So, until now, I've referred to our son as the Boy, and only made reference on the sidebar that his nickname is Mozart. The name was first donned when he was still in utero. It started as a joke - because I refused to give up his name, a friend christened him Mozart. Another decided on Cosmo, short for Cosmonaut. So while I was pregnant I referred to him as both Mozart and Cosmo, but when he actually came out and joined our family, it was clear that music is his thing. He would perk up and/or calm down when music was playing from the time he was tiny. And now when the music comes on he does this little dance. So flippin' cute!
So now I think I will mostly refer to the Boy as Mozart.
Shame, that.
Back to my uncle's digs and I was going to post the promised photos from the farm, but apparently I'd have to download something to do so, therefore, it will have to wait. Since the last post we've been to the beach, the Enchanted Forest, and had a visit with a childhood friend. We've had fun, lot's of it, and we are exhausted once again. What happened to the idea that vacation is supposed to be restful. Uh, yeah, not with a toddler. One still needs to get up before the rooster crows - and I do mean this literally, as the Boy generally started about 10 minutes before the bird did. On still needs to maintain, some semblance of the same schedule. And one's activities must come to a grinding halt when the small one has a meltdown or is otherwise in need. All that said, this has been a pretty good time.
And the Boy is gaining personality like crazy. He's become very vocal about things he finds fascinating - mainly vehicles, animals, and other oddities - and has the, "OoooohOOOhoooh!" that he exclaims quite often. He's gotten pretty good at saying, "I don't know." And giving a definitive, "Yesss," or a thoughtful, "Um, no" when asked a question.
Farmer's Bliss
Short post for now as I'm borrowing Globetrotter's computer. We have just been to my aunt's raw milk farm to fetch the her share of the cow's milk (here in Oregon, in order to get raw milk you have to buy a portion of the cow). On the farm they also have chicken aplenty, cows, goats, pigs and at least one llama. We went down a trail to see the herd of cows and saw all the livestock, saw the herd get rounded up, and the Boy got to ride (read sit on) a pony. He was in his bliss. Photos to follow.
Bodily Takeover
When I overdo it, my body tends to give me the smack-down and just take what it needs by any means necessary. Usually what it needs is a good rest and the method for getting it is to get sick.
So here we are on vacation, after a very hairy week wrapping things up and getting ready without much sleep, and my body did just that.
I won't go into the gory details, but suffice it to say - it wasn't pretty. And instead of going out and enjoying a day and dinner with family, I was huddled down in multiple blankets trying to keep up any kind of warmth on a day that was nearing 90 degrees. I've had two rice cakes since the ordeal began. I can't tell if the tummy is growling because it's just hungry, or if the rebellion continues. I am now going to brave a cup of coffee, hope for the best, pray that the 4 hour ride this morning will be A-OK, and that by the time we get to the family reunion yesterday will be a distant memory.
So here we are on vacation, after a very hairy week wrapping things up and getting ready without much sleep, and my body did just that.
I won't go into the gory details, but suffice it to say - it wasn't pretty. And instead of going out and enjoying a day and dinner with family, I was huddled down in multiple blankets trying to keep up any kind of warmth on a day that was nearing 90 degrees. I've had two rice cakes since the ordeal began. I can't tell if the tummy is growling because it's just hungry, or if the rebellion continues. I am now going to brave a cup of coffee, hope for the best, pray that the 4 hour ride this morning will be A-OK, and that by the time we get to the family reunion yesterday will be a distant memory.
I'm sorry, we can't find you.
Well, we made it to Oregon. Through two 4.5 hr flight, with an and hour and a half delay. And in one piece no less! And all things considered, relatively smoothly.
From getting a late start all the way to arrival, though, I got little jolts of uncertainty as to whether the universe was working against us.
As I say, late start. I didn't mention: the original leave time was 5:30am. We had to drop something off for the Wife's work on the way, so the plan was to leave 15 minutes early, but instead we got out of the house a half hour late. Which, with traffic, got us to the Park'n'Ride an hour late. This in itself wasn't so, so bad, but when we arrived at the Park'n'Ride, reservation in hand, the office was locked up with no-one in sight! *Enter 1st moment of panic here.* No note, just an empty dark office. I'd gotten a confirmation email and also called to confirm, but since we were late the thought that perhaps being an hour late meant we'd forfeited the reservation. I called, though, and apparently only one guy works at that hour and he was on an airport run. He was back shortly, and within 15 minutes we were trying to check in.
I say trying because when went up to the kiosk and scanned my driver's license, it came back that there were no reservations by anyone with my name. *Enter 2nd moment of panic.* Finally. it registers my name, and the Wife's, but makes no indication that we have a lap child. *2nd moment of panic continues.* The agent came over to add the Boy, check the bag, and finally we move on to, and thankfully through Security without a problem. And thankfully so, because as we arrived at the gate they were already boarding! I run to the water fountain and get a quarter bottle before they call for those traveling with infants. Run back, whip the Boy out of his car seat, take wheels off Go Go Babyz, shove whole thing in car seat bag and haul self, car seat, two large carry-ons, and diaper bag down the ramp while the Wife corrals the Boy. But hey, we made it. And even survived the flight by running up and down the aisles at every possible moment the 'fasten seat belt' sign wasn't illuminated. The people looked slightly annoyed as the Boy bumped, grabbed or attempted communication a 5th, 12th, and 32nd time but I just looked at them, smiled and said nothing. If you want me to have him sit, then you'll listen to his screaming, so suck it up and smile at the kid, won't ya!
With only a 40 minute layover I wanted to know before we got off the plane how far away the connection was, so I called to find out any updated gate information. Gave the man my information and, guess what, again with the, "we can't find you" business. This was not so much of a moment of panic as of annoyance. Grrr. Finally, after giving him my phone number, confirmation number, and ticket number, he was able to find me. At each step I was ready to say forget it, but he kept insisting. So, gate info confirmed, off the plane, car seat gathered and Go Go Babyz assembled for a LONG haul through the Houston airport and to the very last gate of a second terminal. We got everything ready to board again and let the Boy run about. People were completely queued up but wanting to let him run and besides, wouldn't we be boarded after First Class as a family? Yeah, no, apparently that is no longer standard. So we were the last to board the completely packed plane. An irritation, but no more so than sitting on the tarmac for an hour and a half while waiting to take off.
After the long wait, we finally start taxiing, the engine gets louder, and what looks like smoke starts pouring into the cabin. *Um, enter 3rd moment of panic - or you could say outright alarm.* Only a couple other passengers seemed to be alarmed. I decided not to let the Wife know of my concern. She is terrified in general of flying and, "falling from the sky in a fiery ball of flame." Besides, there was no smoke smell. I watched and studied the stuff - it was coming in just above the windows and seemed to dissipate before it got fully in with the people. I came to the conclusion that it was the air conditioning - it had gotten rather warm in the cabin, and was now cooling off, and it was also quite hot outside. I was still a bit weirded out by it, but not as concerned. And it was a bit funny to see the Wife notice, become alarmed, and apparently come to a similar conclusion about the stuff all in the space of a minute or so.
A very long flight later, we exit the plane to *not* find our car seat waiting. While very irritated that we specifically gate-checked the thing so that it would be handled better and so that we could have a mode of transport through the airport, we learned that it had been checked to baggage claim. So much for moving the Boy through the airport with ease.
Off to get the rental car. My reservation said to go to the board find your name with the parking space, pick up the car, and get the paperwork printed out as you leave the garage. But guess what. Name's not on the board. *Sigh - too tired to even register any moments of panic, but irritation was again growing.* So instead of the promised easy rental, we waited in line. But we got it. And while there was still traffic on our way to our destination, the Trip Tix provided by AAA proved to be very useful, and perhaps the exhausted final drive was the most relaxing part of the day.
So we have arrived. Family has set us up in a cute little in-law apartment that has been fully stocked for the needs of the Boy. We were fed a delightful meal on arrival and fell into what must be about the most comfortable bed on Earth. The boy is still on East Coast time, so my sleep wasn't for long - G'mornin' Moms, I know it's only 3am, but it's time for me to get up, don't understand why it's so dark, but get up, get up, get up! So I've been up since then. I look forward to a good long nap later today.
From getting a late start all the way to arrival, though, I got little jolts of uncertainty as to whether the universe was working against us.
As I say, late start. I didn't mention: the original leave time was 5:30am. We had to drop something off for the Wife's work on the way, so the plan was to leave 15 minutes early, but instead we got out of the house a half hour late. Which, with traffic, got us to the Park'n'Ride an hour late. This in itself wasn't so, so bad, but when we arrived at the Park'n'Ride, reservation in hand, the office was locked up with no-one in sight! *Enter 1st moment of panic here.* No note, just an empty dark office. I'd gotten a confirmation email and also called to confirm, but since we were late the thought that perhaps being an hour late meant we'd forfeited the reservation. I called, though, and apparently only one guy works at that hour and he was on an airport run. He was back shortly, and within 15 minutes we were trying to check in.
I say trying because when went up to the kiosk and scanned my driver's license, it came back that there were no reservations by anyone with my name. *Enter 2nd moment of panic.* Finally. it registers my name, and the Wife's, but makes no indication that we have a lap child. *2nd moment of panic continues.* The agent came over to add the Boy, check the bag, and finally we move on to, and thankfully through Security without a problem. And thankfully so, because as we arrived at the gate they were already boarding! I run to the water fountain and get a quarter bottle before they call for those traveling with infants. Run back, whip the Boy out of his car seat, take wheels off Go Go Babyz, shove whole thing in car seat bag and haul self, car seat, two large carry-ons, and diaper bag down the ramp while the Wife corrals the Boy. But hey, we made it. And even survived the flight by running up and down the aisles at every possible moment the 'fasten seat belt' sign wasn't illuminated. The people looked slightly annoyed as the Boy bumped, grabbed or attempted communication a 5th, 12th, and 32nd time but I just looked at them, smiled and said nothing. If you want me to have him sit, then you'll listen to his screaming, so suck it up and smile at the kid, won't ya!
With only a 40 minute layover I wanted to know before we got off the plane how far away the connection was, so I called to find out any updated gate information. Gave the man my information and, guess what, again with the, "we can't find you" business. This was not so much of a moment of panic as of annoyance. Grrr. Finally, after giving him my phone number, confirmation number, and ticket number, he was able to find me. At each step I was ready to say forget it, but he kept insisting. So, gate info confirmed, off the plane, car seat gathered and Go Go Babyz assembled for a LONG haul through the Houston airport and to the very last gate of a second terminal. We got everything ready to board again and let the Boy run about. People were completely queued up but wanting to let him run and besides, wouldn't we be boarded after First Class as a family? Yeah, no, apparently that is no longer standard. So we were the last to board the completely packed plane. An irritation, but no more so than sitting on the tarmac for an hour and a half while waiting to take off.
After the long wait, we finally start taxiing, the engine gets louder, and what looks like smoke starts pouring into the cabin. *Um, enter 3rd moment of panic - or you could say outright alarm.* Only a couple other passengers seemed to be alarmed. I decided not to let the Wife know of my concern. She is terrified in general of flying and, "falling from the sky in a fiery ball of flame." Besides, there was no smoke smell. I watched and studied the stuff - it was coming in just above the windows and seemed to dissipate before it got fully in with the people. I came to the conclusion that it was the air conditioning - it had gotten rather warm in the cabin, and was now cooling off, and it was also quite hot outside. I was still a bit weirded out by it, but not as concerned. And it was a bit funny to see the Wife notice, become alarmed, and apparently come to a similar conclusion about the stuff all in the space of a minute or so.
A very long flight later, we exit the plane to *not* find our car seat waiting. While very irritated that we specifically gate-checked the thing so that it would be handled better and so that we could have a mode of transport through the airport, we learned that it had been checked to baggage claim. So much for moving the Boy through the airport with ease.
Off to get the rental car. My reservation said to go to the board find your name with the parking space, pick up the car, and get the paperwork printed out as you leave the garage. But guess what. Name's not on the board. *Sigh - too tired to even register any moments of panic, but irritation was again growing.* So instead of the promised easy rental, we waited in line. But we got it. And while there was still traffic on our way to our destination, the Trip Tix provided by AAA proved to be very useful, and perhaps the exhausted final drive was the most relaxing part of the day.
So we have arrived. Family has set us up in a cute little in-law apartment that has been fully stocked for the needs of the Boy. We were fed a delightful meal on arrival and fell into what must be about the most comfortable bed on Earth. The boy is still on East Coast time, so my sleep wasn't for long - G'mornin' Moms, I know it's only 3am, but it's time for me to get up, don't understand why it's so dark, but get up, get up, get up! So I've been up since then. I look forward to a good long nap later today.
The Snit
I've been told. By the Wife. That I get in a Snit at times. I was apparently in one of these the other day. What started out to be really a fine day somehow got turned all upside down when a wave of exhaustion rolled over me. Suddenly I saw what would have been a productive afternoon/evening turn into less than productive, and that began the Snit.
We are going to be very. Very. VERY. busy this week and next, you see, and I cannot afford to have waves of exhaustion or anything less than full-production-mode. I will likely post less, if at all, during this time, but I tend to keep a running log of what I can write about, so when this busy time comes to end, hopefully, I'll catch up on all kinds of happenings and tales. But I hope to see you before then. Even if for just a note like this. But not if my doing so will put me or the Wife into a Snit.
We are going to be very. Very. VERY. busy this week and next, you see, and I cannot afford to have waves of exhaustion or anything less than full-production-mode. I will likely post less, if at all, during this time, but I tend to keep a running log of what I can write about, so when this busy time comes to end, hopefully, I'll catch up on all kinds of happenings and tales. But I hope to see you before then. Even if for just a note like this. But not if my doing so will put me or the Wife into a Snit.
The Path of Life
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| One last look after entering the Path of Life. |
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| And we're off, through the Labyrinth. |
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| It's good to pick up friends on the way. |
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| Our own Stonehenge of sorts. |
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| Getting a better look. |
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| Couldn't have said it better myself. |
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| A whirlwind of action. |
Finally out, we found the Stonehenge - carved wooden sculptures that had been set aflame for a charred effect. Very cool. Photos are better in the bright sun. Then off to these fun twirly things, and through a peace garden. We did not take the path of life as it was meant to be taken. We skipped back and forth, letting the Boy take the lead.
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| Lots to explore. |
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| One can even get it to a touch of trouble, if one tries. |
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| Motivation (<--- Less, ^More^) |
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| Joining the Big Band. |
At any rate, I think we saw nearly everything this time. And even had a moment in Sorrow to change someone's diaper. By the time we left it was fully dark and so, of course there are no photos of the end of our journey, but the Buddha saw us off and wished us well into the night. The Boy slept soundly on the way back and we concluded that we'll definitely come back.
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| Off to investigate that 1/32th percent of his heritage. |
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| Awesome, now to the river. |
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| And at the end of the evening, offerings made to a peaceful Buddha. |
Our bat made the paper!!
I just love it! We are the first incident listed in this article that was on the front page. They don't list us as the home being invaded by the bat, or give the bat a name or anything. But hey, there's some notoriety for ya! I didn't have time to scan the article, but here's a photo. Notice the fold, and how the headline is above it - this must truly qualify as serious news. Gotta love small town papers. Sales tactics.
We need a new roof. We are not happy about this and don't exactly have the extra 10+ grand hanging around to just slap down on the table and do it immediately. Yet it needs to be done fairly immediately. And so the adventure begins. Well, it really began about a about a year ago when a leak appeared on the ceiling. We had our neighborhood handyman climb up and patch the culprit of a hole and then report to us that really, we needed to deal with this in an asap kind of way. But we didn't have the money then so we crossed our fingers, and continue to do so. Thank-fully luck has been with us, but we don't figure we've got enough luck stored up to last another winter.
So last night we got a couple quotes, both from companies with A+ ratings from BBB. First guy was nice, seemed respectable, gave us the quote (about $3000 more than the very top of what I expected) and took his leave. Then the second guy came. He was very much into the sales pitch, making a point to use our names every third sentence or so, which made me suspect, add that to some other funky mannerisms, along with the general look of him, and I was reminded of Robert De Niro.
Before even looking at the house, De Niro went into a long spiel about the quality of the product he is selling. We've heard of it before, and have no doubt about the product or the company, so we really didn't need this, but he has an agenda. Finally we show him the crawl space so knows what he's dealing with from the inside and he takes a walk around. Then the three level sales pitch comes out. There is the average quality roof, which of course they guarantee for a number of years, and it has one price (about $4000 more then that previous highball I figured). Then there is the middle-of-the road roof that has a middle-of-the-road guarantee and middle-of-the-road price (about $7000 more than the top of our budget - really? middle-of-the-road, huh?). And finally, the top-quality, guaranteed for 30 years, everything you can wish for package for a mere $9500 more than we could afford. The first thing I notice about these prices is that with the conveniently included financing, the average quality roof payment is nearly twice as much per month as the top-quality roof. For only 3 years vs. 10 years.
I am ready to send De Niro off into the sunset (and the sun was setting by this time) as we explain that, yes, we do need a roof, but we need to consider these prices and all of the information that he's given us, and consider other quotes, before we make a decision, when he pulls out the secondary sales pitch. Now De Niro wants to give us the top-quality roof for the middle-of-the-road price, which would make our monthly payments less, but would extend the loan to those 10 years. In exchange for this offer, we'd agree to write a testimonial letter as to the high quality of work (should we agree), would be available to speak to 3-5 potential future customers and tell them about our experience, and could be listed as a happy customer (as he hopes we would be). All of this sounds like a fine exchange - we're still not too sure about that 10 year financing, but we haven't looked into what other financing we could get, so it might be the best thing out there. We are considering it. Heartily, as we really do need this roof, and frankly we just want to get it done.
So what's the catch? Ahhhh! In order to get in on this fantastic deal, we'd have to make up our minds on the spot - the deal goes away if he walks away. As in we can't think about it. Can't look into other options. Can't be sure this is the right thing for us to do in our situation. Granted, the previous quotes we got would be good for a year, but this extra $2500 off of the top-quality roof would not last. I think we both had the feeling that it was a quick jump into a big commitment, but since we knew the company/product he almost had us. Until Papa called us and advised us to back away - quickly, back away from this highwayman of roof-seekers and do more research.
So we put the brakes on - and none too soon, and we were mighty close to signing those papers. But funny. De Niro, who I seemed to warm up and act more and more human to over our hours-long interaction, suddenly cooled off and got just a touch hostile, with a finely tuned edge of guilt. What, that he wasted his evening on a sale that didn't happen? Sorry buddy. We were able to get him out the door, feeling a bit vulnerable and more than a little foolish for coming so close to signing something we hadn't had a chance to mull over properly. After he left, I stayed up far too late still trying to shake off the feeling of being had.
This morning when we woke up, not quite rested, but with head that were more clear. We agreed that it was good to have NOT signed the deal. We may still need to pay the same amount of money per month, or we may still be financing our roof for the next ten years, but we will certainly have thought about the decision for more than a three hour sales pitch.
We also decided to write to the company. We will explain that while we have every confidence that their product is high-quality, and we may have even decided on them to do the work had we been given time to think things through, due to their high pressure sales tactics they lost our business.
I will study this article on How To Defend Against 7 Sneaky Sales Tactics before we see anyone else for estimates. Because, after all, we still need a roof.
So last night we got a couple quotes, both from companies with A+ ratings from BBB. First guy was nice, seemed respectable, gave us the quote (about $3000 more than the very top of what I expected) and took his leave. Then the second guy came. He was very much into the sales pitch, making a point to use our names every third sentence or so, which made me suspect, add that to some other funky mannerisms, along with the general look of him, and I was reminded of Robert De Niro.
Before even looking at the house, De Niro went into a long spiel about the quality of the product he is selling. We've heard of it before, and have no doubt about the product or the company, so we really didn't need this, but he has an agenda. Finally we show him the crawl space so knows what he's dealing with from the inside and he takes a walk around. Then the three level sales pitch comes out. There is the average quality roof, which of course they guarantee for a number of years, and it has one price (about $4000 more then that previous highball I figured). Then there is the middle-of-the road roof that has a middle-of-the-road guarantee and middle-of-the-road price (about $7000 more than the top of our budget - really? middle-of-the-road, huh?). And finally, the top-quality, guaranteed for 30 years, everything you can wish for package for a mere $9500 more than we could afford. The first thing I notice about these prices is that with the conveniently included financing, the average quality roof payment is nearly twice as much per month as the top-quality roof. For only 3 years vs. 10 years.
I am ready to send De Niro off into the sunset (and the sun was setting by this time) as we explain that, yes, we do need a roof, but we need to consider these prices and all of the information that he's given us, and consider other quotes, before we make a decision, when he pulls out the secondary sales pitch. Now De Niro wants to give us the top-quality roof for the middle-of-the-road price, which would make our monthly payments less, but would extend the loan to those 10 years. In exchange for this offer, we'd agree to write a testimonial letter as to the high quality of work (should we agree), would be available to speak to 3-5 potential future customers and tell them about our experience, and could be listed as a happy customer (as he hopes we would be). All of this sounds like a fine exchange - we're still not too sure about that 10 year financing, but we haven't looked into what other financing we could get, so it might be the best thing out there. We are considering it. Heartily, as we really do need this roof, and frankly we just want to get it done.
So what's the catch? Ahhhh! In order to get in on this fantastic deal, we'd have to make up our minds on the spot - the deal goes away if he walks away. As in we can't think about it. Can't look into other options. Can't be sure this is the right thing for us to do in our situation. Granted, the previous quotes we got would be good for a year, but this extra $2500 off of the top-quality roof would not last. I think we both had the feeling that it was a quick jump into a big commitment, but since we knew the company/product he almost had us. Until Papa called us and advised us to back away - quickly, back away from this highwayman of roof-seekers and do more research.
So we put the brakes on - and none too soon, and we were mighty close to signing those papers. But funny. De Niro, who I seemed to warm up and act more and more human to over our hours-long interaction, suddenly cooled off and got just a touch hostile, with a finely tuned edge of guilt. What, that he wasted his evening on a sale that didn't happen? Sorry buddy. We were able to get him out the door, feeling a bit vulnerable and more than a little foolish for coming so close to signing something we hadn't had a chance to mull over properly. After he left, I stayed up far too late still trying to shake off the feeling of being had.
This morning when we woke up, not quite rested, but with head that were more clear. We agreed that it was good to have NOT signed the deal. We may still need to pay the same amount of money per month, or we may still be financing our roof for the next ten years, but we will certainly have thought about the decision for more than a three hour sales pitch.
We also decided to write to the company. We will explain that while we have every confidence that their product is high-quality, and we may have even decided on them to do the work had we been given time to think things through, due to their high pressure sales tactics they lost our business.
I will study this article on How To Defend Against 7 Sneaky Sales Tactics before we see anyone else for estimates. Because, after all, we still need a roof.
A tribute to Mme. Child
Had a very trying evening. May say more about that tomorrow, but this cheered me up.
That's BATastic!
Whew! We're in the clear!! The woman at DPH said on Friday that Boston usually calls early afternoon with the results so we should have the results by then but that she would definitely call me by 3:30p either way because if by that time we hadn't heard the results we were all going to have to have the shot. This sounded great to me and, really, I wasn't worried because everyone I'd spoken to said the rates were either very low in this area or that they hadn't seen any cases this year. That was until juuuuuust about 3 o'clock when I hadn't heard yet. At that point I began to get a little worried. By 3:15, I was a little bit more worried. And by 3:28 I was poised with the number to call and check up on this woman who promised to call. At 3:30 on the dot I dialed the number and: No one picked up. Aaaaack!! I attempt, unsuccessfully, to get some work done. I tried the Wife's number, ready to tell her we'd better give our insurance a heads up that we'd need the shots, and she wasn't there either. I didn't want to leave that message as I didn't want to believe that we'd all have to line up and be subjected to a series of needles. As I was about to dial her cell, at 3:48, mine rang. It was the DPH lady. She'd been out all day, had three messages, hadn't checked them yet, but just wanted to check in with me before I began to panic - um, a little late, but thanks. She hung up to check her messages. I waited anxiously. At 3:52 she called back. She greets me pleasantly. I say, "Yes?" - all the while holding my breath. She says the results are in. I say, "And?(!)" And she FINALLY say, after pausing again, "the bat tested negative." Woo Hoooo! Huge sigh of relief!
Now maybe I can stop the obsessing - really, I've been dreaming of bats non-stop since the Bat Fiasco. Along the way I've gathered some fun facts about bats. Much of this I learned in the moments after the arrival of the bat, by way of the Wife spouting out, iPad in hand, facts that any good bat-hunter should know. And further fun facts were by way of continued obsession - many, many websites, and random people telling me bat tales. In the order with which they pop into my head:
Now maybe I can stop the obsessing - really, I've been dreaming of bats non-stop since the Bat Fiasco. Along the way I've gathered some fun facts about bats. Much of this I learned in the moments after the arrival of the bat, by way of the Wife spouting out, iPad in hand, facts that any good bat-hunter should know. And further fun facts were by way of continued obsession - many, many websites, and random people telling me bat tales. In the order with which they pop into my head:
- Bats can get through exceedingly small spaces - 3/8ths of an inch to be exact.
- If trying to catch a bat wear leather glove as bat armor. You need to ensure that you do not come in contact with the bat because rabies can be transmitted through bites or scratches.
- The methods of catching a bat are as follows: If on the ground, use a towel to drape over it and scoop it up - ensuring your are wearing your bat-armor-gloves. If perched on a wall, trap it behind an oatmeal, yogurt, or tupperware container. If in flight, use a butterfly net - not a fishing net as the bat will likely escape due to the larger holes. The net, it the least suggested form of capture as it increased the likelihood of human-bat contact.
- Unless you saw the bat enter your house, you don't know how long it's been there and you should contact your doctor about the rabies shots.
- If you do let it go, put it on a tree or up high somewhere. They have a hard time taking off from the ground and they'll hop around pathetically for a bit before being able to take flight.
- While bats are commonly referred to as rodents, they are not in fact related to rodents, and are more closely related to alpacas, hippopotamus, and dolphins!! (what?? can this be real???)
- There are megabats and microbats. But not all megabats are bigger than microbats.
- Bats aren't blind, but they don't see well at all and they mostly "see" with their ears, so if there are noises about it will make the bat confused as to how to get out, so one should turn off the music, clocks, computers, or anything that makes any noise if you want it to find its way out.
- While a large grouping of bats is now called a "Colony", in the middle ages it was called a "Murder", just as A Murder of Crows, as the black-wings hoards were mistaken for each other.
- The largest bat - called a Flying Fox - has a wingspan of, oh help, SIX FEET!! The smallest bat is called a Bumblebee Bat.
- Bat guano - a.k.a. bat poop - has been used for things such as bullets (really, in the Civil War!!), and could be used to detoxify waste, improve detergents and for antibiotics - but as far as I can tell, it isn't actually used in mascara. And thank goodness, because that stuff stinks in indescribable ways - and I know this from standing outside a great bat cave in years back.
- Oh, and Vampire Bat saliva is an anticoagulant!
Beary Birthday Cake
 | ||
| Well, it's not the prize-winner, but Prancer loved it. |
slightly lighter than the future blueberry eye of the bear. No such luck. Lavender it is. Once the cake cooled, I took it out of freezer and shaped it. I used a bear crossing sign I found on Amazon, and overall,
I feel like the shape was ok, but I was really tired and the dimensions seemed skewed, so I added length to the legs, which I probably should have left alone... I then sliced it in two to make a fruit center and finally added the crumb coat before falling into bed and having some beary stressful dreams regarding cake disasters and bears. I still had to put a second layer of icing on, and solve the Lavender problem, which really is odd that I thought it a problem at all as Prancer has asked for pink cakes in the past, but hey, it's not what I had anticipated, so therein lies the problem.
So the pre-dawn hours came and I was up again with the Boy, and thankfully the Wife let me go back and get an hour and a half more sleep before facing this bear of a project again. At some point in dreamland, I came up with the idea of condensing the remaining two cups of pie filling (previous made for fruit layer and to color icing) and to pureed it, making a glaze and cover the icing with it completely, thus making a black bear cake. I had mixed feelings on this, so I consulted with Cake Master. She thought perhaps a design/details with the glaze would work better than a full-on cover. So before the Boy got picked up by Mme. Child and Goose for a couple hours while we took Prancer out for a birthday lunch and movie, I reheated the pie filling and added two more tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken it further, blended it all to a smooth puree, and put it into the fridge for cooling, put on a properly thick layer of icing, and ran around like a, ahem, bat outta hell to get the house in order, presents wrapped, and me showered.Whew. With the Boy on his way, we took Prancer out, just the three of us, for the first time since before the Boy was born. Chinese food, including Tangerine Chicken, his all time favorite, a pu pu platter - and oh, but the pu pu platter does make for some fine jokes for a newly seven year old - and orange juice with an umbrella, "like those fancy drinks," and shortly he was, "just too stuffed to eat another bite." Then off to Ice Age 4, where he got popcorn as he was, "so starving I could eat up a house," and a Madagascar poster - all because it was his birthday (really popcorn is just the tradition and they were just giving them away, but it's all about the birthday, isn't it?).
Back home, I made a separate little cake for Prancer to decorate while I drew the design on the cake for sharing. He was please with the outcome - of both my work and his own. So, while I am not as pleased as I'd like to be with the outcome, I call it a success.
The Recipe
After looking at many recipes, I adapted one from Joy of Baking.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease 2 9″ cake pans with butter or cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, then grease again. Set aside. (this is the first time I've ever used parchment paper, um, wow - so easy to get out of the pan afterwards!)
- Take half the blueberries and put them a sauce pan on low, keep coming back to these and stir occasionally until most are soft and popped, making a solid deep blue - I did this while I mixed the other ingredients together and still had a bit of stir-time before mixing in.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy.
- Slowly add the sugar, mix/cream until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, being sure to mix each egg in completely before adding the next.
- Add the vanilla and mix fully.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the addition of buttermilk (c. flour/ 1/2 c. buttermilk/ c. flour/ 1/2 c. buttermilk/ c. flour)
- Add the blueberry sauce and mix fully.
- Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Place directly into freezer, for about 45 min. or until completely cool, before frosting. Not only does this step quicken the cooling process, it also seals in the moisture, making for a more moist cake - I will do this always.
- For the fruit filling I used Mom's Most Wonderful Blueberry Pie Ever. Use half of the pie filling as your fruit layer. Reserve the 2nd half in the saucepan.
- For the cream cheese icing I used the same as for the Owl Cake.
- For the glaze, reheat the pie filling and add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch mixed in a small amount (4 Tbsp?) water. Stir until fully incorporated and it becomes thick. Transfer to blender and blend until a smooth puree without any pieces of blueberry skin noticeable. Then transfer to a bowl to refrigerate until cool. Ensure that the glaze is FULLY cooled before using to color icing or decorate cake. Also, if decorating atop the icing, keep cool as long as possible as it will tend to run when warmed.
- Finally, if you are looking for a true-blue cake and/or icing, you will need to use food coloring (I always try to avoid). The blueberry-colored icing is lavender or purple, and the cake will end up being more steely blue-gray.
Prep work
I am waiting for Prancer's cakes to be cool enough to shape them and put a crumb coat on. I am bleary-eyed and sleep is calling so I don't know how much sense I'll make here, but thought, since I didn't right yesterday, I'd post.
First of all, there is no definitive bat news. The results are not in. Day 5 is Sunday, so that is when we were originally to have the shots if the test results weren't back yet, but we *should* get the results back on *Monday*, so I called the Department of Public Health who checked with all the regs and everyone, including the Boy's pediatrician, is all on board with the opinion that we will be in the clear, even if the bat was rabid, to wait for the result on Monday. If, however, there are no result by the end of the day we all need to call the ER and get lined up for the shots.
My feet hurt. I'm not talking aching. Oh, yes, they are aching. But it also feels like small being has taken a bat and with mighty force is slamming the arches of my feet. It comes out of the blue. When I am sitting. When I am standing. When my feet are up. Yesterday I attended a lovely event for about 45 minutes, but could not really appreciate it as I was near tears. The only time it really feels better is when I'm icing them. Bleh.
Speaking of icing: Turns out that blueberry frosting that has been colored with actual blueberries is more of a purple. *cringe* I'd really like to avoid using any food coloring as some think that food dye contributes to attention problems, and Prancer has enough of that without adding dye to the the problem. The sugar will probably put him over the edge. We're having his birthday party and I came up with, I thought, a clever idea of making a Blue Beary Cake for him - I think I posted earlier about our bear fun on the hunt for blueberries. So anyway, found a recipe, modified it, baked it, and it is now cooling. While cooling, I made the frosting and blueberry pie filling for the fruit layer and to color the frosting - I really had thought it would be blue - (his father may not be pleased with his son having a purple cake, but hey, I'm doing the best I can here ). Ok, I've really got to get this thing moving. Wish me luck!
First of all, there is no definitive bat news. The results are not in. Day 5 is Sunday, so that is when we were originally to have the shots if the test results weren't back yet, but we *should* get the results back on *Monday*, so I called the Department of Public Health who checked with all the regs and everyone, including the Boy's pediatrician, is all on board with the opinion that we will be in the clear, even if the bat was rabid, to wait for the result on Monday. If, however, there are no result by the end of the day we all need to call the ER and get lined up for the shots.
My feet hurt. I'm not talking aching. Oh, yes, they are aching. But it also feels like small being has taken a bat and with mighty force is slamming the arches of my feet. It comes out of the blue. When I am sitting. When I am standing. When my feet are up. Yesterday I attended a lovely event for about 45 minutes, but could not really appreciate it as I was near tears. The only time it really feels better is when I'm icing them. Bleh.
Speaking of icing: Turns out that blueberry frosting that has been colored with actual blueberries is more of a purple. *cringe* I'd really like to avoid using any food coloring as some think that food dye contributes to attention problems, and Prancer has enough of that without adding dye to the the problem. The sugar will probably put him over the edge. We're having his birthday party and I came up with, I thought, a clever idea of making a Blue Beary Cake for him - I think I posted earlier about our bear fun on the hunt for blueberries. So anyway, found a recipe, modified it, baked it, and it is now cooling. While cooling, I made the frosting and blueberry pie filling for the fruit layer and to color the frosting - I really had thought it would be blue - (his father may not be pleased with his son having a purple cake, but hey, I'm doing the best I can here ). Ok, I've really got to get this thing moving. Wish me luck!
Sharktooth
Prancer at that age when the little teeth are replaced by the big teeth. Normally teeth fall out and are replaced by larger, slightly more awkward, teeth in the same spot the previous one vacated. Mmmm, not Prancer. He appears to be growing a second set. Just like a shark. He thinks it great fun to be equated to a shark. I worry about braces in his future...
Bat Tales Continued...
Thankfully, I did not have to go so far as to commit the murder myself. Another coworker took it upon herself to call the police department and inquire as to the steps one would take in such a situation. Soon thereafter I was on the phone with animal control to set up a meeting for a hand-off of the culprit. Animal Control will "take care" of euthanizing it and get it to the Board of Health for testing. The incubation period for rabies is 10 days. That said, if the results aren't back by day 5 we all need to go in for shots. The concern is that even if you don't think you've been bitten, you can't always tell because the bite can feel less significant than a mosquito bite, and on the off chance that it does have rabies, it is 100% fatal once the person starts to have symptoms. Hopefully the results will be in by Friday and we won't have to go any further than that. Just glad we were able to find it - even if it landed on the Wife's neck - because otherwise all three of us and both cats would be getting A LOT of shots today - the amount of vaccine is by weight. I know two people who are "of size" and they each had to get NINE shots all at once, and a half-pint little one who got 3 shots - and that's just the 1st round - there's follow-up shots, too. My best guess is that I'd have to get 7 or 8, the Wife would have to get 6 or 7, and the Boy would have to get 1 or 2. Really hoping we can avoid this with a negative test outcome. On the bright side, if we do have to get the shots, then we are covered from any further bat/rabies worries for 7 years. The Animal Control guy did say that our area has not had any instances of bat rabies this year, so he is hopeful, but he reiterated that 5-day thing, and also said to call our insurance first to ensure it will be covered/get pre-authorization because insurance companies are not wanting to pay for the shots - you know, the shots that can prevent an illness that is 100% FATAL once any symptoms show up! Uff.
Bat Fiasco
Remember how utterly tired I was just about three hours ago. Yeah. Well, I'm still that tired, but am sitting in the dressing room holding vigil and trying to listen for bat sounds. Bitchy Queen, the captor of the bat, has let it escape and it is somewhere in this room. She has even dared to leave the scene of the crime - I can't believe she would leave! As I start to write this it is 1:15am. I have no business being awake, but there is no way to go to sleep.
About an hour or so ago I was woken from a dead sleep by what sounded like a motor or some such mechanical device dying. A ridiculous racket. I thought our air conditioner was crapping out, but the Wife got up to investigate, suspecting a mouse, then screeched me to full alertness with the shrill announcement that, "the cat has a BAT!"
Ok. I hate that I am the bug catcher, which has on occasion turned into mouse catcher, but this, THIS, is out of my league! I don't know the first thing about bats! Ok, well, except that their bites - which one cannot necessarily detect - are known to cause a disease that is 100% fatal if contracted and not dealt with. But how do you catch one? What kind of armor do you need? Is there anything you shouldn't do (aside from screech like a little girl and wake up the baby??)? What do you do with the bat if you do catch it? My mind is racing with all of these questions as I am trying to decide what action to take. I feel stripped naked in my measly jammies hopping around after that cat with a squealing, flapping creature in its jaws, which then escapes and I shriek, put the bucket on top of my head and flee the room as the thing is being completely unpredictable. And it flew. Before it just flapped around. But it was flying as I fled the room. While this is happening the wife is spouting out fun facts about how we have to catch it and turn it over to the authorities to get it tested, that you must wear leather gloves, that if it's on the floor you put a towel over it it can't fly - and other things -
But we got it!! Just now! Oh my God that was BAT-CRAZY-MAD! We were holding vigil for over an hour and just when we were about to decide to all just go get rabies shots, because we probably weren't bitten, but it we were then it's fatal, the Wife said, did you check that pile of clothes, and well, I batted at it quite a bit but no bat came out, so I thought it was clear, but we decided to take the whole pile down to be sure, and that's when the bat flew out and LANDED ON THE WIFE!! Right on her NECK! I don't think I've ever heard her scream so loud before! She flung the thing off and ran up the stairs, still screaming!! And then the Boy is screaming, too, because I don't think he's ever heard either of us scream like that, much less waking him from a sound sleep. Thank the Goddess she probably stunned the thing because I finally got it in the container. And the wife was still making little hyperventilating noises when she finally came back down with assurances that the bat was closed up tight. She is now looking up where to take the thing in the morning for testing. And at Google Image for examples of bat bites. It doesn't look like she's got one, but she is scratched up - though most of the scratches likely came from her own flailings, but at least we can get it tested.
And now, somehow, I am supposed to go to sleep and then wake up in 3 1/2 hours to ready myself for facilitating a 4-hour meeting... but oh, we have to figure out how to "euthanize" the bat before we submit it for testing. So now I have to kill the dreadful little thing too. Good Grief.
About an hour or so ago I was woken from a dead sleep by what sounded like a motor or some such mechanical device dying. A ridiculous racket. I thought our air conditioner was crapping out, but the Wife got up to investigate, suspecting a mouse, then screeched me to full alertness with the shrill announcement that, "the cat has a BAT!"
Ok. I hate that I am the bug catcher, which has on occasion turned into mouse catcher, but this, THIS, is out of my league! I don't know the first thing about bats! Ok, well, except that their bites - which one cannot necessarily detect - are known to cause a disease that is 100% fatal if contracted and not dealt with. But how do you catch one? What kind of armor do you need? Is there anything you shouldn't do (aside from screech like a little girl and wake up the baby??)? What do you do with the bat if you do catch it? My mind is racing with all of these questions as I am trying to decide what action to take. I feel stripped naked in my measly jammies hopping around after that cat with a squealing, flapping creature in its jaws, which then escapes and I shriek, put the bucket on top of my head and flee the room as the thing is being completely unpredictable. And it flew. Before it just flapped around. But it was flying as I fled the room. While this is happening the wife is spouting out fun facts about how we have to catch it and turn it over to the authorities to get it tested, that you must wear leather gloves, that if it's on the floor you put a towel over it it can't fly - and other things -
But we got it!! Just now! Oh my God that was BAT-CRAZY-MAD! We were holding vigil for over an hour and just when we were about to decide to all just go get rabies shots, because we probably weren't bitten, but it we were then it's fatal, the Wife said, did you check that pile of clothes, and well, I batted at it quite a bit but no bat came out, so I thought it was clear, but we decided to take the whole pile down to be sure, and that's when the bat flew out and LANDED ON THE WIFE!! Right on her NECK! I don't think I've ever heard her scream so loud before! She flung the thing off and ran up the stairs, still screaming!! And then the Boy is screaming, too, because I don't think he's ever heard either of us scream like that, much less waking him from a sound sleep. Thank the Goddess she probably stunned the thing because I finally got it in the container. And the wife was still making little hyperventilating noises when she finally came back down with assurances that the bat was closed up tight. She is now looking up where to take the thing in the morning for testing. And at Google Image for examples of bat bites. It doesn't look like she's got one, but she is scratched up - though most of the scratches likely came from her own flailings, but at least we can get it tested.
And now, somehow, I am supposed to go to sleep and then wake up in 3 1/2 hours to ready myself for facilitating a 4-hour meeting... but oh, we have to figure out how to "euthanize" the bat before we submit it for testing. So now I have to kill the dreadful little thing too. Good Grief.
Photo found, scanner lost
I had a wonderful trip down Memory Lane searching for a photo of the Naot's I had, and finally found them in *the very last* album I opened. I think it was number eight. And before I pulled it out I went through a suitcase of loose photos and negatives. Was too tired to scan the photo last night. After work, picking tomatoes at the farm, and dinner tonight I got to it - but no, the scanner is kaput. I knew the printer head was messed up, so I knew we'd have to have it dealt with, but I don't understand why it can't scan an image and save it to digital?!? First the coffee pot, then the printer, which is also the scanner... I'm feeling a trend here - like Mercury is in Retrograde or something. The car is making a noise, but oh help, it has to last until we get the refinance through.
I keep shutting my eyes for longer periods. It may be me shutting down because I just don't want to deal with calling Cuisinart and Lexmark, but I think it's just utter fatigue.
I keep shutting my eyes for longer periods. It may be me shutting down because I just don't want to deal with calling Cuisinart and Lexmark, but I think it's just utter fatigue.
Naot your average sandal.
I'm on the hunt for a photo of my favorite pair of sandals ever. They were Naot's. I got them in 1997 and wore them nearly exclusively for the next 3 summers, and then still after that when the stink of them led to me only wearing them around the house. But they were just so comfy. And cute. And I've got these pains in my feet like crazy that I just can't shake. I've emailed the company to see if they might - on the hugely ridiculous long shot - have a pair somewhere. They have asked me to send a photo. Google Images has not been a help, and so I am going through old photos looking specifically for photos of my feet in the summer. It would be a bit of a crazy endeavor for anyone, but I don't happen to like my feet or ankles or calves, so therefore, I try to avoid having them in photos whenever I can. I'm about halfway through all of my photos with no luck so far. Awesome memories, but no luck on the sandals. Must continue to look tomorrow.
A good night's sleep.
All in a (long) day's work...
This morning began with a visit to the CSA to pick herbs, bean, tomatoes and flowers and to pick up our share of other vegetables. The Boy joins me on these ventures and the whole trip can be exhausting for us both, but it's so worth it: we get a wonderful organic produce, and the Boy gets to learn first-hand where food comes from - and see tractors.
On arrival home I put together a completely locally-sourced meal of bread that I bought while it was still warm, cream cheese (that I made on my own from milk that I bought at the farm) spread with fresh herbs I picked this morning and garlic from the Farmers Market, tomatoes from the CSA, and blueberries that I picked yesterday. The only thing that was not local was a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt. Very satisfying for both the body and soul.
Then the food prep/storage/cooking marathon began: 2 Quarts wax beans (one frozen, one prepped for seaming this week), 2 batches of Pesto (Green batch frozen, Black/purple for dinner), 1 large Kolrabi (cubed & roasted, for dinner and lunches this week), 4 sweet peppers (roasted, for dinner and for sauce this week), large pot of Gemelli with Parmesan and herbed chicken with eggplant and above pesto sauce (for dinner, 2 lunches this week, and three frozen entrees), 2 collections of roasted chicken soup bones and 1 bone-in chicken breast (for stock and tomorrow's chicken salad) and finally 4 heads of fennel ( for roasting tomorrow).
All said and done, I then did the dishes and now have my feet up while I type these last few sentences before I tumble into bed and start another marathon tomorrow - on the list for that marathon is: roasted beets, roasted zucchini and yellow squash, roasted fennel, chicken salad, and Kale chips. Dinner will be salmon, but beyond that I don't know yet - maybe just salmon and salad...
On arrival home I put together a completely locally-sourced meal of bread that I bought while it was still warm, cream cheese (that I made on my own from milk that I bought at the farm) spread with fresh herbs I picked this morning and garlic from the Farmers Market, tomatoes from the CSA, and blueberries that I picked yesterday. The only thing that was not local was a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt. Very satisfying for both the body and soul.
Then the food prep/storage/cooking marathon began: 2 Quarts wax beans (one frozen, one prepped for seaming this week), 2 batches of Pesto (Green batch frozen, Black/purple for dinner), 1 large Kolrabi (cubed & roasted, for dinner and lunches this week), 4 sweet peppers (roasted, for dinner and for sauce this week), large pot of Gemelli with Parmesan and herbed chicken with eggplant and above pesto sauce (for dinner, 2 lunches this week, and three frozen entrees), 2 collections of roasted chicken soup bones and 1 bone-in chicken breast (for stock and tomorrow's chicken salad) and finally 4 heads of fennel ( for roasting tomorrow).
All said and done, I then did the dishes and now have my feet up while I type these last few sentences before I tumble into bed and start another marathon tomorrow - on the list for that marathon is: roasted beets, roasted zucchini and yellow squash, roasted fennel, chicken salad, and Kale chips. Dinner will be salmon, but beyond that I don't know yet - maybe just salmon and salad...
Mighty Movers
The Boy woke up extra early this morning - wow, that was a long time ago - and we headed out for a walk. Whenever this happens my first stop is coffee, so that done, we headed to the drugstore for a couple of things and then up the main street to get back home. We pass by a garage on the way and as we do so a tow truck begins to back out. As the Boy tends to be riveted by these things, I turn the stroller so we can give it our full attention. I felt somewhat obligated to this because pre-coffee, I merely grunted acknowledgement of various different large vehicles that caught his attention. So the tow truck backs up and parks. The driver gets out and notices the Boy and greets him. You'd have thought he was rock star with the level of excitement that he got in return - waving with both hands, squealing, and just utter excitement.
We try to give the Boy a full range of gender-neutral toys to play with. He has dolls and trucks alike, and we encourage both equally. We don't mind if he wears necklaces or plays at the vanity. Neither do we mind if he prefers the workbench or trucks. But lemme tell ya, this kid is fascinated with all things construction, mechanical or on wheels.
The first time this became really evident was when we were at the milk farm and he was just about a year old. We visited the cows in the barn, and then went outside. There was a tractor that was doing some work, so we paused to watch for a bit. Oh, but the Boy wasn't just watching - he was in awe. First with his mouth open and pointing. Then when it reversed directions, he started clapping! And finally, as it continued to do it's work - it had a plow on the front and was razing the driveway - he started blowing kisses at it!
Since then, I figured I might as well let him get his kicks about various wheels monstrosities. I point to semis, dump trucks, motorcycles, street sweepers, and whatever else happens by. When not out and about, most mornings he has me go over his Mighty Movers board book about 4-24 times, so he can soak these things in when they aren't there in real life. Regardless he takes it all in and, with wonder, I watch as he becomes his own little person.
We try to give the Boy a full range of gender-neutral toys to play with. He has dolls and trucks alike, and we encourage both equally. We don't mind if he wears necklaces or plays at the vanity. Neither do we mind if he prefers the workbench or trucks. But lemme tell ya, this kid is fascinated with all things construction, mechanical or on wheels.
The first time this became really evident was when we were at the milk farm and he was just about a year old. We visited the cows in the barn, and then went outside. There was a tractor that was doing some work, so we paused to watch for a bit. Oh, but the Boy wasn't just watching - he was in awe. First with his mouth open and pointing. Then when it reversed directions, he started clapping! And finally, as it continued to do it's work - it had a plow on the front and was razing the driveway - he started blowing kisses at it!
Since then, I figured I might as well let him get his kicks about various wheels monstrosities. I point to semis, dump trucks, motorcycles, street sweepers, and whatever else happens by. When not out and about, most mornings he has me go over his Mighty Movers board book about 4-24 times, so he can soak these things in when they aren't there in real life. Regardless he takes it all in and, with wonder, I watch as he becomes his own little person.
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