So, today I received two spam emails - the choice is obvious.  I wonder what the catch is?

1 Million People Are Anxious to Pay You $25 Each!!

Want 1 Million People Are Anxious to Pay You $20 Each?

There's a 70% chance that Mount St. Helens may have a small eruption!!!

Official information

I admit it - as a geologist there isn't much more exciting than a real live volcano practically in your back yard!  Well, I suppose a really big earthquake might be exciting, but too much potential for heavy damage so I don't dwell on the possibility of that.

The 1980 eruption was very cool, and that was before I became a geologist!  I remember quite well where I was when it erupted, I even heard the explosion.  I had stayed overnight with some friends, and the three of us had slept out in a little travel trailer in the driveway.  One friend had to leave early, and shortly after she had gone we heard it.  At the time we had not idea what it was, and just thought it was a door slamming or something.  However, when my mom came to pick me up later she told me about the eruption, and I realized that was what we had heard.  Over the course of the next few months the mountain had several smaller eruptions, and occasionally we could see the ash column if the weather was clear.  Also, when the wind blew our way there might be a light coating of ash on our cars.  In the spring of 1984 I was fortunate to take a geology field trip there, and see the devestation up close, before the plants really started growing much again.  I did get to see some of the tree blowdown, here's a picture to give you an idea of the massive energy output that occurred:

The photo isn't great, but just imagine that this was a full, thick forest just three months before.  Pretty amazing!  Here's a couple more photos of just what a volcanic mudflow - called a lahar - can do to remind us humans just how small we are:

Hope you've enjoyed this little geologic diversion!  I sure have.  I need to do this more often.

No, I'm not a pirate today.  Just terribly tired; all my own fault for staying up way too late too often lately.  Thankfully I have the day off today since I worked last Sunday, so can just take it easy and treat myself well.

One of my projects I've got lined up today is to set up my beading area.  Now that all the major work of the rearrangement is finished, I can try to get a little more organized and them maybe, say, actually get some beading done!  I'm sure I'll feel better when I get that finished.

Today is one of those days that I'd like to write more, but don't have much to say here.  Nolan is at school, Chris is at work, and here I am.  I'm trying not to get down about the state of the world, but sometimes it's hard.  Maybe focusing on my own life a bit would do me some good!  I also feel that I've been wasting time here on the computer.  It's so easy to sit down and start playing a dumb game, and before you know it hours have gone by.  Then I kick myself for not reading a book, or doing something else.  Sigh.  I think as I get older time has become more of an issue for me - best get to using it better!!

Creative outlet, that's what I need!  Beading, writing (I do love my blogging), and other creative projects make me happy.  I'm putting together the book display for the month of October at work, that's always fun.  I'll take a  picture of it to share with you in a couple of days.  Hey, I could go take some pictures today, that might be fun!

Argh.  Blahs go away!!!

Greetings and good lovely morning to you all!  I am up early and decided to take a little bit of time to share some news.  My brother's girlfriend stayed here last night, as she had an early ferry to catch and classmates to meet for a retreat on a nearby island.  It was a wonderful visit, though we did stay up too late chatting and will all be tired today.  Oh well!

I spoke with Nolan last night, and unfortunately they did not win their first soccer game.  The score was 6-1, and despite losing Nolan had a really good time.  He got to play every position except goalie, and learned about offsides.  Not a good rule in his opinion.  His team came up with a name - the Orange Hurricanes.  The coach's son suggested "the orange bald geeks" but the vote swung for the Hurricanes.  They played the Maroon Baboons Saturday.

Nolan also went camping up in the mountains, and that too was a good time.  The weather was very good.  He informed me that they saw almost every type of mushroom in the world.  Very cool ;)

Here on the home front the big rearranging project went very well.  Chris worked hard and got the majority of things moved, now there's just a bit of fine tuning to do (i.e. get rid of crap).  The new setup is much more spacious, and will be a nice change for all of us.  Our apartment will be so much more liveable now.  My sewing machine has been freed from the layers of things around it, so now maybe I'll actually use it!  Nolan wants me to make some clothes for sock monkey, and I was thinking of making a quilt for him from denim (old jeans).  Easy stuff to get started with, then I'll move into more complicated things.

Well, now I must move on and get ready for work!  Back to the sea of books I go...

I'm back!  Milk in my tea and ready to roll.  Or write, as the case may be.

This weekend Chris has taken on the monumental project of rearranging our apartment.  This consists of moving a ton of books, several bookcases, the computer workstation, a desk, the dining room table, and a few other bits and pieces of our life.  We are bady in need of a change here in our abode.  Unfortunately it's a bit small for three people, and we haven't been as good about using our space well as we might have been.  Anyhow, it's no wonder he fell asleep early tonight!  Today was spent moving lots of books, and tomorrow he'll be shifting around the big stuff.  And where will I be?  Working.  Schlepping books.  During the school year we each have to work one Sunday during the month.  It's not so bad, and usually means we  get time off during the week.

Last night Chris and I watched the first three episodes of the first season of "The Sopranos."  Finally.  We're a little slow on the ball around here, but then we don't watch TELEVISION.  We watch movies, and now we can get many of these shows from the library (actually, what is now available from the library is a little frightening - Saved by the Bell, Mork and Mindy, and more).  I rather liked it myself, though Chris prefers Oz.  I liked the ironic humor in the Sopranos.  And the music.  It will be somehting to keep us busy during the fall and winter, that's for sure.  I think we may get around to watching "Six Feet Under," too.  I've been told we'd like it.

Earlier tonight Chris and I went over to the pool to sit in the hot tub and sauna.  It was such a great thing to do!  We used to be in the habit of going much more often, and have decided it might be a nice activity to get back into.  I love how the sauna warms my body right to the core.  I always feel so good for the rest of the day!

Enough for now, I have some other writing to attend to!

Howdy y'all!!  I'm enjoying a peaceful Saturday evening to myself.  Nolan is off camping with his dad, and Chris went to bed early tonight.  I've got DJ Irish Assorted Trance #13 playing, and am brewing up a cup of decaf Red Rose tea.  Life is pretty grand!

Oh no!  I have to go get some milk for my tea - this morning my latte had a poor taste to it, and I won't use anymore of the milk we have.  I'll be right back.

I am now nicely procrastinating on a small work-related project that smacks of homework and reminds me of the good old days of grad school.  However, I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the principal of Nolan's school (no, he's a good boy and hasn't gotten into trouble).  This has to do with a proposal for some contract work in the library.  We shall see...

Nolan's open house was tonight, we got to wander around and  see the school, as well as receive a highly detailed explanation of the contents of Nolan's desk.  It's much more organized than last year, but then it's still the first month of school!

Nolan also had his second soccer team practice today.  This morning he was concerned it might be cancelled due to rain, but the weather came through for him.  We're so pleased he's enjoying it, and can't wait for the games!

Scads is a great word.

Odious and Peculiar, we know you're out there...so glad you stopped in!

And again, a big thanks to everyone that entered our writing contest.  Due to schedules and such, the final judging most likely won't take place until next Tuesday.  I'm sure all five of you can wait until then to find out which of you is the BIG WINNER!

Good evening to all!

Less than two hours to go - get your entries in NOW!!!

(see below for details)

Well, the clock is ticking and you're about to miss out on a chance to win ONE MILLION TBUCKS!!!  Deadline is midnight tonight!

And how can one win, you ask?  Easy - all you have to do is write a short piece (style your choice) using ten or more of the following words:

dolt, jiffle, puny, mook, scrawny, natty, filthy, dunce, lachrymology, "more secret," fool, infidel, incendiary, tedious, insidious

There are very few rules - we just ask that you keep it clean because the final judging will be done by Nolan, who you see over there to your right.  He's ten.  And has very discerning taste.  The winner will be announced in a few days.

Thanks to those that have already entered, and we hope to see a few more great works of literature.  Happy writing!

Nolan thoroughly enjoyed soccer practice today - he commented that it went by too quickly!  His team color is going to be orange, and their team sponsor is a local mobil home park.  Hmmmmm.  I'll let you know what the team name is once they've decided.  This one is just ripe for some silly suggestions.

Fifth grade has been a breeze so far.  Almost no homework to speak of yet!  I'm sure it will change, plus his "Readers are Leaders" program will be starting at the beginning of October.  All kids keep track of how many minutes they read per month, then their name tags get moved up levels in the school hallway over the course of the year.  Last year he was in the top five (I think, top ten for sure).

Today was Chris' birthday!  He's not a fan of making too much fuss about it, but I did cook a yummy steak for dinner.  With hollandaise sauce - yummmmmmm.  Happy birthday sweetheart!

And on an odd note, I had a strange exchange with a little boy at the library today.  First, I must note that he was rather dressed up, and must have been doing something special.  He was probably about five, and reminded me somewhat of the little boy in "Christmas Story."  It was probably the glasses he was wearing.  Anyhow, his mother told him to stay at the check-out desk while she went to get his little sister; our exchange went something like this -

Boy: "You're a lady, huh?"

Me: "Yes, I am."

Boy: "You're big, huh?"

Me: "Well, yes, I am a grown up."

Boy (while straightening his stack of books): "My hands are heavy.  They're going to fall off."

Now, at this point I was unsure if he meant his books were too heavy to carry, or if his hands really felt like they were going to fall off!  It will forever be a mystery to me.  But certainly worth a chuckle to me!  It made up for the crazy lady with the twins that can now escape from their stroller, and apparently were taking off their clothes today.  I didn't look.  It's best to ignore them as much as possible when they come in, in hopes they'll leave quicker.  A sad situation, that one is.  I can't imagine what it must be like at their house.

Well, the day is just about shot and it's time for bed.  Sweet dreams and God bless!

That's right - we're accepting entries into our writing contest for only three more days - until midnight, September 22.  After that, Nolan will judge all entries and make his selection.  If your entry is chosen, you could win ONE MILLION TBUCKS!!!!!.  Wow.

Click HERE for all contest details!

Thank you, and good luck!

It's time to announce the beginning of a new project here on tBlog.  I've just posted the first post to a new blog called Simple and Sustainable.  My hope is that those who are interested in making positive changes in the way they live will visit often and share their ideas.  In fact, I'm also looking for serious contributors to make posts of their own, so let me know if you're interested!

Sunday again?!!!!  Here we are getting ready for another week, and it's shaping up to be a pretty good one.

Nolan begins soccer practice on Tuesday, and his first game is next Saturday.  Teams have been selected, so now they can get down to the "serious" business at hand.  We don't know who is on his team yet, but his coach is a nice fellow.  I'm sure by the end of it I'll be the obsessed soccer mom and you'll all be tired of hearing about it!

Last night Chris and I attended a fantastic show by the group Storyhill, also know as Chris and Johnny to many people.  It was the first time I had seen them live, but Chris has seen them probably 50 times when they were located in Bozeman, Montana.  What a great show it was!  The harmony of their voices is so amazing, it's hard to describe.  All I can say is that if they're coming to your area, it would be well worth your time to see them perform.  And what luck!  We get to see them again next Sunday, and Nolan gets to go too.  It's important to us that he gets to see some quality musical performances while he is young.  He's starting to develop an interest in music, and I want to make sure he's exposed to many different genres and performers.

What else....oh yes.  The library bond measure didn't pass.  I've gotten over my initial glumness about it.  Hopefully now we'll be able to really get something that the community wants, not just what the city council thinks will "rejuvinate" their sorry little downtown area.  We will be in our cramped quarters that much longer, but hey - I still have a great job and it's still a great library.  Just overcrowded is all!

Also, I've noticed that the world is going completely mad.

I want to blog, but I don't feel like typing tonight.  Instead, I'm going to go read a book -

It Can't Happen Here (Sinclair Lewis, 1935)

I suspect it's something we all ought to read.  Apparently it's out of print and hard to find.  Unless of course your local library has it!  Good place to look, and it's free for the borrowing.

Cheers to all of you out there doing whatever it is you do!

Well, today was the day our community is voting on whether they want a new library or not.  The results that have been counted (and I'm not sure how much of the total is in yet) are posted, and things are not really looking good.  Of course, it could improve greatly once absentee's are counted, but we have a long way to go.

There could be several reasons for the problems.  One is that our state changed the primary system, and the ballots are REALLY confusing.  It would be easy to completely miss the issues, which were way at the back.  Then, I heard that one of the polling places was listed wrong, and people were returning to the library because nobody was there.  This is not good.

Of course, there were many people not in favor of the library bond.  Some people didn't like the final site selection, and they don't understand that by voting it down the site committee won't just change their mind.  Other people were just flat out against it, as they don't want to give up any more money.

I admit I have more of a vested interest in all of this than many people, as I work there.  But come on people!  Don't you want to make the town a nicer place?  Oh.  I forgot.  This is the town that has car lots on the biggest intersection, and has lots of strip malls and fast food restaurants.  We're a Navy town, and many of the Navy people aren't even registered to vote here.  Lots of them use the library, but if they don't vote.....

Well, if it loses, I guess the people will get what they want.  Then we'll have to try again to convince everybody it's a good idea, and that we really are outgrowing our location.  But it's hard to convince people that don't even use the library.  Even worse, there's a small handfull of library users that wrote really negative letters to the local paper!  It's really difficult to be nice to them when they come in.  One gentleman in particular says the "parking lot is never full when he comes."  I sure hope he tries to come next week when college is back in session (we share a site with a community college branch that is also growing).  Then maybe he'll see that the parking lot is so crowded he can't get a spot at all!

Ugh.  ugh.  ugh.  ugh.  I am not happy right now.  But I'll keep you posted.  The election won't be final validated until the 24th, but we'll have a pretty good idea in the next day or so. 

In light of my previous posting about Affluenza and our hyper-consumer culture, I find this appalling.

Hummer too small for you?  Try this!

I just love this quote (ha ha).

"It's not going to fit into the standard garage," said Mark Oberle, a spokesman for Navistar, based in Warrenville, Ill., outside Chicago. "We can see it a as a vehicle for business people who want to make distinct impression. For personal use, it's for people who want to make a statement."

Wow - you too, can make the statement that you don't give a damn about the Earth's resources, and only care about your own self-centered little world.  Here are a couple of pictures so you can get an idea of how big this monster is.  It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't marketing this as a personal use vehicle.  Visit the company website for more information.

I sure can't wait to see these babies rolling down the road in my neighborhood!  Happy driving!

Nolan started soccer last Saturday!  I, alas, had to work, so Chris took him to practice.  The coaches observed all the players, and this week will select teams.  The league is non-competitive, co-ed, and the teams in his age group will only play 6-7 to a side.  Nolan had a great time.  Chris took pictures, but it can be difficult to get a good action shot.  Here's a couple.  The first one is a bit blurry, but Nolan has such a great expression I couldn't pass it up.

Disgusted with those other kids, or just posessed by Calvin?

Ready for the ball

Nolan, the happy soccer player

Cheers!

Just a reminder for all you aspiring writers out there - our writing contest is still open to anyone that wishes to enter.

Click HERE for specific details (it is late, and I am too tired to type them all out right now).

If you are selected as our winner (final judgement done by Nolan), you will win ONE MILLION TBUCKS!!!!

Entries are rolling in.....get yours submitted before our deadline of September 22!

Good luck.

Check out this music!  I have to go dance now.

Related news story.

Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz!

I had a link to this quiz buried in my in my last post, but wanted to make sure more people found it.  I know just how much people like quizzes!

I got a score of 10 acres, which is okay.  However, if everybody lived like me, we would need 2.2 planet Earths.  In comparison, the average for the U.S. is 24 acres.  Here are my categories:

• Food - 4.7 acres


• Transportation - 0.2 acres


• Shelter - 2.7 acres


• Goods/services - 2 acres

How did you do?

Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. 4. A television program that could change your life.

Nolan and I watched the documentary Affluenza last night.  It was a very interesting (and frightening) look at American overconsumption and materialism.  Have you ever asked yourself just why we do it?  Is there really ever a good reason to "shop 'til we drop", or do we just do it out of habit?  I highly recommend that everyone watch this show, and include your children if you have them.  You can probably get it from your local library, and if they don't have it ask them to order it.

Do you like being called a "consumer" instead of a person?   I sure don't.  Have you ever thought it would be nice to scale back, but aren't sure how to get started?  Are you horrified by advertising, especially towards children?  I recently watched a bit of television at my my mom and dad's, and found that most of the advertising was an insult to my intelligence.

Anyhow, I wanted to share a few resources that were mentioned in Affluenza.  I actually took notes during the show, so I could remember them later!  And I've found a few in my own ramblings about the internet.  Here you go -

• New Road Map Foundation - founded by Vicki Robin, co-author (with the late Joe Dominguez) of...


• Your Money or Your Life - a nine step program to take control of your finances and build a better life for yourself and your family (I've just started rereading this.  It's time.)


• Simple Living Network - a wealth of information and resources for those interesting in simplifying their lives


• Northwest Earth Institute - discussion courses available for anybody include Voluntary Simpicity, Exploring Deep Ecology, and Globalization and It's Critics


• Youth for Environmental Sanity - an organization for youth wishing to make positive changes for the future


• Adbusters - famous for their spoof advertisements (my fave) and other activist activities


• Redefining Progress - an organization that works towards sustainablility by taking a look at the real cost of the way we live

So there's just a few sites to get you started.  While you're at it, don't forget to take the Ecological Footprint Quiz to find out what impact your lifestyle has on the earth.

And don't forget one last thing - Buy Nothing Day, which falls on November 26th this year.  Yes, that is the day after Thanksgiving, which just happens to be the busiest shopping day in America.  Be sure to participate and tell all your friends!

Nothing to report on Chris' front - he's paranoid and that's all he wants me to say at this time.

A very funny thing happened to Nolan and I this morning.  I decided to take him to the bakery near his school for breakfast, but it turns out it is no longer a bakery.  Now it's a family dining restaurant.  No problem.

We walked in the door, and the woman working told us to sit at whatever table we liked, and "Coffee?"  I said yes, yes to cream, then we sat down in one of the booths.  Shortly the woman came back, poured two cups of coffee, then walked away.  I looked at Nolan, then said, "She poured you a cup of coffee!"  We were laughing about it, then she realized that the other woman that had walked in the door behind us was NOT with us, and therefore did not need a cup of coffee at OUR table.

We got lots of laughs over it, that's for sure.

Here at last are some pictures from our trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  As you can see we had a great time.

Nolan sprouted antlers

This cat is rather large

Nietzsche's antics in the tree

Nietzsche's near tragedy

Nolan and Nietzsche share some laughs while Grandma looks on

There you have it!

Well, Nolan survived his first day of school quite nicely.  He only had a half day today, perfect for meeting his teacher and classmates, and getting settled in.  No homework tonight, just lots of papers for mom to sign and turn back in.

As I have mentioned before, Nolan is in a 4/5th grade split class, and it turns out there are only about 20 kids in the class.  I believe this will make for a pleasant year for him.  Also, almost all of the squirrelly kids from last year are in different classes from him.  I don't know about the 4th graders, but it looks like it could shape up to be a pretty mellow year.

Hard to tell on the first day though!

Tomorrow will be my first day to continue my volunteer work at his school library, and I'm really looking forward to it.  Of course, that means less time for blogging, but you know, I think I'll survive.

Not much else to report - the library is always nuts the day after a holiday, and today was no different.  For whatever reason, people feel compelled to bring their books back and put them in the book drop even when we're closed for the long weekend.  I don't know why they aren't out enjoying the holiday!  The books can wait!!  We're so overloaded anymore as it is, I suppose it just doesn't matter when they bring them back.  Our overall volume of holds, checkouts, and returns just keeps growing and growing.  We no longer have room on our hold shelves for everything that comes in for our patrons.  We've had an overflow cart for several months, and now we have two!!! (note - our carts are covered with books, not cats, but are of the size shown in the picture).  We have one patron with a permanent spot on the overflow cart - I suppose it's the 485 manga books she has on hold at any given time.  I won't even get going about manga right now, other than to hint to you that I hate it.  Wait - I HATE IT.  Someday whe I'm really wound up I'll blog about why I believe that manga is a plot by the Japanese to take over the U.S. by creating a generation of people that can't read more than a few words on a page.

Okay.  Goodbye.

Just another note - Nolan woke up this morning all bright eyed and bushy tailed; and says he's feeling much better.  We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house at about 3:30 this afternoon, and are enjoying our relaxing visit.  I'll take some pictures to share in a day or two.

Oh yes - the first thing Nolan said this morning was "My headache is gone, and my stomach is gone.  Oh wait!!!!  My stomach is not gone."

I'm so glad he's better, and he's even more glad.

Yes folks - time to remind you all of the exciting writing contest we're having here in Nolan land.  Here's the details -

Write a short piece (poetry, short story, etc.) using 10 or more of the following words:  dolt, jiffle, puny, mook, scrawny, natty, filthy, dunce, lachrymology, "more secret," fool, infidel, incendiary, tedious, insidious.

Submit your piece to us via private message no later than midnight, September 22, 2004.

Keep it clean - Nolan will be judging and he is ten.  Judging will be based on originality and Nolan's taste in literature.

The winner will receive one million tbucks (if you're a tblog user) and the glory of winning a contest!

Sharpen your pencils, sharpen your minds, and happy writing!

Nolan had what appeared to be a migraine headache today.  What a bum deal!  I'm not totally surprised, as his dad gets them from time to time.  Hard to say what might have triggered it, but we can keep a watch on what he eats should it happen again.  No stress today, so probably not that.  Oh well.  After emptying the contents of his stomach, he is now sleeping soundly on the couch (and has been for over two hours).

I sure hope he's well enough to travel tomorrow to see Grandma and Grandpa!

I have pretty much refrained from any type of political posting in this blog, and done most of my ranting in my other blog.  However, I recently came across an article on the Truthout news website that really bothered me.

Depleted Uranium: Dirty Bombs, Dirty Missiles, Dirty Bullets - Leuren Moret

The article is kind of long, but well worth the read.  Here are a few quotes:

This week the American Free Press dropped a “dirty bomb” on the Pentagon by reporting that eight out of 20 men who served in one unit in the 2003 U.S. military offensive in Iraq now have malignancies. That means that 40 percent of the soldiers in that unit have developed malignancies in just 16 months.

Just 467 U.S. personnel were wounded in the three-week Persian Gulf War in 1990-1991. Out of 580,400 soldiers who served in Gulf War I, 11,000 are dead, and by 2000 there were 325,000 on permanent medical disability. This astounding number of disabled vets means that a decade later, 56 percent of those soldiers who served now have medical problems.

In a group of 251 soldiers from a study group in Mississippi who had all had normal babies before the Gulf War, 67 percent of their post-war babies were born with severe birth defects. They were born with missing legs, arms, organs or eyes or had immune system and blood diseases. In some veterans’ families now, the only normal or healthy members of the family are the children born before the war.

The medical profession has been active in the cover-up - just as they were in hiding the effects from the American public - of low level radiation from atmospheric testing and nuclear power plants. A medical doctor in Northern California reported being trained by the Pentagon with other doctors, months before the 2003 war started, to diagnose and treat soldiers returning from the 2003 war for mental problems only.

A Japanese professor, Dr. K. Yagasaki, has calculated that 800 tons of DU is the atomicity equivalent of 83,000 Nagasaki bombs. The U.S. has used more DU since 1991 than the atomicity equivalent of 400,000 Nagasaki bombs. Four nuclear wars indeed, and 10 times the amount of radiation released into the atmosphere from atmospheric testing!

No wonder our soldiers, their families and the people of the Middle East, Yugoslavia and Central Asia are sick. But as Henry Kissinger said after Vietnam when our soldiers came home ill from Agent Orange, “Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used for foreign policy.”

I find this all to be very apalling.  Here are a few more sources if you're interested in learning more.

Trail of a bullet - Christian Science Monitor

Depleted Uranium FAQ's

Depleted Uranium Education Project

Thank you for caring.

I can't belive it - the blasted fruit flies are back!  Those little devils harassed us for weeks last year, and now they've set up shop in the kitchen again.  Grrrrrrrrr!!  Their sole purpose in life is to drive me mad!

Here's how to get rid of the little pests:

Although associated with fruit, developing vinegar flies actually feed on yeasts. To eliminate a vinegar fly problem, use up overripe fruit, refrigerate it or discard it. At the same time, give attention to other breeding sites. Vinegar flies may, for example, breed in the moist residue that remains in the bottom of beer bottles or soft drink cans, as well as in other areas where moist organic matter allows for yeast growth. After all such food sources are removed, some residual adults may remain for a week or so, but ultimately will die out. [Source]

Summer is quickly winding down here, and we find ourselves getting ready for the new year at school.  Funny how life can revolve around the school calendar - it places a certain order onto our lives.  This year is going to be very busy for us!

We found out which teacher Nolan has for 5th grade.  He'll be in a mixed 4th/5th grade class, and rumor has it the class size is small.  This is a good thing.  Last year was actually the only year Nolan hasn't been in a mixed grade class, so he's quite used to the dynamic of a wider age range.  It will also be the first time he has a male teacher for his primary teacher (although last year he had reading and accelerated math with a male teacher).  I think it will be a nice change for him.  I remember 5th grade as one of the very best years for me, and I also had one of my favorite teachers that year.  Should be lots of fun!

Another big change for Nolan this year is his participation in an organized soccer league.  His dad got him signed up, and practices begin a week from Saturday.  I think he'll really enjoy it, as soccer is one of his favorite recess activities.  I'm looking forward to having a regular Saturday activity too, so we can get ourselves our of the house more (we have a tendency to hole up during the weekend).

Fall is also the time for Nolan to participate in geography club.  Last year he did very well in the geography bee - he was the only 4th grader to make it to the final round.  And the questions were tough!  All the parents in the audience were sharing looks of "I don't know that one" throughout the contest.  This year, now that we know how it works, we can spend some time at home helping Nolan prepare - and learn something ourselves, too.

Huh - I feel like I'm writing a dull Christmas card letter - maybe this year I'll just send everybody a link to my blog.  Maybe this year I'll actually get some cards mailed out!  Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Well, I hope this post makes it through as I've noticed tblog difficulties yet again today.  Here goes -

One of our old neighbors made this lovely picture for us.  She woodburned the image, then colored it in with felt markers or ???  I'm not quite sure what she used.  Anyhow, it is a most wonderful piece that truly captures a little bit of each of us here at our home!  Thank you Sonia!