Shepherding Sunday

The fourth Sunday of Easter is "Shepherding Sunday".  Brock and I went to church yesterday, and laughed at this joke which Pastor Laura worked into her sermon.

A lady with blond hair had gotten very tired of jokes and insults directed at her intelligence. 

So she cut and dyed her hair black, got a make-over and then drove her car out to the country.  She came upon a herd of sheep near the road. She stopped her car and went over to the shepherd who was tending to them. 

"If I can guess the exact number of sheep here, will you let me have one?" she asked.  The shepherd, thinking this was a pretty safe bet, agreed. "You have 182 sheep," said the blond in triumph. 

Surprised, the shepherd told her to pick out a sheep of her choice. She looked around and finally found one that she really liked. She picked it up and was putting it in her car when the shepherd walked over to her and asked, "If I can guess your real hair color, will you give the sheep back?"

The blond thought it was only fair to let him try. The shepherd said, "You're a blond!  Now, can I have my dog ?"

Seems like the best sermons are not politically correct.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

As promised....  another post about Cartoon Network!  Brock, you've suggested Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends this time.  This series ran from 2004-2009, in prime time for young Carroll boys....  and Brock has been able to see episodes recently via Comcast "On Demand".

What's it all about???  Well, it's about imaginary friends who were created by kids and then abandoned when their creators lost interest in them.  They live at Madame Foster's home.  (Do/did either of you have imaginary friend.....?  I don't think so....)

The Foster's series characters are wonderful.  A few we really like:

• Bloo - Brock's favorite is Bloo, because he always gets into trouble.  Per Wikipedia, we've learned that his full name is Blooregard Q. Kazoo....  Who knew??  Bloo (see right below) was created by Mac, a friend who still visits him regularly at the home.

• Eduardo - Brock also likes Eduardo, who is a large and scary-looking.  Appearances are deceiving, however, since he's actually quite timid and gets very upset when things go wrong.  

• Frankie - I can so relate with Frankie, Madame Foster's granddaughter.  She's in charge of running the entire place!!  Shopping, cooking, cleaning, and trying (with some difficulty) to keep everything in order.  She does get stressed out sometimes - I wonder why ??

I have also enjoyed Mr. Herriman, a lop-eared, British rabbit who it turns out is Madame Foster's imaginary friend.  He is very strict about house rules, and often punishes Bloo for misbehaving.  Well, Brock and Sasha.....  for some fond memories, you can watch this video of the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends series theme low:

Tooth Fairy Troubles

In the past few months, you Brock have lost several baby teeth.  You complained this past weekend about a bottom tooth that was bothering you especially when eating.  I suggested wiggling your tooth a lot during church, then OUT it came on Sunday afternoon.  While getting ready for bed, you mentioned how funny it was when you got a letter from the tooth fairy after leaving your tooth under your pillow on a Saturday night - to the effect that Saturday was her night off.  Well, guess what happened this time?

The tooth went under your pillow, and on Monday morning you found a note that read as follows:

                                            April 15, 2012

Hello Robert Buchanan Carroll,

It was very thoughtful of you to leave your tooth out tonight.

However, I'm now working under a brand new union contract.  The good news is I now have a computer + printer. The bad news is that my night off was changed from Saturday to Sunday.  So now there is NO TOOTH PICKUP on Sundays. 

If you leave teeth out any other night, service will be provided.  (I'm passing through Wyoming and happened to notice yours under your pillow.  Think I'll go looking for tadpoles down by the River tomorrow morning....)

Take good care of your teeth, meaning brush them often and well.  They are very important, and you will want them to last your entire life.

The Fairy of the Tooths

Eek!  Luckily, the tooth fairy did come to work last night.  This morning your tooth had disappeared and you got $5 under your pillow (this reflects absolutely ridiculous inflation, since I believe I got 25c when I was a kid).

Well, as further evidence that the tooth fairy belongs to a union, I found this interesting story about tooth pickup on a holiday....  Little Madeline discovered that the tooth fairy didn't come to her house on Martin Luther King day -->  The Hays Family Article

And, even better, I came across this funny note written by Haylee after the tooth fair didn't stop at her house.  Do you think the union contract allows for the tooth fairy to slack off, or what if the fairy gets sick???  Wish we could read that contract for ourselves!  I wonder if Haylee got an apology note?  Hmmmm.

Evening at the Keystone Observatory

Last night, Brock, Steve and I had an interesting time at the Keystone College Observatory.  It's located north of La Plume, which is past Scranton - so almost an hour's drive away.  The evening program was hosted by the Lackawanna Astronomical Society.  Professor Thomas Cupillari, after whom the observatory is named, greeted us and manned one of the telescopes after night fell.  We arrived in plenty of time to look around, then listened to a presentation mostly about telescopes.

Then, by far the best part..... looking at the stars!  Well, technically, some planets and some stars.  We had a perfectly clear night, and it was gorgeous to look up at the heavens.  We had the chance to look through four different telescopes, and got to see:

Venus (extremely bright)  ...............  Mars (definitely looked reddish)  ....  Saturn (through 2 different telescopes, and it was absolutely spectacular since the rings were completely visible)  ............ a binary star system  ...........  a trinary star system ...........  some star clusters...........  a nebula ...........  a satellite passing by ...........  Polaris (the North Star)  ...........  numerous constellations, although it was hard to recognize them.  We did easily make out the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt. It was fun to hear names from Greek myths such as Andromeda and Perseus (constellations) and Io (one of Jupiter's moons).  I thought it was amazing to watch one star actually "twinkling".  We'll definitely go back again!  

Three of the telescope's were in buildings, and one smaller one was placed on the ground.  With encouragement from one of the Society members, you Brock had a few chances to move that telescope into position before looking up at another beautiful sight.  This morning you said again that you had a wonderful time - I'm so glad.  And thank you for helping me pick out this pretty picture of Saturn:

                             

Funny Conversations Etc.

Coming right up.....  here is a posting about funny conversations we've had recently!

• A few months back, you Brock wanted to know what I would ask for if I had 3 wishes.  My response was incredibly boring, on the order of wanting both of you to have happy, productive lives.  When I asked you what you would wish for, your response was "No Gravity!!"  (Wow!)

• Brock and I went to church about a month ago and listened to the children's sermon about Saint David's Day - celebrated on March 1st.  Saint David is the patron saint of Wales, who lived in the 5th century.  Pastor Laura explained that there are relics of St. David - including his forefinger - at St. David's Cathedral.  Later in the day, Brock's question to me was "If we still have (our gecko) Hermie when he dies, can we keep his tail?!"  So of course, I've since searched on-line for a picture of St David's remains.  I found an interesting article about the authenticity of the bones including a photo!  I imagine you'll want to check it out -->  BBC Article

• Not long after that, I had an odd dream....  The doorbell woke me early, and I came downstairs to discover that you both were up already (I was not happy, as it was something like 5:45 a.m. and I knew that getting up so early would result in very cranky children later).  You were in the living room together when I answered the door.  A young man walked in, and I said "Hi, are you Gage?" (Gage is an actual friend of Sasha, and lives a few blocks away).  The visitor was offended and said "NO!  My name is Battery!"  Sasha, when I texted you about this, your comment something like "Mom, his name is not spelled 'Gauge' (as spelled in my text), it's 'Gage' !!")  I am quite sure I was dreaming about vehicle repairs and somehow got my car instruments/parts confused. 

• A couple weeks ago, Brock asked what I'd want if I had LOTS of money (such as I had won the lottery, or was visited by the Money Fairy).  I told you my first priority would be finding a larger house, so each of you would have your own bedrooms.  Sasha, when we asked you this afternoon what you would do with a windfall your response was to buy a fishing cabin along a lovely trout creek in Montana to use for vacations a couple times a year.  And Brock, you said that you'd want a sample of every Lego Ninjago set ever made, a place to display them all, and workers (with excellent eye sight to keep track of all them little pieces) to build the models for you.  You have a very active imagination!!

For a final chuckle, around President's Day Brock and I watched this funny Geico commercial on YouTube.  The moral of this Abe and Mary Lincoln clip?  Per Sasha, if your wife asks you whether she looks fat always say NO.

Easter 2012

Well, it's Easter evening and I'm enjoying some quiet time after a busy weekend.  Here are highlights of this year's Easter Day:

• Sleeping relatively late for a holiday.  Brock made it to 7:15 !  
• Looking for Easter baskets.  There was mild grumbling that the Bunny did not hide the baskets very well (behind fish tank and inside the clothes dryer).  Maybe he/she will do better next year.
• Going to church.  Good music, and uneventful except for the mouse that Sasha saw scurrying under the pews heading toward the front of the church.  It didn't seem to bother anyone else such as the minister or organist - probably a good thing.
• Tulips!  Steve brought lovely red & yellow tulips, which were the centerpiece for the dinner table.  The colors are similar to the tulips in the photo above, which Steve shot at the 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show.
• Turkey dinner, at Brock's request.  It was my first roast turkey with stuffing that turned out REALLY well (!!)  I am quite proud, and happily acknowledge help from Steve - cleaning & chopping vegetables, cooking green beans, doing dishes, and general encouragement.  Sasha gets credit for mashing 3 bananas for the banana bread (1 additional banana was a casualty, as it fell on the floor).  And Brock gets credit for eating both a drumstick and wing, plus 2 green beans.  I am saving the recipes, mostly off the Internet, and hope to repeat in the future - just not too soon.
• Aside.... due to an unfortunate incident just before dinner in which Tiger knocked two of Brock's Lego Ninjago models off a table, Tiger was banished to the laundry room.  Luckily, Brock made repairs quickly.
• Our Easter egg hunt in the back yard (now that the trampoline is gone, there's lots more room).  Sasha packed plastic eggs & hid them, while Brock and Sterling went 'round finding them.  I have to say Sterling is the tallest egg hunter I've seen in many a year!  The yellow egg floating on top of the pool cover was very imaginative, Sasha.
• Watching Disney's Lilo & Stitch, a surprise from the Easter Bunny.  Was very relaxing and enjoyable to get re-acquainted with the characters, story line, and scenes from the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.  And nice to think that Grammie, Grandad, Aunt Julie and Mark are going to Hawaii this week!  

Here's to many more happy holidays.  As a bonus, I know you'll like the wonderful "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" song written by Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu.  He performs it with the Kamehameha Schools children's chorus:

Spring Fishing - The Best!

Spring is here, and opening day of trout season is 2 weeks away!!  In preparation, you Sasha are checking out your fishing equipment, tying flies, and practicing your technique for getting (very small) fish off the hook at the Frances Slocum Park turtle pond.  We are won't tell anyone that last weekend you also caught - and released - a rainbow trout in Frances Slocum lake.  Lucky you are 15 and still considered a "child" by PA Fish & Boat Commission standards!

Plus, yesterday we made our annual pilgrimage to Berks County.  First Steve took us a favorite spot - Renningers Antiques and Farmers Market in Kutztown.  Our conclusions; interesting to walk through, tasty baked goods, and the place smells of cured meat and old people.  Then after lunch at Red Robin, it was on to the main event - Cabela's!!  Sasha, you cheerfully picked out a myriad of fishing items, plus got a sweatshirt.  Steve found a nice red shirt, and provided dollar bills for tokens.  Brock was not so thrilled about Cabela's....  but used the tokens at the shooting gallery where he did a great job hitting targets, and got a sling shot anyway.

Today you've gone fishing with a friend, Griffin, whose family has a cabin at a local lake.  There never was a happier boy than our Sasha when getting ready for a fishing expedition.  I wish you many great experiences in the great outdoors with fishing rod in hand.

Last May I took you trout fishing to Harvey's Creek, near Hunlock Creek.  An absolutely beautiful spot, with good fishing "action".  These pictures bring back nice memories of a lovely afternoon with my very professional-looking fisherman: