rainy days

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This is our dry season. Well, really, most of the year we are dry. Except for summer. So having rain showers this morning was odd. And Ryan did not appreciate it. "Andy had his field day. Why can't I have mine?" What could I say? I saw the forecast and it said 40% chance of rain all morning. Like a coward, I ignored the question.

Later when it thundered, Ryan went and got his quilt. Oh come on! Why do I have to have kids and dogs who are afraid of thunder? OK, that's not exactly true. Yes, every dog I have add was a coward during storms. My last dog, Duffy, didn't acquire his fear until he was about 7 or 8 years old. Before that, he would actually watch fireworks! And Ryan was never afraid until last year. WTF?! I love storms and it's hard to be sympathetic.

Bad mommy. I told him he couldn't sit on my lap during a small storm. This was small, only one low clap of thunder and no lightning. But then I felt bad so I let him sit there for a while. He played with my iPod Touch to distract himself.

Andy wanted the umbrella while he waited for the bus. I saw Ryan trying on Andy's sneakers. They are way too big. Ryan doesn't have any sneakers of his own, he won't wear them. But he doesn't want his feet to get wet today. We find Andy's old Van's slip-ons and they are big but will work. Ryan takes his sandals in case in dries up.

I asked Ryan if he wanted his rain coat but he kept ignoring me. I know it's too warm sometimes but it does keep you dry. After getting wet in his regular jacket, he did agree to his rain jacket. You can tell he is just not happy with the rain.

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I took too many photos. I think there were over 90, reduced to 12 that are decent. Yes, I do delete bad photos. I called Andy to get him to turn his head and he walks run up to me. I am surprised it came out so well.

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It did end up drying out for Field Day. When Ryan got home, I asked him how it went. "Awesome!"


The Tent

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The Tent The Tent by Margaret Atwood


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
I just finished reading The Tent by Margaret Atwood. It is a collection of shorts stories, essays and bits of subconsciousness.



I have no idea how to describe this. I think that if I had ever taken drugs, I might have had the same thoughts. (Though I would never be able to say them so well.) It took me a while to get through this which is surprising for the format. I can usually get through collections fairly quickly as I will read when ever I have a moment But this took time to read and digest



That said, I did enjoy The Tent.






View all my reviews.

oh pizza! how have i missed you!

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Pizza is one of my favorite foods. And I missed it. Andy prefers pizza from Pizza Hut. I do too but their pizza isn't the healthiest. And Ryan doesn't like pizza so I just don't get it.

I learned to make a healthier pizza at home. (too bad I can't take a good photo, should have used the tripod)

040109-pizza

• Mama Mary's Gourmet Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts (serving suggestion says 1/2 of the 6" crust! Right. So a real serving is worth 358 calories, 6g fat, 28g carbs, 6g protein)
• Sargento Classic Mozzarella (serving is 1/4 cup, 80 calories, 5g fat, 1g carbs, 7g protein)
• Dei Fratelli Pizza Sauce (serving suggestion is 1/4 can which is about 1/4 cup; 30 calories, 0 fat, 6g carbs, 1g protein) Good sauce and NO HFCS!
• diced tomato (are there calories is raw veggies?)

I guess you could use reduced fat cheese (horrors!) but I prefer to eat less of the real stuff.

• preheat the stone in the over to 450º
• reduce the temperature to 425º and bake for 10 minutes

So good, and easy and just enough.

Now the trick is to not eat it every night.


why blog?

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What am I passionate/obsessed about?

I was listening to Merlin Mann's & John Gruber's talk at SxSW about blogging. They suggest one should figure out what one is passionate about, maybe even obsessive, and give that idea a voice.

OK, so what am I passionate about? Well, I have been passionate, bordering on obsessive, about a lot of things. See, my obsessions change. Quite often it seems. Since my husband died in 2001, I have been obsessive about keeping house, decorating, gardening, exercising and eating well, cardmaking and scrapbooking, photography, decluttering the house, eating well/exercising, baking, cardmaking, and now... I become interested in something and find out everything I can about it; search the web, buy books, etc. And I get very involved with this for weeks or months and in the case of scrapbooking, years. Then something shiny comes along and catches my interest.

And that leaves me with today. What am I passionate about today? I ran through the things I do and found that while I love photography, I am not obsessed with it right now. And I am still making cards but not every moment I can. And to me, that's where the passion and obsession comes in. I don't think about anything or want to do anything with such fervor, right now.

OK, that is a lie. I feel pretty passionate about blogging right now. Which is why I am asking the question in the first place. What should I blog about?

Maybe I should ask the question, Why do I read blogs? Some are informative. Some keep me in touch with friends. Most entertain.

The Pioneer Woman is a great blogger. It's amazing she finds time in the day to do half of what she does. And though I would not want the responsibility of running such a popular blog, I would like some of it. Just a tiny portion. I think. Or is it that I want a life that is entertaining as hers? Well, we know that isn't going to happen. So what are we left with? Smatterings of my pretty mundane life.

At least until the next obsession comes along.