Sacramento needs a Laughing Planet. They make burritos, bowls, nachos, and various other things with veggies, salsa, plantains, and love.
I now know what almost every single rest area between here and Eugene looks like. Most are fairly clean. Most have automatic water faucets. A few have the powdered soap I am always pleased, for nostalgic reasons, to see. Did I mention it took almost ten hours to get home? And that if I had heard "I have to go pooottttyyyy!" one more time, my head might have exploded?
Glad to be home to my tomatoes. Several green zebras were in need of a good eatin' tonight.
We're going to super-duper miss the family. It was made all the harder this year, leaving that is, by the fact that Zadie totally knows what's going on and wants to talk about it at length. "Why do we have to leave Oregon? I want to stay!"
Our family there is really, truly, wonderful and amazing. I'm so glad they'll have me.
I filled up my memory card on the camera and then some. I'm just going to go to bed and let it upload tonight. I'll try to post some tomorrow.
We came back to a very busy week, starting with a mobile notary tomorrow at 9. I also need to jump on calling a painter, who said he can paint our living room this week. (I normally do any painting myself, but this room is a bitch -- five doorways, nine corners, an enormous amount of trim, a couple built-ins... Yeah, we're gonna get someone to do that manual labor for us.
Did I mention we dragged home two new pieces of furniture from Eugene? They look great in here, but it's time to do some rearranging.
We came home with a lot of other stuff, too -- two new dresses for me, two for Zadie, a BUNCH of books for all of us, several shirts for Sweetie, lots of stationery/cards for me, three new pieces of jewelry for me, a "Butterfly Bingo" game for Z, some things her aunt Maryam bought and/or gave her, rainbow socks for me, gifts from my in-laws, and who knows what-all. Stuff we like. Fun stuff.
Okay, I seriously have to go to bed. I'm going to try to get back to my healthy routines, which do NOT include going to bed at midnight and eating baguettes and coffee for breakfast.
I hope you're all well. We're great.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Last day
Well, the last day is always bittersweet, isn't it? It was a really lovely day, though. We slept late again (I can see it's going to be hard to get back to our usual routine), then went to the Hideaway Bakery. Sweetie and I both had an egg and potato platter and Zadie demolished another egg and cheese sandwich (well, all but the bread).
After that, we stopped briefly at Sweetie's favorite coffee shop for some sort of "extreme" beverage (extremely sweet, I say), then back here to... figure out what to do. The family convened and we all just hung out for a while, then we decided to head downtown to the Saturday market. I believe I wrote about it last year. It's an affair that takes up two city blocks. One block has stalls for cheese, vegetables, fruits, bread, and flowers mainly, whereas the other is all crafts, from keychains to pottery to children's dresses. In a central area there are also several food vendors. Sweetie hates it. It makes me laugh how much he hates it. I took several surreptitious pictures of white-guys-with-dreadlocks, had a bolani, and bought some cheese for later. I also got Zadie a yummy-looking all-fruit popsicle. Sweetie had already gotten her a watermelon juice. In the area where we stopped to eat, there was a band playing. It started off promising -- they were fairly successfully playing a Green Day riff -- until they started to sing. Now, I SHOULD be nice; most of the kids on stage seemed about twelve years old. But gosh, it was pretty bad. My brother-in-law is currently describing the kid as having that Dana Carvey guitar face. We all had to hide our laughter when they did "Welcome to the Jungle" and inserted the line "Do you know where you are? You're at the Saturday Market, baby!" The whole thing was terribly off-key.
While there, I actually had the revelation that Eugene would be a really perfect place for my dad and stepmom. Seriously -- they could buy a cheaper house, make crafts, sell antiques, and have deer in the backyard. Plus, no sales tax. Of course, no grandbabies, either. So, not yet!
Then we poked around downtown just a bit and Sweetie bought a couple more books for Z. Then we went to Smith Family Bookstore. Actually, we split up a bit. I wanted to see the American Apparel store (odd), Maryam wanted a cold drink from Starbucks and took Z with her, and Sweetie went to the bookstore. I joined him there after determining that I did not need a see-through maxi-dress or a thong leotard, and we browsed books for a while. But M and Z didn't come. It turns out that Z had begged auntie for a hummus plate and then a cake-pop. This kid is going to be SO spoiled when she gets home.
We decided to have a picnic dinner, so we all went shopping and got some fruit, bread, cheese, prepared salads, and chips. My MiL met us with cookies in the park, and we all enjoyed a lovely dinner while the kids played. Pics of that later -- it's a cool park.
Now most of us are downstairs, Auntie Maryam laid down with Z and fell asleep, and our last get-together is planned for 7am tomorrow so we can get an early start. It's sad to be leaving, but we've had an extra-long trip this time and have really gotten a lot of good family time in. Our last picnic, though not everyone was there, was just about perfect -- 88 degrees, a little breeze, a shared buffet of nibbles, and the kids laughing and playing.
Wish us a peaceful drive home. Last year I had an altitude-related sinus headache that bordered on the I-wanna-die side. I actually packed both Tylenol and Advil in my purse just in case. #whyI'mnotclimbingEverest
After that, we stopped briefly at Sweetie's favorite coffee shop for some sort of "extreme" beverage (extremely sweet, I say), then back here to... figure out what to do. The family convened and we all just hung out for a while, then we decided to head downtown to the Saturday market. I believe I wrote about it last year. It's an affair that takes up two city blocks. One block has stalls for cheese, vegetables, fruits, bread, and flowers mainly, whereas the other is all crafts, from keychains to pottery to children's dresses. In a central area there are also several food vendors. Sweetie hates it. It makes me laugh how much he hates it. I took several surreptitious pictures of white-guys-with-dreadlocks, had a bolani, and bought some cheese for later. I also got Zadie a yummy-looking all-fruit popsicle. Sweetie had already gotten her a watermelon juice. In the area where we stopped to eat, there was a band playing. It started off promising -- they were fairly successfully playing a Green Day riff -- until they started to sing. Now, I SHOULD be nice; most of the kids on stage seemed about twelve years old. But gosh, it was pretty bad. My brother-in-law is currently describing the kid as having that Dana Carvey guitar face. We all had to hide our laughter when they did "Welcome to the Jungle" and inserted the line "Do you know where you are? You're at the Saturday Market, baby!" The whole thing was terribly off-key.
While there, I actually had the revelation that Eugene would be a really perfect place for my dad and stepmom. Seriously -- they could buy a cheaper house, make crafts, sell antiques, and have deer in the backyard. Plus, no sales tax. Of course, no grandbabies, either. So, not yet!
Then we poked around downtown just a bit and Sweetie bought a couple more books for Z. Then we went to Smith Family Bookstore. Actually, we split up a bit. I wanted to see the American Apparel store (odd), Maryam wanted a cold drink from Starbucks and took Z with her, and Sweetie went to the bookstore. I joined him there after determining that I did not need a see-through maxi-dress or a thong leotard, and we browsed books for a while. But M and Z didn't come. It turns out that Z had begged auntie for a hummus plate and then a cake-pop. This kid is going to be SO spoiled when she gets home.
We decided to have a picnic dinner, so we all went shopping and got some fruit, bread, cheese, prepared salads, and chips. My MiL met us with cookies in the park, and we all enjoyed a lovely dinner while the kids played. Pics of that later -- it's a cool park.
Now most of us are downstairs, Auntie Maryam laid down with Z and fell asleep, and our last get-together is planned for 7am tomorrow so we can get an early start. It's sad to be leaving, but we've had an extra-long trip this time and have really gotten a lot of good family time in. Our last picnic, though not everyone was there, was just about perfect -- 88 degrees, a little breeze, a shared buffet of nibbles, and the kids laughing and playing.
Wish us a peaceful drive home. Last year I had an altitude-related sinus headache that bordered on the I-wanna-die side. I actually packed both Tylenol and Advil in my purse just in case. #whyI'mnotclimbingEverest
Friday, July 29, 2011
Morning pout
Morning pout
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
I don't like fresh air! I don't like the outdoors! I don't like the sun! I don't like the color yellow! I don't like frogs! I don't like the color green!
Bowling dude
Bowling dude
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
I'm apparently not the only one with a passion for vintage fashion! We've been back to Oak Street Vintage three times now, and this morning we went to one called Nobody's Baby, where Sweetie got this shirt. Later, at Treasures From the Heart, I found Zadie a vintage dress that we'll wear on our next tweed ride.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Cottage Grove and more
We slept surprisingly late again today. In fact, I confused the heck out of myself by taking Z back to her bed in the middle of the night and laying down with her. I promptly fell asleep, and when I woke up I had one of those "where the hell am I?" moments.
By the time we were all ready to go, it was after ten. We went for breakfast at a crepe place (my suggestion: for some reason I remembered that they had good coffee, but also thought they had more variety in a display case of baked goodies), and my older sister-in-law, who was working, called to say she was already off! We all ate some breakfast and went on a shopping expedition together. We went back to the vintage shop where we bought the chair and Sweetie lusted over a coffee table (honestly, depending on how much it might cost to ship, it might end up at our house), and I tried on a couple dresses. Two were super-cute and fit nicely, so I got them. One has an alligator on it, and the clerk wrote it up as a Lacoste, but I'm not sure... the label says something like "David Crystal." Whatever; I care way less about labels than whether something looks fabulous, and this does. Sweetie even got a vintage shirt!
Then we went to the rock shop a few doors down. It had a lot of nice little crystals and minerals and whatnot, but absolutely reeked of burning sage, which I cannot stand. I don't really think of myself as a hippie, but if there was a checklist, I admit I'd check quite a few of the hippie boxes. Still, I draw the goddamn line at sage, patchouli, nag champa... I am kind of sensitive to smells anyway, and those three in particular are just so strong and awful. Couldn't the hippies enjoy, oh, citron? And not burning, but gently wafting somehow? Anyway, Sweetie bought a cool fish fossil and Z got a purple rock and I got out with my sinuses intact.
We went to another store that was an eclectic mix. There were some vintage clothes, but also some repurposed clothing, some steampunk stuff, some stuff that was clearly meant for the Burning Man crowd, and a few new items. I bought a pair of really cute socks, but some of it left me shaking my head. We peered into a few other shops (one of those "everything is handmade from bamboo and costs $150" places") and a glass shop my dad would have liked, and then we split up.
(I'm tired of nicknames for now. My sisters-in-law are named Michelle and Maryam, and I'm just going to use their names.) Michelle and I picked up her mom and headed out of town to Cottage Grove. I was leery. My MiL had said there was a book of genealogy about her family in the Cottage Grove library, and I had figured out enough to know that there was a Cottage Grove genealogical library. But the numbers on a page I had didn't seem to relate to any kind of charts I'd seen, and there was no mention on the pages of any book. It was all about this one great-aunt's personal records, and it seemed she had made up the numbering system herself.
Cottage Grove was lovely. I mean, talk about your charming little towns, Cottage Grove is one of the prettiest I've been to. We passed a covered bridge, several murals on the little main street, which was filled with cafes and book/garden/gift stores, not to mention a multitude of little Victorians, Bungalows, and transitional homes, mostly with quaint little gardens bursting with gladiolas, shasta daisies, sweet peas... I know my mom would love it. We parked across the street from the museum, a two-building affair filled with odds and ends from military uniforms to buggies to arrowheads and woven baskets, to a fainting couch and an old wheelchair. It was small, but nicely arranged and obviously lovingly cared-for.
Then we went into the library. I was really surprised to see their filing system. Common names had their own manila folder, and less-common ones were filed together. Every paper was a sheet of white typing paper with either handwriting on it or cut-and-pasted (old-school, with scissors and glue) obituaries, marriage and birth announcements. There was no order, no chronology. If you died, and your last name was "Smith," someone just cut out the notice, glued it to the "Smith" paper, and moved along. You might be glued next to someone you're not even related to -- it doesn't matter.
I asked gently, "Wow, so are there any plans to put all this on microfiche or on the computer?" The ladies laughed a little. No, there were not.
As you can imagine, this was not that useful for me.
We found a book that MiL's great-aunt had compiled, and I was AWESTRUCK by what it contained. She had apparently spent about forty years compiling everything that ever happened to anyone named Hayes, Haynes, Hanes, Hains, Haines, Hain, etc. There was a gazette she published periodically, and each issue was just like this:
Haynes, Benjamin. M. Clara Benjamin. 1962.
Haines, Jerome. D. 1962.
Now imagine holding an eight-pound book of that. There was an index, but it didn't seem to include many people outside the Haynes clan and sadly, that was her father's side of the family -- not related to my husband's family at all.
Ah, but wait! One of the women remembers that there might be something upstairs! She heads up and comes down a handful of minutes later with two slender file drawers. In each are five nearly cubic rubber-banded sheafs of note paper. One is thick like card stock, while the other is like vellum. A five-inch-deep stack of these probably contained 500 sheets. Each paper was hand-written. They were in no order but alphabetical. There were no reference numbers. Almost non contained the names of parents or children. A few had spouses. Most just had birth and death dates. These, like the Haynes book, contained every possible spelling of the selected last names, leaving me to wonder whether these slips of paper contained anything useful at all. Is a Stanley Ayde born in 1880 related to a Catherine Addy born in 1910? Who knows? Well, the woman who compiled them would have, I suppose, but she's dead. In short, it was pretty fruitless.
But then we went back to the main street and found a cafe with retro 50s chairs and tableware, and we had some really delicious pizza (if only I could get my crust to do that!), and we sat in perfect weather and listened as a young guitarist (with whom Zadie fell instantly in love) played, and we looked at the murals and the passers-by and used a clean and well-decorated public restroom, and then we took the old highway back to Eugene. So you know, it wasn't a waste of a day. It was lovely.
Even better, when we got back I discovered that Sweetie had bought me a gift! Two cards (I'm a sucker for stationery) and a big box of Euphoria truffles (worth the name, I tell you).
At home, we decided to try a new place for dinner called Laughing Planet. I asked if they had any locations in California after we ate, because I LOVEd it. Pretty much everything is based around beans, rice, and various toppings, but they had lovely little salads, a couple dishes with plantains, it was all fresh, the iced tea was delicious, a glance at the pie made me drool a little, and the whole place was decorated in super-awesome outsider art.
And finally, to Prince Puckler's! We all enjoyed some ice cream and sat on the playground in the twilight.
More pictures soon, I promise. I hope things are well with you all.
By the time we were all ready to go, it was after ten. We went for breakfast at a crepe place (my suggestion: for some reason I remembered that they had good coffee, but also thought they had more variety in a display case of baked goodies), and my older sister-in-law, who was working, called to say she was already off! We all ate some breakfast and went on a shopping expedition together. We went back to the vintage shop where we bought the chair and Sweetie lusted over a coffee table (honestly, depending on how much it might cost to ship, it might end up at our house), and I tried on a couple dresses. Two were super-cute and fit nicely, so I got them. One has an alligator on it, and the clerk wrote it up as a Lacoste, but I'm not sure... the label says something like "David Crystal." Whatever; I care way less about labels than whether something looks fabulous, and this does. Sweetie even got a vintage shirt!
Then we went to the rock shop a few doors down. It had a lot of nice little crystals and minerals and whatnot, but absolutely reeked of burning sage, which I cannot stand. I don't really think of myself as a hippie, but if there was a checklist, I admit I'd check quite a few of the hippie boxes. Still, I draw the goddamn line at sage, patchouli, nag champa... I am kind of sensitive to smells anyway, and those three in particular are just so strong and awful. Couldn't the hippies enjoy, oh, citron? And not burning, but gently wafting somehow? Anyway, Sweetie bought a cool fish fossil and Z got a purple rock and I got out with my sinuses intact.
We went to another store that was an eclectic mix. There were some vintage clothes, but also some repurposed clothing, some steampunk stuff, some stuff that was clearly meant for the Burning Man crowd, and a few new items. I bought a pair of really cute socks, but some of it left me shaking my head. We peered into a few other shops (one of those "everything is handmade from bamboo and costs $150" places") and a glass shop my dad would have liked, and then we split up.
(I'm tired of nicknames for now. My sisters-in-law are named Michelle and Maryam, and I'm just going to use their names.) Michelle and I picked up her mom and headed out of town to Cottage Grove. I was leery. My MiL had said there was a book of genealogy about her family in the Cottage Grove library, and I had figured out enough to know that there was a Cottage Grove genealogical library. But the numbers on a page I had didn't seem to relate to any kind of charts I'd seen, and there was no mention on the pages of any book. It was all about this one great-aunt's personal records, and it seemed she had made up the numbering system herself.
Cottage Grove was lovely. I mean, talk about your charming little towns, Cottage Grove is one of the prettiest I've been to. We passed a covered bridge, several murals on the little main street, which was filled with cafes and book/garden/gift stores, not to mention a multitude of little Victorians, Bungalows, and transitional homes, mostly with quaint little gardens bursting with gladiolas, shasta daisies, sweet peas... I know my mom would love it. We parked across the street from the museum, a two-building affair filled with odds and ends from military uniforms to buggies to arrowheads and woven baskets, to a fainting couch and an old wheelchair. It was small, but nicely arranged and obviously lovingly cared-for.
Then we went into the library. I was really surprised to see their filing system. Common names had their own manila folder, and less-common ones were filed together. Every paper was a sheet of white typing paper with either handwriting on it or cut-and-pasted (old-school, with scissors and glue) obituaries, marriage and birth announcements. There was no order, no chronology. If you died, and your last name was "Smith," someone just cut out the notice, glued it to the "Smith" paper, and moved along. You might be glued next to someone you're not even related to -- it doesn't matter.
I asked gently, "Wow, so are there any plans to put all this on microfiche or on the computer?" The ladies laughed a little. No, there were not.
As you can imagine, this was not that useful for me.
We found a book that MiL's great-aunt had compiled, and I was AWESTRUCK by what it contained. She had apparently spent about forty years compiling everything that ever happened to anyone named Hayes, Haynes, Hanes, Hains, Haines, Hain, etc. There was a gazette she published periodically, and each issue was just like this:
Haynes, Benjamin. M. Clara Benjamin. 1962.
Haines, Jerome. D. 1962.
Now imagine holding an eight-pound book of that. There was an index, but it didn't seem to include many people outside the Haynes clan and sadly, that was her father's side of the family -- not related to my husband's family at all.
Ah, but wait! One of the women remembers that there might be something upstairs! She heads up and comes down a handful of minutes later with two slender file drawers. In each are five nearly cubic rubber-banded sheafs of note paper. One is thick like card stock, while the other is like vellum. A five-inch-deep stack of these probably contained 500 sheets. Each paper was hand-written. They were in no order but alphabetical. There were no reference numbers. Almost non contained the names of parents or children. A few had spouses. Most just had birth and death dates. These, like the Haynes book, contained every possible spelling of the selected last names, leaving me to wonder whether these slips of paper contained anything useful at all. Is a Stanley Ayde born in 1880 related to a Catherine Addy born in 1910? Who knows? Well, the woman who compiled them would have, I suppose, but she's dead. In short, it was pretty fruitless.
But then we went back to the main street and found a cafe with retro 50s chairs and tableware, and we had some really delicious pizza (if only I could get my crust to do that!), and we sat in perfect weather and listened as a young guitarist (with whom Zadie fell instantly in love) played, and we looked at the murals and the passers-by and used a clean and well-decorated public restroom, and then we took the old highway back to Eugene. So you know, it wasn't a waste of a day. It was lovely.
Even better, when we got back I discovered that Sweetie had bought me a gift! Two cards (I'm a sucker for stationery) and a big box of Euphoria truffles (worth the name, I tell you).
At home, we decided to try a new place for dinner called Laughing Planet. I asked if they had any locations in California after we ate, because I LOVEd it. Pretty much everything is based around beans, rice, and various toppings, but they had lovely little salads, a couple dishes with plantains, it was all fresh, the iced tea was delicious, a glance at the pie made me drool a little, and the whole place was decorated in super-awesome outsider art.
And finally, to Prince Puckler's! We all enjoyed some ice cream and sat on the playground in the twilight.
More pictures soon, I promise. I hope things are well with you all.
You'd think we were in a different time zone
And finally adjusted today or something. Zadie woke up at 7, but I coerced her into a snuggle with Sweetie, read for a bit myself, then laid down in her bed, where I slept until we all woke up at almost 9.
We had a quiet morning with bagels, coffee, and fruit (all from different places right near one another), nipped into a bookstore, then checked out am antique store that had a lot of near stuff. sweetie fell in love with a 50's chair, and I liked it too, but we didn't get it.
We went to lunch at our usual ramen shop and discovered that we actually like the one back home better now. Then we went back for the chair. I hope we can pack everything on the way back!
Then we met everyone tomgo to the pool. Their public pool here is enormous. There are two wading pools with depths from 2 to 3 feet, a baby splash area, several sprinkler/fountain things, a sand area, diving boards and platforms, a floating obstacle course, and a giant water slide, besides the regular pool. Zadie had fun, although this wasn't what we would consider swimming weather in Sacramento.
We had Mexican for dinner, then came back to our rental. My intention was to lay down with Z long enough for her to go to sleep, but I just woke up after conking put for two hours! Now I intend to Conklin out again. Good night.
We had a quiet morning with bagels, coffee, and fruit (all from different places right near one another), nipped into a bookstore, then checked out am antique store that had a lot of near stuff. sweetie fell in love with a 50's chair, and I liked it too, but we didn't get it.
We went to lunch at our usual ramen shop and discovered that we actually like the one back home better now. Then we went back for the chair. I hope we can pack everything on the way back!
Then we met everyone tomgo to the pool. Their public pool here is enormous. There are two wading pools with depths from 2 to 3 feet, a baby splash area, several sprinkler/fountain things, a sand area, diving boards and platforms, a floating obstacle course, and a giant water slide, besides the regular pool. Zadie had fun, although this wasn't what we would consider swimming weather in Sacramento.
We had Mexican for dinner, then came back to our rental. My intention was to lay down with Z long enough for her to go to sleep, but I just woke up after conking put for two hours! Now I intend to Conklin out again. Good night.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Schnitzer art museum
photo.JPG
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
My SiL kept telling us we'd like the Hideway Bakery, so we tried it this morning. She was right! I'm trying hard to keep to normal eating, so I had oatmeal, but later we split a pain au chocolate and I tasted Z's turnover. Everything was good. Z had her turnover, then a breakfast sandwich with eggs, then asked for another. (We said no.)
On campus at the U of O, there's a lovely small art museum. We saw several exhibits, and I am torn between what my favorite was. I like the Japanese room a lot, and they have a HUGE jade pagoda, but there was a room of modern art that included a couple beautiful, hazy, reflective metallic window-type things that were just kind of calming. I dunno.
Then we dithered for a bit and went to the park to play. I was cracking up at the water/sand play area. They have this big structure, and every ten minutes or so, water comes running through this central channel and into the sand. The kids were having this serious state-government-type conversation about whether to build a dam, where, with what materials, and who could do it the fastest (no word on the lowest bid). Then there were conservationists who worried about the flow of water downriver of the dam and a couple eco-terrorist toddlers who kept knocking it down.
Then it was sort of a kick-around evening. Z and I went to watch M play volleyball and I chatted with my father-in-law. Every time I ask him a direct question about his youth or Iran, he has an interesting story to tell. He first came here in 1958, and he had to take a prop plane all the way from Iran. It stopped all the time, including in Beirut, which was at war. The stewardesses told him to stay in the airport and where to get food.
And Zadie actually admitted that she was tired (I tried not to show my shock), so we came back here and I put her to bed.
The weather has been lovely here. As cousin J and I were walking towards the park, it was 80 degrees, and he complained, "It's really hot." I said, "You think this is hot? How quaint."
Zadie has been getting a LOT of mileage out of her jokes, one of which is: What do you call cheese that doesn't belong to you? Nacho cheese! But I'm not entirely sure she gets it, because she's been imposing a lot of other words onto that structure, and it has gotten pretty Dadaist at times. Tonight's joke was "What do you call a person without any clothes on? Naked!" Yeah. I'm warning you people -- when we get home, do NOT laugh, or she'll repeat this nonsense over and over ad nauseum.
I'm not getting much reading in, but when i am, I'm getting all sorts of ideas for our front yard landscaping. I'm also tired as heck, so goodnight, sweet princes and princesses.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday, Monday
Today was quiet-ish. We went to breakfast just the three of us, then we did just a bit of shopping (got Z a new dress and us a few books and a game at the Down to Earth store, which is AWESOME). Then we sort of split up. Sweetie went to play basketball while SiL, Z and I went to play at a park which had a splash-play area. Then many of us reconvened for lunch at the grocery store, which has a great deli. Then Z needed a nap (as did I), so we came back here for a bit. Finally, we went out for Chinese for dinner. Sweetie seemed to think it was awful, but I thought it was pretty standard Chinese fare and a little less greasy than some.
Then we came back here and goofed off, which included a game of Butterfly Bingo (which Sweetie picked up at Down to Earth, and which was pretty fun, actually). And now I'm ready for bed.
If this doesn't show up tonight, it's because the internet is a bit spotty.
Then we came back here and goofed off, which included a game of Butterfly Bingo (which Sweetie picked up at Down to Earth, and which was pretty fun, actually). And now I'm ready for bed.
If this doesn't show up tonight, it's because the internet is a bit spotty.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday
I noticed several typos upon re-reading, but I can't seem to fix them on the iPad. So I apologize... I usually do try to keep that under control.
Zadie and grandpa
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
Zadie and grandpa
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
This morning we got some breakfast at a coffee shop. Zadie was being extremely three years old. She asked for a croissant, then refused to try it and told us that we hurt her feelings by buying it for her. SHe got better.
We got some fruit (somehow, we tend not to eat nearly as much fruit and veggies when we're visiting here, so we have to make an effort to grab some), and sat and ate it, then headed over to my SiL's house. M and I went shopping, then Grandpa came over, and Z played with her cousin for quite a while. Then she got really whiny, and I know it's because she hasn't been getting enough sleep, so I took her back to the rental for a nap. She wouldn't lay down in her room, wouldn't lay down in my room, and said she didn't want to even rest or cuddle. So she went downstairs where Sweetie and her older cousin were playing video games, apparently did a funny dance, then immediately passed out.
I woke her up at three so we could go to Cousin J's graduation party. My two sister-in-laws made the food, and they are GREAT cooks, so it was all wonderful. I've been just a touch under the weather, and I really didn't think I was hungry, but I ate a plate of food anyway, and it was delicious.
I haven't been doing much on Ancestry.com lately, but I had kind of hit a wall. But Grandpa H said he's send me a file with a bunch of information (going back to the 1700s in Iran), and I took a bunch of photos of Grandma J's family. She also let me borrow a page that lists all her family members with numbers that correlate to a book in some local library -- Cottage Grove something. I suspect Sweetie doesn't want to go there, but apparently it's only about 30 minutes away, so maybe I can get there and do some photocopying one day this week.
Zade's middle cousin (by age) was on a road trip, so we saw her for the first time today, and as always, Zadie' had a fantastic time playing with all her cousins. Then she put on a fashion show that consisted of two pairs of underpants, neither one of which was covering her nether bits, and I suggested we call it a night.
I hope you had as lovely a weekend as I did.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Zadie and Katie
Zadie and Katie
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
today: metropol bakery, tour of SEHS (ohmygodthey'resorich), to grandma's house to tidy for tomorrow's party, to the mall for a gift, to our new rental to check in (ohmygodit'ssoluxuriousandspacious), to Auntie's to drop off Z, then to the reunion dinner, where I totally kicked off the dancing (more on that story later, but it includes the line, "I don't care if I embarrass myself: I don't know any of you fuckers and you can't find me on Facebook 'cause I didn't put my last name on my name tag.")
Z got to go to Roaring Rapids pizza, spend some time with her Grandpa and Grandma Anne, and assault her cousins with more love.
Friday, July 22, 2011
On campus
On campus
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
Long day, tiny box to write in. Ate bread at Metropol with my Sis-in-law, then walked around U of O campus, went to a bookstore or two, met my other Sis-in-law and kids for lunch and some playground time (and they are SO sweet to Z), then off to the cocktail reception part of the reuinion, where Sweetie talked to about 6 people. To my surprise (he usually exaggerates), there were, in fact, a lot of people who had to check his name tag to see who he was. Not a particularly social guy. =) But we did talk at length with some very nice people. It was, in fact, a little hard to get him to leave. We got back to pick up Zadie rather late, and by the time we hit the hotel she was CRANKY. Like, she had a meltodwn of Supernanny proportions. And then three minutes later she fell asleep. It was a good day... mostly.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
State Fair pic.
IMG_1771
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Piggs
Dang! I forgot to post yesterday.
I actually didn't take many pictures (sorry, bowSaw), because I didn't want to dig in my fanny pack too much, plus I didn't want to drop my phone while on a ride. But this picture cracks me up. She saw this thing from the back only, ran right towards it, and stood in it with this stoic face on, refusing to move until I took a picture.
Incidentally, two other things -- salsa verde omelette from my garden is AWESOME.
Story from last night: Z is at Grandma's house with me and the family. Her cousin G is there (he's 4 months older). I ask if she needs to go potty, and she says yes. G says, "I'll go too!" So I take both of them, and both start whipping their pants down right away. I tell them they'll have to take turns, so Z goes first. She takes her underwear all the way down, then flings them into the air with one foot. I catch them one-handed, surprised, and G looks impressed. Z does her business, and G flushes for her.
Z: Thank you.
G: You're welcome.
Then she lifts the seat for him.
G: Thank you.
Z: You're welcome.
G: I go standing up. Watch this!
Z: Okay!
She moves to get a better view, and thankfully soon we're all done but for the hand-washing. Good times.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Fair to middlin'
Naw, actually the State Fair was great! I was really disappointed to learn that it didn't open until 12 (I kind of had my heart set on going at ten), but then we worked around it. I got a good parking spot on a nearby street. I used to always pay for parking, but it always irks me. I mean, it's only $12 for the admission, so $10 on top of that really almost doubles the getting-in fee, just to leave my car in the sun. That's ten whole dollars, son... I earned that!
Anyway, I had also read that the midway opened at 2, which was seriously going to hamper our fun, because I wanted to leave by 4. But in fact, it opened at noon today. Plus, because it was Kids Day, all the rides were only $1. I got the 25 for $23 deal and we started riding first thing. Zadie rode on a Jeep-thing first that just went around a loop. Then she wanted to go on this thing shaped like hot air balloons, and it was one of the ones that she could ride only if accompanied. I hopped on with her. And ooh! It was one of those ones you can grab a wheel thing and turn it to make your basket spin around. She started in right away with the "faster, faster!" so I knew we were going to have some fun. Surprisingly, the Tilt-a-Whirl was also okay if accompanied, so we did that next. I swear to you, that kid was inventing new superlatives to describe how awesome it was. At one point she yelled "ZOOM!" She was laughing her fool head off, smiling, saying "whee." I decided right away that the $23 was worth it, even if we quit right then.
Which we almost did. Zadie's next move was toward livestock, which I have almost zero interest in. I like the pygmy goats, but the whole place reeks and is landmined with cowshit. Plus, it's pretty much just bigass cows lying around. But I let her lead the way, and eventually that led out to the garden/agriculture area, which always makes me imagine I could grow kiwis in this climate. And there was a kids area, and some nature-y stuff. Zadie petted a snake, but it was over so fast I couldn't get a picture. She wanted to walk through some of the exhibition halls. I like the county exhibits, but the shopping ones just irritate me. I made it clear that we were buying NOTHING.
And then we went on the annual search for a vegetarian lunch option. And found one. Like, right away. Not egg-roll-on-a-stick, either. Actual roasted veggie panini with pesto, and it wasn't half-bad. To supplement our order with something more like real fair food, I ordered the fried veggie sampler platter, with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant. Shockingly, Zadie loved the fried stuff.
Then we went to the bug exhibit, which was pretty cool but crowded. Plus, she was more interested in weaving through the crowd than stopping to admire giant animatronic bugs.
She had been begging to go on the monorail every time it went by. We hadn't been anywhere near the front gate, but we made our way there and got on. She liked it, and I always do. It's just neat to lean over and see all the attractions you've already been to and plan what you'll see next.
And then I said we could have a treat, so she had a shaved ice and I had a caramel apple. By then it was really pretty hot out, so we sat in the shade to eat. After some searching for a potty stop, we went to the main midway, where she rode a couple more kid things and we went on the Ferris wheel. I have to say, it took FOREVER to load that thing, wait for the ride to finish, and load it again, but when we were on it, it was totally worth it. They really let it run for a long time (maybe 12 or 14 passes?), and it's nice to see the whole fair and part of the city as well. It wasn't the giant one, as she's not tall enough, but it was still fun.
She went in a couple fun-house/maze/climbing things, and then we went back towards the kids' park, where it was much more crowded than it had been earlier. She did a few more rides, mostly by herself, but I went on the Tilt-a-whirl with her again. And then it was an HOUR past when we had planned to go, we were both hot and thirsty, and we somewhat mildly regretted having not parked in the lot.
Incidentally, here is an idea: The carnies with all those asinine games, like throw the ball in the floating saucer or whatever, always yell, "Only $1 to play. Everyone's a winner." And I was thinking how smart it would be to just give away cold damn bottled water as the prizes. The sucker prize is a small one, the real prize for popping the ballon or whatever is a standard-size bottle, and then you can work your way up to big bottles! I'd totally play then. Because you're going to pay $2.50 for water anyway, so you might as well shoot an air rifle as well.
Anyway, I had also read that the midway opened at 2, which was seriously going to hamper our fun, because I wanted to leave by 4. But in fact, it opened at noon today. Plus, because it was Kids Day, all the rides were only $1. I got the 25 for $23 deal and we started riding first thing. Zadie rode on a Jeep-thing first that just went around a loop. Then she wanted to go on this thing shaped like hot air balloons, and it was one of the ones that she could ride only if accompanied. I hopped on with her. And ooh! It was one of those ones you can grab a wheel thing and turn it to make your basket spin around. She started in right away with the "faster, faster!" so I knew we were going to have some fun. Surprisingly, the Tilt-a-Whirl was also okay if accompanied, so we did that next. I swear to you, that kid was inventing new superlatives to describe how awesome it was. At one point she yelled "ZOOM!" She was laughing her fool head off, smiling, saying "whee." I decided right away that the $23 was worth it, even if we quit right then.
Which we almost did. Zadie's next move was toward livestock, which I have almost zero interest in. I like the pygmy goats, but the whole place reeks and is landmined with cowshit. Plus, it's pretty much just bigass cows lying around. But I let her lead the way, and eventually that led out to the garden/agriculture area, which always makes me imagine I could grow kiwis in this climate. And there was a kids area, and some nature-y stuff. Zadie petted a snake, but it was over so fast I couldn't get a picture. She wanted to walk through some of the exhibition halls. I like the county exhibits, but the shopping ones just irritate me. I made it clear that we were buying NOTHING.
And then we went on the annual search for a vegetarian lunch option. And found one. Like, right away. Not egg-roll-on-a-stick, either. Actual roasted veggie panini with pesto, and it wasn't half-bad. To supplement our order with something more like real fair food, I ordered the fried veggie sampler platter, with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant. Shockingly, Zadie loved the fried stuff.
Then we went to the bug exhibit, which was pretty cool but crowded. Plus, she was more interested in weaving through the crowd than stopping to admire giant animatronic bugs.
She had been begging to go on the monorail every time it went by. We hadn't been anywhere near the front gate, but we made our way there and got on. She liked it, and I always do. It's just neat to lean over and see all the attractions you've already been to and plan what you'll see next.
And then I said we could have a treat, so she had a shaved ice and I had a caramel apple. By then it was really pretty hot out, so we sat in the shade to eat. After some searching for a potty stop, we went to the main midway, where she rode a couple more kid things and we went on the Ferris wheel. I have to say, it took FOREVER to load that thing, wait for the ride to finish, and load it again, but when we were on it, it was totally worth it. They really let it run for a long time (maybe 12 or 14 passes?), and it's nice to see the whole fair and part of the city as well. It wasn't the giant one, as she's not tall enough, but it was still fun.
She went in a couple fun-house/maze/climbing things, and then we went back towards the kids' park, where it was much more crowded than it had been earlier. She did a few more rides, mostly by herself, but I went on the Tilt-a-whirl with her again. And then it was an HOUR past when we had planned to go, we were both hot and thirsty, and we somewhat mildly regretted having not parked in the lot.
Incidentally, here is an idea: The carnies with all those asinine games, like throw the ball in the floating saucer or whatever, always yell, "Only $1 to play. Everyone's a winner." And I was thinking how smart it would be to just give away cold damn bottled water as the prizes. The sucker prize is a small one, the real prize for popping the ballon or whatever is a standard-size bottle, and then you can work your way up to big bottles! I'd totally play then. Because you're going to pay $2.50 for water anyway, so you might as well shoot an air rifle as well.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Zadie does Patsy Cline
I adjusted the volume for you on the screaming parts. You're welcome.
Incidentally, I love Patsy Cline and this probably isn't in my top 5 songs of hers, but I think it's fun to sing.
Incidentally, I love Patsy Cline and this probably isn't in my top 5 songs of hers, but I think it's fun to sing.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Ever wanted to bitchslap some five-year-olds?
I try really hard to stay out of Zadie's social life. Sometimes I'll redirect her, or suggest that she introduce herself or whatever, but unless violence is on the horizon, I really try to let her work things out and not jump in.
Yesterday at REI, we were wandering around and Z spotted two girls lounging on the rolled-up sleeping bags. Immediately, she ran over and flopped down, too, trying to be cool and do what they were doing. They got up.
She got up and followed them. Several times, she said, "My name's Zadie. What's your name?" Their only answer was stony silence. They stared at her, then looked at each other and made goofy faces and rolled their eyes. They giggled. In short, they were bitches. It was like watching Seth Rogan hit on two hot sorority chicks. They wouldn't give Z the time of day. Finally she looked at them in a little bit of frustration and announced, "I'm trying to make friends with you!"
They looked at each other and giggled.
She tried again. "Let's play hide and seek! I'll hide over here." They rolled their eyes. They pulled faces. They shrugged. They didn't play, and they didn't so much as grunt at her.
She had disappeared into some hanging sleeping bags, and she popped her head out again. "Or we could go in here! We'll have a picnic. Come on!"
She clambered into another hidey-hole. They giggled and shrugged and rolled their eyes some more. I finally stepped in and told them quietly, "If you don't want to play, you can just say "No, thank you."
"We're not supposed to talk to strangers."
Okay, listen. I respect that. I really do. And as an adult, I probably normally wouldn't talk to unaccompanied children, either. And if it hadn't been for one thing, I'd have been mildly annoyed, but not pissed. And I ended up pissed.
Because the tone in which they said "We're not supposed to talk to strangers" was not an informative one. Imagine the tone like this: "Uh, helloooo, we're not supposed to talk to strangers, DUH." 'Cause it was like that.
Luckily, Sweetie arrived and we convinced Z to accompany us to look at some other stuff, but as we left, their dad arrived and they started telling him all about it. We heard them say her name, then "That's her, that's her!"
I know I'm a protective mama-bear, and I never would have *actually* choked them out, but you know... "Be nice to three year olds" should trump "don't talk to strangers." I think there's gonna be trouble when we get to middle-school Queen Bee bullshit. I'm gonna bring the pain.
Yesterday at REI, we were wandering around and Z spotted two girls lounging on the rolled-up sleeping bags. Immediately, she ran over and flopped down, too, trying to be cool and do what they were doing. They got up.
She got up and followed them. Several times, she said, "My name's Zadie. What's your name?" Their only answer was stony silence. They stared at her, then looked at each other and made goofy faces and rolled their eyes. They giggled. In short, they were bitches. It was like watching Seth Rogan hit on two hot sorority chicks. They wouldn't give Z the time of day. Finally she looked at them in a little bit of frustration and announced, "I'm trying to make friends with you!"
They looked at each other and giggled.
She tried again. "Let's play hide and seek! I'll hide over here." They rolled their eyes. They pulled faces. They shrugged. They didn't play, and they didn't so much as grunt at her.
She had disappeared into some hanging sleeping bags, and she popped her head out again. "Or we could go in here! We'll have a picnic. Come on!"
She clambered into another hidey-hole. They giggled and shrugged and rolled their eyes some more. I finally stepped in and told them quietly, "If you don't want to play, you can just say "No, thank you."
"We're not supposed to talk to strangers."
Okay, listen. I respect that. I really do. And as an adult, I probably normally wouldn't talk to unaccompanied children, either. And if it hadn't been for one thing, I'd have been mildly annoyed, but not pissed. And I ended up pissed.
Because the tone in which they said "We're not supposed to talk to strangers" was not an informative one. Imagine the tone like this: "Uh, helloooo, we're not supposed to talk to strangers, DUH." 'Cause it was like that.
Luckily, Sweetie arrived and we convinced Z to accompany us to look at some other stuff, but as we left, their dad arrived and they started telling him all about it. We heard them say her name, then "That's her, that's her!"
I know I'm a protective mama-bear, and I never would have *actually* choked them out, but you know... "Be nice to three year olds" should trump "don't talk to strangers." I think there's gonna be trouble when we get to middle-school Queen Bee bullshit. I'm gonna bring the pain.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
An Afternoon on the Lake
As we approached Lake Natoma, I had concerns. This traffic is awful... how long will it take to get there? It's unusually cool today -- will we be too cold on the water? Life vests and still water aside, my child can't swim -- what if we capsize?
Even worse, as we parked, about 50 people were leaving, but we could see at least 100 more gathered around the center. Would it be too crowded? But we were determined to try it. We had talked about kayaking together as a family for a long time, and now that Sweetie has Fridays off, it seemed that the time was right.
We checked in, got our boats, and got onto the water. As it turned out, it was a little over 80 degrees. The crowd was almost all a summer camp, and they weren't on the water for the most part. The water was exceptionally still and the boats wide. Not to say that they couldn't capsize, but it would take a pretty stupid or careless maneuver.
And as we got about twenty yards out from the dock, Zadie exclaimed, "This is AWESOME." But awesome hadn't even started yet. We tooled around right in the area of the center for a while until it became clear that we could go pretty much anywhere we wanted. We slowly paddled out and out, and soon we approached a flock of murres. We got pretty close before they took flight, skimming the water. We leaned back to watch a raptor glide overhead. We left the company of men and paddled against the water, my tiny daughter in her sunhat leaning against my stomach as my paddle dripped lake water onto her tummy. She didn't mind.
We approached the shore on the near side of the lake and stepped out to dunk in the cool water. There was a shelf about six feet out, so we watched her carefully, but we got ourselves pleasantly cool, and then got back in. This time, Zadie chose to sit with Sweetie. They took off ahead of me and we slid through a line of leaves floating near the surface. We saw more birds and a mother duck and duckling, the baby scuttling over rocks and nearly skipping when he wasn't gliding. I took us to a concrete wall and we navigated around it, barely squeezing through the other side on the way out.
We didn't take a camera out, but the pictures in my mind of the next twenty minutes or so are all similar -- Sweetie in the boat, and Zadie sitting between his knees. No one else is on the water. They both have life vests and floppy sun hats, and in every picture, they are doing the same thing -- looking up to the clouds, holding the paddle, dragging one foot in the water, staring forward against the sun, or leaning back, her head on his stomach. Their positions are the same in each mental snapshot, and I find she is looking more like him these days, her eyes the golden brown I've long loved.
Sweetie suggested that we should try more backwater, so we went out further, then came back along the shore on the far side. We peeked into several coves, stopping in one briefly and poking around several others that went nowhere. I spotted one little alcove whose entrance was half-covered with a fallen tree branch. Sweetie had to turn around, but he followed me in. We slowed down to look around and I dipped my hands in the water. It was shallow, and therefore fairly warm. We talked about it being a good swimming hole. I looked to the left of the entrance and added, "Oh, and hey, are those berries?" There was one small bush, so I looked around to see if there were more. Oh. My. God. Were there ever!
We pulled the boats up onto the shore, stowed our paddles and climbed up the wobbling rocks. They clacked and cracked under our feet, but we didn't slip. Sweetie climbed on ahead and I stayed nearer the boats with Z at my heels. We picked handfuls of blackberries, eating them straight off the vines, carefully avoiding thorns. I would pick a dozen, eat a few, then hold my hand down at my waist for Zadie to grab. She would pluck them up in her finger and thumb one by one, putting them to her mouth as fast as she could. The berry juice ran down my palm and her face. We edged closer to Sweetie, who handed me his berries, which I held out for Zadie as well. I started packing them into my shirt and Zadie and I sat on the hot rocks for a while in silence, eating what must have been three pints of berries.
Sweetie got back in the kayak to clear an area on the edge that was unpassable, and he stopped again to pluck some more. We joined him and ate more as we looked at the flowers I'd never seen, pinwheels of white blossoms like perfect feathery spheres. We exchanged few words, mostly commenting on clusters of perfectly ripe berries just out of reach, the ants guarding certain berries, and the way nostalgia was ringing in our ears, separately, one of us in on the Willamette River and the other on the American. I wondered whether Zadie would remember this perfect moment, and I thought she probably wouldn't. She's only three, after all. But I hope she will. Or I hope we do something so like it enough times in the future that her memories will blend, and she'll think she remembers this first blackberry trip. Or perhaps we'll tell her this story enough times that she will think she remembers it.
Because this? This was the kind of moment that, when someday she is falling in love, she will lean close to her lover and tell them about.
Even worse, as we parked, about 50 people were leaving, but we could see at least 100 more gathered around the center. Would it be too crowded? But we were determined to try it. We had talked about kayaking together as a family for a long time, and now that Sweetie has Fridays off, it seemed that the time was right.
We checked in, got our boats, and got onto the water. As it turned out, it was a little over 80 degrees. The crowd was almost all a summer camp, and they weren't on the water for the most part. The water was exceptionally still and the boats wide. Not to say that they couldn't capsize, but it would take a pretty stupid or careless maneuver.
And as we got about twenty yards out from the dock, Zadie exclaimed, "This is AWESOME." But awesome hadn't even started yet. We tooled around right in the area of the center for a while until it became clear that we could go pretty much anywhere we wanted. We slowly paddled out and out, and soon we approached a flock of murres. We got pretty close before they took flight, skimming the water. We leaned back to watch a raptor glide overhead. We left the company of men and paddled against the water, my tiny daughter in her sunhat leaning against my stomach as my paddle dripped lake water onto her tummy. She didn't mind.
We approached the shore on the near side of the lake and stepped out to dunk in the cool water. There was a shelf about six feet out, so we watched her carefully, but we got ourselves pleasantly cool, and then got back in. This time, Zadie chose to sit with Sweetie. They took off ahead of me and we slid through a line of leaves floating near the surface. We saw more birds and a mother duck and duckling, the baby scuttling over rocks and nearly skipping when he wasn't gliding. I took us to a concrete wall and we navigated around it, barely squeezing through the other side on the way out.
We didn't take a camera out, but the pictures in my mind of the next twenty minutes or so are all similar -- Sweetie in the boat, and Zadie sitting between his knees. No one else is on the water. They both have life vests and floppy sun hats, and in every picture, they are doing the same thing -- looking up to the clouds, holding the paddle, dragging one foot in the water, staring forward against the sun, or leaning back, her head on his stomach. Their positions are the same in each mental snapshot, and I find she is looking more like him these days, her eyes the golden brown I've long loved.
Sweetie suggested that we should try more backwater, so we went out further, then came back along the shore on the far side. We peeked into several coves, stopping in one briefly and poking around several others that went nowhere. I spotted one little alcove whose entrance was half-covered with a fallen tree branch. Sweetie had to turn around, but he followed me in. We slowed down to look around and I dipped my hands in the water. It was shallow, and therefore fairly warm. We talked about it being a good swimming hole. I looked to the left of the entrance and added, "Oh, and hey, are those berries?" There was one small bush, so I looked around to see if there were more. Oh. My. God. Were there ever!
We pulled the boats up onto the shore, stowed our paddles and climbed up the wobbling rocks. They clacked and cracked under our feet, but we didn't slip. Sweetie climbed on ahead and I stayed nearer the boats with Z at my heels. We picked handfuls of blackberries, eating them straight off the vines, carefully avoiding thorns. I would pick a dozen, eat a few, then hold my hand down at my waist for Zadie to grab. She would pluck them up in her finger and thumb one by one, putting them to her mouth as fast as she could. The berry juice ran down my palm and her face. We edged closer to Sweetie, who handed me his berries, which I held out for Zadie as well. I started packing them into my shirt and Zadie and I sat on the hot rocks for a while in silence, eating what must have been three pints of berries.
Sweetie got back in the kayak to clear an area on the edge that was unpassable, and he stopped again to pluck some more. We joined him and ate more as we looked at the flowers I'd never seen, pinwheels of white blossoms like perfect feathery spheres. We exchanged few words, mostly commenting on clusters of perfectly ripe berries just out of reach, the ants guarding certain berries, and the way nostalgia was ringing in our ears, separately, one of us in on the Willamette River and the other on the American. I wondered whether Zadie would remember this perfect moment, and I thought she probably wouldn't. She's only three, after all. But I hope she will. Or I hope we do something so like it enough times in the future that her memories will blend, and she'll think she remembers this first blackberry trip. Or perhaps we'll tell her this story enough times that she will think she remembers it.
Because this? This was the kind of moment that, when someday she is falling in love, she will lean close to her lover and tell them about.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Four secrets I'm willing to tell you
1. There's a Goodwill downtown on L that culls all the vintage and designer donations.
2. Plastic with the number 6 in a triangle in the bottom totally works to make Shrinky-Dinks without shelling out the money for Shrinky-Dinks, so dig through the recycling!
3. There is a hidey-hole on Lake Natoma that has hundreds of ripe blackberries ready for the picking.
4. Jamba Juice has a secret menu. Ask for a Red Gummi Bear.
2. Plastic with the number 6 in a triangle in the bottom totally works to make Shrinky-Dinks without shelling out the money for Shrinky-Dinks, so dig through the recycling!
3. There is a hidey-hole on Lake Natoma that has hundreds of ripe blackberries ready for the picking.
4. Jamba Juice has a secret menu. Ask for a Red Gummi Bear.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)