Braving the body scans

I have a couple of awesome ideas for blog posts roaming around my head, but my plane for San Francisco leaves in twenty hours.
And I am a bundle of stress.
One of my few recurring nightmares involves missed plane flights, so you can imagine how catching a real plane affects me!
And, because I am self-employed, I am working flat stick today and tomorrow in order to miss as little work as possible. And packing. A 50lb checked bag and a 15lb carry-on.  And organizing things for Jeff so that he doesn't starve while I'm away.
Actually, he kind of likes it when I'm gone. 
He gets to eat fast food any time he wants!

So, you will have to wait a little while longer to learn about my new magic laundry ingredient.
And the other thing.
Whatever it was.
I'm sure it will come back to me tomorrow.
Oh yeah, something about fascists and royalty.
It's a good one.

Meanwhile, I will be greeting old friends and hugging my Mum and sister and little grand-nephew and generally soaking in the Kiwi ambience.
It's a rough life.

And, just because a post without pictures is boring, here are a couple of new photos from Sam and Charlie's official wedding album.

A boy and his Mama.

And a picture-perfect princess.

Wish me luck. 

With that old plane thing.

More wisdom from The Canadian

I had a pleasant interlude this morning with friends Karen and Nicole. Mani-pedis and Quiznos for lunch, all with coupons! (My manicurist was kinda attitudinal, but other than that....)
Anyway, over our spectacular lunch, they reminded me that I hadn't yet posted the last of Mark's essay on America. If I'd have known anyone cared that much, I would have posted it weeks ago!
So here it is, with a few added links for those of you who (like me) are unfamiliar with some of his references. I suggest following the links, they are fascinating stories. Sadly, I was completely unaware of both of them.


How America is different.

I see American exceptionalism in that desire to be the light on the hill and to aspire to the highest values of representation of the people. Not only were the slaves freed, but the 14th amendment ensured that they were also given political franchise. The Constitution and its amendments serve the people. This is as opposed to political structures where the people serve the state. In serving the people, I think the most important facet in the entire American political system can be seen by example in the 1st and 2nd amendments to the constitution. In these America can claim its place as the light on the hill.

The freedom to assemble, the freedom to speak out, freedom to worship or not to worship, whom or what or whenever you please. These freedoms flow from the first amendment. They are found in other countries to some extent but in America they are law. 

In the cartoons of Mohammed controversy and in blasphemy laws like those now in place in Ireland, freedom of speech is under fire. The so called Ground Zero mosque also illustrates the right of freedom of speech and religion. The planners do have the right to build their mosque. But that same freedom should also mean that, should people like to protest in front of the mosque against whatever grievance they have with Islam, they should be tolerated along with pork roast festivals, showings of “Fitna” and the like.

The right to bear arms on the other hand, elevated the people to the status of equality with their government in defending themselves lawfully. I am sure that the original intent of the amendment was also to ensure that the government remained humble and subservient of the people rather than the other way around.

These freedoms in America have not been won cheaply but have cost the blood of generations of fighting men and women. And now these freedoms are in danger again. Modern threats to freedom include erring too much on the side of political correctness and a loss of economic freedom through irresponsible federal spending. On face value political correctness is a virtue as it embodies tolerance and deference for diversity. But when political correctness means tolerating intolerance then it has gone too far and I think that Europe for example is approaching that point. Geert Wilders has gone on trial for inciting hatred. (Read one of his blog posts here.) What kind of a crime is hatred? An imaginary crime I suppose. How can you know what is in the heart of another? But a casual overview of what is happening in Holland will show that the only obvious outward display of hatred comes from those Wliders is exposing so for example, Theo Van Gogh is dead, and open critics of Islam live under 24 hour armed guard. 

The United States must not follow Europe. It must not give up its unique position and must hold fast to the freedoms that make it what it is. To a large extent this uniqueness stems from the freedoms which to many in the world may seem quaint. But it is these very freedoms that have been a magnet to millions of immigrants who have become Americans over the centuries and it is these freedoms that must remain for the sake of all the world.

Arboreal spring in the Northwest

I love spring in the northwest forest.

This afternoon, Jeff and I walked the trail at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.

'Twas a compromise between the long hike he wanted and the nothing that I preferred.

I was in a mood.

You should understand that, I said, you get in moods all the time.

He sensibly deferred to my point of view.

This pond lies at the beginning of the trail and is covered in some kind of weed.

Jeff noticed this big old bullfrog sitting very still. 

Although the pond is completely covered in weed, a ranger said they test the water frequently and it is full of life.
And beavers, apparently!

The neighbouring pond is still clear.

Trillium is one of my favourite things about the woods in spring. The three leaf-like bracts below the flower are the plant's only way to store food for the next year, so if you pick one it will take several years to recover.

Oregon grape is in flower. The shrub looks kind of messy for most of the year, but is pretty in its new spring finery.

Love me the symmetry of a cedar.

Things, they are a-budding.

Can you figure out this picture?

Look in the lower right corner for a clue.

And by the time we got back to the car, the fresh air and spring loveliness had done its work
and I was happy again.

Remains of the day: an Ode to Cake

On Sunday, we had Jeff's birthday dinner. 

You know, the birthday we celebrated every day last week!

He requested the usual cake. It was particularly delicious (although not so pretty) and I thought I would post the recipe for you.

Then I got a little deja vu and searched the blog.

Turns out I posted it on Jeff's birthday last year and also on Jonnie's birthday.

So, did you make it yet?

Did you, huh, did you?

Just in case you didn't, here are some leftover photos to inspire you.

And no, we had no problem finishing up these leftovers!

It had a chocolate ganache coating; sweet, but not too sweet, and perfectly decadent.

The kids picked out the cherries, as usual.

I swear, I'm going to ban them from this cake.

Really, I am!

Check out that moist, fudgy crumb. 

And the thick layer of whipped cream in the middle.

Which Kenzie ate around.

So I ate it.

Dang.

Wish I didn't love cake so much.

Is there something wrong with me, that it makes me happy?

Weirdness in the morning

It's been a strange day so far.

First, it was raining (nothing strange about that) so Barb and I decided to try our walk after I got done with my morning elderly group. 

On the way to the care home, I remembered that I had a preschool group right afterwards that I had forgotten to write on my calendar.

Phew, I thought, Thank goodness I remembered that. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me, even though I didn't talk to you this morning.

Then, I got to the care home, only to find another musician unloading his amps at the front door. Turns out he wasn't supposed to be there, but I kindly rescheduled my group for next week and left him to it. Wasn't sure why I did that, but decided, driving home, that it will get me in tight with the activities director, if nothing else!

I came home and took care of some phone calls and emails, cleaned the kitchen and cooked mushrooms for Jeff's dinner. They were a little on the old side and needed to be used. Sauted 'em up with some butter, sea salt and pepper and then added a little cream. They looked pretty good. I left shortly afterwards for the Cultural Center for my kiddy group. As I pulled up to the building, something told me to call my neighbour and ask her to check on the mushrooms. But I know I turned them off, I thought to myself. I called anyway and told Carol that I was 99% sure I had turned off the stove, but would she check just in case?

When I got home about 90 minutes later, the pan was on a different element and the 'shrooms looked kinda dry. I called Carol.

I left them on, didn't I?

Sure enough, I did.

One of my favourite cooking blogs is Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Every Sunday they post a spiritual message. I particularly liked yesterday's post, on the 121st Psalm, because I've been feeling distanced from my faith lately. It got me thinking about all of the love and care I've received from God in my life. The author of the post also composed her own psalm. Go check it out, it's very sweet.

Psalm 121

 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not  slumber.

 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

And, a little ray of sunshine on this rainy day. Look what I got from UPS and the mail lady this morning:

A set of Anew Rejuvenate face care from Avon, which was a bit of a mystery until I figured out I had signed up for a free sample of it. But what a sample! I think these may be full-sized specimens,

And a little pouch of hair and face care products from Target. Sweet!

And a wee packet of Stevia to try.

So, it's still raining and I still didn't get my walk in. 

But there's a cozy fire in the wood stove, I have received more of God's grace than I deserved, and I think I will stay home for the rest of the day and not tempt fate any further.

The Illusionist

I was reading the AARP magazine the other day.
I'm not really in favour of AARP, but I joined for the discounts and then never even used my card.
But this issue has some interesting articles, one of which contained this picture: the Checker Shadow Illusion.
Look carefully at the two labelled squares.
Are they the same shade of grey?

Believe it or not, they are. You can check it by blocking off the surrounding squares.
This optical illusion tricks the brain into seeing colours as it thinks they should be, rather than as they are.
I was blown away and had to do a little Google.
You know I did!
Edward H. Adelson is a professor of Vision Science in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. The Adelson Lab studies problems in visual perception.

This design, the Munker-White Illusion, has a similar effect on the brain's power of perception.
The colours within in each rectangle are exactly the same shade.

If you want to see some very short videos of more Adelson illusions and the scientific explanations of the phenomena, go here.

The world is full of mysteries.

And here I go, trying to think new thoughts every day, staving off the Big A.

Dreams do come true

This magazine ad from 1968 seemed to be something out of science fiction at the time.

(Source)

In retrospect, it's strange that it took forty years for such communication to become commonplace.
Personally, I never liked the idea of being on screen every time I picked up the phone; some things are just better not seen! So, if I had an opportunity to have a Picturephone of my own, I would say, Thanks, but no thanks.

Mind you, I would not say no to a little Skype with baby Elsie if Annie had internet right now.
But she doesn't.

This is me, fighting technology to the bitter end, and signing off for today.

A Small Treatise on Waste

Being children of the World War II generation, my sister and I are conditioned to obtain all of our needs and wants at the lowest cost possible and then to use everything up before we dispose of it.

It is a burden.
And a blessing.

Leftovers are always eaten at my house. Things can get downright innovative! I frequently clean out items we aren't using any more and donate them to the Goodwill truck, but I am much happier when I can re-purpose the goods or find a recipient who will do the same.

I think my children have all rebelled to some degree against my obsessiveness on the matter. I could tell you some fine stories about the mould cultures I have found in their refrigerators. I think many of them would have qualified for a scientific study! But we shall speak no more of that.

About a year ago, I read an article that laid out the economic and environmental impact of food waste.
Aha! I thought to myself, I shall write a blog about that some day.
And here I am.

So, it turns out that my frugal instincts are completely justified.
Hearken to just a few of the startling statistics.

• According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, just over 25% of all food (about 26 million tons) is thrown away in the U.S. every year. It costs us over a billion dollars annually just to dispose of this food, which is taken to landfills.
• Rotting food produces methane, which is 23% more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Thirty-four percent of methane emissions in the U.S. comes from landfills.
• It is estimated that U.S. restaurants throw away over 6,000 tons of food every day.
• Schoolchildren waste about $2 billion every year in taxpayers' money through the school lunch programme.
• In America, an average household spends about $600 a year on food that is thrown away, at an annual cost of over $100 billion. Extrapolate this out to the costs of food production, storage, and transportation and the true cost of wasted food becomes much more egregious. Think of all the oil, water, pesticides, fertilizer, money and human effort that is literally spent for naught.

I don't know about you, but contemplating the ramifications of food waste makes my blood boil. And, apart from the cold hard facts, there are some other subtleties involved.

It used to take a good chunk of a family's income to buy food; in fact, in many parts of the world, it still does. Food was a precious commodity. In 2006, we only spent (and I say we, but I don't mean me, because, you know, I'm frugal) ten percent of disposable income on food, the lowest in the 70 years that USDA has been tracking the figures. As food becomes cheaper, it also has less intrinsic worth.

Now, I am famous for my picky eating habits, and some of my children have food quirks. But I have noticed that the next generation of children, my own grandchildren included, refuse to eat anything that doesn't fit into their very narrow parameters of acceptable food. And, on the whole, their demands are indulged. I was thus amazed, on our trip to Peru several years ago, to see children happily eating the same food as the adults. Food in Peru is plentiful, but is, relative to total income, much more expensive than here in America. This seems to engender a difference in attitude that I wish we could emulate. Before it is forced upon us.

We are a culture of excess. Perhaps less so since the financial downturn, but we have such short memories that I fear any improvement will not outlast an economic recovery. I believe that we need to bring back the idea that food is a precious resource and treat it as such. My heart breaks when I think of a malnourished orphan that we met in Haiti, less than a year old and clutching precious rice in each hand. We heard of families that don't even eat once a day, grandmothers who struggle to cook for sixteen extended family members and who are themselves always hungry. Without food in our stomachs, life stinks. What kind of a privileged life do we lead when we can say I don't eat leftovers and all over the world are people in pain from hunger?

So, considering the enormity of the problem, what can you or I do?
I'll tell you what I do.

• I compost my kitchen waste and put it on the vegetable beds.
• I rarely eat out. If I do eat out, I bring my leftovers home (preferably in one of my own containers, if I have been awesome and thought ahead) and then I eat them.
• I keep track of what's in the fridge and plan ahead for dinners that will use up the leftovers.
• If fruit is getting too ripe, I make cake or bread with it, put it in a smoothie or freeze it so that I can do so later. Smoothies are great for using up fruit, leafy greens, or yogurts that no one wants to eat.
• I try to only buy amounts that we will use before food spoils. Admittedly, I get caught on that one once in a while when I hit a great bargain! But better to give it away than for it to waste.
• I keep a well-stocked pantry that allows me to reinvent leftovers. Sauces, spices, tortillas, basic canned and frozen goods.
• I have lots of containers and bags for storing surplus food. I also invested in a vacuum sealer.
• If I've stocked up on canned goods that end up being not to our liking, I donate them to a food pantry.
• I read about food. Recipe blogs. Recipe books. Articles in magazines. Books like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Books that make me thing about the way we eat and how to do it better. 
• I invite people over to help me eat all my food!

Just so you know, I'm not setting myself up on a pedestal here. There are many things I don't do so well when it comes to food. I eat too much sugar. I don't eat salads. I don't eat enough vegetables.

But I do leftovers really well.

And I am blessed with a husband who thinks almost everything I cook is delicious.

That being said, I'm sure Jeff will be really glad when this latest pot of rice and beans is gone.

Now, if you're even a teensy bit motivated to learn some new tricks or change some behaviors, here are a couple of great websites that say it all so much better than I.

First, you can click on the new green button to the right, Love Food, Hate Waste. It's a British campaign to educate people on food waste and has some nifty ideas on what to do with leftover food as well as storage and portion tips.

Then, check out this article on the Culinate blog. There are some other great articles on the blog, like this one  on how to get kids to eat well.

If you are naturally thrifty, I hope I've given you some new ammo and ideas.

If you lean more towards the wastrel side of living, I hope I've given you something to think about and maybe motivation to try some new tactics.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Oops, forgot this one.

Happy Birthday song for Jeff, or "It's a Costco Birthday!"

Feel free to sing along with Jeff.


On the first day of my birthday week my true love gave to me
A sound bar for our flat screen TV.

And then I spent hours figuring out how to get it to work.
With a little help from Jon
Well, a lot of help from Jon.


On the next day of my birthday week my true love gave to me
A history book...



(it's a good one too)
...and a sound bar for our flat screen TV.

On the third day of my birthday week my true love gave to me
Two trekking poles...



...a history book
and a sound bar for our flat screen TV.

Now I have to take my true love hiking, 'cause she got two for herself as well.


On the fourth day of my birthday week my true love gave to me
Another nifty book...



(it must be a good one 'cause Glenn Beck says so)
...two trekking poles
a history book
and a sound bar for our flat screen TV.

On my birthday (today!) my true love gave to me
A fi-i-shing pole.

(now I can go not land a fish any time I want)
Another nifty book
two trekking poles
a history book
(sing it loudly now)
And a sound bar for our flat screen TV.


Yes, I know it's only five days, but that's all there is.


The End.


Ain't it wunnerful to be singing Christmas songs in March?

Run away! Run away!

Name that movie.

Go here  for a clue.

And feel free to leave any other splendiferous quotes from the iconic film that spring to mind.

Get on with it, Susan, get on with it!

I never thought I would be quoting Jimmy Carter, but here goes.

A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.

He must have had a good speech writer back then.

On the other hand, I love to quote Thomas Jefferson.

We confide in our strength, without boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it.

And what, you are likely thinking, does that have to do with the price of tea in China? 

Well, in my short running career (which is probably overstating it), I find myself kinda hating the real runners, the ones who run eight or ten miles before breakfast. I feel intimidated and compelled to either reject the whole concept, or to attempt to keep up. When in actuality, I want to do neither. And I feel like my friends who don't run at all, or who are having a hard time getting into it, are surely bored or frustrated with having to listen to those of us who (albeit reluctantly, in my case) discuss the topic. 

So I am sensitive to that possibility and do not want to seem boastful.

Am I pushing the segue?

What I really want (tell me what you want, what you reallyreally want) is to be more fit and to lose about twenty or thirty pounds. And to be able to do it without working too hard.

Yeah, right.

So Barb and I are back to the gym, yoga classes, weight-lifting, and running on the off days. 

What I don't seem to be able to do is quit eating.

So, we'll see if it helps to add running to the mix.

Barb and I planned to participate in a 10K run on Saturday morning.

IF it wasn't raining.

And IF she slept well.

With all the outs we were allowing ourselves, it's a wonder we actually showed up.

We were not going to push ourselves too much, as we've never before run that far.

A reasonable mixture of walking and running would do the trick, we figured.

Yeah right!

You know how it is, once you start running and the rest of the pack is already out of sight, you're going so slow.

And the police car is on your tail, making sure you don't get lost or have a heart attack.

And Barb, who's lost 20lbs recently, seemed determined to be an animal.

So we ran.

And ran.

And ran.

Until the end was in sight.

And there we were.

And it didn't rain on us.

One hour, eleven minutes, and a few seconds.

Nothing to brag about, and we were dead last (which is historically true to form, in my case) but a severe accomplishment for us to even finish.

And I'm starting to see that being a runner might be in my future, if the old bod doesn't fall apart.

My hips are not sure that they agree.

Which is really weird, because my whole life, I have been dead set against the concept.

I blame it all on Brenda.

P.S. Thanks to Kathy D. for the pics. We didn't look too bad, did we?

A brilliant commentary on the usefulness of vinegar

Well, that would be the brilliant commentary that I composed in my head at about 3:30 this morning.
Which has now dissipated into the ether.
I'm not sure if I can come up with two such streaks of brilliance in a twenty-four hour period, but here goes.

I've been facing a conundrum for the last few years. I don't know if it's advancing menopause, heavy exercise, or extra pounds, but I sweat more. What's worse, my clothes have been retaining that odour in the underarm area.
Apologies to any of my readers who have tender sensibilities.
Get over it.
So, clothes that are still perfectly wearable are rendered less so by the smelliness factor.

I've tried many things to combat the problem:
Bleach on the whites.
Oxyclean in the wash.
Stain remover in the offending areas.
Longer wash cycles.
Hot water.
And phooey, nothing worked for long.

A few weeks ago I did a little internet research and discovered that many people were recommending white vinegar as a solution.
Yes, the same white vinegar that I've been using to try and kill dandelions.
Hint: it doesn't work so well on the dandelions.
So, I gave it a try.
And blow me down if it didn't work!
I soaked the underarm areas in straight vinegar and it completely got rid of the lingering odour.
Apparently, the smell is caused by bacteria that doesn't get killed in a normal wash. Vinegar has some pretty powerful anti-bacterial properties. Some people on the websites were recommending that one splash vinegar on one's armpits after a shower, but I don't think I'm that desperate!

So now, every so often, I add a cup of white vinegar to the load of wash, which seems to do the trick.
You can thank me later, 'cause I'm sure I'm not the only one who has pondered the predicament.

Vinegar has many other uses in the garden and around the house according to this website, which lists 131 of them. It's a low cost and environmentally-friendly alternative to the many expensive and toxic products with which we usually fill our shelves. Think: deodorizing, disinfecting, removing, softening, soothing. You will be surprised and amazed at the versatility of vinegar.

Although I don't think I'll be sprinkling my food with it to dampen my appetite.
Or rinsing my hair with it.
I have my limits.

I'll see you later.
I'm off to Costco to stock up on some gallon bottles of that lovely substance.

Vinegar.

Just thinking little thoughts

I've been less enthused than usual about the computer this week.

Very strange.

But I do have a few things to share, some of which may be more interesting to you than others.

First, I thought some of you might like to read the article that was in our local paper about my Haiti trip. If so, you can read it here. The reporter was very sweet and only got a couple of details wrong. I was excited for MamaBabyHaiti to get a little publicity and was a little disappointed that he didn't play that angle up more than he did. On that same note, you will notice a new blog in my Blog List, that of Dokte Sarah. I love her perspectives on the work she and Sean are doing in Haiti.  

Haiti is often on my mind. I ruminate on the political conundrum that is Haiti as often as I contemplate the living situation. I didn't really cover the politics in my series of posts, but Lisa wrote about it here and told of an interesting conversation that we had with a Haitian woman on our long bus ride. 

Barb and I ran (okay, we walked a little bit, maybe a mile) a 10K on the treadmill on Thursday.

Not my favourite way to spend a morning, but Barb was finishing this ten-week challenge thing and had to complete it by Thursday night. Like a good friend, I went along for the run. Of course, it was raining, so we went to the gym. Typical of the vagaries of our Oregon weather, it was sunny by the time we walked out of the gym 90 minutes later. We felt pretty awesome after we got done, although I was sure I was going to die a few times along the way. We are going to do another local 10K on Saturday. If it's not raining. In which case we will stay in bed.

I will say that running has helped my ankle and foot to be stronger and less painful. I think the motion of running is less stressful for my body than walking because of the limited range of motion in my ankle. 

I found these running shoes on clearance on Saturday. Adidas Marathon. Not that I am planning to ever run a marathon or anything. Would you hold me to that, please? I tried them out this morning and the old bod feels so much better for having new shoes. I also find that good socks make a lot of difference for my  short, wide feet. These are some Keen socks I bought on a whim from 6pm. Lovely, cushy, comfortableness.

Speaking of marathons and crazy runners, I've also added my friend Brenda's blog to the list. If you're into running, you will enjoy her writing. I think it's a little scary, because I say that I will never want to run a marathon and I'm completely serious. But I also said I'd never run a 10K and I'm beginning to see that it will probably happen this year. 

Ack.

And Brenda had better not say I told you so.

And that's enough about running, because I know it's a very tedious topic if you're not into it.

A few other updates on life:

• Did I tell you that Jeff is working on his Master's degree? Something about Business and Psychology. He started last fall. It's keeping him very busy. 
• Jon and Jenny are looking into house-buying. Very exciting for them and their two very active little boys, who desperately need a yard in which to run around.
• I'm off to New Zealand in four weeks. Excited to see my family and friends. Anne and I will be sorting out Mum's house, which I'm sure will be sad and sweet at the same time. Mum became quite the little hoarder in the last few years and there will be lots of memories. At least it's a small house!
• Jeff and I watched The Next Three Days this weekend. We both loved it, which only happens about three times a year. Great acting by Russell Crowe and the rest of the cast, suspenseful plot, and I didn't hate the ending.
• That's all there is 'cause there isn't any more.

For the Anglophiles among us, redacted, apologized, and added upon

I know, I know, it's supposed to be Irish day, not British.
If you want to be Irishly inspired, go see my awesome St. Paddy's Day post from last year.
It's all the Irish I got!

A few days ago, I found this hilarious website.
I suggest you go waste a few minutes on it.
Just click on the "animations" button on the left sidebar and prepare yourself for merriment.
Or, hit the play button on this video and sample the goods.


I am embarrassed. 
After checking some of the animations, I'm not recommending you do the same.
Ignore the above red teeny tiny writing.
Ack.


So, to save your tender sensibilities, here is one other video.  Being the proud owner of not one, but two, compost bins, I find this to be incomparably funny.





If you don't get some of the eclectic references, well then, you're just not a true Anglophile.
As for me, I've been singing My Wild Irish Rose and It's a Long Way to Tipperary with my elderly music therapy groups for a couple of weeks now and I'm  fresh out of enthusiasm for all things Irish.



Suddenly, I'm in the mood for a Mr. Whippy ice cream cone.
With a chocolate flake on top.
Mmmm.

Winners and losers: It's not just about March Madness

Oh dear.

Contests may be few and far between on this here blog.

I discovered this weekend that I am a BAD judge.

I just wanted to give everyone a prize for even caring enough to write a comment.

See how much I love you?

Co-dependent, more likely.

Anyway, here are the entries.

A couple of people wrote captions for this photo, even though I didn't ask for it.

Bonus points!

Ellen wrote: "I'm sure Timon never had Mondays like this..."

And Nicole (or her husband Max) suggested: "Praise peanuts! Hallelujah!"

Which took me a while to get, but then, aha, he does look a little prostrately worshipping!

Supposing that meerkats eat peanuts....

And now for the real competition.

Ellen: "What does a meerkat have to do to get a decent manicure around here?"

Lindsay, who is never short of a witty comment: "Dang, I'd make one SEXY stole..." and "Whoever wrote 'Muskrat Love' never snuggled with a meerkat..."

Lindsay earned extra points for even knowing the song "Muskrat Love", which was one of my fave 70's songs.

Lisa, being a bit of an overachiever: . . . between a rock and two furballs . . .

Are you freakin' kidding me?
But Mom, I couldn't find the nailclippers!
Is that dessert you have there?

I think she was looking for extra points on that last one!

Nicole (Max): "Your hide would make a fine poncho."

And Jenny the Pirate: I hear there's a casting call for Les Mis! I am Jean Valjean!

Jenny gets extra points for managing to slip in a little French reference.

And, finally, the real extra point candidate, the Three Lemurs.

Ellen, of course.

Being just a tad competitive.

"Davey, Davey Crocket. King of the wild frontier....wait, what?"

BTW, Ellen, Crockett has two "t's". 

Just thought you'd like to know.

Well, it's a tough one, but I have to go with the captions that elicited actual belly laughs.

Maybe Ellen and I have spent too much time together, because it is she. 

Plus, you know, all the extra points.

Now, for all of you, um, losers, just remember this:

In the words of Casey Stengel, American baseball icon,  Without losers, where would the winners be?

And, as Christopher D. Furman (who, as far as I can tell, is only famous for this quote) wrote, If you want to be a winner, hang around with winners.

So, I'll catch you all later, over at Ellen's place! 

Oh, except then we'll be hanging out with losers.

Hmmmm. How does that work?

I probably should be quiet now.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, How about you, you, you?

Shortly after we arrived at the zoo on Saturday, we were lucky enough to catch a Close Encounters show at the Wild Wonders Outdoor Stage. 

An outdoor stage with a roof over the seating area.

This is the Pacific Northwest, after all!

First was Tilly the aardvark, who has no doubt already endeared you to her charms.

Then there was a bald eagle, a kookaburra (yes, really, and she laughed on demand), a clever dog named Herall, and Stella the hornbill.

Stella played fetch with the zookeeper and was all kinds of cute.

I love this kind of an animal show, laid back and humourous. 

Dang. British spelling is starting to look erroneous to me. What shall I do?

PDZ&A is a very hands-on zoo. Tilly the aardvark goes for regular walks around the zoo, meeting the patrons, as do many of the other animals who have been raised by and imprinted on humans.

The aquarium has a few glorious sights. 

One of the sea otters lay with this thing on its stomach the whole time I stood and watched. The other otters were active and playful, but this one just lay there, grooming its face and catching the few watery rays that beamed down from the sky. It looked perfectly content, but I was a bit worried about the disc thing. It seemed to be resting heavily on the stomach of the otter; you can see the imprint in its fur.

Very strange.

I was determined to outlast the otter and see what happened when it decided to swim away, but alas, the otter was the better man of us two. 

Or woman.

Whatever.

Outdone by an otter.

The lemurs were in the children's section. As we were leaving I caught this shot of them snoozing with their tails wrapped around them.
Another caption-worthy photo?
Maybe some extra points?

We closed down the zoo (literally) and went to visit some old friends who live close by. Brett and Jeannine  were really friends of Bethany and Chris but we kind of adopted them and they are part of many fond family memories. They have three cute little girls now and are forging their way in the world with gusto. They treated us to dinner at Steamers, which is almost worth the three-hour drive all on its own. I can't resist posting this photo of their two oldest girls. 

Little peas in a pod.

And then we went home.

Meerkat love

I'm in a baking mood.

And I'm killing myself running again.

Belly fat + running = people laughing at you when you run.
I'm not kidding. It really happened.

So, let me bake for YOU.

On Saturday, we went to one of my favourite zoos, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

I took the kids there several times when they were young and it turns out Jeff never went with us. So, you know me, any excuse for a trip to a zoo!

Hence, the aardvark.

And now, the meerkats.

There is an awesome children's section where you can sit and watch the meerkats' antics to your heart's content.

Unless you are accompanied by your restless husband.

Some of my favourite shots:

I saved the best for last.

I just know that somewhere in that last picture is a funny caption.

But I'm very bad at thinking up funny captions.

So, whoever makes me laugh the hardest will win a batch of something delicious.

I'll give you till Friday midnight.

If the winner lives in the US I will deliver or mail it.

If the winner lives in New Zealand, hand delivery will occur in April.

For my lovely English readers, and that strange fellow in Doha (just in case he reads it) I guess you would have to settle for notoriety. No, come to think of it, I should be in England by autumn. But Mark might have to come see me again.

Game on.