Mystery Object of the Day: Pulsar

This is a great picture of a pulsar. Look at the sunspots and the complex inner structure. You can actually see the radiation pouring off in waves from the burning hot center sun.

Ok, maybe not. But the pot is almost clean! This is what happens to me when I try to cook elaborate birthday dinners while 'watching' two toddlers and a baby. Hmmm...to be fair.... This is what happens more often now that I have to watch two toddlers and a baby. And why one of the first things we vow that will be installed in the kitchen in the "New Minnesota House" is a good hood over the stove that vents to the outside. Whoever decided that a dinky, greasy fan under the microwave with a carbon filter in it would be great for mitigating billowing smoke obviously didn't try it. And didn't have two two year olds running around with their hands over their ears in the midst of the fire alarm yelling, "Too Loud! Too Loud! Too Loud!"

The chicken stew that I made for the birthday pot pie was one of the most well-balanced, complex, delicate flavored stews I had ever made. That is, before I turned up the heat slightly to thicken it for a minute. I may have forgotten the stew a little between entertaining the twins, Sam crawling at my feet, drying meringue cake layers, rolling out the pot pie dough, baking cake, whipping butter for icing, and melting various mint candies and chocolates. After emergency chicken stew first aid (for extreme burnt overtones), it was a very hardy, robust, richer stew but with a lot less of that complex flavor. Luckily the birthday guy didn't notice...

Biscuit the Cat vs. Fire Engine

Sam learns the 'uh-oh' game, aided by two exuberant brothers...

Proper Use of the Play Table

Back to the Plains Part III: Take Junk. Put in Box. Repeat.

With only three weeks to close, we decided (of course) to go to an airshow that weekend. It was at Jefferson County Airport and we had a ton of fun with airplanes, fire trucks, ambulances, and all sorts of fun stuff. Then, we went hiking in Boulder. The next week I didn't really feel like packing. Who does, anyway? We were busy having fun. That next weekend-- we went camping up in Wyoming. Yup, can you say procrastination?

So on Monday morning I finally tried to be realistic. It was now June 16th, 10 days from closing. I had a full house full of junk, a basement full of junk, a yard full of junk, and a storage locker (you guessed it) full of junk. Maybe it was time to start packing? (Duh!) So I began, packing what I could when the kids were awake and working like crazy moving boxes during naptime and when I had help watching the twins.

As the week wore on, I realized two things: First, I could use a little help as we needed to get a LOT done this last weekend. Second, wow, we owned a TON of stuff. I began throwing things away right and left. Mike emptied out the storage locker into our backyard and garage. I disassembled my prized workbench (it's such a behemoth it can't be even shoved once it's assembled) and began stacking boxes in the garage. Aunt Karen volunteered to come out for the second time in a month to help pack for the weekend, and Matt and his girlfriend Angie volunteered to come out and help us load the truck and drive back. Things were coming together. I even managed to entertain the twins in the backyard with new toys: a kayak and a windsurfer.

Aunt Karen arrived and saw what I had done in just four days; I had organized and boxed up most of the bedrooms, the bathrooms, all the closets, the living room, the books, and the basement. Only the garage and kitchen to go! "Wow. You got a lot done. What do you want me to do?" asked Karen, wondering exactly why she flew out to help. "The Kitchen, " I said, "I've been avoiding it." Karen looked at it skeptically. I could see her calculating about two, maybe four hours tops to carefully pack the kitchen. I had a fuzzy recollection of endless packing of kitchen items when we moved from California, but I like the optimist approach. I thought, cool, she must be right and we'll be hiking by evening.

The day packing stretched on. Evening came, then the next morning. The next afternoon. Wow. Where did all this stuff come from? I get discouraged and decide to pack the garage for a break. Mike tries to pack in the kitchen. Evening comes again. I get done packing the whole garage. I sneak back inside. Unfortunately, they are still packing the kitchen. Karen now understands, I have a LOT of junk in my kitchen.

Eventually, we call it good enough for now. We're out of boxes. Time to go hiking. After all I need to leave a couple dishes out. Next week I've planned two dinner parties before we close on Thursday, against the prudent advice of everyone I've talked to. I don't care, I think it will be fun to have the my friends over, and anyhow, I'm nuts! My husband agrees. ;)

(Biscuit supervising the packing)

(Sam in the midst of a really big mess)

The Birds and the Bunnies

"Mommy. Mommy! Look what I made. The bird is hatching out of the egg! Like the bunnies do!"

Today, it's a Blue Kayak