Sweet and Silly

I know I said I was done with Christmas photos but I found some more.

I have five great nieces and nephews. Because I don't travel back to Iowa much, they had to get bigger before they recognized me and wouldn't flinch or run away when I was around. You can see the oldest in a post below about the giant box stack.

Makayla is in 2nd grade. She pulled a Dr. Seuss book out of my mom's stash and came to sit next to me on the sofa.

This was "Hop on Pop". Reading is the best gift you can give a child. So much is unlocked when one can read. She read the whole book to me, stumbling over 3 words. It wasn't that she didn't know the word, she was looking ahead and misread what the words were. I'm so thrilled with her reading ability.

Seeing his sister read to me, Kalub, who is 3, decided he had to "read" to me, as well.

This is a Thomas the Tank Engine book with a side bar of buttons which make sounds relative to places in the book. Kalub might know a few words, but he's had this book read to him so much, he has a working knowledge of what it says. He told me the story, explained what was going on in each photo, and showed me which buttons you're supposed to push at which point in the story. It was delightful.

I remembered reading to Carole and then having her read to me as she grew older. Books have always been a part of our household and it's wonderful to see that my niece is encouraging reading in her children.

You know what it's like when there is a new baby in the family. Everyone wants to hold the baby. The poor child gets passed around and really over stimulated to the point that a melt-down is inevitable. On the other hand, you have children, like Lyllie here, who fight sleep. She wants to see what's going on. It's like she thinks she'll miss something.

She was handed to me and I just hung onto her for awhile. She got fussy and I gave her a bottle. Then, she started to nod off. Man, she fought it, but, eventually, sleep overcame her.

It's been 30 years since I had a child fall asleep on me. I remember the trepidation of trying to get up because your arm is falling asleep and you don't want to wake the child. Because I was comfortable, I just put up my feet and we let her sleep. I think she napped for about 20 minutes. It was enough to keep her awake until my niece and family headed home. She was asleep again within 5 minutes of leaving the house. I liked going places with Carole at this age because they are portable. You do have to watch schedules but you can just pick them up and go.

Rawr! Carpet monsters! Makayla, Kalub and Wyatt. My niece made these blankets for her kids out of very soft fleece. The kids were ecstatic. I told Wyatt I wanted to take a photo of him as a monster in his blanket. He understood exactly what I wanted so he got down on the floor and pulled the blanket over his head. Seeing this, Makayla and Kalub had to be in the photo, too. They could not stop giggling at the very idea of being carpet monsters.

It is said that Christmas is for kids. It's really for all of us. We just have to remember what it's like to be carpet monsters and enjoy the moment.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

I Wuvs You

After clearing everything off the deck on Sunday which was after running a bunch of errands, you can imagine that I was rather wiped out. So, I sank into the recliner, put on some Sunday afternoon movie that looked mildly interesting, picked up my current scarf project and proceeded to crochet. Pilchard settled onto the settee across the way and Mija jumped up into the recliner next to me and settled down.

Cats have this innate ability to go from wide awake to sleep in minutes, whereas I have to toss and turn before sleep comes. I can't remember what I was watching but I had been ear scratching so my arm was at my side. I felt something and looked to my right.

This is love. I'm convinced that's a smile on her face.

She's so incredibly happy. I was achy at this point. I knew I'd done a bit too much, but aches and pains go away when you are loved like this. I reclined just a bit in the chair and the next thing I knew, it was 5 p.m. I am so very blessed to share my life with these two.

Beverage:  Berry-flavored seltzer

Deb

Will You Look at That!

I finally got around to watching "Despicable Me" over the weekend. I've been tired when I get home from work lately. Collapsing into the recliner, having the BBC attach herself to my lap and then popping a movie into the DvD player is a perfect recipe for a sound nap that will interrupt the sleep schedule later in the evening. I decided this was a weekend afternoon event. Sunday afternoon it was.

The movie is hilarious and I watched it twice and saw something new the second time. I found the DvD player's remote so I can finally watch the "extras" that come with these. I didn't read the movie box so it wasn't until I was watching the "extras" that I realized Steve Carrell had done the main character voice. "It's something between Dracula and a butchered Eastern European accent," he said. I certainly didn't recognize his voice and kept wondering which character he was. Now that I've see the first one, I need to see the second one which several people have said is better than the first one. When do I have the time to see it in the theatres? I don't know. I still haven't seen "Much Ado About Nothing". I wish I had more friends in the area who were available and interested in the occasional movie.

One thing I noticed when I opened up the "Despicable Me" DvD box is a large recycling symbol.

See that to the left? I had never seen that before. I pulled out the recent movies I've purchased and none of them have that symbol. This is fantastic! It means the whole container is recyclable. The movie poster is printed on paper and placed into a sleeve on the front and back. The top and bottom of the sleeve are sealed. If I would want to get rid of this, I can take a knife and slice the sleeve to remove and recycle the paper poster. Then, the sleeve could be removed leaving only the plastic container which is, ta da, completely recyclable. This could have been several laundry detergent bottles in a previous life.

I'm behind in my knowledge of recycling but I'm wondering when this became available. "Brave" and "Wreck-It Ralph" are in hard plastic containers without the recycling symbol on the inside. While this container is of a softer, more malleable plastic than the other two movies, it protects the DvD just fine.

The only thing that is a problem is the actual DvD itself. There just aren't recycling programs for these. I have a huge stack of old games and programs that I'd love to get rid of. The cardboard or hard plastic containers are recyclable (Remember the old jewel cases? Many of those had the recycling symbol on them.) but the CD or DvD currently is not. One can only make so many Christmas wreaths.

But, this is a step in the right direction. As more people experiment with the waste we generate, someone is bound to come up with something that reuses our refuse. This symbol made a great movie even better.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Sunday Snoozes

Sunday has been the start of the week for millennia  I remember finding a planner that had Monday starting the week and thought "how could you organize your week like that"? But, reality is that, for most people, Sunday ends the week. Those of us churchly inclined start with a dose of the religious and think we are starting the week out well when, really, we'll talk about all the things we have to get done, "before the week starts tomorrow and I go back to school or work or the life of the week".

Around here, Saturday is a day of getting used to me being home. There is no clock radio at 6 am. I'm around and, one would say "over foot", all day. Yesterday, I cleaned. I blogged. I organized. I washed. I sorted. Today has started out quieter. It's the day they really do realize it's the weekend. 

I changed the sheets and the blankets on the bed yesterday. I did a load of wash and draped these two sweaters to dry over the towel rack and the shower curtain in the bathroom. It's this time of year I think about a sweater drying rack, something that could stay in the basement with the rest of the clothes and just be used for sweaters and other delicates, things I wouldn't hang on a laundry line. But, it would be one more thing in a cluttered life that is the basement so I only 'think' about it and don't actually buy it. 

The sweaters are dry and need to be hung in the closet. Um...yeah. Not going to happen at this present time. There are worse places she could be sleeping. 

And take her royal highness, Pilchard. She's taken over the recliner this morning. It is abundantly apparent where this cat sleeps most of the time, when she's not in a box. 

She's decided to branch out onto the side where I sit and crochet. We have our territories, we do. Hers is to the left and mine is to the right. She usually gets to be on the right when I'm there and she can take over my lap. We may be in for negotiations for territories. 

It's kind of funny to me, in a way. I really never noticed the fur on the recliner itself until I uploaded the photo from my camera. Today, the sweater has been tossed into the wash. I need to look into a hand vac to give the recliner a thorough going over. Such is life in a household with a long-haired cat. 

They have been asleep most of the morning. There is a gentle peace inside my home. Tomorrow will dawn too early and I'll be out the door and on the way, but, for now, the calm is wonderful. 

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

The Bad, the Good and I Took A Nap

This weekend was filled with events. The best way to view this is from the bad point first and work forward.

My camera broke; this one, here, to the right. I was setting up a photo for my blog post on the Printer's Row book fair. I had the camera on the ottoman behind me as I worked to get things arranged on the recliner. The girls were in one of their "chase me-chase you" moods". It's rather funny to watch. There's some hissing and spitting as Pilchard chases Mija into the bedroom. Then, Mija turns around and chases Pilchard back into the living room. They seem to be having fun so I don't break that up.

Saturday, Pilchard was being chased back into the living room and she collided with the ottoman. Now, 13 pounds of cat colliding with 5 pounds of wicker ottoman and, well, you can imagine what happened.

When the thing tipped over, that scared them enough that Mija dashed under the bed and Pilchard ran behind the TV. I can't really get mad at them. They didn't know. But, I am without a camera until the end of the month when I can afford a new one. I really, really liked this one. It was compact, fit in my purse, went everywhere with me and took very adequate photos for what I needed. Since it broke on Saturday, I've had several occasions where, "Oh I need to take a photo of that" come up and I can't. Plus, this is an unplanned expense at a time when I'm trying to save up for a trip west at the end of July.

But, this is minor in life. I took a raft-load of photos at the book fair and I never finished blogging the theme for last month, old photos. I'm sure in the 6600 photos stored in my Mac, I have something I can use to illustrate a blog post. Not having a camera is an inconvenience, but I did very well when I had a camera that shot only film. I wrote long letters that didn't include photos. This is not the end of the world.

The good was a great time at the book fair on Saturday. I'll have a separate post on that. I didn't spend all the money I had budgeted for the event. I didn't find any books that jumped out at me as "Buy Me! Buy Me!" but I had much fun wandering around and poking my head into stalls. I did come home with one treasure and I handled the heat and the amount of walking required fairly well. I prepared and enjoyed the time I spent there. I have always wanted to attend the Gold Coast Art Fair which is at the end of June. I think, based on how well I did with the book fair, this will be the year I go.


I came home and, after the camera fiasco, decided the best course of action was a nap. Naps are wonderful things. I stretched out in the recliner, turned on the AC and fans and the girls and I drifted off into blissful sleep. I didn't sleep very well Saturday night so Sunday late morning saw us stretched out again in the recliner. I didn't get the outdoor furniture scrubbed. I got the closet sort of organized but the box on the kitchen table didn't get unpacked and moved. Instead, I did laundry, did cross-stitching and did a lot of "me" time. I set aside the "shouldda's", set aside the anger at myself for not setting the camera somewhere safer, set aside the slightly fried feeling after being out in 90 degree weather and just spent time sitting without guilt. Life is to be lived and sometimes that simply means just being and a nap in the recliner.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

Thursday Stitching

I haven't been sleeping well of late. I wake up every couple of hours. Hence, I find myself nodding off during the day, going home and being wired at night so the cycle begins again. Last night, I came home, sat down in the recliner, had Pilchard sit down in my lap and, the next thing I know, it's an hour later. I start to get down on myself.

But that small voice inside me that is trying to help me remember gratitude pipes up that now, when I'm feeling badly about nodding off, would be a good time to stitch. Now, when the voice of failure and how I 'shoudda' done something can be drowned out by the small voice of gratitude for having something I like to do in front of me.

So the dishes and the wash and the 'shouddas' were set aside and I stitched for an hour before making myself supper and trotting off to play WoW. It still doesn't look like much, does it? Technically, I have finished the lighter mauve pink and the light blue but I'll keep those colors in the bag in case I didn't read the chart right.

I'm getting there, both in remembering to listen to the voice advocating gratitude and in finishing another project.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

Weekend Stitching

I didn't do a whole lot on Saturday. I felt so tired for some reason. When Pilchard joined me in the recliner, we both nodded off for over 90 minutes. So, Saturday's stitching was to simply add the verse citation.

On Sunday, however, I spent a good 2 hours stitching. I finished using the dark gray for shadow and the medium dark blue on the stylized flowers. It felt like quite an accomplishment when I finished off the blue.

Beverage:  Earl Grey tea

Deb

Deb

Two Days of Stitching

Two days of stitching. I'm finding that I've been so tired that I nod off while stitching. Hence, the time I allow during the evening for stitching is cut in half because I nap.

Day 3.

Day 4. I moved the hoop down last night. This might be as far as it goes. I have to see how the design below the swans comes out.

It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend this weekend. I should be out in it. At best, I should go sit on the back steps and let the girls come out into the spring-like weather. If I'm out there, they will come out and fresh air and sunshine does all of us a world of good. I can bring my stitching out and get more done in the unseasonable warmth of January in Chicagoland.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Getting Out of the House - Day 1

I took a couple days off. Originally, Carole was coming back for her class reunion but that didn't work. I thought about just not taking time off, but decided I was worth a couple of days. Today is day 1 and, this morning, I went to the zoo.

I drove into the city and went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I can't remember the last time I was there. I'm pretty sure this entry archway didn't exist.

The zoo is free. Parking is not. I managed to scrape together the money for parking. I looked into going to the Brookfield Zoo which is closer to me, but it would have cost me $5 more.

It's a gray, overcast day and, as I write this, raining. The LPZ is compact, which is another reason I chose to go here. Brookfield is a lot more walking and that tipped the scales in favor of the LPZ.

They have done a lot of upgrading to buildings since I was last here. For the most part, the animals are still the same. The first animals you have the potential to see when you walk in from the east entrance are the big cats.

The tiger was a bit cooperative. He was getting a drink from his small water pool when I arrived. Then he went around the perimeter of the enclosure a couple of times before jumping down into the "moat" that's between the main area and the wall where visitors are. That's grass covered on the bottom. There, he plopped down and fell asleep. He was still there 90 minutes later when I passed by on my way out.

The lions were asleep. The jaguar was pacing in a back corner where photos wouldn't be good and the puma's cage is not very photogenic. There were a couple of long legged savanna cats pacing in their cage inside. Animals are as adaptable as people, but it's hard to see an animal pacing back and forth and not wonder if there is something that could be done to engage them more. I wondered if the big cats are ever allowed the opportunity to use those hunting skills they have. Is there ever a time when they are given live prey? Probably not because you don't ever want them associating a keeper with food. So, I wonder how they might be allowed to be cats.

From there, I passed by the Mexican wolves and went into the bird building. The limitations of my camera became clear at this point. It's fine for me. It's small and I can have it with me all the time for those incidents where you think, "If I only had a camera." But it's not "fast" and, when you're in low light situations where a flash is not a good idea, trying to get a clear shot is impossible.

The bird to the right, a golden breasted starling, was singing right next to the path through the aviary. I tried everything, including setting the camera on the fence posts, to get a clear shot. This one is the best. I really don't want to tote around a big camera with a multitude of lenses. I have an SLR that is in need of some cleaning and minor repair if I ever wanted to go that route again. This was one time I kind of wished I had a better camera. The bird didn't seem to mind my repeated attempts to hold the camera still. It might not have minded the flash, but I wasn't going to try it.

The polar bear was asleep. LPZ has Andean and Sun bears and they were asleep. The rhinos were at the back of their enclosure. LPZ gave away their elephants several years ago. Their giraffes were out. The penguins were getting fed. It was too dark in the reptile and small mammal house to get good photographs, so I walked across a bridge, turned right and there were the flamingos.

This flock is kind of an institution at the zoo. Although the zoo was started with a couple of swans and then a bear cub, back in 1868, flamingos have been at the zoo since the 1900's. These are Chilean flamingos and they are noisy. There is a nice flock of about two dozen and they seemed to be having some rather loud arguments. 

From here, I wandered over to the great ape house. I remember when it was a circular facility with the apes and the staff in the center and a two tier walk way around the outside. The facility was divided into quarters. 

This building is so much better. There is a large outdoor yard area as well as enlarged interior room with all sorts of climbing equipment, nooks and crannies where apes can go to see and be seen. They had been fed about 10 minutes before I showed up so they were cleaning up the leftovers. This guy couldn't be seen from the outside, although he was outside, so I had to shoot him through the window of the building looking out. It's a grand facility and much better than the old building it replaced. 

At this point, my knees were telling me it was time to go home. I wandered through the small monkey house on my way back to the car. I have to say, I am extremely grateful for handicap ramps. There were no steps, just gently undulating pathways. As I was leaving, it started to rain. It was nice and mild at the zoo, but I drove through some heavier rains coming home. It was nice for me to get out and get moving a little. I probably could stand a nap now. 

On the way out was this little guy. He had the whole enclosure to himself. 

Beverage: Apple cider tea

Deb