Looks like Gustav is heading to Louisiana. Bobby Jindal, do us proud. I'd feel a lot better, though, if Ray Nagin, the King of "Chocolate City", wasn't still running the show in New Orleans. I'm praying for all ya'll in the Gulf, including my favorite Cajun blogger. I've also got one eye on Hanna.
When hurricanes come, I always think of the Breton fisherman's prayer I read in my childhood:
Dear God, be good to me;
The sea is so wide,
And my boat is so small.
As a child, I was chosen to read Dr. Martin Luther King's speech before my school as we celebrated the anniversary of his birth. It was the first time I had read his words and they touched me so deeply and I read them to myself so many times, I memorized his speech.
I, too, long for a day when my children are not judged by the color of their skin. I seek a day when my children are chosen for their abilities, not for their heritage.
I hope for a day when my daughter is rewarded for her skills, not for her ovaries.
I desire to see a day when all Americans are allowed to succeed because of hard work and intelligence, when there are no preferences because of skin color or gender.
I have a dream.
We're not well-to-do, but H looks for deals all over the internet. Yesterday, he found a great deal on tickets to the Rays game, so we commenced our four day holiday weekend last night by attending our first family baseball game.
It was really fun...and I don't even like baseball. Well, I didn't, but maybe I do now.
We played the Toronto Blue Jays and creamed 'em.
It was pretty awesome. The crowd was pepped and enthusiastic. I think there was a concerted effort by The Powers That Be to make the throng feel a part of the action. Cheering and cowbell ringing(?) were greatly encouraged. There were various contests for the audience. Many baseballs were given away. I think Baseball is trying hard to return to its status as America's National Pastime. It certainly is a good outing for families. Even at full price, baseball is much more affordable than football.
We all had such a great time; I think we may return.
Now, that's change I can believe in.
Sarah Palin - mother of five, Governor of Alaska.
Married to her high school sweetheart, a Native American.
Pro-life and kept her son with Down Syndrome.
Mother of a soldier who joined to fight in Iraq.
Lifetime member of the NRA.
Hunts, fishes, snowmobiles, and won second place in the Miss Alaska Pageant.
Long before there was this:
There was only this:
..one of the few books I owned in my early childhood. Probably a hand-me-down from my older cousin.
Truly, it was the pictures, not the tales, which held me in their spell. I had no idea who Tasha Tudor was, but to a barefoot child running wild in the Florida countryside, she was the only artist in the world. Her illustrations fostered my imagination and have never left my memory.
Long before I was old enough for school, Tasha Tudor was my first schoolmistress.
Yesterday, I said, "I was going to post on the nine-year-old pitcher who was kicked out of Little League and his winning team disbanded - solely because the boy throws a fast ball; however, the new Sports Illustrated cover of Michael Phelps caught my eye. After a second of confusion, I realized what bothered me about the photo: Michael Phelps isn't wearing any britches. In fact, the only thing he is wearing is his new collection of gold medals. Yes, I know; it's Sports Illustrated, so why am I surprised. Still, I would think Phelps would like to wear a bit more than just his birthday suit and enough gold necklaces to make Mr. T jealous."
Last night, Anonymous replied, "FYI He is wearing his swim wear. It is very low on his body. Please review the following URl for photos that have him wearing the same type.
I thought we had moved beyond men threatening and attempting to subjugate women. Nope. Riotous crowds clamoring around a tiny woman and calling for her murder can still be found on the streets of America - at the Democratic National Convention.
***Update here.***
I was going to post on the nine-year-old pitcher who was kicked out of Little League and his winning team disbanded - solely because the boy throws a fast ball; however, the new Sports Illustrated cover of Michael Phelps caught my eye. After a second of confusion, I realized what bothered me about the photo: Michael Phelps isn't wearing any britches. In fact, the only thing he is wearing is his new collection of gold medals. Yes, I know; it's Sports Illustrated, so why am I surprised. Still, I would think Phelps would like to wear a bit more than just his birthday suit and enough gold necklaces to make Mr. T jealous.
Despite appearances, these are not red potatoes in my yard.
They are mushrooms. These photos were taken from opposite sides of the red and yellow pair.
Next to them was this little fellow with its top askew:
I don't know what kind of mushrooms these are. I haven't found a very helpful fungi guide. Anyone know of one?
I love Sci-Fi. Yes, it's true. My favorite show is Stargate SG-1 and it was canceled (after ten years and 200+ episodes) a year and a half ago. That was terrible, but at least we still had the spin-off show, Stargate: Atlantis. We, meaning H, D, S, and me. We're one big, geeky family. Unfortunately, I just found out that Atlantis will end in January. This makes me sad, sadder than watching the Jane Austen debacle that was P&P3. Alas and alack, how will I get my Sci-Fi fix now? Pardon me whilst I mourn.
S was riding his bike out front this morning when he came upon an animal crossing the road. He hastily rescued it from a car and bolted in the front door. "Mama, I found a turtle," he exclaimed.
"Can I keep it?"
Years ago, when the kids were little, we purchased two baby turtles from the flea market. D was entrenched in all things Robin Hood at the time, so we named the turtles Robin Hood and Little John. To our amazement, Robin Hood and Little John quickly grew larger than dinner plates. We ended up giving them away to live happy lives in a country pond. We also found out that the turtles were both females. Robin Hood and Little Jane, I suppose?
A quick phone conference with Daddy and it was decided that this turtle, this wild turtle with his damaged shell, needed to be released at the neighborhood pond.
Several photos and a nearly-tearful goodbye later, the kids tramped down to the pond and set him free.
I Iove mottos, especially Latin ones. This fascination began, I think, when I first heard E Pluribus Unum. Ever since that day back in elementary school, I have longed for a family crest with a Latin motto. The other day I was reading the Latin Phrase page at Wikipedia (everyone wastes time at Wiki, right?), when I found Semper ad meliora - Always Towards Better Things. As I'm always trying to improve myself and learn more, I thought this would be a fitting personal motto. It can't be our family motto, though, as it turns out this family I married into already has a family crest and a motto: In Domino spes mea - My hope is in the Lord.
By the way, if you're interested in creating your own family crest, try here or here.
I have become the go-to girl for nature in the neighborhood, so it was no surprise when my neighbor knocked on my door this morning and asked me to come photograph something outside. I hurried out, barefoot and all, and she led me to her pick-up truck where I saw this:
Want a better view?
This is Gasteracantha cancriformis, also known as the crab spider, spiny-backed orbweaver, spiny orbweaver spider, crab-like orbweaver spider, crab-like spiny orbweaver spider, jewel spider, spiny-bellied orbweaver, jewel box spider, or smiley face spider. It's a good thing Linnaeus developed binomial taxonomy, huh? Otherwise, we might never know what we were looking at.
You know, I hate spiders, but this species is fairly pretty.
It's not poisonous, so I took some photos and then we let it be.
This is NOAA's map of Tropical Storm Fay. I live in the red dot. Much of the white concentration is far to the south. For the uninformed, a Tropical Storm is a hurricane wanna-be. Most Floridians barely pay such storms any mind. A little wind, a little rain, and government and school closings. So, it looks like Tampa Bay has once again won the hurricane roulette.
As I said, the schools are closed, which is quite funny since the first school day was yesterday. I can imagine the students are thrilled to no end. My own little scholars are in the middle of a two week vacation; that's good for them because I'd have no qualms at all about having school in the midst of a Tropical Storm.
Last night, we whiled away the hours with a silly and lengthy game of Monopoly. Despite H's best efforts to become an evil tycoon, the winner was S, who shall henceforth be known as Buddy Warbucks. He remarked last night, "This is the first time I've won in ten years." Um, you've only been alive ten years, Kid. Needless to say, S is thrilled.
Here's the view from my backyard a few minutes ago:
As you can see, we are cloudy, but safe and sound. Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes.
Now, we'll just watch for tornadoes.
Some guy in the Keys is liveblogging Fay.
NOAA's National Hurricane Center website must be getting slammed because the site is having a terrible time loading.
My In-Laws in Ft. Myers are preparing for Fay's bands, which will be hitting them soon.
Called my Doctor to make sure the office would still be open this afternoon for my appointment. It will be business as usual.
Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days
-- non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices
-- foods for infants or the elderly
-- snack foods
-- non-electric can opener
-- cooking tools / fuel
-- paper plates / plastic utensils
-- insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc.
-- proper identification / immunization records / medications
-- ample supply of food and water
-- a carrier or cage
-- muzzle and leash
From the National Hurricane Center.
On today's hurricane preparedness agenda:
If you like the family stickers you see on vehicles, you can design your own. Here's our family.
Ya'll watching the weather? Fay is coming to visit my neck of the woods. D is happy because she enjoys the excitement a hurricane brings. S told her she's mean and that she should be concerned for the people who might be hurt or whose homes might be damaged. Thus began a fiery debate betwixt the two. No winner was declared. Later, D asked if she could track Fay even though we're on vacation this week. Ethics debates and hurricane tracking - you can give the homeschooler a vacation, but you can't stop the learning.
As he said he would, H built the second bookcase last night. I think getting all the books in them was the hard part. Our books - or, rather, my books - have been in boxes for a couple of years now awaiting this glorious moment when I finally had floor to ceiling bookcases and all would be right with the world.
Here they are basking in the sunlight this morning:
You can click thru to Flickr and read the notes on the photo. Also, we will be adding moulding eventually.
Now, H has never built any furniture, but we found many free plans online. Before we set to building, though, we scoped out other alternatives. Particle board or unfinished wood bookcases were much too expensive; the unfinished bookcases would have cost us a thousand dollars. Um, no thank you. Our bookcases were a mere fraction of that. Plus, H can now admire them in that manly way that says, "I am man and I made this with my own two hands." Much like the caveman who first made fire and promptly beat his chest and grunted. Virility through woodworking.
Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks? When the kids see their father's baby pictures, they call him Baby Daddy.
Today, H is 33-years-old. For the next five months, he gets to be older than I. His big plans for the day: building our second bookcase. I told him we could go out to dinner to celebrate, but that seems more like a present for me. I'm thinking we'll have Chili and Cornbread Dumplings.
Happy Birthday, H!
This week is Exam Week in our little homeschool. One part of the Language Arts exam I gave the children was write an original poem. These are the children's poems from yesterday:
The knights of the Republic
With sabers blue and green,
They guard the Republic
From the Sith, the dark terrors.
They fought and fought,
Until they thought they had defeated the Sith,
But in their moment of triumph
They were overthrown,
Betrayed by one of their own.
That was S's poem. D, who usually weeps when she is forced to write poetry for school, was so enthusiastic she wrote two poems. She prefers the second one, so that's the one I'll post here, but both poems were about Stormtroopers.
There they stand,
There they fight,
Nameless white terrors are they,
They stand in the sun,
Laughing at the destruction,
Killing all in the name of the Emperor.
I think that's a fitting name for yesterday: Day of Death. We had intended it to be a day of gardening and woodworking. The day was first marred when D was mowing the backyard and spotted a dead and decomposing sparrow behind our air conditioner.
Later, we saw a Little Blue Heron on our back fence. When we peered over the fence to watch the bird fly away, we witnessed it being attacked by a hawk and then eaten.
Later still, I was pulling weeds for over half an hour. When finished, I stood up and picked up a flower pot that had laid by my feet the whole time. Inside I spied a spider and, despite my fear of arachnids, remained calm - until I noticed the unmistakeable red hourglass upon the spider's underside.
Here is the Southern Black Widow (and her egg sac!) after H drowned her with spider killing spray. After I took this photo, she began moving again. Then, H smooshed her to death. Um, yay!
I have witnesses that I did indeed act semi-sane during the whole ordeal.
The day ended well though.
Built by H - with help from D and me. Eight feet tall and 46 inches wide. Already filled with books and awaiting its twin.
This little fellow recently showed up on our back fence. He's an Olive Green Swamp Grasshopper. I know it's been raining a lot here lately, but I'd hardly call my yard a swamp.
He must have been confused. I think he figured out he was in the wrong habitat because he soon disappeared. Or a Black Racer snake had a nice lunch.
From Grasshoppers of Florida:
Identification.
This species is greenish to greenish black, closely resembling Paroxya atlantica in most respects. As in P. atlantica, P. clavuliger is marked with a dark stripe extending from the eye onto the pronotum, but unlike in P. atlantica, the stripe usually continues to the hind margin of the pronotum. Paroxya clavuliger is easily confused with Melanoplus species, but its antennae and pronotum are inordinately long. In males, the antennae are about twice the length of the pronotum. Also in males, the dorsal surface of the pronotum is elongate, about twice as long as wide. In Melanoplus the antennae and pronotum are shorter. This species has bluish green hind tibiae. In males, the cerci are long, slender, constricted at the middle, strongly incurved, and with the tip flattened and broadly rounded. The antennae are strikingly long, in males measuring longer than the hind femora. In males, the cerci are long, slender, constricted at the middle, strongly incurved, and with the tip flattened and broadly rounded. The furcula is evident, measuring one-fourth to one-third the length of the supra-anal plate. The males measure 20-27 mm in length, the females 29-40 mm.
Similar Species.
The lengths of the antennae and pronotum serve to distinguish this species from Melanoplus species. The moderate size of P. atlantica serves to distinguish it from the similar, but larger, P. clavuliger. Also, the antennae of male P. atlantica are shorter than the hind femora, whereas in male P. clavuliger the antennae are longer than the hind femora.
Distribution and Ecology.
Paroxya clavuliger occurs throughout Florida, and is widespread in the eastern United States. It inhabits wet areas, and is normally associated with the edges of ponds, freshwater marshes, and coastal saltmarshes.
This video has gone viral, so most of ya'll have probably already viewed it. H just showed it to me this week and I thought it was adorable, though I was sure the ending would be a bloody one.
You can read more about Christian the lion at Wikipedia, at the Daily Mail ("Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room"), and the recent Today show article and video.
The old, shirtless guy in the video here is George Adamson, the famous Kenyan conservationist of the book and movie Born Free, about an orphaned lioness Adamson and his wife raised and then reintroduced into the wild.
This video was over at Hot Air and I just had to post it. This guy has my political beliefs down in a nutshell. My favorite part?
"America is not better than everybody else, America IS everybody else"
I've always known that America is the greatest nation on Earth. I believe America is so great because she is an amalgamation of determined people from many lands, people willing to work hard and make sacrifices in their quest to create a good life for themselves and their descendents. For over two hundred years, America has been a destination full of struggles, but also full of hope. She has endured many sorrows, but has relished in many triumphs.
America is not always right and often she stumbles. Though she bears the scars of her past sins, she continually strives towards liberty and freedom and honor for all mankind.
Some people say America was once great, as though she were a tarnished star. Some people condemn her as a sullied lady. Some people abhor her as a malevolent hag full of hate and devoid of promise. I say America is great and I think it is a steadfast and patriotic love and a firm belief in America's continuing greatness that separates Conservatives from Liberals, Republicans from Democrats.
I am happy to report that we now have hot water. Finally, I can return to my daily shower scaldings. Attentive readers might have noticed that we just had to replace our air conditioner a few weeks ago and now we have replaced our hot water heater. These are two, large purchases. Although buying two new appliances seemed like a terrible trial, we were lucky to have these items break just when we happened to have money set aside for home improvements. Though we had other plans for the money, I am thankful we were able to afford replacements and I am glad these items broke when they did. It was actually good that both appliances broke at the same time and at this time. What seemed in the midst to be a trial was in hindsight a blessing. God's grace is always sufficient.
When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
Refrain
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Refrain
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
Refrain
1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have to witness his crucifixion; and would give them an idea of the glory prepared for them, when changed by his power and made like him. The apostles were overcome by the glorious sight. Peter thought that it was most desirable to continue there, and to go no more down to meet the sufferings of which he was so unwilling to hear. In this he knew not what he said. We are wrong, if we look for a heaven here upon earth. Whatever tabernacles we propose to make for ourselves in this world, we must always remember to ask Christ's leave. That sacrifice was not yet offered, without which the souls of sinful men could not have been saved; and important services were to be done by Peter and his brethren. While Peter spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, an emblem of the Divine presence and glory. Ever since man sinned, and heard God's voice in the garden, unusual appearances of God have been terrible to man. They fell prostrate to the earth, till Jesus encouraged them; when looking round, they beheld only their Lord as they commonly saw him. We must pass through varied experiences in our way to glory; and when we return to the world after an ordinance, it must be our care to take Christ with us, and then it may be our comfort that he is with us. (Mt 17:14-21)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible
I think God often gives us a taste of heaven, a morsel of the divine to carry us through the trials and give us hope so that we may carry on.
If your water heater breaks and your pantry is bare and you haven't been able to get to the grocery store yet, it is perfectly acceptable to sweeten your coffee with powdered sugar. You can also whip up a pot of Cream of Wheat/Malt-o-Meal sweetened with brown sugar. You can also make Hummus with lime juice, instead of lemon, for lunch. If, however, you have no bread and try to make a loaf and discover your new thermometer starts at 100 degrees when you need the water to be 85, you may just sit down in dismay and defeat. If you are a lucky girl, though, you will have a husband who offers to fetch a loaf from the corner store, despite the late hour. If you are the luckiest of girls, said husband will come home with a loaf of bread and a bit of dark chocolate. After which, your daughter will remark that any man who comes to court her better come with a car, a house, a job, and chocolate. And you will marvel at how well you have raised that girl. Just in case you ever wondered.
I don't buy Tyson Chicken because it's costlier than generic. I hear Tyson profits are down 92% because of higher corn prices. I think those profits will go down even more now that people are hearing how Tyson did away with Labor Day for their employees. For those who haven't heard, Tyson has replaced a federal holiday with Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday. I'd expect this sort of thing in Dearbornistan, but not in Tennessee - a state in the Bible Belt. I don't think it's right for a religious holiday to supplant a federal one. I think employees can use personal days to take off for religious holidays. What do ya'll think?
You know, I could learn Movable Type faster if our ancient water heater hadn't died Thursday sometime Thursday or Fridayish. As D says, we have one benefit pioneers didn't: microwaves. Boiling water in the microwave helps just a wee bit. I'm remembering the family friend of my childhood and his tales of cold showers in Trinidad. Worse than cold showers is cold dish water. Cold water does not cut grease.
The coup de grace is that I took a false step yesterday and fell on concrete. Most of me is fine, except my left knee. You might remember my left knee had massive amounts of physical therapy last fall. Right now, the ice pack is my friend.
Happily, it looks like our plumber can install a new water heater this afternoon - after we buy one. I think the big ticket price pains H greatly. I selfishly don't care as long as I can bathe sans icicles.
Alas, Movable Type will have to wait.
What did I say? The site would be back to normal by Monday? Ha, ha. Scratch that. I feel like Teen Talk Barbie: "Movable Type is hard!
I'll keep working at it, but things may look wonky for a while. Please bear with me.
This page is an archive of entries from August 2008 listed from newest to oldest.
April 2008 is the previous archive.
September 2008 is the next archive.
http://search.live.com/images/results.aspx?q=michael+phelps&mkt=en-us"
Anonymous, I followed the search link you provided this morning and found the following evidence:
Therefore, I would like to amend my previous opinion of Michael Phelps' Sports Illustrated cover photo: I no longer believe he posed in his birthday suit. Also, in my original post, I should have italicized the magazine title. Please don't flog me with a grammar noodle...or a false-assessment-of-an-Olympic-swimming-phenom's-photo noodle either. Obviously, I had no idea Michael Phelps could swim better than fish and taunt gravity. However, I still believe Mr. T cries in his pillow when he thinks of Phelps wearing all that gold.