Princess Crankypants

November Already

I can hardly remember what we did this weekend, much less months ago. September, Zac’s birthday, not a big one, at the end of the month. He got a Lego Millennium Falcon set and put it together with help from Lex. We went camping with friends to celebrate, to Virginia Beach. We found hundreds of beached horseshoe crabs, file clams, skates egg cases, and I swam in the ocean. It rained some, but was wonderful.

10/4 was our anniversary. We always get Mekong to celebrate. Nine years married, and we dated for five before that, almost to the day. A long time.

Two days later, my dad turned 83. Born in 1928, now he has an iPad. A lot of change in his lifetime.

Mid October we flew to Montreal for the Çingleton conference. It was a fantastic trip. Lex and I met some of the folks who made our favorite iOS apps possible at the first night cocktail party. During the day we went to the Biosphere and Biodome. And we were thoughtfully invited to the banquet… The ITHQ delivered “The Royal Menu” with wine pairings, based on what some folks named William and Kate had prepared when they took a culinary course there, apparently. It was amazing. We had all day Sunday and Monday for family exploring the botanical gardens, Insectarium, around the old port, and the Centre des Sciences. Spectacular.

After we got back, and mostly unpacked, Grandpa Joe and Mimi drove out from Indiana for a visit. They arrived on the Friday we had our dog Django neutered, and drove directly to Central Montessori where we were participating in a chili cook off and silent auction. The next day there was a birthday party for a little girl in Lex’s class, followed by home improvement projects, a trip to the park to drive RC trucks and helicopters, and lots of fun grandparent adventures.

Monday they installed our new gas fireplace. It looks terrific.

Wednesday was Diwali, and there were delicious treats to celebrate at my work. Indian food is my all time favorite. I was still not eating much, since the following day was the final weigh-in for our Skinny O Lantern contest. Everyone throws in $20, winner take all. This was my third win in a row, and I’m retiring. Lost 45 pounds and won a total of about $700.

Late Summer Adventures

Our friends were married on Topsail Island, on Monday 8/22/11. Zac was their photographer. Everyone stayed with them in a big beach house Saturday til Wednesday. Our kids played in the surf, caught coquinas and sand fiddlers together, blew bubbles as Suzi & Melissa walked down the aisle, built sand castles, swam in the pool, drew pictures on the shore, dug holes in the sand.

Labor day, we camped together at their family’s almost-finished house at Lake Anna. Tents, barbecue, boathouse. Sea-doos and waterskiing. Chinese takeout. Not exactly roughing it. Such a great time.

The next weekend, Angela came for a visit with her St. Bernard, Ursula. Django suffered from unrequited love. It was the final hurrah at the LGRA pool. We all went off the diving board enough to last all winter.

This Saturday we had breakfast from the Boka Tako truck while we walked around St Stephen’s Farmers’ Market, then went to the Faberge Family Day at VMFA, which included a musical version of Peter and the wolf story, making gilt egg prints, and working with matryoshka dolls at the tactile table. After lunch and a nap, we took in the new weather exhibit at CMoR, then went next door to the Science Museum and saw the IMAX movie “Sea Rex” - because who doesn’t like underwater dinosaurs?

Sunday. Fall is in the air. We met up with other friends and their two girls at a marina in Whitestone and sailed almost to Urbanna. Good to be out on the water.

Go To Sleep

L: Momma, I wish I had some snap paper.

M: What is snap paper?

L: It is paper you snap like this… (pinching fingers together) and it makes a loud noise.

M: Oh. Did you learn about snap paper in school?

L: No. Wall-E has some. He snaps it like this… (more pinching fingers)

M: Do you mean bubble wrap?

L: Yes. I wish I had some bubble wrap…

M: I will look for some for you in the morning, ok?

(a little while later)

L: I wish I had a pogo stick…

Company’s Best Pickles

Just like my Grandma Zella used to make. (Recipe courtesy of Jill’s mom.)

Crispy Sweet Pickle Timeline:

Day 1: Make salt brine, be sure to make enough solution to cover all cucumbers completely.
Cover whole cucumbers with solution leaving at room temperature. You may try placing a weighted plate over cucumbers to ensure submersion.

Salt Brine: 1/2 cup salt 1 quart water

Day 2: don’t touch Day 3: don’t touch

Day 4: Drain salt brine and rinse cucumbers, cover cucumbers with ice water Day 5: Drain cucumbers and cover with fresh ice water Day 6: Drain cucumbers and cover with fresh ice water

Day 7: Drain cucumbers, cut into 1/4”-1/2” slices. Make pickling brine, be sure to make enough solution to cover all cucumbers completely. Cover cucumber slices with solution leaving at room temperature. You may wish to continue using a weighted plate to ensure submersion.

Pickling Brine: 2 cups brown vinegar 4 cups water 2 tsp alum *Heat to boiling point, pour over pickles.

Day 8: don’t touch

Day 9: Drain cucumbers. Make second pickling brine, be sure to make enough solution to cover all cucumber slices completely. Cover cucumber slices with solution leaving at room temperature.

Second Pickling Brine: 2 cups white sugar 2 cups white vinegar 1 tsp mixed pickling spice *Heat to boiling point, pour over pickles.

Day 10: Pour liquid from cucumber slices into appropriate size sauce pan. Bring liquid to a boil, pour back over cucumber slices. Day 11: Pour liquid from cucumber slices into appropriate size sauce pan. Bring liquid to a boil, pour back over cucumber slices. Day 12: Pour liquid from cucumber slices into appropriate size sauce pan. Bring liquid to a boil, pour back over cucumber slices. Day 13: Pour liquid from cucumber slices into appropriate size sauce pan. Bring liquid to a boil, pour back over cucumber slices.

Day 14: Pour liquid from cucumber slices into appropriate size sauce pan. Distribute cucumber slices into canning jars.
Bring liquid to a boil, pour liquid over cucumber slices to cover in canning jars. Place heated canning lid over jar to seal.

*If canning is not preferred, pickles can be stored in refrigerator up to 6 months in brine.

Here There Be Dragons

Lex: “Momma! Komodo dragons are real!”

Me: “Yes, they certainly are.”

Lex: “They don’t fly. They only walk.”

Me: “Well, that is true.”

Lex: “And they are named after Komodo Island in the Indonesian Archipelago!”

Me: “!” (Thinking: He is VERY advanced!)

Lex: “And they HAVE 10 FEET!”

Me: “…? I think you mean they *grow up to* 10 feet.”

Invertebrates

Lex: “Momma, animals which have no bones, we call… invertebrates.”

Me: “Yes, we do.” (Thinking: Where does he learn this?)

Lex: “Like an octopus.”

Me: “That’s right.” (Thinking: Ah, Montessori!)

Lex: “Some octopuses can change color.”

Me: “They can. Also did you know they like to eat mollusks?” (Thinking: Momma knows more than my two-year old!)

Lex: “Yes… And also crabs and lobsters.”

Me: “!”

Budapest Bábszínház

Hungarian Puppet show. The most magical thing I have ever seen. In a small theater on the fourth floor we sat in a folding chair in the back row, on a little riser so we had an excellent view. The puppets all spoke Hungarian, of course, but the movements were so expressive we understood everything. Here is the story:

[darkness] Fireflies: This is a story about what happened once upon a time.

[dawn] Jungle birds: It’s true. It happened. We were there. We saw the whole thing.

Little Tiger plays with his friend, wild pig girl. you can tell she is a wild pig because of her green mohawk. They play hide and go seek. He counts. She hides under a big jungle plant. Little Tiger looks for his friend, but he can’t find her. He starts to feel scared and call her name. She sneaks out of the bushes, still hidden by a leaf. He is worried. She sneaks right up behind him and startles him.

His daddy tiger comes home, swinging on vines. He kisses the mommy tiger on her belly. She is going to have another baby. Little Tiger will be a big brother soon. His momma tiger tells him that he will always be her baby, no matter what, but he has to grow up and be a brave big brother too.

Little Tiger wants to play something else with his wild pig friend. They kick a soccer ball around, but a butterfly almost lands on him and that scares him too. He accidentally kicks the ball way into the jungle bushes. He is too scared to go and look for it. His daddy tiger loves him, but is frustrated that he is always so scared of everything. He tells Little Tiger that he does not deserve to wear a tiger suit, and takes it away. Then daddy tiger goes into the jungle again.

Wearing just his striped pants, Little Tiger is very sad. His wild pig friend tries to cheer him up, and rescues their ball from the bushes herself. But he doesn’t want to play anymore. So wild pig girl goes home. Little Tiger is alone.

Soon, his momma comes out and hugs him. She tells him that she knows he is scared to go into the jungle, but she needs him to be brave and go get his daddy and the lady elephant doctor to help her have the baby now. He loves his momma, and even though he is frightened, he will go get help for her.

Meanwhile, Daddy Tiger has run across old gypsy tiger woman in the jungle. Her caravan has a lot of trap doors and silly things that pop out unexpectedly from all directions. Daddy tiger is big and brave, but even he is startled by all the unusual things that are happening. He learns a valuable lesson, that even when you are very brave, it is ok to be nervous when there are a lot of new and different things going on. Then he swings off again into the jungle.

A little while later, Little Tiger comes to the caravan of the old gypsy tiger woman. She shows him a puppet show. Some of the new things he sees startle him a little, but Little Tiger is getting braver all the time. After watching the puppet show, he continues through the jungle til it is time to rest. He falls asleep curled up on a big leaf. The moon and stars come out and it looks like outer space.

While he sleeps, the river comes up and up and up. Little Tiger’s leaf floats like a boat. When he wakes up he is surprised to be in the middle of the river. He overturns the leaf and hops from one waterlily to another til he comes to an island.

To pull himself up out of the river, Little Tiger grabs a vine hanging from a tree. The vine says, “OW!” This is unexpected and he drops the vine. He tries to pull himself up again. The vine says, “Hey! Let go!” So he does. But he has to get out of the river. So he grabs the vine again, and the snake says, “Quit pulling my tail!”

Little Tiger is scared of the snake. But then he sees she has the medical bag belonging to the lady elephant doctor. She will need her bag to help his momma have the baby. He tells the snake to give him the bag. She won’t.

Snake: It’s mine. I found it.

Little Tiger: It’s NOT yours. Give it back!

Snake: Finders keepers!

She holds the bag up with her tail so Little Tiger cannot reach it. He decides to go find an adult to help him, and leaves snake island. Soon he comes to the lady elephant doctor’s place. Daddy Tiger is there. The doctor is telling him that without her bag there is nothing she can do.

Little Tiger tells them where the bag is, but no one wants to go to snake island. It is too dangerous. Even daddy tiger is scared of the snake. Little Tiger realizes it is up to him to help his momma. He has an idea.

He goes back to snake island and starts trying to reach for the bag. The snake is very sneaky and starts coiling around him. Just as she is about to eat him up, Little Tiger wiggles free. the snake dives after him and puts her head through the loops of her own coils and ties herself in a knot.

His plan worked! Little Tiger grabs the medical bag and he and the lady elephant doctor fly back home on a magic umbrella belonging to the old gypsy tiger woman. She and daddy tiger follow behind them, swinging on vines.

They are just in time. Momma tiger has a healthy baby with help from the lady elephant doctor. Little Tiger holds the baby. Daddy Tiger is so proud of his son. He says, “You are Big Brother Tiger now. You were so brave to fight the snake and help your momma. You have earned your stripes.” He helps him back into his tiger suit.

Everyone is happy. Momma tiger rests with the baby. Little Tiger and wild pig girl go off to play. Daddy tiger helps the elephant lady doctor back home. And the old gypsy tiger woman drives her caravan back to snake island.

That bad old snake is tied in a knot, dying very dramatically.

Snake: Help me! Help me! I am tied in a knot!

Gypsy tiger woman: Did you learn a valuable lesson?

Snake: Yes. We don’t take things that do not belong to us. Also, we can’t play if we bite our friends.

Gypsy tiger woman: Good. Then if you will play nice, you can come with me and we will be friends.

She lifts the snake on to her caravan and they ride off into the sunset.

[darkness, spotlights] Jungle birds: And they all lived happily ever after. It’s true. We were there. We saw the whole thing.

The End