Fruit Harvest 2010

Here's a video of photos documenting this years progression of our trees from blossoms to fruit.

About those Canada geese...

 Well, I think I have given you enough time to think about those Canada geese. (That link will tell you all you need, and possibly want, to know about Canada geese.) The answers, please...

1. One side of the line is longer than the other because...Linda guessed it! There are more geese in it! This everyday mystery is solved! Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress says this.."Why do geese fly in a V?   Energy conservation and visual assurance. Why do geese fly in a V? Because it would be too hard to fly in an S! Just kidding. Scientists have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two important purposes: First, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest. The authors of a 2001 Nature article stated that pelicans that fly alone beat their wings more frequently and have higher heart rates than those that fly in formation. It follows that birds that fly in formation glide more often and reduce energy expenditure (Weimerskirch, 2001).
   The second benefit to the V formation is that it is easy to keep track of every bird in the group. Flying in formation may assist with the communication and coordination within the group. Fighter pilots often use this formation for the same reason." That's all from that above link.
2. I asked a Canadian friend if different sized flocks were from different provinces, and her answer was 'no'. Deadpan.  I got a kick out of thinking it, did you?! Likely, they just found a different thermal or something. This from www.chacha.com/: A flock of geese flying in formation can move faster and maintain flight longer than any one goose flying alone, this is synergy. Answered - 65 days ago at 8:28am on Sep 30 2010 from tribes.tribe.net
3. Yes. Mama geese tire of the constant "MaMaMa" of the little geese. However, I like to think the extended family is flying together, so she couldn't be sure it's her baby or her nephew or niece. So, as is almost always the case, she'll keep her cool longer if it's not her own child, right? Besides, it's kind of hard to 'pull over' in the sky, no?
4. Family meeting of where to go? Doubtful. I think, rather, that they draw straws (or pinfeathers!)
5. Yes. The little geese say, "Are we there yet" about the time they hit WY. (also, see #3.)

If my husband ever contributed to this blog, he'd probably have some great answers involving co-efficient of variation, sine or cosine, HTML coding, or whatever his big brain could think of. Alas, I am blond, mother of two, and pretty simple...

Thanks for checking in. Daddy and Jonathan went up skiing today, so it's the little girl and I at home. Maybe I could get caught up on my blog?

Love your comments! Please leave one so I know who's checking in...
Happy days!

Canada geese...

We interrupt this "catching up" to post some deep thoughts. This weekend, we have observed several flocks of Canada geese flying south. There's something beautiful about their honking, isn't there? (Unless you're from LA; then you'd probably get out your gun and shoot! heehee) OK, serious again. So, we were wondering if maybe someone out there could answer a few questions?

1. Why is one line of the V longer than the other? I know there's a reason they fly in a V; something about catching the draft of the front goose...as they tire, they trade...sort of like cycling in a line. But why is one side longer than the other?
2. Why do you see one small flock of, say, a dozen geese and, just off a little ways, there's a HUGE flock of, say, 312? Are they from different provinces?
3. Do the mama geese get tired of the constant "Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma" of their children? I can hear it now. "Do I need to pull over?" "Would you knock it off?"
4. Do they have a family meeting about where to fly? "Well, Ma. Feels like it's time to fly south, eh? How about heading to Colorado?" "Nah, let's go to Arizona this year. It's warmer there, that's for shure." 
5. Do the little geese ever say, "Are we there yet?"

Just wondering.

More May, 2010

OK, I'm back...well, for now anyways. You know, catching up from 6 months ago is kind of cool. See, I get to post pics of winter in the summer and pics of summer in winter! Today, November 20th, it may hit a high of 20degrees F. So, to post pics of my rhubarb starting to grow is nice. Makes me feel warm. Just sayin'.

Here's our little family with Michael's mom, Lillian. She's a wonderful lady. We all went out to lunch at Southfork. Yummy!

Leilani came to visit for a few days. As always, her little stuffed kitty rides prominently in her backpack, and, as always, as soon as Annisia has said her obligatory 'hi, Aunty Leilani!', she asks so politely if she can have Aunty Leilani's kitty. Aunty Leilani says yes, with the reminder to not hide it, because then it'll get left behind. Well, guess what? We bustled out the door on that Friday morning, headed for the Y daycare and my cycling class. We managed to tell Leilani good bye with hugs and kisses, but discovered a little note on our return. "Kitty is missing in action. Please bring to Ronan when you come to convention." (or something like that.) So, I sent Annisia off to find Aunty Leilani's kitten. Then we fed and watered her before packing her in a box with some yarn for the return to her mistress. ;-)

Rhubarb! This was my first picking on May 16. Yum! Rhubarb apple crisp!

My munchkins! Cowboy up, Jonathan! These great chaps and vest are from Gramma and Papa.

Annisia is tickled about the piles of grass left behind in the first mowing.

Jonathan and Annisia put this puzzle together and then Jonathan wrote a story about it. I can't find the story. And that really bugs me. So! If I find it, I'll come back and post it.
Annisia put this one together. It's a really cool puzzle, both sides have a picture. On this side, all the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0-9 are hidden. Fun puzzle.

May snow storm revisited...

This post is all about May 6, 2010. It started snowing in the late afternoon of May 5, and stopped sometime May 6. It blew a good portion of that time too. Maybe I ought to mention again, WE HAD A PATHETIC WINTER LAST YEAR. We got our first snowstorm here in October 2009. October 5, to be exact. It dumped a pile of wet, heavy snow. Trees all through town were cracking and branches falling. Our plum trees hung to the ground, until Jonathan went out and knocked the snow off of them...good boy! Anyhoo! We have discovered this year that April Showers Bring May...Icicles?!

The icicles, which were blown in under the eaves because of a wicked north wind all day.

This appears to be the end of what I am calling our Parentheses Winter ( ) October~May...with nothing in between worth mentioning. So, here are some pics to show off a little actual moisture we are receiving. Now we may not need to just light ourselves on fire and get it over with, to quote my bro-in-law!

My poor south facing flower bed. Under all that snow lies lots of columbine, some tulips, day lilies, fire lilies, asters...They are all hearty plants, so I think they'll be fine.

The kids enjoyed playing outside for awhile...almost an hour. The picture of Annisia up to her waist in the snow?? Not really. She was having fun falling down. You can see in the last photo that the snow is up to Jonathan's knees. They were soaking wet when they came in. Lots of fun!!

Hoods!!

Our friend, PJ, sewed hoods onto the kids' robes. I could NOT figure it out. I got the material, gave it some thought, got the kids snacks, stopped a fight, gave it some more thought, tried to lay it out, couldn't ignore the little voices long enough to actually form a thought, threw it all back into a bag, successfully ignored it for several more months, then brought it to PJ just in time for the robes to have hoods in the summer, when the kids don't need them. Ta Da!



My kids, modeling. They were SO excited! They also got another hooded towel from some towels and washrags I got at Costco. With about 2 hours of one-on-one training and an entire manual devoted to instruction and step-by-step photos, I may actually manage to make one of these! (well, ok, maybe I'd manage on just 1 hour of assistance...)

Now I have made a blogging friend, Neisha, who is shaking her head at me wondering how in the world I am EVER going to be able to sew some of the things she shows on her blog. How in the world does she do some of that stuff, I say? With kids in the house? But she has some of the cutest creations! And she makes them sound so easy...{sigh} Can I have a smidgen of your sewing talent, please? You won't miss just a smidgen, Neisha. Please?!

April Show & Share and making Playdough

Jonathan brought his rented skis and boots, and his helmet to school to show all his school mates. He described the ski areas we skied last winter, his favorite runs, told them about Daddy taking him down some black diamond runs, "but not the top of Hustler!", how much he likes the Lazy M...you get the picture.

All geared up! That afternoon, we returned his skis for the season.

My parents were visiting, so we did a new special breakfast...Eggs in the Hole! We all got to choose our shapes for cutouts.

Another afternoon, we made Koolaid playdough. My son is so smart. It was his idea to use the Kitchenaid. It does make the process quicker.

Jonathan asked for his batch to be "deep purple". We did our best...

Kool-Aid Playdough

2 ½ to 3 Cups flour 3 Tbsp vegetable or corn oil

½ cup salt 1 Tbsp alum (cream of tartar can be substituted)

2 Cups boiling water with 1 pkg Kool-Aid (any flavor)*

* I did ½ of two Kool-Aid pkgs, each in 1 cup of boiling water.

Mix ingredients and knead with flour (may take up to 1-2 extra cups). This makes a huge batch of playdough. Make 2 colors that, when mixed, will make another color, actually giving you 3 colors! Keeps well, has a nice fragrance and is very colorful and pliable!

Funny things the kids have said...

I need to post some things the kids have said before I lose the little pieces of paper they are written on...

February 3, 2010
We got home from gospel meeting in Sheridan. Annisia was laying in her carseat with her eyes closed. Michael whispered, "You aren't asleep." and Annisia whispered, "yes, I am."

Feb. 4, 2010
At breakfast, Jonathan held up a piece of fried egg and said, "Mommy do you know what shape this is?" I looked at the seemingly blobbish shape and thought I saw a diamond. I said, "What do you think it is?" and he said, "It's a rhombus." WHAT?! My 5 year old knows what a rhombus is? I told him I thought Kindergarteners learned shapes like triangle, oval, diamond, and rectangle. I don't think I learned what a rhombus was until I was in Geometry! You should have seen him glow with pride!

Feb 6, 2010
Annisia said, "Mommy, do you know how to say banana in Spanish? "bananana"

One Wednesday evening when Daddy and Annisia stayed home from Bible study and Jonathan and I went, Jonathan said, "Mommy, I am a fire fighter. You are a fire fighter with dark skin. Girl fire fighters do very much work. Boy firefighters don't do much work. But Fred the Firefighter does a lot of work." I think he must have been looking at his Fred the Firefighter book (Usborne).

Some friends came to visit...April

...and the kids played while the dads rested...

 

Sorry about the weeks worth of these collages not actually showing up. I guess I don't know how to do multiple collages from Picasa on the same post. So, here are all the collages I made of the weekend the Five W's spent with us.

Some friends came to visit...April

Wrena had her camera so we got some good pics...

 

Some friends came to visit...April

Our friends, Wade and Wrena, came to visit. They had been living in a travel trailer for 20 months, so we invited them to come see us and sleep in bigger beds, and have a yard to play in, and ride their bikes, and play with the kids toys...What a fun weekend! Wrena is a photographer, so we have lots of photos. I had fun doing a few collages commemorating the weekend.

April...skiing

We headed up to Red Lodge again for a little more skiing. Annisia had another lesson, this time on traversing the mountain. Yippee! No more dare devil point the skis and fly, giving Mommy an early heart attack! She did really well. The video is amateur, so forgive.

Annisia was done about mid day. So we all took a break, got the kids a burger to split, some hot chocolate, then Annisia and I cuddled by the fire. "Uppy, Mommy!", she said, as she climbed into my lap. Then, zzzzzzzzz, she was out. She slept for at least an hour in my arms while I people watched with my aching feet still in my boots. The price a mommy pays to have a happy child...

Then, after her nap, Daddy and Jonathan came into the lodge and we girls confirmed we didn't want to ski anymore. So I ran, er, ski-boot-walked, my way to the car for comfy boots. Then the sweet bunkin and I played in the snow. We built a snowman and made his body parts out of tall grasses that were poking their way through the snow. We got a couple of compliments too!!

More March...

Here's Jonathan at his school's Easter program. So, we arrived at the church where it was held and all the kiddos were nicely dressed in their "Sunday best". They had about 10 minutes of play time in the nursery area before the program. Then a couple of us mommies swept in and tucked in shirts, straightened ties, redid barrettes and made the kids adorable again. The teachers assured us they had the kids under control (which they did) and I went into the auditorium to wait for the program. About 10 minutes later, the music started and the kids filed in doing the Bunny Hop. Second to the last came Jonathan, walking along, looking at all the other kids and everyone in the audience...and, ahem, NOT doing the Bunny Hop! Furthermore, somehow, he had his shirt completely untucked and there wasn't a thing I could do about it! So, Untucked Jonathan went through the entire program, yep! you guessed it! Looking around him at all the other kids doing all the other things and observing. Just observing. That's my son. A thinker.

Then, they did a little dance with partners and one of the teachers helpers, Rosa, (who is also a family friend!) was Jonathan's partner...to his obvious delight! Here he is, Untucked Jonathan, dancing with Rosa.

The Young'uns...

Gramma kept this dress that Kayla wore when she was 2 or 3, and gave it to me for Annisia. I'd have to do a little work and see if I took any pics of her in it last year, but here she is in March 2010. We added a long sleeved shirt under it as it was chilly day.

Then Annisia held the framed photo of Kayla for a comparison. Such sweet girls!

Oh, and then Spider man (with muscles, thank you!) came to visit too...

...and wanted to be in the photo with Annisia and Kayla. So we let him stay. He was pleasant and cute, therefore fulfilling all the requirements for being in our photos.

Woman turns 40. (2nd installation)

After doing the whole Locks of Love thing, we went out of town for the weekend. Michael made arrangements to have Jonathan go to Gramma and Papa's and Annisia went to Aunty Ang and Uncle Mike's house. What a guy!! So, we left town Friday afternoon and drove to Bozeman for some good eats and some skiing. If you're ever there, try Ted's, and Montana Ale Works. Yummy food, both.
And Bridger Bowl was a fun place to ski. We are hoping to take the kids there next season. The lift lines were short, I hear they have great ski schools for the kids, the rates were good, Michael liked the powder (I don't like powder...), and they were cool! I skied 1/2 day, then got my boots on, grabbed my scrapbooking stuff, hopped on a lift and went up to the upper lodge where it was quieter and worked on a little album while Michael snowboarded for a while. The lift guys were great. They stopped the lift for me to hop on and off...kind of neat.
Here's a collage of our day...Click on it to see it larger.

Woman Turns 40...(1st installation)

I turned 40 this year. Meh!

Actually, who cares? Everyone I tell I am 40 says, "No way!"

So it's just another number...

This is the VUNDERBAR gift I received from my sweet li'l boy. He helped Daddy build this beautiful butcher block style cutting board for my birthday. Jonathan helped glue, sand, and finish it. He looks so proud, doesn't he?!
Daddy is so good getting the kids to help with things. I find I get impatient very fast, but Michael just plugs along, teaching. What a good man!

I did something a little drastic on my birthday. Something I have been pondering occasionally for awhile. Usually I think of doing it when I am having a bad hair day, then I dismiss the thought because that's really not when I ought to cut my hair. So, instead I decided to do it on my milestone 40th birthday and donate it to Locks of Love.

12 inches came off...
My instructions were simple. "I need to still be able to put it up." Because that's how I usually wear it. That's my comfort zone. And that's what I like. So, it's all long enough for me to still style it up in my updo like I like, or a ponytail, or just the front back in a barrette occasionally.

Then the hairdresser styled my hair for our upcoming night out. She had to spray my hair to even make it curl! That made it interesting the next morning when I was trying to get ready for skiing! (crack, crunch, and other noises that sounded like the curls were just breaking off!)

Dinner at Ted's in Bozeman.