The Adventure of the Golden Bubble Bottle

The secret agent discovered the golden bubble bottle while exploring the previously uncharted backyard. His nemesis was close by, so the secret agent decided to hide the bottle and retrieve it later when the coast was clear.

He first considered throwing it through the fence into the neighbor’s yard. He eliminated that option when he realized he did not have the equipment required to scale the fence.

The secret agent next considered burying the bottle. Alas, he did not have a shovel.

The willow provided a good hiding place for the secret agent. However, the bottle dropped from the branches.

The rocks surrounding the birch tree proved too heavy to move.

After much searching, the secret agent determined that the best hiding spot was not a place, but a person. He entrusted the golden bubble bottle to me.

The secret agent left me to find further adventures. He knew that I would never divulge the location of the golden bubble bottle.

Garter in the Lamb’s Ear

I first noticed the garter laying on the lamb’s ear outside my office window.

The garter spent the afternoon coiled under raspberry canes basking n the sunlight. The snake was gone by the time I brought the kids home from school.

Backyard Birdfeeder

Laura gets a closer look at birds visiting the feeder. Our regular visitors include grackles, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, red wing black birds, sparrows, a tufted titmouse, and some ruby throated hummingbirds.

The Eliminator Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder is guaranteed to ‘protect our bird seed bounty.’ The first feeder we had was ripped apart by a marauding squirrel.

The kitchen window is our central observation post.

 

Two Gallons a Week

Our weekly milk consumption doubled when Jason turned one and started drinking cow’s milk. Now, our fridge is stocked with a gallon each of 2% (for Laura and me) and whole (for Jason and Jung).

Our milk usage increase comes at a good time. According to Agrimoney, dairy prices in April fell to their lowest point since 2009 and, “in the US, we have milk coming out of our ears.”

Article screenshot from http://www.agrimoney.com/news/dairy-prices-tumble-to-lowest-since-2009–4412.html

First Solo 100 Piece Puzzle

My first 100 piece puzzle was Rocky and Bullwinkle; November 1980. Finishing this puzzle is one of my early memories. I remember my mom making me pull out the last piece of the puzzle so that she could take a photo of the last piece.

Laura’s first 100 piece puzzle was Polly Pockets at the beach; May 2012. Laura worked on puzzles during quiet time instead of taking a nap. Like my mom did 32 years before, I had Laura pose with her puzzle.

Laura provided the following report of how she completed the puzzle. In 30 seconds, she explains the secret to solving puzzles.

Article Juxtaposition

From Page 1 of the May 3, 2012 edition of the Glastonbury Reminder News:
Headline 1: Sunday Booze “Hurray for the residents of Connecticut! We are a step closer to being able to buy alcohol on Sundays.”
Headline 2: Teen Drinking Discussed

Deliberate editorial choice or coincidence?

Duckies are for Girls*

* According to Carter’s sleepwear

Jason in the Ducky Sleeper, April 2012, 12 months old

As Laura outgrew her baby and toddler clothes, I packed them away in carefully labeled totes by size. Four years later, I sorted through all the totes to see whether any of Laura’s clothes could be worn by Jason. After dismissing pinks, purples, and flowers, I was left with a small pile that mostly consisted of white onesies. A ducky sleeper made the gender neutral cut.

Now that Jason is big enough to wear the sleeper, I realize that I missed the feminine design details.  My questions:

1. Should I continue to dress Jason in the ducky sleeper?
2. Why aren’t more baby clothes gender neutral?

Warning signs that the PJ's are designed for girls: Narrow rib knit at collar and cuff; decorative stitch detail on collar

Sleepers on the Carter's website - boys in the screenshot on the left, girls on the right

Playful Ducky PJ's, Laura, March 2008, 13 Months Old. The ducky sleeper had a PJ friend, also from Carter's.