Happy 4th, Sweet Sophia

Okay, it's really tomorrow, but I'm excited. She's excited!









Four years! They've been four wonderful ones.

Pippi's Pining for the Fjords

Fiona talking. I swear she looks like she's grown up in New Yawk.

Alas, after just telling a friend that our birds are so messy, and actually, I'm really not fond of them at all, we found Pippi lying on the bottom of her cage. I think I hear my taxi to Hell just outside the door now. (Although another friend of ours, who let us borrow the steamer for the wallpaper, said I should test it out on the birds.)

So we buried her in the back yard and Fiona sang some songs. She doesn't seem particularly sad, but Sophia is a bit sad. She keeps saying she misses Pippi and wants to write notes for her to put outside. She also keeps asking why Pippi died. I have tried to answer this in several different ways, but she still keeps asking. Don't we all.

The leaves are all pretty much yellow now. However, there are so many peepers here that it is actually affecting traffic. That combined with the desperate construction going on makes for some uncharacteristically stopped up traffic.

I'm so looking forward to October 23-26, where I will join Ellen Aim for her visit to the Cornell Law School! If we can find a room somewhere. It's a long 6 hour drive there, so I'll have to load up the Pod with road songs.

I will tentatively say that I may have a very minor source of income and a major source for a creative outlet. I have started making cakes for a friend's coffee shop and they seem to be selling very well and have received lots of compliments. It makes me very happy.

He Taught Me How to Turn My Cheek When People Laugh at Me

And, boy, am I laughing. My dad sent this, Ellen Aim posted it, and I have to share it, too. Try to hang in there (it's not easy) for the lyrics at 1:45.

Triana's Visit

Today was Fiona's first violin lesson! I think it went well.

Last night was Open House at Fiona's school and her teacher told us that Fiona is pretty much at a whole different level of reading than the rest of her class. Unfortunately, the 2nd graders have reading time at a different time, so apparently she can't go there. I'm not too worried as she spends a lot of her free time reading (and she can't hear you when she reads, which is exasperating, but at the same time, I totally understand...). We saw her reading basket and we'll see about putting some more advanced books in there or something. Her teacher wants her to work on comprehension, which she is pretty good at, but could be better--she tends to read very quickly. Again, I can relate.



We had a great visit with Triana, who wrote a great post about it at her blog, so I'll let you read it there. Suffice to say, good times were had, silliness ensued, and good food was plentiful. Fiona still mourns and mopes (mainly after school, which is prime moping time) for Kendra's presence.

This is the best foliage season ever. I can't believe how bright the leaves are this year. Some years it's very yellow and brown. This year is Red! Orange! and Yellow! It is outstanding. I took some lame pictures and they don't really do it justice.



I did take Triana to Hen of the Wood, where I did not get a recent menu, so I don't really have details. What can I say? The food was utterly divine as usual. They really know how to cook their pig. However! We saw the Chef, Eric Warnstedt, who was named one of Food and Wine's best new chefs of 2008. So that is incredibly awesome. But before I discovered that, he was there in the hallway with us and I asked him if he was the chef (doh, I knew that, but I can't start a conversation to save my life), and then, upon affirmation, said I loved his food and wanted to shake his hand, which I did. Squee! I said I had to bring Triana there since she had never been. After being seated, we got a little amuse bouche of grilled bread, blue cheese, and bacon. Oh, the bacon. I did have pork for an appetizer and entree on top of that. What can I say? I love pig, and it is magic at Hen of the Wood. I do remember Triana had the hanger steak, which she was worried would be tough, but I said, do not worry. They know how to cook meat here, and it will be perfect, or they will redo it. It was perfect.



I've posted this before, but it's not on YouTube anymore. It's worth repeating in honor of bacon:

glumbert - Jim Gaffigan loves bacon

Ten Foods You’ll Find, Eat, and Regret at the State Fair

I love food—the greasier the better. So any day that includes deep-fried calamari with warm marinara sauce is a good day—no, a great day—by my standards. There’s no better place to get your greasy grub on than at a state fair.

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