Scaifea's 2012 Challenge - Thread #8

New thread time, if you please.

For your viewing pleasure, a formidable rendition of Clytemnestra, Frederic Leighton’s "Clytemnestra from the Battlements of Argos Watches for the Beacon Fires" - not a woman I'd want to come up against, for certain:



Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 10-12 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there too):

1. A library book. In Library of Congress call number order. So, yes, from the beginning of the library's shelves. Crazy? Or crazy like a fox?...

2. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

3. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m working through a few different lists:
a. Newbery Winners list
b. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
c. Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids
d. John Bellairs' bibliography
e. Beverly Cleary's bibliography
f. Shel Silverstein's bibliography
g. L. M. Boston's Green Knowe books
h. The CYOA books

4. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

5. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

6. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

7. Lists I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob:
a. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
b. The Pulizer list (in alpha order by author)
c. The Hugo/Nebula/WFA lists (combined, in chronological order)

8. For this category, I cycle through 7 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. Stephen King's bibliography (in chronological order)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list

9. An Eliza & Electra Book Club book

10. A bath-time book: I read aloud while Tomm gives Charlie his bath.

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-Mystery of the Maya (CYOA series)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Last Lecture (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Books Read:
135. luffy Scourge of the Sea (public library book) - 8/10
134. The River at Green Knowe (Green Knowe series) - 8/10
133. Otto Goes to the Beach (public library book) - 7/10
132. Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? (Silverstein bibliography) - 7/10
131. Ramona and Her Mother (Cleary bibligraphy) - 9/10
130. The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie (Bellairs bibliography) - 9/10
129. Myths and Heroes (public library book) - 7/10
128. My Dad's a Birdman (audiobook) - 8/10
127. Firefighters (public library book) - 6/10
126. Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms (Charlie book) - 9/10
125. Parade Day (public library book) - 7/10
124. Songs of Innocence and Experience (Charlie book) - 8/10
123. Treasure of Green Knowe (Green Knowe series) - 9/10
122. Sheep Trick or Treat (public library book) - 7/10
121. The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder (Bellairs bibliography) - 9/10
120. The Young Black Stallion (Farley bibliography) - 3 stars
119. Pickles to Pittsburgh (public library book) - 3 stars
118. It Looked Like Spilt Milk (public library book) - 3 stars
117. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (public library book) - 3 stars
116. Oh, David! (public library book) - 2 stars
115. The Black Stallion Legend (Farley bibliography) - 2 stars
114. Down the Rabbit Hole (audio book) - 3 stars
113. Jeremy's Tail (public library book) - 3 stars
112. Down by the Bay (public library book) - 2 stars
111. Ramona and Her Father (Cleary bibliography) - 3 stars
110. Hickory Dickory Dock (public library book) - 3 stars
109. The Adventures of Odysseus (Charlie book) - 4 stars
108. Rocket Town (public library book) - 3 stars
107. The Best Mouse Cookie (public library book) - 4 stars
106. An Acceptable Time (to complete the series) - 3 stars
105. Big Fat Hen (public library book) - 3 stars
104. Let's Play in the Snow (public library book) - 3 stars
103. I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles (Charlie book - garage sale find) - 3 stars
102. Corduroy's Day (Charlie book - garage sale find) - 2 stars
101. I Spy Little Animals (public library book) - 3 stars
100. The Big Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (1001 Children's Books list) - 3 stars
99. Many Waters (to finish the series) - 4 stars
98. Turtle Tale (public library book) - 3 stars
97. A Swiftly Tilting Planet (to finish the series) - 4 stars
96. A Giraffe and a Half (Silverstein bibliography) - 3 stars
95. The Real Mother Goose (public library book) - 3 stars
94. Sesame Street: The Library (Charlie book) - 3 stars
93. Play These Games (impulse buy at the book store!) - 3 stars
92. A Wind in the Door (toward completely the series, Charlie book) - 3 stars
91. A Manatee Morning (public library book) - 2 stars
90. Dear Mr. Henshaw (Newbery list * Cleary bibliography) - 4 stars
89. Tickle Teddy (public library book) - 2 stars
88. Dicey's Song (Newbery list) - 4 stars
87. Kaleidoscope (Charlie book) - 3 stars
86. Thomas the Tank Engine's Big Lift-and-Look Book (public library book) - 3 stars
85. Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake (public library book) - 3 stars
84. Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep (1001 Children's Books list) - 4 stars
83. Millions of Cats (1001 Children's Books list) - 3 stars
82. Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs (public library book) - 3 stars
81. Fifteen Animals! (Charlie book) - 4 stars
80. I'm a Tractor (public library book) - 2 stars
79. The Brave Cowboy (public library book) - 3 stars
78. Time for School, Mouse! (public library book) - 4 stars
77. Stone Soup (1001 Children's Books) - 4 stars
76. For One More Day (audiobook) - 2 stars
75. The Harvard Classics: The Five Foot Shelf of Books, Vol. 25: John Stuart Mill: Autobiography, Essay on Liberty; T. Carlyle: Characteristics, Inaugural Address, Essay on Scott (library book) - 2 stars
74. The Ghost in the Mirror (Bellairs bibliograpy) - 4 stars
73. The Black Stallion and the Girl (Farley bibliography) - 3 stars
72. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids list) - 4 stars
71. My Shape Book (Charlie - public library book) - 3 stars
70. I Want to be a Doctor (Charlie - public library book) - 3 stars
69. Maggie's Moon (Charlie - public library book) - 3 stars
68. Fish Eyes (Charlie - public library book) - 3 stars
67. When Marian Sang (Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids list) - 3 stars
66. Lafcadio (Silverstein bibliography) - 3 stars
65. Ramona the Brave (Cleary bibliography) - 3 stars
64. The Egypt Game (Charlie book - Newbery Honor book found on the library sale shelf) - 4 stars
63. A Visit to William Blake's Inn (Newbery list) - 4 stars
62. Jacob Have I Loved (Newbery list) - 4 stars
61. The Magic Pudding (1001 Children's Books list) - 2 stars
60. The Dutch Twins (1001 Children's Books list) - 3 stars
59. Terrific (public library book) - 4 stars
58. Nothing (public library book) - 4 stars
57. A Dirty Job (Moore bibliography) - 5 stars
56. Milo's Hat Trick (public library book) - 4 stars
55. My Rhinoceros (public library book) - 4 stars
54. Paddington Helps Out (bath-time book) - 4 stars
53. Mary Poppins and the House Next Door (NEH list) - 3 stars
52. Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane (NEH list) - 3 stars
51. The Swiss Family Robinson (NEH list) - 3 stars
50. Rempelstiltskin's Daughter (Charlie book) - 3 stars
49. Night of the Gargoyles (Charlie book) - 3 stars
48. The Children's Book of Virtues (Charlie book) - 3 stars
47. The End of Everything (audio book) - 2 stars
46. Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (a gift from the In-Laws to Charlie) - 3 stars
45. Stuart Little (NEH list) - 2 stars
44. Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (a gift from the Ladies Next Door) - 3 stars
43. Blink (audio book) - 3 stars
42. Mickey's Easter Hunt (Charlie book) - 3 stars
41. Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs (Charlie book) - 3 stars
40. Dinosaurs Roar! (Charlie book) - 3 stars
39. Treasure Island (NEH list) - 4 stars
38. Mary Poppins in the Kitchen (NEH list) - 2 stars
37. Mary Poppins from A to Z (NEH list) - 2 stars
36. Mary Poppins in the Park (NEH list) - 4 stars
35. Mary Poppins Opens the Door (NEH list) - 4 stars
34. Mary Poppins Comes Back (NEH list) - 4 stars
33. The Children's Hour Volume 8: Myths and Legends - 3 stars
32. Coraline (Gaiman bibliography) - 4 stars
31. Four Past Midnight (King bibliography) - 4 stars
30. Duck and Goose: Here Comes the Easter Bunny! (Charlie book) - 3 stars
29. Are You My Mother? (Charlie book) - 3 stars
28. Blue Hat, Green Hat (Charlie book) - 4 stars
27. Moo, Baa, La La La! (Charlie book) - 4 stars
26. Barnyard Dance! (Charlie book) - 4 stars
25. Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! (Charlie book) - 4 stars
24. Mary Poppins (NEH list) - 4 stars
23. The Know-It-All (audiobook) - 2 stars
22. The Children's Hour, Volume 7: Favorite Mystery Stories - 3 stars
21. A Dance with Dragons (series) - 4 stars
20. Ulysses Annotated (for help with #19) - 2 stars
19. Ulysses (Banned Books list) - 1 star
18. Socks (Cleary bibliography) - 3 stars
17. The Mansion in the Mist (Bellairs bibliography) - 4 stars
16. The Black Stallion's Ghost (Farley bibliography) - 3 stars
15. Ramona the Pest (Cleary bibliography) - 3 stars
14. Heidi (NEH list) - 2 stars
13. Bridge to Terabithia (Newbery list) - 4 stars
12. The Black Stallion Challenged! (Farley bibliography) - 3 stars
11. The Black Stallion and Flame (Farley bibliography) - 3 stars
10. The Secret of the Underground Room (Bellairs bibliography) - 4 stars
9. The Light in the Forest (NEH list) - 3 stars
8. Orlando Furioso (for a group read, of sorts) - 5 stars
7. The Horse-Tamer (Farley bibliography) - 3 stars
6. Kids Go! (found in Walmart sale bin for $4!) - 3 stars
5. A Gathering of Days (Newbery list) - 3 stars
4. The Chessmen of Doom (Bellairs bibliography) - 4 stars
3. The Black Stallion Mystery (Farley bibliography) - 4 stars
2. The Growing-Up Feet (Cleary bibliography) - 2 stars
1. The Trolley to Yesterday (Bellairs bibliography) - 4 stars

Charlie's favorite method of battling the heat:

And, Bonus Question #2:

If you could have dinner with one person (historical or contemporary), who would it be and why? What would they order?

Oh, and I'm not sure that I answered my first bonus question over on the old thread, but I would choose Tina Fey to play me, since, as Liz Lemon, she's essentially perfected the role already.

That is one intimidating lady! And that pose Charlie is demonstrating is incrdibly familiar...OH! Maybe it's the Heisman Trophy pose for college football?

As for your bonus question, I wouldn't have dinner with anyone because people scare me! But you knew that already...

HI Amber! Love the shot of Charlie playing, so cute! Kids find all sorts of fun ways to beat the heat :)

We could totally use some fun in the water today as the day got pretty warm...although nothing compared to what our friends in the South are going through!

I'd have dinner with anyone who was willing to accept my invitation! :)

I'd like to have dinner with (and prepared by) my great grandmother, Grace. She died about 15 years before I was born, but by all accounts she was a fabulous cook and just a great person in general. Also, after spending over two years researching the lives and experiences of Hoosier farm women in the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, I'd love to be able to talk to her about her life in southern Indiana.

Also, I love the Leighton painting; the Pre-Raphaelites are my favorite.

I think I'd like to have dinner with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Amber- Looks like Charlie has the right idea! Like the new thread and enjoy your weekend.

That's quite a set of arms on Clytemnestra...or as my lads would say, "check out the pipes".

I can't just pick one historical figure--maybe Shakespeare, because I'd love to ask him about that second best bed.

Signing in for your latest thread Amber. Charlie doesn't seem to be too inconvenienced by the weather anyways.

I think I see an actual smile on Charlie's face!

I want to have dinner with Whoopi Goldberg. We would have a Southern meal of fried chicken and ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans, greens, corn bread and watermelon for dessert.

I would say Wilde, but he wouldn't be happy having dinner with *me*, so Elizabeth I. I think we'd both order desserts.

Stephen: Not surprising in the least. Reminds me of Paul Rudd in Role Models, "It's nothing personal, I just don't like having dinner with people."

Hi, Chelle! I was definitely tempted to jump in there with him!

Valerie: It seems that, finally, the heat wave has broken here - Tomm and I stepped outside yesterday evening to a downright chilly 88 degrees and a fresh breeze. Still no rain in the 10-day forecast though, which is bad - the drought is getting quite serious here.

casvelyn: I never met my grandmother either, but I feel I know her well through my mom's wonderful stories about her. She was an amazing cook, too, apparently, and self-taught at that, as her mother died when she was only 5 and she was left to cook and do all the housework for her father and her siblings. Amazing woman, by all accounts and I wish I could chat with her, too.

maggie: Nice one.

Hi, Mark! Hope it's cooling down where you are, too!

tiffin: The arms are in particular my favorite bit of the painting, I think - the detail of the dimple at the elbow is wonderful. And Shakespeare is an excellent choice - so so many questions that he could answer...

Paul: Charlie's never really been one to be bothered by the heat, although our handful of 100+ days in a row did finally show there mark and he was definitely content to stay indoors, thank goodness. This picture was taken on a mere low-90 degree day.

Morphy: He does occasionally grace the camera with one of those. And Whoopi would certainly provide the entertainment, no?

Luxx: I think I'd be too intellectually intimidated by Wilde to eat much, but would nevertheless love to have met him. I feel the same about Stephen Fry, in fact - would *love* to have him as my dinner companion, but what an idiot I would likely seem to be to him. Sigh.

Oh, sitting down with Stephen Fry would be amazing.

112. Down by the Bay by Raffi (public library book, picture book) - 2 stars
The lyrics of the song set to illustrations.
Weird song, not-so-great illustrations. Not really recommended.

We did, in fact, have a nice relaxing day yesterday, and are hopefully in for another today. I tried a new recipe for breakfast that turned out to be a tasty way to start a lazy Sunday: Yellow Corncakes, from an Amish cookbook that I picked up at the Goodwill. Delicious.
I did a bit of quilting on Charlie's quilt yesterday and hope to get more done today (I'd like to have it finished before my parents come to visit at the end of the month, but we'll see if that happens), and we'll be doing a bit of deck painting this afternoon.

Hi,
Nice new thread and a lovely photo of your Charlie.
Answer to your Question: I would like to have Dinner with Frida Kahlo and I would eat a nice Chilli :)

Hi Amber, you chose the perfect word to describe Clytemnestra, she certainly is formidable.

I was trying to pick someone famous to have dinner with and I just couldn't narrow it down to one, was going to ask you to consider a travelling dinner - appetizers with one person, main course with another, etc. but I actually decided that I would rather have dinner with my Dad. I lost him over twenty years ago and there is much I would have liked to have had a chance to discuss with him.

113. Jeremy's Tail by Duncan Ball (public library book, picture book) - 3 stars

Jeremy is getting read to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey at a birthday party; blindfold on, spin round thrice, and off he goes. And goes. And goes. Does he really travel by bus, hot air balloon, boat and back again to the very living room of the party, all blindfolded and holding the tail, or is it just his wild imagination?
Slightly strange, but thoroughly enjoyable (and delightfully illustrated). Recommended.

I would like to have dinner with Giada De Laurentiis because she is stunning and she would cook me an excellent Italian meal. The combination of the two makes me lightheaded.

deniro: Ha! Excellent answer!

Just finished up a session of sitting on the floor rocking back and forth sucking on my thumb - massive paper cut from the edge of a manila folder. Argh!! Finally pulled myself together enough to lurch into the bathroom for some antibiotic ointment and a Buzz Lightyear bandaid (apparently we have no non-cartoon bandaids in the house). Sigh. Oh, and did I mention that I have an appointment with the dentist this afternoon. Greeeeaaat.

Oh, my two favourite things! Papercuts and the dentist. :/ I told my dentist once that I'd rather give birth again than sit in his chair for a cleaning. He laughed. I was serious. ;P

Valerie: I completely agree, especially since my giving-birth experience was a 15-minute, text-book, essentially pain-free c-section!

Mine was a 24 hour, give me the drugs now or I'll kill you kind of deal, and I'd still rather give birth again than see the dentist. But every 4 months we have the same conversation so they pretty much know the drill with me. :)

they pretty much know the drill with me.

Oh, hahaha! What an unfortunate choice of words. :P

Valerie & Stephen: *snork!*

Well. 5 cavities. FIVE. AND an existing filling that is loose and needs replacing. AND we have terrible dental insurance here, so, it'll cost our pockets $1500. I'm not gonna lie: there were tears last night.

114. Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams (audiobook) - 3 stars

13-year-old Ingrid, self-conscious about not being the prettiest girl in school and having braces and being bad at math, tries to walk to soccer practice from the dentist on her own when her parents fail to pick her up on time and gets lost in the bad part of her small town instead. She runs into Cracked-Up Katie (the local crazy), who invites her into her house and calls a cab for the girl, and who subsequently turns up dead - murdered, even - the next day. And it's then that Ingrid realizes that she left her bright red soccer cleats in Katie's house. What follows is, of course, a murder mystery with Ingrid as the young detective, one step ahead of the police chief, who also happens to be dad to her kindasorta boyfriend.

When I first started listening to this one, I immediately nearly shut it off, because the young reader was *terrible*. But, I thought I'd give it a couple of chapters to see if I could get used to it. And although she was still demonstrably bad at reading the story throughout, I stuck with it because, unlike our Stephen, I'm a bit of a sucker for a mystery and don't really read them that much, so I wanted a treat. The mystery itself isn't all that original and I guessed the culprit fairly early on, but still enjoyed the story. It's a young adult book, I believe, so maybe the predictability is forgivable, along with the bit-too-obvious-as-in-knock-one-over-the-head-with 'allusions' to Alice in Wonderland throughout (my jaded self gets the sense that the author thought he was being quite clever by making Ingrid's life a reflection of Alice's at points, but his writing just isn't up to par to deal with that kind of maneuver, I think). At any rate, it was enjoyable, but nothing extraordinary or special, and the attempt at teen diction is annoying at best.

Updated Currently Reading List:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The Black Stallion Legend (Farley bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Good Body (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Oh, and I finished a play (Life Is a Dream by Pedro Calderon) in the collection I'm reading (the first listing immediately above), and I can add it to my Year-by-Year book list, since it was first performed in 1635 and I'd not read anything in the year! WooHoo!

I'm so sorry, Amber. I know what it's like to get hit with a huge unexpected bill. *hugs*

Thanks, Morphy; I needed that hug. It's the double whammy of the money and the fact that I really do take care of my teeth properly, but I just have really weak enamel, so it doesn't matter and I always have cavities when I go. Bah. I very much hope that Charlie has inherited Tomm's strong teeth and not mine - I do *not* want him to have the lifetime of dentistry that I've experienced.

My teeth really suck, too. I've had more root canals and teeth pulled than you could possibly imagine and I'm only 47. And as you said, it's not like I don't take care of them.

Yep, two root canals (and one of those had to be re-done) and two pulled. Solidarity, sister!

I think I've had six root canals and four teeth pulled.

Oh lordy-lou, I hope I don't catch up with you...

I'm sorry to hear about your dental woes, Amber. That really sucks.

Oh goodness, that's really terrible - I'm so sorry. :(

Thanks, Laura & Luxx. I'm feeling less dejected about it this morning, but still. Ugh. Charlie's first-ever dentist trip is tomorrow, and I'm worried because he's a screaming hot mess for haircuts, so I'm certain that this won't go well...

Are you taking Charlie to a pediatric dentist, Amber? Because they really can take the terror out.

Linda: We are, definitely. That was a must for me, because I assume that they deal with this sort of thing a lot and hopefully can deal with it.

I just took B for the first time, and he went from cool to panicked in no time flat, but the dentist was very patient and we left with no lasting damage. Good luck with Charlie!

Before I took my two to the dentist when they were young, I had a little talk with them about how our teeth are so important for us to be healthy so we have to look after them. The dentist is part of looking after them.

ETA: I meant to say so sorry for the shock of the big bill. So disheartening.

Ah, dentistry. What a subject for me.

My uncle's an orthodontist, my cousin (his son) and his wife are both dentists, and I still think dentistry is a scam. I wonder if a second opinion is in order. Yeah, I know how it sounds. Due to traumatic experience with the dentist in childhood, I'm pretty picky when it comes to choosing a dentist. Some give "aggressive" diagnoses where another would do nothing at all.

For the past 10 years I've gone to the dentist my uncle has gone to. They went into business together. I figured, he's an orthodontist, he ought to know. But then their business split. I remained going to him. A few years ago, he advised a root canal and then put a crown on my teeth. The root canal by a periodontist my dentist recommended was $2000 for an hour's work -- now there's a scam. But the crown was placed unevenly by my dentist and now it is sensitive to touch, brushing, and I cannot wear my mouthpiece for when I grind my teeth at night. The dentist's excuse? These things happen.

As a kid, I ate a lot of candy and drank a lot of Pepsi, which meant a lot of cavities. My dentist didn't use novocaine on kids, he used nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The smell of the mask and the smell of the gas made me so nauseous I almost vomited. I learned to plug my nose internally (so to speak), breathe out of my mouth, to block the gas coming into my nose. That means most of my dental work was done without anaesthesia. I remember tears sliding down my face, but I sucked it up.

Gets better. The laughing gas causes near hallucinations. It was as though I were watching myself from above. I'd see myself in the chair. When that drill would speed up, you know the one, I'd feel the chair spinning at the same pace, and when it slowed down the chair would slow right along with it. When the drill turned on again, the chair would spin in the opposite direction. I still wonder if he could have done any lasting damage to me. Why did I go to this guy? Because he was a friend of my parents.

Years later, after seeing other dentists, I concluded he was the worst dentist I've ever seen. My current dentist asked me questions like, "Who did this filling? Well, he did the same thing to the other side." Great. Those fillings have been replaced over the years, and in a couple instances he really mangled my teeth ("the other side" remark).

Sorry to hear about the unexpected bills. That's another thing that I don't like about the dentist...so expensive! We have pretty good coverage up here but when I actually see the cost breakdown, yowzers....they are literally charging me an arm and a leg for teeth cleaning.
Hopefully Charlie's appointment goes well and the people at the dental office know how to cater to kids!

Once a year checkup is plenty. I once went five years without a checkup and a hygienist said, "Your teeth look good for not having had a checkup in so long." And I don't even floss. Take that, dentists.

I also have bad teeth and horrible dentist stories. I did the worst in taking care of my bad teeth and am paying the bills now. Arg!

My worst story is that I had braces when I was a kid, and my mother could not afford them, so we went to the University dental school and had the students do the work.

No one, not my Mom, nor the dental students, nor the instructors made much of my needing to brush my teeth while wearing braces!!!!! I ended up with 7 years of braces, and with major enamel damage when they came off.

So, I have struggled my entire life trying to develop a reasonable set of good habits in mouth hygiene.

Now, I have had many cavities, many root canals, several caps, bridges, etc. But I still have my own teeth. I go to the dentist regularly, and I use nitrous oxide with no bad side effects. I fear the day the dentists tell me it is time to have "false teeth".

I feel like I have kind of a happy ending.

I am sorry for your unexpected big expense, I know that can be very stressful.

Ugh, sorry about your dental issues! I've been putting off finding a dentist since we moved because I despise going. I grind my teeth though so I really should get around to finding one ... someday ...

tiffin: We started talking to Charlie about the dentist last week, and when we do, he starts shaking his head vigorously and saying, "nononononono". Hooboy.

deniro: Wow. You've got quite a dental history! And I agree with you about the pricing. I mean, seriously? There's no way this stuff costs anywhere near that much! Really, doctors and dentists are just glorified mechanics, no? Although, I suppose, many mechanics over-charge, too...

Valerie: Literally an arm and a leg?! Do they also charge you for the amputation? (*snork!* Sorry, couldn't resist. And yes, I just *snorked* at myself.)

maggie: See, that's the thing - I've always been very good about taking care of my teeth, but they're just weak and I get the cavities anyway. It's so frustrating.

Chelle: I put it off all last year because I knew, childishly, that it would be troubling for me. Sigh.

Hahaha...yeah there are drills involved and somehow I'm less an arm and a leg. Overall it's just a traumatic experience I'd rather just avoid. Seems silly that I have to PAY for something I don't even like....such is life. :)

Valerie: Oh, agreed - both the procedure *and* the price are painful!

Oh my, good luck with Charlie's dental visit, Amber. Fingers crossed that he gets through it OK.

Sorry to hear about the hefty bill. I have pretty bad teeth too, I had my first pulled last year (23) and right now I've got one with a cavity/hole in the side and another that I've chipped so many times I don't even know if I have much of it left. It might be a genetic thing as both my parents had all their teeth pulled and went with full denture when they were in their 30's (possibly the late 20's with my dad, I'm not sure.) Considering how horribly crooked mine are, perfectly straight false teeth doesn't sound so bad, and the hassle can't be too much worse than eating with teeth that hurt most of the time. And the morning breath. Oh god, the morning breath. *Shudders*

115. The Black Stallion Legen by Walter Farley (Farley bibliography, 161 pages) - 2 stars

After suffering a shocking loss, Alec and The Black spiral out of control and end up way out West in the middle of desert Nowhere. There they find themselves in the middle of an ancient Native American prophecy come to life, and possibly in the End Times.

Good Lordy Lou. If this weren't the penultimate book in the series, I'd give up after it. Horrid. Just plain downright bad. One more to go, then I'm finally finished with The Black and Alec. I'll miss their early years, but the poor Black has jumped the proverbial shark too many times now...

Updated Currently Reading List:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The Young Black Stallion (Farley bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Good Body (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

So sorry to hear Alec and the Black have come to such a sorry end. Too bad the author did not know when to call it "race over".

There's a big construction project going on just a couple of blocks away from us - they're tearing up an existing intersection and putting in a traffic circle. So, in the past month we've had a handful of small, scheduled power outages. Okay, I'm fine with that, if it's necessary. But. Two days ago they shut the water off for nine (!) hours. Now, today, they're shutting off our power from 8-3. Seriously? What happens to all the stuff in my fridge!? I'm not happy. At least, I suppose, the heat wave is over, so we won't have to suffer too much without the a/c. I think that Charlie and I will head over to the library early before story time to get out of the house, and then maybe putz around in the shops a bit to waste time until lunch, then eat out. Then, this afternoon is The Dentist Appointment. He seemed more open to the idea when we talked about it last night, but we'll see... All in all, not exactly a promising-sounding day.

Re Charlie and nononono: I had one who hated needles with every fibre of his being. I think if we act calm and normal, they cue off of that. If I had used a wheedling voice or tried to bribe him with a treat after, he would have suspected a rat. So I kept myself as relaxed as I could about it and we muddled through. Good luck!

The power outage is a bit ridiculous. Did no one think that everyone's food would go bad with an intentional outtage like that? What idiots. -.-

Oh, and a traffic circle? REALLY!? Wow. I sincerely hope whoever is making this decisions doesn't hold their position for too long, for the safety of everyone living in your area...

dentist bills
power outage
water cut off

None of the above are things easily dealt with.

I'm so sorry for all these nasty things you are experiencing.

Regarding your question,

I think I'd like to have dinner with Anne Boleyn the evening before her beheading. She most likely wouldn't eat anything because of hysteria.

I'd like to ask her a few questions:

Did you really think that you could court fickle King Henry, verbally abuse him, be a snit and a nasty bugger and survive?

Thanks, tiffin.

Stephen: Agreed. A traffic circle is a terrible idea, especially when a stoplight would do just fine. And it's right next to the high school. Yeah, that's safe...

Huh. We have several intersections here in town with traffic circles and we love them. Though, admittedly, none of them are in residential or high-pedestrian-traffic areas. What are your objections?

I love traffic circles, too. They eliminate the necessity to stop at a stop sign in an intersection where there are no cars or pedestrians. They slow people down and reinforce the need to be alert while driving.

I know I have been inconvenienced by power and water outages from time to time, but I do like the upgrading that is accomplished. Nothing worse than an unplanned outage due to equipment failure, or wearing out due to age. The stuff in your refrigerator/freezer usually can survive if they are left alone, and the doors are not opened during the electricity outage.

I think your idea of spending the time out and about, visiting places with air conditioning, and plenty of electricity is brilliant. And good luck with Charlie's visit to the Dentist. I'm hoping the Dentist is one who enjoys children and knows how to set them at ease.

They're ridiculously complicated and unnecessary when a simple stop light works fine. With a traffic light half the time you'll be able to drive right through with a green light, whereas with a circle 100 percent of the time you are going to have to navigate it, and with no lights setting clear rules to other drivers you are relying on every person arround you to be polite and responsible, something I don't have much faith in people to begin with, let alone when they are behind the wheel...

I really enjoyed using traffic circles while driving in England and Scotland. They maintain a much better traffic flow without the use of electricity. I wish we had more of them in Ontario, particularly on some bad corners around here. People become accustomed to the rules involved with them and follow those rules (which aren't difficult)...much more effective than 4-way stops where rudeness and selfishness does prevail.

I just don't like putting my (or my car's) safety in the hands of others, and though it is nice to assume that everyone is being awake and aware I'm not going to bet the ranch on it. Plus, I would really not want to be in a Circle with a drunk driver, whereas at least even they can see a blaring red light in the darkness. Most of the time.

I wouldn't be surprised if Canadian drivers are more polite than American ones, that seems to be the rule of thumb in most other cases. :)

Naw, Stephen, we have a ton of rude drivers here too. I think we've become more rude as people right across both of our cultures. Look at what passes for entertainment on tv these days. Gack.

>62 tiffin:: agree with Tui's points about traffic circles, aka roundabouts. I love 'em.
>63 Ape:: I just don't like putting my (or my car's) safety in the hands of others To be honest, I think you do that every day with or without traffic circles. No matter how well you drive, you never know what "the other guy" is going to do.

Trust is the issue, isn't it? It took me a long time to realize that I actually do trust people, I trust them every day when I expect they will stay on their side of the lines in the roads. Of course, I also have to trust myself to stay alert and pay attention to my side of the road, too.

I don't understand how they can shut off your power for a good part of the day. That just seems like rather poor planning on their part.
Anyways, sending you positive vibes for Charlie's appointment later. I'm sure he will be a superstar nonetheless. :)

People in my area just don't seem to know how to navigate circles, and there is often dangerous and illegal lane-switching. A single-lane circle would be a different story.

Aren't unopened fridges safe for 8-12 hours?

Boo on all this inconvenience.

Oh, those 2-lane circles…I hate them. People don't how to use them. There's one in DC that's so busy you could get stuck there for hours. Remember that scene in National Lampoon's European Vacation?

I just don't like putting my (or my car's) safety in the hands of others, and though it is nice to assume that everyone is being awake and aware I'm not going to bet the ranch on it.

Stephen get yourself over to Kuala Lumpur and I'll let Amin take you for a spin around our lovely city. Guaranteed to shake you up like a bag of marbles. You would need the constitution of an Ape to survive it.

Wow. Who knew mentioning traffic circles would bring about double-digit postings! I'm with Stephen & deniro, though, ladies; circles, along with 4-way stops, put too much power in the hands of the rude and the inconsiderate (read: drivers in general). Give me a light any day. It makes me particularly uneasy that it is positioned so close to the high school, so there will be lots of kids on foot around. Part of the reason they're doing it is to get rid of the necessity of having a traffic cop posted there in the morning and afternoon just before and after school, but I really wish they wouldn't do away with it. Sigh.

Paul: Consider my marbles well shaken just by thinking about that...

Laura: It's true, and that's why I'm such a defensive driver. However, at least I know when someone comes up to a red light they are almost always going to stop. Traffic circles? Nu uh, don't like 'em.

I've admittedly only been in a traffic circle once. It was during rush hour and it was a nightmare. Will travel several blocks to avoid one if I have to. Blech.

Karen: Trust is definitely an issue with me, on and off the road. =/

Paul: Haha, sounds scary just thinking about it, and I don't even know who Amin is...

It makes me particularly uneasy that it is positioned so close to the high school, so there will be lots of kids on foot around.

Not to mentioned inexpeienced teen drivers...

>73 Ape: Stephen: Whoa, yes, I hadn't even thought about that. Sheesh.

PS: The power is back on. As I sort of suspected (read: hoped) would happen, they gave a lengthier time estimate than they really needed, so it was back on by the time Charlie and I got home. Excellent.

That was my first thought too, Stephen.

Huzzah for power!

I would be wary of traffic circles in ares where there is a lot of foot traffic. And I'll say our traffic circles are all one-lane jobbies, so perhaps I would have a different view if I had to navigate more complicated ones. But I don't understand why one would think people are more likely to obey the rules of a traffic light or a stop sign than a traffic circle. None of them force you to stop. The driver still has to decide to obey the rules. All that being said, when I was out today, I saw (for the first time) a driver who either had no idea how to navigate a traffic circle or who was just being a serious jerk--he nearly caused an accident. Ironic, I thought, after I had just posted earlier that I thought they were great!

Luxx: Yes, v. happy that the power was on when we got home!

Laura: It seems to me that the common mentality holds stop *lights* to be more, hm, official? if that's the proper phrasing. 4-way stops and traffic circles (where one yields to others) depends upon drivers waiting their turn, which, it seems to me, doesn't work so well. People in general don't seem to like waiting turns; in those situations "The Rules Don't Apply To Me" thinking seems to kick in.

Oh, and...
Mirabile Dictu!
Charlie was an absolute perfect little gentleman at the dentist's office - he did everything they asked, let them even take x-rays and give him a fluoride treatment! Unbelievable. I teared up out of sheer relief!
Needless to say, he got a treat afterwards; he asked for a sandwich burger (read: cheeseburger) and milkshake, so we went to Culver's on the way home.

Yay! See, told you he would be a superstar!

Now as a reward, bring on the bags of candy and the tubs of ice cream Mommy. ;)

Yay for Charlie! What a relief, so good to start off on a positive note, it will make future visits so much easier, even when the inevitable cavity occurs.

Valerie: Ha! Well, he did have a milkshake as a treat...

Laura: Oh, definitely. I'm so happy that his first experience was a good one.

oh that's great that Charlie had a good dental visit! Hopefully all his future visits go as well!

*Throwing virtual sparkly confetti*

In other news, my copy of Persuasion arrived in the mail today, so I've officially added a new category to my book rotation: The Eliza & Electra Book Club book. As I think I mentioned earlier (but am too tired after at the end of this long day to go back and look), my friend, Elizabeth, and I have decided to have our own two-woman book club, wherein we will alternate between Austen novels and classical texts. We're calling it The Eliza & Electra Club because we've decided on "Eliza & Electra" as the name of our soon-to-be etsy shop (Eliza is her nickname, and Electra is what the Greeks called Amber (i.e. the fossilized tree resin).

Updated Currently Reading list:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The Young Black Stallion (Farley bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Good Body (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Chelle: Thanks! Me too!

maggie: *Dances a happy dance in the confetti*

So glad Charlie had a nice dentist visit. Hurray!

Well done, Charlie!

Stephen & tiffin: I'll pass along your congrats. :)

116. Oh, David! by David Shannon (public library book, picture book) - 2 stars
The eponymous baby gets up to various shenaningans, as babies will do, to the exasperation of his mother.
Meh. Unimaginative story, atrociously ugly illustrations. Charlie picked this one off the library shelves, and I think even he didn't care for it once we'd read it.

117. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett (public library book, picture book) - 3 stars
Charmingly zany story of a town that is supplied with food through the weather, and what happens when the weather goes a bit off.
Neat story, neat illustrations - recommended.

Tell Charlie his LibraryThing aunties and uncles are so proud of him!

Oooooh, Culver's. Butterburgers. Yummy.

Linda: Ha! I will!

Morphy: Yes! Except this time, I had a pork tenderloin sandwich. Love those.

A bit of a hectic day again today; Tuppence has a vet appointment this morning (a routine annual check-up; nothing wrong), then we need to hurry home to try to catch the UPS man, who left a note on our door yesterday requesting a signature for something (of Tomm's, apparently). This afternoon will be a flurry of baking (snickerdoodles and a batch of corn pudding) before heading to a pot luck dinner at the park with our Kiwanis friends.

Amber- Keep cool, it looks like the Midwest is heating up again. Hope your week is going well. Good luck catching the UPS guy!

Corn pudding? Recipe, please?

Mark: I'll do my best, on both counts, although even low-90's don't seem bad at all after that week of 100+...

Morphy: Gladly! It's one of my all-time favorite side dishes: super-easy, and delicious both hot and cold.

Corn Pudding

Ingredients:
• 2 cans (15.25 oz. each) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (14.25 oz.) creamed corn
• 1 stick butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1. Heat oven to 350⁰.
2. Combine all ingredients.
3. Pour into 13x9-inch pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Yum. A bit rich for the cholesterol-challenged, but something different for our next large family gathering, maybe.

How is it as leftovers? Can it be frozen?

Linda: It is, indeed, an excellent candidate for gatherings and pot lucks, because, as I mentioned, it doesn't need to stay hot to be delicious. It isn't the most healthy of dishes, to be certain, but, strangely, it doesn't taste overly rich. Which may not be a good thing...

Morphy: I don't know - I've never had leftovers with this dish...

That sounds deadly in a good kind of way and yes, perfect for pot-luck dos.

I love the work of Frederic Leighton. He is one of my favorite Victorian (Pre-Raphaelite) painters.

Here is a print that I have framed and hanging in my office.

It is The Painter's Honeymoon

tiffin: Try it sometime, then thank me later... ;)

Linda: Oooh, lovely! One of the reasons I like the Clytemnestra painting above is his mastery of portraying fabric so well - same goes for this one.

Stephen - Amin is my driver.
Amber glad to see Charlie had no trouble at the dentist.

Just stopping by to say hi, Amber!

Thanks, Paul!

Hi, Joe!

118. It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw (public library book, picture book) - 3 stars
Essentially a toddlerized Rorschach. Cute, and Charlie loved it, because he could participate in the reading.

The picnic was lovely; Charlie insisted that we take our picnic basket, which turned out great, since he and Peter and Luke then had a picnic under the tree while the adults sat at the tables, and they had a wonderful time.
Today will be a mostly lazy, stay-at-home day, which sounds good to me. Only one outing, and that's to take and have lunch with Tomm in his office. We like to do this in the summer, since he doesn't teach on Fridays and Charlie thinks it's a hoot to visit Tomm in his "workin' office". Other than that, it's laundry-doin', and at some point today I need to print up my place cards for the dessert social, which is this weekend.

What you call a "lazy" day makes me chuckle.

Linda: With a 3-year-old, that's about as lazy as I'm allowed to get. I'm certain that one day I'll look back and wonder how I managed not to collapse (who am I kidding - I wonder that now sometimes!). Wouldn't trade it for the world, though.

Hope you and Charlie enjoy your "lazy day". My version and your version of "lazy" are very very different, your lazy is a ton more productive than mine! ;)

Chelle: Yeah, I used to have actual lazy days, but that was BC (Before Charlie). Tomm and I reminisce sometimes about the BC days when we would spend an entire weekend on the couch watching dvds. I think, though, that if I were able to do that now, I'd choose not to - I'd slip into a not-feeling-productive funk pretty quickly.

119. Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett (public library book, picture book) - 3 stars

Sequel to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. A bit of a coattail rider, really. Meh.

Hi Amber, I'm just breezing through. It's my laundry day too. Laundry is fine, it's the ironing that I dislike. Everyone tells me just not to iron anything, but I am too fussy and like to have crisp, freshly ironed clothes.

Judy: Oh no, I don't do ironing, unless I'm sewing. Ick. It would be nice to be so motivated, though.

I had to chuckle at your comment to Chelle because me and the hubby just talked about that the other day. Every spare moment is now filled with doing stuff for the monkey. Either feeding him, cleaning him, playing with him, or just doing stuff with him that we wonder what we ever did with all that time before he was born. Boy are we more productive now with him then when it was just the too of us or we were just super lazy prior to having kids!

Valerie: Ha! I know! I feel like I must have been a lazy slob BC!

Seriously. I get grumpy when the batteries die in my mouse and I have to go change them...

Stephen: Why is it that the little tasks are the really annoying ones? Illogical, but so true.

Because we're supposed to have robots to do such menial tasks by now?

#116 And transporters!

>111 scaifea: Every time you have to iron, just remember: Irons used to be made out of iron. And you had to put them into a fire to warm them up. And then you had to lift them out of the fire and iron your clothes and then put them back into the fire before you could do the next clothes. And you used to have to iron EVERYTHING.

See, it's not so bad now, is it? ;-)

Yes, I believe people even ironed their private "under clothes" as well as sheets, etc. I can not imagine. Mondays were wash days, Tuesdays were for ironing, Wednesday for mending, and that's all I remember.

"Thursdays were for collapsing from sheer exhaustion!" ;)

#118 - So true about the ironing, in fact about all our chores. We definitely have it so much better than our mothers or grandmothers had it. I remember my mother standing at the wringer of the washing machine having to run all the clothes through by hand.

The dishwasher and washing machine/dryer has got to be my two favourite inventions. I may not always enjoy the "tasks" associated with them all the time, but they sure come in handy! :)

Having had and used a wood burning stove for home heating, I want to say I am very fond of the modern gas or electric range, and oven; clothes washer/dryer is a quick second. I don't mind washing dishes.

I actually enjoy ironing. Call me crazy, but it's one of those domestic chores that makes me feel I have accomplished something. But I like to do it while watching a movie or old TV or something.

Stephen: Yes.

117 Linda: Yes! Although I'm certain I'd be too chicken to use them.

Nora: No, it's not nearly so bad as it used to be, because I don't feel obligated to iron *at all*. :)

Judy: Doesn't it make you wonder what the next generation of improvements will be? What are we suffering through, chore-wise, that our progeny won't have to? Sigh. Lucky sods.

Valerie: I do enjoy my dishwasher - he's blonde and handsome, and he takes no electricity at all. (Tomm does most all our dishes. He's a keeper.)

123 Linda: That's not crazy in the slightest. I enjoy, to an extreme that most people can't fathom, re-organizing my cupboards. And I don't consider myself crazy at all. :)

When I finished grad school and got married, my parents bought us a fancy washer/dryer combo, and I still think it's the height of luxury that I don't have to go to a laundromat. I definitely don't miss that part of college/grad school living.

I have this completely unrealistic romantic ideal of laundromats. Probably from a) only having used one maybe 3 times, only while a kid and on vacation and b) watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog too many times.

>122 maggie1944:: we still have a woodstove in the basement family room. When the wind is howling from the north and the snow is piling up around the house, it is the cosiest, most wonderful heat there is so we use it in tandem with the gas furnace. Makes all the floors on the main level toasty.
>123 laytonwoman3rd:: me too, especially when the Tour de France is on.
>124 scaifea:: we got our first little house when I was expecting Les Deux and got our first washer & dryer. I can remember the feeling of utter joy at not having to cart everything off to a laundromat. With twins, it wouldn't have been conceivable.

>126 tiffin:: Twins were conceivable, though. :)

Hah, Laura, yes, they sure were!

Ha! Good one.

Can you imagine washing diapers back in the day when you used cloth ones, and were fortunate to have a washing machine. Then hanging them on the lines to dry. Basements in bad weather. sigh. And this is just in my lifetime; I have a hard time picturing earlier home makers' labors.

Back in the day is not so long ago. I used cloth diapers for my son (now 17) and had a washer but no dryer or later, a small inefficient one. We hung diapers out in all weather but rain. They freeze dry in winter - slower than in warm weather, but they get dry. We still hang out laundry when possible- meaning not raining. Not much more work than putting in dryer.

#130 I also love hanging laundry out to dry. Now that my husband is retired and in charge of that, I miss air dried sheets and towels....he's not a fan of the "natural" method.

Nora: In all my years of using laundromats, I never once encountered anyone so handsome as NPH or Nathan Fillion. Sigh.

tiffin: My parents have always used a combination of electric and wood-burning stove to heat their house, and nothing is more cozy and welcoming to me than the smell of that wood-burner. Ahhh. The house we had in Ohio was built by a German man, and he installed a German Tile Stove in the kitchen/living room. Wonderful, long-lasting, radiant heat that warmed the entire first floor of the house. It's what I miss most of all about that house.

Laura: *snork!*

maggie & Helen: I was brought up in cloth diapers, and I know many people still use them for environmental reasons (although I think most of those people use a cleaning service for them). I'm sure happy that disposables are around, though!

Linda: I love the smell of air-dried sheets, but for me it's not worth the risk of having to re-wash them because of the bug-poop. Sigh.

>132 scaifea: If Nathan Fillion used any of the laundromats around here, so would I. Sadly, I think he can afford his own washer and dryer (and probably somebody to do his laundry as well).

A firm line dryer here, whenever possible. It cuts your hydro bill in half, not using the dryer and I like to be frrrrrrrugal AND ecological. Plus, can you beat getting in to bed with sun dried sheets? If that isn't a slice of heaven, I don't know what is.

casvelyn: Agreed.

tiffin: Good on you!

Well, tomorrow is the Dessert Social, so I'll be heading over to the church to decorate my table today, and then, of course, I'll be back there again tomorrow. I'm the official photographer for the event, too, so I'll definitely have lots of pictures to share. I'm excited, both to put my table together (it's been a hoot planning it), and to see all the other tables. Not to mention the free (for decorators) dessert buffet.

The Pirate Table is decorated and ready to go!

Wow great job! Looks awesome

Cool! It looks really good Amber, that's fantastic. :)

I suspect I'd spend the whole time fighting off the temptation to totally steal one of those dubloons, though. :P

Super job! It looks so good...and I had a chest just like that one. Think one of the lads made off with it.

Fantastic work!

Wow, amazing work! What is this for? Obviously not for kids. Way too elegant!

Oh, my. I looove it! You are so creative; the table looks gorgeous and you'd never know you were in a church social hall. I'm impressed that you got Johnny Depp to stop by, too!

Thanks, all!

Stephen: I'm hoping the people at my table will refrain from stealing the dubloons, but I suppose it would be in the proper spirit of the thing...

tiffin: This one is my mom's, as are all of the plates and goblets and old jewelry.

Morphy: Nope, no kids allowed, although I'll re-use most of this stuff for a party for Charlie if he wants a pirate-themed one some day.

Laura: Ha! I've had that standee of the Cap'n for a long time, but have never had a chance to set him up (Tomm doesn't approve), so I'm glad he's found a purpose in life, too!

Very cool. I like the swords on the backs of the chairs.

Laura: Thanks!

120. The Young Black Stallion by Walter Farley & Steve Farley (Farley bibliography, 144 pages) - 3 stars

This is the story of The Black before he and Alec met, and with this one, Farley pulls the series back from the bring of the absurd. Still not the best of them, but much better than the previous couple.

And with that, I'm finished with a list!! Won't be adding more right now, but instead I'll keep working on finishing up the children's books lists that I've already started.

Updated Currently Reading List:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder (Bellairs bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Good Body (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Great job on the pirate table, Amber! And "Dessert Social" sounds like a li'l slice of heaven!

On another subject, I'm going to get one more Drum Corps fix this year. Bluecoats will be in Murfreesboro TN on July 27, the day after Craig's birthday, so since it will probably be the last time I see him till Christmas (because trips to California are WAY outside the old budget), I'm going down there to see "The Masters of the Summer Music Games."

Dessert social...what a confusing term. It's practically combining my favorite thing in the world with my very least favorite. With that said, I'd totally come out of hiding to attend one. Especially if there were dubloons to steal.

Adding my admiration for your table decorations! marvelous, simply marvelous!

Arrgg...that is a mighty fine table you got there matie...Arrgg! :)

So creative Amber. I couldn't even replicate it if you gave me a picture to follow.

So Amber, what are the pirates having for dessert at this social? Does everyone bring something to share?

Terri: Gah. I'm so jealous - I'm not going to make it to a show this year, but I think next year Charlie will be old enough to appreciate it and we'll catch a couple of shows then.

Stephen: Really? You'd come out of hermitland for a dessert social? Sweet! I think you'd find it fairly harmless: mostly sweet little old ladies and such.

maggie & Valerie: Thanks! I had tons of fun putting it together.

Laura: The shindig was an event to promote the church's ladies' club's cookbook, so all recipes were from said cookbook, and the ladies of the congregation made all the stuff, and it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. Everything was delicious.

I've abandoned a book: The Good Body by Eve Ensler (audiobook). Ugh. I listened to 5 minutes and then shut it down. Not my thing.
Replacing it with My Dad's a Birdman; I've listened to about 20 minutes so far, and so far it's a hoot.

Sweet little old ladies are the ones I offend the most...

Stephen: I find that hard to believe. I bet they think you're adorable.

Not when I make vagina jokes. :(

I'm a sweet little ole lady and you do not offend me. But maybe I'm wrong... maybe not so sweet.

*waving* at Amber

Stephen: Well...you could, you know, not make those sorts of jokes, uh, around sweet little old ladies... Just a thought.

maggie: *snork*

Stasia: *waves back* Nice to see you!

Amber, I just have to chime in and say what a fantastic job you did with the table decorating.

And Stephen, here's another little old lady who's not offended by you, but again, not sure about the sweet part!

Aw, thanks, Judy!
Tomm said that, next year, I should try to incorporate dry ice into my decorations. I think he was only half-kidding.

Judy/Karen: Obviously you two fall into the 'crazy little old lady' category. Eeek, joking, please don't hurt me! *Dodges swats*

Amber: I'm incapable of modifying my behavior...

Stephen: *sigh*

See? It's so much simpler to just stay at home. ;)

Stephen: You're quite stubborn, you know that?

So. I'm thinking about changing my rating system from a 5- to a 10-point system. It's the teacher in me that wants the out-of-10 thing; it'll help me to think of it as a letter-grade percentage, I think. I'm just not happy with the 5-point business, because I just end up giving most things 3 stars, and it's just not accurate enough. So, yeah. I think I'll switch. Just so you know. Anyhoo.

And it's gonna get hot here again this week. Sigh. Should be a fairly calm week, though, I think. I do need to try to motivate myself to finish that ad-writing business, though (the free-lance stuff that I mentioned earlier - I've been given a list of books and specs to write ads for journals, and I'm about 1/3 of the way finished). Gah. I just hate having a deadline for things; makes me not want to do it. So I'm going to try to push through and finish those this week. And I'm nearing the finish of Charlie's quilt, which is exciting; I'm working on quilting the border now (the middle's all finished), and then I just need to sew on the binding. Pictures, of course, when I'm done.

I totally understand switching to a 10 point system; the ex-teacher in me agrees.

I have never considered that just having a deadline might stimulate my procrastination. You may have provided me an insight. Thanks.

Being a "crazy little old lady" fits me just fine. I like the idea of being thought eccentric!

maggie: It's the stubbornness in me; someone tells me that I have to do something by a certain date, and I balk. *shrugs*

I have some of that. I usually call it "my rebellious little sh** self".

You'd think I'd be done with adolescent behavior and attitudes in my 6th decade but no, I guess not.

You call it adolescent - I call it just part of my charm. :)

To each his/her own, eh?

I call it channeling my inner mule.

LOL! There's a lot of that in my family - some family members would point to me as top channeler.

165: Me? Stubborn? Nonsense, I am a very agreeable person. So wrong, you are...

:P

In my family, we call it bull-headed.

@ 174

I'da said dutch.

No, no..."Dutch" is a term of affection...

Mule, ass, bull-headed, pig-headed (my family's term)... why are the animals getting blamed for our bad behavior?

121. The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder by John Bellairs & Brad Strickland (Bellairs bibliography, 153 pages) - 9/10

Lewis Barnavelt and his Uncle Jonathan are on holiday in England, and while visiting their cousin, Pelly, who lives in the ancestral manor, Lewis and his new friend, Bertie, accidentally unleash a long-sleeping evil spirit, who, of course, has a bone to pick with the Barnavelts.
I haven't really anything new to say about Bellairs' books that I haven't said before - they're just fun reads, and perfect for young ones who like being a little creeped out but don't want to be all-out scared. These would be great for getting kids (boys in particular, perhaps), who don't read much, interested in reading. The young characters are ultimately likable and easy to relate to and the stories are just, well, fun. So so glad I stumbled upon Bellairs at a library book sale a couple of years ago.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-Treasure of Green Knowe (Green Knowe series)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-My Dad's a Birdman (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Don't forget chicken-sh**!

Morphy: Ha! Good one.

So, so hot here. Again. Last evening we broke out the sprinlker for Charlie while we were watering the plants, and he got me to run through it a few times, fully clothed. I'm not gonna lie; it felt good.
Today's story time again at the library, then this evening I'm meeting a former Kenyon student of mine for coffee (small world: she lives in the next tiny town over!).

You are a cool mom, in more ways than one. ;)

Valerie: *snork!*

Fear and Loathing in Wisconsin...?

Only Charlie can wear that outfit and still look tough.

AND adorable.

At the same time.

Ha! I just realized that it looks like he's cracking his knuckles, doesn't it? *snork!*

*Wink* - Yes, it does look like he is cracking his knuckles *grin* - cool, tough boy. Especially the red sunglasses.

He's thinking..."You gotta problem with this?" or "Mom, the red sunglass was a tad much."
Super cute!

Ha! He picked out the outfit all on his own, actually. He loves those silly glasses.

122. Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw (public library book, picture book) - 7/10

A flock of sheep make their own costumes and go trick-or-treating.
Charlie library pick. Cute story (and cute illustrations), but nothing extraordinary.

"Fear and Loathing in Wisconsin...?" I love it! I'm glad he wasn't holding a beer and a cigarette-holder.

love the picture of the tough guy!

Mark: Indeed. Although I'm sorely tempted now to make him a patchwork jacket like HST's...

Chelle: Apparently this is how tough guys dress for story time - ha!

It rained!! IT RAINED!!!

Not as much as we really need, but that would constitute a minor flood, I think. At any rate, I'm not complaining - it was wonderful! Plus, it cooled things right off last evening, and made my outing with the former student even more enjoyable. Hopefully it remains cool-ish for Charlie's playgroup today in the park...

123. Treasure of Green Knowe by L. M. Boston (Green Knowe series, 214 pages) - 9/10

Tolly, staying again with his great-grandmother over the summer holidays, is disappointed to find that the painting with his long-ago friends is gone - off on a exhibit - and if funds aren't found elsewhere for house repairs, it may have to be sold. So, Tolly spends the summer searching the mansion and its grounds for the long-lost family jewels, learning about some other 'residents' of the house and meeting up with them along the way.

This is yet another series that I so sorely wish I had encountered in my childhood. A wonderful, old, explorable mansion and gardens, ghosts of relatives past who become friends and playmates, and a lovely old granny who makes a great playmate as well. Can't recommend these books enough, at least the first two so far...

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-Songs of Innocence and Experience (Charlie book)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-My Dad's a Birdman (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

124. Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake (book for Charlie's shelves, 108 pages) - 8/10

After reading - and loving - A Visit to William Blake's Inn, I wanted to get a copy of these poems for Charlie's bookshelves. I loved this collection when I read them in college, and I think they're a nice place to start reading 'real' poetry for kids, and so if Charlie is interested in a few years, I want there to be a copy handy. I don't just absolutely love every poem in the work, but some stick out as amazing in their own right, plus the collection as a whole works beautifully, with the paired contrasting poems. Blake supposedly wrote them for children (the Songs of Innocence, at least), but underlying their surface simplicity is a wealth of complex nuances, and so they can be enjoyed in different ways at various ages. It's a book that'll grow right along with Charlie, should he take a shine to it.
A bit from my favorite (and one of the more recognizable from the bunch):

Tyger, tyger, burning bright,
in the forests of the night
what immortal hand or eye
could frame they fearful symmetry?

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms (Charlie book)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-My Dad's a Birdman (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Amber, I think you should print copies of the pictures in No. 2 and No. 182 above and slip them into that Blake for Charlie to find years hence. Innocence and experience personified. When my husband and I were in college, we studied those poems and I have these two pictures of him in a photo album appropriately captioned:

Linda: Ha - Excellent idea! And I love the photos of your husband - thanks for sharing!

125. Parade Day by Bob Barner (public library book, picture book) - 7/10

A rhyming little jingle of a book that takes the reader through the year in holidays and celebrations. Nothing all that special, although the illustrations are quite good.

@ 195

Daddio! I remember the first time I realized whence those captions came. (Is this on campus?)

Oh, does your collection contain the original illustrations?

Blake was a very interesting figure. I love "London."

Luxx: Yes! It does! And they're amazing. I love "London", too.

#198 It's approximately where you park when you go to the James V. Brown. I think.

Which college?

Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA. All four of us (my husband, daughter, son-in-law and I) are graduates of the best small liberal arts college in central PA.

Thanks for the link - it looks lovely!

Love Charlie and the chair! I think I have that same chair in my living room (although mine is MUCH rattier, due to it being my reading chair when I'm around, and Cleo the dogs favorite chair when I'm not). He does look tough!

Terri: We love the chair, too, and I use it for early-morning reading. You can't see, but ours is a bit worse for pet wear, too; Susie (the cat) has scratched the bejesus out of the back of it.

Poor Mr. Tough Guy had his first scared-of-the-dark night last night. Sigh. I love that he has an amazing imagination, but I know from experience when I was a kid that it has its down side too, especially at night. Poor little tiger.

@ 201

Really? I was going to guess between the chapel and the gym. Looks like the Fine Arts building over his right shoulder.

@206

Oh, no. I still remember some of the things I was convinced were hiding in my room in the dark when I was a kid. I remember thinking there was an alligator on my ceiling once. I think my door was propped open, casting a triangular shadow on the ceiling vaguely reminiscent of an open gator mouth. My imagination must have provided the teeth all by itself.

When my younger daughter was quite small, she was convinced there was an alligator in her room. My husband immediately donned this safari hat we had lying around (as you do), grabbed a large stick or walking cane or something, and came into the room all full of bluster to scare the alligator away. It was all I could to not to laugh, but it worked.

What is it about alligators? Huh.

Charlie has an arsenal of stuffed animals with whom he sleeps every night, and Tomm and I were informing Charlie last night of all the training that they've gone through in order to be able to defend him against anything that may try to get into his room. Plus, of course, Paddington has one wicked stare that seems to ward off most undesirables...

Just finished watching Camille. Sigh. Just lovely. And Greta? Tsk. Beautiful.

>208 lauralkeet: I love that story, Laura! I could see doing that.

Nothing to add to the conversation but just wanted to wish you and the family a great weekend, Amber! :)

Joe: *waves*

Valerie: Good to see you - same to you!

126. Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans (Charlie book, 270 pages) - 9/10

10-year-old Stuart thinks life in his new town, which was his father's place of birth) will be boring and awful, until he finds out about the mysterious disappearance of his uncle (a magician) and the trick money box that he left to Stuart's father. Adventure - and some amazing discoveries - ensue.

I picked this up on a whim during Charlie's and my first visit to that lovely small bookshop I've mentioned earlier - the one in Dubuque. I'm so glad I did. Wonderful storytelling; the plot reminds me very much of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, except quirkier and less dramatic. Most highly recommended.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie (Bellairs bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-My Dad's a Birdman (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

@ 208, 209

I love both of these methods of calming childhood fears of the dark. Wonderful!

#207 There is not now, nor was there then, a parking lot 'twixt the chapel and the gym. (See the little white line by his feet?) Of course, what you're calling the Fine Arts Building WAS the gym back then. I think that's a building that no longer exists behind him. Note the railroad track there?

Oh...don't mind us, everyone else. We'll just carry this conversation off to a phone or something!

As for the scary things in the dark, I have one word for you---GRUES!!

Linda: I'm not even looking that one up... *shudders*

127. Firefighters by Norma Simon (public library book, picture book) - 6/10

Firefighters (dogs in this case) during a typical day, I suppose.
Meh. Not very imaginative, with uninspired writing and unextraordinary illustrations. Charlie picked this one, and even he had trouble paying attention to it (and he normally loves firefighting stuff - his Uncle Jim is a fire chief).

128. My Dad's a Birdman by David Almond (audiobook) - 8/10

Lizzie's dad is, well, different. He's decided that he is a birdman, and spends his time crafting a set of wings for himself while snacking on worms and bugs. Meanwhile, Lizzie stays home from school to look after him - and to help him prepare for the Human Bird Competition - and her auntie Doreen frets over her and how she likely should be taken away from her 'potty' dad.
This is a delightful and eccentric little chapbook of a story, in which it's difficult to tell who, if anyone, is crazy and who isn't. I was utterly charmed by it. Heartily recommended.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie (Bellairs bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Last Lecture (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

129. Myths and Heroes by Melanie Bartelme (public library book, picture book) - 7/10

A Look-and-Find book based, somewhat loosely in places, on Greek mythology. Funny in parts but in general nothing special.

As an imaginative child who had sharks under her bed (no foot or arm could dangle over the side), Charlie has my sympathy. I love the pith helmet and slashing cane antidote, Laura! We found these bears for my two called "heart to heart bear" with battery operated "hearts" inside their body cavities which beat exactly like a heartbeat. These were tremendously soothing for two very imaginative little boys, who would hug them to feel the heartbeat and feel calmed. Another terrific soother for one was a tape of loons calling in the rain. But best of all was crawling into bed with your twin.

Amber - Am impressed that you have been reading William Blake to Charlie - I studied the Songs of Innocence and Experience in my teens and they have an immediacy often missing from poetry that so appeals to younger listeners. Not enough poetry read or listened to nowadays. Have a lovely weekend and buy Charlie some new sunglasses that make him appear less intimidating!

>220 tiffin:: "pith helmet" -- yes, that's it. Thanks Tui, I couldn't remember what those things were called! I love the idea of those bears.

#220: I had clowns under the bed and alligators in the toilet :) Nope, I was not an imaginative child at all, Tui.

tiffin: He has so many "guys" (as we call them, meaning stuffed animals) that simply must sleep with him every night, I hesitate to add more; that's why we're assigning specific guard duties and protection abilities to each of the already-existing ones.

Paul: Agreed about Blake and his immediacy, and about not enough poetry read, although in general I don't go in for much modern stuff.

Stasia: I had a nameless fear under the bed (aren't the things you're not quite sure of just the worst?) and arm and hand, reading to leap out and grab me when my, uh, backside was turned, in the toilet...

130. The Drum, the Doll, and the Zombie by John Bellairs & Brad Strickland (Bellairs bibligraphy, 153 pages) - 9/10

Johnny Dixon and his friends, Prof. Childermass & Fergie, find themselves battling the voodoo forces of evil in an attempt to save the life of Prof. Childermass' friend, Dr. Coote.

Unlike the Black Stallion books, Bellairs' books keep going strong. Just the right amount of tension throughout, and I've developed a real love for all of the characters. Good stuff.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-Ramona and Her Mother (Cleary bibliography)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Last Lecture (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Today starts a busy few weeks for the Scaife house. This evening we'll be heading to Dubuque for some shopping (part grocery, part Tomm-need-new-dress-pants); tomorrow Charlie has an appointment with the doctor (just a pre-pre-school check up) and then we have friends coming over for dinner; Wednesday is the last story time of the summer; Friday I have the first of at least 5 dentist appointments for cavities and such (ugh); Sunday Tomm leaves for a 6-day business trip; next Monday my parents arrive for a 3-day visit, and then after Tomm gets back next Thursday, we have a week at home before leaving on a week-long trip to visit his family in Ohio. Sigh.

This weekend was lovely, though. Besides grocery shopping on Saturday morning, we didn't go anywhere. And we finally got a bit of rain (not enough, but still enough to cool things down a bit). I managed quite a bit of sewing time, so I'm nearly finished with Charlie's new quilt - I'm just hand-sewing the binding to the back now. Pictures when I've finished.

Amber, I thought of you this weekend as I enjoyed fresh cantaloupe from the melons that are engulfing the rest of my veg garden. What ever happened to your pumpkin growing experiment?

Laura: All the extreme heat and drought have taken a toll on our little garden plot. We try to water it every day, but it's looking pretty sad. No melons on the watermelon plant, though we do have a few little pumpkins growing, and the red pepper plants are, despite everything, thriving, though without peppers so far. *shrug* We'll see what happens from here.

Oh dear, that sure sounds like a busy week. Maybe you should lighten your load a bit, maybe take out the trip to Ohio or something. ;)

Stephen: Ha! You have no idea how much I wish I could do that. I'm *really* not looking forward to spending multiple days with my In-Laws.

WooHoo! Just finished up the freelance ad-writing business that I've been procrastinating about for a couple of weeks! Now I shall celebrate with cookies.

Way to go! Bummer about the pumpkins, though.

I got tired just reading the list of things you will be doing this week. :) At least you know you will be productive!

230: I would kidnap/rescue you, but I can't now because my car died. Plus, most likely I probably wouldn't have actually done it even if I could have. Hey, it's the thought that counts, right...

Valerie: I'm tired already, too! Ha!

Stephen: Yeah, thanks. Sigh.

I saw this in a catalog today:

"Good moms have sticky floors, dirty ovens and happy kids." Well, if there's any truth to this, Charlie must be a very happy kid and I'm a hot-shot mom...

Oh sorry, I was trying to fix the problem again instead of sympathizing. Crap. Okay, I won't rescue you, what I meant to say is "I'm so sorry, Amber!"

*Hugs*

*snork!* Well done, Stephen! Although, in this case, I would love an actual rescue. Ugh.

Meanwhile, we finally got some more rain, and this time a proper storm! WooHoo! Hopefully it helps things, but I'm afraid that, for the farmers (especially those with corn in their fields this year), it may be too late...
Doctor's appointment this morning, then company for dinner. Their bringing steaks for the grill; I'm baking potatoes, tossing a salad and baking Hummingbird Cake. Looking forward to a nice meal with good friends - for Charlie as well, since Peter & Luke (his best buddies) will be here, too!

I don't think I've ever heard of a Hummingbird Cake??

Valerie: Oooh, it's lovely! It's essentially a yellow cake with mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, cinnamon and chopped pecans mixed in.

131. Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary (Cleary bibliography, 190 pages) - 9/10
Ramona feels as though no one loves her and that her sister, Beezus, gets all the love and attention. But, in the end she bonds with her mother and all is set right in her world.
I can't help it; I just love Ramona. Spunky and adorable. And I'll say it again: Cleary knows how kids think - she puts thoughts in her wee characters' heads that take me right back to my own childhood logic. Enjoyable reading.

132. Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? by Shel Silverstein (Silverstein bibliography, picture book) - 7/10
An ad for a used (?) rhino, listing all his benefits and faults.
Quirky, somewhat funny, but not Silverstein's best stuff.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-The River at Green Knowe (Green Knowe series)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Last Lecture (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

The hummingbird cake sounds good except for the cinnamon.

Hmm..sounds delicious, but I will withhold my final verdict until I see a picture of this so called Hummingbird you talk about. :P

Morphy: I was thinking the same thing, except replace cinnamon with pineapple.

Maple, brown sugar, and cinnamon...if a dessert has any combination of those I'm very extremely interested. Even the cheap-crap brand of maple and brown sugar poptarts at Kroger is freaking delicious.

Valerie: It doesn't really look like anything special - I don't put any frosting on it, and it's baked in a fluted bundt pan.

Stephen: Agreed on the brown sugar and cinnamon front.

It's probably for the best since I need to cut back on the sweets to make sure I fit into that bridesmaid dress. :)

Valerie: It's a problem for me, too. I'm trying to lose a bit of weight, but I also love to bake (it's a bit like cheap therapy, really), and so there is always at least one type of baked good in the house at all times. And my will power is laughably low. Sigh.

133. Otto Goes to the Beach by Todd Parr (public library book, Charlie pick, picture book) - 7/10

Otto is a dog. He doesn't like being left at home alone, so he drives to the beach for a fun day out. However, he has trouble finding anyone who will play with him. Don't be sad, though - he finds someone, in the end.

Average overall, with the exception of the illustrations, which are really quite good. Nice bright colors with bold outlines. Charlie picked this one off the library shelves today, I think, for the bright colors, and he enjoyed the story as well.

Oh, and I must do a bit of Proud Mommy bragging: Today was the last day of Story Time for the summer. At the end of the session, Charlie patiently waited for all the other kids and moms to file out of the room, then he walked up to the librarian who runs the story time (Miss Erin, who is just a delight and does a fantastic job, in my opinion), and said, very quietly, "Thank you so much - I love story time." No prompting from me or anything; he just did it on his own. Ohmygosh. Such a proud moment for this Mommy. Love my sweet sweet little monkey.

Awww...that got my mommy radar all mushy and warm. :) So sweet!

Well done, Charlie. I had a few of those moments myself and they do produce a warm glow.

Oh, what a charmer. Sweet sweet Charlie.

Awwww, what a sweetie.

This totally makes up for Tuesday morning's meltdown at the doctor's office - he screamed and cried, kicked the doctor, tried to bite her (!), and when she pulled out the reflex hammer, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Not the hammer! Not the hammer!" Sigh. He just doesn't like people whom he doesn't really know touching him. And although the doctor's appointment (and most of his haircut appointments) are so so stressful because of this, it's not really completely a bad thing, I suppose.

Oh that library story is so sweet. What a dear boy.

134. The River at Green Knowe by L.M. Boston (Green Knowe series, 161 pages) - 8/10

While Mrs. Oldknow and Tolly are away for the summer holidays, two older ladies rent the house and invite the niece of one of them and 2 other children to share the house with them for the summer. The children find that the ladies believe (in a silly but kindly way) that children can take care of themselves, and so they have all sorts of fantastical adventures along the river.

Hm. I liked this one, but not nearly as much as the previous two in the series. I miss Tolly and his grandmother and their own magical adventures - the adventures of these three new children didn't seem as real, or the magic as nice, somehow. Hoping that Tolly and Mrs. Oldknow are back for the next installment...

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (banned books list)
-Mystery of the Maya (CYOA series)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-The Last Lecture (audio book)
-The Demolished Man (Hugo award)
-Making History (Fry bibliography)
-Persuasion (Eliza & Electra Book Club book)
-Paddington Abroad (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 9: From Many Lands (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-History of Rome by Michael Grant
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Laura: How kind of you to tactfully ignore the doctor visit story and focus on the sweetness... :)

Aww love the story time story! Charlie is so sweet

I guess the doctors office story proves that not every kid can be perfect all the time. In Charlie's case I guess he is only perfect 99.9 % of the time! ;) (but I bet he is adorable even while trying to bite a nurse ;)

It's okay, my little guy totally hates new people and I always feel bad because they will smile and wave at him and if its a good day, he will just stare at them. On a bad day, he will just start crying which of course makes the adult feel all bad and whatnot. Once he warms up to them though he's a totally different kid. Figures... :)

Charlie does his mum proud - it's so nice when what we put in comes out unscripted. But be careful it is not so easy to control it. Kyran was taught from an early age to be polite as well as inquisitive. He would invariably say "please", "thank you" and "excuse me". One day in the elevator going up to his kindi there was a hugely pregnant lady sharing the lift. "Excuse me", Kyran asked "What's the matter with your tummy?" - the lady smiled and replied "I'm having a baby dear all ladies are like this when they are having a baby" - Kyran responded immediately with a butter-wouldn't-melt look "my mother was pregnant but she didn't look like that. So sometimes their spontaneity can backfire!

Maybe the doctor should try telling Charlie a story...

Valerie: It *is* awkward when you can tell that the people who try to talk with our little guys are hurt when they don't respond well, isn't it? Sigh.

Paul: Ha! Great story! I'm already cringing for when Charlie starts being, ahem, candid with others.

Terri: Ha! I don't think he'd be fooled.

I love your perfectly human boy! Today, the middle kid tells me (in the car, just the two of us) that he wishes he was my little boy. Ha! this from a "brat" who just yesterday yelled at the top of his lungs "I hate you. I'll never eat any food you cook again!" I love him. He is very emotional, and full of love, and angst!

I am sorry the doctor did not have slightly better bed side manners, she might have been able to reduce some of the anxiety. Oh, well. He will grow up, and this too shall pass.

I really appreciate all your reviews of children's books!

maggie: Thanks for that. And to be fair, this doctor has a perfectly good bedside manner - once Charlie decides he doesn't like someone, that's pretty much a done deal. Sigh. She was *extremely* patient with him, though, and that's really good.
And thanks for the reassurance on the children's books. Sometimes I worry that you all get annoyed with all the picture book reviews, but for me, a book is a book, and the completist in me wouldn't be able to stand not having them listed here.

This morning I'm off to the first of multiple trips to the dentist; having one filling re-done and a couple more new cavities filled today. Blerg. I'll start a new thread later today, if I recover enough.

A morning that begins with dental work can only go up hill afterward.

Good luck. I hope all goes well and you are not in pain.

135. Fluffy Scourge of the Sea by Teresa Bateman (public library book, picture book) - 8/10

Fluffy is a pampered pooch who finds his yacht attacked by pirate mutts. He survives by pretending to be a great pirate captain himself, and ends up becoming their captain.

Cute, inventive story with neat illustrations. We picked this one at the library because Charlie really likes pirates at the moment, and it didn't disappoint.

Linda: Thanks! It went okay, really. 45 minute appointment and she filled two cavities, so that's not bad. I'm still a little numb, but I did dose up on Tylenol when I got home so that I could hopefully avoid any uncomfortableness once that wears off.

Sympathies - I was in the dentist as well this morning having a tooth crowned. I've got a temporary crown at the moment and have to go back in two weeks to get the permanent one fitted unfortunately.

Rhian: Sympathies right back at you: I've had a root canal, and then a few years later had to have that same root canal re-done. At least the worst is over, eh? The crown is a piece of cake after the actual procedure, I think.