Welcome Back, Clematis!

Our clematis has finally bloomed! We thought we had killed it, but then we noticed one long shoot wrapping itself around the yellow rose bush, and then....finally....this lovely flower appeared. Hooray!

We're at the beach at the moment (the photo above is a few days old). Lucy is having some ups and downs. We were down by the ocean today, but didn't last long because Lucy is 2, and 2-year-olds, well, they have strong opinions about what they want to do and when they want to do it. On the walk back to the bike (to return home) we had this conversation:

Lucy: There's sand in my shoes.

Jake: Yeah, well, that's OK.

Lucy: That's why they're called sandals.

Wow. I wish I had thought of that line.

What happened to television while we weren't watching?

Jake's feeling a bit crummy tonight (possibly Lucy shared her stomach virus with him), so we took it easy and turned on some easy TV. (Keep in mind that we don't have cable.) We were thinking that an episode of So You Think You Can Dance would be just what the doctor ordered. But when we turned on the TV, it was on ABC, in the middle of an episode of WipeOut that involved contestants going through an obstacle course. It was ridiculous, and of course, we couldn't not watch.

Just as we were about to turn off the TV, the next program came on. It is called DownFall, an apt title, as I think it may just bring about the downfall of civilization. I am watching the episode as I type, and the current contestant's name is "Bridget," which is perhaps what makes me keep watching. By the way, Jake went to bed. There is no good reason for me to continue watching, other than informing you, dear readers, of the horrors of network prime time programming.

DownFall involves a contestant answering trivia questions. Normal enough. But while he/she answers, a conveyor belt moves his/her prizes closer and closer to the edge of the 10-story building in LosAngeles where the show is filmed. As the person fails to answer (or answers incorrectly) the items fall off the building and are destroyed. I have watched a kitchen island and a tanning bed (with a crash test dummy in it), be dropped over the edge of the building, to a smashing destruction. After she lost the first round (all her prizes being dropped) she had the option to drop her "support person" or a personal item. She chose her "support person," who was her husband. What does this mean? The host actually said, "and now, Bridget's husband will be asked to pay the ultimate price!" WHAT? WHAT WHAT WHAT????? The ultimate price? Like they're going to kill him?

Don't worry, he didn't die. Only his dignity died. But I guess you might say he didn't have that before being on this show.

Also, I want to note that contestant Bridget chose to put her husband on the line BEFORE her personal item. What was her personal item? I mean, it must be pretty awesome, huh? It was a set of 60 workout DVDs. I am not kidding.

Contestant Bridget was really, really bad at trivia questions, even in categories that she got to choose. [Even I know what a shuttlecock is!] So hubby went over the edge (he was attached to a kinda bungee cord line, so was spared the impact, though still, it was quite a drop!), and then her personal item went over the edge, and finally, the $25,000 grand prize....and then Bridget went also went over the edge (with bungee cord). I mean Bridget, the contestant. This Bridget went over the edge long ago.

Australian Yummies

Yesterday, while shopping at Target, I found a package of a special cookie called Tim Tams. The package claimed that they are "Australia's Favorite Cookie."

I was unaware the continents ate cookies. Given that we have some lovely friends living in Australia, I am hoping that they will enlighten us as to whether this cookie is in fact an Australian delicacy. What say ye, Aussies?

Our Tim Tams are apparently not what the Australians would be eating; ours are made by Pepperidge Farm. I just googled some info, and I'm a bit distressed to learn that the company only makes and sells them from October to March. It is now July. It would seem that July is not in the October to March timeline (maybe if we were in Australia, it would be, what with that other side of the world thing). Have these Tim Tams been sitting on the Target shelf since March? Or October? Hmmmmm....Well, no doubt they have enough preservatives to make that not matter very much. It's not like they're fresh baked Tim Tams.

There was also further Australian deliciousness at our house this weekend. While at the Lowell Farmer's Market, we picked up raspberries in three colors -- black, red, and golden. Jake had the urge to make something delicious, and decided on something new: a Pavlova. My quick wikipedia check informs me that there is actually some controversy over its origins; some say it is from Australia, others from New Zealand. Again, Australian friends, and also my cousin in New Zealand: can you settle this for us?

Anyway, Jake made some variations on the Pavlova: he used the traditional meringue cake and the fruit, but instead of whipped cream, he made some pastry cream. Result: DELICIOUS!

This will be made again.

Critter Motel?

You're probably aware of the recent post describing our discovery of some manner of nest in our car's air filter. Jake guessed that it was a chipmunk.

There is more news.

This morning, while looking around in the basement to check on the dehumidifier and such, I noticed something in the bare stone wall in the furnace room: a nest. The furnace room is the room closest to the driveway where we park the car that formerly housed a chipmunk (we think). The presence (again) of a couple of empty acorn husks makes us think that this, too, is a chipmunk nest. In fact, I began to think (given the placement of nesting materials and the acorn) that it's entirely possible that chipmunks (or whatever creatures) have just been squatting in our basement for a while.

Apparently (or should I say possibly?), we're operating a Critter B&B.

I have since evicted any creatures using the vacuum to remove the nesting materials. Jake is setting the Have-a-Heart trap as I type. I'll keep you updated if there are further developments on the critter front.

Scene of the Accident

Jake had a little accident last weekend, and before I tell you all the details, I will first tell you that he is fine and everything turned out OK. How's that for suspense?

Here is the scene of the accident:
Yes, those are our new steps and new stone wall. At approximately 10 pm on July 3rd, Jake and I were about to commence the toasting of marshmallows over the grill for the purpose of making smores. I was down by the grill with the stick Jake had whittled for me, and he was coming down to join me. I was holding a long pointy stick. Jake was carrying an open pen-knife. The grill was hot. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that no one was burned or impaled or stabbed.

Sadly (or perhaps luckily, given the other alternatives), Jake stepped off the steps and into the uneven terrain of the patio area; he sprained his ankle. It hurt. A lot. I got him sitting down on the steps and ran in to get some ice. I came back out and started to apply the ice to the ankle, when Jake sorta started to shift towards me. I wasn't sure what he was doing, when I realized that he didn't know what he was doing, either: he was passing out. I sort of broke his fall, but he ended up lying on the ground with his head on a rock. I yelled to our next door neighbors (who were working outside, in sight of where we were) and they went to call 911, seeing as how Jake was unconscious. Yikes! Jake suddenly says "I just sprained my ankle. There's no need to call an ambulance......why am I on the ground?" He didn't know he had passed out.

I was a bit unsure of whether he had actually hit his head, perhaps even on the first fall, but we decided quickly that he was OK enough to just go to the E.R. via car. Anna (the grandmother next door) very kindly offered to stay at our house so Lucy could keep sleeping, and Liza (the mom next door) had a pair of crutches we used to get Jake to the car. We are tremendously grateful to have such kind neighbors!

We spent almost three hours hanging out at the E.R. Jake was feeling better by the time he saw the doctor. It was, as far as she could tell, just a sprain, so he got an air cast, and we were sent home. This was a relief.

Upon walking (limping, in Jake's case) through our front door, we heard an unexpected sound: "Hey! That's my parents! I hear my parents!" Yes, it was Lucy. Awake. At 1:30 in the morning. Apparently she had woken up about half an hour after we left, and since then had been talking non-stop to Anna. Carter had even gone upstairs (we don't let him upstairs) to check out the excitement. Wow! All our creatures took full advantage of our absence.

A week later, Jake is feeling much better. He hasn't been on a bike yet, but we're hoping he will be very soon. He's going to do some physical therapy, too, to strengthen the ankle (this isn't his first sprain).

Next project: install railing on the front wall steps.

Creature Feature: The Automotive Version

As you know from previous posts, our house has been host to a variety of wildlife. Today Jake and John discovered the traces of a new visitor to a new site: our car! While changing the air filter in our Toyota Corolla, Jake noticed some, um, debris. And acorns. No need to take our word for it; check it out:

It seems that some small creature had taken up residence under the hood of the car, under the air filter. John suggests that it was fine place with plenty of room. Really, it's a shame that we evicted him, poor little guy (or gal).

I suppose we should be thankful that our situation wasn't as bad as this person's (I googled "animal nest car air filter" and believe me, you find some scary stuff).

Then I found this info:

It a GOOD idea to leave the car ventilation in recirculate mode whenever you park since it seems that mice like to find their way into your car and make a nest on top of the filter. Recirculate mode closes the outside air entrance to the filter.

Seems like maybe we should start taking that advice.

Jake is guessing that it was a chipmunk, given the half-eaten acorns and the fact that we've seen some of the little guys running about in front of the house. I'm wondering if it's the mini-mouse, or perhaps the return of flying squirrel.