Not a good night, last night. The resident wild-life decided to have a Possum Party up in the attic. This seemed to involve strapping woks to their feet and doing the can-can along the entire length of the house. It's quite bizarre as the whole area is insulated with papier-mache, so we're not quite sure what surface they are cavorting against. The agency handling all this sort of thing is a bit hopeless - they seem to take several months and numerous phone-calls to sort out anything. However, they are coming on Wednesday to look around the roof-line and bung up any holes. The handy-man called me today and said could I phone him to make sure that the squirrel was out before they got started. I suggested that maybe a trap would be a more sensible solution, in lieu of any wild-life actually having access to Outlook.
10 kids were away from school today in the class below T's,and 6 away in her class. It was very quiet at picking up time. At the first sign of a sore throat and oinking she is staying at home.
We had a nice time at the weekend though. They always have the organized Hallowe'en events the week-end before the 31st. We missed out last year, but this year went to Hyland park, where they had a lovely lit path-way through the wooded paths, with little games on the sides, and puppet "trees" where the kids could knock on doors and, say, a turkey would pop out and give them a treat. T gave her skeleton outfit a whirl, and she was actually a little too hot. There was also a few mad scientists doing magic tricks and science experiments, a few brains to hold, pickled lizards to look at, and s'mores to make and eat.
26 October 2009
22 October 2009
Mellow fruitfulness
So I harvested my potatoes. I got 5. I was a bit peeved whilst washing them that I lost two down the sink. The tomatoes got a final sprint on, but ended up suffering after the snow of last week, so had to be disposed of behind the shed. I think next year I will concentrate on pumpkins. No-one really likes to eat them, but they look good on your "stoop" this time of the year....T has already forced me to buy the Hallowe'en costume and to put out the decorations. This year, I am getting a remote control (or timer - depends which fits in the outdoor socket) so I don't have to nip out to turn the lights on/off. The decorations people put out for Christmas and Hallowe'en are quite amazing...there are even companies which will store and put up your house decorations each year.
This year she has decided to be a skeleton. It was either that or a zombie. The era of princesses has sadly passed. I am quite happy though - it just needs to be of a design and size big enough to go over her snow-suit for the Trick or Treatin'.
She squished her finger last night. Somehow, and we don't quite know the details, but "this coffee table suddenly fell" on her hand. I took her down to Urgent Care this morning and she was seen and X-rayed within 45 mins. Hurrah for the US!...and it's not broken, just bruised.
This year she has decided to be a skeleton. It was either that or a zombie. The era of princesses has sadly passed. I am quite happy though - it just needs to be of a design and size big enough to go over her snow-suit for the Trick or Treatin'.
She squished her finger last night. Somehow, and we don't quite know the details, but "this coffee table suddenly fell" on her hand. I took her down to Urgent Care this morning and she was seen and X-rayed within 45 mins. Hurrah for the US!...and it's not broken, just bruised.
11 October 2009
A distinct nip in the air
Great. The first snow the night before last. The last time this happened so early, the natives got snowed in for three days later on in the season. Thus forewarned, we joined the rest of the state in REI (the outdoor clothing company) to replenish the thermal wardrobe.
T asked last night if it would snow again. I said no, and she replied that yes, it was definitely going to snow. "No, really, it's not. Why do you think it is?" I asked. "Well, you're basing it on the weather forecast. I'm basing it on experience".
The raccoon is starting to look fluffier. We want to get a heated birdbath. Apparently it is urban myth that birds' wings freeze, and/or that if they land on a metal railing, and then fly off.....well, you probably get the picture. I asked at the bird sanctuary last week. I think I inadvertently provided the joke for the Christmas Speech this year.
06 October 2009
Gopher this, gopher that
Yesterday,feeling a little bit like Noah, I found myself oiling the garden furniture (and the patio, and me) obviously in preparation for the monumental rain we've been experiencing since approximately 10 minutes after I finished. 48 hours of rain. Just enough to bring England to a halt, and its government to its knees.
Today is one of the busy days, just the sort where you really don't want to drive on the motorways in the rain. To school, back again to ice-skating. Back to school to pick up T, then to Wayzata for her Vision Therapy. Back to school. Home. 30 mins to make tea, then back to school again. Home, eat tea, off to ice-skating for T (unless she (oh please do!) throws a wobbly and refuses to go). Normally the free-way traffic will slow down by a good 10 miles an hour (a law, dontcha know). I did try to avoid it today, but no matter how hard I tried to fool the GPS, she was adamant I had to go the fast way.
At ice-skating I learnt that Laura last week broke her ankle in two places, and was just having the operation to put pins in. The coach said "I hope it hasn't put her off". The rest of us skated very tentatively indeed.
Today is one of the busy days, just the sort where you really don't want to drive on the motorways in the rain. To school, back again to ice-skating. Back to school to pick up T, then to Wayzata for her Vision Therapy. Back to school. Home. 30 mins to make tea, then back to school again. Home, eat tea, off to ice-skating for T (unless she (oh please do!) throws a wobbly and refuses to go). Normally the free-way traffic will slow down by a good 10 miles an hour (a law, dontcha know). I did try to avoid it today, but no matter how hard I tried to fool the GPS, she was adamant I had to go the fast way.
At ice-skating I learnt that Laura last week broke her ankle in two places, and was just having the operation to put pins in. The coach said "I hope it hasn't put her off". The rest of us skated very tentatively indeed.
01 October 2009
Winter is icumen in
The bugs have stopped their incessant night-time chatter, indicating the start of our second sub-zero winter. A sort of joke, but I am already wearing two thermals vests and my ski-jacket. Inside the house. Like all good English people we refuse to put the central heating on just yet, although we did give it a blast last night, to accompany the first fire of the season. We're not quite an environmentalist's dream.
T is getting busy at school. Homework started this week. It is really being more of a chore for most of the mums, trying to persuade their kids to sit down and do it.The teacher has said that if they are not finished within 30 mins, to leave it. My approach is that this is far too long, and eats into valuable colouring-in time at home. I give her 10 minutes. So far it has involved reading lists and attempting to write five words without copying from the original.
She is also attending Vision Therapy as she is having difficulty focusing. I'm quite optimistic as there appears to have been an improvement already. Some of the things she has to do seem quite tricky for a 6-year old. eg Jessica sits opposite to her and says "Which is your right-hand, which is your left?", and then asks "Which is my left-hand and my right?", which involves a fair deal more spatial awareness than her mother is capable of (ask bridgjo - there was a very good reason we invested in a GPS). The exercise she likes best involves her lying on the floor on her tummy, and me touching an arm, leg, head, and her raising it. Then we go up to 4....it's a bit like the Simon electronic game with "Lady-Bird"-clad appendages rather than flashing-lights. This is all to do with "body awareness" as it is tricky at this age to just say "Well, move your right eye in a bit". There are lots of tracking exercises ("Follow my finger....") and focusing games to do too. What with the homework, this, plus she needs to keep up with her English reading, we're going to have to start getting up earlier.
But not this morning - a tumultuous thunderstorm at 6.30am, and the darkest morning yet, encouraged us to have an extra hour in bed with a story.
I took my skates in to be sharpened today. This is in spite of the other woman in my class coming a cropper the other day, and either wrenching or breaking her ankle (a piercing scream and and yell if "It's grating", is not something you really want to hear. Or, indeed, experience).
At the shop I came across the snort-worthy Warrior Nutt Hutt. This sturdy piece of equipment came in one of those inpenetrable plastic jobbies (of the type, paradoxically, scissors are normally sold in), with the award-winning design being a photo of a broken peanut casing with two tatty looking peanuts inside.
T is getting busy at school. Homework started this week. It is really being more of a chore for most of the mums, trying to persuade their kids to sit down and do it.The teacher has said that if they are not finished within 30 mins, to leave it. My approach is that this is far too long, and eats into valuable colouring-in time at home. I give her 10 minutes. So far it has involved reading lists and attempting to write five words without copying from the original.
She is also attending Vision Therapy as she is having difficulty focusing. I'm quite optimistic as there appears to have been an improvement already. Some of the things she has to do seem quite tricky for a 6-year old. eg Jessica sits opposite to her and says "Which is your right-hand, which is your left?", and then asks "Which is my left-hand and my right?", which involves a fair deal more spatial awareness than her mother is capable of (ask bridgjo - there was a very good reason we invested in a GPS). The exercise she likes best involves her lying on the floor on her tummy, and me touching an arm, leg, head, and her raising it. Then we go up to 4....it's a bit like the Simon electronic game with "Lady-Bird"-clad appendages rather than flashing-lights. This is all to do with "body awareness" as it is tricky at this age to just say "Well, move your right eye in a bit". There are lots of tracking exercises ("Follow my finger....") and focusing games to do too. What with the homework, this, plus she needs to keep up with her English reading, we're going to have to start getting up earlier.
But not this morning - a tumultuous thunderstorm at 6.30am, and the darkest morning yet, encouraged us to have an extra hour in bed with a story.
I took my skates in to be sharpened today. This is in spite of the other woman in my class coming a cropper the other day, and either wrenching or breaking her ankle (a piercing scream and and yell if "It's grating", is not something you really want to hear. Or, indeed, experience).
At the shop I came across the snort-worthy Warrior Nutt Hutt. This sturdy piece of equipment came in one of those inpenetrable plastic jobbies (of the type, paradoxically, scissors are normally sold in), with the award-winning design being a photo of a broken peanut casing with two tatty looking peanuts inside.
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