by Sarah | Nov 19, 2013 | All About Me, Story of Me
In remembrance…
Great-Gramma-B, Uncle Richard, Aunt Janet, Uncle Tom, Gramma
Grampa
You all left our lives at different times in different ways.
Each taking a piece of our hearts with you when you left.
But we’ve kept a part of you within ourselves.
Joy.
Love.
Kinship.
All within us, all carrying on.
Helping us move forward and grow.
Our spirits our bound, and always will be.
And yet, we still miss you.
Perhaps always will.
And at my worst times,
even when I didn’t know I needed it,
I’ve sense you there.
And I know you are okay.
by Sarah | Nov 18, 2013 | All About Home, All of Us
I moved into this house eleven years ago.
I started with a full set of silverware. Eight each of spoons, forks and knives (first on the right).
Within the first two years I was buying a new set. I liked them (second from the right), and I got new dishes and everything. I kept all of the old spoons from the first set – well, what was left, which was only 3. Where the other five went?
No clue.
Over the next six years two of the remaining three disappeared from the first set, and approximately four of the second set also ran away to regions unknown.
Keep in mind, I’m talking spoons. Not knives, not forks, not tablespoons – only teaspoons. That’s it. They just kept disappearing.
Finally, two years ago I got fed up and again bought new silverware (first on the left).
I have 3 spoons from that left. 1 from my first set. 1 from my second set.
I finally went to the dollar store and bough just straight teaspoons to give us some more.
We don’t have a dishwasher.
My kids don’t take them to school.
Erik doesn’t take them to work (he has his own silverware there).
The spoons just…
Disappear.
And I have no idea why.
Any ideas?
Spoon fairies?
Kleptomaniac gremlins?
by Sarah | Nov 15, 2013 | All About Me, All of Us, Crap, NaBloPoMo, Random, Story of Me
Back at the start of NaBlo I spoke of a coon tale with a happy ending. I also foretold of a second story minus such an ending. Today I give you that story.
I was young, probably 6 or 7 when this happened.
Back in New York we had a place we called “The Farm”. It was my dad’s hunting lodge, acres of trees and a small plot of land with a two story run-down old farm house.
Often my dad and uncle would take us kids out and we’d climb trees, play in the woods, ignore the scurrying of mice when we slept in the attic.
My dad and uncle would make repairs as they went. The stairs one year, the roof another. We had a fancy outhouse (not designed for girls, modifications were necessary for me). No electricity, a wood stove. We played outdoors 95% of the time we were there. There was a beehive in the walls that buzzed, and everything was old and drafty and I loved every visit.
The year the roof was redone my dad was up working hard peeling off tiles and taking off rotting decking.
He peeled back a panel of decking and happened upon a coon’s nest. A momma and her five babies.
Keeping in mind at this time Rabid Racoons were a major issue at the time – and the momma was PISSED, my dad did what was necessary to defend himself.
He grabbed the nearest weapon, his hammer, and took care of momma. He would have moved the babies, but they were way too young to fend for themselves, and so he also took care of them.
For years we tormented my poor dad with this tale of bopping the baby coons on the head…
But it was necessary (unlike in the earlier story I told).
A sad tale, true…but also a fitting descriptor of survival of the fittest.
Because if dad hadn’t taken action…that momma coon sure would have.
by Sarah | Nov 14, 2013 | All About Indiana, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Indiana State Museum, Indy Geek Girls, NaBloPoMo, The Reluctant Hoosier
Did you know that Mammoths and Mastodons probably walked the very ground you’re walking on? That it’s possible when you’re walking through a park or driving past a field of corn, underneath those layers of soil could be the bones of Ice Age giants?
I had NO idea of this myself – or I was just blissfully ignorant of the fact.
Either way, I was totally privileged to get a sneak peek of a new IMAX movie and the ensuing exhibit at the Indiana State Museum yesterday.
The IMAX movie is in 3D and let me just tell you – the last 3D movie I went to was the Muppets show at Disney World in 1994…and holy shnikies, 3D today is NOT your Momma’s 3D! The imagery and cinematography was amazing. The CGI – incredible! I was in awe and wonder throughout the whole movie, even though I think Erik got a little vertigo at the sweeping landscape shots, he was impressed too.
Then we were able to step into the exhibit itself which is both big in scope and detail, and easily geared toward kids – including a dig site and a bone they can touch!!
Throughout the exhibit you get to see how Mammoth and Mastodon skulls could well have been the inspiration behind the Cyclops of legend and myth, how the animals had growth plates just like humans and animals today, and see teeth as big as your head.
I mean, how awesome is that? I could have spent hours in there, and I know my kids will spend hours in there this weekend.
At the very end you get to see two full size skeletons and just awe over how there were tons of flesh and fur over them.
It’s an exhibit totally worth seeing (even if it did replace the Star Wars exhibit ~pout~)…and I can’t wait to let my girls “dig” in!
This exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, November 16th at 11AM. Get more information at the Indiana State Museum’s website!
Now…onto what I know you’re waiting for – the pictures!!..
The Mammoth’s greatest threat – Man:
Porous bones look like ancient caverns:
The Inspiration for Cyclops”
Growth plates:
TEETH:
I loved this one. You set your hands down, and not just hear the sound, but FEEL the vibrations:
Tiny Bones:
Dig:
by Sarah | Nov 11, 2013 | All About Me, Crap, Random
* My brain is still a pile of mush, and sometimes I can barely focus.
* In the span of four months I’ve gone from not working outside the home, to a part time job, to a full time job I started today.
* I’m still not sure how I feel about that (pretty sure I don’t like it).
* We’ve been having kleptomania issues again.
* I have a book coming out in just a couple weeks and I’m totally unplanned for it.
* My series “completed” back in September and I haven’t had time to crow about it.
* I’ve got a to-do list a mile long and absolutely no time to do any of it.
* The game obsession in my house has reached critical mass. Uno is the big winner, but the kids have been going bonkers.
* It started snowing – and sticking…today. I’m both elated and a little upset by the end of the fall.
* I have a ton of posts planned and just haven’t been able to write them.
* I’m barely hanging on by my nails on this NaBloPoMo thing. This was supposed to help me better my blogging activity…but I’m failing.
