is not that far away! Besides, we need to get contracts sent out and returned, signed, so we can hand it all off to the people who will print up brochures and get it all entered in the database for the conference site.

If I don't post here for a while, it is because my attention is turned to organizing workshops for little children to enrich them and illuminate them and expose them to the big beautiful world out there.

Or, I am procrastinating...

Golden Years

2009-07-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Remember when you were young and you really had no sense how fast life goes? Life hadn't touched you in the ways it has since. Maybe you had less regrets, fewer mistakes, loftier goals.

"Nothing's going to touch you in these golden years."

That's OK. There are still happy times ahead--a whole lifetime.

No regrets--whatever past you've had is what got you to here now.

Maybe the Golden Years are still to come.

Fire!! Or, What do You Kids Think You're Doing?!

2009-07-15T13:51:00.001-05:00

The other day, we met some friends at our local pool. It is so fantastic--right down the street from us--and the kids love going there with their friends or just with us the family. They don't care--being at the pool under any circumstances is just great.

Our friends left a little bit earlier than we did, so I enjoyed my own space on a chaise lounge as my kids continued to play that they were swimming in the ocean, evading giant octopuses or whatever they were doing that cracked them up. I'm really glad that they enjoy each other the way they do. In between the frustrating times they have with each other, there is some genuine camaraderie and admiration for one another. They're buds.

I saw that it was just about time to wrap things up so I gave a 5 minute warning, heads up, and went to gather our towels and bag and other going-to-the-pool detritus from near the fence where I had left it in the grass.

I saw four older boys, they were maybe 13 or so, kicking at the chain link fence about two feet up from the ground. They were near where I was headed and I think they thought I was coming over to them, because they seemed a little bit nervous looking over their shoulders as I approached. When I was fairly close, some of them sort of ran behind me, away, and I saw that the fence was on fire... What?!

An 18 inch by 6 inch fire was melting the coating on the metal fence and was feeding the flames that the kids had been trying to kick out. I could see even then that it was dying down--it wasn't going to progress.

I told the boys what I thought, "Oh! That is SO uncool!" A last stricken boy, looking me in the eye as his other friends had run away behind me, and so therefore is the bravest in my estimation, seemed paralyzed as I spoke.

Me: What did you use to light that?!

Stricken, panicked boy: Why?

Me, livid: Why?! WHY?! NO. What did you use to light that?!

Scared-out-of-his-mind-boy: A lighter. I won't do it again!

Me: You DON'T light fires! You just don't!!

I gathered up my things and went to a lifeguard to let them know that their fence was on fire and that those boys did it. She saw and went over to them. As she did, I pointed it all out to my kids who were bundling up in their towels and I quickly explained what a bad choice the kids had made and that they were foolish to play with a lighter like that. You don't light fires!

My kids were horrified. "They'll be in such trouble with their parents!" "What were they thinking?!"

I don't think the parents will ever know. I think the lifeguard, who was only slightly older than the pyro-boys, gave them a good talking to, but I don't think she took their pool passes or anything. The boys left as we were leaving and all avoided eye contact with me.

I know these boys were bored out of their minds. They were also all hyped up on each other's testosterone squirting out in between all of the acne and hearing each other's cracking voices. It's hard to manage all of that energy in ways that don't get you in trouble.

Still--YOU DON'T LIGHT FIRES AT THE COMMUNITY POOL!!

I felt a little like Barney Fife; kind of indignant and silly at the same time. "Not on my beat you kids! Oh no! You're not going to get away with it!" I also felt it was important for my kids to see that if you make bad choices, if you don't even think of the consequences something bad happens--always. And really, how'd that conversation go? Hey, let's take this lighter and light the fence on fire, in broad daylight, surrounded by little kids, parents and lifeguards! Yeah! That's a perfect idea! Totally doable--let's!! *high fives or terrorist fist jabs all around*

I know my kids are going to make all sorts of stupid choices too. I did...

As we were walking down the street home, I wanted to impress upon them that just because you get a wicked, cool, outrageous idea, like lighting the community pool fence on fire, that does NOT mean that you have to act on it!

Lesson learned... for now. *crosses fingers as I imagine the hormone onslaught/brain shut off to come in my kids*

Because We Have Charisma...

2009-07-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

My sister and brother-in-law are coming over today for a rousing, lengthy game of D-n-D... or is that D & D?... Dungeons and Dragons.

It's a game I never played as a kid when it came out in the 80's because I was too busy being mad at Ronald Reagan and staring at my not-model-shaped nose in the mirror for hours at a time.

It's hard being a teenager, isn't it?

My kids have the basic idea from my husband who did play the game in the 80's. He didn't care what Reagan did and he didn't obsess about his body and different features on his face. He just went along wearing his army jacket and pretending he was a half-elf/fighter/thief/cleric/magic user who always carried the bag of holding. (It has more space on the interior than you would suppose... kind of nifty for taking stuff that doesn't belong to you, or for carrying rope and grappling hooks, 'cause you never know.)

I'm making all sorts of finger food. So, today will be a time of eating and pretending--two great past-times, I think.

Do you have charisma? Oh yeah? How much...

Summer in the City

2009-07-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

It hasn't been that hot around here for a while. We did get up into the 90's at some point, but it's been relatively cool around here, for Chicago.

Still, it is summer in the city.

Remember dust on records? And, it didn't even matter...

My Kids Right Now... Marching Cadence

2009-07-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

Inspired by my son's book, The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Living Dead by Max Brooks, my two kids are marching in unison (nice formation) through the house chanting at the top of their lungs, "I don't know but I've been told: zombies smell like stinky mold!!"

I warned the kids that that might be a very provocative thing to yell around zombies and they informed me that they can't be insulted. My son said, "It's like insulting an insect--they won't notice. They don't think like that."

Oh. Well, all right then--carry on.

We might find something more productive to do today, but it will probably not be nearly this fun.

A Literary Classic... a Fun Book From My Childhood

2009-07-07T07:46:00.000-05:00

I remember being so entranced with particular books during my childhood. Either the words grabbed me or the images. They all possessed some sort of magical quality and I would read them over and over to myself.

I have searched for some of these books to share with my kids, and was finally sold Giants Come in Different Sizes by Jolly Roger Bradfield at the local library book sale. Well, the library wasn't selling it, but the guy who managed the sale had it at home and sold it to me--he had two copies or he would never had parted with one. He loved it too.

I love when you talk with people and you get happy outcomes--all because you were forthcoming.

I had searched the internet for the book and it had gone out of print, so the only copies that were available at the time were those that people were selling on e-bay for about $90. Amazon now lists that book used for around $27 in not the greatest condition. My kids would never have the joy of that book unless the library sale guy had been willing to part with his for about $5. How nice is that?

Jolly Roger Bradfield also wrote The Flying Hockey Stick which I also adored when I was six. It was also out of print until recently and it is now available again.

The boy in the story creates his own flying machine out of a hockey stick, tape, a fan and a lot of extension cord. My kids will love it although they are fast approaching the age where they will no longer be so captivated by picture books. They aren't such little kids any more and they are both great readers and are both reading large books to themselves.

They are not too old, thankfully, to have me read to them and they will also delight in Barnaby's exploits of creating his flying hockey stick just as I did when I was a kid.

If you can get your hands on any of Bradfield's books for a reasonable price, consider yourself lucky and enjoy the good read with your kids--no matter their age.

How to Make Raw Milk Yogurt

2009-07-06T10:30:00.002-05:00

A while ago, I took my Viili Yogurt Starter I got from Cultures for Health and made raw milk yogurt. It turned out! It was delicious and easy to make. I'll show you.

I followed the clear instructions sent with the yogurt starter.

I opened the packet up and poured it into a bowl... (At this point, please note how literal my pictures are. Do you really need to see how I open the packet? No? Well, that is how I illustrate with photos and I will show you every step. I'm sorry, you'll just have to deal with it.)

I poured the Viili starter into a bowl, so I could measure out what I needed.

As you can see, I needed 1/2 teaspoon of starter to add to the 1/2 cup of scalded (and cooled to room temperature) milk.

I sprinkled it in.

I reserved the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of starter to have in case I ever need it. 1 teaspoon per packet--very helpful.

I transferred the starter with the milk into a jar where it would sit out on top of my fridge for about 24 hours or so.

Not using the lid here, rather a cloth held on with a rubber band.

This is the pure, treated starter. The master starter. The main starter. From this, I take a tablespoon and add it to one cup of raw milk, let it culture on top of the fridge for about 12 hours or so, and then put it in the fridge for 6 hours and then voila: RAW MILK YOGURT!!

I would show you a picture of the raw milk yogurt I made but, I ate it... I ate it with raw honey and the kids drank it in a smoothie.

I still have the treated starter, so I'll add a tablespoon of that to some more raw milk and make more raw yogurt. I'll make sure I leave a tablespoon of the starter to add to a new batch of scalded, cooled milk to make another round of pure starter. Then, from that I'll make more raw yogurt.

It's not difficult. It is delicious and so healthy and good for all of us.

We are pretty durned cultured around these parts. Are you and yourn cultured too?

What yeh waitin' fer? Go git yeh some culture!

Who Loves a Parade?

2009-07-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, we dropped off our kids to march in their first parade. They marched with their dance studio, and I don't have a single picture of them. I'm quite the photojournalist, aren't I? I do, however, have photos of the other participants.

Lots of emergency vehicles making lots of noise. Who are those guys behind the vehicles?

They're Revolutionary War guys! Hello Piper!

Then there were a bunch of scary clowns. (Not to disparage clowns--I'm sure they're lovely people... but, don't they seem a little creepy somehow?)

Marching bands!

Cheerleaders!

Another marching band!

Hello District 15 Space Shuttle! Coo-el.

Check out the power--look at the rocket booster bottoms thingies.

The Jesse White Tumblers showed up. They are fantastic--a really tight tumbling team. See the floor mats on top of the van?

They set up too far from us! Come back, we can't see you!

Why, hello Harris Bank mascot, Harris.

Is that a steel drum group?

Yes it is.

What fun music. Where are they from?

Ontario, Canada? What?

Cute dogs that were part of something that I didn't really catch...

Another cute pup.

Here's the parade piece de resistance: a church combining their idea of God with uber patriotism... Thankfully, there was only one parade participant like this.

Did you have a good 4th? I hope you had fun whatever you did.

The Fourth

2009-07-04T09:36:00.001-05:00

The Fourth

by Shel Silverstein

CRASH!

BASH!

it's

BANG!

the

ZANG!

Fourth

WHOOSH!

BAROOM!

July

WHEW!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy your freedom. Enjoy your families. Enjoy the loud fireworks and the corn on the cob and the grilled something or other.

Hold on tight, as you spin too fast on the tilt-a-whirl. Try not to hear the tinkling sound of nuts and bolts being jerkily shimmied out of rides at the carnival... Some of those are redundant any way. It's fine!

Hey, are we ever leaving Iraq? What do you think?

Because of the nuclear threat, must we really recognize the corrupt Ahmadinejad in Iran and continue to speak to him, thereby legitimizing his fraudulent election victory?

Life is complicated.

Let's just have fun today and enjoy our kids marching in parades, or watching parades and enjoy the summer fun of the 4th.

Happy 4th everyone!

Please Don't Let Me be Misunderstood

2009-07-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

You know who likes The Animals? My Mom ! I don't think she knew of them in the 60's--she was too busy raising kids. She likes them now.

I understand Mom. You are not misunderstood...

So, here's a fitting song.

I am Impressed With My Kids

2009-07-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my son complained that he felt a little pressure behind his cheeks and nose. Maybe he had a bit of a sinus infection?

I told him about our neti pot and explained how dad uses it and I use it and why and when.

So, he thought he would like to try it too.

"Really?", I thought. "He's going to fill a pot with warm water and a generous pinch of salt and tilt his head over the sink and pour it in one nostril and then let it drain out the other? Really?" OK...

I set it up for him and reminded him to breathe through his mouth and that it would feel like when you get water up your nose at the pool, but he would not choke--it would be OK.

I had him watch me as I filled the neti pot with the warm water and the generous pinch of salt and then poured the water into one of my nostrils and then the other.

OK. His turn.

I filled it up again, and then he poured it into one nostril and didn't like it much, but tried it on the other nostril as well.

Not much got in, but he did do it and was OK and didn't sputter.

Today, he reports that he feels less pressure and maybe the neti pot helped.

Hurray for alternative methods that work that my kids are brave enough to try!

Ants Begone! Diatomaceous Earth...

2009-06-30T11:41:00.003-05:00

We have ants! As my kids sit here and watch Born Free, I realize that I want all of us in Nature to live in harmony and to truly be free. But, that unfortunately doesn't really apply to uninvited guests like big, black, fast, scuttling ants in my kitchen. Sorry, but it doesn't.

They arrived a few days ago and seem to have settled in, establishing all sorts of scented paths so their buddies can find their way and also move in and have a party in my cupboards and across my floor.

(Pictured above, an ant in Mexico--beautiful and not in my kitchen...)

My husband and I stomp on them when we're in the kitchen, which is not really an organized form of pest control, but it is effective for the ones under our heels. My son hates this.

He earnestly questions whether we think that the ants know that they're in our house and if they mean to bother us. It's all about intent for him. And, I do see the justice in that. It's not their fault and I wish them no harm, in principle. If they could just go away, I would be fine with that. But, since my son is right--they don't know that they're in our house, they won't feel the territorial pressure and go away from our turf. If I could mark our territory to make them back off I would. But the only scents I have are old perfume that I no longer wear, and lovely essential oils-- lavender, tangerine, clove, tea tree, eucalyptus-- that I use medicinally. That won't work.

I have, however, found something that seems to be working. I have liberally sprinkled Diatomaceous Earth all around our kitchen baseboards. Diatomaceous Earth is a powder comprised of ground up fossilized sea creatures. It feels like flour to the touch, but is quite abrasive and when pests walk through it or have it sprinkled on them, it cuts their skin or exoskeleton. After that, they succumb to extreme dehydration and die.

Sounds awful doesn't it?

Besides being effective, which is apparent today in my relatively ant--free kitchen, it is completely safe and non toxic. You don't want to breathe it in as you sprinkle it, as it can irritate, but other than that it is harmless unless you are measured in millimeters and then it is biological warfare.

In 3, 2, 1...

2009-06-29T07:43:00.000-05:00

Blast off!

My son has been waiting to shoot off this rocket since he got it as a gift at Christmas. On Saturday morning, we went to a big, nearby park.

I give you, my son, the rocket scientist.

My son and his assistant setting up the gear.

Hooking up the battery...

Ready to go. Note the homemade launch pad.

Quickly getting out of the way...

Ready to make contact... in three, two, one...

BLAST OFF!

(Look at the faces--Who is the kid in that picture? It's a tie.)

Trying to spot it in the sky...

Spotted it! Filming and running at the same time...

It's coming down...

There it is!

It landed!

Let's do it again!

No damage. My son just needs to repack the parachute.

Ready to go again...

In three, two, one... BLAST OFF!

Blasted...

Found It! 60 Minutes Swine Flu Segment

2009-06-28T11:42:00.004-05:00

I thought I had lost this video--that it had been removed. I'm impatient and looked again and finally found it. Here it is again, just because.

I Don't Like Mikey

2009-06-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter got thrown from a horse.

Part of the class my daughter takes involves grooming a horse, tacking, and then actually riding. After the ride, the kids de-tack (is that a word?), groom again and then hook up a lead rope to the horse and take the horse back to its stall.

This all takes about two hours and my daughter likes it very much. She feels in charge of the horses and feels affectionate towards them. Hoof picking and strapping on the girth and riding a giant horse or pony is a great lesson for an 8 year old girl. She can do it. She can control things. She is strong and when riding has great poise and feels at ease sitting up on these giant beasts.

Yesterday, it didn't go as planned or as previously experienced.

My daughter's horse yesterday was Mikey. I didn't know, but parents told me later, that Mikey is a skitterish horse and threw a girl last week--we weren't at that class. Instead, we were at my kids' dance recital where both kids received an honorable mention badge for only missing one class. My daughter has been wearing it constantly and pretends she is Hermione Granger with her prefect badge.

As my daughter was riding Mikey around the ring, doing a good job trying to "stay on the rail!" someone drove by too quickly near the stable (there is a strict 5 MPH speed limit around the stables, for good reason) and Mikey got spooked. He started to run and my daughter was able to stay on, pulling as hard as she could on the reins, commanding in a loud voice "Ho! Ho!" But, Mikey kept running and on the next turn my daughter came tumbling off.

Standing outside of the ring, I waited a moment to see if she would pop up and shake it off and then I saw that she wasn't shaking it off. Her teacher told her, "Lie down! Stay down." The other kids all stopped their horses and I ran in to my daughter.

She was scared. She was crying in that can't-get-a-full-breath-totally-shaken kind of way that is thankfully rare and is so heart wrenching to me. I held her and talked soothingly to her. I asked where she hurt and said that I bet that was scary--it really was.

She landed well--on her bum--and was physically OK. Still, thank God for helmets.

After calming down somewhat, she went to sit with her teacher in the center of the ring.

Later, on the ride home, she told me that her teacher told her she was a good girl. That she did a good job trying to control that horse and did what she should do when she fell. I heartily agreed.

The stable got Mikey out of there and someone quickly saddled up Haley so my daughter could ride again, hence the saying "Get back up on the horse." I took my daughter over as they saddled up Haley so she could talk to the horse and feel OK with the idea of riding again.

Haley is a nice horse and my daughter bravely finished the lesson riding her. As my daughter rode around the ring, I could see the strain on my daughter's face as she tried not to cry and actually do the things she needed to do in her lesson.

When we got into the car to drive home, my daughter released all of the tension from trying to keep it together and she cried. I kept holding her hand behind me as I drove and told her how brave she had been--in handling Mikey and keeping it together and riding Haley--she got back up on that horse! I told her that if there really was a Hogwarts, and if she went there, she would for sure be sorted into Gryffindor--undoubtedly. She is a brave girl--one of the bravest people I know.

We got home, I put her in a bubble bath with a few drops of cheering tangerine essential oil and sat on the floor and read her a book.

My daughter doesn't like Mikey. I don't like Mikey either.

My daughter, last year, with La--an ancient pony, with only one eye who would never throw a kid off during a lesson... unlike some other horses I could mention!

Lightning Bug/Firefly/Glowworm/Icky Bug Poll Results

2009-06-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

In the poll, "What do you call a lampyridae?" I gave the choices, "Lightning Bug", "Firefly", "Glow worm" or "Icky, icky bug". I am pleased to report that no one found them to be icky. Lightning Bug received 2 votes. Firefly received 6 votes, Glow worm got none.

Rock the vote everyone!