What Are Ya Havin’?
This is an Unhosted Cafe.
BYOB
Nosh on the table.
Nosh on the table.
|
If you don’t have to work tomorrow, drink up. Who cares? (with apologies to our international froggies)
|
Please recommend (and unrecommend the Cafe/Lounge from earlier)
|
May the 4’s be with you
Everybody all greased up with SPF 100,000,000?
Hi Andi! It’s overcast and going to rain tonight … LOL what’s new.
How’s things w/ you and Jim and the furry kids?
I wouldn’t mind if it rained and cooled things off.
Everybody is fine, though the dogs are bummed because when I bike ride, I don’t take them for long walks.
I loved your bearded iris photos at your site. At the house where I grew up, we had a large bed of them. My latest set of photos were of kids. I take a picture of each of them with two of their friends. They get a copy of each photo they’re in and I mount all of them (95 this year) on a large sheet of foamboard. My principal (Do you have principals in Canadian schools or do you use the term head master?) pays for framing the behemoth.
This year I took the photos that I’d taken for the collage and other school events, the kids had taken with an old digital camera I keep at school, and ones their parents had taken at school events and shared with me, and put them in a slideshow on my computer. The kids loved watching it. So I sold it to them at 6th grade graduation to raise money for the next sixth grade’s big field trip to the outdoor center. I now have 40 DVDs to deliver next week
That and the other end-of-the-year craziness is why I haven’t been around much lately.
And yes, a lot of work! I’m sure they will treasure those DVDs and photos though. 🙂 Do you do it formally, with a tripod etc. or is it more free-form?
(Oh, and yes, we have principals here in our public school system.)
Putting the DVD together was the easy part. If I tell how easy it was, I’ll sound like a commercial for Apple Macintoshes. The time consuming part, 4+ hours, was assembling the collage.
I’ve taken the photos both with and without a tripod. This year I did it without the tripod. The weather was crappy the week I had to take the photos so I didn’t want to leave my camera out with the risk of rain any minute. I did have a spot marked for the kids to stand and I filled the frame with them.
So what’s going to be popping out in your garden this week that we can look forward to seeing?
Never heard of an Apple User who didn’t gush. 🙂
I was referring to the entire process … from taking the photos and assembling. That is a true labour of love for you I’m sure. 🙂
All the rose bushes have buds on them (which is crazy! we’ve still got tulips!), as well as the peony bushes. Maybe soon for both. The clematis is twining, and the trumpet honeysuckle vine has one bloom and tons of buds on it which I photographed today 🙂 … Ooooh! And one of the daylilies has budded and they should be opening soon too. Lots of stuff now … and those crazy ladybugs are still having fun … 😉
… in Olivia’s garden.
And we are all looking forward to seeing it!
I’m just barely skimming the surface with iPhoto and iMovie — found the Apple Training Guide for the iLife ’06 suite when we were at Borders yesterday, so I’m hoping to spend the next couple of weeks working through it so when I’m back from the Big Trip I can work some magic. (I promised a DVD of our trip for our hairstylist…)
Sort of a lost day today — been down with f-ing allergies most of the day. I’m scheduled for a physical on Tuesday, so I’ll talk to the doctor about the allergies. Then when I woke up, found out spouse spent the whole day on the computer instead of taking stuff to Goodwill and recycling center as he’d promised; a few well-placed f-bombs rectified that situation lol.
Okay, let’s see what mischief I can get into…
iLife ’06 is so much better integrated than earlier versions. You will love it.
I simply exported my iPhoto slideshow, including music and random transitions, straight to iDVD selected the theme and burned the DVD.
Now that wasn’t really gushing, Olivia, was it? : )
… but the I simply comes close. 🙂
Damn, I thought I could slip that one by you. I’ll bet you watch for missed offsides calls too.
😉
Training them to be good little fundraisers! Way to go, JimF! We need good fundraisers for many worthy causes, might as well start em young! (Speaking as a professional fundraiser….)
It is a very expensive field trip, but worth every penny and then some. This year, we had a hard time raising funds. It seems everyone was suffering from Katrina fatigue; at least, that was the excuse we heard repeatedly.
Donor fatigue a possible explanation. It has also been established that when people are inspired to give small amounts to support emergency operations such as Katrina or the tsunami, and realize how good it feels and how little it costs them to help other humans in distress, they become even more willing to support other causes.
just finished my writing assignment for the day!
any froggies in the pond?
to write?
Another section of the article on my painter friend Nadia Wolinska. I’m almost done, just one more section to go!
How are things in almost-paradise?
I’m impressed — being industrious on a holiday weekend. You’re too good (and boy am I glad I’m not).
I saw that you heard from your husband’s family. I’m so glad that everyone was okay.
Thanks, AndiF! We are relieved, though it’s still heartbreaking to think about what’s going on over there.
I’m not really being good. If I was good, this article would have been finished six months ago. I just can’t put it off anymore, and know it will be harder once I’m back to work. So it feels good to be getting in off my conscience at long last!
Any reflections reflecting?
Enjoy your clean conscience, then and the rest of the holiday.
Reflection picture from Friday downthread.
To me reflections of nature are so spiritual as our minds at best reflect that beauty!
How beautiful, Andi. I’d like to be there right now.
to Omaha?
exhausting. But good. Thanks.
Out of words. Off to bed. See you tomorrow.
Oh! Heard from my son, an email from Madrid! He’s already having a wonderful time. Happy son. Happy mom.
hi kansas
what Louise Erdrich novel were you listening to on your trip?
Of course I couldn’t run off to sleep and ignore you or that question! It’s The Antelope Wife, which I have to say is not turning out to be one of my favs. It’s gorgeously written, of course, but after one complete tape it hasn’t grabbed me.
What’s your fav of hers? Mine is The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. My god that’s a brilliant book.
I may even stay up long enough to read your answer.
Oh yeah. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse is my favorite too. I agree, it’s brilliant. Great character development, flawless structure and brilliant plot.
I haven’t read all of her books — Master Butcher’s Singing Club was the first one I read and I really liked it, but it’s very different from her other books. I liked Love Medicine but wasn’t as enamored of Bingo Palace. I don’t think I’ve read any of her other fiction. Obviously I haven’t read them “in order” but I don’t think it matters.
She also wrote an interesting little book of non-fiction that I like called Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country.
I agree all down the line.
I’ll look for that non-fiction book of hers. Thanks for the tip.
(I tried going to bed, but just because the body is tired doesn’t mean the mind will sleep, apparently.)
you are getting very sleepy…
She also is writing a series of children’s books about an Ojibwe family in the western great lakes area. I’ve only read the first one and I liked it. I think I heard about it in the NYTimes book review where they called it like Little House on the Prairie except the family is native american. And in a way that’s true.
And there she is this morning with a short piece on the editorial page of the NYT.
Hello Andi, Olivia, MM and Jim.
Lovely picture Andi, I like the reflections.
Everybody been having a great weekend so far?
So did you end up with any family coming over or did you just have a nice quiet day?
How’s your day been?
Been a good day here. 🙂
In the a/c now w/ a cold Flying Dog Old Scratch amber lager…
Here’s something to cool yawl down…iceberg
Hope everyone’s enjoying the long weekend
That looks like enough ice for one FBL on a busy Friday, but it doesn’t look like we’ll need that much today. Maybe the party folks will show up later.
The story of the creation of the image is interesting too.
I didn’t think it was ‘real’ but couldn’t track down the info/source…pretty cool pic tho, ‘p-shopped’ or not…strikes me as possibly being useful as a teaching ‘visual aid’.
I wouldn’t expect much virtual partying till pretty late, if at all, as a lot of the late shift is partying in real time this wkend…:{)
I see you got out in your garden today…sunscreen? me freckled lassie…:{)
How ’bout you — did you get all your assorted tasks completed this w/e?
too long a list…made a dent in it though.
Tomorrow is ‘gardening’ day…dig up dead sage, get and plant new, get and pot annuals, weeding, watering, get out the ladders…ugh…and prune the ctyd. tree off the roof of the studio entry and back from the wall of the house…
only supposed to be in the low to mid 70’s tho, the last 2 days have been unseasonably hot. Normal hi’s are 75+-, it’s been 80’s and 90’s…hot @ 6000′ in the sun.
Your day tomorrow sounds like fun to me … What kind of annuals do you plant?
Oh, and don’t forget your sunscreen. 🙂
Several varieties of colieus and hibiscus usually, and whatever shade loving things I find…it’s all containers in the ctyd and entry…plus I’ve got 6 lg. pots of red calla’s that come out every year…total @ 20 pots.
Time to hit the shower and start a fire…catch ya later in the lounge…
Peace
I hope that everyone’s cute-o-meter has been recently calibrated. I had just finished cutting his hair when I took this shot today. I think that I botched the haircut (I had never cut anyone’s hair before) but nothing can make Andrew look bad.
Great picture Toni. I think his hair looks just as cute as the rest of him.
Hi everybody else.
Hey Mary. How has your weekend been?
Good. I saw my little cousin Violet today and watched her attempt to eat a tow huge bowls of ice cream, much to her mother’s dismay. But they say she’s loved ice cream from the first time they introduced her to it. And the big ice cream covered smile on her face was a sight to see!
Hope you and Andrew had a great day.
I’m thinking that Andrew will get his first introduction to either ice cream or sorbet tomorrow. 90 degrees – yikes. I am sooo not looking forward to my un-air conditioned classroom on Tuesday.
We had a great day. We went to a local nursery and picked up some plants. Then we arranged a hanging basket. The hubby is out planting a few things right now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll plant the herbs and we’ll be all set.
I am still grading papers. The fun never stops.
maybe the first ice cream will be a good picture opportunity 😉
I think so.
I’m sure the ice cream was great.
Lots of family fun although hot. Why is it so hot already? <sigh>
Yes, I bring ice cream really well 🙂
because the weather gods think it will make us appreciate the cold weather in January. The weather gods are idiots.
Good to hear you had fun today … 🙂
How was your day?
… slept in, spent time in the garden, went shopping for new sandals and books (p/u kansas’ new one), took some pix, had some ice cream … all in all a good day. 🙂
what kind did you get? casual or dressy?
Both can be worn to work, although one pair is a little more casual: brown leather, so jeans work too. The other are a black strappy affair that will go well with skirts and dress pants.
One of the rights of summer for me; getting new shoes … LOL.
Nice photo. That much green can sometimes throw off the colors.
Oh and by the way Andrew is such a cutie. His smile is infectious.
Are you in countdown mode yet?
I think that I’ve been count-down mode for two months now.
Two months is not too bad. Year before last I was in count down mode from day 179. Why do some groups of kids bring out that reaction and we want to hold on to others longer than is possible?
On Andrew’s haircut: the last day of school, our grades had been turned in and I was just killing time and trying to maintain control so I had my kids, in groups of 2-3, create a year-by-year timeline of things that had happened at school. I told them not to include anything that was really educational. I was amazed at the number of times bad haircuts came up as key moments in the school lives of my 6th graders. Since I don’t have enough hair to have a bad haircut any longer, I was amazed. But you, as a mom or a soon to be preschooler, need to be aware of this.
Mine went into the danger zone but it survived.
Haircut looks fine to me. Of course, you are right that it wouldn’t matter — no haircut can obscure the fact tht Andrew is the dashing guy about town with the killer smile.
Did I see that you went biking? Do you go through your woods?
No riding in the woods — I have a road bike.
How far did you ride today?
Around 20 miles. Because of the rain and the cold weather we’ve been having this was only my second ride this season and even if my legs were up to a longer ride, my tush definitely isn’t.
20 miles!?* That’s awesome! I am hoping to work my way up to 3-4 miles, up to the farmers’ market this summer and back.
It’s all what you get used to. Once I get back in shape, my usual ride is about 30-35 miles. Jim who rides everyday rides anywhere from 40-60 miles.
The hair looks good, but it’s hard to focus on hair, with the joyful eyes, beautiful smile, and scrumptious cheeks! 🙂
I just e-mailed this shot to my mom. She was thrilled. My parents can’t wait to see him in about three weeks. We’re driving to Florida to visit. They haven’t seen him in person since September.
How was your weekend?
… your family was in Florida. That’s quite a ways from Windsor. 🙂 I’m sure they will be thrilled to see you all. Is this the first big car trip for Andrew?
Good here, although it’s back to the grind tomorrow and we’re starting to fact check the major report we’re writing. It’s going to take me 3 weeks 8hrs/day. I hope that things get less hairy for you wrt to school stuff soon.
At least your report isn’t one of those no-end-in-sight projects. Three weeks is a lot, but tolerable. Good luck with it.
This will be Andrew’s first big car trip. But he sat for almost 12 hours on the flight from Beijing to Vancouver, so I figure that he can handle 6 hours a day in the car. We plan on taking 3 days to wind our way down there.
my place for a car break.
How far away from I-75 are you?
About 100 miles once you get to Cincy. But if you took the slightly roundabout I-69 to I-65, I’d be right on the way. 🙂
We’re about to plan our trip right now. I’ll see what I can do. I know that we are stopping in Dayton on one of the ways to see friends there.
but with the long a trip I really wouldn’t want you to go way out of your way.
We do have family over in Cincy so maybe when it gets closer to time for you to go we might be able to figure out a time to meet up.
That sounds great.
It’s a (sort of) plan then.
Howdy, folks. Just steppin’ in as the evening water boils to say hello. Hope everyone’s enjoying the weekend enormously.
Temperature hit about 90 here today. I’m definitely wearing a drowsy glow this evening.
Hi ww. It’s hot here too. How has your weekend been?
Hey there, Toni! May I compliment you on Andrew’s haircut?
The day’s been quiet, despite an uproarious party just up the hill. Thankfully, due to lack of humidity, the heat wasn’t unbearable.
Hope you’re making headway in your grading. Egad, what a time of year to be involved in that ..
It’s been about the same here. Too hot for me. I’d be happy if the temps never got above 80.
Absolutely concur!
I find that after four full winters here, I’m unhappier than ever with anything over 80.
By dusk our temperature dropped to about 72, which was great.
Kudos to you for getting your biking in, though! My friend Isis in the city did the same. It’s generally about ten degrees hotter there than it is here, but he found it comfy.
Is this a record for the longest FBC happy hour ever?
Once warm weather hits, I bike most weekends. Since biking makes its own breeze, the heat isn’t as bad as it would be if you were walking.
True — & I imagine you make sure to carry along plenty to drink.
Hope you are enjoying yours as well … 🙂
Good evening, Miss O!
As I’ve shared elsewhere, every day’s a holiday for me, so I’m generally doing what I generally do. & yes, I do enjoy most of it, unless prevented by undue force.
🙂
I’m off to bed but I wanted to leave anybody who is still around a nice fresh cafe — so here it is.
Have a good night, Andi.
I’m not long for wakefulness either ..