Expanding horizons at Funtown, Go Pirates

I took G., L. and her buddy A. to Funtown last week. My kids are not big fans of amusement parks (rides nor crowds) but after our trip last year, they were at least familiar with some of the rides and cautiously anticipating another visit.

A. likes rides and she helped my girls work their way up from the Tea Cups to the Sea Dragon. G. liked the Cars, Tea Cups, Trapeze and Tilt-a-Whirl but generally took a pass on most other rides.

It's been years since I've been on a roller coaster (mostly because I too don't care for the crowds) but I decided on this trip I was going to go on the Wild Mouse.

I went on by myself while the girls were in line for the Tilt-a-Whirl (in visual range of the Wild Mouse) and had a ball. L. asked me a few questions about my ride and then decided she wanted to try it.

I took advantage of her agreeable mood and got back in line (luckily, it was a quiet day at the park, overcast skies kept the crowds at bay and made for an enjoyable experience for us with only a few minutes waiting in line for the rides). L. and I rode the Wild Mouse with much screaming and laughing and that was all it took - one ride - for L. to get hooked. We rode the Wild Mouse about half a dozen times before the other girls dragged us away to explore the rest of the park.

When we walked by Excalibur, I suggested L. try the big coaster with me. G. and A. were certain that did not sound like a good idea but L. decided to take the plunge. The picture the park took of us going down the first big hill was of L. ducking and me laughing (although L. did laugh and enjoy the rest of the ride).

L. decided Excalibur was a once-per-visit sort of thing and once her teeth stopped chattering afterward (from fear or relief, I'm not sure she even knew) she said that the next time we visited the park, she definitely wanted to go on the giant coaster again. She liked the ride but she just wasn't sure she could do that first big drop again.

So she suggested we go back for another couple of rounds on the Wild Mouse.

After L. touted the Wild Mouse's fun-factor over and over again, I asked G. if she'd like to try it. I received a very definitive, "No!" (No surprise as she still talks about, "that scary log ride I will NEVER ride again!" - and once more I was reminded of how different my children are).

The girls did spend a bit of time in Splashtown even though it was kind of cold (amazing how fast cold temps set in this year). And even though L. and A. don't want the summer to end, Splashtown had them talking about the upcoming Pirates hockey season (the team's home-opener is Oct. 10) and making sure both sets of their parents knew they wanted to go to the games together again this year (they like sitting together in the stands and acting crazy).

Go Pirates!

New American Girl doll has unfortunate name association

I read a news brief in the latest issue of Audubon Magazine (a fab mag BTW that the kids and I read cover-to-cover every month) about the new American Girl doll, Rebecca Rubin (from a Russian-Jewish immigrant family), having the same name as one of the FBI's most wanted. Her name is also Robin Rubin and is believed to be an eco-terrorist wanted by the FBI for allegedly setting fires in the name of the environment.

Apparently the American Girl company didn't know anything about the real-life Rubin and said the reason for choosing Rebecca as a first name for the doll was because it was a common name in New York at the turn of the century (the doll character books are set in NYC in 1914).

A $50,000 reward for the real-life Rubin's capture is being offered by the FBI and the bureau is hoping the new doll might assist in her capture.

My favorite part of the brief in the magazine was the ending. It had me chuckling long after I read it.

Rubin, the person, is considered "armed and dangerous." Rubin, the doll, is armed, too - with challah bread (sold separately).

I do enjoy a little snark in my news, especially when the story is already on the odd side to begin with...

Exploring living history museums is great educational fun

We recently visited Newfield to explore the 19th century village of Willowbrook with the kids' 4-H club. There were tons of exhibits and many interactive opportunities that I haven't seen at some other living history museums we've visited in the past.

We've been to Strawberry Banke (it's in Portsmouth) and Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge (MA) and both were fun places to chat with living history characters. And we discovered quickly that there were so many exhibits to explore on the sprawling grounds at both places that it really couldn't be done in any meaningful way in only one day.

Willowbrook isn't quite as large as either of those (nor does it have living history characters on a regular basis), but the admission price is a bit more affordable and it offers some special treats, including a 19th century carousel.

During our visit we saw a demonstration of the carousel that included an explanation of its history. But, the last Saturday of every month the carousel is open to riders. Our timing was off for that one-of-a-kind experience but the next "open ride" day for the carousel is Saturday, September 26 (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.) so we're hoping to go back then to try it.




The carousel demonstration included a presentation about its history. The carousel actually moves really fast and was not originally designed for children. It was an adult-only ride in its time.

The kids were also really happy to discover they could sit on a bed and open and close dresser drawers in one of the historical homes at Willowbrook (the plaque encouraged kids to do this in one of the rooms). That's not an option at most of the other places we've been to in the Portland area (Tate House, Marrett House, Longfellow House or Victoria Mansion) so they especially enjoyed that.




You see, my girls are really nosey when it comes to visiting other people's houses (historic or not). When they were younger they invited themselves into everyone's house we met so they could look around (then afterward tell me all the changes I needed to make in our own). And last spring when an opportunity to explore an 1800s home offer was made during our vernal pool research (and totally unrelated to the project), it was too much for them - they simply couldn't resist the invitation.

The Willowbrook Village is open until October 12 this year and there are a couple of special events planned before they close for the season. It's well-worth a visit.

And in case you've never heard of Newfield, it's next to Limerick and near the southwestern corner of the state. Get directions here.

The Book Thief, anyone read it?

I read, "The Book Thief," by Marcus Zusak and it is technically young adult fiction, although it doesn't read that way. The theme of the story is for the older teen but more realistically, it appeals more to an adult because the reader has to be familiar with some historical facts to understand it I think.

The title caught my eye at the library and thought I'd preview it for my girls to see if they'd enjoy it and got sucked in after the first few pages (the metaphor for the colors of death grabbed my attention - and shortly after that I was certain my kids were not at all ready for this book yet).

The narrator of the story is Death and his thoughts about the human race. He also keeps a watchful eye on an 11-year-old German girl living in Nazi Germany during WW2 (the main character). It's definitely not a 'happy' book yet has it's moments of poignant humor and hope (the name-calling was a great touch with the characters. I now know how to call someone a pig's ass in German). And although it sounds a bit like a cliche, diary-type story of that era, it's not.

So although not a typical recommendation I'd make, the story sucked me in and it made me stop and think about life and what's important. I prefer escapist reading but I veered off that path and in to the life philosophy mode for about 500 pages when I read this book.

And Hollywood is jumping on the band wagon for every best-seller these days and this book is in production for a 2010 release.

The History of Love, have you read it?

A friend asked me about a book I had read a while back by Nicole Krauss called, "The History of Love," because she was considering reading it. I told her to do it because I thought it was great.

Another friend had recommended the title a while back and at that time I was short on time so I got the audio version from the library to listen during my commute to work. The audio version was a full cast of voices that were fabulous to listen to. The story is told through the eyes of several characters and it is really well done. I suggested to my friend she check out the audio version because I thought it was a great way to experience the book (although I'm usually a reader, this was a title enriched by the voice interpretation).

The book reminded me of "The Red Violin." Anyone remember that movie? The story was told through the history of ownership of a special violin. I was totally compelled with the concept of telling a story that way and how all the pieces of the violin's history brought it to where it was in current times. Plus there was a mystery around the violin through the whole movie and it wasn't until the end that all the pieces were put together for the 'aha' moment of how and why the violin was created - and I love that kinda stuff.

Anyhow, the "History of Love" is about a guy who writes a book about his true love that he lost and how the book passes through the hands of many people (and how it affects them) over a couple of generations. At one point the book mentions the Lamed-Vovniks (one of the kids in the book thinks he is one w/some funny scenarios of how he's going to prove it) and since I read the "Book of Names" before this title, I was happy to have known the details of that reference (they're from the Jewish teachings of the 36 souls whose existence protects all of humanity).

The book has some really funny parts about love (lost and found) and I really enjoyed it. I was also guessing right up until close to the end how all the characters were connected and how love affects them in different ways through the pages of a book.

Chickens, dogs, neighbors *could* get along

This morning I had to linger at home before heading in to the office because we had another incident with the neighbor's dog and Fino and I felt it was time - yet again - to call Animal Control.

This has been an ongoing issue for many years (early on we didn't know whose dog it was) and each time an incident happens I get more angry.

Not at the dog.

This dog is just being a dog. She's never been properly trained to heel on command and the prospect of chasing birds around is simply too tempting to her nature.

Who I am angry and frustrated with is the dog's owner.

(BTW, nearly every one of the 20+ houses in my neighborhood has a dog but only this dog is consistently running in our yard and attacking our poultry).

I really don't understand why it's so hard for him to put a collar and leash on his dog.

And I want to know why this guy makes such poor decisions about controlling his dog that it forces me to be the bad guy?

I don't like it. Not one bit.

I may not have called Animal Control this morning (I usually err on the side of not reporting if the dog trots back home and goes right into her house) if another neighbor (and responsible dog owner that the girls' adore) hadn't told me that last week she witnessed this other neighbor's dog biting one of our chickens. Actually the dog killed a guinea hen and took a bite out of a chicken's behind. That chicken later died too.

She said the neighbor was cursing a blue streak trying to get his dog to stop and drop the chicken (he was walking the dog without a leash past our house when the dog took off running away from him). Apparently he did a lot of looking around to make sure he wasn't seen once he finally grabbed the dog (after the mauling was done).

Well he and the dog were actually seen doing the crime and my friendly neighbor let me know about it, figuring we'd be wondering what happen to our flock while we were out.

We did wonder and the girls were bummed when the injured chicken didn't survive her injuries.

But I didn't report that incident to Animal Control because I hadn't seen it myself and I think there should be a first-hand accounting of events for me to call (although Fino begs to differ and I'm deferring to him to handle future incidents).

This morning though, having the dog barking at me in my own driveway while walking to my car and then watching the dog take off chasing one of my chickens, I got angry and finally made the call.

Animal Control said it's time for a monetary fine for this irresponsible dog owner (I've been resistant in the past because honestly, I really do just want to get along). But the officer said that in the past AC used to mandate the dog be moved to another location but found that the people just got another dog and the old problems ensued anew. But when things start to hit the purse strings, well the officer said, that gets people's attention, and usually a turnaround in compliance with the law.

So I ask again, why do I have to be the bad guy and cause financial hardship on my neighbor? I really resent that his poor decisions have put me in this unpleasant situation for both of us.

So I stomped my feet this morning like an indignant 5-year-old.

But I'm going to move on now. And wait and see how many times the Animal Control officer has to visit the neighbor before he mans-up and actually answers his door when the officer knocks...

Oh my, how you (the pigs) have grown

L. did a weigh-in for her pigs yesterday and it was, as expected, a messy and muddy affair. Even with the dry spell recently, the downpours from thunderstorms have kept the pig pen as wet and pond-like as ever. But we have been less concerned about the puddles these days because the water has been keeping the pigs cool in the hot temperatures (unlike the cooler, more problematic situation a few weeks ago).

Even before this weigh-in it was clear the pigs have had a growth spurt recently (eating 100 pounds of grain per week will do that do you). And because they are quite large, there is less space for them to manuever out of reach so I had hoped this weigh-in would be a bit easier than previous ones. But Pulchra is still quite agile and managed to get away from us while trying to get the measuring tape around her middle (a special tape is used to take measurements in order to guesstimate livestock weight).

We were successful in getting the job done and we guesstimated each pig was about 250 pounds. This revelation prompted L. to make the quintessential mama comment.

"Wow my babies have gotten so big!"

Unlike the last time, G. managed to get the antics of this weigh-in on video. And since compromise is important with my family, I conceded to posting the video of me (looking my best of course) trying to out-maneuver a large agile animal in a muddy pen.

As you'll see, the weigh-in went OK for Titus (aka "Bubby" these days). He's a laid back personality and a quick back scratch is all he needs to comply with most requests (I do appreciate his idea of exercise on weigh-in days). But Pulchra, she is a different story entirely.



And in case you'd like see how much these pigs have grown in a little less than three months, you can re-watch the video I took of L. doing the late-May weigh-in (they were a bit under 90 pounds then).



As G. reminded me (in the most recent video) the proper comment to say here is, "Holy Pig!"