The art of going 'crackerdog'

The other day, I mentioned on a post that I'd almost gone crackerdog and was surprised to find so many people who knew what I was talking about. I'm so glad, because when I say it in public, nobody seems to know what I mean. I'm sure you've all heard of James Herriot, the beloved veterinarian and bestselling author from Yorkshire, England. I loved all of his books, beginning with "All Creatures Great and Small" and I think I've read almost every one. My husband and I used to watch the television show of the same name and can sometimes still find it playing on BBC. One of my favorite stories concerns a client of his named Mrs. Pumphrey and her obese little Pekingese dog, Tricki Woo.

After I wrote that post the other day, I searched my entire house for my "Dog Stories" book by James Herriot and could not find it. And then I remembered that it had been destroyed in a freak flood that had run through the garage of a home we were renting in Pennsylvania. I lost several boxes of books that were stored out there. So I'll try my best to remember the story about Tricki Woo.

Tricki Woo was an extremely pampered and spoiled Pekingese pooch whose wealthy mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey, showered not only her affection upon, but everything in her pantry. She also coined her own names for afflictions from which the little pooch suffered, and all the maladies were caused by the overfeeding and pampering of the little dog. When Tricki Woo would go 'flopbot', it would mean he would just sit down and drag his butt. And when he would go 'crackerdog', he would run all about like a crazy dog. (Probably due to massive quantities of sugar that came from the treats she fed him constantly.)

When she first called the veterinary clinic, James Herriot took the call and ended up going over to the lavish estate to see the patient. Immediately, he assessed the situation, but Mrs. Pumphrey would not listen to the young vet. She continued to feed Tricki Woo until she finally called one day to say he'd gone flopbot after a session of crackerdog. Tricki Woo would not move. The good doctor removed him from the premises and took him home to care for him. Tricki Woo stayed away for couple of weeks, getting regular feed and running with the dogs that lived with the veterinarians. He slimmed down, got healthy, and was returned to Mrs. Pumphrey "A New Dog". For years afterwards, Tricki sent James baskets of the most amazing treats, including champagne and special cheeses. The other vets used to tease James, but they were all secretly jealous that they hadn't answered the initial call from Tricki's wealthy mistress.

I loved the crackerdog story, and told it to my sons when they were little boys. Consequently, one of their favorite things to do was to 'run about crackerdog' which was fun because they could run around like crazy, waving their little arms and laughing. It's a happy little memory I have of them when they were small, and times were sweet, and I lived by the adage: "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow; for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."

Not that I didn't keep my house clean, mind you. But I loved playing with my children, and I knew they wouldn't stay little for very long.

And that's what crackerdog is all about. And I'm going to go crackerdog on George here if he decides to nip this little foal. He looks like he's getting ready to, doesn't he? Don't worry. I had my eye on him, all right.

Top photo courtesy of Pekie on Flickr.com.

Pain au Chocolate: Takes the grey right out

The skies are cloudy today and it's downright cold outside. I had all this gardening planned, but the wind is gusting so much and honestly, I was looking for a good excuse to stay inside and vegetate. There's so much grass to cut with all the rain we've had lately, and our youngest son offered to come over and help with some of the mowing on the farm. My husband is making a nice Mother's Day dinner and because our son's outside, mowing for hours on end, I'm going to make his favorite dessert.

I discovered this recipe after my eldest son returned from a school-sponsored trip to Paris, France. He told me he had eaten this wonderful breakfast treat every morning and it was called pain au chocolate, which is bread with chocolate. I searched on the internet and finally found a recipe but it took me half the afternoon to make a batch of the little suckers.

While we were enjoying these blissfully delicious concoctions, I started thinking that there had to be an easier way to make them. So the next time, I substituted Pillsbury crescent rolls and switched to semi-sweet chocolate rather than the milk chocolate the recipe called for. I've found that the Ghirardelli brand of chocolate tastes the best and the rolls tastes better if you use the regular version, not the low-fat.

These quickly became my signature treat at school, and whenever goodies were called for. They're easy and fun to make, and kids really enjoy making these.

Pain Au Chocolate

1 container Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate morsels

about 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Get two small bowls. Put the chocolate morsels in one and mix the sugar and cinnamon together in the other. Open crescent rolls and line about 4 of them up with the triangle top pointing away from you. On the bottom end of the triangle, put about 1 Tbsp. chocolate morsels, pressing them gently into the dough. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp. sugar mixture on each and and begin rolling up from the bottom towards the top. Sprinkle sugar mixture on top. Bake according to package directions, 375 degrees for about 12 minutes.

You'll have about half the sugar mixture left over. Just put in a baggie until next time. My husband likes these with less chocolate. So try them, and judge for yourself. Your hips will thank you.

These are best eaten warm. Wear shoes, because your socks will surely be knocked off.

Two hearts are better than one

Something happened to me this Mother's Day that has never happened before. My sons got together and sent me the most beautiful tulips!

The flowers arrived on Friday while I was at work and when our UPS man

laid the package by my desk, I got the immediate feeling that this was something especially for me and not something that he needed to pass on for me to deliver further.

I've never received flowers from my two sons collectively before, and the gesture was just so touching. You know, any time someone you love sends you flowers, it's wonderful.

I know Mother's Day is hard on some and to you, and I want to say that if it is painful, I just hope these pictures will ,at least, make you smile. It's a beautiful spring day. So enjoy as best you can.

Cheers!

Oh, and PS -- Bonus points for knowing who wrote the song that I'm thinking of in the title post.

Winner Announced in Weekend Guessing Game #15

Ruth Hull Chatlien has won the weekend guessing game with the correct answer of the PAGES OF A BOOK. Yes, that's what it is. It happens to be a book I've had for years and one that I've read about six times, for some reason. And it's a Stephen King book, too. They usually creep me out, but for some reason, this one appealed to me and I first read it when I was about 21 years old. It's "The Stand" and I think it was the whole good vs. evil theme that got to me, coupled with the world's demise and the huge trek out west. I don't know what it was about it, but I related to it in a profound way.

Well, enough about the book. Ruth has been a regular visitor to my blog lately and it's always good to see someone else win besides my sisters, who are tenacious at the guessing game thing. Is that the correct word, Char? She'll let me know, because she's the vocabulary expert in these here parts. I love when Char pontificates about vocabulary. Again, Char. Right word there?

Ruth, get ready for the fame that winning this contest will bring. Just a warning. And thanks again to everyone for playing. It's ok, tj. I'm terrible at these contests, too. And it DOES look like a dirty air filter to a 1974 Chevy LUV truck. And Tom, it does look like the underside of a mushroom cap. And fringe, and a feather, and a horse's mane. Oh, it looks like all of those things.

So let's PLAN to meet back here at 6 PM Friday for next week's guessing game. It's a PLAN, ok? Not a promise. And Leslie . . . I am so sorry that when you got out of bed last night to check my site for this game, that it wasn't posted. I know what it's like lying in bed and remembering something and then getting up to do it. Your feet are cold. And you're tired. And you have to put your robe on. And then maybe get a drink of water and quick bathroom trip before getting back to bed. Oh, I'm sorry. I will try to be better next week. I really will!

~ Yours truly, Country Girl.

Weekend Guessing Game #15 with apologies to Leslie

No, I didn't forget this time. I was crunched for time last night, and should have planned a little better.

I was just going to bag the game this weekend, but got up this morning and read Leslie's comment on the post below. Leslie was falling asleep in bed last night and suddenly remembered the game. So she GOT OUT OF BED and went to her computer and oh, my. The game wasn't posted!

I felt bad, but then I got over it quickly, and jumped up and got to work. Not that this is work, mind you.

So, let's do something a little different this weekend. For those who are new to this blog, on FRIDAY evening at 6 PM, I post a picture and you try to guess what the heck it is. I leave the picture up for 24 hours and then announce the winner at 6 PM on Saturday. To leave a guess, click on the comment button below this post. If you sign on as Anonymous, please leave your name or your initials. First one to guess correctly is the winner.

If you see what you think may be the answer, it's ok to guess anyway. I love reading your funny entries. So, get your thinking caps on and guess away!

My son came up with this one when we were at dinner last night. We went to see Iron Man and then had dinner at a fantastic Asian restaurant. I love Robert Downey, Jr. mixed with a little soy sauce.

Good morning, beautiful world

I know, I know. It's yet another picture of one of my favorite spots on the farm. But I just had to share it with you. I came downstairs yesterday morning as my husband was putting on his work boots, and George was anxiously awaiting the command to get in the truck. I went to pour my coffee and then followed them to the front door to say goodbye. George knows he's the luckiest dog in the world because he gets to go to work with his master. As I was waving goodbye to them, I happened to glance to the right and saw this beautiful mist on the pond with the sun just starting to rise. Of course, I had to go and grab the camera. The mist was only on the pond and it gave it an ethereal look. I didn't do anything to these pictures because I felt I didn't need to. Didn't even sharpen them in the least.

I love it here.

After school today, I went to our last home baseball game of the season for our varsity team. My good friend, Kathy, of the raspberry tea recipe, met me there. Her son, who's a senior, was pitching in the last home game of his high school career. This was a momentous occasion, so I brought the camera and took some pictures. Tracey was there, too. Perhaps you've seen her comments on this blog before. Her son is a junior and also plays on the team. It was good to be with them; they love to laugh and are a joy to be around. Kathy and Tracey have been long-time parents at the school and in the 10 years I've been employed there, I've watched their children grow and enjoyed their friendship. Our kids played sports together, and we each have a child that graduated in 2005 who still remain friends. It will be strange not to see them around the school on a regular basis anymore.

My kingdom for internet service that works

This post is coming to you via my dial-up connection of a whopping 28.8 kbps from beautiful Maryland where the weather is warm and lovely.

Wait a minute. Did she say dial-up? Why, yes I did. I'm temporarily back on dial-up. Actually, I've still got the old account until the 11th, so it's there for the using. And I'm being forced to use it because guess what? My satellite internet connection that was installed just two days ago is not working.

It hasn't worked correctly since the guy left on Monday evening. It's been intermittent at best, and tonight it gave up. Oh, it says it's connected, and I've done the usual things to check. But it's not. So I finally gave up and called the hotline and after waiting for almost a half hour on the phone, spent another half hour listening to someone say "now, let's see here" about 24 times. I swear, if she said it one more time, I was ready to go crackerdog.

Extra points if anyone knows what that means.

Anyway, I live out in the middle of nowhere. Actually, somewhere is nearby, but nowhere is closer. Hope you got that. A couple of years ago, I saw on their website that Verizon Internet Service was available in our area. I was excited! Elated! I checked their site again and sure enough, we were eligible for service. Yay! So I ordered it. A modem arrived immediately with instructions and nothing worked. My computer geek son was still living here at the time, and it still wasn't working for him. After spending a total of 4 hours on the phone and on hold over the next few days, I was finally told that a service man would be able to come out and troublecheck it for me, but I'd have to stay home from work all day just to wait for him. I opted to cancel the whole darn thing and returned the modem.

Turns out that Verizon never was available in our area, and it still isn't. It was just showing otherwise on their computer.

Suffice it to say that I haven't had much luck with internet service, except for the trusty old dial-up. Hopefully, this too shall pass, and my service will be fixed soon. The repairman is coming on Friday and then I have to deal with billing, when I tell them I'm not paying for all these days of no service. See how fun this all is?

But hey, it could be worse. I could have no internet at all. Thank you so much for listening to my little rant. I'm feeling much better now and I promise not to make a habit of this.

Oh, the picture was taken last week of a little one asleep near his mother. It makes me feel soothed somewhat to see that life is gentle and sweet, and good internet service or the lack thereof, does not mean it's the end of the world . . .

I love this iced tea

It was warm in Maryland today and after a long day at work, followed by a stop at Lowe's on the way home for garden supplies, and then mulching some more on the east side of the house, this raspberry flavored tea really hit the spot.

You know, if you're working up a sweat, there's nothing that beats a good tall glass of iced tea.

Oh, there's George up there in the top right hand corner of this picture. He's looking at his friend, Natasha, the yellow lab that lives across the farm driveway.

So, what's this tea, you ask?

It's Bigelow's Raspberry Iced Tea and it's really simple to make. Boil 2 cups water.

Add 3 raspberry tea bags.

Let steep about 15-20 min.

Add 1 cup sugar, stir.

Pour into 2 qt. pitcher and add cold water to taste.

For my tea, I used 3/4 cup sugar, rather than a full cup. I've tried sugar substitutes like Splenda, natural sweeteners like Stevia and even honey. The Splenda doesn't taste quite right, and the honey is fine, but not as good as the sugar. The Stevia can be only be described as blech. I got this simple recipe from a friend and I've always loved her iced teas. She can whip up a pitcher pretty quick and they're always so darn good. I went to see her recently and this time, she served this raspberry tea to me for the first time. It just has a nice, clean taste to it and, well, I wanted to share it with you. Hope you like it.

Up, up and away

I've finally ditched the dial-up and have faster internet! I'd love to say I'm thrilled, but I'm kinda confused. Maybe it was just Blogger tonight, I don't know. I had to reboot my computer about 3 times and when it works, wow! My pictures upload at the speed of, well let's just say it's a lot faster than the dial-up that I've had for too many years.

While I was outside talking with the installer, who had just arrived and was unloading his truck, I happened to look down towards the pond and saw a great white heron wading at the edge on the far side. So I went inside and grabbed the camera and switched to the zoom lens.

I had just come home from work and still had my good clothes on, and I probably should have changed, but I walked down there anyway and sat at the edge of the pond for a while and snapped a few pictures. Ok, well 44 pictures. But I ended up deleting a lot of them. And even though I got a little goose poop on my Jones New York slacks, I managed to get a couple of decent shots.

Do you notice how the water is so blue in this last shot? It started out gray/green at the top, then green for the next two shots, and now blue. I noticed when I was looking at them on the computer. I think it's the way the light was hitting the water as the bird moved from the right to the left.

And look at the second picture. Do you see the trail in the water that was left by his legs trailing it during take-off? I just found it interesting and had to point it out to you.

So here's to faster speeds, and flying high. And yes, tj I'll give you that raspberry iced tea recipe. It's really really good! I'll post it here later this week. I'll take a picture or two. Or 42.

Color me happy

Today was a beautiful day here in Maryland. We both spent the day out-of-doors, me working to clean-up one side of the house and my husband in the vegetable garden. George hung out with Natasha, our neighbor's yellow lab. He kept coming home to make sure I still loved him, though.

I cleaned up and edged and mulched one entire side of the house and could never have done it without the Aleve I took just before I started. I'll probably really be feeling it by tomorrow, but it was worth it because it looks so much better. At Lowe's this morning, I bought myself a hydrangea bush. I plan on planting it where it will get early morning sunlight and a sort of peppery afternoon shade. Now I've got to get the soil amended before I plant it, and figure out how I'm going to get water to it when it gets really hot and dry in the summer. Did you know that Hydrangea means water tub in Greek? See how much you learn by coming here?

I took these pictures with my macro lens this afternoon. When I was done, I had a glass of homemade raspberry iced tea. Mmmmm. I love homemade iced tea, especially when it's raspberry. Hope you like the photos!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Shake Your Booty

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake Shake

Shake your booty, shake your booty,

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake

Shake your booty, oh don't shake the feeling,

Do a little dance, do a little prance, Get down tonight, get down tonight.

I apologize, in advance, for those of you who tend to get songs stuck in their heads, like me.

I know I'm going to be humming these songs all day now.

Minna, all week long I tried to get a picture of "Motion" for the lesson this week. Finally captured it yesterday, after the lesson was over. But, by jove, I think I got it!

Guessing Game Winner announced

Mental Pause Mama is the winner of the Weekend Guessing Game with her correct guess of CORK. It's actually the cork to one of my favorite wine bottle stoppers, pictured above. I just like the sparkly little gems in it. The monkey's having a good time sitting up there, too.

Mental Pause Mama (Lauren) lives in Connecticut and has been one of the original people to begin leaving comments on this blog and each time I see her name and the other now-familiar names, I'm glad that people aren't just stopping by, leaving a comment and never returning. It's nice to hear from those that continue to return.

I loved some of the guesses this week. Yummy things like raisin bread, date muffins, cookie, cobbler. (I'm getting hungry). A very unhappy Pillsbury Dough Boy on crack was really funny, Judy. And TJ's burning question about whether or not eating cork would turn you into a cork addict? Only if it's the really good cork, tj. The kind from Thailand, or something.

So congratulations, Laura. Be warned, however. You will soon be famous. Scads and scads of people will see this post and they'll see that little monkey and they'll think of you! Sorry about that.

Sunrise at the farm

I took this picture Friday morning when I came downstairs to get my cup of coffee. I happened to look out the window and liked what I saw out there, so I grabbed my camera and went outside. I just love how the water reflects the sky.

Afterwards, I used Pioneer Woman's "Boost" Action twice on the photo. Then I did a slight sharpen and called it a day. To download free actions, visit Pioneer Woman here. You'll need Photoshop CS2 or CS3.

After I took the picture, poured a little half & half into my coffee. Excellent. Not just the sunrise, but the coffee. Go ahead and have a little extra coffee yourself this morning, if you feel so inclined. It always makes me feel better. And have yourself a nice little Saturday morning.

Guess in the Guessing Game this weekend (see post below). I'll post the winner by 6 pm tonight. Here's a hint: It is NOT edible. And Noble Pig, you should know this one.

Photo of the Month voting is going on right now over at Kacey's blog, Wine On the Keyboard. I have an entry there and I just don't want to lose to a chicken! No horse should lose to a chicken on Kentucky Derby weekend. Well, unless the chicken is really cute. So vote! Have a great morning, everyone!

Weekend Guessing Game #14

It's that time of the week again where I post a picture and you try to guess what the heck it could be. Remember, please, that I'd never post anything disgusting. No clues this week because it's another easy one.

To guess, click on the comment button at the bottom of this post and you'll see what to do to leave a comment. If you're posting anonymously, please leave your initials or your first name.

This post almost didn't happen. It took me over a half hour just to get a decent connection to upload my pictures, which is usually 28.8 kbps and the highest I can get through my phone line (yes, I know it's terrible, but it works) and at one point, I had an all-time low connection of 4.8 kbps. My fast internet should be working by Monday and I'll finally be zooming through internet space.

At least I'm patient. And sweet. And kind. And loveable. And so full of crap. But you must know that by now, don't you?

Have fun with it!

Ode to simple needs

This is the most peaceful time I know.

Paced by clover-scented,

rhythmic chewing,

Content with present abundance

I slow the natural pulse

Of earth and sky

To simple needs-

Warm breath on hand,

Comfortable intimacy in serene eyes.

For it is the horse's gift

To connect us with heaven

And our own footsteps.

~ Excerpt from GRACE, by Ronni Sweet

I love taking afternoon walks with George. He is such a creature of habit and looks forward to me coming home and getting changed into my walking clothes and then out we go. Today it rained intermittently all day but lessened up by late afternoon.

This grey mare was swishing her tail back and forth and chewing her snack and she just looked so pretty standing there with her baby. Did you know that this horse isn't white? It's a grey. And when she was born, she was black. The black wore off, and then she was a nice silver, getting lighter as she aged. Just telling you like it is.

Oh, and the fast-internet connection is on hold for now! The installer called this afternoon and told me he couldn't be here until Monday. It turns out that tomorrow wasn't going to be very convenient for me after all, and I was thinking of calling them anyway. So it was serendipitous that he was on the phone because now I was able to pin him down to an exact time on Monday, rather than the usual 6-hour window they give you. I can be a very demanding customer sometimes. And such a drama queen. I think I scared him!

Not really. Did you really believe that? I guess I must have sounded surprised, because he asked when the best time was for me on Monday. This will work out so much better for me to have him here as soon as I get home from work. So I think I can handle another weekend of dial-up.

Photo of the Month contest will be posted today over at Kacey's blog, Wine On the Keyboard! Check it out and vote for your favorite photo. I've got one in there, but honestly, I am not asking you to vote for mine. Kacey says she's got a lot of entries this month and I'd like to direct all of you who are interested in photography to Kacey's place and check it out. Have fun with it!

My bounty is as boundless as the sea

The title of this post came to me as I was watching my husband prepare dinner while I worked on some pictures on the computer. It's from Romeo and Juliet by Wm. Shakespeare, and it goes:

My bounty is as boundless as the sea;

My love as deep.

The more I give to thee, the more I have;

For both are infinite.

I just love coming home from work, taking the dog for a walk for a while, and then coming home to dinner. When I open that door and smell those wonderful smells, it means someone loves me. And I really appreciate him. So at the risk of sounding all sentimental here, I'm saying it loud for all to hear. And now I'll stop. (I can just hear my sister-in-law right now, telling me I'm a hopeless romantic who sees the world through rose-colored glasses).

So, about these lovely flowers: When I came into work last Friday, there was a large bouquet of tulips on the counter and they were being admired by everyone. One of the parents had picked them that morning and brought them in for us and it was interesting to see the reactions. All day long, everyone who came into the office commented on the lovely flowers. And everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. At the end of the day, it was decided that I was to get to take them home for the weekend. I offered to split them up with people, but no one was listening to me. So I brought them home and took some pictures of them.

It turned chilly again on Sunday and now it feels more like spring. Our heater has switched on several times over the past few days, especially at night. This evening, I'm hanging out resting my knee that is still niggling at me and bothering me. No worries, just a little bit annoying. Top Chef is on and I enjoy that show.

If all goes well on Friday, I should have a satellite dish installed for my internet and I can finally ditch the dial-up. Does anyone else out there still use dial-up? I ask that because sometimes I think I'm the last one.

Oh, and I really don't care that I'm a hopeless romantic. It's served me pretty well over the years.

Welcome to Shangri-La

Today dawned cold and damp in Maryland. Later this afternoon, however, the sun came out and by the time I got home from work, the sky had become a beautiful blue with puffy clouds and the grass had turned a luscious green from all the rain we've had for the past several days.

So I grabbed the camera and George and I headed out.

As I walked, I remembered what a reader said to me recently in a comment. She said that it looked like a live in a Shangri-La of sorts. And today, when I looked in the viewfinder of my camera, I thought the same thing. George is way up this fenceline, almost to the barn.

You see, I see these fields and this driveway, and the horses, and the whole picture every single day. It doesn't always look wonderful, but some days it's downright picturesque. And when you look through the viewfinder at the little bits and pieces that I've captured today, it truly does look like heaven on earth. To me, it does.

That's George standing on the loading berm on the main farm driveway. Horse vans pull up to this little loading dock of sorts and it makes it easier to load and unload the horses. This is right in front of the breeding shed. George probably likes the view the added height affords him. Don't the trees look almost ethereal?

And here's what it looks like to stand under one of the ornamental cherry trees. This is someone's front lawn, and when we used to live along this driveway, years ago, we had these same cherry trees in our yard. My youngest son loved the 'pink snow'.

I used Pioneer Woman's actions on a few of these pictures, either Lovely & Ethereal or Boost. But what I was most excited about was the cloud trick I learned in this month's Popular Photography magazine. It looked a little complicated at first, but after practicing it several times, it's actually a breeze. Oh, get it? A breeze!

I used the cloud trick on the 1st and 2nd photos of this post. The trick involves a total of about 8 different steps with a layer mask and use of the multiply blending mode and so on and so on and blah blah blah. Like you really want to hear all about that!

Well, that's my walk with George. I know that when I get home, the house will smell really good and it will feel wonderful to be there. And it's not that I really really hate to cook. It's, well, it's one thing that my husband really seems to enjoy doing and providing for me. And I think it's really nice of me (don't you?) to let him do it. Um, yeah. That's it.

UPDATE: About that cloud trick, I need to tell you that these are REAL clouds. All I did was boost them to make them look what they looked like to me. I did NOT put fake clouds in there! Thanks to those who contacted me to ask.

The poetry of tulips and another meme

If you've never been thrilled

to the very edges of your soul

by a flower in spring bloom,

maybe your soul has never been in bloom.

~ Audra Foveo

I've been tagged in a meme again and this time it was Tombstone Annie that got me. It's probably because I'm so darn popular. (Not really). Anyway, despite my hesitation at posting yet another meme, I'm going to comply because I'm just nice like that. Besides, I enjoy reading those of others and I think people find them interesting. The deal is that I'm to list six random things about myself and then tag others at the end. I'll do the first part of the deal, but I'm nixing the second. So let's begin.

1. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you're going to brush your teeth, keep it to yourself. I can't stand to see people brush their teeth either in real life or TV. It's weird. I'm aware of the fact that I'm weird. Do I care? Nope.

2. I have been known to grow science experiments in my fridge. Not all the time, just every now and then. My husband doesn't find this amusing. It's not that it's something I do intentionally. Sometimes I just forget it's in there. And then it's interesting to see what's growing.

3. I am uncomfortable in the kitchen, unless I'm cleaning in there. I need to get over this irrational fear. It's not that I can't cook. I just really don't want to.

4. I love sitting by a campfire, and can build my own fire, thank you.

5. I love how my husband smells. Did I just say that out loud? I don't even care.

6. I enjoy a good book, a good glass of wine, a good time. But not necessarily in that order.

And this is the part where I don't tag anyone. Hope everyone has a good day. Today was beautiful here in Maryland, if you're a duck or if you absolutely love a good downpour. I am not complaining. The grass is so lush and green that it's making me giddy. So how are things in your neck of the woods?

Mystery tree has truly been identified now

In the interest of journalistic integrity, I must admit that I had incorrectly identified this tree the other day. I had thought that this was a Red Maple, but wasn't truly sure, because I couldn't find my husband's dendrology book.

Enter my friend, Katie, who not only surprised me with her knowledge, but who was only too happy to help solve this mystery.

What we have here, according to Katie, is a Striped Maple (Acer Pensylvanicum). Katie says:

Look how the three tips of the leaves are almost the same length. And the flowers, pendulous, drooping, dare I get to say it: a raceme.

I have helped resolve a mystery, and I got to use a word I never do. Raceme isn't as good a word as frolic or whatever your favorite equivalent is, but golly. I feel fufilled. Happy day, thank you. ~Katie

So thanks to you, Katie, for letting me know what this tree is in such a prolific way with your vocabulary featuring adjectives such as pendulous, drooping, and dare we say yet again, a raceme. And raceme is an excellent word, Katie. You have truly shown your inner geek and I applaud you!

A birth announcement

Today I took George for a walk and decided not to bring my camera, knowing that after the walk I'd probably be spending hours on the computer looking at all the new pictures. So ix-nay on the amera-kay today. However, after walking down to the pond and seeing what I'm posting here, I walked right back on up the hill and got the camera, with the zoom attachment.

My husband and I can't believe the goslings are out already. This Canada goose pair brought their 3 just-borns into the pond today for their first swim. We think they've been living in the upper swamp area just below the pond berm because this is the first time we've seen them.

I managed to keep George at heel all the way down the hill, and had him stay and sit next to me while I crawled along the edge of the pond to get these photos. Oh, the lengths I go to just to share my pictures with everyone. Oh, if you only knew.

Hope you enjoy these. Have a great Monday.