Photos from Curtis Farm Pumpkin Party

Here are some pictures from this weekend, including pictures of the kids and their Halloween costumes for this year...

Overheard

What do you think these people were talking about?

"It might save you from going under the knife..."

"Yeah..."

"Which I've had to suffer through two winters now..."

"yeah.."

Economy? Health?

David Sedaris on Undecided Voters

I don’t know that it was always this way, but, for as long as I can remember, just as we move into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign the focus shifts to the undecided voters. “Who are they?” the news anchors ask. “And how might they determine the outcome of this election?”

Then you’ll see this man or woman— someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. “Well, Charlie,” they say, “I’ve gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can’t seem to make up my mind!” Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.

I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

Shouts & Murmurs: Undecided: Humor: The New Yorker

Jeff and Maggie at soccer practice

Photos from the weekend

Garrison Keillor

Your broker kept saying, "Stay with the portfolio, don't jump ship," and you felt a strong urge to dump the stocks and get into the money market where at least you're not going to lose your shirt, but you didn't do it and didn't do it, and now you're holding a big bag of brown bananas. Me, too. But at least I know enough not to believe desperate people who are talking trash. Anybody who got whacked and still thinks McCain-Palin is going to lead us out of the swamp and not into a war with Iran is beyond persuasion in the English language. They'll need to lose their homes and be out on the street in a cold hard rain before they connect the dots.

read the whole thing: Worst of times

PEACE QUOTE

THE SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE

by Saskia Davis

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:


* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than
on fears based on past experiences.

* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

* A loss of interest in judging other people.

* A loss of interest in judging self.

* A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

* A loss of interest in conflict.

* A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)

* Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

* Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

* Frequent attacks of smiling.

* An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make
them happen.

* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as an uncontrollable urge to extend it.


WARNING:
If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of inner peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.



PEACE Quotes are offered by:
Living Compassion
transforming lives, ending suffering

Maggie has another song for you!

(I've heard these videos are popular)

Maggie singing

Full Transcript of Obamas Remarks

October 1, 2008
Obama takes the floor:

Thank you very much, Madam President. And thank you to the distinguished Senator from Connecticut, not only for yielding time, but also for the extraordinarily hard work that he's put in over the last several days, and in fact, over a week. And I want to thank his counterparts on the other side,including Senator Gregg, for their hard work.

Now, the fact that we're even here voting on a plan to rescue our economy from the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street, and some in Washington, is an outrage. It's an outrage to every American who works hard, pays their taxes, and is doing their best every day to make a better life for themselves and their families. And understandably, people are frustrated. They're angry that Wall Street's mistakes have put their tax dollars at risk. And they should be. I'm frustrated and angry, too. But while there's plenty of blame to go around, and many in Washington and Wall Street who deserve it, all of us -- all of us -- have a responsibility to solve this crisis because it affects the financial well-being of every single American. There will be time to punish those who set this fire, but now's not the time to argue about how it got set or did the neighbor sleep in his bed or leave the stove on. Right now we want to put out that fire. And now's the time for us to come together and do that.

When the House of Representatives failed to act on Monday, we saw the single largest decline in the stock market in two decades. Over $1 trillion of wealth was lost by the time the markets closed. And it wasn't just the wealth a few CEOs or Wall Street executives. The 401(k)s and retirement accounts of millions became smaller. The state pension funds of teachers and government employees lost billions upon billions of dollars. Hard-working Americans who invested their nest egg to watch it grow saw it diminish and in some cases disappear. And while that decline was devastating, the consequences of the credit crisis that caused it will be even worse if we do not act now.

We're in a very dangerous situation where financial institutions across this country are afraid to lend money. And if all that meant was the failure of a few banks in New York, that would be one thing. But that's not what it means. What it means is, if we don't act, it will be harder for Americans to get a mortgage for their home or loans they need to buy a car or send their children to college. What it means is that businesses won't be able to get the loans they need to open a new factory or make payroll for their workers. And if they can't make payroll on Friday, then workers are laid off on Monday. And if workers are laid off on Monday, then they can't pay their bills or pay back their loans to somebody else. And it will go on and on and on, rippling through the entire economy.

Potentially we could see thousands of businesses close, millions of jobs could
be lost, and a long and painful recession could follow. In other words, this is
not just a Wall Street crisis, it's an American crisis. And it's the American
economy that needs this rescue plan. understand completely why people
would be skeptical when this president asks for a blank check to solve this
problem. I was too, as was Senator Dodd, and a whole bunch of us here. That's
why over a week ago, I demanded that this plan include some specific proposals
to protect taxpayers. Protections that the administration eventually agreed to,
and thanks to the hard work of Senator Dodd and Republican counterparts like Senator Gregg, we here in the Senate have agreed to and now hopefully the House will agree to as well.

Let me just go over those principles. Number one, I said we needed an independent board to provide oversight and accountability for how and where this money is spent at every step of the way.

Number two, I said that we cannot help banks on Wall Street without helping the millions of innocent homeowners who are struggling to stay in their homes. They deserve a plan too.

Number three, I said that I would not allow this plan to become a welfare program for Wall Street executives whose greed and irresponsibility got us into this mess.

And finally, I said that if American taxpayers are financing this solution, then they have to be treated like investors. They should get every penny of their tax dollars back once the economy recovers.

Now, this last part is important because it's been the most misunderstood and poorly communicated part of this plan. This is not a plan to just hand over $700 billion of taxpayer money to a few banks. If this is managed correctly -- and that's an important "if" -- we will hopefully get most or all of our money back and possibly even turn a profit on the government's intervention. Every penny of which will go directly back to the American people.

And if we fall short, we will levee a fee on financial institutions so that they can repay for the losses that they caused. Now, let's acknowledge, even with all these taxpayer protections, this plan is not perfect. Democrats and Republicans in congress have legitimate concerns about it. Some of my closest colleagues, people I have the greatest respect for, still have problems with it and may choose to vote against this bill, and I think that we can respectfully disagree. I understand their
frustrations. I also know that many Americans share their concerns. But it's clear that from my perspective, this is what we need to do right now. To prevent the possibility of a crisis turning into a catastrophe. It is conceivable, it's possible that if we did nothing, everything would turn out okay. It's -- there's a possibility that that's true. And there's no doubt that there may be other plans out there that, had we had two or three or six months to develop, might be even more refined and might serve our purposes better. But we don't have that kind of time. And we can't afford to take a risk that the economy of the United States of America and as a consequence the worldwide economy, could be plunged into a very, very deep hole. So to Democrats and Republicans who've opposed this plan, I say, step up to the plate, let's do what's right for the country at this time, because the time to act is now.

I know many Americans are wondering what happens next in passing this -- what happens next. And passing this bill can't be the end of our work to strengthen the economy, it must be the beginning. Because one thing I think all of us who may end up supporting this bill understand is that even if we get this in place, we could still have enormous problems and probably will have big problems in the economy over the next several months and potentially longer. Because the fact is, is that we have seen some mismanagement of the fundamentals of the economy for a very long time, and we are not going to dig ourselves out of that hole immediately. This this is not the end. This is the beginning. As soon as we pass this rescue plan, we need to move aggressively with the same sense of urgency to help families on Main Street who are struggling to pay their bills and keep their jobs. They've been in crisis a lot longer than Wall Street has. I said it before and I say it again, we need to pass an economic stimulus package that will help ordinary Americans cope with rising food and gas prices, that can save 1 million jobs rebuilding our schools and roads and help infrastructure, and help cities and states avoid budget cuts and tax increases.

A plan that would extend expiring unemployment benefits for those Americans who've lost their jobs and cannot find new ones. That's the right thing to do at a time when consumer confidence is down and we are in great danger of slipping into a big recession.

We also must do more in this rescue package in order to help homeowners stay in their homes. I will continue to advocate bankruptcy reforms. I know my colleague from Illinois, Dick Durbin, has been a strong champion of this, as have many.

It is the right thing to do to change our bankruptcy laws so that people have a better chance of staying in their homes and we're not seeing communities devastated all across the country. We should encourage Treasury to study the option of buying individual mortgages like we did successfully in the 1930's. And finally, while we all hope that this rescue package succeeds, we should be prepared to take more vigorous actions in the months ahead to rebuild capital, if it's necessary. Just as families are planning for their future and tough times, Washington's going to have to do the same. Runaway spending and record deficits are not how families run their budgets. It can't be how Washington handles people's tax dollars. So we're going to have to return to the fiscal responsibility we have we had in the 1990s. And the next White House and the next Congress is going to have to work together to make sure that we go through our budget, we get rid of programs that don't work, that we make the ones that do work better and cost less. With less money flowing into the
Treasury, some useful programs or policies might need to be delayed. Some might
need to be stretched out over a longer period of time, but there are certain
investments in our future that we cannot know precisely because our economy is
in turmoil.

Mr. President, I've exceeded the time a little bit. I would like unanimous consent for a couple more minutes. thank you. There are certain investments in our future that we can't delay precisely because the economy's in turmoil. We can't wait to help Americans keep up with rising costs and shrinking paychecks and we're going to do that by making sure that we are giving our workers a middle-class tax cut. We can't wait to relieve the burden of crushing health care costs. We can't wait to create millions of new jobs by rebuilding our roads and our bridges and investing in broadband lines in rural communities and fixing our electricity grid so we can get renewable energy to population centers that need them. We need to develop an energy policy that prevents us from sending $700 billion a year to tyrants and dictators for their oil. We can't wait to education the next generation of Americans with the skills and knowledge they need to compete with any workers anywhere in the world. These are the priorities we can't -- cannot delay.

Now, let me just close by saying this. I do not think this is going to be easy. It's not going to come without costs. We are all going to need to sacrifice. We're all going to need to pull our weight. Because now, more than ever, we are all in this together. That's part of what this crisis has taught us, that at the end of the day, there's no real separation between Wall Street and Main Street. There's only the road we're traveling on as Americans. And we will rise or fall on that journey as one
nation and as one people. I know that many Americans are feeling anxiety right now about their jobs, about their homes, about their life savings. But I also know this. That we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. We always have. During the great financial crisis of the last century, in his first fireside chat, F.D.R. told his fellow Americans that, "There is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, more important than gold and that is the confidence of the people themselves. Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. Let us unite in banishing fear. Today we cannot fail. We cannot fail -- not now, not tomorrow, not next year.

This is a nation that's faced down war and depression, great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen up to meet these challenges. Not as Democrats, not as Republicans but as Americans with resolve and with confidence. With that fundamental belief that here in America, our destiny is not written for us, it's written by us. That's who we are and that's the country I know we can be right now.

I want to thank again the extraordinary leadership of Chairman Dodd and the Banking Committee as well as Chairman Baucus and Majority Leader Reid. They have worked tirelessly. I want to thank the leadership in the House of Representatives. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, understanding that this will not solve all our problems. It is a necessary but not sufficient step to make sure that this economy once again works on behalf of all Americans in their pursuit of the American dream. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

Senator Obama's Remarks from the Senate Floor

Barack Obama gave a speech today from the Senate Floor about the financial whatevah...

I have been wondering what all this might look like this 'Unspeakable' type of economic nightmare we appear to be on the brink of. Starting a little bit to sort of panic and quietly alarmed.

Then I read the transcript of his remarks, and I feel sort of okay again. Here are some concrete examples
of just how dire the situation is, and how it weaves itself right into the fabric of what it means to be an
American.

October 1, 2008

We’re in a very dangerous situation, where financial institutions across this country are
afraid to lend money. And if all that meant was the failure of a few banks in New York, that would be one
thing, but that’s not what it means.

What it means is, if we don’t act, it will be harder for Americans to get a mortgage for their home or loans they need to buy a car or send their children to college.

What it means is that businesses won’t be able to get the loans they need to open a new factory or make payroll for their workers. And if they can’t make payroll on Friday, then workers are laid off on Monday.
And if workers are laid off on Monday, then they can’t pay their bills or pay back their loans to somebody else. And it will go on and on and on, rippling through the entire economy. And potentially we could see
thousands of businesses close, millions of jobs could be lost, and a long and painful recession could
follow.

In other words, this is not just a Wall Street crisis; it’s an American crisis. And it’s the American economy
that needs this rescue plan.

Still scary as hell, but at least it's spelled out in a calm sort of way. I feel like maybe with some smart
leadership and regular pep talks from President O, maybe we'll be okay long term.

Now, let me just close by saying this. I do not think this is going to be easy. It’s not going
to come without costs. We are all going to need to sacrifice.

We’re all going to need to pull our weight, because now, more than ever, we are all in this together.

Now, that’s part of what this crisis has taught us, that, in the end of the day, there’s no real separation between Wall Street and Main Street. There’s only the road we’re traveling on as Americans.

And we will rise or fall on that journey as one nation and as one people.

I know that many Americans are feeling anxiety right now about their jobs, about their homes, about their life savings. But I also know this, that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. We always have.

During the great financial crisis of the last century, in his first fireside chat, FDR told his fellow Americans that, “There is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, moreimportant than gold, and that is the confidence of the people themselves. Confidence and courage are theessentials of success in carrying out our plan.”

Let us unite in banishing fear. Together we cannot fail. We cannot fail, not now, not tomorrow, not next
year. This is a nation that’s faced down war and depression, great challenges and great threats.

Tell us how you really feel!

PEACE QUOTE

By breaking down our sense of self-importance, all we lose is a parasite that
has long infected our minds. What we gain in return is freedom, openness of
mind, spontaneity, simplicity, altruism: all qualities inherent in happiness.-

Matthieu Ricard

So reassuring.

At work today I got the MSNBC breaking news alert about John McCain "suspending" his campaign and requesting that the debate be postponed. Running scared, freaking out, trying like mad to play every last card he's got. Jeesh. 

I was so pleased to hear what my man Barack had to say in response:

"There are times for politics and then there are times to rise above politics and do what's right for our country," said Obama. "This is one of those times."

He added, however, that he had no plans to re-schedule Friday night's presidential debate in Oxford, Miss., as McCain had proposed in announcing the suspension of his campaign.

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess," said Obama. "Part of the president's job is to deal with more than one thing at once."

Behind McCain's Decision to Suspend His Campaign

Maggie this morning

Maggies new haircut

Kind of a crummy picture, but you get the jist...

Sunday Morning

Was just watching 'CBS Sunday Morning', a show I love and have always enjoyed. Sounds like there are a lot of good movies coming out this Fall.

I traveled last week on business! It was very interesting, very educational. I returned home at 1:30 am on Friday morning and didn't get to sleep until after 3. My mind was spinning, the only thing that helped me shut down was to visualize writing emails with all the different ideas I'd come up with, and then sending them, then shutting down the computer, etc. Modern day sheep counting, right?! Very effective, however! I was sort of a zombie the next day. Even bloggers need their sleep!

What else is going on. Seems like we have something going every night this week if we hit all our marks. And one thing to reschedule from Saturday morning to some other time, the better to clear the decks for a potential girls night in Portland this Friday with my two BFFs Lanie and Christine! I am dying to lay my eyes on my dear sister in law, positively dying!

I will try to do more of the guest blogger posts with Maggie and Henry, they are super easy to do with Photo Booth on Jeff's MacBook. As I write to you from this perfectly adequate Powerbook G4 of my very own, I can unabashedly admit that I have serious MacBook envy. It's all about that Photobooth and the iSight camera and the speed. My friend Bob has a new MacBook like what I want.

In other news of durable goods envy, we went out last night to look at new dishwashers! It is entirely possible that we will be dropping the hammer on that new purchase very soon!

My momma is coming out, I am really excited about that! She'll be here thru Halloween and also for the election! And she'll get to meet Jim, which will be great. I am interested in seeing if my sister Marcia will be available to come along for the fun, too!

I am still living la vida low carb and that is going well. I fell off the wagon while traveling for work last week, but who cares. We are talking about high quality danish, delicious baked ziti, and the best steak fries I have had in a very long time. Sue me. :-)

I am sitting out on the porch and it is raining. Maggie is explaining her new game with the ladder that I bought from IKEA that hangs from the rafters. Now she's hungry. Now she's silent. Now she's humming. I bought her a pair of high heel platform sandals yesterday, 85% off or something on summer clearance. Anyway. Came with a toe ring that's she's obsessed with...

Okay, over and out.

Oh! In the September 15 issue of the New Yorker, there is a very interesting article about Cindy McCain. Did you know that she says she's an only child, but that she actually has two half sisters? Apparently Cindy McCain's father left his first marriage, with children, to marry Cindy McCain's mother, which, as this excerpt illustrates, is about what happened when John and Cindy got together!

In his memoir “Worth the Fighting For,” John McCain said that when he started dating Cindy Hensley he “was separated from Carol, but our divorce would not become final until February of 1980.” However, in his court petition for divorce, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, McCain stated that he and Carol had “cohabited as husband and wife” until January 7th of that year—nine months into his romance with Cindy Hensley. His divorce from Carol was finalized on April 2, 1980; he married Cindy five weeks later.

McCain has attributed the divorce to his own “selfishness and immaturity.” Carol McCain told Robert Timberg that “the breakup of our marriage was not caused by my accident or Vietnam or any of those things. I don’t know that it might not have happened if John had never been gone. I attribute it more to John turning forty and wanting to be twenty-five again than I do to anything else.”

This pattern must have seemed unremarkable to Cindy Hensley, whose own father had left his first family in much the same way. Jim Hensley met Marguerite Smith at a military facility in West Virginia in 1945, after he was injured while flying a B-17 over Europe with the Army Air Forces. He was married to his high-school sweetheart, Mary Jeanne, and they had a daughter, Kathleen. Within months, Hensley had divorced Mary Jeanne and married Marguerite.

Cindy McCain regularly calls herself an only child. In fact, she has two half sisters: Kathleen Portalski and Dixie Burd, Marguerite’s daughter from a previous marriage. “I feel bad about having a father that wasn’t there, and then having my face rubbed in this—having her stand up and say she’s an only child—makes it even worse,” Kathleen Portalski told me. The video played before Cindy’s speech at the Republican Convention declared that Cindy Lou Hensley “got all the attention of her father. . . . They were truly best friends.”

Jim Hensley visited Kathleen on her birthday and on Christmas throughout her childhood, and took her shopping for school clothes. He escorted her down the aisle when she married Stanley Portalski, a wedding at which both Cindy and Marguerite were guests. He paid for the education of her son, Nicholas, and her daughter, Stephanie, who named one of her sons James Hensley, after her grandfather.

Kathleen Portalski visited her father almost every day in the months before his death. When he died, Cindy McCain inherited the Hensley empire; Kathleen Portalski and her family received ten thousand dollars. Stephanie Portalski found that a credit card her grandfather had given her had been cut off days after his death. “It makes absolutely no sense,” Kathleen Portalski said. “It makes me wonder what happened.”

When I asked Portalski if she had ever contacted her half sister, to discuss the situation, she began to cry and spoke angrily: “You think she’d give a flying fuck?” Portalski said that she has not spoken to Cindy McCain since their father’s funeral, at North Phoenix Baptist. Portalski sat in the front row as McCain gave a eulogy from the lectern, where she spoke of her father’s generosity and kindness and referred to herself as his only child.

OMG! How rude!

Guest Blogger

PEACE QUOTE

Oh man, is this one apt, after all the different conversations of the weekend.

Sometimes it proves the highest understanding not to understand.- Gracian

Life rolls like a ribbon.

Every thing is just great. (teeth gritted.)

NO no no, nothing like that.

Just heavy.

Loving all my peeps, and peers especially - marveling at the sheer volume of intense humanity waving over us all right now. The seas are choppy, and a few have thrown up over the side of the boat, but all are safe, all will recover.

(WHAT. am I talking about?!)

I'll close with Maggie's favorite song, sung as she sings it.

The sun'll come out,
Tomorrow,
So ya gotta hang on till tomorrow -

And at last!

Tomorrow!
Tomorrow!
I love ya
Tomorrow.
You're only a day away...

Lollipop!

Rah Rah Oh Bah Ma!!

Also, BEST. HEADLINE. EVER.

Oprah so moved by Obama speech she cries her eyelashes off

and: BUMP to my post last year about Henry and I marching in the Labor Day parade

Saturday night

Jeff made it so we have speakers out on the porch that you can send music to. Right now he is down in his office, sending strange animal sounds out into the night. Earlier it was elephants appearing to trumpet through the woods, and a monkey of some kind, too. Hilarious, cutter.


I have come to the conclusion that, if you want something, you must strive towards it. You must break it down into manageable steps and take one bite of the whale at a time. The latest whale? Home Improvement.

This week we set in motion two or three different projects. Seeking estimates, taking bids. The two items I am taking the lead on are reupholstering the couch and getting a quote on tearing up the carpet/lino on our main floor and putting in a slate like vinyl tile (kitchen and entry way) and wood floors (ash, stained in 'Butterscotch") for the remainder. You just can't know if you want to do something until you know what's involved, and so we are seeing what's involved.

The place we are dealing with for the floors, the owner of the business, came by the house on Friday to take measurements. We have no idea really what to expect for a price, except that it will be in the several thousands of dollars. Sure would be beautiful though, and talk about worthwhile!

Trouble is, when you get a price for one thing, you can't help but be curious to know what else is there that could be done to one's home for the same amount of money? And nevermind that, what else ought to be done before tackling something that could be described as cosmetic? Our upstairs bathroom, for example.

But then, when you think about fixing our bathroom, you can't help but be curious to know what else that could be done to that space, if you only wanted to do it once? For example, for the price of new flooring on the main floor, could one remodel the bathroom upstairs to incorporate additional features?

• a walk-in shower?

• bringing a stackable, front load washer/dryer that can live upstairs?
• moving walls and whatnot to create a large scale storage solution for clothes and linens and things?
  
• what about a bigger window or even a sunlight?
• for that matter, while you're up there, how about one of those light tubes for the upstairs hallway?
• and on and on and on.

You get the idea?

As for recovering the sofa, that's another matter. For my couch, I'd need 20 yards of fabric, and the quote I got was $950 for labor! The fabric swatches I've been looking at range from 24.95 per yard to 34.95 per yard. And then, when you you think about recovering the sofa, you can't help but be curious to know what else that could be done with that money, if you were going to spend it on a place to sit in the living room anyway?

As for me, I kind of hate the idea of spending at least as much on recovering as I did for the couch in the first place. Maybe if I got a price on buying the same sofa today vs. 12 years ago, that might make the cost of recovering this one more palatable. Because I do love that sofa, I just hate how tattered and nasty it's become. I am pretty sure I wouldn't want any other sofa, as far as size/shape/comfort level goes. Although it is quite large and deep and so unless you are a giant with very long legs (Jeff) you are having to get up on it and settle in to it like it's a giant birds nest. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Grr! Jeff is still at it with the sounds! I get that it's a clever thing to do and that it's maybe even sort of fun. But my deal is, I'm out on my porch, trying to enjoy the quiet night sounds of a late summer evening. I don't really care to listen to wet farts and neighing horses and people shitting near a microphone. I really don't!

Now he's got bees buzzing. Boy, this guy is really thinking he's got something clever going on down there. At least Maggie has discovered him and hanging out with him (as opposed to me).

Okedoke blog, I guess I'm over and out. Talk to you later.

p.s. OBAMA/BIDEN 2008!!!!! I wonder if they'll march in this years Labor Day parade?

Maggie and Nora

Did I ever show you this picture from when we last visited up in Maine?

Gorgeous Teenagers

Here is Cassidy and her BFF Woolie:

More Videos

Here are some more videos for you to enjoy... this first one is from when we were in Seattle and Henry and Jocelyn played together at the piano...

And here is someone else playing that same piano!

Eli's got somethin' to say!

Love Today

Here is a video we made this weekend for you. Enjoy.

I will now write about ...

... not knowing what to write about.

Or having much to write about, I find it hard to finally sit down and hammer it out. But for you dear reader? I will make the effort.

First of all, a big fat Happy Birthday to my niece Cassidy on this, her 16th birthday! Can you believe it?!?!?! Cassidy is 16. WOW. It was really great to have her and her BFF Woolie (aka Woolio) stay at our house all last week. I say that without irony. It really was great. Happy Birthday!

Second of all, Katie and Carl and Kurt and Natalie were here over the weekend! What fun we had. When I get off my lazy butt I will post some of the pictures. I didn't get much, was too busy having fun.

We had a great party here over the weekend. I did a little blending with the guest list and had a handful of good friends from work join in with the usual suspects plus out of towners and two teenagers. The weather was perfect and we had most of the party out on the deck.

I sure do love Katie and her family. It was so great to share my every day sort of life with her. For the past several years, the only time we see each other is when I've been visiting out in Seattle. So Katie had never actually been to my house before - just my folks and my sisters! And to finally get to know Carl and spend time with Kurt and Natalie (whom I think had as much fun this weekend as the rest of us!)

I must interject here to warn all my loyal readers who happened to have small children in the house over the weekend: I'm thinking maybe Henry has that coxsackie virus??? We have most of the symptoms, but none of the actual medical advice. Will be bringing Henry to the vet, I mean doctor (lol) tomorrow I predict! Sorry in advance!

Speaking of animals being brought to the vet, Jim is coming right along! Now that the drive to bump and grind against any surface has been removed from his body, he is adopting more pleasant behaviors. The last couple nights he has been coming and going as he pleases in the night, and he always retires to his crate when he wants to get some sleep. In the morning he comes up on the bed for cuddles and hanging out. This morning I woke to see him on his back, crashed out between us. Was sweet. He still isn't the kind of dog who gives a big happy sigh as he settles in nice and heavy against your side, and he could wag his tail more often without getting yelled at for it. But we're getting there! These things take time.

What else is going on... school starts very soon! Henry starts 3rd grade on Wednesday, August 27. Maggie has one more year of preschool, then she goes into kindergarten next year, oh my! Yesterday I played a little mind game on her, fed her a bit of her own medicine, whining about wanting to hang out and cuddle with her. Her eyebrows shot up and she smiled, "Mom... I'm trying to watch my show!" she sang. "I'm right here with you. Here. I'll do this." And she put her little hand on my arm and went back to her show. cute.

Holy smokes did you see the Opening Ceremonies? OMG omg omg. Where can I get some video of that? Why didn't I 'keep until I delete' it on my tivo? Please hold. I will now search for links.

Date Night!

Today Cassidy and her BFF Woolie sat with the kids so Jeff and I could go out to dinner. SO NICE!!!! We went to Aqua Bistro, sat outside, it was lovely. Jeff and I talked about work and computers, among other things. Sounds boring, but was actually very interesting for both parties.

Hey special shout out to my gal Serah! Guess that little guest blogging stint of yours did the trick! The old grey goose got a ring on hah fingah! Congratulations Serah and Aaron on their recent engagement. I love you Sssssserah. mer.

Jim is recovering. He sure is a different dog from others I've owned. Very quiet, sort of p.o'd, but dignified about the Elizabethan Collar. I am curious to see how the nutjob changes him up.

I still miss Kerm.

Short and sweet.

This weekend I have been cleaning the house in preparation for a very busy week. a series of house guests arriving Monday and culminating in 8 xtra people sleeping over on Saturday! (Katie and her family arrive on friday, and our family from Maine Monday and Wednesday.) and a party here at the house on Saturday night.

Oh! And Jim the dog gets his nuts chopped off on Monday.

Seattle Trip 2008

Serah, Guest Bloggah!

Here is a guest blog post from my dear old friend Serah.

The pressure.

In line at the coffee shop this morning (12 oz americano, cream, no sugar) I overheard Hipster Barista telling Asian Tourist Woman that summer is Portland’s biggest talent and the only thing that makes the winters tolerable is knowing that summer may come. And I thought, that’s odd - Hipster Barista never talks to anyone. What makes this lady so special? And the weather, really?

We were going to go backpacking this weekend but Curtis the Dog has a bum leg (he’s nine, you know) so we cancelled at the last minute. I hate that he’s getting old and lumpy. so now we have this whole weekend ahead and no plans, which I like, but also no money, which I don’t like. DINK’s - we really know how to spend some dollars. Plus it’s aaron’s birthday tomorrow. I’m getting him meat. this achieves two things: 1) he really likes meat and always wants some dry-aged shit that costs more than it should so he’ll be happy and 2) I get to eat it too so I’ll be happy. self-serving gifts are where’s its at. and maybe we’ll go to dinner here: http://www.selgris.net/dinner.php

Things that are pissing me off today include:

• my uterus
• this story in the paper:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1216958107293800.xml&coll=7

Seriously, read it. The cop shot the hell out of this guy.
yeah, he was crazy, but he was also unarmed and about a buck-oh-five. Note
that the cop is a trained cage fighter. Note also that 2 weeks after the
shooting the cop was arrested for diddling a teenager and is now in jail.

Total crap.

As an aside, we were just in Silverton over the weekend for a good friend’s wedding and we saw the roadside memorial to this guy. He looks kinda like the guy who starred in Into the Wild (Emile something-of-other?). It was kinda heartbreaking. As a further aside, Silverton is a really cute little town and I found the most fabulous pair of shoes there. and they’re silver! I wore them to the wedding.

Who knew I had so much to say?

I’d like to take this opportunity to dedicate this blog post to my dog, Curtis. He’s a good boy.
I’m out.

Who does her think her is...

Making you wait -- making you SUFFER! making you (gasp) go. with. out.

The nerve!

The stones! The gravitas!

(the jet lag.)

whoo boy is that jet leg an ass kicker, yowzer. We got home from Seattle Saturday morning, but my whole clock (and maggie's too) got all out of whack. When I look back on Saturday and Sunday, I remember feeling like I just had to go to sleep. Had to.

Monday morning was no picnic either. Maggie was equally disinterested in getting out of bed and going off to start her day, and I had left her in the van while dropping her things off at day care. (Her tears and fussing all the way down our hill, plus her screaming and pulling away from me when I tried to get her out of the car told me I would need to carry her in. No fun.) While dropping off her lunch downstairs I ended up stubbing my toe really badly and began to cry immediately. So both Maggie and I were bawling at drop off on Monday and I remained on the verge of tears pretty much all day that day.

Tuesday was better, and Wednesday was even smoother, so we are on our way. When I picked up Maggie yesterday she was laughing and laughing with two of her girlfriends, which was fun to see. I think the thing that kicked the jetlag for me was being forced to stay awake that Monday. I just had to stay awake. Had to. Not being able to give in to my internal body clock helped me over the hump and now it feels like 2:20pm, eastern standard time.

I hope it is not too hot this weekend in New Hampshire because my house is a nasty pit of clutter and confusion and it brings me down to be there. I would enjoy having time and desire to clean it up and will require my fellow housemates help out. Especially I'd like to get our bedrooms clean, plus the bathrooms. NASTY!

I have pictures and stories and videos from our wonderful trip to Seattle, but must return to that which I am paid to contemplate during this time of my day. More later. I have also taken a dear loyal readers offer to heart and as soon as she gets me the text, we will have our first guest blogger post! I can't wait either.

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