Jerry's HUGE Dangler

After a few weeks of waiting patiently, there is now a lot of activity on Jerry's big giant white dangler.

A LOT of attention!

Sometimes there are 10 of them trying to all get onto Jerry's dangler at the same time!

There is fighting, slapping, squealing, and hurt feelings all in the attempt to get the best spot on Jerry's huge dangler.

Jerry knew the day would come when his dangler would be the most popular on our street.

And from the action his dangler is getting, I would venture a guess that his dangler is the most popular on the whole base!

It really is quite peaceful, really, watching all of the action on his dangler. Even with all of the bickering and posturing for position. I mean really, is there a BAD position to be on when you're on the dangler?

It's big enough for them all!

In fact, Jerry is afraid his dangler isn't enough anymore so he's threatening to bring in another dangler.

I don't think we need two enormous danglers around here, do you?

What?

Did I forget to mention that his dangler is full of finch food?

Jeez, people! Get your minds out of the gutter! Isn't it obvious I was talking about a bird feeder?

Nasty, dirty minds! I simply don't understand that kind of thinking......



;)

Go Buy Triscuit

I'm not one to randomly give advice.............

Oh, wait. Yes I am!

So here's some more!

Go buy yourself one of these "specially marked" boxes of Triscuit crackers and not only will you enjoy whole-grain goodness, but you'll get an extra bonus..........


......dill seeds!

???

Yep, to encourage people to grow their own home gardens, Triscuit has included this awesome little card on the inside of the box. You can soak, split, and plant the card in your garden to grow your own dill!



All of the directions are right there on the box. It's as easy at 1,2,3,4,5,6!

Then go check out the site www.urbanfarming.org to find out more about the Home Farming Movement.

Then eat your crackers with cream cheese and pepper jelly.

Don't be a dill weed! Go do it! :)

Floating toy

While in town for a visit, Jerry's folks took the kids to Wal-Mart to get them a new toy.

Josh is a boy so of course his toy involved something with wheels. Or guns. Or ramps.

Or in this case, ALL THREE!

This toy came with a car to zoom around on floating ramps while you shoot at it with a never-ending supply of bath water from a dragon-shaped water gun.


Josh now takes five baths a day.

He's the cleanest boy on the planet.

And the pruniest.

Not Brumotactillophobia

"What? What?

What are you looking at, Mom?

What? You've never seen someone eat a cucumber and chocolate ice cream cone at the same time before?

Cucumber.

Good!

Chocolate.

GOOD!!

It's not weird.

There's nothing wrong with me.

See? I'm perphectly normal!"

Diving for Dentures

I am a dufus.

Seriously.

When I was a freshman in high school, I joined the local swim club's diving team one summer. I flopped, slapped, and embarrassed myself for an entire season but somehow managed to have a bunch of fun despite being terrified of the actual diving.

But whatever.

The pool on base here were we live has a one meter diving board. And since I am an experienced dive team member with oodles of crappy diving practice 20 years ago, I regularly dive off of the diving board along with the other adults making fools of themselves. (During adult swim.)

I can do a back flip, an inward tuck dive, a back dive, and a "pencil". (Pencil= When you jump in straight like a pencil. It's very technical.) Sometimes I even manage to pull off the ever-impressive belly flop!

I can also chip my teeth!

Have you ever heard of someone chipping both top and bottom front teeth while doing a back flip off a diving board?

No, I didn't hit my head on anything. I just landed in the water feet first.

What the heck?

I have a tendency to jut out my lower jaw ever so slightly when I concentrate. (I grew up to the constant reminders of my mother, "Paula, put your chin in!") When I do a dive I concentrate and thus my lower jaw slightly protrudes.

When I landed in the water, for whatever stupid reason, my lower jaw popped back into it's normal position but in the process scraped, banged, and pummeled my top teeth on their way.

As soon as it happened, even before I was headed up to the surface of the water, I felt my teeth with my tongue and it felt like I lost a biting contest against a piece of sandpaper.

I didn't chip a big section off so I'm not mutilated, but it's enough for me to notice. And it's scratchy and my teeth hurt.

It's off to the dentist on the 1st! (After my dental insurance kicks in.)

Who ever heard of a dufus needing a mouthpiece to dive off of diving board?

I tell you, I am the diving QUEEN!!!

Beauty on the Run

The path I run on takes me along a dirt road near the base's perimeter fence. All around is low shrubby vegetation, a bunny rabbit or two, and over there <--------------is Mexico.

It's pretty. Very pretty. Browns, yellows, and a smattering of evergreen make up most of the color palette.

And then there's this. The purple lantana.

This lantana is the first thing to grow after a short, dry, and cold winter. It pops out of the plowed dirt road and blooms into this most gorgeous deep violet color.

When the air is clear and not thick with Mexico smog, the vibrancy of this wildflower literally halts me in my tracks.

What I love is the poetry of this plant. The juxtaposition of it all.

Here's a gorgeous bloom of vibrant purple color in the middle of a white, brown, and gray landscape.

A small oasis of nature in the middle of a paved and rutted dirt road.

A small patch of nature's beauty directly next to a man-made chain-link fence.

Here's a piece of beauty inviting you in for a closer look, next to this same fence topped with barbed wire that obviously means "STAY AWAY".

See? It's all so poetic and deep!

Or maybe it's the runner's high.

We Found Cheesus!!!!

Look! It's a miracle and I'm not even Catholic!

It's CHEESUS!


While Josh was noshing away at his cheetos, he came across this odd shaped one. Me, always the imaginative one, immediately set out to identify this cheesometry baked snack.


Cheesus! The Jesus made out of cheese!



Paige even made him a little stand so we can see him properly.

Yes, I know. It's just a fluke from the baking process. I know it's not really Jesus. Jesus is in heaven waiting for his turn to flip our world over.

But as a Christian, my mind tends to wander to the divine, and if I see divinity in a cheeto, then so be it.

So for now, Cheesus will sit on his perch and watch me cook this wonderful food Jesus has blessed us with.

And maybe watch me eat a cheeto or two.