Update

Looking for an update? Go here.

A Riddle and Big News

There's some big news in a riddle. Find it out here.

Finished

I finished a painting. Take a look here.

A Beautiful Song

Want to hear a beautiful song?
Go here.

Pawpaw Picking

I just put up a new post about a hike that yielded a lot of pawpaw picking. Check it out here:

http://inverydeed.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/sunday-morning-pawpaw-picking/

Moving Again

I've decided to move. Not really.  Just the blog.  But it's going to be a slow and easy move. Take a look. Let me know what you think. It'll probably change a bit, but just follow this address.

http://inverydeed.wordpress.com/

New Zoo and a Happy Birthday to You

Saturday was Aaron's birthday. We were delighted that we got to spend the day together. I took the kids grocery shopping for breakfast supplies so Aaron could get a little more sleep. Reuben really wanted to get Aaron a present from a toy store and was dismayed to find that none of the local toy stores are open at 7am or 8am or 9am.  

We still managed to return with a few goodies for a really delicious breakfast.

One of the goodies was a perfectly ripe crenshaw melon. I set out a quarter for the family and Reuben happily dug in.

 Reuben was sure that the birthday celebrations needed to include and "expedition" so we ventured down to the National Zoo. Now I have to say here that I love the National Zoo. But I've gotten very spoiled being able to attend it on weekday mornings, before official opening hours, in February, when it is raining. Consequently I'm used to having the whole place to myself. Saturday was not a rainy February sort of day.

We found a parking spot after a lot of searching. It was literally the second to last parking spot in the whole place. You can see in this picture there was only one poor sap who parked farther away than we did. But hurray for exercise, right?

The reason the zoo was so packed was that this weekend they had the grand re-opening of their North American section. The North American sections features brown and grey animals, each one better than the next at looking like an inanimate log or rock.  Still, I've missed the North American animals. North America really has some spectacular wildlife and I like that people can see there's some amazing animals in their own backyard. I really hope one day we get some elk or a buffalo. Or they will finally clone those woolly mammoth.

Anyway, the redone section is gorgeously landscaped. There are waterfalls and ferns and lush green trees. It seems to invoke a place full of cold rivers and misty coasts instead of the steamy swamp lands I've always inhabited. I have heard that such cool climes do exist in America, but the same source also depicted vampire demi-gods willing to spend an eternity attending high school so I have my doubts.

Regardless, my most favorite animals at the zoo are back. The otters! I love river otters. Their cute and vicious and flip and spin and dive non-stop. Seriously, they are the most action packed animal viewing experience to be had at the zoo.

Then there are the beavers. They are a serious contender in the inanimate log contest but they've redone the exhibit so the beavers can tear up trees and drag them around. Before, the poor things were offered a few measly carrots to gnaw on. The trees in their inclosure had, I kid you not, iron plating around the bottom which bore serious teeth marks from the beavers vain attempt to gnaw them down. Since they can now chew and make a mess as beavers like to do, they're much more active, swimming happily back and forth in their pool.

The grey wolf is back too.  See if you can spot it. It's under the pine tree on the left. Most people walked right by. It makes a very good grey rock. I only noticed it because it kept snapping irritably in the 90 degree weather. Reuben LOVES the wolf and sang it "its french horn song" from Peter and the Wolf.

The seal won the best log category. You can see it deadly bobbing. Well kind of, but you aren't missing much. It was a fat long brown blob napping happily in the chilly water. As I mentioned before it was hot so I felt a little jealous looking into its chilled pool.

At this point of the trip I was mildly impressed with the upgrade. The exhibits seemed better for the animals and the landscaping prettier but there wasn't much to write home about. THEN we came to the splash area. Let me say, Well done Zoo, WELL DONE.

Most people attend the zoo when it is hot and steamy and sticky. That would be 9 months of the year in DC. By the time you reach the North American section most people have wilted from the heat and the kids are tired of being told not to run away or jump on anything. NOW there is a place to kick your shoes off, cool off in some wonderfully chilly fountains, and let the kids run free.

Miriam LOVED it.

There were a lot of kids there. The zoo was clearly operating at capacity but there was still good room in the new splash area. If you are familiar with the zoo, the water area is a little larger than "the pizza."

There was nothing that could top the little splash park, but the sea lion exhibit was pretty amazing too. The underground viewing area was dark and cool and offered some great viewing. 

So there's a preview. If you are in the area it's well worth a trip, though it'll be even better when the crowds die down.


And happy birthday to Aaron. You're wonderful.

Apprenticed

Some afternoons feel like they last forever. We all feel a little tired of each other and grumpy. When our "artistic temperaments" start to flare, I roll out a good ten feet of banner paper and we get to work. The rule is they can do anything ON THE PAPER. Paint, pen, stamps, brushes, crayons, markers, fingers, feet - it's all okay.
I feel grateful that my kids can get so absorbed in the painting they forget to keep talking. Incessant talking is not something I feel I deal well with. We've had a string of long days lately. If it keeps up I think I might have some remarkably proficient apprentices in a very short time.

Last Wish

Last Friday was Reuben's last free day before his weekdays were given over to school. Since I'm hoping he'll be enrolled in school for the next 25+ years of his life, I took pity on him and told him we would spend the day doing whatever he wanted to do. He thought for a minute and then said "Lets go to Gettysburg."

So Miriam, Reuben, and I loaded up the car and drove up to Gettysburg. I was feeling a dangerous mix of indulgent and sentimental, so our bank account and Miriam are lucky he didn't come out with Disneyworld or See Oma and Grandpa in SC or visit Edward in the Arctic, because I probably would have done it. (Edward is Reuben's imaginary friend cat who is all white and lives in the Arctic where he hunts wolves and fights polar bears)

I was also a lot more willing to drive a long distance because I was armed with the Whinnie the Pooh audiobook I mentioned last post AND an excellent audiobook of The Hobbit. 

Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

Reuben demonstrated the use of the baby seat in the family bathroom to Miriam. Then they both took turns trying it out for a good quarter hour. I had told myself that there would be no hurrying on this trip. We were going to enjoy the moment. My resolve was sorely tested. But I must say, the extra time gave me time to reflect and recognize that the government has done an awesome job putting in REAL family bathrooms in their new facilities. They even had a chair so you could sit and nurse somewhere besides the toilet seat. 

Reuben "I've got Abraham Lincoln's Hat. Ha ha!"

We ate lunch at the New York memorial because it was shaded and quiet and we could enjoy it all to ourselves.

It also had this incredible view. 

Reuben and Miriam had fun picking out letters and trying to read the names. We found a Robert but no Reuben. We also found an Adolph, which was the name of one of my ancestor who served in the conflict.

After lunch we wandered around several other markers. Miriam did her best to climb the outer wall and fall off the upper balcony of the Pennsylvania monument while Reuben kept his back to the wall because it was "Too High!" After that I vetoed everything that involved a second story. We stopped by and paid our respect to the South Carolina monument which thankfully is one level.

For the finale, we made Reuben's requisite visit to Devil's Den.

Book Pluck: In Which There is a Beginning At Pooh Corner

Everybody in this house loves a good book. Every week we go to the library, 2 or 3 or maybe more times. Each person maintains their personal stack territorially perched beside their bed and more litter every room of the house.

The other day we were wandering through a cemetery and I saw this grave and thought, there it is, the grave each of should have.

I particularly love how the books are haphazardly shelved. Brilliant.

While we burn through a massive quantity, we have a few we hold on to, check out again and again, renew, and every so often break down and buy. For a while I've thought about spotlighting those lovely diamonds that emerge from the rough of the library bag haul to find their way into our hearts.

The first book we've all fallen madly in love with is the audiobook,  The Collected Stories of Whinnie The Pooh narrated by Stephen Fry, Judi Dench, Michael Williams, Geoffrey Palmer, and others.

With all the British talent, this obviously isn't Disney. Pooh is a charming but a slightly over-comfortable and proud english country gentleman with an over fondness for his own bad poetry. He's more Downtown Abbey or Jeeves and Wooster than Disney's cuddly dim-whit, which is why Stephen Fry realizes him so perfectly.  Piglet is neurotic and manipulative. Eyeore is Snape. Rabbit, who is always surrounded by countless "friends and relations" is perhaps a tad murderous, he at least goes in for kidnapping and marooning. Kanga is insightfully vengeful. And yet they are all incredibly endearing, perhaps because they're allowed to be so smart and honest in each adventure. The kids seem to relate well to the drama of each character's everyday sort of disappointments and successes. I've now listened to each story for hours and I still find myself laughing aloud at parts.

The kids have loved the stories so much they beg to have the CDs taken in the car while we run errands, then back out of the car so they can listen to them in the house, then put in their room so they can fall asleep listening to them again. We've listened to them so much the kids have started quoting parts.

Reuben has started opening each of his kitty stories with a chapter. Yesterday he started a story for me with "Chapter 2: In Which My Kitties Get Themselves Into a Dark Spot"

A few days before that Reuben Miriam and I were hiking. We started to cross a fallen log that was several feet off the ground. Miri became a little nervous and hesitated and Reuben called out, "Miri You Haven't Any Pluck!" a statement Rabbit uses when Piglet becomes nervous about being part of Rabbit's scheme to kidnap baby Roo and hold him hostage until Kanga agrees to leave the forest forever.
Miri, for the record is about 95% pluck, so Reuben's observation got him a wicked glare but she did cross the log, so I guess it worked.

The Real First Day

Today was the first official school day for Montgomery County. Reuben attended his summer orientation a few weeks ago and has been reveling in his reprieve. But that ended today and he was back to school.

Reuben's response went from anxiety...

 to angst....

 to full out agony...

 and suffering...

 but then we picked up a friend who is carpooling with us and Reuben changed his tune. He went to great efforts to calm the concerns of his friend. His friend was well composed and seemed happy, while Reuben nervously reassured him that it wasn't scary and he didn't need to cry. Is it wrong how much I love what peer pressure does to my children?

Reuben did manage to go into class without crying. In an effort to get him to tell me something, Anything! about his school day I took him out for a celebratory lunch. He chose the place so we ended up at the "chinese restaurant" for pineapple buns.

 Miriam appreciated the food and told me all about her day. Thank you Miriam. Reuben told me he played with a friend and saw a butterfly. That was the extent of his first day school report. I'm starting to think the kid should become an intelligence officer. He's seriously tight lipped.

80s dance video

This week we've been out and about trying to enjoy the last days of summer. Yesterday we went to the zoo. The kids had fun dancing in the fog machine by the giant panda exhibit. They danced in there til they were soaked. It looked like a bad eighties music video. Then we ate zookies and caught a glimpse of the fisher cat kittens and baby cheetahs. All in all, a great visit.

The Sweetness of Summer

On my bike ride a few days ago, I felt the first chill in the early morning. Is summer really leaving? The heat and bugs and lingering sunlight make it seem almost eternal. Now that I realize it is ending I feel almost sad. This was the season when the kids were young and happy and so blissfully free. Does this time really end?

More Mushrooms

Our yard keeps sprouting giant mushrooms. Reuben and Miriam fashion them into shields. Running around with stick swords and mushroom shields, they look like fairy folk.