Snake Hunting

Spring has sprung (finally) in Columbus and that means snakes aplenty. We've had several recent expeditions to Whetstone Park in search of snakes. The one captured on this video was a success.

We've brought Snaky home for observation and will be releasing him back into the Whetstone Creek habitat in a few days.

Ahhhhhh.... Spring!

Dude, that's my car.

So, a funny little story.

I was fixing dinner the other night while Dave and Micah were sitting in the living room. Micah called me into the room for some reason, I don't remember why, and I just happened to look out the front window. I saw a tow truck in front of our house. As I looked a little more closely (it was dusk and nearly dark) I realized that the bed of the truck was being lowered down. And then I realize that the truck appeared to be getting in position to tow my car.

"There's a tow truck out there and it looks like he's about to hook my car up," I turned and said to Dave.

Dave looked up, half-listening, and said something akin to "hmmm."

I looked back out the window and saw that the driver was now out of the truck and starting to get the chain out. I knocked on the window, "DUDE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY CAR?"

I turned to Dave again, panicked, "honey, seriously, it looks like he's about to take my car!"

Dave got up, looked out the window, then moved briskly (for Dave) out the front door where he confronted the tow truck driver. I saw them talk for about 30 seconds, then the neighbor from a few doors down entered the conversation, pointed, everybody's shoulders kind of shrugged in a laughing gesture, and Dave came back in the house.

"Um, apparently he was here to tow the neighbor's car and got a little mixed up."

The neighbor has a BMW station wagon. We don't.

Isn't there some sort of system in place with tow trucks where they either a) verify a license plate number or, b) knock on the alleged owner's door or, c) somehow verify that they are actually towing the correct car? It's not like we had parked illegally and were being towed for naughty reasons, after all. The neighbor had actually called for a tow truck so it could be taken to the repair shop.

I'm just glad I decided to look out the window at the moment I did or we would have found ourselves strangely without a car.

Fantasy Island re-lived

To honor the late Mr. Roarke, known off the island as Ricardo Montalban, I decided to expose my kids to Fantasy Island. Did you know you can watch episodes online at hulu.com?


We watched this episode and I'm pretty sure I haven't laughed so hard in a really, really long time. The whole thing is completely nuts and the political incorrectness is a true testament to how far we've come since the early 80s.

But back when it was airing, I loved Fantasy Island. On Saturday night, after Love Boat, I would cuddle under a blanket and watch the show while imagining what fantasy I would have requested from Mr. Roarke.

Micah and I spent 45 minutes in front of the computer screen watching this episode which featured two ladies who wanted to be cheerleaders for a pro football team and another storyline with Mel the short order cook (Vic Tayback, remember the show Alice with Linda Lavin?) Micah has asked to watch another episode every day since then.

Uh oh.

Micah's haircut

Just when I had grown to love Micah's ultra-unruly hair, he decided he wanted to have it all cut off. I captured the event on video.

Snowball fight!

We've had just enough snow in the last few days for the kids to have a great snowball fight. Unfortunately, toward the end, they started taking refuge inside the back door. Lots of melted snow to mop up.

Micah was home sick today

Micah was sick today. He sure does ask a lot of questions when he's lying on the couch and I'm trying to get work done. Here's a sampling of the questions he asked today (a mere fraction of the actual quantity asked):

What does distribute mean?
Why do they call it leap year anyway, shouldn't it be skip-day-year?
Guess how many yards Randy Moss has gained in his career?
Will I throw up if I have the hiccups?
How do they make movies?
How could they ever make the movie The Water Horse? Where would they ever find something that looks like that and grows that fast? (You'd have to see this movie to understand the purity of his question.)
I think the cats would do well in the car.
Guess where my favorite place to visit is? Second favorite? Third favorite? Fourth? Fifth?
Is it possible for three people to talk on the phone at the same time? Four? Five? Six???
Would you rather have a perfect offense or defense? (He's obsessed with football.)
Guess which cat purrs the loudest?
This couch must be super hard to make! You have to tie each one of these little things.
Can you take me somewhere? Like to the zoo? (The kid threw up this morning IN MY CAR!)
Do you think the University of Florida could beat the Green Bay Packers?
Do you think Sam Bradford should have won the Heisman?
Mom, how much longer until you’re done?

Tonight I had a glass of wine (okay, two!)

Our not-so-smart cat

So, this morning I ended up working at home for a bit. Snuggling into my favorite working chair (where I am right now, by the way) I heard one of our kitty's meowing. I looked around the room but no cat was to be seen.

Again, "Meow."

I leaned over the side of the chair, "Where are you?"

No cat. I continued to work. The cat continued to meow. It was very close to me, and in distress. After surrendering to the distraction, I got up from the chair and started trying to locate the origin of the sound.

Alas, the cat was INSIDE my chair! I don't know how she got there, but it took just about as long to get her out.

Not the smartest cat in the house.

Ike, a hurricane?

This is Ike.

He's a very sweet dog. He also has a bit of "slowness" to him. When we got him, his head was as big as his body because he had been abandoned and left for dead. At six weeks, he was as cute as can be, but clearly the malnutrition caused a little bit of damage to the brain.

He's just not the sharpest tack in the box.

Now there's a hurricane that's been named after him.

Hurricane Ike not only ravaged the coast of Texas, but the storm traveled all the way north to Columbus with its 75 mph winds and knocked out the power in most of Columbus, including our house. We just got our power back, after 2 1/2 days, but some people in the city could be without for another five days! We salvaged some of the food in the fridge and made due with candles and flashlights.

I don't think I'll ever try to join an Amish community.

So, is there irony in the fact that our Ike, a slow, somewhat dumb dog who would have died long ago had he been left to fend for himself in the wild, now has one of the fiercest storms to hit our parts named after him? Perhaps. But in our household, things remain about the same for Ike.

He is still afraid of the cat.

This is actually a video I took with my camera last fall (before it was broken) and I just located it as I was sifting through files on the computer.

I think I was trying to get the kids to pose for a picture, and maybe they didn't realize I was shooting video. Anyway, it's so indicative of their relationship that I just couldn't resist posting it here! (For anybody who might possibly not have given up on me.)

Don't give up on my blogging...I've had camera issues...

Zoey dropped our camera when we were in Mexico. Although I can still take some pictures, the quality seems a bit compromised.

I will attempt to post some, however.

Please bear with the poor quality.

Hockey Stars!

So, I think I've written before that the kids are doing a little hockey playing these days. It's through a rec center league and a lot of fun. They have mostly been working on skating and puck handling. Last night, however, they were invited to play in Nationwide Arena during intermission at the Columbus Blue Jackets game (our NHL team).

It was GREAT! Zoey was the goalie (her favorite position, I think because she loves the equipment). She took it so seriously. Let me tell you, she was awesome (and I'm just a little biased). One of the kids on the other team had a breakaway and came down the ice full guns toward Zoey. She made an awesome stop and the crowd went wild! Micah played defense, which meant his role in the game was a bit more low-profile. Nonetheless, he was quite a scrapper.


After the game (which lasted about 5 minutes), they selected Zoey for an interview with the game announcer - the interview is shown on the Jumbo-tron screen in the center of the ice.

The whole thing was just hilarious!


Zoey is floating on air - I don't know what she's going to do since she's only six and her lifetime dream has already been fulfilled. Hopefully she doesn't fall into some state of despair! And Micah is dealing very well with his sister's new found fame.

Random Photos of Silly Kids

Our life these days can hardly be deemed "peaceful". The kids seem to be quite keen on fighting with one another. So, Dave and I spend much of our day correcting behavior, refereeing fights, and sending children to their respective corners.

I just had to take a picture today when I realized that they spent the afternoon playing with one another and creating a "zoo" of animals in our living room. There was no yelling, no fighting, just pure cooperation. It was a virtual miracle.














































Things were so quiet, the dog just slept through the whole thing.

Christmas in the Mountains - Day #4

Micah and Zoey enjoying their books before bed. It's a GLORIOUS thing that both of them can now read! A smiling Micah in the gondola, on the way up the mountain.
Zoey riding up the gondola - it was a beautiful, clear day at the top of the mountain.

Dave, expressing his frustration during lunch at the top of the mountain - whining children, long wait for a table, overpriced food! EEEEEKKKKK!!!
Zoey decided to take off her skis and just slide around (near the lift line). After this photo was taken, she realized how difficult it is to walk in the slippery snow in only ski boots, so she had a minor meltdown. Of course, she's had worse meltdowns. (Perhaps the cold snow kept her from getting too hot under the collar.)

Christmas in the Mountains - Days #2 & #3

We've made it to the mountain and are getting some great skiing! Here's Dave all ready to hit the slopes:

Zoey, geared up and ready to report to ski school (we put them in for the first day and they did great!)
After day #1 on the slopes, we were all tired and ready for nice soak in the hot tub.
The start of day #2 and our first day down the whole mountain as a family unit. Quite an adventure! (It took us about 1 1/2 hours.)
Zoey riding up the mountain on the gondola.
Susan and Micah on the gondola.

Dave and Zoey on the gondola.

Half way down the mountain we stopped for a break and a photo op - Micah actually leaned toward his sister and put his arm around her. I think he must be getting used to Mom's picture taking.

Christmas in the Mountains - Day #1

Here we are in Colorado, spending Christmas in the mountains where there is snow that lasts for months, rather than hours (as is the case in Columbus.) We flew into Denver, had a night in a hotel with a pool and spent the morning swimming before heading up the mountain to Keystone Resort. Dave threw the kids in the pool several times while I watched from the warmth of the jacuzzi. Being from really overcast Ohio, we just aren't used to the sunlight gleaming off of the snow. When we came out of the grocery store, Micah was nearly blinded (okay, a little dramatic) and had us lead him to the car while he covered his eyes. We decided to take a little detour to Super Target to acquire good skiing sunglasses for us all. It became a natural photo opportunity.
I always make a point of putting the camera in Dave's hands at least a few times while we are on vacation so we can get some shots of me with the kids. Basically so that if I die, they won't forget what I look like. I know, a bit morbid, isn't it?
When we were driving up the mountain, there was a sign for "Big Horn sheep viewing" so we decided to be spontaneous and give it a try. We followed the sign down this long road that was pretty snow covered. Finally we arrived at a little outpost that had telescopes aimed at the mountainside. We put in our 25 cents and scanned the mountains for the creatures. After about a minute, I realized the futility and headed for the warmth of the car. Dave and the kids braved it out for a little longer before giving up and returning to the car as well. We then headed back to the interstate and right there, on the entrance ramp to I-70, was the beautiful creature pictured below. We pulled over and snapped a few photos while he casually continued to munch at the dead stuff on the ground. As we continued on our way, we saw several others perched on the cliffs by the roads. I guess they're pretty common.
Parts of our day NOT pictured here:

• Our waiting in line at the ski rental place FOREVER.
• The kids near meltdown inside the ski rental place.
• Zoey's total meltdown outside the ski rental place when I told her that she could not ski back to the condo.
• All of our frustration when we realize there was something wrong with our equipment locker and, therefore, had to lug all of our skis, boots, poles, etc. up to our condo.
• Mine and Dave's meltdown and threatening of the kids as we tried to settle them down at bedtime (I think we're all a bit tired!)