Mon - October 2, 2006

Hell in a Handbasket


You know that the world is going to hell when Arlen Specter is the only one in power fighting for the Constitution. McCain??? Where are you??? I was counting on you. We don't get to change the constitution on a whim. If a particular president doesn't like it - he doesn't get to change it. That's not how our country works.

And you know the world is going to hell when Dennis Hassert feels that protecting a sexual predator is a good idea. (I read some of the Foley stuff...and I immediately wanted to erase it from my memory and take a shower. Ick, ick, double ick.) Who puts politics above morals in this type of situation? (OK, maybe other politicians do - but he's the most recent. At least Clinton harassed interns who were over the age of consent instead of underage pages...ick, ick, ick.)

And when Frist thinks that the Taliban are really great guys and should run the government of Afghanistan. Hey - maybe they are just misunderstood? It worked so well in the early 90s. Let's try Taliban rule again! (Does this man read ANY history? Does anyone in this administration read any history???)

Lately, I can't shake the suspicion that I am smarter than our current leader. Which is just horribly wrong, because, frankly - I'm not that smart. Well-read perhaps, but not terribly clever.

Add a few school shootings to the mix, and a mismanaged war with thousands and thousands of unnecessary casualties and there is just not much good news these days.

Last night in the bath, Dana was telling Davis the following:

"George Washington was our first president. He was a very good man. He is on the dollar. That is what we get for our allowance. He was in a war for us to be a country. He was honest. Our president now is also a George. But he won't go in any wars. He sends other people. I don't think he is honest like the first George."

I swear I have not coached this child....she must be picking it up at school? This is Madison, after all.

Posted at 09:04 PM    

Sat - September 30, 2006

Autumn


I love autumn. I always have. Maybe it is because 3 out of 4 Nelson family birthdays (and one wedding anniversary) are in autumn. Maybe it is because school starts in autumn. Maybe it's because the winter is so damn long and cold here, that I must appreciate every single minute leading up to it!

Our neighborhood is particularly beautiful:



We were at a neighborhood party tonight. A band was playing at the beach and all the children were running around - dancing, playing, having a blast.



There are a million things I love about our neighborhood. For one, there had to be 50 kids there tonight - all between the ages of 2 and 8. There is an incredible sense of community. I love being able to walk to the lake and go to parties at the beach, without ever getting in a car. I love that my kids can walk or bike to all their friends' houses.

But....(isn't there always a 'but?')....sometimes it seems a little too perfect. (Or "stepford," maybe...)

For one thing, everyone is white. In our city, this is not the case. It's very diverse. But in our neighborhood - 100% lily white.

And everyone is perfect.

We have a group of 14 neighborhood mothers who are meeting weekly to take part in a discussion group on children/environment/nutrition etc. And judging from our first meeting, none of our children ever watch TV and none of them have ever been to McDonalds, and only organic food ever touches their lips.

I'm guilty of the McDonalds bias myself, I think it has been over two years since I've been there with the kids (with the exception of long road or airline trips in which case I will feed them ANYTHING which will shut them up!) But my kids have been there. My dear husband doesn't share my aversion to fast food. And they've been there with grandparents/friends/etc. A few happy meals won't kill anyone.

Any mother who says her kids never watch TV is lying! Lying, I tell you! I don't really watch much TV myself. I'd much rather read a book or surf the internet. (and surf the internet some more...) But, if Doug is out of town and I need to take a shower - that TV goes right on!!!! Immediately!!!

For now, I'm trying to keep if off during the week. We never turn it on in the morning, anyway. (Except for emergencies....like when the kids wake up exactly as I'm leaving for my morning run and Doug needs that all-important shower!) During the week, Dana doesn't get home until almost 4. We play until 5, make/eat dinner, bath, books, etc. and they are usually in bed between 7:30 - 8:00. So, during the week - no time for it.

But I'll gladly stick them in front of a TV show or movie on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Hmmm....I hope they don't kick me out of the neighborhood. : )

On a completely unrelated note, Dana will be a flower girl in Doug's brother's wedding in two weeks. We finally got tomboy-Dana to try on the fancy dress today:




Isn't she perfect????

.....must be the neighborhood.....


Posted at 09:03 PM    

Sat - November 12, 2005

It takes a village 


I make fun of our village a lot. (It's a lakeside neighborhood of white upper-middle-class people who read The New Yorker and listen to NPR and drive European cars and belong to book clubs and run marathons and have graduate degrees.) I won't write any of it on the internet, but you'll just have to trust me that there is much to be made fun of. And it's really a village. We actually live in a village. Though, sometimes it feels like we live in a Hallmark Commercial. Everyone knows everyone and I swear there is a parade or party or festival every other weekend.

So, on Thursday, the bus beat me home. Dana got home to a completely empty house. She didn't bat an eye - she simply walked half a block down the street and knocked on the door of a friend and asked if she could wait there until I got home. (She assures me she looked both ways before crossing the street.)

And on Friday, we have a younger brother baby-sitting swap so the at-home parents can go volunteer at the elementary school. This Friday, a friend took Davis for the whole morning - and even took him out to lunch. Would have kept him all day, if I had allowed it.

Kids here still play at the park without their parents. They ride their bikes through the streets alone. They play unorganized games of soccer and baseball in the field. I hear this is becoming more unusual throughout the country.

Maybe living in a village isn't so bad, after all. (But I will continue to make fun of it....in private....) 

Posted at 09:25 PM    

Fri - October 29, 2004

Bad Kitty 


We live on a nice quiet street now so we've been letting Winnie the Evil Cat outside more. She maims us less with her talons-ish claws when she is outside.

We just got the neighborhood newsletter and boy, we're in trouble. And I quote:
"In the last month, we've had a sharp increase in complaints about marauding cats."

Not "roaming," not "loose," not "unleashed," but "marauding."

even the pets are snobby here. Sorry, Winnie. Back on the lease for you.

In our old neighborhood, they were more concerned about the shootings in the apartment parking lot, the dead body found in the park or the used condoms on the playground equipment.

Here, the biggest problem seems to be "marauding cats."

And we've only moved .97 miles away.
 

Posted at 09:30 PM    

©