Goodbye Flower

Flower (with collar) was the matriarch of the Whiskers family on Meerkat Manor (Animal Planet). Last night, she died. Her death was actually in February, but I had not heard the web buzz alluding to it, so I got blindsided. Flower was a strong, experienced leader and led her family through many difficult times. She was a loving mother but laid down the law as necessary. Having kicked Mozart out of the family for getting knocked up, Flower proved to be a strong leader. Last night, Mitch (her grandson and my favorite meerkat!) brought home another tribe's pup, Axl, and Flower kindly took him in. Meerkat instinct would dictate that Flower kill this cub reeking of an enemy's stench. Flower instead accepted the pup, nursed him, and carried him when he got tired.

I know death part of the circle of life, but Flower died prematurely. Having watched meerkats over three seasons, it's hard not to get attached to the cute little critters. It's a bit comforting to know that I'm not the only one mourning her death. Viewers around the nation are crying too. How can this bunch of tiny (12-inches tall), furry warriors elicit such emotions and tug on our heartstrings as if they were our own children? It's always sad to experience death, but the loss of Flower is devastating. My heart aches. Life goes on, but it's much emptier without her.

Welcome to Sucksville, Loser!

But wait, I thought I was already in Sucksville!

I sent QE a job posting for a company that I thought is awesome (and would require relocation!) Ok, so I didn't read the description very closely, but it seemed up his alley. QE writes back it's a grunt position, hence the name calling. The benefits and perks for said company are very good, but many favor parents and the birthing of children. Why can't the rest of us get the same kind of benefits? I'm not advocating suffering for parents, but shouldn't we all get equal opportunity to duck out of work early? Soccer practice, PTA meeting, hot date, yarn sale, Goo Goo Dolls on Oprah...should the reason matter? If I take off to care for my hubby with the flu, is that less important than caring for a child with the flu? What a crock!

On a different note, QE found a George Michael import compilation CD at Barnes and Noble. It's not as extensive as Ladies and Gentlemen, but still cool. The listening station's review said as much and also noted that the US version to be released will be a 3-disc set, with the third disc containing rarities so obscure only the most diehard fans would care. Well, DUH! Here I am, George! I want it!

My dear George and his beloved blue-eyed Kenny were the secret benefactors of the John Lennon piano that has been mysteriously showing up in random locations across the US (check out the article in The Wall Street Journal). George bought the piano several years ago and recently began using it to promote peace and love. They are targeting places that have experienced violence, hatred, or sadness, such as Colombine, New Orleans, etc. Surprisingly, some towns, schools, and other venues have declined the offer to display the piano. I think it's pretty cool that this piano shows up in a field or a parking lot and people are free to touch it, play it and just be. Admire. Think. Imagine.

Random Thoughts

My meezer girls are very similar. Cara's coloring has gotten darker and without visual aids (contacts or glasses), sometimes I can't tell them apart from behind. Both also have a fascination with my closet, especially our dirty laundry. Both are shameless beggars for food. Cara's new food is Kellogg's Frosted Shredded Mini Wheats. She doesn't like multigrain waffles though.

The Dementors are cautiously freaked out by the fact that I have been dressing better and wearing more makeup. I am now bored out of my mind now that my incurred cost submission to DCAA has been submitted. Ahead of schedule too. :)

I think I will lobby to make allergies protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I cannot do yard work without suffering. If other bogus frou frou issues can be protected, then allergies should too. Allergy sufferers unite! In addition, I think my hiring a gardener should be a FSA-covered claim.

Our patio is completed. The people next door reported that our lovely neighbors help themselves to our patio during the day. Apparently these neighbors think we spent big bucks for their pleasure and while away the afternoons sunning themselves on our patio. WE haven't even been on our patio yet and they act as if they own it! It's so nice that the deer enjoy our patio. Someone should, right? Next on our list is to plant deer-friendly shrubs and flowers for their enjoyment. I think it will only be a matter of days before they find our chrysanthemums and start deadheading the blooms.

Ode to Halo 3

Halo 3 comes out in exactly a week. Why would someone like me know this? Because I have a tormentor who is giddy and excited about this dreadful game. Did you really think I was going to praise the game??? :)

Why Halo sucks:

1. It steals my husband from me
2. It is supposedly more fun online (darn Xbox Live!)
3. Who creates a game where you can walk in one direction while looking in another????
4. The alien bad guys make scary noises when you kill them
5. It turns my husband into a video gaming addict, including crazy bugged out eyeballs

When Can I Be Right?

Once again, QE is right--females my age can't avoid Baby Fever. At least I can't. I still do not want my own child, but I can't help longing for certain aspects of what a baby represents. Specifically, I loooove looking at baby clothes. Darn my brother for having a son! I want to look at girl clothes! It's probably a good thing our little piglet will be a boy. He's saving me big bucks! Don't get me wrong--all baby clothes are cute. And so tiny! But it seems girl clothes are especially adorable.

My other feverish symptom is the need to cuddle and cradle and coo. QE is very concerned. I say I don't want a baby, but my behavior clearly says otherwise. Cara is kind enough to let me cradle her every night. Ok, so she usually squeaks and tries to wiggle her way out, but she tolerates it for a few seconds. Last night, we went through the same drill and I gave her bits of pita to appease her. Sure enough, it did! I got to cradle Cara while feeding her bits of pita. I fed Cara as if she was my baby. QE was in total disbelief and reminded me that there is no way I would get away with it with Angel or Davis.

New Me

It's a good thing I don't like shopping. I would hate to imagine the destruction I could cause to our bank account if I did! We went clothes shopping for me yesterday. Got a two pairs of pants and two knit tops at Ann Taylor. The pants were buy one get one 50% off, so the total damage was about $178. Not too bad, I suppose. AT Loft was a lost cause. AT's quality isn't great, but Loft looks like Wal-Mart compared to AT. I like Loft, but $88 for a pair of unlined pants? The good news was that I dropped a size in Ann Taylor. They must have made their vanity sizing even more vain. I've noticed I lost a few pounds, but I don't think it's been a full size. Maybe I have lost weight.

Bloomingdale's turned out to be a treasure trove. As much as I love the clothes at Bloomingdale's, I try to avoid it because the prices are so high. Yes, people in my income bracket do, and probably SHOULD, shop there, but I am cheap. I can afford it but don't want to. As a fat girl, it's important to buy nice clothes that drape well with quality workmanship. Anyway, I thought I should clean up my work image a bit after wearing cotton skirts and sandals all summer. Bloomingdale's had a pre-sale of sorts. I still don't quite understand what went on except that I walked out with $390+ worth of clothes for about $250. Black Calvin Klein sheath dress; Anne Klein skirt; AK dress shirt; and Jones New York sweaters. QE picked out everything except the dress. All of my selections were busts. :) There was this gorgeous (in my opinion--QE hated it) Ralph Lauren sweater for $150. As a knitter, I can appreciate the intricate design despite it being cotton. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $150 on it though. I will keep an eye out for it and pounce if/when it drops to about $75.

Being (or is it going?) vegetarian has been ok so far. It's made me very conscious and aware of what I put into my body. Honestly, the thought of eating meat kind of grosses me out now. It's like I'm afraid of eating meat again knowing it's a dead animal's flesh. Irrational and weird. I still miss steak at Chipotle, but it's more for the texture I think. Eating meat makes life so much easier though. Having to find good, wholesome vegetarian food is difficult. Eating out means ordering the same stuff sans meat or settling for some half-ass vegetarian fare as if I am a second-class citizen. I think I am eating less processed food though, so that's good. I'm not vegan, so eggs are still in my diet. For kicks, I compared Polyface's pastured eggs with Trader Joe's cage free eggs. Polyface's eggs definitely taste better, although I think TJ's is a step up from non-cage free eggs (cage free and non are both considered conventional eggs).

I finished Marion Nestle's book, What to Eat. She makes some very good points about the US food industry. Companies constantly try to "improve" and add (perceived) value to foods so they can charge more and encourage us to eat more. (There are about 3900 calories available daily for every person; and yet most of us shouldn't consume more than 2000 calories per day.) Case in point: EggBeaters and other egg products. Most are just egg whites with some emulsifier (and water!!!) so they cook up like regular scrambled eggs. I caught on to this scam years ago and have been buying whole eggs and tossing yolks. A dozen of conventional eggs is about $1; a carton of EggBeaters is about $3(?).

Marriage Over

Well, my love affair with Google is officially over. While I will keep my blog and gmail accounts, I will stop singing the praises of Google. After taking forever to upload my chicken video (12MB), it took over an hour to then "update" it to my blog. I gave up around 12:45am. Blogger limits video files to 100MB--I'd hate to see how long an "upload" would take after the data transfer is complete!

Polyface Farms

"farm of many faces"
Doesn't that sum up their philosophy? How many farms acknowledge that animals have faces? Sure the farmers see animals, but do they really SEE the animals they raise? Polyface Farms was profiled in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" as a place where pesticides, fertilizers, and antibiotics were unnecessary as part of normal operations. The cynic in me thought 'yeah right. It can't really be like that in real life. The author's weeklong experience there was just to show it's possible.'

QE and I visited Polyface today. I saw first-hand how it's really done, and Michael Pollan captured exactly what really happens. It's not tourist-friendly like a vineyard. The "sales office" is little more than a hut or shed (no AC!). There's no picnic area or restrooms. The latrines were quite clean though. Walking through tall grass and weeds, we first met the broiler chickens. There were lots of pens with lots of chickens in each. The pens were like an upside-down playpen for babies. Each pen had chickens in similar age/size. It was kind of stinky. If open-air pens in a field stink, what must chicken feed houses smell like? Don't think I want to know the answer.

Next, we walked into the woods where the piggies were. Mr. Salatin (owner) was giving a tour to some Virginia Tech students, so I didn't get a great view of the pigs. They were huge! Piggies are not the cute Wilbur or Babe size pigs--these pigs were the size of--well, large enough for me to never want to piss off a pig. They were also loud when they yelled at each other. What was really cool was that the piggies all had their curly tails, unlike production pigs. No need to dock tails when they are happy and not distressed. Happy pigs = pigs that don't suckle or chew another pig's tail.

We moved on to visit the cows. As we drove on to the farm, we saw the cows and a few greeted us. I was excited to finally meet them. As we walked into the pasture, the calves were intrigued by us, but not enough to allow us to get too close. Most of the herd was chilling under a tent. Cows like to lounge in the shade during the hottest part of the day. We saw cows resting under trees on other farms, so I knew the tents weren't weird. Polyface sets up a tent in a new plot of land daily and that's where the cows hang out. They didn't look too happy by a human's standard, with all those bugs flying around, the hot and humid air, and having to share the shade with other cows. But the cows seemed happy. When Polyface says visitors are free to roam the farm, they weren't kidding. We were in the cow pasture with the cows! No barriers between us and the moo moos.

Our visit to the egg-laying hens was most amusing. Chickens are loud. And they really cluck! As we approached the Eggmobile (all animals get moved daily to new land in a rotation), the welcoming committee came to greet us (in the video). They weren't just moseying along--they were running towards us. For a brief moment, we panicked at the thought of getting pecked and chased by chickens. Luckily for us, they were very friendly and just wanted to say hi. Inside the Eggmobile, there are little cubbies for chickens to hang out, just like in cartoons.

A few hours of walking around and meeting everyone was tiring. I have no idea how the farm manages to do real work. We bought some really good looking meats and eggs. The eggs are ungraded, but some gave "large" a whole new meaning. Speaking with one of the employees, I learned that even "cage-free" eggs aren't much different than conventional eggs. Just because they are cage-free doesn't mean the hens get to roam around or eat a nutritious diet. Polyface's eggs are called pastured eggs. Their hens get to go where they please, eat grass, peck at dirt and just be a happy chicken. In fact, we saw a few hens who dug trenches in the ground to relax and dusted theirs feather with dirt. Production birds who roll around on the ground would be rolling in poop.

It was very cool to see a small farm make a difference in the lives of their animals. We can't save the world, but we can share our passion with others. After seeing the happy animals, I feel less guilty about eating another living creature's flesh. I've been going vegetarian the past week, and frankly I don't really miss the meat. I don't feel the need to eat meat. It's just more convenient since it's everywhere. Having to think about the source of my food has made me think twice about meals. Is organic lettuce from CA really necessary? The fuel burned to ship me that bag of lettuce cost much more than the $3 I spent for that organic spinach. Did me forgoing meat all week really save a chicken or cow's life? Doubtful. But imagine what would happen if 10,000 people chose "happy" animal meat or became vegetarian.

Unfit Mother

I've always been fairly honest and vocal about how just because women have the ability to conceive doesn't mean they should become mothers. I think I fall into the "shouldn't" category. Case in point: Davis and Cara are still facing off daily. A simple look (ok, staredown) from Cara will cause Davis to go into fits and scream. Sometimes she goes away, sometimes it leads to a full confrontation. His screams sounds like a woman getting beaten up. Horrible and scary. Last night, they were at it again as we were fixing a late dinner, this time on the stairs. I got fed up with both of them and smacked both on their side/butt. Davis was shocked and started to sneeze (he sneezes when he's under significant stress). Cara retreated to her room, none worse for the wear.

As dinner was cooking, Davis was in his corner of the kitchen watching. I go over to make up with him and make sure he's ok. He avoids my eye contact and retreats to the sofa, ignoring me. My little boy was mad at me! I hurt his feelings and he was scared of me! I go over to the sofa and try petting him again. This time, he allows me to pet him but still won't look at me. We made up by the end of the night, but I learned a lesson for sure. Animals do have feelings, at least those with whom we share our lives.

Last night's face-off wasn't any worse than any of their other fights, but I was fed up with it. Was I wrong to smack them? I don't know. Did they realize they shouldn't fight? Not sure. Will I smack them again if necessary? Probably. Don't get me wrong, I've never smacked any of the kids until last night. I don't think parents should hit their kids (human or otherwise) on a regular basis as a means of punishment. But sometimes, I think a good smack (just one) is enough to remind them who is boss and that their behavior will not be tolerated. That is obviously frowned upon in this day and age and strangers will not hesitate to report "child abuse". I think that is why kids are more out of control now than say 15 years ago. Good thing I won't be a mother to a human child...I would probably get carted off to jail or the kid would get taken into Child Protective Services or something.

Very Good Porn

For the record, I do not have an addiction. QE is my enabler and pusher.

Knit Happens had a super crazy, better than eating, better than sex, better than dark chocolate sale. The sale was so good, I would eagerly wear a thong bikini if it was a prerequisite. Yeah, it was that good. They were supposed to open at 10:30 and we arrived at 10:20, anticipating a long line. As we approached the store, I was relieved and a bit shocked there wasn't a line! Turns out the store was already open! Apparently there was a large crowd waiting, so the staff decided to open early. OH WOW

To make room for the fall yarns, many in-stock yarns were 70% off. Others were 30% off. This was not a bait sale where only the crappy colors or yarns were 70% off. Many were delicious, gorgeous yarns at yes-I-WILL-knock-you-over-if-you-are-in-my-way prices. Surprisingly, everyone was very polite and courteous despite it being very crowded. Go figure. Knitters must be nicer than the general public. Maybe more Metro riders and idiots on the roads should take up knitting. Imagine how nice the world would be!!!

Ok, so my pile doesn't look very large, but I assure you it is. It was two shopping bags of yarn. Think department store shopping bags at Christmas. Those kind of bags. Some women had four or more bags overflowing with yarn. My dad was amazed at my loot. In typical dad fashion, he picks up whatever was on top and goes "this one ball costs ten dollars?" When I told him I got it on sale for 70% off, he relaxed a bit and enjoyed touching and seeing everything. Surprisingly, he didn't say anything about how much I bought. Dad knows I am an avid knitter and I will use the yarn eventually, so it's not a waste of money. See, even Dad supports Stash!!! :)

Here's what I got:

4 - ggh Solitaire in gray (merino/acrylic/poly blend)
4 - ggh Solitaire in chocolate brown
2 - Lorna's Laces Fisherman (the cream/beige next to the gray)
4 - Manos del Uruguay (the peachy tan)
2 - Shepherd Colour 4 Me in white
4 - Jaeger Roma in cane (buff)
4 - Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk dk in ivory
2 - Araucania Pomaire in blue
4 - Laines du Nord Korall in off white

I know that most of what I got is rather neutral in color. Well, I've got enough wacky colors I bought because it was on sale that I don't want to stress over what to make in a non-traditional color.

Here's why I have the best husband in the world (yep, definitely better than yours! LOL) In addition to going into the store with me (it overwhelmed him, between the crowds and the noise--we really did sound like hens clucking), QE was my helper and actually scoped out yarns he thought I would like. He chose the DB Alpaca Silk in baby blue. I decided it was too confining and wanted the cream, which was on the top shelf in the back. Good ol' QE reached up there for me, to the envy of other women. After 30 minutes, I was done and checked out to the tune of $60ish. I was feeling great. I got awesome loot that didn't require me to settle on colors or yarn. As we walked out, QE said he was disappointed in me. All the hype about the sale and I walked out with one measly bag of yarn. After some trash talking, QE convinced me to go back in and look around some more. He coaxed me back in (poor me!), then took my bag and went off to wander elsewhere and would come back in 20 minutes. I went back in for round two.

I scrutinized everything, opened my mind and tried to break free from my yarn comfort zone. Thanks to QE, round two resulted in some really cool yarns that are quickly becoming favorites. All told, I spent a bit over $100 for the yarn above. Not too bad, considering full price would have been well over $350.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL!

Our little princess turned 10 today. She is officially our geezer meezer and we love her more than ever. It seems only like yesterday we adopted her at the age of 3. After wishing her a happy birthday at 5:00 AM, I gave all the kids kibble instead of the "yucky" canned they snub. Angel was overjoyed. Today MUST be a special day afterall! Mom never gives us kibble first!

As you can see in the photos, we got Angel a birthday cake and some balloons. QE said one of the balloons in my final selection pool was "too babyish. Angel is a big girl!" hahahaha He chose the Sleeping Beauty Disney Princess "because it's heart-shaped". And it's quite appropriate since Angel is our Sleeping Beauty Princess.

Grandpa made the trip to see his favorite girl and brought hand-made shrimp dumplings for lunch. Gotta love Dad! He wished Angel a happy birthday and was all googly moogly wishy washy with her. Blech. :) He even asked why we didn't get Angel candles for her cake! And I thought I was nutty for getting her a cake! None of the kids ate much cake. It was virtually all ice cream with maybe a quarter-inch of cake. Ok, it's Maggie Moos, so I expect lots of ice cream, but a bit more cake would have been nice. The cake wasn't very sweet and nicely decorated.

Overall I think Angel had a nice day. The balloons scared Cara, so what could be better than that, right? We've been through a lot with Angel. And through it all, I think we've learned to be loving, caring, and well-trained parents. She knows we love her a lot and she is very special to us.

Happy Birthday, my little best friend!