An Ongoing Project - Yup, another one.

Hello,

Well, today is Sunday, and I am on my back on ice trying to recover from the little "pop" heard round the world, or at least 'round my backside, which does seem worlds away, but that is yet another story.

So. Friday as I was looking in the fridge, bent to the side, head cocked, trying to see into the deep crevices for what I know is not even there (Java Chip Frap from Starbucks, still not there) a pop was heard/felt. I was ignoring what my mom says is the mantra of the back-challenged "always face your body to what you are looking at" or something like that, you get the idea anyway, thanks mom, I know that NOW! Ack....so therein starts my happy, happening, full of fun and adventure Flat on my Back Weekend!! Yes. Groan.

Well, what's come of this weekend is that I've delved into the basket set aside sometime this winter. The girls and I got the fabulous, wonderful, creative idea to totally copy our friends Elizabeth and Kristine's (mother and daughter, respectfully) idea to make a mother/daughter knitted blanket using some of our beloved yarn collection. So, Makenna jumped right on the idea, picked a color theme of blues/greens/purples, collected all the possible yarns and we threw them all in a basket. Jordan, Ken and I hung out, knitting and saying how great this blanket was going to be, and who was going to get it when we were done, how we would share it, etc. then promptly lost our happy knitting train of thought. I've made a few squares, they both have squares started on their needles, and there it has sat.

This weekend, as I was lying on the floor on ice, my face right next to the basket, being forced to not do anything remotely on or near any of my lists of things to do (things to do today, things to do this week, things I can't do until after I finish all these other things to do - prioritized, numbered and waiting, now you're getting the idea) I decided to pick up this project and kick out a few squares. You still with me. Go ahead, catch your breath from that last run on sentence, I'll wait.

So, mother/daughter blanket....back in action.

Here are a few pics.

This is the basket with some of the yarns.

Here are the squares already worked on.

It's a free form type of thing, we're just going to make the squares whatever size we want, and whatever size needle, and whatever stitch we want to do them in. Free Form. No rules, just follow your fancy. You want it, we got it.


Wish us luck!

Edible Plant List

This past camping trip has awoken a dormant interest in wild edible plants. It was Sue's intention while camping to eat a small amount of wild edibles every day. Through her interest, I have been able to start on my own path of learning in this area.

One book mentioned for a good study tool was Petersons Guide to Wild Edible Plants. I'm going to look for it online.

Ok, so....a list.

4/16/07 - Longpoint Campout
Glasswort - a spindly succulent with segment - very salty tasting. Grew all over the island
Pickerelweed - I read in Petersons that it's edible, but have not eaten any. A water plant that I've seen all over and didn't know was edible.
Pepperweed - As it sounds... peppery

3/29/08 - Oklawaha River/Weekend Workshop with Michael Rebel
Yellow Wood Sorrell - we have eaten sorrell many times but this time Lyn showed me how wonderful the flower is. The flavor of the leaves is lemony with a spinachy taste, the flowers alone are lemony and lovely, no green taste.


This is what I have so far...I'm planning on adding more as I obtain it.

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to go on a Wild Edibles walk with the Trout Lake Nature Center. I've only just found out about the trip while searching for more information online. I've called to try and sign up, but we'll see in the am if there is availability.

Hopefully the list will keep on growing!

Adventure on Little Lake Harris

Today, Makenna and I went on a canoe trip planned by Trout Lake Nature in conjunction with the Lake County Water Authority. Lavon from Trout Lake planned the trip. The 10 am outing had so much interest they added another trip for 2 pm. That's the one Makenna and I did. Less birds at this time, but still worth the trip.

All day it was cloudy, coolish (low 70's) and threatening rain. We decided to go anyway.

We drove to Astatula, 19 to 561, pass the landfill and the drivers license place, take a right onto 48W in the town of Astatula, take this to the end where it turns into a dirt road with a small boat launch at the end. We got there, got our life vests, picked out a canoe and hit the water....just in time for the rain to begin.

It was raining, and thundering in the distance the whole time we were on Little Lake Harris. We turned off into the Double Run Preserve. This Preserve was purchased by LCWA to protect the Double Run spring flow and the hardwood swamp that surrounds it. Double Run Swamp was the historic connection between Lake Apopka and Little Lake Harris and still serves some of its role as a water quality filter and reservoir for seepage flow through the wetlands and from the surrounding sandhills. Also, hidden in the depths of this swamp is a small 3rd magnitude spring. The combination of these natural features means that the water in Double Run has great clarity. Little Lake Harris has water that's more on the brown side. Anyway, before we turned off we did a bit of a poll to see who wanted to continue on and who wanted to go back. Brad from the Lake County Water Authority was willing to turn around with anyone not up for the 2 hours paddling in the rain.

A few did turn back and Makenna and I decided we were sticking with it. We had gotten an updated weather situation by someone back at LCWA and the storms were not really going to be a threat for us. Rain was still going to happen, but lightening was not. We called it an adventure and continued on.

Once back into the narrower water the rain vacillated between picking up to what felt like some sort of punishment, and dropping off to just plain rain. Nevertheless, it was really lovely back in this area. I love being in the woods or near the woods (as it was in this case) in the rain. It seems the bark of the trees gets darker and the green of the leaves gets brighter and it all has a glow because of the wetness that I find awe inspiring.

Lots of the trees along the banks were cyprus and there was evidence of some other trees, not cyprus, having fallen over. Big root systems facing vertically. We saw some poison ivy (Makenna identified) and pickerelweed which looks like purple spikey hyacinth water plants, spatterdock, which is like a lily pad with yellow flowers that don't ever open up past a slight bud like size. We saw an apple snail shell sitting on top of a spotty leaf and Lavon told us it was the native, non invasive snail which is integral to the snail kite and the limpkin 's diet. The way to tell if this was a apple snail was by looking at the snails outside spiral. the apple snail does not have deep grooves or channels. The non native channel apple snail does. Check out the website for lots of good information on this.

We saw a dead alligator floating in the roots of the trees by the banks. We could smell it before we we saw it and initially we thought it was a log floating there. It's belly was white and shiny and that ultimately is what helped us identify it. Not very log like in that way. Not sure why it would be floating there dead or what could have killed it. Doesn't seem like a good thing though.

We did see birds as well....osprey, white egret, great blue heron, green Heron, anhinga, kingfisher, and lots of little ones I don't know. I had never seen a kingfisher and Lavon identified it by it's white band around the neck, black bill and the females have a red stripe across their breast. Cool.

By the time we got back to the boat ramp we were cold cold, wet and tired and looking for some hot chocolate and dry clothes. Makenna brought a change of clothes, I did not. We learn from the youth, eh? We hauled the canoe up, said our good-byes and headed out. What an adventure!
Makenna: We have to stop for hot chocolate on the way home.
Me: Can't we wait until home?
Makenna: No, we have to stop, I'm freezing!
Me: Ok, next gas station and we're there.

It hit the spot, that's for sure! I was a drowned rat, soaked hair, clothes, shoes, everything. What a sight we both made. But we had fun and I'm glad we did it.

Makenna and I both would like to work on getting kayaks so we can be out in the water more often. There is so much to explore and we just have not done it. I really did like being in a canoe this time, though. I haven't been in one in so long and have mostly kayaked lately. The seating is different and so is the paddling. It was nice. Canoe? kayak? Either is good!!

Chillin' with Gio, Aaron, and Sean at Jordan's house

Jordan had some friends over and I decided to be a fly on the wall for a little while.......this is what I heard and saw.

Things got quiet when I announced this.....then Sean spoke.

I wonder what history will be like since we have such better records now? Sean says.

Giglgle giggle, all around.

Silence now that records are being kept. Maybe history will reflect this phenomenon.

Listening to Neil. Yup, Neil Young. . . Rich's new cd for his birthday.

Silence.

Jack chilled out, crashed, on Aaron's lap.

Lull

Makenna's back in her room watching Johnny English.

Rich is on the other computer.

Daniella from the show the L word has lived in different countries as a man. Jordan reads from Harp Magazine.

That's weird, says sean.

It is?, j says.....don't you want to live as a man? ah, burn

Ok, now we're onto Walker Texas Ranger...cheesiest show Sean has ever seen.

J says she watched a WTR marathon while she had her wisdom teeth out, nothing else on....it was awful

Aaron showed me how to take my blog profile and turn it into a website. It was a bit scary, I thought I was going to lose everything, but then it was cool.

Gio is now having his hair done by Jordan, lots of pony tails all over....Sean's just happy it isn't him.

Sean's petting Jack. He thinks Jack is going to be scary when he's older, with his one blue eye and one brown.

I wish I had a camera to record gio's hair...oh Jordan just ran and got hers.

Aaron is controlling Gio by pulling on his little pony tails. Laughing

Sean, when you have lots of money are you going to buy me something...says Jordan

Do you have a girlfriend Aaron? no?....you broke up with her, what's up with that?.

I only went out with her twice....I don't like to talk about it...says Aaron

I don't like to talk to my mom about it, I don't like to talk to anyone about it.

Do you have any of that chocolate soy milk stuff....aaron says (diversionary tactic

Uh, yeah...I say

Can I have some......Aaron

Sure. ...me

picture taking...all three doing the superman pose, aaron smiling for the photo and saying "I drink Soymilk."

Drum playing for a minute....

Sean, please let me put your hair in little pig tails......J

You know what you need? Sean says to me. A long black turtleneck sweater. S

why? Me

I don't know, it goes with the glasses. S
And a beret S

sean and jordan wrestling and slapping, hitting.....being rude, according to Aaron

Jack needs to get out of the way, it's too physical

Aaron says he knew someone who talks only in German to his dog. Nine for no and so on.

We decided to teach Jack commands in German

Jordan doesn't want sean touching her hair...Sean wants to, and insists he likes his hair touched, she doesn't like hers touched though.

Ok, enough of stenography whilst the kids are talking and hanging out.

You get the idea.

Walkin' the Dog and Other Tricks

So, with our little Jack dog, walking around our neighborhood has been a regular occurrence.

Jack usually gets me up around 7 and we do the usual stuff, potty, breakfast, a bit of lovin', then I do some chores, or check my email, maybe make a bit of coffee, and then we kind of hang out waiting for Makenna to wake up.

She's our walking buddy. We like it when she goes with us.

Lately, on our walks, the air has been filled with the scent of Orange Blossom or Jasmine. It's hard to tell which with their smell being so similar. It's a heady scent, sweet but not light, more musky. It's one of my favorite things about living in Florida, that scent. It's like turning sugar into something you can inhale and breathing it straight in.

Walking around, or driving with the windows down, air blowing and it's sweet and tropical.

The azaleas are pretty much done blooming, they popped out in March. The impatiens have been blooming all winter long. Peace lilies are blooming. Crepe Myrtle is starting now. Spring is definitely here.

Makenna and I like our walks, Jack too. We're definitely out walking more, talking to neighbors, helping Jack become socialized.

He's getting there.

When we first started walking with him he would walk happily to the end of our driveway and halt. We had to encourage him, be patient with him. Now, he just gets to the end of the driveway and keeps on going. He's learning to deal with his fear of cars, vans and SUV's, sprinklers, humans, and trash bags (a particularly good fear to get over since the leaves are an issue in our treed neighborhood and our neighbors are particularly fond of their lawn and leaf bags, ugh.).

So, we walk.

We walk in the morning, and we walk at night.

We walk for exercise, we walk to make Jack tired.

Note to self.

Remember to dump out the water you are warming the carafe with BEFORE hitting the on button and making the actual pot of coffee.

Second note.

Jack + Puddle of Cofffee he wants to clean up off of the floor = Not such a good thing aka trouble in the form of a 15 pound tail -chasing, spastic whirlwind.

Big Sigh.

Florida Film Festival 2007 - Shakin up the film scene for 16 years

The Florida Film Festival is happening this week and here are a few of the films I saw.

On Wednesday Rich and I saw The Animated Shorts at the Enzian. We usually try and see the non-animated shorts but this year we were working on a "sharing" schedule. Jordan, Rich and I all wanted to see films at the festival and we all three had to share babysitting Jack duty. This was a night that I could go and see a film, so the Animated Shorts it was.

Thursday night we were all home, but on Friday morning Jordan and I did the Kodak Stop By - Shoot Film forum that was offered. We headed down on Friday morning and got to act in a small production, shoot film, discuss filmaking, and haul the monster camera around! It was pretty cool.

We left there and went to the Enzian to see Black Irish - Cole McKay (Michael Angarano), a 16- year-old Irish Catholic living in South Boston, is a good boy who loves his family, baseball, and pets. Once an aspirant for the priesthood, Cole struggles to come of age--facing new obligations and ideas--in the midst of a chaotic and financially challenged family and the upheaval that accompanies his own puberty. Can he survive? Can his family? The McKay's are a troubled lot: Cole's teenage siblings--surly and misguided Terry (Tom Guiry) and unwed and pregnant Kathleen (Emily VanCamp)--are foils for his growth, while his parents--alcoholic Desmond and austere Margaret--complete the family, ultimately revealing how the term "Black Irish" in this film may refer to the more pejorative hard-drinking, brawling Irish than to Spanish Moor ancestral descent. With an impressive ensemble cast, including Brendan Gleeson, Melissa Leo, and Michael Rispoli, this finely shot coming-of-age story is fraught with all the tension and conflict and hope of real life familial relationships.

Sadie met us at the Enzian and then headed home with us afterwards. Bron was involved in the Dragonboat Festival that was happening in Tavares so she wanted to be a part of that.

Jordan, Sadie and I drove home - did a 2 hour rush tidy of the house for Zelena, Ben and Johanna's visit - then Heather, Rich and I headed back to Winter Park for the International Shorts and If It Ain't Stiff It Ain't Worth A F...: The Stiff Records Story . Heather knew so much of this music, you now, from growing up in England and all.....ahh reminiscing about the pop/pub culture in England. It was great fun watching this with her. Except for the bits that I fell asleep. Late night, life with dog...what can I say.

Just for the record...this year Rich, Jordan, and Heather saw Glastonbury on Monday night. Heather and Jordan went on Tuesday night for The Elephant King and today, Sunday, Rich and Jordan are seeing Air Guitar Nation tonight after the radio show. Heather might be joining them!

So, this was the 2007 Florida Film Festival. As usual it was a blast.....now life can slow down a bit again!! Sheesh.

It's very hard to see all the films we wanted to. We're talking about having a FilmFestNight once a month and getting any film we still wanted to see from Netflix and checking them out that way.