The llama life cycle (a silly tribute to my blogging friends and family)

Once upon a time there was a howling llama who was kicked out of llama school on the vague charge of "obscenity and also tip-toeing down the hall very fast as if running."   He felt very badly about that, not realizing that calling someone a Poopy Vicuna was such a bad insult.  He figured the running was just part of his Llama-Nature and didn't worry about that.   Later he read a story called "No Naughty Llamas" which inspired him to overcome his worry about the bad mark on his permanent record.  He began to help other little llamas at the homeless llama shelter.  He became a physical therapist, a bookseller, a poet, a librarian, an artist and also moonlighted doing computer work at State Farm. 

One day he found a great recipe for hummus.  He wanted to share it with all the other llamas of the world.  But he couldn't use a food processor because his hooves were too big to push the buttons.

He asked his daughter Mountain to create a device that would let him use a food processor.  She created the first Llama Hoof-Finger Adapter made out of toilet paper rolls and glitter glue.  He found it also worked to use the blender.   He made hummus, he made smoothies, he made homemade mayonaise.  He saw a recipe for cinnamon muffins and decided to learn to make those, too, even though it did not requre a blender.  The world was his oyster!  Oops, he forgot, llamas do not like oysters.

Eventually he grew old, became a llama grandfather.  He wrote more beautiful poems.  He created more beautiful artwork.  He invited his grandchildren over for dinner and they had wonderful conversations. 

When he died he donated his wool and was transformed into Prayer Shawls and warm socks.  His life cycle was completed and in llama heaven he would look down and think, "man, I really wish we had more of those cinnamon muffins here in llama heaven!"

DYB

Basketball games yesterday had better outcomes than in the previous weeks.  Sierra had her team "picture day" and she made a great offensive rebound and a basket.  She played better in general, and Coach even said "she played good today!"  And her team won their first game.  Good work Dream Team!

Jeremiah's team also won their game.  The Grizzlies are now 2 and 2, and playing like "the team to beat" instead of "the team you can steal the ball from easily."  They really rocked it yesterday, winning 48 to 30!  He asked the coach to let him play under the basket instead of playing point guard, and that seemed to work really well for him.

My blood pressure was much better yesterday during these games.  It helps to see your kids "do their best."  In fact that is what I always say to them when they get out of the car to go to school in the morning:  "DYB buddies!"  Do Your Best.  That is all a mom can ask.  Winning the game is secondary, getting a certain grade in school isn't the point, either.  It's just loving what you do so much that you put it all out there and give it all you've got and then some. 

Marcel Marceau Learns to Ski

A couple nights ago Sierra decided to become a mime.  So she did.  She just magically transformed herself in the bathroom while I was reading a book.  The next thing I knew there was a performance in the guest room. 

Last night, Sierra asked if she could use my cross country skis for a spin around the back yard.  When I said yes, she disappeared upstairs and put her whiteface back on...when I asked why she said "because that will help keep my face dry when I fall into the snow."

Ok, then.

She made it around the yard 3 times before falling into a deep drift and requiring rescue.  Then the Boy got into the act.

He, on the other hand, fell three times going around the yard once but did not require any rescue.  He figured out how to get up on his own, how to go up a small incline to get on the deck from the yard, and that once was enough when it's that durned cold and getting dark. 

Wolf waited patiently for the show to be moved indoors.  He fell asleep and did some miming of his own, imitating a dog dreaming of chasing rabbits through the neighborhood on a summer day. 

A Super Super Bowl

I just read in the Pantagraph that one of my NCHS high school classmates is going be a field judge for the Super Bowl!  Wow, congratulations Doug Rosenbaum.  That is amazing!  Here's the article where you can see a picture of Doug getting yelled at by an NFL coach during the regular season.

Speaking of the SuperBowl, I have not been very excited about it this year, but I have developed a fantasy about who will win the game this year, and how.

1.  Green Bay will not win, just on general principle because they are the arch-nemeses of the Bears.

2.  Big Ben Roethlisberger will not play for the Steelers (this is the guy who has been accused more than once of assaulting women and he was suspended four games during the regular season.  His suspension was supposed to be six games but he got to come back after four, for "good behavior.")    He won't play because he will be paralyzed with guilt about what he has done and realize he should sit out at least one more game, so he will tell the coach to put in the second string quarterback.  That guy will turn out to be a really nice fella with no record of bad behavior since he said the word "poop" in the second grade and had to go to the principal's office.  That guy will win the game with a Hail Mary pass in the last few seconds of the game.

The fantasy is crazy I know.  But a girl can dream, can't she?

Why I am Tired Today

I overslept this morning, turning off the alarm at 530, then losing all sense of awakeness until about 715 when the phone rang.  Here is why I am tired today:

I did that all by myself yesterday with a shovel.  In between bouts of shovelling I took a nap, ate a lot more than I normally do, and generally walked around feeling proud of myself.  Ok, wait I didn't do it all by myself.  At the very bottom of the driveway, during the neighborhood shovelling block party, my neighbor across the street came across and helped me for the last 10 minutes.  Otherwise I'd probably still be in bed!

I was so happy when it was done that I walked Wolf around the block, then got out my cross country skis and headed around the block again!  I fell down once and got snow inside my gloves which was just too much even for a winter-lover like me, so I came home and made dinner and did not venture out again.  The snow plow finally cleared our street during the night so now I have another pile at the bottom of the driveway to clear before I head out to work.  The sun is shining and it is -10 (before windchill!) and I think Wolf will just have to wait until it gets up above zero before I head around the block with him again. 

Blizzard-a-go-go

I was actually expected to work yesterday during the "Blizzard of '11" and I actually did work until about 2 p.m.  I even drove out in the country yesterday in the late morning.  I can tell you that I will not be working today, though, even though I have not yet received "the call." 

In order to keep myself cheerful during the storm, I had stocked up on good quality produce that normally costs an arm and a leg this time of year in Central Illinois.  I found blueberries on sale (at Walmart...shhhh!), organic greens, grape tomatoes, a beautiful red pepper, and organic celery on Monday when I was shopping.  So yesterday I had a delicious salad that would have been respectable even in July!  I added carrots, walnuts, croutons, and some dressing.  I closed the blinds so I couldn't see the snow, turned up the heat a bit, and wore my Chicago Cubs t-shirt.  Blizzard?  What blizzard?

Later I heard the howling winds and saw my salad bowl was empty.  Oh, that blizzard.

During the blizzard the kids are at their dad's house.  He miraculously returned from South America on time Monday night, after being gone a little over one month.  The kids were thrilled to see him and they left to go to his house yesterday with their most prized new possessions:  Sierra's sled and Jeremiah's new basketball pump. 

It seems that basketballs that sit out in cold garages get pretty flat.  Our old ball pump broke a few days ago and Jeremiah and I had taken to some pretty unorthodox methods to warm them up so he could shoot hoops in the driveway.  (Yes, in the middle of winter he still shoots baskets.  I think he is working on a shot he can take while going down the driveway standing on a sled.)  We even put a basketball in the dryer a couple times.  Yes, it was my idea.  Yes, it worked.   Yes, it was hideously loud.

So Monday while stocking up on delicious produce I also ran by Dick's Sporting Goods and bought him a new pump.  He was overjoyed and pumped up every basketball in the garage and left them in my kitchen.  Now it looks like a basketball nursery.  They are everywhere.  I promised him not to put them out in the cold again.  What was I thinking?

He took the pump to do the same thing with the basketballs in his dad's garage.  Where did we get all these basketballs?  Why do we have 7 basketballs at my house alone?  Inquiring minds are thinking that we need to thin out this collection.

I am grateful that I have electricity, and thus light and heat during this storm, at least so far.  My plan for today, in addition to putting basketballs and other clutter away around the house, is to read and nap and relax and make another delicious salad.  And I might shovel the driveway so I can work on my layup.

Wishes Do Come True

If you have been a reader of this blog since August you will know that Sierra has had a hankering for a wooden sled with red metal runners since she saw one for sale while we were in Holland Michigan on vacation.  Yesterday I was visiting Joe and Judy B who had a sled like that on their porch.  I mentioned that Sierra has wanted one for a while and asked if they would consider selling that one to me.  Joe said no.  What he actually said was:

No, I won't sell that one to you.  But I will give you the one like it that is up in our attic. 

Yippee!  I told Sierra I had a surprise for her but she had to wait until I got my camera ready to take her picture when I gave it to her.  She tried to guess what it was, and then seconds before I opened the trunk she started chanting wooden sled!  wooden sled!  Wooden Sled!!!!

Here is what happened next:

Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 over and over and over for one happy girl! 

Thank you thank you Joe and Judy!!!!