Relaxing with the Chickens
It has become a nightly ritual now to hold the chickens for a few last minutes before bed:
Daniel and Marigold:
Joseph and Nutmeg (Joseph is particularly fond of holding the chickens):
Alex and Beatrix:
Journal
Chicago Style Hot Dogs
Inspired by the hot dogs I saw in Chicago, I made this for lunch this weekend:
Complete with onions, relish, ketchup, mustard, and chopped jalapeños!
The Harvest
The largest watermelon, the black diamond, was not quite ripe yet when I was forced to pick it because of upcoming frost. Nevertheless, it was still pretty sweet, and it would have been delicious if we had a week or two more of summer. The striped crimson sweet were closer to being ripe, but as the plant put out two watermelons they were puny compared to the black diamond. The little pumpkin is extremely cute, and there are still three more left out in the garden almost ready to pick!
I picked corn in the beginning of august, and it didn’t do as well. The ears were not well kerneled, and very bland:
Some of it was downright disgusting!
On the very last day of June, our local nursery gave away a ton of seed packets to my brothers. I was doubtful whether any of the seedlings would be able to make fruit in the short time left, but we planted them in small pots anyway. We did get two zucchinis and some lettuce. There were also a lot of unripe bell peppers and tomatoes that were almost ready, but damaged by the frosty weather. Next year I will plant them in pots earlier, because I’ve discovered that using pots is the only way to prevent damage from those pesky ground squirrels.
Chicago
Our first stop in Chicago was the Shedd aquarium. Dominic really got a kick out of seeing the fish.
These beluga whales were one of the highlights of the visit for me. They seem to be permanently smiling!
Dominic loved these life-sized penguin statues.
We went to an amazing marine animals show. Here the beluga is ‘waving’.
Sea lion barking:
The pacific white sided dolphins were amazing!
There were some shark eggs on display, and inside the egg the baby shark was swimming around back and forth. It was so cool!
After our family finished at the aquarium, we walked along the lake and into the city to the Willis Tower.
We were there just as the sun was setting, which made a beautiful sight.
We also visited the Field Museum of Natural History and the Science and Industry Museum. Here are the boys posing with a train-the first to break past 100 miles per hour.
Delicious
I’ve been getting a small handful of raspberries about every other day for the last two weeks, and this is my absolute favorite way to eat them:
All….most….there!
June 2009.
That is when I started this over-ambitious project. I learned a lot of things while I was working on it, including to NEVER choose such a large and difficult project again. I wanted to make it for Baby Daniel when he was nine months old, but as the project took longer than I expected (and Daniel kept on growing) I started to get worried about it fitting. Plus, Daniel was THE chubbiest baby ever, and as I held my knitting up to his super roly-poly thighs I knew I had to tinker with the pattern. I added width and length to the legs and torso, which in turn made it take longer. In the meantime, he outgrew it. Fortunately, Dominic will be just the size to fit into it this winter, and now I am soooo close to finishing it.
Watching the Perseids
Well, the skies were perfect last night, and John, Maria, and I watched the meteors for more than an hour and a half. We were very comfortable, laying with pillows and blankets on the fort of our swing set. (We were thankful Dad never did put a tarp on the top.) It was the first year I’ve ever been comfortable watching the Perseids. Usually I can only bear to be outside for fifteen minutes before being driven inside by blood-sucking insects, but the drought this year has reduced the mosquito population to zero.
Despite the fact we were on the outskirts of a city, there were close to thirty shooting stars total, including one of the longest and brightest meteors I have ever seen! We also saw two bats fly directly overhead. The first hovered over Maria and John just moments after I had gone inside for a moment, and it scared them so much they grabbed the blankets and ran inside!
Here is the total number of meteors each of us saw last night:
Sarah:16
Maria:14
John: 8
Landon (only watched for fifteen minutes): 3
Mom (only watched for fifteen minutes): 3
I’m very happy we were able to get a good show, since the next few nights look like they might be cloudy.
Perseids Alert!
Don’t forget to look up into the northeast night sky for the next few days, for the annual Perseids shower is here! It peaks on the nights of the 11th and the 12, but often you can still see a good number on other nights. The moon widget on my blog sidebar says the moon is only 41% full, unlike last year when it was entirely full, so I’m hoping to see quite a few. Right now the skies are entirely clear, and I’m hoping the clouds cooperate tonight!
Picturesque
This corner of the garden makes me smile every day. Cheerful sunflowers stand out against morning glories rambling freely up the fence. But the moment is fleeting, for the morning glories begin to close as early as ten o’clock in the morning. Yet even when they are not blooming, the large leaves soften the look of the chain link fence behind the garden.
Do you see the bumble bee in the upper portion of the picture below?
See the pollen sack on the back legs!
The Ballet Recital (School Assignment from Last Year)
I’ve been going through some of my school work in from the last year or two, and I rediscovered a set of assignments for a writing class I took last summer. This was one of my favorites:
There were only a few minutes until the beginning of the annual dance recital, and I was fumbling with my pointe shoe ribbons, unable to tie them in my haste. Finally I was able to make a knot, and I looked up, sighing with relief. Noisy chatter bubbled through the immense, brightly lit room as dancers in vibrant costumes flitted from one end to the other like exotic birds in a tropical forest. I made my way to the crowded mirror where I smoothed my hair for the fifteenth time. Suddenly, faint music began in the distance, and my heart skipped a beat. Instantly the room fell silent, and each girl stood tense and still. The show had begun. Quietly, we lined up in the order we were to perform. My classmates gathered near me, and we adjusted the ribbons on each other’s costumes one last time. Then we stepped out of the warm light and ascended the dark flight of narrow steps to the stage.
Backstage was nearly pitch black, lit only by what light made its way through the curtains over the entrance to the stage. As I waited for my class’ turn to perform, I began to rehearse the dance in my head. Suddenly the choreography vanished from my mind. My heart thundered, my legs melted into pudding, and an icy hand gripped my heart. I tried to collect my thoughts, but there was no time. The audience was waiting. Heaving a deep breath, I led the way towards the deserted stage with my legs and arms trembling uncontrollably.
The music began to play and at once the steps leapt into my mind as fast as they had left. Confidently, I stepped onto the stage and began to dance. The blinding light dazzled my eyes and made me dizzy, for I could see nothing but the swirling red skirts of my companions. I thought surely I would fall, but somehow I managed to stay on my feet. Finally my eyes adjusted to the light, and the energy in the crescendoing music pulsed through my body. The thrill of performance gave life to my movements, and I danced and twirled and leapt as I had never done before. Too soon the melody faded, and I found myself curtseying low as applause rained down from the audience.
Colorful Corner
A mix of blooming petunias, balloon flowers, geraniums, zinnia, and marigold.
My Brother, the Wicked Witch
Landon has now endured an entire month of his new orthodontic device. It is designed to widen the roof of his mouth, and all his pain has certainly paid off. The change is dramatic, and his teeth have become a perfect costume accessory:
“Would you like an apple, dearie?”
Anonymous Quote
“Sarah, who wrote Mozart? Oh, oh, I know – Beethoven!”
Two New Bird Species in Five Minutes!
Hundreds of perusals through the bird book have really paid off — though I only saw the bird out of the corner of my eye, that crested outline silhouetted against the sky screamed ‘cedar waxwing.” For years I’ve been coveting the waxwing for my bird list, and I happened to step outside just in time to see it hopping in the neighbor’s tree. After getting a good look at it, I ran inside for my camera, knowing it might not be there when I returned. I was happy to see it was still around, although it paused in a visible location for only seconds before again vanishing into the heart of the leafy branches. Here’s the best picture I was able to take, though it doesn’t do its beauty justice:
Here’s a better picture from another site, so you know why I’ve been wanting to see one
Not long after I had gotten my camera and brought the entire family out to see the new species, a repetitive, screeching, “Keekeekee!” was heard and a new bird swooped onto the tip of our fir tree. This outline definitely was that of a raptor, though I wasn’t sure if it was a Peregrine Falcon or an American Falcon. I got such good pictures I was able to identify it later as an American Falcon.
Two amazing birds in just five minutes!