Now look what I've started

and earlier that day....

Birthday!

The big 2 and don't we know it!

Ready for Lift Off!

Aido had a great time at Borders on Saturday. "Auntie" Linda read him a story and he sat and listened very well. She was impressed. He is going to have such a big ego if I don't cut it out, but I just love him so much and it is amazing to me how much he knows and wants to learn.

I have purchased my copy of Harry Potter The Deathly Hallows. I am putting off reading it because I am a big baby and I don't want the series to be over. I want to savour it, luckily with 794 pages I should be able to stretch it out!

Full Mental Jacket

I am allergic to the sound of metal on metal. Or metal on teeth. Even writing about the sound sets my teeth on edge and makes my skin goosebump and crawl. At Lowe's today, I perused the refrigerators and I touched a stainless steal handle. The main reason I would never have one of these monsters is because it shows fingerprints. The other reason is that touching the brushed metal handle freaked me out. I think my pen ran along its surface and that vibration made me jump and squeal. Of course my husband wanted to know what was wrong. He sure laughed at me when I told him. I tried to put on a brave face and grabbed a different metal handle. Worse than the first! It was brushed into tiny grooves and it played my hand like a cheap record player. I think it was Beyonce's latest hit because my skin crawled as it screeched through my outer layers. I had to touch something else to remove the feel.

Are there others out there who cannot stand that metal/metal/teeth sound? If so does the touch of certain metals also give you chills?

Notes under the wiper

I wrote a note today and carefully placed it under a Harley Davidson Edition Power Stroke Diesel Dodge pickup windshield wiper. I am not the sort that normally leaves notes because I was so deeply offended when I received one in a Burger King parking lot in Corvallis Oregon:

Nice Parking Job Bone Head

I circled my car (my little Toady 1980 Corolla station wagon) and all four tires where within the yellow lines. To this day I think of this note as I park. I guess that is the power of succinct writing.

In Bozeman today we sat in our old Ford pick-up eating Taco Bells. Husband had just ran back to get a bean burrito for the little big man in the middle of a meltdown. I noticed two german shepards in the back of a pick-up across the parking lot unhappily yipping. I was negotiating lunch with little man when howls of terror echoed through my skull. I whipped around to see that one of the German Shepard had jumped out of the truck and was dangling by his neck. I knew if I went to help I might get bit. I am glad to say that two strong strangers ran up and put the dog back in. So I wrote a note to the driver:

Your dog fell out of the back of your truck and dangled by its neck. Two strong strangers put it into the truck bed. They could have been bitten. Do something nice for someone today.

So why do I feel that their truck was too aggressive and new for them to be the kind of people that would anyone today? I guess it is because on the road I notice the big trucks driving like jerks the most. And I notice drivers of big trucks that cannot handle their tool. I just hope the dog is ok.

pizza boy!

What is it about goop on the face that makes him smile so sweetly? My little big man has marinara all over his face but he mugs so handsomely. Looks like he is coming in for a smooch on the cheek. Or perhaps he is dropping in to wipe all that red on my blue shirt!

Dirt and Boy

Snow has melted away into mud and mud into dirt. Now my son's favorite thing to do is play in the dirt.

The best dirt is over by the lilacs. So to help our landscaping efforts he transported handfuls to the deck. Each dirty paw full was accompanied by a low throaty devilish laugh cause he knew he was doing something slightly bad.

My goodness he looks big. He is eating anything right now. He loved Pesto at Grandma's today. Have you ever smelled garlic on a toddler's breath? It struck me as very funny.

When Potting Soil attacks

My son got carried away with the dirt. I didn't wipe it away because we were having so much fun and I was trying to get him back into the house. He didn't like the cleaning up of the hands and face but it was a whole lot of fun in the bath. Ever since he went swimming and dunking under the water was his idea he doesn't mind laying back to get his hair washed.

While in the bath he lined up all of his duckies and alligator babies (3 of each) on the side of the tub. He then pointed to only the duckies and counted 1, 2, 3. then it was the alligators' turn and 1, 2, 3. He is just 19 months. That seems really advanced to me. He has been counting for a couple months, but to categorize and count. He has a huge vocab too. I am bragging about my son. I am also hoping I can keep him engaged and entertained and growing.

Helping Mama is Fun if it involves DIRT

A few plants of mine surprised me and needed re potting. I thought my neglect would kill them but they still prosper, which makes me happy because I really love plants so please don't report me to PETP. It started as good clean fun.

Second Tier Drinking Holiday

So I have never been a fan of St. Patrick's day. It is because celebrating driving the snakes from the Emerald Isles which have been traditionally linked to the native pagan religion didn't seem so cheerful. Since high school I have mostly refused to wear green (except on years when I hanged around with boys that were known pinchers anyway) and stare down the playful. Lately I have mellowed, as I have mellowed in so many other areas, and I wore green and dressed my beloved boy in green as well. The Lamb stew at Nana's was delish. And tonight I had a shot of Hennessey's Irish whiskey. Such a powerful brew that the ice exploded just to touch it. I love Celtic images and history.

this is from a pub in butte, mt at 9:46 pm 3/17/07.

So here is to the Butte Irish Pub Parties for St. Patrick's Day. Here is to 4 hours from now when they are all pissing and puking and walking home. Here's to the crush of beer sweating bodies. And they used to call me strident.

Best Songs when feeling down

So I have had a few this evening. I am at home after a kind of rough day thinking about the good old days. But really they weren't so good. I would not trade any today for a yesterday.
However a little bit of nostalgia reminds me of a couple things. the cool songs i used to listen to and nostalgia.

Best 5 songs to listen to while on a down swing (I will post again on an upswing of the songs to listen to):
tell me more by nina simone
screenwriters blues by soul coughing
dear god by xtc
honey white by morphine
jolene by cake

bonus track: polyester bride by liz phair (pre- fuck off fans mode)

another bonus track: ghost by neutral milk hotel

Nostalgia. When did the nation start longing no yearning for the seventies? A horrible polyester clad decade is currently getting a face lift from the commercial sector. They are advertising IRAs and Diamonds to the rebel and "I never promised you a rose garden" generation. It is almost enough to make me Ralph how they are sentimentalizing it. But then again, I like the 20s and other decades that had their share of negatives. I think I am taken back by the blatant commercialization of it that chaps my hide. The rebels of the sexual revolution are now looking for a secure retirement. Ewww secure future, got enough penicillin, straightened up before AIDS, ewww Dennis Hopper can sell you financial services. I would like to stress that it is the commercials that bother me not the people.

So 2 questions for my gentle readers (please leave comments):
1. What are your down swing songs?
2. Do you see the beginnings of 70's nostalgia or has it been around for a long time and I am just catching on?

Boys after Baths

Dentri walked up to Daddy today and said "Bath!" then went to the bathroom and pointed to the tub. While in the tub the little guys played with the shampoo bottle and said "Shampoo" clear as day. I don't think we say shampoo very often in the tub. We are more likely to say, lets wash your hair. It amazes us! We feel like we may be in a wee bit of trouble.

Whirling Diaper Dervish

House painting bah humbug

So we are painting our little house and I am having great trouble picking the colors! I wanted sagy green base with black trim, red accents, and cream eves. It looks awful. dreadful really. The red is hunters orange the cream is yellow. So much for foxfire and ivory lyric. Take a look. Now what can I do with sage green base and black trim? Our new roof looks great though.

Here is my little guy saying no to these horrid colors!

Uh Oh Mama's in Trouble!

So my little man is walking! He is already looking at me with angelic baby blues, shaking his head "no" in apperant agreement with my negative decree and continuing on his naughty ways. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?