Studies Show August 22, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 5commentsMy home page is one of those yahoo things that provides news headlines from a variety of sources. One of my favorite daily activities is scanning the health headlines for the obvious, the kind of thing that if my 5th grader asked to do it for a science project, I’d say no way, everyone already knows that. But apparently a lot of the things everyone already knows still need to be studied and written up on the internet. I’ve been in the habit of flying these lame headlines past Miss Language for her enjoyment, but now, alas, she has flown the coop to college and so I shall share with you all, instead. 
I read today’s lame offering aloud this morning and Mr Music met it with a resounding, “Duh.” It was:
Exercise and limited TV time may keep kids trim
The part that always kills me is the “may.” Let’s not go out on a limb here, folks, and actually say anything that could possibly be judgemental. Anyhow, this set us all to making up our own health/science breakthrough studies that we won’t be surprised anymore if we someday see:
Devastatingly Handsome: Studies show ~ not running on busy highways in the dark may prevent injuries.
Mr Music: Extensive studies reveal eating can possibly lessen hunger. (he is currently carrying out lots of research on this one)
Miss Dance: Regular baths and showers may improve bodily hygiene.
Miss Dog Lover: *rolled the eyes*
Me: Research indicates many teens have no idea how they got such an odd family.
The big questions:
got any research headlines to contribute?
and how can homeschoolers qualify for the research grants?
A Tall Order August 21, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 2commentsAt dinner tonight Mr Music announced, “I hope I have a growth spurt before ball starts.”
Fall ball starts Tuesday. That is in four days and five nights.
I’ll let you know if anything noticeable happens.
Miss Dance’s Little Quirks August 18, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 2commentsToday I bring you three things that make Miss Dance crazy. So, if you know her IRL, you will now know just what buttons to push.
#1 Many times she will see someone’s necklace and tell them they are “illegal.” This means the clasp has slipped around to the front where it is visible. Or, worse yet, it is the whole way down touching the pendant. She is not even happy if it is off-center in the back. I am not sure just what law this breaks, but apparently it is criminal behavior.
#2 If you take her shopping to a store that uses carts, she wants it filled evenly. The Right Way to do this is to set things in squarely so they fit together without leaving blanks. Everything must be (of course) right side up and you start filling from the back right corner across to the back left, then start another row touching it from right to left and continue till you are done in the store. She is more willing to be flexible if the contents of the cart include things she deems cute, for herself, or even if there are inordinate quantities of sugar.
#3 She totally disapproves of all my special buddies being males who are pink. Yes, Chicky, Precious and Melrose look like females to her, just because of the color of their fur. Piglet missed the photo, but everyone knows he’s a guy. (Fans of Melrose: note the cape Mr Music has furnished him. This was knit for I think a Barbie by a very young Miss Language. I think it is the only thing she has ever knit.)
So, free advice to any males who want to drive Miss Dance away: wear a necklace with the clasp slid around, shop sloppily, and wear pink. That should do it.
RIP August 12, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 1 comment so farA few weeks ago my family started babbling about a dead mailbox every time we drove down our street. It turns out our neighbor’s mailbox had an untimely departure which I did not notice till it had been pointed out to me and loudly lamented for Quite Awhile. They have speculated about how long the neighbors will leave the fallen mailbox just lying there. They have given funeral orations. They have made jokes. It is sad, really.
~ Today we lament the departure of the R’s mailbox. Its life may seem hollow and meaningless, but it was a good mailbox. However, it spent most of its life feeling empty and unfulfilled.
~ It never asked anything for itself, just willingly emptied itself and served as an intermediary, bringing communication between loved ones who were far apart, working diligently to bring them closer.
~ It faithfully served in all sorts of weather.
~ It waited patiently to do its annointed task, no matter how humble.
~ It was a first-class government official.
~ Ahh, mailbox, we never really knew you.
We hope they grant it a decent burial, soon. We nearly laid a bouquet on it for the photo, but didn’t want to intrude in their grief at this time.
* sniff * * sniff * * pass the tissues *
Blog Theme Park August 10, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 3commentsI was wondering where Comfy Denim lives anyhow the other day and wouldn’t it be fun to go visit her and my other blogging friends in real life. But then I decided what I really want is not exactly a real life visit, but kind of a Blog Theme Park.
So my Blog Theme Park as of tonight would include:
~ a stop to see the exact site where the forks were planted. I picture a bronze historic marker there.
~ a visit to Puzzlemom’s to see her crockpot collection and try whatever the offering du jour is - I’m kind of hoping for this berry cobbler.
~ check out all the crazy chickens at Grits’ place and see if they are still being taken for rides. And then a stop to compare and contrast Arby’s chickens.
~ see some of those old large glasses with script initials over at Marky’s.
~ I want to check out the gift shop at Hilltop Academy to see if they have any of those wreaths she played hide and seek with last Christmas.
~ borrow a logic text from Underdog.
~ a stop to get comic books from Juggling Paynes, and maybe stick around for a show.
Well, that’s enough touring for tonight.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game August 10, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 2commentsFans of Melrose will be gratified to hear he was allowed to accompany us to the ballgame this past week.
Unfortunately, the concession does not sell bananas. Even sadder, Melrose’s team lost. But we did see either 3 or 4 bats break, a home run, and a few great plays.
Hey, how do you like that? I double posted Melrose so it looks like he has a twin. Deja and Vu. And, having just seen Matrix with Miss Language, I know that Deja Vu can mean big trouble.
Matrix, by the way, is a movie that has set my mind to wondering, for example: how does it fit in to the Matrix kind of plot when people play on their wiis (hope that is the right plural) for exercise? Seems they are voluntarily going in to a matrix.
engrish Update August 4, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , add a commentFor some inconceivable reason I neglected to check engrish.com for a couple weeks, so now I have the pleasure of catching up.
This first one saved Devastatingly Handsome some cash. I had been craving Chinese food. That craving was suddenly cured by this picture, this must be the redneck Chinese equivalent of sausage or hot dogs or scrapple or haggis. But whatever it is, it needs a new name. No, thanks.
Then in case you have a stronger constitution, and still are hungry, comes this meal offering. You gotta love the tell-it-like-it-is naming approach here. No euphemisms like “value sizing” here, oh, no. I’m not sure just what the parsley is garnishing, but it looks on the raw side to me, in fact, it looks enough like the heart Miss Language dissected last year to make me wonder if this is another in the series along with the ribs and internal organs thangs.
And then, finally, and I would say, “on a cheerier note,” however, this is not cheerier, merely less gross, and just plain rude. I have no clue why a simple “no trespassing” would not work. Maybe the sign painter was paid by the word, or just having a bad day, a very bad day. Maybe he had been forced to eat some sort of internal organ thang. That could do it.
Interesting August 4, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Bananalets , 1 comment so farMiss Dog Lover has been in charge of a zinnia bed this summer. It is her first venture into gardening and has been successful. She is happy to cut bright flowers for the table and has been watering them daily and even weeding without reminders.
Yesterday, we discovered an interesting zinnia, unlike any of the others, all solid color on the petals.
Odd, isn’t it, how the blue on this one so closely resembles the blue shade we just painted the living room? Makes me smile.
Will We Be Sued? August 1, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 4commentsI must feel the strain of living in a litigious society (and yes, I had to check the spelling on that word).
The Bananalets are helping me with my paint-the-hallway-and living room-and-Mom’s-bedroom-before-school-starts-again project. Today we got most of the living room done. But not without lawsuits surfacing in my mind three times.
They were all related to what we believe to be the stupidest pigeon ever in the history of birddom. A robin nests every spring on top of our porch light and we let it. Our mistake this year is that we neglected to remove the nest once the fledglings had left. A pigeon found it and has nested in it. Due to being at camp, we did not discover this till after eggs were in the nest. So, here the pigeon sits, waiting to hatch out its birdlings, only a brick away from our front door.
This lead to two of my thoughts of lawsuits (well, technically, the same thought twice): What if the pigeon babies are born with problems and the mother decides to sue us due to their inhaling paint fumes pre-hatching? (And, yes, this lead me to wonder if perhaps I was the one inhaling too many paint fumes.)
This pigeon is too stupid to even take off when you open the door. Which has led to a great fear on our part that the bird will panic sometime the door is open and come in our house. As someone who visited the aviary once and was used by a scarlet ibis for target practice, I believe a pigeon in the house would not be good. So, to remind us to make sure to make lots of noise and scare off the pigeon before opening the door, Miss Language posted this “stupid pigeon alert” sign inside our door.
Unfortunately, we did not put a warning sign in the front yard as usually no one comes by that door. We discovered our error as Mr FedEx came right up to the door. I met him at the door and was just starting the words, “Wa(tch out for the stupid pigeon”) as the pigeon swooped down about two inches from his head. Yes, I thought I might be doing CPR on the spot, and then seeing Mr FedEx and his attorneys in court. (He was pretty nice about it, once his heart calmed down a bit. He even showed me the dog bite on his thigh from 3 weeks ago. I bet now he is telling our neighbors about our guard pigeon.)
The Bananalets are suggesting we post a “Cave Avis” sign in the yard. See where classical homeschooling gets you?
In Praise of Small Books July 30, 2008
Posted by carpebanana in : Ramblings , 4commentsIt took me awhile but I have finally observed that I have especially strong feelings for small books. So today I will share some of my favorites, in no particular order. To me, the strength of small books is that they must focus in on a small detail, like looking at gems. You hold the gem up to the light and watch how it bends light. Most small books focus on one small and beautiful truth.
Missing from the line-up, as they could not be found, are Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of God and a lithographed copy of Francis Thompson’s The Hound of Heaven. One downside of being a small book is the ease of being mislaid, and both Brother Lawrence and Francis Thompson have succumbed for the moment. Here’s a quote from Brother L: Let us think often that our only business in this life is to please God. The Hound of Heaven is a copy of a book I remember my grandfather owning when I was in grade school, and have always loved on several levels. It was part of my first gift to Devastatingly Handsome.
And onto these small jewels I could find. First in this batch, of course, is a small ESV given me by Miss Language. I tell you, microfilm uses a bigger font. But it is a special joy to use this Bible. To its right is a small copy of The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, also a Miss Language gift. And then a wonderful book by John Calvin. Then Rutherford’s The Loveliness of Christ ~ how do you like: There is as much in our Lord’s pantry as will satisfy all his bairns, and as much in his cellar as will quench all their thirst. Hunger on, for there is meat in hunger for Christ: go never from him, but fash him (who yet is pleased with the importunity of hungry souls) with a dishful of hungry desires, till he fill you; and if he delay yet come not ye away, albeit ye should fall a-swoon at his feet. This book is just delightful in its smallness and red binding. And long-time copy of Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest ~ with his frequent reminders I need that: good is the enemy of the best.
Next we come to a batch that stretch the limits of smallness but this is my blog, so, well, that’s the deal. They pack a lot into a small space. The Psalm book is wonderful and just lists suggested tunes. Burroughs has wonderful things to say, though of course I wish the book were still titled The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. And I have the little Classical Education & the Home School to thank for starting the Bananalets on their path in schooling with its clear teaching on things like why to teach Latin and consider hard work a necessity.
Now back to smaller books, a set of children’s titles. The Tale of Geronimo Grub is a retelling of a book first published in 1855 about how our spiritual body is suited to eternal life, using the image of a grub emerging from the pond as a beautiful dragonfly to a world he could not imagine while still in the grub state. I love all Eloise Wilkin’s illustrations and can’t resist such a tiny book. I think I would like a home like the ones she draws ~ only we better sneak a computer in there somewhere. And if you don’t know the furry rectangle in the corner, it is Margaret Wise Brown’s Little Fur Family with its Garth Williams illustrations and the wonderful start of:
There was a little fur family
Warm as toast
Smaller than most
Then we come to two books I consider small due to their thinness: T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and his The Waste Land and Other Poems, both books have already received mention here. These are both due to my Mum’s influence, though she claims she does not like or understand poetry, somehow, she instilled a liking for Eliot in particular in me.
And lastly are some old favorites of mine, from high school or college days. I have always been partial to the opinionated advice of William Strunk, Jr. & E. B. White, especially on the use of the word nice: A shaggy, all-purpose word, to be used sparingly in formal composition. “I had a nice time.” “It was nice weather.” “She was so nice to her mother.” The meanings are indistinct. Nice is most useful in the sense of “precise” or “delicate”: “a nice distinction.” That is followed by The Snow Goose, a book I have always found beautiful. And then a really silly one, certainly not great, but a lot of fun, Fifty-Seven Reasons Not to Have a Nuclear War. I am no pacifist, but this book has quirky drawings of Good Things in life. I am always surprised when I flip through it to see what things I agree with the author ought to be kept safe, things like cheddar cheese, teapots, and my all-time favorite, stripes.
Thus ends the post in praise of small books.