A Picture Is Worth A Few Years

Monday night is the high school soccer banquet. One of the traditions is to present a slide show with pictures of the graduating seniors. Each parent is asked to submit 7 or 8 pictures of their child. This is a lot harder that I thought it would be. How do you represent 17 or 18 years of life in a few images? I decided that I wanted to show the side of Brooke that not everyone knows. I wanted pictures of her doing things other than playing soccer. But which ones should I use?

In going through the boxes of photos (because I have never been organized enough to get them into albums) I came across those very first pictures. You know the ones in the hospital where the baby looks great and mom looks like shit. Scratch those. Then there are the ones in the cute little infant clothes that the kid only wore once. Nah. I knew the bathtub pictures were a "no go".

I finally settled on the following infant picture. I knew that after about age two, Brooke stopped smiling for pictures. I figured that I had better get one while the getting was good.

The Brooke that everyone knows now is the sarcastic, somewhat cynical kid. I chose the next picture because no one would ever believe her to be a clown.

Even when only three, Brooke had a fondness for cooking. I suspect that even back then we were willing to eat what she made.

The next picture was taken in the mountains of New Mexico. Brooke is holding an injured baby hummingbird. We did nurse it back to health and set it free. This was her first step to becoming a full fledged member of PETA.

Since about age 8, Brooke has been a soccer keeper. So, I had to include the obligatory goalie shot. Though I am a little sad that I will not get to see her play soccer anymore, I am very thankful that we made it through 13 years of soccer with no head injuries from colliding with the goal box and I no longer have to worry!

Brooke and Erin are remarkably close. I felt like I needed to include at least one picture of the two of them. This is Brooke's 8th grade graduation and Erin's 5th grade at Selwyn. It is also one of only two pictures that I have of Brooke dressed up. She cleans up pretty well bu this is a well kept secret.

I really did not want to use another soccer picture but Brooke made me take out the one where she had a mixing bowl on her head. . .probably because it was taken when she was 16, not 2.

Brooke wanted to include a picture with both of the dogs. Unfortunately it was very late at night and I had almost no battery left on my camera at the time so the choice of pictures was not good. I guess it gets the point across.

Notice that they all have on their Harley Davidson duds.

I know that most of you are not really interested in mom's brag book. Thanks for humoring me. I will leave you with one more picture. Needless to say, this one is not in the senior slide show.

Adidas is more willing to sit still for pictures than either Brooke or Harley.

Would You Like A Book With That?

Tonight was choir rehearsal night. If we are lucky, we do not have to come back to Denton to pick up the girls and then go back for rehearsal. Today we were lucky. So, in addition to some knitting time at the shop this afternoon and dinner out, we had time for a trip to Barnes and Noble while in Dallas. This is a favorite way to pass "unscheduled" time.

I got my cup of hot tea and brownie and sat down in the cafe to continue knitting on the bath mat that I started this afternoon. There were two gentlemen sitting at the table behind me. Usually I can tune out the conversations around me; however, this one caught my attention. I must confess that I spent the next few minutes eavesdropping.

These men were first trying to decipher all the different coffee drinks served in the cafe.
MAN 1: "Well, what is the difference between a cafe mocha and a mocha latte?"
MAN 2: "Maybe it is the amount of sugar. Or, how much espresso is in it.
MAN 1: "Does cafe mocha really have espresso?"
MAN 2: "I think so."
I don't think they were any more informed about the ingredients at the end than when they began their conversation. And, they never even got to the grande skinny mocha with a double.

Once they gave up on the coffee discussion, these guys turned to a sociological study of the people who frequent the bookstore. One of them said, "I think that people come in here, read the books, and then put them back on the shelves!" The other guy responded with amazement, "Really!" I thought, well, duh. In our family we refer to this as stealing words. Maybe so, but no one has ever been arrested for it as far as I know. I would hate to try and figure out the number of stolen words our "crime ring" has amassed. I don't feel too guilty though. I have paid for many books that are still on my shelf unread. So, I think we are even. Tonight I did buy the current issue of Spin Off - after thumbing through it first.

The next observation was that Barnes and Noble has free Wi-Fi. So, not only can people sit there and read books for free, they can surf the Internet at not cost as well. The gentlemen were quick to note that these people on the Internet don't even necessarily buy coffee.

All the data that these men collected led them to the conclusion that there is no way that Barnes and Noble could be a lucrative business - people don't buy the books, they don't order from the cafe, they just come in and take up space. They also observed that most of the people in the cafe at the time were men.

One of them finally came to the brilliant conclusion that Barnes and Noble must market primarily to women. The other agreed, "Yeah, I see women come in and buy stacks of fifteen books at once!" (I didn't realize I was being watched that closely) I am happy to believe that the female species is more well-read than their male counterparts, but I don't think that Barnes and Noble would be happy to know that they are perceived (by a few idiots) as a women's store. I guess I could consider it a compliment that these guys believe that women are more likely to read than men but, I know this is not true. The one man at my house is just as guilty of the stack of fifteen books at a time as I am. The only problem in our particular household is that there are three women so we outnumber his book buying 3 to 1.

I know that listening to the conversation of others is socially unacceptable, but this was just too entertaining. Maybe I am just easily amused. I hope that when people at the next table eavesdrop on our conversations that they find them a little more interesting and thought provoking.

I am fairly certain that the surrounding tables at the Mexican restaurant where our dinner conversation was initiated by my younger daughter asking, "If it is not OK for a girl to spend the night with her boyfriend but it is OK to spend the night with a girl friend, what are the rules if she is a lesbian?" Later in the meal she asked, "If you are bisexual, can you have a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time?" Be careful what you ask for Dr. Dobson. All those Republicans who think that the American family is disintegrating because families do not sit down together at the dinner table together should come share a meal with us. They might change their minds.

Right. This does assume that they have a mind to change. . . anothe topic that frequents our dinner table.

Mow, Mow, Mow the Grass

Despite the fact that we have just finished spring break, I must admit that it has not felt much like spring to me. Last week I was still wearing my heavy coat to soccer games. Everyone knows that the temperature in the stadium is always 20 degrees colder then it is any place else. But today, it felt like spring. In truth, this feeling did not have much to do with the weather. It was cool and misty, what some would call a dreary day. I taught until noon and then came home to mow the grass. The first mowing of the year makes it spring!

We have not had much rain though there has been enough to make the grass (pasture weeds?) grow. Mowing the grass in the country is a whole different thing than when we lived in town. First of all, it is four acres, three of which are not graded. And, no push mower for me, it is tractor time! If I could drive the thrill probably would not be so great but I can't, so it is.

As I start my trek around the yard, I begin to see the real signs of spring - a few wild flowers almost here, the early mesquite trees, the singing birds, all covered by a gentle spring mist. It was perfect.

I don't know why going around in circles on the lawn mower is such a cathartic activity and going in circles in the car, which is the theme song of my life, is so tiring. Granted, there is not a great deal of lawn mower traffic in the yard, but there are obstacles and perils here. For example, the branches on the trees seem to have grown - lower. Nothing that a little ducking can't fix. Remember the sprinkler heads for the septic system - I know they are out here somewhere. And then there is the array of dog toys that are scattered about. Adidas is on the deck thinking, "If you run over my Frisbee, I promise you that I will decorate with the kitchen trash." I also removed the ladder from the tree where Spencer had his adventure.

Being outside made me thankful for my surroundings. I love it out here in the country. The best part, no code enforcement to tell me that I have to mow; I can do it when I want to.

While I was riding around, I kept thinking of outdoor projects - the front beds need to be cleaned and planted, the (a) vegetable garden needs to be started, the trees need to be trimmed (I will have to hire someone to do this because I am not allowed to have my own pair of Alligator Jaws), other places in need of flowers called out to me - the possibilities are endless. So is the work, but that is OK.

It is still raining. This is a good thing. The stock pond across the fence needs water. I am glad for the rain water because Adidas likes to swim in this pond and it (he) has been smelling a bit undesirable. I would be more excited about the rain if I had already planted my gardens. Oh well . . .at least the ground will be soft when I get ready to dig.

I did haul the wet grass clippings to the compost bin. It too is in need of the moisture. If this is spring, I wish it would stay for a long while. I know that the hot summer sun will be here soon enough. But now, I am enjoying the smell of the fresh cut grass dressed with the warm spring rain. Spring is definitely in the air! Amen.

A Weekly Wrap Up

Today marks the conclusion of spring break. I must say that I have gotten used to the casual pace of the past two weeks. Today we did a little shopping here in Denton. We went to several local shops that we had not been to before. Denton is a funky little town whose charm is not always immediately evident. It does however have some awesome hometown restaurants, some unique little gift shops, and a whole lot of nice people. Not only did we discover some new shopping spots, but we did it on foot which offered a really up close and personal experience of the square and downtown. I am guilty of overlooking that which is right in front of me. Our walk this afternoon in the calming mist was an unexpected gift.

SPENCER THE CAT

It has been a week since he had his tail amputated. Initially I was trying ti keep him in my bedroom so that the other animals did not annoy him. He did not like being sequestered at all. He thought that he was feeling fine and that he should go on with life as usual. So he did. He seems to have no ill effects from his surgery. He is running, jumping and acting very catly. I am most pleased about the fact that he does not seem to be scared of our dogs. They are certainly capable of annoying him but, he shows no fear. His tail is still bandaged (one more week). He likes to beat his stump against every one's legs. I assume that it must not be causing him any pain.

HARLEY

Harley is doing well. She loves her big brother Adidas. They work as quite a team for both good and ill. One of Adidas' attention getting stunts is to steal things off the bathroom counter while I am getting dressed in the morning. I have to chase him to the kitchen and offer him a dog cookie in order to get him to drop the stolen goods. The cookie trick still works with him but now when he drops the item, Harley picks it up and runs with it. I can't use the "Harley, want a cookie?" routine because she prefers to eat the crumbs from Adidas' cookies. I am outnumbered . . .and screwed.

BOOKS

I have not read anything that I had hoped to read during the break. The only consolation is that I did get a good deal of knitting finished. I have not taken pictures yet.

THE MYSTERY PROJECT
Here is the status of the project right now.

Erin took the picture for me. She asked what it was and I told her that it is a surprise. She allowed as how it looks like the front of a thong. I will admit that the Muse has been a little crazy lately, but a thong? I think I would be looking for a new muse if I thought knitting (or wearing) a thong was a good idea. And, it is not easily seen in this picture, but there is an intentional hole at the bottom of the triangle. Wouldn't this been an interesting design feature if this indeed was a thong. Honestly, it is not!

So now I will stop writing and knit some more. Hopefully I will not have to drag the secret out too long.

Because I Can

When I ask my kids why they are doing something that appears to me to be a little strange, (ketchup on salad, running around in a sports bra and sweats, watching senseless violence on TV in the middle of the night) Their response is often, "Because I can." This could be interpreted as a smart-mouthed response from a teenager; or, it can be taken at face value and mean exactly what they said - because I can.

"Because I can", when taken literally, elicits a sense of self confidence, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If only as adults we could hold on to that youthful belief that anything is possible.

Yesterday I found myself resorting to this very logic. I spent the afternoon at the knit shop working on a project for the next issue of Spirit of Knitting. No knitter can pass up the opportunity to take a survey of what others around the table are making. When the question came to me I responded with, "a knitted Frisbee." (I know that Frisbee is a trademarked name. It's knitted incarnation will be renamed before the pattern is published. But admit it, you all know what I am talking about. "Flying disc" would have required a little more processing time." After the looks that we all know translate to why the hell would you do that!, someone asked simply, "Why?" The logical answer was that the pattern is to be included in the next issue of the newsletter. What I said was, "because I can."

In reality, I could knit something that LOOKED like a Frisbee, but the truth is that I had no idea whether or not it would FLY like a Frisbee. And, I would not know until it was completely done. I guess in addition to my prevailing philosophy of because I can, there was also a healthy dose of Elizabeth Zimmermann's advice to "knit on with confidence through all crises." In my case it was only potential crisis - the Frisbee would not fly and I would have to come up with another idea for the upcoming (very soon!) Spirit of Knitting.

I reached the center, pulled the yarn through the last few stitches, and wove in my ends. Now, the moment of truth - the test flight. The shop was quiet so no one would be hurt if my potential Flying machine crashed and burned in the middle of the floor. My daughter stood at one end of the store and I at another; I positioned my wrist just right (this is the key to successful Frisbee launching), said a little prayer, and released the disc of knitted cotton cord. It flew! Deep down I believed that it would but it is always nice when the tests prove your hypothesis.

What would have happened if flight had eluded me? I would have learned that cotton cord Frisbees don't fly; I would have asked myself a bunch of "what else might work" type questions and learned something; I would have had one of those paper plate holders that keeps your hamburger from bending the plate into a yoga position. All of these would have been somewhat beneficial, albeit not the desired, outcomes.

Amidst my heightened state of confidence, I decided to take on another design project. This one came to me last night around midnight. I got out my paper and jotted a few notes, went to the stash to find some yarn that might work, and set about making my swatch.

Here is the yarn - a couple of skeins of Wildflower DK Fancy (43% cotton, 53% acrylic, 4% nylon) and a skein of regular Wildflower DK (51% cotton, 49% acrylic).





How do they determine those percentages? Those of you who know me well will not be surprised at the overwhelming orangeness of my yarn choice.

For now, the new project will remain a mystery. Stay tuned for updates as I knit on just BECAUSE I CAN. Or, maybe the better statement is because I BELIEVE I can.

Spring Break

In Texas, March is the month for spring break. The most common question asked during the weeks that precede the break is, "Where are you going for spring break?" I was under the impression that "spring break" implied a break from the busy-ness of the rest of the school year. The thought of having to get organized enough to go someplace - do the laundry that has mounded up in order to pack something to take, board the animals, find someone to watch the house and water the plants, stop the mail, stop the newspaper, find all the necessary supplies to take for my intended knitting projects - seems like too much work! I need the break from having to have everything under control.

Travelling for us was a moot point this year anyway. I was on break last week and the kids are on break this week. So, what are we doing for spring break? Last week while I was off I did do quite a bit of knitting. Truth to tell, I am not sure I did a whole lot that was productive other than the closet excavation. Ah! A real break.

This week, the girls are supposed to be cleaning their rooms. This is happening in very small fragments of time between sleeping, eating, watching TV and playing games on the computer. All of these things, with the possible exception of eating, are neglected during the regular school routine. SO this is a real break for them as well.

I did ask the girls if there was anything in particular that they wanted to do this week. They both want haircuts, Erin wants to go to the thrift stores and Brooke wanted an all expense payed trip to Central Market. All of this is doable. I am glad my kids are easy to please.

We went to Central Market yesterday. Brooke loves to go grocery shopping. ( I know, strange for a teenager.) More importantly, she loves to cook. Brooke has fixed dinner the past two nights - last night was white bean and roasted garlic soup and spinach salad and tonight, ratatouille and couscous. Two healthy meals that I did not have to prepare. Tonight I made the unhealthy dessert, Mexican chocolate pound cake. Brooke is a much more adventurous cook than I am. She will try almost anything - as long as it is vegan. It takes longer to prepare vegan meals because of all that is required to cook with vegetables - washing, peeling, chopping, etc. - but in the long run it is worth the effort. So, for a few more days we will have good food. I think Erin, our rabid carnivore, will be ready for the "normal" fare that is served during the regular school routine.

The haircuts and the thrift store visit will wait until the end of the week.

The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to not have plans for every moment of everyday. Spontaneity is a lot of fun. But with a life run by Daytimers there is no room for it. I find myself asking, "How can I take this feeling of truly being on break and incorporate even a little piece of it into my regular weekly routine? I am not sure what the answer is but the question deserves a little pondering. I suppose not sending Brooke to college next year and keeping her home as my personal chef is not an option. I'll keep working on it.

Happy spring and happy break to all.

Taste And See That The Food Is Bad!

By now every one has heard about the massive recall of dog and cat foods. I am thrilled that the media has done such a good job of continually updating the information and making available on their websites the list of recalled brands. However, I was greatly disturbed by tonight's report on the 10 o'clock news (probably NBC but I am not sure). They reported that the manufacturer had tested the suspect product on 50 dogs and cats and that seven of the animals had died and they expected more as the testing process continues. Why was it necessary to feed the food to more animals?

Consumers had been reporting concerns to the food manufacturer since February 20th. At that time, the manufacturer had received ingredients from a new supplier. From the end of February into early March, Menu Foods, a Canada-based company, had been notifued of the deaths of 10 animals who had eaten their food. They were quick to take notice; for that I am thankful.

I am furious, however, that in the testing process dogs and cats were intentionally fed the food. There seems to have been no question that there was a problem. The problem had bee traced to wet varieties of food, and possibly to a specific ingredient. Why then risk the lives of more animals? This is criminal.

During the peanut butter scare a few months ago mothers across the country did not invite all the neighborhood kids in for a nice PB&J "to see what happens". And, there was not a call for all those whose fantasy it was to be Popeye to come feast on all the spinach they could eat during the in the name of science during the recall of the contaminated greens.

Why is okay to test on animals? It seems to me between the animals who had already lost their lives and the ones who were eating the suspect food unknowinly, there were enough case studies out there that it was not necessary to create new subjects. I realize absolute control is important so that the studies are not flawed but to intentionally jeopardize the lives of dogs and cats seems like a last desparate step, not a first.

I will freely admit that I am not a scientist and therefore am speaking from my heart and not my head. Sometimes that is where the thoughts are formed best.

Below are some recipes for natural dog and cat foods that appeared in the June/July 2006 issue of Mother Earth News. I will admit that in the next issue of the magazine a reader wrote in saying that these recipes did not provide balanced nutrition for dogs and cats. They do sound good and for a little while, until the current pet food scare is over, I don't think that any dogs or cats will complain or starve.

DOG FOOD
2 Cups cooked oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
2 Cups cooked ground beef
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 small apple cut or sliced into small pieces

CAT FOOD
2 Cups cooked chicken
1/4 Cup grated carrots
1 Cup brown rice, cooked

Again, I am not a scientist but at least if you make your pets food, you will know what is in it.

I have always felt a little "cheap" because our two dogs and three cats eat nothing but dry food. In the current situation, I am thanksful for this.