Posted by Brad on June 30th, 2009 — Posted in Gardening
I’ve been so active since school was out, I almost don’t know what to do with days without a schedule. But I knew what I wanted to do yesterday: I wanted to get some white goldfish.
As I said, I’m working on training my pond goldfish to come to the surface for food. Things are going well. Once I get their attention with food, they aren’t spooked away from the surface even when I move around. But I’ve noticed there are only five fish now. I originally got six. After feeding them and observing for several days, I’m convinced that the solid white goldfish is gone. I presume it is dead.
So today I went to the aquarium store and got two white goldfish. Joy! I could hardly contain myself as I added them to the pond. They happily joined in swimming with the others. I hope they aren’t too freaked out when they find the skeleton of their predecessor.
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Posted by Brad on June 29th, 2009 — Posted in Journal
Yesterday after church, while Brent and Sandra went to Valley Forge and Antietam, their kids and I stayed home. Actually, we didn’t stay home the whole time. We went to IKEA and had meatballs for lunch. We walked through the store to bask in its Swedish goodness, then we went home.
We only stayed home for a couple of hours. I wanted to read, but didn’t have the next book on my list, so we went to Barnes and Noble. I show “The Hiding Place” movie every year in class but have never read the book. I think it’s time, so I got it yesterday.
After the bookstore, we went to Michele’s son’s graduation party. Actually, we didn’t go the party at first. First we went to their house and there was nobody there. Then we went to the party, which was at their church. There was good food and good company. And I think we all had a good time… except for Daniel, who really, really wanted to get home again. He likes my Xbox.
Here’s where he and I spent most of our day yesterday. It was grand.
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Posted by Brad on June 28th, 2009 — Posted in Journal
Yesterday was Philadelphia Day. We started by going to Independence Hall. Brent reserved tickets so we didn’t have to wait in line. It was awesome. On the way from the parking garage, I noticed that my nephew Daniel wasn’t stepping on any cracks. I noticed it because I was looking down and trying not to step on any cracks. It made me chuckle. I risked stepping on cracks to get a picture.
The Independence Hall tour was great. Our guide was a very good speaker. I would hire him for all the major parties I hosted at Independence Hall. He told us that the wooden railing in one of the stairwells is original to the building. Ben Franklin would have leaned against it as he went down the stairs. Awesome!
And, of course, we stopped to see the Liberty Bell. This time, Anna Alicia did not get up underneath it like she did last time she saw it.
But wait! There’s more! Brent really wanted to see where Washinton crossed the Delaware. It was only a half hour further north, so off we went. There’s a park at the site. It was lovely.
Sandra wanted to see the gravesite of some of the Revolutionary soldiers that died in the winter cold before the crossing. We had a hard time finding the place because it wasn’t clearly marked. It was cool to be at such an out-of-the-way monument.
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Posted by Brad on June 27th, 2009 — Posted in Cat
My brother and his family arrived last night around 8:30. They are on an old-fashioned, drive-in-a-car, family vacation. They spent some time in Virginia visiting Sandra’s brother and his family, they’ll stay here today and tomorrow, then head to New York. They’ll be in Nebraska in time for the Fourth of July, because where else would you spend the Fourth?
It has been really interesting to see Max reacting to these visitors. When people have come over before, he has been right in the middle of the action. This time he’s a little freaked out. I don’t know if it’s the larger number of visitors or if it’s the fact that some of them are small. He hasn’t seen many kids in his lifetime. Maybe small versions of people confuse him.
In spite of his anxiety, he can’t seem to stay away from the action. It’s funny to see him get close to everything, but try to stay separate from it. I think by tonight he will have adjusted.
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Posted by Brad on June 26th, 2009 — Posted in Journal
I have always used a Slim-Fast cup to mix my Carnation Instant Breakfast in. At first it was because of the 8 ounce mark on the side of the cup, but then it was because I had come to love the old cup. I would drink my Carnation, rinse the cup, and set it upside down on the edge of my sink. I have been using this beloved cup at least since 1993.
Yesterday morning I went to eat my two tablespoons of flax and drink my Carnation like usual. When I filled my Slim-Fast cup with milk, it bled all over the counter. One of the cracks in the brittle old plastic had finally broken through. The cup had become unuseable. Dang.
I will be field-testing replacement cups over the next couple of days. Maybe I can find something suitable at IKEA. But nothing will take the place of this cup in my heart.
Goodbye, dear cup.
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