Monday, December 31, 2012
Have you seen me?
Lost our precious Yogi. If you have seen him can you let one of us know? He's been missing a week now. Disappeared a day or two before Christmas.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Those blasted bombs
Around the world, people have always loved their art. I know I do. I've been to museums in a dozen cities, just to look at my favorite paintings. I am definitely not the only one, either.
Forgers like art as well. In fact, some forgers even make a more-than-excellent living forging someone else's work. And when caught, some of these forgers aren't even prosecuted. This story of Ken Perenyi is one recent example. Mr. Perenyi made millions of dollars over 30 years with more than 1,000 forgeries. His work is extremely good - so good in fact, that many museums and galleries spent top dollars to purchase his work (unknown, of course, as a forgery).
There are many ways to detect forgeries, and curators are always looking for new methods to detect a forgery. Scientists recently discovered a new way to detect forgeries, all based on nuclear bombs.
Prior to the first nuclear bomb detonation in July of 1945, isotopes such as strontium-90 and cesium-137 did not exist in nature.
These isotopes were created by the massive neutron bombardments that occur during a thermonuclear explosion. Since those isotopes didn’t exist in nature prior to 1945, paintings created prior to 1945 could not contain them originally.
From 1945 to 1963, 550 nuclear bombs were detonated. This was during a time when most nations agreed not to test nuclear weapons any longer (yet did not live up to that agreement). The isotopes created during this period bind with the types of crops that are used to produce oil based paints. Therefore, oil paintings created after 1945 will contain trace amounts of these new isotopes.
If someone is trying to pass a work that is dated prior to 1945, but it contains these isotopes, it's very likely that work is a fake. Tests like this one can lead to the discovery many museums are not thrilled about making, yet at the same time, have an obligation to.
Facts from NPR and The Art Newspaper
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| Perenyi forgery, original by Gilbert Stuart, 1804 |
There are many ways to detect forgeries, and curators are always looking for new methods to detect a forgery. Scientists recently discovered a new way to detect forgeries, all based on nuclear bombs.
Prior to the first nuclear bomb detonation in July of 1945, isotopes such as strontium-90 and cesium-137 did not exist in nature.
These isotopes were created by the massive neutron bombardments that occur during a thermonuclear explosion. Since those isotopes didn’t exist in nature prior to 1945, paintings created prior to 1945 could not contain them originally.
From 1945 to 1963, 550 nuclear bombs were detonated. This was during a time when most nations agreed not to test nuclear weapons any longer (yet did not live up to that agreement). The isotopes created during this period bind with the types of crops that are used to produce oil based paints. Therefore, oil paintings created after 1945 will contain trace amounts of these new isotopes.
If someone is trying to pass a work that is dated prior to 1945, but it contains these isotopes, it's very likely that work is a fake. Tests like this one can lead to the discovery many museums are not thrilled about making, yet at the same time, have an obligation to.
Facts from NPR and The Art Newspaper
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Please do not disturb
It's a cozy place to keep warm at night apparently, but the porch light was too bright.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Autumn leaves with friends
Is there anyone who doesn't love jumping and rolling in the fall leaves?
Not in this house there isn't.
Not in this house there isn't.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Dress-up day
When my kids were little you could never tell when they were going to dress up. Most days Luke would wake up, put on his Zorro mask or his Davey Crockett hat and head downstairs to ride his jumping horse. The girls were always in fancy dresses. And sometimes, so was Stevie, as the girls found it needful to dress him up like their dolls and bears.
Those were fun days.
Today is another dress-up day - Halloween. Although everyone knows you don't really need an excuse to dress in a fancy princess dress.
Or a Tigger suit.
Happy End-of-October day.
Those were fun days.
Today is another dress-up day - Halloween. Although everyone knows you don't really need an excuse to dress in a fancy princess dress.
Or a Tigger suit.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Four sets
The last of our goats kidded - giving us a total of 4 sets of twins. Splitting our breeding seasons to half in fall and half in spring really made the kidding season easier. We did this primarily to have some stock for the 4-H/FFA people who want goats born late in the year, but it doesn't look like too many of these will be going to those programs, we got some nice looking kids this time and I'm going to be greedy.
I wasn't able to get the greatest pictures yet, but I'm going to have to document this group a little better - they came out looking mostly the same. We have named them all and every time I go outside I pick them up and say their names aloud to myself - if I don't I'm never going to get them straight.
Angel, our red-headed mama goat, produced a boy and a girl - we named them Gloria and Glen.
Leia, our most persnickety goat - also our herd mama, had two gorgeous girls. We gave them fitting names - Giselle and Greta.
Why are the names so important? Believe it or not, when I advertise them for sale, the ones that I place their names in the listing always sell first. Also, it's a lot easier to say to William, "We need to move Tahoe to the other pen," instead of "Can you move the goat with the brown head and brown spot on her tail?"
They all have brown heads so that doesn't really help much.
I wasn't able to get the greatest pictures yet, but I'm going to have to document this group a little better - they came out looking mostly the same. We have named them all and every time I go outside I pick them up and say their names aloud to myself - if I don't I'm never going to get them straight.
Angel, our red-headed mama goat, produced a boy and a girl - we named them Gloria and Glen.
Leia, our most persnickety goat - also our herd mama, had two gorgeous girls. We gave them fitting names - Giselle and Greta.
Why are the names so important? Believe it or not, when I advertise them for sale, the ones that I place their names in the listing always sell first. Also, it's a lot easier to say to William, "We need to move Tahoe to the other pen," instead of "Can you move the goat with the brown head and brown spot on her tail?"
They all have brown heads so that doesn't really help much.
No bottle babies this time (whew!), but two breech babies - we were glad to have been there to help out. Now, everyone is happy and healthy, and Rosie is enjoying her baby goats every day.
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| Gandalf and Gloria |
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| Giselle, Leia's kid |
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| Giselle and Greta with Mama Leia |
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| Cocoa with Gina and Gerard |
Friday, October 19, 2012
Animals do talk
When I got home from my travels last week I went outside to see my expectant mother goats. They seemed happy to see me, and greeted me with nudgings and nibbles.
One goat, Bella, ran up to me with a little bit of excitement. I patted her and asked her how she was. She nudged me, then tried to get me to follow her.
I followed her over into one of the side fields, over a hill under some trees. It's not a spot the goats normally like to "hang out" so I stood there a while and looked around, first thinking she wanted to show me something. She did.
As I stood there she made her little cooing sounds, sort of like mama goats do to their babies when they are first born. I realized she was telling me she was planning on having her babies in this very spot.
I came in and told William and Michelle, just in case I was not around when the event happened. I don't think they believed me.
Day before yesterday I went out early. I had all-day meetings and knew I would not be getting many chances to go outside during the day. When I went out, I took a little grain and fed everyone. I did not see Bella.
Then I heard a noise. A loud noise, precisely, coming from over the hill. I made my way over there to find Bella standing with two brand new kids, one all cleaned up, one having just been born.
She was in the very spot she told me she planned on having her babies.
The past few days she's stayed in that spot - not willing to share with anyone else, and I'm not making her. These are some of the prettiest babies we've gotten.
We've named them Gracie and Georgie. Now, I realize we had already picked Georgie for another kid but we've changed that one to Gerard instead because, as Michelle pointed out, you just can't have a Gracie without a George.
Proof our animals do speak, if we only listen. I do try.
More babies on the way.....
One goat, Bella, ran up to me with a little bit of excitement. I patted her and asked her how she was. She nudged me, then tried to get me to follow her.
I followed her over into one of the side fields, over a hill under some trees. It's not a spot the goats normally like to "hang out" so I stood there a while and looked around, first thinking she wanted to show me something. She did.
As I stood there she made her little cooing sounds, sort of like mama goats do to their babies when they are first born. I realized she was telling me she was planning on having her babies in this very spot.
I came in and told William and Michelle, just in case I was not around when the event happened. I don't think they believed me.
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| Bella with new babies, Georgie (standing) and Gracie (lying) |
Then I heard a noise. A loud noise, precisely, coming from over the hill. I made my way over there to find Bella standing with two brand new kids, one all cleaned up, one having just been born.
She was in the very spot she told me she planned on having her babies.
The past few days she's stayed in that spot - not willing to share with anyone else, and I'm not making her. These are some of the prettiest babies we've gotten.
We've named them Gracie and Georgie. Now, I realize we had already picked Georgie for another kid but we've changed that one to Gerard instead because, as Michelle pointed out, you just can't have a Gracie without a George.Proof our animals do speak, if we only listen. I do try.
More babies on the way.....
Monday, October 15, 2012
That sound
Last night after dinner, TV, and Rosie's bedtime, we were all vegetating after a nice Sunday. Rosie was in bed - thought not asleep, as usual.
Michelle was in the office and heard a noise, then came and told me I should go out and check the goats. Still watching TV, I had intended to go out before bed but had not made my way out there yet.
I went out. At about the same time Rosie heard a noise, too.
"What's that noise," she asked, wide-eyed. Then she sat up and said, "Oh, that noise is so cute, I want to go outside and see that noise I love so much."
Mommy got her dressed and out she came, to welcome our newest twins.
None of our goats have ever delivered at night before. I knew it would happen, and after watching Cocoa (the mama) on Sunday afternoon, I knew it was a great possibility.
By the time I got outside Cocoa had just dropped the second one. The noise Rosie heard was the first-born, who was hollering for her mama, a few steps away. For a first-time mama, Cocoa did good. Although she did not like cleaning them. She kept licking, then spitting, and finally I had to wipe them off. They are both about 7 lbs. - a boy and a girl.
Today Rosie went out with me again to see them and give them names. I had names picked out but she did not like my choices. She settled on Gina for the girl, and Georgie for the male. "I like Gina," she said very matter-of-factly." We have no idea where she's even ever heard that name.
We have three more Mama goats due over the next couple of weeks. That means more cute noises.
Michelle was in the office and heard a noise, then came and told me I should go out and check the goats. Still watching TV, I had intended to go out before bed but had not made my way out there yet.
I went out. At about the same time Rosie heard a noise, too.
"What's that noise," she asked, wide-eyed. Then she sat up and said, "Oh, that noise is so cute, I want to go outside and see that noise I love so much."
Mommy got her dressed and out she came, to welcome our newest twins.
None of our goats have ever delivered at night before. I knew it would happen, and after watching Cocoa (the mama) on Sunday afternoon, I knew it was a great possibility.
By the time I got outside Cocoa had just dropped the second one. The noise Rosie heard was the first-born, who was hollering for her mama, a few steps away. For a first-time mama, Cocoa did good. Although she did not like cleaning them. She kept licking, then spitting, and finally I had to wipe them off. They are both about 7 lbs. - a boy and a girl.
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| Cocoa with her twins |
We have three more Mama goats due over the next couple of weeks. That means more cute noises.
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| Gina, 8 hours old |
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| Georgie - 8 hours old |
Monday, October 08, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving, Canada
Thanksgiving Day in Canada is the 2nd Monday in October.
Having a day of thanks has long been something people throughout the world love to do. This is true, of course, in the U.S. but it's also very true of Canada, although perhaps it has not always had a designated "day" on the calendar assigned to it.
For example, long before European explorers arrived in North America, the native peoples of the Americas held festivals to celebrate the completion and bounty of the harvest (we call these people American Indians; in Canada they are known as First Nation).
Canadians sometimes lay claim to the celebration of Thanksgiving. An early example of such a ceremony is of the explorer Martin Frobisher, who held a day of thanksgiving in 1578 after he had survived the long journey to Newfoundland in his quest to find a northern passage from Europe to Asia. Frobisher's celebration in 1578 was 43 years before the pilgrims gave thanks in 1621.
Although there was not always a designated day set aside in Canada, Thanksgiving was was annual a practice left over from the Old World. English settlers from Great Britain were accustomed to having a harvest celebration in their churches every autumn and continued the practice after leaving England for Canadian shores. Since harvest seasons change from year to year, so did the Thanksgiving festival.
Travelers also carried the gift of thanksgiving to the north. By the 1750's, the celebration which began in 1621 by American pilgrims was taken to Nova Scotia by American settlers from the south. Then the Seven Year's War came to Canada. After that ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.
Date changes for Thanksgiving in Canada continued for many years. For example, refugees fleeing the U.S. Civil War once again brought the custom of an annual thanksgiving when they moved north. Many other such examples dot Canada's holiday timeline.
From 1879, Thanksgiving Day was a national holiday in Canada, and was held every year, though it continued to change dates. Not only the date varied, but there was always a special theme for Thanksgiving each year. For many years the primary theme was the "Blessings of an abundant harvest." However, Queen Victoria's golden and diamond jubilees and King Edward VII's coronation formed the theme in later years, adding a flare to the celebration.
It was not until 1957 that Thanksgiving gained it's own special place and permanent place on the Canadian holiday event calendar, finally claiming the 2nd Monday in October.
----
What I love about Canada most is her open-mindedness. Always willing to learn more, try more, and change. Canada has historically learned from other countries as well as her own experience, making way for new ideas and traditions. Like Thanksgiving.
Personally, I would prefer that the U.S. held Thanksgiving in October, because that's when harvest usually takes place (most years, in most regions), and that would make the celebration for the Christmas holiday open sooner. Too many people in the U.S. are grumpy even thinking about Christmas until after the U.S. date of Thanksgiving, and that just isn't enough time to be joyous about such a special season. Didn't someone once say we should "keep Christmas alive in our hearts all the year" (paraphrase, Dickens)... ?
I like the idea of an earlier Thanksgiving. I am not in favor of grinches who want to "kill" the Christmas spirit when it tries to be born before late November. Ross.
Having a day of thanks has long been something people throughout the world love to do. This is true, of course, in the U.S. but it's also very true of Canada, although perhaps it has not always had a designated "day" on the calendar assigned to it. For example, long before European explorers arrived in North America, the native peoples of the Americas held festivals to celebrate the completion and bounty of the harvest (we call these people American Indians; in Canada they are known as First Nation).
Canadians sometimes lay claim to the celebration of Thanksgiving. An early example of such a ceremony is of the explorer Martin Frobisher, who held a day of thanksgiving in 1578 after he had survived the long journey to Newfoundland in his quest to find a northern passage from Europe to Asia. Frobisher's celebration in 1578 was 43 years before the pilgrims gave thanks in 1621.
Although there was not always a designated day set aside in Canada, Thanksgiving was was annual a practice left over from the Old World. English settlers from Great Britain were accustomed to having a harvest celebration in their churches every autumn and continued the practice after leaving England for Canadian shores. Since harvest seasons change from year to year, so did the Thanksgiving festival.
Travelers also carried the gift of thanksgiving to the north. By the 1750's, the celebration which began in 1621 by American pilgrims was taken to Nova Scotia by American settlers from the south. Then the Seven Year's War came to Canada. After that ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.
Date changes for Thanksgiving in Canada continued for many years. For example, refugees fleeing the U.S. Civil War once again brought the custom of an annual thanksgiving when they moved north. Many other such examples dot Canada's holiday timeline.
From 1879, Thanksgiving Day was a national holiday in Canada, and was held every year, though it continued to change dates. Not only the date varied, but there was always a special theme for Thanksgiving each year. For many years the primary theme was the "Blessings of an abundant harvest." However, Queen Victoria's golden and diamond jubilees and King Edward VII's coronation formed the theme in later years, adding a flare to the celebration.
It was not until 1957 that Thanksgiving gained it's own special place and permanent place on the Canadian holiday event calendar, finally claiming the 2nd Monday in October.
----
What I love about Canada most is her open-mindedness. Always willing to learn more, try more, and change. Canada has historically learned from other countries as well as her own experience, making way for new ideas and traditions. Like Thanksgiving.
Personally, I would prefer that the U.S. held Thanksgiving in October, because that's when harvest usually takes place (most years, in most regions), and that would make the celebration for the Christmas holiday open sooner. Too many people in the U.S. are grumpy even thinking about Christmas until after the U.S. date of Thanksgiving, and that just isn't enough time to be joyous about such a special season. Didn't someone once say we should "keep Christmas alive in our hearts all the year" (paraphrase, Dickens)... ?
I like the idea of an earlier Thanksgiving. I am not in favor of grinches who want to "kill" the Christmas spirit when it tries to be born before late November. Ross.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Meetings
Nearly every day I have meetings. Sometimes my meetings are web based. Sometimes they consist only of Chat. Sometimes, my meetings are with actual real people - f2f, and sometimes these meetings are on the phone.
Whatever the case, it seems I find myself in meetings often. I especially enjoy those meetings that are online when I have visitors. Yesterday's visitor was a cheerful, but wiggly Obi. And he didn't make a peep.
I'm not the only one in these meetings who bring children, or dogs. I might be the only one who sometimes has background sounds of goats though. That story is for another day. Maybe soon.
Whatever the case, it seems I find myself in meetings often. I especially enjoy those meetings that are online when I have visitors. Yesterday's visitor was a cheerful, but wiggly Obi. And he didn't make a peep.I'm not the only one in these meetings who bring children, or dogs. I might be the only one who sometimes has background sounds of goats though. That story is for another day. Maybe soon.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Nana Bear
Rosie has this little Fisher Price farm she plays with. There are many stalls in the barn and even a tractor. The farmer who drives the tractor in Rosie's farm is named Ross. In her farm live many animals; cows, horses, chickens, and dinosaurs.
Each day, Rosie finds it important to help the Mommy dinosaurs have their babies. Then she helps them nurse their babies. Then she gives the baby dinosaurs a shot (just like we do our baby goats). After that she counts them; "I have a Mommy dinosaur, a Daddy dinosaur, and two baby dinosaurs. Four dinosaurs. Just like Rosie's house." She does this almost every day.
One day she started calling her own mommy, Mommy Dinosaur. Now she does this every place she goes. She calls her daddy, Daddy Dinosaur, and Obi is Obi Dinosaur, and of course, she refers to herself as Rosie Dinosaur.
After dinner one night her Mommy Dinosaur said to her, "After you finish, you and Nanny Dinosaur can go for a walk."
Rosie looked surprised. "She's not Nanny Dinosaur, she's Nana Bear." This was said very matter-of-factly. We look puzzled but shrugged, and just accepted it as childhood reasoning. Every day when she talked to me, she would call me Nana Bear. We asked her about it several times, but it's always the same. I could only be Nana Bear, that was the rule.
While they were all gone to California last week, I cleaned out a closet. I found a few toys that Ethan used to play with, and I put the animal ones in Rosie's farm. One of them was a rubbery, squishy dinosaur.
The night Rosie got home she went to see her farm. She was so happy to see it, and to tell all her animals she was home. When she saw the new dinosaur she picked it up and said, "What's this?"
"It's a new dinosaur for you, Rosie. I found it while you were gone."
Rosie got this big grin and squeezed the dinosaur, then held it up to her Mommy.
"Look Mommy, I have a new dinosaur. Now Nana isn't a bear any more. She's a dinosaur, because this new one lives at my farm, too."
We should have realized. All things begin on the farm. What were we thinking?
So now we know why I could not be a dinosaur. It was because her farm family only had four creatures in it, and there hadn't been one for me.
Now there is. Now, I can be a dinosaur, just like I always wanted.
Each day, Rosie finds it important to help the Mommy dinosaurs have their babies. Then she helps them nurse their babies. Then she gives the baby dinosaurs a shot (just like we do our baby goats). After that she counts them; "I have a Mommy dinosaur, a Daddy dinosaur, and two baby dinosaurs. Four dinosaurs. Just like Rosie's house." She does this almost every day.One day she started calling her own mommy, Mommy Dinosaur. Now she does this every place she goes. She calls her daddy, Daddy Dinosaur, and Obi is Obi Dinosaur, and of course, she refers to herself as Rosie Dinosaur.
After dinner one night her Mommy Dinosaur said to her, "After you finish, you and Nanny Dinosaur can go for a walk."
Rosie looked surprised. "She's not Nanny Dinosaur, she's Nana Bear." This was said very matter-of-factly. We look puzzled but shrugged, and just accepted it as childhood reasoning. Every day when she talked to me, she would call me Nana Bear. We asked her about it several times, but it's always the same. I could only be Nana Bear, that was the rule.
While they were all gone to California last week, I cleaned out a closet. I found a few toys that Ethan used to play with, and I put the animal ones in Rosie's farm. One of them was a rubbery, squishy dinosaur.
The night Rosie got home she went to see her farm. She was so happy to see it, and to tell all her animals she was home. When she saw the new dinosaur she picked it up and said, "What's this?"
"It's a new dinosaur for you, Rosie. I found it while you were gone."
Rosie got this big grin and squeezed the dinosaur, then held it up to her Mommy."Look Mommy, I have a new dinosaur. Now Nana isn't a bear any more. She's a dinosaur, because this new one lives at my farm, too."
We should have realized. All things begin on the farm. What were we thinking?
So now we know why I could not be a dinosaur. It was because her farm family only had four creatures in it, and there hadn't been one for me.
Now there is. Now, I can be a dinosaur, just like I always wanted.
Monday, October 01, 2012
October 1st
Wow! How did it get to be October?
Today is an important day, at least to some of us. For those over 50, you may be interested to know that October 1 is International Day of Older Persons.
I am not making this up.
Three years ago today I flew to Shanghai to be with Michelle and William when Rosie was born. I repeated that trip exactly one year later - because two years ago on this day I flew to Shanghai again, to help them move back to the U.S.
October 1 is a day to celebrate. For Christmas fans, this day begins the countdown for our most beloved of holidays (some of us might start earlier). For Catholics, this is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux. For Stevie and Annie, it's the beginning of Octoberfest, which they are spending this year in Germany.
For my niece and nephew, it's the day (hopefully) their 3 month old baby boy, Séamus, comes how from the hospital after open-heart surgery.
In History, this is a memorable day for many other reasons, too.
Just look at a few: (some are even interesting)
1800 – Spain surrenders Louisiana to France
1811 – The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orléans, Louisiana.
1880 – John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the United States Marine Marching Band. Impressive.
1880 – Thomas Edison opens the first electric lamp factory.
1890 – Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
1891 – Stanford University opens its doors for the first time.
1903 – The first game of the World Series is played between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates
1910 – A large bomb destroys the Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles, killing 21.
1931 – The George Washington Bridge opens, joining New Jersey and New York.
1940 – The first superhighway in the United States, Pennsylvania Turnpike, opens to traffic.
1949 – The People's Republic of China is established and declared by Mao Zedong.
1957 – First appearance of In God We Trust on U.S. paper currency. Not that long ago, folks.
1961 – Roger Maris slammed the home run that broke Babe Ruth's long-standing record.
1958 – NASA is created to replace NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics)
1962 – First broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson aired.
1971 – Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida. At that time the park mainly consisted of Fantasy Land, Hotel, and the fabulous Monorail that went around the property.
1982 – EPCOT Center opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida
1982 – Sony launches the first consumer compact disc player. Do you remember what a big deal that was?
1987 – The Whittier Narrows earthquake shakes the San Gabriel Valley, registering as magnitude 5.9. Michelle remembers that.
Personally, I like the day because it says "Autumn" to me. Somehow, on this day, the trees magically start turning yellow and orange. I love this time of year, no matter where I am.
Today is an important day, at least to some of us. For those over 50, you may be interested to know that October 1 is International Day of Older Persons.I am not making this up.
Three years ago today I flew to Shanghai to be with Michelle and William when Rosie was born. I repeated that trip exactly one year later - because two years ago on this day I flew to Shanghai again, to help them move back to the U.S.
October 1 is a day to celebrate. For Christmas fans, this day begins the countdown for our most beloved of holidays (some of us might start earlier). For Catholics, this is the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux. For Stevie and Annie, it's the beginning of Octoberfest, which they are spending this year in Germany.
For my niece and nephew, it's the day (hopefully) their 3 month old baby boy, Séamus, comes how from the hospital after open-heart surgery.
In History, this is a memorable day for many other reasons, too.
Just look at a few: (some are even interesting)
1800 – Spain surrenders Louisiana to France
1811 – The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orléans, Louisiana.
1880 – John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the United States Marine Marching Band. Impressive.
1880 – Thomas Edison opens the first electric lamp factory.
1890 – Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
1891 – Stanford University opens its doors for the first time.
1903 – The first game of the World Series is played between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates
1910 – A large bomb destroys the Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles, killing 21.
1931 – The George Washington Bridge opens, joining New Jersey and New York.
1940 – The first superhighway in the United States, Pennsylvania Turnpike, opens to traffic.
1949 – The People's Republic of China is established and declared by Mao Zedong.
1957 – First appearance of In God We Trust on U.S. paper currency. Not that long ago, folks.
1961 – Roger Maris slammed the home run that broke Babe Ruth's long-standing record.
1958 – NASA is created to replace NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics)
1962 – First broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson aired.
1971 – Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida. At that time the park mainly consisted of Fantasy Land, Hotel, and the fabulous Monorail that went around the property.
1982 – EPCOT Center opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida
1982 – Sony launches the first consumer compact disc player. Do you remember what a big deal that was?
1987 – The Whittier Narrows earthquake shakes the San Gabriel Valley, registering as magnitude 5.9. Michelle remembers that.
Personally, I like the day because it says "Autumn" to me. Somehow, on this day, the trees magically start turning yellow and orange. I love this time of year, no matter where I am.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Itchy green stuff
We have some thanks to issue to Uncle Stevie. We discovered yesterday that Obi is allergic to grass just like his uncle.
Obi was sitting on my lap with a big bunch of grass growing up behind me. He was SO happy about the grass, and reached out and grabbed a handful. He rubbed it all over his face, put it in his mouth, all the fun stuff I loved doing as a kid (and still do, BTW). In a few minutes his mouth turned red, then his lips swelled up. Poor guy.
At least he didn't start sneezing. Hopefully Obi won't get that part of his allergy from his Uncle.
Thanks, Uncle Stevie. We're thinking of you.
Obi was sitting on my lap with a big bunch of grass growing up behind me. He was SO happy about the grass, and reached out and grabbed a handful. He rubbed it all over his face, put it in his mouth, all the fun stuff I loved doing as a kid (and still do, BTW). In a few minutes his mouth turned red, then his lips swelled up. Poor guy.
At least he didn't start sneezing. Hopefully Obi won't get that part of his allergy from his Uncle.
Thanks, Uncle Stevie. We're thinking of you.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Happy September Birthday, Luke
Today is Luke's birthday. Last year I talked about the train cake Luke wanted.
Every year when the kids were growing up, we tried to do something fun for each birthday. In our family, that meant that we had a lot of fun days, since there were so many of us.
Sometimes I would try and make a special cake; sometimes we went to Disneyland, sometimes we went to a friends house (William's) to celebrate, sometimes we'd just have a mini-party at home and wear silly hats, and sometimes we didn't plan anything but did something random at the last minute. You can never tell with us.
I hope those birthdays were fun for Luke, and I hope this birthday will be nice, too. Happy Birthday son.
Every year when the kids were growing up, we tried to do something fun for each birthday. In our family, that meant that we had a lot of fun days, since there were so many of us.
Sometimes I would try and make a special cake; sometimes we went to Disneyland, sometimes we went to a friends house (William's) to celebrate, sometimes we'd just have a mini-party at home and wear silly hats, and sometimes we didn't plan anything but did something random at the last minute. You can never tell with us.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Hay day
It's hay hauling day and this year we decided to get enough hay to last a while - especially since our goats like Orchard Grass over other types and this is the only time the good stuff is available.
We also found out our little shed can hold about 80 bales of hay - that's good to know.
We also found out our little shed can hold about 80 bales of hay - that's good to know.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Little weeder
Out near the pasture the grasses (in spots) are taller than Rosie - and she really likes that! I sit on my stump while she goes to "work" - and I hear her talking softly to the goats who are in there with her. So adorable.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...
... especially after the skunk smell is no longer in the house. We could not eat in that part of the house for a while, so moved the table to another room.
That's when we discovered fun play space.
Then, Nana found a special birthday present for Rosie. She's such a little farmer girl, now she eats meals in her "barn" - and we happily accommodate.
Obi's not complaining either.
That's when we discovered fun play space.
Then, Nana found a special birthday present for Rosie. She's such a little farmer girl, now she eats meals in her "barn" - and we happily accommodate.
Obi's not complaining either.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Mornings
I am not a morning person. At the same time there are some great things about mornings.
Coffee.
Email.
Cool weather.
Sitting in bed with my kids.
Chatting online with my kids (who are sitting right next to me).
Coffee.
Email.
Cool weather.
Sitting in bed with my kids.
Chatting online with my kids (who are sitting right next to me).
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Dog Food
Today I bought dog food. I buy it every couple of weeks since Yogi and Molly are big and work so hard.
Tonight I was reading through my email and I ran across a message from a well-known pet company. You may have seen it:
Now it happens that, when I buy dog food, I do read the ingredients. Might seem silly to some, but I want to make sure my dogs are getting meat - not grain - as their primary ingredient. After all, canines are carnivorous, so I don't want them tempted to eat their goats in a hungry spell.
Looking at this ad, I remembered my mother and wondered about her motivation. She fed me a lot of similar ingredients listed here: Just take a look.
Necks, feet, and intestines. I remember turkey neck gravy. And pickled pigs feet. Oh, and chitlins, I have a very clear memory of those, as well as head cheese, and of course, sausage.
Artificial ingredients and preservatives: What mother during the twentieth century didn't give their kids twinkies, ding-dongs, and Captain Crunch cereal? Aren't those loaded with artificial ingredients - and preservatives? They used to be.
Ingredients from China: doesn't all rice come from there?
Cheap fillers: Do you remember this old commercial? - Wonder Bread: builds strong bodies twelve ways. That was a pretty cheap filler but we all ate it.
Oh, and my favorite ingredient on this list: Meat from deceased animals. Truly - my mother never fed me a live animal, every bit of meat we ate was deceased. So really, I should thank my mother for feeding me like the dog, because the items on this list really aren't all that bad.
I think I feed my own dogs pretty well, too. Although I can't remember the last time I gave my dog Twinkies. I guess I actually ate better than my dogs do.
Tonight I was reading through my email and I ran across a message from a well-known pet company. You may have seen it:
Now it happens that, when I buy dog food, I do read the ingredients. Might seem silly to some, but I want to make sure my dogs are getting meat - not grain - as their primary ingredient. After all, canines are carnivorous, so I don't want them tempted to eat their goats in a hungry spell.
Looking at this ad, I remembered my mother and wondered about her motivation. She fed me a lot of similar ingredients listed here: Just take a look.
Necks, feet, and intestines. I remember turkey neck gravy. And pickled pigs feet. Oh, and chitlins, I have a very clear memory of those, as well as head cheese, and of course, sausage.
Artificial ingredients and preservatives: What mother during the twentieth century didn't give their kids twinkies, ding-dongs, and Captain Crunch cereal? Aren't those loaded with artificial ingredients - and preservatives? They used to be.
Ingredients from China: doesn't all rice come from there?
Cheap fillers: Do you remember this old commercial? - Wonder Bread: builds strong bodies twelve ways. That was a pretty cheap filler but we all ate it.
Oh, and my favorite ingredient on this list: Meat from deceased animals. Truly - my mother never fed me a live animal, every bit of meat we ate was deceased. So really, I should thank my mother for feeding me like the dog, because the items on this list really aren't all that bad.
I think I feed my own dogs pretty well, too. Although I can't remember the last time I gave my dog Twinkies. I guess I actually ate better than my dogs do.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
After-dinner activity
When I'm home, Rosie loves to go outdoors with me after dinner. Each morning I let the male goats out of their pen to eat, and every evening, we swap them, so the girls can go out and eat. We do this every day - and the goats know exactly what time they are supposed to swap.Rosie likes to walk with the goats on their goat path. The goats prefer to walk in the same exact spot every time they go out, and they've paved a path that Rosie likes to walk, sometimes the goats walk in front, and sometimes Rosie does.
Friday, August 17, 2012
All this Olympic stuff
Twice a week I drove past that Olympic torch. The kids always asked about it, and I told them tidbits, and helped them learn general knowledge of the Olympics themselves, but we never really visited any of the venues in Squaw Valley, and truly, I didn't even know what year the Olympics were held in Squaw Valley until this week. Sad, I know.
The Squaw Valley winter Olympics were held in 1960, and became home to many Olympic firsts, including:
The first athlete's village
The first time athletes would be able to walk to nearly every venue
The first time the closing ceremonies were produced by Walt Disney
The first to have television broadcast rights sold to the highest bidder
The first (and only) time the bobsled event was not included in the winter Olympics (too expensive)
The first time in 28 years that the Olympics was held in North America
The winter Olympics were awarded to Squaw Valley in 1955, and because the area was almost completely undeveloped, the cost of building the venues and developing the area was over $80,000,000.00 - I'm not sure how to even say that amount.
30 nations participated in the 1960 event, with 665 athletes. It's grown quite a lot since those days. And right in the middle of the Cold War, communist countries were allowed to visit the area and participate in the winter Olympics (under the mumbles and protests of the U.S.). That was a very big deal. It all seems sort of silly now, but those were serious, paranoid times.
Squaw Valley is still a wonderful gorgeous place, though today, I am not entirely sure it's large enough to host an Olympic event. Still, I'm glad it happened, and even though we never visited the venues, it's nice to know we once lived so close by, and somehow, that makes me feel a tiny bit a part of it.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Blowing my mind
120 MPH - 62 seconds - 75 degrees F outdoors. Wooohooo!!
Calgary Summer bobsledding (motion sensitive people beware)
Calgary Summer bobsledding (motion sensitive people beware)
Monday, August 13, 2012
Slopes of Calgary
Today the event venues are still here, and though the city is just a bit run down it's still a gorgeous location.
From my hotel balcony I can see this view of the ski jump and downhill events. Summertime doesn't do it justice and still it's a striking view.
At least Canada took some Golds this year. And they are so proud of their trampoline Gold Medalist, the airport was packed today to welcome the athletes home.
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
What day is this? Where am I?
On the way to Atlanta William told me he thought it was so strange when I would come home and say I could not remember where I had been, where I was going, or what day it was.
This week he said to me that he was beginning to see what I meant. What a very long week.
Is it Friday yet?
This week he said to me that he was beginning to see what I meant. What a very long week.
Is it Friday yet?
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sniff and best practices
Last week I did my laundry.
I do that every now and again, when I run out of things to wear.
When the laundry came out of the wash, I collected it all from the dryer and took it to my room. It sat in the basket a couple of days, after which Rosie wanted to exercise on the floor so we dragged the basket to my closet. From there, I dumped the contents of the basket out into my suitcase, where it sat for another day.
Suddenly it happened that I needed to pack for an out-of-town trip. I sorted all the remaining items, rolling up and packing the ones I meant to take with me, then hanging up (finally) the others. I closed up my suitcase, then drove off to Atlanta for the week.
Tonight, after a long day out training, in high-heels and puffed sleeves, I came up to my room to put on something frumpy. I opened my closet and pulled out one of my favorite button-down shirts along with a pair of Khakis. It felt so good to get out of dress clothes. and it felt good not to have to hold in my stomach. I grabbed my shoes from the closet, intending to run out the door.
That's when I noticed a funny smell. I had noticed it before, at home, thinking it must have been a pair of old shoes in my closet. So I had collected a couple of pair of worn out old shoes from the closet, and tossed them into the Get-rid-of basket, because really, who likes wearing stinky old shoes anyway? Problem solved, right?
So then I went to Atlanta. And right there, in the middle of me getting dressed in my frumpy frock, there was that awful smell again. Except it was not my shoes. That's so weird, that odd, sour musty smell was here, too. It was following me.
I combed my hair, and got ready to go to a meeting, when I realized the smell wasn't following me - it WAS me. I picked up the shirttail on my shirt and sniffed.
Ughh! it was the shirt that stunk so bad. It smelled like it had come out of the dryer slightly damp and just kept mildewing over the past several days -- and it was RIPE! No way I was going to a business meeting smelling like that. I just hoped I could get the smell off of ME!
I pulled my shirt off and tossed it into the sink, poured an entire (sample sized) bottle of shampoo over it, and added lots of water. For extra fragrance, I added a handful of conditioner. That would fix my shirt. and hopefully the smell.
Maybe.... anyway, I hope so, I want to wear it on Wednesday. I wonder if it will be dry by then.
The moral of the story is, don't let your damp laundry sit in a basket, but if you do, definitely don't pack it to go on a trip.
I do that every now and again, when I run out of things to wear.
When the laundry came out of the wash, I collected it all from the dryer and took it to my room. It sat in the basket a couple of days, after which Rosie wanted to exercise on the floor so we dragged the basket to my closet. From there, I dumped the contents of the basket out into my suitcase, where it sat for another day.
Suddenly it happened that I needed to pack for an out-of-town trip. I sorted all the remaining items, rolling up and packing the ones I meant to take with me, then hanging up (finally) the others. I closed up my suitcase, then drove off to Atlanta for the week.
Tonight, after a long day out training, in high-heels and puffed sleeves, I came up to my room to put on something frumpy. I opened my closet and pulled out one of my favorite button-down shirts along with a pair of Khakis. It felt so good to get out of dress clothes. and it felt good not to have to hold in my stomach. I grabbed my shoes from the closet, intending to run out the door.
That's when I noticed a funny smell. I had noticed it before, at home, thinking it must have been a pair of old shoes in my closet. So I had collected a couple of pair of worn out old shoes from the closet, and tossed them into the Get-rid-of basket, because really, who likes wearing stinky old shoes anyway? Problem solved, right?
So then I went to Atlanta. And right there, in the middle of me getting dressed in my frumpy frock, there was that awful smell again. Except it was not my shoes. That's so weird, that odd, sour musty smell was here, too. It was following me.
I combed my hair, and got ready to go to a meeting, when I realized the smell wasn't following me - it WAS me. I picked up the shirttail on my shirt and sniffed.
Ughh! it was the shirt that stunk so bad. It smelled like it had come out of the dryer slightly damp and just kept mildewing over the past several days -- and it was RIPE! No way I was going to a business meeting smelling like that. I just hoped I could get the smell off of ME!
I pulled my shirt off and tossed it into the sink, poured an entire (sample sized) bottle of shampoo over it, and added lots of water. For extra fragrance, I added a handful of conditioner. That would fix my shirt. and hopefully the smell.
Maybe.... anyway, I hope so, I want to wear it on Wednesday. I wonder if it will be dry by then.
The moral of the story is, don't let your damp laundry sit in a basket, but if you do, definitely don't pack it to go on a trip.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Harvest at last
We planted another small garden this year and we really wanted to try Peppers. I have never successfully grown peppers but this year we planted three orange ones. Green ones are not our favorite.
So far we've gotten about 8 giant sized peppers. There have also been little one. I picked a small one today and it looks like two more are just about ready. It's a minor accomplishment, I know, but the first time for anything is always exciting.
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