A Busy September

Where to begin?

Simone began the month with a row boat. That was a reoccurring theme for the month. The tricky part was when she wanted to row with me in the boat.



We then went to the beach for labor day.

There were sand castles to be made,



walks to the river to go fishing,



and thoughtful strolls:



Afterwords, Simone and Nana made pig-shaped cookies with the new cookie cutter:



Then we read Skippy Jon Jones (the case of the burrito bandito), which turned out to be funnier on the second read. Simone has been big into masks, so she dressed up as Skippy Jon Jones:



Then we had to return home, to normalcy - pancakes with faces:



To remember September 11th, I took a photo of our beautiful daughter:



Then, Simone and I headed to Opal Creek to hang with Grandpa, Nana, uncle Sam, (soon ot be auntie) Ingrid, and Sarah. We began the trip with the 3 mile hike in. Simone wanted her backpack on (it's a cow):



We walked in with Grandpa and Nana. Well I rode my bike towing the Burley:





The next day we went for a hike - Simone walked a good 2+ miles. We had a great time.



She pretended to be a mushroom that was growing from a seed. First a seed:



And then growing up to be a big mushroom:



Simone took several pictures, some turned out pretty well:



We ran into Nana and Grandpa on the hike and walked back together.



(a couple more photos of the hike are available here). I really liked Simone's quizzical look here (still at Opal Creek):



The next week was more excitement. Sam and Ingrid's wedding. First the rehearsal dinner at Kennedy.



These two are the ones getting hitched:



This was just too cute:



The next day was the big day (many photos from Nansie Jubitz here). The reason we were at the rehearsal dinner was because Simone was the flower girl. And this first picture tells it all. Simone was bubbling with excitement:



And Simone in action:



Simone danced the night away, nearly adopting Ingrid as her favorite person.

The next day we woke up, had breakfast at the B&B with Ron, Angel, Moo (Jason), Alex, Susa and their girl. We then took a trip to Lost Lake:



Simone went fishing in the lake:



Simone also really wanted to take one of the boats out, but we were on our way to Sam and Ingrid's BBQ.

Simone and I finished the month off with a picnic at Sunset Park, at sunset:



Whew!!!! Busy times, much fun.

A Little Bit Of Ranting

It boggles the mind that Wall Street has the gall to complain about new regulations while making BILLIONS the last two years (with billions in bonuses). They would have brought down the country (world?) if it were not for the bail out, and now complain that they're being stifled - while making bank when the rest of the country is poorer than ever. Income inequality hasn't been this great since just before the great depression.

Rechargeable batteries. I went to buy some more rechargeable batteries and only one of the 5 or 6 brands available had any mention of how much power they could store. That's really the only useful metric. Yet the packaging told me the batteries would last 12 times longer than regular batteries and the charge would hold up 3 times as long.... all useless, give me the milliamp hours.

I love how the Iraq war was announced to be over on Sept 1st, but we'd already had two major offensives in the two weeks following. Yet the media proudly thumped the drum of "combat operations are over."

I'm not crazy about (poorly designed) digital controls, which most seem to be. What do I mean? Well, digital (versus analog) controls only allow you to change the temperature, volume, flow by pre-determined increments. And those increments are generally too large. Think of taking a shower, you can turn the hot and cold by the tiniest amounts to control the temperature exactly how you want. Imagine if the water controls only had 6 positions, the water would always be too hot or too cold. Well, the digital controls in my life that are currently annoying me the most: the gas burners on my stove, the volume on the car radio, and the volume on my computer. The burners are really the most annoying - it's very difficult to simmer.

5 Movie Reviews in 5 Minutes

Am on a bit of a movie spree lately.

500 Days of Summer - quirky, well done, nice job of a non-romantic comedy. You knew what was coming, but it was enjoyable to watch the characters get where they were going.

All About Steve - The previews led me to think this would be funny. Mary fell asleep during it and I watched through the end more out of morbid curiosity. Sandra Bullock's character was fun and interesting, but a bit too much to be believable (even with suspended disbelief). I thought the end was good - last 5 minutes.

Date Night - started out slow and boring, was a bit worried. But about 20 minutes into it the twist came and the movie turned up. Mark Wahlberg was fun, and all the movie held together pretty well until the last 15 minutes - which was a bit over the top. I did think there was a scene where Tina Fey totally looked like Parker Posie.

The Hurt Locker - bravo. Very suspenseful, I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie. I don't know what the take-home message was, but I enjoyed watching it.

Awesome, I Fcsking Shot That - a Beastie Boys concert video - with much of the footage taken from 50 video cameras handed out into the crowd. First, thumbs down for their green track suits. The concert was pretty decent, and I like the idea - but the footage from most of the cameras wasn't very interesting. Still, their show wasn't as entertaining as Stop Making Sense, so the fan footage was a way to make it somewhat watchable. Not recommended for epileptics.

The Horror

Hazel is generally a pretty low maintenance dog, which is nice.

However, today, on a pretty warm day, I take he run in the woods. I'm jogging along, trying to figure out if I'm going to walk or plodrun up the next rise and I smell something. Something awful. I pick up the pace and the smell goes away, for a minute.

The smell comes back again and again, like a bad burrito dinner. Finally, Hazel runs past me - she'd been hanging out behind me for half a mile. As she runs by I notice that she's got several dark, greasy streaks along her neck and shoulders.

I think she found a dead skunk with bowel control problems that had sat in the sun for a few days. I had trouble jogging near her and wasn't looking forward to driving back home with her in the car.

Now it's time for a doggie bath.

Mental Note

Ensure you have the right spare tube when you go riding.

I went on a mountain bike ride with Mary tonight, and got my first flat in a couple of years. No problem, I whip out my spare tube and my pump... the tube has a stem that's too short.

Huh? Well, if you recall, I got a fancy rear wheel to replace the other fancy rear wheel that I got because I've had problems with rear wheels in general. Anyway, the rim has a deep-V cross section, so you need a stem that's long enough to poke out. Turns out, my spare wasn't long enough. I had actually thought of this situation and bought a valve extender, only it was at home in my toolkit.

I could have taken the tube off my front wheel and used it, but at this point I decided I was only 3 miles out and I could just jog back. So I did.

I'm still trying to figure out how I got a pinch flat with my fancy full suspension. Unfortunately, I can't blame it on big air...

New Bedroom

The fairies worked hard and painted Simone's new room and decorated it with a new bed! Here is a photo of Simone and Mary reading a book in Simone's new bed:

And now just an artsy photo of the room the next morning.

This was Simone's first time ever sleeping in a different room than Mary and I (but in the same house). Kind of bittersweet.

July!

Take a look at the photos from July - some pretty cute ones of Simone, like these:

Nocino, the verdict

A year ago today, Simone and I picked a bunch of walnuts to make Nocino. All I'd read said that you should wait 3 or even 6 months to taste it, and around Christmas time I tasted it and found it a bit disappointing. It was kind of bitter, sweet enough, but just not very tasty.

In the past I'd made some lemon liqueur that tasted bitter and generally unpleasant. A year later it ended up very smooth and bright. Turns out, age can help liqueur a lot. So I put the liqueur back in the cupboard and waited.

A few weeks ago I took a sip and it was pretty good! I think it'll be awesome over some ice cream.

If you stop by the house, you should have a taste.

The Shawshank Redemption

Simone and I are hanging out together this weekend. She was very tired from a day in the sun and water. I'm kicking back, having a cool, Jalepeno vodka mojito, enjoying the best movie of all time: The Shawshank Redemption.

Van

Two years ago, Mary bought me a van cherry tree, yes, the one the deer tried to eat (well, it actually did). We planted it last year, along with an apple and a plum tree.

It did get planted in a potentially wet area of the yard (i.e. the front yard), and endured a brutally cold snap in the winter, and then the deer came along. Needless to say, I was a bit disheartened.

Well, the cherries came on and riped very nicely, all of 10-20 of them. We missed some because we were on vacation, but were able to eat a few. And I must say, they were very tasty indeed.

Standup Class

I had a dream last night that I was in a class for standup comedy. We were taken to a club and had to get up there and tell at least 5 jokes. And I only knew three. I spent the whole dream trying to think up other jokes, or how I could use my lack of jokes as a joke. I also realized that my 3 jokes were all "what do you get ..." kind of jokes, which work one-on-one, but not so much in standup. Of course I realized that as I got up in front of the crowd.

And then the dream ended.

Headphones

Simone has been wearing an old pair of over-the ear Sony headphones that I no longer use. We called Nana on the phone through the computer so Simone could hear Nana (and talk to her). Now it's a very enticing activity.

One really nice thing about it is that Simone actually talks with the person on the other end of the phone because she gets to use the headphones and microphone. When she uses the regular phone, Simone often gets distracted, or just speaks very softly.

What I found funny was that when she wears the headphones (and is listening to music), she talks really loudly.

Faces

I saw this page: Made by Joel: Small Cardboard Cutouts, which reminded me of a recent change in Simone's drawing. She's now drawing people as round heads with hair. Very exciting to see the milestones.

Oh deer...

I stand up from the couch, look outside, and a 6-point buck looks back at me.

WTF?!?! He's eating the leaves off my Van cherry tree!

Now I have deer netting around the tree, looks ghetto, but I gotta save the tree.

Peas!

We have peas growing in the garden. Possibly more exciting than strawberries.

Did I Mention?

We got 14 yards of chips?

And we spread them around the new beds - that each have a working water spigot.

Pretty nifty, eh?

First Mountain Bike Ride With Hazel

I took Hazel on a ride today. We've been running together in the woods off and on for the past year and I decided it was time to try the bike. She's a little scared of bikes, which is convenient because it means she's unlikely to get in the way of my front tire, but I will work on getting her a little more comfortable with the bike.

We rode up the logging roads and came down Extendo. Hazel kept up real well and seemed to enjoy herself. Four and a half miles didn't wear her out - so next time we'll try two loops.

Tonight, however, it was a little late, and Simone and Mary had come out as well. They were just walking by the bottom of Extendo when Hazel and I finished - great timing.

Walking/riding back to the car was a great way to end the weekend.

Chamomile and Mint tea

Chamomile and mint tea, both picked from our yard. Simone had a great idea, and it was tasty!

4 Continues Even Today

We met Patty and Ken at Avery park and played on the big train there.

We all climbed on the train.

4 More

The fun continued at home, with a beautiful tutu.

Simone plays with a wonderful gift from Meme and Pepe.

All dressed up, ready for dinner - Japanese food.

4, It's Been 4 Years.

4 Years ago today, Simone Rose Jackson came into the world. Crazy.

Simone is sleeping on her futon next to our bed, exactly where she was born.

Crazy, it's crazy having a kid. But a ton of fun.

A special breakfast - apple puff pancake.

Her birthday was a preschool day too, and they have a special ceremony with a crown, cape (robe?), and wings. Miss Christine told a little story, and then we lit a candle for each year. For each year, May and I shared a memory from that year.

The memory of the first year was of Simone and Mary sitting out on the back patio, basking in the sun. Simone was but a couple days old and slightly jaundiced. You can see those pictures here.
The memory from the second year was Simone taking some of her first steps at Nana and Grandpa's house around Christmas. She was a bit wobbly, but pretty excited to be walking the 4-5 feet between us.

The third year memory was camping at Paradise Campground on the McKenzie River. Simone sat in her camp chair so proudly, and played in the bucket of water for hours. We all took a walk to Belknap Hot Springs, and Simone fell asleep in my arms. I laid down with her on a picnic table we came across to nap with her, but she woke.

I had many memories in the fourth year, but the one that stuck out the most was one time last summer when she and I were downtown, probably at the farmer's market. Simone wanted to run a little bit, so we both ran. She stopped and told me that I wasn't using my arms enough, I had to swing my elbows back and forth (you've got to see her determined run, with her right elbow pumping).

Now on to the fifth year.

A close up of her and the crown.

Pecan Mudslide Cookies

For mother's day, Mary hinted she wanted some chocolate for dessert, and who am I to get in between a loving mother and her ... chocolate.

I went through my bookmarks tagged chocolate and found several that sounded good. Mary was leaning toward chocolate chewies (for which we already have a recipe), and I pointed out the Pecan Mudslide Cookies from Chocolate and Zucchini (a blog I read occasionally).

The recipe is simple, requires few ingredients, and pretty quick to whip together. You do have to chill the dough for about 20 minutes before baking - mostly because the dough is like thick, melted chocolate... mmm... Then you bake them up for 15 minutes (don't over do it).

The cookies are rich, chocolaty, super tender (but they don't fall apart!) and one or two is plenty for dessert. Oh, and they're a nice big size.

I took the rest of them to work and gave most of them away - winning big raves.

Mark Bittman's Overnight Waffles

If you're thinking of making waffles, this is the recipe you should use. The waffles are flavorful all by themselves (though of course I add maple syrup), and cook up very crispy. Yum!

From Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon Instant yeast
• 2 cups All purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 cups Milk
• 8 tablespoon Butter melted and cooled
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract optional
• Canola Oil for brushing on waffle iron
• 2 eggs
  

Directions

1. The night before, combine the dry ingredients, stir in the milk,
then stir in butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and set
aside overnight at room temperature.

2. In the morning, preheat and oil the waffle iron. Separate the eggs
and stir the yolks into the batter. Beat the whites until they hold
soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter. (I don't know that you
need to actually seperate them.)

3. Pour batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done,
usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your iron. Serve immediately or
keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

Leftovers freeze beautifully and toast up almost as good as fresh.

A Day With Papa

Mary had obligations that took her away from home today, which meant a day with just Papa and Simone!

First things first, let me just say that...

Simone dressed herself, I had no hand in choosing any of the items of clothing, nor did I even assist in putting the clothing on. She was ready to go to the market.

And what do you get at the market in early May? Strawberries from Denison Farm of course. Mmmmm.... you don't know how good they are until you have them for the first time.

We chased each other from tree to tree, playing "catch me."

And the obligatory playing on Celia the dog.

What do a hippo, two pigs, and lunch have in common?

They're all photos with Simone!

Here she is doing her hippo impression.

A thoughtful pose at lunch.

And two piggy masks made by Simone.

Simone Update

Simone was doing "crazy eyes" the other night while taking a bath. Of course the cutest picture had no crazy eyes... We did have fun taking a bunch of blurry pictures though.

And here she is taking a nap - one of her few. She hasn't taken naps for nearly two years now. I don't know where she gets the energy - Mary and I both like taking naps.

The other updates... Simone is learning how to tell "knock knock..." jokes. Mary says all the kids are now telling them at school. They sit around saying "knock knock, who's there? fork! ha ha ha ha!" - they never get to the punch line. It's hilarious.

We did have a dry spell of no kissing with Simone, and luckily that's over. What seemed to help break the levy were some Richard Scarry books (a childhood favorite of mine) where two pigs were kissing. So we had "piggy kisses" where you touch noses and kiss with your lips. Now we're getting regular kisses, blown kisses, and butterfly kisses. I'm working on fish-lips kisses, so far I can't keep a straight face long enough to get a kiss.

Simone loves to send people cards - we've sent a bunch. Sometimes it's simply a decorated (empty) envelope, sometimes the envelope had a scribbled drawing or a colored picture, and sometimes there's an actual card inside the envelope. And stickers are often involved.

At Little Gym they stamp your hands/feet at the end, which used to be huge for Simone, but she seems to have grown out of it. We went to kid yoga this morning, and Simone didn't want a stamp. Perhaps they'll come back in the future...

"Why?" is starting to make its appearance as a common response, though the most common is still, "What did X say?" where X can be Hazel (the dog), a person, breakfast, the bowl, or the generic "they".

Pink is still huge. She mostly chooses pink clothes, dresses and skirts are big. For a while she didn't like tights, but those are in as well. It's fun to see what patterns she'll put together. I really should get some photos of them.

Mary and Simone went on a bike ride (Mary walked, Simone rode) the other day. It sounds like Simone is getting quite good - she took off down the road (up hill even) building up a head of steam. Mary was walking Hazel and couldn't help as Simone teetered off the edge and crashed. After a couple of minutes she hopped back on the bike and kept on riding. You go girl!

Simone turns four in 25 days, which is pretty amazing. So many changes, I want to get back into recording them on the blog because my memory isn't nearly as good as Simone's, and I want to remember this stuff.

Last Thanksgiving

Wow, I forgot about the Thanksgiving photos....

On that weekend we went for a walk and I spotted this mushroom in a thicket of trees:

Not only was it bright and beautiful. It was HUGE! It was nearly as large as Simone's head.

Here's a family photo for your enjoyment.

April Days

Mary got me a new camera for my birthday (because my old one died at Thanksgiving...).

And, we picked up a swing set from a friend whose kids outgrew it. Yay! While setting it up, Simone said, "Today is a great day!" - She was so excited.

This spring we're putting in raised beds in the back. Due to standard, Oregon, weather, and a plethora of activities (today's was a nap), it's taking longer than we figured. Not only are we adding beds (which are all in place), but also putting in water spigots to each of the beds. Half of the trench is dug, I've got about 25 feet left.

We have planted two of the beds. The one on the right has lots of peas, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and probably some other goodies. The bed to the left of that is full of .... asparagus! 40 plants (hoping they all survive). Most are sprouting little stalks.

And here Simone is being a frisky kitty. You can see the remnants of the dirt/compost pile in the back, which we're using to fill the beds. Once the beds are full and the pipe is laid, we'll put down a bunch (15 yards or so) of wood chips. Many many wheel barrow loads ahead of us.

Daylight Savings

Horrible, horrible idea. Forget the fact that it doesn't save any money or electricity.

Just think of how tough it is to explain to a 3.5 year old that it's time to go to bed, and yes it was dark last night when we went to bed, but tonight it is light. Why? Um...