chocolate fried pickles - taste just like PB&J

Sometimes I get the feeling that my little girl is tuning me out. This morning she answered everything I said with, "uh-huh." So I asked her, "do you eat chocolate fried pickles with your toes?"  She answered the same, "uh-huh," even nodding her head. I looked at her pointedly and repeated, "Do you eat CHOCOLATE FRIED PICKELS... with your toes?" 
"Uh-huh."
"What do they taste like?" 
"Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!" She grinned. 
Sometimes I get the feeling that my daughter is really the Cheshire Cat.

a spontanious dance off in real life????

Yes. I am being serious. My daughter challenged me to a dance-off in my own kitchen. After a few moments of complete crazy dancing on both our parts, she informed me that she won, being that her moves were so much "cooler."

Quote - Lewis Thomas

The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand.

Lewis Thomas

US author, biologist, physician (1913 - 1993)


An excellent brief bio about Lewis Thomas at this link

reason to love the internet: Orcharding


I've heard a lot of jokes about the internet and blogs/bloggers. I think that perhaps if you dive into the "sewer of information" and start swallowing everything that comes to you, a) GROSS, and b) are you some mindless zombie?! As with any of the media we are bombarded with everyday, it takes discernment, a touch of common sense, and a sense of humor. While we wade through all this muck and brouhaha, we can discover little bright spots of happiness and art. 

Last year I found this blog (yes I use the Blogger "next blog" button and get so annoyed when it's not on someone's page). The blog site/title is GENIUS. PURE GENIUS. It's one of those things when you see it you say, "If only I had thought of that first!" Also, I love her sense of humor. And the reason I'm posting this today: the pictures are wonderful! I love seeing other people's view of their every day world. I'm a shaky photographer at best, and have no Photoshop skills. That makes me appreciate someone else's frozen time and beauty so much more. This wonderful "Orcharding" picture made my day. I'm posting it here after seeing that Bethany just asks to be sited when you borrow her work. So, dear friends, admire this picture and stop by and visit Bethany's blog. 

this is my current *gasp* FACEBOOK status

1) whoever made cribs with beadboard on the inside never had to try to clean said beadboard


2) anything resembling the texture of gushy mud WILL be played with by a toddler 


3) toddlers think its a game to take their pj pants & diapers off  and they like this game because they are SO GOOD AT THAT GAME


4) never put a toddler to bed in cute little two piece PJs


5)!! NEVER, I REPEAT, *NEVER* BE FOOLED INTO THINKING BECAUSE THEY ARE LYING THERE QUIETLY DURING NAP TIME IN THEIR CRIB THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY *SLEEPING* 


Whoever said nap time is mama's nap time too, LIED.




Blogger: Random Question Prompt

From my Blogger profile:

Random Question: 
Describe the sound of a moist waffle falling onto a hot griddle.

I'm just going to pick on the question. I mean, it’s called “Random Question” but it’s not even posted as a question. And taking it just as a writing prompt statement, did they write it that way just to twist your brain to all the different ways it could be interpreted? Is the waffle "moist" because it's still in BATTER FORM? Or is there a special waffle trend that I've been completely left out of where you make a waffle, somehow soggify it and then throw it on a hot griddle? Maybe so. Perhaps I shall Google twice cooked waffles. On the other hand, did a moist but cooked waffle somehow get air born and happen to land in a hot griddle? This may or may NOT be the intended waffle landing site. If so, assuming a person was there, it would be a simultaneous dull thud and "OH CRAP!" Of course, if there was no one there to hear the waffle fall in the assumed kitchen, would it actually make any noise?

like mother like daughter... A Five Year Old's Dream: apparently the one where a whale comes up and then turns into a lady

This morning my daughter excitedly tells me: "Mommy! I dreamed last night that Daddy made me a big cool computer and I was playing on it and then it was so awesome and then I had the same dream again that I dream always. There was this giant whale and it came up and then turned into a lady and then turned back into a whale and there was another whale." Apparently that was the end of the dream. From her happy, somewhat thoughtful expression while she told me the tale (hehe hinting at a lame pun) it wasn't a scary dream. Hmmm. She needs to work on her descriptive abilities, as much as I always feel that I do after writing something up or telling someone a story. I'm still wondering what the rest of the details were about the whale turned lady turned whale. Oy vey! Like mother like daughter I suppose.

Dream: the one where i mostly watch it like a movie, a friend is living with two possesed dolls and there's a giant house being built

Last night I dreamed:
     I was leaving a house. It's an older, single level small home with a rickety wooden screen door that doesn't make any noise as it falls closed while I leave. I step off of the old boardwalk that runs the length of the house front and walk away. I know there is something there I am yet to accomplish - I'm putting it off.
    A few more steps down the dusty dirt road and I'm standing in, then just watching, a semi-futuristic hospital room. My friend Anwen is there, she's a nurse, listening intently to a doctor's instructions that I cannot hear. I see her nodding, yes, sir. I'm not surprised to see her, I know she's just moved back to the area and just getting started  as a nurse here. As the the doctor leaves, the patient watches Anwen's face as she turns to him- she's his life line here, he's very weak. Over all though, he doesn't look ill to me. Actually, he appears in excellent physical health, muscular, lightly tanned, golden blonde hair, intelligent eyes. They both exude a sweet innocence as they stare into each other's eyes. I can feel as clearly as though I could see some sort of electrical bond, a glowing blue force binding them together: in that look, they know fates are tied, nothing will separate them. Watching as an unseen presence, they talk, several days have passed while I watched here. He'll be discharged soon, if only they can hide their bond to each other and maintain the expected nurse-patient appearance. They have a plan. As he leaves, I am at Anwen's side. She smiles - she knew I would be there, to go with her.
   I follow her as we follow her steps in the plan. Go out the hallway and then we are on the way to a small antique town. We arrive by an old white school house church. It's the same one from Little House in the Prairie, the hill it sits on cut and pasted into a heavily wooded area. We head towards a steeply arced wooden bridge and the view changes, I'm watching alone from above the other side of the bridge as a wagon comes up from the school side.
   Russell Crowe is in an old buckboard wagon with the director of the new Robin Hood movie he's staring in (Crowe is working on a Robin Hood movie right now in RL, btw). Russell is dressed as Robin and the director, who is holding the reigns, is Friar Tuck. As they come over the top of the bridge about to start their descent, I worry how the two horses will handle the wagon and not be crushed by it. I picture their back legs bending under the press of the wagon. Then I feel Friar's reassurance, This is how it was always done! Everything will be fine. Actually, we'll be crossing several bridges that were built much like this one on the way. He's reassuring Russel. I get the impression of the hooves beating down on the bridge boards allegro staccato and the two lean sharply back from the momentum.
   I move on towards the right, heading to the town, a wisp floating to where I'll be watching next. I'm in the main section of town, passing over the house I left earlier. It's now the first house I come to, on the left side of the dirt road. I never see the buildings on the right. Someone is in that house. I should go back... instead I continue on, descending as I come to a five level house under construction. This is the house the community is building for Anwen and her handsome patient. He's very important to them - honored even. As I float down, it's night, bright stars are visible above the dense pine trees surrounding the town.
   I join Anwen on the third level, where she is getting ready. She points, my room is just down the unfinished hall. I can see the stars through the walls - there is just boards and yellow electrical wires. The walls are unfinished and I know if I were to look up, I would see through the next two floors to the completely finished roof. I get settled in. There are boxes and a sleeping bag on the floor. Everyone has been assigned a room and each room is expected to sleep at least two. I wonder at it in confusion for a moment, but am assured by Anwen's plan. I go down to the area in the front of the house and meet with some of the town folk. We move as a group to a modern high school cafeteria. The tables are in the back and the chairs are set up facing the end of the room where the school band has been arranged to play a welcoming concert for Anwen. I sit at her left in the front row. I don't hear the concert, but when it is finished, she must leave to get back to her room. I can hear the bustle of the crowd now as I look around the room. My husband in RL is suddenly at my side, carrying our young son, our daughter beside us. It's time to go back to the house. You know what needs to be done. He impresses this to me as he lays a hand on my arm.
   We walk back up the road to the house I left earlier. The brother of a close friend answers the door. Since our friend died, there have been two demons that have been visiting the house, causing unrest. They make their presence known by entering two large dolls that are normally just animated toys. I leave everyone in the front room as I follow the dolls into the kitchen. Suddenly they both stop, falling down. I can see myself standing by the cooking fireplace while one doll lies limp on the table, the other on a chair further in. They slowly become animated again and I know the two spirits have come. I've something to do to change their course, and free the home for the brother.
Dream over.