Nesmith Family Blog

Birthday

2012-02-20T07:52:00.000-06:00

Lots of things can make a birthday special:

Beautiful flowers. These are from Ellen, Ken and Gabi. Every time I walk by them I get a whiff of their sweet fragrance!
The choir sang to me (and Marge, whose birthday is Monday).
I finished my Sera Lace sweater, and wore it last night to see Dancers in Company. Dance and a FO*, two awesome things for a birthday eve!
Brunch on Sunday at Cedar Ridge Winery--it was gorgeous there with the sun streaming through the windows. Great food and nice atmosphere. The mimosas were wonderful!
Yarn! Anne bought me a big bag of yarn for . . . big yarn projects :-)
All the Nesmiths enjoyed a walk together in the afternoon--and it was sunny and delightful outside.
Ice cream cake.
A two-hour Downton Abbey to finish the day.
Anticipating more celebration during the birthday season. Because one day isn't quite enough!

* Finished Object

Owl Prowling

2012-01-17T13:52:00.003-06:00

So why, you might ask, did I drive all the way across town to get in a swim at the Stoney Point Y today rather than just stopping in at the downtown Y, just 5 minutes away?

Well, first, I needed a swim to get rid of the pinch between my shoulders due to sitting at my desk, reading 48 (!) portfolios for the Scholastic National Arts and Writing scholarships over the last couple of days.

I decided to drive 20 minutes rather than 5 because I heard the water was warmer at the Stoney Point Y . . .

OK, OK, I also wanted to be out near where the Eastern Iowa Airport Snowy Owl has been seen.

Here he is; wouldn't YOU like to see him?

I sometimes think of him as "Karen's owl," too. She saw him once when she was driving back from Coe late at night, flying just ahead of her car!

Karen was lucky. I want to be lucky too, and see that owl. The way to get lucky--or at least luckier--is to put myself where that owl might be.

Probably by now, everyone's heard about the snowy owl irruption. Owls have been spotted all over Iowa, as you can see here. (The owl and cross shows where a dead one was found)

I found a cool video about snowy owl irruption on Cornell U's birding site. It takes a while to load, but the photography is amazing.

In hopes of seeing one, I went on the Iowa Birds listserv to find out where and when they've been spotted. There were a number of posts this weekend about the bird by the airport. Bruce drove so I could look for owls. We went out there each day of the weekend. The boys came a couple times, but they spent most of the time looking at their electronic devices.

In three trips out there, we have yet to see the owl. I'm disappointed. I REALLY want to see one, and it's so tricky. I mean, that owl could be anywhere out on those snow-covered cornfields!

But the owl-prowling has been surprisingly enjoyable, even without owls. The landscape is eerily beautiful--the snow drifting along the fence rows, the tan of the corn stumps poking through the drifts, the cozy farmhouses and beautiful barns. One day, we saw huge skeins of Canada Geese wheeling and unraveling above us--they must have been considering spending the night in a cornfield.

And there's something fun about the boondoggling aspect of these owl-less prowls. Bruce seems to enjoy himself--he was the one who offered to drive. He likes to explore. It reminds me of some of the trips and boondoggles we used to take before the boys were born--and gives a little glimpse of the future when we'll be boondoggling together again, just the two of us.

The Celebration

2012-01-09T07:28:00.004-06:00

No birthday cake for Robbie this year. His requests were Chex mix and chai ice cream.

We found a recipe for the ice cream on Recipe Source, and used his favorite Chai tea bags to flavor it.

He had some friends over on Sunday to celebrate. This is how a teen boy invites people over for his birthday: (Robbie on the phone) "Hey. Doing anything this afternoon? Wanna come over?" Mom: "Why don't you tell him it's your birthday?" Robbie: "I don't want to make a big deal about it."

They played Magic: the Gathering, Wizards (a new card game from Aunt Ellen), and TrackMania, a racing computer game.

Of course, they also made and ate ice cream.

Happy Newt Year

2012-01-01T20:04:00.004-06:00

It's an exciting new year here in Iowa--with the caucuses just a couple of days away, the candidates are swarming!

Bruce has been busy seeing them since this summer when they first started arriving here. As of New Year's Eve, he'd seen all but 2--Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Mitt was scheduled to be in town January 2. But the closest Newt would be was Waterloo, 50 miles away. Bruce was considering a New Year's day road trip to see him.

Although I'm not the expert that Bruce is, I've been to see a few candidates. The first was Tom Harkin the year he decided to run for president. Then came Howard Dean, who I heard, but did not see--a hazard of being a small person in a big crowd. I went to a big rally for Clinton and Gore at Quaker Oats. Of course, I also saw Obama in 2008 when he did an MTV program on Coe's campus.

But I'd never been to see a Republican candidate. They just don't interest me. I guess that makes me a democrat. The candidates this year seem particularly unappealing--angry and mean and some a bit crazy. Newt certainly seems to have a mean streak, and he does have some crazy ideas like school custodian jobs for kids and Obama being born in Kenya. But the idea of a little boondoggle to Waterloo with Bruce sounded fun. And even if Newt's a bit of a nut, he's a farily smart nut--so possibly interesting to hear! So I decided to go and see the guy.

Here's the bar where he appeared.

It was packed.

We stood near a door where we couldn't see very well, but could catch all the action in the parking lot--news media folks, people with NEWT 2012 stickers on their lapels and earbuds in their ears, security and police.

I figured I'd make the most of being small and rather inconspicuous, so I made my way through the crowd to check things out. C-Span guys with mikes on huge poles were wandering around and a couple of reporters were jotting notes on pads. The waitresses did their best to take orders, but they looked frazzled.

I talked with a few people, too. One woman said Newt was the first candidate she'd seen this year. "We used to live in Des Moines, and there were a lot more candidates there," she said. People standing near us, a retired couple and their daughter who looked to be about our age, had seen some other candidates. "Who are you leaning toward?" I asked. "I know who I don't want," said the man. I expected him to say "Obama," but he said "Ron Paul."

Eventually, the Newtmobile arrived. I went out to take a picture.

Someone handed me some stickers and a sign. I gave most of the stickers away and stowed the sign on the bar.

Because I couldn't see the stage, I planned to get a photo of the Newtster as he walked in--I was near a door and could duck out to snap a shot. But I got spacy from standing so long and missed it! Mostly what I saw was a short-ish guy with a big head and white hair.

He didn't speak for long--just long enough to berate his opponents for "going negative" and to tell us that he is the most qualified candidate for the job, having Worked with Ronald Reagan to End the Cold War (Go Noot!)

Then it was time for questions. He answered a few about getting jobs back from overseas (lower taxes!), the federal reserve (secretive, needs a makeover), NASA (bureaucratic, but we still need a goal in space), and something having to do with guns (been an NRA member for years). His answers were articulate (Bruce's word). I thought he sounded slick. He seemed to think he was pretty smart. I bet he'd talk your ear off with pedantry if you'd let him.

It was interesting that although the audience seemed appreciative, most of the people weren't bursting into spontaneous applause. "Did they yell 'Noot, Noot, Noot'?" asked Eli. Sorry to disappoint, but they didn't. I gather the Iowa republicans there this evening haven't really decided yet about who they'll caucus for. That's also what the polls are saying about our state in general.

At the end, Newt offered to talk with anyone who wanted to come up and ask him questions, which was cool. I think the tween-age girl near us was going to take up her copy of Newt's book A Nation Like No Other, to get signed. She, at least, looked like a true Noot fan.

Iowa Christmas

2011-12-26T11:21:00.003-06:00

We had a lovely Christmas in Iowa this year. As you can see through the windows of this picture, we have no snow, which disappoints the boys, who'd love to go sledding. Still, it's sunny and pleasant outside, and there's a tree inside, which the kitty finds delightful.
She got a crocheted catnip mouse in her stocking, which got played with and chewed all day on Christmas.
Here's Robbie playing with the new computer the boys got from Santa. Mom and Dad said the old computer was perfectly fine, but Santa understood a teen boy's needs.
Eli's wearing the Vectrex sweatshirt he got for Christmas--Vectrex is a vintage gaming system. He likes the idea of old computers, but he also is glad to have that new one in the basement.

I could have included pictures of me reading my book about Broadway shows, or Bruce grinding coffee in his new coffee grinder, but I am terrible at remembering to take pictures!
The Dudeks visited us Christmas day--Mike, Susan, and Erik. It was so great to have them here! We had dinner together, opened gifts, and the boys had a great time talking about computers and--here--playing Magic. Eli's not playing; he's just goofing off.

Happy Boxing Day to all!

Thinking of Louie

2011-12-04T16:28:00.002-06:00

I love this picture of my nephew Louie. In a way, it's not that great of a picture--you can't even see his face. Just his back (with "Dudek" on his sweatshirt) and my kids goofing around with him when they were little. That's Robbie in the red, and Eli in the background in green. The time stamp says 11-27-99.

But this is what I think of when I think of Louie: Visiting his family--my in-laws--in Chicago, and my boys having a great time playing with him and his older brother Erik. First they were supervised by the grownups; later, the boys would be off on their own playing with Legos and balls. Still later, video games and bikes. My boys loved their older cousins, and I was always thrilled that Louie and Erik played so nicely with my younger ones.

This weekend, Louie's friends and family are posting pictures of Louie on facebook. Today would have been his 19th birthday. He died last spring of lymphoma.

I won't see Louie again in this life. It's a physical sensation, this loss. When I think about Louie, it feels like someone kicked me in the chest.

Looking for this photo in my albums gave me a chance to think about those years before we knew about that lymphoma. There are pictures of the boys at the zoo, at various museums (visiting Chicago-land museums was OUR family's Black Friday tradition for many years), and playing in the Dudeks' home. I have a mental image--though no photos--of Susan, my sister-in-law, great with child (Louie) at Thanksgiving, 1992. He should have been born in late November. He wasn't in any hurry.

What if we had known what the future would bring for Louie, for us? The shock, the struggle, the loss, the grief? I think that's why I love those old photos so much: because in them, we didn't know. We were all just living, enjoying life.

The sermon at church this morning was on the Annunciation. Pastor Paul pointed out that it wasn't really an announcement, because the angel waited for a reply. "It was a proposal," he said. "Mary could have said 'no.'" Mary knew that accepting this proposal meant she could be in trouble as a young unmarried woman, pregnant. But what she didn't know was the real future: riding to Bethlehem at 9 months pregnant, fleeing to Egypt, watching her son's ministry grow, watching her son die.

She didn't really know the future. But she said yes.

Louie was on my mind this morning, so I interpreted the sermon in the light of his life and death. None of us knew the future when he was born, either. We just loved him. And when the future unfolded, we lost him.

But still. We don't yet know the rest. We don't know our future, and how Louie's life will impact us. God keeps urging us--Louie's friends and family--to go on. Despite the foot on the chest, we'll say "yes," too.

Picture-perfect Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T20:29:00.002-06:00

Things have calmed down here after the pre- and post-Thanksgiving excitement--time for me to look at and share some photos.

OK, these aren't my pictures--they were taken by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law! But they are such a nice reminder of our lovely holiday together.

Here I am with Robbie, making pie crust. He's learning the family pie crust recipe, and does very well with it.
Uncle Bill carving the bird.
Sammy! He loved being read to. I was glad to oblige.
T-Day! That's Kim hiding behind the pendant lamp. :-)
Uncle Ken is a children's librarian in Atlanta. He's a great kids book reader, and did a lot of reading--to the delight of Sam.
Sammy and his aunties.
Smiley boy.
My boys requested that we visit the Atlanta Botanic Garden. It was great--both inside and outside there were beautiful things to see.
Here we are eating pizza and pasta (and gnocci for me) at a cute place in midtown Atlanta.
Sam and three of his favorite people: Uncle Ken, Gabi, and Sheena the kitty! What a great trip.

Reading and rereading

2011-11-15T15:37:00.003-06:00

I read The Scarlet Letter this past week.

Actually, I re-read it. Last time I read it, I was in 11th grade.

This year, Robbie is reading it for 11th grade Humanities. "This is a really stupid book," he said. "I thought it was good," said I. "You're crazy--you don't remember it," he said. So I reread it.

It is a really good book.

I found the copy I read in 11th grade, which was also the copy my mom read in college.

"Lois Hoffman, Amer. Lit, Fall 1954" it says inside the cover. It also has some of her notes--in fountain pen ink--in the margins.

To help Robbie get through "dat book," as he called it, I read a few chapters aloud to him on a few evenings this week. It reads aloud nicely, as long as you're good with long-ish sentences.

Robbie didn't like the ending. "Why does Dimmsdale die? He met with Hester in the woods, and decided everything was OK, and he told Chillingworth to stop poisoning him. So why does he die?"

I told him I didn't think the book was completely realistic ("yeah, duh!") but more a symbolic romance. Experiment: what happens to different people when they are touched by sin?

I haven't been reading much recently. That's what happens during the term. But I did update the Book List widget on my blog--I haven't been completely illiterate. And I certainly enjoyed Scarlet Letter!

Apples in Iowa

2011-10-08T20:30:00.003-05:00

We have been having a GORGEOUS fall here in Iowa. Bruce and I decided to take advantage of the weather, the fall colors, and the fact that the boys would be gone all afternoon and evening and into the night at a marching band contest--and we headed out for an apple/leaf-peeping tour.

As we drove across the countryside, we saw a number of farmers harvesting the corn. I'm glad some of it was still standing--it looks so handsome in the fields now, all light gold. The rape (canola) fields are a different color--darker gold, and kind of fuzzy looking. In between are green pastures and occasional oak and ash trees clustered around streams.

Our first stop was Sutliff Cider. They have converted an old barn into a cider-fermenting house and cider-tasting bar. We had a taste of their hard cider, which was good--not too sweet, and slightly redolent of the cider I liked to drink in England.

Some people sat and drank cider in the bar area or out on the patio. Bruce and I bought a bottle and headed on.

The next stop was Wilson's orchard, outside Iowa City. I used to stop there on my way home from grad school. They had samples of the apples, and the owner would pare off slices that you could try before buying. You could pick your own from the labelled trees in the orchard, or just grab some from the bins. It was a cute, quiet little out-of-the way place.

I was amazed when we visited this time. There were probably 40 cars parked all up and down the driveway. The tiny outbuilding had expanded, and inside, you could not only buy apples, but also t-shirts, apple butter, popcorn, soap, and various wonderful-smelling baked goods. There were two long lines of people buying stuff.

Luckily, they still had a nice variety of apples (despite a not-so-good year, we heard), so I bought some that looked good--and an apple-cider donut, too.

It's nice to have a fruit bin full of locally-grown apples. Was also great to get out and enjoy the beautiful day.

Bike Swag

2011-10-06T10:29:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I got a box in the mail filled with bike swag!

I got the swag from participating in Iowa Goes by Bicycle, a program that encourages bike riders in Iowa to record their rides and miles. I'm not sure of the exact purpose of the program--probably to get people to ride bikes plus get some statistics on when and where people are riding.

I have to admit I became lax about logging my rides . . . but I still rode enough to qualify for these nifty prizes:

Bike bag--fits under the seat. I have a basket, so I offered this to the boys.

Two lights. I have a flashing rear light (birthday gift from Paul Salamon who also put the fenders on my bike), so one of the boys can have that. Eli has already called dibs on the super-bright, super tiny headlight that can attach to a helmet or bike. "Good for exploring," he says . . .
My favorite: this handsome "extra pocket" that straps onto your ankle. I will use it instead of my usual nerdy rubber band to keep my pants cuffs from getting caught in the chain.

It's certainly been great biking weather here in Iowa. We're having a beautiful, dry, cool, and clear fall, with gorgeous fall color! All you sodden easterners--come on out to Iowa for your fall vacation!

Pelicans and famous children

2011-09-25T17:56:00.005-05:00

Couldn't miss PelicanFest today.

Down at Coralville lake, a number of bird and wildlife organizations put together a little festival to celebrate the migration of white pelicans through Iowa on their way to the gulf coast where they hang out in winter.

As soon as I heard about this, I knew I wanted to go. I love seeing pelicans fly overhead--and they do here, twice a year, going up or down the Mississippi flyway on their way to summer or winter residences. They fly in big Vs like geese, but they flap their wings less, and they're white with black wingtips. An awesome sight.

Often, I've seen them on our lake here in town, Cedar Lake. If they're there, I can even get a glimpse of them from my office!

I was glad we have Cedar Lake here because the pelican sightings were not great at the festival! The pelicans were on Coralville lake . . . but on the other shore from us, about a mile away! There were scopes set up so we could see them, but it was less satisfying than seeing them close up here.

Still, it was great being there, with other people who think pelicans are worth a festival! We saw some people from the local raptor center. They had wings from raptors that had died--beautiful, and a great way to see the feathers and shapes up close.

There was a big huggable pelican.

And a woman with some snakes from a nature center--wish I'd gotten a photo of the beautiful fox snake she had.

Lots of birding groups were there--Audubon groups and other ornithology groups--and I got lots of web addresses so I can see what they're up to. I'm especially excited about a listserv that lets people know what's been sighted where.

One of my favorite displays, though, was by the Prairie States mushroom group. I recognized them because we met a few of the mushroomers once a long time ago on a hike. I told the person who was there, and I told him I'd written a column about it for the local paper. The mushroom group (I think it was that guy!) had asked for permission to print it in their newsletter :-)

"Oh yes! I remember meeting you. I was at the Woodpecker Trail on my knees looking at a mushroom, and a little boy about 5 years old came up to me and said 'what are you doing?' I said 'I'm looking at this mushroom.' And he said 'That's a polypore!'"

That little boy was either Robbie or Eli!

As we drove home, I hoped that my boys will remember those early experiences in Nature and make the natural world a part of their lives. There are so many other options now--fancy phones, computers, the internet . . . will they stay in touch with nature?

And about an hour after I got back, Eli called here on his cell phone. He and Chris had "rescued" a baby rabbit that had gotten scared by a cat and run into the street. It couldn't get back up the curb and was panicking, so the boys scooped it up. It was tiny; it fit into Eli's hand.

They brought it home, and we placed it under a bush in our yard. We figured it was in shock from seeing the cat and from having trouble with the curb. The boys went back inside to get a piece of fleece to cover it, and by the time they got back, it was gone.

Magic and running

2011-08-26T16:35:00.004-05:00

School has started, and the boys are getting settled in their routines. They're both at the high school this year.

They're getting into after school routines, too. Robbie had his trumpet lesson yesterday, and Eli had a piano and tympani lesson today (his piano teacher also teaches percussion!).

And for fun? Well, it's been Magic: the Gathering for Robbie.

It's a card game. What I figure is that it's like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh, but for older kids. "It's been around LONGER than Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh," points out Robbie. It makes no sense to me.

In the summer, Robbie and his buddies would swim at the Bever Park Pool, then play Magic at our house. Now that school has started, they don't have much time. But they were here today (Friday) after school!
You can tell when they're at our house.
Eli is not interested in Magic: The Gathering. He and his buddy Chris have taken up running. I'm glad--Eli has always been a gifted runner. In elementary school, he was the fastest runner in his class. This despite the fact that he was also one of the smaller kids.

Eli and Chris have been running to Tomahawk park and back every evening. It's about 2 miles, roundtrip.

View Directions to Tomahawk Park, Cedar Rapids, IA in a larger map

I've asked Eli if he would like to run on the cross-country team and he is NOT interested. He's not a joiner! But as long and he and Chris are enjoying it together, that's fine.

Wisconsin, Take 2

2011-08-17T15:49:00.005-05:00

It's Band Camp week for the boys this week. This means they're at a sleep-away camp M-Th to learn their marching band routine for the fall.

This year, since BOTH boys were gone, Bruce and I decided to take advantage of the empty nest and go on a trip together!

This is the first time we've done this since the boys were born. That sounds pathetic, but we don't have relatives close by to take both of them overnight, and sleepovers never seemed to occur on the same weekend for both guys. Besides, we like to travel with them . . . most of the time.

Still, a trip without the boys meant a nice B&B instead of a hotel-with-a-pool. And it meant slow food and tours with tour guides!

We set off for Madison, WI after putting the boys on the bus Monday. The weather was perfect! After a picnic lunch in Belmont, IA, we drove to Spring Green to have a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin. We've been near there so many times on trips to see the APT, but have never done a tour.

Tours were definitely pricey, but great. There were fewer than a dozen in our group, and we had a 2 hour tour of the house and grounds.

We got greeted by Sherpa, official Taliesin cat . . .

I love the way Wright "framed" views of the landscape--and used Asian art. Above all, I loved his optimism--that there could be a new and exciting way to view nature and make things.

Next, we drove on to Madison, where we had a B&B booked--a room at the Arbor House, an "environmental inn" in a historic building. We loved the location of the B&B, in Madison's "near west side." As we walked to a restaurant for dinner, we saw some cool things, like this little free library
.

flags for pedestrians to carry so they wouldn't be hit by cars when they used a crosswalk (!),
etc.

The Belgian bistro we walked to for supper had great food. Though we did decide against the moules frites, the grass-fed burger (Bruce) and chicken-tarragon salad were great.

Just across the street from the restaurant was MadCat, a local boutique for cats!

I'd hoped to find one (it's a chain of 3 in Madison) because a former student worked there--and it looked fun. It turned out to be where Meagan worked, but she wasn't working that evening.

The next day, after mushroom/asparagus eggs, pear smoothies, and tea, we ventured downtown. We started at the Chazen Museum of Art on the UW campus--it had a really nice collection--and was free. There was a great exhibit on printmaking as rhetoric (how appropriate!) and some awesome ancient Greek vases (I'm reading a biography of Socrates now, so that was timely).

I also like looking at modern/contemporary art, and they had a whole floor of that. This one made me laugh--it's called Congress of Fools!

They look pretty foolish.

From there, we wandered up to one of Madison's lakes, Lake Mendota--the student union looks over it, and there were pleasant tables under the shade.

Oops, I must have been crooked when taking that photo!

I wanted to see the capital where all those people were protesting Governor Scott Walker. Inside, some people were gathering to sing protest songs under this beautiful dome.

There were still remnants of protest about.

We had lunch at an adorable Italian place, Porto Bella , which had a charming courtyard for dining.

After lunch, we headed to the Olbricht Botanical Garden, on Lake Monona. It's famous for having a Thai Pavilion, which we visited--very beautiful!

The plantings were really nice--and this garden was free to visitors!

We were pretty tired after that, so headed home--less than 3 hours away. For a 36-hour vacation just for us, Madison was just right.

August already!

2011-08-02T17:27:00.003-05:00

Today was Eli's last day at Pioneer. No more shoot bags and tassle bags for him! He thinks he made over $700. Pretty impressive. And I'm especially impressed that he worked so hard for so long in such awful (hot!) conditions.

Here he is with his buddies Chris and Finn at Pioneer.

He's now talking about working Pioneer again next year, maybe even being a corn measurer, who carries a heavy metal pole around to measure the shoots and the height of the corn. He may not have enough seniority to do that--may be more shoot bags and tassle bags.

Meanwhile, he is really looking forward to going back to our volunteering at the Humane Society. He misses the kitties, and I'm sure they miss him.

Robbie has also been busy working--in lawn care with his business, BAGELS. He hasn't been mowing much, but has done a lot of weeding and some mulch-shifting. It seems to be fairly steady work; every time we go to church, he gets another job from our friends there :-)

Driving to the jobs gives him some good driving practice. He's getting quite good at it.

On the days he hasn't worked, he's done some engineering--he built this binary counter out of LEGOS.

What's a binary counter? Well, ask Robbie. This device counts marbles that go down a shoot. But it counts them in binary--on or off. The marbles cause switches to go in an on or off position . . . I told him to make a movie of it and put it on YouTube . . .

I've been busy getting the guys here and there . . . haven't had much sustained time to do Coe stuff, but have been doing some freelancing. And crocheting! Here's a tiny mushroom I made.

And an armadillo!

He goes inside his shell, too.

Bruce has been going to see presidential candidates . . . of course, it's only Republicans who are campaigning, and a lot of nutty ones. He's seen Bachman, Santorum, and, today, Ron Paul. Ugh. All in the name of (political) science!

Two Vacations

2011-07-27T10:56:00.005-05:00

First Vacation: Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin

Drove along the Trollway in Mt. Horeb on the way there.

We had rain the first evening . . .

But good weather the rest of the trip! We love the mountain-lake feel of Devil's Lake, and the great hiking up the bluffs.

(No family pics from Devil's Lake--they were on Robbie's Archos, which isn't working)

Second Vacation: Chicago

Went here the hottest week of the summer :-(

The view from the Hancock Tower at night was great.

Friday was a Cubs game for Eli and Bruce. Robbie and I went to the Art Institute. Robbie took some pictures of things that amused us.

Me by the spider silk blanket.

Oscar Wilde teapot.

The Dalai Lama's words in lights, going up the stairs.

Giant Shiny Bean, a.k.a. Cloudgate.

We had lunch with Mike and Susan on Saturday before heading home. Nice to have two vacations--one wilderness, one urban!

Big Corn

2011-07-16T12:32:00.002-05:00

Eli is the first of our two boys to get an Actual Job, with a Boss, Tax forms, and a Pay Check.

What's he doing? Working for Big Corn.

He got a job cross-pollinating with Pioneer, a company that produces seed corn. The work is similar to detassling (for those of you who have done that): walking the rows of corn and enabling corn sex. It's a classic Iowa summer job . . .

I told him that he was going to be working for The Man. For those of you who don't think Big Corn is The Man, please read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma.

He dislikes the work very much. It's out in the hot sun, long hours (he starts work at 7:30 a.m. and they work EVERY DAY for 3 weeks, including Sundays), and unpleasant physical labor. But so far he hasn't quit. "I made $45 today," he said yesterday. He's motivated by the big bucks.

I'm slightly impressed that Big Corn provides 50 spf sunscreen (and makes the kids apply every 2 hours) and protective eyewear. I'm also glad Eli is cross-pollinating rather than detassling because he just goes to the Pioneer farm about 25 minutes north of here to work each day, rather than getting on a bus every morning at 5:30 and being bussed around the state to detassle at megafarms.

Since Pioneer raises corn seed, the seed needs to be pure. So cross pollinators make sure the correct pollen gets on the corn silks by covering the shoots (where corn cobs grow) and the tassles with bags. "Shoot-bagging" isn't too hard, according to Eli.

Tassle-bagging is a challenge as the tassles are at the top of the plants--some of which are 6-7 feet tall by now. You have to bend the corn down carefully so it doesn't break. And watch out for the wasps, spiders, Japanese beetles and flies. And corn rash (from the sharp leaves cutting one's arms . . .)

"I hate corn," said Eli yesterday.

Paint happens

2011-07-15T13:37:00.003-05:00

Robbie didn't get a conventional job this summer, but he has been doing some work for me. He scraped and painted one side of the garage, then I had him do the fence.

He's done a good job--he needs very little supervision except for consultation about what to do first, etc. This morning, he painted without break from 8:30-11:15 (when he was STARVING and needed to stop for a sandwich.

He's always loved chores, since he was little. When I vacuumed, he'd come running and play with the attachments, pretending they were vacuums. Bruce bought him a toy vacuum, which got a lot of use.

Besides painting, he's been doing some lawn mowing. Usually the way he (and Eli) get lawn mowing jobs is that colleagues call us, and then we split the work between the two boys. Robbie was tired of sharing the work, so I told him he needed to get the work himself, rather than waiting for people to call.

So he started his own company called BAGELS: Bobbert's Awesome Green Excellent Lawn Service. He made some cards that he handed out to Coe colleagues at a summer lunch. Hope someone will call!

You may take me to the fair

2011-07-11T19:35:00.004-05:00

Before we left on our vacation, I decided to enter a few crocheted items in the Open Classes part of the county fair. My friend Karen goes every year to help her kids set up their 4-H displays, and has entered items herself, so she took four of my crocheted items up with her.

Today I had to go pick up my things--and I found I had won a ribbon: "Outstanding Exhibit" for my long vest!

It says "Best in Show on the tag, too."

I also won $5, which was in a little envelope taped to the ribbon :-)

I showed the ribbon to the boys. "What does it mean?" asked Eli. "I'm not sure," I said. "I'll have to ask Karen. I think it may mean my vest was the best of the whole division, which was "needlework" and included crochet, knitting, embroidery, crewel, and tatting (!)

Here are my other items: another vest made of size 3 thread, earrings, and a scarf with a pretty stitch pattern. Maybe the blue stickers on some of the tags mean something, too.

I'm just glad I got to show off how cool and hip crochet can be.

Market Day

2011-07-02T11:35:00.005-05:00

Here's what I got at the farmer's market today:

bouquet of cut flowers
quart of strawberries
some radishes
sugar snap peas
eggs from Forest Hill Farm

It was Big Market week, and I went with my friend Anne. Every other week in Cedar Rapids, they move the Farmer's Market downtown and close a bunch of streets. Besides the usual produce and baked stuff, there are many, many booths with street fair stuff--jewelry, yard art, wine, funnel cakes, giveaways from banks, dogs on leashes. There's loud music, free balloons . . . and TONS of people!

Anne and I prefer the regular farmers' markets to the big ones, but having someone to go around with made this one bearable. We just watched for breaks in the crowd and shot through.

I didn't want to miss this market--besides needing the above items, I wanted to meet a visiting artist, Eliza, who is travelling through the US, collecting stories about quilts.

She had her quilt tents set up.

Visitors got a chance to practice quilting, too.

I told her about learning to piece and quilt from my grandmothers and about piecing my first quilt starting at age 10 and finishing at age 21 :-)

Nearby, the municipal band played. All and all, an enjoyable Big Market!

Books of June

2011-06-24T19:25:00.002-05:00

I've been reading a lot recently, and between my reader's log--a blank book with penned-in, one-sentences descriptions of what I've read--and Good Reads, the website that's represented by the widget to the right of this post, I think I'm keeping track of what I'm reading.

I noticed some discrepancies this evening--books I'd written down in my log that I haven't yet put on Good Reads. Nice to have both options! I have to say, though, despite what they say about "nothing ever goes away on the web," I feel like the log is the more permanent list. I mean, I still have my mom's reading log that she kept in the 5 years or so before her stroke.

Here are a few books I've liked a lot recently:

Cleopatra, by Stacy Schiff

I don't usually like histories, but historical biographies, with their focus on the life story of one person, fascinate me. This one did, and the author was working with pretty scanty materials. Or maybe I should say LOTS of not particularly accurate materials. She did a great job of sifting through to give a sense of what Cleopatra's culture was like, and what her life did and might have involved. Lots of triangulation between varying sources, many of which were very anti-Cleopatra.

Murder in Passy by Cara Black

Can't remember when I started reading Cara Black's series of detective stories set in 1990's Paris. They're fun, with a sense of that city's shadow side--not the side we tourists see! The main character, Aimee Leduc, is spunky and smart.

Private Life by Jane Smiley

Read this book!--or at least read it if you love big, fat, juicy novels that you can just sink into--and that also give you something to think about. I loved the way this one revealed the meaning of everyday interactions and daily tasks and revealed the life of a thoughtful yet retiring woman. My one-sentence review is: "Midwestern 'spinster' marries handsome genius and lives in his shadow (along with other lively characters) until she discovers his secret--mental illness."

This one gives a great sense of the history of the turn of the century through WWII--these events affect the characters and help drive the plot, which is at turns exciting and heartbreaking.

The Pain Chronicles by Melanie Thornstrom

I heard the interviews with the author on NPR when this book first came out, but lost track of the book until I spotted it at the library. I'm so glad I found it--I loved reading this compellingly-written page-turner of a book. It's one of my favorite genres: lively, personal writing about a scientific topic. My review: "The author, who suffers from chronic pain, explores the myths and science of pain and suffering."

OK, so now I can submit my list to the adult summer reading program at the library. I'm hoping to win a Nook.

I need a new book--hate to be without one! Any suggestions?

Humane

2011-06-16T15:28:00.002-05:00

Tuesday morning, Eli and I spent about an hour in a windowless room with a concrete floor that was filled with the smell of cat litter and bleach.

It was our first day of volunteering at the Cedar Valley Humane Society and we were cleaning cat cages in the back room of the facility.

I got the idea to volunteer 'round about May when I was starting my annual fret about what I was going to do with the boys in the summer. When they were little, I was their social planner. I decided which days we'd go to the pool, which days we'd go to the playground, who we'd see, when we'd run errands, etc.

Now, of course, they go to the pool on their own . . . but also tend to slide into way too much screen time if not nagged.

So I decided we'd try some volunteering. I offered CVHS and also the Art Museum's junior docent program for Eli. That second one sounded interesting--I could just see Eli leading tours at the Grant Wood studio downtown . . . but he went for the kitties.

(As of now, Robbie's "not in" on the volunteering, but I bet we can get him to come with us sometime.)

Our official assignments are: Tuesday--clean cages 10:30-11:30 Thursday--socialize cats 9:30-10:30.

Most of the other volunteers seemed to want to walk dogs, so they were grateful to have some cat folks. And of course Eli is great with cats. On cage-cleaning day, he located one who'd escaped and caught him. His friend Chris joined us, and he did a great job, too.

Cleaning cages seemed like the least we could do for these homeless cats. The shelter keeps things very tidy (cages cleaned every day), and the staff seemed kind and knowledgeable (especially Kathy, the person in charge of cats, who knew every cat's name and had a kind word for each). But still, it was hard to be there, especially in the back room where cats were first put when they arrived at the shelter. Between the piteous meowing, the realization that many of the cats would probably live the rest of their lives there . . . and the smell, I was pretty much exhausted by the end of our stint.

I told Bruce that I think people who do social work--for people or animals--must need to harden their hearts a bit or their hearts would always be broken.

Today's visit--to "socialize" (read: play with) cats was more uplifting. First of all, we were in one of the front rooms, where they put cats who've had all their shots and are ready to be adopted. We brushed and petted cats and let them roam around. Eli especially liked a huge pale tomcat named Himmy (aka Hemmi). He must have been about 20 pounds!

(A professional photographer takes pictures of all the adoptable animals for the website.)

We also enjoyed playing with a couple of teenage kittens named Abner and McDreamy. Kathy told us that they were given up by a woman who'd had 18 cats! Crazy cat woman indeed! But some of the others had already been adopted, so we were hopeful for those two.

The center's front rooms are great--huge two-story cat cages in one room, fairly large ones in the other, and big windows for the cats to look out of. It's really a good place. They do important work. I was happy to see a bunch of photos up on the window under the sign "adopted this month."

After the storm

2011-06-09T17:35:00.003-05:00

This morning, the power was still off--no surprise--but the rain finally let up.

Robbie and I went over to Coe--that's how I managed the last blog post. Luckily I have these new nifty fenders on my bike, courtesy of Paul, who put them on for my 49th birthday present! The streets were wet, but I did NOT get an unsightly streak up my back.

When we came back, the utilities folks were busy at work, cutting up the tree, looking at the wires, etc.

They used two cherry pickers to restring the wires. It made me nervous to watch them, even though I knew the wires had no power. Still, it was really interesting to watch.

We also had to hire an electrician to come out and fix the pole that's attached to the house where the power comes in. It's called a "mast," not a pole, according to my neighbor. When the electricity came on, we cheered.

At one point, I went out to ask if I needed to hire someone to clean away the tree. They nodded. (They just cut up the tree so they could get to the wires; they weren't going to haul it away.) Then someone suggested I call the city first. The tree was on my neighbor's property, but it fell across the alley, where the city garbage trucks were going to need to drive tomorrow. . . so I called over there.

The city guy came out to assess the situation. He looked tired. Apparently, the northeast side of town got hit hard. (We are on the southeast side.) And he was skeptical about having to clear up a "private" tree. But because it was blocking my garage and the alley, he said he'd send a crew over.

They arrived just as the cable/internet guy was done, and they had a cool truck.

It worked like one of those carnival games: try to scoop up the toy you want. The claw easily grabbed the enormous logs and the big piles of branches. They crew even raked my driveway and patio!

The odd thing in all this is that our neighbor has never contacted us! We saw him last night, but not her. I'm thinking she's out of town--she would have at least come over to see if everything was OK. Really, it was their responsibility to clear out the tree. They should have hired someone to do it.

I'm glad the city stepped up, though. Our driveway clear, I went straight out to the grocery and bought celebratory steaks for dinner!

Storm!

2011-06-09T09:49:00.006-05:00

So last night I'm reading the paper in the family room and I hear a strange noise outside. It's windy out there (a storm was on its way), but this is a different noise.

I look out our big window to see the top of big tree near our neighbor's house slowly cracking off the trunk. The wind is breaking it off! Cool, I think, then I wonder if I'm in danger?

The top of that tree splinters off with a big CRRRAAACCCK! and falls toward our house, right into the alley and our driveway.

Turns out I was not in danger. The tree missed our garage, our basketball hoop, and it fell just short of our pretty picket fence. It tore a few limbs off our beautiful old red maple, but that was it.
Actually, that was not it. It also ripped a transformer off an electrical pole, pulled down the electrical wires, and ripped the wires right out of our house!

I immediately went outside. The air was full of sawdust and wind. There were snapping and buzzing sounds from the live wires, and a smell of hot electricity. I think I said "wow" a few times.

The boys came running down. Robbie said he saw the transformer get hit--it exploded in sparks and fell to the ground. We watched as the live wires squirmed in the air like snakes--the ends white hot and sparking. Our neighbor ran by and went back in to call the power company.

Although there was no rain, the wind was blowing and we could hear distant thunder. All the neighbors came out to see, and we stood on the lawn as the weather sirens started up. "The weather sirens go on, and everyone comes outside," said Eli. "Typical Iowans." Bruce came home from his guitar lesson and was amazed, too.

Robbie took this picture of the broken tree from the roof of our garage. See how it neatly fell between the garage and our house?!
Eventually the live wires seemed to die, so we felt a bit safer. We chatted with our neighbors for a bit, then went inside when it started to rain. Eventually, we had hail--the biggest I've ever seen. Some pieces were about an inch in diameter. We watched and gaped at the downed tree, and eventually lit some candles.

Luckily the storm brought with it some cool weather because of course there was no air conditioning or fans!

This morning, things are about the same. The power company was out, and they said they were going to start work today.

Today, Robbie and I rode our bikes over to Coe, where I am now--can't get the cars out of the garage, can't phone anyone (I'm charging my dead cell phone now!), can't use the internet at home! Still, I feel pretty lucky about that tree--no damage to anything except the electrical wires.

Now that tree--a choke cherry, good riddance--is a playground for squirrels and chipmunks until they come and clear it out!

Archives and Hardware Cloth

2011-06-08T18:42:00.003-05:00

I wish I'd brought my camera this morning when we went over to Franklin Middle School to see the Archives. Eli worked on the Archives this year, organizing yearbooks, scanning photos, and sorting through a small room full of stuff. He really enjoyed it, so we arranged to visit once classes were over.

If I'd had my camera, I'd have taken pictures of:

the 1936 globe that Eli identified by knowing which countries existed at that time
the cabinet full of old Franklin yearbooks
the cat fetus in a jar ("everyone wants to see this," said Eli, rolling his eyes)
the school's underground tunnels . . . that we couldn't visit because the principal made them off- limits (some non-archives kids got into them and left graffiti)

The school was built in 1923, so it has lots of history. . . . more information is available on the Franklin website. They're working on a google site, too. Some of the other kids were working on an Ashton Kutcher project. He attended Franklin back in the day

Well, I don't have Franklin archives photos, but I do have a few photos of other things: some items I made with hardware cloth.

It's not really cloth, of course. It's wire mesh. I bought some a while ago to make a cap on our furnace exhaust pipe. Small critters had gotten in and met their doom when they got down to the furnace. And they caused the furnace to shut off . . .

Anyway, the leftovers were great for making this lettuce cage.

It's not to keep the lettuce in, but to keep the bunnies out. The lettuce doesn't like this location (note how spindly it is) so I'll do spinach next year.

I also made a cage for the strawberry pot. Same idea.

This project was an indoor one. An earring rack.

So now I'm a wire textile person, too.

Preview

2011-06-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

Bill, Kim, and Sam drove out to visit us over Memorial Day weekend. That's a long drive, so I was VERY glad that they came.

It's hard living so far away from my brother (10 hour drive away in Cleveland) and sister (? hour drive away or plane ride away in Atlanta), but we manage to get together a few times a year. I love being with them. There's nothing like being with your siblings. Well, we get along very well; I'd probably be friends with my brother and sister, even if we weren't related. And with my sister- and brother-in-law!

This trip was especially nice because I got to visit with baby Sam!

Look at this delicious little guy!

We met Sam last summer when he was just about 6 or 8 weeks old, and my sister and I visited him in November. During this visit, Sam was in the midst of the "stranger anxiety" phase, so he didn't want me pick him up and hold him like I did on the other visits. But it was lovely to kiss his little head and play with him--the boys brought down the Box of Baby Toys and the Fisher-Price train set, which he loved.

It was so nice to be with a baby and hear the little noises he made, watch him pass an object from hand to hand, get him to smile, watch him pull up on furniture and crawl around. I was just happy to sit there with him.

And of course, when he was really sad, he just needed his mom, so even though I'm pretty experienced with fussy babies I got out of the tough parts.

I figure it was kind of a preview of being a grandma. Pretty nice!

Pie Genes

2011-05-30T12:26:00.004-05:00

Lots of families have traditions that are passed along from generation to generation.

For our family, one of those traditions is pie-making.

My grandmother made the most awesome pies--my favorites were pumpkin and lemon meringue. My mom also made pies--I remember the procession of fruit pies through the summer, starting with rhubarb, then cherry, then peach, then blueberry.

When I was out on my own, I decided to make pies, too. I tried the first one at my parents' house when I was home. Here's my mom's crust recipe.

Pie Crust

2 crust

1 3/4 c. flour

1 t. salt

3/4 c. shortening

1/4 c. water

That's it, but of course, I knew you had to mix the first two, then cut in the shortening (Crisco) with a knife, then add cold water and press the dough together.

Can't remember what kind of pie I made that summer; the only thing I remember is tears! Pie crusts look simple (only 4 ingredients), but they are really difficult to do well. I'm sure it wasn't rolling out properly, probably sticking to the rolling pin, or maybe even not working into a ball.

My mom came in and rescued me. "Here--this is how I do it," she said, and she whipped up a decent crust quickly, while I watched in amazement.

Later, I was able to put together a workable crust, but they often turned out somewhat crumbly-- "too short" (too much shortening?), which made my siblings laugh. I guess they found it an ironically appropriate name for a pie crust I'd make.

Over the years, I've gotten better at pie crusts. Now, like my mom, I can whip one up with no problem, so it's time to pass on the recipe.

The logical choice for passing on is Robbie who loves pies. He was also interested in learning.

He had a chance to try his first pie this weekend when Bill, Kim, and Sam were here. Bill loves rhubarb pie, and we always have it for Bruce's birthday. So we had birthday rhubarb pie planned. I used my mom's recipe:

Rhubarb Pie, filling

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 T. flour

salt

2 eggs

Mix into: 5 c. rhubarb.

Bake 425-30 minutes

375 20 minutes

Robbie did a great job with the pie--no tears, though there was some skepticism about having to cut in the shortening. I assured him that there is a chemistry to pie crust making, and that if we just stirred the shortening in, or creamed it, like with cookies, we'd have a tough crust!

Not to be outdone, Eli made his pie specialty: Chocolate Dream Pie.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Dream Pie

1 c. cold milk

1 pkg. Jello Choc. Pudding (instant)

2 1/2 c. Cool Whip, thawed (8 oz)

1 chocolate cookie crust.

Mix pudding and milk. Fold in Cool Whip

Spoon into crust

Freeze 6 hours.

He was glad that Kim also preferred chocolate to rhubarb!

So here are my pie boys, proudly carrying on the family tradition.

All-Star Voting

2011-05-27T20:50:00.008-05:00

I voted for the major league baseball all-star teams this week. Voting extends through June 30, so the opportunity for further reflection exists, but I had been to a minor league game earlier in the day and was filled with the spirit.

There are a number of possible approaches to voting. One is to vote for the players from your favorite team. Cubs fans who vote for all Cubs would find themselves voting for Blake DeWitt, who's listed as their second baseman but who in fact hardly ever plays, having lost his starting spot to Darwin Barney. This used to scandalize people; when so many folk from Cincinnati voted for Reds in 1957 that the entire team was elected to represent the National League, voting was taken away from fans for more than ten years.Now, perhaps due to the moral relativism of the 1960s, it's OK. Another is to vote for players you've heard of. So, you're looking over the ballot and see the name Magglio Ordonez, and that rings a bell. He's had a long, distinguished career with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Vote for him on that basis, but understand that he might be past his prime. This year he's hitting .172 in limited play. Or you might wind up voting for someone who's injured.

My approach is to go off current season offensive statistics. This avoids the first two pitfalls, but there's always the chance--particularly this early, when the season isn't even 1/3 over--that I'll vote for someone who's a flash in the pan. (Think Kosuke Fukudome of the Cubs, voted to start the 2008 game, who hit .327 in April, and then saw his average decline every month. By the all-star game he was down to a pedestrian .279, and finished the year at a mediocre .257.) I voted for Tony Batista one year based on impressive home run and RBI totals, but he stopped hitting altogether and wasn't starting his own team's games by July. On the other hand, some great players have been notoriously slow starters. I hardly ever voted for Ryne Sandberg or Derrek Lee. But this has been my method, and here is what it spit out this year:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
1B Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
2B Robinson Cano, New York
SS Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland
3B Adrian Beltre, Texas
C Alex Avila, Detroit
OF Jose Bautista, Toronto
OF Curtis Granderson, New York
OF Carlos Quentin, Chicago
DH Michael Young, Texas

NATIONAL LEAGUE
1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee
2B Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee
SS Jose Reyes, New York
3B Placido Polanco, Philadelphia
C Brian McCann, Atlanta
OF Lance Berkman, St. Louis
OF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee
OF Matt Kemp, Los Angeles

No National League catchers are hitting well this year, so I voted for McCann, who was last year's Gold Glove winner for outstanding fielder. Otherwise I don't honor fielding, impressive as it can be to witness in person.

A waste of time? Of course it is! But it's my waste, to which I'm rather attached.

Blue Jays

2011-05-25T16:54:00.003-05:00

I was glad when the blue jays appeared in our yard this year. They had a tough time with the West Nile virus, and for a few years, I didn't see much of them.

Now I'm seeing a lot of them.

A pair seems to have taken over our yard, and I mean taken over. I haven't really seen much of our usual birds--cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees--since they've arrived! One day, I even spotted one of the jays chasing a robin away from the bushes outside the kitchen window. The robins were around quite a bit before, looking at possible nesting sites, but now they're not to be seen.

The jays don't just chase away songbirds. Whenever our resident red-tailed hawk announces his presence with a loud kiii, those jays will soon arrive, calling out thief! thief! and drive him away! They are brave, especially considering that something, maybe a hawk, caught a jay and left its remains--a pile of feathers--over by the finch feeder.

Despite the slightly headlong bravery with hawks, they seem smart to me. One likes alighting on a low branch of our maple to cock his head at the kitty, who looks up with interest. They also like bathing in our birdbath.

I'll be interested to see if they stick around. It would be cool if they nested here.

Arty Weekend

2011-05-24T14:11:00.003-05:00

I didn't expect to get to the Marion Arts Festival on Saturday--it was supposed to be rainy and unsettled. But in the afternoon it cleared up.

I talked Eli into going with me. It was a deal something like this: I'll take you to the Marion Goodwill (Eli loves hunting for treasures), if you go with me to the Arts Festival. He was hesitant at first, but agreed.

Turns out, he enjoyed it. We each decided on a few things that we would buy, had we enough money. I decided on a beautiful watercolor

a silk scarf,

and a sculpture for our backyard.

Eli thought these image-changing photos were cool.

So that was the visual arts part of the day. That evening, Bruce and I heard some music by a local chamber group, Red Cedar Chamber Music. The group is a husband/wife duo: flute and guitar. They play a lot of 19th century parlor music, which I don't like much, but when they're playing music of the more classical variety, I try to hear them.

Saturday's concert was the world premiere of a piece of music they commissioned for them and a string quartet from a local composer, "Perhaps Gilead," a three-movement piece based on the book Gilead by local writer (a local theme here!) Marilynne Robinson. I loved that book, and immediately wished we could take Mom to the concert. She would have liked the book, too, and she enjoyed going to concerts.

The music was modern--sometimes atonal, odd textures and rhythms. But it also quoted hymns (the book is about a family of pastors in 19th through mid 20th century Iowa). The group, which is big on sharing music and educating the public--began the program by sharing an "Introduction" to the music, in which they explained some of the motifs and things we'd hear. They even read excerpts from the book.

The music itself was transporting--I felt wholly wrapped up in the world of the novel as I listened; maybe I even got new insights, too. I think I need to read the book again now.

Reading and writing

2011-05-18T15:37:00.002-05:00

As you can see by the "good reads" gadget by the side of this post, I've been reading books on a couple of themes recently: British detective fiction and writing style. Might be an odd combination, but that's what I'm enjoying these days.

I've come to enjoy detective and mystery books a lot recently. I read P.D. James's book about the genre, Talking about Detective Fiction, to get an insight about why I enjoy these books so much. I can't remember much about James's take, but she did give a brief history and critique of the genre, showing that it's got a decent history--in England and in the U.S.

I used to think that reading mysteries and detective novels was a particular vice of librarians. Seemed like many librarians I know like to read mysteries or detective fiction--it was a librarian who turned me on to the Stephanie Plum series, way back when the author, Janet Evanovich was on 8 or 9. (The books always have a number in them--One for the Money, etc.)

Now I'm wondering if it has something to do with the age I am. I'm getting a bit tired of one particular "novel" shape: young woman comes to terms with her past in order to move on into her future. Maybe because I no longer really identify with that young woman. Of course there are plenty of other novel shapes, but that's a common one, especially among women writers.

With detective and mystery fiction, the books are mostly about people at work--detectives, police officers, curious folks, bail bondsmen (like Stephanie Plum!). Like those protagonists, that's where I am now. I've pretty much found my "work"--writing/teaching. I find it interesting to hear stories of people at work--the conflicts they encounter, the difficulties they push through, the ways they go about their work.

I have other books on my reading list, too, of course, but I think good detective novels will probably be part of my reading for a while.

Know any good ones?

OK. The other topic: writing style. I'm reading lots of books about this topic as part of some research I'm doing for a class I'll be teaching in the future. Name of the class? Grammar and Style. Doesn't that sound fun? I'm so excited!

I get two reactions to the title: "sign me up!" and "how boring"

I've done reading and research on this topic before--in grad school--and I took an awesome course on style with U Iowa Composition guru Jix Lloyd-Jones. It's fun to go back to old texts and ideas--and to encounter new ones.

An old text I just re-read (as you can see from Good Reads): Strunk and White's Elements of Style. What a hoot to read--what a delight! The subtle humor, the excellent advice, the conflating of good style with good morals. I happen to be reading my Kalman version--the one with the goofy watercolor illustrations, which add a layer of surreality. But of course, the best part is the way the voices of William Strunk and E.B. White practically radiate off the pages.

I'm also in the middle of a book whose existence I can't believe I failed to notice until now. It's called Stylized: A slightly obsessive history of Strunk & White's the elements of style, by Mark Garvey, and author and editor. I am loving this slim biography of The Elements of Style! Like his subject, this book is a delight to read--its style is lively and voiceful while adhering to White's advice to "1. Place yourself in the background." It's not "just style," though, but also riveting content: biographical material about both Strunk and White, excerpts from letters, descriptions of how the book was received, interviews with current writers (many write for the New Yorker), and pictures.

I think the thing I like best about this book is that I want to have written it. It's the kind of nonfiction book I would LOVE to work on: one with a narrow enough focus so as not to have to be encyclopedic, one that would allow me to do various kinds of research--in archives, in books, and through interviews, and one that would be on a topic that I love.

(The author begins the book by telling about his large collection of Strunk&Whites, different editions, etc.)

But since I don't yet have a topic for this type of writing (yet--I feel sure that I will have a topic at some time in my life), I'm going to have to stick with something less formal. Maybe a blog, for example.

I've dropped off on blog posting for a few reasons. One is my nephew Louie's death, which kind of knocked me out of circulation for a while. Just didn't feel like writing. Another is that I've been feeling a bit directionless in my blogging. Nesmith Family Blog was created so that everyone in our family, especially my boys, would have a place to post what they wrote . . . and I think I'm the only one posting these days. And my posts seem to be repeating themselves, seasonally. Didn't I post about planting my garden last year?

So I need to find a direction, a topic, a focus for writing. Maybe I'll start a new blog. Not sure. Maybe until then, I'll just challenge myself to post a couple times a week here on various topics. It's good--to write for oneself and one's non-paying readers, especially when part of one's income comes from paying readers . . . But I hope I find or figure out a direction for my writing. I'm confident that something will appear.

Confirmed in the Faith

2011-05-02T16:54:00.004-05:00

I love the confirmation service at church--the young people processing with the cross, bible, communion elements, watching them serve in worship (they acolyte, usher, read the scriptures, lead joys and concerns . . .), the great music. This year it was even more special because Eli was confirmed.

Here's Eli at the beginning of the service--he was the crucifer. He also read the gospel and ushered.

Confirmation classes are just one year at our church. I've heard they can be up to 3 years in different denominations! But of course, Eli's spiritual education has been going on for a long time.

His classes involved the usual meetings with the pastor to discuss spiritual matters and the Methodist church. But the kids also went to a service at the synagogue, and one at an African-American baptist church. They did some service projects, like walking in the CROP walk, and they had a weekend retreat at a camp.

Besides the class, they also worked with faith mentors one-on-one (Eli's was our friend Steve), after which they wrote their own faith statements.

My favorite part of the service was the laying on of hands. We parents (and Steve) got to come up to the front and be part of it while Pastor Paul said this lovely blessing:

Eli Paul Nesmith, the Lord defend you with his heavenly grace

and by his Spirit confirm you

in the faith and fellowship

of all true disciples of Jesus Christ.

google, why does blogger not like android?

2011-04-30T16:59:00.002-05:00

Bike Ride to Moving Site

2011-04-30T16:54:00.002-05:00

The sun came out today! Only those of you who live in the Midwest understand how amazing this is.

Eli is on a band trip to Adventureland today, and the rest of us decided to take advantage of the awesome weather and go for a bike ride. We rode down through downtown, where one of those nasty Cedar Rapids smells assailed our noses (sour corn, probably, from one of the processing plants), and then headed along the river to Czech town.

I'd been wanting to go over there for a while. They are moving the Czech museum to higher ground after it was completely flooded in 2008. You may remember the pictures--it was kind of an emblem of the flood.

But when you see those flood pictures, you can tell that the building is HUGE! Their website says it'll be a record-breaking move of 3 million pounds! I was having a hard time picturing it.

But, when we got to Czech town, there it was, up on enormous I-beams, propped about 6 feet above the old foundation. There were a few other "tourists" checking it out, too.

The wet weather has postponed the move (I guess moving a 3 million pound building is not something you do in mud). I think I might have to stop by on the day they actually move it.

Here's a cool animation about the moving process.

In other news, the forget-me-not I got from Judi a couple years ago is blooming!

It's come up every year, and has pretty leaves, but the flowers are really great.

Easter Resurrection

2011-04-24T20:03:00.004-05:00

I couldn't decide whether to put on this tablecloth at first. I mean, we were all wearing jeans, and it was just the four of us.

I decided to use it in the end. We didn't need a dressy table, but I liked being reminded of my grandma. The little crudité dish belonged to my other grandma, and the tulips had been at church, in memory of mom and dad, and Bruce's mom and dad.

Bruce pointed out that every holiday, we have those loved ones close, even if just in our memory.

Before dinner, we spent a lot of time outside--we finally have sun and warm temperatures, and the green has returned to the lawns. Wildflowers were blooming when Bruce and I went walking at Palisades Kepler--Dutchman's breeches, spring beauties, rue anemone . . . . The long winter hadn't killed them off--it had merely delayed them, and they seemed to be bursting forth, just in time for Easter.

Eco-Fest

2011-04-17T15:57:00.006-05:00

In celebration of Earth Day (a bit early), our town had a festival. They even had a sculpture commissioned--this dung beetle--the ultimate recycler!!!

The weather was not good--snow in the morning--but most of the festival was indoors, so I went.

And quickly came back to get Robbie!

Besides the sculpture, recycled art, and other random stuff, the Eco-fest had a room where people could make music with old electronic toys and junk.

Scrapyard Challenge, a husband-wife team from Brooklyn (Brooklyn NY!) had tools and a music program on their computer. People could make a circuit with electronic toys, wire them to the computer, and play music.

Not having much confidence in my wiring skills, I created a recycled art sculpture,

Robbie got into the electronics--taking stuff apart and rebuilding things. He took apart an old toy with switches, and hooked up four switches to four different notes on the computer.

We were probably there for 2 hours. . .

So I did finally have time to think up and create a musical instrument, jingling keys that created an electrical circuit.

On my first visit, sans Robbie, I stopped by at the recycled fashion workshop and saw my textile-savvy friends Sonja, Brooke, Ramona, and Carissa. They were taking thrifted clothes and altering them to make new, hip outfits. Lots of brave scissors-wielding goes into that.

Here's one of Ramona's creations--a 50's dress that she updated while keeping its retro flavor.

Carissa joked that she feared seeing people who knew how to sew. "They're going to say 'she's not using pins! She's not measuring!'"

All of those talented women are going to present their work at the 3rd annual recycled fashion show on April 30. I'm going!

Spring in the North!

2011-03-17T09:44:00.003-05:00

I think I post pictures of snowdrops every year. And if you live in the north, you know why: winter is long, and snowdrops are one of the first signs that spring is finally arriving.

Once the snowdrops bloom over at Brucemore, I know that there will always be something blooming. Next will be squill, then crocuses, then daffodils, then wake-robins . . .

The grass is still brown here, but we got a bit of rain today, and will get some next week. I raked the garden beds yesterday and had 2 big containers of leaves and sticks (put some to compost behind the garage). It was great to be outside. It was about 60--maybe warmer--and sunny! Eli helped me in the yard and Robbie and I rode our bikes to mail a letter.

I also spent some time crocheting these amigurumi paper lanterns.
I got the pattern from Itsy Bitsy Spider blog, which is written by a very talented crocheter from Cleveland! She is donating the money from the patterns to the Red Cross, I think to help Japan. The kanji on the white lantern is the sign for "strength." I guess I did a good job sewing it, because Robbie could tell what it says! (He is learning Japanese in school.)

Eli turns 14

2011-03-15T13:55:00.004-05:00

We've had a lovely few days celebrating Eli's birthday. He and I made a carrot cake from scratch Saturday afternoon.

He and his friends ate some on Sunday!

(Eli is king of the funny faces. It's an affliction that occurs when a camera is present.)

Monday, he wore his new jacket and shirt, and enjoyed opening gifts: 2 books, a crystal-making kit, and two gift cards.

Can't believe he's 14 already. "Where is that book for the driving permit?" he asked. (Kids can get a learner's permit at 14 in Iowa.) He's motivated--maybe he'll learn to drive before Robbie does!

Boots and Tights

2011-03-10T12:26:00.005-06:00

I've decided that there are a few compensations for a long, cold winter. One is sledding, another ice skating. Of course there's hot chocolate. And then there are boots and tights.

This winter I got a new pair of boots which I love so much, I had to figure out ways to wear them! Lots of young women have been wearing boots with jeans tucked in, but that look doesn't work well for me. The jeans get bagged out and untucked around the knees, and for some reason it makes my legs look stumpy and short.

I did wear my new boots with long skirts now and then. That's fun, especially since I have a couple of swoopy long skirts that move really gracefully when I walk along.

But the most fun is to wear boots with short skirts and tights.

You'd think that this wouldn't be very comfortable, but it is. First of all, I am physically incapable of wearing Killer Heels, so my boots all have Sensible Shoe-height heels. Very comfy for walking. Tights today are also way more comfortable then they used to be. I wear thick, opaque ones with lots of lycra and NO control top. Bruce got me a couple pairs of colorful ones that are particularly soft and stretchy.

And of course, the skirt needs to be just right. Most of my short skirts are soft and stretchy, too, like wearing sweats! Or, like the one I'm wearing in the photo, denim. I say they're short, but they're really top-of-the-knee length, so long enough to be modest, yet short enough to make it easy to stride along in those boots.

You may think that pants would be more comfortable than skirts. Not necessarily. Unless they're sweatpants, it's hard for most women to find pants that fit nicely--in the waist, hips, and thighs--and look good! If they fit nicely, they might be uncomfortable to sit in. If they're loose enough to be comfortable when sitting, it's likely that they look a bit dowdy and floppy. And pants bag out at the knees or grab in the crotch when you sit down. In many ways skirts are better. I remember one summer, I never wore shorts--just skirts--because I found them so much more comfortable!

I'm wearing my denim skirt, boots, and tights today despite the fact that I'm not doing anything special. When they're this comfy, boots and tights are fine for days of errand-running and sitting at a computer at home. I'm not "dressing up for" anyone. I just love way they leave my legs free to walk and run along. I love the way they're cheerful and unexpected.

Maple Syrup Festival

2011-03-06T12:16:00.004-06:00

We love this festival! It's at the Indian Creek Nature Center, and we go every year if we're in town.

Some years, it's rainy or snowy while you stand in line, but not this year.
They collect the sap on the Nature Center's property. They don't have that many sugar maples, and collect sap from box elder and silver maple trees, too. That affects the taste of the syrup they produce: it tends to be darker and have a stronger maple flavor. I love it!

Apparently, the last few years haven't been so good for syruping. I heard from one volunteer that they only produced 3 gallons last year.

Inside the sugar shack, an older volunteer was keeping sap boiling. Steam floated off the vats and drifted up and out through the hole in the roof. "I hear last year wasn't a good year for syruping," I commented to him.

He looked at me, then leaned in. "It was a damn awful year," he said. He thought that he'd already made more syrup this year than he had all spring last year. "It got warm too fast," he explained. Apparently, when that happens, the sugar in the sap turns to starch, and won't make syrup.

Outside the sugar shack, volunteers show different methods of cooking it down. 40 gallons of sap=one gallon of syrup. They let me stir!
The result: REAL maple syrup!

Spring Yarn Fun

2011-03-01T14:10:00.003-06:00

New tag! Isn't it nice? It's right there on First Ave., outside Brewed Awakenings.

The weather was actually pretty decent for sewing it up--we weren't standing in feet of snow, like last time.

Most of that tag was crocheted during two events: the superbowl and Oscar night. Thank goodness for slightly-boring TV!

While Ramona, Carol and I were sitting in Brewed, making plans for next time, Carol was inspired by a floor lamp which was decorated with thin metal leaves.

We decided that the next sign post would get covered with crochet, then decorated with flowers and leaves, all knitted or crocheted. It will make for a nice variety of work--and a bit of artistic flair. I am psyched!

Turkey Vultures: early to the party

2011-02-21T16:53:00.002-06:00

So I came home from a swim at the Y and saw two BIG black birds on the lawn. Crows? No. Turkeys? No. Turkey vultures! (Thanks to mikephoto.com for the picture--I didn't get close enough to get one with my little digital camera.)

One was actually by the sidewalk, and was worrying a bit of something. Later, I saw that it was some kind of carrion--roadkill, I'd guess. The other waited anxiously on the lawn, hopping from foot to foot. When I snuck around the corner of the house to get a better look, the waiting one flew away and the eating one looked nervous, hunching down over its carrion.

I decided it would be best to go inside, so Eli and I watched from his window. The eating buzzard ate at the carrion, but warily, constantly looking up at various things: cars that drove by, crows that started gathering noisily in the trees. Then the eating buzzard flew away, and the other one--a bit smaller--came over to the carrion.

Eventually, two crows came down and stood on the sidewalk near the buzzard. "Can I have some of that? That looks good; can I have a taste?" That's what their body language suggested to me! More crows gathered in the trees and made crow noises.

Finally, the buzzard flew away--we saw both of them circling, then soaring off. A couple crows flew down and took away bits of the carrion.

I'm a bit puzzled. Usually, the buzzards come back around Eli's birthday, March 14. Kind of like the Hinckley buzzards--they're pretty reliable. Why are these back now? Is climate change affecting them? Or is it just the unusual weather last week?

Definitely going to report this to the backyard bird count!

Birthday weekend

2011-02-20T20:45:00.004-06:00

It's no longer sunny and warm here in Iowa; we're back to cold and cloudy. 40s today, 30s this week with freezing rain and maybe snow.

But I had a delightful birthday weekend!

There were cards and gifts from family and friends,
a banana/chocolate chip cake baked from scratch by Justin (we ate some after our TKD workout, which was also a nice birthday treat),

and DQ ice cream pie and champagne with Anne and Paul that evening as we watched the Julie Taymor Magic Flute!

Then today, in choir rehearsal before church, the choir sang to me--it's always a treat to have a choir sing to you!

The boys pointed out that I am 7 squared this year, or, as Robbie told me, 11,101 in base two. I think that's what he said . . .

So after this birthday interlude, I'm ready for the rest of February, whether it's springlike or gray and dreary. After my birthday, there's just not that much winter left!

February Thaw!

2011-02-17T14:52:00.003-06:00

In case you can't see it, the thermometer says 65!
The snow mound is retreating. You can SMELL things outside--mud, pine, fresh air. Lots of puddles everywhere. It won't stay this way, but this is the direction we're headed.

Ah, the four seasons!

A little less wintery

2011-02-13T17:35:00.002-06:00

It's not quite spring here like it is in Atlanta, but it did get warmer today! There were puddles and streams and drips everywhere.
Maybe this big ol' pile of snow will be gone soon.

Housewifely ecstasy

2011-02-12T16:05:00.002-06:00

Bought a new vacuum today.

The old one, purchased after we moved into the house on Iowa Avenue, over 20 years ago, has been limping along for quite some time. You can see the bungee cord holding it together. The latch broke off, and the on-switch foot pedal was also broken. I could no longer get filters for it. The guy at the vacuum place was going to make me some.

But this morning, it threw off some frightening sparks at one point, and I wondered if it was REALLY worth it to keep it going this long. I also wondered what it feels like to be electrocuted. But then the entire electrical cord broke off at the body, so that was the final sign.

The new one's really slick. Quieter, too, Eli noticed. He did not run and hide in his bedroom when I started vacuuming. The kitty did, though, even though the "Pet Powermate" attachment instructions said "not to be used on pets."

Snow Day!

2011-02-02T08:49:00.004-06:00

It's a snow day for everyone here today! Coe is actually closed for only the 3rd time since we came back in 1989.

How much snow did we get?

Not the 18" predicted by some. More like 8" here. Not really THAT much snow (it fell over about a 24-hour period) but it has practically shut down our city!

I've always been amazed by the snowphobia here in Cedar Rapids. Schools will shut down when there's 2-3 inches of snowfall, or will dismiss early because it's snowing and a big snowstorm is predicted for the evening (this happened yesterday). Last year, the kids had to go an extra week into the summer to make up the snow days from that year!

When I tell people about this, they're amazed. "But you're in Iowa!" they'll say. Yeah, this isn't Cedar Rapids, Alabama, with no plows, no salt, and drivers that rarely see snow. We get snowfalls every year! We have very effective snow plows. But still, we get all hippy-canary (to quote my mother-in-law) when there's a decent snowfall.

I heard today that the Chicago Public Schools haven't cancelled school in 12 years--until today, when 18" of snow caused them to cancel. Now THAT's a snowmageddon!

Tech update

2011-01-30T17:24:00.005-06:00

And now, some tech news from the Nesmith family

Nesmiths attend Med School

Actually, it was a session of "mini medical school," a program put on by the U of I's med school, on Tuesday here in Cedar Rapids. I think it's a PR effort for the school and hospitals. I found out about the program from an email, and signed us up (all but Bruce, who stayed home to watch the State of the Union).

Topics were advances in cancer treatment and the virtual cadaver. I especially wanted to see the latter as I'd just done a story on it.

Both presentations were excellent. We learned about gene therapy for cancer. The scientists manipulate molecules--molecules!--to attach to genes to get them to stop creating cancer. The presenter also explained how treatment trials are set up. The boys and I remembered how Grandpa liked to be involved in those.

We also saw how the virtual cadaver--a software projection system--works as the presenter showed us how cancer might spread through the lymph system. He could slice through the projected image of the cadaver, strip away different elements, and rotate it so we could see what he wanted us to.

Eli talked with the presenter afterwards about some ideas he had for making the program even better. The presenter thought that "by the time you're in med school" the virtual cadaver program should even be able to show organ systems at work.

About 200 people were in attendance with us; we all got notepads, powerpoint handouts (Eli took notes!), and a nice reception beforehand. All took place at the new hotel that our community college has constructed for its "Hotel management" training program.

Yeah, that's me and Robbie getting some refreshments!

Robbie Nesmith Applies for Engineering Internship

Robbie heard about a high school internship at Rockwell Collins, and applied for it last week. He was interviewed by phone, and told the interviewer about the programs he's created (he's taught himself some programming).

We're not sure when he'll hear about the internship. It requires 10 hours of work per week, probably mostly after school, which might be tricky since Robbie's busy with band stuff after school many days. We'll see.

Post-Christmas blooms

2011-01-25T12:41:00.003-06:00

There's plenty of festive things to look at during the Christmas season, so I'm OK that some of my blooming things are blooming in late January. Here they are:

Amaryllis: Almost in bloom.
Christmas cactus: In bloom.
Poinsettia: in bloom, but moulting!

The Tae Kwon Do Kid?

2011-01-24T16:10:00.002-06:00

I finally got around to watching Karate Kid, the remake, this weekend. Let me clarify that--I watched the first part of the movie--that was enough for me.

I wanted to see it for two reasons:

it was filmed in China! I wanted to see that. I've had students from China, and wanted to see some video footage of their home country
it was about martial arts. I wanted to see this movie's take on martial arts.

If you've seen it, you'll know the movie was pretty badly acted. I don't remember that the original was any prize, but this one seemed to be worse. But there were cool scenes from contemporary China.

There were also fighting scenes, but that's not exactly what I wanted to see in terms of martial arts.

That's the one big misunderstanding people have about martial arts: if you study martial arts, you are studying how to fight and beat people up.

Certainly, you learn how to strike and kick and block. You work toward sparring, which is a kind of ritualized, structured, competitive fight. But anyone who's trained seriously in martial arts will tell you that the heart of martial arts isn't fighting.

One outcome of my martial arts training was that I learned how--and practiced how--to focus on the now. When you're training in martial arts, you can't be thinking about how your day went, or worrying about the next day. You have to be in the moment of each block, each kick, each strike.

Then of course, there are the tenets of Tae Kwon Do, those values that are at the heart of TKD: courtesy, integrity, perseverence, self-control (no revenge fantasy acting-out!), indomitable spirit. Learning TKD forces you to practice these, and then you go on to use them in everyday life. You just do.

I could go on about this in great detail, but maybe that's enough.

So about the movie. The Jackie Chan character said one line that has stuck with me and seems to ring truer about martial arts than the revenge fantasy plot of the movie. I don't remember the exact words he used, but it was something like

"Kung Fu is in everything we do."

Maybe that sounds corny (it's especially corny because practitioners call the art wushu), but it's so true of martial arts! When I was training seriously, Tae Kwon Do was in everything I did. I carried that ability to focus into everything I did outside the dojang. The tenets of Tae Kwon Do became embedded in the way I did everything.

So now, it's been over a year since I've trained seriously. I'm starting to work out once a week with some other black belts. My arms and legs, arms especially, feel like spaghetti, but I'm still trying to get the moves back.

I hope I can also recapture that "Tae Kwon Do is in everything we do" attitude as well.

January Yarn Tagging

2011-01-21T16:26:00.002-06:00

After doing a bit of yarn tagging this summer, I wasn't sure what would be my next project. But I met a couple of enthusiastic new recruits when I taught crochet this fall, and decided to propose a local tagging project: This sign post outside our favorite coffeehouse, Brewed Awakenings.

Ramona and Carissa from the crochet class joined me, and Carol came, too, with her knitting needles! Sonja was interested, but is hibernating at home to work on a big art project. Sonja is the resident artist at Goodwill of the Heartland, a job she invented for herself! Don't I know cool people?

I think hanging out with creative people was my favorite part of this yarntagging project. Most people aren't really interested in talking about yarn arts, yarn bombing, UFOs (unfinished crafted objects), where to get ideas (Ravelry, books, thrift shops), how to sell art, what our next ideas are . . . but we talked about all these! It was such an inspiration talking with Carissa, Ramona, and Carol. Good for my artistic brain!

So we sipped our hot drinks and chatted while we crocheted/knitted. We got a lot done in a short amount of time.

Then we went outside to display our artwork. We chose the signpost on 13th Street, next to the coffeehouse.

It was really cold!

But the art is great. We hope people notice it . . . maybe they'll even like it. And I bet we'll be doing more soon.

Vintage

2011-01-06T13:01:00.003-06:00

My friend Ramona has a vintage clothing business. She buys clothes at thrift shops (really cheap--you know, on 25 cent days) and alters them to give them a bit of zing.

For example, she cut off a drop-waist dress to create this cute peplum jacket for me--I watched her do it!

But wait . . . a drop-waist dress isn't "vintage." In fact, I still have . . .um . . . TWO in my closet . . . that I still wear from time to time!

When I think of vintage, I think of something like this old yarn ad that Shelby posted on her blog Stitch Story:

Now THAT'S vintage.

Maybe the meaning of "vintage" depends on your own vintage!

So are these boots vintage?

I couldn't resist them--they reminded me of the very first pair of boots I ever bought for myself--in 11th grade. I saved up my clothing allowance (and probably babysitting money) to get them. I wore them for years.

Maybe that's why I bought these. I've been enjoying wearing them this week--with a short denim skirt and tights one day, and today with this cute drapey skirt I bought at the Des Moines Junior League's Thrift Shop.

Maybe they're vintage, maybe it's just "what goes around comes around." I'm glad when I see some of the styles I love come back around!

And some day, I should share some of the treasures that I've thrifted . . .

Hero rats

2010-12-28T08:48:00.001-06:00

Just watched a cool Ted talks video about rats!

These rats are "hero rats." Some are trained to sniff out land mines, others to sniff out tuberculosis.

The director of the program is a guy who quit his job as an engineer to solve some of the developing world's most pressing problems. I admire him.

I'd like to donate to the cause. Have to figure out my reluctant PayPal account first.

Those rats are both clever and cute!

Merry Boxing Day!

2010-12-26T13:05:00.002-06:00

We had a lovely Christmas day. There were lots of presents! Here are a few favorites:

Robe, fedora and large balloon for Eli.
Nanodots for Robbie. These tiny spherical magnets have proved addictive . . .
A pelican cap for me. What a great mascot for the Myrtle Beach team who played the Delaware Blue Rocks when we were out east this summer! I guess I'm more into actual pelicans than I am into the team . . .
A slightly scary cat toy and some lick-able mint gum.
Bruce has already used the ice scraper the boys and I picked out at True Value! (He did get some other presents, too.)

Later in the day, we went sledding at the park, played our new Rock Band disc, played Flinch--our new card game--and ate some Chicago Deep Dish Pizza sent to us by the Dudeks.

All in all, a relaxing and enjoyable day. I kept thinking of a line from the prayer from Lessons and Carols--"You make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ . . . " It certainly is worth celebrating, the opportunity to be "made glad!"

Silent Night, Holy Night

2010-12-24T17:15:00.003-06:00

We're having a white Christmas Eve here in Iowa.

But everything's cozy in the house.

I missed the Lessons and Carols from King's College, so I dug out an old tape of the Wooster Chorus doing Lessons and Carols--a wonderful substitute.

We're off to church soon--I'm singing in the choir, Robbie's playing trumpet with hymns, and Eli and Bruce are ushering. I love this evening service--the candle light, the quiet mystery, the joyous singing . . .

A blessed Christmas eve to all!

Christmas memories

2010-12-20T09:03:00.004-06:00

Putting up Christmas decorations is always nostalgic--remembering when we got each ornament, each decoration. Many of my Christmas decorations are special because they remind me of loved ones.

I love getting out Mom's Hummel creche.

Grandma's bell ornaments (they really ring!) hang on garlands in my dining room.

I love this candle globe that was a gift from my mother-in-law.

We also have some decorations from places we've visited:

London

Living History Farms

Frank Lloyd Wright museum. (yes, that's a bubble light next to it--like the ones on Grandma's tree)

Unfortunately, the star at the top of our tree broke last year in a tree-tipping incident. Eli told us he'd make a new topper for us. I think it'll become one of my future favorite decorations.

Can you tell he's reading Tolkein right now? We laughed and laughed at this--Christmas in Mordor!

The Pub

2010-12-18T18:45:00.002-06:00

Just had dinner at our favorite pub, the Tic Toc.

When we lived on Longwood Drive, we could walk there. We drove tonight, but it's still close--in the Coe neighborhood.

We especially like dinner time there--it's filled with lots of people--older folks, families, single people at the bar. On the weekends, they have their "smokehouse" menu, with ribs, pulled pork, etc. It's relatively small and a bit tackily decorated, in a welcoming way. Lots of clocks on the walls and various other odd stuff. Our usual waiter didn't appear until after we'd ordered, but he greeted us when we left.

I had one of my "usual" meals: cheeseburger and fries. Had a Guinness instead of Blue Moon ("girl" beer with a orange slice) because the cold weather seemed to demand dark beer.

New Christmas Traditions

2010-12-04T13:53:00.003-06:00

Maybe "new traditions" is an oxymoron. But I'm thinking these may eventually become "old traditions."

The first is the annual trip to Wal-Mart to buy poinsettias. Early in December, our Wal-Mart store has them for $10, in many different colors. And they're HUGE!

I would say this one is at least 2 feet across.

I'm sure they're a loss leader, but I just go in early in the morning, buy my poinsettias, and leave. One I take to church--that's the Grandma and Grandpa poinsettia. We used to sign up to purchase one in honor or memory of someone--now they ask everyone to pick out a poinsettia and drop it by the church, so there are all sizes and not just red ones. It's not quite as impressive as a uniform bank of red ones, but probably easier for the church. And I think of my parents and Bruce's parents when we see it during advent.

The other poinsettia goes by the hearth in our living room, where it looks great through the whole Christmas season, then survives until mid-January when I get sick of it and toss it on the compost.

The other tradition is going to the Indian Creek Nature Center Christmas sale, Nature's Noel, with my friend Anne. She invited me last year with the caveat that she likes to get there early--to be the first in line!

So we get there at 8:15 and stand in line until they say we can go make our purchases. Then we RUN over to where they have the kissing balls hanging and pick out the one we like. You have to get there early to get one--they're sold out within minutes. Here's the one I got this year.

Nature's Noel also has wreaths, roping, decorated yule logs, arrangements, and, inside, food items.

It's a very festive time--it snowed last night!--and it's fun to do just about anything with Anne, so I think I want Nature's Noel to be a tradition!

Old-fashioned Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T14:01:00.007-06:00

. . . and I'm talking really old fashioned. Like late 19th-and early 20th-century old-fashioned.

This weekend, Bruce and I went to the Candlelight Tour at the little historic village near here, Usher's Ferry.

There were candles in glass jars all along the walkways. And that was pretty much it in terms of light, except for a few strings of electric lights. You can forget how DARK it is when there are no streetlights!

The little buildings were lit with candles or lanterns. We walked from building to building, learning how to play the early-20th-century game "Flinch," dancing the Virginia Reel in the City Hall with some other visitors, having tea and cake at the hotel,
and listening to some Celtic music in the old church.

They put this tour on every year at Thanksgiving--except for 2008 and 2009. The village is within about 200 feet of the Cedar River, and was completely submerged in the flood of 2008. The hotel where we had our tea took in water up to the ceiling.

Back then, I figured the little village was a goner. But volunteers and a resident carpenter have been working on it for the past 2 years . . . and it's back in working order.

We're glad we were able to be at their reopening.

Thanksgiving Photos

2010-11-25T20:40:00.005-06:00

Table, before, with centerpiece from Ellen and Ken.

Close-up of Grandma's crochet work.
Eli might try some new dishes . . .

He did make this delicious Chocolate Dream Pie for dessert!

Robbie made pecan tarts.

It was really cold outside. We did go on a couple of short walks, but it wasn't pleasant.

After supper, we watched IPTV's broadcast of the State Music Concert. Kids are chosen from various high schools around the state to play--result is ENORMOUS ensembles, but lots of fun looking for friends on TV.
Later, the boys got out their Domino Rally.

In general, a cozy day!

Thanksgiving Plans

2010-11-23T13:54:00.002-06:00

This year, for the first time EVER, I am doing Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Although we'll all really miss seeing family during the holiday, I'm taking this opportunity as a challenge to put on a meal that we'll all love.

So here's my menu for the day:

Roast Turkey (I want to try the Camp Family's "upside-down" turkey, but don't have silicone gloves to turn it over for the browning stage)

Roast squash, apples, and onions

Brussels Sprouts with bacon and maple syrup (I can do most of this recipe ahead of time)

Mashed potatoes

Dressing (I wonder if Ellen or Bill has Mom's giblet dressing recipe . . . )

Crudités

Chocolate Dream Pie (Eli is in charge of making that dessert tomorrow)

Pecan Tarts (Robbie's project, ditto)

Other Thanksgiving Day ideas:

watch parade on TV
watch about 5 minutes of football, just to get the T-giving feeling
walk (it'll be about 25 outside, so we'll have to bundle up)
Wii bowling
King Kong (the original) or Iron Man II
Skyping family

I'll let you know what happens!

Good Books

2010-11-22T14:55:00.003-06:00

I haven't been blogging much because I've been doing so much writing! Six articles in October, six in November. Most of them really interesting, too.

But I have had some time to read, and luckily I've just read two wonderful books. Maybe you've read them?

The first was Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.

I read a review of this book that compared it to a Jane Austen novel. That can mean anything--romance novels often make this comparison! But this book lived up to the comparison. It's a story about society, class, and love in a small English village--a 21st century English village this time.

The characters are intelligent and appealing, and the writing is a delight to read. Major Pettigrew is a widowed man who, at the beginning of the novel, has just heard about the death of his brother. His neighbor, Mrs. Ali, the village shopkeeper just happens to come by and spends some time just being with Major Pettigrew in his grief. The Major tries to understand the role of the past--and how Mrs. Ali fits into his future.

The next book I started to read was My Name Is Mary Sutter. It's a novel about a young midwife during the Civil War who wants to become a doctor. She gets a job as a nurse, and begins to learn medicine--19th century version--as she treats wounded soldiers.

Can I make a confession? I did not finish this novel. I like "difficult" novels that put their main characters through stress. But this one was unrelentingly grim--all the scenes of Civil War-era operating rooms, and death, and disease . . . not to mention I admired but did not like the main character.

So, when I got The Vanishing of Katherina Linden, I was delighted. The main character, 10-year-old Pia, reminded me of the curious and articulate Flavia in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie--and so did the mystery-type plot. In the book, 3 of Pia's classmates disappear suddenly from their small German town, one after the other. Pia and her friend Stephen hear their parents' admonishment to watch for something seltsam (strange), but they think the girls disappeared by magic! Fairy tales, an odd family, and German culture figure into the story, which is set in 1998. There's a cliff-hanger--and somewhat gruesome--ending.

Right now, I'm reading Tom Lutz's book Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears, which he published soon after I graduated from UIowa (he taught in the English department there). I'll let you know what I think after I finish!

So what are you reading?

Germany, 30 years ago

2010-11-08T20:05:00.004-06:00

I love this picture--it's probably one of my favorite photos from my family's sabbatical in Germany. On my recent trip to Cleveland, my brother reminded us that this fall is the 30th anniversary of that trip.

I find it hard to believe!

But here it is in print: (Our hometown paper did a story about us, which my friend Daniel sent to me in Germany.)

My siblings and reminisced a bit during the weekend, and when I got home, I got out my old scrapbook and looked at the pictures. There were a few images that brought back great memories, and some that Bill didn't have in his retrospective.

That first photo, above, was of me and my sister with two of my housemates--Ewa and Denise--from the Goethe Institute in Murnau. In this photo, we're at the top of the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. By the way, I still correspond with Ewa, and we are Facebook friends.

I was 18 when we went on the sabbatical, so I spent my first trimester of college in Germany. Luckily, my college had an exchange-type program with the Goethe Institute, a language institute. I took German there for 8 weeks.

Here's my language class (I'm not in the picture because I took it!). In that 8 weeks, I got about the equivalent of 1 year of college German, and loved learning the language so much that I got a German minor in college!

This is where I lived for that 8 weeks, in a little boarding house in Murnau, at the foothills of the Alps. The landlady spoke no English, but I could see the mountains from my window.

My housemates and I got along very well. The only language we ALL spoke was . . . German! So we had to learn quickly.

My sister came down to visit a few times. Here's a page from my scrapbook with pictures from our trip to Salzburg. She came down the weekend of her birthday, and we took a Goethe Institute tour bus to Mozart's town. We visited the Mozart-Museum and went up to the Schloss on the hill.

When I finished at Goethe Institute, I went back and lived with my family in Ottobrun, a suburb of Munich. I was a bit bored since I wasn't in school, but we did some fun things.

My mom and I went to East Germany, a country that no longer exists. My kids love to hear me tell stories about taking the train and seeing barbed-wire fences and guards with guard dogs at the border. "Did the guards really have guns? Did they really wake you up to ask for your passports?" "Yes!"

The whole family also went on a trip to Italy, and the days in Florence were a dream come true for me. I'd just completed AP European history and had learned all about renaissance art. There it all was--the Uffizi, the David, the Baptistry doors, the Fra Angelico!

Ellen and Bill got tired of being dragged from museum to museum.

In general, though, it was a pivotal time for our family. Living abroad and having to rely so much on each other (and co-exist in a tiny apartment) ended up bringing us closer together. Another reason to celebrate the anniversary!

All Saints: aunts

2010-11-01T12:53:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking about two of my aunts on this All Saints Day--Aunt Lois and Aunt Nancy.

I think about Aunt Lois during October because I always get out this pumpkin that she made for me years ago.

Aunt Lois was an avid crafter. She even made money at it--going to craft shows around the Cleveland area to sell hand-sewn teddy bears and other things. I think she probably did it as much for the joy of crafting as for the money!

Though she worked full-time at a bank for most of her life, I always think of her as the consummate domestic goddess. She was a stay-at-home mom with her three daughters, and she always seemed to love that. My mom was always amazed at her memory of each child's developing personality and odd little stories.

Later, she took care of others, too--her aging mother and then my parents once they got sick. She loved driving, so enjoyed driving my parents around in a van--they liked it, too. She enjoyed visiting with me and my family when we came to Cleveland--she had a special way with kids, and my sons enjoyed her company. But I think her favorite care-giving was the time she spent with her grandsons. She was visiting them when she died on Christmas Eve night almost 2 years ago.

I've also been thinking of my Aunt Nancy, who passed away last fall. I dreamed of her the other night. In the dream, I was at some sort of family gathering--all I really remember was going up to Aunt Nancy and hugging her. I love having dreams like that.

Ever since I visited Aunt Nancy and Uncle Vern back when I was a grad student (I had a conference in Southern California--how fortunate!), I've felt particularly close to her. I had such a nice visit there. When Aunt Nancy took me to church, one church lady said I "looked like I could be her daughter." She shared stories about my great-grandmother and her growing-up days.

She always remembered to send me birthday cards, and I tried to remember her, too. I always looked forward to taking my family to California someday, and especially to a long visit with her and Uncle Vern. I hope we'll still visit California, but I'll feel the loss of Aunt Nancy when I visit.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:34:00.005-05:00

Teenagers started arriving at our house around dinner time. I guess Robbie had planned a party . . . I didn't need to feed them all, luckily. They went out wandering in the neighborhood.

Eli and his buddy Chris were out, too, after Eli set out his pumpkin. Sorry if the black humor offends . . . it IS Halloween!

Robbie and his buds came back and had a fire. Bruce and I kept handing out candy, sitting right by the door so we could keep up with the crowds!

Over 150 trick-or-treaters came to the house (it's a popular neighborhood).

At that point, we turned off the lights and came inside. Don't want to miss "Sherlock" on PBS!

Bashing things with Hammers

2010-10-28T20:06:00.003-05:00

"Hey Robbie," I called out this evening. "Want to come bash things with hammers?"

He joined me in cracking black walnuts in the basement. I scavenged these from the Ballet Academy parking lot earlier this fall.

I remember cracking black walnuts in my Grandmother's basement (Grandma C.), but I don't really remember how we did it. With a hammer? The shells kind of fly everywhere when you whack the nuts--you have to really hit them hard! And it has to be a focused, bouncing kind of hit, or you end up squishing the nut inside.

Robbie spent most of the time getting great ideas for Better Walnut Cracking. The vise worked particularly well. The jigsaw made a pretty half-walnut, but didn't get the nuts out very well. He also contemplated some kind of drill thing and "acid that would dissolve the shell."

I'll make some of those cookies with them like I did last year. Their flavor is really nostalgic for me--Grandma C. made cookies with them; that's probably what I remember.

Home Improvements

2010-10-26T16:45:00.003-05:00

Robbie took on an electrical task this weekend--replacing an electrical switch at the top of the stairs.

Little did he know that 3-way switches (these two lights can be turned off from upstairs OR downstairs) are a bit tricky! Add to that old wires . . . and it was a bit of a project for an apprentice electrician . . . with no mentor. But he figured it out.

Eli worked on cleaning bugs out of the light fixtures--also tricky as our light fixtures have a weird set-up with tiny, fancy nuts that have to be unscrewed from long posts. . . We lost one of those fancy nuts during cleaning, but were able to substitute a simple hex nut.

As for me, I cleaned out a shower drain. I thought it was kind of penance, as I assumed the slow drain was due to a build-up of long, blonde hair. But the clog was a build up of mineral deposits from our hard, Iowa water. So after some fun with vinegar and a little plastic tool called a "Zip it," the drain is draining again!

Purple Day Post

2010-10-20T13:29:00.003-05:00

I think everyone knew people who were "different" in their junior high or high school. You know--the geeky kids, the physically awkward kids. The ones whose clothes were always really out of style. The super-smart-but-nerdy kids. The gay kids.

When I was growing up, those kids got teased, and they got bullied. I'm not talking about good-natured teasing from friends; I'm talking about people ganging up on them, calling them losers, pushing them into lockers in the hall, beating them up. I'm saying "they," but verbal bullying occasionally happened to me (I was a nerdy, shy type who eventually learned how to be as invisible as possible in my desire to avoid bullies).

It probably happened to lots of us.

Once I became a mom, I started to say to my kids, "You guys are lucky. At your school, everyone learns not to bully, and not to be bullied. There were lots of bullies when I was in junior high. But your generation is more emotionally intelligent and tolerant."

I'm not so sure now.

So many news stories can attest that bullying is still going on and still hurts people: recently, we've heard of a rash of suicides among gay or gay-identified teens who have been bullied.

Where is this coming from if our students are coached and taught about emotional intelligence and tolerance from grade school on up? It could be the proliferation of social media which makes anonymous rude comments easier and privacy harder. It could be a decline of general civility. It probably has something to do with anti-gay sentiments among adults that trickles down to our children.

I think lots of people get tired of thinking about and talking to the bullies, though. In a video that's gone viral, Joel Burns, a city council member in Ft. Worth, Texas, decided to think about and talk to the kids who get bullied.

His message: It gets better as you get older. "You'll get out of high school and you'll never have to deal with those jerks again," he says. "You will make friends and they will understand you and accept you."

He speaks especially to young kids who are gay, but his message can bring hope to any "different" kid who is suffering now.

Let's make sure that Joel Burns is right when he assures these kids that mature adults don't act like junior high bullies. Let's prove that we don't use cruel words and physical violence to threaten those we we just think are "ikky" or "different." Let's use our words and our presence to show tolerance and understanding and leave a place for hope in our world--for those kids and for every kid.

Crochet or Smokes? And other musings . . .

2010-10-12T14:26:00.003-05:00

Of recent times, medical authorities have declared that crochet work,undertaken in moderation, is one of the most beneficial of home hobbies, as it not only occupies the fingers, but the mind, and is soothing to the nerves. One eminent physician has gone so far as to recommend the pastime to men as well as to women, and to suggest that it might be regarded as a sedative and a substitute for a smoke.

--c. 1916, quoted in Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes by Daina Taimina

Ellen and I both enjoyed reading parts of Crocheting Adventures when she was here this weekend. I liked the little "tidbits from the history of crochet" and she thought the author explained advanced mathematical concepts very well--using crocheted objects like the one on her book cover.

Yes, we read books while she was here! Someone should have gotten a photo of us, the two teachers, sitting at the picnic table with our laptops--she was doing some grading and I was writing a story.

We did get some photos of more vacation-like moments:

eating dinner outside on a lovely evening and visiting Palisades-Kepler State Park.

Our next rendezvous will be in Cleveland the first weekend of November!

Homecoming, etc.

2010-10-05T15:55:00.003-05:00

Those of you who are on facebook know that it's been a busy week for the Nesmiths with the Washington High School homecoming. The weather was beautiful for the parade,

the football game (football team got their pumps cleaned, but the band was nice!),

and dance.
Eli was not impressed by the dance festivities

Actually, Robbie wasn't crazy about it either.

Bruce heard this exchange about a week before the dance:
Madalyn: We don't really need corsages.
Robbie: I don't need this homecoming dance.
Madalyn: YOU'RE GOING.

So that's the story.I guess 15-year-old boys don't really like getting dressed up and going out on formal dates. Who'd have known? I wish someone had told me that when I was 15 . . . of course, one solution is to date older boys . . . but Madalyn is very patient! I think Robbie would rather play video games with her or put his arm around her on the couch while they watch a DVD than go out!

This week: lots of writing for me--I have 6 stories for magazines due this month. Two are done. Two more interviews are done. Getting through them! The weather is beautiful--great opportunities to ride my bike to work. And it will be nice--even warm--through the weekend when Ellen visits. yay!

Darwinian Coincidence?

2010-09-27T16:39:00.003-05:00

In this Sunday morning's sermon, Pastor Paul discussed "the current debate on evolution" as a way to delineate the Bible's role in helping us understand the world.

"The bible is not a science textbook," he said, and made it clear that a Christian could--of course--believe in the theory of evolution. "The theory of evolution says nothing about God," he said.

Just that the night before, we'd watched "Creation," the movie about Darwin's inner struggle about publishing "The Origin of Species."

Because God wasn't mentioned in Darwin's book, it was a threat to believers. This movie shows how much this belief could shatter people--Darwin himself developed psychosomatic conditions when trying to work on his book, especially after his daughter died. (This has been chronicled by biographers, so the movie folk weren't making this up.) He was grieving her loss; was he also grieving the loss--or what he saw as the loss--of the Christian worldview? If God didn't exist, what meaning could her death possibly have?

I was really moved by the movie's portrayal of the the close relationship between Darwin and his wife, Emma. Clearly, they were both very creative and intelligent people who supported one another. The movie shows how science and death have driven a wedge between this middle-aged couple. They're unable to really talk--or listen to one another. It makes everything--Darwin's writer's block and Emma's isolation with her children--worse.

I'm not sure how true-to-life it is, but the movie shows that they finally reconcile with one another--absolving each other of any guilt in their daughter's death--and after that, Darwin is able to finish his book.

Even with a "current debate" about evolution simmering, I don't think 21st century people can really understand how earth-shattering Darwin's views were for most Christians of the time. Both Emma and Charles Darwin must have been strong people to be able to live with that new world view and figure out a way for the world to have sense and meaning without the traditional view of God. Maybe they could only do it together.

The movie ended with words on the screen telling that the Darwins lived happily together until he died at 73.

No Crabbing sign!

2010-09-20T11:13:00.001-05:00

See! Here's the real sign! :-)

No Crabbing

2010-09-18T13:21:00.003-05:00

He's tiny but serious.

I actually saw a sign that said this when visiting Aunt Dee and Uncle Dave--we were down by a tidal river. Made me laugh!

So who wants a tiny crab?

Scavenged!

2010-09-16T08:58:00.002-05:00

Look at this great keyboard!

I scavenged it from the band room attic last weekend!

Anne and I were clearing junk out of a band storage room, "the attic," and one of the items that the band director no longer wanted was this great keyboard. Rather than taking it to Goodwill with a lot of other stuff, I claimed it.

We already had a keyboard--one that I bought at a garage sale for $50 about . . . oh, 12 years ago. I wanted to play some Christmas carols and kids' songs, but we didn't have a piano. For a long time, that WAS our piano.

But this one's better. We can plug it into our computer to create midi files. That will be especially useful this fall as Robbie's going to play regularly (every week) at church, accompanying the organist on hymns. With this keyboard, transposing hymn melodies for a B-flat instrument will be easier.

Eli's also enjoying the new keyboard--he's been practicing his piano lessons on it. I guess it's fun to see how his songs sound when you push different buttons--accordion, pan flute, whistle. Hey, whatever it takes.

Raspberry Solution

2010-09-08T15:43:00.002-05:00

The posts plus wires keep the raspberries off the ground!

:-) and :-( in the garden

2010-09-05T17:52:00.006-05:00

(Warning: I am writing this story on my laptop, which has a keyboard problem. I spilled some water on it & two keys are not working. You will be able to tell, but I will do my best to work around it with the spell sheker, et. The computer guy at Koe has ordered a new keyboard for me and will install it, too! I can't wait!)

Bak to the garden . . .

My autumn clematis is blooming!

I got it 2 years ago, and it hasn't bloomed. It didn't die, like the Jackman clematis I had to replace after one year, but this is the first time it's bloomed. I gave it a little shot of MiracleGro about a month ago. Maybe that did the trick! I will give the Jackman a shot of food in late May and see if that helps it.

Other things in my garden don't look very good, like these ratty tomatoes.

They are bearing OK, though the shade has kind of crept up on them from the trees behind them. But the incessant rain has been a real boon for fungus diseases . . . not sure how long they will survive into the fall.

But this is cool: those raspberry plants I got from Karen and Kevin are doing very well! they have berries on them that will ripen in September.

We need to think of a way to prop them up--I'm thinking of buying some metal fence posts and stringing wire between so they will be held up . . . a project for my young engineer and plantsman . . .

And maybe this kitty.

Band Moms

2010-08-31T13:02:00.003-05:00

This year, I've been pretty busy helping out the Band Moms. I seem to be on the "A-List" and get emails when they need help.

This morning, I helped get high school kids fitted for new marching band uniforms--finding the correct size for each kid, getting the pants hems snapped up (snaps! cool idea!), getting the right gauntlets and hats . . . we started a few weeks ago, have worked about an hour each day, and are finally done!

It's been so fun to hang out with them. I've gotten to be pretty close friends with Anne, "Karl's mom" :-) and we do things together besides band momming. So it's been a great social time for me as well as volunteer time.

I've never been that involved in my kids' activities--mostly because my kids aren't really that INTO activities. Robbie did soccer, and I brought treats when it was my turn, but never coached or anything. But I think some of these moms are real go-getters for their kids--involved in everything their kids do. Lots of them don't work, and some have odd-time jobs like mine, so they have time for it.

It's funny--I don't remember Band Moms from my youth. I don't remember parents being involved at all. My parents probably went to see us march once in a while, but I don't remember them doing uniforms--the older girls in the band did that! In fact, I don't remember parents being involved in any activities I did. Except for paying (though we didn't do expensive activities) and driving--until we could drive.

I like being involved in band, but I sometimes think we're not really doing the kids that great of a service. Wouldn't it be better for the kids to be responsible for getting the hems snapped up on their pants themselves? Or to have some of the older kids help with uniforms? Or have a bunch sign up to clean out the band room instead of the Moms doing it? Maybe not, but it seems like we kind of baby them.

And the parents going to every single activity--even staying for the Monday evening rehearsals. That seems odd to me. I like to see some of the events, but I also like it when Robbie comes home and tells us, with excitement, about the ones he went to. "It was so fun on the band bus . . . " It's HIS life, and it's fun to imagine his life apart from ours. I've always liked that.

I think it's easier for Moms (and some Dads, too) these days to be involved in their kids' lives. For one thing, most families are smaller! Back in the day, many of my friends had 3-4 siblings--parents were too busy with them to get involved with ONE kid's things. And maybe the expectations are higher for kids' activities today. You can't just go out and march and have fun, you need to be in 5 contests each fall (or maybe more) and be good enough to win. You can't have the older girls doing the uniforms for that to happen.

It sure is fun hanging out with the Band Moms, though. They need help checking the kids' uniforms before the game on Friday, so I'll be there!

Back to blogging

2010-08-26T11:13:00.001-05:00

Haven't blogged much; I think the boredom of summer was getting to me!

Don't get me wrong: I love summer. But in my role as adjunct college instructor and "mom of teen boys," my summer is a bit dull. Well, I did have some freelance writing work to do, but as for the other two roles, there's not much happening! I don't teach or do research in the summer, which is a nice break . . . but it's a LONG break, from early May until mid August. And being home in summer--to hang out with the boys--is fun, too, but at their age, it's not like I DO much with them! I just kind of need to be around. And that gets dull. Believe it or not, one can get tired of sitting around crocheting, reading novels, and doing small chores for months at a time!

Some days, I would have enjoyed going to a coffee house to hang out and chat with people. Or even go in to the office to pretend to be a professor again. And I suppose I could have left home to do that--but I would have been wondering what they've gotten up to while I was gone. They don't get into trouble, but they do invite people over (almost every day!), or sometimes head out to the pool, a friend's house, etc. etc. and I kind of want to know what's happening. Other moms of teens have agreed with this feeling.

(I feel comfortable leaving them for an hour or so--like to do an interview for a story or have a swim at the Y. But just for an hour or so, and just when I have a real task to do. Then I feel I need to come back.)

Maybe I should be more cell-phone savvy--that would make me available even if I leave the house. Gotta figure that one out for next summer.

I'm glad to get back to blogging. Not like I have much to share, but writing is good. Writing is like anything else I do--ballet, TKD, crocheting--it's use it or lose it. So I'm going to use it.

Every blog post needs photos. Here are some of pizza I made on the grill last night. I'd made it before, but this time, they turned out better!

A couple of things I made

2010-08-09T20:05:00.003-05:00

Made these meringues with the egg whites (2) left over from making peach pie. As I said to the guys, they're basically air and sugar and a bit of chocolate (mini chocolate chips).

Also, I just finished this pencil case for my art pencils.

(The camera added a strange texture to the fabric, which is actually just a heavy chambray.)

I like the way it came out. Since I haven't been doing much drawing recently, I may just use it at work so I can see it more often.

Jane: Boys of Summer: Eli

2010-08-06T08:42:00.003-05:00

Architecture, antiques, and cats have been at the heart of Eli's summer.

During the week that Robbie was at Jazz Camp, Eli went to an "Architecture and Archeology" class at Brucemore, the National Historic Site that's about a block from our house. He learned a lot and did some fun things, like getting a "nooks and crannies" tour of the mansion, learning about the homes in our neighborhood, and conducting a "dig" on the grounds. Just about every day, he will share some bit of knowledge about our neighborhood that he learned there.

We found some books about "Cedar Rapids, Then and Now" that have photos of our town in earlier years. He's enjoying looking at those.

He's good at art, so has been making some drawings of houses, and just started a floor plan of his "ideal house" which is a Victorian-style house.

Although we don't have a Victorian house, he now is the owner of a Victorian camera. When we visited my aunt and uncle in Philadelphia, they showed him a beautiful old camera that my Uncle Dave got from his dad, an antique dealer. They ended up giving it to Eli, who was thrilled. He's doing some research on it--we visited the History Center with it, and they sent photos of it to their appraiser.

Lately, he's been studying earlier history--Chinese history, in fact. He found a website that's helping him determine when some Chinese coins he owns were made. He has to learn a bit about the symbols to do that, and he's been reading a book about Chinese history. With some lawn-mowing money, he just ordered a half-kilo of old Chinese coins from e-bay . . .

Cats have been an ongoing theme for Eli, too. He's always been really good with animals, and made friends with several cats, most notably Romeo, an odd little cat that lives on our block. Romeo comes by frequently--looking for Eli, I think--and Eli hangs out with him on the patio.

One nice thing about the summer was that I got to spend some time with each boy by himself. While Robbie was at Jazz Camp, Eli and I biked around town, went to thrift stores, and worked in the yard. While Eli was with Bruce in Chicago, Robbie and I biked around town, went to the Wednesday lunch-lecture at Coe, and had supper at Genghis Grill. They make good companions.

Summer is tricky for the mom of teens. I knew all along that I did not want to be a cruise director and plan my kids' days, or entertain them all summer. But I knew, too, that when I'm not on their cases all day, they slink back to the computer/video game screens.

I guess I just decided not to worry too much about screen overdose. Maybe it's OK for them just to chill for most of the summer. I'm thinking that in a few years, they will need to have summer jobs, and in a few more years, jobs all year long. So what's wrong with a few summers of wasted time. It's been a delight to find that lots of their time hasn't been wasted, but used in creative and unique ways.

Jane: Boys of Summer: Robbie

2010-08-05T08:56:00.004-05:00

The guys haven't been posting here much, so I thought I'd post a little update on their summer activities for those of you who are interested.

I'll start with Robbie, who just finished an interesting project.

Doesn't this look nice in our living room? It'll hold music and trumpet mutes so they don't spread out all over the floor . . .

He made it in a welding class which was taught for teens at the local community college over the past 3 days. Robbie LOVED learning to weld. They did stick and wire welding. I wish I had a photo of him welding, but I don't, so here's a generic welding image.

People seemed puzzled when I said he was taking a welding class. None of his friends was the least bit interested in joining him. But Robbie's always enjoyed making things, so it was a good class for him.

Here he is spray-painting the metal part in our garage after the class was over.

Besides that class, Robbie also went to Jazz camp at Simpson College in June. He really enjoyed that and it jump-started his practicing for the summer. Actually, his teachers said "don't call it practicing. That sounds like a chore. Call it 'playing your horn.'" Since Jazz camp, he's been playing his horn frequently and I can hear him becoming a better musician. Good thing, because several really good trumpet players left the high school band last year, and the younger ones will have to step up.

He's played in church several times, and he and his buddy Nathan played a trumpet/piano duet at both their churches. Wish I'd made a movie or recording, but I didn't. Maybe next time!

For fun, Robbie's been going to the pool, about every day that it's nice. He calls friends or contacts them on Facebook, and usually gets a few guys together. Or he just goes with Eli. They ride their bikes to the pool, then come back here for snacks and video gaming.

Speaking of video gaming, he's also created several games this summer, learning some different game programming languages or techniques. Maybe I'll get him to write about that because I don't understand it.

Although I am frustrated by the amount of time both boys spend at screens each day, I have to admit that they cheerfully comply when I ask them to do a chore, practice, or help me out with something . . . so I guess it's OK.

R.I.P. Frederick

2010-07-26T17:31:00.003-05:00

Frederick, a black hooded rat who was the pet of the Nesmith family, passed away today at the advanced age of 2 1/2. He had cancer.

Frederick lived with his brother, Snickers, in the spacious rat cage in the basement. Along with his brother, he enjoyed playing in the mazes built by Robbie, running around loose in the basement, and catching (and eating) crickets when he could find them. He also enjoyed running after the kitty, who was afraid of him.

Frederick was always curious and energetic, and the family loved seeing his interested face and bright eyes. His favorite foods, besides crickets, were grapes, Cheerios, and sunflower seeds.

After his brother Snickers died this spring, Frederick had to adjust to living alone. But he recovered from the loss and enjoyed the company of his people, allowing them to scritch him behind the ears until he bruxillated happily.

Frederick was buried in the backyard after a short funeral service. He will be missed by all.

Jane: Crochet Haiku

2010-07-21T17:29:00.003-05:00

Lion Brand Yarn is running a yarn Haiku contest. I've been working on my entry. Here are some possibilities. I think I'm only allowed to submit one.

My gaming boys say

"Wait! Just one more level, please!"

Me? It's "one more row."

Amigurumi:

Totally useless objects

With eyes and a smile

My yarn is flying . . .

Oh no! I missed a stitch there.

Back to the frog pond.

Give me some good yarn,

Knitting needles, crochet hook--

All I need for bliss!

Jane: Sad Plants

2010-07-17T17:33:00.003-05:00

In general, the yard looks good, but some plants are looking a bit sad.

What happened to my Sweet Woodruff? Parts of it are turning black and drying up :-(

My tomatoes did not like the wet weather of June, nor do they like the encroaching shade from the vigorous spruce trees behind them. The Celebrities have NO tomatoes on them at all :-(

Well, at least my star magnolia is doing OK. I keep pulling scale off of it, but not as much as last year.

The kitty is looking fine, too! She follows me around the yard when I inspect plants.

Vacation by the Numbers

2010-07-15T18:58:00.005-05:00

Number of miles traveled: 2809

Number of nights in hotels: 6

Number of nights with relatives: 4

Largest waterfall seen: Niagara Falls

Largest concentration of waterfalls: Watkins Glen

Three largest cities visited: Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York City

War sites visited: Valley Forge, Gettysburg

Tech museums visited: George Eastman House and Museum, Corning Glass Museum, American Chemical Heritage Museum

Number of Blue blobs encountered: 2

Highest point: Empire State Building

Lowest point: having to stay in a run down hotel in Wheeling

Number of kitties befriended by Eli: 5

Ice Cream encountered: Malley's (Cleveland), L'Arte del Gelato (Greenwich Village, NYC)

Jane: Des Moines Sculpture Garden

2010-07-03T19:42:00.003-05:00

Found these pictures on my camera.

We stopped there on the way to collect Robbie from Jazz Combo camp in Indianola. It started to rain when we got there, so we didn't see all the sculptures. We'll have to go back!
Click on the picture to go to the very small web album.

Des Moines Sculpture Garden

Jane: Funeral

2010-07-03T18:34:00.002-05:00

I took Robbie to the funeral of one of his classmates yesterday--not something one wants to do, but it's really important to go to the funeral--Robbie realized that.

Patrick played sax in the Jazz Band with Robbie and was one year ahead of him. He died of a severe asthma attack while the family was at a family reunion.

The testimonies at the funeral gave a picture of an outgoing, very talented, happy young man. Robbie left a message on the facebook page set up by the family.

I can hardly imagine having a child die. They had a slideshow playing before the service started. I'm sure they were saving those pictures to show at his graduation . . . now they were used at his funeral.

I told Robbie he's not allowed to die before I do. "Is that a threat?" he asked.

Jane: Two books about birds

2010-06-30T10:23:00.002-05:00

I've read two interesting books recently--each unique and enjoyable. And each not just about birds. They're also the kinds of books that I read a bit more slowly because I'm savoring the wonderful writing. Then I finish and think "I wish I'd written that."

Birdology by Sy Montgomery was a delight to read. Montgomery is also a children's book author, and she wrote about looking for animals and birds in Papua New Guinea at a time when Eli was fascinated by that country.

This book has chapters about different birds, about Montgomery's relationships to those birds and her research on them. It's very essayistic, with Montgomery relating her experiences and reflections on her encounters with these birds. I especially loved the chapters on chickens (she raises them), cassowaries, and hawks. Her enthusiasm is catching--I'd love to meet her.

I also read Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. I just stumbled upon this book, spotting it in one of the shelves at the public library (the 500's of course). Being a crow fan myself, I picked it up.

Haupt has worked for Audubon and has written on birds before. Although she also uses an essayistic approach, telling of her decision to become an urban naturalist after scorning the "urban" aspect for a long time, she has a different persona from Montgomery. She's more judgmental and political in her approach, bringing up the devastating choices humans make that have devastated our planet. Still, I liked it, because I sometimes feel that way, too.

She chose to write about crows since they are ubiquitous in her urban neighborhood, and following them would give a good insight on how nature and human development intersect. She's all for us becoming aware of how we humans are part of--yet also tend to destroy--nature. I like the way she encourages all of us city-dwellers to become urban naturalists. She even has a chapter where she gives advice on how to do this.

I would recommend these books to anyone who enjoys considering our relationship to other creatures and the natural world. Plus, it's a great way to learn more about birds.

Summer Vacation--Eastward Ho!

2010-06-27T13:29:00.003-05:00

In one week and one day, we leave on a 10-day vacation trip out east. Main stops: Cleveland, upstate New York, New York City, Philadelphia, and Gettysburg.

I created a Google map--take a look!

View Summer 2010--Eastward Ho in a larger map

Jane: Yarn stuff

2010-06-25T08:08:00.003-05:00

Besides thinking about yarn bombing, I've been doing some yarn stuff this summer. Here are a few projects.

This strawberry necklace is crocheted with embroidery floss. The pattern's from Ravelry, and I did a pin in larger yarn. I like this smaller, more delicate version--it reminds me of the botanical images from tapestries.

I'm still working on a lacy top from Robin Chachula's Blueprint Crochet. It's made with motifs--like granny squares. The yarn is a bamboo/cotton blend that went on sale from Lion Brand just when I was planning to buy supplies for the top! I wanted a challenging pattern that showed off my crochet skills, and this does it.

I decided to make one square a day--there are about 18 squares and partial squares. It'll have short sleeves. I've done the back and one shoulder!

This dishcloth doesn't look very exciting. But it has a story. When my Grandma Hoffman died, I got her workbasket. It had some yarn, the pattern for crocheted mittens, and an almost-finished dishcloth with instructions. At some point, I finished up the dishcloth she'd started before she died.

Recently, I'd considered knitting dishcloths as a way to strengthen my knitting skills. When I saw this pattern, I knew I had to do it--it was my grandma's dishcloth pattern.

The new one is on the right, the one Grandma started and I finished (it's been washed, so has shrunk) is on the left.

Jane: Yarn Bombing

2010-06-23T08:24:00.002-05:00

I keep running across Yarn Bombing--read a facebook post about it the other day, then found a BOOK called Yarn Bombing at the library!

Wikipedia says "yarn bombing is almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places."

I like the idea of the rather domestic art of crochet or knitting being taken to the streets and used to make people think. Like that tank, above. I'm imagining a little lacy cannon-cover, or a doily affixed to the end of a cannon . . .

I'm VERY intrigued, and I think I'll try a yarn bombing project, though my boys are horrified at the idea . . . more later :-)

Eli and Jane: Romeo

2010-06-15T20:00:00.002-05:00

Look at this funny kitty. He does have legs; they are just very short! He's a friend of Eli's.
Apparently, he is a Munchkin breed cat, which, due to a gene abnormality, has very short legs. He lives with some people around the block from us, and he has been stopping by our house every day, coming up to the sliding doors until someone (Eli) comes out to play with him!
Here, his glowing eyes make him look "evil," as Eli points out! But he's very sweet-tempered and friendly.

This does not mean he is boring. The other day he was in our yard, and there was a bird ruckus. We came out and saw him trotting away with a starling in his mouth. That's fine by us!

Mitzi does not like him, but does not get as upset about him as she does when the next door neighbor's cat comes by. I think she's not sure if he's a cat or an otter.

Jane: Lavender!

2010-06-10T11:47:00.003-05:00

I'm surprised my lavender is doing so well. I've planted it outside before, and it hasn't come back. This variety must be very hardy.

The flash seems to bleach out the nice color--the flowers really ARE lavender-colored!

It seems to like its location, with the bricks nearby to soak up heat, and the garage shielding it from the west winds. Plus, there's an anthill right under it--I'm thinking that's good for the root system.

Jane: Bird rescue

2010-06-08T10:53:00.002-05:00

The other day, the boys and the kitty and I were in the backyard. The birds--especially a couple of robins--were setting up a ruckus. "It's because of the kitty," I pointed out.

Then we noticed the kitty had spotted something and was going into stalking mode. I looked, and saw a robin fledgling sitting in one of the links of our chain-link fence. Its wing was a bit caught on the fence and it opened its mouth wide when it saw me! The parents were in the nearby trees, still going on about the situation.

I reached in and gently freed the little bird. It moved to my hand, and sat there for a while, its wiry feet clinging around my finger. Then it took off and flew to the garage roof, and on to the bushes in the alley. The parents followed it.

I took Mitzi inside; she was annoyed with that.

The next day I heard another ruckus, this time dominated by jays, but everyone else was chiming in. Usually that's a sign that someone has spotted a hawk or an owl, both of which live in the neighborhood. I looked around but didn't see it. The boys have been hearing owls at night, though--barred owls. We hear the usual "who cooks for you who cooks for you" call often. At night we also get Halloween noises--screeches, gobbling, and all sorts of odd sounds from them!

Jane: in the swim

2010-06-04T16:03:00.004-05:00

I swim about 1-2 times a week all year round at the Y, but it seems like summer is really "swimming time." In winter, getting into that cold pool is so hard; in summer it feels refreshing!

Swimming is great exercise for me--it doesn't take very long, and it doesn't require much ability (except what I learned in swimming lessons and required swimming classes in H.S. Phys. Ed. classes). It gets me fit, yet lean--and nicely adds a bit of bulk to my mostly-stick arms :-)I don't need to get together with a team, and here in Cedar Rapids, at least, there are lap lanes available most times of the day at the Y, so I can squeeze in a swim just about any time.

Still, there are some aspects of swimming I just dislike. Luckily I've found some ways of dealing with them.

One is the hair issue. That chlorine really does a number on one's hair, especially if it is, ahem, highlighted. And in summer, my hair is pretty challenged already--what with the high humidity that makes it frizz.

I always use a swim cap, and that helps a lot. I bought one of those silicone swim caps a few years ago, and it's WAY better than the old latex ones: softer and much more durable (usually the latex ones only last a year or less).

Recently, I've also been putting conditioner on my wet hair before I put on the cap. This works great. It keeps the chlorine out and gives my hair a spa treatment!

Of course, I also need layers of "product" once I shampoo after the swim: moisturizing shampoo, more conditioner, silicone serum, gel. . . .

Another thing I always hated was goggle eyes--the ugly indentations goggles left around my eyes after a swim. If you swim early in the day, people all day will be asking you if you're not feeling well!

Solution: new goggles. Look at these!

I'm sure I look very scary or weird in them, but they do NOT leave goggle marks, so I wear them. A friend who does triathlons also got some, so I am in good company.

It's possible I'll swim laps at the outdoor pools this summer. The pool near us has lap swim 12-1. But probably I'll just go to the Y because that's where all my problem-solving gear is!

Jane: Rhubarb Jam

2010-06-02T08:15:00.002-05:00

Had some stalks of rhubarb left over from last week's pie, so I decided to make some rhubarb jam. I made some last year from rhubarb, sugar, and Jell-o, so tried it again.

Here's the recipe:

6 c. rhubarb, chopped fine

3 c. sugar

1 packet of Strawberry Jell-o

Mix rhubarb and sugar, let stand overnight. Cook, simmering for 12 minutes. Remove from stove and add Jell-o. Put into jars and let cool. Store in freezer until ready to use. Makes about 5 eight-ounce jars.

OK, it's not what your grandmother would have done, but it's what MY grandmother would have done! (She was all for "instant" and box mixes!) It tastes GREAT :-)

Jane: Memorial day

2010-05-31T12:56:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day when I was growing up meant two things. One: going out to the cemetery and planting geraniums on my grandpa's grave. And two: a get-together at our house, usually involving food cooked on the grill.

I miss those gatherings, and I haven't quite figured out what to do on these small holidays, away from extended family. This weekend's been pretty good so far: a graduation party on Saturday, trip to the Amanas yesterday, and a walk in the park today (and a bike ride later on). I'm also working on a few small projects, like this tiny denim elephant.

I'm also doing a bit of gardening work: gardening first aid. I thought I'd killed all the magnolia scale on our small magnolia tree in the backyard. But the other day when I was out there, I saw that a few of the branches were covered with tiny scale insects. ARGH!

I remembered that insecticidal oil is one way to kill the immature scale bugs, and I found some "Oil-Away" from Gardens Alive in our garage. I'd bought it when we lived at our old house, intending to spray it on our apple tree--but never did it. So I mixed it up, put it in a small sprayer, and sprayed the infested branches.

Apparently, horticultural oils kill bugs by suffocating them, rather than by poisoning them. I like that. The spray is very non-toxic on other creatures, and it smells rather nice. The two ingredients are cottonseed oil and sodium laureth sulfate (the stuff that's in shampoo, I think). Oh, and water. This type of oil can be sprayed any time, not just during the tree's dormancy, so it's good for this kind of situation.

I'll check the plant tomorrow to see if it's working.

Jane: Pentecost and Dance

2010-05-27T14:46:00.004-05:00

On Pentecost, my ballet class--one other student, the teacher, and I--performed a liturgical dance at a local church. We got this gig because the other student, Lisa, is also a pastor, and she was filling in at that pulpit.

She knew that one of the women at the church is a textile artist, and dyes silk. This artist gave us a huge piece of silk to use in our dance. It was the color of flames!

Both Lisa and Suki, the other dancers, have been dancing for a long time, and they're really good. They've also done a lot of liturgical dance, so when Lisa proposed this gig, I was glad to be part of it. I've done liturgical dance before, and it's especially rewarding when the dancers and the choreographer are REAL dancers, not just members of the congregation who think they'd like to dance. I know that seems snobby, but there it is.

We danced to Enya's Book of Days from the album Shepherd Moons. You can hear an exerpt here. The dance was all about the silk! It just moved so beautifully--it was the best dancer of all of us.

I'd love to post the video of the dance, but I don't have one to post. The silk artist's husband is a videographer, and he made a beautiful DVD for each of us. He used 2 cameras, fade ins and outs, and separate video and audio tracks . . . it's great to watch, but I can't post it on YouTube--it's too fancy. You'll just have to imagine it. These images are simple screen grabs from the video.

I was looking forward to dancing with my friends, but I also was very glad to be able to hear Lisa preach. She gave a lovely and moving sermon about the way Pentecost emphasizes the importance of language (one reason I always love this holiday!).

The story of Pentecost tells about how the wind of the holy spirit and tongues of flame caused the apostles (who still hadn't started reaching out to the world with the good news) to speak in all kinds of languages. Lisa reminded us that the people hearing the apostles in Acts 2--immigrants to Jerusalem--must have been yearning to hear "the language their mothers spoke to them." We should remember that God reaches out to us--and to everyone--with love and in our own language. "I was thinking about you and Bruce when I wrote that," Lisa told me later.

The next day, I mentioned to the lady at the post office that I was sending the package to my nephew who was born on Pentecost. "What is Pentecost?" she asked. I told her it was a Christian holiday 50 days after Easter. "Well then being born on that day is a kind of blessing," she said. "We all need a blessing." I guess I danced a blessing that day for little Samuel!

Jane: On Being an Aunt

2010-05-26T14:40:00.004-05:00

Just LOOK at this baby! Isn't he adorable?

That's my brother, Bill, holding his new baby, Samuel Ellis Claspy, who was born on Sunday.

I've really been excited about this baby's arrival. Every time the phone rang last week, I'd jump up, saying "maybe that's Bill!" On Sunday, once I knew they were in the hospital, I practically sprinted upstairs to get the call that came late in the afternoon!

Later that day, I strolled through Target with Eli, looking for some baby things to send to Samuel later that day. Eli asked "Who are Samuel's grandparents?"

"Well, you remember Pam and Doug, Kim's mom and step-dad?"

He did.

"And his other grandparents are Grandma and Grandpa Claspy."

"But they're gone," he pointed out.

"Yes, but they'd be glad to know about him," I said.

Samuel will only have grandparents on the one side, but he will have a doting aunt (at least one) on the Claspy side. He's a lucky boy because his Aunt Jane is no longer in the midst of baby raising and can devote more attention to him!

Maybe that's one reason I've been especially excited about this particular little person's arrival. It's been a really long time since I've had a baby, and it sure is nice to think about babies, get pictures, and anticipate a visit. My own ex-babies, now teenagers, don't particularly like to be hugged and held, but I'm thinking I can catch up on boy-snuggling when I visit Sam this summer.

Probably that's another reason I'm excited about this little guy: he's a little GUY. I'm kind of looking forward to having another boy-mom around the place. Both Bill and Ellen have girls, and our extended family was pretty much a girl family (Bill was the only boy among 10 girl cousins) so our family was used to--and I think I can say preferred--girl babies.

Hard to believe? Well, here's just one bit of evidence. I remember once sitting in the family room with Mom and Aunt Dee and Eli on my lap. Aunt Dee was talking about her daughter, Nancy, who'd just found she was pregnant (first of 5 times . . . ). "They found out it's a girl!" said Aunt Dee. "I'm so glad! Girls are so much more fun than boys!" Maybe that's true, but I remember hugging Eli and thinking that I wish she'd give my little guys a chance!

So I'm looking forward to seeing, once again, how fun tiny boys can be. Of course there's little difference at this newborn stage, but in a couple years, I'll get a chance to enjoy it again, around this little Sam. I'm not sure I even remember what particular things they do. Kim will have to catch me up on it as Samuel grows up! Mostly what I remember is that I fell more and more deeply in love with them as they grew.

I think Kim and Bill will be awesome parents, too, and I'm looking forward to seeing that happen. Bill has experience (two wonderful girls, age 16 and 12), but it's been a while since he's had a baby! It will be fun to see him being a baby-dad and toddler-dad again.

Kim will be spending a lot of time with Sam as she has a semester leave PLUS a sabbatical--a whole year off!--so I'm looking forward to hearing about her life with Sam.

I know that Grandma and Grandpa would be enjoying all this, too. They sure enjoyed being grandparents.

As an "older" aunt--with almost grown kids of my own--I get a little preview of what it might be like to be a Grandma. Looks really good so far!