The Boar's Head Tavern

I've been aware of the Boar's Head for quite some time now.  Jason has been a fellow there for several years.  I've met some of the fellows including the late, great Michael Spencer.  Loved him - he reminded me of my Uncle Dave.  Anyway, until recently I have only been a sporadic reader.  I had a hard time overcoming the format of the actual page.  Once I started using the Google Reader, I started reading the Boar's Head along with a few other of my friends' blogs.

Today one of the fellows posted this web site:

http://www.iwl.me/

This web site (supposedly) analyzes your writing and  tells you who you write like.  I pasted three of my recent blog posts in the frame.  The analyzer said I write like Mark Twain, Margaret Mitchell, and Steven King.  So I'm sarcastic, romantic and horrifying. 

I can live with that.

Oh so helpful (poor cats)

The girls really do want to be helpful.  Jordan decided I needed help making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch today.  She was trying to guide my knife hand as I spread the peanut butter.  As soon as Breonna saw Jordan was helping, she had to get in on the act.  She actually grabbed my hand to "help" and I ended up smearing peanut butter all over the counter.

We have cats - 3 of them and they have varying tolerance for the girls' antics ranging from Punkin who is very social and will allow them to pick him up or hug him.  Callie goes into hiding when the girls get up and comes out and snuggles after the girls go to bed.  Emmi is somewhere in between. 

I came into the living room and found this:

Yes, that is Punkin under a pink blanket.  Apparently he looked cold.

Corn on the cob

Corn is the girls' favorite.  So I asked them "Have you ever had corn on the cob?"  They asked "What's that?"

Really?  Of course I grew up on a corn farm and we had corn for almost every meal from mid July until mid August.  We had to get these girls some corn on the cob.

We went to a vegetable stand and bought a dozen ears of corn.  I brought them home and shucked them and got them ready to cook.  The girls were following me every step of the way "What are you doing now?" "What is that big pot for?" "What do you need all that water for?".

We got dinner on the table and I buttered and salted the corn for them and handed it to them - we even got out the little corn holders for them.  I put it on their plates and looked at them expectantly.  "How do I eat this?"  Breonna asked me.  Of course they don't know how to eat it - until recently they thought corn came out of a bag.  So I got my ear of corn ready and modeled eating it for them.  Once they figured that out there was no stopping them.  I had to make them eat their fruit and their hamburgers before they got another ear of corn.

I think that we will be getting more corn before the summer is over.

Drama Queen

We decided to take the girls to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. 

As we pulled in Breonna asks "Where are we?" 

Jason replies "Dairy Queen."

Breonna comes back "Oh, I keep thinking this is Drama Queen."

Domestic girl & swimming

Well, I was just domestic girl today ... I COOKED breakfast.  Bacon, eggs, and toast for Jason and the girls.  Then we watched the Prologue of the Tour de France.  During commercials I got up and cleaned in the kitchen and the living room.  After Tour coverage was over I made blackberry jam and a pineapple upside down cake for Daisy's party tomorrow night.

This afternoon we took the girls swimming at the Andover YMCA and Jason was amazed by the progress the girls have made in the pool.  Last time he went swimming with them they were clutching him for dear life even in shallow water.  Now they are paddling around, even in water over their heads, with only the aid of a noodle.  I hope this progress continues.  Breonna still doesn't like putting her face in the water, but I will be happy to get her so she can swim for survival.  Anything more would just be extra.

I LOVE the water slides at the Andover Y.  FUN!!  It makes the slide at the Coon Rapids Y look lame.  Mind you, I can only make use of them when Jason is around to watch the girls while I play (thanks Jason!!).  I guess I pay him back by watching the girls while he sits in the hot tub for a little bit.

It happens every July

In our house we don't really follow football, or basketball, or baseball.  We dig the Tour de France.  I have a feeling two little girls will be getting rather annoyed with their parents - probably starting tomorrow. 

I don't know everyone in the peloton.  I don't follow cycling year round.  I'm not a Lance Armstrong fanatic.  I dig the race.  It is different every year.  These guys are amazing ... climbing mountains, competing in sprints and time trials and this year they will be going over cobblestones on these bicycles that are made for speed.

Yeah, I know, I'm the one that can't be bothered to watch a football game during the season or the playoffs, but I'll show up at someone's house to socialize and watch the Super Bowl commercials.  I only vaguely pay attention to what my alma mater's sports teams do (it's not like I went to a big sports school anyway).  But the TDF - for 23 days in July I'll listen to Bob Roll, Paul Sherwin, Phil Liggett, and Robbie Ventura talk about the intricacies and strategies of Team Astana or Rabobank.  Will Mark Cavindish win the sprint at the end of the stage or will Stewart OGrady take it?  Will one of the Schleck brothers take the mountain stage? Who is going to get caught for doping?  Notice I ask who and not if? I don't know what it is, but I love watching it. 

Why do I know these people's names?  My brother is a bicyclist and he got both me and Jason hooked on the Tour when we moved into our house in July of 2003.  We have been watching ever since. 

I have a feeling Breonna and Jordan will think we are crazy for watching a bunch of guys ride bicycles around France for 23 days every July.  Maybe one day they will get it ... maybe not.