I kid you not...

Out of the blue, as Garion was finishing up dinner tonight:

"Dad. I think that Barack Obama says the right things, but I don't think he does all of them. That's why I'm voting for Hillary Clinton."*

Moses (while trying to maintain composure): "ohhhh...."

Garion: "and I'm also not voting for John Edwards or John Kerry."

(Moses and Kerry fall over in shock. )

Moses: "where did you hear about John Kerry?"

Garion: "the radio." (as in, "Dah. what planet are you guys living on?")
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*Garion's political views are not necessarily those of his parents.

Snowday

Moses was in the mood for a little adventure this weekend so we decided to head up to Mt. Lemmon to play in the snow. We followed Robert Frost's advice and chose the road less traveled by (a dirt track that starts in the town of Oracle and winds it's way to the top of the mountain) and it made all the difference. We got to the very top of the road only to discover that the gate was locked, which then entailed turning around and taking the long, winding, dirt path back down. We had a great time, Garion loved the snow, Moses loved his truck, and I loved my nice toasty warm socks. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The Book a Month Challenge!

I'm totally in. My friend Anali just turned me on to the Book a Month Challenge for 2008. Each month, the Book a Month folks (or folk, I think there might be only one) post a theme, participants read a book corresponding to that theme, and post a review. My kind of challenge! Stayed tuned in 2008 for fascinating, insightful, and otherwise erudite book reviews.
***
On somewhat, but not really, related topics, I totally want an Amazon Kindle. I'm not exactly sure why, since it costs ~$400 and I can pick-up books from the library FOR FREE, and books that I want to own at Bookmans, etc. for about $5.00 or less. But there's something about being able to download a book on the spot and have it instantly available that is powerfully enticing to me. I could be on vacation, decide that the book I have is a stinker, and just download another one right then and there (for $9.00). I also like the idea of being able to carry around multiple books at one time, without carrying around multiple books (since that requires a big bag). I have a little fantasy of myself carrying around my Kindle and casually pulling in out of my bag at lunch time, perusing the five to ten titles I have saved, and deciding what brilliant, literary work should accompany me while I partake of my leftovers and organic apple. There is no way on earth that I can justify spending $400 on this thing, but I still want it. ("What!?" you say, "how can Kerry-the-Ultimate-Justifier-of-Unnecessary-Purchases, like more shoes, not justify this!?" Library books are free, that's how I can't do it.)
Why is it, I wonder, that I am always so enthralled by these types of $400+ contraptions? (I've also been drooling over the iPhone for awhile, the Xtracycle cost a pretty penny-yay for work bonuses!-and I want to buy a television so I can watch swimmers and triathletes in the 2008 Summer Olympics. I also want several less than $400 things like a new purse even though the one I've been using is absolutely, completely fine and functional.) I know they will not make me happy. They will not improve my life in any meaningful way. I will enjoy them for a while, but then get used to them and they will not be special. My life without out them is completely wonderful (library books are FREE!!!, this is a wonderful thing! it is!). Why, why, why? I need a stuff vaccine that will make me immune to the charms of new and shiny crap.

My Knight in Purple Paper Armor

This is how Garion came home today: he burst through the door and said, "Look, Mama! I'm a knight!" He then explained that he had a "round," a sword, a knife, and arm things. Moses said, "you mean a crown," and Garion said, "no, a round, knights wear a round." Whatever. Here's an action shot.

A Little Bit Crazy

Yesterday, we invited ourselves up to our friends Chris and Anali's house for a long over due visit. Chris and Anali already had tickets for a concert of Baroque music performed by the Phoenix Symphony Chamber Orchestra. So, after some hemming and hawing, Moses and I decided that we were brave and we would go. With our child. Who is five. And who didn't nap that day. Crazy? You betcha! But you can never call us chickens! The concert took place in a church with the orchestra set up in the front and partially on the alter. We found a couple of seats in the front row, which meant that the last chair violinist was about two feet in front of us. Yes, not only did we take our child to symphony, but we drastically upped the ante by sitting nearly on top of a performer. Garion did fairly well, all things considered. He was particularly fascinated by a portion of the music in which the violinists played by plucking their strings (instead of bowing). However, he really wanted to have a conversation the whole time and described the music as "sleepy." (If only he had slept, I could have relaxed a little). By the end we were seriously pushing our luck, and I thought I might have to beg forgiveness of the last chair violin dude (who gets extra points for riding his bike to the concert!) who could probably see my fidgety five year old out of the corner of his eye the entire time. I'm afraid that yesterday we might have been those parents that other people were rolling their eyes at and saying, "what were they thinking, why would you bring a child that young to this kind of concert?" I guess it was just our turn to be the annoying parents; I vow to have more patience with other annoying parents in the future on the off chance that they aren't bad parents, they just made one sketchy decision that I happen to be suffering the results of at that moment.
On the other hand, I loved the concert. I so miss that time of my life when I used to go to live performances of whatever, all the time. But I especially love live music. I think my favorite sound in the world is of an orchestra tuning up--there is so much anticipation, I get so excited just thinking about what's about to come. Moses and I don't go to live performances often anymore just because it's hard to get a babysitter. But it occurred to me yesterday that there is no rule that says I can't go occasionally on my own, even if Moses can't come. There's also no rule, for most things, that says I can't bring Garion, although, I might try for performances that will be less "sleepy" for him and more interesting. There is, however, a rule that you can't bring a child under the age of six to Tucson Symphony Orchestra performances--I guess they're on to us.

Yep.

Last night at the dinner table, Garion asked us what is the name of the street we live on. We told him. This was followed by what street does Grandma Debbie live on? Anali and Chris? Uncle Robert? What street was camping on? and so on. After all this, Moses said, "ok, and what is our house on?" To which Garion earnestly replied, "Dirt!!"

Garmin Forerunner 205, ooooooooh

One of the bonuses of being married to a geek is that you get cool gadgets for your birthday. This year Moses and Garion got me the Garmin Forerunner 205, "a GPS-enabled trainer for runners." It can measure my time, distance, and pace for running and biking, can graph this information, can alert me when I 've hit a certain distance or time, has a "virtual trainer" that I can race against, can be programmed with various work-outs, can give me instant split and transitions times for multi-sport activities (aka triathlon times), estimates calories burned and I'm not positive, but I think it can also communicate with alien races. I took it out for a spin this morning and here are my stats, as beamed down by the little green men:

Distance: 4.31 miles
Time: 45:09 minutes
Average Pace: 10:28 minutes/mile
Average Speed: 5.7 mph
Max Speed: 6.7 mph
Calories burned: 477

This thing is so cool.
In two weeks I'm running in the Tucson Marathon Relay, where I will be 1/4 of a slow but awesome relay team. My leg will be 5.7 miles long (all down hill, thank-you, God) so with a little luck and some gravity assistance, I think I'll make it!

Cured!

By Ann Brashares of all people. Last week, while Moses was out of town, I whipped through "The Last Summer of You and Me" and this weekend I read "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" in two days-- both by Ann Brashares. Apparently I just needed young adult literature to get through my time of literary lethargy. This weekend, I also enjoyed watching the movie based on the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," which earned me eye-rolls not only from my husband, but from our friend Chris (who called to see if Moses was up for gaming Friday night, and responded with drawn out moan of disbelief--accompanied I am sure by eye-rolling, even though I couldn't see it-- when I confessed I was watching the traveling pants movie).
I'm on to the next book club book, "The Suite Francaise," which promises, like most bookclub books, to be both good and depressing--you know, well written but people you like die. Because it's World War II and that's what happened. And the author died in a concentration camp, so just a little extra depression there in case there wasn't enough in the book. By the time I'm done with it I'm sure I'll need another "traveling pants" book and I can test just exactly how far back in his head Moses can roll his eyes.

Aaargh, Happy Halloween Maties!

I DID IT!!!!!

Overall time: 1:45:02

123rd out of 155 (women)

AND! I beat 4 guys : )

Gettin' Chilly

One of my favorite bloggers, Crunchy Chicken (see nifty new blog roll at right) has issued a winter challenge to all of her readers: turn that thermostat down, down, down. Seeing as I live in typically toasty Tucson, I reckon this is a challenge I can handle. Moses is on board too. Garion does not have a vote, but I'll let him drink hot chocolate when it's really cold. So, this winter, temperatures in this household will be no higher than 68 when someone is home and awake will be cranked down to 55 at night and when no one is home. Burrrrrr. If you come to visit us, don't forget your sweater.
*********
In other challenging news, my triathlon is tomorrow and I'm staring to freak out--just a little. I had a bad run on Thursday so of course I'm obsessing about that, along with obsessing about falling off of my bike again in mid-course (thank goodness there are no trolley tracks), and about getting a flat tire, which I would then have to fix without guidance from my bike mechanic/husband. Also still trying to solve the clothing problem (I'll be going from the pool to the bike which means have nice breezes blow past me while I still have on a wet bathing suit.) Ok, not going to think about it anymore.......

The Quarter Inch Disease

I am presently suffering from a severe mental illness in which I am incapable of reading more than about a quarter inch worth of pages in any given book. The last, say, four books on my Library Thing list are all books that I have finished and set aside. I'm currently about 25 pages into State of Fear by Michael Crighton and I have a feeling that I might approach the quarter inch wall there as well. (Moses would say why even give it a quarter inch? He thinks Michael Crighton is deserving of the leave-one-the-shelf-and-don't-bother treatment and rolls his eyes everything time I bring home a Crighton book.) Should I even bother listing it on Library Thing? That seems to be sort of a mis-representation of my actual life in books--looks like I'm an avid reader and powering through all sorts of novels when, in reality, I'm a biblio-slacker floating around in sea of books with bookmarks at approximately a quarter of an inch in. I seriously have about ten books on my nightstand now in that exact state. I really don't know if it's just that I haven't picked up anything that strikes my fancy lately (bookclub stalled out in non-fiction land this month so I didn't even bother), or if I'm suffering a more serious malady. Is there a name for this affliction? Do I need drugs? Therapy? A swift kick in the ass? The situation is desperate. I don't have a TV, and I can't hog the X-box for DVD's every night!! I need to read! I need a book I can finish! Friends, help me! Please send me the titles of your all time favorite page turners, the books you absolutely could not put down because they sucked you in like a speck of dirt in Grumpator's new vacuum. Thank you.

51:36

That is how long it takes me to swim 825 meters and run 3 miles (in minutes and seconds). Yay! I didn't die! Although there were a couple of points on the run when I thought I might. And even though I didn't do the Aquathlon to compete or win or anything like that, I am ridiculously happy to report that I was faster than 14 people (and slower than about 60, but whatever, I'm a glass-is-half-full kinda gal).

Oh, What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Last summer, in a fit of "yeah-I-can-be-buff-if-I-want," I signed up for the Tinfoilman Triathlon here in Tucson. That would be an 825 meter swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run. All on the same day, one right after the other. Um, yeah. This triathlon thingy is only about two weeks away (Oct. 28th is d-day). Although I have been training, I think diligently, I'm now having some doubts about my ability to survive this trifecta of torture. What was I thinking? I'm not worried about the swim, 12 miles on a bike isn't really a big deal (on an extremely flat course), and I hit the 3 mile mark in my running training last week. But, put them together, and oy, WHAT WAS I THINKING? I can't back out now either because everybody and their uncle knows I'm signed up for this thing. I am just going to have to tough it out. Moses might have to peel my poor, limp body off the asphalt to take me home. And then hook me up to an IV of carbs. Maybe an IV of pancakes. Perhaps I can make it through if I focus on what an unbelievably big breakfast I will be justified in eating afterwards.
This weekend I'm doing an "Aquathlon" which is the 825 meter swim followed by a 3 mile run as a sort of dress rehearsal. The Aquathlon happens on the same course as the triathlon. Hopefully this will be an encouraging experience and not a preview of horrors to come. Wish me luck.

Hook Me Up, Xtracycle!

Today at work we had a small awards ceremony at which I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I, and the other members of my department, were the recipients of awards for dramatically reducing our case load over the last year, and doing a few other lawyer-ly things that the judges like us to do. In addition to a nifty certificate, we were also given a cash bonus. Yes, cash! Who knew this was possible? Anyway, the cash is enough for me to obtain the thing I have been coveting and coveting and coveting:

XTRACYCLE!!!! Is it not the most wonderful thing you have ever seen? I plan to also attach a stoker stem and handle bars and foot rests so that I can haul Garion around along with all my stuff. Oh, I will be one big, bad, hauling-by-bike machine! ********** Ok, in the interests of full disclosure, I had already ordered the Xtracycle about a month ago and have been preparing myslef to have no spending money until after Christamas. But now it all works out : ).

Just in case you missed it in the comments:

http://alwaysalwaysright.blogspot.com/

Where Grumpator Goes, There Go I, Arrgghh.

In honor of talk like a pirate day (a day late):

My pirate name is:

Red Prudentilla Kidd

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

His Father's Son

Said by Garion on the way home from school today:

"Mom, whenever I argue with someone at school, they are always wrong and I am always right."

Clean and Green

After Garion was born, I started reading a lot about the various chemicals and solvents sold in the grocery stores that we typically use to clean our homes with. Much of the research, some of which is just now staring to become more mainstream, suggests that many of those chemicals are not only unnecessarily harsh, but kill beneficial bacteria and have unknown consequences on humans exposed to their various fumes over a lifetime. Or, in a nutshell, lots of them probably give you cancer. I started looking for alternatives and here's what I've found for "make it yourself" cleaning products. I've been using my homemade products for a couple of years now and found that they clean just fine and smell nice too.

glass/window cleaner: 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tsp. dish washing liquid (I like the hippy kind from the hippy store). Mix it up, put it in a spray bottle and use the same way you would windex. Works great, no streaks and it is cheap, cheap, cheap. I also discovered, when I was to lazy to walk across the house one day, that rubbing alcohol works really well too.
*as a brief aside, I also quit using paper towels to clean the mirror/glass and started using rags or wash clothes, they work just as well and are nice and re-usable.

tub scrub: baking soda. If it's really bad baking soda and vinegar. If you want a little sudzing action, make a paste out of the baking soda and some dish washing liquid.

toilet bowl cleaner: straight vinegar, baking soda if you need to scrub. I have read, and it seems likely, that vinegar has lots of anti-bacterial properties.

all purpose, counter-top cleaner: 20 drops lavender or peppermint oil and two cups of water. Mix it up, put in a spray bottle and use like you would the other stuff. Lavender and peppermint are also supposed to have antibacterial properties.

fabric softener: I put about 1/2 cup of vinegar in a Downy ball and toss it in the wash. The vinegar works great but doesn't leave any kind of residue on your clothes (clothes do not smell like vinegar when done, which is nice, because who wants to walk around smelling like a salad?) As soon as I finish my current bottle of laundry detergent, I'm going to try making my own. I won't post the recipe yet, since I haven't tried it and therefore can't endorse it, but I'll let you know how it goes.

Go forth and clean green.

Too Busy to Blog, or Lazier than a Couch Potato Wilting in the August Sun

So, instead of blogging lately, I've been running around all over creation. On Labor Day weekend we labored ourselves up to my parents house where we had a lovely visit with two of my cousins from Spokane and their respective families. My brother brought down kayaks and I was persuaded to actually swim in the river. (My parents' house is right on the Verde River and they aren't even millionaires--I don't know what kind of extraordinary karma you have to have earned in your previous life to have a house on a river in Arizona, but apparently my parents were the Mother Theresa and Abraham Lincoln of their past lives because they've got it.) Normally I have nothing against swimming in rivers but this time of year it requires a near act of heroism for me to get in the Verde. Because instead of its normal beautiful green murky color this time of year, the Verde River in August is a robust shade of brown. As in a shade somewhere between two month old baby poop and cow pie. It's like swimming in a big stinky mud puddle. As an extra bonus, the bottom was nice a mucky and every time you stepped in the muck, little bubbles came floating to the top that smelled like cow shit when they popped. Yeah, that was just as special as it sounds. It was so bad that my brother's fiance lost one of her shoes in the muck and we never found it--that is some serious muck, people. Regardless of the muck and swamp gas, fun was had by all.
Last weekend, my mom and I went on a great trip to San Diego. I had a conference on Thursday and Friday and then my mom and I stayed to play the rest of weekend. Saturday was a picture postcard kind of day. The temperature was in the 70's as we strolled around Coronado Island and planted ourselves at the beach for a while. Palm trees were swaying, the ocean was waving (or whatever oceans do), and the living was easy. I could have stayed forever. Sigh. Work is so never going to be featured on any postcard.....sigh......

Temporal Gulch

"Life's journey is not about arriving at the gate well preserved, it's about skidding in sideways, all used up and worn out and yelling, 'Damn! What a ride!!!!"

I have to admit to feeling some remorseful longing lately for the good old days when I had two, if not pretty, at least un-scarred knees. And, truth be told, no stretch marks. And no c-section scar. I've sort of had this general sense that I'm only 31 and already my body's looking rather worse for the wear. So, when I saw this quote a little earlier this week, it sort of screamed out at me. As in, yes I have a nice set of nasty scars on my knees, that look awful with skirts, but at least I got them doing something I love--riding my bike to work. And yes my stretch marks and c-section scar are not lovely either, but my son definitely is and he is totally worth every mark his existence has left. And also, the lines around my eyes and mouth are from laughing hard and often, so who am I to complain? Honestly, what's the alternative 50 years down the road? The cosmetic-surgery nightmare that is Joan Rivers or a dried up old hag who has no stories to tell because she never had any fun, or adventures, or pain. Yikes! I think I'll take my beat-up self, use it up, wear it out, and be happy......
In pursuit of wearing ourselves and our truck out, today when we went on an adventure on an off road trail near Patagonia. The area was called Temporal Gulch (photos here). Neither Moses nor I, nor Garion for that matter, had ever been to the Patagonia area before, despite have lived in Tucson for over a decade (4.5 years for Garion). It was amazingly beautiful. The area is full of gorgeous old oak and juniper trees, with a few pines at higher elevations, and our trail took us back and forth several times over a shallow creek (I think Sonoita Creek). We had a great time exploring and we definitely plan to head back for camping and more extended adventuring.

Favorite Green Blogs

I do a bit more Internet surfing that is probably healthy for someone whose supposed to be working, and, ah-hem, not surfing....but whatever. I've really been enjoying some excellent "green" blogs lately and am finding all sorts of sources for inspiration. Here are my top five favorites (some day I'll create a blog roll, but for now this will have to do) :

No Impact Man--An author and his family, living in New York City, attempt to re-arrange their lives to have zero environmental impact. About a month ago, they turned off their electricity--such courage!
Green as a Thistle--Everyday the author makes one green change, the challenge is to keep it up for a year. Everyday I read it I think, what in the world is left? Quite the cliff hanger.
Crunchy Chicken--Good blog, great name!
Little Blog in the Big Woods--This man has lived off the grid for 30 years. He also makes giving up your refrigerator sound like a good idea (but I'm too chicken to do it). He reminds me of Moses's dad in some ways.
Causabon's Book--This woman is one tough, smart cookie. I find her to be constantly intellectually and morally challenging.
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And just for good measure, some of my favorite bicycle blogs:
Kent's Bike Blog--This man just finished up touring Washington state and Portland. He's got great comments about bicycle commuting, touring, and communities.
Zero Per Gallon--I totally understand how he feels about goats.
Rocbike.com-- This blog offers up a daily digest of bicycle related links among another things.
The Practical Pedal--This is a new magazine and blog about, you guessed it, practical cycling. They had some great articles in the first issue. Check out the dutch cargo bikes!

Remember Me?

Last week we traveled to California, and by traveled I mean we slogged through the whole freakin' state... nearly. Moses's brother, Cedar, got married on Aug. 4th and we decided that as long as we were traveling to California, we might as well visit everyone there that we're related to. The wedding was at Pebble Beach in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean. After that, we headed up to Redding to visit my dad and check out his new digs. He has a pool and Garion made good use of it. After that, we headed to Shasta Lake where Moses's oldest brother, Eddie, and Eddie's wife Cyndie have a gorgeous home on 5 acres about 2 miles from the lake. We toured Shasta caverns one day and then spend the next on Eddie and Cyndie's boat. Garion got to drive the boat and remarked to be later, "Mom! I didn't even have a boat driving license!" Don't tell the authorities, please. Next we mosied our way down I-5 to the LA area, where we visited Moses' Aunt Sharon and Uncle Joe. They took us to the LA Zoo. Garion declined the offer of living in his very own zoo exhibit, but did except the free t-shirt that comes with Aunt Sharon and Uncle Joe's membership. We had a great time but are ready to be homebodies for awhile. You can view the photos of our trip here.

Book Review: I Heart Snape

Caution: Minor Spoilers Ahead
Oh man. I stayed up an hour and a half past my bedtime last night to finish the last Harry Potter. And I have to say, I knew it! I knew Snape couldn't be evil. Although I have of course worried an fretted over Harry, Ron, and Hermione, I think Snape turned out to be the most interesting character of the series and certainly the most heroic. Harry got to be brave with the love and support of friends, but after Dumbledore died, Snape must have been the loneliest person in the world. Everyone he was helping hated him. And he protected Harry, as he said he would, until the last possible moment. Because he loved Lily! Ah, man that was good! And I loved the bit when Harry considers how much Hogwarts meant to him, and Voldemort, and Snape, the abandoned boys. Sigh. I don't even feel like reading my next book (which is a book club selection) because I'm still so wrapped up in the Harry Potter saga.

Rain

Garion started a new daycare about six weeks ago. I had heard wonderful things about the new daycare from some families who had sent kids there. I knew that I wanted to send Garion to the school, and was thrilled when they had an opening for him, but I was sure that we would have a long, tough transition to the new place, new teachers, and new friends.
On the first day, Garion shocked me by being not only not apprehensive about the new school but downright enthusiastic. Since then, I've been really pleased with the quality of the teachers and the program and I am so grateful for the opportunity for Garion to have this kind of experience.
This was reinforced yesterday when I picked Garion up. It was raining outside and Garion and two of his classmates were sitting up on top of a counter (by the guinea pigs) under the window, shoes off, and watching the rain. I can't remember the last time I was three four-year-olds in calmly sitting in one spot, never mind doing something as utterly peaceful as watching rain. I love that kind of relaxed, open atmosphere at this new school. It was a tough decision to switch schools but I'm glad we did.

Nice!

On my way home today, I ended up in a pack of about 10 or so bikes traveling along the Third St. bike route--it was just like the Tour de France. Except minus the fruity spandex clothing and plus some backpacks and a dude with a cell phone. I was in a peloton! It was so exciting.
The problem with my peloton was that it was kind of a slow peloton and I was trapped on the inside by two lollygaggers in front of me and a couple of riders on the outside. I listened a bit while Lollygagger A and Lollygagger B discussed the merits of the bike route, and how now that they rode their bikes there were more conscious of bikes when drive. I told myself the slow pace was fine, I didn't mind the easy ride home, it'd be very pleasant.
Except that after a while I felt a surge in my legs, a desire to feel the wind in my bike helmet: I felt the need for speed. The two riders on the outside turned off and I saw the chance to make my move. I looked left--no traffic. I centered my will, moved to out to the left of the two Lollygaggers, and turned the power on, baby.
As I was whipped past the Lollygaggers, with my trailer, going up hill (slightly), I heard Lollygagger A remark:

"NICE!"

Was it for me? I don't really know, but I'd like to think Lollygagger A knows awesome biking prowess when he sees it.

Book Review: Jesus, a Novel by Paul Wangerin

This book is basically what it says it is, the story of Jesus in a novelized form. You know the characters and the story, so I'll skip the summary. I think the point was humanize some of the central figures of the New Testament to make them easier to relate to, but to be honest, the book fell flat. Mary was portrayed as the stereotypical Jewish mother and Simon Peter was made into a big oafish clown. I found the book really difficult to finish, and I think partly because I already knew the end. We talked about this in book club, and one of the members said she thinks the lack of tension was really the fault of the author; there are a lot of stories whose end we already know, but who manage to make you hang on the edge of your seat regardless. Overall, I'd say this book was just blah, and I wouldn't recommend it.
For those of you (yeah I know this phrase is a little presumptuous because I think I have all of about three readers, one of whom I'm married to) who are wondering why my book club would pick this book, a word of explanation: I'm actually in two book clubs, one at work (which would not have picked this book) and another with my uncle, grandmother, and some friends in which we read books about Catholicism or faith in general. Although some of the Catholic books are total duds, kind of like this one, I'm immensely enjoying the opportunity to talk about issues of faith with a group of smart, thinking grown-ups. (In contrast to my smart, thinking child who asks me questions about God like, "could God eat a whole house?" or "how many eyeballs does God have? Does he have infinity eyeballs?")

Back in the Saddle

We did it. Garion and I braved stupid hot weather to bike to work on Friday, not quite as stupid hot as earlier in the week (only 103), but stupid hot enough. The morning wasn't too bad but the ride home, was to be frank, a bitch. Anali's first law of biking proved true--it was raining and no matter which way I turned, I was riding directly into the wind. Thankfully, Moses picked Garion up from daycare, so I only had the empty trailer to tow home. However, that stupid trailer still might as well have been a Greyhound bus--it acted like a big sail in the wind, pulling the bike in the opposite direction from the one I really, really wanted to go. Some guy running, i.e. on his feet, with a stroller, almost passed me, as did every other trailer-less bike on the road. I actually considered turning around and riding the opposite direction, just for the pleasure of not riding into the wind, but then I remembered the first law of biking. And also I wanted to go home. I used almost my lowest gear to go up a very mild hill, and actually had to pedal to get myself down the hills. I made it though, and I have to admit that riding in the rain was very refreshing : )
Today's ride was much better. Very pleasant in the morning and, even though I had Garion and the CSA share in the trailer, a pretty easy ride home. Garion asked me at one point if the trolley tracks were nearby. Apparently I've convinced him that trolley tracks=death. I'm not crazy about the trailer, but it's an effective way to my kid and my stuff from point A to point B, with no gasoline (yay!), so I intend to keep it up, barring any further disasters. Unfortunately, Garion's a little tall for the trailer. Pretty soon I think we're going to have to fold him in half to stuff him in there.

Book Review: In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

Ah, summer. When I ignore book club and read whatever I want. Sort of. You'll notice I'm currently reading "Jesus: A Novel" which is actually a book club book. Because I have book club on Saturday and feel like I need to have something to talk about, rather than just going for the snacks. Anyway, In Her Shoes is about two sisters, Maggie and Rose (see how well I paid attention to this book?) and their grandmother, Ella. Maggie and Rose's mother died when they were small, their father remarried a witch and Maggie and Rose I have since simultaneously relied on each other while making each other crazy. Ella was shut out of the sisters' lives by their father after their mother's death and is looking for an opportunity to re-enter. Also, all three women love shoes and wear the same size, which is really convenient when you're coveting shoes. The book is about how the three eventually come to understand each other despite being separated by time (the sisters and the grandmother) and a really fight between the sisters. Although it sounds a little heavy, it's actually got some very funny parts and was highly enjoyable. I'm pretty sure that I'll be reading more of Weiner's books.
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Ouwie update: all better! Garion and I tried the bike + bike trailer yesterday and everything went fairly well. (I picked up a bike trailer on craigslist because I'm now a little bit nervous about towing Garion on the trail-a-bike). The plan is to resume riding to work tomorrow--assuming that I can convince myself it's not too hot : ).

Eight Random Facts

Anali at Grumpator tagged me for "eight random facts" about myself so here goes:

(1) I will eat a raw beet but I will not, unless under great duress, eat a pickled beet.

(2) There's a purple leafed plant growing in my garden and I have no idea what it is. My father-in-law promised that all the seeds he gave us are food. We'll see.

(3) I am 1/8th Cree and Chippewa Indian (my great aunts and uncles call this "mitchif" meaning mixed because everybody there is French/Indian mixed blood, but mitchif can refer to anyone who is mixed). The reservation that that my part of my family lives on is the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indian reservation in North Dakota and is considered Chippewa, even though most of the people there are more Cree than Chippewa. Apparently at the time the reservation treaty was signed, the law required a full-blooded Indian to sign and the only full-blooded guy around was Chippewa. So there you go.

(4) I finished a Janet Evanovich novel a week or so ago but I didn't put it on my Library Thing account because I was too embarrassed to admit I was reading Janet Evanovich. But I do enjoy mindless reading every now and then, or more accurately all summer.

(5) I spent one summer in college working for a funeral home where my job was, among other things, to drive bodies to the crematorium (in a big box) and then pick them up the next day (in a little box).

(6) In high school, Moses asked me to the prom and I turned him down.

(7) I'm thinking about doing a triathlon in October, but I haven't worked up the courage to register yet, and also a week ago I scraped all the skin off my knees so I'm not feeling so athletic.

(8) I harvested a beautiful roma tomato from our garden tonight (see above right).

The Root of the Problem

So, what's a Kohlrabi? Good freakin' question. I got one last week in our Community Supported Agriculture ("CSA") share. Every day I opened the refrigerator and it stared at me, defiantly, as if to say, "I dare you to find a way to put me into dinner! I dare you! I dare you! Try to eat me!! You are a mere mortal and I am Mighty Kohlrabi!! Bow to my blobby, rooty superiority--you will not conquer!" Finally I got out a big knife, killed it, and put in a soup.
Which brings me to the thing about this whole eating locally and seasonally. The weekend before last, we were visiting some good friends and conversation turned to sustainable eating and whether or not it's practical to think that everyone in world could eat organically grown, local, seasonal produce. Specifically, could a climate like Arizona realistically support its population strictly on locally grown, organic produce and meat? Is there enough farm-able land? Enough water? I'd like to think if we were really willing it could be done, and clearly it was done in the past (although there were a lot fewer people), but the truth is I don't know if it is reasonable to expect everyone to hop on board the non-processed food train. Because, to be honest, I'm not always on board. I know that I'm supposed confront the weird veggies in my CSA share with a sense of open minded adventure. But then I have a week when I'm really tired, and my ouwies still hurt, and I don't feel like cooking and I've got some funky looking thing in my vegetable bin that's going to go bad if I don't deal with it, and I just want my simple broccoli and cauliflower and carrots from New Zealand or Albania or wherever, all cleaned and chopped, and ready for mindless consumption. If I, someone who feels pretty strongly that we need to change the way we interact with the world, especially in the way we grow and eat food, is struggling with this, how could we ever convince a large portion of population to voluntaryily give up convenience eating? Maybe the answer is that we never will, but eventually someday, everybody will be forced to eat this "new" way because gas and oil will just be too expensive to support the well traveled melon and its cousin the amazing traveling zucchini. There's a happy slogan for conscious food consumption: "Eat Local or Die." Maybe that's what it'll take for me to get it too.

Book Review: Prey by Michael Crichton

Something about summer makes me only want to read the novelized equivalent of People magazine. I'm not a wit interested in my book club book (Inheritance of Loss, in which I've stalled out at about 3/4 of the way through), so I've been scrounging the library for literary distractions. Which led me to the Michael Crichton shelf.
The main character is Prey is an out of work software developer in Silicon Valley who's playing stay at home dad while looking for new work. His wife, a child psychologist, is, for some reason not very well explained, employed as a vice president of a big company developing nano-technology. The wife works long hours and comes home acting weird, so when the main character (see what an impression they made on me, I can't even remember their names) gets offered a job at the big company he takes it. He arrives to find that researchers at the company have released a "swarm" of nano-particles into the environment that are programmed with predator/prey behaviors. The company has lost control of the swarm, main character must save the day, and fun and hilarity ensues. Okay, maybe not fun an hilarity, but a least page turning.
Probably needless to say, this work will not go down in annals of great literature, but it was fun to read and had a nice, satisfying plot line. None of this "character study" crap that I have no patience for in summer.
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Ouwie update: they still hurt. Also, the "hurt-free" antiseptic wash is not hurt--free, that claim is a complete marketing lie. It's about as hurt-free as as Twinkies are fat free. It is hurt-full, as in it hurts like hell to put on, as in I have practice the breathing I learned in child-birth class just to work up the courage to squirt some on. And I am so sorry, Garion, that I never believed when you screamed, "IT HURTS!!!" because now I know it totally does.

Wipeout

I am such an idiot. This morning, while happily riding my bike to work I got into a tussle with some railroad tracks and the railroad tracks won. The idiot part is because I soon as a started crossing over, I knew I was hitting the tracks at the wrong angle, and then smack! I was on the ground. And bleeding from five different places ordered here from top to bottom: chin, shoulder, both knees, and my ankle. I considered including a picture, but truth be told it's gross, and the internet really doesn't need anymore gross pictures. I also managed to bend up my bike a bit (but I think Moses can fix it). I of course called Moses to come rescue me--I am so glad he had a phone today because I was exactly half way between home in work, and I'm not sure which way I would have started limping if I had to get home on my own. Garion took one look at me started bawling, which was exactly what I wanted to do, but felt I should try to hold it together while in public. I asked him if I could have a Sponge-Bob band aid, but he said no, so I guess he wasn't feeling too bad for me : ). I decided to take the rest of today off to nurse my wounds and have treated myself with a liberal dose of antibiotic ointment and an iced mocha from Starbucks. I'm planning to hunker down for a Lord of the Rings marathon--I think watching other people getting seriously beat-up will help me forget how much my ouwies hurt.

Geeky Thoughts

Since January, I've been taking a lap swimming class twice a week through Tucson's Parks and Recreation. I love to swim and this class has been a great way for me to build some stamina and release some stress. As part of my new resolution to kick the car habit as much as possible, this morning I decided I'd ride my bike to my swimming class and then ride work. Which I did. Which means riding my bike at 5:oo in the morning because my swimming class is at the ungodly hour of 5:30. This also means riding my bike to work after an hour of swimming. Needless to say, by the time I got to work this morning, I was starving. If it had taken me any longer to open my containers of yogurt and granola, I probably would have resorted to eating the plants in my office. Also, I still had to ride to home--I think I'm going sleep really good tonight. And probably have sore legs tomorrow. I wish that my body could respond as instantly to my desire to bike everywhere as quickly as I've decided that this is something I should do; I can hardly wait until the day when I can bike, plus swim, plus ride home and not feel completely wiped.
On the other hand, now that I've done it once, I know it can be done and I'm feeling even more encouraged to bike whenever I can. Which leads to the shamefully geeky thought I had today as I was contemplating the wonderfulness of my bicycle: wouldn't it be great if you could choose as bicycle as your mount in World of Warcraft?! You could ride around smiting the forces of evil from your slick, two wheeled steed that didn't require the upkeep of horse but still moved you efficiently from point A to point B and didn't pollute the world with those mechanical chickens or whatever they are! AND!! you could have a bicycle helmet for your head, like a bike helmet +50 to armor, +100 to intellect (because you'd made the intelligent choice to ride a bike!), and +200 to stamina (because think of all that extra exercise you'd be getting!)!! It would be sooooooo kewl.

We Didn't Die!!

I'm pleased to report that Garion and I had two separate trail-a-bike adventures and we are still alive to tell about them. We made it to daycare on Friday and to swimming lesson sign-up on Saturday. I feel like should get an I-didn't-drive-my-car-for-two days gold star. Riding a bicycle with the trail-a-bike and Garion attached is sort of like riding a bike drunk (I suspect), or maybe like having an alien being in control of your bike, or maybe like riding on ice--lots of weird movement and very little control. But hey, we lived!
I've been jonesing for an Xtracycle attachment for my bicycle and a couple of days with the trail-a-bike has reinforced my coveting. The only problem is the Xtracycle is expensive, and I mean like a car payment expensive. If I save up all my allotted spending money, I can buy one in three months (with a contribution also from Moses's spending money, because he says it'd be worth it just so I'd quit yammering about the Xtracycle)--we'll see if I have that much discipline. In the mean time, I'm making Moses tow the trail-a-bike.

Wish me luck

In an effort to reduce my negative impact on this world, save some money on gas and parking, and to whip my lazy butt into shape, I've started riding my bike to work. Moses and Garion are also riding via a contraption called a trail-a-bike. It's sort of a third wheel with a seat that Moses attaches to the back of his bike on which Garion "rides." Moses is out of town and so far this weak I've been too chicken to try the trail-a-bike on my own. However, I'm summoning my courage, and tomorrow we're going to try it. The first obstacle is hooking it up and I'm a little skeptical about my abilities, but I'm willing to try my hand bicycle mechanic to save the earth or at least some gas. Then tomorrow, we'll sloowwwwly ride to daycare/work. Apparently the adult bike is fairly wobbly with the trail-a-bike and kid attached, so I'm really hoping that I don't kill both of us because Moses would be a lost soul without us. Wish us luck, think happy thoughts, wiggle your nose, we're probably going to need all the help we can get.
On another note, we picked the second and third cherry tomatoes tonight--delicious! Maybe some day we'll have enough for a whole salad.
On a third note, the link in my previous post is fixed and you should now be able to seeks some pics of Jerome.

Lasagna in the Highest

This weekend, Moses and I went to Jerome for the weekend to celebrate our seventh anniversary while my parents watched Garion. Garion had such a great time that he actually started crying when we pulled up into the driveway of my parents' house. Which I guess is good because Garion clearly loves his grandparents and feels secure with them. However, it is very bad for my motherly self-esteem--am I expendable? Garion assured me later it wasn't personal, he just didn't want to go home. It was fine if Moses and I were around, as long as we were around at my parents' house, and not going home. Not going home was the key part.
Garion also really impressed my parents by demonstrating to them what a great job I'm doing teaching him about issues of faith. On the way home from church, Garion informed my Mom that he knew some church songs.
"You do?" she asked, "which ones?"
Garion: "I know the lasagna one." Pause on my parents' part.
My mom: "sing it for me so I know how it goes."
Garion: "lasagna in the highest and peace to his people on earth."
Oh my. I guess my step-dad, Larry, nearly choked trying not to laugh too hard. I can see now that I'm going to be standing before the pearly gates on judgement day and this is what it's going to come down to: "Kerry you were charged with raising a decent human being and educating that human being about the ways of God. Yet, it appears that instead of singing the praises of God, you allowed your son to sing the praises of Italian pasta dishes--what say you?" Me: "ummm--does God like lasagna?"
Regardless, Moses and I had a lovely weekend. Jerome is a great town for walking around and generally doing nothing in. You can see some photos from the trip here. We also played multiple rounds of "Lost City" a two-player game given to us by some friends nearly a year ago. I ashamed to say that we haven't played before this weekend--turns out we have to go away for a weekend to carve out enough time to focus on each another long enough to play a card game. Moses, Mr. Math, kicked my butt in the game on Saturday night, but I, wonder-brain woman that I am, returned the favor Sunday night. Hah! I think it might be the first time I've beaten Moses at a game and it will probably never happen again, so I'm just going to take this opportunity to gloat. I WON! Me, Kerry, beat Moses AT A GAME! MOSES LOST!! (love you, honey--happy anniversary).

Catus Wren

Last night while discussing the fate of our front yard, we discovered we have a nest of catus wrens. The babies make a noise somewhere between a screech and squawk (a scrauwk?). The mama wren appeared to be feeding them olives from the tree in front yard. Which leads me to wonder, are olives really the best food for growing wrens? Does the mama wren not know about the dangers of olive pits? Has she never read "What to Expect" for the nest set? Anyway, here's a picture of the mama wren and the saguaro hole. Later I'm going to see if I can stand on a stool or ladder, far away from the nest of course, and zoom in to get a shot of the babies.
I am so looking forward to this weekend. My parents are watching Garion and Moses and I get a whole weekend to ourselves in Jerome. It is our 7th anniversary, already! We are going to be so grumpy and crotchety by the time we get our 50th--I'm sure we'll be one of those couples who turn their hearing aids off when they get annoyed by the other one. Garion will proably have to move to another country. Unless we go senile--and then it'll be like the first date everyday--and Garion will probably still have to move to another country.
Before I go (off to play a little WoW, still can't believe that's something I do on a regular basis), thanks to my friend Anali over at Grumpator for the shout out today and for all the bloggery advice. Soon, this site should be looking ship shape.

Mold

Just to make sure my blog description is accurate...

First Tomato

Last Thursday, our first cherry tomato was red, ripe, and ready for consumption. Garion, as the cutest, most manipulative person in our house got the honors of the first taste. Notice the look of ecstasy. Last night we harvested baby swiss chard for our salad. Growing some of our own food makes me feel so goody two-shoes eco-conscious. Very fun.