NaBloPoMo One Word Meme

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I got nothin' today.  Brain is mush, and I'm just counting down until bed.  So here's a meme.

1. Where is your cell phone?  Basket

2. Your significant other? Hubs
4. Your skin? Paleish
5. Your mother? Far
6. Your favorite thing? Books
7. Your dream last night? Confusing

8. Your favorite drink? Boozy
9. Your dream/goal? Slimmer
10. The room you’re in? Dining
11. Your ex? History
12. Your fear? Obsolescence
13.Where do you want to be in 6 years? Decluttered
14.Where were you last night? Here
15.What you’re not? Fake
16. Muffins? Poppyseed
17.One of your wish list items? StarWars
18.Where you grew up? Farm
19.The last thing you did? Dishes
20.What are you wearing? Cardi
21.Your TV? Hidden
22.Your pets? None
23. Your computer? Using
24. Your life? Fine
25. Your mood? Sleepy
26. Missing someone? Friends
27. Your car? Blazer

28. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
29. Favorite store? Kohl's

30. Your summer?  HOT!

31. Like someone? Hubs!
32. Your favorite color? Blues
33. When is the last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Sunday
35. Who will respond to this? Desperate
36. Whose answers are you anxious to see?Any

Guessing Game

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Over time, I've been reading the girls the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder as part of our pre-bedtime routine.  We alternate with selections by Mr. Kluges like Charlotte's Web, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and 50 Favorite Fairy Tales.  We're currently up to Little Town on the Prairie. 

Tonight, Penguin and I were talking about the books, and how I'd read and reread the only one of the Little House ones I owned, Little House in the Big Woods. We got to talking about Laura and how excited she'd been to get a rag doll for Christmas.

"Oh," said Penguin, "and in the next book or maybe a different one, remember when they got that... thing for Christmas?!"

"What kind of thing? What did it look like?"

"I forgot the name, but it was round, and they each got one... and the back looks like a radiator!"

"Is this something you play with like a toy? Or maybe something to eat?"

"No, you don't eat it! It's round, and kind of brownish."

Let's see if YOU can guess the mystery Christmas present! Lucky for me, like a bolt out of the blue the answer popped into my head, and then her description made perfect sense. :)       

Wordless Wednesday - Summer Sisters

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

 

The most important thing I did all day!

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

The girls and I went after school today and sailed right through.  Only a few folks ahead of us in line, things were moving right along, and I think we were there for all of 5 minutes.

(And since the library is in the same building, the smart library supporters were having a bake sale.  In addition to our proud sense of having done our civic duty, we came home with a small chocolate cake!)

Vote.

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I am waiting to vote tomorrow.

I am waiting to vote until I can bring both of my daughters with me, to the polling place, to cast my vote, my say for the future of our nation.

140 years ago today, Susan B. Anthony voted illegally.  She was later arrested and found guilty of illegal voting due to her gender. 100 years and about a month before my birth.  It wasn't until 1920, a single year before my old, historic house was built, that women officially received the right to vote.

I am voting tomorrow because it is my right, my privilege, and my duty.  _I_, as a citizen of the United States, have the opportunity to make my tiny voice heard. Sure, my single vote is an itsy-bitsy percentage of my county, let alone of my state, or of the nation as a whole.  Put that way, it seems ludicrous to bother.

Yet the direction of this nation is made up of all those individual votes just as the tide is made up of individual droplets of water.  Sure, I have my own opinion and hopes as to the results of this election and to the individual races being run, but what matters, in the end, is that I spoke up.  I had my say, made my choices, took part in our democracy.

Because one of the most important things is that I have the right and the opportunity to vote.  MY vote counts as much as any other, cast by anyone of any particular creed, gender, race, orientation, tax bracket, influence, BMI, political afflication or favorite football team.  

To not vote would be to throw that all away.  Please, if you are an American citizen, vote. 

 

NaBloPoMo, I guess

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Ok, until now I hadn't decided if I was going to do National Blog Posting Month or not.  I HAVE posted the last 3 days (& now today 'cuz this totally counts!) in case I decided I wanted to, and you know what? I think I do.  I've been so neglectful for my poor sad blog & my (few remaining) loyal readers that I think I should. 

So, anything particular you want to hear about? I know I've had a request for our Halloween costumes through the ages, and I've got some summer pix I can still post, but anything else about which you've been curious?  'Cuz you know, 30 days is a lot & I'm sadly out of practice!

Beekeeping

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

So.... Mr. Kluges and I have been playing around with the idea of keeping bees.  For the honey, for the pollination, for the educational aspects, and for the environmental aspects in general.  Bees have been having it rough lately what with the Colony Collapse Disorder and all!  

First we checked with our town to see if bees were even allowed.  They are - in the backyard, a certain minimum distance from property lines, if less than a different distance there is need for a fence/barrier, etc.  

Then we talked about it and talked about it and talked about it.  

Then I took a one-day beginning beekeepers workshop with the Brown County Beekeepers' Association. We'd visited with folks from there are a couple of events in the past, including Honey Sunday at a local nature preserve.  The workshop was informative and encouraging.

Then on our anniversary, after a glass of wine or two, Mr. Kluges convinced me that we were ready... and we ordered our first hive kit.

Currently, in our attic, is an assembled (empty!) hive - one big box for the bottom with its ten frames, two smaller supers with their 10 frames each, and assorted other bits, waiting to be painted.  In my wallet is a membership card for the BCBA, which is functioning as a mental security blanket - I have people I can ask for advice!

Once spring comes... bring on the bees!*

*What have I gotten myself into!? 

    

Three 5Ks in 2012 = accomplished!!!

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

WAY back when in January, I set some goals for myself.  One was to run in three 5K races in 2012. Well, I'm thrilled to say that as of last Saturday, I've accomplished that goal!  

In July, I ran in the 5K race that's part of the annual town celebration.  It was the first 5K I ever ran back in 2010, and I was nervous about it this year, thanks to the heart oddities I'd been having, but even in the heat I managed to keep my time under 30, so I was very pleased.

Then in August, when I didn't feel like running on my usual Friday evening schedule, I thought, "Hey, let's see if there's any 5Ks in the area tomorrow!"  Lo and behold, my across-the-street neighbor was in charge of one right in downtown Appleton!  So, of course I ran... and even placed for my age group  - did I mention it was a VERY small race?!  Still, I happily accepted the medal!

Finally on Saturday I ran in the area YMCA's fun costume-friendly annual 5K.  I'd done it in 2010, and figured if I wanted to make my goal before it got any colder, that I'd better hurry up and do so.  That meant I got all dolled up on a lovely middle-to-high-30sF morning and got my final 5K of the year done!  My 2010 costume was more flattering, I think, but here's how I looked this year:

 

You don't usually see too many mermaids competing in a running race, I think! :)

Happy Halloween

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Happy belated Halloween to you all!  I figured I'd better share a picture of my trick-or-treaters 'cuz they were darn cute, if I do say so myself.  Definitely my easiest year so far as a costume designer - they both wanted to be cats.  Well, they both did until Penguin saw a leopard print velvet leotard with long sleeves and legs at a second-hand store, when she promptly revised her wish to the larger, fiercer "cheetah!" version.  Fine and good, we visited a Halloween store where we found a suitable (actually quite nice) mask/tail combo... and then Pumpkin admired it so much I got her the matching mask/tail set in black rather than make her use the headband ears and elastic tail we had in the dress-up bin.  But they were adorable and warm, thanks to suitably colored fleece sweatshirts we already had, so it was all good. We even did an extra block this year in our quest for candy - my girls are getting big! :)

 

I don't think she learned that at Sunday School

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

At lunchtime today, I had this conversation with Penguin. She's been asking similar questions, putting things in order lately, so I wasn't too surprised by the beginning anyway.

 
Penguin: Before there was cheese, there was.... 

Me: Milk? 

P: Yes, and before there was milk, there was.... 

M: Water?

P: And before there was water, there was...? 

M: Nothing really - water happened pretty early.

P: Before there was water there was? 

M: Well, water was around pretty early on the world.

 
P: What was before the world?

M: God. 

P: Before there was God there was? 

M: Nothing. Before God was nothing. 

P: Before nothing there was?  

M: God. 

P: No, before God there was? 

M: Nothing. 

P: Before nothing was? 

M: God. What do YOU think was before nothing? 

P: Unicorns. 

M: Unicorns?! 

P: Yup, space-traveling unicorns.