Lake Effect

December 28, 2009, 3:23 p.m.
Elmwood Avenue
Lovely day for a drive.

Beef on Weck and Potato Candy

Every Christmas Eve for the past 25 years or so, health and weather permitting, I make the trek to the Malcombs in Gasport for Beef on Weck and Potato Candy. I look forward to it every year.

Usually I sit in the living room and socialize with those sitting in there. It occurred to me this year that I was missing a whole bunch of stuff going on in the kitchen - constant laughter, and no matter how much we ate, the pot of beef on the stove stays full.

I laugh so much here. They have adopted me as their own, and they have no idea how much that means to me. I hope someday my brother can meet them. They'll adopt him, too.

'Uncle' Wayne and his daughter, Ashley

Getting teased by Uncle Wayne

Winter Concert

Today is Ian's Winter Concert at school, and he has a speaking part!


P.S. He spoke like a natural. He did very well. I am a proud Mom!

Health Update.

Sinus infection and bronchitis. Again.

I need a week off to just be wrapped in an afghan with a good book (that's not a text book).

Yeah. As Ian would say, "Good luck with that."

Sick again.

It has been a rough fall season for me. I am sick again, and sick and tired of being sick and tired! I am just feeling yucky again...stuffy nose, cough that rattles my bones, being too warm and then shivering with cold... Time for another visit to the doctor.

Sprung a Leak

We sprung a leak at the firm and the front yard had to be rearranged. Poor Dennis.

He does it again.

Ian, it's time to wake up!

Mommy, does the brain work faster than the speed of light?

Well, it depends on the person, honey.

Where does he get this stuff? And why is it in his head at 6:15 in the morning?

Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree...

...wish I'd have remembered to take a picture AFTER the lights were on it! :D Check out the stand!

Reading...

Saturday morning, breakfast at the Olympic. He's reading the Wall Street Journal with me.


Bravo!

A Weekend Off

Ian has a sleepover tonight at the daycare center with his school buddies, and another sleepover tomorrow night with his cousin, Lucas.

I think I'll get some quality work done on my paper.

It's always so weird when he isn't around, though. I mean, it's so.... quiet...

Winter Has Arrived

From www.weather.com, the latest:

... LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING...

...A BAND OF HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL CONTINUE FROM THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN GENESEE COUNTY. EXPECT THIS BAND TO REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH EARLY EVENING BEFORE SETTLING FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE MORE DISTANT SOUTHTOWNS LATER THIS EVENING... FINALLY MOVING OUT OF THE AREA BY LATE EVENING.

EXPECT SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR IN THE MOST INTENSE PORTION OF THIS BAND. IN ADDITION TO HEAVY SNOWFALL... STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES WITH SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE WORST CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS EAST TO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF GENESEE COUNTY... WITH MUCH BETTER DRIVING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NORTHTOWNS.

STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 16 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS AND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF GENESEE COUNTY... WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES ACROSS THE HEART OF THE METRO AREA.

I'm so cold!

Jeff said...

No snow here...... :)

Serena said...

Yet. :D

An Old Favorite

Lucky me.

My nephew, Eric, has Alport Syndrome. In 1999, he had a kidney transplant, and has been doing well until recently. He spent the weekend in the hospital and discovered his body is rejecting the new kidney. This week he finds out if the damage to his new kidney can be repaired, or if he will need to be placed back on the transplant list and go back on dialysis.

He seems to be in pretty good spirits, all things considered. I guess it's because he knew this day would come. Alport Syndrome just doesn't go away or quit, so Eric will need a new kidney every ten to fifteen years.

It's things like this that remind me how lucky I am. Never take good health for granted.

My Indoor Garden

My blooming Christmas Cactus (which is a beautiful shade of pink, and I don't know how to make it happen in the photo...Obiwan?)A couple Christmas cacti, a jade, some miscellaneous stuff in a pot, and a tree:

Does anyone know what kind of tree/plant this is?

Artiste

Modeling my new hat. Kid has a great imagination...took him about two seconds to put it on when I walked in with it.


Looks better on him than it does on me. :D

Shoveling

Yes, Folks, here he is...shoveling...
THE YARD.

I don't understand boys.

The bad and the good...

So the bad news is I'm all stuffy again and sneezing and feeling run down. I don't know why I'm so run down, but there you have it. Tim (the boss) told me under no circumstances am I to get sick again. My sinuses have decided not to listen to him.

But on a good note, I'm sitting wrapped up in an afghan listening to tunes on my laptop. I so enjoy listening to Beethoven. His music is timeless. I can just close my eyes and imagine it is summer, the sun warm on my face, wind in my hair... It is so relaxing, and sometimes just what I need after a long day at the office during the full moon.

6:15 a.m.

He wakes up talking. I mean, LITERALLY. He opens his eyes at 6:15 a.m. and starts talking. I don't know how he does it. I have to get coffee in me before I wake him up. Why isn't here a parent manual that warns you about this stuff? I can't think like this so early!

Ian! It's time to get up!

Mommy, if we lived in Russia, would we be able to buy a house there?

Huh?

Can we buy a house in Russia?

Now?

No. I just wanna know.

Um, I don't know. I think it works different in Russia. Why?

I want to go to England. Where do you want to go?

Paris. What does that have to do with Russia?

It doesn't. Can we go to London?

Not today. Did you brush your teeth?

Nope. I can't find my toothbrush. I mean on vacation. Is Paris in England too?

No, it's in France. And why is your toothbrush on vacation?

No, not my toothbrush. We could go on vacation. We could go to France and London and Paris. How old would I have to be?

I'm not sure. You're not going to get any older if you don't brush your teeth.

Okaaaay. I'm just sayin', though. I really really want to go to England. Can I have a new toothbrush?

I'll keep it in mind, and yes. And then get dressed.

Maybe we could go to England next year. And then Russia next year. Do I have to wear sleeves?

To Russia?

No! To school!

Yes!

6:30 a.m. I need a nap.

Homework Help Needed!

I have to write a paper. Here is the scenario:

The CEO of your company has asked you to research the claim that being more ethical and socially responsible in business increases efficiency in the workplace. The CEO has asked you to prepare a report that describes how business ethics and social responsibility can be used to increase efficiency, the effect that it can have on the reputation of the company, and the effect it can have on the company’s relationships with employees, investors, and customers.

I am having a hard time finding sources. Any ideas, anyone? I am trying to stick with electronic sources because I don't have a whole lot of time to track down (and read entire) books.

Michael said...

I don't know of any resources. But I wonder if it would help to be reminded that Buddhism recommends ethics and social responsibility as efficient... I wonder if there are any "Zen and the Art of" type books that have what you are looking for.

Otherwise, most references seem to center on specific types of "efficiency" - usually energy, sometimes financial.

Serena said...

Exactly! I am having a difficult time tying ethics and social responsibility to efficiency. Perhaps I am having a problem with my search terms?

Michael said...

A few possible sources that I did not have enough time to vet. Hope you know how to speed-read:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_ethics
Scan references and further reading at the bottom of the entry.

Scan the abstract - "Free registration required:"
http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=81303

http://ethicalcorp.blogspot.com/

http://www.squidoo.com/CSR-ethicalbiz

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/303793/Ethics-And-Social-Responsibility--PPT

"It has been said that it makes good business sense for managers to be ethical ... ethics within an organization is perceived as an effective and efficient"
http://www.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/social-responsibility-organizational-ethics

http://www.enterweb.org/ethics.htm
Business ethics and corporate social responsibility ... to make corporate social responsibility an integral part of business operations and strategies. ...

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/business/corporate-social-responsibility.html

http://www.thomas.org.nz/web/files/ethics.pdf

http://ezinearticles.com/?Business-Ethics-and-Social-Responsibility&id=753524

Can economic efficiency models be used to make smart business ethics decisions? Well, probably not. But let's try anyway.
http://www.joshklein.net/business-ethics-and-economic-efficiency

Dorinda said...

I searched “news about Google's ethics and social responsibility”.

Serena said...

Excellent! I'm going to try that for Wegman's, too. They are one of the top companies to work for, they must be both ethical and socially responsible. (Hopefully they are also efficient!)

An interesting side note... how come you never see a law firm in the top 100 companies to work for?

A giggle...

A facebook post from a friend of mine:

OMG. Some days it's so not worth chewing through the restraints.........

The smallest size they had...

Ian's first rock concert. And it was LEGENDARY.

My poor baby.

He lost his student council election today, then was goofing off at the after-school program at day care and got smacked in the mouth by another child, which gave him a fat lip and a bloody nose.

I told him life is like this. Some days are good, and some days are bad. It's just his turn in the barrel, and it won't last forever.

It's a hard lesson to learn... Poor baby.

Sooooo Hungry...

Don't open that box of Girl Scout cookies if you're really, really hungry.

Yeah.

I HAD a box of Trefoils...

Michael said...

I HAD a five pound box of Godiva...

LOL!!!

It Finally Happened.

The Boy Child came downstairs at 6:30 this morning. - and he was Dressed! Well ... sort of.

You're dressed!

Yup.

Honey, why do your clothes looked like you slept in them?

Cuz I did!

Errr...why would you do that?

So now I'm ready for school.

OH, NO, YOU'RE NOT!

Methinks he's been reading my Calvin and Hobbes books.

Michael said... Spoilsport.

He was just running a "male efficiency experiment." A lot like the ones where you use the same underwear for a second week by turning them inside out. Remember?

:D

EEEUUUUUU!!!!

Campaign Central

Ian is running for Student Council.

My Little Maestro

From my brother:

"Now that I know that there's water on the moon, your natural spring water from the Swiss Alps bores me."

Round Two.

Ian had no school today in honor of Veterans Day, so I brought him to work with me. He didn't want to get up this morning, but truthfully, neither did I, so I didn't think anything of it.

When we got to work, he played with his Nintendo game for about half an hour, then curled up on a blanket and went to sleep.

For two solid hours.

He woke up, ate some cereal with milk, played a little more, and then went back to sleep. At about noon, he woke up and played some, very quietly, and then at 1:30, he says, "Mommy, I think I'm gonna barf." I told him to go into the kitchen to use the garbage in there, and I followed him in.

And toss his groceries he did. Very well, I might add. I think his meals for the past three days came up.

So we left work early, and here I am at home, watching over my sleeping child. Or, should I say, the child who is sleeping beside a bucket.

What a way to spend an afternoon.

Michael said...

At least he hit the target.

There are sooooo many ways this story could have been worse! ;-)

Serena said...
Oh, yeah. He could have tossed his groceries all over my computer. The boss would have been REAL happy with me!

Chinese for Lunch

I ordered Chicken Chow Mein for lunch today at Chinese Kitchen. My fortune left me a wee bit confused.

"A nice cake is waiting for you."

Cake?

Where?

And most importantly, is it chocolate?

Michael said...

I'm still waiting for the one that says, "There's a wheelbarrow full of money waiting for you."

Serena said...

You and me both!

Catching Up!

Check out blog updates back to October 26! I'm finally feeling good enough to catch up. Health-wise, I'm over the bronchitis, and I'm just stuck with that annoying cough that will hang on most of the winter. I can live with it. School-wise, I'm on target to finish my course on time. Research is the order of the day for the weekend. My latest paper is going to be on ethics and social responsibility in the workplace.

Life is good!

The Mammogram

Went for my annual mammogram today. Honestly, with medical technology being what it is, you would think there would be an easier way to accomplish this by now! Anyway...

I had a miserable experience at Windsong Radiology last time I went there, and swore I would never return. So this year, I asked my ob/gyn if I had a choice where to go. She said, "Sure! Go wherever you want!" So I called Kenmore Mercy Hospital.

They were wonderful! Friendly, kind, efficient, and as gentle as possible. It was over with quickly, hardly any wait time, and for the first time in a long time, I came away with no bruising!

After, I treated myself to a Venti Non-Fat Chai at Starbucks. (It's a spiced tea that tastes like Christmas. Great stuff!) After all, even a good mammogram is still a mammogram.

Ladies, it's important. If you're over 40, get it done. Yes, it's uncomfortable. But if it saves your life, what's a little discomfort?

The Loose Tooth

The tooth came out in Chorus! FINALLY! Keep singing, Kid. There are three more loose ones in there. :D

There is No Tooth Fairy.

We are at the Dentist's Office for our semi-annual teeth cleanings. After His Highness had his teeth cleaned, he came in to where I was, planted himself on the bottom of my chair at my feet, and started thinking. I hate it when he does that in public. :D

"Mom. I got four loose teeth all together that are gonna come out soon. One is hanging on by a thread. The lady (nodding his head toward the hygienist who cleaned his teeth) says the tooth fairy is gonna come." (said with a smirk)

(pause for thought)

"Mister Dentist? How many teeth do babies have?"

"Well, babies aren't born with teeth."

"Oh. Well, how many teeth do kids have?"

"Well, after they all come in, kids have 20 teeth. Then, as they get to be adults, they have 32 teeth."

"Humpf. Mom. Why don't you just give me the 20 bucks now?"

The dentist busted out laughing, and all I could think was, here I am with a mouthful of tools and can't say a word!

"I like how this kid thinks!" He removed all the paraphernalia from my mouth, patted me on the shoulder and said,

"He's going to go far, Mom, he's going to go far."

Yeah. In the meantime, I've got to keep a step ahead of him!

Fond Memories of a Baseball Fan

The year was 1967. It must have been, because my Mom was sitting in the rocking chair in the living room, and she was pregnant with my sister. I'll never forget it.

Dad always had the baseball game on TV on Saturday afternoon. I would line up my dolls on the couch (I had three bears and a pink dog), and we would all watch the Game of the Week with Daddy.

I, of course, in the excitement of the game, would root for anyone who scored.

I remember it as if it was yesterday. I cheered to a player scoring a run, and my Dad looked at me and said, very sternly, "NEVER root for the Yankees!" It startled me, and I took him seriously.

Over the years, he repeated this to me, never less passionately, "NEVER root for the Yankees! If the Witch of Endor is playing against the Yankees, we will root for the Witch of Endor!" I had no idea who the Witch of Endor was, but it doesn't matter.

I still can't root for the Yankees.

Michael said...

That's fascinating! I had no idea that he had an opinion that strong about _any_ baseball team!!!

In all of our exchanges, his fondness for the game was the primary take-away...

Serena said...

I asked him once why he felt so strong about the Yanks. He said it was because he always felt cheated. The team spent a ton of money for stars so they always won, and you never got to see 9 complete innings because if they were home, the games only went 8 1/2. He feels they don't play fair in their business dealings. You should see him grin ear-to-ear when Andy Pettitte (one of the Yank pitchers) gets pasted. Well, come to think of it, I do, too. :D

Sabres v Islanders

I took Ian to a Sabres game. My friend was unable to use two of his season tickets, so he sold them to me for the price he paid, $30 each. We were in the second row from the top of the Arena.

The giveaway for the evening was a white towel, which Ian waved pretty much through the entire time we were there, except when he was grabbing another piece of soft pretzel. He was absolutely glued to the game.

We couldn't stay for the entire game; it was a school night and I had to work the next day. We did stay through two periods, though, and when we left, the Sabres were up 2 to zip. They did hang on to win, against the Islanders, 3 to 0.

One More Day Wasn't Enough.

I've now got bronchitis. I've decided that I need to get more rest while Ian isn't around "mommy"-ing, so while he's at school today, I am getting some sleep.

He's 9!

He's 9 years old today. Where does the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday, he was 4 pounds and struggling to breathe, followed by months of PT so he could sit up on his own. The memories of the years that have passed flow like water in a stream...the first words, the first steps, the first day of school.

Today we celebrate the happiest day of my life, the anniversary of the day my beautiful boy was born. Happy birthday, Ian. I love you more than you know.

One More Sick Day. And then That's It.

I don't have time for this! So I'm giving this bug one more day to go away, and then that's it. No more.

The doctor gave me cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep. Man, she was NOT kidding. I take this stuff, and the next thing I know, it's three hours later and I've been drooling. Unbelievable. I can't work and take this stuff at the same time. Heck, I can't take this stuff and drive.

So, I'll pound the cough syrup and get lots of rest today and tonight, and tomorrow it's back to work with over-the-counter meds. And I'll save the good stuff for the evenings so I can get quality sleep at night.

The Tree in our Backyard

The beautiful fall colors make me smile, but the smell of winter in the air makes me sigh. Ah, well. Such is the circle of life. Spring is right around the corner.

Which means Summer's comin'! :D

Another Sick Day

I survived Ian's birthday party with help from my friends. I think I drank an entire pitcher of Pepsi myself and inhaled about 15 cough drops just so I could talk. My sinuses are killing me, I have no voice left to speak of, and my head is going to explode.

I have already called in sick to work for Monday, and it's off to the doctor I go!

Sick Day

Who knew that making toast could take so much energy? I'm going to take another nap!

I've got a wicked sore throat, hacking cough, nausea and no energy. {heavy sigh} Of course, Ian is feeling much better! I think he should take care of me today. :D

Actually, this bug has a deadline. Ian's birthday party is coming up, and I MUST be better for that!

The Traffic Camera (A Joke from My Brother)

A man was driving through town, when he saw the flash of a traffic camera. He figured that his picture had been taken for exceeding the limit, even though he knew that he was not speeding... Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. Now he began to think that this was quite funny, so he drove even slower as he passed the area again, but the traffic camera again flashed.

He tried a fourth time with the same result. He did this a fifth time and was now laughing when the camera flashed as he rolled past, this time at a snail's pace...

Two weeks later, he got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt.

You just can't fix stupid.

For Miss Sue

Ian and our paralegal, Sue, hit it off just great. Ian loves her almost as much as he loves Miss Joni!

I love you, Mommy.

I love you, too, honey.

Mommy, I have love for Miss Sue, too. Not as much as for you, but I love her, too.

That's nice, honey. I like her, too!

Why hasn't she been at work?

Well, she has been really sick. She has asthma, which makes it really hard for her to breathe sometimes.

Oh. Are her cats okay?

Yes, honey. Her cats are fine.

Okay.

And with that, he curls up and goes to sleep. What a kid. I just love him. :)

And now...Blackjack?

So Ian thinks he knows all there is to know about playing Texas Hold 'Em and Poker, and now he wants me to teach him how to play Blackjack. What is it with this kid and gambling? He didn't get that from MY side of the family! :D

Tristan

Here is my beautiful, gorgeous, absolutely wonderful Grand Nephew, His Royal Highness Tristan of Seattle! He is currently in charge in Jeff and Kaia's home, and with that smile, who's arguing? :D

Just a little down today...

I've had a few really bad days.

Thursday night, Ian was in aikido as normal, when Sheila threw him (as she was supposed to do), but he came down wrong. He is usually so dramatic when something even minor happens that I didn't believe he was really hurt.

Friday, after spending the day between the pediatrician, radiologist, and orthopedic specialist, we discover he has a Salter-Harris Type II fracture of his fifth toe. This basically means he broke the growth plate. (Wow, did I feel guilty for not believing him.) The doctor said if he doesn't injure it anymore, wears a firm shoe, no gym or aikido, no running, no jumping, no kick ball, etc., he'll be fine. If he dislocates it further, he will require surgery - the kind that involves instrumentation. {heavy sigh} The doctor told me to try to keep him off of it for a couple weeks. I laughed and said, "Doc! He's 8!" He laughed too. Wonder if he has kids. 8-year-old boys don't sit still for long.

And because I think it's fun to torture myself, Saturday I used the opportunity presented by Ian laying on the couch all day to clean his room. I took four trash bags of stuff out of there - the kid is a packrat! I think he kept every single paper he did last year in school. He told me he is keeping a few of his broken toys "for the memories". And he certainly hasn't been doing all his laundry. I found most of my towels, and he now has only six socks with no matches. Ah, well. He's 8.

Work has been tough, too. The lady I work with is out sick, and as usual, these things happen at the worst possible time. The boss is gearing up for trial, and I am so slogged under I don't even want to get up in the morning. Motivational issues, I guess. I'm just trying to keep all the balls in the air until she comes back and things return to relatively normal. I can't wait until they get the mold cleaned up in the basement (where my office is). That mildewy smell in my clothes is sickening, and I'm going through Kleenex like crazy. Hopefully the clean-up will happen this week.

It's been a bad week for some of our clients, too. Most of them just don't realize how difficult it is for me to listen to the injuries - me, who doesn't do blood. I am totally in the wrong business. I feel so bad for people who get hurt, and some days it is really hard for me not to get down. I always remember to smile as I pick up the phone and say hello, because I know that the person on the other end has much bigger problems than I have ever experienced, and they certainly don't need to hear grumpy. If things get bad, I view a slide show in my brother's pbase site, and I feel better. This link goes to my favorite section: http://www.pbase.com/michaeltabor/places. It's like taking a mental stroll through an art museum.

Ian will have to go to work with me tomorrow. It is his class' field trip day, and because of his foot, he can't go. They are going to Mumford, and it is a walking tour. He is NOT happy, and giving me a wee bit of a hard time because of it. I keep telling him, this isn't for forever, but for now, he's got to stay off that foot. But he's 8.

Top it all off with the fact that I smelled winter in the air this morning, and baseball playoffs have started - which means the end of summer.

Hmm. I seem to be feeling a bit bluesy now. Time to check out that pbase site again.

Thank goodness for big brothers. :)

And things will get better again. I'm just in a slump. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Ridiculous!

All right. Just between us normal people, haven't our local retail establishments gone just a little overboard with the bonus card thing?



Michael said...

My wallet is a full three quarters of an inch thick because every business I deal with makes me carry some kind of effing card under threat of extortion - if you don't have our card, we will charge you 10% more. Because we can.

Serena said...

I have them alphabetized on that key ring so I can find the one I need when I need it. What kills me is the stores that don't offer the key card, so I have no choice but to carry an extra card. Ugh.

Poker

"You went all in on That hand? What were you hoping for in the flop?"

"Nothin'. I was just blushing."

Time Flies

I truly don't know where September went. I worked. I read for fun. I cleaned Ian's room (that little gem took me 8 hours! The kid is a packrat.). I got a jump-start on my textbook reading for my first course this term, an organizational behavior course that focuses on human resources and keeping people happy (my employer could learn a thing or two about that). I kept busy, and the time just flew.

So here it is, the end of September. Ian started school - 4th grade! (Wasn't it just last week he was 4 pounds and struggling to breathe?) He is practicing his cello as I write. We had to sign a contract that he will practice for 30 minutes every single day without fail. I think this may be further proof that there is no god.

I taught my nephew Andy, who is 16, the ink still fresh on his new driver's license, how to drive a standard transmission tonight. He was more nervous than I was. (And truthfully, I wasn't nervous at all.) I really like him. He's a really cool kid with a great sense of humor. And he likes baseball, so he's okay by me!

On my plate for the month of October is figuring out how to handle the black mold problem in the basement at work (where my office is), contemplating whether or not to move into a bigger apartment that has had repairs/updates take place over the course of the last ten years, starting my second term at WGU, and preparing for Ian's 9th birthday.

No stress here. Maybe I'll even find time for some recreational reading. Or maybe not! :D

Wildlife Festival 2009

Ian's Grandparents invited us to accompany them to the Wildlife Festival at the Niagara Power Vista. It was amazing. We saw a ton of birds and heard their stories. So many of them had been damaged by cars...it was really sad. The highlight of the show was Liberty the Bald Eagle. I'd never seen a real one - only pictures. They are striking in person!


Then Ian sampled the displays in the Power Vista, and we called it a day!

Halloween in September

Bill in his costume. He was great!

Ian went trick or treating, but it's really not his thing. He hit up five people, looked in his bowl, and said, "I got enough. Can we go home now?" Absolutely, honey. Let everybody else run up their dental bills. :D

Dan's yard. My Aunt Mary had a ball decorating!

Ian's pumpkin. He carved it with Dorinda while I did homework. I asked him if he wanted to do another, and he said, "Nah. They're hard." I agree. I did one about six years ago, and it was a nightmare. No pun intended. Dorinda's turned out great, though! I hope they post a picture of it. I forgot to take one when she finished it!

The last game of the season...

{heavy sigh}

Hapeman Family Reunion

On August 16, 2009, the Hapeman clan in Western New York got together at the park in Elma, NY for a little reunion. It was a beautiful sunny day. We all brought dishes to pass.

Whoever made the baked beans - I want your recipe! And the chili - I need that recipe, too! :D

Here is how the genealogy part of this works. Edward and Laura Hapeman each had children from prior marriages (Edward had 4, and Laura had 3), and then they married and had ten more. My grandmother, Mildred, was the only girl of the ten. One of Grandma Mildred's brothers was named Gerald, and the group above are of Gerald's descendents. Not everyone was able to make it, but we sure had a good time, and I hope we can do this again soon!

Taxidermy

Mom, I want to get stuffed.

Huh?

I want to get stuffed. I don't want to get cremated or buried or nothin'. I want to get stuffed so everybody can see my nice clothes.

Ah. Well, why not just have somebody make a wax figure of you?

Ear wax?

Er, no.

Nah. I just want to get stuffed.

Okay, honey. I'll look into it later. (Much later.)

August 13: Corning Glass Museum

I forgot as I was uploading the pictures here that I have to do them in reverse order, and I'm too tired to re-do it, so this entry is end-to-beginning. Sorry!

This is a marble machine that reminded me of the game, Mouse Trap. Ian tried three times, and could only get yellow marbles.


Glass white roses:
...and frosted vases to put them in. These were gorgeous in person:
Some of the items in the gift shop were breathtaking - and so were the stickers. These little decorations were $750 each.
A variety of bowls:
We watched a glass-blowing demonstration (twice). Here, the glass artist is reheating the glass in the furnace, which is kept at 2400 degrees or so. It was rather warm in that room.

Here, a glass artist was making a turtle out of glass.
And here is the glass exhibit you see when you first walk in. It is impressive in person.

I think we will go back again soon and reserve a space to make something ourselves. Ian was very impressed with the whole glass-blowing thing, and especially anything involving fire or blow torches.

Boys. :D

August 13: KC's Corner Restaurant and Motel

Thursday morning, we checked out of the motel. Our stay was pleasant overall. The room was nice, air-conditioned, and included a little kitchenette, which saved us some money.

The only major problem I had was with the shower. There was no way to take a cool shower. The showerhead hadn't had any attention in quite a while, so the water did not come through it very well. And when you turned the water down so the stream was cooler, the water pressure became so low, either the shower turned off altogether, or you had to stand about five inches from the shower wall to get wet. Ah, well. You can't have everything. :)

Ian really didn't want to leave. :D

August 12: Fly Creek Cider Mill

After taking care of our laundry, we headed out to the Fly Creek Cider Mill. I kid you not, they have THE BEST cider I have EVER tasted. They have a display set up showing how the cider is made fresh from the apples they grow, and a DVD running non stop explaining the whole process. It was absolultely wonderful. The gift shop was also incredible...I have never seen so much stuff (knick knacks, decorations, crafts) crammed in one room before - and that includes Ian's room! Their shop also includes their products with over 40 samples out for you to try. Mmmmm.



Outside, they had a variety of poultry running around: