Ode to a Scoundrel

This morning, I ran across some geeky musings I jotted down last year after I watched Start Wars VII...

The galaxy was a brighter place because Han Solo was in it.  He was full of surprises, and he had most of the best lines.  He was confident to a fault, and got himself into all sorts of ridiculous scrapes, yet somehow he always got back out of them.

But the scene on the catwalk of the Star Killer wasn't a ridiculous scrape.  It was a bridge over a yawning chasm, and in Star Wars, those are serious business, whether it's the epic fight scene with Darth Maul in Episode I, the confrontation between Luke and Vader in Episode V, or their rematch at the end of Episode VI.  Bridges are where Good looks Evil in the eye and tries not to flinch.  Where people choose what side they're really on.  Good usually prevails, but not always.  Fathers, or father figures, often get mortally wounded at those junctures.  Han Solo seemed to sense all of that before he took his first step onto the catwalk in Episode VII, but he did it anyway because he felt his son was worth the gamble.

LEIA:  He certainly has courage.
LUKE:  What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?
(Episode IV: A New Hope)

Voting Good, Electoral College Bad

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . doing research in preparation to vote.  I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to.  I'm not thrilled about either presidential candidate, but as I read about the people running for local offices I was pleased to learn that many of them seem like good people who share my priorities.  And as always, it felt really good to vote, whether my choices win or not.  I'm grateful to live in a country where I'm free to raise my voice.

And another thing . . .

. . . I've spent the last  couple decades voting for Republican presidential candidates in a very blue state, and now that I've moved to a red state, what do I do?  I vote for a Democrat for president for the first time in my life.  It's an amusing irony, but it also sparks my quadrennial rant against the electoral college.  When will we finally abolish that thing?  In the presidential race, at least, I feel like my vote  has never really counted, and the candidates have little incentive to appeal to my home state because they either have no hope of winning it, or no fear of losing it.

Bikes and Badminton

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . playing badminton in the backyard with the kids after school, and watching Joy lead some of her siblings on bike/scooter tours of our neighborhood.  I'm grateful that my kids have safe places to play, and a few toys to play with.

My Guiding Light

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . going to church with my family.  I'm grateful to know why I'm here on Earth, and that my Heavenly Father and my Savior love me; and I'm grateful that I can share those wonderful truths with my children when they have questions or doubts.

The Home Stretch and Thankful Prayers

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . watching Joy gently encouraging her little brother Todd on the last stretch of our hike today.

. . . listening to Anna say her prayers.  She always thinks of so many things to thank God for.  She's an example to me--I tend to do more asking than thanking.

Gratitude, Gifts, and a Chestnut Smoothie

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . my three big kids all preparing birthday gifts for Todd of their own accord.  Daniel and Anna each gave him something from their Halloween stashes, and Joy drew him some pictures of things he likes (i.e. numbers, a train, and his stuffed doggy).  The numbers she drew were among his favorite birthday gifts today.

And another thing . . .

. . . lately I've been feeling that I need to work on being more grateful.  I live a very blessed life, even by American standards, but I appreciate so little of it and am too quick to focus on the little things I wish I could change.  I'm setting a goal to post in this blog daily for the rest of this month (and possibly beyond) to write at least one thing I'm grateful for each day.

. . . when I opened this blog tonight, I realized that I promised a month ago that I would tell you whether I found a chestnut smoothie recipe that was any good, then I never reported back on that.  I know you've all been anxiously awaiting my verdict so let me just say that blending roasted, shelled chestnuts with pears, bananas, and some water makes a pretty good smoothie, but not so great that I'm not going to run out and buy more chestnuts any time soon.

Squirrels and Chestnuts

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . verifying that orange peels really do seem to be deterring the squirrels from digging up parts of my veggie garden.

And another thing . . .

. . . ever wondered whether Google would return any results for the search "chestnut smoothie"?  I can now tell you from personal experience that the answer is yes.  My tai chi teacher gave me a big bag of roasted chestnuts (which I've never tried before today--funny how Americans sing a Christmas carol about roasting chestnuts by the open fire, but few of us have ever tasted one), and I'm not really loving them by themselves.  Phillip suggested I could put them in smoothies, and as it turns out, the good ole internet has lots of suggestions to make that happen.  I'll report back tomorrow.

Eating (or Drinking) Meals with My Kids

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . sipping a green smoothie  for breakfast with Todd, while he says cute things like, "Thanks for the smoothie, Mama," and, "Guess what!  I'm two!"

. . . eating lunch with Joy at school.  The kids' school lets parents come and eat lunch with their kids, and I've started doing that once a week, with a different child each week.  I'm finding it's a good way to have one-on-one time with my big kids (since each grade eats at a separate time, and Todd doesn't talk much), and to learn about their school experience.  They're much more inclined to talk about the ins and outs of their school day during lunch, maybe because things from class and recess are still fresh in their minds.

Music and Mushrooms

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . watching the presidential debate tonight.  I'm not enthusiastic about either option, for different reasons. 

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . playing catch with Todd, and counting with him to twenty-two, or seventeen, or whatever his favorite number of the moment was.

. . . listening to my playlist of favorite songs.  If only it were longer.  Every time I look at the run time and see that it's only an hour and forty-six minutes, I think, "There really must be more five-star songs out there that I can add to this list.  If only I could think of a few."  Any suggestions?

And another thing . . .

. . . I recently learned that the white button mushrooms they sell at the grocery store are actually immature portobellos.  And crimini mushrooms?  They're the stage between white button and portobello.  I had always assumed they were three different species.  What's more, the mature mushroom's name can be spelled four different ways: portobello, portobella, portabello, portabella.  All four spellings are considered correct, depending on who you ask.

A Few Minutes Late

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  taking too long at the grocery store, and arriving at our house a few minutes after my big kids got home from school.  You can bet they gave me the business about leaving them locked out.  Mom fail.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . snuggling the giant teddy bears in the kid section of our library.  Todd loves to frequent that area, and I confess, cuddling those bears was one of the best parts of my day.

Tired Mama, Buggy Kitten

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  waking up tired again.  It seems that the more firmly I commit to getting a full night's sleep, the more the universe conspires against me to prevent that.  Late night + 5.5 hours of sleep = tired Mama.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daniel and Anna getting a kick out of Kitten's First Full Moon.  Their favorite part is when Kitten gets a bug stuck on her tongue.  They read that part over and over, giggling every single time.

British Omelettes and Rejected Toast

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  my child asking for some toast then deciding they're not hungry when I set it on the table a few minutes later.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Todd imitating Jamie Oliver's British accent as we watched his YouTube video about making silky omelettes.

And another thing . . .

. . . Anna told me that the girl who sits next to her in kindergarten is her best friend in the whole wide world . . . but she can't remember her name.

The Persistent Veggie Cook

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . that awful, sinking feeling when I'm about to put a nourishing, flavorful dinner on the table, and I realize my kids won't be willing to eat it. 

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . the kids surprising me by actually eating what I served tonight (some of them more than others), even though it had things like red bell pepper and bok choy swimming in a red curry sauce.  Maybe I'm wearing them down with my stubborn insistence on putting vegetables in meals.

School Blessings and Lunches

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . realizing that I have to pack three school lunches nearly every day for the next nine months.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Anna being super excited to start kindergarten tomorrow.

. . . the three oldest kids receiving priesthood blessings from Daddy tonight to get their school year off to a good start.

And another thing . . .

. . . it's supposed to rain every single day for the next week.  We're definitely not in California anymore.

An Exotic Reptile on Our Porch

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . spotting one of the little geckos that like to spend the evenings hunting bugs on our porch.  For some reason it feels fun and exotic to me to have geckos living around our home.  It's probably because the only other time I've seen wild geckos was when my family visited Hawaii many years ago.

Zeus and Alaska in Arkansas

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  glancing out the window just in time to see a big bolt of lightning strike a mile or two away.  That was a little unsettling.  I'm still getting used to the fact that we've moved from dry-sky California to Zeus's playground.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . introducing myself to someone who said my name was pretty.  I don't think anyone has ever told me that before.

And another thing . . .

. . . I met a mom today who named her baby girl Alaska because she thinks the name sounds pretty.  She says some people get really upset when they learn her baby's unusual name.  I'm not inclined to give my kids names that make people do a double take (I think kids have enough to deal with in life without having to explain or spell their name over and over), but I feel baby names are a very personal decision and I wouldn't criticize someone else's choice.  I might try to talk them out of it if I thought the name was a magnet for playground derision, but once the baby is named I don't think there's any benefit to making a fuss about it.

Shrimp and Scritchies

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . buying raw shrimp to cook for the first time in my life, and discovering that I had inadvertently bought the kind with their shells and legs still attached.  I opted out of dissecting things in my junior high science class, but decades later, after a quick internet search for how to shell and devein shrimp, I gained more firsthand knowledge of shrimp anatomy than I ever cared to have.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . saying, "Here you come!" and hearing Todd reply, "Here comes me!"

And another thing . . .

. . . poor Joy has a couple bothersome bug bites right now.  I sympathize deeply, but I also think it's kind of adorable when she calls them "scritchies" ('cuz they itch and she wants to scratch them).

Golden Dragonflies

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . looking out across a meadow in the late afternoon, and seeing dozens of dragonflies flitting about in the golden sunlight.  Daniel said they looked like flying coins.  I thought they looked like pixies.  Either way, the effect was magical.

A Triforce Kite and Cake

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . reading a book about healthy, whole-food, plant based diets the day my kids decided to make s'mores and cake.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . my kids starting a club to do activities together.  It probably won't last more than a day (they never seem to), but it's sweet to see them having fun together.

 . . . helping Joy construct a tetrahedron kite out of straws, string, and tissue paper.  I made one like it in grade school many years ago, and it was fun to build one with my daughter today.  She and Daniel agreed it looked like a Triforce.  Now if only there had been some wind outside so we could fly it.

Hugs, Fights, and Sunday Sundaes

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  my two youngest kids being the age where they play-fight-play-fight-play in rapid succession.  The dynamic is so fluid that there's almost no point in intervening, so I usually do it just when I sense that someone is about to get clobbered.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . meeting new people at church.  One woman said, "I'm a widow, so I hug a lot.  I need all the hugs I can get!"  So I gave her two hugs. :)

. . . eating Sunday sundaes for dessert tonight.  It's a family tradition that we started back in California on the weekends when we weren't visiting grandparents, and it's one more thing that makes our new house feel like home.