Swingin' Saturday

Last night was roller derby night! As I know that mere words cannot describe such a spectacle, I will provide video as well. But first, what's a Saturday night without wandering around and bumping into a hot dog?


Not to be outdone, the dairy portion of the food pyramid also sent out a representative.


Walking inflatable food could not distract me though. It was on to derby! Roller derby involves a pack of skaters and two "jammers" who start out behind the pack. The object is for the jammers to break through the pack and pass members of the opposing team, which is how the team scores points. The video below is the very beginning of a jam. If you listen to the announcer, you'll hear (and see) when the jammer makes it through the pack to become the lead jammer.

As far as sporting events go, it's highly entertaining. The crowd is always interesting too.


When all is said and done, however, there is one enduring message that roller derby promotes. It's so catchy, they've made it into a high class bumper sticker.


That's entertainment.

Adventures

Lauren of Suburbia reporting from Southern Indiana!

First stop was the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana. (It's about 90 miles east of Evansville.) It's home to the Sisters of St. Benedict. Did you know Indiana was home to such an architectural beauty? It was a beauty on the inside as well, though I didn't feel like I could photograph it. Nuns were watching, you know.


Next stop was Corydon, Indiana's first state capitol. The capitol only lasted nine years before it moved to sunny Indianapolis. It's only 40 square feet, but it's still $2 to look the place over. At that rate, what do you think they charge for Biltmore?


And the last stop was Schimpff's Candy Store and Museum in Jeffersonville. This is the best kind of museum, as it not only featured the history of candy, but it sold modern examples of it as well.
If you're willing to put 320 miles on your car or truck, this trip can be yours. Highly recommended.

Spring Fever, which is preferable to Swine Flu

We're in bloom here at home, and I have the evidence to prove it.

We have our Crabby Tree, which doesn't look as impressive now that the white blooms have blown away--


We have our large Staple Trees to give us shade--



Wild Violence have popped up around the front of the house near the garage--


And the Hostages lining the driveway look quite pleased after having been buried under the snow throughout most of January--



When things start to look too cheery, our resident vulture comes around to darken up the day and eat whatever roadkill that hangs out by the side of the road.


And that's the glory of nature.

Where are your Easter eggs?

We wore our Sunday Best for you.

Message to the Munchkin, Pt. 2

To cover up for my startling lack of content, I've opted for another video post. This video isn't nearly as exciting as intended, as the subtle shaking of Bob and me has been lost. Use your imaginations, kiddies!

Exclusive Reclusives in Space

Due to Babushka listening to too much Coast 2 Coast on the radio, she has become infected with the desire to seek out aliens. To this end, she has enlisted Abuelo to set up a gigantic antenna on the side of the house. This will be transmitting our signal into outer space in a project (that's "campaign" in Lilly-speak) that will run along the lines of SETI (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). Upon establishing a connection, Babushka plans to warn the alien lifeforms not to buy burnt crackers. These transmissions will be done without the benefit of taxpayer dollars, although we are hoping that some provision will be made in the next government stimulus package.

All this technical mumbo-jumbo has been hard work. You will see this evidenced in the video below. It features a frustrated Babushka yelling at Abuelo through the floor (and if you listen carefully, you can hear his muffled voice yelling back) as they attempted to thread a cable up from the crawlspace.

Making Use of the Deck

Ever since the Dead Squirrel Debacle of two weeks ago, I've been trying to be more pro-active in my defense against nature's intruders. Thanks to the deck that Theron built (and a comfy camping chair), I have taken to setting up a defensive post at the back of the house. The objective is simple: to shoot any squirrel that comes within 20 feet of home sweet home. Note that the goal is not shoot to kill because, frankly, I'm just not good enough of a shot. My plastic BBs that tend to blow away in a strong breeze aren't exactly up to the task of assassination either, but with the help of some near misses, I do believe I may just be able to scare off our three resident squirrels by force of intimidation.

All in all, I find this new plan of action to be both physically and intellectually enriching. Intellectually enriching because I spend my time reading in between shots, and physically enriching because, although no real exercise is involved, the very act of being outdoors makes me feel as if I were doing something both sporty and healthful.