Pollyanna Rainbow Sunshine and the Needles of Doom

Hey, Anna-Liza here. Just a quickie before I go to bed. I must sleep soon and long, or I will probably die. Or at least be very cranky.

We went to Steamboat Springs Friday night, drove back Saturday afternoon, then I drove to Denver to go to Marin’s  ”Girlfriends’ Guide to Gaming” Nintendo party. Oh yes, I did! It was all fun, and the scenery was grand for lots of it, but 10 hours of driving in 36 hours is … a little much. Even if Darlin’ K did most of the actual driving and I spent most of my energy mentally shielding us from all the idiots who think the painted lane lines are mere suggestions. But I’d better not go into that rant.

Steamboat was earthy, Burning-Man-ish, hot-springs-and-fire-and-clothing-optional. Marin’s party was girly (in a good way), urban, polished, wine-and-high-heels-with-jeans. Both were very funfunfun and I’d like to do them again, but not both on the same weekend.

I got some pretty nice photos of Steamboat, although not of the fire spinning. I was afraid I’d drop or lose the camera at the hot springs. I’ll share soon. (Lyda.) I didn’t take any pictures at Marin’s party, but she might have some when she posts about it. I will say the snacks were delicious and the party favors exceptional–we each got a charm bracelet, a Nintendo DS Lite, and a Brain Age² game. That’s a good thing, because when I played it, I tested at a brain age of 52. I am not 52. (Marin tested at 32. Bitch.)

Oh yeah. Sleep. That might help my brain age more than all the training in the world. Ya think? And I am driving nowhere tomorrow!

Lyda here.

Yesterday, I worked in 95 degree heat - So Cal is having another heat wave, help us Al Gore! - moving and unpacking boxes in a warehouse and carrying empty boxes to the dumpster. I was filthy, covered in old dust and dirt, sweat matting my hair. My fingernails split and broke, my feet got blisters, my muscles ached, and my breathing became ragged. For nine dollars an hour.

It confirmed so many things for me. One, of course, is that I am not suited to this kind of heavy manual labor. Also, I am grateful for every skill and gift I have that will keep me from having to do this kind of work for the rest of my life.

Also, clutter and chaos is not confined to homes. This place was unpacking after a move, which is why they had us there. There were more boxes marked “Misc” than anything else. When I moved, there was one - count ’em, one - box labeled “Misc” and I knew exactly what was in it.  Packrat-ism afflicts warehouses and offices everywhere. Each place I work, I clean and organize and declutter the office while doing the work. It’s a gift and a curse, this Cleaning Obsession o’ mine. And yes, packrat-ism is an official term. Or it should be.

Yesterday confirmed, yet again, that I work harder at any given task than any four or five other people. There were two other temps there plus various employees of the company who wandered in and out. Nice people, but all together too inclined to stop working and talk about sports, or politics, or how hot it was.

I worked hard all day. They worked… easier. With frequent pauses. Especially after the first few hours. Their natural inclination seemed to be to mill about aimlessly. Like sheep.  My natural inclination is to take charge, and I did to some degree. That’s me, I’m a sheepdog.  The company manager thought I was the supervisor of the other two temps.

I’ve had this experience many times before - I’m working flat out, and everyone else is coasting. Sometimes it makes me angry, sometimes it amuses me, often it is frustrating. I am definitely a product of my upbringing, my sturdy peasant stock. Keep going, get the work done, don’t stop until the sun sets and it’s too dark to see. Or someone loses an eye.

When we were growing up, we worked with Dad and Mom at the theater. Dad said we were better and harder workers than any of the adult volunteers, and called us his Ant Army. Mom even had Ant Army t-shirts made for us. There was nothing we would not do. We built and painted sets, we made costumes and props, we ran sound and lights, we sold tickets and soda, we cleaned up at the end of the show, we broke the sets down at the end of the run. And we acted, sang and danced too.  We were the first to arrive and the last to leave. Just like our parents. And while we had a lot of fun, we worked flat out. Dad and Mom kept an eye on us, enforcing safety rules and calling a halt when we were exhausted, while working flat out themselves. As a family, we left everyone else in the dust. If the Ant Army had been organizing that warehouse, today it would be unpacked, organized for maximum efficiency, and clean as a whistle. As it was… not so much.

It’s a family thing, a legacy, a twist to my psyche. I work hard for the money. I work hard at quilting, at cleaning, at everything. I’m the volunteer every event needs, and the manager few subordinates want.

I didn’t start learning to take it easy until I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It has been hard to learn to ease up, to stop pushing myself so hard. To rest. To relax.

That’s why knitting is so good for me. It keeps the Ant Army part of my mind busy and let’s the rest of me relax.

Today, I’m taking the day off. To read. To quilt. To watch TV. To knit.

I may even take a nap.

But you can bet, tomorrow I’ll be hard at it again.

It’s a family thing.

Hey, Anna-Liza here, reviewing my shopping list and wondering if I need to add Satan Wipes. Or maybe a purple sequin dress …

I blogged earlier about taking a couple of days off, but there was one thing I forgot to mention. Mr. R, who is 6, has been wanting to learn to knit for at least a year now. Unfortunately, I’m not a really great teacher and his attention span has been such that knitting with needles just hasn’t been working. After some internet searching for ideas, I decided to try teaching him finger knitting. This is pretty simple, the loops are big and don’t fall off your fingers easily, and I figure he can learn how the loops all work together before trying the needles again.

He took to it like the proverbial duck to water, made me a yarn necklace (which I wore all day Sunday), and has threatened promised to make a necklace for everyone in the family (including Darlin’ K) with accessories. I bought him a big bag of iridescent pony beads so he can make beaded necklaces, etc. He is also contemplating a Christmas tree garland.

Darlin’ K was in the room when I told Mr. R that we needed to get in the car to go somewhere, and Mr. R looked up at me pleadingly and asked, “Can I take my finger knitting with me in the car?”

“Sure,” I said, “we can bring a pencil to hold the loops when we go in the store.”

Later that evening, when talking about going to day camp the next day, he asked his dad, “Can I take my finger knitting in my backpack, so I can do it during free time?”

Darlin’ K looked at me and muttered something about pushers and corrupting children.  I smiled and said, “He’s being assimilated … “

But I think I like the Padawan Learner metaphor much better. Next step, a knitting spool, or maybe the Fiber is strong enough with him to go for a loom …

Hi, Anna-Liza here. Boy, it’s nice to have Lyda back after her temporary semi-silence! (How’s The List going, girlfriend?)

Things have warmed up here since the Drippy, Foggy, Rainy Memorial Day. I’ve even worn sleeveless tops a few times! (You need to remember that I won’t wear short sleeves until it’s at least 75 degrees out, maybe more.) One day last week, Darlin’ K picked me up from work and we went for a nice stroll around downtown Loveland. The sun and the warmth felt really, really good. Getting into the hot car even felt good.

I took a couple of days off. We had originally planned to go to Apogaea, but a number of things made us decide not to go after all. I decided not to change my vacation days, though. Things have been busy at work and busy at home, with more busyness pretty much all through the rest of June, so a couple days to chill just sounded about as wonderful as chocolate covered strawberries with champagne. Maybe more wonderful–I’m damn picky about champagne. Too much of the bottom-of-the-barrel pseuo-champagne at college cast parties, I guess. (Excuse me while I go rinse out my mouth.)

Thursday was a rainy, drippy, chilly day again. I happened to receive a large shopping bag full of free yarn recently, almost all of which was in loose skeins and rather tangled. A lot of it appears to be a rayon/alpaca/wool blend in nice colors, so I decided it was worth the work to wind it all up. So my friend Jean (who used to have Knit One, Purl Too in Longmont) let me have her swift, ball winder, and measuring thingy on a long term loan.

I spent a lot of time with the ball winding on Thursday as a result, and also took some time to go to the library (this is my idea of fun, y’all. I’m so exciting). The kidlets both like the ball winder, so they’ve been helping. I had several a lot of unwound skeins in the stash already, so this is going to be a longish project. I’ve got somewhere between 10 and 15 done. The yardage ranges from 600 (laceweight) to 5 (for something that was frogged that had stripes). I’ve gotten a little further on the mystery gift project, which is at a very boring knitting stage, I’m afraid, but no further at all on any socks. And I’m just itching to cast on something new … perhaps this? Or possibly some kind of lacy shrug I can wear to work … “lace” seems to be the theme of all the new stuff I’m looking at. Not that I don’t have other things to distract me already from my deadline knitting … but I digress.

Friday was a much nicer day — 70s and sunny. Darlin’ K had to finish some projects on Thursday, but he took Friday off and we spent the whole day together. It’s nice to rediscover uninterrupted conversation (and other things) once in a while! We had breakfast and aforementioned conversation at Java Stop, and later we went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. That was a really perfect bit of action fluff, exactly what we were in the mood for. Roger Ebert’s review (follow the previous link) sums the whole thing up really well. I have to say that Shia LaBoeuf’s initial appearance channeling Marlon Brando was really fun, but he’s not terribly convincing as a switchblade-wielding biker. But as the story developed, I’m not sure he was supposed to be convincing. And Cate Blanchett was really hot in her sword-wielding, sleek and intense Russian villainess way.

I have to admit, I’m really not willing to spend money to see “challenging” or “deep” movies anymore. Life itself is challenging enough–if I’m paying for entertainment, it better be FUN! I can get “challenging” and “deep” just looking around, thankyouverymuch. And Darlin’ K and I spent a very fun day, as I’m sure you can imagine. And we even picked up the kidlets from day camp/preschool on time. (Just.)

I just got Marianne Williamson’s new book about midlife (for men and women) out of the library. I think it will be good, but I haven’t done more than read the dust jacket. It’s basically about midlife being a time to refocus and live more in our own integrity, rather than scattering our energies about as we did when we were younger–a time to live more deeply than ever. And when I say “we”, I mean “I”. Anyway, I’m sure it will fit into the Reading in Wonderland Challenge, but I’m not exactly sure where yet. I’ll let you know.

But first, I need to finish Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small series. Escapism and fluff, a sovereign remedy for what ails you. That and lace-oriented startitis. And anticipation of the Wool Market (in just a week! Oh boy!!) And four evenings of shaman-led workshops and SolFest later this month (here’s more info) …

… and this lamp.

Lyda here. I read another book for Pollyanna’s Reading in Wonderland Challenge. I was trying to squeeze this one into this:

Challenge #3. “How doth the little crocodile”:  Read a biography or autobiography about someone whose life is/was vastly different than yours. Or, read a history book or historical fiction about a completely different time or place.

But as you will see, it does not really meet the “vastly different” criteria for me. So instead, for me, it will count for this:

Challenge #13. “Curiouser and curiouser!”:  Read another book, any kind, any genre, anything.

The book is “What Would Barbara Do? How Musicals Changed My Life” by Emma Brockes . I haven’t read any of her articles or anything else she’s written, although I did stumble across her WordPress blog. She only posted three things in 2007, when the book came out.

I love this book! It’s fun and thoughtful at the same time. I laughed out loud while reading it, and I don’t do that often. And there are passages that are incredibly moving. It’s a very personal and opinionated tour of musical theater, and also a memoir. It’s well-written, and a quick read. I devoured it almost in one sitting. Highly recommended, especially for the theater geeks out there.

I can really relate to her stories about her mother singing musical numbers - my mom did that a lot too. We all did; it seemed normal to me growing up to spontaneously burst into song, just as it seemed normal to suddenly recite entire scenes from plays and movies from memory.

And yes, my son has grown up with a mom who does that too. When he was little, he used to put his hand on my mouth when I started to sing. He still rolls his eyes. And the cat goes nuts and makes a lot of noise when I sing. Everyone is a critic. In my defense, I don’t sing when his friends are around, or when I’m with him in public.  So far, he hates musicals, but the seed has been planted… Bwahahaha!

But I digress…

Mom loved to make up her own words and tunes. She played with her voice all the time, doing accents and voices and just being silly.

One time, Dad was casting a musical, and he told the musical director, “What do we do about this part? No one who tried out can sing those songs.” The musical director suggested Mom for the role. Dad said, “Oh, she can’t really sing.” The musical director had to explain to Dad that Mom had a powerful and beautiful voice of incredible range, and could sing any part in any show. When Dad told me this story, he said, “Your mom plays with her voice so much, I hadn’t realized she could really sing.”

One of Mom’s stories was about one of my older brothers bringing a girl home for dinner. “Your brothers were always dating girls who were only children; I don’t know why.”  When my brother and his date arrived, Mom was in the kitchen singing her own words to an Italian aria - what else would one sing while cooking spaghetti? Some of us were singing with her.

Mom swore the girl turned around and left right then.

I have to say, the brother in question denies this categorically, but Mom’s version is funnier. 

Obviously, that girl wouldn’t have fit into the family anyway.

But I digress…

Hey there, Anna-Liza here. And you knew that, of course, because Sunny Orange County never has a Drippy Rainy Foggy day. Ever.

Oh, just as an update, the Kitteh of Extreme Cuteness finally has a name.      On the short list were Darth Meow, Ninja Kitty, Storm, Fang, and Nuisance. The kids finally agreed on one that Darlin’ K and I can live with, and she will from this day forward be known as “Sparkle”. Moxie and Sparkle. Sounds like a burlesque act. Anyway, back to the main topic …

The weekend itself was pretty nice, but this was the first time in years, maybe even more than a decade, that I didn’t go to the Boulder Creek Festival. It’s fun, the kids like it, and there’s a lot to do and see. Of course, it’s aggravating trying to keep up with small kids in the crowds, but it’s still fun. This year, I totally forgot about it. So did Darlin’ K. Pffffffft! Right out of our little heads.

I did go one year when it rained a lot and Boulder Creek was overflowing its sandbagged banks. That was a bit tedious, squarshing through the mud. The flooding was so bad they couldn’t hold the Rubber Duck Race. Tragic, really.

And then there was the time (hey, I said I’d tell more stories!) that I went with Darlin’ K and I was severely pregnant with Mr. R. Jay, a fire-performing friend, was putting together a dance performance and had asked Darlin’ K if he would be willing to participate. This was the night before the performance, mind, but Jay is known for his improvisational approach to such things, and it sounded fun, and we were planning on going to the Festival the day of the performance anyway, so K said “Sure!”

20 minutes before it was to start, we showed up at the performance tent–K in his basic black firespinning costume and me in my pregnant-lady overall shorts that made me look like a blue pumpkin on sticks. (That year was sunny and hot.) And Jay said, “Oh, I meant for both of you to be in it!” “It” turned out to be a sort of primitive-creation-myth dance with drumming and fire. I wasn’t exactly dressed for the part of generic fertility goddess. I did have extremely long hair (down past my butt), but the rest of what I had on was distinctly modern. So we improvised. I ended up trotting out on the stage in one large scarf (aroung my hips), one medium-sized scarf (covering my boobage), and a little scarf (around my head. But not my face). I was barefoot and carrying before me a small stone egg.

I think the egg was really overkill. My belly was unmistakably that of a very pregnant woman, and there it was, naked, in front of God and everybody. But Jay wanted the egg.

So I danced around holding the egg up in the air and tried not to run into anything on fire. And Darlin’ K, suitably made up as — well, he might have been a fertility god, or maybe a fire god, can’t really remember–anyway, he’s good at what he does and he has very long arms. So he spun fire literally (and I am indeed using that word correctly) around me–he stood behind me (shielding my hair nicely) and spun the fire poi in front of me at one point. Completely missed me, which is a good thing, because I would have been pissed if he’d caught my belly on fire.

The audience loved it. Apparently, I looked like I knew exactly what I was doing and furthermore was doing it on purpose. And fire, even in daytime, tends to draw spectators. It was pretty fun, in the end. If I ever find any pictures, I’ll try to find a way to post them.

Anyway, back to this year’s Memorial Day.

Quite a different proposition. The forecast was highs in the mid-50s and a 70% chance of rain. Once we got to the cabin, at 8,200 feet, we were pretty much inside the clouds. This impressed the kids no end. I don’t think it stopped raining the whole time we were there. The in-laws had gone up the day before, and had seen a bear in the late afternoon. We are thinking (or perhaps hoping) that it’s the same bear everyone else has seen around, and the cabin’s not the center of a large bear population. Anyway, it’s a black bear and it hasn’t given any trouble. Except the time we left some beer and a box of wine (what?) in the pond and the bear drank it all. So far, when it has seen people, it has just gone away. Or staggered, as the case might be.

K’s brother videotaped the bear from the cabin, and there is a part where my in-laws’ little dog ran after the bear, barking its fool head off. Yeah, not bright. But the really remarkable thing was watching my mother-in-law run after the dog, grab it (maybe 30 feet away from the bear), and then turn her back on the bear and walk (quickly) away. The bear was pretty much ignoring the dog, but it did turn and look at MIL with a sort of puzzled look on its face. Okay, maybe I’m imagining the puzzled look. But it did turn and look at her. 

Yeah, I know, people get panicky and she loves her dog. I could see myself doing something similar if it were one of my kids (but not exactly–I’d want to keep my eyes on the bear)–except that I seriously doubt any of my kids would run out and bark at a bear. But still. I think the dog would have run if the bear had come after it, and would have had a decent chance of getting away. Luckily for my mother-in-law (and the bear), the bear just wasn’t interested. Or maybe it was just full.

Still, there were no bears visible on Monday. There weren’t even very many trees visible, the fog was so thick.

We stayed in the cabin and talked and knit by the wood stove. Luckily, I took my secret gift project with me–the knitting at this point is just stockinette and garter, and I don’t even have to count. It was too dim to work on Pomatomus. The kids played. The guys went out and took pictures and measurements for a summer project (repairing some roof leaks). The Kitteh of Extreme Tubbiness had woken me up at 4:30 a.m., so after lunch (burgers grilled in the rain) I went to take a nap. You know that state when you’re awake enough to hear what’s going on around you, but you’re not entirely awake yet? After a while, I came to that state and could hear the in-laws playing Uno with the kids. They were in teams, Mr. B with MIL and Mr. R with FIL, and my brother-in-law and K’s grandmother playing on their own. The game ended with Mr. R and FIL winning, and Mr. B (age 4) said very distinctly, “Oh, damn it!”

I’d never heard him come out with that particular phrase before, although he would be familiar with it both from me and his dad. And we did have problems with a little F-word epidemic at his preschool a few months ago. But this was new, and of course he had to come out with it in front of his grandparents and his great-grandmother! I was pretty thankful that they just laughed and MIL said “I don’t think you’re allowed to say that. Say ‘Oh, shoot!’ instead.” He liked “Oh, shoot” better than “damn it”, apparently, and they proceeded to play another game.

But I decided I wasn’t quite ready to wake up yet. Whatever else one may say about a Drippy, Rainy, Foggy day, it’s excellent sleeping weather.

Lyda here. Chillin’ at home. Or rather, sweating at home. It’s still way too hot here but they are promising it’s going to cool down tonight. Please!  I haven’t posted much lately, so it’s time to catch up. Which mostly means - movie reviews and babbling about books.

And zombies. Always zombies.

But first, a very beleted Happy Mom’s Day to ya’ll and your moms! I had a great day filled with explosions and zombies, and best of all, time with the Resident Sith Master. What more could this Mom want?

We went and saw Iron Man (2007) - which was fun and action-packed. Thanks to GAAE brother, who was a serious collector of comic books once upon a time, I’d read the original Iron Man comics, and I wasn’t sure about Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. But he brought humor to the role, and made the character’s development from self-absorbed jerk to hero believable. Gwyneth Paltrow was excellent as the smart and subtly sexy Pepper Potts. And Terence Howard - hello, Hollywood, this guy is awesome, please cast him more! - was great as Tony’s best friend and will hopefully have an even bigger role in the sequel in the works. Look for a quick cameo by Stan Lee (creator of Iron Man and Spiderman, among others) - Tony mistakes him for Hugh Hefner. Stay through the credits for Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury telling Tony to join The Avengers. This movie is a bit violent for the youngest, but probably okay for most tweens.

To add to the Mom Day awesomeness, RSM gave me a great gift: a special edition DVD of I Am Legend (my review here and Pollyanna’s Brain score here)  with two versions of the film - the theatrical release, and an alternative theatrical version “with controversial ending” to quote the box. Of course, we watched the alternative version that very day. We like the alternative even better, but ya’ll will have to see it for yourselves - no spoilers here.

This movie is based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 book, “I Am Legend“, and was also adapted for The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Price, and The Omega Man (1971) with Charlton Heston. I could read the book for the Reading in Wonderland Challenge. For me, it would count as both #1 - a fiction book in a genre I don’t usually read (I watch horror, but don’t read it), and #6 - a book that has been made into a film. And then of course I would need to watch the film again. And watch the other two films.

For thoroughness. Ya’ll know.

Now, this weekend, RSM was off with his dad, so I checked out (for free! I love the library!)  some things to watch, and quilted all weekend.

Yes, I am quilting up a storm making Mystery Teeny Tiny Squares Projects. Top secret for now, but all will be revealed in the fullness of time. Sewing. Quilting. Ironing.

In the 95 plus heat.

Because I am insane.

But I digress…

It had been recommended to me multiple times over the years, so I checked out Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997). Silly, girly, and giddy. The story is unbelievable - but I didn’t care. The clothes are awesomely over the top, the 80s soundtrack rocks, and it made me happy to see the evil girls get their come-uppance and the fun girls win at last. Pure fun if you’re in the right mood for it.

I also checked out a BBC classic: a three-episode box set of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple starring Joan Hickson. I watched the first two episodes - this one and this one - and am looking forward to the third. There is something so comforting about Miss Marple, and not only because she knits. She’s definitely one of the characters I’d most like to invite to tea.

In fact, it would be interesting to have Miss Marple and Commander Sam Vimes sit down to tea together, don’t ya’ll think?

Personally, I don’t think Vimes looks like that sketch. See the end of that link for casting suggestions. Sam Neill… hmmm. The L-Space Web is a must for Terry Pratchett fans. And has links to vendors of fun Discworld stuff, including CMOT Dibbler’s where you can get your own ”I Still Aten’t Dead” pin.

Oh, but I digress again…

What characters would you invite to tea? Or for drinks? And can I come too? I promise to leave the Zombie Army at home.

Anna-Liza here. No, I don’t mean Moxie. She’s a sweet, funny, mellow cat, but she’s more like the Kitteh of Ample Proportions. And nothing has happened to Moxie–she’s fine … tubby, but fine. See?

We just decided that it was time to get a companion for her, so we’ve acquired a kitten! He/she (we aren’t sure yet) is about 9 weeks old and may end up being called MojoJojo or possibly Ninja Kitty. We’re trying to get the kidlets to agree on a name, but I may just make an executive decision.

We’ve had her/him for a week now, and she/he’s just as fun as a kitten should be. She/he will play intensely for twenty minutes or so, then fall asleep on whatever lap (or chest) is handy.

Moxie hissed at her/him a few times at first, but with no real intent behind it. She’s warming up to her/him now–she let’s him/her chase her around, and lets him/her play with her tail a bit. But she also gets this look on her face that shows she’s channeling W.C. Fields fairly regularly, too.

I’ve had to remind Mr. B a few times that, when he picks up the new kitty (which he loves to do), the tail is supposed to be on the bottom, or at least the side.

He’s getting better at it now. Mr. R is a little disappointed that she/he can’t sleep with him–he sleeps on the top bunk and it’s way too high for the KEC to jump yet. And if he/she can’t jump up on his/her own, then it’s not safe for her/him to try to jump down again, either. And Darlin’ K lets her/him jump up on his desk while he’s working, which means he has to occasionally correct whatever she/he’s “typed” for him.

Other kitty name suggestions have been: Mist, Aang (from “The Avatar”), Ash, Little Kitty Ash, Puffball, Fluffy, Mr. Grey, Scooter. I’m personally leaning toward Mojo, but I may be overruled. Any ideas?

Oh, and you know how Moxie will lie in my lap while I’m knitting and won’t mess with the needles or yarn? The kitten? Not so much.

Anna-Liza here. And yes, I did say “piñata”. It’s supposed to be a dragon, but I’m not sure at the time of this writing how it will turn out.

Mr. R’s school is having a sort of carnival thingy as a fundraiser, and one of the events is a piñata contest. He reallyreallyreally wants to enter the contest, so we’re making one! He and Darlin’ K are crafting the armature even as I type,

    the papier-maché paste is cooling on the stove, and at any moment I will be called to begin what I refer to as “the messy part”. I will add updates as they occur. So, let’s call this “Day One”, even though they actually started the armature last night. See the egg cartons? Those are to support the wings and make it possible to adjust their position until we’re ready to add the papier-maché.

Day one — Mr. R and Darlin’ K have made the armature out of long cardboard tubes, medium cardboard tubes, short cardboard tubes, and 18-count egg cartons. Oh, yes, and the box that Lyda sent the Princes’ Quilts in (wings), and a lot of masking tape.

Darlin’ K is using two egg-holder thingies from the cartons for each set of eyes.

Did I mention this is a two-headed dragon?

Darlin’ K also came up with an ingenious arrangement with a sturdy piece of old clothesline to create loops for hanging.

This means we don’t have to worry overmuch about the weight distribution–we can attach the hanging string anywhere along those two loops to get it balanced.

Day one and a half– I have successfully made the Primordial Goop* and we took the whole works out to the front yard. The armature was turned upside down so we could work on the underbelly and support structure for the wings first.

We also wrapped the main tail section, neck(s) and parts of the heads. The entire thing is now in the garage, drying. I have to admit that, at this moment, it looks rather more like a long-tailed, two-headed goose (with fangs) than anything else.

But it’s not anywhere near finished yet.

Days two through five — sporadic progress on the papier-maché. We are able to accomplish this because I made a second batch of Primordial Goop and put it in a large, sealed plastic tub in the fridge. We can take it out, do a little papier-maché, seal the tub up and stick it back in the fridge. I put at least three tablespoons of salt in, so we don’t seem to be having any spoilage problems. I actually got up at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday to get another layer of papier-maché done, so it would dry in time. The dragon is looking more like a dragon. A newsprint dragon. Painting will have to wait until Saturday morning, the morning of the competition, because the papier-maché is still drying on Friday night …

Day six — Painting completed — as you will notice, this is a non-traditional dragon in a number of ways, including a sort of Pollockesque final treatment.

Touch ups done, although I think it would have been better with a third coat in spots. The newsprint still tends to show through the yellow. But on the whole, I’d say this is a fine looking two-headed, multi-colored dragon.

The piñata was successfully delivered and displayed at the Family Fun event. Piñata voting was taking place during the event, but final judging was to be during the following week. And the piñatas were to be displayed in the school.

Following week – Rowan’s two-headed dragon piñata did not win. (Please keep in mind that he was among the youngest participants. He’s in first grade, and his school goes all the way up to eighth grade.) However, he got to do a pretty big and complex project and get a lot of great feedback about it. His classmates were really impressed. We had fun working on it together, too. We might even try making another one! Probably not real soon. But you know, Primordial Goop, old newspaper, and cardboard tubes are pretty cheap. A little papier-maché crafting might be a nice messy ”together” project for your family this summer, too! (Yeah, definitely summer. Doing the messy stuff outside is a really, really good idea.)

*Primordial Goop: Heat 4 to 5 cups water to boiling in large saucepan. I used 5. While the water is heating, mix one cup all-purpose flour with 2 cups water, stir thoroughly to get rid of as many lumps as possible. This stuff will be lumpy no matter how hard you try, but you may as well avoid what you can.

Once the water is boiling, add the flour-and-water mixture and simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring the whole time, until it thickens. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt to help prevent mold. If you have to store it any length of time beyond, say, a couple of hours, it’s probably best to refrigerate it.

Anna-Liza here. Lyda may chime in, too (go ahead, BFF!).

Happy Mother’s Day to all my friends who are moms, and Happy Mother’s Day to all my friends who have moms!

Wha’dya get? I got to have almost a whole day to spend being absolutely idle. Yesterday, I spent the morning at Java Stop and the library, then Darlin’ K took the kids out with him to run errands in the afternoon, so I had a nap. Then we dropped the kids off with friends and went to a party. I haven’t had a day that unproductive, yet extremely pleasant, in I don’t know how long. I’ll have to reciprocate for Father’s Day. Somehow. It’s the same weekend as the Estes Park Wool Market, so Darlin’ K’s idle day will probably have to be the Sunday.

And wha’dya get your mom? Mine’s getting her usual long-distance phone call with me and her grandkids (Pollyanna contingent). And we’ll be going to see Darlin’ K’s mom and grandma this afternoon.

And I should probably say this. Unless your mom’s really into it, don’t get her a houseplant. I like houseplants, but I kill them. And the very last thing I think any mom needs (especially if her kids are still young/at home) is another thing to take care of. I suggested to Darlin’ K that, if he were going to buy me a gift, that it have something to do with the things I like to do. (He did an excellent job on that.) I think that’s a pretty good suggestion for anyone. You don’t know what your mom likes to do? Well, find out! Geez! What kind of son/daughter are you? (My mom loves houseplants and would thoroughly enjoy adding one to her collection, especially if it was something she doesn’t already have.)

Garrison Keillor had a funny and nice column about moms last Friday. The line that really got me was, “The cruel injustice of motherhood is that, out of devotion to her brood, she sacrifices so much of her own life that her children grow up to find her a little boring …”

You know what? I’ve been blessed with having a pretty interesting life. My mom has had one, too. (And Lyda and her mom? Yeah, baby!) If you don’t know what your mom likes to do, or if you tend to dismiss your mom and her life/interests as being dull … I suggest you take her out for coffee or drinks and have a real talk. I bet there are a lot of things you don’t know about her–if not things she’s done, then maybe things she’s always wanted to do. You’re an interesting person, right? You must have gotten it from somewhere!