Category Archives: Rancho Roly Poly

The lure of breakfast

Posted on September 25, 2007 | Comments Off on The lure of breakfast

I think I’ve discovered the secret of how to get Mr. Boy out of bed and ready for school in the morning: talk about breakfast. Do you want oatmeal or waffles, I ask innocently, knowing that he wants both. Does he want juice? He rolls over and starts to rub his eyes, a sure sign he’s waking up. When I can get him to state his preference as to what to start with, I can see the gears in his mind that are connected to his stomach have started churning in sync. Sure enough, I go off to make (usually) the oatmeal and by the time I get the bowl on the table, he’s up and dressed and making up his bed. Food. That’s the ticket.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly

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L’Shanah Tovah

Posted on September 12, 2007 | Comments Off on L’Shanah Tovah

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A sweet new year to our Jewish friends everyone.

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Posted in Israel, Rancho Roly Poly

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Scouts & basketball

Posted on September 7, 2007 | Comments Off on Scouts & basketball

Going to take Mr. Boy to the scout headquarters after school this afternoon to pick up his new duds for Wolf year: scarf, slides, patch, handbook and maybe a cap. I didn’t take him last year, which might have been a mistake. I figure his innate consumer will be thrilled at all the stuff to buy as he works his way up to Boy Scouts and beyond. Of course they tell parents they don’t have to buy all the stuff, and we didn’t buy the trousers or shorts. He wears his own. But some of it, like the shirt, patches, scarf and handbook are hard to do without. After that, we’ll stop by the Jewish Community Center and register him for the rookie (ages 6-7) co-ed fall basketball league. He’s not so sure about the co-ed part, but he likes the idea of competition. I explained to him that almost all Texas colleges have womens’ basketball teams, but, in typical age seven mode, he was skeptical. He’ll learn.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly

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Sex offender locator

Posted on September 1, 2007 | Comments Off on Sex offender locator

I was pleased to see there are no registered sex offenders living within twenty blocks of the rancho. And now that I’ve seen the pictures of some of the ones beyond that point–all sexual abusers of children–I’ll know who to watch for. Try Vision 20/20’s system for yourself. Just enter your street, city, state and zipcode at the first link. The system is in beta. May not be the last word, of course.

Via Techcrunch.com 

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Dreams

Posted on August 30, 2007 | Comments Off on Dreams

I awoke earlier than usual this morning, after several vivid dreams. The usual silly stuff, such as walking across town to class (!?), then realizing I forgot to wear shoes. For some reason, vivid dreaming seems to make me feel more rested than when I don’t dream. I seem not to need as much sleep, as I do seem to need when I don’t dream. Sleep researchers, however, don’t agree. Although they say REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep correlates with deep sleep which is the most restful, and REM often correlates with dreams, you can have REM without dreams. Science is still trying to figure out what part of the brain produces dreams, and why. What dreams mean, if anything, is still in the realm of superstition, however. Commerce, meanwhile, purports to offer pills to encourage dreams, though they seem to be no more useful than the ones that claim to enlarge a certain male organ

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering, Scribbles

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Pruning roses

Posted on August 28, 2007 | Comments Off on Pruning roses

It’s supposed to be an arcane and scary subject, pruning roses, but I find it rather easy. You prune around Valentine’s and again around Labor Day and reap the benefits of a flush of blossoms a month or two later. This year I decided to start a few days before Labor Day weekend since it’s been so wet and not all that hot a summer. Rose Magazine’s pruning guide was a help, giving me the courage to whack the hybrid tea Mr. Lincoln back by almost half. The electric meter reader will thank me, even if Mr. L. decides to pout and refuse to bloom. The antique roses were easier. I always cut them back by a third. Both types bloom on new growth. The only time you really don’t want to prune is close to winter or summer’s dog days, when the new growth would either freeze or get burned. Something tells me it’s going to be a glorious fall, rose wise.

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Posted in Antique Roses, Rancho Roly Poly

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Today’s the big day

Posted on August 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Today’s the big day

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Mr. B. goes back to imitating a budding scholar, and I go back to imitating a leisurely retired person. While he’s trying to pay attention, and stay out of trouble, I’m going sailing.

Photo swiped from Miss Cellania

UPDATE: The crush at pickup this afternoon was amazing. More adults than children. I came a half hour early to be sure I could finding parking. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. It’ll thin out by next week. Did last year. Mr. B. didn’t notice. He was bragging about getting more Xs, good behavior marks, than anyone else. Started good last year, too. Hope it lasts through spring. 

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly

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