I do NOT have a problem

75%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

See, I actually thought it might be worse.
 

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Ma's Newsy Nuggets

OOoowee. Lotta stuffs today.

First, some unfinished gopher business...I have found no new hills in the yesterday's area of bombage, but it is still too early to declare a definitive victory. And on a side note, when I searched the Wal-Mart site for "gopher bomb," I came up with this...an Electronica album.

(well, I thought it was funny)
______________

How would it feel to be honored as "the world's worst poet?"

I could take a stab at it...
______________

"What to do
With Panda poo?
Boo hoo, hoo hoo,
Hoo hoo hoo."

(and that was without even trying...)

Such a shame I won't be able to attend the China Olympics.
______________

I always thought classical music was powerful. Now it has the ability to reduce crime.
______________

And last but not least, a serious concern for folks who live in the city: Rural children do better in math and science.

Is it because:
1) for every gopher I kill, my kids' IQ's increase 2 points?
2) eating zucchini allows one's neurons to make connections more readily?
3) rural people are more humble, and humble people are in a state of mind more suitable for ingesting knowledge?

The answer is out there, and it does not involve Panda poo.
 

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The Great Gopher War

The kids came running in the other day yelling, "Mommy, Mommy! The ground is moving! We can see a mole digging right now !"
Huh.

Gophers.

This means war.

I couldn't exactly go after them right then, what with excited kiddos watching. Somehow taking a spade and punching it into the sod over and over--while quite effective--didn't seem suitable.

No. These things must be done delicately...*cackle, cackle*

Fortunately I still had an unopened package of "the GIANT DESTROYER" in the garage.


But first one has to locate a tunnel which despite the piles of black dirt, are a bit tricksey to find.
A normal gopher will produce a fan-shaped mound of dirt. One faces the fan shape, finding the middle and goes backward 6 to 8 inches. Poking a prod into the earth, you can usually find the "sweet spot" where it obviously plunges into empty space, i.e., the tunnel.

I learned this from Mr. Yost at church and this is almost ALWAYS true....unless you are dealing with a nefarious, drunken gopher who does not know how to dig properly.

When this happens one has no choice but to start randomly digging up clumps of sod surrounding the mounds. I found a tunnel on the second or third try.

Confirm tunnel by poking prod into hole. You can also use your fingers...


It is now time to prepare the bomb. (I feel just like Edgar Montrose on the Red Green Show...."Ka-BOOM!" :-)
Insert wick into poisonous cylinder.

Light match....
...(this is harder than you think, one-handed)

Set wick on fire and...
...Quick Ma, QUICK! Put it in the hole, fer cryin' out loud!

Insert the lit side first and then plop that piece of sod back in place, tamping it down.
Don't worry. The gopher bomb will not be quenched. You'll hear it sizzling away underground.

You may also see wisps of smoke seeping out of cracks in the ground. (forgot to take a picture of this) Get some of the extra loose dirt and cover these...you will want all the gas possible to stay in the tunnels.

Now comes the part I like...imagining little gophers on their backs, paws clutched to their furry throats, coughing and gasping , "Ack, ack, ack...."

And it's just---that---easy.

Y'all have a nice day now.
 

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The "New" Church Dishwasher

In the theme of continuing education that is so prevalent in our church, it was announced that after the morning service an instructional time would be given in the kitchen as to the newly installed dishwasher.

I couldn't help but notice that none of the men were invited.

Pastor John with his, "Oh no, what is that woman doing NOW?" expression.
(the public's right to know, Pastor John...the public's right to know)

Women both young and...*cough*...mature were all agog as Pastor John went through the simple 12-step procedure...("Hi, my name is 'Ma' and I wash dishes...")
Ooooo, somebody wasn't paying attention. Lucky for Kendra her high school transcript is all finished or there could be ramifications of an academic nature.


The wash cycle only takes 2 minutes to complete. However, there was a brief waiting period for the tank to fill up. It was during this time that I took an informal poll of how many other dishwashers take as long as mine, an annoying 2 hours.Everyone else's lasts around 60 minutes. It's pretty depressing to think that I could clean our dishes quicker by carting them over to the church--a twenty-five minute drive--then doing them in my own home.

I'll bet they never taught THIS in seminary...

Pretty ironic...a man teaching us womenfolk how to operate the institutional dishwasher.

I think we should demand equal time. One of us female types should give a short seminar on how to fix a carburetor with a bobby pin.
 

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Inundated with Zucchini

As in lots.

They are four deep on the kitchen counter.

It makes today's Pickles cartoon all the more relevant.
 

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On the Brink

 

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Schizoid Skit Time

Well, I've finished writing up the skit for upcoming Family Camp. It's usually not a good sign when people read it sans laughter and then ask how long you've worked on something. It just makes me want to jump right in and start practice...

It's nothing special, I know, but at least it's done. Now I won't dread those four days quite so much.

Why should you dread wonderful Family Camp, you ask?

Because it means getting up at 5:30 every morning to do janitorial work, since those are the precise days I have to clean at the church down the road. (Thurs. Fri. Sat.)

It means taking everyone over by myself, every morning. Loren and Jason will cruise in for the evening meal and session after working on the house all day. Then Loren gets to go home while I stay with kids later than I want because "Family Camp only comes once a year, Mommy!"

It means carting kids around to various activities all afternoon or just sitting around watching other people have fun.

It means making sure everyone has semi-decent clothes to change into for the evening meetings.

It means getting little children home late for bed every night.

It means squeezing in a load or two of laundry some of those nights, so that kids can look presentable the next day.
____________

HOWEVER, it also means:

-good fellowship with many fine Christian folk.
-thoughtful/encouraging/challenging messages to listen to
-seeing Ardith on Saturday :-D
-not having to cook lunch or supper...YAY!
-Loren and Jason have to make their own lunch and somehow I find that extremely rewarding.
-no one's in diapers anymore, making my life easier
-no one takes an afternoon nap anymore, making my life easier. In fact, they get so tired that the little ones konk out, allowing me to hear the entire evening service without interruption.
-the chance to take lots of pictures...some with real blackmail potential :-)

I just have to survive shopping, mowing the lawn, two medical visits, helping cook up food ahead of time and a visit to two libraries.

No sweat.
 

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Reportage

The Diet Report: Pretty good :-) I forget what I weighed in at yesterday but I've already lost a pound or two.

The Sleep Report: Not bad. Sometimes it takes a little longer to drift off, but I'm taking an extra calcium/mag/zinc before bed. The magnesium seems to help with the restless twinges.

The Holiday Report it's....

NATIONAL MILK CHOCOLATE DAY!

Of course I am a dark chocolate aficionado, but that does not prevent me from the occasional dabblings in my first love, regular chocolate. This is pretty hard to do when one is on a diet, but I did snitch a wee bit of brownie, leftover from two nights ago. Many people do not realize that leftover brownies have a caloric wane time of 15 calories per day, so my "nibble" was 30 calories less than usual, which sounds like a diet to me.

On the whole though, I do recommend dark chocolate. Even a small bite can satisfy one's cocoa cravings, and it obviously contains less sugar. Good for the heart and blood pressure, too.

Today is also the birthday of Beatrix Potter :-D This is amazing pour moi as I am finishing up a large biography from el libraro. (what's even more amazing is the fact that much of its reading took place in the bathroom...)

Kudos go out to author Linda Lear for including 100 pages of footnotes making it even more possible to finish the book by Tuesday's due date deadline.

ANYWAY, Ma will be posting a review sometime in the near future, but suffice it to say I have enjoyed the reading and learned much. Despite getting married "late" in life and having no children of her own, Beatrix managed to have a profound influence on the lives of youngsters the world over. So....um...maybe we don't all have to be the same...

More historical remembrance:

Back in 1914 the First World War began. Exactly one month after a Serbian national assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Archduke Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

July 28th is (supposedly) the date of the First Fingerprint Taken, which I frankly question. First of all there is NO WAY this can be documented. Somebodies decided to give some-body the credit and it's been passed down through the ages because let's face it, no one wants to do a reprint of their 5th grader's history books.

Secondly, it's my opinion that mothers were using all KINDS of sleuthing techniques for EVER SO LONG in determining matters little and big, such as who took cookies from the cookie jar or which kid "borrowed" Mommy's camera and through a narcissistic misjudgment took a picture of himself...

Ah well.

I'll leave you with this handy household hint:

"Those who remember to turn their socks right-side-out before putting them in the hamper will forever incur the bliss and adoration of them that does their laundry."

 

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Ma's Newsy Nuggets

First some Iowa News...

Presidential Candidate John Edwards rode with Lance Armstrong in RAGBRAI! (remember...it's pronounced "rag-bray")

The part concerning Iowa goes up until the words "Trivia Time."

And our road (nearest blacktop) is even mentioned. T-16. And KESLEY. We were IN Kesley. If we'd have only waited a few more hours, I could have had a picture of Edwards eating a pork chop :-D

Opportunities like that don't come along every day.
_____________

Ice falling from the sky. See, this is why we live in the country. You never hear about ice chunks falling through a farmhouse.
_____________

Text-messaging to an extreme.

I have to confess...I don't even know how to text message. It's enough that I remember to turn my cell phone on when I leave the house.
 

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It's Diet Time

But just for five days.

Ma's noticed a couple of pounds creeping on and we're going to get on top of it, before it tops me.

My own version of the Idiot Proof Diet:
-four meals, and you only eat until comfortable, not full
-3 hours between meals
-mostly protein, veggies and fruit
-no dessert type foods
-the 3rd or middle day is three meals

Ma's allowances:
-power oatmeal for breakfast
-a very little bit of bitter chocolate after a meal

And onward !
____________________

That Holiday Thing--due to an untimely restart of my computer, I lost all my happy holiday tabs. This was the main reason for no holiday reportment in the last week or so. Relocating the proper websites is SUCH a bother and must have taken me 8 or 9 minutes this morning.

Boy, let's hope we don't have to go through THAT again...

July 27 is:

Bugs Bunny's Birthday (he debuted in Warner Brothers cartoon A Wild Hare)

There seems to be a slight discrepancy as to the next holiday...some sites list it as,

Take Your Pants For a Walk Day and others list it as,

Take Your Plants For a Walk Day.

So, because of a simple typo there is potential for the entire world to be in a state of confusion. I think the operative phrase is, go for a walk.

Another interesting item concerning this date in history:

in 1837 US Mint opens in Charlotte, NC
in 1844 Fire destroys the US mint at Charlotte, NC

Weird, huh?

As for me, I'm gonna walk down the road and do some church cleaning. This activity may not be written into the annals of history as a memorable occasion, but then again...you never know.

You might wish to jot it down on your calendars, just in case.
 

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Wonder of wonders....

It worked.

It took a long time but here is the album--including captions :-D--of our visit to the lake yesterday.

July 07 Pine Lake

I suppose this format works better for posting multiple pictures. Let me know what you think....
 

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Technology that doesn't work is stupid

I'll give Picasa Web Albums one more chance later today and if that doesn't work...

FORGET THEM!
 

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Pine Lakiness

Just a sprinkle of pictures this time. I hope to get up a Picasa Web Album in another day or two with more of yesterday's photos.

And I would have had this up yesterday evening except for Internet issues.

Fun was had by all, but a rousing game of keep-away (boys against girls) kept them busy for most of one hour.


With the help of Carolyn and Ethan who fixed lunch, I was able to finish up the lawn and grab a quick shower, after which we headed to Pine Lake for four hours of fun.

I put sunscreen on the noses but I see this morning I missed the tops of cheeks on a couple of kids. I imagine they will all survive.

We were quite beat on arriving home. Prodigious snacking meant I didn't have to fix an all out supper. Practically worth the endeavor, right there.

It's extraordinary how tired one becomes sitting under a shade tree, listening to the oldies station and snarfing almond M&M's and Diet Cherry Coke.


More pics to come on the Picasa Web Album, which I'm hoping is not to difficult for a technically challenged person such as myself.

Great time had by all. The little kids were practically begging me to go to bed an hour earlier than usual which means...

...we'll have to do this again.
 

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Life in the Yard

Went out for a quick walk-about in the yard this morning and was intrigued by this little mushroom previously unseen in my remembrance...
...an accordian-pleated cap with a delicate, translucent stem.

It must have popped up this morning for I mowed that section only last evening.

I don't have much time for an identification search at the moment and when I went back outside just minutes ago it had already withered in the sun.

I'll try again tomorrow as I have hopes of producing a spore print. Dad used to do this with me and it was always an interesting endeavor. Wish he were here to identify it for me...

One of two Echinacea colonies I saved and worked on from my original messy wildflower bed.
I think it's turned out rather well :-)

Not a lot of Hollyhocks this year. This timid one resides close to our heat pump.
Hollyhocks always look their best by a faded house or barn. How nice that we can oblige.

One of the volunteer Morning Glories that come up each year.


We'll be off on our first 07 excursion to Pine Lake directly after lunch. More pictures in a day or so but first, I have a date with the lawnmower...
 

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RAGBRAI !

No, Ma is not speaking in code. It's time for the 35th running of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

Pronounced "rag-bray," this yearly endeavor takes place the last week of July and is routinely mispronounced throughout that entire week as "rag-breye." (long "i")

I found this out by reading the beginning of a book I picked up at Goodwill around 6 months ago, RAGBRAI: Everyone Pronounces It Wrong.

It is written by one of the originators of the ride, along with his wife. Oh hey, my book is signed by by John and Ann Karras :-D so yes, I've got me an autographed copy.

EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT!

(so what if it's addressed to "Kathy")

What got me thinking about all of this was the knowledge that they were going to be in Hampton, which is only 19 miles from our house, and a sign I spied this afternoon...


I was heading north on that famous road hereabouts, the "Dumont Blacktop," with Nolan and Derek (and tag-a-long Trevor). We were traveling to Waverly for eyeglass replacement and repair. It was Derek who helped my confusion by announcing, "Oh yeah, Mr. DeBerg said the RAGBRAI riders were coming through Kesley." (where he and Kendra had been house-scraping and painting)

Well, we just whipped on over through Kesley and what did we see?

Nothing. They weren't there yet.

So we continued eastward and completed our ocular business and returned through Kesley once again...

..and they still weren't there.


But folks were setting up a tent.
There were about 3 or 4 men in-side, and I sure hope they made it out...

A nice row of necessities, which is representative of the number of households in Kesley. Seriously.
(hmmm...maybe I won't go on this bike ride, some day)

We were obviously still too early for the two-wheeled assemblage, but we did catch sight of this front runner, who was actually returning to the main group at this point.
Or, he could have been joining up for a temporary stint, as many folks do.

The above book's author made up the acronym for amusement, but it was taken seriously and the name stuck.

John Kerras and his fellow Des Moines Register Cohort, Donald Kaul made up this ride one year as a promotional tool for the Des Moines Register newspaper. Avid bicyclists, the two called it the Great Six-day Bicycle Ride Across Iowa and only hoped to have a good time, report on their daily experiences and have the paper pay their expenses.

Mr. Kerras did insert a small paragraph in the Register that stated, "Donald Kaul and I are going to ride from Sioux City to Davenport the week of Aug. 26 and we'd like to have as many of you as are able to join us along the way."

250 showed up the first day :-)

It has blossomed into a yearly event that those two men could never have envisioned 35 years ago.

"And no, Kaul and I hadn't the faintest intention in 1973, when we invented RAGBRAI, of creating the most successful newpaper promotion since William Randolph Heart started the Spanish-American war."

(pg. 3)

One of the biggest rewards of the ride is the outstanding welcome the riders receive all along the way. Small communities and little towns go out of their way to offer drinks, resting stations and port-a-potties.

And you get to dip you back wheel in the Missouri River at the start, and your front wheel in the Mississippi at the end.

Sounds like fun, no?

I don't know...maybe when the last kid goes to college.

After all, I'll only be 62...
 

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Look, Ma (has) No Cavities!

Oh yes, Ma is free and clear for another six monthos :-)

As are Derek and Carolyn. The last four children are booked for July, having taken care of the two collegos previously.

This afternoon I'll run Derek and Nolan in the opposite direction to get replacement lenses and frames, respectively. It'll be nice for Nolan not to sit right in front of the TV...

But first I have to get lunch for the crew. And before that I have to finish my pre-lunch snack of Diet Cherry Coke and mixed (deluxe) nuts.

Who'd have thought my summer schedule so busy?

In other news, thought I share of my latest July finds at Goodwill. They comprise trips to both Waterloo and Iowa Falls stores....
From left to right:
-David Halberstam's The Fifties
-Alison Weir's A Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine
-Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur

Not shown were a couple of Michael Crichton paperback books, one of which Ardith agreed to buy off me for ten bucks. At least, that's how I remember the conversation...

Also, something I know Loren is just terribly excited about, a film by Ken Burns:

Not for Ourselves Alone: the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony :-D

I paid $1.99 for two ninety minute tapes...not a bad deal if I do say so myself. And I do.

I'm planning to preview it when Loren takes Jason back to college. When the husband's away, Ma goes all radical.

Oh dear. My coke is done which means I have to prepare lunch....
 

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Another Scholastic Milestone

We have in this innocent-looking file folder the Competent Private Instruction Report registration forms for the 07/08 school year, all neatly filled out, printed, copied, collated and stapled.
Good thing it's done as the toner is running low.

Ma has finished these in record time this year, both in time spent and in early completion. I don't recall ever handing in the forms by the end of July and I plan to drop them off this morning on my way to grocery shopping.

Yay for Ma!

The books were ordered last week and have started rolling in just this morning, so I am feeling more on top of the educational game than usual.

Also in the works, Ma's cold turkey weaning from nightly Benadryl. I've been downing one at bedtime ever since just before Loren's transplant back in 2004. At that point it was recommended by a family member and since my mind was literally spinning with all the preparations and plans for being away from home for three months (not to mention the intensity of what Loren was undergoing) I acquiesced. It turned out to be a very good idea and I've never regretted the small addiction.

I continued its use post-transplant since I very much did not wish to get sick and expose Loren. (my losing sleep is one of the first steps to getting sick)

But now the time seems propitious. The common cold is not as immediate a danger to Loren and besides, that stuff slows down your metabolism!

So, two nights have passed without my little crutch. Pretty poor sleeping last night due in part to storms thundering through but I think we'll make it.

Also in the potential future, another 6 day run of the Idiot Proof Diet, as the dill pickle potato chips start to catch up, along with reduced mowing time due to scanty rainfall.

And then, glued to a chair while completing school forms hasn't done much for ye olde figure.

Ma's Proverb of the Day: "Be sure your chips will find you out."
 

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The Easy Bake Way

Once you have the oven on, you may as well keep on baking...

Today the oven produced 10 loaves of zucchini bread.

Two double batches.

And it only took a little shortening (2 2/3 cups), a little sugar (10 1/2 cups), a little flour (13 + cups) and the few oddments of salt, vanilla and mysterious baking powders.


Oh yes...and 11 zucchini. That was the whole point, you see, using up the squash that will not die.

The girls managed to produce five loaves of ordinary bread, too, but that hardly compares to me peeling all that squash and finally figuring out how the food processor works.

Hooray for me :-)
 

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Boy, don't you just hate it...

...when you check on the laundry only to find you forgot to start the dryer?

Oh well.

Here are some photos of what Kendra and Derek were involved with yesterday...

Upon arriving in Kesley we found the ever amiable Randy up on the porch roof.


Derek and Kendra were taken around back where they ascended the rear porch roof and scraped and brushed under Ezra Weikert's watchful eye.


From front to back--Marlys, Caleb and Chris Miller (I think).
I got an offer of 50 cents for my three zucchini from Caleb, but I think he meant for me to pay him to take them of my hands.

Six hours later a slightly altered crew was taking a snack break in front.
Randy was pleased since the entire house had been scraped and a fair piece painted.

Pert soon I'll try to have some of our home remodeling work documented in photos.
 

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The Ma Side

At an early age Bertram the Fawn was highly cognizant of the responsibility he would someday bear. It was not uncommon for him to be glimpsed at midday, tiny hooves firmly planted, determinedly practicing his "deer in the headlights" technique.
 

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The Playing Ground

Just so's ya know, not every-one is going to Potter Parties or waiting in line to buy the latest book.

I had to run into town yesterday and took the four youngest along for a stop at the playground...

Trevor climbing the corkscrew (in Iowa we call these augers)


Carolyn and Ethan wanted to stay on the spinning tire swing...


...funny how kids enjoy getting dizzy enough to make me sick


Ethan in an attempt to duplicate a great shot his Uncle Stan took at the reunion.
(I'll have to link to that album one of these days...there are tons of great shots)

Trevor excavating.
All that boy's thoughts and Lego creations revolve around fertilizers, combines and large machines.

Nolan climbing outside the lines.
Looks right peaceful, don't he...
____________

I would have posted more today but I spent a good part of the early afternoon working on a family letter. This is the main reason Hoyt men get married...to have someone to write their family letters for them.
 

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Today's Hols

I am SOOOoo behind.

For instance, we've missed Tapioca Pudding Day (15th), Cow Appreciation Day (18th) and one I just feel terrible about...Embrace Your Geekness Day (13th).

Now I can make tapioca pudding later this week, and you can be certain I will. And I suppose all the geeky people out their already knew of their special one day of the year in which they were not weird. But there are a lot of cows out there that will never get a hug and frankly, I'm gonna miss some sleep over that.

Nevertheless there are a couple of special items concerning today that are worth mentioning...

July 19th is:

National Raspberry Cake Day (I'm thinkin' there are at least 3 or 4 people in the world who might make raspberry cakes)

National Hot Dog Day

and...

Flitch Day!

If you're like me, you have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER concerning flitches, but the ignorance stops here, folks.

Half a pig is no small thing for a couple just starting into their second year of weddedness. I would have loved to have had that much meat when we were first married, just so long as it was wrapped up in those neat little styrofoam packages and labeled properly.

And I suppose being married for one year without argument would be a big deal for some, though I can honestly say that I have no recollection of any marital upsets in Loren's and my first year.

Those shock treatments were quite effective.

(I'm kidding)

More flitchy history at this site.

Another even more important remembrance of this date in history would include the First Women's Rights Convention which met in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848.

At this point Ma can veritably hear the echos of laughter and scorn across the ulta-conservative Christian population, but may I remind those guffawees of a few pertinent facts...

Back then, women could not:

-vote
-obtain custody of her children if her husband beat her and she wished to leave that environment
-enroll in any college
-have any voice in the making of laws to which she was subject

...just to name a few.

Let's not paint a movement as "filled with kooks" because a few strident oddballs are associated with it. To quote the NSA Family Encyclopedia, volume "WXYZ," (which I was forced to consult as our Internet temporarily bit the dust):

"Women were considered to have no legal existence once married: husband and wife were one person in the law and that person was the husband."

(pg. W-278.279)

Basically, daughters were owned by their fathers and then passed on as property to their husbands.

Oh,...sorry...but THAT BOTHERS ME!

Many decry the age we live in; the degradation of society and its morals. But I can think of more than one liberty that makes me grateful to be living at this time in history.

(Aw now....Ma has gone and made herself mad)

(There, there Ma. You need to calm down and make yourself some nice, soothing tapioca pudding)
 

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The Ma Side

Despite being born in a burrow, Chucky the Groundhog always felt he was meant to be a squirrel.
____________

As Melinda was walking around the north side of the house she heard a noise and spied this Marmota monax scrambling up the ash tree.
I didn't know these rodents climbed trees but apparently they will do so to rest, survey the land or escape from teenagers and other dangerous predators.


Groundhogs/woodchucks are also known as land beavers or whistlepigs.
And with a nickname like that, it's understandable why one might wish to hide in a tree.
 

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The Unofficial Chuch Picnic

It all came about during the opening Sunday School exercises led by Terry Jensen. He mentioned that (wife) Barb's birthday was coming up the following Sunday and hey, would everyone like to come out to their house for a picnic?

Of course, Loren knows that if he ever tried this it would be tantamount to signing his death warrant, but Barb is just a super good sport and that is how most of the church headed out to the Jensen Country Estate after morning church.

(pictures are posted smaller than usual, so click on them to enlarge)

I was drawn to this windmill, which makes a delicious and gentle creaking noise in the breeze.
New technology does a fly-over of the old.

Hordes of small children attack the swing set


Loren and Jason demonstrate their superb mingling skills


Game of bean bag toss


Pastor John listens, protected by his very cool hat.


The golf cart was a popular item for those 14 and under, and best of all, no one was hurt. (though I was told Nolan barely stopped in time while driving...)


Pastor John demonstrating his ability to see both sides of an issue


Sleepy kitty. This is in no way a reference to anyone's sermons.


Oh look! Ma finds someone else with impeccable tank taste :-)
The plump one on the left is me...the pretty one on the right is Kristin Helmke. And in case you've noticed that the background is similar to that used by NBC when they are covering the president in Crawford, Texas, you are right...it DOES look quite akin.

Ma's and Kris's autographs will be available for a nominal fee.

A sunny hot day. Nolan could almost see his food in that hat....


Elderberry flower, sightly pumped up with saturation from Picasa.


An excellent time had by all. I especially appreciated the fact that it was at someone else's house.
 

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