When I turned on the computer this morning, I noticed a headline in the Odd News window of my homepage: Its a catastrophe for the apostrophe in Britain.
They have decided to remove apostrophes from signs. A half hour later, I am still fuming.
First, the comma. Now the apostrophe. When will it end?
I can't remember when I noticed all the missing commas before the 'and' in lists, but it drives me mad. Lori tells me they had some excuse about saving advertising space or something, but that is asinine. Don't people realize that, these days, a good book is probably not where most kids pick up what they think of as the proper use of punctuation?
A comma is supposed to tell a person when to pause when reading. Take for example the phrase, "My socks are black, white, and red." This is read, "My-socks-are-black [pause] white [pause] and-red." I don't know anyone that says, "My-socks-are-black [pause] white-and-red."
Apostrophes, I would argue, are almost more important than commas, with all the business of contractions, plurality, possession, and whatnot.
My children might get mercilessly taunted when they get older for being archaic, but I am going to teach them proper comma and apostrophe use.
*post script* Once again, I am going to point out some of my blaring hypocrisy. I realize that my use of punctuation is less than perfect. I realize that traditionally, the use of three periods (...) is meant to show where words were eliminated from a quotation, but I frequently use it to express a long pause after a phrase or sentence. I am not at all picky about punctuation when it comes to literature. If art was confined to rules, it would be a dull world we live in. No, wait, I take that back. It depends on what literature it is we're talking about. Ulysses would not be Ulysses if it wasn't a little (I mean, very) confusing, but another book... Well, I hope you know what I mean.This is where the scientist and the artist in me draws definite boundaries. Some things need to be clearly defined, and others need to be left open to personal interpretation. So laugh at me and my little pet peeve, and forget I ever wrote this...
Now that I've wasted an hour of my Saturday writing this ranting drivel....
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Bovine Fascination
I don't remember when it was that the fascination really sank in. Perhaps it happened when we went to visit my brother who had been helping a friend on his ranch. He took us out to see the ranch, and called in some of the cows. There was just something about those big, docile, lumbering, sad-eyed beasts...
In high school, I started drawing and painting cows. My mother painted cows. They were a natural subject for her, being from the great ranching state of Montana. I guess I was just following in her footsteps, but something about the creatures lodged in my soul.
Out of high-school, I lived in rural Texas for a few months. For a few weeks, there were some nearby cows that kept bellowing non-stop. It was an eerie, desperate sound. I fancied it was because the calves had been taken from the mothers, and the cows were grieving the loss of their babies, but I don't know, really.
One time, I was riding a mountain bike down some Texas back roads, and a herd of cattle took off running through the field along side of me. I remember it felt like slow motion, like some crazy spiritual experience.
Later, when I discovered my dad's 35mm camera and started taking photos, I frequented the nearly deserted stock yards where sometimes I would find a pen or two of cattle. This allowed me some up close photos. I took me a while to realize that these cattle were probably waiting to be taken to a meat packing plant. I found it slightly harder to eat meat.
I began drawing a 'cow' named Evan. I put him in various situations, most of them slightly morbid. One day at work, I sketched my 'cow', labeling the different parts and titling the sketch 'Anatomy of a Cow'. Someone asked me where the udders were. I retitled it 'Anatomy of an Udderless Cow'. Silly me. Only a city girl would draw a cow without udders and give it a boy's name.
After I moved to Tennessee, I began questioning why, in the Old Testament, God would require the sacrifices of animal for the forgiveness of sins. It seemed so brutal. I got to the point where I was incredibly disturbed by the idea, and I fostered the notion the Jesus didn't die only for us, but for animals as well. I saw Christ as the salvation for cattle, inspiring this ridiculous piece of 'art'. Of course, it wasn't until later that I remembered that only bulls were sacrificed. Silly me.
I went through a period of questioning why it is that we eat meat, but I have come to the relative understanding that meat is part of God's provision for us. Don't let me get into how we've abused that provision, though. The videos of typical meat industry practices would give anyone pause next time they visit the grocery store (you'd think).
In high school, I started drawing and painting cows. My mother painted cows. They were a natural subject for her, being from the great ranching state of Montana. I guess I was just following in her footsteps, but something about the creatures lodged in my soul.
Out of high-school, I lived in rural Texas for a few months. For a few weeks, there were some nearby cows that kept bellowing non-stop. It was an eerie, desperate sound. I fancied it was because the calves had been taken from the mothers, and the cows were grieving the loss of their babies, but I don't know, really.
One time, I was riding a mountain bike down some Texas back roads, and a herd of cattle took off running through the field along side of me. I remember it felt like slow motion, like some crazy spiritual experience.
Later, when I discovered my dad's 35mm camera and started taking photos, I frequented the nearly deserted stock yards where sometimes I would find a pen or two of cattle. This allowed me some up close photos. I took me a while to realize that these cattle were probably waiting to be taken to a meat packing plant. I found it slightly harder to eat meat.
I began drawing a 'cow' named Evan. I put him in various situations, most of them slightly morbid. One day at work, I sketched my 'cow', labeling the different parts and titling the sketch 'Anatomy of a Cow'. Someone asked me where the udders were. I retitled it 'Anatomy of an Udderless Cow'. Silly me. Only a city girl would draw a cow without udders and give it a boy's name.
After I moved to Tennessee, I began questioning why, in the Old Testament, God would require the sacrifices of animal for the forgiveness of sins. It seemed so brutal. I got to the point where I was incredibly disturbed by the idea, and I fostered the notion the Jesus didn't die only for us, but for animals as well. I saw Christ as the salvation for cattle, inspiring this ridiculous piece of 'art'. Of course, it wasn't until later that I remembered that only bulls were sacrificed. Silly me.
I went through a period of questioning why it is that we eat meat, but I have come to the relative understanding that meat is part of God's provision for us. Don't let me get into how we've abused that provision, though. The videos of typical meat industry practices would give anyone pause next time they visit the grocery store (you'd think).Although I only sketch cows for my kids these days, I can't say that I have lost all of my fascination of them. Someday, I hope to have a couple dairy cows. However, I'm not sure how I'll deal with potentially giving their calves over to the butcher.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A few notes on 6 mo old Z
Z is starting to get better control of those body muscles and learning to balance a little bit. She can sit by herself for a minute or so before toppling over onto the pillow. She has good coordination and can grab things easily.
She is still smiles easily, but it takes a circus act to get her to laugh. Usually the kids (or Chris) will get her to laugh by doing something completely ridiculous and loud. My only trick is a belly tickle, and that hardly ever works.
She really likes to eat her veggies. So far, I've only fed her squash, peas, and carrots, but her face lit up at lunch when I showed her her spoon, and she sucked down the squash like an old pro. I am hesitant to start any fruit, as I'd hate for her to lose her enthusiasm for veggies.
Z still isn't too fond of tummy-time, and I haven't been as consistent with it as I was with Joe.
She hasn't rolled since I wrote about that first time. I guess once she realized she would just get stuck on her tummy, she wasn't too anxious to do it again.
Of course, I can hear her crying right now, and as Joe is nearly choking me, hanging on my next...
She is still smiles easily, but it takes a circus act to get her to laugh. Usually the kids (or Chris) will get her to laugh by doing something completely ridiculous and loud. My only trick is a belly tickle, and that hardly ever works.
She really likes to eat her veggies. So far, I've only fed her squash, peas, and carrots, but her face lit up at lunch when I showed her her spoon, and she sucked down the squash like an old pro. I am hesitant to start any fruit, as I'd hate for her to lose her enthusiasm for veggies.
Z still isn't too fond of tummy-time, and I haven't been as consistent with it as I was with Joe.
She hasn't rolled since I wrote about that first time. I guess once she realized she would just get stuck on her tummy, she wasn't too anxious to do it again.
Of course, I can hear her crying right now, and as Joe is nearly choking me, hanging on my next...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
It is a winter wonderland here... as in 'I wonder if we will get any real snow this winter?'
It snowed yesterday. The kids went out and rode their bikes through the two small patches of snow dust on the driveway. Today it is snowing... the kind of snowing where you can see a few flakes in the air at any given moment, but none of them survive once they hit the ground.
These are the winter days when I desperately miss being up north for the winter. I miss getting enough snow that it actually covers the ground. I miss the temperature being low enough that it demands that you don a real coat to go outside. I miss the low-humidity cold. Here, there is just enough moisture left in the air so that as soon as you walk outside, the heat is immediately sucked out of your skin. It makes me feel like a real wimp, complaining about being cold when it is 30 degrees outside. I miss near or below zero weather, feeling the snot freeze up in my nostrils, yet keeping warm under hat and coat, bursting with the hubris that comes from fending off such cold...
To stave off this grey-brown winter ennui, I found a game online called 'The Farmer'. I thought that if I couldn't dig in the dirt or play in the snow, maybe I could curb some of my discontent with some virtual farming. The player is allowed to plant five different crops and raise some chickens in an attempt to make money.
The creator of this game obviously didn't know much about farming. The chicken house was equipped with what I thought were boxes for the chickens to roost in. I bought some chicken feed and a chicken, sprinkled some feed on the ground and went back the next day to pick up my first egg. Only there wasn't an egg in any of the boxes. A few days later, I finally discovered that you put the feed in the boxes, and the virtual chickens lay their eggs on the ground. How stupid is that? I won't even go into how you are supposed grow veggies. So I have abandoned my virtual farm.
So today I ordered the rest of the seeds for our garden, and on the way home from the library, picked up two buckets of coffee grounds from Crema for the compost bin. I need to figure out how soon I can start some seedlings...
It snowed yesterday. The kids went out and rode their bikes through the two small patches of snow dust on the driveway. Today it is snowing... the kind of snowing where you can see a few flakes in the air at any given moment, but none of them survive once they hit the ground.
These are the winter days when I desperately miss being up north for the winter. I miss getting enough snow that it actually covers the ground. I miss the temperature being low enough that it demands that you don a real coat to go outside. I miss the low-humidity cold. Here, there is just enough moisture left in the air so that as soon as you walk outside, the heat is immediately sucked out of your skin. It makes me feel like a real wimp, complaining about being cold when it is 30 degrees outside. I miss near or below zero weather, feeling the snot freeze up in my nostrils, yet keeping warm under hat and coat, bursting with the hubris that comes from fending off such cold...
To stave off this grey-brown winter ennui, I found a game online called 'The Farmer'. I thought that if I couldn't dig in the dirt or play in the snow, maybe I could curb some of my discontent with some virtual farming. The player is allowed to plant five different crops and raise some chickens in an attempt to make money.
The creator of this game obviously didn't know much about farming. The chicken house was equipped with what I thought were boxes for the chickens to roost in. I bought some chicken feed and a chicken, sprinkled some feed on the ground and went back the next day to pick up my first egg. Only there wasn't an egg in any of the boxes. A few days later, I finally discovered that you put the feed in the boxes, and the virtual chickens lay their eggs on the ground. How stupid is that? I won't even go into how you are supposed grow veggies. So I have abandoned my virtual farm.
So today I ordered the rest of the seeds for our garden, and on the way home from the library, picked up two buckets of coffee grounds from Crema for the compost bin. I need to figure out how soon I can start some seedlings...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Antiprocrastinating
As one of my New Year's resolutions has been to not procrastinate so much, I haven't been writing as much. I hope you aren't too disappointed.
I don't know why I've been publishing made-up terms (such as Util), but some of these new commonly known 'words' bother me. Such as 'ginormous'. Why combine enormous and gigantic? I don't get it. At least my terms are a bit more intelligent... or at least I'd like to think so. Take 'antiprocrastinating'. Instead of just not procrastinating, like highly ambitious and motivated folks do, antiprocrastinating is making a concentrated effort not to procrastinate. It is looking at the dirty dishes in the sink and telling yourself you ought to wash those, then when you feel yourself about to sit down with a book, you actually wash the dishes.
Anyway, we were driving home from the library on Tuesday, and Finley started talking about 'when there is another baby in your belly.' Not if, but when. I kind of like the fact that, since her whole life, there has been a baby in the house, or one in mama's belly, she takes it for granted that there will be more. I like that the concept of more babies might mean less attention for her or that she might be inconvenienced by more younger siblings in her stuff hasn't entered her mind. As a youngest child myself, I was pretty wrapped up in having my own little world. Of course we don't don't know if we'll be having more, but I don't feel like telling Finley that yet.
So now I'd better go antiprocrastinate.
I don't know why I've been publishing made-up terms (such as Util), but some of these new commonly known 'words' bother me. Such as 'ginormous'. Why combine enormous and gigantic? I don't get it. At least my terms are a bit more intelligent... or at least I'd like to think so. Take 'antiprocrastinating'. Instead of just not procrastinating, like highly ambitious and motivated folks do, antiprocrastinating is making a concentrated effort not to procrastinate. It is looking at the dirty dishes in the sink and telling yourself you ought to wash those, then when you feel yourself about to sit down with a book, you actually wash the dishes.
Anyway, we were driving home from the library on Tuesday, and Finley started talking about 'when there is another baby in your belly.' Not if, but when. I kind of like the fact that, since her whole life, there has been a baby in the house, or one in mama's belly, she takes it for granted that there will be more. I like that the concept of more babies might mean less attention for her or that she might be inconvenienced by more younger siblings in her stuff hasn't entered her mind. As a youngest child myself, I was pretty wrapped up in having my own little world. Of course we don't don't know if we'll be having more, but I don't feel like telling Finley that yet.
So now I'd better go antiprocrastinate.
Friday, January 9, 2009
I like green.
I used to say that my favorite color was blue, but I realized a few years ago that it is actually green. It must be something about my deepening love for nature and plants and life. When spring rolls around and the baby leaves start peeking out of the scrub brush along the sides of the road, I am one of the first to notice, and it makes me want to spin around and sing like what's-her-name in the Sound of Music. Later, when the trees are leafed out in full force, I love the feeling that I am drowning in green in these Tennessee hills.
My sweet pea likes to eat her sweet peas.
So when I took some frozen peas, boiled them just long enough to make then tender, then pureed them for Z, I could hardly could hardly contain my excitement. This is a beautiful green. It is even more beautiful when I think about the sad, drab peas that I could have bought in the baby aisle at the grocery store. 
My sweet pea likes to eat her sweet peas.Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A Second on My Soapbox
I can't help but comment about the coal ash spill in Tennessee. I kept hearing advertisements on the radio last fall about 'clean' coal, and how coal is one of our best sources of power. What a joke. They are now finding high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals in the waters surrounding the spill site. Not very clean or healthy.
During the campaign, I heard both Obama and McCain espouse the need to build more nuclear power plants as the best form of 'green' energy. What a joke.
Wendell Berry encourages us to look at things a different way. Instead of following the mantra 'Think Global, Act Local,' he challenges us to 'Act Global, Think Local.' Would you want a coal ash pond in your back yard? Would you want a 'safely' contained barrel of nuclear waste in your back yard? If not, then it probably isn't good to put that waste anywhere.
During the campaign, I heard both Obama and McCain espouse the need to build more nuclear power plants as the best form of 'green' energy. What a joke.
Wendell Berry encourages us to look at things a different way. Instead of following the mantra 'Think Global, Act Local,' he challenges us to 'Act Global, Think Local.' Would you want a coal ash pond in your back yard? Would you want a 'safely' contained barrel of nuclear waste in your back yard? If not, then it probably isn't good to put that waste anywhere.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' ... and other stories.
Zivah has been rolling onto her side to reach toys for the past few weeks. Tonight, she finally went all the way and rolled onto her tummy a few times. Of course when she found out she couldn't figure out how to roll back (and since tummy time isn't exactly her favorite), she lost it.
Last night, Joe couldn't figure out what was going on with the computer and told me it was 'all jacked up'.
Finley has been increasingly concerned about when Chris is working and when he'll be home. It throws her when he works late, and tonight (since we've all been fighting colds) said, 'Daddy, if you're sick you need to stay home from work!'
Last night, Joe couldn't figure out what was going on with the computer and told me it was 'all jacked up'.
Finley has been increasingly concerned about when Chris is working and when he'll be home. It throws her when he works late, and tonight (since we've all been fighting colds) said, 'Daddy, if you're sick you need to stay home from work!'
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Some Thoughts...
...at the beginning of this new year:
We started the new year off by purging some old files, weeding out some old and unused items to send off to the Salvation Army, and posting some items on Craigslist to sell. It feels good to rid yourself at least of some of the material items that weigh us down (whether we realize they do or not). Though the house feels a bit lighter and less cluttered, I still see many things I would like to do without.
I like tax season. I am always anxious to collect the W-2's and whatever forms are needed to file taxes. When the filing is complete, it is that final nail in the old year's coffin, allowing me to put all my focus and energy into the new year.
We decided to expand the garden this year, Chris vowing to put more effort into it this year. In order to give himself real motivation to keep involved, he suggested that we turn it into a competition. He thinks we ought to divide the garden in half and see who can keep their plot more weed free. I don't really like that idea. If we are going to have a competition, it needs to involve something that really matters... such as the amount and quality of produce. I think he's afraid of losing... and I suppose it wouldn't really be fair, since he wouldn't have as much time to work in the garden as I will. Then again, I could consider the kids a potential handicap until they are properly trained.
Anyway, I ordered some seeds yesterday, and am caught between the desire to plan out the garden properly (after all... Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance), and the realization that I don't really know how to do that, so will do what I do almost every year, and just forge ahead, planting things wherever seems best at the moment as I go along. This time, I am going to pay more attention to planting guides and keep a journal of what I do, and how things go.
I've also been looking into that proverbial mirror, like most do in new of the year, and see a bit of a chameleon, though I don't know that it really bothers me. (Has anyone seen Zelig?) I like to listen to a lot of different trains of thought, and consider them at least half seriously, and glean whatever little truths I can from them... and eventually, the pieces that I pick up from here and there eventually form themselves into something.
It is kind of funny to me to see how 'in' it is to be 'green.' So much so, that at the dollar bins at the entrance of Target, we found one day 'green is in' buttons. I wasn't sure what to think of that, when I flipped the package over to find that they were made in China and shipped here. How 'green' is that? And I am no less the hypocrite. All you have to do is look in my diaper bag to find out how big of one I am.
In the meantime, God is speaking to me in lots of little ways, trying to teach me where I need to be more content and where I need to be less. And how good it is to be able to laugh.
We started the new year off by purging some old files, weeding out some old and unused items to send off to the Salvation Army, and posting some items on Craigslist to sell. It feels good to rid yourself at least of some of the material items that weigh us down (whether we realize they do or not). Though the house feels a bit lighter and less cluttered, I still see many things I would like to do without.
I like tax season. I am always anxious to collect the W-2's and whatever forms are needed to file taxes. When the filing is complete, it is that final nail in the old year's coffin, allowing me to put all my focus and energy into the new year.
We decided to expand the garden this year, Chris vowing to put more effort into it this year. In order to give himself real motivation to keep involved, he suggested that we turn it into a competition. He thinks we ought to divide the garden in half and see who can keep their plot more weed free. I don't really like that idea. If we are going to have a competition, it needs to involve something that really matters... such as the amount and quality of produce. I think he's afraid of losing... and I suppose it wouldn't really be fair, since he wouldn't have as much time to work in the garden as I will. Then again, I could consider the kids a potential handicap until they are properly trained.
Anyway, I ordered some seeds yesterday, and am caught between the desire to plan out the garden properly (after all... Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance), and the realization that I don't really know how to do that, so will do what I do almost every year, and just forge ahead, planting things wherever seems best at the moment as I go along. This time, I am going to pay more attention to planting guides and keep a journal of what I do, and how things go.
I've also been looking into that proverbial mirror, like most do in new of the year, and see a bit of a chameleon, though I don't know that it really bothers me. (Has anyone seen Zelig?) I like to listen to a lot of different trains of thought, and consider them at least half seriously, and glean whatever little truths I can from them... and eventually, the pieces that I pick up from here and there eventually form themselves into something.
It is kind of funny to me to see how 'in' it is to be 'green.' So much so, that at the dollar bins at the entrance of Target, we found one day 'green is in' buttons. I wasn't sure what to think of that, when I flipped the package over to find that they were made in China and shipped here. How 'green' is that? And I am no less the hypocrite. All you have to do is look in my diaper bag to find out how big of one I am.
In the meantime, God is speaking to me in lots of little ways, trying to teach me where I need to be more content and where I need to be less. And how good it is to be able to laugh.
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