KFG

I often point out birds having baths or showers when it rains to the girls because I think it is cute and they get a kick out of watching them flap around. Today we were in the car on the way home from running some errands and it was pouring down with rain. I saw a Galah on the power lines stretching his wings out nice and wide catching the rain, having a shower and what appeared to be a great time. Then he got so excited that he spun around on the power line* and, since there was no one behind us, I slowed down and said, “Look girls! Look! The bird is having a shower! And look at him spinning…”. That was when I noticed that his wings were still open, he was still upside down and he was swinging – just not in a natural kind of movement.

The bird was being electrocuted.

I slowed down and made my girls watch a bird be electrocuted! (Not that they realized.) I sped up, and headed for home and didn’t mention it again.

*I have actually seen birds do this for fun.

Interesting Tidbit

A few weeks ago Andy randomly pondered where “he’s got a chip on his shoulder” came from. This is what he came up with:

It is American, first recorded in the Long Island Telegraph for 20 May 1830: “When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be placed on the shoulder of one, and the other demanded to knock it off at his peril”. The same idea is mentioned in the issue of The Onondaga Standard of Syracuse, New York, for 8 December the same year: “‘He waylay me,’ said I, ‘the mean sneaking fellow — I am only afraid that he will sue me for damages. Oh! if I only could get him to knock a chip off my shoulder, and so get round the law, I would give him one of the soundest thrashings he ever had.’”

It seems to have been a challenge in the same spirit as a medieval knight throwing down his gauntlet. If your opponent picked up the glove, or knocked the chip of wood off your shoulder, the challenge was accepted and the fight was on. Later it came to suggest somebody who shows a belligerent attitude, acting as though he were spoiling for a fight; the chip was figurative, but the idea was the same.

Make-a the pasta

We got a pasta machine for Christmas. Actually it was a gift for me from Andy. Coincidentally Andy has wanted a pasta maker for a few years now. Anyway, we’ve made it four times now and it is the best pasta I have ever had. So good. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat it any other way again.

Here are some photos of us making the pasta. They’re actually from three different times. The first time we made it all the old fashioned way, but by the second time we had a mixer to make the dough and it saved a heck of a lot of time and mess.

That’s me mixing it up.

E kneading the dough. Note the mixer.

Before it is cooked.

Voila! The most delicious pasta I’ve ever had.

Random things that have been going on ’round here

~ E has started using the computer and she is allowed to play on The Wiggles site. She can get onto the site by herself via a tab at the top of the page so she is allowed to hop on by herself (well, as long as she asks first). E is also learning how to write letters and has learned how to spell her name. The other day Andy came to the computer and found a window open with a Google search for E’s name. Why do I feel we’ll be installing a net nanny sooner than I expected?

~ I was at the grocery store a couple nights ago and heard this conversation between two employees stocking shelves,

Boy 1: “So are you into video games?”

Boy 2: “Nah.”

Boy 1: “It’s alright. You can tell me. I’m into that stuff.”

And they continued a conversation about different games, consoles and what have you the rest of the time I browsed the aisle (and I’m sure well beyond there).

~K has started walking and she now does it about 75% of the time. I love it when they begin walking. Clothes last longer, you don’t have to carry them all the time and life just gets a bit easier. A bit. The only problem with her walking? It triggered some crazyass reaction in my brain and has made me want another one. (?!??!) The hell? And this isn’t just a passing feeling. No, this has stuck for about four weeks now. A consecutive four weeks. And I’ve planned it out and think we’ll start to try around the end of October. I may still change my mind, though, so we’ll see.

~ My brother left after a three month visit. That three months in the longest, consecutive amount of time I have spent with any member of my family in six years and unless we come into some money and have the chance to move there it’s not likely for me to spend so much time with any of them any time soon. That makes me sad. It was really nice having him here and I think we were all lucky to have the chance to spend so much time together.

~ I joined a gym and it is great.

Sick day…er, week

K has a cold and she isn’t the best at handling being sick (since she’s 13 months old I guess I can forgive that) and she has also passed the cold onto me and that is why there was no post yesterday. I will try to get something on here on the weekend. There is all kinds of half posts floating around in my head so I’ll try and pull one in and make it complete.

That picture above was so long ago: April 9,2003. We had either just found out I was pregnant with E, or were about to find out in two days. (I have it documented somewhere…) We still lived in Port Douglas. We had just gone for a walk along the beach that we lived, maybe five minutes from. I was still able to wear longish earrings and necklaces without fears of them being ripped out. I was such a different person in so many ways; not nearly as strong or confident (in some ways) as I am now that I’m a mother. It’s crazy the way things can change in just a few short years. Good crazy.

I didn’t know anything could be this slow

Started the moving process Monday. Temporarily using dial-up. Send help.

Time for a change

I’m not sure why I suddenly feel the need to make my kids, family and life anonymous, but I do and with that comes a brand spanking new blog.

I think part of it is due to The Monkey getting older and more of a little identifiable person and I don’t want random people to be able to approach her knowing little details of her life. I suppose it’s something I should have done from the start, but it didn’t feel necessary then. I think a certain Undercover mutha’s new blog could be somewhat of an inspiration as well as most bloggers with kids that I read conceal a lot more about their kids then I ever did.

Whatever the reason I think it’s a good idea and any of my old readers will know who and what everyone is anyway, so it’s not such a big change.

I decided to go with word press because it has a few things I always wished blogger had: categories and a little calender. Hey, it’s the little things, right? And other then the fact that I couldn’t get this domain name at blogger I really had no problems with them. One thing I don’t like about word-press is that I don’t have access to my template unless I pay and I’m not serious enough about this blogging business to put any money into it for the time being.

To get everyone filled in my oldest daughter will now be known as Monkey or The Monkey and my youngest daughter will be know as Possum or The Possum (remember – they’re cute in Australia). I’m not sure what I’ll call myself and my husband yet, but if you have any suggestions they’re all welcome.