Lawn Care Tips

We have hired a couple of local Flickers for our lawn care needs. I photographed the fellow while he was hard at work in our back yard. The gal was is our front yard last evening. We are waiting for them to bill us (pun intended).

Aereation
If your lawn soil is compacted, your lawn might not be getting the air it needs to thrive. Lawn aeration attends to this problem, pulling up plugs of soil and allowing water and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass.


Lawn aeration strengthens the roots, and strong roots equal a lush, green lawn. Aerating once or twice a year will generally do. With a lawn aerator, lawn aeration can be an easy do-it-yourself project, but any good lawn care provider can aerate for you as well.

Aerate the highest traffic parts of your lawn most frequently. Heavy foot traffic can make soil practically impermeable, and lawn aeration can go a long way to solving high-traffic-area problems like slow growth and low resistance to wear and tear.

Lawn Grubs
Some lawn areas are more attractive to June bugs laying eggs. More eggs are deposited at night in warm soil areas such as next to sidewalks and driveways and often near outside lights. Open areas free of trees and shrubs are preferred and moist soil is favored over dry soil. This year egg laying is likely to be concentrated in watered lawns since most unirrigated lawn areas are dry. The ultimate irony - in most years highly managed turfs are more likely to get hit with grubs.

Grubs are the immature stages of some beetles. In our area the highest populations are annual white grubs. Grubs are whitish, "c" shaped and wormlike. The adult is the tan 3/4 inch June beetle.

Damage will usually occur in August through October. Grubs feed on grass roots until the grass dries out and dies. The turf can easily be pulled back like a carpet. Turf can survive some feeding. Less heavily watered turf should be scouted for grubs in early August. Peel back the grass. Just a couple grubs per square foot are not a problem to an otherwise healthy lawn. Ten or more per square foot are necessary to justify treatment.

Home gardeners have some options for grub control: Don't water during July and August. If the weather is hot and dry, cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass will go dormant. If a few grubs are detected, water and fertilize appropriately so turf can recover from some feeding then reseed or resod areas damaged.

A Slice of Paradise

RGBisMe graduated from his 9 week program officially on Saturday. We chose the gravel road out at Fisherman's Paradise as our running location. It's a nice level mile and a half out and back on which we don't have to watch for motor vehicles. I do carry my pepper spray because we have run into loose and sometimes aggressive dogs in the past.

Saturday was gray and drizzly and I ran without the iPod. I was able to enjoy hearing many spring birds as I jogged up Spring Creek Canyon. It's rare when I can't spot a Belted Kingfisher or two even while I am running and this day was no exception.

I jogged on the grassy shoulder so quietly that a couple of men taking a walk were startled when they noticed me. The one guy admitted he thought they were being approached by a bear and were goners. I chucked and said, "A very little bear." It surprises me how many people who seem to enjoy walking in nature have a very present fear of being attacked by bears. I agree bears deserve respect and being aware of every situation is best. The central PA black bear does like the easy picking humans sometimes provide like garbage and maybe fish guts but they do not lie in wait and seek out humans to attack on the trail. I warned the men that yet another jogger would be approaching so they would not be startled again.

RGBisMe was not far behind me and caught up to me as I checked that a friend's letterbox had been re-hidden by the last finders. It seemed fine so I did not open it up and started running as my dear fellow came up. We were together for a bit but I poured it on for the downhill knowing that I would be stopping to swap out the log books on our own two letterboxes father down the trail.

Both had been closed properly and neither contained hitch hikers. RGBisMe gave me a wave and ran on as I confirmed that the logs we had been planted over 5 years ago were finally full. The final finders had stamped their image and added a bonus sticker to the last pages of the logbooks. I feel badly that the next finders won't be able to enjoy the many varied images of the many signatures stamps. Some letterboxer's stamps have since been re-carved or totally changed so it was a lot of fun to see the old images that Archaeobirder, Mososo Kruppe and Janila used to use. The Loyalsock Skippers were the 4Rhines when they found it. Any future finders will have to make their own history in the new logbooks.

I realized that I had messed up the timing of my run a little bit by forgetting to turn off my watch at one point so I decided to not take too much stock in my total time running. RGBisMe and I crossed paths one last time as he was heading back to the car and I chose to enjoy the total 1.7 miles distance out to a wonderful bend in Spring Creek. It used to be near a by a reminder that it is penitentiary property. Since winter, neither end of Spring Creek Canyon has had signage posting no trespassing so I am thinking it is a bit of a transition to allowing public access.

I didn't want to push my luck jogging where it has been posted for so many years and I really didn't want to run too much more than 5k total that day so I chose to turn around at the middle of the bend. Just as I was starting to turn I heard the piping of what had to be a large raptor and I looked up stream to see the huge dark wing span and white flash of the broad tail of a mature bald eagle. What a treat to have seen this bird. It was my reward for running just a little farther than I had intended when I set out.

The special encounter set my mind to wandering in the way I love the most when I get in the groove of running longer distances. All of the wildlife that I live so close to and the beauty of the day and the area filled my head. I was very tuned in to how alone I was. I estimated it was probably a mile to the closest fisherman, RGBisMe or any other random person. I was fine with being alone and the worst of anything happening to me would just be part of my life. I hated carrying the pepper spray at that moment, I need to find a way to carry it without letting it induce fear or not carry it at all. I realized it felt hardly better than going out with a gun to protect myself from bears.

My pace was not bad for the return mile and I picked it up for the final tenth. I felt pretty good over all even with the stopping and starting in the middle of the run. RGBisMe had a good graduation run too. The Blue White game had ended while we were on the trail and it was a nice place to get away from the craziness that local sporting events can stir up.

Jimmy the Eye is on the Run

RGBisMe has a new gangster name all because he registered for the Coaches vs Cancer 5k race. The run came with a lot of little perks for locals including an all you could eat spaghetti supper the night before the race.

When this past week started, we had no intention of ever running in any local races. I had been volunteering my mornings at WPSU, the local public radio station, for their Spring Pledge drive. I got to talking with one of the women who works there as Donor Services Coordinator and she too had just started running outside recently. She was going to run in her first race and it was the Coaches vs Cancer 5k race. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I found myself signing up and talking RGBisMe into signing up also.

Do note that RGBisMe has, prior to yesterday, never officially even run 5k before. He has been training in the Couch to 5k program and had built up to running 28 minutes. He was just finishing his 8th week of the 9 week program and up to running 28 minutes straight. He had no idea how far he had ever gone. Fitness has been our main goal and quantifying the distance or speed has not been a focus.

We decided to take advantage of the free spaghetti dinner for all participants (we took our own sauce) to have a fun meal Friday night. We got to the church where it was being held and gave our names at the table where registrants were to check in. Our last name always give a bit of a problem but they found us right away and verified by reading off our first names. The funny thing was that they got my name right but read his in diminutive form.

The meal was very good and we chuckled over how they had read his name. RGBisMe said he hadn't been called that since he was about 8 years old. We decided that the fellow may like calling everyone by a knick-name like that so men signed up as "Bob" he might take the liberty to call "Bobby" and a guy who signed up as "Tim" would probably get "Timmy."

The odd little twist kept the meal light for us. We were pretty much the oldest folks there, surrounded by high school and college athletes chowing down and carbo loading for the short race the next day. We had small portions but enjoyed it very much.

The morning of the race was so cold that it started to sleet an hour before the start. We got there early to get our racing chips. The registration table asked for our names so they could give us the correctly numbered chips and RGBisMe looked down to see his name, again in diminutive form on the sheet! It wasn't just the guy last at the spaghetti supper, somoene chose to change his registered name from "Jim" to Jimmy." We had another good laugh and thought that should be his permanent racing name.

Until closer to the start time we huddled by a heater in the nearby Intramural Building to stay warm and did our warm up and light stretching in there too. We chatted with the woman who had inspired us to register and her team, Cool Blue. They were all first time racers and we lined up with them outside between the 10 minute milers and walkers. I have yet to break the 10 minute mile so this was perfect for me.

RGBisMe and I were all set with racing chips lashed to our sneakers. We knew our time would be up to 30 seconds off since we were starting so far back in the pack but I would try to use my chronograph by starting it as we crossed the actual start line. I got all distracted when the gun went off by making sure RGBisMe had the iPod going to his liking and giving him encouragement and stupidly started my watch when we started running - DUH!

Times and distances are secondary so I let the blunder go as we jogged across the start line with a small section of the Blue Band playing the Penn State Fight Song. We are not fans of any PSU sports teams so it was a very odd thing to experience directed at something we were participating in.

The pack of joggers and runners and walkers started filtering into distinct pace groups during the first mile of the certified 5k course. We passed jogging strollers, people tripping over their leashed dogs and families who needed to stay together at a pace slower than our own.

Just around the first mile marker came the next surreal moment of the run. The course was about to tackle on of the steeper hills and at the base of it was The Nittany Lion slapping hands with everyone that ran by. Yes, we slapped his hand and chugged up the hill. I noted to RGBisMe that our first mile split was a little fast to maintain so we probably should gear it back a bit. He nodded in agreement and slowed his pace for about 20 yards.

His iPod music must have been really inspiring because he was all pepped up and started up again at a faster pace. We had both agreed that we would have no problem if the one or the other of us needed to go ahead so I allowed him to put some distance between us after trying to keep up for a short while. If I wanted to make it to the end I had doubts of being able to maintain a pace that close to 10 minutes a mile.

By the second mile, I looked and saw he was just shy of the 21 minute mile and I grabbed a water at just over 21 minutes. We weren't far apart but it was during the last mile, when the course snaked through traffic on Curtain Rd, where I finally lost sight of him. Go Jimmy!

I had a fair run, I was cold and a little bored. I was glad I hadn't given any the name of anyone I knew as a memorial tribute. They had the names posted all along the race route and I would have broken down. For some reason I get emotional when I run. I am not certain if it's fatigue or some altered state. Seeing the name of someone I cared for or knew passed from cancer would have been too much. It was hard enough seeing the poster painted names of people I didn't know. I held thanks in my hear that my Dad wasn't among those who could be posted and tried to keep my thought positive. Surreal moment 3 was quite near the the 3rd mile marker. Along with the names, someone had painting the word "Spring" on one of the posters. All I could wonder is if they thought Spring had died of cancer that chilly morning.

I could then see the roped off shoot a tenth of a mile ahead. If I was a real runner I would have picked up my pace but I knew if I wanted any push for the very end I would need to wait a bit. This is the second race I have been in and what seems to light a fire under my tail is the clock at the end. When I could finally see it, it had just turned to 32:00 and I was excited that it was going to be a 5k PR for me. It was more than 2 minutes better than any other time I had estimated. I crossed the sensor 50 seconds after Jimmy and got the time of 32:15.95.

We chatted about our separate experiences and for the next few minutes RGBisMe still had the iPod in his ear. It was as we were going to cool down and get our post run snack he remarked to me, "Hey! The program says I am supposed to start my cool down walk right now!" It was great that the Couch to 5k program as brought us to a level of fitness we never would have imagined as possible.

During the afternoon RGBisMe decided that "Jimmy" could be his racing name but it was just too Mafioso to sport in regular life. We tossed out a few twists to his gangster name and came up with "Jimmy the Eye" since he has a good eye for design as opposed to "Jimmy the Knife" for his skills with an exacto blade at work and carving rubber stamps.

This run didn't draw a lot of serious runners but some pretty fast youngsters lead the field of 500+. Jimmy and I don't have any other plans to run in local races. We agreed it would have to be for a charity we felt pretty strongly about.

I am looking forward to a couple more women's races later in the year. The first is actually a 10k and the second is a duathlon sprint (12 mile biking / 5 mile run) with an obstacle course at the end. Last fall and winter when I was recovering from a terrible lower back injury I never would have dreamed that my frustration with recovering would have lead me to this. Jimmy the Eye and me are always up for new adventures, see?

Spring Peepers

We did hear some spring peepers today while we peeped at many Spring sights at Little Pine State Park. We also saw some eagles on and off of their nest. We did a little hiking, a little letterboxing and had a little picnic.

The craziest thing was running into some local fellows who had biked up to Blackwell yesterday and were stopping for a break before heading back to State College. I am not someone to talk to strangers so let me say that I actually approached them because I recognized them as CRPR employees. It was Kurt & Kurt and another guy. I think they were about as shocked as we were to see each other. I was so glad to have introduced myself (after 3 years!) to Kurt. It was actually Kurt I recognized because of his stature and hair but RGBisMe said, "Yeah and I think that is the other Kurt with him."

"Other Kurt" used to be my lucky guy any day I saw him as I rode through the park. If I got to say, "Hi" to him I knew it would be a good day. This must be an awesome week since I not only introduced myself to him on Monday but we ran into him again today. I think it's going to be a hella good Spring.

We found all 3 letterboxes we had been seeking. We had gone last Autumn but started out too late in the day to have much time to look. We also had started at the wrong trail head last year and by the time we changed our seeking methods it was getting dark. Today we even checked on another box in the park and everything seemed great with it.

After a milkshake in Waterville we drove home. We didn't expect to see the Kurts nor their companion because the took a different route back after Jersey Shore. RGBisMe and I had such a pleasant day together. We snacked on the trail while listening to spring peepers, laughed with the Kurts, saw eagles through binoculars, got 3 awesome stamp impressions and hiked in the sun. Good times.

Cuddle Buddies

Wild Women's 8k

My review for the event organizers (after about 20 other reviews, many complaining about the small sizes of the t-shirts):

Did WW8k deliver what it promised? When I pre-registered up for the race, it promised a technical t-shirt in my size, stated that enrollment was limited to 200, that it was a women's 8k race. It didn't promise that it was a certified course nor that it was chip timed. It was because of all of the above that I chose this for my first race, ever.

Obviously the t-shirt is important enough for many to bring up; I was ~~thrilled~~ to have a women's sized technical shirt that actually fit me, just as promised.

When I overheard that some men were being allowed to run the course, I was upset. It totally changes a group's dynamic. Imagine advertising an Athena only race and allowing tiny, speedy women in also. Not every fellow that ran was there to support someone. Yes, their entrance fee supported the Women's Giving Circle but so would have a flat out donation. The organizers dealt with it in such a friendly way that (in another review) men are recommending the race next year. Be careful and clearly define things next year (one way or another).

It was also intimidating to see that there were more than 200 runners. With all I have said, you might think I didn't have a good experience; I had a great time because of the support and attitude of the volunteers and organizers. I loved the course and the view of 200 some women running ahead of me in the early morning light was exactly why I chose to travel over 150 miles to WW8k for my first run. I hope to return next year.

Long & Winding Road

From January, the road I have traveled has taken me to a bit of a graduation. This is the weekend I participate in an 8k run. A personal journal I have kept has shown my progress in endurance, overall fitness and 5" smaller waistline.

Excerpts:
January 3 - Today I have a lot of unrealized hopes. I am striving to bring back a more healthy way of life and adding more exercise has always been helpful.

January 4 - I found a guideline that might suit my needs, Couch to 5K. It is in line with a goal that I have never dared set for myself but always though it might feel very satisfying to achieve, to run in a 5k race maybe even in Puxsutawney. I will at least be moving toward running 5k and I hope I can keep in mind that even if I fail I am still getting some exercise.

January 5 - Man, I have looked at all of the 5k races and I am so not any of those people. I can't go that fast even though I know I have just started. All I can hope is that general fitness will be a strong enough goal for me, it's so nebulous.

January 7 - Nothing feels too good on a morning where the cats force you to get up hours before you are ready. I am a little stiff and sore.

January 8 - My run in the snow was a slow and tricky, terrible unsatisfying. I may have kept up a better pace for parts of the run but it was snowing and footing was slick almost everywhere. About halfway, my right groin muscle started to hurt. That slowed me down for the rest of the trip.

January 15 - I am totally chuffed to have done so much better on my run today. I was a little exerted but didn't have the same feeling of having pushed way too hard.

January 17 - I suppose I did my best yesterday going out to a restaurant for the first in a while. We had a lovely sit down Indian meal with Tim & JJ. The best part was reconnecting with two very good souls who nourished me in ways that not many friends can do. Tim and JJ are good people with positive attitudes who keep things in perspective.

January 20 - My right ankle had been feeling just a little sore so I tried to keep aware of it. It was when I was trying to make certain that I was running on my toes instead of flat footed that I rolled over on it a bit and fell.

January 21 - Thinking back on yesterday, I am really pleased with the groove I got into for my last mile or so. It's pretty cool to know I can be moving at a slow jog for a couple 5 minute stretches. This program may be building endurance and I like that.

January 29 - This winter has just been brutally cold. How do people with no resources for gym memberships or workout equipment stay in shape in such cold and long winters? I know that isn't why old folks move to Florida or they would all be fit. This apartment is just too small to run around in (no internal steps) and I can never see spending money on a huge treadmill.

February 5 - My breathing was good and I joked with a woman taking a smoke break about the impending snow. That took me to 23:00 before I started away from Walmart and across the lots. The program was complete after the 20 minutes but I had gotten into my head that I think 10 minute intervals if paced properly might be the best for me. I kept the pace really controlled and 30 minutes found me at College Gardens, proof that I was going much slower.

February 12 - The roads are icy and it's bitter cold so I decided to check out the Rec Hall indoor track. All went pretty well and I got my 30 minutes in a day early. I also got a blister on my small toe but it will heal.

February 18 - I tried on some running shoes at Dick's and have a better idea of what type of shoe suits my running style. I supinate (or underpronate) by running on the outside of my foot. I have always had a certain amount of natural turnout which was encouraged by dancing. Because of this I tend to run on the outside of my foot and do not roll into it's center.

February 19 - I decided to run 5k to try out some shoes I have been breaking in around the house. I even peeped in at the guys doing construction on the new location of Nature's Pantry to finish off the 5k with a little hill out of their lot. Who would have EVER thought I would just run 5k to try out some shoes. I am shocked, thrilled and in slight awe of myself. What I have accomplished and at the ease is nothing short of amazing to me.

February 25 - January 4th I started the C25K 9 week program and today I ran 8k (over an hour) nonstop. My pace wasn't fast nor was my 5k split time but I am proud of how far I have come.

March 5 - Not a good morning. Cats were as terrible as always all night and I never got back to sleep. I only made it 5k before deciding that my hurt foot/ankle/calf was only going to get worse. I hope a weekend of rest will allow it to get back to longer distances on Monday.

March 10 - I think I am going to try the 3.3 mile loop of Big Hollow Rd near Services Rd today just before meeting Jim for lunch. The small band of rain will have cleared by then and it should be a little warmer. I will be warmed from biking in so hopefully that will build up my stamina too. I am not certain if I should try to go any farther than that or not. I have to bike home too and don't want to hurt my ankle.

March 12 - It was breezy and drizzly but the temperature was above 45° so it wasn't too bad. My pace was really slow but I still made 8k in about an hour. I made it home (almost 10k) in an hour and 23 minutes.

March 19 - Last day of winter and I mixed it up a little. I had Jim leave my bike at my 8k mark to transition to about 3 miles of biking afterward. It would push the cardio but not the muscular skeletal as much.
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I let out a little whoop and drew the attention of big ol' goofy Curt who came over to talk while I got ready to bike. I took some water and Vitamin Drink and stretched a bit before heading to Trout Road and home via Gerald St. I was more fatigued on the hills than I would have expected so it's a good thing to practice now and then.

March 25 - Did a late morning final 8k before I start backing off my distance this coming week. It was my personal best. It got warm when the sun came out. I can't imagine running when it's 70° - ugh!

March 27 - I geared back my run this morning to roughly 5k - 36-ish minutes. I ran the gravel road at Fisherman's Paradise out and back with Jim doing his W6D1 program.

Cold morning but beautiful. No loose dogs. I started with my left shoe too tightly tied and stopped about 2:30 minutes into my run to retie it. I stopped and restarted my watch. That foot was crampy again for the whole first mile and the ankle hurt after the 5k. I am icing it now.

April 1 - My final 5k and workout before race day on Saturday landed me a good personal best.

Unfortunately I started off way too fast and had to back off the whole run. I need to remember to calm down and pace myself better if I want to make it 8k.

April 2 - I am up early and have a headache from being excited about the coming weekend. I chose the all women's run for it's dynamic and the fact it is a walk/run. No shame if I have to walk any part of the way although I haven't walked any 8k I have done in quite a while.

I am a little worried about not having a goal to work toward after this weekend. I will do my best to try to look back and see what I have accomplished, enjoy continued better health and hope to maintain a good balance.

A Toad Emerges

Just in time for Spring! Look in the blue circled area in the long shots.

Doing Well

I do miss writing for this blog but have a lot going on in other parts of my life. I am training for an 8k race, looking forward to a crazy 5k obstacle challenge later in the year, and trying to heal our depleted fiances. I am happy to be healthier (mind, body & spirit) than I have been for a couple of years. I turn 48 this week and plan to keep on going for a while.

Don't forget to check out RGBisMe's After Image. He posts regularly.

Mercutio!

We will be enjoying another performance of Romeo and Juliet this week at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ravenboy had treated us to many entertaining and playful moments in this ballet, many of them just subtle background scene additions. This time it will be a non-stop barrage of dynamic dancing in the role of Mercutio!

If anyone has forgotten who Mercutio is, he is Romeo's best friend who gets killed by Tybalt thus infuriating Romeo to reignite the feud with Juliet's Capulet family by killing Tybalt. For those who are more familiar with West Side Story, Mercutio is the same role as Riff, Tony's best friend who gets killed in the rumble infuriating Tony to kill Maria's brother, Bernardo.

Below are two rehearsal videos. This was an unscheduled rehearsal for Ravenboy. A tired coworker generously offered his time as a last chance to run the scenes in the studio before going on tour. A very tired Ravenboy took on the chance to have one last moment to polish this integral character.

The first video starts in the ballroom scene just after Romeo (David Hallberg) realizes he is twitter-pated with Juliet (Gillian Murphy). Benvolio (a very enthusiastic Daniil Simkin) and Mercutio quickly separate them and Mercutio does an entertaining dance to distract the guests away from the moment.


The second video shows picks up after Benvoilo does a similar and then Mercutio continues while antagonizing Tybalt (Patrick Ogle).



I can tell this is going to be a totally enjoyable performance and am so excited to share these gems. Thank Luis for recording them for Ravenboy!

Winter Heat

Human footprints other than our own in the snow told us that someone had enjoyed the heat shield garden lately. That made us smile

Cat's Cradle

In September an enthusiastic squirrel chewed through some of the main cords of our hammock. I was pretty upset and wasn't sure if it could be repaired. I folded it up and couldn't bear to take a look at the damage until today.

Much to Birbanto and Miles' delight, I brought the hammock inside to examine the cords. They were so thrilled to sniff all of the scents on it and then wanted to help sort out the woven sections. Toys that had been lying discarded near it on the floor suddenly became very attractive when viewed through the mesh of the hammock.

They took a break after a while and I was able to look at the construction of the main cords, just where the squirrel had chewed and how many cords had been damaged. It was just on the one end and, while chatting on the phone to a calming Maga11, was able to sort out just what was needed to repair it.

Thank you to all of my helpers, it looks like the hammock has been salvaged. We will just have to take it down when it is not in use to avoid the same thing next year.

Five Years Later

My blog is still alive and kicking 5 years after starting it. Some things have changed, others are the same.

I am still lucky to have my family around me, we are all in reasonably good health and are as happy as we have ever been as far as I can tell. Most changes that have occurred for us have just been moderation, excessive energies in any one direction have mellowed, any one focus has found a way to share and allow more broad vision to be enjoyed.

Our son always says, "All things in moderation, even moderation." I am seeing the hills and valley of the past five years pretty much that. I have blogged sporadically some months and rabidly others. It all balances out and I thank you for reading as I continue my pursuit of true indigo.

December Dancin' (part 2)

Bringing Ravenboy and Asrai into our home for a week was a great part of our holiday break. We all decorated the Yule Tree that took up a large portion of our living room. It was special this year sharing stories of some of the ornaments with Asrai as we put them on the tree.

Although most of the holiday music we have is specifically Christmas music, we have fond memories of it from over the years. One album by the Ray Charles Singers is our favorite and is all songs about Winter. We listened to good old songs like "Button up your Overcoat", "June in January", and our all time favorite "When Winter Comes a Calling."

The tree was completely decorated by the time RGBisMe pulled out the brand new CD with my special song on it. As I wrote in December Dancin' (part 1), I had altered the digital recording by singing over the part of the song where I am expected to dance. The quality of the recording of the beginning of the CD was very poor because the 6 minutes leading up to my dance were also recorded with Audacity but were supposed to sound like the original album. Ravenboy picked up on it right away.

"What was that noise?" he asked when there was a big thud in the middle of the recording. RGBisMe was a little shocked too but he attributed it to perhaps being one of the cats bumping the turn table as he had made the recording. Unfortunately it was not the only noise and as I prepared to dance all three spectators became increasingly curious and confused as to what was going on. Ravenboy picked out every little additional noise and even skipped back on the CD to listen to the noises again and again. I assured them this I was pretty sure that this was the song even though RGBisMe thought that he remembered my dance at the beginning of the song. It is curious what we remember and forget from year to year and my noisy recording was making us all confused.

Finally, the music that was right before my entrance assured me that I better get to my place in the wing. I am not in as good shape these past couple of years and had tried to warm up just a little to prepare. I braced myself for the change in song and switch over to my bizarre singing version.

My dance was the same as every other year (with the usual tiny variations in style and energy level) but the music was replaced with my "lalalas", "dododos", and "rumpa-pum-papums". Pops, raspberries, grunts and squeals took the place of the well know holiday song; my voice tried to singularly take on the whole orchestra. The clever orchestration of "Jingle Bells" would have been pretty much unrecognized if it hadn't been heard by us many times before.

My family received this year's variation first with scepticism then with pleasure to see the dance was intact and finally they joined in the singing where my limited vocal version needed gaps filled in. From my goofy bouree entrance to my final breathless fall to the floor, my good audience was all smiles and cheers.

There was even an encore performance because, it was rationalized, I hadn't really done it to the real song at all this year. Even with the smaller stage and twisted ankle, it too was well received.

There is a inverse correlation between the technology to record this annual display and the quality of the performance itself. Thus, I will direct you to The true indigo Trust to remind all that no bootleg movies should make it on to Youtube this year.

Entr'acte

A lot happened in the short time between my burning the bogus CD and the point where I was confronted with dancing my Holiday Shindy. RGBisMe and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary first (the evening before) with Angrist & feralgyrl with a lovely evening catching up, being abundantly gifted and a nice meal at a local restaurant.

We then spent the next day with Asrai and Ravenboy. Asrai and Ravenboy opened their home to us. They showered us with love, gifts and an amazing meal. They made an amazing Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian of course) and a British Pudding. Both were so amazing and yummy. It was a perfect visit on a day that was very special to us.

One of the most exciting gifts they shared with us was a package of Miracle Fruit Tablets. The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) to taste uncharacteristically sweet.

We put a whole feast of sour and bitter foods together to try out these crazy tablets. We prepped lemons, grapefruit, cranberries, and limes. We poured a very tart wine to go with our mustard, sauerkraut, pickled beets, pickled dill beans, pickled hot cauliflower and pickled garlic.

The effect that dissolving these little tablets on your tongue has to be experienced to be believed. Having a spread of very sour things to sample was a great idea. I think each person might have their own personal favorites but the four of us all agreed that the limes were incredible! I also loved cranberries dipped in mustard.

Our anniversary and winter solstice celebrations were so much fun and I am glad to share them.

December Dancin' (part 1)

The end of our holiday vacation is winding down. I realize that I don't post as much detail as I used. I was thinking that anybody who has cared to read about my personal life has pretty much been directly involved in what has been going on. Conversely, I see that this blog still gets hits from outside of my family. If you comment that you enjoy a certain topic I have touched on, I can certainly elaborate.

Seeing that my annual shenanigans of trying to avoid performing my holiday shindy has been a popular mid-workday reading, I will share my demi-success this year. RGBisMe was able to make some awesome gifts for our family this year by taking the old holiday LPs and making digital recordings of them. This complicated exactly how I was going to avoid my dance.

The song itself is the last song in a medley of holiday songs. It is an 8 minute track that, when it was on a tape, I could easily tape over. I have not mastered the application of Garage Band yet and found myself with less that 4 hours to come up with something. I Googled something like how to cut into part of an MP3 and someone had thrown out the idea of the application of Audacity.

I was familiar with Audacity, I had used it to make a little recording of some Morse Code for a one of the From Where I Stand letterboxes if I am remembering correctly. I then got the idea to not just cut off the end of the song but to plug the headphones in and sing over it.

I was resigned to the fact that I would end up doing my dance but knew it would be delayed. Not only would it not matter what tape the song was on (there are not tapes any longer) but I had a good feeling that only RGBisMe knew what actual album it was on. I was counting on this distraction to make them believe that nothing else would get in the way.

The most humorous aspect was that while I was recording the medley that preceded my frenetic snippet of Jingle Bells our one cat decided that something particularly interesting was outside the window near the computer. His ramming around, up and down off of the desk was being picked up on the recording. There was little I could do. I had taken advantage of RGBisMe running out for a frozen pizza and was hoping it might take him about the 10 minutes I would need to get the altered recording. It was the only window of time I had and the cat jumps and bumps would have to stay.

As I got to the moment when I plugged the earphones in, cutting off the music that was being recorded, I had an odd thought. What if RGBisMe can home as I was singing my goofy, Spike Jones inspired, new version of the song? I had but a second to just inhale and go with it. If I was caught in the act, I would just have to explain.

I made it to the end, clicked the button to stop the recording and checked to see if RGBisMe had pulled in. All was clear. I gave a quick listen to the recording and exported it as an MP3 before he got home. I knew I had to make a full playlist of the album and burn it to a CD but he came home before I had the chance.

Angrist & feralgyrl came over to help us celebrate our anniversary and the holidays. It got dark so early that the four of us said our goodbyes just as many night loving folks were probably just getting started. I was glad RGBisMe went straight to bed and I told him that I would join him very shortly.

I quickly burnt a replacement CD and swapped it with the one everyone would be expecting to find. I was excited for how the rest of the plan might unfold but first we had a trip to New York City and back.

Bring It!

It's that time of year when all family expectations of my certain holiday dance hang on if they can remember what tape the song is on. For those of you that don't know, RGBisMe received a wonderful gift on his last birthday that has allowed him to make digital copies of ALL of our old holiday music from their LPs.

This being said... THERE ARE NO TAPES! They are now sorted by ALBUM! There are about 12 albums! I wish you more luck than in 2007 and 2008, you'll need it! :D

Saturnalia Cactus

Many modern holiday cactus cultivars are hybrids between Schlumbergera truncata and S. russelliana, first bred about 150 years ago in England. Ours is well over 100 years old and bloomed on Saturnalia this year.

Another Bear Raid

I just love living in an area where the damage done to my property is from wildlife. I much prefer it to the idea of druggies wandering through my yard.

I woke to a bag of garbage from who knows where being left near the edge of my yard and the field. It was someone's garbage who eats more expensive name brand food items. I think it may have been a neighbor's. Why shoot a photo of that, yuck. It was not too bad to clean up though.

The metal can of peanuts had been tipped over and the lid wedged off. The bungee was still holding it onto the can so I know it took a lot of effort. Must be a bear again! It was raining a bit when I found it. There were still plenty of peanuts dry in the can so I put it back right away. All I have a photo of are the peanuts that are left and the crunched up shells left behind from the raid.

Black Swan

Ravenboy had caught wind of a casting call that was held yesterday for Darren Aronofsky's upcoming movie, Black Swan. His one coworker is to be Natalie Portman's body double in the dance scenes and he has worked closely with the choreographer, Ben Millipied.

From what he could tell, it was pretty much just a formality to show up and show his interest in being cast. It's a given that anyone with his resumé can dance so what he figured was it was pretty much a decision based on if he fit the type. He was encouraged that they might be casting his type since an earlier casting call had turned down some of the taller male dancers he worked with. He was surprised when a few days prior, he was told to show up in dance clothes and be prepared to dance. Ravenboy was excited to perhaps have a chance to meet the writer and director, Aronofsky because he has a lot of respect for his other films like The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Pi.

He and another male coworker showed up a little early to warm up and what they found was a surreal scene. They were to show up in the garment district and found that they were directed to a ballroom. On there way to it there were literally hundreds of other dancers. Ravenboy recognized dancers from when he was as young as 10 years old from his school here in town, guys he met at summer dance camps on the west coast, from the two years he trained at School of American Ballet and Tim Lacetena who had the great dancing role of "Andrew" in Step Up. He had met Tim on the west coast in a summer camp years ago too. The were all smack in the middle of a real live cattle call! When he told us about it all, we agreed it sounded like a scene out of a cool movie called The Game.

They were pretty amused at it all and although his name was on a list of dancers they expected he was still asked to fill out an application (they had run out and he was handed a blank sheet of paper) and to pin a number to his chest. He and his coworker were good sports about it, said "hey" to the people they recognized and got ready to proceed to audition for the first time in years. He says he got the general feeling that they were all a little nervous to see him there.

He was cool enough to share a couple of photos they took for this blog. Apparently he was #310 and after the last group of women were finished auditioning they called in the first group of men that included he and his coworker. He nodded to Milipied as he came into the ballroom and took off his warm ups in preparation to dance. He saw Aronofsky and he was excited to dance for him.

I think it was about that time he said that he overheard Millipied tell someone that he didn't need to see #310 & #312 dance because they were, "...already in his troupe." They were asked to leave and confirmed that they didn't even need to stay for any dancing later. Ravenboy's coworker joked they they should have acted like they were crying as they left.

They were both a little disappointed not to dance at all. Less than 15 minutes after they time they were told to be present, they were calling Natalie Portman's dance double to say they were done and ready to go. I think it's the fastest he has ever been let go from an audition and it wasn't because he was being rejected. A funny story indeed and I look forward to hearing what his filming schedule is like.