We took Taylor to the movie theater for the first time last Friday. Well, it wasn't actually her first time. I think we went when she was a couple months old and still nursing and sleeping a lot. We went to see the new Disney Pixar movie "Up". It was a sweet and thoughtful film, but probably too thought provoking for children to really understand. Taylor didn't start getting restless until about 3/4 of the way through - when the Reeses Pieces ran out and I stopped letting her drink soda. Considering she just turned 3, she did pretty well.
I realized a few days ago that it had been 3 years since even I had been to the movie theater. What would my film professors think of me?! I also realized just how much can change in 3 years! The price of admission went up at least $1.50. A large popcorn is now $7.00. Would you believe our small family of 3 spent nearly $50.00 on this family outing? Tickets came to $31.00. ONE large popcorn, ONE large drink, and ONE box of Reeses Pieces came to over $15.00. If I had more than one child, a trip to the movies nowadays would need to be budgeted and planned for.
Anyways, enough of that rant. The thing that I found most interesting are the "NO TEXTING" signs that are now on the theater doors. Now, why would Sprint be sponsoring this?
Upon seeing this sign I immediately pictured the catalysts for this being the 12-25 crowd. So, of course it made me realize that I am now over 30, a mother, and totally out of the "happenin'" scene. I am certain it was someone at least as old as I am who came up with this fun-killing sign. It just so happened, however, that the one breaking this rule was a man in his 60's in front of us who, at the beginning of the film, wouldn't stop playing with his phone.
Here is Taylor with a few of her "Bity Church" friends. Once a month our church has a time of fellowship after the Sunday evening service - S.N.A.C (Sunday Night After Church). It is now warm enough for some outdoor activities. Oh, and it's watermelon season! I have great childhood memories of our annual church picnic. It was usually held in a big ol', rustic oak park where plenty of BBQ and watermelon was always available. In fact, I think we did a watermelon hunt a few times. I don't remember what the prize was, but I think the losing team had to cut the watermelon up for the winners. Anyways, there is nothing sweeter than kids being friends and enjoying a summer watermelon.
This is Breck. She is a year younger than Taylor, but was her first friend at church. Taylor has since graduated from the nursery, so she doesn't get to hang out with Breck as much these days, but it won't be long before Breck is hanging with the big kids too. Such a cutie patootie!
We made peach cobbler two days in a row. Why? Because we finished the first one in less than and hour. The second one had the same fate. It's what happens in a house with 3 people who have major sweet teeth. It's very dangerous that peach cobbler is so incredibly easy to make. I think we each ate a full stick of butter in a 24 hour period (I am not kidding). I am too afraid to look up how much fat and calories are in a stick of butter. I shudder to think.
Last year I was itching to start a vegetable garden. I would love to grow something that produces edibles. It should be easy in this mild, Southern California climate, right? One would think so. I even created a couple drawings in Photoshop in which I mapped out the whole backyard. I had high hopes of a few raised planters and great visions of tomatoes and spinach.
Being the practical thinker I am, however, I thought it might be best to try growing some less demanding things first to see if I was up to the challenge.
Our grass is all dead.
A couple weeks ago some ground squirrels ate the only wildflowers that hadn't died from winter's cold; spring's heavy rain; or recent, intermittent heat. They were tall, large, bright yellow ones that were the last to sprout, and they had about 10 flowers one day. The next day I went out and the whole plant was completely gone except for the stems which had been hacked up into 3 inch pieces and left on a mound of dirt.
Both our hibiscus plants went dormant through winter. One looks like it might give 1 or 2 flowers this year. The other is full of leaves, but no buds.
My favorite, the gardenia, didn't survive winter.
The pomegranate tree, which was planted by previous owners, always has lots of flowers, but the fruit never makes it past the size of an apricot. I pruned it last year, but that didn't seem to help. I probably did it wrong.
So far, the roses ( which I didn't plant either) have been the best success, but not because I have done anything for them. They must get their water from the neighbor's overflow. Oh, and the calla lily is thriving, but it is considered a "toxic weed and a pest" in Africa, so I probably don't deserve credit for that either.
Oh wait... I forgot the mandavilla! It's in full bloom!
On a side note, our neighbors have a peach tree on our property line in the front yard. Every year that thing fills up with fruit despite neglect. The fruit then falls to the ground, rots, and attracts flies. They have a big living room window that faces that tree, so I have never picked from it, for fear that they would not approve. As I type, it is full of peaches just waiting to drop. Tonight, after the sun sets, I am going to break protocol and harvest some of that fruit. Well, actually, I'll send Kennedy out for it.
After all, it's been a whole day since we had peach cobbler.
I love this video. It's one of those things I would categorize under "a few of my favorite things". It incorporates the tropics, the guitar, and childhood curiosity and imagination. Watching this always makes me smile inside - that kind of feeling that reminds me there is still so much in life to experience and find magic in. The mundane day-to-day of adulthood can make you jaded and practical. It can make you forget that there are still dragons to slay, treasures to find, princesses to rescue, and a Prince who is coming soon to take you home to Paradise. This video is one of those seemingly unspiritual things that refreshes my soul.
Family Addition
This is Calvin. My sister, Torri, is holding him. I can't believe this photo was taken 10 years ago!
I got Calvin as a companion when I was first on my own at the age of 19. He was the cutest little fluffy thing. Of course, I should have known better after living with our long haired family cat that a little fluffy thing becomes a big fluffy thing that sheds. I guess it's just further proof that the reasoning centers of the frontal lobes aren't fully myelinated until age 25. Still, he was adorable, and probably would short circuit my reasoning skills even now. That's just what baby animals are capable of. I wish I would have taken pictures of him as a kitten, but that was before the age of digital cameras and the ease of uploading photos. I never considered myself a cat person, but my life during those years I had him was filled with a full work and college schedule, and wasn't conducive to having a dog that needed to be taken out to do its business and walked daily.
Sadly, after nearly 7 years together (4 years ago), I had to put Calvin to sleep. He developed a severe urinary tract infection with stones, and the only option was an expensive surgery that he probably wouldn't have lived through. It was very hard for me to say good-bye to him on that table, seeing him in so much pain. That night was the first night in seven years he didn't jump up on the bed and fall asleep with his head resting on the back of my knee. It was strange, I had gotten so used to it that for a while after he was gone I still felt that warmth on my leg as I fell asleep.
Calvin lived in 5 places with me during my college years. He was there with me during all those late nights studying. He hated when I studied, because that meant I wasn't paying attention to him. He would lay on my text books when I was trying to read, or on my notebooks when I was trying to write. He always begged to be pet, but usually only by me. He was even the star in one of my shorts that I made in film school. I paid him with tuna.
After Calvin was put down, I swore I'd never own another pet, and most certainly not another cat. I would remind myself of the face full of cat hair I'd get after drying myself off with a clean towel. That hair gravitated to everything and magically found its way into locked rooms and cupboards. I'd remind myself of the horrid litter box. After being gone all day on a schedule of work and school, I'd come home to several smelly gifts, some often thrown out of the box with a few kicks of litter. As much as I tried to keep it clean and made Glade a fortune, I still feared there was a smell I couldn't smell. What if I became that stinky cat girl who doesn't know she smells? But even if I could manage those things, mostly I didn't want to get attached again.
Then, a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon Maru. Maru reminded me of Calvin. Not so much looks, although they do have similar markings and coloring, but mostly his nuances and silliness. The way he likes boxes and sticking his head in things and leaping into the air despite some extra pounds around the middle. Something about Maru's blog was alluring. Before I came across it I would have laughed if someone told me they blogged about their cat daily and they had thousands of followers all around the world. Really? A cat? Has fans?
Yes, he does. He's very famous you know. Here is his blog. There are a lot of "copy cat" blogs that other Scottish Fold owners have created, but there can only be one Maru. He even won a trophy for most popular YouTube video in Japan. You can see it below. Suddenly I realized something. Maru revealed to me what I never would have imagined - that I was a cat person.
Six months ago my mom asked if she could get Taylor a kitten for Christmas. My answer was unequivocally, "no."
It is June and it's kitten season.
Meet our latest addition, Kora. She's not too fluffy.
Kennedy said we could get her if he could name her. I feared a Star Wars theme, and although I wasn't opposed to the name Leah, he most certainly didn't want anything as boring as that. After mulling it over for some time, he came up with Kora (like the chef, Cat Cora, but with a "k"). Kora suits her, so I agreed.
She is perfect. Very playful and social. Craves attention. Gentle and sweet. She loves Taylor. I was worried Taylor's excited screeching and constant jumping would send her cowaring under the bed for days. But no, she doesn't hide at all. She loves being a part of everything and feeds off Taylor's energy.
We bought her a small scratching house that she claimed as her own right away. She took a couple short naps on top of it during the first day, so I was glad that she would probably decide to sleep there at night. One more being in our bed is the last thing we needed. Well, it was less than a minute after getting into bed and turning out the lights that she hopped up to join us. She picked a spot between Taylor and me. Poor Kennedy, we will have to rework this sleeping arrangement soon. Can't be good for a marriage. :)
At 4:00 A.M. Kora tried waking Taylor up to play. She licked her face, nuzzled in her hair, and pounced on her feet. I think they will be great buddies.
