Circus of the Sun: Ovo!

While I have loved Cirque Du Soleil for decades (ever since first watching it on VHS tapes we rented from the library) I had almost decided not to attend another performance. Familiarity breeds...not contempt, perhaps, but lack of enthusiasm. Two years ago, we took my Mum and Annie to see Kooza. See the account   here. But I happened upon some seats to see Ovo for a ridiculously low price and had the brilliant idea of taking the two oldest grandkids to their first Cirque show.

They were a pain in the neck all the way to Portland, giggling and wrestling in the back seat, and I finally had to tell them to Cool it! 

Although Ovo wasn't as death-defying as some of Cirque's past shows, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We had pretty good seats, although they were towards the side so we missed a little bit of the action. I had my eye on the V.I.P. front-and-middle seats all through the first hour and as soon as half-time started we hopped on over and got some fantastic seats. My best strategy ever. You're welcome. 

Kenzie and Daniel were quite impressed with the stage and the performers who were roaming around the grande chapiteau as we sat and waited for the show to start, but my favourite moment was when the first acrobats made their moves. I heard Kenzie whisper Wow and both of their little faces were raptly intent on the stage. 

I loved the butterflies best of all. You can see a few seconds of their act in this trailer (the couple in white on the ropes) but it doesn't do justice to the beauty of their moves and the way it fitted the music so perfectly.

This video will give you a taste of the ants' juggling act. 

I like ants. 

I am an ant, as you know.

It was fantabulous.

This act with the trampolines and wall was the climax of the show and was very fun to watch. There were many performers involved and it was difficult to keep track of everything that was going on.

The show ended late and these two young souls slept all the way home.
It was heavenly.

Ovo is still in town for another week.

Here's what I think you should do.

Buy the cheapest seats you can find. Just make sure they're not behind a post.

Then make a move on the VIP seats at half-time.

You won't be sorry!

Happy Mother's Day

I did not do it perfectly, but it is, possibly, the best thing I ever did.

Jeff and I are spending the weekend in the lovely town of Tillamook, where the best cheese in the world is made. Only in Tillamook can you smell dairy farms through the open window of your slightly upscale hotel room!

Asparagus adventures

Three years ago, fulfilling a long-time hankering, I planted ten asparagus plants. It was a serendipitous trade with a friend for all the rhubarb she could eat that first summer.

I felt adventurous. Not many people grow asparagus and it was a bit of mystery to me. I did my usual in-depth Google session and instructed Jeff as he dug the trenches. 

I was very diligent about not picking too much for the first two years as the plants established themselves. This year, anything that pokes above ground before the middle of June is fair game.

Jeff raved about the perfectly cooked, green and tender shoots that were piled on his plate the first few times I served them.

Three weeks into the harvest, not so much.

Did I mention that I don't particularly care for asparagus?

But I sure do love messing around with it!

I discovered these a few days ago.

I left the ferns to winter over in the raised bed and, apparently, conditions were ideal for the sprouting of the seeds that nestled into those lovely red seed pods.

Being in a meddling mood yesterday, and also a sowing-of-seeds mood, I dug a bunch of them out of the ground and re-potted them in my milk-jug greenhouses.

Asparagus has interesting roots. They grow horizontally rather than vertically. Look closely at this tiny root and you can see the exact point at which it turns horizontal.

Isn't it adorable?

Not, like, grand-baby adorable, but cute in an asparagus-y kind of way.

There were more little ferny seedlings than I had the patience to dig, but I have about twenty of them in three milk jugs. We shall see how they fare.

I also planted some cosmos, marigold, and impatiens seeds in the remaining jugs, and carrots, parsnips, lettuce, radishes, New Zealand spinach, and cucumbers in the raised beds. And I re-potted the former residents of the milk jugs, tomato seedlings, into their own tiny pots.

Bring on summer, I say.

And if you want some asparagus plants in a few months, you know where they'll be.

You're welcome

When our street was widened and repaved a few years ago, we ended up with a couple of garden beds around the mailboxes. We live on a driveway that accesses five houses, two of which are rentals. I casually suggested to our friends, Jim and Carol (who live across the driveway from us and have an awesome garden) that we put down weed barrier and rocks. Jim opened his mouth in mock horror and countered with a proposal of planting flowers.

Fine, I conceded, let's do it.

By us, I guess I meant me, although I have cajoled the neighbours into contributing in ways that aren't painful to them. Jim ponied up a boatload of perennial starts that, combined with my own, have made enormous progress over these last few years in filling up the beds. My goal is for the plants to completely cover the area and this just might be the year that it happens.

Another neighbour, who lives next to the street, kindly lets me drag her water hose to the flowers so that I can water them in the heat of the summer. I try to be kind to her water bill by irrigating as minimally as possible.

Other than that, it's usually yours truly doing all the planting, weeding, watering, slug-baiting and soil amendment tasks throughout the year.

So, I figure I get to post as many political signs as I please.

And I do.

Vote for Angel, he's our man!

The beds are filled with a mixture of perennials that grow larger every year and annuals that consistently re-seed, such as cosmos and these pink bachelor's buttons. This clump sprouted in the late fall and somehow survived the cold of winter. It is almost ready to flower.

I love the different shades of huechera. This is one of my favourites.

Also known as coral bells, they attract humming birds and bees. The clumps in the back are shamrocks that will soon be covered in pink flowers.

Hardy pink geraniums are already in flower.

Daniel and I had weeded most of the two beds a few weeks ago. This one was more than our stamina could handle, so the seedy grass was in full reign by last weekend. Jeff kindly asked me what I wanted him to do in the garden on Saturday and I jumped at the chance to have help with this final bit of weeding. Notice that this flowerbed is not technically completely in our jurisdiction, but I take care of it anyway. The far end of it is in front of the next house on the street and houses their mailbox. The house is another rental.

Jeff and I were digging (him) and groaning (me) as we neared the end of the job, when out walked the lady of the rental house. We had never met her before. She kind of chuckled as she collected her mail and made a comment about how all the weeds had grown.

And then she went back into her house.

Wait.

Seriously, lady?

We are weeding your flowerbed, which we also planted, and you don't even have the grace to say Thank you?

Maybe she thought we were the hired help.
Whatever.
You're welcome, I said quietly, as she closed her door.

Last Christmas, Carol gave me some lovely chocolates and a thank you for taking care of the flowerbeds.

Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.

                   ~Alfred Painter

Silent gratitude isn't much good to anyone.

             ~G.B. Stern

There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.

                ~Robert Brault

Who have you thanked today?

Well, maybe I won't miss Picnik too much after all

My neighbour has a dogwood tree that I covet.

Wouldn't you covet these deep pink blossoms if you had to look at them every time you went out your front door?

I'm trying out LunaPic, needing a new photo editor after the sad demise of Piknik.

What do you think? I haven't explored the subtleties of the programme yet, but I like these basic effects.

Colour bars

Kaleidoscope

Christmas bulb

Photo spread

Cartoon

Lego Style

3D Cube

Water

Emboss

Colour pencil sketch

Painted

Lines

Tilt tile

Transitions animation. For some reason, it won't post as an extra-large picture, but I'm just impressed that I could post it at all!

There are lots of others, especially animations, which I hardly got into at all. This was what I did while having half-an-eye on New Tricks on PBS tonight. Don't ask me what the story was about!
I have high hopes for LunaPic.

In other news, everyone has gone home and Jeff and I are alone again.
Elsie never did warm up to me, but I suspect it was because her Mama was always in sight.
That's okay. I have a very strong sense of delayed gratification and I shall win this battle eventually.
Happy Sabbath to you all.
May you be surrounded by those who love you.

The Happy Crazy Week

A certain Pirate lovingly berated me for being silent, so this is an appeasement for the people who read this blog because you love me.

If you come here for astounding recipes and fascinating opinion pieces, better come back next week.

If you already saw the one thousand-and-ninety-five photos I posted on facebook, likewise.

It has been a busy few days, but full of love and merriment.

Here are the two youngest babes, checking each other out. They weren't too impressed at first, but have become more interested as the days go by. They are both at the cooing and gurgling stage and are prime targets for motherese. 

Gabriel is a sweet soul. He is a wiggly baby, in contrast to Madelyn, who is very calm. 

Elsie mostly ignores me. I followed her around the garden one morning, trying to get a decent photo, and I didn't manage to get one picture of her looking at me and smiling.

The girl has attitude!

Here she is, trying on new clothes and finding unusual places to park her cute bottom.

Much food was consumed.

Much laughter was heard.

Dolly Parton dropped in for a visit.

Inside joke.

Some of us got to take naps.

And I don't mean Nana.

Charlie and Sam were here for less than three days and were continually surrounded by an entourage of adoring nieces and nephews.

On Monday, we watched soccer games. 

Josh was obviously excited by something.

Daniel got an impressive trophy and a cupcake.

Elsie got a cupcake.

She ate the frosting as Kenzie hovered over her. 

Elsie loves Kenzie more than she loves me.

Which is okay. 

Kinda.

Annie and Edwin are still here and the action continues, so now I'm going to bed to stock up on energy for tomorrow and try to think of a cunning plan to engage Elsie's affection.

It's a surprise, stupid!

In a few days, these little darlings will be paying me a visit.

Um, okay, they're visiting Papa too. And Aunty Bethany and Aunty Jenny and maybe the uncles and all the cousins who dote on them as well.

Oh, and their mommy and daddy are coming along for the ride.

One day earlier, these little darlings will also arrive for the weekend.

They weren't going to come, but my motherly heart couldn't stand the thought of them not being here with the rest of us, so we bribed them with free tickets. 

Free to them, that is!

Now, the idea was that these 

would not know that these 

were coming.

Don't tell Annie, I told everyone. 

I wanted it to be a surprise.

I love surprising people.

One time, when my Mum came for a visit from New Zealand, she was expecting to arrive and then witness Annie's birth within a few days. Which, to be honest, I don't think she was anticipating with relish, but I thought it would be good for her. Only Annie came early, so Jeff and the kids went to pick Mum up at the airport and told her I was resting. We swore the kids to secrecy, a bit of a risky undertaking with a three-and a two-year-old. When she walked into the bedroom she didn't notice Annie in the crib and nearly had a heart attack when she saw I had no pregnant tummy.

True story.

The next time she came to visit, we had just moved into our house and didn't tell her. She couldn't figure out why we pulled into this nice new house instead of the crappy old rental. Annie was four at the time and was not happy about sharing her room with Nana. Of course, she wasn't happy about moving into the new house either. She used to cry and ask to go back to the "yellow house".

True story.

I love surprising people.

Last Sunday, Jonnie asked me why I wanted to surprise Annie.

Because I like surprising people! I exclaimed. Surprises are fun!

Some people just don't get it.

So today I was talking to Annie about a musical number our family will sing in church next week. Be Still My Soul, if you're interested. We were discussing who would sing which part, with Bethany on flute and me on piano. It leaves us a little short on girls voices. She said something like Well Sa.. and then stopped short.

What did you say?

What? Oh, I don't know, something about singing.

Who let the cat out of the bag?

What are you talking about? Did you get a cat?

And then the conversation just got stupid. I couldn't figure out how to nail Annie down without giving away the secret, if indeed she hadn't figured it out. As soon as I got off the phone with Annie I called Bethany.

Does Annie know about Charlie and Sam coming?

I don't think so, I haven't talked to her for a while.

I called Charlie, then Sam.

No answer came the stern reply.

I called Jon. 

Did you tell Annie about Charlie?

 He tried to act as if he didn't understand  what I was talking about, but then he was sheepish.
I talked to her a couple of hours ago and we were planning Saturday stuff and I said "Mum wants us to all go out to dinner while Charlie's still here". And then I remembered I wasn't supposed to tell.

After I lovingly berated him for being such a stupid son, he suggested that I not tell Annie that I know that she knows so that she can act all surprised.

I said that is just stupid and rejected the idea.

I called Annie back and told her that I know she knows. 

She said What? He told you? I told him not to tell you!

Good grief. 

It promises to be an intriguing week, don't you think?