Springy
What a wonderful gift to get a little sip of spring today. Our dog Nicky (or as Claire says, "Gicky") and I took a nice long stroll in the woods this afternoon, squishing in mud from a final melt and enjoying the sunny low-60s weather. Odd how 60s weather felt so cold in Florida a few weeks ago, while here it feels like a heat wave.
It did my heart good to see a patch of wild snowdrops while letting Nicky take a big slurpy drink from a little spring-fed rivulet that feeds into the creek.
It's nearly time to start seedlings inside. Mmm seed shopping...Peas, zucchini, bell peppers, and if I'm really brave, tomatoes.
Is there some sort of secret, all you green thumbs, to starting tomatoes from seed? My two prior attempts were total failures.
2.29.2004
2.24.2004
Tripping
Yesterday morning, I let Claire watch a little kids' programming on PBS while I organized laundry. When I returned to the room, she was sitting on the couch completely mesmerized by this very, very strange program called "Boohbah."
Boohbah makes Teletubbies look like Shakespeare. I really think you need to be under age 2 or a drug user to fully appreciate it. Almost no talking occurs during the program. For a good portion of the show, a glowing ball with a rainbow trail bounces around while children's voices say "Booh-bah" repeatedly and giggle.
The ball eventually lands and these five freaky creatures come out. They have turtle-like retractable kewpie-doll heads--but no mouth or nose--and bulbous bodies in rainbow shades. These creatures would have been the stuff of nightmares for me as a kid. They never, ever talk. They just roll their eyes from side to side with a clicking sound. Creepy. They do occasionally squeak and sing five-note chords. And they dance a lot. In fact, about all they do is dance. How children are supposed to learn anything from watching these singing rainbow freaks gyrate and sway is a total mystery to me.
One segment of the show has normal humans who do stuff--with minimal talking. The episode I saw, Grandpapa and dog Fido race back and forth between two armchairs. Fido always gets to sit while Grandpapa is repeatedly perplexed. Long, boring and stupid.
The Boohbahs dance again for a while, then climb back into the ball. The ball bounces along with its rainbow trail, then hits the ground and creates a rainbow puddle when a child's voice calls "Look what I can do." Next we get to watch a child do some repetitive motion (e.g. touching elbows to knees) for like three minutes straight while standing on the rainbow puddle. And then a group for another three minutes, then another lone kid for yet another three minutes. Mesmerizingly dull.
Please, PBS, bring back "The Electric Company" and ditch this British bad trip.
Yesterday morning, I let Claire watch a little kids' programming on PBS while I organized laundry. When I returned to the room, she was sitting on the couch completely mesmerized by this very, very strange program called "Boohbah."
Boohbah makes Teletubbies look like Shakespeare. I really think you need to be under age 2 or a drug user to fully appreciate it. Almost no talking occurs during the program. For a good portion of the show, a glowing ball with a rainbow trail bounces around while children's voices say "Booh-bah" repeatedly and giggle.
The ball eventually lands and these five freaky creatures come out. They have turtle-like retractable kewpie-doll heads--but no mouth or nose--and bulbous bodies in rainbow shades. These creatures would have been the stuff of nightmares for me as a kid. They never, ever talk. They just roll their eyes from side to side with a clicking sound. Creepy. They do occasionally squeak and sing five-note chords. And they dance a lot. In fact, about all they do is dance. How children are supposed to learn anything from watching these singing rainbow freaks gyrate and sway is a total mystery to me.
One segment of the show has normal humans who do stuff--with minimal talking. The episode I saw, Grandpapa and dog Fido race back and forth between two armchairs. Fido always gets to sit while Grandpapa is repeatedly perplexed. Long, boring and stupid.
The Boohbahs dance again for a while, then climb back into the ball. The ball bounces along with its rainbow trail, then hits the ground and creates a rainbow puddle when a child's voice calls "Look what I can do." Next we get to watch a child do some repetitive motion (e.g. touching elbows to knees) for like three minutes straight while standing on the rainbow puddle. And then a group for another three minutes, then another lone kid for yet another three minutes. Mesmerizingly dull.
Please, PBS, bring back "The Electric Company" and ditch this British bad trip.
Ahhh
The banquet last Friday was a big success. Around 130 ladies attended. The food was better than I've had at many wedding receptions, for a fraction of the cost. Nothing but raves from these women church leaders during and after. The ladies loved our theme of "You are a treasure." I was a little worried that naming the tables after gemstones might seem a little hokey, but it actually did work out to be kind of nice. The centerpieces were gold-painted boxes with rose arrangements and jewelry spilling out. In candlelight, the effect was quite lovely.
Saturday I was pretty wasted and napped away the entire afternoon. Sunday and Monday, the fog of fatigue gradually lifted.
I have my life back again.
Now what do I have to look forward to?
I need another project.
The banquet last Friday was a big success. Around 130 ladies attended. The food was better than I've had at many wedding receptions, for a fraction of the cost. Nothing but raves from these women church leaders during and after. The ladies loved our theme of "You are a treasure." I was a little worried that naming the tables after gemstones might seem a little hokey, but it actually did work out to be kind of nice. The centerpieces were gold-painted boxes with rose arrangements and jewelry spilling out. In candlelight, the effect was quite lovely.
Saturday I was pretty wasted and napped away the entire afternoon. Sunday and Monday, the fog of fatigue gradually lifted.
I have my life back again.
Now what do I have to look forward to?
I need another project.
2.11.2004
Nuts in the family tree
Part of the reason I'd wanted to go the Ringling Museum last week was to find information about my great grandfather. Like the old cliche, he actually did run off and join the circus.
Well, technically he started in a Wild West show. Mom has very little information because he was something of a verboten topic when she was growing up. You see, my great grandad left my nana in 1903 with a three-year-old (my grandmother) and an infant (Great Uncle Bob). Though he had primarily worked as a tailor, great grandad was a horse enthusiast and loved training animals. He initially ran off to work as a horse trainer in a Vaudeville-era Wild West show.
What happened with his career over the next 20+ years is something of a mystery. We know that after divorcing my nana, he married a trick rider. She apparently kept up a correspondence with Great Uncle Bob's family. In one postcard, dated 1929, this second wife mentions having dinner with the Ringlings at their mansion in Sarasota and being glad they joined Ringling Bros. Circus in 1928.
The only thing Mom and I found at the circus museum was a 1929 series of headshots of all the circus employees. We spend about a half hour poring over the somewhat grainy shots and narrowed it down to one man who looked most like the photos we had of great grandad.
Mom had chatted with an archivist from the museum before I went down and did get a little more information about his life before Ringling Bros. The archivist uncovered a mid-1920's playbill from a smaller family-owned circus that listed great grandad and his second wife. Surprisingly, she was not merely a bareback rider, but also a trainer of "liberty horses" (riderless animals that perform to whip cues). Great grandad had an act called "football horses." I'm hoping to discover more from the links provided by the nice Ringling Museum archivist.
For now, I know for sure that I have horses in the blood! :-)
Part of the reason I'd wanted to go the Ringling Museum last week was to find information about my great grandfather. Like the old cliche, he actually did run off and join the circus.
Well, technically he started in a Wild West show. Mom has very little information because he was something of a verboten topic when she was growing up. You see, my great grandad left my nana in 1903 with a three-year-old (my grandmother) and an infant (Great Uncle Bob). Though he had primarily worked as a tailor, great grandad was a horse enthusiast and loved training animals. He initially ran off to work as a horse trainer in a Vaudeville-era Wild West show.
What happened with his career over the next 20+ years is something of a mystery. We know that after divorcing my nana, he married a trick rider. She apparently kept up a correspondence with Great Uncle Bob's family. In one postcard, dated 1929, this second wife mentions having dinner with the Ringlings at their mansion in Sarasota and being glad they joined Ringling Bros. Circus in 1928.
The only thing Mom and I found at the circus museum was a 1929 series of headshots of all the circus employees. We spend about a half hour poring over the somewhat grainy shots and narrowed it down to one man who looked most like the photos we had of great grandad.
Mom had chatted with an archivist from the museum before I went down and did get a little more information about his life before Ringling Bros. The archivist uncovered a mid-1920's playbill from a smaller family-owned circus that listed great grandad and his second wife. Surprisingly, she was not merely a bareback rider, but also a trainer of "liberty horses" (riderless animals that perform to whip cues). Great grandad had an act called "football horses." I'm hoping to discover more from the links provided by the nice Ringling Museum archivist.
For now, I know for sure that I have horses in the blood! :-)
Banquet
Banquet details are falling into place for our event next weekend. The caterer has been very, very chatty on the phone, but aside from talking my ear off, he has been no problem at all to work with. My decorating ideas finally gelled and I started purchasing what I need.
The only big concern now is the fact that over 100 invitees have not sent back their RSVP postcard. Responses are due by Friday, so I hope we hear from these folks!
Banquet details are falling into place for our event next weekend. The caterer has been very, very chatty on the phone, but aside from talking my ear off, he has been no problem at all to work with. My decorating ideas finally gelled and I started purchasing what I need.
The only big concern now is the fact that over 100 invitees have not sent back their RSVP postcard. Responses are due by Friday, so I hope we hear from these folks!
2.07.2004
Out of place
My mom and I drove up to Sarasota for Thursday and Friday to visit my former piano teacher and see the Ringling Museum.
We took Donna out to a restaurant she recommended, Dutch Heritage. To my surprise, the place was run by Mennonites, and nearly half of the clientele was Mennonite. It seemed really incongruous to see men in black suspenders and mustache-less beards with wives in cape dresses and starched bonnets walking among the palm trees. They seem more "right" back in Pennsylvania living in rich farmland and rolling hills.
I never would have guessed that Sarasota, home to winter quarters for the circus, would have a substantial community of conservative Mennonites. You try to get away, and home comes to you!
My mom and I drove up to Sarasota for Thursday and Friday to visit my former piano teacher and see the Ringling Museum.
We took Donna out to a restaurant she recommended, Dutch Heritage. To my surprise, the place was run by Mennonites, and nearly half of the clientele was Mennonite. It seemed really incongruous to see men in black suspenders and mustache-less beards with wives in cape dresses and starched bonnets walking among the palm trees. They seem more "right" back in Pennsylvania living in rich farmland and rolling hills.
I never would have guessed that Sarasota, home to winter quarters for the circus, would have a substantial community of conservative Mennonites. You try to get away, and home comes to you!
2.03.2004
Migration
Tomorrow I hope to banish my blahs by flying to see my mom in Florida. You'd think with a trip south to look forward to, I wouldn't have been so mopey the past month.
The best part of this trip--and simultaneously one of the harder aspects--is that I get to go BY MYSELF. Yup. You heard me right. My wonderful husband said that I deserve a real vacation and that we should be able to find babysitting for a few days.
So Claire will be spending time with her grammy and two of my girlfriends the three days Joel is teaching and I'm away (all free! how cool is that?). He'll get to experience single parenting over the weekend. I did it for two weeks when my father got sick, so I know it won't be the easiest time for him. Fortunately, he gets to be single parent in his own home, rather than away from home.
Now I just need to figure out where I stored my swimsuit for the winter....
Tomorrow I hope to banish my blahs by flying to see my mom in Florida. You'd think with a trip south to look forward to, I wouldn't have been so mopey the past month.
The best part of this trip--and simultaneously one of the harder aspects--is that I get to go BY MYSELF. Yup. You heard me right. My wonderful husband said that I deserve a real vacation and that we should be able to find babysitting for a few days.
So Claire will be spending time with her grammy and two of my girlfriends the three days Joel is teaching and I'm away (all free! how cool is that?). He'll get to experience single parenting over the weekend. I did it for two weeks when my father got sick, so I know it won't be the easiest time for him. Fortunately, he gets to be single parent in his own home, rather than away from home.
Now I just need to figure out where I stored my swimsuit for the winter....
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