Happy New Year

I understand the New Year looks brighter with some bubbly in hand.

I've got MINE!!

Mia famiglia

in the scarves I done did made fer 'em.
How festive is that, hmm?

Merry Christmas to you

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.
I think I prefer the original version by Jona Lewie but here on the local radio station we hear this version.

Stop the Cavalry



Here is their little history of the tune.

Life is full of challenges.

www.despair.com

Highly pervertatious

~ descriptor applied to Mr. Logo by Thing One.

Looks like we have another logophile in the house!

I am watching many Christmas movies

in an attempt to feel holiday-ish.

I was in a store that was playing horrific Christmas music and it was so painful it made me wish I was Muslim.

In fact, I sort of felt the same way about that music that I have always felt about the Islamic call to prayer,
"I'm glad they think they are doing that for a good reason, because otherwise it would just be cruel and unusual punishment."

Yeaaaah, so um, bah humbug to all, and to all a good night
:p

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night

I watched the Pirates of Penzance on Hulu; I do so love the Hulu.
My 13 year old Thing showed the requite levels of disdain and disinterest.
Then...
he sat down and watched it with me, most of it anyway.

I'm very carefully not gloating or anything where he can see it.

But can I just secretly tell you all here, I LOVE that he was getting the tongue in cheek-ness of it, and enjoying it, at least a little.

:D

Oh, the horror!

I recently overheard a conversation that filled me with a creeping dread. It was a chilling glimpse into a possible future and that grotesque reality lurks in murky shade casting a faint but threatening shadow. Several of my friends are a bit older than me, not elderly mind you, but some of them have already hit 50, a couple celebrated it this year, and a few are closing on it fast. As I have not yet hit 40 I occasionally hear whipper-snapper jokes, but mostly I blend right in.
I blame that my ancestors,
a little melanin would have helped, hello!
ANYWAY, we were sitting around drinking coffee and discussing our contempt for the lack of women's right in mainland China (or maybe it was the current sale price of winter squash at the local market, I can't quite recall just this minute, but as I was saying...) somehow, while I was drifting away in a moment of deep personal reflection, the topic turned and suddenly there, at the same table I was occupying, women were discussing issues related to menopause.
Now, that in and of itself is hardly cause for alarm you may be thinking, and I would mostly agree
BUT
it was something far more disturbing than mere discussions of heat flashes, irregular periods, lack of vaginal lubrication, and extreme mood swings, no no, those are charted waters.
Instead, one of these women, of Hungarian descent (I'm hoping this is relevant), was sharing that she occasionally had a stray thick, black hair grow randomly from the area around her areola. Some of the women around the table began to chime in, adding details, sharing their own hair horror stories. The comparatively small sample of women at the table leads me to believe this is not a rare phenomenon, though it is not universal, it seems.
I pray to all that is holy that my fair skinned genetic heritage will protect me from such a fate in a way that it has NEVER protected me from sun burns.
If my prayers are answered I will never again complain about my lack of pigment, I will regard it as a better than even deal in exchange for having missed out on yeti nips.
Also?
Someone is getting Nair for Christmas, gaaaaah (shudder).

A crystal ball for grammar geeks

Love it!

I am the captain of your fate

(I apologize in advance for this somewhat politically based rant. I just can't help myself).
The results are in for the mid-term elections.

Nearly half the registered voters in my state chose not to participate in the process, and just as a throw-away fact, the percentage of eligible adults who choose not to register is about 20% nationwide.
So less than half of the people in this state made decisions for all the rest.
The two measures that were the most hotly contested here passed or failed by just barely over 50%. So 1/4 of the people in this state made decisions that everyone is going to have to live with.

I firmly believe that only people who vote have the right to opine regarding matters political. It has nothing to do with the right to free speech, only the right to be listened to. But that is not the worst of it, not by a long shot.

I, and my fellow registered, active voters, make your decisions for you. I will choose your taxes, I will choose your representatives, and I will chose your president.

Think your taxes are too high now? Just wait till I get all the support I want for the library system.

Want more gay right? Or less? Yah, well, we will decide that for you.

This country is becoming an oligarchy, an oligarchy of the willing. The ideological extremes are carrying the day because it seems only extremist can generate the effort to exercise their basic rights as Americans.

Tired of hearing about the extreme right and the extreme left? Then get off your ass.

Until you do, we, the ruling elite, invite you to sit back and enjoy our decisions on your behalf.

A trip to eastern WA...

always reminds me of how glad I am to live on this side of the mountains.

I'm going to Spokane! & 55

I shall visit my Esteemed Elder sister,
I shall attend a friend's birthday party,
I shall eat at Sonic,
I shall have no responsibilities and shall enjoy myself immensely.


Be good while I'm gone and make sure you clean up after yourselves.
:p

Oh, and here is a 55 word Flash Fiction.


He glared at the screen, eyes and cheeks darkening as frustration bloomed into anger. Fingers abandoned attempts to input keystrokes and instead clawed through hair while a deep sigh passed his lips which almost sounded like a growl.
There were no theatrical pyrotechnics involved but he certain this computer would be the death of him.

Guy Fawkes Day, and other interesting November phenomenon

Remember, remember the 5th of November
with gunpowder, treason and plot.

My mother, having English roots, would tell us of the rollicking good times they had as children when every November 5th they would make an effigy of Guy Fawkes and pull it 'round the village in a wagon getting candies and small change for their efforts. That night all the effigies would be burned in a bonfire. Festive, no?

As American children it was, for us, significant only because mom would give us candy, quote the above lines, and try to ensure we knew that even Euromutt whities can have obscure cultural traditions. Yeah, it was really about the candy for us.

My parent's particular brand of extremely conservative Baptist faith banned ritual satanic celebrations, or even a light-hearted acceptance that candy and costumes on October 31st is probably not that big a deal regardless of some people's neurotic suspicions that it's all just a plot to trick every child in America into worshipping the devil. So since we missed out on the high holy day of childhood candy worship getting some loot on November 5th served as a consolation prize.

As an adult, in fact, the year I got married, November began to make itself unique in another way.
In various yers, in the month of November;
my husband's grampa, who mostly raised him, died.
I was hit by a car while walking across a street.
we received notification that the insurance company of the people who hit me was suing me for the damage my BODY did to their car (the lawsuit was dropped, btw).
Mr. Logo lost a very dear friend.
My gramma died.
My mom was diagnosed with brain tumors from metastasized breast cancer.
My grampa died.

This last week I was at my parent's house for several days and the steady decline in my mom's health makes me think we are probably about to have another rotten November.

On the plus side,
we are totally having a candy-fest on the 5th.

It's time for...

Cap'n Morgan and I to start making sweet, sweet love.
Apple cider with cinnamon, orange peel, and clover with a splash of Cap'n Morgan is just what a fall evening needs, or a fall afternoon, or maybe even sometimes a fall morning.

Yes, that is right, baby, it's barely 5 am and I just said I want a drink, that is just how awesome this day is going already.

What that blue thing turned out to be, aaaaaaaand...

Here is Thing Two modelling his mommy-made creation,
but then Thing One felt left out so now I am making him a scarf.

Oh dear...

Look what I've started doing.

Rather embarassing, isn't it?

One advantage...

to having an unemployed husband is that he is available more often for domestic chores.
Yay!

Homeschool has its advantages.

A while back Thing One had a writing assignment. He was supposed to imagine himself as a fictional character and write something that person would have written.
I'm sure a diary entry from Oliver Twist was the sort of thing they had in mind,
but
in the hands of Thing One and I it ended up like this...

Megatron's To Do list:

• Hack US mainframe
• Check Craigslist for cute robogal
• Rent warehouse with hip pad potential
• Schedule an oil change
• Pick up local paper, check want ads
• Make reward poster for Frenzy
• Find a postcard for mom
• Signal Decepticons in space
• Schedule therapy session
• Finish deposition for court case re. dam destruction
• File civil suit against the autobots for severe emotional trauma
• Contact seamstress about a cozy winter jacket
• Contact Cobra about possible alliance
• Get passport photo

So, just to clarify...

not only am I my brother's keeper.

I am also my sister's keeper,

my father's keeper,

my mother's assistant keeper,

my husband's keeper,

my sons' keeper,

and a housekeeper as well?

I need a vacation.

I've been at it again!

I really like sushi.

I mean, don't get me wrong, there is nothing like a big ol' steak or a juicy hamburger from time to time but sushi sings to my soul too.

So I decided to learn to make some for myself.

I borrowed my pal's sushi rolling mat, did some research and then pondered.

The pondering portion of this activity was extensive. Today, finally, I had all the ingredients I wanted, the time, and the inclination.

So I made...

California rolls with carrot, avocado, cucumber, and smoked salmon.

The smoked salmon made it more attractive to Thing One.

It could probably be prettier, but it was pretty tasty.

The salmon was smoked by Mr. Logo, the rice cooker did most of the work on that, so all I really had to do was chop up some carrots, cukes, avocado and roll it into the nori.

The mess makes it seem like a more impressive undertaking though, doesn't it?

Here is a little plate ready to go to my friend when I return her sushi mat.

It was nummy and I made it all by myself!

Uplifting Children's Author and musician

Daniel Handler, AKA Lemony Snicket, released this song with The Gothic Archies for his book, The Hostile Hospital.

Smile, no one cares how you feel.
Be vicious, vain, and vile.
Everything's yours to steal if you just smile.
Have you no dignity?
Have you no sense of style?
You'll never be pretty until you smile.

Smile, no one cares how you feel.
There's a world to be got.
You can make this world kneel
If you'll just smile.

Always the best disguise;
A license to defile.
Everyone you despise will die,
so smile.

I am loving the Writer's Almanac.

Today's feature is a poem by e.e.cummings which I believe I have posted before because it another of my FAVORITES. Yah, yah, I have a lot of favorite poetry, I know.

I carry your heart with me
by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

I'm off to Seattle to take my Things and a friend to the Science Center.
We are doing another member's preview of an exhibit before it opens to the public.
This exhibit is sooooo cool.
Science AND art, what more can you ask for, hmm?

Sssssmokin'

Mr. Logo has been fishing a fair bit lately, ya know, what with the being unemployed and all.
The local river has been running pinks (humpies) and the silvers (Coho) are starting now.
After collecting several of these fish, it was suggested he try smoking them using an Alton Brown method.
After finding the Good Eats episode that featured Alton's make-shift smoker and watching it repeatedly Mr. Logo found all his bit and pieces and proceeded to smoke some salmon.

Here is his smoker.
Here are his salmon filets, all cured, prepped and ready.

Inside the smoker he had a hotplate with a pile of wood shavings heating till they smoked and a small homemade fan to circulate the smoke a little more.
After several hours in the smoker Mr. Logo pulled out some of the yummiest food known to humanity,
smoked salmon. We taste tested one filet and somehow it completely disappeared!!
Mmmmmmmm
A goood man and good food, some of the best stuff in life.

All a-twitter

I've been on Twitter a while now, but quietly.
I try to disguise myself as something less than an attention whore but the fact I blog, and do Facebook, AND Twitter might not support that assertion.

I joined mostly to read other people's witty one liners though, really.
In fact, I've been a member over a year and I've only posted 42 tweets.
Anyway,
one of the people I follow just posts stuff his dad says and it is hysterical.

A brief sampling;

"Sometimes life leaves a hundred dollar bill on your dresser, and you don't realize until later that it's because it f***ed you."
10:38 AM Sep 19th from web

"I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it...No, I'm not gonna stop, I'm just saying yes, I get that concept."
8:54 AM Sep 11th from web

"The worst thing you can be is a liar....Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2"
12:41 PM Sep 7th from web

"Your mother made a batch of meatballs last night. Some are for you, some are for me, but more are for me. Remember that. More. Me."
8:57 AM Aug 21st from web

"The dog is not bored, it's a f***ing dog. It's not like he's waiting for me to give him a f***ing rubix cube. He's a g** d***ed dog."
10:43 AM Aug 18th from web

This is funny stuff, people.

Blogging and destiny

Check out
www.despair.com

for all your demotivational needs.

Today, September 15th, 2009

is my 19th anniversary.

We aren't doing anything too exciting today, we're saving that for the weekend when we can ditch the kids. But it is a sunny northwest day and I woke up to a cuddle and anniversary wishes from the father of my children and the man that I love, and thankfully, that is all the same guy.
:P






Here are a couple poems for Mr. Logo:

ee cummings

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite new a thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh… And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you so quite new


And then a piece that is quite a bit older;

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death...
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.


Love you, man of mine!

You see it all around you, good lovin' gone bad...

Some more of my fav blogs are going on hiatus, some permanently.

This form of.. whatever it is, journaling? digitally hanging out? online attention whoring, whatever,
seems a better fit at sometimes than others for all of us.

I have to say that my mom dying of breast cancer than has metastasized to her brain, and homeschooling, and teaching at our co-op, and having a husband who's been unemployed twice in the last year has made some serious demands on my own time.

Those of you who still manage to make it over for my infrequent and occasionally insipid updates may have noticed a decline in general quality and giddiness around here but I'm glad you come by anyway. Your efforts are noted and appreciated.

I used to blog every single day, even most weekends but that got to be a bit much.

I remember when I first heard about the "blogging without obligation" idea. I quite liked the idea and decided that although I'd started my blog to entertain my friends it was, in fact, my own creation and existed to serve in whatever way I chose.

Perhaps it would be kinder to let this blog completely wither from the lack of attention I lavish on it so abundantly but I am not ready to do that.

So Dog's Life will continue to scrape along in whatever way seems best compatible with my life.

Hold on loosely, but don't let go.

Stir fly, uuuuh, I mean, Stir fry

My peeps know that I am not really the chef around here. Yesterday though, I was at the library and saw this bookbook promising quick, simple, delicious dinner recipes. The photos were awesome and I started to drool on it right there in the aisle. It was a little embarrassing. I checked the book out so I could clean it up later and decided on the way home I needed to have stir fry for dinner. It wasn't one of their recipes, but I was feeling inspired.

So that pic is how it looked just before I threw it over some noodles. It was so pretty.

Also, it was freaking fabulous tasting. Some of that green stuff in there is broccolini which I picked up on a whim and have decided I vastly prefer to real broccoli, at least the stuff you get in the stores around here (which I suppose might not fit the definition of "real" broccoli since it is probably all hybridized, and chemicalized and whatnot. Real broccoli, grown by people who surround it with tender loving care and the wafting scent of patchouli and hemp, is probably far more delicious, with balanced chakras and a happy aura, but I am an impulse food shopper and there was no farmer's market available at the moment).

I am going to stick the recipe here, not because I assume you culinary geniuses around here NEED another stir fry recipe, but so that it is preserved somewhere for the next time I have this whim, although you are welcome to use or alter to suit yourself

Stir Fry a la Logo (not authentic, but still yummy)

1/2 pound stir fry meat (yah, that is right, I bought it already cut, I'm lazy, so what)

marinade in:

soy sauce

rice wine or mirin vinegar

sesame oil

Sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes, whatever

ginger

garlic

Combine to taste in a bowl, throw in meat and go check your blog, or facebook, or twitter, or whatever. Give it 30 to 60 minutes. You will need the last 15 of those to...

Chop up:

Red bell peppers

broccolini

baby carrots,

green onions

mushrooms

Stir fry meat in sesame oil (ok, you can mix half and half with olive oil, or Wesson or whatever but the sesame oil is important) med high to high heat is good, really (this is a reason I love to stir fry, you are finally allowed to cook everything at really high temps, oh, and save the marinade, it is going back in the pan).

When your meat is about 3/4 done, throw in peppers, broccolini, carrots, and onions.

Cook another 3 or 4 minutes, meat should be almost done and veggies ready to go but not get squooshy at all. Throw in 'shrooms and sauce (marinade) and get that bit all hot.

Serve over asian noodles of your choice

(if, like me, you forgot to pick up noodles at the store when you got your stir fry stuff you can totally cheat. Throw a couple ramen noodle bricks into a bowl, sprinkle with one of the season packages and augment with whatever your favorite flavors are from the marinade ingredients above. Pour boiling water over them but don't let them sit in it too long, or they will get squooshy, and we all know squooshy is BAD! After they soften pour off the water and voila, you have noodles).

Answers to life's big questions can be found in the kitchen.

Insalata Caprese
This is proof that God loves me and wants me to be happy.

Next, the sad but true reality,
some things in life just really suck.

Hurry! Summer's almost over!

We've been keeping plenty busy around here and can hardly believe it's almost school time again.
Here is a picture of Thing One and some of his buddies at an end of summer party.

This summer he and his dad have been working on his grown up room. He now has a loft bed with a desk underneath that he and his dad built themselves.
I will have to get back there and take some pics. It is a thing of beauty.
The Aged Ps decided to do some clearing out so Thing Two got a desk.
Here he is enthusiastically helping me with sanding it.
Thing Two also got a fish last Friday. It was a beautiful blue and red half moon betta.

The observant reader will note that this fish above does not resemble the above description. That would be because Saturday evening the first betta (the Alpha Betta, as we have been calling him) decided to commit suicide. It was quite tragical.

The next day the pet store replaced Alpha Betta with Beta Betta (aka, the Bettah Betta) you see here.

The Bettah Betta seems to be settling in though he is not eating yet.

As fun as it is to buy school supplies I am not entirely certain I'm ready for summer to end.

Fodder from friends

Blither did this the other day and since all the cool kids are stealing her memes. I thought I would do this one.

Not to mention, Lime did it too.

1. Can you fill this out without lying?

I CAN, but I believe the pertinent question is, WILL I? Too bad you didn’t ask that.

2. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?

Speaking of pertinent, or impertinent…

3. Who was your last text message from?

My auntie, ex-auntie, pal Mel.

4. Where was your default picture taken?

From the internetz, random image theft, I couldn’t find who created it. Do you like it?

5. Last person you rode in a car with under the age of 20?

My car barely 10 years old. My friend Rosey rode with me in it just yesterday. I don’t know when I was last in a vehicle that was OVER the age of twenty.

6. Name someone that made you laugh today?

The Frantics “Boot to the head.”

7. How late did you stay up last night and why?

Later than I should have. I was reading.

8. If you could move somewhere else, would you?

Anywhere in Western WA or Western OR is good, otherwise Europe, preferably not too far south.

9. Ever been kissed under fireworks?

Uh huh, and some other stuff too

10. Which of your friends lives closest to you?

Patti, she lives on the next block over.

11. Do you believe ex’s can be friends?

Sometimes

12. Calling or texting?

Yes

13. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?

I am pretty sure he is not a medical doctor.

14. When was the last time you cried really hard?

In April. Thanks for bringing it up. Want to give me a nice papercut and pour lemon juice in it?

15. Where is your biological father right now?

Left of here, physically, politically he is waaaaaay right of here.

16. Where are you at right now?

In the state of annoyance….because of the APPALLING language transgression in this thing

deep breathing

17. What bed did you sleep in last night?

We discussed the impertinence.

18. What was the last thing someone bought for you?

A Krispy Kreme donut

19. Who took your profile picture?

I STILL DON’T KNOW, it was only 15 questions ago, quit bugging me about it already.

20. Was yesterday better than today?

Yes, no, well, I don’t know, what are we using as a means of comparison?

21. Can you live a day without TV?

Oh yah, just leave my ‘puter alone, or I’ll knife you in the eye.

22. Are you mad about anything?

You, baby, I’m maaaaaad about you.

23. Do you think relationships are really worth it?

Only the good ones

24. When was the last time you were disappointed and why?

Yesterday my friend and I tried a new sushi place. It was not all that.

25. Are you a bad influence?

On whom? Regarding what? I have no recollection of those events.

26. Night out or night in?

One of each, please.

27. What items could you not go without during the day?

Heart, brain, lungs, beyond that I’m pretty flexible.

28. Would you share a drink with a stranger?

Like, in the same glass? Eow, no!

29. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?

My mommy

30. What does the last text message in your inbox say?

“Looking forward to it! Hoping it will be sooner rather than later.”

31. How do you feel about your life right now?

Ambivalent; parts are awesome, parts suck.

32. How many times have you been pulled over by the police?

Um, more that 2 less than 20. I’ve only had two speeding tickets. One at 17 and the other about 10 years ago.

33. Do you hate anyone?

Nope, it’s bad for you.

34. If we were to look in your inbox, what would we find?

Nothing incriminating, I delete all those so the Dept. of Homeland Security will leave me alone.

35. Can you easily tell if someone’s fake?

Not always. I tend to believe the best of people, turns out not everyone deserves that.

36. Has anyone ever called you a perfectionist?

HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH! Uh, no

38. What song is stuck in your head?

Making Whoopie (I just got a Sinatra CD)

39. Someone knocks on your window at 2 AM, who do you want it to be?

The tooth fairy

40. Wanna have kids before you’re 30?

I don’t know, because, it’s like, sooo much responsibility, ya know what I mean?

41. Name something you have to do tomorrow?

Go to a party, woo hoo!

42. Can you whistle?

Yup, even while I work too.

43. Do you sleep on your side, stomach, or back?

On my side.

44. Do you think too much or too little?

I’m with Blither on this one;

“Both.. And always at the wrong time.”

45. Do you smile a lot?

I don’t know, probably.

46. Who was your last missed call on your mobile phone?

Nicki

47. When is the next time you will see the person you like?

Wow, THE person I like. Well, I will see Mr. Logo next week. I will see my pal Mel in just a little bit, and I like her too. Take your pick.

48. Are you happy with your life?

If I say no do I get a new one? No? Ok, then I will be happy with what I have :D

49. Can you handle the truth?

I have hot pads, why not?

50. What book are you currently reading?

Plato and a Platypus Go Into a Bar

Frost/Nixon

Plum Wine

51. Do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with?

Nope, I don’t hate, it’s bad for the spleen.

52. Is there something you always wear?

My epidermis

53. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

Thinking I would whip out a quick little meme…these things always take longer than you think they will.

54. Honestly, who was the last person to tell you that they love you?

Thing Two, actually he said, “I love you more than you love me.” I think he was being honest, though, obviously he is wrong.

55. Did you have an exciting last weekend?

I can’t remember, that doesn’t seem to support the idea it was exciting.

56. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Ever?? Well, yah, but its been at LEAST a year.

57. Have you ever dyed your hair?

I had somewhat purple-ish hair quite a while back. When I dressed up as Snow White I dyed it black.

58. Are you wearing a necklace?

Nope. No jewelry at all.

59. What’s something that can always make you feel better?

Feeling loved, awwwwwwwa

60. Will this weekend be a good one?

Sure, why not.

61. What do you want right now?

Ii want to go eat some hummus.

62. Have you ever worn the opposite sex’s clothing?

Yes, but I wasn’t cross-dressing, ok, stopping trying to make it sound all weird.

63. Look behind you, what do you see?

I can’t see behind me!! Quit trying to freak me out.

64. Have you ever worked in a food place?

When I was 16 I worked at Wendy’s. In fact, I was Wendy for parties and such. Go ahead and laugh, whatever. Your pants are unzipped, HA!

65. What would you name your future daughter?

Hilda Otilda

66. Any summer plans for 2009?

Yup, can’t wait till it gets here!!! Oh…hang on…

67. What’s on your schedule for tomorrow?

I have to get early, thanks for reminding me. I hate you :p

68. Does anyone know your Facebook password?

I do

69. Would you like some cake?

The cake is a lie.

I have a new book to read.

I am hoping it will be entertaining.
I mostly picked it up because the title made me smile:
Plato and a Patypus Walk into a Bar.

Soooooo...

we decided we needed to get the heck out of Dodge. Our first choice for a vacation spot (the Esteemed Elder Sister's guest room) was already booked (by the Aged Ps).
So we headed for the coast. We've been camping out, and we are having a blast.

Mr. Logo is a camp cook extrodinare and Thing One and Thing Two have been charming and helpful. It's actually been going so well, I'm puzzled.
We went to the Hoh Rainforest.

We watched elk cross the river and walked right past this deer as it snacked on leaves.
They are very bold.
The rainforest, provides ideal growing conditions for the trees, moss, and so on. Here is Thing Two providing a comparision at the foot of a Sitka.
Thing One took this pic.

Thing Two liked the way the moss was growing here like an archway.

Here is a nurse log.

This is the uprooted remains of several trees that had grown together. They went over this winter.

We thought this looked like animal head.

Wolf? Bluejay? What do you see?

We also went to the Olympic Game Farm.

The Things, who were smiling at the camera just microseconds before this instant were distracted by the llama who was approaching me to rub against my head.

We drove through and saw some of these,

and some of these,

some of these,

and we all really liked feeding bread to these.

There were peacocks, and peahens.The bison have HUGE prehensile Jabba the Hut tongues, gack~

But the fallow deer were so sweet and let us pet them and feel their antlers.

The white rhino is either impressively mellow or deeply depressed.

Here's a llama, there's a llama

and another little llama,

fuzzy llama funny llama,

llama llama duck.

Here are the yaks. These yaks are gentle and willing to take bread from your hand and let you pet them.

Thing Two was a little unsure about the whole deal at first, but he got the hang of it.

The Game Farm has some pros and cons but is mostly a really fun way to spend some time.