On the trail

I consider the Calcium Nature Trail to be an integral part of our homeschooling adventure. We always see a wonderful assortment of flora and fauna, and I invariably learn something from my junior entomologist.

Today's observations included:


Big fat frogs, on the opposite shore from ..


.. their predator, the Great Blue Heron.


The peaceful cohabitation of the Great Blue Heron with some ducks and turtles.


By my count, there are six ducks and ten turtles hanging out on this log in the middle of the pond.


And the jewel in today's nature crown, the praying mantis. My sharp-eyed son spotted this bad boy near the gazebo at the half-way mark of the trail.

A must-read article.

Have a shot of whiskey before reading this:

The Great Iraq Swindle.

Why is it that we must rely on Rolling Stone to expose this vile kleptocracy?

Nothing substantive to say today

I blame a combination of physical and psychological fatigue for the fact that The Chickenhawk in Chief's invocation of the disaster in Vietnam as a justification for "staying the course" in Iraq failed to evoke any reaction in me for a few hours. I could talk about the chutzpah and hubris of such an outrageous statement, but others have already said it better.

So, instead, I made a mini-meez.

Sanctuary

A certain feline, who shall remain nameless, thought that this little bunneh might make a tasty treat or amusing toy. He was over-ruled by this human, who may or may not allow him back into the house this week.

After ascertaining that little bunneh was okay - which he proved by jumping out of my son's arms and all over the living room - little bunneh was set free in the high grass.

Live long and prosper, little fellow. Just don't eat my cucumbers, okay?

Smoochable perfection!

My friends dropped by this afternoon, to show off their latest project, Ginny:




I commend them on this excellent choice.

And the award for hypocritical disingenuity goes to ..

.. our local Walmart Supercenter!!

For a few glorious months this year, I purchased our supply of toilet paper from our local Walmart. Walmart was the only store in the area which offered 100% recycled toilet paper. Unfortunately, they stopped stocking this environmentally friendly product. Quel Bummer.

Today, as I navigated the aisles of the store, I noted that there were 8.5 X 11 inch signs tacked to the shelves of the toilet paper aisle. These cellulose Jiminy Crickets gently advised the shopper to choose 100% recycled toilet paper. After all, if each American home swapped out just one roll of traditional TP with a roll made from 100% recycled, post consumer product paper, then 424,000 trees could be saved.

I started feeling a little giddy, thinking that my TP of choice was once again gracing the shelves of the Supercenter. Alas, it was not to be. The poor consumer was being guilt-tripped into purchasing a product which was not available, and Walmart killed some trees to do it.

That really .. stinks!!

They disappeared before I could snap a picture!

I've been feeling a little discouraged and guilty about the neglected state of my veggie garden this summer - so much so that I was contemplating an end to my attempts to grow vegetables next summer.

The cucumber vines that I planted a few months ago have been partially obscured by some very tenacious and exuberant weeds. Nevertheless, my son and I found two more beauties hiding in the shade of those weeds today. William's excitement at finding these treasures re-kindled my desire to continue planting vegetables. William quickly rinsed them off and sliced them, and now their life energy is our life energy. Yum, yum, yum! There was no time to take a picture for posterity!

Summer is flying by, isn't it? The last couple of weeks of August used to make me wistful and anxious, grieving the end of summer before it even happened, and feeling pangs of guilt that I didn't carpe every sun-filled diem. This year, I have been liberated from that particular neurotic idiosyncracy. Chalk it up to the freedoms of Bohemian unschooling homeschooling.

This headline says it all

Military families live in dread, while the rest of America is busy shopping.

And when they aren't shopping, they're working themselves up into a state of righteous indignation about who is winning or losing on American Idol.

Or so it seems from my vantage point ...

Out of the mouths of babes

"If you eat too much chocolate, you can't control your impulses." Maddie, aged 5.

Thompson Park Zoo

Double digits

The birthday boy with his birthday cupcakes.

Watermelon Bombe (a layered sorbet concoction)

Can you tell that the kidlet loves watermelon?

On the eve of his 10th birthday ...

Where did the decade go?

A new and sinister peril

An international study has shown that the gene that likely makes people left-handed may slightly raise the risk of developing psychotic mental illnesses. Specifically, the study raises the notion that left handed people may be at increased risk of schizophrenia.

Hmmph, says this southpaw.

I'm more inclined to worry that I have a touch of Obsessive Compulsive Knitting Disorder, as evidenced by this small portion of my cache:



I wonder if there is an inpatient treatment program for my sad and tragic affliction.

I wonder if they'd let me knit there.

Viceroy

Molon Labe*

Aiie, aiee, aiie! It seems as though everybody and their dog has something to say about Crocs these days. Some hospitals have banned them. Others say they're okay. The geniuses at Crocs have responded to criticism by creating the Specialist model, which are the latest addition to my collection. They're the white ones in the middle of the picture, designed specifically for health care workers, and they're even more heavenly to wear than the Caymans. Of course, the Crocs company had me at hello - from the moment I put on my first pair, I was hooked. It's a good thing that my union membership gets me a 25% discount!

They can have my Crocs when they slip them off my cold, dead, yet uncalloused feet.

*My husband suggested the title for this post. It's Ancient Greek for come and take them. Those are his dark blue Crocs next to my Crocs Georgie boots.