Photo dump

September is about new schedules and new schools and no time for blogging. So here's some pics instead.

Family hike on Labor Day weekend to a waterfall in the 'Daks.

Waiting for the bus the first day of Kindergarten.

On the bus.....

Stuffing scarecrows at the Harvest Festival.

Birthday party for Brittany the pig. (the candles are carrots)

Dream a little dream for me

If someone had asked me during the long job hunt last year:
"Amy, what would be your dream job?"
I would have responded:
"I'd like to work in Payroll/HR for a big company. Not doing the hiring and counseling stuff, but managing benefits, keeping the paychecks accurate, maintaining the payroll records. I liked doing that in D.C., although the three unions and weekly payroll was sometimes stressful. But where, oh where, is there a job like that in the sparsely populated North Country?"

This week, there is an opening at my bank with a job description that pretty much matches everything I want to do. Every single thing listed in the "Major Responsibilities" is something that I already have experience in.

There are some obstacles though. It's a good paygrade, which means that everyone who's been putting in time as Tellers or in Data Entry will be interested. And technically, they're only looking for one year of experience in accounting/HR. So many people will meet the minimum qualifications. I would be very doubtful if there's anyone with as much Payroll experience as me, but someone with a little experience who's been with the company longer may get a chance to ahead of me. So I'm trying to relax about it and not start cleaning out my cubicle yet. But I really, really, really want it.

Political links

I'm trying to take the high road and not spend much time on the Uber-liberal Daily Kos, but I have to thank them for pointing out this poster.

Other sites I can't stop visiting are:
538 -An excellent site on polls. Even better now that I can look at the electoral map without cringing.
Mudflats -a political blog from someone who follows Alaska politics
Comics Curmudgeon on Wonkette -fun with Editorial cartoons!
TPM and Huffington Post - also ultra-liberal, but I can't resist.
Wake-up -Dan's spot for ranting
I was also sucked into a massive post on Metafilter with 5000 comments and hundreds of links that went up the day of Palin's selection. I won't link to it, just cause it's taking a few minutes to load at this point. But it was an incredible time waster for about two weeks.

Plus, I'm tuned into XM's POTUS channel every day. Although they have a Republican strategist on every morning, and I sometimes have to attack the radio to turn it off. I try to hear their side, but there always comes a point when I can't stomach the lies/smears/contempt for my intelligence any longer.

Donovan's review

The review of Dan's new restaurant was in the paper today. They haven't posted it online yet, but here's my favorite snippet.

"Upscale" doesn't have to mean "intimidating". The restaurant has a relaxed look and feel, a professional yet personable wait staff and a chef who definately knows what he's doing.

Also:

Applewood bacon-wrapped filet of pork was exceptional, with a smooth, smoked flavor, moistened with a sauce of caramelized onions. It was served with fried mac and cheese, an updated preparation of an old favorite, absolutely complementing the dish.

New York Strip - It was a generous portion of top-quality meat, cooked perfectly and topped with brandy mushroom sauce. An interesting and yummy side, a piece of potato pie made with bacon, cheddar and scallion, was a nice touch.

I need to congratulate Donovan and Dana for getting everything right. Dan's been so much happier since he started working there, but he's really going to be flying high after getting this public praise. 4 1/2 forks out of five. Great job!!

Pro-Choice

Imagine you're a jury in a John Grisham novel. The Prosecutor has just unleashed a tirade that seems to damn the defendant, only to have the judge rule that it's all inadmissible. And of course, you, as a juror, are told to forget everything you've just heard. Yeah, right.

That's how this Palin thing feels for me now. Since Friday night I've been caught up in reading every detail or rumor that's been dredged up. But today, I gave myself a big slap on the head to remind me that "Hello, I'm a liberal feminist. What Palin CHOOSES to do during her pregancy is none of my business. How she decides to balance her family responsibilies and her job are none of my business. If I'm going to laud Biden for not quitting his job over increased family responsibilities, then I can't expect Palin to turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity just because of a messy family life."

That's my public opinion. How I feel in private is another matter. And I probably won't be able to stop trying to work out if the Religious Right's public statements of support may be different from the private thoughts they'll have in the voter's booth. They tend to not be as enlightened about feminist issues as me.

That said, here is a long list of reasons that Palin is bad for women, bad for our country and just a horrible, horrible choice.

Wants to have schools teach abstinence only.
Wants schools to teach creationism.
Tried to fire a librarian for not banning books.
Supported the bridge to Nowhere.
Supported indicted Senator Ted Stevens.
She continually injects God into Government.
She doesn't believe that human activity causes global warming.

You know there's more than that. I can't even imagine how much more will come out in the next few days. But I'm going to try very, very, very hard to NOT make this a big election about small things.

Were you in it just for me?

Very distracted during Palin's speech. All I could think about was how much she looked and sounded like Tina Fey.






She had me for a few minutes with her baby, and her "Hockey Mom" line. But I'd be really bummed if the first female president was a Republican. And I'd be furious if it was a woman who was anti-choice, pro-creationism, anti-gay and a lifetime NRA member.

I'm also a bit disgusted about the media playing up the fact that she has a down syndrome child as "proof" of her Pro-life credentials. I'm not sure where to direct my anger about that, because I don't know if it's really her promoting the connection or just the media.

Just tell me that the men and women of this country who were excited about Hillary's run aren't gullible enough to think that Palin's a good second choice. She and McCain are against everything that Hillary stands for.

Frozen River

I don't get to the movies much. But I'm intrigued by the fact that the Sundance Grand Jury winner for drama was set near where I live. So if anyone does decide to see Frozen River, you'll get a pretty good glimpse of the snow and cold that's waiting for me this winter.

What Have I DONE!!!

Good? Bad? Horrible different at first but I'll get used to it?

It was really necessary after the haircut she gave herself. And Dan doesn't like her screaming fits when he has to comb her hair and put elastics in. Now I just have to deal with screaming fits at the hairdressers every few weeks.

Any suggestions for different styles that aren't so "page-boy"? It's hard to think of what would work with her straight, fine hair.

Turn me Off

Got our electric bill from Jul 10 to Aug 11. Tankless hot water heater was installed Jul 3. Our usage dropped from about 1050kWH in June to 575kWH in current billing cycle. Turning off the computer more, changing lightbulbs and generally being smarter has helped drop us from 1165 last August to this low. Our Dec & Jan totals were almost 1500 kWH, I don't know how much of that was water, and how much was just the need to have more lights on in winter, but we should see an improvement there too.

I should update when I figure out the propane costs, but right now I'm looking at bills for the delivery of a bigger tank, installation, and a credit for the old tank. Can't quite figure out how that translates into how much was in the tank or how much we use each month for cooking and water.

Bullwinkle!

I know, I know, you can't see anything. But the brown smudge on the tree line (just to the left of the white post) is a moose. He's been hanging around this field for about a week. I kept forgetting to stop by and see, so a co-worker called me on her way home to say he was there.

Unfortunately, he wasn't being very photogenic. We could see his ears wiggling a bit, but he hadn't moved from the spot for at least an hour and a half before we came, and he decided to stretch it out by another half hour after we got there. I was just getting to the point of leaving when he finally stood up. And in the time it took me to get the kids back out of the car and across the street, he'd already disappeared into the trees. We got a brief glimpse of his tail (or booty, as Nathan has taken to saying) before he was gone.

I'm posting about it anyway, because HEY I saw a Moose!!!

(Much better picture of the Moose here.)

You gotta have Friends

I'm not particularly good at making friends. I put too many barriers in the way. "We work different shifts" "We live too far away" "She's not married" "She doesn't have kids" "Her kids are different ages" on and on and on.

And then, even if I meet someone who I can't find any objections to, I still have to cultivate the friendships somehow. It can take me a year to work up to trading e-mail or phone numbers. I'm not someone who chats on the phone, very un-girly of me, so I don't know how to move easily from acquaintance to friend. Our habit of moving every 2-3 years has not helped this process.

When we first moved here, I was only expecting to stay for a year or two as well, before moving back to Saranac Lake. So I wasn't stressing too much about the need to put down roots and make friends. But a few months after moving, I met Allison, and not only did she meet all my stupid, random qualifications, she was nice too. It still took me months to get around to calling her to make plans. And we've seen less and less of eachother since I starting working. But we also had many good talks at the beach, playground and skating rink while keeping one eye and ear on the kids.

This time, instead of me leaving, she has. To Atlanta. Very, very far away. Sigh.

So now I'm back to square one. It's like dating, something I have even less experience with. The only other woman who I'd gotten beyond calling "so & so's Mom" is also moving this summer. I have to hang out at the playground, or find time to make small talk during daycare pick-up. Now that Dan works Sundays, I may try the U-U Church again. This really sucks.

Beauty School Drop Out

Okay. There are two things wrong with this picture, can you spot them?

See the hair next to her ear. It's supposed to be about an inch longer. But my darling, angel of a daughter decided to practice her beautician skills and gave herself a haircut last night. At least most of her work was confined to the end of the pony tail, so a visit to the hairdresser should even all that out tomorrow. But there were also a few suspiciously short hairs right on the crown of her head too, that I discovered when I removed the elastics. She may be sporting a spiky Alfalfa do later this month.


Here are the remains.

Animal Planet

It's getting to be like Wild Kingdom around here. First a snake in the kitchen. Then Dan found a bat stuck to some burdock while mowing. He disentangled it and left it on the swingset to recover for the day. And now Nathan's just gotten two stings, one on his leg and one on his cheek, from a wasp or bees.

Several minutes of ear-shattering screaming have now been replaced with a child happily playing in the tub. But I'm worried about that cheek. It's probably going to bother him a lot at bedtime.

Sun & Wind

I'd love to have some solar panels....
Or a wind turbine.....
But until then, I suppose I should at least harvest a little wind & sun and save on some energy bills.

I think the only reason we hadn't done this sooner was that with the pig farm next door, we weren't sure about the odors. And also, this is right next to one of Zeppo's runs, and I just haven't figured out a better place to move him to. But for now, we'll just go with it. If he causes trouble, we can always use the far half. Or hang things out while we're gone for the day and Zeppo is in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, I spent so much time working out the correct knot for the clotheslines (taut line, btw), that I got the sheets out too late. I wasn't thinking about the fact that the sun sets in front of the house, and this spot gets shady by 6:oo. Well, sheets dry fast. And the rest can go in the dryer for 10 minutes.

And just so you know, Dan's restaurant is doing great. They were serving 60-80 on weekdays, and up to a hundred on Fri & Sat. And that was before getting the liquor license. Last night was the first Sat with the license, and Dan thinks they may have done 200.

The only downside that I know of, is that they had wanted to be open for lunch, but they were having trouble getting staff. And this is impacting Dan because he has to go in earlier to do prep for dinner. If they had lunch cooks, a lot of the dinner prep would be done and Dan could go in at 1 or 2, instead of 10 or 11. So hopefully that will get settled soon. I know that he's managing the extra hours, but it'd be nice if he had some time to himself each morning instead of having to go to work as soon as he's dropped the kids off.

Slight break from typing as I went into the kitchen to get dinner and there was A SNAKE OH MY GOD WHY IS THERE A SNAKE IN THE KITCHEN BROOM BROOM WHERE'S THE BROOM GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT AHHHHHHHHH

I don't like snakes. I reaaaaallllly need to convince myself that it came in while the back door was open for awhile, and that it is not actually from a nest of snakes in the basement or in the walls of the kitchen. Please, please tell me that that is the case, and that it won't find it's way in again. Please.

Sorry

Not writing much, sorry. I wasn't used to Dan being home nights for the 2 months before the new place opened. And now I'm not used to him working nights again. Plus, he now works Sundays, which he used to have off, in addition to Saturdays. I'll try to get back in the habit soon.

Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog

Go watch. Right now. Especially if you like Buffy(Once more with Feeling), Doogie, Firefly, Over-emoting, evil laughs, and love songs that revolve around freeze rays.

Donovan's Steak and Ale

The restaurant opens tonight. They had a practice run last night.

My dish
NYS
Grilled Dry Aged New York Strip
Bacon, Cheddar and Scallion Baked Potato Pie,
Brandy~Mushroom Sauce, Haystack Onions


Janet's
Pan~Roasted Atlantic Salmon
Vegetable Couscous, Cucumber Salad
Roasted Pepper & Tomato Sauce


George's
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Steak Fries, House Steak Sauce


I didn't take a picture of the kid's hot dog and chicken fingers, although the steak fries were artfully arranged. Everything was wonderful. I barely recognized the place from our last visit when chairs were piled everywhere and the floors were covered with drop-cloths. Last night was all white tablecloths and attentive waitstaff. And food that fires off all your taste-buds.

Dark skies and quiet walks

I wish I could take you all out with me when I walk Zeppo at night, it's so amazing.

After I put our house to my back, there's only one house in my sights. They're far up the road, and don't turn many lights on, so my eyes adjust to the dark pretty quick. I get past our trees, and there are fields to either side of me for 2/10 of a mile. Tonight, there was still some straggling fireflies floating around. The field on the left has new bales of hay scattered all around. I think once they bring those in, they'll put some cows to pasture there. A small sliver of a moon was there tonight, a bit orange as it was rising.

That's the only direction that I get a "city glow" from Potsdam, and it's not much of one with only 10,000 residents. Sometimes there's some more glow to the north from Massena, but that's 30 miles away so it's not very strong either. Looking to the right is always totally black. There are no towns between us and the Adirondacks in that direction. Even though I can't see the mountains, the dearth of human activity is evident at night. Because the moon was just a crescent tonight, and there were no clouds, it was a fantastic night for stargazing. I've never seen as many stars anywhere else I've ever lived or visited. And the milky way stretching over it all.

We usually walk for 10-15 minutes, and hardly ever see a car or hear any sound of humans or machines. Dogs, yes. And coyotes a few times, they call them coy dogs here. Last week, at dusk, a car did come by and scared out a deer that had been hiding in the field as we passed. Poor Zeppo really wanted to chase it back down to woods.

That's where I live. And why I live here.

Country-style wedding

 

Just got back from the wedding of Dan's cousin Meg down in the Rochester area. I think this picture captures the mood of the reception pretty well. Meg got out of the dress and into a tank top pretty quick. The cake is layers of cupcakes with sugared violets. The father of the bride is just out of the shot and wearing a John Deere T-shirt. And we've just finished our ribs and are about to start the square dancing.

All this was at Uncle Norm and Aunt Mar's house. Norm had built a barn a few years ago to house some vintage tractors, so that gave us plenty of room for dancing and the bar. And the side yards had some lawn games for the kids. At the time we left, they were firing up the tiki torches and I think there was going to be a firepit going. Aunt Mar must have started planting flowers and planning the gardens since the engagement announcement last year. The yard looked absolutely beautiful.

I know Dan has been looking forward to this visit for a long time. Even though we're not separated by many miles, it's still an ordeal to get the kids down, so we haven't seen many of his cousins since we moved back. In fact, there were two other weddings in the family this year that we missed. But he got to see a lot of the family the night before the wedding when they had a boat cruise on Canandaigua lake. I missed out, but I'm not dissapointed to be spared the 1 1/2 traffic jam leaving the fireworks show.

But I must say, having a 3-4 hour trip take 6 1/2 hours is really making me rethink the camping trip to Maine next year.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

We just got our hot water back on today. Part of the delay was that we decided to go with the tankless. Here she is.....



It's very small, only about a foot wide and two feet tall. The water is instantly heated by propane as we need it, rather than having a tank being heated constantly. Our electric bill is going to plummet this month. Now I can finally give the kids baths, which I must to soon because we have to get ready for a weekend trip to a wedding near Rochester. Happy 4th!!!