First Day of Third Grade!

                              

Ready for the first day of Third Grade. Josie's second grade teacher has moved up too and Josie is happy she'll have Ms. Fox again. And a lot of her friends are in the same room.

                                        

While she was waiting for time to go, Josie drew a really nice macaw--one of her favorite birds.

                                            

After a great first day, it was time for ice cream.

Beware of Flying Sandwiches ( and Release the Epstein Files)

Poke Weed 

                                   Hardy Begonia

                                  Joe Pye Weed

To Trumple aka TACO

                                                         

 After watching the Orange Guy roll out the red carpet and clap like a fan boy at the arrival of another criminal, then deflate like a used condom when he failed to achieve his goal of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine (there goes that Nobel Peace Prize,) I thought of a useful portmanteau word to describe his abject truckling to a brutal dictator and his crumpling under pressure. 

May I present . . . TRUMPLE-- to give in to authority, lick authority's boots, and whimper "Please Sir, may I have some more?"

But, hey, he's got an invite to visit Vlad. Be a shame if the Trumpler fell out of a window . . . that happens a lot over there. 

                                      

                                      

Really Good Fish Tacos--Muy Sabrosos!

I think I've posted about fish tacos before, but those I made last night were extra good--because of the crispy coating on the fish and the tasty sauce.

I used catfish fillets, cut in strips, soaked in buttermilk then rolled in Masa P.A.N. before frying in canola oil. The Masa has been lurking in the back of my refrigerator since I got ambitious and made pupusas a few years back. It's very finely ground and, while ordinary cornmeal works just fine, this was a revelation in crispiness.

The other new and delicious change was a sauce made of equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream,  with Sriracha, lime juice, and a clove of pressed garlic. (This sauce would be good on many things.)

Warm corn tortillas, some shredded purple cabbage,a squeeze of lime juice, and some pickled red onions topped the fish with some tomato wedges on the side. 

Something to do while I wait for the taco trucks on every corner the GOP "threatened" us with. (Bring them on!)

 

Where Are the Epstein Files?

 

Slightly Off-Color

 

Back in 2008 I got some funny, funny emails as a result of a post asking how a fourteen year old might refer to his manly equipment -- because I was writing about Calven in The Day of Small Things. The answers were too good not to share -- with a little editing. Thanks to all of you who helped out!

N. said: I call it a "trouble-maker" and sometimes the "brain" but that's not what you're after, is it?!!!
I just asked my 29-year-old what he calls his and it embarrassed him - he finally said he calls it a lot of things......
I can tell you that my 3-1/2 year old grandson calls it a "pete" as well as his 9-year-old step-brother. Even if we had a 14-year-old around, I'm not sure they would tell us!

~~~

P. said: My son got quite a kick out of my question to him, and his first response was "Aaaah, like why are you asking me that???", and
when I told him he was like, "Do you think I was walking around the halls, or in the john, at *** High asking such a question!?!?!" HA ... we also don't want a State Trooper making the headlines of the paper either!!! Anyway, he said all he can come up with is some of the younger guys in his SP Basic school using the term 'junk'. I'm like, "ooook .......", and he just laughed and laughed. He never knows what to expect from mom, but think this one really caught him off guard!!! HAHAHA!!!

~~~
L. said: P****r is not a word used today by boys often - although in our day it was popular. They do refer to their b***s as "my boys".

~~~
A. said: Well, with regards to your 14-year-old boy conundrum, I took an impromptu poll in my office the consensus was that he might easily and casually refer to both his junk and his johnson (esp with those Big Johnson T shirts being so popular at one point), but p*****r might make him a little dated. D**k, it seems, will never go out of style but is a little mature for a freshman in high school (if he's even in school? He sounds shady). Hope that helps!

I sincerely wish you could have just heard the lively conversation with everyone shouting out W**g! Sc****g! Prince Evan! Wiener! Much better than the usual water cooler banter.

So Many Things --Here Are Twp

How long before Ghislaine flees the country? Or "commits suicide"? 

The Orange Excrescence is planning to vet all Smithsonian exhibits to make sure they conform to his idea of history. The Sharpie at work again.

Are there no GOP congresspersons willing to stand up and say 'This is wrong'?

May they reap what they have sown.

I'd like to blast the following song throughout all of DC HERE (try to ignore the yucky opening ad.)

 

Release the Epstein Files

 

Madam Josie Will Tell Your Fortune

On Friday I opened a fortune-telling place.

I put a starry piece of fabric over a lamp to make things look mysterious.

                                  And I put a flashlight in a little bottle with a crystal on top. It looked Perfect! I used my cape to make a place for my magic ball. When Meema came to have her fortune told,she found out that she was going to play lots of games with me. She said she thought I should have told her she would meet a handsome stranger.

Silly Meema. Then I told her she needed to pay me and she said she didn't have any money. So I told her that pretend money would work and she gave me a handful.

Then we played games--checkers and Crazy Eights. So the fortune came true!

     

Dear Sir

                                                              

To Senators Tillis and Budd and Representative Edwards:

Why is DHS delaying processing millions of dollars in flood relief grants to NC? Is ICE Barbie so focused on rounding up brown people without due process that she can't take time to attend to the ongoing relief needs in our state? And what will you do about it?

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

A disgusted constituent.

Super Agers--Who, Me?

 Yesterday, my usual perusal of The New York Times introduced me to a concept of which I was not aware--Super Agers.

Super Agers are folks over 80 who remain cognitively healthy and still have good memories. Despite occasionally wandering into a room and then wondering what I was looking for, I think I still have a good memory.

The article identified strong social connections and an extroverted personality as contributing to the mental agility of Super Agers. Hmm. Does Facebook count? What about dogs and cats? Aside from John every day and Josie three times a week, quick visits from her folks,  and the occasional dinner with friends, my social life is pretty quiet--and I like it that way. 

And  it's too late for me to become an extrovert.

HERE  is an article about super agers. It's not the NYT one, as it's behind a paywall, but it's similar.

Cloudy in the Easr

 

The Cubby Game

Yesterday I invented some games. This is the Cubby Game. Cubby is a girl bear and in the game I do Cubby's voice. Meema is Cubby's mama and she has to help Cubby do things.

I wrote a whole page of rules for Meema to know how to play, but I wrote in pencil and Meema says they probably won't show up in the picture. Maybe if you look really close.

First I drew and cut out Cubby. There she is next to her front door. I also drew her house.

                                             

This is her kitchen. There are shelves with lots of fruit next to the sink. When Cubby is hungry, her mama (Meema) has to give her food. Now Cubby is eating a banana.

                                               
                                                 

Cubby is in her living room. There is a picture on the wall of her friend Niko. He is a blue bird. The floor is a little messy with Cubby's toys.

Then I painted Cubby's bedroom She has a blue bedspread with white stars. Also she has a picture of herself in a green frame and shelves for books and toys.                            

Good night, Cubby!

A note from Meema.  Midmorning, Josie said she was bored and wanted to watch a video but we have a fairly strict rule which is no videos till 1 pm. After a bit of arguing during which I held firm, she went to the dining table and got out her paints and, with no input from me, came up with the Cubby Game. Yay!