Wildlife Around the House

 

Not so wild, although she sometimes meows at inconvenient times. 

If you're a fly, I recommend staying away from one of the yews in our front garden.

I took these photos with my new camera. I upgraded my five-year old camera with a used camera that's four years old but in good shape. I also bought a few lenses, one new and one used. In another five years, I plan to buy a three-year old camera, and in fifteen years, the math says I'll be all caught up. 

Winter Pictures

---

The photographer isn't in this picture, but the rest of the family is. 

My backyard leading into my neighbor's. 

Frost on the car in January looks like clouds.

K shows his backhand form at a recent lesson. 

Rigby, doing what she does best. Not much. In fact, the effort she's making to pose here is well above her average.

---

Some Varmints Great and Small

---


A couple of times this summer we've found this frog, with his little suction cup feet, inside the deck box. He was able to get in because one side of the lid doesn't always close properly. We moved him into the herb garden, where you can see him sitting amongst the parsley and rosemary. I've named the frog Herb, naturally. And speaking of rosemary, we grilled some sausage and potatoes yesterday, with some rosemary from this garden, and it was yummy.


This red squirrel has been enjoying the corn buffet in the tree all summer.

---

Rainy June Post

---


The cats REALLY want to eat that chipmunk. At least, they think they do. My guess is they're as afraid of him as he is of them.

Catching Up
Today and tonight, we're getting the rain we've been wondering about. Everything is looking extra green in the yard, so we'll take it.

We're getting ready for the end of the school year: K's "graduation" ceremony from middle school is coming up, and M's exams are looming. I don't have a lot going on, but J and I have spent a lot of time outside getting the yard into good shape.



There are a lot of records at the Ann Arbor Salvation Army resale store.

---

Book Recommendation
I just finished "Dear Committee Members" by Julie Schumacher. It's the funniest book I've read in a long time. It's a series of letters written by a (fictitious) English professor. The letters of recommendation are works of art, and rarely, if ever, does the author go to the same joke or use the same phrases to express something - there is always a new saying, metaphor, or cynical jab.

Some Links
I'm still dragging out my quest to buy a new camera. I've been getting advice on what to look for, and as always, a bigger budget gets you lots of better things. With lenses, especially. As far as new equipment, specifically digital SLRs, those who are up on the latest say you have basically two choices: Nikon or Canon. Some other manufacturers are out there, but they pale in comparison. I can get a decent camera for a good price buying used from a reputable site, like this one. Maybe I'll go that route. Or maybe I'll hem and haw for another few months.

Neat kite! That's a pretty clever idea.

Did you know adding paper to a block of sand can strengthen it to the point it can support your weight?

An impossibly detailed scale model of New York.

---

Gershwin's Piano Lives! Plus: Cat Picture

---

Mesko stares down a chipmunk, who is not afraid of her in the least.

Gershwin Lives
I've run into mom and dad a few times in the last week, and the first time we were together, dad mentioned he had been in a piano bar and had requested Gershwin. The piano player then played a long session of Gershwin. (I don't remember where the bar was - I think he said it was in a run-down section of New York where they sell drugs.)

A few days later, Jennifer and I went to a concert of all Gershwin music at Hill Auditorium. The occasion kicked off the Gershwin Initiative at the University of Michigan.

The piano on stage, played with every song, was George's personal Steinway A3, which was recently restored. Speakers between the songs and dances told the story of the piano's restoration and history, and U of M students in the Performing Arts school sang, played, danced, and otherwise did the Gershwins proud.

Older Child Update
M has been occasionally attending meetings of Pioneer High's Innovative Vehicle Design (IVD) group. See the IVD website for more details.

He came home after the first meeting and said "I might get to learn how to weld!" Good! M has always loved building things, I hope his interest in this keeps going.

Pictures

I took M to one of his Ultimate Frisbee games in Northville a few weeks ago. I snapped this clandestine photo while I hid behind the trees so he wouldn't have to acknowledge my presence. If you zoom in and focus your eyes, you can see the game in the distance.


K is playing soccer somewhere in this picture.

---

Congraduations!

---

Say Goodbye to the School Year

It's the end of the school year, and K has spent his last day as a student at Lawton. The fifth-grade graduation ceremony was a lot of fun (and slightly teary, for some people, I mean, not me, I wouldn't tear up for something like this, OK, maybe I would a little).

But first, we attended the annual ice cream social fundraiser. Fifth graders have the opportunity to be the target of the bucket-dumping game, and even though it was a little cool that night, K took his turn to get drenched.


The water's in the air, and K's about to get splashed.


His shift over, K contemplates the rest of his evening.


The graduation ceremony - the students sang "We Go Together" from Grease for the parents and siblings.


K and his teacher for the past two years, Mrs. Wesley.

---
The Cats
Meanwhile, in non-graduation news, the cats are just relaxing around the house, as cats are wont to do.


Mesko likes to hang out on top of the bookcase


Rigby parks herself on top of the desk chair

Merry Christmas from Henry Ford Museum

---

We made an early-morning visit to Henry Ford Museum yesterday, one of my favorite places. They've done some decorating for Christmas, it's really nice to go there this time of year.

The special exhibit was a display of iconic architectural structures, made with LEGOs. There was Ford Field (still under construction), Willis (Sears) Tower, the really tall building in Dubai, and Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" home.


Ford Field


Fallingwater

I love the massive power generators, and in many ways, I like the models of the power generators more than the real things. As soon as I retire, that's what I'm going to do - make some miniature power generators to power a doll house.


A scale model of a power generator


A scale model of a machine shop, with belt-powered lathes and metal-working machines. At night, tiny people come out and make souvenirs to sell in the gift shop.


This a screen snapshot from the "1800s Power Plant" iPhone app.

---

And, finally, to wish you a Merry Christmas, here are (left to right) Rigby and Mesko, who sometimes actually sleep like this.



From all of us here at The DEB Log, the journalism and editorial staff, proofreading department, photography lab, circulation department, and phone support center - Merry Christmas!

---

Enough Blood to Fill a Ten-Gallon Hat

K on the first day of school with some of his friends (who shall remain anonymous). Notice anything new or different about him?

---
There Will Be Ten Gallons of Blood
Today, at a blood drive sponsored by my employer, I donated my 80th pint of blood. A little math shows that equals ten gallons. No wonder the vein in my left arm complains so much when they stick the needle into it.

They didn't have a little "10" pin to give me, though. I might have to go looking on eBay for one, because what's the point of giving ten gallons of blood, one pint at a time, over 20 years or so, if you don't get a pin? There isn't any other good reason that I can think of.

Miscellaneous Related Sentences
K is off to a good start with soccer: he's scored one goal each in his first two games.

M spent three days and two nights with his fellow seventh-graders at Howell Nature Center. I stayed overnight one night with a roomful of boys (including M) as a chaperone, and my conclusion from that is: one night is enough.

The elevator project is pretty close to being done. I have the four buttons ready to go, all I have to do is finish the code to handle them and operate the motor properly. It won't be hard, I just have to sit down and do it.

The two new cats have settled into their new home and are perfecting their daily routine of sleep, eat, ignore the humans, sleep, eat, ignore the humans, and so on. Meanwhile, I go to work to earn money for their food and clean their litter boxes.

---

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather after the hot summer. I know I am. I went out running this morning at 5:30 and the cool air felt great. I was a bit of a slug all summer because I didn't want to run in the heat, so now I have to make up for lost time.

---

New Kittens

---

Two new kittens are living in our house now. My accountant says they can't be claimed as dependents, but if a cat doesn't qualify as dependent, I don't know what does.


Left to right: Rigby


Clockwise from bottom: Mesko



Here's a brick we bought for the Humane Society's sidewalk to memorialize our three previous adopted cats, who are all now playing with balls of yarn and/or acting indifferent in Cat Heaven.

---

Belated Happy Valentines Day

Introducing Gizmo T. Hamster

J and I celebrated Valentines Day Indian-style by going to Indian restaurant Raja Rani and ordering food whose names ended with the word "Korma". K had a party at school, because isn't that what they do in elementary school? And M's school had an ice skating party, which I don't think was related to Valentine's Day, but since it occurred in the same week, we'll just say it was.

A few weeks ago, the family unit went to the UM/MSU men's swim meet on campus. Their facility was very impressive. We sat near the end where the diving boards and platforms were, and watched the divers. UM trounced MSU, as they have done in swimming for roughly the past 900 years. UM has one of the best swimming programs in the nation.

We lost a cat and a fish in the last few months, and in an attempt to bring our pet totals back up, K acquired two hamsters named Widget and Gizmo. They are dwarf hamsters, so they're smaller than normal. So far it's been fun to watch them in the little exercise ball and in their cage, getting on and off the exercise wheel. I'm not sure why they're so obsessed with exercise, I don't think their doctors are taking their blood pressure and telling them to get out more. They are especially funny when they both run on the wheel at the same time. K has been keeping a close eye on them, but I do think the "How to Care for your Hamster" website K found might not be legitimate - it suggests giving them a lot more tequila than I think would be OK for an animal their size. And I wasn’t aware that Doritos were considered a comparable substitute for the more traditional Hamster Pellets. Things have sure changed since we had hamsters as kids.

This medium-sized university, er, I mean, extremely large house, is for sale. I sent them a lowball offer through their realtor, I hope I get lucky.

---

Relevant, Modern Phone Instruction! Also, Live Music and Snail News

---

Garina squeegies the tank

---

Rotary Phone Instruction
When I was in high school, I had a friend over for lunch. She had to call her parents for some reason, and I pointed her to the phone, which was a rotary dial phone. She didn’t know how to use it. I thought it was hilarious that this smart high-schooler didn’t know how to dial a phone.

Here’s a vintage video that shows how, in case you are too young to know how, or had a butler make all your calls when you were growing up.

---

Snail News
You know about Gary the snail, our new addition to the fish tank who was an impulse purchase when we were replacing our two deceased goldfish. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, Gary bought the snail farm and slipped the surly bonds of tank.

We were so entertained by Gary’s antics - crawling, munching on algae chips, and so on - that we got another one. At the pet store, I asked the guy if we could get one of those hero snails you hear about on TV news, the ones that call 911 when there is an emergency. He didn’t have any of those, but he did have some blue ones, so we picked one out and took it home.

J made the call that this one was female (no, I don’t know how to tell either), and I have dubbed this one Garina, in Gary’s honor. Garette, Lady Gary, and just plain Gary were also possibilities.

Garina is even more active than Gary was in his prime, often sticking her antennae and feelers and other doodads out of her shell for a quick crawl across the front of the tank. She is fun to watch as she slurps the glass with her mouth, or just hangs out at the top of the water breathing through her natural snail scuba gear.

Garina’s female status was confirmed when we noticed a small baby snail in the tank. It has moved to different places in the tank since it was first sighted, and it looks like it’s growing a little. I call this one Gary Jr. but it might be a Garina, we don’t know. We were worried that more Gary Jr.’s might appear, but so far, we have just one.

As far as the two new fish I reported on earlier, we don't bother watching them anymore. I'm pretty sure they're still in the tank, though. The snail is just so much fun to watch, we look right past the fish.

----

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy
The summer fun continues: K went with his friend Max to a Tigers game last week as a present for Max’s birthday. That night, J, M, and I went to Top of the Park to have some pizza and watch live music. The music that night was courtesy of a group from Grand Rapids called Delilah and the Lost Boys and Detroit-based jazz band The Millionaires, who were terrific. Live music is great – I will watch anyone play any kind of live music, even things I would not listen to on the radio. Country, jazz, classical, funk, rock – I like them all when they’re live. Just because the only thing I have on my iPod now are Gregorian Chants doesn’t mean I can’t expand my horizons a little when I have a chance.

---

We still have lots on our to-do list for the summer, including lots of grilling, s’more-ing, and traveling. Stay tuned!