Finally: I finished the Book!

Well, after complaining about not finishing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for the last couple of posts, I am happy to report I finished it today. My Mom had the kids and the first order of business was finish the book! I thought I would give my overall assessment of the book. I will try not to give anything away, yet provide something helpful.

This was definitely a good book. Not the best in the series, but solid. The plot line was a little different: No one is overtly chasing Potter. The threat is more subtle. There is a sense of urgency that Harry must unravel some past mysteries to secure his future. So, with his friends, Harry spends the book trying to get to the bottom of several mysteries, past and present.

Not only does Book 6 provide a lot of history to major series themes, it also tied past story lines together. In fact, before I read Book 7, I will want to read all of the books again. I know that is sort of crazy, but it has been so long since I read some of those early books, that I can't remember all the sub plots. I pulled out Book 2 tonight to reread a section I had forgotten on Tom Riddle's Diary. After reading the section I was interested in, I was amazed at how well it hung together with Book 6. JK Rowlings was definitely a writer with a plan when she wrote this series. I don't know how she kept the details straight.

This book is more adult than the other books. It has more adult themes, not sexual, but more complex. It is not a book for younger readers. It deals with themes like death and deceit, and the gray areas of evil. Parents will need to consider if their kids are ready for this type of fiction.

The characters grow signficantly in this story. I could envision the witches and wizards these characters were going to grow to be after this book- especially Harry, Hermione and Ron. There is a significant death in the book. I have been hearing of people sobbing as they read the scene. It is definitely an intense scene, but it didn't make me cry. As I was reading, I realized that this death had to happen for the plot to work, so I wasn't surprised by it.

So, that is it. The book and entire series is worth reading. It was worth locking myself in my bedroom to finish. In the end, it seemed like a 650 page set up for the grand finale--Book 7--and it is a great set up. I can't wait for Book 7. By then, maybe La Nina will be old enough for Book 1!

The Magster Strikes Again

My desire to read turned me into a liar today. Yep, I lied to my husband so I could sneak away and read a few chapters of Potter. While La Nina was napping, I handed the Magster to her Daddy and I slipped into the bedroom. I quietly laid down on the bed and immersed myself in the land of witch carft and wizardry.

I could hear him struggling to keep the wild child busy while I read, but I didn't care. Dumbledore and Potter were in the pensieve and I could have cared less about the Magster asking, "Mama?" I heard someone test the bedroom door. I figured it was locked so I was safe. I then heard the door tested again, and since the family room was oddly quiet I asked, "who's there?".

My voice gave me away. It was the Magster at the door, and my plot was revealed. At the sound of my voice, she started howling like a banchee. A few seconds later, I discovered that in my haste to start reading, I forgot to lock the door.

The Magster seized on the error and came flying into the room. Her screaming woke up La Nina who was also hysterical by the time she came into my bedroom. The Dad, delighted he caught me red handed reading, fled the scene and left me to deal with the consequences of trying to read with two small children. There I was with two wailing kids and about 3 pages read. Thwarted again! What I won't do to finish this darn book.

Does anyone know when Seven comes out?

Etc., Etc,. Etc.

Time for one of those random lots to cover post:

Shared dinner and many laughs last night with some long time friends at AsiaSF. For those not familiar with this establishment, it is the type of place that you only find in San Francisco: A Asia-Fusion Restaurant and Drag Bar where the "waitresses" lip sync to pop tunes on the bar 3 times a night. What 6 suburbanites and our city dwelling friend were doing in this nightclub was beyond us after the second show, but I learned a couple of things. 1.) At least 4 Asian men look far better as a woman than I do. Frankly, I found this a little discouraging. 2.) It is a wonder what a little plastic surgery can do for a guy. In fact, it made me wonder if it can make a man look that good, what can it do for me? 3.) San Francisco never fails to live up to its quirky reputation...though I think our friend was the only San Franciscan in the joint!
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Congratulations to La Nina for astonishing accomplishments in the pool this week. Since she was too young for group lessons, we signed her up for a single 30 minute private lesson. The results: She swam to the bottom of the pool and retrieved a ring today. Then she jumped off the edge of the pool into water over her head and tried to swim back to the wall "all by herself". (I was helping on this one.) At the beginning of the Summer, this was the child who wouldn't put her face under water. Because of her accomplishments (and the fact she is potty trained), the pool is allowing her to attend group lessons beginning on Monday. I may have to change her nickname to Ariel.

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My dilemma this week is with Harry Potter. I may be a mere muggle, but I do love the wizardy and witchcraft of the JK Rowlings series. I have read the previous 5 books and I eagerly awaited the release of Book 6. (I am so bad I reread the last chapters of book 5 last week so I would remember where the series left off.) I picked up my pre-ordered, pre-paid for book on Saturday morning at 10:05AM. However, much to my utter dismay, I am only half way through it. It is just impossible to sit and read for two days straight with these darn kids around. I am only half way through it, and totally exasperated by that fact. I am intrigued by the whole orphanage theme that has emerged in this book. It could present some interesting discussions for the parents of kids adopted from China as they read about Tom Riddle's early life. Book review to follow...I hope soon!

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That's it for tonight. The students of Hogwarts are calling my name.

The girls celebrate the big Four-Ohhhh at the zoo

The 40 year old gets a birthday kiss from her husband...

On Birthdays

Well, I hit a milestone birthday yesterday. You know one of those birthdays with specialized cards and lots of black. I have been rather ambivalent about the milestone, because frankly, I am more worried about managing two kids and getting Maggie to sleep than I am about aging these days. I am grateful for the many cards and phone calls I received to remind me of my mounting years.

But, the whole thing got me thinking, especially when I had to make a wish and blow out some candles. I couldn't figure out a worthy wish. I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude to have two beautiful, healthy children, a wonderful husband, supportive family and life-long friends, that it seemed wrong to wish for anything more.

At the last milestone birthday, I remember just feeling relief that a very dark decade was ending. In my late twenties, I lost my brother, faced some fairly serious medical issues, was working at a dead end job. I remember praying the next decade would be better. Frankly, there was no where to go but up after my twenties.

At this birthday, I can honestly say the thirties were the best. Did I have some heartbreak? Yes. I lost a job and discovered the legacy childhood cancer left on my life. So, yes, there were challenges in the last decade. But this time the heartbreak brought an incredible lesson: I discovered that every door that closed meant a better door was opening soon. Every disappointment led to something else unexpectedly working out. And for every loss, there was so much more gain. So, this milestone finds me incredibly happy with where I am in life. And my only true wish for this next decade is more of the same.

La Nina working the ol' fishin' hole

Here it is, mom and La Nina's big catch

Last Tale from Colorado: La Nina's First Fish

I grew up fishing with my dad and my brother. I was taught fairly young how to bait my own hook and rig a line. My past catches include trout, salmon and a number of blue gills and croppies. So, while I choose not to fish these days, it isn't because I don't know how, it is because fish are slimy and disgusting. Given that I grew up fishing, I was all for introducing the girls to fishing this year at the ranch.

One afternoon in Colorado, we loaded up the crew to go fishing in a small fishing hole in town. The pond was promising: Dad and Grandpa checked it out in the morning and swore they saw a fish jump. This pond was designed for kids. In fact, the only people who were supposed to fish in it were youngsters, aged 2-14. Given that Dad and Grandpa were there, I assumed my job would be keeping Maggie out of the pond.

La Nina was excited about the big outing. We still aren't sure how she learned about fishing but she knew the basics: You put a line in the water, a fish gets on it, then you bring it in. Simple. So there we were on the side of the pond with two kiddie rods and Grandpa's fly rod, just in case. We rigged the lines, baited the hooks and casted the rods and began to wait for the bobbers to sink. Of course, nothing happened. But the girls loved watching the bobbers while we reeled in the lines to recast, so those lines were in and out of the water frequently.

After about 10 minutes, La Nina was bored. She almost fell in a couple of times, and Grandpa handed me one of the kiddie rods so he could take the fly rod and test another part of the fishing hole. I had Maggie on one hip and the rod in my free hand. I was casting the line, keeping Maggie out of the water and watching the bobber. I was a goddess of fishing prowess and multitasking. After making a couple of very decent casts--frankly I was shocked that I remembered how--I messed up a cast, the line wrapped around the tip of the pole and the bobber landed about 5 feet in front of me. Maggie was clambering to get out of my arms. I set down Maggie in the dirt next to me, and turned my attention to my line, when a fish hit the bait.

The Dad was standing 15 feet away from me and I calmly advised him that he should take Maggie and La Nina should come help me land a fish, because I had one on the line.

Dad responded condescendingly: "You don't have a fish. You don't know the difference between a weed and a fish."

However, I DO know the difference between a weed and a fish. Indignant, I advised him of this fact in a way suitable for children to hear, though in my mind I threw a couple of expletives into the sentence.

Much to my surprise, he persisted and said in an arrogant tone, "Gimme a break. Your line is a mess. You don't have a fish."

At this point, I could see the ever loving fish in the water in front of me and again I provided him with a G rated explanation of the situation concluding that La Nina needed to hurry and he needed to take Maggie before she jumped in the water to pet the friggin 4 inch fish I was about to land!

Finally, after Grandma intervened on my behalf (she saw the fish too). Grandma took Maggie, La Nina joined me and she landed her first fish. Hooray for La Nina!

Dad was shocked. I, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dumb fish, so he stepped in, took it off the hook and showed it to La Nina, let she and Maggie touch it, before they released it.

As fish go, La Nina's first fish was on the small side. It fit in the palm of Dad's hand. The nightcrawler was bigger than it. I had hooked the fish's lip as it tried to swallow the worm twice its size. We decided the fish was a croppy, but it could have been a baby bass.

In the meantime, poor Grandpa missed all the excitement. He was off flying fishing for the trout they had spotted earlier. After he recovered from the shock that I had had success, he brought the fly rod over to blue gill heaven and landed two more guppies, I mean croppies. But the girls were done: They were throwing rocks into the pond and asking for ice cream.

Right before we left, La Nina wanted to release the 3rd and final fish of the day, so Grandpa handed the little fish to her. She was carrying it back to the water and it moved in her hands. She squealed and dropped the poor fish in the dirt, refusing to touch it again. Dad rescued it and released it before any harm was done. La Nina may not have a long future in fishing, but that's ok. She can sit by the pond and read with me next year while Dad and Grandpa help Maggie land her first fish.

Maggie Fast Hands

If you read my blog, then you have read tales of Maggie and her speed. Well, she demonstrated her skill and cunning again on vacation. Her victim was her poor, unsuspecting Grandpa.

Grandpa's favorite pre-dinner rituals is drinking a glass of wine and eating some Havarti-Dill Cheese. The nearest store that sells this cheese is 4o minutes away and sometimes it is out of stock, so Havarti-Dill is a precious commodity on the Western Slope. Now grandpa savors his cheese. It takes him 45 minutes to eat a single slice.

One evening during our visit, grandpa retired to the back porch to sip his wine and savor his cheese. He carefully wrapped his cheese in a paper towel to ensure Pete, the dog, wouldn't steal it. Once grandpa settled into his perch on the porch, the rest of us including some neighbors invaded his quiet time. As we were all gabbing, Maggie sidled up to Grandpa, smiled sweetly at him and swiped the cheese, napkin and all. Once the deed was done she ran to me, stuffing the cheese in her mouth as fast as possible. By the time, I could ask the group about the cheese's owner, it was half way gone and she and I were wrestling over the remaining chunk. (A wrestling match I lost, I might add.)

Grandpa was shocked. He had taken careful precautions with this cheese, and it never dawned on him that a child would be interested in his Havarti Dill. He sputtered, he wondered, he wanted to be outraged, but how exactly could he be mad at a clever little toddler with an impish grin and a love for Havarti Dill? In the end, he couldn't be angry. He could only marvel at her nerve, stealth and shameless disregard for HIS cheese. He spent the rest of the night muttering, "She ate it in two bites. How could she do that?" And that night, Grandpa drank his wine without his preferred sidedish.

Mom and the girls at the NN Ranch

And Why Did You Decide to Go There?

While Paonia, CO, on the Fourth of July is a delight, it is off the beaten track. For 2o years, we have visited Paonia close to annually. There is a ranch in Paonia called the Double N where we stay. It is a special place with family ties, and frequently, we join the Grandparents at this ranch.

The Double N is located seven miles outside Paonia in the Gunnison National Forest. "On a good-sized parcel of land, the property consists of hay fields, a portion of a mesa called Lion's Gulch (guess why) and a trout stream. From the back porch (grandpa's favorite evening hang out), the fields, stream and mountains are all visible in picture perfect composition. The views of the mountains change seasonally. While each season has its beauty, fall is the most spectacular when the groves of aspens look like yellow ribbons decorating the range.

The girls loved "the Ranch" this year. Going into the trip, I knew La Nina was going to enjoy it. At 3, she is old enough to participate in some of the fun and is learning to tolerate travel. But the Magster was a worry, as she had the potential to make everyone in the valley miserable if she got to screaming. Luckily, the Magster took to the Double N immediately. In fact, the Magster slept better on our vacation than ever before. She slept through the night, she took good naps, she woke up at a normal time...I don't know what got into her. Must have been the altitude.

I am glad the kids liked the ranch as we plan to take them to visit it annually. Visiting a place so different from where we live is good for them. I hope their experiences in Colorado will help develop a sense of the diversity in this country and in this world.

The view from the back porch of the NN Ranch

So, where were you?

One of my favorite traditions is visiting the town of Paonia, CO, for the Fourth of July. Paonia is a town of about 2500 people, located on the western slope of the Rockies. It is a pretty little town with one grocery store that closes by 8pm. Paonia has a couple of restaurants, a bank and a library too. My favorite store is Homestead Market, where you can get anything from bait for fishing to craft supplies. Wandering the aisles of Homestead Market is a marvel for me.

The town's diversity is limited to two types of people: Ranchers and Hippies. It makes for an interesting scene on Grand Avenue: pick up trucks with gun racks parked next to psychodelic buses with trampolines on top. But, it all appears to work in Paonia. Neighbors rely on each other for so much in small towns. Tolerance is abundant, even if the surface doesn't look terribly diverse.

The Fourth in Paonia is a day filled with activity. It starts with a pancake breakfast served by the volunteer firefighters. For a couple of bucks, you can feed the entire family breakfast, support the fire department and visit with your neighbors. Usually the breakfast ends just as the parade begins. Those citizens who aren't in the parade, line the side walks to cheer for the parade participants. High School classes celebrating reunions ride on floats. Clowns throw candy to kids. The horses are at the end of the parade for obvious reasons.

When the parade ends, the crowds head to the shady central park for the Cherry Days festival. The majority of the town spends the day picnicking in the park and waiting for the crowning of the Queen and King of Cherry Days. Considering there is scholarship money at stake, the competition for the title is fierce. There is always entertainment in the park too. The entertainment line up changes annually, but kids singing patriotic songs and blue grass bands picking their hearts out are always in the line up. There are also a few amusement rides at the park and the whole festival wraps up with fireworks at night.

Cherry Days in Paonia is Americana at its best. It is hometown, family and friends, gathered in honor of our country's birth. The event isn't overtly patriotic, but the spirit of the Fourth lives in the red, white and blue hats, the beautifully sang National Anthem and the frequent renditions of America the Beautiful. It is the type of celebration we want our kids to experience, because of its purity. It isn't commercial, it isn't polished. It is an authentic, heart felt celebration and that matters most.

This was the first year that La Nina and the Magster made an appearance at Cherry Days. While the Magster slept through a good part of the picnic, the parade was a big hit. The girls enjoyed gathering candy off the street and petting a miniature horse that stopped right in front of us. The girls were worn out by the time we left the picnic. It was the type of tired that makes a parent smile. Good old fashion fun had worn them out, and they slept all the way back to the ranch.

We're Back!

After a long absence, I am so glad to be writing for pleasure again. The part of the laundry crisis I never mentioned is that we were about to leave on vacation. So, by the time laundry was functional, I was in crunch mode to meet a deadline, catch up on laundry and pack 4 of us for a road trip to Colorado! Then, for no apparent reason, the Magster decided to scream all night for a couple of nights before we left. Blogging fell by the way side with all the distractions.

Now, we are back. We survived driving over 2000 miles and 9 nine days of togetherness. There were roadside potty emergencies, petty arguments, picnics in parks in Nevada and Utah and a few meltdowns...but not too many.

The van is a little worse for the wear, but it did its job: the van kept us safe on our journey. In the back of the cabin, the girls watched the DVDs on the 'In Car Entertainment System'. It was all princesses, all the time in the back seat. When La Nina slept, the Magster rocked out to the Wiggles, but she didn't seem to mind watching the princess videos. Pete, our Aussie with very bad hair cut, hung out with/on the luggage and enjoyed the passing scenery.

As for the front cabin, Dad was the Pilot and I provided In Flight Services. I kept the princesses fed, watered and entertained across 4 states. Of course, that means I learned to switch DVDs and hand back juice boxes, crackers and cookies without getting car sick. A strong stomach for riding sideways or backwards in a car comes in handy along Highway 50. Our only crisis was a jammed CD player on the way home in Grand Junction, but Peter Hessler's "Rivertown: Two Years on the Yangtze" on tape kept us entertained for two days. (Great book, by the way. )

I will write the stories from our vacation over the next couple of days. There was plenty of fodder for the blog on this trip. It would be too much to share it all tonight. And besides, I am again tired and behind on laundry. Let's hope this time I have an easier time catching up!