New blog?

Blogger just offered the beta version to me and then yanked it away because my blog is too big to move to the new version. I’ve been assured that support will available in the future for blogs like mine but in the mean time I can start a new blog if I want to. I’ve been thinking about a new blog for some time now. I think I might do it. I like the new features and I’d like to start fresh but Bombadee’s Garden contains the scraps of Ella’s first two years in it. Does anyone know of a service that will print this blog in book form for me? Perhaps I’ll print it out for myself and shove a copy into her empty baby book. Alas, we’ll loose the links but the photos and the stories will still be. Don’t look for any changes this week but don’t be surprised if I move.

One Week In

One week in and I have cabin fever already. Its freezing ass cold outside, the kind of cold that makes your eyes water when the wind blows, the kind of cold that makes you take off the jacket that makes your waist look tiny and dig out the grey-brown down filled parka that is an equal opportunity uglifier, the kind of cold that convinces little old ladies to forget their grandchildren and move to Florida. It’s really 7° but with the wind chill it feels like 10° below. It’s so cold we’ve gone nowhere all week and I’ve nothing to blog about except the weather.

America the Other Woman?

I spent an hour this morning writing about an Iraq war strategy, occupied Japan and the Marshal Plan. Editing, rewriting, redirecting, questioning and constantly finding myself back at the first and most important question – why are we all up in Iraq’s business?

Back in September ‘05 I made the analogy to Extreme Home Makeover, wondering if we could leave this family with no home and just a rough sketch as we rode off into the sunset in our Humvee, but it seems to be obvious that this family hasn’t been able to handle the stress of a massive remodel and as a result they’ve decided to get a divorce. I guess some of the family really liked parts of the old house that we didn’t keep. So now it’s become a messy, heart wrenching, fighting over the VCR divorce where the kids suffer the most. So now what? Do we participate, helping Ms. Iraq throw Mr. Iraq’s clothes out on the lawn? Put the kids in protective custody? Slink away until the dust settles and then help them out with a deposit on a new apartment and some dishes from Goodwill? Maybe they’ll get a couple’s counselor and reconcile. Perhaps we can provide neutral ground and pay for a therapist then we can at least figure out how many bedrooms this new house will need.

Winter Play

Final Score

I awoke this morning with no voice left, a mysterious cut in the palm of my hand, and my teammates on the front page.

It all started innocently enough when I first read the paper and learned there would be a roller derby league here in neighboring city. I went, I joined, I became obsessed. It came together yesterday in one giant roller derby party. The crowd was incredible. They went wild any time one of the girls hit the floor. The paper reported a crowd of 650 but the ticket takers said 1100. There was a 15 minute line for beer (we'll fix that before next bout - promise). A sea of familiar and not so familiar cheering and yelling. Signs that read "Will Skate for Beer" and my personal favorite "Bombadee's B*tch" pointed towards us. Here's the thing though, even if 100 people showed up yesterday it still would've been the best, because we all just wanna skate. We've been practicing on cement and in parking lots for 6 months because we love this. Although that wouldn't have been so nice for the charities we skate for. Yesterday was for a young kid hurt and paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. We'll be writing a big check to his family this week - Thanks Derby Fans.

We started off behind in the first period. The Screw City Slammers were making the rounds and we were skating as hard as we could. Half way through the first period we overcame our nerves and relaxed enough to remember our training. Stay low hit 'em hard, I know it sounds simple, but no, not so much when you're skating screamin' fast and taking it in the shoulder from a pinkie (SCS colors). At the beginning of period two we were ahead by 10 and kept our lead steady and strong, increasing by a few points here and there. The Slammers were missing points for fouls and out of bounds. By the beginning of the third period we were all whipped and a little cocky I think. We lead by 30 points but relaxed too much and they gained 26 of those back in the last period. Had we played five more minutes they might've had us. Final score 139 - 135, Demolition Dolls take the win!

Back in the locker room ladies were cheering and hugging and discovering what hurt. You just don't feel it when it happens it's after the jam is over you look down to see blood and then have to search out where it's coming from. Oh - It's me! I cut my hand somehow, just a tiny one, enough to be a pain when I do dishes, but not enough to stop me from doing them (dang!). When I arrived home Dan rubbed my neck and I ate half a pizza. I feel wonderful this morning and I can't wait for the next practice already!

Twas the Night Before Derby

Bombadee #00
Co-Captain
Demolition Dolls
"Demolition is our Mission"

Bombadee is from Northern Illinois and has been skating with the Demolition Dolls since their inception . She uses old-school Reidell skates with pink Zinger wheels. She likes hip checks, bruises, catfights, things that go fast, coconut cream pie, fishnets, knocking mean girls down, and politics.

"Without ME it's just AWESO"


Tomorrow at 2:00pm is the first official Roller Derby Bout. We'll play the Screw City Slammers. I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself. There’s been preparation all week and I’m still trying to get myself all together for tomorrow, clean socks and extra skate laces, all that. Please say a little prayer that I don’t break any body parts of my own.

Snow Day!

Snow Day! Everything is called off! Everyone stay home! SNOW DAY! Every kid go outside and play! SNOW DAY!

Oh wait, Dan works from home... sigh.

But, tonight we'll have friends over for dinner and light the giant Christmas Tree and sip Tom and Jerry's and munch cookies in our toasty sweaters.

I just have to say it two or three more times: Snow Day Snow Day Snow Day! SNOW DAY! It's such an unexpected surprise and it's been ingrained into me my whole childhood that Snow Days are a blessing.

SNOW DAY!

###

Hey Jennie! Here's The Story and The Video AKA What we didn't see at the Excelsior and Excalibur Awards last night. We had a lovely time, the RRStar always knows how to throw a good party. Also for your viewing pleasure Halloween '06.

Doctor

Hello my peeps. I'm taking Ella to the Doctor this morning - she has a cold in her chest and she can't stop coughing, poor kid. What an icky day to be sick and have to travel. It's the first day after the cold snap. I'll bundle her head to toe before we make the treck out to the pre warmed van and then the same when we go from the van to the docs.

Today is the last day of our insurance. Then we will float for a month with the option to pick up the old insurance at $1,000.00 for the month. On January 1st we'll be on the new insurance. So during the month of December, if our out of pocket cost is less than $1,000.00 we'll just pay it, if we need more than $1,000.00 medical treatment we'll get on the old insurance again. It feels precarious especially since we're facing possible ear aches with snot and coughing.

I just hope the new insurance includes our Pediatrician - we love her.

Hair History 1977 to 1990

Here it is... Something good.


Preschool - Not a care in the world, 70's bowl cut



















Kindergarten - Needed to have it long so I could have braids and pony tails and pretties



















1st Grade - Loved little house on the Prairie, had to keep it long



















2nd Grade - I'm pretty sure I cut my own bangs before this one



















3rd Grade - Refused to let anyone brush my hair and got a pixie cut. Kids in the neighborhood kept calling me 'hey boy' and I set to growing it out right away.



















4th Grade - I wanted to look just like Janet from Three's Company



















5th Grade - Feathered hair was just coming in and I had to have it.



















6th Grade - The beginning of my obsession with hair in my eyes



















7th Grade - Got a perm trying to emulate Madonna and it ended up too tight, I looked like a poodle. I hated my hair so much there are no pictures from 7th grade.

8th Grade - Feathered and big, I think I must've toned it down for picture day, or maybe I had swimming class before pictures. Notice the popped collar and the totally serious look on my face. That's because I was totally serious.




















9th Grade - Smirk check, Metallica shirt check, hair in my eyes check, ok take the picture



















10th Grade - Smirk check, black shirt check, hair in my eyes check, ok take the picture



















11th Grade - Smirk check, black shirt check, hair in my eyes check, extra gobs of eyeliner check ok take the picture




















What? No Senior Picture? No I didn't dig that far into the photo drawer. My Senior Picture was taken at the beginning of the "Grunge" look so I had just long curly hair and a nice dark red shirt on - pretty tame. I'll have to find one to show you all - but it'll just look like me only without the wrinkles - nothing crazy.

...um...

Instead of actually writing anything I sat and stared at this blank page for a good eight or nine minutes. It was nice to let my mind wander over things I might write and then just sip coffee. I will be back tomorrow with something good.

Finding a Minute

Oh busy busy day
Grant me time to breath and take a pee
Just five minutes meant for me
Lull my child into a nap
Put relaxation on the map
Oh busy buy day
I hardly have time
To finish this....

Black Friday

With coupons and fruit snacks in my purse, we made the big trip to the mall yesterday to do a little shopping and see Santa Clause. We talked about how it would be over breakfast:

“We’ll wait our turn. Then Santa Clause will put you on his lap and I will be right there too. He will ask you if you’ve been a good girl, what are you going to tell him?”

“Yes, I’m good one and I’ll tell him I want One Pony with a Brush for Christmas”

“Good! Remember you have to tell him loud in his ear like this… ‘SANTA CLAUSE, I WOULD LIKE A PONY PLEASE’ can you do that?”

“Yes, I will first tell him I am good and then I will tell him I would like a pony – looouud.”

After a forty minute drive we circled the parking lot for twenty minutes trolling for a space. Each barley missed spot was followed with “Crap!” and on the sixth or seventh exasperated turn of the wheel Ella started to whine she wanted out of her seat and the “Crap” turned into “Crappity crap crap!” and on the fourteenth or fifteenth circle for a spot I threw my hands up in the air and Ella asked me “Mom? Did you just crap?” and that was when I finally decided to park in the lot across the street.

On the hike through the parking lots we reviewed the Santa Claus visit. Ella agreed again she was ready to talk loud about the ponies and she would say ‘cheese’ at the end so I could take a picture. We fought our way through the first department store weaving in and out of lines twenty long sprouting from each register. When we finally reached the wide open span of the mall I bent down and took Ella’s coat off and asked her if she was getting excited to see Santa. She nodded and I hung our things off the back of the stroller. We strolled up to center court and surveyed the Santa Area. I bent down and asked Ella if she was ready, her eyes were wide as she nervously nodded. I circled the Santa Castle trying to stall while she found her nerve. When she seemed calm I unbuckled her stroller belt and held her hand as we entered the Santa Castle line.

The first turn had us waiting in front of a diorama of children all snug in their beds. “It’s ok to push the button if you want to.” I said and Ella toyed with the idea for a few minutes. I pretended I was entirely interested in what was on sale in the leather coat shop window while I proudly watched her through the corner of my eye find the courage to push the button. Sugar plumbs danced above the kids heads and Ella smiled and watched quietly soaking it all in. We rounded the corner fast and ended up waiting again in front of the third diorama this one of reindeer pulling a sleigh with Santa Claus in it. The little boy behind us clung to his Dad’s neck while the Dad tried to prod his son into pushing the button to make the reindeer legs gallop in the sky. Ella marched right over and pushed the button and when the father said to his son “See! She can push the button why can’t you?!” I winced a little in my head and leaned down to pick Ella up.

“We’re going to see Santa pretty soon. The baby in line in front of us is going to sit on Santa’s lap and…”

“Mom! It’s Santa CLAUSE” she said insisting I use his full name.

“Oh yeah. The baby will sit on Santa CLAUS’s lap and then we will see him, and when it’s your turn you can tell him you are a good girl and tell him what you would like for Christmas and tell him loud and then you will say cheese for the picture, ok?”

“I’m ready Mom!”

We waited and watched the baby take her turn. Ella confidently held my hand standing on her own two feet. We moved forward and watched the baby’s parents pay for two hundred and eighty two pictures of the baby and Santa and then it was Ella’s turn! I peeled her sweater off revealing her Christmas shirt. I turned to hang it on the stroller. I turned back around to find a crazed elf/lady of about 45 poking Ella in the ribs with an Elmo puppet trying to get her to cheer up before she sat on Santa’s lap. I quickly squatted next to Ella and put my arms around her. Ella pressed into me unsure of this new freaky element. The elf brought her face unusually close to Ella and gave her some fuzzy-wuzzy baby-waby talk about liking Santa “B‘cause him wuvs good widdow gews and bwoys and...” some other sappy drivel. At this point I think Ella tried to crawl into my shirt. I picked my horrified toddler up and exclaimed “Let’s get this show on the road.” while I skirted the elf and found our Santa Claus.

Santa Claus was smiling and ready with a twinkle in his eye and a wave for Ella, she climbed right up into his lap and leaned in. They talked about something briefly all quiet and close and I resisted the urge to lean in and eavesdrop by walking over to the camera and looking into the computer screen. I wanted that moment on film, Ella and Santa telling secrets to each other, “Let’s get a picture” I said to the elf. When she grabbed up that Elmo puppet and walked towards Ella I thought about tackling her to the floor and stuffing that stupid Elmo puppet down her gullet. Instead she poked Ella in the ribs with it and when Ella recoiled in horror she said “Did I find a ticklish spot?” and did it again. I rubbed my forehead and waited for the tears. Ella held it together pretty well and I paid for my $15.00 3x5 plus two sparkly key chains while Ella clung to my leg hiding from the dreaded elf with her hand up Elmo’s rear.

Here's hoping your Holiday Season starts off with a smile.

Economic Changes

Dinner Conversation from Yesterday:

Uncle Mark: What are you going to be when you grow up?

Me: Yeah Ella, what are you going to go to work and do when you’re big?

Ella: I’m going to be a mermaid and I’m going to go to work and build houses like Grandpa.

Dan: Yeah, you gotta have something that pays the bills

Uncle Mark: I understand the mermaid racket has really gone downhill since sonar and GPS and all. You know back in the day you could lure those boats out pretty easy and take ‘em down like that ~snap~ and then gather up all that booty, but now days you do all that work to bait them out and end up with an oil spill – shit, that’s hardly worth it. Those mermaids just aren’t in it for the money any more.

Ella: Yep.

Surreal Morning

When you step outside on the porch the neighborhood smells like turkey already. Country folk out here have Thanksgiving at like noon. Dan parents always served later because we could never get there on time they'd have dinner at 1:00 - gasp. We’d be finished washing up the dishes and home with leftovers by 4:00. Not this year, my Dad is doing Thanksgiving this year for us, my brothers, my grandparents, all my cousins and uncles we'll eat about 6:00 or so and follow dinner with port wine and hot chocolates late into the evening over cards and maybe even a chess board. This is the better arrangement to me; it gives us time to watch The Knights Who Say ‘Ni’ sing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” during the Macy’s parade before we even get a shower. Ella is enthralled by the knight’s tap dancing and is attempting it in her feety jammies and that’s top entertainment right there.

Give Thanks

I awoke this morning to more sunshine and the promise of temps in the 50s. This is good for a run to the city today to find a present for my Grandfather’s 80th birthday. Getting in and our of our warm car to shop with giant coats and hats and gloves and scarves for two is a project in itself and one I’m glad I won’t have to tackle yet. People will be on high today getting things ready for Thanksgiving and some may even be doing a little Christmas shopping. I expect to find crabby parents yelling at crying children in shopping carts and smiling old ladies winking in the direction of those children hoping to secretly convey some granny magic that will fix the mood in the cart. I’ll no doubt see gobs of teenagers dressed for August under the skimpiest of jackets standing around looking aloof and text messaging each other across the mall. I’ll see young mothers struggling with sticky toddlers in umbrella strollers and old mothers who will have every conceivable situation already prepared for in their designer diaper bags the two will judge each other through haughty sunglasses.

Ella will want to ride in the stroller and touch everything pretty and shiny, I will let her and in turn she will let me shop. She will want to ride the carousel at the food court and I will give her a dollar to ride while I get a smoothie. I will want to try on a new perfume at Macy’s and she will stare through the glass at the sparkly rings. We’ll stroll past Cinnabon and breath deep. When Ella hears another mother yelling for her child to “Shut up!” in the elevator she will cling tighter to me and whisper “She’s mean” in my ear while I nod. We’ll peek into Spencers at the gag gifts and gargoyles and the smoke rolling out the door, I’ll reminisce at Hot Topic, and Ella will play for a minute or two at the toy store. When we start to snap at each other it will be time to start home. Together we’ll sing during the long drive home and maybe Ella will fall asleep. I’ll carry her in to the couch sit down to read my e-mail. Today will be a good day. Thanks Milo.

Wrapped Around Her Finger

"Daddy, you and I will go and get that toy and we will bring it home and then you will open it for me and I will play with it and I will tell you 'Thank you very much Daddy'"

5 in the Morning

5 little things that are making my morning good

Instant Coffee
Enough sleep
Clean dishes
Sunshine
Wrens outside the window

Bettie and Clay

Clay and Bettie lived kitty-corner from us and every spring Clay would mix up a batch of blue cement paint and invite us over to help him paint the inside of his pool. Bettie would make bologna sandwiches and a few PB&J for Chris who was vegetarian and we’d have lunch afterwards. For the rest of the summer the pool would be open to us to use in thanks for helping. They were always good neighbors even when the rooster moved into their front hedge. Apparently a farmer had lent out an ornery rooster to another neighbor to keep a stray dog out of the front yard and the rooster decided he liked Clay and Bettie’s hedge better then his intended living quarters a few blocks away. Clay fed him corn for days until the police chief came down and chased him around the block and took him back to the farm he came from.

After they moved across town they always came to our front yard for the Memorial Day Parade and we came to reserve a table for them. We’d move our best lawn furniture to the front yard and I’d make a little sign for the top that read “Reserved for the Henneman’s” This tickled Bettie to no end and each year she’d look forward to those margaritas on my front lawn during the parade, where they'd be treated like the A-list celebrities of the party. The week after she’d thank me with a premium bottle of Tequila, I never had the heart to tell her we have 4 whole bottles of unopened Tequila in our bar. But I don’t think it wouldn’t have mattered, she’d have given them anyway, and that was Bettie. Always sending down pies, jelly or bottles of Tequila, she was a good neighbor even after they moved.





















BETTIMARIE HENNEMAN, 85 MERRILL GARDENS, Calif. - Bettimarie Henneman, 85, Merrill Gardens, Calif., formerly of Pecatonica, died at 6:24 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, 2006, in San Ramon Medical Center, San Ramon, Calif. Born July 24, 1921 in Alma, Neb., the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fay D. and Blanche (Jackson) Fuller. Lived 50-plus years in Pecatonica coming from Moorhead, Minn., before moving to California. Married Clarence Henneman in Bartlesville, Okla. on June 5, 1943. Bettie was employed as a secretary by K.C. Soil Service. Member of Pecatonica United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women's Group, PTA, active in Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts leader and neighborhood chairman, Methodist choir, vocalist and accompanist. Before moving to Pecatonica, she was a member of Fargo-Moorhead Women's Chorus, performing Handel's Messiah. Graduated from Dearborn High, Dearborn, Minn. Survivors include son, Craig (Carlotta) Henneman, Hayward, Calif.; daughter, Shelia Henneman, Anthem, Ariz.; son, Ladd (Carol) Henneman, Danville, Calif.; grandson, Christopher (Amanda) Harriosn, Pecatonica; granddaughters, Michelle and Nicole Henneman, Danville, Calif.; and Madison of Pecatonica. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, daughter, Sherry Harrison; and brother, Frank Fuller. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, in McCorkle Funeral Home, 203 West Fifth St., Pecatonica. Burial in Twelve Mile Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Pecatonica Rotary Club, P.O. Box 151, Pecatonica, IL 61063.

Be Careful What You Ask For

Does anyone else beside me watch “Ghost Hunters”? For those of you who don’t it’s a show where these Roto Rooter Guys get calls about unusual happenings and then go chase the ghosts. They bring cameras and magnetic detectors and infrared cameras and they go to haunted places and do and “investigation” and to debunk the claims of the haunted. I think the reason I love this show so much is three out of four haunting get debunked. They figure out that if you walk in “this spot” the chandelier moves or the “orbs” everyone has been seeing are actually a headlight reflection off of a bucket on the second floor stairwell. Of course that leaves one of four that they can’t explain and even so they just commit these places as “unexplained” it’s not very common that the word “haunted” comes from their mouths.

This week they went to Ireland and provoked a well known ghost in a well known castle and got hurt. One of the investigators was calling out into the air “What are you a wussy? Come on show yourself!” which these fellas sometimes do while trying to provoke an anomaly. So this guy is goading the ghost when he very suddenly falls to the ground. It took a few minutes before he wanted to get up and then he wanted to go outside immediately, he didn’t want to play any more. He just really got what he was asking for. Sometimes, it’s just not so smart to keep provoking a thing that you know could slam you to the ground.

Good TV I say. I love these guys. They will keep investigating oversees for the next few shows and I will Tevo every second. The European Ghosts seem to be extra feisty. Perhaps it's because they are older or maybe they just have a different understanding of the afterlife. All I know is that so far one out of one places investigated overseas has been officially called "HAUNTED".

Exhale

Taking kiddo to the local indoor play ground today. I'm going to read and unwind while she plays.