Umbert meets Hawaii Five-O

For reasons that escape me at the moment (this happened long ago), when I was young my girlfriends and I were avid fans of the television show Hawaii Five-O. When the older sister of one of my very best friends got to be an extra on the show, we went nuts. We gathered at my friend's house, and watched even more avidly than usual, just so we could catch the probably less than two seconds her older sister was on television being run into by one of the main characters. Yep. Her job was to be an obstacle - and a source of shopping bags and stuff flying through the air - to make a footchase scene a bit more dramatic. And we were thrilled to death for her. (Did I mention we were young?)

We also, like many other folks in that time period, found just all sorts of excuses to say Book him, Danno! (or some variation thereof). It was fun.

How nice to know I appear to be in good company. Heh.

Hmmm. I haven't seen an episode of Hawaii Five-O in years and years. Should I leave it parked on the happy-but-vague-memories shelf, I wonder, or should I keep my eyes open for a chance to watch it again? Hmmm....

Regarding what happened 9/11 at the Pentagon

Flip has the link to a YouTube video, just over six minutes long, of a documented analysis of the flight path of American Flight 77 just before it hit the Pentagon. It's a just-the-facts-ma'am sort of piece, but made my skin crawl all the same. (I can't help but think of the people who were murdered when this happened.)

Learning about Van Gogh via podcast

See Van Gogh and Britain: Pioneer Collectors NGS for a website that ties in to a National Galleries of Scotland art exhibition. The website is something of a short course on the life and works of the artist Vincent Van Gogh. The nicely-done PodCurator feature starts with audio immediately upon opening (fair warning), with TV presenter and actress Hannah Gordon doing the narration. (Possibly needless qualification: I opted to listen online instead of downloading, and I bailed out at just over ten minutes with plans to go back to it when I have more time. The first ten minutes or so, at any rate, are quite well done.)

hat tip: The Scotsman: Scotland Gallery's Pioneering Technology for a Van Gogh Pioneer Collection

Saturday Review of Books

Over at Semicolon's debut edition of the Saturday Review of Books, bloggers are providing links to book reviews they've written.

Texas missionaries make it home

There was a team of ten volunteers from First Baptist in Forney, Texas, working as missionaries in Beirut when the war broke out. The airport not being an option because of bombing, they moved into the mountains, and then were evacuated by boat to Cyprus. But they're home now. ("Peace of God finally prevails for couple separated by war," by Bill Bangham, Baptist Press, July 28, 2006.)

Raymond Chandler added to Denny's "Mystery Writers Honor Roll"

Denny Hartford thought he'd pretty much completed his personal "Mystery Writers Honor Roll" after reading in the genre as long as he had. But then...

Looking at his original list, I find we have a lot of well-liked authors in common. He does list one author I don't like at all, and a couple I'm not familiar with, but otherwise I find myself very much at home.

If you were making your own list, is there an author you'd have that he doesn't? He does use a very broad definition of "mysteries" - which works for me. I'd possibly add Manning Coles, I think, even though they're mostly espionage books. I'd probably add Margery Allingham. And I'd definitely add Rex Stout.

So, how's your day going?

I spent a quarter of an hour or so this morning peering into my backyard from behind a curtain - watching a doe and her three-quarter-grown offspring eating fallen green apples beneath the apple tree. One of our cats decided she simply must get between the curtain and the screen and see for herself what I was watching. I held the curtain away and helped her get into the window slowly so she wouldn't scare the deer, and we nature-watched together for a while. Deer can look quite comical dealing with apples, if you don't know. So can cats sitting on a windowsill watching them. So that was a nice start to the day.

Yes, I do live in town. Rather in the middle of town. Given half a chance, mule deer don't seem to be put off by minor details like asphalt and sidewalks and cars and fences and people.

So, after this and that and the other, it was after lunch and I was washing dishes and I glanced through the living room and outside just as a truck pulled in front of our house. It looked like a fire truck, the best I could tell through the window from where I was, and through the slatted blinds we use for shade. The men who got out of it looked very much like firefighters, although not in firefighting gear. Then another fire truck rolled by. Definitely a fire truck. I jogged to my husband's office for a better look, and there was yet another fire truck parked on the street, its nose against our driveway. And another fire truck behind that. These trucks were all spewing firemen, in uniform but not turned out for a fire. Curious, that. Then the firemen all walked down the sidewalk, toward downtown. The best we can guess is that we have out-of-town firefighters passing through, and they needed a place to park while they went to lunch. Thanks, fellas. I haven't been this awake in a looong time. Some convoys are definitely more attention-grabbing than others, I have to tell you (especially until it gets through your head that there's not necessarily a fire just because fire trucks are pulling to the curb everywhere you look).

So, how's your day going?

Update: I have talked with some of the neighbors. These neighbors are having a grand time today, holding a "Christmas in July" craft sale cum yard sale. They even have Christmas lights up. They are calling out "Merry Christmas" to all and sundry who walk by. They tell me they are getting varied responses to this (no kidding). But, at any rate, they talked to the firemen, and the firefighters are from several towns a couple/three hours west of here, and are on their way home from helping fight a wildfire a couple/three hours east of here.

Test your knowledge: Arab-Americans and faith

First try to guess what percentage of Arab-Americans are Christian.

Next, of those who are Christian, are there more Catholics, Protestants, or Eastern Orthodox?

Check your guesses here.

hat tip: Donald Sensing

Semicolon to launch Saturday Review round-up of book reviews

It's in the air or something. I've been toying with idea of starting some sort of regular or semi-regular round-up of book reviews, set up much like the Works-for-Me Wednesday feature over at Rocks in my Dryer, especially now that Shannon's shown how to set it up so people can see at a glance what the subject is for each link. But I haven't quite felt up to taking on the project, to be honest with you. Not right now.

But I see that Sherry at Semicolon has come up with the same idea - based on the same inspiration, no less. Let's do this over at her place, at least for now, eh? Short version: If you post a book review during the week, you go to her blog on Saturday and provide a link to it at the bottom of that week's Saturday Review post.

Hmmm. I don't know about you, but this might be just what I needed to prompt me to attack my read-but-not-reviewed stack. Not to mention my neither-read-nor-reviewed stack.

Some of my readers might belong...

...on the Gutsy Ladies List.

...or on the Family-Friendly Blogroll.

At a guess :)

hat tip: Found while following links, starting from a comment here on Suitable For Mixed Company. (/Shameless plug for more comments.)

BooMama's "The Day That Summer Prevailed"...

...is another "living with boys" post.

(We like that sort of thing around here, if you hadn't noticed.)

P.S. The first edition of the Cool Boys of Children's Literature List is close to done at Jen Robinson's Book Page.

In case you're heading to Rome (or like to be an armchair tourist)

See It's a country within a city by John Bordsen (Charlotte Observer, July 23, 2006) for a travel article with a twist. Mr. Bordsen interviewed Jeffrey Kirby, a 31-year-old seminarian who has lived in Vatican City for three years while attending the North American College, for tips for tourists heading to Rome or Vatican City.

And, no. I don't want to go see "the Bone Church". Thanks, anyway. I am with Our Correspondent Kirby's mother on this one. There are other ways to teach the intended lesson that don't involve not giving people a proper burial, I think. But thanks for the warning.

hat tip: Mark Mossa

Works for me Wednesday: Dealing with the heat

We're still getting into the 100s and upper 90s around here, but it's not bothering me as much as it was a few days ago. For one thing, I'm better acclimated (isn't the human body's ability to adapt to changing conditions amazing?), and for another thing I'm getting this house figured out a bit better and am getting smarter about which windows to open when, and where to put fans, etc. - and for another thing I've relearned a few old tricks.

Best old trick: using a squirt bottle with water in it. I sometimes mist my clothes or skin, but the nicest thing I've picked up is keeping a squirt bottle by the bed, to mist the coverings. Love that evaporative cooling. If you don't have a squirt bottle, just sprinkle some water on the bed. (Warning: you can get too chilled if you aren't careful. Take it nice and slow until you figure out how much water you need on the sheets or clothes to get the effect you want.)

Second best old trick: wearing a damp neckerchief. Cowboys and cowgirls, it turns out, know what they're doing, wearing neckerchiefs (aka bandanas).

What you folks in hot but damp climates can do to keep cool I don't know. But around here, a little damp cloth can go a long way.

Don't forget that you can pick up all sorts of household tips over at Rocks In My Dryer's Works-for-Me Wednesday weekly round-up.

Honoring adversity's aftermath in Alabama

Thanks to Michelle, I now know that the town of Enterprise, Alabama, has a monument honoring the boll weevil.

The best write-up on it I've found so far is presented by Shelley Brigman, who worked as a newspaper reporter in that area.

The town erected the monument after the boll weevil forced farmers in the area to plant crops other than cotton. Becoming less reliant on cotton turned out to be a good thing. Hence, the tribute to the pest that started the search for better ways to make a living.

Dorothy Sayers on young people and literature

Dorothy Sayers contended:

...There is, in fact, an optimum age for encountering every work of art; did we but know, in each man's case, what it was, we might plan our educational schemes accordingly. Since our way of life makes this impossible, we can only pray to be saved from murdering delight before it is born.

Amanda Witt has more of the passage, plus a bit of discussion.

Online resource for Northwest Gardeners

In addition to its other gardening resources, Oregon State University has a monthly online 'magazine' with news and advice about gardening, called Northwest Gardeners eNews.

Animal crackers

When I was a kid, someone came up with the idea of giving each child his or her own box of animal crackers at the start of a journey, for good luck, they said, making it a special gift and not just a snack. Each little box was designed to look like a circus wagon used to transport animals, and we spent much time alternating between playing circus wagon driver and deciding which animal to eat next, not to mention which parts to devour first: head, tail, leg, whatever. (Children can be such beasts... :)

We might have outgrown this, but ours was a superstitious family as well as a fun-loving one. Somehow or another even after we were full grown when we were about to head out on a long trip someone might hand over a box of animal crackers for good luck.

I know. I know. The originator of this tradition probably merely meant to provide something to keep the wee ones entertained so the older folks in the car had a chance of arriving sane at the destination, but it did morph into a bon voyage tradition.

So. The neighbor's son and his wife and her mother are all going to Texas, where the wife has a nice job waiting for her. They are using my neighbor's home as the staging area, having moved out of their place already. We have been treated to yard sales and much activity of late. So. Today I went to the grocery store, and made a point of adding a trip down the cookie and cracker aisle.

Yes, knowing full well it was perfectly silly to buy grown-ups animal crackers, not to mention doubly silly because I really don't know these people except in passing, I bought three circus-style boxes of animal crackers, one for each person who was moving. I was counting on the travelers' good sense of humor, if nothing else. And, besides, I didn't know what else to get them for a bon voyage gift. (Food is always good, right?)

When I got home, the moving van and pickup truck were still there, but no one was in evidence. Not wanting to break up a last-day-together meal or something, I kept peeking out the window now and then, hoping to catch the son coming or going - and, having second thoughts, half hoping I wouldn't catch a glimpse of them before they left, so I didn't have to run the risk of looking foolish, handing over dumb gifts that somebody might not understand.

Finally, when I went to move the lawn sprinkler I saw that there were people, lots of people, moving at a good clip back and forth, carrying stuff to the moving van and pickup truck. It had a feel of a last push. I saw the son, who I know somewhat better than the others, and know to be good-natured on balance, and good-humored, too. With some trepidation I popped back inside, gathered up my three little circus wagons full of snacks, forced myself out my front gate, and ambled down the sidewalk keying in on the son. He looked up from rolling something into a tidy package on the lawn, and grinned. He looked at the animal crackers and looked surprised. No turning back left to me now, I leaned over their waist-high front fence, held the animal crackers in front of me, and said that in the family I grew up in, it was traditional to send people off on long journeys with animal crackers.

People stopped what they were doing and looked at each other in a very funny way. They had that look that people get when they're trying to decide who should be the group spokesman and say something. I was beginning to feel I'd done something incredibly foolish, and in front of a crowd, no less. They looked horribly surprised, which seemed all out of proportion to me. I knew that what I was doing was silly, perhaps odd. I didn't think it was astonishing.

And then the son's wife, who I barely know, started bouncing up and down with delight, and laughing. She said I simply had to come look - and ran to the pickup with me in tow. Looking in, she decided that we couldn't see well enough from the sidewalk side, so she dragged me out in the street (we don't get much traffic, thank goodness), and from the passenger side of her truck she. pulled. the. largest. container. of. animal. crackers. I've. ever. seen.

She also takes animal crackers on trips. She loves animal crackers. She thought someone bringing her animal crackers for her move was too fantastic for words.

So did everyone else.

Sometimes a lady gets lucky.

Have you heard of the Security and Prosperity Partnership Of North America?

It seems to be an official effort involving the governments of Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico. The home page of its website is here.

Soap carving, sketching, other fun stuff

See Ivory - The Name You Trust for Good, Clean Family Fun! for soap carving tips. I mean, if you're going to do it, you might as well do it like a pro, right?

What? You've never carved Ivory soap? It's a classic hobby in my part of the world. I hate to think how many bars I whittled on as a kid. Even with all that practice, though, I'm not sure I ever got as good as this. But I had fun. Hmmmm. I haven't done it in a while. Hmmmm.

And, if you wonder why Ivory floats, here's some background on that. And, since it does float, you can use it to make your own play boats.

And, no, I don't have any ties to the company that makes Ivory. None. I just like these kinds of family fun projects, where kids (of all ages, ahem) get to make their own toys and knick-knacks.

On a somewhat related note, one of my favorite things to do is to give a kid a sketchpad. Most kids are artistic, I think, but some of them need an adult to show a little faith in their ability to learn to be good at it.

Suggestions for other easy, inexpensive projects, anyone?

Update: Some soap carving is fancier than others. See here and here for some amazing examples from the Orient. (Thanks, David, for bringing these to my attention.)

Telling tales on toddlers

People are sharing their "our toddler did this" stories over at The Common Room and U Krakovianki. Just in case you think only your family has whirlwinds with wild imaginations and little or no common sense parading as young human beings. (Addition: The Common Room got such a good response to the first post, Headmistress has done another one.)

Do not skip the comments sections on these. These mamas have hit a nerve, I think. ;)